Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Disclaimers: I do not own Warframe.

Update A/N: Nov 12, 2017: Well, I'll be damn. I seriously was not expecting this type of attention for this story. But after 8 fav, 10 follows, and 10 reviews, I guess people really like this story. Here is an updated chapter one, with more information and storytelling along with setting up the action for Chapter two which will have the actual mission in it. If you have ideas or suggestions, feel free to tell me.

A/N: This is my first attempt at the Warframe fandom. I got the game recently and took a liking to it. Chroma is my favorite just because of his versatility. This will be a different universe than the actual game and here is a list of changes:

1. There are only as many Tenno as there are base warframes

2. They are humans inside specially made suits that help contain their abilities. They can only be outside their suits for six hours at a time, afterward, their powers start going out of control. The ages vary and each has their own reasons for staying around, they have all their abilities unlock and even a few new ones, and they each have a personality. Also, Prime and Umbra armors will still play a role.

3. Excalibur was the first to be awakened, Chroma was the second.

4. The Orbiter has been expanded to be big enough to fit all of the Tenno, Lotus, and their companions. Everyone has their own quarters and even their own landing craft within the hangar bay. There is no unlocking a planet, they go where they are needed.

5. The Orokin empire was that. It had a ruling Emperor along with a noble class.

6. Weapons load: The Tenno will have a choice besides the standard. They can ditch one slot for another; they can have two primary weapons, one melee, and no secondary or two melee, one secondary, and no primary, etc. They will never have more than three weapons unless it comes with their suit.

7. As new Tenno become available in the game, they will appear at points in the story as part on the group, except Xaku, I have plans for them. Anyway, just because they are not reference in the early parts doesn't mean they are not around. In case you haven't notice, Warframe is one of those games where characters keep popping up.

AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST:

My username is EpicJamon on warframe and my main warframe is of course Chroma.

Whether You Like It or Not

It was peaceful deep in the part of the jungle where Excalibur was currently standing. Lushes greenery surrounded the alpha Tenno as he surveys the area, scanning for his target. His goal was no easy prey to find though, not in the slightest, for his prey was known to everyone, including the Lotus, as a loner. Whether on missions or on his own time, Chroma preferred being by himself, away from the others, only really be seen when it was his turn to stand watch on the bridge. The majority of the times when he was seen alongside the others was only at briefings, even then, only if he had to be there. The fact that he took his landing craft from the Orbiter to Earth shows how serious he was about having privacy.

Excalibur always found it a little funny that despite Chroma being the second Tenno to be awakened, after Excalibur himself, he took almost no part in their organization other than missions. By all rights, he should be the second-in-command of the Tenno in the field. Others have openly discussed that they could easily be second-in-command, though Chroma has openly stated that he would only take orders from Excalibur and the Lotus herself.

Unfortunately, a few of the other Tenno, namely Oberon, have seen this as insubordination at its finest and has put forth arguments stating Chroma should be willing to take orders from those that were in charge of whatever mission was going on. But before Excalibur could do anything, the Lotus herself step in, saying that Chroma was technically in the right. She pointed out that Excalibur was the only other authority beside herself that was recognized in their faction who can give orders. Also, that since Chroma only went out on solo missions, he was right in his statement on how he only took orders from Lotus and Excalibur.

The sound of footsteps nearby snaps Excalibur out of his thoughts as he turns to his left to see Chroma appearing out of the shadow of the trees, slowing hulking toward Excalibur. His blood-red armor was cover in an electrifying aura that sent tiny sparks to the plants around him. Excalibur remembers Chroma mentioning that he chose that element whenever he was in the forest cause it was the only one that didn't harm the vegetation.

"Excalibur", he greets in an almost welcome, yet gruffly, manner as he stood towering over the field commander of the Tenno, "What is it that you need?"

Excalibur's eyes flicker toward the Dynasty Galatine strap to Chroma's back while the elemental Tenno eyes the Dragon Nikana that hug on the Alpha Tenno's waist. Both swords were already considered powerful, even by Tenno's standards, and with Dynasty Galatine in the hands of Chroma and Dragon Nikana in the hands of Excalibur, they were nearly legendary.

But that wasn't the only thing that caught Excalibur's attention…

Attach to Chroma's back was the powerful Daikyu bow, capable of impaling a heavy armor Grineer deep into a steel wall. Not even the deadly archer Tenno, Ivara, could use the bow properly due to the strength that was required to draw and hold it. While she could still fire it off and score kills with it, she lacked the stunning accuracy she had with other bows and seldom got a headshot with it.

Then there was the Ferrox that Chroma was holding in his hand, the Corpus spear gun that the Tenno took off the corpse of Derim Zahn when he came across him while on an operation against the Index. Normally, Chroma had a certain level of respect for the dead when it came to their belongings and usually left them alone; but he made an exception for the Ferrox after witnessing first-hand the deadly potential it had. With it ionized shot that disintegrates whatever it hits and the fact that it can create a field of attraction that can hold a number of enemies in place and it completed Chroma's deadly array of weapons that he took into the field.

"The Lotus is calling for a meeting", Excalibur explains, bringing his attention back to the matter at hand, "All Tenno are to attend."

Excalibur swore he saw Chroma raise an eyebrow underneath his pelt.

"You could have just told me that over the comm-link instead of coming all the way down here", he said as he pointed upward, "Ordis is constantly scanning them to make sure they're secure, even at a distance."

"It's urgent and you know how you like to dally. Plus, I wanted to talk to you about something else", Excalibur said as he walks closer to Chroma, "The Lotus believes it's time for you to start taking on team missions once more."

"Is this an order?", came out of Chroma's mouth.

"More like a suggestion", Excalibur assure him, "The Grineer are diverting more of their forces at us and eventually, even you are going to have trouble going solo and lets be frank, most of your abilities are gear toward supporting a team."

"They're also gear toward supporting just me. Look, when the day comes that I need someone watching my back out there again, you'll be the first to know.", Chroma states as he begins walking pass Excalibur.

"That day may come a lot sooner then you think", Excalibur says, causing Chroma to stop in his tracks.

Silence passes between them for a moment as the two of tell stood there, facing away from one another.

"Do you remember what your life was like?", Chroma asks, breaking the silence, "Before you got put into the warframe? Before the Zariman Ten Zero? "

This wasn't just some random question that came out of nowhere. None of the Tenno have a full memory of their past. They might remember certain faces and events, but never all of it for there are too many blank spaces in mind. Too many questions and nowhere close to enough answers.

Chroma watches Excalibur intently as the Alpha Tenno looks up at the sky in remembrance...

"I was the son of a high-ranking Orokin general, born into prestige and wealth. I was taught the sword from an early on and was deemed a protege at a young age while Nyx started down the path of becoming highly successful in the art of philosophy, winning debates against even the wisest philosophers the empire had to offer ", Excalibur answer as he thought of his little sister, Nyx. The two of them were the only blood relatives among the Tenno and that did give them some advantages on and off missions. Generally, it gave each of them someone to talk to, someone they could relate to, "I was to march next to my father as he led the military column at the Emperor's Grand Celebration while Nyx watched from the Imperial Balcony alongside our mother and the Imperial Ruler himself, you?"

"I came from a primitive nomad tribe of hunters/warriors back on Earth. We worship dragons and we believed that a man's worth was measured through the strength of his sword arm. Blades and bows were the weapons of my people and we avoided the main cities of the Orokin, only trading with them only when necessary along with paying our dues to his imperial majesty. I didn't even know what a gun was until that cursed Orokin ship found us while we were traveling, looking for promising prospects for the Emperor's Grand Celebration", Chroma reply before looking up at the skies, "But there will be more time to talk about that later; let's get going to this urgent meeting."

"One more question, Chroma", Excalibur says, "What are your thoughts on Mesa, the gunslinger Tenno?"

To say Chroma was caught off-guard by the question would be like saying Octiva enjoys singing as the Dragon Tenno turns around, "Why?"

"Just want your honest opinion on her, you seem to have a knack for being brutally honest.", Excalibur quickly explains, to which Chroma couldn't help but agree. His blunt nature and his tendency to speak without thinking have almost gotten him into a couple of fights with his fellow Tenno onboard the Orbiter, especially Nezha.

"All I said is that he shouldn't be mad if people mistake him for a girl", Chroma thought before answering, "She's too loud for missions that require one to be silent. From what I read on reports and overheard from those who have done operations with her, she has a tendency to "go loud" as she likes to put it and disregard stealth and go straight for a frontal assault, drawing the whole enemy base to her location. The fact that she doesn't even carry a melee weapon with her to combat only puts more of a burden on her teammates who have to cover her while she reloads. I acknowledge her pistol marksmanship with is the best among us all and she is one of our top tier snipers, but it doesn't make up for the fact that she is more of an obstacle than a help on missions; thus I'm not that surprised that she has gone on so few solo operations. It seems she constantly needs someone watching her back."

Excalibur stood there, taking in everything Chroma just said about the gunslinger Tenno...

"Thank you, Chroma, for your...honest opinion", he gently said as he looks back toward the sky and sees two landing craft heading toward them, "If there are still gods in this world, I ask that you watch over me for the task ahead."

Onboard the Orbiter

"Ember, Hildryn, Loki, and finally, Chroma,", Ordis sound off, "Well, despite not all the Tenno being present there should be more than enough to carry out the operation to- bring down the vile Grineer regime- bring a semblance of peace to the system."

"Well, isn't this a surprise?", Loki commented as he glances around the briefing room, everyone already knowing that the prankster was smiling under his helmet, "Almost all of us here under one roof for the first time in forever", as his gaze falls upon Chroma, who was standing off in a corner, away from everyone else, "Even the mighty lone wolf of the group has decided to grace us with his presence."

Chroma merely grunts in response, buying no mind to Loki's and his antics. He could hear his Effigy growling inside the depths of his mind, begging to be unleashed upon the trickster Tenno.

"No, Aforitos, now is not the time", Chroma order, "Whether you like it or not, he is an ally, regrettably. Plus, you know it's not allowed."

Ever since Ember and Frost had an argument over how an ancient Earth beverage call coffee should be served, (Ember said hot and Frost said cold with ice), which left half the ship either frozen or scorch, the Lotus has forbidden the use of weapons or abilities being used outside the training room unless you had hers or Excalibur's permission to do so. Any violators of this rule and there have been a couple, were given clean-up duty to which they had to pick up after the kubrows and kavats whenever they "answer the call of nature". Even Chroma found it hard to suppress a laugh upon seeing Rhino sweeping up a huge pile that someone's kubrow left in one of the hallways after he decided to test whether or not the walls of the ship could survive one of his charges.

The Lotus entering the room alongside Excalibur snaps Chroma out of his thoughts as she walks to the center and began to address everyone…

"I see that everyone is present so now we can begin this briefing", as a hologram showing Captain Vor appear in front of her, "Intel from Dravo and our contacts in the syndicates have discovered that Captain Vor has been promoted back to the rank of Admiral."

A mutter erupts through the Tenno.

"As I sure you are aware, this means that he now has access to more resources than before and no doubt will be using them against us and our allies", Lotus said.

"Why the sudden promotion?", Atlas asks, "He was demoted specifically because he disobeys orders from the Queens; why promote him again?

"Our intel suggests that despite the blows we have dealt Captain Vor and his forces, there have been a few times where his forces have prevented us from completing our mission objectives; so far he has been the only Grineer commander to do so. So it would seem that the Queens believe that giving him access to more forces will garner more victories."

Silence descended upon the room as the information sunk in.

"What can we be expecting?", Mirage asks.

"At least three full divisions of Grineer infantry", Lotus reply.

"Well, shit", Ember said.

"Exactly", Lotus said, "Which is why we need to eliminate Vor and his lieutenants, especially lieutenant Lech Kril, before they arrive. Our spies say that the forces are still five days from arriving at Vor's new experimental base located on the surface of Mercury, so if we take him and his leadership out before they show up, they will be diverted back toward their original posts. Also, it seems that the majority of Vor's forces are spread out throughout the system; assisting Grineer forces in combating the Infected and certain Corpus factions. His remaining forces number just under a thousand strong."

"Stills sound pretty risky attacking Vor at his headquarters", Volt pointed out to which more than a couple of the Tenno agreed, "Also, seeing how our shields may have trouble dealing with the high temperature of the planet's surface."

"It is, that's why this will be an all-team effort,", Lotus said, "All Tenno will be participating in this attack except for those currently not here. There is no time to call any of them back seeing how Vor is still in the process of relocating his base to the surface and thus is not fully fortify yet. Now is the perfect time to strike while he is at his weakest. Your shields and the interior cooling system should hold up as long as you don't stay in direct sunlight for a prolonged extension of time. But it would be best if you seek shelter as soon as possible."

"Be that as it may", Volt voices up again, " So many Tenno all there in one spot. For all we know this could be a trap."

"I believe you're giving Vor too much credit. Besides, it's the only way to be sure. Usually, I'm against doing this sort of thing but there is a lot is on the line here", Lotus explains as a battle-map came up, "One of our Syndicate allies, Cressa Tal and her Steel Meridian, will launch a large assault on a nearby outpost not far from Vor's headquarters, forcing him to divert forces there in an effort to repel them. Once that happens, one team consisting of the majority of you will be drop into the facility, close to Vor's most likely location. Another team will be drop on the far side of the facility to act as a diversion to get the remaining enemy forces to gather at your position."

"Why just Steel Meridian?", Wukong asks, "We're on good terms with all six syndicates. Hell, each of them owes us at least a dozen favor, we could easily have a larger force given to us for this mission."

"Other than the obvious fact that they hate one another? The fact that if we send too large of a force to attack the outpost, Vor will most likely not even bother sending reinforcements and will instead just fortify his position even more. We need a large enough force that will cause the outpost to call for help while being small enough that Vor will send additional forces to aid them. Seeing how we're sending Steel Meridian forces, the most-hated syndicate for the Grineer, this will surely catch Vor's attention", Lotus explain as she went back to the battle-map, "Moving on, the diversion team will consist of-"

"I'll do it ", Chroma immediately volunteers from his corner of the room, causing everyone to look at him while Excalibur could only shake his head.

"Here it comes", he mutters as the Lotus began to speak.

"Actually, Chroma, you were selected to be on the diversion team", she began.

"Okay, what resistance can I be expecting?", Chroma said.

"I wasn't finish talking, Chroma", Lotus interrupted, catching everyone by surprise excluding Excalibur, " Like I said, you were selected to be part of the diversion team, as in there will be more than one of you fulfilling this goal."

An eerie silence descends upon the briefing room as even Loki had stop grinning, (not that anyone could tell). No one ever thought of Chroma as being a "team player". In fact, most of them thought that he was incapable of acting as one. He was rarely seen outside of his quarters, his time in the training simulator was always by himself, and he even kept his personal weapons, which he gathered the materials and made himself, locked away from the others in the armory. Other than bridge watches, mission control, or patrols, no one really ever interacted with Chroma, (it didn't help that during all those duties, he rarely ever spoke.)

The silence continues for well over a minute as everyone waited for Chroma's reaction. He was just constantly staring at the Lotus, like a predator eyeing its prey, ready to pounce. Those closest to his position could see a small billow of smoke coming out of his nostrils.

Finally, Chroma spoke.

"Who else is going to be on the team?"

"Mesa", Lotus answers and this time full flames came blazing out of Chroma's nose as his eyes turn into a glare and he slowly turns his head toward the gunslinger Tenno, but not before shooting a fiery glare at Excalibur.

"Is my choice of teammates optional?" he nearly growl now realizing why Excalibur asked him that question earlier.

"Well shit, suga", Mesa spoke up as she laid back in her chair, "If I didn't know any better I say you didn't like me."

Before Chroma could say anything, the Lotus spoke up...

"Mesa's abilities are the most suitable alongside yours in this mission, so that's a negative on changing partners" she stated, "Her long-range capabilities along with your melee expertise will allow you two to hold off the Grineer indefinitely until the assassination is complete. Now seeing how Mercury is still six hours away even at our top speed, everyone is to rest up for the time being. You will receive a more detail brief once Mercury is within range."

All the Tenno proceed to leave the briefing room, only for the Lotus to call out to Chroma and Mesa.

"Not you two, you are to report to the simulator room."

This catches everyone off-guard as they turn to stare at the Lotus.

"I know what you all are thinking, but while Chroma and Mesa skills are more than enough to complete this job on their own, they have never been on a team together before and therefore I believe a co-op simulator run is in order", Lotus states as she turns to the alpha Tenno, " Excalibur, if you will come with me to the bridge."

Orbitor's Bridge

"I can sense that most of the Tenno do not approve of this mission", the Lotus said as she and Excalibur enter the bridge, the door sliding behind them.

"That's a bigger understatement the time you said that Rhino may be a little peeved after you cut down his gym time", Excalibur responded.

"He didn't need ten hours in there, but that is beside the point", Lotus began, "Why do you think they feel like that?"

Lotus often look to Excalibur for guidance just as much as he look to her for it. When it came down to it, he was closer to the rest of the Tenno then she would ever be just by the fact that he was one of them.

"Two things, Lotus", he began, "First off, the fact that we're sending everyone at Vor may make it seem like he is an even bigger threat to us than he actually is."

"Excalibur, how many attempts have we made on Vor's life?", Lotus asks, causing Excalibur to let out a sigh.

"Four ", he answers, "Once by me, once by Loki, once by Ivara, and once by Ash."

"And seeing how he is still alive, it's safe to say that none of those attempts work", Lotus says while turning to look out into space.

"Those were all solo missions with no available backup whatsoever!", Excalibur argue, "All of us were lucky to make it back alive and even Ivara and Ash were out of commission for a good two weeks afterward with their injuries! If we would have sent a team in-"

"Which is precisely what I'm doing", Lotus interrupted in a calming voice while still looking out into the stars, "I am sending in the whole team to kill Vor and his lieutenants to make sure none of them escape this time."

Excalibur shakes his head in frustration before moving on, "Fine, if that's what you want, though I still fail to see why all of his lieutenants are important, Lech Kril is the only dangerous one among them."

"Precisely why he will be the top priority after Vor. While Lech Kril is the most dangerous, by wiping out all of his command in a single strike, we are able to ensure that no one will be placed in a position to take over for Vor", Lotus explains, "Now on to the second thing."

Excalibur lets out a breath as he slightly shook his head, "At first, I was all for Chroma doing team missions, but upon seeing his reaction in the briefing room, I'm starting to have second thoughts."

"And why is that?", Lotus inquires.

"Chroma has only done one team mission, despite what almost everyone believes", he began.

"Yes, I recall you two partnering up to rescue Valkyr once Dravo informed us of her captivity quite some time ago", Lotus remembers.

"Then you also recall what happened upon us waking her up out of her cryopod."

"She attacked you."

"That's a light way of saying she went full-on berserk aka Hysteria on us and it took both my Exalted Blade and Chroma's Effigy to finally subdue her, which was hard seeing how they're meant to finish opponents off", Excalibur said, "But ever since then, Chroma has avoided going out on anything that wasn't a solo mission or an awakening mission, and those were only alongside me and me alone."

"And you feel that by forcing him on a team mission will bring about disastrous consequences, yes?", Lotus asks.

"I feel that they won't be positive", Excalibur admitted.

"Well then, let's see how the simulator run goes then", Lotus said, "Ordis, bring up the simulator room."

"Yes, Lotus", as a screen appears in front of her, showing Chroma and Mesa standing alongside one another on top of holopads in the center of a large all-white room, neither one talking or even looking at the other, "Both operators have inserted training mods into their weapons and warframe and are awaiting -the word to go all out- further instructions."

"Bring up Mercury course, delta-one-alpha-Zulu-two, Ordis", Lotus commanded.

"Lotus, that course is un-finish due to lack of proper intel gathering of the actual site", Ordis responded.

"It's a seventy percent near perfect replicate of Vor's headquarters, thus it will have to do", Lotus reply, "Let's go with five full platoons of Grineer marines. You may start when ready."

"Yes, Lotus", Ordis answer.

"I believe your worries are unfounded, Excalibur. I am certain that Chroma and Mesa will excel to the best of their abilities and put aside their differences for the sake of the mission."

Three hours later on the outskirts of Mercury

Silence reign supreme in the briefing room, despite almost everyone on the ship being there, minus a few sentinels, kubrows, and kavats. Everyone was exchanging glances between Chroma, who stood by himself in his corner with his eyes closed, then to Mesa, who was sitting arms cross next to Octiva in silence, and then at the Lotus, who was standing at the front center, with a faint scowl on her lips.

And that's where it began…

"Chroma. Mesa.", the Lotus began in a flat tone voice, devoid of any emotion, " I...have seen many things over the years. I have witnessed the birth of the syndicates, back when there were over a hundred of them before the great Syndicate Wars. From afar; I have observed the rise of the Corpus and Grineer and their countless wars against one another. I have seen colonies prosper, I have seen them wither and die, either through war, famine or swept away by the Infested."

"How old is she?", Excalibur wonder, knowing full well that he wasn't the only one thinking that, "I know she's definitely not human despite her appearance, but she has never really disclosed any personal information about herself."

"But what I witness today in the training simulator was by far the most undisciplined, childish, and unprofessional, spectacle I have ever had the misfortune to witness!", Lotus said, her voice steadily rising, with anger beginning to seep in, "Not only did you two fail to complete your goal, you had the sheer audacity to start bickering in the middle of a gunfight, afterward ejecting your training mods from both your weapons and your warframes and began to fight one another!"

Both Chroma and Mesa at least had the sense to turn their heads away after this accusation; though thanks to their helmets no one could tell if it was in embarrassment, anger, shame, or a mixture of all three.

"The both of you have caused unimaginable damage to the training simulator room and if it wasn't for Excalibur going in there and stopping you, no doubt the damage would have exceeded beyond that room!"

Mesa thought back to that particular moment when she and Chroma were in the middle of fighting another when Excalibur bust into the room. She was in the proceed of flipping of the way of a swipe from the Dragon Tenno sword and had drawn her Regulators and had them aim at his head when Excalibur came in with his Exalted Sword fully draw and shining so brightly that it almost blinded her. When he demanded that both Mesa and Chroma cease their actions, Mesa immediately retracted her Regulators and threw the rest of her weapons on the ground, (though it broke her heart a little to see her precious Akvasto hit the steel floor. Out of all the Tenno, she spends the most time tinkering with her guns to keep them in prime condition), but when she glances toward Chroma, she spotted something that surprise her….

Chroma had yet to drop his sword.

In fact, he still had it raise up, his hands tighten around the grip as though he was ready to strike. The look he was throwing Excalibur was so heated that Chroma could have breathed fire and it wouldn't have been as hot as the look in his eyes. But Excalibur wasn't backing down either as he held his blade of pure energy up in a fighting stance. It was only after a few, high tension, moments that Chroma sheath his blade and stomp his way out, never once looking back at Excalibur as his heavy footsteps echo throughout the training room and the hallway afterward.

"I honestly thought Chroma and Excalibur were going to fight. Seriously, what the hell happened between those two?", Mesa thought before returning her attention back to the Lotus, who was winding down from her, surprisingly calm, tirade.

"Furthermore, along with you two taking on syndicate jobs in over to pay for the damages you cause to the training room, you two will also be taking double shifts on bridge watches, mission control, and patrols until I say otherwise", the Lotus ordered.

"Fucking perfect", Mesa thought and briefly looks over her shoulder to see Chroma's reaction to the news, "Still just standing there, arms cross and everything."

Now we will have to delay the assault by at least a full day while we reorganize the teams and put Mesa into an appropriate squad and find another task for Chroma ", Lotus complained aloud, "Ordis, send a message to Cressa Tal, telling her to hold off on her attack until further notice."

"Right away, Lotus. I shall contact her imm-", Ordis replied before getting cut off, "Hmmm, well, that is *fucking awful* unfortunate news."

"Ordis?", Lotus asks.

"Lotus, it would seem that Cressa Tal and her Steel Meridian have already launched their assault on the outpost", Ordis answers.

"WHAT?!", resounds throughout the room, "The attack wasn't supposed to go off for another three hours!"

"Her vanguard teams are already hitting the first line of defense even as we speak", Ordis continued on, "Grineer radio chatters indicate the outpost is requesting aid and the main base is in the process of mobilizing at least five full companies to go aid them. "Lotus, by my calculations, base on monitor radio chatter and intel reports, that is almost - a shit ton-half the base responding."

"That's more than what we expected", Lotus realize while also feeling a headache coming on, "How many Steel Meridan soldiers are attacking?"

"At least three hundred, including Cressa Tal herself", Ordis answered, "Radio chatters points to the logical conclusion that this is why they're sending so many. The Grineer Queens have recently placed a high bounty on her head, promising any officer who brings her to them a council position."

"Tell Cressa Tal to withdraw, for now, we can't risk losing one of our allies, no matter how unstable they are", Lotus ordered, only to be met with silence from Ordis.

"Lotus, a recently intercepted radio transmission states that Captain Vor himself, along with Lieutenant Lech Kril, are preparing to go out to the outpost as well, via dropship, in an effort to, and I quote, capture the alleged war criminal themselves", Ordis said, "They are leaving a small skeleton crew at the main base and taking a majority of the garrison with them to aid the outpost. If I'm reading the radio chatter right, they're planning to execute encircling maneuvers to prevent Cressa Tal from escaping and are ordering their anti-aircraft guns to shoot down any approaching aircraft that don't belong to their side. Steel Meridian's dropships would no doubt have extreme difficulty getting through their screen. By my calculations, if Captain Vor's forces are able to pull off these maneuvers, the Steel Meridian forces will be -slaughter to a man- wiped out within an hour, if not less. I have tried reaching Cressa Tal and her forces to warn them, but have been unable to raise them."

Lotus' facial expression said it all. If Cressa Tal is capture or worse, the rest of Steel Meridian, along with the colonies they were protecting will fall as well in no time. Not only will this shift the balance of power among the syndicates, but also the system as a whole. She had a choice to make and she had to make it fast.

"Alright, new strategy", Lotus announce, "All the Tenno who were not assigned to the distraction team are going to be landed behind Captain Vor and his forces in their respective teams and hit him from behind. His and Lieutenant Kril deaths are still a top priority, but if you see a chance to aid Steel Meridian, take it. This also changes the mission parameters as you will more than likely be assaulting enemies forces from across the planet's surface. Try to avoid prolonged exposure to the sunlight as your shields will already be pushed to their limits and take cover when you can. Also realize that Cressa Tal and her forces, along with Vor's, are facing the same conditions. Grineer are tough, but even they won't last long in these conditions."

"And what about Chroma and Mesa?", Excalibur asks.

"Those two will be drop into Steel Meridian's position to aid them", she states as she turns to look at the two Tenno in question, "Under any other circumstances, I would not be considering this, but too much is at stake here and I hope you realize that and are able to put your difference aside for the sake of the colonies that this syndicate protects for if Cressa Tal dies, Steel Meridian dies with her. Your orders are simple: keep her alive at all cost. Failure to complete this mission will have dire consequences; for you and everyone else."

"All Tenno!", Lotus ordered after a few moments of silence, "Prepare to launch! You got five minutes to get ready! You will receive any additional information in-flight to your drop positions! Now go!", and with that, the Tenno ran out of the briefing room in a mad, but somewhat organize frenzy.

By some coincidence, both Chroma and Mesa were running alongside one another down the hallway.

"You stay out of my way out there and you might not get a bullet in your skull, suga", Mesa calmly threaten.

"You stay out of my way out there or else the last thing you'll see in this life is a blade coming down on top of your head", Chroma responded back.

A/N: Let's see how this goes. Please note that updates may be slow because of my other stories. Is Mesa going to have a Southern accent this far in the future? Well, if the game can have guys like Clem and Ordis, then yes she can. Chapter two will have the mission in it. I wanted to save the actual action for the next chapter which is why I didn't do the simulator, just the aftermath of it. Also, I know that there are no bases on the actual surface of Mercury, but decided to do this to make the combat more ...realistic, I guess.

Dynasty Galatine is Galatine with the Chroma Dynasty skin on it.

Chapter Text

Disclaimers: I do not own Warframe

A/N: Here is the full chapter as promised. Now I must go work on my Ranger of Westeros stories along with Wild Master and Romeo Rising.

Chapter 2

Judgment

"I really wish I had more time to prepare", Chroma thought as he hovers an inch off the interior surface of his landing craft, a red-coated Scimitar, "Then I would have had time to change my energy to one that would have been more useful for the operation."

Chroma was unique amongst the Tenno for his ability to change his energy and therefore his element. Unlike the other elemental Tenno like Volt or Frost, he could change his element to counter whatever enemy he was most likely going to encounter in the field by choosing between fire, frost, electric, and corrosive gas. One of the drawbacks of this is that it requires him to meditate for at least two hours before missions as so he could change his energy flow to the desired one. Another drawback of this was that it made his energy significantly unstable, at least compared to everyone else. The majority of his non-mission time, if he wasn't in the training room or on watch, was taken up by him performing nartas, ancient Tenno katas, or meditating, to help him focus his energy and keep it under control, hence the solitude.

His thoughts and focus were interrupted by the sound of his "partner" radioing him across the frequency.

"Hey, suga", Mesa said and Chroma turns to glare at his starboard viewing screen where a yellow-coated, blue stripes Xiphos was seen, "Can I ask you a question?"

"Before I allow you to, I strongly suggest that you stop calling me "suga", I have a codename, use it", Chroma growl, before hearing an annoyed sigh.

"Greaaat, you're one of them too", Mesa said.

"One of what?"

"One of those all-business, no-fun guys", Mesa explains, " The kind whose mind is always on the mission and nothing more, like Oberon and Excalibur. They don't like it when I address them as suga either."

"Did you ever stop to think it might be a matter of respect on why they don't like being called that?", Chroma inquires, "We call ourselves our codenames for a reason."

"We call each other the codename of our warframe and they're the name given to us by the Orokin scientists who experimented on us; a fact that most of you have seemed to have forgotten", Mesa retorted.

"I doubt anyone has forgotten about that", Chroma replied as he monitors his screens, "We are getting close to Mercury's stratosphere."

"I can see that" Mesa stated.

"Didn't you have a question for me?", Chroma suddenly remembers the main topic of their conversation before it got veer off.

"Oh yeah, that's right", Mesa said, "Why are you using your fire breath energy? Shouldn't you be using your corrosive gas, you know, something that actually works against the Grineer?"

Chroma didn't even try to stop the eye roll that followed.

Onboard the Orbiter

"Lotus, all landing craft are nearing their drop-off points", Ordis inform the leader of the Tenno from the bridge, "Operator Chroma and Mesa ETA to dropzone is exactly twenty minutes."

"Thank you, Ordis", the Lotus replies, "Now, were all the modifications to the Tenno's warframes and landing craft completed?"

"Yes, Lotus. Shields have been augmented with the program that will allow them to withstand the temperature of the surface along with enhancing the interior cooling system of the suits. But these modifications can only keep them in a habitable environment for so long before it gets overwhelmed", Ordiswarnsn, "We should once again emphasize the need for them to secure a safe location, such as the interior of the outpost or otherwise, as soon as possible."

"All team leads; including Chroma and Mesa, have been instructing in this matter. Our main problem is ensuring that Cressa Tel survives this mission. Even if, by some miracle, Vor or Kril somehow survive this, as long as we get Cressa Tel to safety, we could count that as a minor victory", Lotus stated, though deep down she knew she needed Vor and Kril to die, or the repercussions would be felt through the system. But that wasn't the only thing troubling her, "Ordis?"

"Yes, Lotus?"

"Remind me again why Vor decided to build a base on the surface of Mercury? The extreme environment would push even the toughest Grineer to their limits."

"Well, Lotus, according to intel reports, Vor has always wanted only the toughest Grineer to make up his forces and thus he has already used a process to, in his words, weed out the weakness that is poisoning the Grineer", Ordis explains, doing nothing to ease Lotus' anxiety.

"What if Volt was right about this being a trap?", Lotus thought before quickly dismissing the idea, "No, while Vor is far more intelligent than the average Grineer, him devising a trap like this that puts himself in clear mortal danger is below his intelligence.

Lotus stares out into the cold abyss of space at the planet Mercury as it came into view, its inner space dotted with refinery asteroids and Grineer's ships.

"Though he was able to reverse-engineer Orokin technology and make the Ascaris device that restrained Excalibur for quite some time", she thought.

In the skies of Mercury

"We are approaching the drop site", Ordis informed Chroma and Mesa as they entered the suffocating atmosphere of the closest planet to the sun. Even with the highly advanced onboard cooling system within the landing craft, the dragon Tenno still felt the heat from outside as it baked the outer surface.

"Do we have a visual of Cressa Tal's position?", Chroma asks mentally dreading the paint job that he was going to have to fix himself on his landing craft later on.

"Yes, a visual of the – giant clusterfuck- ensuing battle is coming up in three….two….one", Ordis replied as a screen appears in front of Chroma's face and after analyzing it for a few moments, he felt his temper and annoyance rise.

"Well, hog tied me up and sell me at the market", Mesa voiced, "This couldn't have been a bigger shitstorm for us to fly into."

And Chroma couldn't help but agree with her as he surveys the battlefield through the screen because it would seem that despite having the element of surprise, the Steel Meridian forces failed to take the main building of the outpost, instead being forced to the outskirts where they seem to have taken shelter in a series of caves that litter the landscape. Above them, rapid bursts of anti-air fire blanketed the skies.

"Judging by the firing pattern of the flak guns, it would seem that there is no distinct strategy to the anti-aircraft screen. It as though the Grineer are- shooting for the sheer fuck of it- firing off at random. Unfortunately, this seems to have been enough to keep Steel Meridian's dropships from coming to evac them", Ordis informed the two Tenno.

Chroma study the intensity of the barrage for a moment before speaking, "How long until the others land, Ordis?"

"ETA for the remaining Tenno is exactly five minutes."

"And what's the priority of the anti-aircraft guns?", Mesa interjected.

"Top priority is Captain Vor and Lieutenant Lech Kril, a secondary objective is aiding the Steel Meridian and reverse order for you two. But two of the eleven three-man teams have been assign to take out the emplacements."

"Locate Cressa Tal", Chroma ordered, and a second later a visual of the syndicate leader appear on the screen. She was in the middle of an intense firefight between her squad and a full platoon of Grineer marines and she was currently pinned down by three heavy gunners behind a boulder while Chroma notices another platoon on her left slowly advancing under fire to flank her and her squad. As the bullets from the Grineers' Gorgon began to slowly chip away the rock, Chroma spotted a figure coming up from behind them that made smoke come out of his mouth in annoyance.

Towering over everyone on the battlefield, be they Steel Meridian or not, and slowly moving toward Cressa Tal with his infamous hammer, Brokk, strapped to his back and firing away with his own personal Gorgon, was the famous war hero of the Grineer, Lieutenant Lech Kril.

"This day keeps getting better and better", Chroma muttered, seeing on his screen Mesa shaking her head in frustration, knowing that she had come to the same conclusion as well.

"We're going to have to hot-drop in", Chroma finally said, "Get ready. Ordis, I'm going to need you to sync up our drop and calculate the exact moment to release."

"Affirmative, Operator Chroma."

Hot-Dropping was the term used when a Tenno operative had to get into a drop zone, but the LZ was deemed too hot for their landing craft. Where usually the landing craft would hover over LZ and let the Tenno flip out and drop to the ground; the landing craft accelerates to extremely high speed and then proceeds to drop the Tenno operative in mid-flight and then turns sharply and leaves. This literally shoots the Tenno out like a bullet to the LZ and allows them to glide in. While this method minimizes the damage from the enemy fire to the Tenno, they are still gliding in at neck-breaking speed and usually have difficulty fully controlling their landing.

"You assist Cressa Tal while I handle Kril", Chroma states, only to see Mesa snap her neck at him.

"Please tell me that was your idea of a joke, suga!", Mesa said, "Kril fought Rhino to a draw and he fought him with his Fragor! Your sword isn't going to stand a chance against him and he's heavily shielded against ranged attacks!"

"You underestimate Tiamat's Wrath", Chroma says as he began to position himself for the drop, "I'll hold off Kril while you get Cressa Tal to safety for an evac, unless you want to take him on for as long as he's around, the Grineer's assault is only going to get worse. And by fighting Kril, I'm ensuring that we will receive aid from the other teams since he is a priority target."

"It's still a dumb plan, suga", Mesa countered.

"I'm not trying to beat him, only stall him", Chroma repeated, "Ordis, how long until we're within range?"

"Currently coming up on the launching point. Operators, please make ready", the A.I. states as Mesa moves into herself into position as well, the magnetic pull from the stasis frame sealing her into place.

"Operator Mesa, operator Chroma, commencing last diagnosis check before launch", Ordis said as Mesa felt a surge of digital energy flow through her…

Operator Mesa Status Check:

Shields: Green

Vital Signs: Green

Armor: Green

Energy: Fully Charged

Energy Siphon Mod Install

Operator Mesa's Weapons Check:

Snipertron Status: Green

Soma Status: Green

Akvasto Status: Green

"Operator Mesa, prepared for mission", Ordis concluded, "Moving on to Operator Chroma"

Operator Chroma Status Check:

Shields: Green

Vital Signs: Green

Armor: Green

Energy: Fully Charged

Energy Siphon Mod Install

Special Energy Flow: Fire

Operator Chroma's Weapons Check:

Dragon Galatine ( Tiamat's Wrath ) Status: Green

Daikyu Status: Green

Ferrox Status: Green

"Operator Chroma, prepared for mission", Ordis said, "Preparing for launch, accelerating landing craft to maximum speed."

It was at that moment as Mesa mentally prepares herself for the battle ahead that she heard something over the communication link.

"I am the dragon, master of all I survey. All that stands against me will fall, be it through fire, ice, lightning, or poison. I am the dragon, master of all I survey. All that stands against me will fall, be it through fire, ice, lightning, or poison."

"What the hell?", Mesa wondered before Ordis came over her comm link.

"It's the chant he says before every mission. It seems to steady his heartbeat and calm his nerves from what I have observed", he explains.

"Is that right?", Mesa asks as Ordis began the countdown.

"Preparing for rotation", he said over both of their comm links, "Rotating stasis in three….two...one."

"When all of the land is in ruin, only I will remain."

Within a heartbeat, Mesa went from staring up at the ceiling of her landing craft to glazing upon the scorched landscape of the planet. Instantly, she felt her warframe interior cooling kick up to its maximum output just as she felt her skin began to heat up from the smothering environment around her. Even with the advance Orokin technology cooling her within her suit, she still felt the heat, but at least it was bearable and survivable.

"Still hotter than a whore in church, though", Mesa muttered, though she barely heard herself over the sound of the rushing air that jetted over her body as her and Chroma's landing craft approach the battlefield. They were still well out of range of the guns, but through Mesa's HUD she was able to make out a Steel Meridian's dropship taking a direct hit and getting blown out of the skies; it's pilot and passengers falling to the ground in a tangled mess of burning corpses and mangled flesh.

Before Mesa could comment on the attack, she heard Ordis talking to her.

"Launching in three….two….one...Go!"

Mesa felt the stasis frame turn off and release her and a heartbeat later, she once again experiences first-hand what a bullet felt like when it was shot out of a gun.

"Squad Delta, focus your fire on their left flank! Bravo, cover Alpha while they get their wounded to shelter! Charlie lay down some goddamn suppression fire!", Cressa Tal barked over the Steel Meridian comm-link while she herself was laying down fire with her Karak toward the advancing Grineer squad that was being led by none other than Lech Kril himself, "This has just turn into the system's biggest clusterfuck!"

A few hours ago, Cressa Tal received intel from one of her inside sources that Tyl Regor, the foremost Grineer scientist responsible for finding a cure for the negative effects of the Grineer cloning, was at Vor's base. The reasons why were vague at best, but that didn't matter to Cressa Tal. Ever since some of her comrades were captured by Vor and handed over to Tyl Regor, she wanted his head, almost as much as she wanted Vor. Ever since Tyl Regor publicly display a holo-video showing him conducting horrible experiments on her capture fellow Steel Meridians, she wanted revenge, so much that she didn't even inform the Lotus of her sudden attack way ahead of schedule; for she knew that woman would try to talk her out of it.

"Should have at least send her a message", Cressa Tal told herself, "A few Tenno backing me up could really help me out right now."

"Cressa Tal!", one of her sergeant next to her shouts out, "Look!"

Cressa Tal follows the stretch out hand of the free Grineer and spots two objects flying toward them at a high speed from behind their position. She could vaguely make out a slim yellow figure on the right and a bulkier red figure on the left, zooming toward them.

"Well I'll be damn", Cressa Tal chuckled, "Seems like my prayers are answered."

Mesa and Chroma were rocketing toward the Steel Meridian's position at a sharp downward incline, going at speeds that almost broke the sound barrier. On their personal HUD, the altitude indicators were rapidly dropping as the pair got closer and closer to the surface.

"1600 meters", Ordis read off, "1500...1400...1300"

Mesa drew her Akvasto from her back and re-straighten herself while Chroma drew Tiamat's Wrath.

"900...800...700...operators now is the recommended distance to prepare for gliding", the A.I. advise before continuing the countdown, " 500...400..300… nearing the surface level."

Both Tenno activated their gliding mechanism and their speeds rapidly decrease, but not to the point where they could land gently. Mesa landed first, sliding along the ground, leaving a deep trench in her wake and if she thought the air of the planet was scorching, then she was lucky she had a highly advanced suit of armor between her and the ground. Without skipping a beat, she takes aim with her dual pistols and lets out short three-round burst from each gun, taking out a heavy gunner and lancer from Lech Kril's squad in the process, before finally ending up at the rock where Cressa Tal was currently taking cover.

"Took your asses long enough to get here!", the Grineer defector says.

"Says the one who launched the attack three hours early without telling anyone!",Mesa quip back as she pressed her back against the rock, "So how deep are we in right now?"

"We lost three dropships coming in due to anti-aircraft fire and were only able to less than half our force before I had to wave off the rest due to the intensity of their screech! I got less than a hundred men with me right now, getting smaller by the second, while around another one-fifty are up in space!"

"We saw one of your dropships get hit on our way here!", the gunslinger Tenno inform Cressa Tal.

"Yeah, I saw. It was carrying all of Squad Foxtrot", Cressa Tal as she sighs and shook her head, despite the carnage going on around her, "They were one of my veteran squads. They have been through a shit ton of battles and some of them have even been with me since the founding of Steel Meridian."

"I would give you my condolences, suga, but I'm afraid we don't have time for that! We got to get you out of here!", Mesa told her.

"I figure that was why you were here! Hate to break it to ya, but I'm not leaving until either all of the Grineer loyalists are dead or all of my surviving men are off the planet!", Cressa Tal states bluntly, "Sorry if that throws a wrench in your plans."

"We both know it throws a wrench in our plans-", Mesa started to say before something caught her eye from behind Cressa Tal.

"One moment", she says as she draws her snipertron, takes aim, and delivers a headshot to a Ballistas that somehow got up on the cliff flanking their current position and was lining up a headshot on one of the Steel Meridian troopers. Before the Ballistas even drops her gun and falls over the side, Mesa was back to her conversation with Cressa Tal, "And second, we both know you're not sorry."

Cressa Tal looks behind her just in time to see the Ballistas' body hit the ground and looks up at the cliff where the sniper was previously out before shouting into her radio, "Bravo, keep an eye on the cliffs, will you?!"

She then turns her attention back to Mesa, "So how are we going to get out of here with Lech Kril bearing down on us?"

Mesa pokes her head out from around the rock, "Looks like Chroma handling that right now", before noticing something about the enemies assaulting them.

"You guys are almost equal in numbers here; how come you guys are getting push back so hard?", she asks.

"That's something I would like to know as well", Cressa Tal admitted, "For some reason, these Grineer are a lot tougher than the lot that I'm used to dealing with. More coordinated, more resilient, and even faster and stronger. Hell, I had a hard time taking down a Butcher of all things when we first landed."

What Chroma was doing while all that was going on

Chroma sometimes wondered what would happen if he used his fire breath in an environment that was already super-heated. He wondered if it would increase the strength of his flames or would it simply cancel them out. This, along with countless more, were the things that kept his mind occupied whenever he would mediate.

Well, now he had one less thing to ponder over during his mediation, for he had a front-row seat to seeing just how dangerous his flames were in a super-heated environment as he glided over the squad being led by Lech Kril and let loose his Spectral Scream them. His own mouth started to heat up upon releasing his flames but only to the point of mild discomfort as the Grineer who were caught in his blast weren't so lucky as they burst into flames and the smell of burning flesh filled the dragon Tenno nostrils. But Chroma had little time to dwell as he was heading straight for Lech Kril, who at the moment was holstering his Gorgon and going straight for his infamous hammer, Brokk, and swinging it at Chroma.

CLANK!

Chroma could feel his entire warframe vibrate under the weight of the impact from the hammer as it collides with Tiamat's Wrath, sending the Tenno flying backward. He was in the air for almost two seconds before backflipping and landing on his feet. He briefly notices while looking down that small amounts of smoke were coming off of his armor and saw a warning symbol on his HUD come up indicating that his shield was being taxed to their highest limit.

"Operator Chroma, due to circumstance your shields will be quickly depleted should that take hits along with the fact that they will take longer than usual for them to recharge", Ordis inform him, "I recommend caution in your fight."

"Noted", Chroma said, "What can you tell me about Lech Kril?"

"Running analysis", was Ordis reply as Chroma ready his sword, "Analysis complete. Base on previous analysis from Operator Rhino's encounter with Lech Kril, it would seem that Lech Kril has upgraded his movement speed to a certain percentage."

"What per-", Chroma started to say before he saw Lech Kril charging toward him with speeds he didn't think was possible for a Grineer his size. Chroma barely had time to dodge a downward swing of his hammer, the metal coming within an inch of his armor, before he spun around and counter with a horizontal slash to the lieutenant's mid-section only to have the blow block by the shaft of the hammer, Lech Kril wielding the heavy hammer as graceful as it was a tree branch. The Grineer lieutenant than proceed to swing his it over his head and sideways at Chroma's head once more only to feel nothing but thin air as the dragon of the Tenno flips backward and land a couple of feet away.

"Lech Kril as upgraded his speed by at least one hundred and ten percent", Ordis finish.

"Really? I didn't notice", Chroma nearly growled as he watched Lech Kril raise Brokk high above his head.

"Grineer immortality begins with the strike of my hammer!", he screams as he brings it down on the ground, creating a mini-quake in the process as a wave of sharpen ice spikes were sent toward Chroma along the ground, "ICE WAVE!"

Chroma's first instinct was to jump back as fast as he could manage and for a brief moment, it worked…..

Until he realizes that the ice wasn't slowing down and if anything it was gaining speed. He quickly veers off to the right in hopes the attack would merely go by him but he briefly catches the movement of Lech Kril swinging his hammer to the right and the ice spikes trail move right toward Chroma, who was once more on the backfoot of trying to escape.

"Operator Chroma, it would seem that Lech Kril can control the direction of his ice attacks with his hammer and that the ice must be at an extremely freezing temperature to survive on Mercury's surface. I suggest you- break that fucking tool over his head- dislodge the weapon from his grasp.", Ordis said.

"Give me a moment", Chroma said as he noticed incoming fire was now raining down on his position from various locations by the Grineer squads. Now while Chroma's warframe was tied with Grendel for the fourth most armor while only being behind Valkyr, Nidus, and Atlas, even he could be brought down easily by multiple attacks without aid, especially since he couldn't rely on shields seeing how they were already at their limit with the heat. Add the fact, that he wasn't using his ice energy to augment his defense and you knew that he wasn't going to last long.

"Would it kill you two ladies, and I use that term loosely, to give me some cover fire while I handle the majority of the leg-work?", he all but screamed into his integrated comm link, "I can't do everything myself!"

"My, how rude he is", Mesa commented as she took out her Soma and laid down suppression fire on the Grineer squad to Chroma left up on the cliffs, while Cressa Tal and her remaining squad exchange gunfire with the squad on his right, "You think the guy could be a little nicer about it."

"I know, right", Cressa Tal agreed, "Hey, by the way, where is the rest of ya'll crew? I doubt Lotus just send the two of you here."

"The rest of them are attacking the outpost from the other side in an attempt to trap Vor while also taking out the anti-craft guns", Mesa informed Cressa Tal.

"And when did they land exactly?", Cressa Tal asks.

"Ordis?", Mesa asks the A.I.

"The remaining Tenno landed ahead of schedule and have been on the ground for exactly four minutes", Ordis answered before going quiet, "Sadly though, I seem to have lost contact with them."

Chroma lets out a fiery Spectral Scream that stops Lech Kril Ice Wave in its track and turns it into an evaporating puddle before responding to Ordis statement.

"What do you mean you lost contact with them?!", Chroma screamed, "There's over thirty of them!"

"That's just it Operator Chroma, something seems to be jamming their signals. I'm still receiving all vital signs green but they seem to be slightly panicking and Excalibur's signs show of one who is in heavy close quarters combat, his energy flow signals seems to have been blocked off as well. I'm patching you and Operator Mesa into their communication traffic now."

Mesa listens in to the traffic while Chroma continued to duel with Lech Kril, who had now close the gap between them and was unleashing a fury of blows onto the Tenno who was forced to use his giant sword as nothing more than a shield to survive.

"Excalibur….(static)…holding…..Trinity needs protection! It's coming our way!….Frost!….Slow it down! Take down, Vor!… Get out of the way!…. Inaros is down!... Prime!…. Prime!", was all she could make out through the noise.

"Prime?", Mesa thought, "What's this thing called "Prime"? Also, is that swords clashing I hear in the background? Ordis did indicate that Excalibur may be in heavy close-quarters combat, but Lech Kril is here and Vor is nowhere close to matching Excalibur in swordsmanship, therefore there is no one around who should be giving Excalibur such a hard time."

She had no time to dwell on these thoughts before her HUD starting suddenly acting up. It scrambled and darken for a few seconds before returning to normal.

"What the hell?", Mesa wondered aloud.

"Mesa! Do your HUD just start acting up?", Chroma called out to her as he ducks a hammer swing to his head.

"Yeah, yours too?", Mesa asks.

"Yep", as he parries a swing, "Ordis?"

"Something is interfering with your signals as well", Ordis explained, "I suggest arwtfdaafdsafgsdf", as his voice started to scramble and then went dead.

"Ordis?", Mesa wondered as she drew snipertron and headshot three Grineers, "Ordis, you there?".

Out of the corner of her eye on the other side of the battlefield, she sees a black blur streak by. Bringing her gun to bear she zeros in on that location only to see nothing more than five dead Grineer soldiers, their corpses all torn up and some of them were cleanly cut in half.

"Wasn't that squad just firing upon one of the Steel Meridian units?", Mesa thought before hearing Cressa Tal yelling over her comms.

"Bravo, come in! Bravo, respond! Is their anyone over there?!", Cressa she screamed before howling in frustration, "I can't reach Bravo squad! No one's responding!"

"What about everyone else?", Mesa asks as she combed the area, never relaxing her guard. Once again she barely catches a black blur streak by, but by the time she tries to get her sights on it, it once again disappear, "What the hell is going on?"

"Charlie, come in!", Cressa Tal tried, "Alpha, report! Delta, get me a sitrep! Is there anyone still out there?!"

Suddenly, screams of pain and horror came pouring into the comm link…

"Cressa Tal, get out of here! Whatever it is, it's-AHHHHH!"

"What the fuck?!", Cressa Tal cursed, "Bityio, what's going on?! Bityio!"

"Why is the sound of gunfire decreasing?", Chroma asks he brought his sword to bear down upon Lech Kril only to have it block once again by the shaft of Brokk. Now he and the famous Grineer war hero were locked in a pushing contest of strength and it was one that Chroma knew he wasn't going to win as it was taking everything he got just to keep from being flung backward.

Without warning, alarms started going off in his mind as his Effigy, Aforitos, was suddenly mentally screaming for him to get out the way and he only did that whenever he was in serious danger from an attack he couldn't see coming. Without skipping a beat, Chroma ducks down and rolls to his left just as a black streak goes flying over him into Lech Kril. When Chroma recovers a second later and looks over at Lech Kril ready for another bout, he lets out an audible gasp as his eyes widen in shock.

There, in an ever-growing pool of his own blood was the mangled body of Lech Kril. His hammer laid a good five feet from him, a deep gash in its metal. His left arm had been taken completely off, severed all the way from the shoulder and laid next to his broken left leg. Miraculously, he was somehow still alive as he was literally crawling toward Brokk with his one good arm, shouting curses at the Tenno the whole time.

"All squads! Focus your fire on the Tenno scum!", he ordered, only to realize a moment later the same thing that Chroma himself just noticed….

That only he, Chroma, Mesa, Cressa Tal, and her remaining squad, were the only ones still standing in the immediate vicinity.

"What the hell is going on?", Chroma asks aloud as he takes a defensive stance with his Tiamat's Wrath, "Ordis, come in. Ordis, are you there?", Chroma calls into his comm link while scanning the area.

"I can't raise him either", Mesa adds, "Something is jamming out Ordis. Whoever is doing this must at least have Orokin level-"

Mesa catches movement out of her left eye and turns to fire at it. Due to her rapid trigger finger, she was able to let off three rounds at the black blur coming straight at her from over twenty yards away….

And could only watch in horror as it dodges the first two and deflects the last one with a blood red object.

"Oh, shi-", was all she had time to say before the blur was upon her and she received a powerful backhand that sent her flying over the rock and landing on the other side of it on her side.

"Who the fuck are you?!", Cressa Tal screamed as she brings her gun to her hip and unleashes a full clip on the attacker, only to have every single round deflected away by the mysterious being in a flash of red.

"The flying fuck?", Cressa Tal curses as she suddenly feels a tremendously sharp pain go through her right shoulder as she realizes that the attacker in the span of less than a second had just pierced her armor as though it was paper. She lets out an agonizing scream that echoes throughout the area as she was lifted up by the weapon still in her shoulder and flung aside like a rag-doll, hitting the wall of the nearby cliff with a resounding bang.

"My fucking head is ringing", Mesa complained as she came to, "What the hell just hit me?"

"I AM YOUR RECKONING!", a voice thunders next to her, overwhelming her warframe's audio sensors, prompting Mesa to turn over on her back with her Akvasto drawn, but it was too late…

The last thing she saw was a glowing blood red two-prong sword hovering above her head and the words it announced send shivers throughout her body...

"So this is the reason Natah turned her back on me and her mission. I can't tell what's more pathetic, you or my daughter's decision."

And with that, the sword propels itself forward.

A/N: You already know who this is and as you can tell, he gives no fucks who you are. Lech Kril was never supposed to be the main opponent for Chroma, at least not this chapter.

With the whole Chroma stats, they're based off the Warframe wiki in the comparison chart. Going off max level 30, Chroma has the fourth highest ARMOR not counting primes. As I stated when Chroma first landed his shields were already being taxed so he was more worried about his armor holding up then his shields.

Also, Stalker does have War but he isn't Shadow Stalker yet.

Chapter Text

The Dragon and The Gunslinger

(Mesa)

CLANK

Mesa is bewildered by the fact that the deadly sword that she was sure was going to end her life was now being held back a mere inch from her forehead by Chroma's Dynasty Galatine as the Dragon Tenno was currently standing in front of her, locking blades with the unknown assailant.

"If...you..would...be...so...kind!", Chroma struggles to spit out as it was taking every ounce of his strength just to hold back the blade and even then felt his knees start to buckle, "Do something!"

Mesa kicks out to her left and sprays a full clip of her Soma into the shadowy figure, who vanishes from sight and appears on a cliff behind the Tenno duo. Both Chroma and Mesa's radars were able to pinpoint his location and both of them turn around, Mesa bringing her gun to bear as she reloads mid-spin. Immediately upon bringing her sight upon their attacker, she noticed that he had once again vanished from sight.

"Where he go?", both the Dragon and Gunslinger ask themselves as they began scanning the area but to no avail.

Without warning, something reflected the sunlight into the Tenno's eyes from above and both Mesa and Chroma turn their heads skyward just in time to see their shadowy foe descend fast toward them.

"None can escape my vengeance!", he bellows as he brings his sword down on top of Mesa's head once again.

Chroma had less than a second to think. Despite the short distance between him and Mesa he knew he wasn't going to make it time to push her out of the way, so he did the only thing that seemed logical.

He used the flat of his sword to simply knock the Gunslinger Tenno away.

Mesa didn't know what to be more surprise over. The fact that Chroma used his huge sword to knock her out of the path of the attacker blade, the fact that she might have a few broken ribs or the fact that despite being able to dodge the brunt of the attack, the tip of their enemy's blade manage to leave a deep gash going down the right side of her helmet. Luckily her suit's computer system tells her that her warframe integrity had not been breached but her right visual visor was damage beyond current repair.

*The Orokin scientists that made the warframe suits were the brightest in the empire and knew that sometimes unexpected events happen on the battlefield. Therefore they install a system that if the armor and shields were penetrated during the course of a mission and an actual breach occurred in the warframe suit a special second set of shields kick on within the warframe that kept the outer environment from entering the warframe. Though this was only a temporarily solutions along with the fact that these shields were much weaker than their combat orient counterpart, and they drew power from the operator's personal energy.*

Chroma kept spinning after he knocked Mesa away, hoping to catch his foe off-guard and hit him from behind after he landed on the ground. But the attacker must have anticipated this action as he brought his sword over the top of his head and behind him, blocking Tiamat's Wrath in the process with a resounding clank.

"I was expecting more of a challenge from you, but so far all I have found is a huge disappointment", the attacker says before pushing Chroma away.

Chroma regains his balances and brings his sword up to the ready, "Who are you?"

"I am the instrument of the Emperor who will exact his revenge on those that betray him. I will prowl the stars without rest until I have brought all of you Tenno to justice. I'll watch your traitorous kind every move until I snuff out your last breath", the foe explains.

….

…..

"So you're a stalker of some kind, then?" Chroma says after a moment.

"If that is the name you which to call the architect your inevitable death, so be it."

"Okay….Stalker, do you think you're being a little overconfident?", Chroma questioned.

"I don't fear a dead man", the being now known as the Stalker states as he suddenly latches his sword to his back and draws a black bow notch with a blood red tip arrow, "I will make you feel endless dread!"

He lets loose the arrow which flies at such an unexpected accelerated speed that Chroma didn't have time to properly react to it as it impales him deep with his left shoulder and sends him flying backward into the rock formation behind him.

A scream of great pain escapes from his mouth as he found himself being held off the ground by the arrow itself that was impaled into the solid rock.

"Pity", Stalker says as he draws another arrow back, "I was sincerely hoping for some sport before I kill you."

"Finish him already!", Chroma heard the sword on Stalker's back yell, "So that we may continue our hunt!"

Stalker said nothing as he pulled his arrow back….

"Peacemaker!" he suddenly hears and his arrow is shot out of his bow. He turns to his left and sees Mesa, laying down fire at him with her Regulators.

"Hard to do this with just one good eye and possible cracked ribs!", Mesa screams as she continues to unload on the Stalker while Chroma was now given time to free himself.

He had one hand around the shaft of the arrow and within his warframe, he was gritting his teeth.

"This is going to suck. This is going to suck. This is going to suck", he told himself as he focuses his energy and breaks off the arrow's shaft, "Blazing Elemental Ward!"

Roaring flames engulf Chroma, increasing his warframe and actual body physical health by a marginal degree. Using great strength he places his hands and feet at the rock behind him and pushes off, vaulting himself forward and leaving the arrow stuck in its place. Before he even lands, his now accelerate healing seals up the wound and his suit highly advance technology quickly seals off the entry and exit holes in his armor.

Bringing up his HUD and satisfy with the readings he was getting he once more turn his attention back to the Stalker who was currently busy evading Mesa's attacks.

"She's not going to be able to keep that up forever, no doubt her energy levels are getting low", Chroma says as he takes off, equipping his Daikyu and notching an arrow that ejected from a special compartment in his warframe's back. With a steely resolve, Chroma was determined to get back in the hunt and prove to the Stalker just who he was messing with.

"Stand still, will ya?! I just want to fill you full of bullets, is that too much to ask?!", Mesa screams as her target continue to either block her bullets with his sword or completely evade them.

This goes on for a few more moments before Mesa's Regulators suddenly cease firing and flip back into their original position.

"What the hell?", Mesa shouts before her HUD starts flashing an "Energy Depleted" sign.

"Crap!", she screams as she now reaches for her Akvasto, which unfortunately she had to reload from her earlier skirmish.

This brought the Stalker just the time he needed.

Chroma was just getting to the proximity of the engagement and had the Stalker dead to rights with his bow drawn all the way back when his prey suddenly vanishes into thin air.

"Wait a minute, that was Ash's technique, down to the letter", Chroma thinks as he remembers seeing the Ninja Tenno do the maneuver while watching him do a training simulation, "And he always ends up…."

"Sweet tarnation! Why do I carry a gun that requires me to reload after six shots?!", Mesa screams at herself as she replenishes her guns, she looks up to see where her target went and was shocked to see that he disappear.

"Where he go?", she thought as something out of the corner of her eye catches her attention and she turns her head to see Chroma hauling ass toward her, his bow drawn and ready.

"What the hell is-?", she starts only to stop upon seeing that his bow was aimed directly at her but before she could do anything, Chroma let loose his arrow.

"Shit!", Mesa screams as she ducks down and aims her gun at the Dragon Tenno, only to hear a grunt of pain from behind her. She whips around to see her assailant from earlier standing right behind her with his sword raises above his head ready to strike and Chroma's arrow piercing his left shoulder.

Soon another arrow hits his right shoulder along with a third one lounging itself into his right leg.

"ENOUGH!", the Stalker screams as he uses one hand to yank all three arrows out before throwing them to the ground while raising his sword up with the other, "I will tolerate your existence no more!"

Mesa rolls out of the way in time to avoid being cleave down the middle and finds herself next to Chroma who had ditched his bow and had re-draw Tiamat's Wrath.

Stalker points his blade at Mesa, "You were nothing more than a glorified sniper! Cowardly killing your targets from a distance instead giving them an honorable death in real combat!"

He then turns his tip toward Chroma, "You were an unstable lizard who should have been thrown out an airlock!"

Mesa speaks to Chroma through their comm-link, "Am I suppose to know who he is?"

"I gave him the name Stalker and he wants to kill us. Other than that, I have no idea who he is", Chroma answers, never taking his eyes off of the Stalker, "He also seems able to pull off Ash's teleport ability, be wary."

"Noted", Mesa says though her curiosity was piqued, "So how are we going to attack him?"

"We're not", Chroma tells her and Mesa turns her head to him.

"What?"

"We're not because he is coming to us like a hunting party attacks the herd", Chroma says as he continues to his eyes trained on the Stalker, "Look at him, he is poised to attack."

Mesa looks backs but all she sees is him standing there with his sword now in front of him pointing straight up to the sky, "What are you talking about? He isn't doing anything!"

Chroma wanted to shake his head but opt not too, "He's preparing himself, calming his mind and body for the battle ahead."

"And how the hell do you know all this?", Mesa wonders.

For the first time, Chroma takes his eyes off the Stalker and looks down at Mesa, "Because it's the same thing I do."

Sudden movement draws the two Tenno's attention back to the Stalker as stabs his sword into the ground and pulls out ten throwing knives, five for each hand. Using their enhance visual sensor from their warframes, Mesa and Chroma are able to see the fine edge they had to them.

"Get ready", Chroma tells his fellow Tenno, "This may be our final battle especially you seeing how the right side of your helmet can't take much more damage; I suggest you keep your guard up."

"Your words of encouragement aren't very encouraging", Mesa lets him know as she draws up her dual pistols.

"Idiots give words of encouragement, I tell people the truth", Chroma replies.

The two parties proceed with their standoff for several seconds, neither one of them making any movement. Chroma with Tiamat's Wrath in front of him, Mesa with her Akvasto drawn, fully loaded, and fingers on the triggers, and the Stalker with his ten throwing knives at the ready.

"Psssst!", Mesa calls over the comm-link, "What is he waiting for?"

"An opening", Chroma answers, "A prime opportunity to attack."

"And what exactly would that-?", before she was cut off by…

"EVAC ORDER GIVEN! WE ARE ABORTING THE MISSION! I REPEAT! WE ARE ABORTING THE MISSION! ALL TENNO AND STEEL MERIDIAN'S FORCES ARE TO EVAC FROM THE SURFACE! THE ANTI-AIRCRAFT GUNS HAVE BEEN DESTROYED AND TRANSPORTS ARE INBOUND!", Excalibur screams as his voice comes over the comm-link and Chroma notices that he sounded winded and in distress.

But there was no time to dwell on such things as the Stalker started his attack, rushing headlong at the duo while flinging his knives at them. Chroma reacts in kind and charges forth, sword at the ready, blocking all of the projectiles that were aim at him while Mesa skillfully shot the remaining ones coming at her out of the air and back-flips away in order to put more space in between her and the Stalker as she draws her snipetron in the process.

Meanwhile, having exhausted his knives the Stalker pulls out a sinister looking black scythe with streams of blood red along its handle and closes the gap between him and Chroma.

"Scythe Style: Reaping Spiral!", he screams as Chroma notices his scythe glowing, signaling a channel weapon. But the dragon of the Tenno had little time to dwell on this as he was suddenly assaulted by a barrage of slashes from above and across his midsection.

"Reclamation!", he hears from the Stalker as Chroma is forced to channel his own sword in order to withstand the swift and powerful blows that were being laid into him.

Stalker's seemingly endless assault is brought to a halt by a by a bullet whizzing by his face, missing him by mere millimeters. He disengages from Chroma and turns his focus to Mesa who was currently kneeling down while readying another round for her sniper rifle, her aim not impeded whatsoever by the loss of one of her visual sensors. Without waiting for his reaction, she unloads another round at him and the Stalker only had less than half a second to react as he instinctively brings up his scythe to deflect the blow.

"Hate will consume your soul and leave your body a bloody stain on this planet!", as he suddenly throws down a round object, which immediately discharges an electrical wave that manages to somehow scramble Chroma's sensors, leaving him unable to see, hear, or even read his HUD for the time being. The Stalker then goes dashing directly toward Mesa who had just finish reloading and was now taking aim.

"Come get some, you varmint!", Mesa says as she aims down the sight and fires her third round. This time though, the Stalker was prepared and simply moves his head out of the way of the impending shot and continues forward.

"One shot left", Mesa says as she once again focuses her sight down right in the middle of the Stalker's forehead, "But that is all I need."

The trigger was half-way pulled with Mesa sees the Stalker suddenly hurls an object with his free hand at her, impaling itself into her gun sights.

Mesa looks at the objects in question and somehow manages to control her disbelief to a degree, "A shuriken, really? Are you just ripping off Ash at this point?!"

The only reply Mesa gets from the Stalker was a downward slash from his scythe which Mesa is able to block by bringing up her sniper rifle to collide with the handle, stopping the blade from cutting her. Mesa finds herself struggling as she went up against the Stalker's superior strength as it was taking everything she had to hold the scythe back and yet she was still failing to do so as it sunk ever closer to her.

"Your kind was a curse on the empire, using the very gifts the emperor gave to you to kill him!" the Stalker rants, "I will do what the Grineer, Corpus, Infected, and even the Sentinels couldn't and erase your very existence and then I will finish off the dragon that killed the emperor!"

"Shoot, darling", Mesa chuckles, "For a brooding black armor wearing sort of fellow, you sure do talk a lot."

The Gunslinger Tenno quickly sidesteps to her right, using the Stalker's momentum against him and causing him to go forward and leaving him wide open for the last round of Mesa's sniper rifle.

But finds herself shooting nothing but the ground as the Stalker disappears right before her very eyes.

Remembering that she was basically facing a rip-off of the Ninja Tenno, Mesa quickly ducks down and rolls sideways, narrowly avoiding a swipe from behind. Upon finishing her movement, she gets up and draws her Soma but by then it was too late as the Stalker was already upon her and she barely had time to react as the blade of the scythe pierces through her Soma with relative ease and once again stops short of Mesa's helmet. Thinking quickly she twists her gun and is able to wrangle the scythe out of the Stalker's hand but seeing now her gun was useless she switches to her Akvasto.

But if she thought the Stalker was going to give her the time to do that she was highly optimistic. For the second time today, she was suddenly backhand a great distance and ends up not far from Chroma who was currently still battling the effect of the Stalker's device as he was hunch over on his knees while staring at the ground.

Suddenly over the comm-link, she hears a voice coming through the static.

"Operator Mesa! Operator Chroma! Come in! Operator Mesa! Operator Chroma! Come in!", she hears Ordis' voice scream.

The Gunslinger Tenno draws her dual pistols while keeping an eye on her foe who was in the process of ripping his scythe out of her Soma, tearing it apart in the process.

"Going to take me weeks to gather the material to create a new one", Mesa thought as she answers Ordis' distress signal, "Operator Mesa here!"

"Operator Mesa, thank the stars! I have been trying to contact you and Operator Chroma for some time! The Lotus has called for an emergency evac! All Tenno and Stee-!"

"Yeah, yeah, we heard all that! We were just a little too busy to answer!", Mesa cuts him off.

"Where is Operator Chroma? I'm getting a reading that his equipment is seventy percent offline", Ordis claims.

"Look, long story short, we are currently engaging an unknown assailant! Chroma is currently out of action and I'm barely holding my own against what we have dubbed the Stalker.", Mesa tells him as she draws her Akvasto on her target who was now just standing there menacingly but still keeping his distance, "I'm going to send you the last known coordinates of Cressa Tal, but we're going to need immediate assistance!"

Mesa watches as the Stalker then puts his scythe away and draws his bow, notching an arrow while looking at the Tenno, "I repeat! Immediate assistance!"

Mesa crotches down in order to dodge an arrow that the Stalker shot at her head and instantly react back with shots of her own. A few of them hit their mark but fail to do anything to him.

"Could always go for my snipetron again but I can't use the sight, I would have to reload, I, and at this distance using it would be suicidal", she told herself as she continues to unleash a hail of bullets as the Stalker once again made a mad dash toward her, deflecting everything coming his way with his scythe.

"I am going to mount his head on the wall of my quarters and use his armor as target practice!", Chroma growls as his system reboot was finally finished and he was finally able to see and hear everything clearly once again.

And not a moment too soon as he looks over to his right just in time to witness the Stalker somehow pull Mesa toward him from a distance and impale her through her armor with his scythe directly through her chest.

A thousand thoughts were running through Mesa's mind at this very moment as the blade of the Stalker's scythe slid out of her and she drops her guns as she fell to the ground, the intense pain going through her body more than she could bear. What pulled her over to him? Was she going to die here? Was the Stalker going to let her suffer a slow agonizing death as she bled out or grant her a quick and painless one? Why did she choose this mission of all missions not to install a Rejuvenation mod in her warframe?

A screen pops up on her HUD displaying electrocardiography that was showing a near flatline along with warning signs.

"Damn, guess I'm not going back to the plains of Mars anymore for hunting practice", as she fondly remembers her days back before that damn ship arrived at her colony all those centuries ago. Back when she, her brothers, and her father would go hunting across the Red Planet's plains while her mom and sister made supper. The memories started to become blurry as she lost more and more blood.

"Never again", as she watches the Stalker stand over her and lift and stretch out his right hand. A moment later, his sword flies into his hand and he hefts it high over his head.

"The stars will be a better place when you are all gone!", he states as he once again brings the sword crashing down on top of her.

CLANK!

And once more Chroma is there to stop it with his own while Mesa feels a sudden warmth wash over her and she felt that a small semblance of life was put back into her. She watches the back of Chroma as he squares off against the Stalker in a deadly sword lock and she could see flames flowing off of his body and onto the ground around her.

Chroma was snorting out flames from his nostrils as he held his ground against the Stalker, their two great swords pressing up against each other blade to blade. Within his warframe, he found himself sweating even with his coolant system working overtime.

"Your death is the one I will relish most of all above all others; for I saw what you did that day!", the Stalker says while the Dragon Tenno gives him silences in return.

The two break their deadlock and the Stalker swings at Chroma mid-section, fully intend on cutting him in half. Chroma already deduces that his the Stalker's scythe could pierce Mesa's armor then no doubt his sword could as well. The smart thing to do would be for him to jump out of the way of the strike and put some breathing room between him and such a dangerous foe.

CLANK!

But unfortunately for him, his flames were the only thing keeping Mesa alive and stable as he knocks the sword away and delivers a downward strike of his own in response. Stalker skillfully catches his attack down the center of his own blade and twists it out of his hand causing Chroma to drop it or risk it breaking completely. But Chroma was the type to see an opportunity and take advantage of it as he grabs the Stalker's wrists and hit him with a full frontal Spectral Scream of fire at point blank range and the desired effect was achieved.

The Stalker jumps back, breaking Chroma's grip and getting a good way from the Dragon Tenno's flames which gave Chroma time to draw Ferrox and delivers a charge shot straight into his chest. This amazingly brought him down to one knee but not for very long as he strikes the ground in anger and quickly stands back up, his sword at the ready.

"I am your reckoning!", as he launches into a dead sprint toward Chroma.

"Yes, you already said that", the Tenno replies as he hurls his Ferrox at the charging foe but fell short of hitting his target.

"Pathetic!", the Stalker shouts as he races bye it and prepares to leap at the seemingly defenseless Tenno.

"Suf-", was all he got out before coming to a screeching halt as his forward motion was completely taken away from and he began getting pulled backward. He looks over his shoulder to see that the weapon that Chroma threw at him only a moment before was generating what seem to be an electric field of some kind that was holding him in place and pulling him toward it.

"What trickery is this-AGGGHHHHH!", as a surge of electricity ran through the course of his body.

"Have to hand it to the Corpus, they don't slouch on their weapons technology division", Chroma said as focus more energy into his Elemental Ward. He was able to link up with Mesa's own HUD in order to monitor her vital signs and saw that she was hanging on by a thread but she was stable thanks to his flames.

"Someone needs to get here fast", he told himself as he once more drew Daikyu and notch an arrow, "I only have so much energy and the Ferrox isn't going to hold him forever."

The Stalker was enduring the continuous pain of a lightning bolt coursing through his body while Chroma catches his breath.

"I just about have had enough of this day", he says as he draws the bow and takes aim at the Stalker's head. For all of his toughness and durability Chroma doubt that he could take a fully-charged shot to the head. But as he came to the full extension of the bowstring and lines the arrow up with its target he is suddenly bombarded with a wave of memories.

Glimmering hallways.

A bloody corpse adorned in fancy imperial garments.

People screaming.

Guns blazing.

Excalibur slashing through countless guards.

Each Tenno escaping into a pod before being launch into the stars in a dozen different directions.

So great was the pressure from these memories that Chroma collapse on the ground, breathing heavily.

"What the hell was-?", he starts out before hearing the sound of running footsteps getting closer. Reaching for Tiamat's Wrath which was still nearby, he grabs the handle and brings the great-sword above his head just in time to block the blade of the Stalker's sword, a resounding clash echoing throughout the area.

"You miss your opportunity, you won't get another!", the Stalker screams as he began to press downward and even on one knee, Chroma found himself being hard-press. It was at that moment that three shots ring out and his Stalker in the side, forcing him to disengage his attack and jump back. Chroma looks over at the source of the gunfire and sees Mesa still laying on the ground with one of her Akvasto in her hand, shakily wildly while still pointed at the direction where the Stalker previously was.

"Got….ya...ya….varmint", she says one last time before passing out but Chroma has no time to see if she was okay beyond her vital sign reading as the Stalker was now ready to renew his attacks.

Or he would have if three of Steel Meridian transports didn't come flying overhead carrying the rest of the Tenno including Excalibur and Trinity. The Healing Tenno jumps off and lands next to Mesa, immediately applying her energy in healing Mesa while the Swordsmen Tenno lands next to Chroma and draws his Dragon Nikana. With this, the first two awaken Tenno two now stood together against the Stalker.

"Who's he?", Excalibur questions.

"He has earned the nickname "The Stalker", from Mesa and me. He's extremely strong and dangerous", Chroma answers just as he was noticing something off about Excalibur's warframe.

And by off he meant that it was nearly cut to shreds with long streaks which could only be done by a sword scattered all over his armor.

"What happen to you?", Chroma asks and for a moment he receives no answer.

"A Prime did this...my prime", the Alpha Tenno answer begrudgingly.

"Your what?"

"I'll tell you later", was all Chroma heard, "For now let's deal with him."

Chroma lets out a snort before turning his attention back to the Stalker who was now trembling with rage. As powerful as he was not even he could hope to win out against all of the Tenno at once.

"It seems we will have to continue this on another day, dragon! Until then, be wary of shadows!", as the Stalker says as he teleported away once more, this time with such power that he leaves a small crater in his wake along with a shock Chroma and Excalibur.

Their shock was only temporarily as Ordis came blasting over the team's comm-link.

"Multiple Grineer warships and transports are inbound, I suggest immediate evac from the planet. The Orbiter is standing by to accept all ships Tenno and Steel Meridian alike but you must hurry."

Excalibur sheathes his blade, "Let's get out of here", as he turns to walk to the transport that just landed. Chroma stays still for just a little while longer, eyeing the crater where the Stalker disappeared from.

"What's going on?", he says to no one in particular but Excalibur overheard him anyway.

...

...

"Changes, Chroma. The war has changed and we're on the back-foot now", he answers.

Back onboard the Ordis

She examines the helmet with a sniper's gaze; the deep indention running along the right side over the eye catches her attention, "One swipe did that. One swipe was less than a few millimeters from cutting through highly built Orokin armor and ending my life on that hellish planet.

She then touches the middle of her chest and feels the hole where the Stalker's scythe impale her at, a shudder going through her body and she once again remember how close she came to death.

"And to think of all the people, I have him to thank for saving...", she suddenly stops as her mind drifts toward the Dragon Tenno.

"Why?", Mesa thought as she finishes up linking up into her warframe and finally donning her scarred helmet behind the shielded curtain, "Why did he do that?"

As she limps out into the main infirmary room of the Orbiter, she sees that it was a frenzy of movement at the moment as Trinity, the head medical specialist, alongside Oberon and Equinox, were doing their best to treat the wounded Tenno and surviving Grineer of Steel Meridian. Luckily for everyone here those three, mainly Trinity, are kept in the rear during the mission as it was protocol. In fact, Trinity's survival was also sometimes deemed a higher priority than the main objective, though this was also the main reason why she rarely went out on missions.

It also helped that a number of Tenno also had the Rejuvenation mod on their warframes, so that help minimizes the overalls causalities.

Anyway, Mesa notices Chroma was mediating within the midst of the group using his Blazing Elemental Ward to stabilize the more seriously injured until they could be seen. Mesa's hawk-like eyes were trained on him as he retains his cross-legged levitating form as a rolling wave of dancing flames radiated off him onto those nearby yet they did not burn, more so the flames cleanse their bodies of the wounds inflicted on them.

Laying the closest to Chroma, basking in his healing flames, was the Void Tenno, Harrow, and the Berserker Tenno, Valkyr.

"It would seem….that once again...I'm in your debt, Dragon Tenno", the master of the void voices and Mesa sworn she saw Chroma's body tense up.

"We have gone over this before, Harrow", Chroma spoke, "It's Excalibur you owe a debt too if you feel you must own one, not I. He was the one who freed you from your prison."

"Yet….you assisted him. And before that, on that forsaken ship….", Harrow began before Chroma cut him off.

"Enough! Quit talking and conserve your strength until Trinity is able to see you", Chroma advised as he turns his attention toward the Berserker Tenno, who only stares back at him in silence, "Do you have something to add to this as well?"

Valkyr merely grunts as she turns her head away, but not before growling at a couple of Steel Meridian survivors who got a little too nosy for their own good.

"Fire that burns his enemies, heals wounds, and even boosts health. Ice that increases his durability, slows his enemies and deflects bullets. A poison that somehow increases his stamina and corrodes his foes. Last, but not least, lightning that allows him to shock those around him while modifying his own shields. This is not even counting Effigy, Vex Armor, or his Spectral Scream. I guess Ordis wasn't kidding when he stated that Chroma was more than likely the most versatile of all the Tenno", Mesa thought as she recalled the conversation she had with the Ship A.I. that day she was on bridge watch, chatting with it to pass the time. The two of them got on the discussion on who was the best Tenno in regards to certain categories and safe to say it got…interesting.

In terms of who was the fastest, Loki had the highest unaltered speed, but when Volt used his energy to boost himself, he had no rival. Most durable went to Valkyr, who surpassed even Rhino in that field while the Tank Tenno himself held the title of being the most physically strongest Tenno. They went about this topic for hours before Ordis brought up the fact that almost every Tenno was lacking in an area and had to use mods to compensate for them….except Chroma, who only had to use his own abilities to boost himself.

"I could only imagine how powerful he would be if he could change elements on the fly", Mesa thinks as she watches Trinity finally get over to where Chroma was mediating.

"Thank you, Chroma. The medical bots and I will take it from here", the Healer Tenno tells him to which Chroma merely nods and returns himself to a standing position, his disbursing upon doing so.

"I'll see my way out then", he says as he begins to walk away only to be stop by Trinity as she holds up a hand.

"I would like to take a closer look at the wounds you sustain", Trinity states.

"There's no need to worry about that, you have more pressing matters to attend to", Chroma assures her, "If possible, you could medically clear me, I'll be on my way in tracking down information about this "Stalker" and his warframe like suit."

Trinity, who many suspected was the oldest female among the Tenno, and one of the oldest overall, only stare at Chroma for a moment before agreeing.

"Very well then", she says as she turns around, "I do have more important issues to deal with and you do have something of a self-healing factor, but-"

Trinity now had Chroma full attention…

"Ordis, I'm placing Operator Chroma on temporarily suspensions from all sorties until he is medically clear by me or by the Lotus, understood?", she declares.

"Affirmative, Operator Trinity", the A.I. responds, "Placing Operator Chroma's landing craft on temporarily lock-down and restricting him from sorties. This restriction can only be removed with the Lotus' approval. I will inform the Lotus about this decision upon the conclusion of her -screaming match/catfight/bitching fest- debrief with Cressa Tel."

"What are you doing?", Chroma damn near growled and Mesa could once again feel a surge of heat spring up in the room, drawing everyone's attention to the two Tenno.

"As the Head Medical Specialist onboard the Orbiter, I am declaring you medically unfit for action. You are forbidden from taking part of any missions until I deem you fit or the Lotus herself overrules me and once I explain my case to her, I'm positive she will see things my way", Trinity explains as she turns around, not the least bit faze by the mounting heat that was emitting off of Chroma.

"My physical wounds do not inhibit me from carrying out sorties", Chroma counters.

"This isn't about your physical wounds and you know it. You will report back to the medical bay at noon tomorrow and we will begin your rehabilitation", the Healer Tenno tells him as she makes her way over to Harrow to begin examining him, "Good day, Chroma."

Mesa spots Chroma's hands curl up into fists and wonders for a moment if he was thinking about attacking the healer. As she watches his shoulders heave up and down along with the Dragon Tenno flexing his fingers and taking deep breaths, Mesa couldn't help but respect the fact that Trinity wasn't even fazed by these actions.

"After everything I have done today, this is the thanks I get?", Chroma growled.

"I am fully aware of your actions today and I'm sure your valiant efforts are appreciated by those who owe you their lives. But I have been monitoring your vital signs for the past few moments along with the ones taken during the course of the mission and you seem a little too eager to get on with hunting this "Stalker" as you call him. It's almost as if you have something personal at stake and I can not allow you to hunt down a such a dangerous foe without proper examination", Trinity calmly states.

Chroma's rage had risen to the point of being uncontrollable when a hand touches his shoulder and he feels a passive calm try to take over him. He was still seething on the inside but now his mind was no longer completely clouded by anger and he realizes that the Lotus along with the other Tenno would not take kindly to him being so aggressive to their main healer.

He still turns around though to face the whoever who had the galls to get this close to him while he was in this state of mind.

"Ah, the Coward Tenno returns", the Dragon Tenno hisses while Baruuk shows no signs of irritation from the insult, "Thought you were brokering a trade deal with Solaris United while the rest of us were actually do something useful."

"I had returned earlier than expected from my mission", the Pacifistic Tenno explain while maintaining his hands in a prayer position, not at all frightened by the anger the Dragon Tenno was emitting, "It seems that it good that I did or else violence would have erupted within the confines of our own safe haven."

Chroma lets out a dark chuckle "Safe? Nowhere in this system is safe as long as the Stalker is around."

He then turns to his left and exits the tense compartment, not once looking back.

"I need answers", Mesa tells herself as she begins to tail him through the ship's hallways, keeping her distance for the time being until she felt that the moment was right for her to confront him, which in her mind was when they were far enough away from the rest of the ship's occupants.

As she rounds the corner into the main hallway, she is astonished to find it completely void.

"He just went this way a second ago", she tells herself, "Where did he get along to?"

"Is there a reason why you're following me?", a voice from behind her ask and on pure instinct the Gunslinger Tenno whirls around, her hands going to her dual pistols as she grips the handles…

And that is where she found her hands staying as Chroma's hands tighten around her, preventing them from drawing.

"Usually, this would be the time I would ask why are you still arm up here on the Orbiter when everyone else who was able kept their weapons in their landing craft", he began as he stares directly at her, "But at this very moment, I do not care. Once again, why are you following me?"

….

…..

…

"I'm going to take your silence as my cue to leave", Chroma says as he lets go of Mesa's hands and began to walk past her.

"Wait!", Mesa shouted out as he only got a few steps behind her, "I want answers from you!"

Chroma stops in his tracks and glances over his shoulder at the Gunslinger Tenno, "And they say I need to work on how I talk to people."

"Why did you do all that?", Mesa asks.

"I'm going to assume you're talking about what transpired back on Mercury…." Chroma says only to rear back a little when Mesa snaps at him.

"You know damn well that's what I'm talking about, suga! For someone who was trying to kill me earlier, you sure stuck your neck out for me three times too many today!", the Gunslinger Tenno screams but this only cause Chroma to look at her funny.

"From what I remember I only saved you twice today, both times were me blocking the Stalker's sword attacks", he tells her.

"I'm also counting the time you stood your ground against the Stalker's so that I would be in the range of your healing flames! You could have move whenever you wanted but you decided to stay by me!", Mesa explains though Chroma didn't see the reason for her screaming.

"If you were to die, I would have had to answer to the Lotus, simple as that", Chroma tells her and moves to the side and begins to walk past her. He had gotten just a couple of steps away when he was grabbed by the hand.

"What is it now, Mesa?", he growls without looking back, "I have preparations to do."

…

"I'm not playing this silent game with you again, Mesa. If you have...", Chroma started as he turns to face her.

"I owe you a debt back there for saving my life, suga", Mesa began as she let go of the Dragon Tenno and reaches for her helmet, "And where I come from we repay our debts or at the very least let the person know that we owe them one."

Chroma watches on as Mesa releases the seals on her helmet and slowly pulls it off and he actually found himself intrigued by what he saw. It was rare for the Tenno to see one another without their helmets on. In fact, the only other one that had ever seen his face was Excalibur.

Mesa had green eyes that reminded Chroma of the plains he used to cross with his tribe as a child. Her hair was a lighter shade of red than his armor and he saw it was up in a ponytail with braids with a yellow ribbon that was tied to the bottom of it. She had lush pink lips, along with rosy cheeks that were peppered with freckles along with auburn eyebrows and small nose round off the feature of her face and when she smiled her teeth glisten in the ship's hallway lights.

She put her helmet in one hand and reaches out the other to the Dragon Tenno, "My name's Jessie. Jessie Orbal of the old Orokin Olympus colony of Mars."

Chroma looks down at the hand for a moment, saying nothing as the seconds ticked by.

"You're supposed to shake it, Chroma. It's how we did it back at my colony", Mesa/ Jessie said.

"I know what to do, I'm not that primitive", he replies, "It just seems a little much."

"It's not a big deal to save someone's life for you?"

"In my tribe, everyone was each other brother, father, sister, or mother even if you weren't related by blood. You were expected to put your life on the line to save your fellow tribe member, even if they were someone you didn't like", Chroma explain, "What I did today I would have done for any one of the Tenno for as much I loathe the lot of you, you are now the closest thing I have to a tribe."

Chroma then reaches out and takes the Gunslinger Tenno's hand, "But my tribe also respected customs and traditions, even if they weren't our own. My name is Aguu Anchin. It means "Great Hunter" in my people's language, but it was Aganc for short."

The two Tenno share a short shake before Mesa/Jessie spoke again, "Umm, no offense, Aganc, but this only really works if I'm able to look you in your eyes."

Chroma/Aganc lets out a growl in annoyance but reaches up for his helmet, "You're lucky my people respect tradition", as he now undid his seals and pulled his helmet off and Mesa/Jessie suddenly found herself getting extremely hot within her suit, almost as hot as the planet she was just on, as she looked upon the Dragon Tenno's face.

"It's like watching a sunset on the Martian plains", she told herself as a blush appearing on her already red cheeks, "Words don't do it justice."

Chapter Text

[Trinity medical logs]

[Revenant.]

The Sentient Tenno

This is Revenant, the returned - the condemned. Harnessing the essence of Eidolon and warrior alike, he mystifies and obliterates his foes.

Revenant serves last rites for the souls he leaves on fire, without a plea for mercy.

Revenant is by far one of the worst cases I have ever seen, even if I was to go back to my medical days before becoming a Tenno.

Unlike Nidus, who we have partially cure and suppress from his Infested "features" we have no way to control Revenant and his sentient feature. So far we have damaged the medical ward in the hope of finding a cure or suppressant. The few times I have examined him outside of his warframe armor his entire body under it was...terribly transformed, leaving only his face unaffected.

The blood stops being red and has turn into an ethereal blue, he has complained about having severe headaches, hearing voices, and finally, he leaks sentient energy when outside his suit and this has caused multiple instances of lockdown.

(Vauban has constantly been called upon to fix this issue as he has been unofficially declared the engineer of the Orbiter due to his mechanical knowledge.)

All of his abilities seem to connect with the sentients as well.

According to the footage that has been collected and accounts given by the few Tenno who have work with him...he somehow "dances" with the sentient energy, using it as a beam based weapon.

It may connect to Revenant's youth before Zariman ten-0, back when he was the son of two famous Orokin dancers whose names escapes me, though I did discover through fractures computer records that both his mother and father along with Revenant himself were on board that ship for they were slated to perform for the Royal Family during the celebrations.

Anyway, we are still hoping to find a cure, but one thing is to be certain.

Void exposure weakens his connection to the Sentient at the plains allowing the old Revenant to emerge, the one who is hell-bent on wiping out each and every one of the towering creatures.

On a final note, he repeatedly declares that he is sorry to everyone at Cetus for some reason. This is especially true for Gara, who he has a very deep bond of friendship with.

Ravaged by Sentient energy, wreathed with eldritch Eidolon essence, the blighted sovereign Revenant subjugates foes through his affliction. Bestow his sacrificial legion haunted dreams, reap unseen, and spill their lifeblood upon the desolate scorched earth

[End of log]

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I do not own Warframe.

A/N: Here is the full chapter. Hope you all enjoy it.

Please Review, Fav, or Follow, if you want.

Also check out my Battletech story: Dragon of the Reach.

Plaguestar

(Trinity)

One month after the assault on Vor's headquarters, Chroma found himself currently adrift inside the anti-gravity chamber, floating from one end of the room to the other. This chamber was at first use to help the Tenno get re-acquaintance with the strange feeling of the vacuum of space whenever they were in their archwings but once everyone went through the course Trinity had it turn into a place where one could be at peace with themselves while moving in complete weightlessness. The Healing Tenno felt that it would make them more open to her questions when she was giving them a psych evaluation and she has yet to be proven wrong.

Though even she thought that the Dragon Tenno before her might prove a problem as she enters through the separation chamber, her suit's magnetic-lock ability keeping her attached to the floor.

"First question, what is your name?", she asks as she walks around the floating Tenno.

"Operator Chroma, The Dragon Tenno, Aguu Anchin", he listed off as he moved upside down with his arms cross a few feet to Trinity's right.

"Okay then, moving on", Trinity says as she jotted down some notes, "What was your lifestyle before the Zariman Ten-Zero? And if possible, please be specific.

Chroma lets out a breath in annoyance before answering as he began to spin around, "I was the son of the head warrior of the Riagoa tribe, who was bloodbound with our chief."

She wrote down more notes, "Next, h-"

"Why did you put me on lockdown if you were just going to ask me the same questions you have been asking me more than a dozen times in the past few weeks? Half of my lockdown time has been spent in this chamber and I want to know why", Chroma spoke up, irritated by the fact that he has had just as many psyche evaluations in the past month as Valykr, a Tenno who actually had mental problems due to her history.

Trinity looks away from her hologram notepad and studies Chroma for a moment, watching him float in front of her, "Your energy is the among the most unstable within the Tenno. I'm keeping an eye on you to make sure it doesn't affect you in other ways."

A growl erupts from the Dragon Tenno's throat that reverberates throughout the room.

"But that's not the answer you want to hear, very well then", Trinity says, "As I said before, you seen obsessively eager to pursue this Stalker. Almost as if it's personal."

"It's personal!", Chroma shouts, "He wounded me and then had the sheer audacity to say that I wasn't worth his time! I can't let such an insult stand and the mark of shame upon me will not be cleansed until I and I alone have ended his life!"

Trinity presses a few keys on her pad while maintaining eye contact with Chroma, "I theorize that this is a custom associated with your tribe."

"It's called the redhunt and it means to never let any strike against you go unanswered unless it is from your bloodkin and even that expectation is case by case", Chroma explains, "To do so brings great shame upon yourself and your kin."

"But you are the last remaining member of your tribe. Surely, you are now free to choose what customs to follow and when to follow them", the Healer Tenno points out.

Silence engulfs the room as Chroma stares at Trinity for what seems like hours, "I do not expect you to understand my tribe's culture, I merely ask that you respect it."

"Very well. Moving on", Trinity starts back up as Chroma spun around, his back now facing her, "Tell me, what are your thoughts on Mesa?"

"Why? Are you planning on sending me on a mission with her once this farce of yours has run its course?", Chroma answers while thinking back to the day Excalibur asks him that same question.

"No real reason, it's just that both of you were the first to encounter the Stalker and yet she doesn't seem to be as aggressive as you are when it comes to him", Trinity explain, "Also, if I can be honest with you, she has been constantly badgering me on when I will release the mission lockdown on you. Do you have any idea why?"

Chroma grunts, "I see, just last week she was asking me the same question when she and Hildryn walk in on my discussion with Nezha but we were...interrupted. She also asks me this every time during our weapons training session. Anyway, after the Mercury mission, she stated that she owed me one for saving her life, no doubt she is anxious to return the favor in order to not be indebted to me."

Trinity finds herself staring at the Tenno floating in front of her, scanning him for any lie in his statement through his body language. When she finds none she simply shakes her head, "He truly believes that. Oh, to be so young and naive", she thought knowing full well that the Gunslinger Tenno sudden obsession over Chroma's mission readiness status had nothing to do with repaying a debt, "And what was he discussing with Nezha?"

"Operator Trinity", Ordis' voice comes through on her private channel.

"Yes, Ordis?"

"I have an urgent message for you from Operator Revenant on Cetus."

"Revenant? That's unusual", she comments, "He rarely calls unless to give his daily update. Also, why is he calling me?"

"Shall I put it through?", Ordis asks.

"Yes, go ahead."

Chroma continues floating through the room, dwelling on everything that has occurred so far since Mercury. From the Lotus and Excalibur leaving abruptly in order to gather intel on this "Prime" warframe that the enemy possessed along with information on the Stalker to everyone else beside him and Trinity begin sent off on missions in order to contain Vor's newest offensive across the system in wake of the aftermath of the failed assassination attempt on him. Chroma didn't even have time to get a sufficient answer on what exactly attack the main group on Mercury.

Before he could dwell further into his thoughts, sudden movements out of the corner of his eye draw his attention to Trinity, who now looks dishevel even through her suit.

"Hmm?", Chroma says before bringing up her vitals on his warframe HUD. Upon doing so he finds himself slightly shocked by the fact that the Healer Tenno heart-rate was skyrocketing.

"Is everything alright, Trinity?", he voices, seemingly snapping her out of her current state of mind.

"I'm afraid I must cut today's session short for I am needed on Cetus", she says abruptly as she heads for the exit, "Ordis, turn off the anti-gravity!"

Chroma feels his weightlessness disappears and he lands softly on his feet despite his heavy bulk.

"Cetus? You're heading to Earth?", he asks as he follows after her as she heads to the ship's main armory.

"No time to explain! I have to move fast!", she answers as she enters the main room and heads straight for her loadout stand where her weapons were stored.

"Why?", Chroma questions, getting slightly irritated by the lack of a decent answer.

"Ordis, prep my Mantis for launch!", Trinity orders as she grabs and holsters her weapons.

"At once, Operator Trinity", The A.I. responds, "Also, I will have your med-kit transfer to your Mantis in preparation for your departure, though there is the small matter of your es-"

"Thank you, Ordis. I will be leaving shortly", Trinity interrupts as she turns toward the door only to find her path block by the Dragon Tenno.

"You're not going anywhere", Chroma says calmly with his arms cross and rearing back to his full height.

"Pardon me?", was Trinity only reply as she stares the Tenno in front of her down, no easy feat seeing how Chroma was one of the taller Tenno.

"Lotus Directive seventeen point five, Operator Trinity is to not leave the Orbiter under any circumstances excluding abandoning ship procedures without an escort", Chroma quotes, "Ordis, remind me how many operators are currently on board right now."

"Operator Chroma, you and Operator Trinity are the only operators on board at this very moment with the closest operator, Atlas, current position putting him at a minimum of three hours flight time away from the ship's current location", Ordis relays.

"Thank you. Now Ordis, are you under orders from the Lotus herself to enact this protocol?"

"Yes, Operator Chroma. Operator Trinity would have been sitting in her landing craft in the hangar bay, not clear for launch, until an escort was provided to her due to her being the only fully qualified medical specialist among the Tenno."

Trinity could feel Chroma smiling underneath his helmet as he leans in close to her, "The only way you're getting off this ship is by declaring me fit for combat duty and taking me with you."

"The task I'm about to undertake is more than likely going to be delicate and needs to be handled with care", she growls.

"Delicate is Ivara, Ash, and Loki's specialty and they are on Uranus." Chroma tells her, "You got me instead."

Trinity ponders her options for a moment before inhaling deeply and lets it out slowly, "Ordis."

"Yes, Operator Trinity?"

"I hereby declare...", she stops herself, almost unwilling to believe that she was back into a corner by Chroma of all people over a directive that she asks the Lotus to created herself, "I hereby declare Operator Chroma temporarily fit for combat duty. His landing craft is to be taken out of lock-down and he is fit to go out on sorties under my supervision."

"Acknowledge, Operator Trinity", Ordis says, "Unlocking Operator Chroma's Landing Craft now."

"Also, I will be escorting Trinity to Cetus", Chroma adds as he turns around and heads to retrieve his weapons, leaving a fuming Healer Tenno in his wake, "Meet you in the Hangar Bay."

Ten minutes later, both Chroma and Trinity were entering their respective Landing Craft.

"Operator Trinity, Operator Chroma, commencing final diagnostic check now before launch due to our close proximity to Earth:

Operator Trinity Status Check:

Shields: Green

Vital Signs: Green

Armor: Green

Energy: Fully Charged

Energy Siphon Mod Install

Operator Trinity's Weapons Check:

Dual Vipers  Status: Green

Vulkar  Status: Green

Orthos  Status: Green

"Operator Trinity, prepared for mission", Ordis concluded, "Moving on to Operator Chroma"

Operator Chroma Status Check:

Shields: Green

Vital Signs: Green

Armor: Green

Energy: Fully Charged

Energy Siphon Mod Install

Special Energy Flow:  Lightning

Operator Chroma's Weapons Check

Dragon Galatine ( Tiamat's Wrath ) Status: Green

Daikyu Status: Green

Ferrox Status: Green

"Now would be a good time to tell me why exactly you're going to Cetus, Trinity", Chroma says over their shared channel, "I thought Revenant was keeping an eye on the place."

"Revenant sent me a message saying that Vay Hek is preparing for a major offensive in the plains with his main goal no doubt being Cetus itself", Trinity answered.

"But Vay Hek doesn't have the troops numbers on the Plains of Eidolon to do anything significant, he would have to muster a large portion of his troops on Earth to do that and that would leave him vulnerable to a syndicate assault from New Loka and Steel Meridian", Chroma reminded her, "Also, what about Unum? From what I know, she protects the Ostrons with her shield."

"No, he has a new weapon at his disposal," Trinity says, "One that literally fell from the sky."

Jupiter Relay

In a secluded part of the relay that hovered over Jupiter, atop a staircase carve out of rock and covered in snow, he waited.

Quietly, he mediates. In complete silence, he goes through the images of the battles he has fought in the past, going over every last detail in preparation for the battles he knows he will have to fight in the future. By his own admission and that of many others, he was single-handily one of the best swordsmen in the Origin system and very few could push him in a duel. Even the Tenno were warily around him for what he lacked in power compared to them he made up with experience and skill.

Though there was one among them that he considered the closest thing he had to a "rival", one that could test his mettle and actually help him improve his skill and he has been keeping that one waiting for a solid minute.

"I sense you have questions, Excalibur", Teshin says without looking behind him down at the Swordsman Tenno, "It's rare for you to visit without calling ahead", as he slowly turns around, "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Excalibur says nothing as he slowly draws his Dragon Nikana out of his sheath and points it toward the ground.

"Ah, it seems that whatever it's that you need an answer to isn't so urgent that you would forgo our usual greeting", Teshin comments as he too draws his own Nikana.

Silence engulfs the room as the two combatants stand frozen in their currents positions, doing nothing more than watching the other, waiting for the first move to occur.

"Excalibur", a voice cuts in through his comm channel, "We don't have time for this. We need information and we need it fast."

"Lotus, I ask you to let me handle this my way", Excalibur replies while keeping his focus on Teshin, "If we use the methods that you usually employ, we will never get an answer."

"Very well then, Excalibur. We'll try it your way...for now", she relented from her position on the other side of the door. It was no secret that Teshin despise her and she didn't want to risk not getting the information they needed by offending him with her presence. As she continues listening in on their chatter, she received a message from Trinity.

"Tell me, Excalibur, have you yet to fully remember that day from so long ago; when you and I clash at the Imperial Palace at the entrance to the Throne Room at the hour of the Empire's demise?", Teshin continued as he takes a step forward, "On that day, I was already four centuries old and the veteran of over a hundred battles but I knew the moment our swords clash that you were different. I knew that you were the opponent that I have long search for."

Excalibur began moving up the stairs as Teshin reminisce, sword still down at his waist.

"On that day I failed in my duty to protect the Royal Family, yet I bear no grudge toward you or the other Tenno", Teshin voiced, "For all things must come to an end, even the mighty Orokin Empire. It was predestined to happen one way or another, sooner or later, with or without your involvement."

The Swordsman Tenno raise his Dragon Nikana up in front of him, the tip pointed upward toward Teshin.

"But I wonder, Tenno, if you and the others, especially your scheming Lotus, are truly prepared to deal with the consequences that sprung forth from that fateful day", Teshin states as he breaks off into a sprint down the stairs and jumps toward Excalibur, sword high above his head and ready to strike, "For one day, we must all answer for our actions!"

CLANK!

The sound of two powerful blades colliding with one another echoes throughout the entirety of the relay.

Cetus

It was dawn as the two landing craft began their descent down into the port of Cetus, the Tower of Unum at their back, where they notice a crowd gathering at the entrance near the market

"That's something new", Trinity pointed out, "From the reports and interviews with the few Tenno that have visited here, the Ostrons usually don't gather like this unless an important announcement is being made."

"Wouldn't know, never been here before", Chroma comments, "Everything I know about Cetus and the Ostrons is from the official debrief the Lotus gave us."

"Perhaps we can get further insight from him", Ordis chime in as a pict come up on the Healer Tenno screen, zooming in to a familiar figure at the usual landing spot for the Tenno, "Operator Revenant seems to be awaiting your arrival. This is most peculiar due to his-anti-social ass- his reclusive nature."

Chroma takes a look at all the screens on his landing craft that observe the port, "I don't see any Grineer ships, only Corpus and some syndicate vessels."

"Intercepted Grineer messages indicate that Vay Hek has issued a decree that any Grineer merchants caught trading with the Ostrons will face, in his words, "A harsh torture session along with an even harsher death"."

"Sounds about right", mutters the Dragon Tenno as a comm message from Trinity appears in front of him.

"Chroma, there is something you need to know before we disembark", she states.

"And what would that be?", he question.

"There is a reason why Revenant is allowed to remain on Cetus by himself, only contacting the Orbiter with daily updates or a request for back-up" she explained.

"He usually only asks for Gara for back-up", Chroma thought, "And what's the reason?"

"Lotus fear his…..personality would rub some of the Tenno the wrong way and might cause conflict."

"You mean to tell me that the reason why Revenant wasn't a part of our largest sortie since the attack on the Imperial Palace millenniums ago was because the Lotus was afraid he might upset someone?", Chroma asks, "I do that all the time."

Trinity shakes her head, "That's not the only reason. Look, just try to keep a calm head while we're here. We don't need to be showing the Ostrons that there is division within our ranks."

"Very well then", Chroma grumbles as he attaches to his stasis and a few seconds later, he is flip over.

Jumping downward, he finds himself landing at the very edge of the pier alongside Trinity, while Revenant was still a couple of yards in front of them.

"Have my medical station ready to deploy on my signature, Ordis", Trinity she radios in as she makes her way toward the Sentinet Tenno.

"Affirmative, Operator Trinity", the A.I. replies, "Med-kit on standby."

She then looks over at Chroma who was alongside her, "Let me do the talking; next to Gara and the Lotus, I have interacted with Revenant more than anyone else on the Orbiter."

Chroma merely grunts as the two of them stop directly in front of Revenant.

Up till this moment, Chroma has only met Revenant twice. The first time was when he was introduced to the rest of the Tenno upon him be awaken and the second time was when he reported to the ship in order for him to get retrained in the proper use of the archwing. Both instances he kept to himself, only conversing with Gara and no one else.

So when Chroma heard him speak for the first time, he was taken aback a little.

"Trinity, you have come", a voice that echoed every syllable spoke as told it was a chorus speaking as one, "You have arrived, just like they told us you would."

"Who told him? And who is this us he is referring to? Chroma wonder as he watches Revenant turns his head every few moments away from the pair, opting to look out toward the ocean, the sky, and back to the market behind him. He never kept his attention on something for more than two seconds, yet he continued to speak as though he was directly facing Trinity.

"Yes, Revenant, I got your message. What can you tell us about the situation?"

Revenant crouches down to the ground, admiring a pebble, "Not here. We must venture out onto the plains, see it with our own eyes. The sun is shining, they won't come out."

Without warning, Revenant turns his attention up toward Chroma who looks down back at him. Even from within his warframe, the Dragon Tenno could feel Revenant's eyes staring into his soul, studying him, judging him.

"It has been a long time since dragons have roamed these lands. We wonder if this one will last long since it's being hunted", and with that, he sprung up and started heading toward the market, leaving a stun Chroma in his wake.

Trinity's HUD displays a pict of Chroma's vitals, showcasing that his heart was suddenly beating rapidly and she could see strains of lightning once more arcing off his warframe.

"No one", she heard him growl through their shared comm, 'hunts me!",

"You lay one finger on him and I will personally see that you are put back into cryo-sleep for an undetermined period of time", Trinity threatens, stopping Chroma before he even had a chance to step forward, "Revenant is still a valued member of the Tenno despite his unique personality and is one of the main reasons why Cetus has not fallen to the Grineer or the Eidolons."

Chroma cocks his head back to glare at Trinity, a motion he realizes was pointless seeing how she couldn't see it, "Is something wrong with the Tower?"

Trinity shakes her head, "Unum is powerful, no doubt about it, but even she would be tax to her limit if she had to deal with the Eidolons and the Grineer all by herself, especially with the methods Vay Hek is employing. And while the Ostrons harvest her for food, they have to venture into the plains to gather other sources of nourishment and trade and that's where Revenant watches over them."

"How can he watch over something when he can't even keep an eye on it for more than a second?", Chroma murmured as Trinity moves past him, "Starting to think we should have just recall Atlas back or even Gara; that way I would have at least had the ship to myself", as he watches her walk away. But he soon finds his attention being drawn to Revenant, who was waiting at the top of the stairs, and the odd weaponry he was carrying, especially the long-handle Nikana he had strapped to his back.

"Ordis, give me a status check on Revenant", Chroma commands.

"Yes, Operator Chroma. Bringing up Operator Revenant's weapons loadout now", the A.I. reply.

Operator  Revenant's  Status Check:

Shields: Green

Vital Signs: Green

Armor: Green

Energy: Fully Charged

Energy Siphon Mod Install

Operator  Revenant's  Weapons Check:

Phantasma Status: Green

Battacor Status: Green

Tatsu  Status: Green

"Ordis, I have never seen these weapons come up before in the armory inventory", Chroma states after a moment, remembering back to all the times he had bridge watch and had to go complete the routine weapons check on all the weapons stored in the armory, "Why is that? Even weapons that are currently being used on sorties are still logged."

"The reason for that, Operator Chroma, is because Operator Revenant's weapons are permanently logged out of the armory by the Lotus herself due to Operator Revenant permanent active mission status", he explains.

Chroma reads through the information on all of the Sentient Tenno's weapons, stopping when he got to the Battacor, "It's a Corpus weapon with Sentient technology within it?"

"Correct, according to the reports, Operator Revenant retrieve the weapon from a Corpus' scout team around a year ago", Ordis states.

"And his other weapons give off high amounts of radiation, ideal for taking on Grineer forces", Chroma thought before his thoughts are shattered by a comm message appearing on his HUD.

"Chroma, you need to get up here", it read.

"I'll be right there", he sends back as he made his way up. Upon reaching the edge of the market where he last saw Trinity and Revenant, he was greeted by a most peculiar sight.

The Ostrons were coming up to him, dropping to their knees right in front of him. Some touch his suit, others bowed their heads to him, while others simply look upward to the sky. No matter what action they took their facial expressions were all the same…

Weeping and wailing.

"Please mighty angel of war!"

"Save us from this calamity!"

"Rid us of the disease invaders!"

"Free the plains!"

All this and more were shouted at him as he had to gently push his way through the crowd to where the others were waiting along with a man that Chroma only knew from the earlier Cetus debrief as Konzu, the chieftain of the Ostrons.

"Hail, Udirdagch", he says as he crosses his arms across his chest and bows to Konzu, causing both the Ostron and Trinity to stare at the Dragon Tenno while Revenant looks off toward the ocean.

"Udirdagch?", Trinity voices.

"It means chieftain in my people's language", Chroma explains.

"And the bowing, offworlder?", Konzu questions.

"It's how one greets a chief from a different tribe", Chroma finish as he turns to look at the gather Ostrons who were still pleading and crying but for now kept their distance from the group, "What ails your tribe, elder one?"

"A shadow!", Konzu answers with fury, "A shadow that fell from the heavens and has spread its filth across the plains and confides my people within the very walls that were meant to protect them! While divine Unum feeds us with her own body, we can not survive on her bounty alone! And Vay Hek slimy hide is using our misfortune for his own gain!"

"Please elaborate, Konzu", Trinity says but Revenant steps in before Konzu could talk.

"We must go out onto the plains", he repeated, "Only then will you see the true extent of the sickness."

"Sickness?", both Chroma and Trinity say.

"Offworlder Revenant is right. Go, Tenno, see it what plagues my people with your own eyes. The root of it is located not far from the mountains to the north", Konzu explains, "I will send word ahead to open the gate for you but I must stay here and ease the worries of my people. Go now, for the night will be here soon enough and you already have much to deal with without having giants breathing down your neck!"

Trinity nods and heads through the market, follow by Revenant and Chroma while Konzu turns to the rest of the Ostrons.

"Put aside your fears my fellow Ostrons! The offworlders will cleanse the plains of this new enemy and restore our way of life! Please, I beg of you to endure just a little longer!"

As the three Tenno made their way through the mostly empty market, Chroma spotted some Corpus merchants who have set up a stand near the center. The Dragon Tenno could feel their eyes go cold as soon as they spotted him.

"The Dragon of Themisto", he heard one of them spat, no doubt referring to the carnage he left in his wake back on Jupiter during the mission where he and Excalibur freed Valkyr.

"The Defiler of Derim Zahn", the other hisses as he eyes the Ferrox strap to Chroma's back.

Chroma could feel his blood rising at the mention of the word "defiler" but he remembers that violence was strictly prohibited within the Ostron camp and Lotus stated that any Tenno that broke this law without the grounds of self-defense or the defense of the Ostron would be punished dearly. Apparently, from what the debrief said, certain resources could only be found in Cetus and the Ostron had a monopoly on it, so it was best not to antagonize them.

This and only this was the reason why the Corpus who insulted him was allowed to keep breathing as Chroma made his way by them but not before whispering just loud enough for him to hear...

"All bets are off out among the stars, prey."

Moments later, he caught up to Trinity and Revenant who were waiting for him next to the large gateway that led to the plains, the Healer Tenno with her arms crossed as Chroma came up to them.

"I know that you and Excalibur have quite a reputation among the Corpus due to past missions", Trinity says, her annoyance clearly heard in her voice, "But time is a factor and it would benefit everyone if you could put aside your animosity toward them until after we are done here."

The Ostrons who were nearby actually found themselves quickly vacating the area as a storm of lightning arc off of Chroma in such great quantity that one would think that he activated his Elemental Ward.

"Who are you to give me such orders?," he growls as he found himself towering over Trinity, glaring down at her but the former doctor of the Orokin gave no ground.

"As I am the only reason you're not wallowing in your own loneliness back on the Orbiter, I have command over you during this mission and I can pull you out of your combat readiness status whenever I wish", she replied, holding up her hand afterward to stop any retort from Chroma, "I also radio the Lotus during our transit here and she felt that I was best suited for leading this mission."

Chroma whole body started to shake with barely controlled rage, for he was approaching his limit of being left out of the loop.

"Remember Chroma, you were given the opportunity to take up the mantle of second-in-command and you refuse it. If you had just accepted the responsibilities, we wouldn't be having this conversation and you would be in charge right now", Trinity pointed out, "This is no one's fault but your own."

The giant doors began to open up behind Trinity and without skipping a beat, Chroma pushes past her in the long corridor, no longer willing to tolerate her presence while he was in his current state of mind. He wasn't even partway through the door-frame when a transmission came through from Trinity.

"The Lotus asks me to pass along a message to you before we landed", she started, "One I think you'll be happy to hear."

Chroma stops in his track but doesn't look back at the Healer Tenno, "What prevents her from telling me herself?"

"Honestly, I couldn't tell you. I thought I heard swords clashing in the background but that's about it", Trinity replied, "Anyway, she said that if you cooperate on this mission and help us rid the plains of this new threat, she will allow you some downtime from missions to go and gather information on the Stalker."

Now, this caught Chroma's full attention as he turns around to face Trinity, who was walking up to him alongside Revenant.

"Say again?"

"Let me clarify; she will allow you to gather information on the Stalker, not hunt him", Trinity states but before she could go any further she stops for an eerie feeling of dread began to travel down her spine.

Chroma picks up on this as he too felt a sense of familiar discomfort and looks behind Trinity toward the doors which were still open, "Aren't those doors suppose to close behind us?".

"They are", Trinity says as a new sound enters the picture from the other end of the corridors, "And those aren't supposed to open until they do!"

Two towering doors spread apart from one another, giving Chroma his first real glimpse at the Plains of Eidolon. The rolling fields, a crystal clear lake, and the tall trees were among the first things he saw but then he noticed movement in the distance. Something was headed straight for the open gate and at an alarming speed. So massive was the horde that for a moment it looked as if though the plains themselves were moving toward them.

"They are coming", Revenant suddenly spoke up as Chroma turns to witness him bringing his Battacor to bear, "The reach of the sickness has spread all the way to the gates themselves. Tis the hour that we must do the work that we were made for."

"Operator Chroma, Operator Revenant, Operator Trinity", Ordis voices crackled over the comms, "Multiple life signs are inbound to your position. Suggest readying for combat."

"Close the gates! Close the gates!", Trinity screams toward the Ostrons that were nearby as her warframe sensors pick up small tremors erupting all around her, "Hurry before it's too late!"

"It's already too late", Chroma informs her as he takes his Daikyu off his back and readies an arrow he drew from his warframe's interior quiver, "Hope you are as good with a weapon as you are with healing. For the Infested show mercy to no one."

The first wave of the ancient Orokin creation flooded into the open corridor, their numbers so vast that they instantly filled the entranceway.

Chroma lets loose his first arrow, not really bothering to take aim as he fires squarely into the swarming mass. He sees three Chargers instantly fly backward for a moment, skewer by his single arrow before they vanish within the rolling tide of infestation.

Two streams of gunfire go off on his right and he quickly glances over to see Trinity unloading into the mob with her Twin Vipers, the gun poor accuracy not affecting her hit ratios whatsoever as ever bullet struck mutated flesh. On his left, Revenant unleash the might of his Sentient rifle as every trigger pull release two rounds of magnetic damage into a surging tidal wave of living tissue.

Quickly realizes that his Daikyu was too slow for this type of action due to its charging phase and the flood was getting closer with every passing moment, Chroma quickly holsters it and draws out Tiamat's Wrath, readying it as he charges forward toward the incoming Infested letting out a bestial roar as the full might of his lightning surges through his body and strikes outward as he crashes into the advancing wall of claws and disease and got engulfed by it a heartbeat later.

A/N: Trinity ain't got time for your shit, Chroma.

Udirdagch is Mongolian for chieftain.

On the whole, Chroma accessing other Tenno weapons status and vital signs. Any Tenno can check the status on another Tenno whenever they feel like it unless the Tenno in question puts up a block. Excalibur (Field Commander) and Trinity (Head Medical) are the only Tenno that can override this block to check the overall status of another Tenno. Lotus can do what she wants.

Please Review, Fav, or Follow, if you want.

Also check out my Battletech story: Dragon of the Reach.

Chapter Text

[Lotus' Tenno Logs]

[Trinity.]

The Healer Tenno

This is Trinity, the healer, the equalizer.

She  is a must for any high-stakes mission. She'll save your life.

She is the oldest of the female tenno and can describe as many things: lifesaver, angel, and vampire, but for herself, she only accepts a single title from the depths of her mind and heart.

Healer for she was a student of the highest acclaim medical school in the Orokin Empire. She was the best of the best and the one who discovered the method of curing the infestation from an individual's body. Back then she dreamt of permanently curing the technocyte virus that ravaged the entire system, but sadly her dream was shattered.

From what she can recall, she was assigned to the Zariman Ten-0 as the ship's head doctor to ensure all of the occupants for the Emperor's Grand Parade were in good health and didn't have any contiguous diseases.

When the incident happened it cause her previous identity to be completely wiped out from the record along with her discoveries, her notes, and her achievements.

(Ordis had to go through millions of ancient deleted files just to find mere fragments of her research.)

Years past since her transformation and yet she still wonder why everything was fated to die yet the Orokin Royalty and Nobility still live.

When she awoke after a millennium of sleep she took up coat of the healer once more, this time alongside her fellow operators as the Head Medical Specialist onboard the Orbiter. She has never ceased in her search for extending life, continuing her research from centuries ago whenever she has downtime from missions. She doubled her efforts upon meeting Inaros, The Desert Tenno, who had managed to do what suppose to be impossible, becoming near immortal without the aid of kuva for he was one of the few Tenno to not go into cryosleep after the palace assault.

In her mind, the Origin system has changed and with it comes new questions and new answers, ones she hope will finally help her reach her dream.

[Additional notes]

Those who tend to look down on her due to her profession usually don't live long enough to regret it. Her list of combat accomplishments includes:

Having the eleventh highest body count among the Tenno beating out even Mesa.

The tenth highest number of headshot kills with a sniper rifle.

Once fought both Khora and Garuda (at the same time) to a draw. (Training simulation)

Defeated Valkyr in a one-on-one duel. (Not a training simulation)

(Valkyr refuse to show up to her weekly psyche evaluation and Trinity had to get physical after Valkyr told her to, and I quote, "Fuck off, you bitch" after the Healer Tenno tried asking her nicely to come.  What happened next could only be described as a duel between two experience warriors which soon devolved into a one-sided beatdown as Trinity demonstrated her immense knowledge of the human body and where one needed to strike to inflict the most possible damage.  The Berserker Tenno had to be carried to the medical bay afterward spending two full weeks there while the Orbiter had to pull into a nearby Relay to fix the damage. An impressive feat seeing how only Excabilur and Chroma have beaten Valkyr before and it took both of them to do it.)

Trinity is a support-based operator. Her abilities favour restoration and preservation over destruction. Draining powers turn her enemies into conduits of life and energy, while defensive powers redirect and dissipate attacks upon herself and her team

Chapter Text

Excalibur' Log: Stalker's Incidents.

While the Lotus and I continued to find out any information pertaining to these new Prime warframes along with the assassin, Stalker, it should be noted that this doesn't mean that our newest foe has put a hold on his operations. Lately in the past month that Lotus and I have been away from the Orbiter, Ordis have been sending us constant updates on his activities such as:

Log №1: (Three days after the failed assault on Vor's headquarters)

Stalker attacked Inaros on his way from his solo mission at Grineer's base at the Everest (where Tenno recovered several artifacts of the Orokin Era). After a long gunfight (4 min 21 sec) Inaros emerged victorious though only slightly, breaking Stalker's neuroptics with his Zenith.

Log №2: (This log takes place three days later after the first encounter)

This time Stalker tried to ambush both Inaros and Nova while on their mission to Ceres. They were there to search for Ayatan sculptures and capture the Grineer officer in charge of the bast for interrogation. Stalker ambushed them when they split up (Nova walked into the vault to search for sculptures after completing the secondary objective while Inaros guarded its entrance). He quickly closed the distance and destroyed the assault rifle with a strike from his sword... and then Inaros put in motion the "Arca Titron" thunder hammer he just got created at the foundry a day before. In the following duel Stalker prove to be the better combatant in close quarters combat, however, inflicting multiple wounds to the Desert Tenno, despite having his own left leg and several of his ribs broken by the hammer. It was only through the intervention of Nova, who overheard the commotion and return that the Stalker withdrew. It took two days in the medical ward for Inaros to heal from injuries received in the fight, even while using his  sarcophagus.

Log №3: (Takes place one week after the second encounter)

During the sabotage mission on the Grineer space station, which moved around the Earth, Stalker ambushed team consisting from Inaros, Garuda, and Vauban, choosing the moment when they were divided by the lockdown to attack. He crippled the engineer, nearly killing him and blaming him for the bombing which took many lives of Dax soldiers who protected the Imperial Palace all those millennia ago. Fortunately, Inaros and Garuda were able to save their comrade. ( My hacking skills saved Vauban - Ordis .) After a short gunfight Stalker was injured and decided to retreat, promising to return once more. The mission had to be abandoned: its success depended from Vauban's skills and he wasn't in the proper condition to do his task.

After carefully examining these three incidents, I have concluded that the Stalker has mark Inaros as one of his main targets, for reasons that are unknown to me at the moment. I have also concluded that the Stalker must have an advanced healing factor not quite as different Inaros or other Tenno for him to continued to assault our operatives in such a short amount of time, even after incurring devastating injuries. Finally, I have also theorized that he isn't so much as attacking us but probing us for weakness. It's the only explanation to why he is attacking us even when he is outnumbered.

Chapter Text

Nezha's Diary: Hildryn

She moves with all the grace of a breathtaking avalanche. Her voice serenades with all the harmony of an archwing's engines. She towers over all so that everyone may be able to see her spectacular beauty no matter where they are. In battle, she embraces her allies with the soothing aura of her shields while laying waste to her enemies in a dazzling display of death and destruction

She is the Shield Tenno, the Valkyrie Tenno. She is Hildryn and I have the privilege of having her visit my dreams during my sleep cycle.

Ever since I first met her onboard the Orbiter, I have watched her from afar, taking in her radiance personality and her heavenly body. Her exquisite leg and arm muscles flex with every movement she makes. Her elegant deepening voice immediately captures everyone in the room attention. Her spectacular abdominal abs are like an alluring iron wall that I have witnessed take a solid blow from a Bailiff's Jat Kittag and she didn't even flinch. Back when I was the son of an Orokin Duke, I was waited on hand and foot by beautiful maids and I easily won the hearts of countless noblewomen. But with Hildryn, I have never seen such a glamorous woman and I know in my heart I never will again.

I was once fortunate enough to catch the back of her head as she was placing her helmet on and I have never once beheld such perfect blonder hair! It was if the gods themselves took pure sunlight and bestow it upon her head. Oh, if only I had been a moment faster I might have glimpsed the sheer beauty of her flawless face!

I had to make a secret request to the Lotus to stop sending me out on missions with her for I found myself too distracted by her glorious presence to focus on the objective and my surroundings and I took a sniper's bullet to the leg because of that. When she carried me back to the extraction point over her shoulder, I felt as if I had died and ascended to the heavens.

Alas, for all my worship of her, I find myself unworthy of her attention, beneath her in all aspects. She embodies power and strength, I am the persona of agility and skill. I will try to find a way around a problem, she'll charge it head-on with all the artistic beauty of a charging Rhino (no pun intended). My heart aches with the fact that the two of us may never be together for she sees me as a comrade and nothing more.

But, it seems the gods deem me worthy enough to have a chance at her heart for I have heard through the rumor mill that she hails from the same region of Earth as the Dragon Tenno and that their individual tribes interacted numerous times. One might even say that they were acquaintances with one another to a degree. While Chroma and I have had our….differences in the past, I feel he is my only hope in capturing the attention of my love so I must be prepared to set my personal feelings aside with the dragon and ask for his assistance.

Ah, the things one must do for love.

May the stars shine down upon me and grant me luck in my quest to win the heart my hulking angel of the battlefield.

Chapter Text

Lotus' Profile:

(Atlas)

The Earth Tenno, The Rock Tenno, The Mountain Tenno, The Stone Tenno.

Unofficially: The Dad Tenno.

Titan of stone, lord of the earthly elementals.

Born into the lower caste of the Orokin Empire, his life was filled with hardships and troubles from the start. From his humble beginnings as a lowly worker slaving away alongside the Grineer on Europa to rising up and becoming the head foreman for designing the Emperor's new palace at the capital, Atlas has always been laying the groundwork. It was in between this time that he married his childhood friend and brought two children into the stars.

He was onboard the Zarmian Ten Zero to oversee the materials in the ship's cargo bay that would be used to construct the platform from where the Emperor's would oversee his Grand Parade, but like the others, he knew nothing about the ship's secret orders to experiment with void-jumps.

When the ship was discovered a couple of years later, the man who would become Atlas was found in the cargo bay, encased in a hardened dome of dirt that took rescue crews six hours to breakthrough.

Unfortunately, his return was not as jubilant as one would think for his family as they were executed soon afterward in the Empire excessive attempt to keep the Zarmian Ten Zero incident along with the Tenno a secret. I have been informed by Atlas himself that he only got to see his family for a few hours after his recovery before their untimely demise by Dax soldiers.

It was during his training that is was observed that Atlas had developed something of a sixth sense in sensing vibrations through the ground no matter how small, allowing him to sense when an enemy was approaching. Unfortunately, this does not work on metal surfaces.

He is one of the more muscled physique Tenno, his body only rivaled by Hildryn and Rhino. While not quite on the same level of strength as those two, he is nonetheless easily capable of lifting a Bailiff off the ground with one hand, dual-wields two Gorgon Wraiths with no trouble whatsoever, and is even an accomplished hand-to-hand combatant, using his own signature fist weapons, the Tekko.

While in combat his prefer tactic is to weather his enemies' assault and then charge forth with all of his might whenever he senses a break in their attack. This is only achievable due to his rock hard skin which has taken rockets with little to no trouble at all. As far as combat records show, Atlas has never been knockdown while his feet were planted.

Due to his physical form, however, Atlas is the slowest of the Tenno when it comes to sprint speed and is usually tasked with bringing up the rear guard during squad ops.

Now Reawakened From his deep slumber he is ready to hold the weight of the world once more on his shoulder.

Atlas is a humble giant, but woe to those who underestimate him.

The only Tenno to ever force the Grusrtrag Three to retreat while on a solo mission and this was only fifty-five seconds into their battle.

Is one of the older male Tenno and has become a sort of father figure for the younger ones, especially Nyx, who is arguably the youngest of them all.

He is the current champion of the Tenno Arm wrestling competition, which surprisingly had almost every Tenno, including Valykr and Chroma, participate in.

Known to have a friendly rivalry with Hildryn and Rhino, especially in the gym.

Is the only person who Inaros has no problem with sitting down and talking to for long periods of time as the Sand Tenno as a tendency to see everyone else beneath his attention.

Special Note:

Atlas has a tendency to let off unoriginal or unfunny jokes very often which have supposedly been told by middle-aged or older men since the early days of humanity. From what I have gathered, these are referred to as "Dad jokes". The rest of the Tenno, including Trinity, Excabliur, and myself to an extent, find them unamusing though I have been told that Konzu of Cetus greatly enjoys them.

This is Atlas, the brawler, the strong.

Moving mountains is no easy task, Tenno. Atlas endures.

Chapter Text

Ordis' Observation Log #1

Lotus has instructed Ordis to observe -spy- and record the Tenno in their interactions aboard the ship in order to determine their mental, physical, emotional, and in the cases such as Operator Harrow, their spiritual state. Though she has explicitly laid down some restrictions that I am to adhere to.

1. No observing in their private quarters.

2. Ordis is to cease recording and intervene if I detect a risk to an Operator's life or the Orbiter's safety.

3. This is completely confidential. No Tenno is to learn about this.

4. In case of discovery, Ordis to delete all recordings and wipe any memory of my involvement in them.

5. Ordis is to provide notes within the logs to explain circumstances that otherwise couldn't be seen nor explain.

Beginning of Observation Log #1

Subjects Involve:

Operator Chroma (Still on medical lockdown):

Aka The Dragon Tenno

Operator Ember:

Aka The Fire Tenno. The Hell Tenno. The Inferno Tenno. The Pyro Tenno. The Flame Tenno. The Burning Tenno.

Operator Mesa (briefly):

The Gunslinger Tenno. The Marksman Tenno.

Location:

Bridge

Background Summary:

Operator Chroma is on Bridge watch while Operator Ember had just returned from her previous sortie and is getting a brief down period of five hours to rest before moving on to her next one.

The ramp to the bridge slid downward indicating to Chroma that someone was entering the compartment. The sound of light footsteps could be heard along with the sound of the Grineer radio traffic that the Orbiter was intercepting. Glancing at his HUD it indicates that the temperature in the room was starting to rise rapidly.

"I thought the Lotus instructed you to keep your powers under control whenever you were outside your personal quarters onboard the ship", Chroma says as he casts a look over his shoulder at the Fire Tenno strolling toward him in a seductive way that causes him to stare at her a little longer than he intended, "Vauban has already got enough equipment to fix without you adding to it."

"Oh, really?", Ember laughs as she let out a deep breath and Chroma's HUD shows the room temperature dropping, "Must had slip my mind."

"Why are you up here?", Chroma asks before returning his attention to the screens, "The ship's log indicates that you dock in the hangar bay five minutes ago and you walked directly passed your personal quarters on the way up here."

Ember gives a shrug and observes the monitors around the room, "I have a little downtime before my next sortie and I came to change my weapons out. Plus, I wanted to see how you were doing; how's your lockdown going?"

"It's going", Chroma answers quickly, "That's all you need to know."

"Aw, you don't want to go into more detail?", Ember teases as she moves directly behind the Dragon Tenno, stopping just a couple of feet from his back.

"Perhaps instead of pestering me while I'm on watch you can better spend your downtime training to keep your powers under control like me", Chroma growls as he punches in a sequence on the bridge monitor.

"It's far easier for weaklings like you to keep their powers under control than it is for us stronger Tenno", Ember replies.

Ordis' Notes #1:

At this point, my scanners pick up Operator Chroma's body heat slowly rising along with a steady increase in his heart rate. Sensors also pick up a surge of electric coursing through his body. Going off past observations, this is a clear sign that -he was about to fucking snap- his patience was beginning to wear thin.

Chroma halts all activity, his fingers hovering over the holographic keyboard. Without a word, he rises up from his cross-legged position and turns to truly face the Fire Tenno for the first time since she entered the bridge. Even though he towered over her Ember didn't look the least bit intimidated.

"You mind repeating that?", he growls as electrical surges dance off of his body.

"You heard me just fine", Ember answers as she pokes a finger into Chroma's chest.

Ordis' Notes #2:

Ordis did the calculations and theorize that if Operator Chroma and Operator Ember were to have a physical confrontation right there in the bridge, despite the Lotus forbidding such a thing, the odds of whoever would emerge victorious are stated as such:

Operator Chroma: 50.01%

Operator Ember: 49.99%

This is taking into account that Operator Chroma was using his electrical element and being fully rested while Operator Ember was just coming back off of a sortie and was more than likely experiencing minor fatigue despite her outer appearance. Furthermore, even with Operator Ember being the more agile of the two such advantage wouldn't matter in such a closed compartment especially against Operator Chroma higher durability.

On another note, the damage done to the bridge would be nearly insurmountable to fix on our own and would require the Orbiter to pull into a nearby relay in order to have access to the proper facilities in which to repair it.

"Did you know that your warframe was made from parts of mine as well as Volt, Frost, and Saryn?", Ember question Chroma, ignoring the tension in the air.

Ordis' Notes #3:

After a quick search through the ancient Orokin files, Ordis finds out that Operator Ember is indeed correct in her statement about Operator Chroma's warframe. How she came across this knowledge though is unknown at the moment seeing how neither her not the mentioned Operators have no record of accessing these specific files seeing how Ordis himself just acquired these files only a week ago while scanning through an Orokin Lab that Operator Nidus and Operator Ivara came across.

As a reminder , those other Operators that she mentions along with herself regularly form a squad that routinely completes sorties together.

Chroma taking a menacing step toward Ember was his only response to her statement and the Burning Tenno actually had the common sense to back away a little.

"Hey now, take it easy there", she chuckles as both of her hands become engulfed in flames, "You don't want me to scorch your suit now, do you? And that saying nothing about all the equipment in here."

"Why are you doing this?", Chroma seethes, "Far as I can tell I have never once insulted your honor and usually kept my distance from you."

Ordis' Notes #4:

Operator Chroma is correct in his statement. Through all pasted recordings and mission logs, Operator Chroma has never interacted with Operator Ember in a negative fashion. Taking this to a further extent, Operator Chroma and Operator Ember have never interacted directly outside shift rotation on the bridge or being next to one another during intelligence briefs. Ordis is at a loss on what could have brought out Operator Ember sudden hostilities.

Ember chuckles darkly, "You really don't know? You don't remember what happened in the Orokin's labs?"

Chrome's silence was her answer.

"Well, allow me to enlighten you", she says as she takes a threatening step toward him only for a voice to come through the bridge channel.

"Orbiter, this is Mesa. Come in, Orbiter", the Gunslinger Tenno's face appears on a screen directly behind Chroma causing Ember to stop in her tracks, hands still burning with red flames while Chroma was frozen in his place just as he was about to unleash his Spectral Roar, the lightning still dancing within the confines of his mouth.

For what seems like hours, the two Tenno had their standoff; watching and waiting to see who would make the first move all the while Mesa was still trying to call in.

"Orbiter, come in. I need to make my report. Who in tarnation is on the bridge?", she shouts out, "Hey, I know you're there! Sensors are telling me that the bridge is not on auto-pilot!"

After another tense moment, Ember retracts the fire from her hand and Chroma dispels the lightning in his mouth before turning his body sideways to the console and pressing down on a button, his eyes never leaving Ember.

"This is the bridge. State your report", he calmly says.

"Oh, sweet dust storms on the horizon! I wasn't expecting you, suga!", Mesa says in a surprised yet flattering tone.

Ordis' Notes #5:

Ordis would like the record to show that in nearly all of Operator Mesa's encounters with the other Tenno and even the Lotus herself, she has always used the word "Suga" in her exchanges with them, though she was always using it in a neutral or negative tone. This is the first time Ordis has ever witness her using it in a positive tone. Ordis would also like to mention that he was about to intervene when Operator Mesa's voice came through.

"I'm still on medical lockdown and Trinity is busy in her lab at the moment. I decided to manned the bridge to pass the time", Chroma answers.

Ordis' Notes #6

Ordis' scanners indicate that Operator Ember's heart rate increased upon hearing that Operator Trinity was in the medical lab. Ordis concludes that since Operator Ember was brutally defeated by Operator Valkyr during a practice spar and Operator Trinity then easily handle Operator Valkyr not long afterward and that she most likely wouldn't appreciate the two Tenno fighting on the bridge, Operator Ember had every right to be worried.

"Oh, okay. Sooo….how have you been, suga?", Mesa asks in an overly high pitch voice.

Ordis' Notes #7

Remote scanners within Operator Mesa's warframe indicate that her heartbeat and body temperature were rising at this precise moment.

"Don't you have a report to make?", Chroma asks her while still watching Ember. Luckily, he activated the audio-only line so Mesa couldn't see the tense situation inside the bridge.

"Oh, right. I have to do that", she grumbles.

Ordis' Notes #8:

Operator Mesa's report is considered the low point of this observation log and thus will be skipped. The most important detail to come out of her report was the fact that the Grineer were sending an extra battalion to reinforce their position on Mars in their ongoing conflict with the Corpus corporation that is currently fighting them over the planet's resources.

Ordis would also like to clarify that Operator Mesa's heartbeat and body temperature started to return to normal during her reporting.

"And that's all I have to report, suga", Mesa finishes.

"I see", Chroma answers, "I'll relay this to Excalibur and the Lotus. Your next sortie is with Gara and Mirage at Saturn. Extermination mission; two Grineer companies."

Mesa lets out a grumble, "Fine, at least I can get a nap in on my way there. Mesa, signing off", she sighs.

"Jessie", Chroma calls out.

...

"Y-Yeah, suga?", she stutters out after taking a moment to catch herself seeing how Chroma just called her by her real name.

"Be careful on Saturn. Even if you have Gara and Mirage with you, watch your back out there", Chroma tells her.

A moment of silence passes by.

"Hahahahahahahahahahaha!", Mesa nervously laughs, "I'll do that, suga! Take care of yourself, suga! Gotta go, suga!", and with that Mesa cuts the comm line to the bridge once more leaving Chroma and Ember alone.

Ordis' Notes #9:

Operator Mesa's heart rate was among the highest that has ever been recorded for her when she logged off. Ordis, fearing for her health, contacted her not long afterward. Oddly enough, when contact was made, Operator Mesa was repetitively banging her head on the wall of her landing craft while repeatedly saying the words "Idiot, idiot, idiot". Whether this was directed at herself, Operator Chroma, or some third party, Ordis does not know.

Chroma turns to fully face Ember once more as electrical currents spark off of him, "Do you care to continue this little game of yours?"

Ember hesitates for a moment but after a while turns her back to the Dragon Tenno, completely surprising him, "I came to swap out my weapons for my next sortie", she says over her shoulder, "But don't worry, you and I will continue this "discussion" at a later date. Might even bring along a few friends along when I do."

Chroma watches the Fire Tenno then sauntered out of the bridge, her hips swaying with every movement. Once more, the Dragon Tenno found himself watching this longer than he intended too, but as soon as the bridge entrance closed up he shook his head and went back to his post, watching the monitors and listen to intercepted Grineer and Corpus messages while pushing this entire incident to the back of his mind. Besides, he had more important things to worry about.

"Where are you hiding?", he whispers to himself as he watches the screens, "Where are you, Stalker?"

Summary of Observation

1 . Hostilities have been openly established between Operator Chroma and Operator Ember. While this is not the first time such things have occurred between Tenno, the fact that it almost happened in a critical location of the Orbiter certainly elevates this one in particular to one of the more dangerous confrontations. Furthermore, it's unknown if such hostilities toward Operator Chroma are also shared by Operator Frost, Operator Volt, and Operator Saryn.

2. It would seem that Operator Ember has come across information on her own regarding the Tenno and their warframes. Why she has elected to not share this information is beyond Ordis' comprehension.

3. It would seem that Chroma is gathering intelligence on his own in regard to "The Stalker" despite the fact that the Lotus has not authorized him to do so.

4. Operator Chroma will most likely not be reporting his incident with Operator Ember anytime soon.

5. It seems that the relationship between Operator Chroma and Operator Mesa has improved despite their lack of interaction ever since Operator Chroma was placed on medical lock-down. Ordis does not know what to make of this.

End of Observation Log #1

Lotus watches the video over and over again on her private channel within the confines of her personal landing craft while en route to the Jupiter Relay to gain information alongside Excalibur.

After the umpteenth time watching it, she pauses the video and lets out a breath.

"Ordis", she calls out.

"Yes, Lotus?"

"I want a close eye kept on Ember as well as Frost, Volt, and Saryn. Seeing how parts from their warframes also make up Chroma's suit, they may share the same feeling of hostility as well toward him. Also, go through all their past missions, solo or otherwise, and see if you can find out where they discovered this information", she orders, "This information is fairly new even to us but it looks like Ember has known about this for a while."

"Yes, Lotus. Anything else?"

"Yes, while I want you to continue the observation of all the Tenno, I want you to make Chroma a high priority in any of his interactions with the others. Especially when he is on the bridge. He can keep doing his own little information gathering on the Stalker without us interfering as long as it doesn't clash with his duties, but I want to know everything he knows, it that understood?"

"As you wish, Lotus."

"One more thing. I especially want you to record any encounters between Chroma and Mesa. I dare say, despite the rocky beginning between those two, they're starting to entertain me with their interactions", she orders as the faintest hint of a smile appears on her lips.

Chapter Text

Ordis' Observation Log #2

Subjects Involve:

Operator Chroma (Still on medical lockdown):

The Dragon Tenno

Operator Nezha:

The Ring Tenno. The Fiery Ring Tenno.

Operator Mesa:

The Gunslinger Tenno. The Marksman Tenno.

Operator Hildryn:

The Valkyrie Tenno. The Amazonian Tenno. The Shield Tenno. The Battle Tenno.

Operator Trinity (Briefly):

The Healing/Healer Tenno. The Vampire Tenno

Location:

Meditation Room

Background Summary:

Operator Chroma is mediating after a session with Operator Trinity while Operator Nezha recently made a stop at the Orbiter while on route to his next mission. Operator Hildryn and Operator Mesa are also onboard seeing how the two of them just returned from a joint Extermination Mission and were retrofitting their Landing Craft with their respective Archwings for their next separate missions which were in a couple of hours.

(This takes place one week after the incident with Operator Ember)

Beginning of Observation Log #2

It was in a room at the far end of the Orbiter's main hallway that was used by Tenno to calmly and quietly dwell in their thoughts without being interrupted. Almost completely soundproof from the outside and having a window that helps one look out into the vastness of space, this was the meditation room.

It was in this room that Chroma was currently floating off the ground while in his cross-legged position as he looked out into the empty abyss.

But he was anything but calm.

"You have been standing there for five minutes now! State your business and leave me in peace, eyeldeg khuu!", he growls, his animosity directed at Nezha who was still in the doorway to the room.

Ordis' Note #1

After cross-referencing multiple language databases, I have discovered that "Eyeldeg Khuu" is a word from Operator Chroma's former tribe that basically means "Effeminate Boy".

Also, Operator Nezha was only standing in the doorway for four minutes and fifty-two seconds at this point but that's neither here nor there.

Nezha flinches slightly back at the harshness from Chroma's tone but nonetheless stands his ground, "I have a favor to ask you."

Chroma exhales in annoyance and a small stream of ice blows out of his helmet, "What is it that you would ask of me?"

Nezha takes a deep breath and slowly lets it out before speaking, "I want you to help me win the affection of Hildryn."

"What does that mean?", Chroma asks, "You want me to help you gain a victory over her or something? Despite your physical appearance, you're just as capable as anyone else in defeating her in a spar."

Nezha shakes his head, "By the void", he murmurs under his breath, "What was the phrase that your people used to use?", he says to himself before snapping upon remembering it, "I want to take her as my woman."

Ordis' Note #2

Five minutes and thirty-two seconds passed between Operator Chroma and Operator Nezha in total silence after Operator Nezha's request. Scanners picked up brainwave activity from Operator Chroma along with his vitals that indicated that he was in a minor state of shock. This is further enforced by the sporadic head movement that Operator Chroma was displaying, almost as if he was trying to make sense of what he just heard.

Chroma stood up after what seemed like an eternity and turn to face the fidgeting Nezha.

"This sounds like a what my people would have called a trap, no offense", the Dragon Tenno says, "Is this your idea of a jest?"

Ordis' Note #3

Going through thousands of recordings, Ordis has discovered that Operator Nezha has unwillingly gained the unofficial title of the "Trap Tenno" by some of the other Tenno, the main culprits being Operator Loki, Operator Wukong, Operator Ivara, and surprisingly Operator Ash or better known as the "Unnoticeables" squad. What they mean by this Ordis is still researching.

"I think the word you're looking for is trick", Nezha corrects him before moving on, though he was slightly ticked off by the faint insult, "But stars above, no! I truly want to win the heart of the fair maiden, Hildyrn!", Nezha says as he moves toward Chroma.

"Why?", Chroma says as he tilts his head down at The Fiery Ring Tenno, "Why in the great blue roaring sky of Earth would you want to be with her of all creatures?"

"Because she is the radiating maiden of the Origin System; who in their right mind wouldn't want to be with her?!", Nezha shouts as he stretches one hand upward while the other is placed in the middle of his chest. A shining light emits from around him and Chroma had to shield his eyes for it even overpower his warframe's visor.

Ordis' Note #4

As of now, Ordis has no idea where the light from Operator Nezha originated from. There have been no records indicating that he had such an ability beforehand but it seems to not consume his energy pool so Ordis is having a hard time pinpointing its source.

"Fine then, whatever", Chroma says as the blinding light died down and he was able to see properly again, "But what exactly do you require from me?"

Instantly, Nezha went from bursting with confidence to a shivering flower as he looked away from Chroma and tap his index fingers together in a nervous manner. He then slowly paced himself to the other side of the room and was staring at the window into the vastness of space.

Ordis' Note #5

Ordis is starting to see why Operator Nezha has been repeatedly mistaken for the opposite gender. Combine his mannerisms, slender form, and less than masculine voice and Ordis is starting to see why people have come to that reasoning. Perhaps this is how he gain the alias "Trap Tenno".

"I-I need to know more about her before I can try anything", he stammers out, "And I hear that you knew her even before the Zariman-Ten-Zero."

"Define "knew", if you will", was Chroma's response to this statement, "Because I starting to believe that you and I have two different meanings of that word."

Before Nezha could say anything the door to the mediation room opens up and both the Dragon and Fiery Ring Tenno turn to see the Shield Tenno standing there in the doorway, her imposing bulk making her as almost as wide as the passageway.

"Well if it isn't the Gichii chötgör herself," Chroma sprouts off at Hildryn.

Ordis' Note #6

"Gichii chötgör"  means "Bitch Devil" in Operator Chroma's tribal language which is considered a slight variation of ancient Mongolian that Ordis just discovered three seconds before this event.

"Ah, I figure I would find you here slithering about, Tíkan eðla", was the tallest female Tenno's reply back, "Are you still stuck on the ship?"

Ordis' Note #7

Tíkan eðla  means "Bitch Lizard" in Operator Hildryn's native tongue which is a slight variation of ancient Icelandic.

"Indeed I am, but the upside is that I don't have to see your behemoth, grotesque figure as often as I used to", Chroma retorts.

Hildryn slams her a fist into her open palm before slowing advancing on Chroma, "Perhaps I ought of remind you who exactly gave you that scar across your stomach during that skirmish in the Hagor's Pass."

Chroma merely snorts in amusement, standing his ground as the behemoth Valkyrie got ever closer, "Maybe I ought to jog your memory on who gave you that slash across your back during that failed raid your tribe launch on my tribe's foraging party."

Within moments, both Chroma and Hildryn were standing toe to toe with one another both of them showing barely restraint fury as they locked eyes. The tension in the air was thick and any little thing could set it off.

Ordis' Note #8

Calculating the projected outcome if a fight was to occur between Operator Chroma and Operator Hildryn:

Operator Chroma: 50.02% of winning

Operator Hildryn: 49.98% of winning

Fortunately, the mediation room is far less valuable than the bridge so Ordis wasn't as worried as he was during last week's incident with Operator Ember; still, he would much prefer that dispute be settled outside of the Orbiter.

"Hiya, suga!", a voice pops up from behind Hildryn and before either of the towering figures could react, a flash of yellow appears on the side of them and both of them turn to see Mesa standing there waving a hand at Chroma, "How ya been?"

Ordis' Note #9

Ordis has examined the footage from the hallway outside of the mediation room and would like to add that Operator Mesa was outside the room the entire time, having accompanying Operator Hildryn there. What she was doing is unknown at the moment but audio recordings did pick up her saying the words "You can do this. You can do this. Think positive", repetitive.

Both Chroma and Hildryn take a moment to stare down at the Gunslinger Tenno who seemingly moved faster than Gauss in that particular moment. Chroma was the first to recover and address her.

"Jessie, what brings you here?", he asks and his warframe's audio receptors pick up something strange emitting from Mesa a heartbeat later.

Ordis' Note #10

Apparently Operator Mesa let out a high-pitch noise known as a squeal though it was a faint one.

Ignoring it for now, Chroma awaited Mesa's answer which never came due to a sudden outburst erupting from his other side and he turns his head in time to see a blur coming at him.

"By the will of the stars, the fair maiden of the battlefield graces me with her presence!", Nezha spurts out as he somehow manages to knock Chroma out of the way so that he was now directly in front of Hildryn, sending the Dragon Tenno flying into Mesa and across the room.

Ordis' Note #11

Operator Chroma's natural mass combined with his warframe is over double that of Operator Nezha. Where the smaller Tenno found the strength to achieve such a feat is beyond Ordis' comprehension.

Nezha kneels down in front of Hildryn, "My day has become a thousand times better now that I have been present in the same room with your magnificent figure!", he declares while reaching a hand upwards toward the Valkyrie Tenno and once more a light began to radiant from his body, "Truly this is a day I shalt not forget!"

Hildryn is as still as a statue as she looks down, barely breathing or saying a word as she only stares at Nezha.

Ordis' Note #12

Going off of Operator Hildryn's brainwave activity and vitals, she too was in the same state of shock that Operator Chroma experience prior to her arrival. Ordis will run an analysis on whether or not this is a newfound ability that Operator Nezha can perform.

Meanwhile…

"How that eyeldeg khuu manages to knock me aside I'll never know", Chroma states as from his position as he moves to get up only to stop and look downward, "Apologizes, Jessie, I had no control in the direction I was flung."

"Hahahahahahaha!", Mesa awkwardly laughs while trying to maintain her composure and keep her heart from beating out of her chest due to the sheer proximity Chroma was to her, "No problem, suga!"

"Then if you will excuse me", Chroma says as he rolls off of her, "I have a to deal with-", he began to say as he turns around to face Nezha and Hildryn only to stop in mid-sentence upon seeing the sight before him.

There was Hildryn, standing there motionless while Nezha was kneeling down and now holding her hand and spouting off more of his nonsense blabber.

"I can only imagine what your breathtaking face looks like underneath your helmet! Your eyes must shine like diamonds! Your skin must be as smooth as silk! And the full radiance of your hair, which I have only seen a glimpse of, undoubtedly puts the sun to shame!", he went on and on all the while the Shield Tenno could only look down at him in silence.

"What is going on here? What sorcery is this?", Chroma asks himself.

Ordis' Note #13

Ordis would like to point out that Operator Mesa at this particular moment has yet to move from her position despite Operator Chroma removing himself from atop of her more than ten seconds ago and her heartbeat has yet to stabilize.

After what seems like an eternity, Hildryn withdraws her hand from Nezha. She then slowly turn around and left the room all while not speaking a single word. As soon as the door slid shut, Nezha freak out.

"By the stars in the void; what have I done?!", he screams to the ceiling of the room.

"I think that you just prove to me that you don't need my assistance in "gaining the affection" of that beast", Chroma answers as he walks up to Nezha, "You seem to be doing just fine."

"No! I botch that up! Sweet void, that's the first time in a while she has ever been that close to me! I completely lose control of myself and gave into my raw emotions!", Nezha cried, "Oh, why didn't I just faint as I did on my mission with her?"

With speed that could rival Loki and Ash, Nezha left the room, leaving Chroma alone with his thoughts.

Ordis' Note #14

Operator Hildryn headed to the gym after leaving the meditation room and stayed there until it was time for her to leave on her mission, doing multiple reps at almost every station and with a large amount of weight at that. Operator Nezha headed to the music room set up by Operator Octavia and played the harp, though frantically until he too had to depart for his next mission.

"What has gotten into everyone?", Chroma says as he let out another puff of ice through his nostrils. After a moment he followed behind Hildryn and Nezha and left the mediation room, no longer in the mood to enjoy the quiet.

Ordis' Note #15

Ordis would like to point out that Operator Mesa was still lying on the floor when Operator Chroma left. Brainwaves activity signified that she was in a state of shock, but completely unlike the one's Operator Hildryn and Operator Chroma were in earlier. After five minutes of no significant movement from her, Ordis notified Operator Trinity who was in the Med-bay. She arrived on station within two minutes and evaluate Operator Mesa through the used of her warframe's special med-link which she connected into Operator Mesa's warframe. After her analysis, Operator Trinity was seen shaking her head while massaging her temples. Audio recordings pick up her saying the phrase, "This girl is head over heels for him." She then proceeded to carry Operator Mesa to the Med-bay where she rested until it was time for her to depart.

*Special Note

As a reminder, Operator Trinity's warframe Med-Link allows her to connect directly into another warframe via wire or wireless though the wire option doesn't require the Tenno's permission. It allows her to review the last fifteen minutes of audio and visual logs as well as their vitals that the warframe automatically records to help her successfully diagnosis the Tenno and make sure they get the right treatment.

Summary of Observation

1. Operator Nezha has approach Operator Chroma and has request his aid in gaining a more positive relationship with Operator Hildryn. Whether or not Operator Chroma has accepted this request is still up in the air.

2. Operator Chroma and Operator Hildryn seem to have a level of hostility toward each other that has something to do with their shared history; both on a personal level and a shared one between their former tribes.

3. Operator Nezha seems to lose all coherent thoughts whenever he is in close proximity to Operator Hildryn.

4. Operator Mesa seems to be, as Operator Trinity put it, "Head over heels" for Operator Chroma though Ordis does not know what this means.

End of Observation #2

"Ordis", Lotus says from the confines of her landing craft, "As soon as Vor's offensive is contained and things calm down around here, I want all of "Unnoticables" squad on guard duty for Trinity whenever she goes to collect samples from the Infected for research until I say so otherwise. I will not tolerate such behavior among the Tenno."

"Yes, Lotus", Ordis obeys.

"Also bring me up a diagram detailing the projected strengths and weaknesses of a team comprising of Chroma, Mesa, Nezha, and Hildryn", she orders.

"One moment, please", Ordis says and within two seconds, said diagram pops up on her screen.

"Hmmm", she says after going over it for a couple of minutes, "Chroma's hand-to-hand combat abilities complement Mesa's long-range capabilities though I already knew that. Also, Nezha's speed and agility go hand in hand with Hildryn's strength and shields. Add in Chroma, Mesa, and Hildryn's support abilities and I just might have a team that could rival "Nature's Wrath" squad.

"You mean the team comprising of Operator Ember, Operator Frost, Operator Volt, and Operator Saryn? But Lotus, they are one of our three strongest teams", Ordis states, "And there is also the "Unnoticeables" squad consisting of Operator Ivara, Operator Loki, Operator Ash, and Operator Wukong. Also, lest not forget about team "Vengance" which is comprised of Operator Inaros, Operator Atlas, Operator Zephyr, and Operator Hydron. Though Operator Inaros has said on a number of occasions that he only tolerates-"

"I am fully aware of the mission success rate of those three squads but all of them only seem to thrive in certain types of missions. I want to test out teams that are well balanced and versatile", Lotus interrupted, "Of course, this will all happen after we have dealt with Vor."

Chapter Text

The Infested Horde

(Trinity 2)

This...this was where he belongs. This was where he could truly be himself, where nothing else matters but the strength of his sword arm and his own instinct. As the dragon spun through the army of mutated flesh he lets go of all control, all sense of restraint as he flows through them like a shark swims through the ocean, Tiamat's Wrath cleaving left and right, dismembering all who were unfortunate enough to be caught in the path of the powerful blade.

This was the only place among the stars he could truly unleash the primal rage that dwells deep inside him, always begging him to be released unto his foes. One on one duels with a single powerful opponent was Excabliur's specialty and he could have it, Chroma lived for the horde battles. Battles where every swing ended dozens of lives and by the end of it all your entire body was covered in the blood of the enemies who were too foolish to run away. It was this reason that the Infested was the Dragon Tenno prefer enemy. Sure, the Grineer and the Corpus, whether they be Corrupted or otherwise, would try to overwhelm him with their numbers but only the endless waves of corrupted lifeforms could ever truly satisfy him for they did not care for tactics or advanced weaponry. No, they simply swarm their target like the waves crashing onto the shore and that was all the Tenno ever wanted in a fight. This reason and this reason alone was precisely why Tempo Royale was his prefer sword-style as it was perfect for keeping on the move and utilizing crowd control techniques. For this was his element, it was another reason why he preferred doing solo missions for the other Tenno did not simply understand the beauty of this type of battle. For with a swing here, a lightning Spectral Scream there and his Elemental Ward sending blast after blast of lightning through the endless flood, their numbers would eventually be culled, all the while he revels in the chaos, as a dragon should.

Trinity and Revenant continue to fire downrange into the flanks of the horde where Chroma wasn't at, doing all that they could to somehow stem the tide. It didn't take long for Trinity to realize the Chroma had essentially aggro the mob through the use of his aggressive swordplay and lightning which was causing the majority of the horde to focus solely on him though this didn't stop a few of the more intelligent stragglers from peeling off and heading straight for the Healer and Sentient Tenno. Bursts from Revenant's Battacor and Trinity's Twin Vipers easily put down the majority of them but a few were still able to close the distance and get up within striking range of Trinity.

Quickly, she holsters her guns and switches to the ancient pole-arm, Orthos, using it to impale the nearest Infested, a Charger that got too full of itself, through its head, easily piercing it hide and planting it into the ground along with her weapon. Springing forward she swings on the now stationary staff to deliver a double kick to the head of a Runner, sending it flying backward into the walls and as she finishes her movement, she yanks the Orthos out and slashes the upper half of another Charger's head clean off before turning her attention back to the still daze Runner who she then guts with a thrust into its torso, twisting her melee weapon before yanking it out. As the Runner's guts spill out onto the ground it somehow still had the life left in it to makes a feeble attempt to attack Trinity, who draws a single Viper and empty a half a clip into its head, finishing it off for good. She then uses the remaining rounds to headshot another Runner that was in mid-sprint toward her. Dodging the claws of a third Runner that came from her side, the Healing Tenno swings her Orthos into it, the staff part colliding with the mutated beast side and slamming it into the wall with a resounding smack.

Before the Runner could even react, Trinity once again holsters her Viper and pulls her free hand back. From the ends of her warframe's fingertips tiny syringes extend out and she shoots out and clinches the Runner's neck, her tiny knife-like appendages going deep into its flesh. Combining the mechanics of her suit along with her own supernatural Tenno power, she began to absorb the very essence of the Infested, taking both its life force and energy until it became nothing more than a dry husk that crumbles to dust within her grasp. As the extra health and energy surge through her, a Leaper jumps out of the ocean of Infested toward her, its claws ready to strike. Instinctively, Trinity casts Well Of Life on the airborne creature stopping it in its mid-flight as it became encased in a green aura. As the creature hovers in mid-air, Trinity puts away her Orthos and draws both Vipers. After taking a brief moment to reload both of them, she unleashes a barrage of bullets into the Leaper's head, the damage inflicted on it being converting by her own energy into health to aid her compatriots, not that they needed it though if her HUD was anything to go off of. Revenant was holding his own against the tide while Chroma was simply hacking through them too fast for them to do any real damage to them besides a few scratches here and there.

Meanwhile, with Revenant, his actions had also drawn the attention of the stragglers from the main horde who launch themselves at the Sentient Tenno who responded in kind with shots from his Battacor while swiftly switching to his Tatsu to deal with any that got too close for his liking. Trinity then witnesses him use Enthrall on a group of Chargers that were near him, converting them to his cause. Without hesitation, they turn around and plunge headlong into the horde, ripping and tearing as they went along, no concern for the grievous injuries that were being inflicted on them back by their former comrades.

Trinity did a quick assessment of the situation and realize that thanks to the three of them, the horde was already down by a considerable amount t despite the initial shock and surprise of the attack.

"Now would be a better time than ever to get those doors close", Trinity told herself as she radios her comrades, "Revenant, move to a central position near the entrance of the village and maintain a perimeter. Chroma, just keep doing what you're doing. I'm moving to assist evaluate the gates situation."

"The voices concur to this plan", Revenant copies.

"Take your time", was the response from Chroma as he beheads three Chargers in a single swing, "These Infested are not a threat anyway."

"Not a threat?", the words play in Trinity's head for a moment before a thought occurs to her.

"Ordis, I need a scan of all Infested within the hallway, dead or alive. I want statistics on the make-up of the attacking group", she orders.

"Affirmative, Operator Trinity. Initializing scan, please stand-by", the ship A.I. says which during that time, Trinity makes her way back into the village. As she exiting the hallways, she comes across the pandemonium state of Cetus as the crowds of civilians were still in a panic over the unexpected attack as entire stands were now collapse from people running into them in flight.

"Offworlder!", she hears from her side and turns to see Konzu along with nearly a hundred warriors behind him coming toward her, "We have come to aid you in the defense of our tribe!"

The Healing Tenno took one quick look at the assortment of weapons the men and women were carrying and quickly made her decision.

"Konzu, while I appreciated the offer, you and your warriors are better off evacuating the people to safer grounds while Chroma and Revenant handle things here. They are almost done anyway", she tells the chief, ignoring the nearly hurt look on his face.

"But-", he attempts.

"Our main concern right now is making sure these gates get close. Take me to the control room", she demanded.

Before Konzu could come up with a response, Ordis come in over Trinity's comm channel.

"Operator Trinity, assessment complete. The make-up of the Infested group was roughly sixty-four percent Charges, twenty-eight percent Runners, and eight percent Leapers."

"These are all Walkers type", Trinity realizes, "Were there no other types in the attacking horde?"

"Negative, Operator Trinity. All specimens were of the Walker class."

"Infested attack in massive unorganized groups that accompanied all classes within their ranks", Trinity thought, "Why did this one only consist of one type? If I didn't know any better, I would think that this was a skirmisher-"

"Operator Trinity. Operator Revenant. Operator Chroma", Ordis' voice comes on over the main comm channel, "Another large mass of infected life signs is inbound. Scans indicated that this one is calculated to be-fucking huge- nine hundred and twenty percent larger than the initial one and growing. The group consists of Walkers, Crawlers, Machines, and even has a considerable number of Ancients within their ranks. I suggest you make ready for combat once more."

The ground began to quake as Chroma and Revenant finish off the last of the horde and the Dragon Tenno looks up to the ceilings as bit and pieces of it began to rain down on top of him.

"What's going on?", he demanded over the commlink, receiving a response from Ordis a second later.

" Operator Chroma, a much larger  swarm of Infested  is head ing  this way  from the same direction as the first ,  their  ETA  is exactly  seventy-six  seconds."

Chroma once more looks out past the small lake and see an ocean of flesh, teeth, and claws coming toward the gate, one that he wasn't sure he would be able to swim out of.

"What's going on with those gates, Trinity?!", he yells over the comm.

"I'm heading toward the control room now!", she replies as she races up through the corridors as the young Nakak, the masks saleswoman, led the way.

"This way, Healer! We are almost there!", Nakak shouts back at Trinity as the duo near a large blue door which was slightly open, "Strange, that door is usually close!"

Before Trinity has time to understand what Nakak meant, she kicks open the door and finds herself directly across the room from a dozen Corpus Elite Crewmen standing in front of a console while next to them were the bodies of two Ostrons. The two parties exchange a quick look at one another and before they could bring their Flux Rifles to bear, Trinity grabs Nakak who was next to her and flips back out the door down the corridor and ducks behind the corner just as twelve energy beams came shooting down the hallway.

Trinity puts the now dizzy Nakak on the ground next to her while readying her Vipers. Her warframe has the weakest armor among the Tenno so she wouldn't be able to stand up against so many Flux Rifles at once but her options were limited, "Chroma! Revenant! I have an issue in the control room!"

"Really? Because we're in a situation ourselves!", Chroma answers back as he lets loose another arrow from his Daikyu, taking an Ancient Healer in the head and causing it to stagger back for a moment before a second arrow to the head finishes it off. Chroma and Revenant have moved out of the corridor and set up a small perimeter in front of the door in an effort to buy Trinity more time even though they weren't going to be able to give her much time before they reach the point of no return with the tidal wave of Infested getting closer and closer to the gate.

They started by picking off the lead elements of the horde; Revenant using his Battacor to thin out their front line while Chroma uses his powerful bow to take out the Walkers scouts ahead of it.

"Ordis! I need a carpet bomb on the area directly on top of the first wave of Infested!", Chroma commands the A.I.

"Acknowledge, Operator Chroma. Air support inbound. Taking over your Landing Craft now."

"Revenant!", the Dragon Tenno calls out to his fellow Tenno who was busy spraying into the horde.

"What does the dragon need of us?", he answers.

"What type of Landing Craft do you have?"

"We soar through the heavens in what is known as a Xiphos", was the answer Chroma got back.

"Perfect, I need a turret deployed in front of the gate to cover us!"

"We acknowledge and give permission for Ordis to deploy it from our craft", Revenant says.

"Affirmative, Operator Revenant. Taking control of your landing craft now", Ordis says, "Sentry turret and carpet bombing commencing in fifteen seconds."

"Ordis!", Trinity yells as she leans out from around the corner and unloads an entire clip of one of her Viper down the hall at the Corpus' lackeys before ducking back behind the wall right as four laser streams are fired back at her in retaliation. Unfortunately, they deployed three shield ospreys and were currently soaking her rounds up like they were nothing and she couldn't set up a shot on the Osprey with the intense suppressing fire the Crewmen were throwing at her, "What's the ETA of the horde getting into Cetus?!"

"Calculating", came the reply, "Operator Trinity, if Operator Chroma and Operator Revenant keep up their current action of holding off the Infested, they will breach Cetus in approximately five minutes."

"Lovely", Trinity says as she looks down at Nazak, who currently leaning against the wall with her hands over her ears in an attempt to drown out the sounds of combat. The Healer Tenno puts her Viper around the corner without looking and fires off a few rounds before placing her other hand on the Ostrons, shaking her out of her fright.

"I need you to go help with the evacuation!", Trinity says as Nazak looks up at her, "It's too dangerous for you here!"

"But what about the controls to close the sacred doors?", Nazak asks only to received a headshake in return from Trinity.

"I'll figure that out myself", Trinity answers as she fires another random volley of bullets down the hallway, "I used to be an Orokin doctor, it shouldn't be that hard to figure out. Now go!"

Nazak hesitates for a moment but takes off back there the corridor and Trinity watches her disappear down the stairs before going back to the matter at hand as she peeks around the corner and spots three of the Corpus moving down through the hallway toward her while being given covering fire by their comrades at the rear and being support by a single Shield Osprey.

"Well, that makes things easier at least", Trinity tells herself right before she jumps upward and latches herself onto the upper part of the wall just as the Corpus were about to turn the corner. Thankfully she remembered to add the Mobilize mod to her warframe beforehand.

Outside on the plains, it was a different story though as the landscape turn into hell as Chroma's Landing Craft rain fire on the Infested from above, scattering the front lines of the horde and sending various body parts soaring through the air. While this achieves the purpose of stalling the horde as the survivors had to recover from the initial bombardment as well as avoid getting trampled over by the Infested behind them, it was only for a couple of seconds at best before they resume their charge toward Revenant, Chroma, and eventually, Cetus.

Meanwhile Revenant's craft drop a Sentry Turret directly behind the two Tenno and started providing covering fire for the two as they retreat further back in order to avoid getting overrun by the sheer size of the Infested horde, but that was when Chroma notices something odd on the outskirts of the gate, almost hidden by the forest and something that both he and the Sentinel Tenno miss on their way out. The forest was blanketing by what at first Chroma thought was Pherliac Pods though they were bigger than the ones he has used in the field.

"Ordis, I need an analysis ran on those Pherliac Pods!", Chroma commands the A.I., as he turns around and fires his Ferrox into the ranks of the horde, annihilating the beasts with every shot but not doing much in thinning their ranks.

"Acknowledge, Operator Chroma. Beginning analysis now. The process will be completed in thirty seconds."

By this time the Infested scouts had already reached Chroma and Revenant and the two switch to melee to engage them with the Dragon Tenno getting first blood in hand-to-hand with a horizontal slash from Tiamat's Wrath that decapitated a Leaper in mid-air before he restances and shoves a thrust directly into the forehead of a Charger that was right behind it. He forgoes the blade for the time being as a group of five Chargers and three Volatile Runners came at him on the grounds that he didn't want to be next to the runners when they exploded. He unleashes his Spectral Scream, the power of lightning focusing through his body and out his mouth, onto the group, instantly stopping them in their tracks. They fall to the ground writhing in pain and letting out unnatural screams as the electricity surge through their corrupted forms and the sheer shock of the attack causes the Volatile Runners to explode prematurely, destroying themselves along with four of the Chargers in the process. Chroma ceases his attack and walks up to the last Charger who was still barely clinging to life and with one final downward thrust of Tiamat's Wrath to its head, ends the creature's struggles.

But Chroma has no time to bask in the glory of a fine kill as he feels something wrap around his leg and before he could react he was suddenly yanked off his feet and drag along the ground toward an Ancient Disruptor who somehow manages to get at the front of the horde and was using it tentacle pull him toward it and a number of Walkers class Infested.

Plunging the blade into the ground, Chroma comes to a sudden stop but between his grip of the sword and the Ancient grip on his leg he began to get lifted off the ground and found himself in the middle of a tug of war match that reminded him of one of the trials of strength his tribe used to perform for the young males who were too young for combat rituals but still wanted to prove themselves superior to their peers. But the Dragon Tenno didn't have time to test his might against the Disruptor in his tribe's ancient ways for the Walkers, seeing that Chroma wasn't coming to them, decided to come to him as they sped past the Ancient who only double his effort to reel him in.

A warning icon flashing on his HUD informs Chroma that the Ancient Disruptor was also beginning to deplete his energy pool and that he didn't have long before he was completely drained. Thinking quickly and keeping one hand on the sword handle, Chroma grabs the Ferrox off his back and takes aim at the Ancient's head and lets loose a shot that flies right and misses. Letting out a strained growl, Chroma lines up for a second shot as the Walkers get ever closer to him and his energy pool continues to go down. He fires again and this shot takes the Ancient in the chest and while it seems shaken by the blow it kept its grips on Chroma.

"Arrrgh!", Chroma screams in unbridled rage as he prepares for what may be his last shot before the Infested were upon him and as he took aim for the third time, steadying his breathing and visualize the shot before taking it just like he did with the bow. Once the cross hair line up with the center of the Disruptor's head, he pulled the trigger and the Ferrox charges up for a moment before releasing a short burst of pure energy from the muzzle which struck true and vaporize the Ancient's head upon impact. Upon feeling the grip of the tentacle become lax, the Dragon Tenno flip upwards high into the air and lands back on the ground with a wide sweeping slash that dissects all of the Walkers that were about to pounce on him in one blow while using the Ferrox to shoot a nearby Mutalist Osprey out of the air while a second shot kills the Crawler it was carrying.

"Operator Chroma, analysis complete."

"What is it?", Chroma asks while skewering a crawler on the ground through its midsection.

"It appears to be an advanced specimen of the Pherliac Pod, one that through the uses of pheromones merely draws the Infested to an area instead of having them attacked the pod itself. Analyzing the genetics make-up and cross-referencing it with prior specimens, there is a 99.85% chance that Alad V created this", Ordis explains.

"Of course it would be him", Chroma grumbles as he fires off another blast from his Ferrox with one hand, disintegrating a Charger while beheading a Runner with Tiamat's Wrath, "It would be asking the spirits too much for him just to die", as he readies himself for another wave.

Sometimes when there was a lull in activity and she wasn't fighting to save a fellow Tenno life, Trinity's mind wanders off on its own. One of the things she pondered about was how certain Tenno earn their nicknames or alias. The ones like Mesa and Chroma she could see, the Gunslinger and Dragon Tenno, which while she was on the subject Mesa really needed to straighten out her feelings. The next time she had to carry her to the infirmary because she passed out from close contact with Chroma the medic was going to tell the Dragon herself about Mesa's feelings toward him and see how things go from there.

Back to the manner at hand though, she did always wonder who was the one that gave her the nickname, The Vampire Tenno. Was it someone from Cetus? A worker on one of the Relays? The Grineer or the Corpus? Perhaps Loki or one of his fellow tricksters? Or maybe, just maybe, it was the Lotus herself.

She would probably never know but the moment the three Elite Crewmen rounded the corner and made the foolish mistake of not scanning the ceiling when they did, Trinity herself was beginning to see how someone could have easily mistaken her for the supernatural creature, with her aggressive attack style and the design of her warframe. As she hung silently above them she notices the first two were side by side, leaving a noticeable gap in between them while the third one with the Shield Osprey took up a position behind them and was looking the other way.

"Elite, huh?", Trinity tells herself as she quickly takes out her Vulkar and set her sights on the flying machine, and destroys it a single shot. The Corpus guarding the rear of the group doesn't even have time to turn around to see what happened before he too was brought down by a clean headshot that easily bypasses his no longer augment shields. Trinity holster the sniper rifle and drops straight down, aiming for the gap between the last two Crewmen. Upon seeing their shields return to normal level, the two Elite Crewmen must have realize the fatal error they made when they came around the corner so both of them swung their Flux Rifles upward and fired at the falling Tenno, one laser barely missing Trinity's right foot while the other pass so close to Trinity's face, her suit's temperature rose slightly.

Nevertheless, Trinity extends the syringes within her fingertips in both hands and plunge one each into the helmets of the Crewmen, the sheer force of her drop sending them both straight to the ground with an audible crunch.

"Operator Trinity, I have an important message for you", Ordis chimes in.

"Not now! Unless the horde has broken through into Cetus, it can wait until later!", she replies as she began to absorb the life force out of the two Corpus, turning their suits into tombs for the person inside of them within seconds. Extracting her needles she draws her Vipers and moves out into the open hallway to unleash a volley of bullets into the control room, causing the remaining Corpus to scatter.

"But the question remains, why are the Corpus doing this? They have more to lose than to gain by allowing Cetus to be overrun by the Infested", Trinity asks herself right as she spins back around the corner in order to avoid the retaliation barrage of lasers from the remaining nine Elite Crewmen.

"Chroma, Revenant, status report", she calls over the comms.

"Things are getting tight. The main horde is almost at our perimeter and my hands are full with just handling the scouts right now", Chroma replies.

"We are reaching our limit as well in this ongoing struggle", Revenant answers.

"Ordis, status on the ETA before breach!", Trinity shouts over the laser barrage the Corpus were unleashing.

"Calculating….Operator Trinity, due to Operator Chroma and Operator Revenant's carpet bombing and turret placement, exactly twenty-five seconds have been added to the time of breach. New ETA: four minutes and five seconds."

"And people say that doctors are professional bearers of bad news", Trinity grumbles.

"There is one good thing to come about in the last minute", Ordis says.

"And that would be?", Trinity says.

"Operator Atlas is coming up the stairs behind you and will be able to provide aid in approximately ten seconds."

…

"What?!", both Trinity shouts over the channel.

"I said that Operator Atlas is nearing your position, Operator Trinity."

"No, I heard that part. Why is he here? I thought he was on a mission", Trinity says as she turns around and indeed sees the Rock Tenno appear at the top of the stairs and come thundering down the hall, brandishing two Soma and prompting Trinity to do a status check on him to make sure he was ready for the task at hand:

Operator  Atlas  Status Check:

Shields: Green

Vital Signs:  Yellow (Left Shoulder)

Armor: Green

Energy: Fully Charged

Energy Siphon Mod Install

Operator  Atlas's  Weapons Check:

Soma  Status: Green

Soma  Status: Green

Tekko  Status: Green

"I finish my mission early, my dear", he said while running toward her, "Thought you, dragon boy, and Revy could use a hand here at Cetus."

He gets next to the Healer Tenno and peeks around the corner to get a feel of the situation and a Flux Rifle's beam takes him in his shoulder as the Corpus regroup and resume their volley. But despite the direct blow, he appears completely unfazed by the shot and his armor showed little to no damage to it at all.

"Second most armored warframe after Valkyr", Trinity tells herself, trying her best to keep the spite out of her voice.

"Hmm", Atlas says as he moves back behind the corner, "Looks like you're between a rock and a hard place."

Trinity resists the urge to roll her eyes, "Now is not the time, Atlas", she says, "Where did you come from anyway? Ordis said you were three hours away here."

"Um...correction, Operator Trinity. If you recall, I said that Operator Atlas was three hours away from the Orbiter's current position at the time that Operator Chroma asks me, the question was never ask about his ETA from Cetus. He was only twenty minutes away from Cetus, sabotaging a Grineer's flagship while you and Operator Chroma were en route. Also, I did try to tell you a few moments ago", Ordis states.

"That's right, Ordis call me earlier and updated me about what was going on so I made a detour after my mission and came straight here, sweety", Atlas says.

"Your health is in the yellow, particularly your left shoulder", Trinity tells him while belittling herself over missing such a crucial detail. Atlas' aid would have been extremely valuable from the very beginning of all this.

"I took a couple of hard hits there, but I'm okay", The Mountain Tenno assures her, "Just a little rest after this and I'll be good."

"Are you sure it isn't bothering you?", the Vampire Tenno asks.

"I'm fine, dear. We got bigger problems to worry about."

Trinity studies the colossal man for a moment, eyeing his vital on her HUD while taking a look at the countdown Ordis place to indicate just how much longer Chroma and Revenant could hold off the main attack.

"Don't strain yourself", she tells him, "You still haven't fully recovered from-"

"You don't have to worry about me, deary. I'm built like a rock", Atlas cuts her off.

"By the gods", Trinity mumbles underneath her breath, "We have to get into that control room and close the gates before the Infested get in."

"I got this", Atlas says as he holsters his dual Soma and puts on his signature fist weapon, Tekko, and looks down at Trinity, "Stay behind me, sweety."

"Trinity", the Healer Tenno corrected him, slightly annoyed by all the nicknames he has been calling her.

"Whatever you say", he says as he walks out into a volley of laser fire, "Hey, do you know what the least spoken language in the system is?"

Trinity looks at him for a moment, wondering how he could be so calm as he stood in the midst of a storm of lasers, "What? Ancient Orokin?", she found herself asking.

"Nope!", Atlas screams as he charges down the hall toward the bewildered Crewmen, "Sign language!", as he barrels into the remaining nine Corpus, leaving Trinity shaking her head in annoyance.

"Gods of the stars, give me strength", Trinity grumbles as she vaults into the room uncontested and kills two of the Crewman who were still daze on the floor from Atlas' charge with her dual Vipers and stabs a third through the neck with her Orthos, nearly severing his head. Taking her Vulkar back out, she takes out their last two Shield Osprey with two shots before turning to the control console while Atlas finishes up with the remaining six Crewmen, "Let's see here. One of these must do something."

A single punch reduces an Elite Crewman's head to mush and Atlas spins around to deliver another one to his comrade's mid-section that sends him rocketing into the wall behind him, shattering every bone in his body upon impact. Not wanting to waste precious time on the rest of the Crewmen who were lined up neatly next to one another on his left, Atlas draws his Dual Soma and unleashes a hail of bullets at the Corpus, riddling them with full of holes. As their corpses drop to the ground, Atlas holsters his gun and Tekko and goes over to where Trinity was still trying to operate the console.

"Arrgh!", she shouts as she began pushing random buttons, "These controls are in Orokin but none of them make any sense!" before she feels a tap on her shoulder.

"May I?", Atlas asks before operating a complex sequence of lever pulling and button-pushing. Within moments the front doors leading to the plains began to close and at the last moment before both Chroma and Revenant came vaulting through, the front of the horde hot on their heels.

"How did you do that?", Trinity asks.

"I was the designer of the Emperor's new palace way back when. It was chock full of doors like these, remember?", Atlas replies.

Meanwhile, both Chroma and Revenant were at the front of the doors, releasing a barrage of Battacor's bolts and Ferrox's energy beams into the Infested masses, stalling them just long enough for the door to finally completely shut, ensuing Cetus survival if only for the moment.

"You were cutting close there, Trinity", Chroma calls out over the channel, "If you had waited any longer to close the doors, Konzu and his people would have been doomed."

"Sorry about that, dragon boy. We had to deal with a bit of a mess up here", Atlas replies back to him.

"Atlas?", Chroma questions though he was slightly ticked off by the nickname that he has been given by the Mountain Tenno, "When did you get here?"

"We'll talk about that later", Trinity interrupts, "For now, Chroma and Revenant, you are to round up any remaining Corpus merchants in the area with non-lethal measures. There were a dozen Elite Crewman up here in the control room and I want to know why."

"Got it", Chroma says.

"We will do as you ask", Revenant replies.

"Try to use diplomacy first and only resort to physical violence if there is no other way. I'll deal with Konzu if there's a problem though I doubt there will be", Trinity tells them, "Ordis, I want an aerial scan of the entire plains, use Chroma's Landing Craft if needed and I want you to locate where exactly the Infested came from along with current Grineer's movement. Also, bring my Landing Craft in just outside the village, preferably the docks.", Trinity orders as she punches in a series of numbers into her holo-pad.

"At once, Operator Trinity."

"Atlas, you're coming with me. I want to give you a checkup while Chroma and Revenant are dealing with the Corpus. This seems like it's going to be a hard mission and I need everyone at peak performance so I want to take a look at your shoulder", she says as she quickly walks out of the room, leaving the Rock Tenno behind.

"Huh, she has a knack for this sort of thing", he tells himself as he watches her leave, his eyes traveling further and further down the Healing Tenno's back until his focus was squarely on Trinity's swaying hips. As she rounds the corner, Atlas shakes his head.

"You shouldn't be doing that, you old Kubrow. The wounds are still too fresh for you to be having those kinds of thoughts", he tells himself before taking off down the hall.

A/N: Couldn't resist adding a dad joke in.

Chapter Text

A/N: This was provided to me by "clown2107" ( ID: 8485405) from Fanfiction.net. While I have tweaked a few things, all credit goes to them. Right now, I'm still on holiday vacation but decided to release this to show that this story isn't dead. If anyone had a profile they like to see, PM them to me.

Please Review, Fav, or Follow if you want.

Lotus's Profile:

Equinox

The Yin-Yang Tenno. The Day Tenno. The Night Tenno. The Twin Tenno. The Eclipse Tenno. The Sisters Tenno. The Balance Tenno.

Split between day and night, Equinox manifests aggressive and defensive forms at will.

Originally two twin sisters, whose place of origins and real names have been lost to history, were identical in everything but their personalities.

The younger sister of the night, codename Nychta, is shy, polite, and somewhat timid.

The older sister of the day, codename Imera, is brash, vulgar, and brazen.

The duo belonged to a middle-class family with their mother, father, and an older brother who had the luck of being picked for the Emperor's Grand Parade in order to show off the working class when the Zariman Ten Zero's incident occur exposing the entire family to the void. So united in their fear were the sisters that the void merged their bodies into one entity.

When the rescue crews found them, their older brother had just succumbed to the wounds he received while defending his still frighten sisters from a void creature attack, the body of a large creature freshly dead laying next to him along with a broken pipe covered in its blood.

It is not known what happened to their parents, the most likely scenario is that they were turned into creatures driven crazy by the void or were executed by the Orokin to hide the evidence of the true purpose of the ship.

It is well known among the Tenno that Equinox can split from their originating stance of being a combined Tenno, (or their secondary state when one is awake while the other is dormant) into both Imera and Nychta separately but cannot maintain this process for extreme lengths of time before they are forced to become one again. This process is shortening the further away they get from one another though it has been recorded that if within a general area of each other, like while onboard the Orbiter, the two can go up to six hours being apart. Also, it should be noted that it is rare for both of them to be asleep at the same time. Usually, one is always awake while the other sleeps.

Both sisters share a symbiotic and telepathic connection when apart. If one is in pain the other feel it no matter what obstacles lays between them. It is paramount to note that even on solo missions, Equinox is never truly alone.

The problem with Equinox being a fusion of two bodies that arises ever so often is that this causes them to suffer double personality and sudden mood swings from time to time. While in their combined form, they're quiet and submissive one moment, the next they are loud and domineering. This makes many of the Tenno avoid working with them unless absolutely necessary as well as made me have to assign Equinox to therapy sessions with Baruuk whenever he is on the Orbiter to control their personalities with Trinity being a secondary therapist for them when he is not available.

Equinox is an army of two, capable of being both on the offense and the defense simultaneously.

Imera 's personal record:

Imera is a master of the overly aggressive attack, taking the fight to her enemies no matter their numbers. Grineer General Sargas Ruk found this out the hard way when he was forced to sacrifice three entire companies of Grineer Marines in order to cover his escape from his capital ship when Imera descend upon him in a failed assassination attempt while Nyctha slept. He was the only survivor.

Surprisingly shares a good relationship with Valkyr, Khora, and Garuda of all people when her younger sister is asleep or in another part of the ship, no doubt because of their shared tendencies to use overly violent methods on missions.

Had to be physically restrained from picking a fight with Rhino after the latter accidental bump into her in the hallway, even after he apologizes for it.

Technically, she holds the sixteenth spot for the most kills.

Nychta's personal record:

Was able to hold out against three companies worth of Corpus' forces on her own thanks to her defensive abilities just long enough for Imera to circle around the opposing forces and hit them from behind. This force the entire assault unit to retreat when they found themselves between a hammer and an anvil.

When separated from her older sister, Nychta has a tendency to socialize with Octavia and Banshee as all three of them share the love of listening to soft music while reading.

She was able to physically restrain Imera from picking a fight with Rhino long enough for Excalibur and myself to arrive on the scene and defuse the situation.

Despite her timid personalities, technically, she currently occupies the thirtieth position for the kill count tally among the Tenno.

Equinox's Personal Record:

An anomaly even among the Tenno, Equinox always takes to the field with dual weaponry, usually seen sporting Akelx, Dual Cestra, and a Dual Skana for melee. Whenever they split apart, each sister takes one of each weapon with them.

Due to multiple complaints from the more battle-hungry Tenno, Equinox's kill count is a combination of both Imera and Nychta's personal records combine into one and divide by two, placing the Ying-Yang Tenno in the twentieth-third spot for kill count. If not for this ruling, they would have the tenth highest kills among the Tenno.

Multiple Tenno have heard the sisters in their combine Equinox form arguing with one another, their voices changing in the midst of it. Due to this, team missions with other Tenno are a rarity for them.

Special Note:

Consequently, the two of them have a unique mission that has only ever been accomplished by Excalibur. In the midst of a mission in the ancient ruins of New York City, Equinox was pinned down by heavy Grineer forces. When reinforcements were requested, it was the Dragon Tenno himself that answered the call seeing how he was the closest.

This is Equinox, a deadly duality.

A true Tenno must master the divide between night and day. Do you have what it takes?

A/N: Hope you enjoy it. Once more, all credit goes to  "clown2107" ( ID: 8485405)

Imera: Greek for Day

Nychta: Greek for Night

Chapter Text

Disclaimers: I do not own Warframe.

A/N: So I thought of this while I was sick in bed and decided "What the hell?", once I was good enough to move. Also, there's a poll regarding this story on my profile that you should take a look at.

Operator Atlas' Nicknames

Due to the increasing difficulty of trying to understand Operator Atlas' terminology in mission briefs, de-briefs, and when he is on actual missions, I have been ordered by the Lotus to compile a list of "nicknames" that he has used over time and assign them to the Tenno that they describe.

1. Ash

Smokey. Smokey the Ninja. Ninja Boy.

2. Banshee

Noisey.

3. Baruuk

Pacifist. Peace Boy.

4. Chroma

Dragon Boy

5. Ember

Pyromaniac. Pyro Girl.

6. Equinox

Twin Girl. Eclipse Girl.

Nychta: Night Girl, Moon Girl

Imera: Day Girl, Sun Girl

7. Excalibur

Sword Boy. Pointy Boy. Daddy Issues.

8. Frost

Ice Boy. Snow Boy.

9. Gara

Glass Girl. Mirror Girl

10. Garuda

Psycho Girl. Blood Girl.

11. Gauss

Speed Boy.

12. Grendel

Chef. Glutton.

13. Harrow

Priest. Reverend. Void Boy.

14. Hildryn

Muscle Girl.

15. Hydroid

Pirate King. Water Boy.

16. Inaros

Pharaoh. Sand King.

17. Ivara

Arrow Girl. Bow Girl. Huntress.

18. Khora

Catwoman.

(There was another name relating to Kavat but Ordis felt it best not to include it. Ordis believes anyone will know Operator Atlas is addressing Operator Khora when they hear it.)

19. Limbo

Rift Boy. Vanishing Boy.

20. Loki

Trickster Boy. Prankster Boy. One-more-prank-and-he's-going-to-get-my-fists-up-his *explicit* Boy.

21. Mag

Magnet Girl.

22. Mesa

Little Shooter. Country Girl.

23. Mirage

Doppleganger. Magic Girl.

24. Nekros

Death Boy. Necro Boy. Emo.

25. Nezha

Feminine Boy. Self-Confidence Boy. Noble Boy.

26. Nidus

Infested Boy. Plague Boy.

27. Nova

Anti-Matter Girl. Wormhole Girl.

28. Nyx

Mind Girl. Little Angel.

29. Oberon.

Full of Himself Boy. Honorable Boy. Nature Boy.

30. Octavia

Music Girl. Band Girl.

31. Protea

Gadget Girl. Inferiority Complex Girl

32. Revenant

Loner Boy. Cetus Boy. Eidolon Boy

33. Rhino

Hammer Boy. Muscle Boy. Thickheaded Boy.

34. Saryn

Poison Girl. Spores Girl.

35. Titania.

Fairy. Garden Girl. Pixie

36. Trinity.

Deary. Dear. Sweetie.

(These are spoken with the utmost respect and sincerity, more than any other Tenno be it male or female and even the Lotus.)

37. Valkyr.

Berserk Girl. Therapy Girl.

38. Vauban.

Traps. Engie.

39. Volt.

Quickie

(Apparently Atlas means that in more than just one way. Luckily, Operator Loki took the time to explain to Ordis what it could also mean.)

(A/N: It's an insult. Don't look too hard into it. Atlas is straight in this storyline)

Static.

40. Wisp

Floaty. Solar Girl.

41. Wukong

Monkey Boy.

42. Zephyr

Fly Girl. Hurricane Chick.

43. Ordis.

Motor Mouth. Talks too much. (I have no idea what he's talking about.)

44. Lotus

Desperately wants to be a real mother. (I find it best that I also keep this one out of my report to the Lotus)

Hopefully, this will help in the future. Also, on a side note, apparently, Operator Atlas simply calls himself "Daddy", The Rock", and "The Big Guy".

A/N: Remember, there's a poll on my profile about this story that I think you should check out.

Chapter Text

Disclaimer: I do not own Warframe.

A/N: Once again, I did this while I was sick. It is shorter when compare to the others but it's because it's going to be a three-parter.

Ordis' Observation Log #3

Subjects Involve:

Operator Chroma (Still on medical lockdown):

The Dragon Tenno

Operator Mesa:

The Gunslinger Tenno. The Marksman Tenno.

Operator Trinity  (Briefly ):

The Healing/Healer Tenno. The Vampire Tenno

Location:

Combat Simulation Room (Secondary Room)

Background Summary:

Operator Chroma is  in the backup Combat Simulation Room (which is mostly use for individual training as opposed to the main room which is for team combat, but alas,  that is  still awaiting repairs after Operator Chroma and Operator Mesa's "disagreement" from earlier) practicing his sword techniques. Operator Mesa has completed all of her assignments and has returned to the Orbiter for  her per-scheduled 48 -hour furlough  (it was her turn in the rotation)  before being assigned more tasks.

(This takes place  three days  after the incident with Operator  Nezha, Operator Mesa, and Operator Hildryn )

Beginning of Observation Log # 3

Precision.

Power.

Reflex.

These were all the things that flood Chroma's mind as he swung his sword. The precision to strike a foe's weak point no matter what it's size. The power behind the strike that allows him to penetrate it. And last but not least, having the reflex to reposition himself in record time to do it all over again.

While the Dragon Tenno lacked the inhuman accuracy and speed of Excalibur when it came to swords, he was no less deadly than the Alpha Tenno and has more than once cross blades with him and held his own, mostly relying on instinct to match his opponent's better-trained abilities.

He had just finished slaying his last Grineer Marine when he holsters his sword and looked straight ahead as the training simulation faded away, leaving him in a room of complete white.

"Two hundred kills, not bad", he said to himself.

Ordis' Note #1

Ordis would like to point out that two hundred simulate kills are considered a light training session for most of the Tenno even one such as Operator Baruuk and a warm-up for the more aggressive ones like Operator Valykr.

"Is there something you wish to ask me, Jessie?", Chroma calls out, "You have been in the monitoring room watching me for the past fifteen minutes."

A few moments of silence go by before the doors to the room open up and Chroma turns around to see Mesa standing there sheepishly with a training Skana in her hand.

"How did you know I was here, suga?", she asks.

"Everyone tends to forget I have a second set of senses that are more powerful than any radar", Chroma says as he points to his pelt.

Ordis' Notes #2

Operator Chroma's pelt or "Aforitos" as he has named it, has at times been able to detect enemies from far beyond the range of a warframe's radar. According to Operator Chroma, the reason why he hasn't use it in combat as much as he could is that Aforitos is constantly in a semi-hibernation state.

Also, Operator Mesa was only watching Operator Chroma for fourteen minutes and fifty-five seconds.

"Why are you holding a Skana? Are you challenging me to a duel?", Chroma asks as he points at said weapon.

Mesa is slightly taken aback by the statement but recovers quickly, "Actually suga, I was hoping I could get some lessons in melee combat from you."

Chroma stares at Mesa for an uncomfortable amount of time in silence.

Ordis' Notes #3

Operator Chroma is well within his right for his action s. The Skana is the first melee weapon that all the Tenno were trained to master before moving on to any other. Though after going through scattered imperial officials records, Ordis has discovered that Operator Mesa was ranked at the bottom in m elee combat  training, even Operator Baruuk  place  above her.  Also, Operator Mesa has been approached before for additional melee weapons training but she has stubbornly refused.

"Is something wrong, suga?", Mesa asks.

"There are at least five other Tenno who rivals me in swordsmanship and Excalibur is the only one who I'll admit that surpasses me in it. Surely you could go see them for training", Chroma points out.

Ordis' Notes #4

Operator Khora, Operator G rendel , Operator Garuda, Operator Inaros, and Operator T itania . These are the names of the other Tenno who Operator Chroma is talking about.  Operator Revenant is also an exceptional swordsman though due to his reclusive nature, Operator Chroma could not have known that.

Also, Operator Excalibur has all of them beat significantly with him officially stating that Operator Chroma is his only real challenge among the Tenno when it comes to sword vs sword combat.

"Well, you see, they're not really around as much and I figure since you're on medical lockdown I could get some training from you", Mesa admits, "By the way, how much longer are you going be on that?"

Chroma merely shrugs, "Don't know, Trinity hasn't exactly given me a window of time."

"Aw shucks, that stinks, suga."

"It is what it is", Chroma said as he walks over to the Gunslinger Tenno and presents his hand, "May I see it?"

After Mesa hands him the Skana and watches him as he looks over the blade, testing its weight and balance as he gives it a couple of swings.

Ordis' Notes #5

This behavior is mimic by Operator Excalibur whenever he gets a melee weapon place in his hand, though whether or not this is purely coincidence or a trait that was picked up during Operator Excalibur and Operator Chroma time as the only active Tenno is unknown.

Once he was done, the Dragon Tenno turns his attention back to Mesa, "I must commend your decision on choosing the Skana to train with. Most of the others would have gone for the more fancier weapons such as the Dark Sword or the Krohkur to practice with."

"Really? You mean that?", was Mesa's response.

Ordis' Notes #6

Sensors picked up that Operator Mesa's body temperature was rising at this point as well as her heartbeat.

"Anyway, why exactly are you choosing now to get extra training in close quarters combat weapons training?", Chroma asks.

Mesa lets out a breath, "Well you see, ever since our little run-in with that Stalker fellow..."

Chroma lets out a growl upon the mentioning of that name.

Ordis' Notes #7

Lately, especially during his sessions with Operator Trinity, Operator Chroma has become aggravated at the mere mention of the word "Stalker".

"I just feel that I need to step up my game and maybe start carrying a blade or two into a fight so I won't have to rely on others to watch my back" Mesa confesses, "I mean, you had to go out of your way to protect me back on Mercury, suga."

"And I would do it again in a heartbeat, Jessie", Chroma said off-handily.

Mesa stood silently for a moment, "Excuse me for a moment, suga. I'll be right back", and Chroma watches her leave the training room.

Ordis' Notes #8

Video cameras out in the hallway  show Operator Mesa j umping up and down while  squealing quite loudly for thirty-three seconds  before recomposing herself.

When Mesa walks back into the room, she found Chroma staring at a holo-clock projecting from his wrist.

"It would seem that I am needed in the mediation chamber for another therapy session with Trinity", he says, "I apologize. We will have to postpone this until later."

Ordis' Notes #9

Actually, Operator Chroma's session with Operator Trinity was scheduled to begin ten minutes ago. Ordis pick up the visual feed of Operator Trinity doing warm-up stretches in the mediation chamber as she was no doubt preparing to bring Operator Chroma in by force. It would seem that not everyone was impressed by her submission -ass-whooping- of Operator Valykr.

"Aw", Mesa groans as she hangs her head down.

"Do not worry. Last I recall, you're on your 48-hour break. These sessions usually don't go for more than two hours. I suggest you go and get some rest and I'll meet you here when I'm done", Chroma states.

"Really, suga?!", Mesa asks, excitement apparent in her voice.

"Of course, only true warriors seek to constantly better themselves while false warriors think they already know everything", Chroma states as he walks by her, "I'll see you when I'm done, Jessie."

The door opens and closes behind Chroma, leaving the Gunslinger Tenno alone in the training room. After a moment of silence, she once more began jumping up and down.

"Yes! Yes! Yes! Things are finally looking up for you, Jessie, you ol' girl!"

Summary of Observation

1. Operator Mesa has approach Operator Chroma for close-quarters combat melee weapon training which is odd seeing how she has turned down multiple suggestions from the other Tenno to get some up to this point.

2. Despite most Tenno using their allotted downtime to rest and recuperate, Operator Mesa has instead chosen to train, most unusual for her.

End of Observation Log #3

"Um, Lotus, if I may?"

"Yes, Ordis"

"Was it really necessary for you to postpone a meeting with The Perrin Sequence just to watch this?"

"But of course, it is important for me to keep up with the daily lives of the Tenno, Ordis", the Lotus response.

"Whatever you say, Lotus."

"I wonder if I should just take Chroma off of medical lockdown myself just so he can go on missions with Mesa and the others", Lotus thought to herself.

A/N: Going back to sleep now.

Chapter Text

Disclaimers: I do not own Warframe.

A/N: So I'm now recovering from my sickness, at least enough to work, and I realize that this was halfway done before I stop so I decided to finish it.

I bet a number if you guys are wondering about Mesa's personality change from the first chapter and I hope that this will clear it up.

Also, there's a poll on my profile that you should check out.

Also, This takes place in between Ordis' Observation Log #2 and #3.

Therapy Session: Mesa

Beginning of Log.

I have enforced a strict rule about scheduling therapy sessions ahead of time as long as I have been the Head Medical Specialist onboard the Orbiter and it is one that I have rarely deviate from due to the fact that I use the time to get everything set up for the individual seeing how the each  of the  Tenno's personalit ies varies as much  as their warframe s  and abilities. But when I got the request to meet with Mesa,  ( aka Jessie Orbal formerly  of  Mars ) ,  in the medical bay,  something stopped me f rom  saying no even though I was well in my rights to do so. But I decided to humor the girl despite knowing that I had another session with Chroma coming up not long afterward. It goes without saying that what happened next can definitely be considered  one of the low points in my long medical career  as it cause me to do the one thing I haven't done in ages.

Dwell on my personal life.

End of Log.

"So what brings you here today, Jessie? If I recall correctly, you just started your 48-hour furlough an hour ago and I'm quite curious as to why you immediately came to see me", Trinity asks as she sat across from the fidgeting Gunslinger Tenno.

"I'll tell you what brings me here, Trinty!", Mesa shouts as she hops up.

"Trinity", the Healer Tenno corrects her.

"My britches are in a bunch!", Mesa says as she started pacing back and forth while waving her arms frantically.

"I beg your pardon", Trinity says, caught off-guard by the sudden and confusing outburst.

"My jimmies have never been more rustle!"

"Huh?"

"I have been toss in the barnhouse and spun in a sandstorm!"

"I need you to start using actual words if you want me to help you", Trinity says, "Did she take a hit to the head recently or something?"

"I do declare that I have been hornswoggled! I have had the wool pull over my eyes! I believe that I have been flimflam! I have been led up the garden path! Someone has given me a bum steer! Chicane! Put one over on me!", Mesa screams, her country Martian accent rapidly seeping into her words, "I have been hoodwinked and have quite possibly been, bamboozle!"

Trinity stares on in silence at the heaving Marksman Tenno in front of her, using the pause in her tantrum to analyze what exactly she just heard.

"You...think you have been...tricked?", Trinity says.

Mesa lets out a scream in frustration, "By the red sands, that exactly what I just told you! I thought you're supposed to be helping me here!"

"I need to have a long talk with the Lotus about giving me some type of financial compensation for the services I provide. I don't get paid enough for this", Trinity thought before bringing herself back to the situation at hand, "Who exactly do you feel has tricked you? Was it Loki and his band of goofballs again?"

"No! It was Aganc, that's who!", Mesa answered, "He's the one who caused all of this!"

"Aganc?", Trinity questions, "Who's Aganc? I don't re-", as a light went off in her head, "Wait a minute, you mean Chroma?"

"Yes, him!" Mesa stomps.

"Let's back up for a moment; how do you know his real name?"

"He told me after the crap show on Mercury", Mesa says.

"He just willingly told you?", Trinity says as she jolted down some notes, "It took both Lotus and Excalibur ordering him to tell me just that."

Mesa gives Trinity a baffled stare, or at least she would have if Trinity could see her face, "Yeah, after I told him my name, he told me his. But back to the manner at hand!", as she resumes her screaming, "I have been a chicken with its head cut off ever since I looked into those breathtaking eyes of his!"

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait!", Trinity interrupts as she starts typing some more, "You've seen his actual face?"

"Yes, I have! Can we get back to the more important stuff now, please?", Mesa says, "Ever since that day, I have been underneath some spell or something! I constantly want to know everything that's going on with him! I get all giddy in my gut whenever I just think about him! I hear his voice and I get hotter than a whore in church! When I'm just standing in the same room with him my heart beats so fast that I'm afraid it's going to jump out my chest! I get nervous, I stutter, I become a completely different person!"

Trinity slowly comes to a pause in her note jotting and turns her full attention to Mesa, "You have got to be kidding me. Please tell me this isn't going where I think it's going."

"It must be something that happened when his flames wash over me back on Mercury! He must have some sort of special ability in them or something!", Mesa rants as she started pacing once again, "I'm supposed to be the tough country girl, not some weak inner-colony folk! This has thrown off my aim on missions! I went from a 99.90% accuracy rate to 99.02%! Can you imagine that?! Me, of all people!"

Trinity leans back in her chair and puts her hand on her helmet's forehead, "Definitely need to talk to the Lotus about getting pay for this."

"Mesa", she says after a moment, "Do you recall how old were you when you got pick for the Emperor's Grand Parade?"

The Gunslinger Tenno stops dead in her tracks and turns her head to look at the medic, "Huh? What does that have to do with anything?"

"Just answer the question, please", Trinity says.

Mesa starts going through the jumbles memories in her mind, piecing together what she could from their shattered remains, "I believe I just turn twelve like a week or two before that."

"Do you remember what your life was like back on Mars at the Olympus Colony?", Trinity then asks.

"Well, while on paper my family was from Olympus, we lived like two days travel from it. My first time ever seeing it was when the imperial guards took us there to depart on the Zariman-Ten-Zero. We were actually closer to the small town of Crimson Wind which was just six-hour travel by train from my family's ranch", Mesa explains.

Trinity started up her notes taking once more seeing how this may be the only time she could get such answers out of Mesa.

"And who lived at the ranch with you?"

"My pa, my ma, my three brothers, and my little sis", Mesa listed off, "What exactly does this have to do with anything?"

"How far were your nearest neighbors from you and how often did you see them?", Trinity press on, ignoring Mesa's questions.

Though slightly frustrated, Mesa merely shrugs, "In all directions, our neighbors were beyond the horizon, half a day's walk so we didn't meet them very often, I say twice out of the year at best."

"I see", Trinity merely says, "One last question, how often did you go to town?"

"Um", Mesa says as she thought, "Three, maybe four times, tops."

Trinity stood up, "Okay, I think I see what's going on here. Mesa, due to your isolated upbringing in the plains of Mars, you didn't meet many people outside of your family, so I theorize that you never develop a crush on anyone before."

…

…

…

"Crush? As in I want to crush their skulls or something?", Mesa answers.

"Oh by the stars", Trinity grumbles, "No. Crush is, in official terms: a brief but intense infatuation for someone. It means you have a high degree of affection or love for somebody."

"Okay, what does that have to do with me?", Mesa asks.

"Look, seeing how you never developed such feelings for someone like that back at home and your life from then on out was strictly dedicated to seven years of fighting, training for war, and service to the Emperor, you never got to experience a full childhood", Trinity began, "But now that you're no longer shackled to that life, at least not to the same degree that you once were, I believe that your body is merely playing catch-up."

Mesa stares at Trinity in silence for a moment, mulling over what she just heard.

"So what you're getting at is….?"

"You are experiencing your very first crush, Mesa, and it just happenings to be on Chroma", Trinity finish, "Can't believe it took you this long to realize it."

The silence was deafening inside the Medical Bay as Mesa was frozen solid.

"Now I realize this is a brand new experience for you and believe me it's completely natural. I myself have had a few crushes back in my younger days, even as a medical student and-" Trinity began.

"Butterflies!", Mesa erupts, once more catching the Healing Tenno by surprise.

"What?!"

"That's what I feel in my stomach whenever I think of Chroma! Oh by the red sands, I remember now! My ma was telling my sister and me that's what she felt when she first met my pa!", Mesa explains hastily, "She said her stomach was all filled up with butterflies!"

"Wait, there were butterflies on Mars?", Trinity asks.

"They were a Mars sub-branch but yes!", Mesa answers, "She said from that day forward she always got butterflies in her stomach just thinking about my pa!"

"Well, at least we're making progress in her memory recollection", Trinity thought, actually happy that this wasn't a complete waste of her time.

"Wait!", Mesa shouts, "Does that mean I have to get hitch to Chroma?"

"There are a great number of more steps in that process you have to do before you can even start thinking about that", Trinity replies. The Healing Tenno didn't care if the other Tenno pursued romantic relationships with each other, they were still human after all, and as long as it didn't interfere with the mission, she believed it posed no problems. But she did recognize the downside of what could happen if a relationship ended badly, especially since the two parties would be living in such a tight place as the Orbiter.

"First Nezha falling for Hildryn and now this", she told herself, "You should first see whether or not he even likes you back."

Mesa snaps, "You're right. Can't just jump the gun on this. So how do I do that?"

"When the rift did I become a love therapist?", Trinity thought, "Hmm, talk to him. Flirt with him. Try doing stuff that he likes to do alongside him."

"He likes to go hunting, I know that!", Mesa suggests.

"Well, he's not doing that anytime soon, so try something else", Trinity counters.

"Ooo, he likes to swing his sword around a lot!", Mesa says before looking at her wrist. A map of the ship pops up and a red dot appears in the secondary training room, "He's in the training room right now doing it!"

"Then you might want to get over there then", Trinity says.

"Right", Mesa says as she takes off out of the room, "Need to grab me one of those Skaal thingy! Thanks, Trinty!"

"It's a Skana and the name is Trinity!", the medic shouts back as she slumps down in her chair, "And to think the day is just beginning."

The sound of the doors opening once more draws her attention and she looks up to see Mesa peeking her head from the side.

"Yes, what is it now, Mesa?"

"Hey", she said in a meek voice that surprises the Vampire Tenno, "If I remember correctly, you said you used to have these "crushes" back in the day, right?"

"She was paying attention during all that?", Trinity thought, "Yes, I did. I was a little girl once too; what of it?"

"Well, just between us girls-"

"I'm old enough to be her mother and then some," Trinity thought.

"Is there anyone that you like now? You know, have a crush on? I mean, I rarely see you interact with anyone outside doctor stuff and whatno", Mesa wonders.

Even if she couldn't see it, Mesa could feel the glare Trinity was giving her. A mixture between fire and ice, she felt like she was in the crosshairs of a thousand Corpus sniper crewmen and she instantly knew that it probably be for the best if she vacated the premises as soon as possible.

"You might want to get moving, child", was all Trinity said.

"Okay! Bye! Got to go!", and Mesa took off down the passageway, once more leaving Trinity alone with her thoughts.

...

...

After she was sure the young Tenno was gone for good this time, Trinity gets up and makes her way over to a lock cabinet at the back of the room. After unlocking it, she reaches in and pulls out a ancient Orokin wine bottle dating back to well over five centuries ago along with a glass. It was a keepsake she found while on a sampling gathering mission in the ruins of Earth in what use to be known as the City of Paris. After running it through the ship's filters and having it declare safe by Ordis to drink, she lock it away for safekeeping, mostly because more than half of her fellow crewmembers were, in her option, too immature to be drinking. She pours herself a glass of the sparkling liquid and downs it in one gulp all the while thinking about how back in the time when she was the top doctor in the empire she wouldn't even be caught dead drinking while on the clock. But seeing that peace was a luxury nowadays, why pass up an opportunity?

"Ha", she finally says, "Me, having a crush, laughable. Crushes are for little girls who have yet to experience what a broken heart feels like."

Memories started to bombard her mind.

Memories of past lovers.

Old flings.

Her first heartbreak.

Her first divorce.

And many more memories she wish she could just forget that happen even before the incident.

All of them merge into a refine Skana blade, the likes of which she has never seen before, wielded by a warframe that look similar to Excalibur in some ways but different in the rest. It was more elegant and… pure if such a word could be used.

The sword propels itself forward toward her head, threaten to easily slice through her flimsy armor and expose her body to the harsh Mercury landscape, that is if the strike didn't kill her first.

But the blow never came.

It wasn't because Excalibur intercepted it in time.

It wasn't because Limbo transferred her to the Rift.

It wasn't even because Loki switched places with her.

It was because a big towering moron decided that she was worth taking a blade for, deep into his left shoulder.

That was too much, Lotus Directive 17.5 be damn. She almost couldn't save him from that.

And then, on top of everything he had the sheer audacity to act tough through it all to his attacker.

"Listen here, boy. I don't care if you're a prime or whatever", he said, "Ain't no one going to be hurting the lady behind me, not while I'm around, you hear?", right before he connects with a solid right Landslide punch straight into the unidentified warframe's chest, sending it flying back into a cliff.

"Damn you, Atlas. Bravado is for young men, not a old kubrow like you", she tells herself as she stares up at the ceiling and a faint smile graces her face before slowly slipping away, "Especially not for an old Kavat like me."

A/N: Well that took a turn. Also Chronically, Mesa was 19 while Chroma was 23 when the Tenno Rebellion begun.

Chapter Text

Disclaimers: I do not own Warframe.

A/N: I get that Mesa has been appearing too much and I get that I need to get back to the main story, but once I heard about the Primed Chamber's fiasco, I couldn't resist.

Primed Chamber

"Yes! Yes! I finally got it!", Mesa's voice rings out as she enters the mess hall of the Orbiter, where a number of her fellow Tenno were gathered around in various parts of the room while hugging a Gun Mod.

Most of them give her nothing more than the side-eye before returning to their business but the ever-curious Gauss decided to indulge the Gunslinger Tenno.

"Mesa, my dear lass, what is it that you finally got?", The Runner Tenno asks as he instantly appears next to her, despite being on the other side of the room a moment ago. Usually, this would have startled Mesa but she was too focus in her bliss to care. She merely holds out the mod and Gauss takes it as his cue to scan it.

"Huh, Primed Chamber: one hundred damage on the first shot in the clip", he comments, "Fascinating, though I can't say I've ever heard of this mod before."

"That's because it's the rarest, most expensive mod in the whole damn system!", Mesa squeals, "And it's finally mine! My Snipertron is going to be one-shotting Bailiffs in no time once I improve this mod!"

"I say if it's so rare and all", Gauss began, "Then where did you procure it from?"

"From Darvo on the Pluto Relay", Mesa replies.

"You mean the Orcus Relay, correct?", Gauss says.

"Whatever.", Mesa says.

Gauss shrugs at this, "Darvo, you say? The man does have a knack for finding rare items. And one more question, my dear. How much did it cost you?"

"One hundred thousand platinum", Mesa answers.

The Speed Tenno merely stood there, staring at Mesa through his helmet almost as if he was frozen in time. After a moment of awkward silence, the Marksman Tenno wave a hand in his face.

"You okay there, partner?", she asks before Gauss snap out of it and shakes his head.

"Terribly sorry there, lass. I believe I might have heard you wrong. Did you say this particular mod cause you one hundred thousand platinum?", he asks.

Mesa nods her head, "Sure did."

"Platinum? The former currency of the ancient Orokin Empire which is scattered across the entire Origin System on various planets, moons, asteroids, and ships?", Gauss further questions.

"One and the same", Mesa says.

"How were you able to gather that much platinum? I have searches entire former Orokin colonies and have been only able to gather a hundred platinum at best?"

"Well, I was stubborn and lucky. I lost a lot of sleep, I had to pay some of the other Tenno to take my watches and patrols for me so I could go exploring, and I own a lot of people favors", Mesa admitted.

"That explains why you paid me a thousand credits to take your bridge watch that one time", Gauss murmurs.

"But in the end, it was all worth it", Mesa said as she hugs the mod once more, "Soon, I'll be the deadliest shot in the system!"

"You're already that if the Grineer and Corpus' chatter we pick up is anything to go off of", Gauss points out before the doors to the mess hall open up and he spots the Water Tenno entering also with a Gun Mod in his hand.

"I say, what is that you have there, Hydroid?", Gauss asks.

The Tenno merely shrugs, "I don't know, some Gun Mod that Baro was selling on the Earth Relay."

"Strata Relay", Gauss corrects him.

"Whatever", Hydroid says, "He said that it can make me a deadlier sniper. I think it's called Primed Chamber or something."

Gauss' eyes widen behind his helmet as he hears something drop on the floor in front of him, "Oh dear."

"Anyway, he sold it to me for a mere million credits and almost three thousand ducats, chump changes really. Can you believe that?", Hydroid starts to laugh, "I thought I was ripping him off for once!"

Gauss slowly turns his head back around to look at Mesa who now was frozen in place and the Gun Mod laid on the floor at her feet.

"And the best part", Hydroid kept on, "was that he said that Darvo sold another one to some idiot a few hours ago for a hundred thousand platinum! Seriously, where do you even get a hundred thousand plat?"

"Um, Hydroid?", Gauss tries to warn him.

"I bet whoever did that must be kicking themselves in the ass for getting dupe by Darvo!", Hydroid kept laughing but stops upon hearing a voice that made his blood run cold.

"You best get running, suga."

Hydroid turns his attention to Mesa who was staring at him and notices a Gun Mod at her feet. Upon quickly scanning it, he makes an audible gulp.

"I-it was you Darvo sold the mod to, wasn't it?", he stammers.

"Yes, and like I just said, you best get running, suga", Mesa says as her Regulators Pistols flip up into her hands.

Hydroid makes a break for it, all the while screaming at the top of his lungs, "Woop, woop, woop, woop, woop!"

"Ordis!", Lotus calls to the ship's A.I. from her desk in her quarters as she hears gunshots ring throughout the ship, "What is going on? Have we been boarded?"

"Negative, Lotus. It would seem that Operator Mesa is having some kind of dispute with Operator Hydroid", he answers, "I have an incoming message from Operator Gauss who is on the scene."

A message screen pops up in front of the Lotus with Gauss on it, "Ah yes, Lotus. Terribly sorry to bother you at this time but it seems we have sort of a situation here."

"What is going on, Gauss?!", Lotus shouts.

"Ah well, you see, it would seem that Mesa got swindled by Darvo while Baro-", Gauss ducks just in time to dodge some bullets while Mesa's voice could be heard in the background.

"Get back here, you watery varmint! First I'm going to kill you, then I'm going back to Pluto to kill Darvo, and finally, I'm going to Earth to kill Baro! Afterward, all three of ya'll can be buried in the same grave for all I care! I'll dig it for ya!"

"Woop, woop, woop, woop, woop!"

"Can you get everything under control, Gauss?", Lotus asks.

"Well, that might be quite difficult seeing how Atlas, Rhino and even Hildryn are all trying to hold Mesa down but they're just getting dragged along for the ride it seems. Mesa is surprisingly strong when properly angry", Gauss answers as more bullets zip by him, "You might want to send reinforcements."

And with that, the message screen disappears.

"I am going to have a nice long talk with both Darvo and Baro when this is all said and done", Lotus said as she got up and made her way to the mess hall.

A/N: To everyone who actually bought Primed Chamber way back then, I'm truly sorry for you.

Chapter Text

Disclaimers: I do not own Warframe.

A/N: Sorry for the late release, issues came up and are just now wrapping up.

I had to change the title because I had to break up the final draft into two chapters. The second part "hopefully" soon.

Please leave a Review, Fav, or Follow if you want.

Also, I'm on Warframe as "EpicJamon" (on PC) if you want to run a mission together or whatever, so drop me an invite.

Stay safe out there in quarantine.

Memories and Conflict

"Coming in for a landing in three….two...one. Touchdown.", Ordis relays as the Mantis comes to a hovering stop at the beginning of one of the docks outside of Cetus only to upright itself to a vertical position moments later.

This instantly draws a large mass of the Ostrons, who crowd the front of the dock though they are smart and cautious enough to keep their distance from the Landing Craft.

"Excuse us. Pardon us. Step aside, please", Trinity calmly says as gently moving through the crowd, the towering Atlas moving slowly behind her, careful not to push anyone too hard out of the way as everyone else watches the towering giant in silent awe.

The pair finally make their way through the residents of Cetus and to Trinity's Landing Craft. The onboard sensors detect the Healing Tenno presence and flip the insertion body-frame outward toward her.

"Get ready to get in", she orders and the Earth Tenno looks at her for a second before turning his attention back at the insertion platform which was a couple of sizes too tiny for him.

"Ain't this a tad too small for me, Deary?", Atlas asks but Trinity says nothing as she types in something on her wrist computer.

"Patient's Identification: Operator Atlas", a voice from the landing craft says, "Reconfiguration of Landing Craft's medical equipment commencing."

The insertion platform turns back into the vehicle and Atlas could faintly hear the sound of machinery moving around.

"If I recall correctly, her Landing Craft was specialized to an almost abnormal degree", Atlas thought before turning to Trinity who was still typing something into her wrist computer, "Don't you think this is a bit much for a slight shoulder injury, Sweetie?"

The Healing Tenno stops her typing and slowly exhales for a moment before continuing, "Your opinion has been noted; I shall log it in my mission debrief."

Atlas shakes his head, "Am I doing something that bothering you, Dear?"

Trinity finally looks up from her wrist, "Well, since we're on the subject, I would appreciate it if you would stop calling me such names like "Dear" and "Sweetie". We have had this conversation multiple times in the past before and yet you still persist in it. It is highly unprofessional."

"I didn't think that what we do could be considered professional since we're not getting paid to do it", Atlas remarks.

"True as that may undoubtedly be, I have personal professional standards that I would like to maintain. I was tolerating the nicknames earlier in the control room due to the situation but now that we have a moment's peace, I feel that the matter should be address...once again", Trinity states just as her Landing Craft spoke once more.

"Reconfiguration complete."

The insertion platform turns back out and Atlas was amazed that it now seems able to fit his warframe's size.

"Now if you would be so kind, Atlas, please get in. We will discuss this manner later", Trinity says, this time with a little more edge in her voice.

The Rock Tenno once again shakes his head and moves to attach himself to the platform. Before he could he get comfortable though he is swung around into the interior compartment of the Vampire Tenno's Landing Craft.

Meanwhile, from their viewpoint atop of a cliff near the gates, Chroma and Revenant could see the entirety of the Cetus' markets and the docks on the other side of them where the trading ships came and went.

"They sure seem to be in a hurry to leave", Chroma remarks as he and Revenant observe the three Corpus merchants from earlier nearly tripping over themselves and their merchandise while trying to pack up.

"No doubt because of recent events. We think that we should go see to it that they don't escape", The Sentient Tenno replies as he moves to jump but is stopped by a hand from Chroma.

"Now wait just for a second. Let's watch them for a little while longer", Chroma suggests.

"But Trinity told us to round up the merchants", Revenant says.

"And we are, but sometimes the best part of a hunt is letting your prey think they're safe. We'll let them get closer to their ship and besides, I rather confront them outside of the market than in the middle of it", Chroma explains.

Revenant nods his head at this, "We see the logic in your approach. No doubt this will minimize civilians' causalities should this turn violent."

Chroma merely shrugs, "I guess that's one way of looking at it. What I really want is to get inside their ship. We'll probably get more information out of their computer than the merchants themselves."

Revenant turns to look at Chroma for several moments, something that did not go unnoticed by the Dragon Tenno.

"Is there something you wish to say?", he asks, never taking his eyes off the Corpus merchants.

"You are much wiser than Gara tells us that you are", Revenant answers.

Chroma tilts his head to the right, indicating his confusion at the statement, "You want to repeat that?"

"We mean no disrespect", Revenant assure him.

"Could have fooled me", Chroma counters.

"It's just that nearly everything we know about you has been told to us through mostly Gara, Lotus, and occasionally, Trinity", Revenant told him.

"Everyone's talking behind my back", Chroma thinks to himself, "And what exactly do they say about me?"

"Gara only tells us what she has heard from the others due to the lack of interaction she has had with you", Revenant replies, "But what we do know is that you're not fond with working with others and that you prefer to not only work alone but be alone as well."

Chroma shrugs at this, "You're not wrong."

"But we believe that you keep yourself isolate because you wish not to be betrayed by those you would trust, almost as if it has happened to you before", Revenant then said.

Chroma could now feel his irk rising but holds up a hand to stop any further conversation, "Seem like they're finally moving."

Both Tenno watch as the three merchants were finally making their way through the crowd, shoving anyone out of the way who were unfortunate enough to be in it.

Looking ahead of them, Chroma spots one of the Corpus' ships lowering its ramp and the merchants heading right for it.

"Let's move", the Dragon Tenno says and the two take to the skies. They soar over the canopies of the market, landing perfectly on the wooden stakes holding up the blankets roofs of the shops before once more taking off again. With movements hone by countless hours of torturous training and perfected in the heat of heavy combat, both Tenno appear behind the merchants mere seconds after leaving the cliff. Between the merchants being too preoccupied with their gear and the Tenno's silent movement, both Chroma and Revenant found themselves waiting a couple of seconds directly behind the Corpus' before making their presence known.

"You need to come with us", Chroma finally spoke, his smile conceal as all three of the Corpus drop whatever they were carrying and spun around to face them. One twisted so fast that his foot slip on the ram and he nearly fell down.

"As I said, you need to come with us for questioning", Chroma says once more.

It was an awkward moment of silence before the tallest of the Corpus straightens up and point a finger at Chroma.

"We are prominent merchants of the Ruanao Corporation, a sub-company of Fiaurs Industrial, which is headed by the second cousin of Frohd Bek himself! We do not take orders from the Tenno, especially the Defiler!", he spats.

Both Chroma and Revenant share a look before turning back to the trio.

"I'm going to give you until the count of five to change your mind", Chroma warns, "One."

"We believe you sure take Chroma up on his offer", Revenant says.

"Two."

"Now you s-s-see here! We will not be bully by the likes of you!", one of the other merchants stammers out.

"Three", Chroma kept on.

"This is a violation of the ceasefire that Cetus abides by!"

"Four", and Chroma starts to flex his fingers in anticipation.

"We did warn you", Revenant says right before he catches glimpses of light at the top of the ramp inside the cargo bay of the ship.

Chroma sees this too and his hands instantly go to his Daikyu and an arrow as it pops out from his frame. At that point, muscle memory takes over as he notches, draws, and releases in the span of half a heartbeat and the arrow fly straight toward the one of the light which subsequently disappears right before the sound of something being impaled into the bulkhead of the ship was heard.

Revenant just as fast brings his Battacor to bear and fires off at the two remaining lights and the sources of them drop to the floor.

"Revenant! Watch them! I'm going up!", Chroma barks and the Sentient Tenno trains his gun on the merchants as the dragon sped up the ramp, his bow holster on his back and Tiamat's Wrath drawn and ready. He bursts into the compartment and instantly does a three-sixty degree scan of the area, but his radar picking up no more hostiles further in the ship. He then spots the bright yellow bodies of two Sniper Crewman lying motionless on the floor next to each other, their respective Lanka held in a death grip within their hands. After verifying through his warframe's scans that they were indeed dead, he turns his attention to the only other living soul in the compartment.

Well, partially living soul as the third Sniper Crewman was skew a foot off the ground into the steel bulkhead, Chroma's arrow sticking out of his chest while his Lanka was on the floor underneath him. The Corpus struggles in vain to remove the arrow but could barely manage to lift both arms up, let alone summon the incredible strength that would be required to accomplish such a feat.

"You guys really ought to switch to a different gun. Jessie says that the Lanka has too long of a charge up time which doesn't quite make up for its power", Chroma says as he approaches, Tiamat's Wrath now hefts on his shoulder.

A moment later, the Dragon Tenno was standing in front of the dying Corpus, observing his struggles.

"Believe or not, I know exactly what you're going through. I know because I have gone through it before myself", Chroma spoke, paying no mind to the soldier's dying wheeze nor the blood now dripping out onto the floor, "The feeling of helplessness as Death's cold hands grip around your heart, not knowing whether or not each passing second is your last; like I said I've been there."

A message from Trinity flash on his HUD but ignores it for now as he continues talking.

"You get to where you're no longer begging for someone to save you. No, you reach the point where you're just praying that someone, anyone, swiftly put you out of your misery", he tells the Corpus as he began coughing and his wheeze started to get quieter as his lungs started to fill with blood.

Another notification flashes across Chroma's HUD, this time label as urgent and he decides to answer this one.

"Chroma here."

"What was that weapon discharge I heard?", she demanded.

"Revenant and I were about to take the merchants into custody near their ship when three Sniper Crewmen appear with hostile's intent", Chroma answers.

"Is the situation under control?", Trinity asks.

"All hostiles….", Chroma pauses as he watches the Sniper Crewman give his last breath and go limp, "All hostiles are down. Proceeding to search the ship and scan its computer for information before interrogating the merchants."

"Copy that", Trinity radios back to Chroma, "Ordis, how is that scan of the plains going?"

"Scan is at ninety-six percent and will be translated in a tactical map for your review", the A.I. answers.

"Good. Proceed forward", Trinity says before typing in a combination on her wrist, turning her Landing Craft horizontal until the mid-section was directly in front of her, hovering a foot off the ground.

"Medical holographic workstation uploading into Warframe", the Landing Craft A.I. states as a video uplink showing Atlas within the confines of her Landing Craft appear on her HUD along with a number of readings on the side. Upon holding her hands out, the craft A.I. simulates covering them in a digital replica outline, from her wrist to every single finger, all were encased in a blue, computerize light.

Though only Trinity could see this through her HUD. To anyone else watching, she was merely standing outside of her ship with her hands in front of her.

"Preparations are complete. Operations may commence."

"Once again I fail to see why all this is necessary. Couldn't you just heal me like you do in the field, Madam?", Atlas asks as he marvels at the extremely advanced Orokin medical technology all around him, "How does she fit in here?"

From surgical precision needles to plasma tools that could easily cut through his armor if need be, on all sides there was tech the likes of which he has only ever recently seen in the various labs on the Orbiter all neatly compact into a single Landing Craft.

It didn't help that he was surrounded by all this while being firmly locked into place by the Insertion Platform which seems to have now doubled over as an operating table.

"Your attempts to shrug off the seriousness of your wound are not commendable. You and I both know the reason why I can't", Trinity tells him through the commlink.

Contrary to popular belief and mostly only known to the Lotus and the Tenno, Trinity's healing abilities weren't as miraculous as some would believe. She could clot bleeding as long as it wasn't from more than two major arteries, mend mild bone fractures, purge certain doses of poison from the body, resuscitate the heart to a degree, and could even rapidly-produce red blood cells within a target for a span of time, thus keeping them alive longer and not having them die from blood loss.

All and all, her abilities weren't all that different from the Orokin healing agents found within the med-kits that they took into battle. The only difference between them being that her abilities weren't as limited as the number of kits you could carry into combat and you didn't have to stop in the middle of a battle to utilize her powers. In fact, other Tenno such as Wisp, Nychta, Oberon, and even Chroma's flames to an extend, could be relied upon depending on the situation.

Unfortunately, anything beyond the capabilities of Trinity's powers or a med-kit require an advanced medical station and if a Tenno's health was in a dire situation. Also, while Trinity wasn't one to brag, her Landing Craft was no doubt the most technologically advanced active medical facility in the system outside of the Orbiter's Med Lab, even coming equipped with half a dozen Orokin medical Drones that the ship could release with just a command from the Healing Tenno.

But even with access to such equipment, certain wounds had to heal naturally over time and be check-up on occasionally and Atlas' shoulder was one such injury.

"I'm just saying that I can move just fine, my lady", Atlas replies.

"Hold still", Trinity orders him, "I'm removing your chest plate."

Atlas lets out an audible sigh, "Fine."

Trinity flexes her fingers and goes to work. The confines of her Landing Craft come alive and dozens of instruments spring to life and make their way toward the Earth Tenno. His vision was full of needles, cutting tools, pincers, and pliers; all eagerly awaiting the signal to take off his armored second skin.

"Do you require temporary sedation?", Trinity asks, "I'm aware that the environment that you're in can seem... unnerving to some."

"No, no, I'm just fine. Just don't do something that you can't fix", Atlas answers.

"Understood. Proceeding then", Trinity states as she flicks her index finger, communicating to the removal instruments to begin their process. A data link is established between Atlas' Warframe and overrides his suit's disengagement locks for his chest plate and pressure steam is exhumed out from this section. The links come apart down the middle of his chest, stopping just short of his waist and four surgical magnetic outlets come down and attach themselves to his left plate. They then simply lifted up, taking the chest plate segment with them and exposing half of the rugged muscular bare chest of the Rock Tenno to the outside world.

From the screen displaying within Trinity's helmet, she instantly zooms in on Atlas' left shoulder where a deep cut, just inches away from his neck. It was five inches in length, half an inch wide, and its at least an inch in depth.

"Hmmm", Trinity says as she examines the wound with a keen eye through the magnifying tool that was currently hovering above Atlas, "A number of your stitches seem to have broken and your wound has reopened a little. What exactly were you doing on your mission?"

"Attacking Vay Hek's 2nd Fleet flagship and sabotaging its core. Ran into a squad of Bombards that caught me off-guard, they got me pretty good", Atlas tells her, a little on edge about the contractions moving sporadically over his body.

He never really like those "proper" doctors all that much. It was mostly because of his upbringing that he didn't interact with them much. The slums of Europa where he grew up at had, at best, one doctor for every three thousand people who live there and even the cheapest ones cost two or three paychecks just to fix up a minor injury. The medical "professional" that he and his family always saw were the back-alley doctors, the ones that either drop out of med school or were the assistants to actual doctors and pick up some of their knowledge while working for them. It was until the Zariman Ten Zero that Atlas was treated by his first true doctor.

"I'm going to restitch your wound, this time with double the thread strength. When this whole fiasco is done, I'm recommending you for a one week mandatory rest time on the Orbiter to give the stitches time to settle in", Trinity explains as her fingers enact a number of frantic but very coordinated maneuvers which were mimic inside the Landing Craft by the frantic movement of the instruments. An attachment with two needles in a prone position along with a medical thread attachment center themselves just above his wound. Soon two more similar contraptions appear from either his sides, the one on his right was sporting a syringe while the left side had a nozzle attachment on it.

From the nozzle, a blue mist was sprayed on his wound and a slight burn sensation erupted from it causing even the Rock Tenno to wince a little at the pain.

"I'm coating the wound in disinfection as a precaution. Do you want some anesthetic as well?", Trinity asks. While normally this would be a standard procedure regardless of what the patient wants, the supplies on her Landing Craft were limited so whenever she had to do field surgery, she tries to ration out what she could. Not to mention with the overall supply even on the Orbiter being down to about seventy percent and between raiding Orokin Derelicts crawling with Infested and Darvo supplying them with his own secret stash, the task of resupplying was getting dangerous and expensive.

"I think I'm good", Atlas answers.

"Very well then", Trinity says as she withdraws the syringe, "I will begin."

And without further ado, Trinity's fingertips once more began to tap and spin feverishly and the needles go to work, sealing the wound at an impressive speed.

"You know", Atlas began, "This isn't the first time you treated me."

"I am well aware of the origin of this wound, it happened barely a month ago. Now please be quiet, this is delicate work and I need to focus here", Trinity says while observing her work with a significantly enhanced zoom.

"Nah, I meant before that", Atlas kept on.

"Your injuries from your battle with the Grusrtrag Three barely warranted my attention. Wisp mainly saw to you while I just gave you a check-up", Trinity says, "Now I'll say again, please keep your comments to yourself."

"You treated me back on the Zariman Ten Zero."

Everything within the Landing Craft comes to a halt, the stitching evening stopping in the middle of its process. Everything with the vehicle was as silent as the vastness of space.

"Trinity? Madam?", Atlas calls out to the Healer Tenno.

…

…

…

"Explain", Trinity finally says, "I do not recall this."

"Make sense. It's probably a missing memory and it was a brief moment", Atlas began, "There was an incident with some of the machinery me and my guys were bringing with us to help build the Emperor's new palace after his Grand Parade. Anyway, apparently one of my guys was getting a little too friendly with you and I had to step in."

Trinity searches the confides of her shattered memories, trying her hardest to piece together some semblance of a puzzle to match up with the event that Atlas spoke of. She remembers her office on the Zariman Ten Zero, the spotless white floors, and ceilings, fill to the brim with the latest in Orokin medical technology. From the highest of nobles to the lowest of primitive nomad tribes, she treated them all during the ship's voyage.

But she couldn't remember…

"Wait", she thought as she stops on an echo in the farthest corners of her mind, a missing segment that has long been buried.

Shattered Flashback

There was a burly giant of a man, staying behind another man who was barely taller than Trinity. The larger man's arm was wrapped around the other man's neck and he was providing pressure to it; not choking him but just enough to freeze him up, his eyes expression a strong sense of dread.

"The good lady was trying to fix you up, Jamusa. You should treat her with respect. Now you're going to leave now and I'm going to have a talk with you later ", the giant says in a slow voice and then lets him go, grabbing his shoulder and pulling the man behind him before shoving him away afterward. A glare from the titan makes the man scrambles out of the ward and down the hall, leaving the doctor alone with the towering wall of flesh.

End of Flashback

"Trinity. Trinity!", a voice brings her back to the present and she sees that Chroma is radioing her over the comm channel.

"What is it?", she asks while mentally berating herself for getting lost in her thoughts at such a time.

"I found something on the ship's computer that you might want to see and Ordis is done with his mapping of the plains", the dragon reports.

"Copy that. We'll meet up at the gate when we're through here", Trinity replies.

"See you there", Chroma says before cutting off, leaving Trinity once again alone with her thoughts.

"Everything okay th-ack!", Atlas started before being interrupted by the stitching instrument once more continuing its procedure.

"We'll be done in just a moment", Trinity tells him.

"Are you sure you're okay?", Atlas asks only for the syringe on his right to move up in front of his face a moment later.

"If you once again attempt to break my concentration then I will be force to sedate you, understood?"

"Hear you loud and clear, Trinity", came the answer from the Mountain Tenno.

"At least you stop with the nicknames for now."

Jupiter Relay

A crowd has gathered outside of the entrance of the conclave with representatives from all six syndicate as well as the Preservers Guild that operated and maintain the relays forming a crescent moon behind the Lotus. To the Lotus mild surprise, even Darvo, Clem, and the ever peculiar Baro Ki'Teer were there among the flock. The sounds of swords clashing could clearly be heard through the doors and despite the hostility between a number of the assembly groups, all were too focus on what was going on behind the doors to commence any aggressive actions.

Excalibur and Teshin have clashed before in the past on the relay, everyone knew that it was their standard greeting rituals, but it has never gone on this long or was this fierce.

"Lotus", a grave voice calls from behind her and she turns to see an elderly Preserver flank on both sides by at least a dozens guard, approaching her, their presence making even the ruthless Red Veil members partway for them. The man in the middle was using an Orokin staff to aid in his walking and unlike the other Preservers, he wasn't wearing a helmet so Lotus could see the aged and pale face along with his faded blue eyes and silver hair.

"Grand Maintainer Furaon", she nods, acknowledging his rank and status as the undisputed master of this relay. It was his authority and the authority of his counterparts on the other relays that kept the peace between the syndicates and maintain their neutrality in their petty squabbles onboard the ancient Orokin structures, "To what do I owe the honor?"

"I have come to see what has been causing such restlessness in my home", he answers, "I hope a rift has not formed between you and Master Teshin."

"Almost forgot there was one more person that kept the syndicates in line on this relay seeing how his Conclave is used to "peacefully" settled disputes between them.", Lotus thought before speaking, "I assure you, Grand Maintainer Furaon, no such division has occurred between us. As I suspect you are aware, this is apparently the standard greeting between Excalibur and Teshin. It has just gone on a little longer than usual."

Furaon slowly brings his hand to his chin and nods, "True, in the past, they have exchange greeting in this most peculiar way, but I can't help but sense that there is something more behind it."

Meanwhile...

"Damn it! He hasn't slowed down one bit and we been at it for at least two hours now!", Excalibur thought as he ducks out of the way of a slash, but has no time to counter for as soon as he regains his balance he was forced to bring his Dragon Nikana up to block Teshin own Nikana and the Sword Tenno finds himself back against the wall as they lock blades.

"Is that hesitation in your step? Are you allowing your thoughts to cloud your mind even in the midst of combat?", the master of the Conclave asks as he presses Excalibur some more before the Alpha Tenno is able to push Teshin back with his superior strength and flip over him, landing up the stairs from him.

The field leader of the Tenno raises his sword into the air and calls forth Radial Blind and a bright light emits from his sword, Teshin is forced to shield his eyes. This creates an opening that Excalibur spots and sought to exploit to his full advantage. He re-sheathe his Dragon Nikana and sprinted at the still blind Dax soldier, unleashing his sword once again as he got closer and hoping the power and momentum behind it would be enough to end this fight.

CLANK!

"Have you forgot, Armis Uynanda, that I can see with more than just my eyes?", Teshin says as he effortlessly blocks Excalibur's strike even without seeing it.

The Alpha Tenno flips backward and puts a couple of yards between him and the master swordsman, his Nikana in front of him.

"How...How do you know my name?", he asks and for good reason. Only five people knew his real name, the Lotus, Nyx, Trinity, Chroma, and Ordis, who doesn't actually count as a person but that was a debate for another time.

"I know a great many things about you, the first-born son of Forti Uynanda and Pulchra Uynanda", Teshin answers.

Excalibur nearly drops his sword, "You knew my parents?"

"Knew them? Ha! Boy, I serve alongside your father on the battlefield! He was one of the greatest general the Orokin Empire ever knew and one of the few men to ever earn my full respect, something that not even the emperor could do!", Teshin declare.

Excalibur couldn't believe this. All that he and Nyx remember about their father is that he was a high-ranking general and they remember even less about their mother.

"Tell me about him", he says without thinking.

"Don't run headlong into the flames, Armis", Teshin says, "You didn't come here to learn about your past if I recall correctly."

Excalibur finds himself looking down at the floor in shame as he realizes that the Dax soldier was right.

"No, you came here to learn about the Prime that attacks you on Mercury and this Stalker individual that has been assaulting your comrades across the stars", Teshin kept going.

Excalibur tenses up, "How do you already know about all that?"

"I have eyes and ears all over the system, Tenno. I've been around since the empire fell and have established quite the information network", Teshin replies, "One that is on par with Darvo himself."

"We're going to have to have a discussion about this at another time", Excalibur states, "But what can you tell me about them?"

"I can tell you a great deal about them", Teshin answers, "But I won't."

"What?", the Tenno seethes.

Teshin "Calm yourself, Tenno, you misunderstand my words. What I mean to say is that I won't tell you everything."

"I don't have time for games", Excalibur says.

"Nor do I have time to play them", Teshin counters as he holds up three fingers, "From where I stand you wish to learn three things from me: your past, the Prime, and the Stalker. Such information is not given freely and therefore shall come at a price."

"I never have known you to have a need for credits", Excalibur points out.

"I do not require currency for I have no need for it", Teshin counters, "I will only give you the information on one of these things you seek, nothing more. In exchange, I ask for one favor that will be granted to me at the time of my choosing. Swear to me that you will fulfill this promise or else leave here with nothing", Teshin declares.

"And what promise do you want me to keep?", Excalibur questions.

"That is for me to know and for you to fulfill at the time I choose to invoke it, now make your choice", Teshin starts, "And believe me, I would be giving you more information than the Lotus ever will."

"What's that suppose to me?", Excalibur questions.

"In due time, Armis, in due time. Now chose; leave here full of knowledge or empty-handed?"

A heavy sense of uneasiness swell up his chest but Excalibur pushes it away, "Very well, I will keep this mysterious promise to you as long as it doesn't endanger the Lotus or my comrades."

"No more than the dangers you willingly put yourself in on a daily basis, I assure you", Teshin says, "But first you much show me that you have what it takes to gain such knowledge."

"Don't worry, I will", Excalibur boasts.

"Hmph,", Teshin says, as he reverses the grip on his Nikana.

"Blind Justice", Excalibur points out, "The same stance you used against me on that eventful day."

"At least you remember that, Tenno!", Teshin shouts as he dashes toward him, "Blind Justice Style: Heeding Call!"

Excalibur narrowly dodges the kick to his face and brings his own Dragon Nikana just in time to block the powerful downward slash from, though he was brought down to a knee in the process.

"Arrgh!", he lets out as he pushes the blade to the side and switches directions to come down on Teshin's left, only for the Dax soldier to jump away at the last moment and the Dragon Nikana ends up striking the floor.

"Decisive Judgement!", Excalibur proclaims as he now grips the hilt of his blade with both hands and charges, scrapping the Nikana along the ground as he zooms over to Teshin just before he hit the ground while channeling his energy into it.

"Decisive Judgement: Swift Retribution!", as he prepares to strike the Dax while he was still in mid-air.

"Such arrogance!", Teshin shouts as he grabs his Orvius attach to his belt and flings it at the ground. It bounces off and goes underneath the Tenno's guard, striking him directly in the gut and forcing him back a couple of inches before returning to the ancient sword master's hand.

"Arrgh!", Excalibur lets out once more as he finds himself clutching his gut while still pointing his sword at Teshin, "I thought our fights were swords only!"

"This is not one of our usual fights, Tenno. You should have realized that the moment you drew your blade", Teshin tells him.

Excalibur regards the Master of the Conclave for a moment before speaking, "Are you telling me to hold nothing back?"

"It would be unwise if you did", Teshin states.

"Very well then", the Sword Tenno says as he recovers and sheathes his sword, "I'll come at you with everything I got."

Outside of the conclave, Lotus felt an unfamiliar feeling wash over her and was unsure what to make of it.

"Ordis", she calls.

"Yes, Lotus?"

"Give me a status check on Excalibur", she orders.

"Right away, Lotus. Coming up now".

Operator  E xcalibur's  Status Check:

Shields: Green

Vital Signs: Green

Armor: Green

Energy: Fully Charged

Energy Siphon Mod Install

Operator  Excalibur's  Weapons Check

Dragon  Nikana  Status: Green

Aklato  Status: Green

B raton  Status: Green

"He seems to be holding up pretty well despite the opponent he has been facing for such a long time, but why is Teshin acting like this?", she wonders, "I'm fully aware of his hostility toward me, but why Excalibur?" right before the sounds of gunfire erupts from the other side of the door, "Seriously?! Are you kidding me?!"

The dual Latos let loose their rounds at the Dax as Excalibur jumps upward to get the advantage, latching onto the walls and raining down upon his target.

With movements that only a fellow Dax or Tenno could track, Teshin slashes the air in front of him, slicing the bullets in half and creating a pile of them appear in front of him on the floor.

Excalibur switches up tactics and swaps to his Braton, unleashing a spray of automatic fire. Teshin evades this by jumping backward and once more flings his Orvius directly at the Alpha Tenno, the disc effortlessly cutting any bullets in its path to pieces all without losing momentum. The Orvius crashes into the Braton, nearly cleaving it half and forcing Excalibur to throw the weapon to the ground and switch back to his dual Latos.

"At least he can't use that disc anymore", he thought as he leaps across to the other side of the room, spraying Teshin but notices something odd while doing so. While Teshin was deflecting the bullets with his sword in one hand, his other was reach out toward where the discarded Braton laid, the Orvius strongly fixed into its frame.

Excalibur was so baffled by this gesture that he actually stop firing on Teshin, "What is he doing?"

"Never lax in the heat of battle, boy!", Teshin shouts as right before the Orvius take off through the air toward his hand, the Tenno assault-rifle in tow. As soon as the disc reaches the Dax soldier's hand, he flings it behind his shoulder while still holding it, separating it from the Braton and the gun goes crashing into the rocks behind him.

"You still have much to learn!", Teshin declares as he readies himself for another round.

Excalibur in response drops off the wall and lands down the stairs from Teshin.

Silently, he holsters his Aklato and draws his Dragon Nikana once more.

"Hmm, shall we go again with our blades? I thought you said you would come after me with everything you got", Teshin asks, "It would seem you have learned nothing over our past encounters."

"I still have no idea why you're doing this, Teshin, but I'll make you regret those words.", Excalibur says before taking the Nikana and stabbing into the ground in front of him, prompting the Dax swordsman to raise an eyebrow. Before anything could be said, Excalibur brings both of his hands together and quickly pulls them apart, focusing his energy while doing so. The room becomes significantly brighter as a radiating blade of pure light materializes in Excalibur's hand, the power coming off so potent that even the Lotus and the others on the other side of the door could feel it.

"Exalted Blade!", Excalibur booms.

"Oh?", was all Teshin says to this, "It seems you have finally gotten serious."

Excalibur stays silent as he takes his Dragon Nikana out of the ground and takes up a dual-wielding stance, with his Exalted Blade over his head with his right hand while he pointed his Dragon Nikana at Teshin with his left.

"I take back what I said. It seems you have learned a trick or two", Teshin says.

"You know me, I'm always open to new ideas", Excalibur replies.

"Very well then, now let's just see how long you can keep this unique style of yours up", the Conclave master says as he jumps at Swordsman Tenno, the Orvius in one hand ready to throw with a drawn Nikana in the other ready to strike.

A/N: Second Chapter up soon hopefully.

I can't help but think that Atlas' nicknames for Trinity rub some people the wrong way. He means no disrespect by it, everyone has a nickname even the Lotus.

P.S. This is Exalted Blade before the nerf, so it's pure energy.

P.S.S. The Relays are run by the Preservers Guild (those NPC on the relays) and each relay is autonomous to one another where the Grand Maintainer holds supreme power, though there's a council of them that passes laws and stuff. If a syndicate is kicked off one relay, its kicked off all the others, so they why they keep their squabbles to themselves.

Chapter Text

Disclaimers: I do not own Warframe

A/N: You thought it was another preview but it was me, a full chapter! This is the first of three updates after I had to split a 12000-word rough draft. Enjoy.

Please leave a review, follow, or fav if you want.

If you're a fan of Fairy Tail, check out my stories like The Wild Master and Elemental Spirit Mage.

Lies, Schemes, and Deceits

"What the hell is going on here?", a voice boom and Lotus turn to it only to mentally groan upon seeing who belongs to.

"Oh please, not now."

"Make way, please, if you don't mind", a more soothing voice calls out from the crowds, and the Lotus instantly realizes where that unfamiliar feeling from earlier came from. It was probably the same feeling people got when they felt like they were about to be in the middle of a warzone.

And it seems that this packed passageway was about to become just that as the brash and vulgar leader of Steel Meridian, Cressa Tal, appear from one end of the corridor while the elegant and graceful leader of New Loka, Amaryn, appear from the other across the way, both of them flank by members of their respective syndicate, though unarmed as per the laws of the relay.

"What are the insurmountable odds of both of them being on this very relay at the same time?", Lotus wonders.

The two leaders immediately spot one another and lock eyes and for one tense moment, all was quiet as there weren't even any sounds of fighting coming from within Conclave. Not even Grand Maintainer Furaon spoke, though the Lotus did see him signal his guards to be ready.

As if in sync both leaders started walking toward each other, Cressa Tal's heavy footsteps echoing throughout the hall while Amaryn's couldn't even be heard. They met in the middle and proceed to have an intense stare-off with one another, their operatives keeping a distance behind them while keeping an eye on their counterparts.

The Lotus briefly turns her gaze to the other syndicates present, watching them whisper amongst themselves no doubting wondering how they could exploit the results of this confrontation to their own benefits and preparing to relay the entire incident to their leaders once it was over.

"They're more at war with each other than they are with Grineer or Corpus, they're just not as open about it", Lotus told herself.

Finally, after what seems like an eternity, Amaryn spoke.

"Cressa Tal, I did not expect to see you so soon. I thought you would still be seeing to your wounded and rebuilding your numbers after the unfortunate losses you suffered on Mercury", Amaryn said in her sweeten voice, a voice that even the Lotus would admit grinds her nerves whenever she heard it.

Cressa Tal clenches her fist, clearly signaling to all that were present that she was seriously contemplating breaking the non-violence rule of the relay.

"Cut the crap, Amaryn! You and I both know that as soon as you got the news of what happened you were leaping for joy!", Cressa Tal accuses her.

Amaryn puts her hand over her mouth in shock, though the Lotus could easily tell it was all for show.

"Why Cressa Tal, I am appalled that you think I am capable of such barbaric behavior! Our organizations may have never exactly seen eye-to-eye, but I would never wish such misfortune on you!", Amaryn states, "As a matter of fact, I am willing to send over medical supplies to help supplement your own limited supply, but at a reasonable cost of course."

"You got some nerve trying to sell me back the supplies that your operatives stole from one of my outposts!", Cressa Tal hisses.

Amaryn tilts her head while placing a finger on her chin, "I do recall receiving word that one of your bases had a rash of theft recently but if I remember correctly, none of my people were in that area of the system at the time"

"None of your people that you're willing to acknowledge, you bitch!", Cressa Tal curses as she looks like she was going to wring Amaryn's neck only for Grand Maintainer Furaon bangs his staff on the ground, quickly reminded her just exactly where she was. The Preservers guards raising their weapons up may have affirmed his actions as well.

The Steel Meridian leader quickly composes herself and goes back to her staring match with Amaryn.

"You know, it's funny how you're so "concern" about the state of Steel Meridian when New Loka is still recovering from the "major setback" you had a while ago when you lost one of your major bases on Earth. You know which one I'm talking about, right? It was when Vay Hek launched that little offensive of his. From what I heard, you even left some people behind while evacuating.", Cressa Tal counter and for a moment, Amaryn's expression contorts to one of anger and rage before resetting back to the calm demeanor she was known for.

"That little incident was unfortunate but nothing New Loka cannot recover from in due time once we gather our forces.", Amaryn says, "Soon we will take back our base on the homeworld of humanity."

Cressa Tal laughs at this, "That's funny, Steel Meridian is doing the exact same thing. Once I get enough men, we're going to take back one of our bases on Earth as well just to show everyone that while we may be down, we are definitely not out."

"I sure hope that the Grineer and the Corpus ever get around to planning spies within the syndicates. They just throw out top-secret information all through these halls left and right", Lotus told herself.

It was at that moment that both leaders spare a glance at the Lotus before turning away and leaving the area through the respective ways they came without saying another word to each other and once more the sounds of swords clashing could be heard in the Conclave.

A few minutes later, Lotus received a private message from both Steel Meridian and New Loka asking if she could lend them a full squad of Tenno to aid them in the very operations they were just talking about.

"Would it kill them to work together once and a while?", Lotus thought before shaking her head, "Oh that's right, syndicates working together is what led to the first, second, and fifth Syndicate War."

Lotus pauses after this though. Who was she kidding? Those conflicts may have been started by those reasons but the third and fourth were cause by one group becoming too powerful and waging war on the others.

Which was exactly what Steel Meridian was starting to do and that was the secondary reason why they were chosen for the assault against Vor. While yes, Cressa Tal and her men were a thorn in the empire's side and that alone guarantee that Vor would have fallen for the bait of them assaulting his outpost, the truth of the manner was that this certain syndicate was simply getting too powerful for their own good, surpassing the might and influence of all the others, especially New Loka and Red Veil.

The Lotus knew Cressa Tal would send her best men, her core veterans, and she knew that they would take significant causalities seeing how she purposely told Cressa Tal the wrong information regarding the overall strength of the Grineer troops at the outpost, the type of troops there, and their base defenses. She was counting on at least a third of the attacking Steel Meridian's force being wiped out by the time Vor was killed and thus restoring the balance between the six groups.

What she wasn't expecting was Cressa Tal attacking early without her knowledge, leading the attack herself, or the new players entering the field. Steel Meridian lost more troops than planned, at least eighty percent, and took a big dive in their reputation as well. They also have been suffering greatly in the offensives Vor has been launching against them.

So now instead of them coming back down to the same level as all the others, they were now at the bottom and in danger of being on the losing side of any potential future conflict.

This was extremely bad news because the Lotus relied on Steel Meridian to be another source of intel regarding the Grineer and their operations due to the defectors coming to them. If they were taken out by either another syndicate or worse, one of the major factions, it would be a massive hit in the Tenno intelligence field.

"Perhaps it would be best if I only aided Steel Meridian for the time being to get them back up to strength and inform the others like New Loka that I can't spare anyone. That should even out the playing field. The system can't afford an eighth Syndicate War right now", Lotus told herself right before going back to listening to Excalibur and Tenshin go at it.

Back on Cetus

Not long after Trinity was done treating Atlas, the four Tenno found themselves standing on the other side of the last gate that separated them from the Plains of Eidolon listening carefully to the Infested pound away at it. Thanks to the enhanced hearing within the warframe suits, they could pick up every scratch and bodyslam that the horde was inflicting on the Orokin built structure.

"Ordis, bring up the recon video", Trinity orders.

Inside each of their helmets a screen pop-up showing a vast ocean of diseased skin, teeth, and claws. It stretches almost a quarter-mile from the gate and growing as groups varying in sizes kept arriving bit by bit. All the plant life in the area had been uprooted and even the large rocks have been reduced to pebbles by the horde.

"Show us where they are coming from", Trinity says.

"At once", Ordis replies.

Another moment of silence before a screen showing a clearing not far from the center of the plains and in it was something Chroma and the others could only consider an abomination of nature. It had a disgusting reddish-orange color to it and to the Healer Tenno, it perfectly resembles the cyst that those hit by the Technocytes strain would show on their skin prior to mutating into one of the Infested. The boil itself was half the size of the Orbiter and every few seconds from the confides of diseased form, at least a dozen Infested creatures emerged from it. Upon entering the plains, the group immediately set out towards the gates, adding their numbers to the already massive horde.

"So far the Grineer forces in the area have yet to engage the Infested, instead opted to hold up in their forts across the plains. While small groups of Infested have attacked these forts, the main body has simply ignored them", Ordis commented.

"Why attack the Grineer when there is easier prey nearby?", Chroma says.

"That would suggest that they have a higher intelligence then we previously thought", Trinity said.

"Maybe they do", Revenant spoke up, "While we were asleep, the Infested continue to live, grew, and change. Perhaps they have gained a higher level of sentience in the time since the Old War. Take the one call Nidus for example. He has shown that the Infested strain can indeed evolve and adapt."

"But he's human, like yourself, despite some of the…unique features he has", Trinity says while remembering back to all the medicinal exams she had to do on the Infested Tenno.

"Like how the Infested don't attack him whenever he's nearby?", Atlas states, recalling the team mission he did with the Nidus right before the Mercury assault. They were task with clearing out a ship crawling with Infested before it got too close to the colony and most of the legwork was done by the Rock Tenno while Nidus simply kept the creatures at bay just by holding a hand out.

"Exactly", Trinity answers, "The Lotus has even said that if we could somehow track the full extent of the Infested within the Origin System, we would use Nidus to eradicate them all."

"I believe we should leave this sort of stuff to people like Gauss and such, plus we're getting off-topic", Chroma interjects, "The point is that the Infested are focusing all their efforts into taking Cetus and it's only a matter of time before they do unless something is done."

Before anyone could comment, the sound of someone approaching behind them draws their attention and they all turn to see the leader of Cetus heading toward them with Saya at his side.

"How bad is it, Tenno? Can my people ever go back onto the plains?", Konzu asks but was answer with silence.

"Atlas", Trinity simply says after a moment as she walks away toward the other end of the hall leaving the Rock Tenno with the Ostron Chieftain and his significant other.

Atlas immediately turns his full attention to the elderly man, "Don't worry, Konzu. It's nothing we can't handle. We just have to make sure every possibility is cover when we enact our attack plan. Can't be making any mistake now, can we?"

Konzu places a hand over his heart, "My friend, you have no idea how much that calms my soul knowing that this blight will soon be rid of. I was right in putting my faith in you and your comrades."

Atlas chuckles, "Don't worry, everything is under control. Hey, stop me if you heard this one before."

Chroma let out a quiet groan for what was about to come next.

"Why can't eggs tell jokes?", Atlas asks.

Konzu ponders the question in his head for a moment, thinking hard on the possible answers.

Finally, he gives up, "Why can't eggs tell jokes?"

"Because they crack each other up!", Atlas answers and Konzu began to howl with laughter while a slightly less amuse Saya merely rolls her eyes, not knowing that Chroma was mimicking her actions. Meanwhile, Revenant simply looks back and forth between the assembled group.

"We were not aware that eggs could communicate with one another."

Once she was a good distance away from the other, Trinity attempt to establish a channel with the Tenno leadership, "Ordis, connect me with the Lotus."

"At once, Operator Trinity."

After waiting for a few moments a voice was heard on the other end of the connection.

"I hope that this call is to tell me that the Infested problem in the plains has been taken care of", the Lotus says in a whisper.

"Actually, there have been a few complications. The horde is significantly larger than anticipated and their primary focus is no doubt Cetus. At this moment, they're being held back by the gates but we can't hope to eliminate them without extra firepower", Trinity reports, "I'm calling to request-"

CLANK!

"That was definitely the sound of swords clashing. So I wasn't just hearing these then. But that was almost two hours ago since I last call", Trinity tells herself, "Forgive me, Lotus, but what is going over there?"

"Excalibur is in a….meeting with Teshin regarding some possible intelligence he may have", the Lotus admits, "But back to the manner at hand, will you be able to get rid of the Infested?"

"Not without reinforcements", Trinity before checking the Landing Craft Docking rosters for the Orbiter to see who was on the ship right now, "It seems that Zephyr is currently onboard at this moment, With your permission, I like to have her redirect here to Cetus."

"Deny."

"I beg your pardon", Trinity replies, taken back by the abruptness of the Lotus' answer.

"Zephyr is on a mission that could turn the tide of battle in our favor. She, along with everyone else, is unable to aid you at this moment.", Lotus states.

"But this is a matter of Cetus' safety we're talking about here", Trinity says, trying to keep her voice down.

"I realize that which is why I letting Atlas stay attach to your team despite the fact that he was scheduled to aid Gara and Rhino in another sabotage mission. I am confident that you will be able to handle this with the squad you have available. You have two of the most armored Tenno with you and Chroma is also an expert in dealing with the Infested should he be needed.", Lotus explains.

"But Lotus-", Trinity tries to say.

"It would seem that all you need to do is make sure that the Infested don't get into Cetus, something that has already been accomplished through the gates keeping them in the plains", Lotus points out, "Rest assured, I will send all available Tenno as they free up to Cetus to aid in the extermination of the Infested, especially Nidus. But be aware that this could take at least two days depending on the current situation throughout the system. But for now, you just need to hold your current position and monitor the situation."

Trinity bites her tongue, struggling to hold back the rant she so desperately wanted to let go. This wasn't the first time the Lotus has made her job more difficult than it needed to be. The last time she did this wasn't more than a month ago when she started sending Atlas back out on missions with a wounded shoulder despite her highly recommending that he get some downtime even after it healed. This did the fact that she hasn't overridden Chroma's lockdown all the more baffling though.

"I have complete faith that you will be able to keep control of the situation. The people of Cetus are depending on you, Trinity.", Lotus said just before cutting out.

The Healer Tenno takes a deep breath before turning around and heading back to the group, her mood greatly sour now. Luckily, Konzu and Saya were leaving, allowing Trinity to relay the news to the others without having to worry the elderly couple and by extension, the rest of the Ostrons.

Once she got to the others, she quickly moves to lay out what she was just told.

"We heard everything", Chroma says before Trinity could even get a word out, "You left the commlink open on a one-way channel."

The Vampire Tenno exhales sharply, once more cursing herself for making such a slip-up, especially seeing how she was going to relay the news to them in a more positive manner.

"This whole day has been one giant mess", she thought before addressing them, "We're on our own."

"I would have known that without even listening in on the conversation just by the way you walk over here", Chroma states, "Though I do find it a little odd that Zephyr is back at the Orbiter now and can't come to aid us. "

Underneath her helmet Trinity throws the dragon a baffled look, "Odd how?"

Chroma shrugs, "During my lockdown, if I wasn't talking to you, meditating, or training with Jessie, I was doing mission control for the others to help pass the time despite the fact that Ordis does that himself."

Atlas and Revenant both turn to look at each, both of them wondering who exactly "Jessie" was but neither decide to comment.

"Are you saying that Zephyr never came back to the Orbiter during your lockdown?", Trinity asks, trying to recall the last time she talked to the Air Tenno and realizes that it was right before they launch the Mercury assassination mission.

"Her tracking log just kept saying "in-transit" the whole time I was on the bridge and whenever I try to hail her she just briefly answer and say "Busy right now" before cutting off.", Chroma says.

Trinity narrows her eyes at this bit of information. Something wasn't sitting right with this situation regarding Zephyr and she would have to question the Lotus and Excalibur about this the next chance she had. But for now, there were more pressing matters to deal with.

"Anyway, we are to hold our position and wait for the others to join us", she explains.

"That shouldn't be so hard. The door should easily hold them back and with a combine-", Chroma started before trailing as he spots Atlas steadily holding up a hand, signaling him to stop, "What is it?"

"It looks like Therapy Boy has something on his mind", Atlas says, nodding toward Revenant whose head was shifting between different directions while mumbling to himself.

"Is everything okay?", Trinity asks.

Revenant stops moving his head and looks down at the ground, "We just remember that there are a number of caves that lead out of the plains."

….

Trinity slowly takes a deep breath and exhales even slower, "Why didn't you say something about this earlier?"

"We just found the memory of the caves within our mind that show us how we have explored them to see where they led to", Revenant explains.

"And why wasn't this reported?", Atlas asks.

"We did not see the importance of it for the caves weren't large enough for the Eidolons to get through", Revenant answers.

"That is still highly irresponsible, even for you, Revenant! Innocent lives are at stake here and you're just now coming with us with this information!", Trinity states, her irritation, along with her voice, now rising.

"They were always in danger so this doesn't change a thing and Revenant isn't in the wrong for not reporting the caves.", Chroma spoke up, causing both Atlas and Trinity to turn their attention to him.

"Say again, Dragon Boy", the Rock Tenno says.

"Up until yesterday, there were never any reports of the Infested even being in this part of the system. They were confined to either Eris or Orokin derelicts that are mostly found near the Void", Chroma says, "And it's not like the Grineer or the Corpus need to use the caves to get out of the valley and like Revenant said, the Ediolons are too big to use them."

Both Trinity and Atlas look at each other for a moment before going back to Chroma.

"What matters now is that these caves have now become a problem due to a new enemy showing up that we didn't plan for and it's our job to deal with it", Chroma finishes.

Trinity shakes her head, "You're right. We need to come up with a plan to deal with this. Either seal up all the caves-"

"At last count, we found four of them and those are only the ones that led out to the outskirts of Cetus themselves", Revenant points out.

"Or we need to get rid of the boil. Seeing how all the Infested in the valley have originated from it, perhaps it is something akin to a local hive mind and destroying it will disrupt them."

"That's a big gamble and that's not even counting whether or now we can even get to it", Atlas points out as he throws a thumb to the gate, "That's a lot of Infested to fight through out there."

"Indeed it is", Trinity says before a thought occurs to her. She then turns her attention to the Dragon Tenno.

"Is there something you need of me?", he asks.

"What did you find out from the Corpus?"

"Well, I learn that they smuggled a whole team of Elite Crewmen with Snipers as back-up to open the gates to the plains and let the horde in. They used the attention we drew when we landed as a cover to sneak in", Chroma answered.

Trinity could feel her blood starting to boil at this statement. The fact that she inadvertently almost cause Cetus to fall to the Infested left a bad taste in her mouth, especially since she arrive to help them in the first place.

"Who put them up to this? Frohd Bek? Nef Anyo?"

"They were paid off by Vay Hek it seems", Chroma says, "This was found on the ship's computer and confirm by the merchants. They're in the Ostrons' "custody" now."

"What could Vay Hek offer them to make them destroy such a profitable trading outpost?", Atlas asks.

"Apparently, exclusive rights to the plains and its resources as long as he gets a significant cut of the profit or something like that", Chroma replies.

This catches both the Healer and Rock Tenno off-guard.

"But how would the Corpus manages to harvest the resources in a place overrun by the Infested?", Atlas began, "Unless..."

"Unless Vay Hek as a means to get rid of them permanently afterward!", Trinity shouts, surprising all three of the other Tenno present for she normally kept such behavior under control outside of the battlefield.

"Ahem", she coughs before going on, "Think about it. If the Infested get into Cetus, then the whole planet is at stake and that boil is going to keep producing more. Vay Hek can't bombard it from space or less he would destroy the Eidolons as well, so he must have another means to get rid of it once Cetus is gone. All we have to do is figure out what that is."

"Well at least we have something now", Chroma says.

"A good as start as any", Trinity replies before looking over at Atlas and Revenant, "Revenant, take Atlas to all the caves you found around Cetus and help him seal them up."

"We will do as you say", Revenant replies.

"We're on it", Atlas nods and the two of them take off.

"What do you need of me?", Chroma questions.

"Is there anything else you think you can get out of those Corpus' merchants?", Trinity asks.

Chroma shakes his head, "They were defecating themselves by the time I was done. Though I didn't get all the way into there ship's computer though. Perhaps that might bring up some more answer."

"Then that's where we're going", Trinity orders, "Ordis."

"Yes, Operator Trinity?"

"I want all of our Landing Crafts to circle the valley, keeping an eye out for any strand groups venturing away from the main horde."

"Copy that."

A/N: I sometimes wonder why the syndicates never really war against each other. Maybe the Lotus had something to do with that. And what the hell is Zephyr up to?

Please leave a review, follow, or fav if you want.

Chapter Text

Disclaimers: I do not own Warframe

A/N: The second of three updates.

Please leave a review, follow, or fav if you want.

If you're a fan of Fairy Tail, check out my stories like The Wild Master and Elemental Spirit Mage.

First Encounter

"So after digging a little deeper through the ship's computer, we discover that this ship arrives near Earth upon a larger vessel which not only delivered them here but there was another vessel containing a toxic created in a combined effort between the Vay Hek and the Corpus to combat the boil was sent to a Grineer capital ship in orbit above the planet, the Queens' Dominance", Trinity explains through the comm channel to the others as the four of them were moving through the market watching the Ostrons go about their business.

Under any other circumstances, they would be far away from the civilians while discussing such matters but Atlas was quick to point out that they needed to reassure the people of Cetus that everything was under control or else they might start to panic again. Luckily, the commlinks in their helmets could even pick up a whisper if they were set to, allowing them to have an urgent conversation in total secrecy despite being in the middle of a busy marketplace.

"It also delivered another piece of cargo that we were unable to identify through the dossier", Chroma points out.

"That's irrelevant", Trinity says, "Atlas, Revenant. Were you two able to complete your objective?"

"Yes, Plains Boy and I closed up all the caves entrance that he mentioned, including a few that he didn't know were there", Atlas adds, "But who knows how many of them are still out there? Whatever we're going to do we need to do it fast."

"I agree. For now, the horde seems to be concentrating on the gate but that will only last so long. The plan is for Atlas and myself to go and secure the toxic on the capital ship while Chroma and Revenant stay here and keep up the image that everything is under control to the Ostrons and keep an eye on the Infested situation", Trinity began, "Revenant is the more well-known among the people of Cetus, so he'll stay here while Chroma goes to located and seal any more caves leading out of the plains."

Chroma is silent for a moment and everyone could sense that he wasn't pleased about his assignment, being the combat-focused Tenno that he was. Nevertheless, he keeps his thoughts to himself and went along with it.

"And how exactly am I suppose to do that?", he finally asks, "My abilities are strong but not that strong."

"Atlas and I will be taking my Landing Craft to the capital ship, leaving both his and Revenant's Landing Craft to patrol the plains while you use yours to call in an airstrike on any caves you find and collapse them", Trinity answers, "Any questions?"

"Are we going to inform the Lotus about this?", Revenant asks.

"I'll give her an update once we complete our overall objective", she answers, "And if she has a problem with that, I'll take full responsibility."

Chroma merely shrugs, "It's on you."

"Move out then", Trinity orders.

Chroma heads out toward the outskirts of Cetus while Revenant continues his route through the village. Meanwhile, Trinity and Atlas headed to the Mantis waiting at the docks, the two of them having a more private conversation of their own.

"Not going to lie, I'm surprised that you're taking me on this part of the mission seeing how we have that little spat earlier today", Atlas admits.

"We have yet to finish that certain conversation and once this is done I intend to do so", Trinity tells him as she kept walking, not even looking his direction while doing so, "Plus, you the most armored Tenno here and I'm going to need all of that if we are to carry out this plan."

Atlas merely nods his head as the two of them get to the Landing Craft and Trinity enters first through the Insertion Platform and opens the side hatch for Atlas to enter through.

"Couldn't I have just come through this thing earlier?", the Rock Tenno questions once he was inside only to endure a nearly minute-long silent stare from the Vampire Tenno in response as the Landing Craft took off.

Once the Rock Tenno accepted his defeat and move to the other end of the vessel where he was squished into a corner, Trinity went to work scanning their destination, the Grineer battleship, Queens' Dominance, for the typical insertion point on this class ship. This was usually located at the stern of the ship on the portside, which was usually back-up storage room that was rarely patrolled. Time would be of the essence if they were detected seeing how that was a high probability that once the Grineer realize what was going on they would destroy the toxic so speed and stealth were key.

But despite all of this, Trinity wasn't fully in mission mode. No, for in the deepest depth of her mind, she was still looking for more pieces of the puzzle that was her first encounter with the Mountain Tenno.

Flashback

She recalls  light brown eyes,  slightly faded black hair, and a full beard that resembled a bush more than anything. Her head came up to  the bottom of his chest at best and shoulders were almost as wide as the doorframe. His arms were as big as her thighs and tightly with muscles the likes she has never seen before and she has treated a number of military personnel in her years.  He stood there staring down at her while she stared up at him, yet his eyes never left her eyes. They never roam downward nor did they ever betray  impudent thoughts;  the total opposite than what she was used to dealing with when it came to the opposite sex back then.

Piecing together more of the memory allows her to remember the first words he ever spoke directly to her.

"Sorry about Jamusa, ma'am", the man began while scratching his head, "It's just that he has been coop up on this ship for so long without having a chance to cut loose. Hell, like most of us, he has never even been on a ship before now."

"That is no excuse for his behavior", Trinity remembers saying, recalling the pain in her rear where the other man slapped her.

"You're right, you're right!", the man says, now waving his hands, "You're one hundred percent correct in that matter! What Jamusa did was unacceptable! I assure you that I will see to him once I leave here!"

"I am reporting this matter to the ship's security officer", Trinity said bluntly, bracing herself for the inevitable backlash the man will no doubt give her along with him possibly trying to bribe her away from such a decision.

"You're well within your right to do that. I'll hand Jamusa over without a fuss with the guards come", the man said instead.

Trinity regards the man for a moment, looking him up and down after his statement.

"Is something the matter, ma'am?"

"Strange, I was expecting you to try and talk me out of reporting this", she admits.

The man shrugs, "Why would I? Jamusa's antics have caused me pretty of trouble in the past and quite frankly, this might straighten him out."

"He will be detained for the rest of the trip, possibly the Grand Parade itself, for striking the ship's head doctor", Trinity explains to him, "Can you really afford to lose someone for that duration of time?"

"While yes, his expertise will be miss and we'll be short a pair of hands, but all that means is that I just have to work twice as hard to make up for it", he replies.

Trinity finds herself still eyeing the man after his declaration before noticing a stream of blood making its way down his right arm.

"You are injured", she states as she points it out.

"Hmm?", he said before looking over at his arm, "Oh that? Yeah, looks like I got nicked a little too when one of our machine malfunction. Nothing to worry about."

"Take a seat", Trinity orders as she turns to gather some medical supplies from a nearby cabinet.

"I'll be fine, there's no reason for you to worry about it."

"That was not a suggestion", she tells him as she turns back around, "As the head medical specialist on board, I outrank even the captain in any decision regarding a passenger's health. Now I will say again, take a seat Mr…..?", as she suddenly realizes that she didn't even know the man's name.

"Yauhsa. Yauhsa Naimor", he replies as he sits down in a nearby chair.

"Mr. Naimor", Trinity says as she walks over to him, equipment in hand, "Roll up your sleeve, please."

Yauhsa  does as he was told and Trinity examines the wound. It wasn't deep and all it would require was a light patch job.  After spraying some disinfection, which causes Yauhsa to wince, she went to work on it.

"You know, my wife might not like it if she ever found out that another woman was this close to me, especially in a room by ourselves", Yauhsa chuckles, "She's very traditional with those type of things."

But Trinity wasn't laughing, "I  am  sure once you explain the circumstances surrounding this situation she will come to  an understanding , Mr. Naimor."

"Fingers cross", Yauhsa laughs, "By the way, I never got your name."

Trinity opens her mouth to talk,  but nothing comes out except for...

"Trinity! Trinity!"

End of Flashback

"Trinity!", Atlas shouts from behind, snapping the Healing Tenno out of her trance. She snaps her head back at him so quickly that the Rock Tenno swore he heard bones pop.

"We're getting close to the ship, you might want to turn on the stealth", Atlas suggested.

Trinity looks back at her readings and is surprised to see that Atlas was right, her Landing Craft was nearing the outer edges of the Queens' Dominance radar. After switching on the cloaking system, she set the autopilot and the spacecraft made its way to the predetermined destination, a lone ventilation shaft at the rear of the ship. Scans show negligence signs of patrols near that area and it was as good as place as any to get in and get out.

"The toxic should be located in the ship's chem lab in the central area, so that's where we are heading first", Trinity says the ship began to hover over their entrance.

"Well I guess we should get to it then", Atlas replies as they prepare for insertion.

A few minutes later, both Tenno dropped into a storage room through a grate and sweep the area. Once verifying that the room was clear they move to the one entrance, Trinity getting on the right of the door and Atlas getting on the left.

"Once we go out this door we need to be quick and quiet", Trinity says over the comm-link, "Until it's absolutely necessary, we're switching to melee only along with my Vulkar which is modded with Hush."

"Copy that", Atlas acknowledges as he dons his Tekko and the Healing Tenno takes up her sniper rifle. Once they were ready, they sync up their radars and waited for the right moment.

And it came quickly, as Atlas opens the door and Trinity quickly scopes the hallway.

"Clear", she says and the two swiftly move down the hall, the Earth Tenno in front of Trinity.

While this formation did make their progress significantly slower, Atlas' warframe had more than four times the amount of armor on it compare to Trinity's, and combine with his shields he became a moving barrier for her. This technique was actually a well-known method utilize by the lighter armored Tenno whenever than were team up with him, as only the largest of caliber rounds, as well as explosions, could actually hurt him.

"Refined Orokin steel can too apparently", Trinity told herself before shaking the thought aside as they made their way.

They made first contact at a cross-section hallway of the ship where two Lancers were standing at the dead center of it with their backs to them and an alarm panel on the left. From there both Tenno broke off from each other at the beginning of the hallway and take up a position on either side of the corridor, peeking around their respective corners.

"You want this or me?", Atlas asks, but Trinity doesn't answer. She merely goes to a prone position as a bipod that she had install flips out of the mid-section of her Vulkar and she takes aim, steadying her breathing while doing so.

Atlas finds himself struggling to not let his eyes roam and instead decides to make sure that no one got the jump on them while they were stopped and kept a lookout.

Once Trinity zeroes in on the Lancer on the left, she gently pulls the trigger, her warframe augmenting her finger strength to the necessary level to do so on the crude yet effective sniper rifle.

Atlas' warframe audio sensors register the faint puff as the round left the muffle barrel and then they pick up the sound of a body crumbling to the floor. The Earth Tenno turns around in time to see that the other Lancer was in the midst of looking down at the freshly made corpse when Trinity lets off a second round and notch let another tally to her overall kill count.

Seconds later, they were continuing on their mission. Corridor by corridor, hallway by hallway, Atlas, and Trinity were sweeping through the ship, quietly taking out what few patrols they came across until they got to an open area, which seem to be one of the hangar bays. Here they instinctively broke off and hid alongside two storage containers, not far from the opening that led out into the coldness of space which was only kept back by a yellowish force field which only uses were to keep the air within the ship. The large blast doors were used instead to keep unauthorized spacecraft from coming in.

For a moment, Trinity finds herself marveling at the Earth beneath them, its rich blue oceans clashing with the dust brown continent while only specks of green could be seen sparsely spread out across the world. While the planet wasn't that much different now than it was during the days of the Orokin Empire, there was a lot more greenery back then. Though one of the few things keeping the rest of the planet from becoming a truly desolate wasteland were the efforts of New Loka, who despite the loss of their main base, still continue to hamper the Vay Hek's efforts to completely rid the world of everything that wasn't in the image of the Twin Queens. Aiding them in this endeavor were Tenno such as Chroma, Titania, Oberon, and Ivara who turn the remaining jungles of the homeworld of humanity into deathtraps for any Grineer that dare venture into them.

"Seems like not a lot of people were invited to the party", Atlas points out as he scans for hostiles, snapping the Healing Tenno out of her thoughts, "There has only been around ten guards the whole time we been here."

"True,", Trinity agreed, "I know I put us in at a part of the ship that didn't have a lot of activity but this seems off."

"I know this probably isn't the time to bring this up but the Grineer on the plains might have seen that little skirmish from earlier you guys had with the Infested near the gates", Atlas adds, "So at the very least they might at least know we're on the planet."

"It is definitely possible", Trinity replies, "Ordis."

"Yes, Operator Trinity?"

"Use my Landing Craft and sweep the ship, something's not right", Trinity orders.

"At once, Operator."

Atlas keeps a watchful eye around the hangar bay and his audio sensor suddenly picks up on something walking down the hallway outside the main door.

"Someone's coming", he says and Trinity instantly brings her gun up to point it at where he was looking.

For several seconds neither one of them made a move as they listen to the footsteps slowly make their way through the hallway. Eventually, they faded away and the Tenno return to what they were doing.

"Operator Trinity"

"What is it, Ordis?"

"A life signs scan of the ship show that the overall capacity onboard is only around five percent than what would normally be found on a ship this size", he reports.

"What? Why would a Grineer's ship be undermanned?", Trinity questions.

"That's not all", Ordis continues, "A number of Grineer dropships are ascending from the planet and headed toward the ship even as we speak, each carrying -fuck ton- a large contingent of soldiers."

A wave of dread floods over Trinity and Atlas as they both reach the same conclusion.

"One last thing, communications outside of the ship have just been cut off by an unknown source."

"This was a trap and we fell right into it", Atlas says.

"Move it! We have to hurry and get the toxin before its-", Trinity began.

"Tenno...are you ready for a SACRIFICE?", a voice boom over the ship's intercom and the communication holoscreen within the hangar bay turns on revealing the diabolical face of Earth's Grineer overlord.

"Vay Hek", Atlas curses.

"For too long your kind has polluted our system! For too long have you been a thorn in the Twin Queens' side! And for too long you have slaughter innocent Grinner' soldiers who were only carrying out their sacred duty! But on this day, this glorious day, I will bear witness to your demise with glee and pleasure!"

"What is he talking about?", Trinity says as the main doors to the hangar bay open up, prompting both her and Atlas to turn their attention there. Upon doing so, both felt a feeling of terror creep into their souls and the Earth Tenno felt his left shoulder began to spasm in pain.

"No", was the only word that escapes both the Healing Tenno and Earth Tenno's lips as a figure stroll into the room.

Cetus

"Destroy the caves, Chroma. Make sure the Infested don't get out of the plains, Chroma. Even though you're no doubt the most versatile and best fighter on Earth right now, we need you to go seal up some caves instead of coming up with us to the Grineer battleship steaming with hundreds if not thousands of soldiers in cramp quarters", Chroma says in a mocking tone as he made his way through the forest on Cetus' northern edge, "I could be better put to use if I was making hit and run attacks against the Infested in the valley."

"I'm not quite sure about that, Operator Chroma", Ordis chimes in, "According to my calculations, even with your best efforts you would only reduce the horde's number by 0.9874% before you are eventually brought down. This, of course, does not include any encounters with the Grineer or the Eidolons."

Chroma just shakes his head, "Just find me a cave to check out."

"At once."

"I wonder how the others missions are going right now?", the Dragon Tenno asks himself.

On Ceres

"So what's all this I'm hearing about between you and Chroma?", Loki asks as he presses against the wall to take cover from a storm of Gorgon machine gunfire courtesy of a two full squads Heavy Gunners slowly coming down the hall at him.

Down the other end of the hallway on the opposite side of him, the Marksman Tenno finds herself caught off-guard and almost forgets to return fire, "W-What makes you think something's going on between us?"

"You mean besides the fact you spent almost the entirety of your furlough in the training room with him along with all the other downtime you had this month?", Wukong says over the comm-link while he and Banshee were making their way to clear the landing zone so they could be extracted.

"How in tarnation do you know that?!", Mesa screams over the comms, her heart rate increasing.

"There's no need to scream especially while I'm listening for enemies", Banshee points out in a soft voice, trying her best to keep from raising her voice for fear of hurting her squadmates, "Besides, the Combat Simulation Rooms logs all who go in there and tracks how long they're in there for and that material is open for anyone to see even if they aren't on the Orbiter. The only thing that has restricted access is video footage, remember?"

"Exactly", Loki says as he hurls his Glaive down the hallway and watches it take out most of the advancing squad before returning to him, "And you spent a good chunk of your time in there with lizard boy and unlike the video footage, the vital sensors aren't restricted and they record your heart rate being through the roof most of the time. So come on, tell the truth; what's going on between you two? What were you two reeeaaaally doing in the training room for so long?", he asks in a suggestive tone.

"Yeah, I want to know too", Wukong adds as he unloads his Zhuge crossbow into a Lancer as he jumps down to a lower platform.

"While gossiping is not my cup of tea; I must admit that I am curious as well of your relationship with Chroma seeing how your first training encounter with him before the Mercury's mission was less than desirable", Banshee whispers as she Sonic Booms an entire Lancers squad away from her.

"Can we all focus on the mission and not my personal life?!" Mesa shouts as she takes down the last of the Grineer, clearing the hallway.

"We got Fire Prosecutors incoming from behind!", Loki bellows out and sure enough, a duo of the fiery guardsmen were indeed rushing them from their rear. Mesa unloads her Akvasto on them but her bullets are easily deflected by the Prosecutors' Amphis staffs and they continue closing in on her.

"Crap", Loki murmurs as he moves to Switch Teleport places with Mesa when he was suddenly beset and brought to the ground by two Drahks, "Are you kidding me?!", he shouts as he had to use both of his hands to wrap around their throats and keeping their thrashing maws away from him all while their master was getting closer and closer to him with each menacing step.

"Mesa is going to be a mess by the time I get out of this", he thought, knowing that in melee combat, Mesa didn't stand a chance even against-

CLANK!

Loki takes a risk and looks back at Mesa to make sure she was okay after what sounded like a heavy attack on her warframe and was shock at what he saw.

"What the hell?", was all he could say as watches the Gunslinger Tenno hold back the pair of Prosecutors' attacks at the same time with her Redeemer as the Grineers had aimed their Amphis for her head and Mesa brought out her gunblade just in time to intercept both strikes. Though it looks like she was now struggling in the aftermath as the Redeemer was getting push down.

Then, as if she was waiting for that exact moment she jumps backs, making both Prosecutors go stumbling forward, and both their Amphis smash into the floor. The one on the left recovers first, looks up, and gets a shotgun blast to his unguarded face for his troubles that sent him reeling backward onto the ground.

The second Prosecutor, on the other hand, takes a more aggressive approach upon recovering and charges Mesa. With a grace Loki has never witnessed her pull off before, Mesa spins out of the way of the charging Prosecutor, regains her balance, and aims her Redeemer to the exposed back of the Grineer's head, blowing a hole in it when she let off another shotgun blast.

But it seems that the first Prosecutor wasn't as dead as Mesa thought he was as he gets back up and assaults the Gunslinger Tenno with a barrage of Amphis' strikes.

CLANK!

Mesa parries a downward strike from the Prosecutor that was aimed at the top of her head. She then moves to block the second blow that came from below as the Grineer brings the bottom end of his Amphis upward. While keeping him temporarily locked, Mesa then pulls out one of her Vasto and shoves the barrel directly into the eye socket of the Grineer and didn't hesitate to pull the trigger. Before the body even hit the floor, Mesa turns around and takes a couple of shots at the Drahks Master who now found himself scrambling for cover. Mesa then headshots the Drahks being held back by Loki's left hand, instantly killing it with a critical hit.

This gives Loki the opening he was waiting for as he snaps the neck of the remaining Drahks then grabs his Glaive and flings it at the wall opposite of the one the Drahks Master was pressing up against.

It bounces off the wall and soon the sound of a Grineer's death cry echoes through the hallway, once again leaving empty of all except the two Tenno.

Loki reaches a hand out and catches the Glaive all while still looking at Mesa.

Then he turns his gaze to the two Prosecutors on the ground. Then back at Mesa. Back to the Prosecutors. Once more to Mesa. And the Prosecutors one last time just for good measure.

"How? When? What?", he began.

"You want to know what Chroma and I were really doing during all that time in the Training Room?!", Mesa suddenly started shouting, "We were training! Lots and lots of training! Hours and hours of training!" Hand-to-hand combat training! Melee weapons training! Nothing but training!", before stomping away down the hall leaving a befuddled Loki in her wake. A Butcher comes from around the corner at her, but the Gunslinger Tenno barely gives him a thought as she drops him with the last two rounds of her Vasto into his gut without so much as turning her head in his direction, still grumbling as she reloaded.

After taking a moment to recover himself, Loki switches the comm channel to where only Banshee and Wukong were on it with him, "Um, did anyone else pick up irritation in her voice, or was it just me?", he asks.

"Yeah, I think I heard that too", Wukong says.

"Indeed there was", Banshee added, "I detected extremely high levels of displeasure in her voice.

"I mean, I didn't think I annoyed her that much with my earlier comments", Loki says.

"It wasn't directed toward you", Banshee states.

"Huh? Then who was it directed at?", Loki asks, "Was it directed at you?"

"Was it directed at me?", Wukong wonders.

"It wasn't directed at anyone currently presence right now", Banshee says before shaking her head, "By the stars, I'm surrounded by idiots and poor Mesa seem to have fallen for one who apparently can't take a hint."

On Mars

"So I hear you and Chroma knew each other before the Zariman Ten Zero.", Ivara giggles as she runs along her Dashwire Arrow to get a better advantage point to scoop out the enemy forces.

"We did", was all the Shield Tenno says back nonchalantly, "Our tribes were "acquainted" with one another."

"Oh, does that mean you two were engaged to be married to one another in order to unite your tribes and end the violence just like in those ancient romance novels I see Nyx reading all the time?", Ivara squeal.

"I will break you in half if you ever say such a vile thing again", Hildryn growls as she reloads her Larkspur and readies herself to spring the ambush the two Tenno have planned.

"Okay, okay, I get it. You guys were just friends!"

"Not even close", the Shield Tenno states.

"Enemies?", Ivara asks as she spots a patrol coming, "Hostiles inbound, ten lancers, three elite lancers."

"While we didn't try to kill one another on sight all the time, there was definitely tension in the air whenever we were around each other", Hildryn said, "Ready to go on your mark."

"Tension? ", Ivara laughs, "You mean like sexual tension?"

…

…

"Switching targets", Hildryn tells the Arrow Tenno after a moment of silence.

"Hmm? To what? Did another patrol show up?", Ivara says, looking all around for the new enemy.

"You", Hildryn says bluntly and Ivara looks down to see that the Amazonian Tenno was indeed pointing her gun up at her.

"Alright, I'll take the hint this time", Ivara says calmly.

"You're sure?", Hildryn questions, seemingly not convince.

"Positive", Ivara answers, "Now let's get this done and go after the target."

Grineer's ship in orbit above Saturn

The Ring Tenno barely dodges the Jat Kittag that the Bailiff swung down at his face, his warframe registering the heat coming off the crude ax jet-powered engine. This action snaps him out of this daydream and back to the real world where he backflips away from another powerful swing and lands next to the Tactician Tenno who was spraying away with his Akstiletto.

"Nezha, focus!" Vauban screams to the Ring Tenno as he too joins back into the fray and the two of them began to fight off the seemingly never-ending wave of Grineer approaching their position while Nova was busy trying to hack the door behind them open.

"Just buy me some more time!", the Anti-Matter Tenno calls out from her place at the console.

"Can't you just teleport us onto the other side?", Vauban shouts as he throws a Flechette Orb into the center of the Grineer, the projectiles it was randomly shooting out devastating their ranks and cohesion.

"I need to be looking at where I'm teleporting to!", was her answer just as she gets through the security measures and the door opens up, "Let's move!", she shouts back as she gets on the other side and starts shooting off her Alamos-brand Lanka sniper at the Grineer, covering Vauban and Nezha as they fell back to her position. As soon as both of them got across she shuts it, still firing off until the heavily plated doors came down.

"I'm disrupting the software so they can't reopen it right away", she tells them as she goes to door console, "Should be able to buy us at least fifteen minutes."

"Do it", Vauban orders her before turning to Nezha and swatting him upside the head.

"Ow!", he shouts.

"What the hell was that?! How are you going to lose focus in the middle of a firefight?! That sort of stuff gets your whole team kill, you blue blood maggot!", Vauban rip into him.

"I-I'm sorry, I just-", Nezha began.

"Sorry doesn't make up for fuck ups!", Vauban bellows.

"Vauban! Enough!", Nova yells, "Now get over here and look at these schematics so we can plan our next move! We only got like five minutes before the whole ship is breathing down our neck!"

"This isn't over!", Vauban says as he jams his finger into the middle of Nezha's chest, "The Lotus and Excalibur will hear about this!" before he left to discuss the team's next move.

A discussion that should have included Nezha as well but the Ring Tenno made no effort to voice his complaint. This wasn't the first time this has happened and by this point, he was used to such alienation from whatever team he was a part of. Nowadays, it seems that only Atlas and Gauss seem to enjoy his company and that lean more toward tolerance than anything

Anyway, he needed to see Trinity once again for a therapy session. He couldn't be having any more fantasies about Hildryn holding him in her strong, muscular, protective angelic arms distracting him in the middle of a mission.

Cetus

The Dragon Tenno shrugs, "No doubt more enjoyable than what I'm doing", as he resumes his search for caves.

"Chroma", he suddenly hears over the channel.

"What do you need, Revenant?"

"We have been trying to hail you for the past five minutes", Revenant says.

"And now here I am, what do you require?", Chroma asks.

"We sense a disturbance."

Chroma cuts his comm off for a moment and lets out a huff in annoyance. When he first "convince" Trinity to let him come on this mission he thought it would involve more of him slaughtering things and less of him talking with the others. His body and soul were aching for far more action than what he got at the gates and the Corpus ship, especially after spending a full month stuck on the Orbiter and not even his training sessions with Jessie did a good job in, for lack of a better phrase, "scratching his itch".

Shaking away his thoughts, he turns his comm back, "What do you mean you sense a disturbance?"

"The voices say that something is here, something born not from nature. It is not meant to exist and yet it does. It flows with a power not much different from ours but while also being not the same as well.

"He sounds like the old shamans of my tribe. Speaking in tongues and cryptic messages", Chroma tells himself, "Could you be more specific?"

"Its very existence pollutes the natural order and is an abomination", Revenant answers.

Chroma shakes his head, "The whole system is filled to the brim of such creatures."

"Those creatures do not pose a threat to our comrades, Trinity, and Atlas."

Now the Sentinel Tenno had Chroma's full attention, "What are you trying to say?"

"We are saying that we have been trying to contact them for the last seven minutes with no success."

A/N: For those who didn't pick it up, Banshee talks in a low whisper due to her powers amplifying her voice when she gets louder. Also, Atlas' real name is revealed.

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If you're a fan of Fairy Tail, check out my stories like The Wild Master and Elemental Spirit Mage.

Chapter Text

Disclaimers: I do not own Warframe.

A/N: Last of the three updates.

I always said that the Prime warframes would play a part in this story and here they are. But I couldn't just have it where they are just an "Oh look, I found a new warframe to upgrade into" type of deal because that would be too easy.

Excalibur Prime

Queens' Dominance

The gold alloys that adorned its body shine brightly in the hangar bay's lights as the figure slowly came closer and closer to them with a walk that gave away no emotions. All across its metallic body were small black discs, pulsing blue energy every few seconds.

If it was not for those features, the figure before them would almost pass for Excalibur….almost.

It didn't give off the same swordsman's pride that the Alpha Tenno did nor did it command the same authority and respect.

Though going off of experiences alone, both Trinity and Atlas knew that with the two instruments of death it held in its hands, the warframe was just as deadly if not more.

"Ordis, were you able to identify those swords?", Trinity quietly asks.

In response to several incidents where a Tenno has been cut off from the Orbiter A.I. through either the enemy machinations or space phenomena, Volt, Mag, G auss, and a number of other Tenno with scientific backgrounds , were assigned the task of  finding a way around this obstacle.

What came f orth from this combining of the minds was a duplicate of the Cephalon upload into each of the warframes that could operate separated from the main network establish by the Orbiter.

While this version of t he A.I.  wasn't as  nearly as  useful as the one the Tenno usually used, he was still able to perform a number of  limited  tasks, such as local hacking and data retrieval. Plus, information was upl oaded  hourly  from the ship's archive ,  so data logs and intelligence were still available as  well as short-range communication  b etween a  squad .

" Negativ e, nothing in  the  Orbiter' s  archive s  could be found on those weapons. The only thing I know is that they match the schematics of the Nikana, much like the Dragon Nikana, though they are o f a  completely different style. "

"Behold, the despicable yet useful tool that is Excalibur Prime! He is the very symbol of the depths that I am willing to go to in order to eliminate you Tenno maggots and your sinister Lotus!", Vay Hek resumes, "For you see, I have made a pact with Tyl Regor! I have begrudgingly come to a mutual agreement with the vilest of the Corpus, Alad V! Finally, I have cast aside my personal feelings and have allied with that loathsome, detestable, abhorrent upstarting pile of garbage, Vor!"

"But what about the Prime itself? Were you able to conclude who is in the suit?", Trinity then asks, ignoring the Councilor's rant.

"Seeing how it is most likely Alad V behind its construction, I can conclude with a 98.72% certainty that it is advance robotics piloting the warframe", Ordis replies before Trinity notices movement from the enemy warframe.

Excalibur Prime takes both of his swords and flings them sideways, his hands still latch on to their handles as the sheaths go shooting off of them and crash into the walls of the hangar bay, each leaving a massive dent in them upon the impact that reverberated throughout the hangar.

The blades glisten in the light, showing off their deadly edge as he steadily closed the gap between him and the Tenno duo.

And then he stops all of a sudden, frozen in place like a statue. He began slowly turn his head from side to side, from Atlas to Trinity, and looked each of them both up and down as though he was sizing them up.

"What is he doing, Ordis?", Trinity asks.

"If I didn't know any better, Operator Trinity, I say he was studying you."

"Target Acquired", Excalibur Prime suddenly says in a robotic voice, devoid of any emotion but sounded quite familiar to both the Healing and Rock Tenno.

Subject Warframe: Trinity

Subject Tenno:  Information  not found

C ombat  R ole :  Healing  S upport er

Fighting Style Data: 70% Long Range. 20% Mid-Range. 5% Short Range. 5% Melee.

Threat Level: Impotent.

"That last part sounds an awfully like something...", Atlas began before Excalibur Prime focus on him.

"Target Acquired", he voices.

Subject  Warframe : Atlas

Subject Tenno:  Yauhsa Naimor

Combat Role: Defensive Brawler

Fighting Style D ata : 10% Long Range. 35% Mid-Range. 15% Short Range. 40% Melee.

Threat Level: Inadequate.

"The Jackal would have said...", Trinity finishes, referring to the powerful Corpus robot on Fossa, Venus that was defeated by Excalibur, Volt, and Mag, "This is not good."

"It seems to have somehow acquired sensitive information on you and Operator Atlas as well as a composition of your fighting styles. I advise extreme caution", Ordis chime in.

"That would have been nice to know back on Mercury", Atlas says.

" My apologies for that, Operator Atlas."

And then without warning, Excalibur Prime bolts toward Trinity, his swords sliding along the ground, leaving a line in the metal. The Healing Tenno ditches her sniper for her Twin Vipers and unloaded a full magazine each at him, only for the warframe to jump right and latch himself high up on the wall. Atlas has also abandoned all forms of subtlety and was now unleashing the full might of his dual Soma as well. But the Prime proves to be simply too fast for them as he bounds through the air at the other wall before landing and repeating his actions and dodging any incoming fire. Every now and then he would drop to the ground and made a run at one of them but he was warded off from his attempt by the other spraying him with gunfire thus forcing him to return to the walls.

But all the while he was doing this, he never got behind them or to the side of them. He always kept positioning himself between them and the door leading out of the hangar bay.

"We cannot afford to get in melee combat with him! Last time, only the melee specialists like Excalibur and Valkyr could match this warframe and not even they lasted long! Atlas and I would not stand a chance!", Trinity told herself while she switches out her magazines, the Earth Tenno providing her with cover as she did and vice versa whenever he had to reload. Unfortunately, they were so engrossed in the combat that they were unaware of their rapidly diminishing ammunition supply even as their HUD began flashing warning signs.

It wasn't until both the Healer and the Rock heard the audible clicks of their weapons and realize that they were now completely out of ammo did Excalibur Prime cease his sporadic movements.

"Using an ammo pack!", Atlas screams as holsters one of the Soma and his empty hand moves to one of his suit's gear compartments, but that was when Trinity spots Excalibur Prime grabbing something off his hip and throwing it directly at Atlas before she could even shout out a warning.

"Ahh!", his voice fills the comm channel as he was now holding his hand where a metal object was protruding out of his palm and his Soma on the ground, "What the hell? Is this a Hikou?!"

"Comparing its appearance to other weapons in the armory, much like Excalibur Prime's Nikanas, this appears to be a more advanced version of the Hikou", Ordis states.

"Good to know!", Atlas screams, his frustration starting to rise as well as his heartbeat as Trinity saw through her HUD.

"We need to move and get the toxic!", she tells him.

"That's easier said than done!", Atlas grunts as he takes the advanced Hikou out of his hand with a grunt and a pull.

Excalibur Prime then turns his sights to Trinity who instantly felt her heart increase even more in beating.

"Stay calm. This isn't Mercury, you have a better understanding of his abilities", she thought as she slowly put away her empty Twin Vipers and pulls out her Orthos.

"Forget all that transpired at Mercury where you were first introduced to Excalibur Prime during your pathetic assault against Vor, for he has been vastly upgraded since then! Cast aside the fact that you barely survive such an encounter only due to sheer luck because it will not happen again!", the councilor began to rant once more as the Prime warframe continue to watch Trinity, "You two vermin will be the first on the chopping block and your heads will go nicely in my quarters! Once that is done, I shall hunt down the rest of you like the kubrows you are!"

Excalibur Prime then once again broke into a run easily side-stepping Atlas who try to get in his way as he made his way toward Trinity who readies her staff as the enemy warframe leaps high into the air and beings to come down straight toward her, his swords poise at the ready to strike the Healer Tenno down in one blow.

"And when that glorious day comes that the Tenno maggots are nothing more than a forgotten memory and your Lotus is dragged in heated chains before the Queens, the stars will at last be free of your wretched kind and you can finally STOP! BREATHING! MY! AIR!"

Cetus

"I'm going up there", Chroma tells Revenant as the two converse on the docks, away from the prying eyes of the Ostrons.

"But you have orders to stay here", Revenant point outs.

"Your point being?"

"We are just saying that Trinity will not be happy about this"

"That's something I can live with", Chroma shrugs as he calls his Landing Craft to him, "You can stay here and keep up the show with the locals."

"We think it's best we come with you", Revenant says.

Chroma lets out a small chuckle at this, "Ha, if you think Trinity isn't going to be happy about me going up there to check on them, she is definitely not going to like both of us going up there."

"This is something we can live with", came the Sentient Tenno replies before heading down the docks, "We will join you once we fill Konzu in on the details."

"You know this will only leave Atlas' Landing Craft circling the valley, right?", Chroma tells him as he checks on the ETA from his Landing Craft's position to his own.

"Not at all, because you'll be going in our Landing Craft along with us", Revenant response, causing the Dragon Tenno to snap his head at him.

"Wait, what?"

Queens' Dominance

"Operator Trinity! Operator Trinity, please wake up!", she hears a voice calling to her and she slowly opens her eyes, and Vampire Tenno is surprised and a bit baffled to find herself face down on the floor. As she moves to get up, a painful jolt originating from her rib cages shoots through her body.

"Argh!", as she grits her teeth and puts her hand on her side and gently feels around, "Feels like more than a few broken ribs."

"According to your suit's diagnostics, you have four mild fractured ribs, Operator Trinity", Ordis chimes in.

"Lovely", Trinity said as she focuses her energy to mend her injury, "What happened? I can't seem to recall."

"You were incapacitated by a single kick to the ribs by Excalibur Prime after you block his initial downward strike attack. You were sent flying across the hangar bay and into the wall, Operator Trinity", Ordis answers.

"Okay, it's all coming back to me now", Trinity said as she now remembers the kick in question after she blocked Excalibur Prime's strike from the air, "It seems that he has indeed gotten faster since Mercury."

The clashing of metal draws Trinity's attention to one of the catwalks above the hangar bay where she spots the Rock Tenno in the middle of fighting the Prime warframe, his hands full just trying to keep from getting cut up as his Tekko was working overtime deflecting the slashes and strike from the enhance Nikana blades. Now and then he would capture the blades within the razors of his gauntlets and seem about to deliver a devastating blow only for Excalibur Prime to somehow break free of the hold and continue his assault.

"As you can see, Operator Atlas is currently engaged with Excalibur Prime right now but he seems to be the losing end of the conflict."

Trinity says nothing as she gets up and rushes to grab her Orthos which was on the floor in front of her a couple of yards away. Upon snatching it up, she vaults upward into the air and lands behind Excalibur Prime. She then quickly moves to deliver a slash to his right leg while he was busy with Atlas in hopes of severely limiting the Prime warframe movement.

CLANK!

Those hopes were quickly shattered as Excalibur Prime skillfully blocks her attack with one sword while using the under to keep up his attack on Atlas. What happens next could best be described as a fury of slashes, thrusts, and punches as both Atlas and Trinity attempted to coordinate a combined onslaught against the Prime only for all their efforts to be easily countered in turn.

Trinity parries a thrust aim at her chest with one end of her Orthos only to follow it up with an upward slash from the other end of it at the prime's abdomen. But the target eludes her as Excalibur Prime uses his other sword to deflect the bladed end of the polearm away from him while simultaneously sending a kick squarely into Atlas' chest, which forces the Rock Tenno to use both hands to block it.

The sheer force behind the kick sends Atlas through the handrails, off the catwalk, and down onto the hangar floor beneath it, though he was able to maintain his balance as he lands.

"Damn it", Atlas says as he looks back to the catwalk.

Trinity was currently lock in single melee combat with the Prime, a position she was trying to avoid but nevertheless found herself in. Force to rely upon every last bit of melee training she has received from various Orokin trainers to a few of the more melee-oriented Tenno themselves. Using her polearm, she returns every slash thrown at her, defending with one end of the Orthos while attacking with the other. When that fails to create an opening for her to land a blow on the Prime, she decided to switch to a more traditional style.

Despite her reluctance to get into melee combat solo with any skilled foe, Trinity was well-versed in all of the fighting stances for polearms and she knew when and where to use them.

Adopting the stance, Argent Scourge, Trinity crouches and performs a slash aim at Excalibur Prime's chest which he blocks. She then spun around, twirling the Orthos in her right hand while doing so and ending with another slash to the warframe's left arm, landing a hit. Finishing the maneuver, she latches her other hand onto the shaft of her Orthos and performs a powerful thrust, this time going for the lower abdomen.

"Cutting Tempest!", she shouts as her strike hits home and Excalibur Prime is forced to jump back away from the Healing Tenno...right into the Atlas who was behind him waiting. Now the Prime warframe found himself caught between a rock and a hard place as he was forced to divert his attention to the Earth Tenno while Trinity rushes him from behind.

"Increasing parameters of Multiple Combatants Engagement to Level Two", Excalibur Prime says.

A strike to Excalibur Prime's head from Trinity is blocked and she had to dodge just to avoid the dual counter slashes to her head in response. Atlas spots an opening from enemy warframe upon him turning around to attack Trinity and delivers a precise Landslide punch to the middle of his expose back, only for the Prime warframe to jump backward out of the way and flip over the Titan, his blades narrowly missing the top of the Atlas' helmet. This also almost causes Atlas' punch to collide with the Healer Tenno who manages to lean back in time for it to pass harmlessly over her, barely missing her by a fraction of an inch though she felt the power emitting off of it.

"Sorry about that", Atlas quickly says before turning around to face Excalibur Prime who was now eyeing them, "I say we got him on the ropes now."

"Hmmm", was Trinity's response, "Something doesn't feel right. This warframe tore through most of our forces on Mercury, yet now just the two of us are holding our own against him."

"Data Analysis. Current parameters of MCE (Multiple Combatants Engagement) deem ineffective. Current levels of maximum efficiency deem inadequate in eliminating the warframes Atlas and Trinity. Now raising levels to twenty-five percent and MCE to Level Three", Excalibur Prime suddenly spoke.

"Oh, that can't be good", Atlas voice.

Landing Craft Approaching the Queens' Dominance

"You know just because a Landing Craft can support up to two Tenno, doesn't mean it should", Chroma grumbles from his position on the other end of the spacecraft, his knees in his chest while doing so.

"We will take note of your discomfort and relay them to the Lotus in hopes that she will modify all of the Landing Craft in our arsenal to make them more spacious in regards to your needs", Revenant answers as he looks over some ship scans.

Chroma stares at Revenant's back for a moment, "That wasn't very funny."

"We merely made the jest in hopes of improving your mood."

Before Chroma could say anything though to counter...

"We found them", Revenant says, "They're in the portside Hangar Bay."

Chroma crawls over and gets a better look at the screen and take note of the situation the two Tenno were currently in. Both the Rock and Healing Tenno were down on the floor, either one showing signs of movement while an unknown figure was steadily approaching them.

"Is that Excabliur? What is he doing here and what is he doing?", Chroma asks.

"We hardly doubt that is Excalibur for he is the source of the disturbance we have been sensing. Nevertheless, he must be defeated and his existence brought to an end", Revenant says.

"Well then what are we waiting for?", Chroma asks as the Landing Craft comes bursting through the Hangar shields. Chroma leaps out of the auxiliary hatch while Revenant flips out through the Insertion Platform, both of them landing in between their comrades and the approaching figure who seem unfazed by their entrance. As the Landing Craft speeds off back out into the coldness of space, Chroma and Revenant find themselves having a stand-off with the enemy warframe. Both Tenno have already drawn their respective swords and were merely watching to see who would make the first move.

"Ordis, what's the condition of Atlas and Trinity?", Chroma asks.

"According to their suits' diagnostics, both operators are merely unconscious at the moment."

"At least they're okay", Chroma says, "Now who is this in front of me?

"This is Excalibur Prime, Operator Chroma. He is one of the main reasons the assault on Mercury failed."

"And the reason I am just now finding out about him is?", Chroma asks, remembering that he has been trying to find out what exactly happened on Mercury with no success. It didn't help that not even Excabliur wanted to talk about it, even Trinity was tight-lip about what occurred, and the Lotus was definitely no help.

"If Ordis had to make an educated guess, it would most likely be attributed to the amount of pride that was shattered that day."

"Lovely", Chroma grumbled just as Excalibur Prime spoke up.

"Target Acquired", as he looked at Revenant.

Subject Warframe: Revenant

Subject Tenno:  Information  not found

C ombat  R ole : Mind Controlling Eidolon-Predator

Fighting Style Data: 15% Long Range. 12% Mid-Range. 23% Short Range. 50% Melee.

Threat Level: Weak

Special Instructions: Live capture is a top priority. Return to home base for experimentation and dissection.

Finally, the Prime focuses his attention on Chroma.

"Target Acquired."

Subject Warframe: Chroma

Subject Tenno: Aguu Anchin

C ombat  R ole : Versatile Elemental Hunter

Fighting Style Data: 10% Long Range. 10% Mid-Range. 10% Short Range. 70% Melee.

Threat Level: Caution Advised depending on the element.

Special Instructions: Due to his interference in Project Zanuka that concluded with his theft of the warframe Valkyr along with numerous other crimes done against the Corpus, he is to be exterminated on sight with extreme prejudice and his body brought back for taxidermy.

Chroma and Revenant both share a look at one another, trying to pieces together what they just heard. But this was only for a moment as their attention went back to Excalibur Prime who now raised his swords in the air.

"New targets have been assessed. Now raising maximum efficiency levels to thirty percent."

A/N: Will the Tenno make it out of this situation alive? Will they be able to withstand the might of Excalibur Prime? Will they continue to breathe Vay Hek's air?

Just a note, the FSD (Fighting Style Data) doesn't mean that a Tenno is skilled or unskill in one of the four areas of combat, it's just how often they use it according to Excalibur Prime. Trinity tends to stay away from short-range and melee combat due to being a Healer and thus having low armor. Doesn't mean she isn't good in these types of fighting, she just rather not have to use them.

Chapter Text

Disclaimers: I do not own Warframe.

A/N: Despite what I said earlier, I was at work, bored out of my mind, and so I decided to make this. Also, because I just drop a 12000-word chapter I had to split up into three parts. Enjoy

Syndicate Dossier

Author: Lotus

Subject: New Loka

Theme: Purity 

Numbers: Around 3 0000 members

Leader: The Priestess Amaryn

Former Headquarters: Tikal, Earth

(Lost in a Grineer Offensive)

Current Headquarters: New Loka F lagship's "Terra Reborn"  currently station at the Jupiter Relay

Weaponry: Through undisclosed methods, New Loka has been able to acquire a number of Tenno-based weapons which includes:

The Furis automatic pistol.

The Skana blade.

The Panthera disc launcher.

They also seem to have no quarrel with using Grineer-based weapons either as they employ the Vulkar sniper rifle.

Syndicate Summary:

T hough above one of the younger members  of the modern syndicates,  New Loka is nevertheless a  survivor  of  the last  Syndicate War and is  now  one of the main  players  in  the  chess game that is  the Origin System.

Led by Amaryn,  who is the fifth person to hold the leadership position in the group , the guild preaches peace in the light but is willing to get their hands dirty in the shadows  to help further their goals . New Loka first burst onto the scene two hundred years prior to the present time, form from a group that split from another syndicate, Divine Terra, which was destroyed in the Seventh Syndicate War. W hile there isn't much information about Divine Terra, it was its destruction that allowed  New Loka to emerge a s  a major power as all of its other rivals were either too weaken by the conflict or outright destroyed to stop them  along with  Amaryn and her followers quickly snatching  up  their remnants for their own gain.

One of their two main objectives is to bring back the purity that was the human race before its corruption and before the Grineer came to power. The other one is just as less likely to happen as the first and that is the repopulation of Earth.

I n a sense of irony, New Loka shuns the idea of using any Orokin technology in "purifying" the Earth  (despite having the same technological level as many of the other syndicates with the only exceptions being The Perrin Sequence and Cephalon Suda)  even though it could quite possibly make their dream a reality. They even go as far as destroying any Orokin tech they find on Earth with the Tower of  the  Unum being the only exception due to the severe backlash they would suffer from the Ostrons and by extension the Tenno.

S yndicate Relationships:

Red Veil:

Far as it has been witness, New Loka maintains a neutral stance with Red Veil.

Arbiters of Hexis:

Just like Red Veil, New Loka has taken no hostile actions against the Arbiters, though how long this may last is another matter.

The Perrin Sequence:

It seems both syndicates express a passion for a system-wide peace (though they have different ways of going about it) thus they are on good terms with one another, though in my opinion, they're probably just waiting for an opportunity to stab the other in the back.

Cephalon Suda:

If New Loka  wishes to rid the Earth of all Orokin tech, Cephalon Suda is the exact opposite for she wants to preserve and study it, the Tower of the Unum being of great interest to her and these clashing philosophies have more than once led to violent confrontations. More than a few Tenno have reported coming across large firefights between the agents of both Syndicates, usually close to an area littered with Orokin technology.

Steel Meridian:

It has been agreed upon by many, including the rest of the Syndicates as well as the entirety of the Tenno, that despite the restricted "open conflict" New Loka has with Cephalon Suda, Steel Meridian is New Loka's true worst enemy. Surprisingly, this has almost nothing to do with their conflicting stances even though New Loka seems to view the Grineer as mutations and abominations, but more so to do with each respective group's current leadership. Of all the people that Amaryn has dealt with over the years, Cressa Tal seems to be the only one who can get a rise out of her, something that is considered to be a feat in itself as even I, the Lotus, has been unable to do so. While Amaryn practices subtlety in her insults, Cressa Tal is blunt with hers. Where the Priestess would prefer to use espionage, the former soldier would lead a frontal assault. The two are as different as oil and water and the tension is always high whenever the two of them are in the same room. On a number of occasions, outside forces had to intervene to keep the "peace" between them on the relays. In one particular incident on the Orcus Relay, Teshin Dax himself had to step in and draw his sword to prevent a war from happening due to both leaders, the heat of the moment, not caring if they violated the peace put forth down by the Preservers Guild.

It is my theory that if there was ever to be an Eighth Syndicate War, these two would no doubt be the cause of it and at least one relay would be destroyed in the process.

Also, while New Loka maintains the superior fleet, Steel Meridian employs better ground forces, thus any open  w ar between them would result in a bloody stalemate.

F avored Tenno:

Certain Tenno have found themselves more welcome than their brethren when in the presence of New Loka representatives such as:

Baruuk:

This is no doubt due to him being a pacifist and practicing his ways of peace, a facade that Amaryn and her followers maintain on the outside.

Equinox:

The Twin Sisters represent the day and night, from their personalities to their codenames. Perhaps New Loka sees them as a symbol of the cycles of Earth.

Gara:

The Glass Tenno has a good relationship with the people of Cetus, who New Loka extensively trades with. She has even acted as a bodyguard whenever the syndicate's agents venture out into the plains.

Hydroid:

He is the physical embodiment of water, which is no doubt the most visible  and renowned  feature of Earth.

M ag:

She is one of the reasons that New Loka has been able to maintain a large fleet by introducing to them a new system that reduces the amount of energy needed to power their ships.

Nyx:

I fear that the only reason Amaryn is close to the youngest Tenno is that she hopes to somehow use her mind manipulation powers for her own gain and further her guild's cause. I have voice my suspicions to her brother, Excalibur, and we have both taken precautions to limit Nyx's interactions with the syndicate.

Oberon:

His codename and warframe are the embodiment of the "King of the Fairies", an ancient mythological race from the early days of humanity.

Octavia:

Both her and Amaryn share a love for ancient classical music from a period in Earth's history where it thrived.

Titania:

Much like her lover, Oberon, she is the "Queen of the Fairies", though she is held in higher regard than him.

Trinity:

The Healing Tenno once used her  medical knowledge to save  an entire New Loka outpost from being wipe out after Alad V release a virus prototype on them.

Valkyr:

Believe it or not, Amaryn actually takes  genuine  pity on her  for what she has gone through . Surprisingly, she was the one who provide intel that aided Excalibur and Chroma in  infiltrating  the  lab of Alad V where she was being held.

Wukong:

I can only guess that he was some intel on her that she would rather not be made public and which he refuses to share with me.

Zephyr:

She is the embodiment of wind and has trained a number of their fleet pilots.

*Chroma*:

Lately, Amaryn has started to take special notice of the Dragon Tenno. It is possible that this is due to him being one of the only few people alive who lived on Earth back with it was vibrant. It may also be due to the connection he has with nature.

Special Note:

It should be noted that New Loka employs a number of controlled Infested Ancient Healers among their forces. How they were able to get ahold of these is still unknown and subsequently, they have ban Nidus from participating in joint operations with them.

End of Dossier

A/N: Might do one for Steel Meridan seeing how it too was in the spotlight recently. The reason the numbers are so high is that they have to man every relay, they have multiple outposts as well as a fleet to maintain.

Chapter Text

Disclaimers: I do not own Warframe.

A/N: I'm at work right now and decided to do this during my break. Enjoy.

Syndicate Dossier

Author: Lotus

Subject: Steel Meridian

Theme: Justice

Numbers: 40000 members prior to Admiral Vor's offensive. Now they number around 20000 members and have lost significant outposts and bases.

Leader/Founder: Cressa Tal

Former Headquarters: Lith, Earth

(Lost in Vor's Offensive)

Current Headquarters: Steel Meridian Flagship's "Iron Will", currently station at the Jupiter Relay.

Weaponry: See how nearly all of their members are formers servants of the Queens, their arsenal is primarily Grineer based.

This includes:

The Hek shotgun.

The Dual Cleavers.

The Sobek automatic shotgun.

The Miter saw blade launcher.

As well as various other mainstream weapons used by the Grineer forces.

Syndicate Summary:

Truly the youngest of the main syndicates as their official existence only dates back to around a decade at best thus they are the only syndicate who were not involved in the last Syndicate Wars. Founded by Cressa Tal who was "born" with a genetic flaw that allowed her to disobey orders from the Grineer Queens, she has since created the organization composed of her fellow comrades carrying the same "defect" to allow them to not only live their own lives but protect those who cannot protect themselves from the hammer of the Grineer Empire.

Ordis has calculated that even if only less than one percent of the Grineer have the same genetic flaw, if you take into account the vast number of them, then Steel Meridian quite possibly has one of the largest, if not the largest, recruiting pool out of any of the guilds. A vast selection of already highly-trained soldiers who already come equipped with their own weapons and armor thus not putting a strain on the syndicate's resources.

Steel Meridian's goal is to protect the numerous colonies scattered throughout the Origin System from both the Grineer, the Corpus, and the Infested. Despite being overwhelmingly outnumbered, Cressa Tal has proven herself to be quite the brilliant tactician and through her leadership, and a little help from the occasional Tenno squad, she has won multiple victories against these powerful foes. Unfortunately, she can only do so much against a foe who is just skilled as her in the art of military strategy and has more resources at their disposal as the latest offensive from Admiral Vor has shown. At one point, Steel Meridian stood as the strongest of the syndicate, easily having at least ten thousand more members over their closest rivals. They have since lost half of their number to Vor and are now on the brink of collapse over his sustained assault.

Or at least that is what Cressa Tal would have her rivals believe. Intercepted messages from Steel Meridian's channels indicated that the syndicate may be swiftly replenishing their numbers and that the forces that have been lost so far were not her "cream of the crop". Intel suggests that she may well be hiding at an entire legion, at least five thousand troops, worth of battle-harden veterans that neither myself nor the other syndicates knew existed. If this turns out to be true, then it would show that Cressa Tal has mastered a level of subterfuge and misdirection that hasn't been seen in quite some time in the Origin System.

Impressive seeing how she was only a sergeant when she left the empire.

Syndicate Relationships:

Red Veil:

These two have cooperated many times in the past, with Red Veil usually leading an offensive against a certain foe with Steel Meridian provided defensive support on the flanks to prevent a counterattack. Should the enemy still somehow manage to launch its own attack in response, Cressa Tal and her forces have been able to weather their assault and set up a defensive parameter until Red Veil shows up to relieve them and drive the enemy back.

Arbiter of Hexis:

Despite both of them being of the younger syndicates, not much contact has occurred between these two. This could simply be a lack of interest between them or the fact that both guilds simply have bigger enemies to worry about.

The Perrin Sequence:

Surprisingly, the information I have about the relationship between these two guilds does not come from my own sources but of that from Cephalon Cordylon, an A.I. that was found on a derelict Orokin ship who has since been utilized by the Preservers Guild on all of their relays.

They state that while Cressa Tal's and Ergo Glast's ideology to simply want peace in the Origin System does not conflict with one another, the ways they go about it do. Steel Meridian prefers violent means to bring about peace while The Perrin Sequence seeks to do so through words.

Cephalon Suda:

Much like with the Arbiter of Hexis, not much contact has been shown between these two. Though unlike the former, it could simply be that the Cephalon does not see Cressa Tal as a threat worth noting. This could be exactly what the Grineer defector wants.

New Loka:

The underlying animosity between Cressa Tal and Amaryn cannot properly be put into words. At times they make Vor's and Vay Hek's hatred for the Tenno and myself seem tame by comparison. I find it incredible that the two guilds have yet to declare open war against one another despite engaging in their own personal cold war for at least half a decade. Like I stated in the New Loka's dossier, any open conflict between them though would more than likely end in a bloody stalemate seeing how Amaryn has the better navy while Cressa Tal has more battle-harden ground troops. I sense that the only options available for the two guilds to even think about working together would either be a massive assault from any of the other major factions aimed at the two of them or simply one or both of them being removed from their leadership positions.

Favored Tenno:

A number of Tenno have been welcomed as brothers and sisters when around Steel Meridian's members such as:

Atlas:

His ability to weathered attacks with great determination goes side by side with one of  Steel Meridian's preferred method s  of fighting and he has been the tipping point in many of their operations . To my great surprise, they seem to enjoy his "Dad's Jokes.". There is secret video footage of Cressa Tal rolling on the floor laughing at these while holding her sides.

Ember:

Her creed of "Always on the attack! Never on the defense!" as made her the preferred Tenno that Cressa Tal has requested whenever she plans on striking a Grineer's position. So much that the Grineer defector has asked me more than once to permanently assign the Fire Tenno to her forces.

This was denied of course.

Excalibur

Despite Cressa Tal's negativity toward me, she seems to hold great respect for The Alpha Tenno for his martial skills and dedication to protecting the helpless colonies. It seems the feeling is mutual as Excalibur has gone to great length to ensure that Cressa Tal is treated like his equal in any joint Steel Meridian/Tenno operations.

Frost:

His defensive abilities are greatly appreciated among Steel Meridian and if he brought along on a joint mission with Ember it allows more flexibility for them.

Garuda:

Despite her tendency toward violence putting off even the most battle-harden of their numbers, Cressa Tal and her followers cannot help but acknowledge her effective methods in decimated their enemies and will gladly take her along on any operation.

Grendel:

Surprisingly, this has less to do with combat and more to due with the amazing meals he cooks for them while on joint operations.

Khora:

Much like with Garuda, Steel Meridian respects her strength, not her personality. It should be noted though that Cressa Tal absolutely loathes Venari, almost with the same passion that she hates Amaryn.

The reasons for this are unclear.

Mesa:

Amazingly, it would seem that Cressa Tal is Mesa's best non-Tenno friend and the two have been known to converse with each other even outside operations. Plus, Mesa has drilled the forces of Steel Meridian to improve upon their already efficient accuracy.

*Intercepted messages on Steel Meridian's channels has suggested that Mesa has been asking Cressa Tal for personal advice of which I will not delve into in this dossier.*

Nezha:

Despite him being fully capable of supporting Steel Meridian in all of their operations, I can't help but wonder if Cressa Tal's constant request for Nezha stems from a more personal preference. Nezha has reported that he has caught the syndicate leader staring at him multiple times and that she seems distracted whenever he has tried to brief her, as her eye seems to go everywhere on his body but to his own two.

I have since decided to never send Nezha out solo to aid Steel Meridian.

Nidus:

Much like Amaryn takes sympathy on Valkyr, Cressa Tal seems to have pity on the Infested Tenno on what was done to him and treats him no differently than she would treat anyone else.

Nova:

One time Nova saved Cressa Tal when she was pinned down by the Grustrag Three by creating a wormhole that allowed her to escape them. Since then she has done everything in her power to repay the debt she owns the Tenno.

*Unbeknownst to anyone else, I would have used this as leverage to get Cressa Tal to aid us in our assault against Vor if she decided not to cooperate.*

Oberon:

This baffles me. Usually, Oberon's attitude antagonizes people and I predicted that Cressa Tal and her comrades would have been some of those people. Yet they seem to welcome him in their ranks.

Rhino:

He is the tank that spearheads Steel Meridian's offensives against their enemies and is always guaranteed to be on the frontlines of any joint operation.

Saryn:

She has cleared out entire structures by herself with the use of her spores, allowing Steel Meridian to move in with little to no resistance. Much like her teammates Ember and Frost, she is a must-have on missions for the syndicate.

*Chroma*:

Ever since witnessing his prowess against Lieutenant Lech Kril (now Captain since he survived his ordeal on Mercury) and the Stalker, Cressa Tal seems to have been keeping a close eye on the Dragon.

Special Note:

Steel Meridian usually employs the use of Rollers as first wave attackers when the syndicate is operating alone. Their heavy armor and mobility make them a perfect distraction while the main force moves in.

End of Dossier.

A/N: Hope you like it.

FYI updated: Nezha is actually only a couple years younger than Chroma, which would put him at 20 at best. I could see how that could lead to a misunderstanding about Cressa Tal. In fact, I should say that even at 20, Nezha is the youngest male Tenno while Nyx is the youngest Tenno overall at around 17/18ish.

Chapter Text

Chapter Text

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Disclaimers: I do not own Warframe

A/N: So this was submitted to me by Geolex (id: 5683514) awhile ago and I just now got around to releasing it. While there was some editing done on my part as well as more added to it, all the credit goes to them while laying the foundation for it.

Vauban

The Trapper Tenno. The Engineer Tenno. The Builder Tenno.

Unofficially: The Drill Instructor Tenno

This is Vauban, focused, and methodical.

Also known as the Self Proclaimed #1 Nightwave Fan.

Born and raised in the nearly-forgotten colony of Ariel of Uranus (which was a floating landmass during the Orokin Empire before the Grineer sank it to help build their sealabs), Vauban was the firstborn child to a married couple of engineers who kept the colony running despite the lack of provision it had.

Along with his younger sister, Vauban was extremely gifted in mechanics and engineering, the only difference being that while he wanted to explore the stars she wanted to stay behind and help their home prosper. Soon, Vauban got the opportunity to leave when a military recruiting vessel came through his colony and he enlisted into the Orokin Army as a combat engineer after passing their qualification test.

During his tour of duty, he would become one of the only few Tenno to face the Infested in combat before the Zariman Ten Zero incident when his entire unit along with several others was involved in cleansing the last Infested stronghold Pre-Old War on the planet of Eris. While the offensive would exact a heavy toll on the Orokin forces, Vauban would serve with distinction and prove his worth through countless acts of valor with his tech skills and improvised weaponry being put to the test multiple times to turn the tide of battle. The campaign would last four years and in the closing months of it, it would be his squad, more specifically Vauban himself, who would discover the young child who would become known as the Tenno, Nidus, among the ruins of a former spaceport. At the time, no one knew how the boy had survived this long seeing how the last remaining civilians were transport off the planet two years prior.

Due to his combat distinction shown during the campaign, Vauban was promoted several times until he reached the rank of Sergeant Major and became a drill instructor for a time after the last Infested nest was cleared. It was during this time that the Orokin Military introduced a new mentorship program where members of lesser nobles families could receiving training alongside an experienced military professional in the fields of their choices to better prepare themselves for officer positions. It was during this that Vauban met the future Tenno, Protea, as she was assigned to him.

Vauban would later admit that while Protea was definitely the smarter one between the two of them by a large margin, it was her lack of maturity and inability to take criticism that held her back, but that is a story for another day.

He was ordered to board the Zariman Ten Zero for the Emperor's Grand Parade alongside Protea to aided in repairing broken equipment and maintaining the engines. Unlike the majority of the Tenno, the two of them had a faint feeling that the ship was more than it seemed to be due to the unusual nature of the engines and how they were restricted from entering certain sections of the engine room.

When the ship stopped at his home colony, Vauban requested if he could bring his sister on board to assist them in keeping up with maintenance, a request that was approved by his superiors.

For reasons still unknown to Vauban himself though, she declined his offer and even told him to not get back on the ship, though she didn't tell him why. Vauban's last conversation with his sister was him telling her that they were going to have a talk about this paranoia of hers when he came back home on shore leave after the Grand Parade.

Years later when the ship was found, he was discovered by the engine room's doorway with several spherical devices on the ground around him that were long since broken. None of these items were registered to have been on the ship at the time of departure, nor were they recognized by any of the rescue team.

These were in his own words, Prototype Teslas.

While many families were executed to keep knowledge of the incident under wraps, including his mother and father, what I've heard from Vauban is that his sister seemed to have disappeared the same day the Zariman Ten Zero departed Uranus. Orokin records show no indication of what happened to her, though Vauban hopes that she managed to get somewhere safe and live out a peaceful life in this hellish system.

As the  forces of the Grineer, Corpus, and Infested  grow and change, Vauban will calculate, assess, and adapt to their numbers with ways to tear them down faster than they can rebuild. He doesn't work harder, he works smarter.

Vauban is well known for his ability to form devices out of seemingly thin air with whatever he has on hand as well as quickly adapt to any new technology. Because of this, he serves as the Orbiter primary engineer with Protea serving as the secondary though recent disputes between them as led me to assign Protea to assist Maroo on keeping the derelict Mars Relay afloat alongside the exiles of the Preservers guild.

Serving in the Orokin Military had given him extensive training in warfare as well as leadership qualities. If Excalibur is to be considered the commanding officer of the Tenno in the field, then Vauban is his senior enlisted advisor, providing support and crucial words of wisdom to the much younger Sword Tenno. Any squad with Vauban in it is almost guaranteed to complete any mission with low injuries due to the Builder Tenno experience in squad combat, especially when combating the Infested.

During the botched Mercury mission against Vor, it was he who led the rearguard alongside Ivara, Ash, and Khora, in order to give the rest of the Tenno and Steel Meridian time to evacuate.

As mention before, Vauban is an expert at fighting the Infested due to his experiences in the Pre-Old War Eris campaign. Due to this, he is usually tasked with leading a squad to either defend a colony under attack by them or clearing a derelict full of them before it gets too close to a planet. Surprisingly, he is one of the few Tenno who has a positive relationship with Nidus, possibly due to having known him before the incident and has no qualms with the Infested Tenno coming with him on such assignments, even if it's just the two of them.

Vauban prefers the weapons of his military service days, including the Karak assault rifle which is now the standard rifle for the Grineer, as well as the standard Strun. Though recently he has taken a liking to the dual machine pistols Akstiletto.

If I were to take into account all of the confirms kills Vauban achieved against the Infested on Eris during the Orokin campaign, he would hold the top spot in the overall kill tally among the Tenno. Unfortunately, since this was during his Pre-Tenno days and before he was even put into cyro sleep, they have to be exempt from his total kills. Therefore, Vauban has the sixth most kills among the Tenno, just right under Valkyr.

Vauban has personally modified his Landing Craft to include a laser artillery strike system though this does considerably drain the ship's power source, so much that using it more than three times in a mission limits his ability to be extracted properly.

Vauban's gruff attitude rubs a good number of Tenno and our allies the wrong way, especially those of a nobility background such as Inaros, Nezha, and especially Protea.

He is currently the record holder of the highest score in Wyrmius, surpassing Nyx, Mag, and Volt, much to their dismay.

While not a music maker himself, he does enjoy listening to it while he works and the same thing can be said with podcasts. One such thing he loves listening to is the pirate radio station: Nightwave. He even goes as far as sending the host, Nora Night, a message to let her know that he enjoys listening to news and stories from her.

Unsurprisingly due to his military background, Vauban has a great amount of muscle that goes along with his great intellect. While not as impressive as Atlas, Hildryn, or Rhino, he is still one of the physically stronger Tenno and is not to be taken lightly in hand-to-hand.

Vauban is confident, strong, and resourceful, but even he has admitted that he knows better than to bite off more than he can chew. One of the few memories he has pertains to watching a full platoon of Imperial Marines trying to take on Chroma and Hildryn onboard the Zariman Ten Zero before the incident. He recalls it happening in one of the storage bays after one of their officers thought they needed to let off some steam after being coop up in the ship for weeks on end and decided that the two backwater savages would be the perfect way to do so. Both the Dragon and Shield Tenno's legs were chained to the floor and while the marines were equipped with Bo staffs, Chroma and Hildryn only had their bare hands.

What happened next could only be described by Vauban as the main reason he will never try and pick a fight with either of them if he can avoid it as the two of them not only manages to beat down the entire unit including their commanding officer but even started fighting each other afterward. It took shipboard security being called to come and tranquilize them. Even then it took five minutes for them to succumb to the effects and the whole time they were still fighting one another, their hands wrap around each other throats as they slip into unconsciousness.

*Vauban also admits that he spotted Nezha off to the side watching the whole thing and that the boy appeared to be memorized by Hildryn as his eyes were on her the entire time. Nezha has told me that he hates the fact that he doesn't recall this moment.*

Vauban is well aware that he is near the top of the Stalker's hit list but this does not deter him from going on assignments alone. He has informed me that he has been cooking up something "special" for the shadowy assassin and that next time he would be ready for him.

Vauban also seems to get along with Atlas quite well too, even if he does find the nicknames annoying.

Vauban willingly sacrificed his own safety in the name of mayhem.  He is to be used wisely.

A/N: I plan on doing Nidus here soon. Remember, the credit goes to Geolex (id: 5683514)

Chapter Text

Disclaimers: I do not own Warframe.

A/N: So I'm still working on the Nidus profile along with a few others, but I'm at work right now and this came to mind.

Orbiter's Public Service Announcements #1

Attention to all hands onboard the Orbiter, this is the Lotus.

In light of recent events that I will not go into,  e very Tenno,  including ones like Revenant,  has now been  quarantine  to the ship and this means that a number of you are interacting with each other for the first time in quite a while  and may be doing so for an extended amount of time.

I n hopes that you will not become "rusty" so to say, I have authorized the use of abilities onboard the Orbiter during this period  as long as they're used in good faith.

Unfortunately, d ue to these circumstances, a number of incidents have occurred and  I now feel that  guidelines must now be set.

1. Operator Equinox:

Everyone realizes that you are two separate entities within one body. This does not mean you are allowed double the allotted time for such facilities like the personal gym, mediation room, and the small library. If you continue this misbehavior, you will get double the bridge and patrol shift to balance it out.

2. Team Untouchable, aka Operator Loki, Ivara, Ash, and Wukong:

Let it be known that Operator Gara did not appreciate you scaring Operator Banshee while they were next to each other in Recreation Room #1. Gara was practicing her glass sculpting when the four of you a ppear out of nowhere in front of  Banshee and the ensuring scream from her shattered all forty-five of Gara's glass statues. You four will now cover both Gara's and Banshee's patrol and bridge shift until further notice along with your own.

3. Operator Khora:

I, as well as nearly everyone on the ship, am fully aware of what your former "occupation" was before the Zariman Ten-Zero. I am also aware that you have been teaching Nyx, the youngest Tenno who is barely seventeen, certain "things" in regards to that. I should have you know that I have been informed by Inaros and Nezha that in Orokin's high society, young girls lived a very shelter life until after they were married, not even getting the "Birds and the Bees" talk until the night before their wedding.

Here is a fact, Khora, Nyx was not even engaged.

So because of your "lessons" to her, Trinity is as of right now in the med bay currently giving Nyx the "proper" education that she should have gotten. It is safe to say that it is awkward for both parties and that Trinity is less-than-amused by your antics.

For your own safety, I would suggest that you avoid her.

On another note, you should avoid Excalibur as well. You can probably guess that he is not happy about you "corrupting" his sister.

4. Operator Rhino:

I do not know how you got a hold of some of Saryn's ancient manga.

No, I do not know what a Jojo's Bizarre Adventure is.

No, I do not know who the Pillar Men are and I especially do not know why you think striking random poses while the words "Ayayayayayayaya" play from your warframe is a great idea for passing the time.

You will cease and desist this behavior or you will suffer the consequences.

5.  Operator Wisp:

We have been over this before. Just because you can naturally float through the air without using up your energy does not mean that you should. Everyone onboard turns off their radar while they are on the Orbiter and their suit's audio sensors do not pick you up while you float, so they do not always know when you are behind them.

Valkyr was not entirely in the wrong to attack you after you surprise her while she was doing her  anger management  exercises.

Speaking of  e xercises; the cafeteria is not the place to sudden ly  start doing yoga stretches,  especially right in front of the kitchen . As I'm sure you are aware, you have quite the…  posterior  even in your warframe and you have been distracting Grendel while he cooks for everyone.

You can stretch in your own quarters.

6. To Everyone:

Trinity works hard to keep you all alive and deserves your utmost respect regardless of your personal feelings about her.

So unless you are dying, it is highly advised that you do no go into the med bay if the sign "Do Not Enter" is on the entrance.

Frost will be b ed-ridden  for at least three days after ignor ing  this and walk ing  in on Trinity  while she was in the midst of  changing out of her warframe to give herself a more personal examination.

As I am sure you all know, it is extremely uncomfortable to wear regular clothing in your suits so most of you only wear undergarments while the rest of you wear nothing at all.

I  will not say what category Trinity falls into but from here on out, heed the signs.

Also the words "MILF" and "GILF" will no longer be used onboard the Orbiter as per Trinity's "request".

If you have questions on why this rule is in place, talk to Frost when he regains consciousness.

7. Operator Excalibur:

It is understandable to be highly protective of Nyx, especially in such a dangerous system, seeing how you are her big brother. It is not understandable  to summon Exalted Blade and threaten to behead Wukong for him simply wondering if Nyx was "cute" underneath her helmet.

8. Operator Volt and Operator Gauss:

I am as curious as anyone to see which one of you two is the fastest. But that can be settled on a wide-open planet not the narrow corridors of the Orbiter. It was not Atlas' fault that he came around the corner and you two happen to collide into him. It was not his fault that he can withstand  powerful explosions like they are nothing. It is definitely not his fault that both of you are now stuck in the med bay for five days.

9. Operator Zephyr:

I do not care that you were one of the top admirals in the Orokin Fleet and had command over a great number of ships.

I do not care that you were also one of the top fighter pilots in the entire Orokin military.

When you are on bridge watch, you do not have permission to perform "evasive maneuvers" unless the Orbiter is under attack.

It took three days to clean up the mess you made.

10. Operator Garuda:

Tapping ones' fingers on the table when they are bored is a common human behavior. But tapping ones' claws on the table is both unsettling and downright f rightening .  Just because your warframe comes with attaching weaponry doesn't mean you should use it for mundane things.

Okay, I believe I have addressed all the major issues and hopefully we can all learn to coexist peacefully with one another until the quarantine has been lifted.

A/N: So how is everyone doing during quarantine?

Also, Wisp does have feet, it was in the Author's note at the end of Chapter 3 but most people probably didn't see it. She is one of the few warframe I modified for the story, she can just naturally float as well.

Take a guess at what Khora's former job was.

Chapter Text

Disclaimers: I do not own Warframe.

A/N: So once again, I'm at work and due to the positive response the first PSA got, I decided to do another one while on my break. Enjoy. Though the next time I update will be the Nidus profile along with probably one more. Also, I should get back to the Main Story Line.

Orbiter's Public Service Announcement #2

To whom it may concern

This is the Lotus

It would seem that incidents are still occurring onboard the Orbiter even after my first set of guidelines. I assume that this is due to everyone being put into a peculiar situation and are having a hard time adjusting to it. Nevertheless, I will address a few more incidents that have pop up recently.

1. Operator Mesa and Ivara

The hallways of the Orbiter are not a shooting range. We have a proper one  on the second deck as well as a back-up one on the third deck. Just because there was already a line for  both of them does not mean that you  two can improvise your own. It is going to take a while to repair those bullet holes and arrow mark s in the walls.

2. Operator Loki

Baruuk was well within his right to attack you after you switch out his calming mediation music for the ancient death metal band, Dethklok . T he Pacifist Tenno  is just  a nickname  for him,  he has a body count just like you do.

3. Operator Chroma

I appreciate the fact that you have been keeping a leveled head during these trying times which is mostly due to the fact that you don't mingle with the other Tenno and keep to yourself. But if you would have  at  least  taken  the time to look at the first set of Public Service Announcement s  I put out then you would have know n  not to enter the med bay while the sign "Do Not Enter" i s  on the door and you wouldn't  be limping around the ship, courtesy of Trinity.

On the bright side, at least you did not use the words "MILF" or "GILF" unlike one of your comrades even though you probably don't even know what those words mean.

4. Operator Valkyr

It is a tragedy what Alad V did to you and you have my full support in anything you need to help get past it.

But on the matter of using your Rip Line t o move across the ship in a quicker manner, I'm going to have to ask you to stop.

M ainly because despite your appearance, you have the most armored warframe out of everyone and you basically become  a  wrecking ball w hen  you do that. Nova is now in the med bay recovering because she got caught in the path of your "zip-lining".

5. Operator G rendel

Everyone on the Orbiter appreciates the fact that you took up the mantle of the ship's chef and provide us with high-quality meals that were previously only eaten by members of the Royal Family and their guests.

So  a s per your request, I will address Wisp and her recent behavior of hovering over your shoulder while you work in the kitchen. I can understand that it can be distracting especially since she is constantly asking  you  questions about cooking and your personal life.  I will also let her know that the "alluring" way she floats in the kitchen also diverts your attention away from your duties.

6. Amaryn

You were allowed onboard the Orbiter during these stressful times to discuss a plan of action to  reclaim your lost territory from the Grineer. Just because we took a recess does not mean that you can move throughout the ship, especially since there is audio and visual evidence that you were specifically looking for Nyx. You will now have a Tenno escort you at all times to make sure you don't wander off.

( After receiving Amaryn's response)

No, it will not be Nyx.

In fact, it will be Excalibur.

Have fun.

7. Cressa Tal

Despite our rocky relationship, I allowed you to come on board to formulate a strategy that would help you take back your bases lost to the Vay Hek. I did not allow you to come aboard to constantly f ollow  Nezha  around, badgering him with questions  while he is trying to go about his daily routine.

You will now have a Tenno escort you at all times.

(After receiving Cressa Tal's response)

No, it will most definitely not be Nezha.

You will get Rhino instead,  the complete opposite of him.

8. Operator Trinity

I realize that the med bay is starting to have a constant  overflow of patients due to the incidents occurring on board. This does not mean that I will authorize your extreme method of locking everyone in their quarters with two weeks' worth of food and water so that you can have a break.

On another note, I had Ordis dig a little deeper into the meaning behind the words  that Frost used to describe  you. A ccording to his analysis, you should feel a little flatter that h e said that about you, especially at your age.

Though I'm not saying that Frost was in the right to use them.  He probably could have relay the same message in a more dignified manner.

Also, you should know that Atlas had a nice little  talk  with Frost once he left the med bay.

A nd by that I mean he was waiting for him directly outside the doors.

9. Operator Hydroid

Using a modified version of your Undertow ability to because a puddle on the floor to make your fellow Tenno slip is not funny in any way whatsoever. What was hilarious though was the fact that you made Chroma slip and fall and he used his electric version of his Spectral Scream, Elemental Ward, and Effigy on you  in retaliation.

I hope for your swift recovery while you spend the next f ew  days in the med bay with a slightly disgruntled Trinity.

10. Darvo and Baro Ki'Teer

First, let me express my sincere gratitude for you  two  taking the time to come on board the Orbiter to keep the Tenno well supplied during these times.

Unfortunately, there has been an issue with your prices. N one of the Tenno onboard were hoping for a discount from the two of you. In fact, they were expecting prices to stay the same.

So you can see why they were outrage when they found out that you have instead  double  your prices. The reasoning behind this I am told is because you had to, in your own words, "Cover the cost of having to move your supplies onboard the Orbiter".

Usually, I am not a blunt person but these are trying times that push us out of our comfort zone, so I will say this in a more direct manner.

The Orbiter is docked.

At a relay.

The current relay that you two are residing in at the moment. You two barely moved your supplies over a quarter of a mile and you used the Preserver Guild's apprentices to do it for you while you two watched.

I suggest you fix this matter immediately or I will have Operator Mesa come and have a chat with you once everything has returned to normal.

On a special note, Mesa is still not over the whole Primed Chamber incident that you two were involved in and she is quite "eager" to see you two again.

As are her Regulator pistols.

H opefully, proper order can now be maintained. Have a good rest of the day, everyone.

A/N: If you're wondering what is going on with Cressa Tal and Amaryn involving Nyx and Nezha, please read the Syndicate Dossier for them. If you are wondering about Mesa and Darvo and Baro, please read the chapter "Primed Chamber" if you will. If you are wondering about Trinity and Atlas, just read the main storyline (MS 5- MS9)

Chapter Text

Disclaimers: I do not own Warframe.

A/N: So at work, on break, and I decided to round off the PSA today, so I could focus on the Main storyline, Nidus' profile which is shaping up to be even more than I thought it would be, and introducing a three-chapter account about the Infested War.

And that's not even counting my other stories, which I ask you take a look at if you have the time.

Will there be more in the future? Maybe, but I want to now focus on profiles and the main storyline.

Orbiter's Public Service Announcement #3

To all hands,

This is the Lotus.

It would seem in the time since my last announcement a few of you have matured and that is pleasing to see.

But, there are still a few problems as well as other issues popping up and I will address them.

1. To Everyone:

(I have received permission from Vauban to put this out)

If you see Vauban looking out aimlessly into the void, I ask that you do not bother him.  According to Trinity, he has been  having a lack of sleep due to him  experiencing nightmares that are a result of his Post Traumatic Stress Disorder from his time fighting the Infested during The Infested War thousands of years ago.

T his is the reason he has been allotted more time in the meditation room.

H owever, after discussing the manner with Trinity, she feels the best way to help him overcome this is for him to open up about it, share his experiences with the others and such. Therefore, at a later determined date, Vauban will be in the cafeteria to recall his tales of the Eris Campaign. I highly recommend it to any Tenno who wants to hear a first-hand account of the massive conflict that was fought before the Old War.

2. Operator Wisp:

I will admit that your request to become Grendel's assistant in the kitchen was peculiar, especially seeing your recent behavior around him. But seeing how no one else helps him besides his sentinels and we could use a second cook on board when he's out on missions or on watch, I will approve this.

Though there will be some rules that I expect you to follow:

1. No floating.

2 . N o assuming positions that show off your "assets" for  absurd amounts of time  just to perform simple tasks.

I have noticed that you only seem to do this when Grendel is around.

D o not act like you do not know what I mean. There are cameras all over the ship except for private areas and personal quarters.

3. No using Sol Gate to heat up food.

4. No snapping at Khora whenever she flirts with Grendel, especially while you're in the kitchen where your Breach Surge could destroy food.

Remember, she is just teasing him.

She does that with everyone, including the other female Tenno….and myself...and Ordis...and pretty much anyone else within her vicinity.

Who are of legal age, of course, for she does have some standards.

Anyway, t here is a reason  why  she is not allowed o n the Relays or places like Cetus without someone watching her.  I t mostly has to do with the fact that Saya has threatened, quite vocally, to skin her and Venari alive if she  ever  flirts with Konzu again.  I realize that Khora has slaughter entire enemy units single-handily, but a lot of your fellow Tenno have place bets on Saya winning.

3. Operator Nezha

It is good to see that you are using these trying times to add some muscles to your physique and keep your mind focus, I wish some of the other Tenno had your same mindset.

Therefore I will allow you extra time in the gym.

But when you said that you found a personal trainer to aid you in this, I thought y ou would have chosen  someone like Rhino, given his background.

To say that I was surprised by you choosing Hildryn is an understatement.

To say that I was even more surprised when she  willingly  accepted is  an even  bigger understatement.

4. Operator Grendel:

Yes, I approved Wisp's request to be your assistant.

Yes, I realize that I probably should have asked you about this but the fact remains that the ship needs another cook to take your place when you're not around and Wisp is the first person to volunteer.

No one wants to eat the Orbiter's process meals longer than they have to.

Yes, I have noticed her odd behavior around you and I am pretty sure I have a good idea why she is doing this. It might have something to do with your Pre-Tenno backgrounds and that one particular mission you two did together on Pluto.

Try to see this as an opportunity to get closer to one of your comrades by doing something that you have a passion for and sharing it with them.

Also, let it be known that there are cameras in the kitchen, so I suggest keeping it professional when you two are cooking.

5. Operator Hildryn:

I will be blunt with you.

I never thought that you would agree to be Nezha's personal trainer to help him bulk up a little.

But then Ordis showed me some footage of you chatting with  Banshee in the cafeteria  and s he  happens to mention to you  all the stuff she heard while Cressa Tal was on the Orbiter and if I recall, you were out on patrol the entire time she was on board.

Anyway, the main topic Banshee seems to cover was how Cressa Tal kept badgering Nezha with questions as she follows him around.

Very personal questions.

A nyway, now I see why you willingly accepted Nezha's offer to be his trainer.

Let it be known that there are cameras in all of the gyms onboard, so keep it professional.

6. Operator Nidus, Harrow, and Revenant:

I am pleased to see you three getting along  during these trying times.

I a m aware that your social circles are quite small,  so this is a vast improvement  for all of you.

But there have been some complaints of the three of you standing  silently  behind the other Tenno and staring at them until they notice you.

Some of the reactions  of them turning around and seeing you  were less than amusing  for you seem to forget that m ost  of your fellow Tenno are, for lack of a better phrase, "trigger happy"  and are quick to use their abilities when they are frightened  or surprised :

Banshee: Let out a scream that nearly cracked the glass all across the Orbiter. It took Gara, Vauban, and Protea days to repair it.

Garuda: Nearly gutted Harrow with her claws.

Valkyr: Nearly impaled Revenant.

Volt: Electrified the entire room, which  just so  happens to be the bridge. This nearly crippled the Orbiter's capabilities.

Zephyr: Summoned a Tornado in the middle of the cafeteria.

Wisp: Unleash Sol Gate in fright and it took Harrow using Covenant to protect all three of you. It also caused quite the damage to the hallway you were in.  (Though this was slightly amusing as she now got a taste of her own medicine of surprising people.)

Mesa: Activated her Regulator Pistols and once again Harrow had to use Covenant to avoid getting hurt.

Rhino: Decides to use Rhino Charge in response and it took Revenant using Mesmer Skin to absorb most of the damage and stun him.

Hydroid: Summon a Tidal Wave...in the med bay. Safe to say that Trinity was not amused.

The list goes on but I think you get the point.

Stop staring uncomfortably at everyone.

7. Operator Trinity:

Once again, I will not approve your request to lock everyone in their quarters with two weeks' worth of supplies just so you can get a break from the constant overflow of patients coming into the med bay.

Besides, From what I have heard you seem to have quite the assistant in Atlas who seem to be hanging around the med bay a lot recently.

8. Operator Protea:

It caused us quite a bit to get a hold of those Orokin wielding tools to aid you in the repairs you do around the ship. Therefore, I am now banning you from using your Blaze Artillery to weld.

9. Operator  Mirage:

Do not use your Hall of Mirrors ability to hold your place in line while you go off somewhere else.

Also, when someone says you can not be in two places at once, they are not issuing you a challenge.

10. Operator Ember:

I am not knowledgeable in the art of ancient Earth culinary, but I am pretty sure that sushi is meant to be served cold.

Grendel and Wisp went through a lot of trouble to get permission to go down to Cetus, clear out some of the Grineer stationed there, and spend hours fishing just so they could prepare an extremely rare delicacy for rest the crew.

No one cared will you stated that you were going to heat up the food on your plate.

It only became a problem when you used Fire Blast and engulf the entire area around you in flames. Not only did you scorch nearly half the cafeteria, but you also got all of the remaining fish that was going to be put in the freezer.

I hope that you enjoy the triple bridge and patrols shift you now have so Grendel and Wisp can focus on retrieving more fish.

With any luck, the quarantine will end soon and everyone can get back to protecting the Origin System.

(Transmission cuts off then comes back on thirty seconds later)

All Tenno, report to the briefing room immediately. Ordis has just intercepted a warframe signal….

From Deimos.

A/N: So according to the wiki, the Orokin Empire had an Infested outbreak before the Old War and it sounds like they got it under control after great loss. If you recall in Vauban's profile, he was at the Eris campaign which was the last Infested Stronghold and he helped cleared it out, making him the only Tenno to face the Infested in combat before the Zariman Ten-Zero. Once I'm done with the Trinity Arc, I have plans to make three chapters dedicated to this saga to show what it was like to fight the Infested when you're just a normal soldier with no powers or an advance Warframe.

Also, I already have a storyline map out for the Heart of Deimos and Xaku (they are not just going to be added) though it will appear later on.

Chapter Text

Disclaimers: I do not own Warframe.

A/N: Hello everyone. In case you haven't realized, I'm taking a small break from this story to work on my other ones. The main reason being is that I have upload *looks at word count* nearly 30000 words for this story in a short amount of time (that's an entire story and then some for the average writer) and I feel that I have been neglecting my other stories. When I come back to it, I want to hit the ground running with not only the Nidus' profile, but also getting back into the main storyline, along with my excerpt on the Infested War.

Also, another thing I want to address:

Should I split this story up? Should I have just a story for the main storyline and one for the side stories or should I keep things the way they are?

Anyway, this was sent to me by Geolex. While I did change some things around and added a bit, all credit goes to them.

Designs

Ever since she witnessed "Excabliur Prime" as it was called, on Mercury, Saryn had been captivated by its design. She was processed every piece of information she got about this new 'weapon' that their enemies now had and just by going off the brief look she got of it combine with her time working in the empire's fashion industry prior to becoming a Tenno, this definitely screamed 'Orokin' to her. Not a cheap imitation like the Corpus usually did with their designs, but pure, untainted, Orokin, and this worried her a more than anything.

Anyway, she felt like needed to get her mind off of it and thought that maybe making some designs would help. She just started her forty-eight-hour furlough, so she had time on her hands to do a quick sketch or two...or a dozen if inspiration came to her.

After removing her Warframe and sitting down at her desk inside of her private quarters, she grabbed one of her many pencils, one of her drawing books, and turned to a blank page. As she brought her pencil to the paper though….

"This design is terrible and impractical, Saryn."

The words of the Dragon Tenno came back to her mind.

Those very words he used to describe the Dynasty Armor design she made for him not long after she awoke from her long sleep. The only reason she even did was that she realizes that he was one of the few Tenno who didn't have a design request from her and she thought she was being generous by going ahead and doing one for him.

She narrows her eyes down at the page as she pressed the lead tip onto the blank paper, her grip tightening on the pencil as she drew onto it. Her designs were the pinnacle of fashion in the days of the empire, being recognized by the emperor himself and even worn by the empress. The cost of just one of her dresses could have funded the average Orokin colony in its entirety for a year and yet that backwater caveman had the audacity to call a personal design she made for him "terrible and impractical".

It was at that very moment that Chroma said those words that Saryn has to restrain herself from lashing out at him. The last person to criticize her designs to such a degree, a bumbling fashion assistant intern her company assign to her, ended up fired that same day along with receiving a gash across her face where Saryn slash her with a pair of scissors.

But even in her rage, the Poison Tenno knew that any head-on confrontation with the Dragon Tenno would not end well for her, especially on her own. Before that day, Saryn didn't share the same level of animosity toward him that Ember, Volt, and Frost did, but now her hostile feelings regarding him were only surpassed by what she felt toward Hydroid.

"I'll show you, you filthy barbarian", as her hand moved about, the tip dancing upon the white and leaving a dark gray in its wake as its lines soon connected to one another.

What started out as a blank piece of paper was quickly turning into a canvas of something draconic, one of seemingly ancient inspiration as her frustrations came out onto it. Her grip tightening more and…

*SNAP*

Her anger faded as she came back to reality, looking at her now broken pencil, the other wooden half of it now rolling along the page. Then she turns her emerald eyes back to her work.

Upon analyzing it for a moment she realizes that it was like a fusion of two things she disliked, Chroma and the Orokin. It was a combination that definitely looked exquisite despite her hatred for both of them, but at the same time, something else clicked in her head, something she was prepared for.

She has drawn this before.

She didn't know when, she didn't know why, but she was certain that this was done beforehand. Now that she thought about it, even Excalibur Prime's design seemed vaguely familiar to her. She tried to search through her shattered memories but nothing came up whole regarding this mysterious subject.

Saryn ran a hand through her hair and looked down at the drawing once more, thinking about what to do with it.

Should she just tear it up? Should she inform the Lotus or Trinity that she just vaguely recalled something from way back then? Both of them had strict regulations when it came to the other Tenno informing them immediately should they ever remember any important details about their past.

Saryn lets out a huff and got up. She had about six hours before she had to get back into her warframe and she decided that she was going to catch some sleep until then. Maybe afterward she would go see the Healing Tenno in the medbay, but not now.

But as she turns to walk away, she stops mid-turn and looks back at the paper. Grabbing what remains of her pencil, she wrote a title just above the top of her creation in ancient Orokin.

Chroma Prime

A/N: What is going on here?

Remember, all credit goes to Geolex.

Chapter Text

Disclaimers: I do not own Warframe.

A/N: Okay, I'm back from doing on-site work for my job (I was gone for months and only had my cellphone on me) and now back at my computer and ready to get back to this story along with the rest of them.

Like I said before I left, I will be focusing more on the Main Storyline as oppose to the side stories, though I am not above split them both into separate stories if need be, I'll think that over.

Third, while yes this is only a preview, it shows that I have not given up on this story.

Battlefield: Queens' Dominance (Preview)

Chroma didn't think of himself as a swordsman as Excalibur did.

To him, the word was a demeaning one that he felt limited one's potential and range.

Excalibur lived by the blade and would prefer to die by it if possible, but that wasn't the Dragon Tenno.

While he did use Tiamat's Wrath as an extension of his own body and he was quite skilled in the way of the blade, Chroma considers himself a hunter above all else. He used whatever was available for him to overcome his prey aka everyone who was trying to kill him at that moment and while he disregards the use of firearms whenever he went out on missions he did not look down on those who used them like Mesa. Guns had their use on the battlefields of the Origins System but unfortunately, they were a concept that he was not familiar with.

Something that he realizes that he would have to get more familiar with later….

That is if he survives.

For as of right now, the only two things keeping him from being killed within the first few seconds of Excalibur Prime attacking him with his twin blades was the fact that his sword was longer and wider than the average blade wielded by his comrades.

There was also the fact that Excalibur Prime's fighting style wasn't all that much different than the one utilized by the original Excalibur, who he has sparred with a considerable amount of times before, though the Prime had augment it with a second sword thus making it nearly completely foreign to him.

So for the first time in a long time, Chroma found himself completely on the defensive and he did not like it one bit.

It was while he was in the middle of defending himself that Revenant decided to step in and aide him, rushing Excalibur Prime with his Tastu over his head, bringing it down his exposed back.

CLANK!

Without him having to look back, the Prime uses his left sword to block Revenant's attack all while still attacking Chroma with the right. Pushing Revenant away Excalibur Prime temporarily directs all of his attention, and swords, back on Chroma who once more found himself struggling to survive, a rare occurrence for him in close-quarters combat.

Meanwhile, for the second time today, Trinity found herself slowly waking up in pain, facing upwards at the ceiling of the ship. As she tries to make a recollection of what just occur the sounds of metal clashing with metal force her to turn her head to the left to witness both Revenant and Chroma squaring off against Excalibur Prime and barely holding their own.

She barely has any time to focus on this before her audio sensors pick up a groan coming from her right and redirect her head to see Atlas lying on his stomach and slowly starting to move on the ground not far from her.

"You okay there, Deary?", he asks through grunts of pain.

"You are showing signs of severe pain but the first thing you ask is how I am doing?", Trinity asks, deciding that now wasn't the time to get annoyed by the use of her least favorite nickname.

"Man got to have his priority", Atlas tries to chuckle though it sounded painful. He then turns his head to see the battle going on, "You think they can handle him?

"Chroma and Revenant are actually trained swordsmen, so I know that they will do better than us", Trinity answers as she began to focus her energy and casts Blessing on herself. The aura the ability produces encompasses Atlas and allows him to heal as well. Luckily for the both of them, it also created a pain-numbing effect which was greatly needed seeing how Trinity's warframe was registering two broken ribs on her and she could only imagine what Atlas had wrong with him, but pretty sure he was back in the yellow in overall health.

"Ordis, I need a path to the labs onboard now", Trinity orders.

"Affirmative, Operator Trinity, mapping course now", Ordis answers.

Eventually, Trinity's Blessing took its full effect and the Healing Tenno along with the Earth Tenno began to stand up, though it took some effort.

"What are we going to do about that Prime?", Atlas asks as his fingers firmly grip one of his Soma, looking as if he debating whether or not to join in the clash.

"We are going to have to trust Chroma and Revenant that they can handle him! We already have our primary objective and we have to complete it if the people of Cetus are to survive!", Trinity answers before switching to the team radio line.

"Chroma! Revenant! Atlas and I are heading to secure the toxic! You two are to stay here and keep Excalibur Prime occupied!", she orders.

Chroma merely growls over his line as he parries another thrust aim at his chest while Revenant answers in his stead.

"We will do what we can but I must advise that you hurry. We alone may not be able to contain him for long", he says in a calm voice as he blocks a hard slash to his torso.

Chroma brings Tiamat's Wrath down on top of Excalibur Prime's head only to be easily blocked and the two were lock in a deadly standoff.

"I have no intention of simply "containing" this wrench! I will end him here and now, even if I have to do so myself!", the Dragon Tenno declares as he is then push back from the Prime.

"Ordis detects that Operator Chroma is reaching an extremely high level of aggression; more so than usual. His adrenaline levels are almost equal to the levels he had when he faced the Stalker back on Mercury."

Trinity, realizing that she didn't have the time to address this issue, heads toward the entrance to the hangar bay.

"You two just need to keep him busy while we will extract the toxic!", she commands as Atlas soon follows behind her leaving the three sword-wielding individuals to themselves who were now in the midst of a standoff. Chroma and Revenant were on either side of Excalibur Prime while their foe merely stood between them, pointing at each of them with a golden sword. The three of them stood there for a time in a straight line as neither one of them move.

For Trinity and Atlas, no sooner did the duo get into the next room did they come in contact with an entire platoon of Grineer consisting of Lancers, their elite counterparts, and even two squads worth of Heavy Gunners. The room became full with a storm of bullets as Trinity barely manages to duck behind one of the railings with Atlas joining her a second later after he laid down a wave of suppression fire with his dual Soma, killing at least two Lancers but merely sending the rest of the Grineer scrambling for cover.

"We don't have time for this!", Trinity states, "We have to find a way around them!"

"I concur with your statement, Operator Trinity. I detect at least two more platoons of equal size converging on your position. Current ETA is two minutes." Ordis informs.

"Well, time to get to work", Atlas states as he reloads both of his Soma, "And to think I almost miss this party."

A/N: More is coming, I promise.

Chapter Text

Disclaimers: I do now own Warframe.

A/N: First of all, let me say I'm sorry for taking so long to release a chapter, even a side chapter. I got caught up in work, personal life, and my other stories that this one got laid to the side. I'm to now start focusing on this story a little bit more, I'm even working on the next Main Storyline chapter.

Origin System PSA#1

Attention all Tenno, this is the Lotus.

I want to congratulate you all on making it through the quarantine  with only a few "minor" incidents occurring during the process. I am positive that many of you were anxious to get back on the field and it shows in your performance so far on missions.

However, all of you to some degree have been showing unusual behavior out in the field and I feel it must be address in order to make sure everyone is operating to the upmost efficiency.

1. Operator Wisp

I will admit that while I found your time as Operator Grendel's assistant cook a memorable experience during the quarantine as the two of you seem to have form some sort of a relationship, but you have to realize that all Tenno are now back out in the field and thus will not always be pair up with their preferred teammate. That being said; interfering with another team's mission is prohibited even if you have already completed your own. Forcing your way onto a team is also not allowed without permission from myself, Operator  Excalibur, or should the need arise in dire circumstances. Therefore, just because Operator Grendel is on a team with Operator Khora does not mean you have to be there to make sure she is not trying to "seduce" him away from you.

By the way, Operator Wisp; you should look up the word "irony" when you have a chance.

2. Operator Loki

While yes, the confinement to the Orbiter was longer than expected and you did not have any "viable targets" to in which to express your "creative" antics on; this does not mean that you should take a majority of your assign mission to make up for this lost time. Your first mission out of quarantine was a simple extraction and should have taken you a hour at best to complete for you and your assign team. Instead you took an additional four hours "pranking" the entire crew of the Corpus ship and wasting everyone's else time. On top of that, because you took so long the Corpus were able to call in reinforcements and your entire team had to put in significant effort to repel them in order to give yourself a window to escape.

3. Operator Rhino

It is understandable that you were a displease about the limited gym time you were given in order to allow everyone on the Orbiter a moment of peace and quiet while they try to keep themselves in peak physical condition. What is not understandable is you trying to go through an entire "Escort" mission with nothing more than a Fragor while handing the Syndicate hostage all of your ranged weapons. I would not even be displease about the last past since Syndicate field agents are highly trained individuals and can operate such weaponry easily. My problem lies in the fact that you left said field agent by himself in the midst of a Grineer stronghold with at least four platoons bearing down on them while you went around swinging your hammer like a madman in a attempt to, and I quote:

"Kill Grineer and work out at the same time"

If it was not for Operator Vauban protecting the agent, whose knows what would have happen.

From this moment forth and until I say otherwise you are restricted to a simple Karyst dagger for your meele weapon for missions.

4. Operator Chroma

I understand that you did not like being stuck onboard the Orbiter during the quarantine and mostly kept to yourself in your quarters; but it would not hurt for you to interact more with the other Tenno on the few team assignments you get. I have read enough reports regarding the eerily silence that they receive from you whenever they ask you a question.

5. Operator Ember

You seem to have gotten lax during your time on the Orbiter. According to reports you are constantly channeling World on Fire which while it can wipe out an entire room of enemies, especially the Infested, the complaints from your teammates about you "having all the fun" have been growing. I suggest that you ease back a little and allow the rest of your team to gain more experiences as well.

Just so you are aware: a large portions of the complaints are coming from Operator Volt, Operator Saryn, and Operator Frost, you main team

Update:

Operator Ember, your new technique, Inferno,  is not helping matters.

6. Operator Volt/ Operator Gauss

Just because you have far more room to run around than you had on the Orbiter does not mean that you should take your time in getting to the extraction point by racing everywhere. Both of you are needed on missions elsewhere and therefore should not dallying around after you complete your current mission objective.

7. Operator Garuda/Operator Valkyr

As long as I am in command of the Tenno you two shall never again be put on a single team together during a joint mission with a Syndicate. According to The Perrin Sequence message, the level of violence you unleash on the Grineer after being so pent-up in the Orbiter was so horrendous and disturbing that many of the agents that accompanied you are now taking psych evaluations and being moving out of the field to less traumatizing jobs; like being target practice for new weapons.

8. Operator Trinity

You of all people surprise me the most with your unusual behavior. I predicted that you would want everyone on the Orbiter gone so you could resume your normal routine before the lockdown.

Therefore it with a heavy heart that I must once again deny your request to have Operator Atlas permanently assign to you as your "bodyguard" whenever you are on the Orbiter or out in the field. His services are need elsewhere in the Origin System.

Also,

Do no cite Lotus Directive 17.5 to me to help your case. I was there when it was written, remember?

9. Operator Zephyr

Your recent habit of using Tornado  to lift your enemies in the air, wait for them fall, and then rate the impact they make is a clear sign of a psychopath. I realize that you of all the Tenno were affected the most by the lockdown, given your free-spirited attitude, but that is no excuse for this behavior. Put your enemies out of their misery quickly and move on with your objective.

On a further note, you will now be attending mandatory psych evaluations by Operator Trinity with Operator Atlas there to keep you in line.

10. Operator Mesas

I understand you are one of the most accurate shot among the Tenno. I understand that being confided to the Orbiter was quite the ordeal. I understand that you been having certain frustrations mostly in part due to a certain dense dragon-theme Tenno.

That being said, it does not give you the right to shot every male Grineer and Corpus you see on a mission in the crotch. Even on Exterminate missions, your job is to simply wipe out the enemies, not make them suffer.

Perhaps you should have a talk with Operator Trinity as well; I am sure Operator Zephyr could use the company.

A/N: Hopefully I now have time to focus on this story as well as the others.