Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Ember’s Embrace
Operator/Ember
S.F.W

Sometimes it’s cold in a way I can’t change, no matter how tightly I curl up under the thermal blanket. Those nights I fight just to stay sane and not drift back to those dark, terrible days of before.

~~~

You’d think that after so long in a near coma like state, we’d not need sleep as all and you would be partly right, we don’t need to sleep so much as rest our eyes and bodies after piloting our frames and while it does mimic sleep in some regards when we rest, we are unable to reach a state of true sleep as a human would, we don’t ‘dream’ as a human would, its more reliving the past. We can go great lengths of time without needing to rest but eventually, the strain on our minds and even our bodies will force us to leave our Frames and settle down for a time to regain what energy and strength we have lost, or we could risk tremendous mental strain and becoming trapped in our memories for a time that can lead to health issues.

For that reason, I have a personal rule that I will never go longer then two weeks before resting, just to avoid the chance I would become trapped in memories I would rather leave buried in the past. Sadly, it doesn’t always work.

Sometimes, the missions are just so draining that I have to stop after only two to three days, especially now, now that I am no longer hidden away on Lua. Ordis had made a room for me to use as my own when not in the transference pod and while it was basic and didn’t have much in it to begin with, it has been slowly filled with personal things that make it mine. A small collection of fluffs that will keep growing when I have the funds to spare of them and a bed. I know I’ve said we don’t need to sleep but it is nice to have a space where I can lay down and stretch out comfortably rather than being sat in the chair or confined in a pod while I rest and while some may not agree with the idea of laying down, I say to each their own and enjoy the comfort of a plush mattress under my body as I lay myself upon the firm mattress and relax into the warm confines of the weighted thermal blanket, praying that despite the draining mission I had come home from that the past will stay in the past and I can rest in blissful darkness.

I am not lucky this time.

I feel the familiar chill of those memories, the nights spent curled up amongst other kids, some older some younger but all of us just kids, lost and scared and just trying, trying so hard to survive. The oldest kids, they looked for food and kept the adults, some sick, some mad, others just insane away from us younger ones, I never knew nor did I want to know why the adults were after us, why they wanted to hurt us so much. I never wanted to know why they’d turned on us when we’d only ever done what we could to please them.

I can feel the cold now, even though I know I’m not in that place anymore, I’m somewhere else, I still feel that cold, horrid feeling as I relive the past I tried so hard to escape in my rest, trying to find the warmth of the blanket, the warmth of the mattress and the comforting scents of what is and not what was.

Sometimes it’s cold in a way I can’t change, no matter how tightly I curl up under the thermal blanket. Those nights I fight just to stay sane and not drift back to those dark, terrible days of before.

I won’t escape this memory it seems, the hold they have is deep and the lack of comforts to be found in the present to anchor me here mean I am not able to find and hold onto the here and now as I get dragged in to the then and there.

Then, like a welcome blissful breath of reality, powerful warm arms are around my body, holding me against a warm breasts and chasing the past cold away from my body, replacing it with the warmth and comfort of the present so firmly and so solidly that I know the memories will not come back again, they will stay away and I will be safe in the warm emptiness of my own mind at last.

I know its Ember, she’s in my room holding me in her arms as I rest, protecting me from the memories that haunt me.

Ember was the one I took with me to try and stop the Shadow Stalker’s hunt in the Void for Lua and the she was one who’d carried me from the Reservoir to Ordis when I’d woken from cryo sleep, dizzy, hazed and weak and relaying on memory and training to guide my actions, she was the one who’d snapped the sword the Stalker had plunged into her before he’d tried to choke me, tearing it from her body and leaving herself with a horrid injury that I felt, a fragment of the pain compared t what she had no doubt felt, but it hurt so much it was enough to make me scream.

I remember Lotus had picked me up and I begged her, begged her to tell me how to fix Ember and make sure she was ok. Foolishness some would have said, Frames have no emotion or feeling, but I have never believed that and I was not going to leave he, forgotten and hurt when I knew the injury would have meant she’d never be usable again. Lotus had put me in my transference chair and promised me all would be well when I had rested, I was still under the effect of prolonged cryo stasis, my body was still numb in places, my vision blurred and my senses working overtime to try and cope with all that was new and old all at once.

Lotus stayed with me, helped me remove the hood of my suit when my stomach finally could take no more of the sensory abuse and I had to let myself surrender to the moment.

Ember was there, at the corner of my vision, her helm turned to the side as if she were still in her way watching over me even as Lotus tended me, gentle and motherly as she’d always been as she helped me calm down from it all, she helped me into the hot water pool Ordis had opened up in the chamber to wash away the mess I’d made of myself, she helped me into a clean suit before helping me back into my chair. I answered her questions as best I could, and she promised me it would all be well in time and then I saw it, Ember’s body gave a jerk and then she was standing up the horrid gash from the sword she’d given herself to break the blade stitched itself together, leaving nothing to show there had ever been an injury there at all. She nodded to me as if assuring me she was fine and then walked herself to the Arsenal, Lotus said it was a lingering effect of the transference that had woken a dormant protocol in all Warframe, a code of programming that allowed them to preform a basic set of orders without Tenno piloting them.

I know it’s more than that, Ember would not come to me and hold me like this as I rest if it was a reactivated programming. This is something deeper, something all of my frames have started to show over time since they came into my ship however small the signs it was there in all of them. It’s their own will, a will that has been ignored by others because they don’t want to admit they have used and abused these frames as they have the Tenno.

Its that will that makes my Ember come to me when I’m resting and the past creeps up on me, she cradles me so I rest well and she is there for me when I need a hug, just as Saryn is there to help me face the Infested, Mirage and Loki are there to help me smile and laugh with their mischievous ways, all of my Warframes know when I need them and they do all they can to help me in their own ways.

I know Ember won’t leave me alone now, I can feel her heavier weight next to mine, her arms securely around my body and so I simply snuggle just a little closer to her warmth, resting my head on her shoulder and let myself sink into the blissful warm darkness, safe in the knowledge Ember will hold me safely and stay with me so the cold memories don’t come back.

Chapter Text

The Operator
Ordis Observation Log
S.F.W

Ordis watches over you. Ordis makes note of many things to help him understand you. Ordis makes logs for everything he notices.

~~~

The Operator does not like the Syndicates. She says they are foolish for bickering amongst themselves when they could pool their resources to help one another better and drive their combined enemies.

The Operator enjoys visiting Cetus and Fortuna. She finds the people there kind and enjoys working to help them, she fishes for them and is happy to spend time amongst the animals of surrounding landscape. She does not like having her time ruined in those places by the Grinner and Corpus forces that patrol the areas.

The Operator does not like to go to Lua alone. She refuses to set foot there without aid wherever possible and she will actively avoid going to Lua until vital. She does not speak of why.

The Operator does not like being cold. Ordis wonders if this is because she has spent such a long time in deep cryo-stasis.

The Operator is fond of fluffs. She will buy one whenever possible from the venders of the system.

The Operator cries sometimes. She does not sniffle or make a sound when she cries. She does not always seem aware of her own tears, Ordis wonders if this is normal but does not ask.

The Operator cares for her Warframes greatly. Often taking time to find and buy waxes and oil to help clean and maintain frame health and other such cosmetics. The Warframes show their thanks by serving the Operator and also by taking turns watching over her during her restful states.

The Operator becomes frustrated at times and often hides this from her Warframes. Ordis is unsure what is it that frustrates the Operator so but will continue to monitor this matter.

Ordis will continue to monitor and observe the Operator and make note of any kind of changes.

Chapter Text

Comfort
Excalibur, Mag and Saryn
S.F.W

Comfort comes in many forms and ways. Mag never expected to find it from Saryn. Excalibur never thought he’d bear witness to the softer side of the Poison Frame.

~~~

Mag was crying, Excalibur could hear the strained breaths and broken whines, but he did not dare to go near Mag, worried that he, like Volt, Loki and even Rhino would be tossed thrown out of the room.

Nyx was getting her punishment from Lotus, having been the cause of this whole mess, but no one, not even Mirage had managed to get Mag to stop crying.

The air suddenly changed, the scent of a strange flower reaching his sensors and Excalibur turned from his place at the end of the hall way, watching another Frame approach Mag’s room with a loyal Huras Kubrow proudly striding at her side until they came to the door and looked in.

Saryn had been on a mission with Mesa and Nidus, searching for relics for Lotus and while Saryn was not known to be friendly to others, she did not shy away from missions and had no issue smacking frames into place if they dared insult one another, Oberon had learned that the hard way after Saryn had overheard the paladin accusing Nidus of bringing filth and sickness to the Dojo.

Needless to say, Lotus had not punished Saryn for almost breaking Oberon’s arms that day, nor had anyone dared speak ill of the Infested Frame since then.

Saryn shook her head at the sight within the room and lightly put a hand to the Kubrow’s head for just a moment and then much to Excalibur’s shock, the other female went into the room. Seconds ticked by and there was nothing. Mag didn’t yell at Saryn to leave her room, didn’t throw her out or curse at the other female frame, it was oddly silent for a moment and then the crying became weak sniffles.

Curious and a little worried, Excalibur moved closer to the door of Mag’s room, keeping his movements slow and calm, well aware that the Kubrow would snarl at him if he did anything that could have been threatening to Saryn and when he was close enough he peeked inside the room.

If Excalibur hadn’t witnessed what he beheld for himself, he knew he would never believe it coming from anyone else.

Saryn. The Warframe who was often placed with the most deadly Frames for her ability to poison and spread sickness throughout the ranks of enemies so easily, the one who found her joy in the pained screams of her foes as their bodies succumbed to her spores and miasma, and who had only ever allowed Harrow to come close enough to hold her hand, was hugging Mag.

She was knelt by the other female frame, one arm over her shoulders, the other gently rubbing the back of Mag’s helm while Mag clung to Saryn’s back, savouring the embrace as long as she could.

Neither spoke a word, but Excalibur knew there was some understanding between the two.

Secure in the knowledge that Mag would be safe, Excalibur silently left the hallway and went to his own room to rest.

Chapter Text

The Favourite
S.F.W

It is obvious that someone is favoured over the others.

~~~

Harrow was confused. Why were the pups all snuggled up around him?

“Good day Harrow.” A voice stated and Harrow looked up, surprised at the voice across the room, watching as Nidus and Limbo came in, carrying grooming brushes and towels and wash bottles, Limbo greeting him with a slight tip of the head while Nidus silently nodded to him.

“I am… confused.” Harrow said after a moment, “Why are they… near me?”

“They like you.” Nidus stated, his voice echoing lightly. “You are their favourite person.”

“Harrow is… favourite?” the void frame repeated. “Why?”

“It is a feeling you give off.” Excalibur said as he came in with a large pair of bowls and extra towels. You remember how you were more comfortable around Mesa, Atlas and Wisp when you first came to us, because they helped you and you felt safe?”

“Harrow remembers.” The younger frame nodded, though there was a hint of shame in his tone, he had hurt Wisp in his confusion, but she had been nothing but kind to him even before that, always willing to help him and offer him a helping hand when he needed it.

“Well, pups feel safe around some frames more then others, they feel safe with you and so they come to you, rather then others.” Excalibur said. “Would you like to help us bath them?”

“I can?” Harrow asked.

“It would be easier.” Nidus nodded. “Pups do not like baths, but with your help, they may learn that baths are good and we can keep the room from getting soaked.”

Harrow thought about it in his own way, the pups were comfortable with him. Pups do not like baths but they need to be clean. If he helped, they would maybe like the bath more.

“How do I help?” Harrow asked.

Nova, Saryn and Mesa paused and looked again at the sight before them.

A pile of Kubrow pups, all cleaned and dried, snuggled around Harrow while Excalibur, Limbo and Nidus drying off the adult Kubrows.

And not a single puddle to be found.

“How did you-?” Nova asked.

“Harrow helped.” Limbo explained. “He’s their favourite.”

Harrow smiled proudly.

Chapter Text

The Frames
Ordis Observations 2
S.F.W

Ordis observes the Warframes and makes notes of their behaviour.

~~~

Ordis would like to state that all following observations have been during times when the Operator was not using transference with the observed frames, all movements were independent of any outside power the Operator offers.

Limbo, Loki and Mirage are fond of slight of hand tricks with cards and small items, they also enjoy optical illusions and often sit together and trade tricks, or preform them for Harrow, who is fascinated by the tricks.

Harrow is most at ease when he is around the Operator or Ember, Wisp and Excalibur, he does not like to be by himself for very long and is content to sit quietly with the Kubrow pups or listening to Octavia playing music. Harrow is also happy to help Titania clean her many butterfly like attachments whenever asked.

Wisp hums and often cleans the landing craft when she if humming, Ordis does not know why she does this, but Ordis is not going to complain or ask her to stop, the humming is pleasant and helps calm Harrow when the Operator is not available.

Mag and Saryn enjoy playing Komi, they have a small challenge going with Mirage and Wisp to see who the better player is. Harrow like to organize the stones into neat towers when the game is not being played.

Octavia plays a Nelumbo Shawzin for the other Frames, often when they are being repaired. Grendel will often sit and listen to Octavia’s playing, for such a large frame, Grendel is very gentle with everything and everyone he comes into contact with, Ordis wonders if this is because Grendel does not wish to damage anything with his huge size.

Excalibur and Ember meditate together. Ordis is unsure is this is for comfort, enjoyment or because they are the oldest war frames the Operator owns. They are sometimes joined in meditation by Valkyr and Loki, though neither is as dedicated to the meditation.

None of the other Warframes have yet shown any kind of independent action, Ordis believes this is because their individual will has been destroyed by the Orokin during the war, or because they have not yet realized they would be welcomed by their fellow Frames into the family as the Operator often says.

Ordis will add further observations when and if they occure.

Chapter Text

Found anew and gone away.
Operator
S.F.W

Loss is something we Tenno should be ready to accept, really it should not hurt this much.

But it does.

~~~

We should have expected it.

Nothing we love ever stays with us for long.

Some of us are old enough to remember our parents, some of us are not, other chose not to remember. I am one of the ones who chooses not to remember.

It hurts so much, looking back at those days, the few I remember from before the madness of the Void and what it did to them… I hate seeing that twisted smirk on their faces as they hunted us, hearing their voices mock and taunt me when once they had soothed and calmed me.

We survived somehow, witness to the madness that destroyed our homes until they found us. But they were not kind. They did not see us as children who had suffered, they saw us as monsters, the reason the adults were dead. They hurt so many of us in ways that even now have not healed.

But she came from them and she was kind to us. She tried to help us. She tried… and we grew to love her, to respect her in ways we thought lost since the Void had taken our parents. But when she tried to speak out, to help us more, they took her away from us…

I was there when they gifted the youngest ones, the stable ones, their honours, I had taken the Frame of Saryn that day and alongside Nidus and Nekros, we spread decay and sickness amongst the Orokin bastards they had taken Margulis from us, and I am not ashamed to say I enjoyed it. It was us, the older ones who sent the little ones into hiding, we became the outcasts of the system, haunted by memories and walking the thinnest lines, seeking out the last of the Orokin and slaughtering them all for their crimes against us.

And then, she came.

Lotus. She knew us, knew all of us by name, by age and appearance, she knew us. It was the first time in many years anyone had called any of us by our true names, she was gentle, kind, loving, motherly, everything Margulis had been and more, she was able to sooth us, sooth the monsters that haunted us and we went willingly into the dream she offered us.

Some of us began to heal in that dream, heal enough that we could ignore the shadow that lingered from the Void. We could relax again, we could be children again… the Void left us in that dream and we were free of it and all its twisted mocking.

And then the dream was shattered and the harsh reality came crashing back to us, Teshin and the Queens targeted our little brothers and sisters, still weak from their slumber and still tired from the long Second Dream. Lotus feared we would be changed, she feared for what we could be forced to endure if we faced rekindled the Void power within us but to spare the young ones, we older Tenno would do it over again a thousand times, we would walk though the fires and take the bullets to spare them this madness.

I had seen one brother, one who had protected us all for so long that his own mind had been broken by the Void, torturted and beaten and then tossed aside to die by the Orokin because he did not fit their vison of perfection, and I refused to see anyone else suffer that way again.

Damn the Queens and all their sick plots. Damn the Orokin for taking Margulis from us. And damn the Void, for its chilling hold over those of us who still remember it’s cold hold and felt it creeping back in, Rell had protected us by giving himself to the Void for a time, but now he was gone, given rest at long last by others and we, the remaining big sisters and brothers had to be the barrier between that madness and our little brothers and sisters now.

We met atop that mountain peak on Lua and for the first time in so many long years, we saw not our Frames faces but our true faces, scared, burnt, misshapen and changed by our pasts and together the choices were made.

Some drank welcoming the madness back with open arms, some held on and promised to keep the balance as Rell had and others, like me, destroyed and chose to fight the madness as long as we could before we let the Void take us again. We’d let the mocking shadow back into our lives and it relished and rejoiced in its stolen twisted voices to us all.

We would do it all again to spare the others.

Teshin suggested the world would weight heavier on us now, but who is he to talk of weight? He has no love for us, he had no true understanding of us and what we suffered. He knows only what he was permitted to know.

And so, we continued on, protecting one another, protecting the system as we had before but this time, it was our choice to do so, we were not monsters to the people of Cetus or Fortuna. We do tasks for them because we enjoy them and because we find them an escape from the reality of the demons that haunt our nights so constantly now.

And then, as seems to be our fated pattern, Lotus was gone.

Taken. Left. Stolen. Abandoned us. No one wants to agree on how or why, but she is gone, and after months of searching, hoping and begging for any kind of sign, we finally had a lead.

Umbra. A Frame created from a living being, forced to change and obey the will of Ballas after Margulis was taken, and though Umbra’s memories, it was made clear that Umbra had as much pain, as much suffering and torment as we had. We shared that pain, each of us who could reached out and grabbed Hold of Umbra and held him steady, we showed him the memories he lived in and we stood with him at the end, we told him it was not his actions that cost his son his life, we showed him it was Ballas’ actions that caused it all and when he asked how we could have understood, we showed him.

We did not hold back, we did not hide it, we spared him no truth. We were all monsters, we were all ugly, we were all broken in some way and not all of us could ever be whole again on their own, but together? Together we all made a beautiful whole. A united force between Tenno and Frame that went both ways.

We use memories to fuel our wrath. We accept memories and move beyond their reach. We return memories to the Void and find peace in emptiness.

Umbra is not a Tenno as we are, but he is not a normal Frame either. When asked what he was by the youngest of us, it was I who answered, speaking though my Ember Frame as we all gathered in the Dojo, hidden in the void from all outsiders. No matter what Umbra had been before, he is one of us now and we would not abandon him.

Umbra lead us to Ballas and we followed him, cutting down the Sentient and Mimics that tried to slow us down. We faced him, and we gave Umbra the revenge he wanted while demanding what he had stolen from us.

We were not ready for what came next. She is not Lotus anymore. Not our Lotus. It was her voice, her face, but she was changed and we…

Loss is something we Tenno should be ready to accept, really it should not hurt this much.

But it does.

It hurts all of us in ways we did not want to remember possible. Lotus was not Margulis, Lotus was not our true mother but she was loved and we had, perhaps selfishly in some cases, latched onto her for sanity and security. Losing her has hurt us, and no one is sure how to cope without her.

Ordis has done all he can to try and ease the pain for the younger ones, creating a virtual likeness of Lotus for them and while it is not the real Lotus, it has helped them.

It is Umbra who has helped we older Tenno to cope, he has sparred with us, meditated with us, held us when the tears just won’t stop, using transference to speak to us with such reassurance, such kindness and such understanding, it is natural for us to find comfort in him, be that in our frames or out of them, he is there for us as he no doubt was for Isaah in his childhood days and for that, we have each in our own way shown our thanks.

We never had a Farther figure and while we can never replace what has been lost, we can help one another cope and adapt.

Chapter Text

Late Night Conversations.
Operator/Man Behind The Wall. (The Void)
S.F.W

“You can’t ignore me forever Kiddo.” It tells me with that cocky smile.

~~~

“Hey Kiddo.”

I walk past it as if it is not even there, leaving Mag in the Arsenal to repair the damages done to her frame during a spat with the Infested.

“Kiddo, I am talking to you.”

I walk right though it, taking the band out of my hair and undoing the back zip of my suit. “Ordis, hot wash and dry cycle please, and activate hygienic shower two.” I request while peeling the sweat soaked vest and shorts off my body to wash them as well as my suit while I shower. “And please tell Mag she can use the fresh wax to buff any scuffs out.”

“Yes Operator.” Ordis affirmed as my shower tower opens up to allow me inside and a second tube opened as he prepared a hot wash and dry for my clothes, “Initiating privacy mode.”

“Such confidence Kiddo. So unlike the boy.”

I say nothing, and on the edge of my vison, it simply stays where it is, sat cross legged on the floor by the door with its head cocked to the side. An image of innocence, if not for the glowing red eyes that watch my every move. It stays there, quiet for the time being as I shower and dry off, redressing in a clean, oversized shirt and shorts before heading to my room. It is sat on the edge of my bed when I enter the room and it stays there as I climb into bed and throw the blankets over myself. I feel it move to lay beside me, able to tug at my hair just enough to be a bothersome pest I sighed and turn to face it.

“You can’t ignore me forever Kiddo.” It tells me with that cocky smile.

“I’m tired, sore and I want to rest.” I tell it. “Is it too much to ask for?”

It chuckles. “I enjoy you, Kiddo.”

“Fuck you.”

It cackled madly and faded away though it will not be the last time it bothers me, I know that much from past encounters. It will stay, just out of sight and wait for a chance to creep up on me, then it will grab me, it will grab tight and it will not let go until I give it what it wants. What it craves from all Tenno.

This man behind the wall, this manifestation of the Void, whatever it is, will not find me an easy toy to play with as it has others and if it wants to try and play games with me, it will find I am not so easily scared.

“What makes you think I want to scare you Kiddo?” It asks, peeking at me from the edge of my bed.

“Glowing red eyes that watch from the shadows, popping into existence, jump scares every other week. All classical attempts to scare someone.” I state, rolling away from it again. “Rather pathetic, given what Tenno went though before we were named Tenno. Or have you forgotten the madness you spread though the Zariman Ten Zero.”

“I spread?” It repeated in a question now hovering above me. “Kiddo, I have no control over the mature minds of simple beings.”

“I find that hard to believe,” I tell it. “You spoke to Rell and he said it was your doing, even if we did not understand him then, events of late of proven he was in some regard right about you. You turned him mad, why would it be wrong to say you also twisted our parents’ minds?”

It smiles that cocky smile and then balances on its hands over the edge of my bed, looking down at me with gleaming joyful eyes. “Kiddo, you know I have done you no harm.”

“I have a scar to my left leg caused by you and your mindless puppets from the Red Vail to show otherwise.”

“It was not my hands that gave you that scar, it was another who believed I wished you harm.”

“You twist words.” I state and roll away again, “Go away and let me rest.”

“Answer me one thing first Kiddo.” It says and I can feel it inches from my face again. “Why aren’t you scared of talking to me? The other kiddos are either terrified of me or just straight up ignore me.”

“Maybe I know that someday you won’t be content to just pop in and out of our lives and scare us with your tricks.” I tell it. “Maybe I’m just accepting that until you get what you want from us, we’re stuck with you and your tricks.”

It seemed to catch the underlaying tone, and after a few moments, it began to fade away. “Sleep well Kiddo. I’ll come back and play with you later.”

I watch it fade away and sigh heavily curling into the bed for comfort and warmth, it is a small victory to have, but it will come at a prise later, all things do with the Void, but for now, it is peaceful and I am free to rest and pretend for a brief time, it is all just a fever dream, and when I wake all will be well again.

Chapter Text

Umbra Observation Log.
Ordis/Umbra
S.F.W

Ordis makes more observations, this time they are about Umbra.

~~~

Ordis is not sure where to begin. The Frame Umbra is as unique and new to Ordis as it, ah- HE is to the Operator and other Warframes. He is independent of the Operator and while he has not asked for a privet room of his own, he is not comfortable settling in the Arsenal with the other Frames and so instead often meditates and rests in the navigation room, facing the windows to view the stars and the void region that hides us from our foes.

Umbra is polite to the other Frames, though he seems shocked that several of them have their own independence and speech capabilities via transference, but after some conversation and research with the Operator’s aid, he has come to understand that all Warframes have their own wills, they are merely repressed and dormant due to the torment and cruelty of the Orokin. Since learning this, Umbra has studied the few Orokin text files Ordis has access to, Ordis does not know why.

Umbra is not fond of the Infested room that the Operator uses to cure the Infested Cysts that sometime appear on her frames, though he has no apparent issue with Nidus, nor the small infested maggot that Saryn keeps as a pet and on the topic of pets, there also seems to have been a shift in behaviour from the older Kubrow, they now spent time with Umbra, either being groomed or mock fighting with him, when the pups are being groomed or bathed.

Umbra has, on several occasions, mimicked the actions of a human without seeing to realize it. He brings his hand to his face, where his mouth would be as if to hide a yawn and he also brings his hand up to protect his eyes from sudden light if startled. Though his helmet hides both these actions it is likely this is a lingering behaviour from his time before being forced to become a Warframe.

Umbra has been heard playing the Nelumbo Shawzin with Octavia and he seems to enjoy the food Grendel prepares for everyone even though he at first was hesitant to try the meal until the Operator assured him the food was good and could be eaten by both Frames and Tenno alike.

Ordis has also noticed the Umbra is very protective of the Operator and other Tenno. When on missions where the Operator will leave Umbra’s Frame to fight on her own, Umbra will follow her movements and move to protect her and others from attacks. Since becoming part of the Family, Umbra has also been at the Operator’s side with Ember, almost seeming to guard her whether this is also a lingering behaviour or done out of a sense of duty, Ordis is unsure.

One more observation of note is that when the Operator suddenly becomes stiff and looks at a space where Ordis is unable to see any reason for her attention or sudden fearful state, Umbra also seems to focus upon the unseen thing.

Chapter Text

The Prime Frames
Operator.
S.F.W

They may be better, but they are not without risks.

~~~

They say that Prime Frames are the best of the Frames. They allow for better use of their abilities; they are better designed to protect us from the outside environments of the worlds we visit for missions and they are designed for extended uses without resting.

Some say they are the only way to go once you have mastered the base frames, but recently, the Tenno who have used Prime Frames for extended missions have begun to complain of headaches, muscle pains and discomfort when using their Base Frames. According to Ordis’ observations and judging by the results of tests with Trinity, it’s a side effect of using the Prime Frame.

They are better suited to long term use but overusing them the way some Tenno have has created a stronger bond between Frame and Tenno, one that the Prime Frames latch onto in a similar way an Infested Cyst latches on to a Frame. The way Trinity explained it, a Prime Frame latches on to you the first time you use it, and it remains linked to you, as all Frames do, but the more you use a Prime Frame, the stronger it holds on to you and like the Cyst growing, the hold starts to become noticeable though the head aches and pains in the muscles. If we space out the time we use the Prime Frames and cut down the long term missions we use them for, then like having a Cyst removed we can delay and possibly train the Prime Frames to relax their hold.

But sadly that is not an option for the Tenno who have already used their Prime Frames for too long. The hold is too strong and so, they have no choice but to continue using Prime Frames exclusively.

Chapter Text

Mine.
Saryn, Mag, Loki and Nyx.
N.S.F.W (Violent, not sexual)

No one will take them from me, they are MINE.

~~~

I got the call from Mag, pained and so very, very scared, needing help and someone who could get there fast.

I told Nidus to take Harrow back to the Dojo for repairs from the Primes, while I got Mag and Nyx, I already knew ho was to blame for this mess up without needing to ask, Mag was only just released from medical because of an injury from our runs in the Scarlet Spear, and Nyx, stupid whore that she is, took Mag out without realizing how bad the situation was on the ground.

Mag’s just a kid, she’s not ready for this hell we call day to day life yet and Nyx knows that. She just don’t care who she has to drag around as long as they take the hits while she looks good in the fight to try and impress the Primes and earn her right to have a Prime Armour of her own.

Nyx can dig her own fucking grave and sleep in it for all I care. Mag is one of my little ones, she’s my responsibility, Excalibur asked me to look after her and I’m not going to fail him, not after he saved me. I won’t let Mag take the blame for Nyx’s fuck ups, not this time, not ever again.

I saw them, Nyx trying to use her mind control to try and seduce the ones guarding them while Mag was silent, shaking in her restraints from fear as she looked around the area, looking for help, hoping for help to come before they were killed. I let Mag see me, I let her gaze meet mine, and I give her the only signal I know she will understand from me. I brought my hand to my face and cover where my eyes are, when I look again, Mag has bowed her head and isn’t shaking anymore.

I lunge at the closest guard, spores flying form my fingers to the furthest reaches of the room, I feel them latch on to their targets and feed me the energy to coat my short blades with toxic lash, cutting down the guards who ran into the room with a few more powerful weapons but they fire into the moulted skin I leave in the middle of the room and slide between their legs cutting them apart as mercilessly as I have thousands of others, I let more spores fly from my body, letting them latch onto anything that can give me energy to feed the burning sickness in my body.

I hear Nyx curse me for some blood getting on her frame, she isn’t my concern, Mag is. Mag is quiet, still and calm. I feel the sickness peak inside me and unleash it without hesitation.

The guards stop coming, I realize suddenly that there is someone else with me, someone unseen and unnoticed, but friendly.

Loki. Clad in black and green he greets me with a bow and then gives Nyx a look that silences her instantly as I pass her and put a hand to Mag’s helm, she looks at me at last and I see the tears she isn’t sheading. She’s not scared, she fucking terrified.

I cut the restraints off her, take her hand in mine and give her a gentle tug to follow me, she does wordlessly, Nyx says nothing as Loki drags her after us, still restrained and still looking a state, she is silent until we reach extraction, but before she can finish asking to use the shower, Ordis speaks over her and tells us Excalibur wants us all at the Dojo.

Loki tells her the showers can wait, and puts her to work cleaning the weapons instead while I take Mag to the back of the ship and to the wash room, Ordis, bless him, has already drawn a hot bath for Mag and I need only let go of her hand for her to understand its safe now.

She cries until we reach the Dojo, even though we had both washed and dried during that time she is still crying as I lead her from the ship and into the Dry dock, Mirage Prime rushes forward with Trinity and Volt, Volt is at Mag’s side first and hugs her tightly, checking her for any injury he might find before Trinity shoos him lightly away and inspects Mag herself with careful eyes and gentle hands.

Mag’s alright. Not injured so much as scared. But she’s ok.

Mirage Prime scoops the smaller Frame up and hugs her tightly. One sister’s affection to another. I envy that.

Nyx dares not say anything when she passes us, I see the glare and feel it, but she’s not worth the effort to respond. I know my place and my duty, Nyx is still learning.

I let go of Mag’s hand, and she looks at me in confusion. I shake my helm and lightly pat her helm, my dismissal of her from my care and then with a respectful bow to Mirage Prime I take my leave of them and go to the Prime Frames’ Chambers. Rhino Prime is there at the door, waiting for me, as is Chroma Prime, he gives me a light nod and announces my arrival to the others before he and Rhino Prime take their seats.

I let Nyx talk first. She’s my elder but there is no respect between her and I, she hates that I have the respect of the Prime Frames when she has none, she hates that I have been offered a place amongst them and have declined it where she had never even been offered the chance.

Most of all, she hates that I am loved and trusted by the others, where she is not.

Excalibur Prime stands suddenly and Nyx falls silent as he snarls at her for not only getting herself and Mag caught, but also for taking Mag out in the first place when she was still in recovery from her injuries from the Scarlet Spear. I won’t lie as say I didn’t smile at how fast Nyx withered under the Alpha Prime’s scalding of her actions.

Then, I feel someone looking at me and I retell my version of events, how Mag had called out for help, how I had sent Nidus to take Harrow for repairs while I got Mag and Nyx out of trouble, how Nyx had been trying to seduce her guards while Mag was searching for a sign her call for help had been heard. I spared no detail as I retold the fight to the Prime and that it had been Loki who freed Nyx rather then me as my focus had been on Mag.

Oberon Prime asks me why I did not free Nyx and I simply state to him what I say to all my little ones when they ask why I fight so strongly for them against threats, why I do all in my power, even when they are no longer in my care, to protect them and others.

Because they are mine, mine to protect, mine to care for, mine to train and aid to become better Tenno, mine to watch over until they are ready to move on. No one will take them from me, they are MINE.