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He didn't feel right. Which made no sense at all. He wasn't supposed to be feeling anything at all. Was he?

As he pondered the feelings, he crept through the Phobos landscape, a silent deadly shadow in a land of shadows. Phobos was far enough from the Sun that in ancient times it had been a bare rock. The light from the star that gave warmth to the cradle of humanity had barely managed to warm the surface temperature of the planetoid at times. But that had been before the Orokin. Before the super science that had transformed the system from anything that anyone of those ancient times would recognize. Planets had been moved, in some cases quite far from where they had been. Others had been altered significantly. He remembered reading that once, Uranus had been a gas giant like Jupiter, Neptune and Saturn. Now? It was a world of oceans. Not oceans of water mind you, but oceans none the less.

This rocky planetoid had been far less heavily modified. He wasn't sure how an atmosphere breathable by humans and human like forms -Tenno and Grineer included in that- had been added to something so small. It didn't seem possible to his knowledge of physics and natural law. Then again, he was neither a physicist nor a scientist studying such things. He was Tenno.

Another massive shadow appeared in front of him and he slid to the side, angling to stay out of the Grineer's vision until he could strike. Most of Phobos was permanently in light. Again, he had no idea how. More Orokin science/wizardry no doubt. But not all of it was in light. Some of it was dark and that was the part through which he was creeping.

The hapless Grineer trooper had no idea what was happening as a pair of daggers so sharp that they literally cut air sometimes tore through his armor as if it did not exist. Ether Daggers versus ferrite armor was no contest at all even if the clone had been able to sound a warning, which he hadn't. The clone's killer stood up and paused, contemplating his victim. The Grineer had been standing watch. But for what? There was nothing here. Was there?

The Tenno paused and looked around. The area was a bit different from the surrounding terrain. It was less 'inhabited' if that made any sense at all. The Grineer almost always stamped their boot prints all over an area. On Phobos it was always clear when you were in their zones of control. Their idea of renovations was a huge sprawling camp with heavy artillery guns firing at targets far away. You couldn't even think at times for the pounding of the artillery. But this area was different.

Several of the areas on Phobos obviously predated the Grineer occupation. Grineer structures were ill made and ill maintained piled of metal and technology that worked well enough for the clones. Which wasn't very well most of the time. This however, was an area that was not built by Grineer. The walls and other structures were made of stone. That was odd to say the least. Then again, most of the Grineer technology was falling apart and some of the stone walls had been standing for centuries at the very least from the wind erosion that was evident on them. A line of weathered columns -some still with ancient tatters of banners flying- led into a gaping cave mouth that was just a little too angular to be natural.

The Tenno stared at the dark chasm that led into the cliff face and then shook his head. He had a mission. He didn't have time to sightsee. Which was too bad, he would like to see what lay within. But not until the mission was done. He paused as a very young male voice sounded. He spun, but no one was there. The voice spoke one word, an odd word. 'Inaros.'

What did that mean? The Tenno stilled as a sound came to him. He ghosted back towards the wall as a pack of Grineer strode into view. None of them noticed him where he stood against the wall. All looked nervous. The leader, a Heavy Gunner, sounded irate.

"Another!" The group of Grineer milled around but none of them moved. The hulking Grineer spun to glare at them, her visible expression clear even through her closed armor visor. "Now!"

A Scorpion nodded and moved to where the sentry had stood before. From her posture she wanted to be anywhere but where she was. No sane Grineer disobeyed orders though. It meant a lot of pain at the very least. The Tenno stared as the Grineer patrol moved away, leaving the Scorpion to stand alone and watch... the cave mouth.

What the hell?

The Tenno stilled when the Grineer did as another voice sounded.

You are not welcome here, clone. The voice wasn't -quite- audible, but the clone heard it clearly from her sudden tension. The Grineer did not move and the voice sounded sad. Your death comes and you cannot even question it. Can you, Grineer?

"Show yourself!" The Scorpion demanded, her whip in hand. "What are you?"

The Tenno stared as the sand around the Scorpion suddenly came to life. It surrounded her, almost a pocket sandstorm. It blocked the view of her, but... She screamed once, twice, and then was silent. The sand fell back to the ground and the clone was gone. Only a small discolored patch shone where the Scorpion had stood. Shouts in the distance heralded the return of the Grineer patrol.

"The Queens command!" The Heavy Gunner snapped. "We obey! This place belongs to the Grineer! Enough! We will find this enemy and kill it! Glory to the Queens!"

The Tenno stared as more than one of the Grineer of the patrol backed away as the Gunner led the way into the cave. That was unprecedented in his experience. Grineer obeyed., It was what they were. What they were for. The Grineer leader either didn't notice or didn't care about the three Lancers and the Trooper who were not following her. The others bulked around her and then they were lost in the gloom of the cave. The four disobedient Grineer stared at one another. Then all froze as horrific screams from several voices sounded from the cave. As one, the Grineer took to their heels. It was purely bad luck that one of them blundered into where the Tenno stood by one wall. He never had a chance to scream as the Ether Daggers flashed again. None of the other three even looked back.

The Oberon warframe shook his head, staring at the cave mouth. He did not have time for this. He had to find his target and eliminate it. Maybe afterwards, he would have the chance to investigate. Carefully. He stiffened. He could see nothing out of the ordinary, hear nothing. But he was being scrutinized.

Go. The voice was now directed at the Tenno who froze. You are not welcome here, slave of the sky gods.

What? The Tenno asked. I don't understand. I am no slave.

This is your only warning.The other said flatly.This place is protected. Be gone.

If that is your duty, then so be it. The Tenno bowed his head. I have my own.

He bowed to the cave and moved to continue his mission. The Grineer population had to be curbed. Culling them one by one was simply too slow to be effective in any way. So, he was tasked to destroy a reactor that powered a settlement. Either the systems would melt down and kill every clone in the settlement with a burst of radiation or the power would fail and the clones in the place would have to leave, straining life support in other places to the breaking point. Either way, one quick mission and a Grineer settlement would stand empty. It wouldn't stay that way for long, the Grineer would repopulate it within a day at most. But it would provide another hole in the defenses that surrounded Phobos. For Tenno and others. Steel Meridian was active in the area. They couldn't match Grineer numbers but they could -and did- work as guerrilla fighters. Hit and run wasn't very glamorous, but it was very effective. On the plus side? It kept the fighters alive for more fighting.

He did not see a tall misshapen shadow move from the cave to stand over the discolored patch of sand, staring after him oddly. Pensive? When he turned back for a moment, it was gone.

The Tenno who called himself Sean was no stranger to oddness. He had woken in the care of Tenno Intelligence with no memory for goodness sakes! They had been kind in their own way, but he had known that he was a burden to them. Helping him cope with a sudden blank life had demanded their time. None had stinted, but he had known that they had other, more important things to do. As soon as he had been capable, he had gone out into the field, to prove to himself and others that he was still capable. This was his first solo mission and he was determined to succeed. To bring honor to his ancestors and the Lotus.

Ten minutes later

The settlement was crawling with Grineer. From where he knelt, concealed atop a small mesa overlooking it, he could see at least a hundred of them milling about. Steep odds, but he was Tenno. His weapons were all silent. Odds did not...

What the-?

He froze as a sound impacted his auditory sensors. It was familiar. Liset engines. But this was a solo operation! What were other Tenno doing here? He stared at the Grineer settlement and slumped a bit. They could all hear the engines too even if they couldn't see the approaching ships. They knew what was coming and all of them were now on alert. That screwed any chance of ghosting in and out without making a mess. The Oberon stood and waited as four forms dropped from the sky to land lightly on their feet around him. Excalibur, Volt and Mag. He nodded to them. Two of them... ignored him. They darted off, the Excalibur throwing himself from the edge of the mesa. The Volt activated his speed and took off at a run. He stared after them and then at the Mag who was unlimbering a sniper rifle with Vandal markings. She shrugged and her posture was resigned. She didn't seem any happier with them than he was.

Sean drew his Burston and took up position to cover the Mag. She looked at him and he indicated the camp, kneeling in position to cover her flanks while she fired. He could feel the Mag's scrutiny but then she too took a knee and aimed through her scope. The report of her massive rifle was muted. He looked at her and made a motion.

'Displace?' His curt gesture asked.

Snipers very rarely stayed in one place after they fired. It was safer for them not to fire from the same place too often. She shook her head and Sean nodded even as cries of alarm and pain sounded from the settlement. The other two had reached it and were making a mess. He ignored that. He ignored the repeated sounds of the sniper rifle firing. He focused on the flanks. A Grineer popped into view and Sean's Burston tore through him before him could even see the pair. The rifle was suppressed, but more Grineer would come. Sean made another gesture.

'Being flanked.'

The Mag nodded to him and slung her rifle, a Sicarus pistol appearing in her hand. Not a normal one, a Prime. Powerful enough in the hands of a skilled markswoman which obviously the Mag was. Sean started for the way down but the Mag shook her head again. She nodded to the overhang and Sean nodded. Faster than taking the path. Grineer were climbing the path now, their guttural cries distinct.

The Mag and the Oberon leaped from the edge and were on the ground and moving in moments. It turned out that the Mag's Sicarus was also suppressed. And yes, she was an excellent markswoman. Each burst was right on target, usually center mass with the occasional headshot. She was also well trained. She took one side of their path, Sean took the other and no Grineer that entered their zones of control survived long enough to fire at them.

A new alarm sounded in the distance and the Lotus congratulated them on a mission accomplished. Neither relaxed in the slightest. A countdown appeared on Sean's HUD, the reactor had gone into meltdown. They had four minutes to clear the area. He moved forward a bit faster than he had before and the Mag followed. A new waypoint appeared on his HUD showing the extraction zone. The pair of warframes made good time towards it but they were not stupid about it.

Where are you slow fools? Someone demanded in the silent Tenno way. Sean ignored it and the Mag did as well. We will leave you.

I know you will. This had to be the Mag from the female tone. From the vicious bite in her tone, she was fighting a temper. Then you can explain to the Elders why you left us. Again.

You are slow. The other retorted.

And you are an ass. The Mag replied, calmer. I knew it was a bad idea to come with you after the last time, but the Elders insisted. After all... Even Tenno can learn. Right? The scorn in her voice might have cut steel. Except for you.

We are leaving. The other snapped.

Go right ahead. The Mag sounded almost happy with that thought. Prove to everyone that you being in a hurry is more important than the lives of kin. See if anyone trusts you ever again. Sean stared at her and she shrugged. There was no reply, but there also was no sound of Liset engines.

'Long story?' He asked in gestures. She nodded. 'Later.' She nodded again.

The only warning was a laugh. It sounded Grineer. Sort of. Before Sean could process what was happening, a form had appeared form nowhere and landed on the Mag who went down in a heap as claws flashed. He couldn't get a clear shot, so he emptied his magazine into the armored form. It jumped off the fallen Mag and vanished.

Manic! The Mag warned as Sean held his hand over her to restore her warframe. But it was torn almost beyond repair. She wouldn't be able to walk. He shook his head and gathered her up even as she gestured for him to leave her. At least she did not struggle.

Good. The other snarked. It might make you run faster.

Sean ignored the byplay, starting to lope towards the waypoint that promised safety. He heard laughter again and increased his speed. He altered his course at random from side to side and heard a howl of dismay behind him, but ignored it even as he ran towards were two forms were... Were they dancing in the extraction zone? They were ignoring the fight! They were ignoring the hurt sister he was carrying.

Lotus! Sean snapped as he entered the extraction zone and the other two suddenly noticed him and his burden. The Volt jerked, almost starting towards Sean and then stopping. The Excalibur just shook his head. I demand a hearing with the Elders. Two of my kin have proven untrustworthy in battle. Both of the other warframes stood frozen as Sean carried the stricken Mag to the edge of the cliff. His Liset appeared and the airlock cycled. Your hurry is more important than our sister's life. I challenge such a breach of the Code. By the First, I challenge to a duel outside of Conclave. I will speak to the Elders, but I will meet you in battle. Make your peace with your ancestors.

The Lotus gasped and she was not alone. Such a challenge could only be resolved one way if Sean did not relent. Death. His or the two others.

You are insane. The one who before had been so mocking and arrogant sounded stunned.

"I am not the one who left a sister to die. Who ignored a fellow Tenno's need in battle." Sean said aloud as he moved into his Liset and commanded his Cephalon to begin medical support for her. His words would be transmitted to all who needed to hear them.

"Not for me..." The Mag pleaded as he laid her on the bench reserved for hurt Tenno. Energy started playing over her. "No kin die for me..."

"Not just for you, sister." Sean laid a hand on her warframe and she grasped it tight. "Anyone who will act that way is not following the Tenno Code. They are not untrained striplings, but they act as untrained striplings. This cannot stand or no Tenno will ever be able to trust another. The Code is what we are. What we must be. Did they act as the Code demands, sister?"

"No." The voice of the Mag was soft as her wounds were tended. "But I do not want them or you dead."

"I abhor the thought of slaying Tenno." Sean admitted. "But if they will not learn... Sister, what recourse do we have? You said it yourself, they have done such before." He scanned the readouts and slumped a bit. His ship had saved her life, but she needed more care than he could give. He started for the nearest Relay only to pause as she sent him coordinates for a dojo.

"Yes. They did. Take... Take me home. Please?" The Mag said weakly. "I... I am sorry."

"You fought well." Sean said with a smile that faded. "Not your fault that two of your teammates screwed you. But by the Code..."

"They will not do so again."