Prologue
The Orokin,
An ancient civilization.
Long had they thought war was a barbaric act, a relic of a lesser system.
Until it was thrust upon them.
The first contact with an alien civilization,
The sentients, was met with a slaughter of the diplomats,
An act of war by any laws of past.
The retaliation was swift, true to their proud nature,
But was met with equal strength. Again, many died.
The next months were a slaughter,
The sentients killing any that attempted to oppose their invasion.
It was not a battle then, but an extermination.
And so we fled, to the corners of the system,
Creating new weapons of ancient designs.
Some worked, others were as effective as a gentle prod.
And we learned, adapted. But still we fell in numbers.
Facing extinction they turned to the void.
A place of mystery, devoid of the simplicity, of the rules that govern our plain.
They sent probes at first, at an attempt to understand before they charged
into the unknown.
None returned.
And so with heavy hearts they sent a vessel.
Carrying the last hope of our kind we went through the portal.
Many died for their troubles,
Those that returned were cripples,
Screaming of the horrors of the void.
I was one of these.
The first.
Excalibur.
I
Before the dream
Two figures stood in front of a view screen, long robes flowing around them.
The room was lit by a single orb, engraved with golden text, hanging from the ceiling.
The taller one spoke, his voice low and worried.
"He nearly killed one of the guards today, And tried to blind two others-"
The shorter frowned, interrupting.
"You have voiced your doubts before brother, all duly noted. As it is, he is awake, a trait missing in the others, we must begin somewhere."
He started walking towards a door, positioned near the screen.
The taller grasped his arm as if to hold him back.
"Sir-"
"He is sedated enough, and we can't keep putting this off!"
The taller one bowed his head and sighed.
"Very well"
They walked through the door into a smaller room, with a bed near the center.
As they got closer a man stirred, and attempted to prop himself up.
"Who's there!"
He asked in a slurred fashion.
"We do not wish to do you harm Brother,"
The shorter one said soothingly as he walked to the bedside.
"We are here to understand. what happened to you in the void, Do you recognize me?"
He asked.
The man in the bed gazed with bleary unfocused eyes, something ticked in his head and he started.
"I- I'm not sure"
He squinted at the man at his bedside, taking in his features.
"Are you the..."
He blinked and half closed his eyes,
"Yes? Go on,"
The old man exclaimed, visibly excited.
The patients eyes snapped back open with a frenzied look, he hissed;
"Murderer"
Slumping back onto his cot he showed no further signs of aggression.
The taller figure, who had been keeping a distance throughout this exchange, shook his head and jotted down a few lines of text on a device he had been holding.
The older man sighed, running his fingers through his greying hair, then headed back towards the door he had entered from.
II
After the dream
A Relic
Of a forgotten age
The cryo pods atmospheric filter hissed, sucking the stale air inside of it out, over a shining helm, into the dim and cluttered storeroom, causing the dust on the floor to fly upwards in several small plumes.
A voice, metallic, but not unpleasant.
Core temperature restored Lotus, He should be awake within the minute.
The second, warmer, organic.
Thank you Cordylon.
A muffled grinding noise could be heard as the front of the cyro pod slide down, sending more dust spiraling, and finally revealing the rest of the recent slumberer;
A masculine figure covered in white, gold tinted armor, an intricate golden helm to crown his visage.
It, He, stirred.
Tenno, can you hear me?
Though unseen, his eyes opened.
He stood, Taking a slightly weary posture.
Who am I speaking with?
I am the Lotus, I will guide you, but you must leave this place, you are in danger, I have an extraction ship en-route.
He stretched, Then headed towards the door.
Where am I?
This is Vallis, Mars, A corpus stronghold, Your cyro pod was to be flown to a lab within the day.
The door lead to an empty corridor, wires grasped the rock wall, powering rows of bluish lights overhead.
Your left Tenno.
Excalibur continued, his armored feet making a gentle thud against the sandy metal floor.
Tenno, There are corpus readings up ahead, Do you remember your training?
I remember the tools, but I know not where I got them.
It is as expected, I will do my best to help you remember, but the others are similarly blocked from their past.
The red-brown corridor widened into a tall room littered with crates and various containers, The warrior slowed, his footsteps now silent.
Others?
He questioned
Yes, Your are not the first awake, These are dangerous times for your kind.
Excalibur leapt to a tall pile of crates, Crouching, he surveyed the room.
In the center, raised slightly was a large metal platform with railings attached on three sides, a console near the back. A guide rail lead up to a large hatch.
Excalibur counted three crewmen, all dressed in blue-grey flight suits and large helms with a blue slit for view.
Two where armed with energy weapons, while the third was reading a manifest.
That elevator will lead you to the surface, Try to take out the corpus quietly, They will deploy mechanized troops if you are detected .
One of the armed crewmen split off from the other two, Weaving through the cluttered room towards a metallic crate underneath the tenno.
Excalibur was poised, like a cat about to pounce, The crewman continued, oblivious to his silent watcher. Reaching its destination, it reached out, it's fingers tracing some etched numbers on a crate.
Silently the warrior crept above it, reaching his position, he fell towards the corpus, breaking his fall with the crewman's upper back, snapping it's neck.
Hearing the clatter, the other crewman called out to its companion in it's strange metallic dialect. Unanswered, it crept towards it's fallen comrade, weapon ready.
Crouching behind a crate, Excalibur waited, listening to it's metallic breathing as it's footsteps drew near.
As it turned the corner the Tenno sprang up, disarming the crewmen, then discharging the energy weapon into its boxlike visage, tearing through its shields and flesh alike.
Hearing the shot, the final crewman rushed towards a control panel on a nearby wall, only to fall, a glowing dagger protruding out the back of its head.
You have control of your powers, good.
The dagger faded.
Take the lift up, I have a ship waiting nearby.
The gleaming warrior walked over the last crewman, towards to console it had desperately tried to reach.
Punching a command into the panel, the large hatch in the ceiling slowly opened, revealing the
dark skies of Mars.
III
Before the dream
Brother, can you hear me?
Two robes, as before, but now a third. A slender being, a head taller then the others. Though she spoke, no words where uttered.
The patient, Eyes closed, mind still muddled, lay on the cot.
How are you here?
No words, yet he was tired, sad.
Like you, the void granted me a gift, though mine is of the mind.
The robed figures watched her, as she stood, eyes also closed, next to the man on the bed.
Why then? To heal me? Or kill me? Like those butchers with flaming knives?
She twitched, hearing his pain,
But continued, soothingly.
You are lost brother, your eyes deceive and your mind is scarred,
They seek only to help you, There are no butchers here.
Go! I cannot...
Cannot...
...
His words become disfigured and distorted in her mind, She sighed, opening her eyes.
"He is not beyond hope yet, but he is troubled and weak."
The old man nodded.
"As where you at first"
The younger one shot a guarded look at him before continuing with his notes.
Moving forward, the third put her partially armored hand on the patient.
Find strength brother.
The trio headed back toward the door.
IV
After the dream
A red planet
Blanketed in darkness
The mechanical whirring of the lift slowed as Excalibur ascended the last few meters to the surface, still clutching the looted Detron.
The sudden wind startled him, staggering him momentarily, the blue glow of his void shields illuminating the dark canyon wall.
Tenno, You must hurry, The Corpus will soon notice their fallen comrades.
The Lotus urged.
Adjusting, The blood specked warrior trekked through the canyon, the harsh wind occasionally hurling pebbles into his shields, causing them to ripple, before fading back out of sight.
How long have I slept?
He questioned.
Long enough, the seeds of chaos have flowered in your absence.
Excalibur continued the march, The spray of dust and sand quietly rattling against his armored frame.
How many are awake?
He slowed as the canyon broadened, the walls ahead sinking into the ground, he could see that the canyon had been comparatively sheltered from the howling sea of dust he saw ahead.
The lotus hesitated, then replied.
Three more of your kin are awake.
You must hurry, the dawn will calm the storm, we don't have much time.
The warrior grimaced, but digging his
heels into the shifting ground, He strode into the writhing mass of sand ahead.
The biting wind struck him with full force, He lurched backwards, the gritty soil washing over his shields, sending streaks of blue light flying backwards.
Adapting his step, Excalibur continued, each step faltering before being planted into the flowing earth.
Tenno, The Corpus ha-
The communication cut out with a sharp click, The storm enveloping it.
Lotus?
The warrior questioned.
Static, The hissing dunes devouring any legible transmission. But then, a calm, a single word.
Hurry.
The battle continued with renewed vigor, The dark waves of dust showing no restraint against the golden warrior, rattling his frame and tearing at his glowing shields.
Each powerful gust was a blow against the Tenno, Each grain of sand thrown at him hissed its hatred as it slid against his metal frame, the ground itself slithered beneath his feet, as if to trip him.
The storm raged for what seemed like hours to him, the wailing blizzard of sand, relentless, until at last it faltered,
The wails and groans of the desert turning to a gentle sigh. His shields shimmered out of sight once more, no longer needed.
Excalibur stood, motionless and exhausted. He let his arms fall to his side. The first rays of the red sun bathed the landscapes in a brilliant crimson light, the last plumes of the storm casting a spotted ray over the fatigued warrior, sending his shining helm into a blaze of golden splendor.
The comms clicked back to life, sending the Lotus' calm monotone through once more.
Tenno, The Corpus are preparing to send out patrols, I am sorry but you have no time to rest.
Excalibur sighed, his head tilted at the morning horizon.
Tenno?
The Warriors eyes snapped back forwards, facing the dunes ahead.
His stance stiffened as he prepared himself.
I am ready.
He began again, his limbs betraying no sign of his earlier drained state.
V
Before the dream
Demons-!
The voices, again, disjointed, fluttering. this one harsh.
...Angels-
Another, a females, angry, sad, not a reply, a word taken as if by mistake.
A gong, echoing, like the voices.
...Procedure-
The words of a third, older, were cut like the rest.
The seven-
The first again, fading into a cacophony of voices.
..Rotten-
The second echoed again, nearly weeping in anger.
...The children-
A fourth, like the first, saddened in disbelief.
The children!-
The second cried in grief.
The gong rang again, echoing.
...Seven hands-
An ancient voice, cold, a tint of spite.
Death.
The gong rang a final note, overwhelming the frenzied babbles.
Brother.
The fourth, Cast from the cacophony, Resonating.
Brother, Wake up.
The words washed away the echoes,
Clear, pure, calm.
The eyes of the dreamer open, the mind casting away the muddled trance.
A bed, a golden light, arms of flesh.
The fourth, Standing by the cot, lean, weary, robes flowing behind.
She smiles, eyes of the void.
Words of sound;
"Welcome back brother."