Relentless Judgement
Tucked away in the shadow of the planet Mercury lay a small structure of Orokin technology. This was no elegant tower with golden ornaments and embellishments along its pristine hallways, nor was it a derelict that had succumbed to the ravages of the Infested. It was a tiny outpost, invisible to the prying eyes of enemy radar and an insignificant speck against the velvet curtain of space.
Inside, a woman sat perfectly still, though her activities were far from the stillness that exuded from her form like a gentle aura. The area around her was a metallic jungle of wires and cables, all of which were branched together to a single port that was attached to the back of the woman's lotus-shaped helmet. Indeed, she was the Lotus, the guide and informant for every Tenno warrior. Within her visor, a map of the Origin System swirled in real-time, offering information on every mission that was underway. So far everything seemed to be in order. For now.
A dot blinked red against the cool blue interface. A small anomaly it seems, within the Neptune region. The Lotus' normally calm demeanour began to falter as she read the notification:
Anomaly: Disappearance
Location: Hamilede, Neptune
Tenno Operatives: Excalibur (Rank 3), Excalibur (Rank 5), Loki (Rank 6), Volt (Rank 7)
Current cell status: MIA
The Tenno involved were veterans of the cause, so what could have gone wrong? A small anxiety blossomed in her chest as the Lotus brought up a communication channel. She needed someone who could investigate the situation in Hamilede and report back with minimal fuss. After a moment's consideration, she chose Elisa, an operative with exceptional capabilities and battle prowess.
"Elisa, I have a request to ask of you. It seems that a Tenno cell has gone missing in Halimede. I need you to go there and investigate, and report back promptly."
A light blinked in response. An acknowledgement. Now all the Lotus could do was wait. Yet despite herself, the small anxiety that fluttered in her chest underwent a metamorphosis, and turned into a feeling of dread.
Elisa knew there was something amiss even before she had docked with the Corpus merchant ship designated 'Hamilede'. The usual display of interlacing lights that spanned the length of the frigate was replaced with an eerie darkness. The shadows inside the ship seemed to curl like wisps of black smoke, and seeped from the windows into the inky void of space.
The tiny snub fighter slowed as it approached the docking bay, and the doors opened with a hiss. Elisa stepped into a corridor plunged with darkness, save for the sparks that leapt from broken light fixtures on the ceiling.
"This is Elisa. The Corpus merchant ship designated 'Halimede' appears to be compromised. Nothing seems to be working, not even the lights."
As she walked down the silent walkways and dimly lit rooms, a wave of uneasiness crept into her consciousness. The only signs of life, or at least previous life, were shown by the various corpses of the Corpus crewmen which seemed to increase in number as she made her way through the ship.
"This is getting worrying, Lotus. There are no signs of any life here... I fear the worse for the Tenno operatives."
By the time she had reached the reactor core, Elisa had drawn her bow in trepidation. Crudely etched on the adjacent wall, next to a pile of mangled robot remains, was the phrase:
The blood of our ancestors is on your hands. Did you not think there would be any repercussions?
Perhaps even more unsettling was the fact that the reactor core room was the only one lit in the entire ship. As she rounded the corner, Elisa was greeted by a grisly sight.
The bodies of four Tenno operatives; scars of a terrible battle that had ensued were written all over their battered armour and the walls of the room. Furthest to the reactor was the Volt, his head bent at an unnatural angle and numerous throwing knives gored deep into his armour. Elisa knelt down and placed her hands on the Volt's helmet, shuddering as the last moments of his life were replayed in her mind.
The mission had been a normal one. Standard procedure, destroy the reactor and return to base. As they destroyed the last of the reactor's rods, the lights in the room flickered once, twice and then thrice. All of a sudden, one of the Excalibur cried out, "No... It can't be!"
In the centre of the room, black smoke spewed out of thin air, and a shadowy figure emerged. The cell coiled into action, but before any of them could reach the figure, he had disappeared with a puff of smoke and materialised behind them.
The Excalibur whom had cried out was the first to die. He frantically fired his Braton at the figure that emerged from the smoke next to him, and in a sickening flash the figure dashed forward and dismembered him at the waist. Without hesitation, the figure then drew his bow and fired a shot which caught the Loki in the face. The same Loki was now pinned lifelessly to the wall behind the reactor.
Next was the second Excalibur, whom had swung his Gram in a vicious downwards arc. However, the figure parried it with his black scythe, spun around and floored the Excalibur with a foot sweep. The Excalibur tumbled to the floor, and soon afterwards, was without a head.
The figure then turned around and appeared next to the Volt. Lightning sprung from the Volt's fingertips, but it had only stunned the figure for a short moment. The Volt then reached for his Flux Rifle and fired with full force, to minimal effect. The figure dived to the right and threw a knife which lodged itself in the Volt's shoulder. The Volt then charged at the figure with his Akvasto, firing relentlessly. At the last moment, he leapt over his adversary in an attempt to outsmart him, but the figure had simply twisted around and unleashed a tempest of throwing knives at the Volt's now-vulnerable form. The Volt writhed in agony mid-air and met the ground head first with a crunch, skidding to a stop a few metres away.
Elisa's voice was trembling as she spoke over the channel.
"This is Elisa... The Tenno cell in Hamilede has been confirmed KIA. I will return with haste."
She stood up and turned away from the carnage. But before she could take a single step, the lights flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Thrice.
The same black smoke that Elisa had seen in the memory poured out from nothingness, and the black figure stepped towards her.
"Im...Impossible. You're supposed to be dead...long ago...I watched you die..." Elisa's voice quavered.
The rush of a thousand whispers filled her mind.
"Perhaps...you may have thought me vanquished. You were wrong. I have simply bided my time. I have returned, and know that there is no escape from the past crimes of your kind.
Ignorance of your past...means nothing in the face of judgement..."
The figure's fingers flickered, and Elisa dived to the left to avoid the torrent of knives that sliced the air where she had stood to ribbons. Curiously, these knives were of the same kind that was holstered to her thighs. Elisa hands went to her quiver and let loose an arrow, only to have it pierce through a cloud of black smoke. The arrow hit the wall behind where the figure had been, and Elisa cursed in pain as a knife buried deep into her left thigh. Her movements were impeded even further as three others found their target. The figure stepped forward and lashed out, and Elisa was sent sprawling. She turned over to find a scythe blade at her neck.
The chorus of whispers once again echoed.
"I shall spare you as an example for others of your kind...Tell her that I have returned...And that I will not rest until every one of your Tenno faces their judgement…' Upon the utterance of those final words, the same black smoke seeped in and engulfed the figure. Another flicker of the lights, and it was as if there was never anyone there.
Elisa winced with pain as she carefully rose to a standing position. Her voice was a broken whisper as she said:
"This is Elisa. I am in critical condition...The worst has become of the cell in Hamilede. The Stalker has returned..."
Perhaps what Elisa feared more was not the Lotus' reply, but the fact that there was a lack of any response whatsoever. The silence closed in, suffocating her, until it was dispelled by the Lotus' response a few minutes later.
"...Acknowledged. Elisa, return to base now. ASAP."
Weeks Later
Elisa sighed as she holstered her throwing knives and started a light jog to extraction. Ever since that fateful mission, her mind was plagued by the events that had took place, and had severely affected her performance in battle. Never in any of her missions had she heard the Lotus afraid. The Lotus always had a soothing voice without a hint of uncertainty, which comforted Elisa in the heat of battle. But this time, she heard a tone of urgency and…fear… in the latest reply, and knowing that the Stalker had grown powerful enough to intimidate the Lotus gave her sudden chills.
All of a sudden, the corridor was plunged into darkness. A single light at the end of the walkway lit up again, and the words that were etched onto it gave Elisa heart-rending chills.
I am your reckoning.
A tendril of black smoke curled outwards from the darkness of the corridor, and a spark leapt out from a broken console. For a brief moment, Elisa was able to see the silhouette of the figure again.
Then it was gone, and the corridor whispered to her.
"You have done your job. Now you will die."
The sparks leapt from the console again, and then Elisa saw Despair.
A dull thud.
Despair was the name given to the throwing knives owned by the Stalker, which were also the kind that she had taken from him years ago. It was given that name because it was the expression that appeared on the face of every enemy when they had seen it take the life of their comrade with disturbing ease.
The same Despair was now planted in Elisa's head, and she crumpled lifelessly to the floor.