Path of Honor
Disclaimer: I do not own Warframe or any other references made in this story.
Hello readers, PrimedBlade141 here. Thanks for all the favs and follows with this story. Really appreciated. This chapter was delayed a lot due to exams and the Sacrifice finally getting released.
Also, with the recent release of the Sacrifice update on PC, what do you people think of it? Personally, I really enjoyed the quest due to it's amazing narrative (Not gonna spoil anything) and soundtrack along with finally being able to get the much-awaited Excalibur Umbra. Plus, the new changes to the exalted weapons which made them separately modable was a nice touch. But the best part would be Excalibur finally getting a physical looking blade for his Exalted Blade ability. Looks a lot better than the older version IMO. That and the quest gave me a good idea about this story that I will implement a few chapters later. Don't worry, it won't be that much of a spoiler for the Sacrifice quest either because it's just something based on a concept shown in the quest. And this story is still AU.
Anyway, here is the third chapter. Enjoy.
Chapter 2: The boy who wanted to make a difference.
It was an afternoon in spring. The weather was calm as the clear blue sky had neither traces of any dark clouds nor was there any scorching heat of the sun. Such lovely weather was perfect for anyone who wanted to go outside and enjoy the fresh air. In a house situated in a peaceful suburb, there lived a boy who was around twelve years old. He had ebony black hair and brown eyes.
While most kids of his age were playing outside with their friends, this boy stayed at home and passed his time by reading books. Compared to other children, he had different hobbies. He was quite the curious one for his age and as such, he loved reading. Even topics that one would consider to be too complex for someone his age such as history, literature, political science and philosophy were actually his favourite topics to read about. He would often ask his father to bring new books for him to read.
But due to him being a bit different from other kids of his age, he had few good friends and was often bullied by others. And the fact that he was a bit of an introvert didn't help him much either as he had a tougher time socializing and making friends. For this reason, he mostly preferred to be in the company of his books.
Currently, the boy was reading a big book with a red cover. He was eagerly reading something about the Hundred Years war when something caught his interest. It was Joan of Arc, the maid of Orleans who was famous for her role in the war and later becoming a martyr after being burnt at stake. The boy was quite intrigued by the story of how a simple village girl had made such a huge difference for her country all by herself. He too wanted to join the military so that he could serve his nation and protect it from all those who dared to harm it and its people. He wanted to do something meaningful with his life, something that would make a difference and benefit others as well instead of getting an average boring job and earn money like most people believed.
But sadly, he doubted if this dream of his would become a reality as his parents would not allow him to join the military because of the fact that they want him to become an engineer. Even So, he hoped that perhaps fate might give him the opportunity to fulfil this dream of his. After all, he could always hope for the best.
Little did he know that everything was going to fall apart around him few years in the future...
Unknown location.
Death was something that most people feared and tried their best to avoid even though it was inevitable. Life and death were two sides of the same coin. The existence of one is meaningless without the other. But to him, death was a welcome friend, a respite from the agony he was going through. He slowly opened his eyes and saw only a blinding white light. He wondered if he was already dead and if this was heaven. But then again, he didn't think that he would go to heaven for his actions.
Then as his vision began to get clearer, he realized that he was actually still alive and was staring at the light on the white celling while lying down on a bed.
As realization hit him, he got up and looked at his arms as he felt that something was different. Instead of seeing his Warframe's armoured hands, he saw his own, something that surprised him. He looked around and noticed that he was in a hospital room of sorts.
'Was it just a dream?' he thought, believing that everything that happened, from escaping the Corpus to defending the village was just a horrible nightmare.
And Then, he noticed his Excalibur standing still like a mannequin in one corner of the room. This meant that it wasn't a dream. It was all real. The Tenno became sad at this realization. He would have felt better if he had just died instead of going through all this.
But that wasn't all because he regained a sizeable portion of the memories his past. While he still couldn't remember many things like how he became a Tenno or his parents, he remembered most of his childhood, how he used to live a normal life like any other normal person.
Then, everything changed in one fateful night.
He couldn't remember exactly how it happened but the only thing he remembered that it was a night when the sky had unnaturally turned crimson red. He somehow ended up in a world that was different from his. It was a world that he believed didn't exist outside of fiction.
He remembered that due to him being born in a different world, he had a certain immunity from a so called 'curse' that was said to dwell within all humans at that world. For that reason, many considered him their chosen saviour and he was trained to become a knight so that he could save them from an incoming era of darkness that was threatening to swallow them whole. He was hesitant at first but later accepted it as he believed that his immunity made it a responsibility and it was his destiny. He wanted to do something meaningful with his life and suddenly he felt like he found the opportunity to do so.
So, he gave his best efforts in order to fulfil the expectations that others placed upon him. On that path, he made some good friends and found comrades that were more than willing to follow him to wherever he led them, no matter what path it may be. They were like his family to him as he slowly accepted that he may never be able to return home to his own family. It was agonizing but he moved on regardless.
But it was naïve of him. Little did he realized that he was being manipulated by others for their own agendas. Not only that, he made the mistake of showing mercy to an enemy, something that would haunt him later.
By that time, it was too late. His hands were already stained with blood. It was the blood of those that he wished to protect. And the one person that he spared killed his comrades and someone he deeply cared about. He blamed himself for everything and only thing he was able to do was to take revenge. Yet, it made no difference. His comrades were still dead because of him.
And now, he was in another fictional world and it seemed even more like hell than it appeared to be.
The Tenno looked at the clean white wall and saw his own reflection looking back at him. His appearance was that of a sixteen-year-old boy who had brown eyes and black hair. But his hair now had some white accents, something that he didn't remember having. He had an athletic build due to the training he went through. He was wearing something that resembled a straight jacket with a strange insignia on the shoulders that looked like an eye surrounded by multiple swords pointed at it. There was also something written in a strange language and the number 627.
As he observed his reflection, he thought as though he saw his own younger self for a few seconds, looking back at him with an innocent smile on his face.
But he knew better. He had long since crossed the point of no return and there was no turning back for him. He could never have a normal life anymore after all he had done and the only thing he could do was walk down the path set for him.
"So, you finally woke up? I must admit, you almost had me worried there." The Tenno was cut off from his thoughts and noticed someone enter the room. It was a feminine looking Warframe that had a slender and elegant build. It had a blue and white colour pattern, with its main body being white and the rest being mostly blue with some gold. It had a skirt and a halo like headpiece that had two decorative ribbons hanging from the sides. On its back was a Dex Nouchali syandana, a long white scarf like Tenno accessory with a golden lotus symbol attaching it to the Warframe's back. While the Warframe did not carry any visible weapons, the Tenno appeared to be cautious by her presence, something that she noticed.
"It's all right. I don't mean any harm. You can calm down now." She assured as her Warframe glowed with a pale blue light as a figure materialized in front of it. It was a girl who was a few years older than he was. She had long blonde hair that came down up to her waist and emerald eyes. Her outfit consisted of a white zip up jacket that had some gold and black linings along with a black skirt. She also had a blue military beret. Her jacket had two visible insignias, one depicting an Excalibur prime holding onto a sword with both hands that had the Lotus symbol while the other depicted a Trinity prime wielding a shield that had a red cross symbol on it. Both of the insignias had three golden stars below them which probably meant that she was of high rank.
"Where am I?" The younger Tenno decided to speak first.
"You are in the infirmary of our clan dojo." She answered. "The Lotus was broadcasting an emergency message, requesting any Tenno close to Earth to provide support to a Tenno who was holding off waves of Grineer from an Ostron village all by himself. My brother and a few clan members were nearby and they responded. When they arrived, they finished off the stragglers and found you in a bad state and brought you here." The very mention of the village suddenly made him realize that he had almost forgotten about the Ostrons that he was defending.
"What about other survivors? Not all of the villagers were killed."
"No need to worry. They found a group of survivors holed up in that village. They sent the injured to a relay for treatment and the rest were sent to Cetus. They are safe now." She assured as he sighed in relief. At least he was able to save somebody this time.
"But that wasn't all they found." She stated. "They said that the place was littered with the corpses of Grineer. There was well over a hundred of them with many of them belonging to a new type of Grineer that we have never encountered in the past. And the Lotus said that you managed to badly injure Captain Vor. How did you survive at all even though you weren't well equipped?"
The younger Tenno did not mutter a single word. He remained silent and looked at the floor with a sad expression on his face. She noticed this and realized that now wasn't a good time to ask such a question.
"I'm sorry if it was wrong for me to ask such a question. I can understand if you don't feel like answering it now. Not everything can be shared with others." She said as she sat beside him.
"It's alright. I did what was necessary. I just wish I reached there sooner."
"Don't be too hard on yourself." She said as she placed an arm on his shoulder to comfort him. "You can't expect to save everyone. Even I often found myself unable to save the people I wanted to save."
"Ah I forgot to introduce myself properly. I am Alice, chief of medical staff and a Member of the Holy circle of the Knights of Pendragon." The girl now known as Alice stated as she extended her right hand towards the Tenno with a gentle and caring smile on her face. The younger Tenno hesitated a little at first but somehow, he felt like he could trust her. So, he slowly reached for her hand.
"Ken. Call me Ken."
"Ken, huh? That's a wonderful name. Simple yet meaningful." Alice said as he shook his hand. Ken was quite curious why she found his name meaningful. Just like she had said, it was a simple word but it meant sword in Japanese. He could not fathom why she found it meaningful as a sword was nothing more than a tool to kill.
"So, how are you feeling now?" Alice asked.
"I'm fine. It's just that I feel a bit strange being out of my Warframe." Ken replied.
"Do you feel pain in someplace or any feeling of nausea?"
"No. I don't think so."
"Any headaches?"
"No."
"You sure about that?"
"Yeah but I might get a headache from you constantly asking me such questions." Ken joked, causing Alice to giggle.
"Glad you feel better now. It looks like I can discharge you but I need to run a few scans first just to be safe." Alice said as she got up.
"Scans?"
"Oh, nothing to worry about. I assure you, it won't hurt at all." Alice teased.
"Come on I'm not a little kid you know." Ken stated as Alice activated some sort of holographic interface from a small device attached to her wrist.
Somewhere on Earth
Deep within a dense overgrown forest on Earth, where gigantic trees towered over everything else as large grass and other mutated foliage covered almost every inch of the ground, there was a small Grineer base on a clearing. It was exclusively used for resupplying troops and repairing drop ships along with other Grineer vehicles. The cloned soldiers were busy stocking on ammunition as mechanics were arming the few Dargyn's and a single Bolkor troop carrier. They were a detachment that was soon going to be deployed to punish a colony in the name of their Queens.
To subjugate a colony, the Grineer didn't need that much firepower but the said colony happened to be protected by trained soldiers of the Steel Meridian, a group of ex-Grineer soldiers who could defy the queens due to a genetic flaw. Led by a veteran Grineer defector, the Steel Meridian sought to protect the weak from all those that threatened to harm them, including their former comrades.
Initially, a platoon of Grineer troops were deployed to attack the colony. It was supposed to be an easy job. All they had to do was to enter the colony and kill everyone on sight. But they were not aware of the presence of Steel Meridian soldiers. Their understanding of Grineer tactics and expertise on guerrilla warfare enabled them to gain an upper hand on the invading Grineer and with Tenno allies by their side, the invading Grineer platoon was wiped out quickly. As such, the Grineer high command called upon an experienced commander to lead the offensive against the colony.
The said commander was currently observing the preparations for the operation. He had his fair share of experience in subjugating colonies and had a notorious reputation because of it. He hated the Steel Meridian traitors for not obeying the Queens and taking up arms against them. As such, he was glad he got this opportunity to crush them like insects and prove his loyalty to the Queens. Perhaps he might even be promoted if they get impressed by his work. The very thought of promotion made him want to viciously slaughter all those that stood in their way and offer their heads to the Queens.
Unbeknownst to him, he was being watched. From afar, a Tenno sniper scope was aimed at him. His movement was carefully tracked as the sniper patiently waited for the perfect moment. Then the only thing that was needed was a single pull of the trigger...
Without warning, the Grineer commander fell down on the ground, dead.
Infirmary, Knights of Pendragon dojo.
Back at the infirmary, Alice was done with her scans and didn't find anything of much concern. So, she was free to discharge Ken.
Currently, Ken had changed into the clothes that Alice had brought for him since she felt that walking around while dressed like a lab rat wasn't something that was suitable for a Tenno. He was now wearing a jacket with a black and white colour and had a white shirt underneath. He also had matching pants and black boots.
"You look great." Alice complemented as the Tenno checked his clothes.
"Thanks. They feel comfortable enough and the colours are fine." Ken replied. While the clothes were comfortable, for some reason felt that the materials used to make them were quite different from what one would expect.
"I'm glad you like the clothes. I was worried that you might not prefer such a simple colour." Alice stated.
"Nah, I prefer something simpler instead of stuff that's too flashy." The younger Tenno said. He remembered how embarrassed he felt when he had to wear something he didn't like against his will on numerous occasions in the past. But then again, it didn't matter much now. He then checked his Warframe. The Excalibur appeared nothing out of the ordinary but a closer look revealed that there was a strange mark on the shoulder, the same that was on the clothes Ken was wearing earlier. There was also some text in Orokin that he didn't understand. He also noticed that there weren't any signs of damage on the Warframe even though he remembered getting hit by the ghouls few times.
"Your Warframe was damaged quite a bit so I took the liberty of repairing it. It's now as good as new." Alice said.
"I guess I have to thank you for that as well. To Think that you would go through so much trouble just for me." Ken stated.
"No need to thank me. Just helping out a fellow Tenno in need." Alice replied. "And besides, its the least I could do for a brave Tenno who risked his own life to protect others. You are a true hero, Ken."
"A hero? no way." Ken scoffed. If only she knew the truth about his past. But he didn't want to disclose anything because he felt that it could come as a shock to her and anyone else. Besides, what were the chances that they were going to believe that he came from a different reality, where their reality was nothing more than a fictional universe in a video game. Even if they did, who knows what consequences it could bring for him once word got out. So, it was better to keep his mouth shut.
"Believe what you want but your actions say otherwise. You are still a hero to me." Alice stated but Ken remained silent.
"But now, I want to talk to you about something really important." Alice said in a more serious tone. The sudden change in tone surprised Ken. Did she know about what he was hiding or at the very least suspicious about him?
"Go on."
"It's about your Warframe." Alice said. "Before repairing it, I had to scan it to check for any internal damage or faults. But what I found was something quite intriguing." Ken mentally sighed since it wasn't what he was expecting but still, he was curious about what she found in his Excalibur.
"What did you find?" He asked as Alice came over to him and showed him a holographic display that showed his Warframe in detail, displaying its internal components and other data.
"You see, your Excalibur is really different from an ordinary one. Heck even different than an Excalibur Prime." As if to emphasise, the holographic screen displayed a normal Excalibur beside his own and while he couldn't understand how exactly both were different, it was clear that there were differences between the two in terms of internal components and other stuff.
"Your Warframe appears to be heavily modified internally. While I am unsure about what exactly is the purpose of such modifications, it's clear that your Warframe has a larger energy storage capacity than usual and it's more optimized for channelling energy." Alice stated as Ken looked at his Excalibur. While he didn't feel like anything was special about his Warframe when he used it in combat, he did remember that his channelling felt more intense and powerful.
"What about this?" Ken asked pointing towards the shoulder of his Warframe where there was that mark and Orokin text. "Do you know what it says or what this mark stands for?"
"The text says Project Caliburn. And as for that symbol, I know what that is." Alice said. "It is the insignia of a secret Orokin deep science division during the Orokin era. Sadly, that's all we know."
"I see." Ken pondered on what he just learned. He was familiar with the word Caliburn as it was something from the legend of King Arthur which he had read about in the past. It was the name for the sword in the stone, often used to describe Excalibur in some versions of the legend of King Arthur. But it didn't give any clue to what exactly the true purpose of the modifications is was
"Ken, why don't you get in your Warframe and see if you can find anything." Alice proposed. Ken nodded in agreement but then he realized something:
He didn't know how to get into his Warframe.
"Erm...this might sound a bit strange but how exactly do you get into a Warframe?" Ken asked while scratching his head.
"Wait, you don't know?" Alice asked in a really surprised tone.
"Well I lost a big chunk of my memories, so yeah. I don't even remember how I even become a Tenno in the first place." Ken answered.
"I see. That explains it." Alice said. "Guess I will have to teach you about Transference."
"Transference?"
"Don't ask. Just follow my instructions and I'll explain later." Alice stated
"All right."
"First, focus on your Warframe and try to feel a link between it and yourself." Alice said as Ken obliged. As he concentrated on his Excalibur, he had a strange feeling like something was pulling him towards it.
"Yeah I feel something." He stated.
"Good. Now focus on your own body as well and let it get sucked into your Warframe. Don't be afraid, just let the flow take you in."
Ken did as he was told and felt like his body was turning into energy as he felt something intense pulling him towards his Warframe. Then for a second or so, he felt numb and blacked out. Then he found himself once again within his Warframe, it's HUD activating.
"All right, now what should I do?" Ken asked.
"Use your Warframe's interface and see if you could find anything." She answered as Ken activated a holographic interface from his Warframe's left arm. The holographic screen showed options for viewing the current status of the Warframe, current mission objectives and other things that didn't seem that out of place. He checked for any files that had information he needed but found none. He then decided to check the abilities tab for some reason and noticed a button labelled 'CLASSIFIED FEATURE' Which he guessed that it was what he was looking for and so he pressed it.
At that very moment, his HUD began to flicker and change colour from blue to red as the insignia of the Orokin deep science division appeared on the screen along with some text.
AUTHORIZATION CODE REQUIRED FOR ACTIVATION
He tried his best to remember if he knew the code or not but he didn't remember anything and doubted if he actually ever knew the code in the first place.
"It's no use. It requires an authorization code for working." Ken stated.
"I see. It's a shame but I guess some things just can't be helped." Alice said with an assuring smile.
"So, how do I get out of my Warframe?"
"It's simple. Just concentrate on your internal energy and think about siphoning yourself out with it." Alice answered as Ken did so. His Warframe glowed with a golden light as he materialized in front of it in his human state.
"See? It's not that difficult. Even a kid could do it if he had Tenno powers." Alice spoke as Ken looked at his body curiously. He then went back inside his Warframe once again and moved around a little before he got out again.
"Yeah. I think I got the hang of this." Ken stated. He then looked at the other Warframe in the room which belonged to Alice and focused on it, trying to see if he could take control of it. But he found himself unable to do so as he couldn't feel any link to it and Alice noticed this.
"Nice try but you can't exactly use Transference on any Warframe that does not belong to you." Alice mentioned. "The Transference bolts in our Warframes are DNA locked when they are made and can only be used by their designated operators."
"Good to know. It was worth a try." Ken said as he looked at her Warframe. It appeared quite different to him and he didn't remember any Warframe that looked like it. Although it did have some similarities with a single Warframe he knew.
"So what type of Warframe is this? I don't recall any Warframe like this." Ken asked as he observed the white and blue Warframe.
"This one is a Trinity. And as for why it looks different, it's a visual modification." She answered as she used Transference to get inside her Warframe and curtsied.
"It does look a lot prettier than a normal Trinity and I think it suits you really well." Ken complemented.
"T... thanks." She muttered. While one couldn't see it, the older Tenno was actually blushing a little from within her Warframe.
"So, what exactly is Transference?" Ken asked.
"Transference is the ability to possess an object and take control of it." Alice stated. "They say that it had its roots from the Orokin era, even before Tenno were actually a thing."
"Can it be used to take control of anything else other than Warframes?"
"It is possible to take control of anything as long as it has some sort of energy flowing within it, theoretically speaking. But so far we Tenno can only possess our Warframes without any risks." She answered.
"Risks?" Ken asked. He wanted to know the risks involved as he thought that transference can prove to be a useful ability should the need arise.
"You could end up being trapped inside the object you possessed permanently or could even lose yourself." The female Tenno stated.
"So, what are Warframes?" Ken asked. He wanted to know more about the Warframes due to how it felt when he used one and just to satisfy his own curiosity.
"My, you're quite the curious one, aren't you?" Alice said.
"Can't help it. As far as I remember, I have always been like that ever since I was a little kid." The younger Tenno answered. Guess some things never change no matter what happens.
"Well that is a good thing actually." She said. "Warframes are biomechanical surrogate bodies that can be used by the Tenno. It can act as a conduit to channel our Void energy to be used in combat along with providing enhanced strength, agility and endurance."
"Void energy?"
"Its the energy flowing within all Tenno and the source of our powers." Alice explained. "They originate from the Void and are a contradiction to all our natural laws or any other form of logic."
"I see. This explains a lot. No wonder Warframes feel like your own body." Ken stated.
"Yes, that is correct since you are directly in sync with your Warframe when you take control of it using transference. But you should note that the damage your Warframe takes can also affect your real body to some extent, which was why you were bedridden for five Earth days." Alice stated. "If the shock is too much then you could die as well so don't be reckless when using it."
"I'll keep that in mind."
"Speaking of your real body, your Warframe isn't the only thing that has been heavily modified." Alice said in a serious tone which surprised the Tenno.
"What?"
"Your body. Scans show something really odd." Alice said as she came over to Ken and showed him another holographic screen. This time, it showed something about his own body.
"The void energy reading coming from you is off the charts. I've never seen such high output of void energy from any Tenno." Alice stated. "And it appears that there is some sort of...circuits or designated pathways within your body that allows void energy to flow more freely."
"So, they tampered with my body to turn me into some sort of...living weapon?" Ken said as he looked at his right arm. For some reason, he focused on his own energy and channelled it to his right arm. This caused some golden circuit like lines of energy to become visible as it moved along the length of his arm and gathered at the palm, forming a small golden sphere of energy. While this happened, he felt like warm sensation in him, albeit a strange and uncomfortable one.
"Whoa careful! You could end up hurting yourself badly or other around you if you try to directly use your energy like that!" Alice exclaimed as she grabbed his hand. He listened to her and stopped, resulting in the sphere of energy along with the glowing lines to disappear.
"Ken, there is a reason why we use our Warframes in combat rather than directly using our own energy." Alice said, letting go of his hand. "Like I said before, the true nature of Void energy or the Void itself is all but a mystery. But they say that when the Zariman Ten-Zero made a jump into the Void, the adults were driven mad when exposed to that energy. Only the children retained their sanity but acquired strange powers. They later became the first Tenno."
"Then what does that have to do with not using our powers directly?" Ken asked. He did know about the Zarmian incident from the in-game codex descriptions but didn't get why he should restrain himself from using his powers like that. Alice then went on to explain how the Tenno couldn't control their powers and ended up harming others along with themselves, something that made the Orokin view them as demons and they wanted to get rid of the children. But the Orokin were on the verge of defeat against the Sentients and having no other option left, they turned to the so called void demons. The Warframes were made to allow the children to harness their powers properly and use it in combat. Thus, a new code of warriors known as the Tenno were born. With the help of the Tenno, the Sentients were defeated.
"So, what I am saying is, trying to use your void energy outside your Warframe can be dangerous. And there is no telling what might happen if someone with such high energy output like you somehow lose control." Alice said in a concerned tone. "In other words, it's better to avoid using your void energy directly just to be safe."
"Fine. Then I won't use my energy outside my Warframe unless it's necessary." Ken stated.
"That's good enough. In the meantime, I must tell you that other than yourself, only I know about you and your Warframe's secret for now." Alice mentioned. "Not even the Lotus herself knows the full details of this and she is willing to keep everything else a secret as well..."
"Why didn't you tell this to anyone?" Ken asked. While he wouldn't trust anyone with such information himself, he didn't understand why Alice kept it a secret even from the Lotus.
"Listen Ken. People tend to be afraid of things they do not know about or are different from them." Alice stated. "There is no telling what would happen to you if others know about your secrets. If the Tenno council deems it necessary then you could end up being experimented upon once more or worse. So, I didn't tell anyone about you because I don't want anything bad to happen to you."
Ken was at a loss of words. He was quite surprised as to why Alice refrained from informing her superiors about him just to keep him safe. At the same time, he was glad knowing that he had somebody he could truly trust. For now, that is.
"Thanks." Ken said with a faint smile on his face.
"You're welcome. Now you better remember to keep this a secret between just the two of us." Alice said.
"Ok."
"Good, now let's get going then." She said.
"Where?"
"To talk to the Lotus. She asked me to let her talk to you once you have recovered."
"All right then." Ken said as he used Transference to take control of his Warframe and followed the Trinity.
The two of them left the infirmary and headed for the conference room to talk to the Lotus. Along the way, they talked about various things like the current state of the origin system, the Council (who, for some reason Ken felt like Alice didn't trust.) and the Knights of Pendragon. He came to know that the Knights of Pendragon happened to be one of the oldest Tenno clan in the system and was known for the valiant deeds of its honourable warriors. He also learned that the Orokin created more Tenno through questionable means after their victory over the sentients and the current whereabouts of the Zariman Tenno were unknown. After they passed some hallways and used a teleporter, they were outside the conference room.
"Here we are. And remember what I told you about keeping it a secret between the two of us." Alice stated.
"Got it." Ken replied as they entered the room.
The conference room was just what you would expect from the Tenno. Sophisticated yet elegant. It was a decent sized room with an Eastern feel that had a long table with multiple chairs and lots of holographic displays that showed the status of the ongoing conflict in various locations of the Origin system. At the other end of the room, there was the Excalibur prime insignia of the Knights of Pendragon on the wall.
There was also another person in the room, a Tenno. It was a Loki Prime Warframe, easily identified due to it's helmet that looked like it had demonic horns and protrusions on the elbow. It was coloured mostly white with some gold linings and had the Targis prime decorative armour on it. It also wore the Uru prime syandana, a long metallic scarf like Tenno accessory with that ended with a glowing blue arrow head like end that somewhat made it resemble the venomous tip of a scorpion's tail. His presence was radiating an aura of authority and he also had the clan insignia on his Warframe's shoulders but they had four golden stars below them which meant that he was of high rank, higher than that of Alice.
"Greetings Yi sensei." Alice greeted the Tenno while bowing respectfully.
"Greetings Alice." The Loki Prime user greeted. From his voice, it was clear that he was an aged man. It also made one feel like he was a wise person.
"Ken, this is Grandmaster Yi. He is the warlord of our clan." Alice said as she introduced the clan warlord to Ken.
"It is an honour to meet you, Grandmaster Yi." Ken said as he bowed in respect.
"The honour is mine, Tenno Ken." The Tenno grandmaster said as he bowed his head. He then turned his attention back at the Trinity. "So, what brings you here?"
"The Lotus told me that she wanted to talk to Ken when he recovered." Alice answered.
"I see. Very well then open a clear channel to the Lotus." Grandmaster Yi stated. Alice obliged and used one of the holographic interfaces on the room to contact the Lotus. Soon, a life sized holographic projection of the Lotus appeared.
"Greetings Tenno." The Lotus greeted the Tenno in the room and noticed Ken. "Glad to see that you have finally recovered. It would have been a shame to lose such a brave Tenno."
"It would have been much better if I was dead." Ken thought as he stared at the holographic figure of the Lotus. While he wasn't that much of a womanizer, he had to admit that the Lotus was certainly what most people would find attractive.
"Tell me Tenno. What was it that drove you to risk your own life just to save a few Ostron villagers?" The Lotus asked as her hologram circled the Tenno, her eyes fixed on the Excalibur.
"I just did what was needed to be done. Nothing more." The Excalibur user replied.
"I see. So, what is your name, Tenno?" The Lotus asked.
"It's Ken."
"I shall remember your name Tenno Ken and the heroic deed you have done." The Lotus stated. But Ken was a bit uncomfortable as he didn't like being treated as a hero, something he believed that he never will be due to his past actions.
"In the meantime, I would recommend that you join the Knights of Pendragon. It would be a perfect place for a brave Tenno like you." The Lotus advised.
"That's actually a wonderful idea. I was thinking about the same thing." Alice stated with enthusiasm in her voice.
"Indeed. We would be honoured to have such a noble young Tenno amongst our ranks." Grandmaster Yi spoke up.
"So, what do you say Tenno?" The Lotus asked Ken.
"I'll...think about it." Ken muttered.
"Good. That will be all. Keep up the good work. Lotus out." The Lotus said as her hologram vanished.
"So, are you going to join our clan or not?" Alice asked with eagerness in her voice. Ken however turned his attention to the Tenno Grandmaster.
"Grandmaster Yi, if isn't rude or anything, can I ask you a simple question?" Ken asked.
"Go ahead, boy. I promise that I will answer whatever you ask honestly." The elderly Tenno replied.
"Very well. Then tell me, what do you think about killing others?" Ken asked. It was evident from his tone that he was quite serious. Alice was quite surprised by what he asked the Grandmaster but she didn't say anything.
"I will admit that killing others is something I do not like. It disgusts me from my very core." Grandmaster Yi stated. "But that does not mean that I am a true pacifist. While I hate such a deed, sometimes it becomes necessary for us to kill in order to do the right thing. Just like how you fought and slayed all those Grineer to protect the weak. A necessary evil that we are forced to commit for the greater good."
"I also feel the same." Alice added. "We Tenno kill because we have no other options left. And I joined the medical corps just to help people in different ways other than killing."
"I see." Ken was satisfied with their answer. At least they weren't the type that found glory in mindless bloodshed. As such, it wouldn't be a bad idea for him to join the Knights of Pendragon.
"All right. Then I guess I'll join." Ken stated. Alice looked like she was quite happy with his decision and hugged the young Tenno, much to his embarrassment. She released him from her hug when the Grandmaster coughed to get their attention.
"Tenno Ken, do you swear to be a blade that maintains the balance and a shield to protect your comrades?" Grandmaster Yi asked as he and Alice began circling around the Excalibur. They circled around him while maintaining equal distance between the two of them. It made Ken a bit uneasy as he felt like he was at the centre of their attention.
"Do you swear to follow the Tenno code and walk the path of an honourable warrior?" Alice asked. Ken again thought about his decision. While he had no qualms about protecting others from harm and killing those who truly deserved to die, he was still a bit hesitant because in the past he was manipulated by others into taking the lives of others regardless of whether they actually deserved to die or not. That guilt was still lingering in him along with the guilt of not being able to protect his comrades.
But here things were a bit different at least. Tenno were honour bound warriors who fought to maintain the balance and protect the weak (or so it seems). The were not bound to some lord or empire and had to carry out all his orders regardless of their consequences. Well they might be bound to the Lotus but at least the Lotus didn't seem like the type that would manipulate them for her own personal agendas. As for the Knights of Pendragon, Ken already considers Alice trustworthy enough and Grandmaster Yi felt quite righteous to him after hearing his answer. So, for now it didn't seem like a bad decision. And by chance if he is somehow wrong, he can at least back out, something he regretted not doing in the past. At least that mistake can make sure that he will not do it again.
"I swear."
"Very well. From this day, you are a part of the Knights of Pendragon." Grandmaster Yi announced. "I expect great things from you."
"Great. We'll take our leave from here, Sensei. I want to give Ken a little tour of the Dojo." Alice said.
"I shall leave that to you." The Tenno Grandmaster said as Alice grabbed the Excalibur's hand and dragged him outside the conference room. As the automatic doors closed, he appeared to be in deep thought.
Over the course of his long life, Grandmaster Yi had known many Tenno. Yet this particular Tenno he met recently intrigued him. Most Tenno he met, especially the young ones never even questioned about killing. To many of them, killing was like something that was a part of being a Tenno. And it wasn't uncommon to find Tenno who treated killing like some form of sport to test their abilities, with some even finding a sort of twisted form of pleasure in it.
But this Tenno was an exception. He never expected a young Tenno like him to ask such a question. He didn't seem to be unfamiliar with killing as evident from his combat reports that the Grandmaster had read earlier. Yet, he questioned about killing, something that appeared very odd to him. Perhaps there was more to him than what meets the eye. So, for now, the only thing he could do was to watch over him, to see which path he decides to take and where it leads him.
To be continued….
A/N: Yep. This story is a real-world OC insert into an AU Warframe universe. But I decided to do things a bit differently. Even though I enjoy the usual humour in such stories, I prefer character driven stories with a much darker plot. So, in order to make a serious OC insert, I created a character, sent him to another world and had him live the usual fantasy thingy of being a hero there for a while before making that crash down around him to traumatize him severly before sending him to another world. While this story will have its fair share of light hearted moments, I plan to make the overall plot quite dark.
As for the other Tenno being like that and the operator concept used before the Second Dream happens, I know that Warframe canon makes them all emo teens/lolis but I had the concept of this story long before the Second Dream was released. And this is AU for a good reason. Besides, it can fit the darker tone of the story much better so there's that. Honestly, it's really hard to imagine a Grandmaster that is like a ten-year-old or so.
Anyway, be sure to leave some constructive feedback for this story and feel free to ask questions. And I'd like to ask one thing: is 10K+ words too big for a single chapter?
