I slowly awaken to the smell of cinnamon and apples. In my arms, there is a warm bundle that I do not remember picking up; half remembered impressions convince me not to open my arms and let go. I stay still for a moment before opening my eyes. Sera brings everything rushing back to my mind and though I do not remember falling asleep I still find our position quite pleasant. The sleep seems to have helped me calm and center from the previous day and I can reflect calmly on my decision.
Most Tenno would meditate on their choices before deciding but the snap decision forced upon me by stress and emotional turmoil still seems right to me. I will spread the Tenno Way; a life in the shadows would be a half-life unworthy of effort. I take the time to examine the room more closely while I am calm. Truly, it is not a perfect replica of the Grandmaster's quarters. In a corner, there is Skana blade suspended in a beam of soft golden light that rotates slowly. I know almost instinctively that it is my first blade. The century and a half that it remained my primary melee weapon of choice ingrained in me a preternatural sense for every small detail it has. Even from across the room I can see a few decorative accents I carved into the alloy metal and filled with unprocessed crystalline rubedo. My efforts at decorating the blade permanently removed it from my active arsenal and so it was consigned to nano-storage before I moved on to master other weapons. I feel much better that it now has a place of honor here, even if this is only a digital representation.
The fountain in another corner is different from the Grandmaster's. His was crystalline and formed through quartz-gravity suspension. This fountain is more natural- almost entirely made from porous black volcanic rock and freely allowing water to flow over and in some places through particularly porous sections. There are a few green ferns growing around its base and the fountain incorporates a small meditation platform covered in soft red moss. The center of the room, a few meters from the couch upon which Sera and I are situated, is dominated by a formal meditation circle with a traditional stylized yin-yang used by bonded Tenno. When meditating together, each Tenno would take their place on the dots within each domain.
My examination is interrupted by Sera. She stirs in my arms and slowly awakens. Her actions seem to mirror an organic life form perfectly, from the disoriented expression to her slow stretching.
It makes me curious and I quietly murmur a question, "If you are an AI, how could you sleep?"
She takes a moment to reply and relaxes into my side, "I am not a true AI. I was given an AI shell by the Orokin, yes, but I was a being of the Void before becoming this. The Cephalons reside physically in the Void but that physicality is only a manifestation forced into existence by Orokin technology. True Void-beings can take any form, or more exactly, have no form until they decide to inhabit one."
Her response confuses me while I try to puzzle what that means. I was not a technician. I never even attempted to master the Vauban Warframe and its battery of intelligence tests. My knowledge of the technological workings of my Orokin masters is limited to what is immediately useful to me.
I suppose my confusion is easily apparent to her because she affectionately pats the arm that wraps around her middle affectionately, "Do not worry, you don't need to know the intricacies of Void technology. It is enough that you are curious about me. I am as alive as you in this place- I feel, I sleep, I must eat and breathe. So must you."
I slowly nod and silence grows between us. It feels awkward to me. Without much to say, I am much more conscious of how intimately we are wrapped together. It was far too easy to forget that Sera was only just raw Technocyte the day before but now I am unsure of her. I am uncomfortable again and my wounded pride from the day before looms its head- she is not my bonded. I never sought or been found by someone to fill the role, her presumption that she could just enter into that role without consulting me is demeaning and insulting. Rather than display any agitation, I slowly stiffen and discretely attempt to gain put space between us, as difficult as that is with her snuggled into me.
She smiles slightly before rubbing my arm and leaving my arms. I am unsure how to process my conflicting emotions about her leaving my embrace so I choose to ignore them.
"You might be interested to know that of our original month, three weeks and a few days have elapsed. The Technocyte has fully integrated into your body. The human vessel will arrive soon. We have a few errands to complete before they arrive."
She walks to the holographic panel and taps for a few seconds. The room swirls into a maelstrom of color, blanks into white for an instant, and reforms into a wide kitchen. She moves about pulling food and ingredients from cabinets and the refrigerator. She explains as she works.
"The ring in this system is our destination. It is a massive installation that serves its purpose in two areas: weapon and research. Both are bent to the same purpose, the eradication of a lifeform named the Flood. Humanity has been fighting the Flood for the last million or so years, though the first true battles have been lost to time."
She pulls a skillet out and prepares it with oil. She begins mixing batter and continues, "The Flood is actually a very distant descendant to the Technocyte virus, though after the Tenno finally manage to isolate the virus in deep space and eradicate all infestations in populated areas it… changed. It had to survive in a much less destructive form. Synthetic life is only in danger from the most powerful forms the virus can take, the combat forms it creates are little more than Chargers, and Ancients cannot even form anymore. The virus now becomes unstable for the length of time that an Ancient requires to mutate."
She pours the batter into the skillet and concentrates on cooking for a moment. I leave her be for a moment before asking her to elaborate a few points, "This Flood is the reason we are here? Did humanity build this ring? What form of weapon is this?"
She gives a small huff of annoyance and a pout when she flips the first pancake; it is partly uncooked. I cannot help but laugh quietly at the utterly domestic reaction.
"Humanity does not even know this ring exists. After the first Devolution… humanity fell quite far from its previous power. They were dominated by another race of beings named the Forerunners. They built the rings when they realized they were… ineffective in fighting the Flood as compared to the human civilization of the time. They…"
Sera pauses and turns to face me while she waits for another pancake to cook. She looks uncomfortable.
"What?"
"They… built these rings to exterminate the Flood. You see, without Tenno or beings like them… they decided on the crudest solution possible. These rings, their purpose is to destroy the Flood's hosts. The virus lives on until it deteriorates from the ravages of time but its food sources are… extinguished."
It takes a moment to fully absorb this revelation and a sudden surge of horror and revulsion wells up within me, "They murdered civilizations!? For a simple infestation? How could they even condone this course of action?!"
I angrily shoot up from my seat and pace while Sera returns to her cooking. My mind whirls while I walk and she seems content to let me think through her story without commenting or attempting to justify their position. The Way is quite clear: seek to preserve life. These Forerunners… their solution is everything that the Tenno oppose. If I ever meet one I will immediately eradicate them, I decide. I realize painting a civilization with a single brush is inaccurate but I do not care; these Forerunners created an abomination.
We settle into silence again and she finishes making pancakes. She places them on the table with syrup and milk and serves herself and then me.
"They were a very proud race. They had been the technologically superior power for so long they had forgotten that they could be wrong. It was not helpful that they had been in contact with the last Sentient before they destroyed it. Even when they realized the danger, they could not stop all of its influence from contaminating their expansive group mind."
I sigh and eat quietly. If they were corrupted by a Sentient then their actions if not forgivable are slightly understandable. I decide to table the topic for now and ask what I am truly interested in.
"When this human ship arrives, what must we do?"
"We will aid them, of course. Their ship will be damaged and under fire. As of this moment, the whole of humanity is in a battle for their lives against a religious civilization of allied aliens. However, these civilizations are not really to blame for this war. The leaders of the Covenant and Humanity were once great allies and could be again. They simply need a unifying element."
"Ah. I see. And I suppose I am to be that unifier?" I ask skeptically.
Sera finishes her pancake and comes around the table to sit next to me. She reaches over and pulls my left hand into hers, "Yes. You could unify them. It will not be easy and both sides will carry great scars from this conflict but the Tenno Way has no boundaries- you have never been one to impose them either, save upon yourself."
She slips into a slightly disproving tone at the end and I struggle not to fidget uncomfortably when she looks into my eyes. I am well aware of my character flaws. It seems that Sera disproves of my rather low opinion of my life thus far.
"Well. I suppose we should get to work then." I am proud that my insecurity is still well hidden from my tone.
Sera frowns slightly but nods in acceptance, "This ring lacks the sensors to detect us from this distance but when we approach we will need to identify ourselves. You are no longer fully human and the Forerunner archives have no information on Orokin ship profiles. We will not be able to approach the ring. It has a one light-year zone where it will destroy any ship that approaches. We will be able to approach to within fifty thousand kilometers as long as we stay in stealth. Luckily, this means that the Gas Giant that the ring orbits around is open to us. In its atmosphere, there is a small mining facility that has no ability to send messages off-world. We will land and you will see what you will be up against."
"Simple reconnaissance then?" I ask.
"Well, yes and no. The Forerunner technology is formidable, yes, but the greater threat is the Flood. There is a small research facility attached to the superstructure that you can enter to safely observe the various Flood combat forms and their capabilities. It is less reconnaissance and more of a tour of the facility. There is also another possible mission you can attempt if you wish to get a head start in helping to end this war."
"Oh?"
"The facility will be searched for artifacts by the Covenant. We can use this time to make first contact with one of the main races of the Covenant. It will help that the leader of the team is quite open minded. His name is Sesa 'Refumee. He is a proud being perhaps a bit harsh but fair."
Sera stands and pulls me up with the hand she captured earlier, "We begin now."
The world slowly dissolves away to the familiar white of a typical digital world before I open my eyes to the physical world.
A/N: Spelling and grammar updated.