Author's notes:

Swazdo-lah Tenno! How is your eternal torture going? Errr... Life? Now, first things first, I'm going to take a little vacation. I will take a break from updating my fanfiction too... Just because I don't think I will spend my time writing something, while the sea is right in front of me. I will be back in a few weeks, but before that, here is chapter 7.5. I hope you people will like it!

May the darkness shroud you in mystery, Tenno.

The Empire Game

Chapter 7.5 – Control

Lady Salea, Lord Lares' wife, was standing in front of a projector's light, her image reflecting on the white marble floor of one of Lares's residences. She was talking with the figure of another Orokin, the one who was informing her about a new program that would have opened up a brighter future to their kind.

Behind Salea, there was a white round table, with black and gold lines, and three white chairs with black backrest adorned with gold thin designs. Many paintings and a few shelves, small statues and instruments, adorned the walls which were lit by the Sun's light coming through the windows.

OROKIN: "This program, has high importance for us, it must be archived with success, and only our kind can be informed of its existence for now."

SALEA: "I accept this task with all the honor, I promise to keep the secret of this program until the time comes."

OROKIN: "Good, I think you can imagine what the success will grant to us all."

SALEA: "We would not rely anymore on the plebeians."

OROKIN: "Yes, and also this will slow down the people's discontent, they will be easier to control until the last phase of this program."

SALEA: "I would like to know, however, why you want it to be a secret at the beginning, and the reason why you want us to announce they will be kept in a vegetative status when the time comes."

OROKIN: "This is the first step towards a new era: we will be able to replace the plebeians. That's why we cannot speak of it until the project is complete, and why the whole Empire, except us, will have to think they'll be mere puppets. If the plebeians know the truth about this program, and about what it could lead them to, they will try to stop us, the Haeretians first in line."

SALEA: "The rebels? Hmm, yes, I imagine they would gain the plebeians consensus. I understand, I will immediately contact the team."

OROKIN: "Excellent."

The Orokin's figure disappeared, the projector turned off, and Salea headed to the door. She walked the long corridors of the residence, passing by marble columns and white walls adorned with paintings and golden lamps. Outside, there were two Dax soldiers guarding the entrance, they didn't move when Lady Salea came out.

She looked around the garden, searching for her daughter, Ilsia. The residence was inside an Orokin tower, a small recess on the tower surface, almost like a balcony, housing the manor and its garden. Ilsia was lying on one of the benches near the low wall that separated the garden from the further abyss. She was reading something while swinging her legs. Salea approached her daughter, she wanted to tell her that she was going to leave for a little while.

SALEA: "Ilsia, I have to go now."

ILSIA: "Hm? Why?"

SALEA: "Your mother has been selected to participate in a project, I will be back soon."

ILSIA: "Oh, ok, I understand. What kind of project is it?"

SALEA: "A project about the Continuity, my dear."

Salea passed her hand through Ilsia's hair and kissed her on the forehead, then she left her daughter. Ilsia watched her mother leave, following a path of stone plates, till she disappeared behind the manor. There, the path passed through a field of stone pillars, adorned with metal, golden lines, to lead the way to a great door, that opened to the inside of the Orokin tower.

In front of the door, there were other Dax soldiers, few of them joined Lady Salea, to escort her. The door opened to the inside of the tower, with a metallic sound. There, Orokin people were walking around, followed by their guards. Salea entered the tower with her Dax, and the door closed behind them.

SUVAR: "Well, this is interesting."

LARES: "I would dare to say 'Finally'! We were destined to be freed from those insects, and, in the end, the time has come!"

Lares' figure was walking back and forth on a monitor while he was talking to Suvar, his friend. A complacent smile lit up his face as he couldn't have waited to tell Suvar about the news his wife brought to him.

Suvar was talking to him from a poorly lit room, the monitor itself seemed to shine so brightly that it looked like his body was enveloped in a blue aura. The room, devoid of the Orokin style, was gray and without any ornaments, containing only a large console equipped with many screens. All of the screens were turned off except for the one Suvar was using. On Lares' request, he made sure to be alone in the room, ordering his guards to wait outside.

SUVAR: "Keep calm, my friend, we will need years to substitute them."

LARES: "We are eternal, so we can wait, after all, the prize is too delightful to not be pursued."

SUVAR: "So, only us, will win this war in the end?"

Lares closed his hand into a fist as a sign of victory. How long had he dreamed for complete control? How long did his kind dream about it? He surely wanted to enjoy that day, even if the victory was still far away, but he could see it, like a spark at the end of a tunnel of shadow.

LARES: "Yes, we will. Oh, my friend, how I wish we could have a celebration right this day!"

SUVAR: "You are just going too fast, Lares, we'll celebrate at the end of the war."

LARES: "Ah, why do you always ruin the moment? Anyway, is there any news about our little friends?"

SUVAR: "Nothing at all: the first Tenno is doing its work normally, like every Tenno, I don't think this is a good result for us, I expected something more. Except for a stronger Transference signal, there's no answer to the process."

LARES: "Hmm, what about the other one?"

SUVAR: "Sleeping, always sleeping. We will try to implement the exposure, hoping for a better reaction."

LARES: "I would like they let us take the body of the first Tenno."

SUVAR: "You know, usually it is not possible to make use of their real bodies. They gave us this one only because it was used for new Warframe trials and nothing else. Actually, we should thank Ballas for granting it to us."

LARES: "Yeah, yeah, I know. Oh well, let me know if there is news."

SUVAR: "Sure, I will send Salea a DNA specimen of this Tenno, it possesses features that could interest Orokin ladies. This will take a few seconds, just to contribute to such an interesting project."

LARES: "Hmm, why not? The more data she has the better it is."

SUVAR: "Good, see you again Lares."

LARES: "Until next time, friend."

The monitor turned off just like the others, and only a small white light on the ceiling remained to illuminate the room. Suvar went out, walking through a black corridor. Long lines of light illuminated the path from the walls, leading the way to another door made of gray metal with a small window.

His two personal Excalibur models, wearing golden armor and syandanas, and accompanied by their Whyrm Sentinels, were waiting for him beyond it. As soon as he entered the empty room, almost devoid of any furniture, his Warframes escorted him.

The room looked like an abandoned warehouse: a few ruined boxes were still waiting at the hall's corners, metal shelves standing in lines, were, here and there, covered by a brown-red veil of rust. The gray roof, like the walls, was covered in moist spots caused by humidity. Old ventilation fans, on the walls, were making a persistent sound, moving the air inside the basement structure. In the room there was a series of doors, leading to the many places of the labyrinth, once used in the first times of war.

They headed to the door ahead, where the dormant Tenno was waiting. Suvar had the intention to move the child into the deepest area of the basement, but the low Guardians were still arranging the place. The door opened to a small room, where feeble blue lights shone upon two Dax soldiers, waiting near a console. Further, there was a huge container with a large window, through which they could see the cryopod.

Inside it, there was the child, the real body of the Tenno, hidden into a Zariman suit. The face was covered by the hood, giving to the Zariman Ten Zero's survivor an alien appearance. The Dax turned to their Lord, waiting for his orders, no expression on their faces. Suvar looked at them smiling, then he spoke.

SUVAR: "We can proceed."

The Dax activated the console, and on a monitor appeared a list of data, information about the Tenno. There was even a picture of the child: a girl, her pale skin, blue eyes like sapphires, and golden hair were surely traits appreciated by the Orokin, even if they used to modify their vessels. Below, "Aris Lena", her name.