"...It is the same proxy prototype that has seen minimal action when the Tenno started to destroy them in prevention, but some of these modifications are... odd, it was as if someone was trying to jerry rig this proxy with Fusion Moa-like capabilities and cut it short for this delivery." Nor nodded as he observed the machine disassembled and its parts salvaged from the battle, what could still be operational for a lead or further experiments for the Heretek. "We were lucky for this to be a work-in-progress, otherwise the skirmish could have ended badly, sir."
"It does strike me odd, the Jackal is still a Corpus proxy and they have employed it several times, this one was out of the shipping lanes in cargo." Nor said as the Heretek followed him down. "Our prisoner said as much as he was given the base's data and couldn't make heads and tails of the whole thing, it appears that the leader of the outpost was a follower of the Chosen, but they demanded a task of him: to terminate any standing armed Grineer forces in the area and any that would come to see what was happening." The commander gave a small sneer as he lifted up the damaged head, its brain and components completely scrapped, his stare was filled with a sense of distaste. "Such an item, the Corpus are willing to exchange parts here and there for the right credits, but looking at it now... it sickens me to see someone else trying to have the better gear, a poor choice of action." With his own strength, he started to crush the head before it bent in his hand, its alloy strength rubble in his hands as he dropped the head on the table that it was placed with the room quiet to his will before he spoke. "I want better, I want soldiers that can withstand greater damage, I want soldiers that will bend the worlds in their hands, but among my interests, I want to see us make a new armor set, a new faction deserves it as much as we are new, we are different, and we will start with armor, bring me or the Heretek new material to use for our armors, Ferrite and Alloy Plating have kept us afloat, but we will begin our expansion soon, we just need more strength in our bodies, surrender not to fate, we build in our war path, we start when we show promise, we fight for the Felguard." He turned and left the room with Wraith close behind as the Heretek spoke, his data slate of the Jackal inside the workshop as he instead counseled Nor.
"Sir, that is a bold statement to make among the soldiers, even at this time, we must take time before such actions for we are not suited to be crafting such things." Nor remained silent as he continued to walk before they soon arrived to the comm center that Wraith made his move again, gripping the commander with his mechanical hands. "Milord... are you well?"
"...Hard to say, Wraith..." Nor said as he sat down and pondered with his body leaning forth in thought, the hands leaving as he spoke. "My head is a mess, between strange dreams and waking nightmares, and now, with the Chosen Corpus causing issues across the system, the Grustrag Three on my tail, and my 'willingness' to work with Tenno forces over their lives, I have been running myself rugged." The commander looked up and spoke again. "So physically, I am fine, but mentally, I am a mess..."
"Maybe it is best right now, Milord, for you to rest for now, the men are understanding and they will respect your decisions." Nor thought about it before he turned to one of the comms and spoke.
"All hands aboard the Hellgate and its sister Galleon, to the members of Felheim, it has come to my attention that we haven't had much of time to rest, we have been drilling ourselves for the best, but today and the next, I am authorizing a relief period for those willing to take a break and do other things in their time, I will be in my quarters for any who inquire about it." He switched the comms off as he relax for a moment, Wraith hovering over her as the commander spoke his mind. "Let us hope so, Heretek... let us hope so..." He stood up and headed for the private quarters, his body weighed down as he soon found his quarters, had the armor removed, and took his time inside, his thoughts easing away as he occupied the empty silence with soft music, a foolish thing for a Grineer, but its song from the old world was enough as he sorted through his forms and made a number of measures...
Nor sat up as he stretched before looking at his clock, a old piece that was retrofitted to work for him, its military display now reading twenty-one forty-nine, meaning that he was sleeping for the better of ten hours as he stood up and roamed about his quarters, opening the security cameras and monitors for his observation corner, the troops and workers doing their own things as they conversed and shared knowledge as he listened. "You think the Commander is okay?"
"Certain, Heretek Wraith checks on him all the time and he is fine, I share in his pain as it has been weeks since we left Earth and we still are reeling from the pain."
"Still, to let us do our own thing during this, he must have more than an idle reason."
"Maybe, we have now mourned for the fallen and dead as we build up, but the state we are in... we are not prepped for combat on a larger scale."
"We all know this and I find it obvious that I too need more than some idle training..." Nor said as he switched the monitors off and got onto his feet again before turning to his training dummy, a make-shift Blunt with a Tenno face painted on to invoke anger as Nor wrapped his hands and legs in bandage before getting his gauntlets and boots on before he went to town on the dummy, a series of punches and kicks striking the target as Nor focused, his vision returning to normal before starting to turn red and he delivered one hard punch, sending the dummy flying into the archway above the door as Ura entered, getting the first look of Nor since she came into Felheim.
"Commander!" She saluted as Nor grabbed the dummy and set it up again before he waved in dismissal and she relaxed. "My apology, I was unaware that our leader was in the middle of something."
"Make that two of you, Wraith comes in here all the time and he is more of a knowledge warden than I had ever guessed." He returned to bashing the dummy as Ura nodded and stood into the room as the door closed. "So, what is the reason for you to be here?"
"Our Tenno allies have our agreement, take a look." Nor turned to find a extended data pad, taking it in hand before looking straight at the numbers, zero across the board. "They declined..."
"...No, this is our amount, someone ELSE changed the numbers..." Due to some working with Wraith, Nor could find out easy slips in the code that could mean something in the long run and he found it, someone messed with the original amount and made the change, but forgot to remove a key note from the pad, a name Irena, as he returned the pad and spoke. "Sergeant, get Gur, Kil, and Brek, we have a target to interrogate." She saluted as he walked over and armored up, his Marelok and Hind locked in as his Machete was saddled to his hip again before he headed out, someone was going to pay...
They arrived to the base where Tenno members quickly formed up as their leader rushed on ahead and shouted. "What is the meaning of this, we are giving you what you want, what we agreed on!"
"And this is your amount?" Nor offered the pad to Natalia as she looked at it before her eyes widened and she glanced up in panic as Nor leaned forward. "Who is Irena?"
"The operative you brought to us, she has been in rest for several days now, but she has been acting strangely since then, often mumbling to herself and now carries a pistol with her everywhere, she now has complete control over the industrial section of the base."
"So... she's waiting for me..." He straightened up and spoke. "Officers, stay a good distance away and in cover, I will handle this so stay your hands and wait..." They saluted to him as he walked on to the section that Natalia pointed out, taking a slow breath as he looked around in the shadowed section of the base, the lights were shut off in all parts of it as his suit lit up the forward area as his words came. "There is no reason for this, what happened to the honorable Tenno code that you hold with such heart?" A cock of a gun was all he heard as Nor sighed as he readied his Marelok and moved on through, the shadows lighting up to his walk. "Do not make this any worse than what you already have done, I care not what the Lotus says, but the best thing you could have done was just let the agreement move through, not alter it to draw the ire of my men."
"You curs are the bane of our world and I will gladly kill you for what you have done!"
"Then you would ignore the greed and blind heresy of the Corpus or even the consuming nature of the Infested? Then you are truly a fool who has lost their own mind..." Movement caught his eye, but Nor did not fire as he continued on, keeping a watchful eye for any more surprises. "What the Grineer do, they will always find threats for their actions, the Corpus are often let off the hook for their business and trading, but the Infestation is a menace regardless so forget this hate and focus on the actual threat for now." Without warning, shots were fired at him and he rolled out of the way as Irena came out again to fire some more, but the attack was in vain as Nor let his combat sense take over, dodging into some cover as the rounds continued to slam into the barriers, the metal bending from the pressure, but not enough to deter him as he took careful aim and fired at times, suppressing Irena before he landed a lucky hit, piercing her right shoulder, causing her to howl in pain as Nor charged in and knocked her down, pistol aimed at her face as he soon found her chosen weapon, a part of a Rampart gun that was modified to fire, the ammo pack close by, but too big for carry capacity as he lifted her up to a terrifying sight.
When last she was seen, she was possessing a number of bruises that could be contributed to abuse, likely from Grineer oppressors, but now in his suit light, her damage was replaced and grafted with a frontal mask that led down into her shoulder and inside as he ripped the cloak open to find a horrifying thing, a Orokin key implanted into a slot on her chest that pulsed with an eerie light. As much as Nor wanted to rip it out right now, it was best to get the others on this as he threw a punch, knocking her out and picking her up before turning to the entrance, ferrying her out for everyone to see what has become of her, Natalia taking it very hard as she seemed to be... grieving in sorrow as Nor flopped her on the medical cot. "Anyone here have any medical expertise?"
"I do, sir..." One of the civilians said as she came forth and crouched beside the boy as she checked across all the parts of the body as Nor watched her before she stood back up, her hands a bit bloody from touching some of the contraption. "A patch-work device consisting of Ferrite material and molded into a conduit, but this was done with self-harm in mind, too much that the individual is likely to lose sanity in return of increased power and senses, too costly for anyone to experience..." She shook her head as the Grineer members kept their distance. "If it was done with Alloy and as armor, she could have gotten by, but this will require severe surgery in order to both purge the systems of the Orokin taint and bring her back to normal standard, her mind will be likely to lose a few memories or grudges."
"Keep her under for now, do what you must..." The civilian nodded as Natalia was looked at and she handed the revised data to the commander who took a look and nodded as the agent was taken away. "And thus our business is done, despite being a week later, but that is forgiven..."
"Thank you, sir, we will try to uphold our own side from now on." The Grineer soon left the base behind as Natalia gauged between both the commander and agent and wondered to herself what will be the outcome now...