To the average wanderer, whether it be a rail-jack trader or an imperial fleet, to go toward a Derelict is to invite death itself among the members as the Infestation linger and slumber in the once-holy halls and passages that make up the now-infested towers. Sometimes, forces like the Grineer and Corpus breach the veil in-between to get to riches and glory, opening to the untainted halls of a sentry-guarded tower or to the biomass of the infestation, but they were just as easily put down, whether from overconfidence or by Tenno hands.
Whispers have been made that something far more dangerous than simple Chargers and Runners lurks in the depths of the ancient places, but Kentur had no time to trifle with that, he had to find the manifestations of Rell as Palladino spoke as much. "Holy Rell, let us bring you the peace you have earned... Guide this Tenno so you can return to the Harrowing vessel... so that you might rest." Lotus joined in as she based what Rell was experiencing with logic while Palladino was of the spiritual nature.
"Rell's warnings... those dire consequences... he was talking about Void exposure, wasn't he? The effect it has on human minds is well understood..."
"But it's not." Palladino voiced with uncertainty, like it couldn't be explained through just logic, it couldn't be answered with a simple algorithm. "This isn't some kind of deep pressure bends as Margulis suspected. Rell saw what it was, truly. An entity, indifferent. Old as stars." Old as stars... could the thing that Kentur spoke to when he disposed of the Kuva be the same thing, the 'thing watching from the stars'? That was a surprising notion and he tried to shake it away as the Volt streaked through the halls, but the thought lingered with the darkness that filled the derelict, permeating a sense of dread or isolation before he made it to the first point and words spilled across the ground within an instance.
'BLINDED SHE CAST HIM OUT.' No sooner had he seen the words and attempted to make sense of it before a shadowy figure formed and stood up, the emotion of anger upon its pictured white face as it hissed out the words.
"My fault. Touching is too much noise. It makes me... makes me... angry." It lashed out to the floor and vanished, it appearing in Kentur's sight as Palladino spoke.
"There! An emotion, manifest from the game Rell played as a child!"
Lotus gave what they needed to do. "See if you can stabilize it with a Kinetic Siphon." A brief trip to Simaris yielded the answered they needed. Due to the fragmented memories and splinters of Rell, capturing the emotions would be in vain, but the Kinetic Siphon was fine-tuned by Ordis to stabilize the emotions long enough to take them, but they were possibly not going to return where they came from, so they had to be taken down and forced into the Siphons.
Volt bolted for the emotion and started the process, succeeding in defeating it and sending it back as Rell's voice echoed. "Angry: Someone takes the thing you love." Amidst Lotus giving direction to the next ones, Rell came again, but as the red-eyed creature. "Rap. Tap. Tap. I don't want to go back!" Volt spent no time trying to take out the menacing form as he booked for the next location where he could find any more of Rell's released emotions, succeeding to find the emotion of Happy and binding it as his voice filled his mind. "Happy: Momma has a stretchy smile." It lingered as Volt made his way through before another phase of words passed over. "He's listening. He knows what you're doing. It makes him stronger." Who... was Rell talking about the Man in the Wall, how was obtaining the emotions making the Wall Man stronger?
'What exactly is the Man in this whole thing?' Kentur didn't give into the thoughts as he continued on, the form following before Volt found and caught another manifestation, this one looking like the world was... rather lackluster as Rell echoed through it.
"Bored: Waiting too much. There is nothing fun to look at." Volt breathed as Lotus spoke up.
"Good. You've captured the manifestations here. Now get out before Rell's disturbance catches up with you." Volt nodded as he rushed away, the figure appearing many times, but was not fast enough to catch him as the Orbiter took to the Void, the next location coming up as a location on Uranus, planet-side and midst the turmoil storms...
Kentur's ship jumped and his heart shortly dropped before jumping back up as a pair of Caravel cruisers were on the side of a Galleon, its name the 'Hellgate' and only one force could have such a ship and escorts at their fingertips as the comms opened. "Unidentified Tenno Craft, submit your identification or be sentenced to active elimination."
"Acknowledged." Ordis replied as they waited, Kentur looking to the ship as he thought that Nor was going to head for Earth with some business, but if the 'Hellgate' the personal Galleon of Nor's, was in orbit of Uranus, then he must be here and he could help the Tenno in his mission.
He didn't wait long before the comms came back, two minutes later. "Confirmed, land in Hellgate Hanger Three and welcome." The Volt nodded as he directed the ship in, taking it slowly in case he upset the soaring Darygns or Dregs, the Orbiter landing in and he slowly got out before he beamed to Tiza and Nor as the smaller figure spoke.
"Well well, the Tenno coming to the world of storms and labs? What an honor."
"Indeed, it is not often that we see a Tenno around here, let alone one who rather ruined Tyl's mad search." Volt nodded as Nor continued, a furrowed brow under the helmet. "But that is for later, what brings you here, Volt?" He paused before remembering that only Tiza and Nor actually knew his real name, the rest just call the Tenno by the name of their frames, so he had to roll with Volt.
"I am hunting down memory fragments of Rell's, emotions of his and the next location is here." Tiza hummed before she looked at Nor and whispered.
"Strato-Lab Four..."
"One of the big ones..." Nor turned back to Volt and spoke. "Tyl Regor had to shut down one of his ten massive labs, called Strato-Labs, as the troops and workers were experiencing both disillusions and a haunting feeling of something in the halls and passages, it has gotten worse from there, one of the Dredge Foremen went through the corridors to disprove the threat, they found him limbless and ranting insanity." Nor shook his head as he walked over to the terminal and pulled up the data before taking it out and handing it to Volt. "Get down there and clear it out, Tyl may not like you, but I sure as gold do and you seem to have the best influence on the situation."
"Thanks..." Volt answered as he took the data clip before turning to a less urgent matter. "By the way, what happened with Cressa Tal?" Nor just smiled behind the helmet again.
"She is bending over backwards, you would not BELIEVE how many soldiers were injured in battle and declared 'Unable to fight', I DID have to restrict her access, but with the hardware given, she was more than willing to give a big disrespect to the Corpus Board." He breathed as he finished. "Though the Sequence took something off my hands, it couldn't be helped, AI and tech is their unique trait, not ours." Volt nodded as he boarded the Orbiter and took off, a pair of Dargyns accompanying him before branching off as he arrived to the site, the rain pounding as ever...
He jumped out of the landing craft and straightened as Palladino spoke. "I don't know if you can make Rell whole again, but whatever you're doing, this disturbance is growing stronger, resisting you. Don't let it stop you. Bring Rell home, to the temple." Lotus joined in as she asked.
"Is that where Rell is? Has the Veil preserved him in cryosleep as the other Tenno were on Lua?" Palladino shook her head as she gave the answer.
"No. We didn't have that option." Kentur dismissed the musing questions as he pressed on through, hoping to find another manifestation and trap it for a better answer of what was happening to his friend... or did Rell even see him as a friend anymore...?
He didn't want to know or find out, but it still was disturbing as shadowed figures walked through the darkened halls, evil pulling at his soul in the depths of the mad or haunted place, his hammer smashing the shambling monsters or frenzied wraiths before words formed once more at his feet. 'YOU REJECTED HIM HE SAVED YOU'; Rell's voice came out as well as Kentur forced that dark energy away and out of him. "He's listening but I'm so... Help me." Lotus tried to sway him to realize that he was suffering not from a entity beyond the mortal understanding of the Void, but from his own power back lashing.
"Rell... it's just you, alone and trapped in a Transference loop. Don't give into there delusions of Void exposure. There is no man in the wall." Rell reply was more hostile as he hissed.
"Don't say that!" His emotions also unleashed the red-eyed demon, Kentur running for it before finding the emotions and bringing them down, the emotions of being embarrassed of talking with all eyes on him, his excitement to the hatching spiders, but also the sadness of why the infant spiders would consume their mother. Lotus called for an escape and Kentur acknowledged as he bolted, the darkness fading out as he took to the air and to the void, he had to keep on the trail and he needed help, this was haunting him in some way...
In his haste, he nearly prompted the Felguard to shoot him, but Nor intervened as he could tell and let the Tenno off before, phasing out of the armor, Kentur vomited as Tiza was grossed out while the commander just spoke. "I just had the floors cleaned, but it is good to know that you are not entirely void of humanity." The young Operator breathed before a Dredge, having arrived at the mention of his commander, stepped off and offered a plastic cup of purified water and Kentur took it to drink, Nor crouching as Kentur flopped to the ground of the metal, away from the bile. "We clones are not often afraid, but we fear the unknown often, whatever these emotions are, you have been holding yourself together for too long."
"I know... I know... but..." Kentur answered as he held the plastic and spoke. "If Rell wasn't... frozen in cryosleep, then how is he... projecting like this, why this feeling of dread and ill intent and... why now...?" He glanced up to Nor as the Grineer commander rubbed his mouthpiece before standing back up and walked behind the Tenno, they away from the mess as Dredges cleaned it up right quick.
"I am none too familiar with the methods or the techniques that the Orokin used to keep you and your kin in cryo and how the Lotus wanted to let you slumber on, but I do know a few theories as to why now..." Kentur listened as Nor spoke on. "The first is absurd, but it has merit, many Warframes are sluggish and limp, unable to use their powers properly." Kentur grimaced as that sounded like what happened with Vor and the attempted takeover, but this doesn't answer a thing of now.
"The second is a little less likely as Rell may be projecting himself as an larger form of himself, but that couldn't be true with this, those shadows are without control, theirs are puppets of instinct." That one sounded like the Stalker, but Nor was right, that didn't make sense at all with the shadows wandering about like that, Tiza joining as Nor finished.
"The last one is the more likely and viable one, Lua's emergence may have back lashed heavily across the system, this is what drew the Queens to your home and your powers, this could also be why Rell is lashing out, the sudden pulse had reawakened his lost Tenno power." Kentur paused as he thought about it and started to agree, with all that release of energy, with the Moon or Lua returning to orbit, there was a lot of energy displaced from that and it showed often, but could Rell's symptoms in this whole thing be from the return of such powerful energies? He didn't give in too long before Nor observed the gaze that fixed itself on him before he nodded and looked to Tiza. "I'll be taking a short leave of objective, keep the Hereteks and crew in check."
"No promises, but I'll keep them in place, besides I need to manage some Kuva Siphons, it seems like Kuva is bleeding all over the place whenever the Fortress floats past." Tiza answered as she took off, Kentur making a note to investigate those Siphons before Nor spoke to one of the pilots.
"Any Firbolgs available for action?"
"Negative, Milord, we were taxing the ships too much than they were meant to be used. They are orbit-to-surface vessels, not trans-spatial miracles." Nor nodded as the pilot continued. "However, we do have an available Bolkor ready for your assignment, Milord, we are not willing to let you go alone this time." Kentur, going back into his Volt, finally took note of the number of Lancers, Butchers, even a few of those Vanguard units seemed to arrive before Nor huffed.
"You crazy troops..." He shook his head before he turned to Volt. "Where to...?" The Tenno took a moment before he took a look and answered, showing the displayed screen for the Commander.
"Earth..." Nor took a look himself and frowned as he spoke a short sentence.
"Gear up, we are going into the Fogged Trench..."
How he got drafted into the Bolkor was beyond him, but he listened to understand what exactly was the general notion of the Fogged Trench. "I know the Commander, but having us go into the Fogged Trench, a portion of the infamous 'Everest' formation, that is a lot more suicidal than those fights with the Corpus Jackal."
"You're telling me, the usual skoom up in those drafts are those feral Kubrow packs, but if those frenzied Red Veil zealots are up there, I rather take a Nox head-on and hope that they kill me quick before I dare fight those mindless drones."
"You and me both, brother."
"Enough, both of you." The Lancers straightened as a Grineer Bombard stomped in and glanced over them before looking to the Volt. "This is your drop, you better clear the way before the big guns come in, good hunting, Tenno." Volt wasn't sure why they didn't just speak in their language and give him a minor headache, but he didn't mind much before the rear ramp lowered and he took off, leaping out and diving before he landed, the distance the same as when he just jumped out of the landing craft before the channel filled with Palladino and Lotus speaking about Rell, Lotus asking the same question of what preserved Rell.
"How could Rell have lived this long? Without the long dream?" Palladino explained as the Volt took on the Red Veil that stood in his path, even seeing that the wandering dark figures shambled about just the same.
"In a way, he didn't. He knew his mortality would undo his purpose, so he gave up his humanity, forever." The Operator mused on how it must have felt, giving up who you are to... fight some man in the wall? The question lingered in his mind as Palladino continued, giving the reason why Rell was still alive. "He committed his soul to the undying vessel-" But that could only mean...
"His Warframe..." Lotus's words gripped him, but he pushed on through the frenzy as Palladino continued.
"Yes. He commanded we chain it within the depths of the sacred temple. An eternal vigil against the Indifference."
"And you believed him. You helped him do it."
"Yes, After everything you've seen, wouldn't you?" There was a level of accusation from the speaker's voice, He felt it through the channel before focusing, trying his best to find a landing site for the troops, but nothing as he called up to the Bolkor through the channel that Nor had authorized for him just this once.
"I'm sorry, but the foliage is too thick, the Bolkor will be unable to even land, let alone unload any troops down here."
"Copy, we'll provide visual over-watch and aerial firepower from up here, any Kubrows?"
"Negative." Volt slipped into acknowledging and admitting the place. "There are just Red Veil Zealots and shambling shadows."
"Copy... watch your back down there." Volt quickly found the kneeling fragment, but it disappeared for the red-eyed demon to appear and start stalking him, the fear festering before Volt made to chase down the fragments across the overgrowth as it was, some remains of Grineer control before this whole mess as he thought about the message he had found briefly.
'WHAT IS EVIL BUT INDIFFERENCE' What did that mean, what could have been speak or done to result in such a phrase being said or even heard, why did it linger as well on the Operator's mind as he rushed to collect the fragments, feeling the shyness of meeting someone and not even having the strength to say hello, felt fear in being scared as your eyes could not perceive your mother anywhere, and feeling exhausted from running on and on until you just can't anymore as the shadows persisted as Palladino spoke in thank and remorse.
"Blessed Tenno, Rell has returned to his sacred vessel. I will join him there at once. Please, come, for I fear... I haven't got the strength to do what must be done next..." Volt wasted no time, he rushed for the exit, the way out as the shadows hunted him without pause, some even near-stopping him in his advance that he feared that he would not make it, but he did as he made it, the ship closing back up and the Warframe settled in as they headed up to the ship in orbit once more, only time to tell where he needed to head for the final step of relieving his former friend's pain from him...
