Titanium stared at the floor. On the last run to get things for her ship, an intense bright pain flared in her calf. The ascaris. She could hear Vor whispering in her mind.
She rubbed her shoulder, growling a little. She had to do something. Just sitting around wasn't helping. Now that she had her own nav system, she was going to use it. She knelt in front of the map, staring at the blips on the screen. She glanced out the window at Crimson's Orbiter, biting her lip.
"Sorry," she whispered. In order to learn, she had to do some things on her own. She tapped the coordinates for a defense mission to Lith into the computer and went to her liset.
She sat down in the cockpit, looking out the window at Crimson's ship again, hoping he wasn't looking, and accelerated into the atmosphere. She watched out of the windows as fire graced the outside of the ship, and stood as it thinned, leaning into the magnetic clamps of the door.
The world swiveled and dropped as she landed, her feet scuffing the landing zone. She pulled up the map of the area and dashed off to the target, looking up at the sky. No red and gold glint. He hadn't noticed she was gone.
She smiled a little, skidding into the clearing with a warframe cryopod. She lost herself in the dance, standing atop the pod, shooting and whacking and throwing. Taking care not to get anyone in somewhere too important.
She spun and nailed a grineer in the shoulder with a knife, tossed a spray of them at an advancing group, and got hit in the back by something she hadn't seen. Her staff twitched into her hands and she swung hard, yelling.
I have you now, Tenno.
Searing pain erupted from the ascaris. Red flared in her vision, and black spots swam across her eyes. Something hit her in the back hard. Even more pain leeched in, and suddenly the only priority was finding a position that didn't hurt. She gritted her teeth against the pain, and red and black was all she could see. She forced herself to stand. Stepped around to the cryopod.
They were exposed here. She had to go, but she wasn't leaving until the other person was safe. She looked at the pod. Pulled a soldier to herself. Smacked him on the face. The wave was done. More would come. She placed a hand on the pod and pushed hard. It moved an inch. She wasn't strong enough.
She jumped and landed way past the group she had been aiming at and had to use her kunai, swirling a whirlwind of knives at non-important places. Places that would heal. They went down with a wail, throwing curses at her as she ran off with their weapons.
Back at the cryopod, she bit her lip. How would she get them out of this? She could barely focus with everything happening. Muscling through the pain was slowing her down. But she wasn't leaving. Not now. The world wavered a little, and she fell to one knee, pelted on every side by by enemy fire. The rage of those she'd incapacitated. She felt sick.
Tenno.
"Go away," Titanium said.
Tenno, you are mine.
"Get out!"
She put a hand on the ground. Tried to focus on its solidness. She was still being attacked. She couldn't leave this sibling. Not a real one, of course, but sticking together… what? No…
The world bucked and pitched. Titanium pulled herself onto the pod. Tried to push again. Felt herself shaking. Felt hands on her arms, pulling her up. Watched as she was carried away.
"I'll come back for you," she whispered. Then her vision fizzled out and died, and she saw nothing.