A thought leads to plans, and plans to action.

It's the first foray into such an endeavour, and yet the familiarity of it all seeps into your skin like stepping into a link pod.

An odd warmth that first feels too cold, then evens out to a liquid caress, lacking all distinguishing temperature. And then nothing, as if you've slipped into your own skin again.

This is the fourth day and the fourth ship you've dropped into. An abandoned Grineer Galleon, overgrown and overrun, you see tendrils of violet grime coating the walls and floor. Ordis' scans show no sentients here, but neither does it show any signs of true life, untouched by the virus that once ravaged your home.

In the dark, the murky hue of the infested sludge seems murkier.

That didn't matter, you knew what you came for.

You leave some time later, a little winded and worse for wear, and return to Limbo's waiting arms.

In the back of your mind you feel a jolt, an echo of a fluttering heart overlaid with yours.

It's been a very long time since you've ever felt completely at home.

Tenno, you have been slow to deliver recently.

What is happening?

"Just. Distractions, Lotus. Personal projects, nothing more."

Do not let this stray your purpose, Tenno.

"I won't."

The transmission ends, Lotus' visage winking out of your orbiter.

You sigh, head bowed and hands on the console.

"You okay?" comes a loving voice.

"Yea." you reply.

And you wander back to Limbo, twining your fingers with one hand, caressing his face with the other.

He loops an arm around your waist, pulling you close.

"She's not angry is she?"

"I- I don't think so."

"Do you think she suspects?"

"No. Maybe. Probably not."

"Those were three different answers."

"I know…"

"As long as you're sure. I'll be here with you."

You smile, though your frame doesn't show it.

"I know."

And then you doubted your purpose just a week later. He tried to rationalise, as a scientist would, as he would. But with a grasping hope and heart you spoke. Your frames standing silently, dutifully watching.

"We must finish our plan. We- we've come too far to go back." you start.

"But what if the consequence is worse than what we expect? What of the war?"

"This isn't our war to fight. It has never been our war." you said, more for yourself than for him.

"But we are the products of it. We can't run from that."

"Well so are they, but should they be part of it too? Forced to fight and die and be put back together again?"

"They are machines made for war. From flesh and bone and blade steel. They are our warframes. Their only purpose, all they know is death and killing. And if that's their destiny then who are we to stop that?" he says, gentle as he can.

You felt something much like a gash form across your heart.

"And if it isn't?"

"How is it not their destiny?"

"How is it ours to decide?"

And the room goes quiet. Though the air still buzzes with energy.

"How is it fair that I can think and love and for that, be myself, while they can't? Even though they can think and love and just be too. We can control our destinies. We can be the masters of our fates. But I just don't see how it's fair that we are masters of theirs too."

Silence takes the room again. And in the stillness he watches you, looking at you as if you radiate solar flares.

"We owe them so much." you say, voice barely above a whisper.

He is silent.

"Don't you think we at least owe them this? Just a chance. To be masters of their own bodies. Their own fates. We've given them one part of that."

A tear rolls down your cheek. You look over at your frames, hands clasped, standing sentinels at the side of the room.

"Don't you think they deserve the other?"

An uneasy silence takes the room as you stare at each other.

You cannot meet his gaze for more than a few seconds at a time. Your eyes dart, to his nose, his brow, his lashes.

You have such an urge to walk over and kiss him, but now is not the time.

"What do we tell Lotus?" he says.

And you release a breath you didn't even realise you were holding.

"I don't know."

"We haven't even solved all the issues of how we're even going to do this."

"I know."

He exhales, running a hand through his hair.

"You're sure you want to do this."

You nod. You've come too far now.

He looks at you, a little bit resigned. "Okay."

It takes time, but you work it out.

Diverting missions to each other. When he is away, you manage the materials, craft the supplies you need. And when you are off, he works on the machines.

And then a message comes in one day.

From Excalibur.

"This is a breakthrough!" he said that day, pacing your orbiter, the hologram in hand.

He played it over and over, and with each repetition, his grin grew wider.

He flew over to your orbiter just to celebrate.

His excitement was contagious, you could feel Mirage's heart racing, just under the beat of yours.

You remember the enthusiastic discussions after, shoving papers and toolkits and materials off the foundry's workspace, newly modified and still smelling faintly of machine oil.

You remember the experiments that came after, the tireless hours of working together and the hours of exhausted sleep, piled on top of each other in some odd corner. Too tired to even return to your personal quarters.

And then the breakthrough happens.

She moved.

On her own, Mirage got up, off the workspace and to Limbo, and placed a hand on his chest.

You and Xanthos were too stunned at first.

Then she looked back to you, blinking, nodding, looking over her love, still propped up and ready for surgery.

"We did it." Xanthos whispered, his hand finding yours, though you still clutched the still slick transference bolt, removed just minutes ago.

You realise how much they've been missing each other when you get both bolts out.

Your Mirage and his Limbo, just holding each other, admiring their new freedom.

You realise with some slight embarrassment that that's what you looked like at the start of your own romance.

No wonder Jathi made fun of you.

You could still transfer in and out of your frames, oddly enough.

Xanthos explained something about how not all of the network was removed or something similar, but you didn't fully understand, too busy in awe of how you could still step into your frame.

Mirage laughed at the back of your mind too, the idea of personal agency making her giddy with excitement.

"What do we do about ourselves though?" he asked, as you were taking a break.

Across from you Mirage was curled against Limbo, and if she could, you know she'd be purring.

Ah. This conversation. You'd been avoiding it.

"I don't know. We can't exactly keep them for much longer, can we? It wouldn't be fair." you say, looking over at your frame.

"Your words, not mine."

"We follow our original plan then?"

"Remake them but empty? That's not really possible, you know that. The only parts for them were used for- well. Them."

"What are we going to do?" you say, turning to him.

He looks into your eyes, then away, his search unsuccessful.

"I don't know." he says with a sigh.

He gets up, reaching down to help you up.

"But it is late," he begins. "We've been up for nineteen hours. It's time to rest."

"On an actual space made for sleeping this time." you reply with a chuckle.

"Goodnight you two." he says, and you step into your personal quarters, the doors shutting behind you.

In the darkened room the two frames stir.

They wander from machine to machine. As they reach the new foundry they look to each other.

They look at the cluttered worktable, carefully considering.

She nods, and they activate the foundry. The base plate lights come on, and slowly an energy field begins radiating from the floor plate to the ceiling. A low hum fills the room.

They spend a minute in front of the console before stepping back, and from the plates a network of wires slowly starts climbing.

SYSTEMS: 001% - -

They reach for their transference bolts on the worktable, and with one last glance, place it within the energy field. The wires climb towards it, and like silver grasping vines, they twist around the bolt, holding it in place.

The frames step back, admiring their work. And in the glow of the foundry they join hands.

You awaken to silence, with an arm around Xanthos' torso and a head of fading dreams.

You try and extract yourself from around him, but that just wakes him up. Stars lend light to give his face a slight glow, a good look on him, you think. In his hazel eyes, gold flecks glimmer, and you think that alone could outshine the sun.

The door opens with a pneumatic hiss as you step outside a few minutes later. Perhaps more ready now to start.

You're rubbing the sleep-dust from your eyes when you feel a hand on your shoulder.

"Hmm?" you hum, and turn to see Xanthos with a look of awe on his face.

This is when you see it.

In your foundry two frames shimmer, not yet complete but almost there. On one platform stands a tall figure, lithe and slender with what looks like a top hat. On the other stands a harlequin, though perhaps not truly a harlequin, but a columbine. Beautiful and vivacious, streaks of bright pink mark her skin, and gleaming pink eyes watch you, a thin veil hiding laughter.

The new frames shine white and gold, and in their almost-completion a rhythmic wave of light pulses over them.

You stare at them, and you feel like your heart is going to just stop.

You wonder if this is what it feels to see perfection.

Above a little button on the foundry a hologram gleams.

MIRAGE PRIME: 100% - -

LIMBO PRIME: 100% - -

CONTINUE?

There's a buzzing in your ribs like static. You can't seem to focus consciously on anything but your breaths as the room seems to chill around you.

What. What are those.

You gape at Xanthos, who just looks back to you, surprise still written on his face, shining from those gold-green eyes.

And then the dots start joining up. They were there too weren't they, every mission, every expedition, every experiment. Maybe not obviously to you, but they were there. Watching, piecing their own thoughts together. Hatching their own plans.

They could say nothing but they knew. They nudged you both in the right direction, and once they could, they finished the job themselves.

You don't think, just step forward. It takes a deep breath to steady yourself as you place your hand on the button.

CONTINUE?

Yes. Yes, you should. You've come this far, there's… no going back now. You wanted this, she wanted this.

You're doing this for her.

(But where is she? Watching from some corner? Maybe.)

And yet there is no spur to prick the sides of your intent, and your hand still rests gently on the button.

You look to Xanthos as he steps towards you, and in the glow of the foundry you join hands.

CONTINUE?

The foundry hums, almost insistent, and you look at the hologram floating just above your fingers.

There is apprehension in your heart when you begin to think again. If this was the right path, if this was truly the best for you, for her, for him and him. Your hand trembles and you blink and swallow. What have you done?

You feel your heart pulse in your chest, beating steady and fast and in time with the lights that pulse along the wires holding up your creations. Although, they weren't really your creations anymore now were they? You weren't the ones who started the foundry.

It's a cold silence, filled with racing thoughts and a storm of doubts and the hum of the machines before you.

Yet in a second, the thoughts are banished as he reaches out. What started as a rushing torrent of emotion was silenced when he places his other hand over yours, and presses your hand down, activating the final construction process.

You step back as you watch the foundry work. Bit by bit, the new frames are stitched together, you watch as flesh and bone and steel and wire coalesce. And as the machine completes its task you watch their eyes light up, one in blue and one in pink.

And you stand there, hands clasped and hearts racing, as the wire frames retract, as the energy field slowly dissipates.

You look to each other again, eyes wide, just as you hear a launch bay door turning, and a pair of archwings taking off.

Oh by the stars, what have you done?