Warframe belongs to other people. I just play around in their backyard and hope they don't mind.
This chapter was both fun and tough to write. And yes: I used a silly cop-out to spare myself the nightmare of writing in Grineer.
Read, Enjoy and Review. The order is up to you
„Operator, I'm analysing the obtained data as we speak! It seems, the Grineer were trying to *mine* the less active parts of the Infestation for research. At least one of their scientists speculated that the aggressive genome could be used to repair damages to the Grineer stock. Crude but pragmatic, like most of their thinking." Cephalon Sicarius explained happily as Ria entered her Orbiter. She sighed. Secarius was a peculiar Cephalon. It seemed so desperate to please, she sometimes wondered, it might enjoy being congratulated. Something that these machines were not supposed to do.
"Good, give me a full report after you have analysed all the data. " Ria ordered as her frame did the usual routine with her foundry and inventory. "How is our guest?"
"In deep slumber." Sicarius answered quickly "She fell over as soon as the transport was complete. If we trust her melatonin levels, she must have been awake for days. Other vitals are within healthy parameters. I took the liberty to remove her weapons, armour and bionic limbs and dressed her in a series 2 jumpsuit." There was a pause and Ria hoped that she only imagined the heavy breathing. Finally, Sicarius continued. "The Orokin corruption did a remarkable job on her. Passive analysis shows that many genetic deformities have been smoothed out, compensated or reversed. The necessary Grineer implants have been streamlined or replaced by improved ones. Before the process, she was basically incapable to remove her armour for an hour without risking kidney failure. But now she is the healthiest Grineer that ever walked the origin system." Sicarius voice suddenly trembled "Operator! Please allow me to analyse her prostheses! The improvements are remarkable, the neural interfaces so delicate… I need to-"
"Yes, Sicarius, analyse them, but don't take them apart!" Ria ordered. She had noticed that Sicarius had a healthy dose of admiration for Orokin technology, but she never realized how healthy it was. Better throw him a bone and the Grineer wouldn't need them while she was asleep. "Sleep sounds good…" Ria mumbled to herself. She was still young and the strain of piloting a Warframe laid heavily on her. "Sicarius, plot a course for Vesper Relay, I'll take a nap." She left her Warframe, glad to feel the air with her real skin again. As she walked through the ship, she stopped at a screen. "Give me a live feed from the cell. I want to make sure, she is fine." The Tenno ordered.
The screen flickered to the inside of the cell.
Ria bit her lip. Her prisoner was laying on the cot, sleeping tightly. The Tenno zoomed a bit closer. Sicarius hadn't used hyperbole. The grotesque bumps and bloated flesh that warped the form of most Grineer were gone. So were the crude plugs and cumbersome implants. The figure on the screen had the form of a woman. A very beautiful woman. Her face was scarred, but retained a rugged beauty through full lips and strong cheekbones. Her skin had lost the pale squalor of cloned flesh and taken a healthy tan, contrasted by her short platinum-blonde hair. Knowing the Grineer's usual look, a fresh addition. The tight jumpsuit lovingly hugged her big, round breasts, the flat stomach and wide hips that gave her a wonderful hourglass figure. Ria licked her lips as her eyes traced the beautiful form. The broad shoulders, buxom thighs and what was probably an amazing ass. For a moment she seriously considered fetching one of those drones herself if they gave you this kind of a built.
It wasn't all fun though. Her right arm ended in a stump and both legs of her jumpsuits were empty from the knees down.
"Operator?" Sicarius asked and tore Ria out of her *thoughts*. "Is something amiss? You have been inspecting the cell for more than two minutes."
"Yes, the cell!" the young Tenno blurted out. "Erm… make sure she can reach the water with only one hand… I'll go to sleep! Wake me when we arrive or the guest wakes up!"
"Of course, Operator! Thank you for reminding me about the water."
"Tenno. I hope this little pet-project will not distract you from your mission." The Lotus noted calmly.
"Not finding out would distract me more, Lotus." Ria said annoyed as she walked to her bedroom.
The Orbiter's bedroom wasn't much bigger than the holding cell. It was only used for sleeping and hosted just a bed, a closet for personal items and clothing as well as a mirror. Today, Ria couldn't help but give the mirror a dirty glare. It dared to remind her of how she looked. It reminded her of her small, waifish stature. Of her flat chest and small butt. It reminded her of the fact that the hope of blossoming into a ripe and buxom woman was dying a slow death. That her chocolate skin and "cute" face were the only things about her that she considered pretty. It reminded her of how short the straw was that she had drawn, when beauty had been served. It reminded her that every single female Warframe model was sexier than her. No wonder she only piloted male frames, even though she owned all parts for both a Saryn and a Mirage. But she'd never pilot either of these sluts!
"Operator! Beep Boop! Please, wake up!"
Ria stirred. Sicarius' voice could tear anyone from even the deepest slumber. "Are we there yet?" she asked groggily.
"No, operator, the second perimeter has occurred!" the cephalon said quickly while Ria began dressing herself. "Our prisoner woke up. I have to warn you, she is not cooperating! Though I will take full responsibility for her rage. I acted on my own judgement as I assessed the situation as an emergency."
"What did you DO?" The young Tenno growled as she sped up.
"Removing all of the prisoner's prosthetics has proven to be unwise. Apparently humanoids need more than one functioning limb to use the lavitron."
"Void be damned! Sicarius, did you give them back?"
"I saw not need, operator. I used the gravity controls and the Helios sentinel to nudge her into position."
"The same Helios that looks like a camera?!"
"So that's why she kept screaming!" Sicarius said with honest relief. "She is back in bed now. But very angry."
Ria cussed under her breath. Sicarius was very eager to please but sometimes, he was not very good at it. For a moment, she considered just opening a channel to the cell and talking to the captive directly, but she scrapped that idea. Most Grineer only knew the Warframes as Tenno and had no idea who was piloting them. Looking into the eyes of a girl that barely reached her shoulders would at best confuse her. "Which one do I send in?" Ria pondered on her way to the transference room. "The Rhino probably left a bad taste in her mouth. The Oberon in too imposing, the Ash is disgusting, the Loki is just weird… Void, why are there no frames that look nice and soothing?"
She finally decided on the Excalibur, hoping that smooth masculine features were not too threatening and had the cephalon prisoner in advance, so she could gather her bearings.
Ria prepared for the worst and the Excalibur entered the cell.
If looks could kill, it would have disintegrated instantly. The Grineer was sitting on the cot and glared maxed out Heat Daggers into the Warframe's chest. Finally, Ria could see those tired, orange and black eyes again, but now, they were full of hate. The Tenno was grateful for the lack of facial features on her Warframe. It wasn't easy resisting that glare. Even crippled and alone, the woman was imposing. If she had her legs, she'd easily reach 2 meters of height and the weight of her armour had given her broad shoulders.
"Tenno! What have you done to me?" The woman hissed angrily. It was clear and plain basic. Hardly a grain of the Grineers aggressive language.
"A malfunction in the ship's AI." Ria said in Excalibur's deep voice and bowed deeply "My appologies, there is no excuse to treat guests so poorly."
The woman scoffed loudly. "Not that, Tenno scum!" Her lone hand went to her throat. "My voice! My speech! My body, my face! What have you done?"
"It appears that the Orokin's love for aesthetics goes beyond visuals." Sicarius whispered in Ria's head "I theorize a combination of electric stimuli and hypnotic suggestions to clear her language centre as well as minor throat alterations to make it more melodic. What an amazing eye for detail, don't you think?"
"You were captured by the automated defences of the Orokin vessel." Ria said slowly "These drones optimize their victims to serve as better guards for their long-gone masters."
"Optimize?" The woman spat "I am Grineer! I was perfect!"
"Common lower-rank Grineer propaganda. Her batch of clones has at least 5 fatal birth defects that their scientists are desperately trying to correct. Her legs show no sign of amputation and her liver produces half the hormones that are needed for a physiological organism. They wouldn't survive a minute without rigorous compensation." Sicarius added quickly. Good that the Grineer couldn't hear him.
"I am not here to discuss which state of being is preferable to you." Ria said as firmly as possible. It was obvious which state the Tenno preferred.
"Then get this shit over with and interrogate me, Tenno!" The Grineer said with a huff. "I have nothing to tell you and I'm looking forward to being executed."
Now it was really good that her Warframe had no face. A gaping open mouth wouldn't have helped her being intimidating. "Execution?" she asked with fake amusement.
"Don't insult me, Tenno." The Grineer spat "I have battled your kind once. You cut through my kin like a Miter through air. And I prefer death to the distinction of disgrace."
Ria felt no shame. She had killed an endless amount of Grineer and she would do so again. They were legion and more than eager to wage a war of genocide against the whole system. Tenno were warriors and showed mercy only to those who deserve it. Another detail caught her attention. "Distinction?"
"I am Grineer! I am of one! We all share the same genes, the same face, the same being! Only through deeds may we distinguish ourselves, never through anything else!" The Grineer said firmly, like it was something she had heard again and again. "I live for conquest and I serve the queens! Grineer is duty!"
"Why?" Ria couldn't catch herself from asking.
The woman looked at her as if she had just been asked why she breathed air. Her lips began to move, but soon shock took over. "What have they done to me?" she muttered, terror invading her features.
The Tenno could only stare quietly as the strength and colour drained from her captive's face. It was bizarre to see the towering woman tremble on the cot and covering her chest with her one hand.
"The need…" she whispered audibly "The urge… the purpose… I.. they took it." Tears began to fill her black eyes. "I… I'm ruined. Without the purpose… I…"
"The Grineer are implanted with an unending urge to please their queen right after creation." Sicarius said sombrely "It's the thing that allowed them to conquer so much of the system. Those who resist it or are resistant to this conditioning are branded traitors and end up executed. Only a few survive and usually join Steel Meridian."
Ria felt a pang of guilt in her chest. She had only seen an ugly duckling becoming a beautiful swan. Not once had she considered what a massive violation such a change must have been. The Orokin drones had not just given her a make-over, they had rewritten her genetic code, rearranged her mind and shaped her body into something entirely alien to her kind. It was one thing to give them a clean death but making her go through this… it made the Tenno feel bad. A small part of her wanted to ditch the Warframe and give the woman a hug. Tell her that it was fine. But that was a weakness she could not afford.
"You will be provided with nutrients and water by the ship's computer." Ria stated blankly. "Once our research is complete, you will also receive your arm and legs. Should you need anything, cephalon Sicarius will provide for you. That includes all leisure and recreational facilities of this room. While you are confided for now, you are my guest." She turned to leave.
The woman looked at Ria in shock. "What? No! Don't leave me like this!" she yelled, scuffling forward. The sound of a falling body went through the Tenno like a lightning strike. It hurt her probably as much as the Grineer. "Tenno!"
Ria forced herself to remain calm and took another step.
"I killed your kind!"
The Warframe stopped.
"It was on Mars! On Ares! It was a woman, her body split like day and night! She had killed my platoon, taken my arm… she left me for dead and began to work on our reactor. I crawled over my slaughtered sister and aligned both of our Vulkars."
Ria could almost taste the rage in the air.
"The first shot tore through her shield… the second through her head."
The Excalibur turned. Before it lay a broken woman. Crippled, alone, scared, violated and desperately trying to enrage her captive to end her suffering.
"The ship's records mention a venerated Ballista with one Tenno kill on her record and her arm was amputated." Sicarius said quietly.
Ria kneeled down, her eyes on the woman's. "What is your name?" she asked calmly.
Rage, confusion, desperation… it was hard to pin down the emotion in those orange circles. "Sindr."
"Well, Sindr, you have just gotten much more interesting to me." Ria had the Excalibur reach out and push the prone woman around until she was on her back. "Your death would be a detriment to my cause and more importantly, a waste. It takes a lot to kill one of us." The warframe shifted a bit and reached under Sindr's body. She resisted at first, but one arm was too little against the Excalibur. Ria scooped the woman up in its arms, holding her like firmly. "And once I know all I want to know. And if you still wish to die then… then you may die. But it will be by your own hands, not mine." The Warframe carried her to the cot and gently let her down.
Sindr looked up and there was only sadness in her eyes. "What is your name?" she asked timidly.
The Excalibur turned around and walked towards the door. Before crossing the threshold, it turned its head. "You may call me Ria." Then it left and the door closed.