It was a particularly dark night, Lua couldn't be seen. Umbra and I were in Cetus and had been doing bounties all day long. The market was less bustling but the calls of Hok, shouting at Pedlek still echoed through the stalls. The market guards could relax a bit, there were few merchants out selling things. The dye man had gone to bed, Hai Luk had packed up her fish and left for the night. Konzu and Saya stood by the gate to the Plains, waiting to give bounties. We passed Hok, who paused his shouting to greet us, resuming after we passed. We walked past the dye stall, the powders of various colors put away, save for some residual powder on the table. The stall behind us contained various Corpus wares, the vendor stood silently guarding them. He nodded as we walked past. Konzu called for us. "Offworlder! I have work for you! It is more important than usual!" We paused our browsing and trudged over to him. "Aye. What d'ye need? It better be quick, I'm bloody tired and need a laydown." Konzu gave a curt nod. "It will be quick if you make it quick. A miner and an artifact have been taken. The Quills would like the artifact, and I would like the miner, safe and sound. We can't seem to find him, it has been a few weeks since he's gone missing. I imagine a woman and er... Warframe of your skills can find him." "Miner, artifact, got it. Just need a general direction and we'll be on our merry way." Konzu pulled out a large map of The Plains and made three Xs in various spots using a thin piece of charcoal. One on Er-Phryah's Vigil, one by The Ribs and another by Twin horns. "Bloody hell, you're running me ragged, mate. This is gonna take all night." "The miner is most likely in a prison camp by Er-Phryah's Vigil, the artifact is by The Ribs. There may be other miners, but I'm not holding out hope. Those Grineer are ruthless. Bring me back anyone you find and I will reward you handsomely. You are doing a good deed, Surah." He pointed at Twin Horns on the map. "There have been sightings of Grineer officers here. You should kill them, I will pay you extra." I nodded and walked towards the doors. "Surah! One more thing." I put my hand over my eyes and sighed before turning around. "Yes?" "We appreciate everything you do. I am proud to call you a friend." I nodded wearily. "Aye, I'm glad too."
The door guards pressed some worn keys and the doors opened. "Be careful, Tenno." One said as I walked through the doors. I walked past him. "Open the other doors." More clicking of keys and the door shut with a series of clicks behind us and the other set opened. We walked through and I transferred into Umbra once we were away from the door. An Eidolon called to the right of us, its colossal feet shook the ground as it slowly walked by, its massive head poking above a hill about 20 meters away. I gave an involuntary shudder, causing Umbra to do the same. Do not do that again, Starchild. He said, irritably. "Right, right. Sorry mate." We watched the great beast stomp past, ignoring us entirely and looking for its missing parts. A trail of Vomvalysts followed close behind. We sprinted away from the great creature, Rubico in hand. We leapt over ponds and puddles and made for The Ribs, as it was the closest. A Grineer patrol marched around the perimeter of the cave, tents and small towers with Ballistas stationed at the top. We flipped and slid behind a large rock, 10 meters from the patrol and the cave entrance. We pushed the stock into our right shoulder and aimed down the sight. A Ballista was sitting down on an ammo crate in a nearby tower. She looked distracted and tired. To her left, away from the tower was a group of Lancers, standing in a circle and discussing something. A captain stood behind them and to the right, sat on a rock and scrolling a PDA of sorts. We moved our sight back over to the Ballista. We pointed the scope at her left eye and fired. The bullet whizzed through the air and hit true, splattering the contents of her skull on the post behind her and removing her metal helmet. The group of Lancers spun around and drew their weapons, aiming in the direction of the shot. We jumped over the rock and howled, blinding the entire group. More Lancers filed from the cave. A Butcher in a red uniform ran out in the front, shouting orders at the Lancers. We drew the Exalted Blade and swung as hard as we could, the razor sharp waves of energy cutting the Grineer to bits. A nearby Ballista, stationed on another tower atop the rock took aim and fired, the bullet ricocheting off of our chest and striking another enemy in the face. The commander tried to run back into the cave and Umbra lunged for him, in complete control of us. He knocked the commander down and crushed his skull with a stomp, gore spattering his foot. He kicked the corpse down a nearby elevator shaft. Shouts of disgust came from the Grineer coming up the elevator. "Right, commander's dead. Let's bounce, shall we?" There are more Grineer. The encampment was littered with dismembered body parts and slashed canvas, the captain poked his head around a corner and took a potshot. He missed and Umbra responded with an unscoped shot to the head. The man was dead before he hit the ground. Hardly any shots had been fired. "Not bad. Took one bullet, killed the rest. Let's get the hell out of here." I transferred out of Umbra, shifted into the Void and rapidly dashed as quickly as I could for the ocean. Umbra slammed his Exalted Blade into the ground, creating a wave of javelins and sheathing the sword. The javelins were a calling card of sorts. He bounced off of the wall, bullet jumped and flipped through the air, gliding to maintain his momentum. He hit the ground in a sprint and tried to keep up. He could not. I could feel my prosthetics burning through my pants, the Void's frigid hold igniting the Void fire within the steel, burning away my boots. I reached Er-Phryah's Vigil in record time. I came out of the Void, my prosthetics burning a bright blue energy, the pants and boot were burnt away to the knees. "Fuck!" I shouted. "Brand sodding new pair of boots!"
Umbra caught up with me moments after. Transfer into me, they are coming. "Nae, there's somethin' I've been practicing that I want to show you." I bent my knees and charged up the prosthetics, the ground beneath me warping and freezing. I leapt into the air, higher than Umbra ever could, the Void in my prosthetic legs extinguished for a moment with a loud whoosh and launched me higher. I shifted into the Void to control my fall and then landed in the middle of the encampment, invisible to the eye. The Grineer were looking in the spot where I had jumped. I could hear Umbra turning them into giblets. While their backs were turned, I walked into a tent where I heard whimpering. A thin, pale looking man sat in the back corner of a large tent with his neck in a heavy looking collar with a line of green LEDs along the top. "You.. You're the Offworlder, yes?" He mumbled. I cooled my legs down and walked over to the man. "That's me mate. Can I remove your collar?" I asked softly. He tried to nod but could not, his sunken eyes like two pits; cheekbones like knives. He was too weak to move. I crouched down and took the collar in my hands. It was tight around his neck and quite heavy. Umbra walked in, coated head to toe in blood. His guns were gone and the Skiajati was caked with gore. There were much more. It seems Ghouls are afoot. I must rest, there were many of them and I have sustained damage. There were large gashes up and down his back, he had a large sawblade lodged where his kidneys would have been. He pulled it out, his black blood slowly flowing from the gaping wound. He knelt down and pressed a key on a remote he found. The collar popped open and fell down. The man barely flinched at the crushing weight. "Go jump in the water to clean yourself up some, and then carry him home. Peel him a maprico if you find one." He coughed weakly, his nose began to bleed. Umbra tossed the collar away. I will be back momentarily. He sprinted out of the tent, blood and viscera falling off of him in gory puddles. A large splash. The water filled with blood. A large ocean predator grabbed Umbra's leg. It tried to sink its teeth in but couldn't. Umbra focused on healing his gashes. They slowly sealed themselves, the bleeding subsided and the wound closed. The large toothed predator continued to try to bite him. Umbra swam to the surface and it followed. He pulled it to the shallows. He sunk the blade into through its eyes, killing it instantly. The heavy thing sunk to the bottom. He stepped out of the water, him and the Skiajati clean of blood. He twirled the sword to dry it and resheathed it. He walked back into the tent, slightly damp but otherwise fine. The miner could not stand up, his legs too weak from starvation. "Umbra, carry him back. I've got the artifact covered. Be gentle, he's basically skin and bones."
Umbra nodded and crouched down. He gingerly picked the man up, making sure not to poke him with his gilded prongs. The miner did his best to take deep breaths. Umbra slowly walked out of the tent. He tried to get into the man's mind but could not. "You.. Can go fas.. Ter." The man choked out. Umbra sped up to a light jog. "Fas.. Ter." He muttered. Umbra moved into a slightly quicker run. He did his best to lay his arms flat, making his prongs into a thing to lay on. He made it to the gate, no Eidolons in sight. He pounded on the door. It was opened and he walked inside. The door closed behind him and the one ahead opened. He walked into Cetus. The man began to weep, his dry cracked lips releasing quiet sobs. He walked to a hut and gently knocked. A few moments later, a bleary looking old woman peeked her head through a crack in the door. She saw the man and opened it all the way. "Bring him in, lay him on the bed in the corner. I will take care of him. Thank you, surah." Umbra nodded and left the hut. He leapt onto the small plateau above it and sat down in a meditative position, seeing through Tess's eyes.
I was a bit tired from shifting into the Void constantly, so I jumped. I charged up a jump, focusing the energy in my legs, letting it burn out to give me time to breathe. I bounded off of a rocky outcrop, shattering the rocks beneath it. Leaps and bounds from rock to rock, landing in front of The Ribs in an explosion of Void energy and frosted stone. A group of Grineer turned their heads and started firing at me. I threw a wave of energy and froze them. I walked around them and made a torch of Void in my hand. I put my hand on each of their backs, burning through their backs and into their torsos. I unfroze them and they fell down, dead. I pulled myself into the Void. In the distance, I saw a creature of pure light, fiery and deadly. It shrieked and flew at me. I shifted out of the Void, right into a Grineer patrol. "Oh. Hi there." I froze them in time with a wave of energy, but not before one of them got a shot at my chest. "Ow! Son of a cocksucking bitch! You ugly twat!" I shouted in pain, the bullet going right through my jacket. I kicked the one who shot me in the chest, instantly liquefying his insides and spraying them into the air. I took his gun and tried to shoot the other ones, but realized they were in a temporal field and bullets wouldn't work. So I unfroze them and killed them with my bare hands. Patrols were surrounding me, they managed to wing me in the shoulder, the bullet going through some of the muscles. Another got me in the hand, blowing off two of my fingers. I took 2 through the thigh. I shifted into the Void and limped into a large tent at the back of the area. I shifted out for a moment and grabbed the relic. A round tore through my forearm. I dropped the relic, blood dripping onto the thing. I threw a temporal field in their direction. A round hit me in the breast and went through my lung. A bombard leapt off of a nearby cliff and shot a large shrapnel bomb at me. The blast knocked me a few meters and the shrapnel took off a good bit of my leg and went into my lung again. I spat up blood and slipped into the Void. I staggered back to the gates, relic in both hands, my ruined hands barely gripping it. I sneezed and one of my teeth came out. It was still dark out, but light begin to creep through the sky, signaling the sun's return. I stumbled out of the Void and reached to tap on the gate. The gate opened and I slowly limped in, blood leaking from me like a sieve. They closed the gate behind me and opened the other one. I fell to the floor and crawled on my knees. I focused the Void and propelled myself forward, through the gate, unable to walk. I skidded over to Konzu, leaving parts of my skin and flesh on the ground behind me. I gathered stares as I slid across the ground, a bloody pulp. I heard a thump, Umbra sprinted over to me and swept me off the ground. He tossed the relic to Konzu and carried me away. "Surah! We can help!" Konzu called as Umbra carried me to extraction, blood streaming from my wounds. Umbra looked back and shook his head.
"C-call ex... Traction." I choked out, gummy blood spewing from my mouth, dotting Umbra's chest. "Affirmative, Operator. Devon will extract you- OPERATOR?! OPERATOR?!" in under a minute, a landing craft arrived. Umbra leapt while holding me and Devon opened the holding place. I transferred into Umbra and he climbed into the landing craft. The door closed and we flew to the Orbiter as quickly as possible. We docked with the Orbiter, Umbra stepped out and I transferred out of him, falling back into his arms. "Devon will bring medical supplies immediately! Do not worry Operator, Devon will-" Umbra held up a hand to silence her. Medical supplies floated over on a small steel table. Umbra stuck me in the leg with a penlike syringe. I felt myself grow drowsy and passed out.
I woke up a few days later, a needle jammed underneath the bandages I was wrapped in, leading up to a sack of fluid on a stand. A gunky, gurgly inhale and a painful exhale. I did all I could not to cry, but failed. I slipped in and out of consciousness, I ran incredibly high temperatures and could not eat. Umbra sat at my side for months. I dreamt of a colony I once protected and a girl I could not.
-Dream, Europa colony, 12 years ago-
Tess had been awake for a few months, she knew how to talk and was in good physical shape, if a bit malnourished. She wrapped herself in a ragged coat she wove from stolen fabric, hiding her Transference suit in its musty folds. She vaguely remembered being taller, faster, stronger. She remembered wielding massive swords and hefty rifles, killing great hordes singlehandedly. She brushed these thoughts off as cryo dreams. She could not remember anything else about herself, save for her name and some small pieces of language. She taught herself to talk better by listening to people in the market district. She learned how to feed herself by watching street children take from the stalls while the grownups talked. They were often caught and dragged off to be put to work. Tess ate garbage most of the time, hiding in dumpsters to avoid anyone who might harm her. The Enforcers did not take too kindly to vagrants, she often saw other people get dragged off to be 'put to work' simply for loitering. She stuck to back alleys, attacking anyone who came too close. She stuck to her shack, living on a molding bedroll made from bits of soft things she found in waste bins. Life was hard, but doable. Until they came. The Enforcers.
They tore her from her little place and dragged her away, kicking and screaming to be put to work. Two Enforcers in their strange box helmets, speaking in their strange shouty language kicked in her door and grabbed her from her corner, where she cowered in fear. She kicked and clawed but they got their hands on her. They dragged her out of the shack and into one of their strange moving boxes, throwing her into the back of it. Through a small window in the bare cargo area she could see the world move past. The box moved past the nearby market district, past the nicer neighborhood into which she never ventured. The neat, clean front yards, the nicely trimmed greyish hedges and large windows, with the talking shiny people in their strange white clothes. The box went by more slums and repo warehouses until they reached a 'work camp'. The steel walls had sharp barbs at the stop to prevent workers from climbing over them. The entryway was like a fortress, guards toting angry looking plasma shotguns and heavy duty revolvers. The stood in one spot, some looking at PDAs and ignoring their surroundings. The box stopped and the Enforcers opened the cargo area. Tess pretended to be asleep. One of the Enforcers reached in to pull her out, but was swiftly stopped. Tess stabbed him in the throat with a shiv she had fashioned from scrap metal and fabric. The Enforcer grabbed his throat and staggered back, blood gushing from the wound like a river. Tess jumped out and pushed him away. But not before grabbing the pistol from his belt. She leapt around the car, plasma bullets flying past her all the way. She shoved the shiv back into her jacket pocket and ran away, looking for any place that might offer refuge. Enforcers pursued her on foot, shooting stun rounds in her general direction. One Enforcer clipped the one in front of him with a round, melting through his armor and dropping him to the ground. The man shouted as his flesh melted from the acidic rounds. The Enforcers whirled around, ignoring the problem at hand. They opened fire on the culprit. Tess clambered up the side of a nearby building, using seams in the metal as handholds. She got up to the platform, an Enforcer with a red uniform sat slumped back in his chair, snoring. A large syringe with a glowing teal blue substance inside of it was lodged in his neck, slowly injecting the fluid as he slept. Tess crept up into the tower. The heavy pistol she had taken fell from her coat pocket with a loud clatter. The Enforcer did not stir. She heard shouting and footsteps below her. Leaned against the sleeping man's chair was a scoped rifle. She struggled to pick the thing up. With great effort, she managed to get it onto the thing gap between the top and bottom of the structure. She balanced it on her shoulder and looked down the scope. A large yard full of prisoners sat below her. Mostly adults, but also children. They were hitting large porous rocks with strange objects, each swing taking enormous effort. They were all chained to a moving platform. Guards stood on top of the platform, shock prods in hand. She heard a clatter of footsteps running up stairs below her. A trapdoor she hadn't noticed slammed open and Enforcers streamed in. The leveled their guns at her. She dropped the rifle and shielded herself with her arms. A rather high pitched voice shouted from behind the mob. "Stop! Stop! Don't shoot!" A thin man with a thick pair of glasses and an odd, opulent blue garment pushed through the group of Enforcers. He beckoned for Tess to follow him. With no other choice, she shrugged and walked next to the man, the group of Enforcers parting to let her pass. She stuck her tongue out at one, who responded by stomping his foot and pointing his gun at her. She flinched and the rest of them laughed. She walked down the set of steel stairs, their strange texture unpleasant to walk on.
I woke up in pain. Umbra was gently peeling off my bandages, blood oozing from the wounds as scabs reopened. My shirt was off, my bare breasts aching beneath the tight bandages. He was using a sharp pair of scissors to cut away the cloth. My prosthetics were removed and I couldn't feel my fingers. I weakly held up my hand and was met with a shapeless nub, covered in stained bandages. I dropped my hand back down and pulled my head back. I closed my eyes, tears trickling down my cheeks. I gently sobbed. Umbra stopped cutting and set down the scissors. He softly stroked my hair and spoke in my head. I have been working on something for you. I will give it to you when it is finished. Do not fret, little one. I sniffled, pulling in some of the snot running down my face. "I, bloody hate it, when you call me that!" I laughed weakly, every breath was followed by a twinge of pain. My breathing was uneven and shallow. Umbra took my hand that still had fingers in both of his and held it. I have given you pain medicine from a high class market. It will begin to work shortly and you will feel better. I have also taken the liberty of removing all of the bullets inside of your body. The rest is just letting your body work its way through the shock. He held my hand up to his helmet and touched it to the place where his mouth would be, kissing it. I closed my eyes, unable to look at the mutilated nub that was once my left hand. I softly sobbed. I felt myself getting sleepy and Umbra continued to hold my hand as I slipped into sleep. The last thing I felt was a twinge of pain in my arm, a new IV being stuck in. Umbra replaced the rest of my bandages as I slept, and applied more antiseptic. I slumbered peacefully.
The strange man took Tess to a small room with strange looking nozzles on the walls, and shelves with thick glass casing over them. He forcefully pulled the jacket off of her. Her filthy black transference suit underneath was practically glued to her. She protectively covered her suit with her arms. He pressed a switch next to the glass case and then placed his finger onto it. It slid open and shoved her threadbare jacket onto one of the shelves. He pressed the switch again and the case closed. Tess lunged forth and pounded on the glass. He made no effort to stop her. "That can withstand even the most powerful of punches. Good luck." He chuckled mildly. She turned towards him and glared. The nozzles on the walls of the room sprayed an unpleasant smelling dark blue gas onto them. The grime on Tess's clothing dissolved and fell off of her, leaving a clean transference suit and dirt free hair. He walked to the door at the back of the room and spoke the Enforcer's odd language. The door opened with a hiss and he motioned for Tess to walk through. She crossed her arms and stood in one spot. He spoke into a small device he wore on the back of his hand. Two Enforcers in yellow suits walked into the room and stood on either side of the man. "Either you go in there of your own accord and make this easier, or we make you go in there and it will be quite a bit less fun. You get your jacket back if you go in." Tess put her hand on her chin and ruminated on the idea for a moment. "I'll go in. But give me my jacket back, or else." She uncrossed her arms and walked through the doorway. The man stood aside to let her pass. She shoved him anyways, he tripped back sideways but made no move to retaliate. The Enforcers were impassive and stood where they had before, awaiting orders. The room ahead was full of displays, people of various kinds typing rapidly, examining odd text on the displays. They took notes on PDAs, other examined the cryopod in the center of the room. Tess took in her surroundings. The man walked up and gently nudged her. Tess turned around and stuck her tongue out at him. She slowly walked up to the pod and pressed her hands to the glass. The people with the PDAs made no attempt to stop her. The man shouted in the strange language. Everyone filed out of the room, grumbling about various things. The man walked up next to Tess and crouched down to her level, a friendly smile pasted across his face. "Hello, starchild. My name is Doctor Rho Serro, but you may call me Dr. Sarro. I am a researcher of all things Tenno. I am a combat analyst and all sorts of other boring things you wouldn't care about. What's your name?" Tess slowly looked away from the cryopod and looked Sarro in the eyes. "My name is Tess, and I will not be your test subject." His smile faded. "Sharp as a blade, aren't you. Well, Tess. You once again have two options. You can try to open this pod, or you can go to work in the yard. Period. Your call, you little shit." He frowned and stood up all the way. Tess wore a scornful yet thoughtful expression. "I'll open your bloody pod, and if I do, you twats will let me go, yeah?" Serro's face broke into a gleeful sneer. He held out his hand. "It's a deal, let's shake on it." Tess gripped his hand and aggressively shook it, for far longer than she needed to. She gave the cryopod a hard punch in the odd looking slot on the bottom of it. She winced in pain, her hand bruising immediately. "This might take a bit."
I woke up gasping for air. My vision was reddened and blurry. I saw people at my bedside, mumbling in voices I couldn't hear. I reached up with her right hand and wiped away the blurriness. Umbra and a skittish looking Grineer woman stood over me. "H-hello Tess. My name is Doctor Brakk, everyone just calls me Dr. B. Whichever you prefer. I will be removing the shrapnel this good man here has missed." She gestured towards Umbra, who nodded. "I also have a poultice for your upper legs, it will expedite the healing process." She continued. "You might be noticing my features, I am indeed a defector. Please do not think I cannot help, I-" "It doesn't make a difference to me, just don't mess with me lower legs, those bloody things were so sodding hard to make." She nodded. "Duly noted. I have also made a poultice for your hands. Your left thumb and most of the hand had to me removed. I'm very sorry for your loss, of course prosthesis are most certainly an-" "Just do what you need to do. I can worry about prosthetics later." She produced a syringe with a clicking plunger. "You may feel a slight twinge of pain-" I turned my head and looked at her. "Do it! I don't care!" She nearly dropped the syringe from nervousness. She stuck me in the thigh the with the large needle and pressed down the clicker. The medicine was rapidly delivered into my bloodstream. She took my pulse, I fell asleep again. She removed my bandages and wrapped the poultice around the wounds.
Several weeks later, and Tess had still failed to crack open the pod. She tried brute force, she tried using computers, she tried everything she could think of. As promised, Serro gave her back her coat. It was cleaned and the pockets restitched. The gun and shiv were not returned until later, but the food and bandages she kept in it were. One day, when Serro was particularly fed up, he went into Tess's room late at night and woke her up. "Follow me, you little shit." As he had taken to calling her. He took her through a door that was constantly guarded. The red light in the center of the door display indicated the need for high clearance. He showed the guard his ID and they went through. Inside were Enforcers guarding people working at a console. Two colossal prongs forming a ring stood in the back of the room, seemingly plated with gold. Tess cowered back, vague thoughts of portals and places never meant to be walked in. Serro shoved her forwards, she pulled her jacket tighter and stumbled forwards. He shouted orders in the language Tess had come to realize was Corpus. The engineers in front of the consoles typed rapidly. A massive surge of energy disrupted the gravity in the room. The air around the thing distorted, everything changed colors and shapes and the edges of reality grew fuzzy. Tess was the only one bothered. The effects faded and the portal filled with a pool of black, warping energy with spots of gold and white in it. Serro handed her a small, odd looking pistol. He gave her four magazines and pointed to the portal. "You're going in there, you little shit. And don't waste those bullets, they were fucking expensive to make." He also handed her a new and improved shiv, with a proper handle and a razor sharp but incredibly durable blade. Tess did her best not to cry. She bit back the tears and held her head high. She resolutely ran for the portal. She gave a battle cry and leapt through the thing. Her vision distorted and she felt as though she was falling apart. Serro's voice came through the pistol. "If you are what I think you are, this won't be very hard. If not, it was nice knowing you. Sort of." "If I do find what you need, I might keep it, just to spite you, you quack fuck!" She shouted angrily. She took stock of her surroundings. Frigid ice stalactites and stalagmites. A large, menacing looking creature charged at her from the left without warning. She clenched her grabbed the shiv and made to charge the thing but found herself unable to see her feet anymore. The monster spun around, looking for her. She unclenched her fists and took aim, tracking the creature's erratic movements. She pulled the trigger and hit the thing in the head. It barely even flinched. It turned around and charged at her. She stomped her foot and slipped into invisibility again, this time sliding forwards as if without friction. She flew through the creature. It stumbled, dropping the large axe it held. She shot the thing in the head 3 more times. Chunks of its flesh popped off of it and it fell over, dead. "..Make your way back to the portal, Tess." The pistol began beeping. She moved back to where she had come, the beeping growing faster as she moved towards the portal. It pulled her through. Serro had no words for once, as he walked her back to her room.
I woke up, groggily but with slightly less pain than usual. I coughed. It was a full, albeit mildly painful cough. Umbra lunged forwards and embraced me. I flinched at the sudden embrace. He loosened his grip. Dr. Brakk came into the room, having heard my cough. I tilted my head up to see an IV bag with a thick, yellow liquid inside of it. I looked down to see that I had no bandages, my hands looked better. Dr. Brakk looked me over a bit more, she took my pulse and listened to my breathing. "All normal, save for bruising that will heal. I give you a clean bill of health. You'll be up and about in no time." She beamed and left the room. I propped myself up onto my elbows and looked around. I saw a basket of wine and maprico jam sitting on a shelf. There were stuffed kuakas and small wooden carvings next to the,. I smiled and laid back down. Umbra picked something off of the floor and dusted it off. He put it just out of reach, so I couldn't see it. I am going to bring you your legs. If you can walk, I will give you the present I've made you. "Alright, I'll do my best." He took my dormant prosthetics off of the floor by my bed. He put them just below my scraped up thighs. I focused as hard as I could on bringing them to me. They slid back, affixing themselves to my stumps. Their glow was weak. It grew stronger as I sat up. I slid my legs off the side of the bed and set my feet on the floor. I pushed myself forwards, off of the bed. I took a wobbly step towards the shelf. I lost my balance and fell to my knees. "Void sodding dammit!" My anger made my Void channeling much more powerful and my legs glowed brightly. I stood up and walked towards the shelf Umbra had set the gift on. I walked over and caught a glimpse of it before tripping on a dent in the floor and knocking myself out, with a moderately bad concussion. Umbra set me back in bed and Dr. Brakk came in and confirmed it. My noggin was damaged and painfully messed up, I moved back to my memories.
Tess was sent back into the fragmented Void again. She was sent in far, with extra ammunition. She hardly fired a shot, having learned some measure of control of the Void within her. She killed many more odd creatures that the ('arsehole eggheads' as Tess dubbed them), couldn't figure out. One trip, she found a strange golden key. It glowed with energy and shot beams of corrosive light that melted permafrost and liquefied enemies. When she brought it back, Serro demanded that she turn it over, but she wordlessly went over to the odd cryopod and plugged it into the similarly shaped slot. The pod slid open instantly. Serro and the eggheads gaped at what it contained. A Warframe. Which one, they could not be sure. But Tess seemed to know. The colossal thing swept its legs over the side of the pod and gave a mighty stretch. Serro started talking to him in as many languages as he knew. The behemoth stoicly ignored him. He bent down to Tess's height, which required him to kneel. Nearly 7' 10", he could barely get to eye level. I am called Atlas. What is your name, small one? "Tess, pleased to meet you Atlas." She held out a hand. Atlas took hers in his massive hand, which dwarfed hers by nearly 10 times. I sense this place is bad. Do you know how to transfer into me? "That sounds kind of creepy, no offense mate." Tess stepped back. I will show you how to use Transference. Concentrate on where you are, and then where I am. Clench your fists, bend your knees and look in my direction. The crowd of onlookers was speechless. "Stop speaking to it at once! Have you gone mad?!" Tess ignored his shouts and followed Atlas's instructions. She flew into him, their bodies melding to create one strong single being, a being of single purpose. Tess channeled her rage. Atlas could see her anger and lost his calm demeanor. Do you wish to destroy this place? "Aye. Let's smash some shit up." They dashed forward, striking a mighty blow against the equipment. Atlas stomped his foot, bringing up a massive steel plate. He absorbed it, his skin hardening. Already, Enforcers were showing up with heavy weapons, blasting rockets at Atlas. They mercilessly destroyed every one of the Enforcers. They found Serro, who was cowering in his office. Tess took control and picked him up by the head. She spoke through Atlas. "Here's an experiment. How hard do we have to squeeze before your head explodes? Remember the other kids you brought in to test? This is for them, you bloody monster." She swung her fist through his stomach, his organs falling out. He screamed in agony and they crushed his head, spattering blood everywhere. Next up was the labor yard. The two of them sprinted for the labor camps. Atlas reached for the large door keeping the prisoners from escaping. He punched his fist through it and ripped it off. He crumpled it into a ball like a sheet of paper. He crushed it in both hands, compacting it to the size of a football. He threw the steel ball at the Enforcers on the platform, who had somehow not noticed him yet. Enforcers in the watchtower opened fire on them. He ripped off the chains of the prisoners and shielded them from the snipers with his body. once everyone was through, he flung the steel ball at one of the towers, splattering the guard. He turned around and sprinted for the prisoners. He kicked open an exit gate and protected them all the way home. This was the day Tess and Atlas became the sole protectors of New Riddha.
I woke up with a throbbing headache but more purpose. Umbra watched me impassively as I set up and sat my feet on the ground, whipping myself off of the bed in one move. I stomped on the dent I slipped on, smashing it normal again. I picked up the thing Umbra made for me with my good hand. It was a gauntlet in the shape of my hand, identical to my real one. I turned to him, eyes tearing up. "Thank you. Thank you so bloody much, Umbra." Put it on your left hand and press the switch on top. Be ready for a little pain. I pressed the switch. Sharp blades sunk into my forearm. I screamed, blood streaming from the wounds. "What the fuck?! What the fucking fuck?!" I reached over to my bedside, hands shaking I grabbed some gauze and began to wrap it around my arm. Suddenly, the pain ceased and the blood stopped flowing. A spark of light formed in the core of the glove. I could feel my flesh wrapping its way around the barbs in my arm. The spark flared into a blazing blue inferno without warning. The chilling energy of the Void soothing the uncomfortable warmth from the wounds. I picked up the other glove and jammed it onto my hand, with the same results. I flexed my fingers. Hit me with it. I took my strongest swing at him. Umbra lunged for me, fists ready to beat me to a pulp. I knocked him to the ground on reflex. I slammed my fist down to retaliate but Umbra was already gone. I made a massive dent in the ship's floor. "Operator, Devon strongly encourages you not to break the ship's hull!" "Sorry, Devon." I stood up and walked over to the gift baskets. I went to the mess, carrying the jam and wine after artfully setting up the sculptures on a shelf. I put the drawings the young ones made for me on a board above my bed so I would see them before I lay down. I also set the floofs on my bed. The jam I spread on a wheat bread after toasting it. I had small bits of dried meat with it. Ignoring the advice of Dr. Brakk, I drank the entire bottle of wine. Its smooth, vaguely spicy flavor an excellent complement to the toast. My life was turning up, it seemed. My head swam from the large amount of alcohol I had just consumed. "Devon," I hiccupped. "Set a course for Cetus on Earth. I'm gonna rip those bloody Grineer to bits." Devon thought about this for a minute. "Of course, Operator. Would you like me to prepare your weapons?" "Whatever mate." Umbra caught me as I stumbled over my feet. I shoved him off. "I'm fine, I'm fine, Atlas. Don't worry yourself, you big lunkhead." Starchild, I am not Atlas. "Of course you are mate! You're my big rockbrained lump and I bloody love you!" I stumbled out of the mess and made my way up to the Arsenal. I took my Amp and hooked it onto my arm. I made my way up the ramp leading to navigation. I leaned on the walls to keep myself upright. Umbra followed closely behind. I tripped over my feet and fell onto a console. I pressed the key sequence to open the bar I had installed to the left of the nav console. I crawled over to the console and took out a large bottle of chilled liquor. Before Umbra could grab it from my hands, I popped the top using my metal thumb and started to chug from the bottle. Umbra tried to wrestle it away from me but I managed to get a good bit of the cold, velvety liquid down my gullet before he could. I burped and pulled myself to my feet. "Operator. we are currently at a landing point for Cetus. Shall I opened the exit port?" "Ughh.. Yeah mate, I would think thatsh quite swell!" The exit port beneath my feet hissed and slid open. I tried to transfer into Umbra but could not. I shrugged and climbed into the port. It resealed and I was bathed in darkness. I felt myself get rotated downwards. It opened again and I dropped out of it, catching myself with a burst of Void energy from my wrist. I clumsily got to my feet.
My Amp fell off of my arm with a clatter. Umbra dropped behind me and picked it up. He tried to turn me around but I pulled forward with surprising strength. People turned their heads towards me. "What are you twats lookin at? Can't a girl have a Voiddamned drink without all the judgement? Burning hydrogen in the feckin sun! Go on! Get a look then!" I slurred angrily at them. I wobbled towards the market, people silently staring as I went past. I started humming a tune I had heard a while ago, incredibly offkey. People turned their heads and went back to what they were doing. I made my way past Hok, who paused his sale of a Zaw to wave. I turned my head and grinned. "You're the bloody best knife man I know." I pulled a large parcel of credits from a pouch on my pants and slid them across his table. "Buy something nice for you, why don'tcha." He stared at me and grinned back. I went back to humming. Konzu ran over to me. "Surah! You are okay! We were all so worried for your safety, the miner you saved is doing better. He can walk again-" I put my hands on my knees and paused to breathe. I belched loudly. "Thatsh all good and well, but d'ye have any Grineer sacks of crap for me to kill?" I stood up as best I could and held up my hands. "I've scores to settle, if you catch my meanin." "Surah, I do not think you are in shape to be fighting right now." Konzu's expression softened and he gestured to Umbra who was standing behind me. He took his small bag from his back and took out a peeled Maprico, fresh and pulpy. "Give it to her once she sobers up a bit." He handed the peeled fruit to Umbra who nodded and accepted it. "You come back when you feel a bit better, then I will have a bounty for you!" I pulled a bottle from my pants, unscrewed it and put it to my mouth. I got a good few pulls from it before Umbra took it from me. I lost my balance and spun in a circle, struggling to stay upright. I passed out, falling flat on my face, body twisted like a tree. Umbra scooped me up and gave an apologetic bow to Konzu, who nodded. "You are a good friend. Please keep her safe."
Tess and Atlas bounded from roof to roof, slaughtering Enforcers left and right. They leapt into a courtyard brimming with Enforcers and MOA units. They shrugged off the plasma the way water flows off of oil. Tess picked up a MOA by the head and threw it at the rest of the Enforcers. Atlas started sprinting around, loosing blows left and right, turning Enforcers into spatters of blood and chunks of metal helmets. You felt my punches and how they threw us forwards, I want you to try. Tess swung their fist as hard as she could at a large Enforcer vehicle. It folded in half, the metal crumpling like wrapping paper. "Woah.." Atlas Petrified the remaining enemies, freezing them on the spot. He smashed the ground, forming a Bulwark. He gave it a punch and it rolled through the line of petrified enemies, before crumbling into hunks of rock. He picked up one of their guns and lobbed it at an enemy with a plasma rocket launcher, smashing his head in. They slaughtered Enforcer patrols near the shack, but also helped clean up slums and take down organized crime. At the end of a day cycle, they returned to the small shack. Atlas sat criss cross in the back left corner, and Tess lay on her bedroll in the right. "We're doing sodding good, eh rockhead? All these Enforcer blokes getting what's coming to 'em." Heh heh heh.. Yeah, I suppose we are. He picked up a chunk of rubble from the ground and crushed it in his hand. I never properly thanked you for freeing me. I thank you. "I'm sure you would have done the same. What else are best mates for?"