Extracting information come from different sources. Some are in key facilities, hidden beneath firewalls and disposable walls of bodies. Others were in the mind, hidden underneath fragile flesh and willpower.

The latter had always been more-

*crack*

For a lack of a better word-

*snap*

Fun.

Two operatives stood above the captured soldier, a crewman who's death has been delayed for the sole purpose of being part of the repair team sent to Pluto's Rail. A foreman that replaced an incompetent fool that got himself killed by machinery.

A fate he envied.

He was bloodied, swelling flesh blocking the vision on his right eye. Several bruises and wounds marred his body beneath the stained suit. An arm was broken, he didn't know which with how much pain his entire body was currently being subjected to.

Another fist slammed into his jaw, sending him to the floor again with a metallic thud.

"Lotus, the hour is up." The female operative announced.

They walked out of the interrogation room and felt themselves shiver as a single entity walked past them. The door closed behind them.

"We warned him," whispered the male.

"Yes," She breathed back. "What happens after is out of our jurisdiction."

One step.

Two steps.

Three steps.

The door opened.

It left without so much of a word to either of them, like what they had done was as simple as breathing.

The eeriest part was the silence it left behind. This prisoner was loud, even near the end of their hour. He had a mouth most Grineer would be envious of, but there was no resistance, not even a curse.

Operatives were always given a first hand experience on the art of interrogation, watching behind the mirrors of their many rooms. What made it unnerving that after the first hour, the viewing would end and the doors would open and close. It was always three steps. Three seconds before the mirrors opened again.

Questions will always be asked. Every reply would be the same to silence curiosity.

"Tenno."

There, within that room, sat a lone man with a knife in his fist. Four seconds and doors closed, he held it level to his chest. With a tired grin, he buried it into his heart.

"I'm glad you've considered my proposal Lotus." Alad said, irritating confidence behind his voice. "I must say, your Tenno are quite bloodthirsty with how they tore through facility after facility in Pluto. What orders did you send out?"

"The information Alad." Lotus growled.

"Pity, another time then. There is a Corpus outpost near the edge of the Hieracon Sector, heavily guarded by Eximi troops and Hyena proxies, with a factory nearby to keep it self sufficient. Its main purpose had always been keeping Infested within that particular sector, but with increased manpower and resources being poured, they've also been handed the important schedules due to the security they provided. I suggest you be careful when sending Tenno to recover that."

"You said you'd hand the information over." She came close to seething at the former Corpus. "This wasn't part of our deal, Alad."

"Ah, but I gave you the means to get them. If it weren't for my own connections mixed within their ranks after they cannibalized my assets, you'd be pressed for time before they complete the repairs. I've fulfilled my part of the deal, even informing the dogs of the Corpus' activities near Pluto. I'm even adding more, considering that proxies being built with no orders can be repurposed. A fine exchange for a bit of extra labor, Lotus?"

"Very well Alad," she begrudgingly relented. "I'll accept it for now, but your deception will be kept in mind the next time we speak."

"I'll be sure to keep my tongue in check by then. Farewell Lotus." The transmission went dead, and the Lotus leaned back against the back of her chair, signalling for Cordylon's subroutine.

"How may I be of assistance Lotus?"

"Tactical Alert. Codename: Solar Retrieval. Reward: Catalyst and Reactor Blueprints." She listed off. "Sortie Protocols once the Tenno have finished and stripped the outpost of resources. Send agents to retrieve any proxies within the factory for Cordylon to reprogram."

"Shall they be escorted?"

"Yes." She replied curtly. "I need them prepared once the Grineer begin their expansion campaign."

"Understood. Relaying information to all active Tenno agents. Alerts have been sent. Tactical Alert: Solar Retrieval has begun."

Omake

Neo sat on the bench, flicking a stray hair over her eyes. There was a certain air of content around her, like she had just received a grand reward.

And she did, in the form of vanilla and strawberry ice cream during the summer heat. With the Vytal Festival getting closer, she had gotten the chance to look through the booths and grab some snacks.

Licking the frozen treat, she took note of the figure who sat next to her. A bulky man in, for a lack of a better phrase, a blue and white coat, held a cone of his own, topped in chocolate.

She stared silently before turning her attention back to her food, giving occasional glances to the man.

Five minutes passed and she licked her lips clean of any remnants of the sugary sweet. Getting up, she looked to the man once more.

The first thing she noticed was his ice cream. It had not melted all this time, in this sweltering heatwave. There it was, still round and perfect, defying everything she knew about ice cream.

He turned again to her confused look, then to the ice cream. Seemingly putting two and two together, he handed her his cone and left without a word.

Blinking in confusion, she licked a bit of the chocolate. Still ice cream, and it melted just fine now. Still a bit jarred from this experience, she walked back to the hideout.

"Ah, where's my ice cream?" Layla asked.

The Tenno shrugged.

"Did you eat it?"

"No."

"Did someone take it?"

"Yes."

Layla spent the festival crying for her lost ice cream cone.