21 Regor-mortis

'Ahhhhh, a nice rejuvenating space's sleep! Now that I'm rested, I should go speak with the Quills, as soon as possible.' 

     "Ordis, take us back to Cetus. I need to speak with these bird tail feather aficionados."

     "...of course, Operator."

     'Apparently, no one encoded these Cephalons with a sense of humor.'

     I arrive in Cetus, with my Nidus equipped and my Dark Star emblazoned on my shoulder, ready for a quick chat and then some killing and fishing. I immediately seek out Konzu, in order to set up a meeting. 

     "Ahh, Dark Star, it is good to see you again. I presume you are here to finally meet with the Quills?"

     "It's good to see again, as well, Konzu and I would agree that my meeting with the Quills has been postponed long enough. I'm assuming you have a method of contacting them?"

     "That I do, Tenno. If you could simply wait here a moment and I'll send word of your arrival."

     "Then I await your return."

     Konzu left and then returned approximately five minutes later. "Dark Star, I was told to relay this message. 'Meet us at the dead drop, just before noon."

     'Well, I can't say I didn't expect something like this, considering all of the talk about the Unum's potential. Anyways, at least I now have a time and a place.'

     "Thank you, Konzu. Since I've got a few hours until our rendezvous, I'm going to go enjoy the sights and sounds of the plains but mostly just fishing."

     "Haha, of course, Dark Star, you should enjoy your stay. Fish till you drop, I say."

     "Oh, I intend to. I'll speak with you soon, Konzu. Until then." I respond, over my shoulder, as I walk away. 

     The Grineer don't seem to have a very strong presence here anymore. I wonder if I scared them all off. Well, before I leave, I should take a survey of how many are still lingering about and then wipe them off the Cetus map entirely. I've got three days to do it and it shouldn't even take one if I'm quick. 

     I pick a fish holding body of water, closest to the dead drop, and take my time scooping them up. About an hour before noon, I head over to the dead drop cave and start my decent. Once I arrive, I don't have to wait long for the Quill to arrive. 'Wait, just one? Well, whatever, at least this way there's a lesser probability of him trying something.' 

     "Greetings, representative of the Quills. Are you perhaps, Onnko Primary?" He stops in his tracks momentarily, before continuing.

     "I am indeed, Tenno known as Dark Star. It would seem that you're even more well informed than the Unum suggested. That is of course not why I came here. The Unum wishes for me to ask a question and deliver a message. The message is that the Unum recognizes you as a friend of Cetus and applauds your work in subduing the Grineer. She wishes to inform you that she is aware of your status as the leader of the Federalists Tenno Liberation Force and that so long as she understands that you are working, in the best interests of the Tenno and Cetus, she will allow you to maintain this portal in her territory. That being said, she has respected your privacy in this matter and not sent anyone through to determine where it leads. She does, however, request that you tell her where this portal leads, with a promise that she will not reveal its destination to anyone. You should know that the Unum speaks to only us and then only rarely. What is your response, Dark Star?"

     "Ahh, well, of course, I welcome the Unum's offer of friendship and wish Cetus only the best. As for the portal, it leads to a ship of mine. I normally couldn't be convinced to part with such information but, considering who is asking and the fact that this portal will be decommissioned within a few days, it's not really necessary to remain so tight lipped...or ah Cephalided? Whatever."

     "...yes, 'tight lipped' is a strange phrase for a Tenno to employ. That's neither here nor there, however, so having delivered my message and received your response I'll be on my way. Good day to you, Dark Star."

     "And to you, Onnko Primary."

     'I suspected the Unum would be aware of my identity but I'm curious what else the Unum knows. The Unum probably isn't telling me everything she knows about me. To do so would reveal the extent of Unum's abilities and some one smart enough to survive as long as Unum has wouldn't make a mistake like that. I suspect that in Unum's eyes I'm a bit of an unknown and Unum is still uncertain as to what degree I can be trusted.'

     With our meeting concluded, I hop into my Arch-Frame and head back to my fishing hole. I task Ordis, with scanning the entirety of the plains to determine where the Grineer are located and how many are still here. He reports that each quadrant has a few small squadrons here and there, no more than a hundred individuals all together. 'Well, I mean, if they're not even going to try they can't realistically expect to succeed now can they?' 

     "Ordis, send me the coordinates of every Grineer squadron on the plains. I think it's time to clean house."

     "Right away, Operator."

     I equip my Nidus Arch-Frame and head out to each location. While I've got a few targets, I might as well try out the new modification of Parasitic Link I developed, while deep sea fishing. It's basically a harpoon that flies out of my palm and skewers my opponent so I can drag him towards me. And just because I can, I call it...the Gettin' Poon. Now that I've arrived at the first squad, you can imagine what they'll be gettin' soon. I keep up the flying, spotting, and killing, until well after noon. This particular combination is sure to spell their doom. Annnd it does. They're all dead now.

     Hopefully, the Grineer have learnt their lesson and are smart enough to stay out of Cetus, from now on. It's unlikely but a Tenno can dream can't he? I spend the rest of the day trying out fishing spots I haven't been to yet and collecting a few of the gems available out here. Just before night falls, I head back to let Konzu know that the plains are now completely Grineer free, for now anyways. He of course is quite pleased, gives me my reward, and wishes me well. With my good deeds done for the day, I head back to the Orbiter to plan my next day off.

----------Six Days Later----------

     'What the fucking hell? Do I have to go and hold Tyl Regor's ugly misshapen hand? What the shit is that guy doing?' I complain to myself. 

     This is really not good, at this rate I could end up waiting weeks, months, or even years for this stupid Regor asshole to come across Hunhow's remains. 'That's it! I'm not waiting anymore.' I walk to the back of the Orbiter, where a VIRT device is cleverly hidden within the walls of the Void Reactor. 

     As soon as Ordis Primary finished the VIRT technology, he constructed an appropriately attuned device for my Orbiter and sent it through the portal. I, of course, sent one last message through and closed off the portal for good. I then placed the device, within a compartment that Ordis Secondary had prepared for it. Being close to the Void Reactor, apparently makes the device operate more efficiently. 

     After accessing the device, I send some urgent commands to General Nyx. I make sure to specify that no time be wasted, in carrying out these orders. 

     Once my commands are sent, I head over to Saturn to keep myself occupied. I've spent the past six days relaxing and fishing, which I'm glad I got a chance to do, but this is getting ridiculous and I need to get back on track. 

     I have big plans, for Saturn, and possibly Jupiter but definitely Saturn. It's Grineer controlled, which in my mind equals free game. If I get my way, the Grineer will bow before their Tenno overlords and never again have a leadership independent of either the Tenno or the Corpus. The Corpus can at least be reasoned with and, being the greedy little fuckers that they are, tend to be quite predictable. I can accept a possible alliance with the Corpus but the Grineer will have to either submit or die. Something that will be made much easier, once I take those ugly ass twin queens back to the morgue. 

     Here on Saturn, I start running through a couple of outposts, while waiting for Nyx to contact me. 

----------POV Change----------

     These latest orders, from the Operator, are a bit unexpected. Unexpected orders, are my favorite kind. They tend to be more exciting than expected ones and seeing as they are from the Operator well that's double the excitement. Granted, my first assignment was just keeping tabs on a guy named Tyl Regor and this mission is basically just a modified hit and run but maybe something unexpected will happen along the way. 

     Anyway, I've got my Specter Squad ready for action and we're headed that way. The Operator made it clear this needed to be done as fast as possible and I don't intend to let him down. Although, I wonder what's gotten him so anxious? He's usually much more patient and collected than this. I hope nothing has gone wrong. Although, if it did, it would be a first. 

     'Ahh, we're here. Time to make the Operator proud.' I direct the ship, towards the coordinates given by the Operator, and leave just enough of a trail to let the Grineer know that we're here, without making it obvious that we want them to know. I bring the Landing Craft down to the surface of the water, where I disembark and release my Specters. We all have our Arch-Frames equipped and immediately begin making our way down to the underwater remains that the Operator spoke of. 

     Having already run the same scans the Operator did and then some, to make sure it wasn't a false positive, it doesn't take us long to find what we're looking for, especially considering the size of the thing. 

     My Ivara, still aboard the Landing Craft, alerts me to incoming hostiles. Well, that didn't take long. I have one of my Specters watching the water above us. As soon as he detects the oncoming Grineer, he signals us and we all turn and look in their direction. As soon as they are in our line of sight, we immediately take off at full speed. Weaving and dodging through their attacks straight towards and past them, we make our way back to the surface and catch sight of the Landing Craft. The Landing Craft just flew over our heads, while being chased by a Grineer drop ship. The Landing Craft swoops downwards in a semicircular arc, turns 180 degrees on its axis to right itself, and is now headed back towards our location. We blast off in the same direction it's headed but slightly upwards. As the Landing Craft catches up to us, we all latch on to it and hold on tightly. The Landing Craft turns it up to eleven and makes a b-line to the Orbiter that's been set adrift, as to not draw attention. Once aboard the Orbiter, we high tail it out of there and back to the Federal Building. 

     'Well, for a modified hit and run, that was a bit more exciting than I thought it would be. Fingers crossed, I get some more unexpected orders. For now, though, I've got a report to make.'

----------POV Change----------

     'Noice! It looks like Nyx pulled off the mission I gave her without a hitch. Now I just need to wait, a short wait hopefully, until this lunk head, Regor, gets his ass in gear and excavates those remains. I'll clear out a few more of these outposts for today and then head to the Strata Relay tomorrow.'

     Just to make sure Regor has time to catch up with me, I waited one more day in the plains before heading to the Relay. Now that I'm here, I immediately head to the Conclave Enclave, to speak with Teshin. 

     "Hello there, are you the Conclave representative, named Teshin?"

     "I am, Tenno. How can I assist you?"

     "Well, I've been informed by several Tenno that you're a reliable and capable man and at the moment I could really use your help. You see, I was on a mission over a week ago when this strange creature appeared. I asked the Lotus about it and she instructed me to scan it. I did so and afterwards the Lotus went silent for a bit, told me to stay safe, and then disconnected. It was strange but worse than strange, because I've yet to hear from her since then and my Cephalon can't contact her anymore no matter how he tries."

     "Hmmm...this is a bit strange, I'll admit, and troubling as well...Very well, Tenno, I'll lend you my assistance in this matter. Let me do a bit of digging first and I'll contact your Cephalon when I'm ready to get down to business."

     "Ahhh, how wonderful to hear, Teshin. I'm truly relieved. I'll await your call and also thank you for this."

     "Your welcome, Tenno. I'll speak with you later."

     I'm currently sitting in my Orbiter waiting for Teshin's call. Several hours later, Ordis signals the much anticipated correspondence. 

     "Tenno, send me the coordinates to your Orbiter and I'll rendezvous with you there. I've found something that might be useful in our investigation."

     "Certainly, Ordis, send him our coordinates."

     Approximately twenty minutes later, Teshin arrives and reveals his discovery. 

     "Tenno, I have very good reason to believe that a Grineer Galleon at Cassini, Saturn may have information regarding this situation surrounding the Lotus. We should head there now and see what we can find."

     "Excellent news, Teshin! Let's get a move on Ordis. Cassini, Saturn on the double."

     We arrive at Cassini, Saturn and Teshin suggests that we should hack specific consoles, within the ship, to access the information. I, of course, board the galleon and make out like a boss.

     Back at the Orbiter, Teshin uncovers a transmission, from Tyl Regor, that leads us to a Grineer Sargent. Teshin believes Sargent Scur will have more information about our situation. I order Ordis to take us to Scorax, Uranus where he's located. Upon our arrival in Uranus's orbit, the Lotus finally decides to show her cowardly face. 

     "Tenno, you need to stop this mission. You don't know what you're dealing with. If my fears are correct, this isn't something you can deal with.

     "Well, Lotus, as much as I appreciate you finally showing up again, you have to understand that we Tenno do not have the luxury of hiding away in wherever it is that you hideaway at. This system is our home and, whether or not you choose to face the dangers that threaten it, we eventually will have to face them regardless. So hiding is not an option for us. With that being said, perhaps you'd like to enlighten us as to why you felt the need to run and hide in the first place? What exactly are we dealing with?"

     "....Tenno...I...you're right. I'm sorry for abandoning you the way that I did. I swear that I'll make this up to you somehow. As for the threat we face, it's a Sentient, named Hunhow. A lifeform created by the Orokin to cross the Void and prepare the Tau system for their arrival. This particular Sentient stands among the most powerful of its kind. I don't intend to try and stop you, Tenno, but please be careful. This may well be the most dangerous mission you've had to date."

     "I see, a Sentient. This is the first I've heard of them outside of the creature we scanned earlier. Very well, Lotus, I will be as cautious as I can and I thank you for your assistance. Teshin, I'm going into the sea lab now. You can begin the interrogation as soon as he is captured. No need to wait for me."

     "Very well, Tenno. I await your retrieval."

     Making short work of those in my way, I quickly locate Sargent Scur and capture him. Back aboard the Orbiter, Teshin has already extracted the relevant information. We set course for Desmonda, Uranus, while discussing the nature of these Sentients. 

     I enter the sea lab and begin making my way towards Tyl Regor. The Lotus tries to warn Regor, about the dangers of meddling with the remains he's uncovered. Of course, he ignores her and continues opening the artifact he's uncovered. He finds an Exilus Adaptation Matrix within and nothing else. 

     Or so it seemed. Tyl Regor looks at his fist while clenching it tight. "Natah, why are you cooperating with this meddlesome Tenno? You had a mission. Why have you not carried it out? That Tenno should be dead. They should all be dead. Answer me."

     "Tenno, Hunhow is controlling Tyl Regor's body. You mustn't let him leave that tomb. Quickly disable Regor and collapse the tomb. Hurry, Tenno." 

     By the time the Lotus finishes her instructions, I'm nearly at the entrance to the tomb. I see Regor coming towards me, about to pass through the entrance. I throw my Ivara Specter orb on the ground and bullet jump directly towards Regor's chest with my fists extended over my head. The impact sends Regor reeling, as my Nova finishes manifesting. I attach a modified link to my Lesion and throw it, mouth closed, at the stumbling Regor. Regor falls on his ugly Grineer ass, as I retrieve my Lesion, and I speak two words to my Nova. "Dark Star" My Nova immediately unloads a whole clip of gravity orbs and throws her entire energy pools worth of Antimatter Drops into the gravity orbs. I immediately recall my Ivara, equip my Arch-Nidus, pull out my Arch-Lesion, and fly full speed into the nearest glass portion of the walls swinging my Arch-Lesion, with all my strength. Once the glass breaks, I struggle desperately against the currents rushing into the sea lab only briefly, before finally breaking through. I rush to the surface and then on to the Orbiter, after boarding the Liset. 

     'Well, not only was that pretty fun, I'm also getting a little bit excited, knowing that the Reservoir is one step closer. For the moment, though, I need to pretend to demand answers from the Lotus, by demanding answers from her.'