17 Temporary Separation

"So, General, you have completed your maker's mark and your other tasks, correct?"

     "Of course, Operator. This is the emblem I've chosen here." She holds out her hand palm upwards and a hologram of a strange colorful shape appears. It has a perimeter that is curved in such a way that if the convex curves were to come to a point it would be a six pointed star. Within the convex portion of each curve, is a graphed hole that resembles a depiction of a black hole's effect on space. In the center of this shape is a larger black hole graph. The perimeter is dotted with even more black hole graphs of various sizes. It's quite a stunning emblem and one that's worthy of my new Weaponsmith Scion. 

     "That's quite a beautiful emblem, Scion, and it suits you well. From here onwards, the weapons you've created will be referred to as the Scionic Lenz, Scionic Cestras, and the Scionic Might Light. Any weapons you create henceforth, will be inscribed with this 'Emblem of the Scion.' 

     "For now, however, we need to discuss Operation Opening Scene. I don't know how much time is left, before the Reservoir is revealed, but when it is a few things need to be in order. 

     "Firstly, the establishment of a new Tenno clan that mimics the Sol Tenno Federation in policies but publicly disassociates itself from the Lotus. It will inform the Tenno that the Lotus is not someone whom they should place their trust in and if the Tenno are to truly be prosperous they must do so outside of the Lotus' influence. 

     "Secondly, I need to remain in the Lotus' good graces until certain events have transpired. This means that I cannot run this new Tenno clan, until those events come to pass. 

     "Thirdly, it has occurred to me that I've been severely underutilizing all three of my Cephalons. I'm ashamed that this didn't occur to me back when I first decided to transfer Ordis to that galleon, in order to control it. I'm going to require devices to be crafted that can transfer a Cephalon's physical manifestation from one host to another. I'll also require devices that assist a Cephalon transferred to a humanoid host to still have the necessary access to its normal Cephalon functions. 

     "Once these devices are created and crafted, I'll be transferring each of you to your very own Warframe. I'm going to assign each of you a ship, a Warframe, and a contingency of Specters. You will, of course, have the bulk of our forces, what with you being our General. While receiving your own frame may be a bit ceremonial for you, it will provide the others with much needed maneuverability. Ordis will, of course, maintain his position aboard The Tau-er and Helminth his position aboard The Flesh Tau-er. I'll be constructing a new Orbiter and Scimitar landing craft for you. 

     "As you may have already guessed, you'll be playing the part of Clan Leader. Mars will play host to any Tenno who sympathize with our cause and wish to join us. You will take no actions against the Lotus nor encourage any violence against her or other Tennos. You will simply spread your propaganda and let the Lotus make the first move, if she moves at all. You will use the various technologies we've created, along with your own, as carrots and neglect the stick.

     "Part of your propaganda should prioritize convincing the Tenno to begin focusing on planetary control. Convey to them that is a disgrace, for a faction as powerful as we are, to have no part in the planetary power struggle that has been going on ever since we were first awoken. If we as Tenno wish to truly prosper, we need a place to call our home planet. A place where we truly belong.

     "Once everything is in place for the curtain to rise on the Opening Scene, I'll send you, along with a couple thousand Specters, to occupy all of the outposts on Mars and to establish a Base of Operations for our new Tenno clan. As soon as the Traveler is finished, I'll be able to send Ordis and Helminth out as well to assault various strongholds with hit and run tactics.

     "There's a lot to do, including a couple of more frames to acquire, and due to the uncertainty, of when the Reservoir will be revealed, it needs to be done quickly. Do you have any questions, General?"

     "I'm quite thrilled to be a part of such a cleverly crafted scheme, Operator. I'm also honored to receive my very own Warframe and ship. That being said, what should I focus on first to move things along?"

     "At the moment, we are at a bit of a stalemate with fate. It's too soon for us raise the curtain and several of our foundations still require attention. So the foundations are where we will start. Send word to Ordis and Helminth to set every Foundry at our disposal to crafting Specters. You can obviously handle the Orbiter's equipment. We'll need at least three thousand. What tier and type they are I leave up to you. Also, I'll need a Kinetic Siphon type device that can trap warframes. If our bait works, we should encounter a rogue frame with another unique design. I'd like to capture it, if at all possible. 

     "We may have to do a bit of waiting and hoping that Ordis finishes the Limbo Theorem before that fateful event. If he does, it may provide us with the most discreet method of communication so that I can still give you orders when necessary, without giving away our connection. Once you've finished the Kinetic Siphon device, we'll head to our hunting grounds and set our bait."

     "Consider it done, Operator."

     Ten hours later, we've got our Warframe Siphon Traps and we're headed to Ose, Europa. 

     Once we arrive, I pick up the Arcane Machine and take it with me. Nyx and Ivara follow invisibly at a safe distance. I don't have any marks or beacons but I know that it was the Arcane Machine that compelled the rogue Chroma to come out and play. I suspect that, if I show up with one that I've already taken, my intentions will be clear and he'll have no choice but to protect it. 

     We've arrived at the Arcane Machine and I've been messing around with both of them back and forth for several minutes now. Now that I've demonstrated my interest in both, I'll activate the second machine and eventually begin removing it if he doesn't show. About thirty minutes after the second machine has been activated and I've held off a number of Infested, the bell of the ball finally arrives. He doesn't look very happy, not that I can tell. He immediately begins firing at me, with a Dera. I'm of course prepared for this and I throw out two links, while using my Lesion to deflect his bullets, one the normal Parasitic Link and the other sturdier like a rope designed to contain his movements. With one rope link successfully attached, I begin spamming them towards his different body parts. Once his mobility has been sufficiently hampered by the rope links, a Warframe Siphon Trap appears between his feet and he becomes suspended within the trap. I immediately start transmating him to a specialized room within The Tau-er. 

     Well with Chroma safely within our grasp I think the rest of the plotline warframes can wait until after the Opening Scene. I head back to The Tau-er and check in with Helminth. 

     "Helminth, what is the status on the intermediate strain? It should be nearly completed, correct?"

     "This is true, Master. The intermediate strain is very near completion. I simply need your input on a certain matter. I can then finish the strain in six to eight hours."

     "Excellent news Helminth! But what is it you need my input for?"

     "Master, it is possible to finish the strain now and it will provide me the ability to control the original strain and your strain. But if we await the acquisition of the Mutalist Strain I'm certain that I can easily integrate control of it into the current design as well. Would you like me to finish this one now and complete another when we have the Mutalist Strain? Or would you prefer to wait, until the Mutalist Strain is acquired, to form a complete intermediate strain at that time?" 

     "So you've managed to integrate control of both strains into a single intermediate and can also integrate a third? Absolutely splendid, Helminth! If that's the case, let's wait for the Mutalist Strain and we'll finish it then. Carry on with your other duties until then."

     "Yes, Master."

     "Alright, General, I need you to start on those Cephalon assistance devices we spoke of earlier as soon as possible. I'd like to see how Ordis' research is coming along but I'd rather not disturb him until he has something substantive. With that said, I'll go and get construction started on an Orbiter and Landing Craft for you and Warframes for Ordis and Helminth. I'll have to take a couple of Foundries out of Specter production mode to do it but only for a short while."

     "I'll start on it right away, Operator."

     Five days later, the Specters, Orbiter, Landing Craft, and Warframes are all finished. Helminth has been focused on expanding the amalgam and optimizations for the Traveler and Nyx has been practicing her new craft while maintaining our troops. Ordis, of course, is still cracking away at the Limbo Theorem. He managed to detect the rift not to long after Nyx and I returned and he's had his head(?) buried in the Theorem ever since. 

     "Darvo, my friend, what a welcome surprise! How goes the Data Service? Any progress?" I ask Darvo's holographic projection, within the control deck. 

     "Yes, a pleasure as always, Tenno! The Data Service is coming along nicely not yet implemented but close. That, however, is not the reason for my call. That tip off you got about Alad V, turned out to be spot on. Not only has he been experimenting on Warframes, but he's made enough progress in his research that he plans to put on a demonstration for the investors. I suspect that the Lotus will find out about this soon. It's not like her to miss something this big."

     "Is that so? That son of a bitch! Now that I have confirmation of his transgressions I'll make sure he regrets his actions. Do you happen to know where these experiments are being conducted? I don't know for certain that the Lotus will contact me, when she finds out, but I can still leave behind some dastardly traps to assist whichever Tenno has the pleasure of putting this cocky little fucker in his place. I may even come down with a case of sticky fingers. What a shame it would be, if there was nothing to demonstrate when the investors come around?"

     "What a shame indeed, Tenno? I suspected that you might think so and have already sent your Cephalon the coordinates. I trust that you'll put them to good use."

     "Trust it like you've never trusted anything before. Fingers crossed that I'm the lucky Tenno."

     "Fingers crossed, Tenno, until next time."

     "Until next time, Darvo."

     During these past five days once the Cephalon assistance devices were constructed, I tasked Nyx with altering a space inside the control deck that would contact all three of my Cephalons and allow them to manifest together in the same room upon being summoned. She explained that it was a sort of pseudo-datascape and that it is connected to The Weave. It looks like an unimposing square console with a handprint indentation. Once I place my hand and only MY hand on it, it transforms into a space similar to Simaris' enclave datascape. It has three distinct pedestals, one for each Cephalon to manifest from. So far I haven't had cause to use it but now seems like as good of a time as any. 

     I place my hand within the indentation and command my Cephalons. "Cephalons assemble."

     ""I'm here, Operator."" "I'm here, Master" They respond in unison. I see Nyx's manifestation for the first time and it's surprisingly the new Prime Skin version of the Nyx Warframe with her emblem inscribed upon her stomach. 'I wonder if she knew I was going to give it to her...Ahem. Dirty thoughts aside, let's get this thing started.'

     "Excellent! It's good to see you all gathered here for the first time like this. I've just received word from Darvo that the Corpus board member, Alad V, has indeed been experimenting on Tenno Warframes. He also informs me that the coordinates to his experiments have already been sent to Ordis. Ordis can you confirm this?"

     "I can, Operator. I received the coordinates almost immediately after Darvo's call came through."

     "Very good! Now, I have every intention of making Alad V pay for his transgressions but first things are first. I'm going to send General Nyx into his compound with Ivara and Specter Force One on standby. Inside you should find a female Warframe that has been tortured and experimented on extensively. She has large claws on her hands and feet. She also has horn like protrusions on the side of her head. Of course, Nyx, you should be able to identify her Warframe bio signature, correct?"

     "Correct, Operator. Unless there are multiple unique Warframes there, finding her should not be difficult."

     "Good to hear, General. After constructing an Orbiter and Landing Craft for you I went ahead and crafted another Orbiter and Landing Craft identical to the ones I originally owned. I'm going to be spending most of my time, from now until the Reservoir is revealed, utilizing them and leaving the other ships to you all. To that end…" I summon the various drones and equipment required for this procedure into the room. One drone positions a motionless Mesa Warframe equipped with various Cephalon assistance accessories in front of Ordis' pedestal. "Ordis, this Warframe is a gift to you in recognition for all your hard work. It will also allow you to be of even more use by offering you the ability to utilize a humanoid form when necessary and transition between it and your current form with ease. Along with this Warframe I also continue to entrust you with the maintenance and operation of The Tau-er and a contingent of five hundred Specters. Accept these gifts, Ordis, and serve me well." As I finish, the drones have successfully transferred Ordis to his new Warframe.

     "...Operator...I...for the first time in my existence I don't know what to say. I suppose thank you would be a start but you can rest assured that I will utilize all of these gifts to their utmost potential. I will serve you as diligently as I always have and then even more so."

     "That's all I needed to hear, Ordis. Thank you. Now, Helminth…" The drones have positioned a Nidus Specter in front of Helminth's pedestal equipped with similar Cephalon accessories. "I don't have a Warframe for you at the moment because the one I want you to operate is Nidus and you've yet to complete the Intermediate Strain. Until the Intermediate Strain is complete, this Specter will have to do. I also entrust you with the continued maintenance and operation of The Flesh Tau-er and a contingent of five hundred Specters. Accept these gifts, Helminth, and serve me well." Helminth has now been transferred to his Specter.

     "Master, I accept these gifts gladly and will seek to serve you even more diligently. You honor me, with such generosity. Thank you, Master."

     "You're welcome, Helminth. General Nyx, you should already be aware that I have an Orbiter and Landing Craft prepared for you. If you wish to see them, they are docked here in The Tau-er's hangar. I've also decided that you should have a Warframe as well and so I've prepared one whose stylings you already seem to be familiar with." The drones position the Nyx Warframe in front of the General. "I also entrust you with the construction, maintenance, and operation of a Tenno Tower based on Mars that will serve as the central operations hub for our new Tenno clan, The Federalist's Tenno Liberation Force or Federalists for short. Additionally, as General, I entrust you with a contingent of two thousand Specters, whose primary focus should be on maintaining Tenno control over Mars. Accept these gifts, Nyx, and serve me well." Nyx is now in her new frame and her stomach glows briefly before becoming emblazoned with her freshly etched emblem.

     "...Operator, I have nothing but gratitude and respect for you and your benevolence. I will fulfill my duties flawlessly and without hesitation. You can count on me. Thank you, for these wonderful gifts."

     "Your welcome, General. I'm pleased to see that you all are satisfied with your new toys but, as per usual, there's little time to stand on ceremony. 

     "As you may have noticed, the Mesa and Nyx frames here today are aesthetically different from their original counterparts. I noticed that while the Tenno have several variations of Skins available for most frames they don't have any skins that optimize the frames aesthetics for the distribution of ducalidium. Part of your duties in offering the Tenno carrots, General, will be to introduce these new Prime Skins as I'm calling them. Unlike normal skins, these are used in conjunction with ducalidium and result in an aesthetically pleasing dispersion of ducalidium and reformatting of the Exocytes. Introduce these along with our other technologies in order to lure them into our camp. 

     "With that said, I have only one more mission for you three to accomplish before we depart ways to await the Reservoir's emergence. Before you depart, Helminth,  you should construct an Orbiter and Landing Craft for The Flesh Tau-er. Once that is done you can each take your respective ships and head to a different Orokin Tower. I want you to,  individually with a squad of no more than four excluding yourselves, conquer that tower and capture its Neural Sentry. All three Sentries should be transmated back to The Tau-er for interrogation. Interrogate all three for as much information about Orokin technologies as possible and show them the plans for the Traveler and request their feedback. Make certain that you also transfer all of the data within their respective Orokin Archives. Once all of this is done, the three of you will hold a council to determine what if any changes or alterations should be made to the Traveler's final design. So long as you work within the scope of the overall layout that I've chosen, any alterations or additions should be fine. 

     "With the Traveler design finalized, you'll only need to study the Nova Warframe and construct a device capable of utilizing her WormHole ability on a grand scale. That being completed, will signal the moment appropriate for initiating the construction of the Traveler. 

     "Before I leave, Ordis can you construct a duplicate of yourself before you received any of your upgrades?"

     "Of course, Operator. I'm starting the process as we speak. It should only take half an hour. Shall I have it placed within your new Orbiter, once finished?"

     "Yes, please. Alright, well, assuming that certain events don't get ahead of us the moment you complete the Limbo Theorem, Ordis, immediately begin to determine if it's possible to transfer void imprints through the rift. When you find out let me know. If it is, we'll wait until a method is devised for doing just that and immediately begin Operation Opening Scene, by sending Nyx to Mars and announcing our presence to the system. If not, we'll still start the Operation but only after determining the safest and most secure method of communication. Is there any confusion about how you all should proceed from here on out?"

     "Our orders are clear, Operator."

     "None at all, Operator."

     "I fully understand your intentions, Master."

     "Marvelous! In that case, Ordis, patch me through to Darvo. You all are dismissed."

     ""Good luck, Operator." " Good luck, Master." They respond in unison. 

     "Tenno, I could of sworn we just spoke with each other just a moment ago. I hope there aren't any problems."

     "No, Darvo, no problems. I simply forgot to mention a fairly important piece of information. You're, of course, familiar with my insistence on remaining anonymous and how much I value my privacy. It is in this matter that these conditions must be insisted on even more. I know I can rely on you for delicate matters such as these, can't I Darvo?"

     "Of course, Tenno. Whatever it is, I'm your man."

     "Excellent! If you recall, I handed you a decent amount of Nidus Bio-cartridges awhile back and requested that you wait three weeks before revealing them. We'll I'm shortening that wait. I want you to release them as soon as possible and make sure that you play coy with the knowledge of whom you received these cartridges from. After they persist for a couple of weeks, pretend to relent and tell them that you received them from the Federalist's Tenno Liberation Force. You may not have heard of this organization but when they reveal themselves they will not deny the accusation. Is this amenable to you?"

     "Hmmm...this is quite the curious thing you've requested but I suspect that curiosity is exactly the opposite of what you're looking for at the moment. So I'll just say yes, make a note of my excitement at finally being able to introduce these new cartridges, and leave it at that. Was there perhaps anything else you may have failed to mention last time?"

     "Nothing at all, Darvo. Thank you for your assistance in this matter and I'll speak with you next time."

      "Until next time, Tenno."

     Having done everything that I can do at the moment, I head to the Orbiter and await my new Ordis clone.

     Once the Ordis clone is embedded, I head out of the Void to begin spending more time running errands for the Lotus.