Nidus

Ebrietas had a fascination with the infestation.

Well, not the infestation, but the infested warframe that could harness its power and mutate into a monstrous form: Nidus.

He wanted to build Nidus for himself, but he needed his parts, which were only found in the Infested Salvage mission on Oestrus, Eris.

But he needed to ask Lotus for permission to go there, hoping she would not object. He contacted her through his orbiter's communication system.

"Lotus, I have a request," he said.

"What is it, Ebrietas?" the Lotus replied.

"I want to go to Oestrus, Eris. I heard there is a Warframe part I can find there."

The Lotus frowned. She knew what he was talking about.

After all, she had seen Nidus in the old war—the adaptive, the scourge.

She did not like the idea of Ebrietas using such a dangerous and unpredictable warframe.

"Oestrus is a hazardous place, Ebrietas. The infestation is rampant there, and the Grineers are trying to salvage what they can. It is not a place for you."

"But, Lotus, I need to go there. I need to build Nidus. You told me yourself I needed to grow in strength, and he is the perfect frame for me to grow."

"He can control the infestation and use it to his advantage. He can survive almost anything and grow stronger with every kill."

"Nidus is not a warframe, Ebrietas. It is an abomination. It is a corrupted form of infestation, and it corrupts everything it touches. It is not a frame you should desire."

He frowned, knowing Lotus was only concerned for him, but she hated the frame, for it had brought much destruction in the old days.

He had seen Nidus in action; he had watched Nidus use his abilities.

The tendrils of flesh that pulled enemies in could link with allies or foes to share power or damage, unleash waves of virulent spores that infected and damaged enemies, and summon a swarm of ravenous maggots that devoured and exploded on contact.

But Ebrietas remembered how hard it had been to kill Nidus.

With enough accumulation of mutation stacks that not only increased his durability and damage output, it also allowed Nidus to cheat death and revive himself.

Ebrietas needed Nidus for that ability to cheat death; it was crucial for him since he was still recovering from his cryostasis and much of his original frames had been lost in a thousand years.

"Lotus, I know what I'm doing. I can handle the infested frame. I had handled much worse in the old days, plus the infested fear my void powers, so it will be easy for me to control it."

The Lotus sighed. She knew that Ebrietas was right, but she was still worried about him. He had a way of getting what he wanted.

She decided to give him a chance, but with some conditions.

"Very well, Ebrietas. I will let you go to Oestrus, but only if you follow my instructions carefully. You will need to find three parts for Nidus: the neuroptics, the chassis, and the systems. They are hidden in special caches that are protected by Grineer security systems. You will need to hack them to access them.

You will also need to deal with the Infested Salvage Mission itself. You will need to activate three vaporizers that will cleanse the air of toxins and spores. You will need to stay near them to keep them running and defend them from the infested attacks.

And most importantly, Ebrietas, do not let the infestation get to you. Do not let it tempt you, corrupt you, or change you. Remember who you are, Ebrietas.

Do you understand?"

Ebrietas nodded eagerly.

"Yes, Lotus. I understand everything. Thank you for letting me go."

He prepared his gear and headed for his landing craft.

"Good luck, Ebrietas," the Lotus said.

She watched him leave with a mix of worry and hope.

She hoped that he would find what he was looking for.

She hoped that he would come back safely.

She hoped that he would be in her arms again.