Characters[]
Chapter 1: The Transmission[]
A gunmetal Xiphos floated above Uranus, the planet's pale green atmosphere reflecting off the ship's hull. The sleek prongs that projected out the front seemed to slice through space like a blade. Only two occupants inhabited the ship, a Cephalon by the name of Acheron and a deadly Warframe named Chroma.
Chroma knelt in the cockpit of the Orbiter, in front of the star map. He listened to the various transmissions coming over the scanner. A bored-sounding Grineer asking for visas, a cargo check, a news flash about a Warframe sighting, and various forms of propaganda all filtered through. Chroma found all of the transmissions boring, and was starting to tune out when Cephalon Acheron popped up in his HUD.
"Incoming transmission, Operator," she announced, her blue avatar, consisting of various triangles, hovering at the corner of Chroma's vision. Chroma shifted his attention as a small image of the Lotus appeared opposite Acheron, who was now singing softly to herself.
The Lotus began to speak.
"Tenno, I have a... mission for you. You will need to talk to Cephalon Simaris, no doubt you remember him." Chroma nodded, thinking of the obsessive artificial intelligence. "Contact him on the Larunda Relay, Mercury. Report back to me after you speak with him."
The transmission shut off. Acheron slid back into view, her avatar shifting as she spoke. "Cephalon Simiris is a creep... Shall I set a course for Larunda?" She asked. Chroma nodded, and Acheron's avatar spun in a circle as the Xiphos set off, vibrating slightly. Acheron went back to singing as the ship rocketed along the Solar Rails. If Warframes had eyes, Chroma would have rolled his.
Chroma turned and stalked down the ramp leading to the rear of the ship. The foundry on the right showed a hologram of a Dark Split-Sword under construction. Continuing on, the Warframe passed the mod segment, the Kubrow/Kavat incubator, and his hovering Carabus Dethcube before reaching his arsenal. He selected the primary weapons feature, displaying a list of weapons.
Eyeing the various guns, bows, and launchers, Chroma selected an Opticor. The Opticor was a Corpus weapon, a large rectangular device that fired a charged beam of heat. When upgraded with the right mods, the weapon could become incredibly destructive. Chroma selected the upgrade feature, and mounted several mods, including Firestorm, Combustion Beam, and Heavy Caliber. The first two affected the weapon's damage, and Combustion Beam added the ability to cause dangerous explosions. All in all, a powerful weapon in any situation.
For a secondary, Chroma selected the Akjagara. The dual pistols also each had large blade mounted on the barrel, allowing them to be used as both a ranged and melee weapon. More mods went onto these, including Steady Hands and Maim, the former used to decrease recoil, and the latter for extra damage. Chroma spun the weapons several times, holstered them, and moved on to a melee.
The Warframe hefted a Sancti Magistar and inspected the heavy, gold and auburn mace. It had the unique ability to heal allies when charged. Given only to New Loka operatives, the weapon had been hard to attain, and had been bought from a fellow Tenno operative. Chroma gave it a twirl, spinning the mace in one hand and freezing in an attack stance. Satisfied, the Warframe began to mod the weapon. Buzz Kill added damage, while Fury lightened the weapon for more rapid attacks.
Stepping back, Chroma inspected his loadout: An Opticor, the Akjagara, and a Sancti Magistar. All high-damage, reliable weapons. His Dethcube carried a Deth Machine Rifle, modded with a Serration and a handfull of other damage mods. The Warframe walked back to the cockpit, where an Orta Araytan scuplture sat, filled with several stars. The batlike sculpture's "wings" swung back and forth like clockwork. Opposite the statue sat a rather unique vessel, a Sacred Urn etched with images of the Warframe Inaros. Chroma's mind flashed back to his fight with the Tomb Guardians.
"We're here, Operator," Acheron said, her avatar whirling as the ship slowed down.
Chroma made his way to the magnetic passegner compartment at the back. Locking in, he felt the ship shift as Acheron rotated it 90 degrees into the landing position. The compartment rotated around, revealing the landing platform. The Warframe stepped out, as the Xiphos took off almost as soon as he had exited.
Chroma's feet clanked on the metal walkway as he strode into the Relay, nodding at the various other Tenno and Warframes. He passed through the Concourse, by a green Volt and a blue Trinity, and into the North Wing. A pair of odd elevators that relied on a form of solid light to lift passengers to the second floor and back. Chroma stepped onto the leftmost one, and stared through the "floor" as the lift raced upwards.
The draconic Warframe leapt from the elevator, nodded to a few other Warframes hanging around the lift, and turned towards a door to his right. A large Cephalon Simaris emblem marked the door, setting it apart from the other Syndicates. He strode through, and into the Cephalon's Sanctuary.
"Welcome, Hunter!" A loud, deep voice boomed. The voice's owner, a large projection of an orange Cephalon, leaned towards the Warframe. Chroma backed up a step as the projection leaned uncomfortably close to his face. An amused-looking Saryn with a Gorgon strapped to her back and a Scoliac at her hip watched the exchange from a console on the right.
"Creep!" Acheron muttered.
Simaris ignored the comment.
"They tell me you need my assistance, Hunter. I can help you with what you seek," Simaris said.
"How did you k-" Acheron asked.
"I know."
Chapter 2: The Sanctuary[]
Acheron voiced Chroma's unspoken question, "What do you want us to do?"
"You shall hunt for me once again, for knowledge must be earned, as you no doubt know," Simaris replied. "Your target is a Nightwatch Reaver Eximus. Unfortunately during their last resurgence on Ceres my operatives were unable to Synthesize one. I have tracked one of them to the Orokin Derelict. That is your destination. Good luck, Hunter."
Chroma nodded and spun away from the Cephalon, who retreated up to the ceiling, surveying the room. Simaris then turned and zoomed in on a Nova who had entered in the meantime. The Nova flinched backwards as Simaris' avatar closed in.
"Nightwatch!" Acheron exlaimed as the Warframe strode from the room. "I thought we wrecked all the slime at Mercury."
Chroma shrugged as he exited, and glanced to his right at Darvo's store. The ex-Corpus merchant sold weapons at discount, most of which were "liberated" from the Corpus. He turned and walked through the other door, into a cluttered, rather messy shop. Darvo stood at the far end, next to a short Grineer Lancer with a Seeker on his back.
"Clem!" The Grineer barked, motioning at Chroma with his Grakata assault rifle.
"Yes, Clem, it's our Tenno friend," Darvo replied to the Grineer, who was aptly named Clem. He turned to Chroma. "Heya Tenno, interested in an, uh... Staticor? Yeah, that's what I got from the last um, shipment from the Corpus. Shipment. Heh. Only 140 platinum! It's a steal! Quite literally!"
The Warframe considered the offer, and agreed. Acheron transferred the platinum to Darvo's account. An alert must have notified Darvo, as he brightened visibly and reached out to shake Chroma's hand.
Congratulations, Tenno, you are nOW!" The merchant yelped as Chroma shook his hand rather forcefully. "John Prodman's Prova! You don't know your own strength..." he muttered. Chroma shrugged for an apology as Darvo's grin recovered and he shook his hand. The Warframe gave a deep nod, and then turned and exited the store.
"Thanks for shopping by! I mean, stopping. Why did I say that...?" Darvo called, eliciting a laugh from Chroma's Cephalon. Amused, the Warframe shook his head as he stepped into the downwards elevator. Concourse was far more crowded on the way out, with about thirty other Tenno pacing around. A Rhino Prime stood next to a Frost Prime and a rather, well, ugly pink, green and neon yellow Ecxalibur.
"Wow!" Acheron whispered. "That Excalibur though!"
Chroma shook his head in amusement and walked past the trio. On the way out he passed the same Saryn that was in the Sanctuary earlier. Nodding in recognition, he continued on the landing pad. He turned when he reached the passenger compartment at the edge and backed into the Warframe-shaped device. The Warframe stiffened as the magnetic clamps engaged, and rotated inside his Xiphos. Once inside, the clamps disengaged and Chroma pulled himself out of the compartment. Chroma strode out from the back room, up into the cockpit.
"Course set for the Derelict, Operator," Acheron notified. Chroma nodded. "Off we go!" The Cephalon crowed as the ship rocketed off down the solar rails.
The draconic Warframe hurried to the foundry in the back of his ship. The Dark Split-Sword had finished during Chroma's time at the Sanctuary. He picked up the large blade of blackened metal and twirled it, before splitting it into two smaller swords and striking a combat stance with them. Spinning the dual blades, Chroma carried them back to his arsenal. The Warframe reconnected the swords and placed them in the arsenal; he would use the Sancti Magistar for this mission and get used to the Dark Split-Sword later.
Sorting through his mod collection, Chroma selected a set of duplicate Swift Deths, about fifty of them. Scrolling through his entire collection, the Warframe selected various other duplicate mods. Highlighting the "sell" feature, he removed the mods from his segment and received a large credit reimbursement. Satisfied, he returned to the cockpit to see the looming form of the Orokin Derelict.
"Sending a transmission to the Lotus, Operator. We should receive a reply shortly," Acheron said. "Incoming."
"So your meeting with Simaris went well. Nightwatch at the Derelict...? Be sure to capture at least one of the Nightwatch Corps soldiers for interrogation, Tenno. Good luck," the Lotus said, before ending her transmission. Acheron docked the Xiphos with the Derelict.
"We're here! Let's rock 'n roll!" The Cephalon shouted.
Chapter 3: The Derelict[]
The draconic Warframe landed on the floor of the Derelict with a metallic, resounding clang. Straightening up, Chroma held his Sancti Magistar at the ready and glanced around the room warily. Repulsive, grayish Infested biomass grew along the floor and walls, covering the tarnished gold of the Orokin ship. Chroma took a step, feeling the biomass ooze under his feet with a squicking sound.
"Ew!" Acheron exclaimed as Chroma walked through the muck.
Chroma stepped around a shattered Death Orb, and into another room.
"Oh, isn't that just lovely! I think we've found the first sign of Nightwatch..." the Cephalon gasped, sounding apalled. A glowing Sydon trident sat jammed into the floor, with the shriveled visage of a Infested Charger impaled upon the weapon's head. Chroma stared at the warning, and kicked the Sydon in half. The Warframe whirled as several deafening shriekds echoed through the Derelict.
"We are countless... consume us... be reborn..." a hissing voice whispered softly in Chroma's neuroptics.
Chroma braced as a golden door exploded open and a horde of Infested chargers, crawlers, runners, and leapers rushed in. The Tenno's Sancti Magistar blurred as he sent the large mace into a runner's upper half, splattering biomass and shattering bone. He spun, slamming the weapon into a charger's back, sending the creature to the ground with a crunch. Chroma's Carabus Dethcube whirled and dodged a leaper, spraying ammunition into the creatures. Lowering, the Sentinel emptied it's Deth Machine Rifle into a crawler's "face," sending biomass across the room. Acheron cheered and laughed manically.
"We embrace you... why do you defile us?" the quiet, raspy voice whispered again.
"What in the Void is that voice?" Acheron asked.
Her Operator shrugged as he continued bashing, crushing, and decimating the Infested. He stumbled as a Volatile Runner leapt onto his back. Hurling himself forwards and rolling, Chroma slammed into the Infested and crushed the crimson creature in a smear of biomass. Pulling himself back up, he stowed his Sancti Magistar and drew his Akjagara. The two pistols tore through the remaining Infested, both with their projectiles and their blades. Catching a Charger under the chin, Chroma impaled and slew the creature.
Gazing around the now-empty room, Chroma readied his Akjagara and continued on through the Derelict. A handful of Infested charged towards the Warframe, which resulted in them being battered into tiny, soggy pieces.
Footsteps. Chroma tensed and scanned the room, weapons at the ready. Tracing the footsteps across the vast open room, he spotted a startled Nightwatch Brunt Lancer sprinting across the overgrown towers lining the room. Crouching, Chroma bullet jumped and propelled himself up onto the top of one of the towers. He leapt after the Brunt Lancer, who was jumping across the towers as fast as he could. Lining up the Grineer's neck with his Akjagara, Chroma fired a quick burst. The Nightwatch soldier screamed and collapsed in a heap, his Brunt shield falling and clattering on the ground below.
"Remember, we're supposed to capture a couple of these slimeballs," Acheron reminded Chroma, who nodded.
Crouching, the Tenno stealthily crept around the Infested biomass, and around another broken Death Orb. A Nightwatch Bombard stood guard in front of a door, with a pair of Lancers as her backup. Chroma lined up his Opticor, charged it, and let loose an orange light ray that slammed into one of the Lancers, sending him into the wall. The Bombard and remaining Lancer whirled in surprise, as another shot took down the second Lancer. Sprinting forwards, Chroma slammed his Akjagara into the Bombard's armor, knocking her to the ground. The Warframe then extended a hand, and transferred the writhing and screaming Bombard to a classified holding cell.
Something slammed into Chroma's back, causing him to sprawl into the cold floor. A loud, deranged cackle filled the air as a pair of Nightwatch Manics decloaked behind him. Acheron swore as Chroma's head clanged off the floor as a Manic pounced on him. The Grineer assassin cackled as he clawed through the Warframe's shields down to his armor. Flailing, the Manic backflipped off the downed Tenno.
Angered, Chroma sent a fist into one of the Manic's stomach, sending him to the ground. Catching the scrawny Grineer by the throat, the Warframe lifted him off the ground and released a toxic Spectral Scream into the Manic's face, causing clone to writhe and send several of the helmets on his back flying. Chroma slammed the Manic to the ground, breaking his neck. He turned to the other Manic, who had cloaked.
A bloodcurdling scream echoed down the overgrown hallways. The remaining Nightwatch Manic decloaked, looking frantic. He started to sprint away, but a blast of Infested quills to the back sent the Grineer to the ground. The Manic struggled for a moment, before succumbing to his wounds. Chroma turned, unholstering his polished Opticor.
The creature that owned the scream pulled it's formidable bulk out of the Infested biomass covering the floor.
"Oh no, a juggernaut, a fricking juggernaut..." Acheron moaned, as the creature screamed again.