[Fanfiction| Chronicles Of The Tenno - Awakening

[Gibblemung]

Chronicles of the Tenno 5 - Awakening

This little story is a gesture of appreciation to Digital Extremes, in thanks for an amazing game and the trailer found here: http://www.ign.com/videos/2013/06/04/warframe-is-coming-to-playstation-4

Coincidentally, this story is from the perspective of the Excalibur shown, as he rejoins the Tenno crusade.

Awaken.

They had warned me I would be disoriented. They had warned me that I would either awaken in hostile circumstances or with friends. They had warned me that I would need a few moments to adjust and initialize my Warframe, and that it was best to feign inactivity while I recovered.

Nobody had mentioned the pain. A brief moment of knife-sharp fire through the brain, then an explosion of buffeting clouds, hotter than Venus and the acidic skies there. The sensation of falling was even a secondary concern, until I impacted the floor, spilling forward like a split bag of grain. After having your internal organs frozen for-who knew how long?-a normal temperature room was the fusion-flame of the sun.

Through the blinding haze of my swimming vision and the fire of heat shock, I heard steps. Many. Each one sent a drumbeat of ache through my ears, carried by my Warframe's external sensors. "Tenno." I struggled to lift my head toward the harsh voice, to blink away my tears, to bring my visual and targeting array to bear, to regain function of my limp limbs, anything. The smugness ripped into my head along with the harsh undercurrents of satisfaction and cruelty. Not a friend, then. And I was in no position to resist. "You are mine."

No, I'm not! I tried to shout, to scream, to even whisper. Nothing. The overwhelming shock of thawing muscle and sluggish blood kept me pinned to the floor, limp and helpless. "Take him." Two sets of steps came closer. Heavy beats upon the ruined floor, strong enough to tremble my incoherent, unresponsive body within my Warframe. No.

Shwunk. A sound of indescribable pain and shock. Shlump. A harsh stab and a gasp. Someone else was there, attacking my would-be captors. I would say that gratitude warmed my heart, even as the enemy's stilled, but I was already warm. Meltingly so. Was I in the mythical hells of the afterlife? It certainly seemed so, from the pain and sounds of shock surrounding me. I was still blind. Crackle. A burst of cooler air, and then a sliding, grinding impact moving away from me.

While I could not see or move, I could still think. Combat honed reflexes returned, as I analyzed the situation. Many hostiles. Two potential heavy allies at 0 and 45 degrees. Another impact, somewhat lighter, two feet an instant apart and recovering from a much more controlled drop than mine. Three. 315 degrees, all a half-body-length away from me. A defensive posture. Allies, then.

"Kill them!" The smug voice was obviously the one that had been repelled by the cool blast, and all traces of satisfaction were annihilated by battlefield command, surprise, hatred, and... fear. I thought you said I was yours, my enemy. Tactical situation altered in a manner not to your liking?

I managed to lift my head and force my torso from the floor through sheer willpower, making my muscles obey, even as they screamed white-hot protest. Visual array online. I swayed, overwhelmed by my first experience of light and motion in a long time. The floor swam into focus, and I blinked tears away, trying to regain my independence. My allies exploded into motion, the sounds of a frenzied combat beginning. Gunfire. Teleportation. Impact. The wet sounds of bladework. A splattering, surely of blood.

My body began to respond. Not fast enough. Not nearly fast enough. I could barely move, though my Warframe began to lend me strength. My torso lifted from the ground, and my elbow buckled as I forced myself upward. No! I would not fall back to rest while my allies fought for me! I would not be denied my own part in my salvation! I clenched my fist and slammed it to the floor, driving myself to my hands and knees.

The impact of projectiles piercing armor. Slim limbs amongst a forest of ungainly, armored ones. Fully automatic weapons fire, and an indrawing of energy, bathing the world in green, even as bullets were pulled in. A harsh psychic pressure, followed by an explosion of light, sound, and impacts of bodies hitting the floor... and the same two feet as before. My gaze focused through the sparks and sliding armor. Nyx. Not just allies. Friends. Those like me. My tactical sisters who could command minds or destroy them.

As my shields came online and the pain withdrew into mere sensory overload, I staggered to my feet, supported by my Warframe. Excalibur. One of the first Warframes developed, a combat generalist fitted perfectly to me and my training. I would not be denied my part in my rescue.

Crashing sounds from the side, climbing the wall and obliterating resistance in swift, precise strokes. Another crackle of ice and more yelps of pain and impacts of death. Frost. That would explain the weight and chill. My indomitable brothers.

I drew myself fully upright as the Frost stopped, focusing on my would-be captors for the first time. Grineer. Elite Grineer troopers. The armor pattern had changed, but the swagger, the discipline, the disregard for life had not. An augmented horror led them, only now shaking off his shock at the decimation of his troops. He drew throwing weapons, crackling with electrical arcs that seared my still-sensitive eyes. There was nothing between us but air and hatred. He hurled his weaponry at me.

I heard the familiar ring of a drawn sword, and the whistle of a blade tumbling through the air. Frost. He had brought my weapon. I simply extended my hand and swung into a parry, meeting the Grineer's weapon with an explosion of electricity and flame. As he and his elite drew back in shock... again... my Warframe's interface lit fully. I twirled my blade absently, considering. Should I do this the old way, or the efficient way? I decided to be impetuous, to test myself, to display my defiance to the Grineer. After all, my friends were still in danger. An explosion of light, sound, and energy impaled my foes, blasting them in all directions.

Except that damned commander. He somehow managed to shield himself with golden light. This could be a problem. He jerked himself upright as my Radial Javelin faded, ripping an artifact from his breast and drawing it back, with a sound of gathering energy. Oh. This could be a real problem. A focused beam of harsh golden energy coruscated toward me, and I barely interposed my blade. This was a problem. I could not advance while blocking the beam, and it was only a matter of time until my endurance ran out, even as freshly-awakened as I was.

I was uncertain of how to proceed. I couldn't attack. I-shwunk. The beam faded, with an explosion of sparks and electricity, accompanied by a sound of pain and anger. I had friends.

Nyx launched another psychic assault, freezing the commander as he fought her compulsions and shook off the confusion. Ash leaped from a wall, slashing the commander's augmented balancing mechanisms and making him stumble in a half-circle on his artificial feet. The artifact fell from his grip, as a blizzard of energy gathered, Frost charging his strongest skill for a final assault. The Grineer commander froze into a pillar of ice, immobile and unyielding, as I took the opportunity to stretch my legs, finally.

My blade tore through his frozen midsection, leaving barely a seam, and he slowly separated, falling apart like a training dummy. The situation was reversed, and I slowly sheathed my blade. Myself at point. Frost at 115 mid. Ash at 195 long. Nyx at 225 short.

Only then did I speak. The first words of many to come, forced through a still-aflame throat, harsh and breathless. "Thank you, friends."

Edited June 5, 2013 by Gibblemung

[Voporak]

Perfectly done. I find myself visualizing the video as I read this. Well done, Tenno.

[Spikey844]

*Claps*

[Darayas]

Amazing stuff - I'd love to see what you could do with an extended story arc!