Bonding with Umbra a short story (Don't read if you havn't completed Second Dream, Sacrifice and War Within)

[TwinbladeWolfkin]

I woke up from my somatic chair when Oberon Prime reentered my Orbiter.  I got up to stretch my legs, my last mission running longer than expected.  I paced my meditation chamber getting feeling back into my limbs my kavat coming to greet me.  He rubbed on my legs and I gave a couple of head scratches smiling under my scarf.  Seeing him greeting me back more or less always made me feel good.  I walked into the main part of my ship looking around, the infested wing still closed shut.  Helminth still didn’t like my walking near it evidenced by the agitated shaking of the infested tendrils as I went by.  I walked up to my foundry, my latest weapons still a few hours out.  I sighed in annoyance before going up to the cockpit to check navigation for any interesting assignments.  Nothing too interesting a few archwing missions, a few for some extra credits and miscellaneous resources.  I crossed my arms thinking of what to do when I realized something.  I haven't greeted Umbra since I got back, but I didn’t see him. 

“He could be in my room” I muttered to myself out loud.  I made my way down the ramp back into the main room and made my way to the back where my resting quarters were.  Empty, no sign of Umbra.  He usually keeps my kavat Cujo company while I’m gone.  I looked up at the ceiling “Ordis!”

The familiar digital voice came from the ships intercom “Yes Operator?”
 

“Where’s Umbra?  I haven’t seen him since I got back from my mission” I crossed my arms watching the speaker, like Ordis was physically there.
 

“He’s down in storage Operator; he probably doesn’t know you’re consciously back yet.  Shall I bring him up?”
 

“No no, I’ll go down and see him.” I turned and made my way back to my mediation chamber where my Somatic Chair was.  I walked to where one of the circular hatches was on the floor; I got onto the one that led to the floor where my Warframes were stored.  It opened lowering me to a large open space that ran the entire length of the ship, here all my frames where stored.  Standing completely still likes full sized toy soldiers.  Or more accurately golems who are ready for a command.  Umbra usually wasn’t down here, to my knowledge at least.  I walked towards the back looking for him passing my newer frames and their primed variants.  The only frame missing down here was my Oberon Prime which was currently standing in the middle of the main chamber of the ship.  I got to the back of the room to find Umbra standing in front of my old Excalibur Frame.  Excalibur stood still his armor scratched, dented and battle worn.  Umbra seemed to look at him with some sense of melancholy.  I could feel his emotions now that I was closer to him with no interference.  He was definitely feeling melancholy.

“Umbra?  What are you doing down here?” He turned surprised by my voice he bowed his head before rising it to meet my eyes and looked at Excalibur again.  “Yeah that’s the Excalibur Frame I was in when we first met.  He has seen me through lots of hairy situations.  Heck he even saved me from Stalker and Hunhow once.  Though he hasn’t moved much on his own since then.”  Umbra looked at me, he didn’t so much talk as I could feel his thoughts or roughly what he was trying to tell me.  “No he isn’t a Dax like you, to be fair I have no idea who is inside there or what his story is.  But I know he is a sturdy Frame who’s seen me through thick and thin.”  Umbra walked a few paces looking over my old frame.  “Yeah he’s pretty beat up, but he was my first frame and one of my favorites.  So he’s a bit more battered than the rest.”  Umbra stopped feeling a gash on the side of Excalibur “Yeah that was you, your Exalted Blade did a number on him but, him and I still came back swinging.”  Umbra dropped his hand stepping back a couple of steps looking to me patting his chest.  “I thought it was time to retire him, he was getting a little long in the tooth.  I had him back when we Tenno served the Orokin, and you came along right when I was thinking of picking up a new frame to use full time.  So it was a perfect match.”

I smiled under my scarf although he couldn’t see.  Umbra walked past my old Excalibur to an empty spot on the floor.  He pointed to himself standing next to it and I shook my head, “No that’s not your spot.  Frankly you don’t have one down here.” He tilted his head pointing to my Rhino Prime then the spot next to Excalibur, “Yes it’s for Excalibur Prime though I’ll never get one.”  Umbra sat down on the floor, the way he does when he’s ready to listen, of course he wanted to know why.  “Well when we Tenno were first coming into service of the Orokin and Warframes were getting into use with us, a few Tenno were gifted Excalibur Prime as some of the Elite.  Those Tenno where the older and more versed Operators among us.  I was still young when we were learning how Warframes worked and I didn’t have any skills unique to me to warrant me getting him ahead of time.”  I chuckled sitting cross legged infront of Umbra, “So when all the Excalibur Primes were assigned to the Honor Guard I was just too little too late.  I managed to get up to speed and have one but it they were all assigned.  But I don’t mind…” I looked up at Excalibur and back to Umbra “…because I have you two.  This Excalibur will always be special to me, he was my first frame and he’s seen me through more trials than any other and you…” I stand up extending my hand while pulling down my scarf to reveal the somatics creeping up my neck to my jaw, a faint smile on my lips “…you are too unique.  I chose to have you as his successor because…I understand you and your pain.”  He took my hand and I helped him up, even though he didn’t need it.  He tilted his head at my statement and I proceeded to tell him about the failed warp jump on the Zariman Ten Zero.  How the void drove the adults insane and how we had to kill our own parents to survive as the void infected our minds and bodies.

My hand trailed up to my somatics feeling my indented flesh that was slightly warm to the touch.  The memories still stung, I know it was necessary to protect myself and my brother.  As well as the other Tenno who come to know as my brothers and sisters as well.  Then I felt an embrace as a thumb ran under my eye.  Was I crying?  I looked up to see Umbra hugging me; I forgot he was a father once.  I guess something’s don’t go away when you’re a parent.  I chuckled giving him a brief hug back before he stepped away I wiped my eyes with my scarf and smiled at Umbra “Thank you friend.  Sometimes I forget how much it hurts, and I’m sure you still do as well.” He nodded as he knelt in front of me holding out his fist.  I fixed my scarf and fist bumped Umbra, “Agreed” He and I made our way out of storage casting one last look at Excalibur, Umbra nodded like the old frame said something and Umbra understood.  I didn’t hear or feel anything but Umbra felt determined now, more sure and ready.  It warmed my being knowing I had someone like him to watch my back.  We got back to the top floor ready for whatever the Origin System had to throw at us.

[MrTitan123]

Why doesn’t this hav more views or responses?! Give this man a round of thunderous applause!

[WongwayWill]

This was extremely well written and if and DE you should definitely use the ideas from this. OP well done now I'm using my Umbra more

[TwinbladeWolfkin]

I'm drafting another story if you guys wanna read it.  Been debating if I wanted to upload more short stories to the forums or not.

[(PSN)wintersfrozen]

This is wonderful. Do you have any other works like this?

[(XBOX)UpgradeAcorn989]

On 2019-02-18 at 1:54 PM, TwinbladeWolfkin said:

I'm drafting another story if you guys wanna read it.  Been debating if I wanted to upload more short stories to the forums or not.

please do, this story is extremely good and I'm surprised you haven't gotten more credit