Fanfiction - Project: Nekros

[Destro6677]

Part 1

 

The Frost strode briskly down the corridors of the covert asteroid base. Pausing at the massive gold-trimmed doors that indicated a High Lord Commander's quarters, he bowed to the hulking Rhino who stood guard. The Rhino bowed in return, and pressed a palm against the doors. The Frost continued into the High Lord's chambers without a backward glance, as the doors slid shut on silent rollers.

 

This was not the first time the Frost had entered a Commander's quarters. However, this was the first time he was meeting his own Grand Overlord. Anxious to make a good first impression, he removed his helmet, and wiped his boots carefully on the woven fiber mat placed before a sliding tapestry door. As the Frost did so, he noticed that even the floor mat had subtle patterns worked into it with tiny gold threads. The Frost waited for a moment for the sounds of brushstrokes from behing the screen door to cease. Reluctantly, he cleared his throat and announced himself.

 

'Great Lord, forgive my intrusion. I did not wish to interrupt your most important work. I have come as requested.'

 

The sound of footsteps came from within the room, and the screen door was pushed open to reveal an elderly Tenno clothed in a shimmering black and gold robe with Lotus motifs. The Frost immediately sank to one knee, his head bowed respectfully.

 

'Shinrai Takada. One of Clan Takada's finest Lords. Come. Sit by me and enjoy the heat of this thermal conductor. Have some tea.'

 

Shinrai followed the Grand Overlord into his rooms. A luxurious carpet stretched across a main study, with another door adjoining to a sleeping chamber and bathroom. The room was much larger than even the private quarters given to Shinrai's superiors. Gold glittered on the marble pillars of the room, and vibrant drapes were hung on the walls, with rich tones of gold, dark blue and grey. There were no windows, but a large plascreen was mounted on the wall behind a vast low table. Even to Shinrai's untrained eye, the wood of the table was richly whorled and finely grained, the mark of Orokin forests on Terra. Something on the table caught Shinrai's eye as he began to sit down. Fine, bone white parchment was set in the center of the table. A brush and a pot of ink were set next to it. Strange characters were written in fresh ink on the parchment, a confusing jumble of straight and curved lines with some underlying pattern that Shinrai could not grasp. To Shinrai, an accomplished translator and codebreaker in his own right, the writing was more indecipherable than Grineer messages.

 

Shinrai watched as the Grand Overlord carefully cleared the parchment from the low table and served them both tea. A serving maid arrived shortly with a tray full of expensive food, meats served raw with cold rice, wrapped in crisp, dried vegetable. Shinrai chewed carefully, sipping at the hot tea in between bites. What could the great lord want of him? He thought. Risking impious behavior, he lifted his eyes. The ancient Tenno seemed deep in thought, chewing his food slowly, and barely touching his tea. Then, the great lord met his gaze. Shinrai's food turned to ashes in his mouth. Had he offended his superior?

 

'You saw my writings?'

 

Sweat beaded on Shinrai's brow as he answered 'Yes Lord. They are most impressive. Surely an enemy would never crack this particular code.'

 

The old Tenno laughed softly. It was a bitter sound, one that spoke of disappointment and ages of sorrow.

 

'No, my young kinsman. Those were merely family history. I keep a record of the past, in hopes of altering our future' said the great lord, pouring more tea into his tiny porcelain cup.

 

'Did you know that our ancestors are not of Mars, young one? Many generations ago, our forefathers passed the great gap between Terra and Mars. They were not Tenno then, and they were bound in service to the Orokin. When the Orokin pursued the Sentients to the furthest reaches of the stars, they left us to maintain order. We were not always Tenno. The Orokin shaped us, changed us. We were never made to achieve their level of perfection. Until this day, I do not understand who or what the Orokin are. But our ancestors had great debts of gratitude to them. Debts that we have yet to repay. What say you, Lord Takada of Clan Takada?'

 

Shinrai swallowed before he responded. 'My Lord, I know not of the Orokin or our origins. What little I know was taught to me by my Clan Historian. He spoke of great gods that walked among men. Beautiful creatures, and strange. They wielded life in one hand, and death in the other. We, the Tenno, were created to be their guardians, when all others failed them in the Old War. We are the survivors of that worst of wars, when the Abominable Intelligences turned against Man, the war that forged our race, that Man would never again bend his knee to technology. We are the strongest of humanity, and that is what made us worthy.'

 

The great lord appeared to ponder Shinrai's answer. Arms folded, he bowed his head for several moments. Then, slowly, he began to nod. 

 

'Your courage serves as a beacon for these hard times, Shinrai. Your honor will carry you far. Your historian has taught you well in what little we know of Orokin, but today, you have shown tremendous insight. Also, your choice of words is remarkably apt.

 

The great lord beckoned Shinrai to look at the plascreen. As he punched orders into a data slate, the plascreen brightened to show a view of the planet Jupiter. The view zoomed in to the planet's largest moon, Ganymede, and then to an orbital fortress which hung above Ganymede like an oversized fruit. Around the fortress, several clusters of Grineer and Martian battlecruisers vied for space superiority.

 

'Ganymede Tower has been overrun by Grineer. It is only a matter of time until they breach our safeguards and assume control of the orbital cannons. I will see it destroyed before I allow that to happen. As such, I am assigning you and your cell to field test a new prototype weapon. It is called Project Nekros. Your objectives are to retake Ganymede and aid the Martian troops stationed there. There will be heavy resistance, but as I call upon you to risk your life for our Empire, so too will I give you power in equal measure. Project Nekros will be your hand of death.'

 

Shinrai Takada raised his eyes to the great lord's merciless face. The old Tenno was gaunt now with the fatigue of war,his eyes deeper and mouth grimmer than Shirai remembered from the holovids. His shining silver hair was cropped shorter, but his grip was firm and strong.

 

Shirai uttered the words that would bind him to duty.

 

'For the Honor of Tenno and the Lotus, for my Clan and my Lord, I pledge myself to thy service. Until my last breath, Ganymede Tower will not fall. This I swear to you, Lord Katashi.'

Edited October 25, 2014 by Destro6677

[FiveHours]

What a way to start! Very entertaining read, particularly good visual and vivid description. I look forward to more!

[Destro6677]

Why thank you!

 

This is my second work in a long time, and I've only recently realized that writing is part of who I am, and I can't truly live if I don't write.