[Ic] Lotus In Bloom (Invite Only)

[Owlrrex]

Souna

Feeling the water rinse through her hair and over her skin, Souna just needed to close her eyes to feel her mind drift off to a faraway place. Not a place that she could recall, nor sense a tiniest bit of it, but the longing for it was engraved into her soul with steel and blood, and had driven her up to this point. Thinking about what it might have been only distracted her, so she usually did not waste any time on it, but in moments like this, it was just nice to drift through the darkness of her cryo-amnesia and imagine the wondrous places that had once lied beyond. That noone else kept her company yet in the communal showers surely helped as well.

It were mere seconds that she spent in this state, because then Iudicium had materialized his avatar and prompted his response. His voice was roughly audible from the other half of the room, where she had left her CPID near the entrance, just far away to be safe from the water. The woman raised her voice a little bit again when answering the cephalon:

"I suspect that the Infested which we fought earlier released spores upon their defeat, to secure the hive's existance in the next generation. If a scan for intrusion of such spores into the ship's systems has already been run, I would like to see the logs - if not, I would like to monitor the scan live. It's got nothing to do with distrust, but to detect AI-corruption, you can hardly use an AI, right?" She is completely convinced of that her request is a perfectly reasonable one, and the only thing that is in question is if Iudicium will grant her access to these data - or if she will have to consult Tacis, who ensigned her to this post, one more time and then return to the AI with the authority to make the second Cephalon comply.

Since it was a little uncomfortable to her to talk to the AI around the literal corner, she turned off the shower and stepped to the simple frame in the wall that seperated the shower-area from the other bathroom-applicances. Leaning against the cold, grey wall, vapor from the hot water flowing behind her completely naked figure, she smirked at the thought of who onboard would tear their hair if they knew what exquisite footage Iudicium possessed of her. Considering the AI's professionalism, Souna had no doubt no living soul would ever get to see this, which helped her stay relaxed.

 

Maina

When Abra inquired on her words, Maina's speaking tripped mid-sentence since her thoughts had already progressed a few steps forward, and just needed to realize what exactly he was talking about. It took her a second where the whole process was visible in her facial expressions. 

"I... uhm... I guess they are? I'm really no good with robots. But they're not alive either! Noo, I meant the plants! They are the ones who are left all alone!" She's chuckling brightly, as if the thought of a robot requiring social interaction was funny to her. "I really wish there were proper gardens here! The plants would feel so much better in a real earthen bed." From imagining all the flowers around her, how they would look in a natural area, instead of neatly organized, she remembered the forests of earth, where she awoke from her cryostasis and lived for a while... and from there her thoughts wandered to the circumstances that made her leave: The prophecy, the Grineer, that day. But her mind did not stay on these uncomfortable things long, like a ball on a hill: It's hard for her to think concentrated about this, and it slips away easily. In this case, to the last fight she had somehwat-attended: The battle against the colossus in the tower.

"Ah, say, Have you been outside during the fighting? Is everything over now? I hope noone was hurt too much?" She tilted her head slightly to the side and her voice took a concerned tone, worried about her crewmates. Only from a distance had she watched and heard of the tension that had filled the medbay. She could really not await her chance to do her part to relieve their pain, especially those which bandages and medicince can not heal.

[WingedCrusade]

Lusith had been roaming the halls of The Manifold relatively alone as she was making her way along the corridors to Hydroponics. However, she'd stop at some point near the observation area to the sounds of somebody who seemed to be... Upset, from the sounds of things.

The Valkyr would approach where she heard the sounds of the Tenno, being surprised to find Kate there alone and almost sobbing. Should she say something? She can't just sit there knowing somebody she knows is upset.

"... Kate? What happened?"

Lusith adjusted her clothing to look slightly less bedraggled before Kate would see her.

"Are you okay?"

Lusith decided that Hydroponics could wait. She'd gone this far without visiting it yet, she could go a while longer all the same if it meant she could be around somebody who needs a friend around.

[Achaix]

On 5/9/2016 at 0:11 AM, WingedCrusade said:

Lusith had been roaming the halls of The Manifold relatively alone as she was making her way along the corridors to Hydroponics. However, she'd stop at some point near the observation area to the sounds of somebody who seemed to be... Upset, from the sounds of things.

The Valkyr would approach where she heard the sounds of the Tenno, being surprised to find Kate there alone and almost sobbing. Should she say something? She can't just sit there knowing somebody she knows is upset.

"... Kate? What happened?"

Lusith adjusted her clothing to look slightly less bedraggled before Kate would see her.

"Are you okay?"

Lusith decided that Hydroponics could wait. She'd gone this far without visiting it yet, she could go a while longer all the same if it meant she could be around somebody who needs a friend around.

Kate's breathing was still irregular, interrupted by sobs that made her entire body shake slightly. Her battered psyche was finally showing its cracks, and from them raw emotion burst, formless and with no direction despite its potency and overwhelming nature. Her ears heard something, but she didn't care.

Strangely, it wasn't shame, anger, or frustration that was her focus at that time. All she could really think about was... nothing. To describe it in a more decorated sense, or at least, to explain it, imagine a small island that is suddenly struck by a maduraian tsunami. Though enveloped and drowning in violent waves, the island is now barren - everything has been swept away, and there was no real structure or subject in the thoughts of this metaphorically island's counterpart.

-+-

On 5/6/2016 at 8:27 PM, ArrexDrandko said:

When Abra inquired on her words, Maina's speaking tripped mid-sentence since her thoughts had already progressed a few steps forward, and just needed to realize what exactly he was talking about. It took her a second where the whole process was visible in her facial expressions. 

"I... uhm... I guess they are? I'm really no good with robots. But they're not alive either! Noo, I meant the plants! They are the ones who are left all alone!" She's chuckling brightly, as if the thought of a robot requiring social interaction was funny to her. "I really wish there were proper gardens here! The plants would feel so much better in a real earthen bed." From imagining all the flowers around her, how they would look in a natural area, instead of neatly organized, she remembered the forests of earth, where she awoke from her cryostasis and lived for a while... and from there her thoughts wandered to the circumstances that made her leave: The prophecy, the Grineer, that day. But her mind did not stay on these uncomfortable things long, like a ball on a hill: It's hard for her to think concentrated about this, and it slips away easily. In this case, to the last fight she had somehwat-attended: The battle against the colossus in the tower.

"Ah, say, Have you been outside during the fighting? Is everything over now? I hope noone was hurt too much?" She tilted her head slightly to the side and her voice took a concerned tone, worried about her crewmates. Only from a distance had she watched and heard of the tension that had filled the medbay. She could really not await her chance to do her part to relieve their pain, especially those which bandages and medicince can not heal.

"There weren't any casualties, thank goodness... but yes, it's over now. Took a while, but that Colossus went down eventually." He slotted his datapad into the side of a row containing various plants from the Solanum genus - perhaps he could do something with their potato surplus soon. Abra turned to keep facing Maina and leant back on the row.

"I still find it strange that it was a fellow crewmember and not one of the command crew that organized the fireteam's final assault." He hummed, massaging his somewhat sharp chin. The Commander's role was unbefitting of a man of his stature, and the way he was tossed around by the Colossus meant that it would take a while for many outside of the inner circle to see him as anything more than a glorified chew toy.

Overall, not a good first fight as a team. "A few tried to tackle the problem by themselves and tossed themselves directly at the Colossus, which, as you may assume, resulted in them having to visit the Medical Bay. Dalimir is heavily injured, but given the stupidity behind his actions, I'm not surprised. Tenno Sah'jey..."

Abra sighed, remembering the sight too well. "One of her arms was torn off. Given my own condition -" He motioned with his left, cybernetic hand. "I was able to help Healer Cordia to some degree with her, but she's still in shock."

He looked up suddenly, an idea having popped into his mind. "Say, I'll be helping Sah'jey recover, but I may need someone to help. I'd ask Kate, but I doubt she'd want to. Can I count on you to lend me a hand?"

A few moments later, he hastily added. "Not literally, of course."

[WingedCrusade]

In response, only sobs had been given in reply to the Valkyr's prodding. Lusith had raised her hand to place it on Kate's shoulder...

 

... But in all honesty given her emotional state it probably wasn't a good idea, so she had pulled her hand back in and rubbed the back of it with her other. Rather, Lusith would try to call out to Kate again in a softer voice, trying to be reassuring in a hope to pull her attention.

 

"Kate... I'm here for you if you need me.. There is no reason for you to be upset all on your own.." Her voice was endearing and soft.

 

If anything, Lusith was braced more for emotional, possibly even physical outlash if she does anything to rattle the Mirage in front of her.

[(XBOX)AjarGman]

On ‎5‎/‎3‎/‎2016 at 5:31 PM, Lady_Viper said:

Letting just one team do all that work outside was just stupid. Covering the entire ship would take hours, or days more like. Having one team do all that job would just be dumb. People got bored, or tired. And when that happened they started missing little details that may be important. Bored and tired people made mistakes. But she couldn’t spate as many as she would have liked for the job at once. So she had been working on a schedule for different teams to take turns so that they could get some rest and time to eat or other basic needs that hours in space might lead to.

 

She felt stiff. Her muscles were still tense and her face had yet to relax. She put her current work to the side for a while and looked at the CPID at her wrist, thinking whether to write or call Aleric, the blasted Volt who had sent that Mirage down to her again.

 

The Nova finally settled on sending one short message, stating “We need to talk, Now.”

 

Meanwhile the Archwing team was beginning to finish up on the first section of the ship. Carth felt happy with the result so far, but then again, they had hardly just started. “Okay everyone, almost done with the first one. I’m marking the next section so you can just continue on to it when you get done with this one. Okay?”

 

Xiu had always enjoyed work, having something worthwhile to do or just anything to keep him busy. While the inspections were moving at a decent pace it was still worth the time it was taking to ensure there was no immediate maintenance needed. While it wasn't strenuous work, basically monitoring the hull for anything out of the ordinary, he could feel himself start almost hoping for something to be wrong and for them to find it soon so there'll be something more to do on this flight.  Although if what they found was a real hazard he couldnt help but think of it devolving into a worse case scenario, the image running through his mind of a series of failures resulting in the Manifold splitting in half.

 

With that image fresh in mind he doubled down on keeping his focus on the job instead of allowimg his thoughts to keep wandering down that path.  When Carth informed the team of their progress Xiu replied in an almost distant tone, wanting to reply to him but also not wanting to take his full attention from the work to do it. "Got it Carth."

[(XBOX)AjarGman]

On ‎5‎/‎3‎/‎2016 at 5:31 PM, Lady_Viper said:

Letting just one team do all that work outside was just stupid. Covering the entire ship would take hours, or days more like. Having one team do all that job would just be dumb. People got bored, or tired. And when that happened they started missing little details that may be important. Bored and tired people made mistakes. But she couldn’t spate as many as she would have liked for the job at once. So she had been working on a schedule for different teams to take turns so that they could get some rest and time to eat or other basic needs that hours in space might lead to.

 

She felt stiff. Her muscles were still tense and her face had yet to relax. She put her current work to the side for a while and looked at the CPID at her wrist, thinking whether to write or call Aleric, the blasted Volt who had sent that Mirage down to her again.

 

The Nova finally settled on sending one short message, stating “We need to talk, Now.”

 

Meanwhile the Archwing team was beginning to finish up on the first section of the ship. Carth felt happy with the result so far, but then again, they had hardly just started. “Okay everyone, almost done with the first one. I’m marking the next section so you can just continue on to it when you get done with this one. Okay?”

 

Xiu had always enjoyed work, having something worthwhile to do or just anything to keep him busy. While the inspections were moving at a decent pace it was still worth the time it was taking to ensure there was no immediate maintenance needed. While it wasn't strenuous work, basically monitoring the hull for anything out of the ordinary, he could feel himself start almost hoping for something to be wrong and for them to find it soon so there'll be something more to do on this flight.  Although if what they found was a real hazard he couldnt help but think of it devolving into a worse case scenario, the image running through his mind of a series of failures resulting in the Manifold splitting in half.

 

With that image fresh in mind he doubled down on keeping his focus on the job instead of allowimg his thoughts to keep wandering down that path.  When Carth informed the team of their progress Xiu replied in an almost distant tone, wanting to reply to him but also not wanting to take his full attention from the work to do it. "Got it Carth."

[(XBOX)AjarGman]

On ‎5‎/‎3‎/‎2016 at 5:31 PM, Lady_Viper said:

Letting just one team do all that work outside was just stupid. Covering the entire ship would take hours, or days more like. Having one team do all that job would just be dumb. People got bored, or tired. And when that happened they started missing little details that may be important. Bored and tired people made mistakes. But she couldn’t spate as many as she would have liked for the job at once. So she had been working on a schedule for different teams to take turns so that they could get some rest and time to eat or other basic needs that hours in space might lead to.

 

She felt stiff. Her muscles were still tense and her face had yet to relax. She put her current work to the side for a while and looked at the CPID at her wrist, thinking whether to write or call Aleric, the blasted Volt who had sent that Mirage down to her again.

 

The Nova finally settled on sending one short message, stating “We need to talk, Now.”

 

Meanwhile the Archwing team was beginning to finish up on the first section of the ship. Carth felt happy with the result so far, but then again, they had hardly just started. “Okay everyone, almost done with the first one. I’m marking the next section so you can just continue on to it when you get done with this one. Okay?”

 

Xiu had always enjoyed work, having something worthwhile to do or just anything to keep him busy. While the inspections were moving at a decent pace it was still worth the time it was taking to ensure there was no immediate maintenance needed. While it wasn't strenuous work, basically monitoring the hull for anything out of the ordinary, he could feel himself start almost hoping for something to be wrong and for them to find it soon so there'll be something more to do on this flight.  Although if what they found was a real hazard he couldnt help but think of it devolving into a worse case scenario, the image running through his mind of a series of failures resulting in the Manifold splitting in half.

 

With that image fresh in mind he doubled down on keeping his focus on the job instead of allowimg his thoughts to keep wandering down that path.  When Carth informed the team of their progress Xiu replied in an almost distant tone, wanting to reply to him but also not wanting to take his full attention from the work to do it. "Got it Carth."

[(XBOX)AjarGman]

On ‎5‎/‎3‎/‎2016 at 5:31 PM, Lady_Viper said:

Letting just one team do all that work outside was just stupid. Covering the entire ship would take hours, or days more like. Having one team do all that job would just be dumb. People got bored, or tired. And when that happened they started missing little details that may be important. Bored and tired people made mistakes. But she couldn’t spate as many as she would have liked for the job at once. So she had been working on a schedule for different teams to take turns so that they could get some rest and time to eat or other basic needs that hours in space might lead to.

 

She felt stiff. Her muscles were still tense and her face had yet to relax. She put her current work to the side for a while and looked at the CPID at her wrist, thinking whether to write or call Aleric, the blasted Volt who had sent that Mirage down to her again.

 

The Nova finally settled on sending one short message, stating “We need to talk, Now.”

 

Meanwhile the Archwing team was beginning to finish up on the first section of the ship. Carth felt happy with the result so far, but then again, they had hardly just started. “Okay everyone, almost done with the first one. I’m marking the next section so you can just continue on to it when you get done with this one. Okay?”

 

Xiu had always enjoyed work, having something worthwhile to do or just anything to keep him busy. While the inspections were moving at a decent pace it was still worth the time it was taking to ensure there was no immediate maintenance needed. While it wasn't strenuous work, basically monitoring the hull for anything out of the ordinary, he could feel himself start almost hoping for something to be wrong and for them to find it soon so there'll be something more to do on this flight.  Although if what they found was a real hazard he couldnt help but think of it devolving into a worse case scenario, the image running through his mind of a series of failures resulting in the Manifold splitting in half.

 

With that image fresh in mind he doubled down on keeping his focus on the job instead of allowimg his thoughts to keep wandering down that path.  When Carth informed the team of their progress Xiu replied in an almost distant tone, wanting to reply to him but also not wanting to take his full attention from the work to do it. "Got it Carth."

Edited May 25, 2016 by (XB1)AjarGman

[fishworshipper]

Spoiler

On 4/13/2016 at 0:04 PM, Lady_Viper said:

“Son of a-“

 

“What the-”

 

The engineers had been keeping their eye and focused on the Mirage they were carrying and didn’t react in time to deflect the attacks coming from the mirror copies. TO their great surprise they were even moving independently from their source.

 

Their attacks hit and put the engineers out of balance enough for the Mirage to exploit it. Because the next thing they knew the Mirage had slithered out of their grip and had bolted off.

 

“Hey! Hold it!” The engineers ran after her but she was too quick, and had a head-start. They didn’t see where she went. Only that she had initially been running in a direction away from Engineering, but they couldn’t be sure that she wouldn’t try to get back there after losing them.

 

After a short time of discussion they decided to get back as quickly as possible before giving her a chance to slip past them. All while one of them tapped out a message to Grandmaster Tacis about what had happened.

 

‘Grandmaster, the Mirage Kate was down in Engineering again and directly confronted Chief Engineer Atlanta with her own weapon. We’re not sure from where she got the weapon as it was given to Master Armorer Alaric for the battle. We managed to avert things before it escalated to full violence by forcibly removing her from Engineering. She has however managed to escape us and is now unaccounted for. Her location and intentions unknown, but she was in a bad mental state and we don’t know what she’s capable of at the moment.’

 

On 5/1/2016 at 11:10 AM, Temperance000 said:

If Cordia was stunned by Dalimir’s sudden outburst, the sharp report of Sahjey’s Regulator in the enclosed space of Medical left her stupefied.  There was no doubt in her mind now that Temperance and his secrets were slowly tearing the crew apart.  Later, Cordia promised herself, she would sit Tacis down and have a little chat – at length – with the Manifold’s erstwhile second in command.  For now, though, she needed a way to regain control of the situation.  She signaled Annabelle for a sedative as she moved to intercept her wayward patient.

 

Sahjey seemed to have passed out of her own accord after firing into the floor at Dalimir’s feet, which was almost a shame; Cordia had been meaning to speak with her about replacement limb options before she was sidetracked by this damnably persistent Nekros.  At least the Mesa’s unconscious state meant there was one less unstable patient to deal with.

 

“Tenno Dalimir, please!”  Cordia’s tone was less one of entreaty and more one of politely understated command.  “You must return to your bed immediately.  Your wounds still require treatment, and you are upsetting the other patients.”  She moved as she spoke, angling to put herself between Dalimir and the doors to the surgical suite, but the damn Nekros seemed to be running on some kind of mania, pushing past her before she could restrain him effectively or Annabelle could approach with the sedative.

 

Fine.  Time for damage control.

 

Still playing the concerned caretaker, Cordia rushed after Dalimir as he entered the decontamination room that led to the surgical suite.  A swift stroke across her CPID while Dalimir’s back was turned sealed the chamber and activated a full decontamination sweep, playing momentary pulses of heat, cold, and flickering ultraviolet over their bodies.  It was not much, but it would buy Tacis and Temperance time.

 

+++

 

Tacis’ words stung Temperance deeply.  Think before you act.  Such an elementary lesson, and so easily forgotten when one dodged consequences by a hair’s breath.  Self-loathing writhed in Temperance’s gut, and he bowed his head, chasten.

 

“I understand, Grandmaster,” he said, speaking not as Captain of the Manifold, but as a Tenno who knew he had made far too many mistakes.  “Thank you for…”

 

The crack of a Regulator outside, followed by muffled shouting and the hiss of decontamination in the surgical suite’s lock chamber, drew Temperance’s attention away from Tacis.  It was not difficult to guess who was coming.

 

“Dalimir,” he groaned.  “That stubborn fool.”  Wincing at the exertion of still-healing muscles, Temperance beckoned for his warframe.  The room’s armatures obliged, lifting the biotech shell over to the operating table and laying it down so he could be lifted into it.  The armor came to life and enclosed him, just as the inner doors hissed open.

 

A vibration at his wrist signaled to Tacis that a message had been received, and a quick neural command sent it to his Warframe HUD. A choked-back curse signaled his comprehension, and he swiftly sought to open a communication line with Praetor.

"Secondary Cephalon Praetor," he began, his voice strangely distant, although it likely would not have been noticed by the AI. "There is a rogue crewmember. She is mentally unstable. Locate her, and ensure that she does not interfere with vital ship systems. She is a Mirage by the name of-"

The muffled but easily recognizable crack of a Regulator split the air. Adrenaline rushed through his systems as the new threat was perceived, and before he even finished his sentence his blade was drawn and wielded in a defensive manner. "-Kate." Scuffling and voices began to become audible through the woods, and a pointed growl by Nikepohoros alerted Tacis to the status of the doors. When he spoke again, his voice rang with a sense of urgency. "Praetor, lock the doors to the surgical bay immediately."

As Tacis spoke, he and his companion moved to block line of sight from the door, and should the door fail to lock to neutralize any hostiles on the other side of it.

[Owlrrex]

Maina:

There was a visible weight taken off the green Tenno's chest when Abra revealed to her that there had been no losses during combat. She had clenched her hands in front of her body anxiously, and lowered them a little in relief when there was a positive answer from the Oberon. Noone died, and apparently no persons were still in danger of dieing belatedly. For now.
The remarks about the strange and improvised tactics employed in the field left Maina unscathed. To little suprise, this girl was not much of tactician or analytical mind.
"The verse's melody is a mystery to mortals. We might not recognize it, but if we listen to what it tells us, I am sure things will turn out alright in the end, like they were meant to be!" That's all she had to say, nothing really useful when it comes to combat strategy.
About the ones who went in on their own, Maina of course was not one to see them as part of a military formation, but instead tried to defend their individuality:
"They only did what they had to do. Everyone is born for a reason, and maybe their reason was to valiantly brandish their hearts today, in this battle, against a mighty foe. Us seeing no logic in it means nothing, for the future is only to be known by the eternal ones." She claims this to be true with a pure benevolence and wholehearted belief in a truth that offers her the strength to accept what she can not understand, and bear the sight of those she could not help, like Dal. 

When Abra disclosed to her Sah'jey's fate, Maina covered her mouth with her hands and still an audible gasp of shock escaped. Her eyes are filled with horror, sympathy, then tears.
"Oh, mother forbid!... The poor girl." In her head, thoughts were racing: Of how that must have hurt, how hard it must be to be in the medbay for so long, with everyone else already running around, and what a cruel mistress a Tenno's pride can be - both Sah'jey's own, and that of those around her, whom she could no longer properly assist in combat. And how much that must hurt her soul in turn even more. That is what brought most tears to her eyes. 
From behind her hands, which she still didn't lower, Maina answered breathlessly: "Of course, Abra, of course! I thought of applying to the medical wing from the start, but I don't know as much about medicine as others. But now, I will visit her whenever I can! Is she asleep now, or can I go right to her?!" Her eagerness was not faked, and even more, it was not by any means meant to escape the talk with Abra. But to Maina, there was one thing that mattered above all: Someone needed her help. Help which only she could give, maybe her sole reason for being on board. Never had she had any doubt that this moment would come, and right there, she felt a tingling ripple throughout her heart and every limb that she could only attribute to a supernatural relevation. It compelled her to act.

[Darkshifter98]

Spoiler

A thick fog hung over the entrance of the gleaming white stairs leading up to the Manifold, the sounds of conflict filled the air. Setebos was lying against the stairs, his body felt as though it weighed ten times more than it should. Just the act of lifting his arm took a tremendous amount of effort, to actually get it to do something was an even more daunting task. Setebos was helpless, and the discharge of firearms and the slashing of swords began to draw near. His eyes darted all around his field of vision, but the fog was simply too thick to see through. As the gunfire drew to a crescendo, an inhuman screech exploded from the fog, and all fell silent. It was only then that Setebos could hear his own terrified breathing echoing within his helmet. The silence ended with a soft thump that shook Setebos to the core, another thump followed, then another, then another, each one louder and more violent than the last. Setebos began to see a silhouette begin to pierce the fog, a four legged, armored beast that grew larger with every step. With a final horrifying step that rocked Setebos to and fro, the beast stopped, towering over him, close enough that no amount of fog could obscure it. The Colossus. Tendrils sprung from its hide one by one, rising above and behind it like cobras ready to strike. With a slow and oppressive lifting of its forelimb, the Colossus let out a shriek that deafened and blurred him, before bringing its forelimb up a little higher as if to violently bring it down. Setebos shut his eyes tightly, awaiting the end.

But it never came.

As he uncertainly opened his eyes, the silhouette of an Ash stood between him and the Colossus. The two were locked in place, and the fog around them had dissipated to more finely show their features. A Yamako syndana fluttered behind the Ash, a Nikana hung at his hip. Silence hung over them for what seemed like eons. Setebos attempted to move again, but just as he tried, the Ash's head exploded in a turbulent storm of blood, bone, and armor. The last thing he heard was the deafening crack of a Regulator.

Setebos shot up with a start, clutching his chest as he swallowed great gulps of air. His armored shoulders heaved as sweat ran down the crevices between his back and the inner layer of his warframe. As he brought his breathing back to a more stable pace, he looked around the room, regaining his bearings. He was inside, in his quarters. No Colossus, no fog.

He was safe.

With a soft groan, Setebos brought himself to his feet, his stomach dropped as stood and he had to use the bedframe to support himself. He was in no mood or condition to meditate, and he certainly wasn't going back to sleep. Setebos looked towards the door, and wondered about the A.I that ran the ship. Straightening up, he summoned his CPID and hesitantly contacted the Tricephalon. The CPID lit up, signalling that a communication channel had been opened for him. With a soft clearing of his throat, he spoke softly, unsure if the Tricephalon would hear him from his helmet mic or from sensors within the room. "Is there... any work that needs to be done that wouldn't violate the terms of my medical leave set forth by Healer Cordia?" Setebos looked around his room, lightly tapping his hoof nervously, half expecting a physical presence to manifest itself within his quarters and half fearful he used the channel for the wrong reason.

[Achaix]

On 6/3/2016 at 7:28 AM, ArrexDrandko said:

Maina:

There was a visible weight taken off the green Tenno's chest when Abra revealed to her that there had been no losses during combat. She had clenched her hands in front of her body anxiously, and lowered them a little in relief when there was a positive answer from the Oberon. Noone died, and apparently no persons were still in danger of dieing belatedly. For now.

The remarks about the strange and improvised tactics employed in the field left Maina unscathed. To little suprise, this girl was not much of tactician or analytical mind.

"The verse's melody is a mystery to mortals. We might not recognize it, but if we listen to what it tells us, I am sure things will turn out alright in the end, like they were meant to be!" That's all she had to say, nothing really useful when it comes to combat strategy.

About the ones who went in on their own, Maina of course was not one to see them as part of a military formation, but instead tried to defend their individuality:

"They only did what they had to do. Everyone is born for a reason, and maybe their reason was to valiantly brandish their hearts today, in this battle, against a mighty foe. Us seeing no logic in it means nothing, for the future is only to be known by the eternal ones." She claims this to be true with a pure benevolence and wholehearted belief in a truth that offers her the strength to accept what she can not understand, and bear the sight of those she could not help, like Dal. 

When Abra disclosed to her Sah'jey's fate, Maina covered her mouth with her hands and still an audible gasp of shock escaped. Her eyes are filled with horror, sympathy, then tears.

"Oh, mother forbid!... The poor girl." In her head, thoughts were racing: Of how that must have hurt, how hard it must be to be in the medbay for so long, with everyone else already running around, and what a cruel mistress a Tenno's pride can be - both Sah'jey's own, and that of those around her, whom she could no longer properly assist in combat. And how much that must hurt her soul in turn even more. That is what brought most tears to her eyes. 

From behind her hands, which she still didn't lower, Maina answered breathlessly: "Of course, Abra, of course! I thought of applying to the medical wing from the start, but I don't know as much about medicine as others. But now, I will visit her whenever I can! Is she asleep now, or can I go right to her?!" Her eagerness was not faked, and even more, it was not by any means meant to escape the talk with Abra. But to Maina, there was one thing that mattered above all: Someone needed her help. Help which only she could give, maybe her sole reason for being on board. Never had she had any doubt that this moment would come, and right there, she felt a tingling ripple throughout her heart and every limb that she could only attribute to a supernatural relevation. It compelled her to act.

He wouldn't dream of saying it out loud, but Maina's reaction made his heart melt a little. People such as this were too rare and far in between, too naïve and incredible to last, he thought as he turned to adjust water levels, in response to complaning machinery. However...

"She needs some time alone, to rest and accept what happened." Finished with the adjustment, he turned back. "I think it would be better to wait a whi-"

Finally noticing the Banshee's tears, Abra quickly stepped closer and gently took her by the shoulders, the difference in height giving him an almost paternal aspect. "Maina? Are you alright? If it is about Sah'jey, please, it was not your fault."

"You did not do anything wrong, Maina."

-+-

On 5/24/2016 at 5:15 AM, WingedCrusade said:

In response, only sobs had been given in reply to the Valkyr's prodding. Lusith had raised her hand to place it on Kate's shoulder...

... But in all honesty given her emotional state it probably wasn't a good idea, so she had pulled her hand back in and rubbed the back of it with her other. Rather, Lusith would try to call out to Kate again in a softer voice, trying to be reassuring in a hope to pull her attention.

"Kate... I'm here for you if you need me.. There is no reason for you to be upset all on your own.." Her voice was endearing and soft.

If anything, Lusith was braced more for emotional, possibly even physical outlash if she does anything to rattle the Mirage in front of her.

"... There's plenty of reason..." Kate growled in return, angry tears clouding her optics. "When everything I touch... gets F*CKED UP!"

She struck the floor with a tightly clenched fist. "Nothing I do would please them, would it? Try to kill a f*cking child of Lephantis? Get hit in the face because their sister was being f*cking stupid! Try to get a comatose short piece of sh!t Nova to do anything at all while her own people die? Get choked for 'challenging her authority' and lose your job! F*CKING MORONS!"

"Why the hell did I even come here? I could be in Origin, doing some actual good rather than this bullsh!t! I didn't sign up for any of this idiotic f*ckery!"

She let loose another furious yell, fed by built-up resentment, then was quiet. Too quiet, glassy eyes reflecting nothing underneath her helmet. After a short while, her hands reached up and slowly embraced Lusith. Though the Mirage still trembled, distraught, she wasn't even close to harming one of the few people who had shown her some kindness in this voyage.

"I'm... I'm sorry, Lus, you shouldn't have had to hear any of that sh¡t. It's just..."

Edited June 13, 2016 by Achaix

[WingedCrusade]

She didn't know what was more surprising, the sudden wail of outrage, or the even moreso iron-grip clasp that Kate now held Lusith in. A brow perked as Lusith blinked twice, trying to think of what to make of the situation.

Stressed Tenno? Understandable. Sudden tight hugging? Not usually something that happens to the Valkyr. One of the closer people to the Valkyr being battered and emotionally unstable? That's... Oddly not new. The hug... What to do about the hug... Humm... Ah! Her arms slowly wrapped tight around Kate, returning the embrace comfortingly as hands held her close.

"Relax. Please, I am here.. It is alright, you are not bothering me, either. Why don't we go to somewhere more private and you can talk to me all you would like to? Would you want that, Kate? I am more than welcome to let you vent your mood to me."

Lusith's voice was quiet and soft, sounding more endearing than its normal tone.

Edited June 19, 2016 by WingedCrusade

[Aegia-]

The Limbo let out a slightly nervous chuckle as the Cephalon coolly analyzes his words. Even as Ancilla finishes speaking Null is silent for a few moments, mulling over his response in his head. "I highly doubt the presence of another Tenno that I could get along with as well as I do with you, Ancilla, on this ship or otherwise. I simply do not find other Tenno appealing in a social capacity." His thoughts turned to the others that had tried to "rescue" him, and he grit his teeth, just for a moment, one moment that was nigh invisible to those not paying attention. He smiled softly at the Cephalon's drone and drummed his fingers upon his knee. "I find you alluring in a way that flesh and blood can't compare to."

[Lady_Viper]

“Yes he should have” Jinx answered out aloud. Lancelot’s thoughts had been so direct that the Nyx couldn’t help but catch them up. “Oops...sorry about that...would you mind getting me back to the sickbed?”

The Nyx then focused her mind towards the surgery room. She wasn’t sure invading Dalimir’s mind again would be a good idea. In his current state it could backfire and cause more harm than good if she didn’t know what to do and how to do it immediately. She had already experienced mental tampering backfire horribly when in a stressed and pressured state trying to save Munin on that blasted Derelict they called a church.

Now she instead turned to make sure to warn the Grandmaster in there. She had seen his combat reflexes. If he had heard the shot earlier then he’d be on high alert and possibly strike at whatever tried to get in. She then suddenly saw the likeness between Dalimir and Munin in their stubborn attempt to reach their target, and it worried her.

‘Grandmaster Tacis, the one trying to get in is Dalimir, the Nekros. Do not open fire or try to cut him down. He’s in a horrible state but he’s still a friendly.’ At least she thought so. Wanting to find out the truth might be a flaw in this case but he was still part of the crew. And if he for some reason felt like bashing in Temperence’s head, who was she to judge?

---------II----------

Arthur had reached the point where he and Jinx had met up with the other tenno being chased by infested, and continued down the hallway he had remembered seeing them come from. But he soon had to set his HUDs scanner to detect infested tissue traces and spores to take him the rest of the way. The occasional marks of infested feet scraping against the floor also helped.

It was awfully quiet. The sort of quiet there is when you’re being watched, or right before someone springs a trap on you, ambushes and the like. Even though his brain told him the silence was due to them having killed everything in here, that feeling of imminent doom still remained.

But hadn’t there been a Cephelon here? Arthur was sure there had been one when they arrived. He might not have talked to it much himself but it had been there. So where was it now? He couldn’t recall seeing what it had been up to when they were fighting, had it been destroyed somehow?

“Hey Cephelon! Are you still around?” The Excalibur called out. If it was there, then he finally had some questions for it. He then silently wondered if the other two who had been poking around had asked the same questions, or if he’d give it a few new ones.

-----------II------------

As they moved in over the next sector and continued their scans, Xiu and the others would be able to finds some irregularities in the hull. Scans showed it to be in the material itself.

Edited June 28, 2016 by Lady_Viper

[Drakeardian]

On 28/06/2016 at 8:08 AM, Lady_Viper said:

“Yes he should have” Jinx answered out aloud. Lancelot’s thoughts had been so direct that the Nyx couldn’t help but catch them up. “Oops...sorry about that...would you mind getting me back to the sickbed?”

The Nyx then focused her mind towards the surgery room. She wasn’t sure invading Dalimir’s mind again would be a good idea. In his current state it could backfire and cause more harm than good if she didn’t know what to do and how to do it immediately. She had already experienced mental tampering backfire horribly when in a stressed and pressured state trying to save Munin on that blasted Derelict they called a church.

Now she instead turned to make sure to warn the Grandmaster in there. She had seen his combat reflexes. If he had heard the shot earlier then he’d be on high alert and possibly strike at whatever tried to get in. She then suddenly saw the likeness between Dalimir and Munin in their stubborn attempt to reach their target, and it worried her.

‘Grandmaster Tacis, the one trying to get in is Dalimir, the Nekros. Do not open fire or try to cut him down. He’s in a horrible state but he’s still a friendly.’ At least she thought so. Wanting to find out the truth might be a flaw in this case but he was still part of the crew. And if he for some reason felt like bashing in Temperence’s head, who was she to judge?

Lancelot stared deadpanned into space for a moment at Jinx's remark before looking at her for one moment before saying "Alright, brace yourself." he then began to help Jinx onto the bed, wrapping one hand around her legs as he takes her into a Bridesmaid's carry and gently places her on the bed, glancing into the door with a worried look. 

"Let's hope the Grandmaster can handle this." said Lancelot as he rested on the bed before looking to the Nyx and asking with a nagging thought in his mind and a way of repentance. "Why the Stalker colours anyway?"

[Temperance000]

Alaric entered Engineering with no small amount of trepidation, clutching Atlanta’s Opticor close to his chest.  After the other Volt – whose name he had not, unfortunately, had time to look up – had delivered the weapon back to the Armory along with some terse words from the irritable Chief Engineer, the Master Armorer had taken a few frenzied minutes to give Atlanta’s prized weapon the most thorough, painstaking inspection he was capable of in a relatively short amount of time.  He had double checked the firing mechanisms, such as they were in a purely energy-based weapon, examined the focusing lenses for the faintest hint of imperfection, barely restrained himself from taking the targeting assembly apart, and even polished two dozen half-imagined scratches from the casing.  And yet, he still had the distinct feeling that he was sticking his neck between the jaws of a rabid Kubrow. 

He found Atlanta in her usual place, at the center of the bustling hub that was her undisputed domain.  “Atlanta?” he addressed her cautiously.  “I received your message; I’ve brought your Opticor back, as you asked.  Was something wrong with it?”

+++

Cordia was frankly tired of dealing with Dalimir and his incessant questing for knowledge.  Had she the option of doing so, she would have placed him in a medical coma and locked him up in the intensive care ward, followed, perhaps, by a long spell in cryo until the worst of this mission had passed.  However, that edged a little too close to the boundaries of medical ethics for her comfort.  She had briefly considered locking him out of the surgical ward entirely – entirely within her power as they were delayed by the decontamination sequence – but that would only serve to drive him to even greater lengths in his quest to unravel Temperance’s secrets.  One way or another, that Nekros would find his answers eventually.  Cordia could only hope that whatever Tacis and Temperance came up with to placate him this time would throw him off the scent for good; if not, she was not sure how the Captain would choose to deal with him.  She had heard about the spacing of Tenno Alfrond back in Heiracon; she prayed it would not come to that.

The inner doors of the surgical suite began to open, and Cordia held her breath.  If her gambit had not payed off, hell was on the other side of that door.

+++

Hex was bored.  Mind-numbingly, chest-crushingly, heel-pounding-ly, shake-one’s-armored-fist-at-the-onscreen-sky bored.  Bored enough, apparently, to spend a few seconds of his life coming up with the aforementioned litany of hyphenated adjectives.

Firmly resolving never to occupy himself thus again, the Loki reached up and tapped a control hovering just below the level of his left eye. The Banshee twins with whom he shared the bridge were pleasant enough company, if one enjoyed the company of eerily-synchronized, monosyllabic types who always seemed to be listening.  Unfortunately for him, Hex was not among those who did.

“Archwing inspection team, Bridge,” he announced himself in the slightly over-eager, imperceptibly desperate tone of one who had definitely not spent the past day or so twiddling his thumbs.  “How’s it looking out there?  Any chance we’ll be space-borne again soon?”

+++

Null’s declaration really only served to confuse Ancilla further.  Some of her higher-logic processes wondered if the Tenno might be suffering from some form of fetish or psychological aberration, but her care-primacy directives overrode them.  Null was a member of her crew, and she was therefore precept-bound to attend to his welfare.  Granted, that could also extend to suspending his crew privileges and placing him on psychiatric leave under Healer Corida’s watch, but Ancilla had the distinct impression that Null would respond poorly to such a gesture.

“I am touched by your affection, Tenno Null,” she said.  “Though I am…uncertain if my current duties and capabilities allow me to reciprocate.  You mentioned that you wished to construct a body for me?  If you were to elaborate, perhaps I could obtain official sanction from the Captain to prevent any misunderstandings.”

Meanwhile, from the sensors of the terminal halfway across the ship, Praetor registered Setebos’ query and pinged Ancilla, who directed a fragment of her awareness back to answer him.

“Healer Cordia would much prefer that you rest, Tenno Setebos,” the Cephalon told him kindly.  “However, Hydroponics is always in need of tending.  If you found the work calming, I am certain she would not mind.”

+++

Somewhere deep in Iudicium’s code, bits and packets flickered and danced with suppressed digital glee.  Oh the things I could do with this footage, a tiny corner of the Cephalon’s mind exulted.  Bare milliseconds ago, he had tasked several low-level processes to review Souna’s files, and they were now returning an interesting data set from combined analysis of crew data and compiled surveillance footage.  Praise the miracles of modern surveillance and predictive algorithms, Iudicium thought smugly, and tasked another subroutine with planning future uses for the compromising footage.

“Please rest assured, Tenno Souna, we have taken the utmost precautions in sweeping the ship for Infested presence,” Iudicium replied in wholly professional tones.  It was not, after all, technically a lie.  “However, as recent experience with the cryogenics failure in Engineering has demonstrated, secondary evaluation is always valuable.  I will make the logs available on the terminal in your quarters, for you to review at your leisure.  Secondary Cephalon Praetor will be available to assist you as required.”

And to lock you in on the off chance you stumble across anything you shouldn’t.

+++

Temperance noted Tacis taking up a ready position by the door as his warframe finished booting.  As his condition continued to worsen, it seemed even the ancient biotech armor was having trouble keeping up.  At least, he noted, the pain from his wounds had started to fade as the warframe’s life support systems resumed their work.

With a movement of his hand, the surgical table elevated and incline to allow him to face the door over Tacis’ shoulder.  The hermetically sealed barrier hissed and began to open.

+++

There was no answer to Arthur’s call from the cold and golden halls of the ancient Tower; his voice fell flat in the vast and empty stillness.

Sudden motion in his peripheral vision would catch the Excalibur’s eye.  A door to a side hall opened of its own accord, and one of the lights inside extinguished.  An instant later, it flickered back to life, and the next in line winked out.  The sequence continued, leading deeper into the room: off, on, off, on, off, on.  As the flickering lights reached the end of their pattern, the far door opened and the sequence began again, starting at the door nearest Arthur and moving away.

The intent was clear:  someone wanted him to follow.

[SnaleKing]

Finally, Zokah arrived at her personal quarters. Her characteristic long, proud stride had carried her from the Tower without faltering, a small miracle considering her current state. Her warfame was rent open or punctured in dozens of places, most of which revealed curiously unharmed skin. Nonetheless, some scabbed-over gashes still wept blood whenever movement cracked them.

Only now, with the room's door closed behind her, did Zokah let her posture slump and show her pain. She tore off her helmet, finally silencing the frame’s shrieks of protest at its abused state, and allowing Zokah to examine her injuries without an interfering haze of warning runes. She almost wished she’d kept it on; the injuries definitely looked worse than they’d felt, given her extensively ingrained resistance to pain. Despite her talent for lifesteal, it seemed the sheer beating she’d taken from the Infested Ancients would require a visit to the medbay after all.

However, there’d be no sense marching about the ship, bleeding profusely. Zokah took a moment to apply the rudimentary warframe repair materials in her room. It was no substitute for proper repair, but it would at least seal the smaller gashes. Notably, a large cut across her waist remained exposed, but at long as she made no sudden movements, it shouldn’t bleed too much.

Mostly satisfied, Zokah stood, reattached her helmet, and headed out of her room. She navigated down the halls towards the medical bay, making sure to moderate the spring in her step to avoid cracking the exposed scabs. Her CPID still functioned, so she sent an advance notification to Cordia, making the medical officer aware of her approach. The message intentionally downplayed the severity of her injuries; if other Tenno had suffered similarly, Zokah would rather see them attended to first.

[Dalimir]

Dalimir rushed into the airlock between the med-bay and the surgical suite. Or at least, rushed as fast as one who was half-stumbling possibly could. He got to the other door only to find that it would not open. He threw his good arm at it a couple of times, obviously to no avail. Finding himself blocked he turned back to find the other door closed and the decontamination sequence cycling, and Cordia inside with him. Of course, of course she would try to block him. She was a part of the inner circle, protector and puppet to the Slithering Snake-thing. The Burrowing Viper.  He growled as he regarded her, Void energy the colour of blood and shadow with the properties of a shadowy mist leaking from the palms of his hands. She was servant of the enemy, and he would overcome every obstacle in front of every secret.

 

He then visibly stuttered, and the Void energy ceased as he clenched his fists tightly, remembering himself. No, this was a fellow Tenno, and he had no sufficient evidence to lash out and attack everyone around him. He may not be the first to admit his obsessed state, but he is far from mad because of it. He turned back towards the door, awaiting its opening. It was then that he finally began to realize his injuries and their hold over him. His momentum cut, he began to stagger and sway. Unbalanced by the severity of his injuries now that his progressed has ceased.

 

When the door finally opened, he stumbled inside, before backing up two steps and falling to his knees, his waist no longer able to properly support him. He looked to Tacis and his Kubrow, regarding them for a second before looking to Temperance, and with the last of his strength, spoke. "Slithering Snake, Burrowing Viper, digging, tunneling. Ever closer... inside the mind... Your secrets... WILL be MINE..." And with those words spoken, he only groaned as his eyes lolled into his head, and fell forwards to the ground, finally passing out on the floor as he fully succumbed to his injured state, unaware of the world around him.

[Owlrrex]

Souna

Souna's surveillance reports were a rather boring view: She had walked most of the hallways at least once in the beginning, to see most rooms accessible to her and learn the layout. This included approaching the officer's quarters as much as possible, up to their individual quarter's doors should she come that far. In the remaining time she had sunken in a routine of jogging along the corridors for fitness, extended visits to the shooting range and melee training area, or working her own hard- and software in her quarters. She seemed to have no leisure time, no fun at all, but if the records were really detailed, Iudicium might gather that especially when practicing her soaring-spinning-and-jumping-techniques in the combat area, she had been genuinely excited beyond need for any other hobby.
Her files were a little bit more interesting concerning her personality, unearthing her picky nature about missions, having declined emergency calls which she deemed lost causes, but in turn fulfilling nearly every single one of her the missions she did decide to partake in. She appeared to be a prime example of a person so gifted that she develops into a troublemaker.
Besides other footage of her using the bathrooms, Iudicium would not find much material that was harmful to Souna's reputation. No trying seduction, no beguiling, no bewitching. Her current demeanor might come from the fact that she's not facing a man - carelessness would not really be like her.

Oblivious to how exhilerated Iudicium's secondary processes were by her appearance - if she knew, she might even have taken that as a compliment, gods beware - she reacted only to the Cephalon's words, stroking one strand of hair out of her face. 
"I really do not wish to inspire mistrust into your capable administration of this ship." Well, having this diplomatic, almost sweet-talking way of conversation would be nothing new for Iudicium if he had already reviewed his search's results. "But we all want to do our best to ensure our well-being and return to Origin. Another accident like the one in cryogenics failure can only be avoided by everyone's care and vigilance." Despite her words being chosen like from a book, she's not just an empty phrase to her. The Zephyr actually believes in her cause that makes her say those things. "A 'second evaluation' is indeed the perfect way to put it. Thank you, I will review them a. s. a. p. and hand in my report to you or Grandmaster Tacis." Why she added Tacis? Just a gut-feeling of hers. She's not really a person to be blindly guided by intuition, but sometimes, a little slip like this happens. Even to her.

With things on her side being said for now, Souna considered returning under the shower, but then decided that she really had wasted enough time. After turning the water off she put aside her belongings with dutiful care: Her weapon first, on a nearby shelf meant for soap and the like, and then the CPID. Every man would have blushed by what Iudicium got to see there. Then, the device is set next to the Dex Furis. While Iudicium would probably answer, Souna dried herself with the towel.

 

Maina

Maina was willing to accept Abra's advice to not seek out the medical wing right now with a small nod. Then she moved her hands away from her mouth, one lowering, the other stroking her hair, like an habitual gesture. Although she wanted to speak, finding words for what sprang up inside her heart was not that easy. When Abra looked back to her, she still had not uttered a single word. 
When he approached her in his most caring manner, the little Banshee did not hesitate to take up what she interpreted as a wordless offer: She softly leaned against him, her hands resting on his chest, not really hugging him, but close to him nevertheless, resting her cheek against his warframe.

"I know... I know I didn't. Mother aids my every step, and I trust her to not mislead me. It's just... it will take so long for her to come to terms with this. And she will be so weak in the meantime... vulnerable. I fear what she might face in the crew that once fought aside her..." Maina looked up to Abra from below, her eyes still glistening, but also very direct.
"You won't abandon her, will you? I won't forgive anyone who does."
Although not threatening, by Maina's standards these words were suprisingly clear, like a promise, or an oath. Something that she not only believed in - that was true for almost everything she said or did - but she actually intended to see through to the end. A personal purpose, instead of spontaneously following her supposedly-divine inspirations. Something this Tenno might risk a lot for. 

Edited July 8, 2016 by ArrexDrandko
refined some wording

[Achaix]

On 6/19/2016 at 4:55 AM, WingedCrusade said:

She didn't know what was more surprising, the sudden wail of outrage, or the even moreso iron-grip clasp that Kate now held Lusith in. A brow perked as Lusith blinked twice, trying to think of what to make of the situation.

Stressed Tenno? Understandable. Sudden tight hugging? Not usually something that happens to the Valkyr. One of the closer people to the Valkyr being battered and emotionally unstable? That's... Oddly not new. The hug... What to do about the hug... Humm... Ah! Her arms slowly wrapped tight around Kate, returning the embrace comfortingly as hands held her close.

"Relax. Please, I am here.. It is alright, you are not bothering me, either. Why don't we go to somewhere more private and you can talk to me all you would like to? Would you want that, Kate? I am more than welcome to let you vent your mood to me."

Lusith's voice was quiet and soft, sounding more endearing than its normal tone.

"No." The word came suddenly and without warning, Kate quickly but gently pushing the embrace away. "N-No, I can't. You're... you're a friend, Lus, shouldn't vent things out on you. This is just... an overreaction, see? Nothin' to be worried about."

Her mouth widened into a large, fake grin. Her voice cracked as she repeated. "Nothin' to be worried about."

-+-

On 7/7/2016 at 8:10 PM, ArrexDrandko said:

Maina was willing to accept Abra's advice to not seek out the medical wing right now with a small nod. Then she moved her hands away from her mouth, one lowering, the other stroking her hair, like an habitual gesture. Although she wanted to speak, finding words for what sprang up inside her heart was not that easy. When Abra looked back to her, she still had not uttered a single word. 

When he approached her in his most caring manner, the little Banshee did not hesitate to take up what she interpreted as a wordless offer: She softly leaned against him, her hands resting on his chest, not really hugging him, but close to him nevertheless, resting her cheek against his warframe.

"I know... I know I didn't. Mother aids my every step, and I trust her to not mislead me. It's just... it will take so long for her to come to terms with this. And she will be so weak in the meantime... vulnerable. I fear what she might face in the crew that once fought aside her..." Maina looked up to Abra from below, her eyes still glistening, but also very direct.
"You won't abandon her, will you? I won't forgive anyone who does."
Although not threatening, by Maina's standards these words were suprisingly clear, like a promise, or an oath. Something that she not only believed in - that was true for almost everything she said or did - but she actually intended to see through to the end. A personal purpose, instead of spontaneously following her supposedly-divine inspirations. Something this Tenno might risk a lot for. 

She was surprisingly small, just like Her. Even in this not-quite-hug, his larger form protectively covered Maina, who just barely reached his chest in height.

Stop. Thinking like that is a disservice to Her... to Sophia.

The Banshee talked more, and he couldn't help but admire that spirit. This was a kind soul, not meant for war. Perhaps Trinity would have been a better fit.

"That is a noble thought, Maina." To place the focus on others, not oneself, was a difficult milestone for many. Abra was not proud enough to claim he was past it -his thoughts could still be selfish, even if his actions were rarely so. The danger in selflessness, however, was to forget one's own value and sacrifice oneself for any cause...

That dutiful feeling, one that could only be described as "I must protect", passed down through all who wore Oberon, the fearsome Paladin and kindhearted Druid. He would protect Maina from the horrors they would certainly see on their journey, and ensure her kindness survived.

"You won't abandon her, will you?"

He embraced her properly, more like a father than a lover. His right hand rested on the space between her shoulderblades, while his left prosthetic cradled her head. "Never. How could I, Maina?"

[WingedCrusade]

On July 10, 2016 at 8:22 AM, Achaix said:

"No." The word came suddenly and without warning, Kate quickly but gently pushing the embrace away. "N-No, I can't. You're... you're a friend, Lus, shouldn't vent things out on you. This is just... an overreaction, see? Nothin' to be worried about."

Her mouth widened into a large, fake grin. Her voice cracked as she repeated. "Nothin' to be worried about."

-+-

'Nothin' to be worried about.' Right, Lusith isn't believing that for a second.. Kate seemed plain and clearly like she were overly distressed. Pushing Lusith away and saying she's fine won't simply hide that. Lusith folded her arms and tilted her head as she tried to figure out what she'd do about Kate.

"Kate..? It's okay. Really.. I don't like to see you this way.."

Lusith moved beside Kate and put her hands endearingly on both of her shoulders, about to guide her away at her request if she would ask.

"Come to my room with me Kate. Here is not a good place for this. At least you should have privacy.. You don't have to act tough to impress me, friend.. And I don't think any less of you if you want to vent to me."

[Owlrrex]

Maina:

Suiting her personality better with a restorative warframe had often been suggested to Maina. Every time, the Banshee had remained adamant that she would not stray from the path that Mother had chosen for her, until the person eventually gave up. In some things, there was no sense in discussing with the little woman.
"Many hearts have shed all their tears and blood, only to find themselves as cold as their blades. Space is too cold for a lone soul to endure, I think." she pondered sadly. Instead of tears, her eyes shed compassion for those unfortunate souls. "That's why mother guides her children to share her warmth and wisdom to our best abilities. Those who can't hear her whispers, nor see her grace, are ours to tend to. I don't think it's that noble... it's just human, living by my heart." 
With her being 'in charge' of the Manifold's crew, for now, but she didn't say that aloud. 

When Abra answered her embrace, Maina was even more suprised of the Oberon. She stayed in her position for a moment, then hugged him kindly, until her cheek laid against his chest again. "I hear a good heart in you. I don't think you will need much help. But don't think I will be any less open to you because of that, yes? Just as for everyone else, I'll be there for you whenever you need it." Her tone was far from making this an inappropiate offer - she sounded just like a sister speaking to her sibling. A big sister, ironically.
Then she let go of Abra, smiling at him. "I guess I'll send Sah'jey a message now. Then she can decide for herself when she wants me to see her." The thought crossed her mind that being in control of this little aspect of her life might actually strengthen her confidence, lessen the feeling of helplessness. But this came just after she had decided what to do, it wasn't like she had thought about it that much. And just a split-second later, the thought was gone again, carried onward by the wind.
To carry out what she announced, she looked around to find her CPID laying on one of the flowerbed's edges, where she had left it thoughtlessly.

[fishworshipper]

 

Spoiler

On 6/28/2016 at 0:08 AM, Lady_Viper said:

Now she instead turned to make sure to warn the Grandmaster in there. She had seen his combat reflexes. If he had heard the shot earlier then he’d be on high alert and possibly strike at whatever tried to get in. She then suddenly saw the likeness between Dalimir and Munin in their stubborn attempt to reach their target, and it worried her.

‘Grandmaster Tacis, the one trying to get in is Dalimir, the Nekros. Do not open fire or try to cut him down. He’s in a horrible state but he’s still a friendly.’ At least she thought so. Wanting to find out the truth might be a flaw in this case but he was still part of the crew. And if he for some reason felt like bashing in Temperence’s head, who was she to judge?

On 7/2/2016 at 2:02 PM, Temperance000 said:

Temperance noted Tacis taking up a ready position by the door as his warframe finished booting.  As his condition continued to worsen, it seemed even the ancient biotech armor was having trouble keeping up.  At least, he noted, the pain from his wounds had started to fade as the warframe’s life support systems resumed their work.

 

With a movement of his hand, the surgical table elevated and incline to allow him to face the door over Tacis’ shoulder.  The hermetically sealed barrier hissed and began to open.

On 7/4/2016 at 5:42 AM, Dalimir said:

Dalimir rushed into the airlock between the med-bay and the surgical suite. Or at least, rushed as fast as one who was half-stumbling possibly could. He got to the other door only to find that it would not open. He threw his good arm at it a couple of times, obviously to no avail. Finding himself blocked he turned back to find the other door closed and the decontamination sequence cycling, and Cordia inside with him. Of course, of course she would try to block him. She was a part of the inner circle, protector and puppet to the Slithering Snake-thing. The Burrowing Viper.  He growled as he regarded her, Void energy the colour of blood and shadow with the properties of a shadowy mist leaking from the palms of his hands. She was servant of the enemy, and he would overcome every obstacle in front of every secret.

 

He then visibly stuttered, and the Void energy ceased as he clenched his fists tightly, remembering himself. No, this was a fellow Tenno, and he had no sufficient evidence to lash out and attack everyone around him. He may not be the first to admit his obsessed state, but he is far from mad because of it. He turned back towards the door, awaiting its opening. It was then that he finally began to realize his injuries and their hold over him. His momentum cut, he began to stagger and sway. Unbalanced by the severity of his injuries now that his progressed has ceased.

 

When the door finally opened, he stumbled inside, before backing up two steps and falling to his knees, his waist no longer able to properly support him. He looked to Tacis and his Kubrow, regarding them for a second before looking to Temperance, and with the last of his strength, spoke. "Slithering Snake, Burrowing Viper, digging, tunneling. Ever closer... inside the mind... Your secrets... WILL be MINE..." And with those words spoken, he only groaned as his eyes lolled into his head, and fell forwards to the ground, finally passing out on the floor as he fully succumbed to his injured state, unaware of the world around him.

 

 

Spoiler

'Acknowledged, Jinx' Tacis responded, fluidly sheathing his blade and standing in such a way to physically block as much of the doorway as possible. An almost unnoticeable hand gesture told Nikephoros to stand down, and although he followed the command there seemed to be an air of regret about the kubrow, as if he still longed for the thrill of combat. The doors opened, despite his command to Praetor to lock them, and out stumbled the broken and battered Nekros, Dalimir. His injuries finally catching up to him, he folded into a sitting position, before speaking barely recognizable nonsense and collapsing at Tacis' feet. 

 

The immediate threat resolved, Tacis looked up from the bleeding heap of Tenno on the floor. "Healer Cordia," he acknowledged. 

(I'm not particularly happy with this post, but it contains the basics of what Tacis does and that's good enough to advance the plot. I'll edit after I get some sleep)

[Lady_Viper]

He didn't like this, not at all. It was way too quiet in here. The cephalon wasn't responding, all was still and quiet. No sound of footsteps, no faint sound of voices, not even the sound of machinery, only the sound of his own breathing inside his helmet.

Arthur was starting to feel tense, the quiet was worse than when you heard someone, at least that meant that you could keep track on where possible hostiles were. Now? It could mean that there really wasn't anyone there. But in most cases it had meant that there was someone lurking about who was a better at stealth than he was.

The sudden movement made him act by instinct and he quickly notched and drew an arrow, aiming it where he had seen movement. The Excalibur carefully closed in on the opened door along the wall before quickly rounding the doorframe, pointing the notched bow down an empty hallway.

Lights flickering on one by one, and then one by one went out, and kept going. Again, again and again. Arthur felt the hair on his neck stand on end and adrenaline rushing through his body. He half expected the Stalker to appear though a veil of smoke, he was almost sure he would, but nothing happened. Only the lights flickering on and off in sequence.

Nothing else had moved and nothing else had happened. Maybe it was a trap. Maybe it was the cephalon trying to contact him, if it had been incapacitated somehow it made some sense. But even if it was the cephalon it could still be a trap.

He stood there for a while as the lights kept flickering, trying to decide what to do. His brain told him that going into the unknown alone was a really bad idea, and still he didn't want to turn back or stand still, waiting for anyone to come over. There was also this curiosity, this need to know what was in the end of that hallway that told him to continue, to keep going.

It could also be that there was nothing there and he had just worked himself up for nothing. He had to check it out, but it might be a good idea to contact Jinx o let someone know where he was and intended to do. If only to counterweight the fact that going in alone was a bad idea to begin with.

"Jinx? I've found some irregularities in the sector the infested came from and I'm going in to investigate. I'll mark out my position to let you know where I am." He left out the part with the ominous lights.

"Hm? No I don't have anyone with me. Speak with you later, I'm going in." With that he closed the comm link and with cautious, slow steps and raised bow at the ready continued to the door, and opened it.

 

 

----------II----------

 

 

Jinx had just opened her mouth to tell the Excalibur that the Grandmaster was perfectly capable of handling most any situation and that it was Dalimir she was more worried about. Besides that she had just got an affirmative from the Grandmaster so she knew that her warning had came through. But before she managed any sound he had asked her about the colours of her Warframe, reminding her of her original task and mission.

Her mouth shut again as she looked at him in silence before shifting on the sickbed to stare up in the ceiling instead. With a flat voice the Nyx answered “What better way to stalk a stalker than in his own colours.”

Only moments later, she heard something from the com in her helmet and reach out for it to put it on again. "Arthur? Where are y- what? Do you at least have someone with you? Arthur wait!" And with that the audio was shut off.

A wave or anger washed over Jinx before giving way to worry. There was something he wasn't telling her, she just knew it. She immediately took the map up on her HUD to look at where Arthur had marked his position. It was an area she hadn't been too before, so she had no idea of what was there, nor did Arthur judging by what and how he had said it.

The Nyx was about to jump off of the sickbed and go find him herself before stopping and remembering her predicament. She could make the injury worse if she got up running, or at the very least slow the healing process, and yet she couldn't just let Arthur go snooping about on his own. The tower was probably empty by now, but what if he ran into more infested that they hadn't found or the sentry held back some corrupted that they didn't know about and her brother ran into them?

She tried to think of something to do about it, and then her eyes ended up on Lancelot again. Maybe she couldn't do much but he could. He wasn't injured, and wasn't doing much right now.

Jinx looked pleadingly at the Excalibur by her side "Would you go join my brother in the tower? I don't like him skulking about alone in that place" She didn't want to come across as too worried, but she wasn't sure she had managed that.

 

 

----------II----------

 

 

Atlanta looked up from the datapad in her hand to stare the the master armourer in the visor of his helmet, as if she was staring right through it and into his eyes.

"Something wrong with it? Something wrong with it?!" The Nova could barely contain her anger. Just the thought of that Mirage made her blood boil.

"I don't know, you tell me. You're the one who sent that...that thing, that Mirage down here. Holding MY GUN. Do you have any idea of how much she could have done to sabotage it? To make it a ticking time bomb? Or just some little thing to make it blow up in my hands? Do you?! Did you know that she had the nerve to threaten me, with my own weapon?! Had it pointed at my face!"

"She is not allowed down here, she is never going to be allowed down here. And you sent her here, handing her an opportunity to sabotage. Now what do you have to say?!" Her voice dripped with poison and she had taken steps towards the Volt while speaking. Now having reduced the distance between them and standing in front of him she repeated "What do you have to say"

Edited July 19, 2016 by Lady_Viper