[Fanfiction, Now With Second Dream Spoilers] Fear The Silence, Fear The Screams

[MopUpCrewman]

Actually what would really happen is: Everyone in the group is using lvl0 weapons for levelling and Stalker kills everyone because they can't hurt him.

 

At least, that's what'd happen to me. I always have the worst luck :P 

 

Edit: Furthermore Nova wouldn't want to harm Valkyr. 

I always bring at least one max ranked weapon when I'm leveling. And why would they bring rank 0 weapons if they're on a mission that isn't Draco and the objective is clearly important? Furthermore, Nova wouldn't hurt Valkyr. Just slow her. The effect would disappear in a certain amount of time after all.

 

Edit: Sorry for all the specifics on what would happen. Tough day.

Edited November 10, 2015 by Senpai-Pie

[Knayles]

My joke was not funny, I realize this now.

[Knayles]

#19; Spilled Blood

The Stalker had gotten Valkyr to talk, although not without some difficulty. The berserker told him her story, why she was alone; a story of hatred and betrayal. He could sense her disdain for the other Tenno, a feeling he shared all too much. She wasn’t like the others, not quite, and if she desired to kill them then why not let her?  He could always stab her in the back later and if she managed to take down even just one Tenno in her rampage he’d be all that much closer to fulfilling his own brand of vengeance. An alliance was made that day, however temporary it may be, and it was sure to be a terrifying one indeed.  Valkyr’s rage was akin to his own, though their motives were not entirely the same. He fought for what he considered to be retribution, she just fought for revenge.

 

When the other Tenno arrived a battle immediately ensued. Excalibur quickly ordered Mag to keep Valkyr separated from the Stalker and for Volt to help keep her occupied. Nova was instructed to stay back – for her own safety of course – and unleash hell on the stalker from afar.

 

Unfortunately for the group none of Excalibur’s orders would prove fruitful.

 

Mag used her signature pull to yank Valkyr across the room, the berserker retaliated with a pull of her own. While being hurled through the air Valkyr launched her rip-line back at Mag. The line connected and Valkyr used the other Tenno as an anchor to land herself with. Mag was staggered by the weight of Valkyr’s velocity and then immediately tugged again by the berserker and hurled into a solid steel wall. Excalibur charged in to do battle with the Stalker one-on-one while Volt kept Valkyr occupied. The berserker had stunned Mag for a moment but she had no time to hesitate. Excalibur and the stalker clashed blades, sword against scythe. All this while Nova stood at a safe distance and watched with concern.

 

The youngest Tenno was uncertain. Her soma was raised to aim but not fire for fear of hitting Excalibur instead of the Stalker. As accurate as she could be there was no predicting the movements of her fellow Tenno – nor the spread of bullets from that automatic rifle. She feared using her powers on either foe as well; in her mind she believed her abilities too lethal to be used so closely to her allies. As such the youngest Tenno hesitated, shifting her attention from the Stalker to Valkyr. Nova didn’t want any of her brothers or sisters to die from this, not when she felt like it was partially her fault.  “Valkyr, stop!” she cried out instead, hoping her pleas might reach the furious one. Such pleas would fall on deaf ears, unfortunately. In her hysteria Valkyr could hear nothing but the sound of her own claws slashing at Volt while he evaded every move. “Valkyr please, we’re not here to punish you!”  Again the words went unheard by the target but Nova continued even still, hoping that something might get through.

 

In the meantime Mag had recovered and Volt was steadily keeping the berserker occupied but every attack he dodged only served to intensify Valkyr’s rage. She struck harder and faster, Volt kept moving faster, and Mag tried to pull the berserker again.

 

This time both she and Volt would be stopped in their tracks.

 

The Stalker shoved Excalibur back and swept his hand through the air, cackling as he dispelled all the active powers in the room. “I wonder if the rest of you have learned to recover as fast as your insane friend!” he mocked them, dashing at Excalibur again for another clash of blades. Volt was slowed, Mag was silenced, Valkyr’s rage was paused, but the berserker recovered faster than the others. Valkyr cut Volt across the chest with her claws and struck his jaw with a left hook. 

 

“No!” screamed Nova, raising her rifle to take aim at the berserker. She didn’t want to harm Valkyr but she knew this had to be stopped somehow. Valkyr turned to strike Mag next but she would find herself suddenly slowed. Her body tingled, strangely, and her movements felt oddly hindered. “Stop it, we don’t want to kill you!” Nova cried again. 

 

It mattered not what she said, Valkyr continued to fight despite the handicap.  Violent and now volatile; the berserker continued to strike at the Tenno. Nova had slowed her but at the cost of putting her at an even greater risk. It wouldn’t take much to make her explode. Volt and Mag could only avoid her sluggish attacks now.

 

The Stalker wouldn’t let this pass however, not when there was such amusement to be had. Fighting the Tenno by himself was a righteous calling to him, something he believed he had to do, but watching Valkyr try to destroy the Tenno instead was just the greatest show he’d seen in all his life.  The Stalker pushed Excalibur back again and dropped a smoke screen at his feet, immediately teleporting away. He reappeared behind Mag, striking her hard in the side with his scythe. Mag’s shields absorbed the majority of the impact but she was still injured with a piercing wound. “Now, now, is this any way to treat your siblings?” the Stalker mocked, casting his infamous dispel again.

 

Valkyr lurched, freed from the binding ability that previously slowed her. Excalibur dashed into the group aiming once again for the Stalker but Valkyr would catch him instead.  Weakened but still able to fight; both Volt and Mag turned on the Stalker instead. Mag retreated and equipped her pistol, taking aim while Volt drew his ether blades. Even without his powers Volt was normally able to strike faster than any one of his allies – especially with lightweight weapons like these – but he was bleeding and sore.  Nevertheless he made a match for the Stalker, able to evade or parry the slower movements of the scythe. Mag took careful aim and fired her pistol, a hit! The stalker’s shoulder took the bullet but he wasn’t going to let that slow him down.

 

Valkyr had intercepted Excalibur’s dash, she stepped into his path and thrust her fist heavily into his gut.  He cut her across the chest and she followed up with a right hook to the side of his head, ignoring the pain as usual. Nova was hesitant again. Her powers couldn’t help anyone here, not with the Stalker’s dispel to counter it. By now everyone except her was bleeding in some form or another and she couldn’t allow this to continue. The young Tenno felt her stomach twist into knots as she raised her rifle and took aim. She had to risk hurting one of her own to end this, otherwise it was guaranteed to end badly.

 

“Volt, down!” she shouted, squeezing the trigger a second later.  Volt didn’t skip a beat.  The brother Tenno dropped low as a rain of bullets pelted the Stalker up high.

 

“No you don’t!” growled the Stalker loudly. He suffered several shots to the torso before vanishing again, teleporting himself to Nova’s back. Like Mag; the youngest Tenno was struck. Nova yelped out in pain as the Stalker’s attack not only hit her but threw her to the ground. His axe was raised to deliver a killing blow but the young Tenno would be rescued by the unlikeliest hero. It wasn’t Mag or Volt who stopped the Stalker – Mag was ready to shoot again and Volt could have rushed in but it was Excalibur who saved the day.

 

Sort of.

 

Actually it was Valkyr who saved the day; having done so by hurling a rip-lined Excalibur through the air towards the two. She had just grabbed Excalibur when she heard Nova’s pained cry. For some reason it reached out to her when nothing else did. Valkyr turned and saw the young Tenno hit the floor of the ship, and then threw Excalibur just in the nick of time.

 

Stalker was hit by the flying Tenno, knocked over like a bowling pin. Nova quickly scrambled to her feet and distanced herself while the two men wrestled on the ground. Both injured, both sore, both tired; Excalibur and Stalker fought with grapples and punches now while the rest watched in awe.

 

Except for Valkyr.

 

The berserker’s rage was still not sated, her vengeance unfulfilled. She hadn’t forgotten who it was that put her in stasis to begin with, nor who made her feel the most unwanted when she was quiet and withdrawn at the dojo.

 

Excalibur.

 

Valkyr charged, seething with hate.  She grasped the horn on Excalibur’s helmet and peeled him off of the Stalker.

 

“Valkyr stop!” Nova cried, raising her soma again. Mag took aim with her pistol as well but her vision was starting to blur from the blood loss. Volt, too, had lost quite a bit and Nova was hesitant to shoot Valkyr. She cared too much…And it cost them all.

 

The Stalker grinned behind his mask as Valkyr raised Excalibur up. “Do it!” he urged the berserker. “Punish him!”

 

Valkyr held Excalibur’s horn firm in her right hand and impaled him through the back with her left. Nova froze in horror while Valkyr topped it all off with a twist of Excalibur’s head, snapping his neck.

 

Big Brother had fallen.

 

As his body went limp Mag unloaded her entire ammo clip firing wildly at the berserker. Most bullets missed and even those that hit her were ignored again. The Stalker’s cackling laughter drowned out every other noise that could be heard. Volt rushed forth, the Stalker jumped to his feet. Valkyr dropped Excalibur’s corpse to the floor while Volt and the Stalker clashed blades again.  The berserker had claimed her vengeance, some of it anyway. The Tenno she hated most was dead and with no corpus left aboard ship to slaughter she was…Well…Done. She stood there, silent, staring at his corpse, still burning but appeased while the others continued to fight the Stalker.

 

Mag reloaded her pistol while Volt stabbed at the Stalker with everything he had left. Nova was too terrified to do anything else but stare with shaky breaths at the sight of her fallen brother. She’d never seen one of her own kind die before.

 

Weakened and weary the Stalker knew that he couldn’t finish this battle alone. It was over, for now, but he wouldn’t leave without one more cut.  Nova’s rain of bullets had done more damage than anyone else that day; the Stalker would make sure she paid for it. Like many times before he vanished, teleported, appearing again behind Nova’s back.  His scythe was raised to strike, this would be a killing blow, the Tenno would lose not one but two of their ilk this day – if not for Valkyr.

 

The berserker saw it from the corner of her eye. She wasn’t sure why she felt the urge to protect Nova but her instincts kicked in faster than she could think to stop them. Nova was spared the reaper’s scythe by the skin of her teeth, pulled away by Valkyr’s rip-line.  Hate scratched Nova’s back as she was yanked away. Valkyr caught the young Tenno in her arms and snarled at the Stalker viciously. He knew right then that it was over.

 

“I see…Until the next time, Tenno…”

The Stalker vanished in a puff of dark smoke, retreating to mend his wounds. Four living but injured Tenno were left alone with one dead Tenno at their feet. Valkyr’s rage was cooling; she now felt the sting of the many injuries that she had suffered throughout it all. Of them all Nova had suffered the fewest injuries thanks in part for Valkyr’s protection.  The berserker let go of Nova and began lumbering away slowly, knowing that the others would not forgive her for the murder of their kin.

 

“Don’t let her get away” Mag groaned, holding herself in pain. Volt clutched a hand to his bleeding chest and agreed, commenting “She’s gotta pay for this one, Nova.”

 

So it had all fallen upon Nova to stop Valkyr this time. Fitting, since she was the one who released her in the first place. Nova knew they were right, Valkyr had to pay for Excalibur’s death, yet in her heart she still felt differently.  She hesitated, looking towards Valkyr.  The berserker was slowly lumbering away, bleeding, injured like the others. Chances are she’d die if left alone and Excalibur would still be avenged.  Nova couldn’t leave it like that.

 

“Why did you save me?” the young Tenno asked.

 

Valkyr stopped in her tracks, wavering in place. She wondered the same thing. 

 

“You could have let me die too but you didn’t. You saved me twice.”

 

“Nova, what are you doing?” asked Mag, struggling to stand on her own.

 

“It’s because you care, right?” Nova continued, ignoring the others. “You care and that means you aren’t a monster like everyone else thinks. Right?”

 

Valkyr stood silently, wavering, gazing vacantly at the hallway ahead of her. Was Nova right? Did she care? Why?  Valkyr couldn’t remember ever caring about anyone, she couldn’t remember anything before being torn apart and rebuilt by the Corpus. All she remembered was the pain, the torment, her hatred…Was this something new then?

 

“You do care…” Nova nodded, hopeful. “You’re not a monster, Valkyr. Regardless of what anyone thinks you’re one of us.  Just come back, we’ll find a way to work this out.”

 

Volt and Mag watched in silence now, unconvinced. Valkyr slowly turned, halfway, still staring vacantly at nothing in particular. She pulled off her helmet, showing that lifeless gaze of hers to the others.  “There’s no fixing this and you know it” she said. “If you take me back to the dojo I’m going right back into a glass prison, or worse, and if that doesn’t happen I’ll end up killing another one of you eventually.”  Valkyr sighed, her gaze dropping to the floor. Excalibur wasn’t the only Tenno she hated after all. She could tolerate most of them but some still infuriated her – Loki for example. If he’d been here he’d probably be dead too. “Just leave me alone” she said. “I’ll stay out of your way if you stay out of mine.  I’ll just go hunt Corpus until I die.”

 

“No” Nova argued, shaking her head. “We’ll find a way, I know we can. You’re not a monster, you’re Tenno. Please…We’ve lost enough here today.”

[ThunderPyre]

#19; Spilled Blood

The Stalker had gotten Valkyr to talk, although not without some difficulty. The berserker told him her story, why she was alone; a story of hatred and betrayal. He could sense her disdain for the other Tenno, a feeling he shared all too much. She wasn’t like the others, not quite, and if she desired to kill them then why not let her? He could always stab her in the back later and if she managed to take down even just one Tenno in her rampage he’d be all that much closer to fulfilling his own brand of vengeance. An alliance was made that day, however temporary it may be, and it was sure to be a terrifying one indeed. Valkyr’s rage was akin to his own, though their motives were not entirely the same. He fought for what he considered to be retribution, she just fought for revenge.

When the other Tenno arrived a battle immediately ensued. Excalibur quickly ordered Mag to keep Valkyr separated from the Stalker and for Volt to help keep her occupied. Nova was instructed to stay back – for her own safety of course – and unleash hell on the stalker from afar.

Unfortunately for the group none of Excalibur’s orders would prove fruitful.

Mag used her signature pull to yank Valkyr across the room, the berserker retaliated with a pull of her own. While being hurled through the air Valkyr launched her rip-line back at Mag. The line connected and Valkyr used the other Tenno as an anchor to land herself with. Mag was staggered by the weight of Valkyr’s velocity and then immediately tugged again by the berserker and hurled into a solid steel wall. Excalibur charged in to do battle with the Stalker one-on-one while Volt kept Valkyr occupied. The berserker had stunned Mag for a moment but she had no time to hesitate. Excalibur and the stalker clashed blades, sword against scythe. All this while Nova stood at a safe distance and watched with concern.

The youngest Tenno was uncertain. Her soma was raised to aim but not fire for fear of hitting Excalibur instead of the Stalker. As accurate as she could be there was no predicting the movements of her fellow Tenno – nor the spread of bullets from that automatic rifle. She feared using her powers on either foe as well; in her mind she believed her abilities too lethal to be used so closely to her allies. As such the youngest Tenno hesitated, shifting her attention from the Stalker to Valkyr. Nova didn’t want any of her brothers or sisters to die from this, not when she felt like it was partially her fault. “Valkyr, stop!” she cried out instead, hoping her pleas might reach the furious one. Such pleas would fall on deaf ears, unfortunately. In her hysteria Valkyr could hear nothing but the sound of her own claws slashing at Volt while he evaded every move. “Valkyr please, we’re not here to punish you!” Again the words went unheard by the target but Nova continued even still, hoping that something might get through.

In the meantime Mag had recovered and Volt was steadily keeping the berserker occupied but every attack he dodged only served to intensify Valkyr’s rage. She struck harder and faster, Volt kept moving faster, and Mag tried to pull the berserker again.

This time both she and Volt would be stopped in their tracks.

The Stalker shoved Excalibur back and swept his hand through the air, cackling as he dispelled all the active powers in the room. “I wonder if the rest of you have learned to recover as fast as your insane friend!” he mocked them, dashing at Excalibur again for another clash of blades. Volt was slowed, Mag was silenced, Valkyr’s rage was paused, but the berserker recovered faster than the others. Valkyr cut Volt across the chest with her claws and struck his jaw with a left hook.

“No!” screamed Nova, raising her rifle to take aim at the berserker. She didn’t want to harm Valkyr but she knew this had to be stopped somehow. Valkyr turned to strike Mag next but she would find herself suddenly slowed. Her body tingled, strangely, and her movements felt oddly hindered. “Stop it, we don’t want to kill you!” Nova cried again.

It mattered not what she said, Valkyr continued to fight despite the handicap. Violent and now volatile; the berserker continued to strike at the Tenno. Nova had slowed her but at the cost of putting her at an even greater risk. It wouldn’t take much to make her explode. Volt and Mag could only avoid her sluggish attacks now.

The Stalker wouldn’t let this pass however, not when there was such amusement to be had. Fighting the Tenno by himself was a righteous calling to him, something he believed he had to do, but watching Valkyr try to destroy the Tenno instead was just the greatest show he’d seen in all his life. The Stalker pushed Excalibur back again and dropped a smoke screen at his feet, immediately teleporting away. He reappeared behind Mag, striking her hard in the side with his scythe. Mag’s shields absorbed the majority of the impact but she was still injured with a piercing wound. “Now, now, is this any way to treat your siblings?” the Stalker mocked, casting his infamous dispel again.

Valkyr lurched, freed from the binding ability that previously slowed her. Excalibur dashed into the group aiming once again for the Stalker but Valkyr would catch him instead. Weakened but still able to fight; both Volt and Mag turned on the Stalker instead. Mag retreated and equipped her pistol, taking aim while Volt drew his ether blades. Even without his powers Volt was normally able to strike faster than any one of his allies – especially with lightweight weapons like these – but he was bleeding and sore. Nevertheless he made a match for the Stalker, able to evade or parry the slower movements of the scythe. Mag took careful aim and fired her pistol, a hit! The stalker’s shoulder took the bullet but he wasn’t going to let that slow him down.

Valkyr had intercepted Excalibur’s dash, she stepped into his path and thrust her fist heavily into his gut. He cut her across the chest and she followed up with a right hook to the side of his head, ignoring the pain as usual. Nova was hesitant again. Her powers couldn’t help anyone here, not with the Stalker’s dispel to counter it. By now everyone except her was bleeding in some form or another and she couldn’t allow this to continue. The young Tenno felt her stomach twist into knots as she raised her rifle and took aim. She had to risk hurting one of her own to end this, otherwise it was guaranteed to end badly.

“Volt, down!” she shouted, squeezing the trigger a second later. Volt didn’t skip a beat. The brother Tenno dropped low as a rain of bullets pelted the Stalker up high.

“No you don’t!” growled the Stalker loudly. He suffered several shots to the torso before vanishing again, teleporting himself to Nova’s back. Like Mag; the youngest Tenno was struck. Nova yelped out in pain as the Stalker’s attack not only hit her but threw her to the ground. His axe was raised to deliver a killing blow but the young Tenno would be rescued by the unlikeliest hero. It wasn’t Mag or Volt who stopped the Stalker – Mag was ready to shoot again and Volt could have rushed in but it was Excalibur who saved the day.

Sort of.

Actually it was Valkyr who saved the day; having done so by hurling a rip-lined Excalibur through the air towards the two. She had just grabbed Excalibur when she heard Nova’s pained cry. For some reason it reached out to her when nothing else did. Valkyr turned and saw the young Tenno hit the floor of the ship, and then threw Excalibur just in the nick of time.

Stalker was hit by the flying Tenno, knocked over like a bowling pin. Nova quickly scrambled to her feet and distanced herself while the two men wrestled on the ground. Both injured, both sore, both tired; Excalibur and Stalker fought with grapples and punches now while the rest watched in awe.

Except for Valkyr.

The berserker’s rage was still not sated, her vengeance unfulfilled. She hadn’t forgotten who it was that put her in stasis to begin with, nor who made her feel the most unwanted when she was quiet and withdrawn at the dojo.

Excalibur.

Valkyr charged, seething with hate. She grasped the horn on Excalibur’s helmet and peeled him off of the Stalker.

“Valkyr stop!” Nova cried, raising her soma again. Mag took aim with her pistol as well but her vision was starting to blur from the blood loss. Volt, too, had lost quite a bit and Nova was hesitant to shoot Valkyr. She cared too much…And it cost them all.

The Stalker grinned behind his mask as Valkyr raised Excalibur up. “Do it!” he urged the berserker. “Punish him!”

Valkyr held Excalibur’s horn firm in her right hand and impaled him through the back with her left. Nova froze in horror while Valkyr topped it all off with a twist of Excalibur’s head, snapping his neck.

Big Brother had fallen.

As his body went limp Mag unloaded her entire ammo clip firing wildly at the berserker. Most bullets missed and even those that hit her were ignored again. The Stalker’s cackling laughter drowned out every other noise that could be heard. Volt rushed forth, the Stalker jumped to his feet. Valkyr dropped Excalibur’s corpse to the floor while Volt and the Stalker clashed blades again. The berserker had claimed her vengeance, some of it anyway. The Tenno she hated most was dead and with no corpus left aboard ship to slaughter she was…Well…Done. She stood there, silent, staring at his corpse, still burning but appeased while the others continued to fight the Stalker.

Mag reloaded her pistol while Volt stabbed at the Stalker with everything he had left. Nova was too terrified to do anything else but stare with shaky breaths at the sight of her fallen brother. She’d never seen one of her own kind die before.

Weakened and weary the Stalker knew that he couldn’t finish this battle alone. It was over, for now, but he wouldn’t leave without one more cut. Nova’s rain of bullets had done more damage than anyone else that day; the Stalker would make sure she paid for it. Like many times before he vanished, teleported, appearing again behind Nova’s back. His scythe was raised to strike, this would be a killing blow, the Tenno would lose not one but two of their ilk this day – if not for Valkyr.

The berserker saw it from the corner of her eye. She wasn’t sure why she felt the urge to protect Nova but her instincts kicked in faster than she could think to stop them. Nova was spared the reaper’s scythe by the skin of her teeth, pulled away by Valkyr’s rip-line. Hate scratched Nova’s back as she was yanked away. Valkyr caught the young Tenno in her arms and snarled at the Stalker viciously. He knew right then that it was over.

“I see…Until the next time, Tenno…”

The Stalker vanished in a puff of dark smoke, retreating to mend his wounds. Four living but injured Tenno were left alone with one dead Tenno at their feet. Valkyr’s rage was cooling; she now felt the sting of the many injuries that she had suffered throughout it all. Of them all Nova had suffered the fewest injuries thanks in part for Valkyr’s protection. The berserker let go of Nova and began lumbering away slowly, knowing that the others would not forgive her for the murder of their kin.

“Don’t let her get away” Mag groaned, holding herself in pain. Volt clutched a hand to his bleeding chest and agreed, commenting “She’s gotta pay for this one, Nova.”

So it had all fallen upon Nova to stop Valkyr this time. Fitting, since she was the one who released her in the first place. Nova knew they were right, Valkyr had to pay for Excalibur’s death, yet in her heart she still felt differently. She hesitated, looking towards Valkyr. The berserker was slowly lumbering away, bleeding, injured like the others. Chances are she’d die if left alone and Excalibur would still be avenged. Nova couldn’t leave it like that.

“Why did you save me?” the young Tenno asked.

Valkyr stopped in her tracks, wavering in place. She wondered the same thing.

“You could have let me die too but you didn’t. You saved me twice.”

“Nova, what are you doing?” asked Mag, struggling to stand on her own.

“It’s because you care, right?” Nova continued, ignoring the others. “You care and that means you aren’t a monster like everyone else thinks. Right?”

Valkyr stood silently, wavering, gazing vacantly at the hallway ahead of her. Was Nova right? Did she care? Why? Valkyr couldn’t remember ever caring about anyone, she couldn’t remember anything before being torn apart and rebuilt by the Corpus. All she remembered was the pain, the torment, her hatred…Was this something new then?

“You do care…” Nova nodded, hopeful. “You’re not a monster, Valkyr. Regardless of what anyone thinks you’re one of us. Just come back, we’ll find a way to work this out.”

Volt and Mag watched in silence now, unconvinced. Valkyr slowly turned, halfway, still staring vacantly at nothing in particular. She pulled off her helmet, showing that lifeless gaze of hers to the others. “There’s no fixing this and you know it” she said. “If you take me back to the dojo I’m going right back into a glass prison, or worse, and if that doesn’t happen I’ll end up killing another one of you eventually.” Valkyr sighed, her gaze dropping to the floor. Excalibur wasn’t the only Tenno she hated after all. She could tolerate most of them but some still infuriated her – Loki for example. If he’d been here he’d probably be dead too. “Just leave me alone” she said. “I’ll stay out of your way if you stay out of mine. I’ll just go hunt Corpus until I die.”

“No” Nova argued, shaking her head. “We’ll find a way, I know we can. You’re not a monster, you’re Tenno. Please…We’ve lost enough here today.”

I'm just so....conflicted with this chapter.

Excalibur just died but I can't bring myself to hate Valkyr for it because I can see where she's coming from with it.

Definitely hate Stalker though. I'm gonna give him a faceful of Soma Prime lead the next time he comes after me.

[MopUpCrewman]

I'm just so....conflicted with this chapter.

Excalibur just died but I can't bring myself to hate Valkyr for it because I can see where she's coming from with it.

Definitely hate Stalker though. I'm gonna give him a faceful of Soma Prime lead the next time he comes after me.

Guess he used up his revives for the day.

[Knayles]

#20

Nova was at the helm, tapping the coordinates of the dojo back into the liset’s nav console. The group was one the way back home. Mag and Volt were resting in the back, their wounds patched up with some of the on-board equipment. They would need better care eventually. Excalibur was with them, though he was beyond repair. He lay dead on the floor with the other two looking over him in disbelief. Nobody expected him to die this way, not after the many battles he had survived. His death would be the end of an age, for he was a leader to all his siblings until today. All except Valkyr, anyway. Many of the other Tenno looked up to him, they were sure to take the loss hard when the liset returned home.

 

Nova sighed as the landing craft took off, adjusting itself into the right direction. She wasn’t sure what to feel about the whole situation. On one hand she felt as though she was coming into her own; she was making decisions, taking charge, even managed to talk Valkyr into coming home with her. Yes, Valkyr was aboard. The berserker sat up front with Nova, apart from the others, huddled in a corner by the codex archive. She was quiet again, neutral, her gaze fallen vacantly on the flooring at her feet. Nova wasn’t sure what would happen when they returned to the dojo but she was determined to protect the berserker from too harsh a punishment. In the meantime Nova wanted a heart-to-heart, a chance to get inside the berserker’s tough shell and understand her more. She believed deep down that all of this was a result of nobody understanding Valkyr. So while Ordis piloted the ship back Nova approached and sat down next to Valkyr, squeezing into the tight little nook between archive and wall.

 

“How are you feeling?”

 

There was no response from the berserker, just the cold and lifeless stare of hers boring a hole into the floor. She never had been easy to speak to, in fact Loki had been the first to get her to speak a single word and that didn’t turn out well. Nova sighed and hung her head, eyes lidding shut.

 

“Valkyr…What happened to you in the Zanuka Labs?”

 

Nova was taking a risk by asking such a thing. Loki’s experience proved that Valkyr did not respond well to any mention of the things she’d gone through. It certainly got her attention too. The berserker’s eyes lifted from the floor and she took in a sharp breath. Nova twitched, nervously, as the berserker turned her head.

 

“You really don’t want to know.” Valkyr answered.

 

It was something, it wasn’t quite an answer but it wasn’t an attack either. It gave Nova a little bit of hope, though she was still somewhat terrified of the possible outcome. Nevertheless she pressed on, daring to continue.

 

“I kind of do, I mean, all of us have wondered at one time or another. The others were just too afraid to ask you, I think. I want to understand you Valkyr, I want to be your friend.”

 

Silence fell again and the berserker stared silently at the other for a time. Nova could see sparks flying behind Valkyr’s eyes. She could see the berserker’s pain as those memories surfaced again, pain that was regularly a forbearer to mindless slaughter. Valkyr’s left eye twitched as she thought, fingers curled. She reigned herself in this time, somehow. Eventually her head turned away from Nova, eyes falling once again on her own feet. Those memories were painful but they never seemed to leave. Valkyr was stuck with them, and she knew it.

 

“I don’t really remember how I was caught” Valkyr began. “There are a lot of things missing from my head, but I remember waking up on a table. I was strapped down and they were cutting into my spine. I was numb but I wasn’t completely out. I could feel them tearing open my flesh and peeling it back, sticking things into my back and cutting things out. I don’t even know what they did back there, I just…” She gritted her teeth, her head hung low. Memories, the pain, the thoughts in her mind. It all hurt so much. “I…It hurt. That’s all I can say. It hurt so much that it eventually knocked me out. I really don’t know what they were doing, or why…”  Valkyr raised a clawed hand, touching the left side of her head. Scars, physical and deep were there. Her head, too, had been cut open and looked at. “When I woke up for the second time…After it was all over…I wondered what had happened, if it had been a bad nightmare. Then I felt the scars. I started to wonder what they’d taken from me, or what they’d put into me, or…Or if I was even me anymore.”  Valkyr was trembling now, head hanging low, hidden between her knees. “I was…I was scared” she whispered. “I thought they might have turned me into some freakish machine of theirs, like they might flip a switch and have me following their every command…And then…”  Valkyr’s head lifted from between her knees, tears streaming down her cheeks. Nova saw what nobody else had ever seen before, might never see in fact. The fearless murder-machine known as Valkyr was crying. “I heard a voice” she said. “It was mine, but…Not me.  It said it could make all the pain and fear go away.”

 

Nova furrowed her brows warily. A hand reached out to touch Valkyr’s shoulder. “Is that voice…The other side of you?”

 

Valkyr stared at the floor a moment, silent, expression deadening. The tears dried and she seemed to be back to her old self; the quiet, emotionless self. “The voice told me to let go, and I did…I blinked and everything was dead. Every time it happens I just lose touch with reality, everything goes red and I don’t feel anything anymore. I wake up when it’s over and everything’s dead.”

 

Nova was at a loss for words, unsure.  What do you say to that? She thought carefully what her words might be, what she might ask the Valkyr next.

 

“They broke me.” Valkyr said. “They cut me open and used me for study, then…They just tossed me into a cage and forgot me. They built that thing, Zanuka, and…I had nothing. No one tried to stop them, or to rescue me.”

 

“But we came” Nova answered, squeezing Valkyr’s shoulder in her hand. “We were…Well…Late, but we came. You’re with us now, you’re one of us, you just…Well…I think we all just needed to understand each other better.”

 

“It doesn’t matter.”

 

“It does matter. You’re one of us, you’re Tenno, and I’m going to make sure nothing like that happens to you ever again.”

 

A kind sentiment, yet Valkyr was still unconvinced. The berserker was tuned out again, apathetic, uncaring. Nova meant well, sure, but what good would it do? Valkyr had killed Excalibur, wounded several others, and still wanted to crush Loki’s windpipe. These crimes were unlikely to be forgiven and she knew it.

[dsadsgamer]

hmmm..... a "voice on the other side" eh....

[Knayles]

#21 The New Path

Valkyr’s eyes were empty the rest of the trip, having fallen back into her usual safe place within her head. It wasn’t truly safe there either, but at least it was…Well it wasn’t quiet either. Valkyr was always fighting with terrible thoughts and memories, screams inside whenever there were none outside. The only time she was truly at peace was when she let go, when she let the pain flow and the screams unleashed. When Valkyr was slaughtering her enemies her mind was truly blank. She needn’t think of anything, not even her own safety. She just let the fury blind her, the rage dull her senses, and the rivers of blood flow. In a way it could be said that Valkyr hated herself most of all.  Nobody else among the Tenno knew it but Valkyr was always suffering. She longed only for the next battle so that she could shut everything out again.

 

Now was not the time for battle though, now was the time for diplomacy. Nova had a task ahead of her and quite a task it was; to break the news of Excalibur’s death to the others without them turning on Valkyr for revenge. The berserker was left alone aboard the Liset while Nova, Mag, and Volt broke the news. The others did not take it well. Nyx more than anyone seemed truly hurt by the loss of her big brother. For half an hour she was spouting nonsense, repeated messages, confusion, heartbreak. The Tenno were distraught but Nova kept their minds off of Valkyr, their tempers calmed. 

 

It was then that something curious happened.

 

“Operator?” Ordis’ voice rang out aboard the liset. “Operator? Valkyr?” The cephalon spoke again, but the berserker never reacted. “I know you’re there operator, I <gzz> WAKE UP <gzz> I have an important message for you from the Lotus.”

 

“I know this is going to be difficult to deal with, but seeking vengeance on Valkyr is only going to make things worse.” Nova assured the others. “All this started because none of us trusted her, we ALL shunned her and made her feel like an outcast. What we need now is to forgive her and stop treating her like she isn’t one of us. Valkyr is our family, she is Tenno…”

 

“She’s running away again.” Loki’s voice chimed in.

 

On the console screen the Liset was seen pulling away from the Dojo again, adjusting its trajectory slowly.  “What the-?!” Nova spurted, rushing to the console. “I…I can’t believe this!” For a moment the young Tenno felt betrayed, tricked. How long had Valkyr been planning to run away again? Then she wondered if maybe the berserker wasn’t afraid, scared that the others would never accept her now that she’d killed one of them. Then came another message from the Lotus.

 

“Do not be alarmed Tenno. I’ve sent Valkyr on a very important mission. She is not fleeing from you.  Right now it is imperative that you all listen to what I have to say; the Stalker is on the move. Armed with a new arsenal of lethal weapons he is attacking the very heart of the Tenno’s power. Valkyr is on the way to stop this from happening. I need all of you to band together and pledge your support to her, she needs you now more than ever and likewise you need her more than you may realize. I have a second mission for four of you in the meantime. You must enter the void and track down an artifact I have recently located to aid in your struggle. The coordinates are being uploaded to your Scimitar. Good luck Tenno, and do not lose faith in Valkyr or yourselves.”

 

Starting after this post I'll be adding bits to the story that delve into the events of The Second Dream, so...If you haven't done it yet and don't want spoilers, don't read anymore after this!

[Girthpanda]

I just came across this story... holy Lotus titties... it's 3:53 AM right now and I spent the last 2 hours slowly going through the chapters. I honestly can't wait to read through the rest of this.

 

Keep up the amazing work man :) You're doing an amazing job!

[Knayles]

#22 Secrets  [With Spoilers, read only if you've played through the Second Dream or just don't care]

Nyx, Ember, Vauban and Mesa were chosen to explore the derelict orokin ship while Valkyr undertook her own mission, one the Lotus wouldn’t explain to the rest. Why she’d been chosen for a secret assignment was a mystery to the rest. Why Valkyr, of all Tenno, sent alone on a mission so secretive the other Tenno couldn’t be told of it? Many questions were wondered with no answers to be found yet. It seemed they would have to wait and see. In the meantime the four were on their own mission in pursuit of an artefact they had no description of. Yes, the Lotus had even kept that from them. The Lotus was being extremely secretive today. The four knew something suspicious was afoot. Lotus had kept secrets before but never quite on this scale. Why now were so many things being kept behind tight lips?

 

“I don’t like this one bit.” Vauban uttered, clutching his Penta firmly in his hands. “Anyone else get the feeling we’re about to get stabbed in the back? This is utterly nonsensical!”

 

“Shut up already, I don’t know how Mag can listen to you all day without shooting herself in the face” groaned Ember. She walked ahead of the group with Mesa at her side, the four of them undetected so far by Orokin security.

 

Mesa chuckled and nudged the other femme with an elbow. “Probably the same way I tolerate you firin’ yer mouth off all day. Just push the right buttons an-“

 

“Please” Nyx chimed in suddenly, interrupting the two. “No innuendo. This one already sees enough. Does not wish to hear more.”

 

“Ya really are a buzzkill Nyx” sighed Mesa back at the psychic. 

 

The four continued on oddly unobstructed. The walls were crawling with infestation yet nothing had found its way to attack them yet. “Where are all the freaks?” Ember queried, groaning again. “This is boring, I want to burn something!”

 

“The infested are here, ancients” said Nyx, gazing around slowly at the dim surroundings. “They know we are here yet they wait…It is strange. I-…”  There was a sudden pause, Nyx’s head jerked slightly to the left. She felt something, something strangely familiar. No, not something…Someone.  “…Brother?”  The psychic took off suddenly, racing ahead of the others. They picked up their pace to follow, calling out to her to stop or wait. She paid her siblings no mind as she moved, passing through another door into a massive antechamber. Infested were swarming this area; above, below, across the hall and even some just climbing around on the overgrown trees within. Across the hall she saw a door, a vault, surrounded by the monsters. She could feel him there, Excalibur, he was here! She knew he was, she could feel it in her gut.

 

“Nyx, what is it?” Mag questioned as she caught up.

“You know it’s awfully difficult to keep up with you females in your light outfits.” Vauban grumbled, last to catch up. “You’re not toting about a grenade cannon either, I’d appreciate if you didn’t outsprint me.”  He could run as long as any of his siblings but he was far from the fastest of them. Keeping up was sometimes a hassle.

 

“He’s here, Brother is here.” Nyx told the others, raising her weapon.  “There!”  She fired, unleashing a torrent of ballistics upon the distant Infested creatures. 

 

“Brother?” Mesa chimed in, firing her twin pistols into the fray.

 

“Excalibur? No, Nyx he’s dead. We all saw it, are you sure about this?” 

 

“It’s Brother!” Nyx answered, pausing her gunfire. She charged forward again and leapt, clearing the gap that went down into the bowels of the tower. She started firing again, clearing a path to the door while the others made the jump across. Mesa took the back, gunning down whatever got too close while Mag yanked things down from above with her Pull. Vauban would fire his penta into the distance, aiming for crowds he could take out strategically. “Open! It must open!” Nyx fussed, banging on the vault door.

 

“Calm down girl.” The engineer chimed, stepping backwards toward her. “Banging on it won’t do you any good, here. I brought this with me, built it ages ago but never bothered carrying it around.”  He handed her a key, one he’d designed based off of other Orokin interface devices he’d studied in the past. He hoped it would eventually allow him to take command of an entire Orokin command subsystem but for now it merely a prototype.  To both his and Nyx’s surprise the door hummed with energy. Locks discharged, gears turned. The door slowly gaped open while Mesa and Mag held back the flood of Infested while Nyx stepped into the vault.

 

“Brother…”

 

There, housed within the vault, hung on the wall like a great trophy was an aged and preserved cryo-pod with an intact warframe inside. What’s more; this frame was of Orokin design, from the days of old, when the warframes were at their prime.

 

“G-get it open, he’s in there! He’s sleeping, but that’s him!”

 

“Impossible…” Vauban stared in awe, lowering his gun at the sight. He stepped forward, laying a hand on the glass pod.

 

“Not impossible” chimed the Lotus in his ear. The others stepped into the room and sealed it behind themselves, all gazing up in awe while the Lotus spoke to them. “All will be explained in time, I apologize for the confusion you must all be suffering. For now you must take him and leave this place; he should be awakening…”  Pressure within the pod discharged, venting into the air outside. The locks popped and the glass began to rise.  “Now.”  The prime warframe twitched, it jittered, and then it fell to its hands and knees on the floor.

 

“…Brother?”

 

“…What happened…Where am I?”

[Knayles]

#23 Stalking the Stalker

The moon; lost for ages, thought to be gone, a myth. Now Valkyr stood upon it herself, her own two feet treading upon sacred ground that had not been seen in…Well nobody even remembered how long exactly. She disembarked from the Liset with warnings from Ordis chiming at her back. “Operator, this place seems…Familiar. Ordis may have been here before, but cannot remember.”  The cephalon was ignored by the berserker, she stepped forward armed with only a tigris shotgun and her claws. This place, it was so…Strange. Something felt horibly wrong about it. It was terrible, terrifying, yet equally intriguing. She found herself compelled to be here, pulled toward something unknown. “Follow it” the Lotus told her. “You will find what you must protect if you follow that feeling. Even the Stalker cannot find it faster.”

Valkyr stepped forward, gazing ‘round at the interior of the halls that stretched across the moon’s surface. It was amazing, all of it, and yet that feeling that urged her forward sped up her steps. She found herself running, racing ahead for no reason other than that urge. “It’s close” the Lotus urged her on. “Everything will become apparent soon.”

 

Meanwhile back at the tower Excalibur was getting reacquainted with his siblings. He had trouble remembering how he got there, what had happened before.  “You…You died.” Mag informed him. “We saw, Valkyr…She killed you, you were dead!”

 

“I don’t remember that…” Excalibur took a few steps, feeling sort of clumsy in his new frame. It would take a little getting used to. “I was…We were on the Liset trying to catch up to her right?”

 

“No, we…We were on a corpus vessel, the Stalker had turned her against us. She killed you, Volt and I were injured!”

 

Excalibur shook his head, the memories simply weren’t there. “I remember docking with the corpus ship but…” he paused, lifting his head to stare at the ceiling. “It was like I woke up from a dream, that’s all I remember. Next thing I knew I was here. How long has it been?”

 

Nyx stepped forward, hugging her brother tightly. She was all too happy to have him back. “It matters not” she assured him. “You’re here now, we have you back.”

 

Valkyr moved deeper into the moon’s halls, further and ever closer to the strange thing that compelled her to find it. “What is it?” she asked aloud. “Lotus, what am I going to find?”

 

“Patience” the voice answered. “It’s not far.”

 

Excalibur was given a weapon, one of Nyx’s sidearms, a bolto pistol. The group readied their weapons, reloaded, recomposed themselves and then opened the vault door to return to their ship. Guns blazed as the horde of Infested flooded into the vault. Burstfire from the gun barrels lit the dim Orokin derelict with flickers of light. The group pushed forward, shooting their way through the mob of foes and crossing the gap again to make their way back to the ship.  Vauban cleared the way ahead with penta grenades, Mesa kept the followers at bay with careful precision shots and Mag sent them all flying when too many had gathered. Nyx stayed by Excalibur’s side, helping him when he tripped or faltered. His new frame felt strange to him, different, he needed to adjust.

 

A grand hall; Valkyr found herself in a glorious chamber with water flowing from the ceiling. The water poured over…What were they? She moved forward, steadily. The feeling, it was coming from here. Something felt off about it, something felt…Wrong. A pulse skipped in her heart. She paused. “What is this?” she asked.

 

“Watch.”

 

The device ahead of her began to move, the things – leaf shaped in their design it seemed – they moved and spread out. One in particular turned towards her. Another heartbeat skipped. The lone petal moved forward and laid back further, little by little it came towards her. “Lotus…What is it?”

 

No answer.

 

The device hissed and opened, finally. A pod. Within there was…Was… W—w-w-z—z-z-z-zz

 

Valkyr awoke upon the floor. Something felt wrong, terribly wrong. She tried to move, her limbs felt weak. “Lotus, what…?” she groaned softly, hearing a new voice. “Lotus?” Who’s voice was this? “What happened, what did…” That was when she looked up and saw her body. Her old body, her frame, slumped on its knees just feet away.  “…Lotus?” she whispered this time, looking down at her hands. These were not her hands. “Ah!” she gasped, sitting up. Her hands, her legs, everything, it wasn’t her. “No, no…” she whimpered, feeling legitimate fear in her mind. “This is wrong, Lotus! Where am I?!”

 

“You’re in your real body.” The voice came from her warframe’s audio sensors, but she could still hear it even from here. “You have to move now, you must stand. You are more powerful than ever right now but it will be harder to control without your warframe.”

 

“No, no, I don’t understand” Valkyr whimpered, shuddering. “What is this? This isn’t…This can’t be real.”

 

“It is real, Tenno. This is the real you, this is what I’ve been protecting for years. You must move, the Stalker is coming. Get to your ship!”

 

“This isn’t real!” she screamed, emitting a pulse of energy in her fury. The room filled with a mighty shockwave and the Stalker was revealed, standing at the door she had entered through.

 

He stepped forward, hissing out his words. “Tenno…”  How joyous it was for him to find Valkyr, out of all of them, at his mercy. She who betrayed him personally. “Now you will suffer.”

 

The stalker stepped closer, the blade War raised to deliver a killing blow. “Yes, Shadow. Do it now, end this one and then we can end the rest.” This voice came from the blade, Hunhow, urging the Stalker on. He paused though, staring at the blade. No. He would not end it like this. He turned and thrust the blade into Valkyr’s frame, impaling it upon the weapon. “I want to crush this one’s throat with my bare hands…”

 

Valkyr crawled away, backwards, trembling with fresh fear. It was terrible enough being out of her frame, seeing it impaled, now at the mercy of the stalker? She had never felt such fear, this was many times worse than what had happened to her during the Zanuka project. “No, no stay back! STAY BACK!” she yelled, a hand thrust out toward the Stalker. Her power triggered, a beam of pure energy shot forth, such power the likes of which she’d never seen. Even the Stalker could not challenge this might. He was blasted far away, crashed against a wall, hissing as he made impact.

 

“What did I tell you? Fool, you should have cleaved her wretched hide when you had the chance…” Hunhow spoke, the Stalker knelt and gazed on at the Tenno in pain. “You’re wondering if you were one of these too, yes? One of their kind?  It matters not. You are what you are now, come Shadow! Claim me and destroy her!”

 

Valkyr looked at her hand in awe. Had she done that? Such power…The Stalker, he too looked at his own hand. For a moment she felt connected to him. As if…

 

A new thought occurred, Valkyr crawled back to her frame. She reached out for it. “No, now Shadow, quickly!”  The Stalker stood, but he was blasted back again as Valkyr turned her hand to him once more.  She crawled further, reaching out.

 

“Move, damn you…”

 

The frame twitched.

 

“Move!”

 

She clenched her eyes and focused all her mind upon the frame. Slowly it came to life, raising its hands. “Shadow, move!” the blade cried again.  The frame grasped at the blade and pulled on it’s forked blades, it cut deep into her chest and the palms of her hands but she pulled until it splintered in half.  The blade was removed, one half tossed aside. 

 

“Yes, now fight!”

 

The frame stood, approaching the Stalker now.  He watched, his mind wandered. Like Valkyr new things were revealed to him, he had seen a different side of…Everything. This was wrong, he needed answers. “Save it, Tenno.” He hissed, standing. “I will spare you for now…But I will return.”

 

Holding on was hard, and before long Valkyr fell unconscious. When she awoke she was back in the Liset, in the arms of… “Nnh…Wait, who are-...?”

 

“Shh, rest my child.” Came the familiar, soothing voice. No longer heard over an intercom or an earpiece. “This has been a long day for us all, you more than any.”

 

“Lotus…What…What happened? What is all this?”

 

“I’ll explain now. It is time for everyone to know the truth.”  The dojo had been alerted, the five who were flying home in the Scimitar were alerted, live video appeared on all their screens. They saw the Lotus and Valkyr, the Tenno, in her true form. “My children, all of you, I am sorry for keeping this secret from you for so long. This…Is the real you.”

 

“This is impossible…” Valkyr denied, looking at her hands in horror again. “This isn’t me, I want my body back.”

 

“It is you, Valkyr. This is what you’ve always been. The waframes were merely tools, devices built to protect you and house your immense power.”

 

“This isn’t my body, put me back…”

 

“You were all changed by the void, when you came back-“

 

“I said put me back in my body.”  Valkyr’s fear turned to aggression slowly, her eyes now glared at the Lotus.

 

“…Your frame is damaged, can you not see that? It must be repaired before you can go back”

 

“I don’t care! Put me back, this body is weak and terrible! I want MY body back!”

 

This body, it was so frail. She barely had the muscle strength to hold herself up. She had been in the pod for too long, all of them had, their bodies wasting away when their consciousness was inside the frames. It felt foreign to Valkyr, it sickened her. This flesh, this frame, it was hideous and weak. She wanted her frame back, the body she knew to be her own.

 

“I’m sorry Valkyr, but it must wait. The pain would  be excruciating right now, you would most likely sink into shock and snap right back out of it.”

 

The girl, the Tenno, she trembled and shook. Tears formed in her eyes. Her hands raised to cover her face as she cried. “This isn’t me” she repeated, denying herself. “I want my body back.”

 

Natah, the Lotus, she sighed with a heavy heart. She hadn’t expected Valkyr to take it this hard. The others were likewise shocked but none so sickened by the truth as she. “Tenno, I need the rest of you to recover…Yourselves. Collect your bodies from the moon and bring them all somewhere safe. I will explain more when you are all ready to hear it.”

 

So I know these last few chapters have been really spaced out and slow going, but all I can say is that I've had a lack of inspiration on my end. The Second Dreaming quests astounded me and sparked my imagination once more, but sadly it was short-lived as life came up. This is the chapter I've been very eager to write, hence why I'm uploading two chapters in one night. I hope it pleases the readers and I hope you'll all continue to enjoy. Thanks everyone for reading and please share this if it really impresses you.