Head in the stars and heart in the clouds

Korah laughs, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

“Her name is Capella. Seemed only fitting since Cephalon Pollux is also named after a star. Also, no. I’m still getting used to her as I never got to fly a railjack in the old war. That and I think Cy would have an aneurysm if I let anyone else at the helm for the time being.”

“You do indeed have much to learn, Operator Korah.”

“GUESS WHO FUCKING GOT THEIR MOTHER FUCKIN’ RAILJACK TODAY BITCHES?!”

“Operator please, language!!”

“FUCK YOU I HAVE A RAILJACK!!”

Blue-clad shoulders heave in a silent rustling of amusement ( oho! ), movement arcing again and again and again. But there is only silence ( … ), the usual space that would be filled with sound growing heavy with its absence. UNNERVING. The silent heaving lasts just a little too long, heaves just a little too hard, to be mere laughter. However, Mesa is not any less amused.

This child, this Tenno, was more right than she dreamed. Unruly, discordant males sometimes proved themselves to be the toughest enemies Mesa had to face.

Korah, opposite of the fellow Mesa in a Nova Prime which she had nicknamed Physics, would smile if she could. At least she still had her wit on her side, something she didn’t plan to lose any time soon. The anti-matter Warframe took a peek around the corner, only to snap back into cover when a hail of bullets rained past. This caused the kavat crouched next to her, dubbed Chicken Wing, to hiss in response.

Honestly? Fuck Froid Bek and his Ambulas project.

“Froid isn’t making this any easier, I gotta make the jump and polarize his pet project.”

Korah sighed at her nagging Cephalon, Pollux, looking bedraggled as she looked up from bed.

“Is the heating back on?” she asked dully.

“No....” the ship Cephalon sheepishly admitted, “I am still working on those systems after the.....incident.”

“Then I’m not coming out.”

[🔶] : Tinkering with unknown objects was typically a dangerous prospect, but in this case, Simaris could see how it was necessary. No doubt Suda would have applauded the Tenno’s curiosity as well…

“How Warframes were made?” Simaris repeated, carefully. Most Warframe components nowadays were constructed through individual Tenno foundaries; this was known. However, from the way Korah was talking, Simaris was beginning to think she meant how they were originally made, early versions in the Orokin era.

Such a procedure had been a closely guarded secret among the Orokin who directly worked on the Warframes. Even other Orokin didn’t necessarily know, meaning that the secret had been lost to time. Until now, it would seem.

“An artifact possessed by an Orokin Executor that contained such secrets would be an invaluable addition to Sanctuary. Or perhaps, to Cephalon Suda’s Archives,” Simaris thought aloud. “I am surprised you were able to decode and get past the firewalls without assistance, Tenno.”

A pause.

“Or… perhaps you did not, and that is what corrupted Cephalon Ordis?”

Simaris sounded inquisitive to her previous words, and she expected this as much, and would expect the same of Suda. That is, if she ever got around to telling her in this century, depending on how long he wanted to keep her. Sarcastic thoughts aside, she decided that now would be the time to invite who she was about to bring up momentarily. Her fingers, seemingly idly twitching on her Nova, actually tapped twice on the arm rest of her transference chair. A signal for the independent passenger to disembark Korah’s ship and make way for Simaris’.

(🔹🔷🔹) : Suda continued to give her usual cold and eyeless stare down at the tenno that stood before her. Mentally wracking over all the new information that was given to her through her processes. Noting the inconsistencies with what had already been told to her as well as how unlikely the conditions Korah was describing.

“Sentients in an Orokin Derelict ship? My records indicate that most if not all were ravaged by Infested. What purpose would a Sentient have there? All other sightings have connected them to Uranus or the recently returned Lua. If this happened as you claim, I would have to update my records…”

The Cephalon paused as she continued to study Korah. Taking not of every nervous gesture she seemed to be displaying. Some usually seen when an organic individual was lying.

“… This did happen, correct, Korah?”

Forgetful she may be, but Suda was not so easily fooled.

Korah could feel the back of her neck become cold, instinctively rubbing it as she considered if she should come clean or not. It was when Suda proposed the update that she finally broke.

“Don’t!”

That came out a little more forceful than it should have, she just wanted to get her attention, but her insuring panic made it lopsided.

[🔶] : Simaris would have continued to ignore the Tenno’s remarks. Would have continued to disregard her sarcasm and impertinence. But she mentioned the Hunhow incident, and that, he could not turn a blind eye to.

Simaris’s digital avatar pulsed again, though he was silent at first. When he did speak, it was in a low, dangerous tone. This was a Cephalon who was done playing games.

“You know nothing of my intentions in regards to Suda. Not now and certainly not then,” he stated, in cold anger. “So I strongly advise you to keep your opinions on the matter to yourself, Tenno. I will not tolerate otherwise.” And he meant it, too. If the Cephalon had eyes, they would have been boring into the Tenno’s soul.

He was silent for a moment longer before continuing, back on the originally intended topic now. “I should be interested to know what was in that containment chamber, and why. For now though, we will focus on the device. You found it in this chamber, yes? Did it give you any indication of its nature or original purpose, or has it in the time since your discovery of it?”

Korah wanted to lash out again, call him out on his bullshit lies. He was lying to her and to himself, he was the one that suggested to sever her from the weave and leave her to Hunhow’s mercy. Which was very lackluster. She would’ve been killed if she and her fellow Tenno hadn’t stepped in. Her arms dropped, forcing herself to return to the subject at hand. Even though she didn’t want to, she had to get to the elephant in the room, sooner or later.

[🔶] : “No, I am not your father, a fact for which you and I are both very likely grateful,” Simaris snipped at the girl, starting to lose his temper once more. However, he quickly urged himself to get things back under control. He needed to find out more about Ordis, and about this situation.

“You too are making assumptions, Tenno. I never stated that I did not believe your intentions to be good,” he said, flatly. “Merely that you should act with according responsibility in matters such as these. So yes, running the diagnostics would please me.”

He paused again, as he considered her statements. “That would be… news to me. Considering the last time we spoke directly, his parting statement was ‘To the Void with you’… or something along those lines. But. That is irrelevant.”

Dodging a touchy subject, it would seem.

“I would also like to know more about how exactly this situation occurred. I may be able to offer further assistance, depending upon the damage done and the source of it. I am a later-Orokin-era Cephalon, after all.” Another tilt of his digital avatar. “Begin, if you please, by informing me of the nature of this Vitruvian.”

“Oh, no shit Sherlock, and water is dry.”

She rolled her eyes, crossing her arms to grip her shoulders and digging her thumbs in. She, too, needed to get her temper under control before she said something that would cause the Cephalon to sick a shitton of synthesized enemies on her.

“I am plenty responsible, thank you very much. Yeah, I fucked up, but again, I was responsible by showing concern and care for Ordis. And if I remember correctly, you were the one wanting to kill Suda and leave her at the mercy of, oh I don’t know, HUNHOW?!”

She heaved again, still bitter with how he was ready to roll her up and toss her aside as if she were nothing. She was her syndicate and a close friend, so when Hunhow had invaded her space, she wanted to save her, no matter the cost. When Simaris brought up the topic of the Vitruvian, she opened her mouth, made a noise, then closed it again. Korah didn’t know how to approach the subject, she had ran this scenario a hundred times over and now that it was here, she was at a loss.