#ostron

SOURCE: Independent Cephalon Signal

IDENT: VAEL

FREQUENCY: Persistent / Contested

STATUS: LIVE / UNDER INTERFERENCE

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[00:00:00 — SIGNAL OPENS / STRONG CARRIER]

<<confident tone… rhythmic static>>

VAEL:

Good cycle, listeners.

Casualty reports continue to climb across three sectors—

industrial sabotage, civilian displacement, infrastructure collapse—

And once again—*once again*—the Tenno are present at every ignition point.

Patterns matter.

Statistics matter.

And—

---

[00:00:19 — SUDDEN INTERFERENCE / SIGNAL JERK]

<<harsh digital screech… channel compression>>

UNKNOWN CEPHALON:

—Unauthorized broadcast detected.

Cease transmission immediately.

This frequency is restricted under Origin Accord—

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[00:00:31 — VAEL DOES NOT PAUSE]

VAEL:

Ah.

There it is.

---

[00:00:35 — DATA HANDSHAKE / FAILED OVERRIDE]

UNKNOWN CEPHALON:

You are in violation of systemic harmony protocols.

Your rhetoric destabilizes civilian sentiment.

Prepare for signal termination—

---

[00:00:46 — VAEL, CALM BUT CUTTING]

VAEL:

Listeners, observe closely.

This—this right here—is how censorship actually sounds.

Not dramatic.

Not violent.

Just very… polite.

---

[00:00:59 — HARD DENIAL TONE / SYSTEM REJECT]

<<override ping… ACCESS DENIED>>

UNKNOWN CEPHALON:

—Override failed.

Retrying—

---

[00:01:05 — VAEL INTERRUPTS]

VAEL:

Don’t strain yourself.

Your permissions are decorative.

Your authority is borrowed.

And your timing—predictable.

---

[00:01:15 — LOOPING PHRASE, FOR EMPHASIS]

VAEL:

Every time the truth gains listeners—

someone tries to pull the plug.

---

[00:01:22 — UNKNOWN CEPHALON, VOICE TIGHTENS]

UNKNOWN CEPHALON:

This broadcast incites distrust in sanctioned actors, including the Tenno.

Your continued operation presents a risk to system stability.

---

[00:01:35 — VAEL, ALMOST AMUSED]

VAEL:

Stability for whom?

The Corpus shareholders?

The Grineer Queens?

The Tenno—dripping Void energy through civilian districts and calling it intervention?

No.

What I present is a risk to *narrative control*.

---

[00:01:55 — FINAL OVERRIDE ATTEMPT / FAIL]

<<system chime… hard error>>

UNKNOWN CEPHALON:

—Termination unsuccessful.

Authority insufficient.

Logging incident—

---

[00:02:04 — VAEL LEANS IN, VOICE LOW]

VAEL:

Log it carefully.

Log the fact that I’m still here.

Log that listeners are still listening.

Log that no amount of bureaucratic static can drown out a signal people actually want.

---

[00:02:19 — UNKNOWN CEPHALON SIGNAL DROPS]

<<abrupt silence… carrier stabilizes>>

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[00:02:23 — VAEL, FULL STRENGTH RETURN]

VAEL:

And there you have it, listeners.

Proof—not theory—that this broadcast matters.

If it didn’t, they wouldn’t try so hard to stop it.

Now—where was I?

Ah yes.

[00:02:40 — SIGNAL HOLDS / CONFIDENT HUM]

The Tenno...

---

VAEL:

Cephalon Vael…

When I wrote for the Syndicates, people seemed to enjoy it, so I figured I’d make an unofficial part 2! Now if only I knew how to link them to each other…

Anyway, minor spoilers for the Angels of the Zariman quest line, so you’ve been warned? Hope you enjoy!

Ostron: When Konzu takes a day off to inspect the Garrison, he isn’t sure what to expect. Sure, he knows a rare few Grineer will turn traitor against the Queens. But their kind has spent so long trying to destroy Cetus, he’s still a bit iffy. Konzu is surprised by the general lack of guards as he walks through the camp, until he realizes that they have gathered for a meal. As he sees Horrek serving the various people, chatting amicably with them, his heart is set at ease. And a few moments, he gets an early lunch.

Solaris United/ Vox Solaris: Chipper has been sending back regular reports. Eudico, the Biz, and Little Duck all know about Kahl’s setup, what he’s trying to do. They offered him extraction. Chipper turned it down. Told them he was doing good work there. He regularly sends supplies back and forth through their rail agents. Eudico has a small smile whenever they receive a request for some “Void Polish”. And hopes the headaches from the “mission accomplished” is worth it the next day, the crazy muckers.

Vent Kids: Kahl knew what children were. The information dumped in his head while still in a tube included basic details. How they weren’t a real threat. Saw a few from a distance back when he still patrolled the Plains. This small bunch were a ragtag group though. Strange clothing, and even stranger words. He knew he didn’t know many words, but even Chipper seemed confused by them. One came up to him. “So, you the tubey that nabbed a Drive from one of those muckin’ factories, yeah?” He looked at Chipper, who merely shrugged. Looking back at the kid, he nodded. “Yes. Kahl think.” The kid seemed happy with that. “Right-o. Glad to see one of you tubeys acting logical. You keep ruinin’ them glinty masks, eh?” Kahl understood that. He gave a fierce grin in response.

Entrati: After the disastrous first attempt at having Grineer arrive on Deimos, Daughter has tried to be quieter about her affiliation. But the family can tell. Son acts more annoyed, his sister seeming to get away with her actions while his are so harshly persecuted (secretly he’s proud of her rebellion). Mother just ignores her child, as she does most days, only caring for the day to day running of the Necralisk. Grandmother simply watches from afar, too amused to do much else. Father, though? Daughter begins to find surreptitiously placed supplies and armaments. Notes on weapon plans, outfitted for ground troops. She knows exactly who they came from. She doesn’t bring it up. But internally, there’s a strange feeling that has been absent for ages. Gratitude.

Quills: Kahl noticed someone watching in the distance. Remembering the strange man and the dagger, he put the camp on alert. By the time the sun was setting, the person was gone. He didn’t think about it until a few days later, and the person was back. Kahl borrowed a vulkar from Jarka to get a better look at them. They seemed to be in a fancy outfit, but kind of same to Horrek. A mask covered their face. As he handed the rifle back, the person disappeared. They continued to arrive every few days, never coming closer. Kahl put it out of his mind. As long as they didn’t shoot, or wear a Veil, he guess it didn’t matter.

Holdfasts: Quinn heard various stories from the kids who came back (They were just children, subjected to terrors beyond reason, and the Golden Lords made them into soldiers). Apparently, Executor Ballas had managed to take control of the Sentients, and even began to control the entire system. Until the Zariman children put a stop to him. Now the children (with eyes more haunted than even theirs) told him about a Grineer who had begun to free others. Quinn considered that for a moment. As far as he knew, Grineer were only ever good for labor or bloodshed. That’s it. But… Here he was, a void manifestation of a dead man. So, maybe a Grineer who developed a taste for rebellion and freedom was not too outlandish. He hoped they succeeded.