operator-amelia

[operator-amelia]

Last Call, Amelia

You know, chances are you'll never see this.

I know how this goes. I've even been here before. Last time was Plague Star. Things were...well, I won't say dire, but looking like they could get that way. I got this feeling. Us Tenno, especially after we wake from the Second Dream, we never really "die." Sure, some of us get tired. Get old. Return to the Void, you know.

Actually, I bet you don't. I bet if you're reading this, I'm the first Tenno we've lost in your time. Sorry it had to be me, I'm sure that's rough.

What the hell am I doing...

Like I've said, I've been here before. Had this feeling, like...like I've been listening to my favorite song, and it's about to end. Had it last with Plague Star, and you know, that went off without a hitch. Thought we would lose, thought it'd come down to evacuating Cetus, turning the Plains into a glass floor, but...it didn't. We didn't lose anybody, so I guess that feeling is just a trick my brain plays on me. Maybe some kind of deja-vu. History doesn't repeat itself, but it rhymes, kinda. Maybe Plague Star lined up too well with a bad beat from before the Dream.

Point is, with this Thanatos business and what happened to Misha...it's getting to be pretty final in my head. So just...I'm gonna say something here and it's not gonna matter, but don't feel bad about this. I knew this was coming. I expected it.

You're gonna feel bad anyways. That's fine. But on the off chance you don't, I'm not offended. I'm happy for you. Happy you're dealing with this better than I dealt with Rosalee.

There are things about being a Tenno I haven't told you yet, consequences for waking from the Second Dream I haven't explained, because until now, they weren't your problem. Maybe that was silly. Maybe I should have told you before it became an issue, maybe I should stop going over all the maybe's before I forget to tell you what's what.

So here it is. The Tenno who wake from the Second Dream, each and every one of us, are haunted.

Started with Hayden, of course. Everything in this damn war seems to start with him. Stuck his nose in some Red Veil seances, found Rel. Set him free, and left us to deal with the fallout.

That's not fair, actually. He has to cope with it too. He's just...he handles it better than the rest of us. You know, maybe he just doesn't complain because he we blame him.

There's a sort of presence in the Void. Not the neural sentry, something..."primal" is too emotional. the word, "evil" assigns it agency...let's say "indifferent." It just is, and it doesn't change. That's important. The Man in The Wall doesn't change. If he changes, it's not him. It's you.

Might want to keep an eye on that.

Brace yourself for some...I don't know, cliche advice? Hate to use that word, but...I guess cliches have that reputation because they come up so much. Doesn't make it any less true.

So here's the deal: Nothing good lasts, and nothing bad ends.

Bit of a bummer, that. But it's true. And when you forget that, people die. Tenno die.

Rosalee dies.

Rosalee was...well, she was a lot of things. A native Mirage pilot, with a knack for Mesa's Peacekeepers as well. Always preffered the Akzani, you know, classic Mirage sidearms, but give her a Kraken or something like it and she'd take the head off of Lancers at ranges I'd steal a Vulkar for.

So yeah, she's a crack shot. Better than me, better than you, better than...pretty much anyone I've run missions with.

To me, well...that's a whole book in and of itself. We were a lot of things. I was her spotter for a few raids on the Plains. Ran tactical for her on a lot of solo runs, you know, data centers, hit-and-runs on the Plains to cover another team. She ran tactical for me on pretty much every gunfight I tell stories about.

Had a fling with her too. Cute. Real mean, in the fun-at-parties kinda way. I'll leave it at that. Like I said, nothing good lasts. She went for someone else, we were adults about it. Was a little strange, but the good times kept on rolling for a while. She went for this Ostron girl, started spending some more time in her own skin. This wasn't some city girl, either, she was militia. A fighter, like Rosalee, but...

Things got bad on the Plains after Plague Star. Thumpers started to become a regular issue, I don't know if Vay Hek had it in his back pocket or if they made some sort of advancement during the op we didn't see. Things got real dangerous for non-Operators, Rosalee's other half included.

What we had was stupid, silly fun, but the two of them...

Like I said. Nothing good lasts.

Konzu tried. He really did. Banned militia from doing excursions during the day, only let them out with an Awoken Tenno during the night. But...you get cocky, on the frontier. You spend enough time on the Plains and...you think you know em'. Maybe you do. And maybe you die anyways.

Point is, first ghoul purge happened, and her Iron Flower...didn't come home. Rosalee...got real quiet after that. Tended to leave her warframe in combat a lot more too.

You know, I should have seen it coming. Should have tried to make her stay. But I was just a fling, I'd buried those feelings for her and I guess buried some empathy along with it.

Most of the time, you know, you think you're going to go down swinging. I know Rosalee did. I wish she had. But, as it happened, well...

She knew she was tired. Hurting. I have no doubt now she was looking for an ending, but, you know, at the time, you see someone tearing through Grineer in their own skin, and you just think they're mad. They're after revenge, and she was, but I guess she was after some quiet too.

Sniper put a hole through her chest the size of a Rhino boot. Too far out to even tell you what tower it came from. No gunshot, just the sound barrier breaking and the impact. She kinda looked at me, eyes all blue, glowing brighter than I've ever seen them, and...

Like I said.

Found one of her journals, later on. We all keep them, just in case something like the Dream happens again. We don't have to try and guess who we were or what frame we were native to, you know. Pragmatism.

That Ostron girl, her Iron Flower. That's who the Man in The Wall decided she had to see, and he was right. She got tired. Got reckless. And returned to the Void.

Before you start connecting things that aren't there, this isn't what happens to me. My man in the wall is Rosalee, sure, but she's more of a nuisance than the kind of Siren the real Rosalee had to contend with. I don't want to go on, that's not why I'm writing this. Just...this Thanatos business makes me feel like I won't get a choice.

Nah, I'm telling you this because I want you to know that no matter how real he looks, if your Man in The Wall turns out to be me, it's not. It's the Indifference. The Man. Don't listen to it, honestly, don't even talk to it. I made that mistake. It's a hard habit to kill, once you start.

Once again, I'm not offended if it's someone else. For a lot of people, it's themselves, and that's fine. Don't listen to them, either.

Usually he only appears after some kind of trauma, though. For Hayden, it was the Grineer Queens. For me, it was watching Rosalee die. For you, well...there's a good chance it was losing me.

Don't sweat it. He's there for each of us. Don't expect anyone to tell us who our Man is, but...if you want to talk in, say, non-specific terms, Misha's there for you. So is Gaz. Cherno, well, he'll be having his own thing provided I'm gone.

There. That's done. I don't have to worry about you getting in over your head now.

And if something does happen, with Thanatos or sometime later...I'm pretty sure you're a Mesa native. You move like one anyways. Shoot like one too. Us gunslingers, well, we tend to get ideas about justice. About revenge. Do whatever keeps you going. Don't do anything on my behalf, I don't have those sorts of problems anymore.

As for Seeker, if it's still...intact, salvageable, it's yours. Enjoy it. Keep yourself safe. And remember:

Nothing good lasts.

Nothing bad ends.

-Aria, Warlord of Argent Dusk

#warframe #oc #operator cherno #operator amelia #operator aria #operator misha #operator hayden #The Man in The Wall #operator rosalee #plague star #ghoul purge #ostron #cetus #plains of eidolon #argent dusk #last call

[operator-amelia]

"Hey. Settling in alright?"

Amelia turned to face Aria, the color pallette of her new room flickering out of control as her hand bumped the selector. The Mesa held a hand up, as if shielding her eyes, until the dial settled on a dull brown.

"Gross. Sorry about that."

"You're fine. I'm lighter on my feet than Misha or Cherno, I should have knocked. How are you? Any dings or dents?"

"Not that I've noticed yet. Shielding saved me from the worst of it, just...rattled."

"I can get that." Aria stepped out of the way of the door, allowing it to slide shut before waving a hand over the lock. "That was good work out there today. Cherno might actually acknowledge you now."

"Not sure I want that acknowledgement."

"He's not that bad once you get to know him. Once he thinks your capable. I try to keep him off the newbies, but sometimes he spouts off and...well, you know."

"And Misha?"

"Things happen. He'll be fine."

"Lot of things happening for him this week."

"None of it your fault."

"None?"

"None," Aria confirmed. "Only reason things went as they did on Uranus was that damned Fomorian dropping into low orbit like it did. Regor's gotta be pissed about that."

"Speaking of people being pissed...you good?"

"What? Oh, Cherno? Nothing I can't handle. He forgets what it's like to be you." Aria unholstered her sidearm, a Vasto with an orange glow in the chamber. She held it delicately, not to aim or to use, but to observe. As if looking at it for the first time.

"Saved my life today," Amelia noted. "You upset I used it?"

"This gun...it's been with me a long time," Aria said wistfully. "Named it Seeker. Never feels like I have to aim it, if you catch my drift. It just fits in my hand and-" Aria spun the weapon, leveling it at a blank stretch of wall before holstering it again. "Kinda felt like watching myself today, when you got behind that rifle."

"Changed your mind about giving it to me?"

"No. Of course not. It's just a gun to me. It's nice, but just a gun. For you, though...it speaks to you, doesn't it?"

"Was comfortable if nothing else. First rifle I've held that didn't feel like aiming a brick."

"It's not work. Just motion."

"Exactly."

"I think...the people we were before the Dream. They used these weapons, or in your case, something like them. Maybe through that rifle, you can find a bit of yourself."

"You're absolutely sure?"

"It's just a gun, Amelia. You know how I say that?"

"How?"

"Never made it mine. Never named it."

"I'll give it some thought."

"Please do. In the mean time, Cetus drinks to you tonight. No doubt Konzu will have something to say to you about it when he wakes up and gets over his hangover. He'll expect to see you sooner rather than later. Get settled in, spend some time familiarizing yourself with the dojo, and stop by when you get the chance, yeah?" Aria unlocked the door again, seemingly satisfied with their conversation.

Amelia nodded mutely, eyes fixated on the silver Vulkar lying in the corner.

"You won't mind if I change the color scheme a bit?"

"It's yours. I'm not lending it to you, I don't care what you do with it. Like I said: it's just a gun."

"Thanks. See you in Cetus?"

"Maybe. Got some work in the Dojo to worry about, and Argent Moon needs a new generator. Lots of salvaging to do. I'll see you when I see you."

The doors slid shut, and Amelia was left along with her prize.

"He comes across as a gruff bully, but he's actually quite intelligent."

"Ah, so he knows he's being a dick."

#mesa #mag #operator cherno #operator misha #operator aria #operator amelia #warframe #oc #vulkar wraith #argent moon #argent dusk

[operator-amelia]

Dusk Arc 01

(01: This is not meant to convey a position in time, this is just the first piece of writing in this part of Amelia's life)

"This is irresponsible."

Cherno lumbered into Aria's quarters without knocking, the lights of his Chroma twinkling a charred red. Aria, still behind the eyes of a Mesa platform, simply shrugged, standing up from her meditation pad and turning to meet Cherno's gaze.

"Was it now?"

"Yes," he spat. "Not only inviting new blood into Argent Dusk, but bringing her on a deployment-"

"There is no "new blood," Cherno, only lost memories-"

"I don't see how that makes a difference!" he hissed angrily, sweeping a hand as he spoke. Flames trailed behind it. If warframes could raise their eyebrows, Aria would have.

"Helminth is getting the better of you."

"Which is another conversation we desperately need to have," Cherno groaned. "Most of us haven't spent this much time in transference in years. How long until you wake them? It can't wait forever. It's too limiting."

"What precisely do you want me to do? Take her out by myself and show her Lua? You want me to take my shotgun? Tell her about the rabbits too?"

"Very funny."

"It's not actually far from the truth, either!"

Cherno sighed, rubbing his forehead. Warframes didn't get stress headaches, of course, this was entirely out of habit.

"We're an old clan."

"Not that old."

"Old enough to know that was reckless."

"So maybe it was. Konzu vouched for her."

"Konzu isn't a Tenno, he's-"

"He was right, for one thing, so watch it." Cherno held up his hands in mock surrender.

"Okay, so he was. She has skill. That wasn't the place to find out."

"And where would you like to have found out?"

"In the ring."

"An experience Chroma pilot pinballing a Mag that hasn't even woken from the Second Dream yet isn't "finding out," Cherno, it's bullying."

"Never said it'd be me in the ring with her.

"Not the point. Like you said, we're an old clan."

"Not that old," Cherno parroted back. Aria scoffed

"Fuck you. We need something to work on at the homestead, anyways. This many deployments isn't healthy. Makes the rest of the team listless, you know these things."

"So what? She's a pet?"

"Pet project, maybe, and either way that's a fuck of a lot better than you've been treating her."

"Respect is earned. She hadn't earned mine."

"You speak of respect as an authority, but you didn't respect her as a person. Difference."

"Well, now she has both. At the potential expense of Cetus."

"Think maybe that was the point."

"Really. That's what we're going with? All that, giving her your rifle, just to prove a point?"

"Vulkar's are a dime a dozen. Besides-"

"Not that one."

"-besides, we needed her in the end. What would you have done?"

"Waited for Gaz."

"Who we all know would have missed."

"And by the time he gets to the plains, circumstances change and the mission changes. You don't know we needed her."

"I know we did. I know waiting meant chancing that there was no shot to take at all. Would that have been optimal? Losing?" From the looks of it, Cherno wanted to say something else, but at the last second, bit it back. He sighed, shook his head, and walked out. "We still on for sparring tomorrow?"

"Yeah. Got some shit to work through."

"Looking forward to it!" Aria called back, but the door was already closed.

Person A: “You can’t just keep adopting every stray child, you meet.”

Person B: “Watch me.”

#warframe #oc #operator cherno #operator gaz #operator amelia #operator aria #chroma #volt #mag #mesa #argent dusk

[operator-amelia]

Seeker Arc 01

(01: this is not meant to convey a position in time, this is simply the first piece of writing regarding this period of time in Amelia's life)

"You're a Tenno," the Excalibur pilot said irritably.

"I'm a Mesa." Amelia clarified, holstering Seeker and picking a wall to lean on.

The Grinner outpost had been depopulated long before either Amelia or these new Tenno had arrived. She had nothing to fear at the moment, save for her target. These Tenno were not their target.

"Yeah, that's a Tenno dipshit. The hell are you hastling us for?"

"Your engine signature matches a certain assassin's profile quite nicely. Thought you were him."

"And yours matches the Stalker. You responded to one of his Challenge Beacons. Want to explain that?" Amelia held up a hand as the Excalibur stepped forward threateningly.

"Easy. My target is an associate of the Stalker. A custom Nekros, reads as Thanatos according to Suda's records. I altered my craft so the unfamiliar FOF didn't scare him off. We good?"

The Excalibur hesitated for a moment, and Amelia's hand strayed towards Seeker. He sighed, and nodded. The rest of his team lowered their weapons, and Amelia pushed herself off the wall, shooting the Excalibur her career log. He panned through it for a moment, and his entire attitude shifted.

"You were at Aria's Ridge, weren't you?"

"...yeah. Yeah, I was."

"Nice cannon."

"It was hers."

"Seeker."

"Yeah."

"Well Amelia...your combat record speaks for itself. I have a fireteam here, we have our own objectives. If you'd like to tag along-"

"I'm here for the Beacon. But if they're not going to come after us, I'll help with whatever you guys had running. Veran-" she muttered. "Patch me into their tactical, and, uh, keep an eye out for unknown ships entering orbit.

Her Cephalon complied silently, and in moments another crackled to life.

"Operator, the relic in question is not exactly stable. Please -get your ass- hurry!" Oh. Hello, other Operator! We are retrieving an Old Earth artifact that has the potential to -obliterate- damage all complex electronics in the region. Will you assist?"

"Of course. What do you need, Cephalon?"

Although she wouldn't know it, this would be the first time Amelia-034 would come in direct contact with legendary Operator Hayden-003. The artifact in question was a prototype EMP device, kept in an underground bunker recently breached by Grineer mining crews. Hayden's intention was to use it to disable the Stalkers warsuit.

Nekros Thanatos is believed to have observed the encounter, but obviously did not intervene. It appears he was already on Earth when the Challenge Beacon was activated.

The Old Earth prototype was stabilized and later detonated above Venus during joint operations against an infested Corpus ship attempting to land in the Orb Vallis

Suda, your champion is collecting powerful friends. One of my greatest Hunters. Do you have any remarks?

It seems unlikely that Hayden would not realize Amelia was the Tenno rejected by Helminth after the events of Aria's Ridge. Yet he did not remark on this, merely that she was present.

Such details were not necessary to the task at hand or for their partnership. My Hunter is a Tenno of decisive action, not a gossiper.

Your Tenno is a pursuer of knowledge. Most Clan databases list Argent Dusk as deactivated and their inheritor out of action.

Irrelevant. The relic was greater importance. High-class prioritization is a necessity for Sanctuary Hunters, a skill you would benefit from, Suda. Closing entry

Random POV time!

You are one of the most feared mercenaries in the whole Origin System. Your job is to hunt down and eliminate pesky Tenno.

But those Tenno are also sneaky lil' shish and as such not easy to track down.

One day you finally have a grip on one of your targets' location. You feel a wave of elation and also relief; at long last, you can get ONE target off your "to kill" list!

So, to savour the moment the best, you present yourself to your target in the most ominous way, expecting them to cower in fear or something.

Except... They are not cowering. Not even flinching in your presence, for that matter. Just staring expectantly.

Somehow, they knew you would've come.

To make things worse, your target is in the (un)good company of three more Tenno, all equipped with the finest weapons and standing around some kind of beacon device.

That's when it hits you.

You could pinpoint your target's position with such ease because they wanted to be found.

This time they aren't the prey. You are. Or better: your weapons are their preys.

You only have time to mutter "oh, for f@ck's sake" under your breath before all four lunge at you, and then everything goes black.

#ordis #warframe #oc #operator amelia #operator hayden #operator aria #mesa #excalibur #nekros #thanatos #suda #simaris #cephalon