Beyond the Void
Sub-Prefect J’jagen Klache recording
I am confronted by a trio of intruders aboard the Bird of Paradise. It is a good thing to have happen. I grow weary of pretending to intimidate the woman. Hers is not a criminal life and she certainly is no soldier to fight with. She is the ghost-stalker’s child, however, so I must keep her locked up. He ordered me to do this. I can only obey the order of one so highly thought of by the commanders.
I do not love the ghost-stalker. The trio reminds me of this as they describe to me their actions of what has to be called treason. They have invaded the ship to take his daughter to ‘safety’. They give little away as to where this haven might be. Their first action is to take on the ghost-stalker so that he might not be able to follow or destroy them for their interference with his plans. It is the oddest of the three, a robot that calls itself, Surtice Lye, that comes up wit ha critical component to the continuance of their underdeveloped plans of rescue. He produces a coin that has been touched by malevolence – touched by a Thalen king. His name is Digitalis and he appears almost unbidden, as if he was waiting behind the nearest blast door.
He seems to know the woman. He introduces to her face a strange mechanical jaw. She does not react to this because mercifully perhaps, the Thalen stills her first. He tells us that her destiny lies in a choice that may mean the restoration of her father. The jaw upon her face with the skull in his hand.
Neither the woman nor the Thalen king seem interested in this possibility. The Thalen offers to help erase this potential. The one called the Rhino says we should go to the ghost-stalker wherever he might be, even if his last known place is by the Orokin ‘s side.
The Thalen is only too happy to assist in getting to the ghost-stalker, whom he bears great dislike for. I am comforted by this as I can’t follow my command’s orders and go with them. I need to ‘watch the woman’. I will watch her -- watch her escape and help her to so, that is. The Thalen holds in one hand a skull which he tells us all is the skull of the ghost-stalker, or as he names him Jerran Ghostly. He urges the others to let him take them to the ghostly one’s locale. They depart.
Their new surroundings are of Orokin creation. Massive halls of gold and porcelain-white. I watch from the drone as I have done all along. They seem well used to its presence by this time. They pay it no attention at all. They find the ghostly one, hard at work on some scheme. He examines a console where there is displayed a great mass of men arrayed for battle. The party I watch, decides to explore some more before confronting him.
They emerge in a greater sized room than I can remember seeing. The view out of its immense crystal window is of the landscape, the Void and further off, the space contained within Shadow called the New Realm.
The Orokin the two warriors had met earlier appears above them on a tower and he descends to meet them at a halfway point. The Thalen king leads the ensuing talks. He asks the Orokin to reveal his purposes. Surtice who seems mindful more than the others of what transpires, calls the Orokin, a Geli’Qys. He says that they caused great hurt to his kind and kingdom. The Orokin reveals that he is indeed a Geli’Qys but that Orokin is an older name they have been known by in previous Relams. I see much in him that reminds me of the Eldar. I have not heard Eldar speak of their gods or creators. Maybe these Geli’Qys hold this secret. The worship that Veer do, is not known to me but I assume they must worship something?
The Orokin talks a bit and makes a point of ordering Surtice around. He seems to easily control the golden fellow. The Orokin commands him to stand to attention a s a senior officer might. Surtice responds quickly to all these orders. When the orders stop, Surtice to stops doing anything. I rarely see such stiffness from someone at attention. It does impress me. The Thalen asks what might be done to gain access to the stalker but the Orokin denies this possibility and makes the next half hour all about his obtaining the skull of the ghostly one. The Orokin appears to want a complete control of the ghostly one? I thought he might already have that…
The Thalen asks for the proposal. The offers are too small. Eventually, the Orokin offers something odd. On the console he produces an image of a being confronted by two, twin swords. The blades are menacing even though indistinctly presented. There’s just something about them that makes me fear them. The figure before these blades seems to both know and hate the blades but they for their part seem conciliatory, as though they recognise they have wronged the fellow in the past. I take them to want to make amends but I also believe that the fellow does not trust their manner…
The Thalen majesty asks for time to consider and moves away for a minute. He seems truly removed during this, as though elsewhere. He returns more animated and certain than when he left. He agrees on the understanding that those with him are free to leave as part of the bargain. The Orokin agrees in his eagerness for the skull. The deal is made.
The Orokin then chooses to goad the two shrine space warriors. He asks them if they know what they do is wrongful. This is confusing to them. TheOrokin outlines how the actions they take are of the ghost’s making and the Orokin’s own divising. These ‘warframes’ attack and kill huge numbers of grineer, corpus and infested in the name of defending life. The Orokin pointed out, gleefully it appeared to me, that those killed form the husks that are inhabited and made to join the Cadavivvan Hordes. The Loki and the Rhino say little but it looks like this fells them both. The purpose of killing they have been about is not something they have ever considered before.
Deal made, the blades appear outside the chamber floating in the void sky, looking like two battle cruisers of the highest calibre. Glowing red symbols adorn their sides; ten on one sword, twelve on the other. Except for that, they look identical. The blades might not have been expected. The Orokin seems fearful of their quite sudden appearance. The Thalen asks why this is and the response is not encouraging. The Orokin suggests that the blades have a willful nature. The blades seem to acknowledge this statement as they threaten the large window. A breach of this might cause untold issues. I have seen enough. I gather the stilled daughter of the ghostly one and exit ‘Paradise’ for the relative safety of the vessel left behind by the space warriors.
They arrive by some unseen hand and seem quiet as we travel away from the Void, toward the shrine space. We are pursued hotly by both blades. They seem unfettered in the Void. Not under the Orokin’s control at all. The vessel’s computer informs us that the markings on the blades are names and more besides. The computer calls one sword, Mournblade. Each letter in their names, also represents a name of a warframe. In fact, the names drawn upon these swords do look to be brighter, emblazoned scriptings, glowing more strongly and ominously as I watch. I didn’t know these armours these space warriors wear had given names so I don’t understand the significance of this revelation. It does seem to have impact with the two men. They acknowledge that both their armours are called with a letter in this blade’s name…
I am glad when the first touches of the veil brush against the vessel’s hull. I watch the two warriors. They stare in less than comfortable silence out the window at the questing blades that follow. Long after I can no longer detect the blades within Shadow, they sit looking where the swords were last glimpsed. I cannot say why.
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