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Edge of the Origin System, Tenno Railjack
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Today is the day. Today is the day the trio makes the journey to Tau.
Loid had gone through the calculations carefully with the help of the cephalons Cy and Ordis, and Lotus had made the requested supplies be transferred into the Railjack. As for the Tenno, they were on the Orbiter. They were looking at themselves in the mirror.
The Operator, once a lively child, is now scarred with trauma and ptsd that has never gone away fully. Ever since the Dark Refractory recovered their memories, they have been doing less on missions and more staying in their quarters, crying in their sleep.
The Lotus and Loid (who recently visited the Orbiter and got a good look at it) did their best to keep them company since it has been hard for the Tenno to move forward.
Cause how can you feel better when you have memories of a long forgotten friend and a peace that was broken by one man's ambitions?
The Operator, haunted by the memories of their dead Truth-bloom, still kept up. Knowing that His Light is with them, they made the promise to make it to Tau. If seeing his grave makes them feel better knowing Adis is at peace, then that's enough. But then again, the Operator still missed him, no matter how much they tried to move forward.
Eventually, a knock on their door was heard, and the Operator then looked away from the mirror before walking to the door. It opens, and the Lotus was there.
"My Child, It's time. We're ready to make the leap." - Lotus
She looked down and noticed that the Tenno is wearing their Prime uniform. They noticed her gaze before clarifying.
"If I wore this when I see Him again, then that will bring some comfort..." - Operator
The Lotus said nothing and just nodded. Then the two went up the elevator leading up into the docked Railjack. When they got to the cockpit, Loid was at the Navigation Console, typing away the coordinates, and Ordis and Cy were going over all system functions.
Eventually Loid noticed the Tenno and Lotus entering the cockpit.
"Ah Tenno, good. You're here. I have the coordinates ready, and all supplies are down by the forge. We have everything we need to make the jump without a Solar Rail. Judging by my calculations, we will encounter obstacles in our flightpath." - Loid
"The Tenno will fly us through them. They have done it many times before, they can do it again." - Lotus
The Operator looks to Lotus as they nodded. Then Cephalon Cy chirped up.
"Attention all onboard crew, engines hot. all systems go. We are ready to jump on your go, Tenno." - Cy
Ordis then chimed in also.
"Orbiter is also docked as well, Operator!" - Ordis
The Operator closed their eyes. They made it this far, and now...to keep the promise they made...
"Ok, let's do this." - Operator
The Operator stepped up the control system in their warframe before locking their hands into the driving system. Cy begins calculating the flight path.
"Flight path marked. Coordinates finalized. Commencing Countdown in 5...4-" - Cy
Loid and Lotus got into their individual seats, even the kurbrow pet the Operator had stationed itself steady.
"-3...2..." - Cy
The Void Engine powers up, as a void Portal then opens up in front of them. And then...
"...1, Punch it, Tenno." - Cy
The Operator then thrusts the controls forward, and the railjack, plus the docked Orbiter, flew into the Void Portal, as it closes soon afterwards.
The Return to Tau has begun.
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The Tau Moon of Perita, once home to a treaty that was never finalized and long ago broken, hasn't been touched down in centuries. Not since the Orokin left the system and never returned. In time, the World-seeders that terraformed all the Xenoflora flowers on the surface have begun to wither and eventually crumble down.
And soon enough, the Xenofloras have somehow begun to repopulate across the surface of the moon.
Sentients left stranded on the moon had powered off after receiving no orders, but upon the return of the Xenofloras repopulating on the moon, have recouped the sentience from the Hive-Mind. Far away from the Sentient Societies that have been rebuilding, stood a former hideout once home to two people from two different species.
One Tenno, One Sentient.
The two were one, never apart from each other. But then something happened, and then...they never came back to the hideout. And after the Orokin Empire left and never returned, the place was abandoned.
But with the return of the Xenofloras, someone eventually returned to the old hideout. Returned from the grave, they were confused. Perita doesn't have Anarchs anymore, as the only population on the moon was the Sentients stranded here. Not knowing what happened after their sudden resurrection, the Sentient Healer can only put the place back in order. During the cleanup, the Sentient looked at the walls, seeing the paintings of what he and the Tenno did together.
And now, without the knowledge if his Tenno was still alive, it pained the Sentient, and he kneeled against the wall, silently crying.
Over the past many years, they have kept the place clean after such a long time, even adding new decorations. The Sentient looked at the progress he made and smiled.
He only wished the Tenno was here, wherever they are...
And so, the Sentient tends to his own nursery in the backyard of the renovated Hideout. And as he hums to the lullaby of the Sentients...
He failed to notice a Void Portal opening in the atmosphere.
Tau System, Moon Perita
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The Railjack and Orbiter finally came out of the portal. Everything started to stabilize. Then Cy chirped in.
"Attention All Onboard Crew, jump successful. We have arrived...at the Tau System." - Cy
The Operator lets go of the driving controls, allowing Cy to take control on autopilot. As Lotus and Loid were off their seats and took the Tenno's side, they look through the glass of the Railjack. There in front of them stood the Tau System.
It...was just how the Operator remembered it.
Loid and Natah were astonished by the view. Loid sighed.
"It's been too long since the last I saw this. To think this is all still here after the Old War..." - Loid
"And now, we have returned to what was lost to us. What do you think of this, my Child?" - Lotus
The Operator didn't reply for a full minute until...
"Cy, have the railjack stay in orbit incase we need you on station. Ordis, prepare the Orbiter for landing." - Operator
The Operator made their way to the elevator with Loid, Lotus and the Tenno's kurbrow pet. As the two descended down into the Orbiter, Ordis disengaged the lock as the Railjack stayed in orbit while the Orbiter begins flying down to the surface. As they dove through the stratosphere, the Tenno saw the familiar surface of the moon. Memories of the Old Peace resurfaced in their head.
Many memories. Some good, others bad.
Ordis then chimed in.
"Operator, I have found a suitable landing site for the Orbiter. Begining descent now." - Ordis
The ship then blasted through the sky, getting closer and closer to the ground below. Then the shit slowly landed on soft ground terrain of the moon's surface. The Operator didn't waste anytime as they were already at the ramp when it opened. As the ramp was set down, the Operator slowly stepped out and the moment they touched the ground, they felt the familiar feeling of Tau itself.
They have done it. They're finally back...
The Operator transferred out of their warframe, now in their real body. Feeling the air touch their skin was as if tons of memories hit them at once, reminding them the times they were here while being deployed. Then the Lotus and Loid followed down the ramp soon after, seeing the landscape. For the Lotus when she was Natah, she had heard Hunhow talk about colonizing and rebelling. To think this is where it all happened was...
Well...there is no word to describe what was centuries ago now-
"Lotus?" - Operator
The Lotus snapped out of her thoughts at her child calling.
"Yes, my Child?" - Lotus
The Tenno didn't say anything else. The Lotus was confused as to why the Tenno isn't telling her, until she realized that they are staring. She followed her child and Loid's gaze until she found what they were staring.
On the ground, blooming in all it's glory...
A Xenoflora Flower.
The Operator slowly walked towards it, before kneeling, and with a gentle pull, took the Xenoflora flower in their hands. They stare at it in shock. How is this possible? How is this Xenoflora Flower blooming?!
The Tenno saw in their memories, the Blooms were extinct, the World-Seeders changed the atmosphere!
Unless...the World-Seeders have eroded and their functions of terraforming the atmosphere have ceased, allowing the Xenoflora flowers to slowly repopulate across the moon and the system once again.
Then that means...
The Operator quickly got up before getting into their Warframe.
"Tenno, Wait!" - Loid
Loid tried to stop them, but it's no use. After the Operator in their warframe jump into their Archwing, they blasted off.
The Lotus saw this before realizing where they are going.
"Ordis, follow my Child. They are going somewhere..." - Lotus
Ordis made a quick reply as after the Lotus and Loid got back in, the Orbiter took off slowly and followed the Operator's flight path presented.
Fort Tennadis
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The Tenno flew through the air for a few minutes, until they spotted what they were looking for. The moment they landed, they looked around, before freezing in shock.
The place they and Adis made all those centuries ago.
The Hideout.
The place they call Home.
Fort Tennadis.
It is all still here. As if it was not touched by time.
The Operator slowly transferred out of their warframe. They got close to the hideout door. They get close. They place their hand on the door handle, before slowly pushing it open. Upon walking inside, they were shocked even further.
The interior of Fort Tennadis has been renovated, place has been clean of dust and replaced with fancy furniture and items.
As if someone was here recently.
The Operator then took note of the backyard, they look out through the window until they froze once again...
More Xenoflora flowers.
Did...did someone built a nursery in their hideout backyard?
Then they heard the front door open, someone is here. The Operator was quick to speculate that the Lotus and Loid followed them.
"Loid, Lotus- Before you say anything, I'm sorry for blasting off like that. It's just...I never thought I would be finally be here again." - Operator
They waited for a response but...nothing?
But then...
They heard a familiar...Sentient sound.
A Sentient sound they have always loved when it signified that He is here.
But...He is dead, right? There's no way another Sentient can replicate that sound-
"...T-Tenno?" - ???
That...that Voice.
It can't be.
The Operator slowly turned around. Once they did, they froze once again.
There standing at the door wasn't Lotus or Loid. It was a Sentient.
Not just any Sentient. While Changed, apart from a cloak on their neck, and their face scarred, the Tenno can still recognize him all too well.
"...Adis?" - Operator
Adis stared back at the Tenno, shocked as they were. Both didn't know how to respond to the other.
Adis's hands had dropped whatever he was holding to the ground...then he charged right into the Operator's arms, as Adis lets out a loud sob.
He buries his head in the Tenno's neck while hugging the Tenno tightly. The Operator started tearing before wrapping their arms around Adis. Then the Operator started sobbing along as well.
The room was filled with the cries of two people who have finally reunited after so long.
And outside, the Orbiter has just landed and the Lotus and Loid entered the hideout door, only to see the scene in front of them.
Adis pulled back, looking into the Operator's tearful eyes.
"Tenno...You're...Alive..." - Adis
"Yes, I am, Adis. I'm here..." - Operator
Adis buries his head in their neck again.
"Adis...never thought he would never see you again..." - Adis
"I never thought I would see you alive too..." - Operator
As the two stayed in each other's arms, the Lotus and Loid were still watching. Both said nothing, but they smiled, knowing that the Tenno had found what they were looking.
And unknown to everyone, only the Operator heard a quiet voice saying a verse in a singing voice.
🎵
Remember when I told you
"No matter where I go
I'll never leave your side
You will never be alone"
Even when we go through changes
Even when we're old
Remember that I told you
I'll find my Way Back Home.
🎵
Somehow...that song fits for the Operator. Because in reality...
They Are Finally Home.