Ten Zero

The entire exchange between Ko-lee and Nakak had my head spinning. "I only know a little bit about credits, but it's hard to gain a sense of value in a vacuum. Plus, I barely recognized the words they were using. Something about a stack and a stamp," I think, as I hawk wares at my designated intersection. "In game creds drop all the time but it's just basically blue lights and a 4 polygon model. Like, I know the words, but I don't have any sense of what a credit actually is. Nakak could literally hand me a piece of scrap metal and I wouldn't know the difference." I knew it wouldn't happen though; not only did I trust the young merchant, but I also knew that Ko-lee wouldn't let anything like that slide. "Nothing ties a room together quite like a carpet!" I shout, as I muse on my lack of real world financial experience. "Make a house into a home with decorations that will fill your neighbors with envy!" My number of years in customer service positions had led me to doing this exact thing in one situation or another, so unlike Ko-lee, I felt quite comfortable coming up with things to say on the spot. "Plus the years of theater and choir? Game was rigged from the start," I think, my eyes occasionally passing over the frustrated looks of the other merchants in their stalls.

Still, I don't let their sour expressions get to me, as I single out one of the pointy hat people I had seen earlier. "Young man! Your apparel is exquisite! But I think I know what would go great with-" but my spiel dies in my throat as my eyes land on the form of someone farther down the path.

A warframe.

"HOLYSHITHOLYSHITHOLYSHIT Okay relax RELAX," I think to myself, less relaxed than I have I ever been in my life. "Do we call them over?! What's the game plan here??" I can feel my brain trying to form a plan, but thoughts are colliding in my mind so quickly that I'm effectively frozen in indecision.

"

Orwaitso

cause if I

well they're already

ng towards us and

wasn't the plan to see them now!"

My main issue is that, while I had wanted to interact with the Tenno, I had wanted to do it on my terms. This initial social collision wasn't something I was prepared for, and I was of two minds on what to do with the situation. "Either I can talk to them now, or I can let them pass by. Pros and cons! Column A, this could catapult me into working with the Tenno right away. We might be able to skip being a skinner. We could get revenge on Colonel Jar. Column B, we already have a plan we're enacting right now. If I were to say something, what would happen with Ko-lee? Would she stay on Earth while I went went the Tenno? Would she come with? We'd need to talk about it so me making a unilateral decision could end up splitting us up. Also, if this is pre Second Dream, then I'm not even talking to the Operator, I'm talking to the Lotus! If I tell a reclusive sentient slash mom figure that I actually know where she hid all her children, how the hell is that going to go over well? For real she'd actually just kill me. If she can hide a whole moon she can probably hide a body, if she even needs to do that. 'Cause like, I'm just a random nobody, and who is gonna argue with the Tenno except people I don't really want on my side?"

"But also, if I don't mention the Operator or the Reservoir, then I don't even really have anything to talk to them about? Other than vengeance, but again, that would cost money that-" but by this point the warframe has nearly reached me, and before I manage to make a conscious decision, my mouth makes one for me. "Hey, Tenno!" "WHYDIDIDOTHAT" At my words, the warframe comes to a halt right next to me, and I can't help but swallow as the frame takes a step closer. It's clearly an Ember, standing at what appears to be a few inches taller than me, possibly 6'3" or 6'4". Standard social procedure has me attempt to make eye contact with the biorobot, but like all frames, she didn't have any. Even still, the warframe turns it's head towards me, in a mimicry of eye contact, putting me just a fraction of a hair more at ease. "This is actually insane please do not kill me," I think, looking at the metallic surface of it's face, a smile still locked on mine. As my eyes continue to roam around for the eyes that aren't there, I get a better look of the warframe's composition, and I can feel the analytical part of my brain doing it's best to categorize the makeup of the human shaped weapon.

The surface of the frame is some sort of metallic material, but it looks more pliable and less reflective than any metal I knew of. If I didn't know better, then I would have said that the warframe was actually made out of some sort of concrete or bone like material, and there were only a few parts that I was confident were actually a metal I could name. Due the patterning, I'm left wondering if the various interspersed metal is decorative or functional, and that confusion continues as I notice little lights attached here and there, barely brighter than a penlight. There are, what appears to be, decorative leg guards that are suspended about 6 inches out from the legs, as well as some sort of flat cabling that hugs underneath the chest and along the side near the abs, which catches me slightly off guard. "Wait, is that on the vanilla frame in game? This is a trip."

I feel a mix of confused emotions rush through me. A bit of terror at the upcoming conversation with what basically amounts to a walking nuke, a bit of frustration that I had attracted the Tenno's attention without a follow up. A smidge of attraction at the curved form of the frame, along with revulsion at knowing that it was effectively an infested Dax corpse. "God why is Ballas such a fucking weirdo. He couldn't just make robots, nooooo, he's gotta make hot robots! Out of soldier corpses! Piloted by children! Insane people behaviour." Although I knew that it was more complicated than what I was making it out to be. The warframes weren't meant to originally be piloted by the children from the Zariman, that was only due to the fact that his weapons kept losing their minds and attacking indiscriminately. As well, since the warframes were meant to live amongst Orokin society, as bodyguards and the like, it would make sense that they would want them to be aesthetically pleasing. Still, all the bits and bobs of lore I had picked up over my many hours of gaming made the entire situation even more confusing than it was initially.

"How can I help you?", says a voice, emanating from the warframe. I was unsure of just how long it had been since I called the Ember over, as lost in my mind as I was, but the words from the frame bring a stark level of clarity to the situation, like a bucket of ice water. I open my mouth, but no sound comes out, and the warframe continues to stand stock still like a statue, as I do my best to find my resolve. "Just say something! Literally anything!" I think, but for all the initiative my mouth had shown earlier, it now seemed awfully reticent to speak up. "Miss?" says the voice, again, and all I can think is "That is space mom. That's... that is literally Rebecca Ford's voice. What. What the fuuuuck is happening I've heard that voice a million times in game in a million voice lines, and now it's just being projected out of a face that has no mouth to speak it." Once again I feel my mouth open, but although I could feel the pressure building in my lungs to form the words, I still wasn't entirely sure what I was going to say.

"A-after all that hard work saving the system, you need a comfortable space to relax in, Tenno! Nothing like a carpet to make an Orbiter a home!" I say, my voice initially wavering before finding my footing in the familiar motions of improv. "Nakak has just the thing for you and..." I lean into the frame, giving an exaggerated look left and right before stage whispering, "I can get you the local deal, instead of the offworlder deal. You just tell her I sent you." I finish the bit off with a wink, before leaning back from the frame, my face starting to hurt from the grin that had been locked into place since the warframe had approached. "I appreciate the offer, Cetisian, but I will not be purchasing any carpet today. In the future though, if I am looking for the... local deal, then I know who to speak to," says Lotus/Ember, before continuing her path through the crowd, deftly navigating around and through it. As she leaves, I can feel a sense of pressure drop, one that I hadn't even noticed was there initially, and I can't help but watch the warframe as it continues down the path, moving with more life than I had ever had a chance to see in game. "Fuck," is the only thought I can muster up, as I watch the weapon disappear.

For a brief moment after it's gone, I can't help but think about the entire interaction, which must have taken less than a minute. I hadn't told Lotus anything because I wasn't confident on how to approach the subject, but ultimately, I'm glad I hadn't tried to strike a deal then and there. I know that there will be other frames eventually, and so rather than ruminate, I just think about how real the thing was. "No cosplay could compare. The material they're made of... it's just not something I've seen before. Like a flexible metal, but without being reflective. And the way she moved, I just can't wrap my head around it being a real thing. Even the cinematics don't have the frames bullet jumping around but I would bet every credit I'm about to make on that Ember being able to bounce around just like a player. Plus, the fact that she's just walking around, when she could hit her 4 and obliterate everyone. But no one cares. No one's even really scared." I just shake my head at the entire interaction. "This is probably what it's like to meet Superman, except if Superman was more morally questionable. Mercenary Superman. Mercman. Whatever."

"-and then the Ember walked off. It was so trippy. I have not seen a warframe before, not in person. There was this presence that... I do not know how to describe it. You could feel it coming off of them just by being near them," I say to Ko-lee, as I sit across from her within the tavern. "Actual aura for real," I follow up in English, still somewhat in a daze from the encounter. Ko-lee just nods her head, occasionally taking a swig of her mowje as she listens to me tell the story. "Obviously. They are walking forces of nature. They are so strong, so fast, you'd be dead before you knew it. And, you can't really kill them. There are stories of people thinking that they've killed a Tenno, and they snatch up it's body to sell for parts. Then, not even a minute or two later, it comes back to life only to kill everyone and leave." We've swapped now, and I find myself nodding my own head and sipping my own mowje as she talks. "I've never heard of anyone referring to a Tenno as Ember before though. What does that mean?"

"It is... a small flame?" I say in Ostron, my hand wiggling as though it were a flame at the tip of a candle wick. "Or a tiny coal, barely alive." I can see it click in Ko-lee's head, and she says, "ohhh, ember. You weren't using the Origin word for ember, you were using... uhm, what did you call it..." "English," I prompt, and I can see her head nodding in confirmation. There's a thoughtful look in her eye and brief moment of silence, before she asks, "Let me guess. You can't tell me why you call that specific Tenno Ember?" I just shrug as non commitally as possible. "It is just what I know them as. It is a long story," I say, taking a bite of grilled tower flesh and some sort of root vegetable. I wasn't particularly enamored with it's taste; something like a cross between a cauliflower and a brussel sprout. However, its flavor was minimal, and it acted as a fantastic vessel for the sauce it was covered in, so I ate with gusto. Ko-lee just leans back in her chair, taking a sip of her mowje, before saying, "Someday, I will sit you down, and you will tell me that 'long story'." I just give an affirmative while my mouth is full of food, but as I get a glance at her eyes it's clear that, while in good spirits, she's very serious.

I sit up, swallowing my food, and look at Ko-lee. "Ko-lee, I promised I will tell you. I am not trying to hide my story from you, it is just... it is really complicated. With the words I have I... it is just a lot. Even I do not have all the answers. I keep my promises, and I will tell the entire thing you, some day soon, okay?" I do my best with my limited language to impress upon her my sincerity, and she seems to notice, because she nods her head right away. "I know, I believe you. I'm not trying to push you, I'm just curious," she says, as she leans back in her chair. "I wasn't planning on let you sneak away anyways. Oh! That reminds me of the Corpus guy I saw..."

Our food finished, and the night wearing down, Ko-lee stretches in front of me, and says, "I'll see you in the morning, right? We have to talk to Konzu, but if we head down to the beach, we may be able to catch him before the end of the day." I give her a nod of affirmation, and Ko-lee gives a small grin. "And by morning, you are aware I mean before the middle of the day, correct?" I just roll my eyes. "I do not think it is crazy to sleep in for a single day! We were walking for two weeks! You taskmaster," I say, the mirth evident in my voice. She just keeps on grinning, and she starts off up the stairs, as I finish the last few sips of my drink. "It's gonna be a bitch to sleep though. Actually meeting a warframe is crazy af. Like, I D K what update we're in, since Ember is a vanilla frame, but there were 20ish something frames pre second dream. But also, some of those frames were actually just primes so really there's only like 15 unique frames. Still, would be wild to see like, a volt or an excal with his sword or something. Orrrr, like a nidus? Could nidus even walk around in somewhere like Cetus? Isn't he a walking vector? Or straight up mummy frame? What would that even look like I R L? Or like, their attacks or something..."

As I continue thinking, I make my way upstairs to my room, but my train of thought is derailed by faint sounds reaching my ears. The tavern isn't silent; there's still a few people about since it's not particularly late, but what I'm hearing doesn't seem to be coming from downstairs. I stop walking, and quirk my head, trying to pinpoint the origin of the sound, and as I take a few slow steps towards my room, I realize what it is I'm hearing. "Oh," I say, taking a few steps closer to Ko-lee's room. "Shit, she's crying, but there's no way she's asleep. It's almost def the stress of having to talk to Konzu tomorrow. Do I... like, knocking on her door is super the wrong play probably," I think, as I stand there awkwardly in the hallway. "I know she's got the whole stoic strat but I'm like, 95% confident that she needs a friend. Is it irresponsible to let her suffer by herself? Am I bad friend for not saying anything?" As I hem and haw on my actions, I can hear Ko-lee sniffle, before stopping entirely, followed by a number of shuffling sounds. "Well... whatever. Moment's passed," I think, and I finish making my way into my room, collapsing on my own bed.

As I stare at the ceiling, I can't help but continue to ruminate. "It's been like a week plus of this though. I should probably say something, at some point. UGH. Both my partners go to therapy, so like, I can just talk them about stuff like this. I don't need to push them into it, which means I don't really know how to approach someone who might not want to talk about that sort of thing. Bruh. This sucks." A chuckle passes my lips, and I can't help but think, "this is the sort of thing I'd talk to 'my' therapist about, but I highly doubt she got isekai'd along with me. I hope not anyways." There's a moment of silence, as I listen to the muffled sounds of life underneath me, before letting out a sigh. "I'll talk to her about it. Eventually. There'll be another opportunity, I'm sure."