Chapter Text
The void had finally spat him out. After enduring a century deep within the grasp of a turbulent void-storm, it had, unceremoniously, ejected him from its familiar vice embrace. This could only mean that The Tempestarii had remained beyond any ally's reach. Ever elusive and trapped on the voyage of incomplete closure. The Void grew tired of cradling him. Spewing him onto lua. The lifepod chipped and shattered instantly upon the impact. Landing vertically. Sevagoth's unresponsive body began slumping forward, to then surrender and collapse to gravity on lua entirely; all due to the many cumbersome years of inactivity. When he finally came to, he heard the distant, muffled, sounds of nearby void fissures bursting and hissing ravenously into being.
What really captured his attention was the eerie, tangible, cry of a child? Not a meagre trick of the void. For he had left it's embrace. From its fearful shrieks alone, it sounded incredibly young. At most, only estimated to have been existing for mere months. The cries only grew louder, surpassing the vicious sounds of the emerging and collapsing void fissures. A sinking, desperate, feeling jumpstarted his stirring heart. An awakening urgency. The instinctual need to protect the distressed child from the chaos erupting around it. With delirious finality, Sevagoth willed his heavy limbs to functionality...twitching at first before mustering up the proper strength to raise himself off the floor. He managed to stand upright and was slowly limping his way back to awareness.
The Helmsman's vision stippled to life, blurry still, as he dazedly forced himself to move towards the more audible sound of the wailing baby. His senses rebooted significantly. The anxiety inducing demand to protect, and console, the poor creature was supplying him with the strength, as well as energy, to move. Once closer, Sevagoth had later heard the additive sounds of shrieking and garbled groans of unmarked creatures. Whatever they were...they were alerted, instantly, to his presence and began garbling and chirping in mild disapproval. "Sentients" Sevagoth identified immediately. Those grotesque noises were recognisable anywhere throughout the system. It was rather iconic for their elusive species.
Once he could no longer hear things in a, muffled, dissociative state...Sevagoth managed to react in time to combat the sentients swarming him instead. An unconcerned cluster of Sentients still stayed where they were huddled...which was where Sevagoth recognised the originating sounds of the crying baby. Without a weapon, Sevagoth could only utilise his sow and gloom ability on these adaptive creatures. He casted gloom to which he followed that up with his sow ability. These creatures were simply mimcysts and fairly weaker than their more stronger counterparts. All assailants, that had been compelled to fight him, let out chimed death rattles and later exploded and faded instantly into particles.
The adrenaline of the newly won fight supplied the unarmed Warframe with the willpower to fight off the remaining Sentients stressing the baby. He got closer to the makeshift cradle, the Mimics couldn't react as swiftly as they would like since they were slowed within Sevagoth's Gloom proximity. The ravenous radius, gradually, siphoned health from the enemies, ultimately rejuvenating life essence to the weakened state the Prime was in. Sevagoth grew more confident the closer he got, now standing proudly as he utilised the remaining energy reserves to sow the remaining life force from his enemies. Benefiting his own health pool.
A shaky, relieved, sigh escaped his helm as he watched the last of the sentients diminish and atomise out of existence. The baby's cries had lessened, significantly, since the clutter of sentients left its sights, sending another relieved feeling to flood his body. It didn't sound as distressed anymore, just coming down from it's emotional toil. Curiously enough, Sevagoth craned his head into the ominously placed cradle, breath hitching at the sight. A Warframe. It was a genuine baby Warframe. It was a wonder why such cries sparked a more intense familial, almost maternal, urge to protect. Sevagoth was in awe as he watched the little creatures green emissives flicker and glow, excitedly, up at him in consideration. It made contemplative whines and coos, arms outstretching and tiny fingers grabbing at nothing, as it processes the sight of The Helmsman.
It occurred to The Prime that the child didn't classify him as a threat, upon actively seeking comfort from him with demanding, outstretched, hands. Sevagoth's heart fluttered at the warming gesture, causing his own magenta emissives to brighten with joy. "I'm glad I'm not as scary to you as I look" Sevagoth cooed back, voice incredibly heavy and raspy with disuse. Unbeknownst to Sevagoth, his voice served to ease the child further as it sounded like the more lulling tones of its absent father. The Void-Wraith couldn't help but lower one finger into the cradle for the baby to cling on to. "Brave little thing you are" Sevagoth converses casually, "—out here by your lonesom-" his line of thought was severed instantly at the realisation. A child left unattended. Cared for, clearly, but unattended with Void-fissures clinging onto what he could make out to be a crumbling Lua.
"You shouldn't be alone....Where's your parents?" The Prime muttered below his breath, whilst he looked down at the child with growing concern. The child's fingers tightened around his singular finger as The Prime dwelled on the well-being of their parents. The moment of wholesome introductions was cut off abruptly, as another Void-Fissure hissed to life...startling the child instantly. Corrupted enemies now emerged from the tear of reality. At the same time...his heart sank as his gloom ran out. The feeling of dread sunk it's fangs into his being. He needed to think fast. He needed to protect the child at all costs.
~
Orion had been crying a little ways down the long stretch of Orokin hall. It was a subtle sign that told Sorren of their definitive livelihood. Though it didn't mean it didn't stress him out, however. As he lead the corrupted enemies away from their usually quiet sanctuary and culled their numbers...Orion's terrified cries had grown more fierce. At the massive uptick in his baby's distress, Sorren mowed down the remaining rogue corrupted and began sprinting back towards his baby's crib. His heart was thundering wildly in his chest as those panicked cries echoed throughout the vast halls. 'Hold on Orion' Sorren begs internally.
Unfortunately, Sorren couldn't get too far as another wave of enemies manifested into being, blocking his path. On instinct he started chopping down the void-sizzling swarm. Sometime in the midst of the fighting, he realised his baby had stopped crying entirely...which only served to worry the stressed father even more. Desperate fatherly rage motivated Sorren to exterminate the remaining enemies faster. He tried to ignore the paranoid reasonings for his child's abruptly silenced cries as he got closer. Gunshots and the like had gone off. "No no no no no no no" Sorren mantras thickly through his constricting vocals.
He slaughtered all the corrupted in sight, heart pounding wildly inside his chest as the numbers depleted with the rhythm of each nervous beat. Once everything was nothing but twitching nerves or dismembered corpses in bloody piles, Sorren bullet-jumped to his baby's crib. Nothing but a bloodied, gory, mess was left. A struggling, choked out, noise left his helm as he snapped his sights away from the scene before him. Sorren's chest heaved as he processed the current state of his unfortunate predicament. Memories flooded his mind, of her, of his brightening days with Orion and it all overwhelmed his senses.
Sorren let out a loud blood curdling scream of anguish. Crying out into the emptiness of space surrounding Lua. In his anguish, he paid no attention to the life pod that had once housed the Void-Wraith.
~
There were corrupted enemies everywhere, some closing in a little too close to the baby's crib. Sevagoth discarded the weapon he'd stolen from a fallen corrupted lancer, throwing the emptied weapon at an approaching butcher's head. The butcher stumbled back, tripping over a few other corrupted-turned Grineer. Sevagoth pivoted around before sprinting to the crib, delicately retrieving the child from its stasis bed. The Prime's large muscular body shielded the baby as it whined curiously, hidden well beneath the longer side of Sevagoth's silken coat. As his back faced the large Orokin doors, a bullet grazed his shoulder...and the exit wound splattered blood inside the baby's barren crib.
Sevagoth knew he heard it distinctly, the sound of a stationed, cloaked orbiter. It was hovering close by, right within reach...and it paid to be accustomed to recognising the sound of aerial transportation vehicles. Without wasting time, he ran straight towards its direction, his blood leaving a subtle trail in his rapid departure. He'd hoped it would respond and shelter them both from enemy fire. As soon as Sevagoth was directly beneath it, it instantly uncloaked itself and roared to life. It's stark red presence diverted all attention from them onto it as the corrupted open fired onto its hull instead.
Sevagoth held on tightly, but gently, onto the crying child as the ship, slowly, magnetised them both up into the cockpit. Once they were both secure and inside the Orbiter, it instantly re-cloaked itself back into idle inconspicuousness. It was drastically more quiet inside the Orbiter. The corrupted stopped shooting entirely, dazed by its sudden disappearance. "Shhhh...you're safe little one...you're safe" Sevagoth consoled the child, surprisingly naturally, whilst breathless and in pain as he cared more for the child's comfort. He was wincing and grunting as he got up to find somewhere to rest, searching inside the orbiter for The Child to finally rest comfortably and safely after the emotionally exhausting encounters.
He felt small hands grip tightly onto the tight silks of his collar, tugging occasionally as he searched for a place for them to rest. The baby's cries had faded to nothing but curious, whiny, noises. "Don't worry about me...little one...I'm not too gravely wounded" Sevagoth brushed off gently, his magenta emissives slightly brighter now that the worst of the stress has subsided. "Surely you know this vessel more than I, hmm? Do you have a place to sleep?" Sevagoth asked the unresponsive baby despite its lack of ability to actively engage in the conversation.
Sevagoth learned that his one-sided conversations alone had managed to lull the baby into stasis. "Quite flattering of you to fall asleep in my presence" Sevagoth says aloud upon reaching the Private-Quarters that looked habitable, but barely lived in. A much more sterile environment than the crumbling landscapes and ruins of Lua. A large stasis bed lay tucked up against the large floor-to-ceiling window...appearing more so like a reading nook. The Prime gently sat onto the bed so as to not wake the baby, later swinging his legs up as he cradled the baby warframe close. He looked out the window with a drooping helm, soon resting it against the cold glass.
Without realising it he fell into a brief moment of stasis. Exhaustion clung to him. The only reason he'd stirred awake was upon detecting a thickening malicious energy. So when he finally blinked his vision to clarity...he reflexively, yet calmly, angled his helm away from the scythe aimed at his throat. He was lucky his body didn't react too drastically...otherwise he'd have disturbed the snug baby. It was cuddled up so soundly to his right pectoral, still concealed beneath his coat, that he didn't want to disturb it. The first thing he noticed when he gazed lazily at the new figure, whilst at scythe-point, was the Jade hue in the ebony warframes brightly burning emissives. This was, undoubtedly, the child's father.
Sevagoth swallowed cautiously...not wanting to provoke the angry father any further. It was best to remain passive in this instance to not aggravate the baby and the distressed father. "Give me...ONE...good reason...not to slaughter you trespasser" The Stalker growled, his voice trembling in anger throughout his impressive physical restraint. The scythe still, unfortunately, nicked at the soft white flesh beneath his helm, causing Sevagoth's emissives to flash alongside his flinch. The jolt of his body, from the blade cutting him, caused the baby to make a noise of discomfort...startling the Father back. The scythe left his throat immediately.
Sevagoth turned his Helm awkwardly to his chest, Stalker watching intently with disbelief, as he sat up and presented the child to its father. He had to awkwardly move his coat out of the way, revealing the child, but the tiny bundle curled up to his side was unmistakably... "Orion" Sorren said in an unbelieving tone...it was heavy with a multitude of emotions but relief and joy was becoming more apparent. Sevagoth carefully manoeuvred Orion into the awaiting Father's arms, providing distance between the two as he sat on the stasis bed.
"How?" Sorren questioned after he'd stared at his peacefully resting child enough to confirm its wellbeing . "I don't know. I came to after being trapped in the void... I could only assume I wound up here after so many years. I heard their cries and felt the instinctual need to protect them" Sevagoth began as he looked down at the sleeping baby before continuing, "There were too many manifesting from the void, I was without a weapon, and I could faintly hear the sound of this orbiter. I was stressed and, logically, grabbed your baby and ran to this vessel". Sorren looked at The Prime, confused, "The blood I saw in the crib..." he asked thickly.
"—was mine. A bullet grazed me during our escape. Nothing too seriou-" Sevagoth verified to then stop and peer down at his arm, once white, now drenched in red. He looked towards the floor, noticing the deep red puddle, near his feet, that had formed when he was passed out. "Perhaps that is concerning" Sevagoth muttered weakly to himself, lowering his arm nonchalantly. His emissives flickered as he winced at the motion. The adrenaline must've worn out. "Why did you help?" Sorren interrogated, finding the Prime slowly endearing but strange. He wasn't to kill him...he saved his son and it appeared Orion was rather fond of the void-wraith.
"I save lives for a living. It was my purpose as a warframe. I worried, if my final tether to my livelihood was to fulfil my last wish...it would be to save a life. I couldn't save myself...couldn't find myself....so I guess I had managed to save two in a way" Sevagoth spoke with an air of closure. Calm and content. His helm felt incredibly heavy and his vision was slimming with exhaustion by the minute. Perhaps he was dying. He did feel mild discomfort at the lack of his shadowy counterpart. However such an uncomfortable pull, the emptiness, kept him away from death. The thread of his general livelihood was slim but not frayed.
Sevagoth stared at the orbiter floor, head swimming and his emissives dimming to save whatever energy he could salvage. He grieved his unanswered call. Grieved the hardship The Tempestarii, his beloved Railjack, and his shadow would endure trying to find him. "I'm dying..." Sevagoth whispered to himself, feeling more burdened by menial tasks, like keeping upright, by the moment. "Thank you" was the rough grumble of Sorren upon finally mustering the courage to say those foreign words. It intercepted Sevagoth's grim line of thought and he was thankful for the distraction.
"You are welcome..." Sevagoth replied weakly, yet warmly, his emissives an unhealthy dim hue. "It was an honour to meet Orion" Sevagoth whispered fondly, his helm angled towards the direction of the sleeping child. With the fading words he leant up against the right wall of the stasis bed, unresponsive as Sorren regarded the withering Warframe. How cruel. How, awfully, parallel the imagery of this dying Void-Wraith had with his Jade. Her passing was too recent for him to not relapse into that grief. Orion stirred with an inquiring whine, emissives brightened as he peered up at the familiar helm of his Father.
Sorren regarded his child fondly, temporarily, forgetting the Warframe resting in place next to him. That was...until Orion made an inquisitive noise upon moving his heavy head and noticing Sevagoth resting beside them. Orion made another happy shrill of noise, reaching out to the unresponsive Void-Wraith. It was a disheartening sight. Sorren, upon now sensing his Child's trust in the fellow Warframe...couldn't help but try to lull Orion back to sleep. To avoid the pain of witnessing his son’s confusion to Sevagoth’s dying frame. When in actuality, he was trying to lull his own emotions to an apathetic state. Yet there was so much pain....so much suffering.
Orion wouldn't look away from Sevagoth and his demanding noises of attention from the disengaged Void-Wraith grew. They gradually grew desperate. Sorren's heart dropped at the heartbreaking revelation. Orion hadn't seen any other Warframe but Sorren, his father...meaning Sevagoth's sudden consoling presence, posing as another potential parental figure, had left an unimaginable impression on him. Sorren tried to console Orion but became more stressed, and saddened, when Orion suddenly started wailing loudly with a gaze fixated on the unconscious warframe.
Sorren had to face his body, cradling Orion, away from Sevagoth so that Orion could no longer see him. But...since they were warframes and more adapted to their senses...Orion could still feel the dwindling aura field of Sevagoth. That knowledge frustrated and burdened Sorren as his son became increasingly inconsolable. It triggered his memory of Jade. Her dying. He, selfishly, pictured Sevagoth as his wife...how could he not? When the void forced such parallels? Sorren had to make this right. Not for himself. For Orion. He had to. He had to. He had to.
He spared a glance at the Prime, seeing the ever so paling emissives. Time was ticking. Sevagoth was only dying. He could save him…right?
Chapter 2
Summary:
Orion doesn’t want Sevagoth dying on him and frankly…neither does Sorren!
Notes:
BEHOLD! CHAPTER! YIPPEEEEEE!!! Forgive the errors lol I’m lazy and MY PEEPS WANT ORION HAPPY!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
He couldn't do it. He couldn't listen to his son's pained cries any longer, nor ignore the anxieties and conglomerated, conflicting, feelings surfacing from such a saddening predicament. His mind and heart were racing in a quickening rhythm as he subconsciously formulated ideas. He needed to make this right. The Void was practically laughing in his face, watching him squirm and, ultimately, anticipating what "The Stalker" would do in the dwindling time he's got left TO DO SOMETHING. AGAIN. Stuck in a spiral of Sorrow of his own. Orion's wavering, exhausted, cries only helped solidify his decision. He could spare his own selfish bitterness in order to cater to his son's happiness. This isn't about him anymore...it's about THEM.
"NO..." Sorren growled, aloud, bitterly. Denying the repeated torment the Void wanted to force upon him. This Frame had, inadvertently, become part of their narrative together and Sol be with whoever, or whatever, tried to stop that. With determined motives, he turned to the Void-Wraith, crouching down into his field of vision, as he effortlessly cradled Orion in one arm. He wasn't gonna do it. He wasn't gonna allow Orion to experience death. Not again. It was too soon.
"Hey...Void-Frame!? Do you hear me?" Sorren demands firmly in his signature rasp, utilising his other arm to shake Sevagoth into consciousness. Orion made a sad noise himself, he too calling to the Void-Wraith with a mumbled inquiry of his own. The brightness of Sevagoth's emissives remained, still quite dull in hue. The anticipation was, slowly, discouraging the both of them. Like father, like son.
The Helmsman's emissives soon flickered, briefly, at the returning contact...his vision stippling to life. Sorren couldn't help the relieved sigh that escaped his vocals. Sevagoth was, significantly, more sluggish than he was moments prior, which presented Sorren with an unanticipated time frame he had in order to save the Prime. Sevagoth's emissives gradually became more brighter in his Helm as he, tiredly, regarded the two warframes staring up at him in mutual concern. Good. He was more responsive than Sorren had initially thought. Orion chirped up at the Void-Wraith, a tiny arm outstretched to him. Sevagoth's emissives brightened at the sight and a faint, adoring, chuckle left him.
"Orion" Sevagoth acknowledged fondly, bringing a silk-gloved finger to meet the tiny hand halfway. Sorren watched the gentle scene play out before him, which only served to fuel his motivation and determination to keep Sevagoth alive, further. "What do I need to do to help you?" Sorren asked sternly, awaiting instructions like the punctual guardsman he once was. "To keep you with us" Sorren added for the more elaborated request. "Find The Tempestarii to find my Shadow..." Sevagoth began vaguely in a low, exhausted, drawl before continuing "We last came into contact with The Corpus...in the Proximas...I must reunite with him...make myself whole, before I can truly recover".
Sorren mulled over the instructions, for analysis and singled out the helpful key information Sevagoth was able to provide for him. "Corpus Proxima's. Find The Tempestarii. Find The Shadow..." Was Sorren's repeated aloud objectives. Meanwhile, Orion made happy hums and chortles, oblivious, whilst the adults conversed and devised over their plans. "Vospheme glyphs, a friend identifying password phrase, protect The Tempestarii from foes" Sevagoth added after a pained wince, his emissives flickered in mild discomfort. Sorren noticed this. He really had lost a lot of blood and it was showing in his mannerisms. Well...and the neglected deep red puddle he'd, narrowly, avoided when he'd crouched down.
Sorren, growing paranoid about their unknown timeframe, wanted to prolong the others' life expectancy as much as he could; That shoulder wound needed to be patched, immediately. So, interrupting Sevagoth's lethargic condition, he decided to, absentmindedly, offer Orion to Sevagoth. "Can you hold him?" Sorren requests abruptly, only handing over his child when he was certain Sevagoth was able to move enough to cradle and secure Orion in his arms. Orion simply squealed in joy, instantly grabbing onto the silks of Sevagoth's coat. Confused, Sevagoth eyed Orion's father with a slightly tilted helm. However, he couldn't prompt his inquiry in time as a heavy hand clasped onto his shoulder and, within an instant, they were teleported in a plume of smoke into Sorren's Helminth Infirmary.
"How do I contact The Tempestarii? I have no Railjack of my own" Sorren asks as he slung an arm around Sevagoth to, carefully, help manoeuvre him back and onto the infirmary chair. They, surprisingly, kept rough eye contact throughout the whole ordeal. "Hijack a Corpus fighter, or even a crew ship, and activate an emergency broadcast-" Sevagoth hissed as he casually handed Orion back to Sorren who waited, patiently, for more information after accepting his son back into his arms. "—The Tempestarii's last mission was to save a life. Determined to save me. However, it won't be opposed to saving anyone else in need". Sorren considers the information silently. "It will first ask you, 'Who waits for the Shadow?', you must respond with, 'We the lost souls', from there...it should grant you access into its premises"
"And your Shadow?" Sorren questions, "Lurks within The Tempestarii" Sevagoth verifies immediately, pondering his next words carefully before he supplies the other with the more troubling details. "Although I am dying...wilting away by the hour. I am too stubborn to accept death without my Shadow....meaning...I can't be certain that I'll live after our reunion" Sevagoth admits solemnly, his aura field pulled tight at the admittance. Sorren remained speechless at the grim prospect, thinking over the situation, later looking down upon Orion who giggled new emotions up at him. He was so much more happier, seeing Sevagoth active, than when he was before.
Sevagoth's voice softened, understanding and sensing the inner turmoil of Orion's father...he was clearly stressed on behalf of his son. He could tell he was doing this for his son's happiness and was weighing the pros and cons of the situation. A good father. "To guarantee my livelihood, after i reunite with my shadow, 5 wayward souls must be present in order for my Shadow to fully bargain with death and be able to resurrect us".
At that game changing detail, Sorren looked over to him with absolute finality...that grim silence was instantly replaced with determination once more. He was solidified on the idea of saving Sevagoth and that thought alone made the helmsman regard the two rather fondly...despite his weakened state. "I think I deserve to know the name of my potential saviour, don't you think?" Sevagoth requests softly, wincing as the impatient Helminth patched his arm with deft appendages. Sorren seemed to hesitate, considering his next answer, until looking down at his son encouraged him to speak. "Sorren" The ebony warframe replied bluntly. "Sevagoth" The Prime hums tiredly, clearly wanting to squeeze out a couple words before lethargy claimed him once more "An honour to meet you too, Sorren".
Sorren only nods, still present and processing a few things left unsaid; like where Orion would remain as he works...which was the main factor that's surfaced during their conversation. "While I work. Orion must be left-" Sorren started, to which Sevagoth swiftly suggests "-With me, I'm sure he'd love a snuggle buddy". There was clear mirth in that tone, not at all conflicted with babysitting, and Sorren couldn't help but exhale a noise in quiet gratitude. Eventually, The Helminth patched up the gaping wound which would finally set their plans into motion. Time was now, officially, of the essence. Sorren offered Orion into the arms of a compliant Sevagoth and he, in return, teleported them all back into the Private-Quarters.
Sevagoth was too busy holding onto Orion and ensuring the child's comfortability than to process that they were both, effortlessly lowered, bridal style, onto the stasis bed. As soon as his hands left The Prime, he couldn't help but watch the rather intimidating looking warframe interact so sweetly with his child. It was an unseen stab at his heart of what could've been. How cruel, the Void was...to slot Sevagoth so perfectly into their life. He was brought out of his stupor when he heard the enlightened drawl of Sevagoth, vaguely , address him "You wanna say bye to your dada? He'll be quite busy for a while, hmm?". Orion made a loud giggle, catching his father's stare and having his emissives brighten at the mere sight of him. "Thank you...again..." Sorren subconsciously mumbled after an amused chuff.
"You are welcome, Sorren. Don't keep your young one alone for long. I can't promise that I'll wake up when I go into stasis" Sevagoth whispered softly, "Check in on him, when you can". Sorren nodded in understanding, quickly crouching next to the bed to coddle his son with attention, briefly, before he were to leave to save Sevagoth. Orion made pleased noises, shortly yawning with blinking green emissives as soon as the taller frame started to leave before he got too attached too early. There was plenty of time to get to know Sevagoth once he was saved and staying among the living. Once Sorren left the room, to no doubt pilot the orbiter to an approximate set of coordinates, Sevagoth adjusted himself on the stasis bed so that he was cocooning around Orion protectively like a gilded guardian kubrodon. It ensured Orion's warmth and safety whilst they both, simultaneously, drifted off into stasis.
" > Go to Corpus Overrun Proximas (Raid Stanchion data vaults for additional information)
> Check on Orion
> Hijack a Crewship (bring Sevagoth and Orion???)
> Travel to an unmarked area and activate a emergency distress beacon
> Wait for the Tempestarii
> Attempt opening up a comms channel with The Tempestarii and supply it with the answer: "We the lost souls"
> Board the Tempestarii
> ???
!!!Capture 5 wayward souls???
^^^If with Sevagoth and Orion...offer 5 wayward souls????" Was all of Sorren's known, listed, objectives as he waited, patiently, at Navigation for the Void-Jump to complete. It sure was a handful to keep his son happy....but he was worth it.
~
<< Go to Corpus Overrun Proximas: Raid Stanchion data vaults for additional information>>
"Crew! That-was the second data vault, also, going dark so suddenly! Find the Tenno rats, NOW, or PARVOS WILL HAVE US ALL!" Stressed the, vaguely, familiar sound of an aspiring Corpus Stanchion Captain over the ship-wide intercoms. Sorren, unfazed by the lit up comms chatter, ploughed his way through the corridors of emerging enemies and tight turns. Sprinting and bullet-jumping, in quick succession, towards the direction of the final data vault. He'd already acquired a substantial chunk of information about the history of The Tempestarii; Which he would quickly read through, once he extracts and returns to his orbiter to Check in on Orion.
For now, however, he has to dodge increasing enemy fire and slip into the data vault. It was made effortless with the simple use of his cloaking ability. He used it directly at the data vault entrance and, miliseconds after, he disappeared in a hiss and a plume of ebony smoke. Sorren had around 30 seconds of invisibility. More than enough time to dodge lasers and take out lingering corpus security units. He was quick and efficient. The path to the data vault was quite linear and equally straightforward to bypass much like the last two data vaults. Most Corpus architecture was structured the same. Which was, funnily enough, structured exactly the same way as the ones he'd stolen the medical grade medicine for Jade.
Sorren's emmisives flickered sourly at the memory and his heart started to beat more slower in the emerging, discomforting, grief. Although, he couldn't shake the intense sense of deja vu that overcame him as he, now, headed for extraction.
"AHEM! right! Uh-Intruder! By order of Parvos g-EUH-You again? There's no way!What are you-? Don't tell me your child is sick too?" Was the now identified ship Captain, Xeto. Her tone was riddled with disbelief and utter confusion. The chances of them meeting, since their last encounter, seemed incredibly slim. Especially within Proxima air space. However, ever since Sevagoth made an appearance into his life, there were too many coincidences for this not to be the Void mocking and eternalising his pain. Sorren didn't regard the Captain with an answer, keeping to the script and, once again, choosing silence in this seemingly repeated instance.
He could only smoulder in the hate he now kindled for the Void and it's repeating possibilities. It seemed, despite him culling a Tenno with only a couple apprehensive assists, the Tenno's dilemmas were rubbing off on him. Nothing seemed coincidental anymore.
"Not to pry daddy-oh, but your child seemed healthy. You protected it well from my lousy, deaf, crew. Though...you're not with your child right now. It's safe then. That's reassuring. Yet......the files you stole were of that void-cursed ghost ship?" Xeto deduces through the comms channel in a slow thinking hum. The cogwheels turning in her head were loud, and rusty, enough for Sorren to be bothered by. The conversation remained one-sided as Sorren pictured the ephemeral lightbulb lighting up above her head with her sudden gasp. "Oh, don't tell me you found the Helmsman for that blasted ship?!". She was slow, but clever nonetheless. "Heard he was a true nightmare to deal with back in the day...according to Vala herself" Xeto muttered, conversationally, to no one.
The developing silence between them spoke everything verbally unsaid by Sorren. She didn't need the Warframe's vocal engagement for verification; His presence and their missing data logs were supporting evidence enough. "Look. I don't feel like orphaning a kid as young as that, that's seriously bad for my mental health. Vala Glarios posted me here for my very valid and excusable failures down there! I didn't tell her why of course...BUT! I don't need her knowing of your espionage under my watch...again!" Xeto whisper-yelled dramatically, "I'll be executed! Turned into shelve parts like those debt-slaves on Venus!".
None of that was any of his problem. She'd have to work around it herself. Despite how they'd left off on neutral terms. Sorren was doing all this for his son. If Orion wanted Sevagoth in his life? A former "Nightmare to deal with"?! Then so be it. Sorren could adapt. Orion seemed unbothered by Sevagoth's imposing presence. Which could only, logically, be explained due to The Prime's colourfully deceiving visage.
Xeto's range of communication was severed as Sorren reached extraction. She was rambling at that point and he'd beyond tuned her out after he recalled who she was. Xeto was more morally competent than any Corpus Sorren had encountered before and he was confident that she would, once again, wiggle her way out of such a pinch again. He would remain oblivious to her next decisions though, whether she'd tell "Vala Glarios" of his reappearance and thievery or not. Sorren had a sneaking suspicion that they'd meet again somewhere along the line. At least she couldn't follow him to a fixed location this time. Which was pretty much the only benefiting variable in this circumstance.
The Protector Stalker was lucky that his Orbiter also went unnoticed and traversed, coincidentally easy, beyond recommended range boundaries. He just never cared for such vast traversals and the majority of Tenno seemed more grounded than the niche few who live for the risk of the Proximas. Meaning his hunting grounds, to cull the Tenno, were more focused on the frequented planets themselves.
~
<< Check on Orion>>
When Sorren found himself inside the safe confines of his Orbiter, he slowly stood from navigation and decided to buy himself a couple of small seconds to peruse the data he'd raided from the data vaults rather successfully. It didn’t hurt to know more about the warframe his Son became so attached to. Orion, thankfully, wasn't crying, meaning he was either still sleeping soundly or busy idly fiddling with the many silks The Prime had weaved onto his body.
"Record of 2017 saved lives. Encountered a void storm of immeasurable and unprecedented magnitude. Refusal to fallback that resulted in its current status of drifting through the cover of void storms” Sorren whispers in summary, reading the data logs, whilst he effortlessly navigates the confines of his own orbiter. He stopped, however, as his peripherals caught movement of something zooming across his vision so suddenly. His Helm snapped up, freezing him to the spot, instantly, as one of HER feathers, with their blinking Jadelite, fell atop on one of Sevagoth’s shoulders.
It pulsed and breathed, faintly, until it’s glow dies out entirely…and along with it…it’s presence. Once Sorren processed her feather started to fade, he teleported to the front of the bed and, immediately, tried to preserve the feather within his desperate grasp. Such an action only caused it to atomise out of existence faster and Sorren couldn’t help but collapse onto his knees…gripping tightly to the sheets on the side of the bed hosting Orion and Sevagoth. It was for stability. Sorren rested his forehead against the edge of the bed, as the whispers of his grief and sorrow resurface to torment him once more.
A strangled noise left his body as it began trembling uncontrollably. He was trying so desperately to stay strong. For Orion. For Her…But his heart had never hurt so much. It was agonising. The pain of Jade’s death and the sudden, yet blessed, weight of fatherhood were taking its toll. The stress was daunting and he couldn’t hold it in anymore. His silent cries didn’t go unnoticed however, as Sevagoth, by some miracle, stirred awake upon hearing his choked cries and suffocating sobs. Sevagoth’s emissives lit up in an empathetic glow and his withering heartbeat bled profusely for the other.
Sevagoth barely registered his hand reaching towards the sobbing warframe, for the others’ consolation. It was like another force, delicate in possession as it might be, was driving him to do such an action. It, carefully, soothed over the harsh lines of Sorren’s imposing helm and it eventually found soft purchase on the ebony warframes’ cheek. “Oh, Sorren” Sevagoth whispers weakly, his voice cracking as he watched the reserved man fall apart. An unknowingly amalgamated voice of two. Sorren, in his grief, mistook Sevagoth’s consoling tone for Jade’s and it only served to upset him more. He stumbled over a few more violent sobs until he spoke aloud his only singular thought then, “Sol, I miss you so much”.
Notes:
Awww Sorren! Annnnd another hanging cliff is where we find ourselves again! Ooppp!
Anyways! A bit of a delay on the chapter because I got burnt out when I hit the 2.3k word mark! Lmao! Then i tried to get my brain some inspiration! Took a couple of days! Which, eventually, came in the form of an energy drink that was consumed a bit too late into the night lol.
This might turn out to be longer to complete than I expected cause of how yap tap tap my writing is lol.
Chapter 3
Summary:
Time is of the essence…and his is fading fast…
Notes:
(See the end of the chapter for notes.)
Chapter Text
Sevagoth had initially sensed a faint presence. A fleeting one. It was gentle and full of an energy radiating warmth, clarity and acceptance. Strangely enough, a whisper beckoned to him in his sleep, "Take care of them" it had said softly, yet solemnly. He felt the light phantom sensation of a grateful hand on his shoulder. The whisper was that of a woman's voice and he, briefly, swore he had hallucinated an angelic warframe with green emissives looking down on him as she spoke. The lucidity of it all had stirred him to full alertness and enough to blink his vision to the awareness of his surroundings; right when Sorren appeared, suddenly, before him and grasping onto something unseen.
Sevagoth simply observed Sorren quietly, slowly coming to his senses after blinking out of stasis. The blur eventually faded, when Sorren reached the foot of the stasis bed. Distraught emotion hung about him. Sevagoth could sense it. It didn't feel appropriate to interrupt the other male. He couldn't quite find the words to greet Sorren's return...not when the other was distressed like this; He was, clearly, deep in grieving. As if on queue with Sevagoth's thoughts...Sorren, inexplicably, collapsed at the foot of the bed and later erupted into faint, constrained, cries.
Sorren was having a meltdown and Sevagoth couldn't help but be driven to console the other. The surreal appearance of the female warframe, in his dream, and the lack of the mother in Orion's life was enough evidence for Sevagoth to deduce as to why Sorren was lamenting. He was grieving the loss of someone dear to him, whilst battling the stresses of parenthood. The revelation was saddening to Sevagoth and he couldn't help but reach out to comfort Sorren. A Silk glove traced the others helm gently. The gesture was too uncanny, too like her's, for Sorren's muddied sensors to differentiate the touch and it only drove him more to tears.
"Oh, Sorren" He murmured empathetically, his heart aching and wanting to dull Sorren's pain. Sevagoth really must have a saviour complex, because he'd be willing to do whatever it takes to lessen such a burden on Sorren's shoulders. The man had been through enough. Even a brief moment of emotional release could be enough to lessen a bit of pain. What broke Sevagoth's heart more...was when Sorren's sobs grew less constricted and he broke the ruse of restraint, "Sol, I miss you so much". Sevagoth chose to stay silent...as much as he wanted to console falsehoods? That call was not meant for him.
When it felt appropriate for Sevagoth, which was when Sorren's cries died off into an apathetic stutter, did he slowly remove his hand from his Helm . Instead he diverted his attention to the soundly sleeping child. "Poor thing must've been really tired to have slept for so long" Sevagoth commented, observing as Orion remained snuggled up to his chest and gripping his silks, rather tightly, even in stasis. Sorren remained silent and kneeled on the floor, in a sort of dissociative unresponsive calm, until he noticed The Prime shifting about to check on Orion. The Ebony warframe simply watched in an exhausted idleness...though his mood improved when he saw the cute little bundle of new life he'd made with Jade.
The little gift she'd left behind...
"Sorry...for my outburst..." Sorren apologised, awkwardly, in a quiet rasp deeper than his usual guttural tone. The strong emotions had really put a strain on his already rigid vocal chords. "No need to be. Better out than in — or else the void will pry and capitalise on those untamed emotions and force you into a state of apathy and isolation" Sevagoth assured gently as he deemed Orion safe and snug. It was, really, a blessing that Orion had stayed within stasis during this ordeal. Sevagoth would've been stressed, himself, trying to calm the pair down.
"Solidarity is its weakness...it was just lucky to have isolated me from my Shadow" Sevagoth admitted whilst trailing off, remembering the day of that wretched void-storm. Sorren observed the fellow warframe with a neutral resolve, noticing his emissives remained a stagnant, frighteningly pale, magenta as he caught himself up in the past. As if on autopilot, Sorren placed a hesitant hand on Sevagoth's shoulder. It was a firm comforting gesture that, successfully, brought the Helmsman out of his stupor. Sevagoth's helm jerked slightly, but his emissives blinked into the present before shining warmly in spite of their, concerning, dulling hue.
Sevagoth turned his helm towards Sorren, only managing a weak nod as gratitude. Sorren would be lying if he said that didn't spark the flame of anxiety, as well as the fear of failure, again. "J-just, Hang on a little longer, ok?" Sorren grumbled lowly, noticing the others' intermittent aura field shrinking and expanding with his physical integrity. It was sparse...though clearly the indomitable embodiment of stubbornness. Sevagoth managed a pained, solemn, hum, "I'm too stubborn to die..." he assured after a pained chuckle. "Death may have me....when I stop bartering" was Sevagoth's last whispered words before stasis claimed him.
~
>> Hijack a Crewship<<
"CREW Navigating CREWSHIP: SSO-46! You are not, under any excusable circumstances, authorised to patrol the Pluto Proximas on this day. Dock the Ship, now. Failure to comply with our orders are to be met with instant shutdow-OH come on! No way it's you?! Are you seri-" Before the Stanchion Captain Xeto could finish her sentence, Sorren had comedically severed all communications, as well as related devices, that'd make the Corpus Crewship easier to track. They were bound to locate him once he activates the emergency distress broadcast — however, limiting the interference of the Corpus as much as he can, whilst he traverses to the point of contact destination, was just as important.
Sorren didn't need the Corpus harming Sevagoth or Orion as he, discreetly, boards them into the stolen Crewship; then later The Tempestarii after contact. The corpus would only complicate things...since he only needs the brief window of said Contact when boarding the Vessels. Without wasting anymore time fiddling with the control systems, he then went to activating the ship's steering mechanisms to begin piloting. It was more practical and manually controlled than that of an orbiter. It was quite a foreign concept for Sorren — who had next to no experience flying Proxima-oriented vessels. It was quite the learning curve.
As soon as the vengeful warframe was behind the steering mechanisms, the ship inhabited the coding Stalker had uploaded into it; causing the ship to inherit the characteristics and abilities similar to his own Orbiter. The control panels and system HUDS even changed to the crimson hue he formerly bared. As another result of the hijack coding, the SSO-46 had gone off grid, immediately, as Sorren set the ship into void-drive to rendezvous, at an undisclosed location, with his Orbiter. It left an exasperated Xeto with more paperwork and complications than when she first encountered the ebony Warframe.
~
>> Check on Orion and Sevagoth<<
Sorren kneeled, quietly, next to the two new blessings in his life. Sorren chuffed at how quickly he'd, inadvertently, become attached to Sevagoth. Perhaps it was because he could actually save someone, stubbornly, without demanding the aid of The Tenno. He was practically trying to heal that trauma of loss through Sevagoth's salvation. Done for the sake of his Son. He was pensive, at first, about Sevagoth's mettle in his son's life...but swiftly found beneath all that tough exterior, with stolen corpus intel to prove it, was a big softie. Perhaps even softer than Sorren himself. He watched them sleep with an unshakable, melancholic, feeling surfacing. The Shadow was quick to reprimand that grief and save it for fuel in a future battle. The two remained deep in stasis and Sorren spoiled himself with the moment of temporary peace.
The calm before contacting the storm...
Unsurprisingly enough, Sorren found himself thinking back to the stray, anomalous, feather he'd seen belonging to his beloved Jade. It was present for a reason. They once guided him to her, when she was too weak to move from her stasis bed. It'd been a subtle last point of communication, as well as fleeting will, projected between Sevagoth and Jade. That last remaining feather could've even been Jade's acceptance and approval for Sevagoth being a present member in their Son's family. However, he couldn't deny the bitter envy he felt for her remaining, tangible, essence to be leant towards welcoming and accepting Sevagoth.
That feather succeeded in delivering her last message: 'I approve'. The more Sorren thought about the feather...the more caught up in his mind he got. She gave him permission to move on...should he find that spark in another. Her swiftness to encourage him to move on caused an ache to churn in his gut and a knife to twist in his heart. He was scared of losing her memory. Dreading of forgetting her. Until looking at Orion's visage, with the young child bearing his Mother's colours, was all the honorary remembrance and confirmation he'd needed of her existence. A bittersweet reminder.
Silence no longer held a dominion over the Orbiter, as Orion made strong noises of discomfort as he suddenly stirred awake. Sorren couldn't shake the confusion that tilted his helm and he leaned forward, reaching to cradle and console his bothered son. Since Sevagoth remained scarily unresponsive. Orion's emissives blinked in and out of their dreary stasis, whilst he strongly vocalised his discomfort. His baby's cries only grew stronger with time and that's when Sorren finally looked towards The Prime. Anxiety backstabbed him once more and he shifted to cradle Orion in one arm as he uses his free one to check on Sevagoth.
Sorren gently shook the slumbering Helmsman with his fingertips, trying for a delicate approach. He didn't respond and Orion became distraught at the sight once more. Sorren, in his panic, placed his hand more firmly, with more palm, on Sevagoth's shoulder to vaguely feel his temperature on a surface level. The immediate touch felt lukewarm and could be scarcely plummeting the more they idled. His provided body temperature no longer kept Orion in the comfortable state of stasis. Which explained why he was awakened. The Prime's usual recognisable magenta emissives were practically a depleted non-existent white colour and he was beyond any cognitive responsiveness. His body had entirely entered its self-preservation stages. Preserving the last bout of his energy source to be used, strictly, for his reunion with his Exalted Shadow.
The peace was now interrupted by haste as Sorren began shifting and arranging the unconscious warframe so that he would, at the very least, hold Orion as he teleported them into the SSO-46. Luckily there were many floors to the awkwardly designed ship so he, carefully, rested Sevagoth and Orion onto a couple of conveniently stacked crates in the storage room. Orion was solely fixated on watching the mentally absent prime and trying to coax Sevagoth, with inquisitive murmurs and mumbles, into awakening. Sorren's emissives flickered as he winced at the sight, yet he couldn't stay for long as he needed to enter the coordinates at navigation.
Within the blink of an emissive, Sorren manifested in-front of the navigation console and instantly entered coordinates furtherest away from immediate corpus access; where they would drift near the ‘dead-zone’ of the system…where nothing but infinity and nothing stretched on forever. Sorren later returned to his son, gently removing him from Sevagoth’s delicate hold, then began scooping him up in his own arms to distract Orion whilst they void-jumped to their destination. The ebony warframe opted on teleporting them back to navigation, so that he could set off the emergency distress beacon once he saw the vast stretch of space again.
>> Contact the Tempestarii: When prompted, Answer: 'we the lost souls' <<
The emergency distress beacon let out a high pitched chime, calling out to any nearby drifting vessels. The strange sound was abrupt enough to cease Orion's cries where Sorren was failing. The shock value quieted him instantly. The little one, now silent, with curious interest as he finally noticed the large floor-to-ceiling pilot window looking out into the emptiness of space. Sorren, too, looked out into the vacuum of space in more-so anticipation. They waited only 5 minutes, until a loud explosion, followed by a void-altered Railjack, breached through the fabric of reality so suddenly. Teal tendrils of the void followed its path.
Orion’s young eyes spotted the vessel and couldn't help but giggle, in recognition, at the undeniable similarities that the Vessel shared with Sevagoth. Sorren, internally, lamented the idea that Orion might just become as invested in the Proxima airspaces as Sevagoth is. Perhaps he'd even be interested in piloting the ghost-ship, that was now circling them, warily, with a strange sort of sentience. Sorren tried not to think much about it as he attempted to open up a comms channel with the Void-cloaked Railjack. A sharp, static, noise prompted his verified connectivity and before Sorren found the words to speak...The Tempestarii spoke an ancient forgotten tongue first.
'Who waits for the shadow?' Sorren deciphered confidently, seeing the large Vospheme Glyphs emitted from the ship. Orion chirped and made excited noises as he watched the large space-vessel cruise about like a majestic, otherworldly, beast. "We the lost souls" Sorren spoke firmly, growing nervous whilst the comms channel went haywire with digital static to fill the quiet. The Tempestarii's calculative manoeuvres eventually slowed to a tranquil pace before, completely, lowering its defences. Sorren couldn't help the relieved sigh that escaped him and he took its stillness as an invitation to board its premises.
Orion let out one last whoop of joy, before Sorren teleported them back to Sevagoth. Luckily Orion was too busy trying to orient himself with his surroundings, or rather more focussed on his father, than to notice that Sorren was wrapping him up in Sevagoth's lukewarm arms. With a grunt, Sorren looped his arms beneath The Prime's shoulders and knees and, respectfully, carried the both of them. He teleported them all to navigation, to which he was able to gage a vague, visual, estimate on his teleportation radius. He mulled over it as Orion began playing with Sevagoth's in-built shoulder-armour tassels.
It was doable....just barely....
Sorren adjusted the pure mass of humanoid muscle in his arms, holding them all together, and closely to him, as he performed phantom breathing techniques to prepare himself for the most riskiest and sketchiest teleportation jump that he would, ever, perform. Which was teleporting two addition people whilst, also, manifesting into an unknown location. It really wouldn't of harmed him if he had of snooped around in a Tenno's Railjack once in awhile. It would've helped him picture it's internal architecture for better transport. However, he never would've thought that the Hindsight would be of such a situation as this.
Orions vocalised happiness urged Sorren out of his idleness, so he couldn't delay any longer. There was no time. Another, though more determined, vocalised breath escaped Sorren as he teleported them without a second thought. Sorren prayed to Sol that the ambitious teleportation would be successful as he, briefly, shut off his visual HUD. The air, instantly, felt like a cold embrace and Sorren was glad to feel such a solid, welcomed, foundation beneath his feet. Then a loud chirp of joy. Orion and Sevagoth were ok and the protector-stalker couldn't help but let another impression of air escape him. He blinked his vision to clarity.
Had Jade been able to watch over them, he'd imagined that she would, surely, be crossing her arms, tapping an impatient foot, and sharply staring at him with the most grievous judgement for his actions. "Sorry, Honey..." Sorren muttered with a sad chuckle, quite fond of the motherly memory he conjured, on behalf of his drastic actions, for her.
He looked down to Orion snuggly wrapped in Sevagoth's arms, watching as his green emissives flutter, brighten and dim as he curiously took in their new surroundings. Sorren followed suit, now noticing the grim atmosphere surrounding them. The second floor of the docile Railjack. The void corroded not only the exterior, but the interior as well and in return granting the Tempestarii autonomy; due to its previous desire to save lives and the resilience to complete one last mission. The last century it spent drifting through countless void-drive tunnels and void-storms just to find Sevagoth; becoming a storm itself. Their last mission…find sevagoth...and here he was...dying...whilst tragically being claimed as a potential parental figure for the only naturally birthed warframe-child known to ever exist.
That thought reminded him of the most crucial part of information he'd been most concerned with..."5 wayward souls" he remembered Sevagoth whispering. Those 5 wayward souls must be present after Sevagoth's reunion with The Shadow…or else he'd be giving his hand to death so soon as well. Frankly, Orion didn’t want that and neither did his equally stubborn Father. Sorren couldn't entirely count on the punctuality that the Corpus may have in response to that distress beacon and it, overall, determined whether Sevagoth would be able to withstand another second without his Shadow; with it being within such close proximity.
He needed to find it, show him the family that had found him and wanted him alive and thriving. Sorren swallowed, instinctively pulling The Prime closer to him as he now traversed up the ramp, naturally, towards Navigation. It was a slow trek with the others’ weight, but it didn’t bother him as much as he thought it would’ve. The automatic doors opened within Sorren’s detected proximity and the atmosphere was so tense that Orion didn’t dare make a sound. Sorren slowed down significantly as he, warily, rounded the corner…instantly noticing the large intimidating Exalted Shadow, distracted, looking out into the void longingly.
It brought Sorren to an instant halt upon sensing its unspoken sorrow.
It’s appearance mirrored Sevagoth’s Primely visage, mainly top-heavy, devoid of lower limbs, with blue silks from its coat falling to the floor. Sorren swallowed thickly once more, when he saw devastating claws curved into over-glorified, exaggerated, meat-hooks. He did not want to end up on the receiving end of those gracious talons. A large finial, blue silk, helm sprouted pale tendrils above the nape that were identical to Sevagoth’s, yet more in number. It’s emissives shone brightly, more healthily than it’s host, with that familiar magenta hue.
It wasn’t long before it, eventually, noticed their presence upon hearing Orion’s impulsive inquiring mumbles. Sorren’s grip on Sevagoth tightened as the Shadow looked over it’s heavily coated-shoulder to acknowledge the guests aboard the Tempestarii. It’s gilded helm bared front-facing emissives that gave it more weight to its already imposing appearance. It looked straight at him, Sorren being the taller of the three, with it not quite noticing it’s host or Orion just yet….Sevagoth hadn’t quite told him how to interact with his overprotective counterpart.
Only when Orion made another stray noise did it break eye contact with Sorren to locate the strange noise and, finally, noticed it’s host. Sorren could practically see his magenta emissives brightening in recognition and relief. Before Sorren could process and observe anything else about the exalted shadow …it let out its loud, signature, wraith-like scream and headed straight towards a shell-shocked Sorren and an unbothered, cheering, Orion.
Notes:
Poor Xeto can’t catch a break! XD
Ello ello (In that little duck quote from the new war)! Finally got around to finishing another cliffhanger chapter! Yippeee!!! Or not Yippeee? Depends on perspective…I was honestly very occupied sorting out my life last week ;-; personal shit! Still am to be fair. Buuuttt yeah, got the chapter out and have some beginning sentences for the next chapter! :P don’t know when tho cause that mushroom frame gonna drop soon lmao!
Chapter Text
Sorren held his breath as Sevagoth's Exalted Shadow looks over his host's weakened form. A relieved, though mournful, growl left it's maw as it scrutinised the damage; dealt by both the corrupted and the century's weight of their separation. Only when Orion made a questioning noise up at the Primed Shadow, did he notice the small warframe tucked within its unconscious hosts' grasp. The Exalted Shadow was immediately intrigued by the tiny little thing and tilted its head, with innocent curiosity, as it leaned its helm closer to inspect Orion. Orion merely giggled up at it, fearlessly reaching out and grabbing onto the gilded chin.
It's emissives flashed with joy, amused by the child's naive friendliness. Sorren watched the careful interaction play out and decided to quickly mull over what he would say to the Shadow. Eventually he found the words as soon as it noticed Sorren's contemplative gaze. It was cunning enough to read the room and noticed that this Warframe went out of his way to bring Sevagoth to him. "Orion would like to have Sevagoth, your host, as a member of our family" Sorren stated honestly, hoping that it would understand the hidden implications. In case it didn't understand the severity of them, he added to the silence "H-...We...want him around permanently". "I wish to save him..." Sorren whispered, looking down at Sevagoth briefly.
It regarded him with a heavy look, seeing the reserved good in Sorren's soul, then began straightening its slouched posture with an air of lost hope about it. A grim finality. Sorren immediately recognised the defeated body language conveyed by the shadow. It believed there was no hope of saving him. It caused a stubborn Sorren to try reason with it. To give it the hope that was lost. "The wayward souls...you need 5 of them to ensure his absolute survival?" Sorren recounted confidently, earning a subtle nod from the other void-wraith. "Corpus should be on route to this location. I stole their Crewship. The code I uploaded into it should've amplified its location coordinates after the distress beacon activa-" before Sorren could finish his sentence, the mentioned Granum monsters, with their entire Stanchion fleet no less, started to warp into existence.
Their entrance into being, after void-drive, was loud and demanding...gaining the attention of all within the defenceless Railjack. It wasn't soon after that a couple dozen guided missiles whistled and roared past them and, instead, targeted the stolen Corpus Crewship. The ship exploded somewhere off into the distance, yet the aftershock following the blast still managed to shake and rumble the dormant Tempestarii. Orion made a grunt of discomfort. Sorren thanked Sol that he didn't second guess his decision to board all of them, at once, on the Railjack.
Sorren now looked out the window, dreading the entourage of enemies that'd, likely, be seeking to board this ship. He could already see Corpus fighters flying towards them. The Exalted Shadow hissed and snapped it's head towards the pilot's window of The Tempestarii. Sorren could only remain quiet, pulling Sevagoth and Orion close to him, as all communication broadcasts were intercepted by The Corpus. "Captain, Vala Glarios. So pleased to meet you" introduced Vala Glarios; The very different Corpus Captain than the one Sorren was half expecting. He expected another persistent Xeto, but he then recalled, in the data logs he'd stolen, that a certain 'Vala Glarios' had bitter ties with 'The Tempestarii'.
Rewards were still in effect for its capture according to the other loose information Sorren previously skimmed through.
"Lulled the beast to sleep did you, Jaded one? I've heard much about you, from fellow aspiring sister, Captain Xeto. A slippery one...definitely not Tenno...but not completely unlike this wretched ghost-ship you've collaborated with " She spat venomously, her face clear with disdain. As she spoke, the buzzing sounds of the corpus fighters had flown closer...their distinct noises more audible, whistling past, and circling the stationed and unresponsive Railjack. Sevagoth's Exalted Shadow had disappeared entirely from navigation and Sorren hadn't noticed until Orion had made a frightened noise. He was not fond of the sudden, overwhelming, noises.
Explosions went off as missiles collided with The Tempestarii's hull, almost knocking The Protector-Stalker off balance. Yet in his bout of fatherly strength and motivation, he kept them all from tumbling to the Haunted Railjack's floor. More Corpus fighter fire shook the ship, discouraging Sorren's will to remain still any longer. He had to retreat to the lower deck to lay Sevagoth down somewhere, as well as hiding Orion somewhere more discreet, in order to protect them. As he pivoted around, he saw the Exalted Shadow waiting, beckoning, to him in the doorway entrance to the rest of the Railjack.
Sorren wasted no time in following the vague instructions and directions and, with haste, teleported them all a bit further down next to a stack of crates. He gently lowered The Prime onto the crates, carefully retrieving his Son, then looking to the Exalted Shadow for further guidance. It extended a singular claw and raised it to his maw in a gesture Sorren interpreted as "silence" before entirely covering its eyesight with the rest of its claws, "hide"? . "Silence, Hide? " Sorren clarified in an uncertain drawl and The Primed Exalted Shadow nodded swiftly, verifying its wishes.
Sorren nodded back before he cloaked himself and Orion in invisibility and began moving out of the way of likely walk paths; where Corpus were bound to infiltrate, scout and pillage. As expected, multiple Corpus breachers slammed into the Hull of the Tempestarii. The explosion was loud and the Corpus were too preoccupied with raiding and perusing the first deck than descending upon them just yet. They searched the upper floors for no one. Although he should be concerned for the Granum Clowns converging onto their position, Sorren was more interested in The Exalted Shadow and Sevagoth.
Sorren noticed that Sevagoth had faintly stirred in response to his Shadow's presence, his emissives now a very pale magenta. Sorren observed the rest of their reunion intently. He diligently ignored the surge of nervousness and sorrow amalgamating in his mind. "I wait for the shadow..." Sevagoth's voice, coded in Vospheme Glyphs and supported by protocol, reverberated throughout the Railjack. Ultimately alerting the closest Corpus unit above. "Your shadow has come" The Exalted Shadow responded back confidently with an near identical response. The Corpus were now converging onto the pair.
Their reunion protocol completed, with Sevagoth weakly outstretching his arms to embrace his Shadow with his remaining energy reserves. Sorren swallowed the lump in his throat at the sight, painfully, remembering his final goodbye with Jade. "Captain, There's another warframe aboard the ship!" One Corpus commanding soldier speaks aloud into his comms channel, right as the entire unit aims their guns at Sevagoth — who, in a seemingly possessed trance, leisurely gets up off the crates. "What? Impossible?! No other Warframe except the Hijacker should be present!-" Vala screamed in disbelief over her reopened broadcast. Sorren swallows thickly once more, remaining silent, as a few Corpus stop in front of their position. Orion even had the will to remain inconspicuous.
"Uuuhh, there's no signs of The Hijacker, Captain" The same corpus lieutenant informed, later adding, "We cleared all floors, just this Warframe remains". The atmosphere in the Railjack was tense with anticipation; Like the animals of an ancient earth forest falling silent in the presence of a predatory danger. "What's it doin? Well...it's-uh...turned into a tombstone?" The Corpus said confusedly, tilting his visor helmet, as he regarded the embellished tombstone bust resembling the very warframe that was once standing there moments ago. Sorren stood there, utterly shocked, whilst a multitude of emotions began pouring into his aura field. 'Have I failed again?' Sorren lamented internally, his heart sinking heavily in response to his turmoil. Orion squeezed, concernedly, onto the flesh on his father's chest.
Sorren wasn't able to dwell much on the matter, however, as an unseen force speeds past him and rams into the nearest Corpus soldier who was sent flying, overhead, in a mass of tangled limbs. Every Corpus unit present, instantly turned their attention and guns to the floating body, tracking its lifeless movement until it disintegrated into intangible particles. Panic was settling in as another Corpus soldier was forced into the air, then another, then another, then another. Until finally, their attention fell on Sevagoth who already came to after his resurrection and was, instantly, activating his gloom ability.
"Get. Off. MY. SHIP" Sevagoth enunciated, angrily, in his loud baritone before he then began casting his Sow and Reap abilities. Sevagoth's Exalted Shadow casually burst through his chest upon reap being utilised; with its signature battle cry, it's very presence passed through the corpus soldiers and began tearing straight through the Corpus' shields and sapping their health with a devastating radiation affliction. Survivors of the casted ability onslaught, later die from the burst of contact with the passing primed shadow. Their deaths gradually filled Sevagoth's death-well. Orion quietly cheered on the, now, spry void-wraith with much glee.
Once every Granum Zealot was killed, Sevagoth wasted no time and immediately sprinted, then bullet-jumped, towards the upper deck to where Sorren pinpointed Navigation. Sorren couldn't help but silently follow after the reanimated Prime, yet still remained anxiously cloaked in invisibility. He didn't particularly want to reveal the existence of his son to The Corpus. Lest "Parvos Granum" himself dare take his son away from him and weaponise him in return. Jade would never forgive him for that...and frankly...he wouldn't ever forgive himself for it either. Hell, he was sure Sevagoth wouldn't forgive him for it.
It was probably why he was, blatantly, ignoring Sorren when he was so obviously shadowing the other with his well-temperamental child held close to his chest. Sorren heard Sevagoth curse lightly under his breath and he tilted his helm, curiously, at his frustration. What followed was the void-wraiths unsheathing parazon tool that he later, swiftly, stuck into the Navigation console systems. Whilst he fiddled with restoring the systems to their former functionality, Vala Glarios burst back onto the open Comms channels. Her fury directed at the reanimated helmsman.
"SEVAGOTH! Of course! You were always good at playing dead..." Vala sneered bitterly, her resentment for the Void-Wraith clear. Sevagoth vigilantly disregarded her grand spiels, not wasting words on her as he concentrated, instead, on restoring the Navigation Systems. More Corpus fighters were inbound. "I don't know what that Jaded Hijacker had in coercion with you...nor where he went...but it simply means that this battle is between us!" Vala finalised, to which Sevagoth had successfully repaired the Navigation Systems and was, instantly, bullet-jumping into the responsive steering mechanisms and clipping into them seamlessly.
Sorren could only watch Sevagoth's curt movements and noted just how well he performs in his natural environment. There he was, at the helm, piloting the awakening Tempestarii as it gladly hums at the manual command inputed through the steering mechanisms. Sevagoth reared back suddenly, which, in return, made the Tempestarii reverse so quickly that Sorren stumbled at the change of directional travel. Through the pilots' window the corpus fighters gave chase, but Sevagoth was not deterred as he triggered the seeker volley attack which, effortlessly, mowed down the more complacent of the fighters.
"SEND IN THE CREWSHIPS! We'll make sure the ghosts stay ghosts!" Vala demanded, aloud, through the comms channel. As ordered, a couple of heavily shielded Corpus Crewships started to converge onto their location. Sevagoth was unbothered as his emissives shine bright with fury and determination. Even the threat of their most guarded technological spacecrafts did nothing to sway the barrage of void-twisted seeker missiles and the shrapnel chill of the Tempestarii's primary turrets. Watching Sevagoth outgun and outsmart the enemy whilst forcing their resources to dwindle, was impressive in its own right. He was playing Komi with the enemy and they flew right into his every decisive trap.
This meant, the more Sorren watched over Sevagoth's elegant manoeuvres and calculative techniques, the more he began to realise that The Prime was stalling. Stalling for what? Eventually Sorren finally heard it, the faint thrum of charging, unknown, countermeasures. He'd realised it once that constant hum had fallen absent. It was sure to be a devastating move if Sevagoth had to entertain the Corpus for a bit. With Sevagoth rearing back, after boldly moving closer to the Corpus Stanchion, on the pilot station...it could only mean that the specific countermeasure charge was finally met. So with the press of a button, the Tempestarii suddenly launched its very own voided-blackhole.
It struck the centre of the Corpus Stanchion and the panic and distress could be heard throughout the static of the open communications. Vala wasn't without cussing out Sevagoth in what would've been her final moments, of course. However he remained unfazed by her words. Sorren idly watched as the Corpus Stanchion folds and twists into the blackhole's gravitational pull. Despite his victory and freedom, Sevagoth kept up his ruse of silence as he slowly removed himself from the pilot station and leisurely walked to navigation. He entered in unknown coordinates before he, too, idly regarded the casual destruction his Ghostly Railjack had dealt upon the unsuspecting corpus.
Only when the Tempestarii roared into void-drive and the teal wisps were the only mundane thing to stare at, did Sevagoth verbally acknowledge his dearest passengers. "I wasn't going to let her take anymore away from me" The Prime whispered in his numbed daze whilst recounting the lost silhouettes of the two other warframes that'd once been present that day. Sorren looked to his right, to Sevagoth, instantly uncloaking his invisibility as he regarded the other quietly; he watched the void-wraith stare into the void-drive current, noticing the dimness in his emmisives as he remembered something traumatic.
"Where are we headed?" Sorren asked instead, wanting to divert the conversation away from sorrow, for now, so that they could properly acquaint themselves. He'd hoped he wasn't too abrasive in that request, he didn't want their friendship to start off too rocky or forced. Especially with Orion wanting Sevagoth around more. Sorren's concerns were dismissed as Sevagoth's emissives brightened at the change of subject. "To Lua, despite its crumbling foundations being too risky for your child to grow up in-" Sevagoth began to which he was interrupted by Sorren's amused snort then continued, "—it clearly holds some significance to you". It was now Sorren's turn to fall into a heavy silence as he stared at the other warframe.
"H-how?" Sorren eventually whispered, looking down at Orion who was beaming and giggling up at them. "She...visited me in stasis..." Sevagoth replied meekly, avoiding Sorren's sudden gaze boring into him and, instead, looking down at Orion who made grabby hands at him. 'The feather' Sorren swiftly recalled to himself. "She...wanted me to take care of you two" Sevagoth said fondly as he brought a silk-gloved hand to meet Orion's. The Helmsman's magenta emissives glow in their resolve and tranquility, no longer burdened by the threat of death. "I also assumed that, despite the state of lua, there had to have been a reason you stayed there" Sevagoth added, finally looking up to Sorren.
"There is something you must know..." Sorren grumbled sternly, his gaze turned to the void as he, carefully, searched for his next words. Sevagoth waited patiently, ignoring the fast, calculating, predictions that tried to form without evidence or a source. His analytic mind, bred from multiple tactical fights as a Railjack Pilot, tended to try and find solutions where there were no problems yet present. Orion was, luckily, an excellent distraction for Sevagoth as his tiny fingers wrapped around his pointer finger. The Void-Wraith couldn't help but chuckle with much mirth behind it, "Hello Orion, My brave little Saviour" Sevagoth cooed, earning a delighted giggle from Orion.
"We hunted, and still hunt, the Tenno" Sorren informed Sevagoth prematurely, hoping to clear the air if Sevagoth's morals appeared as strong as they were. The Prime only stares at him in deep contemplation before speaking, "The Tenno neglected my Tempestarii's Call. So much so, that the very void grew tired of bearing my deadweight. It carved my path to you two. To salvation. As far as I'm concerned, it was you two who bothered to save me...not them" Sevagoth replied flatly, expressing his plummeted standing for the ones he would've deemed ally. Sevagoth understands Granum's perspective on "idleness" in this instance. The very few Tenno who did venture the Proximas idled and ignored The Tempestarii; whether they were afraid, cautious, or ignorant of its presence mattered not.
"I didn't want to ask for their help again...not in my state of grief and early fatherhood" Sorren confessed, looking at the brightly gilded warframe tiredly, "When Orion sleeps, I leave him in my Orbiter, then I hunt those who I've marked for death". Sevagoth processes the words, not willing to judge the newly father of his priorities just yet. They'd have to get past the formalities for Sevagoth to begin nagging at Sorren more comfortably. Sevagoth, secretly, couldn't wait until then...but their relationship had a very long way to go. He understands that Sorren went out of his way to save him for Orion's sake and that would be their current state of the relationship, tolerance. Speaking of tolerance...
"I'll tolerate them, the Tenno. That's as far as my temperament for them extends" Sevagoth added with a tinge of bitterness as Sorren sighs in relief. 'Too much like his late-wife. Was it too fast to move on?' Sorren broods moodily. Now that all the action and distractions had simmered down, the emotions started to roll in again. "Thank you, both. For saving me. I've saved so many lives in my lifetime, that I've forgotten what it's like to be saved, myself" Sevagoth admitted softly, watching the subtle jade glow they both emitted at his gratitude. Sorren nodded, not trusting his words, whilst Orion made a brief noise of affirmation. Sorren, suddenly feeling awkward, looked around the interior of the Railjack, considering something; the next topic of conversation.
"What are we gonna do with the Railjack? We'll be living on Lua or in my Orbiter" Sorren asked, watching as the gears turn in Sevagoth's head. "I can't bear to part with it. We could convert it into a makeshift living space? I don't trust the state of Lua right now" Sevagoth devises, placing a hand on a hip as he figures out what to do with The Tempestarii. It'd be a shame to let it's potential and legend go to waste. "This Railjack is void-touched. I doubt it'd be much of a difference if we lived in here" Sorren replied vaguely, causing Sevagoth to snap his head to him in confusion. "Lua is void-touched?" Sevagoth deduced effectively, earning a nod from Sorren.
"It was hidden in the void by Natah. Long story" Sorren paraphrases the fragments scarcely, not entirely interested in the topic since it involved the Tenno. "That explains a lot. But I trust my Railjack! She's stayed in better shape after the void than that heap of rock seemingly has!" Sevagoth argues, crossing his arms across his chest stubbornly and raising his chin a bit higher in hopes to prove finality. Orion giggles up at him naively. Sorren couldn't help the amused huff that escaped him, knowing he'd never be able to escape the parallels Sevagoth shared with Jade. It was sure going to take a while to get used to.
Notes:
After a bit of motivation! I finally got around to the final chapter! Wahooo!!! I hope y’all enjoyed! All it took was getting back into farming in warframe lol. Mainly orbiter decorations from nightcap or primes that were in resurgence!
For some reason I like to think Oberon and Ash were part of Sevagoth’s crew during that void storm lol. And obviously nautilus. It was kind of a weird quote with sevagoth not wanting vala to take anymore from him because of the actual quest timeframes but I rolled with it anyways.
Ill admit it’s a vague ending that leaves much to the imagination! But I didn’t wanna force the odd relationship on y’all too much lol. It’s already an odd ship as is!! Aaand I wanted to keep the chapter lengths consistent lol. OCD or something maybe idk.
I would like to thank all of you who commented and interacted with this mini story! It really kept me motivated to write and post chapters, since it was initially just going to be a one shot.
If my brain comes up with anymore random ideas of sevastalker fics I’ll probably just throw those out if I like how I wrote them lol.
Anyways I appreciate y’all! TY FOR READING AND I HOPE YOU ENJOYED, SAVING GRACE! And I’ll see youuu in the next videoooo! *cringe outro plays maybe*
RedFireDragon10012 on Chapter 1 Tue 16 Sep 2025 12:56PM UTC
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HarmlessBirdie on Chapter 1 Wed 17 Sep 2025 07:04AM UTC
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Lunarcat1364 on Chapter 1 Tue 16 Sep 2025 02:05PM UTC
Last Edited Tue 16 Sep 2025 02:05PM UTC
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HarmlessBirdie on Chapter 1 Wed 17 Sep 2025 07:06AM UTC
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Cadmiurn on Chapter 2 Tue 23 Sep 2025 05:15PM UTC
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Lunarcat1364 on Chapter 2 Tue 23 Sep 2025 10:03PM UTC
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Lunarcat1364 on Chapter 3 Tue 14 Oct 2025 09:11PM UTC
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HD_Depresso0 on Chapter 3 Thu 06 Nov 2025 06:51PM UTC
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HD_Depresso0 on Chapter 4 Fri 14 Nov 2025 04:47AM UTC
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