This week Starfinder and Warframe are teaming up like Chocolate and Peanut Butter! And to celebrate, we'll take a look at the Warframe predecessor, Dark Sector.
This week Starfinder and Warframe are teaming up like Chocolate and Peanut Butter! And to celebrate, we'll take a look at the Warframe prede
Lotus: "It was difficult to locate the source vector of this sector's infestation, but you are finally here."
Lotus: "Deep within this millennia-old Orokin-turned-Infested ship lurks a creature created to fight in the Old War. Make your way to its location and dispatch this monster."
Lotus: "Be wary. The creature has grown unfathomably strong through centuries of absorbing matter and self-replication."
Mission taunts
Like other Infested entities such as Phorid and Helminth, Lephantis communicates with low rumbles and groans whose meaning is telepathically conferred to the Tenno.
(Unburden yourself from this mortal coil, [name]. Join us.)
(Why do you destroy us? We are your flesh.)
(We were countless. Consume us. Be reborn.)
(We embrace you. Why do you defile us?)
The Hemocyte that spawns during Operation: Plague Star is a differently coloured version of Lephantis.
(Episode 1, 06 July 2019, Week 1) Nora Night: "Dreamers, you know 'bout the Infestation, right? Spreads like a month-old salad with genocidal intent. Swallows everything it touches… makin' monsters from meat or metal or both. Well, these days, it's mostly contained. Spores as old as stone. Derelicts drifting in forgotten orbits…. So it was with old Kenga. Somehow exposed, and promptly cast out. Woke up on a blessed cage-drop down to Eris. But should some sad soul catch the gray-vein, well… every culture has its plague dogma. But maybe there's something more to this 'Infestation'… something we all missed. Turns out… Kenga didn't find Void in that hell-nest, no. He found… a survivor! Little boy. Arlo. Died three years ago, yet there we was. Lost his voice but gained his life… and somehow… saved old Kenga with the slightest… touch… of his slender hand."
(Episode 2, 18 July 2019, Week 3) Nora Night: "My mother was a cynical woman. Smart as she was cruel. 'Nora,' she said, 'no disease spreads faster or further than the ones in our head.' She was talkin' about ideas. Mine was that old Kenga and his wonder boy would've been splayed out in some bio-trader's lab by now. Or blood-studies for the Grineer Command. Dreamers – I was wrong. Kenga's gray-vein was just the beginning. White lung, parasitic liver, clone rot… even bone spurs…. Turns out, this kid, Arlo, is a healer. So many questions… an idea like that is like a flare dropped in vol-gas. Now, the sick and curious are flocking the Rails to see this 'Emissary of Eris'. And who speaks for Arlo the mute? Why, old Kenga, of course. No more the outcast, it is he who is spreading the word of Arlo's gift. Even you, Dreamers, may soon hear it."
(Episode 3, 01 August 2019, Week 5) Nora Night: "Whether you're 'bad news first' or 'bad news last', tonight I got you covered, cause bad news is all we got. This Emissary's word is spreading fast. A hot fever. Some are going to extremes to prove their devotion. Trying the spores for themselves. And they're finding it, too. Some lunatic spikers jacked the Solar-Nav and flagged the Derelict zones for all to see. Old haulers and new hopefuls out there are proving just how smart most people aren't. Yet Kenga's ranks are growing. Arming themselves – for the safety and security of our Emissary. Setting the stage for a great assembly to come. Buzz is… buzz is… Arlo will break his silence. Til then, Dreamers, check under the bed. A fresh brood is sprouting up along the Rails. And it seems they have the scent of those blessed by the Emissary's touch…."
[Navigation: Hub → Dialogue → Nora Night → The Emissary]
On Thursday (04 October 2014), the alerts became available and was present for a week. The Tenno received an inbox message from Frohd Bek.
Inbox message:
Tactical Alert: Black Seed Scourge
Tenno,
Surely you've heard of the Black Seed? These so-called Corpus who are uninterested in profit and who solely apply themselves to undermining the will of the Board? These fanatics have raided Alad V's Mutalist labs, stealing never-before-released Juggernaut spores with the intention of unleashing them on my facilities.
Will you help me stop the spread of the new Infested? We will provide the location of the Black Seed operatives to you.
Good luck,
Frohd Bek
Oh, and one more thing. To prevent the accidental spread of Juggernaut spores, you must only use melee weapons.
The first mission was a Capture mission on Venus, where the Tenno was restricted to melee weapons only. There were two capture targets, labelled as Black Seed Operatives. The rest of the enemies were standard Corpus. The mission needed to be completed three times, and then Frohd Bek would reward 50.000 credits.
Inbox message:
Black Seed Scourge: Commanders Located
Those Black Seed Operatives were small change, but they coughed up the bigger coins. Go to Jupiter and bring us their Commanders, and take this 50.000 cr as a down payment for services rendered.
—Frohd Bek
The next mission was on Jupiter, with a slightly higher level, but otherwise identical. It also needed to be completed three times, resulting in a reward of 25 Rare Rank-5 Fusion Cores (the equivalent of roughly 2000 Endo).
Inbox message:
Black Seed Scourge: Fanatics near Europa
And so we move up the chain of command, from Commanders to Lieutenants. These fanatics have fled to Europa. Bring them to us; they will know where the Juggernaut spores are hidden.
—Frohd Bek
The next mission was on Europa, with a slightly higher level. These Black Seed Operatives were faster than usual and were equipped with Nullifier bubbles. The mission needed to be completed three times, after which Frohd Bek would reward the Tenno with an Orokin Catalyst blueprint.
Inbox message:
Black Seed Scourge: Juggernaut Spotted
The Black Seed has just admitted to releasing a Juggernaut on one of my frigates. You must destroy this abomination before it spreads any further.
Watch out, Tenno… my scans show this one is big. Make sure you bring a lot of firepower.
—Frohd Bek
The final Endurance mission was an Assassination mission against the Juggernaut Behemoth, with Corpus units allied with the Tenno. Unlike the Capture missions, there was no weapon restriction. The Juggernaut only needed to be killed once, whereupon the Tenno would be rewarded with a Stratos emblem.
Inbox message:
Black Seed Scourge: Parting Ways
Formidable work. The Black Seeds are now in hiding and the Juggernaut Behemoth has been destroyed. Still, I fear some of its spores have made it into the wild. My fleet has been put on alert; I suggest you do the same.
And with that, our partnership comes to a close. Good luck, Tenno.
On Wednesday (20 November 2013), a thread was posted on the forums from a person named Frohd Bek.
Tenno,
Between us, we have three problems.
Alad stole your people. He cut them to pieces, welded them into his freak Zanuka. You need to stop him before he makes more, but you don't know where he is. This is your problem.
For me, Alad V is a con and an imposter. Still, if Zanuka is brought to full production, he will become the richest and most powerful member of the Corpus Board. He could become Chairman. That is my problem.
I have sent my forces to Jupiter to capture the criminal, but Alad is using that damned Infestation as a biological weapon. Every last ship has been overrun by those monsters. This is now your problem. Wipe those ships clean, and I will reveal Alad V's location. With that information, you can make the rest of our problems go away. Deal?
—Frohd Bek
Operation
On Wednesday (20 November 2013), the event began with the release of Update 11. The forum post gave more background on the event:
Work with Frohd Bek and save the Tenno!
We now know that Alad V has been dissecting a captured warframe – codename "Valkyr" – for research in the Zanuka Project, an initiative that uses warframe parts for the creation of new Corpus robotics with warframe abilities.
With the threat of Alad V's Project succeeding, Corpus Board Member Frohd Bek is wary of losing his pending position as Corpus CEO. Frohd Bek sent ships to Jupiter in an effort to dispose of Alad V; however, these ships have since been overtaken by the Infested.
Frohd Bek has a deal for you. Clear the Infested from his ships, and in return, he'll reveal Alad V's location.
Work with Frohd Bek to find Alad V today and save Valkyr from the Zanuka Project!
Mechanics and Missions
At the time of the event, Jupiter was controlled by the Infested, with the Assassination mission on Jupiter targeting the J3-Golem. Starting with Ganymede, each node on Jupiter came under attack by the Corpus. Nodes that had active engagements were marked with a fist icon and also appeared in the Starchart UI with a bar representing the level of Infested remaining on the node.
Selecting an active engagement brought up an interface similar to the Invasion UI, but with only one side: Frohd Bek. The message that accompanied his offer was: "Rescue my ships, and not only will I reward you personally, but I will show the Tenno where the scoundrel Alad V is hiding." There was no option to side with the Infested. The interface would also show how many times the player had run that mission. Battle pay was only rewarded if the player proved themselves by playing the mission five times. Once a node was fully cleared of Infestation, it became a Corpus node with the new Gas City tileset. Battle pay was awarded via inbox message once the location was won.
The actual missions themselves consisted of Exterminate missions on the Corpus Ship tileset. The player would load into a mission aboard a Corpus ship, along with allied Corpus units. The Tenno would be directed to eliminate the Infested, and would be assisted by the units on their team. Along the way, the Tenno would enter a large hangar room where containers containing Infested were being handled by autonomous floating barges. After eliminating all the Infested in the hangar, the Tenno would exit the hangar bay to warp onto Alad V's Infested ship, which was filled with the Infestation. The Tenno would continue to fight through the ship until all the Infested had been eliminated, and would extract from the enemy ship.
During the missions, the Lotus would give instructions, while Frohd Bek would taunt Alad.
Lotus (at the beginning of the mission, variant): "I don't trust Frohd Bek, but I trust his hatred for Alad V. We'll help him now, if it means we can stop the Zanuka Project."
Lotus (at the beginning of the mission, variant): "This Infestation stands between us and Alad V. Clear this ship."
Frohd Bek (variant): "Oh Alad, all your lying, and sneaking, and cheating. And what do you have to show for it? You're in debt to the Board, and I've come to collect."
Frohd Bek (variant): "What happened to you, Alad? I looked up to you. Your profits. Your products. A little madness, and you throw it all to the Void."
Frohd Bek (variant): "Look at you, Alad, hiding in a corner, playing with your toys. How embarrassing. The Corpus deserve better, and I'm the one to deliver the goods."
Frohd Bek (variant): "Who got you fired? Who got Zanuka's funding pulled? Oh, I know this. I know this. It was me."
Frohd Bek (variant): "You can't hide, ride, or bribe your way out of this, Alad. You've been downsized and your fat head is about to suffer cutbacks. Literal cutbacks."
Frohd Bek (variant): "Hey Alad! Zanuka is done! You are done! When you are dead, the Board will be signing over everything you own to me!"
Frohd Bek (variant): "I'm feeling a promotion coming my way! About to climb another rung on this ladder! About to send my old pal Alad V into early retirement."
Frohd Bek (variant): "The Tenno are too dangerous, too profitable, to provoke! Zanuka was a bad paradigm. A costly miscalculation. But don't worry, Alad, I'll keep your credits warm when you are gone."
Frohd Bek (variant): "It's time for you to pay your debts! I've got the Betrayers doing the repo work – if you ask me, they've got a different idea of blood money."
(upon exterminating the Infested, variant) Lotus: "One more Infested ship cleared. Get out of there."
(upon exterminating the Infested, variant) Lotus: "I'm not detecting any more Infested. We're making progress. Get to extraction."
Once Themisto was cleared, the Tenno received an inbox message from Frohd Bek containing an Emblem of the Hunt, as long as they had participated in at least one Invasion mission.
Inbox message:
Problem Eliminated
You have lived up to your end of the bargain ; now I will live up to mine. Themisto – that is where you will find Alad V. Cowering behind his pet, doing unspeakable things to you and yours. Do me a favour: don't go easy on him. He hasn't earned your pity.
Our arrangement has been fruitful, Tenno. Take this gift as a symbol of my appreciation. Maybe we can scratch each other's back again someday.
—Frohd Bek
At this point, the node on Themisto turned into an Assassination mission with Alad V as the target, and the event was complete.
