| “ | All the credits in the system isn't worth having a Tenno owe you a favor
— Alad V
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” |
The Tenno are child soldiers, originating in the Orokin empire. The Tenno were initially normal children, aboard a military ship that malfunctioned and vanished into the Void, a chaotic space where physics works differently. When the ship returned, against all odds, the children were the only survivors, having gained powers beyond their control. The Orokin kept them for study, seeking to control their power. A researcher named Margulis had a breakthrough, having the Tenno control their abilities through dreams. Margulis was executed, and her research was used to create a process known as Transference.
Transference allowed a Tenno to remotely operate a Warframe that enhanced and focused their powers. Warframes were the still-living bodies of other humans, created through experimentation with a mutative virus known only as the Infestation and grafted with technological implants. These humans were wracked with pain and rage, and were only calmed and controlled by the Tenno's innate empathy. With the Transference perfected, the Orokin started to mass-produce Warframes, storing the bodies of the Tenno in specialized machinery, far from the lines of battle. They used Transference to pilot Warframes against the Sentients, another species of Orokin design that turned on them.
Their operations were the only success the Orokin had against their former servants, and the Tenno eventually turned the tide. With the Sentients vanquished, the Tenno turned on the Orokin themselves. Begrudging their masters the death of Margulis, who they thought of as a mother, they slew the Orokin leadership, sending the empire into chaos. A sentient named Natah collaborated with the Tenno, turning on the other Sentients and sealing their bodies within the Void rather than destroying them. The Warframes were placed in stasis pods across the system, and Natah rebuilt herself as the Lotus.
Thousands of years later, the Tenno would reenter the galaxy through their Warframes. They acted as a mercenary corps under the direction of the Lotus, attacking the various factions spread around the system for pay and resources. While some Tenno tended to work independently, they would also frequently operate in four-man squads, known as Cells.
Battle vs. Tahnok (by Leolab)[]
TBW
Expert's Opinion[]
While an individual Tenno is far superior to an individual Tahnok, with both numbers and instantaneous, efficient coordination, the Tahnok overcame that deficit.