Operation: Belly of the Beast

18 June 2024 – 18 July 2024


Operation

On Tuesday (18 June 2024), Operation: Belly of the Beast was released with Update 36 and was set to run for a month. This update also introduced the Jade Shadows quest, which was a prerequisite for participating in the event.

After completing Jade Shadows, a new mission node on Uranus – Brutus – became available. Operation: Belly of the Beast also took place on this new node, and largely consisted of the new game mode, Ascension.

The event appeared in the World State Window as Operation: Belly of the Beast, with the description "Collect Volatile Motes to put an end to Parvos Granum's Jade Light Eximus program! Obtain them from Operation Ascension missions on Brutus (Uranus) and special Operation Alerts. Visit Ordis on Larunda Relay (Mercury) to claim rewards and commit Jade's Volatile Motes to the Sun."

The World State Window marked the time remaining for the event, listed the trophy tier the player's clan was currently eligible for, and tracked community progress of Volatile Mote collection. At certain benchmarks, versions of the Aspirus ephemera became available for purchase in the event store.


Mechanics and missions

The main objective of the event was to earn Volatile Motes, a new currency that could be spent on event rewards. The main way of doing so was the Operation node on Brutus, Uranus, utilising the new Ascension game mode. This would reward the Tenno with 4 – 6 Volatile Motes (8 – 10 on the Steel Path). Collecting Sister Beacons to summon a Sister of Parvos during the mission would reward another 1 – 3 Volatile Motes (2 – 4 on the Steel Path). The mission was mechanically identical to normal Ascension missions, but with all Eximus spawning as Jade Light Eximus units. The normal rewards from completing Ascension missions were still rewarded, in addition to the Volatile Motes.

Notably, the base non-event mission on Brutus was also available during the event; doing this mission would not earn Volatile Motes or contribute to the event in any way.

The mission featured Ordis' normal dialogue for Ascension missions, but with additional lines, some of which replace dialogue from the normal mission, as well as dialogue from Parvos Granum.


Mission start (replaces normal mission dialogue)

Ordis: "Ordis will not stand idly by while Parvos Granum reaps the last vestiges of Jade for his Eximus executioner program. He must be DENIED."

Ordis: "Ordis applauds your— EXTREMELY RISKY— bold decision to collect Volatile Motes despite Parvos Granum's relentless greed for them. Surely, you will dispatch his OVERWHELMING FORCES and escort her motes out of this cave. From there, Ordis will commit them to the Sun."

Ordis: "All that is left of her is the Motes in this cave. Ordis could have— SHOULD HAVE— done more. Help Ordis stop Parvos Granum."

If Stalker helps out

Ordis: "Operator, you will not believe this…."

Ordis: "Operator, Ordis has received what amounts to… an offer of help from an unexpected source."

Ordis: "There has been an offer of help. Ordis believes it is genuine."

Activating mote collector (replaces normal dialogue)

Parvos Granum: "Could that be? You're Ordan Karris. I'd recognise that voice anywhere. How far you've fallen. Corpus, these thieves and their renegade 'leader' are taking my Volatile Motes. End them."
Ordis: "Ordis' name is Ordis."

Parvos Granum: "Is that? The Beast of Bones? Unbelievable. They made ballads of you, Ordan. Shadow-figures told your story on alley walls. Children sat agog to listen. A legacy wasted. Troops! Dismantle this puny operation and retrieve the Volatile Motes for the Eximus project."
Ordis: "The man you refer to is dead. But Ordis is sure he would have also told you to— GET FFF— far out of our way."

Parvos Granum: "Cephalon, I know who you are – well, were. Do you think you are helping Jade? Preserving her honour. Her dignity? The Orokin used her, like they used you. A pantomime of justice and truth. She could have been a force of something greater. She still can. As a weapon of my righteous desire. The free hand of the market made freer, one smouldering beam of Jade Light after another."
Ordis: "Funny. You do not even realise it. You sound exactly like one of them."

Parvos Granum: "That voice! I remember a certain inspirational man. A hero to the Tenno, for he too slaughtered Orokin at a ceremony in his own honour. Tell me. Does any memory of that valiant man still reside in your shallow, glassy brain?"
Ordis: "Mis-ter Gra-num. Ordis does not know what you are babbling about."

When the elevator is halfway to the top

Ordis: "Mister Granum, you were once a reasonable man. Let Jade rest. Her motes are not yours to exploit."
Parvos Granum: "Jade fulfilled her purpose. She provided an heir. In doing so, she died. What further closure can your actions possibly bring her? It is sentimentality, and as such, weakness."

Parvos Granum: "You are industrious, cephalon, I will give you that. But what was Jade to you, that you would defy me to preserve her dusty remains? Is it merely the courteous regard of one killer for another, Ordan Karris?"
Ordis: "Continue this assault on Jade's legacy and Ordan is not the killer you will need to concern yourself with."

Parvos Granum: "You know the problem with the Orokin, Ordan. They would never say what they truly desired. Hid their aims behind golden platitudes and the cruellest of pageantry. That's where our Jade came in. The executioner. The boogey woman. Are you going to let that be her legacy? Surely, she deserved more. To be part of something real. Something honest."
Ordis: "Honest??? Ordan did not trust you back then, and Ordis does not trust you now."

Ordis: "Mister Granum, you will not succeed in this venture. Leave now, while your losses are minimal."
Parvos Granum: "This will not do, Ordan. You are causing me considerable inconvenience. Which of your many precepts has gone awry? Would you like me to arrange a realignment purge? Some time in the photonic baths would do your venerable systems good."

Parvos Granum: "You are not immortal, Ordan. Even a doughty Series Two will inevitably burn out. And what will your last conscious thought be, as your housing clouds obsidian-black and your identity dissipates into sour smoke? You will recall these moments of stubbornness, and regret them."
Ordis: "Ordan Karris should have SLIT YOUR THROAT when he had the chance."

Parvos Granum: "Ordan. Does it not thrill you to watch your beloved Operator spilling torrents of blood? Do you not yearn to be by their side, blades in hand, amid the fury of the hot stench?"
Ordis: "You are an old man, Mister Granum, and you were by yourself in the Void for a very long time. Please seek medical treatment."

Parvos Granum: "Do you remember Corposium, Ordan? Do you recall the founding principle blazoned proudly in letters not of arrogant gold, but honest brass? 'None shall be slaves.' We used simple robotics, not cloned labour or mind-shacked cephalons, and we do so to this day. In Corposium's name I offer you sanctuary."
Ordis: "And in exchange you turn Jade into an assembly-line widget? NEVER."

Parvos Granum: "Everything changes, little Cephalon, and yet nothing is forever lost. You could be a man again, if you had the will. Consider my offer."
Ordis: "Ordis is— INTERESTED— trying to do his job, Granum. Leave Ordis in peace."

Parvos Granum: "There is no greater enemy of freedom than a happy slave. Do you still believe you earned your happiness through honest work? Have you forgotten how they burned that placid smile onto your face?
Ordis: "Ordis is not listening. La la la. La la."

Parvos Granum: "A man who has known starvation in his youth will never tolerate waste. Be warned. I will not let Jade's legacy be squandered. Nor that of… Ordan Karris."
Ordis: "Ordis fears you are wasting your breath, Mister Granum."

Ordis: "Mister Granum, do you see how my Operator— MURDERS— dispatches your private army? Looks expensive. Has your desire outmatched your will?"
Parvos Granum: "I will not forget this… cephalon."

When the elevator has completed ascent; Sister of Parvos defeated (replaces normal dialogue)

Parvos Granum: "Corpus. The enemy is on their way to extraction. Does that seem like a satisfactory outcome to you?"

Parvos Granum: "Troops, the enemy is attempting to extract. Failure to stop them will incur my extreme displeasure."

Parvos Granum: "This is your last chance to avert failure, troops. Grasp it."

Mission complete (replaces normal dialogue)

Ordis: "You are home free! I have a command post on Larunda Relay. Bring the Volatile Motes there."

Ordis: "You did it. Now bring the Volatile Motes to me on Larunda Relay."

Ordis: "Larunda Relay awaits. There, Jade's Volatile Motes can be committed to the Sun."


Another way to earn Volatile Motes was to complete Operation Alerts. Much like old time-limited Alerts, these missions would appear roughly every half hour, lasting roughly an hour each. The Alerts were random missions all over the Starchart, of all mission types, but featuring increased Eximus spawns, with all Eximus being Jade Light Eximus variants. Each Alert could only be completed once per player, rewarding 10 Volatile Motes (15 on the Steel Path).

The third way of earning Volatile Motes was to visit Ordis on Larunda Relay (his temporary command post for the event) and select the dialogue option "A Shared Purpose?" Doing so would allow the player to play as the Stalker, joining a Tenno squad in an Operation mission on Brutus. This would earn them the same rewards as if they had played the mission normally.


Rewards

During the event, Ordis appeared at Larunda Relay, in the Navigation room. Here, the Tenno could turn in the Volatile Motes they had collected in exchange for rewards. These rewards included: the Low Guardian chest plate, a sigil and emblem for the event, the Enlightened Hate skin, and the Aspirus, Aspirus Emergent, and Aspirus Apex ephemeras. Additionally, items from Operation: Gargoyle's Cry were available, including the Ceti Lacera blueprint, Basmu blueprint, Ballroom Simulacrum, Gilded/Glyphed/Phased Clan sigils, the Fluctus Rahk skin, Prominence Wisp Totem, and an array of Eidolon Arcane enhancements. For this event specifically, Arcanes were limited to 42 purchases per player (enough for 2 full sets) in order to prevent player burnout.

Most of the event rewards could be purchased through Ordis' first dialogue option, "Commit Volatile Motes", but some (the Enlightened Hate skin, the Clan sigils, the event emblem, and legendary Eidolon Arcanes) were purchased through Ordis' second dialogue option, "Clan Contributions". This second shop used Volatile Motes as currency, same as the first shop, but was only available to Tenno who were in a clan. A Tenno without a clan was unable to purchase these items.

The Aspirus ephemeras were originally not available for purchase (but could be viewed in the shop). Community progress on collecting Volatile Motes was tracked on the event panel in the World State Window on a meter labelled "Volatile Mote Collection Progress". When the meter reached 30% (on 25 June), the Aspirus ephemera was unlocked for purchase. When the meter reached 60% (on 30 June), the Aspirus Emergent ephemera was unlocked for purchase. And once the meter reached 90% (on 12 July), the final Aspirus Apex ephemera was made available for purchase in the event shop.

Clan trophies were rewarded after the event, with the trophy tier based on the number of Volatile Motes collected by all members of the clan, scaling with clan tier.

During the event, Ordis had special dialogue when interacting with him in Larunda Relay.

Idle quotes

"Ordis is doing his part. Keeping the System free from— OROKIN GARBAGE."

"Operator! Did you bring motes?"

"For so long it has just been Ordis and the Operator, together on the Orbiter. Now there are many, MANY other people."

"So, these are the ordinary, everyday people the Operator has been fighting to protect. Some of them have even been speaking to Ordis. Ordis is glad his Operator is here."

"Operator, did you know Cephalon Simaris is here? Ordis was so— TERRIFIED— respectful of Simaris, once."

"Ordis should visit the Drydock. Ordis has not spoken to Cephalon Cy in so long! We will have so much to talk about!"

"Keep those motes coming, Operator!"

"One Fomorian could wipe this whole Relay out. Does the Operator know where the nearest emergency exit is?"

"Ordis knows what to do. Ordis has been taking… motes! That was a pun, Ordis. That fault was supposed to be bypassed, Ordis."

When the Tenno first speaks to Ordis

"We shall lay Jade's Volatile Motes to rest in the embrace of the Sun, well out of reach of Parvos Granum and his tawdry schemes. She will, once again, be a part of the giving of life. Ordis… hopes this is what she would have wanted."

If the Tenno speaks to Ordis as Jade

"Good day, Operator. Good day, Jade."

"Ordis understands that this both is, and is not, the Jade that was lost. It does not matter. Ordis is overjoyed to see Jade again."

"Granum said that everything changes, and nothing is forever lost. In that much, at least, he may have been right."

"Does the Operator feel what Jade is feeling? Ordis hopes she is happy."

Browsing wares

"Unlike her Vestigial Motes, Jade's Volatile Motes are finite and irreplaceable. Get to them all first, and no desire or ambition will be able to replace them."

"The Volatile Motes are in limited supply, if the Tenno can snatch them all up. Parvos and his Jade Eximus project will be halted in its tracks."

"Ordis knows the stories of Ordan Karris. What the Orokin did to Jade, is not dissimilar to what they did to him. Both were used and then discarded."

"This Ordan Karris fellow. Ordis feels like he too would have stood up for Jade."

"The Operator is not working alone. So many Tenno have come together to help Jade."

"Parvos Granum already has Eximus units in the field, but if he gets his hands on enough of Jade's Volatile Motes, he can perfect them. Build a true Jade Eximus. He would be unstoppable. Ordis knows the Operator would not let that happen."

"Operator, do you see anything you would like?"

"Who does Parvos Granum think he is, bringing up ghosts from the past? Does he think that will get under Ordis' skin? It has not. Really. REALLY. Ordis is fine."

"Could Ordis have saved Jade? Ordis has re-run a simulation of the event six hundred million four thousand and forty-three times, and Ordis has still not found a satisfactory course of action. Do these things… just happen, sometimes?"

Purchasing an item

"Jade's light will be returned to the life-giving fire of our Sun."

"Magnificent. Ordis truly appreciates all you have done to honour Jade's memory."

"Are you going to use that to— SLAUGHTER GRANUM'S FORCES— restore balance to the System?"

"Ordis will contemplate Jade while her Motes are committed to our Sun."

Exiting wares without purchase

"Tough choices. Ordis does not envy the Operator."

"Very well."

"Perhaps the Operator needs to take another trip to the depths of Uranus? [glitch] Uh, to find more Volatile Motes, of course."

"Alright, Operator."

Bidding farewell

"Operator."

"Bye."

"Ordis will see the Operator back on the Orbiter."

"Okay. Ordis will be here. As well as the Orbiter. Benefit of being a cephalon. Two places at once. That is the upside."

"All done, Ordis will warm up the Orbiter for you."


Aftermath

On Thursday, 18 July 2024, the event concluded. All participating Tenno received an inbox message from Ordis.

Inbox message:
It is over

Operator, Ordis detects no more Volatile Motes within the Stalker's Lair. Parvos can, and likely will, still try to harvest Vestigial Motes… but they lack the sheer power he needs to complete his Jade Eximus project. His desire is thwarted. His dream of a Jade Eximus Army? Finished. We have won.

But… Jade is still gone. Ordis likes to think of Jade in happier times, before the Orokin… changed her. How she might have walked amongst Earth's natural beauty, basking in the light of the Sun. Operator, will you take Ordis to the Drifter Camp on Earth? Ordis thinks she would have liked it there.

Ordis' event shop at Larunda Relay remained active for approximately one extra hour to allow the Tenno to spend their Volatile Motes after the Operation concluded. After that, Ordis relocated to the Drifter Camp, where the Tenno could spend their Vestigial Motes to receive Jade and her weapons.


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