Margulis

"Dream... not of what you are... but of what you want to be."

- Margulis

Margulis was​ a character (presumably of Orokin descent) mentioned during The Second Dream and The Silver Grove quests. Although she is long dead by the time the quest takes place, her actions were critical to the Tenno's survival and ultimately led to the development of Warframes.

Lore
After destroying the Pendula used to keep the Moon within the Void, a number of conversations between Margulis and several Orokin figures (most of which, with the exception of an individual named Ballas, remain nameless) is heard, most likely a recollection of memories. In these conversations Margulis argues to the rest of the Orokin regarding the orphaned children of the Zariman Ten Zero, as they have been under her care, despite the rest of the Orokin's wishes that they should be killed out of fear of their power. Margulis, as indicated by Lotus, contributed to a process known as 'Transference' in which a Tenno's consciousness and power could be channeled through a vessel strong enough to contain it, leading to the creation of the Warframe.

It is heavily hinted by the dialogue, and by the Lotus, that Margulis was executed for defending the Tenno, and disobeying some not entirely disclosed Orokin laws. The sentence was carried out by "...the seven..." ​  -most likely a judicial body- to which Margulis states that the Orokin, for all their perfect appearances are "rotted through and through". It is possible that the executed Archimedian from Detron Crewman's synthesis imprint was in fact Margulis, describing her as "the greatest scholar of genetics who ever lived".

Trivia

 * The name "Margulis" is most likely a reference to Lynn Margulis who was an American evolutionary theorist, science author, educator, and popularizer, and was the primary modern proponent for the significance of symbiosis in biological evolution.
 * Margulis was briefly alluded to in Update 17 through a cryptic Orokin message that would occasionally appear at the start of a mission. In said message, one of the lines mentions "Margulis implantation intact". The majority of the message suggests some relation to the Reservoir as well. A full translation of the message can be viewed below;

"Void Link Severed

Reason foreign carrier detected. Origin unknown. Suspect tracking signal. Reinitiating dipolar connection on naval carrier. Bow in standby for sync check and sync. Motion compensation complete. Selenic lensing locked. Somatic control established. Margulis implantation intact. EVM status nominal. War platform awaiting sync.

Initilizing synaptic overlay... Good night, sweet angel."

Speculation

 * It is speculated that Margulis and Kaleen are the same person, as Kaleen and Margulis are both mentioned comforting or trying to comfort the children of the Zariman Ten Zero, both of which result in trouble with the rest of the Orokin. Furthermore Margulis' "Love looks not with the eyes..." quote could relate to Kaleen's disfigurement during inspection, implying that she was blinded in the process.

Quotes

 * ​"No, Ballas, no more destruction. We could heal them. Maybe they're meant to save us."
 * MargulisSecDre1.ogg


 * ​"Love looks not with the eyes but with the mind. They won't hurt anyone, I just need more time."
 * MargulisSecDre2.ogg


 * ​"This will stop the voices from taking hold. You will have to dream, my angel..."
 * MargulisSecDre3.ogg


 * ​"...So shame on you! You Orokin, so perfect on the outside but you're rotted through and through!"
 * MargulisSecDre4.ogg


 * ​"Dream... not of what you are... but of what you want to be." 
 * MargulisSecDre5.ogg