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[Fanfiction] Motherhood

Kalenath

By Kalenath,
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evafan002

evafan002

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She didn't do it DELIBERATELY. She didn't THINK he would notice her 'borrowing' a few shades from the database to serve as her slaves.

 

Oops.

Oops indeed...

Also? i cant stop rereading this chapter and laughing evilly the whole time....

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Kalenath

Kalenath

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Transfers

 

This was not what she had expected. That was her first thought. Her second was terror. If she could think...

 

"Easy, Jesse." A familiar kind voice from nearby came to her and Jesse opened her eyes. "It is over."

 

Jesse smiled at the masked woman who sat beside her bed. The young Cyberlancer was in a private room. The decor screamed 'Avalon'. The Lotus smiled back and reached out to take Jesse's hand. Jesse stared down at the hand and then at the Lotus.

 

"This.. this isn't virtual, is it?" Jesse's words were not really a question.

 

"No." The Lotus said gently. "It took some doing to bring you back. We brought you here. They have tended you and you will be okay."

 

"What happened?" Jesse asked, fear rising again. The Lotus rubbed her hand and she relaxed. "Last thing I remember..."

 

"Gemina Horati shot you. The neural feedback caused immediate arrest." The Lotus said softly, Jesse jerked in memory and then nodded a little. Nothing hurt. That was an odd ache, more remembered pain that actual pain in her chest, but she hadn't been shot there, had she? The masked woman gave a great sigh. "Enough is enough, Jesse. Your days of gallivanting about, putting yourself in danger are over."

 

"Lotus, they need me." Jesse said softly, still staring at the flesh and blood -well, biotech machine- hand that held hers.

 

"We need you alive, Jesse. We have an office ready for you." The Lotus said firmly. Jesse slumped, there really wasn't anything she could say to that. "There is one piece of good news. Well, two." She grimaced. "One is good, the other... I am not entirely sure about it. But they insist."

 

"Lotus..." Jesse was fighting tears. "My kin need me. I need...-" She broke off as the hand holding hers gave a squeeze.

 

"Jesse." The Lotus said firmly. "You are not a Warrior. You will not be a Warrior and no-" She said sharply as Jesse started to speak. "You will not take a warframe."

 

"I thought that was any Tenno's right." Jesse said with a gulp. "To try."

 

"Jesse..." The masked woman chided her gently. "You are not a Warrior. You don't have the time to train to be one. It would take years at best. As you say, you are needed now. And..." She shook her head. "What you felt in the dreamscape wasn't real. Wasn't the real feeling of a warframe. They muted it so that you could function."

 

"I..." Jesse swallowed. "I know. It just... Lotus, it felt so good. So free." She jerked and then made a face. "That was the hook, wasn't it?"

 

"One of them." The Lotus said sourly. "They were very good at corrupting people." She paused, taking in Jesse's sudden fear. "Were." She reassured the Cyberlancer.

 

"No offense, Lotus..." Jesse said quietly. "Are you sure?"

 

"Nothing in life is 100% sure, Jesse. You know this." The Lotus said equably. "But she was shot in the head with a sniper rifle and then Nikis destroyed her energy. Deleted it and reformatted it." Jesse stared at the Lotus and shuddered. "If she does come back? She won't remember who she was or what. Sun and Nikis spent some time...um... taking to the neural sentry of the nearest Tower. It wasn't -quite- insane yet. And now? It has purpose again so it will stay sane. Watching for any irregularities in the energy of that derelict. I hope so anyway." She qualified. "Not your problem. Mine."

 

"So what do I do?" Jesse asked in a tiny voice. "I mean... An office?"

 

"We have Olim and Quais for fieldwork, Jesse." The Lotus said gently. "We need you for research and development. Now, before you start feeling inferior, you will be busy as all get out. You will be working with me."

 

"You?" Jesse cursed the squeak that entered her voice.

 

"Me." The Lotus nodded. "I am not an AI, Jesse. I am a hybrid. A biological, technological synthesis. An unholy mix of DNA and artificial intelligence that found a new way. The...beings I was before are no more. Now? I have purpose and I will need help to achieve that purpose."

 

"I would be honored." Jesse said with a smile.

 

"You say that now." The Lotus said with a wide smile. "We will have our work cut out for us when the others wake fully. But they haven't yet. For now? Several people want to talk to you but I wanted to be first here when you woke."

 

"Why?" Jesse asked.

 

"You may have been born Janet's biological daughter, Jesse..." The Lotus gave her hand another squeeze. "But you are my daughter now too. And I am proud of you, daughter. So very proud." Jesse swallowed and the Lotus nodded. "But if you ever, EVER hatch a plot like that with Sun of all people again, I will turn you over my knee. Do I make myself clear?" She growled. Mama bear at her best.

 

"It needed to be done, Lotus and they wanted me." Jesse said quietly. "I was the perfect bait."

 

"I know." The Lotus groaned good naturedly. "You scared me, Jesse. Please don't do that anymore."

 

"I will do my best." Jesse said with a gulp. "if I am in an office... will Draco... Hey. Where is Draco?"

 

"Right outside." The Lotus said with a smile. "It took some persuasion, but I wanted to be here when you woke. He wants to continue to guard you, Jesse."

 

"If I am here..." Jesse said slowly. "I..." She swallowed hard. "Won't he be bored?"

 

"Bodyguards generally like boring, Jesse." The Lotus said with a grin. "When things get exciting for them, well..." She shrugged. "You know." Jesse nodded. She did. "How do you feel?"

 

"I feel... good?" Jesse mused. "I feel... whole. I think. I didn't dream."

 

"And you won't." The masked woman said with a nod. Jesse looked at her and the Lotus stretched a little. "War makes for strange bedfellows. We didn't have any dedicate mental specialists who were versed in such things, so we outsourced. We are training a couple of Tenno healers to handle such in case of future need. But your mind is clean."

 

"Out... sourced...?" Jesse said slowly. Then she grinned. "You didn't." The Lotus was probably trying to look innocent, it didn't work very well with the mask. "You did. The Reverend Mother? Here?"

 

"Not physically, but Jenni volunteered to act as her link. Jenni took no hurt." The Lotus shrugged. "We double checked everything. I don't trust them."

 

"You are not that foolish." Jesse agreed. "The Clergy have their own agenda and it won't always mesh with ours. That said, the make formidable allies."

 

"They are allies." The Lotus agreed. "And on that subject... Jesse. Were you serious about sponsoring Cathi's rehabilitation?"

 

"Yes." Jesse replied. "I felt her mind. There was no way she was faking that. Why?"

 

"The Royal Guard are... not happy with her." The Lotus said in a tone of profound understatement. "They are professionals. But there are limits to even their control."

 

"She will not defend herself." Jesse said softly. The Lotus looked away. "Oh. She didn't, did she?"

 

"No, she didn't and she refuses to name who beat her." The Lotus shook her head." Eliza is...ambivalent about this. She did help save the shades of Eliza's girls. But..."

 

"She and the Empress have a history and not a happy one." Jesse with a nudge of memory.

 

"No." The masked woman agreed. "Hard to blame Eliza. She was only twelve when she ran. She was pure human and one of the Emperor's daughters. The only reason the Tenno who found her didn't send her back to the Emperor giftwrapped was because she had been abused. For a time, she was happy among the Tenno." The Lotus shook her head." She is a good friend."

 

"So Cathi cannot stay here." Jesse said with a frown. Then she paused. "Can Karl take her? He has a history with taking in Tenno who are in... less than optimal shape. Like me."

 

"'Less than optimal shape'?" The Lotus asked with a grin. "You did not just say that."

 

"Better than saying he attracts nutjobs." Jesse said with a snort that the Lotus matched.

 

"True." The Lotus looked away for a moment and her posture became intent. Jesse did not speak, she felt a hum of power, more subliminal that heard. She made a soft noise and turned back to Jesse. "He says he will give her a chance."

 

"You are connected again." Jesse smiled and the Lotus nodded.

 

"There are and will be many who are leery about my history and will want a full investigation." The machine woman said with as scowl. "But we have no time for that now. "

 

"What do I do?" Jesse asked, trying not to fidget.

 

"Like I said, two things." The Lotus said with a smile. "One, Avalon has a severe shortage of living space. A single woman, Tenno or human, is expected to live in a dormitory." Jesse flinched but did not speak. "That is what was suggested for you. There is space in several of them."

 

"Draco would hate that." Jesse said with a grimace. "Impossible to secure. Add in a whole bunch of teenage girls. Yuck. He did that before and it didn't work out so well for him." She shook her head. "Other options?"

 

"You can start a family." The Lotus said with a grin. Jesse recoiled in horror and the Lotus smirked. "Joking. I am joking, Jesse. Although you will have boys looking to 'talk' to you."

 

"Pass." Jesse said firmly. "I am not even seventeen yet."

 

"Final option..." The Lotus shook her head. "I will let her explain." Jesse stared at her and then at the door as it opened. Eliza walked in, followed by Mishelle, her sole living daughter. Both smiled at Jesse who straightened in the bed.

 

"Don't try to get up yet, Jesse." Eliza warned as she moved to stand by the bed. Michelle moved to the wall. The Lotus rose and moved to join Michelle. "Chirurgeon will get upset if you push yourself into a faint or worse. You are whole, but will be weak for a bit."

 

"Thank you for your hospitality." Jesse said quietly. "I did my duty."

 

"You did far more than your duty, Jesse. May I?" She indicated the chair and Jesse nodded. Eliza smiled as she sat. "Lotus told you how strapped for space we are." Jesse nodded and Eliza continued. "That is true. But there is one area of Avalon that is sorely underutilized. I keep trying to get them to repurpose the area and they refuse every time." Jesse shook her head, confused and Eliza nodded. "Bear with me. There are twenty apartments in the Royal Quarters. Michelle and I use two of them. The others are sealed. Have been for a long, long time."

 

"Michelle's child?" Jesse asked delicately.

 

"My boy won't need eighteen apartments, Jesse." Michelle said with a grin. "And even when I have more, I am not planning to have seventeen kids no matter what tradition says." Jesse snickered at her expression.

 

"Five was more than enough." Eliza agreed. "Although this grandmother will be far more willing than yours was to help out with such things."

 

"Just so you can spoil them and hand them back." Michelle retorted and Jesse fought to conceal a laugh with an unconvincing cough. Eliza made a 'Who me?' gesture and the Lotus coughed as Jesse had.

 

"You... want me to take one of those?" Jesse asked. "I couldn't. I mean... I am Tenno."

 

"I know." Eliza replied evenly. "There is precedent however. Once, a very long time ago, a young Tenno lost his family due in no small part to a mistake on the part of a young Emperor. That Emperor adopted the young Tenno. The young Warrior went on to become a Grandmaster, a paragon among his peers. We all forgot over the centuries. He did not. He remembered the kindness my great-great-great-great grandfather showed him and he repaid that kindness when a crying little girl washed up on his doorstep."

 

Jesse froze. She couldn't be talking about...

 

"His name was Sun." Eliza said sadly. "Now? His name more feared than respected. He is still a member of our family but we had forgotten. It took me years of research to understand why he was kind to me. Years more to get him to talk. Now? He is a friend. We need him in these dark times. I fear for him. I truly do." She gave herself a shake. "But there is precedent. So... Tenno Jesse. Would you like to join our family?"

 

"I..." Jesse stammered. "I need to talk to my mom first."

 

"We will wait your decision." Eliza said with a smile. "But now? There is one other piece of business." She held something out to Jesse who took it. It was a roll of paper! Actual wood pulp paper! Such a thing was beyond price in the Origin system. Jesse stared at it, afraid to move for fear of tearing the fragile thing. Eliza smiled indulgently. "It's not that fragile, Jesse." The Empress said gently. "Open it."

 

Jesse slowly unrolled the paper tube. It was a single sheet with writing on it. She started reading and froze at the first words. It was a certificate of cadet membership in the ROYAL GUARD!

 

"But..." Jesse stammered. "I..."

 

"Tenno Jesse..." This was not the kind woman speaking, this was the Empress of Orokin. "You performed an act of heroism unparalleled in recent history. You are not a Warrior and you died saving the spirits of four of my daughters from a fate that..." She broke off, overcome. "She did not have the chance to hurt them. Not this time."

 

"This time?" Jesse asked, horrified.

 

"The last time..." Eliza swallowed. "She took the shades of several of my ancestors and used them to... incite lust." Jesse paled and Eliza nodded. "It was how she broke the Guards she did. She used energy forms against them."

 

"My god..." Jesse swallowed. "Were they... recoverable?"

 

"None were sane after what she did." Eliza said sadly. "Nikis was... very upset."

 

"I don't blame him." Jesse said softly. "I... Empress... I cannot accept this. I am no Warrior."

 

"I am just the delivery girl." Eliza said with a shrug. "Go argue with Petra, Lilly, Mori and the others."

 

"I am not a Warrior."Jesse repeated, aware her voice was turning a little shrill and trying to curb that.

 

"Jesse..." Michelle said quietly. "You died protecting shades of the Royal Family. Your logic bomb freed them from my grandmother's control. Yes, your own life was in jeopardy. But you died doing your duty. This is them acknowledging that. But like Mom says: Go argue with them. We had nothing to do with that." She nodded to the paper.

 

"I... need to talk to my mom." Jesse said weakly.

 

"And you need rest." Eliza patted her hand. "Think about it Jesse. You have time now. No one sane will push you to do anything. Not with Draco hovering." She rose and was out the door with Michelle before Jesse could order her thoughts enough to ask anything.

 

"I..."Jesse stared at the paper, completely fuddled.

 

"Hold on, Jesse."The Lotus said with a smile as she stepped back to the bed. She touched Jesse's hand and they were both flying.

 

This transit was different. Jesse could feel the walls of the virtual world started form. The Lotus chuckled beside her as they both landed in the forming environment.

 

This is very cool." Jesse said with a grin as she watched the virtual space expand. Then she froze as her mom appeared nearby. Janet was scowling. "Ah... hi, Mom."

 

"'Hi ,mom'?" Janet demanded as the Lotus took a step back. Jesse gulped loudly as Janet stepped forward, her face thunderous. "You went in on a crazy plan with Sun and you say 'Hi, Mom'? You let that witch shoot you- No!" She snapped as Jesse started to explain. "I know what she did. I know why. I know you could have done something. Fight. You didn't. You let her shoot you! You idiot child!"

 

"Mom..." Jesse protested. "I had to play by the rules!" She was not expecting the Lotus and Janet to groan in unison. "What?"

 

"Jesse..." Janet said in a long suffering tone. "That game has no rules."

 

"What?" Jesse demanded.

 

"Lotus, please explain?" Janet said with a groan. "If I do, I will say something I will regret."

 

"Jesse." The Lotus said gently. "You know the game of kings?"

 

"Chess." Jesse replied, if anything, even more confused. "That wasn't chess."

 

"You are right." The Lotus said with a shrug. "The Orokin wanted a special form of chess so they made one. One without rules. You can do anything you want in the virtual game called 'Politics'. Lie. Cheat. Steal. Kill. Eliza is a master player. She expected you to fight when Gemina drew her pistol. You didn't."

 

"Ah... Oops." Jesse wilted.

 

"You can say that again!" Janet snapped. Jesse looked at her and smiled.

 

"Oops."

 

***

He woke, aware of differences. He was still restrained, still powerless. The other was still there, his white armor gleaming in the bright light.

 

"Sir?" Fred asked softly. "I...feel odd."

 

"You will." Sun replied evenly from where he was working.

 

"This is not an Excalibur warframe. Prime or not." Fred shook his head and it didn't move very far. "Is it?" He couldn't see himself.

 

"No." Sun replied.

 

"I told you everything." Fred felt...odd. Not confused. Not emotional. Empty. "Did you figure out how she did it?"

 

"Yes." Sun replied.

 

"Will you kill me now?" Fred asked.

 

"No." The interrogator replied.

 

"Then what... do you wish of me?" Fred asked carefully. "I am a renegade. My life is forfeit."

 

"I want to help you help yourself." Sun said after a moment. "I have...tasks that need a different touch from mine. You were a deft hand at sneaking and you will be far less visible than me in a crowd. In the coming days, Tenno Fred, we will need every Tenno. Even broken ones like Cathi. Even fallen ones like you. The Sentients are awakening, Fred."

 

"I never fought them." Fred said uneasily. "I don't know how."

 

"You will learn that and so much more. I will you send into dark places." Sun warned him. "I will order you to do things that will baffle you. I will order you to do things that horrify you. You will do what I wish and in the end, you may find your redemption. From this day until you earn it back, you have no name and no warframe. You are Operative 3-N."

 

"This is...more than I deserve. I will not fail you." Fred said softly. Sun did not reply. "Master." He inclined his head as best he could. "Command me."

 

"Welcome to Tenno Intelligence, Operative 3-N."

 

Edited by Kalenath
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Kalenath

Kalenath

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((And done. Sun and company will be around. Probably the last place you expect them to be. Comments or suggestions always appreciated. Flames might have to play Eliza a few rounds of the game called 'Politics'. It would hurt.))

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Kalenath

Kalenath

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Only if she brings more firepower than the other guy.....

 

She is an Empress. Bets on her NOT having enough firepower?

 

OR the will to use it?

 

She TRIES to be nice sometimes. Because she really isn't.

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evafan002

evafan002

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She is an Empress. Bets on her NOT having enough firepower?

 

OR the will to use it?

 

She TRIES to be nice sometimes. Because she really isn't.

ehh point taken...  hmm so which weapons cache did i hide those strategic warheads in I wonder?..... Methinks I may need them sometime in the near future when the rest of the sentients awaken...

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Kalenath

Kalenath

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Well major character Oberons. The only ones i can think of are Redi and Samuel and they're both dead.

 

Kori's brother Carlos is an Oberon and he is still alive. We haven't seen him since By The Sword. He had a lot of thinking to do.

 

Not really a major character, but he IS still alive.

 

For now. >.>

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Shadow977

Shadow977

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Lets not forget the red and black oberon that had a cameo a while back.

I didn't forget him, he was mine after all.(still eternally thankful for that) i was talking about major characters.

 

And it's black and red, not red and black.

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Kalenath

Kalenath

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So is this the end of this chapter?

If so then i can begin spamming F5 on your main page :P

 

One way to tell is when I put the 'Comments and suggestions...' post up.

 

I AM working on the next one, but it may be a few days. I suddenly have LOTS to do in game. :) (And coincidentally? LOTS of new stuff to write about.)

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Kalenath

Kalenath

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Speaking of new things?

Did Trinity Prime live up to your expectations in terms of appearance?

And do you already have a place for Atlas in your story?

 

Trinity Prime. Yes. I saw that and I said 'Jesse'.

 

Atlas? Maybe. Still thinking about that.

 

(New one) Unclean https://forums.warframe.com/index.php?/topic/539243-fanfiction-unclean/

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