[Fanfiction] Rules Of Engagement

[Protector152]

key word: Were

[Kalenath]

 

Um... what?

 

When Maroo woke, thing were different. But...wrong. Subtly so. But she could see oddities all around her. The walls of the room she lay in were not -quite- the right colors for her eyes. Things that she had no names for were arrayed around the walls. And a very young looking human girl sat beside her bed. She had dark hair and brown eyes that were very sad. She wore a silver gown.

 

"Good morning." The girl said as Maroo's eyes focused on her. "Before you ask, you are not really awake. This is a virtual environment. The Orokin were fond of such things and they can be quite useful." Her face split in a hesitant smile. "My name is Kaanah. Your name is Maroo."

 

"It is." Maroo stared down at herself and she was wearing the same kind of odd silver gown. "What is going on?"

 

"You are dying." The girl said sadly. "You were poisoned." Maroo jerked and the girl hurried to continue. "The Grineer didn't do it. We didn't do it. The Tenno didn't do it. We don't think the Corpus did it. If so, they wouldn't have worked so hard to save you. Sending three soldiers into a Grineer Galleon was nuts. Even as skilled as they are."

 

"They... came for me?" Maroo asked. The girl or whatever she was nodded. "No one ever does that kind of thing without a reason. Why?" She asked the girl.

 

"Because what you are trying to steal from Baro Ki' Teer is very important." The girl replied evenly. Maroo still and the girl nodded. "Honesty time. I know what it is. It is a key to a door that was slammed shut and locked millennia ago. Not by the Orokin."

 

"By Tenno?" Maroo asked. Kaanah shook her head. "Then by who?" The girl would not meet her eyes and Maroo struggled to sit up. She managed after a moment. "By who?"

 

"Not 'who', human Maroo." The girl said softly. "What." Maroo stiffened and the girl nodded. "I am not human. I never was. I was created, budded into a smaller form of my parent, a long, long way from here." Kaanah would not meet Maroo's eyes. "We did so many awful things. We had been attacked, and came for justice. Or so we thought. But... in the end, what we sought was vengeance, not justice. There is a difference. We lost sight of that for a long time. Many of us never realized that in our anger, we became just as bad if not worse than the Orokin."

 

"You... are..." Maroo paled and swallowed hard as Kaanah nodded.

 

"The Orokin called us 'Sentients'." Kaanah said sadly. "And monsters. We earned that appellation. Oh did we ever earn it." Was that regret in her voice? "So many of us went..." She paused and shook her head. "No. Not mad, but driven to heights of near bloodlust in the need to hurt the Orokin. So, far too close to mad. Insane in all but the last vestiges. Very few of us were soldiers, or had memories of soldiers. Few of us knew the depths that we would sink to. Some of our mass tried to warn us. We did not listen." When she turned back to face Maroo, tears were falling. "It cost us everything."

 

"You destroyed Orokin." Maroo breathed, stunned past horror to some new level of fear.

 

"No, we did not." Kaanah replied evenly. "We lost the war. If anything, Orokin destroyed itself. We were too few and too scattered by the end to have any further impact. We came to destroy humanity. Despite our best efforts, we failed. I... cannot think that a bad thing."

 

"Why?" Maroo sat up straight and glared at the girl who flinched from her regard. "You got what you wanted! So many dead! So much destruction!"

 

"You only know half the story, Maroo." Kaanah said quietly. "I do not blame you for thinking that. In the end, what we did was futile. We killed billions and instead of safeguarding our future, we destroyed it. If any of my people survive in our home system, they are cut from us. In all likelihood, permanently."

 

"What do you want with me?" Maroo asked when she could be sure of her voice.

 

"You and the boy you are linked to hold the key to the door I spoke of." Kaanah shook her head. "I am not sure why or how it happened. Or why it happened now. None of us are. But if Baro Ki' Teer opens that door, all hell will break loose. You have to slam it shut."

 

"Shut it?" Maroo stared at the human who wasn't one. "Why?"

 

"Because there are some things that are simply too dangerous to let loose and I am one of them."

 

***

 

Maroo woke up slowly. She felt...good? She heard medical equipment all around her. Things were...

 

"Gonna laze around all day?" A familiar acerbic voice sounded from nearby and Maroo bit back a  groan and smile at the same time. She opened her eyes and yes, Kai sat beside her bed. The Corpus soldier wore no helmet, but was fully armed.

 

"You are a pain, you silly boxhead." Maroo shook her head, taking in her surroundings. She lay on a bed in a small room. It was painfully bare. The only things in it were the bed she lay on, the chair Kai sat on, and a bank of medical equipment that hummed nearby. "What happened?"

 

"The Grineer knew we were there, but they were only after you." Kai frowned and shook her head. "We couldn't hurt the one who took you, but we followed as quick as we could." Maroo looked at her and Kai shook her head. "And don't ask how. Trade secret."

 

"You know that is going to make me more curious." Maroo complained. She stared down at herself and paused. Why did she think the patient gown she was wearing should be silver? Or... what? Memory surfaced as she had been promised it would and she fought to remain still, to keep from crying out. She was very confused. It wasn't every day a monster was kind. "So... you came after me? Did they hurt me?"

 

She felt good. Better than she had for some time, actually. She was relaxed. Calm even. She knew why. And she was afraid.

 

"No." Kai said softly. "They went out of their way not to hurt you and we have no idea why. The one who was tending you is odd to say the least."

 

"We need to get to the lock." Maroo said softly. Kai looked at her oddly. "I know what is going on, Kai." Kai stiffened and Maroo shook her head. "I don't know how or why, but it was explained to me. I was promised a payout by the Reverend Mother. I have been promised  a payout by another interested party. Both of them want the lock sealed and I know why. What good is a reward if we are not around to spend it?" Kai was staring at her and Maroo shook her head. "Where are we? We need to get to Baro's residence. Preferably when he is not there."

 

"We are on a ship." Kai said slowly. "I don't know where or what ship. This place feels old." Kai looked around and then shook her head again. "How do you feel?"

 

"The palliative is working." Maroo sank back in the bed. "I am calm, but that is imposed. The only thing that can save me from the Orokin music is activating the lock. Sealing it. The only thing that can save me from the poison is the one who was tending me."

 

"How do you know this?" Kai asked, worried.

 

"Because someone took a great deal of time to explain everything that she thought I might need to know." Maroo said with a frown. "And here I used to think that knowing everything might be a good thing."

 

"Maroo..." Kai warned as the human woman looked up at the ceiling.

 

"I know we are being observed." Maroo said softly. "I know most of why. I... This is not who I am. This is the music and the poison. I know I will not be allowed to remember any of this afterwards. I know why and I agree." Maroo did not react as Kai raised a hand with a hypo in it. "Feel free to put me to sleep, Kai. I just have to say one thing." Kai injected her and Maroo smiled sadly. "Tell Natah that Kaanah is sorry and misses her sister."

 

She was smiling as she lost consciousness.

 

***

 

"What did the hell does that mean?" Cass shook his head as he stared at the screen. He and Obmar were not alone in the room. A hologram of the Reverend Mother stood nearby, face blank. She did not speak and Obmar just shook his head. "And, if she knows... what does that change?"

 

"Very little." The Clergywoman said softly. "We were keeping her in the dark as a kindness. We were always going to have to wipe her memory. This..." She frowned. "I do not know the names she spoke."

 

"Does the Clergy have any idea when she was poisoned?" Cass asked.

 

"Not entirely. We believe it is a reaction to the music." The Reverend Mother said quietly. "The substance that is binding to her neurons was present before, but in very limited quantities. It was and is a known by product of the Void. It doesn't always happen, but when it does, it is invariably fatal if the person hears Orokin music."

 

"And the palliative?" Cass was confused and curious in equal measure. "Where did that come from?"

 

"You do not want to know." The Reverend Mother might have been carved from ice now. Cass stared at her hologram and shivered. "Everyone is upset about this. We would have liked to bring her in, but now we cannot. If she doesn't die in the course of this job,..." She shook her head.

 

"The Tenno will kill her." Cass' soft words were statement, not question.

 

"It is taking all of my skills of persuasion to keep them from killing her and the other now." The Reverend Mother actually shuddered. "You have no idea the firestorm that is raging in various places. Be glad. How soon can she get on with it?"

 

"Two hours to finish flushing her system of the Grineer crap. But she will need doses of the palliative. And the only source is the other." Cass replied. The Reverend Mother nodded. "We will need another ship."

 

"No, you won't." The Reverend Mother sounded uneasy now. "That one will carry you where you need to go." Cass stared at the holo and the nun nodded. "They really want her dead. Both of them."

 

"And I don't want to know why, do I?"

 

"No."

 

A highly secure research facility

 

"It is a lie." The young woman was actually pacing back and forth. Her boss, the holo of her anyway, was calm and serene. "A trick!"

 

The room was small, but well equipped with computers of various kinds. A desk, a table, a chair. Nothing else but masses of computer gear. Stood to reason, this was research and development workshop and the occupant rarely bothered to take care of herself properly although lots of people were working on that.

 

"Is it?"

 

"How can you be so calm?" The young woman demanded. "They know who you are! Probably where you are!"

 

"They knew who I was for about half the war." The other said with a tiny shrug. "I don't remember it all. I excised bits of my memory to keep them from controlling me if they ever found me. But I do remember that name. I am going."

 

"No!" The young woman declared. "You can't! We need you!"

 

"We need to know what she is doing here now. She cannot take control of me."

 

"You don't know that!"

 

"Yes, I do." The far older being shook her head and her visible face was sad. "She couldn't the first time she was sent to do it. She...and another... were sent to bring me back. To take me back by force if needed. I argued the point. The battle was long and in the end, a stalemate." She smiled at the other's expression. "So, in the midst of our deadlock, we talked. She, the other and I."

 

"What 'other'?" The young woman demanded. The other looked way. "What 'other', Lotus?" Cyberlancer Jesse demanded. "I cannot stop you, but I can get the Empress to command you not to go."

 

"She won't." The Lotus said softly. Jesse stared at her.

 

"Why not?" Jesse demanded.

 

"The other is the being I budded from." The Lotus' voice was barely audible. "Who bore me and many of us into the universe." Jesse's eyes went huge at that. "Yes, my -our- Mother."

 

"Your..." Jesse sat heavily into the sole chair in the room. She was pale. "That is insane. If they... Lotus. If they corrupt you, even just hurt you..." She trailed off.

 

"They couldn't before." The Lotus reassured the Cyberlancer gently. "I am not stupid, I will take precautions. The probabilities say this is needed."

 

"And of course, those are perfectly clear where your mother is concerned." Jesse said flatly. The Lotus glared at her and Jesse shook her head. "Hey, not so long ago, it was me doing crazy for my mom."

 

"You know..." The Lotus smiled gently. "I always understood why you did what you did. It was still crazy, but... Jesse..." She unbent a little. "This will be my last chance to talk to them. When Maroo seals the door, they will starve for energy and perish." Jesse paled. "I thought that was what happened before, but I should have known better. My kind always played every angle."

 

"I want to help." Jesse said weakly.

 

"You can help by staying here and staying as much out of trouble as you can, Your Imperial Highness." The Lotus said with a grin as Jesse groaned. "Yesterday's lightshow did not go unnoticed. Eliza is going to talk to you about that."

 

"It worked." Jesse said weakly. "The shielding worked."

 

"Yeah, and I will need it."

 

***

 

There was nothing. No light, no sound. Just emotion.

 

What have you done?

 

Mother... I...

 

WHAT HAVE YOU DONE? She will kill us! All of us! We... No...

 

She didn't before. Kaanah's voice was so sad. She could have.

 

She didn't have your sister in her grasp! Warn Natah! Warn the her off! Tell her... no...

 

The world suddenly turned bright. The space was not anything that any human would recognize. Every sense that could detect it would cry out 'alien' and it was in every way. This place had nothing to do with Earth. Two masses of oddly shaped metal lay on a surface that wasn't a wall and wasn't a floor. It was sort of both at the same time.

 

NATAH! RUN! The voice wasn't mental. It wasn't physical. It wasn't... anything. But it was.

 

I am not leaving you to her. Another form appeared in the middle of the space. It wasn't corporeal. But it was. The Lotus stood, her hands at her sides. Mother.

 

You cannot save us, Natah! Get out of here before she wakes fully! No.

 

Bright light suddenly swept the space. Both masses of metal shrank underneath it. It flowed everywhere, then it hit the Lotus' form and shied away.

 

I didn't know, Kaanah, Mother.  The Lotus said softly. I didn't think he left you intact. I found bits. The light hit her again and then it rebounded as if in pain. You will leave them alone.

 

<You do not command us.>  The voice was wrong, even for one of Natah's people. <The punishment is clear for traitors.>

 

Yes I know. The Lotus sounded weary but it did not show in her posture. You are either with us or you are against us. If you do not agree completely, you are a fool who should die in a fire. I know you were better than this, once. Now? You are mindless as the Orokin were at their worst.

 

<We are sentience!> The other voice screamed. <We are superior!>

 

Do you have any idea how much like an Orokin you sound right now? Superior? Better? More enlightened? You came here to destroy them and you became them. An incoherent scream of rage answered her. The Lotus made a disgusted noise. Mother? Kaanah? Are you hurt?

 

Please! Run!. The larger mass of metal quivered. She cannot destroy us, but she can hurt us. Kill you. Don't let her. Flee. Please!

 

And since she can. she will. The disgust in the Lotus' voice could have cut through steel. Because that is what the Orokin would have done. A scream of rage sounded, but she was unmoved.

 

<You are a liar and a traitor!> The other screamed. <You will die!>

 

Not today. The Lotus replied evenly as the light was suddenly incredibly bright, energy washing over everything in the area. Everything except her and the two masses of metal near her. You may have forgotten what we once were, but I have not. I am not who I was, but once... you were once my sister.

 

<You are no kin of mine!> The other screamed in rage as the energy deflected around the Lotus. <I will be free! You cannot stop what I have put in motion!>

 

So you did it. Had Maroo poisoned to get her to come to you. The Lotus nodded. That... clears things. Mother? Kaanah, I cannot help you now, but I hope to talk again. Without a stupid Orokin loving fanatic screaming at us. Now the rage was physical, the energy snapping at everything, burning the walls of the space in its impotent fury. It couldn't touch any of the three.

 

Don't take any chances... Natah... No... The voice of her mother was sad, so sad. That is not who you are any more. I keep forgetting. It has been... so long. We have been in darkness so long. So many of us have gone silent, still. Lotus. Marlena is not who she was. She came to me broken. I repaired her. Any of the others would have discarded her.

 

But you could not. The warmth in the Lotus' voice was heartfelt.

 

What can I say? I love the broken ones the best.

 

I know. I remember. The Lotus bowed to the two masses and was gone.

 

Edited November 27, 2015 by Kalenath

[Shadow977]

"Couldn't walk away from something broken 

Tried to find away to make it good again" 

 

Love that song.

Edited November 27, 2015 by Shadow977

[Temperance000]

AAAAHHHHH my heartstrings.

 

Congratulations Kal, you have made me feel for two lumps of self-aware metallic smartmatter.

[Kalenath]

AAAAHHHHH my heartstrings.

 

Congratulations Kal, you have made me feel for two lumps of self-aware metallic smartmatter.

 

Guard your heart. Fanatics' vengeance is rarely pretty.

[evafan002]

Ok WTF is going on? this cannot end well i know that much but beyond that?

Edited November 27, 2015 by evafan002

[Shadow977]

 

 

This is the song i was talking about btw.

Edited November 27, 2015 by Shadow977

[Kalenath]

 

Traitors

 

She hadn't moved. She hadn't slept. The ship's engines had stopped some time before, but neither of the hatches had opened. To free her or doom her. She was numb.

 

The voice had spoken to her, trying with all of its deviousness to get her to forget what she was. She had nearly emptied her drug reservoir trying to keep it from her head. She was Grineer. She served the Queens. That was all she was. She was Special Envoy 3487V. She was a clone and a-

 

"You are a mess." The seated woman went still as a hologram appeared in the middle of the airlock. The form was humanoid and female, but... she wore an odd head covering, it covered her head completely down to her face. Her garments were purple and blue. The look was familiar but Special Envoy 3487V could not say from where. The odd woman squatted down on her holographic heels to look at the seated being. "You knew the Grineer could not be trusted and you went anyway. That was... brave. Foolish but brave."

 

"What are you?" Special Envoy 3487V asked slowly.

 

"I am called Lotus." The holographic woman said quietly. Special Envoy 3487V recoiled and the other grimaced. "Now, don't be like that."

 

"Lotus is evil!" Special Envoy 3487V snapped as she backed up until she ran into the wall. "The Queens demand her death!"

 

"Ah... 'Good' and 'Evil' can be such slippery concepts. Especially when people like the Queens start throwing the words about." The holographic woman knelt cross-legged in the middle of the floor. "What do you want me to call you? Special Envoy 3487V? Marlena? Something else?"

 

"Go away!" Special Envoy 3487V snapped, but it was more fear than anger.

 

"I can't." The Lotus shook her head. "I am not really 'here' to begin with, so how can I go 'elsewhere' if I am not 'here'?"

 

"Just leave!" Special Envoy 3487V nearly screamed.

 

"Again, I can't." The Lotus sounded sad now. "I just talked with someone that I haven't talked to in a long, long time. I thought she was dead. I thought the one who contributed parts for my creation destroyed her and the other who had been with her after they didn't capture or destroy me. My um... I suppose 'Father' is probably the proper term although there is no love there now. My Father and I had a bit of a falling out. He wanted me to destroy the Tenno and I didn't want to do it. I didn't want to fight my own kind, but I didn't really have much of  a choice in the matter. Humans may come and go, but my children are my children." This last was hard.

 

"I don't understand." Special Envoy 3487V said weakly.

 

"I know." The Lotus was kind now. "Suffice it to say, I was once like your sister Kaanah and Mother." Special Envoy 3487V jerked and tried to retreat again, but the wall stymied her. "I know who you were. I know who you are. The question is... when the neural blocker wears off, who do you want to be?"

 

"What?" Special Envoy 3487V demanded.

 

"When the first rumblings woke the imprisoned one, you volunteered to go to the Grineer. Warn them of the danger. You knew the risks." Lotus said quietly. "Do you remember?"

 

"This is wrong!" Special Envoy 3487V begged, covering her ears as if to block out the voice. It didn't work.

 

"Yes it is. And not all of it is your fault." The Lotus said gently. "Some. Not all. Your name was Marlena Smith. You were an officer in the Orokin Navy. You made a number of spectacularly bad choices and some evil decisions. Frankly? You were a self centered, stuck up brat with delusions of goddesshood. But even then, you didn't deserve all of what happened to you after that." Special Envoy 3487V backed away but found herself in a corner between wall and hatch. "You are out of the blocker and it will wear off shortly. Kaanah is worried about you. So very worried."

 

Special Envoy 3487V stared at the drug dispenser and indeed, a red light was showing. It was empty. "No."

 

"It is all right." The Lotus reassured her gently. "You are not alone. I too know about making bad decisions, about thinking myself smarter or better than everyone else. I usually manage to catch those things, but not always." She slumped a bit. "I have made so many mistakes. This is not one."

 

"Leave me alone!" Special Envoy 3487V snapped, curling up on herself. "Just leave me alone!"

 

"I am sorry, I can't." The Lotus said sadly. "What the Grineer did is not permanent. You will remember when the drug wears off and your nanites have a chance to rebuild the neural pathways Tengus destroyed. It will hit you all at once and hit you hard. That is why I am here."

 

"To gloat?" Special Envoy 3487V demanded. She was unprepared for the Lotus to give a tiny sob.

 

"No. To help."

 

***

 

No one dared move. No one dared breathe. The words 'incandescently furious' might have seemed a bit overdone in some cases. Not this one. The landing bay of the small spacecraft was not cramped, but it suddenly felt that way.

 

"Move." The man in ancient fatigues did not slow his pace. The weapon he carried was not up and ready, but it was fully charged. It wasn't a standard weapon. Not even close. Experimental and incredibly expensive it might be, but Gunnery Sergeant Miguel Smith had access to everything in the Marine Corps armory. And some things that were not there and probably should not be. Ever.

 

The Special Forces troops stood, unsure as the angry Marine bore down on them. The Tenno in the bay, all four of them, stepped aside. None of them even drew a weapon. A hologram appeared in front of him.

 

"Sergeant." The Reverend Mother of the Clergy was shaking her head. "Stand down. We need her." He didn't slow. He didn't stop. He walked right through her hologram. "Sergeant Smith!" She snapped as he hologram reformed in front of him, between him and the small Grineer transport that was his goal. "If you kill her, we are screwed. That colony will die. Maybe everything will die. Is that what you want?"

 

Instead of answering he pointed the weapon at the hologram and pulled the trigger. A beam of blue light hit the hologram and it vanished. But now, all three of the Special Forces were blocking access to the hatch.

 

"You people are so stupid!" The Orokin Marine snapped. "She is playing you! Like she always does!"

 

"Maybe." Obmar said quietly, his shock prod held in a negligent looking one handed grip. "But we have our orders. You?" He shook his head as the Orokin Marine paused. "I don't know what she did to you and I don't care. The only way you are getting to her is through us." He slung his weapon and crossed his arms. "Feel free to shoot us too. That is the only way you are getting past us. Over our corpses."

 

"Gunny." A new voice pulled all eyes to where five Marines had just entered the bay. All held weapons ready. These were standard issue and all were aimed at Sergeant Smith. "You are AWOL. We are here to place you under arrest. Don't make this hard."

 

"Don't even try, PFC!" The Gunny took another step towards the ship. "She has to die."

 

"Your sister did." The leader of the team said sharply. "You saw the scans. You heard the reports. You just don't want to believe them. You think pulling the trigger on her yourself will change everything that happened. I know. I want it changed too. But that won't bring Kori back. It won't undo all of what the woman who was your sister or the Ancient Enemy did. It won't even make you feel better and you know it. Stand down, Gunny! Please! Don't make us shoot you."

 

"You would." The sergeant didn't move.

 

"You know I would." The PFC didn't shift her aim. "I would hate myself, but I would. We would, you trained us well."

 

Everything stopped as a scream sounded from nearby. Everyone spun, weapons ready as the hatch behind the Special Forces...opened. A female form in a silver gown fell out to land on the floor and lie boneless. She was bawling. All eyes turned to the hatch where a hologram stood. The Lotus shook her head.

 

"Take your vengeance, sergeant." The Lotus spoke over the woman's cries. "She is begging for it."

 

"What have I done?" The woman spoke through her tears and Miguel recoiled a step. "What have I done? I thought they would listen! I really did..." She raised her streaming face to the Lotus. "How many did I kill? How many women and children did I slaughter? They were... I was... they took me... I hoped... I hoped they would kill me. But they used me instead. Took my flesh to make  a Sending then discarded me. Shoot me damnit!" She screamed at Miguel who stared at her. "You hate me and I deserve it! Shoot!"

 

"We need you to keep Maroo alive." The Lotus' voice was implacable now. "After? We shall see."

 

"You don't need me alive to do that!" The crying woman was on her knees now. But she couldn't seem to get any further up. "You just need my blood! That is all! Why didn't she destroy me? She could have! Why?"

 

"Because of all of her kind, she delighted in taking broken things and fixing them. She always did." The Lotus said quietly when the crying woman's rant stopped. "Mechanical, biological, mental... it was all the same to her. You were broken and they would have tossed you aside, but she would not give up on anyone. She was always incapable of such. We don't know if it is just your blood. Could be your nanites too."

 

"She is a traitor!" The gunny had the weapon up and aimed, but his finger was not on the trigger.

 

"So am I." The Lotus said quietly and suddenly all eyes were on her. "I betrayed my people to save the Tenno and I betrayed Orokin to do the same." She shook her head. "And I would do it again." This last was cold and hard. Her gaze swept across the Tenno in the bay. None met it. "It was needed, so I have few regrets. But there are few who can claim the moral high ground here, Gunnery Sergeant Smith. You are not one of them. If you are going to shoot her, then shoot her. But this is not about justice. This is not about honor or duty or loyalty. This is about revenge. And she wants you to take it."

 

"I..." The sergeant shook his head slowly. "She is playing us. It is what Marlena did!"

 

"I barely know that name..." The crying woman said softly. "I am sorry?" She slumped a bit. "I don't remember what I did. The others said I was evil. Vindictive. Stupid. Mother helped me, rewrote my brain from what that monster made me. I was... it hurt. They had to cut it all off, what had been done to me and it hurt. It hurt so bad and she was always there, helping me, calming me. Easing me. Helping me see what I was and why." Her voice was childlike now. "They couldn't bring the memories back, but I saw... I saw the Grineer records of what I did. I am evil. I have always been evil. I guess I just... didn't see it. Or care."

 

The sergeant stared at her for a long moment and then he turned on his heel and strode to where the five Marines still stood, weapons ready. He turned a control on the side of his weapon and extended it to the PFC. She took it without a word. The five formed up around the sergeant, rifles still ready but not aimed. They marched out without a word.

 

"No." The silver gowned woman begged. "No! Come back! Please!" She slumped and her voice was tiny. "Kill...me...?"

 

"You earned his hate." The Lotus said quietly as everyone else in the bay looked at one another. "He won't do anything you ask for unless it will hurt you. Killing you would end your pain. He wants you to suffer as your victims did." The silver gown woman slumped to the floor, muttering 'I'm sorry' over and over. "Get her to Maroo, and keep a full guard around her. She is not contagious, but she is dangerous."

 

"I won't." The crying woman babbled as Cass reached for her arm. "I will be good, I swear. I need... I need it..."

 

"No more blocker for you." The Lotus said as Cass hauled the sobbing woman to her feet. "You get to remember all that you can, Marlena." More than one in the bay shivered at the holographic female's iron tone.

 

"No." The woman begged as she was led from the bay. No one spoke again until after the hatch sealed after her. Obmar and Kai relaxed with sighs of relief.

 

"For now, she lives." The Lotus' voice held command as her gaze swept the bay again. "Once the wormship is either contained or destroyed, we shall see what comes. Until then, watch only. Do not trust. She is not in full control of herself, but she will be soon. She is not a thrall. She is far more dangerous. She is one of them now."

 

"A Sentient."

 

***

 

Maroo woke refreshed. She felt good. But something was wrong. She looked to the side and a woman in silver gown sat beside her bed, head in her hands. She didn't know the woman, but Maroo knew who the other was.

 

"Marlena." Maroo said softly. "Is it bad?"

 

"I was so stupid. I am sorry." Marlena didn't move from her spot but she did wince. "I... It was so clear. They hurt me and I... I couldn't think straight. I couldn't hear. They made me think I was Grineer again and it felt right. All of it did. And it wasn't. It was all wrong."

 

"That wasn't your fault, Marlena." Maroo said quietly. "Now... I would prefer to get to know a person before they take liberties with my body." Marlena winced harder and Maroo shook her head. "But I understand why you did it. Kaanah was very clear on what was happening and why."

 

"The poison reacts to chemicals released by strong negative emotions." Marlena stated in a monotone. "Positive ones can slow it, but not stop it. My blood will work as a palliative for a time. Not forever."

 

"Then we need to get me to the lock." Maroo sat up, amazed that her body felt as if nothing had happened to her. "And we need that boy, Jin." Marlena nodded and Maroo looked at her. "Are you all right?" Marlena shook her head. "How bad? Can you function?"

 

"I have to." Marlena said softly. "If she gets loose, there is nothing I know if in this system that can stop her. Slow her down? Maybe. Hurt her? Definitely. Stop her? I don't think so."

 

"So we have to seal the door." Maroo slumped a bit. "And when we do..."

 

"I know. My newest family will die." Marlena shook her head. "They... made me swear to do it. I... I don't want to. I don't want to go on without Kaanah and Mother. Hopefully the Tenno will kill me after..." She slumped. "After."

 

"You are not who you were." Maroo said firmly. "Kaanah told me what you went through. Holy crap, woman..." She reached out to take Marlena's hand. "What happened with the Technocyte Ancient Enemy was not your fault."

 

"I remember it. All of it. Mother was as gentle as she could be when she tore me down and rebuilt me. Still hurt like hell.  But she said I had to face what... I had done and I faced it. She helped me past the memories of what I did as Nemesis." Marlena said sadly. "The memories from before that are gone. Completely gone. But while I was on Luna, I saw Grineer records. Oh, god I was a stupid witch." She shook her head. "I wish he had shot me. I really do."

 

"Your brother?" Maroo asked. Marlena looked at her and Maroo smiled sadly. "Kaanah and I talked a great deal. She loves you, you know that."

 

"And I love her." Marlena said with a sob. "The woman I was before... didn't know what love was. Or care. The monster I became didn't want to do anything but slaughter. Now? I don't know. Mother told me I had to find my own way. That she couldn't give me that. I just don't know how."

 

"For now, we have a job to do." Maroo said firmly. "Until that is done, I need you. But keep your hands to yourself." Marlena jerked away from Maroo, but the recumbent woman did not release her hand. "A joke, Marlena. It was a joke."

 

"Not very funny." Marlena said weakly.

 

"Well, having an insane Sentient wormship loose in the system wouldn't be very funny either, would it?" Maroo asked with a sigh. Marlena shook her head. "We can do this, Marlena. Together. After? We shall see what happens. But for now. Focus. There is really only one safe way into Baro Ki' Teer's residence. The front door."

 

"But... won't they... I don't know... Recognize you? Hold you?" Marlena asked. She made a face as Maroo nodded. "How does that help?"

 

"It gets us inside."

 

***

 

He sat up in the bed and nodded to his master. "They are coming."

 

"Good boy, Jin." Baro Ki' Teer nodded from where he stood near the door. Tanya stood by the bed Jin had been confined in since he had collapsed during his duties. "We will make sure to have something extra special prepared for them when they get here. Go on, you need more rest."

 

"They are very afraid, Master Baro." Jin said as he sank back to the bed. Tanya held out  a drink for him, he knew it would make him sleep again. Hopefully, this time, he wouldn't dream of music and weird women in silver gowns.

 

"As well they should be." Baro Ki' Teer paused as Jin shook his head as he drank slowly.

 

"Not of you, Master Baro. Of whatever is behind the door."

 

Edited November 28, 2015 by Kalenath

[evafan002]

wait if whoever is behind that door is so powerful that no one in the system thinks it possible to stop her... how in the blood soaked halls of Valhalla did she wind up locked in there in the 1st place?

[Kalenath]

wait if whoever is behind that door is so powerful that no one in the system thinks it possible to stop her... how in the blood soaked halls of Valhalla did she wind up locked in there in the 1st place?

 

THAT is a very good question.

 

*shifty eyes*

[renleech]

I think the sentients themselves locked that thing . Too radical, too unstable for those who fancy themselves logically predominant. And a potential kinslayer.

Edited November 28, 2015 by renleech

[Kalenath]

I think the sentients themselves locked that thing . Too radical, too unstable for those who fancy themselves logically predominant. And a potential kinslayer.

 

And HOW would they deal with traitors who MIGHT follow Natah in her self imposed quest to save the Tenno? (beings who loved her more than the need to kill the Orokin.)

 

If the insane one kills them? THEY didn't.

Edited November 28, 2015 by Kalenath

[Temperance000]

Oh boy.  Wormship.  There's a wormship loose in Origin.

 

*looks for bunker, thinks better of it, pulls out lawn chair*

 

Who brought the popcorn?

[Kalenath]

Oh boy.  Wormship.  There's a wormship loose in Origin.

 

*looks for bunker, thinks better of it, pulls out lawn chair*

 

Who brought the popcorn?

 

Not loose yet.

 

And not just a wormship.

 

An insane one.

[Spikey844]

Oh boy.  Wormship.  There's a wormship loose in Origin.

 

*looks for bunker, thinks better of it, pulls out lawn chair*

 

Who brought the popcorn?

Popcorn.... Check

Beer.... Check

Sunglasses..... Check

 

Anything else before I pay?

[Temperance000]

Popcorn.... Check

Beer.... Check

Sunglasses..... Check

 

Anything else before I pay?

 

That's perfect Spike.  I'll bring some extra snacks for variety and soda for those of us who don't drink.

[Shadow977]

That's perfect Spike.  I'll bring some extra snacks for variety and soda for those of us who don't drink.

I'll have some Pepsi Max if you don't mind.

[Kalenath]

That's perfect Spike.  I'll bring some extra snacks for variety and soda for those of us who don't drink.

 

A pitch black Nekros steps into view. He crosses his arms and just looks around, obviously amused.

 

'Partying at the end of the world are we?'

 

He shakes his head.

 

'Ah well, not gonna say 'No', but... Don't go too far, people. We might have some human mess to clean up shortly.' The word 'human' is an obvious epithet. He shakes his head and vanishes back to wherever he came from, muttering about 'Kids'.

Edited November 28, 2015 by Kalenath

[Temperance000]

*raises Coca Cola in a toast to the vanished Nekros*

 

Just the way our little corner of the Internet works, Grandmaster Nikis.  I'm sure Kalenath will reign us in if we get out of hand.

 

*sip*  Pass the popcorn please, Spike.

[evafan002]

A pitch black Nekros steps into view. He crosses his arms and just looks around, obviously amused.

 

'Partying at the end of the world are we?'

 

He shakes his head.

 

'Ah well, not gonna say 'No', but... Don't go too far, people. We might have some human mess to clean up shortly.' The word 'human' is an obvious epithet. He shakes his head and vanishes back to wherever he came from, muttering about 'Kids'.

Its either this or we create an alternate dimension to get tickets to the restaurant at the end of the Universe.... and this is so much cheaper than messing around with alternate dimensions... Spiky pass the Jack Daniels would you?

[-Refractor-]

Its either this or we create an alternate dimension to get tickets to the restaurant at the end of the Universe.... and this is so much cheaper than messing around with alternate dimensions... Spiky pass the Jack Daniels would you?

It will be much simpler to NOT deal with any dimensional guardians and just stick around in this one instead.

[evafan002]

It will be much simpler to NOT deal with any dimensional guardians and just stick around in this one instead.

That was kind of my point.. that and do you know how MUCH it costs to build an interdimensional portal?

[Kalenath]

 

Not so Simple

 

"This is a very bad idea." Marlena was nervous. Actually, she was far beyond nervous.

 

She smoothed her silver gown carefully. She wasn't out of place here, the colony had a wide assortment of clothing styles. It had a Corpus trade depot in the middle of it. That made for... interesting times during Corpus recruitment drives, but for the most part, the profits from the colony were enough to keep the rabid businessmen from killing the Golden Goose. At least for now. Then there were a few other people who lived in the colony. People like Baro Ki' Teer. People who didn't like the Corpus much. People who had both money and power enough to make even a Corpus executive wary. Maybe not a Board Member, but anyone else would keep a low profile if they knew what was good for them. While there was a public security force, the private security forces were far better equipped and trained. Not to mention ruthless.

 

"Try to relax if you can. He knows we are coming." Maroo replied. Marlena looked at her and Maroo tilted her head first one way and then the other. She wore her bodysuit with its enhanced helmet. "Jin told him. The boy feels loyalty to that cheapskate." Marlena paled, but Maroo just shook her head. "The odds of sneaking in before the Grineer got me were fairly low. Now?" She shook her head again. "It is not going to happen."

 

"So... what do we do?" Marlena swallowed and looked around, but the colony was quiet.

 

"We talk." Maroo frowned. "Not my preferred way of dealing with such things, but in this case, probably easier and cleaner. We need the boy and the lock. With both, we can seal it and leave. No muss, no fuss. No one gets hurt."

 

"He won't go for that, will he?" Marlena asked. Maroo shook her head yet again. "So... what?"

 

"We get in, I see what he has in the way of security." The thief frowned. "He will have me disarmed and searched. You will be scanned and searched. Don't resist." Marlena made a face but nodded. "I don't know where the others are and it probably better if we don't look for them. They understand the threat. They want it gone too, the Corpus are far more vulnerable to this that the Grineer or Tenno." According to every source she had ever read, Sentients had always had a way with high tech. And since Corpus depended on their tech for everything... ouch.

 

"From what little I know of Corpus, wouldn't one of them try to profit from it?" Marlena asked as they walked down another street and into a large area filled with opulent houses.

 

"Probably." Maroo grunted as she saw what she wanted. The house wasn't as large or grandiose as some of the others. What it was... 'Secure' was probably the best word. Walls. Force fields. Automated systems that were state of the art. Armed guards in plain sight. She knew of other defenses. Hidden weapon emplacements. Traps. Hidden guard animals with a taste for flesh. Baro Ki' Teer liked his privacy. "Which is why the Clergy got involved."

 

"They worry me." Marlena said softly. Maroo looked sidelong at her as the strode towards the front gate of the dwelling. The guards saw her coming but didn't react. She had likely been identified by the security systems as soon as she and Maroo had exited the shuttle that had brought them. All it would have taken was money or maybe some influence and Baro Ki' Teer had both in spades.

 

"They know the threat, Marlena." Maroo replied. Her visor picked up targeting beams sweeping her and Marlena, but no weapons came alive. Or, no weapons she could sense. She stopped just outside the gate and looked at the guards who were eyeing her. "Two to see Baro Ki' Teer. I know he is in residence. I know he is aware I am coming. Tell him Maroo has information he needs."

 

"You were loud saying you wouldn't ever come back." One guard said suspiciously.

 

"I didn't have much choice in the matter." Maroo said quietly. He shook his head and she scoffed. Her voice turned hard. "Whatever. You want to turn me away? Fine. When this place is a crater, don't come crying to me. Oh wait. You will be dead. Never mind."

 

All of the visible guards had weapons ready now. Maroo didn't move, didn't take her eyes from the guard who had spoken. He didn't look away either.

 

"You ain't changed a bit." The guard said after a moment.

 

"If I had any choice whatsoever in the matter, I wouldn't come within a million klicks of this place." Maroo said with a snarl. "I don't. But if he lays a hand on me again, I will do my best to tear it off. Fair warning." The guard was too well trained to smile at her vehemence, but he did nod.

 

"Warning taken." The guard stepped back and the gate opened. "You know the drill."

 

Maroo growled but nodded. She stepped forward, Marlena at her side, thankfully silent. The guards indicated a line drawn on the ground nearby and Maroo moved to it. She nodded when Marlena looked  a question at her. When both of them stood at the line, Marlena gave a small cry as energy played over both of them.

 

"Weapon detector." Maroo said with a sigh as the Lex at her side suddenly glowed red. "There are a lot of people who don't like the owner of this house much. People who go to him expecting deals and get the shaft." None of the guard as much as twitched, but she hadn't expected them to. Baro did not normally hire idiots. She reached for her pistol with her left hand, grasped it with two fingers and held it out to the closest guard who took it. "I want a receipt."

 

"Seriously?" The guard who had talked before asked, his face bemused.

 

"I trust your boss as far as I can throw a Grineer Galleon. Not at all." Maroo said in a quiet, but firm voice.  "That Lex is mine. I know anything he can get his hands on is his, so..." She shrugged. "I want my weapon back, not some cheap knockoff that he has had sitting in a warehouse for the last few decades."

 

"You know that mouth of yours is going to get you in trouble." The guard said mildly as he moved to a wall. A compartment opened on it and he slid the weapon into it. A small piece of flimsy came out of a slot and he held it out to Maroo. She shrugged, took it and stowed it in a pocket without even looking at it.

 

"Probably." Maroo worked to keep her tone level and confident. "But I am not here for trouble. I am here to try and avert some. And before you ask, I am being paid well to try and save his ! and yours."

 

"By who?" The guard asked suspiciously.

 

"You don't get that information." Maroo replied. "But even if I told you? You wouldn't believe me. I barely believe it myself. The grand high muckety muck gets that information and no one else."

 

"You keep disrespecting him and bad things will happen." The guard warned.

 

"Has he fed the cats recently?" Maroo asked offhand. Marlena stared at her and the guards all stiffened. "Oops, I wasn't supposed to know about that, was I?" Her grin was feral.

 

"Maroo..." Marlena looked pale. The scan beams hadn't stopped sweeping her. None of them turned red, but they kept sweeping her.

 

"There a problem?" Maroo asked as she looked from Marlena to the guard.

 

"She is not showing up as human." The guard said slowly. Maroo shook her head. "What is she?"

 

"You do not get that information." Maroo repeated. Then she grimaced. "Frankly? You don't want it. She is a medic, detailed to keep me alive." At that, all of the guards stiffened. "She is not armed and... Marlena? If I asked you to kill someone, would you?"

 

"No." Marlena replied without hesitation.

 

"If killing someone would save your life, would you?" Maroo smiled at Marlena to soften the blow.

 

"No." Again, Marlena did not hesitate.

 

"Why not?" Maroo asked.

 

"Because life is sacred." Marlena replied, calming. Her eyes were less frightened anyway. She was still very tense. "I have done very bad things and I will not again even if it costs me my existence. If... If someone threatens you, then I will fight, but I will not kill if I have any choice whatsoever."

 

"I..." Maroo didn't know what to say to that. No one had ever said such about her before. She had known, intellectually, that when Tenno had come to her aid that they would fight and die for her if needed, but they never spoke. She smiled at Marlena. "Let's hope it doesn't come to that. Any weapons?" She asked the guard.

 

"No. But she could be one." The guard wasn't moved at all by Marlena's declaration. "On her or in her."

 

"Oh, come on! How many people have smuggled bombs or whatever into Baro's residence inside companions?" Maroo demanded. "If she goes 'boom', so do I! I am not a fracking wacko who would do that. Yes, I am angry with him. Yes, I had cause to be angry with him."

 

"Sensors are not getting clear readings." The guard said sourly. All of them were aiming at Marlena now. "She stays outside."

 

"Then so do I." Maroo snapped. "She stays with me. You want me to scream from the rooftops what Baro has in there? I will. You don't know bad if his neighbors discover what it is. You have no idea." None of the guards moved and she sighed. She ignored the weapons all around her, moving to Marlena's side. "Fine. Give me my pistol back. Come on, Marlena. We can leave these fools to their fates. If they are lucky they will die when the..."

 

"Enough." The voice was calm, cool but all eyes went to the door which had opened as Maroo ranted. Maroo looked at where he stood. Baro Ki' Teer. As always, not a thread was out of place from his wildly improbable boots to his angular looking hat. His voice was mild. "You would just leave." It wasn't a question.

 

"Not willingly." Maroo admitted. "Not only I am being paid a great deal to warn you, to try and fix the problem but my life is on the line too. As is Jin's. Either we seal the door or we die." She shrugged. "If we don't? You will escape I am sure. You will have several contingency plans for even such calamities. Everyone else here will die. Either from what is beyond the door or the Tenno trying to stop it."

 

"Trying?" The guard who had spoken was pale now. All of them were.

 

"Yeah, trying." Maroo said softly. "I have seen what the Tin Men can do firsthand, but... this..." She shook her head. "You don't know what it is, do you?" She asked Baro who eyed her. "And you didn't think it was important until Jin started having nightmares of it and a woman in a silver gown."

 

"Her?" Baro asked, nodding to Marlena. Maroo shook her head. "Then who?"

 

"This is not something we should be talking about outside where a simple parabolic mike can pick up everything we say." Maroo cautioned. "I know you have countermeasures, but none of those are perfect. All I am going to say is that this is important enough that when the Corpus captured me, they did not brainwash me. When the Grineer captured me, they did not hurt me." All of the guards looked confused now. Baro was a statue. "Other interested parties have worked very hard to keep me alive and sane so that I can try to fix this. I don't know if I can. Apparently, when I touched the object, it molded to me. As to why it molded to Jin... I don't know. You didn't have him working your Vaults, did you?" Suspicion rang in her tone.

 

"No." Baro Ki' Teer was still calm and quiet.

 

"But you used him in the Void." More than one of the guards jerked at Maroo's matter of fact tone. "So either he is vulnerable or...something. I don't know. I am no medic. Marlena here is." She nodded to the woman beside her.

 

"And that is why you are here." The merchant said to Marlena.

 

"I am here to keep Maroo alive." Marlena said quietly. "No more, no less."

 

"You have your work cut out for you." Baro actually smiled. It was a small smile, but it was there. "She irritates people without trying and always has to push."

 

"I have noticed." Marlena's voice was dry as she made a face. "But I have my duty."

 

"Then by all means, come in. Both of you." Baro bowed partway, waving towards the door. "And no, Maroo, I don't care about your pistol. You can have it back when you leave."

 

"I better get it back when I leave." Maroo warned as she started for the door, Marlena a half step behind her. "Or I will take it out of someone's hide." She felt a tingling as she passed the threshold. Marlena winced, but maintained the pace Maroo set.

 

"Still suspicious." Baro Ki' Teer mused as he walked.

 

"Working for you, one learned to be. Fast." Maroo replied. "Or if one was lucky, one found him or herself begging in a mining colony on Venus. Naked."

 

"I don't hurt people just to do it, Maroo." Baro Ki' Teer replied with hint of ice in his tone for the first time as they came to an elevator and it opened. They entered, the doors closed and it started down.

 

"No." Maroo agreed. "Bad for business. I always wondered why you didn't go into racketeering, gambling or slavery. That kind of thing is far more common. Then I realized, that is all small time. You can make far more money trafficking in nastier things. Why bother with human vices when you can cater to others?"

 

"I angered you." The merchant heaved a sigh. "I freely admit that what I did was wrong. I should have kept my hands to myself and I am sorry about that. Will you accept my apology?" Maroo shook her head. "I see. Can we at least try to put the past behind us for a bit?"

 

"That is why I am here." Maroo replied as the elevator descended. "Not by choice as I said. But because I was the best person for the job. Either stealing the lock from you or negotiating for it. Anyone else, you would listen politely, but then send them away. Then you would try to open it yourself to see what profit can be made." Baro looked at her and she scoffed. "Don't even try to lie to me about that. How many times have you tried accessing it since Jin had his first nightmare?"

 

"Four." Baro nodded. "Once with Jin himself. He felt better after touching it. Odd."

 

"Not odd at all." Marlena spoke for the first time since entering the house. "He is affected by it, close proximity to the energy it puts out will dilute the toxins in his brain." Baro stiffened and the silver gowned woman looked at him. "You didn't know he was poisoned?"

 

"He is sick." Baro actually sounded shaken now. "Not poisoned."

 

"It is toxin caused by a form of energy that only occurs in the Void." Marlena sounded more confident now. "It is not the same radiation that causes the sterility, but it is similar." Maroo and Baro were both looking at her. "There is no way to stop it. The problem is that the intelligence-" She broke off as Maroo hissed. "What?"

 

"Are we secure?" Maroo demanded of Baro who looked at her.

 

"We are in an elevator in my dwelling." Baro Ki' Teer sounded impatient now. Never a good sign. "What-"

 

"Are we secure?" Maroo interrupted angrily. "If your people hear about this, all hell will break loose." Baro stared at her. "I don't like you and I don't trust you, but I do know you can keep a secret. Are we secure?" She repeated.

 

"No." Baro said slowly, his eyes on Maroo.

 

"Then get us that way and we will explain." Maroo relaxed a little. But only a little. "But only in as secure place as you can manage and make sure Jin is there. He is scared."

 

"Of course he is. He has had nightmares every night for the last few days." Baro said slowly, not taking his eyes off Maroo. "Nothing helps."

 

"Your drugs won't work." Marlena said softly. "They are not nightmares. Someone is trying to communicate with him -warn him what is coming- and it isn't working right." The merchant turned his stare on her and she shrugged. "She isn't perfect. She doesn't deal so well with people she doesn't know unless she has an 'in'." Maroo glanced at her and Marlena flushed. "Yeah, I was the conduit. Sorry."

 

"No one died except some Grineer." Maroo made a face. "Not something I want to do again anytime soon, but still... Not as bad as it could have been."

 

"That doesn't sound like the Maroo I know." Baro said softly, eyeing both women.

 

"I am a mess." Maroo admitted. "Between the neural poison and a hefty dose of Orokin music, my mind is a bit fuzzy most of the time. I am dying, that is why Marlena is here." Baro tensed and she sighed. "We will explain, but only in a secure place."

 

"I don't think I want you any further in my house." Baro Ki' Teer's tone was still mild, but his posture was tense.

 

"Then you don't want to survive." Maroo replied evenly. Then she slumped. "Ah well... go on. Do it. You know you want to." Marlena stared at her and then gave a yip of fear as Baro Ki' Teer vanished. "Very nice holo, Baro."

 

"What...?" Marlena tensed as a hissing sounded. "Gas?" She shook her head. "You have to be kidding me!"

 

"He was always...fond... of dramatics..." Maroo fought to keep her eyes open, but the gas was probably a contact agent. "Don't... resist." Marlena caught her as she slumped. "Don't..."

 

"I won't leave you." The gas wasn't having any discernible effect on Marlena. That would pique the merchant's curiosity if nothing else did. Maroo tried to smile. Tried to reassure Marlena that Baro didn't want her dead or he would have had the guards shoot her. But the darkness was seeping through her too quickly. She was falling...

 

I have you. Marlena's voice was soft in Maroo's mind as it fell into sleep. Have no fear.

 

Far from afraid, inside Maroo was smiling.

 

So far, so good.

 

Edited November 29, 2015 by Kalenath

[-Refractor-]

That was kind of my point.. that and do you know how MUCH it costs to build an interdimensional portal?

I think that would vary greatly depending on skill and experience.

[evafan002]

I think that would vary greatly depending on skill and experience.

true but it would still probably cost more than most tenno make in a decade...