Cusps
This isn't right.
He sat alone. That was right. He knew he was too dangerous to be around people, especially fragile humans. But there were others fragile beings as well. Others he could see in his mind's eye. But...
He could see one in particular. She -yes, she- wore a Mirage warframe. He could see her, but he could not hear her. She was crying. He knew that even though he could not say how he knew that. He had learned early not to question the feelings. He remembered so much. He remembered pain, fear, loss, but also hope, joy, love. He knew all of these, but he was still what he was.
A reject. A mistake. A broken form who would never be able to be what he should have been. What he would have been if not for the accident that had maimed him and empowered him.
Heron. The voice of his mother came and he smiled as she appeared in front of him. He didn't know if she was really there, some kind of holo, or what. It didn't matter. He knew her.
Lotus. What have we done? The one called Heron asked sadly. The others are angry. You had no choice but to remove us from the Reservoir. But... I do not understand why they are angry.
I deceived them, my child. The blue garbed not-human woman said softly. I told them that you died, all of you. They don't understand. They see Transference and fear it as a slave collar.
We would never do that! The ageless boy in the chair declared. We are not Orokin. We are Tenno! We may not have been born that way, but we are. We follow the old ways! We honor the ancestors! We... He broke off, fighting to control his emotions. Losing control of himself was bad.
I know. The Lotus was so gentle as always. You had to find your own way and you did. You make me so proud. You who have been hurt and hurt and hurt and rise above it every time. You refuse to give in, to submit to your baser instincts.
Not all of us. The boy said sadly.
The only being you can change is yourself, Heron. The Lotus said quietly. This will not be easy, but we can manage. If you and the others are willing to try. The First and the ones made from the First are Tenno. They understand the Way and the Code, Heron. You have to show them that you do too.
How? The boy called Heron asked slowly. They won't believe us. I mean, no one trained us. The Lotus just looked at him and the chair-ridden boy flushed. Okay, Okay. Yes, we watched while the others were taught to learn the ways for ourselves. We imprinted minds to show the schools of thought we came up with. They will think we imposed the foci on them. They will think us no better than the Orokin.
Some of them will. The Lotus agreed sadly. Not all.
I never wanted to hurt people, Lotus. Heron said softly. I never wanted this. He nodded to his chair, his prison. The one thing keeping his power form consuming everything around him.
I know, Heron. The Lotus said gently. The Orokin had much to answer for. What they did to you, to Margulis, to so many. But now, we will fight this war on two fronts. The war without against the Grineer, the Corpus the Infested and now the Sentients.
And the war within. Heron intoned. Against our own selves. Against the horror that we hold back.
You are not alone, Heron. The Lotus replied calmly. You and your sisters and brothers are not alone in this struggle. You have allies, but you must take care not to alienate them. To show them the truth in ways that they will accept. Show them what you are. Not who, but what. You are Tenno, Heron.
Ten Zero... Heron said with a small smile. The Orokin used that as a designation of horror. To dehumanize us. To show we were their slaves. To make us less while they tried to use us for their schemes. We took the old meaning. The name of the legend. Do... do you think the others will like us?
Some will. The Lotus said sadly. Others will only see the chair or your power. Be wary, my child. These can be stalwart allies or the deadliest of enemies. And whatever you do, do not antagonize Nikis.
Do I look that stupid? Heron asked with a grin. No. Don't answer that. When?
Now.
A hidden Tenno dojo
She sat alone in the Zen garden. She still wore her warframe, but... She felt wrong. She preferred this particular garden, the schools of koi fish swimming around the stepping stones. Everything in perfect balance. Unlike her life. Unlike everything in her life.
"Tiana." The voice of the clan leader roused her from her attempt at meditation and she looked up to see him standing at the entrance. He was in robes. The one who had taught her so much rarely looked worried, but right now? He did. She couldn't blame him.
"Karl." The being who had called herself Tiana when she passed a grueling trial to determine her future was ambivalent. No. 'Numb' was probably a better word. She didn't know if anyone had expected what had happened. What had been revealed. She certainly hadn't.
"Everyone is in shock, Sister." Karl said softly. "Everyone. It isn't just you."
"I couldn't do a thing, Karl." Tiana said softly. "I... I picked up the body and... I wasn't in control." She was breathing hard and she focused on that for a moment, calming herself. I could see, I could hear. But... I wasn't in control!"
"I know." Karl stepped forward and knelt beside her. "To be a puppet is a special nightmare for us. We all have such nightmares on occasion. What happened to you and the others the Lotus sent was guaranteed to cause problems."
"The Lotus..." Tiana said weakly. "She... I..."
"There is a meeting to discuss this." Karl shook his head. "Neutral ground. The Citadel seemed appropriate. All who were sent on the mission are requested to appear." Tiana was shaking her head and Karl sighed. "Sister, we stand with you. Three of us will go with you. Myself, Alicia, and Will."
"I..." Tiana touched her chest and swallowed hard. "I didn't feel it, Karl. I didn't feel it when he shoved the sword through me. What is happening to me?" She begged. "I couldn't fight. All I could do was try to break the thing in me. I did, but... This isn't right. Is Olim certain I am clean?"
"I am not going to argue with a Cyberlancer about electronic attacks, Tiana." Karl said with a snort. "Neither should you."
"Ah, yeah." Tiana heaved a sigh. "She lied to us, Karl."
"We don't know that, Tiana." Karl replied evenly. "We don't have all of the information. There was a war on. Things got murky. We need more information. So, we go get it."
"I was a slave to the Queens before you found me." Tiana's voice was tiny. "I cannot be a slave again. I will not be a slave again."
"Over our dead bodies as well." Karl reassured her. "You are not alone and you will not be. There is no schism here. We are Tenno, you are Tenno. We stand with you."
"Thank you." Tiana said weakly as Karl rose. She did as well. The clan leader started off and she followed. "What word of the Moon?"
"The Grineer and Corpus are fighting over it." Karl grunted. "Teams are being sent to monitor. Sentients have been detected, but small groups. No sign of Hunhow. Maybe it died when you broke the sword." Tiana just looked at him and Karl grimaced. "Yeah, I don't think so either. Such an entity wouldn't be destroyed by such a thing."
"The Reservoir?" Tiana could not stop a shiver as she remembered that beautiful place with its ancient terrible secret exposed at long last.
"Empty." Karl replied. "The other pods were recovered, but none of the others were attacked. You apparently drew Hunhow's attention." Tiana did not reply and Karl nodded. "And yes, all of the others reported the same. Out of control. Puppets. None of you remember where the bodies were taken."
"They were not bodies, Karl." Tiana said with a snarl. "They moved. They were people. Orokin. They had to be Orokin to take control from us like that."
"Tiana..." Karl started and then broke off. He shook his head and continued. "As I say, this is a special nightmare for our kind. Have you talked to Brianna?"
"Not yet." Tiana said sadly. "Not ready yet. I will. Just... not yet."
"Don't wait too long." Karl admonished her gently as they entered and elevator and two other warframes stood. An Excalibur Prime and a Trinity. "I will meet you in the portal room."
"Weapons?" Will asked as Alicia took Tiana's hands in her own, giving them a squeeze.
"Full loadouts." Karl replied. The other three stiffened.
"Karl." Alicia said sharply. "We are going to the Citadel! What can happen there?"
"I don't know." Karl replied as the elevator started. "And that scares me."
The elevator stopped, the door opened and he was gone before any of them could frame a coherent response. Alicia shook her head as Will hit the controls again.
"Is there anything you can tell me, Alicia?" Tiana asked as the elevator descended. A good question. Alicia was intelligence, an agent of espionage and counter espionage. There was a lot she couldn't talk about.
"Not a lot." Alicia did not let go of Tiana's hands. "The moon was a prison and sometimes a rehabilitation center. It was also where the Executors did their 'trials'. A nice euphemism for brutal executions with no recourse. There was no justice there." Tiana shivered and Alicia gave her hand another squeeze. "It is okay, sister. You are not alone."
"We heard... I think they were memories." Tiana shook her head as the elevator stopped and all three started off. "Two voices. We couldn't tell where they were coming from. Maybe hard coded into the surrounding matrix. Olim could probably explain it better, but one of the team said that strong emotions could reverberate in the energy that made up Orokin structures?" This was both statement and question.
"It was known to happen." Alicia said with a frown that was clear even thought her closed faceplate. "We cannot detect anything wrong with you, but none of the teams that have gone since have encountered anything like that."
"So it almost certainly has something to do with the beings we found." Tiana shivered again. Alicia squeezed her hands again. "I am a mess, sister."
"I know about being a puppet, Tiana." Alicia said softly. Tiana started, Alicia did. She had been a partial slave to a nasty self aware virus that had infiltrated her warframe an then her mind. "We will not let it happen to you again." Will nodded emphatically at his mate's words. "We are all with you."
"Thank you." Tiana said and then she came to a halt as the door to the portal chamber opened and the rest of the clan stood waiting. They all nodded to Tiana. Karen, Aeron, Olim, Mori, Ric, Cecelia, Cathi Gata and then a shocker. Elder Raven stood beside Princess Michelle and her chief guard. The Mirage paused. "Ah..."
"This affects us all." Raven said with a frown. "Every single Tenno of any kind. Michelle is here to represent... other interests." Tiana nodded to Michelle who nodded back. No one outside of her clan was supposed to know what Michelle was now. Where she lived and why.
"I half expected Jesse to be here." Tiana wasn't joking. Not really.
"We dosed her drink." Michelle said with a hint of a smile. It wasn't really a laughing matter. Jesse was... well... 'Force of nature' was the most common phrase used. When she fixated on something, everyone sane got out of her way. She wasn't a warrior and it didn't matter in the slightest. She obeyed the Empress and Lotus and no one else. Everyone had learned to make instructions clear, concise and as impossible to 'interpret' as possible when dealing with her. She was sneaky and determined to do 'the right thing' whatever that might be or the potential costs to her. It got infuriating. "They will keep her asleep for a day or so. She needs it."
"Still overdoing it?" Tiana asked, worried. Michelle nodded with a grimace. "I had hoped... but... I do know Jesse."
"Jac has her in hand." Michelle said dryly and more than one person shuddered. Jac was also a member of the clan, but she had shifted her focus from being a warrior to being the mother of Aeron's kids. "I think Jesse has met her match."
"And...Draco?" Tiana asked carefully. Draco was Jesse's guard and very good at being a guard.
"He is cheering Jac on." Michelle chortled. "Jesse was driving him crazy."
"Hmmm." Tiana was hardly the only person to wince at that. Draco was very good at his job, but his primary weapon was fear. A weapon he wielded with such skill that even the most ancient of Tenno -Nikis himself- had proclaimed that Draco scared him. The Mirage paused and looked at Michelle. "Nothing going on there, is there?"
The last thing anyone needed was a hyperactive Cyberlancer trying to form a relationship with an avatar of fear. The mind boggled.
"No." Michelle did not look happy, but she was relaxing a little. "Jesse is not focused on anything but her work. If Draco thought it might get her to loosen up, he might make comments, but no more. He knows better. He has discussed it with mom and me. He won't."
"Part of me wishes I had heard that conversation." Tiana said with the first laugh she had managed since returning from the moon. "The rest of me? Glad I missed it. Iriana? Jasmina?" The Healer and the Caretaker of the Unclean would also be worried.
"Meeting us there." Karl appeared nearby, his Rhino warframe fully armed. "Arm yourselves." Will and Alicia moved to lockers nearby to pull weapons down. Tiana did not move. "Tiana..."
"I was not in control, Karl." Tiana said firmly. "I don't trust myself with weapons right now. Please do not order me to arm myself. If need be, I can defend myself with my powers. But... I can't, Karl."
Alicia had pulled her Glaive, her Burston Prime and her Bolto from the locker. Will had his Braton, a Lato and his Skana. Not such a simple blade in his hands. Karl sighed and moved to the locker. He pulled out a pair of pistols and hung them from the back of his belt. Tiana's Aksomati. Then he pulled out her Jat Kittag. He held it out to her by the hammer head and she eyed it.
"You are Tenno, Tiana." Karl said quietly. "We trust you."
"I..." Tiana swallowed hard and took the hammer. She sheathed it and then she shook her head. "No ranged weapons."
"If you need them, I will have them." Karl closed the locker. "But I am willing to bet everyone will be armed."
"The Citadel may not let us keep them." Alicia warned as they started for the portal platform. Michelle, Raven and Petra followed. "They take security seriously."
"Carlos said we could come armed." Karl shook his head as he mounted the platform. "This will be rough, but there, they can keep things in line."
"We hope." Tiana gave voice to the fear as the portal flared and cast them through space and time.
When the golden energy faded, two warframes stood in front of them. A Sayrn Prime and an Oberon Prime. Carlos bowed formally to Karl. Rachel just stepped forward to embrace Tiana who gave a squeak.
"This is going to be rough, Tiana." Rachel -the Leader of the small group of Tenno who called the ancient Citadel home- said as she gave the Mirage another hug. "Everyone is angry. Nikis and Sun have both arrived." At that, everyone gulped. That was a pair no one wanted to cross. "They want to hear from you. Everyone does. You... You were the only one who heard what she said. Are you all right?"
"Not really." Tiana said weakly. "It didn't hurt. Which makes no sense at all. I had a huge sword shoved through me. But the rest? I wasn't in control, Rachel. It wasn't me. Please tell me you can stop it from happening again!"
"We can, sister." Rachel promised. "Carlos?"
"We searched our records, Sister Tiana." Carlos said formally. "Such things have happened before, if not on this scale. There are ways to keep from being controlled."
"How?" Tiana demanded. No one commented that she was being rude. Everyone understood.
"Sister, it will hurt." Carlos sounded worried. Tiana just looked at him and he sighed. He held out a small circle of metal to her. She took it gingerly and looked at it. He indicated her head and she nodded.
"No! Don't!" A new voice had half of the Tenno present drawing weapons as a hologram appeared nearby. The Lotus was holding out a hand. "Tenno Tiana! Don't!"
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME?" Tiana screamed. She jerked, she hadn't meant to be so loud.
"You deserve an explanation, and I will give one but please... don't use that." The blue garbed not-human woman said desperately. "It will hurt you and them. They didn't intend what happened, Tenno. They did not. Please!"
No. Lotus, stand down. The voice wasn't audible. It wasn't from anyone present. We took choice from her before. That was wrong. We frightened her and others. That too was wrong. She must have the choice, Lotus or she will never trust again. Do what you must, Tenno. We will not blame you.
"Who...?" Tiana stared around wildly, but everyone else was just as shocked.
My name is Heron and I too am Tenno.