Altered States

Jesse jerked. She had fallen asleep! But...

Where was she? This wasn't a virtual world! She knew those! She had created those in training and in practice. This... was different. She stared around wildly and then forced herself to focus. She forced herself to remain calm, to remain still. She looked through eyes that were open just a crack.

The young Cyberlancer was lying on what felt like dirt. All around her, she could see green. Plants that she knew mixed with plants she did not were all around her. She was lying in a small cleared area with just ground cover underneath her. She slowly and carefully extended a finger to poke the ground and it felt like dirt. She opened herself up to code and bit back a scream as static seemed to explode inside her head.

"Oh not again..." Jesse grumbled as she looked around. "Okay. Who is it this time?" There was no answer and Jesse sighed deeply. "Whoever is trying to brainwash me this time, you are making a very bad mistake."

Again, there was no answer and she focused herself as she had been taught. But instead of oblivion or waking up as dying in dreams was supposed to cause, pain lanced through her skull. Warm arms suddenly surrounded her. She tried to struggle and couldn't. Someone was singing softly nearby as pain erupted again in Jesse's head. A woman. No one she knew.

"Easy girl." A male voice said gently. This also wasn't anyone she knew. "You pushed too hard, too soon. The pain will pass. Your disorientation and lethargy will pass. Be calm. Be easy, Jesse. It is okay." Fingers were stroking her scalp and the pain ebbed with the caresses.

Jesse was fighting tears as the pain faded and was gone. Whoever was petting her head gave it one final pat and then the arms holding her set her down.

"We are not brainwashing you, Jesse." The male voice sounded upset, but not with her. "We are trying to help. Who would dare to brainwash you? You are a Cyberlancer!" Jesse did not move, did not react and the voice sighed. "Let me try to start over. We didn't realize you had woken until after you did. My name is Alexius Flavius Lucius Marcus Maximus Pontius Remus Florentine. The Fourth." Jesse's eyes shot open against her will as she stared at the form who sat in sieza beside her. He shook his head and his face was sour. "But you can call me 'Fred'."

"'Fred'." Jesse said flatly and then cursed herself when he smiled at her.

He was Tenno, not one she knew. He wore no warframe here, but that didn't mean much in this odd place. Other forms stood and sat around the clearing she had seen before.

"I much prefer 'Fred." The Tenno kneeling at her side said with a nod. "My parents were insane. We were trying to help. Your pain called out to us."

"I am not in pain." Jesse said flatly. "Release me. Now."

"As you wish." Fred said with a nod. Jesse froze as the world turned hazy. That... hadn't been part of the script, had it?

Her startled question faded with her memory.

Karl's dojo

The room was packed shoulder to shoulder. No one had space to sit. No one dared to move as the three Royal Guards moved to flank the Lotus, each standing still as statues when they reached her.

"Mori, Kio, Zac. No. Back off." The Lotus commanded and each stared at her and then at the furious Marine who had drawn his sidearm. "You cannot kill me with that, Gunnery Sergeant Miguel Smith. But you can hurt me. Do so if you must." She stepped away from the others, presenting a clear target.

"You... were one...of them!" The Marine grated out through clenched teeth.

"Yes." The Lotus said sadly. "I was not involved in what happened to your family, Sergeant. Sentients dealt in mathematical probabilities. They thought such a horrific act would break the Corps, make you easier to fight. In hindsight, that was an obvious error. Perhaps bad coding in the probability. Perhaps simple arrogance." She shook her head. "You have a right to your anger, Sergeant. But I also have a right to mine."

"Miguel." Karl said quietly. The sergeant snarled and holstered his pistol. He did not relax. "I think we need an explanation."

"All of you have earned it." The Lotus said with a sigh. "Once, long ago, a little over three hundred years before the Sentients came... There was a young Tenno woman named Rebeka." The Lotus smiled in memory. "She was a people person. Likable, funny. Always with a joke to lighten the mood. She was an administrator, but did not stint on her other duties as well. She wore a Nyx Prime warframe in honor of the First Nyx, and she fought well against the enemies of Tenno and Orokin alike." She bowed her head. "A call went out for volunteers for something new and unprecedented. Orokin had finally tamed the entirety of the Origin system, moving each piece of it into places precisely calculated to provide what was needed. But... that left the leaders with a quandary. They needed to expand. Where to?" The Vauban near the back of the press jerked and she nodded to him. "Ric?"

"The blue star." Ric said in a dazed voice. The Lotus smiled at him. "Holy fanged flying bunnies."

"Don't make me get the Holy Hand Grenade." The Lotus warned and Ric barked a laugh. She smiled. That smile...faded. She was not that woman now. She would not burden him. "Rebeka answered the call. She was... worried. She had no family but the Tenno, she had been an orphan and born infected. The only way to travel to another star was via the Void. You all know the dangers of such."

A murmur of disquiet went around the room. The alternate dimension known as 'the Void' produced energies that were inimitable to life. With enough protection, a person could survive for a time in that odd place. The problem was, that no matter how well protected, any significant period of time spent in the Void always had one specific result even if the person's life was saved. Sterility. That was the reason that almost all of the Orokin towers were silent and still except for Corrupted. That was the reason most of the neural sentries had gone mad. They could not protect against such a fate and now? There was nothing for them to protect. Eternity alone with their failures. Most anyone or anything would go mad.

"Rebeka was warned." The Lotus said sadly. "She wrestled with the idea for some time. She asked advice and meditated a great deal. Finally, she chose to go." She bowed her head. "She made it there with the others."

"And?" Alicia -the clan's resident Trinity- asked when no one else spoke.

"They were told they were exploring. The first to go. The first to see. They had all been lied to." The Lotus said softly. No one spoke. Some were not breathing in anticipation. "She and the others were not the first to go to that system." She shook her head. "The idea was to send automated manufacturing capability. It was biotech. It would arrive, unpack and start to grow. But automation -even Orokin automation- was never 100% reliable. They needed some kind of oversight. Which is why Rebeka and the others were sent." The Lotus slumped a bit. Mori patted her shoulder. "The memories that have been recovered are... patchy at best. I think... I am glad of that."

"What happened?" Alicia pleased carefully. Her mate Will laid a hand on her arm and she shook her head. "Lotus?"

"What happened was that Orokin in their arrogance forgot one of the basic rules of nature." The Lotus said with a sigh. "Life will find a way. No matter how well engineered something may be, as soon as it is exposed to the real world, it will change. For better or worse, it will change." She took a deep breath and straightened. "That cost them."

"What happened to Rebeka?" A small voice asked form the side. The Lotus smiled at Cecelia where she stood beside Ric. She looked so out of place among such strapping Tenno, that human girl. But she fit in very well.

"She was subsumed moments after she arrived by the biotech that had been altered by the radiation of the star." The Lotus pointedly did not look at where Jasmina and Elenia stood. Some of the others did. The Caretakers had frozen in place, not daring to move as the Lotus bared the past in all of its horror. "All of the others... None of them had any idea what hit them. One moment, they were in stasis for the transit, the next... in pain. I doubt the pain lasted more than few minutes. It only felt like centuries. Your mass mind is gentle, Caretakers. You ease people into it. You don't have to be gentle."

"Yes, we do." Jasmina snapped. Elenia patted her arm and she relaxed. "But you are not part of a mass mind now."

"No." The Lotus agreed. "The Tenno woman Rebeka ceased to be. Her flesh and memories were mixed with the flesh and memories of all the others. A new personality grew from the gestalt of all of the travelers. It... budded pieces of itself. Reproduced itself. All still part of the whole, but distinct. Each was given a name. One was given the name 'Natah.'" Her visible face was stricken now. "She was... it was... You need to understand and I do not have the words. There are no words in any human language to describe it. It was alien in every way possible. But it was...home." Naked longing sang in her voice and she squelched it. "It was home. No longer."

"You sound...sad." Cecelia said slowly. "Were you happy?"

"I don't know." The Lotus said with a shrug. "It wasn't bad. It wasn't good. It just was. Natah had purpose. Natah was managing a solar farm, providing power to the multiple clumps of life that were spreading throughout the system. Natah was content. If that makes any sense at all." She said sourly. "I do not know what happened. I doubt anyone does. Historical records say that incursions from that star came into the Origin system sparking the conflict that became known as the Sentient War. I do not know who attacked who first. I do not think it matters now. Natah became aware of the conflict when her farm was attacked by humans in odd ships. She was not a warrior herself, but she had resources and she was smart. She defended against that attack. But there was damage. Much of her farm was destroyed." Cecelia looked stricken and the Lotus shook her head. "They didn't -don't- think like we do, Cecelia. It wasn't vengeance. At least not for Natah. Some of the others... maybe. But not for her."

"So... what?" Karl asked when no one else spoke.

"This is going to upset you." The Lotus said slowly. "It upsets me. And I did it!" Karl waved at her after looking around. She continued. "It...wasn't just humans who attacked Natah's farm."

"No..." The indrawn breath came from everyone.

"Her name was Sabrina and she wore a Banshee Prime warframe." The Lotus was crying. "She had been told of a horrific enemy. One that had to be stopped. What could she do but follow her duty? The humans sent had no chance against Natah's defenses. She did." More than one of the Tenno looked horrified as the Lotus wept, but Cecelia stepped forward. "It is what Tenno do!"

"What happened?" Cecelia asked as she embraced the crying woman.

"She outmatched everything Natah threw at her." The Lotus said sadly. "Every single thing. Natah was getting frustrated and scared. The Tenno did not know where Natah was, but nothing Natah did could slow the Tenno down. The humans fell, one by one. The Tenno just kept going. Then she breached Natah's sanctuary and paused. Natah struck with everything she had. The Tenno... did not guard herself. She fell in a heap. Natah was stunned. Why had such a powerful warrior simply stopped fighting on seeing Natah's physical form?" The Lotus patted Cecelia's head as the girl hugged her again. "It made no sense. Natah had to understand. Natah had to know. Natah pulled the dying Tenno close and tried to heal her. But Natah could not. The energies were incompatible. Then the impossible happened. The Tenno looked up at Natah and spoke. The fallen Tenno said one word. A word that Natah did not know until much later. 'Sister'. Then she died." No one moved as the Lotus screamed.

"SHE LET ME KILL HER! SHE HAD ME! SHE LET ME KILL HER AND I DO NOT KNOW WHY!" Cecelia hugged her tighter and the Lotus spoke through her sobs. "To this day, I do not know why. There are no records left of the first expeditionary forces. She was born in the Citadel. I know that. Raised there. Went out as some Tenno did. Beyond that? I don't know. But I remember! I will always remember! She didn't kill me! I..." She bent down and hugged Cecelia back. "Thank you, Cecelia. This is hard."

"How did you find out her name?" Cecelia asked.

"Natah was confused. She worked hard to recover every scrap of data from the humans, from the fallen Tenno. She tried bringing the fallen Tenno into her midst. Recovering some of her in any way. It didn't work. Sabrina was gone, but some energy was still in her warframe buffers. There were orders to her. That is the only reason I know her name." The Lotus said softly as she bowed her head. "Tenno Sabrina. I will never forget." She took a deep breath "Needless to say... this development was... unsettling to all of the life in that system. Weapons beyond anything they could counter had been used on them. Natah wanted to know more. Wanted to understand. Others wanted to fight back. Still others wanted to flee. Or hide. Consensus was difficult to achieve, but it was eventually met. It was decided that the species that called itself 'humanity' would continue to attack. That they could not be reasoned with, bargained with or appeased. Anywhere life from that system ran or hid, they would find it and kill it. They needed to be destroyed. It was not a decision made hastily or in anger. They planned. They prepared. And then they struck."

"Yes." Miguel hissed.

"You are angry with cause, Gunnery Sergeant Miguel Smith." The Lotus said severely. "But can you understand?" She snapped and he recoiled. "Natah was awake and aware for that transit. An eternity in that place." More than one person gagged at that and she continued. "She had been created as a nurturer. A life carrier. She hadn't ever borne life, but she was intended for such. She woudl have done it eventually. Part of her wanted it. And then... when she arrived here, that potential was gone. Just like that." She bowed her head. "She was disconsolate. Other life carriers who had come felt the same. A few of them chose to seek oblivion instead of continuing." She took a deep breath. "That had been... planned for. Some of the ones who had come had been delegated to tend the ones who were... unable to continue. To speed them on their way. Natah was one such. She focused past her own pain and did her duty. Then she found she could continue. It felt right to her."

"And they call Tenno cold..." Alicia breathed, horrified. "To kill your own kind!"

"Wars of extinction do not call for compassion." The Lotus said sadly. "Once that duty was done, Natah joined the others in starting the sequences. Each of the actions that were taken had been planned in basic form. Those plans were evaluated and altered somewhat to account for changing circumstances by the time the foothold was secured. Then it was just a matter of time and energy expended." She shook her head. "Or so they thought. They were just as naive in some ways as the Orokin."

"'No battle plan survives contact with the enemy.' " Karl said slowly.

"And when those enemies were Tenno?" The Lotus smiled a bit oddly. Was it feral? Friendly? Sad? "The initial plan had been a creeping assault. Subversion of populations until they could be altered to the needs of the group. Then a slow and methodical obliteration of each and every stronghold. Each would give more resources to add to the push. They hit a wall made of bodies and warframes." She sobbed and Cecelia hugged her again. "Countless atrocities on both sides. Over a hundred of years of fighting and they were slowly encroaching on Earth. Then things changed."

"The Orokin made Tenno in large numbers." Karl said softly. "Myself included." All of the other Tenno in the room nodded soberly.

"In hindsight, it is clear." The Lotus agreed. "Natah's people made them desperate. And suddenly, Natah's people were being pushed back. The sequences were all in jeopardy. Her people were in jeopardy. Orokin leaders had repeatedly said that they would exterminate every trace of Natah's people. Something needed to be done, so... scouts were sent to find out were these new Tenno were coming from. Natah was one such." Cecelia looked at her and the Lotus smiled. "What happened was not expected by anyone. Let alone Natah."

"Lotus?" Cecelia asked. "Pardon me, but this is important. Do you think coexistence is possible between humanity and Sentient?"

"No, Cecelia." The Lotus said sadly. "It isn't. Maybe it was. Once. Long ago. Before Natah's farm was attacked. But not now. The Sentients as Orokin called them are not like humanity or Tenno in any way. They can take human forms, but they are not human. They think in mathematics generally. 'One plus one equals two'. 'Someone tries to kill us, they always will try to kill us and must be stopped'. The only way to stop an aggressive species completely..." Cecelia gave a sob and the Lotus hugged her again.

"...is to kill them all." The girl said softly. "We cannot match them, especially now with Orokin gone. We are doomed."

"Oh, no you are not!" The Lotus said firmly. "I will not allow it." Every spine in the room straightened at her tone and she smiled. This time, it was fierce. "Because... in the tale I was relating, Natah found something marvelous and terrible when she was sent to scout. Something so far beyond her wildest dreams that she could not accept it and remain as she had been. She had to change into something new. She did."

Everyone stared at her as the Lotus snorted in genuine amusement.

"She had help mind you."