Judgment
Serene was shaking as Iriana and a strong orderly helped her into a wheeled chair. Indeed, she needed the help. Her body was weaker than she ever remembered it being, even after other bad injuries. There was little pain, mainly ghosts of memory in her back and side, but she didn't have the strength to walk at all. At least they head helped her into a jumpsuit. The thought of facing all of her kin, including her caln in a patient gown was...daunting. Oh the jokes and pranks would be endless...
"You could have done this in the room, Serene." Iriana said in disapproval as she finished fastening monitors and other lines. "No one would have cared."
"And get blood all over your nice clean floor?" Serene asked with a smile that faded as something hurt. "Ow." Iriana stiffened and then moved a line that had pinched Serene's leg. "Thanks."
"I know you want it public, Serene." Iriana said with a sigh as she checked the firm support she had wrapped around Serene's chest. It wasn't -quite- a cast, but it was close. "But if you start to feel bad at all, tell me." She slumped a bit as she moved a bag and strapped it to the side of the wheelchair. "And don't pull this catheter out! You tore all kinds of things last time." She said with a snap.
"Yes, mother!" Serene snapped right back and was immediately apologetic. "I am sorry, Iriana... I am scared."
"So am I." Iriana said with a sigh. "Everything was recorded and all the eyewitnesses agree. Tenno do not kill each other, but... He did. He shot you and ignored a plea for help. Tenno do not torture each other, but he did. He hurt Sara and knew full well it would hurt her when he did it. Tenno do not disregard the sworn public oaths of other Tenno, but..." She shook her head and Serene nodded.
"He did." Serene agreed. She looked off into nothingness and spoke softly. "He who battle monsters must take care not to become a monster. Stare too long into the abyss and the abyss stares back." She shivered a bit and smiled as Iriana laid a blanket over her. "Thank you. Are you sure you can pull Two out?" She jerked as the mental voice inside her snarled.
I am not going! You have to stay! Two's voice was somewhere between rage and abject sadness. You can't leave me. Iriana looked at Serene as if she knew what Two had said, maybe not exactly, but the gist.
"She won't cooperate." Iriana said softly. "If she won't, then no. If I try, I will only get parts of her. Not enough to keep her whole and sane."
"I'll try and convince her." Serene said sadly. "It is the least I can do, for her and Amelia."
Fat fricking chance of that!" Two snapped, peeved. I am you, remember? You know how stubborn I can be. You are not leaving me.
So you would condemn Amelia to life in prison alone? Sara will be barred from her. The knowledge that Amelia took from me is too horrible for Sara to face until Sara is fully trained. You know this. That may take longer than Amelia's lifespan. Serene asked softly. Two bit back a sob and Serene continued in a kind voice. Two, please...For Amelia and for Sara. At least consider it, please? She smoothed the blanket over herself and nodded to Iriana. "I am ready."
What about you? Two demanded. Don't you get any consideration? I know this scares you!
Yes. Serene admitted as Iriana started the chair off. The orderly followed behind, a bag of medical supplies in hand, just in case. I don't want to forget everything that has happened since I woke from cryosleep. But... Two, you are not unstable, I am. You know I am. You can feel it as well as I can. She begged the other her. You are my sister. Don't...Don't let me hurt you. Please... She blinked back tears as Two sobbed.
Sister... I... Two said sadly. I don't want to lose you. I hated you and now I love you and... I don't want to lose you.
I locked you away, in the dark, sister. Serene said softly. It is time you came into the light again... Serene.
My name is Two. The other her said in a tone that ended the conversation. Serene sighed and Iriana looked at her.
"She is you, Serene." The healer said quietly. "Small wonder she is stubborn."
"I don't want to be the cause of her death, Iriana." Serene said sadly. "She deserves better."
"Serene..." Iriana shook her head with a frown. "In the end, it is her choice. I don't have the right to force her to do anything. If I even could. If she wants to...go with you, I can't stop her." Serene slumped in the chair, but a pain told her to sit up straight and she did. "Pain?" Iriana asked.
"A bit." Serene said with a nod. "More an ache than actual pain. You do good work." She said with a smile.
"I did very little besides pulling Two from your mind. I wasn't sure it would work, but I was desperate." Iriana said with a shrug. "The revival apparatus was set up properly. All I had to do was turn it on. I wasn't sure what it would do to Two and she was... incoherent for a bit. I pulled her clear and did what I could for her, then put her back in when your heart was restarted." A wordless feeling of thanks fluttered to Serene from Two and she nodded her own thanks to the healer.
"I bet." Serene said softly as Iriana pushed her through the strangely still corridors of the medical facility. Of course, most of the Tenno present were distracted by what was about to happen. It wasn't every day one of their own was slated for execution after all. "I don't know if I have said this enough, Iriana..." Serene said with a smile as the healer looked at her. "Thank you. Two said you did the surgery on my lung?"
"I am a mental specialist, Serene." Iriana said with a shrug. "But I remember my basics. I did part of it, yes. Mostly the brute force parts. And then I held tools for actual surgeons when they got here to do the actual repairs. If your warframe had been functioning, it would have healed you, but... We had to get you out of it first."
"Well..." Serene said with a shiver. "I am glad you brought me back." Iriana did not reply and Serene looked up to see a door ahead with two Tenno in warframes beside it. One was Jasmina. "Jasmina." Serene said warmly. "Good to see you, hot dog."
The Tenno in the Volt warframe obviously didn't know how to respond to that, but Jasmina just laughed.
"Well, well, well... If it isn't the wicked witch of sound." Jasmina said with a grin in her voice. But then her voice turned sharp. "What are you doing out of bed?" She demanded of Serena. "You look like hell, Serene. You are barely able to sit upright."
"This needs to be done, Jasmina." Serene said with a sigh. "If I don't, it's hanging over all of us. I have no right to keep all the kin in suspense when I can end it. This needs closure." Jasmina let out a long sigh and then nodded slowly.
"Don't miss." Jasmina said softly. "You only have enough charge in the Lex for one shot." Iriana looked askance at that, but Serene nodded. Iriana looked at Serene.
"One shot?" The healer asked cautiously.
"I am not stable, Iriana." Serene said sadly. "Jasmina and..." She paused and looked at the Volt. "I don't know you. I am Serene." She said formally.
"Artur." The Volt said with a nod. "You asked for two. One clan, one not. I volunteered." Serene nodded and Iriana looked puzzled.
"Two for what?" The doc asked, perplexed.
"Two Tenno guards to stop me in case I go off the deep end." Serene said calmly. Iriana froze and Serene sighed. "Iriana... Don't tell me you haven't been watching my brain scans. Don't tell me you didn't see the imbalances. I have and I am not a professional." She said with a touch of heat.
"Serene... I..." Iriana stammered, but broke off as Serene laid a hand on her arm.
"Greta and Zidis were partly right, Iriana." Serene said sadly. "I am unstable. You shouldn't be so close." She said sadly.
"Bite me!" Iriana said with a snarl as she clasped Serene's hand in her own. "You are my friend. I am not going to let you...go without doing everything I can."
"Iriana, I am not safe to be around." Serene said softly. "I am a threat. If I were stronger, I would insist on restraints."
"Serene!" Iriana and Jasmina snapped as one.
"Let's... just get this done, okay." Serene said plaintively when both of her female friends started protesting. "We can talk about my mental state later. At least... for a while." She took a deep breath as both Jasmina and Iriana stopped speaking. "Is Sara inside?"
"She is." Jasmina acknowledged. "She is sitting with the clan who came to our aid and talking to the Warlord." Serene stiffened and Jasmina shrugged. "She says she isn't interested in the Warrior's Path, but wants to learn more about the Circle."
"As long as no one pressures her." Serene said with a shrug after a moment's thought. She winced and sighed as Iriana started scanning her. "Hey, it's an ache, nothing more."
"I am the doc, you are the patient, Serene." Iriana said with a snap. "Sit there and shut up." She said in a tone that brooked no argument. Serene sighed and sat. Jasmina, for her part, was obviously staring.
"What did you give her?" Jasmina finally asked when Iriana finished her scan. "I have never seen or heard Serene of all people take orders outside of combat without arguing. And sometimes in combat."
"Once, Jasmina..." Serene said heavily. "I did that once. It was during the War and my plan did turn the enemy's flank. Won the battle." Iriana shook her head and wisely stayed out of it.
"And the punishment details you were on for six months for disobeying orders... were...what?" Jasmina asked with in snippy voice. "Your commander could have had you shot, you silly brat."
"It worked." Serene said with a sigh. "Enough stalling. Let's get this done." Jasmian nodded and opened the door. She and Artur formed up behind Iriana and the orderly as Iriana pushed Serene's chair into the room.
The room was huge and circular. It was a combination training area and amphitheatre. Looking around, it was impossible to tell that the massive room was carved into the rock of an asteroid, one of myriad similar rocks that orbited the star that had given birth to humanity. Tenno colonies were small and well hidden. They had to be. Tenno had made a lot of enemies over the centuries. The colonies acted asa hidden support structure for the operatives, providing logistical support as well as medical care when needed. Normally, Tenno would be in the field, operating alone or in very small groups. It was only very special circumstances that pulled any group of warrior Tenno into groups larger than four. So Serene was shocked to see almost two dozen Tenno in various warframes kneeling around the large room in clusters. A cluster of Tenno in civilian robes stood to the side. Holo cameras had been set up as well, this would be broadcast to all Tenno not currently on active missions. Thos who were on missions would see a recording. Serene's eyes were drawn to one side where Sara knelt with several Tenno in warframes that the chair bound warrior recognized. None were armed and all nodded slightly when they met Serene's gaze. But they all remained silent. There were times for jokes, times for pranks. This was not one of them.
Iriana pushed Serene into the center of the room where a table had been set up. On the table a pistol lay, the only visible weapon not on a warframe in the room. Serene bowed her head to the gray haired man in robes who sat at the table and pointedly ignored the man who stood beside the table, the only Tenno in the room who wore binders. Iriana stopped the chair, set the brakes on it and stepped back to join the civilians, the orderly going with her. Jasmina and Artus stayed close to Serene. Serene bowed from the waist to the gray haired man even though it hurt.
"Let us end this. We are called here, my kin..." The Tenno Elder said heavily. "...to see justice done. One of our own has been grievously injured by another. Serene..." He waved a slow hand to indicate Serene. "...has problems. We all know this. But she is Tenno. When she found a hurt, scared child on her last mission, she would have been well within her rights to leave the girl to die. We are not life savers. We are life takers. We are Tenno." A murmur answered him from around the room.
"We are Tenno." Serene's soft voice was one of the multitude. A voice only Serene could hear chorused with her. She noted Sara spoke at the same time as the other did. She was fitting in very well. The Elder nodded and spoke again.
"Serene did not know..." The gray haired man said softly. "Indeed, there was no way for her to know, that the child she found was Tenno. And not just any Tenno, but her biological kin. She saw a child in distress and was moved to assist. Her...mental state..." He paused and then sighed. "Anyone who walks alone in the darkness is in danger of losing their sanity and Serene has made it her life's work to walk in dark places. She believed she had gone berserk. And... In truth she had. She surrendered to our judgment, to face her fate with honor as Tenno should. She brought the child for medical care. She had no way of knowing what would happen." The gray haired man glared at the bound Tenno to his right. "What one of us would do." The doctor who had hurt Sara and shot Serene did not move at all and the Elder sighed. "We have many enemies, my kin. We cannot be fighting amongst ourselves. Serene acted with honor. She made an oath, an oath that this Tenno willfully broke and in doing so, he hurt Serene to the point where we nearly lost our sister." A growl sounded from around the room, but the Elder wasn't done. "We are here to see justice done. Serene, have you anything to say?" Serene shook her head and the Elder nodded. "Very well."
The Elder rose from the table and picked up the pistol that lay there. He checked it expertly and then held it in a professional grip. Even civilian Tenno were well trained. He strode to where Serene was sitting and held out the pistol to her. She checked to be sure it was on 'safe' before grasping it. The Elder stepped aside. Indeed, all of the Tenno who had been kneeling in Serene's line of sight between the doctor and the wall moved away. Serene stared at the weapon and then at the doctor who hadn't moved. Then she spoke.
"Elder, I... May I ask the accused a question?" She said in a low tone. She felt Two's sudden bewilderment and suspicion but ignored it.
"Of course." The Elder said with a nod. "We are here for you, Serene." Serene met the doctor's gaze and he seemed to wilt a little. She took a deep breath and spoke evenly.
"If you had known Sara was Tenno from the beginning, would you have done anything different?" She asked. He shook his head. A murmur started that a glare from the Elder quelled in it's infancy. Serene shook her own head. "You would have done everything the same? Why?"
"Corpus brainwashing is insidious. You know this, Serene." The doctor said, his tone sick and tired. "Until I saw the results of the scans on the brain tissue I took, I didn't know she wasn't affecting you. I didn't know she wasn't influencing everyone around her. My paranoia nearly cost you your life."
"I see. And you assumed I had been...influenced...when I made my oath." Serene said with a nod. She took a deep breath and extended the weapon butt first back to the Elder. "I likely would have done the same. Maybe not shot him, but...essentially the same if I thought a Corpus proxy was infiltrating our kin. We have many evil enemies, Elder. It is not paranoia when they are out to get us. His life is mine...and I have spared it."
For a moment, there was dead silence in the room as the doctor's eyes came up, his face a mask of shock. Then a shocked buzz of conversation started to circulate. The Elder took the weapon from Serene and stepped back, his own face neutral. Serene nodded to him and then... She felt faint. Iriana was suddenly there, her face worried.
"Serene..." The Elder said quietly. "He hurt you. He broke your oath. Why?"
"I am not stable." Serene said softly as Iriana worked. "I want his life, but... I cannot trust myself. I am not... stable..." She gasped as Iriana did something. "I... Iriana, save Two!" She begged as she slid into darkness.
"You are not dying, Serene." Iriana said gently. "You are overwrought and exhausted. Back to bed with you." A hiss and she was falling. But as Serene nodded off she heard a soft voice sound in her head.
Well done, sister
