Crimes

"We got another one."

Tenno were supposed to be immune to human emotions. So much time spent in stasis or in the bio-tech suits of warframes was bad for human style memory. And without memory, what was emotion? Many Tenno warriors simply withdrew from their distant human roots, becoming little more than machines that moved and fought with machine like precision but still felt the odd thing occasionally. The group of Tenno who stiffened at the voice of the mind that controlled their transport were different. They had to be. They had been held to a very different standard even from the Tenno code.

"Damn." Magda was not a happy Tenno. Not at all. "Well, we all know it cannot be her. Her fate was verified by several different Elders along with Rachel and Nikis." A shudder went through the group even now with him gone. They had locked horns with Grandmaster Nikis a couple of times and it had never turned out well. Even the times they had been on the same side, the relationship had been odd, strained and dangerous. One did not enjoy partnering with such a being but it was better than fighting him. No sane Tenno wanted to fight such a being. "Where?"

"Fortuna." The voice of the group's ride was subdued now. "I just did a fast data search and got a few bits here and there. Karl's Shadow sent a message and they say they are sending us a full report." She sounded bit dubious, but then again, they were did not always have the best of relationships with that group either. What they did was often unpleasant, even when everything went right as it rarely did in the group's experience. "They say that the Elders are about to call us in."

"We are up to our eyeballs in the other case." Grasfil said flatly, his Palatine cloak swirling as the Rhino warframe he inhabited rose form his kneeling posture. "We cannot divide ourselves now." He looked at the others of the small group and they all shook their heads.

Killian was a rock, as always, but he wore an Atlas warframe, so that was understandable. Achmed was almost as still in his own seiza stance, the Wukong warframe showing none of its usual quivering energy. The group didn't have a lot of people. They never had. It wasn't for everyone, what they did.

Throughout history, first human and then Orokin and more recently, Tenno, there had always been segments of the various populations who had decided that laws, rules and regulations did not apply to them. Their reasons were as varied as the people breaking the rules, but the results had always been the same. Harm was done. Property was damaged or destroyed and lives were lost. Tenno were, as a whole, more rule abiding than most beings throughout history, but there had been notable exceptions. Most recently and spectacularly, Nicholas' clan had gone rogue and killed many humans in their desire to rule themselves. Most other groups had been far lesser threats than an entire clan of Tenno. The group had lost members to Nicholas' madness on three different occasions and all had breathed a sigh of relief when Karl had ended the threat. It kind of rankled that none of them had been involved in the closure, but the situation had been resolved, Nicholas had been stopped and his rogue clan was no longer a threat. Good enough.

"What else can we find?" Magda said Grasfil who shook his head. "You know there will not be much, if anything commonly available. Probably not even in 'secure' records. The spetznatz 'defined' the word sneaky and they only answered to the Royal Family, just like the other Marines. The only archives that would have been sure to have such information burned."

None of them would speak it aloud, even here. Avalon was gone. The last hideaway of the Orokin Emperors was gone. The last Empress was gone. Almost the last vestige of the Orokin royal family was gone. The information they had received did not say whether they were all dead or not, but it was heavily implied that of them, only Cyberlancer Jesse remained. And every one of the group knew that angering her or even bothering her would have serious consequences. Not that they even knew where she was, but still…

"The spetznatz killed Tenno Aziz." Achmed said softly. "That was witnessed by many and is not in question. Every record we found shows that he had cause to hate them. At Adiinah's request, the First gave you access to their records, Magda and what you found was horrifying to say the least." Magda nodded, her favored Nyx warframe otherwise still in memory. Not much, just a record of a rescue that had left the knight and his friend sorely hurt and thousands of Orokin servants and slaves dead. "But as for the spetznatz? Nothing. If there were orders given, then no one knows or will speak of it."

"Or they are unable to speak of it." Magda said with a growl. Mind control was her thing and the consequences of what had happened did not sit well with her.

"Totally deniable and totally expendable." Killian agreed. "Barring a miracle, we won't find anything else, I don't think." No one was happy about that. "So, we take what we have to the Elders?"

"And they deal with the spetznatz." Achmed slumped a bit. "I hate black ops." Everyone nodded agreement. "Even now, after all this time, the memory of what happened to Hayden is burned into each of us."

"Lynn explained." Magda was very quiet even as everyone nodded again. The explanation of why Hayden Tenno had died had shaken Tenno society to its core. No one outside the Tenno had the need or right to know what the First Tenno had done to his own kids. "But me too. I still feel hate too. So many cautionary tales. So many stories about their lies and treachery and then to see it happen in real time…" She shuddered. "We are all shaken. To see a true knight rise so far and then to fall so hard to treachery…" She slumped. "I… Yes. Take what we have to the Elders."

"To the Elders." Grasfil nodded, his voice a growl.

"Right." Achmed said sourly. "I hate not being able to finish the job and close the case properly, but in this case? I guess that is the best we can do. Laney?"

"Message sent." The ship intelligence named Dulaney, or Laney for short, said quietly. She was not happy about this either, but then again, she had started her existence as an Orokin naval vessel before many odd twists of fate had led her to becoming the transport ship for what passed for Tenno cops. They were not 'quite' what had been known as cops in ancient times, but they sufficed for the Tenno as a whole. The Tenno code and Tenno Law were not the same thing and this group was tasked to enforce the Law as well as staying within the Code. Often a very hard job. "They may ask for more. Not that we have any physical evidence to show them."

"If needed, one of us can go give a deposition." Achmed said with a shrug. None of them were happy doing such, but maintaining proper procedure was one thing that had always separated good cops from mediocre ones. "Another body?"

"Yes." Dulaney was subdued, but she always was when dealing with murders. "What we got is fragmentary, but from what I see…" She mused. "Male. Human. Not augmented, so not a native. They sent a good sized file, but it is garbled."

"'What we got'? Static or sloppy work?" Magda inquired. "Tiana won't stand for sloppiness." She knew Tiana well. They were friends as odd as that seemed, given the cops' first interaction with that clan had nearly erupted into all out warfare. Things had settled bit, but all Tenno had long memories and the cops would not forget any more than the clan would.

"Probably static. What I can see of the file is good." Laney replied, trying for reassurance. "But it is fragmented. Probably in transmission. If it came from Fortuna, that does make a bit of sense." Venus' atmosphere was not conducive to sending data through. It never had been even under Orokin.

"I guess." Magda wasn't happy about this, but then again, they had been tracking a serial murderer for several weeks before the mess with the spetznatz had shifted their focus. It was almost certainly a Tenno doing it, hence why they had been called in. The scenes mimicked a horrible episode in Tenno history too closely for outsiders to be able to copy as serial murderers had throughout history. That said? Their prime suspect really wasn't one. The original murderer was incarcerated and never leaving her incarceration. "But it cannot be her."

"Can we be totally sure of that?" Achmed wasn't arguing. Not this time anyway. They had done this discussion several times after the second scene. This would make the fourth.

"No." Magda admitted. "But I bet Rachel can be." At that, everyone stared at her and Magda shrugged. "The Caretakers give me the creeps. I will be first to admit that." Everyone else nodded. Tenno had existed to fight Infestation for as long as Tenno had existed. To knowingly and willing allow Infestation to thrive in any way felt wrong. It had come to a head recently and unpleasant truths had come to light, not the least of which was what the Caretakers did now. With the Caretakers defenders and guardians now including the few remaining members of the First Tenno who resided in the Tenno Citadel hidden on Earth? No one sane was going to attack them. "But we have dealt with Rachel. We know what she is like."

Everyone winced in unison. They had. Rachel was actually quite nice in person. She was kind. Gentle and considerate to almost everyone she dealt with. That said? She had limits beyond which was it was unwise to push her. Many had pushed her, for many reasons. Some of said reasons were even valid. It didn't matter. In the ancient Tenno Citadel, she was the ultimate arbiter, the leader and spokesperson. Making her mad was possible, but a very bad idea. The cops all knew that Rachel had literally thrown Grandmaster Sun, the former leader of Tenno Intelligence and a master interrogator, physically out of her domain. Then, for some reason, she had stripped him of his rank and he was ancestors only knew where now. The cops had dealt with him too and it had been very unpleasant even if it had worked out fairly well in the end. Well, fairly well for them. None of them had died or been 'put to the question' as he used to say.

"Yeah, we have and do." Achmed admitted. "One of us will need to go in person. Magda?" He asked when the Nyx nodded.

"I dealt well with her last time. I will go." Magda agreed. "Even from what little we know of her imprisonment, it cannot be Ariana Arachne doing these murders. Say what you will about him, Nikis did not make such mistakes as leaving her alive twice. If she could not be held, he would have just shot her." She slumped a bit. "Even as horrific as the truth is… He would have slain her if she could not be confined, even if Rachel asked him not to."

No one outside the Tenno would ever know about the whole truth of Ariana Arachne. She had been the most prolific mass murderer in human history. When she had been caught and interrogated by Tenno, she had not resisted and had freely admitted to killing almost a thousand humans over a span of nearly a century. And the way she had done it sent shivers down the spines of anything with human ancestry. Many people disliked spider like forms and she had taken that as an icon. There had been a reason the Orokin had compared her to a spider, giving the name of the mysterious killer who wrapped her victims in silk and ate them 'Spider White'. According to her, she had done it on purpose, not actually consuming the humans, but pretending to to spread fear of her throughout her chosen prey, criminals. What was worse? She had been remade to be a killer for human entertainment and no one could help her be anything else. Many of the First Tenno had tried and despite their skill and power, Ariana had been drawn to kill humans on the genetic level. That she picked her targets carefully from the scum of the various criminal underworlds and utterly abstained from causing collateral damage was only a little reassuring. She had been damn good at stalking her prey, hunting it and killing it. She had only gone after criminals, and ones that would not be missed, so it had taken a rare act of kindness on her part to be caught at all. She had saved a child on his way to being exploited by various nasty scum and during the ensuing investigation which had involved several politicians as well as religious leaders, clues had popped up despite her best efforts to disguise them. Those clues had led to the Tenno taking Ariana into custody and uncovering the whole rotten, stinking mess. She hadn't fought her kin. Not at all. She only killed humans. But that violated the Tenno Code and Tenno Law, so her punishment had been clear. Even then, the Tenno of the time had tried to be kind. They couldn't help her, but maybe someone in the future could? So they confined her to stasis, a living hell of cold eternity alone and dreaming.

"Narmer is still active on Earth." Laney warned. "Even in Antarctica. They tried hard to get into the Citadel and lost a lot of troops doing it. The colonies are recovering, but Narmer is being persistent in a few of them. Rachel will be very careful about opening her defenses."

"Anyone sane would be." Achmed growled. He paused and looked tot he side where a group of sentinels hovered in a group. "I apologize for ignoring you." He said formally.

We are not of your group. Came from one of the sentinels and more than one of the cops winced.

Being yelled at by the Queen of Cats had been eye opening and all of them felt shamed by how they had treated companions in the past.

"Yes, you are!" Magda snapped and everyone went still as she held up a hand, palm up. "We forgot. Everyone forgot! Tell us when we mess up! Please! If we do not set a proper example, no one will. We have to do better. Ollie, please?" She begged, holding out her hand a bit further. A small Shade sentinel swept to her, buzzed around her head and then settled into her hand. "I am sorry."

This is new to us too. The voice of the sentinel Magda called 'companion' was small like his form but only an idiot took him lightly. The Queen does not command us, she advises and only acts if we call her. We have not. None of you ever abused us. Sometimes, you did not pay attention, but you never neglected us or abandoned us. Was that a snort that came from a Helios matching a hard wince from Killian? If so, Magda ignored it. Safer that way. I felt no need to interject. I had nothing to add.

Murmurs of agreement came from the other sentinels and all the cops relaxed. NONE of them, sentinel or Tenno, wanted the Queen of Cat's attention again. It was not fun, facing such powerful wrath made manifest.

"I need to talk to Rachel, but if I go in person, I run the risk of Narmer." Magda slumped a bit. "I would fight. It is what I am. But if they have a Deacon? They would win easily as they did before." She fought the fear that rose and succeeded, but she knew everyone heard it. They all understood. Narmer had managed to get a Deacon aboard the ship and everyone had fallen to Veils, but Laney had resisted somehow. The intelligence running the ship had taken steps and the whole ship had vanished into the Void until she could space the evil Narmer thing and free the crew from their Veils. It hadn't been easy. The sentinels had helped a little as they were able, but by the time the crew was freed and healed, Ballas had been defeated. Somehow. Everyone was still a bit fuzzy on the details. That said? Narmer was still a threat and a very dangerous one even to Tenno in warframes. Deacons and Archons were a match for warframes.

We could not help you. The Shade said softly, fear and worry resounding.

"Yes, you did." Magda snapped back but it was humorous rather than biting. "No moping, Ollie!" She warned as the shade flashed an odd purplish color. Blushing? "We are a team, right?"

We are a team. Ollie agreed and then swept up to take up station just behind and to the left. The usual supporting position. And we have a copy cat murderer to catch. So… Do we go to Earth?

"Yes." Magda said after a look around the circle. "You and I go to Earth, Ollie. Carefully. Everyone else goes to Fortuna and starts checking the scene there." At that, all of the other sentinels gave up their huddle and zoomed to their partners who shifted a bit as if relieved.

"Not that there will be much left if anything." Achmed said sourly. "It was what? Three days ago?"

"They are not trained for forensics." Magda reassured the other as she started for where her own small ship was docked. "They will have missed things." She paused. "Wait a minute- Why do I have a ship?"

She had never needed a ship of her own while she worked as a cop and-

Magda jerked in place as power beyond belief scoured through her and then she jerked again as the errant thought vanished along with her worry. The thought that had worried her was replaced by the truth.

"Right. We stole assault craft from Narmer." Magda said with a shrug as everyone eyed her. "Figured Laney could use some. I am tired. I will rest."

"You do that." Was Achmed glowing softly orange for a moment? No. That had been a trick of the light. As was the odd Ephemera that shone around the others before vanishing.

"I really am tired." Magda said as she entered her Liset, keyed in a destination more or less automatically and moved to the Orbiter. Ollie moved to the sentinel's charging station as Magda walked back toward the main section of the Orbiter.

Rest, my friend. Ollie said kindly and Magda smiled and waved to him before starting down the steps. Her mind saw the door in front of her change colors from its normal Tenno blue to dingy orange and started screaming at her, but her body walked forward. Outside of her control!

I am tired. So tired. Magda fought the bonds that held her, but it was no use as she walked to the central chair that should have held a Zarimon child and didn't. Please… She begged in her mind as her warframe vanished from around her. Don't make me hurt those I love.

"That is the last thing I want, dear Magda." The face of the form that sat in the chair was not that of a Zarimon child. Or, not entirely. It was an energy being and it did look like a Zarimon child, but the energy was all wrong. The color... Narmer! That paled beside the odd, alien looking metal that surrounded the young man's glowing green eyes with the swirling red spots in the middle. Also the blue shimmering hologram that was set between the two. He was a thrall and now? So was Magda. "I need you to catch that murderer. You do not need to know why just yet. You will not go to Earth, I have another task to you close by. It will help you catch that killer."

I… No! Magda tried with all of her might to look away from the red in the boy's eyes, but they caught her and held her despite her mental struggles. She managed to close her eyes, but only for a moment. They burned with unshed tears. I AM NOT YOUR SLAVE!

You are not a slave, Magda. You are my friend. The other chided her, but gently, so gently. Sleep, my friend. Rest. It will be all better when you wake.

Magda could not keep her eyes closed. As soon as they blinked open, she was lost in the red swirls even as the boy started to cry with her. The Tenno took the oddness of this being who had taken her will from her crying at Magda's pain into slumber with her even as gentle hands eased her to the deck where she lay on something warm and soft as gentle energy enfolded her and soothed her. Comforted her in her distress and no matter how she fought to stay awake, she fell asleep smiling.

It was so wrong, but it felt so... right.