The battle that Shao Kahn had alluded to was set to become the most significant in all of recorded history. There had been many larger battles; many among Shao Kahn's many conquests, in fact. But this battle was to be fought over a far greater prize than any mere realm. The victor - the single victor among the dozens of gathered warriors and their respective footsoldiers - would be granted the status of godhood. The prize was sure to split the Forces of Darkness apart, but none were foolish enough to risk such a schism until after the enemy force was rent asunder.
The alliance had been put together by Shinnok, allying himself with all of Outworld's past rulers: Onaga, Shang Tsung, Quan Chi, and Shao Kahn. The Earthrealm-led forces that opposed them had been brought together by Johnny Cage, of all people, in light of Raiden's corruption and Liu Kang's death. Clearly, the enemy would struggle to overcome this unholy alliance of conquerors, sorcerers, tarkatans, shokan, oni, Chaosrealmers, deposed Orderrealmers, and any other force that held a grudge against the meddlesome forces of Earthrealm and Edenia.
Mileena had been brought to the camp by Shao Kahn, who had recently returned from his alleged death to reclaim Outworld. Onaga and the 'Deadly Alliance' had, likewise, returned from supposed death to retake the throne, but it had been Outworld's longest-reigning emperor that had proven successful in that regard. All around her, Mileena saw numerous other warriors she had fought alongside in her many years of service to her numerous masters: Reptile, Kano, Reiko, Jarek, Hotaru, even Sheeva, Kintaro and Motaro back from the dead. There were many more she didn't recognise, such as a blue-clad woman with icicles for hair and a man with a chest implant reminiscent of Kano's right eye.
And then, there was Tanya. Mileena didn't know how Tanya had come to be involved with this army - who might have informed her of the coming battle, who might have brought her along with them - but Tanya spared only a glance in Mileena's direction before heading deeper into the camp. No doubt, seeing Mileena following behind Shao Kahn like a puppy did nothing to improve her image in Tanya's mind.
Waiting until Baraka approached to make a report on the tarkatan forces, Mileena informed her master that she would go and inspect said troops in the meantime. He waved her off and listened to his general's report, while she slunk away to pursue the dark-skinned Edenian diplomat.
While she didn't outwardly show it, it was clear to Mileena that Tanya knew she was being followed as she made her way to the outskirts of the camp. Away from the bustle of warriors and troops transporting goods and gathering intel, Tanya stopped at the edge of the cliff on which the camp had been erected.
"What do you want, Mileena?" she asked in an annoyed tone without even turning to face her stalker.
Mileena stopped dead upon receiving this venomous tone from her former adviser. She didn't know what she'd expected. Tanya had stormed off after Mileena had informed her of her decision to return the throne to her father, so she really should have expected this kind of response. She supposed, on some level, she had thought it might turn out like the relationship between Kitana and Jade after Kitana had betrayed Outworld: strained for a short time, until Jade learned of Kitana's motives. Mileena so wanted Tanya to be her Jade right now. Of course, if Tanya ever knew that Mileena had briefly considered preparing a holding spell to use on her, she would never be her Jade.
"Well?" Tanya said impatiently, still keeping her back turned. Were she so inclined, Mileena would likely have no trouble sticking her sai into Tanya's heart from behind. Perhaps this was a sign of Tanya's trust in her? Or, perhaps the undoing of her well-laid plans had left her in a state of uncaring for her own well being?
"I... I wanted to speak with you," Mileena replied, finally
"What is there to talk about?" Tanya asked bitterly. "After all the time and effort I put into securing your throne, you gave it away the second Shao Kahn returned. With your army, you could have easily fended him off. Or, at the very least, you could have feigned obedience while you plotted your reclamation of the throne. But no. You would rather serve your 'father' as an assassin than to rule as Kahnum. I did so much for you and you threw it all away. So, tell me, Mileena. Why should I so much as give you the time of day?"
"Well... I have had time to think-"
"Your own thoughts or those that Shao Kahn has given you?"
"My own. I felt horrible for what I did to you-"
"Uh-huh."
"And I want to make it right."
"Well, too bad. You can't."
"I can. I will. I would do anything for you to forgive me and return to my side."
"Even reclaim your throne?"
"...I..."
"I thought as much. Such a bold declaration, but it's as empty as your head. I'm done listening to your-"
"Tanya, wait!" Mileena reached out and grabbed Tanya's wrist. For now, at least, she made no attempt to break free. "Please! Let me show you my conviction to make this work. I cannot bear the thought of losing you. You are the most important person in all the realms to me."
"And what of Shao Kahn?" Tanya snapped, yanking her arm free from Mileena's grip. "Were you not created to revere and serve him? Are you not bound to obey his every word?"
"I... I am. But he said to me that, should I ever betray him, I should be sure I can do what no enemy of his has ever succeeding in doing: kill him."
After waiting a moment for Mileena to explain her point, Tanya pushed her on. "So?"
"If I- we... you and I... were to obtain the power of Blaze, for ourselves, we could do exactly that."
"Oh, of course!" Tanya scoffed. "How silly of me to ever doubt you! All we need to do is dream and cast ourselves against the jagged rocks of chance! What an utterly ridiculous notion. If empty words and childish dreams are all you have to offer, then you might as well-"
"Just wait here for a few minutes!" Mileena suddenly interrupted before turning and heading back into the camp.
Mileena interrupting Tanya was not a common occurrence. It took Tanya a little by surprise, but she lacked enough faith that whatever it was Mileena had in mind would be worth her time to not consider simply leaving. However, there was a morbid curiosity that compelled Tanya to stay and see what Mileena thought might win back her trust.
What Mileena had in mind, it turned out, was simple, but dangerous. Obviously, the two alone would not be able to defeat Shao Kahn, Shinnok, Quan Chi, Shang Tsung, Goro, Kintaro, Sheeva, Motaro and countless other fighters. Even one of these powerhouses would be a match for the two. Loathe as she was to admit it, Mileena and Tanya were simply outclassed here. There was, however, something Mileena could use to level the playing field.
By now, Quan Chi's deception involving his replica of Shinnok's amulet was well-known throughout the realms. What was not nearly so well-known, however, was that Shinnok had recently reclaimed the amulet from Quan Chi and replaced it with his own replica - one so masterfully crafted, as only the creator of the original could, that even if one knew what slight imperfections to search for, they would find none. Even if he suspected something, as Shinnok had not in the past, even Quan Chi would be fooled.
As would Mileena.
Quan Chi had been forbidden from bringing the tool to the war council, leaving it locked inside a small chest in his tent. His assassin minions were nowhere to be seen by the tent. They were most likely by their master's side to keep him safe from an assassination attempt from... well, pretty much everyone in this alliance had reason to want the sorcerer dead. Of course, Mileena doubted the chest would be totally defenceless; but fortune favoured the bold, according to denizens of Earthrealm.
Sneaking into the tent unseen was trivial for so well-trained an assassin as Mileena. She closed up the entrance and made her way to the back of the small structure, where the chest sat atop a table against the back wall. She was sure the chest had some sort of magical defences cast over it. Fortunately, Mileena had just the thing to deal with such enchantments.
Back during her time serving under Onaga, Mileena had uncovered one of Shang Tsung's unfinished creations in the Flesh Pits. Feeling a sense of empathy and pity for the bloody skeleton, Mileena had taken it upon herself to finish the creature with information gathered from tomes and artefacts that once belonged to Quan Chi and Shang Tsung. In various hidden compartments in Shang Tsung's chamber in the palace, Mileena had uncovered numerous gemstones of varying ability and requirements for use.
Many of them require a magical aptitude Mileena simply lacked. A few, however, had been beginner-friendly enough that even Mileena could utilise them. One such stone was designed to 'freeze' magical enchantments in time, preventing them from triggering. If Mileena was able to use this spell, and then retrieve the amulet and properly reseal the chest before the effect wore off, the sorcerer's enchantment would not 'notice' the attempted break-in.
The stone in question was a dark blue, roughly golf ball-sized jewel that, rather than sparkle, seemed to almost nullify light around it. Luckily for her, Quan Chi would not have been able to use the amulet's power to seal the amulet inside the chest, and would have to have used his own power to do so. Had he been able to use the amulet of an Elder God, it was doubtful such a simple stone could have done anything against its power.
As expected, there was no explosion or shock or bolt of energy produced as Mileena picked the lock with one hand, stone held firmly in the other. Balancing her concentration between picking and casting was difficult, but the stone held out just long enough for Mileena to snatch up the amulet and click the lock closed again before giving out.
After a dread-filled minute of anticipation, Mileena finally felt relieved to have succeeded, and pocketed the amulet, just in time for the front of the tent to open back up.
"What are you doing in here?" a voice demanded from behind Mileena. The intruder whirled around, greeted by the sight of a woman dressed in the unmistakable style of Quan Chi's two assassins, Kia and Jataaka. However, this was a woman Mileena didn't recognise. She presumably hadn't been in Quan Chi's service while Mileena had served Shinnok.
Knowing she could never hide her motive for coming here, especially once the amulet's theft was discovered, Mileena lunged at the other woman, flinging her deeper into the tent and closing it back up. Thanks to Quan Chi's magical soundproofing, no one would hear this woman's screams as Mileena tore her apart.
The woman was tough, to be sure, even once her dual kama were knocked aside. She was fast enough to dodge Mileena's thrown sai, and strong enough to knock Mileena back across the tent and leave her more than a little dizzied from the blow. But, Mileena was determined. She had someone she was fighting for, and no slutty minion of Quan Chi would stop her from getting out of here with the amulet and proving the sincerity of her words.
The woman had retrieved one of her kama. She swung it at Mileena's head. The half-tarkatan opened her jaw wide and chomped down on the steel blade, prematurely ending the weapon's arc and catching her opponent off-guard. A high kick to the woman's temple sent her tumbling back, which Mileena followed with a spinning kick to the chest, and then another to the stomach. The woman flew across the room and hit the back of her head on the corner of the table.
Mileena had been about to use the woman's own kama to finish her off, but the amount of blood pouring from her wound suggested that would not be necessary. Even so, it was better to be safe than sorry, but Mileena's attention was soon drawn to the chest, which had fallen from the table and been opened by the impact. It was now vibrating quite disturbingly. Not knowing what the chest might do, Mileena quickly snatched up her fallen sai and moved to flee the tent, only to spot shadows converging at the front. Looking around desperately for a way out, Mileena spotted the rug that covered much of the floor of the tent. It looked as if it had come loose during the scuffle, leaving what looked to be some kind of trap door exposed.
Whether or not this had been here before the camp was set up, she couldn't say, though she suspected the much-maligned sorcerer had made this addition himself. Throwing the door open, Mileena saw no ladder, but the drop was short enough that she could easily make it without much issue if she took her high-heeled boots off first. Doing so, she dropped the boots in first, and then decided to grab the bleeding woman and drop her down too. With any luck, she would be suspected of the theft instead of the true culprit.
With the door closed above her, Mileena hoisted the woman under her right arm while carrying her boots with her left. Quickly, she made her way down the tunnel, which eventually led out to a fake wall, leading to the side of the cliff a few metres down from the peak. Spotting the river down below, Mileena allowed a second for the woman's dripping wound to leave a noticeable mark on the ground by the edge before throwing her off.
With haste, Mileena then fled along the narrow path on the cliffside, which eventually led up to the rear of Shang Tsung's tent. Mileena pondered, as she slipped her boots back on, whether this indicated secret collusion between the two sorcerers, or one of them secretly spying on the other. Either way, Mileena had more pressing matters right now. Moving quickly and quietly, Mileena crept behind numerous tents to reach Shao Kahn's so she could clean herself up. Only then did she walk casually out into the camp. Once she was sure no one was staring at her with suspicious eyes, Mileena made her way back towards where she had left Tanya waiting, hoping she had chosen to give her a chance.
She was relieved to find that she had. Tanya sat impatiently on a rock near the edge of the cliff. She turned upon hearing the sound of gravel shifting under Mileena's feet as she approached. Tanya stood and crossed her arms.
"Well, here she is, finally," she said venomously. "Did you find some way to make your asinine plan in any way remotely plausible?"
"I did," Mileena replied, keeping her tone even as best she could to avoid unnecessary argument. After looking around to make sure she wasn't being watched, Mileena revealed the amulet to Tanya, her torso keeping it shielded from outside view.
"Tha-That..." Tanya stuttered, eyes wide in disbelief.
"This," Mileena reaffirmed. "The key to our victory."
Tanya reached out to touch the godly artefact, which Mileena allowed. "This really is the real thing?"
"I stole it from Quan Chi's tent," Mileena replied with a satisfied grin before pocketing it again.
"What?" Tanya asked in shock. "The rumour spreading is that Sareena did it."
"Quan Chi's new assassin? Then, it looks like my plan worked perfectly." Tanya gave Mileena a look that urged her to elaborate. "I killed her and set it up to look like an inside job, then threw her into the river to make it look like she escaped."
"You... You did all that?" Tanya sounded almost impressed.
"I did. Once I have somewhere safe to hide this, all we'll need to do is retrieve it before we march out and no one will stand in our way. Not Quan Chi, not Shinnok, not Shao Kahn."
Tanya's jaw hung slack at these words. "You really mean it then... You really do plan to betray Shao Kahn?" she asked, equal parts hopeful and doubtful.
"I am not entirely sure this would be a betrayal," Mileena replied thoughtfully. "He seemed to accept or even encourage the idea of being eliminated by a worthy successor to Outworld's throne. What more worthy successor could there be to topple Shao Kahn than his own daughter with the power of a god?"
"You... You really mean this."
"I do. I am bound to Shao Kahn's will, but he all but gave me permission to kill him, even if unintentionally."
"Obey the letter of his words, not the spirit, huh? My, my, I have had a positive influence on you, haven't I?"
Mileena reached out and took Tanya's hand again. This time, she did not pull back. "More than you could ever know."
"Speaking of knowing," Tanya said, seemingly oblivious to Mileena's intent, "tell me: why did you think telling me all of this was a good idea? In light of recent events, how do you know I won't simply tell Shao Kahn and the war council to curry their favour?"
Mileena's gaze remained resolute. "Because I trust you, Tanya. More so than anyone else I have ever met."
Tanya, for the first time in the decade Mileena had known her, blushed a deep crimson. She had to avert her eyes from Mileena's own. Even in their blank white state, there was an unmistakable conviction there that Tanya had never seen in them.
"I love you, Tanya."
Tanya stepped back, but her hand remained in Mileena's. "I... Well, I..." Tanya blew out some hot hair and tried again. "I also... I..."
Mileena chuckled at the state her declaration had put the usually unflappable Tanya into. Seeing that girlish smile on those lips Mileena had disfigured herself to gain so she could be that much closer, more intimate with Tanya...
Tanya pulled her hand free so she could hold Mileena by both shredded cheeks and pull her in for a passionate kiss. Her tongue had never ventured into Mileena's mouth before, fearful as she was of her jagged tarkatan teeth, but her passion now was such that she couldn't stop herself, even if she wanted to. Gods, was it worth the risk. Eventually, she broke off the kiss. Mileena's beautiful eyes fluttered open and stared into Tanya's expectantly.
"Yes, so... obviously... you know... I suppose I... Yes. Yes, I love you too, Mileena."
Mileena smiled wider than Tanya had even thought possible. She leapt onto Tanya, legs wrapped around her hips, and the yellow-clad ambassador toppled over. Somehow, the subsequent kisses tasted far sweeter than any either of the two had experienced before.
Unbeknownst to the two, however, their exchange was observed by a third party; one who had come searching for Mileena upon not finding her where she had said she would be. One loyal to Shao Kahn, but also one with a vested interest in seeing the two reconcile. Deciding that Mileena had been exactly where she had said she would be, they departed without a sound, leaving the two oblivious to their exchange having been overheard at all.
"Okay, okay, stop," Tanya insisted, trying to catch her breath.
Mileena stopped her assault of endearment with an adorable little pout. Tanya was almost tempted to get right back into it, but her well-maintained yellow attire was getting dirty. Mileena dismounted her partner and rose to her feet. She offered Tanya her talon-like manicured hand, which she took gratefully. The second Tanya had been hoisted back onto her feet, Mileena was all over her again.
"Hey! Down, girl! Down."
Like a particularly affectionate puppy, Mileena stopped and lowered her head in disappointment. Tanya smiled and shook her head. She patted Mileena on the head, which perked the former empress right up. Mileena really was more like a pet than a partner, at times. She supposed that had been part of the initial attraction: the simplicity of Mileena and her susceptibility to manipulation. Gods, that felt like an Earthrealmer's lifetime ago now.
"I suppose you must be getting back to your 'master' right about now," Tanya suggested.
"Y-Yes. Yes, you are right." Mileena's reluctance was clear. "Will I see you again before the battle?"
"Well now. That all depends on you... Empress."
Mileena nodded. "Yes. Yes, I will see you again before then. And you will wait for me to return. Is that understood?"
"Ooh, I love it when you take charge like this."
"But, of course," Mileena replied, proudly puffing out her chest with her hands on her hips. "An Empress must exude power and demand obedience. And you will obey me, Tanya."
"Mmm, keep this up and I'll do anything you say."
"Indeed." Mileena once again took Tanya's hand, kissing the back of it. "I will take Outworld," she promised as she stared into Tanya's milky white eyes. And then, dearest Tanya, I will give you Edenia."
"And Sindel? What will become of the Selfish Queen; of your 'mother'?"
Mileena chuckled darkly. "With my Shadow Priests, Sindel, Jade, and all the rest will be your willing slaves. All except for my dear sister. She will be mine."
"Mmm, I can't wait... Empress Mileena."
"Neither can I... Queen Tanya."
Hands held in a tight embrace, the two schemers turned to face the horizon, where the sun was beginning to rise over Edenia - a dawn on the reign of the God Queen Mileena and her faithful consort, Queen Tanya.
The story originally didn't have the amulet theft in it, but I felt that simply talking Tanya down, as originally happened, really wasn't believable, which both CrossArt614 and judgmentfist agreed with. The original idea for an act she could perform was to kill another of Shao Kahn's generals, which would have been D'Vorah, because fuck that bitch. Judge suggested Mileena be sent to steal something from the royal treasury, inspiring the amulet theft. Once that was in place, I did consider having Mileena also kill Kia and Jataaka, who would have shown up with Sareena, but the cover-up would be less believable, so they were removed.
