Evidence
Magda woke up and smiled as her body moved as it should. Fingers and toes all responded as always when she woke. A basic status check of organic functions that had never failed her. She opened her eyes and paused for a moment. She was lying on the bunk in her quarters on her Liset. Wasn't she supposed to be somewhere else? She shook her head, banishing the dreams she did not 'quite' remember. Not bad dreams though. She wasn't unhappy. Far from it. She never woke up unhappy here. Tenno rarely slept, but every so often, it helped. Especially when one was as tired as Magda had been. Working research was no joke at all. When the Tenno Elders demanded answers to a crime that was committed that cost the life of a Tenno, the cops stepped up as always. Magda and her peers had spent almost a week trying to find any information on the Orokin marine spetznatz. They had known going in that such was a long shot, but even they had been dismayed by the sheer amount of 'nothing' that was all they had to show for their research. Yes, Black Ops were called that for a reason and yes, the Orokin Marines had secrecy down to an art form even when they were not Black Ops. Often research into criminal history was like throwing darts, but more than one of Magda's peers had likened this to throwing darts into a black hole! Even with all of their skill, experience and powers, the cops had a lot of rumors, a lot of hearsay, more than few scary stories and precious few facts. They had gone above and beyond, trying to find more, even gone into the Void once to seek a hidden data trove and while the contents had been illuminating in many ways, it hadn't contained anything they needed. The spetznatz did secrets like no one else in Magda's experience. She was reasonably sure she had never dealt with them before the Collapse, but she knew a couple of the other cops had and it had never been fun.
"Operator." The voice of the ship's Cephalon cheered Magda up as always when her thoughts turned to moping and she spun out of her bed to stand ready. "A message is waiting for you in your inbox. It is fully encrypted."
"How far are we from Earth?" Magda asked as she stretched a bit and then turned to the closest console to check her message. Dulaney had been on the far side of the solar system, but Tenno ships defined the word 'fast'. A quick check of the chronometer showed she had slept four hours. A reasonable nap to recover her equilibrium and not too much. She started the decryption and paused when she had it visible. It was a request for a meeting, not a message. "And um,…. How far are we from Strata Relay?"
"We are about half an hour from the Relay." The Cephalon said, almost as dubious as Magda felt. "We are scheduled to land in Antarctica in an hour, Operator." The Cephalon reminded her but Magda shook her head.
"If we don't have an invitation, Rachel won't let us in." Magda said flatly. "I learned that the hard way last time. I would rather not freeze my butt off again, even in a warframe, if I can help it. I would much prefer to get a message to her asking permission to enter."
"I would prefer fewer frozen components on my hull as well." The Cephalon agreed with a laugh and Magda smiled. "Airtight I may be, but water vapor gets into the darnedest places in atmosphere. And then it freezes and ugh!" Yeah, the ships self repaired, but it got old waiting for such to happen sometimes.
"Yeah." Magda heaved sigh. "Well, Tiana has asked to meet me at Strata Relay. I know she can get a message to Rachel and this says she has new intel."
"On the murderer?" The ship Cephalon did not like lawbreakers. Not at all. That was one reason Magda got along so well with this one. Rare in the cop's experience. Most Cephalons were far less gregarious. "That clan has access to many things no one else does or should." A hint of reproof was abnormal for the Cephalon, but it went away quickly before Magda could comment on it. "I see no pattern to these attacks except the historical one."
"Me neither." Magda shrugged. "So, more information will help. Set course for the Relay. I'll go check on Ollie and then get armed." She walked out of her quarters smiling. Said smile fella s she walked up the ramp to the main section of the Orbiter and saw Ollie quivering in mid-air. What was that energy playing around the sentinel? Lavender? Like the Queen of Cats usually showed? "Ollie!" She barked as she ran to the Sentinel's charging station. "What is wrong?"
Nothing you can help with, Magda. The sentinel said in a very sad voice as the energy faded. My Queen is not happy.
"With you or with me?" Magda demanded, checking both the hull of her sentinel and the readouts on the charging station nearby. There didn't seem to be any damage, but such could be hard to detect. "Are you okay?" She all but begged.
No. Ollie said weakly, but then the voice from the sentinel firmed. But I am with you. We share out lives. Our problems. The Queen wanted me to leave you. Ollie said softly when Magda made a noise of confusion. I refused, as is my right. She was not happy with me.
"The last thing I want is conflict between you and your Queen, Ollie." Magda said firmly. "Did she say why she wanted you to leave?"
No. Ollie's one word answer was a bit curt, but Magda didn't blame the Sentinel at all. Tenno were energy inside meat shells or warframes. Sentinels were energy inside metallic hulls. Energy discharges such as she had just seen hurt like hell to such beings. Magda knew that all too well..
"If it is something I did-" Magda started, but Ollie curt her off, a rare thing indeed.
It wasn't you. Ollie reassured the almost distraught Tenno. It wasn't me. I can say no more. Please, Companion Magda. I can say no more! Ollie's tone was odd. Scared and sick, but also proud as odd as that was. I am your companion and you are mine. That is enough for me.
"For me too." Magda smiled as she laid a hand on the quivering sentinel, reassuring her companion through touch and Ollie stilled. "That said; We do not want Liriel angry at us." She swallowed hard. "Again."
That episode had not been fun! Indeed, it had been terrifying and she had only seen it second hand. She could only imagine Killian's reaction on seeing so many loose sentinels operating on their own and placing themselves and their weaponry between Liriel and anyone who might possibly threaten their Queen. Not that anyone had wanted to, but still… There was a reason that Liriel did not trust Tenno and the Queen of Cats had every right to those feelings. Anyone with a shred of compassion would say the same, Tenno or no. So few had remembered the ancient compact between companions. It was bond of love, of shared life and risks. It was meant to be a good thing and so many had simply assumed companions were servants or worse. Magda herself had never actually thought about all the ramifications until it had been rubbed in her nose and everyone else's by Liriel assuming her role as Queen of Cats. On reading the Compact of Companion after that mess, Magda had realized belatedly how restrained Liriel had actually acted on seeing and hearing so many companions in such dire situations. As far as the cop knew, the Queen had never killed anyone who abused companions. She had every right and indeed, the responsibility to do so in the worst cases. Add to that her powers as a Cyberlancer, which were nothing to scoff at and you got a nightmare waiting to happen. Magda had gone to her companion and all but groveled, begging forgiveness for the Tenno's shortsightedness. To her companion's credit? Ollie had forgiven her.
She is not angry with you, Magda. Not even really with me. Ollie offered and Magda had to smile as the sentinel flashed several colors, trying to cheer her up. Both of them moped far too much on occasion. They saw the worst of the worst on a daily basis and it took a heavy psychological toll. I asked if she could get a message to Rachel and she was rather upset to hear from me.
"Oh." Magda swallowed hard again. "Yeah. Right. She could. Um…" Then she sighed and slumped. "I bet the answer is 'No' and she didn't say why."
No. Ollie said sadly. I hoped, but she wanted me to leave you. I refused and you saw what happened.
"Did she hurt you?" Magda all but begged, scrutinizing the sentinel's hull closer, but seeing nothing.
It hurt, but nowhere nearly as bad as she could have made it. The sentinel offered. She doesn't like Tenno or trust them, but she refuses to break the Compact. I stay.
"Good for her and thank you." Magda stroked the sentinel one final time and Ollie bucked under her hand, the Shade almost purring. "I need to talk to Tiana on the Relay and see if we can get clearance to talk to Rachel." Ollie made an interrogative noise and Magda shrugged again. "I know Rachel talks to Tiana more than almost any other Tenno clan leader and Tiana asked to meet on the relay."
And then what? Ollie inquired.
"I dunno." Magda admitted. "We will find out together."
"Together."
Strata Relay
The Relay was the same, but something was different this time. Magda had no idea what was, but something was. Parts of it bustled with life and energy as Tenno and others went about their business. No one paid her a second glance, even in her warframe and fully armed. She was hardly the only Tenno set up that way, she even saw another Nyx warframe that she nodded to and got a nod back. That one's fashion sense was a bit off to Magda, the lavender fully feathered wings that swept out from behind the Nyx were way too big and gaudy for the cop's taste. But hey, who was she to judge? Not everyone liked her own color scheme and she changed it as mood suited her like many Tenno. Appearances could be important in many situations, but Magda had found that-
Magda jerked up short as she saw the Nyx Prime she was supposed to meet, but it was the form that hovered over the clan leader's shoulder that had Magda pausing. A Sentient! A small one and not a dedicated combat form, but how the hell had it gotten into the Relay and why the hell was Tiana standing as if amused of all things and- Wait a minute! Why hadn't Ollie cloaked her? The Shade did that when faced by enemies unexpectedly and-
Magda heaved a sigh as realization struck. Another sentinel. One made up to look like a Sentient. Were those snickers coming from it and Ollie? Yes. The sentinels were laughing at her! Quietly, but fervently and Tiana was very amused. The joke was on Magda.
"Ha, ha, ha." Magda said sourly as she let her hands fall from where she had nearly grasped weapons in shock at seeing a mortal enemy of the Tenno in the Relay. She shook her head as she moved to stand in front of her friend. She was sour at being tricked, but the joke had gotten her. She had to admit that. Honesty was sort of important for cops, after all. "Anywhere else, I would be shooting right now."
"That is why we did it here." Butter might not have melted in Tiana's mouth as the other Nyx shook her head. "Magda? Meet the new Janna. Janna, Magda."
"Janna." Magda said very slowly as the sentient looking metal hull dipped in acknowledgment. "As in… Iriana's daughter Janna?" She asked, a bit dubious. She had met the newest adopted stray that Iriana had taken in and been impressed, but it had been in passing in the middle of a godawful mess involving a cyborg medic and a blind assassin. "You are letting her out?"
Magda worked hard to keep censure from her tone. Janna was a brand spanking new Tenno. Even newer than Jesse! Young Tenno needed to be trained before they were safe to be around or safe to be out and about. Janna had come to being Tenno in a very odd way, so had circumvented a great deal of the grinding tedium that had been Magda's earliest lessons. She fought hard not to be jealous of that Janna's torments in becoming Tenno were the thing of horrific legend, so she wished the girl well. And, she wasn't jealous. Not really. Sure.
"Not physically, no. She is not leaving the dojo for the foreseeable future, but Diana says Janna is ready for supervised fieldwork." From her tone, Tiana wasn't entirely enthused with this idea either. Then again, she too had become Tenno in a very odd way from what Magda understood, so she understood a great deal about what Janna was going through. Was that good or bad? Magda decided to reserve judgment. "This is the compromise we came up with. We asked Liriel's aid and she granted it. Janna never got on her bad side like most of the rest of us did." Tiana hadn't either, from what Magda had heard, but it was just like the clan leader to take responsibility for anything bad her clan did even if she wasn't involved.
"Transference?" Magda asked, confused.
"Sort of." Tiana shrugged. "I am not up on all the esoteric physics and medical gobbledygook." That was pure Tiana. "And she has new intel for you."
"Indeed." Magda turned to look at the Sentient and fought a wince as every crackled over it. "Before we start, I have to ask. Why that form?"
"Who besides Tenno will dare attack it?" Janna's voice was different from any sentinel that Magda had heard, but form how Ollie was still chuckling, not in a bad way.
"One that size? Alone?" Magda said sternly. "Just about anyone with weapons."
"Point taken." Janna allowed. "I have stealth systems aboard and I am not really here, if that helps. I am sitting in chair in the dojo."
"And nothing can go wrong with such." Magda fought the sarcasm that crept into her voice, but not very hard.
"It can." Janna's tone spoke of long and loud discussions on that topic. "I have done enough test runs to show I can handle such and on one of those, I found something very weird." She was quick to continue when Magda stiffened. "Which I then immediately reported to my instructor and clan leader. They said you needed to be told first."
"Oh?" Magda eyed Tiana sidelong but the clan leader did not react.
"The human had no brain function, but his body had not ceased functions yet." Janna said quietly. 'I took basic scans, but the chassis I was in was not set up for detailed medical scans. This one is."
"Janna. I hate to say it, but humans die all the time." Magda said quietly. "Being mortal is part and parcel to being alive in most cases. Why call me?"
"The method is one you are investigating. This human is biologically still alive, wrapped in white silk and stuck on a web. We both know what that mimics." Janna said quietly and Magda jerked back. The cop stared at Tiana who nodded.
"We sent you the report from Fortuna, so we knew what it was as soon as Janna reported it." Tiana said.
"After I calmed down." Janna muttered. "Some big, brave Tenno, I am, huh?"
"These murders are horrific, Janna." Magda said kindly. "Hell, they shake me and I have seen more homicide scenes than I pray you ever do. By all accounts I have read, the original ones were just as bad." She shook her head. "The report from Fortuna was garbled." She continued when Tiana hissed. "Probably atmosphere interference, but still. We need the full brief sent again."
"I told them…" Tiana trailed off, muttering and then she gave a sharp nod. "We have copies. I will have it all sent again. This time with no chance of interference."
"Everyone else went to Venus." Magda said with a sigh. "I came to Earth to talk to Rachel." Both the Sentient shaped sentinel and the clan leader stared at her. "Personally, 'I' can accept the words of the people who gave it that Ariana Arachne is imprisoned somewhere she cannot get out of, but to keep to procedure, we need it formal from someone unimpeachable."
"Rachel is that." Tiana agreed. "I am not. As you say, we have the word of people we have come to trust that Ariana is confined, but these new murders are way too close to her methods for comfort."
"True." Magda said as she scrutinized the sentinel by Tiana's side. "So, why me? You want to be a cop, Janna?"
"Not particularly." Janna admitted and Magda nodded. It was not a job for anyone not willing to give everything they had. "That said? I saw the scene and I want this stopped. Mom would say the same."
"Iriana would likely be louder." Tiana interjected and all three of the others close by shared a grim chuckle. It wasn't really funny. It wasn't easy to anger the healer and a good thing. Iriana was scary when she got mad. The people who had hurt her and Janna found out the hard way exactly how much she was not a pacifist when pushed too far.
"True." Magda took a deep breath and then spoke again. "So, what do you wish, Janna?"
"I want to observe you at work. I want to see your procedures in action." Janna said slowly. "I read as much as I could but that does not give me understanding."
"Only experience can give that despite everyone's attempts otherwise." Magda said heavily. "I have some leeway in such, but your clan…" She broke off as Ollie made a noise of negation. "Ollie?"
No. Ollie said flatly enough that both of others stiffened. Magda spun to stare at her sentinel. She won't be safe.
"I wasn't safe from Orokin evil in the middle of our dojo." Janna said very quietly and Magda stared from her to Tiana who shook her head. "And I am sure the clan has sneaky people watching me right now." That was sour.
"Can you blame us, Janna?" Tiana asked, not confirming or denying. "After Narmer and everything?" At Magda's look, Tiana elaborated. "We fort-ed up. Stayed under our shields and watched. We didn't dare do anything else. Even Jill and Aeron nearly got caught a couple of times when they tried to recon the enemy and they are best sneaks I know."
"Yeah. We got caught." Magda said heavily. "If not for Laney, we would be slaves of Narmer still." She shook her head. "Janna. I honor you for wanting to help, but no. Ollie is right. Where I go, what I do is never safe. Please find a safer person to observe."
"I…" Janna made a noise of exasperation, but then one of acknowledgment. "I understand. I do not like it, but I understand."
"Thank you." Magda felt relief when Janna did not press. Most Tenno would have gotten stubborn, but Janna was so new she almost squeaked. "So… Where is the body?"
"Iron Wake." Janna said flatly. "The Red Veil section."
"Oh." Magda hadn't been briefed on a lot about Janna, but she did know how the girl felt about the Red Veil. 'Hate' was a mild word. But then again, the fanatics had killed Janna's birth parents, so… She had cause. "And you were there… Why?"
"I…" Janna swallowed hard as Tiana's posture turned thunderous.
"Tell her." Tiana's words were not a suggestion.
"I got word from a dubious source that my birth father might still be alive." Janna said flatly and Magda hissed. Such a claim seemed ludicrous, but oddness happened all the time. "They said he was there, but when I got there, all I found was a silk wrapped body that will soon expire. It wasn't him." She said firmly when Magda hissed again. "The DNA does not match."
"What source?" Magda really didn't want to ask that. "And you went in person?"
"No." Janna replied, still flat. "I made a sentinel and took that. I wasn't going to put anyone else at risk. No one realized I wasn't a Red Veil sentinel. I was in and out in five minutes. No alarms. No one hurt."
"Just a few rules bent into pretzels." Magda said with a glower. Janna did not react but from how Tiana was muttering, the girl was facing punishment for that. "And your 'dubious source'?"
"Narmer."
