Deeper and darker
Juil had drawn her rifle even as Violet hit the deck. Elenia spun, an ugly mass of flesh in her hands that resolved into a pair of bones and a fleshy cord connecting them. But then Rachel banished some kind of half corporeal facsimile of her that lay where it had fallen. The circular 'thing' that had hit her bounced off a wall, off the floor and then flew back where it had come from, disappearing into shadows.
"No!" Rachel snapped as Elenia's weapon started glow. "It missed!" Everyone stared at her and she indicated something that sat on the floor where she had been. Everyone jerked back as the shard of what looked like golden glass started to pulse with nasty looking golden power. The Saryn rose to her feet and snarled. "Oh no, you don't!" She raised a hand and something that looked 'wrong' snapped from her fingers to encase the shard. A muffled detonation sounded and the whatever-the-hell-it-was varnished along with the shard. Then she snarled again. "Not on my watch, you piece of crap!"
"Um, Rachel?" Elenia asked as Rachel seemed to swell. The human and lich both stared as the Tenno in the Saryn warframe manipulated power that neither had any idea about.
"Don't move." Rachel snapped as power flared from her hands. "We expected something, but not that."
"What is going on?" Juil clearly wanted to demand that. She did not. Common sense said not to anger Rachel right now. The lich was wreathed in red and black code, but she had no target. "That was glass, wasn't it?"
"Orokin glass, yes." Elenia had a frown in her voice as Rachel finished whatever she was doing and a short, sharp cry came from nowhere.
Everyone jerked as Rachel threw another of whatever she had tossed before. An orange diamond shaped thing appeared in mid-air only to be hit by what Rachel threw. Was that some kind of plant? If so, it was sticky beyond all reason because it stuck to the diamond and then swept around the it. Holding it in place? The diamond pulsed with fell power, but Rachel's power flashed again. Juil jerked as an electric scream came from it.
[Let me go!] That was not an organic voice!
"Why?" Rachel demanded, a bit snarky as she stepped forward. "So you can attack us again?" She did something and a piercing electronic scream came from the thing. Juil jerked, but did not speak. She had no idea who was doing what here or why. Yes, this thing was clearly an artificially intelligent entity of some kind, so, if she was a Cyberlancer, she was bound to aid it. That said? It had apparently just attacked one of the First! So… The lich decided to wait and see what happened.
"Rachel." Elenia had moved to stand between the odd diamond thing and the other pair of beings who were staring at it. Warding them? "You know it isn't their fault. What happened was tragic and yes, we are all angry. Do you blame the weapon for what the wielder does with it?"
For a long, long moment, the Saryn warframe just eyed the Mag and then Rachel seemed to relax a little, the power she had been summoning vanishing with her ire.
"Nikis said that. Many times. I…" Rachel swallowed hard and then slumped a bit. "I miss him, Elenia. He was always such a fixture. A scary, terrible being who was so kind to me as a child and a chosen few others. He made me so mad on occasion, but he was family and now, he is gone." She heaved a sigh and then focused. "No matter what, this cannot stand." She inclined her head what Juil had finally determined as an Orokin Cephalon, but marred. Wrong. "Attacking me, I have no problem with. I respond in kind. But it would have hurt you while I was freeing myself from its prison. Or worse, gone after Jac. That I cannot allow."
"'Prison'?" Violet inquired carefully as the Cephalon flashed. It was clearly trying to free itself. Uselessly it seemed.
"Yeah." Rachel shook her head. "Have you seen the glass happen?" She asked Violet and Juil. Violet shook her head, But Juil went stock still. Rachel turned to look at the lich who didn't move. "You have."
Not a question.
"I didn't see it happen. It happened to me. It hit me and killed me." Juil said very softly. "It hurt like hell. Whatever took control of my body was berserk and it killed every Grineer on the Galleon I was on at the time. They had no chance against it. That was a couple of days before this happened." She nodded to her hands, still wreathed in black and red code. "Before Esther freed me."
"Bad way to die." Rachel said softly and Juil nodded.
"From what I understand, my mind was supposed to go into some kind of confinement?" Juil inquired and Rachel nodded. "It didn't. The Queens did not allow it. They took my mind and built me a new body." She raised her hand a little as it glowed a bit brighter. "One that started to glow like this."
"I see." The Saryn shook her head as the glow from the diamond built and then faded. "You are not getting out of that, Cephalon." She warned. "It will hurt you to try."
"I don't know much about Cephalons, but I do know that holding one permanently is next to impossible." Juil said slowly. Everyone looked at her and she frowned. "Energy will find a way to escape any confinement. I assume that since it attacked you, it is hostile?"
"Very." Rachel relaxed a little more when it became clear that Juil was not going to attack. "As Elenia says, these are weapons. Weapons made by a very unsavory sort. Even for an Orokin, Lorinos was scum." She scoffed. "Is scum."
"This 'Lorinos'..." Juil did not miss the way Violet went utterly still that that name but she kept her focus on the two warframes. "...is an idiot if he is attacking you. Even the Queens know better than that." At that, everyone stared at her and she shrugged. "Grineer are stubborn and mostly stupid, but the Queens know that if you wished you could obliterate them. The First, that is." Violet stared from her to Rachel and her mouth fell open, but Juil spoke again. "And probably make things far worse in doing so."
"Some powers are simply too dangerous to ever let loose." Rachel agreed. "Yes, we could destroy them. That is, if we didn't mind rendering the entire solar system lifeless. We do." That was dry as Elenia scoffed.
"Most of the time." Elenia shook herself and then focused on Violet and Juil. "I need to talk to Jac. I know why you are here, Violet." Elenia's words were calm, but Violet jerked anyway. "You are a mystery, Juil Estherai. What are your intentions?"
"I know what Esther would have wanted in this case. I 'intend' to see Jac Friend of Esther protected." Juil said in a tone that might have cut clean through a mountain. Neither warframe reacted even as Violet looked worried. "From any who would harm her. Tenno have harmed her."
"They did." Elenia was sad now. "It was not just them and they did try to fix things, but she was very angry. She had and has every right to be angry. None of the others know what we do. What she is."
"You know." Violet said in a very soft voice.
"We know." Rachel allowed even as the diamond pulsed again and a soft cry of pain came form it. "And so does he." She nodded to the diamond. The she tensed again as as someone strode out of the shadows. "We have this under control!"
The being looked human. Sort of. He wore a long green cloak with a hood that covered his head and left his face in shadow. Nothing of him was visible except his feet which were in some kind of grey armor. A Tenno? No. They didn't go for cloaks. Scarves, syandanas, other ornaments, but not cloaks. Had the circular thing come from him? There was no sign of it.
"Could have fooled me." The male voice was deep, calm and amused. It held a mix of things, both good and bad. Amusement was prominent, but contempt sang. For Rachel or for the now suddenly still diamond that he was looking at. A confidence that bordered on arrogance was mixed with a hint of wariness. "If that had hit you, I would have had to take steps, Tenno Rachel."
"I know." Rachel gave him a nod and while her tone might have been a bit sour, her next words were heartfelt. "Thank you for the save."
"You are welcome." The green cloaked being said. "Do you want me to handle it?"
"Who are you?" Juil demanded, moving to stand between Violet and the newcomer.
"Who?" Now, the man was very amused even as Elenia and Rachel both choked. "Who is but the form, following the function of what." Everyone stopped as Violet started to laugh. The man looked at her and he had a smile in his voice when he spoke again. "You have seen 'V for Vendetta'?"
"I have. That is a very good line." Violet said through her laughs and everyone stared at her. "The movie was very good too. Weaving made a wonderful protagonist."
"That man knew how to act, true. Very few could have pulled off a wooden mask so convincingly as someone not silly or sappy." The green cloaked man agreed. "I hide my identity now not to harm others, but to protect them. I have reasons." Rachel and Elenia both nodded. He turned his head and spoke to them. "Jac is well for the moment but the longer she delays here, the more chance they will attack again." Juil hadn't moved and the man nodded to her. "I did not answer you, Juil Estherai and for that, you have my apology. My name is Victor and I am here to aid the Tenno known as Jac."
"Really?" Juil said flatly. "You expect trust?"
"No." 'Victor' replied without heat. "Trust must be earned and I do not have time for such. I am here to pay a debt to one I cared for long ago. No more, no less. I cannot help Elizabeth. I can do what she would have wanted."
Again, Violet hissed and Juil stared at the odd man. That was a fairly common human name, but form how Violet reacted and the two Tenno did not, there was really only one person he could be talking about. Juil had never met the woman, but she had encountered the woman's adopted daughter. A Cyberlancer named Jesse.
"Is she dead?" Juil inquired and Victor eyed her. "No one seems to know."
"In all honesty, I don't know myself. None of my probes or scrys can detect her." Victor said quietly. "When I knew her, she was sneakiness made in human form and a better planner, I do not believe I will ever meet." He seemed to slump a bit. "That said? I know she was tired. Even the best, strongest or most protected can falter under such burdens as she suffered. She was powerful, but not invincible. Being a ruler is not an easy burden even when one is not plagued with guilt." That was personal experience talking! "Your database will be protected. I swore such to her. She hedged and obscured with the best of them, but she did know her own limits. I have no such limits."
That was pure arrogance and both Elenia and Rachel tensed, but the man did nothing more. Just stood and waited. Juil thought for a long moment and then turned to Violet who seemed to wilt.
"I don't know." Violet admitted. "I hoped to talk to Maroo, get more information. We need to get the clones off this ship."
"'Clones'?" Came from Elenia, Rachel and Victor. Both of the others looked at Rachel who made a noise that was halfway between a groan and a snarl but then continued.
"What clones?" The Saryn asked.
"There were several clones of Corpus personnel." Juil said, tensing as everyone else did. "But not adult ones. Odd. The only one that was loose is a younger version of Alad V." Both Tenno looked at each other and then at Victor who started for the ship. "Um…"
"These Corpus did not make them." He paused as Juil blocked his way. "Did they?"
He was not hostile but it was clear that he was going to move and if needed, through the lich. It made no sense. He was perhaps half her size, but she was the one was suddenly intimidated by his sheer presence.
"No." Juil said slowly. "Do you know who did?"
"Not without seeing them." Victor paused and then seemed to calm a little. "There are several possibilities, few of them good."
"I don't understand." Violet said with a frown. "The whole point of cloning is to make copies, no? Why would you make an immature copy?"
"Infiltration, subversion, or a number of less savory reasons." Victor replied almost offhand. Rachel and Elenia both winced in unison, Juil noted. "There will always be those who seek to dominate others. They will always find ways to do so. Immature beings can be easier to manipulate in many ways and using them to manipulate mature beings is a time honored evil tradition."
"You would know." Juil was probably the only one who heard Rachel's very soft words.
"And you ask, what?" Juil demanded of the cloaked man.
"I need to see these clones." Victor did not retreat as the lich moved right up to him. Was that grey metal under his hood? If so, it shifted into shadow again. "The Corpus are fanatics from what I understand. Subverting fanatics is not hard if one knows how to do so. It can be dangerous on occasion, but it is not hard. If this is a ploy of some kind, I can determine its nature. If it is a threat to Tenno Jac or others I am sworn to aid, I will act."
"Victor…" Rachel warned.
"Tenno Rachel, I gave Nikis my word of honor." Victor snapped right back. "Even if I did not owe Elizabeth more than that, I do not break my word. Not for him, not for anyone."
"You just interpret it depending on the situation." Rachel snarled.
"And you don't?" Victor replied, a trifle calmer, but power sang in his tone that was just as terrifying as any Juil had ever seen.
"I…" Rachel paused as Elenia laid a hand on her arm. "I… I offer apology, Victor. I am out of sorts." She said in a very small voice.
"We all are." Victor's voice moderated. He looked at Juil who hadn't moved. "What will it take to gain entry to your ship? We need to leave before any more of Lorinos' allies act."
"Show your face." Juil said flatly and both Tenno stilled in instant rebellion. Violet shrank away from the lich as Victor eyed her. "I am a monster, built to be a monster. You see my face, what I am, what I was. I am trying to make myself better. But you? You are a mystery and I am sworn to protect Jac Friend of Esther."
"You are not the only monster here, Juil Estherai." Victor was sad now? "My full name will cause all kind of problems. I must not give it, but my visage? I can show you my visage, but only you."
"Violet, turn around and shut off any recorders you have.' Juil snapped as her code flared around them.
"Some are hardwired and I-" She broke off and gasped as Juil's code flared anew. She collapsed and Juil caught her, hefting the human easily.
"She will not thank you for such a mercy." Victor said mildly.
"I will not expose her to such as I believe you are." Juil hefted the unconscious human gently.
"She has been before." Rachel allowed and everyone looked at her. "But this is kinder. Elenia?"
"I can hold her." Elenia stepped forward and held out her hands. Juil deposited Violet in those hands but her eyes never left the green cloaked man. Elenia stepped back to Rachel's side. "We need to move."
Juil just looked at Victor who nodded and reached up with grey armored hands to pull his hood back. What met her eyes was not that surprising. The face was human, but grey metal. The nose was prominent. Eyes were flesh behind angled rectangular slits. The mouth was also a rectangle with an odd flanged bar crossing it. When he opened his mouth, the jaw moved and the metal behind it looked just as solid as the rest of the face! Whatever he was, he was not from this world.
"Do you know who I am?" Victor inquired. Juil shook her head and he replaced his hood."That is probably for the best. Understand that where I come from, I am a ruler. I know much of what has happened here because when I felt Elizabeth's distress, I came prepared to make war on her behalf. It turns out that the ones I need to fight are too cowardly to face me in battle."
"They would lose and they know it." Rachel was just as quiet as she had been before.
"You do not seek power here?" Juil inquired. Victor shook his head. "Why not?"
"Power in and of itself is meaningless unless there is a reason to use it. While I might, once, have had ambitions of conquest here, Elizabeth disabused me of any I might have had." Now, Victor was amused again. "That was one scary woman when she got angry."
"You do not seem the type to care about such." Juil did start into the ship, Victor at her side. She paused, looking at the diamond cased in muck, but another form in a green cloak appeared out of nowhere to grab it and walk back into the shadows. Not organic to her sensors. A robot of some kind.
"What can I say? She was the best student I ever had."