And... here... we... go!
Violet vanished in haze of red. She was the last of the kuva enhanced humans who had been beaten down by the clan. The Tenno had taken some hard knocks, but all of the Corpus liches or whatever they would eventually be called, had fallen. Fallen and vanished. Not defeated without the heroic means that Esther had used to many times, but gone for now. Ming was down, but Alicia and Janna were both tending him, so it was all good even after being shocked and then body slammed by a human who had no business being as strong as she had been. The last of the Corrupted fell to Will's impeccable skana work and then silence fell over the huge hall of what had been a Corpus ship. Pieces of Corrupted and pieces of Corpus littered the area, but nothing else remained of the battle. The Cephalons had all fled when in danger of destruction and Lorinos was gone.
Or at least, this version of him was.
Jack did not lower his blades that coruscated with dark energy as several Tenno approached. Aeron was still nearby, but clearly at a loss for words at this turn of events. When Jack did not relax or sheathe his weapons, all of the Tenno paused well out of sword reach even for warframes. They all looked at one another, and then Tiana stepped forward, her hands empty.
"What do I call you?" Tiana inquired.
"Jack with a 'k'." Jack replied, still not lowering his weapons.
"This is hard." Tiana said slowly. "I…" She broke off as Jack made a stop motion with his smaller blade.
"I have nothing more to say to you people." Jack might have been carved from stone. "Everything I was going to say has been said. You are welcome to try and take me by force. I don't recommend it. I am still angry." Olim actually jerked from where he stood and shook his head fervently. He had learned.
"You have every right to that." Tiana shook her head. "We won't. From you did here today, it is clear that you are Nikis' successor as Grandmaster of the Dead." Tiana slumped. "We thought you were delusional. We thought we could help. We were wrong."
"You were wrong. Boo hoo." Jack did not 'quite' snarl that. "This isn't over. This wasn't his core energy that I just wiped. You know Lorinos had copies the same as Rasputin did." At that, several of the other Tenno listening tensed. It clearly hadn't been common knowledge. "He threatens the database and my duty takes precedence. Step on my duty at your peril."
"We can help." Tiana tried again, but paused. Martin was shaking his head from where he stood. He stepped forward and bowed to Jack. Not subservient, respectful.
"You are sneaky enough that I had no idea it was you I was talking to the few times we conversed." Martin said quietly as Jack focused on him. "You are Tenno. You serve. But can you do it alone?" Jack didn't move, still didn't lower his weapons and Martin slowly shook his head. "I want no conflict between Tenno, Grandmaster."
"Then don't make one." Jack said with a growl. "I have enough problems without idiots trying to 'help' and making things worse. I could have handled this just fine on my own. But you had to come in guns blazing. It escalated the conflict, put those Corpus type liches out in the open where many saw it happen. This can't be covered up. The rest of the Corpus know its possible now! They will try to duplicate it and probably will manage. You had to save me." That was snide. "Well, you can't. I go my own way and you will not control me."
That was to Tiana and everyone. All of the other Tenno bowed their heads.
"I…" Janna spoke up and her tone was hesitant. "May I ask a question?"
"You just did." Jack retorted, but then scoffed as Janna recoiled. "I don't eat Tenno, girl. I am not Nikis, but I too find overly formal crap to be a complete waste of time. Be polite and I will be. Don't be and I won't be. Simple."
"What will happen to Eliza?" Janna asked. "She was kind to me after I was dropped in on everything. You were too. I know I am a burden, but… You may not be who you were, but Jac made me welcome when she had no reason to. I was a fake. An impostor at best. A psuedo Tenno." She paused as Jack shook his head. "I was!"
"I wouldn't let Iriana hear you say that." Jack said mildly enough that everyone winced. When he spoke again, it was cold, formal. "'If they honor the Way of the Blade and the Gun, if they wear the warframe, honor the Code and face the Trial, then Tenno they be.'" He quoted from memory. Jack met Janna's impassive faceplate with his own. "You did. You do. Anyone who calls you an impostor is gonna get hurt. Even you. Don't make me spank you."
"You would." Janna had a smile her voice that matched the tears in it.
"Yes, I would." Jack heaved a sigh and relaxed a little. He did not lower his guard. "I am not Nikis. I can never be Nikis. But I know that. I have plans and I have duties. We are not in conflict, Tenno. I do not wish to be, but my duty takes precedence. Now and always."
"And Eliza?" Janna pressed. "She was under control, wasn't she?"
"I don't know." Jack admitted. "Eliza was always a planner. She always had a plan, even for dying. But Lorinos had tricks within tricks. I don't know if she was totally controlled, or she broke and went mad, or what. I do know that she is not here now and the one who took her had his own reasons for doing so. I do not know what those were. I did not ask."
"Jac… I…" Aeron stepped up to him and grabbed at his hand, but Jack retreated a step, weaving the dark blade in between the Loki and himself. "Jac! Let me help you!"
"I neither need nor want your help." Jack snapped as all the other Tenno stood as if horrified. "I did what I did. I chose this. I accept this, so now, you will. Or you won't. That is not my problem." Aeron tried to close the distance, but Jack stepped back again. None of the other Tenno moved. "My problem is that there is a massive threat to the database acting out there that I have to face and you, Tenno Aeron, are being a pest. Back off!"
That was sour as dark energy built around Jack.
"Jac! I can help! Let me!" Aeron begged.
"No, you can't." Jack retorted. "Because you cannot accept the truth. Your marriage ended when you shot your adopted daughter." Aeron recoiled, but Jack wasn't done.
"I didn't want to!" Aeron pleaded. "I just wanted her to stop!"
"Stop doing her duty as Tenno and Marine, yeah." Jack's voice was soft, but it resounded like thunder anyway.
"The sword did something to you when you picked it up!" Aeron had his rifle in hand now, even as several of the other started to protest. "I'll stop it!"
"Don't be an idiot." Jack snarled as Aeron took aim at the sword in the Lavos warframe's left hand. "Even if you could break Mortis with that, all it would do is kill everyone here! You are one of the best marksman I have ever seen, but there are limits to what you can do with bullets. I have no such limits. Don't. Push. Me."
The sword in his Jack's hand suddenly started to glow brighter. Jack slumped and did not speak. Something else did!
He will not accept it. He cannot. The voice from the sword was resigned. You know what you have to do.
"Let her go!" Aeron screamed as the glow intensified. Then the sword morphed again. One blade, long, angular. The black was intensifying!
I did. The sword retorted. The one who was your mate chose otherwise. She understood. You do not. But you are about to.
"No!" A new voice as a golden hologram appeared nearby. The Tenno woman's face held shock, fear, rage all of that. But sorrow predominated. Lynn! The Tenno who had been the first Trinity until betrayal had made her cast herself out. "Jack! Mortis! Don't do this! There are other ways!"
"NOT FOR ME!" Jack screamed that and then, in one convulsive move, buried the energy destroying sword in his own chest.
Nobody moved as the Lavos warframe stiffened and then slowly, almost in slow motion, fell to its knees. Then it sank into a slumped posture, the energy that had inhabited it ebbing and vanishing as Mortis did its grisly work. Destroyed the Tenno within!
"No." Aeron threw his weapon away, going to his knees beside the still Lavos. "Jac! NO!" he grabbed at the hilt, but it burned his hand and he recoiled.
"Get away from the warframe!" Lynn screamed as the energy from the sword started to flare.
Martin was there, pulling Aeron bodily away from the warframe as Mortis and the energy that made up Jack glowed brighter and brighter. Everyone else backed away as Aeron fought like a mad dog to be free, to return to the Lavos' side. Then a flash and the energy faded, but left something in its wake. No, two somethings! Everyone froze.
A pair of Nekros warframes stood by the fallen Lavos. One was pitch black and the other, ice blue.
"Nikis…?" Lynn breathed.
"Not really. Just a trace that I left with Mortis." Nikis' voice held his usual insolence, but it was marred by sorrow and rage both. "I tried, ya know. I tried so hard ta give it up. To either ignore it or just hide what I was. I never wanted to hurt anyone, Lynn. Never wanted to be a killer, an asshole. Just wanted to protect the souls of the dead."
"I know." Lynn was crying now. "I remember."
"The rest just happened." The shade of Nikis turned to the other who coughed. "Crowley. I never should have asked you what I did. It was always my burden, not yours."
"I wanted to help. I was willing and able." The wretched voice from the ice blue Nekros was a sad, sick remnant. "I had no idea what you suffered, old friend. But now? Maybe between the two of us, we can do it. Make it better."
"Crowley?" Lynn inhaled. "I… You tried to take it?"
"I did. I took it for a time, but I couldn't hold it long. He was failing. He needed help, so I tried to give it." Crowley heaved a sigh. "I had no idea exactly how bad it was going to be. When I touched Mortis, I found out." That was dry and he shuddered in memory.
"You…" Lynn was even more horrified. "You were the one he chose?"
"There was no 'choosing', Lynn." Nikis' fragment said heavily. "The moment I gave up the Grand Master rank, we were attacked. I had set up a formal ceremony way back when. Never thought to use it, but I knew I wasn't actually immortal. Sooner or later, someone would get me. There were several Tenno there I had chosen as potential successors. Most of them are dead. Lorinos' attack was overwhelming. Multiple realities worth of crazies dropping in on us, trying to grab what they could. Time itself went nuts in that space and the next thing I know… Jac had Mortis in hand and was laying waste with him." Nikis' shade shook his head. "She took the role and ran with it. Then I was losing it and I knew I had to die."
"And you didn't choose among us Guardians…?" Martin trailed off weakly as Crowley nodded.
"Because when I tried…" Crowley said dryly. "It didn't end well for me because of my Guardian training." The ice blue Nekros was paler than Nikis, or was that a trick of the light? "It needs to be soon, old man."
"Who you callin' an old man, old man?" The black Nekros laid a hand on the Lavo's helmet. "Jac made her choice. We abide by it." That was both oath and warning.
"We abide." Crowley laid his hand on Nikis' and suddenly the Lavos warframe was glowing again. But different. Blue in places, black in places, red and green in other places.
Both of the Nekros vanished as Jack slowly drew the blade from his chest. It was still glowing black, but the energy was fading.
"Jac of the clan Karl's Shadow is dead." The Lavos warframe intoned. It didn't sound any different, but it was. "You are all witnesses to that. I am Jack of No Clan, Grandmaster of the Guardians of the Dead."
"Jac…" Aeron fell to his knees keening. Martin left him there to step froward and bow formally to Jack who gave him a nod of response.
"Tenno, be gone from here. I have work to do." Jack commanded and turned to where Corrupted still lay. He touched the closest body with Mortis and it fell apart. Another and another. The clan moved to surround Aeron, helping him to his feet and guiding him from the battlefield. Lynn didn't move.
"I um… I guess we need to talk." Lynn said softly.
"Not here." Jack replied as another Corrupted vanished under his touch. "Too many eyes and ears. The Corpus will figure out what happened here sooner rather than later, but the longer we can deny them access to kuva the better."
"Granum knows and has some kuva." Lynn said softly.
Jack finished up his work and nodded to the shade who moved closer to him. In a flash, both were elsewhere. The ship was different. It was laid out like an Orokin era railjack, but smaller, less open. The décor said it all though. Dark blue, red, gold and green. Orokin Marine colors.
"He doesn't have as much as the Queens do, but he can either figure out how to make it or steal it from those who have it." Jack replied. "Juil and her people are vulnerable. I won't leave them to face this alone."
"No, I don't see you able to do that." Lynn smiled a bit sadly. "You are stubborn enough for any of us. What can we do to help?" She asked d and Jac stared at her. "The only one who could command us was Eliza. If she is gone, and her family are gone, then there is no one holding our reins. Not a good situation." She warned.
"No." Jack allowed and then went still as a Tenno in a Mag warframe stepped through hatch nearby. "Karen."
"Jack." Karen nodded to the Lavos warframe, her tone filled with understanding. Sorrow lurked, but it was controlled by training and honor.
"Ess is loose somewhere." Jack said to Lynn and both female Tenno, the ancient shade and the corporeal spetznatz stiffened. "I am not sure how or why, but she didn't go with the others. Or, so I have been told." He shrugged. "Oracle Janet was her usual self." He went still as Lynn and Karen shared a glance. "You know where she is."
"We do." Lynn said before Karen could speak "She is a mess. Anahera earned your wrath by accessing the database, but it was to save Ess' energy." Jack looked at her and Lynn frowned. "We hoped to talk to...well…the new Grandmaster and you are here, so…" She heaved a sigh. "This is not how I wanted to meet you. To talk. But I do accept your authority and power." She bowed her head in respect and Jack returned it.
"I will need help. I know that." Jack allowed. "But I cannot trust that clan. They think with their guns too much." At that, Karen snorted, but it wasn't really funny. Her adopted dad had shot her.
"Fighting is all that most Tenno know." Lynn tried. "Even as far back as me, we defaulted to violence in almost every situation because it was faster and easier."
"I cannot be most Tenno." Jack retorted. "I have to think first."
"Good." Lynn replied. "I um… This way." She started off and Jack followed, Karen bringing up the rear. She liked the way into the back of the railjack and towards where another shade stood. The Garuda warframe seemed uneasy, but relaxed bit when Jack spoke to Karen.
"You okay, Karen?" Jack asked.
"Most of the time." Karen allowed. "Ups and downs. We weer watching. I am sorry about Juan." She said to the Lavos who shrugged.
"Still don't know exactly what happened." Jack knew his past would come back to bite him again, but for now? He had larger concerns. "I will look into it, if I ever have free time again." That was sour and all three other Tenno snorted in unison.
Lynn led the way into the mid-section of the craft and towards large, oblong cylinder made of clear material. In it floated a warframe, but not one that anyone had seen before. It was messy. Dirty. Parts of it looked as if it had been pulled off other warframes and simply attached to a skeleton made of energy. Was that an arm of some kind hanging off its back?
"I will see what I can do." Jack said as the others stepped back. He strode up to the Reliquary container and laid a hand on the glass like material. What he found did not surprise him.
LET ME GO, YOU BITCH! The voice from within in the warframe was familiar. But it wasn't Ess.
Be silent. Jack commanded and the other subsided for a moment. We do not have time for hysterics.
I WILL KILL YOU! The other screamed again and Jack tapped the energy that lay within the warframe. Not enough to harm it, but enough to get his point across.
You are going to have to stand in line. Jack replied. Can you maintain silence or do I have to destroy you? We have to play this out or he wins!
FUCK YOU! Came from the other. I WON'T- AGH!
The other screamed as Jack reached to its energy and pulled it right out of the warframe, holding a glowing ball of Tenno energy as it squirmed, trying to get loose. It couldn't break free of his grasp. Then he paused as it screamed. but not at him. Aloud! He moved to silence it, but just a hair too late!
"SPETZNATZ BEWARE! THAT ISN'T WHO YOU THINK!"
Everything stopped. Lynn and Anahera both were frozen as Karen stared at the ball of energy and her voice was tiny when she spoke.
"Jac?"