Villainy?

"I wondered." Lynn said softly when no one moved. Anahera and Karen both seemed like statues as Jack looked at the ball of energy in his hands. It was silent now that the damage was done. "None of what I heard about Avalon's fall made any sense to me. Eliza was many things, but she was never suicidal."

"She was tired." Jack said quietly. "So very tired. I hope Victor can help her or at least ease her passing."

"Victor Von Doom." Lynn said flatly. "Doctor Doom of Marvel Comics infamy?" She didn't bother to hide her disbelief.

"Yeah." Jack replied. "Is that so hard to imagine? We live in a world of techno ghosts and warrior gods made of metal. Who is to say what happens in alternate realities existing in parallel to ours? You know the math. Probably better than I do, Cyberlancer." He shrugged. "There are rules for a reason and I do need to find Ess so that I can make sure that the wardens don't get too upset."

"I think they are going to be pretty upset no matter what." Karen said slowly. She didn't have a weapon in hand, but then again, both shades were incredibly vulnerable to Jack here. Everyone knew it.

"Probably." Jack allowed. "I can't tell you all what happened or why because I don't know. I can say I did not mean this to happen." He nodded to the ball of energy in his hands. "I mean you no harm, spetznatz." That was to all of them.

"I found that warframe and saved it from destruction. You felt my tapping the database to do that." Anahera said softly and Jack nodded. "It felt like Ess. Now it doesn't!"

"No, it doesn't." Jack agreed. "For good reason. We lost track of Ess. Truth time: Jac picked up the sword and guarded Nikis' back when he closed the breach that let a lot of enemies in from other realities. When he took up the mantle of Darkstorm again. When he tried to give up the Grandmaster of the Dead role and instead, resumed his duty as a warden of reality. She had no real idea what she was doing, just that Nikis needed help." He slumped. "Mortis destroyed her."

"What?" Came from everyone and two new forms approached, a Loki warframe and an Ivara. Both with weapons ready. Sun had a staff in hand and Taliana a Glaive.

"She was good with a sword, but Mortis isn't just a sword. Add to that the myriad defenses that Nikis built into Mortis to keep others from stealing it. It was tried." Jack said sadly. "She could see that Nikis needed help. Mortis didn't mean to hurt her. He didn't want to. She had no idea what she was doing any more than Crowley had when he tried to pick up the sword. The only thing that saved her from instant destruction was that she was trying help Nikis and didn't tap the database. She didn't have the skill. If she had possessed any more energy, the deletion and reformatting process would have been at a much higher level, started and gone far faster and it would have been impossible to save any of her. Mortis realized what was happening and tried to stop, but the sword wasn't designed for that. Nikis built well, but it wasn't designed to halfway destroy a soul."

"It was designed to destroy hostile energy forms." Lynn looked as if she wanted to spit. "Then you stabbed yourself with it! Why didn't it destroy you?"

"It knows me and accepts me as its wielder. It won't destroy me. I am not hostile to you or yours, Lynn." Jack said sadly. "This one hates me with good reason." He nodded to the ball of energy in his hands that was flashing with agitation. "When Jac collapsed and her energy was sucked into Mortis to be reformatted, she died. I was created to take her place."

"Created." Lynn snapped. "That is forbidden."

"If you want to argue with Nikis, find Ess to talk to the ones he is with now and see how far that gets you." Jack replied without heat. "I don't know what Nikis did. I do know he was shocked beyond belief when he saw Jac holding Mortis. He fell to his knees sobbing when she went down and didn't get up!"

"That doesn't make sense!" Lynn snapped. "Make sense or you are not leaving this ship."

"I was created by Nikis and Mortis from the few remnants they could salvage of the energy that made up your adopted mother, Tenno Karen. The Tenno known as Jac." Jack said softly as Karen stared at her, clearly stunned out of words. "She was incredibly angry with your adopted father for what he had done to you. She beat him to within an inch of his life, then planned to do the same to the clan leader who had cast you out. She was delayed."

"Yes." Karen grated that out as if in physical pain. "And?"

"Apparently, someone had a cunning plan in case Jac was stopped." Jack said softly. "Someone had an illegal copy made of her energy before she left Avalon." At that, everyone hissed. Such was utterly forbidden, for good reason. It stepped all over the duty of the Guardians of the Dead and they had no sense of humor about that! "The first I knew about that was when Esther sent a message to me, saying she was going to suicide instead of obeying the Grineer Queen's command to bring them Jesse." Again, all of the others hissed. "And when I tried to reach Esther, I ran into her." He nodded to the ball of energy. "We um… We did not take the meeting well. Small wonder the clan thought I had completely lost it. Jac was literally in two places at once. We fought."

"You…. Fought…" Lynn said weakly.

"Yeah." Jack shook his head. "We both had similar weapons and fully modded Nova warframes. We were evenly matched. It wasn't until the clan appeared and tried to stop us that I realized what was happening. Even now, they think there was only one Nova warframe. I have no idea why or how, but she is Jac. And so was I."

"LIAR!"The voice from the sphere screamed again and this time, Jack let it continue. "You lying piece of shit! You attacked me and I reacted! You stopped me from reaching Esther in time! She was my friend and you stopped me from saving her!"

"We couldn't have anyway. We were too late when we landed, Jac." The Lavos warframe said heavily. "I checked the time stamps on what records were available. Esther had already engaged Zanuka with unmodded weapons and warframe before we met on Themisto. She was dead by the time we clashed. I tried not to hurt you, tried to send you somewhere safe!"

"YOU CANNOT SEND ME INTO THE DATABASE IF I DO NOT WANT TO GO!" Jac's energy screamed shrilly.

"Oh… shit…" Sun actually gulped and Jack nodded. "She…"

"She didn't stay asleep." Jack agreed. "She didn't stay in the database. I am an evil impostor and I took her place, tried to ruin her family." Jack sighed. "Not that it wasn't enough of a mess already. I locked her in, but she is sneaky, Jac is and she escaped the only way she could, by physically jumping out of it in a warframe mashed together of whatever junk she could find."

"Indeed?" Karen took a slow step forward and when no one moved, another. She reached out to the ball of energy in Jack's hands and he didn't react as she touched it. "I... Mom?"

"Karen!" Jac sobbed. "I… I am sorry!" Karen made a soft, sad noise and then Jack deposited the energy ball in her hands! She stared at the Lavos warframe and he bowed his head!

"She can't trust me, there is simply no way. Maybe Anahera can help her." The Lavos warframe said when no one else spoke. "Thing is, Jac was never the kind to break such rules. She knew the costs. Her grandmother was a Guardian of the Dead and she had basic training in that if none of the higher level stuff. What little I remember of her family said that she knew the costs better than most. I don't have all of her memories, but I know she would never have made such a copy of herself for herself. Ever."

"If she didn't, who did?" Karen had tensed again. Lynn looked at Anahera and both eyed Taliana who nodded slowly.

"Eliza could have authorized such." Taliana said slowly. "And she liked Jac by all accounts."

"She also knew better than to cross Nikis." Jack replied. "She sent her people away with all of the Royal Guard to protect her family while she made sure Avalon was destroyed to deny it to Lorinos." All of the others looked at Jack who shrugged. "I have my own sources. As far as I can tell, Mori and Lilly are the only Royal Guard left in the system. Mori is guarding Olim and Lilly, Sara."

"Sara and Jesse." Lynn replied slowly. "But… Eliza wasn't suicidal! She had to have an exit plan! She always had a plan."

"Lorinos Orokin is sneaky and evil." Jack replied. "And if he finds Ess before I do, all hell will break loose. She is the only one legally authorized to talk to the wardens. If she goes down or is subverted…" He broke off as Taliana gasped.

"Then we cannot call for help and he can do as he wishes." Taliana said softly, hate and fear rising, only to be mashed under her iron discipline. "Why should we trust you?"

"You don't." Jack retorted. "You won't. You can't." No one seemed to know what to say to that and Jack continued. "No matter what, that one exists now and she has the right to exist." He nodded to the ball in Karen's hands. "I tried not to hurt her, but I know I did."

"Did Lorinos do this?" Karen asked.

"No." Jack reassured her. "His feel is distinctive and there is no stink of his work on her. Anahera? She needs a lot of help and you need something to do. Take care of her." That was a command and Anahera bowed her head to the Grandmaster's order.

"Could Ess have done it?" Came from the ball and everyone stared at it. "I… I am angry." Jac's voice was quieter, but still held hate. "So angry."

"You have a right to that." Jack reassured her. "I didn't help matters. I was just as angry as you are. For the exact same reason. Maybe you have a chance to put your family back together. I have my duty. No more. No less. I took another warframe and name in part to distance myself from you. To let you go back if you wish. If you can find a way to do so. You cannot believe me, but I do wish you well, Jac. Good luck." He started to glow!

'Wait." Sun said quickly and Jack paused whatever he was doing. "Eliza swore to kill any warden she sensed in our reality. If Nikis was using the powers of the wardens… Did she sense him?"

"That…" Jack actually jerked as everyone stared at Sun. "That is a very good question. If so… Why didn't she kill him? She is one of the few who could have."

"She was angry with the ones who hurt her and Cathi Gata." Lynn said slowly. "Not all of them."

"She was also highly disciplined." Taliana interjected. "She wouldn't fire without knowing her weapon, her target and what was behind it."

"She wouldn't." Jack agreed. "But… Oh no." He hissed and looked at Sun who staggered as if struck.

"No." Sun breathed. "She wouldn't have!" He stared at the ball of energy in Karen's hands and then back at Jack. "Ess knew better! Knows better."

"And if she has lost it?" Jack said quietly. "Again?"

Ess was an Oracle and she was not sane. Not violent to any who who did not attack her, but incredibly dangerous nonetheless. Her music created both harmony and chaos depending on her emotional state.

"Eliza helped her!" Sun retorted, angry now. "She was better!"

"And if Ess saw something horrible happen to Eliza? Something she could stop?" Jack was cold as ice. "Would she think it through? See all of the aspects? Traps?"

"I…" Sun slumped. "No. No, she wouldn't. She wouldn't have hesitated at all, no matter the cost to herself." He gave a tiny sob. "Not Ess, please! I wronged her and she hates me, but I still love her."

"I will do what I can, Sun." Jack said heavily. "That is all I can promise. That and I will keep you all in the loop." He nodded to Lynn who nodded back. "Juil and her people want to remain neutral. I don't think it will happen, but I do wish to help them as I can. They deserve better than to be slaves again."

"That they do!" The voice from the ball was fervent. "They are not Grineer now! They are not bad people!"

"I don't know what to think." Lynn said quietly. "We will talk. Go."

With a flash, he was back on the Galleon. Juil was barking orders and barely paid him any heed. He waited until she was done and turned to him before speaking.

"I think we have settled the immediate problems, but we may have a far worse one." Jack didn't bother with pleasantries. Juil appreciated directness. "How is Kol?"

"He is a mess, but he will recover." Juil replied. 'They did drain some of his kuva."

"To make Violet and at least four others." Jack said softly. "That said? I don't think it was Lorinos who put all this in motion. He may have profited by it, but I don't think he started this."

"Then who did?" Juil demanded, confused.

"I don't know." Jack admitted. "I have suspicions. Hypothesis but no evidence. No proof. I need to find out and that means I need to find Ess."

"Ess." Juil said slowly. "The other Oracle."

"She has issues. Her powers drove her mad and she finds solace in her music." Jack shook his head. "That said, she is Tenno. If she doesn't want to be found, she won't be." He trailed off as a console bleeped nearby. Juil spun to it and then stared at it. "What?"

"I think it is for you." Juil waved at the Tenno and Jac stepped to the console to see writing on a screen. Not in Grineer script. In Tenno!

Deck 7. Bay 84. Come alone.

"Another trap?" Juil asked.

"One way to find out."

A few minutes later

He was alone now. He stepped into the huge bay and paused. It was dark and half filled with containers of various kinds. He felt a tingle of fear. Ess was dangerous and she knew how to kill Tenno. She was a good soul and had been a good friend to Jac, but there was always the hint around her of danger. Of 'stay away'. Sad. Her music had to be heard to be believed. When she made music, she was heaven made in Tenno form.

"Always the hero." Came Ess' voice from nowhere and Jack continued walking. "Always for others, huh?"

"Can I help?" Jack asked with a calm he didn't truly feel. "I know why Nikis played the asshole so much. The sheer pain of failing so many times. He always wanted to help and so many times, he couldn't."

"Yeah." Ess was sad now, so sad. "I don't know if you can help me or not. Part of me wants it. Part of me doesn't. I made a mess again. I can't tell if I am the reason Lorinos got loose or not."

"Stop that." Jack fought to keep the snap from his voice. Aggravating Ess wouldn't help matters. "Lorinos is evil. You are not. Whatever you did, you had cause to do."

"Did I?" Ess was crying now and Jack was reasonably sure she was in a dark corner. He angled that way and the sounds grew louder. "I just wanted to save her. I didn't know! I didn't see what would happen. Just that Jac would die!"

"You made the copy?" Jack asked.

"I did." Ess said in a tiny voice. "I kept her asleep until… Until after Eliza… I…"

"Ess, I am here." Jack reassured her. "You are not alone! Nikis couldn't stay. You know that. Eliza banned them!"

"I was wearing her down! She knew she was being irrational about them! That we needed the help!" Ess pleaded. "She had every right to be angry! But then she relapsed, got worse! She was going my way! To madness! I had to do something and I couldn't involve the wardens! If she had shot Nikis… I…"

"She needed a vacation." Jack said softly. "Time off."

"She refused to take it while Avalon was in danger." Ess said sadly. "While 'I' was in danger. She just… She is just so… so…"

"Noble." Jack muttered and he heard a soft, sour sound of agreement from ahead. "Yeah. Maybe Victor can help her? That was inspired, my dear." He paused. "Um, Your Imperial Highness." She was a princess after all.

"Stuff a sock in it!" Ess all but threw those words at him and then both were laughing!

The Lavos warframe stepped into a clear area where an Octavia warframe leaned against a wall. He eyed it and then, it went still and Ess stepped out of it, her attire a Tenno bodysuit instead of garb for royalty.

"I didn't mean this. Any of this." Ess said quietly. "In one of my visions, I saw Eliza shooting Nikis in a rage and then Lorinos' invasion. Without Nikis, without a grandmaster to protect the database or the help of the wardens, we had no chance. Everyone I loved fell or was enslaved to his will. I don't know if Janet saw it or not. If so, she won't say."

"Ess, you know better than me about such. Either she didn't or she couldn't. That doesn't matter to me. I have some of Jac's memories and I remember you. Your kindness. Your help with the babies." Jack reassured her. "I don't care why it happened. It did and we will deal with it. Lorinos was going to get loose anyway. You saw how many allies he had. He was going to come back and he was going to attack Avalon. You know this. So did Eliza or she wouldn't have set up an escape plan for everyone else."

"Yeah." Ess smiled a bit sadly. "Michelle took everyone else, despite the Royal Guard's protests. Aerie is free. Jac's kids are safe. Rocky had problems, but he is safe now too. I don't know if they will be able to come back. I am sure Draco at the very least will find a way to get back to Jesse's side."

"And then everyone will breathe a huge sigh of relief." Jack groaned and Ess shared it.

"Jesse is certainly a bit much at times." Ess heaved a sigh. "He is coming for me, isn't he?"

"Yes, but you do not stand alone." Jack said firmly as Ess got back in her warframe and it powered up. "Now or ever."

"Two fools for the price of one." Both Tenno stilled as the world shifted around them and suddenly the bay was empty except for them. Huge and barren. No cover at all. A golden shape appeared nearby. Lorinos Orokin was smiling. He was not alone. Dozens of forms started coming out of a portal that shimmered into being behind him.

"You call me a fool?" Jack inquired, not bothering to draw his sword. "What you are doing is forbidden."

"I will take what is mine." Lorinos Orokin declared as hulking armored forms moved to flank him and aimed odd weapons at Jack. They were not golden. Definitely human manufacture, but not from this reality. "She is mine. This entire universe is mine!"

"No, it isn't." Jack might have been a statue now. "It was never yours. And if you try to touch Ess, I will kill you and enjoy it just as I did last time." When next he spoke, it was to Ess. "Now?"

"Now." Ess replied and an oddly flower-like rifle simple appeared in her hands as Jack's swords appeared in his!

"Take the female alive. I have plans for her." Lorinos ordered and the troops reoriented. "Just shoot the other!"

That was when a horde of kuva liches, at least fifty of them, appeared around the bay. Esther's children wasted no time on words. They opened fire.