Sharing
"Okay."
Cathi Gata wasn't calm, far from it, but she was calm-er.
"How many Elizas are there?" The Guardswoman asked as she stared at where her feet should have been. The warframe she was in literally pulsed with power now, but she had no idea how to use it.
"Technically, there is only one being that you know as Elizabeth." Gemina replied. "But realistically? Three. The girl who assumed the powers of the Creator when hurt so badly. The copy of herself that she made to go home with you. The other..." She sighed. "We are not sure how that happened. From what the Creator has said, neither is she. I think she believes she erred when she made the being you know as Empress. An almost exact copy of her without her powers and burdens. She was careful but it happened somehow."
"You say she was attacked." Cathi Gata said slowly.
"Yes, but that fizzled when all four of the Horsemen showed up." Gemina chuckled with little mirth. "Say what you will about them, they do know how to settle things down. Usually very quickly too."
"My Eliza was recently traumatized and she is asleep." Cathi Gata said slowly and all of the others in the room nodded. "And… That is allowing the mad one to be free somehow?" She inquired carefully.
"Yes." Gemina replied. "Again, we are not sure how. If the Creator knows, she is not telling us. She usually had good reasons for doing so." She said quickly when Cathi Gata started to inquire.
"I cannot believe that Eliza of all people is a god." More than one person winced at Cathi Gata's dubious tone, but no one censured her. "Goddess. Um… whatever."
"I was never very religious either. That said, there are few other descriptors that do the being we call 'Creator' justice." Gemina had a frown in her voice now. "This is not the world I remember. Not the reality where I hurt you so badly. The girl who came here under your protection didn't know about any of that until much later. She was only six!"
"Her mother started on her when she was eight." Cathi Gata said in a monotone and the Revenant of all people stepped forward.
"Her mother is gone." The girl's voice from the horrible looking warframe was still jarring, but slightly less so. "Good riddance. We need to deal with the now. One thing I do not understand. Why did Eliza's mother wait so long? From what little I know about the situation, Eliza still trusted her at that age. Warping her would have been easier as a young child, no?" Cathi Gata stared at the warframe and shuddered but Falcon laid a hand on her arm. "Cathi Gata, I am trying to help. I am here to help. My mother came to help her friend."
"What are you?" Cathi Gata did not retreat as the other looked at her. "You are not Tenno."
"No." The Revenant warframe looked away. "I am an experiment. My mother sought to see if peace was possible between her kind and the Tenno. She doesn't believe it is. She made me and as far as we can tell, I am unique. Like you, I am energy that is bound into a meat form, but she didn't have enough organic material to make a fully human body, so my form is much smaller. This warframe was from one of her children who was destroyed during the War. She recovered the warframe, but he was gone. She kept it, hoping and praying his energy would reconstitute, but he never did. She made me and she loves me, but… I am different."
"Your name is Falcon?" Cathi Gata laid her hand on the Revenant warframe's. "I know what it is to be different. To be alone. Even in a crowd of my fellows. I cannot guarantee I will be nice all the time, but I will at least try to be polite. We outcasts have to stick together." The Revenant stared at her and then a choked sob came from the other. The hovering Tenno gave the other's hand a pat and then focused herself. "Thank you for your aid. Now I have to help Eliza."
"Here we go." Gemina muttered that not quite under her breath. Cathi Gata stared at her and the Equinox shrugged. "I may not be who you knew, but I remember you. I know that tone." She snickered as Cathi Gata choked. More than one of the others chuckled. When she spoke again, it was wicked. "That is your 'Get the hell out of my way, I am coming through' tone."
"I don't-!" Cathi stared and then broke off. Gemina was right. She barked a soft laugh. "Okay. Yes. I guess that is how I talk when I get focused. I don't think I want to run anyone over today. The paperwork, you know?" Everyone winced dramatically as Cathi Gata did. Everyone laughed when she did. Then she sobered. "That said, I do not know what to do. Do I save my Eliza? Yours? The mad one?"
"Yours." Gemina and Falcon chorused. They looked at one another and Gemina waved for Falcon to continue. After a moment, the girl in the Revenant warframe did.
"We do not and will not understand all of what happened." Falcon said slowly, feeling each word with care. "This is not your reality or mine. We are both visitors here. I came with my mom when she came to help. You are here for the second time after your near death at the hands of that lunatic. Whichever Eliza you may follow, they are all planners and I bet this was planned for, hence why Gemina and Fury could come save you."
"And the wardens let this happen?" Cathi Gata demanded. Gemina and Falcon looked at each other again, but Sera shook her head savagely and both other others nodded. "What?"
"I do not know all of what transpired between Elizabeth, the girl you were protecting, and the wardens." Gemina said slowly. "I serve the Creator here. She told me you were in danger of dying and needed to be rescued. That was enough for me. I have no need to know more. Less desire to. Curiosity is all well and good, but there are things mortals, even Tenno, should not ask. I know something did happen between Eliza and the wardens and I know Falcon's mother was involved somehow. So was Sera here." She nodded to the Nova who nodded back. "But Sera doesn't speak. I think it was a blood oath." Sera nodded and Cathi Gata inhaled. Such oaths were never made lightly because for Tenno, they were unbreakable. Speaking of…
"And what of Stalker?" Cathi Gata looked around but the red and black armored form was nowhere to be seen. That might or might not be a good thing.
"I found that copy hunting Tenno in our reality and broke him free of Hunhow's control. Hunhow believes him destroyed in battle with this warframe and I have encouraged that belief." Falcon said quietly. "His oaths are still prodding him to kill Tenno even though now, he knows that it wasn't the Tenno who destroyed Orokin. It was Ballas' revenge and the Lotus trying to protect her children. He cannot break the oaths even though he knows it is futile now. He all but cried in relief when I took him prisoner."
"Don't trust him." Cathi Gata and Gemina both warned. They looked at one another and shared a grim nod.
"Even if I did, my mother and grandmother won't." Falcon reassured them. "They layered controls in him that I find abhorrent but he keeps telling me they are needed. I..." She made a deep noise of regret. "This warframe is wrong. Enthralling people is wrong. What they did to him was wrong."
"And what he did? That the other copies of him do?" Cathi Gata asked and Falcon slumped a bit.
"I don't know." For a moment, there was a scared little girl talking from the warframe. "This is just wrong."
"Good." Cathi Gata patted the Revenant's hand again. "Such tactics should never be considered right." Nyx was the first to lay out the Tenno Code and she had a very good reason. With any power comes the temptation to use said power. To literally change the minds of anyone we wish..." She trailed off with a shudder that Falcon shared. "I bet that is why your mother gave you that warframe. She can trust you won't act irresponsibly with it. Your mother is the Lotus, isn't she?"
"I do not call her that." Falcon said in a tiny voice and then squeaked as Cathi Gata embraced her. "What?"
"You may not be Tenno, but you are not alone." Cathi Gata promised. "Being alone sucks. Sometimes it is needed, but I bet she brought you here hoping you could help or maybe that you could find help." Falcon stared at her and Cathi Gata shook her head. She hugged the Revenant again. "You may not be human or Tenno, but you still feel. You still hurt. Don't tell me you are not hurting, girl. Don't even try."
"I have to be strong." Falcon said weakly as Gemina laid a hand on her shoulder. Sera laid a hand on her other shoulder. "I… I try to be strong, but it is hard."
"Easy is not for Tenno." Cathi Gata said softly. "Or your kind I bet. So be it. I call you sister now, Falcon and anyone who dares harm you will feel my wrath."
"But… but... but..." Falcon sputtered. "You can't do that!"
"Watch me." Cathi Gata hugged her again! For her part, Gemina just chuckled and then shrugged when Falcon looked at her.
"Don't make her angry, Falcon." Gemina's warning was more humorous that serious. "You wouldn't like her when she is angry."
"Um..." Falcon stared from one to another to another and then she slumped. "I am doomed, aren't I?" She asked a bit whimsically. Everyone nodded and she relaxed. "You are crazy. Since when is a Sentient considered a sister to a Tenno?"
"You haven't seen anything yet!" Gemina sounded almost gleeful now. "Cathi Gata defines the word 'crazy'."
"Hey! I resemble that remark." Cathi Gata replied in a mock haughty tone and both of the conversing warfames laughed with her. From her quivers, Sera was fighting laughter too.
"I will say." Gemina put on a snooty tone. "Silly Tenno. Did you ever manage to build a lightsaber?"
"No." Cathi Gata shook her head as she released Falcon but kept her hand on Falcon's arm. "Such a sword blade made of plasma doesn't work in our reality."
"Why would you want a sword made of plasma?" Falcon asked carefully. "Such could not be safe to wield even for a Tenno." Cathi Gata started, but Gemina beat her to speech.
"Because Cathi Gata here is a nut about a truly ancient movie." Gemina said with a snort. "Before she joined the Guard and after. I bet even now, she is still a nut about that ancient silliness."
"It helps me focus." Cathi Gata had no humor in her tone as she shifted a little. It felt both right and wrong to be hovering off the ground. "Fictional it may be, but the Code helped me focus on my training."
"Not the Tenno Code?" Falcon asked. "I hear a lot about that but I have only learned pieces."
"The Tenno Code is old and has been added to over the millennia." Cathi Gata replied. "Tenno do not speak of such to outsiders. But you are not an outsider now. If you want to learn, I will see if I can get permission to teach you."
"Your people are not going to appreciate this." Falcon warned.
"So?" Cathi Gata inquired mildly enough that Gemina recoiled.
"Don't!" Gemina warned as Falcon all but stammered a query. "Cathi Gata! Stop! We need to get you out of here. We get that you are crazy and that is a good thing, but we have to get you out of here before the mad one realizes-"
A resounding explosion sounded and all of the warframes were in motion as the wall caved in and Stalker flew through. He rolled to his feet, his sword up as a horde of badly painted warframes crowded in. At least ten of them.
"There you are!" A mad cackle came as a familiar and terrifying energy form stepped out of a hideously blue colored Excalibur. The young Eliza's eyes flashed as she took in the scene. "Huh. You are coming with me, Catherine!"
"No, I am not." Cathi Gata replied, moving to stand with the others as Gemina, Falcon and Sera made a wall. They shifted to ward her and shes growled in annoyance but let them. "That is not my name, by the way."
"That is your true self. You have forgotten so much." Was the mad girl sad now? Or was that an act? "They took so much. I won't let them hurt you again! I won't!"
"What?" That came from everyone but Sera.
"Stop!" Cathi Gata barked in command voice when the garishly painted warframes took a step in and Stalker made to charge them. "Fighting won't work here. We are immortal. You are immortal. Killing each other won't help-" She stilled as the mad girl gave a sob. "What?"
"I won't let them hurt you again!" The girl declared, power flaring around her. "They took you and hurt you and you don't remember! You did it for me but now? I can save you! And I will!"
"Wait." Cathi Gata said quickly when everyone tensed. "Just wait a minute. This… This doesn't add up. Gemina?" She asked as the Equinox drew her Ninkondi, the Nova a Prime Skana and Falcon a long, two handed Nikana that pulsed with fell power. "Wait!" She commanded.
"She will attack!" Gemina declared. "She will. It is what she does. It is only a question of when."
"She is talking to me!" Cathi Gata snapped back. "Let me try!"
"Do not move." Gemina's voice was just as commanding and Cathi Gata sighed.
"Fine. I won't." Cathi Gata knelt but not into seiza. Into a cross legged stance and her hands folded properly in front of her. "There is no emotion… There is only peace." Everyone stared as the mad girl smiled and relaxed!
"Oh, good!" The mad girl seemed calm for a moment. "You remember! Do you remember any more?"
"I don't know you." Cathi Gata said quietly. "This is what I do. How I calm myself. Do you know me?"
"I did." The mad girl begged. "You tried to help me! I didn't under- NO!" She screamed as green energy flared around her. Dingy, off white power flared and pushed it back as the spear wielding lady from before appeared in a clap of power. "LEAVE HER ALONE!"
"You will not harm her." The words from the spear wielder shook the very walls.
"YOU ARE THE ONLY ONE ALLOWED TO DO THAT, YOU LYING SCALED BITCH!" That was pure fury form the mad girl as power flared around her. Power that was oddly familiar. Why were all of the garishly painted warframes now focused on the newcomer? "She did nothing to you!"
"She does not belong here and neither do you." Again, that terrible, terrible voice.
"Lady Raviine..." Gemina all but begged as the pair of insanely powerful females braced each other. "What is going on?" The mad girl replied but did not take her eyes off her opponent.
"Gemina Horati! Do not move! All of you but Catherine are in grave danger!" The mad Eliza braced the warden again! "You wardens are so powerful, so above it all and so powerful. But there are limits." The mad girl looked at Cathi Gata and her face was sad. "They took it all. You tried to help me and I hurt you! I tried to help you and I hurt you so badly…. I had to fix what I did. I had to."
"Stop talking!" The woman with the spear stepped forward. Two garish Rhino warframes interposed themselves and a negligent swat from the spear made both vanish. "What you did is not allowed."
"I know." The mad girl sounded so like Eliza now. "Only you are allowed to mess things up so badly, right? She helped me so you hurt her! I will never forget or forgive!"
"There is no passion… there is serenity." Was that Cathi Gata's voice. Yes. No. It was and it wasn't!
"STOP!" That came from the spear wielder but the mad girl relaxed further!
The girl spoke in a language that Cathi Gata was sure she did not know. But she understood it somehow!
[I found her. I cannot hold it back. GRANDMASTER! HELP!]
"No!" The spear wielder stepped forward, but too late as a form shimmered into being between Cathi's group and the spear wielder. It resolved into a black haired woman with piercing green eyes. She was neither young nor old and the sheer power that shimmered around her was daunting to say the least. She wore silver armor that Cathi Gata almost recognized and had a sword slung across her back… Wait a minute! Two hilts hung at her belt! Not swords! Hilts! Before Cathi Gata could find her tongue, the newcomer spoke in a calm voice.
"Be at ease, Elizabeth. I am here. I will help." The voice from the newcomer was quiet, calm, but sad. She laid a hand on the mad girl's shoulder and the girl relaxed. "I might have known." Now she shook her head. "Raviine. Didn't the last time teach you wardens anything? There are balances for a reason!" That was chiding!
"You cannot be here." Was the spear wielder suddenly cautious?
"And you can?" The black haired woman seemed to fight a sigh as she turned to look at the group with Cathi Gata. Her eyes widened and then she bowed to Cathi Gata. A half bow, one of respect, not subservience. This woman was anything but subservient. "Well met, Catherine Gata. You likely do not remember me. I am Nia Korr, Grandmaster of the Bladeborn." She smiled. "It is good to see you again, battlesister."
What the hell?
Nia Korr is a character from my VERY first fanfiction. I wrote a short piece called 'Shades of Grey' for Star Wars: The Old Republic way back when it was first announced in 2008. Then I wrote more. And more. That story grew way out of hand and I learned a lot about how not to write things in the course of the four years and hundred chapters plus epilogue plus side stories that 'Love, The Force and Everything' took to finish. For now, it is still available on SWTOR forums under Kalenath. Not great writing, but I learned a lot.
Nia Korr was a pivotal character in that entire series. For many reasons. Some of which, we are about to see. She is one of the few people in any reality that scare the crap out of ALL the wardens. For very good reason. The good news? She is neutral, not evil. She knows all about choice and consequence, so she rarely acts at all, and when she does? It is never thoughtless.
That said?
She IS rather annoyed at the moment.