WARNING!
This chapter includes insights into Ria's past and some of the most fucked up things I have ever written. I'm serious, it includes rampant child abuse! Skip the first few paragraphs if you are not OK with it. Warframe (which doesn't belong to me) is just an amazing setting to get seriously messed up in.
Sculptures of gold and ivory, turning in constant motion. Beauty wherever the eye went in the Yuvan theater. Only father's voice broke the fascination. "Here they are, esteemed lady! They are magnificent, aren't they? Identical twins, a marvel of chance! Here is a picture of their mother, sadly, we couldn't afford for her to come with me for this momentous event but I swear, they have her eyes and my appetite. Just a joke, esteemed one. But the two will grow into equal beauties, believe me, milady! Oh, my lord wishes a test? Of course! Please, feel free to sample them any way you like. I swear, they will be to your liking." Father smiled and shoved her into the hands of the golden lord. "Ria, go with the esteemed Master, be good, just like I told you." She could still hear him as the man led her away.
"What? No, don't worry, esteemed lady! Milord may do as he pleases with her. I would never implore milady to buy her tested. You would honour us enough if you chose Lissa for youeself. If milord enjoys Ria, think how much he will enjoy to have an unsullied one again. Of course their mother agrees with this, esteemed lady! What greater honour is there than to sire a child worthy of an Orokin's fancy? What? Not just this honour but also a trip beyond the system and capital to start…"
Fires raged on the lower decks. Screams and laughter mixed in a cacophony of madness. A woman lay alone. Overwhelmed by pain, screaming, maddened. Not alone. A party had heard her. She couldn't run, her leg had snapped cleanly. They approached slowly. Hunched over, bestial, primal, out for blood and worse. They were four. Sharp shards of glass and steel in hand, their faces twisted with sadistic glee.
The door slammed shut, cutting out all the lights. The demon returned. The woman could only see sharp, bright flashes and smell the burning of flesh and bone. Then it was over and she was alone with the demon's glowing eyes. It slowly dragged the bodies into the darkness, mocking her with an illusion of weakness and fragility. Then it walked over to her, its eyes burning like fire. "That group took a while. We're thinning them out. You better start screaming louder or I'll make you!" Ria ordered and returned to the darkness. She felt a lidless eye upon her and embraced it, becoming part of the endless horror upon the Zariman.
"Keep it up, Kiddo…"
Ria sat on a cold chair. Her gaze was fixated upon the cuffs around her wrists. Next door, two men, censors, were talking in hushed voices.
"They found her in a room full of corpses. She killed two of the rescue squad and we assume at least twenty passengers, including her parents. She's a monster! That isn't right! We can't just-"
"She surrendered after she noticed they were not crazy. She isn't the only one like that… And even if she threw a grenade into your mother's funeral, we have our orders! Archimedean Margulis has demanded them, so write down her name and her passenger number, transfer them to the esteemed lady and then forget that this ever happened!"
"But it feels so wrong!"
"Yes, but we're not getting paid to feel right, we are supposed to as we're told! But say… is it just me, or does she look familiar? Her face, I mean."
"You saying that all black people look the same to you?"
"No, just… I think I've seen that face before. Never mind, just get her to the others, we have a lot more to process."
"You really like reading, don't you? You know, you're either watching them or reading, but you hardly ever spend time with the others. Are you are afraid of them? What, you're afraid of hurting them? You say, someone is ordering you?"
"This will stop the voices from taking hold. You will have to dream, my angel…"
"Margulis?" Ria's eyes opened slowly. These memories… they only came in dreams. She hated them. In the Second Dream, she would never remember. The voices were silent! She didn't want to remember! She was Tenno! Not the discarded prop, not the blood-caked monster, not the crazed child…
There was warmth next to her. A huge body, breathing slowly and gently. Ria let out a sigh and crawled closer. Dumb Grineer. Why had she put a crack in Ria's shell? She used to be a respected follower of Naramon and valuable asset to the Lotus. And right now, she felt like a broken, little girl, dreaming of the only person who had ever loved her. She crawled even closer and rested her head on Sindr's shoulder. Both their work-out clothes felt sweaty and the blanket was too warm.
"It's hard sleeping if you don't switch off the floodlights…" Sindr said without moving. She generally didn't move much. Without her legs and arm, the Grineer's mobility was miniscule.
Ria let out a sigh. "Sorry, I had a bad dream. I didn't mean to wake you up."
"I couldn't really sleep either." The Grineer said quietly.
"What's on your mind?" Ria asked more eager than she wanted to sound. Maybe it could distract her.
"It's gonna sound stupid but… that Snipetron…" Sindr sighed "I just figured… I might never shoot a rifle again…"
The Tenno bit her lip. "I'll help you find something." She said quickly "I'm sure I-"
"Look, I appreciate the offer, but seriously, I'm not sure if there is a 'something' for me." The Grineer sighed "I have no education besides shooting and there aren't exactly many armies that would take a… hero like me." She let out a laugh "I hated myself for it, but I killed enough Steel Meridians, they are probably using my face on target dummies. And who else would ever take a Grineer?" Ria could almost see Sindr's face grimace in the dark "And no, I can't do 'peaceful' stuff. I was cloned and raised for war."
Ria shook her head. "I wasn't, but I think I've gotten really good at it. So, diversifying is an option. Maybe you can try…"
"You know that war isn't like other things. Technicians can flail with their tools, but they need to be messed in the head to become good warriors. Soldiers like me, we are by design." Sindr let out a laugh "Or can you imagine me with a blowtorch? Or trying to sell something? Or cooking a fish?"
It wasn't as if Ria didn't try, but Sindr had a point. She might as well imagine the fish wielding a blowtorch. Sindr didn't kill things that were no challenge. "I'll find you some place…" The Tenno said firmly "You'd be wasted off the battlefield. Even if I think that you're much more..."
"Here come the compliments and I feel better…" The Grineer smiled and wrapped her arm a bit tighter around the Tenno to pull her closer. "What woke you? That Void monster?"
"Yes and no…" Ria answered slowly "I don't feel him now, but that means nothing. Shows up when he wants and leaves just as fast."
"You call it a 'he'?"
"That's what his voice sounds like to me. Though I guess it isn't male or female. He has a no names, but someone, I respect, called it 'The Indifference'. Fits well. It doesn't seem to care until something strikes it fancy… and I never know what it is." She sighed "It's frustrating."
"So, it talks to you?"
Ria let out a sigh. "Yes, but what makes it so bad is how he feels. It's different for every Tenno, but it's always connected to our worst memories. Sensory overload, being beaten by your parents or being trapped in a dark place, I've heard a lot of accounts." Her face hardened in the darkness "To me, it's like cold fingers that slowly caress your whole body."
"Fuck… it's not just a voice it also molests you?" Sindr muttered. Suddenly her eyes went wide. "Your worst memory… It… it wasn't because I-"
"No! Being with you is nothing like them…" Ria interrupted quickly. She reached up and ran a hand over Sindr's cheek. "You made me feel wanted and special… that was the first time a par- another person gave me that feeling."
Sindr stared for a moment. She could hardly make out Ria's form in the dark, but her eyes shone with their alien gleam. Hypnotic in a way. "What piece of shit wouldn't? You deserve being treated well…"
Ria sighed. "It was long ago."
"Oh fuck, when you were even younger? Even I know that you're not supposed to… not with kids…" She pulled the Tenno into a tight hug "I'm starting to understand why you are the way you are…"
The Tenno smiled and enjoyed the warm embrace. Yes, Sindr was vulgar, snappish and perverted… but there was so much warmth in that woman. She cared. A thought jumped into Ria's head. "How do you know? You said that you never met a child…"
"Well, first of all: Intercourse with any enemy is strictly forbidden. No bonding with non-Grineer. And children are under special protection. Unharmed, they make great hostages to get the parents working harder..." Sindr answered calmly. She let out a snicker "Good that you're not a child… I'd get double executed for what we did yesterday. Worth it…"
Ria let out a laugh and snuggled a bit closer. "It's really all about bonding to you, is it?"
"What else is it for?"
The Tenno's eyes widened. "Erm… you know… babies!"
There was a chilling silence. "Wait… THAT'S where they come from?"
"YOU DIDN'T KNOW THAT?"
"I came out of a vat!" Sindr babbled
"Yes, but... seriously!"
"I thought… I… well, I didn't think about it! I'm sterile by design! How the fuck should I know?"
"Where did you think that babies come from?"
"Well, I guessed that you lay eggs into the neck and then they burst out of your mother's chests and-"
Ria felt the shock disappear. "You're fucking with me…"
Sindr burst into laughter. "Took you a while!" she giggled and ran her hand over Ria's head.
"You suck!" Ria laughed gave her a soft punch.
"Did you really think I was that stupid?" The Grineer asked, not letting Ria go.
"You didn't know that black people existed!"
"I still don't think so, because right now, I don't see any!"
The Tenno laughed louder and hugged the bigger woman tightly. "Yes, it's our natural talent! We're slightly harder to see in the dark!" Finally she relaxed and sighed "Thanks…" she said after a moment of merriment.
"No reason to thank me…" Sindr said with a laugh "You want to try and get some more sleep?"
Ria shook her head. "Nope… I don't like where the dreams lead. It's way more fun here with you."
"Sounds like I'm having some tough competition." The Grineer looked down, worry invading her features "Do you want to talk about it?"
The Tenno let out a sardonic laugh. "There isn't much to talk about, really. I just remember parts. And the less I know about the details, the better."
"Fine. Just… no matter what happened to you in the past, you're a great person and I wouldn't like you any less." Sindr said and pressed a small kiss on Ria's forehead "And I'd never consider you any less than a person…" She let out a bitter laugh "Heck, I have a hard time seeing myself on your level…"
"What? That's… what?"
"Look, I've gotten rid of my genetic programing, but I'm still a Grineer. I've had decades of 'Strength is Justification' shoved in my head. And you're this divine super being with all that power and yet you have all that honour and shit. If any Grineer had your power, they'd declare themselves god and lord over everyone. And you sit in this ship and eat Hyekka chow off the floor." She let out a laugh "I mean… all who had enough brains in their heads always thought that Tenno were just treasure hunting, credits grubbing Corpus without the honesty. You know, honourless fucks. And here you come and treat me like a fucking friend."
"Sindr…"
"Look, if I insult you, it's probably because I'm looking up to you, not down. And it doesn't matter what other people or that Inference-monster or whatever did to you, the result is someone I really like." She sighed "I mean, I am gonna dial back the language… but it's not cause I think less of you."
Ria felt a wave of warmth blow over her and tears began to burn in her eyes. She rolled over and climbed onto Sindr, ending up face to face, her hands left and right of the Grineer's head. She could hardly make out Sindr's features in the soft glow of her own eyes. "I'm not above you!" she said harshly "I… I look up to you! You know so much about people and care so much and…" Words failed and Ria pushed down, pressing a kiss onto the Girneer's lips. She didn't wait to kiss her again and again, becoming sloppier and rougher.
Sindr ran her hand through Ria's hair and pulled her back gently, concern on her face. "Do you really want to go there?" she asked while biting her lip "There's a lot on yo-"
"I won't let them control me any longer! I'm here. With you! And you deserve some attention after all you did for me!" The Tenno said firmly while running her hand over Sindr's cheek.
"This isn't an exchange, you know…"
"Nope, if it was, I'd be so deep in debt, the whole CORPUS conglomerate couldn't bail me out. I want to do this for you because I like you."
Sindr sighed and smiled. "Fine… can you get me my arm?"
"Nope…"
"What?"
"You'd lift me and flip me around and do all kinds of things that would make me feel good." Ria said with a grin "No, tonight you're going to lay back and let me make you feel nice."
"Kinky…"
"Operator!" Sicarius voice suddenly cut through the room "My self-diagnosis is complete and I- OH NO, OPERATOR!"
Ria felt the world collapse "OH COME ON!"
Yay for tonal shifts... seriously, it felt wrong to go into explicit stuff after the whole first part. And we all missed Sicarius right? Don't worry, there is always a next chapter...