That is not entertainment
Lissandra was clearly terrified and fighting hard not to cry.
Even with Cass, the puppy Lilly and the holographic Kavat moving protectively around her, she all but exuded fear when she was led into the room that housed the group. Rachel, Mavri and Tiana all stood by one wall. Ali stood by another. The Reverend Mother took one look at the all but crying girl, shook her head and stalked forward. Liriel made way as the Clergywoman took Lissandra in her arms and hugged her tight. Lissandra lost her battle and started to cry as the Reverend Mother held her. The nun glared at the Kavat who eyed her with matching animosity.
Do not fight. The fierce words from the puppy had everyone staring at the small Kubrow who glared around at everyone. My mistress is stressed enough.
"She has a right to it." Ali said softly as he bent to one knee and held out a hand that the Kubrow gave a sniff of. "We mean her no harm, devoted one."
Harm will feel my bite. The puppy barked so fiercely that more than one person bit back chuckles. Ali did not. Cass and the Reverend Mother did not either. Cass joined the hug.
"Fear is a survival instinct." The masked being said quietly. "Humans, Tenno, others. Most biological forms and many others feel fear. Anger often follows to protect them from whatever has frightened them. In this case, we mean you no harm, Human Lissandra." He rose to his feet and held out a slow hand to Lissandra who stared at it through streaming eyes. "I mean you no harm."
"I am sorry." Lissandra was sobbing as the Reverend Mother held her. "I am sorry." She all but babbled.
"What have you possibly got the be sorry about?" The Clergywoman asked, her tone firm, but her hands were gentle as she tried to soothe the distraught girl. "You didn't do any of this. You have been hurt and abused. You are not a warrior. Not a combatant in any way and evil beings have taken advantage. Calm, Lissandra. It will be okay. But you need to be calm." She crooned and Lissandra hiccuped a bit, relaxing.
"I do not know if calm is going to happen, Reverend Mother." Lissandra said sadly, but her tears did stop. "I will try not to embarrass you."
"You think I care about such things?" The Clergywoman asked as she stroked Lissandra's short hair. "You tried so hard to save René and you couldn't." The Kavat stared at her, but the human ignored the hologram to focus on the girl. "That wasn't your fault and neither is this. Easy. Easy." She soothed the girl and Lissandra slowly calmed.
"I hate this." Lissandra said sadly. "I hate my life." Everyone tensed but the Reverend Mother just kept trying to soothe her. "I hate it all! Why won't anyone kill me?" She demanded, angry flaring. Cass and the Reverend Mother held her tight as she halfheartedly tried to escape their embraces, but wasn't nearly strong enough to free herself.
"Lissandra." The elder Clergywoman's tone hardened. She shook her head and calmed herself visibly. "You know why."
"Because I might be useful someday." Lissandra snapped bitterly and then started crying again.
"Truthfully? Yes, but not just because of that. Also because you are a victim." Elder Mavri took a slow step towards the group and when no one reacted, another. "You are not guilty of any crime worthy of the death penalty, girl." She looked at the bearded Elder with hopeless eyes and he slowly shook his head. "We are what we are, but that? No. None of us will do that."
"Even when I beg for it." Lissandra all but collapsed in Cass and the Reverend Mother's embraces. "I just..." She broke off as Cass squeezed her hard.
"You are tired." The Reverend Mother said sadly. "For so long, you have been in pain and trying to stay upbeat despite it all. When you do not use your ability, it hurts you and no one sane wants to make you a slave or a mindless tool, Lissandra. No one."
"BUT THAT IS ALL I AM!" Lissandra screamed that and then jerked as Lilly whined a little at her feet. "I..."
Not to me. The Kubrow puppy said firmly as she sat on top of Lissandra's feet. She stared up at the girl, eyes wide and accepting. You are mine and I am yours. We are together.
"I..." Lissandra slumped, her rage fleeing as swiftly as it had appeared. She bent down to pet the Kubrow who leaned into her hand.
"Are you in pain now?" Rachel inquired softly. Lissandra shook her head. "Good."
"It won't last." Lissandra said sadly. "It never does." She gave herself a shake. "I… I apologize for my outburst, Reverend Mother."
"Remind me to beat you later." The Reverend Mother deadpanned and more than one person gasped, but Lissandra chuckled.
"I will." Lissandra's words held no mirth. "I don't see what good I can do, Reverend Mother." She begged as she petted Lilly who nuzzled her hand. "I can't fight Nef Anyo any more now than I could when I was a child."
"We do not need warriors right now, Lissandra." The Reverend Mother said with a sigh as she patted the girl's shoulder and then released her. "Warriors are all well and good when they have an enemy to fight, but what we face at the moment is not an enemy."
"I don't understand." Lissandra half asked, half stated. She jerked as Ali took a step towards her and Liriel hissed. She bared her teeth and the puppy at Lissandra's feet bared hers.
Touch her and die, you terrorist scum. The holographic Kavat queen's quiet words were not a threat. No, they were far more than that. She wouldn't just do it, she would enjoy it!
"'Terrorist'?" Lissandra asked weakly.
"Yes." Ali replied and when no one reacted, he continued. "A very long time ago, I was a foolish child who sought power. I met a powerful being who took me in and taught me how to be powerful." He shook his head. "I did not know or care of the consequences of my actions, because I wanted to be strong. I was the only being who mattered. Even Salia was not important to me as my own strength. I learned my lesson and it was both long and painful to learn."
"What did you want?" Lissandra asked, curious. "I mean, are you a Tenno?" Everyone bristled and she recoiled, but Ali spoke first.
"No." Ali shook his head and most relaxed. Liriel did not, Lissandra noticed. "I was made into what I am by a being who forsook the Ways of the Tenno who followed the First. Honestly? Now, I do not know if my mentor and her master sought power simply to have it or if they truly did have some grand scheme in mind as they always said they did. Salia and I were disciples of another who left the Tenno. Oris was not a nice being in the slightest. Our world was chaos with Hayden gone. He had kept all of us in line for a long time through sheer force of will, and then he was gone. Looking back with perfect hindsight? It was only a matter of time and how many died before we were stopped." He bowed his head. "Galina showed me just how much it cost, my hubris. Seeing ourselves as we truly are is no blessing."
"No. It isn't." Lissandra gave herself a shake and then gave Lilly one final pat before rising to dash the tears from her face with a hand. Lilly whined and when Lissandra bent down, gave Lissandra's face a lick before recoiling. The look on the puppy's face was pure comic gold.
Ew! Salt! The puppy's tone left little to the imagination about how she felt about that.
"Trust will not happen." Ali warned when Lissandra relaxed a little more. "The Tenno will not trust me and I will not trust them, but we have larger concerns at the moment." He stepped back. "Concerns you may be able to aid us with."
"How?" Lissandra sighed and knelt, petting Lilly who gave a whine of pleasure. "As I say, I am no warrior."
"What we face is not an enemy that can be fought with blades or bullets." Ali said soberly. "Once, long ago, just after Orokin was founded, there was a movement to abolish conflict altogether." Lissandra stared at him, confused and Ali shrugged. "Take my word for it, please? I have records but none of them are here."
"The 'Peace Life' movement." Rachel said softly and Ali inclined his head to her. It wasn't quite a nod, but it was an acknowledgment.
"Peace is a noble goal." Ali said with a shrug. "But humans and others, including many Tenno I have known, are ill suited to such a life. We get bored, you see and find new ways to entertain ourselves." He actually shuddered! "So, the movement looked for way to keep people from being bored. They found one."
"Why do I get the feeling that such is not a good thing?" Cass asked as he sat down beside Lissandra and started petting the puppy as who who soaked the attention up like a sponge.
"Because you are smart." The Revered Mother knelt beside Lissandra and laid her hand on the girl's arm. Liriel stared at her and then hissed softly. "Yes, Liriel. Nef Anyo apparently found an intact copy of an Orokin game program and tried to figure out how to use it as a weapon. And yes, it was Cell Free."
Is he insane? The Kavat snapped and then paused. She snorted. Okay. Yes, he is insane, but that… That is well beyond any of his normal madness. She sounded halfway between fury and fear.
"Indeed it is." The Reverend Mother sighed. "Lissandra? Apparently, you and the sergeant were taken to try and stop the program from spreading beyond his lab." Lissandra's eyes widened and the Clergywoman sighed. "Or, that is what was in his secure files. He is sneaky, so it may be some kind of trick or trap. But if that game is loose… Then we have all kinds of problems."
"'Game'?" Lissandra and Cass chorused. They looked at one another and Lissandra smiled, just a little, before turning back to the Reverend Mother.
"Yes." The Reverend Mother sighed and nodded to Ali. "Cell Free is a game. He knows firsthand what it can do. As does Liriel."
"But… How can a game be dangerous?" Lissandra asked. "I mean… Clearly you all think it is, but I don't understand." She admitted
"Anything that distracts a person can be dangerous if it happens at the wrong time." Ali replied when Liriel glared at him. "And yes, Salia and I used that distraction as a weapon. It was one of many tactics that the Tenno of the time and now all agree were wrong." He did not seem to think that.
"But… how can a game…?" Lissandra trailed off, shaking her head. "That doesn't make any sense!"
"It does." Ali replied, his tone full of old regret. "If you realize that the game Cell Free was the single most addictive of all of the Orokin entertainments." Both Cass and Lissandra stiffened and Ali nodded. "The more you played, the more you wanted to."
"Orokin..." Lissandra said weakly and then she nodded. "Some kind of pleasant neural feedback?"
"Indeed." Ali bowed to Lissandra. "Well reasoned."
"Was it violent, that game?" Cass asked and everyone but Lissandra shook their heads. "Is that good or bad?"
"A bit of both." Ali replied. "Violent games, by their very nature, are hard to keep going. No matter how jaded or dark a person may get, there is always a limit." He looked at the Reverend Mother who nodded. "That limit may be a person's sanity, but once that limit is passed, they stop playing."
"And if it is simple fun..." Lissandra said quietly. "They don't stop." Everyone nodded.
It was a puzzle. Liriel said softly from where she crouched, wary. The better you did at solving the puzzle, the better you felt. It did not physically interact with any of the pleasure centers, that was forbidden, but it did stimulate them. It pulled people in and held them tight. Instant gratification for success has always been a dream of many sentient species. The game gave that to the players.
"Oh dear." Cass and Lissandra chorused. Lissandra clung to Cass who sighed and nodded. He continued. "And now…?"
"Any unprepared being is incredibly vulnerable to this." Rachel said quietly. "Neural feeds such as this game used were intended for connection to all sorts of Orokin technology." She looked at the floor. "A dozen Tenno died when the game was let loose."
When he let it loose. Liriel snapped at Ali.
"Salia let it loose." Ali replied without heat. "I was there, yes. To my shame, I did not argue. If not for…" He paused. "...for Lynn and Galina..." He corrected himself grimly. "...I would be as dead as Salia is."
"She died?" Lissandra asked.
"Energy beings can die just as meat beings can, Lissandra." The Reverend Mother said quietly. "It is not something they advertise, but asking you to try and fix this without all the information is a death sentence and while you may wish death, I do not wish it on you. I love you, Lissandra. All of your faults non-withstanding, you were dear to me before you tried to hard to help René. Our shared grief when we lost her is our bond."
"I love you too." The human girl held out a hand that the Reverend Mother took. "How can I help? Obviously, you think I can. Is this game something I can filter?" She asked.
"Anyo thought you could." The elder Clergywoman said with a frown. "But as to how? I have no idea. The files are vague. I saw the header and freaked." Lissandra looked at her and the Reverend Mother frowned. "In my previous life, I talked with Ali a few times. He was serving an eternal penance for his crimes and we talked about good and evil several times. Cell Free came up in our discussions. He is a good counselor."
"It helped that I had little else to do." Ali's tone might have dried up a flooding river. "Galina may have spared me, but she was not about to let me run around loose." Lissandra stared at him and Ali shrugged. "I cannot stay away from the Sanctuary but so long. I won't die." He reassured her when she tensed. "She wasn't that nice." He muttered.
"If anyone earned an eternity of prison, you did." Rachel replied. "You may not have actually killed anyone with your own two hands, but their blood is on your soul."
"I know." Ali replied. "But this? I am glad to be here. Cell Free is a horror. It doesn't seem that way, but it is. You do not realize when your body or energy wastes away. You just keep playing."
"You played it." Lissandra said softly. Ali nodded.
"I did, so I know exactly how addictive it is." Ali had a frown in his voice now. "But this… This is odd. The Orokin, the Tenno, everyone focused on destroying every copy of that game. No one dared to keep any. Nikis wouldn't have dared that ban. It was not every day that the Tenno, the Orokin Emperor and the Council of Executors agreed on anything. As far as I know, it didn't happen before or after that." Everyone stared at the green masked being as he shook his head. "No Tenno would have kept a copy, no matter how well secured. They knew how dangerous it was. No one in this time could make something that foul disguised as fair."
"That wouldn't stop any number of fools I know of from trying." The Reverend Mother said sourly. "Anyo is just one of many who would love to drop something like that on an enemy. While they are all distracted, you take over. But then, they get infected, but what do they care as long as they have more money than you when they die?" That was bitter and Lissandra gave the Clergywoman's hand a squeeze that the Reverend Mother returned.
"The Sentients?" Cass inquired. "Could they resist it or worse, use it?"
"Could they?" The Reverend Mother asked the room. "Sure. Why would they? They have far more efficient means of killing or enslaving. And then there is the chance that they could be infected."
"Seriously?" Cass asked, looking at Liriel who nodded.
The game reads the minds of the players. It doesn't matter the species. The Kavat was tense. It does so to find a way to offer positive feedback when they win and to give them a challenge. No session in the game is ever the same.
"Holy." Cass paused and then he stared at Liriel in consternation. "You don't think…?"
No, Lynn was not involved. The Kavat reassured him. She knew better. Her son and daughter had both been addicted to video games. Both went through a great deal of angst to break the addiction. I have my arguments with her, but she would not have done that. She was involved in the cleanup after Ali was captured. So was I. Pain sang in her voice. We failed so many.
"You did what you could." Everyone stared as Lissandra bowed her head to the holographic Kavat. "I will do what I can. If this game…" She shook her head. "What can I filter? It is not a toxin, is it?"
"Toxins do result." Ali sounded thoughtful. "But that is mainly from lack of care, lack of feeding, dehydration, that kind of thing. Nothing matters but the game. The addiction must be broken."
"I am not an addiction counselor." Lissandra said weakly. "If it is computer related, then Cass' presence makes some sense, but what can I do? What did he plan for me to do?"
"Lissandra..." The Reverend Mother squeezed her hand again. "He was going to let it loose on Venus. The lab is in the Orb Vallis."
"Fortuna?" Lissandra said weakly. Everyone nodded and she slumped. "I… I never wanted to go back." She admitted.
"Neither do I. But if you go? You will not go alone." Cass reassured her. He looked at the Reverend Mother and his gaze turned hard. "What haven't you told us?"
"You do not want to know." The Reverend Mother said quietly. All of the Tenno nodded, but Cass just hugged Lissandra.
"If you will not be truthful with me..." Cass said firmly. "...I will not let her fall into your snares. I know what you do and why-" He broke off as Lissandra sighed. "What?" He asked her.
"I halfway remember what he told me when I was being programmed. It is not strong enough to compel me, but it is clear." Lissandra said very softly. "But I won't do it. I won't!"
"Do what?" Cass demanded, fear and anger warring.
"Become his immortal Daughter of Profit." Lissandra said sadly. "Ruler of Fortuna."
"Oh." Cass stared at her and then at the others. "Ah..."
"Like I said." The Reverend Mother pulled Lissandra into a hug as the girl started to cry again. "You didn't want to know."
"No, I guess not. Me?" Cass asked.
"The Raptor plan was a fake." The Reverend Mother shrugged. "You would have been the next 'Sergeant'. He loses the soldiers who take that role regularly." Her grin was vicious. "Can't imagine why."
"As a Cyberlancer?" Cass asked weakly.
"Maybe you would live a bit longer than most who get brainwashed into that role."