Beta had been busy going over some data GAIA had relayed to her regarding the progress of the terraforming system when Kotallo had arrived back at the Base. He liked to make a trip back to the mountains from time to time, just to check in – he apparently did not like excessive communication over the Focus network, feeling it was too impersonal and lacking in any kind of warmth. Re-establishing that warmth, he had said, was part of what he felt being a soldier was all about. So now he was back, sitting in the communal area and sharpening one of his knives. Beta did not think was particularly sociable, but she had something she wanted to ask him regardless, so she swallowed her apprehension and approached him very nervously.

"Hello?"

Kotallo looked up from the whetstone he was using to hone his blade's edge, and saw Beta standing apprehensively a few steps away. "Hello," he said shortly. "Did you want something?"

Beta shifted in place a little, feeling very uncomfortable and small for a moment. "I, um, I wanted to ask you about your tattoos and what they mean," she said nervously. "If that's all right, that is – I can ask somebody else if you don't want to talk about them."

Kotallo raised an eyebrow. "I see," he began, before laying his blade down on the table in front of him and focusing his full attention on Beta. "It's very simple: we Tenakth use the canvas of our skin to record our victories and our great deeds, and to remember moments which changed us as soldiers and as people." He pointed to a marking just above the stump of his left arm. "This marks the time I killed a pair of stalkers when I was sixteen, to avenge the members of my squad that the machines had killed." Shifting his hand, he gestured to another design, on his stomach this time. "This is a reminder of when I rescued one of my squad from an avalanche." Then he tapped the side of his neck. "And this is to remember the Sky clan's last victory over the Desert clan before Chief Hekarro unified all of the Tenakth under his banner." He paused, laying his hand in his lap. "Why are you asking me this?"

Beta bit her lip. "I, um, I wanted to know what your tattoos meant because I was thinking that I'd like to get one done," she said, dropping her gaze a little sheepishly, "but I don't think I've done enough to earn one yet."

Kotallo reached out and grasped Beta's shoulder as gently as he could. "I disagree," he said, making Beta look up in shock. "Many Tenakth do not like to admit it, but sometimes a battle cannot be won with bow or spear, only with strength of mind. You and I both know that better than anyone." He paused. "Your sister is one of the greatest warriors I have ever known, but when we fought the Zeniths you did what she could not. You turned the tide and stopped the Zeniths' machines." He paused again, giving her his best attempt at a smile. "Do not think for even a second that you have not earned a commemoration. I know many inkers who would be honoured to make the first mark on your skin."

"Do you really mean that?" Beta asked, somewhat shaken by Kotallo's assertion. "You're not just saying it to be nice?"

"Yes, I really mean it," Kotallo told her firmly. "You should know by now that exaggeration is not one of my better skills." He tapped his Focus and shared an image of the surrounding landscape with her, pointing to the nearest Tenakth settlement. "Arrowhand is only a short ride away from here. We can be there by nightfall at the latest – I will speak to the inker there if he has put his tools away for the evening and tell him to make an exception for you. A soldier's first marking is a rite of passage that you should not be denied."

Arrowhand was a little too loud and busy for Beta to really feel at ease, but Kotallo had not refused her request to hold his hand, which surprised her. She had thought that a Tenakth soldier as dedicated as Kotallo would balk at such an obvious display of insecurity, but apparently not. "Squad-mates should support one another, no matter what," he had said as she clung onto him for dear life. The notion that he would consider her as his equal had stunned her, given that he was approximately twice her size and had scars as long as her forearm gouged into his barrel chest, as if he had been on the front lines of a hundred battles while she had never even raised a weapon in anger.

"Here we are," Kotallo said, shaking Beta free from her thoughts. She saw him step up to the inker, waiting patiently as the artist put the finishing touches to a design on the leg of a well-muscled soldier who was squirming with visible, reluctant discomfort as the inker's needle jabbed at her skin. A wave of cold terror clawed at Beta's resolve as Kotallo spoke to the inker once he had finished his work, gesturing in her direction. The inker looked over to her and – as she had grown to expect – appeared completely stunned for a moment.

"Saviour –" he began, making the same mistake so many people had made before. Beta had to struggle not to roll her eyes.

"No, that's – that's my sister," she explained patiently. "My name is Beta."

"As you say," the inker replied, raising his eyebrows for a second as if he was still unconvinced by her assertion, but was indulging her out of respect for Aloy. "What does the Saviour's sister want with me?"

"I… I want to have a reminder of something," Beta said, before she extended a slender hand and pressed a folded piece of paper into the man's stained fingers. "This is the design I want."

The inker opened up the paper and examined what was printed on it. "What is this?" he asked, a quizzical look on his face.

"That is none of your concern," Kotallo said sharply, jabbing his remaining forefinger at the inker to underline his point. "Can you do this for her?"

"Yes, Marshal," the inker said, picking up his tools and stirring the various pots of ink sitting on the table to his right, before Kotallo briefly touched him on the shoulder.

"One more thing before you start," he said. "This will be Beta's first marking. It should be treated with the appropriate respect."

The inker smiled. "Well, why didn't you say so? Please, sit." He pointed to the now-empty chair, and Beta obliged him, still a little apprehensively. Before she could say anything more, the inker was picking up another tray of paints and daubing thick lines of them onto her cheeks until it seemed like her whole face was covered in it. As he was applying the paint, the inker explained "This paint is to show that a child has become a soldier. It marks your wish to dedicate your life to the service of the Tenakth people, and your intentions to fight for them whenever it is necessary. Do you accept this responsibility?"

"I, um, I don't – I don't know what to say –" Beta began, before Kotallo leant down so that he was close to her ear.

"Just say yes," he whispered gently, before squeezing her shoulder reassuringly.

Oh," Beta said, before she cleared her throat and said "Yes, I do," in as confident a tone as she could manage.

"I think that's an acceptable answer," the inker said, giving her a little wink. "Now where do you wish your marking to be?"

"Right here," Beta said, touching the place where she wanted her marking to go.

"Excellent choice," the inker said, picking up his needle and dipping it into the nearest pot of paint. "Now just try to relax, soldier."

"Relax?" Beta repeated, alarmed. Relaxation was suddenly the furthest thing from her mind now that she could see an actual needle about to pierce her skin. Up until this moment it had been a relatively abstract concept but now it was staring her in the face, and she was suddenly feeling a lot less confident – and considering how low her levels of confidence usually were, that was saying something.

"Yes, relax," Kotallo said, offering her his hand as the inker began his work and made Beta squeak with pain. Gritting her teeth, she grabbed Kotallo's fingers and clenched her hand as hard as she could, screwing her eyes closed and sinking her teeth into her bottom lip as she tried not to panic her way out of the chair.

Some time later, the inker lifted his needle away from Beta's skin, leaving behind a stinging ache which made Beta's toes curl before he smeared some kind of salve onto her skin to soothe the pain, for which she was very grateful. "All finished, soldier," he said. Beta opened her eyes one at a time and finally let go of Kotallo's fingers – to his visible relief – before raising her hand to wipe away the tears which had been beading there before Kotallo stopped her.

"Leave them alone," he said firmly. "Otherwise you will smear the paint on your face, and it needs to remain intact for now. Chaplain Jetakka will need to give you the blessings of the Ten and it would not be… advisable to appear before them with improperly-applied paints."

"Blessing?" Beta asked, a tremor of residual discomfort colouring her words.

"Yes, a blessing," Kotallo replied. "Every new soldier needs to be given the proper rites – and since you are now a new soldier of the Desert Clan, that includes you."

"Will it hurt?" Beta asked.

Kotallo tilted his head, looking a little puzzled. "No," he said. "Why would you think that?"

"Call it a hunch," Beta replied flatly – which made Kotallo laugh out loud, a deep rumble reverberating within his chest. Beta blinked in surprise; after all, she had never heard him laugh before.

"You are more like your sister than you realise," he said. "Now follow me – Jetakka will be eager to welcome you into our ranks." He led her over to the opposite side of the settlement and up a ramp to where the Wound in the Sand was located, surrounded by thirsty Tenakth dipping cups and jugs into it to quench their thirst. They were covered in dust which was sticking to their elaborate face paint, suggesting that they had just returned from an excursion into the further reaches of the desert – almost certainly machine-hunting, given the numerous smears of oil and coolant splashed across their clothes and skin. Jetakka was patiently corralling them so that they did not overcrowd the Wound, and as soon as the throng of soldiers was sufficiently calmed, Kotallo approached the noble veteran, leading Beta by the hand as he did so.

"Chaplain," he said, attracting Jetakka's attention. "A new recruit needs your blessing."

A little surprised by the unexpected intrusion, Jetakka looked in Kotallo's direction. As soon as he saw the paint on Beta's face, though, his posture completely changed and he stepped up to her, his hands resting on her shoulders. "Aloy," he said breathlessly. "It's an honour to –"

"No, Chaplain," Kotallo interrupted before Beta could correct the older warrior herself. "This is Beta. She is Aloy's sister, and she wishes you to grant her your permission to join our ranks now that she is marked with her first commemoration." He gestured to Beta's fresh ink. "Will you accept her?"

"I will," Jetakka replied, his voice taking on a more formal tone. "The Desert Clan welcomes all who are marked with a record of their valour." He traced his finger through her face paint, running it across her cheeks and around her eyes before giving her a small smile. "We are honoured by your choice to enlist with us. Take your place in our ranks and do us proud." He thumped his chest in a salute, then fixed Beta with his gaze for a few seconds as if he was waiting for something. Beta felt panic knotting in her guts because she had no clue how she was supposed to reciprocate.

To her great relief, however, Kotallo was in her ear again after a moment or two. "Just return the salute," he murmured gently.

"Oh," Beta exclaimed. "Oh." Hurriedly she raised her own fist and hammered on her ribs, making Jetakka smile in obvious relief, his broad grin even cracking the paint caked on his cheeks.

"I can see you still have a lot to learn," he said. "Marshal Kotallo will be an excellent teacher, I'm sure."

Kotallo did nothing but grunt in vague agreement.

Aloy was just about to try raising Beta over her Focus when she heard the door to the Base's communal area hiss open, and then saw Beta and Kotallo walking inside. "Beta?" she asked, concerned. "Is everything all right? Where were you?"

"Kotallo and I went to Arrowhand," Beta replied simply. "I had something I wanted to do there, so Kotallo helped me out."

"What kind of thing?"

"Beta wished to be marked by a Tenakth inker," Kotallo explained. "I gave her access to one."

"You did what?" Aloy snapped in disbelief. "Why?"

"Because I asked him to," Beta said, folding her arms. "I wanted to do this, Aloy. This means something to me." She uncrossed her arms and walked forwards, holding out her right wrist palm-up, its skin reddened and sore.

Etched in her flesh was the emblem of Cauldron Gemini, circled with an intertwining chain of flowers.

"What is this?" Aloy demanded, furiously grabbing her sister's arm with one hand and pointing to it with the other. "Why did you get… this? Don't you remember what happened there?"

"Of course I do! Varl was my friend!" Beta's eyes were abruptly full of angry tears as she pulled her arm back. "I just wanted something to remember him!" She wiped at her face with the knuckles of her other hand. "And – and Kotallo told me that Tenakth tattoos help them remember moments that made them who they are. What happened at Gemini made me who I am now, Aloy. Don't you understand?"

Aloy did not reply, instead simply turning on her heel and storming into her room, the doors hissing closed and locking behind her. Beta immediately started to follow her but Kotallo stopped her by gripping her arm. "Leave her be for now," he said quietly. "She needs some space." He pointed to the Strike board on a nearby table. "Play a few games of Strike with me and then you can try to talk to her again."

"Okay," Beta said, running her hands through her hair, "but I get to go first."

"As you wish," Kotallo replied, picking up a handful of pieces and beginning to set them out on the board, "but if I prevail, I think I will have the victory marked on my skin. Battles like this are always worthy of remembering, after all."

Beta gave him a muted smile despite herself. "Thank you for trying, Kotallo," she said. "I appreciate it."

An hour passed and Aloy had still not emerged from her room, so Beta knocked on the door hesitantly, half-expecting her sister to yell at her. She got no response, though, which made her even more concerned, so she went down into the server sub-level to root around for a screwdriver. When she had found one she set about popping open the access panel next to Aloy's doorway, tweaking some wires experimentally until the doors popped open. As they did so she saw Aloy lying on her bed with her back towards the entrance.

"Go away, Beta," Aloy said flatly. "I don't want to talk to you right now."

"You might not want to talk to me," Beta replied, "but I want to talk to you. Why are you so angry with me?"

Aloy rolled over then, giving her sister a piercing glare. "I loved Varl like I loved Rost," she snapped. "Every time I see that tattoo I'll be reminded of how he's gone forever and not coming back!"

"You don't think I know that?" Beta said, before she jabbed her forefinger at the marking on her wrist. "Varl was the first person to talk to me like I was a real person, Aloy. Why can't I remember him in my own way? You can't tell me what I can and can't do with my own body!"

Aloy ran her hands over her face, exhaling loudly before sitting upright and focusing her gaze on the floor. "You're right," she said, her voice going uncharacteristically small. "I can't. You can mourn Varl any way you want – I just wish you'd talked to me about it first. I don't like surprises."

Cautiously Beta made her way across the room and sat next to her sister, who much to her relief did not move away from her. "I'm… sorry I didn't tell you I wanted this," she said. "Please don't hate me."

Abruptly Aloy raised her head and looked directly at her. "I don't hate you, Beta," she said. "I could never hate you." She reached over and took Beta's hand, squeezing it gently. "I'm sure Varl would be happy to know what he meant to you."

"You really think so?" Beta asked, uncertainty thick in her words.

"Yes, I really do," Aloy replied. "He never gave up on you, not for a moment." She pointed to Beta's arm again. "So… can I get a closer look at that?"

"Sure," Beta said, feeling taken aback. She held out her arm and Aloy leaned over to examine the fresh, raw lines of scabbed-over dye with genuine interest.

"It's… pretty," she said. "How much did it cost?"

"Nothing – Kotallo told them it was my first marking and the inker did it for free," Beta explained, suddenly excited to talk about her new art. "They held a whole ceremony for it, with face-paint and everything."

"You wore face-paint?"

"That she did," Kotallo said from the doorway, causing both sisters to jump with surprise for a moment. "She wore it like a true soldier of the Tenakth." He raised his fist and slammed it against his muscular chest, prompting Beta to return the gesture – much to Aloy's surprise. "Be proud of her, Aloy. I certainly am." Taking a step backwards, he nodded to them briefly before turning on his heel and heading towards his own quarters.

For a moment Aloy and Beta were too stunned to speak. It was Aloy who broke the silence, saying "So… are you planning to wear that face-paint here as well?"

Beta burst out laughing. "Only if you wear it too."

"I think that sounds like a plan," Aloy replied. "Don't let me down, soldier."

"I'll try not to," Beta said, before embracing her sister, who returned the hug tightly. "Thank you for understanding."

"Don't thank me, thank Kotallo," Aloy said. "A Tenakth playing peacemaker? Now I really have seen everything…"