Found

He woke and for a long moment, was utterly dumbfounded. He wasn't supposed to wake up. The last thing he remembered had been bad. Excruciating pain. He hadn't…

Wait a minute.

Why didn't he remember anything else from that? There was the pain. But before? Nothing but a haze of gray. But the gray was fading. He remembered things. He remembered people, places, things. He remembered what he was. He relaxed in whatever he was in and focused his mind as he had been taught so long ago. The memories were crystal clear, even the really bad ones. The worst of his memories had always given him pain deep inside, but now? He felt nothing but peace. He was reclining on something that felt very comfortable, but also odd. He felt good. Calm. Peaceful.

That wasn't right. That was not what he was about. He was Tenno. Warrior Tenno. Peace was not his path. He thought hard for a moment and then tried to speak. Somewhat to his surprise, speech came easily.

"This is wrong." His voice was louder than he had anticipated it being. It reverberated as if he was inside something that was barely larger than he was. It did so strangely as if wherever he was in wasn't quite right. He couldn't say how it wasn't right, but it wasn't.

"Oh!" A startled female voice sounded from somewhere close by but when he tried to look for it, he couldn't see anything. "You are awake!"

"I think so." The male being replied, humor injecting as always. Laughter had always been one of his best tools. Most sentient beings preferred to be happy rather than to be unhappy and most appreciated the attempts at humor even in the worst of situations. "Do I get to know what is going on?"

"Uh, yes." The other said quickly. Maybe a bit too quickly? "I don't have all of the information, but I have been posted to sit with you while you recuperated. So I was briefed."

"I hope that means your underwear is still on." He wondered for a split second if that was too far, but then the other laughed.

"I was warned about your sense of humor." The female voice was chuckling hard. "But I can see that the warnings do not do it justice. You are sick!"

"Guilty as charged." The Tenno smiled a bit. If people were laughing, then they generally were not dying. Then he paused as memory flooded in again. "I… I wasn't supposed to survive what happened."

"I know." The other's tone held worry and compassion, but no pity. "Technically, you did not. Your warframe and the energy within it were torn to pieces." He tensed, but she continued before he could find his tongue. "I don't understand much of what happened and why. That said? I was told that your energy was 'recovered'." He could almost hear the air quote around the last word. "I have no idea how, but it happened and I am glad."

"Me too." The Tenno agreed and the girl chuckled again. She seemed young, definitely not a full adult. "From your words, you know who I am. May I know your name?"

"Oh!" The girl broke off and gulped. "I didn't introduce myself, did I? That was rude! I apologize, Tenno. My name is Cecelia. I am a human scholar, but mated to a Tenno, so… I know some of what I should not talk about." That was bit sour, but she seemed earnest.

"Secrets are secret for a reason." The Tenno allowed. "So, my energy was recovered. By who? Nikis?" He was stunned when the other made a noise almost like a sob.

"No." The other wasn't crying, a fact for which he was devoutly grateful, but she was very sad. "He is...um… He is gone. It is a long story and much of it is bad. We are not entirely sure how you are back, but you are. This is a good thing. Um… What do you wish me to call you? I know many of your titles and have no idea which to use to be polite."

"Gone?" The Tenno was stunned almost speechless. A first in recent memory. He had met Grandmaster Nikis during a big mess involving hard light holograms and known instantly who and what the black Nekros was. Grandmaster Nikis had been so many things across his millennia long existence. Hero, villain, goofball, demon, he had been all of those and then some as well as everything imaginable between them. Rarely nice, often rude, usually downright dangerous, but always there. The Grandmaster of the Dead had always been there. "My name is Aziz. I… I cannot believe that Grandmaster Nikis is gone. Many thought that over the centuries and it was always proven to be false."

"As I say, I do not have the facts. What I know, is that he is not dead." Cecelia said softly. "He is just gone. I am not sure how or why, but I don't think he can come back."

"Begging your pardon, Ma'am, but I cannot believe that anyone could have made Nikis do that." Aziz said with feeling. His senses were curtailed, apparently by whatever he was in, not by anything he knew. "Where am I?"

"Your form is encased in a restorative pod made by… Um…" Aziz stilled as Cecelia swallowed hard. "I... um… I cannot lie to you, but if I say who made it, you will be very upset."

"Maybe." Aziz allowed. "But you have my word I will try to keep an open mind. You have been kind to me. You do not seem to be an enemy and even if you are? I do not make war on those who cannot fight. You have nothing to fear from me, Cecelia." That was an oath.

"I…" Cecelia swallowed hard and then spoke again. "I know. I know who you are, what you are. What you were." Aziz stilled and Cecelia continued. "My mate's name is Ric."

"Oh. I see." Aziz had been told about Ric during the mess that had eventually ended with his sacrifice to save a colony. He remembered Ricard, his knightly Order's Grandmaster. Just like Nikis, Ricard had not always a nice being, but he had always striven to be fair. Such was rare in any world that humans inhabited. "You have nothing to fear from me, Cecelia." He repeated the oath.

"I am scared." Cecelia said weakly. "Not of you." She said quickly when he tensed again. "Things have gone utterly insane. Everything I thought solid and dependable has turned on its head."

"I know the feeling." For once, there was no humor in Aziz's voice. "I woke on a Grineer ship that had turned pirate and every scrap of information I found only made me more confused. I didn't like Orokin, but it was the way of things. Now? It is all gone and even my Order fell into horror. I…" He broke off as Cecelia gave a sob. "I mean no offense."

"None was taken, Tenno." Cecelia reassured him, clearly working to calm herself. "You slept through the Old War. Did you study any of the records of that?"

"Some." Aziz worked to calm his unruly mind and energy. Getting upset wouldn't help. "I didn't have a lot of time and my access to archives was limited to a Grineer one."

"Grineer have archives?" What was that tone now from the girl? Curiosity mixed with disbelief?

"Yes." Aziz heaved a sigh. "The one I saw spoke of others, but it was heavily biased towards praising their Queens. Add to that? Every record I found of battles was a 'glorious victory', even the ones they ran away screaming from."

Historical bias was nothing new. Human or clone, it seemed none of them wanted to put history down as it had actually happened. It might have been unhealthy for clones to do so as it had been for humans throughout their history.

"Oh. Right." Cecelia heaved sigh of her own. "I was an archivist. I saw my share of such. What do you know of the Old War?"

"A little." Aziz allowed, thinking hard. "Orokin fought a race of intelligent machines called the Sentients." The he scoffed. "Just like some of the ones I knew called Tenno intelligent machines, I bet."

"There is truth to that." Cecelia said sadly. "Then again, I too am a machine, if solely organic now rather than organic and technology mixed." Her tone held old pain, old regret.

"Are you all right?" Aziz asked when Cecelia did not continue.

"No." Cecelia was so sad now. "I started out as pure technology. A cyborg enhanced robot. I was saved from a horrible fate, but the one who saved me perished." Aziz's breath caught and Cecelia continued. "I am sad, but I remember her. She was my friend."

"I know grief too, Scholar Cecelia." Aziz said with a sigh. "Not that way, but I did have friends. Until a group of evil people killed them and nearly killed me. To this day, I do not know how I survived, but I did. You are not alone. What was your friend's name?"

"Her name was Mari." Cecelia said very softly. Then she gasped as Aziz started to sing! The words had been ancient when Aziz's order had been founded, but they were heartfelt. Not a dirge, a sung chant of remembrance. At the proper place, he inserted Mari's name and then his own honored dead. When he finished, she was no longer crying. He waited for her to speak and she did. "That was…. Was that from the Order of the Sword?"

"Yes. We took a lot of traditions from historical sources." Aziz replied, glad to have helped her at least a little. "That was one such. The chant came from a continent on Earth called 'Asia'. I am not sure which part. Death was what we were for, what we dealt, but we did not celebrate death. It comes for us all, even those of us who cheat it so often. I hope the chant helped."

"It did, Sir Knight. Thank you." Cecelia's tone was firmer now. "We have time while you are healing, but I better explain. I don't have all the facts and even then, I don't think anyone knew what caused the War. There are many different opinions as there are historians. The Orokin started open conflict. That I am certain of."

"Of course they did." Aziz heaved a very deep sigh. "The ones I knew were all about their own desires. First, last and only. They started wars regularly when I was active as a knight. So, these 'Sentients' fought back." That was not really a question.

"They did." Cecelia said softly. "They drove the Orokin forces out of their home system and then they came to Sol. They came to stop the Orokin. Everyone else was just in the way. A thousand years of war at the very least and no one really won."

"I see." Aziz did not really know what to say, so he kept his tone non-committal. "My Order was gone by then, that I know."

"A few survived, mostly broken and lost." Cecelia was quiet now, sad and reflective. "Ricard lost his memory. Borrs did too. I only know of two others beside you and they are both less than whole as well."

"Add me to that list." Aziz was just a quiet. "I am not who I was. I don't think I can ever be who I was. And even if I could?" He scoffed. "Who would trust a member of the Order now?"

"I would." Cecelia's tone was still quiet, but went very hard.

"Scholar Cecelia, you should not." Aziz picked his words with care. "I am not a good Tenno. I never was. Even after waking the last time? I would have gone totally pirate if I been allowed to. I am broken by what happened on my last mission for the Order. My friend and my squire died because I got arrogant. I didn't think smugglers could threaten us. I was wrong."

"I am sorry for your losses." Cecelia was calmer now, but still quiet. "But you are needed now more than ever, Sir Knight."

"Hence why I was recovered." Aziz said quietly and Cecelia made a noise of agreement.

"There were plans in motion, but they would have taken a very long time to enact. This was fast. We are not sure who recovered you. If they were friend or foe." Cecelia was clearly worried now. "We have had some massive upheavals recently."

"Take no chances, Lady." Aziz said formally. "I know not what happened after…" He paused as memory struck and then spoke quickly. "The colony? Mary?"

"Both were saved." Cecelia reassured him and Aziz relaxed a bit. "Mary has had a rough time, but she is recovering."

"That is good." Aziz said heavily. "War, death and pain may be the fate of Warrior Tenno, but she was not a Warrior."

"No." Cecelia had a smile in her voice now. "But just as stubborn as any. She does not know about this miracle yet. When she finds out, she will wish to speak with you. To thank you for what you did."

"What I did was awful." Aziz had tensed at the words but forced himself to relax. "I abused an ancient and marvelous mind for my own ends." Cecelia did not speak and Aziz continued. "I should not have survived."

"But you did." Cecelia reassured him. "We go on. I may not be Tenno, but I understand your kind very well. The wounds you took, both energy and psychological, are healing. Be at peace, Sir Knight. You are not evil."

"I did evil." Aziz was very quiet now. "You cannot argue that."

"What you did using the Library saved almost a thousand non-combatant lives." Cecelia said slowly. "How you did it? I…" She paused and then heaved a sigh. "I don't know. We can argue until the stars go cold, and probably never agree. The end cannot always justify the means, but you did a good thing."

"In a very bad way." Aziz was working hard to keep his tone level. He was very upset by this. He hadn't planned to survive it and that had been the whole point,. Even if he had, he would have- He paused and then spoke slowly. "I need to speak with an Elder."

"There are no Tenno Elders that we have been able to get to." Cecelia said weakly. "That we have been able to free." At that, Aziz went utterly still and Cecelia gave a tiny sob. "I don't know all of what happened. I was… it was…" She was about to cry!

"Easy!" Aziz said quickly, his tone modulated to soothe. "I mean you and yours no harm. I feel what I feel. You were not involved. Is there any Elder I could ask for judgment?"

"Um… We have been looking, but we have found no Tenno Elders who are free of what happened." Cecelia said weakly, but managed to keep from crying.

"Okay." Aziz said slowly. "What happened?"

"It… I…" Cecelia was crying now and Aziz did not like hearing her cry. "They say it is not my fault, but I cannot help feeling guilty. I saw things, did things when she ordered me to and I couldn't stop!"

"I am sorry." Aziz tried to move and he couldn't. He couldn't see anything or hear anything but her soft sobs. "I did not mean to upset you."

"I know but Ric isn't coming back and I can't… I can't…" She was one step away from bawling and he could do nothing!

"You don't know that, girl." A soft, concerned female voice sounded and Cecelia's sobs quieted a bit. Aziz went utterly still. He knew that voice! Healer Iriana! She had made her opinion of him quite clear. "It is all right, Cecelia. It is all right. You are still recovering. You need time too. I didn't mean to leave you here alone so long. I am sorry."

"It is not your fault!" Cecelia hiccuped a bit but was calmer.

"Nor yours, girl." Iriana was sad now, but then her tone turned firmer. "Nor yours, Sir Knight. I was wrong to say what I did. I beg your forgiveness."

"What I did was wrong." Aziz said slowly, confused by this. The last time he had heard Iriana's voice, she had called him many foul names and sworn she would see him up on charges. "I saw no other way to save the colony and Mary." He said softly. "Healer… I abused a wonderful thing. You were right."

"No, I wasn't." Iriana said sternly. "I didn't think. I reacted emotionally. I didn't…" She gulped and then continued. "I saw what you did and I didn't think I would ever get the chance to apologize for what I said."

"Healer, what I did was wrong." Aziz said firmly.

"You threw your life away to keep others from doing similar things." Iriana said softly. "You locked the Library behind an oath that no Warrior will ever break. No noncombatant could get in after the way Mary did was closed and no Warrior will. It took me some time to go through all of my feelings. I talked with many, including the Library itself. You did the right thing and then, you stopped."

"I… No." Aziz said slowly. "I… I was supposed to perish…"

"You did." Iriana's tone was very soft now and Cecelia's sobs had stopped. "The Library took some steps to bring you back, but then someone else did."

"Why?" Aziz all but begged. "If I could get in once, I may be able to again! I don't want to, but I don't know! Healer… How? Why am I back?"

"Why is a long story. How? I am not entirely sure, but I think it is because we need a knight now." Iriana said quietly. "We need someone who can do the wrong things for the right reasons and not go too far in doing those wrong things. You planned it all along, didn't you? Dying when the Yamato was done." From her tone, it wasn't really a question. More a fact.

"I don't know." Aziz said softly. "I think so. I saw too many secrets that I could never reveal and I know myself. My brain to mouth filter has always been slow and I must not tell what I know. If I could access the Library, I might and I could not take that chance."

"You hear." Iriana said very quietly.

"I do." A new voice, also female. Strong, kind and sad but not anyone or anything Aziz had ever encountered. Not human. Not Tenno. Not Orokin. Different. "Sir Aziz, your energy has coalesced. Your warframe is lost, but we will do what we can to find you another. We need you."

"Why?" Aziz begged and then light shone into his confinement. It was dim, and increased showing two humanoid forms, a young looking dark haired girl and the Tenno healer. Iriana was holding the girl. He was in some kind of pod that matched the walls and floor he could see. All the metal he could see looked wrong. Then he went utterly still as form straight out of nightmare appeared behind the Healer. He started to cry out but Iriana held up a hand.

"Because we lost, Aziz." Iriana said heavily as the massive green metal thing behind her moved to her side and hovered. Why did he think it was sad? He went still as it morphed into a human shape and both Cecelia and Iriana hugged the silver form tight. It embraced them back, gently. "We lost the New War."