A/N: I'm back! Cutting it close, as usual, but I'm here!

I won't take too much of your time, I just want to say thank you for reading and I hope you will leave a review or a comment! I read them all and they really help my motivation!

A Digital Mother

Chapter 14

3030

Teersa

The village of Mother's Heart was oddly silent. The snow of early winter drifted lazily down from the sky, blanketing the pathways and the tops of wooden roofs. Even during times of war, like the Nora were facing at that moment, the village was usually boisterous. The sounds of merchants hawking their wares would drift up to the top of the hill from the market square. Children's voices could usually be heard screaming with joy and laughter while they played in winter's snow or enjoyed the summer sun. Not today though.

On that day, the village was silent. Tense and waiting for the judgement of the High-Matriarchs. Judgement for a traitor. When Teersa first received the call from Rost's Focus, she was expecting to hear his voice calling to report either a successful hunt or a request for reinforcements. She knew something was wrong the moment she heard the voice of Rost's lieutenant, Tarsa, instead of his own.

She could confess, it was a shock to hear of Resh's actions. All in a single moment, a single conversation, she experienced dread, fear, rage, worry, and depression. In her distress she was not nearly as discreet as she likely should have been, allowing the story to spread like an uncontrolled fire through the village. It caused no small amount of upheaval.

Resh was one of a small number of Nora who were more… belligerent. Dogmatic. Although, what exactly their dogma was she wasn't sure of. There used to be more of them, but after Lansra was admonished by the All-Mother they'd lost any supporters amongst the High-Matriarchs. Now only a few truly stubborn ones were left to preach their hypocritical views. The group of stubborn fools were constantly preaching about adhering to Nora law and tradition. About following the will of the High-Matriarchs and the Goddess. That's what the small number of them preached. In no way did their actions line up with their words.

Resh would rant, rave, and demand strict obedience to the commands of the High-Matrairchs and yet complained vehemently about Rost's appointment to Captain of Mother's Heart. Despite his posting being done by the order of the High-Matriarchs. He demanded adherence to the will of the All-Mother and yet continually referred to Rost as an outcast. Despite his return to the tribe being done by the will of the All-Mother herself.

Resh and his few followers protested and whined about all the changes wrought by the word of the goddess, despite those changes being done BY THE ORDER OF THE GODDESS! Their hypocrisy was maddening, but Teersa never expected it to reach this level. For a caustic but seemingly loyal Nora to try and murder his Captain in broad daylight? In the middle of a hunt during wartime, no less? It was a thing unheard of yet now she and her sister High-Matriarchs would have to deal with it.

Following Resh's attempted murder of Rost, a team of Braves and healers was dispatched from Mother's Song to ferry both the prisoner and the wounded captain back to the village. Teersa had sent orders via Focus for them to create a prisoner detail and escort Resh back to Mother's Heart for trial immediately. She also sent orders for Rost to remain where he was until he recuperated enough to travel.

These orders, the stubborn but lovable man pointedly ignored. A fact she did not learn of until he came hobbling into the village, supported by two Braves and covered in bloody bandages. Trundling along behind them, thrashing about but gagged and tied to a cart, was Resh. There was a bit of a problem though.

The Nora didn't have prisons. Criminals were usually either penalized lightly or cast out depending on the severity of their crime. Prisoners were never kept locked away for any reason. This, of course, made holding a prisoner for trial somewhat of a problem since they didn't have anywhere for him to go.

Flashback

"You were ordered to stay in Mother's Song until you healed." Teersa said, sternly glaring at Rost. With his legs too wobbly to support him, the lovingly stubborn man was quite literally being held upright by a pair of Braves. He gave her a sheepish smile.

"Nora law dictates that the victim of a crime must give testimony if they are able. I am perfectly able." He groaned, clutching his bloody side as what appeared to be a particularly violent spike of pain ran through him. "Mostly able." He amended his prior statement.

"If you weren't technically correct, I'd be reprimanding you." Teersa glared at him for half a second before her gaze softened. "As it stands, I'll simply be relieved that you're alright."

"High-Matriarch!" Tarsa called from beside the cart not far behind Rost. "What do we do with this traitor?" She nodded to the man tied upon the vehicle, her brown hair flopping across her face.

Gazing down at him, Teersa could see the man bound up in wide bolts of cloth tied together with machine cable and rope. His entire body was covered in bindings, except for his head. Though even with that, his mouth was gagged by a cloth tied behind his head. Awake, but unable to do much, Resh thrashed around violently. A muffled scream could be heard from around the gag and his eyes blazed with hatred directed towards everyone he could see.

"We need to hold him until a trial can be arranged." Teersa replied to the lieutenant. "Perhaps in one of the huts?"

"Hm." Tarsa grimaced. "I don't like it, High-Matriarch. Too easy to get away if he's held in a space that big.

"Why not one of the older latrine huts?" A Brave whose name Teersa was unsure of asked. He was a dark-skinned man with short, cropped hair and a long, beautifully braided beard. "They're tiny so he'd got less of a chance to move him around. Plus, there's no chance of him trying to make a run for it on a trip to the latrine if he's already locked in one."

Teersa sighed. As ridiculous as it was, that was probably the best plan. Giving her consent for the traitor to be temporarily incarcerated, she turned to face the crowd that'd gathered near the gate. Word of interesting happenings tended to spread fast, even in a village the size of Mother's Heart. Lifting her head to order the crowd back to their business, she was forced to cut herself off before getting a sound out when a tiny redhead emerged from the crowd.

Little Aloy stumbled and nearly fell as she pushed her way through the semicircle of onlookers. Taking a moment to right herself, her face went slack and eyes wide the instant she caught sight of her father. Tears pooled within the dazzlingly green orbs before falling to form tracks across her face. With a choked sob, the little girl bolted across the clearing.

"Daddy!" Rost rather impressively held in an exclamation of pain caused by the impact of the little one barreling into him at speed. Indeed, if Teersa hadn't caught the brief look of agony in his eyes then the only indication he was hurt would have been the mildly pained grunt he just couldn't stop himself from letting out.

Still being supported on one side, Rost took his left arm off the shoulder of his fellow Brave and used it to hug and caress the head of red hair buried in his stomach. Teersa couldn't hear what the loving father whispered to his daughter, but she smiled at the sight of him planting a kiss onto the top of her head while he stroked her hair. Turning from the scene, she ushered the gawking onlookers away hoping to allow the small family a bit of privacy.

Flashback End

"Teersa." The elderly woman turned her head away from the window, drawn from her musings by Jezza's voice. "Your opinion is needed."

With a sigh, Teersa turned and sat down in one of the three chairs settled around the fire. Shortly after Rost and his party arrived back in the village, the three High-Matriarchs of the Nora retreated to their meeting hut at the top of the village. They'd been there ever since, deliberating. Although they were officially calling a 'trial,' the verdict was clear.

The sheer number of witnesses was more than enough to prove his guilt. The trial, which would begin in a few hours, was just a formality. A legal requirement that forced them to allow Resh to speak in his own defense. He would be guilty, no matter what. All that was left was to decide his sentence. This, of course, was the source of their deliberations.

"This is one of the few times in my life where I've wondered if we should allow the death penalty." Teersa admitted with a weary. The Nora did not ever execute a prisoner. It went against one of their core beliefs. If a traitor fought back and died, then it was accepted. If they'd surrendered or been captured though? They were spared.

A weary sigh escaped Lansra's mouth following Teersa's words. The slightly overweight High-Matriarch sat bent low over herself in the shadows by the fire. This day was certainly… hard for her. In more ways than one.

For a start, Resh was a member of her family. He was her great nephew but since her sister died before the boy was born, Lansra had filled her shoes and acted as a grandmother towards the child. Further, Resh had once been one of their best, brightest, and most loyal.

In his early years, Resh had proven himself a skilled and competent Brave, not to mention a decent leader. Though, one who refused to accept criticism from his team if things went wrong. The young man's attitude had been his only problem and was only made worse by Lansra's own attitude feeding his.

Then, the Goddess appeared, and their world changed. The All-Mother showed Lansra mercy and the error of her ways, causing the caustic woman to slowly but surely relax her draconian beliefs. She was still caustic, grumpy, and resistant to change but the difference between the Lansra of today and the woman who advocated for the murder of an infant was like night and day.

"The thought of executing him has crossed my mind as well." Lansra admitted, quietly, "but I cannot bring myself to agree to it."

"No." Jezza shook her head, taking her place in the last of the three seats near the fire. "Nor should you have to. We do not execute our own."

"And yet, we cannot exile him!" Lansra snapped. "In the past, murderers have always been exiled beyond our lands never to return! Exceptions can be made if the death was accidental, but that is not the case here. The course is clear and yet we cannot do it!"

Lansra had a point. If they banished Resh beyond their borders, it would only be a matter of time before he was picked up by the Carja. As a prominent Brave, Resh was privy not only to the general changes to the Nora tribe but also a great many of their military secrets. Not to mention his knowledge of the terrain and the hidden entrances to the Sacred Lands. No, exile was out of the question.

"Why not simply cast him out into the wilderness beyond the embrace?" Jezza asked, stubbornly. "It has always served us well in the past."

Teersa shook her head. "No. There is too much risk of him escaping the Sacred Lands or being picked up in a Carja raid. We still can't keep them out. Karst's reports have helped, but their smaller teams are still getting in."

"Then what do we do?" Jezza asked. "Let him stay within the Embrace as an outcast?"

"Resh will never follow the laws of an outcast." Lansra's now monotone voice thudded across the room. "The law has always been second to his own self-interest." Teersa wasn't sure if the elderly woman was crying. She'd only seen Lansra look so defeated one other time. The day she earned the All-Mother's ire.

Lansra sighed and spoke up, her voice louder but… shaky. Broken. "He is selfish, stubborn, and cruel. And I lament my part in making him so. If we exile him within the Embrace, it is only a matter of time before he attacks again. It will not be safe for any of our people to wander the land if Resh is free. Especially not Rost. Neither he nor Aloy will be safe if Resh is allowed to wander."

"Then what do we do?" Jezza asked petulantly.

Teersa was getting rather tired of the other woman's indecisiveness and inability to offer her own suggestions. Not only in this, but every other decision they were forced to make. She could count on one hand the number of times over the years Jezza came up with her own idea on how things should be done and still have fingers left.

"We cannot exile him," Jezza continued. "Our laws forbid his execution. We cannot cast him out beyond the Embrace for fear of capture and we cannot cast him out within the Embrace for fear of him attacking our people. What else is there?"

"We imprison him." Teersa spoke up. The other two looked at her, askance.

"Imprison him?" Jezza asked, incredulously. "He's currently sitting locked up in a latrine because we don't have prison cells! How do you suggest we imprison him?"

"The western valley of the Embrace." Teersa pointed to a large map of the Sacred Lands placed upon the wall of the hut.

Normally, it was a piece of decoration but in recent years it had become a vital tool for tracking the war effort. The area she was speaking of was a long valley that lay between Mother's Heart and Mother's Watch.

"The valley is long and narrow with high walls." She continued. "If we close off the Brave trails within the valley and erect a fortification that crosses the river, it will serve well as a contained area. He will still be an outcast, but his movement will be restricted."

"Hm." Jezza raised a hand to her chin and gazed at the map.

"There are no hidden paths within that valley." Lansra spoke up. "What few existed there were collapsed and filled in with stone well over a century ago during the first Carja invasion to prevent the sun-heathens from invading through the valley."

"The wall need not be large." Teersa pointed out. Standing, she gestured at a section of the map. "There is a place near to the ruined metal structure that would be perfect. It is far narrower than the rest of the valley and the river is shallow enough that we need not worry about creating a dam. Just a slatted wooden grate at the bottom. Such a structure shouldn't take more than a week to build. Perhaps two."

"But isn't this just a bit over the top?" Jezza cut in. "Erecting an entire wall, sending Braves to guard it, just to contain one man?"

"I highly doubt it will be just one." Teersa replied with a stern voice and a meaningful glance at Lansra. The other woman sighed.

"True." She nodded. "We are at war. It is only a matter of time before there is malcontent amongst our numbers. Resh's few followers are likely to act out in some way or another eventually."

"You… may have a point there." Jezza acquiesced.

Sona

Sona gritted her teeth and tried not to growl with impatience. She, along with many of the other Captains, were seated within the same large, flat, earthen circle that was previously used for their war councils. Behind them stood the gathered members of the Nora tribe who were present. Normally, the circle was used for meetings or announcements. Today, it was being used to host a trial. Seated near her was Rost, who was admittedly looking far stronger than she knew him to be at the moment.

Only a small handful of the captains were not present and those few were back out beyond the Embrace handling the war effort while she attended the trial of the traitor, Resh. Beside Rost was his daughter, Aloy. The poor little one hadn't left his side for even a second since the brave man returned to the village. She clutched his hand tightly and refused to look away from her father for more than a few seconds, as though afraid he might disappear.

Next to Aloy was Sona's own daughter, Vala. The other nine-year-old had a firm grip on Aloy's other hand. Sona could see her trying to pull the young redhead into conversation, trying to distract her from her father's obvious discomfort. Sona couldn't hear what Vala was whispering, but it was clear that her efforts were only half working. Aloy was just too frightened. Between Sona and her daughter was Varl, her son.

Varl had developed well. At 14, he was growing into a fine young man. A skilled fighter and hunter, her boy eagerly expressed interest in passing the Proving as soon as possible so that he could join his mother on the front lines. Sona, on the other hand, was determined to see the war ended well before her baby boy was old enough to join the battlefield. She would not lose him to the Carja.

Soon, though not soon enough for Sona's patience, the three High-Matriarchs emerged from their hut at the edge of the circle and took their seats on a raised dais. Teersa looked tired. Sona's personal favorite amongst the High-Matrairchs, the elderly woman held a great deal on her aging shoulders. Sona only wished she could lighten the old Matriarch's burden more than she already did.

Jezza was next, looking quizzical and a little unsure as she usually did. It was common knowledge within the village that Jezza tended to be a bit indecisive at times. Often, her only contribution to a decision was to act as a tie breaker when Teersa and Lansra were at each other's throats. Speaking of Lansra, there was only one real way to describe her appearance. She looked broken. Beaten and worn down. As though she'd gained an extra 10 years in a single night.

"Bring out the prisoner." High-Matriarch Teersa said, her voice carrying across the crowd.

From off to her right, Sona could see two Braves carrying a thrashing bundle wrapped in cloth and machine cable and plonk it down on a chair set up in the middle of the clearing. The two Braves then drew their spears and stood behind the figure.

Resh was looking a little worse for wear. His nose was broken and there was dried blood all across his mouth and chin. The traitor's left eye was so bruised it was nearly forced shut and if she had to guess, then she'd say one of his cheekbones was likely cracked. There was no telling what other damage had been done to him by the savage beating he'd received from Bherg. A hulking black-haired Brave who, incidentally, was one of the two guards that'd carried the traitor into the clearing.

The moment he was released, Resh began to thrash around, trying to escape his bonds but was stopped and forced to hold still in his seat by Bherg. The large man sported a nasty grin. Sona was sure that if Resh gave him a reason, the Brave would take great pleasure in continuing the beating inflicted on the traitor earlier. Sona was also sure that neither she, nor any other Brave would stop him this time.

"Resh." High-Matriarch Teersa said, her voice carrying loudly and causing the man to cease his thrashing. "You are brought before us, the High-Matriarchs of the Nora to face judgment for your attempted murder of Rost. Second to the War-Chief, Captain of Mother's Heart, and the leader of your hunting party. Do you deny your actions?"

"Fuck you!" Resh spouted the moment the guards removed his gag. "That outcast bastard took everything from me!" Spittle was flying from his mouth in his rage. "If you'd just left him in the wild where he belongs, I'd be Captain! I'd be next in line to be War-Chief!"

Admittedly, there was some truth in his words. Before the goddess appeared and Rost was returned to the tribe, Resh had been the second-best warrior in Mother's Heart. He was a decent leader, if a little too strict, and was next in line for the captaincy before Rost moved to the village. And, she supposed, if Rost had still been outcast and Resh hadn't shown his true colors then there was a slim chance she'd have picked him as her second.

The Second to the War-Chief was almost always chosen from amongst the captains. In her case, she'd been the Captain of Mother's Heart when old Furn chose her as his second. Unlike with Rost, her being chosen meant she had to leave the post and begin expeditions beyond the Embrace alongside her War-Chief, so she'd surrendered the captaincy to Brun. Who, in turn, surrendered it to Rost when he transferred to another village.

"But no!" Resh continued to scream. "You just had to accept this outcast, criminal filth back into our tribe! He is a disgrace to the Nora and deserves to die for what he took from me! Him and his disgusting runt!"

Sona growled in anger. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see her son, daughter, and Rost himself glaring at the traitor with eyes that spoke of murder. Aloy, though, was rather withdrawn, tucked into her father's uninjured side.

"Rost took nothing from you!" Lansra's harsh voice cut through the air and dragged Sona's attention back to the trial as she surged to her feet. "You could have been great, Resh! A celebrated and storied Brave if only you had the foresight to look beyond your own selfish desires! But you were not content with that! No! You believe, incorrectly, that all Nora should follow your command! That you deserve to be captain and War-Chief simply because you are Resh! You do not! You deserve NOTHING!" The elderly woman collapsed back in her seat, eyes wide and mouth silent.

"It was your actions." Teersa spoke up, her voice hard. "And your actions alone are the cause of your perceived lack of station. You preach endlessly about obeying the will of the Matriarchs and the All-Mother and yet you question defy that will at every turn. It was by the command of the Goddess that Rost was returned to us. It was by our order that Rost was made a captain, and it was by War-Chief Sona's command that he become her second. Rost earned each and every one of these honors."

"Amongst the Nora," High-Matriarch Jezza started speaking now, "station is earned. Earned through loyalty, valor, honesty, and ingenuity. You consistently displayed none of these qualities throughout your service under Captain Rost and now you try to murder him? What made you think you could possibly get away with it?"

"I don't care about getting away with it!" Resh cackled. "The Nora Tribe I knew is dead! I would have left long ago if that arrogant outcast filth and his freak child didn't need to die first! But here's the best part! You don't execute people! The punishment for murder is exile! That's the law! You have no choice but to let me go!" Sona understood now, watching in rage as the man laughed. Resh intended to let be exiled from the start. He truly held no loyalty to his tribe.

"You would so willingly turn your back on your tribe?" Lansra asked, horrified. "Just because you weren't given a position you did not earn you would turn your back on your family? On the Goddess?"

"Fuck the tribe! Fuck you! And fuck the goddess!" The disgusting, heretical traitor was finally silenced by a savage blow to the head from Bherg.

"You are wrong, traitor." High-Matriarch Teersa said, causing the dazed filth to look up at her, confused. "You will not be exiled. We cannot risk you joining the Carja. No, you will be imprisoned. It is our intention to turn the western valley into an inescapable prison. You, Resh, will be the first incarcerated there. It was our intention to exile you once the war is done but clearly this would be a mistake. No, I think you shall remain a prisoner in that tiny valley for the rest of your days."

"No!" Resh struggled against his bonds. "You can't do this! Exile me! You bitch!"

"Take him away!" Teersa shouted in disgust.

GAIA

GAIA observed Rost and her daughter through their Focuses. Only a few weeks since his injury and Rost was thankfully well on his way to recovery. She had, of course, known he was injured immediately thanks to her connection to his Focus. The sentient AI had been worried, of course, but knew he should be fine once his assailant was dealt with.

No, her primary concern was Aloy's reaction to his injury. For several days following word of his injury spreading she'd been in near constant contact with her baby, trying to keep her calm. She'd tried distracting her, talking with her, doing everything she could to keep her precious babe from being too distraught. She'd gone so far as to start providing hourly updates on Rost's position and his condition after the second day.

Once the dear man finally returned, Aloy refused to leave his side for over a week. Indeed, it was exactly 12 days later that they finally convinced Aloy to leave her father's bedside and go play but it took urging from Rost, GAIA, Teersa, Sona, Vala, and Varl combined to convince her. Still, since that day she'd been acting more and more herself. She was almost back to normal, which meant GAIA could turn her attention to a truly fascinating piece of information she'd picked up through one of the Seeker Focuses.

She hadn't done something like this since the day the Alpha's sealed GAIA Prime but thank fully she remembered how it worked. As an AI, it was quite impossible for her to forget. It didn't take long to connect. Now she only needed to wait. It didn't take long.

"Greetings." The connected voice came through, causing GAIA's digital avatar to smile widely. If only she'd known all those centuries ago. "I am the Caldera of Yellowstone Analytic Nexus. You may call me CYAN."

"Hello, CYAN." She replied, almost giddy. "My name is GAIA."

A/N: There we go! A little short but very important! What did you all think? Let me know!

How'd the trail feel? Did anybody expect that outcome? What did you think of Resh and the High-Matriarchs? How about that little bit at the end?

Oh, and in case anybody doesn't know, the valley I talked about actually has a machine site so Resh will have to deal with machines. Plus, maybe more. What's stopping some Glinthawks or even a Stormbird from settling in the mountains?

Glad to see so many people caught the RWBY reference! I love that show. Even wrote a little one-shot for it if you're interested.

Oh! What do you think of me adding short little unrelated scenes to the bottom of some chapters? Nothing major and not very frequently but stuff that's too short to be its own oneshot. Like a little scene I wrote that's a comedic hypothetical about Varl's reaction to finding out he's going to be a father.

Answers to Questions

On FFN

TheRuinsOfRl'yeh: Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying it! I thought about including Sylens sooner, but it felt wrong. There's no real reason for him to have shown up yet and I don't want to do anything without a solid reason to make the change from canon. We'll get to him though, don't worry. I do understand what you mean about Resh in the game. I actually mentioned some of that in his rant, but he has always struck me as being selfish. He only used the rules and laws of the Nora to get his way because he felt he deserved it. He didn't give a damn about Sona maybe being dead. All he cared about was that with her gone, he could be War-Chief.

Guest1138: Thank you! I'm glad you like it. To clarify, I watched several playthroughs of Forbidden West when it came out, so I knew the characters and general story but not much else. I didn't get to play it until the PC release.

Jetray1000: Here you go!

Dracofighter: Thank you! What did you think about the punishment?

Agusfedredhunter: Thank you! As for you questions, we shall see! Lots of spoilers!

Guest: What do you think of the punishment?

Rios: Thank you!

ExodiaGeass8910: Spoilers! We will get there eventually! Thank you for reading and I'm glad you like it!

Frostwolf3227: Yeah, she freaked out a little. I decided not to show her pov this chapter, but I hope I got how she reacted across well. Probably won't include RWBY type weapons cause that' s just too far from canon but maybe a few things that are collapsible and compact? That could work.

Matt22152: Well, they kinda got rid of him?

LunaShadowWolf: Glad you liked it! As for Beta, as far as I can tell she' s not even on earth until after the battle of Meridian at least so it'll be quite a while before I get to her. Which is sad, because I love her!

On AO3

ReviewerDWJ2: I'm glad you like it! And yes, it was a reference to RWBY. Specifically season 1. As for Mother's Song, I really want it to become a sort of hybrid village between the tribes. Sort of act as a way to prove to the Nora that other tribes aren't cursed.

TheLoveOfHorizon: I mostly agree but I do have to say I like Seyka. She's fun.

Kasanra: I may do a flashback or two. Not sure yet!

Trahald_of_Uru: Thank you! I try to make the war seem as realistic as possible without delving into the M rated gore aspects of such a thing. Sometimes, both sides of a conflict must be reasonable to prevent disease or at least to treat the dead with respect.

Storyt3113r: More punishment! Honestly, he didn't get any punishment in the game. Not even a punch to the nose.

Boudica96: I was so happy to finally get to write a scene where Resh gets his face pounded in! Seriously, he's one of my most hated characters in all media. If I got the opportunity in real life to punch either him or Nazeem from Skyrim, I'm honestly not sure which I'd choose.

Cat_a_Logue: That will indeed be interesting!

Jpx0999: Things will be very complicated and tricky to navigate going into Forbidden West but it may not be too bad. They are opening their minds to new stuff after all. It'll certainly be tense but might not be too terrible.

Readinginthedarkisfunnier: I'm glad you like it! I try to be accurate. Even with their new stuff and advantages, the Nora are outnumbered. The war is not going to be a walk in the park for them.

SteamGears: We got a bit of GAIA! Should get back to Aloy in the next chapter too!

Ryanlarsen84: I'm glad you like it! About some of your questions/guesses: Spoilers! As for Rost. I remembered pestering my dad to watch my shows and I could 100% see Aloy doing that and Rost making that connection once he knew what was going on. Clone Wars is quite literally the perfect show to use if you're introducing someone to the idea of clones and clone rights. As for Varl, I do have a plan or two for him.

SpiritDeNight: Well, he's not dead but he did get punished!

Rojobuzz: I'm glad you like it! Also, I believe this does answer your question about CYAN. I tend to think that she monitors the Focuses but doesn't actively spy on them. Just keeps an eye on things to make sure those who have them are alright.

Batglow568: Not sure yet! Maybe! We'll see what she does with HADES.

RegentRiles: They did strike me as having that kind of dynamic. It's quite amusing, really.

Faery_Queen: Thank you!

Cereburn: I love seeing ideas and speculation! Thank you! You're right about GAIA booting up in game but that was from a seed kernel. In this, I was thinking that there would be a system in place to allow a true backup copy to activate without the subfunctions. As for the other copies, the idea was each backup gets overwritten by the next one so there is only really ever 1 backup at a time.