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Thinking of that “this meeting could have just been a email” post and seeing Hunter thinking that for every single in-person meeting he has with the Elders. Especially if the siblings are involved.
A video essay about the failings of XCOM: Factions! The comic that was supposed to have two more entries, covering the backstories of the three resistance factions from War of the Chosen. It's not a bad comic, but it is a lot lamer than you'd expect given its premise and the lore that it reveals.
👽Psst! If you sign up for my Ko-Fi, you can see a speedpaint of the video's thumbnail and of other pieces I've done!
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
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Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
Chosen Stories From The War Chapter 47: More Broken Than Most
“You. Me. In private. Now.”
Senuna’s words had not left much need for interpretation. Kon-Mai had no choice but to obey as she followed the Commander to the nearby tent, away from Drakaina and Aisha who stood staring after her. She wanted to turn back and look at them, but even with her back to her, Kon-Mai could feel Senuna watching her every move.
Senuna opened the tent flap and stepped in, nearly letting it fall on Kon-Mai’s face. She stared at the back wall like it was a window, anger radiating off of her.
“Do you intend to undermine me?” She asked quietly.
“No, Madam.” Kon-Mai said quietly, trembling no matter how she tried to stop herself. Senuna wasn’t the Elders. Senuna wouldn’t hurt her.
Would she?
Senuna turned and met Kon-Mai’s gaze. Her blue eyes burned like a star. “Are you trying to make me look like a fool? I cannot have my own soldiers desert me, Kon-Mai.”
“I am aware.” Kon-Mai nodded. “That wasn’t my intention.”
“And yet you knelt.” Senuna hissed. “You knelt. Before her, like she was your leader.” Senuna crossed her arms. “We may be allied with the Horde, but I am still your Commander.”
“Drakaina is my mother.”
“I heard.” Senuna snapped. “I’m happy you’ve found her but my point still stands: you work for me. That is an XCOM insignia on your armor, and I sincerely hope it stays there.” Her eyes softened just the slightest bit. “...I know the pain you must have gone through without her. There are many from my old life I yearn to see again. I am in a similar situation to you…” She ran one hand over the other, lingering on her ring finger. “But as long as we are at war, I am your Commander, and you take orders from me. You do not bow to regional warlords.”
“She is not a warlord, Commander.” Kon-Mai protested. “She leads warriors that have crushed ADVENT as much as we have.”
“I don’t care.” Senuna hissed. “She. Is. Not. The. Commander. I. Am.”
Kon-Mai stiffened, sensing she wasn’t going to get any further with this. “May I interact with Drakaina?” She asked. “Not as my superior, but as a remnant of my past?”
Senuna’s eyes flared.
“Commander.” Kon-Mai said softly, using the voice she used when she needed to placate her Elder mother. “My life, my human life, was stolen from me. I remember so little, would you deny me even this…? The love of my true mother?”
With those words, Senuna seemed to falter, and her temper quickly cooled. “...you may talk with her, Kon-Mai. You may ride with her, even fight with her. But my orders shall always override hers.” She looked up. “...I’m sorry. You’re a good soldier, Konnie. I just don’t want Drakaina snatching you up from under me.”
“That will not happen, Commander. My brothers still remain under your command, after all. And I would never leave them.” She began to turn but then waited a moment.
The Commander waved her hand. “Good. Dismissed.”
As Kon-Mai slipped back out of the tent, Senuna pressed her fingers to her temples.
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Malinalli was holding tight to Dhar-Mon’s hand as they stumbled into the open air. She gasped as they reached the surface once again, leaning over with her hands on her knees.
Neither of them spoke for a moment, still reeling from what they had seen down in the bowels of the mines.
It was Dhar-Mon who finally broke the silence. “We must tell the others.”
Malinalli nodded silently. She was biting her lip so hard, blood filled her mouth. “...We should have taken them with us.”
“We would have risked death ourselves.” He said, reaching for her hand. “The radiation surrounding those crystals would have melted us down with the poor souls in there.”
Malinalli said nothing in response.
Dhar-Mon grabbed her shoulders and pulled her close into a tight hug. “Let us return. Senuna must be made aware of what is happening.”
“And what is happening, Brother?”
The two of them looked up in shock as a lithe figure landed gracefully in front of them, a shit-eating grin on his face.
Dhar-Mon groaned. “You pick the worst times to join us, Brother.”
“Yes yes yes, my senses are truly impeccable, I can sense when something is amiss.” He chuckled. “But you two look like you’ve seen a ghost. Or several. What happened?”
Malinalli buried her face in Dhar-Mon’s chest.
“...Hey.” Gur-Rai’s smile faded. He looked past them at the mine. “...What’s in there, Dhar-Mon?”
“Treason and genocide.” He growled. “I shall explain on the way. Come, we must alert Senuna that Drakaina is not to be trusted.”
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Deft hands traced through Kon-Mai’s long hair, weaving it into an intricate braid. Fine curls were swept aside and pulled tightly into coils that sat against her shoulders. The knot was intricate and familiar, and as Drakaina pulled on her hair gently, Kon-Mai almost felt like she was no longer Chosen.
“You always had such fine hair.” Drakaina chuckled. “It was so curly back then.”
Kon-Mai smiled as Drakaina mused on their shared past. “Tell me more about it. What was I like as a child?”
“You were quiet. Respectful. Always so obedient. Never questioned orders, rarely raised your voice unless it was a battle cry.” Drakaina pulled the braids forward so they fell over Kon-Mai’s shoulders. “There was no warrior better than you.”
Kon-Mai nodded, a warmth in her chest as she closed her eyes. “...I wish I could remember.”
“ADVENT buried your memories when they took you from me.” Drakaina gripped her shoulders. “But the imprint is always there. Nothing is ever really forgotten.”
“I remember a bit. I used to be able to shoot so well.” Her hand went to her lazy eye, trying to feel the difference between the two. “I do not know why they took that away.”
“Undoubtedly, to not step on the toes of your precious brother.” Drakaina hissed. “The Marksman, is it?”
“The Hunter, but he does not-”
“The Hunter was their ranged warrior. They built you in shortsightedness, not realizing that a true warrior needs to see the eagles flying as much as the blades in the grass.”
Kon-Mai stood and checked her reflection in the polished stone. Her hair had been pulled into four small braids, and then each pair pulled back into respective ponytails that lay over her shoulder. While she admired the simple design, Drakaina stepped around and reached up, pinning a green Elerium charm to the end of one, then the other.
“For luck.” She looked up with shifting, excited eyes at Kon-Mai. “How different you are now. But I have no doubt you will still honor us. Monkh.”
Kon-Mai hesitated. “...My old name?”
“Of course.” Drakaina said proudly. “I gave you that name. Do you remember what it means?”
Kon-Mai remembered seeing it written in old Mongolian script. The twirling characters carved into bone. “Eternal.” She finally responded. “It means ‘eternal.’”
“You are eternal, minii okhin.” She said assuredly, glancing back at Kon-Mai as she did. Her eyes were low and dark, and Kon-Mai could not read her expression as she spoke. “We shall avenge your violation at the hands of the invaders. Tonight their city will burn.”
Kon-Mai looked up at Drakaina in shock. “What of the civilians?”
Drakaina blinked. “Oh yes. They shall be spared, of course, and absorbed into our tribe. We shall need more hands, more warriors, to continue our fight.”
There was the rustle of movement outside, and Aisha entered the tent. “Khatun.” She bowed and looked over to Kon-Mai. “Jinong.”
Kon-Mai held up a hand. “There’s no need to bow, Aisha. You are still Jinong.”
Drakaina sucked in her breath. “...Well.” She chuckled. “Perhaps we can decide on that later.”
“What do you mean?” Kon-Mai asked.
“Now that you are here, you can retake your rightful place at my side.” Drakaina nodded. “And there is no need for Aisha to maintain the title of Jinong. You can always name her your Jinong when you take the title of Khatun, Monkh, should that day ever come.”
“You speak as though I am to stay.”
“Well I assumed you were. After all this time being separated, having just found you…” Drakaina pressed a hand to Kon-Mai’s cheek. “...Is this topic distressing to you?”
Kon-Mai reached for Drakaina’s hand and found her own cheek was wet with tears. “No, Khatun, I simply need some time…” She cleared her throat. “Perhaps to become reacquainted with the Horde, with my people. I’ve been away from it all for so long…”
“I understand.” Drakaina turned to Aisha. “Prepare my horse and hers. We shall go for a hunt.”
“Will I accompany you?” Aisha asked quietly.
“Of course you will.” Kon-Mai said quickly. “It was you who showed me my way home, Aisha.”
Drakaina looked sideways at Kon-Mai. “Already taking charge.” She muttered. “Like a true Khatun.”
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“They’re not back yet?” Senuna put her head in her hands.
“Sunny, I’m sure they’re fine.” Bradford pressed a hand to her shoulder. “Dhar-Mon has come a long way, he’s definitely powerful enough to handle himself.”
“Himself and Malinalli as well?” She spat. “If they’re attacked and someone gets between them, she’ll be defenseless and he will be outnumbered!”
“Sun, she’s not defenseless, remember?” Bradford gave her a look. “Her powers-”
“Don’t lecture me.” She snapped, getting to her feet. “Those two will give me a heart attack by 120. I was happy when they found each other, goodness knows I could feel them pining from miles away and Dhar-Mon…Dhar-Mon needs someone to love him…” She trailed off. “...One day I’ll forgive myself.”
“Sunny.” Bradford came up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder. “He doesn’t even remember.”
“And that’s what kills me.” She admitted. “He doesn’t remember me. You. Moira or Raymond or Guillermo or-”
Bradford took her by the shoulders. “You did everything you could.” He assured her. “You tried too hard to save him.”
“I’m a mother.” She chuckled. “It’s in my nature.”
“Right. But you gotta let it go.” He pressed a hand to her cheek. “Maybe one day he’ll remember. Maybe we’ll tell him. But in order to do anything you gotta give yourself the grace of knowing you did what you could.”
Senuna hesitated, then sighed. “He’ll likely want to know soon. With Kon-Mai opening this bag of worms…” She groaned. “Just what we needed, old memories resurfacing, and knowing Drakaina she’ll try to convince Konnie to stay.”
“Well, we don’t know Drakaina.” Bradford sat back down. “You know the assault, you don’t have to go through with it. Call it off if you think it’s too risky.”
“No…” She leaned against the window and stared out over the steppe. “This is larger than petty feuds. This planet needs a protector, and it has to be us. Even if we don’t always get along.” She chuckled. “Reminds me of you and Volk.”
“Wrong. I actually like Volk.” Bradford chuckled. “Speaking of, we should touch base with him and the Reapers.”
“We should. Where is he now?”
“Probably chatting it up with Drakaina.” Bradford sighed, staring out the window.
“Well. At some point we should remind him who the Commander is.”
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“What else do you remember?” Drakaina asked as their horses strolled lazily across the plain. “I assume ADVENT completely wiped your memories of the Horde. Of me.”
Kon-Mai nodded, patting Nergui on the neck gently. “I had no memory of you for nine years.” She admitted. “At that time, Vox Abyzou was my mother.”
Drakaina practically hissed, startling her white horse. “A demon. A child-stealing demon is what she is. She took you and she took Volk’s son as well, tainting you both. And I fear the taint will never come away.”
Kon-Mai paused. “I…will likely be a hybrid forever.”
Drakaina nodded. “Well that, and the torture she put you through. I see it in your eyes, in the inky blackness of your sclera. She broke you, okiin, and I can’t fix you.”
Kon-Mai fell quiet, her hands trembling as she tugged the reins slightly.
“But we are all broken a little.” Drakaina sighed. “You are just more broken than most.”
“I’m glad you’re still here then, to fix me.” Kon-Mai turned and gazed out over the plains, closing her eyes. “...What of my father?”
Drakaina seemed to falter, looking at Kon-Mai with white eyes full of fear. Then she sighed.
“He was a rogue type. Came to us when the Horde was small. I had never allowed myself to be captured, and many of my early warriors were like him: people who saw through the alien’s lies. People who fled.”
Kon-Mai listened with interest. “Did he look like me?”
“Of course. You were a full five skin shades darker than me, Monkh, you had to get that from somewhere.” She chuckled. “He left after you were born. He never wanted you.”
Kon-Mai’s heart dropped.
“He said I should leave you in the plains to die. A child was merely a liability. And to think I almost listened.” She chuckled. “But I didn’t, and now you’re here. I bet you’re thankful for that.” Drakaina finished her sentence with a laugh.
Kon-Mai smiled despite the sick feeling in her stomach.
“Oh. I’ve upset you…” Drakaina reached over and took Kon-Mai’s hand. “You were a blessing when you came to me. And you are still a blessing now, Monkh. This I promise you.”
“Are you certain?” Kon-Mai felt like a child for asking.
“I am. Your presence with us is a gift.” Drakaina brushed some of Kon-Mai’s hair back. “Let no one tell you otherwise.”
As Drakaina rode ahead, Kon-Mai looked out at the plains once again. She blinked, and felt the cold night air hitting her cheeks as she sprinted through wet grass.
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“You’re sure that’s what you saw?” Gur-Rai asked. "What I mean is--I mean I'm not doubting you!"
“Except you are.” Malinalli snapped. “We know what we saw!”
“Alright, alright, don’t get all up in a fuss.” Gur-Rai sighed. “But you understand if we walk into the camp claiming that the caves are filled with ghouls and ghosts decrying the name of Drakaina, we might not get many people on our side.”
“The people must know.” Dhar-Mon said simply.
“I know they must know, Brother, but look at it this way. Your own priests were willing to string you up because the Elders commanded it. Authority has more power over humans than we like to admit.”
Malinalli hugged herself, her feet dragging on the rocky ground. “...So do we keep quiet?”
“Oh I’m not saying that.” He said, stroking over Tyche’s fluffy neck feathers. “We just have to be clever about this. Can’t give away our hand all at once. And to go all in now is just foolish.”
“We could inform the Commander.” Dhar-Mon said.
“It’s a start, but know what I suggest? We get our beloved sister in on this.” Gur-Rai said. “The Khatun likes her, maybe a little too much. If anyone can sneak a knife between those skinny shoulder blades, it is her.”
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“What do I think of the Commander?” Volk took a swig of his vodka. “To be honest, Kaina...she’s a bitch.”
“I noticed.” Drakaina chuckled. Kon-Mai had retired to Aisha’s tent for the time being, so the two could get changed and prepare the evening meal together. Drakaina, in the meantime, had returned to her throne where Volk was waiting with a bottle of hard liquor and a need for gossip.
“Ever since she got out of that tank, she acts like she owns the whole damn world.” He swirled his drink in his cup. “Undermines my authority constantly.”
“She’s a legend.” Drakaina said, then held up her hand. “And legends are never like they say. You’re right to be wary.”
“I wish we hadn’t gotten split up in the chaos.” Volk admitted. “Wish you and I could have made the Reapers together.”
“Your path led you elsewhere.” Drakaina assured him, standing and moving down the long row of statues. “Mine led me to my ancestors.”
“Yeah…” Volk coughed loudly. “You know I didn’t even realize you were Buryat for the longest time.”
Drakaina was silent. “It still runs in my veins.” She assured him. “Diluted, yes, by seven generations. But it’s still there and it still calls to me.” She reached up and touched the boots on the statue of Ogdei Khan. “You wouldn't understand, Kostas.”
“Hey…” He chuckled. “I think I can take a guess.”
She shook her head. “It isn’t the same.” Her hand fell to her side again.
Volk pursed his lips. “I’ll say though, never expected you to have a kid.” He tried to change the subject. “I’m so sorry for what happened to her. What they did…”
“She might not remember now, but she will.” Drakaina assured him. “And Monkh is a good girl, very loyal. And the greatest fighter I’ve ever known.”
“Well she’s got half your DNA.” He paused at Drakaina’s obvious discomfort. “...Or not…”
She crossed the room quickly and sat, leaning over the arm of the chair so her face was inches from his. “This does not leave this room.” She hissed.
“I knew something was off.” Volk nodded. “You always said pregnancy looked miserable.”
“Indeed. Monkh, the girl who would become Monkh, was a wayward child I plucked from the steppe.” Drakaina elaborated. “We found her half dead in the snow, she looked as though she’d been running for days.”
“From where?”
“From an ADVENT city center? Or a haven that was burned? I honestly cannot say; she was thin as a twig and her feet were almost raw to the bone.” She sat back. “She spoke mostly Chinese when we found her, but in her fever, as she slept, she called out in a different language. Perhaps Japanese? It sounded so different.”
“Bit of a walk from Japan to here. Maybe she came from a city center in China?”
“She would not say, or maybe could not. It was all incomprehensible.”
“Did she have a name?” Volk asked. “Before Monkh, I mean.”
“Monkh was the closest thing we could make out. Obviously her name was different.” Drakaina shook her head. “But it does not matter anymore. Her name is Monkh now.”
“Actually it’s not.” Volk chuckled. “She’s not even human anymore.”
Drakaina glared at him, but did not protest. She sank into the bony frame of her throne, holding out her glass for Volk to pour her another drink.
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It was like muscle memory, Kon-Mai thought, as she cut the meat into strips. Aisha was to her left, separating out some of the fresher vegetables they had taken from the convoy they had raided before. She seemed distracted but when Kon-Mai caught her eye, she smiled.
“It’s been a while since we’ve done this together.” Aisha said quietly.
“A decade.” Kon-Mai nodded. “I believe I taught you how to make bread…when we had wheat to spare.”
“Haven’t really made it since then.” Aisha looked back to the vegetables in her lap. “The ground is so hard now, everything we plant in it dies…” She shook her head. “No, sorry, I shouldn’t complain. Plus look at the food we DO have!”
“You’re an excellent hunter.” Kon-Mai chuckled. “I raised you well I see~”
“I learned from the best~” Aisha winked. “We should hunt together more often. I rarely got to go with you before and now…”
“Now we must make up for lost time.” Kon-Mai agreed. “Perhaps when we return home.”
“Are you nervous?”
“I am always nervous before battle.” She admitted. “But that fear is necessary, and I use it to ground myself, to reflect on what is most important.” She trailed off, images of her transformation still flashing in her mind. It took her a minute to right herself, and after that it took Aisha taking hold of her shoulder to bring her fully back.
“Are you alright?”
Kon-Mai nodded. “What is important is my family. Those I have sworn to protect…” Her lips quivered. “And you. I swore to protect you. And I am so sorry I failed in that.”
“No…no, Mai, no.” Aisha embraced her, curling into her arms. “Mai, you did what you could. It wasn’t your fault you were captured. It could have happened to anyone.”
“I know…” She pressed a hand to Aisha’s back. “But it is something I must live with, and remember.”
“Hey…” Aisha pulled away. “Let’s…finish the meal, ok? The ceremony begins at dusk.”
There were voices from outside, and the flap of the tent was brushed aside. “Jinong, the Chosen have returned.” The voice of a male warrior said.
“Oh!” Aisha stood, wiping her hands on a cloth and tossing it back onto the mat. “Have they met with the Commander already?”
“They wish to speak to their sister.”
He looked at Kon-Mai, and she stood, slowly.
“I believe I have some explaining to do.”
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Silence hung in the air when Kon-Mai finished her story. Gur-Rai had been the first to notice the change in her, not just in her clothes and hair but in her mannerisms. She approached them as though she were younger, still a girl, still asking permission from her superiors. She was their little sister after all but…this was unlike her. She was unsure.
Malinalli was making direct eye contact with the floor, and Gur-Rai was scowling toward the leftmost wall. Only Dhar-Mon met her eyes, and he looked sympathetic.
“I understand.” He said. “After the loss of the Elders as our patrons, Sister, I understand why you desire to rekindle this relationship with Drakaina.”
“Would have been nice if you told us before announcing it to the entire clan.” Gur-Rai muttered.
“I know, Brother.” Kon-Mai said softly. “And I’m sorry I failed to. Everything happened so fast, and an answer was demanded of me, and…I got carried away.”
He shook his head. “Fuck it. I’m happy for you, sister.” He assured her, though his assurance sounded…forced. “You found your family.”
“Brother.” She chided gently, approaching him. “YOU are my family. That shall never change.”
“You sure? I’m awfully hard to handle~” Gur-Rai’s smirk hid a deep sadness underneath it.
“Hush now.” She pulled her brother into her arms and squeezed him. “You shall always be my brother. And I, always your sister.” She looked up briefly as Dhar-Mon joined the hug, embracing the two.
“There is still one important matter.” He spoke softly. “What we found in the mines.”
“Yes, I'm not quite clear on that.” Gur-Rai admitted, prying himself from Kon-Mai’s grasp. “But from what I gleaned-”
“There are people trapped down there.” Malinalli admitted. “We could sense them, but there’s like…something blocking it. Like we saw it through a curtain.”
“There was much pain.” Dhar-Mon admitted. “The suffering of a thousand minds, but I have no way of knowing whose, or if anyone is truly down there.”
“If there are people in there, we can’t just leave them.” Malinalli insisted. “They’re alive, at least some of them. The mine is operational, and new people go down there every day! More people could get hurt.”
“This is impossible.” Kon-Mai shook her head. “The mines that are headed by Drakaina? She would never put her people at risk.”
“Maybe they aren’t her people.” Gur-Rai muttered. “Much easier to send slaves to die.”
“The Horde does not own slaves. We-they do everything by hand.” Kon-Mai avoided his eyes, catching herself as he glared at her in shock.
“Horde or not, there are people dying down there.” Malinalli insisted. “And we need to bring it to the attention of the Commander.”
“They may need to hold on a bit longer.” Kon-Mai muttered. “For I hear the hooves of horses.”
A horn sounded from outside.
“And we are going to war.”
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Summary: In this chapter, Kon-Mai inquires to Drakaina about her old life. While Drakaina tells her stories about her birth and her father, she later reveals to Volk that these were lies: Drakaina found Kon-Mai as a lost child years ago, and she is not Drakaina’s biological daughter. There is much speculation about what Malinalli and Dhar-Mon found in the mines, but Gur-Rai promises to help them get to the bottom of it--and expose how Drakaina is behind it all.
Happy Halloween everyone! I’m glad to finally get this one out for your guys, health issues are a real bitch so thank you all for being patient with me! Next chapter? We’ll be getting into the Final Battle.
BIG thanks to @grace-kohai for being my lovely beta reader and also the most patient human being in existence. I love you bestie!
