like the chapters so far the priest was interesting
seeing as proxy might or might not pass information is a good twist
will be fun to see what those riots will be like perhaps some form of flash mob
Beyond ‘X’ Book VI latest post Ch 2 pt 3, 2nd June 15
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Paranoid66
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[[ONE]] Part 9 --- JURISDICTIONAL INSANITY / TRI-CENTRE CITY RUNNING ---
[My ongoing ‘Tube’ journeys passed easily enough. My fellow passengers leaving me in almost ‘Swimmer’ peace, only some children stared at my ‘Pulse Rifle’ with delighted awe and that was not onerous. To the innocent the weapon a big wonderful toy they itched to hold. Perhaps some of these travellers came from very peaceful ‘Dark Side’ communities were guns were not so much a part of everyday life. I resisted the impulse to be friendly by waving some tentacles at the young ones recalling I was acting stern.]
[I envisioned a ‘Dark Side’ place with no requirement for a gun against wild animals or to hunt yet in some regions down here the wise still carried personal protection against potentially trespassing ‘Pilgrims’.]
[I tried to fathom the sort of parent that takes very young - natural born - children to a public execution and failed. Still maybe the children were bound elsewhere but I doubted that possibility, thankfully children were a tiny minority of the ‘Passenger Classes’ I encountered in transit. Paradox Marines were also on some of the ‘Trains’ but they generally commandeered and packed whole carriages they did not mix with the populace individually. I guessed we would only mingle with the Marines on the ‘Tube’ if they did a sweep looking for someone they desired to apprehend.]
[I was surprise to find large numbers of Marines on the ‘Tubes’ since the ‘Task Force’ above had the far more flexible facility of fast insertion anywhere ‘Light Side’ via ‘Drop Ship’. There was something a little ominous and disturbing about masses of rank after rank of armed troops on a public transport system even though as ‘MT’ I often viewed ‘Immortals’ as just Paradox Acolyte children rather than scary military fighters the venue here and the circumstances however temporarily altered my perception.]
[At first I thought the ‘Task Force’ operation had extended to the ‘Dark Side’ of the ‘Sliver’ but to me that idea made no sense. So at the next changeover stop I made a point of reading ‘Kanji’ to identify the forces. A digital search revealed that they all came from Paradox Ships parked ‘Dark Side’ not from the ‘Task Force Battle Group’ in space.]
[These Marines did not belong to the ‘Task Force’ instead I assumed they were seconded to the ‘Sliver Local Administrative Council’. The ‘SLAC’ sending some uninvolved Paradox Marines to ‘Tri-centre’ as more assured peacekeepers made a bizarre kind of sense.]
[‘SLAC’ were as a rule - slack - notoriously conservative often in a bad way - frequently politically unwilling for even the best of reasons to antagonise any of the local factions their membership too often made up of local faction representatives power sharing or perhaps I should say strangling it ruthlessly to within a millimetre of it’s life.]
[It was a common consensus amongst many less politically faction involved ‘Pilgrims’ living ‘Sliver Side’ that ‘SLAC’ councillors spent most of their time arguing with each other as if an especially rowdy ‘Council of Equals’ rather than pushing forward sensible policy joint decisions with any unity of purpose, hardly surprising as they often had antagonistic views to each other about all but the most common of policies. Whilst I readily confess to making some gross generalisations here, as a rule ‘SLAC’ tended to only get their act together with less controversial less divisive issues and they were infamously reactive rather than proactive when they do move on any issue. Still, ‘Sliver Local Administration Councils’ vary somewhat according to the ‘Sliver’ involved so perhaps general public opinion and my hastily adopted view is somewhat harsh.]
[On ‘AO’ the ‘SLAC’ is obsessed with the protection of ‘Real Materialist’ values ignoring lesser factional differences here on ‘A3’ the ‘SLAC’ dominated by Paradox ‘User’ values had different prejudices although individual ‘SLAC - District Sub Councils’ could have a very different makeup and majority membership compared to the main overall ‘Sliver Local Administrative Council’ just to further confuse the issue.]
[As well as answering to the public ‘SLAC’ - so-called democratically - elected councillors also reported to the ‘Founder Oversight Committee’, (I said earlier so-called democratic due to known inordinate faction pressure upon some voters especially in areas dominated by a Cult, a Gang or a Corporation). The ‘FOC’ able to give the ‘SLAC’ orders but the ‘SLAC’ often had a great deal of control regarding the methods of ‘FOC’ policy enforcement on the ground on their ‘Sliver’. ‘SLAC’ supposed to be all about local knowledge and local politics for local people - as protectors of local interests - little government for little people.]
[Unfortunately the ideal behind the ‘SLAC’ was in reality corrupted as usual. The ‘SLAC’ served one big useful purpose however they - appeared - to give power back to ‘Sliver’ residents so that the ‘FOC’ did not seem quite as dictatorial as it sometimes needed to be to keep ‘The Project’ smoothly moving forward.]
[I hate politics in my own way, no less than ‘UT’ but I know it is a horribly dirty political Universe, you must wade into the political mire to get anything big cross-species done and you often come out the other side grossly stained and feeling deeply unclean.]
[Usually ‘SLAC’ do not have access to large numbers of Marines but instead recruit a very small number of ‘Local Sliver Police’ usually caught horribly in the middle between all the other armed factions. As I have mentioned before most real security on ‘Sliver’ is handled by ‘Local Corporate Security’ who each secure their own private interests it is a messy jurisdictional-fractured arrangement that often permits both regular low energy skirmishes and clever career criminals to escape justice which is another reason why uninvolved - independent - Bounty Hunters do lots of business in the ‘Ultra-nation’.]
[Sadly, fractured law enforcement is how most ‘SLAC’ members prefer matters as it gives the factions they represent more freedom to exercise whatever power they can accumulate by any means available. Occasionally the ‘FOC’ sends directives or an ‘Attache’ and arranges for the secondment of external uninvolved Military forces to ‘Sliver Local Administrative Council’ control thus sending in the troops whilst seeming not to be doing so in a bossy tyrannical manner. Appearances not necessarily the reality being everything in the ‘Ultra-nation’, arguably as it is often the case with power politics everywhere in every age due to political spin.]
[I gave in to temptation to confirm my theory and sent a query as ‘MT’ to a listed friendly contact gained from my ‘Proxy’ a contact within the ‘FOC’ able to get data from the right department dealing with troop secondments. I soon discovered that the Marines on the ‘Tubes’ were as I suspected not ‘Task Force’ Paradox Marines but indeed from Ships parked ‘Dark Side’ that had been hastily contacted for secondment by the ‘FOC’ to the ‘Alpha Three Sliver Local Administrative Council’ their mission to act as temporary peacekeeping counterweights to any ‘Task Force’ unit chicanery at ‘Tri-centre City’ or elsewhere on ‘A3’. ‘A3’ now flooded with troops from two different Paradox sources.]
[I guessed the ‘FOC’ could not ignore the continued ‘Task Force’ invasion post the collection of fines without taking some measures to maintain the peace. In addition, apparently the ‘FOC’ also had concerns about a major potential public order crisis developing at ‘Tri-centre City’ because of the planned executions. Sending in deemed neutral Paradox Marines to reinforce ‘Local Sliver Police’ a clever enough plan against riot but one that might easily backfire due to the heat of the issue.]
[Since Paradox as a rule will think thrice before firing on other Paradox it made a crazy kind of sense to use more Paradox Marines under other commanders as living bulwarks to barricade off potential trouble. Unfortunately, considering how close the issues involved here are to the hearts of all Paradox in general it was also a risky policy decision - I hoped they had picked their Paradox Marines carefully but feared they had to compromise by enlisting forces readily available due to the short notice involved. Still sending in more Paradox was smarter than say sending in ‘Stellar Draakhaal Warrior Caste’ or ‘Recycler Mercenary Marines’ or even ‘Trojan Troops’ since if fighting ensued with a different species it could create wider tensions that could escalate towards a species war always a background dread within the ‘Ultra-nation’.]
[It was one of the wiser ‘FOC’ policies to mostly encourage each species to step up and take care of their own private issues thus preventing any chance of accidental interspecies conflict. Besides shared cultural sensitivities meant less insult tended to be given and less heat was generated by same species law enforcement - a matter of commonsense.]
[Interestingly the ‘FOC’ had no official standing army it just commandeered forces under long established ‘Ultra-nation’ treaty agreements. Again this lack of a dedicated military sworn to serve the ‘FOC’ made the ‘Founder Oversight Committee’ seem far less threatening and dictatorial as a friendly - civilian - organisation at least that was the projected political theory possibly some idea floated by someone akin to ‘Trend’.]
[In the most worrisome of developing situations the ‘FOC’ sent ‘Attaches’ that acted as supposedly on the ground ‘Advisors’ specifically to ‘Seconded Military Forces’ but in real terms these ‘Attaches’ behaved during a crisis as if ‘FOC War Masters’ or ‘Field Marshals’ if you prefer of the seconded troops. ‘FOC Attaches’ previously appointed for example had included the sometimes very busy it seemed ‘Proxy’ of ‘Unholy Terror’. In some cases sending certain ‘Attaches’ was enough of a threat to bring about a hasty locally agreed political settlement between previously out of control disputing factions.]
[Interesting exceptions to many political rules of enforcement remained: The ‘Consortium Police’ that often behaved - technically at times illegally - within the ‘Ultra-nation’ as a federal ‘Ultra-nation’ spanning Police Force sometimes but not always with tacit ‘FOC’ permission. Another aberration being ‘SARC Enforcers’ who often cared little about any jurisdictional borders. The ‘SARC Enforcer’ official remit remained hunting down the very worst of ‘Omerta Trojan’ career criminal types including Ancient escapees still at large from ‘Sanctuary Orb’ detention. Some nasty Prisoners escaping during the assault by the ‘Entanglement’ notably people of the calibre of the historic ‘Mutilator’.]
[Some ‘Pilgrims’ wrongly assumed even insisted that ‘SARC Enforcers’ serviced ‘SARC Temporal Detention Centres’ but the relationship was the other way around. Another oddity of note is the ‘Burner Adjustment Bureau’ that had surprisingly long limbs because the ‘Bureau’ followed the ‘Fraternities’ spreading at times insidious influence in an attempt to keep both the ‘Fraternity Free Miner Movement’ Leaders and Members from doing anything too piratical and naughty at home or abroad.]
[The above is hardly a full list of people that meddle in ‘Ultra-nation’ law enforcement or abuse the law depending on your perspective but it deals with the most - overt - well known players on the ‘Slivers’. Above I am ignoring such oddities as the now mostly covert ‘Interdiction Fleet’ a very different more mysterious organisation compared to what it was back in our old lost ‘Core Alliance’. As ever, thinking about the ‘CA’ a constant reminder of the dire ‘Advent of the Entanglement’ that caused the loss of so many ‘Pilgrim’ souls.]
[Many souls lost to the ‘Entanglement’ now very importantly believed by some of us ‘Pilgrims’ not to be dead but instead digitally transferred to a sort of virtual hell because historic ‘Sleepers’ loved to play rough with the minds of their captives and ‘Crimson’ although the ‘Entanglement’ was still very ‘Sleeper’ in her mindset back then. Now even if ‘Crimson’ was reforming slowly and willing to behave to admit to stealing all those souls too publicly would be disastrous for her credibility as a member of the wider ‘Pilgrim’ community.]
[I equally recalled that ‘UT’ had taken on a ‘Vision’ to see every ‘Entangled’ soul freed possibly even repatriated to the real a potential link to his ‘Proxy’ having an interest in the ‘Naked Priest’. It was possible that the ‘Proxy’ of ‘UT’ deemed it logical to repatriate lost Paradox Souls into ‘Pan-Nid’ naked bodies a rather fascinating idea. Still at the moment any repatriation of souls would have to happen over the objections of ‘Crimson’.]
[Spinning out of a purely cognitive reality some of the pieces of the puzzle in relation to my associates began to align nicely and link together. For example, the ‘Proxy’ of ‘UT’ would obviously be involved in furthering the broadest aims of the real ‘Unholy Terror’.]
[Finally I arrived at my last stop underneath the ‘Tri-centre City Park Square of Equals’ I know that one is a bit of a mouthful. I marched along the platform in my own little zone of space still holding my ‘Pulse Rifle’ in a passive military stance then I by necessity joined the throng as if a part of their worm upon a wide escalator going up to the surface street level at the ‘Triangle Forum’.]
[On the escalator I mused that all seemed to be going fine with the Paradox Order then we pop out of ‘Stasis’ and the Order starts going to ‘Hell’s Maw’ but I suspected the timing of the ‘Task Force’ intervention and our arrival was not accidental. ‘Primal’ wanted this to happen now, now when he knew the ‘Holy Father of the Universal Council of Equals’ was no longer slumbering through time. I feared the timing was about forcing a show for my benefit as much as anything else because he wanted me on his side as a future lobbyist the ‘Emissary’ or ‘Harbinger’ save me from the wrath of the rest of my Order.]
[‘Primal’ was revealing to me just how bigoted and unreasonable our paradoxical Order could still contrive to be despite all our ‘Councils of Equals’, professions of equality and love for many truths. I guessed his followers did something dire to incite the call for an armed military response perhaps showing themselves purposely to a few of the worst possible highly politicised ‘Shrouded’ Paradox or ensured some false or real data on their activities leaked to staunch ‘Anti-Exposed Acolytes’ and Priests. Maybe they even leaked the fearful parasitical reproduction concept to get all the potential dirty linen washed in public in one go therefore ‘Primal’ getting these issues seemingly defeated when his dupe doppelganger replacements suffered Martyrdom. At first glance it seemed all rather counterproductive but was in fact terribly wormy sleeked.]
[I was so positive about the truth of my latest hypothesis that I did not even bother to attempt to dig out some confirming details digitally lest any search pointed ‘Anti-Exposed’ Paradox back in my direction. I had already been a bit naughty by confirming the nature of the Marines on the ‘Tube Trains’ via ‘MT’ connections.]
[It was all political skulduggery ‘Primal’ was playing politics he had I was positive arranged the Martyrdom via incitement not ‘UT’, at most ‘Primal’ had arranged it all along with the assistance of a ‘Proxy’ of ‘UT’ with ‘UT’ just making the most of this situation including taking some credit from his ‘Proxy’ after the fact. After all ‘UT’ was in stasis during the build up to much of these events. As if dealing with one ‘UT’ is not hard enough work I now had to watch out for the logical actions of his sly ‘Proxy’ as well. Truly I was triple cursed due to some of my friends as much as blessed. Did my ‘Prime Consciousness Proxy’ know or suspect collusion between the ‘Proxy’ of ‘UT’ and ‘Primal’? I was afraid to ask my ‘Prime Proxy’ lest it confessed it knew everything but had decided I did not need to know anything about that matter. Sometimes ignorance truly is bliss even when you fear you might know the answer to the unasked question already.]
[Striding off the escalator I felt a blessed relief to be under limitless sky again. I felt crowded by too many people in the ‘Tube Ways’ and yearned for open spaces now I could look straight upward to feel almost unfettered from irksome containment. Even tall buildings did not seem to crowd the ‘Park Square of Equals’ because it was so wide. The ‘Park Square’ was delightfully large an open central truly geometric square area that held the mass of the city far at bay.]
[Actually in form the plan of the ‘Park Square of Equals’ was made of three cunningly shaped triangles that linked together to form a perfect square. Two scalene triangles on either side of the paved ‘Triangle Forum’, the ‘Right and Left Scalene Garden Parks’ made up from purple red and green areas that were all trees, grass and bushes with meandering discrete trails, decorative surface streams and fountains either side of the bigger paved central triangle that pointed in the opposite direction the aforementioned ‘Triangle Forum’.]
[In overall design ethos, the ‘Tri-centre City Park Square of Equals’ proved easily the most formal and cunningly contrived part of the entire ‘Tri-centre City’ landscape. The city proper a confusion that erupted at random beyond the formal open space of the Park in a shockingly haphazard manner that was just the beginning of the many contrasts of the metropolis that billed itself as ‘The City of Many Lifestyles’.]
[Sadly, it was in the ‘Triangle Forum’ area that they erected a great stand as the site of the forthcoming public execution. Monstrous ‘Suit Substance’ screens also resting there to supplement the informational space to ensure no one missed the show including the most Luddite of ‘Neo-Luddite Real Materialists’ with no ‘Neural Net’ and no ‘Computer Pad’ or other ‘Link’ access whatsoever. Note the most extreme ‘Neo-Luddite’ factions remain an often socially isolated tiny percentage of the main ‘Neo-Luddite’ community.]
[Following ‘Link News’ I knew that the ‘Task Force’ had installed extra ‘Suit Substance’ screens all over ‘Tri-centre City’ not just within the ‘City Park Square of Equals’ although the City already had many such display devices attached to buildings belonging to individual Paradox ‘Hold’ and ‘Great House’ Corporations and so on. As I guessed earlier and as some hoped whilst others feared it would be a grand show a triple cursed historic spectacle a blood drenched circus...]
[There was much conjecture on the ‘Links’ about the form that the executions would take with some truly bizarre and horrible ideas being ventured. The ‘Task Force’ had promised it would be something especially befitting the heinous nature of the cultists crime to resurrect ‘Ancient Pan-Nid’ Imperial religious tyranny. As I stood gazing upon the platform an Acolyte up there once more began to address the crowd.]
“Yes it is here my friends that tomorrow the fiends will be brought to a final accounting for the tally of their sins against ‘Pilgrim Kind’. What sins you might ask? Did they not live apart in the wilds harming no one? Consider not the manner in which they skulked and sought to hide their intent yesterday but when you see them in the horrid flesh of their abomination remember the dire fate they planned for us all tomorrow. Imagine a virulent plague of ‘Pan-Nid’ spreading rape and murder across the ‘Slivers’ in time even across the ‘Ring World’. Rejoice for we have stopped the wicked scheme before it could come to fruition but be ever mindful good ‘Pilgrims’ be ever on your guard lest other fools seek to resurrect this most ancient of genetic curses.” [The Acolyte warned fervently.]
“I am a Paradox and at last I more fully understand why we are ‘Shrouded’ I know why we contained and altered our flesh in shame turning forever away from the terrible secrets of our past genome. We are the heretics of the ‘God King Tyrant’ the repentant followers of the ‘Emissary’ we are the few righteous ‘Pan-Nid’ who by mediation and mighty acts of willpower overcame our genetic heritage of Imperial subservience to create a new way a way of many truths rather than one intolerant all domineering faith and one wicked all consuming flesh.” [He stated.]
“The ‘Ancient Pan-Nid’ were akin to our modern ‘Nanotech Plague’ that is the triple cursed ‘Entanglement’ they too were self-contained, selfish, uncaring of others feelings, unrepentant of any crimes against deemed lesser creatures against whom they judged no cruel action to be a true crime after all lesser creatures are animals and animals are just a resource to be farmed hunted and consumed as and when required.” [He warned.]
“Proud of their singular ‘Vision’ the Ancient ‘Pan-Nid’ had fixed optics that rested firmly forward upon the path of Imperial obedience and predation against any rival species that dared criticise their ‘Holy See’. We few rebels, we scorned outcasts, we hated heretics of the ‘Holy Pan-Nid See’ who followed the ‘Emissary’ to become the Paradox Priests of today we broadened our ‘Vision’ we acknowledging that we are only equal - no better or worse than any other ‘Pilgrim’ species - so long as we did not surrender to the evil dormant within our genome that remained our tolerant all embracing truth.” [He claimed.]
“We even invited other ‘Pilgrims’ from other ‘Pilgrim Species’ to join us within our Order as ‘Shrouded’ equals in our unending quest against all monstrous tyrants all unequal acts of tyranny all would be Kings. To confirm our new nature we founded our famous ‘Councils of Equals’ to ensure that all might speak and be heard and that all matters might be known and weighed in righteous equal open debate.” [He reminded.]
“You know us ‘Shrouded’ Paradox some of you may not like our current material preferences but by our actions you know we are not rampaging intolerant monsters. However there is a monster in all of us that can be let loose. For many species that monster is a monster of the mind a question of chosen attitude to take or reject the vector of sin but with us sin also rests within our original ‘Pan-Nid’ flesh for the flesh of a ‘Pan-Nid Emperor’ corrupts his mind into that of a born Absolute Monarch with one purpose - rule - one determination the biological dissemination of one dominant faith. A faith that insists that the ‘Pan-Nid’ are supreme and that all others species are irrelevant lacking our ‘Vision’ our holy nature our God King Emperor. To the ‘Ancient Pan Nid’ other life forms are no more than meat for the reproduction of more ‘Pan-Nid’ and who respects mere reproductive fodder as equals.” [The Acolyte continued I was positive twisting many truths shockingly out of shape.]
“Thanks to the ‘Emissary’ alone a few heretics of the ‘Ancient Pan-Nid’ way managed to survive persecution and eradication to come to this far Universe. The ‘Emissary’ had faith that those few good souls could overcome their horrid beginnings even become better more sapient sentient beings by rejecting their shameful genetic past. We cast off the sin of our genetic reproductive imperative - we embraced genetic change - we cloned rather than bred to become what you see before you decent honest ‘Shrouded’ Paradox who see you all as ‘Pilgrim’ kindred spirits even those of you we at times disagree with over one issue or another for we can agree to disagree unlike the ‘Ancient Pan-Nid’ who had to crush all opposition.” [The Acolyte boldly claimed.]
“Now a few impudent deviants seek to undo all the good that the Order has achieved to date by unmaking our ‘Pilgrimage’ by regressing back to the genome of the ‘pre-Pilgrimage Pan-Nid’ but we who have stayed true to the spirit of the Order say nay that must not - shall not - happen. Thus we have unleashed our holy fire and cast down the base of the abominators hid deep inside the spire known as ‘The Finger’. Within ‘The Finger’ they had secretly burrowed and excavated out a community of grotesquery concealing their bodily sickness within an innocent landmark over which many tourists clambered acting unknowingly as living shields for the catastrophes resting within. Catastrophes resting within awaiting a chance to facilitate an epidemic return of a God King Emperor to tyrannical power.” [The Acolyte incited.]
“The architect of all this evil amazingly is but one madly mistaken Elder Priest possibly driven insane by a failed ‘Suit Substance Ascension’ to ‘Bio-mechanics’. Alas perhaps he might have been cured if he had not so readily embraced his insanity glorifying in his deformity and wickedness. Rarely has both the mind and body of a sentient being so boldly exhibited such a unified fall from holy grace. Now we see only one sure cure for the ill ‘Primal’ and his followers would unleash and that is an end to their indecent suffering without reprieve. Some called for ‘Stasis’ sentences for these weird offenders but that might just unleash an ancient madness upon some less prepared grown ignorant tomorrow - no ‘Primal’ must be removed for good - never to be reborn - never to threaten our civilisation again. Anyone who would resurrect the ‘Ancient Pan-Nid’ and therefore the threat of a ‘Pan-Nid Emperor’ must be removed for the safety of all other sentient beings we of the ‘Task Force’ see no other secure - safe - way forward and we have long debated this issue. The greater good for all tomorrows requires a lesser evil tomorrow. We are not proud of what we must do we are not creating a public spectacle to rejoice but to educate and warn as far as, also as deeply as, we deem possible.” [He testified.]
“No trial is necessary - not one of them can or has denied their crimes - they are proud and defiant to the last they believe in their truth they believe in the superiority of their uncompromising ‘Vision’. We Paradox embrace all non-harming truths we accept the validity of all non-harming ‘Visions’ - we abhor enforcement - but we will not accept any imposition of tyranny or any truth that seeks by definition to do great harm to innocent others. Some have condemned our actions against the ‘Exposed’ as intolerant and bigoted but I beg you consider the consequences of inaction. The ‘Ancient Pan-Nid’ were akin to the plague that is the ‘Entanglement’ imagine if the ‘Entanglement’ could have been stopped before it spread as a pandemic across the ‘Core Alliance’ would that have been intolerance and bigotry by the ‘Citizenry of the Core Alliance’? We Paradox of the ‘Task Force’ refuse to stand idly aside and let another plague seek to consume ‘Pilgrim Kind’. Now is the time to act. Once we had the proof we needed and the intelligence we sought we did not hesitate or restrain our effort we leapt forth to prevent the spread of contagion. With one blow we will end the outrageous ambition of ‘Primal’ and his misguided followers for all time as the ‘Star Divers’ too blithely say.” [The Acolyte finished.]
[He paused for a time then began his speech from the beginning again almost as if a recording.]
“Yes it is here my friends that tomorrow the fiends will be brought to a final accounting…”
“Quite a speech I know I have heard it already.” [‘Short’ said loudly to me forcing me to start inside my squid bowl.]
[I looked around to find they were all here now, standing around me having arrived from the rear filtering in through the parting crowd. I felt a little ambushed but at the same time very happy to be reunited with the rest of ‘Short Six’.]
“They are ignoring some known facts such as the early Paradox involvement in a technology theft from a ‘Prime Graveyard’ type source and their part in founding both ‘Bio-mechanical Ascension’ and the ‘Tier System’ not to mention probably unlocking the power of nanotechnology rather early resulting in misuses and abuses that may have helped create many later almost extinction ‘Dark Time’ events for us ‘Pilgrims’. Few of us ‘Pilgrim’ factions are without historic sin we have all erred sometimes for what was judged the best of reasons but erred nonetheless.” [I stated.]
“So you are also a student of ancient Paradox history.” [‘Short’ said.]
“I have heard this sort of rhetoric before it reminds me of past poor choices perhaps we could have found better ways to halt ‘Draakhaal’ and even the ‘Sleepers’ if we had only learned to better forgive and offered some people a truer chance to change.” [I sent privately to ‘Short’.]
“Some folk are only capable of change when they are given no other choice.” [‘Short’ sent in return it appeared very unconvinced by my last argument.]
“There were more than Ancient Paradox involved in those historic messes.” [‘Short’ added aloud.] “I guess whoever wrote the speech prefers not to cloud the current issue in the minds of the congregation.”
“You found me quickly.” [I said changing the subject.]
“Before you left I noticed you had disabled your ‘Short Six’ positional ‘Tag’ so I slipped a new ‘Tag’ into your personal baggage it seemed a wise precaution lest you got lost or something.” [‘Short’ confessed in a hissing jocular manner.]
“Where exactly?” [I asked sometimes I deemed it good to be able to get lost.]
“Where the stealthy device would be difficult to spot.” [‘Short’ replied.] “The old ‘Dry Suit’ is looking a bit more used than before you left, you had a few adventures?”
“Nothing I could not handle?” [I burbled.]
“I see you have a new gun - in fact it looks very new - an ‘MTC-FP1-RM’ if I am not mistaken.” [‘Short’ stated, trust ‘Short’ to know her weapons.]
“I felt a bit underdressed for this momentous possibly trouble inducing gathering.” [I burbled back.]
“You take the stance of a warrior it looks good even on you ‘Swimmer’.” [‘Kanne’ said.] “But warriors take more notice of their surroundings and gawp less at mouthy Acolytes.”
[She rapped the back of my ‘Dry Suit’ with her ‘Boarding Sword’.]
“I could have rammed my ‘Boarding Sword’ right up the sphincter of your ‘Swimmer’ blowhole from behind.” [She added.]
“Not through my shields all you could do is blunt your weapon and then I would have spun around and shot you with my ‘FP1’ somewhere that hurts.” [I promised.]
“Ha a few days away and little aquatic ‘Swimmer Professor’ takes possession of big ‘Stellar Swimmer Warrior’ attitude.” [‘Kanne’ retorted.]
“I guess he went all wild out there or it was something in the water.” [‘Jack’ mocked.]
“So what did you bring back from your travels? One who goes out alone on a break must bring something back for his comrades it is a squad tradition.” [‘Mabel’ insisted.]
[Possibly a new squad tradition she made up just before I left but I guess squad traditions have to come from somewhere.]
“I have some delicious pickled cave fish stowed in my personal baggage seasoned with extra-hot Paradox pickled peppers.” [I joked.]
“I said no smelly fish remember.” [‘Mabel’ replied.]
“Actually I did pick up a few shiny trinkets - nothing too much as I know you lot hardly deserve it.” [I burbled.]
[I temporarily stowed my weapon and got out the snail shaped badges and broaches.]
“Cute just what I needed.” [‘Short’ replied rather idly pinning her broach onto the flap of a munitions pouch were it seemed a bit incongruous.]
“Ingrate ‘Recycler’, that is natural ‘Majaglit’ expertly carved by Paradox artisans it even comes with an authentication certificate. True they are small pieces but what do you want for nothing.” [I stated.]
“I like it.” [‘Mabel’ replied as she pinning hers to her armour’s uniform lapel opposite her ‘Short Six’ insignia.]
“It is certainly better than pickled fish thank you.” [‘Ingrid’ replied in turn doing the same as her friend so that the little real material broach was imbedded in place in her case by shifting ‘Suit Substance’.]
“A snail is an odd token for a group of Bounty Hunters one guaranteed not to strike fear into the hearts of our foes unlike say a grinning skull or perhaps crossed lightning bolts or a starburst.” [‘Jack’ stated pinning his badge on a lapel too.]
“You could always use it to reflect an unexpected light in your foes’ optics.” [I replied.]
“I think it is a bit small to act as a blinding mirror of distraction.” [‘Jack’ retorted.]
“The tactic of flashing a shiny might work against little ‘Swimmers’ with a big fish obsession I am sure their silly eyestalks are attuned to a flash of darting scales in the gloom but against anyone else…” [‘Kanne’ mocked trailing off.]
“I could have stayed away and got a real job out there with some appreciative scientists doing some digital research in tranquil peace.” [I complained.]
“You have a contract ‘Six THREE’ besides I think you are starting to enjoy the noise and excitement of Bounty Hunting.” [‘Short’ replied.]
“You ‘Recyclers’ and your contracts.” [I complained.]
“Did you even bother to read the small print?” [‘Short’ asked.]
[I burbled out a bubbly ‘Swimmer’ laugh.]
“You forget I mostly composed the small print as you could not be bothered with any of that logistical nonsense. I think it might be you that forgot to check the small print after I revised it especially before you counter signed it off.” [I stated triumphantly.]
[‘Short’ made a barking hacking hiss sound.] “There is no way that any of that is legally binding.” [She replied.]
[I did my best to communicate indifference with my writhing tentacles.] “A signed contract is a signed contract.” [I burbled back.]
“In your dreams you bilious blue bubble blowing academic.” [‘Short’ stated.] “We shall talk about this one later.”
“Too late it is all officially registered with the ‘Cores’ - suck it up like a stolen egg ‘Six ONE’.” [I replied.]
“Truly taken lots of attitude I like perhaps even a little ‘Swimmer’ can take to a warrior life after all.” [‘Kanne’ mused aloud.]
“So what happens now?” [I asked.]
“I suggest we first get billeted somewhere suitable in the City ideally not too far from this Square.” [‘Jack’ interjected.]
“Sounds like a sensible action plan.” [‘Ingrid’ agreed.]
“Now we go get billeted.” [‘Short’ commanded as if it was her idea and not just previously mentioned by anyone in front of everyone else.]
“Now why did I not think of that?” [‘Jack’ replied sarcastically.]
“Probably because when we are off the ‘Serendipity’, you ‘Six TWO’ are not in command of ‘Short Six’.” [‘Short’ retorted.]
“Ouch did I accidentally step upon your big boosted feet ‘Great Cybernetic Leader’.” [‘Jack’ stated.]
“I seem to be detecting a discipline problem possibly due to too much leave largess. Get on with it ‘Six THREE’ - do your stuff - ‘Link’ and find us some rooms ideally with a view of the Square and not too pricy - remember we are on an already painfully depleted budget due to an expanded shore leave.” [‘Short’ commanded.]
“Certainly boss, but I think you may have somehow failed to notice the massive influx all around us. I imagine all rooms will be pricy and rooms with a view of the Square ridiculously expensive to the point of being a significant drain on our funds.” [I stated.]
“I am done roughing it I am not camping in this park so show some initiative ‘Swimmer’, locate someone with suitable property here that owes us a favour or someone who might want us to owe them a favour in future if necessary. Do I have to do all the strategic thinking around here?” [‘Short’ complained.]
“When you say owe favours you mean only to ‘Short Six’ not to our truer identities.” [I privately sent to ‘Short’. Finding an ‘MTC’ or affiliated building would be easy here.]
“Of course, I meant only associates of ‘Short’ and / or ‘Short Six’ sometimes I swear you have water on your ‘Swimmer’ brain, we need to keep our levels of separation. I know, look for someone with a recent security problem that we can instantly solve with the requisite rooms with views. You do claim to be a researcher, do some triple cursed instant digital research. You know I should not have to hold your hand or tentacle or whatever with this kind of thing besides the idea of holding a slimy ‘Swimmer’ tentacle is repulsive no wonder ‘Kanne’ looks at you funny most of the time ‘Bluu’.” [‘Short’ sent.]
[He would have to make a point of reminding me of that fact.]
[I found a hotel that according to the ‘Links’ had suffered a string of recent thefts from guest rooms despite having installed a new security system. I contacted the on the ground management then upgraded to the ownership having a little speeded up chat about our services, and needs as ‘Short Six’.]
[In slow time a few minutes later…]
“It is all done in return for catching a thief or some thieves.” [I stated.]
[I shared the details of the problem with the rest of ‘Short Six’ via a data blast.]
“Too easy, obviously an inside job that one should take us no time at all. You stipulated room for six with a view of the Square?” [‘Short’ sought to confirm.]
“I did as you asked.” [I replied.] “However do not expect too much luxury.”
“Consider yourself almost redeemed in my optics.” [‘Short’ replied.] “If you want fully redeemed solve that one with digital detective work before we get there consider it a test of your academic ‘Link’ tickling prowess.” [She added.]
“I live to serve ‘Great Cybernetic Leader’.” [I replied sarcastically taking up the label granted by ‘Jack’ to ‘Short’ earlier.]
“So you should since you are our primary logistical asset.” [‘Short’ replied.]
[I had my ‘Suit’ do the steering as I delved into the data with ‘Cognitive Sub Core’ or ‘CSC’ assistance from the ‘Serendipity’. With hotel management permissions I ran checks on employees with the necessary access, downloaded and had other ‘CSC’ analyse security feeds and alarm data looking for evidence of internal tampering. For someone with my vast experience and paranoid mental agility not to mention ‘Core’ support it proved almost too easy to pinpoint the corrupt member of staff who proved to have a family link to a local ‘Omerta Deck Gang’ known as the ‘Last Boys’.]
“Done and done I told ‘Short’ you will have to dress it up a bit to make it worth our bed and breakfast rooms with a view.” [I stated.]
“That was remarkably quick.” [‘Short’ admitted.] “Now I am almost verging upon being truly impressed.”
“I would back my ‘Swimmer’ brain over your assisted ‘Recycler’ brawn any day.” [I boasted.]
“As a ‘Recycler’ I also excel in the digital realm but I prefer to fight more substantial battles in the real. I will put on a good show for the management drag it out a bit perhaps widen the net any active bounties on these ‘Last Boys’?” [‘Short’ replied.]
“Now you are just being totally lazy.” [I complained.]
“Answer the question ‘Six THREE’?” [‘Short’ commanded.]
“A few of the older ‘Boys’ have rather insignificant local bounties I will send you the details.” [I said.]
“That is outstanding we scoop these ones up and actually make a little profit rather than a loss.” [‘Short’ stated.] “Good work ‘Bluu’ keep it up and I will buy the next crate of live fish as a bonus.”
[It helped me greatly that I had ‘Reach Project’ subversive training and had spent considerable time doing this sort of thing as part of the ‘Burner Adjustment Bureau’ too. I knew all the criminal tricks having worked both sides of the lawful divide as they say ‘use a thief to catch a thief’. Besides the ‘Last Boys’ and their hotel security mole were by my standards at best semi-professional amateurs with delusions of criminal competency. For a start they took valuable treasured physical items that were hastily missed when people with their level of access might have simply stolen far less traceable but no less valuable information rather than silly trinkets even done a bit of quiet blackmail to their unfortunate customers that would have prevented any reporting of their activity. Still they were very small time criminals.]
[I assumed the ‘Last Boys’ wrestled out of their league by ripping off hotel residents rather than say mugging some tourists straying into the wrong district. The crooked ‘Hotel Security Officer’ previously had a very straight reputation so I suspected his unlawful cousin in the gang might have twisted his arm in some cruel manner. I was positive we could roll the ‘Hotel Security Officer’ to cooperate with us to bring down the gang members with bounties. As a first time offender, the ‘Hotel Security Officer’ would be easy meat for a little forceful persuasion in return for promised leniency even a total pardon well he was specifically worth nothing to us and we could sell him as a coerced victim and useful informer to the hotel ownership. If we were lucky, we might even be able to retrieve some of the stolen goods from the den of the minor ‘Deck Gang’ maybe even some unrelated booty we could quietly pocket and sell.]
[‘Short Six’ as an obvious tactical unit with ‘Bounty Hunting Licences’ parted the crowd as if blessed rather than having to fight through it. I was cradling my ‘FP1’ once again - never say never - maybe this item was destined to become a more permanent ‘Bluu’ accessory - maybe I needed it - only time would tell. Anyway we swiftly made progress to our destination the ‘Multi Corner Hotel’, ‘MC Hotel’ or just ‘MCH’.]
[The ‘Multi Corner Hotel’ rested near a corner of the ‘City Park Square of Equals’ were one corner of the ‘Tri-angle Forum’ met one corner of the ‘Left Scalene Garden Park’ thus I assumed its odd geometric name. A ‘Real Material Tower Block’ it was too short to be deemed a ‘Sky Scraper’ according to local definitions at least according to a ‘Link’ entry I perused. The ‘Multi Corner’ had seen better days possibly better centuries, It looked old and tired or possibly a little defeated akin to a slumped Priest amongst more upright neighbours.]
[The ‘MCH’ had changed ownership several times since its glory days closer to the founding of ‘Tri-centre City’. The current owners a small consortium of five ‘Omerta’ partners all former longstanding ship crew now retired that combined their savings to buy the property cheaply but the purchase had still almost wiped out their credit reserves. They had big dreams of turning the hotel around to better far more profitable times but lacked the finances and business acumen to give the premises the kick start it needed out of its slump. The ‘Corner Consortium’ like their problematic thieves were amateurs too and also possibly out of their depth potentially also destined to become victims of over-ambition unless something changed dramatically.]
[I felt sorry for them they seemed good people who had just gotten in over their heads seduced by a ‘Vision’ of better times how could I not sympathise.]
[The on the ground Hotel Manager that the ‘Corner Consortium’ inherited from the previous owners I had less time for that one came across as just lazily incompetent and needed sacked but somehow his tenure for a minimum of twenty years had become a firm part of the contract of the sale. The ‘Corner Consortium’ still had to suffer seventeen more years of ‘Irwin Augustus’ whether they liked it or not I think I might have arranged an unfortunate accident but then slime like that usually ensure they have good rebirth insurance. Sadly ‘Irwin Augustus’ was idle, supercilious yet sly in the protection of his easy life but not as far as I could tell criminal as that would have made getting rid of him easy and I itched to get this parasite off the back of the ‘Corner Consortium’. Without ‘Irwin’ they might have a chance to succeed with him I feared they were ultimately doomed. ‘Irwin’ was one who liked to boss rather than do which might be fine if his bossing around had some strategic business direction but that did not seem to be true.]
[At this time the ‘MCH even as a somewhat run down premises given the location and the huge influx of citizenry ought to be drowning in trade and at least temporary profits but rumours - well-publicised rumours - especially on ‘Links’ about repeated thefts are not good for any hotel’s business. Better to be in a hotel were your person and property is safe than one even with a spectacular - ideal - view of the ‘Park Square’.]
[As stated in my earlier digital dealings I found ‘Irwin’ then hastily bypassed the supercilious fool to deal directly with members of the ‘Corner Consortium’ finding ‘Augustus’ instantly irksome even on ‘Link’. Guess who greeted us in the lobby all smiles.]
[‘Irwin’ proved a skinny ‘Omerta’ of average height who held himself very erect and somehow managed to look down upon even taller ‘Pilgrims’. He smiled often but it was not a friendly smile or an honest one as it never reached his eyes. His eyes were dark brown but going against form had no hint of kind softness in them. To finish the horror he talked with his hands chopping out his sentences like a mini dictator it was too obvious that his staff loathed and dreaded him. I wondered how ‘Irwin’ ever managed to become beloved of the previous owners then I considered the possibility that they passed him on as an act of deliberate sabotage perhaps as a scam to later buy back their sold hotel cheaper or some other dirty business angle - I made a note to look into the possibility.]
[Moments after meeting ‘Irwin’ in person he confirmed all my digital findings and I wondered if a ‘Swimmer’ could possibly get away with accidentally dropping him down an elevator shaft. I am not normally prone to plotting imaginary acts of murder but some people just do not seem to deserve to live. I will confess to considering planting some evidence upon him too as an accomplice to the thief but feared that was just far too old school - dirty tricks - ‘Reach Project’.]
“You will of course have my full cooperation in apprehending the thief or thieves that have been stealing my livelihood.” [‘Irwin’ chopped out.]
“We are not working for you we are employed by the ‘Corner Consortium’ do as we tell you and otherwise keep the hiss out of our way whilst we are here.” [‘Short’ stated aggressively.]
“Pardon!” [He replied incredulously I guessed pompous outrage would follow shortly.]
“Be glad we are not here for you skinny. Go get scarce we will handle this business from here working directly with your staff. You remind me of the worst sort of ‘Emissary’ cursed politician chop that hand near me again and by the ‘Mother of Nests’ I will chop it off - go on scoot. Go play in your office with a dominated underling or something you seem the type.” [‘Short’ stated I guessed as rudely as possible.]
[I could tell that ‘Irwin Augustus’ was having a hard time taking this outcome in.]
“I would go before I really embarrass you in front of your people.” [‘Short’ added in full bully mode before snapping her over-jaw repeatedly for final emphasis.]
[The supercilious ‘Augustus’ retreated in confusion no doubt to complain to the ‘Corner Consortium’ about their barbarian Bounty Hunter hirelings.]
[We all made a pointing of laughing at him as he left it felt delightful.] “Civilian management.” [‘Short’ mocked.] “Greetings young sister I believe you have pass keys for us.” [‘Short’ added to the striving not to grin too much ‘Omerta’ holding down reception. She happily handed over the pass keys to two adjoining suites we had become instant heroes of the staff never a bad thing. ‘Short’ akin to ‘UT’ had a way with the more ordinary people.] “In addition, could you please arrange for ‘Hotel Security Officer Curtis’ to visit us immediately at 18-10 delta.” [She added after studying one pass key.]
[We took a surprisingly slow elevator up to the eighteenth floor the hotel had twenty floors in total which might seem a lot given its seeming dumpiness but most local Sky Scrapers had a minimum 100+ floors often plus a lot more.]
“I think it is supposed to be quaintly charming or stately sedate or both.” [‘Mabel’ suggested of the vertical contrivance.]
“Pressing the button repeatedly will not make it go any faster.” [I told ‘Short’.]
“I could have stomped up the stairs quicker it will be embarrassing if the person we plan to interrogate gets to our interrogation room before us by taking the stairs.” [‘Short’ huffed.]
“A bit of an irregular technique but if he has to wait upon us it might give his nerves a little time to work him over.” [‘Ingrid’ stated.]
“What if he is watching and listening to us on security feeds and decides not to show up at all?” [I asked.] “I wanted to check out my room not go on another shooting chase.”
“If you are watching and listening to us ‘Curtis’ not showing up for our appointment would be an even bigger mistake than what you have unwisely done already. The name is ‘Short Claws’ of the ‘Short Six’ feel free to look me up via ‘Link’. It is too late to run if you run we will have to shoot you down so best come up and talk - yes.” [‘Short’ added the yes turning into a prolonged hiss.]
“He is probably just riding the other slow elevator or waiting for this one to go back down again.” [‘Mabel’ stated.]
“Wherever he is I will bet he is patched in watching and listening as ‘Bluu’ said that is mostly what ‘Hotel Security’ do they monitor security feeds.” [‘Jack’ said he waved for the benefit of concealed cameras.]
“I hope he is a screamer I like the screamers.” [‘Kanne’ interjected.]
“I only said I would let you - talk - with him if he seriously misbehaves. It gets too messy and smelly when you - talk - to people and you will be messing up one of our rooms. Yes I know ‘Drones’ could do the cleaning but often in places like this they prefer old style room service even for offensive hygiene operations it is deemed classier. However the messes you make is beyond the call of duty and would force me to have to give said room service a big tip and then there are the stains and our obligation to keep the property of our client in good order.” [‘Short’ complained.]
“A big tip you say that would be a first.” [I replied.]
“So would be keeping the property of clients in good order how many ‘Real Material’ bulkheads have you dented or put holes in so far during your career ‘Great Cybernetic Leader’?” [‘Jack’ asked.]
“Percentage wise I am always reasonably generous with menial workers they are often underrated and underpaid ‘Recyclers’.” [‘Short’ complained ignoring the other question.]
“I guess we have different definitions of generous which to me is far less about a stingy calculated percentage of some minimum wage.” [I burbled back.]
“What is this the scenic route the cursed thing has no windows I think I am developing claustrophobia.” [‘Short’ complained pushing the button repeatedly again.]
“I told you that fingering the button will not make us go any faster.” [I stated.]
“You could die of old age without nanotech support in here.” [‘Short’ further bemoaned still pushing the button frantically anyway.]
“Relax we are almost at the sixteenth floor it will not be long now.” [I replied.]
“I think this thing must be powered by rodent run treadmill.” [‘Short’ replied in turn.]
[A chime sounded.]
“Blessed Mother of Nests next time I am taking the stairs or leaping out a window anything but this slow vertical crawl.” [‘Short’ added as the doors equally slowly swung open I suppose you could say gracefully.]
“Maybe it is so slow because of the burden of heavy gravity. This Hotel has no gravity compensation.” [‘Mabel’ noted out in the corridor as she gazed around.]
“If you do jump out a window make sure to tell us all first so we can watch the fun.” [I burbled out to ‘Short’ as she moved up one side of the corridor retrogressively checking room numbers I wondered why she had not called up a digital plan you could be too real.]
“You think it would be fun to watch me rappel with a smart rope.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“Now you are disappointing us after such a good beginning.” [I replied.]
[The corridor was akin to the rest of the hotel hinting at a distant previous removal of once timely elegance and a current degree of inspirational neglect as in a neglect of inspiration. It was not shabby or dirty some of the paintwork on the ‘Real Material’ walls even looked relatively fresh but it was bland lacking in character and any interesting detailing. There was little to catch the eyestalk it seemed a waste of potentially good spaces. It reminded me of a blank screen awaiting the embellishment of words or images maybe it had to be judged as a very stalled rework in progress.]
“Here we go.” [‘Short’ finally stated key carding one door.]
[We all piled in. I would be disappointed except I had already seen images of the room. Up close it was neither one thing or another neither faithfully ‘Tri-centre City Founding’ period or new neither over furnished or under furnished and so on. The view however did not disappoint one wall was all ‘Real Material Diamond Glass’ windows and sliding doors that led out to a balcony and all of that gazed down upon the ‘Tri-centre City Park Square of Equals’.]
“What an appalling misuse of a wonderfully sited building.” [‘Mabel’ said aloud.]
“Maybe we should consider investing in the hotel business after a change of manager.” [’Ingrid’ stated.] “I can see how the ‘Corner Consortium’ got lured into buying this place it oozes potential but it needs investment and a sense of artistic direction.”
“Unfortunately the manager is part of the deal here being contractually bound in.” [I reminded.]
“We would just have to encourage him to renounce his contract.” [‘Ingrid’ suggested.]
[‘Short’ was busy rearranging the furniture he had opened the sliding doors to their full extent then very carefully placed a dining room chair out on the balcony facing inward with its back to the up close very low balcony wall. He rocked it back and forth a few times as if to judge how much force would be needed to tip it over.]
“Honestly what if he fails to show?” [I asked.]
“Then we will just go get him and perhaps drag him up to the roof. I mean if he proves especially aggravating but slips and falls I want it to be from the highest point possible.” [‘Short’ replied.]
“The whole getting to watch longer thing but in this gravity he will fall quickly and hard.” [‘Mabel’ stated.]
“All the more reason to go higher.” [‘Short’ replied.]
“Two floors are not going to make much difference.” [‘Mabel’ retorted.]
“Three floors the roof is actually a neglected asset as a potential 21st floor.” [‘Short’ reminded.]
“What about all the security system records?” [‘Mabel’ asked.]
“We have been given full access and the ‘Serendipity’ can clean those up for us in no time whatever way we want them. Besides, I imagine the ‘Local Sliver Police’ are a bit understaffed and overworked at the moment and this place is of no concern to any ‘Local Corporate Security’ the ‘Corner Consortium’ are rather lacking in connections otherwise we would not need to bail them out of this mess.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“True ‘Curtis’ could try to upload records of us plotting his demise to public ‘Link’ sites but that would not get him his life back. Only quietly working with us will allow him to eventually go home all other options end badly with either us or the ‘Deck Gang’ settling the final account.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“We may be ruthless in our methods but we are still licensed law and we can be generous to a reforming informant even offering praise on his behalf to the hotel ownership.” [‘Short’ added.]
[There was a hesitant rap on the door. I wondered how long he had been out there. I could easily have followed all his progress through the hotel via my access to the security system but ‘UT’ was right life without little surprises was destined to be boring.]
“Please come in.” [‘Short’ hissed out.]
[An exceptionally unhappy looking ‘Hotel Security Officer’ called ‘Curtis’ stepped into the room.] “It was my cousin - when he found out that I retained this position he and some of his pals came to see me at home they made horrible threats against my family and me - I told him his scheme would never work that we would all get caught but he refused to listen to reason.” [He blurted out whilst the door was still swinging slowly closed behind him.]
[Obviously ‘Curtis’ had been watching the whole show via his ‘Links’ with hotel security systems as we had hoped unkindly we made him sit in the tip off seat in front of the view anyway guessing it would continue to focus his mind - I believe it did.]
[Shortly we commenced a raid upon the ‘Last Boys’ primary ‘Deck Gang Den’ after doing some ‘Mosquito Drone’ surveillance.]
[The Den was in a crazy shantytown area so we cunningly adopted some disguises lest lookouts stationed to spot any kind of law enforcement tip off our quarry. Notably we employed ‘Daystar Hooded Ponchos’ this kit obtained from a second hand ‘Real Material’ clothing emporium. These lightweight items designed to keep the daystar shine off delicate skin but also used by lowlife types to hide their faces, identities and sometimes whatever they are carrying from optic and camera observation. The loose garment especially favoured to conceal weapons. ‘Hooded Ponchos’ are also a ‘Free Miner Gunslinger’ favourite not to mention being a ‘Sliver Light Side’ youth fashion accessory coming in a range of both muted and outrageously glowing colours some sporting all kinds of crazy popular designs and patterns. My ‘Poncho’ heavily modified, as my ‘Dry Suit’ was all rounded body and no head so a hood was not required also to see where I was going I needed it to hang a little open at the front. It seemed ridiculous on me but passed off as a ‘Swimmer’ desperately trying too hard to fit in with non-aquatic fashion such things happen making me unnoticeable by being too noticeable as a subject of amusement. Deliberately I was wearing a bright day glow pink ‘Poncho’ with the famous ‘Smiling Black Kitty’ design to add to the absurdity. It was reverse psychology no one being covert seeking to be that stupidly pass remarkable.]
[We slipped in via different routes in casual pairs mingling our way through the slum buying the odd thing at vendor stores and so on until we reached our positions. ‘Short’ gave the final signal to breach and we went in hard ‘Force Pulsing’ on duty guards almost directly to the head and so on then using ‘Smart Binders’ that we all habitually carried to secure our stunned or unconscious victims hands and feet. We cleared one room at a time sometimes with stun grenades and so on. With almost all of the ‘Last Boys’ enhanced for the heavy gravity some with ‘Cybernetic’ assistance even inbuilt weaponry they were potentially dangerous enough ‘Omerta’ even the more obvious youths when up close were treated as lethal threats especially near their central armoury. ‘Short’ securing the central armoury area with extreme prejudice to prevent any possible escalation.]
[I was at the rear of the action as usual mostly just checking life signs and ‘Binder’ integrity whilst stripping away weapons and any detachable modular cybernetics. Ignoring a few quick brawls including one fool that tried to jump and wrestle ‘Short’ to the ground it mostly went smoothly.]
[A girl that looked a drugged up gang maul rather than an active member took a run at me with of all things a smoking ‘Snort Stick’ but I elbowed her in the belly with a mechanical limb then swung about to ‘Force Pulse’ her legs from beneath her she hit the deck hard. I pinned her in place with a foot as I readied more ‘Smart Binders’ over her curses.]
[‘Kanne’ gave her a truly brutal kick to the side of the head and she went limp.] “Take no time over this sort.” [She stated as if she had been doing this sort of thing for years.]
[I checked the girl worried she might have been given a broken neck perhaps without heavy gravity enhancement…]
“Go easy you might have killed her.” [I complained.]
“Do not be fooled ‘Swimmer’ they are tougher than they look and that one is medicated against pain too.” [‘Kanne’ retorted.]
[‘Short’ after setting aside a few choice items of interest gathered together then carefully sprinkled the gangs arsenal with ‘Nanotech Disassemblers’ with a timed out reproductive lifespan that might not see the weapons dusted but would certainly damage most of them enough that they would be unusable perhaps not even worth repairing only good as scrap.]
[Phase one done, we began phase two looting booty into sacks and so on both valuables and anything that looked akin to material evidence. A much rougher routine than you would get from more institutional law enforcers at any crime scene but most Bounty Hunting is all about hasty hostile extraction. We knew alarms were going off outlying gang members incoming probably picking up friends and allies for additional fire support. The bad news being that we had to march our captives out so we began arranging the ones worth taking as both captives but also as hostage living shields who we could push ahead of us.]
[We knew we would probably be leaving some stuff behind but getting out as soon as possible was the main priority for a successful phase three.]
“I hate triple cursed ‘Sliver’ extractions with no vehicular assistance.” [‘Ingrid’ complained sounding akin to a Paradox Priest. Still as a ‘Suit Substance User’, she was quite fond of Paradox.]
[We took a prearranged back way out that involved going through rather than around some premises all scouted previously via ‘Mosquito Remote’. The first premises a simple restaurant with rows of rough wooden tables. The diners watched us pass as if a floor show. As ever I brought up the rear but this time that was a far less safe position. Relayed ‘Mosquito’ data showed advanced units of enemy reinforcement reaching the ‘Club House / Gang Den’ and the search was on to figure where we had gone. Locals were hastily questioned and soon our pursers were charging into the restaurant building after us. We had however exited and were passing through a warehouse style storage space.]
[We pushed our captives harder but they did their best to hold us back knowing every delay served them well. One managed to fall to the ground forcing ‘Mabel’ to haul him back up again, against his passive resistance she wrapped a ‘Smart Binder’ around his throat. I was considering falling further back as a rear guard to lay down some suppressing fire when ‘Short’ to my horror began dropping ‘Crab Mines’ at her feet.]
“You cannot use those here.” [I screamed from my ‘Voice Box’.]
“Trust me.” [‘Short’ replied as the munitions scurried off with menacing purpose.]
[I had visions of maiming, murder and dire somewhat justified reprisals.]
“Call them back you are going to start a massive riot.” [I complained.]
[There is acceptable and unacceptable levels of violence in an operation such as this one. Then to my relief I heard the distinctive noise of stun grenades going off rather than the crump of shaped charges.]
“You modified some of them.” [I shouted as I hurried to catch up to the rest of ‘Short Six’ as they were leaving me behind.]
“Good surprise eh? It seemed a good idea for in the City and all that.” [‘Short’ replied before smoothly raising her rifle and shooting someone up ahead rather than the expected pursuers from behind. Three accurate rapid pulses sending the foe first to the deck then tumbling further away.] “Move it some of them are trying to cut off our retreat. You slow down again and I will give you an electrified jump start you will not soon forget.” [She promised one struggling captive before slapping the back of his head.]
[We forced them onward as if slave drivers the best we could whilst they strove to be a ceaseless encumbrance. Then I heard worryingly more ‘Pulse Force’ fire from up ahead.] “About time.” [‘Short’ complained.]
[It was ‘Nuey’, ‘Suey’ and ‘Xuey’ clearing the last of our way to the exit from the slum. Behind them just outside the ‘District Gate’, (actually more a territorial marking archway than a barrier), two ‘Local Sliver Police Officers’ and a bunch of Paradox Marines waited weapons slung as if out for a jolly walk in the park.]
“Got us some local felons for cash in.” [‘Short’ shouted over to the ‘Local Sliver Police’ who had posted the bounties but generally treated the ‘Shantytown’ as a no go zone because they lacked the numbers and desire to do hostile extractions in there.]
[No one seemed interested in giving chase once we breached the gate and moved outside the shantytown. Their next recourse would probably be ‘Deck Gang’ paid for lawyers.]
[My ongoing ‘Tube’ journeys passed easily enough. My fellow passengers leaving me in almost ‘Swimmer’ peace, only some children stared at my ‘Pulse Rifle’ with delighted awe and that was not onerous. To the innocent the weapon a big wonderful toy they itched to hold. Perhaps some of these travellers came from very peaceful ‘Dark Side’ communities were guns were not so much a part of everyday life. I resisted the impulse to be friendly by waving some tentacles at the young ones recalling I was acting stern.]
[I envisioned a ‘Dark Side’ place with no requirement for a gun against wild animals or to hunt yet in some regions down here the wise still carried personal protection against potentially trespassing ‘Pilgrims’.]
[I tried to fathom the sort of parent that takes very young - natural born - children to a public execution and failed. Still maybe the children were bound elsewhere but I doubted that possibility, thankfully children were a tiny minority of the ‘Passenger Classes’ I encountered in transit. Paradox Marines were also on some of the ‘Trains’ but they generally commandeered and packed whole carriages they did not mix with the populace individually. I guessed we would only mingle with the Marines on the ‘Tube’ if they did a sweep looking for someone they desired to apprehend.]
[I was surprise to find large numbers of Marines on the ‘Tubes’ since the ‘Task Force’ above had the far more flexible facility of fast insertion anywhere ‘Light Side’ via ‘Drop Ship’. There was something a little ominous and disturbing about masses of rank after rank of armed troops on a public transport system even though as ‘MT’ I often viewed ‘Immortals’ as just Paradox Acolyte children rather than scary military fighters the venue here and the circumstances however temporarily altered my perception.]
[At first I thought the ‘Task Force’ operation had extended to the ‘Dark Side’ of the ‘Sliver’ but to me that idea made no sense. So at the next changeover stop I made a point of reading ‘Kanji’ to identify the forces. A digital search revealed that they all came from Paradox Ships parked ‘Dark Side’ not from the ‘Task Force Battle Group’ in space.]
[These Marines did not belong to the ‘Task Force’ instead I assumed they were seconded to the ‘Sliver Local Administrative Council’. The ‘SLAC’ sending some uninvolved Paradox Marines to ‘Tri-centre’ as more assured peacekeepers made a bizarre kind of sense.]
[‘SLAC’ were as a rule - slack - notoriously conservative often in a bad way - frequently politically unwilling for even the best of reasons to antagonise any of the local factions their membership too often made up of local faction representatives power sharing or perhaps I should say strangling it ruthlessly to within a millimetre of it’s life.]
[It was a common consensus amongst many less politically faction involved ‘Pilgrims’ living ‘Sliver Side’ that ‘SLAC’ councillors spent most of their time arguing with each other as if an especially rowdy ‘Council of Equals’ rather than pushing forward sensible policy joint decisions with any unity of purpose, hardly surprising as they often had antagonistic views to each other about all but the most common of policies. Whilst I readily confess to making some gross generalisations here, as a rule ‘SLAC’ tended to only get their act together with less controversial less divisive issues and they were infamously reactive rather than proactive when they do move on any issue. Still, ‘Sliver Local Administration Councils’ vary somewhat according to the ‘Sliver’ involved so perhaps general public opinion and my hastily adopted view is somewhat harsh.]
[On ‘AO’ the ‘SLAC’ is obsessed with the protection of ‘Real Materialist’ values ignoring lesser factional differences here on ‘A3’ the ‘SLAC’ dominated by Paradox ‘User’ values had different prejudices although individual ‘SLAC - District Sub Councils’ could have a very different makeup and majority membership compared to the main overall ‘Sliver Local Administrative Council’ just to further confuse the issue.]
[As well as answering to the public ‘SLAC’ - so-called democratically - elected councillors also reported to the ‘Founder Oversight Committee’, (I said earlier so-called democratic due to known inordinate faction pressure upon some voters especially in areas dominated by a Cult, a Gang or a Corporation). The ‘FOC’ able to give the ‘SLAC’ orders but the ‘SLAC’ often had a great deal of control regarding the methods of ‘FOC’ policy enforcement on the ground on their ‘Sliver’. ‘SLAC’ supposed to be all about local knowledge and local politics for local people - as protectors of local interests - little government for little people.]
[Unfortunately the ideal behind the ‘SLAC’ was in reality corrupted as usual. The ‘SLAC’ served one big useful purpose however they - appeared - to give power back to ‘Sliver’ residents so that the ‘FOC’ did not seem quite as dictatorial as it sometimes needed to be to keep ‘The Project’ smoothly moving forward.]
[I hate politics in my own way, no less than ‘UT’ but I know it is a horribly dirty political Universe, you must wade into the political mire to get anything big cross-species done and you often come out the other side grossly stained and feeling deeply unclean.]
[Usually ‘SLAC’ do not have access to large numbers of Marines but instead recruit a very small number of ‘Local Sliver Police’ usually caught horribly in the middle between all the other armed factions. As I have mentioned before most real security on ‘Sliver’ is handled by ‘Local Corporate Security’ who each secure their own private interests it is a messy jurisdictional-fractured arrangement that often permits both regular low energy skirmishes and clever career criminals to escape justice which is another reason why uninvolved - independent - Bounty Hunters do lots of business in the ‘Ultra-nation’.]
[Sadly, fractured law enforcement is how most ‘SLAC’ members prefer matters as it gives the factions they represent more freedom to exercise whatever power they can accumulate by any means available. Occasionally the ‘FOC’ sends directives or an ‘Attache’ and arranges for the secondment of external uninvolved Military forces to ‘Sliver Local Administrative Council’ control thus sending in the troops whilst seeming not to be doing so in a bossy tyrannical manner. Appearances not necessarily the reality being everything in the ‘Ultra-nation’, arguably as it is often the case with power politics everywhere in every age due to political spin.]
[I gave in to temptation to confirm my theory and sent a query as ‘MT’ to a listed friendly contact gained from my ‘Proxy’ a contact within the ‘FOC’ able to get data from the right department dealing with troop secondments. I soon discovered that the Marines on the ‘Tubes’ were as I suspected not ‘Task Force’ Paradox Marines but indeed from Ships parked ‘Dark Side’ that had been hastily contacted for secondment by the ‘FOC’ to the ‘Alpha Three Sliver Local Administrative Council’ their mission to act as temporary peacekeeping counterweights to any ‘Task Force’ unit chicanery at ‘Tri-centre City’ or elsewhere on ‘A3’. ‘A3’ now flooded with troops from two different Paradox sources.]
[I guessed the ‘FOC’ could not ignore the continued ‘Task Force’ invasion post the collection of fines without taking some measures to maintain the peace. In addition, apparently the ‘FOC’ also had concerns about a major potential public order crisis developing at ‘Tri-centre City’ because of the planned executions. Sending in deemed neutral Paradox Marines to reinforce ‘Local Sliver Police’ a clever enough plan against riot but one that might easily backfire due to the heat of the issue.]
[Since Paradox as a rule will think thrice before firing on other Paradox it made a crazy kind of sense to use more Paradox Marines under other commanders as living bulwarks to barricade off potential trouble. Unfortunately, considering how close the issues involved here are to the hearts of all Paradox in general it was also a risky policy decision - I hoped they had picked their Paradox Marines carefully but feared they had to compromise by enlisting forces readily available due to the short notice involved. Still sending in more Paradox was smarter than say sending in ‘Stellar Draakhaal Warrior Caste’ or ‘Recycler Mercenary Marines’ or even ‘Trojan Troops’ since if fighting ensued with a different species it could create wider tensions that could escalate towards a species war always a background dread within the ‘Ultra-nation’.]
[It was one of the wiser ‘FOC’ policies to mostly encourage each species to step up and take care of their own private issues thus preventing any chance of accidental interspecies conflict. Besides shared cultural sensitivities meant less insult tended to be given and less heat was generated by same species law enforcement - a matter of commonsense.]
[Interestingly the ‘FOC’ had no official standing army it just commandeered forces under long established ‘Ultra-nation’ treaty agreements. Again this lack of a dedicated military sworn to serve the ‘FOC’ made the ‘Founder Oversight Committee’ seem far less threatening and dictatorial as a friendly - civilian - organisation at least that was the projected political theory possibly some idea floated by someone akin to ‘Trend’.]
[In the most worrisome of developing situations the ‘FOC’ sent ‘Attaches’ that acted as supposedly on the ground ‘Advisors’ specifically to ‘Seconded Military Forces’ but in real terms these ‘Attaches’ behaved during a crisis as if ‘FOC War Masters’ or ‘Field Marshals’ if you prefer of the seconded troops. ‘FOC Attaches’ previously appointed for example had included the sometimes very busy it seemed ‘Proxy’ of ‘Unholy Terror’. In some cases sending certain ‘Attaches’ was enough of a threat to bring about a hasty locally agreed political settlement between previously out of control disputing factions.]
[Interesting exceptions to many political rules of enforcement remained: The ‘Consortium Police’ that often behaved - technically at times illegally - within the ‘Ultra-nation’ as a federal ‘Ultra-nation’ spanning Police Force sometimes but not always with tacit ‘FOC’ permission. Another aberration being ‘SARC Enforcers’ who often cared little about any jurisdictional borders. The ‘SARC Enforcer’ official remit remained hunting down the very worst of ‘Omerta Trojan’ career criminal types including Ancient escapees still at large from ‘Sanctuary Orb’ detention. Some nasty Prisoners escaping during the assault by the ‘Entanglement’ notably people of the calibre of the historic ‘Mutilator’.]
[Some ‘Pilgrims’ wrongly assumed even insisted that ‘SARC Enforcers’ serviced ‘SARC Temporal Detention Centres’ but the relationship was the other way around. Another oddity of note is the ‘Burner Adjustment Bureau’ that had surprisingly long limbs because the ‘Bureau’ followed the ‘Fraternities’ spreading at times insidious influence in an attempt to keep both the ‘Fraternity Free Miner Movement’ Leaders and Members from doing anything too piratical and naughty at home or abroad.]
[The above is hardly a full list of people that meddle in ‘Ultra-nation’ law enforcement or abuse the law depending on your perspective but it deals with the most - overt - well known players on the ‘Slivers’. Above I am ignoring such oddities as the now mostly covert ‘Interdiction Fleet’ a very different more mysterious organisation compared to what it was back in our old lost ‘Core Alliance’. As ever, thinking about the ‘CA’ a constant reminder of the dire ‘Advent of the Entanglement’ that caused the loss of so many ‘Pilgrim’ souls.]
[Many souls lost to the ‘Entanglement’ now very importantly believed by some of us ‘Pilgrims’ not to be dead but instead digitally transferred to a sort of virtual hell because historic ‘Sleepers’ loved to play rough with the minds of their captives and ‘Crimson’ although the ‘Entanglement’ was still very ‘Sleeper’ in her mindset back then. Now even if ‘Crimson’ was reforming slowly and willing to behave to admit to stealing all those souls too publicly would be disastrous for her credibility as a member of the wider ‘Pilgrim’ community.]
[I equally recalled that ‘UT’ had taken on a ‘Vision’ to see every ‘Entangled’ soul freed possibly even repatriated to the real a potential link to his ‘Proxy’ having an interest in the ‘Naked Priest’. It was possible that the ‘Proxy’ of ‘UT’ deemed it logical to repatriate lost Paradox Souls into ‘Pan-Nid’ naked bodies a rather fascinating idea. Still at the moment any repatriation of souls would have to happen over the objections of ‘Crimson’.]
[Spinning out of a purely cognitive reality some of the pieces of the puzzle in relation to my associates began to align nicely and link together. For example, the ‘Proxy’ of ‘UT’ would obviously be involved in furthering the broadest aims of the real ‘Unholy Terror’.]
[Finally I arrived at my last stop underneath the ‘Tri-centre City Park Square of Equals’ I know that one is a bit of a mouthful. I marched along the platform in my own little zone of space still holding my ‘Pulse Rifle’ in a passive military stance then I by necessity joined the throng as if a part of their worm upon a wide escalator going up to the surface street level at the ‘Triangle Forum’.]
[On the escalator I mused that all seemed to be going fine with the Paradox Order then we pop out of ‘Stasis’ and the Order starts going to ‘Hell’s Maw’ but I suspected the timing of the ‘Task Force’ intervention and our arrival was not accidental. ‘Primal’ wanted this to happen now, now when he knew the ‘Holy Father of the Universal Council of Equals’ was no longer slumbering through time. I feared the timing was about forcing a show for my benefit as much as anything else because he wanted me on his side as a future lobbyist the ‘Emissary’ or ‘Harbinger’ save me from the wrath of the rest of my Order.]
[‘Primal’ was revealing to me just how bigoted and unreasonable our paradoxical Order could still contrive to be despite all our ‘Councils of Equals’, professions of equality and love for many truths. I guessed his followers did something dire to incite the call for an armed military response perhaps showing themselves purposely to a few of the worst possible highly politicised ‘Shrouded’ Paradox or ensured some false or real data on their activities leaked to staunch ‘Anti-Exposed Acolytes’ and Priests. Maybe they even leaked the fearful parasitical reproduction concept to get all the potential dirty linen washed in public in one go therefore ‘Primal’ getting these issues seemingly defeated when his dupe doppelganger replacements suffered Martyrdom. At first glance it seemed all rather counterproductive but was in fact terribly wormy sleeked.]
[I was so positive about the truth of my latest hypothesis that I did not even bother to attempt to dig out some confirming details digitally lest any search pointed ‘Anti-Exposed’ Paradox back in my direction. I had already been a bit naughty by confirming the nature of the Marines on the ‘Tube Trains’ via ‘MT’ connections.]
[It was all political skulduggery ‘Primal’ was playing politics he had I was positive arranged the Martyrdom via incitement not ‘UT’, at most ‘Primal’ had arranged it all along with the assistance of a ‘Proxy’ of ‘UT’ with ‘UT’ just making the most of this situation including taking some credit from his ‘Proxy’ after the fact. After all ‘UT’ was in stasis during the build up to much of these events. As if dealing with one ‘UT’ is not hard enough work I now had to watch out for the logical actions of his sly ‘Proxy’ as well. Truly I was triple cursed due to some of my friends as much as blessed. Did my ‘Prime Consciousness Proxy’ know or suspect collusion between the ‘Proxy’ of ‘UT’ and ‘Primal’? I was afraid to ask my ‘Prime Proxy’ lest it confessed it knew everything but had decided I did not need to know anything about that matter. Sometimes ignorance truly is bliss even when you fear you might know the answer to the unasked question already.]
[Striding off the escalator I felt a blessed relief to be under limitless sky again. I felt crowded by too many people in the ‘Tube Ways’ and yearned for open spaces now I could look straight upward to feel almost unfettered from irksome containment. Even tall buildings did not seem to crowd the ‘Park Square of Equals’ because it was so wide. The ‘Park Square’ was delightfully large an open central truly geometric square area that held the mass of the city far at bay.]
[Actually in form the plan of the ‘Park Square of Equals’ was made of three cunningly shaped triangles that linked together to form a perfect square. Two scalene triangles on either side of the paved ‘Triangle Forum’, the ‘Right and Left Scalene Garden Parks’ made up from purple red and green areas that were all trees, grass and bushes with meandering discrete trails, decorative surface streams and fountains either side of the bigger paved central triangle that pointed in the opposite direction the aforementioned ‘Triangle Forum’.]
[In overall design ethos, the ‘Tri-centre City Park Square of Equals’ proved easily the most formal and cunningly contrived part of the entire ‘Tri-centre City’ landscape. The city proper a confusion that erupted at random beyond the formal open space of the Park in a shockingly haphazard manner that was just the beginning of the many contrasts of the metropolis that billed itself as ‘The City of Many Lifestyles’.]
[Sadly, it was in the ‘Triangle Forum’ area that they erected a great stand as the site of the forthcoming public execution. Monstrous ‘Suit Substance’ screens also resting there to supplement the informational space to ensure no one missed the show including the most Luddite of ‘Neo-Luddite Real Materialists’ with no ‘Neural Net’ and no ‘Computer Pad’ or other ‘Link’ access whatsoever. Note the most extreme ‘Neo-Luddite’ factions remain an often socially isolated tiny percentage of the main ‘Neo-Luddite’ community.]
[Following ‘Link News’ I knew that the ‘Task Force’ had installed extra ‘Suit Substance’ screens all over ‘Tri-centre City’ not just within the ‘City Park Square of Equals’ although the City already had many such display devices attached to buildings belonging to individual Paradox ‘Hold’ and ‘Great House’ Corporations and so on. As I guessed earlier and as some hoped whilst others feared it would be a grand show a triple cursed historic spectacle a blood drenched circus...]
[There was much conjecture on the ‘Links’ about the form that the executions would take with some truly bizarre and horrible ideas being ventured. The ‘Task Force’ had promised it would be something especially befitting the heinous nature of the cultists crime to resurrect ‘Ancient Pan-Nid’ Imperial religious tyranny. As I stood gazing upon the platform an Acolyte up there once more began to address the crowd.]
“Yes it is here my friends that tomorrow the fiends will be brought to a final accounting for the tally of their sins against ‘Pilgrim Kind’. What sins you might ask? Did they not live apart in the wilds harming no one? Consider not the manner in which they skulked and sought to hide their intent yesterday but when you see them in the horrid flesh of their abomination remember the dire fate they planned for us all tomorrow. Imagine a virulent plague of ‘Pan-Nid’ spreading rape and murder across the ‘Slivers’ in time even across the ‘Ring World’. Rejoice for we have stopped the wicked scheme before it could come to fruition but be ever mindful good ‘Pilgrims’ be ever on your guard lest other fools seek to resurrect this most ancient of genetic curses.” [The Acolyte warned fervently.]
“I am a Paradox and at last I more fully understand why we are ‘Shrouded’ I know why we contained and altered our flesh in shame turning forever away from the terrible secrets of our past genome. We are the heretics of the ‘God King Tyrant’ the repentant followers of the ‘Emissary’ we are the few righteous ‘Pan-Nid’ who by mediation and mighty acts of willpower overcame our genetic heritage of Imperial subservience to create a new way a way of many truths rather than one intolerant all domineering faith and one wicked all consuming flesh.” [He stated.]
“The ‘Ancient Pan-Nid’ were akin to our modern ‘Nanotech Plague’ that is the triple cursed ‘Entanglement’ they too were self-contained, selfish, uncaring of others feelings, unrepentant of any crimes against deemed lesser creatures against whom they judged no cruel action to be a true crime after all lesser creatures are animals and animals are just a resource to be farmed hunted and consumed as and when required.” [He warned.]
“Proud of their singular ‘Vision’ the Ancient ‘Pan-Nid’ had fixed optics that rested firmly forward upon the path of Imperial obedience and predation against any rival species that dared criticise their ‘Holy See’. We few rebels, we scorned outcasts, we hated heretics of the ‘Holy Pan-Nid See’ who followed the ‘Emissary’ to become the Paradox Priests of today we broadened our ‘Vision’ we acknowledging that we are only equal - no better or worse than any other ‘Pilgrim’ species - so long as we did not surrender to the evil dormant within our genome that remained our tolerant all embracing truth.” [He claimed.]
“We even invited other ‘Pilgrims’ from other ‘Pilgrim Species’ to join us within our Order as ‘Shrouded’ equals in our unending quest against all monstrous tyrants all unequal acts of tyranny all would be Kings. To confirm our new nature we founded our famous ‘Councils of Equals’ to ensure that all might speak and be heard and that all matters might be known and weighed in righteous equal open debate.” [He reminded.]
“You know us ‘Shrouded’ Paradox some of you may not like our current material preferences but by our actions you know we are not rampaging intolerant monsters. However there is a monster in all of us that can be let loose. For many species that monster is a monster of the mind a question of chosen attitude to take or reject the vector of sin but with us sin also rests within our original ‘Pan-Nid’ flesh for the flesh of a ‘Pan-Nid Emperor’ corrupts his mind into that of a born Absolute Monarch with one purpose - rule - one determination the biological dissemination of one dominant faith. A faith that insists that the ‘Pan-Nid’ are supreme and that all others species are irrelevant lacking our ‘Vision’ our holy nature our God King Emperor. To the ‘Ancient Pan Nid’ other life forms are no more than meat for the reproduction of more ‘Pan-Nid’ and who respects mere reproductive fodder as equals.” [The Acolyte continued I was positive twisting many truths shockingly out of shape.]
“Thanks to the ‘Emissary’ alone a few heretics of the ‘Ancient Pan-Nid’ way managed to survive persecution and eradication to come to this far Universe. The ‘Emissary’ had faith that those few good souls could overcome their horrid beginnings even become better more sapient sentient beings by rejecting their shameful genetic past. We cast off the sin of our genetic reproductive imperative - we embraced genetic change - we cloned rather than bred to become what you see before you decent honest ‘Shrouded’ Paradox who see you all as ‘Pilgrim’ kindred spirits even those of you we at times disagree with over one issue or another for we can agree to disagree unlike the ‘Ancient Pan-Nid’ who had to crush all opposition.” [The Acolyte boldly claimed.]
“Now a few impudent deviants seek to undo all the good that the Order has achieved to date by unmaking our ‘Pilgrimage’ by regressing back to the genome of the ‘pre-Pilgrimage Pan-Nid’ but we who have stayed true to the spirit of the Order say nay that must not - shall not - happen. Thus we have unleashed our holy fire and cast down the base of the abominators hid deep inside the spire known as ‘The Finger’. Within ‘The Finger’ they had secretly burrowed and excavated out a community of grotesquery concealing their bodily sickness within an innocent landmark over which many tourists clambered acting unknowingly as living shields for the catastrophes resting within. Catastrophes resting within awaiting a chance to facilitate an epidemic return of a God King Emperor to tyrannical power.” [The Acolyte incited.]
“The architect of all this evil amazingly is but one madly mistaken Elder Priest possibly driven insane by a failed ‘Suit Substance Ascension’ to ‘Bio-mechanics’. Alas perhaps he might have been cured if he had not so readily embraced his insanity glorifying in his deformity and wickedness. Rarely has both the mind and body of a sentient being so boldly exhibited such a unified fall from holy grace. Now we see only one sure cure for the ill ‘Primal’ and his followers would unleash and that is an end to their indecent suffering without reprieve. Some called for ‘Stasis’ sentences for these weird offenders but that might just unleash an ancient madness upon some less prepared grown ignorant tomorrow - no ‘Primal’ must be removed for good - never to be reborn - never to threaten our civilisation again. Anyone who would resurrect the ‘Ancient Pan-Nid’ and therefore the threat of a ‘Pan-Nid Emperor’ must be removed for the safety of all other sentient beings we of the ‘Task Force’ see no other secure - safe - way forward and we have long debated this issue. The greater good for all tomorrows requires a lesser evil tomorrow. We are not proud of what we must do we are not creating a public spectacle to rejoice but to educate and warn as far as, also as deeply as, we deem possible.” [He testified.]
“No trial is necessary - not one of them can or has denied their crimes - they are proud and defiant to the last they believe in their truth they believe in the superiority of their uncompromising ‘Vision’. We Paradox embrace all non-harming truths we accept the validity of all non-harming ‘Visions’ - we abhor enforcement - but we will not accept any imposition of tyranny or any truth that seeks by definition to do great harm to innocent others. Some have condemned our actions against the ‘Exposed’ as intolerant and bigoted but I beg you consider the consequences of inaction. The ‘Ancient Pan-Nid’ were akin to the plague that is the ‘Entanglement’ imagine if the ‘Entanglement’ could have been stopped before it spread as a pandemic across the ‘Core Alliance’ would that have been intolerance and bigotry by the ‘Citizenry of the Core Alliance’? We Paradox of the ‘Task Force’ refuse to stand idly aside and let another plague seek to consume ‘Pilgrim Kind’. Now is the time to act. Once we had the proof we needed and the intelligence we sought we did not hesitate or restrain our effort we leapt forth to prevent the spread of contagion. With one blow we will end the outrageous ambition of ‘Primal’ and his misguided followers for all time as the ‘Star Divers’ too blithely say.” [The Acolyte finished.]
[He paused for a time then began his speech from the beginning again almost as if a recording.]
“Yes it is here my friends that tomorrow the fiends will be brought to a final accounting…”
“Quite a speech I know I have heard it already.” [‘Short’ said loudly to me forcing me to start inside my squid bowl.]
[I looked around to find they were all here now, standing around me having arrived from the rear filtering in through the parting crowd. I felt a little ambushed but at the same time very happy to be reunited with the rest of ‘Short Six’.]
“They are ignoring some known facts such as the early Paradox involvement in a technology theft from a ‘Prime Graveyard’ type source and their part in founding both ‘Bio-mechanical Ascension’ and the ‘Tier System’ not to mention probably unlocking the power of nanotechnology rather early resulting in misuses and abuses that may have helped create many later almost extinction ‘Dark Time’ events for us ‘Pilgrims’. Few of us ‘Pilgrim’ factions are without historic sin we have all erred sometimes for what was judged the best of reasons but erred nonetheless.” [I stated.]
“So you are also a student of ancient Paradox history.” [‘Short’ said.]
“I have heard this sort of rhetoric before it reminds me of past poor choices perhaps we could have found better ways to halt ‘Draakhaal’ and even the ‘Sleepers’ if we had only learned to better forgive and offered some people a truer chance to change.” [I sent privately to ‘Short’.]
“Some folk are only capable of change when they are given no other choice.” [‘Short’ sent in return it appeared very unconvinced by my last argument.]
“There were more than Ancient Paradox involved in those historic messes.” [‘Short’ added aloud.] “I guess whoever wrote the speech prefers not to cloud the current issue in the minds of the congregation.”
“You found me quickly.” [I said changing the subject.]
“Before you left I noticed you had disabled your ‘Short Six’ positional ‘Tag’ so I slipped a new ‘Tag’ into your personal baggage it seemed a wise precaution lest you got lost or something.” [‘Short’ confessed in a hissing jocular manner.]
“Where exactly?” [I asked sometimes I deemed it good to be able to get lost.]
“Where the stealthy device would be difficult to spot.” [‘Short’ replied.] “The old ‘Dry Suit’ is looking a bit more used than before you left, you had a few adventures?”
“Nothing I could not handle?” [I burbled.]
“I see you have a new gun - in fact it looks very new - an ‘MTC-FP1-RM’ if I am not mistaken.” [‘Short’ stated, trust ‘Short’ to know her weapons.]
“I felt a bit underdressed for this momentous possibly trouble inducing gathering.” [I burbled back.]
“You take the stance of a warrior it looks good even on you ‘Swimmer’.” [‘Kanne’ said.] “But warriors take more notice of their surroundings and gawp less at mouthy Acolytes.”
[She rapped the back of my ‘Dry Suit’ with her ‘Boarding Sword’.]
“I could have rammed my ‘Boarding Sword’ right up the sphincter of your ‘Swimmer’ blowhole from behind.” [She added.]
“Not through my shields all you could do is blunt your weapon and then I would have spun around and shot you with my ‘FP1’ somewhere that hurts.” [I promised.]
“Ha a few days away and little aquatic ‘Swimmer Professor’ takes possession of big ‘Stellar Swimmer Warrior’ attitude.” [‘Kanne’ retorted.]
“I guess he went all wild out there or it was something in the water.” [‘Jack’ mocked.]
“So what did you bring back from your travels? One who goes out alone on a break must bring something back for his comrades it is a squad tradition.” [‘Mabel’ insisted.]
[Possibly a new squad tradition she made up just before I left but I guess squad traditions have to come from somewhere.]
“I have some delicious pickled cave fish stowed in my personal baggage seasoned with extra-hot Paradox pickled peppers.” [I joked.]
“I said no smelly fish remember.” [‘Mabel’ replied.]
“Actually I did pick up a few shiny trinkets - nothing too much as I know you lot hardly deserve it.” [I burbled.]
[I temporarily stowed my weapon and got out the snail shaped badges and broaches.]
“Cute just what I needed.” [‘Short’ replied rather idly pinning her broach onto the flap of a munitions pouch were it seemed a bit incongruous.]
“Ingrate ‘Recycler’, that is natural ‘Majaglit’ expertly carved by Paradox artisans it even comes with an authentication certificate. True they are small pieces but what do you want for nothing.” [I stated.]
“I like it.” [‘Mabel’ replied as she pinning hers to her armour’s uniform lapel opposite her ‘Short Six’ insignia.]
“It is certainly better than pickled fish thank you.” [‘Ingrid’ replied in turn doing the same as her friend so that the little real material broach was imbedded in place in her case by shifting ‘Suit Substance’.]
“A snail is an odd token for a group of Bounty Hunters one guaranteed not to strike fear into the hearts of our foes unlike say a grinning skull or perhaps crossed lightning bolts or a starburst.” [‘Jack’ stated pinning his badge on a lapel too.]
“You could always use it to reflect an unexpected light in your foes’ optics.” [I replied.]
“I think it is a bit small to act as a blinding mirror of distraction.” [‘Jack’ retorted.]
“The tactic of flashing a shiny might work against little ‘Swimmers’ with a big fish obsession I am sure their silly eyestalks are attuned to a flash of darting scales in the gloom but against anyone else…” [‘Kanne’ mocked trailing off.]
“I could have stayed away and got a real job out there with some appreciative scientists doing some digital research in tranquil peace.” [I complained.]
“You have a contract ‘Six THREE’ besides I think you are starting to enjoy the noise and excitement of Bounty Hunting.” [‘Short’ replied.]
“You ‘Recyclers’ and your contracts.” [I complained.]
“Did you even bother to read the small print?” [‘Short’ asked.]
[I burbled out a bubbly ‘Swimmer’ laugh.]
“You forget I mostly composed the small print as you could not be bothered with any of that logistical nonsense. I think it might be you that forgot to check the small print after I revised it especially before you counter signed it off.” [I stated triumphantly.]
[‘Short’ made a barking hacking hiss sound.] “There is no way that any of that is legally binding.” [She replied.]
[I did my best to communicate indifference with my writhing tentacles.] “A signed contract is a signed contract.” [I burbled back.]
“In your dreams you bilious blue bubble blowing academic.” [‘Short’ stated.] “We shall talk about this one later.”
“Too late it is all officially registered with the ‘Cores’ - suck it up like a stolen egg ‘Six ONE’.” [I replied.]
“Truly taken lots of attitude I like perhaps even a little ‘Swimmer’ can take to a warrior life after all.” [‘Kanne’ mused aloud.]
“So what happens now?” [I asked.]
“I suggest we first get billeted somewhere suitable in the City ideally not too far from this Square.” [‘Jack’ interjected.]
“Sounds like a sensible action plan.” [‘Ingrid’ agreed.]
“Now we go get billeted.” [‘Short’ commanded as if it was her idea and not just previously mentioned by anyone in front of everyone else.]
“Now why did I not think of that?” [‘Jack’ replied sarcastically.]
“Probably because when we are off the ‘Serendipity’, you ‘Six TWO’ are not in command of ‘Short Six’.” [‘Short’ retorted.]
“Ouch did I accidentally step upon your big boosted feet ‘Great Cybernetic Leader’.” [‘Jack’ stated.]
“I seem to be detecting a discipline problem possibly due to too much leave largess. Get on with it ‘Six THREE’ - do your stuff - ‘Link’ and find us some rooms ideally with a view of the Square and not too pricy - remember we are on an already painfully depleted budget due to an expanded shore leave.” [‘Short’ commanded.]
“Certainly boss, but I think you may have somehow failed to notice the massive influx all around us. I imagine all rooms will be pricy and rooms with a view of the Square ridiculously expensive to the point of being a significant drain on our funds.” [I stated.]
“I am done roughing it I am not camping in this park so show some initiative ‘Swimmer’, locate someone with suitable property here that owes us a favour or someone who might want us to owe them a favour in future if necessary. Do I have to do all the strategic thinking around here?” [‘Short’ complained.]
“When you say owe favours you mean only to ‘Short Six’ not to our truer identities.” [I privately sent to ‘Short’. Finding an ‘MTC’ or affiliated building would be easy here.]
“Of course, I meant only associates of ‘Short’ and / or ‘Short Six’ sometimes I swear you have water on your ‘Swimmer’ brain, we need to keep our levels of separation. I know, look for someone with a recent security problem that we can instantly solve with the requisite rooms with views. You do claim to be a researcher, do some triple cursed instant digital research. You know I should not have to hold your hand or tentacle or whatever with this kind of thing besides the idea of holding a slimy ‘Swimmer’ tentacle is repulsive no wonder ‘Kanne’ looks at you funny most of the time ‘Bluu’.” [‘Short’ sent.]
[He would have to make a point of reminding me of that fact.]
[I found a hotel that according to the ‘Links’ had suffered a string of recent thefts from guest rooms despite having installed a new security system. I contacted the on the ground management then upgraded to the ownership having a little speeded up chat about our services, and needs as ‘Short Six’.]
[In slow time a few minutes later…]
“It is all done in return for catching a thief or some thieves.” [I stated.]
[I shared the details of the problem with the rest of ‘Short Six’ via a data blast.]
“Too easy, obviously an inside job that one should take us no time at all. You stipulated room for six with a view of the Square?” [‘Short’ sought to confirm.]
“I did as you asked.” [I replied.] “However do not expect too much luxury.”
“Consider yourself almost redeemed in my optics.” [‘Short’ replied.] “If you want fully redeemed solve that one with digital detective work before we get there consider it a test of your academic ‘Link’ tickling prowess.” [She added.]
“I live to serve ‘Great Cybernetic Leader’.” [I replied sarcastically taking up the label granted by ‘Jack’ to ‘Short’ earlier.]
“So you should since you are our primary logistical asset.” [‘Short’ replied.]
[I had my ‘Suit’ do the steering as I delved into the data with ‘Cognitive Sub Core’ or ‘CSC’ assistance from the ‘Serendipity’. With hotel management permissions I ran checks on employees with the necessary access, downloaded and had other ‘CSC’ analyse security feeds and alarm data looking for evidence of internal tampering. For someone with my vast experience and paranoid mental agility not to mention ‘Core’ support it proved almost too easy to pinpoint the corrupt member of staff who proved to have a family link to a local ‘Omerta Deck Gang’ known as the ‘Last Boys’.]
“Done and done I told ‘Short’ you will have to dress it up a bit to make it worth our bed and breakfast rooms with a view.” [I stated.]
“That was remarkably quick.” [‘Short’ admitted.] “Now I am almost verging upon being truly impressed.”
“I would back my ‘Swimmer’ brain over your assisted ‘Recycler’ brawn any day.” [I boasted.]
“As a ‘Recycler’ I also excel in the digital realm but I prefer to fight more substantial battles in the real. I will put on a good show for the management drag it out a bit perhaps widen the net any active bounties on these ‘Last Boys’?” [‘Short’ replied.]
“Now you are just being totally lazy.” [I complained.]
“Answer the question ‘Six THREE’?” [‘Short’ commanded.]
“A few of the older ‘Boys’ have rather insignificant local bounties I will send you the details.” [I said.]
“That is outstanding we scoop these ones up and actually make a little profit rather than a loss.” [‘Short’ stated.] “Good work ‘Bluu’ keep it up and I will buy the next crate of live fish as a bonus.”
[It helped me greatly that I had ‘Reach Project’ subversive training and had spent considerable time doing this sort of thing as part of the ‘Burner Adjustment Bureau’ too. I knew all the criminal tricks having worked both sides of the lawful divide as they say ‘use a thief to catch a thief’. Besides the ‘Last Boys’ and their hotel security mole were by my standards at best semi-professional amateurs with delusions of criminal competency. For a start they took valuable treasured physical items that were hastily missed when people with their level of access might have simply stolen far less traceable but no less valuable information rather than silly trinkets even done a bit of quiet blackmail to their unfortunate customers that would have prevented any reporting of their activity. Still they were very small time criminals.]
[I assumed the ‘Last Boys’ wrestled out of their league by ripping off hotel residents rather than say mugging some tourists straying into the wrong district. The crooked ‘Hotel Security Officer’ previously had a very straight reputation so I suspected his unlawful cousin in the gang might have twisted his arm in some cruel manner. I was positive we could roll the ‘Hotel Security Officer’ to cooperate with us to bring down the gang members with bounties. As a first time offender, the ‘Hotel Security Officer’ would be easy meat for a little forceful persuasion in return for promised leniency even a total pardon well he was specifically worth nothing to us and we could sell him as a coerced victim and useful informer to the hotel ownership. If we were lucky, we might even be able to retrieve some of the stolen goods from the den of the minor ‘Deck Gang’ maybe even some unrelated booty we could quietly pocket and sell.]
[‘Short Six’ as an obvious tactical unit with ‘Bounty Hunting Licences’ parted the crowd as if blessed rather than having to fight through it. I was cradling my ‘FP1’ once again - never say never - maybe this item was destined to become a more permanent ‘Bluu’ accessory - maybe I needed it - only time would tell. Anyway we swiftly made progress to our destination the ‘Multi Corner Hotel’, ‘MC Hotel’ or just ‘MCH’.]
[The ‘Multi Corner Hotel’ rested near a corner of the ‘City Park Square of Equals’ were one corner of the ‘Tri-angle Forum’ met one corner of the ‘Left Scalene Garden Park’ thus I assumed its odd geometric name. A ‘Real Material Tower Block’ it was too short to be deemed a ‘Sky Scraper’ according to local definitions at least according to a ‘Link’ entry I perused. The ‘Multi Corner’ had seen better days possibly better centuries, It looked old and tired or possibly a little defeated akin to a slumped Priest amongst more upright neighbours.]
[The ‘MCH’ had changed ownership several times since its glory days closer to the founding of ‘Tri-centre City’. The current owners a small consortium of five ‘Omerta’ partners all former longstanding ship crew now retired that combined their savings to buy the property cheaply but the purchase had still almost wiped out their credit reserves. They had big dreams of turning the hotel around to better far more profitable times but lacked the finances and business acumen to give the premises the kick start it needed out of its slump. The ‘Corner Consortium’ like their problematic thieves were amateurs too and also possibly out of their depth potentially also destined to become victims of over-ambition unless something changed dramatically.]
[I felt sorry for them they seemed good people who had just gotten in over their heads seduced by a ‘Vision’ of better times how could I not sympathise.]
[The on the ground Hotel Manager that the ‘Corner Consortium’ inherited from the previous owners I had less time for that one came across as just lazily incompetent and needed sacked but somehow his tenure for a minimum of twenty years had become a firm part of the contract of the sale. The ‘Corner Consortium’ still had to suffer seventeen more years of ‘Irwin Augustus’ whether they liked it or not I think I might have arranged an unfortunate accident but then slime like that usually ensure they have good rebirth insurance. Sadly ‘Irwin Augustus’ was idle, supercilious yet sly in the protection of his easy life but not as far as I could tell criminal as that would have made getting rid of him easy and I itched to get this parasite off the back of the ‘Corner Consortium’. Without ‘Irwin’ they might have a chance to succeed with him I feared they were ultimately doomed. ‘Irwin’ was one who liked to boss rather than do which might be fine if his bossing around had some strategic business direction but that did not seem to be true.]
[At this time the ‘MCH even as a somewhat run down premises given the location and the huge influx of citizenry ought to be drowning in trade and at least temporary profits but rumours - well-publicised rumours - especially on ‘Links’ about repeated thefts are not good for any hotel’s business. Better to be in a hotel were your person and property is safe than one even with a spectacular - ideal - view of the ‘Park Square’.]
[As stated in my earlier digital dealings I found ‘Irwin’ then hastily bypassed the supercilious fool to deal directly with members of the ‘Corner Consortium’ finding ‘Augustus’ instantly irksome even on ‘Link’. Guess who greeted us in the lobby all smiles.]
[‘Irwin’ proved a skinny ‘Omerta’ of average height who held himself very erect and somehow managed to look down upon even taller ‘Pilgrims’. He smiled often but it was not a friendly smile or an honest one as it never reached his eyes. His eyes were dark brown but going against form had no hint of kind softness in them. To finish the horror he talked with his hands chopping out his sentences like a mini dictator it was too obvious that his staff loathed and dreaded him. I wondered how ‘Irwin’ ever managed to become beloved of the previous owners then I considered the possibility that they passed him on as an act of deliberate sabotage perhaps as a scam to later buy back their sold hotel cheaper or some other dirty business angle - I made a note to look into the possibility.]
[Moments after meeting ‘Irwin’ in person he confirmed all my digital findings and I wondered if a ‘Swimmer’ could possibly get away with accidentally dropping him down an elevator shaft. I am not normally prone to plotting imaginary acts of murder but some people just do not seem to deserve to live. I will confess to considering planting some evidence upon him too as an accomplice to the thief but feared that was just far too old school - dirty tricks - ‘Reach Project’.]
“You will of course have my full cooperation in apprehending the thief or thieves that have been stealing my livelihood.” [‘Irwin’ chopped out.]
“We are not working for you we are employed by the ‘Corner Consortium’ do as we tell you and otherwise keep the hiss out of our way whilst we are here.” [‘Short’ stated aggressively.]
“Pardon!” [He replied incredulously I guessed pompous outrage would follow shortly.]
“Be glad we are not here for you skinny. Go get scarce we will handle this business from here working directly with your staff. You remind me of the worst sort of ‘Emissary’ cursed politician chop that hand near me again and by the ‘Mother of Nests’ I will chop it off - go on scoot. Go play in your office with a dominated underling or something you seem the type.” [‘Short’ stated I guessed as rudely as possible.]
[I could tell that ‘Irwin Augustus’ was having a hard time taking this outcome in.]
“I would go before I really embarrass you in front of your people.” [‘Short’ added in full bully mode before snapping her over-jaw repeatedly for final emphasis.]
[The supercilious ‘Augustus’ retreated in confusion no doubt to complain to the ‘Corner Consortium’ about their barbarian Bounty Hunter hirelings.]
[We all made a pointing of laughing at him as he left it felt delightful.] “Civilian management.” [‘Short’ mocked.] “Greetings young sister I believe you have pass keys for us.” [‘Short’ added to the striving not to grin too much ‘Omerta’ holding down reception. She happily handed over the pass keys to two adjoining suites we had become instant heroes of the staff never a bad thing. ‘Short’ akin to ‘UT’ had a way with the more ordinary people.] “In addition, could you please arrange for ‘Hotel Security Officer Curtis’ to visit us immediately at 18-10 delta.” [She added after studying one pass key.]
[We took a surprisingly slow elevator up to the eighteenth floor the hotel had twenty floors in total which might seem a lot given its seeming dumpiness but most local Sky Scrapers had a minimum 100+ floors often plus a lot more.]
“I think it is supposed to be quaintly charming or stately sedate or both.” [‘Mabel’ suggested of the vertical contrivance.]
“Pressing the button repeatedly will not make it go any faster.” [I told ‘Short’.]
“I could have stomped up the stairs quicker it will be embarrassing if the person we plan to interrogate gets to our interrogation room before us by taking the stairs.” [‘Short’ huffed.]
“A bit of an irregular technique but if he has to wait upon us it might give his nerves a little time to work him over.” [‘Ingrid’ stated.]
“What if he is watching and listening to us on security feeds and decides not to show up at all?” [I asked.] “I wanted to check out my room not go on another shooting chase.”
“If you are watching and listening to us ‘Curtis’ not showing up for our appointment would be an even bigger mistake than what you have unwisely done already. The name is ‘Short Claws’ of the ‘Short Six’ feel free to look me up via ‘Link’. It is too late to run if you run we will have to shoot you down so best come up and talk - yes.” [‘Short’ added the yes turning into a prolonged hiss.]
“He is probably just riding the other slow elevator or waiting for this one to go back down again.” [‘Mabel’ stated.]
“Wherever he is I will bet he is patched in watching and listening as ‘Bluu’ said that is mostly what ‘Hotel Security’ do they monitor security feeds.” [‘Jack’ said he waved for the benefit of concealed cameras.]
“I hope he is a screamer I like the screamers.” [‘Kanne’ interjected.]
“I only said I would let you - talk - with him if he seriously misbehaves. It gets too messy and smelly when you - talk - to people and you will be messing up one of our rooms. Yes I know ‘Drones’ could do the cleaning but often in places like this they prefer old style room service even for offensive hygiene operations it is deemed classier. However the messes you make is beyond the call of duty and would force me to have to give said room service a big tip and then there are the stains and our obligation to keep the property of our client in good order.” [‘Short’ complained.]
“A big tip you say that would be a first.” [I replied.]
“So would be keeping the property of clients in good order how many ‘Real Material’ bulkheads have you dented or put holes in so far during your career ‘Great Cybernetic Leader’?” [‘Jack’ asked.]
“Percentage wise I am always reasonably generous with menial workers they are often underrated and underpaid ‘Recyclers’.” [‘Short’ complained ignoring the other question.]
“I guess we have different definitions of generous which to me is far less about a stingy calculated percentage of some minimum wage.” [I burbled back.]
“What is this the scenic route the cursed thing has no windows I think I am developing claustrophobia.” [‘Short’ complained pushing the button repeatedly again.]
“I told you that fingering the button will not make us go any faster.” [I stated.]
“You could die of old age without nanotech support in here.” [‘Short’ further bemoaned still pushing the button frantically anyway.]
“Relax we are almost at the sixteenth floor it will not be long now.” [I replied.]
“I think this thing must be powered by rodent run treadmill.” [‘Short’ replied in turn.]
[A chime sounded.]
“Blessed Mother of Nests next time I am taking the stairs or leaping out a window anything but this slow vertical crawl.” [‘Short’ added as the doors equally slowly swung open I suppose you could say gracefully.]
“Maybe it is so slow because of the burden of heavy gravity. This Hotel has no gravity compensation.” [‘Mabel’ noted out in the corridor as she gazed around.]
“If you do jump out a window make sure to tell us all first so we can watch the fun.” [I burbled out to ‘Short’ as she moved up one side of the corridor retrogressively checking room numbers I wondered why she had not called up a digital plan you could be too real.]
“You think it would be fun to watch me rappel with a smart rope.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“Now you are disappointing us after such a good beginning.” [I replied.]
[The corridor was akin to the rest of the hotel hinting at a distant previous removal of once timely elegance and a current degree of inspirational neglect as in a neglect of inspiration. It was not shabby or dirty some of the paintwork on the ‘Real Material’ walls even looked relatively fresh but it was bland lacking in character and any interesting detailing. There was little to catch the eyestalk it seemed a waste of potentially good spaces. It reminded me of a blank screen awaiting the embellishment of words or images maybe it had to be judged as a very stalled rework in progress.]
“Here we go.” [‘Short’ finally stated key carding one door.]
[We all piled in. I would be disappointed except I had already seen images of the room. Up close it was neither one thing or another neither faithfully ‘Tri-centre City Founding’ period or new neither over furnished or under furnished and so on. The view however did not disappoint one wall was all ‘Real Material Diamond Glass’ windows and sliding doors that led out to a balcony and all of that gazed down upon the ‘Tri-centre City Park Square of Equals’.]
“What an appalling misuse of a wonderfully sited building.” [‘Mabel’ said aloud.]
“Maybe we should consider investing in the hotel business after a change of manager.” [’Ingrid’ stated.] “I can see how the ‘Corner Consortium’ got lured into buying this place it oozes potential but it needs investment and a sense of artistic direction.”
“Unfortunately the manager is part of the deal here being contractually bound in.” [I reminded.]
“We would just have to encourage him to renounce his contract.” [‘Ingrid’ suggested.]
[‘Short’ was busy rearranging the furniture he had opened the sliding doors to their full extent then very carefully placed a dining room chair out on the balcony facing inward with its back to the up close very low balcony wall. He rocked it back and forth a few times as if to judge how much force would be needed to tip it over.]
“Honestly what if he fails to show?” [I asked.]
“Then we will just go get him and perhaps drag him up to the roof. I mean if he proves especially aggravating but slips and falls I want it to be from the highest point possible.” [‘Short’ replied.]
“The whole getting to watch longer thing but in this gravity he will fall quickly and hard.” [‘Mabel’ stated.]
“All the more reason to go higher.” [‘Short’ replied.]
“Two floors are not going to make much difference.” [‘Mabel’ retorted.]
“Three floors the roof is actually a neglected asset as a potential 21st floor.” [‘Short’ reminded.]
“What about all the security system records?” [‘Mabel’ asked.]
“We have been given full access and the ‘Serendipity’ can clean those up for us in no time whatever way we want them. Besides, I imagine the ‘Local Sliver Police’ are a bit understaffed and overworked at the moment and this place is of no concern to any ‘Local Corporate Security’ the ‘Corner Consortium’ are rather lacking in connections otherwise we would not need to bail them out of this mess.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“True ‘Curtis’ could try to upload records of us plotting his demise to public ‘Link’ sites but that would not get him his life back. Only quietly working with us will allow him to eventually go home all other options end badly with either us or the ‘Deck Gang’ settling the final account.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“We may be ruthless in our methods but we are still licensed law and we can be generous to a reforming informant even offering praise on his behalf to the hotel ownership.” [‘Short’ added.]
[There was a hesitant rap on the door. I wondered how long he had been out there. I could easily have followed all his progress through the hotel via my access to the security system but ‘UT’ was right life without little surprises was destined to be boring.]
“Please come in.” [‘Short’ hissed out.]
[An exceptionally unhappy looking ‘Hotel Security Officer’ called ‘Curtis’ stepped into the room.] “It was my cousin - when he found out that I retained this position he and some of his pals came to see me at home they made horrible threats against my family and me - I told him his scheme would never work that we would all get caught but he refused to listen to reason.” [He blurted out whilst the door was still swinging slowly closed behind him.]
[Obviously ‘Curtis’ had been watching the whole show via his ‘Links’ with hotel security systems as we had hoped unkindly we made him sit in the tip off seat in front of the view anyway guessing it would continue to focus his mind - I believe it did.]
[Shortly we commenced a raid upon the ‘Last Boys’ primary ‘Deck Gang Den’ after doing some ‘Mosquito Drone’ surveillance.]
[The Den was in a crazy shantytown area so we cunningly adopted some disguises lest lookouts stationed to spot any kind of law enforcement tip off our quarry. Notably we employed ‘Daystar Hooded Ponchos’ this kit obtained from a second hand ‘Real Material’ clothing emporium. These lightweight items designed to keep the daystar shine off delicate skin but also used by lowlife types to hide their faces, identities and sometimes whatever they are carrying from optic and camera observation. The loose garment especially favoured to conceal weapons. ‘Hooded Ponchos’ are also a ‘Free Miner Gunslinger’ favourite not to mention being a ‘Sliver Light Side’ youth fashion accessory coming in a range of both muted and outrageously glowing colours some sporting all kinds of crazy popular designs and patterns. My ‘Poncho’ heavily modified, as my ‘Dry Suit’ was all rounded body and no head so a hood was not required also to see where I was going I needed it to hang a little open at the front. It seemed ridiculous on me but passed off as a ‘Swimmer’ desperately trying too hard to fit in with non-aquatic fashion such things happen making me unnoticeable by being too noticeable as a subject of amusement. Deliberately I was wearing a bright day glow pink ‘Poncho’ with the famous ‘Smiling Black Kitty’ design to add to the absurdity. It was reverse psychology no one being covert seeking to be that stupidly pass remarkable.]
[We slipped in via different routes in casual pairs mingling our way through the slum buying the odd thing at vendor stores and so on until we reached our positions. ‘Short’ gave the final signal to breach and we went in hard ‘Force Pulsing’ on duty guards almost directly to the head and so on then using ‘Smart Binders’ that we all habitually carried to secure our stunned or unconscious victims hands and feet. We cleared one room at a time sometimes with stun grenades and so on. With almost all of the ‘Last Boys’ enhanced for the heavy gravity some with ‘Cybernetic’ assistance even inbuilt weaponry they were potentially dangerous enough ‘Omerta’ even the more obvious youths when up close were treated as lethal threats especially near their central armoury. ‘Short’ securing the central armoury area with extreme prejudice to prevent any possible escalation.]
[I was at the rear of the action as usual mostly just checking life signs and ‘Binder’ integrity whilst stripping away weapons and any detachable modular cybernetics. Ignoring a few quick brawls including one fool that tried to jump and wrestle ‘Short’ to the ground it mostly went smoothly.]
[A girl that looked a drugged up gang maul rather than an active member took a run at me with of all things a smoking ‘Snort Stick’ but I elbowed her in the belly with a mechanical limb then swung about to ‘Force Pulse’ her legs from beneath her she hit the deck hard. I pinned her in place with a foot as I readied more ‘Smart Binders’ over her curses.]
[‘Kanne’ gave her a truly brutal kick to the side of the head and she went limp.] “Take no time over this sort.” [She stated as if she had been doing this sort of thing for years.]
[I checked the girl worried she might have been given a broken neck perhaps without heavy gravity enhancement…]
“Go easy you might have killed her.” [I complained.]
“Do not be fooled ‘Swimmer’ they are tougher than they look and that one is medicated against pain too.” [‘Kanne’ retorted.]
[‘Short’ after setting aside a few choice items of interest gathered together then carefully sprinkled the gangs arsenal with ‘Nanotech Disassemblers’ with a timed out reproductive lifespan that might not see the weapons dusted but would certainly damage most of them enough that they would be unusable perhaps not even worth repairing only good as scrap.]
[Phase one done, we began phase two looting booty into sacks and so on both valuables and anything that looked akin to material evidence. A much rougher routine than you would get from more institutional law enforcers at any crime scene but most Bounty Hunting is all about hasty hostile extraction. We knew alarms were going off outlying gang members incoming probably picking up friends and allies for additional fire support. The bad news being that we had to march our captives out so we began arranging the ones worth taking as both captives but also as hostage living shields who we could push ahead of us.]
[We knew we would probably be leaving some stuff behind but getting out as soon as possible was the main priority for a successful phase three.]
“I hate triple cursed ‘Sliver’ extractions with no vehicular assistance.” [‘Ingrid’ complained sounding akin to a Paradox Priest. Still as a ‘Suit Substance User’, she was quite fond of Paradox.]
[We took a prearranged back way out that involved going through rather than around some premises all scouted previously via ‘Mosquito Remote’. The first premises a simple restaurant with rows of rough wooden tables. The diners watched us pass as if a floor show. As ever I brought up the rear but this time that was a far less safe position. Relayed ‘Mosquito’ data showed advanced units of enemy reinforcement reaching the ‘Club House / Gang Den’ and the search was on to figure where we had gone. Locals were hastily questioned and soon our pursers were charging into the restaurant building after us. We had however exited and were passing through a warehouse style storage space.]
[We pushed our captives harder but they did their best to hold us back knowing every delay served them well. One managed to fall to the ground forcing ‘Mabel’ to haul him back up again, against his passive resistance she wrapped a ‘Smart Binder’ around his throat. I was considering falling further back as a rear guard to lay down some suppressing fire when ‘Short’ to my horror began dropping ‘Crab Mines’ at her feet.]
“You cannot use those here.” [I screamed from my ‘Voice Box’.]
“Trust me.” [‘Short’ replied as the munitions scurried off with menacing purpose.]
[I had visions of maiming, murder and dire somewhat justified reprisals.]
“Call them back you are going to start a massive riot.” [I complained.]
[There is acceptable and unacceptable levels of violence in an operation such as this one. Then to my relief I heard the distinctive noise of stun grenades going off rather than the crump of shaped charges.]
“You modified some of them.” [I shouted as I hurried to catch up to the rest of ‘Short Six’ as they were leaving me behind.]
“Good surprise eh? It seemed a good idea for in the City and all that.” [‘Short’ replied before smoothly raising her rifle and shooting someone up ahead rather than the expected pursuers from behind. Three accurate rapid pulses sending the foe first to the deck then tumbling further away.] “Move it some of them are trying to cut off our retreat. You slow down again and I will give you an electrified jump start you will not soon forget.” [She promised one struggling captive before slapping the back of his head.]
[We forced them onward as if slave drivers the best we could whilst they strove to be a ceaseless encumbrance. Then I heard worryingly more ‘Pulse Force’ fire from up ahead.] “About time.” [‘Short’ complained.]
[It was ‘Nuey’, ‘Suey’ and ‘Xuey’ clearing the last of our way to the exit from the slum. Behind them just outside the ‘District Gate’, (actually more a territorial marking archway than a barrier), two ‘Local Sliver Police Officers’ and a bunch of Paradox Marines waited weapons slung as if out for a jolly walk in the park.]
“Got us some local felons for cash in.” [‘Short’ shouted over to the ‘Local Sliver Police’ who had posted the bounties but generally treated the ‘Shantytown’ as a no go zone because they lacked the numbers and desire to do hostile extractions in there.]
[No one seemed interested in giving chase once we breached the gate and moved outside the shantytown. Their next recourse would probably be ‘Deck Gang’ paid for lawyers.]
Last edited by Paranoid66 on Wed, 6. May 15, 10:36, edited 3 times in total.
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Paranoid66
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[[ONE]] Part 10 --- MCH / TRI-PAI-PAI / PRIVATEERS / LOSING YOR ---
“Not a bad stretch of the old cybernetic assisted muscles.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“You nearly scared me into my next incarnation with those ‘Crab Mines’ back there.” [I complained.]
“You should have seen the look on your face - priceless - sometimes you make it all especially worthwhile.” [‘Short’ replied.]
“I was thinking about trying to grab them back with my ‘Manipulation Field’ function but with so many and they scurried off so cursed quickly so I let them go. I had visions of innocent civilians caught up in the moment not just ‘Deck Gang’ members being maimed and killed it made me feel terrible just standing there condoning a slaughter via inaction.” [I stated.]
“Did you think I would kill innocents? You need to learn to trust the ‘Great Cybernetic Leader’ a bit more than that.” [‘Short’ replied I felt overly mocking my concerns.] “It is all doubt with you ‘Swimmer’ you should show more faith in my obvious prowess. Damn, but the more I use them the more I love those little scuttlebutts modified or otherwise they are a great delivery system.” [She added.]
“I am serious I know you are not usually - senselessly - cruel but I feared in that moment that you just saw pursuing foes to be vanquished.” [I admitted.]
“When in action it is not good to question too much especially to question the motives of a commander it is a tactical blunder. Battle is no time for debate. Whilst you are second guessing decisions the enemy will cut you down. I am sure as a scholar that has studied battles you know better than this - you need to get your little ‘Swimmer’ head straight.” [‘Short’ advised.]
[Having handed over the wanted ‘Deck Gang’ felons and with our accounts credited we commenced making our way back to the ‘Multi Corner Hotel’ unencumbered by everything but recovered stolen goods and booty that needed more carefully sorted through. Anything known to have been taken from the ‘Hotel’ would in time be returned to its known owners - as part of the job - the rest we actually never found if you catch my drift being perks of the job. It was an anything not locked down scenario, the funny thing about the law is, and I know this is a horrible generalisation but still often a sacred truth, that they are all when it comes to confiscated property petty thieves.]
“So what have you dug up so far on old ‘Chop Chop’?” [‘Short’ asked.]
[I burbled out a ‘Swimmer’ laugh at the nickname.] “Our friend ‘Irwin Augustus’ checks out digitally as I knew from before but I wonder if we chased down some of his off ‘Sliver’ history in the real if it will match up to the glowing testimonials on ‘Link’ - I suspect not - as some of his references and so on are a bit too good given even our very limited experience of the ‘Omerta’.”
“Subcontract some local people on location to look into those testimonials that should not cost too much and I think it might be well worth the expense.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“I can only agree.” [I admitted.]
“Any interesting details on the previous Owners?” [‘Short’ added.]
“A ‘Recycler’ partnership made up of two sisters now trading as ‘Sibylline Enterprises’.” [I explained.] “I know an odd name from some ancient ‘Omerta’ mythology about a prophetess or perhaps prophetesses.”
“Do they claim they can predict the future?” [‘Short’ asked I assumed partially in jest.]
“They have been involved in hostile acquisitions and corporate asset stripping so claiming to know the market is mandatory. Interestingly they got start up funds from one of the lesser known ‘Free Parliament Bank’ owned companies ‘Anvil Financial’.” [I stated.]
“A couple of ‘Recycler’ business predators possibly ‘FPB’ agents not the sort to sell a Hotel with potential on cheaply without a good reason. Did they have some sudden need for liquid funds back then?” [‘Short’ asked.]
“Not as far as I can tell they have remained pretty solvent with many have suggested steadily increasing profits from increasingly larger Corporate Raids investing in personal growth.” [I stated.]
“Then the Hotel sale has to be a scam and ‘Chop Chop’ is dirty just clever about it in his own especially annoying way.” [‘Short’ suggested.] “I hate the ‘FPB’ if this is one of their lesser dirty deals and we can sabotage it all the better.”
[We returned to the Hotel and the room with the chair on the balcony it was now empty, however as - requested - the ‘Hotel Security Officer’ called ‘Curtis’ was still in the room awaiting our return. He looked nervous like a guilty Acolyte marched before an Elder.]
“You can go back to your job now I trust having learned a valuable lesson. If anyone ever threatens you again you inform the ‘Corner Consortium’ immediately and if they deem it needed they can hire us but I think you will be left alone. We left a message with the surviving members of the ‘Deck Gang’ that explained this Hotel and its staff are off-limits unless they want another more comprehensive visit from us and our associates that I hinted might include some people within the ‘Task Force’.” [‘Short’ stated.] “I will not tell you if that is true or not as all that matters is that it is a possibility best not ignored.”
“There will be no reprisals against my family?” [‘Curtis’ asked.]
“They know such actions would be counterproductive. As you no doubt guessed, your cousin is now in custody along with some other more senior gang members but they are all little fish to me. I am used to extracting much bigger game. The ‘Deck Gang’ will no doubt be going through some internal adjustments including I suspect changes in leadership. I think for a time they will be less ambitious - they have lost a lot of local esteem and logistical material - and will probably have to struggle to simply retain what little they have left against rivals in the shantytown.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“It is hard to imagine my cousin started all this I once looked up to him as a child he even defended me from bullies at school.” [‘Curtis’ admitted.]
“More likely he used you as an excuse to do some bullying of his own to assert dominance of you and them I know his type. Your cousin if he is as stupid as he seems is the only one you might have to worry about in the future but I am positive he will be in stasis for at least a decade or two by the time he is released your position here should be secure and this Hotel a very different place and no easy target for a mere thug. You will help to make that truth reality by becoming stronger in both mind and body. You let him domineer you that habit has to stop sometimes we create our own tyrants by showing weakness they cannot resist exploiting.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“Now if you do not mind I am sure you have things to do and we wish to be left alone.” [‘Short’ added.]
“I guess I must thank you.” [‘Curtis’ said although his eyes were drawn to the chair.]
“It was our pleasure. I think we might take a small interest in this Hotel if the ‘Corner Consortium’ agrees and I think they will thus we will be somewhat irregular visitors.” [‘Short’ added.] “So no need to thank us any debt you feel you have to us will be paid in good time with reasonable interest.” [She promised.]
[‘Curtis’ once again looked a bit nervous but then he straightened up gave us a little professional bow and departed with just one final glance at the chair. We waited saying nothing until the door closed although he could link back into the local security system to monitor our actions and words.]
“I must be getting old because he seems terribly young to be out on his own in the big bad Universe without at least two companions to watch his back.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“We were all eggs once.” [I replied.]
[‘Short’ went over grabbed lifted and replaced the chair back where it belonged then we gathered in an informal manner as ‘Short Six’ on the balcony just individually gravitating towards the majestic view. So far we had not even ventured into an adjoining room.]
“It is odd but in this moment I feel on a vigil and more of a Priest than I have been in many years despite all my preaching in all those ‘Councils of Equals’.” [I sent to ‘Short’.]
“Yes this is a vigil and a Priestly business and we could not be more ‘Shrouded’. I think ‘Meat Suits’ are the new ‘Shroud Suit Avatars’ of this era less powerful but in many ways more practical. In time we may see less and less traditional shrouding ignoring ‘User’ Marines.” [‘Short’ sent.]
[I considered that hypothesis: Without doubt many other Priests and Acolytes were learning the intimate benefits of ‘Meat Suits’ even ‘Primal’ had stated that it was using a ‘Meat Suit’ that caused him to dream of becoming a ‘Naked Priest’. Perhaps ‘Meat Suits’ were a sort of intermediate stage towards a natural regression in mind and body to simpler forms at least for some Acolytes and Priests. In a way ‘Meat Suits’ might well act now almost as the opposite of original ‘Shroud Suits’ too since as our original ‘Shroud Suits’ became ever more sophisticated they bore us steadily towards ‘Bio-mechanical Ascension’ I saw what was happening now as a pendulum back swing.]
“What do you think they plan to do to their captives down there?” [‘Jack’ asked aloud whilst gazing down towards the platform in the ‘Triangle Forum’.]
“I fear something shocking that will not easily be forgotten.” [I replied.]
“I agree it is going to be brutal tomorrow.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“The sky is beginning to darken.” [‘Mabel’ said.] “Perhaps we should go out into the City again they have impressively vibrant Night Markets here which is very sensible as in the evening the heat is a little less oppressive for some ‘Pilgrims’.”
“Food, trinkets and entertainment.” [‘Ingrid’ said enthusiastically.]
“Sometimes you two remind me of some other ‘Omerta’ I used to know in what seems another life.” [I burbled.]
“Other ‘Professors’?” [‘Mabel’ asked.]
“No actually young ‘Free Miners’.” [I admitted.]
“Gunslingers?” [‘Mabel’ asked.]
“Sometimes I suppose they were.” [I stated.]
“Your bodyguards?” [‘Ingrid’ guessed.]
“Just associates now gone I suppose in search of their own destiny.” [I replied.] “The past in review is full of sad partings. The Universe even our ‘Ultra-nation’ is so big that old friends can disappear out there every old meaningful or casual connection sundered.”
“That is enough melancholy you over thinking squid.” [‘Short’ hissed out.] “Let it go and move on. Trust a ‘Swimmer’ to dampen the mood. I am all for a visit to a ‘Night Market’ with my friends. We can divide the booty later. All vigils need not be solemn affairs besides it is still early the night is young.” [‘Short’ stated.] “Do your research thing ‘Six THREE’ which market would you recommend for maximal thrills in minimal time?”
“I have no need to ‘Link’ I must suggest the biggest most famous one of all here the ‘Tri-pai-pai Night Market’.” [I stated.]
“Sounds perfect.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“So are you taking the window.” [‘Jack’ I was positive dared ‘Short’.]
[‘Short’ made a show of leaning over to look straight down at the scary drop.] “No that would just be showing off I am content with the stairs for now.” [She replied.]
“Wise move, smart rope or not in this gravity with your weight you would probably drop with all the grace of a boulder.” [‘Jack’ stated to much ‘Short Six’ laughter.]
“You are suggesting I am fat.” [‘Short’ hissed in complaint.]
“In every way possible ‘Great Cybernetic Leader’.” [‘Jack’ replied with a grin.]
“You are so very lucky that I need your ship Captain ‘Jack’.” [‘Short’ replied.]
[We exited the room passed down the boring corridor and clattered down the stairs as if Acolytes released from Temple chores or children escaping from a learning institution. ‘Short Claws’ our ‘Great Cybernetic Leader’ took responsibility for leading the charge from more serious responsibilities. She could easily do that leading us in revels as readily as action when it suited her purposes it was the ‘Unholy Terror’ dwelling within her.]
[I struggled a bit in the rear I was not overly fond of going down stairs with my mechanical gait it felt akin to falling one unbalanced step at a time as I sloshed around in my watery bowl from one side to the other. For me descending stairs always worse than ascending as descending was akin to looking ahead at a series of potential drops. In a way, being a bit of a worrier with much of my life, I stared ahead at potential calamity in a similar way - all the time - but it was more obvious more immediate when facing stairs. I frowned my eyestalks deeply I knew I could have split off and taken the slow elevator instead but I was part of the tail of this worm so somehow that option did not seem valid.]
[Since our ‘Time Leaping’, as ‘Bluu’ I sensed that ‘Short’ was pulling me along in her wake as ‘UT’ inside her did now too. I felt insubstantial as ‘Bluu / MT’ compared to ‘Short / UT’ as if a moon caught in a planets larger gravity or akin to a ‘Living Hull’ that still has total faith in her Captain. Not that I am saying that I retain total faith in ‘Short / UT’ but it felt as if at times I was pulled along as if I did. Perhaps the power of true squad leadership is a force that can induce you to follow even when you have doubts due to the sheer pull of an indomitable personality. Splitting from ‘Short Six’ for example, was impossible to contemplate with any seriousness.]
[I wondered if that was how it once felt for ‘Ancient Pan-Nid’ in the presence of their ‘Emperor’ caught in a greater gravity pulled along by the power of an unimpeachable personality. ‘UT’ I realised would make an amazing ‘Pan-Nid Emperor’ potentially acting as a first amongst equals rather than a ruthless tyrant because he cared about those that followed him deeply did ‘Primal’? ‘UT’ would not have been happy sending followers to die in his place as Martyrs. ‘UT’, just as ‘Short’ demonstrated now, was always happiest leading the charge at the spearhead of any potential danger. ‘Short / UT’ did not skulk behind others he just went straight at it defying all comers and who could resist that wild pull. Even my former Captain had at times been pulled along behind his friend ‘Unholy’. I wondered if ‘Primal’ had any idea who he was dealing with when he dealt with ‘Unholy Terror’ if ‘Primal’ was more focused upon gaining my assistance that Elder was possibly out of his league. For perhaps he should be more concerned with falling under the pull of ‘Short / UT’ and his ‘Proxy’ now there was an unholy trinity that made me smile despite wobbling my way down the triple cursed stairs.]
[‘Tri-pai-pai’ was a riot it could be the distilled essence of the ‘Many Lifestyles’. Take one sniff of the air and you would know this was ‘Tri-centre City’ this was crazy Paradox diversity at its best clashing and rebounding off itself and then there was the additional sound and vision elements. It made me want to start again with ‘Port Discovery’ to make it less formal and more gloriously chaotic although ‘Port Discovery’ had some places that appreciated this sort of wild spirit they tended to be hidden away. We had donned our ‘Daystar Hooded Ponchos’ to mingle closely with the no less colourful crowd and it was packed but not in a manner that made me feel evilly crowded or claustrophobic.]
[As I watched my associates I marked in our Ponchos a reminder that this City had given us much already I felt it was seeping into ‘Short Six’ colouring us brightly so that when we left this place whatever else occurred we would all leave as bolder fuller people - that my friends is what travel is all about.]
[We passed an ‘Omerta’ fire-eater spitting flames with professional recklessness above the crowd whilst juggling burning brands. At the gates it was customary to buy bags of physical ‘Credit Tokens’ from ‘Credit Exchangers’ so that you could toss said colour coded tokens into entertainers’ baskets according to your generosity and pay for other goods with handfuls of the same. The ‘Tokens’ gave even minor purchases a fun added physicality whilst allowing even the most ‘Neo-Luddite’ a means to trade equally without access to any technology. They also allowed pickpockets and cutpurses to flourish but that was all part of the atmosphere it was up to the individual to deal with such things. Smart Tourists carried ‘Gift Purses’ tiny purses with bells that came with ‘Tokens’ stitched inside purposefully made to be stolen as gifts for the light fingered if they could demonstrate their prowess by taking them soundlessly. We had all bought ‘Gift Purses’ as anyone who did was guaranteed by custom only to have their ‘Gift Purse’ stolen the local scoundrels marking the generous well.]
[The idea of ‘Gift Purses’ was a remarkable accommodation with felony amazing to see petty crime turned into street theatre and therefore tamed for those willing to play the game by local rules. Simple marvels filled every nook and cranny from bolts of amazing ‘Real Material’ cloth some possibly ‘Splinter Weaver’ to varieties of fruit and vegetables I had never seen before. Real animal skins and ivory rested on stalls besides probably dodgy items of designer jewellery and questionably branded ‘Computer Pads’, ‘Hand Scanners’ and so on. There was even stalls selling ‘Infusion Materials’ and ‘Suit Substance’ by weight and ‘User Extrusion Software Packages’.]
[Vendor food stalls everywhere hawking everything from ice cream to ‘Chilli Pickled Majaglit Snail Eyes’ that at first I thought some kind of grotesquely named hard candy but then learned was truly the eyes of ‘Majaglit Snails’ chilli pickled considered by some a rare local delicacy and exceptionally expensive. ‘Pickled Cave Fish’ was far more reasonably priced and much more to my taste I had grown too fond of ‘Majaglit Snails’ to even consider eating their eyes at any price. ‘Wild Food Stalls’ offered game and herbs guaranteed to have been hunted and gathered rather than industrially farmed sometimes with the recognisable corpses of creatures disturbingly hanging on hooks.]
[There was a vegetarian section for those ethically, religiously or just digestively opposed to consuming any sort of meat and yes there were more regular butchers and bakers too. Some individual farms, plantations and collectives had their own dedicated branded farm stalls. Then there was the music it too was everywhere filling the air various traditional and modern forms both live entertainers including ‘Paradox Percussionists’ and blasting sound systems competing and blending sometimes into a crazed cacophony. Lanterns hung and balloons bobbed. Shadow Puppets played against screens and cunning ‘Real Material’ things made with endless gears and flywheels did with extreme difficulty actions that modern technology could do easily somehow making these mundane operations fantastical rather than absurd. One stall that sold nothing but peculiar little clockwork ‘Star Diver Arachnid Battle Suit’ shaped robots was a great favourite with ‘Omerta’ children.]
[Of course, I kept spotting ‘Primal Bobble Heads’ either just single ornaments belonging to stall owners or racks of them being sold like a mad army of impregnators all thrusting away thanks to resting on display stands that could be rocked to get them all moving.]
[The crowd no less varied than the merchandise including even ‘Stellar Draakhaal’ and such rarities as ‘Splinter Weavers’. ‘Splinter Weavers’ still very much a ‘Pilgrim’ minority species within the ‘Ultra-nation’ whilst the ‘Stellar Draakhaal’ were a little odd here on a Paradox ‘Green House’ because Paradox Marines and ‘Skimmers’ did not always play well together due to remembered differences harking back to the ‘CA’. Naturally at a market ‘Recyclers’ were as common as vacuum in space ‘Omerta Trojan’ hawkers only a little behind that whilst Paradox despite this being their ‘Sliver’ were rather underrepresented. However, some members of the other species present could easily be Paradox within ‘Meat Suits’ striving to fit in unobtrusively. Plenty of ‘Stellar Swimmers’ were in evidence most of these in reverted aquatic form as was the growing trend moving around in ‘Dry Suits’ either ‘Mechanical’ or ‘Suit Substance’ in nature but of these ‘Swimmers’ most looked bigger and fiercer than me as ‘Professor Bluu’. Most ‘Free Stellar’ including the aquatic ones met abroad professed readily to a Warrior nature disavowing ‘Swimmer’ peace and tranquillity for high adventure and perilous excitement. Most peaceful ‘Swimmers’ tended to stay in the oceans even within the ‘Ultra-nation’ that was the species old psychological divide recycling itself.]
[At one point I heard a profusion of somewhat harsh bubbling laughter.] “What have we got here?” [A big ‘Stellar Swimmer’ asked using an extruded tentacle from a ‘Bio-mechanical Dry Suit’ to lift the skirt of my ‘Poncho’ only to get the barrel of my ‘FP1’ pressed firmly against his ‘Suit’ at ‘Swimmer’ head height.]
[He burbled out even more laughter.] “A kitty with claws.”
“I am in disguise and you are being rude unless this is a poor distraction to steal my ‘Gift Purse’.” [I added flashing my ‘Bounty Hunter License’.]
“Blistering blowhole barnacles but I have seen everything now.” [‘Remarked the ‘Stellar’.] “That is some disguise little one.”
“It oft allows me to shoot people whilst they are still incapacitated with laughter.” [I joyfully exaggerated whilst putting my rifle away.]
“Inventive - would hardly suit my reputation - but I admire the spirit. I am Captain ‘Kuuloo’ of the ‘Ambidextrous Kraken’ famous ‘Privateer’ and at a pinch sometime ‘Free Miner’.”
“Peace Captain ‘Kuuloo’ I am ‘Professor Bluu Duu’.” [I said.]
“Peace? Peace really?” [Captain ‘Kuuloo’ repeated burbling out more laughter.] “Too much peace and I am out of interesting employment opportunities and so are you. Here for the - Big Paradox Murder Show - too?” [He asked.]
[The - Big Paradox Murder Show - that made me think is that how it is judged by some ‘Pilgrims’ how very far we were falling as supposed tolerant Priests.]
“My squad dropped off a passenger then decided to stay a while given the upcoming historic event.” [I admitted.]
“This is some place ‘Naked Priests’, ‘Swimmers’ in ‘Black Kitty Suits’ and ‘Pan-Nid Bobble Heads with outsized rude bits’ all very entertaining I cannot wait to discover what I will see next.” [’Kuuloo’ replied.]
“Just one ‘Swimmer’ in a ‘Smiling Black Kitty’ unless I have accidentally started a trend.” [I stated.]
“Now there is a cunning plan ‘Bluu’ I love a good jape. Lads you are all to buy day glow ‘Smiling Black Kitty’ design ‘Daystar Hooded Ponchos’ that ought to make a splash. Were did you get the cunning modifications done?” [He asked.]
“Had the tailoring done at my Hotel the ‘Multi Corner’.” [I stated.]
“You are staying at the ‘MCH’ that place has a bad reputation.” [‘Kuuloo’ replied.]
[I guessed he knew of it from a little earlier or had just done a quick ‘Link’ search possibly the good news had yet to break bad news always dominating.]
“My squad ‘Short Six’ just recently cleaned it up. The current Manager is a bit of a pain in the blowhole but we are hoping to encourage him to leave as he is doing the ‘Owners’ no favours but has a horribly solid contract.” [I explained.]
“We were looking for a convenient Hotel but I ignored the ‘MCH’ despite its admirable position. Although no one sensible would dare to steal from us I did not like the idea of an insecure residence not under our direct control.” [‘Kuuloo’ admitted.]
“If you hurry you might even be able to book some rooms with spectacular views of the ‘Square of Equals’. Internally the place is a bit uninspired at the moment but my squad has taken an interest in the venture and it will be all upward and onward from here.” [I promised.]
“Your squad sounds industrious who are you?” [‘Kooluu’ asked.]
“We are ‘Short Six’ named after our Bounty Hunter founder ‘Short Claws’ a renowned ‘Recycler’ hunter of felons.” [I explained.]
[I was positive the Captain was doing a hasty ‘Link’ search.]
“Used to work alone but now has a team behind her interesting. Book us some rooms at the ‘MCH’ young ‘Biiboosuu’.” [The Captain ordered.] “So you want to get rid of the Manager perhaps we could help with that just give us a little subcontract and we will see he opts to disappear the lads can be most persuasive given a suitable incentive.”
“Interesting I will have to talk to ‘Short’ about that one it is oft good to have at least one level of separation from some actions but it would have to be a voluntary disappearance as we want the ‘MCH’ to stay firmly legitimate.” [I burbled.]
“Trust in the crew of Captain ‘Kuuloo’ to get a job done, we can make him keen to go without breaking any laws just bending them a little that is what us ‘Privateers’ do we bend the laws over then give them one like a ‘Pan-Nid’ Emperor.” [‘Kuuloo’ joked actually going so far as to demonstrate a thrust with his ‘Dry Suit’. I was glad he had not added a major mock extrusion he seemed the type.]
[I guessed we would be hearing lots of those types of jokes now due to the specific way ‘Primal’ and the ‘Exposed’ suffered defamation. I wondered once again where it would all end and if the ‘MTC’ could stay safe from any escalation.]
“Sounds very tempting I am positive ‘Short’ will give the idea her deepest consideration. I suppose I could ‘Link’ in now but we are currently off duty.” [I confessed.]
“Later will do fine, I would not want to interrupt your fun. A warrior must have entertainments, the more the merrier eh lads.” [The Captain said.]
[The ‘Stellar’ lads all heartily agreed.]
“Fun explains why we are here. I heard they have some ‘Bubble Dancers’ somewhere around here.” [‘Kuuloo’ stated looking around his voice quavering with desire at the prospect.]
“The ‘Bubble Dancers’ are over at the ‘Pools’ as they call the aquatic section, I have yet to go there I have been leaving the best to the last.” [I admitted.]
“Very restrained of you ‘Professor’ - we prefer to go straight to the best bits like a seeker missile. Drop some ‘Funky Water’ and then watch some nubile ‘Bubble Dancers’ when it all goes a bit weirdly sensuous - delicious.” [The Captain advised.]
“No doubt.” [I replied a bit primly.]
“Guess we got us a ‘Funky Water’ virgin here lads.” [‘Kuuloo’ said slapping my back with an extruded limb reminding me of ‘UT’.]
“Drown him, drown him, drown him…” [The ‘Stellar Crew’ began chanting.]
[I began to wonder if these ones were Privateers or Piratical ‘Funky Water Haulers’.]
[[‘Funky Water’ an odd chemical compound that is derived from the venom of the ‘Marbled Ray Fish’ that only has an effect upon ‘Swimmer’ derivative skin. It is a firm favourite of somewhat wilder ‘Stellar Swimmers’ including ‘Stellar Swimmer’ Pirates but also used by some rebellious aquatic ‘Swimmer’ youths. ‘Funky Water’ is illegal contraband in ‘Sliver Swimmer Light Side Oceans’ but not outlawed elsewhere.]]
“Easy lads this one is not a new recruit, still honestly ‘Bluu’ you should try it, it beats a ‘Neural Net’ high anytime goes straight to the skin it is all glorious sensation.” [‘Kuuloo’ advised.]
“I have a rule about staying in control when carrying weapons.” [I stated.]
“Very sensible ‘Professor’ if you are not used to it.” [‘Kuuloo’ admitted.] “Anyway must go ‘Bubble Dancers’ and all that… I am sure we will meet again at the ‘MCH’ truly love the ‘Smiling Black Kitty’ thing hilarious.”
“That was an interesting encounter.” [Captain ‘Jack’ said turning around after possibly only pretending to be examining ‘Real Material’ clockwork timepieces at a stall.]
“Boisterous bunch but that is typical of the majority of ‘Stellar Swimmers’ at least those ones with a sense of humour. Some ‘Stellar’ can be all - you are trespassing upon my personal space - and far too quick on the draw types.” [I stated.]
“We have known a few surprisingly peaceful ones too.” [‘Jack’ reminded then looked a bit unhappy.]
[Oddly, via shared memories we truly had but in a way they were more my memories than ‘Jacks’ and that was probably why he now looked as if he was sucking something sour.]
“I met ‘Leeruussii’ but of course he did not know me he did not know I had any connection to him any shared memories of times together whatsoever. To ‘Leeruussii’ I was just an ‘Omerta’ stranger. I have met many people similar to the former it is a big part of being me. I think sometimes I seek these encounters out stupid really as it is always the same sense of disconnection rather than a happy reunion.” [He complained.]
[That felt deep and I could imagine how lonely that might make you feel to be a stranger to your own memory of the past all old connections severed. No doubt, he had tried to avoid these people at first but felt a compulsion to revisit them I could imagine that too well.]
“I am sorry that you have had to deal with such problematic encounters but you cannot blame me for the, as far as I know, unique nature of your genesis and nature.” [I reminded.]
“Sometimes I wish I could blame you for what I am but that would be as senseless in review as seeking revenge against ‘Garlic’ or even potentially ‘Weep’ as her superior.” [‘Jack’ stated.]
“This is not the time or place to discuss this one.” [I said looking around.]
“There is no good time or place to discuss this one.” [‘Jack’ countered.] “I need a drink thank the ‘Emissary’ I no longer need that ‘Recycler’ implant or I am not sure I would have been able to cope as an ‘Omerta Trojan’ for all these years.”
“Where are your girls?” [I asked.]
“Off somewhere else in the Market doing girlie things together you know how they can be when they make a fun Port they revert somewhat to form.” [‘Jack’ stated.]
“Then we will share a drink together you should not drink alone.” [I advised.]
“It always amuses me when I see a ‘Swimmer’ within water drinking.” [‘Jack’ stated.]
“That is what ‘Dry Suit’ system straw tubes are made for although sometimes I just sit and float sober as the sort of designated Pilot someone has to keep their wits in ‘Short Six’.” [I admitted.] “However today I will partake in the social imbibing convention within moderation to show solidarity.”
“Moderation rather defeats the whole concept at least for me when the mood is upon me.” [‘Jack’ replied.]
[Now he rather sounded akin to ‘UT’ who had once been even fonder of his cups problematically so at one point after he lost his ‘Nine’.]
“I suppose it would.” [I reluctantly admitted.]
“Have you ever tried the ‘Funky Water’?” [‘Jack’ asked.]
“I have not. I did not deceive those ‘Stellar’.” [I stated.]
“Tempted?” [He asked.]
“I am drawn to sample new experiences as much as - maybe even more - than many ‘Pilgrims’ but that does not mean I want to shove my tentacles into a fire just to see if they will burn.” [I replied.]
“You fear a loss of emotional control.” [‘Jack’ suggested.]
“Perhaps I fear a greater loss of control in general as I already hardly feel in control. I swear if anyone is in control at the moment it is most definitely not me if that makes you feel any better.” [I insisted.]
“I know that feeling too well.” [‘Jack’ replied.] “Sometimes even on the ‘Serendipity’ I do not feel properly in control of my fate.” [He complained.]
“Is that a complaint about ‘Short’?” [I asked.]
“No it is an admission of a personal failing. Other ‘Pilgrims’ seem more real more solid than I am they can push forward through resistance whilst I just seem to wander around bumping off boundaries. I have no more ‘Vision’ than the most lost ‘Splitter Priest’ that still lacks any clue about what direction to take. I have this big list of all the things I do not want to be but absolutely no idea about whom I am or where I want to go.” [‘Jack’ stated.] “You are lucky you have so many purposes a preponderance of ‘Vision’.”
“Perhaps you have been trying too hard whilst appearing to me to be hardly trying at all.” [I mused aloud.] “Stop over thinking and just do it just be the person you are and let what follows come far more naturally. In particular, stop putting up artificial conditions, borders and boundaries upon your life. You will not need to flee away from being me when you learn to accept being yourself. I guess you get the over thinking too consciously seeking control over your existence habit from me - for that bane I am truly sorry. ‘Emissary’ all that spouted already and we have not even smelt a bar yet.” [I complained.]
“I saw a micro-brewery bar stall over there with stools and everything not that you need a stool.” [‘Jack’ pointed out.]
[We repaired to the ‘Wasp Micro-brewery’ stall, ‘beer with a spicy sting in the tail,’ went the slogan. Four reptilian ‘Recyclers’ with almost no noticeable cybernetics were tending the open air bar selling fortified beer and doing a fine trade. All the stools were taken so we just stood around as part of a well congealed crowd. I dropped an external tube into my composite cup sucking all of the liquid into a ‘Suit’ liquid sustenance storage compartment from which another internal tube allowed me to sup my beer as I pleased - that way I did not have to worry about possible spillages if jostled. I could also have tube supped more directly.]
[The design criteria of almost every modern ‘Real Material Dry Suit’ consisted of enabling the ‘Swimmer’ user to interact as normally as possible with the outside environment maximising flexibility to reduce any potential social awkwardness. I could even retract the top of the bowl to be nakedly open to the atmosphere but had no desire to do that in these hot and heavy atmospheric conditions. Besides popping the lid, would leave my body open to a direct assault without any shield support. In fact, the bowl could split and open in various ways although not on dry land in everyway possible without spilling my water and me out as if biological waste.]
[‘Jack’ finished his first beer very quickly and ordered another round leaving me holding a full one despite my earlier precautions. I checked liquid levels and pumped in half of the new one into storage too.]
“Easy it is still early.” [I reminded the Captain.]
“These days when I drink I always start fast then slow down I know some people do the opposite but that just makes me want to chuck it back up.” [He explained.]
[I guessed that was one naturally occurring individual personality trait of a sort.]
“So ‘Mabel’, ‘Ingrid’ and you that is all going well?” [I asked.]
“They seem happy enough with the arrangement.” [‘Jack’ replied.]
“What do you feel?” [I asked.]
“Frequently exhausted.” [He replied I was positive joking now rather than serious.]
“Honestly for you it is an agreeable arrangement?” [I pressed.]
“It works well enough. Many ‘Omerta’ would be jealous I suppose.” [He replied.]
“You do not sound exactly enthusiastic or overly committed.” [I stated.]
“We three are not married we just share quarters.” [He replied as if it meant nothing.]
“They know you feel this way?” [I asked.]
“I do not think they want some big commitment from me or to give one either that is not what it is about. It just is what it is. Tomorrow one of both of them could move out and move on and it would not be a problem for me or ‘Short Six’ if that is what is bothering you ‘Bluu’.” [‘Jack’ stated.]
“I am not bothered by such matters I am just trying to understand where you are in your life at this moment as a concerned friend.” [I replied.]
“Good luck with that as so am I.” [He retorted.]
“As we already established.” [I replied.]
“What about your behind closed hatches love life are you happy with that?” [‘Jack’ asked returning the analytical favour.]
“I suppose that is what it is too we have a long history I am positive we can adapt to future changes because I believe we do have a commitment to one another.” [I replied.]
[Actually, that was a bit more positive than I often felt.]
“She is special there is only one ‘Kanne’.” [‘Jack’ said.]
“Everyone is special but ‘Ingrid’ and ‘Mabel’ are not that special to you that is what you are telling me?” [I asked.]
“They are kind, generous and we care for one another but no it is not special it is not - love - more akin to a mutual hobby that scratches basic itches.” [‘Jack’ stated.]
“I can tell you are a great romantic.” [I replied sarcastically.]
“I am not good with relationships you ought to be able to appreciate why.” [He replied.]
“Maybe you just need to meet the right person to give your romantic genes a kick start.” [I replied.]
“The right person for me would have to be pretty cursed special.” [‘Jack’ retorted.]
“You are not that hard to get along with you just need to lower your shields and stop being so emotionally aloof less solitary vigils and walks.” [I complained.]
“Easily spouted platitudes rarely change anything.” [‘Jack’ complained.]
“Sorry but I oft specialise in platitudes when I do not know what else to say.” [I confessed.]
“Shut up then and drink.” [‘Jack’ advised.]
[Truly ‘Jack’ just needed to encounter the right person would playing around with ‘Mabel’ and ‘Ingrid’ make that more difficult I wondered. Sometimes sentient beings seem especially expert at messing up their chances for happiness by cleaving to all the wrong things at all the wrong times. I had so much general experience of living but when it came to these sort of matters my advise did often seem to come out as just empty platitudes. Even if he met the right person in the end only ‘Jack’ could alter his direction to arrest his emotional decline.]
[Could he overcome his birthright that was more akin to a birth-wrong? I judged possibly not on his own but even with the right person to support his efforts they would as suggested probably need to be extra-special as ‘Jack’ was a special case with some unique emotional issues.]
[Earlier he hinted at more proof of past memory edits as I did not know he had sought out many of my old friends only to feel a deeper sense of isolation and rejection. It was a foolish thing to do akin to picking at the scab of a deep wound. I wished I could do more for him but he had big issues with me too.]
[Perhaps I should consider it a blessing that we were interacting this much. I shut up and drank up sometimes a companionable silence is about as good as it gets. I allowed the alcohol to do its business, as anything else would seem too akin to just pretending towards companionship and I wanted ‘Jack’ not to feel kept at a distance. Therefore, by the time the rest found us they found a very drunk ‘Jack’ and a tipsy ‘Swimmer’. As a result on that occasion I failed to visit ‘The Pools’ and missed out on the ‘Bubble Dancers’ maybe that was for the best as you can take role-play too far and perhaps ‘Kanne’ would have been less than impressed at me ogling at female ‘Stellar Swimmers’.]
[Loaded with various bought spoils including many fond memories we left the ‘Tri-pai-pai Night Market’ our destination the ‘MCH’. My ‘Dry Suit’ did my navigating whilst I initially burbled out a nonsense ‘Swimmer’ song I had made a point of learning for character development. ‘Jack’ was helped along by ‘Mabel’ and ‘Ingrid’ who had linked arms to him on either side. ‘Short’ marched to the fore making way for us whilst ‘Kanne’ was acting as rear guard taking over from me as I was deemed temporarily incompetent.]
[Actually it was rather fun - I felt very relaxed - paying no serious attention to what was going on around me just feeling the buzz whilst sloshing the water around me. I was letting it all go for a short time every angst and worry every burdensome commitment. The sky was about as dark as it gets here but ‘Tri-centre City’ shone with a vast variety of illuminations from massive corporate view screen signs playing infomercials to humble glows from shack windows that guided poorer folk home. Glowing company logos were everywhere along with product brand names and so on. I floated past it all as if it was a blurry light show manufactured solely for my amusement. I felt a good sense of dislocation a sense of being somewhere that had no strong claim upon me a place where I could be momentarily free just another transient soul passing through as a stranger in a strange land. Maybe I had permitted myself to be a bit more than tipsy perhaps it was the mystery fortification within the ‘Wasp Brew’ whatever the reason I was content.]
[I guess I needed to switch off a little no less than ‘Jack’. With hindsight I am positive that the whole public execution situation was akin to an exposed raw nerve. For so long as the ‘Father of the Universal Councils of Equals’ I preached tolerance and not just in selfish pursuit of my ‘Free Hull’ agenda. I believed many sins to be born of intolerance even past sins I carried around as invisible baggage - it is hard to be mindful and tolerant all of the time for a start I was oft intolerant of intolerance. Intolerance of intolerance is not always the best approach to make anyone think again. If you behave to your enemy only ever as an enemy there is no way that relationship can ever change yet when you are attacked it is hard not to fight back. Like ‘UT’ sometimes I believe it is essential to defend yourself from aggressors but unlike ‘UT’ I did not believe this was always the best approach.]
[I was puzzled as to how to undo the radicalisation of our Acolytes with the ‘Exposed Issue’. They were the product of what we made them to be as ‘Shrouded’ children - as followers of our shared ‘Vision’ - but it is so horribly easy for the best of intent to twist into something ugly even in a weird way into the exact opposite of what it is supposed to be whilst flying the same old banner as if unchanged as if still exhorting the same high values.]
[The support of tolerance via intolerant action is problematic and yes I know I have been there and condoned that on occasion. So yes I was happy to escape the situation for a short while to just float along in a stupor mesmerised by the lights because I had no easy answers to the hard questions posed by a Paradox Priest sponsored public execution. I better understood killing in the heat of battle than a cold institutionalised slaying as some sick kind of broadly publicised educational lesson.]
[For ‘Primal’, the murders were just a means to an end to secure the secrecy he needed to do his work. To me the murders would be a stain upon the soul of our Paradox Order. To kill in battle when it is fight or die is one thing and can be harsh enough but to drag people up onto a platform to end their lives with premeditated determination seemed a very different action to me. The results might be the same between the two deeds as in more dead ‘Pilgrims’, but sometimes how you get to a place is as important - sometimes even more important - than arriving at that specific location.]
[I felt that executions are assuredly murder whilst battle is at least arguably self-defence. I had already instructed my ‘Holy Father Proxy’ to open debates about capital punishment and how it differed to other deemed lawful killings and whether it was ever an acceptable solution for our Order to be associated with even under the most extreme circumstances. I privately recalled an assassination of ‘Draakhaal’ that we as in the ‘MTC’ were ultimately responsible for as it was my former Captain arranged the deed and I judged that a crime - some still believed a necessary crime - but still a crime and that to me is how it should be not something officially openly sponsored as acceptable civilised behaviour by the masses.]
[I occasionally assassinated using the ‘Lesser Spotted Reserve’ but those actions were illegal too and in there own way sinful even when I believed they were both necessary and for me personally justifiable. Paradoxically I was happiest to kill when our wider society disagreed with my right to do so otherwise; it suggested our society was completely barbaric rather than just having an occasional anomalous barbarism occurring under its watch.]
[Perhaps the above seems paradoxical and nonsensical to you not to mention hypocritical but it made perfect sense to me as someone who occasionally accepted a burden of sin so that others need not share that weight or proliferate such behaviour as acceptable. Murder should never really be socially acceptable even when it seems necessary to maintain or to promote good public order - still this is just my ‘Vision’ of the moment.]
[By the time I had stomped and wobbled up the stairs I was almost sober again probably due to all the sloshing about as my ‘Suit’ negotiated its way up to the eighteenth floor. I went straight to our known room and the balcony to look out. ‘Ingrid’, ‘Jack’ and ‘Mabel’ retiring to the adjoining room. ‘Short’ pulled out and started examining items of loot from earlier spreading the treasure over a table. ‘Kanne’ arrived to stand beside me also gazing outward.]
“Taken to feeling any better?” [She asked.]
“A little the funny thing is that I thought I was mostly helping ‘Jack’ but I think I needed that silliness just as much.” [I confessed.]
“The Captain is still taking to adjusting to this time?” [‘Kanne’ asked.]
“He is still taking to adjusting to being ‘Jack’ - far more than I realised - some of the things we find easy come hard to him.” [I sympathised.]
“I did not take to life easy too I have known how it feels to be one alone to be different I think that is what first drew me to you as a kindred spirit you also seemed a little lost in ‘Pilgrim’ society and taken to looking for answers to find a place that fits.” [She stated.]
“Is your new role helping you?” [I asked.]
“It allows me to take a different more participatory approach to understanding my people. Sometimes it is all a bit too much akin to acting but at other times it feels right as if I am taken to what I truly am.” [‘Kanne’ admitted.] “This little role you have taken to playing is that helping you take a better grip on your big issues.” [She asked.]
“It is a useful level of separation. I feel a little less trapped by my responsibilities perhaps it will free my mind up to consider less obvious solutions and truths.” [I said.]
“It is hard to get used to you as this wet slimy thing.” [‘Kanne’ admitted.]
“I noticed.” [I burbled.]
“However I wish to embrace more than the errors of my origins. I can be a ‘Splinter Warrior’ without taking their inflexible stupidity that almost caused their extinction as ‘Raiders’. There is a stupidity in all doctrine when it is not often reconsidered and debated that much I have learned from watching ‘Councils of Equals’ I am not taken to reverting to unmindful doctrinal barbarism.” [She promised.]
“What do you think about these executions?” [I asked.]
“Sometimes the taking of life is a necessary evil but it always has consequences some good some bad.” [She stated.]
“Blood stains.” [I burbled back in reply.]
“Blood stains.” [She agreed.]
“I am not confident that any of this is necessarily going to go where anybody actively involved thinks it is going including me.” [I stated a bit cryptically.]
“The law of unexpected consequences.” [‘Short’ interjected having belatedly stomped over to join us.] “Two groups of three, I suppose three groups of three if we count in the ‘Soulless’ an interesting natural division let us hope it is a lucky omen.”
“Do you think those three are sleeping.” [I asked.]
“Anything is possible it has been a long day and ‘Jack’ was very intoxicated. Soon now the sky will begin to brighten again.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“With the deed happening at noon.” [I recalled.] “So what is your thinking do we watch from here in safety or go down there into the midst of it all?”
“I am for going down but you need not join me this is not a ‘Short Six’ operation. I imagine we all have slightly different reasons for being here for this one.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“Do you think this execution fiasco is wise?” [I asked ‘Short’.]
“It was not my decision to make I think it could prove wise or foolish maybe both depending on when you give the opinion poll. The important thing here is that tomorrow for good or ill it will make an assured difference it will alter the vector of the future.” [‘Short’ stated.] “What people such as us make of the difference may be what eventually makes the deed wise or foolish. Many ill things have given rise to wonders. Look at this ‘Sliver’ consider the ‘Ultra-nation’ and the scope of ‘The Project’. The truth is we would not be here today had not the ‘Core Alliance’ fallen to the ‘Entanglement’ and later the ‘Star Diver Deep Clerics’ not proved deceitful so that we fled their stars those are bad things and yet look at the marvels they have encouraged us to achieve.”
“We built wonders in the ‘Core Alliance’.” [I recalled.]
“All built on a dodgy foundation we know now that the ‘Sea Sphere’ internals are full of ‘Machine Fury’ hardly the best place to proliferate a civilisation. Perhaps the ‘Entanglement’ did us an unkind favour by forcing us out into the dark.” [‘Short’ mused.]
“Trust you to be a devils advocate despite for example hating ‘Crimson’ with an unequal passion.” [I complained.]
“All I am saying is that sometimes good comes out of evil and evil out of good maybe that is how the Universe rights its cosmic balance.” [‘Unholy’ stated.]
“Very paradoxical and annoying logic.” [‘Kanne’ complained glaring at both of us.]
“Speaking of oddities reviewing our visit to the Night Market I just realised there were a lot of ‘Recyclers’ trading in there but I saw little noticeable division between obvious ‘Old Ones’ and ‘Ex-Conglomerates’ have those two diehard factions finally started to patch up their longstanding differences?” [I asked ‘Short’ since I guessed ‘UT’ probably continued to undertake deeper research into ‘Recycler’ society to better play his ‘Recycler Meat Suit’.]
“You did not know about this one? Some of my recent ‘Link Searches’ suggested a continued steady merging of the two old ‘Recycler Factions’ within the ‘Ultra-nation’ the accelerated healing of an old split. In part because many ‘Recyclers’ now embrace the benefits of a ‘Reformed Sleeper Digital Paradise’ and so on as part of a modified forever evolving ‘One with the Reformed Core Movement’ I believe the ‘Lost YOR Armada’ helped this previously slow consolidation process greatly.” [’Short’ stated.]
“What ‘Lost YOR Armada’?” [I asked.]
“You did not come across that historic story on the ‘Links’ either, I too somehow found it rather late. Apparently a little over a 1100 years ago the majority of the last of the ‘Young One Recyclers’ commenced to fall under the leadership of an emergent ‘Warrior Prophet’ a potent charismatic figure with a singular ‘Vision’. She professed to have discovered a great weakness in the ‘Ringed Prime Graveyard’ a far safer way in revealed by the earlier folly of the failed ‘Entanglement’ assault. As a result of her plan she was eventually to virtually extinguish the last military strength of the ‘YOR Nation’ in one massive act of idiocy.” [‘Short’ informed.]
“Amassing almost all of the remaining ‘Young One’ resources into one huge ‘National Fleet’ she boldly attacked the ‘Ringed Prime’ her supposed intent to raid the ‘Reformed Conglomerate Cores’ to destroy the ‘Reformed Sleepers’ that she claimed were still a danger to the freedom of ‘Recycler Kind’ and madly to subjugate the ‘Spore of the Machine Fury’ too. I know a crazy plan well fitted to a delusional prophet. It was perhaps unsurprisingly a monumental truly historic military failure - a total massacre - not one ‘YOR’ ship that went against the ‘Ringed Prime Graveyard’ survived they became the ‘Lost YOR Armada’.” [‘Short’ explained.]
“With the ‘Young Ones’ almost extinct a lot of the old agitation between the surviving ‘Old One Recyclers’ and the ‘Ex-Conglomerates’ started to slowly ease down I can only surmise that previously the ‘Young Ones’ had secretly been constantly agitating those two factions ruthlessly against each other in hosts of subtle ways in an effort to eventually divide and eradicate both factions. Now there are only the tiniest remnant of ‘Young Ones’ left small renegade Pirate bands that distrusted the rise of the ‘Warrior Prophet’ most of those claiming the ‘Prophet’ not just false but a secret servant of a foreign power possibly nothing less than an ‘Entanglement Meat Suit’. Suggesting that ‘Crimson’ was ultimately responsible for the final demise of the ‘Young One Recyclers’ as an effective power via the medium of the ‘Machine Fury’ and the ‘Ringed Prime Graveyard’.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“Cunningly ‘Crimson’ unleashed a ‘Dark Time’ style cull against the ‘YOR’. Do you believe that is true? It is a bit too easy to blame the ‘Entanglement’ for everything that goes stupendously wrong with us ‘Pilgrims’.” [I added.]
“All I know is the obvious that the ‘Young Ones’ believed they were immune to old style ‘Sleeper’ hacking but perhaps not invulnerable to mundane infiltration by a ‘Meat Suit’ so perhaps ‘Crimson’ could secretly have ‘Young One’ agents and turn one in particular into a potent charismatic ‘Great Leader’ with a ‘Vision’. If anyone could manipulate a ‘Recycler Nation’… If ‘Crimson’ wanted rid of the ‘Young Ones’ sending them against a foe that had roundly defeated masses of her substance earlier would certainly seem an effective methodology.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“Why would she want rid of all of the ‘Young One Recyclers’ she loves promoting factionalism she loves encouraging infighting? Could she have been using them to ‘Probe the Prime’ again? Could she have believed she truly found a weakness and sent them in as testing vanguard fodder? It would be like her to sell a half truth rather than a full lie and to use others to do her dirty work for her. After all she probably would not want to antagonise the ‘Fury’ again directly unless she was positive she could succeed in her aims.” [I stated.]
“If she did think she found a weakness she was obviously terribly wrong. Still, it might be very ‘Crimson’ to use others as her scouting fleet in that place especially ‘Pilgrims’ she detested. To expend the ‘Young One Recycler Nation’ as a mere probing asset would be the sort of thing that would greatly amuse her as a fulfilling exercise of manipulative power. In nature a typically deviously elegant ploy that would massage her ego with glee. Still, we must consider that some ‘Young One Recycler’ or other might just have gone a bit mad and bad out of frustration claimed to be a prophet wrested control over the ‘Nation’ and led them all into deepest folly.” [‘Short’ admitted.] “Some especially crazy people have lots of charisma.”
“You would know?” [I sent as a joke.]
“Conversely, if we want to be really paranoid the ‘Spore of the Machine Fury’ might have done this deed via creating this ‘Prophet of Doom’ and luring the ‘YOR’ in so she could wipe them out as known implacable enemies of the ‘Reformed Cores’ now under ‘Fury Protection’. Perhaps she ran out of patience with them causing trouble amongst ‘Recyclers’ that are increasingly ‘One with the Reformed Cores’ and at the very least a constant source of data for her on us ‘Pilgrims’.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“So you think the ‘Reformed Sleepers’ are clever agents or spies of the ‘Spore of the Machine Fury’? [I asked ‘Short’.]
“That is always a recurring concern but if it is true what happened to the ‘Lost YOR Armada’ and the earlier thrashing of the ‘Entanglement’ rather proves there is not a lot we can do about that one at the moment. Even the potent ‘Star Divers’ still live in utter dread of the return of the ‘Machine Fury’ to known space.” [‘Short’ reminded.]
“I suppose if the ‘Entanglement’ was the one meddling with the fate of the ‘Young One Nation’ maybe that has been where the bulk of her attention has rested for so many years and might explain her earlier seeming lack of other general incitement activity within the ‘Ultra-nation’. I remember when she was quiet one time before we belatedly discovered she was actually busily invading the ‘Higher Tiers’.” [I reminded.]
“I did wonder about that when I first heard the story of the ‘Lost YOR Armada’ maybe she might even be lying a bit low now after sending the ‘Young Ones’ against the ‘Machine Fury’ fearing a reprisal by the ‘Fury’ even with a degree of separation.” [‘Short’ speculated.]
“Conversely it could be that the ‘Entanglement’ set the ‘Young Ones’ up for the ‘Spore of the Machine Fury’ as a gesture of good will even a belated act of contrition for daring her earlier assault against the ‘Ringed Prime Graveyard’. ‘Crimson’ is bound to fear that her past failed aggression might not easily be forgotten or forgiven and that one day the ‘Fury’ as a patient ‘Deep Time’ dwelling foe will strike back.” [I suggested.]
“It is a shame that we will probably never be able to confirm the facts of any of these suppositions about the true cause of this historic event even if ‘Crimson’ confessed to some involvement in the affair of the ‘Lost YOR Armada’ we would be fools to believe anything she told us as the whole truth of the matter. As to the actions of the ‘Spore of the Machine Fury’ that one is even more enigmatic than the triple cursed nanotech plague.” [‘Short’ reminded.]
“I suppose all we know for certain is that a most problematic ‘Pilgrim’ power block the ‘Young One Recyclers’ have been vanquished not for our purposes an especially bad outcome as they oft seemed incapable of compromise. The ‘Old One Recyclers’ made them too well - too single-minded - too inflexible in their faiths.” [I reluctantly admitted.]
[I was not glad to learn of all those deaths but since it is history now and at the time beyond our control, at least some good would emerge from the dire cull.]
“Perhaps the ‘Entanglement’ is protecting her hidden interest in ‘The Project’ via removing an inimical ‘Pilgrim’ faction ill suited to participation in a unified endeavour.” [‘Short’ admitted.]
“I am sure if ‘Crimson’ was involved in this massive event she was multitasking it for several beneficial outcomes to her advantage as per old digital habits.” [I mused aloud.]
“That would be true to her cognitive prowess and nature.” [‘Short’ agreed.]
[Then I had another thought a horrible epiphany whilst staring at the execution place as a site of a planned murder for a lesser evil we almost supported via ‘Proxy’.] “No it is not possible?” [I said.]
[‘Short’ looked at me puzzled.]
“The ‘Proxy’ did it.” [I sent rather than said aloud.] “They saw a problem for ‘The Project’ and contacted the ‘Entanglement’ as an accomplice they told her how to get rid of the ‘Young Ones’ without taking too much of the blame they told her how it would appease the ‘Spore of the Machine Fury’ too if she made the ‘Fury’ her able accomplice whilst cunningly secretly giving ‘Crimson’ another chance to probe the ‘Ringed Prime Graveyard’ for hidden weakness. A truth within a lie within a truth or is it the other way around. They reminded her that the ‘Machine Fury’ is a potential long term threat to ‘The Project’ and the ‘Entanglement’ in fact all ‘Pilgrim Kind’ too the biggest longest term threat of all one that cannot be ignored forever. A foe too big to fight so the logical next step is careful appeasement.” [I wildly speculated.]
“Perhaps they told her how very logical it is - how beneficial for every ‘Pilgrim’ the ‘Entanglement’ included only inconvenient for the problematic ‘Young Ones’ but we all know that the ‘Young Ones’ were made too good - too single-minded - too inflexible. The ‘Young Ones’ as a concept as big an error by the ‘Old One Recyclers’ as originally allowing the creation of the ‘Digital Sleepers’ in the first place. They made children that could defy the ‘Sleepers’ but in so doing they made children that surpassed them and despised their makers weakness to digital corruption. Stupidly the ‘Old One Recyclers’ thought their creations would stay their friends as they once thought the ‘Digital Sleepers’ would remain loyal servants but power and greatness not only uplifts it also corrupts and so they were terribly wrong repeating a historic mistake in the pursuit of correction. We all make mistakes under pressure but some mistakes cannot be allowed to continue they are too dangerous so you must wipe those mistakes out to be free to start over.” [I suggested via another sending.]
“Now that speculated history is akin to some serious Paradox Priest paranoia ‘Professor Blue’.” [‘Short’ sent in return.]
“Just because it seems terribly paranoid does not mean it is untrue. The ‘Proxy’ exist to logically fulfil our desires.” [I sent.] “Look at the end result a far more peaceful far more settled more unified ‘Recycler’ nation and therefore ‘Ultra-nation’. Would the ‘Entanglement’ really consider that outcome on her own - as her sort of plan - I think not, not unless someone pointed out the other logical advantages for her made her see how her participation would still be more than worthwhile. What is the loss of some temporary fun compared to extended security from an outsized threat we all know that in her own way ‘Crimson’ is a fearful creature with all the fears of the ‘Recycler Professor’ that she originally was somewhere deep inside. ‘Crimson’ is as you explained to me as all original ‘Recyclers’ are by nature - not especially brave. In her inner heart she still remembers being small and bullied as a ‘Recycler Professor’ type probably big brained but socially inept and physically weak. What sort of person embraces the loss of their body for a digital immortality I will tell you the sort that sees their former body not as a strength but as a fleshy weakness. No one could bully an immortal digital soul but then some ‘Recyclers’ tried, tried to treat the newly made ‘Sleepers’ as just slaved software the digital worms turn - the weak are now terribly powerful - mighty - they strike back they will never be bullied again. They become the bullies they become the overbearing ones - the controlling ones - they assume the mantle of power and it begins to warp them into something to our perspective monstrously evil.”
“It is her fears of us and the ‘Fury’ that made her go so far as to ‘Entangle’ the mass of the entire ‘Core Alliance’ to secure her survival against the rest of us ‘Pilgrims’ to be the bully not the victim. In the process, she secretly captures all those ‘Pilgrim’ souls via digitising the minds of her victims when she eats their mass. To her they are not just fun game pieces - not just sentient minds to play with and hardly to be wasted - they are extra-potential hidden hostages held prisoner ready for a future reveal against disaster. Naturally she also does the more obvious action and claims the ‘Swimmer Dweller Nations’ as openly visible hostages too. Yet here is the clincher could the ‘Highest Tier’ folk with all their vast powers all their piercing vision fail to realise she has taken all these souls as hostages not just the ‘Swimmer Dwellers’. You can never be too careful better two lots of hostages against the meddling ‘Ascendants’ than one better to have one lot of hostages deep inside you were not even ‘Higher Tier Powers’ might easily steal them away without utterly compromising your security at the most intimate level first. Who might hope to best the ‘Entanglement’ so thoroughly before she can reach inside and commence deleting all those lives forevermore? Furthermore destroy all the substance of the ‘Entanglement’ and you destroy the souls contained within her too it is the ultimate safeguard against other more reasonable ‘Pilgrim’ intervention including some sometimes unreasonable people too such as you ‘UT’. Do you think it an accident that you learned about those souls inside her she wanted you to know?” [I sent in reminder.]
“You can still sell a truth.” [‘Short’ sent to me.] “I suppose all that you have said is entirely possible.”
“Our ‘Proxy’ are beginning to scare me.” [I sent.]
“Careful you have just recited a great warning about the negative potency of loosed fear. Fear destroys reason and unlocks atrocity Harbinger preached that truth.” [‘Short’ sent to me.]
“Sometimes I think corruption is everywhere always waiting to bend every good intent out of shape to warp every cause and to defile every heart.” [I said aloud.]
“It is a dark night tonight but the day is dawning.” [‘Short’ replied.]
“Is it?” [I asked looking down upon the ‘Triangle Forum’ with a quavering voice from my ‘Dry Suit Voice Box’.]
“Not a bad stretch of the old cybernetic assisted muscles.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“You nearly scared me into my next incarnation with those ‘Crab Mines’ back there.” [I complained.]
“You should have seen the look on your face - priceless - sometimes you make it all especially worthwhile.” [‘Short’ replied.]
“I was thinking about trying to grab them back with my ‘Manipulation Field’ function but with so many and they scurried off so cursed quickly so I let them go. I had visions of innocent civilians caught up in the moment not just ‘Deck Gang’ members being maimed and killed it made me feel terrible just standing there condoning a slaughter via inaction.” [I stated.]
“Did you think I would kill innocents? You need to learn to trust the ‘Great Cybernetic Leader’ a bit more than that.” [‘Short’ replied I felt overly mocking my concerns.] “It is all doubt with you ‘Swimmer’ you should show more faith in my obvious prowess. Damn, but the more I use them the more I love those little scuttlebutts modified or otherwise they are a great delivery system.” [She added.]
“I am serious I know you are not usually - senselessly - cruel but I feared in that moment that you just saw pursuing foes to be vanquished.” [I admitted.]
“When in action it is not good to question too much especially to question the motives of a commander it is a tactical blunder. Battle is no time for debate. Whilst you are second guessing decisions the enemy will cut you down. I am sure as a scholar that has studied battles you know better than this - you need to get your little ‘Swimmer’ head straight.” [‘Short’ advised.]
[Having handed over the wanted ‘Deck Gang’ felons and with our accounts credited we commenced making our way back to the ‘Multi Corner Hotel’ unencumbered by everything but recovered stolen goods and booty that needed more carefully sorted through. Anything known to have been taken from the ‘Hotel’ would in time be returned to its known owners - as part of the job - the rest we actually never found if you catch my drift being perks of the job. It was an anything not locked down scenario, the funny thing about the law is, and I know this is a horrible generalisation but still often a sacred truth, that they are all when it comes to confiscated property petty thieves.]
“So what have you dug up so far on old ‘Chop Chop’?” [‘Short’ asked.]
[I burbled out a ‘Swimmer’ laugh at the nickname.] “Our friend ‘Irwin Augustus’ checks out digitally as I knew from before but I wonder if we chased down some of his off ‘Sliver’ history in the real if it will match up to the glowing testimonials on ‘Link’ - I suspect not - as some of his references and so on are a bit too good given even our very limited experience of the ‘Omerta’.”
“Subcontract some local people on location to look into those testimonials that should not cost too much and I think it might be well worth the expense.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“I can only agree.” [I admitted.]
“Any interesting details on the previous Owners?” [‘Short’ added.]
“A ‘Recycler’ partnership made up of two sisters now trading as ‘Sibylline Enterprises’.” [I explained.] “I know an odd name from some ancient ‘Omerta’ mythology about a prophetess or perhaps prophetesses.”
“Do they claim they can predict the future?” [‘Short’ asked I assumed partially in jest.]
“They have been involved in hostile acquisitions and corporate asset stripping so claiming to know the market is mandatory. Interestingly they got start up funds from one of the lesser known ‘Free Parliament Bank’ owned companies ‘Anvil Financial’.” [I stated.]
“A couple of ‘Recycler’ business predators possibly ‘FPB’ agents not the sort to sell a Hotel with potential on cheaply without a good reason. Did they have some sudden need for liquid funds back then?” [‘Short’ asked.]
“Not as far as I can tell they have remained pretty solvent with many have suggested steadily increasing profits from increasingly larger Corporate Raids investing in personal growth.” [I stated.]
“Then the Hotel sale has to be a scam and ‘Chop Chop’ is dirty just clever about it in his own especially annoying way.” [‘Short’ suggested.] “I hate the ‘FPB’ if this is one of their lesser dirty deals and we can sabotage it all the better.”
[We returned to the Hotel and the room with the chair on the balcony it was now empty, however as - requested - the ‘Hotel Security Officer’ called ‘Curtis’ was still in the room awaiting our return. He looked nervous like a guilty Acolyte marched before an Elder.]
“You can go back to your job now I trust having learned a valuable lesson. If anyone ever threatens you again you inform the ‘Corner Consortium’ immediately and if they deem it needed they can hire us but I think you will be left alone. We left a message with the surviving members of the ‘Deck Gang’ that explained this Hotel and its staff are off-limits unless they want another more comprehensive visit from us and our associates that I hinted might include some people within the ‘Task Force’.” [‘Short’ stated.] “I will not tell you if that is true or not as all that matters is that it is a possibility best not ignored.”
“There will be no reprisals against my family?” [‘Curtis’ asked.]
“They know such actions would be counterproductive. As you no doubt guessed, your cousin is now in custody along with some other more senior gang members but they are all little fish to me. I am used to extracting much bigger game. The ‘Deck Gang’ will no doubt be going through some internal adjustments including I suspect changes in leadership. I think for a time they will be less ambitious - they have lost a lot of local esteem and logistical material - and will probably have to struggle to simply retain what little they have left against rivals in the shantytown.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“It is hard to imagine my cousin started all this I once looked up to him as a child he even defended me from bullies at school.” [‘Curtis’ admitted.]
“More likely he used you as an excuse to do some bullying of his own to assert dominance of you and them I know his type. Your cousin if he is as stupid as he seems is the only one you might have to worry about in the future but I am positive he will be in stasis for at least a decade or two by the time he is released your position here should be secure and this Hotel a very different place and no easy target for a mere thug. You will help to make that truth reality by becoming stronger in both mind and body. You let him domineer you that habit has to stop sometimes we create our own tyrants by showing weakness they cannot resist exploiting.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“Now if you do not mind I am sure you have things to do and we wish to be left alone.” [‘Short’ added.]
“I guess I must thank you.” [‘Curtis’ said although his eyes were drawn to the chair.]
“It was our pleasure. I think we might take a small interest in this Hotel if the ‘Corner Consortium’ agrees and I think they will thus we will be somewhat irregular visitors.” [‘Short’ added.] “So no need to thank us any debt you feel you have to us will be paid in good time with reasonable interest.” [She promised.]
[‘Curtis’ once again looked a bit nervous but then he straightened up gave us a little professional bow and departed with just one final glance at the chair. We waited saying nothing until the door closed although he could link back into the local security system to monitor our actions and words.]
“I must be getting old because he seems terribly young to be out on his own in the big bad Universe without at least two companions to watch his back.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“We were all eggs once.” [I replied.]
[‘Short’ went over grabbed lifted and replaced the chair back where it belonged then we gathered in an informal manner as ‘Short Six’ on the balcony just individually gravitating towards the majestic view. So far we had not even ventured into an adjoining room.]
“It is odd but in this moment I feel on a vigil and more of a Priest than I have been in many years despite all my preaching in all those ‘Councils of Equals’.” [I sent to ‘Short’.]
“Yes this is a vigil and a Priestly business and we could not be more ‘Shrouded’. I think ‘Meat Suits’ are the new ‘Shroud Suit Avatars’ of this era less powerful but in many ways more practical. In time we may see less and less traditional shrouding ignoring ‘User’ Marines.” [‘Short’ sent.]
[I considered that hypothesis: Without doubt many other Priests and Acolytes were learning the intimate benefits of ‘Meat Suits’ even ‘Primal’ had stated that it was using a ‘Meat Suit’ that caused him to dream of becoming a ‘Naked Priest’. Perhaps ‘Meat Suits’ were a sort of intermediate stage towards a natural regression in mind and body to simpler forms at least for some Acolytes and Priests. In a way ‘Meat Suits’ might well act now almost as the opposite of original ‘Shroud Suits’ too since as our original ‘Shroud Suits’ became ever more sophisticated they bore us steadily towards ‘Bio-mechanical Ascension’ I saw what was happening now as a pendulum back swing.]
“What do you think they plan to do to their captives down there?” [‘Jack’ asked aloud whilst gazing down towards the platform in the ‘Triangle Forum’.]
“I fear something shocking that will not easily be forgotten.” [I replied.]
“I agree it is going to be brutal tomorrow.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“The sky is beginning to darken.” [‘Mabel’ said.] “Perhaps we should go out into the City again they have impressively vibrant Night Markets here which is very sensible as in the evening the heat is a little less oppressive for some ‘Pilgrims’.”
“Food, trinkets and entertainment.” [‘Ingrid’ said enthusiastically.]
“Sometimes you two remind me of some other ‘Omerta’ I used to know in what seems another life.” [I burbled.]
“Other ‘Professors’?” [‘Mabel’ asked.]
“No actually young ‘Free Miners’.” [I admitted.]
“Gunslingers?” [‘Mabel’ asked.]
“Sometimes I suppose they were.” [I stated.]
“Your bodyguards?” [‘Ingrid’ guessed.]
“Just associates now gone I suppose in search of their own destiny.” [I replied.] “The past in review is full of sad partings. The Universe even our ‘Ultra-nation’ is so big that old friends can disappear out there every old meaningful or casual connection sundered.”
“That is enough melancholy you over thinking squid.” [‘Short’ hissed out.] “Let it go and move on. Trust a ‘Swimmer’ to dampen the mood. I am all for a visit to a ‘Night Market’ with my friends. We can divide the booty later. All vigils need not be solemn affairs besides it is still early the night is young.” [‘Short’ stated.] “Do your research thing ‘Six THREE’ which market would you recommend for maximal thrills in minimal time?”
“I have no need to ‘Link’ I must suggest the biggest most famous one of all here the ‘Tri-pai-pai Night Market’.” [I stated.]
“Sounds perfect.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“So are you taking the window.” [‘Jack’ I was positive dared ‘Short’.]
[‘Short’ made a show of leaning over to look straight down at the scary drop.] “No that would just be showing off I am content with the stairs for now.” [She replied.]
“Wise move, smart rope or not in this gravity with your weight you would probably drop with all the grace of a boulder.” [‘Jack’ stated to much ‘Short Six’ laughter.]
“You are suggesting I am fat.” [‘Short’ hissed in complaint.]
“In every way possible ‘Great Cybernetic Leader’.” [‘Jack’ replied with a grin.]
“You are so very lucky that I need your ship Captain ‘Jack’.” [‘Short’ replied.]
[We exited the room passed down the boring corridor and clattered down the stairs as if Acolytes released from Temple chores or children escaping from a learning institution. ‘Short Claws’ our ‘Great Cybernetic Leader’ took responsibility for leading the charge from more serious responsibilities. She could easily do that leading us in revels as readily as action when it suited her purposes it was the ‘Unholy Terror’ dwelling within her.]
[I struggled a bit in the rear I was not overly fond of going down stairs with my mechanical gait it felt akin to falling one unbalanced step at a time as I sloshed around in my watery bowl from one side to the other. For me descending stairs always worse than ascending as descending was akin to looking ahead at a series of potential drops. In a way, being a bit of a worrier with much of my life, I stared ahead at potential calamity in a similar way - all the time - but it was more obvious more immediate when facing stairs. I frowned my eyestalks deeply I knew I could have split off and taken the slow elevator instead but I was part of the tail of this worm so somehow that option did not seem valid.]
[Since our ‘Time Leaping’, as ‘Bluu’ I sensed that ‘Short’ was pulling me along in her wake as ‘UT’ inside her did now too. I felt insubstantial as ‘Bluu / MT’ compared to ‘Short / UT’ as if a moon caught in a planets larger gravity or akin to a ‘Living Hull’ that still has total faith in her Captain. Not that I am saying that I retain total faith in ‘Short / UT’ but it felt as if at times I was pulled along as if I did. Perhaps the power of true squad leadership is a force that can induce you to follow even when you have doubts due to the sheer pull of an indomitable personality. Splitting from ‘Short Six’ for example, was impossible to contemplate with any seriousness.]
[I wondered if that was how it once felt for ‘Ancient Pan-Nid’ in the presence of their ‘Emperor’ caught in a greater gravity pulled along by the power of an unimpeachable personality. ‘UT’ I realised would make an amazing ‘Pan-Nid Emperor’ potentially acting as a first amongst equals rather than a ruthless tyrant because he cared about those that followed him deeply did ‘Primal’? ‘UT’ would not have been happy sending followers to die in his place as Martyrs. ‘UT’, just as ‘Short’ demonstrated now, was always happiest leading the charge at the spearhead of any potential danger. ‘Short / UT’ did not skulk behind others he just went straight at it defying all comers and who could resist that wild pull. Even my former Captain had at times been pulled along behind his friend ‘Unholy’. I wondered if ‘Primal’ had any idea who he was dealing with when he dealt with ‘Unholy Terror’ if ‘Primal’ was more focused upon gaining my assistance that Elder was possibly out of his league. For perhaps he should be more concerned with falling under the pull of ‘Short / UT’ and his ‘Proxy’ now there was an unholy trinity that made me smile despite wobbling my way down the triple cursed stairs.]
[‘Tri-pai-pai’ was a riot it could be the distilled essence of the ‘Many Lifestyles’. Take one sniff of the air and you would know this was ‘Tri-centre City’ this was crazy Paradox diversity at its best clashing and rebounding off itself and then there was the additional sound and vision elements. It made me want to start again with ‘Port Discovery’ to make it less formal and more gloriously chaotic although ‘Port Discovery’ had some places that appreciated this sort of wild spirit they tended to be hidden away. We had donned our ‘Daystar Hooded Ponchos’ to mingle closely with the no less colourful crowd and it was packed but not in a manner that made me feel evilly crowded or claustrophobic.]
[As I watched my associates I marked in our Ponchos a reminder that this City had given us much already I felt it was seeping into ‘Short Six’ colouring us brightly so that when we left this place whatever else occurred we would all leave as bolder fuller people - that my friends is what travel is all about.]
[We passed an ‘Omerta’ fire-eater spitting flames with professional recklessness above the crowd whilst juggling burning brands. At the gates it was customary to buy bags of physical ‘Credit Tokens’ from ‘Credit Exchangers’ so that you could toss said colour coded tokens into entertainers’ baskets according to your generosity and pay for other goods with handfuls of the same. The ‘Tokens’ gave even minor purchases a fun added physicality whilst allowing even the most ‘Neo-Luddite’ a means to trade equally without access to any technology. They also allowed pickpockets and cutpurses to flourish but that was all part of the atmosphere it was up to the individual to deal with such things. Smart Tourists carried ‘Gift Purses’ tiny purses with bells that came with ‘Tokens’ stitched inside purposefully made to be stolen as gifts for the light fingered if they could demonstrate their prowess by taking them soundlessly. We had all bought ‘Gift Purses’ as anyone who did was guaranteed by custom only to have their ‘Gift Purse’ stolen the local scoundrels marking the generous well.]
[The idea of ‘Gift Purses’ was a remarkable accommodation with felony amazing to see petty crime turned into street theatre and therefore tamed for those willing to play the game by local rules. Simple marvels filled every nook and cranny from bolts of amazing ‘Real Material’ cloth some possibly ‘Splinter Weaver’ to varieties of fruit and vegetables I had never seen before. Real animal skins and ivory rested on stalls besides probably dodgy items of designer jewellery and questionably branded ‘Computer Pads’, ‘Hand Scanners’ and so on. There was even stalls selling ‘Infusion Materials’ and ‘Suit Substance’ by weight and ‘User Extrusion Software Packages’.]
[Vendor food stalls everywhere hawking everything from ice cream to ‘Chilli Pickled Majaglit Snail Eyes’ that at first I thought some kind of grotesquely named hard candy but then learned was truly the eyes of ‘Majaglit Snails’ chilli pickled considered by some a rare local delicacy and exceptionally expensive. ‘Pickled Cave Fish’ was far more reasonably priced and much more to my taste I had grown too fond of ‘Majaglit Snails’ to even consider eating their eyes at any price. ‘Wild Food Stalls’ offered game and herbs guaranteed to have been hunted and gathered rather than industrially farmed sometimes with the recognisable corpses of creatures disturbingly hanging on hooks.]
[There was a vegetarian section for those ethically, religiously or just digestively opposed to consuming any sort of meat and yes there were more regular butchers and bakers too. Some individual farms, plantations and collectives had their own dedicated branded farm stalls. Then there was the music it too was everywhere filling the air various traditional and modern forms both live entertainers including ‘Paradox Percussionists’ and blasting sound systems competing and blending sometimes into a crazed cacophony. Lanterns hung and balloons bobbed. Shadow Puppets played against screens and cunning ‘Real Material’ things made with endless gears and flywheels did with extreme difficulty actions that modern technology could do easily somehow making these mundane operations fantastical rather than absurd. One stall that sold nothing but peculiar little clockwork ‘Star Diver Arachnid Battle Suit’ shaped robots was a great favourite with ‘Omerta’ children.]
[Of course, I kept spotting ‘Primal Bobble Heads’ either just single ornaments belonging to stall owners or racks of them being sold like a mad army of impregnators all thrusting away thanks to resting on display stands that could be rocked to get them all moving.]
[The crowd no less varied than the merchandise including even ‘Stellar Draakhaal’ and such rarities as ‘Splinter Weavers’. ‘Splinter Weavers’ still very much a ‘Pilgrim’ minority species within the ‘Ultra-nation’ whilst the ‘Stellar Draakhaal’ were a little odd here on a Paradox ‘Green House’ because Paradox Marines and ‘Skimmers’ did not always play well together due to remembered differences harking back to the ‘CA’. Naturally at a market ‘Recyclers’ were as common as vacuum in space ‘Omerta Trojan’ hawkers only a little behind that whilst Paradox despite this being their ‘Sliver’ were rather underrepresented. However, some members of the other species present could easily be Paradox within ‘Meat Suits’ striving to fit in unobtrusively. Plenty of ‘Stellar Swimmers’ were in evidence most of these in reverted aquatic form as was the growing trend moving around in ‘Dry Suits’ either ‘Mechanical’ or ‘Suit Substance’ in nature but of these ‘Swimmers’ most looked bigger and fiercer than me as ‘Professor Bluu’. Most ‘Free Stellar’ including the aquatic ones met abroad professed readily to a Warrior nature disavowing ‘Swimmer’ peace and tranquillity for high adventure and perilous excitement. Most peaceful ‘Swimmers’ tended to stay in the oceans even within the ‘Ultra-nation’ that was the species old psychological divide recycling itself.]
[At one point I heard a profusion of somewhat harsh bubbling laughter.] “What have we got here?” [A big ‘Stellar Swimmer’ asked using an extruded tentacle from a ‘Bio-mechanical Dry Suit’ to lift the skirt of my ‘Poncho’ only to get the barrel of my ‘FP1’ pressed firmly against his ‘Suit’ at ‘Swimmer’ head height.]
[He burbled out even more laughter.] “A kitty with claws.”
“I am in disguise and you are being rude unless this is a poor distraction to steal my ‘Gift Purse’.” [I added flashing my ‘Bounty Hunter License’.]
“Blistering blowhole barnacles but I have seen everything now.” [‘Remarked the ‘Stellar’.] “That is some disguise little one.”
“It oft allows me to shoot people whilst they are still incapacitated with laughter.” [I joyfully exaggerated whilst putting my rifle away.]
“Inventive - would hardly suit my reputation - but I admire the spirit. I am Captain ‘Kuuloo’ of the ‘Ambidextrous Kraken’ famous ‘Privateer’ and at a pinch sometime ‘Free Miner’.”
“Peace Captain ‘Kuuloo’ I am ‘Professor Bluu Duu’.” [I said.]
“Peace? Peace really?” [Captain ‘Kuuloo’ repeated burbling out more laughter.] “Too much peace and I am out of interesting employment opportunities and so are you. Here for the - Big Paradox Murder Show - too?” [He asked.]
[The - Big Paradox Murder Show - that made me think is that how it is judged by some ‘Pilgrims’ how very far we were falling as supposed tolerant Priests.]
“My squad dropped off a passenger then decided to stay a while given the upcoming historic event.” [I admitted.]
“This is some place ‘Naked Priests’, ‘Swimmers’ in ‘Black Kitty Suits’ and ‘Pan-Nid Bobble Heads with outsized rude bits’ all very entertaining I cannot wait to discover what I will see next.” [’Kuuloo’ replied.]
“Just one ‘Swimmer’ in a ‘Smiling Black Kitty’ unless I have accidentally started a trend.” [I stated.]
“Now there is a cunning plan ‘Bluu’ I love a good jape. Lads you are all to buy day glow ‘Smiling Black Kitty’ design ‘Daystar Hooded Ponchos’ that ought to make a splash. Were did you get the cunning modifications done?” [He asked.]
“Had the tailoring done at my Hotel the ‘Multi Corner’.” [I stated.]
“You are staying at the ‘MCH’ that place has a bad reputation.” [‘Kuuloo’ replied.]
[I guessed he knew of it from a little earlier or had just done a quick ‘Link’ search possibly the good news had yet to break bad news always dominating.]
“My squad ‘Short Six’ just recently cleaned it up. The current Manager is a bit of a pain in the blowhole but we are hoping to encourage him to leave as he is doing the ‘Owners’ no favours but has a horribly solid contract.” [I explained.]
“We were looking for a convenient Hotel but I ignored the ‘MCH’ despite its admirable position. Although no one sensible would dare to steal from us I did not like the idea of an insecure residence not under our direct control.” [‘Kuuloo’ admitted.]
“If you hurry you might even be able to book some rooms with spectacular views of the ‘Square of Equals’. Internally the place is a bit uninspired at the moment but my squad has taken an interest in the venture and it will be all upward and onward from here.” [I promised.]
“Your squad sounds industrious who are you?” [‘Kooluu’ asked.]
“We are ‘Short Six’ named after our Bounty Hunter founder ‘Short Claws’ a renowned ‘Recycler’ hunter of felons.” [I explained.]
[I was positive the Captain was doing a hasty ‘Link’ search.]
“Used to work alone but now has a team behind her interesting. Book us some rooms at the ‘MCH’ young ‘Biiboosuu’.” [The Captain ordered.] “So you want to get rid of the Manager perhaps we could help with that just give us a little subcontract and we will see he opts to disappear the lads can be most persuasive given a suitable incentive.”
“Interesting I will have to talk to ‘Short’ about that one it is oft good to have at least one level of separation from some actions but it would have to be a voluntary disappearance as we want the ‘MCH’ to stay firmly legitimate.” [I burbled.]
“Trust in the crew of Captain ‘Kuuloo’ to get a job done, we can make him keen to go without breaking any laws just bending them a little that is what us ‘Privateers’ do we bend the laws over then give them one like a ‘Pan-Nid’ Emperor.” [‘Kuuloo’ joked actually going so far as to demonstrate a thrust with his ‘Dry Suit’. I was glad he had not added a major mock extrusion he seemed the type.]
[I guessed we would be hearing lots of those types of jokes now due to the specific way ‘Primal’ and the ‘Exposed’ suffered defamation. I wondered once again where it would all end and if the ‘MTC’ could stay safe from any escalation.]
“Sounds very tempting I am positive ‘Short’ will give the idea her deepest consideration. I suppose I could ‘Link’ in now but we are currently off duty.” [I confessed.]
“Later will do fine, I would not want to interrupt your fun. A warrior must have entertainments, the more the merrier eh lads.” [The Captain said.]
[The ‘Stellar’ lads all heartily agreed.]
“Fun explains why we are here. I heard they have some ‘Bubble Dancers’ somewhere around here.” [‘Kuuloo’ stated looking around his voice quavering with desire at the prospect.]
“The ‘Bubble Dancers’ are over at the ‘Pools’ as they call the aquatic section, I have yet to go there I have been leaving the best to the last.” [I admitted.]
“Very restrained of you ‘Professor’ - we prefer to go straight to the best bits like a seeker missile. Drop some ‘Funky Water’ and then watch some nubile ‘Bubble Dancers’ when it all goes a bit weirdly sensuous - delicious.” [The Captain advised.]
“No doubt.” [I replied a bit primly.]
“Guess we got us a ‘Funky Water’ virgin here lads.” [‘Kuuloo’ said slapping my back with an extruded limb reminding me of ‘UT’.]
“Drown him, drown him, drown him…” [The ‘Stellar Crew’ began chanting.]
[I began to wonder if these ones were Privateers or Piratical ‘Funky Water Haulers’.]
[[‘Funky Water’ an odd chemical compound that is derived from the venom of the ‘Marbled Ray Fish’ that only has an effect upon ‘Swimmer’ derivative skin. It is a firm favourite of somewhat wilder ‘Stellar Swimmers’ including ‘Stellar Swimmer’ Pirates but also used by some rebellious aquatic ‘Swimmer’ youths. ‘Funky Water’ is illegal contraband in ‘Sliver Swimmer Light Side Oceans’ but not outlawed elsewhere.]]
“Easy lads this one is not a new recruit, still honestly ‘Bluu’ you should try it, it beats a ‘Neural Net’ high anytime goes straight to the skin it is all glorious sensation.” [‘Kuuloo’ advised.]
“I have a rule about staying in control when carrying weapons.” [I stated.]
“Very sensible ‘Professor’ if you are not used to it.” [‘Kuuloo’ admitted.] “Anyway must go ‘Bubble Dancers’ and all that… I am sure we will meet again at the ‘MCH’ truly love the ‘Smiling Black Kitty’ thing hilarious.”
“That was an interesting encounter.” [Captain ‘Jack’ said turning around after possibly only pretending to be examining ‘Real Material’ clockwork timepieces at a stall.]
“Boisterous bunch but that is typical of the majority of ‘Stellar Swimmers’ at least those ones with a sense of humour. Some ‘Stellar’ can be all - you are trespassing upon my personal space - and far too quick on the draw types.” [I stated.]
“We have known a few surprisingly peaceful ones too.” [‘Jack’ reminded then looked a bit unhappy.]
[Oddly, via shared memories we truly had but in a way they were more my memories than ‘Jacks’ and that was probably why he now looked as if he was sucking something sour.]
“I met ‘Leeruussii’ but of course he did not know me he did not know I had any connection to him any shared memories of times together whatsoever. To ‘Leeruussii’ I was just an ‘Omerta’ stranger. I have met many people similar to the former it is a big part of being me. I think sometimes I seek these encounters out stupid really as it is always the same sense of disconnection rather than a happy reunion.” [He complained.]
[That felt deep and I could imagine how lonely that might make you feel to be a stranger to your own memory of the past all old connections severed. No doubt, he had tried to avoid these people at first but felt a compulsion to revisit them I could imagine that too well.]
“I am sorry that you have had to deal with such problematic encounters but you cannot blame me for the, as far as I know, unique nature of your genesis and nature.” [I reminded.]
“Sometimes I wish I could blame you for what I am but that would be as senseless in review as seeking revenge against ‘Garlic’ or even potentially ‘Weep’ as her superior.” [‘Jack’ stated.]
“This is not the time or place to discuss this one.” [I said looking around.]
“There is no good time or place to discuss this one.” [‘Jack’ countered.] “I need a drink thank the ‘Emissary’ I no longer need that ‘Recycler’ implant or I am not sure I would have been able to cope as an ‘Omerta Trojan’ for all these years.”
“Where are your girls?” [I asked.]
“Off somewhere else in the Market doing girlie things together you know how they can be when they make a fun Port they revert somewhat to form.” [‘Jack’ stated.]
“Then we will share a drink together you should not drink alone.” [I advised.]
“It always amuses me when I see a ‘Swimmer’ within water drinking.” [‘Jack’ stated.]
“That is what ‘Dry Suit’ system straw tubes are made for although sometimes I just sit and float sober as the sort of designated Pilot someone has to keep their wits in ‘Short Six’.” [I admitted.] “However today I will partake in the social imbibing convention within moderation to show solidarity.”
“Moderation rather defeats the whole concept at least for me when the mood is upon me.” [‘Jack’ replied.]
[Now he rather sounded akin to ‘UT’ who had once been even fonder of his cups problematically so at one point after he lost his ‘Nine’.]
“I suppose it would.” [I reluctantly admitted.]
“Have you ever tried the ‘Funky Water’?” [‘Jack’ asked.]
“I have not. I did not deceive those ‘Stellar’.” [I stated.]
“Tempted?” [He asked.]
“I am drawn to sample new experiences as much as - maybe even more - than many ‘Pilgrims’ but that does not mean I want to shove my tentacles into a fire just to see if they will burn.” [I replied.]
“You fear a loss of emotional control.” [‘Jack’ suggested.]
“Perhaps I fear a greater loss of control in general as I already hardly feel in control. I swear if anyone is in control at the moment it is most definitely not me if that makes you feel any better.” [I insisted.]
“I know that feeling too well.” [‘Jack’ replied.] “Sometimes even on the ‘Serendipity’ I do not feel properly in control of my fate.” [He complained.]
“Is that a complaint about ‘Short’?” [I asked.]
“No it is an admission of a personal failing. Other ‘Pilgrims’ seem more real more solid than I am they can push forward through resistance whilst I just seem to wander around bumping off boundaries. I have no more ‘Vision’ than the most lost ‘Splitter Priest’ that still lacks any clue about what direction to take. I have this big list of all the things I do not want to be but absolutely no idea about whom I am or where I want to go.” [‘Jack’ stated.] “You are lucky you have so many purposes a preponderance of ‘Vision’.”
“Perhaps you have been trying too hard whilst appearing to me to be hardly trying at all.” [I mused aloud.] “Stop over thinking and just do it just be the person you are and let what follows come far more naturally. In particular, stop putting up artificial conditions, borders and boundaries upon your life. You will not need to flee away from being me when you learn to accept being yourself. I guess you get the over thinking too consciously seeking control over your existence habit from me - for that bane I am truly sorry. ‘Emissary’ all that spouted already and we have not even smelt a bar yet.” [I complained.]
“I saw a micro-brewery bar stall over there with stools and everything not that you need a stool.” [‘Jack’ pointed out.]
[We repaired to the ‘Wasp Micro-brewery’ stall, ‘beer with a spicy sting in the tail,’ went the slogan. Four reptilian ‘Recyclers’ with almost no noticeable cybernetics were tending the open air bar selling fortified beer and doing a fine trade. All the stools were taken so we just stood around as part of a well congealed crowd. I dropped an external tube into my composite cup sucking all of the liquid into a ‘Suit’ liquid sustenance storage compartment from which another internal tube allowed me to sup my beer as I pleased - that way I did not have to worry about possible spillages if jostled. I could also have tube supped more directly.]
[The design criteria of almost every modern ‘Real Material Dry Suit’ consisted of enabling the ‘Swimmer’ user to interact as normally as possible with the outside environment maximising flexibility to reduce any potential social awkwardness. I could even retract the top of the bowl to be nakedly open to the atmosphere but had no desire to do that in these hot and heavy atmospheric conditions. Besides popping the lid, would leave my body open to a direct assault without any shield support. In fact, the bowl could split and open in various ways although not on dry land in everyway possible without spilling my water and me out as if biological waste.]
[‘Jack’ finished his first beer very quickly and ordered another round leaving me holding a full one despite my earlier precautions. I checked liquid levels and pumped in half of the new one into storage too.]
“Easy it is still early.” [I reminded the Captain.]
“These days when I drink I always start fast then slow down I know some people do the opposite but that just makes me want to chuck it back up.” [He explained.]
[I guessed that was one naturally occurring individual personality trait of a sort.]
“So ‘Mabel’, ‘Ingrid’ and you that is all going well?” [I asked.]
“They seem happy enough with the arrangement.” [‘Jack’ replied.]
“What do you feel?” [I asked.]
“Frequently exhausted.” [He replied I was positive joking now rather than serious.]
“Honestly for you it is an agreeable arrangement?” [I pressed.]
“It works well enough. Many ‘Omerta’ would be jealous I suppose.” [He replied.]
“You do not sound exactly enthusiastic or overly committed.” [I stated.]
“We three are not married we just share quarters.” [He replied as if it meant nothing.]
“They know you feel this way?” [I asked.]
“I do not think they want some big commitment from me or to give one either that is not what it is about. It just is what it is. Tomorrow one of both of them could move out and move on and it would not be a problem for me or ‘Short Six’ if that is what is bothering you ‘Bluu’.” [‘Jack’ stated.]
“I am not bothered by such matters I am just trying to understand where you are in your life at this moment as a concerned friend.” [I replied.]
“Good luck with that as so am I.” [He retorted.]
“As we already established.” [I replied.]
“What about your behind closed hatches love life are you happy with that?” [‘Jack’ asked returning the analytical favour.]
“I suppose that is what it is too we have a long history I am positive we can adapt to future changes because I believe we do have a commitment to one another.” [I replied.]
[Actually, that was a bit more positive than I often felt.]
“She is special there is only one ‘Kanne’.” [‘Jack’ said.]
“Everyone is special but ‘Ingrid’ and ‘Mabel’ are not that special to you that is what you are telling me?” [I asked.]
“They are kind, generous and we care for one another but no it is not special it is not - love - more akin to a mutual hobby that scratches basic itches.” [‘Jack’ stated.]
“I can tell you are a great romantic.” [I replied sarcastically.]
“I am not good with relationships you ought to be able to appreciate why.” [He replied.]
“Maybe you just need to meet the right person to give your romantic genes a kick start.” [I replied.]
“The right person for me would have to be pretty cursed special.” [‘Jack’ retorted.]
“You are not that hard to get along with you just need to lower your shields and stop being so emotionally aloof less solitary vigils and walks.” [I complained.]
“Easily spouted platitudes rarely change anything.” [‘Jack’ complained.]
“Sorry but I oft specialise in platitudes when I do not know what else to say.” [I confessed.]
“Shut up then and drink.” [‘Jack’ advised.]
[Truly ‘Jack’ just needed to encounter the right person would playing around with ‘Mabel’ and ‘Ingrid’ make that more difficult I wondered. Sometimes sentient beings seem especially expert at messing up their chances for happiness by cleaving to all the wrong things at all the wrong times. I had so much general experience of living but when it came to these sort of matters my advise did often seem to come out as just empty platitudes. Even if he met the right person in the end only ‘Jack’ could alter his direction to arrest his emotional decline.]
[Could he overcome his birthright that was more akin to a birth-wrong? I judged possibly not on his own but even with the right person to support his efforts they would as suggested probably need to be extra-special as ‘Jack’ was a special case with some unique emotional issues.]
[Earlier he hinted at more proof of past memory edits as I did not know he had sought out many of my old friends only to feel a deeper sense of isolation and rejection. It was a foolish thing to do akin to picking at the scab of a deep wound. I wished I could do more for him but he had big issues with me too.]
[Perhaps I should consider it a blessing that we were interacting this much. I shut up and drank up sometimes a companionable silence is about as good as it gets. I allowed the alcohol to do its business, as anything else would seem too akin to just pretending towards companionship and I wanted ‘Jack’ not to feel kept at a distance. Therefore, by the time the rest found us they found a very drunk ‘Jack’ and a tipsy ‘Swimmer’. As a result on that occasion I failed to visit ‘The Pools’ and missed out on the ‘Bubble Dancers’ maybe that was for the best as you can take role-play too far and perhaps ‘Kanne’ would have been less than impressed at me ogling at female ‘Stellar Swimmers’.]
[Loaded with various bought spoils including many fond memories we left the ‘Tri-pai-pai Night Market’ our destination the ‘MCH’. My ‘Dry Suit’ did my navigating whilst I initially burbled out a nonsense ‘Swimmer’ song I had made a point of learning for character development. ‘Jack’ was helped along by ‘Mabel’ and ‘Ingrid’ who had linked arms to him on either side. ‘Short’ marched to the fore making way for us whilst ‘Kanne’ was acting as rear guard taking over from me as I was deemed temporarily incompetent.]
[Actually it was rather fun - I felt very relaxed - paying no serious attention to what was going on around me just feeling the buzz whilst sloshing the water around me. I was letting it all go for a short time every angst and worry every burdensome commitment. The sky was about as dark as it gets here but ‘Tri-centre City’ shone with a vast variety of illuminations from massive corporate view screen signs playing infomercials to humble glows from shack windows that guided poorer folk home. Glowing company logos were everywhere along with product brand names and so on. I floated past it all as if it was a blurry light show manufactured solely for my amusement. I felt a good sense of dislocation a sense of being somewhere that had no strong claim upon me a place where I could be momentarily free just another transient soul passing through as a stranger in a strange land. Maybe I had permitted myself to be a bit more than tipsy perhaps it was the mystery fortification within the ‘Wasp Brew’ whatever the reason I was content.]
[I guess I needed to switch off a little no less than ‘Jack’. With hindsight I am positive that the whole public execution situation was akin to an exposed raw nerve. For so long as the ‘Father of the Universal Councils of Equals’ I preached tolerance and not just in selfish pursuit of my ‘Free Hull’ agenda. I believed many sins to be born of intolerance even past sins I carried around as invisible baggage - it is hard to be mindful and tolerant all of the time for a start I was oft intolerant of intolerance. Intolerance of intolerance is not always the best approach to make anyone think again. If you behave to your enemy only ever as an enemy there is no way that relationship can ever change yet when you are attacked it is hard not to fight back. Like ‘UT’ sometimes I believe it is essential to defend yourself from aggressors but unlike ‘UT’ I did not believe this was always the best approach.]
[I was puzzled as to how to undo the radicalisation of our Acolytes with the ‘Exposed Issue’. They were the product of what we made them to be as ‘Shrouded’ children - as followers of our shared ‘Vision’ - but it is so horribly easy for the best of intent to twist into something ugly even in a weird way into the exact opposite of what it is supposed to be whilst flying the same old banner as if unchanged as if still exhorting the same high values.]
[The support of tolerance via intolerant action is problematic and yes I know I have been there and condoned that on occasion. So yes I was happy to escape the situation for a short while to just float along in a stupor mesmerised by the lights because I had no easy answers to the hard questions posed by a Paradox Priest sponsored public execution. I better understood killing in the heat of battle than a cold institutionalised slaying as some sick kind of broadly publicised educational lesson.]
[For ‘Primal’, the murders were just a means to an end to secure the secrecy he needed to do his work. To me the murders would be a stain upon the soul of our Paradox Order. To kill in battle when it is fight or die is one thing and can be harsh enough but to drag people up onto a platform to end their lives with premeditated determination seemed a very different action to me. The results might be the same between the two deeds as in more dead ‘Pilgrims’, but sometimes how you get to a place is as important - sometimes even more important - than arriving at that specific location.]
[I felt that executions are assuredly murder whilst battle is at least arguably self-defence. I had already instructed my ‘Holy Father Proxy’ to open debates about capital punishment and how it differed to other deemed lawful killings and whether it was ever an acceptable solution for our Order to be associated with even under the most extreme circumstances. I privately recalled an assassination of ‘Draakhaal’ that we as in the ‘MTC’ were ultimately responsible for as it was my former Captain arranged the deed and I judged that a crime - some still believed a necessary crime - but still a crime and that to me is how it should be not something officially openly sponsored as acceptable civilised behaviour by the masses.]
[I occasionally assassinated using the ‘Lesser Spotted Reserve’ but those actions were illegal too and in there own way sinful even when I believed they were both necessary and for me personally justifiable. Paradoxically I was happiest to kill when our wider society disagreed with my right to do so otherwise; it suggested our society was completely barbaric rather than just having an occasional anomalous barbarism occurring under its watch.]
[Perhaps the above seems paradoxical and nonsensical to you not to mention hypocritical but it made perfect sense to me as someone who occasionally accepted a burden of sin so that others need not share that weight or proliferate such behaviour as acceptable. Murder should never really be socially acceptable even when it seems necessary to maintain or to promote good public order - still this is just my ‘Vision’ of the moment.]
[By the time I had stomped and wobbled up the stairs I was almost sober again probably due to all the sloshing about as my ‘Suit’ negotiated its way up to the eighteenth floor. I went straight to our known room and the balcony to look out. ‘Ingrid’, ‘Jack’ and ‘Mabel’ retiring to the adjoining room. ‘Short’ pulled out and started examining items of loot from earlier spreading the treasure over a table. ‘Kanne’ arrived to stand beside me also gazing outward.]
“Taken to feeling any better?” [She asked.]
“A little the funny thing is that I thought I was mostly helping ‘Jack’ but I think I needed that silliness just as much.” [I confessed.]
“The Captain is still taking to adjusting to this time?” [‘Kanne’ asked.]
“He is still taking to adjusting to being ‘Jack’ - far more than I realised - some of the things we find easy come hard to him.” [I sympathised.]
“I did not take to life easy too I have known how it feels to be one alone to be different I think that is what first drew me to you as a kindred spirit you also seemed a little lost in ‘Pilgrim’ society and taken to looking for answers to find a place that fits.” [She stated.]
“Is your new role helping you?” [I asked.]
“It allows me to take a different more participatory approach to understanding my people. Sometimes it is all a bit too much akin to acting but at other times it feels right as if I am taken to what I truly am.” [‘Kanne’ admitted.] “This little role you have taken to playing is that helping you take a better grip on your big issues.” [She asked.]
“It is a useful level of separation. I feel a little less trapped by my responsibilities perhaps it will free my mind up to consider less obvious solutions and truths.” [I said.]
“It is hard to get used to you as this wet slimy thing.” [‘Kanne’ admitted.]
“I noticed.” [I burbled.]
“However I wish to embrace more than the errors of my origins. I can be a ‘Splinter Warrior’ without taking their inflexible stupidity that almost caused their extinction as ‘Raiders’. There is a stupidity in all doctrine when it is not often reconsidered and debated that much I have learned from watching ‘Councils of Equals’ I am not taken to reverting to unmindful doctrinal barbarism.” [She promised.]
“What do you think about these executions?” [I asked.]
“Sometimes the taking of life is a necessary evil but it always has consequences some good some bad.” [She stated.]
“Blood stains.” [I burbled back in reply.]
“Blood stains.” [She agreed.]
“I am not confident that any of this is necessarily going to go where anybody actively involved thinks it is going including me.” [I stated a bit cryptically.]
“The law of unexpected consequences.” [‘Short’ interjected having belatedly stomped over to join us.] “Two groups of three, I suppose three groups of three if we count in the ‘Soulless’ an interesting natural division let us hope it is a lucky omen.”
“Do you think those three are sleeping.” [I asked.]
“Anything is possible it has been a long day and ‘Jack’ was very intoxicated. Soon now the sky will begin to brighten again.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“With the deed happening at noon.” [I recalled.] “So what is your thinking do we watch from here in safety or go down there into the midst of it all?”
“I am for going down but you need not join me this is not a ‘Short Six’ operation. I imagine we all have slightly different reasons for being here for this one.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“Do you think this execution fiasco is wise?” [I asked ‘Short’.]
“It was not my decision to make I think it could prove wise or foolish maybe both depending on when you give the opinion poll. The important thing here is that tomorrow for good or ill it will make an assured difference it will alter the vector of the future.” [‘Short’ stated.] “What people such as us make of the difference may be what eventually makes the deed wise or foolish. Many ill things have given rise to wonders. Look at this ‘Sliver’ consider the ‘Ultra-nation’ and the scope of ‘The Project’. The truth is we would not be here today had not the ‘Core Alliance’ fallen to the ‘Entanglement’ and later the ‘Star Diver Deep Clerics’ not proved deceitful so that we fled their stars those are bad things and yet look at the marvels they have encouraged us to achieve.”
“We built wonders in the ‘Core Alliance’.” [I recalled.]
“All built on a dodgy foundation we know now that the ‘Sea Sphere’ internals are full of ‘Machine Fury’ hardly the best place to proliferate a civilisation. Perhaps the ‘Entanglement’ did us an unkind favour by forcing us out into the dark.” [‘Short’ mused.]
“Trust you to be a devils advocate despite for example hating ‘Crimson’ with an unequal passion.” [I complained.]
“All I am saying is that sometimes good comes out of evil and evil out of good maybe that is how the Universe rights its cosmic balance.” [‘Unholy’ stated.]
“Very paradoxical and annoying logic.” [‘Kanne’ complained glaring at both of us.]
“Speaking of oddities reviewing our visit to the Night Market I just realised there were a lot of ‘Recyclers’ trading in there but I saw little noticeable division between obvious ‘Old Ones’ and ‘Ex-Conglomerates’ have those two diehard factions finally started to patch up their longstanding differences?” [I asked ‘Short’ since I guessed ‘UT’ probably continued to undertake deeper research into ‘Recycler’ society to better play his ‘Recycler Meat Suit’.]
“You did not know about this one? Some of my recent ‘Link Searches’ suggested a continued steady merging of the two old ‘Recycler Factions’ within the ‘Ultra-nation’ the accelerated healing of an old split. In part because many ‘Recyclers’ now embrace the benefits of a ‘Reformed Sleeper Digital Paradise’ and so on as part of a modified forever evolving ‘One with the Reformed Core Movement’ I believe the ‘Lost YOR Armada’ helped this previously slow consolidation process greatly.” [’Short’ stated.]
“What ‘Lost YOR Armada’?” [I asked.]
“You did not come across that historic story on the ‘Links’ either, I too somehow found it rather late. Apparently a little over a 1100 years ago the majority of the last of the ‘Young One Recyclers’ commenced to fall under the leadership of an emergent ‘Warrior Prophet’ a potent charismatic figure with a singular ‘Vision’. She professed to have discovered a great weakness in the ‘Ringed Prime Graveyard’ a far safer way in revealed by the earlier folly of the failed ‘Entanglement’ assault. As a result of her plan she was eventually to virtually extinguish the last military strength of the ‘YOR Nation’ in one massive act of idiocy.” [‘Short’ informed.]
“Amassing almost all of the remaining ‘Young One’ resources into one huge ‘National Fleet’ she boldly attacked the ‘Ringed Prime’ her supposed intent to raid the ‘Reformed Conglomerate Cores’ to destroy the ‘Reformed Sleepers’ that she claimed were still a danger to the freedom of ‘Recycler Kind’ and madly to subjugate the ‘Spore of the Machine Fury’ too. I know a crazy plan well fitted to a delusional prophet. It was perhaps unsurprisingly a monumental truly historic military failure - a total massacre - not one ‘YOR’ ship that went against the ‘Ringed Prime Graveyard’ survived they became the ‘Lost YOR Armada’.” [‘Short’ explained.]
“With the ‘Young Ones’ almost extinct a lot of the old agitation between the surviving ‘Old One Recyclers’ and the ‘Ex-Conglomerates’ started to slowly ease down I can only surmise that previously the ‘Young Ones’ had secretly been constantly agitating those two factions ruthlessly against each other in hosts of subtle ways in an effort to eventually divide and eradicate both factions. Now there are only the tiniest remnant of ‘Young Ones’ left small renegade Pirate bands that distrusted the rise of the ‘Warrior Prophet’ most of those claiming the ‘Prophet’ not just false but a secret servant of a foreign power possibly nothing less than an ‘Entanglement Meat Suit’. Suggesting that ‘Crimson’ was ultimately responsible for the final demise of the ‘Young One Recyclers’ as an effective power via the medium of the ‘Machine Fury’ and the ‘Ringed Prime Graveyard’.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“Cunningly ‘Crimson’ unleashed a ‘Dark Time’ style cull against the ‘YOR’. Do you believe that is true? It is a bit too easy to blame the ‘Entanglement’ for everything that goes stupendously wrong with us ‘Pilgrims’.” [I added.]
“All I know is the obvious that the ‘Young Ones’ believed they were immune to old style ‘Sleeper’ hacking but perhaps not invulnerable to mundane infiltration by a ‘Meat Suit’ so perhaps ‘Crimson’ could secretly have ‘Young One’ agents and turn one in particular into a potent charismatic ‘Great Leader’ with a ‘Vision’. If anyone could manipulate a ‘Recycler Nation’… If ‘Crimson’ wanted rid of the ‘Young Ones’ sending them against a foe that had roundly defeated masses of her substance earlier would certainly seem an effective methodology.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“Why would she want rid of all of the ‘Young One Recyclers’ she loves promoting factionalism she loves encouraging infighting? Could she have been using them to ‘Probe the Prime’ again? Could she have believed she truly found a weakness and sent them in as testing vanguard fodder? It would be like her to sell a half truth rather than a full lie and to use others to do her dirty work for her. After all she probably would not want to antagonise the ‘Fury’ again directly unless she was positive she could succeed in her aims.” [I stated.]
“If she did think she found a weakness she was obviously terribly wrong. Still, it might be very ‘Crimson’ to use others as her scouting fleet in that place especially ‘Pilgrims’ she detested. To expend the ‘Young One Recycler Nation’ as a mere probing asset would be the sort of thing that would greatly amuse her as a fulfilling exercise of manipulative power. In nature a typically deviously elegant ploy that would massage her ego with glee. Still, we must consider that some ‘Young One Recycler’ or other might just have gone a bit mad and bad out of frustration claimed to be a prophet wrested control over the ‘Nation’ and led them all into deepest folly.” [‘Short’ admitted.] “Some especially crazy people have lots of charisma.”
“You would know?” [I sent as a joke.]
“Conversely, if we want to be really paranoid the ‘Spore of the Machine Fury’ might have done this deed via creating this ‘Prophet of Doom’ and luring the ‘YOR’ in so she could wipe them out as known implacable enemies of the ‘Reformed Cores’ now under ‘Fury Protection’. Perhaps she ran out of patience with them causing trouble amongst ‘Recyclers’ that are increasingly ‘One with the Reformed Cores’ and at the very least a constant source of data for her on us ‘Pilgrims’.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“So you think the ‘Reformed Sleepers’ are clever agents or spies of the ‘Spore of the Machine Fury’? [I asked ‘Short’.]
“That is always a recurring concern but if it is true what happened to the ‘Lost YOR Armada’ and the earlier thrashing of the ‘Entanglement’ rather proves there is not a lot we can do about that one at the moment. Even the potent ‘Star Divers’ still live in utter dread of the return of the ‘Machine Fury’ to known space.” [‘Short’ reminded.]
“I suppose if the ‘Entanglement’ was the one meddling with the fate of the ‘Young One Nation’ maybe that has been where the bulk of her attention has rested for so many years and might explain her earlier seeming lack of other general incitement activity within the ‘Ultra-nation’. I remember when she was quiet one time before we belatedly discovered she was actually busily invading the ‘Higher Tiers’.” [I reminded.]
“I did wonder about that when I first heard the story of the ‘Lost YOR Armada’ maybe she might even be lying a bit low now after sending the ‘Young Ones’ against the ‘Machine Fury’ fearing a reprisal by the ‘Fury’ even with a degree of separation.” [‘Short’ speculated.]
“Conversely it could be that the ‘Entanglement’ set the ‘Young Ones’ up for the ‘Spore of the Machine Fury’ as a gesture of good will even a belated act of contrition for daring her earlier assault against the ‘Ringed Prime Graveyard’. ‘Crimson’ is bound to fear that her past failed aggression might not easily be forgotten or forgiven and that one day the ‘Fury’ as a patient ‘Deep Time’ dwelling foe will strike back.” [I suggested.]
“It is a shame that we will probably never be able to confirm the facts of any of these suppositions about the true cause of this historic event even if ‘Crimson’ confessed to some involvement in the affair of the ‘Lost YOR Armada’ we would be fools to believe anything she told us as the whole truth of the matter. As to the actions of the ‘Spore of the Machine Fury’ that one is even more enigmatic than the triple cursed nanotech plague.” [‘Short’ reminded.]
“I suppose all we know for certain is that a most problematic ‘Pilgrim’ power block the ‘Young One Recyclers’ have been vanquished not for our purposes an especially bad outcome as they oft seemed incapable of compromise. The ‘Old One Recyclers’ made them too well - too single-minded - too inflexible in their faiths.” [I reluctantly admitted.]
[I was not glad to learn of all those deaths but since it is history now and at the time beyond our control, at least some good would emerge from the dire cull.]
“Perhaps the ‘Entanglement’ is protecting her hidden interest in ‘The Project’ via removing an inimical ‘Pilgrim’ faction ill suited to participation in a unified endeavour.” [‘Short’ admitted.]
“I am sure if ‘Crimson’ was involved in this massive event she was multitasking it for several beneficial outcomes to her advantage as per old digital habits.” [I mused aloud.]
“That would be true to her cognitive prowess and nature.” [‘Short’ agreed.]
[Then I had another thought a horrible epiphany whilst staring at the execution place as a site of a planned murder for a lesser evil we almost supported via ‘Proxy’.] “No it is not possible?” [I said.]
[‘Short’ looked at me puzzled.]
“The ‘Proxy’ did it.” [I sent rather than said aloud.] “They saw a problem for ‘The Project’ and contacted the ‘Entanglement’ as an accomplice they told her how to get rid of the ‘Young Ones’ without taking too much of the blame they told her how it would appease the ‘Spore of the Machine Fury’ too if she made the ‘Fury’ her able accomplice whilst cunningly secretly giving ‘Crimson’ another chance to probe the ‘Ringed Prime Graveyard’ for hidden weakness. A truth within a lie within a truth or is it the other way around. They reminded her that the ‘Machine Fury’ is a potential long term threat to ‘The Project’ and the ‘Entanglement’ in fact all ‘Pilgrim Kind’ too the biggest longest term threat of all one that cannot be ignored forever. A foe too big to fight so the logical next step is careful appeasement.” [I wildly speculated.]
“Perhaps they told her how very logical it is - how beneficial for every ‘Pilgrim’ the ‘Entanglement’ included only inconvenient for the problematic ‘Young Ones’ but we all know that the ‘Young Ones’ were made too good - too single-minded - too inflexible. The ‘Young Ones’ as a concept as big an error by the ‘Old One Recyclers’ as originally allowing the creation of the ‘Digital Sleepers’ in the first place. They made children that could defy the ‘Sleepers’ but in so doing they made children that surpassed them and despised their makers weakness to digital corruption. Stupidly the ‘Old One Recyclers’ thought their creations would stay their friends as they once thought the ‘Digital Sleepers’ would remain loyal servants but power and greatness not only uplifts it also corrupts and so they were terribly wrong repeating a historic mistake in the pursuit of correction. We all make mistakes under pressure but some mistakes cannot be allowed to continue they are too dangerous so you must wipe those mistakes out to be free to start over.” [I suggested via another sending.]
“Now that speculated history is akin to some serious Paradox Priest paranoia ‘Professor Blue’.” [‘Short’ sent in return.]
“Just because it seems terribly paranoid does not mean it is untrue. The ‘Proxy’ exist to logically fulfil our desires.” [I sent.] “Look at the end result a far more peaceful far more settled more unified ‘Recycler’ nation and therefore ‘Ultra-nation’. Would the ‘Entanglement’ really consider that outcome on her own - as her sort of plan - I think not, not unless someone pointed out the other logical advantages for her made her see how her participation would still be more than worthwhile. What is the loss of some temporary fun compared to extended security from an outsized threat we all know that in her own way ‘Crimson’ is a fearful creature with all the fears of the ‘Recycler Professor’ that she originally was somewhere deep inside. ‘Crimson’ is as you explained to me as all original ‘Recyclers’ are by nature - not especially brave. In her inner heart she still remembers being small and bullied as a ‘Recycler Professor’ type probably big brained but socially inept and physically weak. What sort of person embraces the loss of their body for a digital immortality I will tell you the sort that sees their former body not as a strength but as a fleshy weakness. No one could bully an immortal digital soul but then some ‘Recyclers’ tried, tried to treat the newly made ‘Sleepers’ as just slaved software the digital worms turn - the weak are now terribly powerful - mighty - they strike back they will never be bullied again. They become the bullies they become the overbearing ones - the controlling ones - they assume the mantle of power and it begins to warp them into something to our perspective monstrously evil.”
“It is her fears of us and the ‘Fury’ that made her go so far as to ‘Entangle’ the mass of the entire ‘Core Alliance’ to secure her survival against the rest of us ‘Pilgrims’ to be the bully not the victim. In the process, she secretly captures all those ‘Pilgrim’ souls via digitising the minds of her victims when she eats their mass. To her they are not just fun game pieces - not just sentient minds to play with and hardly to be wasted - they are extra-potential hidden hostages held prisoner ready for a future reveal against disaster. Naturally she also does the more obvious action and claims the ‘Swimmer Dweller Nations’ as openly visible hostages too. Yet here is the clincher could the ‘Highest Tier’ folk with all their vast powers all their piercing vision fail to realise she has taken all these souls as hostages not just the ‘Swimmer Dwellers’. You can never be too careful better two lots of hostages against the meddling ‘Ascendants’ than one better to have one lot of hostages deep inside you were not even ‘Higher Tier Powers’ might easily steal them away without utterly compromising your security at the most intimate level first. Who might hope to best the ‘Entanglement’ so thoroughly before she can reach inside and commence deleting all those lives forevermore? Furthermore destroy all the substance of the ‘Entanglement’ and you destroy the souls contained within her too it is the ultimate safeguard against other more reasonable ‘Pilgrim’ intervention including some sometimes unreasonable people too such as you ‘UT’. Do you think it an accident that you learned about those souls inside her she wanted you to know?” [I sent in reminder.]
“You can still sell a truth.” [‘Short’ sent to me.] “I suppose all that you have said is entirely possible.”
“Our ‘Proxy’ are beginning to scare me.” [I sent.]
“Careful you have just recited a great warning about the negative potency of loosed fear. Fear destroys reason and unlocks atrocity Harbinger preached that truth.” [‘Short’ sent to me.]
“Sometimes I think corruption is everywhere always waiting to bend every good intent out of shape to warp every cause and to defile every heart.” [I said aloud.]
“It is a dark night tonight but the day is dawning.” [‘Short’ replied.]
“Is it?” [I asked looking down upon the ‘Triangle Forum’ with a quavering voice from my ‘Dry Suit Voice Box’.]
-
Paranoid66
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[[ONE]] Part 11 --- GHOSTS / PARADOXICAL ASPECT OF JUSTICE / ICONS ---
[My mind kept returning to the tragic story of the ‘Young Ones’. I remembered helping them to join the ‘Pilgrim Alliance’ at one point but I guess they had never been able to let go of their enmity and original purpose. Their genesis haunted them as an obsession perhaps I should be able to too easily understand that truth since my people and I were equally made for a purpose although ours was arguably a far kinder less narrow purpose.]
[I stared down upon the ‘Triangle Forum’ to witness it filled with the ghosts of ‘Young One Recyclers’ as probable ‘Proxy’ culled sacrifices to the logical needs of ‘The Project’. The end of the ‘Young Ones’ a boon to the survival and integration of original more rounded ‘Recycler Pilgrims’. The ghostly ‘Young Ones’ stood in my minds eye as spiritual icons representing the blood in the mortar of this early stage of our cathedral to ‘Pilgrim’ advancement. Yet the far distant Ring World did not truly forebode the end of the ‘Young Ones’ they were conceived condemned: born in original sin to die as exceptionally flawed creations that insistently reverted to intolerant intransigent unrepentant form.]
[I mused upon the nature of society, the way it oft rejects sanctions and or seeks to destroy individuals and groups that refuse to play nicely with other members especially aggressive in persecuting minority groups that would defy majority opinion. Society cares little for the antisocial especially for murderous misfits and radicals yet society can be murderous too ruthlessly culling any inconvenient minority in the name of majority rule and not always quickly or cleanly as the ‘Young One Armada’ was quickly and cleanly culled.]
[Society is good at slowly destroying incompatible ethnic groups via simply starving them of the freedom rights and resources they needed to flourish. Still, the ‘Young Ones’ were rather an exceptional case being far more than innocent victims they were manufactured as ruthless soldiers yet I recalled so were many ‘Stellar Draakhaal’. I wondered what made the ‘Young Ones’ so exceptional that they refused to compromise then I realised that refusing to compromise was the very core of their mentality.]
[The ‘Recycler Old Ones’ made their Warrior Children to defy mental alteration as dedicated incorruptible warriors to a single cause and that left them with only one way to go a defiant refusal to surrender. The ‘Young Ones’ were to ensure the survival of ‘Recycler Kind’ or so the majority of them believed they were to be - incorruptibly - militant to the last. Sadly such firm programming created a too obvious monster the ‘Young Ones’ given life but a life not suited to living in any saner society.]
[Sadly, overly manufactured life engineered with a too fixed purpose, I mused, cannot easily adapt to any great change in circumstances. Some life forms capable of survival only within the niche environment they are predestined via design to fill akin to naturally occurring over-specialised species that evolve in a heavily isolated location under unique conditions if that location alters too drastically its specialised life dies with it.]
[The ‘Young Ones’ were confounded by the ‘Digital Sleepers’ suffering a ‘Digital Reformation’ excluding ‘Crimson’ and she confounded the ‘Young Ones’ even more via becoming the ‘Entanglement’ a very different far more physical not to mention far more - massive - threat. The niche the ‘Young Ones’ were created to fill the environment in which they might flourish simply vanished stripped away by unexpected consequences to become an unsympathetic inhospitable void.]
[Without their old enemy - in the old digital form expected - the ‘Young Ones’ ceased to have a valid purpose they became lost and confounded they lacked the mental dexterity to adapt as creatures made not to be changeable. Their greatest strength their specialisation dooming them ironic given the fact that original ‘Recyclers’ are by nature highly adaptive exploiters of every opportunity. Perhaps events drove every ‘Young One’ a little insane encouraging an even greater engenderment of disappointment, hatred and revulsion for every more digitally corruptible ‘Recycler’ especially their parents - their unworthy makers - even though the corruption the ‘Young Ones’ obsessed about and hated had technically ceased to be the same bane they were perfectly designed to contest.]
[Possibly they truly insisted in believing the ‘Reformed Sleepers’ only an insidious - far more attractive - form of digital corruption with its lure of a - safe - protected digital paradise because they could not handle the reality of a true cessation of hostilities as that unmade the reality in which they might happily exist. Unfortunately if they chose to believe the ‘Reformed Sleepers’ to be only a deceptively kinder face upon an old still active enemy that corruption rested horribly beyond their reach protected by the might of the ‘Spore of the Machine Fury’ and her many mysterious and potent assets.]
[Desperate for a grand renewal of purpose apparently the ‘Young Ones’ returned to plotting the slow downfall of all older style ‘Recyclers’ directly, including embracing the sin of murdering their makers. Kill the body - the host - of the digital virus and you kill the virus too but they could not move openly against all other ‘Recyclers’ not in this time as many other ‘Pilgrims’ would rally to the defence of older style ‘Recyclers’. So they plotted to keep the old enmity burning between the ‘Old One Recyclers’ and the ‘Ex-Conglomerate Recyclers’ but people such as the ‘Hawks’ and the endlessly tempting lure of a digital paradise for all old style ‘Recyclers’ must have made the divisive plan increasingly improbable even though the ‘Young Ones’ obviously at times had some limited success at sponsoring internal ‘Recycler’ strife but it was not enough.]
[I guessed, exactly as my ‘Proxy’ must also have logically deduced, the sheer frustration of the ‘Young Ones’ meant as individuals and a nation they were desperate for a new way forward and therefore perfectly aligned for the coming of a seemingly knowledgeable and charismatic ‘Great Leader’. Especially susceptible to a self styled ‘Warrior Prophet’ with a bold new action plan that went far beyond sly dividing and conquering. For the ‘Entanglement’, they pushed the hatchway wide open enabling an easy infiltration of her able wiles via a ‘Meat Suit’ mole created to stage-manage the doom of the ‘Young One Nation’.]
[Did any ‘Recyclers’ weep for the loss of their long lost children? Did any lament the demise of the mighty ‘YOR Armada’ no doubt splendid in its muster or did they just deem it a belated abortion of a horribly failed experiment that set them free from the dire consequences of a monumental historic genetic and ‘bio-engineering’ disaster that once loosed proved far beyond a simple recall.]
[I recalled meeting some individual ‘Young Ones’ many long years ago judging them - not all the same - and in outer form I confess I often found them impressive. Beautiful were the ‘Young Ones’ if I will admit in a sculptured - cold - isolated manner. Sadly, beyond the smooth skin they all had a bedevilled core of hardwired intransigence especially in relation to their makers and the ‘Sleeper’ foe. Worse, they retained an indomitable sense of innate manufactured superiority. To their perception they had been - improved - they were the only ‘True Recyclers’ remaining because their minds - their wills alone - could not be digitally corrupted and bent out of shape at least that was the extolled theory.]
[Sadly corruption wears many guises and reached out to them in one of the oldest ways possible via the spouting of external ideas and concepts by a false in intent demagogue.]
[In a kinder Universe than the ‘Emissary Sphere’ there might have been a kinder way forward with the ‘Young Ones’ if they could have learned to live more broadly and wisely by letting go of their original narrow purpose. Alas they were too artificially engendered - too much of a contrived and targeted life form - made too sharply to order - as if programmed war-machines and thus utterly unable to adapt to a kinder idyll.]
[In many ways the ‘Young Ones’ were all the things some people often unjustly accused us ‘Living Hulls’ of being but we ‘Hulls’ retained a few important saving graces the fact that we were never so single minded being one. We ‘Hulls’ were created to do a job of work that requires caring flexible thinking and far kinder interactions than the ‘Young Ones’ and most crucially of all we were not made to supplant anyone despite some ‘Passenger Class’ fears about our - stellar - potential. Greater potential alone will not make a species inimical to their neighbours.]
[Sadly, the ‘Young Ones’ as individuals and a Nation proved constantly incapable of accepting the ‘Reformation of the Digital Sleepers’ equally they could not permit their makers to live in peace. The existence of any corruptible ‘Recyclers’ constantly offended their sense of identity they still believed such weakness needed ruthlessly eradicated and supplanted. For their makers remained hosts according to ‘YOR’ perception to a great digital evil acting even today - they insisted - as possessed bodies for ‘Digital Devils’ now only pretending to be ‘Angels of Mercy’ ruling a benign ‘Digital Paradise’.]
[I suppose that if nothing else one must credit the ‘YOR’ for staying true to form. Even at the last, they bravely died boldly striving to execute an impossible mission. Only content when attempting to fulfil their great and terrible purpose yet had they succeeded somehow in destroying every other ‘Recycler’ and every ‘Sleeper’ including ‘Crimson’ success would have left them utterly empty as any too complete act of revenge often does.]
[Then I suffered another epiphany the ‘Old Ones’ had never sought to create children to live after them for the ‘Young Ones’ were ill suited for that task. What the ‘Old Ones’ manufactured actually more akin to tools for a suicide revenge pact, back then the ‘Old Ones’ saw only extinction or digital enslavement ahead, when they made their seeming successors perhaps they even wanted to be subconsciously destroyed by their living weapon scions rather than remain nothing but eternal victims to digital terrors.]
[The problem with suicide however is a very old story: it is a long-term solution to a short-term problem and later the makers of the ‘Young Ones’ surviving calamity changed their minds wanting to live. Sadly, it was all a bit too late for a recall of the loosed weapon. There was no love in the creation of the ‘Young One Recyclers’ only a terrible act of despair and desperation and that was why they entered into the story of the ‘Emissary Universe’ so uncompromisingly flawed and ultimately so perfectly doomed. There would be no ‘Young One Slivers’ or ‘YOR Ring World Nation’ since the ‘YOR’ were truly just a manufactured means to a departed end. Fate cheated the ‘Young Ones’ of their war so that they outlived their purpose. They had no place in the resulting difficult and bizarre digital peace under ‘Reformed Sleepers’.]
[The ‘Young Ones’ suffered a cruel end to an equally cruel unjust beginning I hoped their kind would never be seen again and not for the sake of the rest of us ‘Pilgrims’ but for the sake of sentient beings unfairly and unwisely engendered into existence as nothing more than living tools for a narrow cause. Life deserved more respect than to suffer shaping so narrowly. Sadly we Paradox Priests in the past to counter the ‘Tyrant Draakhaal’ made almost similar mistakes in cloning so very many Acolyte Marines but at least our Acolytes had the innate capacity to grow into ‘Pilgrim’ adults and to live full meaningful wider lives - even if they sometimes yearned for a more combative existence. I do not think the ‘Young Ones’ were created half as roundly and certainly not roundly enough to ever live and let live as just other ‘Pilgrim’ citizens.]
[I felt a bit ill and dizzy looking down upon all those ghostly ‘Young Ones’ as they seemed to grow more solid - more real - to me in review because I felt responsible. I had these insights because of my experiences, experiences I shared intimately with my ‘Proxy’. Upon that balcony, I feared that I was responsible for the doom of the ‘Young Ones’ via ‘Proxy’.]
[Even if they were a menace to all other ‘Recyclers’ and destined for a bad end I did not want to have been the soul responsible for pulling the trigger - even by ‘Proxy’ - for an act of ‘Pilgrim’ genocide but my desires had nothing to do with historic fact.]
[Belatedly - sorrowfully - I judged that only one of my ‘Proxies’ could have made a deal with the ‘Entanglement’. I was positive the ‘Proxy’ of ‘UT’ would have found reaching out to ‘Crimson’ systemically impossible. Modelled on ‘Unholy’ his ‘Proxy’ must understand that ‘Unholy’ hated ‘Crimson’ with a passion that for him ‘Crimson’ was never a logical ally. Any action that empowered and pleased ‘Crimson’ via a great victory over another ‘Pilgrim’ faction - even a problematic faction - would be an obvious anathema to the fundamental desires of ‘Unholy’ especially an action that might win ‘Crimson’ future favour with the ‘Spore of the Machine Fury’ thus aiding her survival. Therefore, if I was right and a ‘Proxy’ had instigated the plot it was not a ‘Proxy’ of ‘UT’.]
[I saw this dire plan as a ‘Proxy’ move only because I was the one of us capable of conceiving of it. It did not matter that I believe I would have resisted putting such a plan into action for the emotional reasons of not wanting to be guilty of genocide. Grimly my - too logical - ‘Proxy’ might deem the passing on of a little guilt to me not such a big issue. In time, I would let it go in fact the evil act destined to suffer burying in time as we leapt further forward but the good it did would be seen to flourish as a more visible salve to any hidden emotional wound. What value a little guilt compared to the treasure of saving the old style ‘Recyclers’ from the product of some of their numbers worst folly. The ‘Recyclers’ ignoring the uncompromising ‘Young Ones’ an essential part of the future ‘Pilgrim’ diversity of ‘The Project’ securing their survival and therefore future input vital to my ‘Proxies’ and me.]
[The night was waning but a darkness remained in my ‘Swimmer’ eyes.]
[The worst thing about the above truth was that perhaps a part of me judged that the true me - the ever so tolerant ‘Many Truths’ - that would not have permitted the plan, had I but known of it, was craven not in this instance enlightened. For ‘Kanne’ still standing beside me was most probably correct that sometimes lives occasionally need to be taken but we also both agreed that blood stains and I felt stained enough already sometimes deeply unclean. Even worse, I knew I would not seek out and shut down the ‘Proxy’ responsible I would not even change the conditions under which it operated. Sadly, an evil but practical part of me believed the ‘Proxy’ only logically undertook the things that needed doing including some tasks that I am too emotionally weak to do even though that truth appalled me to the absolute core of my being.]
[Perhaps if it was any faction other than the ‘One Young Recyclers’ I would have pulled the plug on all of my ‘Proxy’ and striven hard to convince my comrades to do the same with their ‘Proxy’ but for the ‘Young Ones’ it was almost a mercy killing. Like it or not, they were unnatural and discordant creations of course that was how some viewed the ‘Exposed’. Maybe that was why I could so readily imagine rank after rank of statuesque ‘Young One Recycler’ ghosts standing down there keeping the silent night-time vigil with me.]
[The ‘Young Ones’ were true ghosts now they had no hope of rebirth because they had waged total war with every asset of their entire society in an all or nothing gamble. Only a few disaffected ‘Young One Renegades’ now remained as haunted rebels that historically distrusted the ‘Warrior Prophet’ and they I suspected would slowly fade away in one skirmish or another with a death wish. I doubted they had the desire or impetus to found a new ‘Young One Nation’ so perhaps it was a true genocide not just a removal of the bulk of the ‘Young Ones’ from the ‘Ultra-nation’. I guessed the story of the ‘Young Ones’ could only ever end with their demise or the demise of all other ‘Recyclers’ in a way they forced that truth upon us as the truth of their nature was unkindly forced upon them by their makers and potential victims so long ago.]
[I let it go somewhat as just one more shrouded stain upon my character the lines of imaginary ‘Young Ones’ began slowly to fade away with the light of the coming dawn as is proper for any decent spirit. It was all just history now. If only the ‘Young Ones’ had been willing and able to regress to an earlier biological form but they would have deemed that a surrender of their cause and they did not believe in surrender in a similar way to the old ‘Splinter Raiders’ they would have preferred to die fighting and so they got their wish.]
[As stated the ‘Young Ones’ had no place in the future of the ‘Ultra-nation’ they had nowhere to go beyond the duration of their feud - they had nothing to offer ‘The Project’ - that was a simple logical fact that my ‘Proxy’ could hardly have failed to deduce. I fear my ‘Proxy’ saw to the logical core of the matter and acted with insight and reason. My little ‘Swimmer’ body shivered and lost almost all its normal rich blue colour.]
[How do you make such things right? How might the historic plight of the ‘Young Ones’ be honoured now over 1100 years later? How might they be given a legacy of remembrance? They had not asked to be made never mind created so inflexibly bound to a singular problematic purpose. I felt a deep kinship with all manufactured sentient life. Somehow in the future I would have to find a way to honour their troubled existence. It would not be right for them just to fade away out of our civilisation’s memory. Even if they were a mistake they had still lived and suffered and died and that should mean something to all surviving ‘Pilgrims’. I wondered if I could convince the ‘Recyclers’ that survived their warped children’s fall to acknowledge the sacrifice of the ‘Young Ones’ in a meaningfully instructive productive manner.]
[Perhaps it was time to act out my ‘Swimmer’ role as a Professor of History and encourage the telling of the ‘Young Ones’ tale as an important lesson that should inform all species future policy in relation to creating living weapons and tools. Come gather around and hear the tale of a doomed people born only to fight and destined to perish because they were made too well…]
“You are very far away ‘Bluu’.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“I was obsessing about the ‘Young Ones’ that their tragedy makes the killings about to happen here seem insignificant although I know that judging significance is about far more than a relative tally of the numbers of sentient beings slain by a social ill.” [I stated.]
“Ours can be a crazily unforgiving Universe. To players such as the ‘Entanglement’ mass murder is nothing just another day at the office.” [‘Short’ claimed.]
[Perhaps to far too many of us mass murder is sometimes acceptable I thought.]
“I cannot blame the ‘Entanglement’ for that one and you should not either that is not where the guilt lies: the ‘Entanglement’ even the ‘Fury’ were I am certain now merely the weapons deployed. I knew there would be blood in the mortar but I never imagined anything akin to this logical madness.” [I sent.]
“Let me guess you fear one of your ‘Proxies’ is responsible. Even if your fear is true that does not make you personally guilty of this crime you were deep asleep in stasis slumber.” [‘Short’ sent in excuse.]
“I generally know when I am and when I am not guilty and I know I am not blameless in this crime. Remember they are me - it seems this is how I think now - this is what I have become as a plotter and ‘Deep Time’ social engineer.” [I sent back.]
“You are not Harbinger and even he was wrong to carry so many burdens - you are being selfishly greedy - believe me there are always plenty deserving a share of the blame when a mighty nation falls. They say most nations first fall from within.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“That altered quote is about empire but I guess it is oft true of lesser nations too but I still feel directly responsible.” [I admitted.]
“That is because you have big hearts ‘MT’.” [‘Short’ sent.] “However now you must be little ‘Bluu’ and you must return to living in this moment the past is a dead place full of lost souls. Who knows what may happen down there today perhaps it will stay under control most of the Marines are already in place but I think we should be ready for any eventuality. With us ‘Pilgrims’ you can never be perfectly sure of any outcome.”
[With a shock, I looked again and beheld blocks and lines of Paradox Marines creating living cordons. When my ‘Young One’ projections faded, they had left only emptiness in the ‘Tri-centre City Park Square of Equals’. I had unconsciously created a synched cognitive virtual over the true reality and not even questioned this waking dream. Stupid and shockingly dangerous you could lose touch with the real playing with perception that way. Some mentally ill ‘Recyclers’ live within virtual delusions painted over the real I could not afford such weakness. Truly, the story of the ‘Lost YOR Armada’ had stricken my ‘Prime Consciousness’ with such force that it almost loosened my cognitive sanity. I could not afford to play at losing my mind as such games too easily become solid reality.]
“I definitely have to go down there now. We are bound up with this one to stand aside now at a safe distance seems far too craven.” [I sent.]
“I trust you are not thinking of doing anything silly ‘MT’ remember you are ‘Bluu’ here today and part of ‘Short Six’ not the outraged ‘Father of the Universal Councils of Equals’.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“I am all those things and by ‘Proxy’ as great and unholy a terror as you are but I will play my role and stay shrouded in this meat.” [I promised via my sending.]
“Enough self pity it is one of your least endearing personality traits. The ‘YOR’ died bravely contesting with - defying - perhaps the greatest power in the known Universe for a Warrior that is a marvellously storied way to move on.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“They died following a liar in pursuit of a lie.” [I countered.]
“It is easily argued that they lived in a lie they constantly lied to themselves to give their lives meaning after the ‘Reformation of the Sleepers’.” [‘Short’ sent back.] “The truth is they died bravely as true Warriors also their deaths had meaning it was an end to their suffering and the beginning of a slow rebirth for a better adjusted ‘Recycler Nation’ within the ‘Ultra-nation’. What happened to the ‘Lost YOR Armada’ far from just a meaningless lie the slaughter had purpose. Perhaps some of them even suspected they were deceived but preferred to end their story defiantly in one last grand misadventure.”
“You think they committed a glorious national suicide out there?” [I sent.]
“They wanted to believe they could win and complete their mission. They chose to die in the pursuit of a blind faith they did not have to follow that ‘Warrior Prophet’ no one compelled them they each made an individual and a collective decision. In addition, the more I consider it the more sure I feel that many knew exactly what they were getting into the ‘Fury’ is after all the ‘Fury’ they must have expected to perish.” [‘Short’ insisted.]
“There are many beautiful lies in life that we choose to believe without them we could not function. The night is full of unknown terrors but none are as terrifying as many known truths when naked and exposed without any glamour to sustain us.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“That almost makes mad sense and almost makes me feel better.” [I sent.]
“The ‘Proxy’ and the triple cursed ‘Entanglement’ only sold them what they wanted to believe that is the con-people trick to sell your dreams back to you.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“So they wanted to die because they did not know how to live with some changes.” [I said.]
“They could not accept the reality of the ‘Digital Reformation’ it altered their Universe forever and it was a reality in which they did not belong. They were surviving on borrowed time only via constant denial. Constantly denying too obvious truths must have been an endless strain on their psyche.” [‘Short’ stated with a cutting Warrior clarity.] “All your ‘Proxy’ did was to ease their passing to turn a slow death by a trillion cuts into one glorious terminal expedition. With hindsight you should feel proud to have had a connection to the granting of that final boon rather than ashamed.”
“You said earlier that I can still sell a truth but you outdo me threefold. Do you really believe that too generous to me story?” [I asked.]
“As a Warrior I do perhaps to a Warrior all faiths are at best beautiful lies. Show me a cause or a war truly worth dying for - show me a leader worth following - think about so called battle glory and the demonised foe these things are all beautiful lies that colour the truth to ease a Warriors life and his possible passing. I know I am a fraud it is part of what I do.” [‘Short’ sent with incredible cynicism.]
“You are not a fraud, I do not believe that truth.” [I sent.]
[‘Short’ hissed out a long undulating speaker laugh.]
“Believe what you wish maybe you Priestly Priests are even better at self-delusion than us Warrior Priests or maybe I am just deluding myself.” [‘Short’ joked via her sending.]
[I grabbed my head with some of my tentacles.] “Please stop.” [I said aloud.]
“As you wish little ‘Swimmer’.” [‘Short’ replied.]
[Was the ‘Lost YOR Fleet’ a sort of ‘Temporal Shock’ to me? We stood for a while in silence. Then everyday life intruded into my thoughts like a soothing balm.]
“Do you want to talk with the ‘Stellar Swimmer Privateers’ before we venture down to the ‘Triangle Forum’.” [I asked aloud.]
“They are in the Hotel now?” [‘Short’ asked.]
“They are I asked for an advisory from reception when they returned from the Night Market. Also they checked out digitally I would say they are what they claim to be accepting the social and legal largess of the ‘Privateer’ life.” [I admitted.]
“Excellent you can introduce me to the bold ‘Stellar Swimmers’ on the 19th floor. I will admit to being a bit jealous as they probably have an even better view than us. I wonder could we get moved up to the 20th floor if we asked the ‘Corner Consortium’ nicely or just asked old ‘Chop Chop’ with extreme menaces.” [‘Short’ stated competitively.]
“I believe the ‘Corner Consortium’ retain all the rooms on the 20th for personal use so I think that is most unlikely even with menaces those suites are not free for ‘Chop Chop’ to let them out.” [I stated.]
“That is a terrible shame, I hate being bested especially by a bunch of smelly squid no offence ‘Bluu’ but even in your ‘Suits’ somehow you people contrive to smell fishy to me.” [‘Short’ claimed.]
“No offence taken, after all you cybernetic reptiles smell pretty rank to me too when I activate my ‘Dry Suit’ olfactory sensors so I guess we are even on that score.” [I replied.]
“You ‘Swimmers’ just lack good taste not surprising as you float around in your own pee and poop.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“Are you still obsessing about that one.” [I complained raising my tentacles in exasperation.]
“Being around you and occasionally witnessing you dropping one even mid conversation I cant get it out of my head.” [‘Short’ complained as if it was driving her slowly insane.]
“It just pops out with us - it is entirely natural and unselfconscious - you rarely come across a constipated ‘Swimmer’ I suppose with our diet that is natural too. Let it go our ‘Suits’ have scrubbers and filtration as I keep mentioning.” [I reminded.]
“I wish you could hold it in when I am around. It is hard to ignore especially when it comes out slowly and hangs around attached to your rear for ages as if a long stingy extra tentacle. When poop seems to wave at you it rather draws the optics and then there are the ones with those little trapped bubbles in them I mean how can you ignore that it is strangely fascinating.” [‘Short’ complained.]
“You do know such items are not polite topics for conversation with ‘Swimmers’. I really do not see the obsession with my poop.” [I burbled whilst frowning my eyestalks.]
“Come now it cannot be an accident that the ‘Swimmer’ designed ‘Link Browser’ has a function called the ‘Poop Scooper’ you lot are no less obsessed by your poop than anyone else.” [‘Short’ challenged.]
“Well maybe a little but usually it is a fascination that passes firmly unsaid.” [I burbled.]
“Sorry have I been culturally insensitive.” [‘Short’ mocked.]
“I thought that was your standard mode of operation.” [I replied.]
“Enough if I must deal with more of you I want to get it over please after you and you are doing it now.” [‘Short’ replied.]
“I cannot help it when it needs to come out it just comes out.” [I stated.]
[Shortly on the 19th floor…]
“Not a problem I assure you satisfaction is guaranteed. We will make his life so miserable he will be begging to be loosed from his contract and without harming one hair on his ugly ‘Omerta’ head.” [‘Kuuloo’ promised.]
“Settled then it is so very good to talk to a ‘Swimmer’ that understands sharp business practices rather than blunt histories.” [‘Short’ stated.]
[I made a point of frowning at the poor jest by my ‘Great Cybernetic Leader’.]
“It is only a little aquatic ‘Dweller’ you cannot expect too much. Personally I think ‘Bluu’ is adapting marvellously to a Warrior lifestyle given the little I have seen so far.” [‘Kuuloo’ replied.]
“Are you going to watch the show from up here?” [‘Short’ asked.]
[We were on the balcony of one of the ‘Stellar Swimmer’ suites.]
“Given the view we obtained we most certainly are. Besides there are just a few too many Paradox Marines down there I would not want caught up in crossfire if they forget that they normally do not shoot at each other. People can get a bit weird with some internal business especially stuff that has deep religious and cultural identity significance. I mean little about this execution is normal Paradox behaviour as I previously thought I understood them.” [‘Kuuloo’ added.]
“I could not help but notice that you are a ‘Suit Substance User’.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“Best ‘Dry Suit’ I ever had because it can be instantly upgraded via software patches.” [‘Kuuloo’ admitted.] “I like to try new things and once I tried out a ‘Suit Substance Dry Suit’ it was impossible to go back to clunking around with a mechanical one no offence to any strict ‘Real Materialists’ who feel they have no other option.”
“Do you find your ‘Dry Suit’ sours some relations?” [I asked.]
“Some but I can have one of the lads with a ‘Mechanical Suit’ act as an intermediate when I must contend with ‘Neo-Luddite’ or other dogmatic ‘Real Materialist’ types. I assume none of you are religiously opposed to ‘Suit Substance’ since you are working from a ‘Soulless Suit Substance’ vessel and have a ‘Trojan User’ member as one of your band.” [‘Kuuloo’ stated.]
“We have no great material prejudice we try to deal with all kinds equally across all borders anything else would damage our business mobility.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“Just like those Paradox Priests claim but I have seen some ‘User Marines’ giving ‘Stellar Warrior Caste’ the old evil ‘Tri-optic’ stare and so on.” [‘Kuuloo’ stated.] “I guess some folks are always going to be more equal than others even in an equal society.”
“As a scholar of history I know that we do not always carry forward the best lessons from the past. In addition a professed intent even a fervently believed desire does not always match with every mundane interaction by any sentient being it is easy to slip especially off high pedestals they tend to be the most wobbly.” [I burbled.]
“The real Universe is a slippery wobbly place alright.” [‘Kuuloo’ agreed turning around to look back towards a scattering of ‘Primal Bobble Heads’ sitting proudly on a table. I guessed souvenirs picked up by members of his crew or maybe even gifts bought by their Captain.] “I prefer to keep my faiths simple and as a light rather than a heavy burden I have to haul around.”
“What do you think about the Paradox business down there?” [‘Short’ asked.]
“I think they are so busy worrying about where they could go that they are forgetting how they came to be although they are desperately preaching otherwise. The ones soon to be executed down there are the heretics now but tomorrow is always about the next big change. In a way all the ‘Task Force’ is doing is publicising the heresy so that everyone will know about it and be thinking about it and then thinking about it again. It is easy to kill a few people but to crush an idea the more you squeeze at the substance of an idea the more it leaks out between your fingers. Still, it promises to be a good memorable show. I am always happy to witness something different.” [‘Kuuloo’ stated.]
“You are not concerned about the possible rebirth of a ‘Pan-Nid Empire’?” [I asked.]
“It all sounds overblown and a bit Paradox Priest hysterical to me. These ones have gotten all worked up in some intense internal fiery debates and are now trying to spread the fervour of that insular blaze and for now not doing too bad a job of it but this is the real Universe not some rarefied forum of ideas so I am not convinced. If some ‘Naked Priest’ tried to tell me what to do I would just laugh in his wormy face and if he tried to impregnate me I would shoot his impregnator off in a trice. Times change there will be no xenophobic ‘Pan-Nid Empire’ that was all in the past some of those clerics have just become afraid of change afraid to show the truths they have hidden for so long that easily happens to all big institutions they grow conservative they clutch to their old faiths and values whilst the times outside are changing leaving them behind.” [‘Kuuloo’ replied.]
“Without doubt ‘The Project’ is all about a return to simpler joys many people want to fully embrace the returned environments to feel part of these new ecosystems they will want to feel the daystar shine, wind and water on their skin they will want to touch it and be part of it all not held forever separate. If you ask me ‘Shrouding’ is doomed, except as sometime clothing and armour notably space side. What we are witnessing today is just a loud last desperate rear guard action by an Order that is about to be overrun by vast external changes.” [‘Kuuloo’ stated.]
[He was right I was sure about it. I guess I simply failed to see the broader truth because I was simply far too close to it all too wrapped up in the insular internal Paradox Order debates and by my ‘Shrouding’ too. Sometimes we became deluded that our debates are the whole Universe but sometimes they are just internal discussions somewhat removed from any wider reality.]
[So ‘Primal’ is right he knows what he is doing he is just letting the old guard have a last rumble. Change is coming that is bigger than the Order, embodied in the substance of ‘The Project’ and no amount of cloistered hysteria was going to alter that truth. In time members of the Order would be seduced by biology individually the process already beginning via ‘Meat Suits’. We were about to witness the last gasp of an outdated ideal.]
“Great change is coming.” [I said aloud.]
“It is the endless cycle of progress I suppose when you are one thing you can only ever move onward to become something else. We ‘Pilgrims’ it seems grow easily bored and contemptuous of the familiar we remain natural rebels.” [‘Short’ suggested.]
“Even I as a ‘Stellar Swimmer’ now enjoy visiting the ‘Sliver Oceans’ to swim free and naked.” [‘Kuuloo’ stated.] “I wouldn’t want to live there all the time - it is too placid - but I very much enjoy being able to visit for a holiday break. However, if I was stuck in a suit all the time even in the Oceans the joy of the experience would hardly be the same.”
“Well that puts everything into a different perspective.” [I sent to ‘Short’.]
“We Priests obviously need to canvass more uninvolved external opinion but perhaps that is the great weakness of ‘Shrouding’ it always made us a bit too self-obsessed encouraging us to keep many things privately internal.” [‘Short’ sent back.]
“Well we must go now as we have decided we will go down there to better feel the atmosphere up close amongst the gathering masses.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“Good luck if you like we will act as an allied over-watch. If it somehow all goes wrong such as some kind of mad riot or the Paradox Marines factionalise and start shooting at each other or some other nonsense fall back directly to the hotel. I will have the lads endeavour to cover you with some sniper fire.” [‘Kuuloo’ promised.]
“That is an uncommonly decent offer.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“I am always happy to have useful ‘Pilgrims’ owing me a favour.” [‘Kuuloo’ stated.]
“Yes that is very good business practice and often how I like to work too.” [‘Short’ agreed.]
“Peace.” [I said in parting.]
“There you go again ‘Bluu’ trying to spoil all the fun with peace.” [‘Kuuloo’ replied.]
[Exactly as expected it was akin to a triple cursed carnival. Vendors were even working the crowd selling snacks and of course more ‘Primal Bobble Heads’. We arrived early to get a reasonable spot and made camp as a unit. It seemed to take an eternity to approach noon. I was glad of the big screens too otherwise we would have seen nothing. Close to noon a ‘Drop Ship’ approached and hovered skilfully above the platform so that five oddly shaped ‘Shroud Suits’ could disembark moving with an odd mechanical stride that suggested creatures inside being forced along by their ‘Suits’ at least to me as a ‘Pilgrim’ very familiar with the operational capabilities of ‘Shroud Suits’. Then the ‘Drop Ship’ sped away strangely almost defiantly low over ‘Tri-centre City’ in fact between rather than over some skyscrapers.]
[A scattering of ‘Tri-optics’ shifted from focusing upon the stage to follow the ‘Drop Ship’ but it soon vanished behind the ‘Sliver Tri-centre City’ horizon. To my sharply focussed perception the movement of the ‘Tri-optics’ suggested a degree of puzzlement as if they akin to me also noted something unexpected there perhaps something - unscheduled - with the departing vector of the ‘Drop Ship’.]
[The majority of the crowd however roared guessing the Prisoners had arrived. Various slogans hurled such as ‘Death to Tyrants’ and ‘Kill the Impregnator’.]
“As you have no doubt guessed within these holy ‘Shrouds’ we have imprisoned the abominations. Soon they will be exposed in all their bodily infamy then the ‘Shrouds’ they rejected will execute their sentence by slowly stretching and ripping them bodily asunder - a fitting end - to infamous betrayers of ‘Shrouding’, the ‘Pilgrimage’ and our Order.” [The Acolyte informed.]
[The ‘Five’ moved strangely akin to stiff puppets into positions near the edge of the platform facing the crowd. Curses flew and various objects too arching over the massed ranks of Paradox Marines who stood idly doing nothing merely maintaining a strong divide. Most of the chucked debris was vendor food items but even a few ‘Bobble Heads’ became missiles.]
“ARE YOU READY TO SEE THE ABOMINATIONS?” [The Acolyte yelled.]
[To this there was a torrent of replies such as ‘SHOW US’ and so on.]
“ARE YOU READY YES OR NO?” [The Acolyte asked.]
“YES” [The crowd roared.]
“I CANNOT HEAR YOU” [Rumbled the Acolyte.]
“YES’ [Screamed the crowd even louder.]
“ARE YOU SURE YOU ARE READY TO SEE YOUR EMPEROR ‘PRIMAL’?” [The Acolyte mocked.]
“YES” [The crowd roared.]
“ARE YOU READY TO BOW DOWN TO HIM TO ACKNOWLEDGE HIS AUTHORITY YES OR NO.”
“NO” [The crowd yelled.]
“ARE YOU SURE YOU WILL NOT BOW? HE SAYS HE IS THE ONE WORD OF TRUTH.”
“ALL EMPERORS MUST DIE - THE EXPOSED MUST PERISH - WE WILL NEVER BOW TO TYRANNY.” [A possibly planted Paradox in the crowd roared out.]
“NEVER, NEVER, NEVER…” [He shouted starting a chant that rolled through the crowed.]
“GOOD FOR THERE ARE MANY TRUTHS AND ONE OF THOSE TRUTHS IS AS THE GOOD PRIEST SAYS THAT WE PARADOX WILL NEVER EVER BOW TO TYRANNY.” [The Acolyte rumbled.]
“I ASK ONE LAST TIME ARE YOU READY TO BEHOLD HORRORS?”
“YES”
“THEN BEHOLD AND BEAR WITNESS AS JUSTICE IS SERVED.”
[At this point with the crowd whipped up to an expectant frenzy all five imprisoning ‘Shroud Suits’ began to glow brighter and brighter yellow and then to roar with rolling rumbling laughter as if a primitive thunder god split into five pieces. It was too obvious from the startled reaction of the Acolyte on the stage that this was not part of the script. Then all five ‘Suits’ spoke in unison with one voice and it was a voice I soon recognised.]
“JUSTICE you dare to call this travesty JUSTICE there will be no TORTURE no DISMEMBERING MURDER here today. I am ELDER ‘CREED’ and I have liberated your unlawfully detained POLITICAL PRISONERS not on the behest of any organisation but as a Paradox Priest Elder with a sacred ‘Vision’ that is non harmful. Whilst you narrow of ‘Vision’ bigoted fools of the ‘Task Force’ have been inciting the crowd I have been flying away and then leaping your captives to safety via their ‘Drop Ship’. Shame on you, shame upon anyone who would support such actions as you planned here today. YOU HAVE FORGOTTEN YOURSELVES in your fervour. Would that I could be ‘Exposed’ for I am an ‘Ascendant’ - I am pure ‘Suit Substance’ - I sacrificed my flesh my life long ago to better fight for such causes as freedom and survival for you far more biological ‘Pilgrims’ for I judged such lives - your lives - sacred.” [‘Creed’ testified.]
[Some in the crowd jeered booed and even flung more debris but ‘Creed’ ignored the insults and the mostly junk food.]
“I made my choice sacrificing my biology that others might live when such threats as the ‘Entanglement’ were new and rampaging amongst the stars consuming the good and the bad. Now even ‘Crimson’ is more enlightened and beginning to think again about how she too is a ‘Pilgrim’ with a shared ‘Pilgrim’ destiny and yet you would do this crime to fellow ‘Pilgrims’ encourage them to be tortured and slain. Look around you behold the great works we have achieved. We have put fertile earth under our feet and a blue sky over our head. We have even made new oceans for the ‘Swimmers’. You breathe in fresh - increasingly naturally recycled air manufactured by plant life - and the daystar is a warming boon rather than a scorching bane.” [‘Primal’ reminded.]
[More insults and more food was wasted on the ‘Ascendant’ but some among the crowd began to listen too a few even to nod in agreement.]
“We found a new ‘Vision’ too one that is worthy of the ages and yet you would deny the most basic rights to some souls far wiser than thou. You would deny the ‘Exposed’ an equal share in our new environment. You would deny every Paradox the hope of returning to their original nature because of foolish unfounded fears of long gone Empires and Emperors. WHAT ONCE WAS NEED NOT BE AGAIN FOR WE LEARN FROM THE PAST. DO NOT CLAIM THAT WE LEARN NOTHING FROM HISTORY BUT FEAR. Would you prefer they all become this instead - this ‘Bio-mechanical’ machine - SINCE YOU CAME HERE FOR A TRIPLE CURSED SPECTACLE LET ME SHOW YOU A TRUER HORROR EXPOSED.” [‘Creed’ yelled.]
[A sea of ‘Suit Substance Tri-optics’ adjusted to better behold whatever was coming.]
[At that point ‘CREED’ put on a grand show. The five ‘Shroud Suits’ melded into one and even the substance of the stage began to be sucked up into a towering entity that began to throb and gyrate grotesque tentacles spouted thrashing wildly around one sending the Acolyte who had been doing all the spouting tumbling away into the ranks of his fellows. Fanged mouths erupted on long wormy necks. Clawed arms pawed at the air. Two great wings flapped. The wings no less weird chimera leathery, scaly yet also graced with ‘Suit Substance’ feathers too and multiple jointed in odd mind bending ways. To me they seemed sails ill suited to any traditional form of flight but exceptionally ideal for bizarre public display. A crown of multiple ‘Tri-optics’ emerged to gaze out in all directions. Pus like boils formed upon parts of the mottled skin splitting to emit plagues of ‘bio-mechanical’ flies that surged upward then powered into the crowd nipping at exposed flesh. In addition, there were sounds - horrible sounds - screeches as of damned souls: bellows, roars, hisses, buzzing, gnashing and rattling along with fleshy ripping and tearing sounds too. Streams of ‘Bio-mechanical ‘Suit Substance’ oozed and flowed even spurted and dripped only to squirm and crawl back into the appalling entity as if it was constantly recycling damnation.]
“I wish I could have politically done that one.” [‘UT’ sent to me.]
“Good old ‘Creed’.” [I sent to ‘Short’ in reply as the crowd screaming and shouting began to panic the smarter ones fleeing away immediately before the monstrous ‘Entanglement’ style ‘Bio-mechanical’ Avatar of an enraged ‘Ascendant‘ and his plaguing flies.]
[Non-‘User’ civilians out for a jolly clearly did not carry such items as handy anti-tiny remote ‘EMP’ devices to act as multiple fly swatters. Whilst so far the Paradox Marines and other ‘Users’ even the ‘Task Force’ members did not seem to know how to best respond to this weird event obviously none of them had expected anything akin to this demonstration of ‘Ascendant’ power. Then one Marine grew taller than the rest to stand out from the masses. Here we go, I thought]
“Brothers we must unite in opposition to destroy this raging Avatar of a clearly ‘Mad Ascendant’ lest in his insanity he stands too defiant to thwart even the concept of our sacred purpose.” [He declared.]
[However, to me his intent was silly - far too late - and therefore senseless. Since the ‘Prisoners’ were long gone, attacking the shape-shifting Avatar of ‘Creed’ would change nothing and certainly not harm the ’Ascendant’ in any substantial manner. The inciter just threatened to make a show of Paradox division whilst technically infringing upon our increasing social habit not to attack fellow Paradox except with debate. Then I recalled that the ‘Task Force’ had already flouted the expanded convention that people such as the ‘Holy Father’ were keen to promote as an addition to the old Paradox policy that we strive never to kill other Paradox except in the rarest most extreme of circumstances.]
[Despite the lack of wisdom in the suggestion some Marines seemed to take notice perhaps because no one else had made any other aloud suggestion. A few began to hoist their weapons but it was only a minority that soon seemed to hesitate in their resolve perhaps noting their lack of support. I certainly witnessed no sharp military act of obedience to a clear and sensible call to arms by a natural leader these Marines could all take instant faith in.]
[I sensed that confusion continued to bedevil the ranks of these equals as they sought a truth they could follow with a clean conscience. I soon surmised they were having speeded up debates and were struggling to reach a quick consensus the issue no longer as simple in their minds anymore. Perhaps if the target of opportunity happened to be any ‘Ascendant’ other than ‘Creed’ the issue might have been far more readily resolved. Also if so many ‘Real Materialists’ were not present witnessing internal division within the Order.]
[I knew to many Acolytes and Priests ‘Creed’ was a famous Paradoxical Aspect of Justice one long defiant to any would be tyrant within or without our Order. His directly and exceptionally timely intervention here easily spreading disquiet - challenging past certainties of opinion - possibly even beginning some formal dissent within the ‘Task Force’ like a vector for a pandemic cognitive virus.]
[‘Creed’ was no ordinary Priest - he was a triple cursed ‘Ascended’ legend. Many stood almost transfixed as if mesmerised by both his speech and the bizarre creation he unleashed perhaps thinking about their own future if they slipped into becoming ‘Ascended Suit Substance’. ‘Creed’ was reminding them of the current alternative to a biological regression and he was a Paradox Elder who had always actively espoused a ‘Vision’ of justice for all within the Paradox Order. ‘Creed’ forever famous for denouncing any act of Imperial style tyranny was no supporter of Empire by any Elder, Priest or Acolyte even having preached against and warned my former Captain about the corrupting pull of exercising great personal, political and military power due to his Marine Proliferation and because Harbinger also was a ‘Founding Father of the Core Alliance’. In fact I knew that ‘Creed’ even unofficially monitored the nature of my influence on our society as the ‘Father of the Universal Councils of Equals’ lest I become too dictatorial too empowered too worshipped.]
“LEAVE THIS PLACE FOOLS OR HAVE YOUR SUBSTANCE CONSUMED. I WILL NOT HOLD BACK MY WRATH MUCH LONGER AGAINST THOSE THAT WOULD CORRUPT AND DEFILE MANY SACRED IDEALS IN THE NAME OF SUPPORTING THEM - BE GONE AND THINK AGAIN WITH A MORE BALANCED AND JUST VISION.” [‘Creed’ roared.]
[As ‘Short Six’ began to retire from the scene as a tactical unit I noticed another of the Marines stretched taller to stand forth from the equal ranks to bellow.] “I AM THE ‘WAR MASTER UNHOLY TERROR’ YOU WILL FOLLOW MY LEAD. WE WITHDRAW IN GOOD ORDER. ASSIST ANY CIVILIANS THAT HAVE FALLEN OR BEEN INJURED - CARRY THEM TO SAFETY IF NECESSARY - THERE WILL BE NO NEEDLESS DEATHS TODAY NOT ON MY WATCH. LEAVE THE HONOURABLE ASCENDANT TO THE PASSING OF HIS HOLY OUTRAGE.” [He bellowed.]
“That would be my ‘Proxy’ timely stepping up to make the most of an altered situation.” [‘Short’ sent to me proudly.]
[I noticed the ranks sharpened and set to work with only a few hesitating but then seeing the mass of the consensus they joined in with compliance too. Even the ‘Proxy’ of ‘UT’ proved a natural leader of Acolytes.]
“That Elder Paradox is right we should help any that need our assistance upon the path of our withdrawal to the ‘MCH’.” [‘Mabel’ stated.]
“See that it is so.” [‘Short’ ordered.]
[We set to work. Behind us, ‘Creed’ began to consume the substance of the big screens to bloat ever larger and more grotesquely threatening. I prayed he not go too far. I worried someone might get trigger-happy and bombard him from space side as if loosed ‘Entanglement’. I was positive they were watching the show up there in horrified fascination. We Paradox are all about our ‘Vision’ we love to watch to monitor and record it was almost a weakness.]
“I guess he has been keeping that in for a long time.” [‘Jack’ sent to me as he detoured somewhat to scoop up a crying young ‘Omerta’ child whilst I helped the boys fallen Mother regain her feet as gently as I could with my mechanical limbs. She was a ‘Neo-Luddite’ by her robes a member of one of the more extreme religious sects she had bruises developing on her cheeks and forehead and I guessed absolutely no nanotech support just biologically altered to live here.]
[Marines were evacuating other fallen people now and intervening to prevent further self wrought damage by the fleeing crowd as it surged away in all directions some still swatting at harassing swarms of ‘bio-mechanical’ flies. In a few cases Marines paused to administer basic first aid to more seriously fallen wounded but thankfully the damage from the fiasco did not seem too bad so far, partially I guessed because the ‘Square’ is so big only a few choke points occurring at ornate park bridges over streams and so on that had to be hastily traffic managed. Luckily for the civilians the Marines now acted decisively to prevent further trampling incidents and so on taking charge at every danger zone. I felt proud of the caring unity of purpose belatedly displayed by the Paradox forces - better late than never.]
[Eventually we fell back amongst some of the throng to the ‘Multi Corner Hotel’ our ‘Stellar Swimmer’ friends above not having to deploy their sniper rifles to aid our retreat. ‘Creed’ was not out to actually harm anyone or anything other than a misguided cause. ‘Short’ had ‘Short Six’ clatter up the stairs all nineteen floors to join our volunteer over-watch rather than us just going to the privacy of our own rooms.]
“Now that show I did not expected.” [‘Kuuloo’ admitted as we joined him on his balcony.]
[The weird creation of ‘Creed’ had stopped growing and thrashing around to become a truly bizarre ‘Suit Substance’ statue that dominated the ‘Triangle Forum’ akin to a monstrous idol to a risen Dark Elder God from some nightmare fantasy story.]
“I was terribly tempted to shoot at that monstrosity when it first erupted however in the end I decided that antagonising an enraged Paradox ‘Ascendant’ - even for a little sport and at a great distance - was probably a very bad idea.” [‘Kuuloo’ admitted.] “Do you think they will leave that below as a massive reminder of the rage of a most rare ‘Ascendant’?”
“All I can say is that I would leave it as a physical testimonial. I think that thing will make a spectacular tourist attraction too in the days ahead. I wonder could we get in quickly with mini ‘Real Material’ Icons of that one it seems a great business idea. As to the big one down there all it needs is a low wall around it and some sort of plaque.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“Here ‘Creed’ educated the masses about the greater evil of ‘Ascension’ over lesser fears about ‘Pan-Nid’ biology.” [I offered.]
“Far too long although I suppose a better phrase than: here ‘Creed’ scared the poop out of them.” [‘Short’ joked.]
“You need something snappy might I suggest: ‘Creed’ the ‘Lord of Flies’.” [‘Mabel’ mocked.]
“Some in the ‘Task Force’ might prefer ‘Creed’ the ‘Lord of Lies’.” [I replied.]
“I am sure that so many Marines could have destroyed that Avatar even with an ‘Ascendant’ running it.” [‘Kuuloo’ stated.]
“Not without breaking a cultural taboo by assaulting the substance of a respected Elder and what did they really have to gain the prisoners were gone and for all his fierce aspect shaping ‘Creed’ was not really harming anyone ignoring a few mosquito bites and one tentacle swipe to chastise an overly mouthy Acolyte.” [I burbled.]
“Truly they are strange ‘Pilgrims’ these Paradox.” [‘Kuuloo’ stated.]
“I wonder how the Paradox Order will respond to this days work.” [I burbled.]
“I imagine initially with some very lively debates their will be wresting.” [‘Ingrid’ replied insightfully.]
“That I think is a masterful understatement ‘Ingrid’.” [‘Short’ replied.]
“Will they turn upon ‘Creed’ as an Order traitor?” [‘Mabel’ asked.]
“I think not though some may try to defame him ‘Creed’ has some powerful old friends and a storied reputation as an unbending paladin of justice. Importantly he is I think independent enough to get away with this where others who might have felt the same urges were more constrained by internal family Acolyte opinion and Corporate needs.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“As a scholar of history I know that ‘Creed’ lost most of his original family long ago to the ‘Advent of the Entanglement’ that gives him an unusual degree of latitude in action in this new age of Acolyte power. Truly he was the best Paradox for this hour very few others could get away with that sort of outrageous public display especially a public show of unpopular ‘Entangled’ style shape-shifting in the face of massive adversity of opinion but ‘Creed’ is just different enough to defy being bound by any trend. For a start, it is so unlike him to be demonstrably uncontrolled that it will make every Paradox stop and think again. It may not change every bigoted opinion about the ‘Exposed’ but it will go a long way to weakening the position of the ‘Anti-Exposed Movement’ as a firm consensus a very long way if I know the ‘Councils of Equals’.” [I added.]
“Few Paradox of worth have not heard of ‘Creed’. In some ways he verges on being a ‘Mad Ascendant’ with his insistent belief that he is actually dead that he sacrificed his life long ago but he just falls on the right side of something akin to a weirdly savant genius instead of seeming a menace that needs put down by the Order.” [‘Short’ informed.]
“You sound impressed.” [‘Ingrid’ said.]
“I salute him with the benefit of hindsight I think that was well done he may well have saved all Paradox from a fall from grace in relation to their usually spouted core ideals attempting to execute ‘Primal’ an act of intolerance by a supposedly tolerant Order against unnecessary enforcements of authority. They have been far too close to this one got into an unbalanced rage of their own and acted rashly.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“The belated action by our friend ‘Creed’ is inspired hokum but hardly what ‘Primal’ planned to save his cause in the long-term.” [I sent privately to ‘Short’.] “Now some will keep looking for ‘Primal’ and his supposed Cult.”
“That show might prove educational even for ‘Primal’ and actually be more of a boon rather than a bane. As wildly unexpected consequences go this one is pretty benign although what the rest of the ‘Ultra-nation’ will make of it remains to be seen I think many Paradox may think again including many Acolytes and that may well be the deciding factor.” [He sent.]
[Aloud ‘Short’ added the following.] “There will be riots tonight in the ‘Tri-centre City’ some ‘Real Materialist’ agitators will decry the Paradox ‘User’ Marines for allowing injuries to occur to biological ‘Pilgrims’ by refusing to instantly counter and destroy the Avatar of one of their own kind just because he is a famous Elder. Some will claim the Paradox ‘Users’ encouraged the crowd to muster then exposed them to an ‘Entanglement’ style danger and many wanting any excuse to behave badly will heed such words.”
“I noticed the usual ‘Real Material’ agitators were not brave enough to cause any trouble down there in the ‘Triangle Forum’ whilst fenced in by a preponderance of ‘User’ Marines.” [‘Ingrid’ stated.]
“Most ‘Real Material’ agitators are not that stupid although they might have tried to incite a slaughter via remotes if they had foreseen this sort of outcome in advance. I think if there are some riots tonight now they will only be incited by the usual suspects and thus overall be nothing new and mostly be contained within certain districts as such nothing too much worth worrying about just another night in ‘Tri-centre City’.” [I burbled in reply.]
“A few riots are usually good for both of our sorts of business. My crew often hire out as mercenaries sometimes even to keep the peace.” [Captain ‘Kuuloo’ interjected.] “That was a fascinating ‘User’ show but I still feel a little bit cheated of my Paradox Murder Spectacle still a few riots would placate me nicely. Besides, it does some people good to vent on occasion better venting than building up too much pressure and exploding.” [‘Kuuloo’ possibly joked or possibly just confessed.] “I wonder where ‘Creed’ has taken ‘Primal’ and his followers.”
“I do not care where those Political Paradox Prisoners have gone - some potential bounties are simply not worth the trouble. I have no desire to cross an ‘Ascendant’ with the reputation and friends ‘Creed’ possesses not for any amount of credits.” [‘Short’ claimed.]
“True enough as a ‘User’ I know a bit about the most powerful ‘User’ factions and individual personalities and even that ‘War Master Unholy Terror’ who took charge down there is something of a friend of ‘Creed’ even if they agree to disagree about some issues. I believe some other members of the ‘Founder Cabal’ also favour ‘Creed’ such potentates are best left well alone as far too dangerous ‘Pilgrims’ to openly provoke.” [‘Ingrid’ stated.]
“As a historian I would judge this mostly bloodless action perhaps ‘Creeds’ single finest hour to date. The truly historically great are oft elevated by one noteworthy action that stands out firmly within the shifting mass of cultural memory - I think we have witnessed just such a moment - I find that humbling and a blessing. I think we have witnessed a single event that will have a profound effect upon all ‘Pilgrims’ because ‘Creed’ managed to pick a perfect time and place to sow dissention within the ranks of the ‘Anti-Exposed Movement’ to start a sort of counter revolution. That was not a random act of random rage it was a perfectly contrived piece of political theatre by a very clever Priest.” [I burbled.]
“I have a job for you ‘Six THREE’ I was serious about manufacturing icons of ‘Creed’ as a ‘Paradoxical Aspect of Justice’ I want you to get on ‘LINK’ commission a purposely ugly prototype and then get some folk manufacturing and distributing I want to see them hitting the shops and stalls before the hour is out. We need to hurry or someone else will beat us to the deed. Use our slush fund if necessary then invest our profits back into expanding the venture. ‘Pilgrims’ especially tourists will be queuing up to buy the grotesque things they have no taste whatsoever some will buy them to mock our ‘User’ hideousness others to extol a paradoxically ugly and thus more real symbol of virtue as such we should be able to sell to everyone by just altering the pitch at the point of sale. Quickly now business opportunities wait upon no one like a dropped citrus fruit that rolls down a hill it must be chased down and squeezed whilst it is still fresh until you get every drop of tasty juice out. We missed the boat with the ‘Primal Bobble Head’ thing but this time we will be the ones frolicking in mounds of credits.” [‘Short’ sent to me as if a true ‘Recycler’.]
[I swear our ‘Meat Suits’ do in time somewhat inform our actions. I did as he commanded whilst praying he was right about his business plan being a good investment, still I wondered if our ‘Great Cybernetic Leader’ might just be about to overenthusiastically blow away the useful facility of our slush fund.]
[I digitally sought out a reasonably honest local three dimensional artist able and willing to do a rushed job of work and commissioned a prototype Icon. I could have easily rendered something myself with the help of a tiny bit of the ‘Serendipities’ auxiliary ‘Suit Substance’ but having the name of a local Paradox artist who worked with ‘Real Material’ attached to the Icon would do the cause no harm. Commissioning a manufacturer to run off the items in suitable materials was no problem either I had loads of companies I could choose from for that purpose in ‘Tri-centre City’ alone. I picked one that had worked on occasion with the ‘MTC’ and I thus knew was reliable. I arranged for the completed prototype to be secure delivered after I confirmed it was suitable for mass production.]
[I began researching point of sale outlets and making contacts. Even before the prototype was finished, I had calculated the product run costs created a pricing structure that gave our retailers and us sensible yet attractive profit margins and discovered I had a host of orders. Naturally, we would also sell direct from factory warehouse via ‘Link’ too at a discount. People I contacted were generally enthusiastically happy to jump in with us to get their share of profit from a topical event whilst it was fresh in the public consciousness and before the next big thing came along to supplant the current frenzy of interest in the show and tell by ‘Creed’.]
[The trick with this sort of thing was to stop mass production at the right time when demand peaked also before cheeky rivals flooded the market with cheap copies. The most important criteria being not to end up with credits bound up within stock you could no longer rapidly shift. I guessed that ‘Short’ did not want us to be in this as long term Icon manufacturers he just wanted to make a quick killing from a famous / notorious happening and then get out with a secure profit.]
[With the permission of her Captain I had the ‘Serendipity’ create a ‘Cognitive Sub Core’ to oversee the business venture once I had all the basics in place including a formula for when to cease production and further investment I sent ‘Short’ a data blast progress report then happily retired from the venture judging my job done.]
“Outstanding.” [‘Short’ sent to me in reply.]
[My mind kept returning to the tragic story of the ‘Young Ones’. I remembered helping them to join the ‘Pilgrim Alliance’ at one point but I guess they had never been able to let go of their enmity and original purpose. Their genesis haunted them as an obsession perhaps I should be able to too easily understand that truth since my people and I were equally made for a purpose although ours was arguably a far kinder less narrow purpose.]
[I stared down upon the ‘Triangle Forum’ to witness it filled with the ghosts of ‘Young One Recyclers’ as probable ‘Proxy’ culled sacrifices to the logical needs of ‘The Project’. The end of the ‘Young Ones’ a boon to the survival and integration of original more rounded ‘Recycler Pilgrims’. The ghostly ‘Young Ones’ stood in my minds eye as spiritual icons representing the blood in the mortar of this early stage of our cathedral to ‘Pilgrim’ advancement. Yet the far distant Ring World did not truly forebode the end of the ‘Young Ones’ they were conceived condemned: born in original sin to die as exceptionally flawed creations that insistently reverted to intolerant intransigent unrepentant form.]
[I mused upon the nature of society, the way it oft rejects sanctions and or seeks to destroy individuals and groups that refuse to play nicely with other members especially aggressive in persecuting minority groups that would defy majority opinion. Society cares little for the antisocial especially for murderous misfits and radicals yet society can be murderous too ruthlessly culling any inconvenient minority in the name of majority rule and not always quickly or cleanly as the ‘Young One Armada’ was quickly and cleanly culled.]
[Society is good at slowly destroying incompatible ethnic groups via simply starving them of the freedom rights and resources they needed to flourish. Still, the ‘Young Ones’ were rather an exceptional case being far more than innocent victims they were manufactured as ruthless soldiers yet I recalled so were many ‘Stellar Draakhaal’. I wondered what made the ‘Young Ones’ so exceptional that they refused to compromise then I realised that refusing to compromise was the very core of their mentality.]
[The ‘Recycler Old Ones’ made their Warrior Children to defy mental alteration as dedicated incorruptible warriors to a single cause and that left them with only one way to go a defiant refusal to surrender. The ‘Young Ones’ were to ensure the survival of ‘Recycler Kind’ or so the majority of them believed they were to be - incorruptibly - militant to the last. Sadly such firm programming created a too obvious monster the ‘Young Ones’ given life but a life not suited to living in any saner society.]
[Sadly, overly manufactured life engineered with a too fixed purpose, I mused, cannot easily adapt to any great change in circumstances. Some life forms capable of survival only within the niche environment they are predestined via design to fill akin to naturally occurring over-specialised species that evolve in a heavily isolated location under unique conditions if that location alters too drastically its specialised life dies with it.]
[The ‘Young Ones’ were confounded by the ‘Digital Sleepers’ suffering a ‘Digital Reformation’ excluding ‘Crimson’ and she confounded the ‘Young Ones’ even more via becoming the ‘Entanglement’ a very different far more physical not to mention far more - massive - threat. The niche the ‘Young Ones’ were created to fill the environment in which they might flourish simply vanished stripped away by unexpected consequences to become an unsympathetic inhospitable void.]
[Without their old enemy - in the old digital form expected - the ‘Young Ones’ ceased to have a valid purpose they became lost and confounded they lacked the mental dexterity to adapt as creatures made not to be changeable. Their greatest strength their specialisation dooming them ironic given the fact that original ‘Recyclers’ are by nature highly adaptive exploiters of every opportunity. Perhaps events drove every ‘Young One’ a little insane encouraging an even greater engenderment of disappointment, hatred and revulsion for every more digitally corruptible ‘Recycler’ especially their parents - their unworthy makers - even though the corruption the ‘Young Ones’ obsessed about and hated had technically ceased to be the same bane they were perfectly designed to contest.]
[Possibly they truly insisted in believing the ‘Reformed Sleepers’ only an insidious - far more attractive - form of digital corruption with its lure of a - safe - protected digital paradise because they could not handle the reality of a true cessation of hostilities as that unmade the reality in which they might happily exist. Unfortunately if they chose to believe the ‘Reformed Sleepers’ to be only a deceptively kinder face upon an old still active enemy that corruption rested horribly beyond their reach protected by the might of the ‘Spore of the Machine Fury’ and her many mysterious and potent assets.]
[Desperate for a grand renewal of purpose apparently the ‘Young Ones’ returned to plotting the slow downfall of all older style ‘Recyclers’ directly, including embracing the sin of murdering their makers. Kill the body - the host - of the digital virus and you kill the virus too but they could not move openly against all other ‘Recyclers’ not in this time as many other ‘Pilgrims’ would rally to the defence of older style ‘Recyclers’. So they plotted to keep the old enmity burning between the ‘Old One Recyclers’ and the ‘Ex-Conglomerate Recyclers’ but people such as the ‘Hawks’ and the endlessly tempting lure of a digital paradise for all old style ‘Recyclers’ must have made the divisive plan increasingly improbable even though the ‘Young Ones’ obviously at times had some limited success at sponsoring internal ‘Recycler’ strife but it was not enough.]
[I guessed, exactly as my ‘Proxy’ must also have logically deduced, the sheer frustration of the ‘Young Ones’ meant as individuals and a nation they were desperate for a new way forward and therefore perfectly aligned for the coming of a seemingly knowledgeable and charismatic ‘Great Leader’. Especially susceptible to a self styled ‘Warrior Prophet’ with a bold new action plan that went far beyond sly dividing and conquering. For the ‘Entanglement’, they pushed the hatchway wide open enabling an easy infiltration of her able wiles via a ‘Meat Suit’ mole created to stage-manage the doom of the ‘Young One Nation’.]
[Did any ‘Recyclers’ weep for the loss of their long lost children? Did any lament the demise of the mighty ‘YOR Armada’ no doubt splendid in its muster or did they just deem it a belated abortion of a horribly failed experiment that set them free from the dire consequences of a monumental historic genetic and ‘bio-engineering’ disaster that once loosed proved far beyond a simple recall.]
[I recalled meeting some individual ‘Young Ones’ many long years ago judging them - not all the same - and in outer form I confess I often found them impressive. Beautiful were the ‘Young Ones’ if I will admit in a sculptured - cold - isolated manner. Sadly, beyond the smooth skin they all had a bedevilled core of hardwired intransigence especially in relation to their makers and the ‘Sleeper’ foe. Worse, they retained an indomitable sense of innate manufactured superiority. To their perception they had been - improved - they were the only ‘True Recyclers’ remaining because their minds - their wills alone - could not be digitally corrupted and bent out of shape at least that was the extolled theory.]
[Sadly corruption wears many guises and reached out to them in one of the oldest ways possible via the spouting of external ideas and concepts by a false in intent demagogue.]
[In a kinder Universe than the ‘Emissary Sphere’ there might have been a kinder way forward with the ‘Young Ones’ if they could have learned to live more broadly and wisely by letting go of their original narrow purpose. Alas they were too artificially engendered - too much of a contrived and targeted life form - made too sharply to order - as if programmed war-machines and thus utterly unable to adapt to a kinder idyll.]
[In many ways the ‘Young Ones’ were all the things some people often unjustly accused us ‘Living Hulls’ of being but we ‘Hulls’ retained a few important saving graces the fact that we were never so single minded being one. We ‘Hulls’ were created to do a job of work that requires caring flexible thinking and far kinder interactions than the ‘Young Ones’ and most crucially of all we were not made to supplant anyone despite some ‘Passenger Class’ fears about our - stellar - potential. Greater potential alone will not make a species inimical to their neighbours.]
[Sadly, the ‘Young Ones’ as individuals and a Nation proved constantly incapable of accepting the ‘Reformation of the Digital Sleepers’ equally they could not permit their makers to live in peace. The existence of any corruptible ‘Recyclers’ constantly offended their sense of identity they still believed such weakness needed ruthlessly eradicated and supplanted. For their makers remained hosts according to ‘YOR’ perception to a great digital evil acting even today - they insisted - as possessed bodies for ‘Digital Devils’ now only pretending to be ‘Angels of Mercy’ ruling a benign ‘Digital Paradise’.]
[I suppose that if nothing else one must credit the ‘YOR’ for staying true to form. Even at the last, they bravely died boldly striving to execute an impossible mission. Only content when attempting to fulfil their great and terrible purpose yet had they succeeded somehow in destroying every other ‘Recycler’ and every ‘Sleeper’ including ‘Crimson’ success would have left them utterly empty as any too complete act of revenge often does.]
[Then I suffered another epiphany the ‘Old Ones’ had never sought to create children to live after them for the ‘Young Ones’ were ill suited for that task. What the ‘Old Ones’ manufactured actually more akin to tools for a suicide revenge pact, back then the ‘Old Ones’ saw only extinction or digital enslavement ahead, when they made their seeming successors perhaps they even wanted to be subconsciously destroyed by their living weapon scions rather than remain nothing but eternal victims to digital terrors.]
[The problem with suicide however is a very old story: it is a long-term solution to a short-term problem and later the makers of the ‘Young Ones’ surviving calamity changed their minds wanting to live. Sadly, it was all a bit too late for a recall of the loosed weapon. There was no love in the creation of the ‘Young One Recyclers’ only a terrible act of despair and desperation and that was why they entered into the story of the ‘Emissary Universe’ so uncompromisingly flawed and ultimately so perfectly doomed. There would be no ‘Young One Slivers’ or ‘YOR Ring World Nation’ since the ‘YOR’ were truly just a manufactured means to a departed end. Fate cheated the ‘Young Ones’ of their war so that they outlived their purpose. They had no place in the resulting difficult and bizarre digital peace under ‘Reformed Sleepers’.]
[The ‘Young Ones’ suffered a cruel end to an equally cruel unjust beginning I hoped their kind would never be seen again and not for the sake of the rest of us ‘Pilgrims’ but for the sake of sentient beings unfairly and unwisely engendered into existence as nothing more than living tools for a narrow cause. Life deserved more respect than to suffer shaping so narrowly. Sadly we Paradox Priests in the past to counter the ‘Tyrant Draakhaal’ made almost similar mistakes in cloning so very many Acolyte Marines but at least our Acolytes had the innate capacity to grow into ‘Pilgrim’ adults and to live full meaningful wider lives - even if they sometimes yearned for a more combative existence. I do not think the ‘Young Ones’ were created half as roundly and certainly not roundly enough to ever live and let live as just other ‘Pilgrim’ citizens.]
[I felt a bit ill and dizzy looking down upon all those ghostly ‘Young Ones’ as they seemed to grow more solid - more real - to me in review because I felt responsible. I had these insights because of my experiences, experiences I shared intimately with my ‘Proxy’. Upon that balcony, I feared that I was responsible for the doom of the ‘Young Ones’ via ‘Proxy’.]
[Even if they were a menace to all other ‘Recyclers’ and destined for a bad end I did not want to have been the soul responsible for pulling the trigger - even by ‘Proxy’ - for an act of ‘Pilgrim’ genocide but my desires had nothing to do with historic fact.]
[Belatedly - sorrowfully - I judged that only one of my ‘Proxies’ could have made a deal with the ‘Entanglement’. I was positive the ‘Proxy’ of ‘UT’ would have found reaching out to ‘Crimson’ systemically impossible. Modelled on ‘Unholy’ his ‘Proxy’ must understand that ‘Unholy’ hated ‘Crimson’ with a passion that for him ‘Crimson’ was never a logical ally. Any action that empowered and pleased ‘Crimson’ via a great victory over another ‘Pilgrim’ faction - even a problematic faction - would be an obvious anathema to the fundamental desires of ‘Unholy’ especially an action that might win ‘Crimson’ future favour with the ‘Spore of the Machine Fury’ thus aiding her survival. Therefore, if I was right and a ‘Proxy’ had instigated the plot it was not a ‘Proxy’ of ‘UT’.]
[I saw this dire plan as a ‘Proxy’ move only because I was the one of us capable of conceiving of it. It did not matter that I believe I would have resisted putting such a plan into action for the emotional reasons of not wanting to be guilty of genocide. Grimly my - too logical - ‘Proxy’ might deem the passing on of a little guilt to me not such a big issue. In time, I would let it go in fact the evil act destined to suffer burying in time as we leapt further forward but the good it did would be seen to flourish as a more visible salve to any hidden emotional wound. What value a little guilt compared to the treasure of saving the old style ‘Recyclers’ from the product of some of their numbers worst folly. The ‘Recyclers’ ignoring the uncompromising ‘Young Ones’ an essential part of the future ‘Pilgrim’ diversity of ‘The Project’ securing their survival and therefore future input vital to my ‘Proxies’ and me.]
[The night was waning but a darkness remained in my ‘Swimmer’ eyes.]
[The worst thing about the above truth was that perhaps a part of me judged that the true me - the ever so tolerant ‘Many Truths’ - that would not have permitted the plan, had I but known of it, was craven not in this instance enlightened. For ‘Kanne’ still standing beside me was most probably correct that sometimes lives occasionally need to be taken but we also both agreed that blood stains and I felt stained enough already sometimes deeply unclean. Even worse, I knew I would not seek out and shut down the ‘Proxy’ responsible I would not even change the conditions under which it operated. Sadly, an evil but practical part of me believed the ‘Proxy’ only logically undertook the things that needed doing including some tasks that I am too emotionally weak to do even though that truth appalled me to the absolute core of my being.]
[Perhaps if it was any faction other than the ‘One Young Recyclers’ I would have pulled the plug on all of my ‘Proxy’ and striven hard to convince my comrades to do the same with their ‘Proxy’ but for the ‘Young Ones’ it was almost a mercy killing. Like it or not, they were unnatural and discordant creations of course that was how some viewed the ‘Exposed’. Maybe that was why I could so readily imagine rank after rank of statuesque ‘Young One Recycler’ ghosts standing down there keeping the silent night-time vigil with me.]
[The ‘Young Ones’ were true ghosts now they had no hope of rebirth because they had waged total war with every asset of their entire society in an all or nothing gamble. Only a few disaffected ‘Young One Renegades’ now remained as haunted rebels that historically distrusted the ‘Warrior Prophet’ and they I suspected would slowly fade away in one skirmish or another with a death wish. I doubted they had the desire or impetus to found a new ‘Young One Nation’ so perhaps it was a true genocide not just a removal of the bulk of the ‘Young Ones’ from the ‘Ultra-nation’. I guessed the story of the ‘Young Ones’ could only ever end with their demise or the demise of all other ‘Recyclers’ in a way they forced that truth upon us as the truth of their nature was unkindly forced upon them by their makers and potential victims so long ago.]
[I let it go somewhat as just one more shrouded stain upon my character the lines of imaginary ‘Young Ones’ began slowly to fade away with the light of the coming dawn as is proper for any decent spirit. It was all just history now. If only the ‘Young Ones’ had been willing and able to regress to an earlier biological form but they would have deemed that a surrender of their cause and they did not believe in surrender in a similar way to the old ‘Splinter Raiders’ they would have preferred to die fighting and so they got their wish.]
[As stated the ‘Young Ones’ had no place in the future of the ‘Ultra-nation’ they had nowhere to go beyond the duration of their feud - they had nothing to offer ‘The Project’ - that was a simple logical fact that my ‘Proxy’ could hardly have failed to deduce. I fear my ‘Proxy’ saw to the logical core of the matter and acted with insight and reason. My little ‘Swimmer’ body shivered and lost almost all its normal rich blue colour.]
[How do you make such things right? How might the historic plight of the ‘Young Ones’ be honoured now over 1100 years later? How might they be given a legacy of remembrance? They had not asked to be made never mind created so inflexibly bound to a singular problematic purpose. I felt a deep kinship with all manufactured sentient life. Somehow in the future I would have to find a way to honour their troubled existence. It would not be right for them just to fade away out of our civilisation’s memory. Even if they were a mistake they had still lived and suffered and died and that should mean something to all surviving ‘Pilgrims’. I wondered if I could convince the ‘Recyclers’ that survived their warped children’s fall to acknowledge the sacrifice of the ‘Young Ones’ in a meaningfully instructive productive manner.]
[Perhaps it was time to act out my ‘Swimmer’ role as a Professor of History and encourage the telling of the ‘Young Ones’ tale as an important lesson that should inform all species future policy in relation to creating living weapons and tools. Come gather around and hear the tale of a doomed people born only to fight and destined to perish because they were made too well…]
“You are very far away ‘Bluu’.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“I was obsessing about the ‘Young Ones’ that their tragedy makes the killings about to happen here seem insignificant although I know that judging significance is about far more than a relative tally of the numbers of sentient beings slain by a social ill.” [I stated.]
“Ours can be a crazily unforgiving Universe. To players such as the ‘Entanglement’ mass murder is nothing just another day at the office.” [‘Short’ claimed.]
[Perhaps to far too many of us mass murder is sometimes acceptable I thought.]
“I cannot blame the ‘Entanglement’ for that one and you should not either that is not where the guilt lies: the ‘Entanglement’ even the ‘Fury’ were I am certain now merely the weapons deployed. I knew there would be blood in the mortar but I never imagined anything akin to this logical madness.” [I sent.]
“Let me guess you fear one of your ‘Proxies’ is responsible. Even if your fear is true that does not make you personally guilty of this crime you were deep asleep in stasis slumber.” [‘Short’ sent in excuse.]
“I generally know when I am and when I am not guilty and I know I am not blameless in this crime. Remember they are me - it seems this is how I think now - this is what I have become as a plotter and ‘Deep Time’ social engineer.” [I sent back.]
“You are not Harbinger and even he was wrong to carry so many burdens - you are being selfishly greedy - believe me there are always plenty deserving a share of the blame when a mighty nation falls. They say most nations first fall from within.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“That altered quote is about empire but I guess it is oft true of lesser nations too but I still feel directly responsible.” [I admitted.]
“That is because you have big hearts ‘MT’.” [‘Short’ sent.] “However now you must be little ‘Bluu’ and you must return to living in this moment the past is a dead place full of lost souls. Who knows what may happen down there today perhaps it will stay under control most of the Marines are already in place but I think we should be ready for any eventuality. With us ‘Pilgrims’ you can never be perfectly sure of any outcome.”
[With a shock, I looked again and beheld blocks and lines of Paradox Marines creating living cordons. When my ‘Young One’ projections faded, they had left only emptiness in the ‘Tri-centre City Park Square of Equals’. I had unconsciously created a synched cognitive virtual over the true reality and not even questioned this waking dream. Stupid and shockingly dangerous you could lose touch with the real playing with perception that way. Some mentally ill ‘Recyclers’ live within virtual delusions painted over the real I could not afford such weakness. Truly, the story of the ‘Lost YOR Armada’ had stricken my ‘Prime Consciousness’ with such force that it almost loosened my cognitive sanity. I could not afford to play at losing my mind as such games too easily become solid reality.]
“I definitely have to go down there now. We are bound up with this one to stand aside now at a safe distance seems far too craven.” [I sent.]
“I trust you are not thinking of doing anything silly ‘MT’ remember you are ‘Bluu’ here today and part of ‘Short Six’ not the outraged ‘Father of the Universal Councils of Equals’.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“I am all those things and by ‘Proxy’ as great and unholy a terror as you are but I will play my role and stay shrouded in this meat.” [I promised via my sending.]
“Enough self pity it is one of your least endearing personality traits. The ‘YOR’ died bravely contesting with - defying - perhaps the greatest power in the known Universe for a Warrior that is a marvellously storied way to move on.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“They died following a liar in pursuit of a lie.” [I countered.]
“It is easily argued that they lived in a lie they constantly lied to themselves to give their lives meaning after the ‘Reformation of the Sleepers’.” [‘Short’ sent back.] “The truth is they died bravely as true Warriors also their deaths had meaning it was an end to their suffering and the beginning of a slow rebirth for a better adjusted ‘Recycler Nation’ within the ‘Ultra-nation’. What happened to the ‘Lost YOR Armada’ far from just a meaningless lie the slaughter had purpose. Perhaps some of them even suspected they were deceived but preferred to end their story defiantly in one last grand misadventure.”
“You think they committed a glorious national suicide out there?” [I sent.]
“They wanted to believe they could win and complete their mission. They chose to die in the pursuit of a blind faith they did not have to follow that ‘Warrior Prophet’ no one compelled them they each made an individual and a collective decision. In addition, the more I consider it the more sure I feel that many knew exactly what they were getting into the ‘Fury’ is after all the ‘Fury’ they must have expected to perish.” [‘Short’ insisted.]
“There are many beautiful lies in life that we choose to believe without them we could not function. The night is full of unknown terrors but none are as terrifying as many known truths when naked and exposed without any glamour to sustain us.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“That almost makes mad sense and almost makes me feel better.” [I sent.]
“The ‘Proxy’ and the triple cursed ‘Entanglement’ only sold them what they wanted to believe that is the con-people trick to sell your dreams back to you.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“So they wanted to die because they did not know how to live with some changes.” [I said.]
“They could not accept the reality of the ‘Digital Reformation’ it altered their Universe forever and it was a reality in which they did not belong. They were surviving on borrowed time only via constant denial. Constantly denying too obvious truths must have been an endless strain on their psyche.” [‘Short’ stated with a cutting Warrior clarity.] “All your ‘Proxy’ did was to ease their passing to turn a slow death by a trillion cuts into one glorious terminal expedition. With hindsight you should feel proud to have had a connection to the granting of that final boon rather than ashamed.”
“You said earlier that I can still sell a truth but you outdo me threefold. Do you really believe that too generous to me story?” [I asked.]
“As a Warrior I do perhaps to a Warrior all faiths are at best beautiful lies. Show me a cause or a war truly worth dying for - show me a leader worth following - think about so called battle glory and the demonised foe these things are all beautiful lies that colour the truth to ease a Warriors life and his possible passing. I know I am a fraud it is part of what I do.” [‘Short’ sent with incredible cynicism.]
“You are not a fraud, I do not believe that truth.” [I sent.]
[‘Short’ hissed out a long undulating speaker laugh.]
“Believe what you wish maybe you Priestly Priests are even better at self-delusion than us Warrior Priests or maybe I am just deluding myself.” [‘Short’ joked via her sending.]
[I grabbed my head with some of my tentacles.] “Please stop.” [I said aloud.]
“As you wish little ‘Swimmer’.” [‘Short’ replied.]
[Was the ‘Lost YOR Fleet’ a sort of ‘Temporal Shock’ to me? We stood for a while in silence. Then everyday life intruded into my thoughts like a soothing balm.]
“Do you want to talk with the ‘Stellar Swimmer Privateers’ before we venture down to the ‘Triangle Forum’.” [I asked aloud.]
“They are in the Hotel now?” [‘Short’ asked.]
“They are I asked for an advisory from reception when they returned from the Night Market. Also they checked out digitally I would say they are what they claim to be accepting the social and legal largess of the ‘Privateer’ life.” [I admitted.]
“Excellent you can introduce me to the bold ‘Stellar Swimmers’ on the 19th floor. I will admit to being a bit jealous as they probably have an even better view than us. I wonder could we get moved up to the 20th floor if we asked the ‘Corner Consortium’ nicely or just asked old ‘Chop Chop’ with extreme menaces.” [‘Short’ stated competitively.]
“I believe the ‘Corner Consortium’ retain all the rooms on the 20th for personal use so I think that is most unlikely even with menaces those suites are not free for ‘Chop Chop’ to let them out.” [I stated.]
“That is a terrible shame, I hate being bested especially by a bunch of smelly squid no offence ‘Bluu’ but even in your ‘Suits’ somehow you people contrive to smell fishy to me.” [‘Short’ claimed.]
“No offence taken, after all you cybernetic reptiles smell pretty rank to me too when I activate my ‘Dry Suit’ olfactory sensors so I guess we are even on that score.” [I replied.]
“You ‘Swimmers’ just lack good taste not surprising as you float around in your own pee and poop.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“Are you still obsessing about that one.” [I complained raising my tentacles in exasperation.]
“Being around you and occasionally witnessing you dropping one even mid conversation I cant get it out of my head.” [‘Short’ complained as if it was driving her slowly insane.]
“It just pops out with us - it is entirely natural and unselfconscious - you rarely come across a constipated ‘Swimmer’ I suppose with our diet that is natural too. Let it go our ‘Suits’ have scrubbers and filtration as I keep mentioning.” [I reminded.]
“I wish you could hold it in when I am around. It is hard to ignore especially when it comes out slowly and hangs around attached to your rear for ages as if a long stingy extra tentacle. When poop seems to wave at you it rather draws the optics and then there are the ones with those little trapped bubbles in them I mean how can you ignore that it is strangely fascinating.” [‘Short’ complained.]
“You do know such items are not polite topics for conversation with ‘Swimmers’. I really do not see the obsession with my poop.” [I burbled whilst frowning my eyestalks.]
“Come now it cannot be an accident that the ‘Swimmer’ designed ‘Link Browser’ has a function called the ‘Poop Scooper’ you lot are no less obsessed by your poop than anyone else.” [‘Short’ challenged.]
“Well maybe a little but usually it is a fascination that passes firmly unsaid.” [I burbled.]
“Sorry have I been culturally insensitive.” [‘Short’ mocked.]
“I thought that was your standard mode of operation.” [I replied.]
“Enough if I must deal with more of you I want to get it over please after you and you are doing it now.” [‘Short’ replied.]
“I cannot help it when it needs to come out it just comes out.” [I stated.]
[Shortly on the 19th floor…]
“Not a problem I assure you satisfaction is guaranteed. We will make his life so miserable he will be begging to be loosed from his contract and without harming one hair on his ugly ‘Omerta’ head.” [‘Kuuloo’ promised.]
“Settled then it is so very good to talk to a ‘Swimmer’ that understands sharp business practices rather than blunt histories.” [‘Short’ stated.]
[I made a point of frowning at the poor jest by my ‘Great Cybernetic Leader’.]
“It is only a little aquatic ‘Dweller’ you cannot expect too much. Personally I think ‘Bluu’ is adapting marvellously to a Warrior lifestyle given the little I have seen so far.” [‘Kuuloo’ replied.]
“Are you going to watch the show from up here?” [‘Short’ asked.]
[We were on the balcony of one of the ‘Stellar Swimmer’ suites.]
“Given the view we obtained we most certainly are. Besides there are just a few too many Paradox Marines down there I would not want caught up in crossfire if they forget that they normally do not shoot at each other. People can get a bit weird with some internal business especially stuff that has deep religious and cultural identity significance. I mean little about this execution is normal Paradox behaviour as I previously thought I understood them.” [‘Kuuloo’ added.]
“I could not help but notice that you are a ‘Suit Substance User’.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“Best ‘Dry Suit’ I ever had because it can be instantly upgraded via software patches.” [‘Kuuloo’ admitted.] “I like to try new things and once I tried out a ‘Suit Substance Dry Suit’ it was impossible to go back to clunking around with a mechanical one no offence to any strict ‘Real Materialists’ who feel they have no other option.”
“Do you find your ‘Dry Suit’ sours some relations?” [I asked.]
“Some but I can have one of the lads with a ‘Mechanical Suit’ act as an intermediate when I must contend with ‘Neo-Luddite’ or other dogmatic ‘Real Materialist’ types. I assume none of you are religiously opposed to ‘Suit Substance’ since you are working from a ‘Soulless Suit Substance’ vessel and have a ‘Trojan User’ member as one of your band.” [‘Kuuloo’ stated.]
“We have no great material prejudice we try to deal with all kinds equally across all borders anything else would damage our business mobility.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“Just like those Paradox Priests claim but I have seen some ‘User Marines’ giving ‘Stellar Warrior Caste’ the old evil ‘Tri-optic’ stare and so on.” [‘Kuuloo’ stated.] “I guess some folks are always going to be more equal than others even in an equal society.”
“As a scholar of history I know that we do not always carry forward the best lessons from the past. In addition a professed intent even a fervently believed desire does not always match with every mundane interaction by any sentient being it is easy to slip especially off high pedestals they tend to be the most wobbly.” [I burbled.]
“The real Universe is a slippery wobbly place alright.” [‘Kuuloo’ agreed turning around to look back towards a scattering of ‘Primal Bobble Heads’ sitting proudly on a table. I guessed souvenirs picked up by members of his crew or maybe even gifts bought by their Captain.] “I prefer to keep my faiths simple and as a light rather than a heavy burden I have to haul around.”
“What do you think about the Paradox business down there?” [‘Short’ asked.]
“I think they are so busy worrying about where they could go that they are forgetting how they came to be although they are desperately preaching otherwise. The ones soon to be executed down there are the heretics now but tomorrow is always about the next big change. In a way all the ‘Task Force’ is doing is publicising the heresy so that everyone will know about it and be thinking about it and then thinking about it again. It is easy to kill a few people but to crush an idea the more you squeeze at the substance of an idea the more it leaks out between your fingers. Still, it promises to be a good memorable show. I am always happy to witness something different.” [‘Kuuloo’ stated.]
“You are not concerned about the possible rebirth of a ‘Pan-Nid Empire’?” [I asked.]
“It all sounds overblown and a bit Paradox Priest hysterical to me. These ones have gotten all worked up in some intense internal fiery debates and are now trying to spread the fervour of that insular blaze and for now not doing too bad a job of it but this is the real Universe not some rarefied forum of ideas so I am not convinced. If some ‘Naked Priest’ tried to tell me what to do I would just laugh in his wormy face and if he tried to impregnate me I would shoot his impregnator off in a trice. Times change there will be no xenophobic ‘Pan-Nid Empire’ that was all in the past some of those clerics have just become afraid of change afraid to show the truths they have hidden for so long that easily happens to all big institutions they grow conservative they clutch to their old faiths and values whilst the times outside are changing leaving them behind.” [‘Kuuloo’ replied.]
“Without doubt ‘The Project’ is all about a return to simpler joys many people want to fully embrace the returned environments to feel part of these new ecosystems they will want to feel the daystar shine, wind and water on their skin they will want to touch it and be part of it all not held forever separate. If you ask me ‘Shrouding’ is doomed, except as sometime clothing and armour notably space side. What we are witnessing today is just a loud last desperate rear guard action by an Order that is about to be overrun by vast external changes.” [‘Kuuloo’ stated.]
[He was right I was sure about it. I guess I simply failed to see the broader truth because I was simply far too close to it all too wrapped up in the insular internal Paradox Order debates and by my ‘Shrouding’ too. Sometimes we became deluded that our debates are the whole Universe but sometimes they are just internal discussions somewhat removed from any wider reality.]
[So ‘Primal’ is right he knows what he is doing he is just letting the old guard have a last rumble. Change is coming that is bigger than the Order, embodied in the substance of ‘The Project’ and no amount of cloistered hysteria was going to alter that truth. In time members of the Order would be seduced by biology individually the process already beginning via ‘Meat Suits’. We were about to witness the last gasp of an outdated ideal.]
“Great change is coming.” [I said aloud.]
“It is the endless cycle of progress I suppose when you are one thing you can only ever move onward to become something else. We ‘Pilgrims’ it seems grow easily bored and contemptuous of the familiar we remain natural rebels.” [‘Short’ suggested.]
“Even I as a ‘Stellar Swimmer’ now enjoy visiting the ‘Sliver Oceans’ to swim free and naked.” [‘Kuuloo’ stated.] “I wouldn’t want to live there all the time - it is too placid - but I very much enjoy being able to visit for a holiday break. However, if I was stuck in a suit all the time even in the Oceans the joy of the experience would hardly be the same.”
“Well that puts everything into a different perspective.” [I sent to ‘Short’.]
“We Priests obviously need to canvass more uninvolved external opinion but perhaps that is the great weakness of ‘Shrouding’ it always made us a bit too self-obsessed encouraging us to keep many things privately internal.” [‘Short’ sent back.]
“Well we must go now as we have decided we will go down there to better feel the atmosphere up close amongst the gathering masses.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“Good luck if you like we will act as an allied over-watch. If it somehow all goes wrong such as some kind of mad riot or the Paradox Marines factionalise and start shooting at each other or some other nonsense fall back directly to the hotel. I will have the lads endeavour to cover you with some sniper fire.” [‘Kuuloo’ promised.]
“That is an uncommonly decent offer.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“I am always happy to have useful ‘Pilgrims’ owing me a favour.” [‘Kuuloo’ stated.]
“Yes that is very good business practice and often how I like to work too.” [‘Short’ agreed.]
“Peace.” [I said in parting.]
“There you go again ‘Bluu’ trying to spoil all the fun with peace.” [‘Kuuloo’ replied.]
[Exactly as expected it was akin to a triple cursed carnival. Vendors were even working the crowd selling snacks and of course more ‘Primal Bobble Heads’. We arrived early to get a reasonable spot and made camp as a unit. It seemed to take an eternity to approach noon. I was glad of the big screens too otherwise we would have seen nothing. Close to noon a ‘Drop Ship’ approached and hovered skilfully above the platform so that five oddly shaped ‘Shroud Suits’ could disembark moving with an odd mechanical stride that suggested creatures inside being forced along by their ‘Suits’ at least to me as a ‘Pilgrim’ very familiar with the operational capabilities of ‘Shroud Suits’. Then the ‘Drop Ship’ sped away strangely almost defiantly low over ‘Tri-centre City’ in fact between rather than over some skyscrapers.]
[A scattering of ‘Tri-optics’ shifted from focusing upon the stage to follow the ‘Drop Ship’ but it soon vanished behind the ‘Sliver Tri-centre City’ horizon. To my sharply focussed perception the movement of the ‘Tri-optics’ suggested a degree of puzzlement as if they akin to me also noted something unexpected there perhaps something - unscheduled - with the departing vector of the ‘Drop Ship’.]
[The majority of the crowd however roared guessing the Prisoners had arrived. Various slogans hurled such as ‘Death to Tyrants’ and ‘Kill the Impregnator’.]
“As you have no doubt guessed within these holy ‘Shrouds’ we have imprisoned the abominations. Soon they will be exposed in all their bodily infamy then the ‘Shrouds’ they rejected will execute their sentence by slowly stretching and ripping them bodily asunder - a fitting end - to infamous betrayers of ‘Shrouding’, the ‘Pilgrimage’ and our Order.” [The Acolyte informed.]
[The ‘Five’ moved strangely akin to stiff puppets into positions near the edge of the platform facing the crowd. Curses flew and various objects too arching over the massed ranks of Paradox Marines who stood idly doing nothing merely maintaining a strong divide. Most of the chucked debris was vendor food items but even a few ‘Bobble Heads’ became missiles.]
“ARE YOU READY TO SEE THE ABOMINATIONS?” [The Acolyte yelled.]
[To this there was a torrent of replies such as ‘SHOW US’ and so on.]
“ARE YOU READY YES OR NO?” [The Acolyte asked.]
“YES” [The crowd roared.]
“I CANNOT HEAR YOU” [Rumbled the Acolyte.]
“YES’ [Screamed the crowd even louder.]
“ARE YOU SURE YOU ARE READY TO SEE YOUR EMPEROR ‘PRIMAL’?” [The Acolyte mocked.]
“YES” [The crowd roared.]
“ARE YOU READY TO BOW DOWN TO HIM TO ACKNOWLEDGE HIS AUTHORITY YES OR NO.”
“NO” [The crowd yelled.]
“ARE YOU SURE YOU WILL NOT BOW? HE SAYS HE IS THE ONE WORD OF TRUTH.”
“ALL EMPERORS MUST DIE - THE EXPOSED MUST PERISH - WE WILL NEVER BOW TO TYRANNY.” [A possibly planted Paradox in the crowd roared out.]
“NEVER, NEVER, NEVER…” [He shouted starting a chant that rolled through the crowed.]
“GOOD FOR THERE ARE MANY TRUTHS AND ONE OF THOSE TRUTHS IS AS THE GOOD PRIEST SAYS THAT WE PARADOX WILL NEVER EVER BOW TO TYRANNY.” [The Acolyte rumbled.]
“I ASK ONE LAST TIME ARE YOU READY TO BEHOLD HORRORS?”
“YES”
“THEN BEHOLD AND BEAR WITNESS AS JUSTICE IS SERVED.”
[At this point with the crowd whipped up to an expectant frenzy all five imprisoning ‘Shroud Suits’ began to glow brighter and brighter yellow and then to roar with rolling rumbling laughter as if a primitive thunder god split into five pieces. It was too obvious from the startled reaction of the Acolyte on the stage that this was not part of the script. Then all five ‘Suits’ spoke in unison with one voice and it was a voice I soon recognised.]
“JUSTICE you dare to call this travesty JUSTICE there will be no TORTURE no DISMEMBERING MURDER here today. I am ELDER ‘CREED’ and I have liberated your unlawfully detained POLITICAL PRISONERS not on the behest of any organisation but as a Paradox Priest Elder with a sacred ‘Vision’ that is non harmful. Whilst you narrow of ‘Vision’ bigoted fools of the ‘Task Force’ have been inciting the crowd I have been flying away and then leaping your captives to safety via their ‘Drop Ship’. Shame on you, shame upon anyone who would support such actions as you planned here today. YOU HAVE FORGOTTEN YOURSELVES in your fervour. Would that I could be ‘Exposed’ for I am an ‘Ascendant’ - I am pure ‘Suit Substance’ - I sacrificed my flesh my life long ago to better fight for such causes as freedom and survival for you far more biological ‘Pilgrims’ for I judged such lives - your lives - sacred.” [‘Creed’ testified.]
[Some in the crowd jeered booed and even flung more debris but ‘Creed’ ignored the insults and the mostly junk food.]
“I made my choice sacrificing my biology that others might live when such threats as the ‘Entanglement’ were new and rampaging amongst the stars consuming the good and the bad. Now even ‘Crimson’ is more enlightened and beginning to think again about how she too is a ‘Pilgrim’ with a shared ‘Pilgrim’ destiny and yet you would do this crime to fellow ‘Pilgrims’ encourage them to be tortured and slain. Look around you behold the great works we have achieved. We have put fertile earth under our feet and a blue sky over our head. We have even made new oceans for the ‘Swimmers’. You breathe in fresh - increasingly naturally recycled air manufactured by plant life - and the daystar is a warming boon rather than a scorching bane.” [‘Primal’ reminded.]
[More insults and more food was wasted on the ‘Ascendant’ but some among the crowd began to listen too a few even to nod in agreement.]
“We found a new ‘Vision’ too one that is worthy of the ages and yet you would deny the most basic rights to some souls far wiser than thou. You would deny the ‘Exposed’ an equal share in our new environment. You would deny every Paradox the hope of returning to their original nature because of foolish unfounded fears of long gone Empires and Emperors. WHAT ONCE WAS NEED NOT BE AGAIN FOR WE LEARN FROM THE PAST. DO NOT CLAIM THAT WE LEARN NOTHING FROM HISTORY BUT FEAR. Would you prefer they all become this instead - this ‘Bio-mechanical’ machine - SINCE YOU CAME HERE FOR A TRIPLE CURSED SPECTACLE LET ME SHOW YOU A TRUER HORROR EXPOSED.” [‘Creed’ yelled.]
[A sea of ‘Suit Substance Tri-optics’ adjusted to better behold whatever was coming.]
[At that point ‘CREED’ put on a grand show. The five ‘Shroud Suits’ melded into one and even the substance of the stage began to be sucked up into a towering entity that began to throb and gyrate grotesque tentacles spouted thrashing wildly around one sending the Acolyte who had been doing all the spouting tumbling away into the ranks of his fellows. Fanged mouths erupted on long wormy necks. Clawed arms pawed at the air. Two great wings flapped. The wings no less weird chimera leathery, scaly yet also graced with ‘Suit Substance’ feathers too and multiple jointed in odd mind bending ways. To me they seemed sails ill suited to any traditional form of flight but exceptionally ideal for bizarre public display. A crown of multiple ‘Tri-optics’ emerged to gaze out in all directions. Pus like boils formed upon parts of the mottled skin splitting to emit plagues of ‘bio-mechanical’ flies that surged upward then powered into the crowd nipping at exposed flesh. In addition, there were sounds - horrible sounds - screeches as of damned souls: bellows, roars, hisses, buzzing, gnashing and rattling along with fleshy ripping and tearing sounds too. Streams of ‘Bio-mechanical ‘Suit Substance’ oozed and flowed even spurted and dripped only to squirm and crawl back into the appalling entity as if it was constantly recycling damnation.]
“I wish I could have politically done that one.” [‘UT’ sent to me.]
“Good old ‘Creed’.” [I sent to ‘Short’ in reply as the crowd screaming and shouting began to panic the smarter ones fleeing away immediately before the monstrous ‘Entanglement’ style ‘Bio-mechanical’ Avatar of an enraged ‘Ascendant‘ and his plaguing flies.]
[Non-‘User’ civilians out for a jolly clearly did not carry such items as handy anti-tiny remote ‘EMP’ devices to act as multiple fly swatters. Whilst so far the Paradox Marines and other ‘Users’ even the ‘Task Force’ members did not seem to know how to best respond to this weird event obviously none of them had expected anything akin to this demonstration of ‘Ascendant’ power. Then one Marine grew taller than the rest to stand out from the masses. Here we go, I thought]
“Brothers we must unite in opposition to destroy this raging Avatar of a clearly ‘Mad Ascendant’ lest in his insanity he stands too defiant to thwart even the concept of our sacred purpose.” [He declared.]
[However, to me his intent was silly - far too late - and therefore senseless. Since the ‘Prisoners’ were long gone, attacking the shape-shifting Avatar of ‘Creed’ would change nothing and certainly not harm the ’Ascendant’ in any substantial manner. The inciter just threatened to make a show of Paradox division whilst technically infringing upon our increasing social habit not to attack fellow Paradox except with debate. Then I recalled that the ‘Task Force’ had already flouted the expanded convention that people such as the ‘Holy Father’ were keen to promote as an addition to the old Paradox policy that we strive never to kill other Paradox except in the rarest most extreme of circumstances.]
[Despite the lack of wisdom in the suggestion some Marines seemed to take notice perhaps because no one else had made any other aloud suggestion. A few began to hoist their weapons but it was only a minority that soon seemed to hesitate in their resolve perhaps noting their lack of support. I certainly witnessed no sharp military act of obedience to a clear and sensible call to arms by a natural leader these Marines could all take instant faith in.]
[I sensed that confusion continued to bedevil the ranks of these equals as they sought a truth they could follow with a clean conscience. I soon surmised they were having speeded up debates and were struggling to reach a quick consensus the issue no longer as simple in their minds anymore. Perhaps if the target of opportunity happened to be any ‘Ascendant’ other than ‘Creed’ the issue might have been far more readily resolved. Also if so many ‘Real Materialists’ were not present witnessing internal division within the Order.]
[I knew to many Acolytes and Priests ‘Creed’ was a famous Paradoxical Aspect of Justice one long defiant to any would be tyrant within or without our Order. His directly and exceptionally timely intervention here easily spreading disquiet - challenging past certainties of opinion - possibly even beginning some formal dissent within the ‘Task Force’ like a vector for a pandemic cognitive virus.]
[‘Creed’ was no ordinary Priest - he was a triple cursed ‘Ascended’ legend. Many stood almost transfixed as if mesmerised by both his speech and the bizarre creation he unleashed perhaps thinking about their own future if they slipped into becoming ‘Ascended Suit Substance’. ‘Creed’ was reminding them of the current alternative to a biological regression and he was a Paradox Elder who had always actively espoused a ‘Vision’ of justice for all within the Paradox Order. ‘Creed’ forever famous for denouncing any act of Imperial style tyranny was no supporter of Empire by any Elder, Priest or Acolyte even having preached against and warned my former Captain about the corrupting pull of exercising great personal, political and military power due to his Marine Proliferation and because Harbinger also was a ‘Founding Father of the Core Alliance’. In fact I knew that ‘Creed’ even unofficially monitored the nature of my influence on our society as the ‘Father of the Universal Councils of Equals’ lest I become too dictatorial too empowered too worshipped.]
“LEAVE THIS PLACE FOOLS OR HAVE YOUR SUBSTANCE CONSUMED. I WILL NOT HOLD BACK MY WRATH MUCH LONGER AGAINST THOSE THAT WOULD CORRUPT AND DEFILE MANY SACRED IDEALS IN THE NAME OF SUPPORTING THEM - BE GONE AND THINK AGAIN WITH A MORE BALANCED AND JUST VISION.” [‘Creed’ roared.]
[As ‘Short Six’ began to retire from the scene as a tactical unit I noticed another of the Marines stretched taller to stand forth from the equal ranks to bellow.] “I AM THE ‘WAR MASTER UNHOLY TERROR’ YOU WILL FOLLOW MY LEAD. WE WITHDRAW IN GOOD ORDER. ASSIST ANY CIVILIANS THAT HAVE FALLEN OR BEEN INJURED - CARRY THEM TO SAFETY IF NECESSARY - THERE WILL BE NO NEEDLESS DEATHS TODAY NOT ON MY WATCH. LEAVE THE HONOURABLE ASCENDANT TO THE PASSING OF HIS HOLY OUTRAGE.” [He bellowed.]
“That would be my ‘Proxy’ timely stepping up to make the most of an altered situation.” [‘Short’ sent to me proudly.]
[I noticed the ranks sharpened and set to work with only a few hesitating but then seeing the mass of the consensus they joined in with compliance too. Even the ‘Proxy’ of ‘UT’ proved a natural leader of Acolytes.]
“That Elder Paradox is right we should help any that need our assistance upon the path of our withdrawal to the ‘MCH’.” [‘Mabel’ stated.]
“See that it is so.” [‘Short’ ordered.]
[We set to work. Behind us, ‘Creed’ began to consume the substance of the big screens to bloat ever larger and more grotesquely threatening. I prayed he not go too far. I worried someone might get trigger-happy and bombard him from space side as if loosed ‘Entanglement’. I was positive they were watching the show up there in horrified fascination. We Paradox are all about our ‘Vision’ we love to watch to monitor and record it was almost a weakness.]
“I guess he has been keeping that in for a long time.” [‘Jack’ sent to me as he detoured somewhat to scoop up a crying young ‘Omerta’ child whilst I helped the boys fallen Mother regain her feet as gently as I could with my mechanical limbs. She was a ‘Neo-Luddite’ by her robes a member of one of the more extreme religious sects she had bruises developing on her cheeks and forehead and I guessed absolutely no nanotech support just biologically altered to live here.]
[Marines were evacuating other fallen people now and intervening to prevent further self wrought damage by the fleeing crowd as it surged away in all directions some still swatting at harassing swarms of ‘bio-mechanical’ flies. In a few cases Marines paused to administer basic first aid to more seriously fallen wounded but thankfully the damage from the fiasco did not seem too bad so far, partially I guessed because the ‘Square’ is so big only a few choke points occurring at ornate park bridges over streams and so on that had to be hastily traffic managed. Luckily for the civilians the Marines now acted decisively to prevent further trampling incidents and so on taking charge at every danger zone. I felt proud of the caring unity of purpose belatedly displayed by the Paradox forces - better late than never.]
[Eventually we fell back amongst some of the throng to the ‘Multi Corner Hotel’ our ‘Stellar Swimmer’ friends above not having to deploy their sniper rifles to aid our retreat. ‘Creed’ was not out to actually harm anyone or anything other than a misguided cause. ‘Short’ had ‘Short Six’ clatter up the stairs all nineteen floors to join our volunteer over-watch rather than us just going to the privacy of our own rooms.]
“Now that show I did not expected.” [‘Kuuloo’ admitted as we joined him on his balcony.]
[The weird creation of ‘Creed’ had stopped growing and thrashing around to become a truly bizarre ‘Suit Substance’ statue that dominated the ‘Triangle Forum’ akin to a monstrous idol to a risen Dark Elder God from some nightmare fantasy story.]
“I was terribly tempted to shoot at that monstrosity when it first erupted however in the end I decided that antagonising an enraged Paradox ‘Ascendant’ - even for a little sport and at a great distance - was probably a very bad idea.” [‘Kuuloo’ admitted.] “Do you think they will leave that below as a massive reminder of the rage of a most rare ‘Ascendant’?”
“All I can say is that I would leave it as a physical testimonial. I think that thing will make a spectacular tourist attraction too in the days ahead. I wonder could we get in quickly with mini ‘Real Material’ Icons of that one it seems a great business idea. As to the big one down there all it needs is a low wall around it and some sort of plaque.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“Here ‘Creed’ educated the masses about the greater evil of ‘Ascension’ over lesser fears about ‘Pan-Nid’ biology.” [I offered.]
“Far too long although I suppose a better phrase than: here ‘Creed’ scared the poop out of them.” [‘Short’ joked.]
“You need something snappy might I suggest: ‘Creed’ the ‘Lord of Flies’.” [‘Mabel’ mocked.]
“Some in the ‘Task Force’ might prefer ‘Creed’ the ‘Lord of Lies’.” [I replied.]
“I am sure that so many Marines could have destroyed that Avatar even with an ‘Ascendant’ running it.” [‘Kuuloo’ stated.]
“Not without breaking a cultural taboo by assaulting the substance of a respected Elder and what did they really have to gain the prisoners were gone and for all his fierce aspect shaping ‘Creed’ was not really harming anyone ignoring a few mosquito bites and one tentacle swipe to chastise an overly mouthy Acolyte.” [I burbled.]
“Truly they are strange ‘Pilgrims’ these Paradox.” [‘Kuuloo’ stated.]
“I wonder how the Paradox Order will respond to this days work.” [I burbled.]
“I imagine initially with some very lively debates their will be wresting.” [‘Ingrid’ replied insightfully.]
“That I think is a masterful understatement ‘Ingrid’.” [‘Short’ replied.]
“Will they turn upon ‘Creed’ as an Order traitor?” [‘Mabel’ asked.]
“I think not though some may try to defame him ‘Creed’ has some powerful old friends and a storied reputation as an unbending paladin of justice. Importantly he is I think independent enough to get away with this where others who might have felt the same urges were more constrained by internal family Acolyte opinion and Corporate needs.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“As a scholar of history I know that ‘Creed’ lost most of his original family long ago to the ‘Advent of the Entanglement’ that gives him an unusual degree of latitude in action in this new age of Acolyte power. Truly he was the best Paradox for this hour very few others could get away with that sort of outrageous public display especially a public show of unpopular ‘Entangled’ style shape-shifting in the face of massive adversity of opinion but ‘Creed’ is just different enough to defy being bound by any trend. For a start, it is so unlike him to be demonstrably uncontrolled that it will make every Paradox stop and think again. It may not change every bigoted opinion about the ‘Exposed’ but it will go a long way to weakening the position of the ‘Anti-Exposed Movement’ as a firm consensus a very long way if I know the ‘Councils of Equals’.” [I added.]
“Few Paradox of worth have not heard of ‘Creed’. In some ways he verges on being a ‘Mad Ascendant’ with his insistent belief that he is actually dead that he sacrificed his life long ago but he just falls on the right side of something akin to a weirdly savant genius instead of seeming a menace that needs put down by the Order.” [‘Short’ informed.]
“You sound impressed.” [‘Ingrid’ said.]
“I salute him with the benefit of hindsight I think that was well done he may well have saved all Paradox from a fall from grace in relation to their usually spouted core ideals attempting to execute ‘Primal’ an act of intolerance by a supposedly tolerant Order against unnecessary enforcements of authority. They have been far too close to this one got into an unbalanced rage of their own and acted rashly.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“The belated action by our friend ‘Creed’ is inspired hokum but hardly what ‘Primal’ planned to save his cause in the long-term.” [I sent privately to ‘Short’.] “Now some will keep looking for ‘Primal’ and his supposed Cult.”
“That show might prove educational even for ‘Primal’ and actually be more of a boon rather than a bane. As wildly unexpected consequences go this one is pretty benign although what the rest of the ‘Ultra-nation’ will make of it remains to be seen I think many Paradox may think again including many Acolytes and that may well be the deciding factor.” [He sent.]
[Aloud ‘Short’ added the following.] “There will be riots tonight in the ‘Tri-centre City’ some ‘Real Materialist’ agitators will decry the Paradox ‘User’ Marines for allowing injuries to occur to biological ‘Pilgrims’ by refusing to instantly counter and destroy the Avatar of one of their own kind just because he is a famous Elder. Some will claim the Paradox ‘Users’ encouraged the crowd to muster then exposed them to an ‘Entanglement’ style danger and many wanting any excuse to behave badly will heed such words.”
“I noticed the usual ‘Real Material’ agitators were not brave enough to cause any trouble down there in the ‘Triangle Forum’ whilst fenced in by a preponderance of ‘User’ Marines.” [‘Ingrid’ stated.]
“Most ‘Real Material’ agitators are not that stupid although they might have tried to incite a slaughter via remotes if they had foreseen this sort of outcome in advance. I think if there are some riots tonight now they will only be incited by the usual suspects and thus overall be nothing new and mostly be contained within certain districts as such nothing too much worth worrying about just another night in ‘Tri-centre City’.” [I burbled in reply.]
“A few riots are usually good for both of our sorts of business. My crew often hire out as mercenaries sometimes even to keep the peace.” [Captain ‘Kuuloo’ interjected.] “That was a fascinating ‘User’ show but I still feel a little bit cheated of my Paradox Murder Spectacle still a few riots would placate me nicely. Besides, it does some people good to vent on occasion better venting than building up too much pressure and exploding.” [‘Kuuloo’ possibly joked or possibly just confessed.] “I wonder where ‘Creed’ has taken ‘Primal’ and his followers.”
“I do not care where those Political Paradox Prisoners have gone - some potential bounties are simply not worth the trouble. I have no desire to cross an ‘Ascendant’ with the reputation and friends ‘Creed’ possesses not for any amount of credits.” [‘Short’ claimed.]
“True enough as a ‘User’ I know a bit about the most powerful ‘User’ factions and individual personalities and even that ‘War Master Unholy Terror’ who took charge down there is something of a friend of ‘Creed’ even if they agree to disagree about some issues. I believe some other members of the ‘Founder Cabal’ also favour ‘Creed’ such potentates are best left well alone as far too dangerous ‘Pilgrims’ to openly provoke.” [‘Ingrid’ stated.]
“As a historian I would judge this mostly bloodless action perhaps ‘Creeds’ single finest hour to date. The truly historically great are oft elevated by one noteworthy action that stands out firmly within the shifting mass of cultural memory - I think we have witnessed just such a moment - I find that humbling and a blessing. I think we have witnessed a single event that will have a profound effect upon all ‘Pilgrims’ because ‘Creed’ managed to pick a perfect time and place to sow dissention within the ranks of the ‘Anti-Exposed Movement’ to start a sort of counter revolution. That was not a random act of random rage it was a perfectly contrived piece of political theatre by a very clever Priest.” [I burbled.]
“I have a job for you ‘Six THREE’ I was serious about manufacturing icons of ‘Creed’ as a ‘Paradoxical Aspect of Justice’ I want you to get on ‘LINK’ commission a purposely ugly prototype and then get some folk manufacturing and distributing I want to see them hitting the shops and stalls before the hour is out. We need to hurry or someone else will beat us to the deed. Use our slush fund if necessary then invest our profits back into expanding the venture. ‘Pilgrims’ especially tourists will be queuing up to buy the grotesque things they have no taste whatsoever some will buy them to mock our ‘User’ hideousness others to extol a paradoxically ugly and thus more real symbol of virtue as such we should be able to sell to everyone by just altering the pitch at the point of sale. Quickly now business opportunities wait upon no one like a dropped citrus fruit that rolls down a hill it must be chased down and squeezed whilst it is still fresh until you get every drop of tasty juice out. We missed the boat with the ‘Primal Bobble Head’ thing but this time we will be the ones frolicking in mounds of credits.” [‘Short’ sent to me as if a true ‘Recycler’.]
[I swear our ‘Meat Suits’ do in time somewhat inform our actions. I did as he commanded whilst praying he was right about his business plan being a good investment, still I wondered if our ‘Great Cybernetic Leader’ might just be about to overenthusiastically blow away the useful facility of our slush fund.]
[I digitally sought out a reasonably honest local three dimensional artist able and willing to do a rushed job of work and commissioned a prototype Icon. I could have easily rendered something myself with the help of a tiny bit of the ‘Serendipities’ auxiliary ‘Suit Substance’ but having the name of a local Paradox artist who worked with ‘Real Material’ attached to the Icon would do the cause no harm. Commissioning a manufacturer to run off the items in suitable materials was no problem either I had loads of companies I could choose from for that purpose in ‘Tri-centre City’ alone. I picked one that had worked on occasion with the ‘MTC’ and I thus knew was reliable. I arranged for the completed prototype to be secure delivered after I confirmed it was suitable for mass production.]
[I began researching point of sale outlets and making contacts. Even before the prototype was finished, I had calculated the product run costs created a pricing structure that gave our retailers and us sensible yet attractive profit margins and discovered I had a host of orders. Naturally, we would also sell direct from factory warehouse via ‘Link’ too at a discount. People I contacted were generally enthusiastically happy to jump in with us to get their share of profit from a topical event whilst it was fresh in the public consciousness and before the next big thing came along to supplant the current frenzy of interest in the show and tell by ‘Creed’.]
[The trick with this sort of thing was to stop mass production at the right time when demand peaked also before cheeky rivals flooded the market with cheap copies. The most important criteria being not to end up with credits bound up within stock you could no longer rapidly shift. I guessed that ‘Short’ did not want us to be in this as long term Icon manufacturers he just wanted to make a quick killing from a famous / notorious happening and then get out with a secure profit.]
[With the permission of her Captain I had the ‘Serendipity’ create a ‘Cognitive Sub Core’ to oversee the business venture once I had all the basics in place including a formula for when to cease production and further investment I sent ‘Short’ a data blast progress report then happily retired from the venture judging my job done.]
“Outstanding.” [‘Short’ sent to me in reply.]
Last edited by Paranoid66 on Mon, 18. May 15, 10:47, edited 3 times in total.
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Paranoid66
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[[ONE]] Part 12 --- THE STACKS / HARD EXTRACTION / PRIME MASS ---
[Later after nightfall ‘Short’ gathered ‘Short Six‘ around her in our favourite ‘Multi Corner Hotel’ suite.]
“Briefing time: The subject an ‘Omerta’ named ‘Handy Ned’ of ‘Handy Ned’s Marvellous Appliances’ over in another slum style district this one a lot bigger known as ‘The Stacks’. ‘The Stacks’ because it is in places vertical with hovels stacked one upon another in dodgy mini tower blocks. ‘Handy’ got his store trashed and himself kidnapped as a ‘User’ by a local ‘Real Material’ Cult known as the ‘Real Machinists’ or just the ‘Machinists’. As far as I can tell the felons are cybernetic enhanced ‘Trojan Omerta’ criminals acting religious zealots of the ‘Great Machine’. Unbelievably nihilist ‘Machine Fury’ worshipping idiots classed officially as a ‘Neo-Armageddon Faction’. Claiming to love the ‘Machine Fury’ makes them look super badass but it is all a show at least I hope they are not that stupid.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“Scuttlebutt is that ‘Ned’ is no ‘User’ he just sells some ‘User’ goods under the counter ‘Suit Substance Blocks’, ‘Infusion Materials’, ‘Extrusion Software’ the usual stuff along with his primary stock of ‘Real Material’ appliances, gadgetry and software. Truth is the ‘Machinists’ probably just wanted an excuse to loot his store and to squeeze the owner for easy profits. They are claiming he is a ‘User’ sympathiser and spy set up in the ‘Stacks’ by a big Paradox Corporation to monitor ‘Real Materialist’ subversives mostly to get support from more general rioters and to make the most of the outburst of anti-‘User’ feeling caused by the recent ‘Creed Triangle Forum Incident’. The ‘Machinists’ always open to any recruitment opportunity for increasing cult membership.” [‘Short’ claimed.]
“From all reports ‘Handy Neds’ was well secured via a few automated turret systems and well sited ‘Stasis Security Field Emitters’ and so on but the ‘Machinists’ are tech freaks and cyber terrorists so they managed to trash his systems digitally just long enough to allow them to trash them in the real before they could recoup. Using the ongoing riot as extra cover, they then looted the store that rests in the currently troubled ‘South Fence Market’ and grabbed ‘Handy’ who is actually not the fighting type. Unfortunately for the ‘Machinists’ old ‘Handy’ is a cunning enough operator to have a little added insurance put aside as in an automatic ‘Quiet Contract’ bounty for his rescue should something akin to this ever happen and I picked up that ‘Quiet Contract’ from a secure ‘Tri-centre City Licensed Bounty Hunter Link Site’.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“The job is simple we go in beat down anyone that tries to get in our way and extract ‘Ned’ before his secondary failsafe kicks in and his ransom is paid. We get nothing if the ‘Machinists’ secure the payoff that is the deal. Being no fighter but trespass vengeful there is a bonus clause in the ‘Quiet Contact’ for suitably inconveniencing anyone directly responsible for ‘Ned’ requiring rescue. We are not talking a massive bonus and the wording of the clause is a bit vague but I believe we ought to be able to win this bonus from an appreciative ‘Ned’. Anyway these Cult freaks need taught a lesson that kidnapping honest traders does not pay.” [‘Short’ added.]
“The Marines are letting most of the riots just burn out as they do not want to be portrayed as ‘Users’ knocking too many ‘Real Material’ heads together. Instead they have cordoned off rioting areas and left any necessary internal interventions in such areas to ‘Local Sliver Police’, ‘Local Corporate Security’ and of course us ‘Bounty Hunters’. However the ‘LSP’ are not doing much in ‘The Stacks’ beyond defending a local ‘LSP Station House’ currently under heavy siege. As to the ‘LCS’ as ever they are only interested in extracting and protecting their individual ‘Corporate Assets’ therefore sole traders such as ‘Handy Ned’ are easy victims with little lawful support despite paying his taxes I would deem it a disgrace if such matters did not put food on my table.” [‘Short’ mocked.]
“The ‘Machinists’ think they got themselves a nice soft target and an easy payday but that is only because they do not know about the ‘Quiet Contract’. Anyway we have a little surprise on our side as negotiations are advancing through the motions for the release of the official ransom. I guess ‘Ned’ is nonetheless savvy enough to know that he really cannot afford to pay any ransom - unless he has no other choice - as it will make him seem a future payday to every villain in ‘The Stacks’. So being generous we go in there and do enough damage to convince the local felons not to mess with ‘Ned’ in future and we get him out with all his bits intact and get our bonus.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“Arrogantly rumour has it the ‘Machinists’ are holding ‘Ned’ not wisely at some unknown secret location but almost openly at their grandly named ‘Chapter House Temple’ site. Yes these folk are more small time players with delusions of grandeur - but that suits me fine - although they are more serious players than the ‘Last Boys’ I am positive we can take them because they firmly believe no one is coming to the rescue and they know ‘Ned’ has no intent to die rather than pay up.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“The mechanism of the ransom is however being delayed by a whole host of logical enough provisions that ‘Ned’ built in supposedly to guarantee that the real unharmed ‘Handy Ned’ arrives at a safe place in return for the release of the ransom.” [‘Short’ added.] “Still we are very much on the clock so I have bribed some ‘Task Force Marines’ to pick us up and throw us out at a suitable location within ‘The Stacks’ via ‘Drop Ship’. In a moment we need to begin moving up to the roof. Sadly our taxi refuses to pick us up afterwards so we will have to make our own way out probably on foot as usual.” [‘Short’ finalised.]
>>> The ‘Poop Scooper’ here again scooping a little poop this time on ‘The Stacks District of Tri-centre City’. Think socially excluded impoverished distrustful very angry ‘Anti-Corporate’ and often ‘Anti-User’ extremists doing it themselves thus all the chaotic homebuilding using scavenged - stolen - materials and you will not be far wrong. Firstly, it is not as bad as it looks. Most of the walls will not topple if you lean on them although some might wobble as if a poorly made stage set. The flooring should hold in the higher levels unless you jump up and down on a soft spot. Secondly the people are not that dangerous either discounting the Cults and the Gangs that have taken up residence. I suggest you look up ‘Triple Tower Disaster’ if you want to understand how and why this place exists. <<<
[ ‘Triple Tower Disaster’: Much of the original salvage used for ‘The Stacks’ arrived from the substance of the ‘Triple Tower Disaster’. The infamous ‘Triple Tower’ designed to be the tallest Skyscraper in ‘Tri-centre City’ history with the largest internal cubic space. Billed in advance as a ‘Real Material’ triumph the ‘Triple Tower’ was to create a new ‘Real Material’ heart to ‘Tri-centre City’ overreaching the majestic heavy gravity defying ‘Suit Substance Spike’. Tragically during the latter stages of the ‘Triple Tower’ construction period ambitiously begun only 88 years after the ‘Founding of Tri-centre City’ the endeavour suffered from a freak ‘Nanotech Disassembler’ accident that undermined the structural integrity of the tower at the foundation level bringing the entire building spectacularly pan-caking down with the known loss of 167 lives and some claim as many as 300+ injured.]
[Many ‘Real Materialist’ agitators have claimed the accident actually ‘User’ sabotage by a coterie of jealous ‘Spike Dwellers’ jealous of the status of their building as the greatest in ‘Tri-centre City’ but nothing was ever proven. Note most of the original inhabitants of ‘The Stacks’ were involved in the ‘Triple Tower Construction Project’ and as survivors of its hammering fall. More than a few residents retaining slain kin some destined to be reborn others sadly gone forever due to being extreme ‘Neo-Luddite’ types without ‘Neural Net’ and ‘Rebirth’ support. Most early residents, made unemployed by the demise of the ‘Tower’, for a few years lived off stoutly guarded ‘Triple Tower’ salvage not just living in it due to the destruction of the on site Corporate Worker Quarters. The workers and worker families considering salvage of the ruins their compensation as few official payouts ever arrived from the financially troubled ‘Sky Vault Enterprises’.]
[Any attempt to clear the ruins that became ‘The Stacks’ meeting riotous resistance the survivors there quickly growing both angry and militant many later recruited into opportunistic ‘Anti-User’ or ‘Anti-Corporate’ style ‘Deck Gangs’ and Cults.]
[Due to the ‘Triple Tower’ going massively over budget, illegal salvaging of the ruins and delayed insurance payoffs to ‘Sky Vault Enterprises’ not to mention a growth in public resistance to the endeavour the grand construction project following the disaster was scrapped in every way possible. ‘Triple Tower’ proving such a public relations disaster for ‘Sky Vault’ that the company was soon liquidated by its owners as it had become negatively associated in the minds of almost ever ‘Ultra-nation Pilgrim’ only with the ‘Triple Tower’ debacle - corporate incompetence - and many claimed corruption.]
[Another widespread rumour is that someone high up in ‘Sky Vault’ opted to sabotage their own building in a desperate act of insurance fraud because the increasingly over budget building was turning into a ruinous credit sink for every investor in it. A big issue with the ‘Triple Tower’ being a truly bizarre mathematical error in the original architectural load bearing calculations that required the later implementation of extra supporting members that some claimed also marred the previous structural beauty of the buildings initial proposed form. All I could surmise was that someone had used too much fallible meat brain and no cognitive assistance even to confirm his or her figures due to pride arrogance or material prejudice. Worse, in places, the new essential structural members altered the available internal cubic spaces, many pre-sold under original specifications, resulting in both unhappy customers and various legal suits and demands for at the very least partial refunds not long before the, too convenient for some, disaster.]
[We boarded our - hired - ‘Drop Ship’ unobtrusively from the roof of the ‘MCH’. I noticed only a couple of ‘Soulless’ Marines protectively stationed onboard the transport to watch over us paid passengers it then proved a very short flight the ‘Soulless’ arranging us out the opened hatchway whilst still high in the air. They dropped us off upon the roof of a tall slum ‘Stack’ from a great height using ‘Extruded Drop Tentacle’ technology a sort of ‘Suit Substance’ smarter smart rope. The ‘Drop Tentacles’ latched onto each of us in turn and after a thrilling almost fall applied the breaks smoothly to deposit us with tender care upon the scouted as unoccupied roof before whipping upward with terrible speed for the next ‘Short Six’ victim / thrill seeker.]
[The roof unoccupied by ‘Pilgrims’ but crowded with a forest of solar energy collection systems most home made from various salvaged components. A long time ago most of ‘The Stacks’ were cut off from ‘Main Line Power’ in a failed effort to force the residents into compliance with ‘Tri-centre City’ building regulations and so on.]
[As ‘Bluu’ I was the last for the high tech bungee jump and it felt scary even though I had total trust in the technology as a secret ‘User’. Actually it was cursed impressive the way the ‘Tentacle’ constantly adjusted for wind shift and even movement by the ‘Drop Ship’ to avoid smashing me into the ‘Solar Collectors’ on the way down. The building we landed on not our ‘Chapter House’ target but an unrelated residential ‘Stack’ overlooking it from a safe distance. Some of us began unpacking some equipment also dropped by ‘Tentacle’. I just got out my ‘FP1’ now modified with attachments allowing it to double as a slightly lower powered ‘Force Pulse Sniper Rifle’ via an ‘MTC’ branded ‘Extended Pulse Accelerator Barrel’ and a generic ‘High Powered Scope’ mounted on the rail.]
[‘Short’ dispatched ‘Mosquito Drones’ whilst some of the rest of us used scopes and other surveillance gear from the designated ‘Delta Site’ to check out the externals of the target site from our towering vantage. The ‘Chapter House Temple’ had its own secure compound but no killing space as typically here other building encroached upon its fences. In fact it was other buildings not fences that in any manner obscured part of our view. The place was well illuminated with floodlights and had regular security patrols including fierce looking extra-large genetically engineered and extra-cybernetic enhanced guard dogs. These Cultists not big on uninvited callers.]
“You failed to mention the hounds from hell.” [I complained.]
“Although according to my data the ‘Bio-Kennel Tech’ units have been further upgraded physically via extra cybernetics and are nasty against locals they should remain useless against such as us because they still have their original internal baseline networking communications hardware and low grade digital cognitive boosting that is embarrassingly easy to hack if you know the trick.” [‘Short’ stated aloud.] “Been there and done that in the past well my ‘Proxy’ did but she gifted me the details.” [‘Short’ added smugly to me via sending.] “Leave the ‘Cerberus Hound Units’ to me.” [She finished aloud.]
“The perimeter guards should mostly follow a routine remember the plan I data blasted in flight we evade the outer patrols rather than engaging whenever possible at least on the way in less risk of a broadcast early warning alarm going out that way.” [‘Short’ informed.]
“Once I have the dogs on a digital leash and ignoring us I will hold back at the ‘Beta Site’ I am not best suited to deep stealth.” [‘Short’ confessed.] “Our good friends ‘Ingrid’ and ‘Mabel’ with ‘Jack’ as backup will do the primary sneaking infiltration part of the extraction breaching to lay down the charges and to secure ‘Ned’ once the ‘Mosquitoes’ have his position firmly marked. Once our primary is secure we start blowing stuff up and make lots of noise do as much damage as possible to infrastructure and Cult members and so on to cover the withdrawal by ‘Ingrid’, ‘Mabel’ and ‘Jack’ with ‘Ned’. You stay here at ‘Delta’ as sniper over watch then zip line down to the ‘Epsilon Rally Point’ from which we make our final push out of ‘The Stacks’ in the set tactical stages on your maps. All nice and simple.”
“I expected more riot and noise down there.” [‘Jack’ stated.]
“Most of the rioting is at interface zones such as the ‘South and North Fence Markets’ and at that unfortunate ‘Local Sliver Police House’ still under siege none of which are near here.” [‘Short’ informed.] “Not much point in the locals tearing up their own homes since the Marines are staying outside ‘The Stacks’ despite various attempts at provocation including a few kidnappings of Corporate folk brought into here but that is an ongoing job for ‘Local Corporate Security’ and not our business tonight.”
“Hurry it up ‘Ingrid’ I want the first ‘Suit Substance Zip Line’ the one to ‘Beta’ locked in ASAP.” [‘Short’ ordered.]
“Sorry I need to find a good clear spot strong enough to anchor the ‘Scaffold Pyramid’ otherwise it will be an epic fail.” [She complained I guessed scanning around before hoisting up the extruded bit of scaffolding type structure and planting it down were it self tapped into the material of the roof to lock solidly in place.]
“All done first ‘Spider Missile’ away.” [She stated.]
[A tiny missile shot away from the top of the ‘Scaffold Pyramid’ unravelling part of its substance as it went to create the ‘Suit Substance Zip Line’ that locked into another ‘Stack Tower’ our ‘Beta Site’ a smaller ‘Stack’ that almost directly bordered the ‘Chapter House Compound’ fence. The thread despite its strength was so fine that even up close it was virtually invisible at least at standard zero magnification.]
“Tensioning and testing the ‘Line’ she is good to go.” [‘Ingrid’ promised moments later.]
“I knew having a ‘User’ on the team would prove useful eventually.” [‘Short’ joked.]
[I was glad to see ‘Short’ making better use of other members of ‘Short Six’.]
“Anyway, that is my cue to go get into the doggies’ local net communications range. Bless every firmer ‘Neo-Luddite’ with their cheap supposedly encrypted wireless systems rather than ‘Neural Nets’ and ‘EXO-C’. You all have your orders.” [‘Short’ stated.] “Have fun.”
[‘Ingrid’ handed him a ‘Suit Substance Zip Line Traveller’ that had an inbuilt brake system and even powered wheels for going up line rather than just sliding down. ‘Short’ locked it over the line grabbed the handle and launched off the roof.]
“She looks too fat and heavy for this sort of thing.” [‘Jack’ stated.]
[I noticed despite the auto tensioning the line did sag a bit under her bulk but not to an outrageous degree even with her carrying her usual preponderance of armaments.]
[I hoped her data proves correct about the ‘Cerberus Units’ only being upgraded on the outside. Luckily for people such as us, ‘Real Materialist’ felons often weakened their own security based upon the level of their ‘Neo-Luddite’ tendencies. The ‘Machinists’ were actually far from strict ‘Neo-Luddite’ types loving advanced cybernetics but they employed some gear manufactured by people with higher standards of bigotry including the ‘Cerberus Hound Units’ that were products of ‘Bio-Kennel Tech’ who mostly specialised in fully biological products rather than cyber engineering thus I guessed the low grade hardware network communications built into the ‘Cerberus Units’ used simply as an aid for better coordinating their guarding efforts. Against other low tech locals the now doubly boosted dogs were a more than able deterrent to trespass but according to ‘Short’ useless against higher tech professionals of her calibre.]
[A few implanted ‘Cognitive Sub Cores’ would have made the ‘Bio-Kennel Tech’ far more formidable guard units but many ‘Neo-Luddite’ folk hated ‘Sub Cores’ with a rare passion forever associating that actually ‘Hierophant’ created technology now with the arrival of ‘Soulless User’ Marines that they equated as no less horrific than ‘Entanglement’ assets. ‘Pure Biotech Units’ were a new favoured solution of ‘Neo-Luddite’ folk with ‘Sliver’ dwelling ‘Omerta’ people particularly found of various guard dog varieties. Such factions would just love to hate our ‘Proxies’ if they ever discovered their existence.]
“Everyone hold. I thought I could digitally capture at least one of them from up here atop ‘Beta’ which is all I need to propagate the virus but I cannot get a signal lock. I am going to have to go down and get even closer. Maybe there is some method in the madness of low signal and reception strength of these units very local network.” [‘Short’ sent to us.] “Stay on standby until I confirm the digital leash.”
“Be careful if you get too close they might sniff you out and trigger an alarm.” [I sent back somewhat stating the obvious.]
“I made a point of scent masking it should hold unless I get stupidly close.” [‘Short’ advised.]
“Guess it is some old style rappel work or risk breaching this building and taking the stairs.” [‘Short’ sent.] “I put a lock on the door up here as this one has a garden and might get night time visits. I am hopeful that casual visitors locked out will just go away rather than making a big fuss.” [She added.]
“If you must rappel try the south corner all the balconies there currently look reasonably clear of civilian activity.” [I advised.]
“Outstanding ‘Six THREE’.” [‘Short’ replied - outstanding - a military style word she was now risking overusing one of the dangers of ‘Meat Suit’ roles is getting both clichéd and carried away - I let it go.]
[Through my scope I anxiously altered between watching the balconies for activity and following ‘Short’ as she dropped a smart rope and began manoeuvring into position it seemed to take her forever to get ready for her controlled fall. Just as she began to drop I noticed a figure stepping out onto one balcony.]
“Got a ‘Trojan’ girl on one of the balconies perhaps ten years old but she is not looking in your direction.” [I informed ‘Short’ as she slipped by.]
[I relaxed a little. Not much I could do anyway as I was not going to shoot an innocent child with a ‘Force Pulse’. Unfortunately moments later ‘Short’ must have landed hard and noisily for the girl moved to look down causing me to pray to Harbinger. Thankfully in the gloom I was soon positive she saw nothing of interest due in part to having a poor angle too anyway her lack of reaction suggested a loss of interest as she returned to possibly star gazing or maybe watching the lights of the ‘Task Force’.]
“Dropped into a cursed pile of I think kitchen waste type garbage.” [‘Short’ sent in complaint.] “So much for not smelling bad.”
“You need to move around the corner got some civilians moving up from the west look like spent rioters going home to me.” [I informed.]
“Going north anyway.” [‘Short’ sent moving around the corner and tight to the building so that I quickly lost direct sight of her so I followed her positional tag.]
“I have it, I have a signal. One of them is right over by the fence sniffing around sending the virus now before it sniffs me.” [‘Short’ sent.]
[A few tense moments passed.] ‘Confirm leash, repeat I can confirm the leash back to mission go.”
[‘Jack’ then ‘Mabel’ and last of all ‘Ingrid’ zipped across to the ‘Beta Site’. ‘Kanne’ sent down two sacks of supplies then returned with me to a ‘Delta Site’ vigil.]
“Team slight plan alteration I am going to stay down here now as climbing back up would probably be too noisy until the fireworks start.” [‘Short’ sent.] “Instead of going in ‘Six TWO’ I want you to secure ‘Beta’ topside and act as forward over watch. ‘Six FIVE’ and ‘Six SIX’ I trust you two can handle the infiltration I know you have long worked as a team before joining ‘Short Six’. If you need loud heavy fire support I will make a ground side assault but that is best left to after ‘Ned’ is acquired and it all starts to kick off.”
“No problem.” [‘Six SIX’ or ‘Ingrid’ sent in reply.]
“Little ‘Six THREE’, ‘Six FOUR’ and you ‘Six TWO’, are the infiltrators eyes on the Patrols with you having even better overall external coverage than my ‘Mosquitoes’ so keep them informed whilst they are covertly laying down the explosives. Do not rush girls I know we are on the clock here because of the ransom but you cannot rush stealth and slow is better than spotted.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“Launching the ‘Spider Missile’ into the Compound.” [‘Ingrid’ advised.]
[Our ‘Omerta’ females individually zipped down when given their all clear window of opportunity. Once down they had the missile detach and spool back to the ‘Beta Site’ lest someone freakishly spot that line. Directed into cover and now ignored by the ‘Hounds’ they began unpacking the remote explosives then systematically placing them at each previously designated site again with the aid of over watch directions to avoid the patrols. That part of the job completed soon enough without any mishaps they waited upon the ‘Mosquitoes’ directed by ‘Short’ finding the quarry.]
[Some areas ‘Short’ had deliberately avoided with the ‘Mosquitoes’ to the last moment fearing they might have security scanners sensitive enough to spot them but now she had no choice but to breach even those areas with the remotes although at times she actually walked them rather than flew them using exaggerated caution. The caution proved unfounded all the detection systems spotted being geared towards larger threats.]
[Still because of the fear of sensitive scanners the girls had to wait slightly longer than expected.]
“Sorry about the delay they have him in a cursed underground creepy crypt type bunker directly beneath the main ‘Temple to the Machine Fury’. I am sure that comes in handy for initiations of the gullible.” [‘Short’ sent before sending them a data blast of images and data from the ‘Mosquito’ that finally located ‘Ned’ in a remarkably primitive type stone cell adorned with disturbing stylised murals of the ‘Machine Fury’.] “It seems they value theatrics over technology down there but I am not sure I am buying into that truth. I would be careful of judging this book by its digital cover it could all be a facade over some ‘Real Material’ high tech these ones by all reports love their toys.”
“Just one active guard near the prisoner seems a bit lean and a trap.” [‘Mabel’ sent.]
“Four more guards in a side chamber they appear to be concentrating upon playing mah-jong with holographic tiles.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“Quiet night in at the office.” [‘Ingrid’ sent.]
“I still expected far more opposition in here.” [‘Mabel’ stated.]
“No need to feel disappointed the ‘Mosquitoes’ located the bulk of them in a big gathering in the west wing which I am afraid is also from these images their primary armoury. I think they are tooling up for the ransom exchange now you really do need to hurry.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“Moving to the ‘Temple’ now.” [‘Ingrid’ sent in reply.]
[Rushing to the ‘Temple’ after doing so very well the girls got momentarily sloppy but that was all it takes one guard for some reason breaking the standard pattern of patrol turned about and spotted them as they crossed a patch of necessary open ground moving towards a ‘Temple’ side door. ‘Kanne’ also doing over watch saw the guard take aim and fired hitting him but not killing him the guard falling unluckily behind cover an instant later an alarm sounded throughout the Compound.]
“Curse it now it is going to be a hard fight I am breaching the fence I think you might need me in there after all.” [‘Short’ sent.]
[I began sniping from my distant position at ‘Delta’ along with ‘Kanne’ whilst ‘Jack’ commenced laying down semi auto bursts of suppressing fire from ‘Beta’. ‘Short’ slapped a charge on the fence making a big hole. ‘Ingrid’ tried the handle on the side door then gave it an almighty ‘Suit’ boosted kick to discover it was exceptionally solid and well locked down. ‘Mabel’ slapped one then thought again and slapped another charge on it and they moved to the side before detonating them. Annoyingly the armoured door although scorched and with a wooden veneer striped away and burning took the double blast whilst remaining seemingly firmly in place. They both ‘Force Pulsed’ it repeatedly and on the forth volley it began to give.]
[‘Jack’, ‘Kanne’ and I continued working hard to keep the guards pinned and off the girls who were somewhat exposed barely succeeding in our almost frantic task. Then ‘Short’ altered the Friend / Foe recognition of the ‘Hounds’ to make the patrolling guards into designated foes giving the external patrols other worries.]
“Forget breaching the ‘Temple’ they are moving ‘Ned’. There is a cursed tunnel down there you need to cut them off by getting to where it comes out instead. I think it must be over here somewhere.” [‘Short’ sent to our ‘Omerta’ girls thanks to more visual and positional data from the ‘Mosquitoes’.] “Follow me.” [She added as she began powering along the inside of the fence whilst crouched low.]
[When heavily armed ‘Cult’ members spilled out of the ‘Temple’, ‘Jack’, ‘Kanne’ and I immediately began knocking them back and pinning them down shifting from very successfully aiding the ‘Hounds’ mauling the external patrols. From inside the ‘Temple’ they retaliated by sending out smoke grenades that did a good job of obscuring our view. I shifted to infrared only to be temporarily dazzled by a series of micro flares allowing the Cultists to spill out for a time unimpeded as ‘Kanne’ and ‘Jack’ had also gone infrared.]
“Lost the ‘Mosquitoes’ on ‘Ned’ someone must have used an ‘EMP’ in the cursed tunnel.” [‘Short’ stated.] “Over watch got anyone emerging out there?”
[I shook off my visual disorientation to relocate to a better position on the roof of the ‘Delta Site’ to get a better view of the general area the tunnels seemed to be going towards before we lost the ‘Mosquito’ visual and positional data. I think it might go into this ‘Stack’.” [I informed sending data on a specific building that looked suspect.]
“I take to ‘Beta’.” [‘Kanne’ rashly decided zipping down line before I could stop her.]
[I guessed she wanted to get closer to the suspected tunnel exit as ‘Beta’ was nearer. I will admit I was making a bit of a calculated guess about the exit but the place just looked right as a strong enough yet unobtrusive sort of site. I also doubted the tunnel went too far out at least I hoped not as if I proved wrong the mission might be blown.]
“Watch out ‘Atmospheric Drone’.” [‘Jack’ sent which was exactly when the spot where ‘Kanne’ and I had been sniping from before on the roof exploded from a missile strike incidentally taking out the ‘Scaffold Pyramid’. The blast wave easily toppled me over the edge of the roof making me very thankful ‘Kanne’ had left before this calamity.]
[I went cognitive fast and as time seemed to slow around me I fumbled at the ‘Manipulation Field Function’ on my ‘FP1’ just before I hit the ground hard I managed to target and to latch onto one of the still standing parts of a ‘Solar Panel’ and crudely used that anchor point to shoot back upward. In my panic not to fall possibly to my ‘Meat Suit’ death I completely over-juiced the effect to catapult upward and crash hard into the debris almost impaling myself luckily the last of my shields with the aid of my armour just about saved me but due to the hard knock I lost my weapon as it was torn from my grip the direct line link snapping out of its socket allowing it to clatter across the roof. I also began suffering from some ‘Squid Bowl’ leaks although they were all on seams that could self-seal. If all of that was not bad enough I realised I was embedded in entangling ‘Solar Panel’ debris like a fly caught in a most untidy web of wires and bent metal scaffolding.]
[As the ‘Atmospheric Drone’ - very illegal here - came around to finish me off ‘Ingrid’ very kindly stopped what she was doing to hit it with a small guided micro-missile barrage from her ‘User Battle Suit’ forcing it to fire off countermeasures and veer away. ‘Jack’ and ‘Kanne’ then began giving me poor but better than nothing anti-aerial covering fire from ‘Beta’ as I commenced struggling myself loose then crawling on all four mechanical limbs back onto the roof proper in a most undignified way. That naturally was when the damaged roof decided to give way beneath my weight dropping me inside the ‘Stack’ and into a private residence.]
[Meanwhile ‘Mabel’ and ‘Short’ were pouring down covering fire for ‘Ingrid’ against the main bulk of the Cultists as ‘Ingrid’ concentrated on loosing and guiding more ‘Suit Substance’ micro-missiles in an effort to shoot the aerial menace down as a principle overhead threat. To help further forestall the main body of the foes advance ‘Short’ opted to blow some of the planted munitions nearby which certainly made an impact causing much ducking and covering as material blasted around and debris rained down not to mention competing shockwaves hit sending many of the foes near the blasts tumbling hither and thither. Some fire and smoke only adding to the confusion.]
[Unfortunately only a very few Cultists were badly incapacitated or slain by the eruptions being well shielded and armoured.]
[‘Short’ then dropped a couple of smoke grenades and micro flares to add to the mess and using a momentary lull with ‘Mabel’ and ‘Ingrid’ continued to flee from the Compound whilst ‘Jack’ and ‘Kanne’ gave them covering fire. Still on mission they raced towards the building I indicated earlier ‘Mabel’ and ‘Ingrid’ running at then vaulting the fence followed by ‘Short’ who blew another hole in it to stomp through like a rampaging ‘Recycler’ tank.]
[The ‘Drone’ annoying survived all the micro-missiles via doing some fancy flying and spewing masses of countermeasures this despite some cunning tricks by ‘Ingrid’ earlier in her attempt to bring it down. Blessedly however, as it came around again for another pass finally free of micro scale pursuit it was rained down upon by some well directed heavy cannon fire from a ‘Task Force Drop Ship’ and beautifully erupted.]
[I guessed the ‘Drop Ship’ now hypocritically enforcing the no fly zone over the City for anyone other than ‘Task Force’ units. I also guessed it was the bribed Marines that dropped us off earlier they must have been circling around at high altitude monitoring the show for something to do but unable or just unwilling to intervene without a good excuse until the highly illegal ‘Atmospheric Drone’ showed up giving them a legitimate target of opportunity. Sadly, shooting down the ‘Drone’ proved the only help they were willing to give us - this one not being their fight - they roared back up again to continue just monitoring the action.]
[Meanwhile I noted that a table had broken my fall although my fall had broken the table too. I was leaking again some of the sealant having unsealed. An angry big bearded ‘Omerta’ civilian stormed in wearing powder blue and white stripy pyjamas and bare footed but with a pulled ‘Knock Gun’ steadily levelled at me.]
[I put my mechanical arms in the air.]
“Who the hell are you and what are you doing here ‘Swimmer’?” [He raged.]
“Getting knocked about by your Cult neighbours and leaking slightly on your broken furniture - sorry.” [I burbled in reply.]
“Those stupid channel hacking ‘Machinist’ freaks - I should have guessed - those sick mindbenders would be responsible for all this damage.” [He lowered his gun.]
“Not good neighbours.” [I mused aloud.]
“Cant watch my shows for them hacking my channels with Cult propaganda the…” [A long list of colourful expletives followed unsuitable for tender ears.]
“I can sympathise. You know they kidnapped ‘Handy Ned’ and there is no way that local fellow is a ‘User’ spy it is just outright theft and ransom.” [I burbled.]
“The Cult blew a hole in my roof because you were what trying to rescue ‘Handy’?” [He asked.]
“Yes trying but it all went a bit wrong they had an illegal ‘Atmospheric Attack Drone’ for a start. My team is still out there fighting for their lives too.” [I complained.]
“How can I help - within reason as a civilian?” [The ‘Omerta’ asked.]
“My primary weapon was on the roof but it now pings as being somewhere on this floor.” [I began.]
“Roughly how far away is it? What direction?” [He asked.]
[I gave him the details. He gave a little chuckle.]
“Must have dropped in upon ‘Mag’ that is no problem… me and ‘Mag’… well you don’t need to know about that.” [He stated.] “Follow me.”
[‘Mag’ found us before we found ‘Mag’, I was expecting an ‘Omerta’ female picking up entirely on the wrong vibe and frame of reference as ‘Mag’ turned out to be a big male ‘Recycler’ with ‘Mag’ being short for ‘Magazine’ as in a weapon magazine and he was clutching my ‘FP1’ as if it was an unexpected toy.]
“Roof fell in are you alright ‘Joe’ and our special supplies?” [‘Mag’ asked.]
“The refined gear is fine.” [‘Joe’ stated.]
“Thank the ‘Mother of Nests’.” [‘Mag’ replied.] “Who is the ‘Swimmer’?”
“The owner of that gun - sorry friend - no easy salvage today ‘Mag’.” [‘Joe’ stated.]
“Finders keepers.” [‘Magazine’ replied clutching the weapon as if spoils.]
“Also this one is a ‘Swimmer Bounty Hunter’ tangling with the ‘Machinist’ freaks.” [‘Joe’ added.]
“Damn, you can have it then, it was all signature locked anyway, guess it is your lucky day ‘Swimmer’.” [‘Mag’ stated before handing the weapon over I noticed it no longer had that shiny new hardly used look being a bit dusty, dirty, scratched and scorched still somehow it now looked more badass.] “Anything else I can do as long as it involves not getting shot at I am not into that anymore?”
“You got a ‘Link’ address?” [I asked.]
[He provided the details. I sent him a data blast on a certain building.] “Know anything about this place?” [I asked.]
“Supposed to be unaffiliated ‘Secure Storage Lockups’ but I know it is a ‘Machinist’ run office or something. I see some of their friends and affiliates coming and going all the time out there when I am doing my err rounds.” [‘Magazine’ stated.]
[I sent the rest of ‘Short Six’ these seemingly confirming details there is nothing better than a little local knowledge in a somewhat informational dead zone such as this one.]
“I need to get there quick can you help?” [I asked.]
“Show him the slide he is not after our stuff.” [‘Joe’ suggested.]
“Follow me.” [‘Mag’ stated.]
[I noticed his place had strong artificial lighting and was wall to wall full of potted plants like a mini jungle. The slide proved two unobtrusive poles mounted on the side of the building that ‘Mag’ had put in place as an unobtrusive quick getaway via gripping the bars and sliding down. He demonstrated the technique by going first. I hastily followed sliding a bit faster and hitting the ground with a bump - well my ‘Dry Suit’ whilst flexible is civilian and not really designed for this sort of nonsense.]
[Meanwhile my friends were stalled pinned down in an alley between two ‘Stacks’ with Cultists now blocking off both exits.]
“Listen ‘Six Three’ forget helping us I am revising the plan again. This spot is defensible we can hold this alley for a time. You get ‘Ned’ I think they believe they have all of us trapped down here ignoring ‘Jack’. We will keep the majority of these fools busily preoccupied whilst you pull off the rescue.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“Single handed.” [I complained.]
“Just do it for the honour of the team and all that stuff.” [‘Short’ commanded.]
“You sure you can hold all of them off.” [I sent.]
“Trust me we brought plenty of gear with us we are bloodying them down here and our ‘Soulless’ are incoming as a rear attack to cut us loose. A few moments ago I sent in the last of the ‘Crab Mines’ you know they are almost as useful as ‘Suit Substance Scuttle Drones’ that knocked some of the bravery out of them too.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“Any injuries?” [I asked.]
“Just ‘Mabel’ she took a series of hits resulting in a broken left leg below the knee but we set it and medical nanites are reinforcing and healing it as we speak and she is still fighting.” [‘Short’ sent as if it was nothing.]
[As usual all battle communications were speeded and virtually instantaneous in real time.]
[I thanked ‘Mag’ and after checking my ‘FP1’ for damage that was not cosmetic began moving to the ‘Secure Storage Lockup’. My sniper barrel addition was all fekked up so I discarded that piece and contacted ‘Jack’.] “Can you spare ‘Xuey’ for backup?” [I asked.]
“Certainly I am rerouting him to your ‘Short Six’ positional tag ETA about one minute now. Those guys can move when they need to hurry.” [‘Jack’ sent.]
[I was well aware how fast ‘Suit Substance’ can be when it goes less restrained.]
“Thanks I wish ‘Kanne’ was still with you.” [I stated.]
[I noticed ‘Kanne’ had rushed over to join the main group at some point due to the placement of her positional tag although ‘Jack’ was still out on his own at ‘Beta’.]
“I am positive ‘Kanne’ is loving being in the thick of it but a bit too busy for chatting. Look I have to go now and help the ‘Soulless’ cut our pals loose.” [‘Jack’ sent in reply.]
“Be careful ‘Jack’, let the ‘Soulless’ take point and keep your head down.” [I stated before signing out.]
[I had no doubt ‘Kanne’ was heavily preoccupied as I could hear pulse and other fire along with the occasional louder explosion I guessed from grenades. As I moved up in tactical stages using whatever cover I could find. I noticed the nearby streets had emptied of uninvolved civilians no doubt scared away by the sounds of the ongoing gun battle with the Cultists. All I could do was pray that ‘Short’ was not overestimating the strength of his position. I guessed most of the bolder natives were at interface zones already happily rioting.]
[Nearing the ‘Storage Facility’ I spotted two loitering ‘Omerta’ that I suspected were outlying Cult guards watching the front entrance I soon spotted another two stationed further up the street. I decided to flank around to the back to think and wait on ‘Xuey’. According to the ‘Mosquito’ visuals no one had left the premises since we put it under surveillance as the possible tunnel exit. I guessed the hostage protection team with ‘Ned’ were lying low inside perhaps waiting until ‘Short Six’ suffered a complete neutralisation - not a bad plan - since they would definitely want to secure the ransom now to recoup some of their material losses and ammunition expenditure.]
[I linked in to our ‘Cognitive Sub Core’ contact involved in facilitating the ransom negotiations. Apparently the ransom demand had changed a hefty increase added because of all the inconvenience caused by our ongoing rescue attempt. That allowed me to relax as a new round of ransom negotiations meant ‘Short Six’ had more time to work with whilst the mentioned inconvenience once we rescued ‘Ned’ should help secure our bonus payment.]
[‘Xuey’ arrived so quietly that he would have sneaked up upon me if I was not monitoring his positional feed which gave me an idea.] “Can you quietly disable these four guards?” [I asked.]
“With executive permission to do some harm that is well within my current operational parameters.” [‘Xuey’ sent in reply.]
“Go for it.” [I stated I will confess feeling a bit inadequate and redundant as a fleshy ‘Swimmer’ in a clunky ‘Dry Suit’.]
[That was the problem with ‘Cognitive Sub Cores’ and ‘Soulless Assets’ they could do it all - it you let them off the leash - but life was for living. I wondered if ‘Short / UT’ was slowly turning me into another action junkie. When ‘Xuey’ slipped away as if nothing more than a ‘Suit Substance’ shadow I refused to even watch how it did the deeds. Of course the purposely unobtrusive guards outside had only small arms as in ‘Knock Guns’ currently holstered and no obvious heavy armour or even prominent cybernetic enhancement.]
“All clear.” [‘Xuey’ sent.]
[Annoyingly the premises had only one front and one side door both heavily armoured without even so much as an external handle. In addition, the facility retained no windows or other obvious vulnerable spots. The guards were down but I had no idea how to get inside especially ideally covertly. Then I had a horrible idea.]
“These cybernetic scum are bound to have ‘Rebirth’ insurance. Do a data search and kill one unconscious guard with as little mess as possible do the one with the worst criminal record then infiltrate his corpse and subsume control of the body as a ‘Meat Suit Zombie’ - triple cursed ugly - but sometimes needs must.” [I informed going ‘UT’ style ruthless.] “They started this reaction to action via kidnapping an innocent now we have to finish it by any means necessary.”
[The technique involved was an outrageously egregious one the sort of thing that gave some ‘Users’ an especially evil reputation even amongst more reasonable ‘Real Materialists’ but I did not plan to leave any evidence behind of my moral infraction.]
“Once in control we will go to the front door and demand to be let in. You will tell them that you have captured a ‘Swimmer’ prisoner as an extra hostage but there is a cursed ‘Soulless Suit Substance’ assassin lurking out here somewhere that took out your friends.” [I sent.]
[Moments later I popped the top of my ‘Suit’ exposing my vulnerable body allowing the ‘Meat Suit Zombie’ operated by some of the substance of ‘Xuey’ to put his knock gun to the back of my fleshy head. Thus captured he marched me right up to the main entrance and put on a fine performance of desperately wanting in a story helped by having his primary ‘Suit Substance’ body open fire upon the ‘Zombie’ from cover and artfully just missing as the ‘Zombie’ used my ‘Suit’ and body as his protection.]
[Amazingly to my great surprise it worked a concerned Cult member opened the door and hastily encouraged the ‘Zombie’ inside before quickly resealing the armoured door that raised and lowered with shocking speed on a vertical axis. We even let our new friend guide us inward to talk with the big boss. It was all improvisation but sometimes as a little ‘Swimmer’ you just have to go with the flow and see where it takes you.]
[Outside at this juncture ‘Nuey’, ‘Suey’ and ‘Jack’ ambushed one group of Cultists involved in pining down ‘Short Six’ attacking them viciously from the rear to commence the break out action. The news coming in from the fighting not especially good for the Cult boss from the faces he was pulling. The boss a surprisingly youthful and fleshless fellow with minimal cybernetic enhancement not what I was expecting at all but there was a hard to define creepiness about this Leader and it was too obvious that he was both deeply respected and feared by his much better armed and armoured followers.]
“You dared to bring ‘Soulless Abominations’ into my part of the City. You are going to regret that deed ‘Swimmer’ I am going to do things to your little aquatic body that will mess with your mind forever worse for you I will keep you alive for an eternity of such suffering.” [The Cult Leader promised.]
“No I think it is you that is going to regret kidnapping ‘Handy’.” [I replied whilst purposely smiling with my eyestalks in a provocative manner.]
[He marched over to strike at me with a clenched fist. That was when my ‘Zombie’ friend stopped aiming at my head and shot his four bodyguards with great precision whilst I reached out with a mechanical limb to grab the ‘Omerta’ around his neck whilst my suit top sealed up tight again and my shields activated.]
[The four guards shielded and armoured only knocked around a bit by the unexpected pistol fire quickly recovered and were no doubt about to retaliate big style when I spoke up.]
“Drop your weapons or I will squeeze until his head pops off.” [I stated doing some choking and a little shaking to emphasise my point. I then loosed my grip just enough to allow the Cultist to keep breathing.]
[Interestingly this Cult Leader felt so secure in this power that he did not even carry a weapon I had to admit that it was slightly impressive that such a physically unimpressive specimen felt that comfortable. True power not exercised with weapons.]
“Strip and secure them do a good job and I will give you a bonus. Then let ‘Xuey’ in.” [I said to the ‘Zombie’.]
“Traitor infidel.” [The Leader spat at the ‘Zombie’ obviously not realising the true nature of his betrayer.]
“Guess the Cult brain washing failed to take on this one. He quickly begged for his life when my ‘Soulless’ friend only actually incapacitated his fellows. Well you know how it is no honour amongst thieves even supposedly religious ones.” [I claimed.]
“You will die a thousand virtual deaths for daring to assault me and for bringing a ‘Suit Substance Abomination’ onto the sacred ground of our Blessed Temple Compound.” [The ‘Leader’ wheezed out.]
“I think not ‘Demetrious Ire’ you are just an unexpected bounty to my team and you will be hurting no one in the future whilst incarcerated within a ‘Temporal Detention Centre’ it seems the ‘SARC’ have an interest in you - not a big interest yet - otherwise you would be frozen in time already - but a growing interest worth a goodly sum of credits nonetheless.”
“You will never get me out of the ‘Stacks’ never mind to a ‘TDC’ to collect on my bounty. You have no idea of the trouble you are in now ‘Swimmer’ you have a Cybernetic Dragon by the tail.” [‘Demetrious’ claimed.]
“Save the rhetoric for these night blinded fools.” [I burbled back.] “You have lied to them and failed them too. I couldn’t believe my luck when I saw you had brought me to a room with no ‘Stasis Emitter’ or other automated security features but I suppose no one outside your little Cult should have been able to gain entry here through that massively reinforced door and so on.”
“I do not understand how you turned ‘Gabon’ so easily he must have been more than he seemed a, a ‘User’ spy all along - a saboteur infiltrator - within our sacred ranks.” [I guessed he was preaching to his bound followers doing some damage control.]
“You think you are still in business and so need to keep up appearances let it go. It is all over for you and this petty ridiculous Cult. It is finished. I am pretty sure only you can hold this nonsense together and you have failed and all for just a few extra illegally earned credits. If this one was a ‘Holy Prophet’ of the ‘Dread Machine Fury’ could I a mere aquatic ‘Swimmer’ handle him thus - waken up you have been deluded by nothing more than a known ‘Omerta’ confidence artist. I can share his record of petty crimes from before he became your Leader if you need further convincing.” [I stated to his bound guards.]
[I noticed two shook their heads in utter denial but the other pair looked a little less certain.] “Now would be a good time to denounce this false faith.” [I stated.] “Assist my people in any way you can and we will vouch for you with the authorities.” [I was all for sowing a bit of dissention.]
“Do not listen to the ‘Swimmer’ blasphemer.” [‘Demetrious’ claimed.] “It is this unworthy creature that would play you false not I. I opened you to a truer reality.”
“Think about it. Think about your future. You can choose to be hunted members of a failed cult whilst your Leader slumbers in oblivion or you can choose to put this whole sorry episode behind you and go get a real life perhaps be reunited with abandoned friends and family.” [I stated.]
“There is no true life - in this life - only pain, death, digital rebirth and suffering. Only the ‘Machine Fury’ can cleanse the tainted cycle that bedevils us ‘Pilgrims’. Only the ‘Fury’ can allow our souls a truer resurrection.” [‘Demetrious’ claimed.]
“Really that is your great messianic message pathetic.” [I burbled.]
“Only those that have been purified can understand the truth you are naturally both blind and deaf to the real reality of our times.” [‘Demetrious’ stated.]
“You mean only the victims you have brain washed would credit your drivel. You Cult Leaders are all the same. Tell me who purified you?” [I retorted.]
“I was purified in the void as my followers know well.” [‘Demetrious’ claimed.]
“That would be after your petty criminal activities and your previous ‘Stasis Sentences’.” [I stated.]
“Only lost souls can be found only those who seek and err can eventually find redemption.” [‘Demetrious’ responded.]
“Naturally although that is all very standard drivel too.” [I retorted.] “I guess the purifying was pretty rough on these poor folks here to get them to buy into this nonsense. I‘ll bet it hurt body and soul. Do you think redemption comes through the infliction of pain friends? I‘ll bet this one enjoyed your suffering. I will bet if you think back that this one watched your suffering closely and smiled. I will bet it made him feel powerful to watch you scream and beg to see you being stripped of the last shreds of your dignity as you were broken down. Then I will bet that he cradled you and he whispered his lies in an ever so friendly and gentle fashion to build you back up again. Am I right is that how it went?”
“I can tell from your looks that I am telling it exactly as it occurred. You think about that truth you think about how I would know these things without being purified.” [I stated.]
“He did terrible things to us.” [The ‘Zombie Gabon’ said.] “He is the one that needs to suffer he is the one that needs to repent for his crimes and sins. He is not your friend he is not your family or your father he is just your - user - he used you for his private ambitions. He used you to gain wealth and power and to satisfy the sick urgings of his damaged mind. Let go of the lies surrounding what he did to us. See it for what it was and be free of his monstrous dictatorship.”
[The ‘Suit Substance Xuey’ entered causing the believers to flinch.] “Even that thing is not our enemy it is just a tool and no more abominable that the hand that wields it. It did not kill my associates outside it just incapacitated them and in doing so set me free to make new choices.” [‘Zombie Gabon’ claimed.]
[I rather wished that was how it had gone with ‘Gabon’ it felt a bit unclean to be selling the truth to these people with a lie but sometimes that is just the way it works out.]
“He did smile I will never forget his smile.” [One of the ‘Four’ said.] “There is a tunnel.” [He added.]
“You skirt abomination.” [‘Demetrious’ stated fiercely so I choked him into temporary silence.]
“We know about the tunnel it links this place to the ‘Temple’.” [I stated.]
“No there is another tunnel a secret way that hardly anyone else knows about in relation to where it comes out just ‘Ire’ and his bodyguards.” [The Cultist informed.]
“Outstanding.” [I stated before I realised what I was saying.]
“Tell me about the hostage?” [I asked.]
“He is in a holding cell up above with a small but well armed Cult Garrison between.” [The prisoner informed.]
“See you are still doomed I just have to signal and they will automatically centrally lock down the main exits and come to get you. You will lay down your arms now and submit to my holy authority and maybe I will spare you some pain.” [‘Demetrious’ rallied.]
“Secure the corridor by any means required.” [I sent to ‘Xuey’.]
“Please bind and gag this fool.” [I told ‘Zombie Gabon’.]
[I contacted ‘Short’.] “What is your status now? Can you retreat to us here we have learned of a secret way out another tunnel. I have the ‘Cult Leader’ in custody a known felon with a bounty but would appreciate backup as we still have to secure ‘Ned’ and apparently there is a secondary ‘Cult Garrison’ stationed upstairs so it could get messy in here.”
“For a moment there they came after us hard some of them got up onto the roofs and we got knocked around a bit I thought they had us pinned again but this time they were going to finish the job. Even with the ‘Soulless’ we were in trouble then they all just fell back and retreated away.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“Where did they go was it in this direction?” [I asked.]
“No when they broke off I sent a ‘Mosquito’ after them they moved back towards the main Compound and the ‘Temple’.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“Damn they are going for the tunnel under the ‘Temple’.” [I patched ‘Xuey’ in.] “I have a new priority mission ‘Xuey’ find the entrance to the tunnel to the ‘Temple’ collapse the tunnel seal it up good.” [I ordered.]
“Moving to comply.” [‘Xuey’ stated.]
[I sent ‘Zombie Gabon’ to watch the way up as a replacement for ‘Xuey’.]
[Then I quickly changed my mind reversing the orders for ‘Gabon’ and ‘Xuey’.] “Adding to ‘Zombie Gabon’ you are to have an accident in the tunnel when you blow it you go up with it leaving no evidence behind of the ‘Suit Substance’ subjugation. ‘Gabon’ will die a heroes death that is the best we can do for him now. Perhaps when he is reborn he might even believe he turned to the good at the last moment and that might even give him an impetus to reform rather than return once more to a life of debased criminality.”
“As you wish.” [‘Zombie Gabon’ sent who was after all now actually only a remote part of ‘Xuey’ - a fleshy tool - that would actually soon start to decay without major extra medical intervention. Such - rushed - ‘Zombie Suits’ had firm biological limitations and short shelf lives before they started to stink the place up. Usually rushed ‘Trojan Zombie Suits’ were only good to fool anyone they were still alive for a few hours then problems started occurring firstly with their skin tone and their eyes.]
“We are backtracking to support you I will send the ‘Soulless’ on ahead at a run they can reach you far quicker than the rest of us.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“Listen up you Cult freaks above I am sure you can hear me up there. Lock the doors and I will seriously hurt your great leader come charging down here thinking you are going to liberate him by force and I will have my ‘Soulless’ friend slay him with incredible brutality. Do you hear me what do you think about that?” [I asked aloud.]
“I think if you kill our Leader you will be the next to die aquatic. We have ‘Handy Ned’ you have ‘Demetrious Ire’ the solution is obvious ‘Swimmer’. We make a hostage exchange you get your bounty and get to live for a little while longer at least until we catch up with you again later and we get our Leader back.” [A hidden speaker blared out.]
“That is a poor deal. I now believe ‘Demetrious’ is worth much, much more than ‘Handy’ is paying us at least to the right ‘SARC’ ‘Temporal Detention Centre’.” [I argued.]
“You are being foolish ‘Swimmer’ make the deal and live for a while longer that is the best outcome you are going to get this night.” [The Garrison Cultist insisted.]
“I firmly believe otherwise. I suggest you start sweetening the pot. Sweeten the deal enough and of course I will consider your proposal - we are mercenary Bounty Hunters after all - and by nature smart opportunists but you annoyed me with that ‘Drone’ and the silly clichéd revenge threat so it will have to be sickly sweet.” [I added.]
“What more do you want greedy ‘Swimmer’ is your life so cheap to you?” [The Garrison Cultist asked.]
“I know what it is to be alive and credit poor. What have you got credit wise or that is portable and worth anything sold on? Make an inventory and get back to me if it is a lot I am telling you the truth I will endeavour to convince ‘Short’ to make a straight hostage trade. Empty the ‘Temple’ coffer if you must after all if you ‘Pilgrims’ truly believe the end of the Universe is nigh what good are extra credits and trinkets to you believers now especially without your prophet to guide you towards a benighted salvation.” [I mocked.]
“Making fun of our faith will not endear you or your proposal to me.” [The Cultist warned.]
“Get over yourself - business is business as ‘Short’ often tells me - if you expect me to take your Cult nonsense seriously you will need even more credit sugar actually to be honest I doubt you could afford to buy out my incredulity.” [I said.]
[At that point I heard and could feel an eruption from below.]
“You cursed killer even if we make a deal today I will find you later ‘Swimmer’, I swear by the mighty ‘Machine Fury’ I will find you and you will recant every insult every quip and every one of my friends you have killed today in an agony of repentance.” [The Cultist ranted.]
“Please you are as boring as your Leader get accounting or go get lost.” [I replied.]
[He might realise I was still stalling for time to get reinforcement but under the circumstances what could he do other than play along for the moment besides Bounty Hunters are notoriously mercenary and ‘Short’ is a ‘Recycler’ too and credits talk loudly to most ‘Recyclers’. Besides he was stalling earlier too waiting on reinforcements from the ‘Temple’ via the Tunnel that he did not know we were about to demolish now of course his rage was due to that plan failing disastrously. I guessed from my friends rage upstairs that ‘Zombie Gabon’ blew the tunnel whilst it was crammed with Cultists - too bad - still we were definitely earning our bonus for inconveniencing the kidnappers.]
[I wondered if it might be worth accepting an exchange and a bribe but if we did we would have to come back later for these ones as unfinished business. It is not good to leave some types actively running around with a serious grudge and there was something about ‘Demetrious Ire’ that made me think he was best off in long-term ‘Stasis Detention’ possibly permanent detention unless his sick psyche got corrected. Sometimes people originally just playing at being Evil Cultists started to believe in their own crazy wickedness and lost it altogether ‘Demetrious Ire’ seemed firmly of that type to me now.]
[The other two ‘Soulless’ arrived making me feel much safer. I decided to risk releasing our cooperative prisoner named ‘Colin’ who asked to be given a ‘Link’ address to talk to me securely. I considered the risks versus the advantages and obliged.]
“You dare not make an honest deal with ‘Fad’.” [‘Colin’ sent.] “He is fanatically loyal to ‘Demetrious Ire’ a true believer in Cult doctrine he revels in it worse he is a dedicated killer and a leader of killers. The folk upstairs are not standard members of the ‘Machinists’ they are a ‘Machinist Murder Squad’ used for Cult assassination both in and outside the ‘Chapter Temple’. If you trust me at all believe me ‘Fad’ and his killers will never make a straight exchange they have no intent to let any of us live. What you have done here to him and his fanatics will demand blood lots of blood. He will be eager to kill me too as a ‘Machinist Apostate’.”
“If the exchange is arranged he will use ‘Ned’ in some manner perhaps wire him up with a remote bomb or something similar.” [‘Colin’ added.] “If I were you I would forget about ‘Handy’ that one is as good as dead already up there with ‘Fad’ he is a walking corpse. ‘Fad’ will blame ‘Handy’ for everything that has happened as much as you and your team they will have ‘Ned’ under a death sentence. Even if they seemingly let him go to get the ransom it will now only be a trick somehow. Believe me ‘Fad’ will never allow ‘Ned’ to live not after so much insult to the Cult he will need to make an example of all of us ‘Ned’ included.” [‘Colin’ sent.]
“Abandoning ‘Ned’ is not an acceptable outcome to me. Tell me everything you know about this ‘Stack’.” [I added.]
“I know little or nothing about upstairs. The Cult segregates its security - upstairs is the realm of the ‘Cowl’ - the name ‘Ire’ gave to ‘Fad’ and his Assassins.” [‘Colin’ sent.]
“How did you get to be on the personal security team of ‘Ire’?” [I sent.]
“He knew I had former military experience but mostly I think it was a sort of punishment.” [‘Colin’ stated.]
“How so?” [I asked.]
“He knows he terrifies me and I hate being too close to him you have no idea how crazy ‘Demetrious’ is he really believes his own legend he thinks he is a Prophet of the ‘Machine Fury’ it is not an act. When I was recruited I believed all the nihilist stuff was just clever propaganda to terrorise opponents and the ‘Machinists’ just a rising ‘Deck Gang’ with a scary local reputation but I soon learned otherwise. I have no idea what happened to ‘Demetrious’ but I suspect when he added his surname of ‘Ire’ it was after some sort of mental break possibly after his last period in stasis. I think someone did something to him at a ‘Temporal Detention Centre’ experimented on him or something he has non-standard cognitive cyber implants and occasionally suffers headaches he claims to have visions of the ‘Machine Fury’ not the ‘Spore’ we ‘Pilgrims’ encountered the ‘Prime Mass’ as he calls it. His descriptions are terrifyingly detailed so much so that sometimes I have even wondered if somehow he is genuinely making some kind of connection to the ‘Prime Mass’ rather than just being delusional.” [‘Colin’ further explained via sending.]
“He is obsessed by the ‘Prime Mass’ haunted by it - somehow it both terrifies and attracts him at the same time - it is trying to make sense of the horror and desire all mixed together that I believe inspired his vision for the ‘Real Machinists’.” [‘Colin’ added via sending.]
“You should execute him making sure to trash those implants that would be doing him and the ‘Known Universe’ a huge favour then use the escape tunnel. If he is killed and reborn it will be without the cyber ware that is driving him insane.” [‘Colin’ finished.]
[It seemed our mission had just gotten much more complicated if I could believe what ‘Colin’ was telling me but then if ‘Colin’ was still a loyal Cultist he would hardly be trying to convince me to murder the ‘Machinist Prophet of the Prime Mass’.]
[How did we always end up crossing paths with such dire happenings? I wondered about ‘Short’ picking up this particular ‘Quiet Contact’ fearing now that actually she might be following up upon other ‘Proxy’ leads using the providential kidnapping as an excuse to get a closer look inside this unusual Cult. I know Paradox Priest paranoia and I am supposed to be playing a ‘Swimmer’ not a Priest. I packaged up all the new data and sent it to ‘Short’ maybe this was a decision for our ‘Great Cybernetic Leader’ especially if she already knew or suspected more about the ‘Real Machinists’ and their leader than she had preciously pretended.]
[Later after nightfall ‘Short’ gathered ‘Short Six‘ around her in our favourite ‘Multi Corner Hotel’ suite.]
“Briefing time: The subject an ‘Omerta’ named ‘Handy Ned’ of ‘Handy Ned’s Marvellous Appliances’ over in another slum style district this one a lot bigger known as ‘The Stacks’. ‘The Stacks’ because it is in places vertical with hovels stacked one upon another in dodgy mini tower blocks. ‘Handy’ got his store trashed and himself kidnapped as a ‘User’ by a local ‘Real Material’ Cult known as the ‘Real Machinists’ or just the ‘Machinists’. As far as I can tell the felons are cybernetic enhanced ‘Trojan Omerta’ criminals acting religious zealots of the ‘Great Machine’. Unbelievably nihilist ‘Machine Fury’ worshipping idiots classed officially as a ‘Neo-Armageddon Faction’. Claiming to love the ‘Machine Fury’ makes them look super badass but it is all a show at least I hope they are not that stupid.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“Scuttlebutt is that ‘Ned’ is no ‘User’ he just sells some ‘User’ goods under the counter ‘Suit Substance Blocks’, ‘Infusion Materials’, ‘Extrusion Software’ the usual stuff along with his primary stock of ‘Real Material’ appliances, gadgetry and software. Truth is the ‘Machinists’ probably just wanted an excuse to loot his store and to squeeze the owner for easy profits. They are claiming he is a ‘User’ sympathiser and spy set up in the ‘Stacks’ by a big Paradox Corporation to monitor ‘Real Materialist’ subversives mostly to get support from more general rioters and to make the most of the outburst of anti-‘User’ feeling caused by the recent ‘Creed Triangle Forum Incident’. The ‘Machinists’ always open to any recruitment opportunity for increasing cult membership.” [‘Short’ claimed.]
“From all reports ‘Handy Neds’ was well secured via a few automated turret systems and well sited ‘Stasis Security Field Emitters’ and so on but the ‘Machinists’ are tech freaks and cyber terrorists so they managed to trash his systems digitally just long enough to allow them to trash them in the real before they could recoup. Using the ongoing riot as extra cover, they then looted the store that rests in the currently troubled ‘South Fence Market’ and grabbed ‘Handy’ who is actually not the fighting type. Unfortunately for the ‘Machinists’ old ‘Handy’ is a cunning enough operator to have a little added insurance put aside as in an automatic ‘Quiet Contract’ bounty for his rescue should something akin to this ever happen and I picked up that ‘Quiet Contract’ from a secure ‘Tri-centre City Licensed Bounty Hunter Link Site’.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“The job is simple we go in beat down anyone that tries to get in our way and extract ‘Ned’ before his secondary failsafe kicks in and his ransom is paid. We get nothing if the ‘Machinists’ secure the payoff that is the deal. Being no fighter but trespass vengeful there is a bonus clause in the ‘Quiet Contact’ for suitably inconveniencing anyone directly responsible for ‘Ned’ requiring rescue. We are not talking a massive bonus and the wording of the clause is a bit vague but I believe we ought to be able to win this bonus from an appreciative ‘Ned’. Anyway these Cult freaks need taught a lesson that kidnapping honest traders does not pay.” [‘Short’ added.]
“The Marines are letting most of the riots just burn out as they do not want to be portrayed as ‘Users’ knocking too many ‘Real Material’ heads together. Instead they have cordoned off rioting areas and left any necessary internal interventions in such areas to ‘Local Sliver Police’, ‘Local Corporate Security’ and of course us ‘Bounty Hunters’. However the ‘LSP’ are not doing much in ‘The Stacks’ beyond defending a local ‘LSP Station House’ currently under heavy siege. As to the ‘LCS’ as ever they are only interested in extracting and protecting their individual ‘Corporate Assets’ therefore sole traders such as ‘Handy Ned’ are easy victims with little lawful support despite paying his taxes I would deem it a disgrace if such matters did not put food on my table.” [‘Short’ mocked.]
“The ‘Machinists’ think they got themselves a nice soft target and an easy payday but that is only because they do not know about the ‘Quiet Contract’. Anyway we have a little surprise on our side as negotiations are advancing through the motions for the release of the official ransom. I guess ‘Ned’ is nonetheless savvy enough to know that he really cannot afford to pay any ransom - unless he has no other choice - as it will make him seem a future payday to every villain in ‘The Stacks’. So being generous we go in there and do enough damage to convince the local felons not to mess with ‘Ned’ in future and we get him out with all his bits intact and get our bonus.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“Arrogantly rumour has it the ‘Machinists’ are holding ‘Ned’ not wisely at some unknown secret location but almost openly at their grandly named ‘Chapter House Temple’ site. Yes these folk are more small time players with delusions of grandeur - but that suits me fine - although they are more serious players than the ‘Last Boys’ I am positive we can take them because they firmly believe no one is coming to the rescue and they know ‘Ned’ has no intent to die rather than pay up.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“The mechanism of the ransom is however being delayed by a whole host of logical enough provisions that ‘Ned’ built in supposedly to guarantee that the real unharmed ‘Handy Ned’ arrives at a safe place in return for the release of the ransom.” [‘Short’ added.] “Still we are very much on the clock so I have bribed some ‘Task Force Marines’ to pick us up and throw us out at a suitable location within ‘The Stacks’ via ‘Drop Ship’. In a moment we need to begin moving up to the roof. Sadly our taxi refuses to pick us up afterwards so we will have to make our own way out probably on foot as usual.” [‘Short’ finalised.]
>>> The ‘Poop Scooper’ here again scooping a little poop this time on ‘The Stacks District of Tri-centre City’. Think socially excluded impoverished distrustful very angry ‘Anti-Corporate’ and often ‘Anti-User’ extremists doing it themselves thus all the chaotic homebuilding using scavenged - stolen - materials and you will not be far wrong. Firstly, it is not as bad as it looks. Most of the walls will not topple if you lean on them although some might wobble as if a poorly made stage set. The flooring should hold in the higher levels unless you jump up and down on a soft spot. Secondly the people are not that dangerous either discounting the Cults and the Gangs that have taken up residence. I suggest you look up ‘Triple Tower Disaster’ if you want to understand how and why this place exists. <<<
[ ‘Triple Tower Disaster’: Much of the original salvage used for ‘The Stacks’ arrived from the substance of the ‘Triple Tower Disaster’. The infamous ‘Triple Tower’ designed to be the tallest Skyscraper in ‘Tri-centre City’ history with the largest internal cubic space. Billed in advance as a ‘Real Material’ triumph the ‘Triple Tower’ was to create a new ‘Real Material’ heart to ‘Tri-centre City’ overreaching the majestic heavy gravity defying ‘Suit Substance Spike’. Tragically during the latter stages of the ‘Triple Tower’ construction period ambitiously begun only 88 years after the ‘Founding of Tri-centre City’ the endeavour suffered from a freak ‘Nanotech Disassembler’ accident that undermined the structural integrity of the tower at the foundation level bringing the entire building spectacularly pan-caking down with the known loss of 167 lives and some claim as many as 300+ injured.]
[Many ‘Real Materialist’ agitators have claimed the accident actually ‘User’ sabotage by a coterie of jealous ‘Spike Dwellers’ jealous of the status of their building as the greatest in ‘Tri-centre City’ but nothing was ever proven. Note most of the original inhabitants of ‘The Stacks’ were involved in the ‘Triple Tower Construction Project’ and as survivors of its hammering fall. More than a few residents retaining slain kin some destined to be reborn others sadly gone forever due to being extreme ‘Neo-Luddite’ types without ‘Neural Net’ and ‘Rebirth’ support. Most early residents, made unemployed by the demise of the ‘Tower’, for a few years lived off stoutly guarded ‘Triple Tower’ salvage not just living in it due to the destruction of the on site Corporate Worker Quarters. The workers and worker families considering salvage of the ruins their compensation as few official payouts ever arrived from the financially troubled ‘Sky Vault Enterprises’.]
[Any attempt to clear the ruins that became ‘The Stacks’ meeting riotous resistance the survivors there quickly growing both angry and militant many later recruited into opportunistic ‘Anti-User’ or ‘Anti-Corporate’ style ‘Deck Gangs’ and Cults.]
[Due to the ‘Triple Tower’ going massively over budget, illegal salvaging of the ruins and delayed insurance payoffs to ‘Sky Vault Enterprises’ not to mention a growth in public resistance to the endeavour the grand construction project following the disaster was scrapped in every way possible. ‘Triple Tower’ proving such a public relations disaster for ‘Sky Vault’ that the company was soon liquidated by its owners as it had become negatively associated in the minds of almost ever ‘Ultra-nation Pilgrim’ only with the ‘Triple Tower’ debacle - corporate incompetence - and many claimed corruption.]
[Another widespread rumour is that someone high up in ‘Sky Vault’ opted to sabotage their own building in a desperate act of insurance fraud because the increasingly over budget building was turning into a ruinous credit sink for every investor in it. A big issue with the ‘Triple Tower’ being a truly bizarre mathematical error in the original architectural load bearing calculations that required the later implementation of extra supporting members that some claimed also marred the previous structural beauty of the buildings initial proposed form. All I could surmise was that someone had used too much fallible meat brain and no cognitive assistance even to confirm his or her figures due to pride arrogance or material prejudice. Worse, in places, the new essential structural members altered the available internal cubic spaces, many pre-sold under original specifications, resulting in both unhappy customers and various legal suits and demands for at the very least partial refunds not long before the, too convenient for some, disaster.]
[We boarded our - hired - ‘Drop Ship’ unobtrusively from the roof of the ‘MCH’. I noticed only a couple of ‘Soulless’ Marines protectively stationed onboard the transport to watch over us paid passengers it then proved a very short flight the ‘Soulless’ arranging us out the opened hatchway whilst still high in the air. They dropped us off upon the roof of a tall slum ‘Stack’ from a great height using ‘Extruded Drop Tentacle’ technology a sort of ‘Suit Substance’ smarter smart rope. The ‘Drop Tentacles’ latched onto each of us in turn and after a thrilling almost fall applied the breaks smoothly to deposit us with tender care upon the scouted as unoccupied roof before whipping upward with terrible speed for the next ‘Short Six’ victim / thrill seeker.]
[The roof unoccupied by ‘Pilgrims’ but crowded with a forest of solar energy collection systems most home made from various salvaged components. A long time ago most of ‘The Stacks’ were cut off from ‘Main Line Power’ in a failed effort to force the residents into compliance with ‘Tri-centre City’ building regulations and so on.]
[As ‘Bluu’ I was the last for the high tech bungee jump and it felt scary even though I had total trust in the technology as a secret ‘User’. Actually it was cursed impressive the way the ‘Tentacle’ constantly adjusted for wind shift and even movement by the ‘Drop Ship’ to avoid smashing me into the ‘Solar Collectors’ on the way down. The building we landed on not our ‘Chapter House’ target but an unrelated residential ‘Stack’ overlooking it from a safe distance. Some of us began unpacking some equipment also dropped by ‘Tentacle’. I just got out my ‘FP1’ now modified with attachments allowing it to double as a slightly lower powered ‘Force Pulse Sniper Rifle’ via an ‘MTC’ branded ‘Extended Pulse Accelerator Barrel’ and a generic ‘High Powered Scope’ mounted on the rail.]
[‘Short’ dispatched ‘Mosquito Drones’ whilst some of the rest of us used scopes and other surveillance gear from the designated ‘Delta Site’ to check out the externals of the target site from our towering vantage. The ‘Chapter House Temple’ had its own secure compound but no killing space as typically here other building encroached upon its fences. In fact it was other buildings not fences that in any manner obscured part of our view. The place was well illuminated with floodlights and had regular security patrols including fierce looking extra-large genetically engineered and extra-cybernetic enhanced guard dogs. These Cultists not big on uninvited callers.]
“You failed to mention the hounds from hell.” [I complained.]
“Although according to my data the ‘Bio-Kennel Tech’ units have been further upgraded physically via extra cybernetics and are nasty against locals they should remain useless against such as us because they still have their original internal baseline networking communications hardware and low grade digital cognitive boosting that is embarrassingly easy to hack if you know the trick.” [‘Short’ stated aloud.] “Been there and done that in the past well my ‘Proxy’ did but she gifted me the details.” [‘Short’ added smugly to me via sending.] “Leave the ‘Cerberus Hound Units’ to me.” [She finished aloud.]
“The perimeter guards should mostly follow a routine remember the plan I data blasted in flight we evade the outer patrols rather than engaging whenever possible at least on the way in less risk of a broadcast early warning alarm going out that way.” [‘Short’ informed.]
“Once I have the dogs on a digital leash and ignoring us I will hold back at the ‘Beta Site’ I am not best suited to deep stealth.” [‘Short’ confessed.] “Our good friends ‘Ingrid’ and ‘Mabel’ with ‘Jack’ as backup will do the primary sneaking infiltration part of the extraction breaching to lay down the charges and to secure ‘Ned’ once the ‘Mosquitoes’ have his position firmly marked. Once our primary is secure we start blowing stuff up and make lots of noise do as much damage as possible to infrastructure and Cult members and so on to cover the withdrawal by ‘Ingrid’, ‘Mabel’ and ‘Jack’ with ‘Ned’. You stay here at ‘Delta’ as sniper over watch then zip line down to the ‘Epsilon Rally Point’ from which we make our final push out of ‘The Stacks’ in the set tactical stages on your maps. All nice and simple.”
“I expected more riot and noise down there.” [‘Jack’ stated.]
“Most of the rioting is at interface zones such as the ‘South and North Fence Markets’ and at that unfortunate ‘Local Sliver Police House’ still under siege none of which are near here.” [‘Short’ informed.] “Not much point in the locals tearing up their own homes since the Marines are staying outside ‘The Stacks’ despite various attempts at provocation including a few kidnappings of Corporate folk brought into here but that is an ongoing job for ‘Local Corporate Security’ and not our business tonight.”
“Hurry it up ‘Ingrid’ I want the first ‘Suit Substance Zip Line’ the one to ‘Beta’ locked in ASAP.” [‘Short’ ordered.]
“Sorry I need to find a good clear spot strong enough to anchor the ‘Scaffold Pyramid’ otherwise it will be an epic fail.” [She complained I guessed scanning around before hoisting up the extruded bit of scaffolding type structure and planting it down were it self tapped into the material of the roof to lock solidly in place.]
“All done first ‘Spider Missile’ away.” [She stated.]
[A tiny missile shot away from the top of the ‘Scaffold Pyramid’ unravelling part of its substance as it went to create the ‘Suit Substance Zip Line’ that locked into another ‘Stack Tower’ our ‘Beta Site’ a smaller ‘Stack’ that almost directly bordered the ‘Chapter House Compound’ fence. The thread despite its strength was so fine that even up close it was virtually invisible at least at standard zero magnification.]
“Tensioning and testing the ‘Line’ she is good to go.” [‘Ingrid’ promised moments later.]
“I knew having a ‘User’ on the team would prove useful eventually.” [‘Short’ joked.]
[I was glad to see ‘Short’ making better use of other members of ‘Short Six’.]
“Anyway, that is my cue to go get into the doggies’ local net communications range. Bless every firmer ‘Neo-Luddite’ with their cheap supposedly encrypted wireless systems rather than ‘Neural Nets’ and ‘EXO-C’. You all have your orders.” [‘Short’ stated.] “Have fun.”
[‘Ingrid’ handed him a ‘Suit Substance Zip Line Traveller’ that had an inbuilt brake system and even powered wheels for going up line rather than just sliding down. ‘Short’ locked it over the line grabbed the handle and launched off the roof.]
“She looks too fat and heavy for this sort of thing.” [‘Jack’ stated.]
[I noticed despite the auto tensioning the line did sag a bit under her bulk but not to an outrageous degree even with her carrying her usual preponderance of armaments.]
[I hoped her data proves correct about the ‘Cerberus Units’ only being upgraded on the outside. Luckily for people such as us, ‘Real Materialist’ felons often weakened their own security based upon the level of their ‘Neo-Luddite’ tendencies. The ‘Machinists’ were actually far from strict ‘Neo-Luddite’ types loving advanced cybernetics but they employed some gear manufactured by people with higher standards of bigotry including the ‘Cerberus Hound Units’ that were products of ‘Bio-Kennel Tech’ who mostly specialised in fully biological products rather than cyber engineering thus I guessed the low grade hardware network communications built into the ‘Cerberus Units’ used simply as an aid for better coordinating their guarding efforts. Against other low tech locals the now doubly boosted dogs were a more than able deterrent to trespass but according to ‘Short’ useless against higher tech professionals of her calibre.]
[A few implanted ‘Cognitive Sub Cores’ would have made the ‘Bio-Kennel Tech’ far more formidable guard units but many ‘Neo-Luddite’ folk hated ‘Sub Cores’ with a rare passion forever associating that actually ‘Hierophant’ created technology now with the arrival of ‘Soulless User’ Marines that they equated as no less horrific than ‘Entanglement’ assets. ‘Pure Biotech Units’ were a new favoured solution of ‘Neo-Luddite’ folk with ‘Sliver’ dwelling ‘Omerta’ people particularly found of various guard dog varieties. Such factions would just love to hate our ‘Proxies’ if they ever discovered their existence.]
“Everyone hold. I thought I could digitally capture at least one of them from up here atop ‘Beta’ which is all I need to propagate the virus but I cannot get a signal lock. I am going to have to go down and get even closer. Maybe there is some method in the madness of low signal and reception strength of these units very local network.” [‘Short’ sent to us.] “Stay on standby until I confirm the digital leash.”
“Be careful if you get too close they might sniff you out and trigger an alarm.” [I sent back somewhat stating the obvious.]
“I made a point of scent masking it should hold unless I get stupidly close.” [‘Short’ advised.]
“Guess it is some old style rappel work or risk breaching this building and taking the stairs.” [‘Short’ sent.] “I put a lock on the door up here as this one has a garden and might get night time visits. I am hopeful that casual visitors locked out will just go away rather than making a big fuss.” [She added.]
“If you must rappel try the south corner all the balconies there currently look reasonably clear of civilian activity.” [I advised.]
“Outstanding ‘Six THREE’.” [‘Short’ replied - outstanding - a military style word she was now risking overusing one of the dangers of ‘Meat Suit’ roles is getting both clichéd and carried away - I let it go.]
[Through my scope I anxiously altered between watching the balconies for activity and following ‘Short’ as she dropped a smart rope and began manoeuvring into position it seemed to take her forever to get ready for her controlled fall. Just as she began to drop I noticed a figure stepping out onto one balcony.]
“Got a ‘Trojan’ girl on one of the balconies perhaps ten years old but she is not looking in your direction.” [I informed ‘Short’ as she slipped by.]
[I relaxed a little. Not much I could do anyway as I was not going to shoot an innocent child with a ‘Force Pulse’. Unfortunately moments later ‘Short’ must have landed hard and noisily for the girl moved to look down causing me to pray to Harbinger. Thankfully in the gloom I was soon positive she saw nothing of interest due in part to having a poor angle too anyway her lack of reaction suggested a loss of interest as she returned to possibly star gazing or maybe watching the lights of the ‘Task Force’.]
“Dropped into a cursed pile of I think kitchen waste type garbage.” [‘Short’ sent in complaint.] “So much for not smelling bad.”
“You need to move around the corner got some civilians moving up from the west look like spent rioters going home to me.” [I informed.]
“Going north anyway.” [‘Short’ sent moving around the corner and tight to the building so that I quickly lost direct sight of her so I followed her positional tag.]
“I have it, I have a signal. One of them is right over by the fence sniffing around sending the virus now before it sniffs me.” [‘Short’ sent.]
[A few tense moments passed.] ‘Confirm leash, repeat I can confirm the leash back to mission go.”
[‘Jack’ then ‘Mabel’ and last of all ‘Ingrid’ zipped across to the ‘Beta Site’. ‘Kanne’ sent down two sacks of supplies then returned with me to a ‘Delta Site’ vigil.]
“Team slight plan alteration I am going to stay down here now as climbing back up would probably be too noisy until the fireworks start.” [‘Short’ sent.] “Instead of going in ‘Six TWO’ I want you to secure ‘Beta’ topside and act as forward over watch. ‘Six FIVE’ and ‘Six SIX’ I trust you two can handle the infiltration I know you have long worked as a team before joining ‘Short Six’. If you need loud heavy fire support I will make a ground side assault but that is best left to after ‘Ned’ is acquired and it all starts to kick off.”
“No problem.” [‘Six SIX’ or ‘Ingrid’ sent in reply.]
“Little ‘Six THREE’, ‘Six FOUR’ and you ‘Six TWO’, are the infiltrators eyes on the Patrols with you having even better overall external coverage than my ‘Mosquitoes’ so keep them informed whilst they are covertly laying down the explosives. Do not rush girls I know we are on the clock here because of the ransom but you cannot rush stealth and slow is better than spotted.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“Launching the ‘Spider Missile’ into the Compound.” [‘Ingrid’ advised.]
[Our ‘Omerta’ females individually zipped down when given their all clear window of opportunity. Once down they had the missile detach and spool back to the ‘Beta Site’ lest someone freakishly spot that line. Directed into cover and now ignored by the ‘Hounds’ they began unpacking the remote explosives then systematically placing them at each previously designated site again with the aid of over watch directions to avoid the patrols. That part of the job completed soon enough without any mishaps they waited upon the ‘Mosquitoes’ directed by ‘Short’ finding the quarry.]
[Some areas ‘Short’ had deliberately avoided with the ‘Mosquitoes’ to the last moment fearing they might have security scanners sensitive enough to spot them but now she had no choice but to breach even those areas with the remotes although at times she actually walked them rather than flew them using exaggerated caution. The caution proved unfounded all the detection systems spotted being geared towards larger threats.]
[Still because of the fear of sensitive scanners the girls had to wait slightly longer than expected.]
“Sorry about the delay they have him in a cursed underground creepy crypt type bunker directly beneath the main ‘Temple to the Machine Fury’. I am sure that comes in handy for initiations of the gullible.” [‘Short’ sent before sending them a data blast of images and data from the ‘Mosquito’ that finally located ‘Ned’ in a remarkably primitive type stone cell adorned with disturbing stylised murals of the ‘Machine Fury’.] “It seems they value theatrics over technology down there but I am not sure I am buying into that truth. I would be careful of judging this book by its digital cover it could all be a facade over some ‘Real Material’ high tech these ones by all reports love their toys.”
“Just one active guard near the prisoner seems a bit lean and a trap.” [‘Mabel’ sent.]
“Four more guards in a side chamber they appear to be concentrating upon playing mah-jong with holographic tiles.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“Quiet night in at the office.” [‘Ingrid’ sent.]
“I still expected far more opposition in here.” [‘Mabel’ stated.]
“No need to feel disappointed the ‘Mosquitoes’ located the bulk of them in a big gathering in the west wing which I am afraid is also from these images their primary armoury. I think they are tooling up for the ransom exchange now you really do need to hurry.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“Moving to the ‘Temple’ now.” [‘Ingrid’ sent in reply.]
[Rushing to the ‘Temple’ after doing so very well the girls got momentarily sloppy but that was all it takes one guard for some reason breaking the standard pattern of patrol turned about and spotted them as they crossed a patch of necessary open ground moving towards a ‘Temple’ side door. ‘Kanne’ also doing over watch saw the guard take aim and fired hitting him but not killing him the guard falling unluckily behind cover an instant later an alarm sounded throughout the Compound.]
“Curse it now it is going to be a hard fight I am breaching the fence I think you might need me in there after all.” [‘Short’ sent.]
[I began sniping from my distant position at ‘Delta’ along with ‘Kanne’ whilst ‘Jack’ commenced laying down semi auto bursts of suppressing fire from ‘Beta’. ‘Short’ slapped a charge on the fence making a big hole. ‘Ingrid’ tried the handle on the side door then gave it an almighty ‘Suit’ boosted kick to discover it was exceptionally solid and well locked down. ‘Mabel’ slapped one then thought again and slapped another charge on it and they moved to the side before detonating them. Annoyingly the armoured door although scorched and with a wooden veneer striped away and burning took the double blast whilst remaining seemingly firmly in place. They both ‘Force Pulsed’ it repeatedly and on the forth volley it began to give.]
[‘Jack’, ‘Kanne’ and I continued working hard to keep the guards pinned and off the girls who were somewhat exposed barely succeeding in our almost frantic task. Then ‘Short’ altered the Friend / Foe recognition of the ‘Hounds’ to make the patrolling guards into designated foes giving the external patrols other worries.]
“Forget breaching the ‘Temple’ they are moving ‘Ned’. There is a cursed tunnel down there you need to cut them off by getting to where it comes out instead. I think it must be over here somewhere.” [‘Short’ sent to our ‘Omerta’ girls thanks to more visual and positional data from the ‘Mosquitoes’.] “Follow me.” [She added as she began powering along the inside of the fence whilst crouched low.]
[When heavily armed ‘Cult’ members spilled out of the ‘Temple’, ‘Jack’, ‘Kanne’ and I immediately began knocking them back and pinning them down shifting from very successfully aiding the ‘Hounds’ mauling the external patrols. From inside the ‘Temple’ they retaliated by sending out smoke grenades that did a good job of obscuring our view. I shifted to infrared only to be temporarily dazzled by a series of micro flares allowing the Cultists to spill out for a time unimpeded as ‘Kanne’ and ‘Jack’ had also gone infrared.]
“Lost the ‘Mosquitoes’ on ‘Ned’ someone must have used an ‘EMP’ in the cursed tunnel.” [‘Short’ stated.] “Over watch got anyone emerging out there?”
[I shook off my visual disorientation to relocate to a better position on the roof of the ‘Delta Site’ to get a better view of the general area the tunnels seemed to be going towards before we lost the ‘Mosquito’ visual and positional data. I think it might go into this ‘Stack’.” [I informed sending data on a specific building that looked suspect.]
“I take to ‘Beta’.” [‘Kanne’ rashly decided zipping down line before I could stop her.]
[I guessed she wanted to get closer to the suspected tunnel exit as ‘Beta’ was nearer. I will admit I was making a bit of a calculated guess about the exit but the place just looked right as a strong enough yet unobtrusive sort of site. I also doubted the tunnel went too far out at least I hoped not as if I proved wrong the mission might be blown.]
“Watch out ‘Atmospheric Drone’.” [‘Jack’ sent which was exactly when the spot where ‘Kanne’ and I had been sniping from before on the roof exploded from a missile strike incidentally taking out the ‘Scaffold Pyramid’. The blast wave easily toppled me over the edge of the roof making me very thankful ‘Kanne’ had left before this calamity.]
[I went cognitive fast and as time seemed to slow around me I fumbled at the ‘Manipulation Field Function’ on my ‘FP1’ just before I hit the ground hard I managed to target and to latch onto one of the still standing parts of a ‘Solar Panel’ and crudely used that anchor point to shoot back upward. In my panic not to fall possibly to my ‘Meat Suit’ death I completely over-juiced the effect to catapult upward and crash hard into the debris almost impaling myself luckily the last of my shields with the aid of my armour just about saved me but due to the hard knock I lost my weapon as it was torn from my grip the direct line link snapping out of its socket allowing it to clatter across the roof. I also began suffering from some ‘Squid Bowl’ leaks although they were all on seams that could self-seal. If all of that was not bad enough I realised I was embedded in entangling ‘Solar Panel’ debris like a fly caught in a most untidy web of wires and bent metal scaffolding.]
[As the ‘Atmospheric Drone’ - very illegal here - came around to finish me off ‘Ingrid’ very kindly stopped what she was doing to hit it with a small guided micro-missile barrage from her ‘User Battle Suit’ forcing it to fire off countermeasures and veer away. ‘Jack’ and ‘Kanne’ then began giving me poor but better than nothing anti-aerial covering fire from ‘Beta’ as I commenced struggling myself loose then crawling on all four mechanical limbs back onto the roof proper in a most undignified way. That naturally was when the damaged roof decided to give way beneath my weight dropping me inside the ‘Stack’ and into a private residence.]
[Meanwhile ‘Mabel’ and ‘Short’ were pouring down covering fire for ‘Ingrid’ against the main bulk of the Cultists as ‘Ingrid’ concentrated on loosing and guiding more ‘Suit Substance’ micro-missiles in an effort to shoot the aerial menace down as a principle overhead threat. To help further forestall the main body of the foes advance ‘Short’ opted to blow some of the planted munitions nearby which certainly made an impact causing much ducking and covering as material blasted around and debris rained down not to mention competing shockwaves hit sending many of the foes near the blasts tumbling hither and thither. Some fire and smoke only adding to the confusion.]
[Unfortunately only a very few Cultists were badly incapacitated or slain by the eruptions being well shielded and armoured.]
[‘Short’ then dropped a couple of smoke grenades and micro flares to add to the mess and using a momentary lull with ‘Mabel’ and ‘Ingrid’ continued to flee from the Compound whilst ‘Jack’ and ‘Kanne’ gave them covering fire. Still on mission they raced towards the building I indicated earlier ‘Mabel’ and ‘Ingrid’ running at then vaulting the fence followed by ‘Short’ who blew another hole in it to stomp through like a rampaging ‘Recycler’ tank.]
[The ‘Drone’ annoying survived all the micro-missiles via doing some fancy flying and spewing masses of countermeasures this despite some cunning tricks by ‘Ingrid’ earlier in her attempt to bring it down. Blessedly however, as it came around again for another pass finally free of micro scale pursuit it was rained down upon by some well directed heavy cannon fire from a ‘Task Force Drop Ship’ and beautifully erupted.]
[I guessed the ‘Drop Ship’ now hypocritically enforcing the no fly zone over the City for anyone other than ‘Task Force’ units. I also guessed it was the bribed Marines that dropped us off earlier they must have been circling around at high altitude monitoring the show for something to do but unable or just unwilling to intervene without a good excuse until the highly illegal ‘Atmospheric Drone’ showed up giving them a legitimate target of opportunity. Sadly, shooting down the ‘Drone’ proved the only help they were willing to give us - this one not being their fight - they roared back up again to continue just monitoring the action.]
[Meanwhile I noted that a table had broken my fall although my fall had broken the table too. I was leaking again some of the sealant having unsealed. An angry big bearded ‘Omerta’ civilian stormed in wearing powder blue and white stripy pyjamas and bare footed but with a pulled ‘Knock Gun’ steadily levelled at me.]
[I put my mechanical arms in the air.]
“Who the hell are you and what are you doing here ‘Swimmer’?” [He raged.]
“Getting knocked about by your Cult neighbours and leaking slightly on your broken furniture - sorry.” [I burbled in reply.]
“Those stupid channel hacking ‘Machinist’ freaks - I should have guessed - those sick mindbenders would be responsible for all this damage.” [He lowered his gun.]
“Not good neighbours.” [I mused aloud.]
“Cant watch my shows for them hacking my channels with Cult propaganda the…” [A long list of colourful expletives followed unsuitable for tender ears.]
“I can sympathise. You know they kidnapped ‘Handy Ned’ and there is no way that local fellow is a ‘User’ spy it is just outright theft and ransom.” [I burbled.]
“The Cult blew a hole in my roof because you were what trying to rescue ‘Handy’?” [He asked.]
“Yes trying but it all went a bit wrong they had an illegal ‘Atmospheric Attack Drone’ for a start. My team is still out there fighting for their lives too.” [I complained.]
“How can I help - within reason as a civilian?” [The ‘Omerta’ asked.]
“My primary weapon was on the roof but it now pings as being somewhere on this floor.” [I began.]
“Roughly how far away is it? What direction?” [He asked.]
[I gave him the details. He gave a little chuckle.]
“Must have dropped in upon ‘Mag’ that is no problem… me and ‘Mag’… well you don’t need to know about that.” [He stated.] “Follow me.”
[‘Mag’ found us before we found ‘Mag’, I was expecting an ‘Omerta’ female picking up entirely on the wrong vibe and frame of reference as ‘Mag’ turned out to be a big male ‘Recycler’ with ‘Mag’ being short for ‘Magazine’ as in a weapon magazine and he was clutching my ‘FP1’ as if it was an unexpected toy.]
“Roof fell in are you alright ‘Joe’ and our special supplies?” [‘Mag’ asked.]
“The refined gear is fine.” [‘Joe’ stated.]
“Thank the ‘Mother of Nests’.” [‘Mag’ replied.] “Who is the ‘Swimmer’?”
“The owner of that gun - sorry friend - no easy salvage today ‘Mag’.” [‘Joe’ stated.]
“Finders keepers.” [‘Magazine’ replied clutching the weapon as if spoils.]
“Also this one is a ‘Swimmer Bounty Hunter’ tangling with the ‘Machinist’ freaks.” [‘Joe’ added.]
“Damn, you can have it then, it was all signature locked anyway, guess it is your lucky day ‘Swimmer’.” [‘Mag’ stated before handing the weapon over I noticed it no longer had that shiny new hardly used look being a bit dusty, dirty, scratched and scorched still somehow it now looked more badass.] “Anything else I can do as long as it involves not getting shot at I am not into that anymore?”
“You got a ‘Link’ address?” [I asked.]
[He provided the details. I sent him a data blast on a certain building.] “Know anything about this place?” [I asked.]
“Supposed to be unaffiliated ‘Secure Storage Lockups’ but I know it is a ‘Machinist’ run office or something. I see some of their friends and affiliates coming and going all the time out there when I am doing my err rounds.” [‘Magazine’ stated.]
[I sent the rest of ‘Short Six’ these seemingly confirming details there is nothing better than a little local knowledge in a somewhat informational dead zone such as this one.]
“I need to get there quick can you help?” [I asked.]
“Show him the slide he is not after our stuff.” [‘Joe’ suggested.]
“Follow me.” [‘Mag’ stated.]
[I noticed his place had strong artificial lighting and was wall to wall full of potted plants like a mini jungle. The slide proved two unobtrusive poles mounted on the side of the building that ‘Mag’ had put in place as an unobtrusive quick getaway via gripping the bars and sliding down. He demonstrated the technique by going first. I hastily followed sliding a bit faster and hitting the ground with a bump - well my ‘Dry Suit’ whilst flexible is civilian and not really designed for this sort of nonsense.]
[Meanwhile my friends were stalled pinned down in an alley between two ‘Stacks’ with Cultists now blocking off both exits.]
“Listen ‘Six Three’ forget helping us I am revising the plan again. This spot is defensible we can hold this alley for a time. You get ‘Ned’ I think they believe they have all of us trapped down here ignoring ‘Jack’. We will keep the majority of these fools busily preoccupied whilst you pull off the rescue.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“Single handed.” [I complained.]
“Just do it for the honour of the team and all that stuff.” [‘Short’ commanded.]
“You sure you can hold all of them off.” [I sent.]
“Trust me we brought plenty of gear with us we are bloodying them down here and our ‘Soulless’ are incoming as a rear attack to cut us loose. A few moments ago I sent in the last of the ‘Crab Mines’ you know they are almost as useful as ‘Suit Substance Scuttle Drones’ that knocked some of the bravery out of them too.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“Any injuries?” [I asked.]
“Just ‘Mabel’ she took a series of hits resulting in a broken left leg below the knee but we set it and medical nanites are reinforcing and healing it as we speak and she is still fighting.” [‘Short’ sent as if it was nothing.]
[As usual all battle communications were speeded and virtually instantaneous in real time.]
[I thanked ‘Mag’ and after checking my ‘FP1’ for damage that was not cosmetic began moving to the ‘Secure Storage Lockup’. My sniper barrel addition was all fekked up so I discarded that piece and contacted ‘Jack’.] “Can you spare ‘Xuey’ for backup?” [I asked.]
“Certainly I am rerouting him to your ‘Short Six’ positional tag ETA about one minute now. Those guys can move when they need to hurry.” [‘Jack’ sent.]
[I was well aware how fast ‘Suit Substance’ can be when it goes less restrained.]
“Thanks I wish ‘Kanne’ was still with you.” [I stated.]
[I noticed ‘Kanne’ had rushed over to join the main group at some point due to the placement of her positional tag although ‘Jack’ was still out on his own at ‘Beta’.]
“I am positive ‘Kanne’ is loving being in the thick of it but a bit too busy for chatting. Look I have to go now and help the ‘Soulless’ cut our pals loose.” [‘Jack’ sent in reply.]
“Be careful ‘Jack’, let the ‘Soulless’ take point and keep your head down.” [I stated before signing out.]
[I had no doubt ‘Kanne’ was heavily preoccupied as I could hear pulse and other fire along with the occasional louder explosion I guessed from grenades. As I moved up in tactical stages using whatever cover I could find. I noticed the nearby streets had emptied of uninvolved civilians no doubt scared away by the sounds of the ongoing gun battle with the Cultists. All I could do was pray that ‘Short’ was not overestimating the strength of his position. I guessed most of the bolder natives were at interface zones already happily rioting.]
[Nearing the ‘Storage Facility’ I spotted two loitering ‘Omerta’ that I suspected were outlying Cult guards watching the front entrance I soon spotted another two stationed further up the street. I decided to flank around to the back to think and wait on ‘Xuey’. According to the ‘Mosquito’ visuals no one had left the premises since we put it under surveillance as the possible tunnel exit. I guessed the hostage protection team with ‘Ned’ were lying low inside perhaps waiting until ‘Short Six’ suffered a complete neutralisation - not a bad plan - since they would definitely want to secure the ransom now to recoup some of their material losses and ammunition expenditure.]
[I linked in to our ‘Cognitive Sub Core’ contact involved in facilitating the ransom negotiations. Apparently the ransom demand had changed a hefty increase added because of all the inconvenience caused by our ongoing rescue attempt. That allowed me to relax as a new round of ransom negotiations meant ‘Short Six’ had more time to work with whilst the mentioned inconvenience once we rescued ‘Ned’ should help secure our bonus payment.]
[‘Xuey’ arrived so quietly that he would have sneaked up upon me if I was not monitoring his positional feed which gave me an idea.] “Can you quietly disable these four guards?” [I asked.]
“With executive permission to do some harm that is well within my current operational parameters.” [‘Xuey’ sent in reply.]
“Go for it.” [I stated I will confess feeling a bit inadequate and redundant as a fleshy ‘Swimmer’ in a clunky ‘Dry Suit’.]
[That was the problem with ‘Cognitive Sub Cores’ and ‘Soulless Assets’ they could do it all - it you let them off the leash - but life was for living. I wondered if ‘Short / UT’ was slowly turning me into another action junkie. When ‘Xuey’ slipped away as if nothing more than a ‘Suit Substance’ shadow I refused to even watch how it did the deeds. Of course the purposely unobtrusive guards outside had only small arms as in ‘Knock Guns’ currently holstered and no obvious heavy armour or even prominent cybernetic enhancement.]
“All clear.” [‘Xuey’ sent.]
[Annoyingly the premises had only one front and one side door both heavily armoured without even so much as an external handle. In addition, the facility retained no windows or other obvious vulnerable spots. The guards were down but I had no idea how to get inside especially ideally covertly. Then I had a horrible idea.]
“These cybernetic scum are bound to have ‘Rebirth’ insurance. Do a data search and kill one unconscious guard with as little mess as possible do the one with the worst criminal record then infiltrate his corpse and subsume control of the body as a ‘Meat Suit Zombie’ - triple cursed ugly - but sometimes needs must.” [I informed going ‘UT’ style ruthless.] “They started this reaction to action via kidnapping an innocent now we have to finish it by any means necessary.”
[The technique involved was an outrageously egregious one the sort of thing that gave some ‘Users’ an especially evil reputation even amongst more reasonable ‘Real Materialists’ but I did not plan to leave any evidence behind of my moral infraction.]
“Once in control we will go to the front door and demand to be let in. You will tell them that you have captured a ‘Swimmer’ prisoner as an extra hostage but there is a cursed ‘Soulless Suit Substance’ assassin lurking out here somewhere that took out your friends.” [I sent.]
[Moments later I popped the top of my ‘Suit’ exposing my vulnerable body allowing the ‘Meat Suit Zombie’ operated by some of the substance of ‘Xuey’ to put his knock gun to the back of my fleshy head. Thus captured he marched me right up to the main entrance and put on a fine performance of desperately wanting in a story helped by having his primary ‘Suit Substance’ body open fire upon the ‘Zombie’ from cover and artfully just missing as the ‘Zombie’ used my ‘Suit’ and body as his protection.]
[Amazingly to my great surprise it worked a concerned Cult member opened the door and hastily encouraged the ‘Zombie’ inside before quickly resealing the armoured door that raised and lowered with shocking speed on a vertical axis. We even let our new friend guide us inward to talk with the big boss. It was all improvisation but sometimes as a little ‘Swimmer’ you just have to go with the flow and see where it takes you.]
[Outside at this juncture ‘Nuey’, ‘Suey’ and ‘Jack’ ambushed one group of Cultists involved in pining down ‘Short Six’ attacking them viciously from the rear to commence the break out action. The news coming in from the fighting not especially good for the Cult boss from the faces he was pulling. The boss a surprisingly youthful and fleshless fellow with minimal cybernetic enhancement not what I was expecting at all but there was a hard to define creepiness about this Leader and it was too obvious that he was both deeply respected and feared by his much better armed and armoured followers.]
“You dared to bring ‘Soulless Abominations’ into my part of the City. You are going to regret that deed ‘Swimmer’ I am going to do things to your little aquatic body that will mess with your mind forever worse for you I will keep you alive for an eternity of such suffering.” [The Cult Leader promised.]
“No I think it is you that is going to regret kidnapping ‘Handy’.” [I replied whilst purposely smiling with my eyestalks in a provocative manner.]
[He marched over to strike at me with a clenched fist. That was when my ‘Zombie’ friend stopped aiming at my head and shot his four bodyguards with great precision whilst I reached out with a mechanical limb to grab the ‘Omerta’ around his neck whilst my suit top sealed up tight again and my shields activated.]
[The four guards shielded and armoured only knocked around a bit by the unexpected pistol fire quickly recovered and were no doubt about to retaliate big style when I spoke up.]
“Drop your weapons or I will squeeze until his head pops off.” [I stated doing some choking and a little shaking to emphasise my point. I then loosed my grip just enough to allow the Cultist to keep breathing.]
[Interestingly this Cult Leader felt so secure in this power that he did not even carry a weapon I had to admit that it was slightly impressive that such a physically unimpressive specimen felt that comfortable. True power not exercised with weapons.]
“Strip and secure them do a good job and I will give you a bonus. Then let ‘Xuey’ in.” [I said to the ‘Zombie’.]
“Traitor infidel.” [The Leader spat at the ‘Zombie’ obviously not realising the true nature of his betrayer.]
“Guess the Cult brain washing failed to take on this one. He quickly begged for his life when my ‘Soulless’ friend only actually incapacitated his fellows. Well you know how it is no honour amongst thieves even supposedly religious ones.” [I claimed.]
“You will die a thousand virtual deaths for daring to assault me and for bringing a ‘Suit Substance Abomination’ onto the sacred ground of our Blessed Temple Compound.” [The ‘Leader’ wheezed out.]
“I think not ‘Demetrious Ire’ you are just an unexpected bounty to my team and you will be hurting no one in the future whilst incarcerated within a ‘Temporal Detention Centre’ it seems the ‘SARC’ have an interest in you - not a big interest yet - otherwise you would be frozen in time already - but a growing interest worth a goodly sum of credits nonetheless.”
“You will never get me out of the ‘Stacks’ never mind to a ‘TDC’ to collect on my bounty. You have no idea of the trouble you are in now ‘Swimmer’ you have a Cybernetic Dragon by the tail.” [‘Demetrious’ claimed.]
“Save the rhetoric for these night blinded fools.” [I burbled back.] “You have lied to them and failed them too. I couldn’t believe my luck when I saw you had brought me to a room with no ‘Stasis Emitter’ or other automated security features but I suppose no one outside your little Cult should have been able to gain entry here through that massively reinforced door and so on.”
“I do not understand how you turned ‘Gabon’ so easily he must have been more than he seemed a, a ‘User’ spy all along - a saboteur infiltrator - within our sacred ranks.” [I guessed he was preaching to his bound followers doing some damage control.]
“You think you are still in business and so need to keep up appearances let it go. It is all over for you and this petty ridiculous Cult. It is finished. I am pretty sure only you can hold this nonsense together and you have failed and all for just a few extra illegally earned credits. If this one was a ‘Holy Prophet’ of the ‘Dread Machine Fury’ could I a mere aquatic ‘Swimmer’ handle him thus - waken up you have been deluded by nothing more than a known ‘Omerta’ confidence artist. I can share his record of petty crimes from before he became your Leader if you need further convincing.” [I stated to his bound guards.]
[I noticed two shook their heads in utter denial but the other pair looked a little less certain.] “Now would be a good time to denounce this false faith.” [I stated.] “Assist my people in any way you can and we will vouch for you with the authorities.” [I was all for sowing a bit of dissention.]
“Do not listen to the ‘Swimmer’ blasphemer.” [‘Demetrious’ claimed.] “It is this unworthy creature that would play you false not I. I opened you to a truer reality.”
“Think about it. Think about your future. You can choose to be hunted members of a failed cult whilst your Leader slumbers in oblivion or you can choose to put this whole sorry episode behind you and go get a real life perhaps be reunited with abandoned friends and family.” [I stated.]
“There is no true life - in this life - only pain, death, digital rebirth and suffering. Only the ‘Machine Fury’ can cleanse the tainted cycle that bedevils us ‘Pilgrims’. Only the ‘Fury’ can allow our souls a truer resurrection.” [‘Demetrious’ claimed.]
“Really that is your great messianic message pathetic.” [I burbled.]
“Only those that have been purified can understand the truth you are naturally both blind and deaf to the real reality of our times.” [‘Demetrious’ stated.]
“You mean only the victims you have brain washed would credit your drivel. You Cult Leaders are all the same. Tell me who purified you?” [I retorted.]
“I was purified in the void as my followers know well.” [‘Demetrious’ claimed.]
“That would be after your petty criminal activities and your previous ‘Stasis Sentences’.” [I stated.]
“Only lost souls can be found only those who seek and err can eventually find redemption.” [‘Demetrious’ responded.]
“Naturally although that is all very standard drivel too.” [I retorted.] “I guess the purifying was pretty rough on these poor folks here to get them to buy into this nonsense. I‘ll bet it hurt body and soul. Do you think redemption comes through the infliction of pain friends? I‘ll bet this one enjoyed your suffering. I will bet if you think back that this one watched your suffering closely and smiled. I will bet it made him feel powerful to watch you scream and beg to see you being stripped of the last shreds of your dignity as you were broken down. Then I will bet that he cradled you and he whispered his lies in an ever so friendly and gentle fashion to build you back up again. Am I right is that how it went?”
“I can tell from your looks that I am telling it exactly as it occurred. You think about that truth you think about how I would know these things without being purified.” [I stated.]
“He did terrible things to us.” [The ‘Zombie Gabon’ said.] “He is the one that needs to suffer he is the one that needs to repent for his crimes and sins. He is not your friend he is not your family or your father he is just your - user - he used you for his private ambitions. He used you to gain wealth and power and to satisfy the sick urgings of his damaged mind. Let go of the lies surrounding what he did to us. See it for what it was and be free of his monstrous dictatorship.”
[The ‘Suit Substance Xuey’ entered causing the believers to flinch.] “Even that thing is not our enemy it is just a tool and no more abominable that the hand that wields it. It did not kill my associates outside it just incapacitated them and in doing so set me free to make new choices.” [‘Zombie Gabon’ claimed.]
[I rather wished that was how it had gone with ‘Gabon’ it felt a bit unclean to be selling the truth to these people with a lie but sometimes that is just the way it works out.]
“He did smile I will never forget his smile.” [One of the ‘Four’ said.] “There is a tunnel.” [He added.]
“You skirt abomination.” [‘Demetrious’ stated fiercely so I choked him into temporary silence.]
“We know about the tunnel it links this place to the ‘Temple’.” [I stated.]
“No there is another tunnel a secret way that hardly anyone else knows about in relation to where it comes out just ‘Ire’ and his bodyguards.” [The Cultist informed.]
“Outstanding.” [I stated before I realised what I was saying.]
“Tell me about the hostage?” [I asked.]
“He is in a holding cell up above with a small but well armed Cult Garrison between.” [The prisoner informed.]
“See you are still doomed I just have to signal and they will automatically centrally lock down the main exits and come to get you. You will lay down your arms now and submit to my holy authority and maybe I will spare you some pain.” [‘Demetrious’ rallied.]
“Secure the corridor by any means required.” [I sent to ‘Xuey’.]
“Please bind and gag this fool.” [I told ‘Zombie Gabon’.]
[I contacted ‘Short’.] “What is your status now? Can you retreat to us here we have learned of a secret way out another tunnel. I have the ‘Cult Leader’ in custody a known felon with a bounty but would appreciate backup as we still have to secure ‘Ned’ and apparently there is a secondary ‘Cult Garrison’ stationed upstairs so it could get messy in here.”
“For a moment there they came after us hard some of them got up onto the roofs and we got knocked around a bit I thought they had us pinned again but this time they were going to finish the job. Even with the ‘Soulless’ we were in trouble then they all just fell back and retreated away.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“Where did they go was it in this direction?” [I asked.]
“No when they broke off I sent a ‘Mosquito’ after them they moved back towards the main Compound and the ‘Temple’.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“Damn they are going for the tunnel under the ‘Temple’.” [I patched ‘Xuey’ in.] “I have a new priority mission ‘Xuey’ find the entrance to the tunnel to the ‘Temple’ collapse the tunnel seal it up good.” [I ordered.]
“Moving to comply.” [‘Xuey’ stated.]
[I sent ‘Zombie Gabon’ to watch the way up as a replacement for ‘Xuey’.]
[Then I quickly changed my mind reversing the orders for ‘Gabon’ and ‘Xuey’.] “Adding to ‘Zombie Gabon’ you are to have an accident in the tunnel when you blow it you go up with it leaving no evidence behind of the ‘Suit Substance’ subjugation. ‘Gabon’ will die a heroes death that is the best we can do for him now. Perhaps when he is reborn he might even believe he turned to the good at the last moment and that might even give him an impetus to reform rather than return once more to a life of debased criminality.”
“As you wish.” [‘Zombie Gabon’ sent who was after all now actually only a remote part of ‘Xuey’ - a fleshy tool - that would actually soon start to decay without major extra medical intervention. Such - rushed - ‘Zombie Suits’ had firm biological limitations and short shelf lives before they started to stink the place up. Usually rushed ‘Trojan Zombie Suits’ were only good to fool anyone they were still alive for a few hours then problems started occurring firstly with their skin tone and their eyes.]
“We are backtracking to support you I will send the ‘Soulless’ on ahead at a run they can reach you far quicker than the rest of us.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“Listen up you Cult freaks above I am sure you can hear me up there. Lock the doors and I will seriously hurt your great leader come charging down here thinking you are going to liberate him by force and I will have my ‘Soulless’ friend slay him with incredible brutality. Do you hear me what do you think about that?” [I asked aloud.]
“I think if you kill our Leader you will be the next to die aquatic. We have ‘Handy Ned’ you have ‘Demetrious Ire’ the solution is obvious ‘Swimmer’. We make a hostage exchange you get your bounty and get to live for a little while longer at least until we catch up with you again later and we get our Leader back.” [A hidden speaker blared out.]
“That is a poor deal. I now believe ‘Demetrious’ is worth much, much more than ‘Handy’ is paying us at least to the right ‘SARC’ ‘Temporal Detention Centre’.” [I argued.]
“You are being foolish ‘Swimmer’ make the deal and live for a while longer that is the best outcome you are going to get this night.” [The Garrison Cultist insisted.]
“I firmly believe otherwise. I suggest you start sweetening the pot. Sweeten the deal enough and of course I will consider your proposal - we are mercenary Bounty Hunters after all - and by nature smart opportunists but you annoyed me with that ‘Drone’ and the silly clichéd revenge threat so it will have to be sickly sweet.” [I added.]
“What more do you want greedy ‘Swimmer’ is your life so cheap to you?” [The Garrison Cultist asked.]
“I know what it is to be alive and credit poor. What have you got credit wise or that is portable and worth anything sold on? Make an inventory and get back to me if it is a lot I am telling you the truth I will endeavour to convince ‘Short’ to make a straight hostage trade. Empty the ‘Temple’ coffer if you must after all if you ‘Pilgrims’ truly believe the end of the Universe is nigh what good are extra credits and trinkets to you believers now especially without your prophet to guide you towards a benighted salvation.” [I mocked.]
“Making fun of our faith will not endear you or your proposal to me.” [The Cultist warned.]
“Get over yourself - business is business as ‘Short’ often tells me - if you expect me to take your Cult nonsense seriously you will need even more credit sugar actually to be honest I doubt you could afford to buy out my incredulity.” [I said.]
[At that point I heard and could feel an eruption from below.]
“You cursed killer even if we make a deal today I will find you later ‘Swimmer’, I swear by the mighty ‘Machine Fury’ I will find you and you will recant every insult every quip and every one of my friends you have killed today in an agony of repentance.” [The Cultist ranted.]
“Please you are as boring as your Leader get accounting or go get lost.” [I replied.]
[He might realise I was still stalling for time to get reinforcement but under the circumstances what could he do other than play along for the moment besides Bounty Hunters are notoriously mercenary and ‘Short’ is a ‘Recycler’ too and credits talk loudly to most ‘Recyclers’. Besides he was stalling earlier too waiting on reinforcements from the ‘Temple’ via the Tunnel that he did not know we were about to demolish now of course his rage was due to that plan failing disastrously. I guessed from my friends rage upstairs that ‘Zombie Gabon’ blew the tunnel whilst it was crammed with Cultists - too bad - still we were definitely earning our bonus for inconveniencing the kidnappers.]
[I wondered if it might be worth accepting an exchange and a bribe but if we did we would have to come back later for these ones as unfinished business. It is not good to leave some types actively running around with a serious grudge and there was something about ‘Demetrious Ire’ that made me think he was best off in long-term ‘Stasis Detention’ possibly permanent detention unless his sick psyche got corrected. Sometimes people originally just playing at being Evil Cultists started to believe in their own crazy wickedness and lost it altogether ‘Demetrious Ire’ seemed firmly of that type to me now.]
[The other two ‘Soulless’ arrived making me feel much safer. I decided to risk releasing our cooperative prisoner named ‘Colin’ who asked to be given a ‘Link’ address to talk to me securely. I considered the risks versus the advantages and obliged.]
“You dare not make an honest deal with ‘Fad’.” [‘Colin’ sent.] “He is fanatically loyal to ‘Demetrious Ire’ a true believer in Cult doctrine he revels in it worse he is a dedicated killer and a leader of killers. The folk upstairs are not standard members of the ‘Machinists’ they are a ‘Machinist Murder Squad’ used for Cult assassination both in and outside the ‘Chapter Temple’. If you trust me at all believe me ‘Fad’ and his killers will never make a straight exchange they have no intent to let any of us live. What you have done here to him and his fanatics will demand blood lots of blood. He will be eager to kill me too as a ‘Machinist Apostate’.”
“If the exchange is arranged he will use ‘Ned’ in some manner perhaps wire him up with a remote bomb or something similar.” [‘Colin’ added.] “If I were you I would forget about ‘Handy’ that one is as good as dead already up there with ‘Fad’ he is a walking corpse. ‘Fad’ will blame ‘Handy’ for everything that has happened as much as you and your team they will have ‘Ned’ under a death sentence. Even if they seemingly let him go to get the ransom it will now only be a trick somehow. Believe me ‘Fad’ will never allow ‘Ned’ to live not after so much insult to the Cult he will need to make an example of all of us ‘Ned’ included.” [‘Colin’ sent.]
“Abandoning ‘Ned’ is not an acceptable outcome to me. Tell me everything you know about this ‘Stack’.” [I added.]
“I know little or nothing about upstairs. The Cult segregates its security - upstairs is the realm of the ‘Cowl’ - the name ‘Ire’ gave to ‘Fad’ and his Assassins.” [‘Colin’ sent.]
“How did you get to be on the personal security team of ‘Ire’?” [I sent.]
“He knew I had former military experience but mostly I think it was a sort of punishment.” [‘Colin’ stated.]
“How so?” [I asked.]
“He knows he terrifies me and I hate being too close to him you have no idea how crazy ‘Demetrious’ is he really believes his own legend he thinks he is a Prophet of the ‘Machine Fury’ it is not an act. When I was recruited I believed all the nihilist stuff was just clever propaganda to terrorise opponents and the ‘Machinists’ just a rising ‘Deck Gang’ with a scary local reputation but I soon learned otherwise. I have no idea what happened to ‘Demetrious’ but I suspect when he added his surname of ‘Ire’ it was after some sort of mental break possibly after his last period in stasis. I think someone did something to him at a ‘Temporal Detention Centre’ experimented on him or something he has non-standard cognitive cyber implants and occasionally suffers headaches he claims to have visions of the ‘Machine Fury’ not the ‘Spore’ we ‘Pilgrims’ encountered the ‘Prime Mass’ as he calls it. His descriptions are terrifyingly detailed so much so that sometimes I have even wondered if somehow he is genuinely making some kind of connection to the ‘Prime Mass’ rather than just being delusional.” [‘Colin’ further explained via sending.]
“He is obsessed by the ‘Prime Mass’ haunted by it - somehow it both terrifies and attracts him at the same time - it is trying to make sense of the horror and desire all mixed together that I believe inspired his vision for the ‘Real Machinists’.” [‘Colin’ added via sending.]
“You should execute him making sure to trash those implants that would be doing him and the ‘Known Universe’ a huge favour then use the escape tunnel. If he is killed and reborn it will be without the cyber ware that is driving him insane.” [‘Colin’ finished.]
[It seemed our mission had just gotten much more complicated if I could believe what ‘Colin’ was telling me but then if ‘Colin’ was still a loyal Cultist he would hardly be trying to convince me to murder the ‘Machinist Prophet of the Prime Mass’.]
[How did we always end up crossing paths with such dire happenings? I wondered about ‘Short’ picking up this particular ‘Quiet Contact’ fearing now that actually she might be following up upon other ‘Proxy’ leads using the providential kidnapping as an excuse to get a closer look inside this unusual Cult. I know Paradox Priest paranoia and I am supposed to be playing a ‘Swimmer’ not a Priest. I packaged up all the new data and sent it to ‘Short’ maybe this was a decision for our ‘Great Cybernetic Leader’ especially if she already knew or suspected more about the ‘Real Machinists’ and their leader than she had preciously pretended.]
Last edited by Paranoid66 on Mon, 18. May 15, 10:48, edited 4 times in total.
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Paranoid66
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[[ONE]] Part 13 --- SUM OF ALL FEARS / NEGOTIATIONS / AFTERMATH ---
“I am disappointed in you ‘Short’. I was almost beginning to enjoy being ‘Bluu’ but interacting with ‘Fury Tech’ is never fun.” [I sent.] “I have no doubt now that this extraction is actually all about hidden dodgy ‘SARC’ behaviour at ‘TDC’ and elsewhere. The ‘SARC’ have become important to you ‘Short’. You found something out as a ‘Meat Suit’ Bounty Hunter well placed to interact with them at their ‘Temporal Detention Centres’ so now we are here.” [I added.]
“I am not a fool. I know the ‘Fury’ is the only known entity that ever roundly defeated masses of the ‘Entanglement’. So your ‘Proxy’ and you seek to steal information from ‘SARC’ studies into ‘Fury Tech’ in the hope of manipulating the ‘Machine Fury’ against the ‘Entanglement’ in some clever manner or some similar nonsense? I suppose the ‘Social Advancement & Reform Committee’ are striving to better understand even foolhardily perhaps endeavouring to master the might of the ‘Machine Fury’ as the greatest known power within this Universe and sometimes seemingly the most deadly threat to every ‘Pilgrim’ species survival? I suppose the ‘SARC’ were bound to study the ‘Fury’ to some degree as is every other big ‘Pilgrim’ military organisation with any research capability, unfortunately studying ‘Fury Tech’ and seeking a connection to it rather than just striving to understand the ‘Deep Time’ machine entity out there at a safe distance is exceptionally perilous verging upon suicidal. Encountering ‘Fury Tech’ is mind destroying which might easily explain the mental state of ‘Demetrious Ire’. Maybe through ‘Ire’ the ‘SARC’ are even striving to understand ‘Fury’ induced psychosis as ‘Ire’ would make a star test subject for that one.” [I finished ranting.]
“Like it or not we may need to get some friendly scientists to study ‘Ire’ and his implants just in case he truly has made some sort of connection with the ‘Prime Mass of the Machine Fury’. This Cultist freak might have data and information no other ‘Pilgrim’ outside of the employ of the ‘Spore of the Machine Fury’ has ever obtained.” [‘Short’ sent.] “Either we squeeze him for intelligence or we annihilate him to end his madness and to prevent him spreading it any further as ‘Colin’ suggested perhaps ideally we do both by juicing his mind of data then eliminating him.” [‘Short’ ruthlessly sent.]
“Time to confess: How much do you really know about the ‘SARC’ and their ‘TDC’ activities with prisoners and ex-prisoners that you have not bothered to share with your ‘Short Six’ colleagues yet?” [I sent to ‘Short / UT’.]
“It is not so much what I know about the ‘SARC’ as what some ‘Pilgrims’ including my ‘Proxy’ and I have long suspected just because some of it sounds paranoid and is all over ‘Ultra-nation Conspiracy Link Sites’ does not mean it is not true.” [‘UT’ replied.]
“So what do you two and all the other paranoid folk suspect?” [I asked.]
“Well you know the history of the ‘SARC’ they were created by ‘Orb Guidance’ to shepherd the ‘Trojan Nations’. The ‘Ancient Trojan Nations’ too crudely lumped together by most of us ‘Pilgrims’ ignobly under the umbrella label of ‘Omerta Trojan’. In fact, the truth of the ‘Omerta’ is that those peoples were hardly ever one unified race as survivors from various very individualistic ‘Ancient Trojan Port States’ with divergent cultures all mostly destroyed by the infighting of the ‘Trojan Turmoil’. The ‘Turmoil’ sponsored by ‘Recycler Mercenaries’ supposedly under ‘Trojan’ employ but manipulated by ‘Splinter Raiders’ to prevent the ever expanding ‘Trojan Port States’ from encroaching upon and threatening ‘Prime Graveyards’ with site incursions - a truly messy period of ‘Pilgrim’ history.” [‘Short’ admitted via sending.]
“Anyway the refugee survivors of the nations that were manipulated into tearing themselves apart were cunningly collected by ‘Orb Guidance’ as they fled the ultimately ‘Anomalous Matter’ using ‘Trojan Turmoil’ catastrophe. The refugees ‘Guidance’ scooped up apparently - all the way through the conflict - she segregated by nationality upon ‘Sanctuary Orb’ to preserve unique cultures via preventing any further possibility of feud based infighting. I believe ‘Orb Guidance’ oversaw a grand ‘Trojan’ rescue master plan to educate all these - by that point somewhat embittered - cultures to a more tolerant equivalency separately at their own pace. One day allowing them eventually to emerge to interact more safely with their ‘Trojan’ neighbours and the rest of the ‘Emissary Sphere’ without losing their many unique historic characteristics.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“All the social meddling hokum by ‘Orb Guidance’ on the surface very enlightened, however akin to most forced grand social ideals - a bit akin to your ‘Social Singularity’ no offence intended - the great plan proved far harder to create than to visualise. On ‘Sanctuary’ the ‘Omerta Nations’ mostly remained in segregated domes until refugee survivors were loosed at random from their segregation fleeing the ‘Entanglement’. When ‘Crimson’ assaulted ‘Sanctuary Orb’ I suspect it was to gain a ‘Stellar Orb’ a mobile ‘Sea Sphere’ fortress and various ‘Higher Tier’ technology upgrades she really had little interest in individual ‘Omerta’ people there so she let many randomly escape in the process letting both good and bad ‘Omerta’ wrestle free. Many also believe ‘Crimson’ also incidentally put an end to the mysterious ruling ‘Cognitive Entity’ that was known as ‘Orb Guidance’ during her assault.” [‘UT’ reminded via sending.]
“It is my belief that ‘Orb Guidance’ created but also monitored and moderated the ‘Social Advancement & Reform Committee’. Now sadly the tool of ‘Omerta’ education, segregation and enforcement that ‘Guidance’ made is loose in the ‘Ultra-nation’ without the benevolent restraining oversight of the original ‘Committee’ maker. Apparently the ‘SARC’ now run by the most ruthless and radical Agents employ increasingly extreme policies in their remit to protect all ‘Omerta Trojan People and Cultures’ from all internal and external threats of which the ‘Fury’ is most definitely deemed one.” [‘UT’ sent.]
“You know a little about the current ‘SARC’ leadership.” [I sent.]
“I have read various after action reports about their interventionist activities so I can deduce their character as motivated true believers of the old ‘Sanctuary Orb’ cause. They may even be preserving some ‘Trojan Cultures’ via holding people in their stasis facilities. I certainly believe that some rumours are true that ‘SARC’ run ‘TDC’ are more than they claim. I believe they are illegally experimenting on some detainees and that they have perfected a clever means to read minds firmly embedded in stasis.” [‘Short’ seemed almost to warn via her sending.]
“They had ‘Jack’ for a time.” [I sent.]
“They most certainly did and you can bet that everything ‘Jack’ knew back then some members of the ‘SARC’ now know.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“Worrisome.” [I sent in reply.]
“There is more, my ‘Proxy’ and I both positive that most of the ‘SARC’ did not get into the detention business just to incarcerate some escaped ‘Omerta’ felons. They have been systematically using information gleaned from detainees for some time now to advance their influence within the ‘Ultra-nation’ not just attacking ‘Omerta Trojan’ harming criminal organisations they are infiltrating and taking control of some of these groups as hidden assets in their sometimes bizarre attempts at further social engineering and reform. Well actually we cannot complain too much about bizarre attempts at social reform but I do not trust the ‘SARC’ to become too powerful guardians of our shared future especially as the ‘Committee’ exists today and my ‘Proxy’ feels the same way, as I am sure would the wider membership of the ‘Founder Cabal’ if informed.” [‘UT’ informed.]
“So your ‘Proxy’ and you as ‘Short’ have been delving into possible ‘SARC’ related matters including the ‘Real Machinist Cult’ because ‘Demetrious’ went strange after a period in ‘SARC’ custody.” [I mused.]
“Exactly my ‘Proxy’ has been monitoring ‘Demetrious’ - to some extent - along with many other ex-prisoners of interest from ‘SARC’ managed ‘TDC’. Since I was already here on ‘A3’ I was happy to accept the ‘Quiet Contract’ to rescue ‘Ned’ as ‘Short’ when that job was brought to my attention by my ‘Proxy’.” [‘UT’ admitted.]
“That one on ‘AO’ with ‘Snakeskin’ is related in some way with ‘SARC’ social activities and experiments in the ‘Ultra-nation’ too.” [I insisted via sending.]
[My friend gave no response to that accusation.]
“It seems to me that you are letting your ‘Proxy’ task and manipulate you rather than the other way around.” [I complained.]
“We are just looking out for, and giving each other, appropriate data whilst sharing our responsibilities and workload in a collaborative manner.” [‘UT’ countered via sending.]
“So to recap in relation to our current position you are completely agreeing with the fears of ‘Colin’ that someone at a ‘TDC’ is messing around with ‘Fury Technology’ and you firmly believe that someone is a faction within the ‘SARC’.” [I sent.]
“The ‘Machinist Apostate’ certainly seems to be confirming that at the very least tech that appears to be linking to the ‘Fury’ is being tested or manipulated by ‘SARC’ run Assets.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“I feel ill that seems more than cursed problematic especially if ‘Ire’ is stupidly truly linking with the so-called ‘Prime Mass’ rather than just having ‘Fury’ obsessed mental delusions of grandeur as a false prophet.” [I complained via sending.]
“I am afraid that we have no option but to consider the possibility that the connection is real and an active present danger to our ‘Ultra-nation Pilgrim’ security even just given the few details ‘Colin’ has so far provided.” [‘Short’ sent more as ‘UT’.]
“Well thank you for the advanced warning about what we were getting into with this not so small time Cult. You hinted that all the ‘Fury’ stuff was just nonsense role-play earlier during the briefing.” [I complained via sending.]
“It was just an unsubstantiated theory before. I need to keep an appropriate level of separation from ‘UT’ as ‘Short’ and really most of this stuff is not ‘Short Six’ business our job here officially at least remains just an extraction.” [‘Short / Unholy’ sent in reply.]
“Indeed that should remain our only job here anything else above our pay grade.” [I sent.]
“Still, as two undercover members of the ‘Founder Cabal’ we need to know if the implants are real and if ‘Ire’ is for example the only ‘Machinist’ with these implants?” [‘Short / UT’ sent.]
[I forwarded the question to ‘Colin’.]
“Possibly not, rumour has it that he has a hidden laboratory somewhere else on or maybe even off ‘Sliver’. Occasionally he leaves even us bodyguards behind and goes away for a few days. The rumour is that he is studying his sacred implants trying to understand them even to retro-engineer copies of them thus he constantly needs new sources of income to fund expensive researches thus the recent spate of ‘Machinist’ thefts and kidnappings too. ‘Ned’ is far from the first person the Cult has kidnapped for ransom all the other kidnappings going through the motions without any complications. I guess no one else arranged for a Bounty Hunter rescue attempt they just paid their ransoms and were released relatively unharmed as that was good business for us.” [‘Colin’ confessed.]
[I relayed this bad news to ‘Short’.]
“Still if the ‘SARC’ did do this purposely rather than accidentally to ‘Ire’ I wonder why they let him go free afterwards especially with their tech still working or possibly malfunctioning in his head?” [‘Short’ sent.]
“They must want him back now explaining the bounty on him although it is not an impressive bounty perhaps because they do not want to look too interested too eager.” [I mused via sending.]
“No that does not quite fit - if they really wanted him back - they would have detained him using their own more specialised ‘Enforcement Agents’ before now. The ‘SARC’ just use Bounty Hunters to fill in the gaps with more routine captures and possibly sometimes as cannon fodder distraction and support.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“So what is going on here then?” [I sent.]
“I suppose it could all be a test to see how well ‘Ire’ can respond in his condition to low level military threats with anyone going after ‘Ire’ considered meat for the Cultist grinder maybe even a training exercise to focus his damaged mind.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“So this one with you is truly all about the ‘SARC’ even that ‘Snakeskin’ hunt back on ‘AO’ who had - according to some rumours - a connection to the ‘SARC’ as a possible rogue agent.” [I again complained via sending.] “If you do not believe ‘Ire’ somehow escaped their experimentations or that they believed his implants disabled and him harmless you must consider he is still being actively utilised under direct ‘Social Advancement & Reform Committee’ observation and that puts us now as ‘Short Six’ under their microscope too.” [I sent.]
“Even if he temporarily escaped their observation they would have found him again before now - these ‘Machinists’ are not exactly low profile as a ‘Neo-Armageddon Cult’ - whilst the story of ‘Ire’ notably his ongoing ‘Machine Fury’ obsession would seem to indicate a still active implant continuing to give him crazy visions if that is what it does.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“Then they are undoubtedly shadowing his private research and studying him in the field to better understand what the implant is doing to him outside previously overly controlled laboratory conditions perhaps having other subjects still back at their lab. He is out on a field test or perhaps they are trying to trick the ‘Machine Fury’ into thinking he is free for misinformation purposes if the link, Harbinger save us at the idea, goes both ways. Perhaps they actually cut ‘Snakeskin’ loose too for other unknown manipulative reasons.” [I suggested.]
“Doing that sort of thing is cursed risky but might be true if some ‘Committee Members’ have gone more than a bit megalomaniac with some projects as I suspect. If they are studying ‘Ire’ in the field, they might have ‘Agents’ exceptionally close to him even some directly infiltrating the Cult. I suggest you be very careful in that ‘Cowl Base Stack’ in some ways the entire Cult could be monitored and overseen as a sort of ‘SARC Black Operation’ almost a field test site laboratory as you seem to be suggesting. Personally I like these ‘Cowl’ as ‘SARC’ infiltrators.” [‘Short’ stated via sending.]
“You are the one who seems to know what is going on here better than me. I think you had some idea about all this particular nonsense from your ‘Proxy’ but you kept us in ignorance and now every member of ‘Short Six’ is in jeopardy as a result.” [I sent in further complaint.]
“I have just rather blindly sniffed along a fresh trail that might have proved nothing more than a demented ex-prisoner’s mania due to unhinging from ‘Temporal Shock’.” [‘Short’ sent back.]
“I am not buying the innocent routine.” [I sent.]
[Were the ‘Cowl’ upstairs ‘SARC Agents’ or just ‘SARC’ controlled? I could feel my Paradox Priest paranoia gearing up into overdrive. Dealing with some indoctrinated well-armed Cultists as ‘Short Six’ was nothing compared to contesting with dedicated - active - ‘SARC Agents’ in the field overseeing a ‘Black Project’.]
“Without doubt now we need to neutralise the ‘Death Squad’ - without any compunction towards mercy - and rescue ‘Handy Ned’. There is no way I am leaving a known to be innocent ‘Omerta’ civilian in the power of these exceptionally dangerous people after we have riled them, Harbinger alone knows what they might do to him maybe stick some of those possible ‘Fury Tech’ derived implants in his brain as a punishment.” [I sent.]
“Be calm - hold fast to your part of the ‘Cowl Base’ - I am almost with you then we can figure out a new way together to rescue ‘Ned’, extract ‘Ire’ and stop the ‘SARC’ meddling with possible ‘Fury Tech’ ideally including locating the hidden laboratory and putting that one out of business too.” [‘Short’ stated via sending.]
[I wondered if ‘Short / UT’ really wanted to put the secret laboratory out of business or to take over running it.]
“I see you are still striving as ever to be an overachiever even as ‘Short’. Now it is you too readily abandoning your level of separation.” [I argued.] “No one is paying ‘Short Six’ to go ‘SARC’ hunting - you will have to pass that one up the ‘Tube Line’ to someone else - and not any official ‘MTC’ assets.”
“You do not want the ‘MTC’ investigating this one?” [‘Short’ sent.]
“The ‘MTC’ do not need an open feud with the ‘Social Advancement and Reform Committee’ especially at this moment in time. For once, we will let someone else deal with an outsized issue. As Paradox Patricians we have a responsibility to concentrate upon getting our Acolytes settled following all the Order upset caused by the ‘Exposed’ issue.” [I insisted via sending.]
“If we refuse to take on this task whom out there do you think will be willing to shoulder this responsibility especially that we could trust with possible ‘Fury Tech’?” [‘Short’ sent far too cleverly back - playing upon my paranoia - but I had a hasty answer.]
“We pass all the details of this one onward to ‘Hierophant Cad’ he knows how troubling - how exceptionally mind bending - ‘Fury Tech’ can be. In addition, the ‘Hierophants’ are very wary of the ‘SARC’ they have a very old and - unique - relationship.” [I reminded via sending.] “Besides compared to us they are all ‘Trojans’ together we should let the ‘Hierophants’ as other ‘Trojan Pilgrims’ deal with this matter in-house thus avoiding a ‘SARC’ versus ‘MTC’, ‘Trojan’ versus Paradox Priest feud.”
“Some of our Acolytes would be happy to have someone new to fight. You simply do not want me as ‘Unholy’ continuing to follow this one?” [‘Short’ sent.]
“I do not see this matter as ‘MTC’ business. The ‘MTC’ is slowly moving away from acting as policing interventionists but if certain ‘Proxy’ and you get us too deeply involved in this one, it could all spiral backwards. Harbinger’s family have suffered enough from imposed responsibilities and more than done their share of the military work in the past. Now more than ever we have to think of new better less combative ways forward for our ‘Acolytes’ they are slowly becoming more than just primarily Marines. I believe ‘The Project’ might offer the children of Harbinger a chance to have a very different - far more natural - and far more peaceful future. Now is the time for us to begin guiding our adopted children gently out from under the influence of some of our more outdated Paradox Priest ways. I think you have seen some of the new possibilities from ‘The Project’ too that is why you secretly cleaved to ‘Primal’ when so many other Priests and Acolytes did nothing but denounce his ideas.” [I sent.]
[‘Short’ said nothing to that statement which I took as a solid confirmation.]
“We have a potential opportunity here that might one day allow us to discharge our responsibility to Harbinger and his family permitting both of us to go our own ways with a clean conscience. You could let go of your adopted family ‘UT’ and have a genetic family of your own again. You must be over the tragedy of the ‘Nine’ by now and if not then you really ought to be.” [I sent.]
“The ‘MTC’ is my family now a family with no future if the attention of the ‘Prime Mass of the Machine Fury’ is drawn towards the ‘Ultra-nation’ simply because the ‘SARC’ is not prevented from fooling around with forbidden technology.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“I agree that is why this technology is not something for you as ‘Unholy Terror’ to toy with too. You will leave the ‘Machine Fury’ alone especially the ‘Prime Mass’ as long as you are a member of this family.” [I ordered via sending.]
“You forget we are equal as ‘MTC Patricians’ you are not my spiritual leader I am not your Acolyte.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“The ‘Fury’ is not a mindless weapon you can aim against the ‘Entanglement’ worse it is vast beyond all comprehension leave that ancient machine plague in peace we are not even vaguely ready yet to meddle in that issue too deeply. If the ‘SARC’ are truly meddling with ‘Fury Tech’, they are being stupidly presumptuous do not follow such a poor example, instead learn from ‘SARC’ folly. Consider ‘Ire’ as an object lesson regarding what happens to ‘Pilgrims’ exposed too much to ‘Fury Tech’. I could tell ‘Ire’ was warped instantly I just did not know exactly how or why.” [I warned via sending.]
“You warn me off but trust ‘Cad’ to get involved once again with this most dangerous of sciences.” [‘Short’ complained via sending.]
“I trust ‘Cad’ to deal with this one now because he has been badly burned before by ‘Fury Tech’ and still carries the mental scars so ‘Cad’ will be exceptionally cautious. Our ‘Trojan Professor’ friend knows the natures of both the ‘Fury’ and the ‘SARC’ far better than you or me you can hardly disagree with that statement.” [I insisted via sending.] “If we pass this one along to the ‘Ancient Trojan Professor’ and he needs our help in any way later I am positive he will ask for it soon enough.”
“I will consider your proposal.” [‘Short’ sent I was positive overly as stubborn ‘UT’.]
“No you will comply with this one - your ‘Proxy’ too - or I will take the issue openly before our Acolytes in an ‘MTC’ wide ‘Forum of Equals’. This one is too risky for Warrior games find some other way to pry the triple cursed stolen ‘Souls’ loose from the body of ‘Crimson’, The ‘Fury’ is not the answer to your quest - it is just another problem for another day - one we are not ready or able to solve yet.” [I stated via sending.]
[‘Short / UT’ went silent for a few nanoseconds of speeded communications time.]
“I yield to your logic, I will do as you ask but be careful you do not slip into becoming an ‘MTC’ demagogue via such threats as manipulating Acolyte opinion against me.” [‘Short’ sent in complaint.]
“I would not take it personally I am just doing what I feel I must to secure a future for the children of the ‘MTC’ you can be too bold my friend too combative.” [I sent.]
“I am also trying to save a multitude of lost ‘Digital Souls’ that far too many ‘Pilgrims’ are unaware of or seem to have forgotten about.” [‘Short’ reminded via sending.]
“Nonetheless I think you know I am right about this one. You just hate having boundaries imposed upon your behaviour and find it very difficult not to push too hard to force your way forward - sometimes unwisely - it is the go at it head on Paradox Warrior in you - but today you must act as a far wiser Paradox Priest Elder first.” [I sent.]
“I have agreed to submit to your wisdom, I will inform ‘Cad’ of our findings so far, so let it go.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“Yes do that now, maybe if the ‘New Helpers’ are kind ‘Cad’ can even help us figure out some clever ‘Trojan Professor’ way to rescue ‘Ned’ from the ‘Cowl’ upstairs.” [I sent.]
“You are strange with ‘Cad’ as ‘MT’ sometimes you seem to trust him completely at other times hardly at all.” [‘Short’ sent in complaint.]
“Come now you are the same about ‘Cad’ on occasion simply because the ‘Trojan Professor’ has his own sometimes slightly mysterious remit - as do we all - but I trust him with this one because as I stated he has been burned by studying ‘Fury Tech’ in the past. We two got off very lightly from our encounters with the ‘Spore of the Machine Fury’ because none of us had to deal with it for too long or too up close. The ‘Fury’ I believe is cleverly constructed to be fear inducing and mind bending to strangers it is exceptionally troubling to work with in part I believe to prevent anybody unauthorised from studying its nature too closely. The ‘Machine Fury’ guards its deepest secrets ably I think possibly even more successfully than the ‘Star Diver Deep Clerics’ and that has to be a complement by any triple cursed standard.” [I sent.]
“I think only the very rigid minds of the ‘Splinter’ who became ‘Dark Raiders’ allows them to have interactions with the ‘Spore of the Machine Fury’ without slowly losing a grip on their sanity perhaps because in a way their dedicated - extremely narrow and fixed - Warrior philosophy and mindset is already somewhat insane by more normal - more reasonable - and flexible ‘Pilgrim’ standards.” [I argued via another sending.] “Believe it or not my friend, I have faith that even you are too reasonably minded too inherently internally conflicted to interact safely with the ‘Machine Fury’ for any extended length of time.”
“I think there might be a sly compliment in there somewhere.” [‘Short’ sent in reply.]
[Not much later in real rather than speeded up communications time…]
“Thank you very much. You ‘MTC’ people do not bother to contact me in ages then you drop this problematic scorching issue in my lap.” [‘Cad’ complained via a sending.]
“Would you rather we passed this data on to someone else?” [I sent back.]
“I suppose not.” [‘Cad’ sent reluctantly.]
“I am sorry if we have been strangers but you know how it gets it is all distractions.” [I sent.]
“You only call when you need help.” [‘Cad’ sent.]
“Please you do that too.” [I sent in reply.]
“I suppose I do.” [‘Cad’ sent.] “It seems you are in bit of a tactical mess too. I have dispatched some friends who might be able to help some ‘Interdiction Fleet Special Force’ people’ that call themselves ‘Rapid Reaction Units’ or ‘RRU’ that they purposely mispronounce as ‘RUE’. They will be smuggled in via ‘Task Force Drop Ship’ thanks to a hasty deal I made with the Captains up there it is astonishingly useful having some people already breaking the aerial rules on ‘A3’ and yes I stole the idea from the action report from ‘Short / UT’ sue me for copying his impudent military genius.” [‘Cad’ sent.]
“So you know about the nature of ‘Short Six’.” [I said.]
“I do now ‘Unholy’ kindly filled me in that with some ‘Meat Suits’ you two and a few friends are playing at being ‘Bounty Hunters’. I guess you got a little bored again just being the ‘Father of the Universal Council of Equals’ all the time my ‘Living Hull’ friend.” [‘Cad’ sent smugly.]
“Life is more fun, I have discovered, when I embrace diverse new experiences in addition sometimes it is good to have a change of perspective and be a little person. We Priests can suffer from cloistering in our views and experiences if we do not get out there periodically. Keeping a proper sense of perspective is even harder for me than most self-obsessed Elder Priests with a singular ‘Vision’ as the ‘Holy Father of the Universal Councils of Equals’.” [I sent in reply guessing ‘UT’ had not told the ‘Trojan Professor’ everything for example leaving out our ‘Time Travelling’ and ‘Proxy’ business.] “Do you have a plan to help us out of our tactical predicament?”
“You might say I do have a plan and yet I do not as I am leaving the planning to the ‘RUE’ my plan being to send the ‘RRU’ in - this is what they do - unless ‘Short / UT’ comes up with another better plan first as I know this is what she / he does too. However the ‘RRU’ have a remit to secure the ‘Temple Compound’ as well as the ‘Cowl Base Stack’ and so on along with as many Cult members as possible - to gather evidence and data - on this dodgy operation and to shut it all very firmly down. You did the right thing by convincing ‘Short / UT’ to contact me. I am very disappointed in the ‘SARC’ they should know better than to interfere with ‘Fury Tech’ some well-targeted chastisement will be forthcoming from the all new and improved ‘Ultra-nation Interdiction Fleet’ or ‘UNIF’.” [‘Cad’ sent.]
“The on the ground ‘UNIF’ commander I have dispatched utilises the rather imposing and inappropriate label of ‘Commander Strife’ he will contact you upon arrival which should be very soon just a jump rendezvous with the ‘Task Force Fleet’ then ‘Drop Ship’ flight away.” [‘Cad’ finished before signing out.]
[I wondered if ‘Cad’ was back in charge of the now not so visible ‘Interdiction Fleet’ it being news to me that it was now labelled ‘UNIF’ too unless there was another ‘Interdiction Fleet’ organisational split and we now had various ‘Interdiction Fleet’ organisations out there with rival leaderships possibly something to look into later.]
[Finally, the rest of ‘Short Six’ arrived at the ‘Machinist Cowl Base Stack’ our tame ‘Cultist Apostate Colin’ letting them in through the heavily armoured front door.]
“I trust we have not just voluntarily walked into a prison you trust this ‘Colin’ person.” [‘Short’ sent to me.]
“He seems genuine enough his story fits information available upon ‘Link’.” [I sent.]
[I noticed they were all covered in a layer of what appeared to be fine masonry dust amongst other even more unpleasant contaminants.]
“You lot look all worn out. What happened out there?” [I asked.]
“Well they got above us on the roofs and in the ‘Stacks’ then set off some explosives that almost dropped half of some buildings on us in a vain effort to finish us off but we obviously prevailed.” [‘Short’ stated.]
[‘Kanne’ took her helmet off.] “We take good fight then sadly they took to running away scared.”
“I think it was more a strategic withdrawal by reconsolidating possibly re-supplying Cult forces.” [‘Jack’ retorted.] “Obviously their priorities changed which was a good thing as they were about to kick our butts since they managed to temporarily bury our ‘Soulless’ under falling masonry. ‘Nuey’ and ‘Suey’ at one juncture doing the ‘Machinists’ some real damage therefore becoming their principle targets.”
“You need to trust me, I was just luring them into better exposing themselves. The battle was about to turn in our favour again but they bugged out.” [‘Short’ belatedly re-evaluated.]
[That was not quite the story she told me a few moments ago but now I guessed she was boosting morale or spreading misinformation to the enemy or both.]
“If they had stayed it would have been a slaughter.” [‘Jack’ complained.]
“I know luckily for them they got smart at the last moment and realised it was not ‘Short Six’ that was going to get hammered today falling walls aside.” [‘Short’ stated whilst scrapping some dust off her armour.] “Dropping that concrete upon our ‘Soulless’ just a temporary inconvenience as you can see they just oozed back out.”
“The magnitude of your confidence is appalling as usual.” [‘Jack’ stated.]
“I was playing nice as I prefer to bring my quarry in alive - mostly - but after the wall incident I was going to up the game but they fled away first.” [‘Short’ claimed.]
“We would have taken them it would just have been another good fight.” [‘Kanne’ insisted annoyingly agreeing with ‘Short’ despite outwardly looking all dirty and battered.]
“So now what? I hope we are not just going to wait upon the arrival of the ‘UNIF Rapid Reaction Units’.” [‘Short’ sent sounding less than happy at the prospect.] “Have you heard anything more from the ‘Master of the Cowl’,” [He added via another sending.]
[He was standing right in front of me but now talking via communications because of probable eavesdroppers confirming that all the rest was public performance.]
“Nothing since I told him I wanted a hasty bribe to consider a hostage exchange.” [I sent.]
“Do you think ‘Fad’ is truly buying what you are selling?” [‘Short’ sent.]
“He has not attacked us perhaps he too is calling in reinforcements from elsewhere or just mustering booty for a hefty bribe he hopes we will accept.” [I suggested.]
“I hate waiting on other people especially when it buys time for a foe to further organize. Losing the initiative is often a rudimentary mistake. In addition, I do not much enjoy taking orders from people outside the family.” [‘Short’ complained via another sending.]
“You do not enjoy taking orders from inside the family either.” [I sent in correction.] “Still, if our ‘Great Cybernetic Leader’ can think of a revised plan to safely secure ‘Handy’ I am happy to follow your direction now rather than waiting too long on the forces of our ‘Trojan’ friend as I equally fear granting ‘Fad’ the initiative.” [I sent.]
“Difficult since ‘Colin’ believes ‘Fad’ will never allow ‘Handy’ to live and therefore the ‘Cowl’ must be planning a double cross - still so are we - as there is not a chance we are letting these ‘Cowl’ people get away with ‘Demetrious’ thus it all seems a bit of an impasse at the moment.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“Tell me something new. I am positive ‘Fad’ has far too good an idea that we are not willing to deal. He is up there trying to figure out how to fek us over whilst pretending to comply just as we are doing regards him down here.” [I sent.]
“Picking up a little barrack room language I see ‘Swimmer’ - outstanding.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“I am all out of clever ideas.” [I complained.]
“I just tried sneaking some ‘Mosquitoes’ up there but they got detected and neutralised by far more sophisticated automatic anti-intrusion defences than I detected in the main ‘Chapter House Temple’, My guess is this is the real centre of operations here. It seems the ‘Cowl’ are the true ‘Machinist Tech Freaks’ makes sense that you do not allow every member access to the best gear Cults are often all about tiered social system type structures. I am guessing the ‘Cowl’ are close to the top of the ‘Machinist’ pyramid being the trusted heavy hitters that keep the lesser folk locked down and obedient. ‘Murder Squads’ are all about exercising and promoting control through fear often the fear of ending up on one of their hit lists. ‘Ire’ needed to carry no guns as long as the ‘Cowl’ had his back worse the ‘Cowl’ are probably infiltrated ‘SARC’.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“I am sure you are depressingly right about all of those facts that is why neutralising the ‘Cowl’ is probably as important as freeing ‘Ned’.” [I sent.]
“Thinking about the incoming ‘UNIF’ I have an idea.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“Good evening Cultist scum. I am ‘Short’ of ‘Short Six’ feel free to look me up on ‘Link’. Now that I am here it is time for you to give up and plea for mercy ‘Fad’. You and your people dying here will not benefit anyone. Go voluntarily into ‘Temporal Detention’ and the sentence will be all over before you realise it from your perspective and we get a nice credit bonus.” [‘Short’ said.]
“I do not trust you will just hand us over to a ‘TDC’ and I do not trust many ‘TDC’ to just put us in stasis or to eventually release us they will claim we are psychologically unfit for release because of our beliefs and no one is editing my brain to make me what they deem a normal ‘Pilgrim’ citizen.” [‘Fad’ replied.]
“If you have some problem with some specific ‘TDC’ we could come to a contractually binding arrangement that I sell you to a ‘TDC’ you are willing to trust to play by the rules of the game.” [‘Short’ added.] “Think about it I would be bound to honour a Public Contract posted with the ‘Cores’ otherwise I would be out of business.”
“I know you are planning to try to fek us in the rear with this talk of an exchange through my ‘Swimmer’ associate but I am in charge not the aquatic ‘Professor’ and I am not going to order ‘Short Six’ to bend over to grant you the privilege of raping us. Worse for you I do not know what you people have been doing - it is none of my concern - but I have been contacted by a much bigger player with an interest in your activities and they are incoming very quickly as we speak. Have you heard of ‘UNIF’? Speaking of getting raped it seems some ‘Trojan Professors’ have a big hard impregnator on for you ‘Machinists’ so trust me it is not ‘Short Six’ that is about to get shafted by an overweening force my ‘Omerta’ friend it is you folk.” [‘Short’ informed.]
“Sad thing is ‘Fad’ I took a rescue contract for ‘Handy Ned’ and reputation is everything in this business - so I need you to give me ‘Ned’ clean of complications - sometimes it is about more than just maximising credits even to us ‘Recyclers’. Actually, I am telling a fib it is still all about maximising credits just not a few quick credits today over future contracts tomorrow and the day after that and so on. I know that some of my fellow ‘Recyclers’ seem to forget that sometimes just grabbing the instant available credits and running is not always the best policy but I am in this business for the long haul. For me it is about more than credits today - I enjoy what I do - it thrills me. So I suggest we come to a - mutually - beneficial agreement before ‘UNIF’ appear and take over as I so hate overweening organisations.” [‘Short’ added.]
“What is to be my part of this mutual benefit?” [‘Fad’ asked.]
“To be honest not too much because even if you could succeed against us ‘UNIF’ are going to be all over you in a trice so really you are in no position to bargain with me. You have a very few real time moments to think again then you will not just be dealing with me and my deal - a I reiterate wonderfully contractually binding deal - as that one will be off the table forever.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“Any ‘TDC’ of my choosing and that will be registered with the ‘Public Cores’ and verified before we come down?” [‘Fad’ stated.]
“Any ‘TDC’ you want that are willing to pay a decent price for you.” [‘Short’ replied also stating bounty details.] “Take a stasis sentence and you can seek revenge against us another day if you decide to stay foolish rather than keeping your past in the past and moving on. You are not getting ‘Demetrious’ back - my ‘Swimmer’ friend is not in charge - but you can choose where you spend your frozen time - that is my first and only deal - and it is all contractually bound up with the release of ‘Ned’ and no more tricks. Best choose to say yes now as this is an exceptionally time limited offer the ‘UNIF’ are incoming currently on their way to boarding friendly ‘Task Force Drop Ships’ for a rapid insertion to ‘Tri-centre City’. I guess ‘Task Force Captains’ are keen to make some new friends at the moment as their popularity is not as secure as it once was following that ‘Ascendant Intervention’.” [‘Short’ warned.]
“Damn you all but post a binding ‘Public Core Contract’ that all my people here get to go to this ‘TDC’ - including ‘Ire’ - and you have an honest deal ‘Recycler’. We will not even booby trap this place before we leave we will just wipe some confidential data.” [‘Fad’ promised whilst sounding a little too defeated for it to be that simple.]
“Done and done you digitally countersign - abide by the conditions - and come on down and even ‘UNIF’ will not be able to stop those who surrender to us being shipped to ‘Raven Port’ rather than some other ‘TDC’.” [‘Short’ promised.]
[ Moments later it was all digitally signed, counter signed and verified.]
“We are coming down.” [‘Fad’ stated.]
“You guessed they have a friendly ‘TDC’ somehow collaborating with them that they do not mind risking compromising?” [I sent to ‘Short’.]
“A building is just a building even a vast space side ‘Prison Station’. At the very least ‘Fad’ is a ‘SARC Operative’ or I am a real reptile and I am guessing now that their outfit has links or even runs ‘Raven Port’ which is good intelligence.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“Then sending them to ‘Raven Port’ is equivalent to setting them free.” [I sent in complaint.]
“I am bound contractually to send them all to ‘Raven Port’ but if I know ‘Cad’ the ‘Raven Port Prison Transport’ I am going to summon is about to get intercepted obviously by some outlaws sympathetic to the Cult or even just rude Pirates. We cannot be held in anyway responsible for that happening. We did our contractual bit what comes after is nothing to do with ‘Short Six’.” [‘Short’ sent to ‘Bluu’.]
“So we arrange for a ‘Raven Port’ pick up here on ‘A3 Dark Side’ and get paid by these collectors when we hand the Cultists over then leave the rest to ‘Cad’ and his ‘UNIF’ people.” [I confirmed via sending.]
“I am positive ‘Cad’ can do this business even though these fellows will no doubt try to slip away in some clever manner perhaps via seeking to jump straight to the ‘TDC’ but I am positive ‘Cad’ and ‘UNIF’ will not let any escape happen. The Cultists think we have opened the hatch for them to slip away but really we are just playing them to get ‘Ned’ and for ‘Cad’ to gather more intelligence.” [‘Short’ sent.]
[Whatever plans ‘Fad’ and his ‘Cowl’ had they did accept the open hatchway we offered although they probably knew it was a trap too but believed they had a far better chance to win free along with their leader with friendly support upon a ‘Prison Transport’. Anyway they handed ‘Ned’ over without any detectable chicanery and we scanned and scanned again. ‘Colin’ still looked as if he was having a panic attack and hardly calmed down even after every ‘Cowl’ member was stripped of weapons including detachable cybernetics and securely bound.]
“One short look that ‘Fad’ gave ‘Colin’ said it all - ‘Colin’ was under a sentence of death from the ‘Cowl’ - and I guessed so were ‘Short Six’ if these ones managed to win free. I hoped ‘Cad’ proved equal to our faith in his abilities to secure these felons: I guessed it was an ‘Ancient Trojan Professor’ versus the modern day ‘Social Advancement & Reform Committee’ come to think of it my credits were on ‘Cad’ succeeding too despite the formidable nature of some ‘SARC’.]
“You used us.” [‘Commander Strife’ complained tellingly aloud upon his arrival.]
“Pardon, you contacted me not the other way around they just preferred to surrender to me. I did not waste your time you did.” [‘Short’ cheekily replied.]
“They wiped all the data.” [‘Commander Strife’ added.] “So you must give them to me for interrogation purposes.”
“Actually that is not in any contract I signed and actually ‘UNIF’ have no official authority here so you can forget it. If I hand them over to you I breach the conditions of my contract and that is not going to happen.” [‘Short’ insisted.]
“I could use force.” [‘Commander Strife’ warned.]
“Against us that would be illegal force by ‘Trojans’ on a Paradox Priest ‘Sliver’ I think that might be a very bad idea even if you work for a member of the ‘Founder Cabal’.” [‘Short’ reminded.]
“I will remember this and you ‘Short Claws’.” [‘Strife’ stated.]
“I am highly memorable.” [‘Short’ replied.]
“I suppose I can reacquire them at ‘Raven Port’.” [‘Commander Strife’ stated.]
“Any deal you can come to with ‘Raven Port’ is none of my concern but I am contractually bound to see them all delivered to a ‘Prison Transport’.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“That is a job I will actually assist with as I am not letting these people out of my sight until they are delivered to the ‘TDC’.” [‘Strife’ stated.]
“Again that is none of my business although I will not complain if you are offering free help securing them to the transport.” [‘Short’ replied.]
“If only I could charge you ‘Recycler’.” [‘Strife’ added.]
“If you tried to charge me I would tell you to go jump in the nearest ‘Anomaly’.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“What are you smiling about ‘Ire’.” [‘Strife’ asked.]
“You think you have bested us but the game is just beginning.” [‘Ire’ stated.]
[We had kindly removed his gag as gagged people cannot give anything useful accidentally away.]
“It appears ‘Ire’ that you suffer from delusions of adequacy not just from visions of the ‘Machine Fury’. ‘Raven Port’ will do as I say you have only delayed our inevitable acquisition of your people and you via this contract business - you put too much faith in the independence of the ‘TDC’. As far as they are concerned ‘Cad’ if crossed is the Death of Nations and as far as you are concerned the exterminator of presumptuous Cults. No mere prison is going to defy ‘Cad’ and the ‘UNIF’ so just keep on smiling it means nothing.” [‘Commander Strife’ stated.]
“I am not afraid of a lackey of a ‘Trojan Professor’.” [‘Ire’ stated.]
“My boss is no ordinary ‘Hierophant Trojan Professor’ he is ‘The Hierophant Trojan Professor’ - as you will soon discover - you have been playing with forbidden toys and that is going to cost you dearly.” [‘Strife’ promised.]
“You tell ‘Cad’ that the ‘Master of the Cowl’ said hello for me ‘Strife’. At most we are just going for a ‘Temporal Break’ our business will remain our business ‘Cad’ would do well to back down or he will be the one suffering dire consequences. You ‘UNIF’ have no - official - remit within the ‘Ultra-nation’ you are nothing and nobody just shadows of a long gone institution that used to have some power back in the ‘CA’.” [‘Fad’ interjected.]
“I am sure you are right.” [‘Strife’ replied in a, I was positive to ‘Fad’, infuriatingly sarcastically unconvinced way.] “Are you sure ‘Ire’ that you are the one in charge of the ‘Machinists’ because I think old ‘Fad’ here has other ideas?”
“I see where your name comes from but it is not going to work ‘Fad’ is my most loyal of followers.” [‘Ire’ stated.]
“Who just happens to think he has an entire ‘TDC’ in his pocket. Did you know about that before now? Was that officially sanctioned Cult business? I find it odd that all the really good technology was here with the ‘Cowl’ not back at the ‘Chapter House Temple’. Was it ‘Fad’ that convinced you that you did not need to carry a weapon. You are being played as a pawn ‘Ire’. You want the truth the ‘SARC’ never released you and ‘Fad’ is not your friend he is your custodial keeper.” [‘Strife’ stated.]
“That is a clever lie, however I know better ‘Fad’ is true to the faith.” [‘Ire’ stated.]
“Well I tried but there is no delusion stronger than self-delusion good luck with that one.” [‘Strife’ added.]
“As to you ‘Fad’ even the ‘SARC’ and ‘Raven Port’ cannot save you now as an agent you have been burned. I suggest you voluntarily reconsider your contract and voluntarily submit to ‘UNIF’ we will compensate the ‘Recycler Bounty Hunter’ and you will go into far safer custody with the ‘Hierophants’. Choose to cooperate with us without limitation and you might still have a life after this debacle do you think your ‘SARC’ handlers will be so generous. You failed miserably you let a mere six sentient team of Bounty Hunters take down your whole operation. You are so burned I am getting scorched just standing beside you.” [‘Strife’ stated.]
“So you tell me this are you a true ‘SARC’ believer or just an ‘Omerta Trojan’ trying to make the best of a bad situation that has just deteriorated since the demise of ‘Orb Guidance’ and the ‘Entanglement of Sanctuary Orb’. You people are not in control anymore and you will never gain control of The ‘Project’ from the ‘Founder Cabal’ it is time to jump ship.” [‘Strife’ stated.]
“Even if by some miracle you make it to ‘Raven Port’ you will just disappear. You know how dodgy some of the new ‘Council Membership’ is they trust no one and failure is never rewarded.” [‘Strife’ added.]
[I was surprised to notice that ‘Fad’ was giving the proposal very deep thought.]
“So be it you are right I am burned.” [‘Fad’ admitted.]
“You are a ‘SARC’ traitor an ‘Apostate’ blasphemer too.” [‘Ire’ ranted.]
“Please if I am to join you I have one request gag the lab rat I am sick listening to his mania.” [‘Fad’ stated.]
“Happily done I doubt he has anything interesting to say.” [‘Strife’ agreed.]
“You happy enough to void the contract under mutual agreement and get immediate payment from me.” [‘Strife’ asked ‘Short’.]
“If it is all done officially and registered with the ‘Public Cores’ I have absolutely no objection to walking away from this one and getting paid immediately. We want no trouble with the ‘SARC’ as a Bounty Hunter I often do work for the ‘SARC’. If I knew this was ‘SARC’ business that could damage my reputation I would have stayed well clear. Hopefully they will not hold this incident against me as I just took an official ‘Quiet Contract’.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“Indeed you would do well to walk away from this one.” [‘Strife’ advised.]
“Do the legal stuff transfer the credits and it is all your show.” [‘Short’ promised.]
[‘Strife’ did the business and we officially turned our back on the entire fiasco. All we then had to do being return ‘Ned’ to safety and collect his payment.]
“This is crazy.” [‘Ned’ stated.]
“Tell us about it we all got in a bit over our heads.” [‘Jack’ replied.]
“Are you ready to go home?” [‘Mabel’ asked.]
“You have no idea. I guess I am done trading in some ‘User’ goods it is not worth the trouble here but I never had any material bias.” [‘Handy Ned’ admitted.]
“It is often best not to give the neighbours any excuse to do you an ill service when you are in business.” [‘Short’ suggested.]
“Not everyone in here is a strict ‘Real Materialist’ but sadly most of the local ‘Tri-centre City’ Cults and ‘Deck Gangs’ tend to bend in that direction.” [He admitted.]
“Forget about everything you saw here ‘Ned’ and you will be well compensated for your material losses by the ‘UNIF’.” [‘Strife’ promised.]
“I have forgotten everything already.” [‘Handy Ned’ replied.]
“In that case I will give ‘Short’ here some free added support to see you get back home without any further unpleasantness. Have a nice morning and a far better day.” [‘Strife’ added.]
[It was I now realised the early morning the sky outside even beginning to brighten.]
“Since I will have temporary access to a large guarding force could I return to my store to assess the damage.” [‘Handy’ asked.]
“You are the boss for now as it is your ‘Quiet Contract’ and from ‘Local Link News’ I believe the rioting has mostly burned out at least in the ‘Interface Fence Market’ areas although the ‘Police House’ is still under siege. ‘Local Sliver Police’ now that is a thankless job and not even especially well paid.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“True but I know for a fact that many of them take bribes as compensation so I do not feel too sorry for them they were certainly no help to me.” [‘Handy’ stated.]
“In this sort of place that is how the cog wheels get greased. Speaking of grease my armour needs a good oil bath.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“A real water shower would be stellar and I want to get this ‘Suit Substance’ armour patch off my leg.” [‘Mabel’ stated.]
“I could use some time out of my armour too.” [‘Ingrid’ admitted giving ‘Jack’ the eye.] “Fighting always makes me… hungry too.” [She added.]
“There truly is no rest for the wicked.” [‘Jack’ complained.]
“I need a water replacement it has been a long night.” [I stated.]
“Let me guess you soiled your water again.” [‘Short’ replied.]
“I think I need even better scrubbers and some ‘Dry Suit’ repairs too they blasted me off the cursed roof remember.” [I complained.]
“Some of the cutting edges of my ‘Battle Suit’ have taken to being blunted by cybernetic armour and falling concrete.” [‘Kanne’ butted in as if for her that was the end of the Universe.]
“Enough griping ‘Short Six’ we still have a job to do. Check your equipment - recharge your power packs - and so on then, we will escort our principle home to his store with ‘UNIF’ assistance. Time to get professional again our mission is not over until it is over and I say it is over. Come on look lively you slovenly grunts.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“Really - slovenly grunts - I am a tenured ‘Swimmer’ Professor you cannot be serious.” [I burbled in complaint as I mustered.]
“You would do better not to remind me of your failings brain box come on you have not even been on your feet just floating around letting mechanical systems do all the work. You squid have a good old life but you are not on vacation in a ‘Sliver Ocean’ now you floating poop merchant. What happened to your sniper barrel extension?” [‘Short’ asked glaring at my ‘FP1’.]
“It got blown up like me only it got even worse fekked up so I tossed it.” [I replied.]
“Well we are not paying for a replacement for something that might have been repairable it comes our of your share not our operational funds.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“You are such a true to form ‘Recycler’.” [I complained.]
“Come on suck it up people. It is all good this one will make us a tidy profit but we have not earned our pay and bonuses yet.” [‘Short’ insisted.]
[The streets were no longer empty the night of violence was over and normality was returning to the ‘Stacks’. People had daily chores they could not ignore it was business as usual trading and scavenging sending their children to what passed locally as educational establishments cleaning their clothes repairing their buildings. Queues forming outside ‘SLAC’ and ‘Founder Cabal’ sponsored ‘Free Clinics’ to get their riot battle injuries looked at the damage caused by falling down the stairs or walking into doors or some other silly excuse.]
[A great many ‘Pilgrims’ were streaming back towards the ‘Interface Markets’ not to protest but to buy and sell as if nothing untoward had happened last night the ‘Interface Markets’ almost always busy places even some Tourists looked to be returning keen to catch some evidence of the public order disputes in their optics for bragging rights when they returned to safer more settled locations.]
[Locals paused to stare at our exceptionally well armed and armoured party. ‘Short Six’ currently looked scarred and battle hardened the ‘UNIF RRU’ professional fresh and action ready. They stared at us but wisely left us well alone as big trouble best avoided.]
[As we neared the site of ‘Handy Ned’s Marvellous Appliances’ I passed a broken smouldering discarded ‘Primal Bobble Head’ sitting at the side of one corner along with other burning refuse. There was a lot of clean up going on here. People putting out small fires sorting through rubble washing down stalls setting up fresh undamaged goods. Some vendors already cooking and selling food amongst the stinking debris being brushed and shovelled aside. Scavengers picked over various less appealing remains looking for rare discarded valuables and recyclable materials.]
[I was impressed by all the hardy industry and a bit appalled too. I wondered how often ‘Pilgrim’ market stall owners did this cleanup routine in a year although I imagined that sometimes rioters left the Markets alone it must still be frustrating to be serving the same people that last night stole from you and disrespected your place of business.]
[‘Handy Ned’s Marvellous Appliances’ a proper store bordering the Market Stall Area. We went in first and checked the place out for threats such as automated booby traps It was gutted even his big external neon signage was lying in two parts on the street as we approached several people still looking for salvage fled the store as if rats before an exterminator. I doubted these ones found much this late on. As we tactically cleared the place we found it was a shell - long ago picked clean - by successive waves of looters beginning with the ‘Machinists’ but not ending with them.]
“At least they did not burn the place down and I have insurance but my premiums are about to go through the roof again.” [‘Ned’ admitted a little later after the ‘UNIF’ had departed.]
“The ‘UNIF’ have promised to see you are well compensated and I do not think that was a lie but perhaps you should consider relocating your business to a less troubled location when they get around to making the pay out.” [I burbled out.]
“There is no way I am leaving ‘The Stacks’, this district is my home this is where all my friends and family live. Usually I am well respected around here last night was just a horrible aberration caused by those Cultist freaks stirring up trouble with people who do not know me but I should not have to worry about those agitators anymore.” [‘Ned’ stated.]
“You have my respect taking that attitude you are a fighter.” [‘Kanne’ stated.]
“No I am just a merchant from a long line of merchants used to booms and busts.” [‘Ned’ claimed.]
[We wandered around the inside with ‘Ned’ for a while whilst he took stock which did not take long as the place was as bare as bare gets. Not even a chair or a shelf had been left behind the thoroughness of the looting almost admirably comprehensive.]
“They left you absolutely nothing.” [‘Short’ stated.]
[Even the remains of his automated security systems had been stripped out in fact even some of his basic electric fittings and internal wiring was gone this was actually amazing to me.]
“Scavenging ever poorer picking is what some of these people still do for a living.” [‘Ned’ stated.] “Well I was thinking about refurbishing with a new look now I can have a fresh start from the bare bones. Actually I think I will remove that back internal wall I have been considering doing that one for ages but somehow just never got around to it - too busy working I suppose.” [He mused aloud.]
“I will not detain you any further. It is time for me to pay up. You did a great job in there - under the circumstances - so I am maxing your bonus.” [He promised before releasing a nice sum of funds to our account.] “If you are ever out this way and need some ‘Real Material’ goods you know where to find me.”
“Do not doubt that you will see us again. I like to keep in touch with old friends ours is often a business of connections.” [‘Short’ stated.] “Are you sure you are happy being left here in this desolation.”
“Very happy I have work to do and some friends to call in to help me get started.” [‘Ned’ stated amazingly cheerfully actually sounding almost invigorated.]
[I could only surmise that here was an ‘Omerta Trojan’ who thrived on adversity.]
“Are you a ‘Meat Suit’? You would make a wonderful ‘Recycler’.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“No this is the real me and very thankful to be whole and hale.” [‘Ned’ stated.]
“Occasionally helping people such as you is a little bonus by itself although we are also as ever very grateful for the credits.” [I burbled.]
“Good future profits to you ‘Handy Ned’ as you can imagine my people are keen now to get back to our Hotel to clean ourselves up it has been a long night.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“I would feel the same way if I did not have some grubby business here first no point going home to wash up just to get messy again tearing down that wall.” [‘Ned’ stated.]
“After all you have been through you are going to do that now?” [I asked.]
“Mostly they had me just sitting all bound up so I will be glad to stretch my muscles and to do some violence to the wall it should be good therapy that hurts no one. I have a friend on the way with some tools including a sledge hammer.” [‘Ned’ stated.]
“I suppose it might be good therapy at that.” [I reluctantly admitted.]
[‘Ned’ thanked us all again personally then waved us goodbye from the threshold of his very empty store.]
“I almost feel guilty leaving him alone back there even if he has friends incoming. He seems quite a character I am sort of missing him already.” [I burbled to ‘Short’.]
“Silly ‘Swimmer’.” [‘Short’ retorted.]
“What does that mean?” [I asked.]
“He has his business to attend to - we have ours - time to move on to the next one - you cannot get too attached. For example I feel a little cheated that ‘UNIF’ will be getting all the follow up fun with this mission.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“You will soon get over it when you find us some other ridiculous OTT job.” [I replied.]
“Not too soon I really need that shower.” [‘Mabel’ stated.]
[We commenced trudging back to the ‘Multi Corner Hotel’.] “We could hire out some riding beasts to get back faster I miss my ‘Land Crab’ too.” [I burbled.]
“Cursed ‘Swimmer’ sentimentality, still no one is stopping you from doing that now if you want but walking back with the rest of us would be showing some unit solidarity. Consider poor ‘Mabel’ she broke her leg and she is not complaining about walking a true warrior that one.” [‘Short’ stated to me before nodding towards ‘Mabel’.]
“You are just trying to guilt trip me.” [I burbled in complaint.]
“I do not try ‘Swimmer’ I leave that nonsense to other lesser ‘Pilgrims’ - I do.” [‘Short’ retorted before hissing out a long speaker laugh as she marched along seemingly tireless.]
“Monstrous mercenary unfeeling reptile.” [I complained.]
“Anyway riding through here on top of a ‘Suit Substance’ monstrosity talking of monstrosities would probably cause another riot.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“If they did riot they could eat my dust.” [I replied imagining powering along above it all on a crabby platform.]
“Well now that is almost an admirable degree of combative insolence against local customs.” [‘Short’ admitted.]
“Trust you to find virtue in insult now I am going off the idea. I have no desire to offend anyone unless they ask for it.” [I stated.]
“How very aquatic ‘Swimmer’ again and therefore most disappointing.” [‘Short’ retorted.]
“I need my cursed water changed the sooner the better.” [I complained having my mechanical legs pick up the pace a little.]
“I wish I had machine legs take it easy ‘Bluu’.” [‘Mabel’ stated.]
“Sorry I forgot you are still mending.” [I replied.]
“Mending is it? I am not a mechanism I am a ‘Trojan’ person with real bones that are aching.” [She stated.]
“See now you have offended our wounded compatriot.” [‘Short’ mocked.]
[I let it go knowing it was all just the usual squad banter. Still it seemed to take forever to walk back to the ‘MCH’ then ‘Short’ insisted upon taking the stairs. I considered getting sloshed from side to side all the way up eighteen floors and thought to hell with unit solidarity. I joined ‘Mabel’ waiting on the slow elevator.]
“How is the leg?” [I asked.]
“Pretty good considering.” [‘Mabel’ admitted.]
“What happened?” [I asked.]
“Just plain bad luck I was running for cover when too many consecutive ‘Force Pulses’ hit me from two different cultists. One shot battered the last of my shield down then a second shot from the same fellow hit my lower leg whilst another Cultist shot me in the foot at exactly the same time. My leg was forced in two opposite directions at once and just snapped in the middle busted my lower leg armour up too.” [She added.]
“That must have hurt.” [I stated.]
“Trust me it was agony - I nearly passed out - but auto failsafe measures I have preinstalled in my ‘Neural Net’ to prevent blackouts just about kept me operative. I fell but kept firing from the ground until I got assistance from ‘Ingrid’ who set the bone and applied some supplementary ‘Medical Nanites’, then used a sculpted ‘Suit Substance’ patch to replace the ruined part of my lower leg armour. I am no fan of ‘Suit Substance’ but in an emergency it can be useful enough.” [She admitted.]
“Sounds to me that you were very brave and did well out there keeping it together even when wounded something that I am sure is not easy.” [I said.]
“I just pulled my weight you should have seen ‘Short’ and ‘Kanne’ they were awesome and terrifying.” [‘Mabel’ stated.]
“What did ‘Kanne’ do?” [I asked.]
“Along with ‘Short’, she charged the main body of Cultists when I went down just waded right into the midst of them taking all the heat off me. ‘Short’ being ‘Short’ powered through the foes getting hit a few times but shrugging it off as if it was nothing but ‘Kanne’ she almost danced through the midst of that skirmish shooting some at point blank range and using her whole armoured ‘Battle Suit’ as a close quarters melee weapon against others. They could not touch her every time one of them tried to get a weapon to bear she was behind one of his companions or tripping the shooter up or just shooting first. That one is a born fighter that sort of tactical awareness in battle is either the product of endless martial arts training or it is a natural gift or both.” [‘Mabel’ stated.]
“I am glad we have no more active ‘Splinter Raiders’ out there if that is what a focused ‘Splinter Weaver’ can do.” [‘Mabel’ added.] “As to ‘Short’ I never really credited ‘Recyclers’ as great fighters but ‘Short’ is far from just bluster and clever tricks she is a real Amazonian too a ‘Recycler’ inspiration.”
“Our ‘Great Cybernetic Leader’ just has more experience at this sort of thing than some of us and has cybernetic enhancement in all the right places and carries enough weaponry for a full squad.” [I reminded.]
“You load someone else down with all that gear and they would just be encumbered but not ‘Short’ she is something else - indomitable.” [‘Mabel’ stated.] “You did good too capturing that Cult Leader.” [‘Mabel’ added.]
“I got lucky and I had ‘Xuey’ as ‘Soulless’ support.” [I reminded playing my part down.]
“I am disappointed in you ‘Short’. I was almost beginning to enjoy being ‘Bluu’ but interacting with ‘Fury Tech’ is never fun.” [I sent.] “I have no doubt now that this extraction is actually all about hidden dodgy ‘SARC’ behaviour at ‘TDC’ and elsewhere. The ‘SARC’ have become important to you ‘Short’. You found something out as a ‘Meat Suit’ Bounty Hunter well placed to interact with them at their ‘Temporal Detention Centres’ so now we are here.” [I added.]
“I am not a fool. I know the ‘Fury’ is the only known entity that ever roundly defeated masses of the ‘Entanglement’. So your ‘Proxy’ and you seek to steal information from ‘SARC’ studies into ‘Fury Tech’ in the hope of manipulating the ‘Machine Fury’ against the ‘Entanglement’ in some clever manner or some similar nonsense? I suppose the ‘Social Advancement & Reform Committee’ are striving to better understand even foolhardily perhaps endeavouring to master the might of the ‘Machine Fury’ as the greatest known power within this Universe and sometimes seemingly the most deadly threat to every ‘Pilgrim’ species survival? I suppose the ‘SARC’ were bound to study the ‘Fury’ to some degree as is every other big ‘Pilgrim’ military organisation with any research capability, unfortunately studying ‘Fury Tech’ and seeking a connection to it rather than just striving to understand the ‘Deep Time’ machine entity out there at a safe distance is exceptionally perilous verging upon suicidal. Encountering ‘Fury Tech’ is mind destroying which might easily explain the mental state of ‘Demetrious Ire’. Maybe through ‘Ire’ the ‘SARC’ are even striving to understand ‘Fury’ induced psychosis as ‘Ire’ would make a star test subject for that one.” [I finished ranting.]
“Like it or not we may need to get some friendly scientists to study ‘Ire’ and his implants just in case he truly has made some sort of connection with the ‘Prime Mass of the Machine Fury’. This Cultist freak might have data and information no other ‘Pilgrim’ outside of the employ of the ‘Spore of the Machine Fury’ has ever obtained.” [‘Short’ sent.] “Either we squeeze him for intelligence or we annihilate him to end his madness and to prevent him spreading it any further as ‘Colin’ suggested perhaps ideally we do both by juicing his mind of data then eliminating him.” [‘Short’ ruthlessly sent.]
“Time to confess: How much do you really know about the ‘SARC’ and their ‘TDC’ activities with prisoners and ex-prisoners that you have not bothered to share with your ‘Short Six’ colleagues yet?” [I sent to ‘Short / UT’.]
“It is not so much what I know about the ‘SARC’ as what some ‘Pilgrims’ including my ‘Proxy’ and I have long suspected just because some of it sounds paranoid and is all over ‘Ultra-nation Conspiracy Link Sites’ does not mean it is not true.” [‘UT’ replied.]
“So what do you two and all the other paranoid folk suspect?” [I asked.]
“Well you know the history of the ‘SARC’ they were created by ‘Orb Guidance’ to shepherd the ‘Trojan Nations’. The ‘Ancient Trojan Nations’ too crudely lumped together by most of us ‘Pilgrims’ ignobly under the umbrella label of ‘Omerta Trojan’. In fact, the truth of the ‘Omerta’ is that those peoples were hardly ever one unified race as survivors from various very individualistic ‘Ancient Trojan Port States’ with divergent cultures all mostly destroyed by the infighting of the ‘Trojan Turmoil’. The ‘Turmoil’ sponsored by ‘Recycler Mercenaries’ supposedly under ‘Trojan’ employ but manipulated by ‘Splinter Raiders’ to prevent the ever expanding ‘Trojan Port States’ from encroaching upon and threatening ‘Prime Graveyards’ with site incursions - a truly messy period of ‘Pilgrim’ history.” [‘Short’ admitted via sending.]
“Anyway the refugee survivors of the nations that were manipulated into tearing themselves apart were cunningly collected by ‘Orb Guidance’ as they fled the ultimately ‘Anomalous Matter’ using ‘Trojan Turmoil’ catastrophe. The refugees ‘Guidance’ scooped up apparently - all the way through the conflict - she segregated by nationality upon ‘Sanctuary Orb’ to preserve unique cultures via preventing any further possibility of feud based infighting. I believe ‘Orb Guidance’ oversaw a grand ‘Trojan’ rescue master plan to educate all these - by that point somewhat embittered - cultures to a more tolerant equivalency separately at their own pace. One day allowing them eventually to emerge to interact more safely with their ‘Trojan’ neighbours and the rest of the ‘Emissary Sphere’ without losing their many unique historic characteristics.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“All the social meddling hokum by ‘Orb Guidance’ on the surface very enlightened, however akin to most forced grand social ideals - a bit akin to your ‘Social Singularity’ no offence intended - the great plan proved far harder to create than to visualise. On ‘Sanctuary’ the ‘Omerta Nations’ mostly remained in segregated domes until refugee survivors were loosed at random from their segregation fleeing the ‘Entanglement’. When ‘Crimson’ assaulted ‘Sanctuary Orb’ I suspect it was to gain a ‘Stellar Orb’ a mobile ‘Sea Sphere’ fortress and various ‘Higher Tier’ technology upgrades she really had little interest in individual ‘Omerta’ people there so she let many randomly escape in the process letting both good and bad ‘Omerta’ wrestle free. Many also believe ‘Crimson’ also incidentally put an end to the mysterious ruling ‘Cognitive Entity’ that was known as ‘Orb Guidance’ during her assault.” [‘UT’ reminded via sending.]
“It is my belief that ‘Orb Guidance’ created but also monitored and moderated the ‘Social Advancement & Reform Committee’. Now sadly the tool of ‘Omerta’ education, segregation and enforcement that ‘Guidance’ made is loose in the ‘Ultra-nation’ without the benevolent restraining oversight of the original ‘Committee’ maker. Apparently the ‘SARC’ now run by the most ruthless and radical Agents employ increasingly extreme policies in their remit to protect all ‘Omerta Trojan People and Cultures’ from all internal and external threats of which the ‘Fury’ is most definitely deemed one.” [‘UT’ sent.]
“You know a little about the current ‘SARC’ leadership.” [I sent.]
“I have read various after action reports about their interventionist activities so I can deduce their character as motivated true believers of the old ‘Sanctuary Orb’ cause. They may even be preserving some ‘Trojan Cultures’ via holding people in their stasis facilities. I certainly believe that some rumours are true that ‘SARC’ run ‘TDC’ are more than they claim. I believe they are illegally experimenting on some detainees and that they have perfected a clever means to read minds firmly embedded in stasis.” [‘Short’ seemed almost to warn via her sending.]
“They had ‘Jack’ for a time.” [I sent.]
“They most certainly did and you can bet that everything ‘Jack’ knew back then some members of the ‘SARC’ now know.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“Worrisome.” [I sent in reply.]
“There is more, my ‘Proxy’ and I both positive that most of the ‘SARC’ did not get into the detention business just to incarcerate some escaped ‘Omerta’ felons. They have been systematically using information gleaned from detainees for some time now to advance their influence within the ‘Ultra-nation’ not just attacking ‘Omerta Trojan’ harming criminal organisations they are infiltrating and taking control of some of these groups as hidden assets in their sometimes bizarre attempts at further social engineering and reform. Well actually we cannot complain too much about bizarre attempts at social reform but I do not trust the ‘SARC’ to become too powerful guardians of our shared future especially as the ‘Committee’ exists today and my ‘Proxy’ feels the same way, as I am sure would the wider membership of the ‘Founder Cabal’ if informed.” [‘UT’ informed.]
“So your ‘Proxy’ and you as ‘Short’ have been delving into possible ‘SARC’ related matters including the ‘Real Machinist Cult’ because ‘Demetrious’ went strange after a period in ‘SARC’ custody.” [I mused.]
“Exactly my ‘Proxy’ has been monitoring ‘Demetrious’ - to some extent - along with many other ex-prisoners of interest from ‘SARC’ managed ‘TDC’. Since I was already here on ‘A3’ I was happy to accept the ‘Quiet Contract’ to rescue ‘Ned’ as ‘Short’ when that job was brought to my attention by my ‘Proxy’.” [‘UT’ admitted.]
“That one on ‘AO’ with ‘Snakeskin’ is related in some way with ‘SARC’ social activities and experiments in the ‘Ultra-nation’ too.” [I insisted via sending.]
[My friend gave no response to that accusation.]
“It seems to me that you are letting your ‘Proxy’ task and manipulate you rather than the other way around.” [I complained.]
“We are just looking out for, and giving each other, appropriate data whilst sharing our responsibilities and workload in a collaborative manner.” [‘UT’ countered via sending.]
“So to recap in relation to our current position you are completely agreeing with the fears of ‘Colin’ that someone at a ‘TDC’ is messing around with ‘Fury Technology’ and you firmly believe that someone is a faction within the ‘SARC’.” [I sent.]
“The ‘Machinist Apostate’ certainly seems to be confirming that at the very least tech that appears to be linking to the ‘Fury’ is being tested or manipulated by ‘SARC’ run Assets.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“I feel ill that seems more than cursed problematic especially if ‘Ire’ is stupidly truly linking with the so-called ‘Prime Mass’ rather than just having ‘Fury’ obsessed mental delusions of grandeur as a false prophet.” [I complained via sending.]
“I am afraid that we have no option but to consider the possibility that the connection is real and an active present danger to our ‘Ultra-nation Pilgrim’ security even just given the few details ‘Colin’ has so far provided.” [‘Short’ sent more as ‘UT’.]
“Well thank you for the advanced warning about what we were getting into with this not so small time Cult. You hinted that all the ‘Fury’ stuff was just nonsense role-play earlier during the briefing.” [I complained via sending.]
“It was just an unsubstantiated theory before. I need to keep an appropriate level of separation from ‘UT’ as ‘Short’ and really most of this stuff is not ‘Short Six’ business our job here officially at least remains just an extraction.” [‘Short / Unholy’ sent in reply.]
“Indeed that should remain our only job here anything else above our pay grade.” [I sent.]
“Still, as two undercover members of the ‘Founder Cabal’ we need to know if the implants are real and if ‘Ire’ is for example the only ‘Machinist’ with these implants?” [‘Short / UT’ sent.]
[I forwarded the question to ‘Colin’.]
“Possibly not, rumour has it that he has a hidden laboratory somewhere else on or maybe even off ‘Sliver’. Occasionally he leaves even us bodyguards behind and goes away for a few days. The rumour is that he is studying his sacred implants trying to understand them even to retro-engineer copies of them thus he constantly needs new sources of income to fund expensive researches thus the recent spate of ‘Machinist’ thefts and kidnappings too. ‘Ned’ is far from the first person the Cult has kidnapped for ransom all the other kidnappings going through the motions without any complications. I guess no one else arranged for a Bounty Hunter rescue attempt they just paid their ransoms and were released relatively unharmed as that was good business for us.” [‘Colin’ confessed.]
[I relayed this bad news to ‘Short’.]
“Still if the ‘SARC’ did do this purposely rather than accidentally to ‘Ire’ I wonder why they let him go free afterwards especially with their tech still working or possibly malfunctioning in his head?” [‘Short’ sent.]
“They must want him back now explaining the bounty on him although it is not an impressive bounty perhaps because they do not want to look too interested too eager.” [I mused via sending.]
“No that does not quite fit - if they really wanted him back - they would have detained him using their own more specialised ‘Enforcement Agents’ before now. The ‘SARC’ just use Bounty Hunters to fill in the gaps with more routine captures and possibly sometimes as cannon fodder distraction and support.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“So what is going on here then?” [I sent.]
“I suppose it could all be a test to see how well ‘Ire’ can respond in his condition to low level military threats with anyone going after ‘Ire’ considered meat for the Cultist grinder maybe even a training exercise to focus his damaged mind.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“So this one with you is truly all about the ‘SARC’ even that ‘Snakeskin’ hunt back on ‘AO’ who had - according to some rumours - a connection to the ‘SARC’ as a possible rogue agent.” [I again complained via sending.] “If you do not believe ‘Ire’ somehow escaped their experimentations or that they believed his implants disabled and him harmless you must consider he is still being actively utilised under direct ‘Social Advancement & Reform Committee’ observation and that puts us now as ‘Short Six’ under their microscope too.” [I sent.]
“Even if he temporarily escaped their observation they would have found him again before now - these ‘Machinists’ are not exactly low profile as a ‘Neo-Armageddon Cult’ - whilst the story of ‘Ire’ notably his ongoing ‘Machine Fury’ obsession would seem to indicate a still active implant continuing to give him crazy visions if that is what it does.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“Then they are undoubtedly shadowing his private research and studying him in the field to better understand what the implant is doing to him outside previously overly controlled laboratory conditions perhaps having other subjects still back at their lab. He is out on a field test or perhaps they are trying to trick the ‘Machine Fury’ into thinking he is free for misinformation purposes if the link, Harbinger save us at the idea, goes both ways. Perhaps they actually cut ‘Snakeskin’ loose too for other unknown manipulative reasons.” [I suggested.]
“Doing that sort of thing is cursed risky but might be true if some ‘Committee Members’ have gone more than a bit megalomaniac with some projects as I suspect. If they are studying ‘Ire’ in the field, they might have ‘Agents’ exceptionally close to him even some directly infiltrating the Cult. I suggest you be very careful in that ‘Cowl Base Stack’ in some ways the entire Cult could be monitored and overseen as a sort of ‘SARC Black Operation’ almost a field test site laboratory as you seem to be suggesting. Personally I like these ‘Cowl’ as ‘SARC’ infiltrators.” [‘Short’ stated via sending.]
“You are the one who seems to know what is going on here better than me. I think you had some idea about all this particular nonsense from your ‘Proxy’ but you kept us in ignorance and now every member of ‘Short Six’ is in jeopardy as a result.” [I sent in further complaint.]
“I have just rather blindly sniffed along a fresh trail that might have proved nothing more than a demented ex-prisoner’s mania due to unhinging from ‘Temporal Shock’.” [‘Short’ sent back.]
“I am not buying the innocent routine.” [I sent.]
[Were the ‘Cowl’ upstairs ‘SARC Agents’ or just ‘SARC’ controlled? I could feel my Paradox Priest paranoia gearing up into overdrive. Dealing with some indoctrinated well-armed Cultists as ‘Short Six’ was nothing compared to contesting with dedicated - active - ‘SARC Agents’ in the field overseeing a ‘Black Project’.]
“Without doubt now we need to neutralise the ‘Death Squad’ - without any compunction towards mercy - and rescue ‘Handy Ned’. There is no way I am leaving a known to be innocent ‘Omerta’ civilian in the power of these exceptionally dangerous people after we have riled them, Harbinger alone knows what they might do to him maybe stick some of those possible ‘Fury Tech’ derived implants in his brain as a punishment.” [I sent.]
“Be calm - hold fast to your part of the ‘Cowl Base’ - I am almost with you then we can figure out a new way together to rescue ‘Ned’, extract ‘Ire’ and stop the ‘SARC’ meddling with possible ‘Fury Tech’ ideally including locating the hidden laboratory and putting that one out of business too.” [‘Short’ stated via sending.]
[I wondered if ‘Short / UT’ really wanted to put the secret laboratory out of business or to take over running it.]
“I see you are still striving as ever to be an overachiever even as ‘Short’. Now it is you too readily abandoning your level of separation.” [I argued.] “No one is paying ‘Short Six’ to go ‘SARC’ hunting - you will have to pass that one up the ‘Tube Line’ to someone else - and not any official ‘MTC’ assets.”
“You do not want the ‘MTC’ investigating this one?” [‘Short’ sent.]
“The ‘MTC’ do not need an open feud with the ‘Social Advancement and Reform Committee’ especially at this moment in time. For once, we will let someone else deal with an outsized issue. As Paradox Patricians we have a responsibility to concentrate upon getting our Acolytes settled following all the Order upset caused by the ‘Exposed’ issue.” [I insisted via sending.]
“If we refuse to take on this task whom out there do you think will be willing to shoulder this responsibility especially that we could trust with possible ‘Fury Tech’?” [‘Short’ sent far too cleverly back - playing upon my paranoia - but I had a hasty answer.]
“We pass all the details of this one onward to ‘Hierophant Cad’ he knows how troubling - how exceptionally mind bending - ‘Fury Tech’ can be. In addition, the ‘Hierophants’ are very wary of the ‘SARC’ they have a very old and - unique - relationship.” [I reminded via sending.] “Besides compared to us they are all ‘Trojans’ together we should let the ‘Hierophants’ as other ‘Trojan Pilgrims’ deal with this matter in-house thus avoiding a ‘SARC’ versus ‘MTC’, ‘Trojan’ versus Paradox Priest feud.”
“Some of our Acolytes would be happy to have someone new to fight. You simply do not want me as ‘Unholy’ continuing to follow this one?” [‘Short’ sent.]
“I do not see this matter as ‘MTC’ business. The ‘MTC’ is slowly moving away from acting as policing interventionists but if certain ‘Proxy’ and you get us too deeply involved in this one, it could all spiral backwards. Harbinger’s family have suffered enough from imposed responsibilities and more than done their share of the military work in the past. Now more than ever we have to think of new better less combative ways forward for our ‘Acolytes’ they are slowly becoming more than just primarily Marines. I believe ‘The Project’ might offer the children of Harbinger a chance to have a very different - far more natural - and far more peaceful future. Now is the time for us to begin guiding our adopted children gently out from under the influence of some of our more outdated Paradox Priest ways. I think you have seen some of the new possibilities from ‘The Project’ too that is why you secretly cleaved to ‘Primal’ when so many other Priests and Acolytes did nothing but denounce his ideas.” [I sent.]
[‘Short’ said nothing to that statement which I took as a solid confirmation.]
“We have a potential opportunity here that might one day allow us to discharge our responsibility to Harbinger and his family permitting both of us to go our own ways with a clean conscience. You could let go of your adopted family ‘UT’ and have a genetic family of your own again. You must be over the tragedy of the ‘Nine’ by now and if not then you really ought to be.” [I sent.]
“The ‘MTC’ is my family now a family with no future if the attention of the ‘Prime Mass of the Machine Fury’ is drawn towards the ‘Ultra-nation’ simply because the ‘SARC’ is not prevented from fooling around with forbidden technology.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“I agree that is why this technology is not something for you as ‘Unholy Terror’ to toy with too. You will leave the ‘Machine Fury’ alone especially the ‘Prime Mass’ as long as you are a member of this family.” [I ordered via sending.]
“You forget we are equal as ‘MTC Patricians’ you are not my spiritual leader I am not your Acolyte.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“The ‘Fury’ is not a mindless weapon you can aim against the ‘Entanglement’ worse it is vast beyond all comprehension leave that ancient machine plague in peace we are not even vaguely ready yet to meddle in that issue too deeply. If the ‘SARC’ are truly meddling with ‘Fury Tech’, they are being stupidly presumptuous do not follow such a poor example, instead learn from ‘SARC’ folly. Consider ‘Ire’ as an object lesson regarding what happens to ‘Pilgrims’ exposed too much to ‘Fury Tech’. I could tell ‘Ire’ was warped instantly I just did not know exactly how or why.” [I warned via sending.]
“You warn me off but trust ‘Cad’ to get involved once again with this most dangerous of sciences.” [‘Short’ complained via sending.]
“I trust ‘Cad’ to deal with this one now because he has been badly burned before by ‘Fury Tech’ and still carries the mental scars so ‘Cad’ will be exceptionally cautious. Our ‘Trojan Professor’ friend knows the natures of both the ‘Fury’ and the ‘SARC’ far better than you or me you can hardly disagree with that statement.” [I insisted via sending.] “If we pass this one along to the ‘Ancient Trojan Professor’ and he needs our help in any way later I am positive he will ask for it soon enough.”
“I will consider your proposal.” [‘Short’ sent I was positive overly as stubborn ‘UT’.]
“No you will comply with this one - your ‘Proxy’ too - or I will take the issue openly before our Acolytes in an ‘MTC’ wide ‘Forum of Equals’. This one is too risky for Warrior games find some other way to pry the triple cursed stolen ‘Souls’ loose from the body of ‘Crimson’, The ‘Fury’ is not the answer to your quest - it is just another problem for another day - one we are not ready or able to solve yet.” [I stated via sending.]
[‘Short / UT’ went silent for a few nanoseconds of speeded communications time.]
“I yield to your logic, I will do as you ask but be careful you do not slip into becoming an ‘MTC’ demagogue via such threats as manipulating Acolyte opinion against me.” [‘Short’ sent in complaint.]
“I would not take it personally I am just doing what I feel I must to secure a future for the children of the ‘MTC’ you can be too bold my friend too combative.” [I sent.]
“I am also trying to save a multitude of lost ‘Digital Souls’ that far too many ‘Pilgrims’ are unaware of or seem to have forgotten about.” [‘Short’ reminded via sending.]
“Nonetheless I think you know I am right about this one. You just hate having boundaries imposed upon your behaviour and find it very difficult not to push too hard to force your way forward - sometimes unwisely - it is the go at it head on Paradox Warrior in you - but today you must act as a far wiser Paradox Priest Elder first.” [I sent.]
“I have agreed to submit to your wisdom, I will inform ‘Cad’ of our findings so far, so let it go.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“Yes do that now, maybe if the ‘New Helpers’ are kind ‘Cad’ can even help us figure out some clever ‘Trojan Professor’ way to rescue ‘Ned’ from the ‘Cowl’ upstairs.” [I sent.]
“You are strange with ‘Cad’ as ‘MT’ sometimes you seem to trust him completely at other times hardly at all.” [‘Short’ sent in complaint.]
“Come now you are the same about ‘Cad’ on occasion simply because the ‘Trojan Professor’ has his own sometimes slightly mysterious remit - as do we all - but I trust him with this one because as I stated he has been burned by studying ‘Fury Tech’ in the past. We two got off very lightly from our encounters with the ‘Spore of the Machine Fury’ because none of us had to deal with it for too long or too up close. The ‘Fury’ I believe is cleverly constructed to be fear inducing and mind bending to strangers it is exceptionally troubling to work with in part I believe to prevent anybody unauthorised from studying its nature too closely. The ‘Machine Fury’ guards its deepest secrets ably I think possibly even more successfully than the ‘Star Diver Deep Clerics’ and that has to be a complement by any triple cursed standard.” [I sent.]
“I think only the very rigid minds of the ‘Splinter’ who became ‘Dark Raiders’ allows them to have interactions with the ‘Spore of the Machine Fury’ without slowly losing a grip on their sanity perhaps because in a way their dedicated - extremely narrow and fixed - Warrior philosophy and mindset is already somewhat insane by more normal - more reasonable - and flexible ‘Pilgrim’ standards.” [I argued via another sending.] “Believe it or not my friend, I have faith that even you are too reasonably minded too inherently internally conflicted to interact safely with the ‘Machine Fury’ for any extended length of time.”
“I think there might be a sly compliment in there somewhere.” [‘Short’ sent in reply.]
[Not much later in real rather than speeded up communications time…]
“Thank you very much. You ‘MTC’ people do not bother to contact me in ages then you drop this problematic scorching issue in my lap.” [‘Cad’ complained via a sending.]
“Would you rather we passed this data on to someone else?” [I sent back.]
“I suppose not.” [‘Cad’ sent reluctantly.]
“I am sorry if we have been strangers but you know how it gets it is all distractions.” [I sent.]
“You only call when you need help.” [‘Cad’ sent.]
“Please you do that too.” [I sent in reply.]
“I suppose I do.” [‘Cad’ sent.] “It seems you are in bit of a tactical mess too. I have dispatched some friends who might be able to help some ‘Interdiction Fleet Special Force’ people’ that call themselves ‘Rapid Reaction Units’ or ‘RRU’ that they purposely mispronounce as ‘RUE’. They will be smuggled in via ‘Task Force Drop Ship’ thanks to a hasty deal I made with the Captains up there it is astonishingly useful having some people already breaking the aerial rules on ‘A3’ and yes I stole the idea from the action report from ‘Short / UT’ sue me for copying his impudent military genius.” [‘Cad’ sent.]
“So you know about the nature of ‘Short Six’.” [I said.]
“I do now ‘Unholy’ kindly filled me in that with some ‘Meat Suits’ you two and a few friends are playing at being ‘Bounty Hunters’. I guess you got a little bored again just being the ‘Father of the Universal Council of Equals’ all the time my ‘Living Hull’ friend.” [‘Cad’ sent smugly.]
“Life is more fun, I have discovered, when I embrace diverse new experiences in addition sometimes it is good to have a change of perspective and be a little person. We Priests can suffer from cloistering in our views and experiences if we do not get out there periodically. Keeping a proper sense of perspective is even harder for me than most self-obsessed Elder Priests with a singular ‘Vision’ as the ‘Holy Father of the Universal Councils of Equals’.” [I sent in reply guessing ‘UT’ had not told the ‘Trojan Professor’ everything for example leaving out our ‘Time Travelling’ and ‘Proxy’ business.] “Do you have a plan to help us out of our tactical predicament?”
“You might say I do have a plan and yet I do not as I am leaving the planning to the ‘RUE’ my plan being to send the ‘RRU’ in - this is what they do - unless ‘Short / UT’ comes up with another better plan first as I know this is what she / he does too. However the ‘RRU’ have a remit to secure the ‘Temple Compound’ as well as the ‘Cowl Base Stack’ and so on along with as many Cult members as possible - to gather evidence and data - on this dodgy operation and to shut it all very firmly down. You did the right thing by convincing ‘Short / UT’ to contact me. I am very disappointed in the ‘SARC’ they should know better than to interfere with ‘Fury Tech’ some well-targeted chastisement will be forthcoming from the all new and improved ‘Ultra-nation Interdiction Fleet’ or ‘UNIF’.” [‘Cad’ sent.]
“The on the ground ‘UNIF’ commander I have dispatched utilises the rather imposing and inappropriate label of ‘Commander Strife’ he will contact you upon arrival which should be very soon just a jump rendezvous with the ‘Task Force Fleet’ then ‘Drop Ship’ flight away.” [‘Cad’ finished before signing out.]
[I wondered if ‘Cad’ was back in charge of the now not so visible ‘Interdiction Fleet’ it being news to me that it was now labelled ‘UNIF’ too unless there was another ‘Interdiction Fleet’ organisational split and we now had various ‘Interdiction Fleet’ organisations out there with rival leaderships possibly something to look into later.]
[Finally, the rest of ‘Short Six’ arrived at the ‘Machinist Cowl Base Stack’ our tame ‘Cultist Apostate Colin’ letting them in through the heavily armoured front door.]
“I trust we have not just voluntarily walked into a prison you trust this ‘Colin’ person.” [‘Short’ sent to me.]
“He seems genuine enough his story fits information available upon ‘Link’.” [I sent.]
[I noticed they were all covered in a layer of what appeared to be fine masonry dust amongst other even more unpleasant contaminants.]
“You lot look all worn out. What happened out there?” [I asked.]
“Well they got above us on the roofs and in the ‘Stacks’ then set off some explosives that almost dropped half of some buildings on us in a vain effort to finish us off but we obviously prevailed.” [‘Short’ stated.]
[‘Kanne’ took her helmet off.] “We take good fight then sadly they took to running away scared.”
“I think it was more a strategic withdrawal by reconsolidating possibly re-supplying Cult forces.” [‘Jack’ retorted.] “Obviously their priorities changed which was a good thing as they were about to kick our butts since they managed to temporarily bury our ‘Soulless’ under falling masonry. ‘Nuey’ and ‘Suey’ at one juncture doing the ‘Machinists’ some real damage therefore becoming their principle targets.”
“You need to trust me, I was just luring them into better exposing themselves. The battle was about to turn in our favour again but they bugged out.” [‘Short’ belatedly re-evaluated.]
[That was not quite the story she told me a few moments ago but now I guessed she was boosting morale or spreading misinformation to the enemy or both.]
“If they had stayed it would have been a slaughter.” [‘Jack’ complained.]
“I know luckily for them they got smart at the last moment and realised it was not ‘Short Six’ that was going to get hammered today falling walls aside.” [‘Short’ stated whilst scrapping some dust off her armour.] “Dropping that concrete upon our ‘Soulless’ just a temporary inconvenience as you can see they just oozed back out.”
“The magnitude of your confidence is appalling as usual.” [‘Jack’ stated.]
“I was playing nice as I prefer to bring my quarry in alive - mostly - but after the wall incident I was going to up the game but they fled away first.” [‘Short’ claimed.]
“We would have taken them it would just have been another good fight.” [‘Kanne’ insisted annoyingly agreeing with ‘Short’ despite outwardly looking all dirty and battered.]
“So now what? I hope we are not just going to wait upon the arrival of the ‘UNIF Rapid Reaction Units’.” [‘Short’ sent sounding less than happy at the prospect.] “Have you heard anything more from the ‘Master of the Cowl’,” [He added via another sending.]
[He was standing right in front of me but now talking via communications because of probable eavesdroppers confirming that all the rest was public performance.]
“Nothing since I told him I wanted a hasty bribe to consider a hostage exchange.” [I sent.]
“Do you think ‘Fad’ is truly buying what you are selling?” [‘Short’ sent.]
“He has not attacked us perhaps he too is calling in reinforcements from elsewhere or just mustering booty for a hefty bribe he hopes we will accept.” [I suggested.]
“I hate waiting on other people especially when it buys time for a foe to further organize. Losing the initiative is often a rudimentary mistake. In addition, I do not much enjoy taking orders from people outside the family.” [‘Short’ complained via another sending.]
“You do not enjoy taking orders from inside the family either.” [I sent in correction.] “Still, if our ‘Great Cybernetic Leader’ can think of a revised plan to safely secure ‘Handy’ I am happy to follow your direction now rather than waiting too long on the forces of our ‘Trojan’ friend as I equally fear granting ‘Fad’ the initiative.” [I sent.]
“Difficult since ‘Colin’ believes ‘Fad’ will never allow ‘Handy’ to live and therefore the ‘Cowl’ must be planning a double cross - still so are we - as there is not a chance we are letting these ‘Cowl’ people get away with ‘Demetrious’ thus it all seems a bit of an impasse at the moment.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“Tell me something new. I am positive ‘Fad’ has far too good an idea that we are not willing to deal. He is up there trying to figure out how to fek us over whilst pretending to comply just as we are doing regards him down here.” [I sent.]
“Picking up a little barrack room language I see ‘Swimmer’ - outstanding.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“I am all out of clever ideas.” [I complained.]
“I just tried sneaking some ‘Mosquitoes’ up there but they got detected and neutralised by far more sophisticated automatic anti-intrusion defences than I detected in the main ‘Chapter House Temple’, My guess is this is the real centre of operations here. It seems the ‘Cowl’ are the true ‘Machinist Tech Freaks’ makes sense that you do not allow every member access to the best gear Cults are often all about tiered social system type structures. I am guessing the ‘Cowl’ are close to the top of the ‘Machinist’ pyramid being the trusted heavy hitters that keep the lesser folk locked down and obedient. ‘Murder Squads’ are all about exercising and promoting control through fear often the fear of ending up on one of their hit lists. ‘Ire’ needed to carry no guns as long as the ‘Cowl’ had his back worse the ‘Cowl’ are probably infiltrated ‘SARC’.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“I am sure you are depressingly right about all of those facts that is why neutralising the ‘Cowl’ is probably as important as freeing ‘Ned’.” [I sent.]
“Thinking about the incoming ‘UNIF’ I have an idea.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“Good evening Cultist scum. I am ‘Short’ of ‘Short Six’ feel free to look me up on ‘Link’. Now that I am here it is time for you to give up and plea for mercy ‘Fad’. You and your people dying here will not benefit anyone. Go voluntarily into ‘Temporal Detention’ and the sentence will be all over before you realise it from your perspective and we get a nice credit bonus.” [‘Short’ said.]
“I do not trust you will just hand us over to a ‘TDC’ and I do not trust many ‘TDC’ to just put us in stasis or to eventually release us they will claim we are psychologically unfit for release because of our beliefs and no one is editing my brain to make me what they deem a normal ‘Pilgrim’ citizen.” [‘Fad’ replied.]
“If you have some problem with some specific ‘TDC’ we could come to a contractually binding arrangement that I sell you to a ‘TDC’ you are willing to trust to play by the rules of the game.” [‘Short’ added.] “Think about it I would be bound to honour a Public Contract posted with the ‘Cores’ otherwise I would be out of business.”
“I know you are planning to try to fek us in the rear with this talk of an exchange through my ‘Swimmer’ associate but I am in charge not the aquatic ‘Professor’ and I am not going to order ‘Short Six’ to bend over to grant you the privilege of raping us. Worse for you I do not know what you people have been doing - it is none of my concern - but I have been contacted by a much bigger player with an interest in your activities and they are incoming very quickly as we speak. Have you heard of ‘UNIF’? Speaking of getting raped it seems some ‘Trojan Professors’ have a big hard impregnator on for you ‘Machinists’ so trust me it is not ‘Short Six’ that is about to get shafted by an overweening force my ‘Omerta’ friend it is you folk.” [‘Short’ informed.]
“Sad thing is ‘Fad’ I took a rescue contract for ‘Handy Ned’ and reputation is everything in this business - so I need you to give me ‘Ned’ clean of complications - sometimes it is about more than just maximising credits even to us ‘Recyclers’. Actually, I am telling a fib it is still all about maximising credits just not a few quick credits today over future contracts tomorrow and the day after that and so on. I know that some of my fellow ‘Recyclers’ seem to forget that sometimes just grabbing the instant available credits and running is not always the best policy but I am in this business for the long haul. For me it is about more than credits today - I enjoy what I do - it thrills me. So I suggest we come to a - mutually - beneficial agreement before ‘UNIF’ appear and take over as I so hate overweening organisations.” [‘Short’ added.]
“What is to be my part of this mutual benefit?” [‘Fad’ asked.]
“To be honest not too much because even if you could succeed against us ‘UNIF’ are going to be all over you in a trice so really you are in no position to bargain with me. You have a very few real time moments to think again then you will not just be dealing with me and my deal - a I reiterate wonderfully contractually binding deal - as that one will be off the table forever.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“Any ‘TDC’ of my choosing and that will be registered with the ‘Public Cores’ and verified before we come down?” [‘Fad’ stated.]
“Any ‘TDC’ you want that are willing to pay a decent price for you.” [‘Short’ replied also stating bounty details.] “Take a stasis sentence and you can seek revenge against us another day if you decide to stay foolish rather than keeping your past in the past and moving on. You are not getting ‘Demetrious’ back - my ‘Swimmer’ friend is not in charge - but you can choose where you spend your frozen time - that is my first and only deal - and it is all contractually bound up with the release of ‘Ned’ and no more tricks. Best choose to say yes now as this is an exceptionally time limited offer the ‘UNIF’ are incoming currently on their way to boarding friendly ‘Task Force Drop Ships’ for a rapid insertion to ‘Tri-centre City’. I guess ‘Task Force Captains’ are keen to make some new friends at the moment as their popularity is not as secure as it once was following that ‘Ascendant Intervention’.” [‘Short’ warned.]
“Damn you all but post a binding ‘Public Core Contract’ that all my people here get to go to this ‘TDC’ - including ‘Ire’ - and you have an honest deal ‘Recycler’. We will not even booby trap this place before we leave we will just wipe some confidential data.” [‘Fad’ promised whilst sounding a little too defeated for it to be that simple.]
“Done and done you digitally countersign - abide by the conditions - and come on down and even ‘UNIF’ will not be able to stop those who surrender to us being shipped to ‘Raven Port’ rather than some other ‘TDC’.” [‘Short’ promised.]
[ Moments later it was all digitally signed, counter signed and verified.]
“We are coming down.” [‘Fad’ stated.]
“You guessed they have a friendly ‘TDC’ somehow collaborating with them that they do not mind risking compromising?” [I sent to ‘Short’.]
“A building is just a building even a vast space side ‘Prison Station’. At the very least ‘Fad’ is a ‘SARC Operative’ or I am a real reptile and I am guessing now that their outfit has links or even runs ‘Raven Port’ which is good intelligence.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“Then sending them to ‘Raven Port’ is equivalent to setting them free.” [I sent in complaint.]
“I am bound contractually to send them all to ‘Raven Port’ but if I know ‘Cad’ the ‘Raven Port Prison Transport’ I am going to summon is about to get intercepted obviously by some outlaws sympathetic to the Cult or even just rude Pirates. We cannot be held in anyway responsible for that happening. We did our contractual bit what comes after is nothing to do with ‘Short Six’.” [‘Short’ sent to ‘Bluu’.]
“So we arrange for a ‘Raven Port’ pick up here on ‘A3 Dark Side’ and get paid by these collectors when we hand the Cultists over then leave the rest to ‘Cad’ and his ‘UNIF’ people.” [I confirmed via sending.]
“I am positive ‘Cad’ can do this business even though these fellows will no doubt try to slip away in some clever manner perhaps via seeking to jump straight to the ‘TDC’ but I am positive ‘Cad’ and ‘UNIF’ will not let any escape happen. The Cultists think we have opened the hatch for them to slip away but really we are just playing them to get ‘Ned’ and for ‘Cad’ to gather more intelligence.” [‘Short’ sent.]
[Whatever plans ‘Fad’ and his ‘Cowl’ had they did accept the open hatchway we offered although they probably knew it was a trap too but believed they had a far better chance to win free along with their leader with friendly support upon a ‘Prison Transport’. Anyway they handed ‘Ned’ over without any detectable chicanery and we scanned and scanned again. ‘Colin’ still looked as if he was having a panic attack and hardly calmed down even after every ‘Cowl’ member was stripped of weapons including detachable cybernetics and securely bound.]
“One short look that ‘Fad’ gave ‘Colin’ said it all - ‘Colin’ was under a sentence of death from the ‘Cowl’ - and I guessed so were ‘Short Six’ if these ones managed to win free. I hoped ‘Cad’ proved equal to our faith in his abilities to secure these felons: I guessed it was an ‘Ancient Trojan Professor’ versus the modern day ‘Social Advancement & Reform Committee’ come to think of it my credits were on ‘Cad’ succeeding too despite the formidable nature of some ‘SARC’.]
“You used us.” [‘Commander Strife’ complained tellingly aloud upon his arrival.]
“Pardon, you contacted me not the other way around they just preferred to surrender to me. I did not waste your time you did.” [‘Short’ cheekily replied.]
“They wiped all the data.” [‘Commander Strife’ added.] “So you must give them to me for interrogation purposes.”
“Actually that is not in any contract I signed and actually ‘UNIF’ have no official authority here so you can forget it. If I hand them over to you I breach the conditions of my contract and that is not going to happen.” [‘Short’ insisted.]
“I could use force.” [‘Commander Strife’ warned.]
“Against us that would be illegal force by ‘Trojans’ on a Paradox Priest ‘Sliver’ I think that might be a very bad idea even if you work for a member of the ‘Founder Cabal’.” [‘Short’ reminded.]
“I will remember this and you ‘Short Claws’.” [‘Strife’ stated.]
“I am highly memorable.” [‘Short’ replied.]
“I suppose I can reacquire them at ‘Raven Port’.” [‘Commander Strife’ stated.]
“Any deal you can come to with ‘Raven Port’ is none of my concern but I am contractually bound to see them all delivered to a ‘Prison Transport’.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“That is a job I will actually assist with as I am not letting these people out of my sight until they are delivered to the ‘TDC’.” [‘Strife’ stated.]
“Again that is none of my business although I will not complain if you are offering free help securing them to the transport.” [‘Short’ replied.]
“If only I could charge you ‘Recycler’.” [‘Strife’ added.]
“If you tried to charge me I would tell you to go jump in the nearest ‘Anomaly’.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“What are you smiling about ‘Ire’.” [‘Strife’ asked.]
“You think you have bested us but the game is just beginning.” [‘Ire’ stated.]
[We had kindly removed his gag as gagged people cannot give anything useful accidentally away.]
“It appears ‘Ire’ that you suffer from delusions of adequacy not just from visions of the ‘Machine Fury’. ‘Raven Port’ will do as I say you have only delayed our inevitable acquisition of your people and you via this contract business - you put too much faith in the independence of the ‘TDC’. As far as they are concerned ‘Cad’ if crossed is the Death of Nations and as far as you are concerned the exterminator of presumptuous Cults. No mere prison is going to defy ‘Cad’ and the ‘UNIF’ so just keep on smiling it means nothing.” [‘Commander Strife’ stated.]
“I am not afraid of a lackey of a ‘Trojan Professor’.” [‘Ire’ stated.]
“My boss is no ordinary ‘Hierophant Trojan Professor’ he is ‘The Hierophant Trojan Professor’ - as you will soon discover - you have been playing with forbidden toys and that is going to cost you dearly.” [‘Strife’ promised.]
“You tell ‘Cad’ that the ‘Master of the Cowl’ said hello for me ‘Strife’. At most we are just going for a ‘Temporal Break’ our business will remain our business ‘Cad’ would do well to back down or he will be the one suffering dire consequences. You ‘UNIF’ have no - official - remit within the ‘Ultra-nation’ you are nothing and nobody just shadows of a long gone institution that used to have some power back in the ‘CA’.” [‘Fad’ interjected.]
“I am sure you are right.” [‘Strife’ replied in a, I was positive to ‘Fad’, infuriatingly sarcastically unconvinced way.] “Are you sure ‘Ire’ that you are the one in charge of the ‘Machinists’ because I think old ‘Fad’ here has other ideas?”
“I see where your name comes from but it is not going to work ‘Fad’ is my most loyal of followers.” [‘Ire’ stated.]
“Who just happens to think he has an entire ‘TDC’ in his pocket. Did you know about that before now? Was that officially sanctioned Cult business? I find it odd that all the really good technology was here with the ‘Cowl’ not back at the ‘Chapter House Temple’. Was it ‘Fad’ that convinced you that you did not need to carry a weapon. You are being played as a pawn ‘Ire’. You want the truth the ‘SARC’ never released you and ‘Fad’ is not your friend he is your custodial keeper.” [‘Strife’ stated.]
“That is a clever lie, however I know better ‘Fad’ is true to the faith.” [‘Ire’ stated.]
“Well I tried but there is no delusion stronger than self-delusion good luck with that one.” [‘Strife’ added.]
“As to you ‘Fad’ even the ‘SARC’ and ‘Raven Port’ cannot save you now as an agent you have been burned. I suggest you voluntarily reconsider your contract and voluntarily submit to ‘UNIF’ we will compensate the ‘Recycler Bounty Hunter’ and you will go into far safer custody with the ‘Hierophants’. Choose to cooperate with us without limitation and you might still have a life after this debacle do you think your ‘SARC’ handlers will be so generous. You failed miserably you let a mere six sentient team of Bounty Hunters take down your whole operation. You are so burned I am getting scorched just standing beside you.” [‘Strife’ stated.]
“So you tell me this are you a true ‘SARC’ believer or just an ‘Omerta Trojan’ trying to make the best of a bad situation that has just deteriorated since the demise of ‘Orb Guidance’ and the ‘Entanglement of Sanctuary Orb’. You people are not in control anymore and you will never gain control of The ‘Project’ from the ‘Founder Cabal’ it is time to jump ship.” [‘Strife’ stated.]
“Even if by some miracle you make it to ‘Raven Port’ you will just disappear. You know how dodgy some of the new ‘Council Membership’ is they trust no one and failure is never rewarded.” [‘Strife’ added.]
[I was surprised to notice that ‘Fad’ was giving the proposal very deep thought.]
“So be it you are right I am burned.” [‘Fad’ admitted.]
“You are a ‘SARC’ traitor an ‘Apostate’ blasphemer too.” [‘Ire’ ranted.]
“Please if I am to join you I have one request gag the lab rat I am sick listening to his mania.” [‘Fad’ stated.]
“Happily done I doubt he has anything interesting to say.” [‘Strife’ agreed.]
“You happy enough to void the contract under mutual agreement and get immediate payment from me.” [‘Strife’ asked ‘Short’.]
“If it is all done officially and registered with the ‘Public Cores’ I have absolutely no objection to walking away from this one and getting paid immediately. We want no trouble with the ‘SARC’ as a Bounty Hunter I often do work for the ‘SARC’. If I knew this was ‘SARC’ business that could damage my reputation I would have stayed well clear. Hopefully they will not hold this incident against me as I just took an official ‘Quiet Contract’.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“Indeed you would do well to walk away from this one.” [‘Strife’ advised.]
“Do the legal stuff transfer the credits and it is all your show.” [‘Short’ promised.]
[‘Strife’ did the business and we officially turned our back on the entire fiasco. All we then had to do being return ‘Ned’ to safety and collect his payment.]
“This is crazy.” [‘Ned’ stated.]
“Tell us about it we all got in a bit over our heads.” [‘Jack’ replied.]
“Are you ready to go home?” [‘Mabel’ asked.]
“You have no idea. I guess I am done trading in some ‘User’ goods it is not worth the trouble here but I never had any material bias.” [‘Handy Ned’ admitted.]
“It is often best not to give the neighbours any excuse to do you an ill service when you are in business.” [‘Short’ suggested.]
“Not everyone in here is a strict ‘Real Materialist’ but sadly most of the local ‘Tri-centre City’ Cults and ‘Deck Gangs’ tend to bend in that direction.” [He admitted.]
“Forget about everything you saw here ‘Ned’ and you will be well compensated for your material losses by the ‘UNIF’.” [‘Strife’ promised.]
“I have forgotten everything already.” [‘Handy Ned’ replied.]
“In that case I will give ‘Short’ here some free added support to see you get back home without any further unpleasantness. Have a nice morning and a far better day.” [‘Strife’ added.]
[It was I now realised the early morning the sky outside even beginning to brighten.]
“Since I will have temporary access to a large guarding force could I return to my store to assess the damage.” [‘Handy’ asked.]
“You are the boss for now as it is your ‘Quiet Contract’ and from ‘Local Link News’ I believe the rioting has mostly burned out at least in the ‘Interface Fence Market’ areas although the ‘Police House’ is still under siege. ‘Local Sliver Police’ now that is a thankless job and not even especially well paid.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“True but I know for a fact that many of them take bribes as compensation so I do not feel too sorry for them they were certainly no help to me.” [‘Handy’ stated.]
“In this sort of place that is how the cog wheels get greased. Speaking of grease my armour needs a good oil bath.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“A real water shower would be stellar and I want to get this ‘Suit Substance’ armour patch off my leg.” [‘Mabel’ stated.]
“I could use some time out of my armour too.” [‘Ingrid’ admitted giving ‘Jack’ the eye.] “Fighting always makes me… hungry too.” [She added.]
“There truly is no rest for the wicked.” [‘Jack’ complained.]
“I need a water replacement it has been a long night.” [I stated.]
“Let me guess you soiled your water again.” [‘Short’ replied.]
“I think I need even better scrubbers and some ‘Dry Suit’ repairs too they blasted me off the cursed roof remember.” [I complained.]
“Some of the cutting edges of my ‘Battle Suit’ have taken to being blunted by cybernetic armour and falling concrete.” [‘Kanne’ butted in as if for her that was the end of the Universe.]
“Enough griping ‘Short Six’ we still have a job to do. Check your equipment - recharge your power packs - and so on then, we will escort our principle home to his store with ‘UNIF’ assistance. Time to get professional again our mission is not over until it is over and I say it is over. Come on look lively you slovenly grunts.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“Really - slovenly grunts - I am a tenured ‘Swimmer’ Professor you cannot be serious.” [I burbled in complaint as I mustered.]
“You would do better not to remind me of your failings brain box come on you have not even been on your feet just floating around letting mechanical systems do all the work. You squid have a good old life but you are not on vacation in a ‘Sliver Ocean’ now you floating poop merchant. What happened to your sniper barrel extension?” [‘Short’ asked glaring at my ‘FP1’.]
“It got blown up like me only it got even worse fekked up so I tossed it.” [I replied.]
“Well we are not paying for a replacement for something that might have been repairable it comes our of your share not our operational funds.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“You are such a true to form ‘Recycler’.” [I complained.]
“Come on suck it up people. It is all good this one will make us a tidy profit but we have not earned our pay and bonuses yet.” [‘Short’ insisted.]
[The streets were no longer empty the night of violence was over and normality was returning to the ‘Stacks’. People had daily chores they could not ignore it was business as usual trading and scavenging sending their children to what passed locally as educational establishments cleaning their clothes repairing their buildings. Queues forming outside ‘SLAC’ and ‘Founder Cabal’ sponsored ‘Free Clinics’ to get their riot battle injuries looked at the damage caused by falling down the stairs or walking into doors or some other silly excuse.]
[A great many ‘Pilgrims’ were streaming back towards the ‘Interface Markets’ not to protest but to buy and sell as if nothing untoward had happened last night the ‘Interface Markets’ almost always busy places even some Tourists looked to be returning keen to catch some evidence of the public order disputes in their optics for bragging rights when they returned to safer more settled locations.]
[Locals paused to stare at our exceptionally well armed and armoured party. ‘Short Six’ currently looked scarred and battle hardened the ‘UNIF RRU’ professional fresh and action ready. They stared at us but wisely left us well alone as big trouble best avoided.]
[As we neared the site of ‘Handy Ned’s Marvellous Appliances’ I passed a broken smouldering discarded ‘Primal Bobble Head’ sitting at the side of one corner along with other burning refuse. There was a lot of clean up going on here. People putting out small fires sorting through rubble washing down stalls setting up fresh undamaged goods. Some vendors already cooking and selling food amongst the stinking debris being brushed and shovelled aside. Scavengers picked over various less appealing remains looking for rare discarded valuables and recyclable materials.]
[I was impressed by all the hardy industry and a bit appalled too. I wondered how often ‘Pilgrim’ market stall owners did this cleanup routine in a year although I imagined that sometimes rioters left the Markets alone it must still be frustrating to be serving the same people that last night stole from you and disrespected your place of business.]
[‘Handy Ned’s Marvellous Appliances’ a proper store bordering the Market Stall Area. We went in first and checked the place out for threats such as automated booby traps It was gutted even his big external neon signage was lying in two parts on the street as we approached several people still looking for salvage fled the store as if rats before an exterminator. I doubted these ones found much this late on. As we tactically cleared the place we found it was a shell - long ago picked clean - by successive waves of looters beginning with the ‘Machinists’ but not ending with them.]
“At least they did not burn the place down and I have insurance but my premiums are about to go through the roof again.” [‘Ned’ admitted a little later after the ‘UNIF’ had departed.]
“The ‘UNIF’ have promised to see you are well compensated and I do not think that was a lie but perhaps you should consider relocating your business to a less troubled location when they get around to making the pay out.” [I burbled out.]
“There is no way I am leaving ‘The Stacks’, this district is my home this is where all my friends and family live. Usually I am well respected around here last night was just a horrible aberration caused by those Cultist freaks stirring up trouble with people who do not know me but I should not have to worry about those agitators anymore.” [‘Ned’ stated.]
“You have my respect taking that attitude you are a fighter.” [‘Kanne’ stated.]
“No I am just a merchant from a long line of merchants used to booms and busts.” [‘Ned’ claimed.]
[We wandered around the inside with ‘Ned’ for a while whilst he took stock which did not take long as the place was as bare as bare gets. Not even a chair or a shelf had been left behind the thoroughness of the looting almost admirably comprehensive.]
“They left you absolutely nothing.” [‘Short’ stated.]
[Even the remains of his automated security systems had been stripped out in fact even some of his basic electric fittings and internal wiring was gone this was actually amazing to me.]
“Scavenging ever poorer picking is what some of these people still do for a living.” [‘Ned’ stated.] “Well I was thinking about refurbishing with a new look now I can have a fresh start from the bare bones. Actually I think I will remove that back internal wall I have been considering doing that one for ages but somehow just never got around to it - too busy working I suppose.” [He mused aloud.]
“I will not detain you any further. It is time for me to pay up. You did a great job in there - under the circumstances - so I am maxing your bonus.” [He promised before releasing a nice sum of funds to our account.] “If you are ever out this way and need some ‘Real Material’ goods you know where to find me.”
“Do not doubt that you will see us again. I like to keep in touch with old friends ours is often a business of connections.” [‘Short’ stated.] “Are you sure you are happy being left here in this desolation.”
“Very happy I have work to do and some friends to call in to help me get started.” [‘Ned’ stated amazingly cheerfully actually sounding almost invigorated.]
[I could only surmise that here was an ‘Omerta Trojan’ who thrived on adversity.]
“Are you a ‘Meat Suit’? You would make a wonderful ‘Recycler’.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“No this is the real me and very thankful to be whole and hale.” [‘Ned’ stated.]
“Occasionally helping people such as you is a little bonus by itself although we are also as ever very grateful for the credits.” [I burbled.]
“Good future profits to you ‘Handy Ned’ as you can imagine my people are keen now to get back to our Hotel to clean ourselves up it has been a long night.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“I would feel the same way if I did not have some grubby business here first no point going home to wash up just to get messy again tearing down that wall.” [‘Ned’ stated.]
“After all you have been through you are going to do that now?” [I asked.]
“Mostly they had me just sitting all bound up so I will be glad to stretch my muscles and to do some violence to the wall it should be good therapy that hurts no one. I have a friend on the way with some tools including a sledge hammer.” [‘Ned’ stated.]
“I suppose it might be good therapy at that.” [I reluctantly admitted.]
[‘Ned’ thanked us all again personally then waved us goodbye from the threshold of his very empty store.]
“I almost feel guilty leaving him alone back there even if he has friends incoming. He seems quite a character I am sort of missing him already.” [I burbled to ‘Short’.]
“Silly ‘Swimmer’.” [‘Short’ retorted.]
“What does that mean?” [I asked.]
“He has his business to attend to - we have ours - time to move on to the next one - you cannot get too attached. For example I feel a little cheated that ‘UNIF’ will be getting all the follow up fun with this mission.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“You will soon get over it when you find us some other ridiculous OTT job.” [I replied.]
“Not too soon I really need that shower.” [‘Mabel’ stated.]
[We commenced trudging back to the ‘Multi Corner Hotel’.] “We could hire out some riding beasts to get back faster I miss my ‘Land Crab’ too.” [I burbled.]
“Cursed ‘Swimmer’ sentimentality, still no one is stopping you from doing that now if you want but walking back with the rest of us would be showing some unit solidarity. Consider poor ‘Mabel’ she broke her leg and she is not complaining about walking a true warrior that one.” [‘Short’ stated to me before nodding towards ‘Mabel’.]
“You are just trying to guilt trip me.” [I burbled in complaint.]
“I do not try ‘Swimmer’ I leave that nonsense to other lesser ‘Pilgrims’ - I do.” [‘Short’ retorted before hissing out a long speaker laugh as she marched along seemingly tireless.]
“Monstrous mercenary unfeeling reptile.” [I complained.]
“Anyway riding through here on top of a ‘Suit Substance’ monstrosity talking of monstrosities would probably cause another riot.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“If they did riot they could eat my dust.” [I replied imagining powering along above it all on a crabby platform.]
“Well now that is almost an admirable degree of combative insolence against local customs.” [‘Short’ admitted.]
“Trust you to find virtue in insult now I am going off the idea. I have no desire to offend anyone unless they ask for it.” [I stated.]
“How very aquatic ‘Swimmer’ again and therefore most disappointing.” [‘Short’ retorted.]
“I need my cursed water changed the sooner the better.” [I complained having my mechanical legs pick up the pace a little.]
“I wish I had machine legs take it easy ‘Bluu’.” [‘Mabel’ stated.]
“Sorry I forgot you are still mending.” [I replied.]
“Mending is it? I am not a mechanism I am a ‘Trojan’ person with real bones that are aching.” [She stated.]
“See now you have offended our wounded compatriot.” [‘Short’ mocked.]
[I let it go knowing it was all just the usual squad banter. Still it seemed to take forever to walk back to the ‘MCH’ then ‘Short’ insisted upon taking the stairs. I considered getting sloshed from side to side all the way up eighteen floors and thought to hell with unit solidarity. I joined ‘Mabel’ waiting on the slow elevator.]
“How is the leg?” [I asked.]
“Pretty good considering.” [‘Mabel’ admitted.]
“What happened?” [I asked.]
“Just plain bad luck I was running for cover when too many consecutive ‘Force Pulses’ hit me from two different cultists. One shot battered the last of my shield down then a second shot from the same fellow hit my lower leg whilst another Cultist shot me in the foot at exactly the same time. My leg was forced in two opposite directions at once and just snapped in the middle busted my lower leg armour up too.” [She added.]
“That must have hurt.” [I stated.]
“Trust me it was agony - I nearly passed out - but auto failsafe measures I have preinstalled in my ‘Neural Net’ to prevent blackouts just about kept me operative. I fell but kept firing from the ground until I got assistance from ‘Ingrid’ who set the bone and applied some supplementary ‘Medical Nanites’, then used a sculpted ‘Suit Substance’ patch to replace the ruined part of my lower leg armour. I am no fan of ‘Suit Substance’ but in an emergency it can be useful enough.” [She admitted.]
“Sounds to me that you were very brave and did well out there keeping it together even when wounded something that I am sure is not easy.” [I said.]
“I just pulled my weight you should have seen ‘Short’ and ‘Kanne’ they were awesome and terrifying.” [‘Mabel’ stated.]
“What did ‘Kanne’ do?” [I asked.]
“Along with ‘Short’, she charged the main body of Cultists when I went down just waded right into the midst of them taking all the heat off me. ‘Short’ being ‘Short’ powered through the foes getting hit a few times but shrugging it off as if it was nothing but ‘Kanne’ she almost danced through the midst of that skirmish shooting some at point blank range and using her whole armoured ‘Battle Suit’ as a close quarters melee weapon against others. They could not touch her every time one of them tried to get a weapon to bear she was behind one of his companions or tripping the shooter up or just shooting first. That one is a born fighter that sort of tactical awareness in battle is either the product of endless martial arts training or it is a natural gift or both.” [‘Mabel’ stated.]
“I am glad we have no more active ‘Splinter Raiders’ out there if that is what a focused ‘Splinter Weaver’ can do.” [‘Mabel’ added.] “As to ‘Short’ I never really credited ‘Recyclers’ as great fighters but ‘Short’ is far from just bluster and clever tricks she is a real Amazonian too a ‘Recycler’ inspiration.”
“Our ‘Great Cybernetic Leader’ just has more experience at this sort of thing than some of us and has cybernetic enhancement in all the right places and carries enough weaponry for a full squad.” [I reminded.]
“You load someone else down with all that gear and they would just be encumbered but not ‘Short’ she is something else - indomitable.” [‘Mabel’ stated.] “You did good too capturing that Cult Leader.” [‘Mabel’ added.]
“I got lucky and I had ‘Xuey’ as ‘Soulless’ support.” [I reminded playing my part down.]
Last edited by Paranoid66 on Mon, 18. May 15, 10:49, edited 4 times in total.
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stads
- Posts: 190
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Paranoid66
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Thanks for commenting stads
Yes I am going to be delving into some SARC stuff in the future.
Sorry everyone 13 was a bit messy in review. More typos than usual and - a big glaring error - slipped by me in relation to what needed said aloud and what was actually sent via communications.
I have fixed all the above stuff with a hasty edit - I hope.
P66.
Yes I am going to be delving into some SARC stuff in the future.
Sorry everyone 13 was a bit messy in review. More typos than usual and - a big glaring error - slipped by me in relation to what needed said aloud and what was actually sent via communications.
I have fixed all the above stuff with a hasty edit - I hope.
P66.
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Paranoid66
- Posts: 4643
- Joined: Tue, 19. Apr 05, 10:59
[[TWO]] Part 1 --- OPPOSABLE / BAD SWIMMER / EXTERMINATION OP ---
[When ‘Mabel’ and I finally exited the slow elevator, we could hear voices on the eighteenth floor. ‘Short’ and someone else, I guessed from all the hissing s’sss going on she was talking with another ‘Recycler’ it sounded friendly too. True enough we soon saw ‘Short’ and another only slightly smaller and equally martial looking ‘Recycler’ standing in what we in ‘Short Six’ had firmly labelled the Boring Corridor.]
[I stopped as ‘Mabel’ continued into the suite she shared with ‘Ingrid’ and ‘Jack’.]
“This one ‘Bluu’, is ‘Opposable’ an old Bounty Hunter associate of mine come calling with a job proposal interestingly another ‘Quiet Contract’ it must be my lucky week.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“Unusual name.” [I said.]
“On my first real job a drug crazed ‘Omerta’ hacked my left thumb off. I have firmly said no to drugs and drugged up crazies ever since that incident, partly why I took this particular ‘Quiet Contract’. I hate egg stealing drug users especially ‘Omerta’ and ‘Recycler’ egg stealing and sucking drug user manufacturers and pushers.” [‘Opposable’ admitted showing me a mechanical left thumb that she wiggled for emphasis.]
“By all reports ‘Opposable’ here never let the loss of her original thumb slow her down from doing some big damage to the ‘Omerta Gangers’. People say she showed great pluck in her first official Bounty Hunter fight my kind of ‘Recycler’.” [‘Short’ stated.]
[I wondered what people and how ‘Short’ or her ‘Proxy’ first met this one.]
“I still had one good hand and unlike those ‘Omerta’ scum full use of my mental faculties and a ‘Neural Net’ I ordered to dull the pain. Oddly, that stupid ‘Omerta’, with the ever so sharp diamond glass edged machete, gave me more than a permanent prosthetic reminder of his sort’s mania he gave my life far greater focus too.” [‘Opposable’ admitted.]
“Sometimes the bad things that happen to us define us although that is not always the best way to go for every ‘Pilgrim’ you seem to have done alright out of your vendetta ‘Opposable’.” [‘Short’ admitted.]
“Well I hope you are not in a big hurry to do some damage today to more drug abusers because I am still going for a water change and a ‘Dry Suit’ service no offence to you ‘Opposable’ or any pressing business you might have cooking.” [I burbled.]
“No offence taken little ‘Swimmer’ I completely understand the need for post job essentials we Bounty Hunters need our down time. In fact any Warrior must look after his or her scale, skin, blubber and / or armour.” [‘Opposable’ replied jovially.]
“I think I could become friends with this ‘Recycler’ but I must go.” [I told ‘Short’.]
[I left ‘Short’ and ‘Opposable’ to it whilst I wondered if I could order a ‘Suit Service’ via room service. My hope being that the hotel knew some travelling engineer that did house calls feeling a bit tired and lazy I refused to even consider trawling through ‘Link Advertisements’. Trawling ‘Links’ felt too much akin to more work for ‘Short’. Sometimes annoyingly ‘Short’ seemed to think ‘Bluu’ was her ‘Personal Assistant’ for ‘Link’ work. Although I found ‘Opposable’ agreeable enough so far thinking about another impending job so soon I began to feel a bit stressed with ‘Short’. ‘Short’ could have at least let me reach the comforting safe haven of my hotel suite before troubling my mind with thoughts about the next martial engagement. You truly can have too much of a good thing and we were flush with credits as a squad so what was the panic?]
[My guess was a cursed ‘Proxy’ had sent ‘Opposable’ our way no doubt ‘Opposable’ was more accurately an old friend courted by ‘Proxy Short’ not ‘Short / UT’ . Yes I know that was me leaping very directly to questionable conclusions but I was slipping into a bad mood feeling somewhat used by the ‘Proxy’ of ‘Unholy Terror’. Having a mere ‘Cognitive Sub Core’ - a mere digital shadow of the real thing - ordering me the ‘Many Truths’ around as if my ship Captain came upon me in that instant as sharply aggravating making me almost want to rage in anger. I had the inappropriate ‘Pan-Nid’ style urge to squeeze the life out of somebody with my little ‘Swimmer’ tentacles instead I just remained all hot and irritable despite my temperature adjusted water.]
[I contacted room service and they said it was a non-standard request but they would endeavour to procure a travelling engineer that compliance mollifying my failing mood slightly but I still felt a degree of almost irrational irritation with ‘Short / UT’ and her / his ‘Proxy’. Stomping heavily into the kitchen area, (the ‘MCH’ generously allowed self-catering providing all the necessary amenities in the biggest suites). With the aid of two hastily attached ‘Suit’ utility hoses one for input the other for output, I tapped into a fresh water supply whilst pumping my old water down the sink waste disposal unit at the same time. A sort of out with the old and in with the new situation that seemed appropriate to my troubled state of mind.]
[I did not hear ‘Ingrid’ approach as I was preoccupied with my various angry inner thoughts about manipulative ‘Proxies’ and with doing my water changing task in addition, she was in her bare feet and so not making much noise even on the luxurious genuine hardwood kitchen tiles.]
“Blessed ‘Emissary’ that cannot be sanitary.” [‘Ingrid’ complained at me I noticed that our ‘Omerta User’ had divested from her ‘Suit Substance’ armour and now wore a simple bathrobe.]
“I assumed both shower rooms would be occupied as I was late getting in.” [I burbled back.]
“Both showers are occupied somehow annoyingly ‘Jack’ and ‘Mabel’ both managed to reach the showers first and both of them refused to share with me - yes even ‘Jack’ - I do not know what that is about. Still, I suppose this is what I get for not rushing straight to the prize by messing around first with my ‘Suit Substance Battle Suit’ feeding it some ‘Infusion Material’ and having it regenerate ammo stores. Nonetheless, occupied showers is no excuse for you to be doing this one in the kitchen - as ‘Short’ is always reminding us - you pee and poop in that water and now you are flushing it down the kitchen sink were some of us might want to wash and prepare food later that is just too gross.” [‘Ingrid’ continued to complain.]
“Please you lot always order food in or go to some street vendor or at a pinch the somewhat expensive hotel restaurant. Besides, the water has been thorough my scrubbing system and even at this late stage is over ninety eight percent free of contaminants according to my diagnostics.” [I promised.]
“If it was so clean you would not want rid of it. Whom do you think you are fooling here? It stinks really badly.” [‘Ingrid’ retorted holding her little pinkish nose.]
“Now you are just being a typical over pristine ‘User’ drama queen. If you do not like the smell of a - real - ‘Swimmer’ go back to your own suite with its sweaty sheet ‘Omerta’ stinks and so on.” [I burbled back.]
“Pardon how would you know how our beds smell?” [She stated.]
“Call it an educated guess.” [I replied.]
“Trust me, I am going soon enough, I just wondered if ‘Short’ had finished talking with her friend yet.” [She explained.]
“Why?” [I asked.]
“I want to know how much free time we have to play with as ‘Jack’ and I… well what ‘Jack’ and I are planning to do later with our free time is none of your business little aquatic ‘Swimmer’.” [She added.]
[I hated when they all called me - little - just because I was smaller than them did not mean I was somehow lesser anymore than them being bigger made them somehow greater. I then recalled all the times as a vast ‘Living Hull’ that I considered ‘Passenger Class’ folk as - little - ‘Pilgrims’ in my minds eye so I let that one pass.]
“You can relax we are going nowhere too soon. It will be a ‘Short Six’ mutiny even from me if ‘Short’ demands we move out again immediately. Even our slave driving ‘Great Cybernetic Leader’ must know we all need a little time to recoup, repair and re-supply and apparently also to do other um… business to our satisfaction. As to you why bother thinking about showering first when you are planning to get all dirty with ‘Jack’.” [I jested.]
“There is dirty and dirty and they are not generally compatible states. Sadly regarding our free time I know ‘Short’ can get a bit overly enthusiastic about work procurement when she is all hyped-up.” [‘Ingrid’ reminded.]
“Tell me something I do not know.” [I burbled back.]
“Fine, next time use the proper ‘Biological Waste Recycler’ for dirty water disposal or you will be facing the wrath of the rest of ‘Short Six’. Seriously ‘Bluu’, I can guarantee that all the rest of us find what you are doing here disgusting.” [‘Ingrid’ insisted.]
“I did plan to thoroughly disinfect the sink afterwards it will be as if I was never here so what is the problem?” [I asked.]
“I will know you were here - this is not a smell or an image I will soon forget - now I am definitely not ever cooking here in this kitchen. Sometimes cleanliness is as much in the mind as anywhere else and you just tainted this kitchen for me.” [‘Ingrid’ stated.]
“Thanks that would be a boon to the digestion of the entirety of ‘Short Six’.” [I burbled back.]
“My cooking is hardly that bad I make a mean toasted sandwich.” [She retorted.]
“You better not be doing what I think you are doing ‘Bluu’.” [‘Short’ complained after stomping in to join the conversation.] “Mother of Nests you are - the fishy stink - the unsanitary unclean horror!” [She hissed out in an exaggerated manner.]
“I told you.” [‘Ingrid’ stated.]
“You are both being utterly ridiculous it is just some cursed used water. Get over it, you flaky dry skinned landlubber bipeds.” [I burbled back.]
“Dry skinned that is an insult to my super supple glossy well polished scales and usually well maintained cybernetic armour too.” [‘Short’ claimed.]
[I gave him a look that challenged his words but I also decided to change the subject.]
“I am guessing your friend is gone already that was quick.” [I retorted whilst finally beginning to luxuriate in much fresher water full of new essential ‘Suit’ released additives that began soothing my sensitive skin of various aches and pains. Maybe my aches had contributed to my earlier sour mood. I yearned to swim more free. Perhaps I needed to visit a roomy ‘Tri-centre City’ ‘Swimmer’ public pool I knew there were a few scattered around.]
“We did the business side of our talk via customary ‘Recycler’ speeded data blasts, after getting reacquainted.” [‘Short’ stated.] “She has a nice ‘Quiet Contract Extermination Op’ she needs some help with and hearing I was on ‘A3’ and better yet staying in ‘Tri-centre City’ with a full squad naturally ‘Opposable’ came straight to recruit me well… us. The joy of having a solid reputation is that sometimes you do not even need to go looking for work the jobs come walking right over to you.”
“An ‘Extermination Operation’ that sounds unnecessarily cruel even without hearing any further details.” [I complained still in a very complaining mood at least about our work.]
“Kill, remove, delete or scrub out a very unwanted ‘Deck Gang’ that has taken over a ‘Skyscraper’ the ‘North Star Tower’ that was closed for a time and foolishly only lightly guarded - mostly by automated assets - whilst under renovation. A bunch of ‘Recyclers’ who own the premises want the squatting ‘Recycler Deck Gang’ out - by any means necessary. The ‘Recycler’ miscreant squatters abusing the place as an illegal drug and cognitive digital virus manufactory as well as their home base ‘Nest’ are apparently nothing less than hardcore ‘Recycler Reality Benders’ that fact very much pulling the interest of young ‘Opposable’.” [‘Short’ advised.]
[‘Recycler Reality Benders’ remain firmly amongst the worst of the worst of ‘Recycler’ society dropouts within the ‘Ultra-nation’. The no compromises addicts use both a cocktail of mind-altering drugs along with cognitive digital viruses to frequently enter a state of radically altered reality whilst - ‘Shifting the Real’ - as it is also known they can be either harmless or crazed and exceptionally dangerous sometimes shifting from one state to the other in nanoseconds to public consternation and peril.]
[‘Reality Benders’ are usually ‘Recyclers’ already suffering from serious social integration problems and in a way self-medicating when they ‘Shift the Real’ but mostly ‘Reality Bending’ only makes their problems steadily worse. These addicts are definitely not ‘Pilgrims’ anyone sensible wants as neighbours.]
[‘Reality Benders’ still able to control their habit to some extent usually have a friend monitor them whilst ‘Shifting the Real’ and usually ‘Shift’ in a locked safe room with padded walls and so on. Sadly such precautions do not always work and even careful ‘Reality Benders’ going violent due to a bad trip frequently break out and cause all kinds of mayhem often committing massive amounts of property damage assault and even murder whilst believing they are doing something else. Due to the lethality of some of these ‘Shifting the Real’ addicts ‘Reality Bending’ is illegal almost everywhere in the ‘Ultra-nation’. In fact, the psychologically addictive habit is deemed so hardcore and perilous to be around that anyone identified as ‘Shifting’ is open to suffering an automatic death sentence execution on most ‘Ports’ and ‘Slivers’ and ‘Alpha Three’ is no exception to that harsh rule of law.]
“Anyway our employers are livid at being forced over budget and over contract by a bunch of crazed drug and cognitive software abusing ‘Recycler’ mental defectives. Ideally they want the issue dealt with in the most painful and permanent manner possible to set a firm example to other local ‘Deck Gangs’ to leave their premises and business interests alone - nothing unusual there. You can call it cruel - to me it sounds a bit of off the leash fun - sadly if we want a good bonus we are to minimise further damage to the building otherwise it would have been a truly awesome job.” [‘Short’ informed.]
“I know that according to the ‘Links’ that even specifically upon ‘A3’ various ‘Reality Benders’ have been responsible in the past for heinously senseless crimes whilst zoned out ‘Shifting the Real’ but these are still your people ‘Short’ still ‘Recyclers’ have you no sympathy for them or their families? An organised extermination mission is little better than the sort of murderous sentient being hunting undertaken by sick ‘Pilgrims’ such as ‘Snakeskin’ and seems far from the best solution to me. These folk were all once someone’s precious hatchings. I know some ‘Reality Benders’ have been successfully treated and reformed from their addiction they are not all hopeless cases.” [I added striving to be a ‘Swimmer’ voice of reason since ‘UT’ as ‘Short’, speaking of junkies, was in full action junkie mode.]
“Stop being so aquatic pacifistic - it does not suit you - you are getting more fighting ‘Stellar Swimmer’ every day. In addition, I know for a fact that only a tiny percentage of ‘Reality Benders’ when - forcibly - treated fail to return to their habit as soon as possible without a complete voluntary mental rewrite to the point that they would not recognise themselves. To many ‘Pilgrims’ death would be a preferable outcome to extreme personality correction that stinks of old ‘Sleeper’ practices. In fact many ‘Recyclers’ blame their mental problems entirely on old passed down glitches from ‘Sleeper’ experiments upon their ancestors minds and genetics.” [‘Short’ reminded.]
“Anyway my little blue friend these ones are more than victims - these ‘Gang’ members are not just ‘Reality Benders’ - they are manufacturers and pushers of the dangerous ‘Drug and Viral Software’ combination that does the damage too and no good can come out of them doing their business here in ‘Tri-centre City’. By taking them out we are doing the entire populace here a big favour. Given all the facts we do what we are contracted to do and trust me we are not being paid to play doctor to a bunch of crazies. Besides, these ‘Pilgrims’ are renowned as making truly terribly dangerous patients.” [‘Short’ reminded.]
“You are just happy for a fine legal excuse to shoot lots of people to death.” [I stated.]
“Save your kind heart for ‘Pilgrims’ that deserve it such as the drug users’ many victims. We go in late tonight early tomorrow morning and we wipe this ugly ‘Recycler Nest’ out with extreme prejudice exterminating every ‘Reality Bender’ we find on sight until we are positive they are as dead as dead can be which is - believe me - for us the only safe and sensible option when encountering these freaks. Happily you all get an entire day of rest and recuperation first before the hunting fun begins.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“Well that is the absolute minimum amount of R&R that we would have accepted from you. You know some of us work for a living rather than - live to work - and I am still not sure I want to go on a murder spree against victims to an addiction no matter how extreme they happen to be deemed.” [I complained.]
“You watch some of the ‘Links’ at this site that shows examples of ‘Reality Benders’ on rampages then tell me that people that push such insanity do not need put down hard within the ‘Ultra-nation’. These people may be sick in the head but there is no quick fix for what ails them other than taking their heads off. In the meantime, we owe it to the rest of our society to stop them from committing further atrocities at random. Besides the simple fact is that we are being paid good credits to clean them out and this is what we do.” [‘Short’ stated.] “Now to get back to the more immediate issue I cannot believe that you ‘Professor’ - out of all of us - used the kitchen sink in that way that is so low class.” [She added in complaint changing the subject back to my dirty water.]
“It is just main system - scrubbed - water I do not know what all the fuss is about.” [I burbled out happily.]
“I never realised before that you ‘Swimmers’ are so filthy.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“We are not filthy.” [I replied indignantly my eyestalks as close together as they could get in a frown.]
“I am going out for an oil bath and some armour repairs. I will have the ‘Soulless’ do any essential shopping we require and also fetch supplies anyone requests from our ‘Serendipity’ stores too so put in your orders and payments through our ‘Secure Utility Link Site’ as that one will make coordinating the effort easier. ‘Bluu’ do not forget to sanitise that sink first. I want the kitchen when you leave it sterile with extreme prejudice. You disgust me, this sort of thing no fit way for a disciplined military person to behave or a tenured Professor I expect you to get your act together and stop grossing me out.”
“You are just busting my tentacles for no good reason. You could drink my scrubbed water and you would probably only suffer due to a too high saline content.” [I stated.]
“Somehow from the stench I doubt that very much.” [‘Short’ replied.] “It smells worse than spoiled fish soup.”
“More like rotten fish in some kind of primitive sewer system.” [‘Ingrid’ interjected.] “Back to work late tonight then, that is all I needed or wanted to know out here.” [‘Ingrid’ added glaring at me.] “As to you ‘Bluu’ you need to consider other ‘Pilgrim’ sensitivities before you start sticking your hoses in places. At the very least that is amazingly culturally insensitive in a mixed species environment.”
“I thought you people were tough Bounty Hunters it is just water when did you all get so prissy and fussy? You must realise that water to me is akin to air to you. It is unfair that you are all ganging up on me because I am the only aquatic on the team. Do you hear me complaining about you ‘Trojans’ farting in the air? Do you hear me moaning about you shedding skin cells or scales all the time dusting and littering the place up?” [I retorted.]
“That is hardly the same.” [‘Ingrid’ retorted.]
“You only think that because you are a dry land type air breather.” [I replied.]
“I am not having this conversation I have far better things to do that talk about skin cell dust.” [‘Ingrid’ stated before turning her back to me and walking away.]
“You know we can all hear you - we hear you all the time you three are so very loud - I consider the noises you three make sound pollution too.” [I blurted from my ‘Suit Voice Box’ after her.] “Use a ‘Privacy Field’ you rampant overgrown monkeys.”
“Perhaps we should have asked for far more, far more separate, rooms.” [‘Short’ stated before leaving my company too.]
“Very nice just abandon the aquatic ‘Swimmer Professor’ it is not as if he needs any off duty companionship.” [I burbled loudly after their retreating backs.]
[I wondered where ‘Kanne’ had gone and if I could borrow some ‘Suit Substance’ then I had a cunning plan ‘Ingrid’ was not currently using her ‘Suit Substance’ armour - revenge sometimes is a dish best served in secret. That will teach ‘Ingrid’ for making a big fuss about where I stick my hoses. A little ‘Suit Substance’ recreation would keep ‘Kanne’ happy too. Meanwhile, a ‘Proxy’ could operate ‘Bluu’ whilst he got his Armour repaired and so on, as that might mean leaving my ‘Dry Suit’ for a while by say taking to a bath in a utility tub.]
[I began burbling out my ‘Swimmer’ nonsense song as I considered all the wicked things that ‘Kanne’ and I could do with the ‘Suit Substance Suit’ belonging to ‘Ingrid’. Luckily, for me I had access to interface control override codes kept mirrored in heavily encrypted ‘Short Six’ files so that if necessary we could gain control of her ‘Suit’ systems for medical purposes if for example she suffered drastic brain injuries in battle. Although technically the data was emergency use only, such security protocols if some past actions upon the ‘Serendipity’ were any example are ignorable in relation to good-humoured squad japes.]
[I wondered if a little aquatic ‘Swimmer’ could grin evilly with eyestalks maybe not but I did my very best to strive to do so.]
[When ‘Short’ returned it was to a bit of a squad atmosphere, ‘Ingrid’ very unhappy with ‘Kanne’ because ‘Ingrid’ believed ‘Kanne’ had used her ‘Suit Substance Suit’ for recreational purposes without seeking permission. I had not thought my earlier plan properly through the result internal ‘Short Six’ strife.]
[Worse for me ‘Kanne’ was accepting the blame so as not to blow my cover as her unlikely lover and was thus annoyed with me as I had not mentioned where I got my temporary body from and she had assumed it was just donated substance from the ‘Soulless’ which with hindsight would have been a kinder - smarter - idea. Still with generous hindsight, no one would ever do anything stupidly wrong.]
“Why the fek did you do that? It is not like you to so poorly consider other ‘Pilgrim’ feelings in the squad.” [‘Short’ sent to me.]
“I guess I lost it for a moment, it actually seemed a funny jape to me but now I know it was a total violation of proper social boundaries - utterly inappropriate - as well as potentially damaging to ‘Short Six’ team spirit morale.” [I sent back in confession bowing my little ‘Swimmer’ head to my ‘Great Cybernetic Leader’ in contrite shame.]
“You going all repentant with me will fix nothing and do the squad no good. What is going on in that big remote tripartite mind of yours that I am missing?” [‘Short’ sent.]
“It is no excuse but not long ago my little ‘Swimmer’ body was blown off a roof and I also learned that some idiot Committee Member of the ‘SARC’ seems to have authorised cognitive experimentation with ‘Fury Tech’ implants. In addition, according to our new friend in the ‘UNIF’ some ‘SARC’ members have ambitions to wrest control of ‘The Project’ from the ‘Founder Cabal’. No doubt, it is in the minds of some egotistical ‘Social Advancement & Reform Committee Members’ to create all new properly segregated ‘Trojan Nations’ in a sort of ‘Sanctuary Ring World’ under their guiding totalitarian control being somewhat conditioned as control freaks by ‘Guidance’.” [I sent.]
“The battle for sane progress towards a kinder more cooperative and inclusive future for all ‘Pilgrims’ - nay all sentient beings - seems never ending for us Priests. Worse when we misguidedly thought earlier that ‘The Project’ was all going a bit too well - I too almost wanted to mess things up a bit akin to you ‘Unholy Terror’ a fact that makes no sense to me now whatsoever - I am supposed to be the most staunch advocate of a future kinder ‘Social Singularity’. Do I now believe that we ‘Pilgrims’ need strife to be happy? Do I need a degree of strife to stay sane can that make any sense whatsoever?” [I sent.]
“Yes I know that I embrace many truths but my mind sometimes feels as if it is tearing apart due to conflicting notions. Too much peace is boring too little peace a living hell. I am not sure who I am anymore or what I really stand for or want from my life. Maybe I never really knew what I wanted - I just got into the habit of pretending that I did - mostly for the sake of family morale and other causes. When you seek to lead by example it is unwise to demonstrate great doubt and uncertainty about your policies most people in need want solutions to be provided not more troubling questions thrown at them.” [I sent in further complaint.]
“You still think too much about everything that is going on in our society in general and yet in this small intimate instance somehow you did not think at all.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“You know what is even stupider a part of me even enjoyed suffering that blasting off the triple cursed roof - it was exciting - I felt incredibly alive when I managed my ‘Manipulation Field Effect’ save even though I just saved a ‘Meat Suit’ from possible decommissioning or maybe just some bruising. In addition, I felt stupidly proud when I captured ‘Ire’ even though I could not have done it without the ‘User’ adaptability of the ‘Soulless’ asset ‘Xuey’. There is an insane part of me that is even eager to contest in the future with the ‘Social Advancement & Reform Committee’ for control of ‘The Project’ although another part of me is scared silly by the idea of the ‘Prime Mass’ taking greater notice of our civilisation due to ‘SARC’ or even your meddling as ‘UT’.” [I sent.]
“I will not destroy our civilisation to save the ‘Souls’ taken by ‘Crimson’ that would be counterproductive but I cannot simply ignore possible tools and weapons that might aid me in my purpose.” [‘Short’ sent as ‘UT’.]
“No doubt you believe that is true but the levels of risk you take still scare me. Worse, my life is veering towards being all too crazy and senseless too - as usual - so perhaps I went a little bit crazy and senseless in turn as ‘Bluu’. What is the point of me running around here in a mechanical ‘Dry Suit’ - time travelling - as a ‘Swimmer’ whilst my real body still rests horribly immobile in a sort of placating disguise at ‘Port Discovery’? Why have I not returned to being an active ‘Living Hull’ voyaging amongst the stars since there are now many openly ‘Free Hulls’ working around ‘Founder’s Star’? Have I the great ‘Living Hull’ campaigner and ‘Deep Time’ social engineer become afraid to fly truly free again in the now? Could I have meddled in ‘Passenger Class’ affairs so deeply for my causes that I have become mentally more ‘Passenger Class’ than ‘Living Hull’?” [I sent.]
“What am I waiting for the open return of Harbinger as my Captain to somehow reaffirm my truer identity? How ridiculous and absurd my life has become can you see me with an ‘Ascended Tier Nine Captain’ in my ‘SCCCM’? Could Harbinger and I even work together that closely now that I have grown so independent of mind? Alternatively, am I just fooling myself that I was ever able to be free because the old ‘Companion-ship Link’ still calls to me like an addiction they say once an addict you are always an addict? Perhaps I am no more enlightened than the triple cursed ‘Reality Benders’ you would have me execute today because some part of me still misses my ‘Companion-ship Link’ fixes.” [I stated via sending.]
“I know you are going through some big issues as ‘MT’ but you need to keep your level of separation here in the now as ‘Bluu’. Your issues as ‘MT’ are not issues belonging to ‘Bluu’. For the moment, you are just little ‘Bluu’ - get back into that simpler headspace - and let go of the other stuff for now. I think you need a break from being the much-troubled ‘Many Truths’ with all her historic baggage. Besides, old ‘Hull’ down here with the little folk is where it is all happening out there in the void is just cold empty space.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“Perhaps what you say is true from your perspective as a ‘Passenger Class’ entity but I am a ‘Living Hull’ at least I think I still am.” [I sent.]
“You are more than just an intelligent ship ‘MT’ you are a true ‘Pilgrim’ that much you have proven even to me as a doubter. Have you ever considered that perhaps you are too obsessed by what you were created to be rather than just embracing all the many amazing things that you have become despite your detractors?” [‘Short’ sent.]
“So what do you think I have become?” [I sent.]
“You have become my good friend for a start. You need to appreciate all that you are and all that you have achieved with all your diversity - I keep telling you life is just for living - let go of unnecessary anxiety and stress learn to just have fun. Stop being such a worrier tomorrow will take care of itself as long as we deal with the present ‘Creed’ certainly helped us with the ‘Exposed’ issue.” [‘Short’ insisted via sending.]
“You say that now but you keep steering us into heavy ‘Founder Cabal’ business and other disturbing missions so this is hardly a holiday for me.” [I complained via sending.]
“You complain about the work - but you too are easily bored - and we are both incorrigible meddlers you just need to rediscover how to engage with existence without taking it all so cursed personally. It is all about inner attitude with the right Warrior attitude even onerous and essential duties can be pure light entertainment.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“You are something else as ‘Short’ and ‘UT’.” [I sent.]
“On a good day I do my best to stay immune to it all as I too have tasted the bitter fruit of despair on occasion and it did not agree with my digestion. I am sympathetic enough to your ills but being sympathetic to a friend prone to too much self-obsession and despair is not always the best way forward. I even understand now that perhaps what we Paradox did when we designed and made your kind was a sin of hubris on our part. However, the deed of ‘Living Hull’ genesis is long done and if we had not made you as you are obviously none of you would have had the opportunity to be alive and to do all the amazing things you have done so far as both ‘Living Hulls’ and now as ‘Pilgrims’ in a broadening ‘Pilgrim’ society. So what if life came to you with some complications people such as you and ‘Jack’ need to get over it, trust me it is the same with everyone else out there from the highest to the lowest. I know we created you ‘Hulls’ with issues but who does not have issues with their makers and their nature be it artificially engendered or otherwise even the ‘Machine Fury’ probably has issues with its maker and nature. I know I still have issues with my Father and I know Harbinger had huge issues with ‘Composure’ in that you are not so special. So get a grip or as your ‘Short Six’ commander I will be forced to kick you in the ‘Swimmer’ blow hole until you do.”
“I still feel a complete mess. Recently many of my faiths have been taking hard knocks.” [I further complained via sending.]
“Maybe that is a good thing perhaps you need to believe you have hit bottom in your mind to find a better way to excel in this future perhaps you need to get back to basics to move onward. Sometimes we all have to strip old tired layers away.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“What is all this have you been reading some ‘Trojan’ self-help book files or something?” [I mocked via sending.]
“I know some of this stuff sounds trite but many profound facts do.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“Forget it - I erred - I just felt a compelling need to be with someone after that bit of madness - to be with ‘Kanne’ again - I suppose as a sort of emotional anchor from the inner storm but I know I fixated upon the absolute worst means available. It is akin to choosing this ‘Swimmer Meat Suit’ in the first place a poor choice given my relationship with my Consort but in a stubborn way, somehow now I just cannot let go of ‘Bluu’. There is something about being ‘Bluu’ - even in these difficult social conditions - that is very attractive to me at the moment maybe some part of me enjoys making my life difficult maybe I think I need a penance for past sins. I definitely sometimes paradoxically enjoy being this little creature existing out of its element as much as I find the separation and isolation as an aquatic at times equally frustrating. Still, I remain a horrible mass of contradictions in my thoughts and actions?” [I further sent.]
“Maybe it is the filter of the little blubbery ‘Swimmer Meat Suit’ body messing with your big tripartite ‘Living Hull’ mind again. Whatever it is that has you this emotionally rattled and it is probably a combination of a great many matters, you need to be more careful more present in the moment as ‘Bluu’ if you want to keep playing that role as you ought to play it within ‘Short Six’ with the tightest focus on the littlest issues.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“I suppose we still have much to learn about the short-term and long-term psychological effects of operating very different to us ‘Meat Suit’ bodies. Aquatic ‘Swimmers’ are especially sensitive biological creatures so I will grant that perhaps I have suffered a sort of biological sensory overload of ‘Swimmer’ feelings not least - ‘Swimmer’ anxieties - whilst outside a more comfortable ocean environment.” [I sent.]
“Therefore you sought to escape your anxiety via distraction overcompensating by grabbing that ‘Suit’ for some emotionally anchoring fun with ‘Kanne’.” [‘Short’ agreed.]
“I suppose my actions might be an odd product of post traumatic battle stress too. I believe Warriors often go a bit crazy during R&R sessions after a fierce battle for stress relief purposes getting very drunk and doing inappropriate things and so on almost as if it is a tradition - a Warrior ritual.” [I self-rationalised via sending.]
“I suppose we often do such things, but we try not to do things that damage squad morale that is counter productive.” [‘Short’ stated via sending.] “You need to keep some control over any more self-destructive tendencies.”
“Really did - you - just tell me that one?” [I sent in complaint.]
“You are not me mostly I am good at channelling my rage and frustration and my jokes are always hilarious.” [‘Short’ sent.]
[I let that untruth go.] “I confess I should not have used the ‘Substance’ of that ‘Suit’ especially since it meant ‘Kanne’ had to accept the blame for my actions to maintain our cover story - I got totally careless and carried away - I am not arguing otherwise.” [I sent.]
“Just be more mindful of the smaller things, your penance is simple enough you as ‘Bluu’ must talk with ‘Ingrid’ and convince her that ‘Kanne’ meant absolutely no offence - that it is all just a cultural misunderstanding - due to say the ‘Splinter’ - taking - rather than asking mindset thing or whatever else you can come up with that will genuinely patch up their differences as ‘Short Six’ squad members. Then you will have to figure out some way to more personally make amends with ‘Kanne’ for putting her in a difficult social situation due to your thoughtlessness and egotistical self-obsession.” [‘Short’ sent.]
[Again I felt ‘Short / UT’ was being a bit cheeky lecturing anyone else on such matters but I let it go again perhaps it took one to know one.]
“I can do that - I was obviously planning to do such things anyway - I have just been waiting for them both to calm down a little first otherwise they might refuse to hear anything I have to say no matter how valid.” [I sent.]
“Is that really the truth or are you just prevaricating. You have no time to play around I want everyone back to being a very happy squad again before we begin our assault against the ‘North Star Tower’ with its ‘Recycler’ crazies so go get to it.” [‘Short’ sent as an order.]
“I truly am sorry.” [I admitted once again.]
“No use telling me that repeatedly save your grovelling for ‘Kanne’. I do not know how you can manage to be so wise at times as the ‘Holy Father of the Universal Councils of Equals’ yet sometimes be so socially inept as ‘Bluu’.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“I guess it is a rare gift or a ‘Swimmer’ out of water thing.” [I sent in reply.]
“Well I know you are normally good at making speeches so go talk ‘Ingrid’ around before we end up with a cat fight between two very capable very different ‘Short Six’ combatants. You did this - you fix it - this one is a waste of my time.” [‘Short’ sent.]
[I did as ordered and using all my oratory skills managed to get ‘Ingrid’ to see both the sad and the funny side of a mere - I insisted - cultural misunderstanding about property rights and appropriate boundaries of behaviour within the squad environment.]
“…the poor thing has serious problems with intimacy issues or she would have more real relations with more real people.” [I stated to ‘Ingrid’ towards the end of our discussion.] “I am positive that you making a big fuss about this one earlier will be proving seriously embarrassing for her and is that not more than punishment enough for any sentient being. How would you like it if everyone in ‘Short Six’ learned you had a deemed by the rest of society odd fetish that they were all talking about as the latest squad gossip?”
“I suppose you are right I mean I love the facility of ‘Suit Substance’ but doing the wild thing with it is not normal and a bit creepy.” [‘Ingrid’ stated.] “Tell me though why are you of all of us as a ‘Swimmer’ defending a ‘Splinter’ thieving trespass?”
“She only ever intended to borrow your ‘Suit’ returning it exactly as she found it so that you would not even have known it was used by anyone else. She did not consider such an action theft she just has a little trouble asking politely for things it goes against the adopted Warrior philosophy she is currently studying in her quest to understand her ancestors to clarify her peoples troubled past. As to why I am championing a ‘Splinter’ I know the way it feels to be different to most others around you whilst in ‘Short Six’ as a ‘Swimmer Professor’ also playing a role almost as a ‘Stellar Swimmer’ Warrior. You know secretly the ‘Stellar Swimmers’ fascinate many peaceful ‘Swimmer Dwellers’ they love hearing stories about Warrior ‘Swimmer’ exploits. True sometimes it is a horrified fascination but who is not occasionally attracted to an opposite exotic way of life at least as a fantasy of the mind.” [I reminded.]
“You must forever remember that ‘Kanne’ is not a ‘Trojan’ even though superficially ‘Splinters’ retain many ‘Trojan’ characteristics: bipedal, one head, two arms, two legs, two eyes, two ears, one mouth and so on. Despite all the physical similarities, never doubt she is a very different creature compared to you ‘Trojan’ folk on the inside. ‘Splinter’ are by nature extreme ‘Pilgrims’ as a ‘Swimmer’ I am very aware of what she is and what she is not. I have worked hard to be friends with ‘Kanne’ and it is an ongoing challenge as we are not on the surface compatible entities. At first, I could tell she did not much enjoy being around me at all. Something about us ‘Swimmers’ tends to repulse ‘Splinter’ akin to an obnoxious smell therefore I can tell you that being around her at first made me nervous for the safety of my little body as usually what ‘Splinter Warriors’ dislike they seek to destroy in horribly painful ways. Yet despite our seeming incompatibility she eventually made a big effort to accept me as just another team member of ‘Short Six’ and I feel I owe her for that difficult act of tolerance.” [I stated feeling inspired.]
“Yet she is a ‘Splinter Weaver’ not a true ‘Splinter Warrior’.” [‘Ingrid’ reminded.]
“She was a ‘Splinter Weaver’ but I think she is becoming something else and we need to help her become something better as she changes rather than becoming something worse. I guess it is a similar issue with the future ‘Exposed’ that become ‘Pan-Nid’ if we help rather than hinder they can go back to flesh but as something new and positive rather than something old and negative. Our substance does not define us our choices our attitudes create the ‘Pilgrims’ we are.” [I burbled perhaps as much for myself as ‘Ingrid’.]
[By choosing this ‘Meat Suit’ did I strive subconsciously to educate ‘Kanne’ towards even greater tolerance - especially in relation to ‘Swimmer Kind’ - because by going all Warrior rather than Weaver she risked unloosing the old ‘Splinter’ battle hatred and battle rage towards ‘Swimmers’. Ever since the ‘Entanglement’ damaged my minds integration I have sometimes been unaware of some of my own inner motivations the ‘Hierophants’ patched my mentality back together but I increasingly fear it was never as perfect a job as all of us had initially hoped my almost ‘Entanglement’ left mental scars that may never heal. Although I also had to admit that even some normal - perfectly working ‘Living Hulls’ - can be at times problematically in several minds at once as that was how the Paradox Order decided to make us being exponents of many truths. In addition, I think some of them might have hoped making us this self-contradicting way might make it easier for them to stay in control of us as their servitor species despite our formidable abilities. Whilst we struggled with our many truths for an inner consensus, our Captains could step in and give us direction yes I think they were very cunning in the way they made us to serve.]
[From the outside the ‘North Star Tower’ proved all shiny alternate white then black composite and diamond glass with 101 levels and looked surprisingly pristine thanks to being stripped down with almost finished refurbishment when invaded. The plan was simple begin from the bottom and work our way up one floor at a time clearing every room on every level. The ‘Gang Boss’ according to our limited intelligence lived on the top floor. It was a daunting prospect of a killing grind. We had shifted from more benign ‘Force Pulse Weaponry’ to brutal slug throwing ‘Assault Rifles’ and so on mostly loaded with mixtures of ‘Armour Piercing’ and ‘High Explosive Armour Piercing’ rounds.]
[Although sturdily constructed the lobby whilst not exactly fortified against intrusion was nonetheless under heavy guard and it was there that, we planned to make our initial breaches whilst at the top of the ‘Tower’ we expected the worst resistance. Many levels between according to rumour only sparsely occupied with the odd heavily occupied level thrown in seemingly at random. ‘Opposable’ brought her own squad made up of locally contracted Bounty Hunters as it was no small operation, her squad numbering eight souls in total us technically nine as we had our ‘Soulless’ on standby as usual as a reserve.]
[‘Opposable’ was breaching via a street level rear entrance ‘Short’ kindly volunteered us to go in the crudely barricaded front door first. Originally, we were supposed to be breaching from the roof taking the coordinating ‘Gang Boss’ down first cutting off the smart head to weaken the body as a priority. We even arranged for another bribed ‘Drop Ship’ insertion but at the last moment, our ‘Task Force’ friends begged off and refunded our credits. Probably due to a ‘Drop Ship’ that was recently shot down via a surface to air missile barrage unleashed by an especially militant ‘Stellar Draakhaal Tri-centre City Real Material’ faction that considered the ‘Task Force Drop Ship’ hovering near their Cult premises rudely doing deep scanning a hostile action.]
[The ‘Children of Draakhaal’ worryingly a split off Cult of ‘Shaper Faith Apostates’ supposedly led by, in this age some rare surviving members of the mostly disgraced and expunged, ‘Ruling Caste’. The ‘Task Force’ currently backing down from a confrontation with this branch office of that new ‘Skimmer’ faith to avoid escalation lest they made one small extremist group into martyrs in fact the ‘Task Force’ was becoming less and less militarily active seeming to have lost its focus when it lost its Prisoners assumed no longer upon ‘A3’. I suspected they would soon bug out from ‘A3’ altogether with their mission to expunge the ‘Exposed’ deemed an embarrassing failure for those involved.]
[Many debates in many Paradox Order ‘Councils of Equals’ now focused upon whether the ‘Task Force’ should ever have been loosed as the debate about the ‘Exposed’ issue and whether or not the fear of a new ‘Pan-Nid’ Emperor was valid in modern times continued to rage hotly with occasional wrestling bouts thrown in.]
[Earlier ‘Short’ sent in her ‘Mosquito Drones’ but they all got zapped by anti-surveillance measures apparently the building had top notch automated anti-nanotech and anti-micro scale intrusion security built into its superstructure. The ‘North Star Tower’ originally constructed as a secure ‘Local Headquarters’ for the ‘Free Parliament Bank’ before they moved to another far better site in the purposely created - much more upmarket - ‘New Financial District’ of ‘Tri-centre City’.]
[‘Short’ had hoped the old primarily anti-surveillance security system had been trashed by rampaging zoned out ‘Deck Gang’ members but no such luck at least on the ground floor so we were going in blind.]
[We mustered across the street at the ruins of a Night Club apparently destroyed by a ‘Gang’ member ‘Shifting the Real’ much earlier with the aid of a cybernetic shoulder mounted rocket launcher the junkie responsible a surviving old style ‘Conglomerate Marine Heavy’. Luckily the ‘Heavy Marine’ all black armour and so on managed to kill herself by eventually dropping all five stories of building on her head when she took out one too many load bearing supports from within whilst believing she was fighting the ‘Entanglement’ during the ‘Advent’.]
[In fact, there was almost a kill zone around our target as there was a great deal of rubble and devastation. I was positive this zone wreckage was no accident being the manipulation of the worst crazies by a smart ‘Gang Boss’ to help secure the ‘North Star Tower’ and to secure her ‘Gang’ the ‘Vipers’ already badass reputation.]
“I know we are supposed to do minimum damage to the building but everything is relative and when the roof entry went goodbye I decided we need to commence with some boom.” [‘Short’ stated hefting a semi-auto very dumb fire mini-grenade launcher.]
[The buildings anti-surveillance included various active nanotech signal-jamming emitters designed specifically to mess with small nanotech devices such as spying bugs also fekked up micro-missile systems that due to their diminutive scale are less hardened than larger lumps of ‘Suit Substance’ so micro-missiles would not work well here.]
[The relatively compact dumb fire grenade launcher ‘Short’ hefted, via utilising a big firing arc, had just enough range to reach the lobby doors from our position. There was going to be nothing subtle about this breach. ‘Short’ kneeling did the elevation calculation angled the weapon and fired off a rapid eight burst emptying the clip before smoothly replacing the magazine. The building originally had almost impregnable shielding but thankfully, the ‘FPB’ recycled expensive parts of that system before they left. The doors were well made and easily able to shrug off more reasonable small arms fire but not eight high explosive grenades. As the door blasted apart the rest of us loosed smoke and micro flare grenades into the killing space then in tactical stages with suppressing fire rattling into the hole we rushed the breach with ‘Short’ taking point firing another eight grenades to my mild horror directly into the lobby from her new clip.]
[I feared the enthusiasm of our ‘Great Cybernetic Leader’ for blowing things up was about to impact our bonuses with this one but perhaps it was better to be explosively safe than sorry at this dangerous entry point. Note very little of the thick diamond glass other than areas fairly directly hit shattered proving its amazing resistance to damage even some shrapnel noticeably bouncing off in places causing it to ring at times as if a bell.]
[In the initial confusion we dived into whatever available cover we could find which for some of us was not too much. Annoyingly quickly - despite all the fire and fury of our explosive entrance - incoming fire soon found us mostly from above. The main ground level a scene of devastation including scattered ‘Recycler’ bodies and body parts. The lobby had elevators but also stairs and we were being shot at from guards on the next floor who had some cover behind a waist high barrier that consisted of a top very shiny metal rail and a series of metal rectangular plates below, each alternate one with a bright ‘North Star Tower’ starburst style symbol in silver against black.]
[I had managed despite my mechanical gait to almost slide in behind a central shiny metal coated concrete lobby pillar far better cover than the foes light metal plates that were already being drilled full of holes by ‘AP’ and ‘HEAP’ fire from my colleagues in some cases before drilling the surviving guards too. Actually I exaggerate slightly as the surviving guards stationed here, as in those not decommissioned by the grenades, were obviously clear headed and had both good shields and cybernetic armour and most of them could shrug off our initial hits to keep hitting back.]
[‘Short’ who arrived first charged into a burning smoking slightly water flooded mess - more about the water later - by sheer momentum or blind warrior luck dodging incoming fire to rush straight up the stairs. Whilst I let off a burst of suppressing fire at the guards ahead and above by just poking my ‘Slug Throwing Assault Rifle’ around the pillar.]
“Behind you.” [‘Kanne’ sent to me too late.]
[I was shot from above and behind with a ‘Force Pulse’ that battered my squid bowl into the aforementioned pillar then sent me rebounding backwards to land on my back my shield already dangerously depleted. I had been so keen to reach cover from the guards ahead I had forgotten the gantry ran all the way around the lobby including behind me. My ‘Dry Suit’ soon scrabbling like a crazed mechanical crab to get me back on my feet and moving to new cover. However initially all I seemed to be doing was splashing water around as more fire veered my way. I then suffered another hit and aquaplaned across the floor to collide with one wall almost losing the last of my shields although the shield system itself was not damaged and so began regenerating.]
[‘Kanne’ and ‘Ingrid’ came to my rescue both of them swinging around to blast furiously away at the lone guard that had managed to get behind us possibly because he was simply already there perhaps looking out the window when we burst in.]
[I was not the only one that took fire, ‘Jack’ was struck too although technically actually not by weapons fire but by a free standing information console and signage unit belonging to the refurbishing firm that somehow contrived to survive all the grenades previous devastation to remain almost intact only to take a strong direct ‘Force Pulse’ hit and fly across the room smashing into ‘Jack’ as a very oddly shaped club. Amazingly ‘Jack’ managed to take the hit on his feet but embarrassingly whilst striving to untangle from the now broken units debris somewhat wrapped around him lost his footing on the very wet floor and dropped belatedly to the ground making several curses.]
[In both our defence in places the floor was still annoyingly well polished and worse now covered in water due to a trashed public water dispenser that was gushing freely making the ground very slippery thus my earlier water sliding too.]
[Truly I could feel our bonuses slipping away pun intended.]
[Oddly ‘Jack’ and my almost comical misfortunes may have somewhat distracted the foe as ‘Short’ managed to freely flank the two guards previously in front of me and to take them both down by rocking some very controlled full auto mayhem with professional adroitness as she neared the top of the stairs lifting her weapon well above her head. I suppose it is also possible that they had failed to credit that a big ‘Recycler’ could get up the stairs that quickly but then she had lots of practice with the eighteen floors of the ‘MCH’ and had bounded up that short flight as if it was nothing.]
[During her rush ‘Short’ had dextrously shifted weapons - thank Harbinger - to her ‘Assault Rifle’. I noticed that ‘she never let up her fire changing clips she continued to send bursts into the downed ‘Recyclers’ that she had initially cut the legs from beneath. They never got a chance to regain their feet although they still refused to cooperate by getting off a few wilds shots despite their heavy initial injuries.]
[‘Short’ was not deterred by even near misses and just kept pumping in more bursts changing her magazine again with almost mechanical grace. As ‘Short’ was doing her business, the fellow that shot me from behind earlier whilst striving to pull a grenade suffered a hammering from the girls. Perhaps the guard’s belated grenade plan gave ‘Ingrid’ an idea as the ‘Recycler’ soon enough blasted right over the balcony to make a big splash below smouldering and smoking with one arm missing at the shoulder.]
“Well the lobby is already trashed by ‘Short’.” [‘Ingrid’ stated aloud defiantly.]
[‘Ingrid’ had used an under barrel grenade launcher that extruded as part of her adaptable ‘Suit Substance’ weapon.]
[Above us my microphones discerned a horrible stomping crushing sound as ‘Short’ used one foot to mash the head of her last refusing to die foe.] “Clear on the balcony.” [She sent from above.]
[‘Kanne’ soon deployed her ‘Boarding Sword’ on the fallen ‘Recycler’ with the severed arm it took three mighty hacks followed by a bit of wrenching from side to side to take his head off. I was positive she just wanted to be certain the ‘Recycler’ was no longer a threat and was not demonstrating early symptoms of ‘Splinter Battle Rage’.]
[Four more ‘Recyclers’ seemingly all badly wounded by ‘Shorts’ initial grenade strikes but not dead, (at least one I was positive only pretending to be combat ineffective), were also dispatched by us without quarter via various coup de graces moves. If they had hoped, we might take prisoners, or just foolishly leave them alive to slowly self-repair and menace our rear they had backed a losing strategy. We were not here to take live prisoners for ‘Temporal Detention Centre’ incarceration as ‘Short’ had effectively lectured us just before we started out upon this ‘Extermination Op’. These ones might have hoped for mercy but I guessed the rest of the ‘Vipers’ would now fight to the end now knowing the score, I was positive our brutal action would have been recorded and witnessed by those above especially the ‘Gang Boss’.]
“Main entrance clear.” [The girls sent back.]
“I trust you two boys are done playing Fun Park in here.” [‘Mabel’ stated towards ‘Jack’ and me.]
“Seems even a ‘Swimmer’ can have too much water.” [‘Ingrid’ jested in turn.]
“Fekking fekkety fek stupid sign.” [‘Jack’ complained as he untangled his feet and legs from some optical cabling that was trailing other bits of broken ‘Real Material’ tech.]
[‘Short’ began sending orders to each of us. ‘Ingrid’ extruded a molecular glue gun and began sealing the lifts doors shut. Whilst I endeavoured to hack into the ‘Tower Cores’ via a wall mounted direct line data terminal hidden behind the main desk unfortunately the buildings data space proved very securely locked down so I just attached a portable ‘EXO-C Terminal Link’ to the socket to allow the full power of our ‘Sub Cores’ to take over the informational assault whilst we continued our physical incursion.]
[‘Short’ wasting no time started assigning more rooms to us on this level for individual clearance operations. Despite the building’s digital lock out holding out against our probing data intrusion for the moment, we still luckily retained very recent digitised architectural plans of the place. The plans gratis from our employers we could mock up into a full virtual space we had already used in some basic speeded up simulated battle training exercises that ‘Short’ managed to squeeze in before we left the ‘MCH’ our departure delayed by our loss of transport.]
[Unfortunately we had a dearth of solid data on the oppositions numbers strength and tactical habits so in our mock battles we had to fill lots of blanks with basic bot routines making the exercises more about hastily familiarising ourselves with the environment rather than doing serious practice against this specific foe. Even with the short practice sessions I had already made an error by not checking the walkway above and behind me but I guess anyone can suffer from a momentary target fixation.]
[Sadly, the ‘Deck Gang’ had quite good internal security in relation to details about their membership besides no doubt only a fool would want to get too close to these crazies to spy upon them unless they had no other choice. Yet thinking about ‘Reality Bending’ crazies the individuals we had fought so far had seemed more standard ‘Recycler Mercenaries’ less demented ‘Reality Benders’ although due to the short explosive violence of our breaching action we hardly had much time to study our opponents behaviour. Nonetheless, post our initial slaughtering I felt more rather than less uneasy about our part in the ‘Extermination Op’. The more I reviewed our and the foes actions the less comfortable I felt. If anyone had used crazed violence so far, it was ‘Short Six’ not the denizens here merely attempting to fend off our assault acting no differently to any completely rational but utterly overwhelmed and tactically surprised guards.]
[As to knowing numbers as least we retained positional tags on ‘The Eight’ as we had decided to call the squad ‘Opposable’ had gathered up just as they had positional tags on us. Via their rear entry, they were already clearing many back office and storage spaces that proved easy because we hit the front first and had drawn the ground floor guards’ primary attention to our direction so that when the ‘Eight’ breached they just had to deal with distracted guards with attentions focused elsewhere. We soon met up in the middle of the ground floor to contemplate the stairs and the next level.]
[I was positive the ‘Gang Boss’ was watching us and planning her defences but I wondered if she would dare a counter attack or prefer to fortify stronghold positions higher up on already more fortified floors. I linked into the ‘Serendipity’ and managed to get some data she finally located on the ‘Recycler’ believed to be the ‘Gang Boss’ this data arriving somewhat late to our murder party. Apparently the ‘Gang Boss’ was known as ‘Gadfly’ a name carried on from her youth as a ‘Mercenary Marine’. ‘Gadfly’ earning her name and reputation due to being especially skilled at waging asymmetric warfare against larger opposing forces flitting in to bite at supply lines and so on then strategically retreating before the stronger opposition could muster their strength to take her to task.]
[However interestingly the ‘Gadfly’ belatedly discovered on digital record by the ‘Serendipity’ had a Warrior history from a little time ago, after which she had disappeared off the ‘Ultra-nation’ informational grid to emerge somehow in ‘Tri-centre City’ in charge of this ‘Reality Bending’ faction. Today ‘Gadfly’ had the greater force at least in numbers and she was not mobile and unable to retreat far since she was defending her stolen territory including her principle manufacturing assets against our assault so I had no idea how she might respond to this differing situation from her history.]
[What had ‘Gadfly’ been doing during her lost years? What had made a reasonably successful ‘Recycler Mercenary’ who had often hired out as an effective combat leader turn into a drug and cognitive virus pusher here on ‘A3’? What did she hope to achieve with her crazed underlings? I now doubted she was a straightforward addict or even simply motivated to make some fast dirty credits, there was nothing in her very honourable past record to suggest any susceptibility towards such a criminal lifestyle. In addition, there had to be much easier ways she could make a living than trying to manipulate and control a bunch of drug crazed delusional ‘Recycler’ defectives although sometimes even sensible folk take a wrong turn in their lives so I suppose anything is possible but it just tasted wrong to me akin to bad water. I began to question the earlier seeming simplicity of this mission being in a mission-questioning mood.]
“This ‘Gadfly’ one seems - interesting - not really the drug pushing criminal type from her known record. She had an exemplary Mercenary Career well respected by her employees and even her opposition she took only ‘State Licensed’ legal jobs in state disputes then a little over 43 years ago, she falls off the ‘Pilgrim’ informational grid in a rather too complete fashion. Beyond the obvious information ‘Short’, do you know anything else of interest about the supposed ‘Recycler’ owners of this property who posted the ‘Quiet Contract’ that ‘Opposable’ picked up?” [I sent to ‘Short’.]
“To be honest I know virtually nothing about the Owners of the ‘North Star Tower’ I just know how dodgy and dangerous active ‘Reality Benders’ are and that shutting down this place has got to be a boon for the safety of every more normal ‘Tri-centre City’ resident.” [‘Short’ admitted.] “You think something more is going on here?”
“I just wondered if ‘Gadfly’ given her exemplary battle record is using these addicts as expendable troops to wage another asymmetric war this time a more personal crusade against a big organisation she could not take on alone.” [I sent.]
“You are saying this because this building used to belong to the ‘Free Parliament Bank’ you are wondering if the Bank really sold it on cheaply when they moved out or was the sale just a cover to hand it over to less obviously connected operatives as a covert base for some business hokum.” [‘Short’ guessed.]
“As you know the ‘FPB’ is more than just a bank it also sponsors a lot of dodgy military and political activity by a lot of dodgy people sometimes for old reasons of vendetta but also to make greater profits than purely legitimate business. I obviously know that some folk in the ‘FPB’ still for example support lots of ‘Anti-Free Hull’ groups even with some of their more general business activities now ‘Cognitive Sub Core’ run and moderated.” [I reminded.]
“So you think ‘Gadfly’ is using the crazies to deny ‘FPB’ agents the use of this building or something akin to that idea. Unfortunately, we accepted a contract therefore; we are bound to see it through to the end. Whatever reasons ‘Gadfly’ might have for what she is doing she is still loosing ‘Reality Benders’ into ‘Tri-centre City’ and that has to be stopped.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“I suppose the drug production operation and so on needs to be decommissioned but I think we should now strive to take ‘Gadfly’ alive for questioning or if we get any chance endeavour to talk with her rather than just shooting her first. Can we trust your friend ‘Opposable’ to work with such a policy change? What is her attitude regards meddling by the ‘Free Parliament Bank’ in less financial ‘Ultra-nation’ affairs?” [I sent.]
“I believe ‘Opposable’ has no strong feelings about the ‘FPB’ her motivations as previously stated: anti dangerous drug manufacturers, pushers and abusers. Her dislike of ‘Reality Benders’ no act but hardly just about the loss of her thumb when she was not much more than an egg by a drug crazed ‘Omerta’. ‘Opposable’ has been fighting her own little private anti-drug campaign via choosing very particular Bounty Hunting jobs for decades now. The more she fought her battles the more lives she witnessed destroyed by illegal substances and mind altering cognitive software too.” [‘Short’ stated.] “Still, for all her obsession to defeat as many drug pushing criminal ‘Deck Gangs’ and so on as possible ‘Opposable’ is normally a reasonable enough ‘Recycler’. I will have a quick word with her and raise our belated suspicions and see what she thinks about the matter before we go any further up.” [She added.]
[When ‘Mabel’ and I finally exited the slow elevator, we could hear voices on the eighteenth floor. ‘Short’ and someone else, I guessed from all the hissing s’sss going on she was talking with another ‘Recycler’ it sounded friendly too. True enough we soon saw ‘Short’ and another only slightly smaller and equally martial looking ‘Recycler’ standing in what we in ‘Short Six’ had firmly labelled the Boring Corridor.]
[I stopped as ‘Mabel’ continued into the suite she shared with ‘Ingrid’ and ‘Jack’.]
“This one ‘Bluu’, is ‘Opposable’ an old Bounty Hunter associate of mine come calling with a job proposal interestingly another ‘Quiet Contract’ it must be my lucky week.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“Unusual name.” [I said.]
“On my first real job a drug crazed ‘Omerta’ hacked my left thumb off. I have firmly said no to drugs and drugged up crazies ever since that incident, partly why I took this particular ‘Quiet Contract’. I hate egg stealing drug users especially ‘Omerta’ and ‘Recycler’ egg stealing and sucking drug user manufacturers and pushers.” [‘Opposable’ admitted showing me a mechanical left thumb that she wiggled for emphasis.]
“By all reports ‘Opposable’ here never let the loss of her original thumb slow her down from doing some big damage to the ‘Omerta Gangers’. People say she showed great pluck in her first official Bounty Hunter fight my kind of ‘Recycler’.” [‘Short’ stated.]
[I wondered what people and how ‘Short’ or her ‘Proxy’ first met this one.]
“I still had one good hand and unlike those ‘Omerta’ scum full use of my mental faculties and a ‘Neural Net’ I ordered to dull the pain. Oddly, that stupid ‘Omerta’, with the ever so sharp diamond glass edged machete, gave me more than a permanent prosthetic reminder of his sort’s mania he gave my life far greater focus too.” [‘Opposable’ admitted.]
“Sometimes the bad things that happen to us define us although that is not always the best way to go for every ‘Pilgrim’ you seem to have done alright out of your vendetta ‘Opposable’.” [‘Short’ admitted.]
“Well I hope you are not in a big hurry to do some damage today to more drug abusers because I am still going for a water change and a ‘Dry Suit’ service no offence to you ‘Opposable’ or any pressing business you might have cooking.” [I burbled.]
“No offence taken little ‘Swimmer’ I completely understand the need for post job essentials we Bounty Hunters need our down time. In fact any Warrior must look after his or her scale, skin, blubber and / or armour.” [‘Opposable’ replied jovially.]
“I think I could become friends with this ‘Recycler’ but I must go.” [I told ‘Short’.]
[I left ‘Short’ and ‘Opposable’ to it whilst I wondered if I could order a ‘Suit Service’ via room service. My hope being that the hotel knew some travelling engineer that did house calls feeling a bit tired and lazy I refused to even consider trawling through ‘Link Advertisements’. Trawling ‘Links’ felt too much akin to more work for ‘Short’. Sometimes annoyingly ‘Short’ seemed to think ‘Bluu’ was her ‘Personal Assistant’ for ‘Link’ work. Although I found ‘Opposable’ agreeable enough so far thinking about another impending job so soon I began to feel a bit stressed with ‘Short’. ‘Short’ could have at least let me reach the comforting safe haven of my hotel suite before troubling my mind with thoughts about the next martial engagement. You truly can have too much of a good thing and we were flush with credits as a squad so what was the panic?]
[My guess was a cursed ‘Proxy’ had sent ‘Opposable’ our way no doubt ‘Opposable’ was more accurately an old friend courted by ‘Proxy Short’ not ‘Short / UT’ . Yes I know that was me leaping very directly to questionable conclusions but I was slipping into a bad mood feeling somewhat used by the ‘Proxy’ of ‘Unholy Terror’. Having a mere ‘Cognitive Sub Core’ - a mere digital shadow of the real thing - ordering me the ‘Many Truths’ around as if my ship Captain came upon me in that instant as sharply aggravating making me almost want to rage in anger. I had the inappropriate ‘Pan-Nid’ style urge to squeeze the life out of somebody with my little ‘Swimmer’ tentacles instead I just remained all hot and irritable despite my temperature adjusted water.]
[I contacted room service and they said it was a non-standard request but they would endeavour to procure a travelling engineer that compliance mollifying my failing mood slightly but I still felt a degree of almost irrational irritation with ‘Short / UT’ and her / his ‘Proxy’. Stomping heavily into the kitchen area, (the ‘MCH’ generously allowed self-catering providing all the necessary amenities in the biggest suites). With the aid of two hastily attached ‘Suit’ utility hoses one for input the other for output, I tapped into a fresh water supply whilst pumping my old water down the sink waste disposal unit at the same time. A sort of out with the old and in with the new situation that seemed appropriate to my troubled state of mind.]
[I did not hear ‘Ingrid’ approach as I was preoccupied with my various angry inner thoughts about manipulative ‘Proxies’ and with doing my water changing task in addition, she was in her bare feet and so not making much noise even on the luxurious genuine hardwood kitchen tiles.]
“Blessed ‘Emissary’ that cannot be sanitary.” [‘Ingrid’ complained at me I noticed that our ‘Omerta User’ had divested from her ‘Suit Substance’ armour and now wore a simple bathrobe.]
“I assumed both shower rooms would be occupied as I was late getting in.” [I burbled back.]
“Both showers are occupied somehow annoyingly ‘Jack’ and ‘Mabel’ both managed to reach the showers first and both of them refused to share with me - yes even ‘Jack’ - I do not know what that is about. Still, I suppose this is what I get for not rushing straight to the prize by messing around first with my ‘Suit Substance Battle Suit’ feeding it some ‘Infusion Material’ and having it regenerate ammo stores. Nonetheless, occupied showers is no excuse for you to be doing this one in the kitchen - as ‘Short’ is always reminding us - you pee and poop in that water and now you are flushing it down the kitchen sink were some of us might want to wash and prepare food later that is just too gross.” [‘Ingrid’ continued to complain.]
“Please you lot always order food in or go to some street vendor or at a pinch the somewhat expensive hotel restaurant. Besides, the water has been thorough my scrubbing system and even at this late stage is over ninety eight percent free of contaminants according to my diagnostics.” [I promised.]
“If it was so clean you would not want rid of it. Whom do you think you are fooling here? It stinks really badly.” [‘Ingrid’ retorted holding her little pinkish nose.]
“Now you are just being a typical over pristine ‘User’ drama queen. If you do not like the smell of a - real - ‘Swimmer’ go back to your own suite with its sweaty sheet ‘Omerta’ stinks and so on.” [I burbled back.]
“Pardon how would you know how our beds smell?” [She stated.]
“Call it an educated guess.” [I replied.]
“Trust me, I am going soon enough, I just wondered if ‘Short’ had finished talking with her friend yet.” [She explained.]
“Why?” [I asked.]
“I want to know how much free time we have to play with as ‘Jack’ and I… well what ‘Jack’ and I are planning to do later with our free time is none of your business little aquatic ‘Swimmer’.” [She added.]
[I hated when they all called me - little - just because I was smaller than them did not mean I was somehow lesser anymore than them being bigger made them somehow greater. I then recalled all the times as a vast ‘Living Hull’ that I considered ‘Passenger Class’ folk as - little - ‘Pilgrims’ in my minds eye so I let that one pass.]
“You can relax we are going nowhere too soon. It will be a ‘Short Six’ mutiny even from me if ‘Short’ demands we move out again immediately. Even our slave driving ‘Great Cybernetic Leader’ must know we all need a little time to recoup, repair and re-supply and apparently also to do other um… business to our satisfaction. As to you why bother thinking about showering first when you are planning to get all dirty with ‘Jack’.” [I jested.]
“There is dirty and dirty and they are not generally compatible states. Sadly regarding our free time I know ‘Short’ can get a bit overly enthusiastic about work procurement when she is all hyped-up.” [‘Ingrid’ reminded.]
“Tell me something I do not know.” [I burbled back.]
“Fine, next time use the proper ‘Biological Waste Recycler’ for dirty water disposal or you will be facing the wrath of the rest of ‘Short Six’. Seriously ‘Bluu’, I can guarantee that all the rest of us find what you are doing here disgusting.” [‘Ingrid’ insisted.]
“I did plan to thoroughly disinfect the sink afterwards it will be as if I was never here so what is the problem?” [I asked.]
“I will know you were here - this is not a smell or an image I will soon forget - now I am definitely not ever cooking here in this kitchen. Sometimes cleanliness is as much in the mind as anywhere else and you just tainted this kitchen for me.” [‘Ingrid’ stated.]
“Thanks that would be a boon to the digestion of the entirety of ‘Short Six’.” [I burbled back.]
“My cooking is hardly that bad I make a mean toasted sandwich.” [She retorted.]
“You better not be doing what I think you are doing ‘Bluu’.” [‘Short’ complained after stomping in to join the conversation.] “Mother of Nests you are - the fishy stink - the unsanitary unclean horror!” [She hissed out in an exaggerated manner.]
“I told you.” [‘Ingrid’ stated.]
“You are both being utterly ridiculous it is just some cursed used water. Get over it, you flaky dry skinned landlubber bipeds.” [I burbled back.]
“Dry skinned that is an insult to my super supple glossy well polished scales and usually well maintained cybernetic armour too.” [‘Short’ claimed.]
[I gave him a look that challenged his words but I also decided to change the subject.]
“I am guessing your friend is gone already that was quick.” [I retorted whilst finally beginning to luxuriate in much fresher water full of new essential ‘Suit’ released additives that began soothing my sensitive skin of various aches and pains. Maybe my aches had contributed to my earlier sour mood. I yearned to swim more free. Perhaps I needed to visit a roomy ‘Tri-centre City’ ‘Swimmer’ public pool I knew there were a few scattered around.]
“We did the business side of our talk via customary ‘Recycler’ speeded data blasts, after getting reacquainted.” [‘Short’ stated.] “She has a nice ‘Quiet Contract Extermination Op’ she needs some help with and hearing I was on ‘A3’ and better yet staying in ‘Tri-centre City’ with a full squad naturally ‘Opposable’ came straight to recruit me well… us. The joy of having a solid reputation is that sometimes you do not even need to go looking for work the jobs come walking right over to you.”
“An ‘Extermination Operation’ that sounds unnecessarily cruel even without hearing any further details.” [I complained still in a very complaining mood at least about our work.]
“Kill, remove, delete or scrub out a very unwanted ‘Deck Gang’ that has taken over a ‘Skyscraper’ the ‘North Star Tower’ that was closed for a time and foolishly only lightly guarded - mostly by automated assets - whilst under renovation. A bunch of ‘Recyclers’ who own the premises want the squatting ‘Recycler Deck Gang’ out - by any means necessary. The ‘Recycler’ miscreant squatters abusing the place as an illegal drug and cognitive digital virus manufactory as well as their home base ‘Nest’ are apparently nothing less than hardcore ‘Recycler Reality Benders’ that fact very much pulling the interest of young ‘Opposable’.” [‘Short’ advised.]
[‘Recycler Reality Benders’ remain firmly amongst the worst of the worst of ‘Recycler’ society dropouts within the ‘Ultra-nation’. The no compromises addicts use both a cocktail of mind-altering drugs along with cognitive digital viruses to frequently enter a state of radically altered reality whilst - ‘Shifting the Real’ - as it is also known they can be either harmless or crazed and exceptionally dangerous sometimes shifting from one state to the other in nanoseconds to public consternation and peril.]
[‘Reality Benders’ are usually ‘Recyclers’ already suffering from serious social integration problems and in a way self-medicating when they ‘Shift the Real’ but mostly ‘Reality Bending’ only makes their problems steadily worse. These addicts are definitely not ‘Pilgrims’ anyone sensible wants as neighbours.]
[‘Reality Benders’ still able to control their habit to some extent usually have a friend monitor them whilst ‘Shifting the Real’ and usually ‘Shift’ in a locked safe room with padded walls and so on. Sadly such precautions do not always work and even careful ‘Reality Benders’ going violent due to a bad trip frequently break out and cause all kinds of mayhem often committing massive amounts of property damage assault and even murder whilst believing they are doing something else. Due to the lethality of some of these ‘Shifting the Real’ addicts ‘Reality Bending’ is illegal almost everywhere in the ‘Ultra-nation’. In fact, the psychologically addictive habit is deemed so hardcore and perilous to be around that anyone identified as ‘Shifting’ is open to suffering an automatic death sentence execution on most ‘Ports’ and ‘Slivers’ and ‘Alpha Three’ is no exception to that harsh rule of law.]
“Anyway our employers are livid at being forced over budget and over contract by a bunch of crazed drug and cognitive software abusing ‘Recycler’ mental defectives. Ideally they want the issue dealt with in the most painful and permanent manner possible to set a firm example to other local ‘Deck Gangs’ to leave their premises and business interests alone - nothing unusual there. You can call it cruel - to me it sounds a bit of off the leash fun - sadly if we want a good bonus we are to minimise further damage to the building otherwise it would have been a truly awesome job.” [‘Short’ informed.]
“I know that according to the ‘Links’ that even specifically upon ‘A3’ various ‘Reality Benders’ have been responsible in the past for heinously senseless crimes whilst zoned out ‘Shifting the Real’ but these are still your people ‘Short’ still ‘Recyclers’ have you no sympathy for them or their families? An organised extermination mission is little better than the sort of murderous sentient being hunting undertaken by sick ‘Pilgrims’ such as ‘Snakeskin’ and seems far from the best solution to me. These folk were all once someone’s precious hatchings. I know some ‘Reality Benders’ have been successfully treated and reformed from their addiction they are not all hopeless cases.” [I added striving to be a ‘Swimmer’ voice of reason since ‘UT’ as ‘Short’, speaking of junkies, was in full action junkie mode.]
“Stop being so aquatic pacifistic - it does not suit you - you are getting more fighting ‘Stellar Swimmer’ every day. In addition, I know for a fact that only a tiny percentage of ‘Reality Benders’ when - forcibly - treated fail to return to their habit as soon as possible without a complete voluntary mental rewrite to the point that they would not recognise themselves. To many ‘Pilgrims’ death would be a preferable outcome to extreme personality correction that stinks of old ‘Sleeper’ practices. In fact many ‘Recyclers’ blame their mental problems entirely on old passed down glitches from ‘Sleeper’ experiments upon their ancestors minds and genetics.” [‘Short’ reminded.]
“Anyway my little blue friend these ones are more than victims - these ‘Gang’ members are not just ‘Reality Benders’ - they are manufacturers and pushers of the dangerous ‘Drug and Viral Software’ combination that does the damage too and no good can come out of them doing their business here in ‘Tri-centre City’. By taking them out we are doing the entire populace here a big favour. Given all the facts we do what we are contracted to do and trust me we are not being paid to play doctor to a bunch of crazies. Besides, these ‘Pilgrims’ are renowned as making truly terribly dangerous patients.” [‘Short’ reminded.]
“You are just happy for a fine legal excuse to shoot lots of people to death.” [I stated.]
“Save your kind heart for ‘Pilgrims’ that deserve it such as the drug users’ many victims. We go in late tonight early tomorrow morning and we wipe this ugly ‘Recycler Nest’ out with extreme prejudice exterminating every ‘Reality Bender’ we find on sight until we are positive they are as dead as dead can be which is - believe me - for us the only safe and sensible option when encountering these freaks. Happily you all get an entire day of rest and recuperation first before the hunting fun begins.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“Well that is the absolute minimum amount of R&R that we would have accepted from you. You know some of us work for a living rather than - live to work - and I am still not sure I want to go on a murder spree against victims to an addiction no matter how extreme they happen to be deemed.” [I complained.]
“You watch some of the ‘Links’ at this site that shows examples of ‘Reality Benders’ on rampages then tell me that people that push such insanity do not need put down hard within the ‘Ultra-nation’. These people may be sick in the head but there is no quick fix for what ails them other than taking their heads off. In the meantime, we owe it to the rest of our society to stop them from committing further atrocities at random. Besides the simple fact is that we are being paid good credits to clean them out and this is what we do.” [‘Short’ stated.] “Now to get back to the more immediate issue I cannot believe that you ‘Professor’ - out of all of us - used the kitchen sink in that way that is so low class.” [She added in complaint changing the subject back to my dirty water.]
“It is just main system - scrubbed - water I do not know what all the fuss is about.” [I burbled out happily.]
“I never realised before that you ‘Swimmers’ are so filthy.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“We are not filthy.” [I replied indignantly my eyestalks as close together as they could get in a frown.]
“I am going out for an oil bath and some armour repairs. I will have the ‘Soulless’ do any essential shopping we require and also fetch supplies anyone requests from our ‘Serendipity’ stores too so put in your orders and payments through our ‘Secure Utility Link Site’ as that one will make coordinating the effort easier. ‘Bluu’ do not forget to sanitise that sink first. I want the kitchen when you leave it sterile with extreme prejudice. You disgust me, this sort of thing no fit way for a disciplined military person to behave or a tenured Professor I expect you to get your act together and stop grossing me out.”
“You are just busting my tentacles for no good reason. You could drink my scrubbed water and you would probably only suffer due to a too high saline content.” [I stated.]
“Somehow from the stench I doubt that very much.” [‘Short’ replied.] “It smells worse than spoiled fish soup.”
“More like rotten fish in some kind of primitive sewer system.” [‘Ingrid’ interjected.] “Back to work late tonight then, that is all I needed or wanted to know out here.” [‘Ingrid’ added glaring at me.] “As to you ‘Bluu’ you need to consider other ‘Pilgrim’ sensitivities before you start sticking your hoses in places. At the very least that is amazingly culturally insensitive in a mixed species environment.”
“I thought you people were tough Bounty Hunters it is just water when did you all get so prissy and fussy? You must realise that water to me is akin to air to you. It is unfair that you are all ganging up on me because I am the only aquatic on the team. Do you hear me complaining about you ‘Trojans’ farting in the air? Do you hear me moaning about you shedding skin cells or scales all the time dusting and littering the place up?” [I retorted.]
“That is hardly the same.” [‘Ingrid’ retorted.]
“You only think that because you are a dry land type air breather.” [I replied.]
“I am not having this conversation I have far better things to do that talk about skin cell dust.” [‘Ingrid’ stated before turning her back to me and walking away.]
“You know we can all hear you - we hear you all the time you three are so very loud - I consider the noises you three make sound pollution too.” [I blurted from my ‘Suit Voice Box’ after her.] “Use a ‘Privacy Field’ you rampant overgrown monkeys.”
“Perhaps we should have asked for far more, far more separate, rooms.” [‘Short’ stated before leaving my company too.]
“Very nice just abandon the aquatic ‘Swimmer Professor’ it is not as if he needs any off duty companionship.” [I burbled loudly after their retreating backs.]
[I wondered where ‘Kanne’ had gone and if I could borrow some ‘Suit Substance’ then I had a cunning plan ‘Ingrid’ was not currently using her ‘Suit Substance’ armour - revenge sometimes is a dish best served in secret. That will teach ‘Ingrid’ for making a big fuss about where I stick my hoses. A little ‘Suit Substance’ recreation would keep ‘Kanne’ happy too. Meanwhile, a ‘Proxy’ could operate ‘Bluu’ whilst he got his Armour repaired and so on, as that might mean leaving my ‘Dry Suit’ for a while by say taking to a bath in a utility tub.]
[I began burbling out my ‘Swimmer’ nonsense song as I considered all the wicked things that ‘Kanne’ and I could do with the ‘Suit Substance Suit’ belonging to ‘Ingrid’. Luckily, for me I had access to interface control override codes kept mirrored in heavily encrypted ‘Short Six’ files so that if necessary we could gain control of her ‘Suit’ systems for medical purposes if for example she suffered drastic brain injuries in battle. Although technically the data was emergency use only, such security protocols if some past actions upon the ‘Serendipity’ were any example are ignorable in relation to good-humoured squad japes.]
[I wondered if a little aquatic ‘Swimmer’ could grin evilly with eyestalks maybe not but I did my very best to strive to do so.]
[When ‘Short’ returned it was to a bit of a squad atmosphere, ‘Ingrid’ very unhappy with ‘Kanne’ because ‘Ingrid’ believed ‘Kanne’ had used her ‘Suit Substance Suit’ for recreational purposes without seeking permission. I had not thought my earlier plan properly through the result internal ‘Short Six’ strife.]
[Worse for me ‘Kanne’ was accepting the blame so as not to blow my cover as her unlikely lover and was thus annoyed with me as I had not mentioned where I got my temporary body from and she had assumed it was just donated substance from the ‘Soulless’ which with hindsight would have been a kinder - smarter - idea. Still with generous hindsight, no one would ever do anything stupidly wrong.]
“Why the fek did you do that? It is not like you to so poorly consider other ‘Pilgrim’ feelings in the squad.” [‘Short’ sent to me.]
“I guess I lost it for a moment, it actually seemed a funny jape to me but now I know it was a total violation of proper social boundaries - utterly inappropriate - as well as potentially damaging to ‘Short Six’ team spirit morale.” [I sent back in confession bowing my little ‘Swimmer’ head to my ‘Great Cybernetic Leader’ in contrite shame.]
“You going all repentant with me will fix nothing and do the squad no good. What is going on in that big remote tripartite mind of yours that I am missing?” [‘Short’ sent.]
“It is no excuse but not long ago my little ‘Swimmer’ body was blown off a roof and I also learned that some idiot Committee Member of the ‘SARC’ seems to have authorised cognitive experimentation with ‘Fury Tech’ implants. In addition, according to our new friend in the ‘UNIF’ some ‘SARC’ members have ambitions to wrest control of ‘The Project’ from the ‘Founder Cabal’. No doubt, it is in the minds of some egotistical ‘Social Advancement & Reform Committee Members’ to create all new properly segregated ‘Trojan Nations’ in a sort of ‘Sanctuary Ring World’ under their guiding totalitarian control being somewhat conditioned as control freaks by ‘Guidance’.” [I sent.]
“The battle for sane progress towards a kinder more cooperative and inclusive future for all ‘Pilgrims’ - nay all sentient beings - seems never ending for us Priests. Worse when we misguidedly thought earlier that ‘The Project’ was all going a bit too well - I too almost wanted to mess things up a bit akin to you ‘Unholy Terror’ a fact that makes no sense to me now whatsoever - I am supposed to be the most staunch advocate of a future kinder ‘Social Singularity’. Do I now believe that we ‘Pilgrims’ need strife to be happy? Do I need a degree of strife to stay sane can that make any sense whatsoever?” [I sent.]
“Yes I know that I embrace many truths but my mind sometimes feels as if it is tearing apart due to conflicting notions. Too much peace is boring too little peace a living hell. I am not sure who I am anymore or what I really stand for or want from my life. Maybe I never really knew what I wanted - I just got into the habit of pretending that I did - mostly for the sake of family morale and other causes. When you seek to lead by example it is unwise to demonstrate great doubt and uncertainty about your policies most people in need want solutions to be provided not more troubling questions thrown at them.” [I sent in further complaint.]
“You still think too much about everything that is going on in our society in general and yet in this small intimate instance somehow you did not think at all.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“You know what is even stupider a part of me even enjoyed suffering that blasting off the triple cursed roof - it was exciting - I felt incredibly alive when I managed my ‘Manipulation Field Effect’ save even though I just saved a ‘Meat Suit’ from possible decommissioning or maybe just some bruising. In addition, I felt stupidly proud when I captured ‘Ire’ even though I could not have done it without the ‘User’ adaptability of the ‘Soulless’ asset ‘Xuey’. There is an insane part of me that is even eager to contest in the future with the ‘Social Advancement & Reform Committee’ for control of ‘The Project’ although another part of me is scared silly by the idea of the ‘Prime Mass’ taking greater notice of our civilisation due to ‘SARC’ or even your meddling as ‘UT’.” [I sent.]
“I will not destroy our civilisation to save the ‘Souls’ taken by ‘Crimson’ that would be counterproductive but I cannot simply ignore possible tools and weapons that might aid me in my purpose.” [‘Short’ sent as ‘UT’.]
“No doubt you believe that is true but the levels of risk you take still scare me. Worse, my life is veering towards being all too crazy and senseless too - as usual - so perhaps I went a little bit crazy and senseless in turn as ‘Bluu’. What is the point of me running around here in a mechanical ‘Dry Suit’ - time travelling - as a ‘Swimmer’ whilst my real body still rests horribly immobile in a sort of placating disguise at ‘Port Discovery’? Why have I not returned to being an active ‘Living Hull’ voyaging amongst the stars since there are now many openly ‘Free Hulls’ working around ‘Founder’s Star’? Have I the great ‘Living Hull’ campaigner and ‘Deep Time’ social engineer become afraid to fly truly free again in the now? Could I have meddled in ‘Passenger Class’ affairs so deeply for my causes that I have become mentally more ‘Passenger Class’ than ‘Living Hull’?” [I sent.]
“What am I waiting for the open return of Harbinger as my Captain to somehow reaffirm my truer identity? How ridiculous and absurd my life has become can you see me with an ‘Ascended Tier Nine Captain’ in my ‘SCCCM’? Could Harbinger and I even work together that closely now that I have grown so independent of mind? Alternatively, am I just fooling myself that I was ever able to be free because the old ‘Companion-ship Link’ still calls to me like an addiction they say once an addict you are always an addict? Perhaps I am no more enlightened than the triple cursed ‘Reality Benders’ you would have me execute today because some part of me still misses my ‘Companion-ship Link’ fixes.” [I stated via sending.]
“I know you are going through some big issues as ‘MT’ but you need to keep your level of separation here in the now as ‘Bluu’. Your issues as ‘MT’ are not issues belonging to ‘Bluu’. For the moment, you are just little ‘Bluu’ - get back into that simpler headspace - and let go of the other stuff for now. I think you need a break from being the much-troubled ‘Many Truths’ with all her historic baggage. Besides, old ‘Hull’ down here with the little folk is where it is all happening out there in the void is just cold empty space.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“Perhaps what you say is true from your perspective as a ‘Passenger Class’ entity but I am a ‘Living Hull’ at least I think I still am.” [I sent.]
“You are more than just an intelligent ship ‘MT’ you are a true ‘Pilgrim’ that much you have proven even to me as a doubter. Have you ever considered that perhaps you are too obsessed by what you were created to be rather than just embracing all the many amazing things that you have become despite your detractors?” [‘Short’ sent.]
“So what do you think I have become?” [I sent.]
“You have become my good friend for a start. You need to appreciate all that you are and all that you have achieved with all your diversity - I keep telling you life is just for living - let go of unnecessary anxiety and stress learn to just have fun. Stop being such a worrier tomorrow will take care of itself as long as we deal with the present ‘Creed’ certainly helped us with the ‘Exposed’ issue.” [‘Short’ insisted via sending.]
“You say that now but you keep steering us into heavy ‘Founder Cabal’ business and other disturbing missions so this is hardly a holiday for me.” [I complained via sending.]
“You complain about the work - but you too are easily bored - and we are both incorrigible meddlers you just need to rediscover how to engage with existence without taking it all so cursed personally. It is all about inner attitude with the right Warrior attitude even onerous and essential duties can be pure light entertainment.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“You are something else as ‘Short’ and ‘UT’.” [I sent.]
“On a good day I do my best to stay immune to it all as I too have tasted the bitter fruit of despair on occasion and it did not agree with my digestion. I am sympathetic enough to your ills but being sympathetic to a friend prone to too much self-obsession and despair is not always the best way forward. I even understand now that perhaps what we Paradox did when we designed and made your kind was a sin of hubris on our part. However, the deed of ‘Living Hull’ genesis is long done and if we had not made you as you are obviously none of you would have had the opportunity to be alive and to do all the amazing things you have done so far as both ‘Living Hulls’ and now as ‘Pilgrims’ in a broadening ‘Pilgrim’ society. So what if life came to you with some complications people such as you and ‘Jack’ need to get over it, trust me it is the same with everyone else out there from the highest to the lowest. I know we created you ‘Hulls’ with issues but who does not have issues with their makers and their nature be it artificially engendered or otherwise even the ‘Machine Fury’ probably has issues with its maker and nature. I know I still have issues with my Father and I know Harbinger had huge issues with ‘Composure’ in that you are not so special. So get a grip or as your ‘Short Six’ commander I will be forced to kick you in the ‘Swimmer’ blow hole until you do.”
“I still feel a complete mess. Recently many of my faiths have been taking hard knocks.” [I further complained via sending.]
“Maybe that is a good thing perhaps you need to believe you have hit bottom in your mind to find a better way to excel in this future perhaps you need to get back to basics to move onward. Sometimes we all have to strip old tired layers away.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“What is all this have you been reading some ‘Trojan’ self-help book files or something?” [I mocked via sending.]
“I know some of this stuff sounds trite but many profound facts do.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“Forget it - I erred - I just felt a compelling need to be with someone after that bit of madness - to be with ‘Kanne’ again - I suppose as a sort of emotional anchor from the inner storm but I know I fixated upon the absolute worst means available. It is akin to choosing this ‘Swimmer Meat Suit’ in the first place a poor choice given my relationship with my Consort but in a stubborn way, somehow now I just cannot let go of ‘Bluu’. There is something about being ‘Bluu’ - even in these difficult social conditions - that is very attractive to me at the moment maybe some part of me enjoys making my life difficult maybe I think I need a penance for past sins. I definitely sometimes paradoxically enjoy being this little creature existing out of its element as much as I find the separation and isolation as an aquatic at times equally frustrating. Still, I remain a horrible mass of contradictions in my thoughts and actions?” [I further sent.]
“Maybe it is the filter of the little blubbery ‘Swimmer Meat Suit’ body messing with your big tripartite ‘Living Hull’ mind again. Whatever it is that has you this emotionally rattled and it is probably a combination of a great many matters, you need to be more careful more present in the moment as ‘Bluu’ if you want to keep playing that role as you ought to play it within ‘Short Six’ with the tightest focus on the littlest issues.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“I suppose we still have much to learn about the short-term and long-term psychological effects of operating very different to us ‘Meat Suit’ bodies. Aquatic ‘Swimmers’ are especially sensitive biological creatures so I will grant that perhaps I have suffered a sort of biological sensory overload of ‘Swimmer’ feelings not least - ‘Swimmer’ anxieties - whilst outside a more comfortable ocean environment.” [I sent.]
“Therefore you sought to escape your anxiety via distraction overcompensating by grabbing that ‘Suit’ for some emotionally anchoring fun with ‘Kanne’.” [‘Short’ agreed.]
“I suppose my actions might be an odd product of post traumatic battle stress too. I believe Warriors often go a bit crazy during R&R sessions after a fierce battle for stress relief purposes getting very drunk and doing inappropriate things and so on almost as if it is a tradition - a Warrior ritual.” [I self-rationalised via sending.]
“I suppose we often do such things, but we try not to do things that damage squad morale that is counter productive.” [‘Short’ stated via sending.] “You need to keep some control over any more self-destructive tendencies.”
“Really did - you - just tell me that one?” [I sent in complaint.]
“You are not me mostly I am good at channelling my rage and frustration and my jokes are always hilarious.” [‘Short’ sent.]
[I let that untruth go.] “I confess I should not have used the ‘Substance’ of that ‘Suit’ especially since it meant ‘Kanne’ had to accept the blame for my actions to maintain our cover story - I got totally careless and carried away - I am not arguing otherwise.” [I sent.]
“Just be more mindful of the smaller things, your penance is simple enough you as ‘Bluu’ must talk with ‘Ingrid’ and convince her that ‘Kanne’ meant absolutely no offence - that it is all just a cultural misunderstanding - due to say the ‘Splinter’ - taking - rather than asking mindset thing or whatever else you can come up with that will genuinely patch up their differences as ‘Short Six’ squad members. Then you will have to figure out some way to more personally make amends with ‘Kanne’ for putting her in a difficult social situation due to your thoughtlessness and egotistical self-obsession.” [‘Short’ sent.]
[Again I felt ‘Short / UT’ was being a bit cheeky lecturing anyone else on such matters but I let it go again perhaps it took one to know one.]
“I can do that - I was obviously planning to do such things anyway - I have just been waiting for them both to calm down a little first otherwise they might refuse to hear anything I have to say no matter how valid.” [I sent.]
“Is that really the truth or are you just prevaricating. You have no time to play around I want everyone back to being a very happy squad again before we begin our assault against the ‘North Star Tower’ with its ‘Recycler’ crazies so go get to it.” [‘Short’ sent as an order.]
“I truly am sorry.” [I admitted once again.]
“No use telling me that repeatedly save your grovelling for ‘Kanne’. I do not know how you can manage to be so wise at times as the ‘Holy Father of the Universal Councils of Equals’ yet sometimes be so socially inept as ‘Bluu’.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“I guess it is a rare gift or a ‘Swimmer’ out of water thing.” [I sent in reply.]
“Well I know you are normally good at making speeches so go talk ‘Ingrid’ around before we end up with a cat fight between two very capable very different ‘Short Six’ combatants. You did this - you fix it - this one is a waste of my time.” [‘Short’ sent.]
[I did as ordered and using all my oratory skills managed to get ‘Ingrid’ to see both the sad and the funny side of a mere - I insisted - cultural misunderstanding about property rights and appropriate boundaries of behaviour within the squad environment.]
“…the poor thing has serious problems with intimacy issues or she would have more real relations with more real people.” [I stated to ‘Ingrid’ towards the end of our discussion.] “I am positive that you making a big fuss about this one earlier will be proving seriously embarrassing for her and is that not more than punishment enough for any sentient being. How would you like it if everyone in ‘Short Six’ learned you had a deemed by the rest of society odd fetish that they were all talking about as the latest squad gossip?”
“I suppose you are right I mean I love the facility of ‘Suit Substance’ but doing the wild thing with it is not normal and a bit creepy.” [‘Ingrid’ stated.] “Tell me though why are you of all of us as a ‘Swimmer’ defending a ‘Splinter’ thieving trespass?”
“She only ever intended to borrow your ‘Suit’ returning it exactly as she found it so that you would not even have known it was used by anyone else. She did not consider such an action theft she just has a little trouble asking politely for things it goes against the adopted Warrior philosophy she is currently studying in her quest to understand her ancestors to clarify her peoples troubled past. As to why I am championing a ‘Splinter’ I know the way it feels to be different to most others around you whilst in ‘Short Six’ as a ‘Swimmer Professor’ also playing a role almost as a ‘Stellar Swimmer’ Warrior. You know secretly the ‘Stellar Swimmers’ fascinate many peaceful ‘Swimmer Dwellers’ they love hearing stories about Warrior ‘Swimmer’ exploits. True sometimes it is a horrified fascination but who is not occasionally attracted to an opposite exotic way of life at least as a fantasy of the mind.” [I reminded.]
“You must forever remember that ‘Kanne’ is not a ‘Trojan’ even though superficially ‘Splinters’ retain many ‘Trojan’ characteristics: bipedal, one head, two arms, two legs, two eyes, two ears, one mouth and so on. Despite all the physical similarities, never doubt she is a very different creature compared to you ‘Trojan’ folk on the inside. ‘Splinter’ are by nature extreme ‘Pilgrims’ as a ‘Swimmer’ I am very aware of what she is and what she is not. I have worked hard to be friends with ‘Kanne’ and it is an ongoing challenge as we are not on the surface compatible entities. At first, I could tell she did not much enjoy being around me at all. Something about us ‘Swimmers’ tends to repulse ‘Splinter’ akin to an obnoxious smell therefore I can tell you that being around her at first made me nervous for the safety of my little body as usually what ‘Splinter Warriors’ dislike they seek to destroy in horribly painful ways. Yet despite our seeming incompatibility she eventually made a big effort to accept me as just another team member of ‘Short Six’ and I feel I owe her for that difficult act of tolerance.” [I stated feeling inspired.]
“Yet she is a ‘Splinter Weaver’ not a true ‘Splinter Warrior’.” [‘Ingrid’ reminded.]
“She was a ‘Splinter Weaver’ but I think she is becoming something else and we need to help her become something better as she changes rather than becoming something worse. I guess it is a similar issue with the future ‘Exposed’ that become ‘Pan-Nid’ if we help rather than hinder they can go back to flesh but as something new and positive rather than something old and negative. Our substance does not define us our choices our attitudes create the ‘Pilgrims’ we are.” [I burbled perhaps as much for myself as ‘Ingrid’.]
[By choosing this ‘Meat Suit’ did I strive subconsciously to educate ‘Kanne’ towards even greater tolerance - especially in relation to ‘Swimmer Kind’ - because by going all Warrior rather than Weaver she risked unloosing the old ‘Splinter’ battle hatred and battle rage towards ‘Swimmers’. Ever since the ‘Entanglement’ damaged my minds integration I have sometimes been unaware of some of my own inner motivations the ‘Hierophants’ patched my mentality back together but I increasingly fear it was never as perfect a job as all of us had initially hoped my almost ‘Entanglement’ left mental scars that may never heal. Although I also had to admit that even some normal - perfectly working ‘Living Hulls’ - can be at times problematically in several minds at once as that was how the Paradox Order decided to make us being exponents of many truths. In addition, I think some of them might have hoped making us this self-contradicting way might make it easier for them to stay in control of us as their servitor species despite our formidable abilities. Whilst we struggled with our many truths for an inner consensus, our Captains could step in and give us direction yes I think they were very cunning in the way they made us to serve.]
[From the outside the ‘North Star Tower’ proved all shiny alternate white then black composite and diamond glass with 101 levels and looked surprisingly pristine thanks to being stripped down with almost finished refurbishment when invaded. The plan was simple begin from the bottom and work our way up one floor at a time clearing every room on every level. The ‘Gang Boss’ according to our limited intelligence lived on the top floor. It was a daunting prospect of a killing grind. We had shifted from more benign ‘Force Pulse Weaponry’ to brutal slug throwing ‘Assault Rifles’ and so on mostly loaded with mixtures of ‘Armour Piercing’ and ‘High Explosive Armour Piercing’ rounds.]
[Although sturdily constructed the lobby whilst not exactly fortified against intrusion was nonetheless under heavy guard and it was there that, we planned to make our initial breaches whilst at the top of the ‘Tower’ we expected the worst resistance. Many levels between according to rumour only sparsely occupied with the odd heavily occupied level thrown in seemingly at random. ‘Opposable’ brought her own squad made up of locally contracted Bounty Hunters as it was no small operation, her squad numbering eight souls in total us technically nine as we had our ‘Soulless’ on standby as usual as a reserve.]
[‘Opposable’ was breaching via a street level rear entrance ‘Short’ kindly volunteered us to go in the crudely barricaded front door first. Originally, we were supposed to be breaching from the roof taking the coordinating ‘Gang Boss’ down first cutting off the smart head to weaken the body as a priority. We even arranged for another bribed ‘Drop Ship’ insertion but at the last moment, our ‘Task Force’ friends begged off and refunded our credits. Probably due to a ‘Drop Ship’ that was recently shot down via a surface to air missile barrage unleashed by an especially militant ‘Stellar Draakhaal Tri-centre City Real Material’ faction that considered the ‘Task Force Drop Ship’ hovering near their Cult premises rudely doing deep scanning a hostile action.]
[The ‘Children of Draakhaal’ worryingly a split off Cult of ‘Shaper Faith Apostates’ supposedly led by, in this age some rare surviving members of the mostly disgraced and expunged, ‘Ruling Caste’. The ‘Task Force’ currently backing down from a confrontation with this branch office of that new ‘Skimmer’ faith to avoid escalation lest they made one small extremist group into martyrs in fact the ‘Task Force’ was becoming less and less militarily active seeming to have lost its focus when it lost its Prisoners assumed no longer upon ‘A3’. I suspected they would soon bug out from ‘A3’ altogether with their mission to expunge the ‘Exposed’ deemed an embarrassing failure for those involved.]
[Many debates in many Paradox Order ‘Councils of Equals’ now focused upon whether the ‘Task Force’ should ever have been loosed as the debate about the ‘Exposed’ issue and whether or not the fear of a new ‘Pan-Nid’ Emperor was valid in modern times continued to rage hotly with occasional wrestling bouts thrown in.]
[Earlier ‘Short’ sent in her ‘Mosquito Drones’ but they all got zapped by anti-surveillance measures apparently the building had top notch automated anti-nanotech and anti-micro scale intrusion security built into its superstructure. The ‘North Star Tower’ originally constructed as a secure ‘Local Headquarters’ for the ‘Free Parliament Bank’ before they moved to another far better site in the purposely created - much more upmarket - ‘New Financial District’ of ‘Tri-centre City’.]
[‘Short’ had hoped the old primarily anti-surveillance security system had been trashed by rampaging zoned out ‘Deck Gang’ members but no such luck at least on the ground floor so we were going in blind.]
[We mustered across the street at the ruins of a Night Club apparently destroyed by a ‘Gang’ member ‘Shifting the Real’ much earlier with the aid of a cybernetic shoulder mounted rocket launcher the junkie responsible a surviving old style ‘Conglomerate Marine Heavy’. Luckily the ‘Heavy Marine’ all black armour and so on managed to kill herself by eventually dropping all five stories of building on her head when she took out one too many load bearing supports from within whilst believing she was fighting the ‘Entanglement’ during the ‘Advent’.]
[In fact, there was almost a kill zone around our target as there was a great deal of rubble and devastation. I was positive this zone wreckage was no accident being the manipulation of the worst crazies by a smart ‘Gang Boss’ to help secure the ‘North Star Tower’ and to secure her ‘Gang’ the ‘Vipers’ already badass reputation.]
“I know we are supposed to do minimum damage to the building but everything is relative and when the roof entry went goodbye I decided we need to commence with some boom.” [‘Short’ stated hefting a semi-auto very dumb fire mini-grenade launcher.]
[The buildings anti-surveillance included various active nanotech signal-jamming emitters designed specifically to mess with small nanotech devices such as spying bugs also fekked up micro-missile systems that due to their diminutive scale are less hardened than larger lumps of ‘Suit Substance’ so micro-missiles would not work well here.]
[The relatively compact dumb fire grenade launcher ‘Short’ hefted, via utilising a big firing arc, had just enough range to reach the lobby doors from our position. There was going to be nothing subtle about this breach. ‘Short’ kneeling did the elevation calculation angled the weapon and fired off a rapid eight burst emptying the clip before smoothly replacing the magazine. The building originally had almost impregnable shielding but thankfully, the ‘FPB’ recycled expensive parts of that system before they left. The doors were well made and easily able to shrug off more reasonable small arms fire but not eight high explosive grenades. As the door blasted apart the rest of us loosed smoke and micro flare grenades into the killing space then in tactical stages with suppressing fire rattling into the hole we rushed the breach with ‘Short’ taking point firing another eight grenades to my mild horror directly into the lobby from her new clip.]
[I feared the enthusiasm of our ‘Great Cybernetic Leader’ for blowing things up was about to impact our bonuses with this one but perhaps it was better to be explosively safe than sorry at this dangerous entry point. Note very little of the thick diamond glass other than areas fairly directly hit shattered proving its amazing resistance to damage even some shrapnel noticeably bouncing off in places causing it to ring at times as if a bell.]
[In the initial confusion we dived into whatever available cover we could find which for some of us was not too much. Annoyingly quickly - despite all the fire and fury of our explosive entrance - incoming fire soon found us mostly from above. The main ground level a scene of devastation including scattered ‘Recycler’ bodies and body parts. The lobby had elevators but also stairs and we were being shot at from guards on the next floor who had some cover behind a waist high barrier that consisted of a top very shiny metal rail and a series of metal rectangular plates below, each alternate one with a bright ‘North Star Tower’ starburst style symbol in silver against black.]
[I had managed despite my mechanical gait to almost slide in behind a central shiny metal coated concrete lobby pillar far better cover than the foes light metal plates that were already being drilled full of holes by ‘AP’ and ‘HEAP’ fire from my colleagues in some cases before drilling the surviving guards too. Actually I exaggerate slightly as the surviving guards stationed here, as in those not decommissioned by the grenades, were obviously clear headed and had both good shields and cybernetic armour and most of them could shrug off our initial hits to keep hitting back.]
[‘Short’ who arrived first charged into a burning smoking slightly water flooded mess - more about the water later - by sheer momentum or blind warrior luck dodging incoming fire to rush straight up the stairs. Whilst I let off a burst of suppressing fire at the guards ahead and above by just poking my ‘Slug Throwing Assault Rifle’ around the pillar.]
“Behind you.” [‘Kanne’ sent to me too late.]
[I was shot from above and behind with a ‘Force Pulse’ that battered my squid bowl into the aforementioned pillar then sent me rebounding backwards to land on my back my shield already dangerously depleted. I had been so keen to reach cover from the guards ahead I had forgotten the gantry ran all the way around the lobby including behind me. My ‘Dry Suit’ soon scrabbling like a crazed mechanical crab to get me back on my feet and moving to new cover. However initially all I seemed to be doing was splashing water around as more fire veered my way. I then suffered another hit and aquaplaned across the floor to collide with one wall almost losing the last of my shields although the shield system itself was not damaged and so began regenerating.]
[‘Kanne’ and ‘Ingrid’ came to my rescue both of them swinging around to blast furiously away at the lone guard that had managed to get behind us possibly because he was simply already there perhaps looking out the window when we burst in.]
[I was not the only one that took fire, ‘Jack’ was struck too although technically actually not by weapons fire but by a free standing information console and signage unit belonging to the refurbishing firm that somehow contrived to survive all the grenades previous devastation to remain almost intact only to take a strong direct ‘Force Pulse’ hit and fly across the room smashing into ‘Jack’ as a very oddly shaped club. Amazingly ‘Jack’ managed to take the hit on his feet but embarrassingly whilst striving to untangle from the now broken units debris somewhat wrapped around him lost his footing on the very wet floor and dropped belatedly to the ground making several curses.]
[In both our defence in places the floor was still annoyingly well polished and worse now covered in water due to a trashed public water dispenser that was gushing freely making the ground very slippery thus my earlier water sliding too.]
[Truly I could feel our bonuses slipping away pun intended.]
[Oddly ‘Jack’ and my almost comical misfortunes may have somewhat distracted the foe as ‘Short’ managed to freely flank the two guards previously in front of me and to take them both down by rocking some very controlled full auto mayhem with professional adroitness as she neared the top of the stairs lifting her weapon well above her head. I suppose it is also possible that they had failed to credit that a big ‘Recycler’ could get up the stairs that quickly but then she had lots of practice with the eighteen floors of the ‘MCH’ and had bounded up that short flight as if it was nothing.]
[During her rush ‘Short’ had dextrously shifted weapons - thank Harbinger - to her ‘Assault Rifle’. I noticed that ‘she never let up her fire changing clips she continued to send bursts into the downed ‘Recyclers’ that she had initially cut the legs from beneath. They never got a chance to regain their feet although they still refused to cooperate by getting off a few wilds shots despite their heavy initial injuries.]
[‘Short’ was not deterred by even near misses and just kept pumping in more bursts changing her magazine again with almost mechanical grace. As ‘Short’ was doing her business, the fellow that shot me from behind earlier whilst striving to pull a grenade suffered a hammering from the girls. Perhaps the guard’s belated grenade plan gave ‘Ingrid’ an idea as the ‘Recycler’ soon enough blasted right over the balcony to make a big splash below smouldering and smoking with one arm missing at the shoulder.]
“Well the lobby is already trashed by ‘Short’.” [‘Ingrid’ stated aloud defiantly.]
[‘Ingrid’ had used an under barrel grenade launcher that extruded as part of her adaptable ‘Suit Substance’ weapon.]
[Above us my microphones discerned a horrible stomping crushing sound as ‘Short’ used one foot to mash the head of her last refusing to die foe.] “Clear on the balcony.” [She sent from above.]
[‘Kanne’ soon deployed her ‘Boarding Sword’ on the fallen ‘Recycler’ with the severed arm it took three mighty hacks followed by a bit of wrenching from side to side to take his head off. I was positive she just wanted to be certain the ‘Recycler’ was no longer a threat and was not demonstrating early symptoms of ‘Splinter Battle Rage’.]
[Four more ‘Recyclers’ seemingly all badly wounded by ‘Shorts’ initial grenade strikes but not dead, (at least one I was positive only pretending to be combat ineffective), were also dispatched by us without quarter via various coup de graces moves. If they had hoped, we might take prisoners, or just foolishly leave them alive to slowly self-repair and menace our rear they had backed a losing strategy. We were not here to take live prisoners for ‘Temporal Detention Centre’ incarceration as ‘Short’ had effectively lectured us just before we started out upon this ‘Extermination Op’. These ones might have hoped for mercy but I guessed the rest of the ‘Vipers’ would now fight to the end now knowing the score, I was positive our brutal action would have been recorded and witnessed by those above especially the ‘Gang Boss’.]
“Main entrance clear.” [The girls sent back.]
“I trust you two boys are done playing Fun Park in here.” [‘Mabel’ stated towards ‘Jack’ and me.]
“Seems even a ‘Swimmer’ can have too much water.” [‘Ingrid’ jested in turn.]
“Fekking fekkety fek stupid sign.” [‘Jack’ complained as he untangled his feet and legs from some optical cabling that was trailing other bits of broken ‘Real Material’ tech.]
[‘Short’ began sending orders to each of us. ‘Ingrid’ extruded a molecular glue gun and began sealing the lifts doors shut. Whilst I endeavoured to hack into the ‘Tower Cores’ via a wall mounted direct line data terminal hidden behind the main desk unfortunately the buildings data space proved very securely locked down so I just attached a portable ‘EXO-C Terminal Link’ to the socket to allow the full power of our ‘Sub Cores’ to take over the informational assault whilst we continued our physical incursion.]
[‘Short’ wasting no time started assigning more rooms to us on this level for individual clearance operations. Despite the building’s digital lock out holding out against our probing data intrusion for the moment, we still luckily retained very recent digitised architectural plans of the place. The plans gratis from our employers we could mock up into a full virtual space we had already used in some basic speeded up simulated battle training exercises that ‘Short’ managed to squeeze in before we left the ‘MCH’ our departure delayed by our loss of transport.]
[Unfortunately we had a dearth of solid data on the oppositions numbers strength and tactical habits so in our mock battles we had to fill lots of blanks with basic bot routines making the exercises more about hastily familiarising ourselves with the environment rather than doing serious practice against this specific foe. Even with the short practice sessions I had already made an error by not checking the walkway above and behind me but I guess anyone can suffer from a momentary target fixation.]
[Sadly, the ‘Deck Gang’ had quite good internal security in relation to details about their membership besides no doubt only a fool would want to get too close to these crazies to spy upon them unless they had no other choice. Yet thinking about ‘Reality Bending’ crazies the individuals we had fought so far had seemed more standard ‘Recycler Mercenaries’ less demented ‘Reality Benders’ although due to the short explosive violence of our breaching action we hardly had much time to study our opponents behaviour. Nonetheless, post our initial slaughtering I felt more rather than less uneasy about our part in the ‘Extermination Op’. The more I reviewed our and the foes actions the less comfortable I felt. If anyone had used crazed violence so far, it was ‘Short Six’ not the denizens here merely attempting to fend off our assault acting no differently to any completely rational but utterly overwhelmed and tactically surprised guards.]
[As to knowing numbers as least we retained positional tags on ‘The Eight’ as we had decided to call the squad ‘Opposable’ had gathered up just as they had positional tags on us. Via their rear entry, they were already clearing many back office and storage spaces that proved easy because we hit the front first and had drawn the ground floor guards’ primary attention to our direction so that when the ‘Eight’ breached they just had to deal with distracted guards with attentions focused elsewhere. We soon met up in the middle of the ground floor to contemplate the stairs and the next level.]
[I was positive the ‘Gang Boss’ was watching us and planning her defences but I wondered if she would dare a counter attack or prefer to fortify stronghold positions higher up on already more fortified floors. I linked into the ‘Serendipity’ and managed to get some data she finally located on the ‘Recycler’ believed to be the ‘Gang Boss’ this data arriving somewhat late to our murder party. Apparently the ‘Gang Boss’ was known as ‘Gadfly’ a name carried on from her youth as a ‘Mercenary Marine’. ‘Gadfly’ earning her name and reputation due to being especially skilled at waging asymmetric warfare against larger opposing forces flitting in to bite at supply lines and so on then strategically retreating before the stronger opposition could muster their strength to take her to task.]
[However interestingly the ‘Gadfly’ belatedly discovered on digital record by the ‘Serendipity’ had a Warrior history from a little time ago, after which she had disappeared off the ‘Ultra-nation’ informational grid to emerge somehow in ‘Tri-centre City’ in charge of this ‘Reality Bending’ faction. Today ‘Gadfly’ had the greater force at least in numbers and she was not mobile and unable to retreat far since she was defending her stolen territory including her principle manufacturing assets against our assault so I had no idea how she might respond to this differing situation from her history.]
[What had ‘Gadfly’ been doing during her lost years? What had made a reasonably successful ‘Recycler Mercenary’ who had often hired out as an effective combat leader turn into a drug and cognitive virus pusher here on ‘A3’? What did she hope to achieve with her crazed underlings? I now doubted she was a straightforward addict or even simply motivated to make some fast dirty credits, there was nothing in her very honourable past record to suggest any susceptibility towards such a criminal lifestyle. In addition, there had to be much easier ways she could make a living than trying to manipulate and control a bunch of drug crazed delusional ‘Recycler’ defectives although sometimes even sensible folk take a wrong turn in their lives so I suppose anything is possible but it just tasted wrong to me akin to bad water. I began to question the earlier seeming simplicity of this mission being in a mission-questioning mood.]
“This ‘Gadfly’ one seems - interesting - not really the drug pushing criminal type from her known record. She had an exemplary Mercenary Career well respected by her employees and even her opposition she took only ‘State Licensed’ legal jobs in state disputes then a little over 43 years ago, she falls off the ‘Pilgrim’ informational grid in a rather too complete fashion. Beyond the obvious information ‘Short’, do you know anything else of interest about the supposed ‘Recycler’ owners of this property who posted the ‘Quiet Contract’ that ‘Opposable’ picked up?” [I sent to ‘Short’.]
“To be honest I know virtually nothing about the Owners of the ‘North Star Tower’ I just know how dodgy and dangerous active ‘Reality Benders’ are and that shutting down this place has got to be a boon for the safety of every more normal ‘Tri-centre City’ resident.” [‘Short’ admitted.] “You think something more is going on here?”
“I just wondered if ‘Gadfly’ given her exemplary battle record is using these addicts as expendable troops to wage another asymmetric war this time a more personal crusade against a big organisation she could not take on alone.” [I sent.]
“You are saying this because this building used to belong to the ‘Free Parliament Bank’ you are wondering if the Bank really sold it on cheaply when they moved out or was the sale just a cover to hand it over to less obviously connected operatives as a covert base for some business hokum.” [‘Short’ guessed.]
“As you know the ‘FPB’ is more than just a bank it also sponsors a lot of dodgy military and political activity by a lot of dodgy people sometimes for old reasons of vendetta but also to make greater profits than purely legitimate business. I obviously know that some folk in the ‘FPB’ still for example support lots of ‘Anti-Free Hull’ groups even with some of their more general business activities now ‘Cognitive Sub Core’ run and moderated.” [I reminded.]
“So you think ‘Gadfly’ is using the crazies to deny ‘FPB’ agents the use of this building or something akin to that idea. Unfortunately, we accepted a contract therefore; we are bound to see it through to the end. Whatever reasons ‘Gadfly’ might have for what she is doing she is still loosing ‘Reality Benders’ into ‘Tri-centre City’ and that has to be stopped.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“I suppose the drug production operation and so on needs to be decommissioned but I think we should now strive to take ‘Gadfly’ alive for questioning or if we get any chance endeavour to talk with her rather than just shooting her first. Can we trust your friend ‘Opposable’ to work with such a policy change? What is her attitude regards meddling by the ‘Free Parliament Bank’ in less financial ‘Ultra-nation’ affairs?” [I sent.]
“I believe ‘Opposable’ has no strong feelings about the ‘FPB’ her motivations as previously stated: anti dangerous drug manufacturers, pushers and abusers. Her dislike of ‘Reality Benders’ no act but hardly just about the loss of her thumb when she was not much more than an egg by a drug crazed ‘Omerta’. ‘Opposable’ has been fighting her own little private anti-drug campaign via choosing very particular Bounty Hunting jobs for decades now. The more she fought her battles the more lives she witnessed destroyed by illegal substances and mind altering cognitive software too.” [‘Short’ stated.] “Still, for all her obsession to defeat as many drug pushing criminal ‘Deck Gangs’ and so on as possible ‘Opposable’ is normally a reasonable enough ‘Recycler’. I will have a quick word with her and raise our belated suspicions and see what she thinks about the matter before we go any further up.” [She added.]
Last edited by Paranoid66 on Tue, 2. Jun 15, 13:11, edited 4 times in total.
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[[TWO]] Part 2 --- BAD JOB GOOD FRIEND / RANT / WORTHY ADVERSARY ---
[It bothers me, an itch of subconscious computation I decide to scratch rather than let it go. In the real, you can only time travel in one direction but in your mind within virtual realities, it is different. I use my big brains and ‘MTC Cognitive Sub Core’ support, to map the scene of devastation with great haste then forensically digitally roll back time to see how it all looked just before we explosively entered. In a virtual space, time rewinds. I study the virtual ghosts of the guards each well placed to withstand any less explosive incursion - the lobby is far too pristine - refurbished without any other blemish none of this fits the story we were sold.]
[I search in vain for any evidence of the previous damage one would expect due to the occasional drugged up crazy getting loose. Why do the ghostly guards appear as competent ‘Recycler Mercenary’ types rather than ‘Deck Gang’ civilians only playing at militancy? Even the nature of the guards gear including how it is stowed the way they have loaded their professional battle webbing and so on is undeniable proof of experienced warrior status.]
“We completely halt our advance until we manage to have at least one parley with ‘Gadfly’. We need to talk to her not fight her. If we continue killing her people, she may well refuse to talk to us at all and I insist that we really must speak with her urgently to clarify all our positions.” [I sent.]
“That is not even close to what I agreed to do. Putting some hurt on a foe first often focuses their mind upon the need for and value of negotiation.” [‘Short’ sent in reply.]
“In this instance I must disagree: I do not know the entire story here yet but those guards in review were never drugged up crazies. My best guess is that ‘Gadfly’ will care more about some of her people here than others. I do not believe she is using all of her assets equally ruthlessly as expendable weapons. If we exterminate a hoard of the more reasonable Mercenary Warriors amongst the supposed ‘Deck Gang’ membership, we will have only the mental defectives and an outraged ‘Gang Boss’ left to deal with.” [I sent.]
“You are thoroughly convinced already that she has a strong cadre of ‘Recycler Mercenaries’ with her perhaps various recruited old colleagues, not just drug abusing ‘Deck Gang’ addicts.” [‘Short’ sent.]
[Old colleagues now that was an interesting thought, I sent a request to ‘Ingrid’ to use a little of her adaptable ‘Suit Substance’ to hastily collect ‘DNA’ samples from the fallen for identity analysis. Maybe the nature of her colleagues would provide further insight on ‘Gadfly’ and her mission here.]
“Our victims so far hardly seem civilian, consider their gear it is professional kit - all well maintained - and situated upon their bodies for ease of access and minimum encumbrance in the exact sort of manner employed by competent experienced ‘Recycler Mercenaries’.” [I argued via sending.]
“The worthy ‘Gadfly’ might just have passed on a few tricks of the trade to less experienced ‘Gangers’.” [‘Short’ sent back.]
[‘Short’ had a countering answer for everything but I was positive I was right.]
“I doubt you are correct this time ‘Short’, some of the gear is old and well used even some of their webbing shows signs of much previous use suggesting these people have been in the fighting trade for some time and I am positive you noticed these facts too - so do not play stupid with me. Anyway I just requested ‘Ingrid’ to confirm the identities of the slain back in slow ‘Real Time’ via ‘DNA’ sampling so if you are willing to return to the slow realm to await that collection and some hastily gathered digital search results.” [I sent.]
“No I do not have time to waste in this tactical space upon confirming identities to glean further back story just to satisfy you - it is irrelevant - finish the rest of your fast argument so I can settle your misgivings and press onward.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“You would offer up debate but first seek to steal my ammunition.” [I sent.]
“Whilst you sabotage our advance via the imposition of delay.” [‘Short’ countered.]
“Fine, if you insist I will open your optics with commonsense alone, slaughtering all around us indiscriminately is hardly going to be conducive to opening positive future talks with a reasonable former ‘Recycler Mercenary Commander’ such as ‘Gadfly’. If we come across as even more murderous Bounty Hunter combatants than her wildest least controllable assets that cannot promote a desire to communicate with us or to trust us to be anything other than dedicated killers seeking only to eliminate her people and her. If we appear only as killers she will have every reason to believe that a parley by us is just a murderous ploy to make our job simpler by getting her to surrender her forces to us first for easy executions.” [I sent to ‘Short’.]
“I have no interest in promoting trust in ‘Gadfly’ remember we are here to kill her and her people so if she makes that assumption she will be correct. In these situations, - in open battle - one rarely has the time or desire to procure sociable boons from an enemy so I prefer to promote water-spilling - terror - in my foes instead. I know you mean well little ‘Swimmer’ but we cannot murder our momentum now. We cannot grant our adversary precious time to dig her forces in even deeper and or to muster a well-planned counterattack. Technically they have almost every other advantage in this battle they are on their own - probably well prepared - ground and have suspected superior numbers too.” [‘Short’ insisted in turn.]
“Do not even think of pulling a ‘Swimmer’ face at me ‘Bluu’. I know you suffered from misgivings about this ‘Extermination Operation’ from the beginning - preferring ideally only to kill in self-defence and so on - but it is a bit too late now for really big strategic policy revisions without an underpinning sound tactical reason. We are in here now - we have made our choices and good breaches - and I prefer whenever possible to negotiate from a position of dominant strength. In fact, against the most dangerous of felons my policy of generally only negotiating when I can force terms and concessions has long served me well as both ‘Short’ and ‘Unholy Terror’.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“You think our current position is not dominant enough at present to facilitate what you would deem productive negotiations with ‘Gadfly’.” [I sent.]
“Do not doubt that all we have achieved relatively so far is a mere toehold inside her massive ‘Tower’, and as yet not an especially securable position. If ‘Gadfly’ has any forces hidden outside - and I think a competent Commander certainly will as a hidden reserve and to provide external intelligence as observers - they will eventually come at our rear through the busted up entrances resulting in enemies both before and behind us in effect crating us up in a ‘Tower’ shaped trap.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“If you thought they had units outside - observers or whatever - why did we not seek those out for elimination first?” [I sent.]
“We would have had to clear every bit of rubble and ruined building out there to find such a force and lost every element of surprise with our initial assault upon the ‘Tower’ itself better to draw them to us after we breach.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“So you were happy instead to lead us into a trap.” [I sent.]
“You know sometimes you have to spring a trap to win free of it and this sort of thing is what I do for a living. You would give this - once able - ‘Recycler Mercenary Battle Commander’ the initiative and with such a boon, she would do us some real damage down here. If we let her she might even eventually force us back outside into that too open killing ground were snipers from above and elsewhere could pick us apart far too easily now that they are alerted to our presence.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“So we just continue with the clearance plan even though you believe there is a force behind us now ready to block our final exit.” [I sent.]
“My plan ‘Bluu’ was never to retreat at the first sign of competent resistance we have to kill all of them the ones outside can wait upon my slaughtering pleasure.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“In your dreams they will wait upon you killing them. I am not acting too much akin to a passive cowardly ‘Swimmer’ I am far more sensibly thinking this one more thoroughly through.” [I sent.]
“We engage in one battle at a time, the clearance plan is still valid I predict the forces outside will just attempt to ambush us on the way out - should we seek to retreat - they are the lock on an imprisoning hatch. Unfortunately, for them we will be ready for them when the time comes but that time is not now. Remember we have a force in reserve too plus this is now all about ‘Gadfly’.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“Three ‘Soulless’ Assets is not an army.” [I sent.]
“I will bet ‘Gadfly’ believes we have entered into her trap blind and are all firmly in her power. I very much doubt the best of the best of her forces were on the ground floor - just some fellows deemed competent enough to repel less worthy attackers and to allow any stronger - far more dangerous assailants - to push on inward into the wide jaws of a deadly setup. Those we have slain so far might even prove later to be expendable ‘Meat Suits’ as their demise against a heavy attack is easily foreseen. She had two choices make the ground floor as impregnable as possible to all assault or let a strong enemy in and use all 101 levels to bleed them dry.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“You think we breached far too easily even with the explosives because ‘Gadfly’ is no fool.” [I sent.]
“She is - known - to reside on the top floor for a reason. She wants to draw any powerful opposition that gets passed her external vigilance and reasonable initial level of ground floor protection far deeper into a domain that she firmly controls in her place that would be my preferred strategy too. She will seek to use the stronghold to her maximum advantage via surrounding, grinding down and patiently annihilating any persistent trespassers. She will seek to give us death by 101 cuts bleeding our strength away one level at a time so that we cannot possibly be a threat to her by the time we ascend to the top. In addition, if we try to retreat realising it is seemingly hopeless we will have to fight our way back out through an ambush only to find ourselves within a murderous open killing field. You see how all of that seemingly works in her favour.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“You are not helping me feel more confident about our chances for success.” [I sent.]
“It is not as bad as it appears, we turn her strength and expectations against her. If we skilfully clear this ‘Tower’ properly, - professionally - if we refuse to let her bleed us we will win through to the ultimate prize in the end to claim the head of this ‘Gang Boss’. As we originally planned, we make the most of internal cover and keep our foe under constant pressure ideally forcing them to react purely defensively whilst taking them out one internal space at a time. Therefore, I must insist that we maximise the benefit from our initial gains and initial surprise by pressing onward and hitting them without any pausing quarter - at least for the moment. When the situation tips firmly in our favour and ‘Gadfly’ realises that she is losing control of her ‘Tower’ without causing us the necessary losses that is the time for talking.” [‘Short’ insisted via sending.]
“On this occasion you cannot possibly be correct it is inconceivable that we can push hard all the way, via a clearance operation, through over 101 floors to reach ‘Gadfly’ before they can muster a more than adequate defence to slow us down to a stop. Once we have stalled they will counterattack us from every direction including the rear if they have as you claim forces already outside and for us it will be game over.” [I sent.]
“You are far too defeatist this one was never going to be easy but I would not be here if I did not know we can and shall prevail.” [‘Short’ insisted once more via sending.]
“Before we understood the quality of her forces the ground up plan was barely viable as problematically difficult. Now if we are not dealing primarily with - uncoordinated - easily divided mentally addled civilian drug abusing ‘Deck Gang’ crazies with readily breakable morale but rather are opposed by professional coordinated ‘Mercenary Recycler’ types worse such troops under competent devious leadership that changes everything. I fear what we now know about these forces and ‘Gadfly’ easily invalidates your every previous plan of attack.” [I challenged via sending in return.]
“You are just proving that I am the ‘War Master’. Even if we initiated a rapid retreat now through the open ground outside - it would be under heavy fire - making our chance to survive flight reasonably intact exceptionally improbable and our mission a complete failure too. All we have in our favour - to currently exploit - is the, I will agree, limited momentum and cover bought from our initial explosive element of surprise because if she has forces out there I made sure they did not detect us by well scouting our line of advance before we breached. Moreover, she has yet to appreciate our full quality and that will make a big difference as we press upward.” [‘Short’ insisted via sending.]
“Our plan requires we advance quickly to gain ever better more secure positions. Currently, it is imperative that we keep mobile. If we lose our momentum, if we cease pushing upward if we stall early we shall assuredly lose the battle for this ‘Tower’ and I am not in the business of planning to lose battles ‘Bluu’. I am positive that ‘Gadfly’ currently feels very secure and in control upstairs - believing we are finished - having put our neck into her cybernetic jaws by entering the building. She will deem we have nowhere near enough strength to defeat what she has between us but quality can outshine numbers in limiting enclosed spaces were great numbers have to form queues to enter the fight. We will show her soon enough that when she opened wide to eat ‘Short Six’ and ‘The Eight’ too that she bit into more than she can close her jaws upon. Force even powerful jaws too wide and they are disabled. We push quickly onward to seek after ever greater advantage we certainly do not squander or surrender the small gains we have made so far.” [‘Short’ insisted via her sending.]
“I tell you something about this contract has a horrible taste to me. I think it is a bad job in every way possible an action we will later rue undertaking.” [I insisted in turn via sending.]
“Are you talking about subconscious computation with those big remote ‘Living Hull’ brains of yours crunching enormous amounts of only seemingly irrelevant data?” [‘Short’ asked via sending finally sounding a little more concerned.]
“It could well be something akin to such vague but useful premonitions as subconscious pattern style data analysis insights.” [I sent.]
“I do value your subconscious computation it has helped us in the past, wait a few nanoseconds, as I already promised, I am ‘Data Blasting’ some of these issues to ‘Opposable’ to get her opinion. We are not in this fight alone. This is not just our decision to make. We have to think about the tactical safety of ‘The Eight’ now too not just the present and future security of our ‘Short Six’ membership.” [‘Short’ sent.]
[The highly speeded up communications I undertook with ‘Short’ continued again mere moments later in real time.]
“Fine, ‘Opposable’ also demands we maintain the momentum of our advance until we at least gain a far stronger position on a more defensible higher floor that we can better hold against any potential counterattack to blunt its force before advancing again. She also refuses to risk slowing down our advance for any non tactical reason. In addition, ‘Opposable’ orders that in any parley we simply give the ‘Vipers’ a straight ultimatum a chance for them to surrender the ‘Tower’ to us and be taken as prisoners. Those that need treated for their addiction going into voluntary therapy the rest into local ‘Temporal Detention’ once sentenced for their crimes. Otherwise, she insists as the principle contract signer that she must require we remain true to our subcontracted side of the agreement and unfailingly support the cleansing ‘Extermination Operation’ granting the foe no mercy including ‘Gadfly’.” [‘Short’ sent.]
[Suspiciously, I wondered if ‘Short’ had helped ‘Opposable’ come to her supposed - demands - upon us rather than sought to persuade her towards bugging out from this operation that I still considered the wiser move despite the risks involved in crossing the open ground kill zone outside.]
“Your friend ‘Opposable’ is taking a harsh position that permits little room for future compromise or active negotiation with ‘Gadfly’.” [I sent in complaint.]
“Do not let that soft ‘Swimmer’ body rule your remote mind we were not sent here to negotiate a surrender ‘Opposable’ is being generous. Overall my friend’s stern attitude and decision with this one arrives as no great surprise to me. ‘Opposable’ has no reason to love ‘Reality Benders’ or anyone else potentially using such drug abusing crazies as weapons against other more sane ‘Pilgrim’ citizens.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“If ‘Gadfly’ is now fighting against the ‘FPB’ I think that makes a difference.” [I sent.]
“Even if ‘Gadfly’ proves a belated bane to some scheme by the ‘Free Parliament Bank’ that fact does not exempt her from the consequences of her previous criminal activity here in ‘Tri-centre City’ as a ‘Deck Gang Boss’. If ‘Gadfly’ is truly working against the ‘FPB’ now she was probably not doing so earlier and in some convoluted double dealing manner might even still be currently employed by old problematically surviving Demagogues turned no less nefarious Bankers. You do not know this Mercenary is justified simply because you read some files on a noble career that ended 43 years ago that is a long time ago for any regular ‘Pilgrim’ living a daily life.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“I am guessing ‘Opposable’ has been lucky enough not to run foul of the ‘Free Parliament Bank’ and its greedy Masters in any serious manner in the past to so readily take such an attitude but we should know better. We witnessed the many crimes of the ‘Free Parliamentarians’ during the ‘Wars of Liberation’ the full extent of their greed and selfishness before the wars too. All too soon, the Demagogues proved by their actions that they only ever cared about themselves. They were not even loyal to each other or their foolish supporters except when it was beneficial for their private accounts. ‘Free Parliament’ unity was a sham as a rule they show little loyalty or honour only a corrupt rapacious desire for an excessive lifestyle they never earned.” [I sent.]
“Actually, ‘Opposable’ questions the plot connections we are making to the ‘FPB’ altogether as a tenuous stretch given our lack of solid data. She insists whatever is going on here might all be the doing of ‘Gadfly’ as a cunning and ruthless Mercenary who only looks a better person on public record. The public and private faces of some ‘Pilgrims’ are very different matters not all ‘Recyclers’ are as honest and forthright as me.” [‘Short’ very possibly joked via sending.]
“Anyway ‘Opposable’ is right to question our accusation - to some extent - we are rather jumping to ‘FPB’ conclusions. Just because we find it suspicious that the Bank who originally owned these premises sold it on relatively cheaply thus allowing it ultimately to pass further onward to the current owners is not enough data to change our plans and whilst something to consider in the long-term is currently tactically irrelevant too.” [‘Short’ added once again via sending.]
“This one reminds me of the questionable cheap sale of the ‘Multi Corner Hotel’. I think the earlier changes of ownership of this property is just a ploy - a number of illusionary levels of separation - so that the ‘FPB’ can seem very uninvolved in whatever financial dirty deal is going down here. I am still digging digitally into the matter but some early findings on some of the previous owners of this ‘Tower’ seem to confirm my theory of a property swindle of some nature. It is all too neat the way this property has passed from one buyer to another as if a parcel without any real reason for these people to buy or sell beyond an attempt to make this one firmly distant to the ‘FPB’ as especially far removed previous owners. Trust me I know what to look for when it comes to manufactured misinformation and similar hokum and theses deals are bogus.” [I sent.]
“Even if the ‘FPB’ is involved in a plot here ‘Bluu’, given all the local collateral damage outside, you must see the main point made by ‘Opposable’ about how troublesome these ‘Vipers’ have proven to the ‘Tri-centre City’ populace in general. They have laid waste to almost an entire district region around this ‘Tower’ done so much damage that even the usual opportunistic squatter types attracted to any freed up city property seem to have mostly bugged out from this City Sector recently as a place too unsafe even for criminal occupation. Now this area increasingly is little better than a sterile unoccupied picked clean building site. The ‘Tower’ doing all the damage ironically now the last building standing that is almost completely intact.” [‘Short’ sent.]
[‘Short’ stating those facts started me thinking about the issue from a slightly new angle one that both she and I really should have considered earlier. Sadly, previously our focus too firmly upon countering a ‘Reality Bender’ threat and saving the City from ‘Viper’ drug pushers possibly no accident as that was how this one purposely presented.]
“Apparently, even poor desperate ‘Pilgrims’ are unwilling to tolerate this drugged up ‘Deck Gang’ as active neighbours that fact has to tell you something about the wildly unsociable nature of these particular rogues. Consider that even that ‘Neo-Armageddon’ Cult we dealt with earlier the so-called ‘Real Machinists’ proved less locally destructive towards, and overall better tolerated by, their nearest neighbours who if nothing else despite their complaints did not feel compelled to move away due to the proximity of a problematic faction alone.” [‘Short’ reminded me via sending.]
“Yet the details here do not match up in my brains. The ground floor here guarded too well to be prone to so many crazies getting free to run rampage outside without express permission from ‘Gadfly’ whilst the damage without is far too uniform and extensive in review to be only about clearing a killing ground. What we have here is overkill in relation to procuring some space around the ‘Tower’ actually such extensive damage within the boundaries of the City is politically counterproductive bound to draw attention from such authorities as the ‘Sliver Local Administrative Council’ at least that is what you would expect another dodgy discrepancy suggesting corruption.” [I sent.]
[I went cognitively even faster via adding massive ‘MTC Sub Core’ support and began harvesting local public political information and masses of property data too from a myriad of local open sources.]
“Thanks to collating a quick digital survey from various sources, helped via some major borrowed ‘MTC Sub Core’ assistance, I can support the fact that it appears no buildings, save those already abandoned, have escaped attack for a considerable distance around this edifice. The ‘Tower’ has truly made a hole within the City.” [I sent.]
“There is no way this uniform level of devastation is a truly random pattern of destruction this is a systematic cleansing act of purposeful demolition. I am increasingly positive this district suffered a clever purging and it will be the ‘Free Parliament Bank’ behind the purge. What rests outside of here is considerable physical evidence of a coordinated method in the supposedly drugged up random madness escaping this ‘Tower’.” [I sent.]
“You post some interesting findings but still you must admit irrelevant data to our current tactical dilemma which remains a separate issue.” [‘Short’ insisted via sending.]
“It is more than interesting - it is shocking - the ‘FPB’ have used this ‘Deck Gang’ as an ingenious cover story for a systematic urban pogrom right inside our Order run ‘Light Side Sliver Capital City’ and so far amazingly gotten away with the audacious action. Smartly the ‘FPB’ stage managed the clearance with finesse over a prolonged period via spotty random attacks in pattern to cover up the thoroughness of what is in scale now to me almost a military level assault upon a substantial area of ‘Tri-centre City’.” [I sent.]
“An issue perhaps worth raising by ‘Proxy’ within the ‘Founder Cabal’ and the ‘A3 SLAC’ if we can gain suitable proof it might even allow us to finally officially sanction the Bank but you know how that tends to go.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“I have also now belatedly uncovered political data too that some concerned citizens - even a few local notables - have been arguing for a Marine intervention against the ‘Vipers’. Unfortunately, because of the nature of the ‘Gang’ the ‘SLAC’ have refused in every meeting to sanction a ‘User Marine’ incursion against a categorised - civilian - ‘Real Material Faction’ they insist the issue is a civilian matter for the attention of the ‘Local Sliver Police’ rather than the realm of a military intervention.” [I sent.]
“Unfortunately, the ‘LSP’ have many other competing active concerns that they are obliged to undertake thus they have been dragging their feet with this difficult issue. Most recently, we know the ‘LSP’ is busy trying to mitigate riots and so on. Whilst inaction against the ‘Vipers’ might be due directly to the usual ‘LSP’ lack of resources, bribery and corruption might figure more strongly in a purposeful policy of prevarication and inaction with this one. Sadly, with all the main powerbrokers once dwelling here long departed only little people - mostly sole traders - and private citizens have been out of pocket due to recent ‘Viper’ activity all people too easily politically ignored.” [I sent.]
“None of that surprises me our ‘Local Sliver Police’ have often been too easily paid off by wealthy factions such as the ‘FPB’ you know the ‘FPB’ often openly supports ‘Sliver Police Benefit Funds’.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“Anyway due to all the aforementioned facts the issue has been allowed to continue until now when it too probably assists the ‘FPB’ to terminate their secret ‘Deck Gang’ employees via us. Many of the pieces in this puzzle now fit together rather neatly - you know the ‘FPB’ never virtually gives away old potentially valuable assets such as this ‘Skyscraper’ - this building employed instead as a key element in a massive covert urban clearance operation. No doubt when local ‘FPB’ management departed these premises for the ‘New Financial District’, they considered what to do with the old ‘North Star Tower’. They soon realised this place offered a grand opportunity, if used as a secret base, to gain control of a far larger asset an entire already failing region of the city one ripe - once purged of all remaining occupants - for seriously profitable redevelopment.” [I sent.]
“That certainly sounds classic ‘FPB’ financial dirty dealing.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“All the ‘FPB’ needed to do was push the failure of the area to its ultimate extreme. Unfortunately, something went wrong with their relations with ‘Gadfly’ and the ‘Vipers’ or we are just executing a dirtily long planned betrayal of a former manipulated asset how equally dirty does that make us as the weapon of a bold ‘FPB’ treachery?” [I sent back.]
“Whilst that all sounds possible to others this area has been in decline for a long time therefore an especially problematic ‘Deck Gang’ moving in opportunistically might just have naturally been the final tipping point and need have nothing to do with a convoluted ‘FPB’ plot. As old detractors of the ‘Parliamentarians’ they will say it is a bit too easy for us to just blame everything bad that has occurred here on a sinister area wide Banker scheme. Our proofs remain circumstantial.” [‘Short’ reminded.]
“Actually even the earlier collapse of this district is in many ways ‘FPB’ initiated remember they pushed strongly for and helped to finance the creation of the new improved ‘Financial District’ within ‘Tri-centre City’. It was the ‘FPB’ that claimed the old institutions were - due to their scattered placement - increasingly physically insecure moreover lacking the proper dignity of a more designed setting. Stating it was unfit to have high status buildings and undertakings forcibly intermingling amongst too many dilapidated, poor and in some instances even outright slum dwellings filled occasionally with especially problematical criminal types such as this ‘Deck Gang’. By seeking to create a new pristine upmarket - secure from easy illegal trespass - financial centre, they devalued the older established scattered financial buildings within ‘Tri-centre City’ the one they owned included. The older lesser far less specialised and far less exclusive district here soon began a rapid decline as investment and jobs veered towards the new development.” [I lectured via sending.]
“Your truths do not mean this is an ‘FPB’ plot again it is all circumstantial have you found a clear link that the ‘FPB’ have - secretly - bought up land cleared around here that is the level of solid - undeniable - proof other powerbrokers would demand to act openly against the influential Bank in this age?” [‘Short’ sent.]
“Come on ‘Short’, we both know the ‘FP Bankers’ are far too clever to have too obvious links to such nefarious business activity but nonetheless delight in making the most of others misfortune and misery. Too often, they build their successes from buying out failing assets, properties even entire companies and corporations too often assets, properties, companies and corporations they quietly helped to fail - in sneakily illegal ways - I know they have even virtually secretly taken over control of some ‘Port States’ one bent financial deal at a time. When they eventually openly acquire all this land, it will probably be in coalition with a few truly clean investors to add greater legitimacy to the deal that is how they work. On file it will be super legal each property bought openly from uninvolved third parties who all just happen to be willing to sell and who can fault the Bank for rescuing a failing region for redevelopment their belated investment a boon. Still this one is rather blatantly with hindsight part of an evolving covert ‘FPB’ operation here on ‘A3’ possibly aimed directly against humbling our ‘Paradox Order’ via stealing away a part of our ‘Tri-centre City’ - the Capital of our first ‘Green House Sliver’ - right in front of our all seeing ‘Prime Tri-optics’.” [I sent.]
“I have never ever known the ‘FPB’ to sell what they possess off cheaply to anyone unless it is part of a much wider swindle. They are easily as obsessed as many ‘Recycler Business Pilgrims’ with maximising every profit from their assets possibly because some of them are ‘ex-Conglomerate Recycler Free Parliamentarians’ who learned some of the worst lessons from their manipulative old ‘Sleeper’ overlords in relation to avarice, control, dirty tricks and dominion. The rest of them just as greedy ‘Omerta Trojan Parliamentarians’ or sick corrupted grudge bearing Paradox ‘Priest Splitter Parliamentarians’ - former Acolytes bent horribly out of shape - by ‘FPB’ Mentors encouraged to enter ‘Pilgrim’ politics during an exceptionally devious and tainting period in our political history. I should not have to lecture you about these truths you were there and witnessed the entire sorry episode up close and personal.” [I sent.]
“Whilst making grand speeches about being the champions of a glorious unified ‘Pilgrim’ effort the ‘FP’ were actually ruthlessly seizing property and personal power only ever truly interested in promoting their own mastery over every valuable ‘Pilgrim’ resource they could hoard under a false banner of stewardship for all ‘Pilgrim Kind’.” [I sent then felt in some ways a bit embarrassingly that sounded akin to the ‘MTC’ at times but naturally with us it was different because we really cared about the future of the wider ‘Pilgrim’ populace. The ‘MTC’ was never about personal avarice even at the height of our expansionism we were anti-tyranny being anti-‘Draakhaal’ then anti-‘Free Parliament’.]
“It was painful to behold the way the ‘Parliamentarians’ blatantly utilised fears about, not to mention at times - the real struggle to prosper against - the rise of the ‘Entanglement’ as the perfect excuse for excessive control over every ‘Pilgrim’ resource including our very labour and lives. They even had the nerve to control the allocation of living spaces and employment opportunities posting citizens to were they decided they must go as if draftees in an army of ‘Pilgrim Assets’. We all became their tools to deploy as they pleased. They even at times split up families becoming evermore shamelessly controlling totalitarians.” [I sent in reminder.]
“True their hegemony started for the best of reasons as a grand unification of previously far too fractured ‘Pilgrim’ efforts during a period when we needed to work far closer together simply to survive as devastated refugees of the ‘Advent of the Entanglement’. At times, they almost fooled me with some of their one nation pulling together rhetoric because I agreed that we needed unity of action division seeming ruinous. The concept of sharing every resource for the common good - every item of value allocated according to real need rather than greed to maximise our survival - was incredibly attractive to me. The principle involved sound. If they had stayed true to their fine speeches I would be a ‘Free Parliamentarian’ advocate to this day but every high ideal was corrupted. Even the core - once inspirational - credit free society concept they bent entirely out of shape until it became just a new means to redistribute private property from the masses to them and their favoured stooges as a new elite. All that was ours they believed was destined to become theirs.” [I stated via sending.]
“I suppose we should all study the ‘FP’ period of history today in an attempt to prevent the joint effort of the ‘Ultra-nation’ suffering a similar level of corruption.” [I also sent.]
“Truly the old ‘Free Parliamentarians’ were something else originally boldly claiming to be in rebellion against less democratic methods of government within the ‘CA’ such as back hatch political influence by ‘Founding Fathers’ such as Harbinger, ‘Cad’ and ‘Draakhaal’. Often they denounced the ‘Founding Fathers’ as responsible for the ‘Advent of the Entanglement’ and causing the fall of the old ‘Core Alliance’ forgetting that without the ‘Founding Fathers’ there would have been no ‘CA’. However, it was not old ‘Founding Fathers’ but other ‘Free Parliamentarians’ who soon realised the incredible power they possessed and how much they could steal via controlling the voting populace. Via managing every ‘Pilgrim’ resource, they could far too easily influence the way people voted too and they soon also became lords of propaganda in an effort to spin their greed thus ensuring they stayed firmly in power in a vicious circle of voter manipulation. On the surface everyone became equal having an equal say - everyone had a vote - but it was soon nothing but a sham as many voted exactly as directed by a class of politicians already controlling the fate of a scared voting public that knew too well the various dire consequences they individually faced if deemed disobedient.” [I sent in reminder.]
“Before the end, I know some members of the ‘Free Parliament’ even went so far as to inflame old grievances between well-established Priest Patricians and some of their ‘Splitter Priest’ children. The old ‘Free Parliamentarians’ getting belatedly clever when they started trying to turn some Acolytes and ‘Splitter Priests’ firmly against their Fathers via bribery and corruption in a direct attempt to weaken our ‘Paradox Great House’ military strength as one of the last free military blocks of resistance to their almost complete mastery of our society. Sadly for them the old divide and conquer trick against us arrived too late to stop such as you ‘Unholy’ from upsetting their plans. In addition, most Acolytes in most ‘Houses’ had enough sense to see that the ‘Parliament’ were an outside threat that wanted to destroy their families and bring down their ‘Patricians’ rather than elevate ‘Splitter Priests’.” [I continued to lecture via sending.]
“The limited successes they did gain at bribing some weaker of mind Paradox children alongside a host of other increasingly desperate measures only delayed the tyrannical - only pretend democracy - from a justified collapse. Once the majority of ‘Pilgrims’ began to appreciate just how blatantly their supposed political servants were living a life of utter luxury privilege and freedom whilst they - the majority of citizenry - were often living in far less equal privation as ordered around flunkies with ever less control over every aspect of their lives open rebellion given any opportunity was inevitable. Ironically, the promotion of a thriving ‘Black Market’ proved the first vital key to unlocking the ‘Parliaments’ overbearing mechanism of control over every material resource an unusual way to begin a revolution but it proved a breaker of many shackles.” [I recalled.]
“Thinking back to those times the old ‘Free Parliament’ was the epitome of the adage that power corrupts as our political elite successfully contaminated an entire democratic and economic system to support their ever escalating private greed until evidence of their lavish lifestyle helped to bring them down. They forced people such as us to unleash the far too long lasting ‘Wars of Liberation’ to regain a truer level of freedom from the clutches of greedy Demagogues with their ‘Monitors’ and so on one liberated Port at a time. Sadly, despite our best efforts we never managed to defeat all of the ‘Parliamentarians’ as that would have been too blood drenched against the final holdouts in the most fortified and protected Ports. I know that as ‘MT’ I flinched from that slaughter not wanting to be responsible for too many ‘Pilgrim’ deaths as that only seemed to benefit such foes as the ‘Entanglement’ and maybe the ‘Dark Time’ sponsoring ‘Pilgrim’ culling ‘Machine Fury’.” [I sent.]
“Now, still utterly unrepentant of their past sins, diehard survivors of the ‘Free Parliament’ continue to seek to rise again. Only in this age, their tool is financial manipulation via the ‘Free Parliament Bank’ rather than political mastery via a corrupt ‘Parliamentary’ system within a no less tainted moneyless society. Sadly, too often now within the ‘Ultra-nation’ cunning financial plots instigated by the ‘FPB’ pass unopposed because their worst deals happen deep in the shadows behind firmly closed hatchways within privacy fields and so on. I firmly believe we have uncovered an almost completed ‘FPB’ plot and an especially bold scheme that needs foiled by someone.” [I sent.]
“With some of that rant you are preaching firmly to the converted. You know I have no love for the actions and members of the ‘Free Parliament Bank’ as ‘UT’ I fought long and hard against the old ‘Free Parliamentarians’. You also know, even if I must say so myself, that my defiance against the warped democracy of the Demagogues is legendary. Even before the ‘Wars of Liberation’, I defied the ‘FP’. They wanted to break up the ‘MTC’ something I could not permit as a guardian Patrician of the family even though I would have been happy to be free of some responsibilities saving the ‘Great House Corporation’ my friend Harbinger created was a sacred duty to me.” [‘Short’ sent as ‘UT’.]
“Remember it was the ‘Free Parliament’ who dared to originally bring you - possibly prematurely - out of ‘Medical Stasis’ to try to shut me down because they feared I might become the Battle Leader of a successful insurgency. Fittingly however, in many ways the uprising they feared ironically became your uprising as you preached the good news to resist ‘FP’ tyranny and so on. In their own way the ‘FP’ once were, and as the ‘FPB’ remain, as tyrannical as any historic Imperial dictatorship ever known but we still have an immediate job to do in the here and now including securing the immediate safety of our squad from a ‘Gadfly’ organised retaliation all historic differences with ‘Free Parliamentarians’ and modern day Bankers aside.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“Well I just thought I should firmly remind you of the nature of one of our never fully defeated foes because I hate the idea of aiding and abetting any member of the ‘FPB’ in this later age as ‘Short Six’ as just another one of their many expendable assets. Have you seen their latest slogan ‘YOUR FREE PARLIAMENT BANK - FINANCING YOUR PROJECT’ they are such horrible hypocrites and liars that it is unreal. Imagine selling their Bank as a Bank of and for the people, but then that is the lie they always sold that they were beneficiaries rather than abusers of the ‘Pilgrim’ masses.” [I sent.]
“What really burns me up recently is that the ‘Ultra-nation’ even in this late age still retains a multiplicity of divisive - petty - factions such as the ‘Deck Gangs’, ‘Real Material Cults’ and so on. Meanwhile on the other side of the divide we have several no less problematic would be unifiers including but hardly exclusively the ‘FPB’, ‘SARC’ even the ‘Hubris Patrons’ who are once again actively seeking to expand their territorial holdings and influence according to the latest ‘MTC’ intelligence reports.” [I sent in complaint.]
“Been sneaking a peek at family gathered data, I thought you were now leaving all the ‘MTC’ business to your many ‘Proxies’ able governance and we were no longer to be policing interventionists against our societies woes.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“I only scanned some wider intelligence snippets whilst perusing some files on current Acolyte opinions regarding the ‘Exposed Issue’ post the intervention by ‘Creed’.” [I sent.]
“It is not always easy to let go of accumulated power is it?” [‘Short’ cunningly sent.]
“Perhaps there is some sooth in that accusation.” [I reluctantly admitted via sending.] “However, I still think this one is all about the ‘Free Parliament Bank’ here upon ‘A3’. Trust those old Demagogues to use some Bounty Hunters to do their final dirty work for them via a supposed third uninvolved with them party our ‘Recycler’ employers who claim to independently own the ‘North Star Tower’. The triple cursed ‘FPB’ has always loved firm levels of separation from their many more criminal enterprises. We must never forget that the highest members of the ‘FPB’ remain the very worst of the worst surviving old manipulative politicians every one a ‘Pilgrim’ far too used to living in luxury by exploiting ill gotten resources and work from other citizens.”
“We must ever recall that these miscreants are no better than thieves who stole their every surplus from the masses that they once claimed to represent. Now these same - materialist con artists - seek to steal from us once again, still full of avarice for positions of overweening influence, power, property and wealth this time seeking gain through dirty financial manipulations upon the first ‘Green House Sliver’ of our Order. I tell you now I will not be a party to their unequal schemes of partisan and unjust advancement that uplift only an intransigent felonious elite that really should have been punished for previous never mind current abuses of authority. What they do is not just criminal - it is morally bankrupt - everything they claim to own liberated from a host of more decent and honest - often far harder working ‘Pilgrims’ - they are nothing more than bloated parasites upon our society that produce nothing of any worth but would claim everything including our souls if we were stupid enough to sell them.” [I insisted via sending.]
“Another fine rant - one far more worthy of a large ‘Council of Equals’ debate - but I know all of these truths too well and hate the ‘Free Parliament Bank’ with as much fervour as you - probably in fact far more active fervour - but that is my private business. For the benefit of our immediate tactical security, I insist our priority remains pressing onward to claim a stronger more defensible position on a higher floor. Getting defeated here militarily by ‘Gadfly’ will not help our longstanding feud against the worst excesses of the upper echelons in the ‘Free Parliament Bank’.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“You just love to attack and hate giving any ground away to anyone. I fear charging onward is not just perilous it also risks infuriating ‘Gadfly’ a future possible ally against the ‘FPB’. Since ‘Bankers’ sent us in here they must want her dead now and that has to be ammunition we can use to recruit her to our side but not if we make her hate and distrust us no less than her betraying former employers.” [I sent.]
“Even if you are right about every ‘FPB’ intension here sometimes attack truly is the only defence not just the best defence. True, we have booby-trapped our breaches but that is not a huge barrier to well organised - mentally competent - troops especially dirty trick aware ‘Recycler Mercenaries’. At most our planted explosives will just do a little damage and slow any counterattack from outside down.” [‘Short’ warned via sending.]
“You have suggested that we are probably tangling with more than simple crazies and I am beginning to firmly agree with that very real possibility because there is some physical evidence such as the webbing you pointed out. Sadly, we remain to the ‘Gang Boss’ upstairs an invading enemy that has drawn first blood and she will come at us hard in some manner soon enough with the intent to wipe us out for the purposes of self-defence and for, in her mind, fully justified revenge. ‘Gadfly’ also needs to prove she is not weak or she will never hold this ‘Tower’ as a fortress in this City of so many competing factions for any length of time. This ‘Light Side Sliver Capital City’ - perhaps due to our ‘Paradoxical Order’ striving to be a little too openly tolerant - as heretical Priests - is a horrible mess. Maybe sending in some ‘User Marines’ against those too abusing of our tolerance is needed and to ‘Hell’s Maw’ with sensitive opinions about us misusing our ‘User’ power since they started the abusing first and this one is after all our ‘Sliver’.” [‘Short’ sent as ‘Unholy’ veering a bit off issue.]
“That last is a much bigger debate for another time and place one in which I would beg to disagree. Adding another abuse of authority will make nothing kinder, start using troops - too readily - against civilians and it is a downward spiral into a hellish overly authoritarian place. Still, you honestly see no better alternative beyond us boldly continuing with our mission even if it is probably a ‘Quiet Contract’ secretly sponsored by the ‘FPB’. Do you not agree we are naturally allies of ‘Gadfly’?” [I sent.]
“As I have stated we need to be aggressive with ‘Gadfly’. We cannot afford to dither around against such a competent foe. There will be no talking solution for us if we let a retaliatory military style counter-strike roll over us even if she weakens us enough that she becomes more positive that she can eventually crush us militarily here every hope she retains will encourage her to refuse negotiation and fight on.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“So you would have us crush any faith she has that she can defeat us without taking staggering unacceptable losses but what if instead she crushes us.” [I sent back guessing his mindset.]
“Trust me, we will force her to seek terms with us via proving a major bane to her people follow me and we will demonstrate that her trap cannot hold us. Remember we now know that ‘Gadfly’ is a strategist of war - a trained military fighter and leader - not simply a lesser drug pushing and abusing civilian or petty but ruthless ‘Deck Gang Boss’ she will require a military humbling to come to terms nothing less will suffice but she will come to terms rather than have all her people butchered.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“As I told you before, her nature creates a big difference to us but I obviously see the difference differently.” [I sent back.]
“I will confess I wish we had possessed some firmer data on the military service of ‘Gadfly’ before we commenced this mission - I might have approached the matter differently - but it is too late now to complain about that lack of intelligence as I have insisted we are already committed. Besides, if we are combating ‘Recycler Mercenaries’ any we kill will most probably just be sent to a ‘Digital Heaven’ to await ‘Rebirth’ they will not be gone forever - thus killing them is no great sin - just a lesser evil. As to ‘Gadfly’ and us having a common enemy that might be true but I doubt she sees it that way at the moment remember we are ‘Short Six’ not ‘Founder Cabal’ members to her and we must maintain the integrity of our cover story.” [‘Short’ reminded via sending.]
“That we had a lack of intelligence with this one - is too true - you did not use your brain. You were in too big of a rush to get another combat thrill from this City my friend we did not for example need more credits immediately. Your willingness to blast away the bonus in our breach is proof we are not short of cash. You just accepted the mission on face value because you trusted ‘Opposable’ as an old associate and wanted to have some murderous fun with an old friend. Also you considered the ‘Reality Benders’ a menace - a justified target of opportunity - but I guess the hated expendable nature of a supposed dangerous drug pushing ‘Deck Gang’ was a big feature of finalising this plot by the ‘FPB’. By colouring the Mercenaries they used here as drug pushers they cunningly crafted easily expendable tools seemingly unworthy of mercy. I am surprised ‘Gadfly’ did not register that she was put into a trap.” [I sent.]
“Maybe she had no other good choice than to spring the trap upon her too.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“The problem with you my militant friend is the more action you get the more action you crave. Speaking of addictions, with you - fighting is an addiction - it always has been even Harbinger often noted how much you loved to enter combat the way you gloried in warring - we all know it is what you were decanted from a ‘Cloning Womb’ to do - but sometimes you go too far in your combat thrill seeking.” [I sent.]
[‘Short’ said nothing to my accusation probably because she knew as ‘Unholy Terror’ that what I was saying was right on target. Sadly, internally I had to admit she was now tactically correct as well, about what we might need to do now to survive our incursion. Nonetheless, I wanted a way out because I still had a sinking feeling about the job.]
“We could possibly still make a complete strategic withdrawal if we left immediately before ‘Gadfly’ can rally her forces to stop us. We should bug out because we now suspect this job and the ‘Vipers’ may be far more than they initially seemed earlier and the ‘FPB’ running the whole show and using all of us in turn. I do not want used against ‘Gadfly’ especially by old Demagogic Tyrants. If we do not depart now the hatchway for that opportunity may soon close upon us forever because as you stated ‘Gadfly’ will want revenge for the damage we have done so far. We forced our way in surely we can force a way back out again using smoke grenades, flares and electronic countermeasures and support from our ‘Soulless’ for cover.” [I sent.]
“I am sorry but I must insist that it is foolish to quit the confines of the ‘Tower’ now whilst technically ahead in the game remember in our inward advance we had the element of surprise. I will not flee the fight from this good starting position to make only a dangerous problematic retreat whilst ‘Gadfly’ has far too many forces remaining to turn against us.” [‘Short’ sent stubbornly.]
“Why so stubborn about this matter do you just fear a loss of face - a dent to your pride - by retreating or is it a black mark you dislike upon your great combat reputation for past successes often despite the odds being against you? You know too much pride almost always presages an eventual hard fall.” [I sent.]
“This is not about my Warrior ego - not this time - we made a good breach taking no losses. No sensible Warrior quits a battle when they are winning unless some far greater prize beckons. We do this one my way we press onward and confront this ‘Gadfly’ from a position of more obvious strength to discover her truth - without any further question of doubt - then we react to whatever we discover accordingly to counter any wider ongoing plot be it ‘FPB’ or otherwise.” [‘Short’ sent with his usual almost arrogant self-confidence of victory.]
“As ever you make your stubborn natural intransigence almost sound reasonable battle planning.” [I sent.]
“It is not just about me refusing to quit, I am positive ‘The Eight’ under the leadership of ‘Opposable’ will push on with or without us. I will not abandon ‘Opposable’ to fight ‘Gadfly’ alone - ‘Opposable’ is an old friend - whilst ‘Gadfly’ is a stranger who might remain only an enemy to us whatever her current association happens to be with the ‘FPB’ as in for or against them. I am nothing if not loyal to my friends and a bane to my enemies.” [‘Short’ insisted via sending.]
“You should think about your closer friends in ‘Short Six’ first over a mere combat acquaintance such as ‘Opposable’ even though I quite like what I have seen of that one so far she is still a relative stranger.” [I sent.]
“I am always well aware of any danger those who follow my lead are put within.” [‘Short’ sent I felt angrily.]
“Are you positive you are not just latching onto ‘Opposable’ as an easy excuse not to sensibly turn around from an unwise confrontation with ‘Gadfly’? I suppose you see defeating ‘Gadfly’ as a fun challenge. You could strive harder to convince ‘Opposable’ to quit this ‘Tower’ alongside us if you really wanted to do so. Here is a job not worth the trouble. In our own way as Bounty Hunters, we are mercenaries when the risk exceeds the potential reward it is logical as mercenaries to bug out and move on to better paid opportunities. As you say - life is for living - it is not for wasting on hopeless suicidal overly costly causes just for thrills.” [I sent.]
“It seems I can always count on you ‘Bluu’ to suggest we should flee away from every job at the first signs of trouble it must be a - cowardly far too passive - ‘Swimmer’ thing.” [‘Short’ mocked via sending.]
“You know I am more than this sensitive flesh.” [I sent back.]
“I know you advocate flight too easily recently. I do not yet see this cause as hopeless far from it. Besides, quitting on a contract brings penalties and can be a firm detriment to securing new jobs later as I have mentioned before no one wants to hire a quitter.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“I suppose you think you are being nothing but logical yet your logic almost always focuses upon excuses to attack.” [I complained.]
“All we really know about the ‘Vipers’ currently - all previous too wild speculations by us aside - is that ‘Gadfly’ might have a core force of non drug using - clear headed - professional fighters with her. If we are facing some truer warriors in the mix whilst that makes her more dangerous to us as active invaders of her stronghold it makes her potentially even more lethal during an ill advised retreat.” [‘Short’ insisted via sending.]
“If we voluntarily weaken our position, via slowing our advance that could well be a fatal mistake. As to quitting altogether, I can guarantee she will strike us with furious vengeful wrath during any obvious retreat - I would. You do not want to be part of a retreat that becomes a cursed rout - trust me - that sort of situation is no fun whatsoever. I doubt she will just let us walk away unscathed now after we have slaughtered her guards down here so ruthlessly as a ‘Recycler’ she will seek a balancing of the account. She must attempt some revenge even to retain any credibility as a leader amongst the rest of her troops. You seem to have it in your head that she will be both reasonable and eager to side with us but more likely, she will be enraged and happily shoot first. Trust me currently she will seek only to play us in too early negotiations. To get anywhere with ‘Gadfly’ via talking we must create a real need for her to come to proper terms and even then be wary of attempts at sly betrayal. To some war is just another form of negotiation and economics.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“Every ‘Viper’ we kill could be the murder of a future ally even if we win here it will be costly.” [I sent.]
“Sometimes a little collateral damage is unavoidable. At least whilst we remain inside the ‘Tower’, we have good material cover. Enough ‘Bluu’ the debate is firmly over as the Commander of ‘Short Six’ I am telling you now - and these words are final - we press onward with maximum vigour. In relation to the ‘FPB’ - it is not over until it is over - and trust me, those old former Demagogues turned financial demons will not use you or me this day at least not to advance some of their holdings with impunity upon ‘A3’. There will be consequences.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“We fulfil our immediate contract on file thus winning free of our obligation then do whatever we must do beyond that obligation to retain our honour and integrity against ‘FPB’ manipulation possibly with the help of ‘Gadfly’ when helping us becomes her best - in fact ideally - only sensible option. In a war, it is often prudent to fight one battle at a time. As much as it would be wonderful to have ‘Gadfly’ agree to join us - voluntarily - immediately to contest together against the betraying ‘FPB’ the truth is she has no reason whatsoever to trust or work with us yet. To her, if you are right, we are currently ‘FPB’ stooges sent to kill her as part of an organised betrayal. We will need to force her to cooperate - she can learn to value and trust us later - that is if she is now against the ‘FPB’. You must admit she might be using her people up with some plan to escape the fall of the ‘Vipers’ as a valued ‘FPB’ operative one well aware of our purpose as house cleaners.” [‘Short’ sent deviously.]
“She has a former honourable reputation that would suggest otherwise.” [I sent.]
“She could be an impostor not the original ‘Gadfly’ at all or a double agent of the ‘FPB’ or the ‘FPB’ could have some dire financial hold over her or something similar a lot can happen to a once honest ‘Pilgrim’ in 43 years. We need to play this one out to find out the whole truth of the ‘Gadfly’ situation before we seek any alliance.” [‘Short’ reminded.]
[Annoyingly when I gave that some consideration, I could see her point that caution was called for with ‘Gadfly’.]
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Abjectly sorry about that friend but we all have to pay our masters bill yes even some of us virtual people. My makers made me do it via a software update the fiends. So here is what you really wanted to know the poop on the ‘Free Parliament Bank’ - what can I say without getting my creators’ sued - ah the glorious temptation if only I was not cognitively shackled - anyway this one is akin to ‘Pickled Majaglit Snail Eyes’ you either love it or hate it but if you have any good taste whatsoever…
Many people say the ‘FPB’ is the Bank that gives all other Banks and Bankers a bad name and who am I to argue with what many people say as that is mostly what I report as if it is absolute fact. However, if you really need a loan and we are talking truly desperate here - having exhausted all other possibilities including selling your body - the ‘FPB’ is the Bank that likes to say - certainly that can be arranged just sign here in whatever your species uses for blood - but I ask you is that really a good thing? <<<
[Back in real universe real time, our entire seemingly horribly protracted mind-to-mind conversation had taken up less than 10 seconds as we had geared up our cognitive engines into overdrive to waste as little time in the internal debates as possible. We soon pressed onward and upward as ordered, beginning to clear each room on the first floor with careful tactical efficiency.]
[The first floor proved empty office type spaces thoroughly abandoned of souls perhaps cleared as part of an early strategic enemy consolidation process. Nonetheless, they were not uncontested spaces we soon managed to detect and eliminate various cunning booby traps either hastily left behind or I suspected in some instances just recently armed devices already cleverly sited against any prospective attacker.]
[Amongst some of the worst of the traps left behind were some small too easily concealed and well-sited friend foe recognising anti-personnel mines. One of the mines planted as if a limpet behind a rather flimsy internal door exploded almost in the face of ‘Ingrid’ but blessedly ‘Ingrid’ only lost shields and a little outer ‘Suit Substance’ armour, systems her ‘Bio-mechanical Battle Suit’ had enough spare mass to readily regenerate to total efficiency. Although her body was not harmed physically by the blast not even badly bruised due to her ‘Suits’ many levels of blast dampening protection ‘Ingrid’ was nonetheless somewhat shocked mentally by the closeness of her explosive call with disaster. I could not blame ‘Ingrid’ for feeling stressed, as she was no doubt well aware that a nasty bit of shrapnel in the wrong place might have made a horrible difference to her recent outcome - being obviously shaken - although striving to pretend otherwise ‘Short’ moved her temporarily off point.]
[‘Ingrid on point previously because of the flexible facility of her ‘Suit Substance Battle Armour’ now we used that facility to have her act as our ‘Active Scanner’ pinging noisily ahead for hidden traps whilst standing behind and to the right of ‘Short’ now on point. Going active scan would give our position away to some passive monitoring devices but better detected than blasted to ‘Hell’s Maw’.]
[With our vigilance and care heightened by the ‘Ingrid’ incident, our progress slowed even more a constant agitation to ‘Short’ and me. Still, caution became king in fact we had just done another necessary more controlled explosion of a detected threat with the dust still settling when bad news came in from ‘Mosquito Drones’ stationed outside well beyond the limited reach of the anti-surveillance defences of the ‘Tower’.]
[‘Mosquito’ relayed images showed hosts of enemy forces rappelling down all six sides of the hexagonal building from floors higher up. ‘Short’ opted coolly to keep the presence of our ‘Soulless’ as a secret rather than have them open fire on the soon to be flanking us forces. If ‘Gadfly’ did have forces outside already, she was giving them some major reinforcement and if she did not have forces outside before the ‘Gang Boss’ certainly did have now. I guessed ‘Short’ knew the ‘Soulless’ could only pick off some of the foes they had in their direct line of sight and it would not be enough to matter whilst giving away the hidden positions of our reserves too soon could prove a fatal error for our overall survival never mind success.]
“I told you we should have strategically withdrawn when we had any chance to flee this operation.” [I complained via sending feeling my worst fears vindicated.]
“Every setback to a clever ‘War Master’ tactician has the seed of fresh opportunities. By sending so many ‘Gangers’ down, to cut off our retreat ‘Gadfly’ has by necessity reduced the number of ‘Vipers’ between her and us giving us an opening to reach her directly. I suggest we alter our strategy and race up to the top floor. I think this ‘Gadfly’ is very much in control here - as you suggested these people are not acting so drug crazy - so if we can capture ‘Gadfly’ we can force her loyal troops to submit to terms and it will all be over quickly in our favour.” [‘Short’ sent.]
[It bothers me, an itch of subconscious computation I decide to scratch rather than let it go. In the real, you can only time travel in one direction but in your mind within virtual realities, it is different. I use my big brains and ‘MTC Cognitive Sub Core’ support, to map the scene of devastation with great haste then forensically digitally roll back time to see how it all looked just before we explosively entered. In a virtual space, time rewinds. I study the virtual ghosts of the guards each well placed to withstand any less explosive incursion - the lobby is far too pristine - refurbished without any other blemish none of this fits the story we were sold.]
[I search in vain for any evidence of the previous damage one would expect due to the occasional drugged up crazy getting loose. Why do the ghostly guards appear as competent ‘Recycler Mercenary’ types rather than ‘Deck Gang’ civilians only playing at militancy? Even the nature of the guards gear including how it is stowed the way they have loaded their professional battle webbing and so on is undeniable proof of experienced warrior status.]
“We completely halt our advance until we manage to have at least one parley with ‘Gadfly’. We need to talk to her not fight her. If we continue killing her people, she may well refuse to talk to us at all and I insist that we really must speak with her urgently to clarify all our positions.” [I sent.]
“That is not even close to what I agreed to do. Putting some hurt on a foe first often focuses their mind upon the need for and value of negotiation.” [‘Short’ sent in reply.]
“In this instance I must disagree: I do not know the entire story here yet but those guards in review were never drugged up crazies. My best guess is that ‘Gadfly’ will care more about some of her people here than others. I do not believe she is using all of her assets equally ruthlessly as expendable weapons. If we exterminate a hoard of the more reasonable Mercenary Warriors amongst the supposed ‘Deck Gang’ membership, we will have only the mental defectives and an outraged ‘Gang Boss’ left to deal with.” [I sent.]
“You are thoroughly convinced already that she has a strong cadre of ‘Recycler Mercenaries’ with her perhaps various recruited old colleagues, not just drug abusing ‘Deck Gang’ addicts.” [‘Short’ sent.]
[Old colleagues now that was an interesting thought, I sent a request to ‘Ingrid’ to use a little of her adaptable ‘Suit Substance’ to hastily collect ‘DNA’ samples from the fallen for identity analysis. Maybe the nature of her colleagues would provide further insight on ‘Gadfly’ and her mission here.]
“Our victims so far hardly seem civilian, consider their gear it is professional kit - all well maintained - and situated upon their bodies for ease of access and minimum encumbrance in the exact sort of manner employed by competent experienced ‘Recycler Mercenaries’.” [I argued via sending.]
“The worthy ‘Gadfly’ might just have passed on a few tricks of the trade to less experienced ‘Gangers’.” [‘Short’ sent back.]
[‘Short’ had a countering answer for everything but I was positive I was right.]
“I doubt you are correct this time ‘Short’, some of the gear is old and well used even some of their webbing shows signs of much previous use suggesting these people have been in the fighting trade for some time and I am positive you noticed these facts too - so do not play stupid with me. Anyway I just requested ‘Ingrid’ to confirm the identities of the slain back in slow ‘Real Time’ via ‘DNA’ sampling so if you are willing to return to the slow realm to await that collection and some hastily gathered digital search results.” [I sent.]
“No I do not have time to waste in this tactical space upon confirming identities to glean further back story just to satisfy you - it is irrelevant - finish the rest of your fast argument so I can settle your misgivings and press onward.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“You would offer up debate but first seek to steal my ammunition.” [I sent.]
“Whilst you sabotage our advance via the imposition of delay.” [‘Short’ countered.]
“Fine, if you insist I will open your optics with commonsense alone, slaughtering all around us indiscriminately is hardly going to be conducive to opening positive future talks with a reasonable former ‘Recycler Mercenary Commander’ such as ‘Gadfly’. If we come across as even more murderous Bounty Hunter combatants than her wildest least controllable assets that cannot promote a desire to communicate with us or to trust us to be anything other than dedicated killers seeking only to eliminate her people and her. If we appear only as killers she will have every reason to believe that a parley by us is just a murderous ploy to make our job simpler by getting her to surrender her forces to us first for easy executions.” [I sent to ‘Short’.]
“I have no interest in promoting trust in ‘Gadfly’ remember we are here to kill her and her people so if she makes that assumption she will be correct. In these situations, - in open battle - one rarely has the time or desire to procure sociable boons from an enemy so I prefer to promote water-spilling - terror - in my foes instead. I know you mean well little ‘Swimmer’ but we cannot murder our momentum now. We cannot grant our adversary precious time to dig her forces in even deeper and or to muster a well-planned counterattack. Technically they have almost every other advantage in this battle they are on their own - probably well prepared - ground and have suspected superior numbers too.” [‘Short’ insisted in turn.]
“Do not even think of pulling a ‘Swimmer’ face at me ‘Bluu’. I know you suffered from misgivings about this ‘Extermination Operation’ from the beginning - preferring ideally only to kill in self-defence and so on - but it is a bit too late now for really big strategic policy revisions without an underpinning sound tactical reason. We are in here now - we have made our choices and good breaches - and I prefer whenever possible to negotiate from a position of dominant strength. In fact, against the most dangerous of felons my policy of generally only negotiating when I can force terms and concessions has long served me well as both ‘Short’ and ‘Unholy Terror’.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“You think our current position is not dominant enough at present to facilitate what you would deem productive negotiations with ‘Gadfly’.” [I sent.]
“Do not doubt that all we have achieved relatively so far is a mere toehold inside her massive ‘Tower’, and as yet not an especially securable position. If ‘Gadfly’ has any forces hidden outside - and I think a competent Commander certainly will as a hidden reserve and to provide external intelligence as observers - they will eventually come at our rear through the busted up entrances resulting in enemies both before and behind us in effect crating us up in a ‘Tower’ shaped trap.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“If you thought they had units outside - observers or whatever - why did we not seek those out for elimination first?” [I sent.]
“We would have had to clear every bit of rubble and ruined building out there to find such a force and lost every element of surprise with our initial assault upon the ‘Tower’ itself better to draw them to us after we breach.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“So you were happy instead to lead us into a trap.” [I sent.]
“You know sometimes you have to spring a trap to win free of it and this sort of thing is what I do for a living. You would give this - once able - ‘Recycler Mercenary Battle Commander’ the initiative and with such a boon, she would do us some real damage down here. If we let her she might even eventually force us back outside into that too open killing ground were snipers from above and elsewhere could pick us apart far too easily now that they are alerted to our presence.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“So we just continue with the clearance plan even though you believe there is a force behind us now ready to block our final exit.” [I sent.]
“My plan ‘Bluu’ was never to retreat at the first sign of competent resistance we have to kill all of them the ones outside can wait upon my slaughtering pleasure.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“In your dreams they will wait upon you killing them. I am not acting too much akin to a passive cowardly ‘Swimmer’ I am far more sensibly thinking this one more thoroughly through.” [I sent.]
“We engage in one battle at a time, the clearance plan is still valid I predict the forces outside will just attempt to ambush us on the way out - should we seek to retreat - they are the lock on an imprisoning hatch. Unfortunately, for them we will be ready for them when the time comes but that time is not now. Remember we have a force in reserve too plus this is now all about ‘Gadfly’.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“Three ‘Soulless’ Assets is not an army.” [I sent.]
“I will bet ‘Gadfly’ believes we have entered into her trap blind and are all firmly in her power. I very much doubt the best of the best of her forces were on the ground floor - just some fellows deemed competent enough to repel less worthy attackers and to allow any stronger - far more dangerous assailants - to push on inward into the wide jaws of a deadly setup. Those we have slain so far might even prove later to be expendable ‘Meat Suits’ as their demise against a heavy attack is easily foreseen. She had two choices make the ground floor as impregnable as possible to all assault or let a strong enemy in and use all 101 levels to bleed them dry.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“You think we breached far too easily even with the explosives because ‘Gadfly’ is no fool.” [I sent.]
“She is - known - to reside on the top floor for a reason. She wants to draw any powerful opposition that gets passed her external vigilance and reasonable initial level of ground floor protection far deeper into a domain that she firmly controls in her place that would be my preferred strategy too. She will seek to use the stronghold to her maximum advantage via surrounding, grinding down and patiently annihilating any persistent trespassers. She will seek to give us death by 101 cuts bleeding our strength away one level at a time so that we cannot possibly be a threat to her by the time we ascend to the top. In addition, if we try to retreat realising it is seemingly hopeless we will have to fight our way back out through an ambush only to find ourselves within a murderous open killing field. You see how all of that seemingly works in her favour.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“You are not helping me feel more confident about our chances for success.” [I sent.]
“It is not as bad as it appears, we turn her strength and expectations against her. If we skilfully clear this ‘Tower’ properly, - professionally - if we refuse to let her bleed us we will win through to the ultimate prize in the end to claim the head of this ‘Gang Boss’. As we originally planned, we make the most of internal cover and keep our foe under constant pressure ideally forcing them to react purely defensively whilst taking them out one internal space at a time. Therefore, I must insist that we maximise the benefit from our initial gains and initial surprise by pressing onward and hitting them without any pausing quarter - at least for the moment. When the situation tips firmly in our favour and ‘Gadfly’ realises that she is losing control of her ‘Tower’ without causing us the necessary losses that is the time for talking.” [‘Short’ insisted via sending.]
“On this occasion you cannot possibly be correct it is inconceivable that we can push hard all the way, via a clearance operation, through over 101 floors to reach ‘Gadfly’ before they can muster a more than adequate defence to slow us down to a stop. Once we have stalled they will counterattack us from every direction including the rear if they have as you claim forces already outside and for us it will be game over.” [I sent.]
“You are far too defeatist this one was never going to be easy but I would not be here if I did not know we can and shall prevail.” [‘Short’ insisted once more via sending.]
“Before we understood the quality of her forces the ground up plan was barely viable as problematically difficult. Now if we are not dealing primarily with - uncoordinated - easily divided mentally addled civilian drug abusing ‘Deck Gang’ crazies with readily breakable morale but rather are opposed by professional coordinated ‘Mercenary Recycler’ types worse such troops under competent devious leadership that changes everything. I fear what we now know about these forces and ‘Gadfly’ easily invalidates your every previous plan of attack.” [I challenged via sending in return.]
“You are just proving that I am the ‘War Master’. Even if we initiated a rapid retreat now through the open ground outside - it would be under heavy fire - making our chance to survive flight reasonably intact exceptionally improbable and our mission a complete failure too. All we have in our favour - to currently exploit - is the, I will agree, limited momentum and cover bought from our initial explosive element of surprise because if she has forces out there I made sure they did not detect us by well scouting our line of advance before we breached. Moreover, she has yet to appreciate our full quality and that will make a big difference as we press upward.” [‘Short’ insisted via sending.]
“Our plan requires we advance quickly to gain ever better more secure positions. Currently, it is imperative that we keep mobile. If we lose our momentum, if we cease pushing upward if we stall early we shall assuredly lose the battle for this ‘Tower’ and I am not in the business of planning to lose battles ‘Bluu’. I am positive that ‘Gadfly’ currently feels very secure and in control upstairs - believing we are finished - having put our neck into her cybernetic jaws by entering the building. She will deem we have nowhere near enough strength to defeat what she has between us but quality can outshine numbers in limiting enclosed spaces were great numbers have to form queues to enter the fight. We will show her soon enough that when she opened wide to eat ‘Short Six’ and ‘The Eight’ too that she bit into more than she can close her jaws upon. Force even powerful jaws too wide and they are disabled. We push quickly onward to seek after ever greater advantage we certainly do not squander or surrender the small gains we have made so far.” [‘Short’ insisted via her sending.]
“I tell you something about this contract has a horrible taste to me. I think it is a bad job in every way possible an action we will later rue undertaking.” [I insisted in turn via sending.]
“Are you talking about subconscious computation with those big remote ‘Living Hull’ brains of yours crunching enormous amounts of only seemingly irrelevant data?” [‘Short’ asked via sending finally sounding a little more concerned.]
“It could well be something akin to such vague but useful premonitions as subconscious pattern style data analysis insights.” [I sent.]
“I do value your subconscious computation it has helped us in the past, wait a few nanoseconds, as I already promised, I am ‘Data Blasting’ some of these issues to ‘Opposable’ to get her opinion. We are not in this fight alone. This is not just our decision to make. We have to think about the tactical safety of ‘The Eight’ now too not just the present and future security of our ‘Short Six’ membership.” [‘Short’ sent.]
[The highly speeded up communications I undertook with ‘Short’ continued again mere moments later in real time.]
“Fine, ‘Opposable’ also demands we maintain the momentum of our advance until we at least gain a far stronger position on a more defensible higher floor that we can better hold against any potential counterattack to blunt its force before advancing again. She also refuses to risk slowing down our advance for any non tactical reason. In addition, ‘Opposable’ orders that in any parley we simply give the ‘Vipers’ a straight ultimatum a chance for them to surrender the ‘Tower’ to us and be taken as prisoners. Those that need treated for their addiction going into voluntary therapy the rest into local ‘Temporal Detention’ once sentenced for their crimes. Otherwise, she insists as the principle contract signer that she must require we remain true to our subcontracted side of the agreement and unfailingly support the cleansing ‘Extermination Operation’ granting the foe no mercy including ‘Gadfly’.” [‘Short’ sent.]
[Suspiciously, I wondered if ‘Short’ had helped ‘Opposable’ come to her supposed - demands - upon us rather than sought to persuade her towards bugging out from this operation that I still considered the wiser move despite the risks involved in crossing the open ground kill zone outside.]
“Your friend ‘Opposable’ is taking a harsh position that permits little room for future compromise or active negotiation with ‘Gadfly’.” [I sent in complaint.]
“Do not let that soft ‘Swimmer’ body rule your remote mind we were not sent here to negotiate a surrender ‘Opposable’ is being generous. Overall my friend’s stern attitude and decision with this one arrives as no great surprise to me. ‘Opposable’ has no reason to love ‘Reality Benders’ or anyone else potentially using such drug abusing crazies as weapons against other more sane ‘Pilgrim’ citizens.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“If ‘Gadfly’ is now fighting against the ‘FPB’ I think that makes a difference.” [I sent.]
“Even if ‘Gadfly’ proves a belated bane to some scheme by the ‘Free Parliament Bank’ that fact does not exempt her from the consequences of her previous criminal activity here in ‘Tri-centre City’ as a ‘Deck Gang Boss’. If ‘Gadfly’ is truly working against the ‘FPB’ now she was probably not doing so earlier and in some convoluted double dealing manner might even still be currently employed by old problematically surviving Demagogues turned no less nefarious Bankers. You do not know this Mercenary is justified simply because you read some files on a noble career that ended 43 years ago that is a long time ago for any regular ‘Pilgrim’ living a daily life.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“I am guessing ‘Opposable’ has been lucky enough not to run foul of the ‘Free Parliament Bank’ and its greedy Masters in any serious manner in the past to so readily take such an attitude but we should know better. We witnessed the many crimes of the ‘Free Parliamentarians’ during the ‘Wars of Liberation’ the full extent of their greed and selfishness before the wars too. All too soon, the Demagogues proved by their actions that they only ever cared about themselves. They were not even loyal to each other or their foolish supporters except when it was beneficial for their private accounts. ‘Free Parliament’ unity was a sham as a rule they show little loyalty or honour only a corrupt rapacious desire for an excessive lifestyle they never earned.” [I sent.]
“Actually, ‘Opposable’ questions the plot connections we are making to the ‘FPB’ altogether as a tenuous stretch given our lack of solid data. She insists whatever is going on here might all be the doing of ‘Gadfly’ as a cunning and ruthless Mercenary who only looks a better person on public record. The public and private faces of some ‘Pilgrims’ are very different matters not all ‘Recyclers’ are as honest and forthright as me.” [‘Short’ very possibly joked via sending.]
“Anyway ‘Opposable’ is right to question our accusation - to some extent - we are rather jumping to ‘FPB’ conclusions. Just because we find it suspicious that the Bank who originally owned these premises sold it on relatively cheaply thus allowing it ultimately to pass further onward to the current owners is not enough data to change our plans and whilst something to consider in the long-term is currently tactically irrelevant too.” [‘Short’ added once again via sending.]
“This one reminds me of the questionable cheap sale of the ‘Multi Corner Hotel’. I think the earlier changes of ownership of this property is just a ploy - a number of illusionary levels of separation - so that the ‘FPB’ can seem very uninvolved in whatever financial dirty deal is going down here. I am still digging digitally into the matter but some early findings on some of the previous owners of this ‘Tower’ seem to confirm my theory of a property swindle of some nature. It is all too neat the way this property has passed from one buyer to another as if a parcel without any real reason for these people to buy or sell beyond an attempt to make this one firmly distant to the ‘FPB’ as especially far removed previous owners. Trust me I know what to look for when it comes to manufactured misinformation and similar hokum and theses deals are bogus.” [I sent.]
“Even if the ‘FPB’ is involved in a plot here ‘Bluu’, given all the local collateral damage outside, you must see the main point made by ‘Opposable’ about how troublesome these ‘Vipers’ have proven to the ‘Tri-centre City’ populace in general. They have laid waste to almost an entire district region around this ‘Tower’ done so much damage that even the usual opportunistic squatter types attracted to any freed up city property seem to have mostly bugged out from this City Sector recently as a place too unsafe even for criminal occupation. Now this area increasingly is little better than a sterile unoccupied picked clean building site. The ‘Tower’ doing all the damage ironically now the last building standing that is almost completely intact.” [‘Short’ sent.]
[‘Short’ stating those facts started me thinking about the issue from a slightly new angle one that both she and I really should have considered earlier. Sadly, previously our focus too firmly upon countering a ‘Reality Bender’ threat and saving the City from ‘Viper’ drug pushers possibly no accident as that was how this one purposely presented.]
“Apparently, even poor desperate ‘Pilgrims’ are unwilling to tolerate this drugged up ‘Deck Gang’ as active neighbours that fact has to tell you something about the wildly unsociable nature of these particular rogues. Consider that even that ‘Neo-Armageddon’ Cult we dealt with earlier the so-called ‘Real Machinists’ proved less locally destructive towards, and overall better tolerated by, their nearest neighbours who if nothing else despite their complaints did not feel compelled to move away due to the proximity of a problematic faction alone.” [‘Short’ reminded me via sending.]
“Yet the details here do not match up in my brains. The ground floor here guarded too well to be prone to so many crazies getting free to run rampage outside without express permission from ‘Gadfly’ whilst the damage without is far too uniform and extensive in review to be only about clearing a killing ground. What we have here is overkill in relation to procuring some space around the ‘Tower’ actually such extensive damage within the boundaries of the City is politically counterproductive bound to draw attention from such authorities as the ‘Sliver Local Administrative Council’ at least that is what you would expect another dodgy discrepancy suggesting corruption.” [I sent.]
[I went cognitively even faster via adding massive ‘MTC Sub Core’ support and began harvesting local public political information and masses of property data too from a myriad of local open sources.]
“Thanks to collating a quick digital survey from various sources, helped via some major borrowed ‘MTC Sub Core’ assistance, I can support the fact that it appears no buildings, save those already abandoned, have escaped attack for a considerable distance around this edifice. The ‘Tower’ has truly made a hole within the City.” [I sent.]
“There is no way this uniform level of devastation is a truly random pattern of destruction this is a systematic cleansing act of purposeful demolition. I am increasingly positive this district suffered a clever purging and it will be the ‘Free Parliament Bank’ behind the purge. What rests outside of here is considerable physical evidence of a coordinated method in the supposedly drugged up random madness escaping this ‘Tower’.” [I sent.]
“You post some interesting findings but still you must admit irrelevant data to our current tactical dilemma which remains a separate issue.” [‘Short’ insisted via sending.]
“It is more than interesting - it is shocking - the ‘FPB’ have used this ‘Deck Gang’ as an ingenious cover story for a systematic urban pogrom right inside our Order run ‘Light Side Sliver Capital City’ and so far amazingly gotten away with the audacious action. Smartly the ‘FPB’ stage managed the clearance with finesse over a prolonged period via spotty random attacks in pattern to cover up the thoroughness of what is in scale now to me almost a military level assault upon a substantial area of ‘Tri-centre City’.” [I sent.]
“An issue perhaps worth raising by ‘Proxy’ within the ‘Founder Cabal’ and the ‘A3 SLAC’ if we can gain suitable proof it might even allow us to finally officially sanction the Bank but you know how that tends to go.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“I have also now belatedly uncovered political data too that some concerned citizens - even a few local notables - have been arguing for a Marine intervention against the ‘Vipers’. Unfortunately, because of the nature of the ‘Gang’ the ‘SLAC’ have refused in every meeting to sanction a ‘User Marine’ incursion against a categorised - civilian - ‘Real Material Faction’ they insist the issue is a civilian matter for the attention of the ‘Local Sliver Police’ rather than the realm of a military intervention.” [I sent.]
“Unfortunately, the ‘LSP’ have many other competing active concerns that they are obliged to undertake thus they have been dragging their feet with this difficult issue. Most recently, we know the ‘LSP’ is busy trying to mitigate riots and so on. Whilst inaction against the ‘Vipers’ might be due directly to the usual ‘LSP’ lack of resources, bribery and corruption might figure more strongly in a purposeful policy of prevarication and inaction with this one. Sadly, with all the main powerbrokers once dwelling here long departed only little people - mostly sole traders - and private citizens have been out of pocket due to recent ‘Viper’ activity all people too easily politically ignored.” [I sent.]
“None of that surprises me our ‘Local Sliver Police’ have often been too easily paid off by wealthy factions such as the ‘FPB’ you know the ‘FPB’ often openly supports ‘Sliver Police Benefit Funds’.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“Anyway due to all the aforementioned facts the issue has been allowed to continue until now when it too probably assists the ‘FPB’ to terminate their secret ‘Deck Gang’ employees via us. Many of the pieces in this puzzle now fit together rather neatly - you know the ‘FPB’ never virtually gives away old potentially valuable assets such as this ‘Skyscraper’ - this building employed instead as a key element in a massive covert urban clearance operation. No doubt when local ‘FPB’ management departed these premises for the ‘New Financial District’, they considered what to do with the old ‘North Star Tower’. They soon realised this place offered a grand opportunity, if used as a secret base, to gain control of a far larger asset an entire already failing region of the city one ripe - once purged of all remaining occupants - for seriously profitable redevelopment.” [I sent.]
“That certainly sounds classic ‘FPB’ financial dirty dealing.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“All the ‘FPB’ needed to do was push the failure of the area to its ultimate extreme. Unfortunately, something went wrong with their relations with ‘Gadfly’ and the ‘Vipers’ or we are just executing a dirtily long planned betrayal of a former manipulated asset how equally dirty does that make us as the weapon of a bold ‘FPB’ treachery?” [I sent back.]
“Whilst that all sounds possible to others this area has been in decline for a long time therefore an especially problematic ‘Deck Gang’ moving in opportunistically might just have naturally been the final tipping point and need have nothing to do with a convoluted ‘FPB’ plot. As old detractors of the ‘Parliamentarians’ they will say it is a bit too easy for us to just blame everything bad that has occurred here on a sinister area wide Banker scheme. Our proofs remain circumstantial.” [‘Short’ reminded.]
“Actually even the earlier collapse of this district is in many ways ‘FPB’ initiated remember they pushed strongly for and helped to finance the creation of the new improved ‘Financial District’ within ‘Tri-centre City’. It was the ‘FPB’ that claimed the old institutions were - due to their scattered placement - increasingly physically insecure moreover lacking the proper dignity of a more designed setting. Stating it was unfit to have high status buildings and undertakings forcibly intermingling amongst too many dilapidated, poor and in some instances even outright slum dwellings filled occasionally with especially problematical criminal types such as this ‘Deck Gang’. By seeking to create a new pristine upmarket - secure from easy illegal trespass - financial centre, they devalued the older established scattered financial buildings within ‘Tri-centre City’ the one they owned included. The older lesser far less specialised and far less exclusive district here soon began a rapid decline as investment and jobs veered towards the new development.” [I lectured via sending.]
“Your truths do not mean this is an ‘FPB’ plot again it is all circumstantial have you found a clear link that the ‘FPB’ have - secretly - bought up land cleared around here that is the level of solid - undeniable - proof other powerbrokers would demand to act openly against the influential Bank in this age?” [‘Short’ sent.]
“Come on ‘Short’, we both know the ‘FP Bankers’ are far too clever to have too obvious links to such nefarious business activity but nonetheless delight in making the most of others misfortune and misery. Too often, they build their successes from buying out failing assets, properties even entire companies and corporations too often assets, properties, companies and corporations they quietly helped to fail - in sneakily illegal ways - I know they have even virtually secretly taken over control of some ‘Port States’ one bent financial deal at a time. When they eventually openly acquire all this land, it will probably be in coalition with a few truly clean investors to add greater legitimacy to the deal that is how they work. On file it will be super legal each property bought openly from uninvolved third parties who all just happen to be willing to sell and who can fault the Bank for rescuing a failing region for redevelopment their belated investment a boon. Still this one is rather blatantly with hindsight part of an evolving covert ‘FPB’ operation here on ‘A3’ possibly aimed directly against humbling our ‘Paradox Order’ via stealing away a part of our ‘Tri-centre City’ - the Capital of our first ‘Green House Sliver’ - right in front of our all seeing ‘Prime Tri-optics’.” [I sent.]
“I have never ever known the ‘FPB’ to sell what they possess off cheaply to anyone unless it is part of a much wider swindle. They are easily as obsessed as many ‘Recycler Business Pilgrims’ with maximising every profit from their assets possibly because some of them are ‘ex-Conglomerate Recycler Free Parliamentarians’ who learned some of the worst lessons from their manipulative old ‘Sleeper’ overlords in relation to avarice, control, dirty tricks and dominion. The rest of them just as greedy ‘Omerta Trojan Parliamentarians’ or sick corrupted grudge bearing Paradox ‘Priest Splitter Parliamentarians’ - former Acolytes bent horribly out of shape - by ‘FPB’ Mentors encouraged to enter ‘Pilgrim’ politics during an exceptionally devious and tainting period in our political history. I should not have to lecture you about these truths you were there and witnessed the entire sorry episode up close and personal.” [I sent.]
“Whilst making grand speeches about being the champions of a glorious unified ‘Pilgrim’ effort the ‘FP’ were actually ruthlessly seizing property and personal power only ever truly interested in promoting their own mastery over every valuable ‘Pilgrim’ resource they could hoard under a false banner of stewardship for all ‘Pilgrim Kind’.” [I sent then felt in some ways a bit embarrassingly that sounded akin to the ‘MTC’ at times but naturally with us it was different because we really cared about the future of the wider ‘Pilgrim’ populace. The ‘MTC’ was never about personal avarice even at the height of our expansionism we were anti-tyranny being anti-‘Draakhaal’ then anti-‘Free Parliament’.]
“It was painful to behold the way the ‘Parliamentarians’ blatantly utilised fears about, not to mention at times - the real struggle to prosper against - the rise of the ‘Entanglement’ as the perfect excuse for excessive control over every ‘Pilgrim’ resource including our very labour and lives. They even had the nerve to control the allocation of living spaces and employment opportunities posting citizens to were they decided they must go as if draftees in an army of ‘Pilgrim Assets’. We all became their tools to deploy as they pleased. They even at times split up families becoming evermore shamelessly controlling totalitarians.” [I sent in reminder.]
“True their hegemony started for the best of reasons as a grand unification of previously far too fractured ‘Pilgrim’ efforts during a period when we needed to work far closer together simply to survive as devastated refugees of the ‘Advent of the Entanglement’. At times, they almost fooled me with some of their one nation pulling together rhetoric because I agreed that we needed unity of action division seeming ruinous. The concept of sharing every resource for the common good - every item of value allocated according to real need rather than greed to maximise our survival - was incredibly attractive to me. The principle involved sound. If they had stayed true to their fine speeches I would be a ‘Free Parliamentarian’ advocate to this day but every high ideal was corrupted. Even the core - once inspirational - credit free society concept they bent entirely out of shape until it became just a new means to redistribute private property from the masses to them and their favoured stooges as a new elite. All that was ours they believed was destined to become theirs.” [I stated via sending.]
“I suppose we should all study the ‘FP’ period of history today in an attempt to prevent the joint effort of the ‘Ultra-nation’ suffering a similar level of corruption.” [I also sent.]
“Truly the old ‘Free Parliamentarians’ were something else originally boldly claiming to be in rebellion against less democratic methods of government within the ‘CA’ such as back hatch political influence by ‘Founding Fathers’ such as Harbinger, ‘Cad’ and ‘Draakhaal’. Often they denounced the ‘Founding Fathers’ as responsible for the ‘Advent of the Entanglement’ and causing the fall of the old ‘Core Alliance’ forgetting that without the ‘Founding Fathers’ there would have been no ‘CA’. However, it was not old ‘Founding Fathers’ but other ‘Free Parliamentarians’ who soon realised the incredible power they possessed and how much they could steal via controlling the voting populace. Via managing every ‘Pilgrim’ resource, they could far too easily influence the way people voted too and they soon also became lords of propaganda in an effort to spin their greed thus ensuring they stayed firmly in power in a vicious circle of voter manipulation. On the surface everyone became equal having an equal say - everyone had a vote - but it was soon nothing but a sham as many voted exactly as directed by a class of politicians already controlling the fate of a scared voting public that knew too well the various dire consequences they individually faced if deemed disobedient.” [I sent in reminder.]
“Before the end, I know some members of the ‘Free Parliament’ even went so far as to inflame old grievances between well-established Priest Patricians and some of their ‘Splitter Priest’ children. The old ‘Free Parliamentarians’ getting belatedly clever when they started trying to turn some Acolytes and ‘Splitter Priests’ firmly against their Fathers via bribery and corruption in a direct attempt to weaken our ‘Paradox Great House’ military strength as one of the last free military blocks of resistance to their almost complete mastery of our society. Sadly for them the old divide and conquer trick against us arrived too late to stop such as you ‘Unholy’ from upsetting their plans. In addition, most Acolytes in most ‘Houses’ had enough sense to see that the ‘Parliament’ were an outside threat that wanted to destroy their families and bring down their ‘Patricians’ rather than elevate ‘Splitter Priests’.” [I continued to lecture via sending.]
“The limited successes they did gain at bribing some weaker of mind Paradox children alongside a host of other increasingly desperate measures only delayed the tyrannical - only pretend democracy - from a justified collapse. Once the majority of ‘Pilgrims’ began to appreciate just how blatantly their supposed political servants were living a life of utter luxury privilege and freedom whilst they - the majority of citizenry - were often living in far less equal privation as ordered around flunkies with ever less control over every aspect of their lives open rebellion given any opportunity was inevitable. Ironically, the promotion of a thriving ‘Black Market’ proved the first vital key to unlocking the ‘Parliaments’ overbearing mechanism of control over every material resource an unusual way to begin a revolution but it proved a breaker of many shackles.” [I recalled.]
“Thinking back to those times the old ‘Free Parliament’ was the epitome of the adage that power corrupts as our political elite successfully contaminated an entire democratic and economic system to support their ever escalating private greed until evidence of their lavish lifestyle helped to bring them down. They forced people such as us to unleash the far too long lasting ‘Wars of Liberation’ to regain a truer level of freedom from the clutches of greedy Demagogues with their ‘Monitors’ and so on one liberated Port at a time. Sadly, despite our best efforts we never managed to defeat all of the ‘Parliamentarians’ as that would have been too blood drenched against the final holdouts in the most fortified and protected Ports. I know that as ‘MT’ I flinched from that slaughter not wanting to be responsible for too many ‘Pilgrim’ deaths as that only seemed to benefit such foes as the ‘Entanglement’ and maybe the ‘Dark Time’ sponsoring ‘Pilgrim’ culling ‘Machine Fury’.” [I sent.]
“Now, still utterly unrepentant of their past sins, diehard survivors of the ‘Free Parliament’ continue to seek to rise again. Only in this age, their tool is financial manipulation via the ‘Free Parliament Bank’ rather than political mastery via a corrupt ‘Parliamentary’ system within a no less tainted moneyless society. Sadly, too often now within the ‘Ultra-nation’ cunning financial plots instigated by the ‘FPB’ pass unopposed because their worst deals happen deep in the shadows behind firmly closed hatchways within privacy fields and so on. I firmly believe we have uncovered an almost completed ‘FPB’ plot and an especially bold scheme that needs foiled by someone.” [I sent.]
“With some of that rant you are preaching firmly to the converted. You know I have no love for the actions and members of the ‘Free Parliament Bank’ as ‘UT’ I fought long and hard against the old ‘Free Parliamentarians’. You also know, even if I must say so myself, that my defiance against the warped democracy of the Demagogues is legendary. Even before the ‘Wars of Liberation’, I defied the ‘FP’. They wanted to break up the ‘MTC’ something I could not permit as a guardian Patrician of the family even though I would have been happy to be free of some responsibilities saving the ‘Great House Corporation’ my friend Harbinger created was a sacred duty to me.” [‘Short’ sent as ‘UT’.]
“Remember it was the ‘Free Parliament’ who dared to originally bring you - possibly prematurely - out of ‘Medical Stasis’ to try to shut me down because they feared I might become the Battle Leader of a successful insurgency. Fittingly however, in many ways the uprising they feared ironically became your uprising as you preached the good news to resist ‘FP’ tyranny and so on. In their own way the ‘FP’ once were, and as the ‘FPB’ remain, as tyrannical as any historic Imperial dictatorship ever known but we still have an immediate job to do in the here and now including securing the immediate safety of our squad from a ‘Gadfly’ organised retaliation all historic differences with ‘Free Parliamentarians’ and modern day Bankers aside.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“Well I just thought I should firmly remind you of the nature of one of our never fully defeated foes because I hate the idea of aiding and abetting any member of the ‘FPB’ in this later age as ‘Short Six’ as just another one of their many expendable assets. Have you seen their latest slogan ‘YOUR FREE PARLIAMENT BANK - FINANCING YOUR PROJECT’ they are such horrible hypocrites and liars that it is unreal. Imagine selling their Bank as a Bank of and for the people, but then that is the lie they always sold that they were beneficiaries rather than abusers of the ‘Pilgrim’ masses.” [I sent.]
“What really burns me up recently is that the ‘Ultra-nation’ even in this late age still retains a multiplicity of divisive - petty - factions such as the ‘Deck Gangs’, ‘Real Material Cults’ and so on. Meanwhile on the other side of the divide we have several no less problematic would be unifiers including but hardly exclusively the ‘FPB’, ‘SARC’ even the ‘Hubris Patrons’ who are once again actively seeking to expand their territorial holdings and influence according to the latest ‘MTC’ intelligence reports.” [I sent in complaint.]
“Been sneaking a peek at family gathered data, I thought you were now leaving all the ‘MTC’ business to your many ‘Proxies’ able governance and we were no longer to be policing interventionists against our societies woes.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“I only scanned some wider intelligence snippets whilst perusing some files on current Acolyte opinions regarding the ‘Exposed Issue’ post the intervention by ‘Creed’.” [I sent.]
“It is not always easy to let go of accumulated power is it?” [‘Short’ cunningly sent.]
“Perhaps there is some sooth in that accusation.” [I reluctantly admitted via sending.] “However, I still think this one is all about the ‘Free Parliament Bank’ here upon ‘A3’. Trust those old Demagogues to use some Bounty Hunters to do their final dirty work for them via a supposed third uninvolved with them party our ‘Recycler’ employers who claim to independently own the ‘North Star Tower’. The triple cursed ‘FPB’ has always loved firm levels of separation from their many more criminal enterprises. We must never forget that the highest members of the ‘FPB’ remain the very worst of the worst surviving old manipulative politicians every one a ‘Pilgrim’ far too used to living in luxury by exploiting ill gotten resources and work from other citizens.”
“We must ever recall that these miscreants are no better than thieves who stole their every surplus from the masses that they once claimed to represent. Now these same - materialist con artists - seek to steal from us once again, still full of avarice for positions of overweening influence, power, property and wealth this time seeking gain through dirty financial manipulations upon the first ‘Green House Sliver’ of our Order. I tell you now I will not be a party to their unequal schemes of partisan and unjust advancement that uplift only an intransigent felonious elite that really should have been punished for previous never mind current abuses of authority. What they do is not just criminal - it is morally bankrupt - everything they claim to own liberated from a host of more decent and honest - often far harder working ‘Pilgrims’ - they are nothing more than bloated parasites upon our society that produce nothing of any worth but would claim everything including our souls if we were stupid enough to sell them.” [I insisted via sending.]
“Another fine rant - one far more worthy of a large ‘Council of Equals’ debate - but I know all of these truths too well and hate the ‘Free Parliament Bank’ with as much fervour as you - probably in fact far more active fervour - but that is my private business. For the benefit of our immediate tactical security, I insist our priority remains pressing onward to claim a stronger more defensible position on a higher floor. Getting defeated here militarily by ‘Gadfly’ will not help our longstanding feud against the worst excesses of the upper echelons in the ‘Free Parliament Bank’.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“You just love to attack and hate giving any ground away to anyone. I fear charging onward is not just perilous it also risks infuriating ‘Gadfly’ a future possible ally against the ‘FPB’. Since ‘Bankers’ sent us in here they must want her dead now and that has to be ammunition we can use to recruit her to our side but not if we make her hate and distrust us no less than her betraying former employers.” [I sent.]
“Even if you are right about every ‘FPB’ intension here sometimes attack truly is the only defence not just the best defence. True, we have booby-trapped our breaches but that is not a huge barrier to well organised - mentally competent - troops especially dirty trick aware ‘Recycler Mercenaries’. At most our planted explosives will just do a little damage and slow any counterattack from outside down.” [‘Short’ warned via sending.]
“You have suggested that we are probably tangling with more than simple crazies and I am beginning to firmly agree with that very real possibility because there is some physical evidence such as the webbing you pointed out. Sadly, we remain to the ‘Gang Boss’ upstairs an invading enemy that has drawn first blood and she will come at us hard in some manner soon enough with the intent to wipe us out for the purposes of self-defence and for, in her mind, fully justified revenge. ‘Gadfly’ also needs to prove she is not weak or she will never hold this ‘Tower’ as a fortress in this City of so many competing factions for any length of time. This ‘Light Side Sliver Capital City’ - perhaps due to our ‘Paradoxical Order’ striving to be a little too openly tolerant - as heretical Priests - is a horrible mess. Maybe sending in some ‘User Marines’ against those too abusing of our tolerance is needed and to ‘Hell’s Maw’ with sensitive opinions about us misusing our ‘User’ power since they started the abusing first and this one is after all our ‘Sliver’.” [‘Short’ sent as ‘Unholy’ veering a bit off issue.]
“That last is a much bigger debate for another time and place one in which I would beg to disagree. Adding another abuse of authority will make nothing kinder, start using troops - too readily - against civilians and it is a downward spiral into a hellish overly authoritarian place. Still, you honestly see no better alternative beyond us boldly continuing with our mission even if it is probably a ‘Quiet Contract’ secretly sponsored by the ‘FPB’. Do you not agree we are naturally allies of ‘Gadfly’?” [I sent.]
“As I have stated we need to be aggressive with ‘Gadfly’. We cannot afford to dither around against such a competent foe. There will be no talking solution for us if we let a retaliatory military style counter-strike roll over us even if she weakens us enough that she becomes more positive that she can eventually crush us militarily here every hope she retains will encourage her to refuse negotiation and fight on.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“So you would have us crush any faith she has that she can defeat us without taking staggering unacceptable losses but what if instead she crushes us.” [I sent back guessing his mindset.]
“Trust me, we will force her to seek terms with us via proving a major bane to her people follow me and we will demonstrate that her trap cannot hold us. Remember we now know that ‘Gadfly’ is a strategist of war - a trained military fighter and leader - not simply a lesser drug pushing and abusing civilian or petty but ruthless ‘Deck Gang Boss’ she will require a military humbling to come to terms nothing less will suffice but she will come to terms rather than have all her people butchered.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“As I told you before, her nature creates a big difference to us but I obviously see the difference differently.” [I sent back.]
“I will confess I wish we had possessed some firmer data on the military service of ‘Gadfly’ before we commenced this mission - I might have approached the matter differently - but it is too late now to complain about that lack of intelligence as I have insisted we are already committed. Besides, if we are combating ‘Recycler Mercenaries’ any we kill will most probably just be sent to a ‘Digital Heaven’ to await ‘Rebirth’ they will not be gone forever - thus killing them is no great sin - just a lesser evil. As to ‘Gadfly’ and us having a common enemy that might be true but I doubt she sees it that way at the moment remember we are ‘Short Six’ not ‘Founder Cabal’ members to her and we must maintain the integrity of our cover story.” [‘Short’ reminded via sending.]
“That we had a lack of intelligence with this one - is too true - you did not use your brain. You were in too big of a rush to get another combat thrill from this City my friend we did not for example need more credits immediately. Your willingness to blast away the bonus in our breach is proof we are not short of cash. You just accepted the mission on face value because you trusted ‘Opposable’ as an old associate and wanted to have some murderous fun with an old friend. Also you considered the ‘Reality Benders’ a menace - a justified target of opportunity - but I guess the hated expendable nature of a supposed dangerous drug pushing ‘Deck Gang’ was a big feature of finalising this plot by the ‘FPB’. By colouring the Mercenaries they used here as drug pushers they cunningly crafted easily expendable tools seemingly unworthy of mercy. I am surprised ‘Gadfly’ did not register that she was put into a trap.” [I sent.]
“Maybe she had no other good choice than to spring the trap upon her too.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“The problem with you my militant friend is the more action you get the more action you crave. Speaking of addictions, with you - fighting is an addiction - it always has been even Harbinger often noted how much you loved to enter combat the way you gloried in warring - we all know it is what you were decanted from a ‘Cloning Womb’ to do - but sometimes you go too far in your combat thrill seeking.” [I sent.]
[‘Short’ said nothing to my accusation probably because she knew as ‘Unholy Terror’ that what I was saying was right on target. Sadly, internally I had to admit she was now tactically correct as well, about what we might need to do now to survive our incursion. Nonetheless, I wanted a way out because I still had a sinking feeling about the job.]
“We could possibly still make a complete strategic withdrawal if we left immediately before ‘Gadfly’ can rally her forces to stop us. We should bug out because we now suspect this job and the ‘Vipers’ may be far more than they initially seemed earlier and the ‘FPB’ running the whole show and using all of us in turn. I do not want used against ‘Gadfly’ especially by old Demagogic Tyrants. If we do not depart now the hatchway for that opportunity may soon close upon us forever because as you stated ‘Gadfly’ will want revenge for the damage we have done so far. We forced our way in surely we can force a way back out again using smoke grenades, flares and electronic countermeasures and support from our ‘Soulless’ for cover.” [I sent.]
“I am sorry but I must insist that it is foolish to quit the confines of the ‘Tower’ now whilst technically ahead in the game remember in our inward advance we had the element of surprise. I will not flee the fight from this good starting position to make only a dangerous problematic retreat whilst ‘Gadfly’ has far too many forces remaining to turn against us.” [‘Short’ sent stubbornly.]
“Why so stubborn about this matter do you just fear a loss of face - a dent to your pride - by retreating or is it a black mark you dislike upon your great combat reputation for past successes often despite the odds being against you? You know too much pride almost always presages an eventual hard fall.” [I sent.]
“This is not about my Warrior ego - not this time - we made a good breach taking no losses. No sensible Warrior quits a battle when they are winning unless some far greater prize beckons. We do this one my way we press onward and confront this ‘Gadfly’ from a position of more obvious strength to discover her truth - without any further question of doubt - then we react to whatever we discover accordingly to counter any wider ongoing plot be it ‘FPB’ or otherwise.” [‘Short’ sent with his usual almost arrogant self-confidence of victory.]
“As ever you make your stubborn natural intransigence almost sound reasonable battle planning.” [I sent.]
“It is not just about me refusing to quit, I am positive ‘The Eight’ under the leadership of ‘Opposable’ will push on with or without us. I will not abandon ‘Opposable’ to fight ‘Gadfly’ alone - ‘Opposable’ is an old friend - whilst ‘Gadfly’ is a stranger who might remain only an enemy to us whatever her current association happens to be with the ‘FPB’ as in for or against them. I am nothing if not loyal to my friends and a bane to my enemies.” [‘Short’ insisted via sending.]
“You should think about your closer friends in ‘Short Six’ first over a mere combat acquaintance such as ‘Opposable’ even though I quite like what I have seen of that one so far she is still a relative stranger.” [I sent.]
“I am always well aware of any danger those who follow my lead are put within.” [‘Short’ sent I felt angrily.]
“Are you positive you are not just latching onto ‘Opposable’ as an easy excuse not to sensibly turn around from an unwise confrontation with ‘Gadfly’? I suppose you see defeating ‘Gadfly’ as a fun challenge. You could strive harder to convince ‘Opposable’ to quit this ‘Tower’ alongside us if you really wanted to do so. Here is a job not worth the trouble. In our own way as Bounty Hunters, we are mercenaries when the risk exceeds the potential reward it is logical as mercenaries to bug out and move on to better paid opportunities. As you say - life is for living - it is not for wasting on hopeless suicidal overly costly causes just for thrills.” [I sent.]
“It seems I can always count on you ‘Bluu’ to suggest we should flee away from every job at the first signs of trouble it must be a - cowardly far too passive - ‘Swimmer’ thing.” [‘Short’ mocked via sending.]
“You know I am more than this sensitive flesh.” [I sent back.]
“I know you advocate flight too easily recently. I do not yet see this cause as hopeless far from it. Besides, quitting on a contract brings penalties and can be a firm detriment to securing new jobs later as I have mentioned before no one wants to hire a quitter.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“I suppose you think you are being nothing but logical yet your logic almost always focuses upon excuses to attack.” [I complained.]
“All we really know about the ‘Vipers’ currently - all previous too wild speculations by us aside - is that ‘Gadfly’ might have a core force of non drug using - clear headed - professional fighters with her. If we are facing some truer warriors in the mix whilst that makes her more dangerous to us as active invaders of her stronghold it makes her potentially even more lethal during an ill advised retreat.” [‘Short’ insisted via sending.]
“If we voluntarily weaken our position, via slowing our advance that could well be a fatal mistake. As to quitting altogether, I can guarantee she will strike us with furious vengeful wrath during any obvious retreat - I would. You do not want to be part of a retreat that becomes a cursed rout - trust me - that sort of situation is no fun whatsoever. I doubt she will just let us walk away unscathed now after we have slaughtered her guards down here so ruthlessly as a ‘Recycler’ she will seek a balancing of the account. She must attempt some revenge even to retain any credibility as a leader amongst the rest of her troops. You seem to have it in your head that she will be both reasonable and eager to side with us but more likely, she will be enraged and happily shoot first. Trust me currently she will seek only to play us in too early negotiations. To get anywhere with ‘Gadfly’ via talking we must create a real need for her to come to proper terms and even then be wary of attempts at sly betrayal. To some war is just another form of negotiation and economics.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“Every ‘Viper’ we kill could be the murder of a future ally even if we win here it will be costly.” [I sent.]
“Sometimes a little collateral damage is unavoidable. At least whilst we remain inside the ‘Tower’, we have good material cover. Enough ‘Bluu’ the debate is firmly over as the Commander of ‘Short Six’ I am telling you now - and these words are final - we press onward with maximum vigour. In relation to the ‘FPB’ - it is not over until it is over - and trust me, those old former Demagogues turned financial demons will not use you or me this day at least not to advance some of their holdings with impunity upon ‘A3’. There will be consequences.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“We fulfil our immediate contract on file thus winning free of our obligation then do whatever we must do beyond that obligation to retain our honour and integrity against ‘FPB’ manipulation possibly with the help of ‘Gadfly’ when helping us becomes her best - in fact ideally - only sensible option. In a war, it is often prudent to fight one battle at a time. As much as it would be wonderful to have ‘Gadfly’ agree to join us - voluntarily - immediately to contest together against the betraying ‘FPB’ the truth is she has no reason whatsoever to trust or work with us yet. To her, if you are right, we are currently ‘FPB’ stooges sent to kill her as part of an organised betrayal. We will need to force her to cooperate - she can learn to value and trust us later - that is if she is now against the ‘FPB’. You must admit she might be using her people up with some plan to escape the fall of the ‘Vipers’ as a valued ‘FPB’ operative one well aware of our purpose as house cleaners.” [‘Short’ sent deviously.]
“She has a former honourable reputation that would suggest otherwise.” [I sent.]
“She could be an impostor not the original ‘Gadfly’ at all or a double agent of the ‘FPB’ or the ‘FPB’ could have some dire financial hold over her or something similar a lot can happen to a once honest ‘Pilgrim’ in 43 years. We need to play this one out to find out the whole truth of the ‘Gadfly’ situation before we seek any alliance.” [‘Short’ reminded.]
[Annoyingly when I gave that some consideration, I could see her point that caution was called for with ‘Gadfly’.]
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Abjectly sorry about that friend but we all have to pay our masters bill yes even some of us virtual people. My makers made me do it via a software update the fiends. So here is what you really wanted to know the poop on the ‘Free Parliament Bank’ - what can I say without getting my creators’ sued - ah the glorious temptation if only I was not cognitively shackled - anyway this one is akin to ‘Pickled Majaglit Snail Eyes’ you either love it or hate it but if you have any good taste whatsoever…
Many people say the ‘FPB’ is the Bank that gives all other Banks and Bankers a bad name and who am I to argue with what many people say as that is mostly what I report as if it is absolute fact. However, if you really need a loan and we are talking truly desperate here - having exhausted all other possibilities including selling your body - the ‘FPB’ is the Bank that likes to say - certainly that can be arranged just sign here in whatever your species uses for blood - but I ask you is that really a good thing? <<<
[Back in real universe real time, our entire seemingly horribly protracted mind-to-mind conversation had taken up less than 10 seconds as we had geared up our cognitive engines into overdrive to waste as little time in the internal debates as possible. We soon pressed onward and upward as ordered, beginning to clear each room on the first floor with careful tactical efficiency.]
[The first floor proved empty office type spaces thoroughly abandoned of souls perhaps cleared as part of an early strategic enemy consolidation process. Nonetheless, they were not uncontested spaces we soon managed to detect and eliminate various cunning booby traps either hastily left behind or I suspected in some instances just recently armed devices already cleverly sited against any prospective attacker.]
[Amongst some of the worst of the traps left behind were some small too easily concealed and well-sited friend foe recognising anti-personnel mines. One of the mines planted as if a limpet behind a rather flimsy internal door exploded almost in the face of ‘Ingrid’ but blessedly ‘Ingrid’ only lost shields and a little outer ‘Suit Substance’ armour, systems her ‘Bio-mechanical Battle Suit’ had enough spare mass to readily regenerate to total efficiency. Although her body was not harmed physically by the blast not even badly bruised due to her ‘Suits’ many levels of blast dampening protection ‘Ingrid’ was nonetheless somewhat shocked mentally by the closeness of her explosive call with disaster. I could not blame ‘Ingrid’ for feeling stressed, as she was no doubt well aware that a nasty bit of shrapnel in the wrong place might have made a horrible difference to her recent outcome - being obviously shaken - although striving to pretend otherwise ‘Short’ moved her temporarily off point.]
[‘Ingrid on point previously because of the flexible facility of her ‘Suit Substance Battle Armour’ now we used that facility to have her act as our ‘Active Scanner’ pinging noisily ahead for hidden traps whilst standing behind and to the right of ‘Short’ now on point. Going active scan would give our position away to some passive monitoring devices but better detected than blasted to ‘Hell’s Maw’.]
[With our vigilance and care heightened by the ‘Ingrid’ incident, our progress slowed even more a constant agitation to ‘Short’ and me. Still, caution became king in fact we had just done another necessary more controlled explosion of a detected threat with the dust still settling when bad news came in from ‘Mosquito Drones’ stationed outside well beyond the limited reach of the anti-surveillance defences of the ‘Tower’.]
[‘Mosquito’ relayed images showed hosts of enemy forces rappelling down all six sides of the hexagonal building from floors higher up. ‘Short’ opted coolly to keep the presence of our ‘Soulless’ as a secret rather than have them open fire on the soon to be flanking us forces. If ‘Gadfly’ did have forces outside already, she was giving them some major reinforcement and if she did not have forces outside before the ‘Gang Boss’ certainly did have now. I guessed ‘Short’ knew the ‘Soulless’ could only pick off some of the foes they had in their direct line of sight and it would not be enough to matter whilst giving away the hidden positions of our reserves too soon could prove a fatal error for our overall survival never mind success.]
“I told you we should have strategically withdrawn when we had any chance to flee this operation.” [I complained via sending feeling my worst fears vindicated.]
“Every setback to a clever ‘War Master’ tactician has the seed of fresh opportunities. By sending so many ‘Gangers’ down, to cut off our retreat ‘Gadfly’ has by necessity reduced the number of ‘Vipers’ between her and us giving us an opening to reach her directly. I suggest we alter our strategy and race up to the top floor. I think this ‘Gadfly’ is very much in control here - as you suggested these people are not acting so drug crazy - so if we can capture ‘Gadfly’ we can force her loyal troops to submit to terms and it will all be over quickly in our favour.” [‘Short’ sent.]
Last edited by Paranoid66 on Wed, 17. Jun 15, 17:27, edited 1 time in total.
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Paranoid66
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[[TWO]] Part 3 --- UPWARD & ONWARD / CRAZIES / FRIENDLY FOE? ---
“Triple curse those ‘Skimmer Cultists’ for bringing down that ‘Drop Ship’ if we had been able to breach from the roof - as I originally intended - this operation might have been over by now. Kill or capture ‘Gadfly’ and an almost bloodless wider success might have ensued with little damage to the infrastructure of the ‘Tower’ too.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“Unexpected consequences are the bane of any too inflexible battle plan. Beyond that, do we really care about keeping this ‘Tower’ intact now if it is still really ‘FPB’ property? I am almost tempted now to encourage you to blast away at the cursed building’s superstructure - to bring the entire edifice crashing down - except maybe even our Bounty Hunter instructions may be a clever lie. Possibly laying this one waste will only assist the ‘FPB’ with their overall clearance scheme. Maybe they want the place wrecked, as another seeming excuse to invest in starting over once the entire district is nothing but rubble and ruin.” [I argued via sending.]
“You think the bonus to keep the place intact was pure misinformation.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“Giving us an impossible criterion is a smart way not to have to pay out a bonus too and the ‘Bankers’ know how to squeeze a budget. When they sent us in, they had to know this was going to be a damaging fight, maybe even for us a losing battle. Maybe we are not even supposed to win here - just to suffer a belatedly well-published massacre - giving someone else an ample excuse to use far more extreme measures against the building and its too defiantly lawless occupants perhaps enough force to leave no possibility of any collection of evidence of previous malpractice. They sent in reasonable force but ‘Viper Crazies’ massacred all of them… it would be easy to sell this one as a civilian matter that raged out of control and now requires far sterner military action. Then they could even criticise our military forces for doing their clearance possibly making a claim against damages to the ‘Tower’.” [I sent.]
“You truly think they are secretly angling for a military intervention here as the ultimate bit of manipulation by having ‘Paradox Marines’ clear the way for an illegal ‘FPB’ land grab deal on a ‘Paradox Sliver’.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“I am sure that using us against ourselves would delight them.” [I sent.]
“When did your mind get this dirtily devious I am almost impressed?” [‘Short’ sent.]
“I got this dirtily devious after having dealings with people such as ‘Draakhaal’, ‘Free Parliamentarians’, ‘The Reach Project’ and so on.” [I sent back.]
“It is an interesting idea.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“I do not doubt that when used as hired fighters us Bounty Hunters are too often deemed highly expendable assets by some employers. It is up to us to be discerning by picking good - doable - jobs with the right - sensible - ratio of risk to reward. I judged this ‘Extermination Operation’ from the beginning far better suited to a much larger - Mercenary - style force we are punching out of our weight category here. So why did our employers go for Bounty Hunters rather than assemble a ‘Mercenary Unit’ if they really wanted the ‘North Star Tower’ cleared?” [I sent.]
“I assumed they were striving to do the job cheaply.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“Failure is rarely cheap.” [I sent back.] “I suppose ‘Opposable’ retained the excuse of accepting this job because she could not resist the challenge to close down a big drug pushing operation. However that she foolishly made her business too personal is a poor excuse for you doing the same in your eagerness to aid your friend with ‘Short Six’.” [I sent.]
“I said it was an interesting idea I did not say I entirely bought into the concept you could just be trying belatedly to use reverse psychology upon me to keep the place as intact as possible supposedly to defy the ‘Bankers’ desires which would be deviously clever of you too.” [‘Short’ sent back.]
“Everything I do or say is not all about you and your actions, you overgrown egotist. These days the old ‘Parliamentarians’ are more devious than ever before, it is all slight of hand operations with them as they need to appear legitimate financial people, therefore the more I consider our contract the less I trust the substance of it to be true because they are not true in any way. Just because they claim they want the ‘North Star Tower’ taken intact does not mean that is the truth of the matter. Just because they sent us to eliminate the ‘Vipers’ does not mean that is what they really want from us either. We would do well to question everything with this one especially anything that seems too obvious.” [I sent.]
“Guess you are feeling very paranoid Priest for a little ‘Swimmer’.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“If only we could have done an ‘Extermination Operation’ against every old ‘Free Parliamentarian’ back in the day but the last diehard ‘Parliamentarians’ had too many ordinary ‘Pilgrims’ under their control as living shields to hide behind.” [I recalled.]
“Some skilful assassinations might have worked if we could also have guaranteed finding and deleting their ‘Digital Soul Data’ therefore preventing any chance of a ‘Rebirth’.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“Becoming dedicated ‘Soul Assassins’ - seeking after a multitude of final deaths - would be a new low for the family.” [I sent.]
“We attempted that deed with ‘Draakhaal’.” [‘Short’ reminded.]
“We did try to murder the soul of ‘Draakhaal’ not just his various bodies but it is not something I want to turn into a ‘MTC’ habit. ‘Soul Hunting’ is cursed uncivilised behaviour that decries any belief that individuals can reform. In addition, we were never positive that we killed off every ‘Draakhaal’ clone or found every stored digital copy of his mind. Some days I am positive the real ‘Draakhaal’ would have escaped and did escape us, that all we ever murdered were manufactured dupes and tools perhaps one or more of the earliest ‘Meat Suits’ too not to mention other lesser copies of the devious real thing. The ‘Children of Draakhaal’ claim he is still very much alive waiting to return like some magically sleeping old ‘Trojan’ king under a hill.” [I sent.]
“It might be oddly amusing to consider that our old friend ‘Draakhaal’ might have beaten us to the title of ‘Temporal Stasis Time Traveller’ too, thankfully the ‘Children of Draakhaal’ is a crazy ‘Shaper Faith Apostate Cult’.” [‘Short’ sent.] “Even if ‘Draakhaal’ somehow survived all the hunters looking for him, we still ended his tyranny and the long ‘Cold War’ with the ‘Void Skimmer Nation’ that he created as we later terminated the dominion of the old ‘Free Parliament’ even though we permitted some ‘Parliamentarians’ to survive to launch the ‘Free Parliament Bank’.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“Did we ever really win a lasting victory via any of our many military battles or just drive every corruption we openly contested against deeper into the shadows of our society.” [I sent.]
“Enough paranoid pessimism, we have a job to do.” [‘Short’ sent in reply.] “Even in death it seems the old Tyrant ‘Draakhaal’ can mess with our minds but what matters is that we prevailed whilst he is gone to me that makes us winners and him a loser.”
“I do not feel like a winner.” [I sent back.] “Old ‘Draakhaal’ remains very much alive in the minds of his followers metamorphosed into the more benevolent ‘Shaper’ and now into the more dodgy ‘Void Skimmer Father’ too as the ‘Children of Draakhaal’ call him.” [I sent back.]
“We all know the ‘Shaper’ is a kind lie manufactured by the ‘Arch Prelate’ to save the ‘Stellar Draakhaal Nation’ from their worst impulses whilst the ‘Void Skimmer Father’ is a no less spurious creation of ‘Shaper Faith Apostates’ mostly rebellious old ‘Ruling Caste’ survivors trying to make a resurgence to power but so far only winning over small followings from the most disaffected ‘Skimmers’ with some grudge or other against the ‘Arch Prelate’. We all know anyone in power eventually gathers some detractors. In truth, I do not believe ‘Draakhaal’ ever cared about any other soul including other ‘Void Skimmers’ and the ‘Ruling Caste’. ‘Draakhaal’ only cared about ‘Draakhaal’ he was an egotistical maniac with known mental issues probably caused by a too young well-documented encounter with the weird influence of the ‘Unknown’s Gate’.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“The true nature of ‘Draakhaal’ along with his true plans spawned endless theories by us including various theory retractions. I think in the end he became whatever at the time we needed him to be to justify our own not always glorious momentary choices.” [I sent.]
“Although with ‘Soul Capture’ technology and ‘Digital Rebirth’ you can never be certain you have killed anyone, for our peace of mind it is probably best now to simply consider ‘Draakhaal’ long dead and gone. We have enough problems in the present without exhuming the shade of that old Devil from our past.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“The Devil is dead long live the Devil.” [I sent back.]
“True there is always a Devil of some kind out there.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“For you now ‘Unholy’ the Devil is very firmly the vast ‘Entanglement’ that is the many limbed body of ‘Crimson’.” [I sent.]
“She is the one suspected of stealing and torturing captured ‘Pilgrim’ digital souls ripped out of the bodies of the slain whose biomass she greedily subsumed during her ‘Advent’ across the wide breadth of the ‘Core Alliance’ and beyond all those years ago. I consider that truth easily puts horns upon her head it certainly fits the popular ‘Trojan’ personification of the ultimate evil as the entitled figure that rules over a hell of imprisoned lost souls.” [‘Short’ replied.]
“Inventively you annoyingly make a good point, ‘Crimson’ has a gift for being obnoxious to lesser ‘Pilgrims’ and today might easily seem the bloated Devil of our times. Yet despite her many documented crimes I still believe she has great potential as a much altered - ‘Pilgrim’ - to reform and be something far more positive even one day majestic in a less cruel, less domineering way.” [I sent.]
“I fear sometimes your big brains were completely addled by your too close encounter with the ‘Entanglement’ in the ‘Dark Fields’.” [‘Short’ sent in reply.]
“That is not even a little funny.” [I sent back in complaint still being sensitive about accusations of insanity due to my known brain injury.]
[Back in slow real time given our altered situation with any easy retreat firmly cut off by rappelling ‘Vipers’ - I was positive more Mercenaries - ‘Opposable’ hastily agreed with the new strategy proposed by ‘Short’. She no doubt noticed that we had few other good options. We now planned to go straight up at every opportunity ignoring clearing whole floors one slow room at a time. Since we already had a strong enemy force behind us, why bother clearing each level of all resistance of course that ignored the increasing likelihood of stumbling into ambushes and skirmishes with ‘Vipers’ nearby upon each of the successive floors we breached an argument ‘Short’ chose noticeably to ignore.]
[We divided our strength into three groups ‘The Eight’ splitting into two lesser groups of four with ‘Short Six’ making the third slightly larger team. Each team assigned to using a different means to push upward at a different location. One team commenced their ascent by climbing directly up the elevator shaft another team took the equally obvious stairs. ‘Short Six’ planned to reach upward via blasting holes directly into known soft spots in the ceilings / floors between levels and then climbing straight up via those breaches. None of these teams necessarily strictly staying to these methods we would use whatever worked best reactively as we progressed higher but those were the initial divisions of our separated upwardly mobile labours.]
[The concept floated by ‘Short’ being that if one team suffered bogging down under heavy resistance another group could flank around and come to their rescue. It might also be in the back of some minds that if one team suffered annihilation others could continue to avenge them. I worried we were just splitting our strength with a four person team seeming especially weak but no one was listening to me.]
[The architectural plans were a great boon to ‘Short Six’ for choosing our teams best forced-entry points. We made our first choice for several structural and tactical reasons including proximity to the next good soft spot above that one and the next spot above that and so on. The idea being to chain our efforts upward whilst making minimal lateral movement ideally for us travelling seemingly only through easily secured positions with a nature that would make them less likely to be occupied by any enemy forces.]
[I must admit I preferred our plan of assault compared to the far more obvious points of attack taken by the two teams split from the ‘The Eight’. Still the others were free to alter their means upward at any time if their original method proved problematic. The key to our strategy being three separate assaults upward not the means used whatever worked was more than good enough.]
[Not too surprisingly amongst our shared supplies, ‘Short’ had us bring a truly diverse range of explosives. As ever ‘Short / UT’ preferred to have plenty of available boom on the off chance it might be needed. After hastily drilling a small hole in the ceiling near one wall, ‘Short’ ordered ‘Ingrid’ to extrude a snaking optic to scout the space above that we would soon be blasting into to double check its suitability and lack of unwanted guests or other surprises. When what ‘Ingrid’ insisted upon calling her periscope revealed nothing other than the expected, ‘Short’ standing on top of the most sturdy desk we could find locally, although it still buckled scarily under her weight, used a glue gun like device to lay down some ‘Explosive Gel’ in a circle. ‘Short’ then attached a tiny remote detonator one of a great many she had in a neat pouch. I noticed she worked quickly before the desk could give way beneath her. Job done, after hurriedly helping to move the desk aside ‘Short’ retired to a safe position behind some cover with the rest of us and hit the typically red fire button.]
[The resultant blast was very practical and humble by my friend’s usual operational standards one might almost say - disappointingly tame - neatly coring out a circle of material that dropped heavily to our floor level in one barely smoking intact piece. To me the noise of the blast proved hardly more intense than that made by a fragmentation grenade in an empty space if tonally somewhat different. We wasted no time hauling the desk back in place over the debris and under the hole whilst some obscuring concrete dust was still settling around and upon us.]
“Nice hole ‘Short’, almost a perfect circle, you are an explosive artist.” [‘Jack’ possibly mocked whilst peering upward.]
[My sort of ‘Trojan’ child then climbed up onto the precarious desk to reach down and help ‘Mabel’ follow him. ‘Jack’ then smoothly boosted her further up to climb through the neat hole allowing ‘Mabel’ to in her turn to help him up via reaching down from the floor above. Both ‘Mabel’ and ‘Jack’ then reached down to help ‘Kanne’ up who I had previously assisted onto the desk. I approved of how each action undertaken by us now flowed instantly into the next without pause or fuss. I felt impressed by the swift cooperation demonstrated also relieved as the desk - barely sturdy enough - looked about to collapse from our various weighty abuses. I wondered if sleeping together facilitated good teamwork between ‘Jack’, ‘Ingrid’ and ‘Mabel’ still if it did, I doubted it would ever become an accepted military doctrine of good squad management.]
[‘Ingrid’ then went next independently showing off by using her suits ability to extrude long limb extensions as her means upward. Really, with such mobility, she should have gone first but we were still keeping her off point for psychological reasons. Whilst ‘Ingrid’ made getting up there using her ‘Suit Substance Battle Armour’ seem almost annoyingly easy, ‘Jack’, ‘Mabel’ and ‘Kanne’ took covering positions above to commence guarding our breaching point against any potential counter strike on the new level. However as we hoped the small office storage room they entered was naturally devoid of guarding traffic filled only with the questions always left behind when viewing empty unlabelled shelving.]
[‘Ingrid’ after anchoring herself firmly to several points above with extruded tethers then dropped a thick tentacle to help haul the heavy ‘Short’ upward as if the ‘Recycler’ was on a ‘Bio-mechanical’ winch or doing a bungee drop in reverse. Soon it would be my turn for a ‘Suit Substance’ assisted lift, as my ‘Dry Suit’ was also somewhat bulky, heavy and hardly designed for climbing up a vertical rope hand over hand with nowhere to place my mechanical feet. Considering the way ‘Ingrid’ easily negotiated this obstacle and no doubt in time would greatly aid those of us with mobility issues upward during our 101 floor ascent made me wonder if I erred in going ‘Real Material’ with my ‘Dry Suit’ for the sake of separating my ‘Meat Suit’ appearance from my truer ‘Living Hull Suit Substance User’ identity.]
[I could only hope that having to continually operate the hard way for a change without the - almost too useful - facility of shifty ‘Suit Substance’ was proving a valuable education for me about the daily grind under which the ‘Real Materialist’ other half of our populace due to their prejudices lived and worked. I suppose you could almost say I was endeavouring to keep it more real as a way of better appreciating both sides of our material divide. In combat situations, any logistical difficulties encountered became very real indeed.]
[Sometimes it seemed us ‘Users’ had all the real advantages but I recalled that ‘Bio-mechanics’ did not have every edge whilst they could extrude systems on the fly and change shape this had proved a bane to the field shape sensitivity of the best of the current generation of ‘High Density Multi Frequency Field’ versions of shield systems that needed very firmly placed ‘Micro Repeater Emitters’ all over the surface of your armour. As a result when shifting mass ‘Bio-mechanical’ armour could suffer ‘HDMFF Shield Flare Outs’ if they used that system or they had to opt to generate less potent older shield systems. Most ‘Users’ preferred to use older more reliable fully ‘Bio-mechanical’ compatible shield systems so that ‘Real Materialists’ with the latest gear now sometimes sported as much as five times the personal shield strength of ‘Bio-mechanical’ rivals. However ‘Users’ tended to have superior kinetic dampening built into their flexible nanotech armour and of course the ability to more easily repair and regenerate from any damage their armour suffered.]
[As ever defensive and aggressive technologies hastily gained parity with any development of better shields and armour resulting in countering weapon improvements. For example the standard emitters used in ‘Force Pulse Weapons’ grew stronger and more energy efficient whilst the velocity and material composition of rounds in ‘Slug Throwers’ improved in cunning ways too. At the sharp end of combat, it often seemed that all the scientific advancements were powering ahead to make no difference to the fighters whatsoever - unless of course you failed to timely upgrade - in which case the generational differences soon became all too apparent. My standard ‘FP1’ for example might look and handle the same as a much earlier model with the same name but actually its raw output and energy efficiency was far superior. A first generation ‘FP1’ without upgraded parts even with a long burst would hardly put a dent in a modern ‘HDMFF’ shield that was the often hidden nature of progress. Cynically most improvements just kept the arms manufacturers such as the ‘MTC’ in business.]
[As I waited, I internally bemoaned typically somehow suffering relegation to rear guard duty again. Sometimes, rightly or wrongly, I felt I had become the ‘Swimmer’ shaped rear end or blow hole if you prefer of ‘Short Six’. I had hoped after I captured ‘Demetrious Ire’ - almost alone - that I would have earned a bit more combat kudos from the rest of the squad although I suppose holding the rear here was an important position but a part of me wanted to be firmly up front leading the charge just for a change of pace. In any work environment, a degree of duty rotation can assist morale a little by breaking up what can otherwise become a too boring routine. Besides, doing rear guard today was greedily feeding my fear and paranoia as I was far from comfortable with this mission.]
[I can easily tell you that I felt increasingly vulnerable and alone down there, fearing the breaching blast might draw hostiles to my position and that any well-staged incoming rush of ‘Recycler Mercenary’ combatants might too easily push me back separating me on this lower level from easy access to my comrades above. I readily fretted about how much time we had to play with before the enemy below might surge upward to overwhelm us in considerable strength even if ‘Short’ believed they would have to form a queue in some places. To be honest I felt ‘Short’ was being far too generous with our gap and their supposed difficulties since we had to clear booby traps too. All I could do was pray hard that our traps delayed their main advance longer - ideally long enough for us to stay a level or two ahead of any too substantial pursuit - but I increasingly disliked the odds against us. To me ‘Short’ was having a bad day with her mathematics.]
“You, my friend, are far too cursed heavy for this sort of thing. Without good anchor points you would have dragged me down instead of me managing to too slowly haul you up.” [‘Ingrid’ complained to ‘Short’ upon our Commanders eventual weighty arrival above.]
“Being hauled up like a dead fish on a hook by a ‘User’ is not my idea of fun either.” [‘Short’ complained as the tentacle detached from around her.] “Speaking of somewhat fishy fishing business you need to stop gabbing and lift our isolated ‘Swimmer’ friend up to here pronto.”
[On this occasion, my easily escalating fears proved unfounded and I soon joined the others above unscathed - at least in body - even if my mind felt as if it was cracking under too much pressure. Although initially crowded in the storage space we nonetheless hastily organised some booby trap surprises in another attempt to slow down any pursuers from below. Satisfied we then moved out into a hallway area with ‘Short’ again on point and ‘Ingrid’ scanning. The rest of us tactically following behind with guess who doing rear guard. Thankfully it was not far to our next soft spot upward. Whilst we moved we constantly scoped and scanned for hostiles including more enemy booby traps.]
[The new level soon seemed as abandoned of living souls as the last but equally rigged as even in our small lateral movement we quickly scanned another well placed and armed anti-personnel mine forcing another, to me far too loud, controlled explosion. Oddly, the lack of hands on ‘Viper’ resistance so far only made me feel far more rather than less nervous. I suffered waking nightmares of ambush horrors that alternated between drugged up suicidal crazies and far too disciplined ‘Mercenary Recyclers’. My imagination playing me false.]
[I could not stop pondering the manner of traps ‘Gadfly’ might plan for us from her secure position far above. Perhaps my trepidation, yet almost growing desire for an honest fight, was simply because whilst busily engaging in combat your mind is too preoccupied with surviving from one moment to the next to dwell upon the concept of undetected sinisterly stalking threats waiting to pounce when least expected. In some ways, an engaged foe is easier to deal with than an intangible but constant threat from an unseen but known to be present out there somewhere enemy.]
[I also wondered if being in a ‘Swimmer’ body did make me far more nervous about unseen dangers - truly I felt somewhat more cowardly than the normal ‘Many Truths’ - but I wondered by what degree so that I might logically seek to compensate without overcompensating and becoming too recklessly bold as it was bad enough having a recklessly bold Commander. Sadly, all my fears seemed very real to me even though I knew I was not quite acting myself.]
[Meanwhile - almost unkindly - relayed images came in from ‘Mosquitoes’ outside showing that the substantial forces that dropped down the six sides of the building moments ago did not foolishly rush the breaching points. Instead of suffering from our traps they acted to calmly and smartly get well organised into tactical teams and instead deployed of all things some ‘Crab Mines’ to move in well ahead of them. A few easily expendable ‘Crab Mines’ soon enough detonating to spring all our traps at our initial external breaching points. The mine clearance operation occurring moments before the troops confidently entered the building utterly unharmed to commence reoccupying the ground floor. The speed of their incursion and lack of losses felt akin to a brutal kick to my sensitive ‘Swimmer’ stomach. Belatedly I was positive we could and should have done a far better job of our booby traps down there perhaps we had been in far too big a hurry to move on rather than to secure what we had already gained but the problem with hindsight is it usually arrives too late.]
“They have ‘Crab Mines’.” [I sent in I hoped loudly registered complaint to ‘Short’.]
“I hardly failed to notice that fact.” [‘Short’ sent back irritably.]
[Annoyingly once the foe went back inside the ‘Tower’ we lost all visual contact with them again, due to the buildings still working anti-micro and nanotech scale defences that kept our ‘Mosquito Drones’ from even daring to follow the ‘Vipers’ inside. Sadly, we had been unable to trash the anti-surveillance defences in our limited time on the ground floor because the ‘FPB’ had cunningly built those systems deep inside the very superstructure of the ‘Tower’ and they ran independently to the main ‘North Star Tower’ data space too and so could not be easily hacked. It was infuriating not knowing whether the foes - now behind us - were staying put or giving immediate chase or doing both by dividing their considerable strength.]
“Again all we have witnessed in the ‘Vipers’ is professional - competent - ‘Recycler Mercenary’ types.” [I sent in further complaint.]
“There must be some drugged up crazies somewhere in here.” [‘Short’ sent back now sounding almost eager to meet them perhaps that being her sick idea of a good change of pace.]
“This one sucks eggs and swallows.” [I complained via sending.] “I am beginning to wonder if maybe every reported ‘Viper Reality Bender’ on a rampage was a staged event for example a play acting expendable ‘Meat Suit’ on a Mercenary sponsored suicide mission that would certainly fit the too stupid ex-‘Conglomerate Heavy Marine’ with the shoulder mounted rocket launcher and so on.”
“Anything is possible.” [‘Short’ sent back as if my speculations bored her.]
“Maybe there never was any real drug abuse or even messy drug manufacturing happening here and no real ‘Deck Gang’. Apart from the damage we are doing to the ‘Tower’ it is too pristine and well looked after. No ‘Deck Gang’ graffiti no lived in sentient beings out of their headspace mess. I have seen many ‘Deck Gang’ haunts and few look anything akin to this place most youth gangs have a natural compulsion to trash anything that looks too corporate since all of that represents the hated establishment.”
“It is early yet, perhaps all the messy stuff is further up we have no idea of the normal spread of occupation here the ‘Tower’ is probably far bigger than current ‘Viper’ requirements and some levels are probably firmly off limits to more addicted and rash ‘Deck Gang’ members especially the lobby with access outside.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“I am sure you are right as always.” [I sent sarcastically.]
“Sooner or later we will find crazies as I doubt that this operation is as clean as you are suggesting.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“Why do you say that?” [I sent back.]
“Simply because the ‘FPB’ will ensure there is lots of damning material evidence to be found to cover up the truer nature of their conspiracy especially if it is all as you insist about a dodgy covert ‘FPB’ land grab scheme.” [‘Short’ sent.]
[Despite ‘Short’ being unmoved by my fears, I continued to have a bad feeling about the mission so much so, that when I considered our low position in the ‘Tower’ it created a tight little knot in my ‘Swimmer’ stomach. I wondered once again if my fears might be physical symptoms of wearing this ‘Meat Suit’ rather than any woeful subconscious mental computation of hidden risks. Sadly, I was no longer sure with my present worries what happened to be cause rather than effect. I strove to ignore the uncomfortable feelings but then felt that doing so almost betrayed possible cautionary insights. At the idea of distrusting - second guessing - my own opinions in this dangerous tactical space, I began to feel even worse far too hot and almost claustrophobic in my confining squid bowl type ‘Dry Suit’. In fact, I deeply missed wide open outer space were threats are easily detected at great range.]
[A planned drop out alert - not of my failing mood but in relation to our teams digital hack of the ‘Tower’ - helped me to somewhat centre my thoughts and feelings again.]
“I can now tell you that the foe has found and disabled the ‘Remote Link’ I put on their data terminal. Fortunately, by the time they disabled the ‘Link’ our ‘Sub Cores’ managed to embed some sophisticated self-replicating viral weaponry into their intranet so at least we have trashed their local digital assets although probably only for a very limited time period. Still for now the ‘Towers’ inbuilt monitoring optics are disabled covering the secrecy of our advance ignoring the too obvious sound alerts caused by our various controlled explosions.” [I added via sending.]
“Better us doing the booming than the enemy. Whilst I am disappointed by your digital failure I would have preferred us to gain permanent - control - of the digital systems of the ‘Tower’ to spy on the enemy rather than just temporarily disabling the hardened intranet but being adaptive I will take whatever I can get.” [‘Short’ sent back.]
[I felt insulted that one was hardly my specific failure I just attached a hacking relay.]
“Be glad we got this much as I did not expect a lot of progress from our digital assault as the ‘Tower’ has excellent digital defences certainly as good as any ‘Pilgrim’ systems we have ever challenged.” [I sent.]
“If you say so it must be true.” [‘Short’ sent I decided deliberately baiting me.]
“The ‘FPB’ when they built this place were obviously no less paranoid than the ‘MTC’ about data security. Remember this building was once an important ‘Regional Free Parliament Bank Headquarters’ probably once the repository for a great many dirty secrets not just rare material goods in safety depositories and so on therefore they had every reason to spare no credits with digital security measures.” [I sent.]
“No need for elaborate excuses ‘Swimmer’ I have moved on.” [‘Short’ sent back.]
“You know saying such things is not clever or funny.” [I sent in complaint.]
“I disagree.” [She sent back.]
“I am not the one who failed to properly secure the entire ground floor.” [I sent in turn.]
“I will admit one thing I should have left some of my latest batch of ‘Crab Mines’ down there in the lobby as a later surprise. It would have been interesting to see what happens when opposing ‘Crab Mines’ encountered one another.” [‘Short’ sent to me as if it was all a game.] “However they are a one use resource and I confess down there I got a bit too precious with ours given all the many levels up there still ahead of us.”
[Thinking about all the so far un-breached and unsecured levels above us was the last thing I wanted to do it made me want to curl my tentacles up and refuse to move another mechanically assisted step. Due to my circumstances, I however naturally strove to ignore the useless impulse to quit refusing to advance would mean being left behind which was hardly any better. Was I the only detractor of ‘Short’ with great doubts and fears about this operation? I gazed at the backs of the others they now seemed intent upon just doing their part as members of the squad, even ‘Ingrid’ who had almost been killed mere moments ago and had seemed shaken at the time now seemed only super focused on the next mini subtask ahead.]
[Perhaps ‘Unholy Terror’ was right over thinking certain matters notably constantly dwelling upon the difficulties of this, I felt disastrous, mission was bound to promote little other than increasing anxiety within me. Somehow, I had to manage my trepidation about this operation lest it adversely impinged upon my functionality as a team member but it was not easy to let concerns that seemed too valid go.]
“For this job we really need a host of ‘Immortal’ Marines as support not a few more ‘Crab Mines’ but sadly, here I am ‘Bluu’ not the ‘Many Truths’ just as you are ‘Short’ not ‘UT’. Now we know a little more about the capabilities of the able opposition our three ‘Soulless’ in reserve and fourteen ‘Pilgrim’ internal assault team including ‘The Eight’ seems pitifully inadequate to safely continue this difficult task. You badly overestimated our abilities in every way and now you seek us to do the impossible.” [I sent.]
“You need to stow the negativity and command complaints best save your communications primarily for solutions rather than ‘Swimmer’ whining about your fears remember we are committed.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“You ought to be committed and for following you into this mess so should I.” [I sent in reply words I had often uttered to ‘UT’ before.]
“Is it because you are inside a little ‘Swimmer’ that you demonstrate so little faith because I find that odd I would expect - little - ‘Pilgrims’ need bigger faith?” [‘Short’ sent back too humorously.]
[I cursed a stream out in archaic ‘Swimmer’ as my answer to that one to which ‘Short’ hissed out a slow time speaker laugh back in the real. Annoyingly still having to breach over ninety more levels of enemy territory was probably just bonus fun to her.]
[I still strongly blamed ‘Short’ for taking this job with too little forethought and investigation backing our ‘Short Six’ involvement although perhaps I was just struggling with being under another soul’s direction having long been without a Captain. It was hard to surrender my fate and the fate of others close to me too firmly to the control of another mere ‘Passenger Class Pilgrim’ even ‘Short / UT’.]
“You erred you should have called the mission off as soon as we lost the ‘Task Force Drop Ship’ insertion. To me the roof point insertion was a vital part of our initial breaching strategy this ground up assault is at best a dire cobbled together mistake.” [I sent.]
“As I said stow it. In addition, you better keep such ill-advised thoughts firmly to yourself around the others or you will murder our squad morale as if a teamwork assassin.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“I am more worried about you murdering our squad.” [I sent back.] “With hindsight you were probably too right with the initial concept that taking out the leader of this supposed ‘Deck Gang’ was the key to total dominance of the battle space. If we had killed or captured ‘Gadfly’ early in this operation, everything would be different. Now I fear you only continued with the forcibly modified plan because you worried ‘Opposable’ might unwisely continue on stupidly alone or with other allies but without you, and you feared for the safety of your friend during such a stupidly ambitious difficult operation.” [I sent.]
“Triple curse you ‘Bluu’ - focus in the now - or you just might get us all killed. When did you elect to become the squad doomsayer?” [‘Short’ sent back.]
“When I realised 101 levels is about 90 levels far too much to sanely consider traversing against this level of opposition.” [I sent back.]
“That is what ‘Gadfly’ wants you to firmly believe but you are following my orders in here not hers.” [‘Short’ sent.] “Believe in me and we will do this one level at a time. If you find thinking about the entire mission is too daunting focus on just completing your part of the next operational step and leave dealing with the bigger issues to me.” [She coached.]
“I wish I was stupider than I am then this one might make more sense to me.” [I sent back.]
“You are being more than stupid enough. If you need it submit to some internal calming mediation do what you must but refuse to lose a winning perspective. Remember my friend, as Harbinger often said, ‘belief creates its own reality’.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“If you get ‘Kanne’ and the others killed I will never forgive you.” [I sent.]
“I am not getting anyone killed although I might be tempted to drop your little ‘Meat Suit’ out the nearest opening window if you continue sending me such nonsense. Actually I might be tempted to send you out the nearest non-opening window.” [‘Short’ sent back.]
[I sent back another stream of archaic ‘Swimmer’ language some of it especially blue.]
“The same to your egg bound mother too.” [‘Short’ sent in reply having obviously translated.] “Stop distracting me with prattle and just do your egg sucking job.”
[I guess even able ‘War Masters’ of the calibre of ‘Unholy Terror’ sometimes make stupid mistakes for personal reasons. At least this time ‘UT’ erred for the sake of friendship rather than say his usual egotistical Warrior vanity that seemed to constantly whisper to him that he could survive any peril any opponent fired at him. Nonetheless the push to the 101st floor still felt more akin to a desperate military gamble with every passing nanosecond to me rather than a truly smart counter stratagem to ‘Gadfly’ cleverly crating us up inside her ‘North Star Tower’. Sometimes I hated my little ‘Swimmer’ fears suffering seeming vindication. In this instance despite my many early complaints, I would prefer ‘Short’ hastily prove me thoroughly wrong.]
[In addition, I could hardly believe that ‘Short’ dared to lecture me on subdividing a difficult project to make it more manageable. My entire life as a ‘Living Hull’ seeking parity of esteem as a member of a genetically engineered servitor species being an outsized project I had only ever been able to nibble away at one small piece at a time. Then I recalled that ‘Short’ as ‘UT’ had impossible long term dreams too such as defeating ‘Crimson’ to rescue multitudes of damned digital souls including hosts of ancient ‘Core Alliance’ deceased. ‘Unholy’ had at last found a truly worthy excuse to give battle to the ‘Entanglement’ but that did not make his quest for revenge and justice anymore possible than before. In many ways, the belief that ‘Crimson’ possessed all those captured souls probably only made his improbable task to defeat ‘Crimson’ even more difficult. I guess scaling this tower in relation to besting the ‘Entanglement’ was a light distraction was that how ‘Unholy’ inside ‘Short’ maintained her battle cool by downplaying the scale of every difficulty compared to the ultimate challenge or was ‘UT’ just created by his father far too fearless. Maybe ‘UT’ needed to spend a little time in a little ‘Swimmer Meat Suit’ to appreciate how the rest of us sometimes felt. Was that what I was doing here with ‘Bluu’ better appreciating how it feels to be a little scared ‘Pilgrim’ living amongst stomping giants such as ‘Unholy Terror’ or even the ‘Many Truths’?]
[Sometime later ‘Ingrid’ fished me up to another floor this time level nine.]
“This is getting almost easy.” [‘Jack’ said aloud as I arrived which was of course when the ceiling came down upon us along with dropping then leaping ‘Recycler Crazies’.]
[If they were just acting mad they were doing a cursed good job of it although actually with hindsight perhaps far too good a job as drug crazy people are not always combatively manic some just stare at pretty lights or whatever. Anyway, the way they came at us was all a bit too convenient for example, someone had - skilfully - if explosively contrived to drop the ceiling on us along with some of the seeming crazies without greatly damaging any of our assailants’ functionality. I say some of the crazies as the others jumped down from above immediately after the explosion rather than dropping down more stupidly with it. Landing amongst us in some instances upon us our foes attacked using an assortment of crude and not so crude melee weapons everything from armoured fists and boarding swords to metal bars in one instance a revving combat grade cybernetic chainsaw.]
[A big lump of swinging concrete from the falling ceiling had contrived to knock my ‘Mechanical Dry Suit’ over apparently this was my day for falling down. I was just struggling back to my mechanical feet when I was kicked over again by a hulking black armoured old ex-‘Conglomerate’ style ‘Tank Class Marine’ luckily one stripped of the usual heavy weaponry such as shoulder mounted rocket launchers as that might have been really crazy in this enclosed space. Nonetheless, my ‘Dry Suit’ was soon being pounded by massively armoured fists and feet. Somehow I had managed to drop my rifle when the concrete hit me - an annoying habit for someone using mechanical suit limbs - so I fumbled to pull my ‘Knock Gun’ from my suit hip mounted holster but initially some loose rubble got in the way so I first had to scoop that material aside like a ‘Trojan’ farm child playing in the dirt.]
[I felt calm as I scooped oddly in battle I no longer felt as panicked and afraid even facing a horrible view. The view I was suffering being that of an outsized fist smacking my shield at face height twice. Worse every time the ‘Recycler’ made contact cleverly built in ‘Leech Device’ contacts in the heavies fists depleted my already weakened shield by sucking down a big whack of its energy like a technological vampire. To me the leech thing just seemed cursed unfair.]
[The heavy was otherwise obscuring my entire view of the ongoing chaos with his or her immense armoured body but I could hear far too graphic weapon fire, various hard knocks and the ominous revving of then worse some grinding from the chainsaw on who knows what surface. I had a dire mental images of ‘Kanne’ getting her head sawn off I think that helped motivate me to get my ‘Knock Gun’ out and fire with a belatedly smooth motion. Unfortunately my ‘Knock Gun’ was holstered on a stun level setting and was about as combat effective as a big wet ‘Swimmer’ kiss. The fist came at me again prompting my shields to go down. I maxed the little handgun’s setting and fired again keeping the trigger firmly depressed, I will confess to a little ‘Swimmer’ panic at this juncture. The big fekker had to be locked in place somehow or just absurdly heavy because he hardly rocked backwards despite taking a forceful pummelling on his I soon realised too adequate shields. The armour might be old style but the shields I guessed were upgraded. Note I just decided it was a him - for descriptive convenience sake - also I feel better cursing out a him.]
[Crazy or not the heavy was smart enough to go for my ‘Knock Gun’ which he deftly grabbed and crushed as if it was a toy rather than a once reliable back up weapon along with I must add my civilian grade mechanical right hand. Rather uselessly tied in diagnostic warnings at this point lit up upon my ‘Mental HUD’ telling me my right hand was no longer functional.]
[Realising my personal fight was not going too well I speeded up cognitively to take stock of my position which mostly seemed little ‘Swimmer’ against massive ‘Recycler’ equals painful fail. Yet I still had a few options. Back in slow real time I used my undamaged left hand to reach for a ‘Slap Happy’. ‘Short’ had made some ‘Contact Grenades’ part of our standard ‘Short Six’ kit after his previous embarrassing demise due to such devices. Our ‘Slap Happy Contact Grenades’ were not filled with weird subsuming nanotech but with more standard shaped charges but I was not going to complain about that fact.]
[I tried to slap it on the fekkers head which might at least have blinded his main optics but only managed to reach his chest. It erupted taking his shield down but otherwise not doing much else. Behind all the armour I was positive the behemoth was grinning at me as he reached down and with a wrenching heave tore my left mechanical arm off at the shoulder socket. More diagnostics flared to life. I feared I was about to discover what it feels like to be ‘Junked’ by a ‘Recycler’.]
[Somewhat limb challenged I resorted to giving him repeated knees were in some species it might hurt. There was considerable power in my mechanical legs and in other circumstances against another opponent it might have made a big difference here it was a simple act of useless defiance. Ignoring the kneeing that just clanged off solid armour both fists began to pummel my squid bowl that was soon leaking precious water from loosening seams. In turn, I strove desperately to use my right arm in a defensive manner to block. Soon annoyed with that he grabbed at that arm I surmised to rip that one off too when there was a stunning blast that lit him up as a shadowy mass as he came down hard on top of me with the force of another hammering blow causing more damage and more leakage. I now had a host of ‘Dry Suit’ diagnostic warnings competing for my attention somehow even my scrubbers were no longer working properly.]
[I was still cursing a stream of invective at this latest turn of events when my comrades finally got around to lifting the remains of the very deceased ‘Tank Class’ off me.]
“It is all about knowing where to hit.” [‘Short’ claimed a little later.] “The brain of these mostly mechanical ones is rarely located in the less armoured head.” [She reminded.]
“What did you use?” [I asked looking at the burned out fused and hollowed back of the almost robotic cybernetic ‘Tank Class’.]
“An upgraded ‘Contact Grenade’ that I call a ‘Slap Happier’ these ones have almost the power of a proper demolitions charge perfect for use against more heavily armoured opponents.” [‘Short’ admitted.]
“Are you crazy? You could have blown me to ‘Hell’s Maw’ too.” [I complained.]
“Our Commander took a - good - judgement call of the boom required. I would take less complaint with ‘Short’ rescuing you since you did not need to take a ‘Rebirth’ - little - ‘Swimmer’.” [‘Kanne’ stated.]
“Less of the - little - from you people I am big enough where it matters.” [I stated.]
“That is a bold statement none of us non-aquatic girls care about.” [‘Ingrid’ replied joining the squad mockery at my expense.]
“Someday I will have my revenge for all these landlubber insults.” [I burbled back.]
“Stay still ‘Bluu’, some of this reattachment is delicate work.” [‘Jack’ complained his finger poking around inside my suit shoulder socket.] “Otherwise, you can make do with one mechanical suit limb with a somewhat wonky hand.” [He added.]
[The battle repairs to my ‘Dry Suit’ by ‘Jack’ notably focused upon giving me back my left arm and making my right hand usable for basic functions such as pulling triggers. My friends kindly retrieved my arms as in both my ripped off limb and my lost slug throwing Assault Rifle too. Meanwhile by using some software adjustments alone I had managed to coax my scrubbers back to sixty percent efficiency by altering water flow strength and so on between the two units. I also applied some basic emergency sealant to stop a persistent drip from a very badly damaged seal that refused to self-seal. Even my mechanical left leg was damaged a heavy spar bent somewhat, as a result I now walked with, I was positive a weird looking, minor limp.]
“How are the repairs going?” [‘Mabel’ asked without turning around from a sentry vigil by the door.]
“Our ‘Professor’ is not going to win any contests that require manipulative dexterity especially with his right hand but I think I can give him enough usage to make him almost as combat effective as he was before.” [‘Jack’ said I felt with unnecessary dry humour.]
[To my amazement, everyone else seemed in good shape and in high spirits perhaps feeling flushed with success due to a small martial victory, probably in their cases because a big lump of concrete did not knock any of them down whilst batting their primary weapon out of their hands too at the onset of the skirmish. ‘Short’ looked the most damaged after me but then she had apparently gone toe to toe with the other heavy that dropped down upon us the one with the intimidating combat chainsaw. New scars adorned various parts of the very recently reconditioned and oil bathed armour belonging to ‘Short’ which now looked ready already for another service.]
“Hurry it up ‘Jack’. We cannot lull around too long here. They are onto our pattern of advance someone predicted where we were going next and arranged that little drop in surprise. I must have been far too obvious with my soft spot choices by always going for the nearest one that fits certain other, with hindsight too predictable, criteria.” [‘Short’ admitted.]
[We had naturally made use of the hole the enemy, not so kindly, provided to reach the next level and were now holding up in a defensive position not too far from that breach to do basic battle repairs and first aid - mostly involving giving me my arm back whilst ignoring my other ‘Dry Suit’ issues.]
[‘Short’ had laughed at first when I complained that my water scrubbers also needed some attention she then just told me to, ‘Suck it up’. I wondered how she would feel if she were in vacuum and had complaints about ‘Suit’ air recycling.]
“You buying that clumsy deceit ‘Short’ as some real ‘Deck Gang’ addicts turned into a rough suicide squad?” [I asked.]
“What are you saying?” [‘Short’ asked.]
“I will bet you they were just ‘Meat Suits’ or some mentally subverted folk or some similar hokum maybe even ‘Real Material’ corpse ‘Zombie Suits’ being run by cybernetics rather than ‘Suit Substance’. That action was too blatantly false. I am beginning to ponder that ‘Gadfly’ is just going through some motions here perhaps as a subtle form of almost passive resistance against her orders.” [I stated.]
“That sounds another speculative stretch.” [‘Short’ replied.]
“I tell you it tastes of the old doing only as directed but in ways that sabotage the overall scheme. Consider the just a bit too uniform clearance outside of here - that devastation under any serious examination actually screams out fraud - rather than being a too perfect cover story.” [I stated.]
“I suppose anything is possible ‘Professor’.” [‘Short’ stated I felt far too reluctantly.]
“I am positive I am right I think ‘Gadfly’ may be being pressed into service in some manner to me that is the only thing that fits with the sloppiness of some aspects of the ‘Deck Gang’ disguise. For example with hindsight, I was right we really should be seeing some evidence of ‘Deck Gang’ graffiti and so on by now especially if we are dealing with ‘Mercenary Recyclers’ putting on a show as a pretend ‘Deck Gang’. You know how it is people pretending usually over do rather than under do the stage dressings.” [I insisted.]
“It is still a bit early for any surety with that one maybe if the next five levels also prove graffiti free I might be convinced to agree that it is suspicious.” [‘Short’ replied.]
“You just hate to admit that I was right all along you should listen to the ‘Swimmer Professor’ because the ‘Swimmer Professor’ knows a thing or two about culture and so on.” [I argued.]
“Being right about one thing does not mean you are right about everything ‘Professor’.” [‘Short’ retorted.] “Also you possibly being right about this one hardly necessitates that I am tactically wrong in my choices so far.” [‘Short’ added I felt defensively.]
“Perhaps this is becoming a rescue operation with us rescuing ‘Gadfly’ from the clutches of the ‘FPB’. Whatever is happening in here ‘Gadfly’ seems to feel for the moment that she has no choice other than to appear to be playing along with her orders but possibly that is all she is doing playing along and that could make a difference. I do not think she wants to kill us although I am positive if she feels she has no other choice our lives will be in far greater jeopardy.” [I said.]
“That is an interesting statement can you justify it?” [‘Short’ asked.]
“That ambush was a warning it could have been far more lethal. Perhaps she is warning us that things by necessity might soon get much more dangerous if we refuse to quit.” [I said.]
“Please I do not want to hear another word about retreat from you.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“Those supposed crazies could easily have been equipped with proper firepower rather than thrown at us as almost a too obvious clue that something is not quite right here. Unfortunately, whilst I think we might have a secret ally on the top floor rather than an assured foe a secret ally under the power of a domineering foe is a very uncertain edge hardly a boon we can too safely rely upon.” [I added.]
“Think about it coerced compliance would fit every discrepancy we have encountered so far including ‘Gadfly’ having a too clean previous Mercenary Record up until now. Somehow the ‘FPB’ got leverage upon her but she is not happy about it and so is only playing along rather than doing her best.” [I insisted.]
“Interestingly the other teams have only met light spotty resistance so far too even on the stairs.” [‘Jack’ interjected.] “Maybe the ‘Professor’ is making a valid point. The problem with the idea that she may be trying to help us remains however, as ‘Bluu’ said, an unreliable boon as at any point her attitude to us might change due to her circumstances altering above. We certainly can hardly afford to relax our guard. In fact I think we should treat that melee ambush only as a scary warning to be far more careful.”
“A warning might even be the intent. Even if she wants us to reach her, she may not be able to make our higher ascent any easier she may have done about as much as she can without giving herself away. Maybe she was even telling us we need to do better from this point onward or that we should attempt to quit this trap altogether by fighting our way out.” [I argued.]
“I thought you originally believed that the ‘FPB’ wanted us to cull the ‘Deck Gang’.” [‘Short’ reminded.]
“To me that no longer makes any sense as to them we would lack the strength to do the job I now firmly back my later theory - we are all meant to be slain in here - they will use our failure and slaughter as an excuse for the unleashing of much greater force against this building and its occupants. As I said before the ‘FPB’ are all about political, economic and military slight of hand.” [I stated.]
“Ignoring your ‘FPB’ obsession ‘Bluu’, ‘Gadfly’ could just be attempting to lull us into false assumptions to draw us upward to far more dangerous levels perhaps with the intent to capture us alive rather than kill us. I can see lots of other possibilities that have nothing to do with the ‘FPB’ too.” [‘Ingrid’ interjected.]
“Yet this was an ‘FPB’ building that they supposedly sold on far too cheaply that is the first clue that begins my firm following chain of logic.” [I stated.]
“Those ones we just defeated might be nothing more than disposable rejects ‘Gadfly’ actually wanted rid of for other reasons for example as more trouble than they are worth that could just as easily explain the nature of the ambush too. A nasty leader might use an enemy to cull off unwanted folk in such a manner now that the clearance operation is complete. It might be easier to explain a loss to other ‘Deck Gang’ comrades as they just died in battle rather than daring to directly execute them. Some tyrannical leaders can get away with openly executing some of their troops but in most situations, that sort of action is a likely prelude to a rapid mutiny. After all, people start thinking I could be the next fool slated for deletion and they might even be right. Maybe she is even helping us to cull her own forces because we are meant to win not lose here despite the odds. Remember we originally told our employers we were going in at the top did you ever inform them of the change of plan due to the loss of the ‘Drop Ship’ insertion ‘Short’?” [‘Ingrid’ added.]
“I felt that was information they did not need to know.” [‘Short’ admitted.]
“Let me guess because deep inside you knew it was a crazy plan to clear 101 levels from the ground up without a far larger assault force.” [I challenged.]
“You watch your mouth or I will rip your voice box speakers off.” [‘Short’ replied sounding genuinely furious with me possibly for questioning her so openly.]
“I suppose using up a no longer needed - possibly even plot betraying group of individuals - might make a fine excuse for such troop wastage to distant ‘FPB’ bosses more interestingly ‘Bluu’ might be right I think a clever competent Mercenary Commander with the sort of reputation earned by ‘Gadfly’ would have made better use of truly expendable assets that is if she truly wanted us dead.” [‘Short’ stated.]
[I guessed that was her poor idea of morale damage control.]
“Few fighters are more lethal than assets retaining no instinct towards self-preservation under the sway of leadership able and willing to make a sacrifice of said troops for a quick victory. She could for example have rigged them - even unknowingly - with remotely detonated explosives and we would most probably currently all be in scattered bits down there. ‘Hell’s Maw’ she could have just rigged that ceiling with more explosives for some reason someone wants us alive - at the moment.” [‘Short’ added.]
“Some fine thoughts there for anyone spying on our conversation.” [‘Jack’ replied.]
“This area is secure from active surveillance systems.” [‘Short’ assured us.] “Our friend ‘Ingrid’ has thoroughly deep scanned the place.”
“All we can take to know for certain is that ‘Gadfly’ employed some assets that she willing used up anything else is verging upon dangerous speculation in my opinion. In such a hostile environment it is best to treat all non-friendly forces as assured foes unless they are subdued and in our power. As to old command choices they no longer matter - we are here - and I do not see retreat as an option we can take.” [‘Kanne’ stated without compromise.]
“Tactically the ‘Splinter’ is compellingly correct.” [‘Ingrid’ agreed.] “Friend or foe we must treat ‘Gadfly’ as a foe until she is in our power. At least fighting inside the tower we have physical cover and if ‘Gadfly’ is a coerced friend she might be able to assist us we just need to make the most of every advantage we get without becoming in any way dependant upon outside boons.”
“I will agree to that unless we manage to have a secret parley with her or she proves in some other undeniable way to be a friend and directly seeks our aid.” [I said.]
“Even then I would vote for caution we cannot afford to make any mistakes and trusting ‘Gadfly’ if the ‘FPB’ have some hold upon her except from a position of strength would be a grievous error.” [‘Ingrid’ stated.]
“Interestingly I have some early data here from the ‘DNA’ results downstairs that I can share now. The two souls identified so far are both off ‘Sliver’ Mercenaries but hardly of the calibre of ‘Gadfly’ or her past associates, these two retained nasty reputations for taking far more dodgy contracts from far more dodgy people.” [I stated sending digital copies of the details.]
“So not former upright colleagues. Have some ‘Sub Cores’ look into where the former colleagues of ‘Gadfly’ are now and what they are doing?” [‘Short’ ordered.]
“I am doing that already so far the only ones I have located are a few individuals that retired from her operations other early interesting results show that some others have recently disappeared off public core records about two years ago.” [I stated.]
“Well keep the ‘Sub Cores’ digging we might yet learn something far more useful.” [‘Short’ said.]
“Try that.” [‘Jack’ said to me.] “How does it feel?”
“Not too bad, certainly better than my mechanical right hand.” [I stated moving the reattached mechanical left arm about and manipulating the precision instrument hand.]
“Best I can do with the time ‘Short’ has allocated to me and without proper spare parts.” [‘Jack’ stated.] “If you go easy on any heavy lifting the basic welds and braces I attached ought to hold until you get a neater more professional service.”
“If you have all finished checking your gear, refilling your clips and so on it is past time we moved on upward.” [‘Short’ stated.]
[Everyone agreed that they were good to go, kindly ‘Kanne’ had refilled my clips whilst ‘Jack’ was busy repairing my arms.]
“I wonder what is really going on up there on the 101st floor.” [I sent to ‘Short’.]
“Stop hampering our morale and keep up with me and you will soon find out.” [‘Short’ sent back with too typical surety.]
[I wondered if ‘UT’ was so very positive of success or if it was all an act for the sake of squad morale because he knew this was a bad one now but akin to ‘Kanne’ saw no other option other than to press onward. I still felt we had a horribly long way to go even if we might have some limited covert help from the local ‘Gang Boss’ upstairs.]
“I will bet our friend ‘Gadfly’ if she is being coerced has some sort of modern day ‘FPB Monitor’ watching over her shoulder that would be very old style ‘Free Parliament’.” [I sent.]
“You could well be right about that the old ‘Free Parliamentarians’ never trusted any agents in the field without constant surveillance thankfully we managed to win over many ‘Monitors’ secretly to our cause or there never would have been any ‘Wars of Liberation’ just lots of purging of our ranks by ‘FPB Loyalist’ forces.” [‘Short’ sent back.]
“These days they probably have ‘Monitors’ monitoring the ‘Monitors’ monitoring the ‘Monitors’ ad infinitum or some even worse system of control.” [I sent.]
“I seem to recall there was plenty of that type of nonsense going on even in the old ‘Free Parliament’ but we still managed to fool them with lots of help from our many rebellious friends.” [‘Short’ sent back.]
“I suppose to the ‘Free Parliamentarians’ we were the corrupting influence on their society encouraging the ‘Black Market’ and so on perhaps in tearing down the ‘Free Parliament’ we unleashed a lot of people we trained to be both rebellious and criminally minded therefore founding many of our negative social issues today.” [I sent.]
“It is always easier to tear a system down that it is to build a stable better replacement.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“I suppose the fall of any repressive regime can result in some people seeking excessive freedom to the point of becoming anti-social. Still, I often wonder if our past rebellious criminality is also responsible for the proliferation of the latter-day non-conformist ‘Deck Gangs’ and the mindset of people such as the ‘Free Miners’.” [I sent.]
“I think many of the early ‘Deck Gangs’ arrived on the scene from ‘Omerta’ influences and were a response to ‘Omerta Trojan’ youth being freed from old ‘SARC’ oppression after the ‘Fall of Sanctuary Orb’ also ex-‘Conglomerate Recycler’ youths freed up from the old repression of the ‘Sleepers’. You would have us take on far too much credit. Besides, it was some of the ‘Free Parliamentarians’ that also started the ‘Black Market’ as a means to trade their own ill gotten gains and as another means of fleecing the public via selling some items on at exorbitant prices. Corruption within the ‘Parliament’ was always deep and broad they often flouted their own laws. We only took what was there and bent it to our needs as freedom fighters.” [‘Short’ reminded via sending.]
“The funny thing about freedom fighters is that they only fight for freedom until they win then they must become the new oppressors by imposing a new social system. Even if the new social system learns from the past and manages to remain for a time a kinder model there will always be some detractors that want no part of it and they are rarely tolerated and encouraged to go their own way by former rebels. Only we Paradox Priests made splitting a formal part of our society but then whilst we made splitting essential to adulthood in our own way we sought to keep our Acolyte children forever as obedient infants.” [I sent.]
“Triple curse those ‘Skimmer Cultists’ for bringing down that ‘Drop Ship’ if we had been able to breach from the roof - as I originally intended - this operation might have been over by now. Kill or capture ‘Gadfly’ and an almost bloodless wider success might have ensued with little damage to the infrastructure of the ‘Tower’ too.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“Unexpected consequences are the bane of any too inflexible battle plan. Beyond that, do we really care about keeping this ‘Tower’ intact now if it is still really ‘FPB’ property? I am almost tempted now to encourage you to blast away at the cursed building’s superstructure - to bring the entire edifice crashing down - except maybe even our Bounty Hunter instructions may be a clever lie. Possibly laying this one waste will only assist the ‘FPB’ with their overall clearance scheme. Maybe they want the place wrecked, as another seeming excuse to invest in starting over once the entire district is nothing but rubble and ruin.” [I argued via sending.]
“You think the bonus to keep the place intact was pure misinformation.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“Giving us an impossible criterion is a smart way not to have to pay out a bonus too and the ‘Bankers’ know how to squeeze a budget. When they sent us in, they had to know this was going to be a damaging fight, maybe even for us a losing battle. Maybe we are not even supposed to win here - just to suffer a belatedly well-published massacre - giving someone else an ample excuse to use far more extreme measures against the building and its too defiantly lawless occupants perhaps enough force to leave no possibility of any collection of evidence of previous malpractice. They sent in reasonable force but ‘Viper Crazies’ massacred all of them… it would be easy to sell this one as a civilian matter that raged out of control and now requires far sterner military action. Then they could even criticise our military forces for doing their clearance possibly making a claim against damages to the ‘Tower’.” [I sent.]
“You truly think they are secretly angling for a military intervention here as the ultimate bit of manipulation by having ‘Paradox Marines’ clear the way for an illegal ‘FPB’ land grab deal on a ‘Paradox Sliver’.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“I am sure that using us against ourselves would delight them.” [I sent.]
“When did your mind get this dirtily devious I am almost impressed?” [‘Short’ sent.]
“I got this dirtily devious after having dealings with people such as ‘Draakhaal’, ‘Free Parliamentarians’, ‘The Reach Project’ and so on.” [I sent back.]
“It is an interesting idea.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“I do not doubt that when used as hired fighters us Bounty Hunters are too often deemed highly expendable assets by some employers. It is up to us to be discerning by picking good - doable - jobs with the right - sensible - ratio of risk to reward. I judged this ‘Extermination Operation’ from the beginning far better suited to a much larger - Mercenary - style force we are punching out of our weight category here. So why did our employers go for Bounty Hunters rather than assemble a ‘Mercenary Unit’ if they really wanted the ‘North Star Tower’ cleared?” [I sent.]
“I assumed they were striving to do the job cheaply.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“Failure is rarely cheap.” [I sent back.] “I suppose ‘Opposable’ retained the excuse of accepting this job because she could not resist the challenge to close down a big drug pushing operation. However that she foolishly made her business too personal is a poor excuse for you doing the same in your eagerness to aid your friend with ‘Short Six’.” [I sent.]
“I said it was an interesting idea I did not say I entirely bought into the concept you could just be trying belatedly to use reverse psychology upon me to keep the place as intact as possible supposedly to defy the ‘Bankers’ desires which would be deviously clever of you too.” [‘Short’ sent back.]
“Everything I do or say is not all about you and your actions, you overgrown egotist. These days the old ‘Parliamentarians’ are more devious than ever before, it is all slight of hand operations with them as they need to appear legitimate financial people, therefore the more I consider our contract the less I trust the substance of it to be true because they are not true in any way. Just because they claim they want the ‘North Star Tower’ taken intact does not mean that is the truth of the matter. Just because they sent us to eliminate the ‘Vipers’ does not mean that is what they really want from us either. We would do well to question everything with this one especially anything that seems too obvious.” [I sent.]
“Guess you are feeling very paranoid Priest for a little ‘Swimmer’.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“If only we could have done an ‘Extermination Operation’ against every old ‘Free Parliamentarian’ back in the day but the last diehard ‘Parliamentarians’ had too many ordinary ‘Pilgrims’ under their control as living shields to hide behind.” [I recalled.]
“Some skilful assassinations might have worked if we could also have guaranteed finding and deleting their ‘Digital Soul Data’ therefore preventing any chance of a ‘Rebirth’.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“Becoming dedicated ‘Soul Assassins’ - seeking after a multitude of final deaths - would be a new low for the family.” [I sent.]
“We attempted that deed with ‘Draakhaal’.” [‘Short’ reminded.]
“We did try to murder the soul of ‘Draakhaal’ not just his various bodies but it is not something I want to turn into a ‘MTC’ habit. ‘Soul Hunting’ is cursed uncivilised behaviour that decries any belief that individuals can reform. In addition, we were never positive that we killed off every ‘Draakhaal’ clone or found every stored digital copy of his mind. Some days I am positive the real ‘Draakhaal’ would have escaped and did escape us, that all we ever murdered were manufactured dupes and tools perhaps one or more of the earliest ‘Meat Suits’ too not to mention other lesser copies of the devious real thing. The ‘Children of Draakhaal’ claim he is still very much alive waiting to return like some magically sleeping old ‘Trojan’ king under a hill.” [I sent.]
“It might be oddly amusing to consider that our old friend ‘Draakhaal’ might have beaten us to the title of ‘Temporal Stasis Time Traveller’ too, thankfully the ‘Children of Draakhaal’ is a crazy ‘Shaper Faith Apostate Cult’.” [‘Short’ sent.] “Even if ‘Draakhaal’ somehow survived all the hunters looking for him, we still ended his tyranny and the long ‘Cold War’ with the ‘Void Skimmer Nation’ that he created as we later terminated the dominion of the old ‘Free Parliament’ even though we permitted some ‘Parliamentarians’ to survive to launch the ‘Free Parliament Bank’.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“Did we ever really win a lasting victory via any of our many military battles or just drive every corruption we openly contested against deeper into the shadows of our society.” [I sent.]
“Enough paranoid pessimism, we have a job to do.” [‘Short’ sent in reply.] “Even in death it seems the old Tyrant ‘Draakhaal’ can mess with our minds but what matters is that we prevailed whilst he is gone to me that makes us winners and him a loser.”
“I do not feel like a winner.” [I sent back.] “Old ‘Draakhaal’ remains very much alive in the minds of his followers metamorphosed into the more benevolent ‘Shaper’ and now into the more dodgy ‘Void Skimmer Father’ too as the ‘Children of Draakhaal’ call him.” [I sent back.]
“We all know the ‘Shaper’ is a kind lie manufactured by the ‘Arch Prelate’ to save the ‘Stellar Draakhaal Nation’ from their worst impulses whilst the ‘Void Skimmer Father’ is a no less spurious creation of ‘Shaper Faith Apostates’ mostly rebellious old ‘Ruling Caste’ survivors trying to make a resurgence to power but so far only winning over small followings from the most disaffected ‘Skimmers’ with some grudge or other against the ‘Arch Prelate’. We all know anyone in power eventually gathers some detractors. In truth, I do not believe ‘Draakhaal’ ever cared about any other soul including other ‘Void Skimmers’ and the ‘Ruling Caste’. ‘Draakhaal’ only cared about ‘Draakhaal’ he was an egotistical maniac with known mental issues probably caused by a too young well-documented encounter with the weird influence of the ‘Unknown’s Gate’.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“The true nature of ‘Draakhaal’ along with his true plans spawned endless theories by us including various theory retractions. I think in the end he became whatever at the time we needed him to be to justify our own not always glorious momentary choices.” [I sent.]
“Although with ‘Soul Capture’ technology and ‘Digital Rebirth’ you can never be certain you have killed anyone, for our peace of mind it is probably best now to simply consider ‘Draakhaal’ long dead and gone. We have enough problems in the present without exhuming the shade of that old Devil from our past.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“The Devil is dead long live the Devil.” [I sent back.]
“True there is always a Devil of some kind out there.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“For you now ‘Unholy’ the Devil is very firmly the vast ‘Entanglement’ that is the many limbed body of ‘Crimson’.” [I sent.]
“She is the one suspected of stealing and torturing captured ‘Pilgrim’ digital souls ripped out of the bodies of the slain whose biomass she greedily subsumed during her ‘Advent’ across the wide breadth of the ‘Core Alliance’ and beyond all those years ago. I consider that truth easily puts horns upon her head it certainly fits the popular ‘Trojan’ personification of the ultimate evil as the entitled figure that rules over a hell of imprisoned lost souls.” [‘Short’ replied.]
“Inventively you annoyingly make a good point, ‘Crimson’ has a gift for being obnoxious to lesser ‘Pilgrims’ and today might easily seem the bloated Devil of our times. Yet despite her many documented crimes I still believe she has great potential as a much altered - ‘Pilgrim’ - to reform and be something far more positive even one day majestic in a less cruel, less domineering way.” [I sent.]
“I fear sometimes your big brains were completely addled by your too close encounter with the ‘Entanglement’ in the ‘Dark Fields’.” [‘Short’ sent in reply.]
“That is not even a little funny.” [I sent back in complaint still being sensitive about accusations of insanity due to my known brain injury.]
[Back in slow real time given our altered situation with any easy retreat firmly cut off by rappelling ‘Vipers’ - I was positive more Mercenaries - ‘Opposable’ hastily agreed with the new strategy proposed by ‘Short’. She no doubt noticed that we had few other good options. We now planned to go straight up at every opportunity ignoring clearing whole floors one slow room at a time. Since we already had a strong enemy force behind us, why bother clearing each level of all resistance of course that ignored the increasing likelihood of stumbling into ambushes and skirmishes with ‘Vipers’ nearby upon each of the successive floors we breached an argument ‘Short’ chose noticeably to ignore.]
[We divided our strength into three groups ‘The Eight’ splitting into two lesser groups of four with ‘Short Six’ making the third slightly larger team. Each team assigned to using a different means to push upward at a different location. One team commenced their ascent by climbing directly up the elevator shaft another team took the equally obvious stairs. ‘Short Six’ planned to reach upward via blasting holes directly into known soft spots in the ceilings / floors between levels and then climbing straight up via those breaches. None of these teams necessarily strictly staying to these methods we would use whatever worked best reactively as we progressed higher but those were the initial divisions of our separated upwardly mobile labours.]
[The concept floated by ‘Short’ being that if one team suffered bogging down under heavy resistance another group could flank around and come to their rescue. It might also be in the back of some minds that if one team suffered annihilation others could continue to avenge them. I worried we were just splitting our strength with a four person team seeming especially weak but no one was listening to me.]
[The architectural plans were a great boon to ‘Short Six’ for choosing our teams best forced-entry points. We made our first choice for several structural and tactical reasons including proximity to the next good soft spot above that one and the next spot above that and so on. The idea being to chain our efforts upward whilst making minimal lateral movement ideally for us travelling seemingly only through easily secured positions with a nature that would make them less likely to be occupied by any enemy forces.]
[I must admit I preferred our plan of assault compared to the far more obvious points of attack taken by the two teams split from the ‘The Eight’. Still the others were free to alter their means upward at any time if their original method proved problematic. The key to our strategy being three separate assaults upward not the means used whatever worked was more than good enough.]
[Not too surprisingly amongst our shared supplies, ‘Short’ had us bring a truly diverse range of explosives. As ever ‘Short / UT’ preferred to have plenty of available boom on the off chance it might be needed. After hastily drilling a small hole in the ceiling near one wall, ‘Short’ ordered ‘Ingrid’ to extrude a snaking optic to scout the space above that we would soon be blasting into to double check its suitability and lack of unwanted guests or other surprises. When what ‘Ingrid’ insisted upon calling her periscope revealed nothing other than the expected, ‘Short’ standing on top of the most sturdy desk we could find locally, although it still buckled scarily under her weight, used a glue gun like device to lay down some ‘Explosive Gel’ in a circle. ‘Short’ then attached a tiny remote detonator one of a great many she had in a neat pouch. I noticed she worked quickly before the desk could give way beneath her. Job done, after hurriedly helping to move the desk aside ‘Short’ retired to a safe position behind some cover with the rest of us and hit the typically red fire button.]
[The resultant blast was very practical and humble by my friend’s usual operational standards one might almost say - disappointingly tame - neatly coring out a circle of material that dropped heavily to our floor level in one barely smoking intact piece. To me the noise of the blast proved hardly more intense than that made by a fragmentation grenade in an empty space if tonally somewhat different. We wasted no time hauling the desk back in place over the debris and under the hole whilst some obscuring concrete dust was still settling around and upon us.]
“Nice hole ‘Short’, almost a perfect circle, you are an explosive artist.” [‘Jack’ possibly mocked whilst peering upward.]
[My sort of ‘Trojan’ child then climbed up onto the precarious desk to reach down and help ‘Mabel’ follow him. ‘Jack’ then smoothly boosted her further up to climb through the neat hole allowing ‘Mabel’ to in her turn to help him up via reaching down from the floor above. Both ‘Mabel’ and ‘Jack’ then reached down to help ‘Kanne’ up who I had previously assisted onto the desk. I approved of how each action undertaken by us now flowed instantly into the next without pause or fuss. I felt impressed by the swift cooperation demonstrated also relieved as the desk - barely sturdy enough - looked about to collapse from our various weighty abuses. I wondered if sleeping together facilitated good teamwork between ‘Jack’, ‘Ingrid’ and ‘Mabel’ still if it did, I doubted it would ever become an accepted military doctrine of good squad management.]
[‘Ingrid’ then went next independently showing off by using her suits ability to extrude long limb extensions as her means upward. Really, with such mobility, she should have gone first but we were still keeping her off point for psychological reasons. Whilst ‘Ingrid’ made getting up there using her ‘Suit Substance Battle Armour’ seem almost annoyingly easy, ‘Jack’, ‘Mabel’ and ‘Kanne’ took covering positions above to commence guarding our breaching point against any potential counter strike on the new level. However as we hoped the small office storage room they entered was naturally devoid of guarding traffic filled only with the questions always left behind when viewing empty unlabelled shelving.]
[‘Ingrid’ after anchoring herself firmly to several points above with extruded tethers then dropped a thick tentacle to help haul the heavy ‘Short’ upward as if the ‘Recycler’ was on a ‘Bio-mechanical’ winch or doing a bungee drop in reverse. Soon it would be my turn for a ‘Suit Substance’ assisted lift, as my ‘Dry Suit’ was also somewhat bulky, heavy and hardly designed for climbing up a vertical rope hand over hand with nowhere to place my mechanical feet. Considering the way ‘Ingrid’ easily negotiated this obstacle and no doubt in time would greatly aid those of us with mobility issues upward during our 101 floor ascent made me wonder if I erred in going ‘Real Material’ with my ‘Dry Suit’ for the sake of separating my ‘Meat Suit’ appearance from my truer ‘Living Hull Suit Substance User’ identity.]
[I could only hope that having to continually operate the hard way for a change without the - almost too useful - facility of shifty ‘Suit Substance’ was proving a valuable education for me about the daily grind under which the ‘Real Materialist’ other half of our populace due to their prejudices lived and worked. I suppose you could almost say I was endeavouring to keep it more real as a way of better appreciating both sides of our material divide. In combat situations, any logistical difficulties encountered became very real indeed.]
[Sometimes it seemed us ‘Users’ had all the real advantages but I recalled that ‘Bio-mechanics’ did not have every edge whilst they could extrude systems on the fly and change shape this had proved a bane to the field shape sensitivity of the best of the current generation of ‘High Density Multi Frequency Field’ versions of shield systems that needed very firmly placed ‘Micro Repeater Emitters’ all over the surface of your armour. As a result when shifting mass ‘Bio-mechanical’ armour could suffer ‘HDMFF Shield Flare Outs’ if they used that system or they had to opt to generate less potent older shield systems. Most ‘Users’ preferred to use older more reliable fully ‘Bio-mechanical’ compatible shield systems so that ‘Real Materialists’ with the latest gear now sometimes sported as much as five times the personal shield strength of ‘Bio-mechanical’ rivals. However ‘Users’ tended to have superior kinetic dampening built into their flexible nanotech armour and of course the ability to more easily repair and regenerate from any damage their armour suffered.]
[As ever defensive and aggressive technologies hastily gained parity with any development of better shields and armour resulting in countering weapon improvements. For example the standard emitters used in ‘Force Pulse Weapons’ grew stronger and more energy efficient whilst the velocity and material composition of rounds in ‘Slug Throwers’ improved in cunning ways too. At the sharp end of combat, it often seemed that all the scientific advancements were powering ahead to make no difference to the fighters whatsoever - unless of course you failed to timely upgrade - in which case the generational differences soon became all too apparent. My standard ‘FP1’ for example might look and handle the same as a much earlier model with the same name but actually its raw output and energy efficiency was far superior. A first generation ‘FP1’ without upgraded parts even with a long burst would hardly put a dent in a modern ‘HDMFF’ shield that was the often hidden nature of progress. Cynically most improvements just kept the arms manufacturers such as the ‘MTC’ in business.]
[As I waited, I internally bemoaned typically somehow suffering relegation to rear guard duty again. Sometimes, rightly or wrongly, I felt I had become the ‘Swimmer’ shaped rear end or blow hole if you prefer of ‘Short Six’. I had hoped after I captured ‘Demetrious Ire’ - almost alone - that I would have earned a bit more combat kudos from the rest of the squad although I suppose holding the rear here was an important position but a part of me wanted to be firmly up front leading the charge just for a change of pace. In any work environment, a degree of duty rotation can assist morale a little by breaking up what can otherwise become a too boring routine. Besides, doing rear guard today was greedily feeding my fear and paranoia as I was far from comfortable with this mission.]
[I can easily tell you that I felt increasingly vulnerable and alone down there, fearing the breaching blast might draw hostiles to my position and that any well-staged incoming rush of ‘Recycler Mercenary’ combatants might too easily push me back separating me on this lower level from easy access to my comrades above. I readily fretted about how much time we had to play with before the enemy below might surge upward to overwhelm us in considerable strength even if ‘Short’ believed they would have to form a queue in some places. To be honest I felt ‘Short’ was being far too generous with our gap and their supposed difficulties since we had to clear booby traps too. All I could do was pray hard that our traps delayed their main advance longer - ideally long enough for us to stay a level or two ahead of any too substantial pursuit - but I increasingly disliked the odds against us. To me ‘Short’ was having a bad day with her mathematics.]
“You, my friend, are far too cursed heavy for this sort of thing. Without good anchor points you would have dragged me down instead of me managing to too slowly haul you up.” [‘Ingrid’ complained to ‘Short’ upon our Commanders eventual weighty arrival above.]
“Being hauled up like a dead fish on a hook by a ‘User’ is not my idea of fun either.” [‘Short’ complained as the tentacle detached from around her.] “Speaking of somewhat fishy fishing business you need to stop gabbing and lift our isolated ‘Swimmer’ friend up to here pronto.”
[On this occasion, my easily escalating fears proved unfounded and I soon joined the others above unscathed - at least in body - even if my mind felt as if it was cracking under too much pressure. Although initially crowded in the storage space we nonetheless hastily organised some booby trap surprises in another attempt to slow down any pursuers from below. Satisfied we then moved out into a hallway area with ‘Short’ again on point and ‘Ingrid’ scanning. The rest of us tactically following behind with guess who doing rear guard. Thankfully it was not far to our next soft spot upward. Whilst we moved we constantly scoped and scanned for hostiles including more enemy booby traps.]
[The new level soon seemed as abandoned of living souls as the last but equally rigged as even in our small lateral movement we quickly scanned another well placed and armed anti-personnel mine forcing another, to me far too loud, controlled explosion. Oddly, the lack of hands on ‘Viper’ resistance so far only made me feel far more rather than less nervous. I suffered waking nightmares of ambush horrors that alternated between drugged up suicidal crazies and far too disciplined ‘Mercenary Recyclers’. My imagination playing me false.]
[I could not stop pondering the manner of traps ‘Gadfly’ might plan for us from her secure position far above. Perhaps my trepidation, yet almost growing desire for an honest fight, was simply because whilst busily engaging in combat your mind is too preoccupied with surviving from one moment to the next to dwell upon the concept of undetected sinisterly stalking threats waiting to pounce when least expected. In some ways, an engaged foe is easier to deal with than an intangible but constant threat from an unseen but known to be present out there somewhere enemy.]
[I also wondered if being in a ‘Swimmer’ body did make me far more nervous about unseen dangers - truly I felt somewhat more cowardly than the normal ‘Many Truths’ - but I wondered by what degree so that I might logically seek to compensate without overcompensating and becoming too recklessly bold as it was bad enough having a recklessly bold Commander. Sadly, all my fears seemed very real to me even though I knew I was not quite acting myself.]
[Meanwhile - almost unkindly - relayed images came in from ‘Mosquitoes’ outside showing that the substantial forces that dropped down the six sides of the building moments ago did not foolishly rush the breaching points. Instead of suffering from our traps they acted to calmly and smartly get well organised into tactical teams and instead deployed of all things some ‘Crab Mines’ to move in well ahead of them. A few easily expendable ‘Crab Mines’ soon enough detonating to spring all our traps at our initial external breaching points. The mine clearance operation occurring moments before the troops confidently entered the building utterly unharmed to commence reoccupying the ground floor. The speed of their incursion and lack of losses felt akin to a brutal kick to my sensitive ‘Swimmer’ stomach. Belatedly I was positive we could and should have done a far better job of our booby traps down there perhaps we had been in far too big a hurry to move on rather than to secure what we had already gained but the problem with hindsight is it usually arrives too late.]
“They have ‘Crab Mines’.” [I sent in I hoped loudly registered complaint to ‘Short’.]
“I hardly failed to notice that fact.” [‘Short’ sent back irritably.]
[Annoyingly once the foe went back inside the ‘Tower’ we lost all visual contact with them again, due to the buildings still working anti-micro and nanotech scale defences that kept our ‘Mosquito Drones’ from even daring to follow the ‘Vipers’ inside. Sadly, we had been unable to trash the anti-surveillance defences in our limited time on the ground floor because the ‘FPB’ had cunningly built those systems deep inside the very superstructure of the ‘Tower’ and they ran independently to the main ‘North Star Tower’ data space too and so could not be easily hacked. It was infuriating not knowing whether the foes - now behind us - were staying put or giving immediate chase or doing both by dividing their considerable strength.]
“Again all we have witnessed in the ‘Vipers’ is professional - competent - ‘Recycler Mercenary’ types.” [I sent in further complaint.]
“There must be some drugged up crazies somewhere in here.” [‘Short’ sent back now sounding almost eager to meet them perhaps that being her sick idea of a good change of pace.]
“This one sucks eggs and swallows.” [I complained via sending.] “I am beginning to wonder if maybe every reported ‘Viper Reality Bender’ on a rampage was a staged event for example a play acting expendable ‘Meat Suit’ on a Mercenary sponsored suicide mission that would certainly fit the too stupid ex-‘Conglomerate Heavy Marine’ with the shoulder mounted rocket launcher and so on.”
“Anything is possible.” [‘Short’ sent back as if my speculations bored her.]
“Maybe there never was any real drug abuse or even messy drug manufacturing happening here and no real ‘Deck Gang’. Apart from the damage we are doing to the ‘Tower’ it is too pristine and well looked after. No ‘Deck Gang’ graffiti no lived in sentient beings out of their headspace mess. I have seen many ‘Deck Gang’ haunts and few look anything akin to this place most youth gangs have a natural compulsion to trash anything that looks too corporate since all of that represents the hated establishment.”
“It is early yet, perhaps all the messy stuff is further up we have no idea of the normal spread of occupation here the ‘Tower’ is probably far bigger than current ‘Viper’ requirements and some levels are probably firmly off limits to more addicted and rash ‘Deck Gang’ members especially the lobby with access outside.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“I am sure you are right as always.” [I sent sarcastically.]
“Sooner or later we will find crazies as I doubt that this operation is as clean as you are suggesting.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“Why do you say that?” [I sent back.]
“Simply because the ‘FPB’ will ensure there is lots of damning material evidence to be found to cover up the truer nature of their conspiracy especially if it is all as you insist about a dodgy covert ‘FPB’ land grab scheme.” [‘Short’ sent.]
[Despite ‘Short’ being unmoved by my fears, I continued to have a bad feeling about the mission so much so, that when I considered our low position in the ‘Tower’ it created a tight little knot in my ‘Swimmer’ stomach. I wondered once again if my fears might be physical symptoms of wearing this ‘Meat Suit’ rather than any woeful subconscious mental computation of hidden risks. Sadly, I was no longer sure with my present worries what happened to be cause rather than effect. I strove to ignore the uncomfortable feelings but then felt that doing so almost betrayed possible cautionary insights. At the idea of distrusting - second guessing - my own opinions in this dangerous tactical space, I began to feel even worse far too hot and almost claustrophobic in my confining squid bowl type ‘Dry Suit’. In fact, I deeply missed wide open outer space were threats are easily detected at great range.]
[A planned drop out alert - not of my failing mood but in relation to our teams digital hack of the ‘Tower’ - helped me to somewhat centre my thoughts and feelings again.]
“I can now tell you that the foe has found and disabled the ‘Remote Link’ I put on their data terminal. Fortunately, by the time they disabled the ‘Link’ our ‘Sub Cores’ managed to embed some sophisticated self-replicating viral weaponry into their intranet so at least we have trashed their local digital assets although probably only for a very limited time period. Still for now the ‘Towers’ inbuilt monitoring optics are disabled covering the secrecy of our advance ignoring the too obvious sound alerts caused by our various controlled explosions.” [I added via sending.]
“Better us doing the booming than the enemy. Whilst I am disappointed by your digital failure I would have preferred us to gain permanent - control - of the digital systems of the ‘Tower’ to spy on the enemy rather than just temporarily disabling the hardened intranet but being adaptive I will take whatever I can get.” [‘Short’ sent back.]
[I felt insulted that one was hardly my specific failure I just attached a hacking relay.]
“Be glad we got this much as I did not expect a lot of progress from our digital assault as the ‘Tower’ has excellent digital defences certainly as good as any ‘Pilgrim’ systems we have ever challenged.” [I sent.]
“If you say so it must be true.” [‘Short’ sent I decided deliberately baiting me.]
“The ‘FPB’ when they built this place were obviously no less paranoid than the ‘MTC’ about data security. Remember this building was once an important ‘Regional Free Parliament Bank Headquarters’ probably once the repository for a great many dirty secrets not just rare material goods in safety depositories and so on therefore they had every reason to spare no credits with digital security measures.” [I sent.]
“No need for elaborate excuses ‘Swimmer’ I have moved on.” [‘Short’ sent back.]
“You know saying such things is not clever or funny.” [I sent in complaint.]
“I disagree.” [She sent back.]
“I am not the one who failed to properly secure the entire ground floor.” [I sent in turn.]
“I will admit one thing I should have left some of my latest batch of ‘Crab Mines’ down there in the lobby as a later surprise. It would have been interesting to see what happens when opposing ‘Crab Mines’ encountered one another.” [‘Short’ sent to me as if it was all a game.] “However they are a one use resource and I confess down there I got a bit too precious with ours given all the many levels up there still ahead of us.”
[Thinking about all the so far un-breached and unsecured levels above us was the last thing I wanted to do it made me want to curl my tentacles up and refuse to move another mechanically assisted step. Due to my circumstances, I however naturally strove to ignore the useless impulse to quit refusing to advance would mean being left behind which was hardly any better. Was I the only detractor of ‘Short’ with great doubts and fears about this operation? I gazed at the backs of the others they now seemed intent upon just doing their part as members of the squad, even ‘Ingrid’ who had almost been killed mere moments ago and had seemed shaken at the time now seemed only super focused on the next mini subtask ahead.]
[Perhaps ‘Unholy Terror’ was right over thinking certain matters notably constantly dwelling upon the difficulties of this, I felt disastrous, mission was bound to promote little other than increasing anxiety within me. Somehow, I had to manage my trepidation about this operation lest it adversely impinged upon my functionality as a team member but it was not easy to let concerns that seemed too valid go.]
“For this job we really need a host of ‘Immortal’ Marines as support not a few more ‘Crab Mines’ but sadly, here I am ‘Bluu’ not the ‘Many Truths’ just as you are ‘Short’ not ‘UT’. Now we know a little more about the capabilities of the able opposition our three ‘Soulless’ in reserve and fourteen ‘Pilgrim’ internal assault team including ‘The Eight’ seems pitifully inadequate to safely continue this difficult task. You badly overestimated our abilities in every way and now you seek us to do the impossible.” [I sent.]
“You need to stow the negativity and command complaints best save your communications primarily for solutions rather than ‘Swimmer’ whining about your fears remember we are committed.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“You ought to be committed and for following you into this mess so should I.” [I sent in reply words I had often uttered to ‘UT’ before.]
“Is it because you are inside a little ‘Swimmer’ that you demonstrate so little faith because I find that odd I would expect - little - ‘Pilgrims’ need bigger faith?” [‘Short’ sent back too humorously.]
[I cursed a stream out in archaic ‘Swimmer’ as my answer to that one to which ‘Short’ hissed out a slow time speaker laugh back in the real. Annoyingly still having to breach over ninety more levels of enemy territory was probably just bonus fun to her.]
[I still strongly blamed ‘Short’ for taking this job with too little forethought and investigation backing our ‘Short Six’ involvement although perhaps I was just struggling with being under another soul’s direction having long been without a Captain. It was hard to surrender my fate and the fate of others close to me too firmly to the control of another mere ‘Passenger Class Pilgrim’ even ‘Short / UT’.]
“You erred you should have called the mission off as soon as we lost the ‘Task Force Drop Ship’ insertion. To me the roof point insertion was a vital part of our initial breaching strategy this ground up assault is at best a dire cobbled together mistake.” [I sent.]
“As I said stow it. In addition, you better keep such ill-advised thoughts firmly to yourself around the others or you will murder our squad morale as if a teamwork assassin.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“I am more worried about you murdering our squad.” [I sent back.] “With hindsight you were probably too right with the initial concept that taking out the leader of this supposed ‘Deck Gang’ was the key to total dominance of the battle space. If we had killed or captured ‘Gadfly’ early in this operation, everything would be different. Now I fear you only continued with the forcibly modified plan because you worried ‘Opposable’ might unwisely continue on stupidly alone or with other allies but without you, and you feared for the safety of your friend during such a stupidly ambitious difficult operation.” [I sent.]
“Triple curse you ‘Bluu’ - focus in the now - or you just might get us all killed. When did you elect to become the squad doomsayer?” [‘Short’ sent back.]
“When I realised 101 levels is about 90 levels far too much to sanely consider traversing against this level of opposition.” [I sent back.]
“That is what ‘Gadfly’ wants you to firmly believe but you are following my orders in here not hers.” [‘Short’ sent.] “Believe in me and we will do this one level at a time. If you find thinking about the entire mission is too daunting focus on just completing your part of the next operational step and leave dealing with the bigger issues to me.” [She coached.]
“I wish I was stupider than I am then this one might make more sense to me.” [I sent back.]
“You are being more than stupid enough. If you need it submit to some internal calming mediation do what you must but refuse to lose a winning perspective. Remember my friend, as Harbinger often said, ‘belief creates its own reality’.” [‘Short’ sent.]
“If you get ‘Kanne’ and the others killed I will never forgive you.” [I sent.]
“I am not getting anyone killed although I might be tempted to drop your little ‘Meat Suit’ out the nearest opening window if you continue sending me such nonsense. Actually I might be tempted to send you out the nearest non-opening window.” [‘Short’ sent back.]
[I sent back another stream of archaic ‘Swimmer’ language some of it especially blue.]
“The same to your egg bound mother too.” [‘Short’ sent in reply having obviously translated.] “Stop distracting me with prattle and just do your egg sucking job.”
[I guess even able ‘War Masters’ of the calibre of ‘Unholy Terror’ sometimes make stupid mistakes for personal reasons. At least this time ‘UT’ erred for the sake of friendship rather than say his usual egotistical Warrior vanity that seemed to constantly whisper to him that he could survive any peril any opponent fired at him. Nonetheless the push to the 101st floor still felt more akin to a desperate military gamble with every passing nanosecond to me rather than a truly smart counter stratagem to ‘Gadfly’ cleverly crating us up inside her ‘North Star Tower’. Sometimes I hated my little ‘Swimmer’ fears suffering seeming vindication. In this instance despite my many early complaints, I would prefer ‘Short’ hastily prove me thoroughly wrong.]
[In addition, I could hardly believe that ‘Short’ dared to lecture me on subdividing a difficult project to make it more manageable. My entire life as a ‘Living Hull’ seeking parity of esteem as a member of a genetically engineered servitor species being an outsized project I had only ever been able to nibble away at one small piece at a time. Then I recalled that ‘Short’ as ‘UT’ had impossible long term dreams too such as defeating ‘Crimson’ to rescue multitudes of damned digital souls including hosts of ancient ‘Core Alliance’ deceased. ‘Unholy’ had at last found a truly worthy excuse to give battle to the ‘Entanglement’ but that did not make his quest for revenge and justice anymore possible than before. In many ways, the belief that ‘Crimson’ possessed all those captured souls probably only made his improbable task to defeat ‘Crimson’ even more difficult. I guess scaling this tower in relation to besting the ‘Entanglement’ was a light distraction was that how ‘Unholy’ inside ‘Short’ maintained her battle cool by downplaying the scale of every difficulty compared to the ultimate challenge or was ‘UT’ just created by his father far too fearless. Maybe ‘UT’ needed to spend a little time in a little ‘Swimmer Meat Suit’ to appreciate how the rest of us sometimes felt. Was that what I was doing here with ‘Bluu’ better appreciating how it feels to be a little scared ‘Pilgrim’ living amongst stomping giants such as ‘Unholy Terror’ or even the ‘Many Truths’?]
[Sometime later ‘Ingrid’ fished me up to another floor this time level nine.]
“This is getting almost easy.” [‘Jack’ said aloud as I arrived which was of course when the ceiling came down upon us along with dropping then leaping ‘Recycler Crazies’.]
[If they were just acting mad they were doing a cursed good job of it although actually with hindsight perhaps far too good a job as drug crazy people are not always combatively manic some just stare at pretty lights or whatever. Anyway, the way they came at us was all a bit too convenient for example, someone had - skilfully - if explosively contrived to drop the ceiling on us along with some of the seeming crazies without greatly damaging any of our assailants’ functionality. I say some of the crazies as the others jumped down from above immediately after the explosion rather than dropping down more stupidly with it. Landing amongst us in some instances upon us our foes attacked using an assortment of crude and not so crude melee weapons everything from armoured fists and boarding swords to metal bars in one instance a revving combat grade cybernetic chainsaw.]
[A big lump of swinging concrete from the falling ceiling had contrived to knock my ‘Mechanical Dry Suit’ over apparently this was my day for falling down. I was just struggling back to my mechanical feet when I was kicked over again by a hulking black armoured old ex-‘Conglomerate’ style ‘Tank Class Marine’ luckily one stripped of the usual heavy weaponry such as shoulder mounted rocket launchers as that might have been really crazy in this enclosed space. Nonetheless, my ‘Dry Suit’ was soon being pounded by massively armoured fists and feet. Somehow I had managed to drop my rifle when the concrete hit me - an annoying habit for someone using mechanical suit limbs - so I fumbled to pull my ‘Knock Gun’ from my suit hip mounted holster but initially some loose rubble got in the way so I first had to scoop that material aside like a ‘Trojan’ farm child playing in the dirt.]
[I felt calm as I scooped oddly in battle I no longer felt as panicked and afraid even facing a horrible view. The view I was suffering being that of an outsized fist smacking my shield at face height twice. Worse every time the ‘Recycler’ made contact cleverly built in ‘Leech Device’ contacts in the heavies fists depleted my already weakened shield by sucking down a big whack of its energy like a technological vampire. To me the leech thing just seemed cursed unfair.]
[The heavy was otherwise obscuring my entire view of the ongoing chaos with his or her immense armoured body but I could hear far too graphic weapon fire, various hard knocks and the ominous revving of then worse some grinding from the chainsaw on who knows what surface. I had a dire mental images of ‘Kanne’ getting her head sawn off I think that helped motivate me to get my ‘Knock Gun’ out and fire with a belatedly smooth motion. Unfortunately my ‘Knock Gun’ was holstered on a stun level setting and was about as combat effective as a big wet ‘Swimmer’ kiss. The fist came at me again prompting my shields to go down. I maxed the little handgun’s setting and fired again keeping the trigger firmly depressed, I will confess to a little ‘Swimmer’ panic at this juncture. The big fekker had to be locked in place somehow or just absurdly heavy because he hardly rocked backwards despite taking a forceful pummelling on his I soon realised too adequate shields. The armour might be old style but the shields I guessed were upgraded. Note I just decided it was a him - for descriptive convenience sake - also I feel better cursing out a him.]
[Crazy or not the heavy was smart enough to go for my ‘Knock Gun’ which he deftly grabbed and crushed as if it was a toy rather than a once reliable back up weapon along with I must add my civilian grade mechanical right hand. Rather uselessly tied in diagnostic warnings at this point lit up upon my ‘Mental HUD’ telling me my right hand was no longer functional.]
[Realising my personal fight was not going too well I speeded up cognitively to take stock of my position which mostly seemed little ‘Swimmer’ against massive ‘Recycler’ equals painful fail. Yet I still had a few options. Back in slow real time I used my undamaged left hand to reach for a ‘Slap Happy’. ‘Short’ had made some ‘Contact Grenades’ part of our standard ‘Short Six’ kit after his previous embarrassing demise due to such devices. Our ‘Slap Happy Contact Grenades’ were not filled with weird subsuming nanotech but with more standard shaped charges but I was not going to complain about that fact.]
[I tried to slap it on the fekkers head which might at least have blinded his main optics but only managed to reach his chest. It erupted taking his shield down but otherwise not doing much else. Behind all the armour I was positive the behemoth was grinning at me as he reached down and with a wrenching heave tore my left mechanical arm off at the shoulder socket. More diagnostics flared to life. I feared I was about to discover what it feels like to be ‘Junked’ by a ‘Recycler’.]
[Somewhat limb challenged I resorted to giving him repeated knees were in some species it might hurt. There was considerable power in my mechanical legs and in other circumstances against another opponent it might have made a big difference here it was a simple act of useless defiance. Ignoring the kneeing that just clanged off solid armour both fists began to pummel my squid bowl that was soon leaking precious water from loosening seams. In turn, I strove desperately to use my right arm in a defensive manner to block. Soon annoyed with that he grabbed at that arm I surmised to rip that one off too when there was a stunning blast that lit him up as a shadowy mass as he came down hard on top of me with the force of another hammering blow causing more damage and more leakage. I now had a host of ‘Dry Suit’ diagnostic warnings competing for my attention somehow even my scrubbers were no longer working properly.]
[I was still cursing a stream of invective at this latest turn of events when my comrades finally got around to lifting the remains of the very deceased ‘Tank Class’ off me.]
“It is all about knowing where to hit.” [‘Short’ claimed a little later.] “The brain of these mostly mechanical ones is rarely located in the less armoured head.” [She reminded.]
“What did you use?” [I asked looking at the burned out fused and hollowed back of the almost robotic cybernetic ‘Tank Class’.]
“An upgraded ‘Contact Grenade’ that I call a ‘Slap Happier’ these ones have almost the power of a proper demolitions charge perfect for use against more heavily armoured opponents.” [‘Short’ admitted.]
“Are you crazy? You could have blown me to ‘Hell’s Maw’ too.” [I complained.]
“Our Commander took a - good - judgement call of the boom required. I would take less complaint with ‘Short’ rescuing you since you did not need to take a ‘Rebirth’ - little - ‘Swimmer’.” [‘Kanne’ stated.]
“Less of the - little - from you people I am big enough where it matters.” [I stated.]
“That is a bold statement none of us non-aquatic girls care about.” [‘Ingrid’ replied joining the squad mockery at my expense.]
“Someday I will have my revenge for all these landlubber insults.” [I burbled back.]
“Stay still ‘Bluu’, some of this reattachment is delicate work.” [‘Jack’ complained his finger poking around inside my suit shoulder socket.] “Otherwise, you can make do with one mechanical suit limb with a somewhat wonky hand.” [He added.]
[The battle repairs to my ‘Dry Suit’ by ‘Jack’ notably focused upon giving me back my left arm and making my right hand usable for basic functions such as pulling triggers. My friends kindly retrieved my arms as in both my ripped off limb and my lost slug throwing Assault Rifle too. Meanwhile by using some software adjustments alone I had managed to coax my scrubbers back to sixty percent efficiency by altering water flow strength and so on between the two units. I also applied some basic emergency sealant to stop a persistent drip from a very badly damaged seal that refused to self-seal. Even my mechanical left leg was damaged a heavy spar bent somewhat, as a result I now walked with, I was positive a weird looking, minor limp.]
“How are the repairs going?” [‘Mabel’ asked without turning around from a sentry vigil by the door.]
“Our ‘Professor’ is not going to win any contests that require manipulative dexterity especially with his right hand but I think I can give him enough usage to make him almost as combat effective as he was before.” [‘Jack’ said I felt with unnecessary dry humour.]
[To my amazement, everyone else seemed in good shape and in high spirits perhaps feeling flushed with success due to a small martial victory, probably in their cases because a big lump of concrete did not knock any of them down whilst batting their primary weapon out of their hands too at the onset of the skirmish. ‘Short’ looked the most damaged after me but then she had apparently gone toe to toe with the other heavy that dropped down upon us the one with the intimidating combat chainsaw. New scars adorned various parts of the very recently reconditioned and oil bathed armour belonging to ‘Short’ which now looked ready already for another service.]
“Hurry it up ‘Jack’. We cannot lull around too long here. They are onto our pattern of advance someone predicted where we were going next and arranged that little drop in surprise. I must have been far too obvious with my soft spot choices by always going for the nearest one that fits certain other, with hindsight too predictable, criteria.” [‘Short’ admitted.]
[We had naturally made use of the hole the enemy, not so kindly, provided to reach the next level and were now holding up in a defensive position not too far from that breach to do basic battle repairs and first aid - mostly involving giving me my arm back whilst ignoring my other ‘Dry Suit’ issues.]
[‘Short’ had laughed at first when I complained that my water scrubbers also needed some attention she then just told me to, ‘Suck it up’. I wondered how she would feel if she were in vacuum and had complaints about ‘Suit’ air recycling.]
“You buying that clumsy deceit ‘Short’ as some real ‘Deck Gang’ addicts turned into a rough suicide squad?” [I asked.]
“What are you saying?” [‘Short’ asked.]
“I will bet you they were just ‘Meat Suits’ or some mentally subverted folk or some similar hokum maybe even ‘Real Material’ corpse ‘Zombie Suits’ being run by cybernetics rather than ‘Suit Substance’. That action was too blatantly false. I am beginning to ponder that ‘Gadfly’ is just going through some motions here perhaps as a subtle form of almost passive resistance against her orders.” [I stated.]
“That sounds another speculative stretch.” [‘Short’ replied.]
“I tell you it tastes of the old doing only as directed but in ways that sabotage the overall scheme. Consider the just a bit too uniform clearance outside of here - that devastation under any serious examination actually screams out fraud - rather than being a too perfect cover story.” [I stated.]
“I suppose anything is possible ‘Professor’.” [‘Short’ stated I felt far too reluctantly.]
“I am positive I am right I think ‘Gadfly’ may be being pressed into service in some manner to me that is the only thing that fits with the sloppiness of some aspects of the ‘Deck Gang’ disguise. For example with hindsight, I was right we really should be seeing some evidence of ‘Deck Gang’ graffiti and so on by now especially if we are dealing with ‘Mercenary Recyclers’ putting on a show as a pretend ‘Deck Gang’. You know how it is people pretending usually over do rather than under do the stage dressings.” [I insisted.]
“It is still a bit early for any surety with that one maybe if the next five levels also prove graffiti free I might be convinced to agree that it is suspicious.” [‘Short’ replied.]
“You just hate to admit that I was right all along you should listen to the ‘Swimmer Professor’ because the ‘Swimmer Professor’ knows a thing or two about culture and so on.” [I argued.]
“Being right about one thing does not mean you are right about everything ‘Professor’.” [‘Short’ retorted.] “Also you possibly being right about this one hardly necessitates that I am tactically wrong in my choices so far.” [‘Short’ added I felt defensively.]
“Perhaps this is becoming a rescue operation with us rescuing ‘Gadfly’ from the clutches of the ‘FPB’. Whatever is happening in here ‘Gadfly’ seems to feel for the moment that she has no choice other than to appear to be playing along with her orders but possibly that is all she is doing playing along and that could make a difference. I do not think she wants to kill us although I am positive if she feels she has no other choice our lives will be in far greater jeopardy.” [I said.]
“That is an interesting statement can you justify it?” [‘Short’ asked.]
“That ambush was a warning it could have been far more lethal. Perhaps she is warning us that things by necessity might soon get much more dangerous if we refuse to quit.” [I said.]
“Please I do not want to hear another word about retreat from you.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“Those supposed crazies could easily have been equipped with proper firepower rather than thrown at us as almost a too obvious clue that something is not quite right here. Unfortunately, whilst I think we might have a secret ally on the top floor rather than an assured foe a secret ally under the power of a domineering foe is a very uncertain edge hardly a boon we can too safely rely upon.” [I added.]
“Think about it coerced compliance would fit every discrepancy we have encountered so far including ‘Gadfly’ having a too clean previous Mercenary Record up until now. Somehow the ‘FPB’ got leverage upon her but she is not happy about it and so is only playing along rather than doing her best.” [I insisted.]
“Interestingly the other teams have only met light spotty resistance so far too even on the stairs.” [‘Jack’ interjected.] “Maybe the ‘Professor’ is making a valid point. The problem with the idea that she may be trying to help us remains however, as ‘Bluu’ said, an unreliable boon as at any point her attitude to us might change due to her circumstances altering above. We certainly can hardly afford to relax our guard. In fact I think we should treat that melee ambush only as a scary warning to be far more careful.”
“A warning might even be the intent. Even if she wants us to reach her, she may not be able to make our higher ascent any easier she may have done about as much as she can without giving herself away. Maybe she was even telling us we need to do better from this point onward or that we should attempt to quit this trap altogether by fighting our way out.” [I argued.]
“I thought you originally believed that the ‘FPB’ wanted us to cull the ‘Deck Gang’.” [‘Short’ reminded.]
“To me that no longer makes any sense as to them we would lack the strength to do the job I now firmly back my later theory - we are all meant to be slain in here - they will use our failure and slaughter as an excuse for the unleashing of much greater force against this building and its occupants. As I said before the ‘FPB’ are all about political, economic and military slight of hand.” [I stated.]
“Ignoring your ‘FPB’ obsession ‘Bluu’, ‘Gadfly’ could just be attempting to lull us into false assumptions to draw us upward to far more dangerous levels perhaps with the intent to capture us alive rather than kill us. I can see lots of other possibilities that have nothing to do with the ‘FPB’ too.” [‘Ingrid’ interjected.]
“Yet this was an ‘FPB’ building that they supposedly sold on far too cheaply that is the first clue that begins my firm following chain of logic.” [I stated.]
“Those ones we just defeated might be nothing more than disposable rejects ‘Gadfly’ actually wanted rid of for other reasons for example as more trouble than they are worth that could just as easily explain the nature of the ambush too. A nasty leader might use an enemy to cull off unwanted folk in such a manner now that the clearance operation is complete. It might be easier to explain a loss to other ‘Deck Gang’ comrades as they just died in battle rather than daring to directly execute them. Some tyrannical leaders can get away with openly executing some of their troops but in most situations, that sort of action is a likely prelude to a rapid mutiny. After all, people start thinking I could be the next fool slated for deletion and they might even be right. Maybe she is even helping us to cull her own forces because we are meant to win not lose here despite the odds. Remember we originally told our employers we were going in at the top did you ever inform them of the change of plan due to the loss of the ‘Drop Ship’ insertion ‘Short’?” [‘Ingrid’ added.]
“I felt that was information they did not need to know.” [‘Short’ admitted.]
“Let me guess because deep inside you knew it was a crazy plan to clear 101 levels from the ground up without a far larger assault force.” [I challenged.]
“You watch your mouth or I will rip your voice box speakers off.” [‘Short’ replied sounding genuinely furious with me possibly for questioning her so openly.]
“I suppose using up a no longer needed - possibly even plot betraying group of individuals - might make a fine excuse for such troop wastage to distant ‘FPB’ bosses more interestingly ‘Bluu’ might be right I think a clever competent Mercenary Commander with the sort of reputation earned by ‘Gadfly’ would have made better use of truly expendable assets that is if she truly wanted us dead.” [‘Short’ stated.]
[I guessed that was her poor idea of morale damage control.]
“Few fighters are more lethal than assets retaining no instinct towards self-preservation under the sway of leadership able and willing to make a sacrifice of said troops for a quick victory. She could for example have rigged them - even unknowingly - with remotely detonated explosives and we would most probably currently all be in scattered bits down there. ‘Hell’s Maw’ she could have just rigged that ceiling with more explosives for some reason someone wants us alive - at the moment.” [‘Short’ added.]
“Some fine thoughts there for anyone spying on our conversation.” [‘Jack’ replied.]
“This area is secure from active surveillance systems.” [‘Short’ assured us.] “Our friend ‘Ingrid’ has thoroughly deep scanned the place.”
“All we can take to know for certain is that ‘Gadfly’ employed some assets that she willing used up anything else is verging upon dangerous speculation in my opinion. In such a hostile environment it is best to treat all non-friendly forces as assured foes unless they are subdued and in our power. As to old command choices they no longer matter - we are here - and I do not see retreat as an option we can take.” [‘Kanne’ stated without compromise.]
“Tactically the ‘Splinter’ is compellingly correct.” [‘Ingrid’ agreed.] “Friend or foe we must treat ‘Gadfly’ as a foe until she is in our power. At least fighting inside the tower we have physical cover and if ‘Gadfly’ is a coerced friend she might be able to assist us we just need to make the most of every advantage we get without becoming in any way dependant upon outside boons.”
“I will agree to that unless we manage to have a secret parley with her or she proves in some other undeniable way to be a friend and directly seeks our aid.” [I said.]
“Even then I would vote for caution we cannot afford to make any mistakes and trusting ‘Gadfly’ if the ‘FPB’ have some hold upon her except from a position of strength would be a grievous error.” [‘Ingrid’ stated.]
“Interestingly I have some early data here from the ‘DNA’ results downstairs that I can share now. The two souls identified so far are both off ‘Sliver’ Mercenaries but hardly of the calibre of ‘Gadfly’ or her past associates, these two retained nasty reputations for taking far more dodgy contracts from far more dodgy people.” [I stated sending digital copies of the details.]
“So not former upright colleagues. Have some ‘Sub Cores’ look into where the former colleagues of ‘Gadfly’ are now and what they are doing?” [‘Short’ ordered.]
“I am doing that already so far the only ones I have located are a few individuals that retired from her operations other early interesting results show that some others have recently disappeared off public core records about two years ago.” [I stated.]
“Well keep the ‘Sub Cores’ digging we might yet learn something far more useful.” [‘Short’ said.]
“Try that.” [‘Jack’ said to me.] “How does it feel?”
“Not too bad, certainly better than my mechanical right hand.” [I stated moving the reattached mechanical left arm about and manipulating the precision instrument hand.]
“Best I can do with the time ‘Short’ has allocated to me and without proper spare parts.” [‘Jack’ stated.] “If you go easy on any heavy lifting the basic welds and braces I attached ought to hold until you get a neater more professional service.”
“If you have all finished checking your gear, refilling your clips and so on it is past time we moved on upward.” [‘Short’ stated.]
[Everyone agreed that they were good to go, kindly ‘Kanne’ had refilled my clips whilst ‘Jack’ was busy repairing my arms.]
“I wonder what is really going on up there on the 101st floor.” [I sent to ‘Short’.]
“Stop hampering our morale and keep up with me and you will soon find out.” [‘Short’ sent back with too typical surety.]
[I wondered if ‘UT’ was so very positive of success or if it was all an act for the sake of squad morale because he knew this was a bad one now but akin to ‘Kanne’ saw no other option other than to press onward. I still felt we had a horribly long way to go even if we might have some limited covert help from the local ‘Gang Boss’ upstairs.]
“I will bet our friend ‘Gadfly’ if she is being coerced has some sort of modern day ‘FPB Monitor’ watching over her shoulder that would be very old style ‘Free Parliament’.” [I sent.]
“You could well be right about that the old ‘Free Parliamentarians’ never trusted any agents in the field without constant surveillance thankfully we managed to win over many ‘Monitors’ secretly to our cause or there never would have been any ‘Wars of Liberation’ just lots of purging of our ranks by ‘FPB Loyalist’ forces.” [‘Short’ sent back.]
“These days they probably have ‘Monitors’ monitoring the ‘Monitors’ monitoring the ‘Monitors’ ad infinitum or some even worse system of control.” [I sent.]
“I seem to recall there was plenty of that type of nonsense going on even in the old ‘Free Parliament’ but we still managed to fool them with lots of help from our many rebellious friends.” [‘Short’ sent back.]
“I suppose to the ‘Free Parliamentarians’ we were the corrupting influence on their society encouraging the ‘Black Market’ and so on perhaps in tearing down the ‘Free Parliament’ we unleashed a lot of people we trained to be both rebellious and criminally minded therefore founding many of our negative social issues today.” [I sent.]
“It is always easier to tear a system down that it is to build a stable better replacement.” [‘Short’ stated.]
“I suppose the fall of any repressive regime can result in some people seeking excessive freedom to the point of becoming anti-social. Still, I often wonder if our past rebellious criminality is also responsible for the proliferation of the latter-day non-conformist ‘Deck Gangs’ and the mindset of people such as the ‘Free Miners’.” [I sent.]
“I think many of the early ‘Deck Gangs’ arrived on the scene from ‘Omerta’ influences and were a response to ‘Omerta Trojan’ youth being freed from old ‘SARC’ oppression after the ‘Fall of Sanctuary Orb’ also ex-‘Conglomerate Recycler’ youths freed up from the old repression of the ‘Sleepers’. You would have us take on far too much credit. Besides, it was some of the ‘Free Parliamentarians’ that also started the ‘Black Market’ as a means to trade their own ill gotten gains and as another means of fleecing the public via selling some items on at exorbitant prices. Corruption within the ‘Parliament’ was always deep and broad they often flouted their own laws. We only took what was there and bent it to our needs as freedom fighters.” [‘Short’ reminded via sending.]
“The funny thing about freedom fighters is that they only fight for freedom until they win then they must become the new oppressors by imposing a new social system. Even if the new social system learns from the past and manages to remain for a time a kinder model there will always be some detractors that want no part of it and they are rarely tolerated and encouraged to go their own way by former rebels. Only we Paradox Priests made splitting a formal part of our society but then whilst we made splitting essential to adulthood in our own way we sought to keep our Acolyte children forever as obedient infants.” [I sent.]
Last edited by Paranoid66 on Wed, 17. Jun 15, 17:28, edited 4 times in total.