A call to arms!

[Littlerock]

“I’m not aligned to the Unredeemed. When the shadow lands were opened, the clans immediately rushed in and claimed kinship with everything cute and lovely. The Redeemed fit your pseudo-religious worldview of a righteous struggle, and you claimed them as your own.

“Now, keep in mind that the struggle between the Xan has been going on, by all accounts, for longer than any of us can imagine, and suddenly one side has a new allegiance. What were the Unredeemed to do? What would you do if suddenly Omni-Tek allied itself with a group that was in conflict with another? You’d reach out to their adversaries as well.”

"When the clans rushed in? Rushed in? If that's how you feel, I think you're misguided. We didn't rush in, we went in curiously to see what the fuzz was all about, and to make sure you Omnis didn't get to much of an advantage over us." Aim seems to stare into a void or at a place a far way from here. "The redeemed, well they did seem like a bunch of decent um... people. And I don't think the unredeemed would touch any clanner (with a few exeptions) with a poker."

“I’m not aligned to the Unredeemed. I’m a sub-contractor. They need soldiers, I happen to be a soldier, they pay very well. Sure, one of them made me swear to never show mercy on the battlefield, but I wasn’t very much for showing mercy to those who are shooting at me. I sincerely doubt that there’s a redeemed priest somewhere making people swear to treat everyone kindly and seek peace, but I wouldn’t be surprised to find one urging clanners to fight till the unredeemed are an unpleasant memory.”

"You're not aligned to the unredeemed, yet you fight for them? You've taken their oaths of vileness and still you have the guts to tell me you're not aligned to them? Well, you omni have followed the rule about doing to your enemy what he does to you, altough it seem to me you've added a bit to the saying. Do tenfold to your enemy is more like it." Looking around she adds, "And due to the laws of an arms-race the clanners have had to do unto you by tenfold too, and the dark spiral evolves. We the clans can't put down the weapons we point against you omni, because you would overrun us and eradicate us if we do."

She raises her hand to order a new glass of scotch, and awaits the scolding she supposes will come her way after a speach like this.

[Dabblez]

Originally posted by Astera
[B
The point is that you ask us to resort to protest. The point is that Omni Tek didnt resort to vigil instead of launching the minor "commando mission" into a Clan controlled city. Why should we then resort to protest? You obviously didn't. Do as I say, not as I do, and all that.
[/B]

Astera,

The difference is that the Clan would like us to believe this conflict is about principles rather than simple self-interest. If the Clans wish to somehow hang to the moral highground, they bloody well do something to earn that priviledge and live up to their ideals. Otherwise, just come clean and admit that all we have on Rubi-Ka is two local superpowers slugging it out for a larger chunk of the notum pie.

Savoy

[Dabblez]

Originally posted by Agna


"And due to the laws of an arms-race the clanners have had to do unto you by tenfold too, and the dark spiral evolves. We the clans can't put down the weapons we point against you omni, because you would overrun us and eradicate us if we do."

She raises her hand to order a new glass of scotch, and awaits the scolding she supposes will come her way after a speach like this.

I can see that. Now you have to see that it cuts both ways; Omni employees are equally scared about being overrun by the Clans. Historically the Clans have given Omni a bloody nose time and time again, to the extent we've lost half the planet already!

It is indeed, as you say, a dark spiral. Neither side has any real reason to fight except for fear, fear tha by letting go the enemy will gain the upperhand. Which is all the more reason why inflamatory statements like your "call to arms" statement are the last thing we need.

People form both sides need to rethink that they are doing, questions their true motives and start looking forward rather than backwards all the time.

War is expensive. There would be pleny of notum for everyone if only could leave fear and recriminations behind us.

Savoy

[Necromancyr]

<<War is expensive. There would be pleny of notum for everyone if only could leave fear and recriminations behind us. >>

And that is the crux of the matter indeed.

It is also why this "war" isnt going to end. It all comes down to money and power, and neither side is going to give up either.

While the Clan revolt may have once been about principles, it most certainly is not any longer. It is about power.

Why does this squabbling continue? Power. The Clans will never get peace, because truthfully, they dont want it. The only thing that keeps the Clans internally cohesive is Omni Tech.

OT is the Clans boogieman. For them, we are the Enemy, the great "threat" hanging over their heads. We serve as a convienty target to focus their attention. If OT were to be removed as a threat, the so called peace loving Clans would tear themselves apart in internal squabbling.

Dont belive me? Look at the fine example set by the Sentinels. The other Clans moan and complain about the Sentinels, but do they do anything? No. Their behavior makes OT look positively benevolent in comparison, and yet the are the so called "good guys" to the "evil" of Omni Tech.

Rubbish!

Every time there has been a peace proposal on the table to settle things between OT and the Clans, the CLANS are the ones who have sabotaged the deal. Why? Because they dont want a lasting peace.

Peace would destroy the Clans facade of "fighting for freedom". If a lasting peace were to occur, the clans would be left with no rallying point, no great goal, no cause.

Instead they would be forced to examine themselves and what they have. Poor housing. No industry. What to do about employment for all of the military clans, who now become superflous. What to do about substandard housing?

If there was lasting peace, the Clans would be forced to examine themselves and their institutions, and they most certainly would not like what they would see.

The Clans live in squalor, and why? They have half of the planet at this point. They have Notum mines. They now have unrestricted access to off world shipping and export. In short, the Clans HAVE the money. Yet where does it all go?

Ask the Sentinels. Ask any of the "have" Clans where the money goes. These groups and individuals are making vast sums of money, and it goes into their own pockets. Not to the Clans as a whole. Not to their "comrades in arms". It goes to to a few select indiviuals, and small groups. Who guard their power closely.

After all, why did the Sentinels take Tir? Because they could. Because they had the power to do so. And why havent the other major Clans resisted them? Power and money.

That is the irony of the whole situation. The Clans have exchanged Omni "opression" for the "freedom" of the clans, all the while pretending not to see the leash they are on.

What are the Clans about? Freedom? Liberty? No. It is about money and power. The Clans are hypocrites building a society based on a lie.

At least Omni Tech is honest about its goals!

[Fixerben]

Boy, I cant tell you how many times I've heard this exact same thing on both sides of the fence. Should this be called Patriotic, or Repetition. Words are just words , Start with words, but act on them.

[Necromancyr]

Fixerben,

You have a vaild point. However, looking at recent clan history, I think that this discription would be more aptly put to the Clans than Omni Tech.

After all, you had a first hand view on how the Council functioned, and eventually ceased to funciton. Honestly, how much of that was due to principals or noble causes?

[Sundai]

"Start with words, but act on them." -Fixerben

Hello kettle, Pot is on the phone and he says youre black.

When will OT see the Clans have a single leadership? When will clans be able to police themselves? When will clans remove the sentinels who kill nuetral citizens daily in Tir?

Oh but clans will certainly speak up to remove mercs from Newland *snicker*

When will the clan's have a solid unified voice that speaks with reason?

Say what you want but the Clan's have never done anything meaningful to further the peace process, internally among themselves, let alone with Omni-Tek.

While your marketing is great, "Fight the power - Join the Clan's, We're the good guys, etc." anyone who has been around longer then a few months knows that it's all fallacy.

Physician, heal thyself.

[Marisha]

Originally posted by Agna


"When the clans rushed in? Rushed in? If that's how you feel, I think you're misguided. We didn't rush in, we went in curiously to see what the fuzz was all about, and to make sure you Omnis didn't get to much of an advantage over us." Aim seems to stare into a void or at a place a far way from here. "The redeemed, well they did seem like a bunch of decent um... people. And I don't think the unredeemed would touch any clanner (with a few exeptions) with a poker."

“The Xan are a faithful people, and devoted to their cause. I can respect that in them. Beyond that, the Xan culture baffles me. They have reclaim tech, that’s apparent to all, and seem to have beaten some of the technical difficulties we currently experience with our reclaim technology. I heard one use the term “man-decades” and I believe that we do not perceive time itself in the same way. This could be because of an incredibly long lifespan where time begins to loose a great deal of it’s meaning. I find the implications shocking, especially when one considers the long-term effects of reclaim technology and life extension on society.

“That said, I would never wish to leave Rubi-Ka. I’ve grown quite attached to reclaim technology. But that’s an entire evolution versus technology debate that is neither here nor there.

“As for not touching clanners with hot pokers, I can’t blame them. I’d distrust any clanner who told me they wanted to work for me, but still wanted to keep their membership with the clans. I’m sure that if I told you I wanted to pledge my loyalty to your clan while keeping my Omni-Tek employment, you’d be su****ious as well, and keep me from entering your fortifications. It is true for the Xan as well, I suspect.”

Originally posted by Agna


"You're not aligned to the unredeemed, yet you fight for them? You've taken their oaths of vileness and still you have the guts to tell me you're not aligned to them? Well, you omni have followed the rule about doing to your enemy what he does to you, altough it seem to me you've added a bit to the saying. Do tenfold to your enemy is more like it." Looking around she adds, "And due to the laws of an arms-race the clanners have had to do unto you by tenfold too, and the dark spiral evolves. We the clans can't put down the weapons we point against you omni, because you would overrun us and eradicate us if we do."

“Like how we overran you and eradicated you during the amnesty? Ah, good times, that. Or how about the time we overran and eradicated you at the close of the first civil war, when you really did lay down your guns. If by eradicate, you mean gave land and rights to, you should be asking for more eradications. As for the escalations, do you have a specific example, or are you just making generalizations to justify your own escalations?”

Marisha sips her coffee, and leans back against the couch, smiling slightly to herself.

[Kithraks]

Aw, the wittle clanner wants to call Omni-Tek names. *rolls his eyes* If I had a credit every time some did that.....I would have enough to buy out an entire chunk of Rubi-Ka. So you like to generalize and paint all 'non-clanners' with the same brush?

I was invited on more than one occasion by clan leaders to Tir, Athens among other areas to disscuss diplomatic matters. Tolerate? I was invited!

So before you think and blurt out that all Omni-Tek employees are evil or some other ill concieved generalizations look in the mirror and think again. For what it's worth, you won't see me generalizeing that all clanners are non-too bright based on you alone.

[Astera]

*the message reaches me just as I am about to digitize into the grid.*

Savoy,

Let me start my reply by saying that I do not speak for the Clans. I speak for myself, if people agree, then thats their right.

I guess "simple self interest" is the Omni Tek propaganda version of a revolt.

Is this war now about notum? Sure, maybe now it is. I especially enjoy pouring salt on that wound. Not only did we gain somewhat of an independence, we hit Omni Tek in the bank account.



Necro...

Please continue to critique the mistakes of a fledgling government, it shows enlightment. You do make valid points, but, Rome was not built in a day, and mistakes will happen. The topic of the Sentinels is a touchy one for most clanners. You either love them or hate them. The fact is that Silverstone remains unchallenged, therefore will not be removed. His Sentinels keep watch over some of the most harsh territory imaginable from the perpetual wastelands down to Tir...then east and west from there. They are the only symbol of law and order a clanner can view, and its reassuring at times. I cannot name how many times a Sentinel has saved my life outside of Tir.

Not many of us agree with the killing of neutrals but until we get a true form of government in place, he will remain in power. That is the hard truth. Quite a few of us are extreme opponents of Silverstone, but without a real system in place there is nothing we can do at the moment.

Please refrain from your "at least we're honest" rhetoric, I would not be proud of greed, honest or not, nor will I defend what is being done with the revenue generated by our notum mines. Call me naive, but im willing to allow a little more time to see results.

What you fail to realize, is that if there is inconsistency or misuse that is proven, the clans will take a stand against those "leaders" also. You seem perfectly content in indirectly calling us sheep, but we stood against Omni Tek, and we will stand against Silverstone.

As far as Newland is concerned: Quite a few Neutrals dont want Omni Tek there and have asked the clans for help. Whose fault is that? The clans, obviously...right? Can we say that this move is money oriented? After all, with Omni Guards gone, Newland will be open for quite a bit more trade from the Clans, meaning more revenue. Will you then shout "greed" at the neutrals, or will you praise them for making a smart move and more money in the process? No, Omni Tek is extremely prideful at the least and a thing as minor as the Neutrals right to police their own city will be a blow to your collective ego.

Aside from all of this, I am impressed by how much importance you put on Omni Tek being the glue that holds the clans together. As I stated earlier, you are critiquing a fledgling govenrment. Please try not to think too far past that, sir.

[_______________Lunya]

A little leet peeks around the door leading into the Cup. She blinks a few times to allow her eyes to adjust to the shadowy interior, then waddles toward the table with all the chatter. Odd to see people here for once!

Moving closer to the wall, she goes unoticed for some minutes. She listens with wide eyes, moving her gaze to each person as they speak. Finally, she scratches her ear with her foot, shrugs as well as a leet can, and hops up on a nearby table. The leet form fades into that of a young woman in worn-out khaki shorts and a halter top sitting cross-legged on the tabletop. She nods to the group gathered and pulls a bottle from her backpack, taking a long sip before speaking.

"Sorry, I couldn't help noticin' all the talkin' over here. 'Course, I was told it was a party... guess not. Erm, you know I don't usually talk much on the subject in a place like a bar... but since yer all about and makin' such nice conversation..."

Lunya takes a deep breath and looks down at her bottle of Hit-the-Floor Jack nervously. After a moment, she looks up and smiles as genuinely as possible, with just a hint of sadness in her eyes.

"Yer all wrong. Well, okay, so Savoy is tryin' ta help, an' that's right... But when it gets down to it, this is the saddest thing ya'll will ever talk about. An' don't give me none of that "You hypocri... hypocriti"...um... I forgot the word. Uh... "You dumb Omni" stuff. And goes for Omni people, too... don't you go callin' me a "bleedin' heart." The fact is, we're all guilty. Nobody can put their guns down 'cause the other side is too reet-crap scared to put theirs down, too!"

She nods in a very matter-of-fact way as she points her bottle at no one in particular.

"I jus' don't see how anyone can think there'd be anyway to stop all this besides some higher bein' droppin' a nuke on us. Speakin' of bein's... Those Unredeemed are mean buggers! I went to talk to 'em, and all they do is tell me 'bout bein' Chosen and that I'm a lowly maggot and whatnot and I gotta show no mercy. Don't sound like me at all! I go about tryin' ta HELP everyone, not kill 'em! And I talked to the Redeemed, offerin' my help. They don't give me the time o' day! Seems to me they got the same problems we do and we're just diggin' ourselves deeper by throwin' our alleg... allegi... umm... by goin' into war with someone else when we got our own."

Appearing slightly embarassed, she swallows hard and then goes on.

"Guess all I'm sayin' is that it's a lost cause. The only thing keepin' any of us alive is supression gas. They day that runs out, anyone with their head screwed on right is gonna follow my lead and get the heck away from all the crazy war-lovin' folks here. I made the suggestion once: I still think anyone who wants to, Omni, Clan, Neutral, whatever... should all get together in Rompa or someplace and have a few rounds o' Hit-the-Floor Jack. Maybe we can all settle down for a few hours and laugh and talk and have fun like we're all the same... what's the word that Aazamon guy said? Gen... geniu... no, not genius! Oh, GENUS! Yeah... that. We're all the same genus and we're all alive. So darnit... act like ya care about people, not just your people. That goes for all of ya!"

With a stern expression, looking around to everyone gathered, Lunya raises her bottle in a sort of toast, then tilts her head back, downing nearly 1/4 of the liquid inside. She smiles brightly at the the people who are (for the most part) strangers to her... her face filled with a child-like hope.

[Fixerben]

Originally posted by Charles
Aw, the wittle clanner wants to call Omni-Tek names. *rolls his eyes* If I had a credit every time some did that.....I would have enough to buy out an entire chunk of Rubi-Ka. So you like to generalize and paint all 'non-clanners' with the same brush?

I was invited on more than one occasion by clan leaders to Tir, Athens among other areas to disscuss diplomatic matters. Tolerate? I was invited!

This is what I was getting at basically.

"Start with words, but act on them." -Fixerben

Hello kettle, Pot is on the phone and he says youre black.

When will OT see the Clans have a single leadership? When will clans be able to police themselves? When will clans remove the sentinels who kill nuetral citizens daily in Tir?

Oh but clans will certainly speak up to remove mercs from Newland *snicker*

When will the clan's have a solid unified voice that speaks with reason?

Say what you want but the Clan's have never done anything meaningful to further the peace process, internally among themselves, let alone with Omni-Tek.

While your marketing is great, "Fight the power - Join the Clan's, We're the good guys, etc." anyone who has been around longer then a few months knows that it's all fallacy.

Physician, heal thyself.

And you, I dont know what to say to you. But that made almost no sense. It was Mr. Houston and the Neutrals that started the NGI, and the Clans are trying to form a government. Read the news and keep informed, you will look much smarter. ((Good tip for RL too))

[Necromancyr]

Astera,

<<Please continue to critique the mistakes of a fledgling government, it shows enlightment.>>

You flatter me. I cannot however claim enlightement, only a healthy dose of Realpolitik. My department is new to Rubi-Ka, and as such has no emotional investment here. It allows me to be somewhat more dispassionate and objective on these matters.

<<You do make valid points, but, Rome was not built in a day, and mistakes will happen.>>

Yet, you ask for tolerance but do you give that back in return? A mistake lead to the original Clan revolt. Can anyone even remember the name of the administrative fool responsible for that disaster? No.

I only point out that the Clans would ask for tolerance for mistakes, and yet they give none back.

<<The topic of the Sentinels is a touchy one for most clanners. You either love them or hate them. The fact is that Silverstone remains unchallenged, therefore will not be removed.>>

Which proves my previous statement about power succinctly.

<<His Sentinels keep watch over some of the most harsh territory imaginable from the perpetual wastelands down to Tir...then east and west from there. They are the only symbol of law and order a clanner can view, and its reassuring at times. I cannot name how many times a Sentinel has saved my life outside of Tir.>>

So the Sentinels shoot the occassional member of the local wildlife and this somehow justifies the rest of their actions?
Silverstone has set himself up as a criminal despot, and the Clans do nothing. Why? Certainly he has no high minded noble cause he is fighting for. That much is apparent to all parties. Why then is he tolerated, particularly when he does so much harm to the Clans politically.

The answer is power, and self interest.

<<Not many of us agree with the killing of neutrals but until we get a true form of government in place, he will remain in power. That is the hard truth.>>

Did not having a "true form of government" stop the original clans from revolting? No. Where the is a will for change, there is a way to make that change happen.

<<Please refrain from your "at least we're honest" rhetoric, I would not be proud of greed, honest or not, nor will I defend what is being done with the revenue generated by our notum mines. Call me naive, but im willing to allow a little more time to see results.>>

Once again, this isnt about pride, or emotions. OT and the Clans mine notum for two things. Money and Power. Pure and simple. Any political organization strives for two basic things, power, and survival. In this respect, the Clans and OT are no different.

<<What you fail to realize, is that if there is inconsistency or misuse that is proven, the clans will take a stand against those "leaders" also.>>

There is more than sufficent evidence on what Silverstone is doing, and by association some of your other leaders. Yet you do nothing. Why? Self interest. Money. Power.

Silverstone is a petty despot, yet he has allies in the other clans. Why? Do they agree with his policies? Do they support him murdering innocent Neutrals? Perhaps some do. But the majority of them support him because of his current political and military power within the Clans. By hitiching their star to his, they seek to improve their own position.

So in effect, the clans have sold their high minded ideals to a thug for power. The clans do nothing to the Sentinels because they seek short term benefits from it.

And so, one mans greed and self-interest is allowed to harm the Clans politically, all while the other "leaders" scramble for scraps from his table. Truly a sad thing to watch.

<<You seem perfectly content in indirectly calling us sheep, but we stood against Omni Tek, and we will stand against Silverstone.>>

That remains to be seen. But with with the current behavior of the Clan "leaders" perhaps that observation is not quite so far from the mark?

<<As far as Newland is concerned: Quite a few Neutrals dont want Omni Tek there and have asked the clans for help.>>

And the counterpoint being that OT was asked to assist the Neutrals after the Clans started shooting at them.

<<Can we say that this move is money oriented?>>

Of course. All political decisions come down to the same causes, power and money.

<<After all, with Omni Guards gone, Newland will be open for quite a bit more trade from the Clans, meaning more revenue. Will you then shout "greed" at the neutrals, or will you praise them for making a smart move and more money in the process?>>

Whatever the Neutrals decide is entirely up to them. I might point out that there are no Omni personnel guarding Neutral facilities. Those individuals are mercenaries, contracted to the Neutrals. Omni brokered that arrangement, that is all.

<<No, Omni Tek is extremely prideful at the least and a thing as minor as the Neutrals right to police their own city will be a blow to your collective ego.>>

Nonsense. Whatever the Neutrals decide is entirely up to them. No matter what the decision is, OT only stands to benefit in the long run. The Neutrals needed assistance, and OT provided them with aid. Who where the Neutrals defending themselves from? The supposed "peace loving" clans.

OT was not the group running around murdering innocent Neutrals, the Clans were. Whatever the Neutrals decide, it most certainly is not going to hurt OT in the long run.

<<Aside from all of this, I am impressed by how much importance you put on Omni Tek being the glue that holds the clans together.>>

The risk to the Clans is that they have a single narrow minded focus. The current anarchy inside the Clans demonstrate all to well what would happen if OT was not there to play the "bad guy" and give the Clans an external focus.

Left to your own devices, with no external threat, the Clans would tear themselves apart. This is not wishful thinking, just an observation based on the current political scene in the Clans and considered in a historical context.

And belive me, we have absolutely no desire to see the Clans destablilze any further than they already are.

<<As I stated earlier, you are critiquing a fledgling govenrment. Please try not to think too far past that, sir.>>

Unfortunately, thinking past the current state of affairs and looking at long term goals is something of an occupational hazzard to someone in my line of work.

That being the case, I can assure you that our long term goals remain the same. Peace.

As I stated before, OT could eliminate the Clans. But war is expensive, and OT is a corporation. We want steady profit, not an expensive war for little gain. Despite all the squabbling and anarchy amongst the Clans, we still continue to provide goods and services to you, even as you attack us.

Why? Because in the long term, the profits OT makes providing goods and services to the Clans far outweighs the expense of the constant skirmishing and occasional property damage.

If OT truly wanted to eliminate you, would could simply cease providing reclaim insurance to the Clans and let natural attrition whittle your numbers down for us. Indeed, if the Clans were such a great threat to OT, then that would be a prudent course of action. But we have not.

OT looks at the long term, not some short term goal. We have examined all the potential scenarios, and come to the same conclusion repeatedly. It is not in our interest to fight a war. Instead a peaceful relationship benefits both sides.

We can see, and we have tried repeatedly to bring peace to Rubi-Ka. But every single time, the Clans have broken those agreements, and when OT is forced to react, we are called "opressors".

Stripping away all the flag waving, emotional nonsense, and political rehtoric, it comes down to the raw truth. We want peace. We continue to sell the Clans goods and services. We have not launched a major military action, despite being repeatedly provoked.

The Clans however, do not want peace. If there is peace, there is no "struggle against the oppressors" to focus the rank and file of the Clans upon. With their goals of peace and independance achieved, what then to the Clans do?

While the Clans have many members and leaders who desire nothing more than peace, there are a great number of others who do not.

What do you think would happen if the Clans had peace and were forced to deal with their own internal squabbles and situations? How long do you think Silverstone and his bandits would survive?

Those elements in Clan society are very well aware of what would happen if peace were declared, and it frightens them terribly. So if Silverstone has to shoot a few Neutrals to destabilize the political situation, why not?

As long as the Clans are focused on the "threat" from outside, they will never look at the rot within. And those forces within the Clans are far, far more dangerous to your independance than OT will ever be.

[Littlerock]

Aimstraight scratches her head and blinks. As the discussion moves back and forth her face turns from determination to stubbornness to an expression of dire bewilderment. She looks like a five year old child who's just found out Santa doesn't exist. Eyes filled with tears, mouth open and constant trying to force the lump in her throat back down, she clings to her glass as if it was the last solid thing on the face of Rubi-Ka. To think hurts, but she now realize that there are more grey than either black or white in the world.

Her mind races. Is anything she's learnt in school, at home, and in her youth, hanging out with other abandoned children in, and around the sewers of Old Athen, true? Or is all a big lie the Clans keep telling to each other to justify what they do? She swallows the lump in her throat and tries to smile to the girl who sits on a nearby table. What about her pa? Why was he killed by the Omni? Was he too filling her head with lies about the history of Rubi-Ka, the histories she listened to as she fell asleep when she was little. All lies? And who are the Sentinels? What is the thing about the Clans not wanting peace? She want peace. She's been fighting for peace since the unfortunate day her pa got killed, never stopping to think untill now. Her mind swirls...

Turning back to the discussion she decides to listen intently to what is being said, so she can make up her own future. No more tagging along, Aimstraight is going to decide for herself from now on.

[_______________Lunya]

Lunya glances at Aimstraight and nods to her, grinning wide. She digs through her backpack, pulls out another small bottle of Hit-the-Floor Jack and hands it to the girl.

Leaning closer, Lunya whispers "I know what that look is. It's just the same look that was on my face when I realised what was really happenin', too. When I figured out why my folks made sure I never saw another human bein' until I ran away myself. Sometimes I wish I hadn't ever run into Rome... wish I hadn't been such a curious little thing. I shoulda stayed with them and been sheltered all my life. But, well... better to know and be able to make a difference. Even a small one."

Lunya smiles sadly, clinking her bottle against the one in Aimstraight's hand and then takes a drink. "By tha way, I'm Jules. Nice ta meet ya."

[Necromancyr]

*smiles at Aimstraight*

I am sorry if I have upset you dear, it was certainly not my intent. My intent was to point out that in complicated situations such as these, things are rarely black and white.

I am sorry for your loss.

I understand your confusion over some of the items I may have brought up. To a certain extent, that is my goal. Blind acceptance of political rehtoric is what brought us to our current status quo on Rubi-Ka. That is what I oppose in this constant squabbling.

If you choose to be Clan, then so be it. BUT only as long as you truly understand what it is you support. The same applies for OT, Neutral, ICC or any other faction or organization.

My only point is that as an individual, you should understand the choices you make. Blind acceptance of route propaganda does not serve your interests in the least.

If someone truly understands what it is they support and belive in, then I cannot begrudge them their choice.

But I cannot stomach blind acceptance of any political credo. Those who refuse to think for themselves and question what it is they do, and what they believe in are fools.

I find I cannot reason with fools. Regretfully, my companion there winds up discussing things with them.

*nods at his X-3*

My friend is not very eloquent, but his arguements are hard to ignore. I much prefer it though when he remains mute.

[Littlerock]

Aimstraight slowly drinks from the bottle she got. She smiles at Necromancyr and starts as if to speak. Instead of talking though, she shakes her head. Her eyes wander to the leet girl. Again she moves as if to say something, but also this time she keeps quiet. Looking at the crowd, but not seeing them, she stands up, leaves a tip to the barpersonell and starts for the door.

"I'd like to thank you all, for trying to tell me what to do. It's good to get advice like this, although I don't think I'm going to follow most of them. Yes, I will keep my eyes open, and I will not take what's told me for gospel, but I'm still going to fight against what I feel are the oppressors here on Rubi-Ka and in Shadowlands both. You might try to sweet-talk me, but I'm grown up and I will decide what I believe in myself."

As she walks trough the door she half turnes and continues: "I've learnt one thing tonight though, and that is that it's not the people of Omni-Tek, but the corporation it self I should fear, as it's clear that there are good people within the Omni's ranks just as there are rotten apples amongst the Clans." Smiling, she leaves the Cup, ready to face a new world where she is in charge of herself.


((OOC: Thanks to you all for participating in this thread. It did turn out in a way I never would have imagined, and at times I thought there was a lot more meta-gaming than roleplay, but I've had fun with it. You might keep the discussion going, but Aimstraight has gotten a lot to think about and had to retire. {I have got to do a bit of re-writing on her beliefs and such, in order to stay in character} And remember, I've been around for a heck of a long time, I've read the background and everything I've been able to find, it's just that Aimstraight hasn't... Again: Thank you for participating! See you in another thread in the future.))