Blackpetal sat at a desk in a darkened room. She took a moment to straighten her tie and looked straight into the camera. Behind her, her brother Elliot stood in full armor, arms crossed and pistols clutched tight in his hands. Petal knew her brother was tense, but somehow, she didn't feel nervous in the slightest. A light on the camera indicated that a broadcast feed had begun.
The following was broadcast on several Grid feeds originating from Clan territory late in the evening of February 1, 29478.
Blackpetal stared at the camera, and her look seemed to bore through the lens and through the screen and into the very heart of anyone who watched her. She sat silently for a moment, and then began to speak, in a soft but firm voice.
"Good evening. My name is Racheal Schuemann, better known to some of you by my nom de guerre, Blackpetal. Many of you are familiar with me because of the legal work I have done through my law firm, Schuemann & Associates, or because of the recent legal troubles both my law firm and I have encountered. Some of you have heard my name paired with the word "traitor," and no doubt you will find ample evidence to support that label.
"I come before you tonight to speak of matters of great importance. I come before you a humbled woman, for I have made a great sacrifice today, and it is a sacrifice with which I will live for the rest of my life. Mostly, however, I come before you today as a fellow citizen--a citizen of Rubi-Ka to be sure, but also a citizen of Omni-Tek, for though I have sacrificed my legal standing with the corporation, I remain, in my heart, a citizen of the great corporation of Omni-Tek, and my love for my corporation burns hotter in my breast than it has in many years.
"All of this must be confusing to you, and I have precious little time, since I have no doubt that efforts are being made as I speak to you to jam this transmission. Therefore, I will continue with what haste I may.
"Citizens of Omni-Tek, you are deceived. Philip Ross and the Board of Directors of Omni-Tek are mere puppets, controlled by a dark power so terrible and evil that it defies my poor words to describe it to you. Since the scientists of Jobe first opened the portal into the Shadowlands, I have wandered those dangerous lands and researched the histories of the beings called the Redeemed and the Unredeemed. It is an awful history. While I could talk at length about the history of the Redeemed, it is the Unredeemed of whom I wish to speak now. Theirs is a history of betrayal, and fratricide, and genocide. It is a history written in blood and the desecration of our ancestral home. It is a history that weaves and winds and constricts its way around the very heart and soul of Omni-Tek."
Petal stopped for a moment, her fists clenched. Though her face remained calm, her eyes burned with fury.
"These Unredeemed," she at last continued, "are the puppet masters of whom I spoke. They are the figures that control Omni-Tek from the darkness...and they must not be allowed to continue.
"When I discovered this truth, and many others about my beloved corporation, I became despondent. I was lost and I felt very much alone. How could this corporation, which had clothed and fed me, educated me and nurtured my talents... how could MY corporation be in the grip of these monsters? I don't know what I would have done, had the Redeemed not taken me in and opened their hearts to me. They offer a better way... a way for the corporation I love to shine again, to bask in the light of heaven and spread that healing energy out into the universe.
"I knew from the beginning that it would not be an easy road, and, indeed, it has been a hard road already...one which will grow ever harder as time goes on. I realized that this evil was not one which I could fight from within. I have struggled with the darkness I perceived in Omni-Tek for a long time, but I always thought it was the darkness of human greed. Now I see the darkness for what it truly is, and there is no way to purge that darkness through reform and protest. Only the sword will cut these vile things out of Omni-Tek's body. Only fire will drive this darkness out of Omni-Tek's soul.
"Reluctantly I came to this conclusion, and reluctantly I made my plans. Too reluctantly, and I have paid the price. More importantly, those I call my friends have paid a steep price in blood for my reluctance. However, their courage...their resolve...has given me great strength. I know now that to falter is to die, and I will not die before this task is done.
"Tonight, I come before you, as a patriot of Omni-Tek, to extend my hand to you. I have formed, with the help of my brother, a new organization. This organization is called 'The Loyal Opposition,' and its mission is to wipe the Unredeemed away by whatever means are necessary. By the divine grace of God, we will purge our corporation of these demons, we will drive them out of our ancestral home in the Shadowlands, we will push them back into the shadows and they will never haunt us again!
"This will not be an easy battle. It will require sacrifice. It will require violence. It will require all the strength that we poor humans can muster and it will test each of us at every turn. I can't do it by myself. I can't do it with just my brother. I need you. Citizens of Omni-Tek... Citizens of Rubi-Ka... I need you now, and Rubi-Ka needs you now. Please join this struggle. This is a struggle for the heart and soul of Omni-Tek, and we cannot afford to lose.
"Thank you for listening. I pray this message has not been in vain. Good night, and God save Omni-Tek."
The transmission ends here.
((Please look for my recruitment notice in the Life on Atlantean forum. ^_^ ))
