Banner of the Corporation

[Jeddy]

((/me prints them all so I can burn the ones that are rubbish... doubt any will be but just as a precaution.))

[Naefen]

Having turned in the paperworks from the last weeks operations at Omni-HQ Naefen had only a short walk left before he would use the grid to access Newland. Walking through Omni-HQ was a mixed blessing. One one side you had the opportunity to see some of the most prominent Omni Tek personell on occasion but on the other hand it was no big secret it was infested by assasins and spies. Even Naefen had been on these streets on unofficial business before. The shadows here were dangerous.

As luck would have it he didnt run into danger at all. Only proper law-abiding citizens of the corporation. The kind of people wich made him proud, yet again, to be a member of the vast Omni Tek. He nodded gently to some, while only smiling to others. Some of them he knew by name and exploits, while others again were new to him. Probably someone fairly new to the planet trying to climb the ladder.

Aproaching the grid he dusted off his coat. He couldnt be seen in neutral territory looking like a bum off the street now could he? "Last weeks operations" had not been without the usual running through wet mud and blood splattering in every direction. Showers were a luxury you didnt get while in the fields. Luckily, Naefen had his own quarter within the city wich the Disciples of Omni-Tek that held almost every thinkable luxurious trinkets. His shower was a work of greatness. Times had changed for the limber Opifex.....

Newland opened up before him as his body manifested at the grid exit. The walls of Newland City to his right and Newland Hill at his left. Oh ,how he loved this place... How many hours had he spent on that hill, back when this was the center of the world? He let out a brief sigh and started jogging towards the gates. The Jobe guards eyed him su****iously at first but recognized him pretty fast. He still visited Newland regularly. Neuterers, the bar, was perhaps his favourite place above all. Well, within city limits ofcourse.

He made sure to prepare by allowing himself to cast the precious doctor-nanos before entering the city. He trusted Paxcorpus, in a way. But not nearly enough to not suspect trouble where she were present. In a way, trouble and Pax walked hand in hand every time he had seen her.

Checking the timer on his wrist-link he confirmed that he didnt have all the time in the world before he had to make his way back to the Disciples city. Next day would be busy, as usual, and he had to get some sleep soon. He was well overdue...again.

[Naefen]

Naefen walked casually away from the bar. It had felt good seeing Paxcorpus again but the way she had acted had shook him to the core. She had actually held him back!!! Grabbed him!!!
The look in her eyes had been pure desperation and it was nothing ordinary about that at all.

He hadnt even reached the whompas before he heard the clacking sounds. The sound was familiar but not in here. Not in the middle of Newland City. Metal dogs. Usually sent towards the enemy as a first wave on the battlefields of Rubi Ka. Very rarely used in cities. Naefen glanced over his shoulder and saw them storming into the bar he mere seconds away walked out from. They were after Pax... No other explanation. What the hell had she gotten herself into this time??

Naefen activated his concealment nanos immediately and dissapeared from the eyes of the world. He made his way to the corner of a nearby building where he would have a better view of the bar. There was no way he could help. They had probably seen him walk out of there already and that was more evidence of him being with Paxcorpus than anyone else had ever had. As far as he knew atleast.

He could only watch as commandos followed the dogs and entered aswell. Battleformation. If Pax hadnt gridded out by now he knew she was in for the trouble of her lifetime.

"Let her die!! Let her die and join the rest! Its not like its the first life you could have saved... Its not like it makes a difference...." The voice started as a scream but ended in a conniving whisper. He knew where it came from and it didnt really scare him anymore. It was exactly the way he had been thinking...before. Somehow he felt the days as a "shining" employee were over.

Naefen aborted all nanoprograms and walked out of Newland City.

[Naefen]

Paxcorpus dead?
It was a most disturbing thought. Gnawing at something deep inside him and not seeming to end. He was back in Omni Entertainment. Somehow he had turned right when he was supposed to have turned left inside the grid. This is not where he was intended to be right now....

A long time ago, Naefen had joined a Commision. Diplomacy and peaceful solutions was one of their goals. Informing Omni Tek personell why clanners did what they did and how they should respond acordingly was another. Why Naefen had been invited in the first place was somewhat of a mystery. He had always kept his burning hatred towards the clanners somewhat secret, and that could be the reason. Also, Jacob Stroud was an extremely intelligent man and he could have had his own motives back in those days. He had been the one contacting Naefen from the commision.
Either way, the Commision seemed dormant but it was not dead. And it opened some windows still...

The offices lay in darkness. There had not been a secretary here for months. Cutbacks and profits.... The commision had suffered. All that was left was two or three terminals and old dusted desks. The only ligt in there came from those terminals. Still active. You could always trust the power-supply of the corporation.

Naefen touched the terminal screen and it came to life. A long list of options appeared.

He pushed the <Diplomatic Envoy> button.

After a series of different options, registrations, and small electrical sidesteps he was ready. A digital card with all the required information ejected from a small box beside the terminal.
No later that five minutes after he had entered the office, he was gone. Another ten minutes and he was back in the Disciples city. Safety.

Well behind locked the locked doors of his luxurious apartment inside the headquarter he sat down at his desk. Pen and paper in hand.

"Pax.

Omni Ent. The terminals near the central statue.
Transports should arrive 12 hours from the time you
insert this Digital Request Card.

Password: Ellie Atlantic

Your password is also the name you should use from
the minute you use this card. Wear official Omni Tek
garments. Do not ask the transports destination.
Get proper ID.

All is forgived and forgotten, and I hope you see it
the way I do.

-NN-"

He didnt think he had overlooked anything. Even the handwriting was not his own. The poor former secretary of the Commision, "Ellie Atlantic" had begged for her life from the moment she had spotted him inside her apartment. She had to go.... She had known too much....

Was Paxcorpus alive? This was what occupied his thoughts while he started contacting people in Omni-Trans. His people in Omni Trans. Old "friends".

If Paxcorpus was alive....
If she still wanted to leave the planet....
Things could turn out badly for him. The truth of it was, he liked Paxcorpus. He wanted her to stay. He needed her on this planet..... She knew a lot about him. Almost too much infact.

The transport would blow up five minutes after take-off. That is, if "Ellie Atlantic" was onboard. If she was not, and "Paxcorpus" descided to stay. Naefen was sure he would find good use for her in the future.

Ofcourse, all of this required her to not be dead already. And if she was fleeing.... it would be hard to slip her the envelope containing the letter and digital card.

Oh ,how he wished she would stay......

[Naefen]

Searching for people you dont even know exist had never been Naefen`s most apreciated day to day activity. Not that he had done so a large number of times anyway.
He had spent most of his contacts in the Omni Tek controlled cities and had even made inquieries in the clan controlled areas. No sign of Paxcorpus....

He had casually walked away from Newland where he feared she had been killed. There had been no choice, since he was surely recorded having been there. His relation to Paxcorpus had always been a secret, the way he liked it the most.

So many dead-ends and he was running out of ideas. The envelope he had for her had started to look a bit "worn" aswell, having laid in the bottom of his pocket some time now. Was she dead? Was it all for nothing?

No! It couldnt be! Paxcorpus HAD to be alive!
Again, Naefen realized his dependancy on "closures". This case was not "closed". He needed to slip her the letter and be done with it. The rest was up to her entirely..... Dead or alive.