Meanwhile on Rubi-Ka...

[Kotts]

Kotts' eyes shot open as the alarm set in his NCU went off. Slowly he rubbed his eyes, trying to open them again; the auto tint on the windows was pitch black. His throat was still tired and scratchy. He blinked once, then twice, and then rubbed his eyes again. His vision was still blurred, and the dark room didn't help much ether. Something was wrong. Something was horridly wrong. He could feel it in his gut.

He stared at the NCU output, his eyesight slowly focusing properly.

He could clearly see the readout...

:: 6:30 AM RKST ::

That did seem right... If it was six o'clock then he should be this tired--
Six *AM*

... ~Feckin' bloody 'ell~

He blinked three times and looked at the read out again. He growled and tapped at it furiously. Cher stirred in the bed next to him.

~Stupid freakin' AM...grrr ~

Kotras finished setting the time and slumped back into the blankets, and curled up next to Cher.

"That's it!" he thought to himself "From now on I'm using military time!"

[Shadowset]

January 10th 29481 - Borealis

A random passerby see's a body crumpled in a dark corner. Omni Guards find an Omni-Pol employee with his head almost twisted off and a note:


To those who took from me,
Another of your number has fallen to my wrath..
You will fall as the wheat falls to the cullers blade..
You may run
you may hide
but I will find you
as death guides my hand

~Ka's Wrath~

[Rogueshoe]

Below her lofty perch on a West Athen rooftop aerial Rogue watched a local merchant converse with an individual best described as shady. Draped in a black, hooded cloak, he seemed to be making a rather poor attempt to look incon****uous.

A black cloak? How cliched.

The spindly merchant produced a datapad, tapped some keys, then tucked it back into a compartment in his armour. Pulling out a similar datapad, the cloaked man punched in a few commands then waited. A minute later he smiled and slipped the pad back inside his cloak.

Unslinging his backpack, the merchant removed a small package the size of a leet and handed it to the cloaked man. As he attempted to conceal the package within his cloak, he fumbled and the cloak slipped, revealing on his shirt...

An OT logo!

Nanoprogram Take the Shot terminated...

Not now!

Executing Nanoprogram Take the Shot.
Nanoprogram executed sucessfully.

She was getting careless. The glow of the swirling nanobots had attracted some unwanted attention from below. They'd seen her.

Some agent you are missy..

The Omni man bolted into the Athen Shire, his cloak billowing behind him. The package tucked under his arm wiggled.

Package: roxxor!

Err...

Dropping down from the aerial, Rogue snapped her rifle to her shoulder and took aim at the fleeing figure. Squeezing the trigger gently, she let fly a bullet headed straight for the man's head.

A white glow emanated from the back of his head, and he continued to dart through the trees.

Blocker shields be damned!

Unable to find a clear line of sight, Rogue raced into the Shire after him. Glancing behind her, the merchant was already gone. She shook her head and once again turned her focus towards her target.

[Virta]

Meanwhile on Rubi-Ka...

"Officer Virta's log, date 5.1. 29481." Virta talks to himself quietly, out of habit. There is no computer to record his voice this time, but he is using an improvised pen to write down his notes.

"Organised a patrol to the outer edge. Assigned Robo for the task."

"Executed Omni-Pol hostile isolation protocols 2-xb and 2-xc. Did some extra jumping jacks."

"Robo returned from his patrol to the outer edge of the slab at 02.13. Nothing to report. It looks as if the giant acarids have moved out."

"Running out of writing material for daily reports. Preparing to change location 35 centimeters NW. Expecting to see the leg of the workchair in the horizon. Should arrive in 48 hours."

"Working on the rescue beacon but it is difficult without proper tools. Robo is in bad need of maintenance, but his spirits are up."

--

"Officer Virta's log, date 7.1. 29481."

"Arrived exhausted and set up a command post. Taking the first perimeter guard shift."

"Detecting a faint scent of rotting carbon-based material. The new location might be close to the trashcan. This would mean desk of the laboratory computer is only a one week trek away north and upwards."

"I'm trying to keep awake by reciting Omni-Pol orders for wilderness survival 2-2b until Robo takes over. It has been many weeks without contact to my superiors, but I am feeling confident that they are doing everything to find me. I wish I was able to message them that I am in good operating condition still and making progress."

[Carogelw]

As I peruse the reports on my comlink I keep half an eeye on the events going on around me on the corner of the hill. Several of the newer members of my clan came sat beside me waiting for me to break my quietness. As more and more time passes and I spend more and more time on Rk I tend to speak less and less. As I progress on my path to enlightment I have ralized that besides the physical path there is a mental path that must be trod as well.

With a grunt I lift myslef up from the ground and began to slowly move towards my destination the Whompa's. With great care I select the whompa to the Wailing waste region and head toward the Statue of the redeemed. Once there I fumble with my packs reaching for my perma key to the Garden of Cama and apply it to the statue waiting for the familiar feeling ofdisorentation as I am moved from one dimension to another. Once I arrive in the garden i immedialety put on my hyperradiation ring and step through the next portal heading for the center of Penumbra. Along the way I pause as i run past the frozen beauty of the landscape wondering what it was like before when these lands were controlled by the Xan. Reaching my destination I jump through the blackness and find my self pulled into the heat of inferno. Once there I switch rings and put on my boots and run out of the garden towards my destination. I pause to admire the fiery beauty as I run through the area heading towards aa mission that has bee noffered to me by the Redeemed to help halt the spread of the omni plague.

[Boltgun]

"No way, you're really doing that ?"

A strong fresh wind is blowing trough the high fields of Var, surrounded by mountains and sea the place is not the most popular vancation spot of the planet. Vincent, young student, is holding his girlfriend's hands while announcing terrible news.

"In an hour my contact will send me in one of their training camp. There is only you and my father who know that."

"No please don't leave me !"

As the young man release his hands he suddenly hears gun fires and his girlfriend fall dead to his feet. He finds the killer in front of him, a man, a soldier, wearing a bellum armor, and pointing his perennium blaster at him.

"Look what you've done, she asked you to not leave but you left !" shout the soldier at him.

Unable to speak Vincent falls to his knees as the soldier aproach him.

"It was you, Vincent Delage, the boltgun, all you." the soldier told him while he disappears along with the surrounding fields.

Vincent find himself in a ruined city, wearing a combat gear. Everything around him are burning buildings, destroyed vehicles, and corpses everywhere. Many of them are rebel soldiers or belong to security forces, some more and plain civilians. Some friends, family, or unknown faces.
He stand with a grin on his face and started laughing like a mad man.


Boltgun woke up sweating in his Jobe luxury appartment. As he went to the bathroom and started washing his hands.
"Oh please, don't haunt me again..."

[Mire]

OYI! he sounded in his usual unusual way. With blank stairs from the other people in the crowd not knowing what "oyi" ment, a couple of them responded back "oyi?"

Grinning from getting the pleasent greeting from a few members of the crowd gathered around the figure speaking, Muondo continued to listen to the strange floating ball talking about adventure, and some other religious mumbo jumbo he couldn't understand. It rattled on continously about shadows, lights, darkness and paths Muondo's mind as it tends to do started to wander. First it was to the strange creature that kept walking in a circle with a cane. He was first wondering if it was some sort of physical theropy treatment or if it was some sort of punishment.

Punishment it had to be, he remembered being punished and forced to march around a building, but it wasn't punishment, he was given a shiney badge afterwards so it had to be some sort of training excersise in order to be given a reward, maybe that was the creatures reward, the cane! He wanted a cane too, but how to go about getting one...

Ergo: Are you ready for your journey Master?

"Yes!" Muondo responded with out even thinking.

"Congratulations young one" said one of the people in the crowd. Muondo smiled, pleased to know the answer may get him a reward, possibly that cane, but was puzzled, he knew he was at least old enough to be a middle one, it had been several years since he had needed to wear any sort of undergarment to protect his cloths from accidents.

"Now what?" Muondo asked, hoping for the prized answer "here is your cane"

"Now you have joined the legion of Keepers, and have sworn to protect and serve Ergo!" another exclaimed from the small crowd

"Oyi?"

[Ukblizzard]

Username: Katelin "Ukblizzard" McChristion
Password: ### ##-###-#

Date: Saturday 20th January, 29481

Entry: 200129481-24
I know that this diary system is supposed to be for "official" logging purposes, but I just cannot keep the smile off my face this morning. My containers are all nearly packed. Oh Nolan is calling me... why can he not manage to figure out which shoes he needs to pack. Is it not obvious he needs to pack all of them?

[keta]

Meanwhile on Rubi-Ka...

A light metalic click was heard when the energy charger snapped into its place on Pheme's perennium beamer. "Looks like the villagers are coming home" she thought, glancing at the village looming in the dusk. Pheme tossed the empty charger on the pile of eyemutant corpses behind her.

"And here we go. Yet another round"

[Eeod]

Meanwhile on Rubi-Ka in a cupboard...


'waiting...'

[Berael]

Berael sits at a desk with a giant stack of papers and sighs heavily.

"With all our technological advancements... why do people continue to insist that 'paper work' continue to be done ON PAPER!!!"

She tucks a stray lock of her hair behind her ear and returns her attention to the stack. Maybe, just maybe, if she manages to finish all this she can see the light of day again.

[Cynic092]

A man squinted at the cloudless sky through the glare of the two suns and watched for a few moments. Deathly silence of the deserts punctuated only by the occaisonal murmurs of his manifested emotions.
No, the enlightenment he sought wasn't to be found here. Perhaps it wasn't to be found in any place on Rubi Ka.

Perhaps it wasn't to be found alone either.

He turned and set off westwards towards Tir, turning his thoughts to the various Clans he'd heard of, and what he might find if he looked more closely.

((No you're not getting a name ))

[Ukblizzard]

Username: Katelin "Ukblizzard" McChristion
Password: ### ##-###-#

Date: Tuesday 23rd January, 29481

Entry: 230129481-5
I am going to miss my family. I hadn't seen them in such a long time, and now I have to say goodbye again. I didn't think I would get this chance, being stationed on Rubi-ka for almost the last five years of my life. I should feel lucky, at least this time I am not alone.

Time to go and clean my boots and press my uniform.

[Skeletawe]

~beep~

This is the security log of Skeletawe, assistant foreman, Notum mine three alpha alpha one. It's the end of my shift, and it has been as usual. Boring. Nothing major to report, one of the newer Atrox workers had a small breakdown today. Bless him, he's never seen a Notum Rift before. I sat him down in the infirmary and calmed him down. Thank Omni for the conflict management training I've received.

Notum mining remains constant at <OMITTED - OMNI-TEK PROTECTS> percentage. With an estimated revenue of <OMITTED - OMNI-TEK PROTECTS> credits.

Oh! I must get in contact with the Omni-Med people, my supply cabinet is running low.

Overall, a normal day. I have tomorrow off and I intend to spend it training with my stun baton, I feel like I'm getting a bit rusty.

End log.

~click~

[Shadowset]

a rusted door creaks open and in walks an older Trox in full battle armor. The floor is thick with dust his boots kicking up little plumes.

Been a long time since I was here.. *the Trox says to the equipment around him*

Typing a few things into his Com Link a gaggle of excited voices can be heard but not clearly. The Trox walks of to a power converter and throws a couple of switches lighting up what can now be seen as a Tv studio with the words Cooking with Iron!

Home again.. *looking at a roll of paper* This time Omni-Tek will not stop me

[Nuser_]

((YAY \o/ Cooking with Iron is BACK!!!))

[Tarondal]

The engineer walks through.. what? Snow, over crusted ice, over more snow.. whatever. It's not important. The robot follows, beeping and clicking, individualized high-density code that only its owner can understand. Her replies, half-muttered, half-gestured, are at least somewhat more intelligible:

"Yes, I know. Don't worry, these are GOOD boots, Mom."
"Yes, Mom, I did."
"Of course, Mom."
"MOTH-er! No, I am NOT chasing... yes, he IS a perfectly NICE boy, but.. MOM!"
"How about a pack of grandBOTS, instead? I can do as many of those as you want."
"Oh, sheesh."
"No, the jacket's nice and warm, see? Quilty!"
"NO, not him EITHER. He's not even a MAGE!..."
"Errr... no. Noooo, I'm not."
"eep! Rafter. Gotta pay attention now... TOOL! Sic! 'Bye, Mom!..."

And the robot stops a moment as if to think, and subsides into a less-graceful pose, and hurls itself on the approaching enemy.

[Vixentrox]

Cathern slipped into her apartment, a layer of dust coated everything. Her comm system wasnt functioning. That was her first priority.

achooo

achooo

Cathern decided that dusting and cleaning up her place needed to be completed first. She'd never get anything done while sneezing her head off.

[So hours after I wrote this I log into the game and tried to actually enter into my apartment. Lo and behold, I cant pull my apartment key out of a back pack. Everything else will come out but that key including my 2 Jobe apartment keys. -grumbles about AO and the bugs while waiting for ARK to answer the petition-]

[Skeletawe]

Skeletawes log, it's 0300 hours, I can't sleep. I don't know why. One of the workers was spouting blatant Clan propaganda, Omni-Tek doesn't deserve to own this planet and all sorts of disturbing things. I put him down mercilessly. He reclaimed in Omni-Reform, they will make him see sense.

But after...all that I've seen in the Mines... could he have been right? He was a good worker... No. Omni-Tek prevails.

~the log pauses~

Hmmph. I should talk to Keanne. She will help me organise these...doubts I have. She is very persuasive.

Oh, additional, I'm out of Leet food. Chirpys getting quite grumpy, must visit Omni-Tek stores.

~click~

[Korrenth]

Daniel Korrenth Clyburn: Red

Soft squeaks filled the interiour of the bar, the product of a rather ancient rag slowly working across the lip of a small and delicate glass tumbler. He'd turned off the music system a few hours back, not really caring to listen to the same over-done pop drizzle that'd been filtering through the speakers. There was only so much musical fluff a man could take, and since there wern't any customers... well, no sense in adding to the torture.

He looked down into the reflection of the glass within his hands and saw stubble. Tired eyes and a weary smile. Not many people around anymore, customers or otherwise--The rest of his squad dissapeared off into the ether of Rubi-Ka, comms long since silent save a few. He tried consoling himself with the thought that there was always Snuggs, but... well, somehow that wasn't really a very comforting thought at all.

Then, from over his shoulder, a deep and echoing cry. "BLOOD!!" it called out, sending a slight cringe down the man's shoulders.

With a sigh, Korrenth pointed toward the entrance to the bar, eyes closing tight. "Yeah, yeah, Bael, go ahead--Bruce knows ya like it extra-rare, jus' go eat already."

"YES MASTER!" it cried again, at which point the floating representation of Daniel Clyburn's anger made it's way over the counter, past the glass wall, and around the corner. Korrenth sighed once more as it dissapeared from sight, before calling out as he heard the door open.

"AN' REMEMBER TA EAT THA STEAK THIS TIME, NOT THA BRONTO GUY!!!"


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Kiteran Rouge: Blue

"Yes! Yes, of course! Bloody brilliant!" he shouted, the voice echoing a bit too loudly inside the tiny workshop. Kit shirked slightly at the sound of his own voice coming back to his receptors, nervously glancing about to make sure he was still alone.

"Right," he continued on, clearing his throat and voice dropping a few decibles in strength. "See, the automated systems of the internal computer are a bit... dull. Which means, in simplistic terms, that they were not initially designed for advanced artifical intelligence routines. The friend-or-foe system, the auto-tracking, all of that--Simple programming, little more than an advanced HUD reader."

"However, *here* we have an unused computational node which, if I am correct, was to initially serve as an in-out port for nanobot reprogamming. Perhaps on a model more suited to nano-based combat, unlike what we have seen recieved here upon the planet. As we both are well aware these particular models are completely inept when it comes to anything dealing with nanobots, even going so far as to block some basic aspects of one's NCU. However, such centers are vastly modifiable, and can typically be reprogrammed to store a rudimentary artificial itelligence."

A red light blinked into his eyes rapidly, Kit's head shaking back and forth. "No, no, not insinuating that you are rudimentary in the slightest. After all, that would be as much an insult to my own abilities as it would be to you. Now, turn your attention here, if you will," he says, the tip of his cyberdeck tapping against one small part of the blueprint ahead of them.

"In turn this reprogramming node can be further linked to the rest of the less intelligent centers, which would not only allow you control over motor functions but advanced tracking and other such things. Linked together with my own NCU and internal display, we would in essence be working as counterparts, fulfilling a whole. In fact, you could even serve autonomously, completely overtaking the systems and running as a sort of auto-pilot!"

The red light blinked again, though much slower in pace. Kit's brow raised as it finished, a bit of a frown coming to his lips. "I cannot say I fully appreciate that tone, Bob. Afterall, we *are* looking at turning you into your own, mobile killing machine. One would think you should be grateful."

The light blinked again, the tiny wen-wen hovering only inches away from Kit's face. "Well no, don't be absurd. After all, mechs are prohibited in such areas. Besides, I sincerely doubt that you could take on Omni-One by yourself. Now come, let us begin work on the access port you'll need..."