[RK1] IRRK Freelance: What does it mean to be a Clanner?

[Editor: IRRK]

What does it mean to be a Clanner?
August 4, 29484 - Kate "Lariske" Delvin [Atlantean]

IRRK Freelance - The clans rose out of the mines some 280 years ago when Omni-Tek’s record on the treatment and welfare of its mining force was at an all time low..


Since then they have fought valiantly against the superior numbers and hardware of the Corporation, managing to hold their own against the largest Hyper-Corporation ever. Their reason for their continued rebellion against the corporate state is one much contended still to this day.

It can be said that the clans fight for freedom, liberty and equality. Omni-Tek would have you believe they fight for greed and power. During the civil wars and skirmishing between Omni-Tek and the Clans in the last few centuries one thing can be certain. Time and again they have shown they can beat the best that’s thrown against them. They have shown ingenuity that few others can boast.

The Clans themselves are divided however. Ideologically and politically they are fragmented into various pieces of the whole. Some continuously try to wipe Omni-Tek off the face of Rubi-Ka and woe betides anyone who gets in their way. Such militaristic clans as The Sentinels, The Unionists and Red Freedom form a powerful block within Clan culture. Others would rather see a mutually beneficial agreement be reached and are more open to outside influences and idea’s such as Terra Firma and New Dawn.

Perhaps the most intriguing are the Vanguards and Knights of Avalon. The Vanguard clan being the most capitalistic of the Clans will always look to do business wherever possible. The Knights of Avalon however follow the ancient codes of chivalry from Old Earth. And there are those which see the war, the mining and the constant pollution caused by the population of Rubi-Ka to be dangerous to the planet itself, these environmentalists are the Eco Warriors.

As such the clans are divided in their rule of their domains in the north of Rubi-Ka. The only thing that truly binds them together is the Council of Truth, their form of democratic government.
Yet all this comes at a cost. Living conditions for the masses are of a lower standard than their corporate counterparts. There is not the same safety net to catch those who slip or fall through the cracks. There is no centralised education or health care such as corporate employee’s enjoy.

Nor is their safety guaranteed within their own cities. Since Tarkhan Zora took control of Omni-Tek on Rubi-Ka they have been declared enemies once more to be given no quarter. This has been proven in attacks carried out within the walls of even Old Athens, the hub of clan commerce and trading.


So what does a Clanner fight for? What do they live for? What would they die for?

Simply put they fight for their beliefs. Each one of them has a goal in life which they perpetually work towards. Yet all still fight for what they believe to be theirs by right, freedom of speech and self governance. But most importantly freedom from corporate control.
So next time you see a clanner in the street don’t just brand them as one of a whole. Each one is different and unique.

[Towerblock]

Heheh, and even best yet, this still only tells part of the story. Not all of us may be bad, but still, not all of us may be good either.

[Wisewise]

*Ward Kenley shakes his head as he reads this issue from IRRK*
So this is what passes as neutral news nowadays, is it?
"Freedom from corporate control", "They fight for their beliefs", just the same load of propaganda the clanners themselves have been spreading for years. If they had truly just wanted "freedom"; which is an outrageous demand in the first place, since they still demand to be able to mine our resources and get paid for them; they would have been happy with the Tir Accord when it was still in force. So why do they keep fighting? Greed, a misplaced lust for vengeance and pure warmongering are the only possible answers.
I'll agree that some clans are okay, though. New Dawn, for instance, seems to actually have a certain amount of intelligence implanted in their brains... But they are among the minority.

[Elleza]

Atleast we stand together as a whole and not depending on how to get told what to do by a bunch of men and women in nice suits.

[Towerblock]

"Freedom from corporate control", "They fight for their beliefs", just the same load of propaganda the clanners themselves have been spreading for years. If they had truly just wanted "freedom"; which is an outrageous demand in the first place, since they still demand to be able to mine our resources and get paid for them; they would have been happy with the Tir Accord when it was still in force. So why do they keep fighting? Greed, a misplaced lust for vengeance and pure warmongering are the only possible answers.

Shut your damn fool mouth. I've killed better men in front of their loved ones, for less insult than this. You better pray your insurance is updated, because if we ever met, i'd 86 you faster than you can blink. Consider yourself warned.

[Wisewise]

Threatening a police officer for providing his own logical thoughts about an article... I hope you'll understand if I don't take your threat too heavily, as you're clearly in need of some sort of therapy. I'd suggest you take some time in a medical facility, but seeing as you're a clanner, I suppose you have to consult whatever passes as a doctor over there. Someone with a goat skull on his head, no doubt.
And to you, Elleza, I ask this rhetorical question: Do you go into battle without a leader? Do you build a skyscraper without an architect? Do you charge headlong at the enemy without someone having drawn up a common plan for you all to follow?
What you see as control is simply organization at a higher degree than you clanners are capable of understanding. You have your leaders, which all squabble over what to do and how to do it, and we have one unified leadership, which helps bring order and safety to our Corporation's employees.
Without order in a city, you can never feel safe from thugs or burglars. Without order in your ranks, you are simply charging into slaughter. Without order, there is only chaos and anarchy.
So in sum, we are not controlled. We follow orders because we know that without it, your civilization will decay back to the stone ages. Or in the all to real case of Galahad's zealots, to the medievals...

[Psysim]

*chuckles* They don't even bother with their own 'government'.

[Towerblock]

blah blah blah...

Then in kind, I wont take you too seriously. It's obvious you have no ****ing clue what you are talking about anyhow. Oh, and I deliver on my threats, son. Piss on your title, its meaningless to me.

Ask around, people know I don't make empty promises.

[Saetos]

Yes, they have fought valiantly for TWO HUNDRED AND EIGHTY YEARS! ... Has no one heard of a ****in' treaty?

I'll blow a round of slugs in any clan's face that tries to kill me or my friends, sure, but why after 280 years are they still "we must fight cuz Omni is bad and they did bad things"... hell, didn't we stop the war, twice?

[-Zagadka-]

The Clans themselves are divided however. Ideologically and politically they are fragmented into various pieces of the whole.

This is true and untrue.

The Clans celebrate diversity and freedom, so it is true that there are fragments and factions. But any free society is divided amongst its people. The point is that we come together and hold as one. Commander Silverstone and Sir Tristram may have very different ideas on how to fight Omni, and the personalities at the heads of those clans may grate once in a while, but we remain a cohesive unit whose decisions are made based on democracy and fairness to all clans, with no one forcing a party line. Every month, the Council meets, and all are granted freedom and protection to speak their mind.

Has no one heard of a ****in' treaty?

There have been several treaties. The most recent is the Tir Accord, but the governments that were signatory to (Ross and the previous Council of Truth session under Radiman) it have vanished, and it has since been abandoned by both sides.

As a Clerk for the Council, I have tried to talk to sources in Omni-Tek about a new agreement - not a peace treaty - regarding how war is conducted (notum shipping, protection of scanning technology, Dust Brigade/Kyr'O, expansion into the Outzone, etc), but have been rebuffed.

[Wolfowitz]

Now, now. Let's everyone calm down before someone does something rash. I think that grown people like us can all read a decidedly objective article, published by an independent group of reporters, and come to the conclusion that no matter what anyone says, we're all still going to be on our respective sides in the end.

[Towerblock]

With all due respect, Atticus; **** that guy. If he was as grown up, as you say... then he would have never made such a ridiculous and thoroughly ignorant remark. I've heard brighter worldly opinions from children.

[trousers]

There have been several treaties. The most recent is the Tir Accord, but the governments that were signatory to (Ross and the previous Council of Truth session under Radiman) it have vanished, and it has since been abandoned by both sides.

As a Clerk for the Council, I have tried to talk to sources in Omni-Tek about a new agreement - not a peace treaty - regarding how war is conducted (notum shipping, protection of scanning technology, Dust Brigade/Kyr'O, expansion into the Outzone, etc), but have been rebuffed.

*Tom chuckles*

Governments that were signatory? News Flash - Omni-Tek hasn't gone anywhere. The Clans screwed the pooch on the treaty by dissolving. Omni-Tek then didn't abandon it, Omni-Tek Anulled it. And believe me, from spending way too many drunken nights with the fly honeys at Head or Tails, I know the difference between an Annulment and Abandonment.

As it stands, Omni-Tek has absolutely nothing to gain from engaging the current Clan non-government. You all should just consider yourselves thankful that Omni-Tek hasn't decided to take the calculated risk is allowing the Bugs to occupy the Northern Territories and let them wipe you out without taking a ding on our lease.

[Redesine]

we remain a cohesive unit whose decisions are made based on democracy and fairness to all clans, with no one forcing a party line. Every month, the Council meets, and all are granted freedom and protection to speak their mind.

This sounds like terrible propaganda to me. It seems like you're saying everything is roses within the clans - everyone can speak their mind because everyone thinks the same about wanting to kill Omnis.

I doubt it's anything like that even within the Council. And let me ask, exactly what proportion of all clans are actually represented there?

There seems to be a party line just as much as OT. Your war is a phoney war based on obscure history and prejudice and never goes any further than skirmishes over notum or corporate subterfuge. For all the rhetoric about ideological differences and history, it just comes down to notum in the end, which in the eyes of a good half the population of RK is just as manipulative, if not more so, than OT propaganda.

...

You know what? Ignore all that. Keep it up. A phoney war makes great business for neutral parties!

[Xeenah]

You know what? Ignore all that.

*grins big* I guess we'll keep doing just that.

Info: The Council holds a session every last Saturday of the month, at 18:00 RK time ((GMT))
Info: These sessions are open to all Clanners who wish to attend.
Info: Any Clan can join the Council if they meet the minimum requirements.
Info: Any Clan can contact the Clerical staff for information.
Info: The Tower of Truth is located right next to the Tir whompah. It's hard to miss: it's the highest structure of the City of Tir.
Info: The Council will never send people to reform to make them all think exactly alike.

Our gridsite is located at http://www.counciloftruth.org/
Our gridforum is located at http://www.counciloftruth.org/forums/

The only piece of propaganda above is the last info part where I say that we'll never send people to reform to make them all think alike. The rest is information.

Learn to bloody make the difference.

Best regards.

[Wolfowitz]

This sounds like terrible propaganda to me. It seems like you're saying everything is roses within the clans - everyone can speak their mind because everyone thinks the same about wanting to kill Omnis.

Are you quite finished?

Did you read the entire article? It seems to me like this is rather amateur propaganda, what with the outright statement that company employees enjoy a better standard of living.

The IRRK doesn't have to release articles on a regular basis, or even at all. A truly neutral news service shows up, allowing all factions to get an impartial reporting of current events and politics, and you all accuse it of bias and beat your chests at each other in response. If you want to hear your versions of the news, there are channels for that, but don't smear the IRRK just because they didn't portray we clanners as ragged filthmongers living in our own fecal matter.

Good day to you, sirs.

[Redesine]

Did you read the entire article?

Absolutely. Did you read my whole response? I was actually defending the part of the article that Razishlyat had issue with - Responding to Razishlyat... not the article.

I agree wholeheartedly with the article saying that the clans are divided, and do not agree that the Clans are united under the Council of Truth. The article is not propaganda. The notion that the Council of Truth is some kind of cohesive force against OT that represents all clansmen in a perfect, free-thinking democracy, as Razishlyat suggested, is propaganda.

The article, however, does unfortunately reinforce the fallacies that many clanners (and Omlets) fight for. They're not fighting for freedom, they're fighting for notum, just like everyone else. The Council of Truth is not some kind of government that unites them. It's a political body that has no authority, offers no social services, has no military power, has no money and represents 5% of clanners at best.

I've no idea why you think I have any issue with the article being published by IRRK. Independant is independant. They can publish whatever they want.

[Towerblock]

Freedom covers many things, Rojer, and is not without its own responsibility to it as well. You know this. Focusing on the notum part, does not negate everything else, just because you say so.

[Redesine]

Absolutely.

Freedom and liberty are noble causes and amongst the highest ideals. I know it's also neccessary that clanners believe they are the "good guys". But how many terrible and unnecessary atrocities have been commited in the name of freedom?

In my humble opinion, as someone having fought alongside clansmen, clan indoctrination - and the forces behind the rhetoric - is no less manipulative than Omni-Tek's. Subtle? Certainly, but no less present.

In no way do I mean to belittle people's beliefs and apologies if offence is taken. But I hope that, as warriors for liberties, the clans can appreciate that there are many people who don't accept the rhetoric and don't believe their every action is justified. As they say: A strong opposition is the base of any democracy.

But hey... who am I to talk about what's justified? I and a lot of other neutrals make a living based around the Clan-OT conflict. I guess I'm little more than a war-profiteer.

[Towerblock]

We have never had a democracy, Rojer. We have been locked in a Feudal system as long as we care to remember.

The Council of Truth is more of a meeting of minds, thats all. It's not our government, and it never was. But, it IS what we have, so we have to make the best of it. Enforcing our right to even have assembly is a hard fought ideal. And, like so many of our conceptual ideals, I am prepared to protect it - violently - if necessary.

Folks that don't understand what that sort of sacrifice means, need not speak up. And if Wise*ss wants to come take that away from me and mine, then its the sword. Nothing less.

Learn to bloody make the difference.

Hail!