November 19, YC 120 "Mechanical Toys, Clone Soldiers"

#External communications request detected, verifying identity and authorization protocols. Authorization received, identity confirmed as clone soldier callsign ‘Phalad Sahantun.’ infomorph status unknown, assumed prime iteration. Transferring communication to current iteration of capsuleer infomorph ‘Erun Talan’#

#Recording initiated#

“Hey Pali, I'm working on some interesting new drone systems. The rogues are doing some fascinating experiments, but some of them are a bit fiddly…”

#You have an incoming comms request from Phalad  sir.#

“Really? He's been laying low on the homeworld with my folks for a good while now. Had some torrential rains there a few weeks ago, though the volcano seems to have quieted down some. Go ahead and patch him through, something must be going on for him to reach me.”

#Communication link established with Intaki local fluid router network.#

“Hey Erun, howzit?”

“Doing good brother, you?”

“Pretty good, putting a few of your folks’ coops back together after the last rains came through, keeping myself busy. Not why I called though. You been eyeing the news from Concord the last few days?”

“I, uh, have been out of the loop for a little while now. We just had another Rogue Drone Swarm and I've got so much new material and data to go through, it looks like they've managed to make some further improvements to the Hammerhead design and even seem to be working on some new combat subroutines that-”

“... Is he still eating Pali?”

#When I remind him, yes. It is better when he remains in pod, intravenously feeding him is so much easier.#

“- might be receiving information from the swarms being employed by the Triglavians, and I really need to get into some of those Abyssal pockets to observe their behaviors, just need to get a good fitting together for them and-"

“Yeah, that's uh, nice, but Concord is putting together a task force to deal with a spate of hijackings and ship thefts that have been going on out in and around Molden Heath.”

“Hmm… Most of the clone soldiers were still out there when the Tacnet started to shutdown right? Concord must be worried that a good number of them have gone AWOL rather than go to ground. Are you in any danger, are my folks?”

“I don't believe so actually. One of my old secure contact points actually had a request for my combat readiness from this new Aegis Taskforce being put together. I put out some feelers in the old community and I'm not the only one. Seems quite a few of the veterans from Mordu’s Trials and the Battle for New Caldari are receiving discrete inquiries from Concord. I figured since you attend that conference they set up every year you might be able to poke around, see if you can dig up any information.”

“...”

“Erun?”

“...”

#A sigh can be heard on the other end of the connection# “You forgot didn’t you?”

“I, no!... Maybe…”

#I have reminded him several times that the conference was this week, but it would appear he has forgotten once again in his zeal to play with his new toys and data.#

“It’s not my fault, there’s so much to research!”

“Go to sleep Erun, the conference starts in less than twelve hours, and you’ll still need to get there, as I’m sure you don’t have a clone nearby you can jump to.”

“Not in years, I haven’t had to mine pyroxeres nearby for nocxium in that long, lowsec is just a much better place to get all the resources I need.”

“Whatever, just let me know whatever you can dig up while you’re there alright? I’m gonna get back to it, your folks have a few storage sheds that need repairs after the lat rainstorm passed through. Make sure he gets there Pali?”

#I shan’t let him get out of it, he has little enough human contact as it is.#

#Connection terminated at source#

#I will wake you in 7 hours 15 minutes sir. Conditions around Yulai should have us arriving during the registration period for the conference.#

“Thanks Pali, lock down the lab for me will you?

#Erun yawns as he walks to his quarters.#

#As you wish sir.#

#Recording ended, archiving#

Update for Weeks 40 and 41 YC117

#Recording initiated#

"Hey Pali, how was the session with Phalad?"

#You sent one of Pali's mobile chassis to a Luddite#

"Phalad isn't a Luddite! He just doesn't like technology that can talk. Or really people that talk for that matter... "

#Indeed - His antisocial tendencies are readily apparent - Though he at least does not assault Pali's chassis with a pipe#

"Give it time he'll probably shoot one or something"

#Unlikely - You on the other hand have destroyed 14 of Pali's housings since first being brought online#

"Hey, at least half of those were structural integrity tests!"

#Sure#

#Erun throws his hands in the air# "Bah, whatever. This week's post is a double as I was busy planetside a lot last week. I've been discussing changing over some of my production lines. I've made more than enough Nanite Repair Paste to last me the next, oh, decade or so. I'll likely be changing over to production of POS fuels or deployable components. Numen will be supplying me his own production at cost, an arrangement we both find agreeable."

"I've also been using a new method to accumulate a decent stockpile of higher end minerals like zydrine, and more importantly megacyte. It's amazing the amount of Arkonor, Bistot, and even Mercoxit that people just leave lying around in Wormholes. Having such a good source for my higher end minerals means that I can provide less dangerous to acquire, but still valuable materials for corp projects. Which reminds me I still need to get with Yumi to finalize some numbers. That woman keeps such odd hours, there's really no pattern to it!"

#Probably best not to think too hard on it sir#

"I suppose... She handles herself pretty well in combat so I'm not worried. Oh, another corpmate who is doing well is new member Rana Hekellon who's been promoted to the rank of Zilpin or Craftswoman within the ILF's Vidya (Production) wing. She's also been active in our combat roams, so it looks like Richard and I have a new werebear joining our ranks. #Erun has a silly grin on his face - Werebear?# Yes, an industrial pilot who is able to defend themselves and their interests. It's kind a must for anyone conducting extensive industrial operations in lowsec."

#Like the Svipul you destroyed while mining today?#

"Exactly! Though I wish I could have salvaged more of his aftermarket modifications from his wreck, some of those modules would have been very useful..."

#And expensive#

"I know! The Webifier on that thing was worth almost twice the cost of the hull!"

#Just as well sir - Are we done for today?#

"Yup, go ahead and archive today's session, thanks Pali."

#Recording ended - Archiving#

Update 9/21 YC117 With Supplement

#Begin recording#

"Hey Pali, had an interesting week, got quite a few kills and started on some work for the corp. Let's start with the kills shall we?"

#If you must - Kills is however a misnomer as you never breached the Capsule of any of the pilot's whose ships you destroyed#

"Hush you, it's more than likely that I'm killing a few of the crew on each of those vessels every time they explode... And now you've ruined my good mood... You suck..."

#I am incapable of creating localized vacuums - Sir#

#Glares - Shakes head and continues speaking# Anywhoo, most of my victories #Glares at Pali once more# happened early in the week while mining. First was a FedMil pilot flying a Firetail who was unable to escape before my drones destroyed his omni-tanked ship. The next two were losses for what looked like newbie pirate who attacked me first in a neuting Tristan who popped rather quickly once he ran out of nanite repair paste for his Ancillary Armor Repair. He returned about ten minutes later in a hull tanked Algos which managed to destroy a few of my poor drones before it too exploded. Good fights were exchanged and the pilot commented on the fact that trying the same thing twice hadn't worked, which I confirmed. The next one was a fairly high standing Stratios pilot who set upon a friend and myself while mining. We weren't quite able to pin him down, but we were able to apply some damage as he fled after attacking. He'd almost escaped when a local pirate decloaked nearby and helped us destroy the Stratios before fading back into the emptiness of space. Finally, midway through the week Richard and I were able to take down a pirate Confessor using our new Hecates."

#What about the-# "Nope, that was an accident." #Very well#

"I have slowed down my barge project while I work on industrial efforts within the ILF."

#And you still haven't worked on your advice posts#

"No but I do have a bit of free time this week, so I'll for sure get some work done on it."

#If you say so sir#

"That should be good for this week. By the way, make sure you tack Phalad's report onto the end of this recording, yeah? He's been pretty active the last few days, I'll let him explain."

#Recording Ended - Archiving - Appending with supplementary report by Clone Mercenary Phalad Sahantun#

#Playing supplementary recording#

"Is this thing on?"

#This thing is Pali - And yes Pali is recording#

"You talk?"

#Yes#

"Great, Erun sent me a talking recorder"

#Pali is a narrow Artificial Intelligence purposed as an anolog interface with Erun's Neocom - Not a talking recorder#

"Whatever, can I start now?"

#Pali has been waiting on you#

"Snark, yeah you are definitely one of Erun's toys, they always seems to get that. Dork has no idea why it happens, but it does. You still recording?"

#Pali will not stop recording unless instructed to#

"Alright then. Things here on the ground have been rather hectic the last couple of days due to an event sponsored by the Amarr. In memory of the assassinated Empress, the Empire has sponsored a challenge among us Clone Mercenaries. We're being rewarded with quantities of ISK, training, and even Aurum for completing missions ranging from kills, completing matches, and getting certain amounts of warpoints. The biggest reward however is given if we can win 30 matches, a Deathshroud SKIN that we can use on any of our Amarr Medium frames, whether it's a basic frame, assault frame, or my personal favorite, the logistics frame. It took me about three days to get enough wins to earn the Deathshroud, during which I encountered every merc and their mother using the most rare and expensive gear they had available. I burned through quite a bit of my own ISK getting the wins, but a few days of running around in my cheaper fits should let me make it back fairly quickly."

#You could ask Erun for ISK#

"Nah, the SCC still won't allow money transfers to mercs from capsuleers, kinda weird but I don't mind. I prefer to make my own money if I can help it. I have a pretty good nest egg built up in any case so I'm not really hurting. I still give out sums to the newer mercs I run into on the battlefield. The skillbooks for new weapons, suits, and modules can be a bit expensive for a merc just starting out."

#Anything else#

"Nope, I'll give Erun a holler if I get any more news for him. ... Are you staying here?"

#This chassis is one of several dozen I have available - Erun figured you could use a companion since you tend to just operate in uncomfortable silence#

"You follow me onto the battlefield and I'm not paying to replace you."

#My personality is housed in supercomputing cluster in Erun's hangar in Intaki - There is need to worry about my well being - Nonetheless I will be remaining inside your quarters in Aulbres#

"Yay, you can stop recording now."

#Recording ended - Phalad seems to be even less social than Erun - Pali does not expect many updates from Phalad#

An Update From Phalad

The following is an entry submitted by my childhood friend, Phalad Sahantun, on of the new breed of immortal mercenaries.

We've finally done it. It's taken us more than a year since our initial Uprising, but every last one of us can now proudly say that we own our own war barges. These large vessels will serve numerous beneficial functions for us, ranging from contractual analysis to improve our combat pay, neural analysis to aid in knowledge retention and mental recovery, and even machine shops to augment our weapons effectiveness. The most advanced war barges will even have facilities for experimental weapons development. It will be a long time before my own war barge's on board factories for such upgrades, but that is alright with me.

On a more personal note I'm now fully qualified to use even prototype Logistics suits and equipment of every racial design. Mind, I don't have the financing to constantly pursue contracts using said prototype gear, but I am fully capable should the need arise. I'm now working on improving my actual combat ability, something I have admittedly been neglecting in my efforts to master the art of the LogiBro. That's all for now, signing off. o7

All endings are also beginnings

Phalad Sahantun.  It meant "patient shield" in the language of his ancestral  homeworld, the embattled planet of Intaki.  He'd picked the phrase as his designation upon beginning the training to become one of the new breed of immortal mercenaries being drawn to the battlefields of New Eden.  He was filled with a sense of trepidation as he contemplated his last assignment, possibly his last assignment ever.  As the final act of their old lives, and to complete the process that would turn them into immortal clone soldiers, each candidate had to take their own life.

The purpose behind this act was twofold, the first was to complete the physical portion of their transformation.  Cranial implants which they received at the end of months of mental and physical conditioning were designed to record their consciousness up to the moment of death.  The second, and more important purpose was to test the candidates' willingness to face their own deaths and to overcome that fear.  The form of this test would differ depending on the group or government issuing it, but the candidates were all given a finite  amount of time to perform the final act of their lives. 
Talking with other clone mercenaries had revealed numerous grisly methods.  One had been led into a room with a table, a chair, and a gun.  Another who had also received a chair and table, but was instead greeted by a glass of water and inconspicuous but near instantly lethal medical capsule.  Phalad had even heard tales of a paraplegic who had turned down the gun, instead throwing himself off of a skyway. 

He'd been given the better part of three days to make his decision, and told it would be better if he didn't do extensive damage to his cortex beforehand.   Never being fond of the mind altering, and generally mind damaging substances his peers were fond of, found Phalad wandering the streets reading the latest news on a handheld datapad.  His fascination with the rising tensions between the Gallente and Minmatar almost kickstarted his career as a mercenary, just barely being being able to dodge the speeding vehicle of a joyriding couple.  Thinking to himself as he leaned against a nearby building for support, he realized that he didn't want to lay his life at the feet of someone else.  He'd much rather his death came as a consequence of his own thoughts and actions than someone else's, or worse in his mind, Mother Nature's.  

Returning to his training base, Phalad told his trainers he was ready.  He was led to a blank room with a pill and a glass of water waiting for him.  Leaving a shoe to jam the door open he grabbed the pill and water before turning back around.   Never hearing the door close his escorts had turned around to see him walking back out.  Moving to restrain him they stopped as their eyes glazed over, and upon receiving their new orders they escorted him back to his quarters.  As they left him alone he quietly said to himself, "Suprab Nahi..."  The guard on the left nodded his head respectfully, while the one on right who looked eerily similar simply gave a thin smile before they both turned and walked away.

Slipping out of his remaining shoe and then all but his training shorts, Phalad moved to sit on the side of the cot in his nondescript room.  He grabbed the pill and water the guards had left on the side table and quickly downed them both.  Lying down and folding his arms behind his head, he closed his eyes and fell asleep for the last time, wondering what the future might hold...