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<<<< The following data is classified information. Any knowledge about the contents of these files is prohibited and shall be punished for anyone ranking below SCL2F9>>>>
PG 213 can still remember the first time he visited The World of Progress. It was only a scouting mission actually, out of curiosity. So many souls had gone missing that Teo started to ask itself quite some intriguing questions. No one leaves like that, not that they aren't free to do so, but simply because they don't have the need to. Everything and everyone was there in what visitors called' the Chrysalis'. But the collective started to miss several pieces and the astral pollution was no longer a thought but a terrible fact.
Once Teo had discovered the source of these problems they decided to go and take a peek at what was twisting the cores of Existence.
Knowledge had come from all over the omniverse that things where going terribly wrong and there where unnatural shifts between polarities of 'good' and 'evil'.And so PG arrived in the universe of SLA Industries, just as a visitor, because Theo could not interrupt this dimension as such. It was a special layer of existence that should have been sealed off from the rest of existence. Theo had heard about this place but never had needed to give attention to it.
It was quite obvious from the beginning that there was too many wicked stuff going on in this universe. Its polarity was shifting too much towards the negative polarity spheres. The source of this was not clear at that moment but it was also obvious that the missing cells of the collective where here. Unaware of what they are/where or where they are/should be.
It appeared that somehow temporary gateways manifested themselves randomly towards this plane. Sucking anything into this plane then collapsing the next instant. This phenomena was already registered all over the planes and spheres of existence. Even fragments of astral space, from which the Theons originate, where ripped from their origin and dumped randomly.
This universe had its own unique astral imprint, conducted on the same source-field as everything else, the great pattern that was the frame for the entire existence, but it was built up out of entirely different particles.Once Theo had a clear visionthat there was trouble coming from this universe he/they decided to enter this realm to go and find the reason why it was so corrupted.
And there he/she/it stood. It's hydraulic legs with two feet on the ground. A 3 foot small droïd, scanning it's surroundings like, looking at the colors, registering temperature and experiencing time. Like a boy who hasn't had a toy for decades. 'PG 213' his program read. He only had the recollection of being a droïd through the experiences PG 13 had, but this was the first time for this Teonic to manifest itself as a material entity. The reason why he couldn't enter the WoP astrally had been obviously clear. This was the only way SLA Industries would not immediately get it's eye on the newcomer. Though PG was limited by this mechanical body he was safe from instant detection, and the goal of his mission was to perform his investigation unnoticed without interfering with the life in this universe.
Unfortunately PG arrived on Rhenki, a conflict planet of which the population had been revolting quite a lot. With support from DarkNight there had been a war going on Rhenki for the last 10 years. It is was a warworld that was not to be compared with any warworld in the WoP, the conflict was one of an Urban nature, with SLA troops fighting a guerilla combat in the ruined Cities of the planet. It was a place where Chaos and terror had a supreme reign over every individual that resided there.
PG could immediately understand how all the negative energy in this universe probably could find it's birth. After seven hours he stood face to face
With a large humanoid form, dressed in black plated armor, carrying a large but primitive projectile cannon.
"Hey you, don't move!! I am Frank Heart, Black Wing Commander of the 57th squadron!! It is clear you are not one of our boys so you d'better don't move or I have to engage further procedures on you!! Got that !?!?!""
From the opposite direction a scruffing metallic voice spoke through a small speaker: " please, my friend, I intend you no harm. In whatever conflict you might be entangled, I am not part of it at all. Please let us not cause any inconvenience to one another and just go each our own way."
Cmdr. Heart's face frowns and he opened his mouthb again: " I warned you, you
Rebel punk-bot. I am holding a warrant here which allows me to exclude you from the company of SLA Industries immediately !!!
<CLICK>, "Blam blam blam, aaaargghh, blam blam blam"
"I asked you gently" the metallic speaks, a bit confused, to the messed up cocktail of flesh and bones that lies in front of him.This is not what PG had intended. "Teo forgive me."
The other members of the 57th squad where looking for their commander as they heard the shots. The result was a fierce gunfight, 10 more dead humans,
And an unhappy droïd. After several other skirmishes on his path PG decided to hide and keep a low profile, but SLA had already started a massive manhunt to find this unit. After two days SLA decided they had a new enemy on Rhenki which had to be eliminated first with a priority seal from head office of SLA industries itself .They never succeeded.
Theo was uncomfortable with the thought of PG being alone tin the WoP as an individual, so he sent two of the best units to the WoP to assist him.
O_16 and THX triO3 came aside PG and started one of the most brutal battles in SLA history(D-NOTICE) with many, many casualties on SLA's end.
As SLA decided to drop assault troops and stormers on Rhenki, the Teons got assistance from back home, and stood firm with a small group of
500 droïds against a massive army of 10 000 (D-NOTICE) SLA troopers.
Everything on Rhenki got disintegrated, without any compassion from SLA's side the planet got nuked (D-NOTICE)and every living thing on it was killed until only 3 robots remained: PG,TriO3 and 0_16
The confrontations between SLA and SWFD is in some cases so remarkably obvious, Like the situation on SM 32, that SLA can hardly claim they don't know about it:
On a far away planet where SLA has conducted one of it's many twisted experiments (D_NOTICE) the prototype for a new breed of civilization was being designed. Starting from the idea to create the most perfect or most protected human they came only with one remark: the human body is too weak,for decent exposure to violence. Replace the biological body with something better and humans will be invincible.
SM 32, home of the 'Steel Man project'. (D-NOTICE)
An Urban planet much like Mort, with a society that in many ways is similar to Mort as well. Except for its inhabitants.
After the massacre at Rhenki the planet itself was dead, all life removed and every structure wrecked to the ground. PG 213, O_16 and THX tri03 had noticed quite some hostility from the natives of this universe and started to get a picture of what the WoP could be all about. Realizing this, they had to re-arrange their methods of working. It would be really easy for Theo to just come in and kick the whole entire ass of SLA industries, in this destroying everything in it as well, but this didn't seem as the proper lesson for Slayer, and it would be very dangerous to try so as well in fact. Such an act would be un-rertreatable.
It was at this point that the Sewer (Droïd) Federation was born in the WoP.
Theo decided to fight SLA with its own tricks, violence, technology and off course, progress. SWFD nested itself in the WoP almost from the early days of SLA industries by engaging itself retroactively. So SWFD began an underground resistance network, analyzing the methods, means, and more especially the _meaning_ of SLA Industries.
Hence little by little the started enabling a communication network, sabotaging essential establishments, send spies to investigate the secrets of the companty, and so on....
They also adapted their weaponry since it was obvious that the Theon technology was too powerful. Theo decided as well to use the material particles from this universe instead of his own. But SWFD equipment seemed to have a tendency to malfunction in the most awfull ways imaginable.
The goal of the federation is to retrieve and/or awake the other souls from the collective and stop whatever it was that was twisting reality so badly. First SWFD had to find out how this universe worked, what it's essence was, and what part SLA industries played in all of this. Because they where as alien to the WoP as any other outsider this was going to be a very hard job. The contradictive nature of the WoP and the nature of Teo only made things worse.
Mr. Slayer decided the whole phenomenon of SWFD was delicate knowledge and that it shouldn't be aprpriate for the inhabitants of the World of Progress to know, so he tried to suppress the droid federation as silent as possible. But when SWFD realized how vulnerable SLA was in this matter they started to undertake their actions publicly, causing havoc and confusion in the alleys of SLA's populated planets with Mort as the core of the operations. Soon TV got a glimpse of a 'Nasty Bastard' squad and the dice started to roll. The public seemed to like these weird 'Tek trex' look-a-likes. SWFD started selling very lethal weapons, telling the public that they are being fooled with toy guns, to keep them weak. They started to sell guns on the black market that are _really_ deadly and dangerous.
Because of this SLA decided to change it's tactics of approach and tried out the more subtle method to confront this 'robot rebellion'. A team of Diplomats and scientists where sent to the planet Rhenki to negotiate with 'those killing machines" in order to obtain a 'cease fire'.
Because of the total rage the Teon scout team had gotten into it would have been most likely they would have wasted a militairy away team immediately.
Luckily the scientists and diplomats didn't' appear like your standard SLA trooper, and so was it that one of the scientists Named Jacques Vance managed to communicate with the droïds through sonic algorithms, and later verbally.
The away team actually had to find out what SLA was dealing with and what they could get out of it into their advantage.
The SM31 and SM32 where a result of these negotiations between SLA and SWFD. During several meetings between J.Vance (who had been given the permission and proper Security Clearance to lead the project) and SWFD, both parties exchanged knowledge and information.
It was so that SLA managed to obtain technical information on the droïds and how they work with the intelligence inside of it. After several months of research the leading scientists' team of Vance managed to decipher the neuro-prints and started the Steel Man project, under direct order of SLA Head Office.
What they did was place a humain brain inside a complex mechanical armoured body. SLA was curious to see if this method would achieve an entity that wasn't created through the Deathwake principal, and thus making him independent from Senti for the creation of his troops.
The result was a large robot, fully armed and fully protected, its brain arranged so that the SM (Steel Man) would give priority to impulses of combat nature first, and only secondly to social and cultural impulses. Though the SM was still a sentient intelligent being, free to think as it wished, it was a slave of its body, its sensors and its creator: SLA Industires. The slightest detection of danger of any sort would transform the SM's body into a trigger nervous slaughter machine. Even if the individual wasn't willing to fight, it had no choice, for it's body was stronger and hacking the programming protocols was almost impossible and dangerous for the individual inside.
Off course SLA is not a heartless institute and as mentioned it allowed social and cultural properties on the SM. To test if the Steel Man would function in society they created such an environment for it.
After SLA had manufactured several thousand units they did a quick rehabilitation program for the planet that once was Rhenki, and planted the newly born SM's on it. Re-naming the planet simply SM32. It is even possible that SLA arranged more of such planets with Steel Men (D-NOTICE). Any one of them can be viewed as a nightmarish urban jungle where violence is even more current than on other planets. The Steel men fight fiercely amongst themselves and many of them are very psychotic. Because there where too many malfunctions within the the project, SLA abandoned the SM project until further notice and sealed of the SM planets, along with any information relating to them (D-NOTICE).
The only way the people in the WoP know the SM project is through a TV show called 'Piercing Gear', which is actually nothing more than footage of SM32 (D-NOTICE) that has been cut and compiled into a Combat soap series. This also helps to make the people see all of this as pure fantasy. The only argument they can have is...
" how realistic the show is, and how magnificent the special FX are. It almost seems like the real thing !!"
SWFD was not pleased with the way SLA was using the knowledge it was given. But it didn't matter since they had kind of foreseen this, and they had taken advantage of these negotiations themselves. Actually a lot of positive things came along with the interaction between SWFD and SLA as well.
Jacques Vance discovered that these Droïds where not hostile towards SLA, and that they where not regular machines either. Vance had long and deep conversations with the machine which called itself PG213. He told Jacques many things he was never supposed to know . Little by little Jacques was exposed to knowledge, of which he thought SLA would be pleased, if he was going to rapport it. The reality however was the painful opposite.
When SLA read Vance's rapports he started to feel a little uncomfortable. The knowledge these droïds possessed was very dangerous and too delicate to be released out into the world of progress, even though they didn't seem to be aware of the Truth itself.
So the decision was made, Vance had to be removed from the company, certainly after he was so obnoxious to doubt the order he had been given to keep his mouth shut. He couldn't understand why SLA was giving him the order to remain silent about these remarkable discoveries, the machine was right when it told him not to share this knowledge with his employer, too bad he wouldn't listen.It was during a family trip, a month or so after Vance had finished the research and development for the Steel Man project, that his life was destroyed by 'unknown individuals'. First his wife and kids where killed, his other relatives had already been taken care of. In one hour every person who had been close to Jacques was 'excluded' from SLA Industries. Vance himself barely managed to escape and fled the amusement park he was visiting with his family.
Since then Vance lives, hiding in the shadows, as one of SLA's most wanted terrorists. No one knows where he hangs out. Every person that might have known him was unable to talk about it. SLA had taken care of this but it ended up in their disadvantage as well.
From time to time someone encounters Vance, most of the time even without knowing it. He is being suspected of many anti-SLA activities during the last years. Like the bio-terror bombings in the Science research facilities at Bay 26 during the fog-season of 889 SD (D-NOTICE). However there hasn't never been any evidence to point the finger and he still is on the loose.
Some people within the company are starting to claim Vance is no more than merely a ghost. And the idea that Vance is in fact dead is starting to grow amongst the employees and population of Mort and the WoP.
"The 'Vance' that is encountered from time to time is probably nothing more than a crazy bum who looks like him, and the assaults are probably just performed by people who use the name of the professor in some sort of tribute way."
SLA head office however doesn't take many risks and still posts the 'Wanted' bills and announcements throughout the media and the universe of SLA Industries.
The following transcript is taken from the many audio and video files including conversations between Jacques Vance SCL 5 and Unit PG213 from unknown alliance referred to as SWFD: (D-Notice: SCL 2F9)
JV: Jacques Vance
PG : PG213JV: Can I ask you where you come from?
PG: Do you really need to know all this?
JV It is in the greatest importance of our further negotiations and my research as well.
PG: I don't see how this can be relevant for your research on AI technology.
JV: Just to get a picture of the cultural background of your creator.
PG: So actually you just want to know who made me?
JV: mmm… yes, …as well.
PG: These are things you're not supposed to know, do you take responsibility for this information?
JV: Yeah, yeah, off course !!
PG: Well, the universe has more to it than the WoP.
JV: ???? what are you telling me? The Universe IS the World of Progress.
PG: or so you have been told to believe.
JV: What the… Are you implying Mr. Slayer is a liar ?!
PG: I am not sure, in some sort of way he is honest.
JV: Well explain then !
PG: relax young man, these is not the kind of attitude that's going to keep you in good health, now is it?
JV: you're right but you got my attention PG, so tell me more of where you come from.
PG: mmm… You ever heard about White Earth ?
JV: (hesitates) well… yeah… I mean sorta… I mean…. I don't think of such things.
PG: Never wondered why you're not supposed to know about it ?
JV: because it is for my best interest! Only highly developed minds like that of Mr. Slayer are capable of dealing with the knowledge of such things. No ??
PG: hmm, interesting. Maybe you are right. What kind of mind has he got then, Your Mr. Slayer?.
JV: I don't know !! You're avoiding my question. Do you come from White Earth ??
PG: I am not sure yet. I am still uncertain. There are things Theo doesn't understand yet..
JV: ???? huh ???
PG: In any way I come from a place far away from your World of Progress, further than what is beyond White Earth even. Have you ever heard of places like 'heaven' and 'hell' ?
JV: aww come on !!! you must be joking right ??
PG: (with a suddenly loud and overwhelming voice) Tell me!!! Could you understand the essence of these things!!! Answer me !!!
JV: (backed of a little, voice trembling) uhh… "gulp" … are you trying to tell me they are more than just TV fiction ??
PG: Never wondered where the nourishment for this 'fiction' came from ??
JV: Slayer have merci ! are you implying that …
PG: Yes. Like I said there is more to the universe than the World of Progress. There are many places, much like the WoP, where you cannot go. Places which you cannot see. Places that I can feel.
JV: So, do you come from heaven or hell??
PG: neither of both.
JV: Are you a god ?
PG: God??? I am Theo.
JV: Theo ??? what in cannibal sector 1 are you talking about ??
PG: Theo made me, and I helped to make Theo. You wanted to know who created me.
JV: I wish I hadn't asked. Your answers only arouse a dozen more of these questions in my mind.
PG: I warned you.
JV: Well I had no friggin' clue of what …
PG: Shhhh, don't get excited like that, I told you that is bad for your health, yours and every living thing in the WoP.
JV: What are saying?
PG: I will not say any more for today, and before I will talk any further I must show you.
JV: show me what??
PG: Theo.
JV: ????
A moment of silence, and then a mechanical sound comes from the robot, bzzzzt, click, while PG removes his head from its body the room is bombed with a green blinding clear light, warm but dissonant. The core of this ethereal lightshow comes from where the droïd's head was. Jacques cannot see anything within the room, not even the body of PG. Though he is not blinded he can only see the light, with a very small clear spark in the center of the sphere of light.
A voice never heard before, human in some way, but sounding as if thousands of people speak at the same time, and saying more than the content of its words:
" Look into my eyes Jacques, go on. Don't be afraid ."
As Jacques addresses himself to the center of the light, the spark colors the room in blue, and Jacques carefully comes closer.
" you still are not looking Jacques"
JV: … y….yea… yeah I…I am…
"But you have to see as well when you look"
JV: uhh… okay…
Dear Slayer !!! Bloody Cannibal sector !!!!
…
End of fragment. Further footage requires higher SCL.
As he blinked his eyes, only for an instant, Mark noticed he was standing in the middle of the deprived, rotten and collapsed architecture of Cannibal sector one. He felt excellent, which was peculiar since he stood in one of the most dreadful places of Mort. His heart was filled with joy and his cheeks where still blushing as if he'd been heavily excited just a second ago.
This was starting to get weird. This was already the fourth time he'd be standing somewhere downtown or outside the perimeters of SLA without a clue of why or how he got there. The last thing he remembered was pouring in some grub for Frisky and heading to the bathroom to treat the wound he'd inflicted upon himself when he was opening that damn can of cat food.
The rain was gushing in tons and the howling wind turned it into a grim, raging storm. A streak of lightning struck against the dark gray sky and for a second made an imprint of the sinister silhouettes from the environment on Mark's eyelids.
Up ahead he could hear the growl of something nasty approaching quickly. His heartbeat raised fast and he coughed, spitting out the cigarette butt that was dangling on his lip. Things where moving in several directions around him. Though the rain silenced most of the 'natural' noises of the sector, there was something skittering up behind him. while his reflexes made him turn around he was staring right into two sickening yellow slits, glooming in the shadows right in front of him.
He grabbed for his FEN 091 but it was not there, he was 'naked', unarmed.
This was even more strange because he never, ever left without his weapons.
Being unarmed made him realize he was terribly fucked. As he swallowed his pride the thing leaped forward with a gruesome snarl"hhhrrraaarrrssshh."
"this is it, I am dead. And I don't even know how I got here"
Mark thought while making some spastic movement, as like he was going to dodge the ugly bastard that was going to have him for diner.
"yyaaarrrkk!!"
A sudden plaintive screech drew his attention and put him back with his two feet on the ground. In front of him a heavily deformed body with the head of something Carrien like had been knocked backed on its knees, drooling and snarling to him with those atrocious eyes full of agony and malice.
"Wow !! dind't know dodging this thing was gonna be _so_ easy!?"
he figured and without hesitating he moved back, thinking how he was going to get the hell out of this place in one piece.
From behind him he heard more noises and as he turned around he saw 5 more shapes moving up close in the shadows of a collapsed flat.
The growls and howl seemed almost like an argument, a dialogue between these creatures. The one that had just tried to attack him, almost seemed to be giving orders to the other five approaching.Cannibal sector One is a bad place, filled with carriens and cannibals and Salvation tower: home of Digger. So Mark figured he had to get out of here as quick as possible if he even wanted the slightest chance of surviving. Hopefully he was not too far away from the perimeter walls. But it was very hard to locate them, with the heavy rainfall you couldn't see more than 20 meters far.
Seemingly more careful, four of the Mutant carriens charged fiercely and brutal. Screeching a disturbing noise while attacking. "scrreeaaaak!!"
But again their attack failed as they where knocked back heavily. All of them at once. It seemed to Mark as if he was being surrounded by a force field or some kind. Angry and raving mad the creature started to howl, and Mark started to run for it. Howls from up ahead and way back, responded to the cries of Mark's pursuers, and the vile things started to follow him at a distance of 5 meters.The other grunts and barks where closing in and he could see a couple of Carriens coming up ahead to meet him. He stopped for an instants and grabbed a large iron poke that was sticking out one of the deteriorating structures scattered across the surface of the cannibal sector. And with an awesome battle cry and fire blazing in his eyes Marks charged onward:
"You bastards!!!!! You won't get meee!!!! Aaaaaarrggghh!!!"
As he raided on he hit one his opponents fiercely on the head, knocking the beast of its feet for an instant. The others Carriens tried to knock him down but again they where knocked backed by an invisible force.
Mark got the feeling he was not be afraid. Almost like a voice that spoke in his head, without words, something was telling him not to worry. Immediately he felt very secure, taking on an easy pace.
Up until today he still thinks about that day, he could have never imagined what was going on back then. But now he knows.
The Wave is coming for all of them.
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