Encased Stories #2
CAERUS.RECORD#98943: April 1976, note
Let’s just say Mobis was unlucky that day. Crawling up out of a waste tunnel that’s mainly used to dispose of crushed rocks, it met up with a group of newbies. They panicked, of course, threw all their grenades, shot off all their ammunition, and even fired an RPG! When I have arrived at the scene, I could’ve easily fit what was left of him into my suitcase. In fact, that’s exactly what I did.
The robot’s weapons were the most interesting thing to me. It had two mechanical arms designed for melee combat, each of which could heat up to 260 degrees centigrade. More interesting still, even smashed into pieces the arms retained this ability.
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You’re right Ricardo, I’m a sentimental guy. It bothers me to see all those houses built by hard-working, hopeful people, now laying in ruins. I know it’s difficult to maintain the facade of order, but in many ways the facade itself is a kind of order. With the Lord as my witness, the real catastrophe wasn’t when we lost contact with the outside world, but when the “Traveller’s Inn” closed down.
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These CRONUS guys like to think their gear is flawless. They take a sturdy strongbox, put a combination lock on it, and think it’s all in the bag. It’s good, even great.
After all, the more people believe in their security systems - the durability of the container and the complexity of the lock - the more fun it is to disappoint them.
Okay.
Now I want my lockpicks back. I already know who did it, but it will be better for you if you just come forward!
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“People often ask me, ‘Teddy, what’s your secret? How did a donut scarfing nobody like you transform into the renowned destroyer of Forefathers security systems you are today?’ It’s true that not so long ago I was nothing but a simple security guard. But one perk of that job is plenty of free time, which I decided to spend reading books. This wasn’t just for entertainment, not at all! Real soldiers read all the combat manuals they can find, and Black Wing bases are full of them.”
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The warehouse is a place every employee visits at least occasionally. Here you will find everything you need - any vehicle, any type of equipment - for an expedition. Some employees even park their own cars here (for an additional fee, of course)!
For Orange Wing, it’s also the perfect place for a few hands of poker while the warden is busy elsewhere.
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In our quest for new technology, we discovered thousands of strange machines that we could neither use nor understand. We were pursuing immortality at the cost of countless lives! No one could have imagined what these wishes would cost us when the genie was loosed from the bottle...
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“What's the flag of CRONUS, Randy?” Obviously, the bureaucrats would never agree to it, but what I would like to see: a shotgun on the flag, a big, freaking shotgun, front and center. Why not? Every day on the radio it’s democracy, respect, equality, blah blah blah. Let me tell you something: a big gun is the best guarantee of order. All those Orange scum need to think twice before barking at honest guys like us. No, the charter definitely needs to be rewritten. And replace the flags of course, so the main graphic is a shotgun. Or better, two shotguns.
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CAERUS.RECORD #109697: Our Future
Today I observed some workers swapping out batteries in equipment and servoshells. I assumed the truck loaded up with old batteries was headed for the Spire so they could be transported out on the next platform. Instead, it drove out into the desert...
Claire, I'm afraid the conquest of the Dome’s frontier will end just like every other conquest in history. What was once a frontier will end up a garbage dump. There will be consequences, Claire, that no one will bother to fix.
Let’s just say Mobis was unlucky that day. Crawling up out of a waste tunnel that’s mainly used to dispose of crushed rocks, it met up with a group of newbies. They panicked, of course, threw all their grenades, shot off all their ammunition, and even fired an RPG! When I have arrived at the scene, I could’ve easily fit what was left of him into my suitcase. In fact, that’s exactly what I did.
The robot’s weapons were the most interesting thing to me. It had two mechanical arms designed for melee combat, each of which could heat up to 260 degrees centigrade. More interesting still, even smashed into pieces the arms retained this ability.
_________________________________________________________________________
You’re right Ricardo, I’m a sentimental guy. It bothers me to see all those houses built by hard-working, hopeful people, now laying in ruins. I know it’s difficult to maintain the facade of order, but in many ways the facade itself is a kind of order. With the Lord as my witness, the real catastrophe wasn’t when we lost contact with the outside world, but when the “Traveller’s Inn” closed down.
_________________________________________________________________________
These CRONUS guys like to think their gear is flawless. They take a sturdy strongbox, put a combination lock on it, and think it’s all in the bag. It’s good, even great.
After all, the more people believe in their security systems - the durability of the container and the complexity of the lock - the more fun it is to disappoint them.
Okay.
Now I want my lockpicks back. I already know who did it, but it will be better for you if you just come forward!
_________________________________________________________________________
“People often ask me, ‘Teddy, what’s your secret? How did a donut scarfing nobody like you transform into the renowned destroyer of Forefathers security systems you are today?’ It’s true that not so long ago I was nothing but a simple security guard. But one perk of that job is plenty of free time, which I decided to spend reading books. This wasn’t just for entertainment, not at all! Real soldiers read all the combat manuals they can find, and Black Wing bases are full of them.”
_________________________________________________________________________
The warehouse is a place every employee visits at least occasionally. Here you will find everything you need - any vehicle, any type of equipment - for an expedition. Some employees even park their own cars here (for an additional fee, of course)!
For Orange Wing, it’s also the perfect place for a few hands of poker while the warden is busy elsewhere.
_________________________________________________________________________
In our quest for new technology, we discovered thousands of strange machines that we could neither use nor understand. We were pursuing immortality at the cost of countless lives! No one could have imagined what these wishes would cost us when the genie was loosed from the bottle...
_________________________________________________________________________
“What's the flag of CRONUS, Randy?” Obviously, the bureaucrats would never agree to it, but what I would like to see: a shotgun on the flag, a big, freaking shotgun, front and center. Why not? Every day on the radio it’s democracy, respect, equality, blah blah blah. Let me tell you something: a big gun is the best guarantee of order. All those Orange scum need to think twice before barking at honest guys like us. No, the charter definitely needs to be rewritten. And replace the flags of course, so the main graphic is a shotgun. Or better, two shotguns.
_________________________________________________________________________
CAERUS.RECORD #109697: Our Future
Today I observed some workers swapping out batteries in equipment and servoshells. I assumed the truck loaded up with old batteries was headed for the Spire so they could be transported out on the next platform. Instead, it drove out into the desert...
Claire, I'm afraid the conquest of the Dome’s frontier will end just like every other conquest in history. What was once a frontier will end up a garbage dump. There will be consequences, Claire, that no one will bother to fix.