[Mirikon]

>>>>>[Yeah, I know. I try to keep from overdoing it with the drink.

Anyways, I expect that the whole thing was hushed up by the Azzies. Horizon would probably pay to get their hands on simrig recordings of what we saw, of course. And if those strikes let the Amazonians make gains, then there will be news for sure. I just want to be well away from any Azzie extraterritorial zone when it does eventually hit the news.

I agree, Smiley, that wetwork specialists leave fewer bodies than other runners. But the difference is the nature of the killing. It is one thing to kill someone in the heat of battle, when it is a choice between killing them or risking you or your team getting caught or killed. It is something else entirely to stalk your prey, and plan their death in every regard. There's a reason why only a very few wetwork professionals have long-running careers without turning into utter sociopaths. That is why any army puts snipers through rigorous psychological profiling.

As far as getting hunted, I don't doubt that they'll come after us. We did leave some blood behind, but proper use of explosives and chemicals can do a lot to clean up that mess. The stuff we didn't have time to clean up wasn't a pure sample, though. Though I admit I don't know how hard it is to separate a mixed blood sample to the point where it could be used for ritual magic.]<<<<<

--Iceblade (16:46:23/02-16-74)

[Kylen]

>>>>>[Ugh. Slow week has been slow, and I just got my link back from the shop. Some wise hoop thought it'd be funny to hijack it for a viral campagin. Thank the gods for reflexes, as I pulled my battery the moment I saw the program start running.

And after catching up, I now wish to find me a beautiful spanish lady. A cute asian wouldn't be turned down either.

Anyways, if anyone needs a Seattle/Tir area delivery or wheelman, I'm betting on being free for a good week or two, taking vacation time from the cover job.]<<<<<

  -- Card (17:19:05/02-16-74)

[CanRay]

>>>>>[I have a larger direct bodycount compared to most wetwork masters.  Hell, Murphy does, and he's 14.  Not a smack at his abilities or skill, mind you, just how long he's been working, that's all.  Spotted him after one of my low profile meets, having his own meet at the same ratdrek bar.  Damn but he's good!  Doing his Uncle proud!]<<<<<
      --  Money Johnson (18:33:33/02-16-74)

[Mirikon]

>>>>>[Glad to hear the kid's doing all right, Money. And to hear you're back to old tricks after the time in the tank. Oh, and speaking of the uncle, did I miss anything in the profile I posted of him the earlier in the week?

Card, get that firewall boosted. You get the cred, you might even consider loading a bit of IC. Short of keeping your link off all the time, though, there's no way you can keep a sufficiently determined hacker from cracking your link. The trick is to make the person next to you look like an easier target.]<<<<<

--Iceblade (18:59:23/02-16-74)

[Smiley]

>>>>>[Sociopaths, psychopaths... I've heard them all and all of them labelled to me at some point. Our lack of what is called "morality" being some sort of psychological flaw or anomaly in the metahuman psych. Morality is a purely metahuman thing, an illusion not even shared by the strong of that same group. Metahumanity does like to think that it is more evolved, more intelligent by comparison to all the other non-sapient species in this world. In fact, you won't hear anyone say that a tiger is a sociopath or a psychopath, its mind not advanced enough for the term to be applied to it. After all, he kills without second thoughts, even members of his own specie if he needs to. He kills to eat, to protect his home and even for reproduction. That's all it does really, kill, eat, reproduce then sleep and repeat. Nature needs predators to keep a balance and that is a well known and accepted fact. But are we, "sociopath assassins", so different from predatory animals? We don't eat our victims but the pay does keep our belly full and a roof over our heads. You'll say we aren't needed to keep any balance, but still metahumanity is too numerous for this planet to support. Truth is, sapient or non-sapient, we are all animals and trying to convince ourselves to the contrary is just idiocy. I don't feel like a god when I snap someone's neck, power over the life and death of someone is trivial. I guess some of us do feel this godly sensation, I won't deny that. The thrill of the hunt is exhilarating, like any other adrenaline induced activity. We, at least I, accepted this truth and I chose to be a predator instead of a sheep in a herd.

In short, I realize that planning and killing a predetermined target is something very few people are able to do repeatedly. I just don't understand why it is a so frowned upon taboo. Well, I guess it's probably fear. If you're not strong enough to be a predator then what's left for you is to be the prey.]<<<<<
       -- Smiley (20:25:29/02-16-74)

[Mirikon]

>>>>>[It was not intended as a slight against you, or your field. Simply an observation. There are few people who can maintain discipline and control to do wetwork, and do it well, over the long term. Most get cocky, then sloppy, then caught. Others lose their grip with reality, and descend into madness. You know this as well as I do. It isn't a matter of external morality or what society sees as taboo. It is something the individual assassin must come to grips with on their own. That you haven't gone up on a clocktower and started taking down random people after all this time, or done something stupid to get yourself caught, means you are well ahead of most of your colleagues.

I will admit to being a cold-blooded killer, and I have done outright wetwork from time to time, but I could not do that as my daily stock and trade. Shark does not stalk prey. Shark comes where there is blood in the water, and ends the pain.]<<<<<

--Iceblade (20:50:20/02-16-74)

[Keita]

>>>>>[ Males and their hormones. It never ceases to amuse me.

Morality might well be a purely metahuman thing, Smiley, and it certainly does differ from culture to culture and from individual to individual. There's a lot to be said for your analogy of predation, but usually, outright predation does not occur within species. Lions do not specifically hunt other lions. The lion population is not controlled by the lions themselves, but by their interaction with other species. Lions do kill other lions, sure. But they don't actively hunt each other. There is the difference, and why wetworkers are frowned on. Morality is merely set of guidelines for intra-species interaction, and all species have that. It's just more intellectualised in metahumans. It's not restricted to metahumans, however. Dragons too have their own rules of interaction. I'm not saying that your way is killing is wrong, and I'm certainly not frowning on it. My methods and reasons are just different from yours. You're right that metahumanity is far closer to being animals than we think. Those of us who run the shadows know this better than anyone...and among that subgroup, those of us with animal guides or spirits or twins are closer yet, because we embrace that animal side. Like I do with wolf, and Miri does with shark. We're not slamming you in any way. On the contrary. It's just that our way is different. Not better or worse. Just different. Some may say wolf is more evolved than ant...but fact of the matter is, both are the product of evolution, with a common ultimate ancestor. The only real difference is in the evolutionary path that was followed. Sure, wolf may be bigger and smarter and far more complex than ant...but ant's been around a lot longer than wolf has, and the mere fact that ant still exists means that ant's way works just as well as wolf's way. Wolf can respect ant's way, without following ant's way. I do respect you, Smiley, and I do respect your way. It's not even that I disagree with it. I am just interested in the differences between our ways. Wolf is adaptable, so learning new ways is always interesting to us. ]<<<<<
        -- Madrecita (02:20:31/17-02-74)

[Mirikon]

>>>>>[And speaking of amusement, here's a trid clip of Xerena's first experience with drinking orange juice in microgravity. <<File Attachment: OrangeGlobofDOOM>>

And now we're bouncing off the walls of the compartment as she's trying to get a hold of me. She's saying something about vengeance. Don't know why.]<<<<<

--Iceblade (06:26:46/02-17-74)

[Keita]

>>>>>[ Oh sure. Pretend innocence. You know what he did? He loosened the cap on my glass. You know...the little lid thingy that prevents exactly that sort of mishap from happening. So...yeah...The vid pretty much shows what happened. There’s just no way in all seven levels of hell that liquid stays together for long when spilled. . It got in my hair, my nose, my EYES! Ice, you idiot! Yeah, and there he was laughing his ass off the more I try and gather up all the...globs. Then he has the audacity to make drinking it with a straw out of the air look easy. He’s such an ass. Worse than a teenager.

The worst part is...I didn’t get my revenge either. Well...I did in that he’s got a lot of bruises all over from cushioning a few impacts...but...well, he’s physically stronger than I. Not by much, mind you, but enough to...keep me contained as it were. Then, while we were tumbling all over the room, with him having me in a death grip, he comically turned our wild tumbling into a dance.

It’s just impossible to be angry with him. But don’t worry. I have my revenge planned.  ]<<<<<
        -- Madrecita (08:36:05/17-02-74)

[Mirikon]

>>>>>[Now Xerena. There really was no call for something like that. Do you know what she did? There was a dance party in one of the compartments, and we decided to go and enjoy ourselves. Middle of the compartment, she pulls my pants down, underwear and all.

So I did the only thing I could. I turned the party into a nude dance party. Fortunately, there were no kids at the party. Everyone had fun, though. Now, are we even, my dear?]<<<<<

--Iceblade (17:48:23/02-17-74)

[Chrona]

>>>>>[ I've not been keeping up with the logs, Ice and Mad done flirting yet?]<<<<<

-- Chrona (09:23:23/02-18-74)

[Keita]

>>>>>[ I'm terribly sorry Chrona, but it seems we've barely even begun.

*smirk* Oh, I don't know, Miri. No call? You should thank me. I watched some of the ladies present, and I expect your customer base just took a dramatic leap. Think of it as some free advertising.  But yes. I do consider us even now. Great party too. Especially the after party. ]<<<<<
        -- Madrecita (05:07:35/18-02-74)

[Mirikon]

>>>>>[Yes, I had a couple people actually make engagements for when we return surfaceside. It was certainly an energetic party. Dancing and... other activities take on a unique dimension in space.

What? Oh, sure. Yes, I'll ask her.

Well, Xerena, I'm not the only one who made an impression. It seems a couple people recognized a certain singer, and wondered if she might sing a few of her songs tonight. In the same outfit from the party. I told them I'd pass the request on.

Ah, and here's my drink. Nothing quite like floating on the observation deck, watching that big blue marble below, and sipping whiskey through a straw from a big orb hanging in the air next to you. We're over North America right now.]<<<<<

--Iceblade (11:23:34/02-18-74)

[Keita]

>>>>>[ Oh...well, this was an interesting evening. I would never have guessed 'Moncita Caballe' had fans among the upper classes. It was fun singing the old songs again. I still can't believe I let Miri talk me into performing 'in the same outfit as the party'. Some of the men thought it meant I was availible to them, and Miri had to defend my honour when a few of them became too insistent...but it all went down okay. I didn't get the chance to properly thank him for his help, so I'll say it here. Thanks, Miri. You can be my bodyguard anytime.

I'll let Miri tell you about his side of it...once he regains his senses. ]<<<<<
        -- Madrecita (05:07:35/18-02-74)

[Mirikon]

>>>>>[I don't know what you expected when you started singing "Hurry up if you wanna", in that crowd.

And yes, I didn't put on as good a showing as I would have liked. The mana is too thin up here, and of course you can't take weapons up on the orbital. I was forced to use a plastic knife to focus. If my old master could see me, I don't know if I would ever be able to live it down. Anyways, all it took was a simple increase reflexes spell that I barely managed to pull off, and the Shark's visage showing up over mine, for the guy to back off. Fortunately, it wasn't until after the troublemakers left the compartment that I began bleeding from my nose, eyes, and ears. Nothing too bad, but I've still got a headache, even after a visit to the infirmary.

The fact that I was able to do anything at all got me a couple more engagements when I return surfaceside. I told you this would be a good chance to do some networking, Xerena. Even though we're on vacation, lining up customers isn't bad.

Anyways, she was lovely, as always, and after the bleeding stopped, she invited me up on stage to sing with her. Fed me the lines through a mindlink. I bet her head's ringing, too. Anyways, I think I did pretty well, considering I'm not a singer.

Oh, and Smiley? Your apprentice likes using poisons, right? If she ever has to do a job in space or even a suborbital, tell her that a bit of Shade in those situations is as good as instant death for pretty much anyone. Even most dragons would have trouble taking the mana void outside of those few islands of weak mana in some of the stations. For a mundane, someone with no experience in resisting such forces, it would be an easy death sentence. Especially if you do it in flight, so someone who has no knowledge of how to navigate the astral has to try and find their body.]<<<<<

--Iceblade (09:50:23/02-19-74)