Thoughts

On the Monolith Council

"I'm actually happy we have the Council instead of a human government. I mean, if you've been following the news buzz lately, or read any Old World history, you know they're a hot mess. Take World War 2 for example. A friggin' genocide happened 'cause some guy decided to blame one group of people for all issues that his country had. And this goes on forever. Shit like this happened constantly 2500 years ago, even further back. And don't get me started on humans tryna weaponize everything. I don't expect a civilian to know much 'bout the military technology but seriously. They have, in fact, tried to weaponize possessed aberrations. They failed, fortunately, I think."

What about the news?

"News? Oh, right. Some group of nutjobs fled Kanrea City and started their own settlement. That's like... way off in northeast Asia. And if I'm not mistaken they have mad mutant issues there. You know, I'd be impressed if they manage to thrive among all that chaos, at least until Kanrea Council stomps them. Or something. Just watch, the deserters are totally going to try and topple their local Council."

And the economy?

"It's... interesting. I'm not good at this whole schtick, but you'd think that with all these electronics going to hell on a daily basis people would start replacing them. Sometimes they do, sometimes they come to us. From what I know - or have been told - there's quite a bit of money circulating. It's not even illegal or anything. You'd think the living standards would be better, but here we are. But I'm also happy that no corporation can de facto rule the place. Luminous Co. would probably turn the entire city into a sweat shop. The Council prevents any corporation from actually gaining political power. The Old Ones listen to nobody, I guess. Not to mention we at the Agency get to cash in on all the problems their grunts cause. So really, the Council is fine by me."

On AIs, robots and the like

"Credit's where it's due to Japan, or what's left of it. They have some guts to still be building robots after all this time. I'd rather not think about an aberration in any kind of robotic body. Especially since tech is fairly advanced now. I know they pop negators into them, which skyrockets their price, but still. I'd be paranoid. They essentially just gave the aberration a skeleton that it could pull muscle and skin over! No thanks. Besides, I've seen what happens when an aberration gets control over a humanoid body. Once."

What about AI? 

"I don't know much about AI. But I guess it's a different story. I remember reading some article where a robot with a test AI got corrupted and when they got the aberration out of it, the AI was fried. Maybe it's something similar to how after possession your computer is completely clean of all viruses, malware, etcetera. They don't like competition over the system, by the looks of it."

On that humanoid aberration

"Oh boy. There was a guy once that evidently had some neural implant in his brain. Now, since the human body also functions with electric impulses, so does the implant. And it got possessed, 'cause they can't make negators that tiny. He looked normal, but I think his conscious, and subconscious for that part, were completely overrun. We uh, we did trap him at the police's request, and they even put him in jail, but he escaped. Not to mention this sort of thing seems to release all stops in the brain, so he can do more than a regular human can. It's scary shit."

Why do you think humans don't get possessed, then?

 "Interesting question. I actually had this explained to me by a warlock I know. We don't get possessed in the same way as electronic devices 'cause we're actually sentient. It poses a lot more competition for the aberration to hijack our brain like that, rather than a set of wires and a motherboard. Sure, we're susceptible, just not in the same way. But it's obvious their fallout affects us somehow."

You're referring to mutants?

"Yep. I guess they count as aberrations too. Though apparently only the "first generation" ones are truly corrupted. Like, it's common knowledge you shouldn't eat whatever spill comes from corrupted tech, but if you do, that makes you a first gen mutant. On that note, I wonder if it's possible to like... reverse the corruption. That'd be something. Unfortunately you can't tell who's a first gen and who isn't. The ones that hatch from nests are a completely new creature."

Wouldn't a reversal serum make your job obsolete?

"Nah. I know somebody tried to engineer that, and even if he succeeded, it's a prototype. It'd take a long while for scientists to develop somethin' that can reverse aberration effects, I think. Especially since they might need to mix magic into that, and the stuff is volatile like nitroglycerine. See, even if they made a serum like that, it'd be expensive as all hell and ordering it would put us out of business rather than actually using it. Besides, it's not like the electronics don't need maintenance after possession. So I'm not worried. And my rifle works just fine."

On building stuff

"I like building stuff. Especially from scratch. It's a lot cheaper, and you can get it to work the way you want it to. I know a lot of people (and press, tsk) have been asking about the rifle. It's a civilian model of a C-86 semi-automatic. Just bought it off some dude that didn't use it, found some old alchemical equipment in a scrapyard and put it in the rifle. Basically, these weird baubles-" (he takes a sketch pinned to a nearby cork board) "-draw magic from the environment and charge somethin' up with it. So I just rebuilt the C-86 to shoot darts instead. It's like a tranquilizer, but for aberrations. Chemicals don't work on them and electric darts risk damaging whatever they possessed. I also built negators from scratch, mostly for personal use. We don't offer that service."

Are these augmentations legal?

"It's a weird grey area. I talked it over with the cops and some lawyers, but it doesn't look like there's any law concerning rebuilding or altering weapons as long as they don't belong to the military. I have my permits, for the record. Or else I'd be rambling in jail."

Why a C-86?

"Comfortable. Relatively simple to rebuild. I could've gotten a fully automatic one, I guess, but it's not like I'm here to mow down everything that's in my way. Especially since we often work inside somebody's home. Don't wanna cause property damage. It can cost a hell to repair."

On business & hunting

"First of all, it's a bloody legal tangle. Sure, it's nice that they let us use more weapons than a civilian. Consider what we deal with. On the flip side, there's nobody to regulate anything, except for the International Association, 'course. But because the government is the way it is, law enforcement can only do so much."

Is it hard to start up a hunting agency?

"It's a bureaucratic pandemonium. I had to sell of two thirds of what I owned going out of the military to get this place to run, but it paid off. Papers here, papers there, and on top of that I had like, what, three background checks ran on me by several different organizations. It's not like ex-convicts or something can't start up a business, but it all comes back around to the weapons. We do have permission to use certain military-grade equipment. Hunters are at this point some kind of militia, I guess."

How's business, then?

"I'm still astounded at how popular the Agency in particular has become, you know, in the face of competition. S&J's in particular - they're competing with us like their life depends on it. Because it does. But it's good, thanks. The Astra branch is growing by the day. Might have to open doors in Sol too, even if we're bordering that district already."

Any plans for the Core District?

"Hahaha, oh no. No, that's a ways away, I think. They have their own high-end hunters, although I have gotten a stray call from Core here and there."

Why do you think people hire you over all other companies?

"I... am not sure. Okay, I guess I am kind of overqualified with my 3,5 years of military service and whatnot, but otherwise? Nobody at the Agency is exactly formally trained. I don't know. We're just doing our best at the lowest possible price. It's what people need, you know? Some three quarters of Auriga can't afford quality cleanup, so we're here to do it for them. As for why people from Core and Astra started hiring us, I dunno. Nice personalities? Is that it?" (shrug)

On memorable incidents

"Oh, yes. Those. Where do I start? The first that comes to mind is cars going haywire. I don't get why people still insist on cars with computers built into 'em 'cause it's way easier to stick a negator in a radio. But that's their choice. Rogue cars are definitely the worst, though. They're capable of doing serious damage, and they're not easy to catch either! If the tires are overrun, they just grow back when you shoot 'em. Luckily, all the car chases we've been called to ended with no deaths."

"Then there was that time when a kid's VR headset got overrun during use. It stuck to his face like some lamprey kinda thing, so that was freaky. Anyway, I hear he got discharged from the hospital recently and is recovering well. Almost gave the parents a heart attack."

Was the billboard difficult?

"The one in Core? Don't get me started on that. Luckily it was immobile and our EMPs took it out fast enough, but the street still got flooded with residue. Flying in on a helicopter took me back to my service days. Heh. Although that incident had a lot of other side-effects. Like me and all of my guys that were present having to deep-clean the uniforms before they were usable again. Aberration bloodstains are something else, I swear."