Encounter with Aethelwolf
Sallust: so welcome and thank you for agreeing to do this interview
Aethelwolf: No problem.
Sallust: so lets start off with some simple biographical information...
Sallust: where were you born?
Aethelwolf: Borealis
Sallust: were you brought up by a neutral family then?
Aethelwolf: Not really; My family worked for omni, but we lived around neutrals for the younger years of my life
Sallust: which department of Omni-Tek and what lead you to breaking away and becoming a neutral?
Aethelwolf: The Genetic Research and Development division; mostly responscible for the eye mutants and other of the now renegade breeds out in rubi-ka. I myself worked with omni in their "Sanitation" Squads as a tank pilot up until about years ago. Until the beginning of this most rescent notum war, I was a registered omni citizen
Sallust: how was it you got out of Omni-Tek service? it is fairly difficult to break away from OT without the protection of the Clans. Can you to inform the rest of Rubi-Ka how it is possible?
Aethelwolf: Truthfully at the time it wasn't my choice; to leave omni you practicly have to die. I had a falling out with omni years ago and was imprisioned for years in a lesser form of the soul-net only to be let out in a raid accidentally by a clan party. Once out all my previous skills and knowlege gained in omni had been "Blocked" by a NCU virus so I practially had to start over again
Aethelwolf: the benefit to that is you can start over with whatever allegence you wish
Sallust: Definately not an experience to be repeated. So how did you then come into the organization known as Seraphim Cleric?
Aethelwolf: The Cleric is a loosely organized bunch of neutrals who beleave in stopping this conflict between the clans and neutrals. I and a couple of my companions that I had met after my release helped to form the organization. We're originally neutral, originally clan and myself was originally omni.
Sallust: Can you tell us a little more of how this organization came about? and what your political stances are on the issues?
Aethelwolf: sure; I guess the org began at the beginning of the last notum war. When the notum areas were opened up to whoever could get control of them by the ICC. When this occured Omni made a quick grab on the newland city notum veins. Not a large site but very close to newland in what many saw as a political move. The first action that the cleric made as an organization was to secure this site; and other than a few bumps have held that site since then.
Aethelwolf: We actually planned to stick with just that
Aethelwolf: but the changing environment of this war has made us rethink our moves and we work mostly passivly to assist both sides to keep them from fighting
Aethelwolf: The mercenary take over of newland was the worst blow the the cleric inr escent history; We do not accept the authority of the mercenary group nor of omnis involvemnt due to its making it seem as neurals are only omni flunkies.
Aethelwolf: but one has to remember it was the take over of Tir by radicals that began this move
Sallust: and then what happened? how did the Mercenary takeover of Newland affect your organization?
Aethelwolf: If neutrals had not have been brought into this, we would have happily stayed out of it
Sallust: what is your organization's stance on the Sentinel takeover and Newland Guards today?
Aethelwolf: We're fighting it on a passive stance and a an active stance I'm not allowed to talk about. Mostly we assist clanners in using the newland shops and economy by using our engies and fixers to bypass the guards
Sallust: do your interests extend very far beyond Newland or are you mostly a "home guard" outfit?
Aethelwolf: We also helped to move our services outside of newland near the now called "Beggers Hill" where we can provide services to both sides
Aethelwolf: Well as I said before we're a very loose organization of neutrals with common goals. How we attain those goals are left up to each individual cleric so we have outfits in all cities but in general we call Newland and Borealis our homes.
Aethelwolf: that does not mean we stick to those areaas though; people that have clan or omni familys generally stic to their city of orgin and help calm the violence there as well
Sallust: do you still consider Newland a neutral city now that most of the neutral populace has moved to Borealis and it has such a strong Omni presence?
Aethelwolf: We have to consider Newland a neutral city or else we would have to consider the takeover a defeat for the neutrals and independent people of Rubi-Ka.
Aethelwolf: It will be open to all people one day in the near future, I beleave in that still.
Sallust: what do you believe a post-lease government on Rubi-Ka will look like? after Omni-Tek's lease on the planet expires
Aethelwolf: A battleground most likely, with how the current state of affairs are going on. Omni-Tek will not let go of such a valuable resource so easily. Expiration of lease date or not. What makes things worse is that after the lease date does expire it almost allows open conflict between the Clans and omni, which to this day has stayed relativly civil.
Aethelwolf: Omni will most likely win that conflict as well, and will not stop with the clans but will go after the neutrals since we were never with them. There are people on both sides that see the folly in that kind of move and are assisting us in stopping that kind of event from occurng
Sallust: what do you think of the neutral city of Jobe opening itself up to public access? how do you measure the impact among the central neutral populace of Rubi-Ka?
Aethelwolf: I'm glad it happened becasue it balanced the "playing field" for both sides and showed people that there might be more to this conflict that what is on the surface. The exsistance of the redeemed and unredeemed makes me wonder what else is out there that we can't see......
Sallust: a very good question
Aethelwolf: The Seraphim Cleric have been watching Jobe and the shadowlands since its opening and although we have yet to make any moves there are those who beleave that if we can end the conflcit of the redeemed and unredeemed we could stop this war as well. I'm kept my own opinions to myself on this matter to the org, but there does seem to be the point that the battle in the Shadowlands may be the bigger problem. What makes things easier though it seems that the Computer Ergo sees to sympathize with the non-aligned people of rubi-ka and that may give us an edge in stopping this war.
Sallust: speaking of the Shadowlands, what do you think of the conflict between Redeemed and Unredeemed going on there?
Aethelwolf: Its odd that with the battle raging in the Shadowlands neither side seems to see the dangers of the Hecklers and Weavers and Devourers of Life and the damage they casue.
Sallust: so you still believe that ancient enemies like the Redeemed and Unredeemed can end their dispute peacefully? despite a lack of any form of negotiation or conflict resolution between them?
Aethelwolf: Well they were one group once; and I never believed in the saying "too much water has passed under the bridge now".
Aethelwolf: If the battle isn't solved the Hecklers will destroy whats left of the Shadowlands and then what?
Aethelwolf: Can reality still exist with out the Shadowlands as a foundation? I really don't know.
Sallust: oh, and i have noticed that the Redeemed pay attention to the forces of destruction in the Shadowlands, but hold the redeemed responsible as the source of that problem. Believing that once the Unredeemed no longer exploit the land, the Heckler problem can be fought off easily
Aethelwolf: I've heard that as well but that seems like an excuse to me; How can the problem be more easily dealt with when you've exhausted yourself on a war you may not or maybe can not win?
Aethelwolf: The destruction that is coming to the shadowlands most likely can only be beaten if both sides work together. Kind of the same situation with Rubi-Ka
Sallust: I'm not advocating their side, just explaining it. I agree and personally fight against both the forces of the Void and those who would work harder to breach it in the Shadowlands
Sallust: anyways, I digress and must remember this is your interview and not mine
Sallust: what are your immediate goals these days and those of Seraphim Cleric if you feel open to speak about it?
Aethelwolf: Well our immediate goals are to keep both Newland, Borealis and the surrounding territories pretty much open to everyone. Although Newland City is omni aligned at the moment the surrounding area is under our jurisdiction by governance of the ICC, so we try to keep it open. We have a couple teams searching and aiding other exploration parties in the Shadowlands and have had some teams make it to a place "bathed in light".
Aethelwolf: As for myself I am continuing to debate with both omni and the clans over jurisdiction rightis in Newland Desert which has become a hotspot of late. And continuing my fight to stop this conflict by stopping the development of better weapons, and improving defensive measures
Aethelwolf: I guess "Waging Peace" is the best way to put it.
Sallust: so is Seraphim Cleric currently involved in the Newland Guard's Initiative?
Aethelwolf: The Transfer of the Guards to a robotic counterpart was not our idea, but we are involved in the move to remove the current authorities of Newland to open it up again.
Aethelwolf: Personnaly I don't think newland should have guards other than ICC watchers
Sallust: do you have anything else you'd like to say or have known to the people of Rubi-Ka about yourself or your organization?
Aethelwolf: Hmmmm, I guess just that not all Neutrals are "Fence Sitters" and that we are just trying to live out our lives in a place where we don't have to worry that war is gonna break out every second, even if this place is as interesting as it is.
Sallust: I'll wrap that up there with Jericho "Aethelwolf" Wolfe, true independent of Seraphim Cleric
