"For Caleb", pah!

I encountered a very strange ectoplasmic demon today while passing by Thorn Isle in the Nerva Archipelago. The entity called itself Caleb - which now makes a lot more sense of the Nerva Spectral Demons I've fought who cry out "For Caleb".

For saying he was of impressive size, the sheer power of the allies I had with me at the time brought him down very quickly. Shame, I thought he might have been more of a challenge from his appearance.

ARAD Triumphs Again

Yes! Finally, we managed to gouge that Eye out of the Leviathan and deliver it to Renault. It only took a couple of extra personnel and some more sturdy airborne tactics.

This time myself, Doc Bot, Dr E Genius, Dr Zweistein, new recruit Xcessive and intern Metaform took on the trials set by the Strike Force Operative. Disturbingly, the Eye of the Leviathan fell as easily as Fishsticks this time.

Arachnos will be pleased.

Time Out

I took some time out today to relax in the Arachnos Facility in Port Oakes while I was between field tests and catch up on some paperwork. Maintaining supplies for the ARAD Research Facility and keeping a neutral stance between Lord Recluses' Lieutenants uses up a lot of our scientists' prestige. The protection money alone is astronomical.

Still, the weapons and devices we supply Arachnos with do pay well, and we can certainly afford the bribes, backhanders and sweetners needed to keep the ARAD Lab in the black. Plus, plenty spare to requisition new parts.

I also popped by to Mercy Isle at Kalinda's request to show some new Destined Ones the height of Arachnos Technology with the ZR Autonomous COmbat System. I had quite a few interested new "villains" stop by to admire my handiwork.

Some days, it's just nice to stop and enjoy the Rogue Isles. It's a wonderful place to live and work - so full of opportunity

Failure? It Won't Last, Dammit!

Curses! Strike Force Operative Renault has set Arachnos Research and Development an almost impossible task! Here we are posing with the Operative before myself, Doc Bot, Dr Zweistein and an intern - Dark Ashes - set off.

Not only did Captain Mako's own lieutenant Barracuda turn on us part way though our allotted missions (never trust a fish), we then had to combat the Leviathan underneath Sharkshead Isle.

I say the Leviathan, we were actually just attacking its eye! I was expecting a normal sized eye - not some monster like this.

After facing (briefly) Calystyx the Shaper (poor Fishsticks fell easily as always) Doc Bot, Dr Zweistein, Dark Ashes and myself were barely able to dent the thing! We threw two Warburg warheads, and several batallions of robots at it. Insanity!

We need better tactics. And maybe more nuclear weapons...

Mole Point Bravo

As I suspected - at least Technician Grant Naylor still had some important work for Arachnos to be done for a member of my rank.

This time I had to infiltrate and subvert a Longbow-held base in an alternate dimension - code-named Mole Point Bravo. Somewhere in a dimension called the "Shadow Shard". Regardless, the task was easily accomplished.

The suprise came when not a half hour later ARAD received an emergency call from Naylor that we were needed to go back to the newly secured facility and repel some alien invaders and destroy it to stop them breaking through to our dimension. Shades of the Rikti, methinks. But as least the Rikti are vaguely human-looking - some of these "Rularuu" were floating eyeballs!

Curiously, I encountered some of Lord Nemesis' troops in the Shadow Shard - seems like he may have interests there and I may have to end up tangling with his automatons soon. Good thing I've already dismantled several and ascertained they pose no threat to the might of Arachnos and the technology of ARAD's Scientists.

As a side-note from my jaunt to the Shadow Shard, I would like to report the Base Commander Rimsey for gross stupidity! Half the regulations he quoted at me didn't exist, and he was reckless to the point of dangerousness - charging at Rularuu Brutes leaving me and ARAD to jump after him to save his hide. Yes, he was needed to activate the self-destruct on the base portal, but really - a little respect for Arachnos Research and Development's position among Arachnos Prime was due.

Reminiscences

Now that I have reached the rank of Captain within Arachnos Core, as well as Chief Scientist of Arachnos Research and Development, I have found myself thinking of my life a mere seven months ago when I broke out of the Zig back in Paragon City.

I have infamy, the brightest colleagues the Rogue Isles has to offer, unparalleled robotics and weaponry. I have an impressive list of souvenirs granted to me by members of the Rogue Isles community I have worked with and taken from fools I have defeated.

Actually, looking at them they're quite a mismatch. Kalinda's kiss, Bletchley's goggles, a letter sealed with a black kiss, the hit list, an after action report, an old drawing of myself, a Zig guard hat, a rivet, a coral shard, a darkened crystal, a fragment of Red Coral Crystal, an ancient Mu relic, Mynx's fur, the Brawler's mask, Luminary's schematics, a Rikti embryo, Infernal's axe, Luckless' lucky chip, a silver tongue, Johnny Sonata tickets, a completed contract, a "Vote for Wenkler" button, a Johnny Sonata techno-remix, a burned out spirit trap, a signed glossy of Johnny Sonata, a citation full of commendation, snakeskin boots, Indigo's hair, Tears of the Spirit, Jezebel's Token and a Longbow pin

Yet, I still feel there must be more out there. I have barely scratched the surface and never stepped foot outside of the lab into the rest of Grandville. Alas, Black Scorpion has informed me all "Destined Ones" have their permits on back order, so it's just a waiting game.

Still, seems that Technician Naylor still has some work for me to do...

Threat Level 40

Some strange malfunction in the ZR Aegis Transponder today caused it to explode, albeit harmlessly, in a shower of sparks. Seems some incoming message from Arachnos set it off...

... ah. It would appear as my Arachnos Threat Level has reached Clearance 40. Well, that is a suprise - especially since the Black Helicopter Line still won't clear me for landing on Grandville. I must submit a formal complaint to Black Scorpion...

Wretch in Name and Nature

Former ally, yet if an Arbiter in the Rogue Isles deems you guilty then you are indeed guilty.

It was my somewhat sad duty to apprehend Wretch - Seer Marino's brother, and Ghost Widow's lieutentant for scheming that undermines the stability of Arachnos on the orders of Arbiter Leery.

I was ably assisted by Existence, Evil Thistle and Fallen Snow - esteemed colleagues who I have worked with other the past months on several ocasssions. Very skilled in their respective fields.

We also had to apprehend Ice Mistral, a confidante and ally of Scirocco on similar charges - it appears that Scirocco and Ghost Widow had been set at each others' throat over some mystical artifact called "Tears of the Spirit". Whatever they were, my Assault ZR destroyed them on the Arbiter's orders.

Binder of Beasts. Finally.

Taking a break from working with Technician Naylor (he managed to squeeze me in for a project or two) and Hardcase (he seems to have demon issues, but I occassionally get something worthwhile and technological out of him) I had popped down to Cap Au Diable to take out some Gremlins causing fluctuations to the PTS.

While there I heard a call on the Arachnos Request Channel that my erstwhile colleague Professor Vulcan was gathering some allies at the behest of Virgil Tarikoss. Having failed Tarikoss previously, I was in a mood to redeem myself so I joined up with the Professor, Dr Blitzkrieg, Mindblast, ArticusLupus and an excellent Brute whose name escapes me right now.

We made good time tracking down the information Virgil needed (he must have some form of amnesia - I'm sure I provided him with all these details previously) and we progressed through his portal to the prison of Bat'Zul - the demon that the accursed Dr Aeon is powering the PTS from.

After a minor setback, which necessitated a quick trip to the Black Heart Memorial Hospital for everyone, we organised our arrayed forces in good tactical order and lured Bat'Zul into our trap. The image to the left was capture just before his eventual defeat. Though I had to summon an entire production run of Drone ZR's and Protector ZR's to attack this monstrosity our team prevailed and Bat'Zul was bound back to his prison.

Only to get back to Virgil and find he was a thrice-damned hero and was hoping the demon would defeat me and my colleagues! I have reported him to Arachnos - no doubt they will keep their eye on this "Tarikoss the Vigilant" for interfering with Arachnos Research and Development like this.

Still, the ZR Series Teleportation Delivery System seems to perform extremely well under trans-dimensional conditions - barely any time-delay at all.

More Nemesis. My Curiosity is Piqued

A field trip to another dimension with some colleagues recently gave me the change to look at some of these Nemesis "Warhulks" in closer detail.

It appears that a pilot is seated in some form of fluid-filled tank which may or may not also be fuel for its fire-based attacks. Obviously it is simply some form of powered armour suit.

What strikes me is the complexity of these devices - despite it being entirely steam-driven they are intricately detailed and superbly crafted. I really must meet and exchange ideas with Lord Nemesis.

That, or defeat him and take what I want. Either is good.

A Day of Two Halves

Today has certainly been eventful - I have only just had the opportunity to sit down and collate my thoughts about it. I've been working for a whole range of people now that my Arachnos Threat Level has broken Clearance 35. It's resulted in some friendly, and some not so friendly faces.

It has also resulted in me going to strange parallel dimensions. A Technician Naylor near Thorn Isle in the Nerva Archipelago sent me to one at the behest of famed musician Johnny Sonata. I had to fetch a magus by the name of Akarist - one of those damned Circle of Thorns types. Still, he came along peacefully enough one I had dispatched the Longbow Commander to make my point (ably assisted by another roboticist calling themselves War Lord).

I may have to pop back and speak with Technician Naylor - he looked to be doing some interesting work, possible at the behest of Lord Recluse himself and I'd of course like to offer ARAD's services..

Then, this evening I had the luck to be tipped off by Magus Mu'Drakhan that the dratted Hero Infernal had returned to the Rogue Isles. Determined to strike at him and capture the moment, I gathered a group of ARAD scientists (Dr E Genius, Doc Bot and Dr Zweistein) and set off.

Suffice to say, he didn't last long against us! And the lack of jamming devices meant I was able to capture an image for posterity!

At this stage of my research, the ZR Autonomous Assault System is complete. I can make tweaks to their damage output, but the are feature rich and ready for Arachnos to use. It is now time I turned back to the ZR Aegis Transponder. I have a theory that I could create a "solid" forcefield to keep attackers at bay....

Lord Nemesis?

Came across a very curious machine today while "closing down" a company called BrassTack Technology. Sure, the employees seemed a little "wooden" but if it wasn't for this monstrosity I wouldn't have realised they were all robots.

Near flawless human automatons. Beautiful.

All ruined by this steam-powered piece of lunacy - my ZR Series made short work of it despite its impressive flamethower. While I attached one to my Assault ZR Series for close in work, nothing can beat the high-yield lasers for sheer destructive power.

I am curius as to who this "Lord Nemesis" that the "Warhulk" spoke of is - he may have much useful technology I could acquire for Arachnos.

Rikti Invaders? Nope, Thoroughly Helpful

I've been doing some work on the side for Crey Industries this past week or two and I've been running into more and more Rikti each day. I've rather begun to suspect that this Kelly Uqua (my Crey liason) is actually Rikti herself!

Nah, silly concept.

Anyway, the last run she sent me on saw me dealing with some Longbow aboard one of their freighters. I was feeling a touch outnumbered until I released this nice Rikti (who's name I just couldn't pronounce!). He very helpfully teleported around after me mopping up the Longbow dregs. Just another example of Paragon City Paranoia - the Rikti aren't a threat, and we can happily co-exist peacefully with them.

He even let me have a look at that rifle of his. Inferior technology alas, so nothing I could really salvage.

Miss One, Capture Another!

Well, that made up for the blunder of capturing the moment of Infernal's capture. A nice photo of Aurora Borealis flat on her face.

Really, why these so called "Heros" keep coming to the Rogue Isles and try to upset our plans and works I do not know. They need to learn that we are better organised, more unified and have a strong leader in Lord Recluse.

Now, where did I put that new device of mine... it'll be ready for field tests soon enough...

Interesting Design. Flawed Implementation

During a security patrol with Doc Bot and Dr E Genius around Warburg earlier, I sighted a strange pair of robots of a "Malta" designation.

Engaging them since they were patroling with a Rogue Arachnos member I was astounded when, as they became heavily damaged, they merged and formed the robot you see on the left.

It designated itself a Zeus Titan, and while it did pack a much heavier punch, it failed to withstand a full ARAD armoured division of Assault, Protector and Battle Drones.

Still, its components may come in useful...

Noo! Even Genius Has It's Dumb Moments!

Rats! I should have thought - planting signal jammers around Infernal's new "Firebase Valhalla" meant that the damn signal from my ZR Aegis Transponder couldn't penetrate the secrecy net and record any of the footage for posterity.

Oh what a fool I am. That said, the operation went very smoothly with the assistance of new Arachnos R&D scientist Dr. Zweistein. Her speciality is radiation in all it's varying forms, and it certainly helped in the case of Infernal. I took his axe as a souvenir.

Just a pity I have no photos of the event!

Tracking Infernal

I took a short moment to pose infront of Crey Industries' Nerva Archipelago HQ before entering the premises to have a discussion with some of their top scientists in the field of jamming technologies.

My Arachnos agent in the Nerva area (one Operative Rutger) has intecepted communications that the demon hero "Infernal" will soon be in the area at a new Longbow Base.

I've tracked down the location of the base, but to stop him from calling in local reinforcements, I need a turnkey jamming solution so I can be assured of privacy while I do a little field testing.

Oh, and when I said meet with the scientists, I best clarify what I mean is to allow the ZR Assault System to reign fire and laser death upon them, then to salvage the remains
. I'll be back in touch when I face off with Infernal - hopefully tomorrow.

Moving Out and News!

A double celebration today!

Firstly, apparently Arachnos Research and Development recently earnt enough Prestige with Arachnos to be granted our very own facility. They even issued a press release! Assuming we can maintain this Prestige, we can requisition new parts and keep the facility online.

The second part is thanks to these improved facilities, I was able to use them to complete the ultimate upgrade for the ZR Series Automated Combat Units. The Assault ZR now sports shoulder-mounted rocket launchers. The Protector ZR's can now launch Photon Grenades and Seeker Drones to disorient their targets. The Drone ZR's have been fitted with coolant to enable them to fire in lasers in a full auto-esque cone dispersal pattern.

Bow down before me! Or my robots will shoot!

Back Alley Brawler?

Really... if you retire there's a reason for it - you're not fit to work any more. Look at me, my age and still field testing. Back Alley Brawler? Well, we all thought he'd retired to Paragon to train fresher, newer heroes.

Appears not. He's on Arachnos turf, and that makes him my problem. Always did want to get a closer look of those gloves of his to see if there is any salvageable technology.

He was dispatched shortly after this image capture from the ZR Aegis Transponder. He barely stood a chance against the ZR Series Combat System, and a little help from a couple more Arachnos loyalists.

Thorn Tree Decimated

This snapshot was taken moments before the research team led by myself, Dr E Genius and Doc Bot (all of Arachnos Research and Development) decimated the sentient branches of the Thorn Tree to gain access to the nexus within.

We were ably assisted by two Corruptors, who's names alas fail my aging mind. Very nice chaps they were too.

The nexus we took holds more than enough power to fuel a complete redesign of all my ZR Technologies, should I require. For now, I have placed it in a secure vault in the lab, where it will remain until I have any need of it.