Posts made by NetPolice

Pirouette, thank you for your assistance. There isn't much to say in closeout, but in summary: I'll be recommending Late for the promotion. She's requested some time off, which I'll be granting... Ordinarily, that'd be a bold request in the face of a promotion review, but under the circumstances, it's understandable. I'll be picking up the deficit myself until she's back. TrailingMan will remain in our custody for further questioning.

-Syne.EXE

(Pirouette GET:
10,000z
12 Faction Points
19 Late FXP
2 WedgeMan FXP
3 TrailingMan FXP
2 Syne FXP)

Sure thing! Tossing some coordinates your way. I'll put on some coffee and we'll hash out the final details. Of course, the couple of us will be compensated for our work like always, but this one's practically a freebie. Easy work doesn't have to be boring, though... You'll get it when I run through it.

Thanks!

[Topic to open shortly in NetPolice HQ.]

Pirouette,

Great to hear from you so soon. There's always work for someone with a get-up and get-em attitude like that.

In this case, I'd like you to join me in wrapping up an internal investigation in the department. Some of our fellas in public outreach seem to be handing out unsanctioned missions for the department, so we're cracking down on that. This kind of thing normally requires two, so we're up, newbie! Let me know if you're available to help me out.

-Late.EXE

Good job, Red. Please accept 40 faction points on behalf of Investigations, as well as a 10 point bonus for a job well done.

-Department of Investigations Mission Coordination

*50 Faction Points awarded*

*Received 8 PartnerMan FXP*

Personally it seems your help in capturing a head and rescuing a hostage while also containing a severe threat was highly valued, officer Voulge.

Good work.

-NetPolice

Attached: 90 Faction Points

Good to hear it. Please meet up with PartnerMan at Pome's home page to continue the investigation. A key to the homepage is attached, along with the coordinates.

-Department of Investigations Mission Coordination

*Coordinates.DAT and PomeHPKey.DAT attached*

((Mission topic opened soon in homepages))

Red,

You've applied with good timing. An investigation has just opened up for a missing officer by the name of Pome. She is with the Prosecutions department and has recently vanished; there are virtually no details yet. Investigations Officer PartnerMan is already on the way to her homepage to look for clues. If you'd like to join him and pursue the investigation further, please respond as soon as possible.

If you choose to accept, PartnerMan will brief you on the details known thus far. You will be rewarded 40 FP upon mission completion.

-Department of Investigations Mission Coordination

Public Safety? Oh one of the new-... Ah...

We have an urgent situation in the Netfrica area. We've located a small net-terroists' hideout but most of them are on the run. Head to the designated Normal Network coordinates and one of our officers will brief you in on the full situation.

But in all regards you need to chase these guys down before they take any civilians hostage or anything.

Godspeed.

-NetPolice

ATTACHED: [Netfrica Rollout Coordinates.DAT]

((Grim))

Miss Djinni.EXE and Mr. MeleeMan.EXE,
We're actually looking for a couple of Navis of your particular talents to provide security for a political event, harumpumpum. If you do perform well enough, we'll consider integrating you both into the force. If you're interested, please let us know, harumpumpum.


\\Signed\\

BrassMan.EXE, NetPolice
Department of Internal Affairs

((Pocket))

We have numerous reports of suspicious white navis setting up recruitment kiosks all over the net, sponsored by a group calling themselves the RNG. We have had incredible difficulty in pinpointing their operations since they are active for only short periods of time. We don't have anything solid regarding their motives, but they have been linked to various criminal activities. We have located one of their booths near the Net Vegas network central hub. We need you to find out as much as you can about their organization. You may choose to act undercover, but be warned that the kiosk owners may turn hostile if they discover you are part of the NetPolice.

We need you to hurry to the scene as time is of the essence. Good luck.

- Department of Investigations Mission Coordination

That is some interesting information. We will note it down, and follow it up later. Thank you for your assistance.

- Department of Investigations Mission Coordination

[Get: 20 Faction Points]

Always good to see a young person take charge like this! The Officials, huh? Been a while since I've heard that name...my memory's not what it used to be, but I think they were disbanded 15 years ago after burning Sharo to the ground due to a malfunctioning toaster. Don't quote me on that, though.

But have no fear, as the NetPolice have taken over their role as the defenders from NetCrime! We do our best to keep the world's various Nets a safe haven for all! You might not be able to be an Official anymore, but if you're eager to help keep the peace, I'm sure we could set up an entry mission into the NetPolice for your Navi. I wouldn't recommend it if your Navi's just starting out, though, they can be pretty brutal if you're not a capable fighter.

Anyway, I should get back to my patrolling. Sorry I couldn't be of more help about your Officials, but I'm inspired by your interest! I'm working the rest of the day twice as hard now!

- IcicleMan.EXE

After your last public showing, we can assure you that armed NetPolice operatives will be in attendance.

-Bayonet, NP Department of Internal Affairs

A node is a small networked computer or terminal linked to the Internet. Usually, nodes have relatively small net-areas, such as a homepage, but this particular one has a very large area. It was devoid of any suspicious activity the last time a scout was sent out, but that was a long time ago, and an update is needed.

- Department of Investigations Mission Coordination

Ah, we have just the mission for a fresh recruit. A suspicious node of an internal SciLab network has been taken up on our watchlist for some time. We would like for your Navi to scout out this location and report back your findings of the node's current activities. An external location has a transmission portal that leads to said node, to which transfer coordinates are attached. If you are to accept this mission, respond with an affirmative as soon as possible.

Thank you.

- Department of Investigations Mission Coordination

[Attached: SCL-0145P.DAT]

Nicely done. Good work clearing out that criminal. The net will be a safer place thanks to you.

You held up your end of the bargain, so here's ours.

~NetPolice

[ATTACHED: SPBase]

Project Aftermath, AlchemyMan's experiment designed to pull unique traits from navis and manufacture them into a distributable form, had moved along swimmingly as far as those working for the navi were concerned. After numerous tests, pulling data from the Mafia navis Stalker and Scavenger, they'd managed to come up with some truly interesting formulas. Cloaked navis all around the labs were laughing drunkenly, downing the liquid extract and giggling as they grew coarse, black wings, faded into shadows, or gained enhanced reflexes. It was, perhaps, the closest the net had come to breeding a society of ritualistic cannibals.

Walking around and observing the handiwork, AlchemyMan kept his arms crossed around his back. Despite the joy of those around him, he wore a scowl of disapproval, contradicting the natural happy slant of his eyes. "You'd think they'd just made the first trip to the moon," he muttered to himself, leaning drunkenly on a wall next to a small group of his followers, his cape dragging across the floor sluggishly before coming to a rest at his feet.

The men were having a grand old time, showing off their newly obtained wings. Unable to stand any more of what the navi considered a defacement of science, AlchemyMan walked forward and adopted an extraordinarily false grin. From behind, he stroked the navi's wings in a drunken way. His supporter laughed awkwardly, as did the rest of the crowd. "You all look like a bunch of morons, flapping around like this! Like a bunch of big, silly chickens in pajamas! Heh... hehe!" he giggled. The others picked up their laughter, none more so than the one their leader had approached. "But tell me, what's the use of wings that don't fly!?" he growled, ripping the wings out of the navi's back with a quick jerk of his arm.

The loud, tearing noise that accompanied the severing of the weak, developing nerves and tissue could be heard amongst the nearby crowd, but the scream of pain from the navi reverberated throughout the party, instantly silencing all of those around. AlchemyMan watched the useless wings crumble into even more useless data particles in his hand, then let the particles fall onto the floor like ash through his fingertips. "This is not scientific advancement. This is like a... a Graphic Override Module! Yes, it's like you're all running around dressed as that filthy mafia slut in the tank! I'm surrounded by perverts and simpletons!" he cried in a high-pitched voice, stomping his feet into the ashes beneath him and spitting onto the prostrate body of his own follower before him.

Leaning back against the wall and crossing his arms, AlchemyMan smiled, having now gained the attention of all of his men. "Alright, where did we go wrong? That's the question, isn't it? Luckily for us, there's an easy answer!" he said with a small chuckle. Nobody was stupid enough to laugh along with him this time. "Think about it, chuckle-heads! We're trying to extract power where there isn't any. We're pulling from a dry well, so to speak. These navis are weak and useless... Well, now they're really weak and useless, after all of this draining, but they were useless even before!" he explained, punctuating the dreadful monologue with a small laugh. "What we need is better navis! We've got our method right here, theoretically, but it still needs to be tested. If my hunch is right, as it often is, we simply need a larger pool to draw our powers out of. But for this... we need a stooge," he said with a wide grin. "Stooges are always handy. Oh Caaarbuncle~!"

Surprising all of the men around, a female navi dressed in a similar pointed-hood robed stepped out of the crowd. None of them had even realized there was a woman amidst them. "Yes, my lord?" came a surprisingly pretty voice from beneath the robe. The men watched with interest.

"I think I know just the person to help us in our endeavor! Why don't you be a doll, Carbo, and go issue him one of our special jack-out redirectors? Be sure to take this folder full of blackmail material or you're not likely to get much leverage in the negotiations. Of course, he might be stupid enough to buy into a 'you're doing the right thing' scam, so try that first! You won't be lying, after all," the caped navi rambled, waving one hand in the air in a glorious sweep. "This is all for scientific advancement!"

"Indeed, my lord," the voice finished, taking the folder quickly and turning away. Slowly, her body descended into a bubbling green puddle and her form vanished from view.

The room was silent for a few moments. AlchemyMan turned his head back and forth, seemingly having forgotten his anger entirely. "What harm is liquor in the hands of the responsible, eh? Drink up you guys! Just don't go calling this a scientific advancement, though, or I may have to rip off some more appendages," he said with a chuckle, waving one hand as if dismissing children. As the party resumed, he leaned against the wall on his right arm, gazing calmly into the faces of the navis whose lives he was ruining, suspended inside his liquid tanks. "Boy, it's a good thing we're almost done, isn't it? You girls hardly have anything left to give me!" the scientist giggled, noting the small stubs of feathers where Scavengers wings once extended from her body, along with the discoloration of her hair from black to gray. Cutting off his one-sided conversation, AlchemyMan retreated through the party-goers and into his private chamber, leaving his men to their amusement.

The homepage of Netpolice officer Bayonet and her operator Jon Baton serves as her office away from the office. Finding her own office in the NP office complex troublesome due to its easily accessible position at the center of the area, Bayonet retires here to get away from the crowd. A creature of solitude, Bayonet is at her best in quiet calculation. The homepage has been customized by Jon to provide a personal feel for her; decorated with old Creamland revolutionary war replicas and full of maps and charts, it is a save haven where she can acquire peace and solitude while she organizes her affairs.

Netpolice officer DimensionMan, a poster boy for the NP and major player in the Public Defense department, has acquired the address of her homepage to pay her a personal visit for a special occasion...

If Bayonet had to name a hobby she had that was not work related, it would most certainly be the study of Creamland military history. Working on a replica to finish out her latest miniature war reenactment, the officer delicately applied the final touches to a tiny flotilla ship with a small paintbrush. The silence in the room was deadening as she traced around the ship's hull with a thin brush, capturing its silver color with amazing precision. Once it was finished, she needed only apply the gold emblem to its side. Gathering a new paintbrush up and dabbing up the proper color, she moved in for the stroke of gold.

Suddenly, her concentration was broken by an overly enthusiastic call that pierced the blew apart the silence of the room like a cannonball through a ship's sail. "DimensionMan, hoooooo!" the bellow rang out, reverberating throughout the museum-like room loudly. The metaphor became closer to reality as Bayonet's paintbrush split through the sail of her ship, causing a wide scowl to spread across her stern face. DimensionMan's orange armor shone bright; the shine was almost as bright as the sparkle of his teeth and the sheen of his black visor, as he approached the navi and her ruined miniature ship. "I'm not catching you in the middle of anything, am I Bayonet?" he asked, looking around the room with interest at all of her memorabilia with both hands hooked at his belt.

Bayonet was a little bit taller than DimensionMan, a little bit less important in rank, but a great deal more serious and less amused by antics and camaraderie. Placing her ship down upon the desk, she turned to greet him, saluting in a courteous motion despite her anger. Her towering black hat, red coat with white band, prim white breeches, and tall boots gave her a very official look despite the fact that she was supposedly involved in her own down time at the moment.

"Senior officer DimensionMan. What a... pleasant surprise. Is there any particular reason you're here, sir?" she asked, crossing her hands behind her back and keeping her erect posture. The natural tilt of her head in a proud upward position caused her to have to look down her nose at DimensionMan. Her brown hair, held into a neat but somewhat pld-fashioned, short and ribboned tail at the back sat entirely motionless as she kept her features still.

"Do I need a reason to visit? Ha ha ha ha!" he laughed, walking in closer and lowering his hands casually to indicate that there was no need to salute. "But seriously, I've come to you today for a very important reason. It's come to our attention that you've been hiding something from all of us at the Netpolice," he continued, suddenly switching to a grave tone of voice.

Bayonet clenched her teeth in spite of herself, holding her fists tight at her side. She was about the last person that she'd have expected to be accused of any anti-NP activities at this time, seeing as she was conducting a search for rats within the NP recently herself. "What are you implying, sir?" she asked, trying to keep her posture and remain respectful.

"I'm 'implying' that you didn't tell anybody at the office that your birthday was coming up!" he guffawed, slapping one hand up onto her shoulder with a huge grin.
"I guess I'm the only person who bothers to check the calendar, huh? Well, you'll be happy to know that I brought enough party with me to pick up their slack!" Quickly, he materialized a parcel wrapped in a simple package and handed it over.

The news was a double blow to Bayonet, who had just moments ago been braced to defend herself against baseless interrogations from her superior. For starters, she'd completely misread the situation. Furthermore, the fact that he'd research enough about her to know when her birthday was or what to get her was embarrassing in itself, so her face began to redden to about the color of her suit. "Really, sir, there's no reason you need to come here to celebrate my birthday. I'm sure you've got other important duties to attend to," she sighed, crossing her arms across her breasts.

"Not today I don't! Guess you'll just have to put up with me a while longer," he giggled, moving over to a wooden chair near to a fireplace in Bayonet's room. Straddling the chair backwards, he leaned both arms over it and watched with anticipation as she turned the package over in her hands in inspection. "Ha ha! It's not a bomb or anything," he assured her with a mellow wave of his gloved hand.

Bayonet stared back huffily, as if insulted that he might think she suspected him of something, when in reality she'd suspected him of something just moments ago. Unwrapping the bow carefully, she reached into the parcel and pulled out its contents. The gift surprised her, but not in a good way; DimensionMan had given her a digital print of DimensionMan Comics Edition #30: Trouble in Creamland. "At least he's done enough research to know the whole country," she told herself, putting on a forced smile.

"Well? Why don't you read a few pages?" he asked her excitedly, doing little to hide that there was another surprise in store.

Blinking obliviously, Bayonet turned her attention back to the comic. Flipping it open to the middle page, she passed by an authentic mail-order coupon for the comic and found a parchment nestled into the pages. Reaching into the fold and pulling it out, she discovered that it was a replica war map, a rare one that was one of few she'd been needing to complete her collection. "How could you have known I needed this?" she asked with surprise, turning her head back to him with a slight bob of her hair.

DimensionMan smiled at her reaction. "Ha ha ha! Don't underestimate Don's skills as a reporter! He's almost like a stalker in some ways, but er... That is, he helped," he coughed into his fist, continuing with his infectiously cheery jokes. "Anyways, happy birthday."

Smiling, Bayonet realized that the attitude was rubbing off on her. She thanked him politely, preparing another seat in her brown armchair. The two settled down for a drink of tea and discussed affairs for a short while, sharing the officer's birthday in companionship.

-------

After a long talk about various unimportant issues, DimensionMan rested his head on his fist, trying to think about how to broach a few more important topics that he needed an audience on. "Not to spoil the mood or anything, but what are your opinions on this latest development with the GNA? It feels kind of weird, to be honest... Like, we're the protectors of course, but it's almost like the GNA's being more than that. It's almost like... well geez, it's almost like they're trying to protect people from us!" he muttered, trying to make sense of the situation. To DimensionMan, the idea of the Netpolice as the good guys and the Mafia as the bad guys was something that couldn't be argued. The fact that there was an intermediary with enough power to tell the police what to do just couldn't quite seem natural to him.

Frowning, Bayonet circled her spoon in her teacup absently. She had perhaps more of a problem than any of the Department of Administration's top men with the idea of the NP and Mafia conducting a war negotiated by the terms of another party. "You know what's something I've acknowledged after an extensive study of war, DimensionMan? she asked rhetorically, leaning forward in her chair with the irregular light of the furnace casting a shadow over one side of her face. "Every participant in every war has something to gain from it. Nobody fights in a war just to make a point, nor does anyone fight in a war because they feel they've got a moral obligation to do so. For all intents and purposes, the GNA is now fighting in this war. Therefore, I must conclude that they have some way they're wanting to profit from it... I don't see how that's possible, though, considering they already regulate so much of what happens on the net," she mused, rubbing her chin with one silk-gloved hand.

The talk largely went over DimensionMan's head. Hell, he hadn't really realized that the GNA had an armed force until he'd seen them at the recruitment complex. "I dunno, it's possible they really are just trying to help. I mean, Brassman lost some of his guys recently... some officers from both sides, I hear, are just disappearing. I lost an apprentice in that huge net war fiasco, you remember," he reminisced sadly, still propping his head up on one fist. "It seems like the NP and Mafia both are having a hard time handling ourselves recently. This also gives people a safer way to recruit into either side, you know. I mean, I'm not for people going Mafia, but our recruitment is also increasing from the arrangement."

"I don't see how letting in unqualified personnel who have just gotten their place from a single mission is likely to help us... All I can imagine is that it will increase casualties. I guess if it improves morale and allows us to more easily search for good soldiers, it's a decent arrangement. If all we're doing is placing rookies in live combat, however, I'll be none to pleased," she sighed, leaning back into her chair. Turning her head, she gave DimensionMan a coy smile. "That's all I really want for my birthday. Reassurance that the NP are going to come out of this okay... You can promise me that, right?"

Taken back, DimensionMan sunk into his own seat. Grinning sheepishly, he laughed out an answer. "Well, uh, I'll certainly try!" After downing the rest of his tea, he rose up from his chair with a big stretch. "It's been great celebrating with you! We ought to meet up again some time, you and I."

"Sure, sure," she smiled, feeling a bit more comfortable with him than she had earlier. "Thank you for coming by. Although... Please don't spread this address around the office. I'm going to be resting today and would rather not be disturbed."

With a smile and a wink, DimensionMan sealed his promise, happy that he'd broken some new ground with the Administrations officer. With any luck, she'd start gelling with the NP in no time. Satisfied, he beamed out of the homepage, leaving Bayonet to muse upon what was said.

AdhesiveMan downed his drink quickly in his melancholy, listening to Chicago's response without facing him. He found himself chuckling a bit at his colleague's comment that Navis are designed the way they are for a reason. Yeah, the kind like me who are designed to impress the children? There's certainly a lot of Navi inspiration going around, but where it comes from is beyond the scope of this officer.

He gave serious thought to what Chicago was saying, though, and hearing it from someone else made it seem a lot easier. From its conception, everything hadn't fallen in place in a logical order on the Net... no more than everything was bright blue skies in the world of their operators. While he was mulling over his thoughts, his depression at the state of the world became anger with himself for getting tooled around with by a terrorist. Chicago driving the point home with a light shove wasn't something AdhesiveMan had expected, however, and he remained stiff and unyielding to it as the zipper on his suit lightly jangled.

To screw with your mind, Chicago had said. AdhesiveMan's mind flashed back to that scene so many years ago.

The gun in the hand of a small child. His mind immediately correlated the two events: the crook had obviously used a kid from his crafts class as a personal attack. No, though.

There was nothing directed at him there. There was disorder. There was petty crime and there were officers who hadn't prepared for it.

The fact that that incident had influenced everything that had happened to a simple arts-and-crafts Navi since then? Was AdhesiveMan really pretentious enough to believe that someone in this world had made a child kill just to drive the Navi to the role he now played?

AdhesiveMan's reflection came to an end as Chicago was finishing on the word liability. The physical contact, however light, combined with the suggestion of being a "liability" might have made a younger, more reckless cop fly off the hinges. AdhesiveMan hadn't become one of the most trusted figures of the Department of Public Safety by getting in bar fights, though. He felt shame, of course, but by now his nerves were fully under his control once again. Shame couldn't penetrate the mask he wore, and he wouldn't let alcohol muddle his keen mind.

Once again, AdhesiveMan's sense of duty was reinforced through adversity. He understood that he'd probably needed Chicago's help for that... or was that giving the man too much credit? Would a good night of sleep have done the same? Either way, he could see tell that Chicago had a lot of respect for him, and to AdhesiveMan that mutual respect meant a lot. Pride wasn't an emotion that the Navi had given much room for growth, for better or worse (usually for better in his line of work). Instead, he simply let the sentiment fall under the default file of A Strengthening to My Commitment to the NetPolice. Maybe when the Net started working in perfect order, he'd get around to organizing that file properly.

"Good words," AdhesiveMan said as he rose, taking the last of his drink standing. While most men would be wobbling getting up after that many drinks, the Navi's nerves had nothing to do with his composure now: stumbling and falling all over yourself were simply not issues with a Navi whose feet are glued to the floor. "Heh. You know, I'm not going to think about your boss anymore. You vouch for him? I'll assume his work's good." Adhesiveman fished out the zenny for the mug he'd bought. Rest would serve him better than alcohol now, he imagined.

Turning to leave, the Navi glanced over his shoulder. "'Department of Public Safety.' I had a Navi tell me once that he imagined a 'Public Safety Officer' as the guy who kept kids from getting in cars with strangers, or patrols the park so people can go on their merry way and enjoy themselves. I know the work I do is sometimes more serious than that and sometimes an entirely different ballpark... but I don't mind thinking of myself in that image, not one bit." As he walked out, he left his remark. "The Net may not be a simple place, but it sure is a hell of a lot easier to live in if you make it simple in your head. Maybe the same can be said of the work a man's gotta do, huh?" He let out another rare, dry chuckle before adding, "But maybe that's easier to say when you're Public Safety and not Investigations." He dismissed himself for the night with a mild raise of his arm from behind.

Protecting the peace? AdhesiveMan liked that just fine.