After the old volcano at Cyclops erupted Thursday a week ago, robots have seem to have taken a interest in the area. As the area is previously known to be hot spot for robot activities, initially this wasn’t a matter for concern. However, it appears that their presence is increasing at a rather alarming rate.

The eruption have also had some influence on aquatic species, and more fishes are spotted at different locations around Eudoria.

EBN News: A panel of scientists from the Imperial Geological Office announced in a press release that they have been monitoring a seismic anomaly under Eudoria.

The anomaly consists of a regular series of seismic shockwaves from between 12 and 5 kilometers down in the ground. This is in itself not alarming, but an indication of constant release of tension in the tectonic plates. It is also an isolated phenomenon. The trend is that the anomaly is moving upwards and at a location that has not been seismically active for millennia, which is a cause for alarm.

The regularity is also a matter of concern. Although it is possible that such a phenomenon might originate from natural reasons, such as the orbits of Calypso’s moons, the regularity does not fit any known Calypsian cycle of significant magnitude (lunar orbits, Calypso’s rotation period, orbits of other major bodies in Calypso space etc).

Finally, there’s the strange nature of the anomaly. It is too harmonic, almost as if it were artificial. “To tell the truth”, the spokesman for the scientists said, “we don’t know what we’re looking at, but whatever it is, it’s strange, seismic and approaching. In about a week or two, we will know if and what will have happened.”

After the inauguration ceremony at Genesis Tower in Twin Peaks and the revelation of the new eMINE brand, Genesis Star Calypso CEO Maximilian Wolfe has suddenly become one of the busiest people on Calypso.

EBN has managed to get a peek into his schedule. On Monday morning, Mr Wolff will attend an interview with Shelly Nakajima which will be broadcasted on Entropia Gateway, and on Tuesday at 18:00 UTC, there will also be a special presentation of the eMINE PG armor for miners in Genesis Tower.

This morning, CDF high commander, Major Jenny Carramone, revealed CDFs plan for closing down the orbs to the public. Using telemetry data from the orbs and some field trials, CDF have created a device for closing them down. However, initial attempts have been unsuccessful.

“There seems to be a control mechanism that counters our attempts of closing the orbs” said Major Carramone, adding that CDF believes that the two helmets described in the Duchev files and in Ms Nakajima’s testimony is that control mechanism.

“The mutants have made a critical error” Major Carramone said, “as both helmets are on this side of whatever gateway the orbs are. If the helmets are removed from mutant possession, CDF will again attempt to use their device to close the gateway.”

The plan consists of two elements: first, the mutants must not be allowed to slip back through the orbs with the helmets. Second, the helmets must be tracked down. The second task requires manpower that CDF do not have; CDF intel indicates that the helmets is carried by an adjutant or servant when not in use, which makes it hard to identify the holder. Intel also indicates that the helmets are held by two different mutant clans.

“I hope that Calypso’s colonists will help” Carramone concluded. “Retrieve the helmets, and we’ll take it from there. We expect stiff resistance from the mutants, so be prepared.”

For security reasons, Major Carramone did not answer any questions about the nature of the device.

Hello, I’m Axly McBride, and welcome to Calypso Forum.

Some weeks ago, there was some commotion about the “Mutant Menace”. One that should know about this more than others is Shelly Nakajima, the EBN employee that won public fame with the piece on Carramone herself as well as reporting from mutant captivity. Welcome back, Shelly; it’s good to see you well again, and it’s good to have you back.

Shelly Nakajima: Thank you. It’s good to be back.

Axly McBride: Let’s start with something a little personal: Major Carramone has a special relationship with you. Can you describe it a bit more?

SN: I think Major Carramone has a special relationship with everyone. I’m grateful for the search-and-rescue team that she deployed to get me out, I respect her as a soldier, but I really can’t say I like her.

AMB: There were quite loud protests against CDF and its inability to find you. Conspiracy theorists even say that this was deliberate from Carramone’s part, and there are those that demand that Carramone steps down. What is your comment on that?

SN: I didn’t even know my newscasts were getting out at all. I did them to, uhm, stay sane, to give me, us, something to focus on. I hoped that the newscasts would be picked up and traced, but I really couldn’t tell. I certainly don’t know what kept the CDF, and to be honest, I don’t think I want to explore that.

AMB: One question that most of us have is “why”? Why were the mutants here? In your newscasts, your mention of Duchev and his files hints that you know at least something about it.

SN: It was deVries’ idea. He thought that there was a power struggle among the, uh… umbranoids, and that they needed, uh, some kind of regalia, to consolidate the power. At the end, deVries was, uh, rambling a lot, but he was quite consistent about dr Duchev’s files.

AMB: Those have been read and analyzed thoroughly.

SN: We just have fragments. DeVries showed me other fragments that I think haven’t been seen before.

AMB: Your newscasts from captivity are already a bit of a legend out here. They have been described as the most gruesome holovised events of all times, but what everyone wants to know is if you recorded anything else.

SN: We tried to document as much as we could. We didn’t know what to do with it, so in the end we just tried to report as professionally as we could and have it recorded for future reference. And when Jason d-died, I-I continued… I’m sorry. I continued alone.

AMB: We can stop now, if you want.

SN: No, I’m okay. I’m okay. [pause] There was one where… I was about to report of… some kind of leader, or champion, or something, for the Umbranoids when he suddenly entered the cattle pen where they held us. He grabbed me by the neck and lifted me, and I thought he would… would… He threw me aside into a corner, and then he… he… dragged Jason… [pause] That’s… when Jason was killed.

AMB: How did you know he was the leader?

SN: The others… they feared him and… you know, feared for him. As if he was, you know, important but taking… a big risk. They called… him Demp. He was the only one I heard the name of. He wore a helmet. It was… tusks and-and red eyes… eyeslits…

AMB: [softly] Do you want to stop?

SN: [nods]

AMB: Okay, we’ll stop now. Thank you, Shelly. I’m sorry I upset you.

In a press conference this morning in response to the allegations of the so-called “mutant menace”, CDF high commander, Major Jenny Carramone, stated that the mutants have never posed a threat to Calypsian society. Although there were mutants in Hadesheim and some colonists were hurt, the only people in real danger were “irresponsible daredevils who ignored CDF warnings and went into the wilderness on their own”.

In related news, EBN reporter Shelly Nakajima was rescued late Sunday by CDF. In what is described as a brilliantly executed search-and-rescue operation, Special Forces and rescue paramedics located and extracted Ms Nakajima. She was immediately taken to the hospital in Hadesheim. She is exhausted, famished and dehydrated, and her condition is serious but stable.

Ms Nakajima has not been available for any comments as yet.

This is Shelly Nakajima. I’m somewhere in orb country. I really don’t know which orb. I don’t know where I am. I’m… I’ve managed to escape. We were moved to another area, and… we were attacked by someone. I hid beneath a dead Argonaught. They didn’t notice as they moved on, and then I was… alone.

I’m not too far from the mutants. I can hear them howling. They are still… running amok. If they find someone, they rip him to shreds. I saw DeVries as he… they killed him.

I’m sorry. I’m… close to an orb. It’s in my mind. And every time the mutants howl and roar as someone is defeated, I think, the orb… it’s whispering in my mind. Every time. Just… as Duchev said. The whispers… they are getting stronger.

I don’t know if anyone can pick this up, but if you do, please… Just… please. Help.

They have… Sorry. This is Shelly Nakajima, and if you can trace this, please send help! I don’t know where I am. DeVries said that Duchev… would… know. It’s important what he knows. It’s in his files.

The Umbranoids have moved us. It’s hot and smelly in here. We can’t see very much what’s happening, but we can hear it. The Feffoids are gone.  They… I think the Argonaughts … ate them. There are roars and screams and I can smell the… it’s… sick. And I… deVries says that… that it’s a mutant custom. If you can call it a custom. I think they have just run amok from… from bloodlust. Their clan leaders are just… fighting. You know, in frenzy.

I have never heard of… of mutants behaving like this. They… they are mad. As if they were, you know, possessed. As if something pushed them, something was eating their… minds.

For EBN News, this is Shelly… Shelly… God, I can’t do this.

This is Shelly Nakajima, and I’m still alive. Jason is not. He… he died last night in the arena, and he was the last captive pushed into the ring to fight. The rest of us, those that have survived and those that weren’t thrown into the ring, are being held in this cattle pen, and most of us are badly hurt. Sometimes they pick one out and whip them. I think they do it because they can.

Things have changed here. The gladiator fights seems to have been crowd pleasers. And all these… people, colonists, they just died to please these… beasts.

I’m sorry, I can’t… the Feffoids and Argonaughts have sent their champions into the ring, and… they are slugging it out, and… they do. They are so scared and excited and… you can see the blood-lust as they fight. The crowd is… very much the same. There’s so much blood and violence and pain, so much that we can feel it. It’s an avalanche of fear rolling over us, and some of us have already given in and gone… gone… catatonic…

Shelly Nakajima, for EBN News, uhm.

This is Shelly Nakajima, still alive in mutant heartland. Jason and I haven’t been killed yet, and we can still transmit. I’m beginning to think that they’re allowing us to transmit and that they want you… us, to know.

There are other captives as well. DeVries, he’s… he has been a prisoner for a long time. We are the first humans that he has seen since dr Duchev. DeVries says that the Umbranoids are running the show. Prisoners are still forced into the arena to fight, and … I’ve done my best to treat the wounds of the few that win and survive but I don’t have much to work with.

The air is ripe with pain, uncertainty and fear; so much fear, even among the mutants and especially Feffoids and Argonaughts, and it seems to be… it’s growing. I can almost touch it!

I think… I fear that something bad is going to happen. Please, if anyone out there can hear me, help us before the fear takes us.

For EBN News, this is… is Shelly Nakajima.