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A Popular Culture Periodical

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Faces of the Fringe – Exiles Edition
Vol. 72 – Issue 02

THIS WEEK!

BELLE WALKER IS WALKIN’ IN ALGOROC! But what’s “Renegade” Belle dug up this time? Reports are spotty, but we hear she’s met a tall, dark, handsome fellow in an Eldan Exo-Lab east of Algoroc – but it ain’t no love at first sight! This big boy’s none other than an Eldan Annihilator, and if he breaks free, he’ll kill us all. Watch this space for more news. For holo-stills of this mighty killing machine in action, see page 033!

DEADEYE DOWN! On a more somber note, everyone’s talking about the tragedy in the Northern Wilds, where the Dominion shot down a passenger shuttle that stranded a band of Exile settlers in the frigid wilderness. Survivors included Deadeye Brightland, the legendary gunslinger who’d recently turned things around, wed the love of his life, and decided to settle down on Nexus. Then tragedy struck a second time when the Dominion fired on their escape craft, killing all on board – including Deadeye’s bride,
Sadie! Will Deadeye go bad? Turn to page 005 for our exclusive simulated interview and get our best guesses!

DUREK STONEBREAKER ROCKS! What’s up in the war against the Dominion? Hot merc-on-Draken action in Galeras, that’s what! Durek Stonebreaker, supreme commander of FCON, is taking the fight to the Dominion on his own terms, and he’s not going to let anything or anyone stop him. Is the famed Granok warrior going too far? See our analysis on page 009!

[This rest of this periodical
publication details other movers and shakers in popular galactic culture.]

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The Song of Voreth

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SONG OF VORETH

Glory to the Voreth!
Greatest of Osun
Forgers of truth
Slayers of the Makers!

Glory to the Voreth!
Strongest of Osun
Breakers of lies
Destroyers of gods!

Glory to the Voreth!
Osun of destiny
The Great Dark awaits you!

Glory to the Voreth!
Oldest of the Osun
Rage at the Makers
Become the fury!

[The rest of this epic poem continues in much the same manner, although it is unclear whether it is meant to be spoken or sung.]

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Gorgek for Warlord!

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[The following is written on paper that appears to have been folded many times and is damp with smelly Osun sweat. It is probably best not to wonder about where it has been, although your datachron is able to translate the strange writing.]

GORGEK FOR WARLORD!
Overseer Gorgek has a plan. Must not let any other Osun know until time is right. If they did, they would try to stop me, and Gorgek must win. Gorgek MUST succeed! Only Overseer Gorgek sees the real problems in Voreth tribe. Only Gorgek
understand the solutions the Voreth tribe needs.

Voreth make weapons. Lots of weapons! And for what? To go to war! But how many weapons do the Voreth Osun really need? Overseer Gorgek estimates Voreth Osun have twenty swords for every Osun. Ten shields. Helms, axes, clubs, we have plenty of. But what about infrastructure? What about needs of everyday Osun? Voreth Osun literally live in ruins! Is it not time to rebuild? Is it not time to focus on what makes Voreth Osun great? We can forge our own
destinies. We do not need to take it from the gods. We can be gods ourselves with the power inside Kel Voreth!

Gorgek’s plan is simple.
1. Delve into the depths of Kel Voreth.
2.Find Eldan superweapon.
3. Slay Voreth Osun warlord.
4. Gorgek in charge!

When Gorgek in charge, Voreth Osun start producing more than ever! Increase the number of slaves. Take the offworlder worms – they are puny and small, but obedient. And more arrive every day. All the slaves in the galaxy for the taking!

This
can work. It must work! I, Overseer Gorgek, must become the new warlord!

[This remainder of the document consists of a crudely drawn series of images and directives depicting the titular Osun overseer of the title turning on his fellow Osun, slaying the loyalists and supporters of the Voreth warlord, and becoming the new warlord himself. The paper is very old, however, and so it is unclear whether Overseer Gorgek was ever able to accomplish his goal.]

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Down by Ludo

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“You only make one mistake,” Ludo said, his huge Chua eyes flashing with wicked glee. “You forget first rule of Chua science.”

“What is that, puny worm?” the Osun warlord growled. “Hurry your words. I want to smash you, and you bore me.”

“‘BORE you’? That huge insult! Very, very not cozmotronic. Also not smart. Because,” the Chua said, “you only make one mistake, but it big, BIG mistake!”

“Yeah, still want to smash you. What mistake?” the Osun asked.

“Never loom over an armed Chua when wearing
a stupid loincloth!” With a cackle of pure malevolent joy, Ludo pulled the trigger on the molecular destabilizer ray, blasting the Osun’s undercarriage with thousands of particles of destructive energy.

The results were immediate. The towering Osun warlord, so confident of victory moments before, screamed in shock and pain as most of his body below the waist disintegrates into raw atoms. He continued to scream as his upper torso dropped with a sickeningly wet crunch onto the smoldering remains of his
shins, driving the jagged edges of his leg bones deep into his lower abdomen. Still screaming, the grotesque creature – who now appeared to have feet growing directly out of his mangled and bleeding intestinal cavity – swung his massive, meaty arms at the quick-footed Chua. Ludo easily rolled out of the way, then brought up his molecular destabilizer ray for another blast. This one caught the warlord a glancing blow alongside his face, stripping the flesh to the bone and forcing an even less intelligible
bellow from the dying warlord that sprayed blood, spittle, and pieces of flesh into the air.

Two more shots, and the Osun was armless and still roaring in agony. With a slightly unhinged laugh, Ludo stepped back, took careful aim at the Osun’s face, and asked, “You see now, yes yes?”

“Kill me,” the Osun gasped, his strength bleeding out into the muddy soil. With half his face missing, it sounded more like “kith mith,” but Ludo was able to understand.

“Yep yep! I think you understand after all. And
good news! No one will miss stupid warlord when gone. Because Ludo going to kill your whole tribe!”

The warlord continued to beg for death, but he would have to wait. Ludo and his molecular destabilizer ray had a lot of work to do.

[The previous excerpt is taken from a presumably fictional novel about a heroic Chua warrior who goes on to single-handedly destroy an entire clan of Osun using his cozmotronic technology. The rest of the story appears to be just as relentlessly violent.]

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Deployment Orders: Operation Backburner

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DEPLOYMENT ORDERS: Operation Backburner

ENEMY TERRITORY ENGAGED

Things are heatin’ up in Auroria, mercs! And I mean that literally. Maybe ya know that Thayd was built by these big bastards called Osun, and maybe ya don’t. All that’s important for ya to know is that they ain’t the only Osun on this planet. We got some real charmers over in the south end of Auroria at a place called Kel Voreth.

Yeah, I said Auroria, and I know it’s Dominion territory. But you ain’t about goin’ in there to make
friends and settle down, ya hear me? The Dommies are crawlin’ all over the place, sure, and we gotta hit ’em hard while they’re preoccupied. Yeah, the Voreth Osun are gonna help us out whether they know it or not.

Only problem? It ain’t just Osun in there. They’re diggers, those big suckers – like to mine and smith metal. And it sounds like they dug up some real trouble: fire elementals. As if that weren’t hairy enough, they got some kinda KING elemental they call the Voreth Flame. He’s parked up
there on top of the whole damned Kel Voreth structure, and it’s gonna take some real gumption to get up there and snuff him out. Maybe the Dommies’ll take care of it, but if they don’t, we might have to. I ain’t worried about savin’ the Dommies, understand, but if those fiery creeps bust outta Kel Voreth, they ain’t gonna care who ya pledge allegiance to. They’re just gonna burn this planet to cinders.

So stay cool, mercs, and stay hydrated. That’s an order.

– Stonebreaker

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Explorer Jogo’s Log

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Kel Voreth Expedition Day 001
Other explorers said Explorer Jogo doomed! DOOMED! But other explorers stupid stupid. Jogo not stupid. Jogo smart! Of course Osun are big. Crazy big! But also slow. Big and slow versus smart and small? Ha! Chua win every time! Just need to make sure Jogo has full water packs, water weapons, and primal water shield! Borrowed shield from the Zax. He said it needed testing. Jogo volunteered! Now no need to worry about fire at all!

Kel Voreth Expedition Day 002
Jogo
worried about fire. Very very worried. How this happen? Jogo’s plan foolproof! Water guns, water packs, even special DRED shielding. But water pack not made of water. Water pack catch fire! Then stupid fire elementals show up. No one said anything about fire elementals! Jogo ready for Osun, but not fire elementals! Only so much water to go around! Jogo have to find hidey place. Take stock. Figure out next plan. Safe place, dark, no fire. Only little water left!

Kel Voreth Expedition Day 003
Why Jogo
ever come here? Stupid Jogo! Should not have listened to the Zax. Go to Kel Voreth, the Zax said. Test the primal water shield, he said. It’ll be fun, he said. What a bunch of vind gas! Report for you, Zax: your shield stinks! Also, fire elementals very big! Bigger than they look in the holo-stills. How Jogo supposed to know?

Kel Voreth Expedition Day 004
This getting impossible. Jogo not a rock. Jogo need water! Jogo need food. So hungry hungry. But stupid fire elementals everywhere! What to do what
to do? Only one thing to do. Jogo gotta Chua up! Stand not-very-tall and very proud! Only thing to fear is fire itself! And when Jogo back in Illium, Jogo looking up the Zax and feeding him this stupid primal water shield! Wants a test, does he? How about a test of how stupid shield generator feels when it hit you in head, Zax? HUH?

Okay Jogo. Time is now. Destiny lies ahead. Here goes nothing!

[The scorched state of the log would appear to indicate Jogo was, in fact, unsuccessful – though to be
fair, there do not appear to be any scorched Chua remains nearby. Explorer Jogo may yet survive, though this seems unlikely.]