<::||JURY-RCT.999 Private log file||::>

[?AG-CL? Sheo]

UNIT: 999
DIVISION: JURY
CLEARANCE: Recruit

Enter Password: ************

ACCESS GRANTED

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<::|| First day on the job. Clothes are stuffy. They seem sturdy though. Heavy. I assume that feeling will pass once I have actual nutrition. Writing this from a combine terminal. Basically the alien equivalent of a personal computer. Only I have a feeling this thing could crunch about 100 times the data one of ours could. Can't take a look at it though. Not allowed.

It seems that I will have to be waiting until I am an '03', to be transferred to their engineering department, VICE. It's okay enough, I suppose. I've spent years waiting for this, so a few weeks or so won't hurt me any. They've outfitted me with what they nickname a "Stunstick". I imagine it's uses are exactly the way they sound. Doesn't look human in origin. It's powerful enough to resonate light through the air with how much electricity is running through it. How they've managed to make a battery powerful enough, but compact enough to power this thing without an external source is mindboggling. I'll have to dissassemble mine once I'm VICE and I have clearance to find out. The mysteries the combine have in store are as many as they are wonderful it seems.

Fun fact, did you know a 9x19mm parabellum round travels at about 1100 feet per second? Standard issue rounds seem to be semi-jacketed, effective against soft targets, probably couldn't punch through higher grade bodyarmors though. That's okay. I don't have a sidearm issued yet. Glad they gave me a box of rounds though. Gives me something to do to pass the time. Wonder if making pyramids with issued rounds is a violation of some protocol or another? Probably is. Can't wait to look at some of their Combine weaponry though. Betting that they're at least 3 times as efficient as their human equivalencies. Who knows, maybe I can find ways of improving them?

Actually, that was a stupid thought. Most advanced alien race ever known in history, and I'm going to show them a thing or two? Yep, sounds plausible. Unit 999, signing off.||::>

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[?AG-CL? Sheo]

UNIT: 999
DIVISION: JURY
CLEARANCE: Recruit

Enter Password: ************

ACCESS GRANTED

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New Log Opened:

<::|| Still no training yet. This stunstick is incredible though. The light it gives off reminds me of a magnesium filing being burned, or similar to the light given off when welding, all though at a much safer level. I wonder if when it's ignited it smells like a heater that uses metal coils to operate... Maybe I'll find out during next break.

Almost ended up doing my first Ration Distribution though. Was under the escort of an 01, so I guess there's exceptions to the "Don't go outside unless you have SOP training and a patrol partner" rule. I don't think the other recruits like me though. 622 was giving me a strange look when the 01 stepped out of the room. All I was doing was testing my stunstick to make sure it worked for the next cycle. Not like I was going to 'hit' anything with it or anything...

Suppose that's all for this morning. Unit 999, signing off.||::>

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[?AG-CL? Sheo]

UNIT: 999
DIVISION: JURY
CLEARANCE: Recruit

Enter Password: ************

ACCESS GRANTED

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New Log Opened:

<::|| Today was a bad day. I don't feel like crying to my journal that's probably being read and monitored daily by people who are so much higher up on the foodchain that I don't even know they exist. The CCA isn't some happy-fairy tale land where you get better food than everyone else, where you learn new things and have the freedom to engineer and be creative. Whatever I thought I was going to be doing before I came into service was wrong. And now I'll have the scars for the rest of my life to remind me of that.

Was it 342, or 347? The digits in this place are so hard to remember. I think it was 342.||::>

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[?AG-CL? Sheo]

UNIT: 999
DIVISION: JURY
CLEARANCE: Recruit

Enter Password: ************

ACCESS GRANTED

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New Log Opened:

<::||I've had awhile to reflect on the past few days of my CCA career. I've had all my trainings, passed them with flying colors, aided in several situations, gotten some on-the-job experience... And then it happened. I might have made a mistake - sure... But what he did to me... He wasn't even ordered to. He took pleasure in it... It was beyond cruel. It was evil. I've taken the time to think to myself - Would I have done the same were I in his position? Could it have been necessary in his eyes? Have any other units suffered something like this at the hands of their own comrades for trying to help?

All the questions point to a single answer: No.

These scars won't be a mark of shame for me. I won't let them. I'll let them be reminders that I will NEVER be like that hideously evil creature that did this to me. I'm a thinking, feeling human being. Not some sort of sick, twisted thing that takes pleasure in making one of it's own suffer. Leadership is not attained through cruelty, fear, or coercion. It's attained by honorable bravery, intelligence, and charisma. With this smile of mine, I'm sure I have at least the latter.

I'm making this a promise to myself now: Whatever happens to me as I go up that rank ladder - I'll be the best unit I can be. In my eyes. Not whoever created the thing that created the new me.

At least no one will ever ask me to cheer up, or smile anymore. But I don't want their pity. I want their respect. And I will have it.||::>

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[?AG-CL? Sheo]

UNIT: 999
DIVISION: JURY
CLEARANCE: Recruit

Enter Password: ************

ACCESS GRANTED

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<::|| So... Early this morning I spoke with an 01 VICE Unit while he was off duty... He's a real nice guy, definantly different than those of his same rank... We talked about all sorts of stuff, like the thumpers in the plaza - They're actually called 'restrictors', and they're used to scare off exogen life forms called 'Antilions', who are basically big ass bugs that are mean, and can fly. Eventually... When we got around to a lunch break, I told him what happened the other day... And he actually seemed horrified. I didn't think that an 01 would really care that much, but he told me right then and there to see a member of High Command about it as soon as possible.. And, so I did... I spoke with an officer of VICE, and right when I showed her what that bastard did to me, she requested a meeting over the radio with another HC unit, said it was high priority emergency... I was wrong.

I have never been so... Thankful, about being wrong in my entire life. 345 IS a sadistic bastard who should be given OWR, but it's ONLY him. The rest of the CCA aren't cold, cruel people. The two recruits that helped him were just scared, they thought they were following orders.. And now, 345 hopefully won't be able to do this to anyone ever again.

...But I still have the scars as my lesson, don't I? God I wish I could have my old face back... But that's not possible. I'm still the same person. A better person, actually. I feel stronger because of this experience, I feel like I want to lead, to inspire people like the 01, 050 did for me.

After our talk, I helped him around the Nexus with a few chores that VICE Units do. We were replacing the doors in the breaching training room, but he had to go out on some urgent call. He said he wanted to me help him when he got back. VICE is a whole lot nicer than any of the other divisions, it seems. And, I'll actually be able to do what I want in life again.

050. How I will repay him, I'll never know.

Oh - Personal note: I need to ask a higher ranked unit if I can still buy foods from the CWU occasionally. I'm NOT living off of these supplements for the rest of my life. I'm thinking some chinese food for today's lunch break.||::>

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[?AG-CL? Sheo]

UNIT: 999
DIVISION: JURY
CLEARANCE: 05

Enter Password: ************

ACCESS GRANTED

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<::|| Couple things: First of all; What the hell, chinese food is contraband. My life is over, going to go kill myself now.

Kidding, although I AM pretty unhappy I'll never have Tsao's chicken with rice again or all the other delicious foods that come from oriental land. Today's a good day. I was promoted to 05. I have a standard issue USP Match chambered in 9mm - Which I'm actually a pretty decent shot with, I should say. I can patrol alone, and the other recruits are pretty jealous I got promoted before them.

Pretty good day.||::>

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[?AG-CL? Sheo]

UNIT: 999
DIVISION: JURY
CLEARANCE: 05

Enter Password: ************

ACCESS GRANTED

Connecting to Network
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<::|| Well... I've made a pretty big decision, but more about that later. I got training with the MP7A1 yesterday, and I kicked tons of ass, with it as well. If I'd been shooting at a rebel at least, he'd of been one dead bastard. Also, I guess I'm a bad student because when we moved to the longer range, I was supposed to miss the target more. I didn't, hahaha! He had to make a seperate target all the way at the back wall of the range just to try and convince me that the weapon's bullet spread at longer ranges would be a problem for me. First magazine: I hit the target three times, but that was because he made me use 4 round bursts and that range. Who does that? Afterwards before I deposited the weapon I flipped it on SEMI and bumped the trigger to get a decent fire rate but maintain accuracy and that target looked like swiss-fucking-cheese. I never felt better or more proud in my life!

Still, I think I'm better with my sidearm, considering I can put 5 rounds through a 2 inch hole in a target's forehead at that range. Practice has definantly made perfect for me... Which sort of leads to my big decision. I've decided not to join VICE when I reach 03, but to stay in JURY... It's a huge career change for me.. And it's sort of scary, but I'm beginning to realize that my talents lie elsewhere of where I've studied my entire life. Sure, I have a brilliant mind, but that mind might be even better put to use for strategy, and leadership in combat and unsociostable situations. Not to mention I'm getting better and better at my job with each day that passes, I mean, I haven't gotten anyone to spar with me yet but I've practiced hand to hand every morning before practicing marksman ship with my pistol, and I see better and better results every time I inspect my target.

JURY is the right choice for me. This I know now, and I've got to work extra hard on improving my skills to make everyone else knows it.||::>

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[?AG-CL? Sheo]

UNIT: 999
DIVISION: JURY
CLEARANCE: 05

Enter Password: ************

ACCESS GRANTED

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<::|| I shot man today, and sentenced another to death... Never before have I asked myself: How does it feel to kill a man? But now I know. I know the feeling when they're sobbing, helpless at your mercy. I was too weak to even let him finish his last words.. I couldn't listen to him cry anymore...

Maybe I could've gotten over shooting the 10-107 - he'd been assaulting a unit and almost broke his arm.. As soon as they broke away I put a round through his abdomen... I don't know what happened to him after they took him into detainment... I'm only guessing he bled to death.. Died at my hands, a slow and painful death...

The second one was supposedly a 10-103M... He didn't beg for his life when he was strapped into the chair He was scared, helpless even.. He begged us to tell his brother that he was a failure... I don't know what I'm going to do with myself. 124 says it's part of the job - and that I have to get used to it... But how does one get used to... That?||::>

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[?AG-CL? Sheo]

UNIT: 999
DIVISION: JURY
CLEARANCE: 05

Enter Password: ************

ACCESS GRANTED

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<::|| I got some good advice from 050, he's actually an officer of VICE now... He explained things to me that on both accounts, I did the right thing... It wasn't my fault, that I had to shoot that 647E, he'd almost broken another unit's arm, someone needed to nuetralize him and I did the right thing by pulling the trigger. But it WOULD have been my fault, should the 647E have seriously injured the unit, because I had the power to stop him. If I didn't use that power right then and there like I did, it would be my fault that my fellow unit was hurt... And he explained that it wasn't my fault that I had to execute that man.. Even if he did seem helpless, because he chose to go against the union, and he chose to affiliate himself with that group of anti-civil activists. That wasn't my fault. But what if I didn't amputate him? He could've gotten loose on the population, stabbed someone, hurt them, because I was too weak to remove him from society.

050's words have helped a lot... His logic makes sense to me, but I still don't think it's going to be easy for me... But at least now I know that it truly is my duty as a CCA Unit. No one else will deal with those kinds of people, so it's our job to do just that.

On to happier news, I seem to be making a lot of friends in High Command. Which is definantly cool. I mean, they don't yell at me, they help me out, and they seem to care about me. Life seems good right now. I mean, I know 050 at least is my friend. I get to hang out with him every morning and show him up at shooting targets, haha. He thought it was crazy that I practice marksmanship and hand to hand every morning when I told him about it. I guess other units don't take that much time to practice their combat arts? I dunno.. Anyways, I asked him yesterday if he could help me with a project I'd like to do, and he said he'd help me out. I got to go into the Mechanical Operations Center to work on my pistol, which, I have a feeling is going to stay my favorite weapon, even when I get my own MP7. I used a dremel rotary tool to make an engraving in my pistol slide: My digits, 999, except in a circle, kind of like a playoff of the number of the beast, 666. I know, corny, corny, haha 999's a goofball. Still, it looked pretty cool after I painted in the engraving with red paint. Looked pretty damn badass.

050 asked me if I was planning on joining VICE.. I told him that I was actually planning on staying in JURY, and he seemed genuinely disappointed. He talked things over with me, and told me that if I joined VICE I could receive all the same training that a JURY unit would if I find a friendly 01 or an OfC. I think that sounds really nice. I mean, I think I'm friends with 211, an officer of JURY. She laughs at some of my jokes at least, and she doesn't seem to care that I talk to her like a friend. Hell, I even asked her if she wanted to take her lunch break with me, haha. I was sure that'd get me at least a blackmark, but y'know, it didn't. I think I can call her my friend and she wouldn't mind. So that's two Officers I know now. I think I'll join VICE, so that I can do the mechanical side of things that I love to do, AND still protect the people of the City by getting the same training JURY teaches. It's the best of both worlds.

I also asked 887 to give me pistol marksmanship training, and he set up the targets, first at medium range. It didn't look hard at all to me, and it wasn't. I guess I'm a whole lot better than I thought. Practicing often seems to be really beneficial, because He set up the targets, in different staggered formations with the red ones being targets and the green ones being penalties. He said that I had 10 seconds to shoot all of the targets, and I had to get at least an 80%, and each penalty target I shot would bring my score down by 5%.

I actually brought down all of the targets in under 5 seconds and didn't hit a single penalty. He moved the targets farther down range and in a new formation: Same result. It was easy, actually. The pistol is probably the easiest weapon to control and fire quickly and accurately with in the CCA's arsenal. He just turned to me, stared at me for a few seconds, before saying "No training required." And just walking out of the firing range, like he was mad at me for being good at shooting things, haha. No compliments, just that stare he gave me like "What the hell are you doing wasting my time?"

It was a pretty good day, haha.||::>

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[Globey]

//You're an 05, with little to no marskmanship experience. Start acting like it... 2 weeks of even daily practice isn't anywhere near enough to consistently get results such as you're describing. Unless you're lying to your journal, this needs to stop. As an 05, you're authorized to a certain level of marksmanship; no more, no less. You're describing the proficiency of an 02 or 01.
Nothing personal - Just the system.

[?AG-CL? Sheo]

// A watermelon sized target at 20 yards (About the maximum range the firing range has to offer) is not hard at all to hit in real life, ESPECIALLY considering every morning my unit practices for just about half - a full hour of shooting targets in the range. This unit probably spends more time practicing than any other 05 does - and an admin can check the logs and verify that for you if you really doubt it. 20 yards is easily done - especially with a small caliber competition shooting handgun like the USP Match chambered in 9mm. Considering those two factors: The amount of time he spends training, and the distance of the targets (Again, child's play, daily practice for half an hour to an hour for two weeks is actually enough to get pretty damn decent with any firearm at that range), I would say it's not overkill at all. An 02 or an 01 should be able to do nearly double that distance with his sidearm if he practices as often as this unit does.

[Globey]

//As an 05, you're authed to certain levels of accuracy. No more, no less. Nothing personal, but that's the system. For greater degrees of accuracy, make an authorization application.

[kmp]

// If he trains properly, he could shoot better then your Officer, Globey. There is no restriction, it just depends on how much OOC and IC time you spend on improving.

[???Jesusfreak???]

// The days he asked to be refilled with ammo I saw a bunch of targets with different ranges at the firing range, he spends most of the time shooting stuff so I TRUST him the how to use a pistol.

[Globey]

//I recall a massive discussion about this while we were on C18. The ultimate verdict was that units have certain levels of accuracy dependent upon their rank. The thread seems to have disappeared, though... I'm going to keep looking for it.

Edit: Great logs. One of the few semi-regular publications in here that I actually enjoy reading. Keep it up