World Creation 13: Too Tired to Think Up a Clever Title

The World Creation series has nearly run its course. I’ve established most of what I’d need to tell a story or create a character in this setting.

This week, I’m going to present a few news stories from the Great Machine. This serves a few purposes: for one, it adds minor details, much as my snippets of fiction did. For another, it establishes the sweeping conflicts that currently trouble the Machine, giving a good idea of the world situation.

Without further ado, I present: The Sublime Mechanic, an independently run weekly newsletter (the publication and contents of which are heavily supervised).

Wages Riot Sweeps Gertenvold

Unrest has swept the streets of Gertenvold, a manufacturing city supplied by Caulplanck, as angry workers demand better wages and better lodging.

Gertenvold, known for its expanse of steel mills, has been the subject of multiple protests over the past 15 years. Before now, however, unrest had rarely boiled over into violence. Three days ago, at a protest march, two unidentified Outreach Agents and a worker who has now been identified as local foreman Tovard Craust began an exchange of blows that resulted in Tovard sustaining a concussion. An enraged crowd assaulted the Agents, and open violence broke out. Since then, five Outreach Agents and twelve civilians have been badly wounded, and two civilians sustained fatal injuries from a riot yesterday.

One of the workers, who wishes to remain anonymous, commented on the issue:

“Look, I have a family to feed, alright? I have to work for my living. I pour my sweat, and I pour (my) blood into my job, and I expect fair pay for that. I’m not going to see my daughters starve while I’m working my fingers to the bone.”

Outreach Director Valrue Hattenschaft had a different perspective on the issue.

“What we’re seeing here is not protest, it’s insanity,” he remarked, two days after the violence broke out. “There are some legitimate complaints, and wages could stand to go up, but their demands were absurd. When the factories started to negotiate, they (the workers) threw a fit, and the next thing we know there’s blood in the streets. Absolute insanity.”

He also remarked that hopefully, there would be a return to peace within the week.

“See, meanwhile, the factories aren’t turning out any products, because they don’t have enough labor to go around. So the steel shipments aren’t getting through to Caulplanck, and Caulplanck isn’t getting the steel through to the Great Machine. Gertenvold starts to flounder, and the Great Machine starts tapping its foot impatiently, and sooner or later, Gertenvold has a choice between giving the workers what they want and giving the Great Machine cause to declare martial law.”

Freakish Creature Discovered in Territory 52C

Yet another bizarre life form has been discovered in Territory 52C, the now-infamous wasteland stretch that has been the site of numerous fatalities among rangers.

The discovery took place six days ago, when several rangers came across the bloated carcass of an unidentified animal, similar to a rodent. The corpse was riddled with pock marks, open sores, and pustules, and was largely hairless, with a swollen body. Leading away from the carcass was a set of tracks, leading into a cave.

Rangers called for backup and investigated. A team of them entered the cave with a pair of lanterns, the rest armed with rifles. After a minute of searching, they came across a heretofore unseen animal.

The animal was described as being lean and skeletal. It was relatively small and low to the ground, with a wide mouth and a pair of grasping front claws. It was riddled with massive pores, and the lantern light illuminated a fine, hazy cloud surrounding it.

Rangers managed to shoot it down before it could move, and it was transported to a nearby research lab for analysis. It was concluded that the creature was a form of scavenger, feeding off the bodies of the dead. However, unlike conventional scavengers, it seemed to have mechanisms to ensure supply and discourage competition—a set of glands for producing spores. Carefully conducted tests revealed that said spores, upon infecting a host, caused them to develop harrowing plague-like symptoms before falling dead. It is surmised that anyone consuming plant or animal matter infected with these spores would quickly become infected, although simple exposure may not be enough. The creature itself, it must be surmised, is immune to the effects of the spores.

This is just one of a string of deadly and horrifying creatures discovered in areas 49A through 52C, although the latter area is the most infamous. Within the past ten cycles alone, fourteen new species have been discovered, five of which are hostile to humans (including the Fanged Mimic and Spiked Entangle).

None of the involved parties were available for comment.

Druhmont Develops New Rifle

Druhmont, the research group dedicated to advancing the weaponry of the Great Machine, has developed a new type of rifle which will replace the current standard issue.

Called the DR10, this new rifle promises improved accuracy, a larger clip, and a more efficient bolt mechanism. However, according to official releases, the most important aspect of the new firearm is its ability to accept more varieties of ammunition beyond the standard bullet.

In addition to ordinary rounds, the DR10 can be used to fire the incendiaries, explosive rounds, acidic compounds and flare rounds already developed by Druhmont for use in special arms.

The releases state that this will allow for greater flexibility in the field, allowing the average troop the same special capabilities as a tactical agent.

The DR10 will most likely go into production within the next three cycles, at undisclosed factories throughout the Great Machine.

(Note: This post should be longer, but technical difficulties decided it would be a fun diversion to swoop down and spoil everyone’s day. Perhaps later, I’ll revisit this post and add a couple more articles.)