in which Adam works to make up for lost time, praises team members, recommends stylistic influences, and calls out to interested parties

Welcome to the top of the food chain.

Hey everyone, it’s been an interesting road thus far for a somewhat ramshackle BT in Qel-Droma. Since we first sort of formed up back in March, we’ve had something of a rocky start that has left me installed as BTL, and I am grateful for the opportunity to guide the Apex Brigade in the right direction from here on out. To start us on that path, I took the liberty of writing a little bit of personal fiction (I fibbed, it’s on the lengthy side, but I tried really hard) to detail what the team is all about, from our base to our relationships with the seriously cool IG-100 Magnaguard droids our members partner with.

(linked here) https://docs.google.com/document/d/14LbwGQ5GgQ1PvIWvb4iKCZoK9xMxz0DzqSScjV-2bww/edit

Celebrations

It wouldn’t be a proper newsletter without acknowledging the efforts of our active members, and I certainly appreciate you guys.

First up is Lexiconus. He’s done a bit too much for me to write down in bullet points, but I’ll give you a sense of what being his BTL has been like.

“Congrats on the GRD promotion, Lex… What do you mean you just hit Jedi Hunter?... Good job on SA rank III… no, IV…”

Seriously, this guy is eating the lunch of the Journeymen ranks, and my email is riddled with notifications of his exploits. He fought in Fading Light, out among the scary Equites and Elders. If he fails an SA exam, he takes it again within a day and passes it, and he’s got the degrees to prove his persistence. He’s even given me quite the fight in ACC. You are a true example for rising Journeymen Lex, and I want you and everyone in Arcona to know it.

Next up is a big thank you to a constant companion of mine since I stumbled into the clan; Kanis. He’s been a regular source of support, conversation, and other types of help and friendship throughout Apex’s early days, and even though it’s a bit of a switch (he was once my BTL) he’s the perfect choice for a battleteam sergeant. Thanks for all you do, buddy.

To wrap this segment up, I wanted to address Graus and his own struggles. He’s spent months in physical therapy, and while I haven’t had the opportunity to get to know him, I am aware that he has been a very special member for others here. Here’s hoping his recovery is swift, and he can work with us soon. Vosh will be back with us sometime soon after his business takes off, which it inevitably will. Real life comes first, as we all know. It helps us look forward to the time our members gleefully return to us for activity.

Activity Recommendations

Time to kick the team into gear, and our always-helpful Summit has provided the means to do so once again. Not only is ACC live, Wally and company have also brought back a much missed service for our fiction fiends; the Antei Contract Bureau. Basically, members are presented with several mission types, from assassinations to undercover assignments with varying levels of difficulty. With Apex’s style as a general purpose task force, it’s perfect for our members to stretch their writing legs outside of ROs and ACC (though I hope we’ll all still play in both of those) and still get credit for it, and I hope this will be our bread and butter for activity. I’ll be taking on contracts myself regularly, so feel free to ask me for a hand. Use your Magnaguards in these fictions especially, and develop your relationships with them, as well as developing your own character while you’re at it. These things were Jedi hunters, that means they are the most dangerously intelligent and deadly droids in the galaxy. You are free to modify the droids and their personalities as you see fit, make them the most unique companion possible for your characters, just write them as soon as you can. If you need an example of what that’s like, try reading my fiction on the matter, as it touches on the developing partnership between Adam and Magnaguard AB-2, renamed “Echo”.

“But Adam, I need more examples of things to check out that would help me understand what inspired you to make the Apex Brigade as cool as humanly possible!” Fret not, I’ve got you there. The inspiration for the Apex Brigade’s position as a group of semi-autonomous elite agents who work closely with law enforcement to take on difficult and specific missions came from an unusual source; anime. Before you roll your eyes, this isn’t your run-of-the-mill spiky haired nonsense. I’m talking about “Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex”, which is more like watching a good crime drama (with major inspirations for future cyberpunk styles) than the goofiness you’d expect elsewhere. Section 9’s agents were all uniquely talented individuals with their own stories, who often embarked on missions both together and alone. Their work was very similar to what we’d do in the ACB, and if you look at it that way, we could benefit a lot from members watching even a little bit. Plus, the series touches often on synthetic intelligence, serving as a reminder that your Magnaguards aren’t just droid slaves, but smart enough to be people in their own right.

Closing Thoughts, A Call To Arms

To wrap this all up with a pretty bow, I’d like to again thank the House and Clan Summits for giving us the opportunity to exist and the shiny droids purchased with those precious Fleet points. Now, we have to make it count. Current members, look into the ACB, have this become a means of boosting our activity and make it our primary way of becoming more prominent in Arcona. Other active members of the Clan with an interest in joining us can email me or Kanis on the matter. To really help your case, do a good contract or two in the ACB, and we might be knocking on your door instead.

Apologies for making your eyes hurt with text, but I had to ensure I was thorough with my first report. I’ll get better as I go along. This report was meant for both the team and the whole of the Clan, and I hope everyone benefited from giving it their time. Anyway guys, it’s been real and it’s been fun, and I hope that it will continue to improve over the next few weeks. You can always find me through email, and I’m bound to stop into IRC at least once a day. I’ll try and bear the standard for the team with my writing, so please do read it and offer advice, for the sake of all of us.

See you around,

Adam Bolera