
Nova
Forca De Nacionales (The New National Force)
(a.k.a. biokinetics,
Norca or shifters - textfile conversion, Heironymous Dieda, Æon
Trinity, Proteus Division)
I apologize for not providing
the degree of detail you requested. However, the agreements I
made with Pai de Norca on becoming what I am prohibit
me from sharing any more than this.
The Nova Forca de Nacionales
was founded during Columbia's ascendancy, on national pride and
belief in rightful ownership. The "Norca" brought a
halt to the petty terrorism and crime in Medellin, overtaking
the drug lords and their influential infrastructure with sheer
presence and promise. Ending he asesinos de la motos and
other signature gang war violence almost overnight, we Norca
won the respect of both the rich and the poor of South America.
The former regard us as a dangerous but necessary asset to their
countries' newfound global influence. The latter have their homespun
'Heroes" at last.
We are the South American equivalent
of the Nihonjin Yakuza, the Italian Mafia and the Russian secret
service. This analogy isn't entirely accurate, but it should
give you an idea of our power and philosophy. We are the storybook
Zorros, Three Musketeers and Robin Hoods of our culture, where
talk among the masses turns man into myth and myth into legend.
Si, we're internationally notorious, and called "los
magicos" at home. Norca "magicians" reap the
rewards of Colombian success: power through obedience, respect
and fear.
The Norca are small in number
compared to the other orders. I do not know whether this is because
biokinesis is a rare aptitude, or because Pai de Norca
is very careful about who he gives this gift to. Perhaps both,
or neither, are correct. It matters not. We are Norca, and our
will is strong. We are as many as we need to be.
We can be anyone, nearly anything,
and can exist outside the human realm. Mu biokinetic cousins
and I are never squeamish abut merging completely with our surroundings.
We are experts in surveillance, infiltration, criminal psychology,
bio-technology and psi - adaptation.
The others rarely allow themselves
to be seen or recognized for what they are (I, myself, seldom
mind). We are racial chameleons who can become African or Ninonjin,
or even members of the opposite sex. We are self mutilators who
carve machetes out of our own limbs, and who develop gills to
breath underwater.
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We Norca are like any other extended
South American family: tighknit and infinitely complex, with
layer upon layer of secrets, sexual tensions, nepotism and unspoken
demands for respect.
We are born of a patriarchal
culture that espouses loyalty, panache, and "honor among
thieves." We treat each other - even those who come from
other cultures - like long lost family or childhood friends.
All Norca are cousins. No outsider can ever understand the intimacy
of controlling one's own body as we can. We can amuse friends,
entice lovers, stagger enemies and topple governments.
We are loyal to one another and
to Pai de Norca above all else. Never mistake the petty
bickering and grand standing of Norca underlings as discontent;
each has been hand picked by del Fuego to join his exclusive
ranks. We would forfeit out lives to protect his power. The bonds
among the Norca are stronger than any other ties, and even extend
to those who have left the family amicably.
Our power extends far beyond
its drug trade roots. Such enterprise, legal in much of South
America, but still outlawed through out most of settled space,
creates great revenue for the Norca. However, it is a very small
part of what we are. In fact, fewer and fewer of the Gifted take
part in the business, leaving it to our normal cousins.
Norca presence in various countries,
colonies and orbital stations is both anticipated and dreaded.
We go to such places mainly to investigate possible Aberrant
incursions, although we pursue other agendas when the need arises.
While the populace welcomes such intervention for the most part,
the governments find it next to impossible to monitor a Norca's
coming and goings without psion assistance.
A problem with psions in general,
this is magnified with us. keeping tabs on people who can literally
change their identities is next to impossible, requiring a skilled
psion or specialized bioware. The other orders aren't always
willing or able to help nervous officials in this regard, and
Pai de Norca certainly doesn't have the time to bother.
We have seen a rise in the number of freelance psions retained
by certain governments (in the UAN and FSA, most notably). Such
measures do not bother us overly much, although they do hinder
our capabilities.
Some governments are friendly
toward my cousins, or at least show deference to Pai de Norca.
We care not for such special treatment, as it comes with its
own restrictions. We prefer to do out work on our own terms.
We are the New Force of South
America, with control over indigenous terraforming and biotech
projects. We act behind the scenes in foreign and off world affairs,
and slip in and out of international strongholds without a trace.
We are far more effective than any of our competitors. Governments
and metacoprations pay high prices to procure even a single service
from a Norca. To have one on staff is the ultimate personal luxury,
but one which must be kept secret.
Norca independents like myself
are regarded with suspicion by our cousins, but are tolerated
as long as we remain within the proxy's strict guidelines on
nationalism and loyalty. The independent operator who line his
pockets with the wrong currency, or who steps outside the lines
of propriety id disowned, hunted down by his own kind, and killed
publicly... graphically. Bring shame upon the Norca, and there
is no mercy and no escape.
Perhaps now you understand why
I can tell you no more.
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