Tonight’s Verge Nightly News Special Report – Verge Blades
by VNN Correspondent Chris K’noot
Over the last 50 years these blades have shown up in ones and twos at Glassmaker dig sites, in the hands of collectors, and on occasion in the possession of criminals. By comparison, Verge law enforcement has seen a flood of appearances of these weapons that started six months ago. The Verge Alliance Admiralty spokesman, Ori Tactentoff, has repeatedly denied that recent military and covert missions to Mantebron are to blame. The numbers of these weapons here in the Verge are so great that they have become known as verge blades.
The verge blade comes in two forms. Both appear to be of ancient Glassmaker origin, seemingly made of glass but far, far stronger. The rarer and more eagerly sought form is that of an elegantly made dagger complete with blade, guard, and handle. It is seemingly free of ornamentation, but a lidless eye sigil is visible beneath energy spectrums lethal to carbon life forms. The second form is much more common and estimated to number in the thousands. At first glance it appears to be only a cruel shard of glass. Closer inspection reveals a crude blade and handle. The blade is often only a needle sharp tip. Many have a single or double sided blade. A few have more than two sharp edges.
The verge blade is a sturdy tool and for those with the necessary skill it is a good weapon. However, some users have unlocked capabilities beyond the obvious in both blade forms:
Tattooing
The t’sa and some other races who embrace body decoration value the blades for their utility in tattooing. The blade delivers precise cuts much smaller than the blade seems capable of delivering. It is also capable of “inking” the resulting wound in any color except for royal purple.
Medicine
The blades have proven popular with some members of the medical profession who prefer surgical work using their own hands over robotic devices. These individuals are eccentrics who cling to the belief that a surgeon can resolve any ailment. The most prominent example of this group would be Dr. Felicity Barnes, who was arrested on Blue Falls earlier this year for illegal experimental psychiatric surgery.
Crime
Vandalism has been linked to these blades, wherein the user was able to easily cut thru superior materials including dura-crete and even warship grade armor.
B&E criminals have used the blade to cut thru safes and even building walls. The renowned jewel theft, The Otter, recently turned a criminal dealer of verge blades over to police, declaring, “What will become of sportsmanship and skill when any amateur can steal the crown jewels? I suspect that common thief, Den Bevaring, owns dozens of these!”
Organized crime has also been found using the blades to “brand” victims as examples to others.
Unfortunately, ordinary citizens have also abused the verge blades to mark those suspected of or caught collaborating with the I’Krl. This sorry tradition originated with the Light House’s Pict Expeditionary Force. From there it spread to the rest of the Verge Alliance military and even law enforcement. The most common examples of the traitor’s brand are the letters “VC” and a barcode-like pattern used on citizens of the VoidCorp nation. Prosecution of these criminal acts has been weak, uneven, and largely unsuccessful for obvious reasons.
Lunacy
Serge Roskoloff, aka “Doctor Cannibal,” had a verge blade in his possession when he was arrested onboard the Lighthouse last week by Verge Alliance Adminstrator Haggernak and his officers. Serge’s victims had been dissected with great skill and precision; the sweet meats were missing and assumed consumed. Police had previously investigated and dismissed Serge as a suspect because he lacked the necessary tools and medical background to accomplish the dissection. Luckily Ghayth Ahrian, a fraal administrator with an archeology hobby, was re-interviewing suspects and spotted Serge’s verge blade amongst his mother’s glass figurine collection. Court ordered lab tests were forcibly administered revealing human, fraal, and t’sa remains in Serge’s digestive tract. Lawsuits against Serge’s family restaurant have just begun.
To date the ability to cut through superior substances has only manifested when a verge blade is wielded by individuals with psi abilities, though several instances have been found where the wielder was only a latent. In addition, these individuals uniformly suffer decreased vitality; their ailments include high blood pressure and intense migraines. Long term or extreme users also manifest advanced cancers, Dante’s Oblivion Type III, and varying yet intense forms of psychosis.
Serge Roskoloff is the only known individual that appears to have acquired skill or knowledge from a verge blade. He now posses, even absent his blade, an encyclopedic medical knowledge of human and alien life forms, including those of of the I’krl menace. He claims to have retained his surgical skills, but this remains unproven as suspicious law enforcement officials refuse to give Serge access to the necessary tools and materials. By comparison everyone else using these blades in a professional manner (e.g. medical professionals, tattoo artists, etc…) arrived at their skills thru the timed honored traditions of study and hard work.
When used for violence a verge blade inflicts wounds that result in extravagant scarring. The wounds themselves are no more life threatening than those dealt with similar, mundane weapons. But the scarring is permanent and beyond the treatment of even advanced plastic surgery techniques. Doctors using verge blades have also failed to reverse the scarring damage.
Law enforcement and the judiciary in the Verge have been unsuccessful in outlawing verge blades, mostly due to the more pressing demands of the war. However, Verge Alliance members have declared these blades a restricted item, requiring license to carry and use. Said licensing is retroactive and immediate for any individual already using a blade in a professional capacity, including armed forces. Sources within the Admiralty Council claim that a certain Asian admiral demanded the “retroactive and immediate” clause so that his favorite stylist could maintain his signature couture haircut.
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