THE MYSTERY OF NIRVANA
Nirvana is a name I’m sure most NTC residents have at least SEEN if you take trips around the city-- there’s a lot of people who do graffiti art of her, actually. It’s so common that the Heartbeet account “Street Artists of NTC” has a dedicated Moments collection of the Nirvana tributes, and it’s not for no reason. For those who are somehow unaware: Nirvana is the name of the most infamous ronin (an independent city mercenary) in the entire city. Nobody really knows where she came from or what her deal is, but those who’ve encountered her all agree on one thing: her absolutely brutal efficiency on the battlefield.It’s not known if Nirvana is actually her name, how old she is, or whether she’s a human or a Gear. I personally lean Gear myself, but it could go either way-- we don’t know anything about her, much less what’s going on beneath her skin. What’s important to know, though, is how much of a damper she puts on citymaven work. You guys know citymavens, right? Half merc, half corpo, all crazy? Their “mercenary company” strategy works, sure, until Nirvana shows up-- she slices their jobs in half and takes another third for good measure. She is ruthlessly efficient. She’s a ghost hanging over every gang and citymaven group and crime family in NTC, and she is probably the COOLEST PERSON I HAVE EVER MET.
And now the reveal… buda buda buda buda… I MET HER!!!! Not only that, I managed to ask her a few questions before she left! I can’t pretend it was a normal situation haha, it was a little crazy what happened-- For context, I was trying to find a scoop on the SATAn Cables, they saw me, things were a LITTLE touch and go for a second and I kind of almost died (I’M FINE) but guess who came to my rescue!! THAT’S RIGHT!!
She is SO FAST when she fights. I’m not really that familiar with cyberware upgrades, so I can’t really theorize on what kind of chrome she has installed, but whatever she has in her made her so fast I could barely see the fight. It was over before it even begun, really-- those guys didn’t even stand a chance.
After sending those goons packing, she was nice enough to check up on me and make sure I was okay. Sure, I was a little bruised, but it honestly didn’t hurt at all since I was SO EXCITED to finally see her in person. I’d heard so many anecdotes about her stalking through the city like friggin’ Batman, I couldn’t believe I was actually talking to her PERSONALLY.
After explaining what I do, I asked her if I could ask her a couple of questions for my blog, and she said sure!!! I honestly couldn’t believe she said yes-- I guess there’s a reason why she’s in such high demand for mercenary work, right??? She’s not only really efficient at her job, but she’s pretty easy to talk to, as well! It was surprisingly simple. She said I couldn’t post the audio recording of the interview, which I’m going to respect and thus I’ll only be posting the transcript below.
THE INTERVIEW
Q: Thank you SO SO much for talking with me. Could you, um, repeat your name? For the interview?A: … Nirvana. It’s Nirvana, yeah. And it’s no problem.
Q: My first question is, what’s your life like outside of being a ronin?
A: … Starting a little personal, buddy. Skip it?
Q: OH-- Yeah, that-- sorry, sorry. Let me start over with another question, um… [papers shuffling] Do you like what you do?
A: … I’d say so. I don’t mind helping people. … I wanted to make a name for myself in the city.
Q: And why’s that?
A: [silence for several seconds] … … … Usually, when someone becomes a legend in NTC, it’s posthumous. I… never wanted to be like that. [drumming fingers on table] I don’t want to go out in a blaze of glory. I want to be known as I am, not remembered for who I was.
Q: [silence] … A-- And do you think you’re succeeding?
A: Not at all of it. Not at certain things. But in other areas, I’m doing well.
Q: That’s… yeah. I’d say people know you as you are.
(We then discussed a few more things about this topic, but I’ll expunge them for privacy reasons.)
Q: So! What do you think the hardest place to do your job in is?
A: Honestly? West Poplar. I get a lot more jobs there than you might think. That and in Rosemarica. Elysium and New Pyrrhic jobs are honestly the easiest.
Q: Why West Poplar?
A: Rich person neighbourhoods. Fuckin’ cops everywhere.
Q: What do you think the most dangerous parts of NTC are?
A: Hmm. New Pyrrhic, the December Zone, Southgarden, and Elysium. In that order. If I got more specific than that I’d be doxxing someone.
Q: [laugh] Like who?
A: You don’t need to know about those kinds of people, kiddo.
Q: Okay… Hmm… Have any citymaven groups tried to recruit you?
A: [derisive laugh] Constantly. Most of them, too. Kontrola, the Myrmidons, Angels of Repo, the Auxiliaries… even SALMONEUS and SISYPHUS for a while.
Q: That’s… crazy, wow. A lot of groups. And you’re, um, never interested?
A: It’s not me. I don’t want to listen to anyone. Much less a citymaven company boss. Most of them are snakes. They keep asking me, though, since a quote-unquote “freelancer” doing so well isn’t a good look for their more corporate work. Even groups like the Myrmidons and Kontrola aren’t exempt from that.
Q: Makes sense… hmm… [shuffling papers] What’s your favourite song?
A: Phantom Liberty. Dawid Podsiadło. L with a stroke at the end there. Polish name.
Q: Huh, okay… Umm, do you… have any other things you want to say before we finish?
A: … A lot of people want to know where I’m from, who I am, why I do the things I do. It doesn’t matter. I am who I am. I want you to know me for who I am in the moment, and by the things that I do now. Nothing else matters. Do you understand? Nothing else matters.
[end interview]
We ended the interview there, and Nirvana went on her way. I honestly wasn’t expecting her to get into a car. It was a really cool car, too, super sleek and stylish while still being pretty lowkey and stealthy. I don’t know; I kind of used to think she flew everywhere…
She seems like she has a lot going on, and that makes sense! She’s basically taking a bat to the kneecaps of the citymaven business SINGLEHANDEDLY, so there’s gonna be a lot of pressure on her to succeed. I’m a big supporter of her, and I want her to do well, so if you somehow see her… give her your support! Unless you’re fighting her. In which case, GOOD LUCK.