Variable initiative how does it work?

[psam_rage]

I'm confused by how variable initiative works.

Example: I've ALWAYS avoided Cyber-Knights and the Mechano-Link power because their situational bonuses to initiative is the one bonus they give that causes my brain to want to implode.

They make no sense because (as far as I can tell) any time the ability triggers you either:
A) Do nothing because it doesn't raise init. enough.
B) Magically rewind time, explain to your group whats about to happen and why you need to act out of turn...

The worst bit is that other things give situation bonus like these and I tend to just ignore them as uselessly small buffs but in the case of CK/ML they are fairly major portions of the power block.

[eliakon]

The way I see it is working like a 'stack' in card games...
Everyone gets their initiative, and that is the starting stack. A,B,C,D,E,F,G.....
now as your going through the stack over and over during the turn, on the third 'pass' you get an interrupt going and now E moves up two places while B gets zapped with something that makes them move to the bottom. So for 'pass 4' you are now A, E, C, D, F, G, B.