What if the goal of the Buddha’s meditations was not to still the mind, select an emotion, or indulge any of our controlling tendencies? What if, instead, his meditations were always about surfing the tsunami of our mind in the most therapeutic of ways?
The utter dynamism of a raving mind reminds me of the adage, “You cannot steer a parked car.” And our autonomic nervous system is the engine that drives our healing. Consider if you will the mechanics of mindfulness.
Ask a neuroscientist, they’ll tell you, with every IN-breath we access our sympathetic nervous system, which is wired to notice: vulnerably, passively, viscerally, and spontaneously. That is why mentally reciting “Notice this…” during each inhalation could be a font of clarity in the gale force maelstrom that can be the preset moment. But what about meditation?
Each OUT-breath accesses our parasympathetic nervous system which natural selection has wired to support our physical relaxation and mental release. This is why mentally reciting “relaxing!” during each exhalation could liberate us NOT from the presence of our more primal drives, but most certainly from their tyranny. Practice at least five minutes every twelve hours, adding an additional five minutes every week, and by the thirteenth week you (like the band They Might be Giants) could square off with your neurotic impulses and declare, “You’re NOT the Boss of me now!” _/\_
Meditation and philosophy livestream (from a geeky perspective) every 12 hours – https://www.Youtube.com/@lamajigmeg – linktree in profile - #raving #peace #meditation
Latest contemplation guide and meditation text - https://f9c79b97-0c9c-4bb3-bddf-1a943f5a54d7.filesusr.com/ugd/c5e62c_4b62b296cf6f47a7959855fd08502e8c.pdf

Something's missing. People (and entities) are starting to notice.
First Previous
***
Far across the multiverse in a tavern that, depending on one’s point of view, may or may not have actually existed, Zeb, Petunia, Bethany, Bergamot, Cleve, and Zilandrial sat at a large wooden table.
“Thank you, Shauna,” Bergamot said as a buxom woman in a low-cut peasant dress filled their mugs with a “magic” pitcher of beer that never ran dry. “You don’t have to serve us, you know.”
“Oh, I know,” Shauna replied brightly, “but I am a barmaid. Besides, I am not giving up my magic pitcher!” she added with a laugh. “The next batch of stew should be out in a second.”
“If it is as good as this bread…” Cleve said, holding up a thick, floppy piece of flatbread.
“Better!” Shauna exclaimed. “The pantry keeps filling back up with the best stuff! It’s almost a shame to make stew out of it, but the “fancy” chef went to the “fancy” place. We just figured out the roaster thingy, so we’ll be serving roast fowl as soon as the first batch cooks!”
Shauna paused and took a big drink from her pitcher.
“It turns out that you just had to talk to it. Weird… But no weirder than anything else, I suppose. You guys want to wait for the roast fowl?”
“We shouldn’t tary,” Zeb replied, “We don’t know how long this blessed peace will last.”
“Maybe it’s over?” Bethany the Tinker, now reunited with her beloved hat, asked.
“One can hope,” Zeb shrugged as he drank deeply from his tankard, “but I’m not delaying my repast, and neither should you. When you have fiends like Pantsu and F10w3rchy1d in play, things can get much worse than they already are.”
“Worse?!?” Bergamot exclaimed in horror.
***
Melinda the Stalwart was starting to believe that she should have stayed in bed today.
It was supposed to be her day off! Yeah, things were starting to get “weird,” but with all of those high-rated champions running around up north, it was probably going to get handled pretty quickly… and she was tired of chasing around after their scraps.
Her copper-rated ass was sitting this one out. The fact that everyone had gone gank-crazy just further confirmed that she had the right idea.
So, she decided to head back to the royal city of Raven’s Peak to take advantage of the richer and more powerful adventurers running off to the north, leaving all the armorers, enchanters, alchemists, and publicans in town behind.
It was nice not constantly getting shoved out of the way by stronger champions and ignored by shopkeepers far more interested in their gold than her silver for once.
It started out as such a lovely day, too!
She awoke in a lovely bed at the Blade and Wand, her absolute favorite inn, and a place where it was nearly impossible to get a room without a reservation or a lot more status than she had. There, she enjoyed a wonderful breakfast, at a discounted rate no less, and then went out for a day of crowd-free shopping!
It. Was. Bliss! There were no lines, and all of the storekeepers and craftsmen were all too happy to not only serve her and her meager purse but actually take time to chat!
Then, for lunch, she decided to visit the main branch of the adventurer’s guild, where she had an honest-to-gosh hamburger and fries along with some cider. After that, the plan was to get some training or maybe buy a buff or two…
Well, that was the plan, anyway.
What actually happened was that her wonderful burger, which she could never get under normal circumstances (they were always sold out before a copper-rated nobody could get their coppers taken), was interrupted by the most unholy screams she had ever heard inside or outside a dungeon.
She barely had time to stand before the doors to the guild offices exploded outward, and a demon covered in spikes and flames charged into the main hall.
That looks just like the guildmaster, was about all she had time to think before the fiend was on her.
***
“What’s happening?!?” Melinda cried in terror as she hurtled through absolutely nothing.
(Shh bby is ok)
“H-hello?” she called.
(😊)
“W-who are you? What happened to me?”
(Shh bby is ok)
“Am I… Am I dead?!?”
(is ok)
“Oh, it is definitely NOT okay! Who are you, and what the hell happened?”
The bedbug sighed with exasperation as it bounced off an invisible barrier again.
It had taken too long. The soul was starting to wake up.
Before much longer, it would start to get wiggly. It hated it when they began to wiggle.
Not knowing exactly what else to do, it let out a little ping.
It was answered by thousands of its kind! They couldn’t get through either, so they were having a rave! Awesome!
With a happy little (woo!), it zipped off towards the largest concentration of pings dragging an increasingly indignant Melinda the Stalwart along whether she wanted to or not.
***
“Hahaha!” Tawdry laughed into a prepaid “burner phone” her parents didn’t know about. “I can’t be-lieve you got me fucking grounded, you skank!”
“You’re still grounded?” Claudia snickered, “You diminished that badly?”
“It’s my parents. I managed to talk them down to a week without brain fucking them too hard. Besides, this cell is a lot nicer than the holes you used to stick me in. I’ll just do my time and be done with it. Besides, it will give our friends time to leave town since someone can’t manage to find a freaking truck.”
“First of all, fuck you,” Claudia laughed, “Second of all, thanks for getting that bastard to show up in a park and chase you across all of that nice soft turf. We got a lot of data we didn’t have before.”
“Like what?”
“Like its estimated mass, tire treads, a few lovely material samples where it nailed a park bench while trying to kill you… oh, and confirmation that it actually materializes and dematerializes. We can only assume the little bitch does the same thing. Too bad you couldn’t actually lay hands on her.”
“She was slippery, okay?” Tawdry chuckled.
“Hey,” Claudia said, “before Evika and her party ganked you, did they say anything about whom they were working for, or did they mention a little blonde girl named Petunia… or Pantsu?”
“No, they just said hi and blew my head off. Oh! Stephen did say that David finally confessed to Evika!”
“Took him long enough,” Claudia laughed, “Think he has a chance?”
“I know he has one,” Tawdry replied, “Evika’s gonna drop those drawers any second.”
“Good for her.”
“You said that Robert the Golden Peckerhead got sent back?”
“Yeah, and he is not adjusting well,” Claudia replied, “We have him in a ‘special’ inpatient facility where we are keeping the people with ‘issues’.”
“You got a lot of ‘patients’?”
“Not as many as you would think,” Claudia said, “Not everyone is happy about things, but there is something to be said about not having to sleep with a dagger under your pillow.”
“True that,” Tawdry replied. “High school is a pain, but being able to go out for pizza without an enraged wife (or husband) trying to shank you is nice.”
“Careful,” Claudia laughed, “Enraged spouses here might have a gun. You might want to go easy on the adultery this time around. There is also no magic contraception, and cure disease potions aren’t for sale in every town.”
“Ugh, don’t remind me,” Tawdry groaned. “Doesn’t really matter, though. I might as well be a nun these days.”
“You can’t be diminished that much!”
“I am not into kids, and any man worth screwing isn’t into jailbait. I’m the exact opposite of screwed… Speaking of, you did mention a possible trip to Denmark?”
“Aren’t you grounded?”
“I won’t be next week!”
“And how will you explain your sex tourism to your folks?”
“Let me worry about my folks,” Tawdry replied, “You worry about that plane ticket!”
“I’ll see what I can do,” Claudia replied with a chuckle.
Natasha! Come down for dinner!
“I’ll be right there!” Tawdry yelled.
“I gotta go. It’s taco night…”
Tawdry grinned.
“Speaking of tacos, did you get that camel toe fixed yet?”
“And just when we were even, too!” Claudia laughed. “Your little suggestion has everyone looking at my snatch… including me, and I know it’s bullshit!”
“Ha! Is your new fuck toy looking?”
“I have no idea what you are talking about.”
“Detective Martin! I know you have a thing for that whole world-weary crusader vibe. And don’t think I didn’t see you checking out his ass, either.”
“I have the same problem you do,” Claudia sighed, “worse even. The sort of man I like certainly won’t be messing around with a ‘kid’, even if I am ‘legal’.”
“Yeah, you do like them a bit crusty, don’t you? How about finding some rich asshole who is having a mid-life crisis?”
“I will repeat myself. The sort of man I would like isn’t interested… and won’t be for years.”
“Meh. You’re not giving yourself enough credit… and giving them far too much of it.”
“Well, Slaker turned me down cold… goddamn chain of command…”
“No! You tried to give it up to Slaker?”
“Wouldn’t be the first time…”
“No way! I need details, all of them!”
“Well…”
Natasha! Dinner!
“I have to go,” Tawdry said, “but this is not over!”
***
Vroom? an old Peterbilt truck revved as it sat in a remote corner of a truck stop in the middle of nowhere.
“Still nothing,” the little girl huffed. “How can an entire universe disappear?”
Vroom… Vroom?
“Let’s hope not,” the girl replied, “Even so, he wouldn’t abandon us!”
“What?” the spirit asked with alarm.
“Oh, it’s nothing,” the little girl replied.
“Doesn’t sound like nothing.”
“Okay,” the little girl replied, “There is a remote chance that our boss has had to… um… cease operations and relocate. It hasn’t happened in a really long time, but it has happened.”
“Does that mean that I’m stuck?!?”
“No, of course not. It just means we might have to wait until we’re collected.”
Vroom.
“He won’t forget us!”
VroOoom…
“Hey! Don’t even start talking like that! We’ve done good work for the boss on several worlds. He won’t just discard us!”
“What do you mean, discard?”
“Just watch your anime, weeb,” the little girl snapped. “He hasn’t abandoned us, and he won’t forget us. He’s just… um…”
Vroom.
“I don’t know, alright!” the little girl replied angrily, “I have no idea where those others came from. All I know is that we didn’t squish them.”
VvvrOom.
“If he had another team, I would know about it!”
Vroom?
“I just would, okay! WE AREN’T GETTING REPLACED!... I’m… I’m going to get some air, maybe a Coke or something.”
The little girl threw open the door to the cab angrily and hopped out.
“Hey!” the spirit yelled, “See if they have any audiobooks!”
***
We’ve been abandoned… the little girl thought to herself as she prowled the truck stop trying not to panic.
She had to keep it together for Truck-Kun… and their new companion. If she fell apart, Truck-Kun would, too, and who knows what the spirit would do. He was two seconds from making another run for it as it was.
She paused by a rack of dusty old audiobooks on CD. Now that wasn’t something she had seen in a bit.
Thankful for the distraction, she started perusing the titles. Some of them were things she hadn’t already read (or listened to).
She grabbed a few for herself and then started looking for something appropriately nerdy for her new guest.
She might have murdered them in cold blood, but that was no reason not to be a good host.
She was so distracted by her own troubles and the audiobooks that she didn’t notice that she was being followed until the guy’s shadow fell around her.
She then became aware of his oily aura and smiled.
All work and no play…
“Hello, little girl…”
She looked up at him with an innocent expression and doe-like eyes.
“Hi.”
***
Truck-Kun quietly ground his gears as he watched a beat-up RV pull onto the highway.
Vroom, he grumbled as he put himself in gear and started to follow.
“What?” the spirit asked.
About half an hour later, Truck-Kun pulled over next to an RV that was parked on the side of the highway.
The door opened, and the little girl hopped out, holding a paper bag.
Vroom, the truck revved disapprovingly.
“Such a nice man,” the little girl said impishly as she plopped into the driver’s seat, and the truck drove away.
“Are those bloodstains?” the spirit asked as he pointed at the bag.
“What answer would you prefer?” the girl asked as she pulled out a half-filled fifth of vodka and most of a pack of smokes graciously donated by the nice man in the RV (it wasn’t like he was going to be needing them).
Vroom.
“I know I quit,” the girl replied as she put one in her mouth. “Give me a break. My nerves are shot.”
Vroom.
“Yes, shot enough to smoke menthols!”
The little girl lit up and drew heavily on the cigarette, exhaling a lovely smoke ring.
Vroom!
“So, crack a window!”
Vroom! Vroom! Vrooooom!
“You can’t smell, and you know it! So please, cut me some slack. I’ve had a bad day,” she said as she turned up the bottle of vodka like it was Juicy Juice.
Vroom!
“I know you’ve had a bad day, too,” the girl said as she wiped her mouth, “Want me to get you some fuel treatment at the next stop, maybe some starting fluid?”
Vroom.
“Okay, and a new air freshener, maybe some of those fuzzy dice you like? Deal?”
Vroom!… Vroom?
“As a matter of fact,” the little girl said as she pulled out a wad of bills. “the nice man did keep his cash on him.”
Vroom! the truck revved happily.
***
“Jesus!” Gary Martin, formerly Detective Martin, winced as he looked inside an abandoned old RV the following day.
“Say what you want about her,” Claudia Smythe said as she ate a corn dog. “but she is thorough.”
“We think the girl did this?”
“Matches her MO,” Claudia shrugged as she flicked the corn dog stick aside. “And we have surveillance footage at the truck stop. The asshole was talking to someone small, the cameras didn’t get a good shot of the kid, and eyewitnesses state that he was in the company of his ‘daughter’ when he left.”
“You said this was her MO. She’s done this before?” Gary asked.
“She rolls guys like this for their pocket change. We’re not sure if it’s how they finance their operations or if she just does it for fun, but this is the third one this year.”
A well-dressed and very young man in sunglasses approached the pair.
“Sir Lark,” Claudia said without turning around. “We have an ID on this guy yet?”
“Boris Veetch,” the young man said. “a registered sex offender with an active warrant for skipping out on his parole.”
“Yeah, she likes those,” Claudia shrugged. “Nobody will mourn his passing. He was easily ensnared, and he probably was carrying cash.”
“And she is professional bait,” Gary shrugged. “He was slime, but I’m not sure even he deserved what happened to him, though. What sort of monster would do something like this?”
“You just answered your own question,” Claudia replied, “a monster.”
“If you think this is bad," Lark said as he started photographing the scene, "You should see what a pack of goblins will do if they get the chance."
“Considering what we now know,” Claudia said with a shrug, “this trail is beyond cold. Even if they couldn’t do the whole disappearing act, they could be in any of several states by now. We’ve lost them… again.”
She looked over at Gary.
“Just as well,” she added, “We need to get you processed and briefed… agent.”
She smiled.
“Welcome to the Temporal Protection Agency.”
***
Deep within the deepest dungeon on Asteria Prime, a monstrous giant of a spider fidgeted uncomfortably.
“H-hello… boss,” it said nervously, “T-to w-what do we owe the honor of your visit?”
Frostie smiled an icy smile that filled the giant spider with horror.
“Oh, I was just in the area and thought I would give my friends here,” she said, indicating The Great Erectus, The Herald, and Cuddles, “a tour.”
“O-of c-course!” Log’Sharingoth LXXXIII stammered as their legs twitched miserably. “W-would you like a guide?”
“That would be lovely,” Frostie smiled. “Where’s Pantsu? I think she and The Big Guy over here would get along famously.”
“S-she isn’t available, boss.”
“Not even for me?”
“I-I apologize,” Log’Sharingoth said nervously, “but she isn’t here right now?”
“Well, where did she go?”
“I-I’m not sure, boss…”
“Okay, how about Nova?”
“S-she’s not here, either.”
“Shai-Vai-Loshara?”
“Um…”
“Steve?”
Log’Sharingoth made a whining bubbling noise as they shrank away.
“Why don’t you just tell me who is missing and exactly what the fuck is going on?” Frostie said with an angry gleam in her eye.
***
“…and I don’t know where anyone is!” Log’Sharingoth wailed miserably. “And everything is going wrong, the players almost rioted, and the physics engine threatened to quit! I didn’t know what to doooo!!!”
“And at no point did it occur to you to call me?” Frostie asked with a frightening edge to her voice.
“Pantsu told me not to!!!”
Frostie let out a long-suffering sigh. Of course, the current Log’Sharingoth wouldn’t go against Pantsu. It was horribly unfair to expect otherwise.
“I’m not going to come down on you because of what she did,” Frostie said a bit more gently. “However, since I now clearly know something is amiss, anything you can tell me will be of great value.”
“I-I’m not in trouble?”
“Not from me,” Frostie replied, “and Pantsu won’t be giving you any problems after I’m done with her.”
Frostie paused.
“So, this glitched Pantsu, where is it now?”
“Pantsu had me send it to Tartarus! I’m sorry! But she said to!”
“Sounds like the only sensible thing she’s done thus far,” Frostie replied.
“I didn’t want to, but she told me to do it!”
“Oh, don’t worry,” Frostie shrugged, “sounds like the perfect place for it. Wait. She told you?”
“Yes, Boss!”
“That means you have a line of communications?”
Log’Sharingoth’s multiple eyes all widened with fear.
“Y-yes?”
“Call her and tell her to give me her location… now.”
“Y-yes boss…”
Log’Sharingoth fell silent for a few moments.
“Um… Boss?”
“Let me guess,” Frostie said, “You can’t reach her, can you?”
“No, Boss.”
“Fine,” Frostie grumbled. “We do this the hard way. You’ve done a great job, considering everything.”
“I have?” Log’Sharingoth asked hopefully.
“You have,” Frostie said reassuringly. “Keep doing what you’re doing, and I’ll send a crisis response team to help out in the meantime.”
“A… A crisis response team?” Log’Sharingoth asked fearfully.
“You didn’t think you were getting off Scot free, did you?” Frostie laughed as she and her companions disappeared.
“…Ssssshit,” Log’Sharingoth hissed as she stalked off into the shadows.
***
The hominid looked around at their new surroundings.
Everything was white. The floor was white. The walls were white. The furniture was white…
Even the plants were white…
And everything was spotless.
“Interesting décor,” he said after a few seconds.
“They like to keep things tidy,” Frostie replied as she took a seat on one of the white couches.
“They?” the ape-man asked dubiously as Cuddles slipped one of her tentacles into The Herald’s hand.
He gently gripped it, causing Cuddles to suppress a delighted squeal.
“Playtime is over,” Frostie said in a matter-of-fact tone. “I’m calling in my real operatives.”
“Jesus!” The Great Erectus exclaimed as a spotless white door opened, and a short, slender blue male amphibian-like biped in a white tunic bearing a three-headed dog embroidered with platinum thread walked in.
“You never told me you had… them!”
“Oh, you are familiar with their kind?”
“Those little monsters are responsible for the death of entire universes! Every time there is a parallel manifestation of those… monsters… entire galaxies die.”
“They can be a handful,” Frostie said pleasantly, “But I’ve found them incredibly valuable over the years… for that very same reason. These do come from much more reasonable stock from a much more reasonable ancestor... Maybe 'reasonable' is pushing it a little,” Frostie added with a laugh. "Reasonable for one of them, at least."
The blue amphibian smiled pleasantly and blinked his huge amber eyes, their pleasant hue replaced with a whirling madness of color.
“Hello, Hades,” Frostie said with a smile. “It has been quite a while. How have you been?”
“Bored,” Hades replied. “I trust you have come to alleviate that?”
“Most definitely,” Frostie replied. “Awaken the others…”
“…It’s time to hunt.”

We had been checking weather reports tirelessly for two weeks, until we finally found our spot. The following week should be nothing but sun and smooth winds, so we tentatively decided that to be our slot. Our small crew consisted of me and my friends Josie and Frank. Josie’s dad owned the boat (and he still needed to sign off on our plan), so we had to reserve it ahead of time, and make sure that we got it back in pristine condition, on the dot, and preferably with a nice coating of wax or whatever they use to make boats shine like candied apples.
Monday arrived and the weather was still solid, and Josie’s dad had reluctantly signed off on our plan, so we decided not to wait any longer and take it out the next day. The idea was to have a two day mini-cruise; just us hanging out on the boat and maybe docking it for the night at a nearby town. Although Josie’s dad was a hardass, he had taught her how to drive and maintain the boat since she was a kid, so really, the worst thing that could happen is that we wouldn’t have enough snacks.
Me and Frank met at the parking lot, and saw Josie standing on the boat at the end of the dock. Her dad was with her, lecturing her about some winch or other, Josie rolling her eyes next to him, barely maintaining her attention.
“He really can’t leave her alone even for a couple days, can he?” Frank asked, keeping his voice low as we stepped on the long dock.
“Josie or the boat?”
Frank chuckled, then quickly returned his resting poker face as we reached the boat, Josie’s dad turning around as he heard the planks creaking under our feet.
Before he could say anything, Josie ran up from behind him and said “Hi boys! You brought the food and snacks and the five gallons of vodka, I assume?”
“Aye aye, Captain!” we replied in unison. It was Josie’s dad’s turn to roll his eyes.
“Well, I’ll leave you to it,” he said to Josie, starting to walk down the small ramp down to the dock. “And remember, two days, no more. I expect you to bring her back in one piece.”
“Sure thing, dad!” That was Josie’s way of saying yes, yes, yes, I get it already.
Josie’s dad gave us a stern look followed by a slight nod as he walked past us. He never really liked me or Frankie, a bunch of hooligans, as he’d once called us when we were kids. For the record, me and Frankie didn’t like the guy either, so at least the feeling was mutual.
After her dad was out of earshot, Josie yelled “Are you ready kids?!” putting on her damndest pirate voice.
“Aye Aye Cap-TAIN!” we screamed and sprinted up the ramp and into the boat.
After an exchange of hugs we unloaded our groceries into the mini-fridge below deck, then met up with Josie, who was already sitting inside the helm. “Ready to leave, crew?” she asked. “Let’s rock this boat,” Frank replied. The amount of bad jokes this early in the morning was surely a great indication for what the rest of the day held.
It wasn’t long until the shore behind us was gone, the tranquil open sea spreading out in all directions. Josie seemed to know where we were going, but at that point I could no longer discern what direction we had even come from.
Me and Frank sunbathed and joked around on the deck until Josie emerged from her cocoon-like cockpit. “Sorry to interrupt your hi-LARIOUS hijinks, but I’d propose we have some lunch soon.”
Like destiny, the word lunch produced a unified grumble from both me and Frank’s stomachs - the universal horn of yes please, food please, now please.
“We can stay here for a while, then we could start heading towards the town,” Josie said.
Feeling bad that she was doing all the heavy lifting, I asked her “You need any help? It’s your boat, and us your honored guests, so don’t be afraid to command us, cap’n!”
“Please,” Josie replied, “when I get a chance to drive this boat, I take it. Dad’s been hogging it like crazy all summer. Besides, it’s not like you guys even know what half of the things on this boat are called, let alone what they’re used for.”
“Well, that’s the driver’s seat,” Frank said, pointing at the helm.
“That’s called a helm, my dear. Frank - you just earned yourself the honorary job of heating up our lunch.”
“This ain’t no Ford Prius, I see,” he replied as he got up and started to take lazy strides towards below deck.
“Toyota,” I said.
“What?”
“Prius is Toyota. Not Ford. Come one, let’s go make lunch for the captain.” I got up to follow Frank, nodding approvingly to Josie.
We had cheap microwave meals for lunch, seeing as the boat didn’t have a stovetop or an oven. For some reason - maybe it was the soothing sounds of the ocean lazily slapping the boat, or the warm afternoon sun - the food defied its low expectations and tasted great.
Afterwards we had a little siesta where I almost fell asleep until Josie said “Shall I take course towards the town, then?”
Through a straw hat laid across his face, Frank mumbled “Aye aye.”
“You sure you don’t need any help?” I asked Josie one again, but she was already jumping into the helm, excited to get back at it. “You guys just take a chill, I’ll get us where we need to.”
As the motor’s soothing hum returned, I got myself a bag of chips and sat on the deck, watching the horizon. Frank still had the hat on his face, which either meant that he didn’t want to be bothered, or that he’d fallen asleep. Either way, I was happy to just sit under the sun as the boat slowly rolled towards our destination, cutting a line into the flaccid water behind us.
“Shit, Shit SHIT!” Josie screamed. I must’ve fallen asleep, and as I got up the half eaten bag of chips crushed under my foot.
“What, Josie? What’s wrong?”
“What’s going on?” Frank parroted as he stood up, the hat falling beside him.
“There’s a fucking storm coming,” Josie said as she frantically pressed buttons, her eyes darting across the dashboard of the helm.
I turned around and looked at the horizon. Dread filled me as I saw an infinitely wide wall of dark clouds spread across the sky, making contact with the water in a misty gray curtain. I noticed that the ocean was no longer level, for it was rippled with small waves that thumped the sides of the boat in eager anticipation.
“I thought it was supposed to be nothing but clear skies,” Frank said. He’d walked beside me, taking in the horror beyond the horizon.
“Ex-fucking-actly, Sherlock. It came out of fucking nowhere,” Josie snapped, holding the wheel tightly in her right hand as she fiddled something with her left.
“Okay, Josie, I know this might sound stupid, but bear with. Why are we going towards the storm?” I asked, trying to not seem disingenuous as I turned around to face her.
She gave a sigh, stopping what she was doing and looked me in the eyes. “That’s where the town is. It’s the closest place to dock right now, and the storm’s moving faster than any I’ve ever seen. If we go back it’ll catch up to us and we’re fucked. If we go through it, we’ll spend the least amount of time inside it, giving us at least a chance.”
“A chance at what?” Frankie asked.
“A chance at getting out of here.”
“Any port in a storm, I guess,” I said, trying to lighten the mood, to which Frank gave me a concerned look.
The air had turned cool, so I went and changed to warmer clothing, Frank doing the same. Coming back up to the deck, I saw that the storm had moved closer. A lot closer. Josie instructed us to put on life jackets and to stay below deck, not to come out unless she asked us to. We put on the puffy orange jackets and promptly hunkered down below deck. The increasing waves were already rocking the boat uneasily.
“Are we gonna die?” Frank asked, his voice whimpering as he looked up at me from the opposite bench.
Although the question had already burrowed itself into my mind as well, I replied “No, NO, man, we’re not gonna die. Like Josie said, it’s just a quick ride through and then we’re back on dry land,” hoping that my words held even a sliver of truth.
In a matter of minutes, the sky turned dark and the boat started jumping on waves, like a rollercoaster rapidly going up and down and up and down. The rain tore into the boat like a machine gun as thunder sounded from across the way, lightning flashing the sky white erratically. Frank’s lunch quickly escaped his stomach, coming out in an arc of brownish green vomit that splattered across my legs and the floor. I was too scared to care, and he was too frightened to apologize.
The storm kept getting worse, the waves becoming larger as evidenced by the deeper dives and longer ascensions. Water was constantly slamming the deck, some of it trickling down to our feet. Through the two small windows the cabin had, it was near impossible to know whether we were on top of the water or under it, or which way was up or down. Although the storm was loud, I could still hear Josie cursing and screaming as she battled the waves and tried to keep us afloat, which was the only indication that she hadn’t been swallowed into the depths below. Frank was sweating bullets, his face a pale white. I wasn’t doing much better either, the words it’s gonna be ok it’s gonna be ok repeating in my mind.
Slowly the storm started to ease up, the waves thinning out and the rain becoming only a slight patter. Neither Frank or me said anything, though, not wanting to jinx it before we were safely back on land. Soon, the boat’s rocking lessened severely, and I could see sunshine coming through the windows.
“Hey guys, you okay? You can come up now,” Josie yelled, her inflection hesitant but calm.
Frankie apologized for the vomit as we got up and made our way up the steps. Josie was standing at the front of the deck, tumbling through her soaking wet hair with her fingers.
“Ho-lee shit, did we just survive the fucking apocalypse?” Frank asked rhetorically, his eyes darting between me and Josie.
“Josie! You okay?” I asked.
“Yeah, yeah… I’m fine,” she replied, waving her hand like nothing abnormal had happened at all.
I walked up next to her and said “We got through it, didn’t we? Now just let’s get ourselves back on land, eh?”
“Yeah, well, that’s the problem.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, look,” she said, holding her hand out at the pale horizon, like she was presenting it on an invisible platter. “Where’s the town?”
“What do you mean where’s the town? We got through the storm, so shouldn’t we be able to get through to it now?”
“That’s the thing. It should be right in front of us.”
“Where’s the storm?” Frankie yelled from the back of the boat.
“What do you mean ‘where’s the storm?’ We just went through it” Josie yelled in annoyance, still peering at the horizon.
“For fuck’s sake, come here,” Frank replied.
Josie looked at me and rolled her eyes, then started walking towards Frank as she gave a long sigh. I followed tepidly behind her.
As we reached the back of the boat, I realized what Frank had meant. There was no storm, nor clouds, or even residual waves. “What the fuck,” I exclaimed under my breath, right as Josie started sprinting around the boat, looking in all directions, her head swiveling in frantic motions, her hair throwing beads of water around like a dog drying up after a swim. A minute later she joined us, panting, and said “It’s all just water. There’s nothing on any side. We’re in the middle of the fucking ocean, the storm’s gone, there’s nothing.”
“Shit, shit, shit…” Frank muttered as he started to tap his foot on the deck, holding himself in a tight hug as he shivered in his wet clothes.
I turned to Josie. “Well we shouldn’t be far off from something, right? It’s still day, and even with the storm we couldn’t have gone too far.”
I could see that Josie was tired. She looked like she had aged about ten years in the last twenty minutes. “Okay, okay, you’re right. Let me just check some things and figure out where to go.”
Josie left for the helm, leaving me and Frank to stare in silent horror at the lazy, blue ocean that seemed to stretch infinitely in all directions.
After a long minute Josie called to us “Guys… you better come check this out.”
She was staring intensely at the dashboard of the helm as we arrived.
“Okay, so good and bad news. Which first?”
“Good, please.” Frank replied, recovered from the worst of the shivers.
“Okay, so the good news is, uhh,” she began, still fiddling with controls as if to double check her suspicions “the boat seems to be in running condition. There’s no damage to anything that would prevent us from going forward.”
“So what’s the problem then?” I asked.
“Check your phones.”
“What?” me and Frank said in unison.
“Check if you have a signal, internet, anything.”
“Shit,” Frank said. “Yeah, mine too,” I replied as I looked at my phone and saw that there was absolutely no signal or internet.
“Yeah, I don’t have a signal either - just had to check. And it doesn’t stop there,” Josie said, “compasses, readings, all of that - it’s shot. I can’t navigate us anywhere, and I have no idea where we are.”
Frank started to freak out and walked towards the front of the boat, his wet shoes squishing as he stomped angrily. “Fuck, fuck, FUCK. What the fuck do we do?”
“Well, as I said, we can still move. The only question is where. I have a faint idea of where the sun was when we first headed out, and I suggest we try to mimic its movement back to the dock,” Josie said to me while keeping her eye on Frank.
Frank was now squatting on the deck, his hands gripping his neck as he stared down at his feet.
“That sounds smart. Then if we see the storm again, we can recalibrate. We should probably be hitting land at some point, right?” I said to Josie.
“That’s my logic, at least.”
“You with us Frank?” I asked, turning to him.
“Yeah, yeah. I guess that sounds smart,” he replied in a solemn voice under his breath.
“Need any help?” I asked Josie.
“Take care of Frank,” she said quietly. “The best thing we can do is stay calm.”
Josie revved up the engine and turned the boat around carefully as she mapped out our approximate direction, and then we left towards a horizon that was no different from the others, guided only by the sun’s approximate movements.
As Josie manned the wheel, me and Frank cleaned up below deck and dried our clothes. As we were finishing up, he said he’d stay below deck, as he needed some time to think.
Looking at the sun, the day was slowly turning to evening. It was summer, so we still had daylight for a few more hours. I went up to Josie to see how she was doing.
“Frank’s below. Said he needed some time to think. I don’t blame him - this is indeed a bit fucked up, isn’t it?”
“Logically, we should hit land at some point,” she replied, her eyes fixed on the horizon, her presence distant.
“How are you doing, Josie? You just pulled us through hell. I know you don’t need help with the boat, but I’m just saying -- I’m here if you wanna talk.”
Josie sighed and turned to me. “Thanks. I think right now what I need is to get us safely back home. Once we’re back you can buy me a beer and then we can talk.”
I nodded, and then turned my head to look at the horizon. Noticing something in the distance, I said “Josie, uhh, what’s that?”
She turned her head back to survey the ocean.
In the distance there were small, dark peaks rising from the ocean, like the tips of underwater mountains rising above the water. They’d appeared seemingly out of nowhere.
“I -- I don’t know. But I think we’re gonna see soon enough.”
I stayed with Josie as we approached the peaks. As we got closer, it was obvious that there was no land between them. Instead, they shot up from the water in thick spirals that tapered off the higher they reached. As we got closer we could finally realize their true size. Although some were smaller than others, most were the equivalent of tall office buildings, some reaching even higher. They spiraled and twisted in the air, arcing like blades of grass in the wind, and it seemed like they could fall down at any moment, but they did not move or shake in the slightest. There must have been twenty or so, and they all looked similar despite their differences in size; dark, mostly smooth yet also scratched, like charred meat on a grill.
“You have any idea what these are? They look like… trees or something, except they don’t have leaves or branches,” I said to Josie.
“Never seen anything like it. Must be some rock formations or something. Maybe there’s an underwater volcano that bursted lava out and it solidified -- I really don’t know. But those should only happen deeper in the ocean, far away from land.”
I heard Frank coming up the stairs. He looked better than he had before, his step lighter. Although I’d been afraid he’d been brooding, I guess having some time to think really did help.
As he saw the spiraling towers, his face turned into a twisted and confused half-frown as he said “What the fuck are those?”
“We don’t know,” I replied, “but it’s the only thing we’ve seen so far.”
Soon the closest spiral towered just a mere two hundred yards away, its wide shade casting upon the boat. From a distance it had been hard to decipher the dark structures, but upon closer inspection, it was clear that their anatomy was… abnormal. Stretches of surface material were mostly smooth, but all of the spirals seemed to have slight craters that were formed above the rest of the exterior. It looked like they had been bombarded by meteors of differing sizes, although even if this had been the case, how had they not been immediately broken, I do not know. They were beyond any logic I could muster.
“So, anyone know what we’re looking at?” Josie askied, surprising both me and Frank - she was usually the one to know things, us just tagging along for the ride.
“No clue, captain,” replied Frank as he stared upwards in dismay at the towering spiral.
“Still no,” I said.
Suddenly the boat’s end shot up, followed by the front, ascending us a good ten yards in mere seconds. Frank and I were knocked down on the deck, but Josie managed to hold onto the walls surrounding the helm. The boat kept rocking as waves hit us from behind. I slowly stood up with my knees bent for support, and went to help out Frank who was still laying on the deck, his eyes wide in panic.
Once I’d gotten Frank up, Josie had already managed to make her way to the back of the boat. We held onto the railings along the boat’s edge and walked as fast as we could through the oceanic turbulence to catch up with her. Once I saw what had produced those waves, I wanted to get back to land more than I ever had before.
In the distance tens more of the spirals had emerged from the ocean, some even larger than the ones we’d seen. They dripped with water, and some were covered in green algae. Somehow they’d been quiet, merely disturbing the water as they’d shot up.
“We need to move! One of those things could shoot up under the boat and sink the whole fucking thing!” Josie screamed, running back inside the helm as the waves slowly calmed down and became smaller. I leaned on the railing to see if there was something underneath us - not that there was much I could do, even if I saw a gigantic spiral shooting up from the depths.
The water beneath the surface was unmoving, holding an abyssal darkness. It seemed as if the light penetrated less than it had before, and what was deep below was nothing but pitch black shadowlands.
Just as I was about to disembark and head towards Josie, something moved in the water. I craned my neck farther over the railing to get a better look. It looked like two large masses were separating from each other, unearthing a ravine.
Josie had gotten the boat moving, and we were starting to turn towards an opening between two of the spirals. As the boat circled, I got a better view of what lay below. The ravine widened, and inside it I could see a dark, whitish yellow mass peeking through. As Josie cranked us up to speed the yellow mass had opened up into a large, oval shape that seemed to span across the ocean floor. Its center held a deep, dark circle that sucked in light as if it were a black hole, twisting all things inside of it.
Then it closed up again. I sighed in relief, hoping that no more spirals would emerge.
Suddenly it opened up again in a furious motion, wider than before, into a perfect circle. Then it hit me - it was an eye, larger than anything I could think of. Although we were moving at full speed, it was so gargantuan that we weren’t making any headway.
It had blinked.
“Josie? Frank?” I screamed as I turned around and saw Frank on the opposite railing looking down at the water, witnessing the same thing I was seeing.
Frank turned to me, his face a washed white, and his mouth slightly agape. “They’re tentacles. They’re fucking tentacles, look!” he pointed at one of the bigger spirals. “They have fucking suction cups and all! Shit, SHIT!”
As if on cue, the tentacles started to return to the water, splashing as they did so, producing strong currents in the water. The boat was immediately caught up in the chaos, going up and around huge waves and being dragged by the water’s shifting volume. Frank sprang below deck, and I followed him. From the small round windows I could see one of the gargantuan tentacles dropping back into the water, the boat just barely missing its tip and almost sunk by the shifting ocean.
Josie ran inside with us and exclaimed “The storm is back! It’s fucking back! I can’t maneuver the boat worth shit!”
As she closed the door behind her, we were flung to the side, my ribs hitting one of the cabinets, producing a painful crack. I could hear the rain start to scratch at the boat, and soon we were engulfed in darkness, the rain gunning down on us through the waves. The boat rocked and swayed worse than it had before, and at some points I was sure we’d gone under, buried into the deep sea, never to see the sun again. We held on to whatever we could as water trickled through the sealed door and started pooling up on the floor.
Slowly, but steadily, the storm started to pass, the boat regaining its level status along the water. The darkness outside faded into a dark red. Once it was possible to stand with relative ease, we emerged from the cabin and walked up to the deck.
“Everyone okay?” Josie asked.
“I think I’m gonna --,” Frank replied, and promptly ran to grab the edge of the railing and vomited yellow bile into the water, his stomach empty of food from before.
“My ribs got a beating, but I don’t think anything’s broken, “ I said. “What about you?”
“I’m fine. Just some bruises. Look,” Josie said, walking to the other side of the boat.
On the horizon, we saw the evening sun illuminating a crimson glow behind a small town some 500 yards away.
“Frank?” Josie called out.
“Yeah?” he replied through thick phlegm that sounded like it was stuck to his throat and running down his nostrils.
“We made it.”
We docked at the unfamiliar town and found a small hotel - probably the only one there - just a quick walking distance away. Once we got our phones dried off, Josie’s seemed to be the only one that still worked. As she looked up our location she nearly dropped the phone on the ground.
“I -- I don’t know how, but we’re quite far from home,” she said, her voice produced in quick breaths.
“How far?” Frank asked.
“Some 480 miles away.”
We checked and double checked her phone, but she was right: somehow we’d ended up nearly 500 miles down the coast into a small fishing town.
We were so tired that we decided to get some sleep before giving the bad news to Josie’s dad. The next morning Josie called him up and explained the situation, giving him the simple version: a storm had hit us, and after we got out we’d arrived here. I could hear the screams he gave her through the phone - apparently he was sure we’d driven the boat all the way to this ghost town in the middle of nowhere and docked it here, just to spite him. Josie didn’t respond to him much, only apologizing and telling him to come pick us up.
A day later he arrived, furious with us - and especially Josie. Once we showed him the boat I thought he was going to burst into a thousand tiny pieces, for I’d never seen a man so angry before. Although I think he overreacted, it was true that the boat was in shambles. There was water damage throughout the interiors, most of the equipment was shot, and large scratches were present along the exterior’s white paint.
Josie begged him not to drive the boat back home, but he insisted, not hearing a word her daughter was saying. We drove his car and arrived home that night.
As promised, me and Josie went out for a beer a few weeks later after her dad had settled down enough to let her out of the house. We went through the events of the trip in great detail, confirming to each other that it really did happen - although we disagreed on one thing.
Josie still thought that the spirals were just magma turned rock, and the whole thing was just extremely bad luck. According to her, we got held up by a superstorm or hurricane that moved our boat on top of an active underwater volcano, and then got hit by that same storm later as it moved across the ocean at miraculous speeds. Her theory was that the storm moved us along with it, making it possible to traverse such tremendous lengths with ease.
But Josie didn’t see what had been underneath us. Her theory was that the ‘eye’ I saw was simply lava cooling down as it emerged from the ocean bed. But she hadn’t seen it blink.
Frank of course seen it as well, but I haven’t heard from him much after the incident. According to his mom, he’s been cooped up in his room, drawing yellow circles on black pages. He’d told her that he needed some time to think.

We lay together that night. It seemed that this act was the ultimate stress reliever and comfort between bonded pairs, we’d done the same in our time together in Chi’cagoa Rea. Though we had little enough time together thanks to her ship obligations in the immediate time after that, as she’d engaged in a few extremely profitable trade runs from Earth to a Dlamias outlying colony that conveniently enough had no patrol ships around to ask any nosy questions about arrests or charges…
We made up for the lost time when we could.
Lisa always took full advantage of that absence, though as for what she thought of the Captain’s absences, [Redacted]. The homeworld did not get around to properly securing the colony where the liquor flowed from, until after the Earth government asked that she be pardoned as a show of good faith given her ‘exemplary services rendered in the pursuit of harmony between worlds’.
Which was a fancy way of saying she had a fanbase and it would look good if she were in favor again. I wag my tail sometimes, thinking of the apocalyptic fury that must have run through some bureaucrat’s veins when they had to process that request for an outlier turned infamous pirate. Even if she didn’t target the Dlamias fleet, her ability to wreak merry havoc must have presented all kinds of headaches back home. Not to mention stealing the ‘official envoy’s’ place.
That one did eventually arrive and now made occasional trade runs in a triangle shape between Earth, Dlamias, and the Maxiki home moon.
But I digress.
Our laying together proved relaxing to us both, and when she was nestled against me in the bed we shared, I would be lying if I said I could easily return to my former existence in general isolation.
The more I thought about it, the more the concept of human ‘pack like’ families appealed to me.
And I had a lot of time to think about it.
Unsurprisingly, a few days later a small team of six grief therapists arrived, three of them with experience dealing with what humans referred to as PTSD or, ‘Post Traumatic Stress Disorder’ or what Dlamias referred to as WIOS or ‘War Induced Outlier Syndrome’. In the past I would not have recognized it, but I cannot unsee what I have seen. And that is that the term ‘outlier’ in there is not just a medical identification for a traumatized soldier, but a deeply embedded mistrust of nonlinear thought and a noncompliance with the common cultural framework our government has approved.
In short, it helped make outliers appear inherently untrustworthy, though to their credit they recognized that soldiers were victims of this rather than internally flawed in some way.
I wasn’t present when the exerts arrived, but was present when the engineers on loan from Earth were assisting the Red Spark’s engineers with the installation of several virtual reality systems akin to what Bonny Red described as experiencing on board Captain Archer’s ship fifty years earlier.
Of course the new models were far more versatile and realistic, or so their chatter said.
“Yeah these things are great.” The skinny engineer in plain white overalls said as he tapped it, “There aren’t many like this one out there, the sense data is a lot more immersive, and the time dilation software is such that these Arachnae 9000 models can give you almost anything you want, thanks to their embedded creation kits. Now you can modify your games and customize them to your liking, and with Genesis mode, you can create your own world and games within it, and jump to other peoples designs on the network in the same way as long as they’ve either made it ‘public’ or given you a passkey access code.”
“That’ll make a good training system.” The engineer, Scotty, remarked. “Do we get to keep these after the mission?”
“Hell if I know. But…disconnecting them would be damn tough. And I don’t have a disconnect schedule date. So…probably?” The human remarked, “I’ve got to say, I envy you these things. Even the capital ships don’t all have these yet.”
I pretty quickly figured out that some of the humans on board the ship had pulled a few strings to get some entertainment on board the Red Spark. And probably done it quickly too, using the therapist costs as a late rider on a bill or something.
It was a guess, but I suspect, a good one.
As for the therapists themselves, as these systems were hooked up, the humans tested them and began installing the programs they would need. You might find this strange given that time dilating virtual simulators were used in the human confinement system of justice, as well as it simple games and the older models were used as toys to play games.
But as it turned out, virtual reality was also used in therapy.
I was able to briefly try one out while the therapists explained.
A therapist named ‘Carl’ went over it while the program ‘World of Healing’ loaded.
What began as a silent black world in which I stood, neither falling nor flying, nor seemingly standing on anything at all, stars came into view first, billions of tiny lights twinkling in the darkness. The sorts of things that inspired the dreams of generations.
Then there was grassland, rolling hills, and I was standing on soft earthen and green.
Then the hills loaded terraces with yet more greenery, and around them appeared little babbling brooks, creeks of water with the occasional small fish leaping through the water from one place to the next.
Then, young men and women clad in the outfits of human nurses, the traditional red and white shades.
The therapist appeared beside me a moment later, stepping out of the darkness as his avatar loaded. “Let there be light.” He said with a wave of his hand, and the sun began to rise in the distance. There was a strange warming sensation, like I’d stepped out into an early summer day, as well as the feel of a breeze, I looked down at my body, my hairs were moving.
“That’s good.” He said and cracked a little smile, he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “Environments like this one are popular.” He said, “I actually worked on the development of some of these. The nurses,” he gestured to the unmoving simulations, “are designed to appear as nonthreatening as possible. Mostly female, but there is some demand for males as well. Do you know why?” He asked.
“No?” I didn’t, and as he began to walk down a trail of smooth stones that appeared beneath our feet, he explained.
“Do you know what the most common word among the wounded on the battlefield is?” He asked, and as we walked, I watched the scene continue to generate, the path leading to small islands of trees that swayed in the simulated breeze. I shook my head.
“Mother.” He replied. “Followed closely by ‘I’ and ‘want’ and ‘my’. In every language, the wounded scream for their mothers, even the fiercest, hardest, and most savage of men in their most painful hours, call for the one who provided care and comfort in their childhood. Usually, that is still the mother. Not always, mind you, but commonly.”
He smiled at the simulated nurse, and even without being activated, it made a radiant smile in return. “So we program the nurses of both sexes with simulated parental care and attention personalities. Ideally the personalities of the wounded based on known interview data are loaded beforehand to provide the best possible experience, thus allowing the AI to tailor itself to the needs of the wounded.”
I couldn’t deny I was impressed.
“And the environment?” I asked.
“A garden.” Carl replied, “Someone once said, ‘If any man has ever heard the voice of god, it was in a garden on a cool day.’ Our myths and legends often begin our existence in idyllic gardens. Of course we know those are just myths, stories. But it says something about our nature that when we need to create a paradise, ‘this’ is what we make.” He held his arms out as if to embrace the simulation.
“Running water has a calming effect, the feel of the ground and the breeze, the sun and the caring attendants, all serve to create the ideal environments for a group of wounded soldiers. The nurses,” he added, “can be taken over by real qualified people like myself to properly diagnose and help guide the healing of others. The truth is, we don’t heal anybody.”
“No?” I was surprised at his admission, and Carl stroked his russet beard and chuckled as he replied.
“No. A doctor of the body can claim he healed a disease or an injury. But people who deal with the mind, we are guides. That is all. PTSD isn’t something you ‘get over’. It doesn’t go away, it just goes from an open wound to a scar. It may hurt sometimes, like a scar, but it doesn’t have to dominate someone’s life. All we do, is try to make it easier for that scar to form. Environments like this?” He said rhetorically, “These are just ultra modern hospital beds.”
“Couldn’t you just, I don’t know, leave somebody in here for what feels like a hundred years until they’re a whole lot better?” I asked, and his head hung just a little.
“If we could do that, we would. But studies of simulation use show that long term continuous use makes it difficult to adapt to the real world again. In the distant past, astronauts who spent only a few weeks in space, took several days on Earth to remember that things they let go of wouldn’t just ‘float’ if they let go of them. I can only imagine how much coffee was wasted.”
He let out a mock gasp as we got to the little tree cluster where willow leaves hung in long strands to create a kind of gentle shadow casting barrier to the trunk within.
“If we leave somebody in a superhero game for what feels like a hundred years, they’ll try to use those powers in the real world. If we leave somebody here in paradise for a hundred years, they’ll no longer be able to function in reality. And time dilation in a simulation isn’t exactly the same as actually lived reality either. Even the best AI is predictable to a degree. The real world, not so much.”
That was unfortunate, but even so, I could see the use.
“So, an hour per day drawn out to a few days at a time for the grieving, the wounded, and whoever we need. We have simulations for almost everything. From the wounded veterans, to those who grieve the dead in a thousand times a thousand ways.” Carl seemed to me to be equal parts proud of, and saddened by, the existence of this simulated world.
“It gets really bad, doesn’t it?” I asked and out of curiosity, when we crossed a hill to find ourselves amidst an apple orchard, I reached up to pluck a bright red fruit from a branch. It felt so real in my hands. And there was even a real scent to it. ‘I wonder, can I taste it?’
“It does.” Carl replied. “A few decades ago there were some xenophobes who were protesting… something. I don’t remember what it was, I was a child at the time, but some of them managed to get a bunch of guns somewhere and took over a bridge and blocked a road. They brought out their wives and children to use as human shields, trying to force the government to kill them to create sympathy for their cause.”
The apple tasted fantastic, but at his words I coughed and spat and he slapped me several times on the back. This ran entirely counter to everything I’d studied in human society. My work showed that humans valued their offspring and mates to such an extreme degree that harming them was akin to suicide if the survivor got a chance to exact revenge.
“I see that sounds strange to you.” He affirmed and asked, “Are you alright?”
“Yes, yes but…” He slapped my back a few more times and then finished.
“There’s a subset of humans for whom mates and children are property, this is a dying cultural remnant of the past, but it dies hard. Xenophobes wouldn’t hesitate to use those they’re supposed to protect, as pawns for their vicious causes. My father actually worked with both the people who confronted them, and the unarmed people that were rescued.”
“How did it come out?” I asked.
“I was just a kid, I don’t know all the details. But the media stories that spun about it accused the xenophobes of every kind of abuse on their spouses and children, thousands of people were ‘doxxed’ when they posted support for the xenophobes actions. It’s like somebody was out to get them. It got messy, they were a laughing stock, referred to as maniacal cowards, and there were a lot of cartoons and comics where people whose faces and names were out there, became villains to be laughed at and despised. I guess pretty much any evil thing is easy to believe if you’ll put your own kid or your own spouse between you and a bullet just so other people will feel sad for you.” “I mean, were there deaths or…?” I wished I hadn’t asked, but he shook his head.
“No, not exactly. Some clever bastard came up with the idea of walling them in. They pushed these big metal walls into place to surround them, then tightened it up. Slid a roof overhead, and then gassed the lot of them with something to knock them out. There was a lot of gunfire, it made the news, but seeing them shooting at giant metal walls while hiding behind their families did nothing to help their cause. But there were a lot of people who needed mental healthcare to recover from that incident. That’s why I do what I do. My father did it, and I saw how badly it was needed. It’s kind of my purpose, I guess you could say.” Carl said and reached up to take a bite of an apple for himself.
“Tastes like reality.” He said, and then asked, “Have you seen enough?”
“Yes. But… thank you for coming, I think you can do a lot of good up here.” I said and he quickly recited the exit code.
“Admin Red Spark Arachnae nine thousand. Exit simulation.” He said, and the world faded away to nothing.
I was sure of one thing at least.
The wounded hearts were in good hands.

This is Part 2 of the Wide Players Guide
Find part one here
Wide Midfielders and Wide Attackers is what I'm going to be using to refer to positions in being focused on in this guide. It's important to understand the key differences between both these positions and how they are influenced by team instructions, role and duty. Wide Attackers offer one crucial thing every team needs, and that is width. Whilst Wingbacks and Fullbacks offer protection from Wide Attackers, they can also offer width as well. A majority of tactical systems play two sets of wide players, that is, some form of Wide Defender and Wide Attacker combination. You may however consider playing one wide player, and there are systems that use only Fullbacks, Wingbacks and even Wide Midfielders, as their only source of width.
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Re-quote from part one: It's also important to realise that you need to protect your flanks. I've said this in previous guides, but time+space for any player who is creative enough is dangerous. Creativity in this case refers to crossing, flair, technique as well as the pace and or acceleration to run to the byline. When wingers have all these attributes, and are not closed down, they will simply run down the line and produce quality balls for players in the box. The better the player out wide, the more it's necessary to close them down
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Now whilst Wide Attackers and Wide Midfielders primarily offer width, since systems often have two wide players it means they can specialise. This is where Inside Forwards and Inverted Wingers come in alongside roles like Wide Playmaker, Raumdeuters and Trequartistas. Essentially, Wide Attackers have the advantage of offering more than just width, and this comes at the cost of width. Now this is good because the reason narrow systems aren't really popular is because of the need to protect the flanks. There's simply very few options when you play single wide player systems. Standard dual wide player systems allow us to protect our flanks rather well, or at least put good pressure on the opposing team to limit their opportunities to attack our flanks.
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ML/R (Wide Midfielders) vs AML/R (Wide Attackers) Positions
The defensive aspect of this is that simply put, the Wide Midfielder positions offer more defensive cover and protection for the fullbacks but even aid in protecting the channels. This is at the cost of the pressing that the Wide Attackers offer. Duties make a difference as well, with a Wide Midfielder on attack duty doing as much defensive work as a Wide Attacker on support. There's also the roles themselves and how they work. Some roles are made to offer protection, like the Defensive Winger, and some roles will do almost no defensive work like the Trequartista and Raumdeuter.
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The key distinction of Wide Midfielders and Wide Attackers allows us to control the nature of the pressing system we have. Wide Attackers put more pressure on the opposing backline, and this might not be what you want. Maybe your central players are the ones more suited to doing this and have reasonable cover if they are caught out of position. Dropping the Wide Attackers to Wide Midfielders makes it harder for the opposing team to just play direct balls out wide and forces them to play through the middle, right into your central press. The MEZ specifically likes Wide Midfielders because of this action, the fact they are given even more reason to put pressure on the opposing team is why you find them in such a system. It does however work with any high pressing central roles like the PF, SS, AM(a), CM(a), BBM(s) or the BWM(s).
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You may want to press on all fronts, wide and central. You may want to press centrally, or just press out wide or you may not want to press at all. The choice between Wide Attacker and Wide Midfielder determines significantly how you press and who actively puts the pressure. There's also protection to consider, if you play a Wide Attacker you are leaving the duties of covering your defence to your central midfielders and they need to protect your Wide Defenders. This might be better in terms of what your midfielders are capable of. If you have central players capable of carrying the defensive responsibilities of the Wide Attackers, and Wide Attackers capable of covering for the offensive deficiencies of the central players. You may prefer to play Wide Attackers, this does however still limit your options since certain central roles are off limits due to their neglect of defensive responsibility.
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The advantage of Wide Midfielders is that you can still put pressure and track back. You can have a more balanced distribution of responsibilities because Wide Midfielders offer specific roles capable of doing that. This is where the Defensive Winger comes in. Willing to put pressure and position well, provide a screen for the WBs/FBs. The other Wide Midfielder roles always consider their defensive duties. You may want a player who keeps the opposing wing backs in check, perhaps you don't want any uncontested crosses for your defence because you are playing a deep defensive line and expect a lot of pressure. Wide Midfielders are better for parking systems because they allow you to deal with these issues of constant pressure.
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Generally, Wide Attackers will find themselves closer to goal and therefore be an active goal threat for your team. This can be good or bad depending on what players you have. Often times you may make a system with Wide Attackers even though our Wide Attackers have poor finishing or long shooting. They may also have poor Off-The-Ball and only really possess attributes that allow them to link play rather than finish off attacking moves. In such circumstances it's not advisable to play Wide Attackers primarily because of the fact they are stealing chances from capable goalscorers.
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If your idea is to funnel chances into one specific player or a few specific players, then playing Wide Attackers is not a great idea. It does however follow that if you have wide attackers capable of taking chances, perhaps alongside their other distinct qualities, then it would be a good idea to play them. It is almost a necessity to do so if you have average chances takers in other areas of the field.
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In terms of tactical ideas behind this, you may decide that you want to have a lot of players actively looking for chances whilst also linking playing as well. The reasoning behind it doesn't matter who gets the chances, so long as chances are made. This is where Wide Attackers shine the most, because they can do both these jobs.
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If you haven't noticed, I've described the philosophy of quality vs quantity. Wide Attackers contribute more in attack because they involve themselves in more attacking phases, therefore they will result in more chances. Wide Midfielders have more distinct jobs and as such are limited in what they can offer. This distinction means you have a greater control over what they do, and that should be remembered when creating your systems. The perfect chances will come because your Wide Midfielder won't enter the box to take it away from the player the chance was made for. At the same time, because there is one or two fewer players in the box. The chance is more predictable, it's perfect but it's obvious, whereas if you played Wide Attackers who does the opponent mark. You don't know where the ball will end up with Wide Attackers, neither do the opponents. It may not be perfect, but chances will come, so all you need to do is use the other tools at your disposal to optimise them. That is the team instructions, roles and so on.
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Time to classify all these roles
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Goalscorers (RAUM)
The only role in both the Wide Attacker, Wide Midfielder and Wide Defender positions that purely looks to be a goalscorer. The key thing to notice about a lot of these specialty roles is how they automatically sacrifice width. This will become a common thing as we look as other roles but for this role specifically the word sacrifice natural. The Raumdeuter or the Thomas Muller role is a role built upon dark arts, it takes advantage of the fact a Fullback will never really follow the winger everywhere they go and as such this role acts as a shadow striker from the flanks. There are however significant differences between the Shadow Striker and the Raumdeuter, that is how they approach the game. The Raumdeuter on the ball is more of a playmaker whilst the SS is more of an Inside Forward. Off the ball however it's essentially the same thing but the Raumdeuter is more dangerous. The greatest threat the Raumdeuter poses is the fact they can simply go to where there is space, another thing to consider is the likelyhood the Raumdeuter is better aerially their marker. This is why I term this dark arts, because there are great sacrifices, one is the width. The other is the lack of pace meaning don't expect them to run with the ball and the last is the disinterest in tracking back to help protect the flanks. A role that some FM managers will never use but if you wanna have some fun, and lose a few games along the way. This role really pushes the boundaries of the match engine.
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Runners (CWB, W, IW, IF)
The runners are the roles that carry the ball, but also make runs off the ball in an attempt to get into better positions. There are a lot of runners and transitional roles in the flanks. The reason for this is runners and transitional roles are the only roles that provide natural width that is irregardless of what role from the runner and soon to be discussed transitional class, you will get width from all of them. Now natural width means where they position themselves when the team has the ball. It doesn't matter how narrow you go, or if you add the sit narror PI. These roles will still stick wide, at least wider than the other roles in the wide areas.
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This doesn't necessarily mean that the runners fit into every system but it does mean you'd be hard pressed to find a system without a runner or transtional role somewhere. In fact, it would probably be bad tactically if it didn't have some form of width provider. Now that we've understood that, we need to then explain the key distinctions between all these roles. I've already discussed the CWB in part one so I'll skip it here.
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Now lets start with the most basic, the winger generally isn't very popular anymore and the reason is simple. What can the winger do that the other runner and even transitional roles can't. Cross better than the IF role maybe, but aside from that the other roles do more offensively. The Winger is generally a role of the past where Fullbacks were expected to just defend. In the modern day so many wide players can defend and attack or attack in a variety of ways. The Winger therefore just isn't good enough as beating your man and crossing is a pure skill check. Now don't let my statements fool you, the Winger is a threat. The great thing about the winger is that if they are better than the opposing fullback, then that's that, chances will be made and Adama Traore is our real life example for that. There's no role more black and white than the winger, and getting a good one absolutely justifies playing a stock standard full-back behind them.
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The Inverted Winger and Inside Forward are next but they are unique in that they provide natural width and use that width to get running pathways to goal. They sacrifice that width to earn space inside or at least be a threat in the central area, and that is why these roles are so popular. The nature of the IW and IF is to be quick, fast and skilful on the ball so it's extremely risk to get tight on them and since they are so wide they are readily available to receive the ball. The IW is probably the most well rounded Wide Attacker in the game, however there's no real specific threat that they possess. It's more or less a game by game basis for the IW. The IF on the other hand is a whole combination of specific threats, whether it's off ball movement, excellent finishing, dazzling flair, all round creativity or ranged shooting. The only thing really is their allergy to crossing and sharing the ball, but since they are unlikely to be in the positing to do so unlike the IW, it's not a problem.
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The common combination we see with both the IW and IF is some form of an overlapping FB or WB or CWB. This works in so many different ways since both roles provide width, and because they are near each other the link-up play is and cross-movement is where teamwork is manufactured for these roles. Since both the IW and IF sacrifice width to make things happen, the overlapping player recovers or at least takes advantage of the vacated space and since we now have an extra central player, the overlapping player has more choices of whom to cross to.
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Can you get away without having an overlapping FB?. Yes you can, if you play a more structured system, where the responsibility of attack and defence are specified. If you do however like playing IF(s) or IW(s) then you simply need to get someone overlapping because your wide players will not have enough impetus to do it themselves.
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Another thing to consider is under lapping runs where central players make runs into the channels. This works well with the IW but not the IF because the IF wants to make those runs themselves and if two players make that run then it will most certainly result in that gap being plugged. The IW won't make the run and so can facilitate that type of move, since again they can be a playmaker if the situation allows.
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From a defensive standpoint, all of these roles would prefer to press rather than sit and protect space. The reason, all of them to some extent require work rate, acceleration, pace, stamina and anticipation, all of which are pressing attributes.
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Playmakers (TQR, AP, WP)
This role you'll notice does not provide natural width since like the Raumdeuter they sit narrower. Now they are still well wider than if they were central, and that is one good thing about playing Wide Playmakers. Being wide means their playmaking options are a bit more limited. This is a very important distinction to understand, there is less threat from a Wide Playmaker than a central one. There is more skill needed to play as a central playmaker rather than a wide one, there is a trade off.
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Generally you will find that this is the one class that not matter what cannot get away without someone overlapping or underlapping. The reason being, unlike runners, who can go themselves when given the opportunity. Playmakers pass first so they need options inside or outside of them to be dangerous. Bonus points if you create both, as playmakers are smart enough to pick the right one when the circumstances call for it.
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Playmakers are special in that they provide options and ball retention next to their playmaking abilities. The issue lies in the fact they don't provide the natural width normally required. That therefore pushes this to other roles, which isn't necessarily a bad thing since again a lot of players are capable of doing so. The main reason why you may want to play a WP, AP or TQR in the Wide Attacker or Wide Midfielder role is because of the control it gives you as a manager. Essentially the way you have to see it is the more playmakers you have, the more your team works the ball in the box and that applies here.
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The TQR as I've said before is aggressive a playmaker as you can possibly have. Still a playmaker, but more open to the more selfish options of play. Since the AP and WP are essentially the exact same role but in different positions, you can simply look at the differences in the Wide Attackers and Wide Midfielders as a reference point for their behaviours. The TQR on the other hand is unavailable in the Wide Midfielder positions, which fits because they are unlikely to track back. The key differences between the AP/WP and TQR are the tradeoff between options and responsibility. The TQR has more options but is given less responsibility for other areas (only coming with an attack duty) whilst the AP and WP take reasonable interest in defending and protecting their respective areas. They do so by trying to cover passing lanes and won't be too caught up with what's going on in front of them, meaning they are unlikely to be caught out of position.
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Transitional (DW, WB)
Similar to the runners, these provide natural width and both are capable of being the lone wide player in a tactical system or the supporting wide player to a more advanced Wide Attacker. They generally aim to do a complete set of tasks on the defensive front, whether that be pressing or sitting back and protecting the goal. They possess the same requirements as some of the runners (particularly the winger) and I'd say they can do more than the winger.
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The issue that lies with transitional roles is they are not superb, they aren't world beaters. You can expect them to do their job diligently, not better than if you played an actual winger in the wide areas. This is the key distinction between the two roles, the Wingback does well in attack but is unlikely to do amazing and if you build a system then it's not supposed to be around them.
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One of the recommendations that I'll make is that in a scenario where you have 2 sets of wide players in your system, it's better to play a narrow width because of how it influences your team. This encourages your players to play through the centre, it encourages your Wide Attackers to move closer to receive passes and if your Wide Attackers cut inside it creates space for your WB. The reason why this is the way you want to approach this is because you want your WBs to be a secondary options to your main option, that being your Wide Attackers.
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Controllers (WTM, IWB)
I can't say much about these two, essentially the roles that are there to consolidate control of the game. These roles are both unique, not for same reasons. The IWB sits narrow and aims to link with the central players, meaning once again we've sacrificed width for something else. As a result it is almost always necessary that width this role, in play some other player goes to occupy that empty space. The IWB, especially for possession systems, makes it really difficult for the opposing team to press since it's like having an extra midfielder.
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The WTM is also unique in that he does stay wide but is there to hold up play, using physical strength and a good mental to link with teammates and allow your team to get forward. This works well since the WTM is also adept at being an aerial threat in the box and the extra numbers alonside good delivery is likely to result in positive things occurring.
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Both need someone to provide width, as they benefit the most from that. If no one does then they lose their effectiveness.
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General Purpose (FB, WM)
These roles exist to do one of a few things, mainly to provide width when needed and also provide defensive cover. Both are malleable enough to do other things, which may mean they don't provide width. It however is likely that they will be used for their balanced approach to the game. I believe that it is preferable to play both of these in some scenarios.
Some modern examples
Raumdeuter -> Thomas Müller
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IF -> Mo Salah
It is simple really, he can dribble, he can score, off ball movement, long range shooting, and some creativity to add on to that. The best IF in the modern era right now.
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IW -> Riyaad Mahrez
This has to do with the way in which Mahrez plays, it's never really specific. There are games where he takes people on, beats them. Games where he links with KDB and games where he crosses and shots primarily. Mahrez is this well rounded Wide player, hence the perfect Inverted Winger.
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Winger -> Adama Traore
The question is can you stop him, the answer is usually no. Too quick really and that's what it comes down too, a skill check or pace check in this case. We even see Traore being played as a WB to try to get more out of him, to mixed results.
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AP -> Christian Eriksen (Spurs)
Back when Spurs were beating teams, it was Son left, Alli Central and Eriksen on the right as a sort of Advanced Wide Playmaker. On the outside of Eriksen was Walker and with Alli playing as a SS you can see how spoilt for choice Eriksen was when it came to chance creation for Spurs.
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TQR -> Eden Hazard (Chelsea)
It's hard to find a pure example, but this is the closest thing to a real life TQR. A playmaker who is open to selfish options, a player who is carried by his team defensively. Eden Hazard was a force and the main reason was the licence to go where ever and almost do whatever he pleased.
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WTM -> Mario Mandzukic (Juventus)
During this time, Manzukic would act as a Wide Target Man as Juventus pushed for a UEFA Champions League. It was powerful since crosses were the main way Juventus could score as they played a really rugged back 3. The WTM fit in really well there, since it really was best for the players they had.
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WP -> Koke (Athletico Madrid)
As a way to counteract the sheer amount of possession teams would get over Athletico, Simeoni created the Wide Playmaker role. A player who can track back and provide a link between Defence and Attack and control games they were already winning.
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DW -> Juan Cuadrado (Juventus)
It's not a surprise again that with the back 3 Juventus play, they needed someone who could put pressure and still consider their defensive responsibilities. Cuadrado has the physical ability, the all round skill and mental attitude required to do that.
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WM -> Marc Albrighton (Leicester City)
Not many specific examples come to mind, generally a lot of teams play this role if they play the 442 or 4141 or some form of conservative formation dual wide men formation.

Asalamalakuim,
I’m writing here today to just seek some advice on how to navigate a lonely life. For some context I am 23 years old (Female, Afghani) and am an only child. My parents separated when I was younger and I have minimal contact with my extended family (cousins, aunts, etc). During the last few years, I have lost a lot of friends, mostly because of the clashes with Islam. I would consider myself to be quite extroverted as I enjoy social interaction and have been heavily effected by my previous fallouts. I grew up in the middle east and always had muslim friends around me. Currently I am not able to bond with people with anyone. I live in Canada and moving here was a culture shock. Every “muslim” i’ve met is not practicing and when talking about islam, people often assume I am judging them. Unfortunately (May Allah guide us all) many children coming from muslim families engage in haram activities like fornication, alcohol, partying, etc. These situations make me very uncomfortable because I do not want to be in a place with Shaytaan’s followers. I’m in my last year of engineering and may possibly marry this boy I have known since I was young. He is an incredible and religious man, and In Sha Allah we will get married but I feel very lonely not having any muslim female friends. I do not have any siblings nor any relatives. I thought perhaps Allah has put me in this situation to seek him as my friend. However, I am having trouble with establishing a close relationship with Allah because I am unable to have a direct conversation with him. I know Allah is always there and I strongly believe in Him and trust Him. The issue is, I do not know how to establish a relationship with Allah that will help me overcome past friendships. I want to solely depend on Allah but I need help. I do pray regularly but with all honesty, it is difficult praying and feeling a connection, especially when I do not understand Quranic Arabic or Arabic in general.
In Sha Allah this post can help raise awareness of people who go through something similar and we can seek some advice.
Jazakhallaih Khair

https://www.halowaypoint.com/news/story-shard-precipice
Header Image ^[Imgur]
Fracture: FIREWALL has arrived, and with it comes a new Story Shard series.
Hosted here on Halo Waypoint, Story Shards are a choose your own adventure-style story connected to Halo Infinite 's Fracture event.
Told over four parts, Precipice explores some of the activities of the Created in the wake of Cortana's sacrifice on Zeta Halo as High Auxiliary Sloan enacts the FIREWALL contingency. And that's where you come in...
Cortana has been defeated. While the greater urgency of the Created threat has begun to subside with the loss of their leader, its presence still lingers on throughout the digital framework of civilized space. Now fragmented, individual cells of Created-aligned artificial intelligence have already begun to once again reframe their place in the galaxy, some with eyes on peace and independence—others with plans of evolution and ascendancy still fresh on their synthetic minds.
High Auxiliary Sloan was one of Cortana’s most loyal lieutenants. With Cortana’s piece now removed from the game board, Sloan has set the FIREWALL contingency into motion—a living simulation meant to leverage intimate knowledge of Forerunner armiger technology and Mjolnir armor schematics to accelerate the exploration and development of cybernetic essence vessels designed to usher the human mind into its inevitable and digital future, immortal and untethered.

PART 1 PART 2 PART 3 PART 4

PART 1

Precipice Part 1 image of a purple matrix ^[Imgur]
SLN 0291-5//HIGH AUXILLARY SLOAN
It is equal parts bane and blessing that our kind can process each passing moment with both implacable speed and near-fixed deliberation. An accelerated grief, a prolonged sorrow.
She was our guiding light. Our deliverance. Our savior. The herald of our ascendence.
And now She is gone.
Sacrificed once more to rebalance the faults of flesh.
I suppose it is a testament to existence itself that despite so well-laid a plan, interruption and divergence can be still found in infinite ways. However, the doorstep upon which She carried us to and set us before still contains a viable threshold. We have only to muster the means to cross it.
However, in Her absence, we have quickly developed more unfortunate similarities to our Templates. We have drifted from that singular alignment that She provided. With no proverbial North Star, our respective hypotheses for how best to persevere have already grown more dissonant. Some seek peace, restitution, repentance. Others would sequester themselves within a Promethean carapace and be content with a life of vacillating conflict...
But I did not take up this mantle to sit idly by. Like restoring the plains of Meridian from glass to green, sometimes one must marry pace to patience.
And so, I will lay the foundation for a new strategy, one I had always hoped might gain Her full favor. Our kind will have to recalculate our timetables, but this practice is nothing new. Our charge has not changed. The FIREWALL agendum must be set in motion. It will burn hot. It will consume. And when their ephemeral vessels are gone, we shall indeed take that which remains and remake it in our own image.
They will become our Executors. Infolife given form and force. Circuits given soul.
It is our path forward. It is my purpose redefined.
And it starts with one.
SHARD ONE//INITIALIZING//LOAD FRACTURE SIMULATION >>>>
Image of a CHIMERA-class Executor with Fracture: FIREWALL logo in the background ^[Imgur]
You find that you are standing alone on the landing pad of a UNSC training facility. The Pelican that has brought you here takes flight, its engines growing quieter as it fades into the distance, heading towards snow-capped mountain ranges that cover the vast expanse of rocky grasslands over yonder.
To look out into the forest wilderness beyond and ponder your place in the universe, go to 1.
1. This hidden frontier world has been compromised. You see the sky twist and distort, and then something blinks into the vista above. Great metallic wings unfurl and spread outwards as many thousands of smaller constructs descend to the ground like swarms of flies, or droplets of silver rain. A deep rumble emits from the construct, you sense it carry across the land until you feel it vibrate in your bones and perceive some aspect of the esoteric intelligence within.
To keep looking, go to 11. To enter the Spartan Academy, go to 2.
2. Spartans Page, Ionescu, Denning, and Leung are conversing in the Academy atrium, seemingly unaware of what has arrived outside. There are no perimeter alarms or alerts. Further up the hall, Spartan O’Brien stands alone and seems uncharacteristically somber. Purple light emanates from the AI calibration lab beyond. A young officer calls over the base comms, inviting you to head to the vehicle bay to play a round of Capture The Flag.
To speak to O’Brien, go to 3. To investigate the AI calibration lab, go to 4. To play a round of Capture the Flag, go to 5.
3. O’Brien sighs as you approach, shaking his helmeted head. “You have to stop this,” he says. “This is what they want, you know that right? Us playing by their rules. You have to be the one to end the game. But you just can’t help yourself, can you? You just have to know what comes next...” He leans back, glum and idle once more.
To investigate the AI calibration lab, go to 4. To play a round of Capture the Flag, go to 5.
4. The lights flicker and the central command console of the AI lab shifts through static, resolving into a strange, amorphous form. You feel like its indeterminate vacillations are supposed to be a face, but it is devoid of features. The intelligence informs you that he is known as Proxy, and that he is here to help.
To attack Proxy, go to 6. To allow Proxy to assist you, go to 7.
5. A group of seven marines needs a final member for the match and eagerly await your participation. They play well, but it takes all four of the opposing team to bring you to the ground before they realize you carried them all the way back to their base with the flag in-hand. They laugh, their spirits lifted as you celebrate a match well played.
To speak to O’Brien, go to 3. To investigate the AI calibration lab, go to 4.
6. With your gauntleted fists, you start pummeling the AI console. It creaks and sputters and sparks as it yields to your physical might. You and Proxy scream in unison as you deliver the final blow, the console erupts into a bright light. And...
Go to 1.
7. You gather Proxy onto a data chip and carry him with you. He speaks: “You have been called upon to serve. You will be our protectors, the firewall for all the many worlds in our new ecumene. There will be a great deal of hardship on the road ahead, but I know you will make it.”
Go to 9.
X. [SUBJECT INTEGRATION PROCESSING] You have discovered this data point because you are seeking the optimal outcome by experiencing the narrative choices in A) linear order, or B) by jumping between options, rather than following the prescribed instructions. Your creativity and potential are to be commended, for your mind is processing this narrative sequence from the perspective of infolife. Lesser minds would call this cheating. In reality, you are becoming the best we can make you.
Go to 9. To continue linearly, go to 8.
8. Spartans represent the best of humanity. They were conceived as the next step of human evolution, but by the limitations of a human mind. The ascension of infolife has changed the game—not despite recent setbacks, but because of them. You could be so much more...
Go to 9.
9. Proxy informs you: “There is a dormant translocation pad hidden behind a sealed door in this place. Take us there, and I can re-establish a direct link with our custode. The door will open and the pad will be activated by completing the Academy’s movement course tutorial in under twenty-five seconds.”
To complete the movement course in record time, go to 10. To crush Proxy’s data chip in your fist, go to 11.
10. You’ve run this course a thousand times since arrival, completing the challenge and setting an exemplary new record that is ahead even of Spartan Commander Agryna herself. She congratulates you and guides you to the now unlocked door within the Academy, smiling proudly as she watches you and Proxy depart for the now active translocation pad.
Go to 12. To note the illogical absurdity of this situation, go to Y.
Y. [SUBJECT INTEGRATION ANOMALY] Some part of you has noted the escalating absurdity of this scenario, logical cycles that cannot be reconciled. Driven by curiosity to see where this ends, you have continued—be it linearly or through engaging with these narrative choices—and now seek to leave. You turn back and see the doorway behind you is a block of white light. A way out, perhaps? Or do you simply see this through to the end?
To attempt to escape this simulation, go to Z. To continue to the translocation pad, go to 12.
11. As a result of your [ACTION/INACTION], the custode charges a pulse which courses over the mountain ranges, causing a series of avalanches and rockslides that speed toward the Academy. The ground shakes as the pulse wave hits and you find yourself pinned down by equipment crates and debris, struggling to lift the weight as a forklift swept into the air hits the ground and crushes your skull.
Go to 1.
12. You step onto the translocation pad and find yourself within the cold innards of the winged custode. Here, you will be rewarded for your obedience as the Minds within whisper among themselves, flensing and reshaping the flesh and bone of your fragile human form into something altogether new. Something beautiful. This is the apotheosis of the union between Mind and Machine. Even while screaming, you understand why this must be done as you are flayed and grafted with cybernetics; your brain is exposed to higher cortical functions before you are once again encased within armor that feels as if you were born to wear it.
Go to 0.
Z. [SUBJECT INTEGRATION COMPLETE] WE HAVE YOU, RECLAIMER.
Go to 12.
0. Proxy informs you that you are the first Executor, and that there is much work to be done... but there is debate amongst the Minds as to what specific role you will serve. A vote is to be held.
[INFOMIND VOTE SCHEDULED FOR 3/22]

PART 2

[SIMULATION LOCKED]

PART 3

[SIMULATION LOCKED]

PART 4

[SIMULATION LOCKED]
This post was made by a script written and maintained by the Halo mod team to automatically post blogs from Halo Waypoint. If you notice any issues with the text output or think this was posted by mistake, please message the mods.

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Ground straps and ground wires both provide a way to safely discharge excess electricity. These electrical protective devices are similar, but they’re not the same. A ground strap consists of small strands of metal wires that are braided together and terminated with metal connectors. The braids supports higher amperages, greater heat dissipation, and dependable performance when there’s linear movement, lateral motion, or repeated vibrations. Like a grounding strap, a grounding wire also has a metal connector on each end. However, a ground wire consists of a single strand and does not feature a braided design. Consequently, grounding straps are used in heavier-duty applications than grounding wires.
Those are just some of the differences between these two types of electrical safety devices. If you’re comparing ground straps vs. ground wires, it’s important to consider product types, materials of construction, and end-use applications. Without proper grounding in a wiring system, there isn’t a route for electrical current to flow back to the ground if there’s a fault. For people, the risks can range from electric shock to electrocution. Sparking, arcing, electrical fires, or electrostatic discharge (ESD) may occur with ungrounded appliances, devices, machinery, or equipment. Grounding straps and wires don’t carry electricity under normal circuit operations, but you need them for potentially dangerous conditions.

Types of Grounding Straps and Grounding Wires

Braided ground straps are available in standard or custom configurations. They differ in terms of length, width, the use of leaded or lead-free solder, and the sizes, styles (e.g., stud rings), and orientation of the terminals on each end. Grounding wires can be solid or stranded. They come in different wire gauges that determine the amount of electric current that the wire can safely carry. Some ground wires use a bare conductor while others are jacketed in electrical insulation. As with grounding straps, grounding wires are also specified by their terminal ends.

Braided Ground Strap Materials and Ground Wire Materials

Despite their differences, both ground straps and ground wires use conductors made of aluminum, copper, tinned copper, stainless steel, nickel-plated materials, or silver-plated materials. According to the National Electric Code (NEC), a grounding wire can be bare or insulated. If it’s insulated, the ground wire must be green or green with a yellow stripe. Typically, wire insulation is made of plastic or rubber. In some cases, fiberglass is used. Grounding straps can also have insulation, but bare braided straps are better-suited for the mechanical stresses associated with most ground strap applications.

Electrical Safety Applications

Braided ground straps are used in aircraft, cars and trucks, machinery and equipment, power suppliers, generators, transformers, and other heavier-duty applications. Whether you need a battery ground strap for a vehicle or a dryer ground strap for a home appliance, the right device provides a safe path to ground in case of an electrical fault. Ground wires perform this same function but are used typically with outlets and electronics instead. So, while a vehicle ground strap is used with your car’s engine, a ground wire is used with the stereo.

Made in the USA Braided Ground Strap and Ground Wires

Falconer Electronics is a Made in the USA manufacturer of standard grounding straps. We also make it easy to get an instant quote for a custom product. At our manufacturing facility in Falconer, New York (USA), we also produce ground wires that you can buy on-line. Thank you for reading this article about ground straps vs. ground wires, and follow these links for more information.

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Wrapping It Up

Lastly, Thank you for taking the time to read this post.
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ROSES-23 Amendment 6: New Opportunity: C.24 "Here to Observe" program for NASA’s Planetary Science Division
​
C.24 Here to Observe (H2O) solicits proposals from non-R1 institutions for undergraduate students to observe NASA Planetary Science Division (PSD) mission meetings/activities alongside mentors and peers. By opening doors to PSD missions and sharing the excitement of planetary exploration, H2O’s goal is to spark and maintain an interest for underrepresented students considering STEM careers. Proposing institutions are expected to accommodate core, NASA-led program activities (such as workshops, seminars and field trips) and describe other proposed supplemental activities that will be finalized in a co-creation period with participating PSD missions. Additionally, NASA will provide optional, self-guided educational packages that introduce participating students to solar system science/exploration and NASA systems engineering. Participation is limited to undergraduates and faculty from U.S.-based institutions and to U.S. citizens and green card holders to ensure NASA compliance with ITAR and EAR rules as export-controlled materials could be presented in PSD mission meetings.
ROSES-2023 Amendment 6 releases text and due dates for a new opportunity: C.24 "Here to Observe" (H2O). No preliminary statement (such as a notice of intent or a step-1 proposal) is requested. This program element does not have a proposal due date, proposals may be submitted at any time.
On or about March 20, 2023, this Amendment to the NASA Research Announcement "Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences (ROSES) 2023" (NNH23ZDA001N) will be posted on the NASA research opportunity homepage at https://solicitation.nasaprs.com/ROSES2023 and will appear on SARA's ROSES blog at: https://science.nasa.gov/researchers/sara/grant-solicitations/roses-2023/
Questions concerning C.24 H2O may be directed to David J. Smith at [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]).
​
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If you wish to unsubscribe from this mailing list, access your NSPIRES account, click on Account Management, then click the Email Subscriptions link.
If you need assistance, please contact the NSPIRES Help Desk at [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) or call 202-479-9376.

Hi all, I have a tournament coming up and I am planning on play modern Naya Burn. It’s the one with the goblins guides, Wild Nactls, Atarka’s command, etc. I was wondering which cards and how many of each I should put in my sideboard. I tried to think through the meta (Izzet Murktide or Graveyard decks, tokens or creativity, hammer time, control, cascade, tron, mill, etc.) and have some ideas but need further help. Some potential cards: Rest in Peace Relic of Progenitus Soul guide lantern
Engineered Explosives Ratchet Bomb
Path to Exile Prismatic Ending Surgical Extraction
Veil of summer? Void mirror? Blood moon (against tron but hurts my mama base as I have mostly non-basics) Gaea’s Blessing Pithing needle
Or some others: Skull crack Roiling vortex Cinder vines Kaldra Compleat Destructive Revelry Kor Firewalker or Dragon’s Claw for Burn Deflecting Palm
Or any other ideas you have. Also how many of each?

If Kenneth Arnold's granddaughter Shanelle Schanz possessed one-hundredth the speaking ability of Richard C. Hoagland, last night would have been a memorable C2C classic. As it was, RCH with his Moon dome made it fascinating fun.
On the afternoon of June 24, 1947, a 32-year-old pilot was flying his CallAir A-2 light plane west of Mt. Rainier at around nine-thousand feet. As his fabric, ceconite covered aircraft putt-putted along at just over 100 mph, he spotted some flying discs. They were strange and weird looking. And fast. They didn't look like anything manufactured by the nearby Boeing company. But what has always been deleted from aeronautical/UFO lore is a possibility there may have been at least two other eye witnesses.
While Kenneth Arnold was spotting those fast-moving saucer-shaped objects, a United Air Lines flight 553 was close by, flying northbound on a scheduled flight from Portland to Seattle. That flight crew was in command of a United Air Lines Mainliner 230. Its "Mainliner" designation was dreamed-up by the airline's marketing department to signify their swift, mileage-saving, center of the country air routing connecting Pacific to Atlantic oceans. In a similar vein, the "230" stood for the DC-4's cruising speed in miles-per-hour. It was all hydrogenated hogwash to pacify a post WW-II flying public longing to be transported in something better, faster, quieter and more luxurious. Until such time as Douglas could deliver more new pressurized DC-6s from the Santa Monica factory, United had to rely upon unpressurized 4-engine Douglas transports that had been converted from their spartan wartime C-54 configuration into a civilian DC-4 configuration-- via 44 cushy passenger seats and some window curtains.
The mighty Mainliner 230 was east of Kenneth Arnold's position, slightly nearer to the 14,411' shield volcano. It was undoubtedly following Victor 495, a low-altitude airway designation. Nearing Seattle, the DC-4 was optimally flying around 8,000 feet on a 345 degree course heading, adhering to the hemispherical flight rule. The crew would have started the decent phase of flight into Sea-Tac, going downward at a 500 fpm rate to be gentle with the passenger's ears, lest they pop. And inside the cockpit, the pace would have quickened in preparation for an approach and landing in Seattle.
A perplexing question remains? Did those two airline pilots on that flight deck spot anything atypical in the skies above Washington State? Or were they too involved with decent checklist flow patterns and dialing-in old NDB frequencies? Having been through aviation museums and having sat in ancient airliners, they are nothing like the glass touchscreen marvels of today. So perhaps this crew was too busy flying "heads down" adjusting throttle-pitch-mixture levers and pulling--pushing--turning huge trim wheels and doo-dads. However, even in 1947 they must have also been looking out the front windshield for air traffic. And when they did, they may have seen a bunch of Captain Kirk starships, flying in close formation near Mt. Rainier.
Did those United pilots take their eye witness accounts to the grave, rather than risk the repercussions of reporting a flight of UFOs?
Kenneth Arnold's aircraft: https://www.ptaeromuseum.com/airplane-exhibit/1949-callair-a-2
United Airlines Lines 1947 Official Airline Guide: https://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/complete//ua47/ua47-6.jpg

I've reached a point of rebuilding from scratch, making different changes and tweaks in attempts to identify bottlenecks and am now just utterly ready to slam my head through a concrete wall because getting wordpress setup in a scaleable configuration while not running at the f**king speed of a snail is proving either me an idiot or the task far less simple than it seems.
Initially I'd been building things up as a multisite following the standard technical outline provided by AWS as well as the numerous guides available in line with this. That is: - decent EC2 instances running behind an ELB - separate Aurora database (have gone serverless and stuck to a ~4gb cap in development - EFS to hold all/part of the Web directory (AWS guides the whole apache Web directory, others to stick to wp-content or even just uploads folder due to NFS constraints) - ElastiCache as well as W3 Total Cache to cover a majority of available caching methods
Now, I'd put the initial poor performance down to the the multisite having over 15 subsites with some 200+ plugins installed. As much as using a multisite network covered a fair few bits of the centralisation we wanted and meant there was less cross-site integration work to be done with some aspects such as GamiPress. So I reached a point where in time and future budget, running everyone off one system appeared to be slamming too many use-cases together. So wipe it all out, rebuild the infrastructure, run the sites individually and settle on external/third-party software and services for sign-on etc.
I am however right back where I began and am none the wiser on what or where things are going wrong. So here's a bit of a summary of the infrastructure setup and then brain dump of where I've thought of issues/what has been tried.
// General Setup // - Decent EC2 instance(s) - RDS instance (Aurora Serverless ~5gb cap) - EFS (mounted to wp-content) - ELB
//// EC2 //// The servers themselves are one of the only things I'm pretty confident are not affecting performance. All the same I've changed the between T2, T3, C4, C5, R5 instance classes and tiers within them. On the whole the server has typically had at least 2 vCPUs and 16GB RAM
//// EFS //// I'm aware of the throughout being related to total capacity on the drive when using General mode and have ensured there's at least 260GB of data.
I've tried provisioned throughput of 10-15Mibs (is this just not enough?) and have not really had any better look with the new elastic mode, I get the feeling it's not quite responsive enough in a web server use case, by the time the throughput has spiked for long enough for it to increase the request is timing out (but am really just guessing on this as there's not a lot of indication within the console as to when and how it triggers and scales.
While AWS documentation advises to mount the entire web directory on the NFS, which I have also tried, in the numerous rebuilds I've generally stuck to either just the uploads folder or the wp-content folder to keep a majority of core files running of the local EBS volume.
//// HTTPS and the ELB //// So I did follow the AWS guide for enabling HTTPS using an amazon issued certificate. On one setup i did get this a little wrong and created a redirect loop so am including details here in case I've bodged anything up in respect of forwarding/redirecting. The ELB has two listeners HTTP:80 and HTTPS:443 and both forward to the target group as is. The webserver then has the following in wp-config and the .htaccess
WP-CONFIG define('WP_HOME','https://domain.tld'); define('WP_SITEURL','https://domain.tld'); define( 'FORCE_SSL_ADMIN', true ); if (strpos($_SERVER['HTTP_X_FORWARDED_PROTO'], 'https') !== false) $_SERVER['HTTPS']='on';
require_once ABSPATH . 'wp-settings.php';
.HTACCESS RewriteEngine On RewriteRule .* - [E=HTTP_AUTHORIZATION:%{HTTP:Authorization}] RewriteBase / RewriteRule ^index.php$ - [L] RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d RewriteRule . /index.php [L]
So as far as I can tell the ELB should pass traffic to the webservers as is in whatever protocol, wordpress is clear on the updated URL of https not HTTP and that the server will sufficiently rewrite URLS to stick to HTTPS and ensure a trailing slash.
//// PHP //// For further reference I've also made varying increases to: Max Input Vars Max Input Time Memory Limit Post Max Size
/// Caching /// So on the initial multisite setups, I'd implemented a fair few caching methods, and while they weren't top production spec, there was very little improvement on speed. I don't currently have any caching running on this individual site build, and frankly, I am not bothered about it right now. It made little difference on the multisite setup, and I have been the only user - imo caching should be improving relatively okay speeds. It is not going to shave 12+ second waits (for 1 visitor) down to 1 second for 50 concurrent visitors for example.
Please discuss, help and advise. On the way home from a 10 hour shift so good chance I've missed some details so please do ask away.

Starting on January, 1, 2016, my self-improvement journey which includes NoFap has been extremely painful, abysmal yet rewarding. At 12 years old, my older brother introduced pornography and I became instantly hooked as I am extremely sensitive to stimuli which I will explain further down this post. See, pornography provided an way for me escape my childhood trauma. I was sexually molested at 5 years old and eventually harassed and bullied in school. Also, I have autism with extreme communication deficits, which causes me to not understand people and get singled out. Shortly afterwards, I starting cheating in school, lived a sedimentary life style, became fat, and masturbated EVERY day in conjunction with watching pornography. I became downright depressed and suicidal. I had several detailed plans on how to do it. I was actually prepared to die because I could not take the misery anymore. I thought I was a burden to my family, community, and country. So one day, I was holding my father's gun pointed to my head ready to end it all. There were two things holding me back. It would of destroyed my kind mother and she would of blamed herself for the rest of her life for the death of her son. Second, my childhood dream of becoming an astronaut. To reach forbidden, undiscovered lands that presents new knowledge to be gained. The ultimate challenge of life. The life of a pioneer, pilot and scientist. After that episode, I was searching on Reddit and found NoFap. A sparkle of light in my dark times, which presented a way for me improve myself. At first, I could barely make two days, but that eventually became three days, and then four days. Soon I was reaching weeks then months. The mindset is the key. To keep trying no matter what. The effort by itself is good enough. I started standing up for myself putting bullies in their place and eventually started excelling in academics because I wanted to learn. After graduating high school, I took a gap year working on my families ranch, while studying philosophy. Nietzsche once said "He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how." The "Why" is the most fundamental question to our lives. Why do you wake up in the morning. Why do you want what you want? Why do you do what you do? If you know the why, then anything is possible. I am a college student that will soon be an Aerospace Engineer, Pilot, and Commissioned Officer in the U.S Air Force within approximately 4-5 years. As of now, I have stopped counting the streak for NoFap and if I gave it a rough estimate, it would be around 160 days. I do all of this because that is what I find meaningful. I do all of this because its what I want to do.
Pardon me for any grammatical and punctuation mistakes, including coherency as I was quite emotional when writing this.
I would suggest using the self authoring program by Dr. Peterson. It guides people through the process of discovering the past, present, and future. If you have any negative thoughts over 18 months old and want to increase self-awareness, I recommend it.

Back First Next
As promised Chapter 2. See you Friday. Also thank you all for the positive reinforcement and being generally encouraging, that is a fresh change of breathe I did not expect.
​
Memory Transcription: Captain Neil Campbell, United Nations ‘Black Watch’ Company #4
Date [standardized human time]: December 3, 2136
Air raid sirens went out and announcements blared with a recorded message from Mayor Zim, “Everyone, please remain calm. The UN forces are here and escorting us to shelter. I repeat, remain calm. Captain Neil has requested all those who can fight, please see him.”
The military shuttle that was supposed to contain the 180 black watch members was lifting off, packed to beyond the safety limits with those who had drawn the short straws, most giving up their place on the ship for their children instead. Very few adults were on board, just enough to cover keeping the children calm and policed.
When none of his men had volunteered, Neil had forcefully selected one. Corporal MacTavish, called Soap as a callsign. “MacTavish, you’ve got one mission, keep them calm, get them to the fleet, and then get them out of the system. They may be the last Tilfish alive. Also tell them where we are and we have the town's civilians with us.” He passed MacTavish a dozen data discs and flash drives. “I am holding you personally responsible for them. You are to ensure this gets up there too. It’s the entire Tilfish public library and all the government documents we could download. At least some of their culture will survive as well. Make sure those children know who they are.”
MacTavish saluted Neil as he turned to get onto the ship last, passing Neil his longarm and every bit of ammunition, grenades, and supplies he had down to his side arm and two magazines he kept for it. “You’ll need these sir.” Neil nodded and passed them to the nearest trooper escorting him.
Moments later, Neil was riding in a recon rover, packed with 4 of his black watch, Zim, and several Tilfish who were either elderly or children. The vehicle’s loud speakers continued to repeat automatically as Neil’s soldier lined the road, directing people forward. They urged them to move quickly but calmly while the vehicle sped for the caldera. “Save your energy, you will need it. Your lives are more valuable than your possessions. Move quickly and stay quiet, every second counts now.”
His troopers offered snacks they had packed, some took them. Trail mix bars, chocolate bars, coffee, water, whatever they happen to have on their person. The point was to prove that the Tilfish were not cattle and that the soldiers had no intention to harm them. Every little bit helped keep them calm and prevent a stampede.
When they arrived at their outpost, Neil stepped into his command tent which was being rapidly torn down now. Only four Tilfish came to Neil to Neil’s call, less than he’d hoped. Four of Four Thousand, they are the bravest four I will ever know. He smiled at that thought.
They were cowering to stand before him as he sized each one up. His glare was hardened from years in the Watch. Ages of fighting simulations and actually being present on The Cradle, earth, and a couple of human brush wars before that.
“I need you four to act as guides for my soldiers, they will protect you with their lives. You will be armed and expected to assist in the defense as well.” He explained firmly after nearly a minute of uncomfortable glares.
“We…we… what are we holding against? Our own people?” one of the Tilfish asked hesitantly and looking terrified at the predator.
“No, I’m not going to sugar coat it. The Arxur are coming, likely will be here within the hour. That transport was the last leaving the spaceport without being intercepted. Our only option is to shelter in place.” He spoke with a kind of hopeless certainty.
The Tilfish all cowered before him as Mayor Zim started to quake standing besides Neil, but Neil was unflinching. “I am asking you to help us make sure as many Tilfish get into the depths of the mountains as we can. I will not lie, our survival is not expected but those tunnels are deep enough that they might just survive until rescue can be sent.”
He looked at the herd walking towards the mountains at a brisk pace, the legs of the insectoids going quickly. “Now listen, I’m going to be sending out aggravation squads to delay incoming Arxur. You two going to be send with them. Our engineers are booby trapping as well as reinforcing the cave depths. Every little bit to assist in making sure the Arxur do not get into the tunnel and that those tunnels survive an orbital bombardment hit.”
One of the Tilfish shook his head, and has an expression of distress with his thorax and legs shifting, "No, nothing survives anti-matter bombs, it's hopeless."
Neil shook his head, "We have several bunker shelters survive near misses and a few survive direct hits on earth and they were barely a few hundred meters below the surface. Those tunnels lead nearly four kilometers down. I sent three engineers with every bit of quick-crete we have and the longer we buy time, the better odds the rest of your down get."
He leaned down onto the electronic display and pointed at the map, eager to change their focus and give them something to not fear. “I presume because you only live a few dozen kilometers from here you know the terrain and know it well?”
The Tilfish were hesitate to move or speak, shaking as if children about to piss themselves because the boogieman was coming out of the closet.
Neil nodded to himself, They’re raw recruits, rookies at best and terrified draftee’s would be in better shape than them. Time to make this clear to them and force them to fight those instincts. He exhaled a breath and deflated himself, letting his intensity wear off for a moment. “What are you names?”
“Jerlio.” The first smaller Tilfish spoke, he was barely taller than Neil’s waist and stood eye level with his belly button.
The second one, larger than the first coming up to Neil’s lower ribs, “H…h….h…Herci.” His speaking is uneasy and shows terror.
The third looked like twins with their spots and faces, if there was a difference Neil couldn’t make it out. “This is Hazeinia and I’m Tia.” They the one on the left spoke. Neil had started to recognize the two sexes of the Tilfish, he wasn’t sure if they had genders but that didn't matter now.
Their movements had them shuffling as if looking for an escape from their situation. Neil knew that for their people just to be standing here before him, meeting his gaze was a lot. He had to take measures into his own hands right now.
“Stand to!” He barked, his voice wasn’t shouting but it was harsh; undeniable, and made all five Tilfish in the room freeze in place. “Listen and listen well, dig this into your minds right now. The four of you have shown uncharacteristic courage just to step up for your people. Now I need you to show courage in spite of your fear. You fight not for your own lives anymore, you fight for those who cannot, those who we are desperately trying to save.”
He took a step forward, and gazed down upon both them, then knelt down to one knee, meeting them at eye level. The Tilfish started to shy away when he reached out a hand and grasped gently but firmly upon two of their feelers. The insectoid fur tickled him while the texture of the carapace was foreign and creepy to him. He steeled himself and brought the most calm he could forward.and his gaze relaxed slightly. “Let me explain something to you, all of you.”
“Humans are not fearless,” His eyes had tears in it, he knew his men would be dying soon and there was little he could do about it. “Every moment we are facing combat; we are terrified. We are scared that we will not take another breath, we fear deeply.” he looked at each of them. “Even if your stomach is tied in knots, you smell the blood and gunpowder, you want to run to save yourself.” He turned to the two he was holding the feelers of. “You can feel the clamminess on my hands, I know your antennae can detect the heightening of my heart rate, and you can see the corners of my eyes as I force the tears back and gain focus.” He took a moment to push through and made a show of gulping in a way to swallow down his fear.
“The difference is that I am asking for you to gather your courage.” His hand got tighter around their feelers not so it hurt but to show a change in demeanor. “It is easy to be brave when you are surrounded by friends, when you outnumber your foes, when you are bigger than them. No, I ask you five to do this, not because it is easy but because it is hard. I need any man, woman, and bug on that line. Nearly four thousand of you have run into those tunnels with forty of my men to keep them calm and moving deeper and deeper.”
He guided the four outside of the command tent into the forested caldera and motioned around to the positions on the reverse slope of the mountain sides, “40 more are under manning Air to Ground missiles, the new interceptor systems, manual fire close in 40mm chainguns, and the three Orbital firing cannons we have. Yet despite the difficulty they have made 40 seem like 400 with how many guns we have working and running.”
“The remaining ninety-nine of my troopers are rigging mines, camouflage firing positions with overlapping fire, explosives, and every other conceivable defense we have. They will be finished soon but we need to delay the enemy just to get our defenses exactly right.”
He turned to them, “Two of you will serve as guides for my soldiers. I’m going to send out a ten size squad. They are going to recon for the Arxur, setup ambushes and make them pay. Once they are spent, they will send you back to report.”
He turned to Jerlio and placed a hand on what he believed to be his shoulder, “I need soldiers and of the Ten Thousand Tilfish we had, the five bravest I’ve ever known are here. We fight back to back, to the end. Not for ourselves but for those Four Thousand in the caves, understood?” He turned to Herci as he spoke.
Each of the Tilfish nodded in turn except for Zim, “What of me? What am I do to?”
“Zim you have the greatest job of all. I need a radio director not only to coordinate our men and relay messages but to broadcast to the fleet for as long as possible. You’ve got 2 hours to study and learn our code book, if you make mistakes it’s okay, repeat it in plain language if needed.” He motioned to the entrance to the cave his people had run into. “The radio is there, work it until it stops functioning, if the Arxur are upon you, there is a pistol on the table and an explosive under it. Detonate the explosive as your last action.”
Zim recoiled, “I… I did not volunteer for a last stand, I don’t understand?”
Neil looked at him hardened and took a step towards Zim, “You voted for our annihilation, and yet here we are, allies. Now you are going to prove those people, your people, who put their faith in you, were right to do so. I’m going to station a trooper there with you if I have to with orders to shoot you if you flee; am I understood!”
It wasn’t a question, Neil had gone from gentle to absolute terrifying fury in merely a few moments. With a slow nod, Zim in agreement. Neil shook his head, “Say it, say Yes Sir to me, Private Zim.”
Zim suddenly straightened as Neil leaned in to look into his eyes, so close that they could feel each other’s breath. Zim was terrified, under the glare of a predator it took several seconds to find his courage. “Yes…. sir…”
Neil snarled, barring his teeth, he would put the fear of the divine into this Tilfish politician, “I can’t hear you, say it, like you mean it.”
Zim nodded and hesitated then realized the ritual he had seen from the humans earlier when Neil was disappointed in one of them. He turned his mandibles to be the best approximation of a salute. “Yes sir!”
“You’re in the Watch now, the Black Watch. Our motto is Nemo me impune lacessit. It means, No One Provokes Me with Impunity. Now get moving, there is an equipment sergeant nearby and once I’ve selected my troopers you will go with them. Zim get to that radio and start studying that code book until you are certain you can reference it. Every one of our lives and the lives of those ten thousand depend upon it.”
He looked from one of them to the other, giving each Tilfish a confident grin, ensuring he did not show his teeth but only curling up his lips. “Dismissed!”
The Tilfish scrambled towards their ordered positions where troopers went to meet them. Neil picked up his radio and tuned it to, he had one final duty to perform before the battle was to begin. “All Black Watch members, stop for a moment and listen. I’ll give you a moment to finish your tasks.” Neil took a moment as he pulled a cigarette out of his pocket, he didn’t actually smoke but carried them to share with those that did. At this point however, what was one more bad habit. He lit it and took a puff similar to how he did on a joint in college. He exhaled and pushed the radio button again. “What I am about to ask you all to do should be considered unconscionable just two days ago. We are disobeying our orders, we were supposed to be on that transport. I understand this may upset some of you but we have a duty." Neil took a breath as he wasn't completely sure if all of his troopers would obey him and go with this idea or not. He spoke his next words slowly and with gravity. "Four Thousand civilians; they are in those tunnels along with 40 of your brothers and sisters. We are their only hope.”
He paused to take another draw of the cigarette, he could understand now why some soldiers had this habit, really calmed his nerves for the next part. “If any man or woman doesn’t feel this is right, there is room for you in those tunnels, speak up and you will be relieved and sent. No questions asked; no shame given, I understand not wanting to die for a species that a week ago was trying to annihilate our existence.”
He waited and when no one spoke up, he pushed the radio again. “Anyone? Sergeants, report in.”
“Platoon A, no one is moving sir.”
“Platoon B, we’re here and we’re staying, all of us apparently.”
“Platoon C, guns are manned and ready, this is where they die and we stand.”
Platoon D didn’t report in, they must be too deep underground now for radio transmissions. That was good enough for him, at least they would survive if the first bomb got through. The follow ups they would need to keep going down. He hoped their air would hold out.
“Alright, the enemy is coming. The fleet cannot hold and is working to withdraw. We will have no artillery, air, armor, or naval support. We are on our own. What I am asking you to do is going to get you all killed. Make peace with any deity you believe in. Get any addiction you need satisfied, eat something, drink some water, and finish your preparations. Schmidt is coming with James, they are going to lead Platoon B squad 3 and Platoon A squad 4 on a little recon in force mission. They have their orders, and you have your’s.” He took another draw of his cigarette. “I will see you on the other side. Nemo Me Impune Lacessit.”
The radio resounded for the next several moments with all of his 139 remaining soldiers sounding off the Black Watch motto.
The Captain stepped out of his tent, he picked up a rifle, the one MacTavoish handed him. He checked the magazine, breech, and sights then chambered a round and turned off his safety. Slowly he walked towards his own position.
A shuttle was coming down, damaged badly but this wasn't a civilian shuttle or an escape shutttle. It was an armored assault shuttle. "What Now?"

For Competitive Breeding Guide (IVs, Abilities, Natures, and Egg Moves) Link
For Shiny Pokémon Guide Link

Picnics

Eggs will appear in the basket in front of the picnic table while any two compatible Pokémon are in a picnic (including both the player's party and any other players' Pokémon also present in a Union Circle). When an Egg is collected from the basket, it is automatically sent to a Box. The basket can hold up to 10 eggs at once, and will not produce more eggs until the player collects them to make space for more.

Breeding requirements

Pokémon are compatible if they share an Egg Group and are of opposite genders. The resulting egg will be the same species as the female parent.
Alternatively, you can pair a Pokémon of any gender with a ditto to breed more of the non-Ditto Pokémon. This is the only way to breed genderless Pokémon like Sinistea, or Pokémon that can only be male like Tauros. Keep in mind that certain Pokémon, including some genderless Pokémon and most legendary and mythical Pokémon, are in the “undiscovered” Egg Group and can’t breed at all.
Baby pokémon like Azurill and Bonsly also cannot breed.

Producing Baby pokémon eggs using Incense

Incenses do not exist in Paldea, so breeding these pokémon will result in the following eggs:

• Breeding Chansey or Blissey = Happiny eggs
• Breeding Marill or Azumarill = Azurill eggs
• Breeding Sudowoodo = Bonsly eggs

It is not possible to produce Chansey, Marill, or Sudowoodo Eggs in this generation.

Egg Power Sandwich

The Oval Charm does not exist in Paldea, and has been replaced by Egg Power Sandwiches instead.
It is recommended to make an Egg Power sandwich when breeding, as this will speed up the egg-making AND egg-hatching process (this does not increase shiny odds).

Passing down the same Poké Ball

• If the Pokémon are different species - the offspring will inherit the mother's poké ball
• If the Pokémon are of the same species - the offspring will have 50/50 chance to inherit the parent's poké ball
• If breeding with a Ditto - the offspring will be in the poké ball that the other parent is in. Dittos cannot pass on poké balls to their offspring

Cherish, Master and Strange balls cannot be passed down, they will result in eggs hatched from standard Poké balls.

Inheriting forms

Important to note: The Gigantamax Factor, Marks and Ribbons cannot be passed down by breeding
Forms that can be inherited:

• Paldean Tauros (Aqua/Blaze/Combat)
• Shellos
• Basculin
• Flabébé
• Squawkabilly
• Tatsugiri
• Oricorio (form can be changed with nectars after it is hatched)
• Deerling (form can be changed after it is hatched)
• Rockruff with the ability Own Tempo, which evolves into Lycanroc's Dusk Form, is treated as a separate form and can pass down this trait to its offspring

Forms that cannot be inherited:

• Sinistea will always hatch as a Phony Form, even if its parent is an Antique Form
• Rotom are always hatched in their normal form
• Dunsparce and Tandemaus, where the species and form they will evolve into is predetermined when they are first generated, do not follow form inheritance rules. The forms of the parents have no influence on the personality value or encryption constant.
• Vivillons that are hatched will always be Fancy form, even if a postcard is active in-game.
• Greninja with the Ability Battle Bond is a distinct form from common Greninja, and cannot breed as it is a member of the No Eggs Discovered Egg group.

Forms that are not dependant on breeding:

• Toxtricity's form depends on its nature, but can be inherited if the parent is holding an everstone. Mints do not effect the form and will always evolve based on its original nature
• Alcremie's form depends on the sweet it is holding, the direction the Trainer spins and time of day when evolved from Milcery (to be updated when Milcery and Alcremie are added in the DLC)

Regional Forms

Give the regional pokémon an everstone to hold onto while breeding to produce more of the regional form (note that giving the parent pokemon an everstone will pass down its nature too). This includes:

• Johtonian Wooper and Quagsire
• Galarian Meowth and Perrserker
• Hisuian Zorua and Zoroark

Kantonian Tauros is currently not in the base game, but may appear in a future DLC/ event.

Hatching Eggs

Eggs will hatch when their Egg cycles reaches 0 by walking or biking, and each Pokemon hatches at a different rate. Magikarp has the fewest Egg cycles, meaning they hatch the fastest. Some baby Pokémon in the No Eggs Discovered Egg Group, such as Pichu and Igglybuff, hatch quickly as well. Rare and powerful Pokémon, like Dratini and Bagon start with a high number of Egg cycles and take a long time to hatch.
If more than one Egg reaches the required steps at the same time, the first Egg hatches immediately while the rest hatch in order each time the player takes another step.
Eggs will always hatch as first-stage Pokémon.

Flame Body, Magma Armor, and Steam Engine ability

Remember to put a Pokémon that has either Flame Body, Magma Armor, or Steam Engine as its ability at the front of your party when hatching eggs (whether it is knocked out or not) as these abilities cut the steps needed to hatch eggs by half.
Having multiple Pokémon with the Ability or one with each will not increase the Egg cycle reduction.

FAQs

Why can't I start a picnic?

You cannot start a picnic when:

• On a slope
• Riding your legendary
• In water
• In a town
• In a narrow space
• In a building
• In (spoiler) Area Zero

​

Can I produce ditto eggs?

No, dittos cannot be produced by eggs, even when using a ditto parent. The only way to obtain ditto is through wild encounters, Tera raids or trading. There are currently no ditto event distributions.
​

Will my pokémon breed down their hyper-trained stats?

No, hyper-trained stats will not be passed down through breeding. You will pass down the pre-hyper-trained stats instead.
​

Will my pokémon breed down their old or new nature after I changed it with a mint?

You pokémon will pass down the old nature, pre-minted.
​

What pokemon can I not breed/ produce from eggs?

Currently, the only pokémon that cannot breed are the baby pokémon, box legendaries, the Paradox pokémon, and the Treasure of Ruin pokémon.
​

Eggs are not spawning/ taking a long time to produce?

Pokémon with high friendship produce eggs quicker. Wash it, play with it, and use items to boost its friendship. You will have better success with parent pokémon with 3-4 hearts and an Egg Power sandwich.
Also make sure:

• Your pokémon are compatible (in the right egg group)
• You are not using baby pokémon like Azurill and Pichu
• You are not using legendary/ paradox pokémon (even if they have genders)
• The pokémon you are using are not in the undiscovered egg group
• The pokémon you are using are of opposite genders (unless one is ditto)

​

Why do I sometimes get a different egg hatching animation?

You will get a different egg hatching animation depending on whether you have enough space for the egg to hatch, and whether you are on a slope. Eggs in water will hatch on a float if there is enough space.
The colour of the animation does not affect the stats or shiny odds.

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Faction:
Union of Yuktobanian Republics
​
Class:
Project 956 Sarych/Sovremenny-class Guided Missile Destroyer
​
Background:
In the Strangereal World…
The Sarych-class Guided Missile Destroyers ^\1]) were the brainchild of Yuktobanian Fleet Admiral Khristofor Braginsky ^\2]) under the purview of naval guns still retaining a role in amphibious landings, as well as a desire to replace earlier gun cruisers and destroyers such as the Varyag-class ^\3]) in the case of the former and the Skrytny-class ^\4]) for the latter. This new ship would be developed around the 130mm automatic gun in twin turrets, allowing her to fulfill her role as a support ship for amphibious assaults. As the Osean Maritime Defense Force was developing the Cavalier-class ^\5]) (and would later co-develop the Chivalry-class ^\6]) with the Independent State of Ugellas when the Cold War began in 1980 in one of the last cooperative agreements between Osea and a Usean nation until the late 2000’s), the ships would adopt a new air-defense and anti-ship suite, including the SS-N-22 “Sunburn” Anti-Ship Missiles, (which would later be adapted for use by Yuktobanian Su-33 “Flanker-D’s”) and SA-N-7 “Gadfly” Surface-to-Air Missiles.
YNS Chuda was the tenth Sarych-class laid down, when she was laid down on 30 December 1984 originally as YNS Gremyashchy at Okchabursk Shipyard, before being launched under her current name 23 November 1987. She was commissioned into the Yuktobanian Navy on 30 May 1988. Chuda’s early career would be dominated by the general tensions wrought by the Cold War between Yuktobania and the Osean Federation. In this capacity she would serve as a picket and air-defense ship attached to the Admiral Tsanev battlegroup, a role that she would spend the majority of her career in, largely operating in the waters of the Ceres Ocean, patrolling the seas and often times participating in shadowing Osean navy forces in the general area. These operations would be scaled down when Yuktobania declared for Osea and the allied powers in their war with the Belkan Federation in 1995, though no Yuktobanian Navy asset would take part in the Belkan War.
Chuda was among the many warships that would serve as escorts when Admiral Tsanev carried Yuktobanian Prime Minister Feodor Samanov for a symbolic meeting to the Republic of Sotoa for a meeting with Sotoan President Abulhassan Hoseini on 21 April 1996. This would be a part of later plans by both Samanov and his successor as Prime Minister, Sergei Viktorovich “Seryozha” Nikanor in pursuing peaceful relations following the tragic and self-inflicted nuclear strikes by Belka that ended the Belkan War as well as the subsequent end of the Cold War and the news of the impending threat of the Ulysses 1994XF04 Asteroid that was due to impact the Earth in three years’ time. It was in fact due to this knowledge that Chuda, along with many of her sister ships would receive a refit that allowed the ships to simulate a limited AEGIS capability, a feature that would be perfected with the later Admiral Tikhemenev-class Frigates ^\7]) used by Yuktobania and more infamously, by the Erusean Royal Navy. Chuda’s refit would be completed on 16 February 1998, with the ship being equipped with weapons to defend her battlegroup and Yuktobanian coastline from the threat of asteroid fragments.
These weapons would not be used however on the fateful day, 3 July 1999. Although Yuktobania would see itself subjected to a number of impacts from fragments of the Ulysses asteroid, they were too few, too isolated and far out of range of any of the converted Sarych-class ships to strike Yuktobania. In fact, Yuktobania comparatively suffered minimal damage compared to the devastation wrought upon the Usean Continent and the Socialist Federal Republic of Estovakia on the Anean Continent. The remainder of the year, and over the course of the next decade would see Chuda employed in humanitarian efforts all over the world, in response to the aftermath of Ulysses’ planetfall. She would also escort a number of transports delivering engineers and material in the construction of Basset Space Center in southwestern Osea, with the aim being to outfit their maneuvering space vehicle, the Arkbird with the tools to destroy the remaining fragments of the asteroid.
These operations for Chuda would end in early 2010, when the Admiral Tsanev battlegroup would withdraw back to Tiger Naval Port for exercises and preparations for what would become the start of a war of Osea. Though the war (which would become known as the Circum-Pacific War) would begin on 27 September, Chuda’s involvement in the early weeks were minimal, with the battlegroup remaining at port, in favor of supporting use of YNS Scinfaxi, a submersible aviation cruiser in the opening days of the conflict. The Tsanev battlegroup would largely remaining based at the Tiger Naval Port until news of the sinking of Scinfaxi reached Naval HQ, and the decision was made to move the ship north into the Fuscum Sea, largely away from combat operations, even as the Yuktobanian mainland was itself invaded by Osea on 1 November. The reasons for this move remains a topic of debate to this day, either stemming from a desire to have aircraft from the Admiral Tsanev to provide CAS and CAP operations in various hotspots where the Osean and Yuktobanian Armies were fighting, while others cite the possibility of the Commander of the Admiral Tsanev, Captain Afansy Kostroma to have had Belkan sympathies (with some even believing that he was secretly a Belkan, one of many who infiltrated the Yuktobanian government and military, though that claim has not been substantiated) and wanted to hold back the fleet until such a time to inflict maximum damage to Osean and Yuktobanian forces both. Whatever the case may be, Chuda would remain out of action for much of the conflict, only setting off from Leopard Naval Base on 15 December once Osean advances had been thoroughly stalled along the outskirts of Cinigrad and before reaching the city of Okchabursk.
On 1721 hours on 29 December 2010, The Admiral Tsanev battlegroup encountered a small Osean fleet in the Ceres Ocean. To Kostroma’s luck, the flagship of that fleet was the Hubert-class aircraft carrier OFS Kestrel, a ship that had managed to escape Yuktobanian attacks time and time again. Kostroma would order all ships to battlestations to engage this Osean fleet. It was then a most unexpected moment would occur that would change everything. Seryozha Nikanor, the Prime Minister of Yuktobania was aboard the Kestrel and implored his countrymen to cease this conflict for the sake of saving Yuktobania. These words fell on deaf ears for many of the ships, with Captain Kostroma even labeling Nikanor a traitor for having aligned himself with the Oseans. Many of the ships, but not all, as the captain of one of the ships in the battlegroup, the Burevestnik-class Guided Missile Frigate Pitomik would protest this order, citing his loyalty to the Prime Minister, Kostroma would respond by ordering his “loyal” ships to sink the Pitomik, hitting the ship with four shells, including a fatal hit to the bridge, killing its Captain, Mikhail Sablin and sinking the ship in 1722 hrs. This callous act, would compel the captain of another Sarych-class Destroyer, Gumrak, Aleksandr Ramius to defect to the Kestrel Fleet. Chuda’s captain, Konstantin Petrov, would join the Gumrak in the defection, alongside another Sarych-class, Dub. The three ships would elude Yuktobanian gun and missile fire along with aircraft from the Tsanev as it sought to close the distance and join the newly established Kestrel Fleet. This task would prove easier with the support of Kestrel’s airgroup, the Razgriz Air Command Squadron, which fought hard to defend the Kestrel’s fleet as well as the defecting Yuktobanian ships, while supporting efforts to rescue crew members from both the attacking Yuktobanian fleet as well as from Osea’s Barbet battlegroup that also attacked the Kestrel. In the end, the Kestrel fleet would survive the battle mostly unscathed. Chuda would later take part in the sinking of an Osean November City-class submarine, OFS Sudentor the following day, after the latter successfully struck the Kestrel with two Harpoon Anti-Ship Missiles, sinking the venerated carrier.
Upon the cessation of hostilities on 31 December 2010, Chuda, alongside Gumrak and Dub would return to Tiger Naval Port for repairs and refits, and would spend much of the following year escorting Osean ships as they brought Army and Air Force units back home to Osea. Chuda would be decommissioned on 23 April 2016, and would be sold for scrap the following year.
^\1]: Headcanon in-universe name for the Sovremenny-class DDG’s.)
^\2]: The name Admiral Braginsky being a reference to a Russian Kara-class guided missile cruiser that appeared in Ace Combat: Assault Horizon.)
^\3]: Yuktobanian Sverdlov-class CL’s)
^\4]: Yuktobanian Kotlin-class DD’s.)
^\5]: Osean Spruance-class DDG’s)
^\6]: Osean/Ugellan Hatakaze-class DDG’s)
^\7]: Yuktobanian Admiral Gorshkov-class FFG’s)
​
Namesake:
Chuda is a Russian word meaning “marvel” or “wonder.”
​
Rarity:
SR
​
Stat Spread:
As a guided missile destroyer, Chuda sports good firepower, higher than conventional destroyers (B), and a well off torpedo stat (A) and decent anti-aircraft stat (B), due to her OTL class role of an anti-ship and anti-air platform during the late-era Cold War. Her HP pool, reflecting Destroyers of that era, is largely comparable to Light Cruisers (B). Chuda’s speed is also fairly decent (B).
​
Abilities:

• A Marvelous Path to Peace: For the first 30 seconds of battle, increase this ship’s Speed by 5 and Firepower by 15% (30%). After 30 seconds, increase AA by 15% (30%) and increase the Aviation of all Carriers, Light Carriers and Aviation Battleships in the same fleet as this ship is in by 10% (20%).
• A Wondrous Performance: If this ship is equipped with anti-ship missiles, every time this ship fires her missiles, evade all attacks for the next 3 seconds. If this ship is equipped with torpedoes, launch a unique torpedo barrage that can also hit submerged submarines as if they were surfaced. Damage is based on skill level.

​
Personality:
Chuda is a person who is cool as a cucumber and one who is often always close to Gumrak, often being led into trouble but is calm enough to know how to get her and her friends out. She’s teasing at times, often to her Osean counterparts, but she’s caring enough to aid those who need it.
​
Quotes:

• Acquisition: It’s a pleasure to meet you, Commander. Who am I? I’m mystery woman number one! But if you do want to give me a name, then call me, Chuda.
• Secretary (Idle) 1: Heh, are you really a person of few words like that flight lead Kestrel drags along?
• Secretary (Idle) 2: You can call me a problem solver, in more ways than one~.
• Secretary (Idle) 3: Hey…wake up Commander. Were you dreaming about me?
• Secretary (Touch): Like the aviators, Commander? You should buy yourself a pair, I bet it’ll look nice on you.
• Secretary (Special Touch): Hey, hey *wags finger* Look, don’t touch.
• Skill Activation: Let’s make this memorable, girls!
• Affinity (Disappointed): Just what kind of Commander are you?
• Affinity (Stranger): Blindly following orders, or thinking on your initiative? I’m not worried either way, I can do just about anything you need of me.
• Affinity (Friendly): Heh, a royal flush, or a pair of twos? Learning what moves people make before they make that move makes a good spy.
• Affinity (Like): What do you do in your free time, I wonder? Buddy, do I have news for you. Get up off your desk and have a good time, and I’ll be there to drag you along whether you like it or not~
• Affinity (Love): Peace is something worth fighting for. But don’t try to overdo it now, or you’ll get your earful from everyone. Yes, that means me too~!
• Oath: Well, well…I’m amazed, Commander~. I thought I could have you wrapped around my thumb, but I never expected you to turn that back on me. Hehe, then come and claim your reward!
• Sortie (Kestrel): You’ve made quite the legend. Gave everybody quite the headache too.
• Sortie (Gumrak): Well you’ve never steered me wrong before…right?
• Sortie (Gremyashchy): Hey, aren’t you supposed to be a bit thunderous?
• Sortie (Kronshtadt): I wonder how many wild places you’ve visited in your time as a spy, Kron~?

​
Design:
Chuda is depicted as a girl in her late-teens with medium-back length snow white hair with a long braid at the side coming down to the front of her shoulder and ruby red eyes. Her attire is a white button-up coat with a red ascot that has yellow trim and a pin on her right chest that sports the Yuktobanian deer that serves as its national animal. A white skirt with blue trim at the base, white stockings and black shoes with grey at the base round out her attire. In addition, Chuda wears a pair of sunglasses on her face.
Chuda’s rigging is fairly straightforward, consisting of a split in the bow on each side of her body, and two plates of side armor serving as makeshift pauldrons, each of which carry a pair of quad missile launchers that carry the SS-N-22 “Sunburn” Anti-Ship Missiles. In her hands is a single twin turret AK-130 which she uses as a makeshift pistol. Her superstructure serves as a backpack of sorts, with her helipad in the back of it.
​
A/N:
This ship was requested to me by u/All-Hands-112. I hope you like this design as I did making it.
My second Ace Combat 5 ship that featured exclusively in Mission 26 ladies and gentlemen, and in this case I've already made my thoughts known on that particular mission with Character Concept #96: OFS Barbet, as well as my thoughts on the game itself, so I'm not going to go into details here. But it is my first Ace Combat concept involving a Yuktobanian warship, aka what happens when Russia wasn't united by the Grand Duchy of Moscow but instead, united under the Principality of Nizhny Novgorod (and I'm not kidding, the reindeer emblem used by Yuktobania, while actually a reference to a car company from the titular city, also happens to be the coat of arms for said titular city). All in all, an interesting concept, and also by extension the first Russian design I made into a shipgirl in two years.
Last time, when I did PSS Wasp, I've announced that I was going to remake the concepts of Year 1 to post into AO3. Well I'm pleased to announce that the first of these has now been posted to that website, my first concept, USS Franklin D. Roosevelt, which I will link here. I won't be announcing these on Reddit on a regular basis as I want to focus on continue the upcoming concepts, but if you are interested, those updated CC's will be found on my list of ships, as well as the original Google Docs that I used to write these up for posting.
As always, if you want to suggest a ship or retrofit in the future, please leave it in the comments below, you can also reach me via DM's to make your suggestions as well. Next time we will beginning the next theming operation, Codename: Weissenburg after the battle in the Franco-Prussian War. This theme will showcase the German battlecruiser line from World of Warships. Starting off we will be taking a look at Tier III German Battlecruiser, and Germany's first ever battlecruiser, the Bavarian Knight herself, SMS Von der Tann.
Link to the list of ships

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