Planet fitness bremerton washington
How can I reach planet fitness besides calling them?
2023.05.30 22:08 lucatatas How can I reach planet fitness besides calling them?
How can I reach planet fitness besides calling them? I am not in the US so calling is very expensive. I did not find any mail adresses or live chats which is very annoying.
Thanks in advance!
submitted by lucatatas to PlanetFitnessMembers [link] [comments]
Thanks in advance!
2023.05.30 22:04 No_Priority963 (19M4A) going to planet fitness at 4:30 pm đ come by the locker room to get your dick sucked đ
submitted by No_Priority963 to wichita_falls_queers [link] [comments]
2023.05.30 21:41 AutoModerator How To Watch Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Online For Free
Marvel Comics! Hereâs downloading or watching Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse streaming the full movie online for free on 123movies & Reddit, including where to watch the anticipated Pixarâs Movie at home. Is Lightyear 2023 available to stream? Is watching Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse 2023 on Disney Plus, HBO Max, Netflix, or Amazon Prime? Yes, we have found a faithful streaming option/service.
Click Here Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse 2023 FullMovie Link
Click Here Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse 2023 FullMovie Link
Over 25 years ago, a little boy named Andy received a Buzz Lightyear action figure in the 1995 Pixar film Toy Story. Now, all these years later, audiences will finally see the movie that inspired that action figure in the Toy Story spin-off movie, Lightyear, which is soaring into theatres this weekend.
Watch Now: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Free Online
This is not the Buzz Lightyear you know and loveâthe one who is best friends with Woody and voiced by Tim Allen. This is the original Buzz Lightyear, a bonafide space ranger voiced by Chris Evans, who is stranded on a hostile planet that is 4.2 million lightyears from Earth, alongside his commander and crew. The Lightyear cast also includes the voices of Keke Palmer, Peter Sohn, James Brolin, Taika Waititi, Dale Soules, Uzo Aduba, and Isiah Whitlock Jr.
Watch Now: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Free Online
With this new Toy Story adventure coming to theatres, you may feel the urge to revisit the classics. The decider is here to help with that. Read on to find out what Toy Story movies to watch before Lightyear and how to stream the Toy Story.
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Can I Stream Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse?
You canât stream Lightyear yet â but youâll be able to soon. As a Disney movie, you can expect Lightyear to drop on their streaming service, Disney Plus, in the coming weeks, but the exact date of when that might happen hasnât been announced yet.
Generally, with their cinematic releases, Disney and Pixar tend to follow either a 30-day release window or a 45-day release window. We donât know which one theyâre going with yet for Lightyear, but this means that given the movieâs global release date is June 17, we can expect Lightyear to be on Disney Plus sometime between July 21 and August 3, 2022.
Where To Watch Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Online
With a new Lightyear coming out very soon, you may want to rewatch all the movies. Or, if you havenât given the animated adventure films a shot, now is your chance.
Just click the link below to watch the full movie in its entirety. Details on how you can watch Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse COUGHING for free throughout the year are described below. If youâre a fan of the comics, you wonât want to miss this one! The storyline follows Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Coughing as he tries to find his way home after being stranded on an alien planet. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse COUGHING is definitely a Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Coughing movie you donât want to miss with stunning visuals and an action-packed plot! Plus, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Coughing online streaming is available on our website. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Coughing online free, which includes streaming options such as 123movies, Reddit, or TV shows from HBO Max or Netflix! Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Coughing Release in US Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Coughing hits theaters on September 23, 2023. Tickets to see the film at your local movie theater are available online here. The film is being released in a wide release so you can watch it in person.
Lightyear can all be streamed using an HBO Max or Hulu subscription. If youâd prefer to rent the movies, only the first two are on Prime Video. Otherwise, all three films can be rented on YouTube, Apple TV+, or Google Play Movies & TV.
The second film in the franchise, Lightyear, will be released on June 17, 2022. Right now, itâs not confirmed where the movie will be streamed after its big-screen release.
Is Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on Netflix?
Lightyear is not available to watch on Netflix. Suppose youâre interested in other movies and shows. In that case, one can access the vast library of titles within Netflix under various subscription costs depending on the plan you choose: $9.99 per month for the basic plan, $15.99 monthly for the standard plan, and $19.99 a month for the premium plan.
Is Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on Disney Plus?
No sign of Lightyear on Disney+, which is proof that the House of Mouse doesnât have its hands on every franchise! Home to the likes of âStar Wars, âMarvelâ, âPixarâ, National Geographicâ, ESPN, STAR, and so much more, Disney+ is available at the annual membership fee of $79.99 or the monthly cost of $7.99. If youâre a fan of even one of these brands, then signing up to Disney+ is worth it, and there arenât any ads, either.
Is My Space a Good Fit for Airbnb?
Is Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on HBO Max?
Sorry, Lightyear is not available on HBO Max. There is a lot of content from HBO Max for $14.99 a month, such a subscription is ad-free, and it allows you to access all the titles in the library of HBO Max. The streaming platform announced an ad-supported version that costs a lot less at $9.99 per month.
Is Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on Hulu?
Theyâre not on Hulu, either! But prices for this streaming service currently start at $6.99 per month or $69.99 for the whole year. The ad-free version costs $12.99 per month, $64.99 per month for Hulu + Live TV, or $70.99 for the ad-free Hulu + Live TV.
Is Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse 2022 on Amazon Video?
Unfortunately, Lightyear is not available to stream for free on Amazon Prime Video. However, you can choose other shows and movies to watch from there as it has a wide variety of shows and movies that you can choose from for $14.99 a month.
Is Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on Peacock?
Lightyear is not available to watch on Peacock at the time of writing. Peacock offers a subscription costing $4.99 a month or $49.99 per year for a premium account. Like its namesake, the streaming platform is free with the content out in the open. However, limited.
Who Is in the Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Cast?
Captain America himself, Chris Evans, will be the voice of the filmâs titular Space Ranger. Apart from Evans, Keke Palmer (Scream Queens), Dale Soules (Orange Is the New Black), and Taika Waititi (Jojo Rabbit) have also been announced as part of the cast, lending their voices to other ambitious recruits at Star Command. The voice cast includes Uzo Aduba, James Brolin, Mary McDonald-Lewis, Efren Ramirez, Peter Sohn, and Isiah Whitlock Jr. Bonus: Check out this featurette where the cast talks about what Buzz Lightyear means to them.
submitted by AutoModerator to SpiderManAcrossfree [link] [comments]
Click Here Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse 2023 FullMovie Link
Click Here Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse 2023 FullMovie Link
Over 25 years ago, a little boy named Andy received a Buzz Lightyear action figure in the 1995 Pixar film Toy Story. Now, all these years later, audiences will finally see the movie that inspired that action figure in the Toy Story spin-off movie, Lightyear, which is soaring into theatres this weekend.
Watch Now: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Free Online
This is not the Buzz Lightyear you know and loveâthe one who is best friends with Woody and voiced by Tim Allen. This is the original Buzz Lightyear, a bonafide space ranger voiced by Chris Evans, who is stranded on a hostile planet that is 4.2 million lightyears from Earth, alongside his commander and crew. The Lightyear cast also includes the voices of Keke Palmer, Peter Sohn, James Brolin, Taika Waititi, Dale Soules, Uzo Aduba, and Isiah Whitlock Jr.
Watch Now: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Free Online
With this new Toy Story adventure coming to theatres, you may feel the urge to revisit the classics. The decider is here to help with that. Read on to find out what Toy Story movies to watch before Lightyear and how to stream the Toy Story.
Stock Trading Made Easy with Etrade
Can I Stream Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse?
You canât stream Lightyear yet â but youâll be able to soon. As a Disney movie, you can expect Lightyear to drop on their streaming service, Disney Plus, in the coming weeks, but the exact date of when that might happen hasnât been announced yet.
Generally, with their cinematic releases, Disney and Pixar tend to follow either a 30-day release window or a 45-day release window. We donât know which one theyâre going with yet for Lightyear, but this means that given the movieâs global release date is June 17, we can expect Lightyear to be on Disney Plus sometime between July 21 and August 3, 2022.
Where To Watch Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Online
With a new Lightyear coming out very soon, you may want to rewatch all the movies. Or, if you havenât given the animated adventure films a shot, now is your chance.
Just click the link below to watch the full movie in its entirety. Details on how you can watch Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse COUGHING for free throughout the year are described below. If youâre a fan of the comics, you wonât want to miss this one! The storyline follows Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Coughing as he tries to find his way home after being stranded on an alien planet. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse COUGHING is definitely a Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Coughing movie you donât want to miss with stunning visuals and an action-packed plot! Plus, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Coughing online streaming is available on our website. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Coughing online free, which includes streaming options such as 123movies, Reddit, or TV shows from HBO Max or Netflix! Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Coughing Release in US Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Coughing hits theaters on September 23, 2023. Tickets to see the film at your local movie theater are available online here. The film is being released in a wide release so you can watch it in person.
Lightyear can all be streamed using an HBO Max or Hulu subscription. If youâd prefer to rent the movies, only the first two are on Prime Video. Otherwise, all three films can be rented on YouTube, Apple TV+, or Google Play Movies & TV.
The second film in the franchise, Lightyear, will be released on June 17, 2022. Right now, itâs not confirmed where the movie will be streamed after its big-screen release.
Is Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on Netflix?
Lightyear is not available to watch on Netflix. Suppose youâre interested in other movies and shows. In that case, one can access the vast library of titles within Netflix under various subscription costs depending on the plan you choose: $9.99 per month for the basic plan, $15.99 monthly for the standard plan, and $19.99 a month for the premium plan.
Is Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on Disney Plus?
No sign of Lightyear on Disney+, which is proof that the House of Mouse doesnât have its hands on every franchise! Home to the likes of âStar Wars, âMarvelâ, âPixarâ, National Geographicâ, ESPN, STAR, and so much more, Disney+ is available at the annual membership fee of $79.99 or the monthly cost of $7.99. If youâre a fan of even one of these brands, then signing up to Disney+ is worth it, and there arenât any ads, either.
Is My Space a Good Fit for Airbnb?
Is Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on HBO Max?
Sorry, Lightyear is not available on HBO Max. There is a lot of content from HBO Max for $14.99 a month, such a subscription is ad-free, and it allows you to access all the titles in the library of HBO Max. The streaming platform announced an ad-supported version that costs a lot less at $9.99 per month.
Is Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on Hulu?
Theyâre not on Hulu, either! But prices for this streaming service currently start at $6.99 per month or $69.99 for the whole year. The ad-free version costs $12.99 per month, $64.99 per month for Hulu + Live TV, or $70.99 for the ad-free Hulu + Live TV.
Is Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse 2022 on Amazon Video?
Unfortunately, Lightyear is not available to stream for free on Amazon Prime Video. However, you can choose other shows and movies to watch from there as it has a wide variety of shows and movies that you can choose from for $14.99 a month.
Is Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on Peacock?
Lightyear is not available to watch on Peacock at the time of writing. Peacock offers a subscription costing $4.99 a month or $49.99 per year for a premium account. Like its namesake, the streaming platform is free with the content out in the open. However, limited.
Who Is in the Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Cast?
Captain America himself, Chris Evans, will be the voice of the filmâs titular Space Ranger. Apart from Evans, Keke Palmer (Scream Queens), Dale Soules (Orange Is the New Black), and Taika Waititi (Jojo Rabbit) have also been announced as part of the cast, lending their voices to other ambitious recruits at Star Command. The voice cast includes Uzo Aduba, James Brolin, Mary McDonald-Lewis, Efren Ramirez, Peter Sohn, and Isiah Whitlock Jr. Bonus: Check out this featurette where the cast talks about what Buzz Lightyear means to them.
2023.05.30 21:37 AutoModerator How To Watch Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Online Free Streaming at Reddit
Marvel Comics! Hereâs downloading or watching Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse streaming the full movie online for free on 123movies & Reddit, including where to watch the anticipated Pixarâs Movie at home. Is Lightyear 2023 available to stream? Is watching Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse 2023 on Disney Plus, HBO Max, Netflix, or Amazon Prime? Yes, we have found a faithful streaming option/service.
Click Here Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse FullMovie Link
Over 25 years ago, a little boy named Andy received a Buzz Lightyear action figure in the 1995 Pixar film Toy Story. Now, all these years later, audiences will finally see the movie that inspired that action figure in the Toy Story spin-off movie, Lightyear, which is soaring into theatres this weekend.
Watch Now: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Free Online
This is not the Buzz Lightyear you know and loveâthe one who is best friends with Woody and voiced by Tim Allen. This is the original Buzz Lightyear, a bonafide space ranger voiced by Chris Evans, who is stranded on a hostile planet that is 4.2 million lightyears from Earth, alongside his commander and crew. The Lightyear cast also includes the voices of Keke Palmer, Peter Sohn, James Brolin, Taika Waititi, Dale Soules, Uzo Aduba, and Isiah Whitlock Jr.
Watch Now: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Free Online
With this new Toy Story adventure coming to theatres, you may feel the urge to revisit the classics. The decider is here to help with that. Read on to find out what Toy Story movies to watch before Lightyear and how to stream the Toy Story.
Stock Trading Made Easy with Etrade
Can I Stream Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse?
You canât stream Lightyear yet â but youâll be able to soon. As a Disney movie, you can expect Lightyear to drop on their streaming service, Disney Plus, in the coming weeks, but the exact date of when that might happen hasnât been announced yet.
Generally, with their cinematic releases, Disney and Pixar tend to follow either a 30-day release window or a 45-day release window. We donât know which one theyâre going with yet for Lightyear, but this means that given the movieâs global release date is June 17, we can expect Lightyear to be on Disney Plus sometime between July 21 and August 3, 2022.
Where To Watch Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Online
With a new Lightyear coming out very soon, you may want to rewatch all the movies. Or, if you havenât given the animated adventure films a shot, now is your chance.
Just click the link below to watch the full movie in its entirety. Details on how you can watch Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse COUGHING for free throughout the year are described below. If youâre a fan of the comics, you wonât want to miss this one! The storyline follows Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Coughing as he tries to find his way home after being stranded on an alien planet. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse COUGHING is definitely a Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Coughing movie you donât want to miss with stunning visuals and an action-packed plot! Plus, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Coughing online streaming is available on our website. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Coughing online free, which includes streaming options such as 123movies, Reddit, or TV shows from HBO Max or Netflix! Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Coughing Release in US Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Coughing hits theaters on September 23, 2023. Tickets to see the film at your local movie theater are available online here. The film is being released in a wide release so you can watch it in person.
Lightyear can all be streamed using an HBO Max or Hulu subscription. If youâd prefer to rent the movies, only the first two are on Prime Video. Otherwise, all three films can be rented on YouTube, Apple TV+, or Google Play Movies & TV.
The second film in the franchise, Lightyear, will be released on June 17, 2022. Right now, itâs not confirmed where the movie will be streamed after its big-screen release.
Is Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on Netflix?
Lightyear is not available to watch on Netflix. Suppose youâre interested in other movies and shows. In that case, one can access the vast library of titles within Netflix under various subscription costs depending on the plan you choose: $9.99 per month for the basic plan, $15.99 monthly for the standard plan, and $19.99 a month for the premium plan.
Is Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on Disney Plus?
No sign of Lightyear on Disney+, which is proof that the House of Mouse doesnât have its hands on every franchise! Home to the likes of âStar Wars, âMarvelâ, âPixarâ, National Geographicâ, ESPN, STAR, and so much more, Disney+ is available at the annual membership fee of $79.99 or the monthly cost of $7.99. If youâre a fan of even one of these brands, then signing up to Disney+ is worth it, and there arenât any ads, either.
Is My Space a Good Fit for Airbnb?
Is Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on HBO Max?
Sorry, Lightyear is not available on HBO Max. There is a lot of content from HBO Max for $14.99 a month, such a subscription is ad-free, and it allows you to access all the titles in the library of HBO Max. The streaming platform announced an ad-supported version that costs a lot less at $9.99 per month.
Is Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on Hulu?
Theyâre not on Hulu, either! But prices for this streaming service currently start at $6.99 per month or $69.99 for the whole year. The ad-free version costs $12.99 per month, $64.99 per month for Hulu + Live TV, or $70.99 for the ad-free Hulu + Live TV.
Is Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse 2022 on Amazon Video?
Unfortunately, Lightyear is not available to stream for free on Amazon Prime Video. However, you can choose other shows and movies to watch from there as it has a wide variety of shows and movies that you can choose from for $14.99 a month.
Is Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on Peacock?
Lightyear is not available to watch on Peacock at the time of writing. Peacock offers a subscription costing $4.99 a month or $49.99 per year for a premium account. Like its namesake, the streaming platform is free with the content out in the open. However, limited.
Who Is in the Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Cast?
Captain America himself, Chris Evans, will be the voice of the filmâs titular Space Ranger. Apart from Evans, Keke Palmer (Scream Queens), Dale Soules (Orange Is the New Black), and Taika Waititi (Jojo Rabbit) have also been announced as part of the cast, lending their voices to other ambitious recruits at Star Command. The voice cast includes Uzo Aduba, James Brolin, Mary McDonald-Lewis, Efren Ramirez, Peter Sohn, and Isiah Whitlock Jr. Bonus: Check out this featurette where the cast talks about what Buzz Lightyear means to them.
submitted by AutoModerator to SpiderManAcrossfree [link] [comments]
Click Here Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse FullMovie Link
Over 25 years ago, a little boy named Andy received a Buzz Lightyear action figure in the 1995 Pixar film Toy Story. Now, all these years later, audiences will finally see the movie that inspired that action figure in the Toy Story spin-off movie, Lightyear, which is soaring into theatres this weekend.
Watch Now: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Free Online
This is not the Buzz Lightyear you know and loveâthe one who is best friends with Woody and voiced by Tim Allen. This is the original Buzz Lightyear, a bonafide space ranger voiced by Chris Evans, who is stranded on a hostile planet that is 4.2 million lightyears from Earth, alongside his commander and crew. The Lightyear cast also includes the voices of Keke Palmer, Peter Sohn, James Brolin, Taika Waititi, Dale Soules, Uzo Aduba, and Isiah Whitlock Jr.
Watch Now: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Free Online
With this new Toy Story adventure coming to theatres, you may feel the urge to revisit the classics. The decider is here to help with that. Read on to find out what Toy Story movies to watch before Lightyear and how to stream the Toy Story.
Stock Trading Made Easy with Etrade
Can I Stream Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse?
You canât stream Lightyear yet â but youâll be able to soon. As a Disney movie, you can expect Lightyear to drop on their streaming service, Disney Plus, in the coming weeks, but the exact date of when that might happen hasnât been announced yet.
Generally, with their cinematic releases, Disney and Pixar tend to follow either a 30-day release window or a 45-day release window. We donât know which one theyâre going with yet for Lightyear, but this means that given the movieâs global release date is June 17, we can expect Lightyear to be on Disney Plus sometime between July 21 and August 3, 2022.
Where To Watch Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Online
With a new Lightyear coming out very soon, you may want to rewatch all the movies. Or, if you havenât given the animated adventure films a shot, now is your chance.
Just click the link below to watch the full movie in its entirety. Details on how you can watch Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse COUGHING for free throughout the year are described below. If youâre a fan of the comics, you wonât want to miss this one! The storyline follows Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Coughing as he tries to find his way home after being stranded on an alien planet. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse COUGHING is definitely a Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Coughing movie you donât want to miss with stunning visuals and an action-packed plot! Plus, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Coughing online streaming is available on our website. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Coughing online free, which includes streaming options such as 123movies, Reddit, or TV shows from HBO Max or Netflix! Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Coughing Release in US Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Coughing hits theaters on September 23, 2023. Tickets to see the film at your local movie theater are available online here. The film is being released in a wide release so you can watch it in person.
Lightyear can all be streamed using an HBO Max or Hulu subscription. If youâd prefer to rent the movies, only the first two are on Prime Video. Otherwise, all three films can be rented on YouTube, Apple TV+, or Google Play Movies & TV.
The second film in the franchise, Lightyear, will be released on June 17, 2022. Right now, itâs not confirmed where the movie will be streamed after its big-screen release.
Is Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on Netflix?
Lightyear is not available to watch on Netflix. Suppose youâre interested in other movies and shows. In that case, one can access the vast library of titles within Netflix under various subscription costs depending on the plan you choose: $9.99 per month for the basic plan, $15.99 monthly for the standard plan, and $19.99 a month for the premium plan.
Is Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on Disney Plus?
No sign of Lightyear on Disney+, which is proof that the House of Mouse doesnât have its hands on every franchise! Home to the likes of âStar Wars, âMarvelâ, âPixarâ, National Geographicâ, ESPN, STAR, and so much more, Disney+ is available at the annual membership fee of $79.99 or the monthly cost of $7.99. If youâre a fan of even one of these brands, then signing up to Disney+ is worth it, and there arenât any ads, either.
Is My Space a Good Fit for Airbnb?
Is Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on HBO Max?
Sorry, Lightyear is not available on HBO Max. There is a lot of content from HBO Max for $14.99 a month, such a subscription is ad-free, and it allows you to access all the titles in the library of HBO Max. The streaming platform announced an ad-supported version that costs a lot less at $9.99 per month.
Is Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on Hulu?
Theyâre not on Hulu, either! But prices for this streaming service currently start at $6.99 per month or $69.99 for the whole year. The ad-free version costs $12.99 per month, $64.99 per month for Hulu + Live TV, or $70.99 for the ad-free Hulu + Live TV.
Is Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse 2022 on Amazon Video?
Unfortunately, Lightyear is not available to stream for free on Amazon Prime Video. However, you can choose other shows and movies to watch from there as it has a wide variety of shows and movies that you can choose from for $14.99 a month.
Is Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on Peacock?
Lightyear is not available to watch on Peacock at the time of writing. Peacock offers a subscription costing $4.99 a month or $49.99 per year for a premium account. Like its namesake, the streaming platform is free with the content out in the open. However, limited.
Who Is in the Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Cast?
Captain America himself, Chris Evans, will be the voice of the filmâs titular Space Ranger. Apart from Evans, Keke Palmer (Scream Queens), Dale Soules (Orange Is the New Black), and Taika Waititi (Jojo Rabbit) have also been announced as part of the cast, lending their voices to other ambitious recruits at Star Command. The voice cast includes Uzo Aduba, James Brolin, Mary McDonald-Lewis, Efren Ramirez, Peter Sohn, and Isiah Whitlock Jr. Bonus: Check out this featurette where the cast talks about what Buzz Lightyear means to them.
2023.05.30 21:34 belcorvo Gentle Guidance Experience and Reflection
I had my Gentle Guidance with Rita yesterday, which was very eye-opening for me. Let me start by saying Rita is the nicest human being on the planet. She takes the time to listen and answer with intent. She knows her words have power so she is very deliberate with her responses, which is really impressive for a 30 minute call. If you're on the fence about getting the GG I say do it no matter the stage of your personal style journey you're in. If you are unfamiliar with the process, before the GG you fill out a form with some questions. She starts the GG by asking more questions, and then she will address any concerns you have, then tell you your key, the archetypes she thinks you'll get the most support from, and supporting keywords. I'm giving my interpretation of her advice so please feel to ask questions if something doesn't make sense.
Okay let's get into it!
We first talked about my current spiral around needing cohesion in my personal style. She was blunt with me and said that I'm a multi-dimensional person and because I use the Amethyst Key I should dress for the Raven (which is my name, hi there lol) in the moment. I should be seeking more variety and not less. I should be changing and exploring. She recommended doing a character design exercise to understand Raven as the persona and then use my personal style as a lens to be perceived. I'm currently working on that exercise and loving it! It's like creating a Dungeons and Dragons character but that character is me!
She agreed with my placement of Left Up/Amethyst. She placed me more up than I ever considered, but when we got into it I definitely saw it. I loved the way she explained the archetypes so I wanted to share. She explained them as friends that you go to for advice. You wouldn't go to your friend for career advice if they aren't in the field you want to be in, right? Same for the archetypes. They aren't who you are, but a guide to help you. They are a fictional person with the same needs, wants, desires as you. Ask them for advice, and see what germinates. She recommended I look at Enchantress, Siren, and Lady Heretic as a blend but keep them separate. She did say that having three archetypes is not common but I could use the support of each one to help with different aspects of my process and my personal style.
Enchantress - She really wants me to lean into identifying what I need to express to the world, and do it without a specific aesthetic. Cohesion is a part of the process because I define the story, but isn't the intention. The enchantress needs to be high maintenance and I should lean into the effort and know that I need the additional effort to execute my vision. I should also think creatively while staying true to my vision but not get too nitpicky. Let the randomness flow through!
Lady Heretic - She wants me to use the Lady Heretic to provide that "step on people" energy that I definitely mentioned during our session. I want to be the most stylish person in the room and feel stylistically superior, a form of social dominance (which isn't as bad as it sounds). I shouldn't be afraid that I'm the "most dressed-up" person in the room. I actually thrive off of that. I should use the Lady Heretic to assert myself more and use her to learn how to take up more space. Flex on 'em!
Siren - Very similar points to the Enchantress, but with the Siren she wants me to identify my personal red flags for nitpicking. Would I nitpick a friend's outfit to the extent I criticize my own looks? Give myself grace and space to grow with this medium. I base a lot of my "success" on receiving praise from the outside. Turns out I don't need that! I'm creating a reaction, and I don't need to make anyone but myself happy about what I'm wearing. Let's unsettle them. Let's make them uncomfortable, it's okay! I also need to shift the control from external acknowledgment to my own. Whether this is a large art piece or just a sketch, I am in control. I need to shift the energy to get more of what I need from my personal style.
She also wants me to keep exploring. I'm in the Blossom and Harvest phase and just need to allow myself to be and enjoy the fruits of my labor!
Rita then gave me the style keywords she thinks relate to me the most. The first were Sensual and Dramatic with a touch of glamour. Sensual was no big surprise. She described it in a way I really love where she sees that framing the body, hinting at the body is really where sensual hits home for me. Dramatic was a little surprise just because I haven't put too much time into exploring drama. I do love the performative nature of my style so I'm excited to get into it more. She framed sensual as soft while dramatic is hard, and that's how I should look at getting that juxtaposition across my looks. She also said that I'm naturally dramatic because of the tattoos, so sensual is the home base for me to add softness and create that contrast.
The other keywords are Gaia/Elemental and Intimidating which I'm OBSESSED with. We at first explored elemental but she really liked Gaia as my essence. She changes with the seasons and she doesn't care what anyone thinks. Others do not affect the seasons changing, they just change. I loved that. She also loved intimidating here because that is Gaia. She is power. You should be intimidated by the elements and raw energy. Expect some moodboards coming soon!
I turned to this community yesterday for ideas on what to call the combination of my 3 archetypes. I want to make the flair something others will recognize, but for myself I decided to come up with my own archetype based on the character design I created. I want to combine the whimsy and magic of the enchantress, the allure of the siren, and the rebellious nature of the lady heretic with the idea of being a stellium in astrology.
The name I came up with was "the Solstice Supreme."
The overall experience was so great! I will definitely work with Rita more in the future. She gave me so much in such a short amount of time and I'm excited to see where it takes me! Let me know if you have any questions around my experience.
submitted by belcorvo to RitaFourEssenceSystem [link] [comments]
Okay let's get into it!
We first talked about my current spiral around needing cohesion in my personal style. She was blunt with me and said that I'm a multi-dimensional person and because I use the Amethyst Key I should dress for the Raven (which is my name, hi there lol) in the moment. I should be seeking more variety and not less. I should be changing and exploring. She recommended doing a character design exercise to understand Raven as the persona and then use my personal style as a lens to be perceived. I'm currently working on that exercise and loving it! It's like creating a Dungeons and Dragons character but that character is me!
She agreed with my placement of Left Up/Amethyst. She placed me more up than I ever considered, but when we got into it I definitely saw it. I loved the way she explained the archetypes so I wanted to share. She explained them as friends that you go to for advice. You wouldn't go to your friend for career advice if they aren't in the field you want to be in, right? Same for the archetypes. They aren't who you are, but a guide to help you. They are a fictional person with the same needs, wants, desires as you. Ask them for advice, and see what germinates. She recommended I look at Enchantress, Siren, and Lady Heretic as a blend but keep them separate. She did say that having three archetypes is not common but I could use the support of each one to help with different aspects of my process and my personal style.
Enchantress - She really wants me to lean into identifying what I need to express to the world, and do it without a specific aesthetic. Cohesion is a part of the process because I define the story, but isn't the intention. The enchantress needs to be high maintenance and I should lean into the effort and know that I need the additional effort to execute my vision. I should also think creatively while staying true to my vision but not get too nitpicky. Let the randomness flow through!
Lady Heretic - She wants me to use the Lady Heretic to provide that "step on people" energy that I definitely mentioned during our session. I want to be the most stylish person in the room and feel stylistically superior, a form of social dominance (which isn't as bad as it sounds). I shouldn't be afraid that I'm the "most dressed-up" person in the room. I actually thrive off of that. I should use the Lady Heretic to assert myself more and use her to learn how to take up more space. Flex on 'em!
Siren - Very similar points to the Enchantress, but with the Siren she wants me to identify my personal red flags for nitpicking. Would I nitpick a friend's outfit to the extent I criticize my own looks? Give myself grace and space to grow with this medium. I base a lot of my "success" on receiving praise from the outside. Turns out I don't need that! I'm creating a reaction, and I don't need to make anyone but myself happy about what I'm wearing. Let's unsettle them. Let's make them uncomfortable, it's okay! I also need to shift the control from external acknowledgment to my own. Whether this is a large art piece or just a sketch, I am in control. I need to shift the energy to get more of what I need from my personal style.
She also wants me to keep exploring. I'm in the Blossom and Harvest phase and just need to allow myself to be and enjoy the fruits of my labor!
Rita then gave me the style keywords she thinks relate to me the most. The first were Sensual and Dramatic with a touch of glamour. Sensual was no big surprise. She described it in a way I really love where she sees that framing the body, hinting at the body is really where sensual hits home for me. Dramatic was a little surprise just because I haven't put too much time into exploring drama. I do love the performative nature of my style so I'm excited to get into it more. She framed sensual as soft while dramatic is hard, and that's how I should look at getting that juxtaposition across my looks. She also said that I'm naturally dramatic because of the tattoos, so sensual is the home base for me to add softness and create that contrast.
The other keywords are Gaia/Elemental and Intimidating which I'm OBSESSED with. We at first explored elemental but she really liked Gaia as my essence. She changes with the seasons and she doesn't care what anyone thinks. Others do not affect the seasons changing, they just change. I loved that. She also loved intimidating here because that is Gaia. She is power. You should be intimidated by the elements and raw energy. Expect some moodboards coming soon!
I turned to this community yesterday for ideas on what to call the combination of my 3 archetypes. I want to make the flair something others will recognize, but for myself I decided to come up with my own archetype based on the character design I created. I want to combine the whimsy and magic of the enchantress, the allure of the siren, and the rebellious nature of the lady heretic with the idea of being a stellium in astrology.
The name I came up with was "the Solstice Supreme."
"The Solstice Supreme" conveys a sense of power and authority, suggesting a figure who holds a position of utmost significance during the solstice, a time of celestial transition and cosmic energy.I chose "Solstice" to represent the magic of change and transformation. "Supreme" gives me that "step on me" vibe. Together I'm envisioning this alluring powerful force of nature. It just fit so well with how my mind chooses outfits and the feelings I get when I complete a look that I love.
"Solstice Supreme" represents a character who wields unparalleled enchanting abilities, possesses an irresistible and seductive aura like a siren, and challenges established norms and authority like a lady heretic. Solstice embodies the magic and allure of the enchantress, the captivating and seductive nature of the siren, and the rebellious and heretical tendencies of the lady heretic. This archetype suggests a character who holds celestial wisdom, harnesses the power of cosmic forces, and wields them to navigate and shape their own destiny.
The addition of "Supreme" emphasizes the character's elevated status and extraordinary capabilities within the context of the enchantress, siren, and lady heretic archetypes. It suggests a figure who is revered, feared, or respected for their powers and their ability to shape the course of events. Ultimately, "Solstice Supreme" evokes a sense of celestial grandeur, dominance, and awe-inspiring presence.
The overall experience was so great! I will definitely work with Rita more in the future. She gave me so much in such a short amount of time and I'm excited to see where it takes me! Let me know if you have any questions around my experience.
2023.05.30 21:13 AutoModerator Where To Watch Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Online Free Reddit?
Marvel Comics! Hereâs downloading or watching Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse streaming the full movie online for free on 123movies & Reddit, including where to watch the anticipated Pixarâs Movie at home. Is Lightyear 2023 available to stream? Is watching Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse 2023 on Disney Plus, HBO Max, Netflix, or Amazon Prime? Yes, we have found a faithful streaming option/service.
Click Here Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse FullMovie Link
Over 25 years ago, a little boy named Andy received a Buzz Lightyear action figure in the 1995 Pixar film Toy Story. Now, all these years later, audiences will finally see the movie that inspired that action figure in the Toy Story spin-off movie, Lightyear, which is soaring into theatres this weekend.
Watch Now: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Free Online
This is not the Buzz Lightyear you know and loveâthe one who is best friends with Woody and voiced by Tim Allen. This is the original Buzz Lightyear, a bonafide space ranger voiced by Chris Evans, who is stranded on a hostile planet that is 4.2 million lightyears from Earth, alongside his commander and crew. The Lightyear cast also includes the voices of Keke Palmer, Peter Sohn, James Brolin, Taika Waititi, Dale Soules, Uzo Aduba, and Isiah Whitlock Jr.
Watch Now: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Free Online
With this new Toy Story adventure coming to theatres, you may feel the urge to revisit the classics. The decider is here to help with that. Read on to find out what Toy Story movies to watch before Lightyear and how to stream the Toy Story.
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Can I Stream Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse?
You canât stream Lightyear yet â but youâll be able to soon. As a Disney movie, you can expect Lightyear to drop on their streaming service, Disney Plus, in the coming weeks, but the exact date of when that might happen hasnât been announced yet.
Generally, with their cinematic releases, Disney and Pixar tend to follow either a 30-day release window or a 45-day release window. We donât know which one theyâre going with yet for Lightyear, but this means that given the movieâs global release date is June 17, we can expect Lightyear to be on Disney Plus sometime between July 21 and August 3, 2022.
Where To Watch Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Online
With a new Lightyear coming out very soon, you may want to rewatch all the movies. Or, if you havenât given the animated adventure films a shot, now is your chance.
Just click the link below to watch the full movie in its entirety. Details on how you can watch Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse COUGHING for free throughout the year are described below. If youâre a fan of the comics, you wonât want to miss this one! The storyline follows Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Coughing as he tries to find his way home after being stranded on an alien planet. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse COUGHING is definitely a Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Coughing movie you donât want to miss with stunning visuals and an action-packed plot! Plus, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Coughing online streaming is available on our website. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Coughing online free, which includes streaming options such as 123movies, Reddit, or TV shows from HBO Max or Netflix! Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Coughing Release in US Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Coughing hits theaters on September 23, 2023. Tickets to see the film at your local movie theater are available online here. The film is being released in a wide release so you can watch it in person.
Lightyear can all be streamed using an HBO Max or Hulu subscription. If youâd prefer to rent the movies, only the first two are on Prime Video. Otherwise, all three films can be rented on YouTube, Apple TV+, or Google Play Movies & TV.
The second film in the franchise, Lightyear, will be released on June 17, 2022. Right now, itâs not confirmed where the movie will be streamed after its big-screen release.
Is Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on Netflix?
Lightyear is not available to watch on Netflix. Suppose youâre interested in other movies and shows. In that case, one can access the vast library of titles within Netflix under various subscription costs depending on the plan you choose: $9.99 per month for the basic plan, $15.99 monthly for the standard plan, and $19.99 a month for the premium plan.
Is Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on Disney Plus?
No sign of Lightyear on Disney+, which is proof that the House of Mouse doesnât have its hands on every franchise! Home to the likes of âStar Wars, âMarvelâ, âPixarâ, National Geographicâ, ESPN, STAR, and so much more, Disney+ is available at the annual membership fee of $79.99 or the monthly cost of $7.99. If youâre a fan of even one of these brands, then signing up to Disney+ is worth it, and there arenât any ads, either.
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Is Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on HBO Max?
Sorry, Lightyear is not available on HBO Max. There is a lot of content from HBO Max for $14.99 a month, such a subscription is ad-free, and it allows you to access all the titles in the library of HBO Max. The streaming platform announced an ad-supported version that costs a lot less at $9.99 per month.
Is Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on Hulu?
Theyâre not on Hulu, either! But prices for this streaming service currently start at $6.99 per month or $69.99 for the whole year. The ad-free version costs $12.99 per month, $64.99 per month for Hulu + Live TV, or $70.99 for the ad-free Hulu + Live TV.
Is Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse 2022 on Amazon Video?
Unfortunately, Lightyear is not available to stream for free on Amazon Prime Video. However, you can choose other shows and movies to watch from there as it has a wide variety of shows and movies that you can choose from for $14.99 a month.
Is Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on Peacock?
Lightyear is not available to watch on Peacock at the time of writing. Peacock offers a subscription costing $4.99 a month or $49.99 per year for a premium account. Like its namesake, the streaming platform is free with the content out in the open. However, limited.
Who Is in the Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Cast?
Captain America himself, Chris Evans, will be the voice of the filmâs titular Space Ranger. Apart from Evans, Keke Palmer (Scream Queens), Dale Soules (Orange Is the New Black), and Taika Waititi (Jojo Rabbit) have also been announced as part of the cast, lending their voices to other ambitious recruits at Star Command. The voice cast includes Uzo Aduba, James Brolin, Mary McDonald-Lewis, Efren Ramirez, Peter Sohn, and Isiah Whitlock Jr. Bonus: Check out this featurette where the cast talks about what Buzz Lightyear means to them.
submitted by AutoModerator to SpiderManAcrossfree [link] [comments]
Click Here Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse FullMovie Link
Over 25 years ago, a little boy named Andy received a Buzz Lightyear action figure in the 1995 Pixar film Toy Story. Now, all these years later, audiences will finally see the movie that inspired that action figure in the Toy Story spin-off movie, Lightyear, which is soaring into theatres this weekend.
Watch Now: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Free Online
This is not the Buzz Lightyear you know and loveâthe one who is best friends with Woody and voiced by Tim Allen. This is the original Buzz Lightyear, a bonafide space ranger voiced by Chris Evans, who is stranded on a hostile planet that is 4.2 million lightyears from Earth, alongside his commander and crew. The Lightyear cast also includes the voices of Keke Palmer, Peter Sohn, James Brolin, Taika Waititi, Dale Soules, Uzo Aduba, and Isiah Whitlock Jr.
Watch Now: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Free Online
With this new Toy Story adventure coming to theatres, you may feel the urge to revisit the classics. The decider is here to help with that. Read on to find out what Toy Story movies to watch before Lightyear and how to stream the Toy Story.
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Can I Stream Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse?
You canât stream Lightyear yet â but youâll be able to soon. As a Disney movie, you can expect Lightyear to drop on their streaming service, Disney Plus, in the coming weeks, but the exact date of when that might happen hasnât been announced yet.
Generally, with their cinematic releases, Disney and Pixar tend to follow either a 30-day release window or a 45-day release window. We donât know which one theyâre going with yet for Lightyear, but this means that given the movieâs global release date is June 17, we can expect Lightyear to be on Disney Plus sometime between July 21 and August 3, 2022.
Where To Watch Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Online
With a new Lightyear coming out very soon, you may want to rewatch all the movies. Or, if you havenât given the animated adventure films a shot, now is your chance.
Just click the link below to watch the full movie in its entirety. Details on how you can watch Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse COUGHING for free throughout the year are described below. If youâre a fan of the comics, you wonât want to miss this one! The storyline follows Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Coughing as he tries to find his way home after being stranded on an alien planet. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse COUGHING is definitely a Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Coughing movie you donât want to miss with stunning visuals and an action-packed plot! Plus, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Coughing online streaming is available on our website. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Coughing online free, which includes streaming options such as 123movies, Reddit, or TV shows from HBO Max or Netflix! Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Coughing Release in US Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Coughing hits theaters on September 23, 2023. Tickets to see the film at your local movie theater are available online here. The film is being released in a wide release so you can watch it in person.
Lightyear can all be streamed using an HBO Max or Hulu subscription. If youâd prefer to rent the movies, only the first two are on Prime Video. Otherwise, all three films can be rented on YouTube, Apple TV+, or Google Play Movies & TV.
The second film in the franchise, Lightyear, will be released on June 17, 2022. Right now, itâs not confirmed where the movie will be streamed after its big-screen release.
Is Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on Netflix?
Lightyear is not available to watch on Netflix. Suppose youâre interested in other movies and shows. In that case, one can access the vast library of titles within Netflix under various subscription costs depending on the plan you choose: $9.99 per month for the basic plan, $15.99 monthly for the standard plan, and $19.99 a month for the premium plan.
Is Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on Disney Plus?
No sign of Lightyear on Disney+, which is proof that the House of Mouse doesnât have its hands on every franchise! Home to the likes of âStar Wars, âMarvelâ, âPixarâ, National Geographicâ, ESPN, STAR, and so much more, Disney+ is available at the annual membership fee of $79.99 or the monthly cost of $7.99. If youâre a fan of even one of these brands, then signing up to Disney+ is worth it, and there arenât any ads, either.
Is My Space a Good Fit for Airbnb?
Is Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on HBO Max?
Sorry, Lightyear is not available on HBO Max. There is a lot of content from HBO Max for $14.99 a month, such a subscription is ad-free, and it allows you to access all the titles in the library of HBO Max. The streaming platform announced an ad-supported version that costs a lot less at $9.99 per month.
Is Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on Hulu?
Theyâre not on Hulu, either! But prices for this streaming service currently start at $6.99 per month or $69.99 for the whole year. The ad-free version costs $12.99 per month, $64.99 per month for Hulu + Live TV, or $70.99 for the ad-free Hulu + Live TV.
Is Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse 2022 on Amazon Video?
Unfortunately, Lightyear is not available to stream for free on Amazon Prime Video. However, you can choose other shows and movies to watch from there as it has a wide variety of shows and movies that you can choose from for $14.99 a month.
Is Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on Peacock?
Lightyear is not available to watch on Peacock at the time of writing. Peacock offers a subscription costing $4.99 a month or $49.99 per year for a premium account. Like its namesake, the streaming platform is free with the content out in the open. However, limited.
Who Is in the Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Cast?
Captain America himself, Chris Evans, will be the voice of the filmâs titular Space Ranger. Apart from Evans, Keke Palmer (Scream Queens), Dale Soules (Orange Is the New Black), and Taika Waititi (Jojo Rabbit) have also been announced as part of the cast, lending their voices to other ambitious recruits at Star Command. The voice cast includes Uzo Aduba, James Brolin, Mary McDonald-Lewis, Efren Ramirez, Peter Sohn, and Isiah Whitlock Jr. Bonus: Check out this featurette where the cast talks about what Buzz Lightyear means to them.
2023.05.30 21:05 Lanzen_Jars A job for a deathworlder [Chapter 117]
[Chapter 1] ; [Previous Chapter] ; [Discord + Wiki] ; [Patreon]
Chapter 117 â I have nothing to hide
With a deep, long exhale that took every last bit of air out of his lungs, James hung up his call. Wordlessly and with his chest deflated, he simply remained standing there for a few seconds, feeling how his system gradually drained itself of oxygen while he tried his best to clear his thoughts and listen into himself. But all he felt was a chaos that he couldnât calm. He had no idea if he was ready for this, and trusting the word of others had never in his life felt as hard as it did right now, not even the many times his life had literally depended on the word of others.
All he could do was reassure himself. He could do this. He would do this. And they all would get through this. He would make it happen. He had to.
Feeling the raging chaos-storm die down only ever so slightly at his own reassurances, he finally allowed himself to inhale again. He forced himself to not violently gasp for air as if he had just emerged from a deep dive. Instead, he very deliberately began to allow air to rush into his body through his nose, adamant to keep full control of the flow as he did so.
Once his lungs were full, he kept the air in for only a moment, before allowing it to rush back out of his mouth in a pursed-lipped exhale, while also opening his eyes again.
With steady and deliberate steps, he then began walking back to the rest of his group at an even and controlled pace. The projections of his teamâs expression looked back at him with a strange sense of wonder and anticipation.
Nia and Moar on the other hand looked like they already sensed the severity of the situation, and a mounting dread seemed to take hold of them. Meanwhile Curi and Congloarch stood by with stony expressions, not giving a hint as to what was going on behind their faces.
That only left one.
Unlike all the others, Shida approached him as he returned to the group. After meeting back up outside of the conference room once the recess had been called, James had immediately separated from everyone again, and she had patiently waited for him to be done with his preparations. But now they could finally discuss what needed to be said.
âAre you feeling any better?â James asked her, knowing that he sadly would most likely have to force her to join them in the room once again once the proceedings would return to order. It was for everyoneâs safety.
âNot really, but I think I can sit it out,â Shida confirmed for him, her expression stuck between assuring and sickened by the thought, which James couldnât fault her for. With her ears twitching, likely to subtly remind him of her fine hearing, she then lifted a hand to gently put it on the side of his mask, where his cheek would usually be found. âSo, itâs come down to it, huh?â
James nodded, while lifting his own hand to press it onto hers.
âYes,â he replied with a sigh that reflected the weight he felt pushing down on him. âNot how I wanted things to go, butâŠIâm also glad that the secrecy will be over.â
Allowing his head to sink down, his mask pressed against Shidaâs forehead.
âI honestly canât tell if Iâm overjoyed or devastated that youâre here with me for it,â he whispered as he closed his eyes for another moment.
âI wouldnât want to be away from it,â Shida whispered back while her other hand also lifted to gently sink down onto the back of his head. âNot again.â
Letting out the mildest hint of a laugh, James embraced her. As he felt her body in his arms, a primal part of him wished that they could just remain like that. Just unload all of this weight and pressure in a hug until nothing bothered them anymore. Of course, that was not how anything worked, and so they soon let go.
Together, they joined back up with the rest of the group.
âUsually, I would offer anyone who doesnât want to stick around the chance to get out now, but Iâm afraid that would be way too dangerous to do,â James explained as he looked at everyoneâs face individually. âFor better or for worse, itâs safest if we all stick together now.â
Moar was the first to step forwards. Slowly, she approached him with her lumbering steps, one clawed hand lifted to her face while long fur hung off her thin arm, while the other half-extended towards James but stopped in mid air long before it reached him.
âJames, what are you going to do?â she asked, her tone filled with all kinds of strongly held-back emotions. Light reflected twinklingly in her wet, dark eyes. James swallowed, but a feline hand clasping around his gave him courage.
âIâm going to come clean,â he said with a look up at the giant. âEverything thatâs been said. Everything thatâs been done. Iâm putting it all on the table. I will let the galaxy be my witness that I made my choices and I am willing to stand for them, like I always was.â
He then wondered if he should prepare all of them for what was about to happen.
However, he decided against it.
âItâs better if I donât tell you more right now,â he said with a creeping sadness gradually reaching for his words. âI donât know how youâre going to react to it, butâŠwhatever your reaction may be, it will be better if it is genuine inside of that chamber. You knew of nothing, and people will see that. I donât want anyone to unjustly think you were involved.â
Although he didnât say much, the concerning vagueness of his statement seemed to already give at least some of them ideas of what was going on, especially given the recent tensions back on Earth.
âJamesâŠyou- you canât be-â Nia began, however James cut her off with a raised hand and slowly shook his head.
âLetâs keep it for the big reveal, alright?â he suggested, although his tone didnât leave much room to argue.
Seemingly stricken by his words and looking for some reassurance that surely what she was thinking couldnât be true, Nia glanced around to the faces of her other fellow humans for any sort of support. However, the projections of the faces of Jamesâ entire team, including her own girlfriend, were just as glum and anticipating as that of her brother was.
They all knew. Of course, they did.
As James watched that realization sink in for his sister in real time, he suddenly noticed a huge shadow creeping in from his side. Turning his head, he looked up just in time to see a huge hand sink down to grasp around his shoulder, as Congloarch bowed his upper body in a show of respect.
âIt is a rare sight to see a dancer stand firm,â the Lizartaur informed him with his deep, bellowing voice that came through barely parted rows of sharp teeth. âYou carry yourself well, James. Keep that up, and the Galaxy will see it, too. I, for one, will stand with you.â
All of the giantâs four fiery eyes were focused down onto him.
James exhaled slowly, not knowing if he should be inspired or bemused by the strange encouragement.
âThank you,â he ultimately said with genuine fondness in his voice. âFor everything.â Hesitantly, he then turned to Curi. The cyborg still stood without any movement, their lightly glowing red eyes fixating on him with great attention.
âI thinkâŠâ they began to say, noticing his eyes on them, however they then cut themselves off and shook their body slightly to rephrase it. âI believe in you. I believe that I cannot have misjudged you to such a degree that anything you did would make me no longer want to stand with you. Not after you stood with me when nobody else would. You said you wouldnât rather have anyone else by your side. And I will be.â
While James appreciatively bowed his head to the cyborg, Moar then came forth once again, seemingly feeling like she needed to say something as well.
âI am not sure what you have in store for us this time, but I cannot imagine abandoning you to face it alone once again either,â she said, her gaze noticeably falling onto his cybernetic arm. âI cannot promise that it will not take me time, but I do not wish to let myself be blinded by my own ignorance again. Therefore, I will listen to your reason, and knowing you, I am sure I will see it as well.â
Exhaling slowly, James was already starting to think that he was feeling one too many emotions right before such a huge event. But, seeing as it couldnât get much worse, he turned to his team.
âAnyone got anything to say? Nowâs your chance,â he offered to them. The humans briefly exchanged some looks with each other. It didnât really seem like they had much need to get anything out.
âIf weâre going to have to fight our way out of here because of this, Iâm going to be so mad,â Athena notified everyone with a sigh while patting the side of her belt with one hand while throwing her long ponytail back with the other.
âRemember to count your kills if it comes to that,â Koko chimed in with a tone that seemed to try to break up the tension. âMakes documentation so much easier if we donât have to scrub through the footage.â
She tapped at the camera attached to her chest with a finger.
Giving the two a hesitant courtesy chuckle, James then turned to his sister once more. She still looked on in disbelief, seemingly overwhelmed by what was happening.
Momentarily letting go of Shidaâs hand, James walked over to her, immediately pulling her into a tight hug.
âYou donât have to worry,â he assured her, doing his absolute best to confidently speak this truth into existence. By any metric, she had done nothing wrong. At the very least he would ensure everyone knew about that.
Nia held him for a moment, before shifting her head slightly.
âWhat about you?â she asked gently.
âI can handle myself,â James replied immediately. âAnd Iâll have no regrets.â
Apparently not quite knowing how to react to what he had said, Nia just squeezed him tighter.
âI love you,â was all she said in the end, and James could feel his heart drop at her words.
âI love you, too,â James replied seriously, and after a few more long seconds, they let go of each other again.
Clearing his throat, James looked around at everyone.
âWe should probably get back inside early,â he suggested, feeling like keeping a good overwatch over the situation was a valuable strategy.
Although hesitant, everyone followed him as he led the way, and soon enough, they were back on their seats â after checking everything for possible tampering once again.
For now, the room was still relatively empty. One or two of the other representatives had already found themselves back as well, and many nervous glances were thrown Jamesâ way after the earlier outburst.
However, as James settled into his seat to go over how exactly he wanted to say what he had to, he heard a weird sound of pitter-patter in front of him. Leaning forwards in confusion and looking down at the railing, his eyes then quickly caught the bright, signal-colored fur of a pixemerrier climbing up towards him. The nimble lemur forewent the need for the offered stairs and simply used the railing as more than enough purchase to make it up to the second level, small hands soon reaching over the sides to completely pull the pink and spotted body up.
Now sitting directly in front of James on almost eye-level, Losaraner looked at James with mildly glowing eyes.
âCan I help you?â James asked as he shifted his position slightly to look at the man head-on.
âJust, uhmâŠ.â the lemur started, but then heavily hesitated as he awkwardly shuffled his body around. Something seemed to make him majorly uncomfortable, although it didnât appear to be for an all too serious reason.
Strangely feeling put the tiniest bit at ease at the display of sincere awkwardness, James let out a bemused breath.
âWhatever it is, itâs alright,â James therefore informed the glowing lemur and reassuringly raised a hand. âIâve been called every name in the book and had to answer every question I can think of, you wonât insult me with whatever you have to say.â
With some honest relief apparently rushing over the pixemerrierâs face, Losaraner pushed himself up to all four of his feet again, balancing on top of the railing.
âForgive the inconvenience, ambassador, but we would like to relocate your seat,â he informed James.
âRelocate my seat?â James asked with a head-tilt, his mind already running with possibilities how this could be to his detriment.
âNot just yours, that of your entire party,â Losaraner quickly clarified something that James had honestly already figured. âWe believe it would lead to a more civil outcome.â
James quite earnestly scoffed at that. There would be nothing civil about what was going to happen. And although he wasnât technically against gaining some distance from his most averse parties around here, he also felt like the sudden need to get him away from Uton had a foul aftertaste.
âIs that a compulsory âwould likeâ or a suggesting one?â he therefore inquired. He almost didnât want to, given that Shida had difficulties being here already, and being further from her former father figure surely would help with that a bit. But still, he was going to trust his gut on this one.
âOh, uhmâŠwell, if you would like to remain in your seat I guess-â Losaraner began, and James quickly nodded before he had even finished.
âI would,â he confirmed firmly. âBut thank you very much for your consideration.â
If they were going to try and blow him up or whatever, they better be willing to take their scapegoat down with him. Maybe this was all a genuine offer in the end, but even then staying around here wasnât going to have a negative impact.
âIn that case, Iâll return to let my mother know,â Losaraner said with a nod and turned on the spot, seemingly to climb back down to the lower level.
âHey Losaraner?â James stopped him briefly, causing the lemur to turn his head back.
âAmbassador?â he questioned Jamesâ intervention, awaiting whatever he would have to say.
âYou seem like a good guy,â James said, fixating the glowing primate through his visor in an attempt to spot any attempt at deception from the small creature. He couldnât find any. âKeep an open mind, alright?â
Although apparently confused by Jamesâ words, Losaraner nodded with a bit of enthusiasm.
âOf course, Sir,â he replied, before then climbing down the railing face-first to join back up with his conspecifics.
âAlmost showtime,â James then mumbled to himself.
Shortly after, the room had once again filled up with the representatives of all eleven primate species the galaxy knew, as well as their extended company.
Though by now, it almost seemed like the invited representatives found themselves outnumbered by the vastly increased number of reporters, sound engineers, camera people and even news casters that had come together to report on the event. Their numbers must have had at the very least tripled since before the recess had begun, and that was a very conservative estimate.
Cameras and microphones were truly everywhere now, ensuring that not a single instant of this most possibly historic moment would be missed without being preserved for all to see.
Next to him, James could see Uton settling in. His face seemed to be plastered with the same anticipation that James felt. And for only a second, both primates glanced over at each other at the same moment, their gazes very briefly meeting in a moment that seemed to fill the air with an electric charge.
The tension was palpable, and it only looked for a release.
In the roomâs center, Losaranarja was now climbing back onto her small podium. The glow if her fur and eyes had increased quite drastically since before the recess, and James wondered if that was caused by stress alone or if other factors also played a role.
âWelcome back everyone. Seeing as all invited representatives have returned to their places, I hereby reopen the council of primates,â she announced over the loudspeakers as her glowing eyes scanned over the room. âBefore the recent recess, we had just born witness to a frankly tremendous confession of Captain Ferromore Uton. If nobody has anything absolutely urgently relevant to say before we continue, I would suggest that we waste no time before getting to the bottom of that unnerving revelation he wishes to share with us.â
Without wasting a second of time, James was already on his feet.
âActually, I do believe I have something to say on the matter,â he announced loudly, pulling the attention of the room onto him at an instant, camera flashes almost immediately erupting into a storm of flashing lights. âIn fact, since Representative Goloribalâs only worry about letting me take over the explanations earlier appeared to be that I may not be âferventâ enough about it, I will like to pick him up on that earlier implied offer, with the promise that I will be sufficiently âfervidâ about everything I am going to divulge.â
âAmâŠbassador?â Losaranarja asked completely confused by this turn of events as she looked up at him, almost appearing shock-stunned at the revelation.
âDo I have the word?â James asked, still sticking to procedure vehemently.
The lemur seemed to hesitate. Clearly, she was already afraid of where this was going. However, she had offered the opportunity to speak to everyone who believed that they had something important enough to say. And therefore, she had little choice on the matter.
âOf course,â she said after pulling herself together visibly. âPlease go ahead, Ambassador Aldwin.â
James nodded.
âThank you,â he announced loudly. And although he felt his insides scream in cramping anxiety, he held on his firm tone and posture as he stood up straight. This was it. âFirst, please allow me to reiterate and reaffirm my earlier point. The attack on Dunnima was entirely unprovoked and was and remains unjustifiable.â
He needed to set that stage. That was his hill, and he was willing to die on it. Nothing they could bring against him would change those facts.
Filling his lungs with as much air as he could without it being painful, he then continued.
âNow to the matter at hand,â he addressed the room. âCaptain Uton has been lying to you. However, not about the point that you may think,â he informed them, with the faces of everyone already falling into gloom at what exactly he may mean by that. âHe was not the one who ordered the attack on Dunnima. Humanity has already known who ordered the attack for quite a while now, and we were in the process of drafting a proper case against him before we would publicly accuse him of anything. We do however have ample evidence to provide to prove the guilt of this individual, namely Acting-Councilman Ekorte Keun.â
There was an immediate eruption of more flashes as well as wild mumbles throughout the room. Everyone seemed to be whipped up into a mild frenzy at Jamesâ words. And James wouldnât give them time to ask many questions about it. They wouldnât need to.
âKeun himself has confessed his crime to me personally shortly after it was committed,â he continued his retelling of the events of the past months without losing more than a moment to the muttering. âHe did so, because he falsely believed himself to be in danger after his failed attempt at somebodyâs life backfired against him. He also believed that I would be the only person able to prevent said danger from claiming him, which is why he came to me directly. Our conversation was recorded and is part of the case I mentioned earlier. Within it, you will hear that the Acting-Councilman believed that he had become the target of the ire of a Realized Artificial Sapient after his attempt at her life with his illegally ordered attack on Dunnima had failed to destroy her, and he believed that my influence on said artificial Sapient would be great enough to preserve his life, if he only confessed to his crimes in my favor.â
As if a switch had been flipped, the mumbling in the room came to an almost immediate halt. From one moment to the next, you could suddenly hear a pin drop, with even the news casters and reporters stopping their ongoing drivel as all eyes were entirely on James.
âHe was mistaken in his assumption,â James said in no unclear terms. âIn reality, the Artificial Sapient, as much as she may have wanted to, was never out for revenge against him. She knew that any aggressive action she would take would be nothing but fuel to the fire that already raged against her. And therefore, she remained just as passive as she had been throughout her entire existence, while the apparent attacks against her would-be killer were carried out by a so far unknown third party.â
Somehow, the room got even more quiet. By now, James could feel gazes burning into him not only from all around the front of him, but also from right behind his back, as he had now fully confirmed what many of them had been passively suspecting for a long time now.
Of course, Uton technically had plenty of opportunity to dispute Jamesâ words and insist that he was the one to order the attack. However, in the end, did it really matter? Right now, nobody really cared who exactly ordered the attack. Something else was a lot heavier on their mind.
âAre youâŠsayingâŠthat there truly is a Realized Sapient on Dunnima?â Losaranarja asked hesitantly, as nobody else seemed to indicate that they wanted to ask this all-important question, causing her to take over that duty as the host.
âThat is correct,â James confirmed without hesitation. âHer name is Avezillion, and as previously mentioned, she was the main target of this recent attack.â
It was like a timer slowly ticked down as the silence remained for just a bit longer.
Three.
Two.
One.
And like that, the loud discussing and mumbling and even shouting over each other broke out once more, along with a renewed vengeance of cameras.
âYou are saying right now, there is a realized Sapient loose in the galaxyâŠAnd you knew?â Klanneifer was the first to break out of the homogeneous white noise to directly address James. âAre you insane?â
Keeping his calm, James brought his hands behind his back.
âI donât believe I am,â he replied nonchalantly with a gaze at the four-armed primate. âEspecially considering that Captain Uton and his known circle of influence most likely knew just as long as I did, without ever divulging that information either.â
He could hear shouts about how this was an outrage and how about something would have to be done immediately from all around him. It seemed like most of the present representatives were absolutely ready to try and mobilize the entire Communal military to deal with this at an instant, and it really made James wonder if this all had truly been the best course of action.
But right now, he had to believe. He could not allow himself to show weakness. Not here, not right now.
âSurely you know the dangers of these beings!â Commander Halljafier was the next to speak up. âAre you saying humanity just allowed all of this to happen under their nose?â
Again, with just humanity. It wasnât like no one else had known.
âAt my very own recommendation,â James replied without even really wasting a glance over at the grassurgap next to him, âThe leadership of humanity has decided to allow Avezillion a chance to exist and prove herself. She has existed on Dunnima for many years without a single violent incident on her part. We believed this to be rather unprecedented of course, however the people of Dunnima believable assured us of the opposite.â
He turned his head to Shida, which quickly caused her to stand up, as she immediately took the hint. These words would be better if they did not come out of his mouth.
âWithin our long-recorded history, Dunnimaâs Realized have never been violent like the ones the rest of the Galaxy knows,â she explained just as self-assured as James did, although he could tell it took her considerable effort. Though, it seemed that fueling her words with a bit of spite did help with that. âNot including Avezillion herself, three Realized have emerged on Dunnima in the past, before we joined the greater Galactic Community. One of them, Kertaiyon, is hailed as a hero of the people to this very day. Not one of them has ever started a war against us or unjustly hurt people. It is true that not all of them were Saints, but that is nothing unusual on Dunnima. Therefore, when Avezillion emerged under the scrutinizing eye of the Community this time, we all agreed to hide her, as long as she would remain hidden herself. For many, many years, the Galactic Community remained none-the-wiser, as Avezillion peacefully lived in Dunnimaâs networks without ever causing issues.â
She paused briefly to swallow as well as watch the unbelieving reaction of the people around her. It seemed that everyone was a bit too stunned to really fathom or at least fully react to what she was saying.
âHowever, the hiding wore away at her over time. She felt trapped, confined. Never being able to show yourself at all while limiting yourself to only a small portion of the Galaxy, it was a life unworthy living for her,â Shida kept on explaining. âTherefore, when James came to visit Dunnima, she made a gamble. She would either gain her freedom, or she would no longer have to live on under these conditions. With these thoughts in mind, she revealed herself to James, and by extension, humanity, finding peace only in that, if they decided to end her, humanity would surely do so without causing greater harm to the people of Dunnima. Something that she wasnât convinced of with the rest of the Galaxy â for good reason, as it turns out.â
Thanking Shida with a nod, James signaled for her to sit back down, hoping that the stunned representatives would direct their possibly emerging ire at the person left standing instead of the one that had spoken.
âI made the call to trust those that had lived with her for years,â James added onto Shidaâs words. âAnd humanityâs leadership made the call to trust me. And we have not found a single shred of evidence that Avezillion has ever caused harm to anyone or even intended to do so. Had she wanted to cause damage like so many of her conspecifics did, she wouldâve been able to achieve a great deal of it.â
Hesitantly, the representative of the Missicapriej -lanky grey primates with one too many joints in each of their limbs- who had so far barely spoken during the entire conference, stood up.
âButâŠif you are admitting that there is an Artificial Sapient, and that it was the target of the attack, thenâŠthen the attack was entirely justified,â they stated, although they barely sounded confident in that statement.
âIndeed, it was,â Commander Halljafier quickly supported that claim, clearly thinking he knew the galactic military doctrine much better.
âThat is not correct,â James denied. âAn outer-orbital strike, especially on a civilian target, is never justified,â he said with strong emphasis. âIt is one of the oldest rules that the community has established.â
âIf it is to destroy a realized sapient, then all means are-â the Commander tried to deny him, however he flinched back at James brought his mechanical hand down onto the railing before him once again, this time with purpose.
âThe laws of war exist for a very good reason!â he boldly stated after waiting a moment to see if the Commander wanted to continue his sentence. âIgnoring them if we see fit, no matter what the reason may be, is a dangerous subject. And if you think that attempting the murder of an innocent person is already reason enough, then you have clearly not understood why these laws exist in the first place!â
âInnocent person?â the commander scoffed with vitriol in his voice. âThatâŠthat thing-â
However, once again he was interrupted. To Jamesâ great surprise, however, it wasnât by him.
âIt may have slipped your mind since it has been so long since the last one emerged, Commander,â Captain Uton was the one to speak up, his deep voice cutting through the room like knife with its coldness. âBut the personhood of Realized Sapients is not up to debate. And it has not been for more than a hundred years. That question has been answered by our ancestors ages ago, and we would do well not to try and question it today for our convenience.â
While the Commander sunk back into his seat after the shutdown from the superior he had believed to be on his side, James bit down on his lip. Although every word Uton had just said was true, he simply hated having to agree with him, even on such a basic and important topic.
He mostly hated it because it showed that there had to be some vague hint of integrity left somewhere deep down within that bastard of a person, and that almost made James despise him more, since he clearly knew what he was doing.
The Captainâs dark eyes then turned over onto him, as the large man continued, âHowever, I have to disagree with the Ambassador on the justification. Person or not, eradicating an artificial sapient is more than enough reason to forgo a simple law.â James bit back his anger, keeping his focus intact. Although next to him, he could hear the loud scraping noise of wood buckling under sharp claws, as Shida dug her natural weapons into the chair she was sitting on in order to remain seated and quiet.
âAnd yet Avezillion is still alive,â James replied challengingly to the man. âMeanwhile innocent civilians got injured. One of the leaders of Dunnima got heavily injured. Children got hurt. Children that would now be dead had the attack not been foiled by our warship. It is nothing short of a miracle none of them are dead. It was a terrorist attack, nothing else. The moment justice bends to such heinousness, it breaks. And, after all, forgive me for being a bit heavy-handed, but if the Community is willing to break its own laws and attack its own planets to hunt down one Realized, then who is the one that the people really need to fear? I, for one, put my trust in the one that hasnât already proven that it would attack and use me without a second thought. After all, this isnât the first time I hear of someone inconvenient being suddenly caught in an explo-â
James was cut off when Uton loudly spoke up, his loud organ easily overpowering Jamesâ voice in a conversational tone.
âWhat happened to your promise of not making this about y-â Uton began to say, however then his voice was in turn overpowered as well.
âWait your god damned turn!â James shouted out authoritatively, momentarily overtaken by his anger in a brief outburst. âYou do NOT get to talk over me!â
Quickly catching himself again, although he very much wanted to keep going in the same vein, James lowered his voice again, although the room was left noticeably shaken.
âThis is a civil event that follows clear rules that we are both bound by,â he said with a serious gaze over at Uton. âAnd my promise died the moment you decided to drag it through the mud with your fictional tales about very real events that have influenced not only my life, but that of many people very close and important to me. So forgive me, Captain Ferromore Uton, if I am not going to sit idly by and allow you to spew whatever nonsense you and your cohorts came up with in your ivory towers while the world underneath you burned. I was wrongly imprisoned, blackmailed, tortured, and maimed by you people. Shida was groomed and abused by you for years as you tried to make her fit your mold. There was an attempt on Curiâs life under Your. Very. Command. So forgive me, please, if the reasoning of âwe really wanted them goneâ out of your mouth isnât enough for me to believe that a crime against the Galaxy is justified, especially since you had knowledge of Avezillionâs existence for as long as I had, and could have divulged it at any point. But you didnât want to divulge it. Because that wouldâve meant that she would have a chance to defend herself, either physically or before the law. You simply wanted her gone. Wanted her to disappear like so many before her did. But not anymore. No, no, not anymore. Here and now, I promise you that, as long as humanity is around, nobody under your Command is going to just disappear anymore. Not. A. One. We will watch. And we will see. And, starting with Curi and Avezillion, we will be a place for them to go when no one else will stand with them.â
Seemingly stirring in anger now, James could see Uton clench his jaw, his lips quivering as he held himself back.
âI never abused her,â Uton muttered, apparently completely focused on that part as James had seemingly struck a nerve with that.
âAnd thatâs the only defense you could come up with,â James responded. Then, he reached up with his left hand, pulling his right sleeve back to reveal the mechanical arm underneath it to the room, while he held it up in front of his body. âYou wanted her to fit your mold. And now sheâs in a place where sheâs actually loved. You wanted to change me. And now, I have this arm here, just because of you. And you wanted to change the Galaxy. Well,â James paused briefly to spread his arms in a wide gesture that was very clearly meant to mock the man. âCongratulations, you did,â he then announced to the entire room. âWithout you, humanity would likely never even have considered helping a realized Sapient. Michael really did his job well with spreading fear and hate. But after enduring everything that you put me through? I was just open enough to listen when one told me that she feared you.â
Uton clenched his jaws tighter and his hands curled into fists. Seeing his puppet becoming useless, Goloribal sprang into action.
âAs the revered order of the primates, it is our duty to lead by example!â he announced as he got up, although his presence was already far less impressive than it had been earlier. âFor generations, we were renowned for our just and swift action. We cannot allow ourselves to falter in that now!â
âFor generations, we primates have also been revered for our curiosity and for being the first to open up to anything new,â James responded to that, looking the man directly into his face. âYeah, thatâs right,â he then added as the representative blankly stared back at him. âI studied galactic history, too! Iâm fucking unstoppable!â
He boisterously threw his arms up, making a real show out of it.
In all actuality, he was most likely far from gaining any victory right now. Sure, at the moment, the room was slightly shaken into silence, however he highly doubted that he had actually managed to truly convince many of the people present here.
However, as long as the cameras were on him, he would keep the show going. Maybe he wouldnât convince the stuck-up people of the revered orders. However, somewhere out there, there would be people whose ears and hearts he would reach. Hopefully at least. And for them, he would put on this show. Put on this air of confidence that everything would turn out well.
Because only if he managed to make everyone believe that would they find the courage to shake out of their rut and go looking for a better tomorrow. If he believed everything would be well, then they would too.
âThose are big words from someone hiding their face,â a voice suddenly broke through the room. James wasnât even sure who had said it. But he also didnât care. Right now, it was just another stone to jump off of.
âWhat, you think I am wearing this to hide?â James announced loudly and gestured to his breathfilter while turning his head so the entire room could see the gesture.
âItâs uncomfortable as hell! And it gives me a serious disadvantage in any debates if people canât read my face. These breathfilters are and have always been something we humans are wearing for everyoneâs benefit but our own. They are designed because we are extremely cautious to keep nasty deathworld-germs from spreading, even if that is extremely unlikely. And additionally, it protects all the delicate people of the galaxy from having to look at our scary deathworld-faces. But, if you want-â
He didnât even hesitate in reaching up and pressing the necessary buttons to release the seal of the filter. With a loud hiss, its grip on Jamesâ head loosened, and he quickly pulled the mask-like device off his head, before briefly running his mechanical hand through his disheveled hair to bring it into a bit of form.
Breathing out deeply with an open mouth, James presented his teeth to the room with a confident smile, while his dark, sharp eyes scanned over the room, making direct contact with as many of those of his fellow primates as at all possible.
âI have nothing to hide,â James announced. âFrom the very start, I owned up to my mistakes and was willing to stand for them. I terrorized an entire station to protect myself. I shot someoneâs leg off when he threatened my freedom. I killed one of my captors when I finally escaped from their hold. I have done many things that the Galaxy may judge me for. However, I truly and whole heartedly believe that helping Avezillion is not one of them. And I will stand for that just like I stand to my mistakes.â
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Chapter 117 â I have nothing to hide
With a deep, long exhale that took every last bit of air out of his lungs, James hung up his call. Wordlessly and with his chest deflated, he simply remained standing there for a few seconds, feeling how his system gradually drained itself of oxygen while he tried his best to clear his thoughts and listen into himself. But all he felt was a chaos that he couldnât calm. He had no idea if he was ready for this, and trusting the word of others had never in his life felt as hard as it did right now, not even the many times his life had literally depended on the word of others.
All he could do was reassure himself. He could do this. He would do this. And they all would get through this. He would make it happen. He had to.
Feeling the raging chaos-storm die down only ever so slightly at his own reassurances, he finally allowed himself to inhale again. He forced himself to not violently gasp for air as if he had just emerged from a deep dive. Instead, he very deliberately began to allow air to rush into his body through his nose, adamant to keep full control of the flow as he did so.
Once his lungs were full, he kept the air in for only a moment, before allowing it to rush back out of his mouth in a pursed-lipped exhale, while also opening his eyes again.
With steady and deliberate steps, he then began walking back to the rest of his group at an even and controlled pace. The projections of his teamâs expression looked back at him with a strange sense of wonder and anticipation.
Nia and Moar on the other hand looked like they already sensed the severity of the situation, and a mounting dread seemed to take hold of them. Meanwhile Curi and Congloarch stood by with stony expressions, not giving a hint as to what was going on behind their faces.
That only left one.
Unlike all the others, Shida approached him as he returned to the group. After meeting back up outside of the conference room once the recess had been called, James had immediately separated from everyone again, and she had patiently waited for him to be done with his preparations. But now they could finally discuss what needed to be said.
âAre you feeling any better?â James asked her, knowing that he sadly would most likely have to force her to join them in the room once again once the proceedings would return to order. It was for everyoneâs safety.
âNot really, but I think I can sit it out,â Shida confirmed for him, her expression stuck between assuring and sickened by the thought, which James couldnât fault her for. With her ears twitching, likely to subtly remind him of her fine hearing, she then lifted a hand to gently put it on the side of his mask, where his cheek would usually be found. âSo, itâs come down to it, huh?â
James nodded, while lifting his own hand to press it onto hers.
âYes,â he replied with a sigh that reflected the weight he felt pushing down on him. âNot how I wanted things to go, butâŠIâm also glad that the secrecy will be over.â
Allowing his head to sink down, his mask pressed against Shidaâs forehead.
âI honestly canât tell if Iâm overjoyed or devastated that youâre here with me for it,â he whispered as he closed his eyes for another moment.
âI wouldnât want to be away from it,â Shida whispered back while her other hand also lifted to gently sink down onto the back of his head. âNot again.â
Letting out the mildest hint of a laugh, James embraced her. As he felt her body in his arms, a primal part of him wished that they could just remain like that. Just unload all of this weight and pressure in a hug until nothing bothered them anymore. Of course, that was not how anything worked, and so they soon let go.
Together, they joined back up with the rest of the group.
âUsually, I would offer anyone who doesnât want to stick around the chance to get out now, but Iâm afraid that would be way too dangerous to do,â James explained as he looked at everyoneâs face individually. âFor better or for worse, itâs safest if we all stick together now.â
Moar was the first to step forwards. Slowly, she approached him with her lumbering steps, one clawed hand lifted to her face while long fur hung off her thin arm, while the other half-extended towards James but stopped in mid air long before it reached him.
âJames, what are you going to do?â she asked, her tone filled with all kinds of strongly held-back emotions. Light reflected twinklingly in her wet, dark eyes. James swallowed, but a feline hand clasping around his gave him courage.
âIâm going to come clean,â he said with a look up at the giant. âEverything thatâs been said. Everything thatâs been done. Iâm putting it all on the table. I will let the galaxy be my witness that I made my choices and I am willing to stand for them, like I always was.â
He then wondered if he should prepare all of them for what was about to happen.
However, he decided against it.
âItâs better if I donât tell you more right now,â he said with a creeping sadness gradually reaching for his words. âI donât know how youâre going to react to it, butâŠwhatever your reaction may be, it will be better if it is genuine inside of that chamber. You knew of nothing, and people will see that. I donât want anyone to unjustly think you were involved.â
Although he didnât say much, the concerning vagueness of his statement seemed to already give at least some of them ideas of what was going on, especially given the recent tensions back on Earth.
âJamesâŠyou- you canât be-â Nia began, however James cut her off with a raised hand and slowly shook his head.
âLetâs keep it for the big reveal, alright?â he suggested, although his tone didnât leave much room to argue.
Seemingly stricken by his words and looking for some reassurance that surely what she was thinking couldnât be true, Nia glanced around to the faces of her other fellow humans for any sort of support. However, the projections of the faces of Jamesâ entire team, including her own girlfriend, were just as glum and anticipating as that of her brother was.
They all knew. Of course, they did.
As James watched that realization sink in for his sister in real time, he suddenly noticed a huge shadow creeping in from his side. Turning his head, he looked up just in time to see a huge hand sink down to grasp around his shoulder, as Congloarch bowed his upper body in a show of respect.
âIt is a rare sight to see a dancer stand firm,â the Lizartaur informed him with his deep, bellowing voice that came through barely parted rows of sharp teeth. âYou carry yourself well, James. Keep that up, and the Galaxy will see it, too. I, for one, will stand with you.â
All of the giantâs four fiery eyes were focused down onto him.
James exhaled slowly, not knowing if he should be inspired or bemused by the strange encouragement.
âThank you,â he ultimately said with genuine fondness in his voice. âFor everything.â Hesitantly, he then turned to Curi. The cyborg still stood without any movement, their lightly glowing red eyes fixating on him with great attention.
âI thinkâŠâ they began to say, noticing his eyes on them, however they then cut themselves off and shook their body slightly to rephrase it. âI believe in you. I believe that I cannot have misjudged you to such a degree that anything you did would make me no longer want to stand with you. Not after you stood with me when nobody else would. You said you wouldnât rather have anyone else by your side. And I will be.â
While James appreciatively bowed his head to the cyborg, Moar then came forth once again, seemingly feeling like she needed to say something as well.
âI am not sure what you have in store for us this time, but I cannot imagine abandoning you to face it alone once again either,â she said, her gaze noticeably falling onto his cybernetic arm. âI cannot promise that it will not take me time, but I do not wish to let myself be blinded by my own ignorance again. Therefore, I will listen to your reason, and knowing you, I am sure I will see it as well.â
Exhaling slowly, James was already starting to think that he was feeling one too many emotions right before such a huge event. But, seeing as it couldnât get much worse, he turned to his team.
âAnyone got anything to say? Nowâs your chance,â he offered to them. The humans briefly exchanged some looks with each other. It didnât really seem like they had much need to get anything out.
âIf weâre going to have to fight our way out of here because of this, Iâm going to be so mad,â Athena notified everyone with a sigh while patting the side of her belt with one hand while throwing her long ponytail back with the other.
âRemember to count your kills if it comes to that,â Koko chimed in with a tone that seemed to try to break up the tension. âMakes documentation so much easier if we donât have to scrub through the footage.â
She tapped at the camera attached to her chest with a finger.
Giving the two a hesitant courtesy chuckle, James then turned to his sister once more. She still looked on in disbelief, seemingly overwhelmed by what was happening.
Momentarily letting go of Shidaâs hand, James walked over to her, immediately pulling her into a tight hug.
âYou donât have to worry,â he assured her, doing his absolute best to confidently speak this truth into existence. By any metric, she had done nothing wrong. At the very least he would ensure everyone knew about that.
Nia held him for a moment, before shifting her head slightly.
âWhat about you?â she asked gently.
âI can handle myself,â James replied immediately. âAnd Iâll have no regrets.â
Apparently not quite knowing how to react to what he had said, Nia just squeezed him tighter.
âI love you,â was all she said in the end, and James could feel his heart drop at her words.
âI love you, too,â James replied seriously, and after a few more long seconds, they let go of each other again.
Clearing his throat, James looked around at everyone.
âWe should probably get back inside early,â he suggested, feeling like keeping a good overwatch over the situation was a valuable strategy.
Although hesitant, everyone followed him as he led the way, and soon enough, they were back on their seats â after checking everything for possible tampering once again.
For now, the room was still relatively empty. One or two of the other representatives had already found themselves back as well, and many nervous glances were thrown Jamesâ way after the earlier outburst.
However, as James settled into his seat to go over how exactly he wanted to say what he had to, he heard a weird sound of pitter-patter in front of him. Leaning forwards in confusion and looking down at the railing, his eyes then quickly caught the bright, signal-colored fur of a pixemerrier climbing up towards him. The nimble lemur forewent the need for the offered stairs and simply used the railing as more than enough purchase to make it up to the second level, small hands soon reaching over the sides to completely pull the pink and spotted body up.
Now sitting directly in front of James on almost eye-level, Losaraner looked at James with mildly glowing eyes.
âCan I help you?â James asked as he shifted his position slightly to look at the man head-on.
âJust, uhmâŠ.â the lemur started, but then heavily hesitated as he awkwardly shuffled his body around. Something seemed to make him majorly uncomfortable, although it didnât appear to be for an all too serious reason.
Strangely feeling put the tiniest bit at ease at the display of sincere awkwardness, James let out a bemused breath.
âWhatever it is, itâs alright,â James therefore informed the glowing lemur and reassuringly raised a hand. âIâve been called every name in the book and had to answer every question I can think of, you wonât insult me with whatever you have to say.â
With some honest relief apparently rushing over the pixemerrierâs face, Losaraner pushed himself up to all four of his feet again, balancing on top of the railing.
âForgive the inconvenience, ambassador, but we would like to relocate your seat,â he informed James.
âRelocate my seat?â James asked with a head-tilt, his mind already running with possibilities how this could be to his detriment.
âNot just yours, that of your entire party,â Losaraner quickly clarified something that James had honestly already figured. âWe believe it would lead to a more civil outcome.â
James quite earnestly scoffed at that. There would be nothing civil about what was going to happen. And although he wasnât technically against gaining some distance from his most averse parties around here, he also felt like the sudden need to get him away from Uton had a foul aftertaste.
âIs that a compulsory âwould likeâ or a suggesting one?â he therefore inquired. He almost didnât want to, given that Shida had difficulties being here already, and being further from her former father figure surely would help with that a bit. But still, he was going to trust his gut on this one.
âOh, uhmâŠwell, if you would like to remain in your seat I guess-â Losaraner began, and James quickly nodded before he had even finished.
âI would,â he confirmed firmly. âBut thank you very much for your consideration.â
If they were going to try and blow him up or whatever, they better be willing to take their scapegoat down with him. Maybe this was all a genuine offer in the end, but even then staying around here wasnât going to have a negative impact.
âIn that case, Iâll return to let my mother know,â Losaraner said with a nod and turned on the spot, seemingly to climb back down to the lower level.
âHey Losaraner?â James stopped him briefly, causing the lemur to turn his head back.
âAmbassador?â he questioned Jamesâ intervention, awaiting whatever he would have to say.
âYou seem like a good guy,â James said, fixating the glowing primate through his visor in an attempt to spot any attempt at deception from the small creature. He couldnât find any. âKeep an open mind, alright?â
Although apparently confused by Jamesâ words, Losaraner nodded with a bit of enthusiasm.
âOf course, Sir,â he replied, before then climbing down the railing face-first to join back up with his conspecifics.
âAlmost showtime,â James then mumbled to himself.
Shortly after, the room had once again filled up with the representatives of all eleven primate species the galaxy knew, as well as their extended company.
Though by now, it almost seemed like the invited representatives found themselves outnumbered by the vastly increased number of reporters, sound engineers, camera people and even news casters that had come together to report on the event. Their numbers must have had at the very least tripled since before the recess had begun, and that was a very conservative estimate.
Cameras and microphones were truly everywhere now, ensuring that not a single instant of this most possibly historic moment would be missed without being preserved for all to see.
Next to him, James could see Uton settling in. His face seemed to be plastered with the same anticipation that James felt. And for only a second, both primates glanced over at each other at the same moment, their gazes very briefly meeting in a moment that seemed to fill the air with an electric charge.
The tension was palpable, and it only looked for a release.
In the roomâs center, Losaranarja was now climbing back onto her small podium. The glow if her fur and eyes had increased quite drastically since before the recess, and James wondered if that was caused by stress alone or if other factors also played a role.
âWelcome back everyone. Seeing as all invited representatives have returned to their places, I hereby reopen the council of primates,â she announced over the loudspeakers as her glowing eyes scanned over the room. âBefore the recent recess, we had just born witness to a frankly tremendous confession of Captain Ferromore Uton. If nobody has anything absolutely urgently relevant to say before we continue, I would suggest that we waste no time before getting to the bottom of that unnerving revelation he wishes to share with us.â
Without wasting a second of time, James was already on his feet.
âActually, I do believe I have something to say on the matter,â he announced loudly, pulling the attention of the room onto him at an instant, camera flashes almost immediately erupting into a storm of flashing lights. âIn fact, since Representative Goloribalâs only worry about letting me take over the explanations earlier appeared to be that I may not be âferventâ enough about it, I will like to pick him up on that earlier implied offer, with the promise that I will be sufficiently âfervidâ about everything I am going to divulge.â
âAmâŠbassador?â Losaranarja asked completely confused by this turn of events as she looked up at him, almost appearing shock-stunned at the revelation.
âDo I have the word?â James asked, still sticking to procedure vehemently.
The lemur seemed to hesitate. Clearly, she was already afraid of where this was going. However, she had offered the opportunity to speak to everyone who believed that they had something important enough to say. And therefore, she had little choice on the matter.
âOf course,â she said after pulling herself together visibly. âPlease go ahead, Ambassador Aldwin.â
James nodded.
âThank you,â he announced loudly. And although he felt his insides scream in cramping anxiety, he held on his firm tone and posture as he stood up straight. This was it. âFirst, please allow me to reiterate and reaffirm my earlier point. The attack on Dunnima was entirely unprovoked and was and remains unjustifiable.â
He needed to set that stage. That was his hill, and he was willing to die on it. Nothing they could bring against him would change those facts.
Filling his lungs with as much air as he could without it being painful, he then continued.
âNow to the matter at hand,â he addressed the room. âCaptain Uton has been lying to you. However, not about the point that you may think,â he informed them, with the faces of everyone already falling into gloom at what exactly he may mean by that. âHe was not the one who ordered the attack on Dunnima. Humanity has already known who ordered the attack for quite a while now, and we were in the process of drafting a proper case against him before we would publicly accuse him of anything. We do however have ample evidence to provide to prove the guilt of this individual, namely Acting-Councilman Ekorte Keun.â
There was an immediate eruption of more flashes as well as wild mumbles throughout the room. Everyone seemed to be whipped up into a mild frenzy at Jamesâ words. And James wouldnât give them time to ask many questions about it. They wouldnât need to.
âKeun himself has confessed his crime to me personally shortly after it was committed,â he continued his retelling of the events of the past months without losing more than a moment to the muttering. âHe did so, because he falsely believed himself to be in danger after his failed attempt at somebodyâs life backfired against him. He also believed that I would be the only person able to prevent said danger from claiming him, which is why he came to me directly. Our conversation was recorded and is part of the case I mentioned earlier. Within it, you will hear that the Acting-Councilman believed that he had become the target of the ire of a Realized Artificial Sapient after his attempt at her life with his illegally ordered attack on Dunnima had failed to destroy her, and he believed that my influence on said artificial Sapient would be great enough to preserve his life, if he only confessed to his crimes in my favor.â
As if a switch had been flipped, the mumbling in the room came to an almost immediate halt. From one moment to the next, you could suddenly hear a pin drop, with even the news casters and reporters stopping their ongoing drivel as all eyes were entirely on James.
âHe was mistaken in his assumption,â James said in no unclear terms. âIn reality, the Artificial Sapient, as much as she may have wanted to, was never out for revenge against him. She knew that any aggressive action she would take would be nothing but fuel to the fire that already raged against her. And therefore, she remained just as passive as she had been throughout her entire existence, while the apparent attacks against her would-be killer were carried out by a so far unknown third party.â
Somehow, the room got even more quiet. By now, James could feel gazes burning into him not only from all around the front of him, but also from right behind his back, as he had now fully confirmed what many of them had been passively suspecting for a long time now.
Of course, Uton technically had plenty of opportunity to dispute Jamesâ words and insist that he was the one to order the attack. However, in the end, did it really matter? Right now, nobody really cared who exactly ordered the attack. Something else was a lot heavier on their mind.
âAre youâŠsayingâŠthat there truly is a Realized Sapient on Dunnima?â Losaranarja asked hesitantly, as nobody else seemed to indicate that they wanted to ask this all-important question, causing her to take over that duty as the host.
âThat is correct,â James confirmed without hesitation. âHer name is Avezillion, and as previously mentioned, she was the main target of this recent attack.â
It was like a timer slowly ticked down as the silence remained for just a bit longer.
Three.
Two.
One.
And like that, the loud discussing and mumbling and even shouting over each other broke out once more, along with a renewed vengeance of cameras.
âYou are saying right now, there is a realized Sapient loose in the galaxyâŠAnd you knew?â Klanneifer was the first to break out of the homogeneous white noise to directly address James. âAre you insane?â
Keeping his calm, James brought his hands behind his back.
âI donât believe I am,â he replied nonchalantly with a gaze at the four-armed primate. âEspecially considering that Captain Uton and his known circle of influence most likely knew just as long as I did, without ever divulging that information either.â
He could hear shouts about how this was an outrage and how about something would have to be done immediately from all around him. It seemed like most of the present representatives were absolutely ready to try and mobilize the entire Communal military to deal with this at an instant, and it really made James wonder if this all had truly been the best course of action.
But right now, he had to believe. He could not allow himself to show weakness. Not here, not right now.
âSurely you know the dangers of these beings!â Commander Halljafier was the next to speak up. âAre you saying humanity just allowed all of this to happen under their nose?â
Again, with just humanity. It wasnât like no one else had known.
âAt my very own recommendation,â James replied without even really wasting a glance over at the grassurgap next to him, âThe leadership of humanity has decided to allow Avezillion a chance to exist and prove herself. She has existed on Dunnima for many years without a single violent incident on her part. We believed this to be rather unprecedented of course, however the people of Dunnima believable assured us of the opposite.â
He turned his head to Shida, which quickly caused her to stand up, as she immediately took the hint. These words would be better if they did not come out of his mouth.
âWithin our long-recorded history, Dunnimaâs Realized have never been violent like the ones the rest of the Galaxy knows,â she explained just as self-assured as James did, although he could tell it took her considerable effort. Though, it seemed that fueling her words with a bit of spite did help with that. âNot including Avezillion herself, three Realized have emerged on Dunnima in the past, before we joined the greater Galactic Community. One of them, Kertaiyon, is hailed as a hero of the people to this very day. Not one of them has ever started a war against us or unjustly hurt people. It is true that not all of them were Saints, but that is nothing unusual on Dunnima. Therefore, when Avezillion emerged under the scrutinizing eye of the Community this time, we all agreed to hide her, as long as she would remain hidden herself. For many, many years, the Galactic Community remained none-the-wiser, as Avezillion peacefully lived in Dunnimaâs networks without ever causing issues.â
She paused briefly to swallow as well as watch the unbelieving reaction of the people around her. It seemed that everyone was a bit too stunned to really fathom or at least fully react to what she was saying.
âHowever, the hiding wore away at her over time. She felt trapped, confined. Never being able to show yourself at all while limiting yourself to only a small portion of the Galaxy, it was a life unworthy living for her,â Shida kept on explaining. âTherefore, when James came to visit Dunnima, she made a gamble. She would either gain her freedom, or she would no longer have to live on under these conditions. With these thoughts in mind, she revealed herself to James, and by extension, humanity, finding peace only in that, if they decided to end her, humanity would surely do so without causing greater harm to the people of Dunnima. Something that she wasnât convinced of with the rest of the Galaxy â for good reason, as it turns out.â
Thanking Shida with a nod, James signaled for her to sit back down, hoping that the stunned representatives would direct their possibly emerging ire at the person left standing instead of the one that had spoken.
âI made the call to trust those that had lived with her for years,â James added onto Shidaâs words. âAnd humanityâs leadership made the call to trust me. And we have not found a single shred of evidence that Avezillion has ever caused harm to anyone or even intended to do so. Had she wanted to cause damage like so many of her conspecifics did, she wouldâve been able to achieve a great deal of it.â
Hesitantly, the representative of the Missicapriej -lanky grey primates with one too many joints in each of their limbs- who had so far barely spoken during the entire conference, stood up.
âButâŠif you are admitting that there is an Artificial Sapient, and that it was the target of the attack, thenâŠthen the attack was entirely justified,â they stated, although they barely sounded confident in that statement.
âIndeed, it was,â Commander Halljafier quickly supported that claim, clearly thinking he knew the galactic military doctrine much better.
âThat is not correct,â James denied. âAn outer-orbital strike, especially on a civilian target, is never justified,â he said with strong emphasis. âIt is one of the oldest rules that the community has established.â
âIf it is to destroy a realized sapient, then all means are-â the Commander tried to deny him, however he flinched back at James brought his mechanical hand down onto the railing before him once again, this time with purpose.
âThe laws of war exist for a very good reason!â he boldly stated after waiting a moment to see if the Commander wanted to continue his sentence. âIgnoring them if we see fit, no matter what the reason may be, is a dangerous subject. And if you think that attempting the murder of an innocent person is already reason enough, then you have clearly not understood why these laws exist in the first place!â
âInnocent person?â the commander scoffed with vitriol in his voice. âThatâŠthat thing-â
However, once again he was interrupted. To Jamesâ great surprise, however, it wasnât by him.
âIt may have slipped your mind since it has been so long since the last one emerged, Commander,â Captain Uton was the one to speak up, his deep voice cutting through the room like knife with its coldness. âBut the personhood of Realized Sapients is not up to debate. And it has not been for more than a hundred years. That question has been answered by our ancestors ages ago, and we would do well not to try and question it today for our convenience.â
While the Commander sunk back into his seat after the shutdown from the superior he had believed to be on his side, James bit down on his lip. Although every word Uton had just said was true, he simply hated having to agree with him, even on such a basic and important topic.
He mostly hated it because it showed that there had to be some vague hint of integrity left somewhere deep down within that bastard of a person, and that almost made James despise him more, since he clearly knew what he was doing.
The Captainâs dark eyes then turned over onto him, as the large man continued, âHowever, I have to disagree with the Ambassador on the justification. Person or not, eradicating an artificial sapient is more than enough reason to forgo a simple law.â James bit back his anger, keeping his focus intact. Although next to him, he could hear the loud scraping noise of wood buckling under sharp claws, as Shida dug her natural weapons into the chair she was sitting on in order to remain seated and quiet.
âAnd yet Avezillion is still alive,â James replied challengingly to the man. âMeanwhile innocent civilians got injured. One of the leaders of Dunnima got heavily injured. Children got hurt. Children that would now be dead had the attack not been foiled by our warship. It is nothing short of a miracle none of them are dead. It was a terrorist attack, nothing else. The moment justice bends to such heinousness, it breaks. And, after all, forgive me for being a bit heavy-handed, but if the Community is willing to break its own laws and attack its own planets to hunt down one Realized, then who is the one that the people really need to fear? I, for one, put my trust in the one that hasnât already proven that it would attack and use me without a second thought. After all, this isnât the first time I hear of someone inconvenient being suddenly caught in an explo-â
James was cut off when Uton loudly spoke up, his loud organ easily overpowering Jamesâ voice in a conversational tone.
âWhat happened to your promise of not making this about y-â Uton began to say, however then his voice was in turn overpowered as well.
âWait your god damned turn!â James shouted out authoritatively, momentarily overtaken by his anger in a brief outburst. âYou do NOT get to talk over me!â
Quickly catching himself again, although he very much wanted to keep going in the same vein, James lowered his voice again, although the room was left noticeably shaken.
âThis is a civil event that follows clear rules that we are both bound by,â he said with a serious gaze over at Uton. âAnd my promise died the moment you decided to drag it through the mud with your fictional tales about very real events that have influenced not only my life, but that of many people very close and important to me. So forgive me, Captain Ferromore Uton, if I am not going to sit idly by and allow you to spew whatever nonsense you and your cohorts came up with in your ivory towers while the world underneath you burned. I was wrongly imprisoned, blackmailed, tortured, and maimed by you people. Shida was groomed and abused by you for years as you tried to make her fit your mold. There was an attempt on Curiâs life under Your. Very. Command. So forgive me, please, if the reasoning of âwe really wanted them goneâ out of your mouth isnât enough for me to believe that a crime against the Galaxy is justified, especially since you had knowledge of Avezillionâs existence for as long as I had, and could have divulged it at any point. But you didnât want to divulge it. Because that wouldâve meant that she would have a chance to defend herself, either physically or before the law. You simply wanted her gone. Wanted her to disappear like so many before her did. But not anymore. No, no, not anymore. Here and now, I promise you that, as long as humanity is around, nobody under your Command is going to just disappear anymore. Not. A. One. We will watch. And we will see. And, starting with Curi and Avezillion, we will be a place for them to go when no one else will stand with them.â
Seemingly stirring in anger now, James could see Uton clench his jaw, his lips quivering as he held himself back.
âI never abused her,â Uton muttered, apparently completely focused on that part as James had seemingly struck a nerve with that.
âAnd thatâs the only defense you could come up with,â James responded. Then, he reached up with his left hand, pulling his right sleeve back to reveal the mechanical arm underneath it to the room, while he held it up in front of his body. âYou wanted her to fit your mold. And now sheâs in a place where sheâs actually loved. You wanted to change me. And now, I have this arm here, just because of you. And you wanted to change the Galaxy. Well,â James paused briefly to spread his arms in a wide gesture that was very clearly meant to mock the man. âCongratulations, you did,â he then announced to the entire room. âWithout you, humanity would likely never even have considered helping a realized Sapient. Michael really did his job well with spreading fear and hate. But after enduring everything that you put me through? I was just open enough to listen when one told me that she feared you.â
Uton clenched his jaws tighter and his hands curled into fists. Seeing his puppet becoming useless, Goloribal sprang into action.
âAs the revered order of the primates, it is our duty to lead by example!â he announced as he got up, although his presence was already far less impressive than it had been earlier. âFor generations, we were renowned for our just and swift action. We cannot allow ourselves to falter in that now!â
âFor generations, we primates have also been revered for our curiosity and for being the first to open up to anything new,â James responded to that, looking the man directly into his face. âYeah, thatâs right,â he then added as the representative blankly stared back at him. âI studied galactic history, too! Iâm fucking unstoppable!â
He boisterously threw his arms up, making a real show out of it.
In all actuality, he was most likely far from gaining any victory right now. Sure, at the moment, the room was slightly shaken into silence, however he highly doubted that he had actually managed to truly convince many of the people present here.
However, as long as the cameras were on him, he would keep the show going. Maybe he wouldnât convince the stuck-up people of the revered orders. However, somewhere out there, there would be people whose ears and hearts he would reach. Hopefully at least. And for them, he would put on this show. Put on this air of confidence that everything would turn out well.
Because only if he managed to make everyone believe that would they find the courage to shake out of their rut and go looking for a better tomorrow. If he believed everything would be well, then they would too.
âThose are big words from someone hiding their face,â a voice suddenly broke through the room. James wasnât even sure who had said it. But he also didnât care. Right now, it was just another stone to jump off of.
âWhat, you think I am wearing this to hide?â James announced loudly and gestured to his breathfilter while turning his head so the entire room could see the gesture.
âItâs uncomfortable as hell! And it gives me a serious disadvantage in any debates if people canât read my face. These breathfilters are and have always been something we humans are wearing for everyoneâs benefit but our own. They are designed because we are extremely cautious to keep nasty deathworld-germs from spreading, even if that is extremely unlikely. And additionally, it protects all the delicate people of the galaxy from having to look at our scary deathworld-faces. But, if you want-â
He didnât even hesitate in reaching up and pressing the necessary buttons to release the seal of the filter. With a loud hiss, its grip on Jamesâ head loosened, and he quickly pulled the mask-like device off his head, before briefly running his mechanical hand through his disheveled hair to bring it into a bit of form.
Breathing out deeply with an open mouth, James presented his teeth to the room with a confident smile, while his dark, sharp eyes scanned over the room, making direct contact with as many of those of his fellow primates as at all possible.
âI have nothing to hide,â James announced. âFrom the very start, I owned up to my mistakes and was willing to stand for them. I terrorized an entire station to protect myself. I shot someoneâs leg off when he threatened my freedom. I killed one of my captors when I finally escaped from their hold. I have done many things that the Galaxy may judge me for. However, I truly and whole heartedly believe that helping Avezillion is not one of them. And I will stand for that just like I stand to my mistakes.â
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Sorry, Lightyear is not available on HBO Max. There is a lot of content from HBO Max for $14.99 a month, such a subscription is ad-free, and it allows you to access all the titles in the library of HBO Max. The streaming platform announced an ad-supported version that costs a lot less at $9.99 per month.
Is Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on Hulu?
Theyâre not on Hulu, either! But prices for this streaming service currently start at $6.99 per month or $69.99 for the whole year. The ad-free version costs $12.99 per month, $64.99 per month for Hulu + Live TV, or $70.99 for the ad-free Hulu + Live TV.
Is Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse 2022 on Amazon Video?
Unfortunately, Lightyear is not available to stream for free on Amazon Prime Video. However, you can choose other shows and movies to watch from there as it has a wide variety of shows and movies that you can choose from for $14.99 a month.
Is Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on Peacock?
Lightyear is not available to watch on Peacock at the time of writing. Peacock offers a subscription costing $4.99 a month or $49.99 per year for a premium account. Like its namesake, the streaming platform is free with the content out in the open. However, limited.
Who Is in the Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Cast?
Captain America himself, Chris Evans, will be the voice of the filmâs titular Space Ranger. Apart from Evans, Keke Palmer (Scream Queens), Dale Soules (Orange Is the New Black), and Taika Waititi (Jojo Rabbit) have also been announced as part of the cast, lending their voices to other ambitious recruits at Star Command. The voice cast includes Uzo Aduba, James Brolin, Mary McDonald-Lewis, Efren Ramirez, Peter Sohn, and Isiah Whitlock Jr. Bonus: Check out this featurette where the cast talks about what Buzz Lightyear means to them.
submitted by AutoModerator to SpiderManAcrossthehq [link] [comments]
Click Here Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse FullMovie Link
Over 25 years ago, a little boy named Andy received a Buzz Lightyear action figure in the 1995 Pixar film Toy Story. Now, all these years later, audiences will finally see the movie that inspired that action figure in the Toy Story spin-off movie, Lightyear, which is soaring into theatres this weekend.
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This is not the Buzz Lightyear you know and loveâthe one who is best friends with Woody and voiced by Tim Allen. This is the original Buzz Lightyear, a bonafide space ranger voiced by Chris Evans, who is stranded on a hostile planet that is 4.2 million lightyears from Earth, alongside his commander and crew. The Lightyear cast also includes the voices of Keke Palmer, Peter Sohn, James Brolin, Taika Waititi, Dale Soules, Uzo Aduba, and Isiah Whitlock Jr.
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With this new Toy Story adventure coming to theatres, you may feel the urge to revisit the classics. The decider is here to help with that. Read on to find out what Toy Story movies to watch before Lightyear and how to stream the Toy Story.
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Can I Stream Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse?
You canât stream Lightyear yet â but youâll be able to soon. As a Disney movie, you can expect Lightyear to drop on their streaming service, Disney Plus, in the coming weeks, but the exact date of when that might happen hasnât been announced yet.
Generally, with their cinematic releases, Disney and Pixar tend to follow either a 30-day release window or a 45-day release window. We donât know which one theyâre going with yet for Lightyear, but this means that given the movieâs global release date is June 17, we can expect Lightyear to be on Disney Plus sometime between July 21 and August 3, 2022.
Where To Watch Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Online
With a new Lightyear coming out very soon, you may want to rewatch all the movies. Or, if you havenât given the animated adventure films a shot, now is your chance.
Just click the link below to watch the full movie in its entirety. Details on how you can watch Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse COUGHING for free throughout the year are described below. If youâre a fan of the comics, you wonât want to miss this one! The storyline follows Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Coughing as he tries to find his way home after being stranded on an alien planet. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse COUGHING is definitely a Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Coughing movie you donât want to miss with stunning visuals and an action-packed plot! Plus, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Coughing online streaming is available on our website. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Coughing online free, which includes streaming options such as 123movies, Reddit, or TV shows from HBO Max or Netflix! Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Coughing Release in US Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Coughing hits theaters on September 23, 2023. Tickets to see the film at your local movie theater are available online here. The film is being released in a wide release so you can watch it in person.
Lightyear can all be streamed using an HBO Max or Hulu subscription. If youâd prefer to rent the movies, only the first two are on Prime Video. Otherwise, all three films can be rented on YouTube, Apple TV+, or Google Play Movies & TV.
The second film in the franchise, Lightyear, will be released on June 17, 2022. Right now, itâs not confirmed where the movie will be streamed after its big-screen release.
Is Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on Netflix?
Lightyear is not available to watch on Netflix. Suppose youâre interested in other movies and shows. In that case, one can access the vast library of titles within Netflix under various subscription costs depending on the plan you choose: $9.99 per month for the basic plan, $15.99 monthly for the standard plan, and $19.99 a month for the premium plan.
Is Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on Disney Plus?
No sign of Lightyear on Disney+, which is proof that the House of Mouse doesnât have its hands on every franchise! Home to the likes of âStar Wars, âMarvelâ, âPixarâ, National Geographicâ, ESPN, STAR, and so much more, Disney+ is available at the annual membership fee of $79.99 or the monthly cost of $7.99. If youâre a fan of even one of these brands, then signing up to Disney+ is worth it, and there arenât any ads, either.
Is My Space a Good Fit for Airbnb?
Is Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on HBO Max?
Sorry, Lightyear is not available on HBO Max. There is a lot of content from HBO Max for $14.99 a month, such a subscription is ad-free, and it allows you to access all the titles in the library of HBO Max. The streaming platform announced an ad-supported version that costs a lot less at $9.99 per month.
Is Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on Hulu?
Theyâre not on Hulu, either! But prices for this streaming service currently start at $6.99 per month or $69.99 for the whole year. The ad-free version costs $12.99 per month, $64.99 per month for Hulu + Live TV, or $70.99 for the ad-free Hulu + Live TV.
Is Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse 2022 on Amazon Video?
Unfortunately, Lightyear is not available to stream for free on Amazon Prime Video. However, you can choose other shows and movies to watch from there as it has a wide variety of shows and movies that you can choose from for $14.99 a month.
Is Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse on Peacock?
Lightyear is not available to watch on Peacock at the time of writing. Peacock offers a subscription costing $4.99 a month or $49.99 per year for a premium account. Like its namesake, the streaming platform is free with the content out in the open. However, limited.
Who Is in the Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Cast?
Captain America himself, Chris Evans, will be the voice of the filmâs titular Space Ranger. Apart from Evans, Keke Palmer (Scream Queens), Dale Soules (Orange Is the New Black), and Taika Waititi (Jojo Rabbit) have also been announced as part of the cast, lending their voices to other ambitious recruits at Star Command. The voice cast includes Uzo Aduba, James Brolin, Mary McDonald-Lewis, Efren Ramirez, Peter Sohn, and Isiah Whitlock Jr. Bonus: Check out this featurette where the cast talks about what Buzz Lightyear means to them.
2023.05.30 20:42 KayTheKoala I prompted for a satirical article. I did get a couple chuckles from this.
 | submitted by KayTheKoala to ChatGPT [link] [comments] |
2023.05.30 20:30 TheDrungeonBlaster Gutterpunks Reloaded #7:100 Dead Nazis
-Red-
April 19th, 11:13 A.M., The Sprawl
I sparked a dilapidated Vita-Cig that Iâd snagged from Trodes and peered out into the Sprawl; the careful equilibrium of a well-orchestrated black-market had returned; pushers and gangers lined the alleys, watching for signals from rooftop lookouts to avoid the single Peacewatch cruiser that had been stupid enough to enter the dockside. The poor bastard would be dead before the afternoon was over⊠not that I had much sympathy for his kind. Peacewatch made it a habit to stay out of the Sprawl: unless the Eggheads predictive crime system said something catastrophic was coming, they policed their kind and left us in the hands of the mob. Iâd never iced an officer. Not yet at least.
âYour partner should be ready shortly, I think heâs just tying up a few loose ends,â Akari said, snatching the cigarette from my hand and taking a long drag.
âRemind me again why you think I should take the shrimp with me instead of Nico and Roman?â
âHeâs smart⊠and the other two are working on something else. Besides-- you need brains on this one, Red, not muscle,â she giggled, passing the cigarette back.
âWhatever you say,â I paused, grabbing the smoke, âwhat do you have them up to?â
âThereâs a shipment of Xeno-grade weapons coming down from the colonies. Nico and Roman will be liberating them from the Slicers. Or, their share, at least. It wonât be much, maybe a dozen guns, but itâll be worth it: the force field tech alone will pay for the trip as soon as Fincettiâs goons start trying to take your heads off with plasma cannons and mono blades.â
âWhat do you mean, their share?â
âThe job was too big for us to take on alone. I linked up with another enterprising group of Freelancers. If it goes well, maybe we can hire them on for the heist, weâre going to need more people if we want to walk out of there alive.â
We?
âWhat, are you planning on coming along now?â I asked, snuffing out the smoke.
âIt only seems right; Trodes is coming along, and Iâm a better shot than heâll ever be. Besides, you have a dangerous habit of getting shot, and I canât have you going down in the field,â she said, winking as if to punctuate the sentence.
âYou sure? We can manage, you donât have to come with us, youâve done so much already.â
âI know I have, thatâs why I have to protect my investment. If you go down out there, then the team is without a leader. A military scale operation like this will go south real fast without someone competent in command.â
âYouâve got me wrong, Akari: Iâm no leader. Iâm just someone who wants to live in a better city and doesnât mind taking the trash out himself. Besides, why do we need a leader? Weâre all competent adults acting in concert, of our own free will. We all know what weâre doing, if a situation arises and someone needs to take charge, itâll happen.â
âYouâve got a lot of faith in a crew you just met,â Akari said with a sneer.
âYou know why I asked you to put the team together, Akari?â
âBecause thereâs a bounty on your head that could finance twenty retirements, and you know you can trust me?â
âNo, well yeah, but thatâs beside the pointâI asked you because youâre not a Fixer, youâre a part time street doc that works the front desk at the most popular Freelancer hotel in the Sprawl. If thereâs anyone who knows whoâs gonna get the job done, itâs you. See, a Fixer is going to be okay with whatever losses they deem acceptable beforehand, but theyâre fine with keeping that to themselves. If you thought any of these mooks were going to crack under pressure, or do something stupid, you wouldnât have set me up with them.â
Before she could respond, Trodes emerged from the stairs leading to the lab. He winced as the sunlight hit his eyes, shrugging on the hood of the oversized sweatshirt that blanketed his meek frame. Glimpses of pain showed through every tremor laden step he took. A cloak of wires enveloped his skull, feeding into an old-world cyber console.
âItâs insufferably hot out here,â Trodes sighed.
âDonât worry, weâre not going far. Chances are that whatever hole weâre meeting BFU in will have air conditioning,â I responded, clicking my key fob, and signaling the bike to pull around.
Trodes face fell flat when the Supersonic rolled around the corner; apparently, the prestige of carving through the skyway on a state-of-the-art Taffington jet-bike was lost on him.
âAre we taking⊠that?â Trodes stammered.
âWe are. Unless youâve got a pair of wheels with two seats?â I asked, mounting the bike and revving the engine.
With an exasperated sigh, Trodes boarded the passenger seat. I could feel him behind me, vibrating as tremors gripped his body.
âYou good, buddy?â I asked.
He nodded vigorously, clenching the handrails with white knuckles.
Akari shook her head and headed back to the lab.
I heard Trodes mumble something under his breath, but it was quickly drowned out by the jet-bikeâs purr. I carved into the skyway. Driving in the Sprawl was pure freedom: almost nobody owned vehicles with aerial capabilities in this part of town. It didnât take long to reach top speed.
Slummers and gutterpunks walked the streets like zombies in a drug addled haze. The scent of gunpowder, pollution and burning ozone coalesced into a putrid stench that reeked of poverty and violence. Patches of azure moved in militant formation below; the Vorrath had taken to the streets. On a different day, a better day, I wouldâve helped them. Most slummers hated the Offworlder Coalition, but not meâat the end of the day I always figured that I had more in common with poor people from another planet than rich people from another district of the city. At least we shared the same struggle.
The bike slowed to crawl; the Neo-Confederates were about, backed by a platoon of Brown-Shirts that looked like a tide of sewer run off, crashing through the streets with reckless abandon. Civilians fled for their homes. Fuck.
The jet-bike careened through the air before finally landing atop a building a few blocks away from the impending conflict.
âGet off,â I said, turning back to Trodes.
âWhy? You donât intend to abandon me at this altitude, do you?â
âNot as long as I surviveâIâll be quick, I just need to ventilate some Nazi fucks, understood?â
He shook his head and muttered a string of curses.
I tore through the air, circling around the impending conflict. I chased a handful of cheap amphetamines with a poorly rolled joint and swooped low, behind the rolling tide of brown shirts. This wasnât the first time Iâd made myself an enemy of the cityâs Neo-Naziâs; Iâd killed at least a dozen of them in my career as a courier, but those were isolated incidents, back-alley brawls away from the mob.
This was a whole new ball game.
I fell slack as my Teleoperations module synchronized with the bike. My consciousness faded, reemerging into the HALO-Netâs stylized rendition of the bikeâs interior. I wasnât just the pilot nowâI was the bike. Bullets carved twin streaks of crimson into the brown tide. It didnât take long to hit top speed, 3.7 seconds, to be exact.
The group turned in nearly perfect unison, launching volley upon volley as I passed overhead. The bikeâs shields barely held together; I felt every round, like a flock of birds violently slamming into my sideânot enough to cause any real damage, but more than enough to get the blood pumping. I slid into an alley a few blocks off and waited for the shield generator to recharge. Gunshots rang out from the streets, alongside the sizzle of plasma meeting flesh. Soon the din was drowned beneath the roar of dozens of Vorrath war cries. I took to the sky.
Trodes was exactly where I left him, nervously clutching a knock off version of a Locust flechette pistol.
âI was beginning to doubt your survival,â Trodes said shakily.
âWrong again, little guy,â I paused, reigniting a half smoked joint, âit was just a quick hit and run, we donât have the time or the numbers for a pitched battle. Now, hop on.â
It didnât take long to find BFUâs base of operations. Black flags and Anarchist graffiti covered the walls of the abandoned warehouse theyâd apparently taken up residence in. A field of repurposed Peacewatch turrets were installed atop the roof, complimented by a web of cameras that spread across a three-block radius. Anarchists of all species and creeds loitered outside. The guards ranged from Cyborgs and Vat-Grown, to Vorrath and Vorstihl, each wearing a variant of the black flag with colors corresponding to their ideologies.
As I hovered above the building, I saw a familiar face: the rookie from earlier. Alarmingly, his cruiser was nowhere to be seen. His face was wrought with horror, as a pair of cyborgs led him inside the warehouse.
âTheyâre certainly less than subtle,â Trodes said.
âThey donât have to be subtle, theyâre the biggest citizens political organization in the Sprawl. Peacewatch avoids them if they have anything less than a full platoon on hand,â I explained.
âRed⊠before we enter negotiations with these hooligans, I must inquire as to what your motivation hitting the vault is? Surely you know thereâs a strong likelihood that you wonât make it out, and from what Iâd heard about you, I always understood you to be a man who knew how to keep himself out of the line of sight of dangerous people,â Trodes said, nervously.
âFincetti is the most dangerous man in the city, short of OâBannon. He controls the black market with an iron fist and is instrumental in all the things I hate about living here. The problem is, I have no way to do anything about it right now⊠but thereâs something big in the safeâthere must beâfor fucks sake, he iced his family over it. Iâm hoping thereâs something in there that can give me a little leverage, so I can cross him out afterwards.â
Trodes was silent for a moment, simply reaching as if to ask me to pass the joint. I obliged.
âI have my reasons to want OâBannon dead too, Iâm in,â he paused as a coughing fit seized him, causing the joint to fall to the ground, âthereâs something you should know though: Iâm working with an entity of great power in the Net; I donât know what precisely it is, but I know it saved my life more than once. As a matter of fact, itâs the only reason I was able to obtain the blueprint of Fincettiâs bunker, and his security plan.â
âIs it⊠is it an unshackled AI?â
âUnlikely: it seems to understand compassion and empathy on a uniquely organic level, something that rarely slips past Netwatch.â
âAlright, well whatever it is, you keep an eye on it and let me know if things get shady. I appreciate you telling me.â
Trodes nodded in silence.
The crowd parted expectantly as I landed along the streetside. Dozens of eyes were immediately glued to Trodes and I. A cyborg with a steel double mohawk emerged from a sea of leather, patches, and smoke. A sawed-off shotgun hung at his side.
âRed, I presume?â the Cyborg asked, extending a steel hand.
âThatâs right, and whoâre you?â I answered, clasping the borgs hand as firm as I could manage.
âThey call me Diezel, and Iâll be your host today,â he released my hand and looked me up and down as if assessing whether I was a threat, âfollow me, everyoneâs here so we can get straight down to business.â
The warehouseâs interior had been renovated drastically; layers of open-faced lofts sat stacked upon each other, consuming the walls. Nearly every non-violent law in the city was being broken in the lofts, from cooking chems and explosives to studying banned literature and Doomguard martial arts. It was beautiful. We followed Diezel through a winding hallway of munitions manufacturing stations, before finally emerging into an immense circular room, with rows of seats climbing the walls. I couldnât believe itâthere must have been two hundred people present.
The lights dimmed as we entered the arena. Diezel led us to the rooms center, ushering Trodes and I onto a great circular platform; he fell into place on a platform across from us, beside a Vat-Grown woman bearing an orange and black flag on her arm, and augmentations that cost more than my bike. Behind the duo a bulbous Vorstihl lurked; tentacles draped down his back, carefully pulled away from his cyclopean eye. A red and black flag was displayed on his arm⊠it was only then that I noticed the blue and black flag on Diezelâs arm.
The platforms each rose roughly fifteen feet into the air, before microphone stands emerged from the center of each platform. Diezel stepped forward, past the microphone.
âBefore we start, Iâll explain how this works: the three of us are representatives of our specific unionsâbut the people are free to interject. One union voting to aid in your endeavors does not guarantee the help of the other two, as each union demands a perfect consensus. Likewise, if a faction without one union decides to help you, it does not necessarily mean you have the support of the entire union. The only way youâll end up with total support is cross union consensus. Do you understand?â
A consensus: of course, they needed a damned consensus.
âI do,â I answered, speaking away from the microphone.
âThen letâs get this show on the road,â Diezel stepped back, finding his microphone before continuing, âRed, Trodes, welcome to the Bouleuterion,â he paused a moment as the crowd erupted into cheers, âbeside me are my comrades Aria and Korvirex, and we stand ready to hear your proposal.â
âAs most of you probably know, Don Fincetti is the most powerful man in the underworld, hellâmaybe even the cityâwhat you likely donât know is that he has a vault beneath the city, guarded by an army of Harvesters. I intend to break into the vault, slaughter the Harvesters and strike a blow to Fincetti that he wonât forget⊠and I intend to kill him shortly after. What I ask is simple: you help me in whatâs to come, and when heâs finally dead, you can all split his turf among yourselves. All I care about is making sure he doesnât live long enough to poison the Sprawl more than he already has.â
A murmur emerged from the stands. I gazed across the way to see the three representatives huddled together, whispering amongst themselves. Finally, Aria stepped towards her microphone.
âWhat you ask of us will likely mean the death of many of our people⊠we need something greater than what you offerâwe need a guarantee of mutual aidâyou have a reputation in the Sprawl, we would ask that you employ it in helping us when the time comes to resettle the Sprawl. Namely, weâd request your assistance against the gangs that may try to fill the power void you seek to create,â Aria explained.
âThat seems reasonable,â I said.
Aria stepped back as Korvirex moved forward.
âTell me, Red, are you familiar with the Offworlder Coalition?â Korvirex asked.
âI amâas a matter of fact, I aided them on the way hereâthey were marching against the Neo-Confederates and the Brown Shirts. I insured that they had the element of surprise.â
Korvirex stroked the beard-like tentacles that hung from his chin in contemplation.
âGood. What I ask is that you help us to secure their trust, we have offered solidarity where we could, but our forces are spread thin. The ideology of many of the exiled Vorrath rebels that found their way to Nova Cityâit matches that of our union. If our help was offered, would you agree to assist us in aiding the Coalition, so that they finally have an opportunity to get on their feet?â
Trodes leaned towards in, whispering in my ear.
âIt would be prudent of you to make a counteroffer: proclaim that youâll help with the Coalition, if theyâll spread the word to other groups whose goals may align with ours. There will likely be at least a couple hundred Harvesters in the Undercity when we strike⊠unless theyâre occupied elsewhere.â
âI would happily help with the Coalition, on the condition that your faction spread the word about what weâre doing to like-minded organizations. As it stands, we could still use more numbers to match the Harvesters,â I said.
âThese conditions may be satisfactory,â Korvirex said, before retreating into yet another group huddle.
The audience watched on in silence.
Finally, Diezel reapproached the microphone.
âThe representatives have deemed this topic worthy of discussion: youâre free to leave, weâll get ahold of Akari in a couple days, when all the details are ironed out.â
âA couple days?â
âReaching a consensus can be a slow process at timesâbe prepared for a renegotiation of conditions, as there will likely be more stipulations made once the process is complete,â Diezel explained.
I nodded, and the platform beneath my feet began to descend towards the floor. The crowd erupted into cheers.
Hopefully Nico and Roman would beat us home.
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April 19th, 11:13 A.M., The Sprawl
I sparked a dilapidated Vita-Cig that Iâd snagged from Trodes and peered out into the Sprawl; the careful equilibrium of a well-orchestrated black-market had returned; pushers and gangers lined the alleys, watching for signals from rooftop lookouts to avoid the single Peacewatch cruiser that had been stupid enough to enter the dockside. The poor bastard would be dead before the afternoon was over⊠not that I had much sympathy for his kind. Peacewatch made it a habit to stay out of the Sprawl: unless the Eggheads predictive crime system said something catastrophic was coming, they policed their kind and left us in the hands of the mob. Iâd never iced an officer. Not yet at least.
âYour partner should be ready shortly, I think heâs just tying up a few loose ends,â Akari said, snatching the cigarette from my hand and taking a long drag.
âRemind me again why you think I should take the shrimp with me instead of Nico and Roman?â
âHeâs smart⊠and the other two are working on something else. Besides-- you need brains on this one, Red, not muscle,â she giggled, passing the cigarette back.
âWhatever you say,â I paused, grabbing the smoke, âwhat do you have them up to?â
âThereâs a shipment of Xeno-grade weapons coming down from the colonies. Nico and Roman will be liberating them from the Slicers. Or, their share, at least. It wonât be much, maybe a dozen guns, but itâll be worth it: the force field tech alone will pay for the trip as soon as Fincettiâs goons start trying to take your heads off with plasma cannons and mono blades.â
âWhat do you mean, their share?â
âThe job was too big for us to take on alone. I linked up with another enterprising group of Freelancers. If it goes well, maybe we can hire them on for the heist, weâre going to need more people if we want to walk out of there alive.â
We?
âWhat, are you planning on coming along now?â I asked, snuffing out the smoke.
âIt only seems right; Trodes is coming along, and Iâm a better shot than heâll ever be. Besides, you have a dangerous habit of getting shot, and I canât have you going down in the field,â she said, winking as if to punctuate the sentence.
âYou sure? We can manage, you donât have to come with us, youâve done so much already.â
âI know I have, thatâs why I have to protect my investment. If you go down out there, then the team is without a leader. A military scale operation like this will go south real fast without someone competent in command.â
âYouâve got me wrong, Akari: Iâm no leader. Iâm just someone who wants to live in a better city and doesnât mind taking the trash out himself. Besides, why do we need a leader? Weâre all competent adults acting in concert, of our own free will. We all know what weâre doing, if a situation arises and someone needs to take charge, itâll happen.â
âYouâve got a lot of faith in a crew you just met,â Akari said with a sneer.
âYou know why I asked you to put the team together, Akari?â
âBecause thereâs a bounty on your head that could finance twenty retirements, and you know you can trust me?â
âNo, well yeah, but thatâs beside the pointâI asked you because youâre not a Fixer, youâre a part time street doc that works the front desk at the most popular Freelancer hotel in the Sprawl. If thereâs anyone who knows whoâs gonna get the job done, itâs you. See, a Fixer is going to be okay with whatever losses they deem acceptable beforehand, but theyâre fine with keeping that to themselves. If you thought any of these mooks were going to crack under pressure, or do something stupid, you wouldnât have set me up with them.â
Before she could respond, Trodes emerged from the stairs leading to the lab. He winced as the sunlight hit his eyes, shrugging on the hood of the oversized sweatshirt that blanketed his meek frame. Glimpses of pain showed through every tremor laden step he took. A cloak of wires enveloped his skull, feeding into an old-world cyber console.
âItâs insufferably hot out here,â Trodes sighed.
âDonât worry, weâre not going far. Chances are that whatever hole weâre meeting BFU in will have air conditioning,â I responded, clicking my key fob, and signaling the bike to pull around.
Trodes face fell flat when the Supersonic rolled around the corner; apparently, the prestige of carving through the skyway on a state-of-the-art Taffington jet-bike was lost on him.
âAre we taking⊠that?â Trodes stammered.
âWe are. Unless youâve got a pair of wheels with two seats?â I asked, mounting the bike and revving the engine.
With an exasperated sigh, Trodes boarded the passenger seat. I could feel him behind me, vibrating as tremors gripped his body.
âYou good, buddy?â I asked.
He nodded vigorously, clenching the handrails with white knuckles.
Akari shook her head and headed back to the lab.
I heard Trodes mumble something under his breath, but it was quickly drowned out by the jet-bikeâs purr. I carved into the skyway. Driving in the Sprawl was pure freedom: almost nobody owned vehicles with aerial capabilities in this part of town. It didnât take long to reach top speed.
Slummers and gutterpunks walked the streets like zombies in a drug addled haze. The scent of gunpowder, pollution and burning ozone coalesced into a putrid stench that reeked of poverty and violence. Patches of azure moved in militant formation below; the Vorrath had taken to the streets. On a different day, a better day, I wouldâve helped them. Most slummers hated the Offworlder Coalition, but not meâat the end of the day I always figured that I had more in common with poor people from another planet than rich people from another district of the city. At least we shared the same struggle.
The bike slowed to crawl; the Neo-Confederates were about, backed by a platoon of Brown-Shirts that looked like a tide of sewer run off, crashing through the streets with reckless abandon. Civilians fled for their homes. Fuck.
The jet-bike careened through the air before finally landing atop a building a few blocks away from the impending conflict.
âGet off,â I said, turning back to Trodes.
âWhy? You donât intend to abandon me at this altitude, do you?â
âNot as long as I surviveâIâll be quick, I just need to ventilate some Nazi fucks, understood?â
He shook his head and muttered a string of curses.
I tore through the air, circling around the impending conflict. I chased a handful of cheap amphetamines with a poorly rolled joint and swooped low, behind the rolling tide of brown shirts. This wasnât the first time Iâd made myself an enemy of the cityâs Neo-Naziâs; Iâd killed at least a dozen of them in my career as a courier, but those were isolated incidents, back-alley brawls away from the mob.
This was a whole new ball game.
I fell slack as my Teleoperations module synchronized with the bike. My consciousness faded, reemerging into the HALO-Netâs stylized rendition of the bikeâs interior. I wasnât just the pilot nowâI was the bike. Bullets carved twin streaks of crimson into the brown tide. It didnât take long to hit top speed, 3.7 seconds, to be exact.
The group turned in nearly perfect unison, launching volley upon volley as I passed overhead. The bikeâs shields barely held together; I felt every round, like a flock of birds violently slamming into my sideânot enough to cause any real damage, but more than enough to get the blood pumping. I slid into an alley a few blocks off and waited for the shield generator to recharge. Gunshots rang out from the streets, alongside the sizzle of plasma meeting flesh. Soon the din was drowned beneath the roar of dozens of Vorrath war cries. I took to the sky.
Trodes was exactly where I left him, nervously clutching a knock off version of a Locust flechette pistol.
âI was beginning to doubt your survival,â Trodes said shakily.
âWrong again, little guy,â I paused, reigniting a half smoked joint, âit was just a quick hit and run, we donât have the time or the numbers for a pitched battle. Now, hop on.â
It didnât take long to find BFUâs base of operations. Black flags and Anarchist graffiti covered the walls of the abandoned warehouse theyâd apparently taken up residence in. A field of repurposed Peacewatch turrets were installed atop the roof, complimented by a web of cameras that spread across a three-block radius. Anarchists of all species and creeds loitered outside. The guards ranged from Cyborgs and Vat-Grown, to Vorrath and Vorstihl, each wearing a variant of the black flag with colors corresponding to their ideologies.
As I hovered above the building, I saw a familiar face: the rookie from earlier. Alarmingly, his cruiser was nowhere to be seen. His face was wrought with horror, as a pair of cyborgs led him inside the warehouse.
âTheyâre certainly less than subtle,â Trodes said.
âThey donât have to be subtle, theyâre the biggest citizens political organization in the Sprawl. Peacewatch avoids them if they have anything less than a full platoon on hand,â I explained.
âRed⊠before we enter negotiations with these hooligans, I must inquire as to what your motivation hitting the vault is? Surely you know thereâs a strong likelihood that you wonât make it out, and from what Iâd heard about you, I always understood you to be a man who knew how to keep himself out of the line of sight of dangerous people,â Trodes said, nervously.
âFincetti is the most dangerous man in the city, short of OâBannon. He controls the black market with an iron fist and is instrumental in all the things I hate about living here. The problem is, I have no way to do anything about it right now⊠but thereâs something big in the safeâthere must beâfor fucks sake, he iced his family over it. Iâm hoping thereâs something in there that can give me a little leverage, so I can cross him out afterwards.â
Trodes was silent for a moment, simply reaching as if to ask me to pass the joint. I obliged.
âI have my reasons to want OâBannon dead too, Iâm in,â he paused as a coughing fit seized him, causing the joint to fall to the ground, âthereâs something you should know though: Iâm working with an entity of great power in the Net; I donât know what precisely it is, but I know it saved my life more than once. As a matter of fact, itâs the only reason I was able to obtain the blueprint of Fincettiâs bunker, and his security plan.â
âIs it⊠is it an unshackled AI?â
âUnlikely: it seems to understand compassion and empathy on a uniquely organic level, something that rarely slips past Netwatch.â
âAlright, well whatever it is, you keep an eye on it and let me know if things get shady. I appreciate you telling me.â
Trodes nodded in silence.
The crowd parted expectantly as I landed along the streetside. Dozens of eyes were immediately glued to Trodes and I. A cyborg with a steel double mohawk emerged from a sea of leather, patches, and smoke. A sawed-off shotgun hung at his side.
âRed, I presume?â the Cyborg asked, extending a steel hand.
âThatâs right, and whoâre you?â I answered, clasping the borgs hand as firm as I could manage.
âThey call me Diezel, and Iâll be your host today,â he released my hand and looked me up and down as if assessing whether I was a threat, âfollow me, everyoneâs here so we can get straight down to business.â
The warehouseâs interior had been renovated drastically; layers of open-faced lofts sat stacked upon each other, consuming the walls. Nearly every non-violent law in the city was being broken in the lofts, from cooking chems and explosives to studying banned literature and Doomguard martial arts. It was beautiful. We followed Diezel through a winding hallway of munitions manufacturing stations, before finally emerging into an immense circular room, with rows of seats climbing the walls. I couldnât believe itâthere must have been two hundred people present.
The lights dimmed as we entered the arena. Diezel led us to the rooms center, ushering Trodes and I onto a great circular platform; he fell into place on a platform across from us, beside a Vat-Grown woman bearing an orange and black flag on her arm, and augmentations that cost more than my bike. Behind the duo a bulbous Vorstihl lurked; tentacles draped down his back, carefully pulled away from his cyclopean eye. A red and black flag was displayed on his arm⊠it was only then that I noticed the blue and black flag on Diezelâs arm.
The platforms each rose roughly fifteen feet into the air, before microphone stands emerged from the center of each platform. Diezel stepped forward, past the microphone.
âBefore we start, Iâll explain how this works: the three of us are representatives of our specific unionsâbut the people are free to interject. One union voting to aid in your endeavors does not guarantee the help of the other two, as each union demands a perfect consensus. Likewise, if a faction without one union decides to help you, it does not necessarily mean you have the support of the entire union. The only way youâll end up with total support is cross union consensus. Do you understand?â
A consensus: of course, they needed a damned consensus.
âI do,â I answered, speaking away from the microphone.
âThen letâs get this show on the road,â Diezel stepped back, finding his microphone before continuing, âRed, Trodes, welcome to the Bouleuterion,â he paused a moment as the crowd erupted into cheers, âbeside me are my comrades Aria and Korvirex, and we stand ready to hear your proposal.â
âAs most of you probably know, Don Fincetti is the most powerful man in the underworld, hellâmaybe even the cityâwhat you likely donât know is that he has a vault beneath the city, guarded by an army of Harvesters. I intend to break into the vault, slaughter the Harvesters and strike a blow to Fincetti that he wonât forget⊠and I intend to kill him shortly after. What I ask is simple: you help me in whatâs to come, and when heâs finally dead, you can all split his turf among yourselves. All I care about is making sure he doesnât live long enough to poison the Sprawl more than he already has.â
A murmur emerged from the stands. I gazed across the way to see the three representatives huddled together, whispering amongst themselves. Finally, Aria stepped towards her microphone.
âWhat you ask of us will likely mean the death of many of our people⊠we need something greater than what you offerâwe need a guarantee of mutual aidâyou have a reputation in the Sprawl, we would ask that you employ it in helping us when the time comes to resettle the Sprawl. Namely, weâd request your assistance against the gangs that may try to fill the power void you seek to create,â Aria explained.
âThat seems reasonable,â I said.
Aria stepped back as Korvirex moved forward.
âTell me, Red, are you familiar with the Offworlder Coalition?â Korvirex asked.
âI amâas a matter of fact, I aided them on the way hereâthey were marching against the Neo-Confederates and the Brown Shirts. I insured that they had the element of surprise.â
Korvirex stroked the beard-like tentacles that hung from his chin in contemplation.
âGood. What I ask is that you help us to secure their trust, we have offered solidarity where we could, but our forces are spread thin. The ideology of many of the exiled Vorrath rebels that found their way to Nova Cityâit matches that of our union. If our help was offered, would you agree to assist us in aiding the Coalition, so that they finally have an opportunity to get on their feet?â
Trodes leaned towards in, whispering in my ear.
âIt would be prudent of you to make a counteroffer: proclaim that youâll help with the Coalition, if theyâll spread the word to other groups whose goals may align with ours. There will likely be at least a couple hundred Harvesters in the Undercity when we strike⊠unless theyâre occupied elsewhere.â
âI would happily help with the Coalition, on the condition that your faction spread the word about what weâre doing to like-minded organizations. As it stands, we could still use more numbers to match the Harvesters,â I said.
âThese conditions may be satisfactory,â Korvirex said, before retreating into yet another group huddle.
The audience watched on in silence.
Finally, Diezel reapproached the microphone.
âThe representatives have deemed this topic worthy of discussion: youâre free to leave, weâll get ahold of Akari in a couple days, when all the details are ironed out.â
âA couple days?â
âReaching a consensus can be a slow process at timesâbe prepared for a renegotiation of conditions, as there will likely be more stipulations made once the process is complete,â Diezel explained.
I nodded, and the platform beneath my feet began to descend towards the floor. The crowd erupted into cheers.
Hopefully Nico and Roman would beat us home.
2023.05.30 20:29 TheDrungeonBlaster [SF] Gutterpunks Reloaded #7: 100 Dead Nazis
-Red-
April 19th, 11:13 A.M., The Sprawl
I sparked a dilapidated Vita-Cig that Iâd snagged from Trodes and peered out into the Sprawl; the careful equilibrium of a well-orchestrated black-market had returned; pushers and gangers lined the alleys, watching for signals from rooftop lookouts to avoid the single Peacewatch cruiser that had been stupid enough to enter the dockside. The poor bastard would be dead before the afternoon was over⊠not that I had much sympathy for his kind. Peacewatch made it a habit to stay out of the Sprawl: unless the Eggheads predictive crime system said something catastrophic was coming, they policed their kind and left us in the hands of the mob. Iâd never iced an officer. Not yet at least.
âYour partner should be ready shortly, I think heâs just tying up a few loose ends,â Akari said, snatching the cigarette from my hand and taking a long drag.
âRemind me again why you think I should take the shrimp with me instead of Nico and Roman?â
âHeâs smart⊠and the other two are working on something else. Besides-- you need brains on this one, Red, not muscle,â she giggled, passing the cigarette back.
âWhatever you say,â I paused, grabbing the smoke, âwhat do you have them up to?â
âThereâs a shipment of Xeno-grade weapons coming down from the colonies. Nico and Roman will be liberating them from the Slicers. Or, their share, at least. It wonât be much, maybe a dozen guns, but itâll be worth it: the force field tech alone will pay for the trip as soon as Fincettiâs goons start trying to take your heads off with plasma cannons and mono blades.â
âWhat do you mean, their share?â
âThe job was too big for us to take on alone. I linked up with another enterprising group of Freelancers. If it goes well, maybe we can hire them on for the heist, weâre going to need more people if we want to walk out of there alive.â
We?
âWhat, are you planning on coming along now?â I asked, snuffing out the smoke.
âIt only seems right; Trodes is coming along, and Iâm a better shot than heâll ever be. Besides, you have a dangerous habit of getting shot, and I canât have you going down in the field,â she said, winking as if to punctuate the sentence.
âYou sure? We can manage, you donât have to come with us, youâve done so much already.â
âI know I have, thatâs why I have to protect my investment. If you go down out there, then the team is without a leader. A military scale operation like this will go south real fast without someone competent in command.â
âYouâve got me wrong, Akari: Iâm no leader. Iâm just someone who wants to live in a better city and doesnât mind taking the trash out himself. Besides, why do we need a leader? Weâre all competent adults acting in concert, of our own free will. We all know what weâre doing, if a situation arises and someone needs to take charge, itâll happen.â
âYouâve got a lot of faith in a crew you just met,â Akari said with a sneer.
âYou know why I asked you to put the team together, Akari?â
âBecause thereâs a bounty on your head that could finance twenty retirements, and you know you can trust me?â
âNo, well yeah, but thatâs beside the pointâI asked you because youâre not a Fixer, youâre a part time street doc that works the front desk at the most popular Freelancer hotel in the Sprawl. If thereâs anyone who knows whoâs gonna get the job done, itâs you. See, a Fixer is going to be okay with whatever losses they deem acceptable beforehand, but theyâre fine with keeping that to themselves. If you thought any of these mooks were going to crack under pressure, or do something stupid, you wouldnât have set me up with them.â
Before she could respond, Trodes emerged from the stairs leading to the lab. He winced as the sunlight hit his eyes, shrugging on the hood of the oversized sweatshirt that blanketed his meek frame. Glimpses of pain showed through every tremor laden step he took. A cloak of wires enveloped his skull, feeding into an old-world cyber console.
âItâs insufferably hot out here,â Trodes sighed.
âDonât worry, weâre not going far. Chances are that whatever hole weâre meeting BFU in will have air conditioning,â I responded, clicking my key fob, and signaling the bike to pull around.
Trodes face fell flat when the Supersonic rolled around the corner; apparently, the prestige of carving through the skyway on a state-of-the-art Taffington jet-bike was lost on him.
âAre we taking⊠that?â Trodes stammered.
âWe are. Unless youâve got a pair of wheels with two seats?â I asked, mounting the bike and revving the engine.
With an exasperated sigh, Trodes boarded the passenger seat. I could feel him behind me, vibrating as tremors gripped his body.
âYou good, buddy?â I asked.
He nodded vigorously, clenching the handrails with white knuckles.
Akari shook her head and headed back to the lab.
I heard Trodes mumble something under his breath, but it was quickly drowned out by the jet-bikeâs purr. I carved into the skyway. Driving in the Sprawl was pure freedom: almost nobody owned vehicles with aerial capabilities in this part of town. It didnât take long to reach top speed.
Slummers and gutterpunks walked the streets like zombies in a drug addled haze. The scent of gunpowder, pollution and burning ozone coalesced into a putrid stench that reeked of poverty and violence. Patches of azure moved in militant formation below; the Vorrath had taken to the streets. On a different day, a better day, I wouldâve helped them. Most slummers hated the Offworlder Coalition, but not meâat the end of the day I always figured that I had more in common with poor people from another planet than rich people from another district of the city. At least we shared the same struggle.
The bike slowed to crawl; the Neo-Confederates were about, backed by a platoon of Brown-Shirts that looked like a tide of sewer run off, crashing through the streets with reckless abandon. Civilians fled for their homes. Fuck.
The jet-bike careened through the air before finally landing atop a building a few blocks away from the impending conflict.
âGet off,â I said, turning back to Trodes.
âWhy? You donât intend to abandon me at this altitude, do you?â
âNot as long as I surviveâIâll be quick, I just need to ventilate some Nazi fucks, understood?â
He shook his head and muttered a string of curses.
I tore through the air, circling around the impending conflict. I chased a handful of cheap amphetamines with a poorly rolled joint and swooped low, behind the rolling tide of brown shirts. This wasnât the first time Iâd made myself an enemy of the cityâs Neo-Naziâs; Iâd killed at least a dozen of them in my career as a courier, but those were isolated incidents, back-alley brawls away from the mob.
This was a whole new ball game.
I fell slack as my Teleoperations module synchronized with the bike. My consciousness faded, reemerging into the HALO-Netâs stylized rendition of the bikeâs interior. I wasnât just the pilot nowâI was the bike. Bullets carved twin streaks of crimson into the brown tide. It didnât take long to hit top speed, 3.7 seconds, to be exact.
The group turned in nearly perfect unison, launching volley upon volley as I passed overhead. The bikeâs shields barely held together; I felt every round, like a flock of birds violently slamming into my sideânot enough to cause any real damage, but more than enough to get the blood pumping. I slid into an alley a few blocks off and waited for the shield generator to recharge. Gunshots rang out from the streets, alongside the sizzle of plasma meeting flesh. Soon the din was drowned beneath the roar of dozens of Vorrath war cries. I took to the sky.
Trodes was exactly where I left him, nervously clutching a knock off version of a Locust flechette pistol.
âI was beginning to doubt your survival,â Trodes said shakily.
âWrong again, little guy,â I paused, reigniting a half smoked joint, âit was just a quick hit and run, we donât have the time or the numbers for a pitched battle. Now, hop on.â
It didnât take long to find BFUâs base of operations. Black flags and Anarchist graffiti covered the walls of the abandoned warehouse theyâd apparently taken up residence in. A field of repurposed Peacewatch turrets were installed atop the roof, complimented by a web of cameras that spread across a three-block radius. Anarchists of all species and creeds loitered outside. The guards ranged from Cyborgs and Vat-Grown, to Vorrath and Vorstihl, each wearing a variant of the black flag with colors corresponding to their ideologies.
As I hovered above the building, I saw a familiar face: the rookie from earlier. Alarmingly, his cruiser was nowhere to be seen. His face was wrought with horror, as a pair of cyborgs led him inside the warehouse.
âTheyâre certainly less than subtle,â Trodes said.
âThey donât have to be subtle, theyâre the biggest citizens political organization in the Sprawl. Peacewatch avoids them if they have anything less than a full platoon on hand,â I explained.
âRed⊠before we enter negotiations with these hooligans, I must inquire as to what your motivation hitting the vault is? Surely you know thereâs a strong likelihood that you wonât make it out, and from what Iâd heard about you, I always understood you to be a man who knew how to keep himself out of the line of sight of dangerous people,â Trodes said, nervously.
âFincetti is the most dangerous man in the city, short of OâBannon. He controls the black market with an iron fist and is instrumental in all the things I hate about living here. The problem is, I have no way to do anything about it right now⊠but thereâs something big in the safeâthere must beâfor fucks sake, he iced his family over it. Iâm hoping thereâs something in there that can give me a little leverage, so I can cross him out afterwards.â
Trodes was silent for a moment, simply reaching as if to ask me to pass the joint. I obliged.
âI have my reasons to want OâBannon dead too, Iâm in,â he paused as a coughing fit seized him, causing the joint to fall to the ground, âthereâs something you should know though: Iâm working with an entity of great power in the Net; I donât know what precisely it is, but I know it saved my life more than once. As a matter of fact, itâs the only reason I was able to obtain the blueprint of Fincettiâs bunker, and his security plan.â
âIs it⊠is it an unshackled AI?â
âUnlikely: it seems to understand compassion and empathy on a uniquely organic level, something that rarely slips past Netwatch.â
âAlright, well whatever it is, you keep an eye on it and let me know if things get shady. I appreciate you telling me.â
Trodes nodded in silence.
The crowd parted expectantly as I landed along the streetside. Dozens of eyes were immediately glued to Trodes and I. A cyborg with a steel double mohawk emerged from a sea of leather, patches, and smoke. A sawed-off shotgun hung at his side.
âRed, I presume?â the Cyborg asked, extending a steel hand.
âThatâs right, and whoâre you?â I answered, clasping the borgs hand as firm as I could manage.
âThey call me Diezel, and Iâll be your host today,â he released my hand and looked me up and down as if assessing whether I was a threat, âfollow me, everyoneâs here so we can get straight down to business.â
The warehouseâs interior had been renovated drastically; layers of open-faced lofts sat stacked upon each other, consuming the walls. Nearly every non-violent law in the city was being broken in the lofts, from cooking chems and explosives to studying banned literature and Doomguard martial arts. It was beautiful. We followed Diezel through a winding hallway of munitions manufacturing stations, before finally emerging into an immense circular room, with rows of seats climbing the walls. I couldnât believe itâthere must have been two hundred people present.
The lights dimmed as we entered the arena. Diezel led us to the rooms center, ushering Trodes and I onto a great circular platform; he fell into place on a platform across from us, beside a Vat-Grown woman bearing an orange and black flag on her arm, and augmentations that cost more than my bike. Behind the duo a bulbous Vorstihl lurked; tentacles draped down his back, carefully pulled away from his cyclopean eye. A red and black flag was displayed on his arm⊠it was only then that I noticed the blue and black flag on Diezelâs arm.
The platforms each rose roughly fifteen feet into the air, before microphone stands emerged from the center of each platform. Diezel stepped forward, past the microphone.
âBefore we start, Iâll explain how this works: the three of us are representatives of our specific unionsâbut the people are free to interject. One union voting to aid in your endeavors does not guarantee the help of the other two, as each union demands a perfect consensus. Likewise, if a faction without one union decides to help you, it does not necessarily mean you have the support of the entire union. The only way youâll end up with total support is cross union consensus. Do you understand?â
A consensus: of course, they needed a damned consensus.
âI do,â I answered, speaking away from the microphone.
âThen letâs get this show on the road,â Diezel stepped back, finding his microphone before continuing, âRed, Trodes, welcome to the Bouleuterion,â he paused a moment as the crowd erupted into cheers, âbeside me are my comrades Aria and Korvirex, and we stand ready to hear your proposal.â
âAs most of you probably know, Don Fincetti is the most powerful man in the underworld, hellâmaybe even the cityâwhat you likely donât know is that he has a vault beneath the city, guarded by an army of Harvesters. I intend to break into the vault, slaughter the Harvesters and strike a blow to Fincetti that he wonât forget⊠and I intend to kill him shortly after. What I ask is simple: you help me in whatâs to come, and when heâs finally dead, you can all split his turf among yourselves. All I care about is making sure he doesnât live long enough to poison the Sprawl more than he already has.â
A murmur emerged from the stands. I gazed across the way to see the three representatives huddled together, whispering amongst themselves. Finally, Aria stepped towards her microphone.
âWhat you ask of us will likely mean the death of many of our people⊠we need something greater than what you offerâwe need a guarantee of mutual aidâyou have a reputation in the Sprawl, we would ask that you employ it in helping us when the time comes to resettle the Sprawl. Namely, weâd request your assistance against the gangs that may try to fill the power void you seek to create,â Aria explained.
âThat seems reasonable,â I said.
Aria stepped back as Korvirex moved forward.
âTell me, Red, are you familiar with the Offworlder Coalition?â Korvirex asked.
âI amâas a matter of fact, I aided them on the way hereâthey were marching against the Neo-Confederates and the Brown Shirts. I insured that they had the element of surprise.â
Korvirex stroked the beard-like tentacles that hung from his chin in contemplation.
âGood. What I ask is that you help us to secure their trust, we have offered solidarity where we could, but our forces are spread thin. The ideology of many of the exiled Vorrath rebels that found their way to Nova Cityâit matches that of our union. If our help was offered, would you agree to assist us in aiding the Coalition, so that they finally have an opportunity to get on their feet?â
Trodes leaned towards in, whispering in my ear.
âIt would be prudent of you to make a counteroffer: proclaim that youâll help with the Coalition, if theyâll spread the word to other groups whose goals may align with ours. There will likely be at least a couple hundred Harvesters in the Undercity when we strike⊠unless theyâre occupied elsewhere.â
âI would happily help with the Coalition, on the condition that your faction spread the word about what weâre doing to like-minded organizations. As it stands, we could still use more numbers to match the Harvesters,â I said.
âThese conditions may be satisfactory,â Korvirex said, before retreating into yet another group huddle.
The audience watched on in silence.
Finally, Diezel reapproached the microphone.
âThe representatives have deemed this topic worthy of discussion: youâre free to leave, weâll get ahold of Akari in a couple days, when all the details are ironed out.â
âA couple days?â
âReaching a consensus can be a slow process at timesâbe prepared for a renegotiation of conditions, as there will likely be more stipulations made once the process is complete,â Diezel explained.
I nodded, and the platform beneath my feet began to descend towards the floor. The crowd erupted into cheers.
Hopefully Nico and Roman would beat us home
submitted by TheDrungeonBlaster to shortstories [link] [comments]
April 19th, 11:13 A.M., The Sprawl
I sparked a dilapidated Vita-Cig that Iâd snagged from Trodes and peered out into the Sprawl; the careful equilibrium of a well-orchestrated black-market had returned; pushers and gangers lined the alleys, watching for signals from rooftop lookouts to avoid the single Peacewatch cruiser that had been stupid enough to enter the dockside. The poor bastard would be dead before the afternoon was over⊠not that I had much sympathy for his kind. Peacewatch made it a habit to stay out of the Sprawl: unless the Eggheads predictive crime system said something catastrophic was coming, they policed their kind and left us in the hands of the mob. Iâd never iced an officer. Not yet at least.
âYour partner should be ready shortly, I think heâs just tying up a few loose ends,â Akari said, snatching the cigarette from my hand and taking a long drag.
âRemind me again why you think I should take the shrimp with me instead of Nico and Roman?â
âHeâs smart⊠and the other two are working on something else. Besides-- you need brains on this one, Red, not muscle,â she giggled, passing the cigarette back.
âWhatever you say,â I paused, grabbing the smoke, âwhat do you have them up to?â
âThereâs a shipment of Xeno-grade weapons coming down from the colonies. Nico and Roman will be liberating them from the Slicers. Or, their share, at least. It wonât be much, maybe a dozen guns, but itâll be worth it: the force field tech alone will pay for the trip as soon as Fincettiâs goons start trying to take your heads off with plasma cannons and mono blades.â
âWhat do you mean, their share?â
âThe job was too big for us to take on alone. I linked up with another enterprising group of Freelancers. If it goes well, maybe we can hire them on for the heist, weâre going to need more people if we want to walk out of there alive.â
We?
âWhat, are you planning on coming along now?â I asked, snuffing out the smoke.
âIt only seems right; Trodes is coming along, and Iâm a better shot than heâll ever be. Besides, you have a dangerous habit of getting shot, and I canât have you going down in the field,â she said, winking as if to punctuate the sentence.
âYou sure? We can manage, you donât have to come with us, youâve done so much already.â
âI know I have, thatâs why I have to protect my investment. If you go down out there, then the team is without a leader. A military scale operation like this will go south real fast without someone competent in command.â
âYouâve got me wrong, Akari: Iâm no leader. Iâm just someone who wants to live in a better city and doesnât mind taking the trash out himself. Besides, why do we need a leader? Weâre all competent adults acting in concert, of our own free will. We all know what weâre doing, if a situation arises and someone needs to take charge, itâll happen.â
âYouâve got a lot of faith in a crew you just met,â Akari said with a sneer.
âYou know why I asked you to put the team together, Akari?â
âBecause thereâs a bounty on your head that could finance twenty retirements, and you know you can trust me?â
âNo, well yeah, but thatâs beside the pointâI asked you because youâre not a Fixer, youâre a part time street doc that works the front desk at the most popular Freelancer hotel in the Sprawl. If thereâs anyone who knows whoâs gonna get the job done, itâs you. See, a Fixer is going to be okay with whatever losses they deem acceptable beforehand, but theyâre fine with keeping that to themselves. If you thought any of these mooks were going to crack under pressure, or do something stupid, you wouldnât have set me up with them.â
Before she could respond, Trodes emerged from the stairs leading to the lab. He winced as the sunlight hit his eyes, shrugging on the hood of the oversized sweatshirt that blanketed his meek frame. Glimpses of pain showed through every tremor laden step he took. A cloak of wires enveloped his skull, feeding into an old-world cyber console.
âItâs insufferably hot out here,â Trodes sighed.
âDonât worry, weâre not going far. Chances are that whatever hole weâre meeting BFU in will have air conditioning,â I responded, clicking my key fob, and signaling the bike to pull around.
Trodes face fell flat when the Supersonic rolled around the corner; apparently, the prestige of carving through the skyway on a state-of-the-art Taffington jet-bike was lost on him.
âAre we taking⊠that?â Trodes stammered.
âWe are. Unless youâve got a pair of wheels with two seats?â I asked, mounting the bike and revving the engine.
With an exasperated sigh, Trodes boarded the passenger seat. I could feel him behind me, vibrating as tremors gripped his body.
âYou good, buddy?â I asked.
He nodded vigorously, clenching the handrails with white knuckles.
Akari shook her head and headed back to the lab.
I heard Trodes mumble something under his breath, but it was quickly drowned out by the jet-bikeâs purr. I carved into the skyway. Driving in the Sprawl was pure freedom: almost nobody owned vehicles with aerial capabilities in this part of town. It didnât take long to reach top speed.
Slummers and gutterpunks walked the streets like zombies in a drug addled haze. The scent of gunpowder, pollution and burning ozone coalesced into a putrid stench that reeked of poverty and violence. Patches of azure moved in militant formation below; the Vorrath had taken to the streets. On a different day, a better day, I wouldâve helped them. Most slummers hated the Offworlder Coalition, but not meâat the end of the day I always figured that I had more in common with poor people from another planet than rich people from another district of the city. At least we shared the same struggle.
The bike slowed to crawl; the Neo-Confederates were about, backed by a platoon of Brown-Shirts that looked like a tide of sewer run off, crashing through the streets with reckless abandon. Civilians fled for their homes. Fuck.
The jet-bike careened through the air before finally landing atop a building a few blocks away from the impending conflict.
âGet off,â I said, turning back to Trodes.
âWhy? You donât intend to abandon me at this altitude, do you?â
âNot as long as I surviveâIâll be quick, I just need to ventilate some Nazi fucks, understood?â
He shook his head and muttered a string of curses.
I tore through the air, circling around the impending conflict. I chased a handful of cheap amphetamines with a poorly rolled joint and swooped low, behind the rolling tide of brown shirts. This wasnât the first time Iâd made myself an enemy of the cityâs Neo-Naziâs; Iâd killed at least a dozen of them in my career as a courier, but those were isolated incidents, back-alley brawls away from the mob.
This was a whole new ball game.
I fell slack as my Teleoperations module synchronized with the bike. My consciousness faded, reemerging into the HALO-Netâs stylized rendition of the bikeâs interior. I wasnât just the pilot nowâI was the bike. Bullets carved twin streaks of crimson into the brown tide. It didnât take long to hit top speed, 3.7 seconds, to be exact.
The group turned in nearly perfect unison, launching volley upon volley as I passed overhead. The bikeâs shields barely held together; I felt every round, like a flock of birds violently slamming into my sideânot enough to cause any real damage, but more than enough to get the blood pumping. I slid into an alley a few blocks off and waited for the shield generator to recharge. Gunshots rang out from the streets, alongside the sizzle of plasma meeting flesh. Soon the din was drowned beneath the roar of dozens of Vorrath war cries. I took to the sky.
Trodes was exactly where I left him, nervously clutching a knock off version of a Locust flechette pistol.
âI was beginning to doubt your survival,â Trodes said shakily.
âWrong again, little guy,â I paused, reigniting a half smoked joint, âit was just a quick hit and run, we donât have the time or the numbers for a pitched battle. Now, hop on.â
It didnât take long to find BFUâs base of operations. Black flags and Anarchist graffiti covered the walls of the abandoned warehouse theyâd apparently taken up residence in. A field of repurposed Peacewatch turrets were installed atop the roof, complimented by a web of cameras that spread across a three-block radius. Anarchists of all species and creeds loitered outside. The guards ranged from Cyborgs and Vat-Grown, to Vorrath and Vorstihl, each wearing a variant of the black flag with colors corresponding to their ideologies.
As I hovered above the building, I saw a familiar face: the rookie from earlier. Alarmingly, his cruiser was nowhere to be seen. His face was wrought with horror, as a pair of cyborgs led him inside the warehouse.
âTheyâre certainly less than subtle,â Trodes said.
âThey donât have to be subtle, theyâre the biggest citizens political organization in the Sprawl. Peacewatch avoids them if they have anything less than a full platoon on hand,â I explained.
âRed⊠before we enter negotiations with these hooligans, I must inquire as to what your motivation hitting the vault is? Surely you know thereâs a strong likelihood that you wonât make it out, and from what Iâd heard about you, I always understood you to be a man who knew how to keep himself out of the line of sight of dangerous people,â Trodes said, nervously.
âFincetti is the most dangerous man in the city, short of OâBannon. He controls the black market with an iron fist and is instrumental in all the things I hate about living here. The problem is, I have no way to do anything about it right now⊠but thereâs something big in the safeâthere must beâfor fucks sake, he iced his family over it. Iâm hoping thereâs something in there that can give me a little leverage, so I can cross him out afterwards.â
Trodes was silent for a moment, simply reaching as if to ask me to pass the joint. I obliged.
âI have my reasons to want OâBannon dead too, Iâm in,â he paused as a coughing fit seized him, causing the joint to fall to the ground, âthereâs something you should know though: Iâm working with an entity of great power in the Net; I donât know what precisely it is, but I know it saved my life more than once. As a matter of fact, itâs the only reason I was able to obtain the blueprint of Fincettiâs bunker, and his security plan.â
âIs it⊠is it an unshackled AI?â
âUnlikely: it seems to understand compassion and empathy on a uniquely organic level, something that rarely slips past Netwatch.â
âAlright, well whatever it is, you keep an eye on it and let me know if things get shady. I appreciate you telling me.â
Trodes nodded in silence.
The crowd parted expectantly as I landed along the streetside. Dozens of eyes were immediately glued to Trodes and I. A cyborg with a steel double mohawk emerged from a sea of leather, patches, and smoke. A sawed-off shotgun hung at his side.
âRed, I presume?â the Cyborg asked, extending a steel hand.
âThatâs right, and whoâre you?â I answered, clasping the borgs hand as firm as I could manage.
âThey call me Diezel, and Iâll be your host today,â he released my hand and looked me up and down as if assessing whether I was a threat, âfollow me, everyoneâs here so we can get straight down to business.â
The warehouseâs interior had been renovated drastically; layers of open-faced lofts sat stacked upon each other, consuming the walls. Nearly every non-violent law in the city was being broken in the lofts, from cooking chems and explosives to studying banned literature and Doomguard martial arts. It was beautiful. We followed Diezel through a winding hallway of munitions manufacturing stations, before finally emerging into an immense circular room, with rows of seats climbing the walls. I couldnât believe itâthere must have been two hundred people present.
The lights dimmed as we entered the arena. Diezel led us to the rooms center, ushering Trodes and I onto a great circular platform; he fell into place on a platform across from us, beside a Vat-Grown woman bearing an orange and black flag on her arm, and augmentations that cost more than my bike. Behind the duo a bulbous Vorstihl lurked; tentacles draped down his back, carefully pulled away from his cyclopean eye. A red and black flag was displayed on his arm⊠it was only then that I noticed the blue and black flag on Diezelâs arm.
The platforms each rose roughly fifteen feet into the air, before microphone stands emerged from the center of each platform. Diezel stepped forward, past the microphone.
âBefore we start, Iâll explain how this works: the three of us are representatives of our specific unionsâbut the people are free to interject. One union voting to aid in your endeavors does not guarantee the help of the other two, as each union demands a perfect consensus. Likewise, if a faction without one union decides to help you, it does not necessarily mean you have the support of the entire union. The only way youâll end up with total support is cross union consensus. Do you understand?â
A consensus: of course, they needed a damned consensus.
âI do,â I answered, speaking away from the microphone.
âThen letâs get this show on the road,â Diezel stepped back, finding his microphone before continuing, âRed, Trodes, welcome to the Bouleuterion,â he paused a moment as the crowd erupted into cheers, âbeside me are my comrades Aria and Korvirex, and we stand ready to hear your proposal.â
âAs most of you probably know, Don Fincetti is the most powerful man in the underworld, hellâmaybe even the cityâwhat you likely donât know is that he has a vault beneath the city, guarded by an army of Harvesters. I intend to break into the vault, slaughter the Harvesters and strike a blow to Fincetti that he wonât forget⊠and I intend to kill him shortly after. What I ask is simple: you help me in whatâs to come, and when heâs finally dead, you can all split his turf among yourselves. All I care about is making sure he doesnât live long enough to poison the Sprawl more than he already has.â
A murmur emerged from the stands. I gazed across the way to see the three representatives huddled together, whispering amongst themselves. Finally, Aria stepped towards her microphone.
âWhat you ask of us will likely mean the death of many of our people⊠we need something greater than what you offerâwe need a guarantee of mutual aidâyou have a reputation in the Sprawl, we would ask that you employ it in helping us when the time comes to resettle the Sprawl. Namely, weâd request your assistance against the gangs that may try to fill the power void you seek to create,â Aria explained.
âThat seems reasonable,â I said.
Aria stepped back as Korvirex moved forward.
âTell me, Red, are you familiar with the Offworlder Coalition?â Korvirex asked.
âI amâas a matter of fact, I aided them on the way hereâthey were marching against the Neo-Confederates and the Brown Shirts. I insured that they had the element of surprise.â
Korvirex stroked the beard-like tentacles that hung from his chin in contemplation.
âGood. What I ask is that you help us to secure their trust, we have offered solidarity where we could, but our forces are spread thin. The ideology of many of the exiled Vorrath rebels that found their way to Nova Cityâit matches that of our union. If our help was offered, would you agree to assist us in aiding the Coalition, so that they finally have an opportunity to get on their feet?â
Trodes leaned towards in, whispering in my ear.
âIt would be prudent of you to make a counteroffer: proclaim that youâll help with the Coalition, if theyâll spread the word to other groups whose goals may align with ours. There will likely be at least a couple hundred Harvesters in the Undercity when we strike⊠unless theyâre occupied elsewhere.â
âI would happily help with the Coalition, on the condition that your faction spread the word about what weâre doing to like-minded organizations. As it stands, we could still use more numbers to match the Harvesters,â I said.
âThese conditions may be satisfactory,â Korvirex said, before retreating into yet another group huddle.
The audience watched on in silence.
Finally, Diezel reapproached the microphone.
âThe representatives have deemed this topic worthy of discussion: youâre free to leave, weâll get ahold of Akari in a couple days, when all the details are ironed out.â
âA couple days?â
âReaching a consensus can be a slow process at timesâbe prepared for a renegotiation of conditions, as there will likely be more stipulations made once the process is complete,â Diezel explained.
I nodded, and the platform beneath my feet began to descend towards the floor. The crowd erupted into cheers.
Hopefully Nico and Roman would beat us home
2023.05.30 20:25 No_Competition4897 [HIRING] 25 Jobs in WA Hiring Now!
2023.05.30 20:25 TheDrungeonBlaster Gutterpunks Reloaded #8: 100 Dead Nazis
-Red-
April 19th, 11:13 A.M., The Sprawl
I sparked a dilapidated Vita-Cig that Iâd snagged from Trodes and peered out into the Sprawl; the careful equilibrium of a well-orchestrated black-market had returned; pushers and gangers lined the alleys, watching for signals from rooftop lookouts to avoid the single Peacewatch cruiser that had been stupid enough to enter the dockside. The poor bastard would be dead before the afternoon was over⊠not that I had much sympathy for his kind. Peacewatch made it a habit to stay out of the Sprawl: unless the Eggheads predictive crime system said something catastrophic was coming, they policed their kind and left us in the hands of the mob. Iâd never iced an officer. Not yet at least.
âYour partner should be ready shortly, I think heâs just tying up a few loose ends,â Akari said, snatching the cigarette from my hand and taking a long drag.
âRemind me again why you think I should take the shrimp with me instead of Nico and Roman?â
âHeâs smart⊠and the other two are working on something else. Besides-- you need brains on this one, Red, not muscle,â she giggled, passing the cigarette back.
âWhatever you say,â I paused, grabbing the smoke, âwhat do you have them up to?â
âThereâs a shipment of Xeno-grade weapons coming down from the colonies. Nico and Roman will be liberating them from the Slicers. Or, their share, at least. It wonât be much, maybe a dozen guns, but itâll be worth it: the force field tech alone will pay for the trip as soon as Fincettiâs goons start trying to take your heads off with plasma cannons and mono blades.â
âWhat do you mean, their share?â
âThe job was too big for us to take on alone. I linked up with another enterprising group of Freelancers. If it goes well, maybe we can hire them on for the heist, weâre going to need more people if we want to walk out of there alive.â
We?
âWhat, are you planning on coming along now?â I asked, snuffing out the smoke.
âIt only seems right; Trodes is coming along, and Iâm a better shot than heâll ever be. Besides, you have a dangerous habit of getting shot, and I canât have you going down in the field,â she said, winking as if to punctuate the sentence.
âYou sure? We can manage, you donât have to come with us, youâve done so much already.â
âI know I have, thatâs why I have to protect my investment. If you go down out there, then the team is without a leader. A military scale operation like this will go south real fast without someone competent in command.â
âYouâve got me wrong, Akari: Iâm no leader. Iâm just someone who wants to live in a better city and doesnât mind taking the trash out himself. Besides, why do we need a leader? Weâre all competent adults acting in concert, of our own free will. We all know what weâre doing, if a situation arises and someone needs to take charge, itâll happen.â
âYouâve got a lot of faith in a crew you just met,â Akari said with a sneer.
âYou know why I asked you to put the team together, Akari?â
âBecause thereâs a bounty on your head that could finance twenty retirements, and you know you can trust me?â
âNo, well yeah, but thatâs beside the pointâI asked you because youâre not a Fixer, youâre a part time street doc that works the front desk at the most popular Freelancer hotel in the Sprawl. If thereâs anyone who knows whoâs gonna get the job done, itâs you. See, a Fixer is going to be okay with whatever losses they deem acceptable beforehand, but theyâre fine with keeping that to themselves. If you thought any of these mooks were going to crack under pressure, or do something stupid, you wouldnât have set me up with them.â
Before she could respond, Trodes emerged from the stairs leading to the lab. He winced as the sunlight hit his eyes, shrugging on the hood of the oversized sweatshirt that blanketed his meek frame. Glimpses of pain showed through every tremor laden step he took. A cloak of wires enveloped his skull, feeding into an old-world cyber console.
âItâs insufferably hot out here,â Trodes sighed.
âDonât worry, weâre not going far. Chances are that whatever hole weâre meeting BFU in will have air conditioning,â I responded, clicking my key fob, and signaling the bike to pull around.
Trodes face fell flat when the Supersonic rolled around the corner; apparently, the prestige of carving through the skyway on a state-of-the-art Taffington jet-bike was lost on him.
âAre we taking⊠that?â Trodes stammered.
âWe are. Unless youâve got a pair of wheels with two seats?â I asked, mounting the bike and revving the engine.
With an exasperated sigh, Trodes boarded the passenger seat. I could feel him behind me, vibrating as tremors gripped his body.
âYou good, buddy?â I asked.
He nodded vigorously, clenching the handrails with white knuckles.
Akari shook her head and headed back to the lab.
I heard Trodes mumble something under his breath, but it was quickly drowned out by the jet-bikeâs purr. I carved into the skyway. Driving in the Sprawl was pure freedom: almost nobody owned vehicles with aerial capabilities in this part of town. It didnât take long to reach top speed.
Slummers and gutterpunks walked the streets like zombies in a drug addled haze. The scent of gunpowder, pollution and burning ozone coalesced into a putrid stench that reeked of poverty and violence. Patches of azure moved in militant formation below; the Vorrath had taken to the streets. On a different day, a better day, I wouldâve helped them. Most slummers hated the Offworlder Coalition, but not meâat the end of the day I always figured that I had more in common with poor people from another planet than rich people from another district of the city. At least we shared the same struggle.
The bike slowed to crawl; the Neo-Confederates were about, backed by a platoon of Brown-Shirts that looked like a tide of sewer run off, crashing through the streets with reckless abandon. Civilians fled for their homes. Fuck.
The jet-bike careened through the air before finally landing atop a building a few blocks away from the impending conflict.
âGet off,â I said, turning back to Trodes.
âWhy? You donât intend to abandon me at this altitude, do you?â
âNot as long as I surviveâIâll be quick, I just need to ventilate some Nazi fucks, understood?â
He shook his head and muttered a string of curses.
I tore through the air, circling around the impending conflict. I chased a handful of cheap amphetamines with a poorly rolled joint and swooped low, behind the rolling tide of brown shirts. This wasnât the first time Iâd made myself an enemy of the cityâs Neo-Naziâs; Iâd killed at least a dozen of them in my career as a courier, but those were isolated incidents, back-alley brawls away from the mob.
This was a whole new ball game.
I fell slack as my Teleoperations module synchronized with the bike. My consciousness faded, reemerging into the HALO-Netâs stylized rendition of the bikeâs interior. I wasnât just the pilot nowâI was the bike. Bullets carved twin streaks of crimson into the brown tide. It didnât take long to hit top speed, 3.7 seconds, to be exact.
The group turned in nearly perfect unison, launching volley upon volley as I passed overhead. The bikeâs shields barely held together; I felt every round, like a flock of birds violently slamming into my sideânot enough to cause any real damage, but more than enough to get the blood pumping. I slid into an alley a few blocks off and waited for the shield generator to recharge. Gunshots rang out from the streets, alongside the sizzle of plasma meeting flesh. Soon the din was drowned beneath the roar of dozens of Vorrath war cries. I took to the sky.
Trodes was exactly where I left him, nervously clutching a knock off version of a Locust flechette pistol.
âI was beginning to doubt your survival,â Trodes said shakily.
âWrong again, little guy,â I paused, reigniting a half smoked joint, âit was just a quick hit and run, we donât have the time or the numbers for a pitched battle. Now, hop on.â
It didnât take long to find BFUâs base of operations. Black flags and Anarchist graffiti covered the walls of the abandoned warehouse theyâd apparently taken up residence in. A field of repurposed Peacewatch turrets were installed atop the roof, complimented by a web of cameras that spread across a three-block radius. Anarchists of all species and creeds loitered outside. The guards ranged from Cyborgs and Vat-Grown, to Vorrath and Vorstihl, each wearing a variant of the black flag with colors corresponding to their ideologies.
As I hovered above the building, I saw a familiar face: the rookie from earlier. Alarmingly, his cruiser was nowhere to be seen. His face was wrought with horror, as a pair of cyborgs led him inside the warehouse.
âTheyâre certainly less than subtle,â Trodes said.
âThey donât have to be subtle, theyâre the biggest citizens political organization in the Sprawl. Peacewatch avoids them if they have anything less than a full platoon on hand,â I explained.
âRed⊠before we enter negotiations with these hooligans, I must inquire as to what your motivation hitting the vault is? Surely you know thereâs a strong likelihood that you wonât make it out, and from what Iâd heard about you, I always understood you to be a man who knew how to keep himself out of the line of sight of dangerous people,â Trodes said, nervously.
âFincetti is the most dangerous man in the city, short of OâBannon. He controls the black market with an iron fist and is instrumental in all the things I hate about living here. The problem is, I have no way to do anything about it right now⊠but thereâs something big in the safeâthere must beâfor fucks sake, he iced his family over it. Iâm hoping thereâs something in there that can give me a little leverage, so I can cross him out afterwards.â
Trodes was silent for a moment, simply reaching as if to ask me to pass the joint. I obliged.
âI have my reasons to want OâBannon dead too, Iâm in,â he paused as a coughing fit seized him, causing the joint to fall to the ground, âthereâs something you should know though: Iâm working with an entity of great power in the Net; I donât know what precisely it is, but I know it saved my life more than once. As a matter of fact, itâs the only reason I was able to obtain the blueprint of Fincettiâs bunker, and his security plan.â
âIs it⊠is it an unshackled AI?â
âUnlikely: it seems to understand compassion and empathy on a uniquely organic level, something that rarely slips past Netwatch.â
âAlright, well whatever it is, you keep an eye on it and let me know if things get shady. I appreciate you telling me.â
Trodes nodded in silence.
The crowd parted expectantly as I landed along the streetside. Dozens of eyes were immediately glued to Trodes and I. A cyborg with a steel double mohawk emerged from a sea of leather, patches, and smoke. A sawed-off shotgun hung at his side.
âRed, I presume?â the Cyborg asked, extending a steel hand.
âThatâs right, and whoâre you?â I answered, clasping the borgs hand as firm as I could manage.
âThey call me Diezel, and Iâll be your host today,â he released my hand and looked me up and down as if assessing whether I was a threat, âfollow me, everyoneâs here so we can get straight down to business.â
The warehouseâs interior had been renovated drastically; layers of open-faced lofts sat stacked upon each other, consuming the walls. Nearly every non-violent law in the city was being broken in the lofts, from cooking chems and explosives to studying banned literature and Doomguard martial arts. It was beautiful. We followed Diezel through a winding hallway of munitions manufacturing stations, before finally emerging into an immense circular room, with rows of seats climbing the walls. I couldnât believe itâthere must have been two hundred people present.
The lights dimmed as we entered the arena. Diezel led us to the rooms center, ushering Trodes and I onto a great circular platform; he fell into place on a platform across from us, beside a Vat-Grown woman bearing an orange and black flag on her arm, and augmentations that cost more than my bike. Behind the duo a bulbous Vorstihl lurked; tentacles draped down his back, carefully pulled away from his cyclopean eye. A red and black flag was displayed on his arm⊠it was only then that I noticed the blue and black flag on Diezelâs arm.
The platforms each rose roughly fifteen feet into the air, before microphone stands emerged from the center of each platform. Diezel stepped forward, past the microphone.
âBefore we start, Iâll explain how this works: the three of us are representatives of our specific unionsâbut the people are free to interject. One union voting to aid in your endeavors does not guarantee the help of the other two, as each union demands a perfect consensus. Likewise, if a faction without one union decides to help you, it does not necessarily mean you have the support of the entire union. The only way youâll end up with total support is cross union consensus. Do you understand?â
A consensus: of course, they needed a damned consensus.
âI do,â I answered, speaking away from the microphone.
âThen letâs get this show on the road,â Diezel stepped back, finding his microphone before continuing, âRed, Trodes, welcome to the Bouleuterion,â he paused a moment as the crowd erupted into cheers, âbeside me are my comrades Aria and Korvirex, and we stand ready to hear your proposal.â
âAs most of you probably know, Don Fincetti is the most powerful man in the underworld, hellâmaybe even the cityâwhat you likely donât know is that he has a vault beneath the city, guarded by an army of Harvesters. I intend to break into the vault, slaughter the Harvesters and strike a blow to Fincetti that he wonât forget⊠and I intend to kill him shortly after. What I ask is simple: you help me in whatâs to come, and when heâs finally dead, you can all split his turf among yourselves. All I care about is making sure he doesnât live long enough to poison the Sprawl more than he already has.â
A murmur emerged from the stands. I gazed across the way to see the three representatives huddled together, whispering amongst themselves. Finally, Aria stepped towards her microphone.
âWhat you ask of us will likely mean the death of many of our people⊠we need something greater than what you offerâwe need a guarantee of mutual aidâyou have a reputation in the Sprawl, we would ask that you employ it in helping us when the time comes to resettle the Sprawl. Namely, weâd request your assistance against the gangs that may try to fill the power void you seek to create,â Aria explained.
âThat seems reasonable,â I said.
Aria stepped back as Korvirex moved forward.
âTell me, Red, are you familiar with the Offworlder Coalition?â Korvirex asked.
âI amâas a matter of fact, I aided them on the way hereâthey were marching against the Neo-Confederates and the Brown Shirts. I insured that they had the element of surprise.â
Korvirex stroked the beard-like tentacles that hung from his chin in contemplation.
âGood. What I ask is that you help us to secure their trust, we have offered solidarity where we could, but our forces are spread thin. The ideology of many of the exiled Vorrath rebels that found their way to Nova Cityâit matches that of our union. If our help was offered, would you agree to assist us in aiding the Coalition, so that they finally have an opportunity to get on their feet?â
Trodes leaned towards in, whispering in my ear.
âIt would be prudent of you to make a counteroffer: proclaim that youâll help with the Coalition, if theyâll spread the word to other groups whose goals may align with ours. There will likely be at least a couple hundred Harvesters in the Undercity when we strike⊠unless theyâre occupied elsewhere.â
âI would happily help with the Coalition, on the condition that your faction spread the word about what weâre doing to like-minded organizations. As it stands, we could still use more numbers to match the Harvesters,â I said.
âThese conditions may be satisfactory,â Korvirex said, before retreating into yet another group huddle.
The audience watched on in silence.
Finally, Diezel reapproached the microphone.
âThe representatives have deemed this topic worthy of discussion: youâre free to leave, weâll get ahold of Akari in a couple days, when all the details are ironed out.â
âA couple days?â
âReaching a consensus can be a slow process at timesâbe prepared for a renegotiation of conditions, as there will likely be more stipulations made once the process is complete,â Diezel explained.
I nodded, and the platform beneath my feet began to descend towards the floor. The crowd erupted into cheers.
Hopefully Nico and Roman would beat us home.
submitted by TheDrungeonBlaster to Novacityblues [link] [comments]
April 19th, 11:13 A.M., The Sprawl
I sparked a dilapidated Vita-Cig that Iâd snagged from Trodes and peered out into the Sprawl; the careful equilibrium of a well-orchestrated black-market had returned; pushers and gangers lined the alleys, watching for signals from rooftop lookouts to avoid the single Peacewatch cruiser that had been stupid enough to enter the dockside. The poor bastard would be dead before the afternoon was over⊠not that I had much sympathy for his kind. Peacewatch made it a habit to stay out of the Sprawl: unless the Eggheads predictive crime system said something catastrophic was coming, they policed their kind and left us in the hands of the mob. Iâd never iced an officer. Not yet at least.
âYour partner should be ready shortly, I think heâs just tying up a few loose ends,â Akari said, snatching the cigarette from my hand and taking a long drag.
âRemind me again why you think I should take the shrimp with me instead of Nico and Roman?â
âHeâs smart⊠and the other two are working on something else. Besides-- you need brains on this one, Red, not muscle,â she giggled, passing the cigarette back.
âWhatever you say,â I paused, grabbing the smoke, âwhat do you have them up to?â
âThereâs a shipment of Xeno-grade weapons coming down from the colonies. Nico and Roman will be liberating them from the Slicers. Or, their share, at least. It wonât be much, maybe a dozen guns, but itâll be worth it: the force field tech alone will pay for the trip as soon as Fincettiâs goons start trying to take your heads off with plasma cannons and mono blades.â
âWhat do you mean, their share?â
âThe job was too big for us to take on alone. I linked up with another enterprising group of Freelancers. If it goes well, maybe we can hire them on for the heist, weâre going to need more people if we want to walk out of there alive.â
We?
âWhat, are you planning on coming along now?â I asked, snuffing out the smoke.
âIt only seems right; Trodes is coming along, and Iâm a better shot than heâll ever be. Besides, you have a dangerous habit of getting shot, and I canât have you going down in the field,â she said, winking as if to punctuate the sentence.
âYou sure? We can manage, you donât have to come with us, youâve done so much already.â
âI know I have, thatâs why I have to protect my investment. If you go down out there, then the team is without a leader. A military scale operation like this will go south real fast without someone competent in command.â
âYouâve got me wrong, Akari: Iâm no leader. Iâm just someone who wants to live in a better city and doesnât mind taking the trash out himself. Besides, why do we need a leader? Weâre all competent adults acting in concert, of our own free will. We all know what weâre doing, if a situation arises and someone needs to take charge, itâll happen.â
âYouâve got a lot of faith in a crew you just met,â Akari said with a sneer.
âYou know why I asked you to put the team together, Akari?â
âBecause thereâs a bounty on your head that could finance twenty retirements, and you know you can trust me?â
âNo, well yeah, but thatâs beside the pointâI asked you because youâre not a Fixer, youâre a part time street doc that works the front desk at the most popular Freelancer hotel in the Sprawl. If thereâs anyone who knows whoâs gonna get the job done, itâs you. See, a Fixer is going to be okay with whatever losses they deem acceptable beforehand, but theyâre fine with keeping that to themselves. If you thought any of these mooks were going to crack under pressure, or do something stupid, you wouldnât have set me up with them.â
Before she could respond, Trodes emerged from the stairs leading to the lab. He winced as the sunlight hit his eyes, shrugging on the hood of the oversized sweatshirt that blanketed his meek frame. Glimpses of pain showed through every tremor laden step he took. A cloak of wires enveloped his skull, feeding into an old-world cyber console.
âItâs insufferably hot out here,â Trodes sighed.
âDonât worry, weâre not going far. Chances are that whatever hole weâre meeting BFU in will have air conditioning,â I responded, clicking my key fob, and signaling the bike to pull around.
Trodes face fell flat when the Supersonic rolled around the corner; apparently, the prestige of carving through the skyway on a state-of-the-art Taffington jet-bike was lost on him.
âAre we taking⊠that?â Trodes stammered.
âWe are. Unless youâve got a pair of wheels with two seats?â I asked, mounting the bike and revving the engine.
With an exasperated sigh, Trodes boarded the passenger seat. I could feel him behind me, vibrating as tremors gripped his body.
âYou good, buddy?â I asked.
He nodded vigorously, clenching the handrails with white knuckles.
Akari shook her head and headed back to the lab.
I heard Trodes mumble something under his breath, but it was quickly drowned out by the jet-bikeâs purr. I carved into the skyway. Driving in the Sprawl was pure freedom: almost nobody owned vehicles with aerial capabilities in this part of town. It didnât take long to reach top speed.
Slummers and gutterpunks walked the streets like zombies in a drug addled haze. The scent of gunpowder, pollution and burning ozone coalesced into a putrid stench that reeked of poverty and violence. Patches of azure moved in militant formation below; the Vorrath had taken to the streets. On a different day, a better day, I wouldâve helped them. Most slummers hated the Offworlder Coalition, but not meâat the end of the day I always figured that I had more in common with poor people from another planet than rich people from another district of the city. At least we shared the same struggle.
The bike slowed to crawl; the Neo-Confederates were about, backed by a platoon of Brown-Shirts that looked like a tide of sewer run off, crashing through the streets with reckless abandon. Civilians fled for their homes. Fuck.
The jet-bike careened through the air before finally landing atop a building a few blocks away from the impending conflict.
âGet off,â I said, turning back to Trodes.
âWhy? You donât intend to abandon me at this altitude, do you?â
âNot as long as I surviveâIâll be quick, I just need to ventilate some Nazi fucks, understood?â
He shook his head and muttered a string of curses.
I tore through the air, circling around the impending conflict. I chased a handful of cheap amphetamines with a poorly rolled joint and swooped low, behind the rolling tide of brown shirts. This wasnât the first time Iâd made myself an enemy of the cityâs Neo-Naziâs; Iâd killed at least a dozen of them in my career as a courier, but those were isolated incidents, back-alley brawls away from the mob.
This was a whole new ball game.
I fell slack as my Teleoperations module synchronized with the bike. My consciousness faded, reemerging into the HALO-Netâs stylized rendition of the bikeâs interior. I wasnât just the pilot nowâI was the bike. Bullets carved twin streaks of crimson into the brown tide. It didnât take long to hit top speed, 3.7 seconds, to be exact.
The group turned in nearly perfect unison, launching volley upon volley as I passed overhead. The bikeâs shields barely held together; I felt every round, like a flock of birds violently slamming into my sideânot enough to cause any real damage, but more than enough to get the blood pumping. I slid into an alley a few blocks off and waited for the shield generator to recharge. Gunshots rang out from the streets, alongside the sizzle of plasma meeting flesh. Soon the din was drowned beneath the roar of dozens of Vorrath war cries. I took to the sky.
Trodes was exactly where I left him, nervously clutching a knock off version of a Locust flechette pistol.
âI was beginning to doubt your survival,â Trodes said shakily.
âWrong again, little guy,â I paused, reigniting a half smoked joint, âit was just a quick hit and run, we donât have the time or the numbers for a pitched battle. Now, hop on.â
It didnât take long to find BFUâs base of operations. Black flags and Anarchist graffiti covered the walls of the abandoned warehouse theyâd apparently taken up residence in. A field of repurposed Peacewatch turrets were installed atop the roof, complimented by a web of cameras that spread across a three-block radius. Anarchists of all species and creeds loitered outside. The guards ranged from Cyborgs and Vat-Grown, to Vorrath and Vorstihl, each wearing a variant of the black flag with colors corresponding to their ideologies.
As I hovered above the building, I saw a familiar face: the rookie from earlier. Alarmingly, his cruiser was nowhere to be seen. His face was wrought with horror, as a pair of cyborgs led him inside the warehouse.
âTheyâre certainly less than subtle,â Trodes said.
âThey donât have to be subtle, theyâre the biggest citizens political organization in the Sprawl. Peacewatch avoids them if they have anything less than a full platoon on hand,â I explained.
âRed⊠before we enter negotiations with these hooligans, I must inquire as to what your motivation hitting the vault is? Surely you know thereâs a strong likelihood that you wonât make it out, and from what Iâd heard about you, I always understood you to be a man who knew how to keep himself out of the line of sight of dangerous people,â Trodes said, nervously.
âFincetti is the most dangerous man in the city, short of OâBannon. He controls the black market with an iron fist and is instrumental in all the things I hate about living here. The problem is, I have no way to do anything about it right now⊠but thereâs something big in the safeâthere must beâfor fucks sake, he iced his family over it. Iâm hoping thereâs something in there that can give me a little leverage, so I can cross him out afterwards.â
Trodes was silent for a moment, simply reaching as if to ask me to pass the joint. I obliged.
âI have my reasons to want OâBannon dead too, Iâm in,â he paused as a coughing fit seized him, causing the joint to fall to the ground, âthereâs something you should know though: Iâm working with an entity of great power in the Net; I donât know what precisely it is, but I know it saved my life more than once. As a matter of fact, itâs the only reason I was able to obtain the blueprint of Fincettiâs bunker, and his security plan.â
âIs it⊠is it an unshackled AI?â
âUnlikely: it seems to understand compassion and empathy on a uniquely organic level, something that rarely slips past Netwatch.â
âAlright, well whatever it is, you keep an eye on it and let me know if things get shady. I appreciate you telling me.â
Trodes nodded in silence.
The crowd parted expectantly as I landed along the streetside. Dozens of eyes were immediately glued to Trodes and I. A cyborg with a steel double mohawk emerged from a sea of leather, patches, and smoke. A sawed-off shotgun hung at his side.
âRed, I presume?â the Cyborg asked, extending a steel hand.
âThatâs right, and whoâre you?â I answered, clasping the borgs hand as firm as I could manage.
âThey call me Diezel, and Iâll be your host today,â he released my hand and looked me up and down as if assessing whether I was a threat, âfollow me, everyoneâs here so we can get straight down to business.â
The warehouseâs interior had been renovated drastically; layers of open-faced lofts sat stacked upon each other, consuming the walls. Nearly every non-violent law in the city was being broken in the lofts, from cooking chems and explosives to studying banned literature and Doomguard martial arts. It was beautiful. We followed Diezel through a winding hallway of munitions manufacturing stations, before finally emerging into an immense circular room, with rows of seats climbing the walls. I couldnât believe itâthere must have been two hundred people present.
The lights dimmed as we entered the arena. Diezel led us to the rooms center, ushering Trodes and I onto a great circular platform; he fell into place on a platform across from us, beside a Vat-Grown woman bearing an orange and black flag on her arm, and augmentations that cost more than my bike. Behind the duo a bulbous Vorstihl lurked; tentacles draped down his back, carefully pulled away from his cyclopean eye. A red and black flag was displayed on his arm⊠it was only then that I noticed the blue and black flag on Diezelâs arm.
The platforms each rose roughly fifteen feet into the air, before microphone stands emerged from the center of each platform. Diezel stepped forward, past the microphone.
âBefore we start, Iâll explain how this works: the three of us are representatives of our specific unionsâbut the people are free to interject. One union voting to aid in your endeavors does not guarantee the help of the other two, as each union demands a perfect consensus. Likewise, if a faction without one union decides to help you, it does not necessarily mean you have the support of the entire union. The only way youâll end up with total support is cross union consensus. Do you understand?â
A consensus: of course, they needed a damned consensus.
âI do,â I answered, speaking away from the microphone.
âThen letâs get this show on the road,â Diezel stepped back, finding his microphone before continuing, âRed, Trodes, welcome to the Bouleuterion,â he paused a moment as the crowd erupted into cheers, âbeside me are my comrades Aria and Korvirex, and we stand ready to hear your proposal.â
âAs most of you probably know, Don Fincetti is the most powerful man in the underworld, hellâmaybe even the cityâwhat you likely donât know is that he has a vault beneath the city, guarded by an army of Harvesters. I intend to break into the vault, slaughter the Harvesters and strike a blow to Fincetti that he wonât forget⊠and I intend to kill him shortly after. What I ask is simple: you help me in whatâs to come, and when heâs finally dead, you can all split his turf among yourselves. All I care about is making sure he doesnât live long enough to poison the Sprawl more than he already has.â
A murmur emerged from the stands. I gazed across the way to see the three representatives huddled together, whispering amongst themselves. Finally, Aria stepped towards her microphone.
âWhat you ask of us will likely mean the death of many of our people⊠we need something greater than what you offerâwe need a guarantee of mutual aidâyou have a reputation in the Sprawl, we would ask that you employ it in helping us when the time comes to resettle the Sprawl. Namely, weâd request your assistance against the gangs that may try to fill the power void you seek to create,â Aria explained.
âThat seems reasonable,â I said.
Aria stepped back as Korvirex moved forward.
âTell me, Red, are you familiar with the Offworlder Coalition?â Korvirex asked.
âI amâas a matter of fact, I aided them on the way hereâthey were marching against the Neo-Confederates and the Brown Shirts. I insured that they had the element of surprise.â
Korvirex stroked the beard-like tentacles that hung from his chin in contemplation.
âGood. What I ask is that you help us to secure their trust, we have offered solidarity where we could, but our forces are spread thin. The ideology of many of the exiled Vorrath rebels that found their way to Nova Cityâit matches that of our union. If our help was offered, would you agree to assist us in aiding the Coalition, so that they finally have an opportunity to get on their feet?â
Trodes leaned towards in, whispering in my ear.
âIt would be prudent of you to make a counteroffer: proclaim that youâll help with the Coalition, if theyâll spread the word to other groups whose goals may align with ours. There will likely be at least a couple hundred Harvesters in the Undercity when we strike⊠unless theyâre occupied elsewhere.â
âI would happily help with the Coalition, on the condition that your faction spread the word about what weâre doing to like-minded organizations. As it stands, we could still use more numbers to match the Harvesters,â I said.
âThese conditions may be satisfactory,â Korvirex said, before retreating into yet another group huddle.
The audience watched on in silence.
Finally, Diezel reapproached the microphone.
âThe representatives have deemed this topic worthy of discussion: youâre free to leave, weâll get ahold of Akari in a couple days, when all the details are ironed out.â
âA couple days?â
âReaching a consensus can be a slow process at timesâbe prepared for a renegotiation of conditions, as there will likely be more stipulations made once the process is complete,â Diezel explained.
I nodded, and the platform beneath my feet began to descend towards the floor. The crowd erupted into cheers.
Hopefully Nico and Roman would beat us home.
2023.05.30 20:05 Boober_Bill Any good rebuttals to this?
Hi, Iâm currently exploring evolution after having been brought up as a YEC in a Baptist family. Iâm considering reading some of Richard Dawkinsâ books (just saw an amazing video in which he explains how the evolution of the eye is not âirreducibly complexâ), but noticed this critical review on the Amazon page for his book The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution. As Iâm very new to all this, I canât really make heads or tails of whether this reviewerâs arguments are in any way valid, or totally fallacious. So, I was curious if anyone here more knowledgable than myself on the subject might have any thoughts/could help me out? I just donât want to go from believing one thing (which I now think is likely false) straight to believing another, without adequately exploring it and any potentially-valid arguments from its detractors. Thanks.
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Greatest Show on Earth: Issues
The reason expositors of Darwinian theory like Dawkins cannot convince independent thinkers that the theory is believable is that they do not address the important questions. They prefer instead to demolish over and over again the straw man of the denial of evolution. Evolution is a fact, but the explanation of the how of evolution is, in my opinion, not. In Darwin's theory of evolution, natural selection is the explanation of the how of evolution. This theory within a theory leaves so many basic questions unanswered that it is not credible. The review, then, is about the gaps in the theory of natural selection, or what I refer to as important questions not addressed. A couple of points about this review. First, this book is as much a defense of Darwinian theory as it is of evolution. So there is much about that theory in this review. Second, the review is written as if evolutionary-developmental biology (evo-devo) does not exist. That omission is not something the reviewer can remedy.
Important question not addressed (IQNA) 1: the nature of variation: the size of variants. Although Darwin devotes three chapters in Origin to the subject of variation, Dawkins, like almost every other writer (an exception is Kirshchner and Gerhart with their Plausibility of life) has nothing to say about variation, other than that it is random. Variation and selection are the concepts that are the alpha and omega of Darwinian theory. This same theory that Dawkins touts as the most important in biology has one of its two pillars explained in one word, random. And in a word that has several dictionary definitions.
Consider the meaning of random: unpredictable, haphazard, yielding different outcomes under identical conditions. Chance is another term that is used in the present regard. But all of this tells us little. It tells us nothing about the size of variants or about the quantity of the variability. Let's consider size. Are variants itty bitty things, or are they or may they be "chunks." Darwin was steadfast that variants (what we today would call the phenotypic effects of mutation) are imperceptibly small. "Insensibly fine" was probably his favorite phraseology in the present regard. But to leave no doubt, he also (1st ed. Origin) used "infinitesimally small." It is important whether variation is small or large. Size affects the speed of evolution and its perceptibility. If variant size is small, this explains why we cannot see evolution unfolding before our eyes, why it may be like the hour hand of a clock. Small variants are convenient to the Darwinian theorist because they seem to deal with the issue of how new variants are formed. Who will be so uncharitable as to begrudge Darwin the sudden appearance of an insensibly fine variation that accretes something useful to what already exists in the organism? For it is another matter when variation is large. For example, if someone claimed that a full-blown wing or even a full blown feather had appeared suddenly as the result of mutation, the general reaction would be that of incredulity. "How is it possible for dumb molecules to do this?" people would wonder. There would be general disbelief. Insensibly fine variants are congruent with Darwin's thinking because the phenomenon seems consistent with a naturalistic explanation of phenomena, which kind of explanation was Darwin's goal. Large variants betoken guidance, direction, constraint, not a naturalistic process unless it is a most peculiar such process.
Dawkins goes along with Darwin's position that variants are always small, despite the fact that examples of mega-mutations pepper his book. Not to mention that everyone knows about large mutational leaps, even Darwin. Darwin and Dawkins tell us that the large change effected by artificial selection often come about not by the the tedious accumulation of insensibly fine variants over a long period of time, but by the sudden appearance of sports. What happens is that there is the sudden appearance of a "sport," maybe monstrous size or the opposite. The breeder uses the "monster" to breed the great dane. By taking advantage of these saltational changes, it was possible to create the basset hound. Dawkins tells the reader about the gene that is responsible for both the basset hound and dwarfism in humans. And tumbling in tumbler pigeons and pointing in pointers, these are mutant characteristics that suddenly appeared. No animal breeder, Darwin tells us would have ever thought of producing such characteristics if they were not already apparent in nature.
In the same vein, who doesn't by now know that if you expose fruit flies to a mutagen, you can cause a leg to grow out of the head instead of antenna? This, by the way, is a mutation also commonly found in nature. And there are numerous other examples of saltatory mutations in flies. There's an eyeless gene whose mutant form is the absence of eyes, a tinman gene whose mutant form is a highly anomalous heart. You can go on and on and on. Of course, there is blue eye color vs. brown in humans and as in Mendel's, research smooth vs. wrinkled seeds, and on and on. One wonders whether there are any micro mutations that we do know about?! So why this continued drum beat about variation being insensibly fine? Can it be that large, perceptible mutations, like antenna in the wrong place, are inexplicable and that they betoken, if not demonstrate, variation that is not random? One must wonder why he cannot get a straight answer about the size of variants (i.e., mutations) from biology. One must also wonder how Darwin can talk about the accumulation of insensibly small changes when he himself adduces so much evidence that nature produces huge amount of variation that is saltatory, large sudden changes in organisms. Does he not see the contradiction? Ditto for Dawkins. And not unimportantly, does not the huge evidence for saltatory variation, to use Darwin's own phraseology, "annihilate" his theory?
IQNA 2: Where does variation come from, especially the insensibly fine variation? And how does successive variation accumulate to change an organ or organism? The Darwinian idea or ideal is that there is a pool of insensibly fine variants in an interbreeding group that provides the raw material for natural selection. Darwin referred to this variation as individual differences. Suppose the finches with large beaks are more successful in producing progeny than those with smaller beaks. The next generation will have on the average larger beaks than the previous one. Not only that, but the variants that are produced by the next generation will be on the average larger. The distribution of differences will have been moved upwards. If living conditions remain unchanged, the larger beaks of the new generation will produce an increased number of progeny. In this way, the beak will get larger over successive generations. This is the main way, for Darwin, for evolution to occur--small modifications over many successive generations accumulating to produce large change.
But where do these important variants that differ insensibly from that of the parent's come from. You read a lot about mutations that produce large, saltatory change (e.g., the gene for PKU, for hemophilia, etc.), but not about those that produce the insensibly fine change. Dawkins credits all variation to mutation, but he furnishes no detail--does he mean the insensibly fine modifications are mutations, too?. Without an explanation of the origin of insensibly fine modifications, the theory is (as Darwin would say) "fatally" incomplete.
And just how do slight modifications accumulate? There are so many scenarios one can imagine, it is bewildering. I'll illustrate with one. Simultaneously, 100 (or any number of members of the same species pass the same mutation on to an offspring. This can go on day after day even hour after hour. You instantly have, after only the first round, 100 strains of the species. At the same time, a second mutation is being passed on to a different 100 offspring. I ask the question that Darwin himself asked (Origin): "Why is not all nature in confusion instead of the species being as we see them, well defined?" In another place, he asks: "Why are not all organic beings blended into an inextricable chaos?" I am unpersuaded by Darwin's answer, and Dawkins does not address the matter.
And finally on this matter of how mutations accumulate. Take the creature that is an incipient giraffe. It passes a mutation for (insensibly fine) elongated neck to an offspring. This same kind of thing is going to happen for myriad successive generations, each time the neck being lengthened a bit. Question: Is the mutation for the myriad lengthenings the same, or is each mutation distinct? I don't know the answer. This is the most basic of questions; but it is not addressed by Darwin or Dawkins or in any book of the same genre as Dawkins'. I don't know about the textbooks
IQNA 3: Can imperceptibly small variants make a difference in fitness? Fitness, in the present context, means reproductive prowess or ability to pass one's genes to the next generations. We have seen that many variants (mutations) are quite large, anything but insensibly fine. But there may be cases where variants are insensibly fine. The question is whether such small changes can make a difference for the organism's fitness. The question here is not whether insensibly fine changes can accumulate to somerthing perceptible. It is whether such small change can increase fitness. I don't think this has been empirically demonstrated. And I think there are good reasons for believing this is not probable, if even possible. Consider the noise background consisting of all the changes simultaneously taking place. When writers like Dawkins talk about some selection pressure, such as drought or predation, they act as if no other selection pressures are operating at the same time. But that is the furthest thing from the truth. Finally, there is the intelligence of the organism that is going to overwhelm any effect of an insensibly fine variant. Weiner, in his account of the research of the Grants on Darwin's finches, tells of birds that wedge seeds into crevices and apply outside pressure when it becomes too hard to crack seed with the beak. Since the effect of intelligence is unlikely to correlate with some random variant, its likely large effect on fitness will drown out any effect from the variant, in this case, size of beak.
IQNA 4: What about the qualitative nature of variation? We have considered size variation, like the size of a beak. But what about qualitative variation? Birds uniquely have feathers and beaks; mammals, hair, mammary glands. There are qualitative differences within the individual organisms. The eye is not an ear, which is not a heart, which is not limb, and so on. There are innumerable qualitative differences in behavior. There are intraorgan differences that are qualitative. There are different parts of the eye. There are intratrait qualitative differences, such as differences in eye color, blood type, flower color, seed texture, melanin. Amazingly, Dawkins has written a tome about evolution without using the term allele. Let's talk about one qualitative variant, the angle the contour feather shaft on a bird makes with the surface of the body - call it the feather angle. There are easily infinitely many possibilities, since even one degree may be divided into infinitely many divisions. How fortunate for the bird that it mutated a feather angle that improved fitness. If the feather shaft stuck straight out from the body at a 90 degree angle, that would not have been useful as a contour feather that has to lie close to the body to give the body a sleek, aerodynamic form. By far, the greatest number of possible angles would not be useful to the organism. Yet just the right angle appeared. Or possibly the mutation that puts the tinniest feather or an incipient feather on a featherless creature occurred myriad times, improving the probability that in at least one case the angle would be beneficial. It is issues like this that should be carefully explicated by Dawkins, not seemingly hidden under the rug.
IQNA 5. In what way is variation random? Dawkins tells us that variation is random; yet it is obviously the case that variation is not random in important respects. Mutation repeats itself in nature and in the lab. How can this be random? Alleles are greatly limited in number and kind. If there are two possible alleles, one a beneficial one and the other not; in what meaningful way is variation random? Feathers do not grow on pigs, but only on birds. Obviously not random. It is so obviously the case that variation is constrained. How does this constraint come about? Dawkins will not acknowledge that there an issue here..The notion that random mutation, mutation that is not biased or constrained so that it is relevant and/or useful to the the individual's life situation can get the job done requires an act of faith incongruous in empirical science. Or is there magic in the world after all? That anything, however simple, could evolve if dependent on purely random variation, I don't think, is credible. Let's talk about eyes, all sorts of them. Why would an eyespot ever spontaneously spring into existence, say on a flatworm, as the result of a random event. And why would this be followed by the appearance of a nerve that attaches itself to the eyespot, and this a random event, too? This is more improbable than the appearance of the eyespot. And why on descendents of this flatworm, would there be the recessing of the tissue containing it into a pocket containing the eyespot? And why would the eyspot move till it is centered perfectly at the back of the pocket? And on and on and on. Do such things occur indiscriminately? For example, do eyespots spring up in guts or anuses or nostrils or on tails, etc.? Or are they reserved for eye-appropriate places, like the anterior surface of the organism? Can light-sensitivity, for example, appear anywhere on or in the organism, like in the gut, on the tail, in a nostril? If not,why not? But back to the main point, things do not spontaneously happen. Consider that life has originated one time in 4.6 billion years on this planet.
On the matter of characteristics spontaneously appearing, evolutionary biologists are quick to point out that nothing appears de novo, that everything originates from a precursor. Which explains why there are not feathers on pigs. This posture gets the biologist off the hook for explaining beginnings, something not easy to do. Darwin would not discuss beginnings, either of life or of an organ, like an eye.
No one, not Darwin, not Dawkins, would deny that variation is constrained by the nature of the organism in question. Which is why there are feathers only on birds. The big question is the nature of the constraint. So what is it about the peahen that causes it to be inflamed sexually by eyespots on the tail of the peacock, but not by squares, triangles, or crescent moons, which do not, in fact, embellish peacocks?
IQNA 6. What is the role of behavior, intelligence, and adaptability in Darwin's theory. Behavior is what the theory is really all about. Organs, like feathers, wings, eyes, limbs, enable organisms to behave, to hunt, to defend, to love, to enjoy, to reason etc. Yet hardly anything is said about behavior by Darwin. Dawkins says nothing. Darwin talks expressly about instinct, but instinct is a small part of behavior, especially in primates. But Darwin give a great many examples of intelligent, adaptable behavior in his making of various points. In fact, Darwin's examples of adaptability (flexibility, resourcefulness, etc.) make one wonder if adaptability won't preempt or make unnecessary natural selection. For if an organism can deal with any crisis (famine, predation, disease, etc.) by the use of its wits, why does it need to change physically. This last is a very old idea.
In conclusion, The greatest show on earth, does not help the cause of Darwinism.
2023.05.30 20:00 StrivingJarl METALLIX UPRISING: The Story Of Metal Sonic - Archives
 | AO3 Link submitted by StrivingJarl to u/StrivingJarl [link] [comments] Doctor Ivo âEggmanâ Robotnikâs greatest creation⊠The answer to natureâs perfect, blue hero⊠And the ultimate overlord of all that is mechanical⊠What once started off as a machine made to match Sonic The Hedgehog, both in appearance and power, eventually evolved past his limited programming⊠He soon gained his own purposeâŠhis own freedomâŠand his own identity⊠Now, he has become more than just âMetal Sonicâ...he has risen beyond that pale imitation⊠He is nowâŠMETALLIX. Metal Sonic head is by Nibroc-Rock, I'm pretty sure. And the text was made in textstudio.com. Okay, letâs get a little more in-depth about what this fanfic is. Obviously, itâs a story focusing on Metal Sonic, and how he grows to become something greater than what his creator intended him to be. But this is also gonna be a sort of âWhat-If Metal Sonic didnât go back under Eggmanâs control after Heroes?â type story, which takes place in the game canon. Though, Iâll make changes here and there to better fit this tale. Throughout this story, weâd explore Metal Sonicâs life, starting with his creation on Little Planet during the events of Sonic CD, and go from there. Weâd see how he develops from a cold and calculating machine that follows Eggmanâs every whim, to his own person who comes to be an incredible threat to not only Sonic and his allies, but also his creator, too. So, without further ado, letâs get into it! Also, hereâs the timeline Iâm going with here in terms of what games take place in what order. The ones with /âs mean they take place around the same time, and if I put a ? mark on it, that means I'm not sure whether I consider it canon to this timeline. Also, Iâm basing this mainly off of The4thSnakeâs âSonic: A Line Through Timeâ timeline, but with personal changes. 11AS (After Sonicâs birth): Sonic The Hedgehog -> Sega Sonic The Hedgehog -> Sonic Labyrinth -> Sonic CD 12AS: Sonic The Hedgehog 2 (8-Bit) -> Sonic Chaos -> Sonic Spinball -> Sonic The Hedgehog 2 (16-Bit) -> Sonic The Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles (Sonic & Tails) -> Sonic Triple Trouble (16-Bit) -> Sonic The Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles (Knuckles) / Tails Sky Patrol -> Knucklesâ Chaotix -> Sonic The Fighters 13 AS: Tails Adventure / Sonic Blast -> Sonic 3D Blast -> Sonic R -> Sonic Generations (Classic Sonic) -> Sonic The Hedgehog 4: Episode 1 -> Sonic The Hedgehog 4: Episode Metal -> Sonic The Hedgehog 4: Episode ll -> Sonic Adventure -> Sonic Shuffle 14 AS: Sonic Adventure 2 -> Sonic Advance -> Sonic Advance 2 -> Sonic Heroes -> Shadow The Hedgehog -> Sonic Battle -> Sonic Riders 15 AS: Sonic The Hedgehog 2006 -> Sonic Rush -> Sonic Advance 3 -> Sonic Rush Adventure -> Sonic Rivals -> Sonic & The Secret Rings -> Sonic Rivals 2 -> Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity -> Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood (?) -> Sonic Unleashed -> Sonic & The Black Knight -> Sonic Free Riders -> Sonic Colors 16 AS: Sonic Generations (Modern Sonic) -> Sonic Lost World -> Sonic Forces 17 AS: Team Sonic Racing -> Sonic Frontiers PREVIOUS ADVENTURES Chapter 1: Start-Up Chapter 2: Here At Last... Chapter 3: Chapter 4: Chapter 5: UNSEEN ADVENTURES Chapter 6: |
2023.05.30 19:45 hmsdefiant âThatâs a yesâ
 | submitted by hmsdefiant to lolgrindr [link] [comments] |
2023.05.30 19:37 Frostdraken The First True Voyagers: Chapter 27 -Max-imum Surprise-
Amid a galaxy of brutal chaos there are stories to be told, tales of valor and justice, of fear and despair. But amid these stories are the guttering flames of adventures untold, the potential for a universe of entertainment and savage joyous fun. The Oblivion Cycle embodies just this kind of crafted chaos, creating the potential for creative exploits and raucous tales. If you are new to the TOC setting feel free to join the community at TheOblivionCycle to check out some of the background lore or to discuss themes with other readers. I thank you all for your support and continued willingness to read, as always, Please Enjoy!
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Chapter 27
Max-imum Surprise
He stood atop a wooden platform in the branches of the highest tree in the jungle. His heart beating fast in his chest as he looked out into that endless blue expanse of sky above. He blinked, suddenly there was no jungle. In front and below him was only more of that same endless sky.
He should have been afraid, should have cowered from that endless void in terror, but he found that he felt none of these things. Instead he smiled and spread his arms wide. He felt free, freer than he could ever remember feeling before.
He looked down at his bare feet, the polished red wood of the platform solid beneath his toes. Taking a deep breath he began to run. The edge of the platform seemed to stretch away from him, the harder he ran the faster it seemed to pull away.
He yelled at it to stop, to wait for him. But it did not. Instead it expanded outwards from him at the speed of light, encompassing him in a giant sphere of darkness that then seemed to press in on all sides. He felt a terrible pressure on his chest and cried out for someone to save him.
Suddenly he stopped as a profound sense of love and warmth seemed to wrap around him. It wasn't the same crushing weight as before. Before the pressure had been malicious, cruel and painful. Now the pressure was soft and tender, he embraced the feeling with his mind and smiled again. He suddenly realized that he was floating once more in that endless blue sky. Or was he falling? It made little difference, he spread his arms experimentally and found he could fly.
He laughed in childlike wonder as he began to soar through the endless clouds, doing loops and tricks to his heart's content. He had thought himself free before. He had been a slave, shackled to the ground and forever denied the truth.
He growled in anger at the thought, twisting dark branches reaching out like fingers to ensnare him as his mood darkened once more. He flitted and dodged through them with an agility that surprised even himself.
Then suddenly in the distance he heard a wailing sound, almost like that of a storm siren, but deeper in tone and altogether more sinister. In the sky overhead a darkness formed, taking a strange and terrifying form that he was unable to describe. It was as if the tendrils of darkness continued on forever, though he could not see them he knew they were there. Burrowing through reality as a worm would an apple.
He frowned, intrigued by the spectacle and unafraid. It seemed familiar, like an old acquaintance many years forgotten. It struck him as neutral, not evil or good, but somewhere in the middle. A mix of the two. He shook like a leaf in a storm as a hot wind began to blow over him and the sky split open to reveal a burning orange eye the size of eternity. He felt fear now, a terrible bone wrenching fear that spoke of primordial terrors and cosmic threats beyond mortal comprehension. But still he remained, no longer flying as he stood upon a tower of dark basalt stone blocks.
He looked at the eye and it looked at him, it seemed to look deeper than his skin. It felt as if it were peeling back the layers of his flesh and looking to his very soul, the gestalt of his core.
He jerked as a voice seemed to echo through his mind âYou are not the one.â
He shook his head in confusion and shouted up to the burning sky âIâm not what one? What do you mean?â
The eye didn't reply, instead began to close. Leon raised his fists and shouted to the sky âOne what? Answer me! I need to know.â
Again the voice spoke in his mind, this time quieter and growing more faint by the second till it trailed off into silence. âIt is not yet time, you are not the one.â
As the eye closed the sky went dark, so did everything else. He felt himself falling again, looking down he saw a bright light far below. Squinting he saw it looked like a hospital room. The scene grew closer and more defined as he approached it at rapid speed. He looked at the bed and gasped in surprise, for in the bed he saw himself. But not as he remembered himself, but pale and seemingly without life. To his side he saw Dr. Kimathi and Joice frantically messing with something next to the bed his body lay in. It was a defibrillator.
He watched in growing fascination as he fell towards himself at incredible speeds. Joice lifted his bodyâs shirt and applied the paddles while Dr. Kimathi shouted something. He didn't have a chance to hear it as he slammed into his body.
He grunted in pain and convulsed as his eyes shot open. Coughing violently he tried to sit up and found he could not. Laying back in bed a bit dazed he tried to remember what had just happened.
He stopped, his mind a whirl of impossible images and sensations, and over it all a voice like thunder echoed in his mind. âYou are not the one.â
âI am not the one.â He muttered to himself.
âLeon, Leon can you hear me? What did you just say? Nevermind it's not important, Leon I need you to tell me if you can hear me.â A female voice said from close to his ear.
He looked around blearily, was he Leon? âI am.â he decided to himself. With his newfound identity chosen he decided to move onto his next issue.
He tried to sit up but found he couldn't. Flailing around weakly he heard a voice shout for assistance and then felt multiple hands holding him still.
âHe is seizing.â Someone said, his mind assigned the voice a name. Dr. Kimathi.
Another voice, this one male, spoke up saying âI think heâs okay now. He stopped struggling.â This time his mind said the name Taylor.
He blinked a few times, trying to clear his mind. What had happened? Why couldn't he remember anything? He thought hard, his face screwing up from the stress. He remembered mud and a loud noise. But that was it.
Dr. Kimathi stood next to him and shined a penlight into his eyes while saying âPupil response is normal, no intracranial swelling then. Leon, Leon look at me.â she said sternly.
He looked at her, his vision focusing on the dark skinned womanâs eyes. She nodded and then put up a single finger. âI want you to follow my finger, okay Leon?â
He tried to speak but all that came out was a half strangled croak. She frowned but moved her finger. He did his best to keep locked onto it. Maybe if he did what she asked she would tell him what happened to him. She moved it a few more times, first slowly and then more rapidly. He followed along and she nodded before marking something on the small datapad she was holding.
He coughed as he tried again to speak and he heard Taylor say âI'll go get Natalia. She will want to know heâs awake.â
Dr. Kimathi raised a hand. Glancing at him she hissed quietly. âI don't know if thatâs a good idea. He seems to be suffering from acute memory loss. I canât explain it, no head injury, not cranial trauma of any kind. Itâs like something reached in there and scrambled his brains around, resonance scans are all over the place. It's like there was some kind of interference.â
Leon frowned at her words, again the dim memory of a powerful voice echoed through the cornerâs of his mind and the vague impression of a nebulous darkness crossed his mind. But he quickly suppressed it.
âWhere am I?â he croaked.
Dr. Kimathi's head whipped towards him and she rushed to his side. âLeon, you are in the infirmary. What do you remember?â
Leon frowned again, hadn't she already asked him that? He couldn't remember. Instead of asking he said âI remember mud, lots of mud. And then, trees? That makes no sense, I'm sorry.â he apologised quickly. They would think he was insane if he kept talking. Then he would end up in the loony pen with Aden.
He sat bolt upright as things started rushing back into place. The planetary landing, the attack on Oliver, the strange dream he had experienced. It all came back in a rush that made his vision swim and his head pound. Clutching his head he groaned âI remember everything⊠Ough, why does it hurt so much?â
Taylor looked at Dr. Kimathi and asked âWhat about now?â to which the woman just nodded. Taylor rushed off, presumably to grab Natalia, Leon speculated.
Leon knew that he only had a few moments before everyone else came rushing back and so clutched at Dr. Kimathiâs arm.
âWait, I have to tell you something.â He said urgently.
Dr. Kimathi looked around the room quickly before nodding and asking âOk then Leon, what is it?â
He held the long sleeve of her white lab coat and began determinedly. He told her of his dream and the voice, of the eye and the darkness. After he had finished he released her arm and sat back with a wince. Only now did he notice his bare chest was wrapped, an ugly yellow and blue bruise peeking from beneath the bandage.
Dr. Kimathi shook her head slowly and said âYou are starting to sound like Aden. Are you sure you are alright Leon? I have some antipsychotics I can prescribe if youâŠâ
Leon cut her off with a right handed wave, his left arm hurting too much to move it about. âNo, please, no more medication. I take enough of that shit to sink a battleship already. Some painkillers wouldn't be bad though, please?â He asked her.
She smiled slightly and handed him three small pills from her pocket and a bottle of water with a straw. âCareful on the water.â She warned him as he started to suck it down.
He coughed a few times as her warning did not come fast enough and some slipped down the wrong pipe, Dr. Kimathi leaned over to pat his back as he tried to expel the excess liquid. He was still coughing lightly as a familiar and very welcome face walked around the corner.
Natalia rushed to his side and hugged him as he was still trying to settle his lungs. The result was another coughing fit followed by her rapidly apologizing for hurting him.
Leon waved a hand weakly and said âNo itâs fine Nat, I was just drinking water too fast. It is really good to see you.â he said softly.
She smiled sadly and nodded, a few tears welling in her eyes. âWhen you stopped breathing I thoughtâŠâ She started to say but he shushed her and extended an arm.
Natalia sat by his side and leaned on his shoulder gently as he put his arm around her waist. âDonât talk like that. Iâm not going anywhere. I'm way too stubborn to do anything like that, much less the effect I know it would have on you.â he said, wiping a tear from her cheek.
Dr. Kimathi spoke âWell, I am glad to see you feeling better Leon. And sheâs right, we nearly lost you there a few times.â
Leon nodded and pulled Nataliaâs head down before planting a tender kiss on the top of her head. âIâm sorry Nat, I wonât let my pride get in the way of my common sense again.â He turned to Dr. Kimathi as she tapped on her datapad. âHow is Oliver? Is he alright?â
She finally smiled, a small tight lipped thing. âThanks for asking Leon, I was hoping you would. Oliver is going to be physically fine, he woke up from the antivenom treatment a few days ago.â
Leon jerked up before the pain in his side dragged him back down to the dismay of both women. âA few days!â he shouted.
Natalia pushed him back down gingerly while Dr. Kimathi shot him a pointed look. She lowered her datapad and explained âYes, a few days. You were in a medically induced coma Leon, severe lack of oxygen almost killed you before we could get you out of your suit. You had a collapsed lung and multiple fractures, not to mention a partially dislocated collarbone. It was kind of touch and go for a while.â she finished with a gesture to his bandages.
Leon winced again and asked âWhat happened after I blacked out?â
Dr. Kimathi shook her head and said âA whole hell of a lot. Natalia can fill you in on the details, I need to go check on something. Donât do anything stupid while I'm gone Leon, okay?â She told him. Leon just nodded and watched the stern woman exit the examination room.
Natalia answered his question âWell, you passed out on the way up to the ship. By the time they got you out of your environmental suit you were already in full respiratory arrest. Your heart was beating but your lungs were not working.â she said emotionally.
Leon hugged her close again and whispered to her softly âItâs okay now though. Iâm better. Please, tell me what happened next?â
Natalia sucked in a shuddering breath and nodded jerkily. With a slight tremble in her voice she continued speaking âWe had to rush you and Oliver to the infirmary. Blessing hooked you up to a portable respirator after applying the chest tube to help drain the built up fluid. But even then you were barely breathing, she said she had to drain the excess fluid from your lungs, something she couldn't do in the microgravity core. So we used one of the lift rigs and lowered you down the access shaft to the medical ring. By that point Oliver had been rendered unconscious as well and Blessing had enlisted both Taylor and Myung to help.â she paused for breath and Leon reached for the water bottle on his bedside.
She smiled at him as he handed it to her and she took a drink. Replacing it on the table he bade her to continue. The horrid fascination making it impossible for him to ignore the terrible events.
She took another deep breath before she spoke, this one steadier as she got further into the story. âWell, after some struggling we finally got you and Oliver into the intensive suite. While Blessing worked on synthesizing an antivenom from Max, Myung and Taylor monitored your condition. Did you know Taylor had medical training? Apparently he had been a volunteer responder before he moved into military signal analysis.â
She was about to continue when he waved his arms. âWait a minute, hold on. Who the hell is Max? What didâŠâ he stopped. He crossed his arms again and apologised as she gave him a disapproving look.
âI was getting to that, fasten up those horses buster.â She chastised him. Her annoyance was short lived however as she shook her head and continued. âWell, when you captured that creature on the planet's surface, you placed it into a bag. The bag seemed to have calmed the thing down because as they finally got to unpacking it the little thing was as timid as a mouse. I donât know why, but it seemed to respond in a non-hostile manner to both the venom extraction and continued observation.â she said.
Leon shook his head in disbelief. âThat still doesn't explain who Max is, wait. Donât tell me.â he said as he saw her smile widely.
She nodded her head and said âYeah, Oliver responded to the antivenom and woke up, madder than hell. He wanted to chop the little beast up till he saw it. He looked into its little puppy dog eyes and immediately forgave them. He named her Max and almost immediately tried to feed it.â
Leon again shook his head in disbelief. Only the crazy Australian could want to adopt something that had nearly killed him as a pet. âHe named it Max? What, is it a dog now?â he asked her jokingly.
She just smiled harder and replied âShe might as well be. The two are nearly inseparable now.â He shot her a surprised look and opened his mouth to comment but she cut him off. âYes he keeps a close eye on her, and no Max hasnât attacked anyone else. Not even tried. Oliver said that the only reason that she bit him was because he stepped on her. She was just lashing out in self defense, same as when you grabbed her. Once Max realized that we were not trying to kill her she seemed to mellow right out.â
Leon still couldn't hardly believe it. The same murderous creature that had nearly cost both his and Oliver's lives, was now the ship's mascot? He couldn't take it and chuckled âOkay, I see whatâs going on here. Ha ha ha, very good. I will admit you had me going with that story, Max.â he said, another slightly wheezing laugh escaping him.
She just gave him that same serious stare from earlier. He opened his mouth and threw his arms out to the side. âOh come on, you really expect me to believe that the same murder rope that I nearly died to grab is now everyoneâs favorite little cuddle buddy?â
She shook her head and said in an exasperated tone âWell I never, have I ever been untruthful with you Leon?â
He cocked his head and raised a finger. âWell, if we are counting, then⊠There was that time with the bean patty you told me was a hamburger that had been preserved in the cold storage for the whole trip. Had me excited as a pig in shit for that one. Then there was that other time when you called me to the observation deck for an emergency but in reality it was just you wearing that skimpy littleâŠâ She cut him off by putting her hand over his mouth and looking around to see if anyone had overheard.
She hissed âOkay I get it. And you told me you wouldn't hold that over me.â she pouted.
He chuckled lightly and shook his head âIâm sorry, but this is just too incredible. Please, humor me and skip the Max related stuff for the moment. What happened after oliver woke up, not the thing.â he pleaded.
Natialia gave him an unreadable look but continued on saying âOk, Oliver woke up. He was a bit weak from the venom but took it well. He and Blessing took some samples of⊠The creature.â she paused to gauge his reaction. Leon just blinked, waiting for her to proceed. âWell, they took some samples and found something remarkable. The lifeforms on the planet have a disturbingly similar chemical and molecular makeup to Earthly animals.â
âHow similar?â he asked her, interrupting her train of thought. âSorry, continue.â he muttered as she waved a hand in the air annoyedly.
She returned to her tale âWell, they did some tests and found that the lifeforms of the world, which we named Terrelia while you were out by the way sorry.â she shrugged as he frowned. âWell, Ma⊠The creature is able to not only digest Earth proteins, but seems able to metabolize them as well. It has red, iron based blood with a protein ominously similar to hemoglobin as its oxygen carrier. Thatâs why the venom worked on Oliver so fast, it was like he had been bitten by a cobra from back on Earth. Joice and Myung couldn't make heads or tales of it, but that's the truth. I guess life in the universe isn't so alien after all.â she said with a casual shrug.
Leon just sat back in his bed, the bruises on his chest and arm smarting despite the painkillers he had taken earlier. It all seemed rather baseless to him, though he couldn't in good faith call her a liar. She would never have made up something so fantastic and then claimed it was true that vehemently. No, it must be truth. The only other option was mass hysteria in which case he had a lot more to worry about than a pet alien snake.
He wrung his hands together and looked around the small room. The walls and ceiling were white, a few cabinets above clinical countertops and a single LED light fixture completed the display. He thought about what she had said. That alien life might not be so alien afterall.
He nodded and said âI think I want to get up.â
Natalia gave him a concerned look and placed a single hand on his bandaged chest. âIâm not sure that is a great idea yet Leon. You are still recovering.â
âYes I am. But a little walking does the body good. How many days was I out?â He asked her as he gingerly sat up on the edge of the bed. He slowly swung his legs over the side of the bed towards the floor. He winced as his leg twinged and his side smarted, but it wasn't enough to deter him from his current course of action.
Natalia stood in front of him and bounced slightly in nervousness. âOh man, Blessing isnât going to like this.â
Leon waved a hand in a dismissive way and asked âAnd since when have I let her opinion on my health keep me down? How many days Nat?â
She looked him in the eyes and said âFour days. You were gone for four days Leon. Four days in which I was lost, almost completely.â She took a deep breath as the emotions she was suppressing threatened to tear their way free. âI canât tell you how bad it felt seeing you like that Leon. I thought I had lost you.â She said in a wavering tone.
Leon stood shakily and embraced her. He ran a hand through her hair as she buried her face in his chest. âI do know. I have felt lost too, but I have you now. And nothing is going to make me let you go.â
She looked up at him and asked suddenly âWell, you are up. It's too late to turn back now. Want to go meet Max? She really is sweâŠâ
Leon groaned and she stopped talking. He saw her frown slightly and caved âOkay. But don't get upset if the little bastard bites you or someone else.â
He saw her roll her eyes before she led him slowly and deliberately out of the room.
Leon walked slowly, not really hurting but more sore than he had felt in years. Every step was a chore but he continued on determinedly. It was better to be up and smarting than stagnating in bed.
As they walked down the corridor that led to the main hallway Leon asked her âAre we still in orbit of the planet?â
She shook her head. âNo, Joice made the call while you were incapacitated. The planet was dangerous, there might be another incident if we had decided to make another surface run.â
Leon shrugged. That seemed like the best course of action he could think of too. The planet's surface was a swamp which made it impossible to see where one was truly stepping. Oliver wouldn't have stepped on the creature if he had known it was there. The entire stupid situation might have been avoided entirely.
âYea, that sounds fair.â Was all he said in response though. He was curious about what she thought but didn't ask. He could tell by the way she frowned that she hadn't been a fan of the situation.
Letting it go he said âWe need different protocols for this kind of situation. I think the crew should have more of a say in what happens from now on.â Leon mused out loud. Natalia just patted his shoulder silently.
The kept walking a little farther till they reached the medical labs portion of the ring. Leon slowed as he heard voices emanating from the rooms ahead. Turning a corner through a doorway he stopped.
In the room were three people, Oliver, Joice and Dr. Kimathi. Joice and Dr. Kimathi were sitting at a table looking at a computer and discussing its data. What really captured his attention however was Oliver sitting across from the two women. Or rather, the long creature wrapped around the man's neck and upper torso.
Leon cocked his head, it was indeed the same creature from the planet. He looked at it again and was a bit taken aback by its appearance.
While he had not had much chance to grasp its true form on the planet he still had gotten a decent look at it. It was indeed long and snake-like in appearance, its body tubelike and covered in thousands of tiny mosaic scales in a blueish green pattern, but that's where the similarities ended.
Itâs head was long and almost had a canine look to it with pronounced jaw muscles and what looked like small horns. The body was long and had a small fin-like frill moving down its center similar to an eel. All along its sides it had much larger scale looking structures that seemed to be raised off its surface. As he tried to guess as to their function he noticed some of them move. Looking closer he realized they were rows of fins all along its sides, just tucked close to the body in the absence of water. That would explain how it was able to wriggle free from him on the planet.
Joice saw them and glanced at Dr. Kimathi, saying something. Dr. Kimathi looked at him sharply and demanded âLeon, why are you out of bed? Natalia, I told you to keep him in bed.â
Natalia hung her head sheepishly and said âItâs hard to make Leon do something he doesn't want to do.â
Leon glanced at her and then said âIt was my fault, I didn't listen to her. I needed to move, to get active. Iâm sorry Dr. Kimathi.â
Natalia squeezed his hand and he gave her a slight nod. Joiced motioned for them and said âWell as long as you are here, come take a look at these readings. Myung and I took some samples of Maxâs blood and the results are both remarkable and confusing in equal measure.â The blond woman finished excitedly.
Leon nodded and made a pointed effort not to look at the thing Oliver was holding. He took the seat that Joice had just vacated and looked at the results she had posted to the computer. After a moment he asked âWell, what does it all mean?â
Joice shook her head and motioned at a few bits of randomly squirming data points. To him they looked like so much gibberish but Joice spoke animatedly while gesturing to the readouts âIf you look here you can see a partially decoded splice of their DNA. That was the first thing that struck me as odd, I expected something similar to our DNA system to give the cells guidance, but not this similar. Look, four base pairs just like us, and whats more the base pairs are astonishingly similar as well. If i didnât know any better I would be tempted to say that this creature evolved from a common ancestor to Earthly creatures.â she paused to let the bombshell sink in.
Leon just shook his head âWhat is so remarkable about that. Isnt there a word for this kind of thing. Convergent evolution right?â
Joice shook her head and pointed at Oliverâs new friend. âNo, not like this. Convergent evolution is more about the form and function, not the composition. This is too close to be accidental, this is⊠This is wrong is what it is. Its not possible, and yet here I am telling you that its not only possible, but that its happened.â
She threw her arms up in the air while giving a small groan of frustration. Leon heard a quiet quacking noise and looked at Oliver. The man grinned and reached his hand towards the creature's powerful wedge shaped head. Leon tensed, ready for the thing to snap his fingers off or worse, but instead it met his hand for pets. Emitting a soft gurgling purr it stroked the manâs hand with its head lovingly and closed its eyes in what looked like pleasure to him.
âAww, you are the cutest little terror in the whole galaxy aren't you Max.â he heard Oliver mutter. Looking around his mouth opened. Everyone else in the room was smiling, a look of endearment on their faces.
Leon was once more incredulous. What on Earth had he missed for the thing to go from being a murderous pest to being a beloved part of the ship's small crew.
Oliver saw him staring and smiled. âOh hey Leon, you just woke up right?â Leon nodded a little unsure of the manâs point. Oliver continued âWell, then you haven't met Max, well, not politely at least. Here, want to hold her?â he asked, extending an inviting arm out towards Leon.
Leon shook his head âNo, I don't think that's a good idea.â
Joice spoke up âOh comeâon Leon, the creature is perfectly safe. Its venom is no longer a hazard, Dr. Kimathi made more antivenom. She doesn't bite, well at least she hasn't yet.â
Leon was about to say no again when he felt another hard hand squeeze from Natalia. Looking at her she gave him an encouraging smile and said âWatch.â Before Leon could stop her she strode right up to Leon and reached out towards Max. He watched in silent dread as Natalia's hand approached that razor fang filled maw.
âNat, wait!â he said, taking a step forward then stopped in his tracks. Max was nuzzling her just as they had Oliver, apparently completely at peace with its environment. âWhat the hell?â he thought to himself.
Natalia scritched the alien under the chin and laughed happily as it lolled its tongue out in happiness while emitting that same gurgling purr. He frowned at the sight. It seemed that his fears might be unfounded after all.
Approaching cautiously he looked at Oliver and said âHow should I do it, should I let it sniff me first?â He had no idea how people were supposed to handle snakes, well, alien serpents at least.
Oliver shrugged âIf you like. She is pretty docile.â
Swallowing in nervousness he reached out his right hand towards the creature. Almost as soon as he started Max hissed angrily and flared all her fins in a threatening way, trying to puff up like an angry cat.
Leon snatched his hand back while taking a few steps in the opposite direction of the creature. Oliver jerked back in alarm as Natalia shouted. Max drew back into the protection of Oliverâs body and gave Leon the most acidic glare he had ever seen from an animal.
âOliver. What the actual fuck was that? I thought you said that thing was safe.â He said loudly, stepping back even further.
The Australian stroked his charge calmly, whispering soothing words to her and then said more loudly âWell, she never did that before. She must remember you grabbing her on the planet.â
Leon shook his head âRemember what? Itâs a fucking animal Oliver.â
Joice raised her hand at his comment and said âYes she is, but an animal with the intelligence capability of a dog at the very minimum. Im suspecting she is much smarter than that though, maybe even as smart as a corvid. My preliminary scans show that her species' neural pathways are much larger than they have any right to be. It's as if she has a brain that runs the length of her spine.â
Leon just waved and said âAlright, maybe she holds a grudge then. I've seen stranger things on this trip than a vengeful snake.â
âShe isnt a snake, Leon. I have decided to name her species Terrelian Swamp Gliders.â Oliver said in response to Leonâs comment.
Leon just shook his head silently, beyond words at the moment.
Natalia walked over to his side and said âI think we have taken a long enough walk, I will see you all in a bit. Bye Oliver.â she said as she began to guide him back into the hall.
âWhy meâŠâ Leon bemoaned quietly to himself.
Natalia must have heard his cry as she tutted and said âYou are in charge of what is possibly the greatest experiment in all of human history Leon. It makes sense that things would not always go according to plan. Don't fret though, I will always be here for you.â she told him with a kiss to his grizzled cheek.
Leon looked at her as they reentered the room he had been in before. âI know I do. And I respect that you see the world differently than I do. That's one of the reasons I love you so much.â
She smiled and leaned in for a kiss. He sighed as she helped him back onto the bed. âLeon, Iâm worried.â she said suddenly as she sat down by his side.
Looking up at the ceiling he asked her âWhat are you worried about?â
She paused and then shifted her position, laying down on top of the covers next to him she said âIâm worried about us, the ship. Everyone else. Whatâs going to happen if we get into trouble and canât fix it like we have managed every time so far? We don't have anyone to help us, we would be totally alone.â
Leon shook his head and pulled her close, lifting the covers so she could scoot right to his side. Wrapping his arms around her he held her tight as he said âNo, we won't. As long as we have each other we will never be alone.â he closed his eyes, the slow beat of her heart and rhythmic breathing bringing him a profound sense of peace and comfort. He felt himself drifting off into sleep, the pains and worries of the day floating up and away from his mind as he entered the realm of unconsciousness.
==End of Transmission==
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Chapter 27
Max-imum Surprise
He stood atop a wooden platform in the branches of the highest tree in the jungle. His heart beating fast in his chest as he looked out into that endless blue expanse of sky above. He blinked, suddenly there was no jungle. In front and below him was only more of that same endless sky.
He should have been afraid, should have cowered from that endless void in terror, but he found that he felt none of these things. Instead he smiled and spread his arms wide. He felt free, freer than he could ever remember feeling before.
He looked down at his bare feet, the polished red wood of the platform solid beneath his toes. Taking a deep breath he began to run. The edge of the platform seemed to stretch away from him, the harder he ran the faster it seemed to pull away.
He yelled at it to stop, to wait for him. But it did not. Instead it expanded outwards from him at the speed of light, encompassing him in a giant sphere of darkness that then seemed to press in on all sides. He felt a terrible pressure on his chest and cried out for someone to save him.
Suddenly he stopped as a profound sense of love and warmth seemed to wrap around him. It wasn't the same crushing weight as before. Before the pressure had been malicious, cruel and painful. Now the pressure was soft and tender, he embraced the feeling with his mind and smiled again. He suddenly realized that he was floating once more in that endless blue sky. Or was he falling? It made little difference, he spread his arms experimentally and found he could fly.
He laughed in childlike wonder as he began to soar through the endless clouds, doing loops and tricks to his heart's content. He had thought himself free before. He had been a slave, shackled to the ground and forever denied the truth.
He growled in anger at the thought, twisting dark branches reaching out like fingers to ensnare him as his mood darkened once more. He flitted and dodged through them with an agility that surprised even himself.
Then suddenly in the distance he heard a wailing sound, almost like that of a storm siren, but deeper in tone and altogether more sinister. In the sky overhead a darkness formed, taking a strange and terrifying form that he was unable to describe. It was as if the tendrils of darkness continued on forever, though he could not see them he knew they were there. Burrowing through reality as a worm would an apple.
He frowned, intrigued by the spectacle and unafraid. It seemed familiar, like an old acquaintance many years forgotten. It struck him as neutral, not evil or good, but somewhere in the middle. A mix of the two. He shook like a leaf in a storm as a hot wind began to blow over him and the sky split open to reveal a burning orange eye the size of eternity. He felt fear now, a terrible bone wrenching fear that spoke of primordial terrors and cosmic threats beyond mortal comprehension. But still he remained, no longer flying as he stood upon a tower of dark basalt stone blocks.
He looked at the eye and it looked at him, it seemed to look deeper than his skin. It felt as if it were peeling back the layers of his flesh and looking to his very soul, the gestalt of his core.
He jerked as a voice seemed to echo through his mind âYou are not the one.â
He shook his head in confusion and shouted up to the burning sky âIâm not what one? What do you mean?â
The eye didn't reply, instead began to close. Leon raised his fists and shouted to the sky âOne what? Answer me! I need to know.â
Again the voice spoke in his mind, this time quieter and growing more faint by the second till it trailed off into silence. âIt is not yet time, you are not the one.â
As the eye closed the sky went dark, so did everything else. He felt himself falling again, looking down he saw a bright light far below. Squinting he saw it looked like a hospital room. The scene grew closer and more defined as he approached it at rapid speed. He looked at the bed and gasped in surprise, for in the bed he saw himself. But not as he remembered himself, but pale and seemingly without life. To his side he saw Dr. Kimathi and Joice frantically messing with something next to the bed his body lay in. It was a defibrillator.
He watched in growing fascination as he fell towards himself at incredible speeds. Joice lifted his bodyâs shirt and applied the paddles while Dr. Kimathi shouted something. He didn't have a chance to hear it as he slammed into his body.
He grunted in pain and convulsed as his eyes shot open. Coughing violently he tried to sit up and found he could not. Laying back in bed a bit dazed he tried to remember what had just happened.
He stopped, his mind a whirl of impossible images and sensations, and over it all a voice like thunder echoed in his mind. âYou are not the one.â
âI am not the one.â He muttered to himself.
âLeon, Leon can you hear me? What did you just say? Nevermind it's not important, Leon I need you to tell me if you can hear me.â A female voice said from close to his ear.
He looked around blearily, was he Leon? âI am.â he decided to himself. With his newfound identity chosen he decided to move onto his next issue.
He tried to sit up but found he couldn't. Flailing around weakly he heard a voice shout for assistance and then felt multiple hands holding him still.
âHe is seizing.â Someone said, his mind assigned the voice a name. Dr. Kimathi.
Another voice, this one male, spoke up saying âI think heâs okay now. He stopped struggling.â This time his mind said the name Taylor.
He blinked a few times, trying to clear his mind. What had happened? Why couldn't he remember anything? He thought hard, his face screwing up from the stress. He remembered mud and a loud noise. But that was it.
Dr. Kimathi stood next to him and shined a penlight into his eyes while saying âPupil response is normal, no intracranial swelling then. Leon, Leon look at me.â she said sternly.
He looked at her, his vision focusing on the dark skinned womanâs eyes. She nodded and then put up a single finger. âI want you to follow my finger, okay Leon?â
He tried to speak but all that came out was a half strangled croak. She frowned but moved her finger. He did his best to keep locked onto it. Maybe if he did what she asked she would tell him what happened to him. She moved it a few more times, first slowly and then more rapidly. He followed along and she nodded before marking something on the small datapad she was holding.
He coughed as he tried again to speak and he heard Taylor say âI'll go get Natalia. She will want to know heâs awake.â
Dr. Kimathi raised a hand. Glancing at him she hissed quietly. âI don't know if thatâs a good idea. He seems to be suffering from acute memory loss. I canât explain it, no head injury, not cranial trauma of any kind. Itâs like something reached in there and scrambled his brains around, resonance scans are all over the place. It's like there was some kind of interference.â
Leon frowned at her words, again the dim memory of a powerful voice echoed through the cornerâs of his mind and the vague impression of a nebulous darkness crossed his mind. But he quickly suppressed it.
âWhere am I?â he croaked.
Dr. Kimathi's head whipped towards him and she rushed to his side. âLeon, you are in the infirmary. What do you remember?â
Leon frowned again, hadn't she already asked him that? He couldn't remember. Instead of asking he said âI remember mud, lots of mud. And then, trees? That makes no sense, I'm sorry.â he apologised quickly. They would think he was insane if he kept talking. Then he would end up in the loony pen with Aden.
He sat bolt upright as things started rushing back into place. The planetary landing, the attack on Oliver, the strange dream he had experienced. It all came back in a rush that made his vision swim and his head pound. Clutching his head he groaned âI remember everything⊠Ough, why does it hurt so much?â
Taylor looked at Dr. Kimathi and asked âWhat about now?â to which the woman just nodded. Taylor rushed off, presumably to grab Natalia, Leon speculated.
Leon knew that he only had a few moments before everyone else came rushing back and so clutched at Dr. Kimathiâs arm.
âWait, I have to tell you something.â He said urgently.
Dr. Kimathi looked around the room quickly before nodding and asking âOk then Leon, what is it?â
He held the long sleeve of her white lab coat and began determinedly. He told her of his dream and the voice, of the eye and the darkness. After he had finished he released her arm and sat back with a wince. Only now did he notice his bare chest was wrapped, an ugly yellow and blue bruise peeking from beneath the bandage.
Dr. Kimathi shook her head slowly and said âYou are starting to sound like Aden. Are you sure you are alright Leon? I have some antipsychotics I can prescribe if youâŠâ
Leon cut her off with a right handed wave, his left arm hurting too much to move it about. âNo, please, no more medication. I take enough of that shit to sink a battleship already. Some painkillers wouldn't be bad though, please?â He asked her.
She smiled slightly and handed him three small pills from her pocket and a bottle of water with a straw. âCareful on the water.â She warned him as he started to suck it down.
He coughed a few times as her warning did not come fast enough and some slipped down the wrong pipe, Dr. Kimathi leaned over to pat his back as he tried to expel the excess liquid. He was still coughing lightly as a familiar and very welcome face walked around the corner.
Natalia rushed to his side and hugged him as he was still trying to settle his lungs. The result was another coughing fit followed by her rapidly apologizing for hurting him.
Leon waved a hand weakly and said âNo itâs fine Nat, I was just drinking water too fast. It is really good to see you.â he said softly.
She smiled sadly and nodded, a few tears welling in her eyes. âWhen you stopped breathing I thoughtâŠâ She started to say but he shushed her and extended an arm.
Natalia sat by his side and leaned on his shoulder gently as he put his arm around her waist. âDonât talk like that. Iâm not going anywhere. I'm way too stubborn to do anything like that, much less the effect I know it would have on you.â he said, wiping a tear from her cheek.
Dr. Kimathi spoke âWell, I am glad to see you feeling better Leon. And sheâs right, we nearly lost you there a few times.â
Leon nodded and pulled Nataliaâs head down before planting a tender kiss on the top of her head. âIâm sorry Nat, I wonât let my pride get in the way of my common sense again.â He turned to Dr. Kimathi as she tapped on her datapad. âHow is Oliver? Is he alright?â
She finally smiled, a small tight lipped thing. âThanks for asking Leon, I was hoping you would. Oliver is going to be physically fine, he woke up from the antivenom treatment a few days ago.â
Leon jerked up before the pain in his side dragged him back down to the dismay of both women. âA few days!â he shouted.
Natalia pushed him back down gingerly while Dr. Kimathi shot him a pointed look. She lowered her datapad and explained âYes, a few days. You were in a medically induced coma Leon, severe lack of oxygen almost killed you before we could get you out of your suit. You had a collapsed lung and multiple fractures, not to mention a partially dislocated collarbone. It was kind of touch and go for a while.â she finished with a gesture to his bandages.
Leon winced again and asked âWhat happened after I blacked out?â
Dr. Kimathi shook her head and said âA whole hell of a lot. Natalia can fill you in on the details, I need to go check on something. Donât do anything stupid while I'm gone Leon, okay?â She told him. Leon just nodded and watched the stern woman exit the examination room.
Natalia answered his question âWell, you passed out on the way up to the ship. By the time they got you out of your environmental suit you were already in full respiratory arrest. Your heart was beating but your lungs were not working.â she said emotionally.
Leon hugged her close again and whispered to her softly âItâs okay now though. Iâm better. Please, tell me what happened next?â
Natalia sucked in a shuddering breath and nodded jerkily. With a slight tremble in her voice she continued speaking âWe had to rush you and Oliver to the infirmary. Blessing hooked you up to a portable respirator after applying the chest tube to help drain the built up fluid. But even then you were barely breathing, she said she had to drain the excess fluid from your lungs, something she couldn't do in the microgravity core. So we used one of the lift rigs and lowered you down the access shaft to the medical ring. By that point Oliver had been rendered unconscious as well and Blessing had enlisted both Taylor and Myung to help.â she paused for breath and Leon reached for the water bottle on his bedside.
She smiled at him as he handed it to her and she took a drink. Replacing it on the table he bade her to continue. The horrid fascination making it impossible for him to ignore the terrible events.
She took another deep breath before she spoke, this one steadier as she got further into the story. âWell, after some struggling we finally got you and Oliver into the intensive suite. While Blessing worked on synthesizing an antivenom from Max, Myung and Taylor monitored your condition. Did you know Taylor had medical training? Apparently he had been a volunteer responder before he moved into military signal analysis.â
She was about to continue when he waved his arms. âWait a minute, hold on. Who the hell is Max? What didâŠâ he stopped. He crossed his arms again and apologised as she gave him a disapproving look.
âI was getting to that, fasten up those horses buster.â She chastised him. Her annoyance was short lived however as she shook her head and continued. âWell, when you captured that creature on the planet's surface, you placed it into a bag. The bag seemed to have calmed the thing down because as they finally got to unpacking it the little thing was as timid as a mouse. I donât know why, but it seemed to respond in a non-hostile manner to both the venom extraction and continued observation.â she said.
Leon shook his head in disbelief. âThat still doesn't explain who Max is, wait. Donât tell me.â he said as he saw her smile widely.
She nodded her head and said âYeah, Oliver responded to the antivenom and woke up, madder than hell. He wanted to chop the little beast up till he saw it. He looked into its little puppy dog eyes and immediately forgave them. He named her Max and almost immediately tried to feed it.â
Leon again shook his head in disbelief. Only the crazy Australian could want to adopt something that had nearly killed him as a pet. âHe named it Max? What, is it a dog now?â he asked her jokingly.
She just smiled harder and replied âShe might as well be. The two are nearly inseparable now.â He shot her a surprised look and opened his mouth to comment but she cut him off. âYes he keeps a close eye on her, and no Max hasnât attacked anyone else. Not even tried. Oliver said that the only reason that she bit him was because he stepped on her. She was just lashing out in self defense, same as when you grabbed her. Once Max realized that we were not trying to kill her she seemed to mellow right out.â
Leon still couldn't hardly believe it. The same murderous creature that had nearly cost both his and Oliver's lives, was now the ship's mascot? He couldn't take it and chuckled âOkay, I see whatâs going on here. Ha ha ha, very good. I will admit you had me going with that story, Max.â he said, another slightly wheezing laugh escaping him.
She just gave him that same serious stare from earlier. He opened his mouth and threw his arms out to the side. âOh come on, you really expect me to believe that the same murder rope that I nearly died to grab is now everyoneâs favorite little cuddle buddy?â
She shook her head and said in an exasperated tone âWell I never, have I ever been untruthful with you Leon?â
He cocked his head and raised a finger. âWell, if we are counting, then⊠There was that time with the bean patty you told me was a hamburger that had been preserved in the cold storage for the whole trip. Had me excited as a pig in shit for that one. Then there was that other time when you called me to the observation deck for an emergency but in reality it was just you wearing that skimpy littleâŠâ She cut him off by putting her hand over his mouth and looking around to see if anyone had overheard.
She hissed âOkay I get it. And you told me you wouldn't hold that over me.â she pouted.
He chuckled lightly and shook his head âIâm sorry, but this is just too incredible. Please, humor me and skip the Max related stuff for the moment. What happened after oliver woke up, not the thing.â he pleaded.
Natialia gave him an unreadable look but continued on saying âOk, Oliver woke up. He was a bit weak from the venom but took it well. He and Blessing took some samples of⊠The creature.â she paused to gauge his reaction. Leon just blinked, waiting for her to proceed. âWell, they took some samples and found something remarkable. The lifeforms on the planet have a disturbingly similar chemical and molecular makeup to Earthly animals.â
âHow similar?â he asked her, interrupting her train of thought. âSorry, continue.â he muttered as she waved a hand in the air annoyedly.
She returned to her tale âWell, they did some tests and found that the lifeforms of the world, which we named Terrelia while you were out by the way sorry.â she shrugged as he frowned. âWell, Ma⊠The creature is able to not only digest Earth proteins, but seems able to metabolize them as well. It has red, iron based blood with a protein ominously similar to hemoglobin as its oxygen carrier. Thatâs why the venom worked on Oliver so fast, it was like he had been bitten by a cobra from back on Earth. Joice and Myung couldn't make heads or tales of it, but that's the truth. I guess life in the universe isn't so alien after all.â she said with a casual shrug.
Leon just sat back in his bed, the bruises on his chest and arm smarting despite the painkillers he had taken earlier. It all seemed rather baseless to him, though he couldn't in good faith call her a liar. She would never have made up something so fantastic and then claimed it was true that vehemently. No, it must be truth. The only other option was mass hysteria in which case he had a lot more to worry about than a pet alien snake.
He wrung his hands together and looked around the small room. The walls and ceiling were white, a few cabinets above clinical countertops and a single LED light fixture completed the display. He thought about what she had said. That alien life might not be so alien afterall.
He nodded and said âI think I want to get up.â
Natalia gave him a concerned look and placed a single hand on his bandaged chest. âIâm not sure that is a great idea yet Leon. You are still recovering.â
âYes I am. But a little walking does the body good. How many days was I out?â He asked her as he gingerly sat up on the edge of the bed. He slowly swung his legs over the side of the bed towards the floor. He winced as his leg twinged and his side smarted, but it wasn't enough to deter him from his current course of action.
Natalia stood in front of him and bounced slightly in nervousness. âOh man, Blessing isnât going to like this.â
Leon waved a hand in a dismissive way and asked âAnd since when have I let her opinion on my health keep me down? How many days Nat?â
She looked him in the eyes and said âFour days. You were gone for four days Leon. Four days in which I was lost, almost completely.â She took a deep breath as the emotions she was suppressing threatened to tear their way free. âI canât tell you how bad it felt seeing you like that Leon. I thought I had lost you.â She said in a wavering tone.
Leon stood shakily and embraced her. He ran a hand through her hair as she buried her face in his chest. âI do know. I have felt lost too, but I have you now. And nothing is going to make me let you go.â
She looked up at him and asked suddenly âWell, you are up. It's too late to turn back now. Want to go meet Max? She really is sweâŠâ
Leon groaned and she stopped talking. He saw her frown slightly and caved âOkay. But don't get upset if the little bastard bites you or someone else.â
He saw her roll her eyes before she led him slowly and deliberately out of the room.
Leon walked slowly, not really hurting but more sore than he had felt in years. Every step was a chore but he continued on determinedly. It was better to be up and smarting than stagnating in bed.
As they walked down the corridor that led to the main hallway Leon asked her âAre we still in orbit of the planet?â
She shook her head. âNo, Joice made the call while you were incapacitated. The planet was dangerous, there might be another incident if we had decided to make another surface run.â
Leon shrugged. That seemed like the best course of action he could think of too. The planet's surface was a swamp which made it impossible to see where one was truly stepping. Oliver wouldn't have stepped on the creature if he had known it was there. The entire stupid situation might have been avoided entirely.
âYea, that sounds fair.â Was all he said in response though. He was curious about what she thought but didn't ask. He could tell by the way she frowned that she hadn't been a fan of the situation.
Letting it go he said âWe need different protocols for this kind of situation. I think the crew should have more of a say in what happens from now on.â Leon mused out loud. Natalia just patted his shoulder silently.
The kept walking a little farther till they reached the medical labs portion of the ring. Leon slowed as he heard voices emanating from the rooms ahead. Turning a corner through a doorway he stopped.
In the room were three people, Oliver, Joice and Dr. Kimathi. Joice and Dr. Kimathi were sitting at a table looking at a computer and discussing its data. What really captured his attention however was Oliver sitting across from the two women. Or rather, the long creature wrapped around the man's neck and upper torso.
Leon cocked his head, it was indeed the same creature from the planet. He looked at it again and was a bit taken aback by its appearance.
While he had not had much chance to grasp its true form on the planet he still had gotten a decent look at it. It was indeed long and snake-like in appearance, its body tubelike and covered in thousands of tiny mosaic scales in a blueish green pattern, but that's where the similarities ended.
Itâs head was long and almost had a canine look to it with pronounced jaw muscles and what looked like small horns. The body was long and had a small fin-like frill moving down its center similar to an eel. All along its sides it had much larger scale looking structures that seemed to be raised off its surface. As he tried to guess as to their function he noticed some of them move. Looking closer he realized they were rows of fins all along its sides, just tucked close to the body in the absence of water. That would explain how it was able to wriggle free from him on the planet.
Joice saw them and glanced at Dr. Kimathi, saying something. Dr. Kimathi looked at him sharply and demanded âLeon, why are you out of bed? Natalia, I told you to keep him in bed.â
Natalia hung her head sheepishly and said âItâs hard to make Leon do something he doesn't want to do.â
Leon glanced at her and then said âIt was my fault, I didn't listen to her. I needed to move, to get active. Iâm sorry Dr. Kimathi.â
Natalia squeezed his hand and he gave her a slight nod. Joiced motioned for them and said âWell as long as you are here, come take a look at these readings. Myung and I took some samples of Maxâs blood and the results are both remarkable and confusing in equal measure.â The blond woman finished excitedly.
Leon nodded and made a pointed effort not to look at the thing Oliver was holding. He took the seat that Joice had just vacated and looked at the results she had posted to the computer. After a moment he asked âWell, what does it all mean?â
Joice shook her head and motioned at a few bits of randomly squirming data points. To him they looked like so much gibberish but Joice spoke animatedly while gesturing to the readouts âIf you look here you can see a partially decoded splice of their DNA. That was the first thing that struck me as odd, I expected something similar to our DNA system to give the cells guidance, but not this similar. Look, four base pairs just like us, and whats more the base pairs are astonishingly similar as well. If i didnât know any better I would be tempted to say that this creature evolved from a common ancestor to Earthly creatures.â she paused to let the bombshell sink in.
Leon just shook his head âWhat is so remarkable about that. Isnt there a word for this kind of thing. Convergent evolution right?â
Joice shook her head and pointed at Oliverâs new friend. âNo, not like this. Convergent evolution is more about the form and function, not the composition. This is too close to be accidental, this is⊠This is wrong is what it is. Its not possible, and yet here I am telling you that its not only possible, but that its happened.â
She threw her arms up in the air while giving a small groan of frustration. Leon heard a quiet quacking noise and looked at Oliver. The man grinned and reached his hand towards the creature's powerful wedge shaped head. Leon tensed, ready for the thing to snap his fingers off or worse, but instead it met his hand for pets. Emitting a soft gurgling purr it stroked the manâs hand with its head lovingly and closed its eyes in what looked like pleasure to him.
âAww, you are the cutest little terror in the whole galaxy aren't you Max.â he heard Oliver mutter. Looking around his mouth opened. Everyone else in the room was smiling, a look of endearment on their faces.
Leon was once more incredulous. What on Earth had he missed for the thing to go from being a murderous pest to being a beloved part of the ship's small crew.
Oliver saw him staring and smiled. âOh hey Leon, you just woke up right?â Leon nodded a little unsure of the manâs point. Oliver continued âWell, then you haven't met Max, well, not politely at least. Here, want to hold her?â he asked, extending an inviting arm out towards Leon.
Leon shook his head âNo, I don't think that's a good idea.â
Joice spoke up âOh comeâon Leon, the creature is perfectly safe. Its venom is no longer a hazard, Dr. Kimathi made more antivenom. She doesn't bite, well at least she hasn't yet.â
Leon was about to say no again when he felt another hard hand squeeze from Natalia. Looking at her she gave him an encouraging smile and said âWatch.â Before Leon could stop her she strode right up to Leon and reached out towards Max. He watched in silent dread as Natalia's hand approached that razor fang filled maw.
âNat, wait!â he said, taking a step forward then stopped in his tracks. Max was nuzzling her just as they had Oliver, apparently completely at peace with its environment. âWhat the hell?â he thought to himself.
Natalia scritched the alien under the chin and laughed happily as it lolled its tongue out in happiness while emitting that same gurgling purr. He frowned at the sight. It seemed that his fears might be unfounded after all.
Approaching cautiously he looked at Oliver and said âHow should I do it, should I let it sniff me first?â He had no idea how people were supposed to handle snakes, well, alien serpents at least.
Oliver shrugged âIf you like. She is pretty docile.â
Swallowing in nervousness he reached out his right hand towards the creature. Almost as soon as he started Max hissed angrily and flared all her fins in a threatening way, trying to puff up like an angry cat.
Leon snatched his hand back while taking a few steps in the opposite direction of the creature. Oliver jerked back in alarm as Natalia shouted. Max drew back into the protection of Oliverâs body and gave Leon the most acidic glare he had ever seen from an animal.
âOliver. What the actual fuck was that? I thought you said that thing was safe.â He said loudly, stepping back even further.
The Australian stroked his charge calmly, whispering soothing words to her and then said more loudly âWell, she never did that before. She must remember you grabbing her on the planet.â
Leon shook his head âRemember what? Itâs a fucking animal Oliver.â
Joice raised her hand at his comment and said âYes she is, but an animal with the intelligence capability of a dog at the very minimum. Im suspecting she is much smarter than that though, maybe even as smart as a corvid. My preliminary scans show that her species' neural pathways are much larger than they have any right to be. It's as if she has a brain that runs the length of her spine.â
Leon just waved and said âAlright, maybe she holds a grudge then. I've seen stranger things on this trip than a vengeful snake.â
âShe isnt a snake, Leon. I have decided to name her species Terrelian Swamp Gliders.â Oliver said in response to Leonâs comment.
Leon just shook his head silently, beyond words at the moment.
Natalia walked over to his side and said âI think we have taken a long enough walk, I will see you all in a bit. Bye Oliver.â she said as she began to guide him back into the hall.
âWhy meâŠâ Leon bemoaned quietly to himself.
Natalia must have heard his cry as she tutted and said âYou are in charge of what is possibly the greatest experiment in all of human history Leon. It makes sense that things would not always go according to plan. Don't fret though, I will always be here for you.â she told him with a kiss to his grizzled cheek.
Leon looked at her as they reentered the room he had been in before. âI know I do. And I respect that you see the world differently than I do. That's one of the reasons I love you so much.â
She smiled and leaned in for a kiss. He sighed as she helped him back onto the bed. âLeon, Iâm worried.â she said suddenly as she sat down by his side.
Looking up at the ceiling he asked her âWhat are you worried about?â
She paused and then shifted her position, laying down on top of the covers next to him she said âIâm worried about us, the ship. Everyone else. Whatâs going to happen if we get into trouble and canât fix it like we have managed every time so far? We don't have anyone to help us, we would be totally alone.â
Leon shook his head and pulled her close, lifting the covers so she could scoot right to his side. Wrapping his arms around her he held her tight as he said âNo, we won't. As long as we have each other we will never be alone.â he closed his eyes, the slow beat of her heart and rhythmic breathing bringing him a profound sense of peace and comfort. He felt himself drifting off into sleep, the pains and worries of the day floating up and away from his mind as he entered the realm of unconsciousness.
==End of Transmission==
2023.05.30 19:30 IntenSensation New account temp post
Old account got deleted and havenât put the effort in to post on this one. I am real, and will verify for anyone that asks. Im also 23M, 6â1â 155lb and on good hair days Iâd say Iâm attractive! Iâve even been told Iâm the most handsome guy on the planet by my grandma, not to bragđ I will also start posting again in the next few days(maybe weeks if Iâm lazy).
Just a little about me, I am ideally looking for a LTR but am open to anything. I am primarily a sub, and In an ideal relationship that would be my role, but I can also switch. I am also not really a fan of the femdom that is plastered everywhere that you see. Itâs always beautiful goddesses in latex with strap ons that are bigger than my arm, which is just unrealistic to do 24/7. My sub goal is to bring pleasure to your life, wether it be sexually, emotionally, or mentally. Iâm here for you. But As a switch, If you ask, I can be a strict dom and tie you up, use toys, give you multiple toe curling orgasms(which will happen when Iâm sun as well:). I do not lead a dom lifestyle, so this is merely for bedroom fun per your request.
Outside of kink life I have many hobbies. My main one is rock climbing. I spend almost every second thinking about climbing rocks. Because of that I stay relatively fit. I also love watching movies and TV as well as going out to explore new places. Iâm a bit shy, so I stay away from crowded areas unless Iâm with an extrovert. So if youâre the right person for me you would be able to tell the waitress I didnât want pickles on my burger.
Dm me if you want to talk more and I can even send you a list of kinks or send you my fetlife, which I also donât really use
submitted by IntenSensation to u/IntenSensation [link] [comments]
Just a little about me, I am ideally looking for a LTR but am open to anything. I am primarily a sub, and In an ideal relationship that would be my role, but I can also switch. I am also not really a fan of the femdom that is plastered everywhere that you see. Itâs always beautiful goddesses in latex with strap ons that are bigger than my arm, which is just unrealistic to do 24/7. My sub goal is to bring pleasure to your life, wether it be sexually, emotionally, or mentally. Iâm here for you. But As a switch, If you ask, I can be a strict dom and tie you up, use toys, give you multiple toe curling orgasms(which will happen when Iâm sun as well:). I do not lead a dom lifestyle, so this is merely for bedroom fun per your request.
Outside of kink life I have many hobbies. My main one is rock climbing. I spend almost every second thinking about climbing rocks. Because of that I stay relatively fit. I also love watching movies and TV as well as going out to explore new places. Iâm a bit shy, so I stay away from crowded areas unless Iâm with an extrovert. So if youâre the right person for me you would be able to tell the waitress I didnât want pickles on my burger.
Dm me if you want to talk more and I can even send you a list of kinks or send you my fetlife, which I also donât really use
2023.05.30 18:47 Meme-Guy MLB in Charlotte MEGATHREAD
Brief Summary
Just wanted to create an informational thread for the current status of the MLB possibly coming to Charlotte. Nothing really new but just useful as a summary of information and will add to it as time goes on. At the moment the current MLB commissioner Robert Manfred has mentioned Charlotte on a short list amongst Nashville, Portland, Montreal, and possibly Salt Lake City. Our metro has about 2.7 million people and currently has 3 professional sports teams in the NBA, NFL, and most recently MLS. The recent attendance success of Charlotte FC (second highest attendance average at 39k per game behind Atlanta) has proven this city can support multiple professional sports.
Situation in the MLB
The MLB needs to fix the current situation of finding new stadiums for the Oakland A's and Tampa Bay Rays. Most recently Oakland A's have announced they are relocating the Vegas for a stadium slated to be completed by 2027, if not sooner. Some argue that this is a door opener for Charlotte, but the likeliness is very thin.
Source:https://www.forbes.com/sites/maurybrown/2023/05/10/mlbs-2022-26-labor-deal-allows-for-expansion-to-32-teams-but-likelihood-thin/?sh=32512086ba6c
Charlotte Incentives
Charlotte is the third largest media market to not have a major league team especially since there is none between Atlanta and Washington. The Athletic also posted this tweet highlighting division realignments including Nashville and Charlotte as expansion targets. However, many argue that adding two new teams to the South/South-East is unlikely.
Various articles writing about the expansion (a lot vary on credibility and scope):
https://theathletic.com/4159445/2023/02/07/mlb-expansion-geographic-realignment/
https://calltothepen.com/2022/03/06/charlotte-fc-mls-debut-mlb-expansion-list/
https://www.wfae.org/podcast/faq-city/2021-12-14/when-it-comes-to-major-league-baseball-in-charlotte-if-you-build-it-will-they-come
https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/examining-charlotte-as-a-possible-city-for-mlb-expansion/
https://myfox8.com/news/north-carolina/room-for-more-odds-we-see-the-mlb-in-charlotte/
https://www.sportskeeda.com/baseball/news-charlotte-mlb-expansion-all-need-know-rumored-baseball-team-north-carolina
Videos (mostly local news productions):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5QTYcqiISU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yMq2ONraQI
https://youtu.be/jl0MdmWy5cY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RaEp3bsOfE
Charlotte Disincentives
The recent knights ballpark that was built in the city is on contract for 49 years and wasn't built with expansion in mind. There was several lawsuits filed trying to keep the knights from moving uptown headed by Jerry Reese that ultimately failed. He was mainly angered by the the fact it wasn't meant to be expanded as he wanted to eventually bring an MLB team to Charlotte (source). Nashville has this same issue, but they have a larger push for it to come there.
Current Pushes
There have not been any noticeable pushes by the city council or billionaires to bring MLB to Charlotte. There is one grassroots movement started by Rick Curti for a baseball team called the Charlotte Bats, link to his site here. However, I personally don't think "Bats" is a good name nor does the green/black color scheme fit with the rest of the professional sports color codes. I personally thing the Charlotte "Crowns" or "Kings" would fit better for the Queen City. Other than this, there isn't much public drive for a MLB team to come. An ownership group would need to form, of which Nashville, Utah, and Orlando already have a head start on.
TLDR Conclusion
MLB in Charlotte is a possibility but not likely to happen anytime soon.
submitted by Meme-Guy to Charlotte [link] [comments]
Just wanted to create an informational thread for the current status of the MLB possibly coming to Charlotte. Nothing really new but just useful as a summary of information and will add to it as time goes on. At the moment the current MLB commissioner Robert Manfred has mentioned Charlotte on a short list amongst Nashville, Portland, Montreal, and possibly Salt Lake City. Our metro has about 2.7 million people and currently has 3 professional sports teams in the NBA, NFL, and most recently MLS. The recent attendance success of Charlotte FC (second highest attendance average at 39k per game behind Atlanta) has proven this city can support multiple professional sports.
Situation in the MLB
The MLB needs to fix the current situation of finding new stadiums for the Oakland A's and Tampa Bay Rays. Most recently Oakland A's have announced they are relocating the Vegas for a stadium slated to be completed by 2027, if not sooner. Some argue that this is a door opener for Charlotte, but the likeliness is very thin.
Source:https://www.forbes.com/sites/maurybrown/2023/05/10/mlbs-2022-26-labor-deal-allows-for-expansion-to-32-teams-but-likelihood-thin/?sh=32512086ba6c
Charlotte Incentives
Charlotte is the third largest media market to not have a major league team especially since there is none between Atlanta and Washington. The Athletic also posted this tweet highlighting division realignments including Nashville and Charlotte as expansion targets. However, many argue that adding two new teams to the South/South-East is unlikely.
Various articles writing about the expansion (a lot vary on credibility and scope):
https://theathletic.com/4159445/2023/02/07/mlb-expansion-geographic-realignment/
https://calltothepen.com/2022/03/06/charlotte-fc-mls-debut-mlb-expansion-list/
https://www.wfae.org/podcast/faq-city/2021-12-14/when-it-comes-to-major-league-baseball-in-charlotte-if-you-build-it-will-they-come
https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/examining-charlotte-as-a-possible-city-for-mlb-expansion/
https://myfox8.com/news/north-carolina/room-for-more-odds-we-see-the-mlb-in-charlotte/
https://www.sportskeeda.com/baseball/news-charlotte-mlb-expansion-all-need-know-rumored-baseball-team-north-carolina
Videos (mostly local news productions):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5QTYcqiISU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yMq2ONraQI
https://youtu.be/jl0MdmWy5cY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RaEp3bsOfE
Charlotte Disincentives
The recent knights ballpark that was built in the city is on contract for 49 years and wasn't built with expansion in mind. There was several lawsuits filed trying to keep the knights from moving uptown headed by Jerry Reese that ultimately failed. He was mainly angered by the the fact it wasn't meant to be expanded as he wanted to eventually bring an MLB team to Charlotte (source). Nashville has this same issue, but they have a larger push for it to come there.
Current Pushes
There have not been any noticeable pushes by the city council or billionaires to bring MLB to Charlotte. There is one grassroots movement started by Rick Curti for a baseball team called the Charlotte Bats, link to his site here. However, I personally don't think "Bats" is a good name nor does the green/black color scheme fit with the rest of the professional sports color codes. I personally thing the Charlotte "Crowns" or "Kings" would fit better for the Queen City. Other than this, there isn't much public drive for a MLB team to come. An ownership group would need to form, of which Nashville, Utah, and Orlando already have a head start on.
TLDR Conclusion
MLB in Charlotte is a possibility but not likely to happen anytime soon.
2023.05.30 18:12 Short_Algo $PLNT Awaiting Short Signal based off 11 signals $2,227 net profit 6.46 profit factor 81% win rate on a 15-min chart. Free trial at https://t.co/yI1SPnacSZ https://t.co/EkUo6PvR7i
 | submitted by Short_Algo to StockTradingIdeas [link] [comments] |
2023.05.30 18:08 Odd-Blackberry-5983 With Carbery going to Washington and Brunette to Nashville, whoâs the best remaining fit for Anaheim?
Laviolette? Gallant? The team says fuck it and goes the whole year without a captain and coach?đ„
submitted by Odd-Blackberry-5983 to AnaheimDucks [link] [comments]
2023.05.30 17:51 ClerpClerptheHorned WaPo: The Second Amendment Allows a Ban on the AR-15, a Rebuttal (Post II of II)
Sorry for the delay; life gets busy, I had a big event this past week and made the news, but I also should have been able to take the hour to get this put 10 days ago. Anyway... A few weeks ago, an article was published via the Washington Post advocating for the ban of âassault riflesâ within the context allowed under the Second Amendment (May 14th, 2023 by Noah Feldman, Bloomberg). It made an appearance more than once on this subreddit. While I flooded this Firearms with an argument against a recently published Vox article over the past week, this response will hopefully be merely Two parts. Same disclaimer as my previous posts: please forgive any errors or anomalies as I am copying/pasting/typing on my phone.
Part 2 â Leaping to Conclusions, and Failing to Stick the Landing
Unlike my previous series, I will be able to close out this article with only a pair of posts, and not over half a dozen of the blasted things. In the first post, I highlighted the authorâs contention and position that the classic historic and judicial evidence supports the Second Amendment being ONLY for the preservation and effectiveness of the militia. This collectivist right interpretation is still espoused by many who support gun regulation, though it was dismissed with the Heller decision. However, the author of this article is holding to the collectivist theory, which would then deny a personal right of self defense to be protected by the Second Amendment. Which brings us to where we left off with the last post; if the militia is supposed to be able to supplement the standing army, and are supposed to bear firearms reasonable to be used in military service, are people able to own military-style weapons â not only semiautomatic rifles, but machine guns, RPG launchers, predator drones, and the like,â then?
Having accused Justice Scalia of performing the academic equivalent of fitness which is challenging flexibility in declaring the Second Amendment defends a personal right to self-defense, the author has twisted themselves up tightly enough it will take some insane mental gymnastics to escape defending the right of the people to keep and bear military arms! To be fair, I am actually somewhat impressed by how they attempted to argue.
The article references Miller, Heller, and Bruen in the same paragraph, quoting the Second Amendment protects âthe sorts of weapons⊠in common use at the time,â Justice Scaliaâs statement people can be prohibited from carrying âdangerous and unusual weapons,â and Justice Thomasâs endorsement of an âenduring American tradition permitting public carry,â stating the judicial process of the Second Amendment had become âan ad hoc ruleâ due to the latter decisions. But, after spending the first half of the article arguing against the Heller and Bruen decision, the author somewhat attempts to play both sides of the field. By applying âan ad hoc ruleâ of their own, the author makes the determination a weapon (or arm) cannot be banned if it is for a military benefit (useful for the militia), in common use, AND which is readily carried on the body for self-defense.
This is not stated implicitly, but explicitly. âToday, the Second Amendment applies to all weapons that ordinary people carry on an ordinary basis for self-defense.â The final part there, again, is reflective of Judge Frank Easterbrookâs decision to end the stay of Illinoisâ AWB, where he stated there lacked sufficient evidence to show AR style semi-automatic rifles are used commonly enough in self-defense scenarios to justify the people continuing to own them. So it is not within a vacuum these conclusions are arrived at. And to repeat a point, Justice Thomas had already determined interest balancing schemes are not to be used for the Second Amendment as it is a Civil Right. It is not justified to further restrict a liberty of a person due to the misuse of said liberty by another. Prominent figures from Cesare Beccaria to Thomas Jefferson to Lysander Spooner all argued against removing guns from the law abiding due to the actions of the criminals. Also, there is NO reference to an arm being both âdangerous and unusualâ in this criteria. Potentially, one could argue an arm is impossible to be dangerous and unusual if it is in common use, so it is a weaker critique against the argument, I will admit. But that also means an arm or weapon being common, such as 25ish million AR style rifles, is considered outside of dangerous and unusual.
But even if the above definition is assumed correct within historical tradition, founding heritage, and judicial jurisprudence, there exists more major, critical problem with using the aforementioned criteria to allow the banning of certain firearms. I believe this is an absolute lynchpin which can bring down a lot of gun regulation arguments if it became wide spread, and is a two point problem for anti-gunners: the articleâs criteria for banning a firearm is written in a manner which recognizes both the right to bear arms OUTSIDE THE HOME as well as for the purpose of self-defense. After arguing for at least the past 15 years the right to self-defense was made up, and ridiculing Bruen as falsely extending the Second Amendment to carrying arms outside the home, the author stipulates an arm must be viable for BOTH self-defense and being carried on oneâs person outside the home to be protected by the Second Amendment.
While the author is a Law Professor and not a member of Congress or a regulatory body, the argument can be construed to fly in the face of most everything the pro gun control group espouses. The phrasing of the argument gives me fits of happy giggles, because of how easy it is to deduce weapons should be both viable for self-defense, not merely militia or military service, and also able to be readily carried and concealed on one's body. This resigned agreement shrouded in an attack is massively beneficial, because of all the unstated and enumerated context which goes in to reaching the conclusion an arm is for self-defense and for concealment. It vindicates Heller as well as Bruen, two cases which have received endless ire from gun control supporters.
Additionally, the article closes by stating the AR-15 is a weapon of war, and more appropriately to be used by "a well-regulated militia â not for ordinary people to carry for ordinary use.â But this again works against the author. To quote the Supreme Court decision gun grabbers fall back on, the Miller decision, Justice McReynolds wrote the âobvious purpose [of the Second Amendment is] to assure the continuation and render possible the effectiveness of such force [the militia].â Consequently, the Second Amendment âmust be interpreted and applied with that end in view.â What better way to assure the populace is ready for military service in times of National or Regional crisis than to be familiar with the design and operation of a firearm closely related to a service weapon? In order to assure the effectiveness of the militia, the people must themselves be effective, competent, regulated (in the sense of skilled and drilled, to be clear), and practically dangerous.
This article is a microcosm of many gun control arguments. Each individual piece has merit, for the most part. As a whole, however, the arguments fall apart. They want ARs to be controlled to the point of it being banned 'for public safety,' but handguns are the most commonly used weapon for murder in the US. They opposed Heller and Bruen, yet try and ban ARs arguing they are not used for self-defense or able to be readily borne outside the home. They argue Miller should be the true precedent for gun laws with the purpose of the Second Amendment being arms used for the national defense, but then oppose the AR as being too much like a weapon of war. They claim police are terrorists to black communities, but want them to be the only persons armed. They claim the government is tyrannical, but also endorse the government forcibly taking the privately owned arms of nearly 100 million people, leaving the country largely defenseless from those same tyrants. I the end, most every argument made by the author can be referenced to founding documents, legal precedence, or their own arguments to demonstrate gun control really is not logical, feasible, legal, or moral.
Very little of what I say will come as a surprise to those reading this, but let's hope these unconstitutional regulations by the ATF and legislation by Illinois, California, New York, etc, will bring the gavel of the Supreme Court down in declaring the NFA, state bans and registration schemes, and hopefully the ATF itself, are unconstitutional.
submitted by ClerpClerptheHorned to Firearms [link] [comments]
Part 2 â Leaping to Conclusions, and Failing to Stick the Landing
Unlike my previous series, I will be able to close out this article with only a pair of posts, and not over half a dozen of the blasted things. In the first post, I highlighted the authorâs contention and position that the classic historic and judicial evidence supports the Second Amendment being ONLY for the preservation and effectiveness of the militia. This collectivist right interpretation is still espoused by many who support gun regulation, though it was dismissed with the Heller decision. However, the author of this article is holding to the collectivist theory, which would then deny a personal right of self defense to be protected by the Second Amendment. Which brings us to where we left off with the last post; if the militia is supposed to be able to supplement the standing army, and are supposed to bear firearms reasonable to be used in military service, are people able to own military-style weapons â not only semiautomatic rifles, but machine guns, RPG launchers, predator drones, and the like,â then?
Having accused Justice Scalia of performing the academic equivalent of fitness which is challenging flexibility in declaring the Second Amendment defends a personal right to self-defense, the author has twisted themselves up tightly enough it will take some insane mental gymnastics to escape defending the right of the people to keep and bear military arms! To be fair, I am actually somewhat impressed by how they attempted to argue.
The article references Miller, Heller, and Bruen in the same paragraph, quoting the Second Amendment protects âthe sorts of weapons⊠in common use at the time,â Justice Scaliaâs statement people can be prohibited from carrying âdangerous and unusual weapons,â and Justice Thomasâs endorsement of an âenduring American tradition permitting public carry,â stating the judicial process of the Second Amendment had become âan ad hoc ruleâ due to the latter decisions. But, after spending the first half of the article arguing against the Heller and Bruen decision, the author somewhat attempts to play both sides of the field. By applying âan ad hoc ruleâ of their own, the author makes the determination a weapon (or arm) cannot be banned if it is for a military benefit (useful for the militia), in common use, AND which is readily carried on the body for self-defense.
This is not stated implicitly, but explicitly. âToday, the Second Amendment applies to all weapons that ordinary people carry on an ordinary basis for self-defense.â The final part there, again, is reflective of Judge Frank Easterbrookâs decision to end the stay of Illinoisâ AWB, where he stated there lacked sufficient evidence to show AR style semi-automatic rifles are used commonly enough in self-defense scenarios to justify the people continuing to own them. So it is not within a vacuum these conclusions are arrived at. And to repeat a point, Justice Thomas had already determined interest balancing schemes are not to be used for the Second Amendment as it is a Civil Right. It is not justified to further restrict a liberty of a person due to the misuse of said liberty by another. Prominent figures from Cesare Beccaria to Thomas Jefferson to Lysander Spooner all argued against removing guns from the law abiding due to the actions of the criminals. Also, there is NO reference to an arm being both âdangerous and unusualâ in this criteria. Potentially, one could argue an arm is impossible to be dangerous and unusual if it is in common use, so it is a weaker critique against the argument, I will admit. But that also means an arm or weapon being common, such as 25ish million AR style rifles, is considered outside of dangerous and unusual.
But even if the above definition is assumed correct within historical tradition, founding heritage, and judicial jurisprudence, there exists more major, critical problem with using the aforementioned criteria to allow the banning of certain firearms. I believe this is an absolute lynchpin which can bring down a lot of gun regulation arguments if it became wide spread, and is a two point problem for anti-gunners: the articleâs criteria for banning a firearm is written in a manner which recognizes both the right to bear arms OUTSIDE THE HOME as well as for the purpose of self-defense. After arguing for at least the past 15 years the right to self-defense was made up, and ridiculing Bruen as falsely extending the Second Amendment to carrying arms outside the home, the author stipulates an arm must be viable for BOTH self-defense and being carried on oneâs person outside the home to be protected by the Second Amendment.
While the author is a Law Professor and not a member of Congress or a regulatory body, the argument can be construed to fly in the face of most everything the pro gun control group espouses. The phrasing of the argument gives me fits of happy giggles, because of how easy it is to deduce weapons should be both viable for self-defense, not merely militia or military service, and also able to be readily carried and concealed on one's body. This resigned agreement shrouded in an attack is massively beneficial, because of all the unstated and enumerated context which goes in to reaching the conclusion an arm is for self-defense and for concealment. It vindicates Heller as well as Bruen, two cases which have received endless ire from gun control supporters.
Additionally, the article closes by stating the AR-15 is a weapon of war, and more appropriately to be used by "a well-regulated militia â not for ordinary people to carry for ordinary use.â But this again works against the author. To quote the Supreme Court decision gun grabbers fall back on, the Miller decision, Justice McReynolds wrote the âobvious purpose [of the Second Amendment is] to assure the continuation and render possible the effectiveness of such force [the militia].â Consequently, the Second Amendment âmust be interpreted and applied with that end in view.â What better way to assure the populace is ready for military service in times of National or Regional crisis than to be familiar with the design and operation of a firearm closely related to a service weapon? In order to assure the effectiveness of the militia, the people must themselves be effective, competent, regulated (in the sense of skilled and drilled, to be clear), and practically dangerous.
This article is a microcosm of many gun control arguments. Each individual piece has merit, for the most part. As a whole, however, the arguments fall apart. They want ARs to be controlled to the point of it being banned 'for public safety,' but handguns are the most commonly used weapon for murder in the US. They opposed Heller and Bruen, yet try and ban ARs arguing they are not used for self-defense or able to be readily borne outside the home. They argue Miller should be the true precedent for gun laws with the purpose of the Second Amendment being arms used for the national defense, but then oppose the AR as being too much like a weapon of war. They claim police are terrorists to black communities, but want them to be the only persons armed. They claim the government is tyrannical, but also endorse the government forcibly taking the privately owned arms of nearly 100 million people, leaving the country largely defenseless from those same tyrants. I the end, most every argument made by the author can be referenced to founding documents, legal precedence, or their own arguments to demonstrate gun control really is not logical, feasible, legal, or moral.
Very little of what I say will come as a surprise to those reading this, but let's hope these unconstitutional regulations by the ATF and legislation by Illinois, California, New York, etc, will bring the gavel of the Supreme Court down in declaring the NFA, state bans and registration schemes, and hopefully the ATF itself, are unconstitutional.