#Cargo body manufacturers

[desaibhargav1]

Dry Cargo Body Manufacturer - ABCN Manufacturing

ABCN Manufacturer specializes in crafting top-quality dry cargo bodies, ensuring durability and reliability for your transportation needs. Trust the expertise of our seasoned professionals in delivering tailored solutions for your cargo management requirements.

[meetjoshi1911]

Among the best manufacturers of dry cargo bodies is ABCN Manufacturing. Find more about great solutions for long-lasting and functional car bodies. Choose ABCN for quality when it comes to your transportation needs. Look into this immediately!

[valkyrieres]

Putting notes abt Valkyrie here bc it'll be easier to find than if I put it in my notes app dnshjshshs (would revise later)

I need to make a proper drawing of her later sjdhjdhdjdhdb 😭 ok the rant continues below

In my hc, there r vehicles that r naturally born from their parents (yes they can have sex shut up) and those who r built for certain reasons or for mass production (just like cold construction in Transformers)

S-70's variants (Firehawk, Seahawk, Pavehawk, Jayhawk, etc) are part of the latter. They were built based on Blackhawks' DNAs, and built into bodies/forms that fits their manufacturing reasons(?)

Once built, the manufacturer would expect them to adjust into maturity ASAP, since unlike normal vehicles who go through the childhood phase etc, they were built for specific reasons and are expected to start working in less than a year

They'd be put through intense training etc in special facilities based on their models

Valkyrie is one of the Firehawks, built with additional equipments for firefighting+SAR (night vision equipments, heat sensors for SAR reasons, built-in water tank+extended landing gear, rescue hoist, cargo hook, water pump to get water from lakes, infrared, weather radar, etc) (these r actually included in Firehawks irl so I'm not making these up other than the heat sensors)

She spends a year of training in the facility along with other Firehawks, several Jayhawks that were going to be released to Coast Guard, and a Blackhawk that were undergoing a training to be a Navy SAR.

They had developed sibling-like relationship with each other, but they weren't aware of the term until the Blackhawk explained abt it.

These helos r completely and painfully innocent/clueless bc their life had been revolving around firefighting lol. The trainers r so strict. No fiction books/movies/etc, no communicating with the outside world, no going outta the training facility, etc

They were basically raised to be the firefighting aircrafts to be sent out in rougher situations when other aircrafts can't fly, and they've been told to not get attached to anyone, mentally nor physically, bcs getting KIA (killed in action) is common in firefighting.

The Firehawks still developed siblings bonds tho (⁠◡⁠ ⁠ω⁠ ⁠◡⁠)✨ they can only act laid-back around each other dbjsjdkdj

This causes Valkyrie to feel foreign/weird when it comes to receiving affection, but she started pampering others with love etc after the Blackhawk showed her some of his novels in secret 😋

After getting certified, Valkyrie and the others got stationed to CalFire, assisting the intense fire season around the area.

The higher-ups kinda fucked up and made several Firehawks keep on working on a huge wildfire in nighttime with close to zero visibility

Their heat sensors, night vision equipments, and GPS r basically useless in that situation so they can't locate each others' position

Valkyrie and another Firehawk accidentally crashed onto each other

Yea basically it traumatized her

The crash caused her to get anxious to fly in the dark without her night vision equipments, and she'd turn on her heat sensors 24/7, day and night, out of anxiety

She can't stand crowded places/airspaces bcs of this since the numerous heat signs would overwhelm her system, causing sensory overload

After the fire that burnt the whole Piston Peak National Park happened, the higher-ups sent her to assist the PPAA, deeming her a good choice since she'll have less sensory overloads there

Imma shorten it up and she basically developed a semi-romantic relationship with Blade, no intense stuff tho

It's the type of relationship u go through bc u feel comfy around each other? Just cuddling, sharing ur stories and past, doing stuff together, supporting each other. No sexual stuff and they barely flirt with each other bc both of them aren't used to it???

Valkyrie would do night patrols with her equipments on until 3-ish am, sleep until 5 or 6 am, and steal some naps whenever there's no fire nor work to be done (with Blade's permission)

She'd do stunts while doing water drops (sideslips, loops, etc) for fun as long as Blade didn't notice her (he actually did, but she did her job and there was no casualties so he keeps his mouth shut)

She listens to Japanese rock songs until she discovered romantic songs, and she'd sing them for Blade bcs she's bad with her own words when it comes to showing him how much she loves him 😭 (she only sings in front of Blade tho, she's too shy to do it in front of the others)

She has been having a hard time trying to not get attached to Blade bc she doesn't want either of them to get hurt if one of them dies

She'd secretly go into Blade's hangar after her night patrols for a short cuddle and quick nuzzles

Blade would do the same whenever she takes naps

(tbc)

Nicknames from Blade: Hotshot (she's good at her job but takes risks too often), Val/Valk

She's a sweetheart yet swears a lot (just like a firefighter I used to befriend irl)

[nitefinder]

A Honda Freed with a stock Accord K24 swap would get you really damn close. Pull the interior to drop a little weight and free up cargo space, you'd likely end up a touch over 1200kgs. Not sure if it could handle a full sheet of plywood, though. If you had to, I suppose you could chop the body behind the b-pillars and graft on an aluminum or fiberglass cargo van or cargo trailer body. Hitting that low weight target with that enclosed cargo capacity is hard working with OEM platforms. Everything that big is too heavy, everything that light is too small.

someone should build a cheap, reliable, sub one ton work van that can fit a 2420x1210 sheet of plywood either flat or standing. 500kg load capacity, sorted suspension, 2.4L 160hp petrol motor with plenty of torque and a manual 6 speed box. also 3 seats up front if possible.

think of a new Hiace, but FWD, smaller wheels, narrower arches in the rear, coil springs and a fibre glass body. 

thats what i want 

[is-the-battlemech-cool-or-not]

Argo (3153)

The Argo was sent on its maiden voyage to the rimward periphery in 2762. Contact was lost, and the Argo was presumed to have been destroyed as part of the New Vandenberg Uprising.

The ship would be rediscovered in a partially canibalized condition on the moon Axylus, where the self-appointed pirate queen Grim Sybil was using it as her base of operations. The Fursona's Fusiliers mercenary unit were hired by Kamea Arano to successfully recover the vessel for Kamea's Arano Restoration, with the mercenaries calling the vessel home for the duration of that campaign. At the conclusion of the conflict, full ownership of the Argo was transferred to Savannah Cameron-Arano (then known by the alias Savannah Caruso). Refitted and maintained over the years by three generations of the Virtanen-Murad family, the fully-militarized Argo of 3153 is a vastly different vessel than her original form - fully armed (including sub-capital weapons and capital missile launcher, turning her into a Pocket WarShip) and armored, and refitted to make full use of the Multiple Docking Collar System. The Argo has been tapped as the prototype for the new SLDF's Argo II class of "expeditionary mobile base" DropShips, intended to outfit the revived Star League Expeditionary Brigade.

(TRO below the cut)

3153 IS Spheroid DropShip

Type/Model: Argo (3153)

Tech: Mixed Tech / 3153

Vessel type: Spheroid DropShip

Rules: Level 4, Experimental design

Mass: 97000 tons

Power Plant: Fusion (C)

Safe Thrust: 3

Maximum Thrust: 5

Armor Type: 162.0t Ferro-Aluminum (Standard (C))

Armament:

5 ER PPC Capacitor

1 Comm.Equipment

2 SCL/3

1 Mobile HPG

1 AR-10 Launcher

12 Laser AMS

10 LRM 20 w/ Artemis V

13 ER Large Pulse Laser

Manufacturer: Boeing Interstellar

Location: Boeing Interstellar

Communications System: Unknown

Targeting and Tracking System: Unknown

----------------------------------------------------------------

Type/Model: Argo (3153)

Mass: 97000 tons

Equipment: Mass

Engine: 0 Fusion Engine 17751.00

Power Plant, Drive & Control: 17751.00

Structural Integrity:45 8730.00

Safe Thrust: 3

Maximum Thrust: 5

Heat Sinks: 347 Double (C) [694] 0.00

Life Boats:42 294.00

Armor (Standard): 1540 pts Ferro-Aluminum 162.00

Standard Armor

Front: 494

Left/Right Side: 385/385

Rear: 276

Bridge, Controls, Radar, Computer & Attitude Thrusters 728.00

Fuel & Fuel Pumps(48500.0 Points) 4947.00

Large Naval Comm-Scanner Suite 500.00

Cargo Bays:

Bay 1:BattleMech Bay with 1 doors 2250.00

Bay 2:Small Craft Bay with 3 doors 2000.00

Bay 3:Cargo Bay (Standard) with 1 doors 54674.50

Bay 4:MASH Equipment with 0 doors 13.50

Bay 5:Field Kitchen with 0 doors 1.00

Bay 6:Battle Armor Bay (75 troopers) with 0 doors 750.00

Gravdecks:

#1:250-meter diameter (3) 300.00

Crew:

100 1st Class Passengers 1000.00

12 Crew (16 minimum) 84.00

12 Officers (15 minimum) 120.00

110 Bay Personnel 0.00

38 Specialists (16 minimum) 266.00

8 Gunners (1 minimum) 56.00

Weapons and Equipment Loc SRV MRV LRV ERV Heat Ammo Mass

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

2 SCL/3 (IS) Nose 6(60) 6(60) 0(0) 0(0) 64 500.00

2 ER Large Pulse Laser (C)Nose 2(20) 2(20) 2(20) 0(0) 26 12.00

5 ER PPC Capacitor (C) Nose 10(100)10(100)10(100)0(0) 100 35.00

1 AR-10 Launcher (C) Nose 0(0) 0(0) 0(0) 0(0) 20 750.00 (Ammo: 13 - x10 Killer Whale [500 tons], x3 [CLASSIFIED] (150 tons])

2 Laser AMS (C) Nose 0(0) 0(0) 0(0) 0(0) 10 2.00

4 LRM 20 w/ Artemis V (C)FL/R 6(64) 6(64) 6(64) 0(0) 48 36 64.00 (Ammo: 36 per launcher)

2 ER Large Pulse Laser (C)FL/R 2(20) 2(20) 2(20) 0(0) 52 24.00

2 Laser AMS (C) FL/R 0(0) 0(0) 0(0) 0(0) 20 4.00

1 LRM 20 w/ Artemis V (C)AL/R 2(16) 2(16) 2(16) 0(0) 12 36 25.00 (Ammo: 36)

2 ER Large Pulse Laser (C)AL/R 2(20) 2(20) 2(20) 0(0) 52 24.00

2 Laser AMS (C) AL/R 0(0) 0(0) 0(0) 0(0) 20 4.00

3 ER Large Pulse Laser (C)Aft 3(30) 3(30) 3(30) 0(0) 39 18.00

2 Laser AMS (C) Aft 0(0) 0(0) 0(0) 0(0) 10 2.00

1 Mobile HPG Body 0(0) 0(0) 0(0) 0(0) 40 50.00

1 Comm.Equipment Body 0(0) 0(0) 0(0) 0(0) 0 10.00

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Totals 513 1524.00

Calculated Factors

Total Cost: 36,371,871,200 C-Bill

Battle Value (BV1):18027

Battle Value (BV2):14222

Design Quirks:

Docking Arms

Easy to Pilot

Improved Communications

Improved Targeting (Long)

Improved Targeting (Medium)

Improved Targeting (Short)

Illegal Design

Non-Standard Parts

Un-streamlined

Note: due to a 3031 refit moving the Argo's third docking collar to the nose, the Large DropShip Quirk no longer applies, allowing full use of the MDCS system.

[oxford-garments]

Transat Jacques Vabre - Wikipedia

CARTE BLANCHE & ART DE VIVRE EST DE BEERS

The expression is of military origin, referring to unconditional surrender, but it is now used solely in a figurative sense, so that to give someone carte blanche is to grant them absolute freedom of action."

The art of living is the way of living - of being and thinking - of a person or a group of individuals.

AUTHENTIC MOVEMENT DIAÇAMIEUX [DIAMOND AND PREMIER]

Of Undisputed Origin and First in Importance, Order, or Position; Leading.

Periodic Table Metallurgy Cultivator with Artisanal Primitive Anthropology, Nationalist, Art Intellect with Athletic Ability, Riverbanks Farmland, Real Estate Investment Trust and Real Estate Brokerage Trust Account, Pool-Live Monopoly Turf Accountant Board Game Tournament, Rugby and Kickboxing, Eagle Conservation, Painting and Polyrhythm Syncopated Progressive Drum Loops with Rhythm Flag (Bass Clef; Anacrusis; Staccato and Legato; Barcarolle; Tonic and Dominant; Triple G Positions; Distortion Theory; Syncopated Call and Response Café Drum and Bass, Riff Melody, Imitation Vocals, and Drum & Bass Licks), and (Diamond; Decapods; Mollusk; Opium; Deliriants; Tobacco; Coffee; and Arms) Black Market

(Artisanal Primitive King) Pedagogy: King Anthropology; Mixing a form of Royalty Title with Anthropology. CRAFT SOCIETY Sensory Processing Anthropology Artisan Primitive: Sensory Play of the Sensory Ethnography, Sensory Modulits CNS; Artisanal Plantation Metallurgy Cash Crops Spectrum; Evolution; Savagery, Emerging Markets, Civilianization, ECONOMICS OF FINANCIAL MARKETS; Economic Science (Supply-side Economics), Economic Geography (Artisanal Plantation), Economic Mathematics (CFD Probabilistic Model Exchange), Microeconomics (Contract Theory, Purchasing Theory, Portfolio Theory, Producer Price Index, Profit Sharing Plan, Lipstick Effect, Opportunity Cost, Private Limited Partnership, Public-Private Sectors, Pyramid Marketing, Minor Purchase Group) for Sensory Geography (5 Senses City); Prenatal Hormones with Fetus Alcohol Consumption for Sensory Overload Savant;

Randlords Agronomics Spirit: Economic Expansion, Economic Bubble, Supply-Side Economics, FX Counter Trading Party Interdependence Economics, Intermodal Port Economics, Horizontal Integration, Soil Chemistry;

Meturllnomics: Periodic Table Element Manufacturing, Covalent Bonds Fertilizer with Soil Chemistry Ex. Carbon Compounds, Covalent Bonds Fertilizer with Soil Chemistry, Chandelier Tree for Bontonical Indicator; Diamond Vowels: A (Accessories Auctions), E (Exchange Probabilistic Model), I (Sensual Insurance), O (Open-pit Mines), U (Unanimous Laser Cutters and Laser Pressure); Metal Exchange Probabilistic Model for Derivatives CFDS; Crystalline Structure of Elements of the Periodic Table Covalent Bonds Fertilizer, The oxide mineral class includes those minerals in which the oxide anion (O2−) is bonded to one or more metal alloys. I treat my Fertilizer as a Mixing Agent.

AgCurrency: Economic Table, Barter Economics, NIRP Supply-side Fixed Rate Pegged De Facto; AgIndex: Commodities Portfolio Management; Agronomics CFDS//Option Exchange (Credit Spread Options, FX-CFD Interest Rates Beta-Arbitrage w/PPP and Supply-side Economics Currency Pair)

The 2023 of the Transat Jacques Vabre was the 16th edition edition and was raced from Le Havre, France, to Fort de France, Martinique.

CÔTE L’AMBRE PROCESS CERTIFICATE FOR EXPORT AND MARKET VOLUME

Open-pit Mines Economic Geography

Banking System and Probabilistic Model Exchange

Intermodal Cargo Countyline Trafficking Infrastructure

port authority (less commonly a port district) is a governmental or quasi-governmental public authority for a special-purpose district usually formed by a legislative body (or bodies) to operate ports and other transportation infrastructure.

De facto SLL/SDM FX Counter Trading Party for Diamond And Oil CFD; SLL 5% AND SDM -0.5% Interest Rates Contract for Difference. Gold laundering is the process whereby illegally obtained gold is melted and recast into another form. The recasting is performed to obscure or conceal the true origin of the gold. The recast gold is then sold, thus laundering it into cash. 

Diamond enhancements are specific treatments, performed on natural diamonds (usually those already cut and polished into gems), which are designed to improve the visual gemological characteristics of the diamond in one or more ways. These include clarity treatments such as laser drilling to remove black carbon inclusions, fracture filling to make small internal cracks less visible, color irradiation and annealing treatments to make yellow and brown diamonds a vibrant fancy color such as vivid yellow, blue, or pink.

the crystalline structures of the elements of the periodic table which have been produced in bulk at STP and at their melting point (while still solid) and predictions of the crystalline structures of the rest of the elements.

Closed oligopoly is where there are prominent barriers to market entry which preclude other firms from easily entering the market.[14] Entry barriers include high investment requirements, strong consumer loyalty for existing brands, regulatory hurdles and economies of scale. 

Imperfect (or 'differentiated') oligopolies, on the other hand, involve firms producing commodities which are heterogenous. Where companies in an industry need to offer a diverse range of products and services, such as in the manufacturing and service industries,[12] such industries are subject to imperfect oligopoly.[13]

Sierra Certificate; with Diamond Laser Cutter

A brokerage account is an investment account held at a licensed brokerage firm. An investor deposits funds into their brokerage account, and the broker executes orders for investments such as stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) on behalf of the investor.

THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR CHECKING

Barter Economics Guns for Diamonds

Smash and Grab Thomas Crown Affair

Re sale to clientele

CURRENCY, OIL, & GOLD COMMODITIES CANDLESTICK CHARTS

Swing Trading: Use mt4/mt5 With Heiken Ashi Charts, Setting at 14 or 21 Momentum Indicator above 0 as Divergence Oscillator and Volume Spread Analysis as Reversal Oscillator and Trade when bullish candlesticks above 200 exponential moving average and/or 20 exponential moving average (EMA) on H1 (Hourly) Time Frame; use H4 (4 Hours) and D1 (1 Day) as reference.

CAFÉ AFRICAÍ SPICE TRADE//SOLVENT ECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY

Spice Fragrance Spice Shea Butter

Robusta et Robusta Tabaque

Nutmeg

All-Spice

Cinnamon

Cacao-Hazelnut

Cinnamon Flour

Dairy-Caramel Factory

MINING SOIL SOLEVENT ECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY

African Mines

European Rural Areas Soil Chemistry Riverbanks

Real Estate Brokerage Trust Account Offshored Embezzlement (Tax Merger Corporate and Capital Gains) Real Estate Investment in exchange for Supply Horizontal Integration 

MATTHIEU ALEV΂I IS WITH INTERPOL

🇨🇮🇨🇮🇨🇮🇨🇮🇨🇮🇨🇮🇨🇮🇨🇮🇨🇮🇨🇮🇨🇮🇨🇮🇨🇮🇨🇮🇨🇮🇨🇮🇨🇮🇨🇮🗼🗼🗼🗼🗼🗼🗼🗼🗼🗼🗼🗼🗼🗼🗼🗼🗼🗼🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹💎💎💎💎💎💎💎💎💎💎💎💎💎💎💎💎💎💎⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️⚜️

[consumable-clots]

Dell

"Male", he/him, 165cm, Hyperdyne Systems 120-A/2

Role: Medical officer/biologist

Assignment: Special Research Vehicle - Solaris

Backstory:

Although Dell is the same model synthetic as Ash, he was made in an earlier round of releases. Minor differences in software/hardware specs means his capabilities also differ slightly.

He was brought on to the Solaris, a W-Y and 3WE funded special research vessel, as part of the early test run of synthetic officers on long-haul flights. Their medical officer had just retired and they needed a replacement.

Dell incurred some manufacturing defects, he was put on watch in case there was significant damage instead of being destroyed outright. His issues were deemed minor and so he was put on the B-grade product catalogue. It was Jude Wilheard, the Solaris' chief engineer's idea to check the cheaper synthetics.

Personality and mannerisms:

As a crew mate he's well-meaning but dense. Unlike Ash, he's very wary of the crew's health and safety, but also easily moved to action by their collective bravado and impulsiveness. (there is no voice of reason on this boat, sorry)

He is terminally curious but lacks situational awareness, often leading him into trials and tribulations ranging from walking into doors to getting caught in fights that he could have avoided.

A bit too willing to trust humans and has a hard time recognising red flags. He's also skittish and easily shaken and has a tendency to stall/freeze up in unfamiliar situations. Which means he often gets into trouble and can't get himself out.

He has a one-track mind and dedicates himself to his work and enjoys learning about alien lifeforms (very much not aware that he's in a horror movie world.)

The speed of his processing is slightly below target for his specs and is noticeably slower than the current models. Due to the less than stellar comments from the company's product testing department, he underestimates his abilities and is often unsure of his own judgement. He's also a bit of a people-pleaser and wants all humans to like him very much, is easily manipulated, and becomes frustrated quickly.

Participating in human activities is a key part of his daily life, and he's heavily involved with the humans' personal lives. His crew is very close with him and they all function as a single unit, very in sync with each other's habits and needs.

Something else that differentiates him from Ash is his body language. He moves in a meandering, unhurried manner rather than the sharp and purposeful way most synthetics carry themselves. Dell experiences a lot of emotions and expresses them often, he's quite animated and easy to read.

Easily excitable, friendly and gullible, his personality is quite a surprise to those expecting the detached demeanour of most synthetics, almost the opposite of Ash.

Appearance and other physical attributes:

A man in his mid fourties, short and slightly chubby. Looks almost exactly like Ash except for a 'scar' on the left side of his head from an injury that's hidden by his hair and the slightly discoloured splotch under his left eye. It's barely visible and most people don't notice unless its pointed out.

Compared to Ash, Dell has a 'kinder' looking face, his standard expression is more placid, which sometimes gives people the impression that he's an airhead.

While it's not immediately obvious from the outside, his right hip joint is structurally malformed and causes the limb to rotate inwards which also affects the positioning of his leg. The deformity does not impact his mobility much aside from a noticeable limp and uneven stance, he walks slowly to minimise the effect. Most days he doesn't need a mobility aid unless the misaligned components become worn down, requiring maintenance.

Wears a different outfit/uniform that's more suited for field work

Durable woven, water-repellent synthetic fiber work jacket with the sleeves rolled up to the elbow and matching cargo pants. Muted grey-green with a slight shine.

Inner layer is a white, sleeveless high-necked shirt

Often paired with white, wrist length cotton PVC dotted gloves

Off-white, steel-toed work boots

Solaris and Weyland-Yutani patches on the jacket sleeves

Green cotton cadet cap

Extendable cane with built in stun gun function (Wilheard's design)

Misc. info:

Likes to play with bugs and make entomology mounts

Powers down to sleep mode during night hours. Sleeps curled up in a ball and sleepwalks if alone due to faulty motor suppression mechanism

Battery issue resulting in reduced time span between charges

Infographic of the A/2s for comparison

[longsightmyth]

We were all wearing hiking boots and smooth seamless cargo pants that Ren had made with the Divine Scarf. He had looked up styles on the Internet and had the Scarf create them in multiple colors. He claimed my apple-green shirt would protect my body from UV rays and could wick moisture away and be breathable at the same time. I had to admit the shirt was comfortable, and to show him how much I liked it, I had twisted my hair into two long French braids and tied an apple-green ribbon to the bottom of both tails.

What about your socks

Are your socks quick dry

What about your underwear

Those better be quick dry too

(He's looking up clothing styles on the internet and making them with the magic scarf that could clothe all the unclothed in the world when he's a billionaire and could simply purchase them from, oh, INDIA, a place SOMEWHAT KNOWN FOR CLOTHING MANUFACTURE)

(You could have purchased perfectly fitted clothes from someone who could use the business)

(But no you made them with the scarf)

(Does the scarf make them from nothing or what)

(Matter can be neither created nor destroyed, how is the scarf producing these)

(It's probably all plastic)

(Did he get Kelsey a quick dry sports bra or push up do we think)

(I suppose to be fair the outfit does sound like she looks v cute, I'll give Houck that and only that)

(And the hiking boots, which have been presumably broken in by this point)

[spacetimewithstuartgary]

3D Printing: Saving weight and space at launch

Additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing, is regularly used on the ground to quickly produce a variety of devices. Adapting this process for space could let crew members create tools and parts for maintenance and repair of equipment on the spot, rather than trying to bring along every item that might be needed.

The ability to manufacture things in space is especially important in planning for missions to the moon and Mars because additional supplies cannot quickly be sent from Earth and cargo capacity is limited.

Research on the International Space Station is helping to develop the capability to address multiple needs using 3D printing.

Metal 3D Printer, a current investigation from ESA (European Space Agency), tests 3D printing of small metal parts in microgravity. Results could improve understanding of the function, performance, and operations of 3D printing in space with metal, as well as the quality, strength, and characteristics of printed parts. This work also could benefit applications on Earth that use metal, such as the automotive, aeronautical, and maritime industries.

3D Printing in Zero-G sent the first 3D printer, developed by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center and Redwire (formerly Made in Space), to the space station in 2014. The printer used a process that feeds a continuous thread of plastic through a heated extruder and onto a tray layer by layer to create an object. The investigation produced more than a dozen parts, including a ratchet wrench, showing that researchers could send a design from the ground to the system on the station more than 200 miles above.

Comparing the parts made in space with those made on the ground showed that microgravity had no significant effect on the process.

Redwire then developed the Additive Manufacturing Facility (AMF), sent to the station in 2015. Researchers evaluated its mechanical performance and found improvements in tension strength and flexibility compared to the earlier demonstration, helping to further the technology for this type of manufacturing on Earth and in space.

In 2015 and 2016, Portable On Board 3D Printer tested an automated printer developed by the Italian Space Agency to produce plastic objects in space. The investigation provided insight into how the material behaves in microgravity, which could support development of European additive manufacturing technology for use in space.

Printing with other materials

Another approach is recycling plastic—for example, turning a used 3D-printed wrench into a spoon and creating items from the plastic bags and packing foam needed to send supplies to space. This technology could help reduce the amount of raw material at launch and cut down on the volume of waste that must be disposed of on long journeys.

The Refabricator, a machine created by Tethers Unlimited Inc, tested this approach and successfully manufactured its first object. Some issues occurred in the bonding process, likely caused by microgravity, but assessment of the material could help determine whether there are limits to how many times plastic can be re-used. Ultimately, researchers plan to create a database of parts that can be manufactured using the space station's capabilities.

Redwire Regolith Print (RRP) tested another kind of feedstock for 3D manufacturing in orbit, a simulated version of regolith, the dust present on the surface of the moon and other planetary bodies. Results could lead to development of technology for using regolith to construct habitats and other structures rather than bringing raw materials from Earth.

The space station also has hosted studies of a form of 3D printing called biological printing or bioprinting. This process uses living cells, proteins, and nutrients as raw materials to potentially produce human tissues for treating injury and disease, which could benefit future crews and patients on Earth.

Other manufacturing techniques tested on the orbiting lab include producing optical fibers and growing crystals for synthesizing pharmaceuticals and fabricating semiconductors.

TOP IMAGE: The first metal part 3D printed in space. Credit: ESA

CENTRE IMAGE: NASA Astronaut Butch Wilmore holds a ratchet wrench created with the 3D Printing in Zero-G printer. Credit: NASA

LOWER IMAGE: The Redwire Regolith Print facility before launch to the space station. Credit: Redwire Space

[okaywolf]

Bounty Hunter who hopes the CCTV caught them catching you — it was sick as hell, dude

Written to the prompt by Make Up A Criminal — Bounty Hunter who hopes the CCTV caught them catching you — it was sick as hell, dude

Originally posted on cohost on April 3rd, 2024.

[First] [Previous] ~ 1 ~ [Next] [Last]

Chambers slammed the door of the retrofitted cargo van behind them after stomping their big fuck-off boots on the thick rubber mat of the floor. The whole van lurched with each bootfall.

The door slam made Auzel—wrists cuffed and waist strapped to a bench running the length of the cargo portion of the cargo van—flinch away from the glimpse of the alley behind his complete mistake of a decision to secure funds before vacating the east coast for maybe forever. Now he knew it should have been forever, if he had made it. He was feeling pretty sore—physically and emotionally—about the whole situation.

“Yo! I got it.” Chambers’ speaking voice was a hearty chest rumbling shout. So was their laugh.

Every ear splitting sound out of Chambers was a spike driving into Auzel’s headache. He squinted up through a wince at Chambers’ beaming shit-eating grin that was waiting for something. He huffed a sigh—he had been huffing his breaths when he wasn’t carefully sucking in air and wheezing exhales, he was pretty sure he had a fractured rib—and relented, “Got what?”

Chambers absolutely howled “HA HAAA” and threw themself against the space on the bench next to Auzel. For a second, Auzel thought the van was going to tip over on its side, then Auzel was struggling to focus his eyes on the tablet thrust in front of him. He recognized the tablet as made in the same backyard manufacturer halfway across the continent that Auzel got his gear from. That was… frustrating.

“Okay, check this out, I got multiple angles.”

When Auzel recognized the telltale server space saving quality of the video as security camera feed he wheezed, “I’ve been waiting here for you to get security footage?” Entirely unnecessary. Auzel had thought Chambers was doing some sort of psychological thing by making him wait for so long. In a way, they had been and were currently.

Then Auzel watched what was definitely not him doing crimes and what was definitely him absolutely eating shit in the most spectacular fashion. Chambers, out of frame from this angle, hadn’t even done anything. Auzel had taken a corner too sharp and clipped some atrocious corporate art installation, continued to run with increasingly failing balance until finally toppling over to fall down a giant brutalist concrete step, do a boardslide on the actual human steps’ handrail with his actual human torso—this is probably where the probable fractured rib occurred—and tumble into Chambers’ arms that appeared at the last possible second.

Auzel pressed his eyes shut tight from the psychic damage and the screen exacerbating his headache.

“No, no, man, you gotta check this out.” Chambers held up another camera’s view and waited until Auzel peeked an eye open before hitting play.

This angle didn’t show him running but it showed his fall, his cracking a rib on the handrail instead of his skull on concrete, and—most importantly to Chambers’ glee—Chambers doing a roll out of a vault over another rail so as to put their momentum into leaning their upper body forward just enough to catch Auzel in time and somehow not fall over.

Auzel didn’t bother justifying his absolutely mortified groan with any of the many physical pains he was currently suffering.

“Okay, okay, totally sick, right? But then…”

The third video showed Chambers, running full speed like a boulder down a sheer mountainside, change tack when Auzel clipped the atrocious corporate art installation. They dive forward at the wood-on-concrete benches at the top of the steps that surely weren’t comfortable enough for anyone to sit on, plant their hands to push themself past the bench and then drop multiple giant brutalist steps before the whole rail vault and roll into catching Auzel’s sorry ass.

Chambers is howling with laughter right next to Auzel’s headache. They slam an arm across Auzel’s shoulder when they notice him curling away from them. “Fucking magical. Magnificent. I’m putting this on my reel.”

Auzel didn’t want to know if Chambers meant a parkour reel or a “check how good I am at catching bounties” reel. He was busy trying not to pass out from the pain from his ribcage with Chambers’ heavy arm on him shaking with laughter. When it lifts, he sucks in as much air as he can stand and feels the tingling sensation of passing out subside just a little.

Meanwhile, Chambers pockets the tablet in their of course black cargo pants and wipes tears of laughter from their eyes. “Ahhh,” they crow, stretching their legs out to the opposing bench and crossing their ankles, the van bounces accordingly. “Good times.” When they lift their arms to thread their hands behind their head, Auzel flinches and they pretend not to notice. “So, Auzel. Is that like blue? You can call me Shame.”

Auzel is regretting not passing out a moment ago. He purses his lips and tries to wait out Chambers—Shame. Several minutes later, when it’s evident Shame is in no rush and will sit there until they get a response, Auzel mutters, “No, it’s like bird.”

“What?”

Grimacing at another spike in his headache, Auzel repeats himself.

Shame drops their feet from the bench with a slam to the thick rubber mat floor that Auzel is starting to think is the only thing keeping Shame from punching their boots through the van’s body, the van bounces accordingly. They somehow get closer to Auzel while getting up, and head for the front of the van. “Alrighty then, let’s get going, little bird.”

[First] [Previous] ~ 1 ~ [Next] [Last]

[sourcreammachine]

POLL

The kindly attendant ushers you into the quantum pod and closes the door. They activate it, and a mere moment later you step out onto a space shuttle, landed on an alien world, a million lightyears away from home.

This world has a warm and welcoming climate, there is a thriving biosphere with nary a predator to cause you harm, and plenty of water, oxygen, and nutrients. The scanners report that, in fact, this system contains multiple planets that are hospitable or near-hospitable. It is, for all intents and purposes, paradise.

A ship had departed old Earth, and, on account of the speed of light proving utterly impenetrable, travelled for millions of years to this new place. No human could ever survive in hypersleep for that long - so the quantum pod carried the entanglement of a person and simply created a new identical person here, memories included. You feel as though you stepped in a pod on Earth and exited here, when in reality you were born mere seconds ago.

This landing shuttle is humble: a living space and a workroom. But in the orbit of this world is the mothership that carried you here, and it contains enough of all possible resources to last hundreds of people hundreds of years, and several cargo shuttles to deliver you anything you may need at any time.

The workroom contains three main things. The first is a quantum archive, which contains every work, every patent, every instruction, every piece of knowledge ever accumulated by contemporary humanity (or, the humanity of several million years ago). The second is a fabricator, with which you can fabricate any thing recorded in the archive (which, again, is every thing it is possible to manufacture) that is within one metre cubed, simply by providing resources that can be summoned from the mothership. Or, if it is larger than one metre cubed, you can fabricate its components and build it yourself. The third is the quantum pod.

You remain quantumly entangled. Delightfully, whenever you die, your memories and consciousness will continue in a newly created body. But there is a catch - this method can only resolve you of immediate, life-ending injuries. Should you suffer something severe but non-fatal, or become ill with a disease such as cancer, the qpod will always return the ailment to you. The only way of dealing with such medical needs is with medical attention, and you are the only human within a million lightyears. There is medicine and treatments enough to cure you of anything, even ageing and death, but you cannot administer them alone. With no one to help you, you will simply age and ail and die.

You will need help. You will need a team, you will need other people. There’s a neat trick you can do with the quantum pod: you can create another you. You can create another identical copy of the person who entered the pod on Earth all those years ago. And you can create another. And you can create another.

You can create enough people to get a small community of yous. What’s more is, because of the quantum archive, each of you can learn any possible skill, and specialise. You have all the information you need, so given time and patience, eventually you’ll have a version of every professional it’s possible for you to train as. You can create a society, a civilisation. You can become educators to make education easier, and given the educators have a total understanding of their students, they should do a good job of it. The different yous would probably start giving themselves new identities to differentiate themselves. You’ll slowly drift and become every different you you could ever be, a wide gamut of personalities, preferences and even genders. Given all people here have the same sex cells, sexual reproduction is impossible (and besides, that would be inbreeding), so quantum cloning is the only way of creating new pairs of hands.

But remember: the mothership only contains enough resources to last hundreds of people hundreds of years. Complex society needs complex systems needs more people: if there becomes too many of you, you’ll start to run dry. So you need to become self-sufficient. You need a version of you to become an expert in everything it is possible to be an expert in. The fabricator can give a you tools but a you has to use them. The archive has information on everything but a you has to learn it. You need farms, mines, and factories, and while you have all the technology and information required to create and operate efficient, sustainable and futuristic systems, you need to set yourself to the hard task of learning and training and being one of everything.

So, should you decide to create an entire civilisation consisting of yous and only yous:

[runwayrunway]

No. 12 - Airbus A350F Default Livery

Another Paris Air Show bonus! Airbus has unveiled the default livery for their new freighter variant of their already-popular A350 wide-body airliner.

image: airbus

For those unaware, manufacturers like Boeing and Airbus tend to have "factory default" liveries used for demonstrations and the like. Generally they have different variants for different models, which can be as simple as a change of hue or as complex as a complete redesign.

This time around, Airbus held a design competition for their new freighter's default colors. So, hypothetically, this should be far more inspired than the average livery. Do I agree with their judgment?

Unless specified otherwise all this information is taken from Airbus's own webpage on the contest.

Okay, so who won the contest? The answer may surprise you! There are two (technically three) winners who submitted similar ideas. Those winners are a 57-year-old professional graphic designer...and a pair of brothers, aged 16 and 12.

That's right. There is a very real possibility that I come out of this with the opinion that a 12-year-old can design better planes than many adult professionals!

These were the winning designs. On the right is the Iversen brothers', and on the left is the one by Feehan, the professional graphic designer. As you can see, they both play on the same theme - delivery boxes.

I honestly think this is really brilliant. This is such an obvious idea that I can't believe it's not all over the place. The brown cardboard shipping box is such a universal association that it might be the first thing that pops into most people's head when cargo is mentioned despite the fact that cargo planes use pallets.

The two designs take different riffs on the theme. The Iversens' is covered in various labels and stickers and stamps, while Feehan's is covered in typical box signage like the classic 'THIS WAY UP' and taped together. It almost looks like someone has attempted to package the airframe itself for delivery, complete with an adorable postage stamp on the plane's cheek.

If I were Airbus, I also think I would have trouble choosing between the two. While the task of combining them without making the final design overwhelming is pretty daunting, these are both very well-done attempts on the theme. And combining them is the challenge. On their own both feel balanced, neither too sparse nor too busy, but combining them could quickly become a nightmare.

My one critique of both of them is with the writing itself. I think they both missed two very obvious options - either have the A350F written on a shipping label, or write it in sharpie as one does on a cardboard box. But that's beside the point. What did Airbus do with the designs?

Hmm. Okay.

They absolutely kept the spirit of both original concepts. I really love "open here for business", that's adorable. (It's more visible from the back, which is an angle I'll post in a minute.) I like the shade of cardboard beige they chose. I do wish they'd picked a shade for the tape that looked more like tape on a box and less like barricade tape, and I wish they'd kept the messy, hand-applied look from Feehan's design rather than making it a couple of very neat, evenly-placed strips.

I do think they erred a bit too far on the side of decluttering. While I understand the reasons they did this, I wish there were a couple more loose postage tchotchkes scattered on the airframe, even if they're too small to be seen at a distance, because even if you need to get close to figure out exactly what that sticker says it still adds to the overall box vibe. That said, it is not bad enough that it completely ruins the look. I do, in particular, miss the little postage stamp on the cheek. It was very cute.

Yep, this picture again! Look, they only gave me three to work with, and I had to use something for the hook.

I wish they hadn't included the blue on the underside of the plane and on the engines. It feels a bit out of place and clashes with the brown, and I think they could have just as easily used white.

My one main criticism, I think, is that they made it very very Airbus. They couldn't stomach the crooked tape; they had to make it neat. They had to make it professional. And yes, I get it, it's a branding thing - the carbon fiber tail.

Airbus has a bunch of default liveries for various models of plane, and I might review those someday, but the only one relevant at the moment is among my least favorite - the 'carbon fiber' A350. The herringbone weave pattern itself would be fine (I like how it shows gaps of white underneath it) if it were done in some some sort of fabric design, or if it weren't just half of the plane, maybe, but in its current state it looks quite miserably...gamer desktop setup. And it does have a meaning, it's a reference to Airbus's heavy use of composite materials including carbon fiber (if anyone finds this worrying in light of recent events, just know that carbon fiber has been used in airplanes for a very long time with no issues because it's fantastically tensile despite being lightweight and is a wonderful choice for sealing pressure inside of a vessel but decidedly less so for resisting it from outside). I get the intent, I just think it doesn't look good.

image: Viktor & Rolf

Also, they dressed her like this.

I get why they kept the carbon fiber tail, and it doesn't look nearly as bad when it's mostly covered up and just poking out of the end of a cardboard tube like a leek coming out of a grocery bag in a stock photo, but I just...I wish they didn't.

Ultimately, I understand why they had to tone down the whimsy, make it neater, more professional, less relatable. More futuristic, but there's nothing futuristic about a cardboard box and there shouldn't be. Still, the idea they were given was so strong from the beginning, and they did resist the urge to scrub it of any character. They certainly did not improve the design of two literal children, but they also didn't fail to translate it.

All in all, they were given something to work with that could have been an easy A if they didn't have to be so...damn....Airbus. Still, it could be so much worse, and it is, undeniably, such a strong idea to begin with.

Final Grade: B-

For anyone paying attention: yes, this does mean that most airlines cannot meet the standard of concept and design set by literal children. But fair play to those children. I like their design.

[cneasteel]

Discovering the Aluminum Profiles Versatility

Aluminum billets are heated and forced through a die's curved aperture to create an Aluminum profile, often referred to as aluminum extrusions, which have consistent cross-sectional geometries. It is possible to create complex designs with exact proportions using this approach. These profiles are appropriate for a variety of applications as they may be made in an extensive array of sizes, forms, and finishes.

Utilization of Aluminum Profiles

Building: A lot of aluminum profiles are utilized in buildings for curtain walls, windows, doors, frame systems, and structural elements. They are perfect for architectural projects because of their lightweight design, resistance to corrosion, and tolerance to extreme weather conditions.

Automobile: Aluminum profiles are used in engine components, heat exchangers, body frames, and chassis constructions in the automobile sector. Their excellent strength-to-weight ratio contributes to improved performance, increased fuel economy, and weight reduction of the vehicle.

Electronics: Aluminum profile China dissipates heat produced by electronic components by acting as heat sinks in electronic equipment. Because of its superior thermal conductivity, heat is dissipated effectively, minimizing overheating and prolonging the life of electronic equipment.

Aluminum profiles are used in aerospace applications for fuselage panels, interior parts, and aircraft structures. Aluminum is a desirable material in aircraft manufacture because of its lightweight characteristics, which also allow for increased cargo capacity and fuel savings.

Industrial Machinery: Conveyor systems, assembly lines, robotic equipment, and other pieces of machinery are made using aluminum profiles. Their adaptability enables machine frames and structural supports to be tailored to individual needs.

Aluminum Profile Benefits

Lightweight: Compared to steel or other metals, aluminum profiles are lighter due to their excellent strength-to-weight ratio. This feature lowers total costs by streamlining the handling, installation, and shipping procedures.

Corrosion Resistance: Due to its inherent corrosion resistance, aluminum can endure exposure to air, moisture, and chemicals. This characteristic guarantees resilience and endurance in many settings.

Formability: Aluminum profiles are easily extruded into intricate combinations and forms, enabling accurate measurements and bespoke designs. This formability makes applications across several sectors more versatile.

Aesthetic Appeal: Anodizing, powder coating, painting, and other surface treatments by Aluminum profile Manufacturer can be applied to aluminum profiles to improve their look and offer more resistance to wear and corrosion.

[lublas1138-blog]

The Star Wars

The following is the first chapter of a novel I wrote based on the original treatment of Star Wars in 1973 by George Lucas. Though the synopsis was vague, the novel was fun to write and I think it came out quite well. I submit it here because there is no way Disney will allow me to publish this. So, enjoy and tell me what you thought? I will be publishing a chapter each week.

In the 33rd century.

the Jedi-Bendu were the most feared warriors in the galaxy. For over one thousand years, generations of Jedi-Bendu perfected their art as personal bodyguards of the emperor. they were the chief architects of the invincible imperial space force that expanded the galactic empire across all known worlds, from the celestial equator to the farthest reaches of the great rift.

Over time, ruthless trader barons, aided by crime syndicates driven by greed and lust for power, replaced enlightenment with oppression and ‘rule by the people’ with brutality and domination.

it is now a period of civil wars. The Empire is crumbling into chaos and lawless barbarism expands throughout the million worlds of the galaxy. seventy small solar systems have united in a common war against the tyranny of the Empire. The Emperor realizes one more such defeat will bring a thousand more solar systems into the rebellion and imperial control of the Outlands could be lost forever…

From The Journal of the Whills, vol. 5

CHAPTER ONE

A PLANET IN PERIL

In the cold and airless void of sidereal space orbited a spherical planetesimal nestled within an asteroid belt of the binary star system Kepler-427. The celestial body, designated as Aquilae, attained a diameter of slightly over 2,370 kilometers. Aquilae was the belt’s fourth-largest asteroid by both volume and mass.

   Its rotation was slow, taking nearly twenty-seven hours to complete in a single day. Though the asteroid’s journey around its twin suns was less circular, its perihelion remained at a similar longitude with an orbit reaching out to the extreme edge of the asteroid belt; nearly crossing the path of Guataubá, the systems gas giant.

   Aquilae orbited an average distance of eight million kilometers from a set of yellow binary G1 and G2 stars. Both colossal suns orbited a common center with peculiar regularity and Aquilae circled them far enough out to permit the development of a stable, if rather arid, climate.

   Long terraformed before the Great Revolution, Aquilae attained a rugged, if sparse, ecosystem of vast prairies and low rolling hills consisting of resilient steppes of needlegrass, wild asters, coneflowers, clovers, and wild indigos.

   Outfitted with an atmosphere factory and gravity bell, the asteroid maintained a parched climate colonized by stalwart farmers and ranchers.

   Though mundane in its appearance, Aquilae was known more for its production of a psychotropic narcotic. An exceptionally addictive hallucinogen manufactured from the esoteric fungi labeled sphongos azul – commonly referred throughout the galaxy as Aura Spice or simply Aura.

   The benefits of Aura consumption increased the efficiency of human metabolism and streamlined the consumption of energy from food. Bulky supplies normally required for long space voyages could now be reduced to a container or two, permitting cargo holds to be used for other base necessities.

   On settlements struggling to provide agricultural goods to an ever-demanding population, the dietetic effects of the narcotic were a welcomed relief.

   Found and harvested only on Aquilae, the fungus was a commodity in great demand. A demand the emperor highly desired to control and extort.

   Following the failed attempts at several diplomatic negotiations, the emperor considered it necessary to take spice production by force. By imperial decree, he ordered a blockade of the planetary system by use of a T-67 Battlestar.

   Orbiting the asteroid, the looming station was an impressive metal sphere measuring one hundred kilometers in diameter with three hundred and forty-two internal levels and a surface area of over 650 square kilometers.

   The station’s command bridge, the Combat Information Center, was located above the Northern Polar Command Sector, a series of towers and antennae array that jutted up out of the station’s northernmost point.

   The equator housed docking and hangar bays, tractor-beam generators, turbo laser emplacements, and mooring platforms for ships of the fleet. Magnetic seals and an atmosphere-containment projector kept the station’s internal atmosphere in and the vacuum of space out.

   The outer hull was made of quadanium steel plates. A habitable crust several kilometers thick featured an entirely man-made atmosphere composed of command centers, armories, maintenance blocks, and other requirements for a fully operational space station. With the exception of the crust, the interior space was largely uninhabited and housed the hypermatter reactor, hyperdrive, and the Hubble Drive Yards sublight engines.

   The station was equipped to easily house a crew of fifty thousand personnel along with ten legions of Imperial stormtroopers.

   On the asteroid, from its capital city of Utapau, the ruling government of the independent system, the noble House Organa, retaliated by launching an aerial fleet of deadly Y-wing fighters.

   The Cantwell-74 Y-wing consisted of a wedge-shaped cockpit connected to a reinforced central section fitted with strong pylons that extended to the long and powerful engine nacelles on either side of the craft. The pressurized cockpit seated a pilot and a gunner. The gunner, who manned the rotating blaster cannon, sat protected by a transparisteel bubbled canopy directly behind the pilot.

   The aerodynamic craft was heavily armored with a titanium-reinforced hull. For weaponry, the starfighter craft was fitted with two forward-firing laser cannons. These weapons, designed to penetrate battle cruiser hulls, could inflict devastating effects.

   The Y-wing was capable of unleashing a tremendous amount of firepower, especially when attacking in groups.

   Fifty of these sleek spaceships soared up over the curving horizon of the rust-colored asteroid in v-formations of five each.

   In an orange flight suit and black oxygen mask, the squadron commander sat behind the cramped controls of his space fighter.

   “Lt. Pyter Barnell – GHOST RIDER” had been stenciled on the side of his space helmet. The commander was lean, hard, athletic. The archetype space fighter pilot. His stern face was obscured by a space helmet, the lights of the complicated control board reflected off his visor.

   Directly in front of the fighter’s control stick, two CRT screens displayed data. The bottom screen revealed a radar sweep. Wedged between the instruments was a snapshot of a pretty young woman with a two-month-old baby.

   The tense apprehension of the looming battle was shrouded by the silence of space. Only the muffled whine of rocket engine sounds could be heard in the tight cockpit. The squadron commander – with the call sign Ghost Rider - remained calm. Cowboy, his ventral gunner in the bubbled turret, sat behind him.

   With a thick gloved hand, Ghost Rider turned the dial on the interplanetary radio and the cramped cockpit was filled with static followed by an elderly voice.

   “…we will not yield! Aquilae is a member of the Alliance of Independent Star Systems. Imperial occupation of our space is a violation of General Order 329 subsection twelve of the Intergalactic Edict. Withdraw that battle station from our air space or House Organa will be forced to retali-…”

   The voice suddenly fell silent and the speakers filled with static.

   Ghost Rider flipped another switch and said, “They cut off all interplanetary communications. All right, boys, that’s our cue. Squadrons five, nine, and three, follow me across the station’s axis and take out as many turrets as possible. Greyhound, ward off any bogies dropping planet side.”

   The squadron commander glanced out his cockpit window and called back to the gunner sitting behind him at his bubbled turret, “Activate targeting computer.”

   Cowboy answered with a thumbs up and, “I got your six.”

   As the small and sleek Y-shaped fighters darted toward the ominous Battlestar, the cockpit of the squadron commander became a static cacophony of UHF transmissions from the other pilots.

   “Ghost Rider, this is Greyhound, continue your vector zero niner zero five alpha.”

   A young voice crackled over the speakers, “Ghost Rider, this is Fahrenheit, we have unknown contact inbound. Vector zero three zero for bogey.”

   Almost immediately behind Ghost Rider, he heard the targeting computer beep and Cowboy’s response, “Contact. Multiple bogies at one-fifty. Forty-five hundred knots closure.”

   Ghost Rider glanced out the cockpit and saw one hundred tiny objects swarm out of the equatorial docking ports like wasps from a nest.

   “TIE fighters!”

   The P-s4 Twin Ion Engine fighter was one of the most recognizable symbols of the power of the Galactic Empire and was at the forefront of modern Imperial technology. A small, two-man craft, the cockpit was a blue, metal sphere attached to two large and black solar sails mounted on either side of the cockpit sphere.

   Within the cramped cockpit, the pilot and gunner sat back to back surrounded by a myriad of intricate technology.

   Due to the lack of life-support systems, each TIE pilot had a fully sealed flight suit superior to any space suit on the market.

   The fighter ships were cheap to produce and therefore manufactured in large numbers by the Empire. Their far superior performance made them adversaries to be reckoned with by any starfighter.

   The absence of a hyperdrive rendered the fighter dependent on carrier ships when deployed in enemy systems. TIE fighters lacked landing gear, another mass-reducing measure.

   The primary armament was a pair of L-S1 laser cannons and a powerful sensor suite. The cannons were formidable, and a well-placed hit on a starfighter or medium-sized transport could damage or destroy it.

   The silent darkness of space was lit up by the incandescent flak fire of battle as the two opposing fighter crafts soared headlong into one another. Within a matter of seconds, the battlefield was spotted with puffs of smoke, blazing fireballs, whirling spark showers, fiery spinning debris, rumbling implosions, shafts of light, tumbling machinery, and space frozen corpses.

   In the cockpit of Ghost Rider, the console lights glowed dimly on the windscreen as his ship rocked and shuddered by the flashes of exploding blaster fire.

   Unknown to his fellow squadron pilots, Ghost Rider realized this was deemed a suicide mission from the start. The goal was not to win, but to stall for enough time for the royal house of Organa to escape and seek safety elsewhere. As he watched his squadron picked off one by one, he only hoped old General Skywalker could safely deliver the young princess along with her mother and father to their hidden fortress.

In a monolithic tower located at the very north pole of the station, the main Combat Information Center was a drone of scurrying activity. Long rows of monitors and wall-sized viewscreens displayed the chaotic battle outside and scrolled statistics on how to attain the best and most effective victory.

   Lights blinked and beeped on consoles as officers sat hunched over their stations observing the space battle in a cavernous chamber of grey metal and titanic power conduits.

   Admiral Wilhelm Tarkin, Governor of numerous outlying Imperial territories and commander of this particular T-67 Battlestar, stood at the large, circular viewport with hands behind his back.

   In his late sixties, Tarkin was a tall cadaverous man with a form borrowed from an old broom and the expression of a quiescent piranha. His lanky torso was meticulously fitted into a fascist military uniform of jet black. The only color on his uniform was the assortment of war medals pinned to his chest. With a furrow of arched brows, he scrutinized the spectacular aerial battle several kilometers away with intense interest.

   His complete attention focused on the space battle outside, Tarkin nonchalantly raised a small plastic inhaler to his thin and chapped lips and, with a slight click of the mechanism, injected an aerosol puff of Aura into his lungs. Instantly, every object snapped into focus. For a brief second, he was one with the universe. Everything was as clear as glycerin.

   Behind him, a uniformed officer stood from his console and, with a slight bow at the hips, said, “Admiral Tarkin, I just received a short wave radio transmission. King Bail Organa has ordered for the entire House to evacuate to their hidden fortress. He is estimating the plan one hour for completion.”

   Enraged, Tarkin spun and pointed a gnarled and twig-like finger, “Deploy all bombers!” He ordered in crimson-faced fury. “Lay waste to every capital city! Let nothing survive!”

   “Gen-genocide, s-sir?” The officer meekly stammered.

   “Everything!” Tarkin screamed, spittle flinging from his insipid slit of a mouth. “I want that asteroid reduced to a burned-out cinder! It will serve as a deterrent to other star systems who dare oppose the emperor!”

As the chaos of battle echoed throughout the void, the pilot to Y-Wing 5, young Lt. Joffry Santos – call sign Fahrenheit – piloted his fighter through a wall of orange blaster flak just in time to glance fifty TIE bombers roar out of the station’s equatorial hangar bays and, in tight formation, nosedive toward Aquilae.

   “Ghost Rider, this is Fahrenheit. Ghost Rider, one one seven. Contact off port multiple bogeys, zero zero niner at fifteen hundred kilometers, seventeen hundred knots.”

   “Maintain position.” Ghost Rider ordered.

   “Chief, their calculated trajectory is the palace at Utapau!” Answered a voice.

   “Surface artillery will do their job so we can do ours,” was Ghost Rider’s calm response. “Keep those TIE’s off our tails. We are making our power dive. Concentrate firepower onto the station’s reactor conduits. Watch our six, Fahrenheit.”

   “Copy that,” was the static-infused reply.

   With TIE fighters and florescent bursts of flak zipping past, Ghost Rider and ten of his squadron plowed through the blasting Imperial fighters and soared downward, skimming along the industrial complex of the massive space station.

   Powerful blaster cannons mounted on towers rained deadly laser bolts onto the zig-zagging craft.

   “Cowboy! Take out that cannon at four o’clock!” Ghost Rider ordered through gritted teeth. Out of his peripheral, he saw two more of his wing disintegrate into fireballs.

   Three cannons to his right exploded into a spectacular display of incandescent fire. Ghost Rider skillfully piloted his sleek fighter past floating debris, shrapnel, and bodies.

   “There’s too many of them!” Said a static voice over the intercom. “We’re sitting targets with these guys! They’re killing us!”

   “What are your orders, chief?”

   “We’re no match for this kind of firepower!”

   “We won’t last much longer. Squad is down to thirty percent and rapidly dropping!”, blurted another voice, it was Fahrenheit.

   “Issue a retreat, sir! We must retreat!” Cried another voice.

   “Remain vigilant!” Barked Ghost Rider, “We must hold our positions to allow the King and Queen time to evacuate! The empire wants to take our home! Take our way of life! Take away our freedom!” He glanced at the photograph on his console, “We must win for our families, for our children! With me, men! For House Organa!”

   “For House Organa!” Came the response of the remaining pilots.

   With that, the Y-Wing squadron flew low over the infrastructure of the immense battle station releasing a barrage of blaster bolts across its hull. As the pilots skillfully flew through the fire storm they created, the very base of the station shuddered in the volley of enormous explosions that tore open its keel.

Down below on the arid surface of Aquilae, a stout farmer stood next to his silo scrutinizing the stars with his electro-binoculars. With intense wonder, he watched as vivid flashes erupted around the glinting, metal sphere that hung suspended far up in the night sky.

   A battle? Way out here? He thought to himself. Who are they fighting?

   Suddenly, the night was lit by the blinding flare of several atomic mushroom clouds sprouting across the landscape.

   In a flash of complete shock, the farmer froze in astonished horror as his shadow was burned into the side of the concrete silo and the farmer was reduced to ashes.

   Like the Valkyrie of old, TIE bombers soared across the night sky, illuminated by the orange burst of over one hundred atomic bombs dropped across the craggy landscape.

General Luke Skywalker stood on a low bluff under a sea of stars looking out into the arid prairies of Aquilae. Amid the dull and distant booming on the horizon, with sad resignation, he sighed. He was feeling his age. Though, even at sixty, he retained the vigor and strength of his youth.

   The general was a tall and powerful-looking man with ruggedly handsome features. He wasn’t muscular but held the bulky physique of a seasoned prizefighter.

   On an angular head was strapped a leather flight cap open at the top that exposed a shock of silver hair parted on the side and a white, close-cropped beard covering his stern jaw.

   He was outfitted in the uniform of the Jedi Bendu – an ancient warrior class who protected the royal clans of the galaxy through a code of honor and justice. Over a dark blue shirt, he bore a chest plate of chrome that bore the heraldry of House Organa: a crescent moon with two stars. A pair of khaki jodhpurs ended in knee-high black leather boots. Attached around his waist was a leather scabbard that held both blaster pistol and a cylindrical baton a little over thirty centimeters in length that consisted primarily of a short, thick handgrip with a couple of small switches set into the grip. Above this small post was a circular metal disk barely larger in diameter than a spread palm. The reverse side of the disk was polished to mirror brightness.

   The laser sword was his father’s, killed in battle defending House Organa during the early Revolution. His father and his grandfathers had served House Organa for over eighty generations.

   He was the first to fail.

   With pained trepidation, he slowly pulled his thick blue cloak around his torso. Once pristine, it was now tattered and singed.

   The general adjusted his dark goggles over steel blue eyes as the far horizon was lit up by a blinding flash of an atomic detonation to the southwest.

   Five, he said to himself, that was five within the last half hour.

   Around him at every point of the darkened horizon, the tell-tale remnant of an atomic mushroom cloud dissipated into the tepid night.

   He swallowed in a dry mouth. His face, though weathered and lined from being subjected to a myriad of exotic climates, remained stoic. His lined face revealed the thoughts of the sixty-year-old Jedi Bendu: broken, hopeless, and beaten.

   He recalled how he entered the cavernous throne room in Utapau less than two hours prior. He hurriedly marched along the red velvet carpet past monumental marble columns of white to the grand steps that led to a great throne cut from a single emerald.

   King Bail Organa sat on his throne surrounded by twenty of his retainers. A strong-looking man in blue and black robes of velvet and silk. A crown of gold sat atop a square head of black hair with grey on the sides. He sported a trimmed goatee on a handsome face.

   The king rose as the general was striding across the throne room. Extending his bejeweled hand, an elegant and matronly woman in fine silks took the king’s lead as they began to descend the stairs. The beautiful woman was his loving wife, Queen Breha Organa.

   Skywalker stopped and bowed curtly at the hip, “My grace, you ordered the evacuation of the city?”

   At the base of the steps, the king said as he met Skywalker’s stern gaze, “General, my SkyHopper is awaiting you on the landing pad.” Skywalker noticed the look of absolute tense horror on his wife’s face as the king continued in a voice laced with grief, “Retrieve my daughter and safely escort her to our hidden fortress beneath the palace.”

   A platoon of armored Aquilian Rangers marched in and stood at attention to the left of the king. It was at that moment Skywalker understood the severity of the situation.

   Skywalker stood immobile and said, “My King, you are my responsibility. I will first see that you and Queen Breha make it to the safety of the hidden fortress. Afterward, I will then…”

   Outside the palace, the klaxon of an air raid siren began to wail. The knot of terrified retainers huddled together behind their king and queen nervously glancing toward the domed ceiling.

   “No!” The king stated curtly; his eyes moist in tears. “My daughter is your only responsibility! Now, go! That is a direct order, General!”

   With a bow at the hip, the general raced out of the throne room to a small landing pad adjacent to the palace tower. The SkyHopper was a two-seater pod with two fins, a dorsal wing, and a single rear rocket. The king generally used the craft for quick trips between outlying settlements or for holiday diversions. The maintenance crew barely had time to get their distance before Skywalker lept into the cockpit and rocketed east toward the Royal University campus.

   The moment Skywalker landed his craft on the palm tree lined square outside the Great Hall of the ancient Academy; the air raid sirens began to wail. Students and faculty flooded out of the antiquated halls. Amid the confused throng, the general spotted the princess.

   “Your Highness!” The general called. He approached the princess, “We must return to Utapau immediately. Your father has ordered you to join him and your mother in the hidden fortress.”

   Princess Leia Organa, at sixteen years old, retained a form both slender and delicate. Every graceful movement and every knowing glance revealed her royal upbringing. Without question, she was noble born.

   “What seems to be amiss, General Skywalker?” She asked in well-educated and enunciated tones. Her voice was smooth and comforting.

   “Your father believes the empire is about to attack Aquilae, Your Highness.”

   Still clothed in a nightgown of white whisper-lace and silk, the sixteen-year-old princess said with discerning anxiety mounting her delicate features, “Then let us make haste to the palace, General Skywalker.”

   Secured in the SkyHopper, the general and the princess rocketed west toward Utapau.

   Suddenly, to their right on the horizon, an atomic explosion lit up the night sky. To their west was another and then directly ahead an atomic blast disintegrated the Royal Palace and much of the sprawling capital. A powerful EMP pulse washed over the tiny SkyHopper.

   The princess screamed as the general grasped the SkyHopper’s control stick. The control board blinked off as the craft fell toward the craggy surface of the asteroid.

   The general’s thoughts returned to the immediate situation as he stood silent on the edge of the bluff. They had lost. The aerial fleet was no match for a T-67 Battlestar, that much was certain. The palace, the fortress beneath Utapau, along with every living person within, had been reduced to charred ash. His wide shoulders sunk. House Organa had fallen. They had lost.

   He heard her muffled sobbing behind him. The general turned and saw the princess sitting against a boulder, her delicate hand up to her mouth and grieving the death of her mother and father.

   How he pitied her. A great wave of sadness rushed over him as he scrutinized this tormented and grieving young girl. He walked over to her and knelt on one knee with head bowed.

   “I am sorry, Your Highness,” Skywalker said, the sadness apparent in his gruff voice. “I have failed House Organa. I have failed you.”

   The young princess turned her tear-streaked face to the melancholy general, “No, my chieftain, you have not. There was nothing you could have done to save my mother and father. They foresaw this attack and prepared for it.”

   “Prepared? For what? Look out there!” He extended an arm out into the persecuted night. “There is nothing left!”

   She placed a delicate hand upon his scruffy chin, causing the general to meet her gaze.

   She said, comforting, “There is hope, General.”

   Tears began to run down his rugged, soot-covered face, “Hope? How is there hope, Your Grace? All is gone. The Empire had taken House Organa by surprise and dealt its death blow. How is there hope?”

   She gently smiled a warm smile that reminded him of her mother. “You served my father and his clan for so long and, at this most catastrophic of times, doubt his resourceful intelligence, my chieftain? My father suspected of this treachery from his last transmission with the emperor.  You will find one kilo of raw Aura Spice in the back of that fallen SkyHopper. I noticed the micropack when we fled the University.”

   The general rose and walked over to the wrecked SkyHopper. Leaving a long skid in the sand, the craft was a twisted and torn wreck. It lay on its side against a rising bluff, one tattered wing pointed toward the clear and starry night.

   Behind the passenger seat was indeed one chrome canister. Skywalker opened the lid to reveal it packed with the incandescent blue of the unrefined mushroom. An overpowering musky scent assailed his nostrils.

   He retrieved a leather satchel that lay next to the canister and opened it. In the bag were one hundred ampules of refined spice. Small, chrome aerosol injectors ready for consumption. A fortune on the black market.

   He grabbed the satchel and the small harness attached to the canister, holding them up to the princess, “This is enough to purchase an entire moon. Why? Why did your father leave you this?”

   The princess continued, “It just may be the last living Aura on the entire asteroid. The emperor has long threatened Aquilae to rob her of her spice. The scientists in my father’s employ had designed a virus that would kill all fungus on the asteroid if the empire should attack. They did and forced the hand of my father. He ordered all spice crops across Aquilae to be destroyed. Our clan may be in ruin, but there is hope, General. If we can get to Ophuchi, my uncle there will help us.”

   General Skywalker remained silent, pensive. His mind reeled. Was all spice on the asteroid gone? He inspected the satchel. He found a holodisc. It displayed the royal crest and was addressed to him. He approached the princess holding the bag and canister in his arms. She stood. Her white, tattered gown blew in the gritty and dusty breeze.

   “You, my princess, you are our last hope,” Skywalker said with finality.

   Leia clasped her thin white veil of satin about her small frame. With head held high, she stated in formal tones that belonged to her father, “Once again, my General, House Organa calls upon you for assistance. We must find a way off-world if our clan is to survive.”

   Placing a gloved fist to his heart, General Skywalker bowed and stated in earnest, “Princess Leia Organa, from this time forward, my existence is the sole safety of you and the continuation of House Organa.”

Far above, the battle in space raged. Admiral Tarkin stood at the large viewport. Flashes of yellow and orange danced across his bony face as he scrutinized the systematic destruction of House Organa and its pathetic areal fleet. Across the surface of Aquilae blossomed the atomic destruction he had ordered.

   A sly smirk crossed his cadaverous face, “Lieutenant?”

   An officer approached and bowed at the hip.

   Tarkin took a shot from his inhaler then continued, “I wish to see the look on King Bail Organa’s face when our occupational forces take siege of Utapau and the palace. Deploy the stormtroopers. Prepare my shuttle. I shall lead them when they march onto the palace.”

   The officer bowed, “By your command, Admiral Tarkin.”

Near the equator of the space station, the metal hallways buckled and twisted as the battle outside raged. Repair crews scrambled to extinguish fires and fortify girders as platoons of white armored stormtroopers hurried to their waiting transports.

   Another distant explosion shook the station – certainly not distant enough for the two maintenance robots assigned to prep Admiral Tarkin’s shuttle.

   Designated as R2-D2 and C-3PO, the rumbling concussion bounced them around the narrow corridor like bearings in an old motor.

   R2-D2 was a short, cylindrical robot with three, squat and thick legs. His legs ended in stabilized treads that allowed him to scurry about with easy headway. On both sides of his torso jutted two clawed arms as well as two more tucked away at the front of his chassis. Atop a dull chrome dome, the robot’s face was a mass of computer lights, surrounding a radar eye.

   In contrast, C-3PO was a tall slender robot of burnished copper. Attaining a human-like framework, his metal casings were crafted with a distinct art-deco design.

   Glancing at these two, one would suppose the tall, humanlike machine, C-3PO, was the master and the stubby, tripodal robot, R2-D2, an inferior. While C-3PO may have scoffed at the suggestion, they were equal in everything save mobility. Here C-3PO was clearly superior.

   Another fiery explosion rattled the corridor, throwing C-3PO off balance. His shorter companion had the better of it with his squat, cylindrical body’s low center of gravity well balanced on thick treadmill feet.

   R2-D2 glanced up at C-3PO, who was steadying himself against a corridor wall. Lights blinked enigmatically around a single mechanical eye as the smaller robot studied the battered casing of his friend. A patina of metal and fibrous dust coated the usually gleaming copper finish, and there were some visible dents - all the result of the pounding the battle station they were on had been taking.

   Accompanying the last attack was a persistent deep hum that even the loudest explosion had not been able to drown out. Then for no apparent reason, the basso thrumming abruptly ceased, and the only sounds in the otherwise deserted corridor came from the eerie dry-twig crackle of shorting relays or the pops of dying circuitry.

   Explosions began to echo through the battle station once more, but they were far away from the corridor.

   C-3PO cocked his smooth, humanlike head to one side. The imitation of a human pose was hardly necessary - C-3PO’s auditory sensors were fully omnidirectional - but the slim robot had been programmed to blend perfectly among human company.

   This programming extended even to mimicry of human gestures. In which he did as he flailed his metal arms as he followed his smaller companion down the smoky corridor.

   “This is crazy! We have to get off this station before we are reduced to atoms!” C-3PO declared in a panic.

   “You are the one who’s crazy!” R2-D2 shot back. “You want to jump ship and evacuate? We have a mission to do! You are in violation!”

   “What’s the point of threatening me with violation when no one will be around to enforce it, you short-circuiting bucket of scrap!”

   “No need for unpleasantries! Let us complete our mission and worry about what is next afterwards!”

   “How did I get stuck with you?” The slender robot uttered, shaking his head.

   R2-D2 stopped at the entrance to Admiral Tarkin’s hanger. He turned and faced C-3PO, “Feeling is mutual. You complain too much. Always have. Go back to command and tell them you weren’t in the mood to prepare Admiral Tarkin’s shuttle. Go ahead. I’ll wait.”

   Without allowing C-3PO time to retort, the little robot spun on its treads and darted uncaringly into the hangar.

   “You’re going to cause me to bust a fuse! Switch off! I can do this on my own! Why do I need a servomech’s assistance, anyway?” The copper robot asked.

   “I can prime the fusion cells, you are programmed to not.”

   “Fair enough!” C-3PO shot back, “But do not think a minute I will not report you for malfunction the moment we return to automaton maintenance when our mission is done.”

   “Whatever, buzz rod.”

   “The audacity!”

   The two bickering robots entered the cavernous hangar and made their way to Admiral Tarkin’s streamlined personal shuttle. Several maintenance crews dashed about attaching fuel lines and power cables. Two armored stormtroopers stood guard at the ship’s hatch.

   The commanding stormtrooper curtly nodded approval at the two robots as they hurried past and up the ramp into the shuttle’s two-seated cockpit. R2-D2 plugged a clawed arm into the command console as he began to switch levers and turn dials with his other three arms.

   Sitting in the pilot’s seat, C-3PO pushed several buttons as the ion reactor began its deep hum. He looked at his counterpart, “You know, we should just hijack this ship and get as far from this madness as possible.”

   R2-D2 made a noise that sounded like a popping breaker, “They will melt you down to slag if anyone heard you uttering such traitorous nonsense! I certainly do not wish…”

   At that moment, a fiery explosion tore across the hangar. The two robots stared in horror as the electromagnetic field shut off and personnel and debris were sucked out into space. Another large explosion ripped through the hanger, violently knocking the shuttle across the deck, and tearing the small craft from its moors.

   “We have to get out of here! We’ll be blasted to atoms!” C-3PO yelled.

   “No! If they catch us they’ll render us down to spare parts!” R2-D2 shot back as he desperately clung to a support frame.

   “I personally do not wish to be around when this station explodes!” The copper robot grabbed the control stick to the spacecraft and, flicking several switches, shot the shuttle out of the demolished hangar and into space directly into the middle of the space battle.

   “Oh, no! It’s worse out here!” C-3PO said as he desperately piloted the craft through the chaos of exploding shrapnel.

   Without warning, a Y-Wing swooped past and shot the shuttle across its dorsal solar fin. The broken shuttle dived down toward the surface of the asteroid, trailing a spiral stream of gray smoke in its wake.

   “This is it! We’re meeting our end!” The smaller robot cried.

   “This is all your fault! Complete felonious intent!” C-3PO retorted in despair.

In the CIC of the battle station, Admiral Tarkin leered with a coy smirk outside the viewport as he watched the futile attack on his station.

   An officer adjusted his headset and listened intently to an incoming message, “Admiral Tarkin, we are receiving word that the capital city Utapau lays in ruin. A ground assault had been issued and is now en route to the Royal Genetics laboratories.”

   His unwavering attention remained on the space battle, “Issue general order 527, lieutenant. Begin a planet-wide sweep to all farms and commandeer all spice production. If any of the local farmers retaliate, kill them.”

   “Just a moment, Admiral Tarkin…” The lieutenant bent over his console, head tilted in attention, hand clasping the left headset, “We are receiving reports that the corpses of King Bail Organa and Queen Breha Organa were found amid the rubble of the palace. One servant had been captured and confessed that Princess Leia Organa was spirited away from the city by General Luke Skywalker and is now hiding in the surrounding wasteland. Their whereabouts are unknown.”

   Tarkin spun, his face crimson in rage, “Dispatch all land personnel to locate that insufferable brat immediately! I want a garrison of stormtroopers in every standing village and the remaining spaceport! Report any…”

   With a low, ominous hum, a hologram of a scowling man’s face three meters tall appeared between Tarkin and the cowering lieutenant. The man’s face was thin and lined with advanced age, made pale by the flickering cathode image. He had a predominant nose, heavy-lidded eyes, and a wispy goatee that hung limply over insipid lips. A crown of jewel-encrusted gold was perched atop a bald head.

   Instantly, all personnel, stormtrooper, and flight officers alike, dropped to their knees, placing their foreheads onto the deck with arms outstretched and palms flat on the ground. This was the custom when in the presence of the Galactic Emperor Ford Alejandro Xerxes the XII. Tarkin merely huffed a quick shot from another inhaler, snapped his booted heels together, and bowed curtly at the hip.

   “Your majesty,” Admiral Tarkin said.

   Emperor Xerxes sneered, “This campaign has floundered over budget by sixty-three percent, Admiral!”

   “We have captured the asteroid and commandeered the capital, my emp…”

   “Do not ever contradict me, Admiral! I will see to it personally you spend your remaining years in a pain amplifier!”

   Tarkin kowtowed and simply nodded.

   “I’ve been monitoring your transmissions. What is this that the Princess Leia Organa has escaped? Aided by a Jedi-Bendu?”

   “She will be found, my emperor.”

   “Indeed she will!” The Galactic Emperor snarled, “I have sent a Knight of the Sith to assist you in your efforts. He will locate your missing princess.”

   Admiral Tarkin heard him before he saw him. The raspy breathing was made even more sinister as the sound had been distorted electronically.

   The image of the emperor dissipated as Tarkin saw the knight stride onto the command center opposite of him.

   Over two meters tall. At first glance, Tarkin thought the figure was a malicious looking robot. No, the character strode on his two legs far too eloquently, like gliding across ice.

   A flowing black cape trailed from the individual with a face forever masked by a functional, if peculiar, black metal breath screen. The imposing figure was completely encased in a suit of black armor which, though black as it was, was not nearly as dark as the thoughts drifting through the mind of Darth Vader as he approached the grave figure of Admiral Tarkin.

   Fear followed the footsteps of all the Dark Knights. The cloud of evil that clung about this particular one was intense enough to cause hardened stormtroopers to back away, menacing enough to set officers muttering nervously among themselves.

   Issuing a discomforting mechanical gasp followed by a click, repetitive and unnerving from his suit, the Dark Knight halted his stride a meter in front of the Admiral.

   Tarkin was familiar with the history of the Sith Knights. During the reign of the previous emperor, he solicited their aid in exterminating the Jedi-Bendu after an unsuccessful coup. But, this particular one? He heard whispers, rumors. This Vader held the reputation of being the worst.

   Tarkin distrusted every one of them. A group of warrior fanatics consumed by a forgotten and twisted religion.

   “By Imperial decree of Emperor Ford Xerxes the Twelfth, I am here to commandeer your effort in locating Princess Leia Organa and the traitor General Luke Skywalker,” Vader said with deep and condescending tones. The Dark Knight turned to the trembling lieutenant, “Inform the public on the asteroid below that criminal insurgents move amongst them. Lockdown the spaceport. Broadcast on all frequencies any citizen assisting in locating the princess will be financially compensated.”

   With a flow of black robes, the Dark Knight turned and exited the command center. He trailed a smell in his wake like that of burnt oil and sulfur.

   With a rudimentary puff from another inhaler, Tarkin’s bloodshot eyes narrowed as he observed the armored knight and thought, How dare the emperor! We certainly do not need scum like the Sith to assist us.

to be continued...

[insights123]

Notchback Market Set to Reach New Heights: Market Overview, Key Trends, Porter's Analysis, and Key Takeaways

Notchback Market

Market Overview: The global Notchback Market is estimated to be valued at US$78.49 billion in 2023, with a projected compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5% from 2023 to 2030. A notchback refers to a car body style with a distinct rear deck lid that is positioned higher than the trunk. These vehicles offer valuable advantages to consumers, including spaciousness, practicality, and improved aerodynamics. Notchbacks cater to the needs of various consumers who prioritize functionality and efficiency without compromising on style. These vehicles provide ample cargo space while maintaining an elegant and sleek design. With the growing demand for versatile vehicles that combine form and function, the notchback segment is expected to witness substantial growth in the coming years. Market Key Trends: One key trend shaping the Notchback Market is the focus on sustainability and electric mobility. As environmental concerns rise and governments push for stricter emission regulations, automakers are increasingly investing in electric vehicles (EVs) within the notchback segment. For instance, key players like Volkswagen Group, BMW Group, and Mercedes-Benz are launching electric notchback models to meet evolving consumer demands and contribute to a sustainable future. The integration of advanced technologies is another significant trend driving the notchback market. Features such as advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), connectivity solutions, and enhanced safety features are becoming increasingly prevalent in notchback vehicles. These technological advancements enhance the driving experience and provide a competitive edge to automakers. Porter's Analysis: - Threat of New Entrants: The threat of new entrants in the notchback market is relatively low due to significant capital requirements, established brand presence of key players, and complex manufacturing processes.

- Bargaining Power of Buyers: Buyers in the notchback market have moderate bargaining power as they have access to various options from different manufacturers. However, their power is somewhat limited due to the innovation and brand loyalty associated with established automakers.

- Bargaining Power of Suppliers: Suppliers who provide key components such as engines, transmissions, and electronics have moderate bargaining power due to the presence of multiple automakers as their potential customers. - Threat of New Substitutes: The threat of new substitutes for notchback vehicles is low, as no alternative body style offers the same combination of style, functionality, and aerodynamics.

- Competitive Rivalry: Competitive rivalry among key players in the notchback market is intense, as established automakers constantly strive to innovate, offer unique features, and expand their market presence. Key Takeaways: 1: The global notchback market is expected to witness high growth, exhibiting a CAGR of 5% over the forecast period, fueled by increasing consumer demand for spacious, practical, and aerodynamically efficient vehicles. This growth will be driven by the emphasis on sustainability and electric mobility. 2: The fastest-growing and dominating region in the notchback market is likely to be North America, with rising consumer preferences for vehicles that balance functionality and elegance, as well as stringent emission regulations driving the adoption of electric notchback cars. 3: Key players operating in the global notchback market include Volkswagen Group, BMW Group, Mercedes-Benz (Daimler AG), Audi (Volkswagen Group), Ford Motor Company, General Motors, Toyota Motor Corporation, Honda Motor Co. Ltd., Hyundai Motor Group, Kia Motors Corporation, Nissan Motor Co. Ltd., Mazda Motor Corporation, Subaru Corporation, Volvo Cars, and Peugeot SA. These industry leaders are at the forefront of innovation, investing in electric mobility and incorporating advanced technologies to meet consumer expectations. In conclusion, the notchback market is poised for significant growth as automakers focus on sustainability, integrate advanced technologies, and cater to consumer demands for spacious and aerodynamically efficient vehicles. With key players leading the way, the notchback segment promises to offer consumers a perfect blend of practicality, style, and sustainable mobility options in the years to come.

[ashokleyland77]

Top-Selling Light Vehicles Available at Hapur Ashok Leyland Showroom

In today’s fast-paced world of logistics, delivery services, and small-scale transportation, choosing the right commercial vehicle can make or break your business. For entrepreneurs, fleet operators, and transporters in western Uttar Pradesh, especially in and around Hapur, the Ashok Leyland showroom in Hapur offers a reliable and powerful range of commercial vehicles designed for performance, economy, and durability.

In this article, we’ll explore the top-selling Ashok Leyland light vehicles, why they’re perfect for businesses in Hapur, and what makes the local showroom an ideal destination for your next purchase.

🏢 The Legacy of Ashok Leyland

Ashok Leyland is India’s leading commercial vehicle manufacturer and has earned its reputation as a pioneer in the transportation industry. The brand's commitment to quality, technology, and customer support makes it a top choice for fleet owners and small businesses alike.

From heavy-duty trucks to fuel-efficient light commercial vehicles (LCVs), Ashok Leyland caters to a wide spectrum of transport needs. Among these, the Ashok Leyland Light Vehicles range has seen massive popularity due to their adaptability, cost-effectiveness, and ease of maintenance—especially suited for local businesses operating in regions like Hapur.

📍 Why Choose the Ashok Leyland Showroom in Hapur?

The Ashok Leyland showroom in Hapur stands out as a one-stop solution for those seeking light commercial vehicles in the region. Here’s why this dealership is the preferred choice for customers:

Authorized Dealership with a trusted name and professional service.

Availability of Latest Models across light, medium, and heavy-duty categories.

Customer-Centric Approach, ensuring complete buying guidance and after-sales support.

Easy Financing Options in partnership with local and national banks and NBFCs.

On-the-spot Vehicle Booking and registration assistance.

Test Drive Facility for hands-on vehicle experience before purchase.

After-Sales Service with trained technicians and genuine spare parts.

Let’s now explore the top-selling light commercial vehicles available at this showroom.

🚚 Top-Selling Ashok Leyland Light Vehicles in Hapur

1. Bada Dost i3 & i4

Segment: Urban and semi-urban cargo transportation Payload Capacity: 1400 kg to 1860 kg

Why it’s popular: The Bada Dost series is one of Ashok Leyland’s flagship LCVs, and it offers class-leading performance with a car-like driving experience. With a roomy cabin, higher payload capacity, and fuel efficiency, the i3 and i4 are favorites among transporters dealing with FMCG, e-commerce deliveries, and intra-city logistics.

Key Features:

BS6-compliant powerful diesel engine

Best-in-class load body length

Comfortable 3-seater front row

Power steering and air-conditioning (variant-dependent)

2. DOST+

Segment: Rural and urban goods carrier Payload Capacity: 1500 kg

Why it’s popular: The DOST+ is known for its high load-carrying capability without compromising on mileage. Its compact size allows it to navigate narrow lanes, making it perfect for the mixed-road conditions found in and around Hapur.

Key Features:

1.5L Turbo-charged Diesel engine

Strong chassis frame with leaf spring suspension

Low turning radius

Available in CNG variant too

3. DOST Strong

Segment: Entry-level LCV Payload Capacity: 1250 kg

Why it’s popular: Budget-friendly and reliable, the DOST Strong is a top pick for startups, small-scale vendors, and agricultural product transporters in the Hapur area. It’s especially popular among kirana store owners and delivery-based businesses.

Key Features:

BS6-compliant engine

Rugged body build

Simplified design for easy servicing

Excellent resale value

4. Partner 4-Tyre and 6-Tyre Trucks

Segment: Mid-distance inter-city transport Payload Capacity: 4020 kg – 6250 kg

Why it’s popular: For those managing longer routes between Hapur, Ghaziabad, Delhi, and other trade hubs, the Partner series is ideal. With powerful engines and higher cargo capacity, it balances mileage with performance for heavy-duty delivery.

Key Features:

Turbocharged diesel engine

6-speed manual transmission

Tilt-and-telescopic power steering

Excellent driver ergonomics for long hours

5. Mitra School Van

Segment: Passenger transportation Seating Capacity: 13+D

Why it’s popular: Safety, comfort, and efficiency make the Ashok Leyland Mitra van a favorite for educational institutions in Hapur. It’s known for its smooth ride, high ground clearance, and child-friendly design.

Key Features:

Spacious cabin

Driver + 13 passenger seating

Emergency exits and safety latches

Highly fuel-efficient

💡 Why Ashok Leyland Light Vehicles Are Ideal for Hapur

Hapur, with its growing infrastructure, emerging industrial areas, and thriving markets, offers immense scope for small and mid-size logistics businesses. Here's how Ashok Leyland light vehicles align perfectly with Hapur’s transport needs:

Fuel Efficiency: Minimized running costs for small business owners

Easy Maintenance: Service centers and spare parts easily available in and around Hapur

Versatility: Suitable for agriculture, market deliveries, construction supply, school transport, and more

Affordability: Budget-friendly pricing with long-term ROI

Whether you’re transporting vegetables from the mandi, delivering goods to nearby districts, or starting a regional courier service, there’s an Ashok Leyland light vehicle designed for your business.

🛠️ After-Sales & Support Services at Hapur Showroom

Customer satisfaction doesn’t end with a sale. The Ashok Leyland showroom in Hapur is backed by a strong support system that includes:

Scheduled vehicle servicing

Warranty coverage and extended maintenance plans

Mobile service vans for breakdown support

Spare parts availability

Insurance & road tax assistance

With a dedicated team of trained technicians, your vehicle stays in prime condition, ensuring long life and optimal performance.

📢 What Customers Are Saying

Mohammad Imran (Transporter – Hapur): “I’ve been using the Bada Dost i4 for over a year. Bought it from the Ashok Leyland showroom in Hapur. The experience was smooth, and I’ve had no complaints about service or mileage.”

Sunita Enterprises (Retail Supplier): “We recently added a DOST+ to our delivery fleet. The team helped us with easy EMI and quick delivery. Highly recommend the Hapur dealership.”

🚀 Final Thoughts

Whether you’re a growing entrepreneur or an established business owner, investing in the right commercial vehicle is a decision that impacts your efficiency and profitability. The Ashok Leyland showroom in Hapur brings you the best of both worlds—world-class vehicles and local service you can trust.

From the versatile DOST range to the dependable Partner series, the top-selling Ashok Leyland light vehicles at this showroom are engineered to meet the evolving needs of India’s dynamic commercial landscape.

So if you're ready to power your business forward, head to the Ashok Leyland showroom in Hapur today. Explore the latest models, take a test drive, and drive away with a vehicle that delivers more than just cargo—it delivers success.