#cruiser division

[uniqrenders]

[carbone14]

Les chars Cromwell de la 7e Division blindée britannique se préparent à attaquer Caen par la rive Est de l'Orne – Bataille de Caen – Opération Goddwood – Bataille de Normandie – Calvados – Normandie – France – 18 juillet 1944

Photographe : Sergent Laing - No. 5 Army Film and Photo Section, Army Film and Photographic Unit

©Imperial War Museums - B 7649

[uss-edsall]

On 9 November, 1942, flying off the coast of Casablanca, French Morrocco in support of the Operation TORCH landings, the Piper Cub (under the name L-4 Grasshopper) made her official combat debut in the Second World War. This once-civilian plane had been bought by the U.S. Army to function as "air observation posts," flown by pilots in the U.S. Army Field Artillery, attached directly to battalions. Her concept, proven in training maneuvers, was as aerial reconnaissance; aerial photography; single-person transport; air ambulance; and in particular, reconnaissance and artillery observation. She would prove to be perfect for all of these roles. She would go on to have an incredible record during the Second World War, one of the best planes built for her particular role, with over six thousand of them bought by the U.S. Army. She was small, she could handle landing tiny fields, she was stealthy, she was dead simple to repair and reliable in the air.

But on that day? For that mission? There were only three Grasshoppers, and it was an absolute disaster.

The three planes were attached to the 3rd Infantry Division. Their pilots were hurriedly brought to USS Ranger (CV-4), aboard which were three L-4 Grasshoppers in bad condition. All their efforts were getting the planes ready for flight. What the pilots did not know was that their commanders, from colonels to generals alike, did not prepare properly for their debut.

On 8 November American troops stormed ashore at Safi, Casablanca and Point Lyautey. The next day, Ranger turned into the wind, the pilots got aboard the planes. In the 35-knot wind the instant the ship's crew let go of their tails, the planes hopped off the deck and were in the air, sixty miles from shore.

Three miles from the beach, the allied invasion force appeared. Transports, destroyers, the light cruiser USS Brooklyn. Aboard the Brooklyn alert officers and anti-air gun crews spotted the L-4 Grasshoppers.

There was nothing in the allied aviation recognition books that resembled the L-4 Grasshopper. None of the artillery pilots' superiors had properly distributed warnings that the Army had procured the civilian planes, and were using them for the first time.

The Brooklyn's anti-air weaponry opened up. 5" shells, 40mm bofors, 20mm Oerlikons reached out to lick at the Grasshoppers. In the first flak burst the quartet of little planes scattered, diving for the deck. Captain Ford Allcorn leveled off at twenty feet and started juking like mad, gamely going for the beach leading his flight. Every other ship, seeing the Brooklyn open up on the unfamiliar planes, joined in.

The artillery pilots had not the fuel to return to the ship, even if they'd been trained in carrier landings, which they weren't. Land was their only option for salvation. Shellfire blew out Allcorn's windshield, shot off one of the doors. As the Grasshoppers juked and weaved, bullets splashed into the water all around them. A hundred feet from shore, they levelled off and gunned their throttles to the maximum - 80 mph - for the safety of the shoreline.

At which point the pintle mount machineguns on tanks ashore opened fire on them. For nobody had told the Army troops of the 2nd Armored Division either about the Piper Cubs, and seeing the Navy so enthusiastically shooting at them, they joined in. .50-calibre bullets ripped into the Grasshoppers, betrayed by their own.

Captain Allcorn's engine cut out after several tanks' machineguns stitched bullets across the frame, and five bullets tore into his leg.

The wounded planes got to the shoreline. They flew over the armor, guns straining to shoot at them, desperately trying to get to the safety of the Fedala Racetrack, where they were supposed to go. Allcorn spotted a relatively flat area and pancaked in, crawling out of the mortally wounded flaming bird before the fuel exploded.

And then the Vichy French opened up.

Lieutenants Butler, Shell, and Captain Devol (one L-4 having carried two of them) were taken prisoner after crash landing behind Vichy French lines, but were released when the French in Casablanca surrendered two days later on 11 November.

Amazingly, despite all this, nobody had been killed.

Captain Allcorn was the first Army aviator in the ETO to fly off a carrier, the first in combat, and the dubious distinction of the first to be shot down and the first to be wounded. Captain Allcorn, from his hospital bed back in the States, wrote a report about it all that even reached the Chief of Staff General Marshall's desk. He argued that this disastrous beginning was not the death knell of the Grasshopper. He concluded, perhaps rather dryly, that there was seemingly a failure to communicate between the Army and the Navy. His report helped the Piper Cub / L-4 Grasshopper survive the event, to go on to become one of the most produced aircraft of the war, and most widely used.

Even today, almost four thousand of the nearly twenty thousand Piper Cubs built are still in the FAA registry.

[samasmith23]

How Goro Akechi effectively serves as a dark foil to the Phantom Thieves' brand of rehabilitative justice

So... I understand that Goro Akechi is a pretty divisive character within the Persona 5 fanbase (especially his pre-Royal incarnation), but I have to admit that I honestly found his backstory and role as a sinister foil to the Phantom Thieves to be legitimately intriguing. Elements which are revealed during his boss fight in the game’s “Cruiser of Pride” arc!

When the Phantom Thieves infiltrate the Meta-Verse to confront the Shadow of the corrupt ultra-nationalist politician, Masayoshi Shido, who’s palace takes the form of a gigantic yacht sailing through the ruins of a sunken Japan, they are suddenly confronted by Akechi in the ship’s engine room. Having just betrayed the team during the previous arc, Akechi is revealed to not only be the true culprit behind the mysterious wave of mental shutdowns & psychotic breakdowns (which included the deaths of two Phantom Thieves’ member’s parents, Futaba Sakura’s mother Wakaba Isshiki & Haru Okumura’s father Kunikazu Okumura respectively…) that have occurred throughout the game’s narrative as part of Shido’s conspiracy to get elected as Prime Minister, but that he is also Shido’s illegitimate child. Essentially, Akechi was the product of a dubious affair between Shido and a sex worker whom the former later discarded when he discovered that she was pregnant, driving her to depression and suicide shortly after Akechi's birth. Akechi spent his entire childhood being passed around as a “problem child” between various foster homes (highlighting Japan’s problems with how the country treats its orphaned children) before later being granted the power of a "wildcard" persona-user, as well as knowledge about the existence of the Meta-Verse by the false god of control, Yaldabaoth.

While Akechi was a societal outcast similar to the members of the Phantom Thieves, he took the wrong message from his experiences. Akechi misguidedly believes that the only way to truly oppose the status quo that looked down upon him is to not only become a part of it (i.e. caring only about his good grades & celebrity status) but to destroy everything that he hates by reducing himself to Shido's right-hand assassin in the Meta-Verse, perpetuating mental shutdowns & psychotic breakdowns on Shido’s political enemies simply to get some semblance of recognition & validation from his abusive father before exacting revenge on him (whilst exploiting his "ace-detective" celebrity status to "solve" the crimes that he himself committed).

Essentially, once Shido finally became prime minister Akechi planned to whisper the truth about being the former’s illegitimate child, telling Shido that he was only able to get where he was due to the son he abandoned and labeled as a potential “political scandal” before murdering him.

Despite Akechi and the Phantom Thieves' mutual dislike of Shido, the former is so fixated on vengeance that he does not care about the innocent lives he ruins and destroys in the crossfire to satisfy his own personal bloodlust. Instead of legitimately trying to reform society like the Phantom Thieves do, Akechi becomes a pawn of the very same systemic corruption that was responsible for his initial suffering. Akechi cares only about his own hatred & jealousy instead of empathizing with others who were also victimized by society’s ills. This contrast is visually reflected through the juxtaposition between Akechi and the Phantom Thieves’ leader, Joker, when they confront each other in the engine room of Shido’s yacht. While Joker is portrayed as standing strong alongside his teammates & friends, Akechi stands alone in the opposite end of the room, confused & angry. While there is a part of Akechi that regrets his horrible actions and even recognizes the potential for him & Joker to be friends due to their similar backgrounds, he's too far gone into his obsessive vendetta against Shido that he refuses to turn back and now desires to kill the Phantom Thieves in a misguided attempt to ease his internal conflict.

During the boss fight with Akechi in Shido's Palace, the detective prince repeatedly dismisses the Phantom Thieves' efforts to appeal to his common senses, believing that concepts like friendship and teamwork are foolish "cliched bullish*t... in this eat or be eaten world."

While this attitude of Akechi's might seem unrealistically cartoonish on the surface, it actually makes sense when considering his background of being unfairly labeled as a "throw-away child" by Japan's foster care institutions. YouTuber LadyVirgilia goes into far greater detail about this in her excellent The Truth About Goro Akechi analysis video. There, she states that an overwhelming number of Japanese orphans are incapable of being legally adopted due to impoverished parents voluntarily relinquishing them from their care while still maintaining legal guardianship over them. Additionally, LadyVirgilia discusses how violent hierarchical power structures often form among the children within these foster homes, with younger orphans sadly being subject to bullying & abuse by their older peers.

While these facts are not explicitly stated about Akechi's backstory within P5 Royal itself, they can easily be heavily inferred due to the game's heavy emphasis on exploring themes related to Japanese sociocultural issues. It’s implied that the institutional failings of Japan's foster care system (combined with Shido's abandonment of his son while he was still in the womb), ultimately contributed to the development of Akechi's warped perception of the rest of the world. Due to being dismissed as a "throw-away child" and being forced to grow up in an institution that is unfortunately subject to high rates of systemic abuse & neglect, Akechi spent his entire life feeling unwanted & loved. Ideals such as friendship & companionship became foreign and unrealistic concepts to him due to having experienced nothing but society's cold & uncaring apathy.

Essentially, Akechi became deeply jealous & hateful toward the rest of the world, misguidedly compelling him to want to prove his superiority over the rest of society by manufacturing his status as "the celebrity ace-detective and honors student who ultimately brought down Shido." But when Akechi encounters the Phantom Thieves and befriends their leader Joker, he begins to experience his first genuine bond of companionship. Despite developing a legitimate appreciation towards Joker, Akechi is simultaneously confused & unable to fully process these newfound feelings. Akechi becomes envious of Joker's ability to rise above his similar status as a societal outcast by befriending & protecting others like himself. Consequently, Akechi projects his own failings & inability to legitimately rise above his tragic upbringing beyond his false celebrity status onto Joker & the Phantom Thieves, cruely dismissing them as "the trash of society" and blaming them for interfering with his revenge plot against Shido. This empty & hollow existence that Akechi chooses to live is further reflected by the sole two personas that he utilizes during his boss fight: Robin Hood, who represents Akechi's false celebrity & justice-abiding gentleman facade, and Loki, who embodies Akechi’s true personality as a deceitful trickster & psychotic murderer.

I personally couldn’t help but find all of these elements to be rather interesting & insightful about Akechi’s role as an antagonist/rival to the Phantom Thieves. It honestly highlights the tragic nature of Akechi's situation, since while he had the potential to utilize his deductive knowledge & skills as a "wildcard" Persona-user similar to Joker, he instead allowed himself to be consumed by his own hatred & madness.

The parallels between Akechi & Joker are further evident through the latter also being a victim of Shido’s abuse. Specifically, the corrupt politician wrongfully sued Joker for “assault” when he tried to stop Shido from drunkenly forcing himself upon a woman. In contrast to Akechi however, Joker is motivated by his negative experiences to fight against the unjust status quo that figures like Shido represent to prevent similar abuses of power from ever occurring again to others. Additionally, we also see dualistic parallels between Akechi and other members of the Phantom Thieves, such as Makoto Nijima who similarly previously upheld the misconception that “good grades and following orders are all that truly matters to be a worthwhile member of society.” Whereas Makoto outgrows this mentality by instead choosing to utilize her status as student council president to help her suffering peers rather than for her own academic career, Akechi conversely exploits his intellect as an “ace-detective” to perpetuate societal injustices for his self-centered vendetta against Shido.

In essence, if the Phantom Thieves embody the potential benefits of rehabilitative justice then Goro Akechi embodies the dangers of retributive justice (aka, revenge). To reference two of my favorite movies, Batman Begins and Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi, not only is there a strong difference between justice and revenge (one is about altruistic harmony whereas the other is about personal satisfaction), but the most surefire way to victory is by fighting to protect what you love rather than fighting to destroy what you hate...

The distinction between justice & revenge is made abundantly clear at the end of Akechi's storyline in the baseline game (i.e. before the Royal exclusive Third Semester new content), where following his defeat at the hands of the Phantom Thieves Akechi is suddenly approached by a cognitive duplicate of himself that dwells within Shido's palace. In addition to the Cognitive Akechi emphasizing the futility of Akechi's quest for acknowledgment & vengeance against Shido by revealing that the latter always intended to dispose of his right-hand assassin once he was elected prime minister, the cognitive duplicate also reveals the true depths of Shido's depravity when he states that he only ever viewed Akechi as a puppet to fulfill his own ambitions. While it is true that Akechi was so obsessed with revenge that he allowed himself to become a pawn of the corrupt status quo, it is exceptionally cruel to learn that this is how Shido has always viewed his own son (which is further punctuated by Shido later revealing to the Phantom Thieves that he secretly always suspected that Akechi was his illegitimate child due to how much he reminded him of his mother). It is this revelation in particular that allows the Phantom Thieves to better empathize with Akechi's tragic upbringing & circumstances. Even though they still seek to hold Akechi accountable for the murders that he committed at Shido's behest, the Phantom Thieves simultaneously recognize that in a sense, Akechi was also a victim of both Shido's cruelty and the systemic injustices of larger Japanese society.

This effectively culminates in the bittersweet resolution to Akechi's storyline in the base Persona 5 game. When the Cognitive Akechi duplicate offers his real-world counterpart one last chance to "redeem" himself in Shido's eyes by killing the Phantom Thieves in his stead, Akechi for the first time in his life decides to be his own person instead of being defined by the labels Shido and society had imposed upon him since birth. Choosing to no longer be a puppet of Shido's corrupt machinations, Akechi rejects his cognitive duplicate's hollow offer by instead turning his gun on the duplicate and his Shadow minions before sealing the engine room's watertight doors between himself and the Phantom Thieves. At the very end, Akechi was finally able to acknowledge that his desire for false appreciation from both his abusive father and larger society was ultimately worthless. Akechi ultimately sacrifices himself to allow the Phantom Thieves to escape, recognizing their true justice while entrusting them to do what he was incapable of by holding Shido accountable for his crimes & reforming society.

From a certain point of view, one could argue that the Phantom Thieves indirectly inspired a change of heart in Akechi by proving to him the validity of their sense of justice.

Overall, while I was initially indifferent towards Goro Akechi at the start of my playthrough of Persona 5 (and even outright skeptical & suspicious of his motives given his vocal opposition to the Phantom Thieves), by the time I got to his boss battle in Shido's palace I ended gained a deeper understanding and appreciation for what the developers at Atlus were attempting to convey with his character. Akechi effectively functions as both a cautionary tale about the dangers of allowing oneself to be consumed with thoughts of revenge, as well as a dark parallel to the Phantom Thieves who seek to legitimately reform society for altruistic rather than self-centered reasons. It was these elements that ultimately elevated Akechi into becoming one of my personal favorite members of P5's cast (right behind Makoto, Futaba & Ann...) from both a narrative and character writing perspective (especially with the Royal edition's overhauled confidant line for Akechi, which better fleshes out the latter's rivalry with Joker, and the player now has to progress manually instead of it being automatic)! And I am definitely curious to see how Royal's exclusive "Third Semester" content further fleshes out Akechi's character since I'm aware that he plays a major role in the new story content.

[esperderek]

After my last post about the Screen Rant response to Jenny Nicholson's Galactic Starcruiser video, it was pointed out to me that Gizmodo's I09 division also put out an article defending Starcruiser. I'm not going to spend as long analyzing this one.

It's the usual you've already heard: people were confused that it wasn't just a hotel, how you had to put effort into it to get results back, that the staff and Imagineers worked real hard on it, there were people who liked it.

It's all the same defenses that clearly are hoping that you haven't watched the video, and probably they haven't either. Since, you know, the video basically dismantles all of those arguments one by one.

I will say it also attempts a slightly bafflingly progressive take on it, like saying stuff like:

"To many Star Wars fans who were able to check out Galactic Starcruiser during its short-lived existence, the attraction presented a chance to act on the frustration many share in their day to day lives of watching atrocities happen and feeling like there’s little we can do about them."

Which is pretty gross, right? Comparing 'going to a hotel on vacation' with 'fighting the good fight against the bad shit in the world'. I mean, especially when you consider one of the paths is joining with the fascists? Also it's owned by a billion-dollar corporation? Which even the article briefly points out...which is the point the article writer should of rethought their stance.

Now, more importantly, looking at the articles from Screen Rant and Gizmodo and I'm sure there's others, I'm sure people are wondering/thinking that Disney had a hand in this. And to be honest...

No, probably not. Well, not directly, at least.

Rather, these websites require access. Access to press releases, access to interviews, access to special events. So writing a puff piece defending Galactic Star Cruiser is a pretty safe bet to do, especially if you suspect that Disney is planning to still do something with the GSC. As has been pointed out, the building still remains intact, and a lot of the signage in the parks is still there. So if they reopen it as, say, a dining experience, then the website who wrote a puff piece defending the honor of the Halcyon is much more likely to be invited to opening night than Jenny Nicholson is.

Additionally, these days websites such as Screen Rant pay like crap, to the point where the only people willing to work on them are the true believers. It's like how game developers are some of the worst paid and most overworked dev teams, because the industry knows they can get true believers who want to Design Video Games in the doors.

So no, I doubt Disney is directly in anyone's ear about this. But rather, it's websites taking advantage of the situation to try and get into Daddy Disney's good graces. There are always useful idiots.

[snoutbleed]

Telling a story takes guts.

Forensic photographer Sören Heinrich can’t ignore the nausea bubbling in his throat when documenting someone's darkest day. He loses sleep over the fates he captures but is drawn to the purpose vested in his grisly role. When blood-slicked prints become Sören's next subject, he finds a message that blurs the line between his personal and professional life.

"My footsteps are bloody. Don’t follow."

It's a message from his long-lost brother. Unable to fathom such a thing, Sören descends into the criminal underworld for answers - and hopefully, reconciliation for their fatal past. The young boar's inner demons guide him toward a morbid self-reckoning.

Direktion 2 has their work cut out for them.

Crime is on the rise in post-reunification Berlin. Among the cases, the Polizeidirektorate in the city's westernmost boroughs is baffled by freak murders at the hands of denizens without motive.

In the shadow of the Berlin Wall, the crime wave takes a supernatural twist behind the lock of a post-Soviet puzzle.

Camera flashes at the crime scenes reveal gruesome secrets stirring in the shadows.

Unravel the conspiracy in #LONG STORY SHORT.

#The Filing Cabinet -- scan the profiles of those in the know. #Bloodstained Polaroids -- view the images of lives gone astray. #Evidence Board -- learn the details of secrets best kept. #Mystery Signals -- behold the lore of the mind melt. Face the music in the official Long Story Short playlist!

Everyone gathers toward the Abschnitt.

There are several Polizei Berlin stations like the Abschnitt, but everyone tied to this supernatural symphony ends up near this Spandau station particularly.

Sören Heinrich -- ( boar | tag | bio ) The black sheep of the Abschnitt. Sören’s abrasive nature keeps his co-workers at bay, a division widened by their western ideals clashing with his East German upbringing. He distances himself from the station through tight focus on his job, always the first to arrive at a crime scene. Don Jae Hale -- ( elk | tag | bio ) The silver-tongued Kriminalhauptkommissar of the Abschnitt. Hale is quick to dismiss the killings up until his leadership comes under siege by the paranoid public. Umeya Romanova -- ( fox | tag | bio ) The Bundeskriminalamt detective sent to assist with the Abschnitt’s mounting cases. Rumor says Umeya is there for more than the mystery, but her motives veiled by a callous attitude. Marieke Reiss -- ( rabbit | tag | bio ) The star psychology student barely escaped a killing. Now a key witness, Marieke can’t rest easy knowing she could be the next victim, driving her to take matters into her own hands. Reinhardt Müller -- ( donkey | tag | bio ) The Abschnitt’s disgraced ace detective, worn down and living in the grimy corners of Berlin. When crime spikes, Reinhardt tries to relive his “glory days" of detective work. Ukko Heinrich -- ( boar | tag | bio ) The crime lord defends his territory with brutal but firm methods. He's sworn to his found family, the country's political rift making him protective to a fault. Vorwitz Albrecht -- ( bat | tag | bio ) A gardener with good banners but bad morals. Vorwitz's unsavory career choices put him in the Abschnitt, but he finds a way out with Sören.

Entropy knows no bounds.

Stop, look and listen: stories are everywhere. Behold my settings.

Face more madness in #TALES GONE STALE.

LAID TO WASTE -- an abomination stirs in the bayou, its secrets poisoning a township. THE WASTED LIVES -- a group of galactic fugitives embark on a never-ending getaway on a runaway cruiser. (Links need an update. Stay tuned.)

The mind behind the melancholy.

ACHTUNG! This blog is 18+ for gore and suggestive content!

You can call me Dissy (she/her). I'm a writer with stories and ideas always bouncing inside my head, especially this one. Feel free to ask me about myself, my writing, my characters, or anything else. I promise you I can bark up a tree for hours.

I also do Polaroid photography: check out @hogrot for my shots!

I also encourage comments, critique, etc. about this setting. I want to pace myself while writing this, therefore I have all the time I need to refine this where I can. I don't expect this story to come out for a while anyway, especially as I run it through critiques. Hell, this pet project wouldn't have come into fruition thanks to the feedback of some incredible friends.

Shoutout to PYRY for doing character design and art for this setting, as well as giving his ideas and characters for the Heinrich plotline. Go check out his killer art. This story wouldn't exist without him.

Another shoutout to @tsanapi, an incredible artist who drew the art pictured above. Her sense of style is so keen.

And a final thanks to you, the reader, for tuning into the mind melt. This signals wouldn't have picked up without you.

[wheelsgoroundincircles]

Oldsmobile’s Experimental ’66 Toronado Station Wagon

What if Oldsmobile produced a Toronado station wagon? General Motors was intrigued enough by the idea to build a prototype or two.

It’s only natural that General Motors and its Oldsmobile division would seek out additional applications for the advanced front-wheel drive unit designed for the 1966 Toronado. Known internally at GM as the Unitized Power Package or UPP, the powertrain module was a tidy, versatile package, and surely a bundle had been invested in its development. The next application following the Toronado, of course, was the 1967 Cadillac Eldorado. And since one great benefit of the UPP front-drive system was that it allowed a low, flat floor, another use that easily came to mind was a station wagon.

By March of 1966, the GM design had a full-sized studio model ready for display at the Tech Center’s styling court (above). As we can see, this was essentially a European-style shooting brake adaptation of the production Toronado coupe. Sporty, yes, but the two-door wagon didn’t offer much more in the way of useful interior volume over the standard Toronado.

Taking a more practical approach, GM built a full-sized, four-door wagon prototype using the Toronado drive unit and front-end sheet metal. But at the time, Oldsmobile didn’t offer a full-size wagon—its largest wagon was the Vista Cruiser, based on a stretched  A-body intermediate platform. So a Pontiac full-sized wagon body shell, from the firewall back, was merged with the Toronado front clip. As the photos show, the Olds/Pontiac mashup was more of a basic proof-of-concept rather than a finished prototype. The tail lamps fit oddly and the front and rear wheel openings don’t match at all.

Leading automotive historian Michael Lamm, writing in the late, great magazine Special Interest Autos (July-Aug 1978) reported that in fact, several of these experimental front-drive wagons were constructed. Mr. Lamm also noted that GM styling vice president Bill Mitchell raved about the flat, unobtructed floors, and he included this awesome Mitchell quote: “With the tailgate down, you could run a motorscooter into it.”  But as we now know, the front-drive, Toronado-derived station wagon was never sent into production—though the UPP was later used to power the 1973-78 GMC Motor Home.

There was another Toronado station wagon, not that Oldsmobile had any direct involvement. In 1968-70, American Quality Coach of Blytheville, Arkansas produced the AQC Jetway 707 airport limousine. A Toronado with its wheelbase extended five and a half feet, it sported tandem rear axles, five doors per side, and a Vista Cruiser-ish station wagon roof. Somewhere between 52 and 150 of these behemoths were reportedly built, various sources say, and a number of them are still around.

1968-70, American Quality Coach

[warrenwoodhouse]

War Assets - Mass Effect Guide (Mass Effect) (Lists)

Guide by @warrenwoodhouse #warrenwoodhouse

I’ve listed every single War Asset from all three Mass Effect original trilogy games. These assets will help you win the war against the Reaper invasion.

Mass Effect; Legendary Edition: Mass Effect

Complete all Story Missions

Complete all Side Missions

Complete all Personnel Missions

Complete all Misc Missions

Complete all DLC Missions

Collect all Collectibles

Collect all Resources

Complete the game

Mass Effect 2; Legendary Edition: Mass Effect 2

Resources collected during your Mass Effect 1 campaign will carry over into your Mass Effect 2 campaign

Complete all Story Missions

Complete all Side Missions

Complete all N7 Missions

Complete all Loyalty Missions

Complete all Misc Missions

Complete all DLC Missions

Collect all Collectibles

Collect all Resources

Entire Normandy Crew and Shepard survive the assault on the Collector Base

Mass Effect 3; Legendary Edition: Mass Effect 3

Resources collected during your Mass Effect 1 campaign and Mass Effect 2 campaign will carry over into your Mass Effect 3 campaign

Complete all Story Missions

Complete all Side Missions

Complete all N7 Missions

Complete all Loyalty Missions

Complete all Misc Missions

Complete all DLC Missions

Collect all Collectibles

Collect all Resources

Entire Normandy Crew and Shepard survive the Endgame

Acquired EMS Effective Military Strength of 7800 or above

Good Ending: Choose “Destruction” (red) during the final mission “Priority: Citadel: The Return”

Bad Ending: Military Strength of 2000 or less

Alternative Ending: Choose “Synthesis” (blue) during the final mission “Priority: Citadel: The Return”

ME3 War Assets

Assets and resources collected during your campaigns of Mass Effect 1 and Mass Effect 2 will carry over into your Mass Effect 3 campaign

Alien

General Oleg Petrovsky: unlocked after completing Omega DLC

Omega Raiding Fleet: unlocked after completing Omega DLC

Omega Eezo Hoard: unlocked after completing Omega DLC

Leviathan Enthrallment Team: unlocked after completing Leviathan DLC

Liquid Assets: add

Vorcha Labor Team: unlocked after completing Omega DLC

Void Devils Fighter Wing: add

Governor Grothan Pazness: add

Citadel Defense Force: add

Batarian Fleet: add

Hanar and Drell Forces: add

Volus Bombing Fleet: add

Spectre Unit: add

Shadow Broker Wet Squad: add

Elcor Flotilla: add

Shadow Broker Support Team: add

Volus Dreadnought Kwunu: add

Rachni Workers: add

Terminus Fleet: add

Asari

Husk Neural Map: unlocked after completing Leviathan DLC

Asari Engineers

Asari Cruiser Cybaen

Asari Research Ships

Asari Cruiser Nefrane

Serrice Guard

Armali Sniper Unit

Dr. Jelize

Samara: Needs to survive the final mission in Mass Effect 2

Asari Commandos

The Destiny Ascension: Needs to survive during the mission “Priority: Citadel > Save the Council” in Mass Effect 1

Asari Sixth Fleet

Asari Second Fleet

Asari Science Team

Alliance

Dr. Ann Bryson: unlocked after completing Leviathan DLC

Synthdiamond Heat Sinks: add

Eden Prime Support: unlocked during the mission “Priority: Eden Prime” via From Ashes DLC

Zhu’s Hope Colonists: After saving the colonists during the mission “Priority: Feros” in Mass Effect 1

Mineral Resources: Collected from Mass Effect 1 and Mass Effect 2

Alliance Frigate Normandy SR-2: unlocked after completing the mission “Priority: Earth”

Diana Allers

Zaeed Massani: Needs to survive the final mission in Mass Effect 2

Kasumi Goto: Needs to survive the final mission in Mass Effect 2

Alliance Fifth Fleet

Rogue Fighter Pilots

Alliance Sixth Fleet

Communications Arrays

Alliance Naval Exploration Flotilla

Alliance Cruiser Shanghai

Alliance Spec Ops Team Delta

Arcturus First Division

Jack: Needs to survive the final mission in Mass Effect 2

Kahlee Sanders

Alliance Third Fleet

Alliance First Fleet

103rd Marine Division

Alliance Engineering Corps

Crucible

Radiation Shielding Sheath

Jovian Dissertation

Dark Energy Dissertation: Complete the “Conrad Verner” storyline from Mass Effect 1 and Mass Effect 3

Optimized Eezo Capacitors

Haptic Optics Array

Advanced Power Relays

Emergency Fuel Pods

Element Zero Converter

Terminus Freighters

Shadow Broker Starship Tech

Prothean Data Files

ExoGeni Scientists: Save them during the mission “Priority: Feros” in Mass Effect 1

Interferometric Array

Volus Engineering Team

Volus Fabrication Units

Javelin Missile Launchers

Advanced Starship Fuel

Ex-Cerberus

Miranda Lawson: Needs to survive the final mission in Mass Effect 2

Jacob Taylor: Needs to survive the final mission in Mass Effect 2

Dr. Gavin Archer: Survived in the mission “Cerberus Project: Overlord” in Mass Effect 2: Overlord DLC

Dr. Brynn Cole

Ex-Cerberus Scientists

Advanced Fighter Squadron

Cerberus Research Data

Krogan

Krogan Mercenaries

Clan Urdnot: Cure the Genophage during the mission “Priority: Tuchanka” after completing the missions “Tuchanka: Bomb” and “Tuchanka: Cerberus Base”

Krogan Clans

Krogan First Division

Grunt: Needs to survive the final mission in Mass Effect 2

Urdnot Wrex: Needs to be talked down during the mission “Priority: Virmire” in Mass Effect 1

Geth

Geth Corps: Complete the mission “Rannoch: Geth Fighter Squadrons”

Geth Fleet: Complete the mission “Rannoch: Geth Fighter Squadrons”

Geth Prime Platoon: Complete the mission “Rannoch: Geth Fighter Squadrons”

Salarian

Major Kirrahe: Needs to survive during the mission “Priority: Virmire” in Mass Effect 1

Salarian Third Fleet

Turian

Dextro Rations

Turian Spec Ops Team

Turian Engineering Corps

Turian Blackwatch

Turian Seventh Fleet

Turian 43rd Marine Division

Turian Sixth Fleet

Turian 79th Flotilla

Quarian

Admiral Zaal’Koris

Quarian Civilian Fleet

Quarian Heavy Fleet

Quarian Patrol Fleet

Changelog

29th April 2024 at 7:22 am: Added the section titled “Changelog”

30th July 2023 at 6:00 am: Moved post to my Tumblr blog from my Fandom Wiki

17th November 2022 at 11:00 am: Created post

[nagasaki-division]

Ax

"Wanting to be someone else is a waste of who you are." -- Kurt Cobain

Etymology

Ax's name is a direct reference to the implement used to cut down wood. He does not know his birth name, so he goes by this nickname, which was what he was called for most of his life.

Character Information

Kanji: アクス

Romaji: Akusu

MC Name: Commander

Gender: male

Pronouns: he/him

Age: 19

Birthday: December 15

Star sign: Sagittarius

Blood type: unknown

Occupation: museum tour guide

Division: Nagasaki

Team: Desolate Paradise

Height: 186 cm (6’1)

Weight: 87 kg (191 lb.)

Hair color: honey blonde

Eye color: ice blue

V/A: Makoto Furukawa

Rap voice: Zuma

Face Claim: Hyunmin Han

Appearance

Ax is a tall, dark, handsome young man of unknown descent with cocoa-colored skin and an athletic build. His notable features are his naturally honey-colored hair, razor-sharp canines, and intimidating ice-blue eyes.

His street outfit consists of an off-white and black short sleeve shirt that has been carelessly buttoned up, revealing his chiseled pecs, with one half of the hem tucked into the waistline of his white pants and the other left alone. His pants have a wide flare at the bottom and he sports a pair of brown flip-flops with a cross-stitch pattern across the straps. He finishes with a gold coin earring on his left ear, a loose gold choker, and a gold chain necklace with a dog tag pendant of same color.

Personality

Ax is a lone wolf-type who prefers solitude. However, his little brother, Atlas, is the only person whose presence he tolerates for long periods of time, which is the cause of any sort of humor he has, with his jokes being on the dry side— ironic given that he was surrounded by water all his life.

He doesn’t appreciate nonsense and is easily irritated by just about anything. Despite this, he makes an effort to avoid losing his temper due to the fact that he has had episodes of rage in the past and had experienced blackouts because of them.

He speaks in a very calm manner which makes him seem cool and level-headed. He's also surprisingly great with kids and he works as a swim instructor part-time.

Ability

His rap ability is: Man Down. It is unknown for now as to what this ability can do.

Trivia

He is right-handed.

He likes weaponsmithing, swimming, and brawling, while he dislikes pompous people, crooked politicians, corrupt organizations, and smiling.

His favorite foods are orange chicken and katsu, while his least favorite food is mushrooms.

He is currently a patient of the hypnotherapist, Anika Kiyozaki from Akihabara Division. It is a secret from his teammates due to his own insecurities and not wanting others to learn about his inner struggles.

He owns a cabin cruiser boat called “Desolate Paradise,” which the division rap team was named after. On the off-chance that he’s not being serious, he can be found jamming out in the privacy of his boat.

[rosaliachristian]

February 19, 1945 – On Iwo Jima, 2 divisions of the US 5th Amphibious Corps are landed in Operation Detachment. Before the landing the bombardment groups already deployed are joined by 2 battleships, several cruisers and destroyers from US Task Force 58. The initial assault forces are from US 4th and 5th Marine Divisions with 3rd Marines in reserve. They are carried transported by TF53 (Admiral Hill) and land on the southeast of the island. About 30,000 men go ashore on the first day. The Japanese garrison of about 21,000 troops, commanded by General Kuribayashi, have prepared exceptionally elaborate and tough defenses so that the eight square miles of the island is completely fortified. The Americans realize that the island is well defended since it is part of metropolitan Japan. However, the island is strategically important because it is within fighter range of Tokyo. By controlling the airfields here, American B-29 bombers flying from the Mariana Islands can be escorted. Coast Guard units that participated in this bloody campaign included the Coast Guard-manned USS Bayfield, Callaway, 14 LSTs and the PC-469. Three of the LSTs were struck by enemy shore fire: LST-792, LST-758, and LST-760.

[usarmytrooper]

Today is the 79th Anniversary of Operation Overlord

On June 6, 1944, nearly 160,000 British, Canadian, and American troops crossed the English Channel to attack Hitler’s Fortress Europe at Normandy. It was the largest amphibious operation in history.

Above: Map depicting the D-Day landings by Allied forces.

Above: The text of the Order of the Day for 6 June 1944 issued by Supreme Headquarters, Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF) and General Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Prior to the assault, the United States’ 82d and 101st Airborne Divisions were assigned objectives on the Cotentin Peninsula west of Utah Beach, while the British 6th Airborne Division was assigned to capture the bridges over the Caen Canal. The Airborne operations were intended to impede the German response to the beachhead. Supreme Allied Commander (European Theater of Operations) had been told that casualties among the Airborne units could be as high as 80%. They jumped into Europe anyway.

Supreme Allied Commander General Dwight D. Eisenhower speaks to men of the 101st Airborne prior to their boarding lanes that would take them to jump into Normandy. Eisenhower stayed at the airstrip until all of the planes had taken off safely before returning to his headquarters. Happily, casualties among the paratroopers were much lower than predicted. Of approximately 13,100 paratroopers who jumped into battle, approximately 2,500 (19%) were killed, wounded, or missing by the end of D-Day.

Approximately 3,000 landing craft and 2,500 ships were used during the invasion. Preliminary naval bombardment of German positions commenced at 05:45 and continued until 06:25 from five battleships, twenty cruisers, sixty-five destroyers, and two monitors. Infantry began arriving on the beaches at around 06:30.

Above: (Top) The Battleship HMS Rodney fires on German positions at Caen, (Lower Left) Battleship USS Arkansas engages the enemy at Omaha Beach, (Lower Middle) Battleship USS Nevada fires her ten 14-inch guns in support of the Invasion, (Lower Right) Battleship USS Texas underway en route to England to participate in the Invasion.

Above: US Troops begin to establish a beachhead, signaling the beginning of the end of the Nazi occupation of Europe.

On D-Day, some 132,000 men were transported to the beaches by sea, and a further 24,000 entered France by air. The battlefield conditions were brutal and the Allied hold on the beaches was tenuous, particularly at Omaha Beach, the sector most heavily defended by German troops. But they held on. By July 25, 1944, the Allies had landed approximately 1.5 million troops in France and were ready to implement Operation Cobra, the Allied break out from Normandy. By the end of August, approximately 2,050,000 Allied troops had landed in France and resistance by Hitler’s Wehrmacht was crumbling.

Above: US Troops exit a landing craft to attempt to establish a beachhead at Omaha Beach.

The Allies suffered approximately 226,000 casualties during the period from D-Day to the end of August: the American armies suffered 124,394 casualties, of whom 20,668 were killed, and 10,128 were missing. Casualties within the Canadian and British Armies are placed at 83,045: 15,995 killed, 57,996 wounded, and 9,054 missing.

During the same period, Allied air forces flew over 80,000 sorties in support of Operation Overlord, suffering approximately 17,000 additional casualties and the loss of over 4,000 aircraft.

They truly were the Greatest Generation. After what they did for all of us, it is only fitting that we pause for a moment to remember and reflect on the sacrifices they made at the altar of freedom.

[mcrdvcks]

Down Bad - Chapter 10

Chapter Summary: The squad decides to go on a mission to Eriadu in order to find out more about Dr. Hemlock, and to get closer to finding Crosshair.

Word Count: 5.8k+

Pairing: Hunter x fem!Jedi Original Character

Notes: i only have one thing to say about this chapter, and it's i'm so sorry.

Series Masterlist - Chapter 9 → Chapter 11

AO3 Link For Chapter

“Echo and I have scoured through Imperial and Republic files, but intel about the Advanced Science Division is limited.” Tech said.

“Do we know where they’re detaining Crosshair and the other clones?” Hunter asked.

“Negative. Their base of operations is unknown.”

“Well, what about their chief scientist?”

“There is even less on Dr. Hemlock, and I was very thorough. He is a ghost.”

“Not quite.” Echo added, coming from the cockpit of the ship. “According to a contact of mine, Hemlock’s set to attend a high-level Imperial summit in two rotations.” He sat down at one of the other consoles in the hallway.

“Where?” Hunter questioned.

“Tarkin’s compound on Eriadu.” Echo said, as Amina grimaced at the reminder of Tarkin, “if we do a covert infiltration, we can plant a homing beacon on Hemlock’s ship and track him to his base.”

“And to Crosshair.” Omega stated.

“Hmm, it won’t be that simple.” Omega turned around to face Hunter as he continued, “we’d be at a tactical disadvantage, and I’m not sure it’s worth the risk.”

“I understand your hesitation.” Tech replied, “we have not always agreed with Crosshair, but he is still our brother. We do not leave our own behind.”

“If there’s a chance to get him back, we have to take it.” Omega chimed in.

“Definitely.” Wrecker agreed.

“What about reinforcements?” Hunter inquired.

Echo stood up from the seat at the console, “well, Rex is on a separate mission, so it’s just us. A small enough team to get in and out without alerting them. But we’ll need to move quickly.”

Hunter looked over to Amina who looked over at him and gave a small nod. “Well then, let’s get started.”

---

“I have identified a suitable location to land outside their sensor range.” Tech stated, as they prepared to jump out of hyperspace.

“How are we bypassing those cruisers?” Hunter asked.

“Using a clearance code Rex and I acquired from one of our contacts.” Echo answered.

“Good to have you back, Echo.” Wrecker chimed in. “Just like old times.”

The Marauder jumped out of hyperspace as Hunter looked over to Wrecker, “Wrecker, man the tail gun. Just in case.”

“You got it.”

“Transmitting clearance codes.” Echo pressed a few buttons on the ship’s dashboard.

“If this doesn’t work, be ready to fly out of here.” Hunter announced, as they waited for the confirmation that they were in the clear.

After a few seconds of silence, the ship’s commlink beeped, “Vessel 1143, you are clear for approach.”

Tech landed the ship on the side of a mountain, with Echo getting off first, “let’s make this quick, before they realize we didn’t land at the base.”

They started to make their way through the trees by the mountain as Omega spoke up, “what kind of approach are we making? A side-wind breach?”

“It worked on Raxus.” Tech replied to Omega.

“It won’t work here.” Echo said in response. “The Empire’s protocols have changed since then.”

Wrecker scoffed, “thanks to us.”

“No tanks and no explosions this time, Wrecker.” Echo scolded.

Wrecker let out a disappointed groan, his shoulders falling forward, “fine.”

Once to the edge of the perimeter, Amina looked up to see the sky rail system that hung over the tops of the mountains.

Hunter brought up his binoculars and looked at the building on top of one of the mountain peaks, “hmm. The compound is heavily fortified.”

“But there’s a weak point in the rail line that we can exploit. We’ll sneak past the sensor and hitch a ride under one of the cars.” Echo said, as he looked at the back of the group.

“You mean hang? Over that?” Omega asked nervously.

“Well, it’s the only way to access the compound unnoticed.” Echo responded.

“Tech, disable the sensor.” Hunter ordered.

“That would trigger an alert. I can temporarily disrupt the feed, but I estimate only 30 seconds for us to clear the zone before it reactivates. We must be precise.” Tech spoke, before everyone turned to look at Wrecker.

“What? I can handle it!”

Echo passed Tech a cable attachment for his blaster, as Hunter used his binoculars to monitor the sensor.

Hunter signaled for Tech to go as he shot the cable and moved up to the top of the sensor. “Stand by.” Tech said through comms.

A rail car was heard as it slowly approached, almost close to their area, “another railcar is approaching.” Hunter said. “Are we set?”

“Not yet.” After a few moments Tech spoke, “the sensor is down. Move in!”

Everyone ran to the edge of the cliff and fired their cables to the side of the car, before grabbing onto some part of the car to hold onto.

“Halfway there.” Echo said.

Wrecker chuckled, “this isn’t so bad.” He looked down before groaning, “never mind.”

When the railcar arrived at the terminal, everyone jumped off on the outside platform. Hunter took out the first trooper and tossed him over the edge. Another trooper shot at him as he dodged the blast, with Echo shooting him down.

He stood by the door and held up a hand, stopping Omega and the rest from moving as another trooper walked out. Hunter shot the stormtrooper as he fell over the edge.

They made their way into the landing and took cover behind one of the storage containers. Hunter pulled out his binoculars and looked at the various ships.

“Which ship is Hemlock’s?” Omega whispered.

“We need to access the hangar manifest from the control room.” Echo spoke quietly.

“Tech, Echo, with me. You three, plant the homing beacon.” Hunter ordered, as him Tech and Echo made their way away from the storage containers.

Amina made a motion with her head, “come on, let’s move to the top of the storage containers.” She said, as Wrecker nodded.

Amina, Omega, and Wrecker poked their heads out from on top, looking out at the floor.

“Found it. Hemlock’s shuttle is at docking lane four.” Tech told them through comms.

“Copy that.” Omega whispered into her comm.

Wrecker pulled out his binoculars and looked out over the docking bay, before handing them to Omega. “That’s Hemlock’s ship. It’s too exposed. How are we supposed to get to it?”

“There’s not enough cover for me, but there is for you.” Wrecker looked over at Omega, “you think you can handle it?”

“Not a problem.” She responded confidently.

“Hmm, good. Here, take the beacon. We’ll keep an eye out.” He handed the beacon to Omega.

Amina put a hand on Omega’s shoulder, “be careful, alright?”

Omega nodded, determination shining in her eyes. "I will. Don't worry, Amina," she replied, her voice steady. "I've got this."

Amina smiled, her heart swelling with pride at Omega's confidence. "I know you do," she said, her tone filled with warmth. "We'll be right here if you need us."

With a reassuring nod, Omega slipped away, jumping down the supply crates as she used a cargo sled for cover, as the trooper walked to put the sled in a different place before walking away.

Omega placed the homing beacon on the shuttle’s landing struts, “okay, the homing beacon is secure.”

“Wait. There’s more troopers heading your way.” Amina told Omega through comms.

Omega moved away from Hemlock’s ship, only to find herself pinned. “I’m pinned down.”

“Stay in position. I’ll divert them.” Echo said through comms to Omega.

Suddenly, a magnetic crane lifted a parked V-wing as it slammed against multiple cargo boxes. The troopers in the cargo bay ran to the crane as Omega moved away, only to be found by a mouse droid.

Amina and Wrecker came over, as he stepped on the mouse droid, destroying it. “Oops.” He said, before shaking his left foot to get the droid off as it hit one of the cargo crates.

---

Amina, Wrecker, and Omega went by the command room to get Echo as they followed the troopers blasting, with Omega shooting one with her energy crossbow and Wrecker throwing a trooper onto two other troopers, knocking them out.

The door behind Hunter and Echo opened as they ran to the rail line and climbed down, avoiding fire from more troopers.

The group got onto the railcar, but it wouldn’t move, “we need an access code.” Tech said.

“I’ll override it.” Echo replied.

Omega stood in the front of the railcar as she shot one of the troopers climbing down the ladder. More troopers made their way into the railcar, but soon, Echo was able to power the car on.

Everyone continued to shoot at the troopers who were on the second car as the lights began to flicker. “We’re losing power!” Echo yelled out.

Amina quickly put her blaster in its holster as she unhooked her lightsaber from her belt.

“What are you doing?” Hunter asked, glancing over at her then back at the few troopers in the other car.

“Taking care of our problem.” She responded. Before Hunter could respond, she turned on her lightsaber, the blue light casting a glow on the car’s walls as she moved through the connecting tunnel, deflecting blaster bolts from the 4 troopers.

She kicked one of the troopers’ chest, before cutting one of the troopers chest plates, before using the force to bring the remaining two troopers together, hitting each other as they collapsed to the floor of the car. Amina quickly turned off her lightsaber and walked to the car the rest of the group was in.

Tech walked to the front of the car, seeing another railcar on the opposite line in front of them. “This is going to be a problem.” They all walked to look out the grated window, looking at the railcar in front of them.

Hunter and Wrecker opened the railcar’s door, looking at the freefall that was below, with nothing to grab onto or stop the fall into oblivion.

“This is not ideal.” Tech observed.

“At least we’re not hanging under the car.” Wrecker added, trying to make the best of their not-so-great situation.

“This isn’t much better.” Omega replied, before a series of blaster shots headed in their direction.

“Echo, get this car moving.” Hunter ordered, as the rest shot back at the troopers on the opposing car.

“The explosions must’ve knocked out power to the rail line.” Echo responded with aggravation.

“I can try to reboot the system, but I will need to plug directly into one of the terminals on the track.” Tech offered.

Hunter looked over at Tech, taking cover behind the wall, “you four, give us cover. Tech, up top with me.”

Tech and Hunter moved to the upper level of the railcar as Hunter gave Tech a boost up to the roof so he could climb onto the track. Hunter opened the door to continue to provide cover fire.

“I am plugged in. Stand by.” Tech said through comms.

Everyone continued to shoot, but very few of the troopers were actually going down, meaning that the group was still outnumbered.

“We’ve got three ships inbound.” Hunter said.

“Where? I can’t see them.” Omega asked, looking out into the cloudy sky.

Soon, the sound of the ships slowly made its way to Amina’s ears. V-wings she believes.

“Tech, we need power.” Hunter exclaimed through comms.

The ships fired a round of shots as the car became unbalanced.

“Echo, now!” Tech said.

“We’re online.” Echo affirmed, as the lights came back on.

Hunter fired a shot on one of the V-wings, causing it to collide into one of the other ships, when the third one flew through the smoke, firing on Tech as he ran across the rail line.

One of the blasts from the ship hit the railcar, causing it to shake as the second car broke off from the rail line as Tech grabbed onto the bottom of the car with his grappling hook.

“Come on, Tech! Hurry!” Wrecker yelled through comms.

“I am climbing as fast as I can.” He replied, grunting from the effort.

One of the troopers fired a shot at the car again, causing it to dip further. “Tech!” Omega cried out.

“Why aren’t we moving?” Hunter asked urgently.

“The car’s being ripped from the track.” Echo responded.

“Wrecker, get him on board.” Hunter ordered.

Amina went to shoot when her blaster did nothing. She smacked it against her hand realizing that somehow it was jammed. Hunter gestured to her with his head, “go help Wrecker.”

Amina nodded, going over to where Wrecker and Omega stood, taking note that the hinges connecting the two carts was almost completely broken.

She reached out with the force, holding her hands in front of her trying to bring the car back up slowly and safely. More shots from incoming V-wings shot the car, causing it to dip again.

“You must sever the connection hinge. Now!” Tech commanded.

“Not until you’re up here.” Wrecker countered.

“There is no time, Wrecker.” Tech grabbed his gun from his holster, “Plan 99.”

She wasn’t familiar with all of the plans, but something about the way Tech said it, and the way Wrecker silently reacted to it told her it wasn’t a safe, or good, plan.

The car dipped again as Wrecker grabbed the cart by two pieces of metal. Amina tried to pull the cart up quicker, but it was hard when everything kept moving, and shots were being fired all around.

She also felt conflict in Tech, before it was replaced with an unwavering sense of decisiveness.

“Don’t you do it, Tech!” Wrecker said, as he tried to pull the car up.

Tech sighed, “when have we ever followed orders?” He fired a shot through the window of the railcar, breaking the hinge.

Wrecker lost his grip as the railcar fell, “no!” He cried out, as Amina fell to the floor as her connection broke.

“Tech!” Omega yelled out, watching as the railcar fell through the sky.

As Amina lay on her stomach, she watched as he fell. The railcar reconnected to the track and sped away. She shakily stood up and wiped a tear in the corner of her eye before it fell down her cheek.

“Omega!” Hunter grabbed her wrist.

“Go back! Go back!” She cried as the car continued to move.

“The car’s going too fast.” Hunter said, moving to Echo.

Echo looked over at him, “the system’s fried. I can’t stop it.”

Everyone looked at the front of the cart as the wall moved closer and closer to them at fast speed. Hunter lunged for Omega as the cart collided and smashed through the wall of the terminal.

---

Amina blinked her eyes, taking in the greyness and the dirt surrounding her. She tried to sit up but found herself too weak.

Mechanical breathing came closer as she looked at black boots next to her head. “A- Anakin.” She whispered, her eyes slowly closing.

A gloved hand traced her cheek, “soon, sister.”

Amina blinked once more, her eyes barely open as she stared into the red tinted lenses and closed her eyes.

---

“Omega!” Hunter yelled, “we have to get her out of here.”

Wrecker picked Omega up, “I got you, kid.”

Hunter looked around, “where’s Amina?”

Blaster shots fired at them, “Incoming! Get to the Marauder.” Echo instructed.

Wrecker walked to the ship carrying Omega as he spotted her form. "I found her!"

Relief washed over Hunter as he ran to where her body was. She was unconscious, her face pale and bruised, but alive.

Hunter rushed to her side, his hands trembling as he gently cradled her in his arms. "Amina," he whispered, his voice choked with emotion. "Wake up."

Amina stirred slightly, her eyelids fluttering open as she groaned in pain. She blinked up at Hunter, her gaze filled with confusion. "Hunter?" she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Yeah, it's me," Hunter said softly, a flood of relief washing over him. "You're safe now."

Amina's eyes widened as the events of the past few minutes came rushing back to her. "The railcar," she whispered, her voice filled with dread. "We fell..." She turned her head slightly before placing her hand on his helmeted cheek, “Anakin was here.” She whispered.

Hunter picked her up, wincing at the pain he felt in his ribs. Her hand fell from his helmet, “he said he was coming for me.” She mumbled, before her head lolled to the side.

---

“Then that’s what we’ll do.”

The first thing she felt was a coldness surround her, invading her body from underneath her skin at a slow, but steady, pace.

Amina tried to sit up, but nearly cried out from the pain as she fell back down onto the small table she was on.

Hunter walked over to her as Omega followed along. He brushed a hand on her cheek, “are you alright?”

She tried to sit up again but didn’t get very far. “I’ve been better.” Amina rubbed her forehead, looking at the bandages around Hunter’s waist.

Before she could ask her question, Hunter answered for her, “AZI said that you had internal bleeding and a cracked hipbone.”

Amina sighed, “cool, I’ve never had internal bleeding before. Most of the time my blood ends up outside my body.”

Omega hovered nearby, her eyes wide with concern, and her cheeks still wet from tears just moments ago. "Do you need anything?" she asked, her voice filled with genuine worry.

“Maybe some water?” She said, as Omega nodded and slowly walked over to the bedside table she was at to grab the container of water.

Hunter traced Amina’s cheek as she sighed into his touch, a soft smile playing on her lips despite the pain etched across her features. The gentle warmth of his hand against her skin was a comforting anchor amidst the chaos and uncertainty surrounding them.

“I’m here, Amina,” Hunter whispered, his voice soft yet filled with a reassuring strength. “We’re all here for you.”

Amina’s eyes met his, gratitude and affection shining in their depths. “I know,” she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. “I’m just glad we made it out alive.”

Hunter’s gaze softened, his thumb caressing her cheek tenderly. “Me too,” he admitted, his voice tinged with relief. “I couldn’t bear the thought of losing you.”

A faint blush dusted Amina’s cheeks as she reached up to cover his hand with her own. “You won’t lose me,” she promised, her voice steady despite the lingering pain. “I’m not going anywhere.” He leaned in and gave her a soft kiss before pulling away.

Omega returned with a container of water, her expression a mix of concern and relief as she handed it to Amina. “Here,” she said, her voice gentle. “Drink slo- ”

Wrecker shouting and blaster fire cut Omega off, as Hunter helped Amina stand up. Two troopers came to stand in front of the door as Hunter shot the door control panel to keep it shut.

“What’s happening?” Omega asked.

“It’s the Empire.” Hunter pulled away a crate from the floor, “take the mining tunnels to the spaceport and find Echo.” He grabbed Omega’s energy crossbow and pushed her to the trapdoor, “we’ll get Wrecker.”

“But you’re both injured. You can’t fight them alone.”

Hunter opened the trapdoor, “Omega, you and AZI need to go. That’s an order!” He handed Omega her crossbow as she put it on her back.

Omega looked over at Amina, who kneeled down and kissed the top of her head, “go, Omega.” Amina said, as Omega started to slowly climb down, the trapdoor closing behind her.

They walked to the door as Hunter blasted it open, knocking out the two troopers as they walked into the main part of Cid���s parlor, with Hunter holding his pistol, and Amina holding her lightsaber in front of her, the blue light glowing brightly.

Wrecker was tied up and in a kneeled position surrounded by troopers as Dr. Hemlock moved in front of him.

Hunter and Amina walked a few steps further as the trooper’s blasters clicked.

“That’s not very strategic, Hunter. You don’t need to use your enhanced senses to know you’re outnumbered.” Hemlock said, quietly but confidently. He turned to his left, holding a small box, “the Empire thanks you for your assistance.”

And once again, this is why Amina has never trusted a Trandoshan.

Cid walked out and grabbed the box, looking over at Hunter and Amina with a guilt-ridden expression. “Our business is done. Leave.” Hemlock stated to Cid, as she slowly walked away. “Please, consider your next move very carefully. I would hate for this to end poorly for the three of you. Here is how this is going to go. You will lower your weapons and hand over Omega. And I will allow you to keep breathing.”

“Omega’s not going anywhere with you.” Hunter growled.

“Oh. Well, who knew clones are so paternal? Fascinating. I was saddened to learn of your friend’s demise. What was his name? Oh, yes. Tech.” One of the troopers handed Hemlock something as he held it in his hands.

Tech’s goggles.

No. He can’t be dead. He can’t be.

She could’ve done more, could’ve tried pulling him up using the force instead of focusing on the hinge connecting the carts.

She should’ve been the one to reboot the system, to run across the top of the tracks instead of him.

She could’ve hijacked one of the V-wings and shot down the other two.

She could’ve done more.

Amina took a shaky deep breath in, as Hemlock continued, “I’m afraid this was all I could salvage. Consider it a gift.” He threw the goggles to the floor in front of Hunter’s feet. Hunter and Amina stayed quiet.

“To lose one of your own, it must weigh heavily on you as their leader.” Two troopers nudged Wrecker in his back, “and if you don’t lower the blaster now, you will lose yet another.”

Hunter looked over at Wrecker who shook his head slightly, before holding his hands up and slowly lowering his blaster, picking up Tech’s goggles.

Hemlock's smirk sent a chill down Amina's spine, his smug demeanor a stark contrast to the gravity of their situation. She clenched her jaw, her gaze unwavering as she met his cold stare head-on. “That goes for you too, Skywalker. The Emperor will be pleased to know you are in my custody.”

She thought back to what Yoda told her, “powerful, you are, Amina Skywalker. Strong in the Force, like your brother before you."

Amina shook her head, “I’d rather die than let the Emperor get his hands on me.” She spoke quietly.

“Perhaps.” Hemlock said, signaling his troopers to move over to Hunter and Amina, as they cuffed him. “But you do not have a choice. Hand over your lightsaber and stand down.”

Amina looked at Wrecker in front of her and then at Hunter beside her. She closed her eyes and turned off her lightsaber, as one of the troopers grabbed it and cuffed her using force suppressing cuffs.

A trooper ran into the room, “sir, the girl’s not in the office.”

“She’s long gone.” Hunter spoke as him and Amina now stood by Wrecker in the front of the room. “Like I said, Omega’s not going anywhere with you.”

Hemlock hummed, “we’ll see.” The three of them were escorted out of the parlor and outside into the streets of Ord Mantell.

As they walked down the streets of Ord Mantell, where people were running around, and AT-AT walkers roamed around.

A series of shots halted Hemlock and the troopers from moving, as they turned in the direction of the blaster fire. It was Omega.

“Lower your weapons.” Hemlock ordered, “hello, Omega. We were just talking about you.”

“Let them go!”

“Omega, run!” Hunter yelled, as a trooper wrapped an arm around his neck, keeping him from moving away.

“I won’t let them take you.”

“How about an exchange?” Hemlock said, as Omega looked at Wrecker, Hunter, and Amina, as Hunter shook his head ‘no’. “If you come with me, your friends will live.”

“I don’t believe you.” Omega replied.

“I did not come here for them, Omega. I came to return you to Nala Se. She needs your help.”

“He’s lying. They killed the Kaminoans.” Hunter opposed.

“Incorrect. Nala Se is alive and well cared for. As you will be.”

“I’m not going with you.” Omega said, as Hemlock raised an eyebrow.

Amina saw the trooper coming behind Omega, “Omega, look out!” She shouted, but the trooper stun blasted her before Omega could fight back.

Troopers pressed a blaster to Hunter’s face and Amina and Wrecker’s body, “scour the city. When you find the third clone, send them back to Eriadu. Governor Tarkin wishes to question you personally.” Hemlock turned his gaze to Amina, “and as for you… someone will come soon to take you to Coruscant. The Emperor wishes to speak to you.”

Amina’s heart sank as the troopers led the three of them to a shuttle; she felt as though there was more to his words than he was letting on. And the coldness around her only has been getting stronger and more persistent.

Blaster fire and explosions sounded out as a walker came rounding the corner, its aim directed to the Imperials.

“Echo?” Wrecker questioned.

“Gotta be Echo.” Hunter said.

Wrecker broke his cuffs on the top of his knee as Hunter kicked a clone behind him. Wrecker quickly undid Hunter’s handcuffs as Amina walked to the trooper Hunter kicked down, grabbing her lightsaber from his belt and cutting her handcuffs, the force coming back to her in hurried waves.

Amina ran to the troopers who were shooting at the walker and cut them down, as another walker came up behind Echo’s and shot it down. Echo jumped out followed by AZI.

“Where’s Omega?” Echo asked.

“That Imperial took her.” Wrecker answered.

“It was Hemlock. We’ve gotta stop his shuttle from leaving.” Amina walked around the building as her heart dropped even further.

Amina ran on the ground, stopping at the top of the small hill as she watched Obi-Wan cut off Anakin’s legs and one of his arms.

She just stood there, her mouth open but unable to form any words or sounds as her brother lay close to the lava’s shore.

Anakin screamed in pain as Obi-Wan turned off his lightsaber. She watched as Anakin’s vibrant blue eyes turned yellow. He glanced up at her before turning his gaze to Obi-Wan as he shouted.

“You were the chosen one! It was said that you would destroy the Sith, not join them! Bring balance to the Force, not leave it in darkness!” Obi-Wan yelled, his voice hoarse, desperate, and full of despair.

Obi-Wan picked up Anakin’s lightsaber and walked up the small hill. “I hate you!” Anakin yelled, pure rage coating his voice.

“You were my brother, Anakin. I loved you.” Obi-Wan’s voice broke as he watched Anakin slip further down the hill, until one of his legs caught on fire, causing his entire body to burn. Anakin screamed in pain as Obi-Wan watched before finally tearing his gaze away and walked over to Amina.

Her brother was burning, screaming in pain. How could she just stand by and watch?

Amina took a few steps down the hill, her heart wrenching as tears streamed down her face. Obi-Wan's arms encircled her waist, holding her back from the horrific sight of her brother burning in agony. She struggled against his grip, her voice choked with grief and despair. "Anakin!" she cried out, her entire being filled with anguish.

"No, Amina," he murmured, his voice choked with sorrow. "You can't go down there."

Tears continued to blur Amina's vision as she struggled against Obi-Wan's hold, her body trembling with a mix of fear and anguish. "Let me go," she pleaded, her voice hoarse with emotion. "I have to help him."

Obi-Wan's grip tightened, his voice firm yet filled with empathy. "It's too late, Amina. There's nothing we can do."

Amina watched as Anakin reached out a hand at the bottom of the hill as she continued to struggle against Obi-Wan’s hold, "Ani!" she cried out again, desperation thick in her voice. The sight of her brother burning, consumed by flames and darkness, tore at her soul. Every fiber of her being screamed to rush down that hill, to reach out and save him, but Obi-Wan's grip was firm, unyielding.

Obi-Wan's voice was pained yet resolute. "Amina, you can't go down there. It's too late."

"No!" she sobbed, her anguish echoing through the desolate landscape. "I have to help him!"

“Amina, we have to go.” Obi-Wan said firmly.

Amina stopped fighting his grip as he let her turn around to face him. She hit his chest, “we have to do something- there h- has to be something we can do Obi-Wan!”

Obi-Wan gathered her in his arms, pulling her into a hug as she sobbed into his tattered tunic, “there’s nothing we can do, Amina. Anakin is gone. We need to go before it’s too late.”

He knew how difficult this was for her, she had known Anakin all her life. The only other person who shared that honor was Shmi and she was dead as well.

He couldn’t help but feel more pain as he remembered a hidden truth, knowing that he was keeping a secret from her that Master Yoda told him to.

It was never supposed to be him that fought Anakin, it was supposed to be her.

She was only nineteen, he thought, and she’d lost everything.

There he was, her brother, in all his glory, followed by a group of stormtroopers. The coldness. Of course. He had finally come for her.

Hunter heard Amina’s heart rate pick up and her breathing become hurried as he, Wrecker, and Echo turned to face what Amina was looking at, their blasters pointing at Vader.

Amina took a step forward, her gaze locked with Vader's imposing figure. Despite the mask that obscured his face, she could feel his intense stare piercing through her, a silent reminder of the bond they shared as siblings.

"Anakin," she whispered, her voice barely above a breath, laced with a mixture of anguish and longing. In that moment, she couldn't help but yearn for the brother she had once known, the kind-hearted young Jedi who had been her closest confidant and ally.

Vader pointed at her, “grab her.” He ordered, as he used the Force to grab her lightsaber from her grasp.

Hunter raised his blaster at Vader as Amina shook her head, “no, please. I don’t want to go.” She cried out in a hushed tone.

Troopers grabbed her by her arms, cuffing her once again in force suppressing cuffs, dragging her to Vader. Before Hunter, Wrecker, and Echo could shoot, Amina turned her head towards them, shaking her head no.

“Go!” She yelled. Hunter shook his head back at her as she continued, “go! Get Omega! Go, Hunter!”

Amina's plea echoed in his ears, urging him to go, to prioritize Omega's safety over her own. Hunter's grip tightened on his blaster, his jaw clenched in determination. He knew he couldn't leave Amina in Vader's clutches, but he also couldn't abandon Omega to the mercy of the Empire.

“Go!” Amina yelled again, as the troopers dragged her away, Vader leading the way.

Wrecker and Echo exchanged a glance, their expressions mirroring Hunter's internal struggle. They understood the gravity of the situation, the impossible choice that lay before them. But they were soldiers, bred for battle, trained to follow orders even in the face of overwhelming odds.

"We can't just leave her," Wrecker grumbled, his voice tinged with frustration as he glanced back at Amina, her form surrounded by stormtroopers.

Echo nodded in agreement, his gaze fixed on Vader's imposing figure. "We need to find a way to get them both out of there," he said, his tone resolute.

Hunter took a deep breath, his mind racing as he surveyed their surroundings. They were outnumbered and outgunned, facing off against one of the most powerful beings in the galaxy. But they were also soldiers, brothers-in-arms bound by loyalty and friendship.

"We stick to the plan," Hunter said, his voice firm as he met Wrecker and Echo's gaze. "We get Omega back, and then we come back for Amina."

Wrecker nodded, his expression grim but determined. "Copy that, boss," he said, his hand tightening around his blaster.

Echo glanced at Hunter, his eyes betraying a hint of worry. "Are you sure about this?" he asked, his voice tinged with concern.

Hunter met Echo's gaze, his jaw set in determination. "We don't leave anyone behind," he said, his voice steady despite the turmoil raging within him. "Not on my watch."

---

Amina was shoved onto the shuttle and put into a seat, with the harness locking her in.

As the shuttle's engines hummed to life, Amina's heart pounded with a mixture of fear and uncertainty. She stole a glance out the viewport, watching as the familiar streets of Ord Mantell faded into the distance, replaced by the vast expanse of space stretching out before her.

Vader dismissed the troopers as he moved to stand in front of Amina, his gloved hand tracing her cheek.

Amina flinched at his touch, it felt vastly different from when Anakin would do it to her to calm her down or comfort her.

"You have grown," Vader rumbled, his voice deep and resonant, tinged with a hint of something that sounded almost like regret. "But you still possess that Skywalker stubbornness."

Amina clenched her jaw, refusing to let fear show on her face. "What do you want?" she demanded, her voice steady despite the turmoil raging within her.

Vader's gaze bore into her, his eyes hidden behind the red-tinted lenses of his mask. "You," he replied simply, his voice devoid of emotion. "The Emperor wishes to speak with you."

Amina's heart sank at his words, the weight of their implications pressing down on her like a suffocating weight. She knew what awaited her on Coruscant, knew the fate that awaited her at the hands of the Emperor. And yet, she couldn't bring herself to give in to despair.

"I won't go willingly," she said defiantly, her voice tinged with a steely resolve. "You'll have to drag me kicking and screaming if you want to take me to him."

Vader regarded her with a silent intensity, his masked gaze unwavering. "So be it," he said finally, his voice carrying a note of finality.

She felt tears well up in her eyes. How could her brother willingly hand her over to the Emperor, a man who will probably abuse her and use her for whatever he wants.

A tear rolled down her face as the blue and white lights of hyperspace lit up the black shuttle.

---

“There was no way to track Hemlock’s or Vader’s ship.” Echo spoke sadly from the cockpit, while Hunter and Wrecker sat in the hallway by the consoles. “They could’ve taken them anywhere.”

Hunter looked at the gun turret, Omega’s doll sitting in front. He sighed, “we are going to get them back. And we don’t stop searching until we do.”

tags: @callsign-denmark

[cherrybombfangirlwrites]

Galaxy Destoryer ; a WIP (Re)Intro

(New and Improved!)

Genre and Setting

high sci-fi, space cowboys, outerspace millions of miles away from earth, about 50 years after the earth overheated and became uninhabitable, humans have integrated into the rest of the galaxy/universe for the most part, the repurposed battle cruiser- the FU-BS.

Playlist

POV

Third person limited, multiple characters

Status and Length

Drafting, less than 1k ; 3 books or a duology, we'll see

Tropes and Themes

Found family but they're a bunch of criminals and fugitives, cyberpunk, found family but they're all dumbasses, androids and cyborgs, space pirates and bounty hunters, spaceships and laser guns, The Mandalorian and Guardians of the Galaxy vibes, a little to no romance, humans are space orcs, a bunch of criminals accidentally adopt a baby, accidental and reluctant heroes, the "we fucking hate each other but a paycheck is a paycheck" to found family pipeline, main characters avoiding the main plot like the plague ; questioning and exploring morality, choosing between two evils, forgiveness and finding people you can trust, a little touch of space politics but it's mostly background noise, the dangers and harm of capitalism in the background but the characters avoid the main plot so it's background noise as well

Warnings and Rating

sci-fi typical violence, some mental health issues and trauma, possible torture and blood, angst galore ; Teen and Up

Main Characters

Corie (she/her)

The bounty hunter cyborg who just wants some peace and quiet, really good pilot

AroAce, mostly Earthling with brown skin and curly blue hair

lost eye, arm and leg due to bounty hunting business

1000% done with this shit and just wants to be left alone

Knox (he/him)

the self proclaimed team leader (no one listens to him), and former PIE mercenary

The token straight that's on thin ice, full Dlakoonian with purple skin and pointed ears

the oldest crewmate and surrogate tired uncle/chaperone who did no ask to supervise these kids and a baby

NOVA (she/her)

the grumpy android with faulty wiring and wanted smuggler

Bisexual, epileptic (due to faulty wiring), silvery chrome skin with blue lights in the cracks between plates

easily pissed off and fite you

Astra (she/her)

the thief and lovable rogue flying by the seat of her pants who is reckless and cocky and smug af, resident comedic relief

Lesbian, full Earthling and black with very short curly hair, plus sized

rivals with NOVA, they are constantly butting heads just kiss already

Pandora (he/she)

the former PIE scientist who has done questionable projects and now sells his work to the highest bidder

Cis Female, Part time Wheelchair user, autistic and adhd (medium masking), tourettic, full Earthling with brown skin and hair, Muslim (coded?) and wears a hijab

scientist and talented bio chemist, sunshine personality

Aries (xey/xem)

the engineer and mechanic, private contractor and former Black Hole

Agender, half Earthling with brown skin and half Alltinian with pointy ears, social anxiety

Really bad at opening up and being vulnerable and communicating xer needs

Hades (he/him)

the baby, a literal infant, adopted by a bunch of criminals

full Froshether with blue skin and horns

telekinesis powers

mischievous little shit

Antagonists

P.I.E. - Peace Intergalactic Expansion. the micromanaging intergalactic republic government. they used to be better, but in the last couple of decades they were slowly taken over by their "all life and everything must be perfect and pristine" science division.

Black Holes - space pirates that are the extreme opposite of PIE. they claim to be the resistance and rebellion against PIE, but they're not much better in the long run, hurting whoever they need to without remorse to get what they want.

Plot

A bunch of criminals are hired for a job by PIE, the Peace Intergalactic Expansion of the galaxy. The job is top secret, and all they know is that PIE wants them to retrive some kind of weapon- but if they do follow through, their records will be clean and they'll get a thick paycheck. The rag tag team thrown together for this one job hate each other, but they figure a paycheck is a paycheck and decide to tolerate it for this one job.

But as they continue on their job, the crew starts to think something is off. The Black Holes offer them something huge to bring them the weapon instead, and no one even knows what this weapon actually is. Meanwhile PIE is breathing down their necks, reminding them constantly what will happen if they fail or try to betray the huge organization.

Then they find the weapon, and it seems that maybe no one should have the weapon. And that weapon isn't really a weapon at all.

Extra Stuff

Specifics on Corie's cyborg parts: her right eye, right arm from the elbow down, and her left leg from the knee down are prothstetics. She lost her leg to a job that went sideways, and her eye and arm to pirates attempting to exact their revenge on her.

^^^ The arm does have a laser gun attachment and her eye does have a little interface with aiming and targeting

NOVA's model was originally going to be a new line of military androids for PIE, but Nova- the first prototype of her line- failed all her diagnostic tests and they had her scrapped and abandoned the project

The ship they use and fly around in is an old military battle cruiser- called the Fifty-five Utility Battle Starcruiser, or the FU-BS. (I'm think i'm hilarious)

Hades's powers are mainly telekenisis, but he will straight up catch on fire or freeze everything within five feet of him if he's angry and throws a big enough tantrum

Astra and Nova have a rivals to lovers romance that's mainly in the background and for comedy purposes

Pandora and Aries have a kind of cute and fluffy friends-to-lovers romance happening in the background too

Dlakoonians and Alltinians are two alien specis in my worldbuilding that I'm currently working on developing

I took a ton of inspiration for this WIP from the Mandalorian and Guardians of the Galaxy. PIE is based on the Xandarians in GotG and The Black Holes are based on the Ravagers. The plot is inspired by the first two seasons of the Mandalorian (with my own fun additions and twists of course!)

Knox used to be named Lannie but that name was too close to a character from another WIP so I changed it

Memes for your viewing pleasure:

GD Taglist: @fiercely-raging-writer @aesa @thatprolificauthor @writeouswriter @rose-bookblood (send me a message to be +/- from the taglist <;3)

General Taglist: @enchanted-lightning-aes @thatprolificauthor @wip-nook @writeblrsupport @outpost51 @dustylovelyrun (send me a message to be +/- from the taglist <;3)

[scotianostra]

On January 31st 1918 the ‘Battle of the Isle of May’ happened.

I dislike the titlw"Battle" in this piece of war time history, to me it belittles the fact that it was one big fuck up, and the fact it cost the lives of 105 servicemen also makes me feel uncomfortable as it was by no stretch of the imagination a battle.

During a war that was not short of calamities this one ranks up there with the worst, it was one calamity after another, at 18:30 a secret navy exercise known as EC1 involving the 13th Submarine Division (known a K-boats) and a number of Destroyers, Battleships and Light Cruisers had sailed from Rosyth.

The boats and submarines had sailed with only dim stern lights and in radio silence due to the sighting of a German submarine in the Forth earlier that day. They were not helped by misty conditions whilst travelling under the cover of darkness. An unlucky mishap with the helm of submarine K-14 had resulted in a collision with K-22. However worse was to follow…

The huge battlecruiser HMS Australia narrowly missed the stricken K-boats and disaster had been averted. But not for long. Communication eventually reached the lead Light Cruiser HMS Ithuriel about the original collision and the captain of the ship decided to turn around and head back to the two K-boats which had struck each other. Alongside the Light cruiser, the other K-boats also followed her back but communication was poor and unfortunately the boats and submarines further back, lead by HMS Fearless were unaware of the accident ahead and ran straight into their sister flotilla.

Over the following minutes, disaster struck again as HMS Fearless rammed K-17, and the submarine sank with the loss of all life in a matter of minutes. Submarines K-6 hit K-4, and nearly cut her in half, K-7 fast approaching spotting K-6, she just managed to avoid her, but was totally unaware of K-4 lying across her path, and a further collision ensued. The second hit proved fatal for K-4, and she sank. Only nine men were pulled from the water, and one of these died before he could receive medical treatment.

Total deaths were 105, 2 subs were sunk 4 more damaged and the Scout cruiser HMS Fearless damaged.

Despite it being remembered (black humour) as the ‘Battle of the Isle of May’, there were actually no enemy warships involved and only a combination of bad luck and human error resulted in such a great loss of life. The terrible events of that night took place just 1.5 miles off the north end of the Isle of May.

Of course the accident was kept secret during the war, and a memorial cairn was finally erected 84 years later, on 31st January 2002 at Anstruther harbour opposite the Isle of May.

[totallynormalalec]

When a smeet hatches, they are giving a PAK designated to a random class, or whatever class is in demand. Each class is represented by a color and each PAK is specialized to the tools and information needed for that class. There has been multiple instances throughout Irken history that an Irken has transferred to a different class from which they were born into, but the PAK is still a way of designating what kind of tools and info they possess.

PAK Tools

•Four mechanical, spider like legs which can be used as

• A quick and versatile mode of transportation

• Laser cutters/laser blast

• Shield generator

• Laser gun

•Audio and Video commucator

•Portible container

•Levitation system

•Jet pack

•Invisible bubble helmet (space travel)

•Binocular helmet with night vision

•Small robotic arm

•Organ harvesting device

•Ray gun

The PAK contains all of the Irkens knowledge, effectively serving as an auxiliary brain, and holds a great array of wepons/tools. It also contains the hosts personality, charging cell, atmospheric prosesr and a handy auto reset button that will reactivate an Irken if they suffer a fetal injury. It also seems to be able to heal the host more quickly then it would naturally.

If a PAK is separated from its host, it will soon begin to seek out another, though it will at first attempt to reconnect with its original Irken owner

If the PAK attaches to another organism it will slowly kill the organism and take over if the organism can't remove it in 10 minutes.

Combat Division

Invader Class

Trained in covert ops, Invaders are tasked with going undercover to enemy planets and blending in with the native inhabitants in order to prepare it for conquest by the Irken Armada.

Milliary Class

The Irkens programmed for the military make up the majority of the Irken Armada. They are trained to be the soldiers on the front line in battle wether that be on land sea or space

Wepon Class

Battle seems to be a hobby to the Irken race. And working in close correspondence with the Innovations Class, the Wepons Class specializes in the building and development of the technology of the Irken military offense. If the Military Class uses it in battle, the Weapons Class built it

Research & Analysis Devision

Life Sciences Class

They specialize in all the non mechanical factors of Irken life like biology,systematics and agriculture

Physical Sciences Class

Irkens of the Physical Science Class are the ones that crunch the numbers of life and the math of how things work. Their specialists include the studies of space, sound, motion and best of all quantum physics

Explorer Class

The Irkens programmed into the Explorer Class don't see Irk much after their initial training. Their job is braving the frontiers of space, mapping and scoping out the far universe and reporting their findings back to the tallest

Engineering Division

Medical Class

Seeing how the PAK is the Irken life force, highly trained medical technicians are needed to maintain and repair them. They work in close correspondence with the Life Sciences Class, but those in the Medical Class truly know the ins, outs, and facets of the PAK and how it works. They're the primary class in production of every new PAK.

Innovations Class

Those in the Innovations Class are essentially the inverters and artists of the Irken race. They design and build everything from cruisers to robo technics to the structure capsules used by the Invader Class to establish their secret bases.

Communications Class

They are the Irkens behind every visual and aural form of communication used by the Irken Empire. Not only do they build the equipment they also operate the Communication Center on both Irk and the Massive alike.

All information was taken from different sources on the internet. I just compiled it into a list -Alec

[wheelsgoroundincircles]

Dan Gurney Drives the 1969 Mercury Marauder X-100

Posted on May 26, 2024 by MCG

It’s only natural that Lincoln-Mercury would select Riverside International Raceway as the setting for this quick film showcasing Dan Gurney and the 1969 Marauder X-100. After all, Gurney practically owned the historic California road course at the time. Between 1963 and 1968 he swept the annual NASCAR Grand National events there five times, including four victories in a row in 1963-66. In those days, NASCAR at Riverside was the Dan Gurney show. While all these NASCAR wins came in Fords, Gurney raced for the Lincoln-Mercury division as well, piloting a Cougar in the Trans-Am series for team owner Bud Moore.

As we watch him wrestle the giant Marauder X-100 around the demanding 9-turn, 3.3 mile course, Gurney reports, “The standard handling package has a real sports car feel through the turns.” They probably asked him to say that. At more than 18 feet long and more than 4,400 lbs, the X-100 would never be mistaken for a sports car. (For more on the rare X-100, see our feature here). Still, with its 460 cubic-inch, 360 hp V8, creamy ride, and roomy interior, the X-100 was just the ticket for buyers in need of a powerful, stylish highway cruiser. Now here’s Chris Schenckel of ABC Sports to set up the action. Video above.