#the sol crew were VERY concerned

[quotes-from-dreams]

TV's Frank: I've turned my husband into an ant! Sure, he'll die with the kids in the car, but he'll live!

Dr. Forrester: ...I'm blocked by a bee. An invisible, BURGLAR bee.

[carionto]

Predator mode

Big Thrasher was not a happy camper after his first encounter with Humanity. There is a certain exponential curve to simple ballistic weapons, whereas shields, which start off way above, progress on a geometric line. E in = E out (mostly, some charge is lost in conversion) vs E=MC^2. He learned that the hard way when three of his toughest cruisers were reduced to space dust by, as he later learned to his horror, a mid-sized transport ship using Human standard issue rail cannons.

Someone smart would move on and avoid Humanity. Big Thrasher isn't a complete idiot, but he is a prideful and narcissistic pirate captain. Thus his ability to make sensible decisions is handicapped severely. Now he has made a most dubious one indeed:

Infiltrate a Human science station and steal all their secrets and use them to get sweet, juicy, delicious revenge!

Finding one was disturbingly easy, there's so many of them. Like, at least one for each star system within eighty light years from Sol, one for each planet within thirty, and then it just gets ridiculous within Sol itself. Oddly enough, despite their size, typically there are no more than ten people aboard, almost all Human, only a few are joint Coalition.

Thinking long and hard (something Big Thrasher is not a fan of) he decided on his target - a lone station on the very outskirts of publicly known Human activity and furthest away from any major Coalition systems.

When his reconstructed fleet arrived behind the local gas giant, the station was sitting in mid orbit of the inner rock planet and was broadcasting something strange on open channels - a melodic chant of sorts:

"..live on a Yellow Submarine! A Yellow Submarine! A Yellow Submari.."

whatever that meant. No matter, Big Thrasher's fleet was moving in on the target, stealth drives on, weapons ready, numbers on their side, element of surprise - the perfect ambush.

...

Where did the station go?

Before Big Thrasher could register neural activity to try and answer that, it appeared. Behind them. And a small explosion happened moments earlier where it used to be, but the main concern was the station firing its stabilizer thrusters to rotate it at incredible speeds, then a long blade slicing one of his ships in two. Then it disappeared again. And another small explosion.

Once more, it suddenly reappeared behind another one of his ships and did the same thing, but this time used its thrusters to quickly move towards the vessel and impale it on a massive spike. Disappear. Small explosion in its place.

Three. Four. Five. They're losing ships by the second. A literal space station sized target and they can't keep track of it, let alone land a single hit. How is it teleporting? What are those explosions?

WHY IS A SPACE STATION ENGAGING HIS PIRATE SPACE SHIP FLEET IN MELEE COMBAT!

WHY WOULD ANYONE THINK TO DO THAT IN THE FIRST PLACE!?!

WHY IS IT WINNING!?!??!

Big Thrasher once again order an emergency retreat, what remained of his fleet scattered to randomly selected quick hyperjump coordinates, and would regroup in a few weeks time.

_______________________

Aboard the experimental development station Tree of Grating Whispers the crew of seven were hastily putting out fires and trying not to throw up from all the gee forces they just endured, kinetic dampeners be damned.

A few hours later, all in their environmental suits, as the life support system was dead, they convened for an after-action report:

"Right, so, good news and bad news. Good news - short range teleporter works perfectly. Bad news - each unit doesn't teleport with us and just explodes, further data has been unrecoverable so far.

Good news - rapid action thruster and kinetic combat mode works. Bad news - can't have biologicals onboard and even moderately durable systems break after a few swings.

Overall, I'd say this has been a success (unanimous nodding). Let's get to working out the kinks and we'll have a presentable version for the military. We'll also have to thank those pirates for not masking their engine heat trails, this was a great field trial guys, real proud of everyone!"

The chief says, while high on painkillers (and so is the rest of the crew), as another part of the station self-immolates.

[jpitha]

Between the Black and Grey - Epilogue

First / Previous

The K'laxi Administration and Fleet Command was on a space station, orbiting high above their planet. Sure, they had countries like the humans and other peoples; they were not one large homogenous people. K'laxi came in all different shapes, sizes, colors, and predilections just like humans, Gren, Innari, and others. They found that having a central station not on the planet allowed the greatest chance for cooperation and coordination among the different K'laxi peoples.

Except for the whole civil wars thing, but that was nearly finished with anyway, so there was no need for concern with that.

Zhe walked down the halls; her steps confident, her gaze high and clear, and her uniform... unfamiliar to Fen, Penny, Chloe, and the others. Gord would probably recognize it, but he would also have known better than to say anything. People in the halls gave her plenty of space, and a few tried to make it look like they had forgotten something and needed to turn around and go down that other hall very quickly. It's not every day that a member of the Mel'itim - the secret police - walks around in uniform. Zhe's face was impassive, but she smiled inwardly at the sight. It was fun to be intimidating sometimes.

She had asked Penny and Fen - Currently Empress and Empress Emeritus - for a few months off "to visit family and check in on them." It had been granted without question. She was given use of a frigate with a full crew and ordered to 'relax and take time off."

Fen's recovery had been slow, difficult. Some parts of her body were permanently damaged and had been replaced with artificial and lab grown replacements. Her legs were built much like the AI bodies, and most of her lungs had to be re-grown. Han'iel's implant was also removed and it was discovered that while it was a magnetic bottle for antimatter, none was present. That caused a stir and made everyone question just how successful Han'iel's project to develop reliable antimatter was. Did he just make enough for the one missile, and couldn't make anymore? It just led to more questions that would be asked of him when he was captured. Fen was able to walk, and her mind was intact, but the nanite infestation had changed her. She was more quiet, introspective. She had no desire to rule and would spend long hours in the royal suites reading or studying. She was trying to learn all she could about what actually happened to one in one hundred humans when they went through a wormhole link. Quite a few anonymous donations for research into the phenomenon had been made as of late, so people had begun to dig deeper into it.

The nanites seemed to be gone. Fen's virus had worked its way through the main cloud around the white hole, and then had passed virulently through the worlds until no real trace could be detected. Most everyone had no idea that they existed - let alone held sway over the human Empress' for the last few centuries, and as much as they could, that information was suppressed. The official word was that they were a malevolent species that long in the past had decided to become a cloud of nanoscale consciousness. Their matter manipulation and... mind manipulation abilities were quietly ignored. Fen's virus was such that those who had an especially large concentration of nanites did not come away unscathed, but nobody seemed to be as damaged as she was. Most everyone who had a large amount of them already knew they existed, or could be convinced to keep their true purpose quiet.

Han'iel's rebellion was still underway, but the tide had turned. The pro-Sol faction had always been larger, and even during the previous civil war when it was more of a religious war than an ideological one there were more K'laxi that wanted to throw their lot in with the humans, even if it was for practical and pragmatic reasons. With Fen and Penny's quiet help, the pro-Sol faction was most likely going to win.

Speaking of, Penny did have quite a few pretenders to contend with, but most of them wound up being pretenders in name only. They had no support, no money, and no weapons. A small number - less than six - did have some of those things, but with Zhe's help and a few 'happy accidents' they were taken care of. One of the last, a general that was quite popular with his crew and managed to put together a flotilla of like minded ships was convinced with a rather large payout and only a small amount of sitting tied to a chair with a wormhole link backpack strapped to him to 'retire' and move to Meíhuà. All in all, the succession 'question' had lasted less than a year.

The human colonies had largely taken a 'wait and see' approach to everything going on. Parvati put out plenty of announcements that they were 'proud of being a member of the Empire' but also had quietly called up their reservists and dug a few old ships out of mothballs and began refitting them for service. The AI citizens that had previously been the ships were offered their old positions, and most took them. Meíhuà, being the furthest and most insular colony went on as they always had, with one eyebrow raised towards Sol, and concentrated on their own things. There was word that Penny would declare self determination for all interested polities and that the main colony worlds would most likely take them up on it. That hadn't happened yet however.

The Gren, Sefigans, Innari, and others were pleased that the Empire had given up their 'recent acquisitions' and had offered to pay reparations for the damages they had caused, but in return peace and friendship agreements were... encouraged to be signed by the humans. They were signed in due course, and before long trade would resume between the peoples.

The AIs were... the AIs. Almost, but not quite human, they had their own wants, needs, desires, and goals. A faction was developing of the newer, younger AIs who wished to strike off on their own, make their own colony, and remove themselves from what they saw as 'human hegemony.' The older AIs on the other hand felt a much closer kinship to the humans and wanted to stay around and help them. Gord was the de facto leader of the 'old guard' and wasn't interested in in-fighting. Chloe had mentioned to Fen quietly that he was probably going to let anyone who wanted to go, go and anyone who wanted to stay, stay.

Zhe stood, her feet shoulder width apart, her tail still while the report was read aloud by a steward. Three elder K'laxi sat on a dais above her, their faces stony. When the steward was finished, she saluted and walked out of the room. Behind her, the door closed with finality.

"Zherun, your report is... extensive." The K'laxi in the middle said, his ears flicking. "We had expected a report sooner, but I suppose what you were dealing with necessitated delays in reporting."

"Yes, Elder." Zhe looked straight ahead.

"You were not successful in preventing the Empress from developing antimatter." The one on Zhe's left said, her fur long and wavy, unusual in K'laxi.

"No, Elder. They have improved their containment technology, but their production technology remains slow and difficult. Empress Penelope has no real desire to continue Fen's line of research. I anticipate it will stall."

"How goes the Heap?" The one on her right said, his ears flicking in amusement.

"My Father's work continues. He understands... some of the nature of my role here and does not pressure me." Just for a moment, her eyes met his. "Though, he would like me to return and take up the family mantle."

The right K'laxi nodded. "A pirate who can also report back to us on information is a valuable asset indeed. Letters of marquis will not be issued, and there will be an expectation that you will keep... activities against K'laxi to a minimum, but I see no real issue with that being your next posting. Agreed?"

"Agreed." The other two K'laxi echoed.

That was surprising. Zhe was wondering when she could request a transfer to the Heap. The fact that they were assigning her there solved so many problems. "Thank you, Elders. I will continue my work on the Heap."

"We know you will, Zhe, that's why we're assigning you there. Continue to bring us accurate information about the humans and other species in the galaxy, and your leash will be long."

"Did you wind up mating with Fen?" The middle K'laxi asked.

"P-Pardon me?" Zhe's fur rippled a few times, blushing, but she managed to keep her expression from changing, other than her already large eyes widening a little.

The Elder practically rolled his eyes. "You're not an embarrassed child, you heard my question. We know she was married to a K'laxi, so we know she is attracted to us. Mating with her and beginning a relationship would be an excellent way to gain information."

"Er, no Elder, I did not. She still loves her wife, and other than some physical intimacy with Penny, I did not see her express any desire in another relationship."

"You never offered?"

"Elder! With all due respect, that is too far."

He laughed with the barking cough of K'laxi laughter. "Zherun, you have done well. We thank you for your service and wish you all the best in your future." The three of them stood, signaling the end of the debrief.

Zhe saluted, and turned to leave. As she approached the door, the lock clicked, and a guard opened it for her, nodding slightly as she passed.

If she was going to be going to the Heap for a while, she should stock up while she was here. Zhe headed down towards the promenade, wondering how many people were going to avoid her while she wore her uniform, and whether she could leverage that fear into a discount on a box of Chamomile.

[ablupen]

I Completed Lessons 1-10. Here's what happened, and the ending I got.

Alright! After about 15 hr 23 min total of F2P playing, I've completed all 10 lessons with all main stories/episodes watched. Granted, anything past lesson 4 isn't full S completed anymore, and I am very broke, but eh.

Anyways, here's some pictures of how it's going:

And now some more thoughts and summaries, including stuff I didn't say in my last post.

The boss levels are basically beating up the boys... Well, uh, if you're mad at one of the seven, go play their boss level, ig?

Solomon's cooking is so bad it caused Henry 1.0 to rapidly polymorph temporarily into random things

Henry 1.0 was originally huge. Levi befriended the snake when both of them were hiding from Satan

Henry 1.0 became regular snake sized bc Sol shrank him 😐 This means the shrink spell wore off, apparently.

The building that you and Sol share is called Cocytus Hall. I wonder where this building would be present day..? Did it get recycled?

Newly-demon brothers are being discriminated

Cerberus was obtained bc of a rumor that anyone who tames it becomes Ruler of the Underworld.

Mammon rallies everyone behind Luci's back to find and tame Cerberus

On the way there, we discover that we can still summon the brothers (We summon Beel to eat a magically growing pile of apples)

Apprehension attempt on Cerberus did not succeed. Luci saves everyone and tames Cerberus. Someone leaks these news and this is how the seven brothers become the seven rulers.

We become one of the three core founding members of RAD lmao

Somehow we get caught in a dream(?) with Levi in the TSL world. Levi does not know TSL at this point in time. Anyways, he summons Lotan at the end of it, who apparently actually appeared in real life, flooded the room, and then left.

Fuck i forgot when this happened so I'll just leave it here, but: Satan turned everyone except you and Lucifer into Chihuahuas. Including himself. Thankfully, the spell had a limit so it didn't last long

Angels enter the scene! For RAD consultation.

Apparently at some point the bottom of Asmo's bathtub becomes a portal.

Solomon is a fucking bastard and pushes everyone into the bathtub. You choose if you go in by your own will or if he also pushes you.

It leads to the Celestial Realm??? No lol jk, it's actually inside a very familiar looking labyrinth and y'all are being chased by a giant spider, fuck.

Solomon remakes pact with Asmo to distract spider.

Solomon then summons Barbatos

Unfortunately at some point he pissed Barbs off so he's ticked off by this summon. Barbs teleports the spider away and Sol uses his pact to force him to make a portal back home, but Barbs gets mad and later TELEPORTS HIM TO A DRAGON'S DEN LMAO

dw he's alright! He returns next lesson with a dragon egg.

Bad news! Diavolo and Barbatos realize you're human and not a demon after... What/when is this? 6-7 lessons? Yeah. Anyways, Dia tells you that you should pack up bc he's sending you back to the human world. You're another distraction, so to eliminate some stress, you're being deported, sorry. This is not a good thing.

Mammon and crew - except Luci obviously take on a ghost hunting job at the tome place idk I forgot the spelling

Mammon gets fucking possessed by a human ghost named Adam after you read his name off of a tomestone bc it was written in a human language.

Adam says that a demon killed him with consent many years ago bc Adam was trying to look for his lover but their dead

In case it wasn't obvious, that you.

Also, the demon knew you'd have the Ring of Light on you still. Anyways, Adam tells you that the demon's name/alias was Nightbringer. Guys, it's a fucking name drop!!!

You manage to open the gates for Adam by slurping up some of the brothers' powers and by the powers of the ring

Next day, you get a letter telling you to meet Dia concerning your expulsion, which Sol comes with you to try and change Dia's mind.

Suddenly, Belphegor basically kicks open the doors to demand that Beel be released. Apparently, he's been jailed. Shit, isn't that a parallel or what, huh?

Apparently, he suddenly got out of control and rampaged. Dia manages to pin him down and get him into a cell with sheer strength alone, but later escapes in the next lesson after you confront Luci and Belphegor who had a spat.

You, Luci, and Belphie get blamed for causing all of this 🥴 Especially by Barbs. Anyways, using your magic siphoning ability from your future pacts and the Ring of Light, you knock Beel out. Lesson 10 ends with you revealing that you're human and Dia and everyone wondering who tf you are to have this kind of power.

That was a lie. The very last scene was actually Satan and Simeon watching a cat that you introduced to Satan before you left with Luci and Belphie and discover the rampaging Beel. "Do you think MC will come back before the cat wakes up?" "I hope so."

Context for the quotes on the Nightbringer site:

Lucifer; "My pride hurt my brothers": I actually don't remember this one. I don't even know if my choices led up to this one. Will maybe revisit everything tomorrow or sum

Mammon; "We chose to follow Lucifer here. We all had reasons for doin' what we did.": This is from when Mammon is trying to convince the other brothers to join him in his search for Cerberus. He's tired of being discriminated, and doesn't regret his choice.

Leviathan; "I never wanted to come to this awful place, to begin with!": When Diavolo meets with the brothers concerning plans for RAD and about possibly making an announcement to show the brothers'presence, Levi is against this. He doesn't want the attention.

Satan; "I can barely stand being around them. It's torture.": Obviously, "them" are his "brothers". I can assume when he says this, but I think I can guess when it is. It was probably after he stormed off once the others discuss what the Celestial Realm was like. He's never seen that place, and he can't relate to the other brothers.

Asmodeus; "I want to return to the Celestial Realm...! I want to be an angel again! The way I used to be... White wings and all!": This is during the weird portal in the bathtub scene. He had tried to move on from the fall, but Simeon's appearance reminds him of what he lost again. He's scared of the fact that he's getting used to his demon self and that he's forgetting what it was like to be an angel.

Beelzebub; "I have a big secret that I've never been able to tell... Not even to Belphie.": I've actually never encountered this one bc I didn't get close to Beel. Has anyone seen this one?

Belphegor; "Who deserves to be punished the most?": After Lucifer temporarily admits defeat and doesn't stand up to Diavolo to let Beel go, Belphegor gets angry. He's scared that he'll lose another sibling. After telling you about Lilith and how stubborn she was, he admits that he doesn't know who to blame: Lilith for breaking the rules, the angels for directly killing her (or was this second one the other brothers for not doing more? I forgot damn), or himself for not protecting Lilith.

Anyways, that's all I can think of rn. Do note though that in Nightbringer, choices apparently actually matter so you may have gotten different results!

[procrastinatorproject]

29, 39, and 40 for the Star Trek asks, please. ✨

Thank you so much for the questions!

29. Favourite and Least Favourite Episodes:

Ooooh, good question! Let's start with the negativity so we can end on a high note 😅

I... honestly would put most of Picard seasons 2 & 3 in the "least favourite" category 🙈 If I had to pinpoint some lowlights, it'd be "Fly Me to the Moon". It's not a bad episode in itself and in isolation, I might not mind it, but the two times I watched through season 2 in order, this was the episode where I found myself crying and/or shaking with rage and disappointment when it was over. Probably becuase it really drives home that they're serious about where they're going with this series I used to love and it's not somewhere I can follow.

Disregarding that... I have a terrible memory for this kind of thing 😅 And I guess it depends on what you mean by "least favourite".

I think one objective measure to use: I don't ever want to see the ENT mpreg episode again, where everyone acts like Trip Tucker having his bodily autonomy violated in a horrendous way is The Funniest Shit™. That has seared itself into my brain so much that when I was rewatching all of TNG, DS9, VOY, and ENT to take notes for the holo-tech database, it's actually the only episode I wanted to skip.

There are also some real bombs in season 1 of TNG, and some of the Ferengi episodes in DS9 are firmly on my "no thank you" list. But yeah, I think the involuntary mpreg takes the cake, honestly.

Now for the much funner part: There are SO MANY episodes I truly love! DS9's "Take Me Out to the Holosuite" and "Badda-Bing Badda Bang", PIC's "Broken Pieces", VOY's "Concerning Flight" (which is apparently controversial?), "Drive", "Bride of Chaotica!", also any VOY episode that has Naomi Wildmann in it...

There are also A Ton of Deep and Dramatic episodes I love, but from my instinctive answers I'm realizing that what draws me to an episode as a "favourite" is apparently "It's fun!" (and likely involves the holodeck? 🙈🤣) So yeah, if we're talking favourite, not best, it's probably something along these lines.

39. You have to relocate to a planet other than Earth, which do you choose?

Hm, that's a tough one. I feel like not that many planets readily spring to mind, so I'll have to really think about this.

It'd probably be near the centre of the Federation for that sweet, sweet post-capitalist utopia (and also because my family is presumably still on Earth and I want to be able to visit Very Frequently.

Vulcan is a big No, because my body does not function above 25° C🙈 I love snow and ice, though, so Andoria might be a real option (though not technically a planet, I guess 😋).

Beyond that, I'm honestly drawing a blank. I think I haven't seen enough TOS/TNG in a while, so I don't remember too many worlds they visited. But yeah, probably somewhere that's close to the Sol, close to the centre of the Federation, has good temperate-to-colder climate to live in... In the end, it would probably very much depend on why I'm relocating and whom with.

40. If you got a Trek inspired tattoo, what would it be?

Another tough one 😅 I don't have any tattoos and don't think I'll ever get any. For one, I'm way too scared of that kind of long-term commitment, but also my skin has Issues™ and I don't know how long a tattoo would look decent.

If I were to get one, though? Let's be honest, it would be some version of the Sirena logo. That little ship has shaped my life in ways more profound than I can even say. Sirena and her crew got me to write again after over a decade, gave me so, so, SO much joy, not to mention all the incredible, wonderful friends I foud along the way (that's you!)

I think for me, Sirena stands for found family, friendship, healing, creativity, allowing myself to feel joy in my nerdiness and head for new adventures. So yeah.

If not that, probably some variation of IDIC, either the symbol or the saying in Vulcan script 🤔

--

This was fun! Thank you so much for the asks! And if anyone else wants to know more:

Send Me Star Trek Asks 💗

[wewerecore]

The Great Pro-Wrestling Adventure Hour - 029 11/30/23 Defy TV 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM EST Filmed at WCPO TV Studios in Cincinnati, Ohio

- Our show opened this week with a much different look. Our new hosts Daphne Oz, Veda Scott, Sam Leterna, and Alyssa Marino entered into a brightly colored set with a large marble topped kitchen island complete with stove top. Behind them were a stainless steel refrigerator and double oven. They made their way through the kitchen area and took their seats at an oversized oval shaped wood desk with a large screen behind it reading "THE RING" in a playful font surrounded by some fun emoji-like images of colorful lucha libre masks, sliced watermelons, and hibiscus plants. - Daphne Oz welcomed us to a new format for The Great Pro-Wrestling Adventure Hour presented by The Ring! Daphne said The Ring is your new home for the happenings behind the grapplings, they'll take on the biggest trends straight from your feed, a glimpse at another side of your favorite grunts and groaners, all this with a focus on pop culture, wellness, food, and of course, fun! Daphne introduced us to the other three members of The Ring Crew. - A new intro for The Great Pro-Wrestling Adventure Hour presented by The Ring aired set to the single mix of Belinda Carlisle's cover of "Band Of Gold." - The panel kicked things off by discussing the biggest news of the week, their Spotify Wrapped! Sam Leterna couldn't believe how much bubblegrunge she listened to this year. Alyssa Marino revealed that the place that listened just like her was…Burlington, Vermont? So random! The Ring Crew teased later in the show they'll have an expert on to discuss the developing major health story we've all been reading about.

The Andersons (Brock Anderson and CW Anderson) vs. The OutRunners (Truth Magnum and Turbo Floyd) The Andersons defeated The OutRunners with a spinebuster from Brock on Turbo.

- When we returned from break The Ring panel moved to the kitchen for a cooking segment. Veda Scott said today they'll be showing off some quick and easy options for wrestling fans to get those resolutions off on the right foot with three Superfoods With Attitudes. Veda showed us how to skip the burgers and try some bulgur with a delicious bulgur pilaf. - Alyssa Marino brought out a special guest to help prepare this next dish, it's Starboy Charlie who will help prepare a versatile Starfruit Salsa that can be paired with salads or fish. As Starboy was put to work slicing starfruit, he was asked about a match Kerry Morton made for next week after being disappointed in The Southern 6 losing to Black Generation International at the Thanksgiving Tussle. It will be Starboy Charlie and Alex Taylor against Giant Baba Yaga and Fuego Del Sol. Charlie was quick to point out that Alex Taylor was the first person eliminated from their team. - Daphne Oz showed us a great way to integrate healthy berries into your holiday parties with adorable Santas made with a strawberry body, coconut beard, a raspberry hat, and blueberry boots.

SHIMMER Tag Team Championship Tournament: Round One

Stephanie Vaquer and La Catalina vs. DIAMOND EGOIST (Risa Sera and Aoi) Stephanie Vaquer and La Catalina defeated DIAMOND EGOIST with a top rope splash from Catalina on Aoi.

- The Ring Crew brought out a special guest to discuss this very concerning health news we've all been reading about. Of course they mean Hangman Page drinking Swerve Strickland's blood. Daphne Oz brought out CORE owner and her father Dr. Mehmet Oz. Dr. Oz discussed the dangers of drinking human blood and the many pathogens that can be found in blood. Dr. Oz also touched on the dangers of the many cuts wrestlers seem to suffer near their hair lines. Staph bacteria can often be found in human hair follicles and can easily travel from the hair into these open wounds.

- Before the next match, Shaw Mason and Hunter Holdcraft made their way to ringside. Mason implored referee Scarlette Donovan to take extra time checking Bosby for foreign objects and to check under the ring for any hidden weapons.

Tim Bosby vs. Jack Vaughn Tim Bosby defeated Jack Vaughn with a ripcord lariat. - The hosts of The Ring announced that on Christmas night in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania the 2023 Trios Kingdom winners THE 37KAMIINA of Yuki Ueno, MAO, and Toy Kojima will be returning to CORE. CORE matchmakers wanted a match between them and Black Generation International, but Titus Alexander is already scheduled for a Coal Miner’s Glove match against Eddie Kingston and unfortunately Kaito Ishida and Flamita are the only other two members available on that date. So while we await opponents to be named, in honor of THE 37KAMIINA and the Japanese Christmas tradition of fried chicken, next week Daphne Oz will be showing off some of her favorite fried chicken recipes for you to try this holiday season.

SHIMMER Tag Team Championship Tournament: Round One

Blue Nation (Charli Evans and Jessica Troy) vs. DIAMOND EGOIST (MICHIKO and Janai Kai) DIAMOND EGOIST defeated Blue Nation with tombstone from MICHIKO on Charli.

- The Ring Crew signed off for this week, thanking all the viewers for tuning in as well as their guests Starboy Charlie and Dr. Mehmet Oz. Come back next week for the following matches as well as tips on how to up-cycle your old Christmas cards!

Next Week On The Great Pro-Wrestling Adventure Hour presented by The Ring Starboy Charlie and Alex Taylor vs. Giant Baba Yaga and Fuego Del Sol folkstyle (Shaw Mason and Hunter Holdcraft) vs. The Andersons (Brock Anderson and CW Anderson) SHIMMER Tag Team Championship Tournament: Round One: Queen Aminata and Raychell Rose vs. The Royal Aces (Jetta and Charlie Morgan) SHIMMER Tag Team Championship Tournament: Round One: Hyan and Kylie Paige vs. Sayaka and Sayaka Obihiro

Upcoming Shows:

CORE Pro #126 12/25/23 …if only in my dreams Wind Creek Event Center - Bethlehem, Pennsylvania 01. Finals of the SHIMMER Tag Team Championship Tournament 02. The 37KAMIINA (Yuki Ueno/MAO/Toy Kojima) vs. ??? 03. Coal Miner's Glove Match: Eddie Kingston vs. Titus Alexander

CORE Pro #1?? 02/03/24 Regional Pro-Wrestling Day 2024 LuLu Temple - Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania

CORE presents The Co-Op 2024 04/03/24 - 04/07/24 23rd Street Armory - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Partner Promotions include GLEAT and JTO (Just Tap Out)

[solomon-tozer]

For the random ask thing: Do you have any headcanons/ideas for Tozer in a scifi AU? Star Trek, Star Wars, not picky (- if not it's totally fine) Cheers! 💝

I do now!!

Star Trek

redshirt, but doesn't die

security guy, but also friendly with some guys from engineering so helps out holding spanners and such, and is good at fixing things, learns a lot by osmosis

highly likeable, very tactile, good at reassuring people and cheering them up

sensible, level-headed - exactly the kind of guy you'd want around in a crisis

slight fascination with old style guns

loves going on adventures on the holodeck, his favourites are wild west shoot-ups

holodeck mishap??? no one ever finds out, he sorts that shit out before anyone realises anything has gone wrong

loves his R&R, especially as he has 'company'

would seriously die for his friends, but finds it's more effective to stay alive so he can still be around to protect them

Star Wars

from one of the outer rim planets

does NOT like the Empire

pretty good at speed racing, good at fixing things (mostly out of necessity), but his real talent is in fighting

scratch that, his real talent is getting along with people

likeable, people want to gravitate towards him and listen to him. growing up he was the ringleader of a gang of feral little kids that would strip your ship in the time it took for you to blow your nose

his mother died when he was 6, he had no other family but there was a woman who took him in and became like a second mother to him, and made sure he was clothed and got a portion of whatever food was available

he would always look out for others and share what he had, even if it meant he went without for the sake of someone else

things fell apart as he got older. he lost a lot of friends to sickness, violence, slavery, privation, and addiction. his home planet is not a place where many people grow old (his second mother died when he was 15)

managed to get off the planet as part of a not-entirely-honest cargo crew who were passing through, flew a few years with them before joining the Resistance

he's not a pilot at all, definitely more of a 'grunt', but he's outstanding at combat and highly liked, so he's promoted quickly. again, people gravitate towards him

he has these moments when in space where he looks out at all the stars and just... thinks it's so beautiful. but he also thinks about all the planets out there, all the people suffering the way he and his friends did, and he makes a promise to himself that he'll do everything he can to change things for everyone

doesn't really understand the meaning of 'settling down'. it's an abstract concept. as far as Sol is concerned, you keep going until you drop (it doesn't occur to him that he will live long enough to see the Resistance's goal achieved, he figures he'll die for the cause, and he's okay with that. what else could you want to do with your life?)

peacetime Sol would become a foster parent for any and every wayward kid around. he doesn't realise he's being fatherly. he thinks he's just some guy looking out for those in need the way anyone else ought to (and he's always been good at looking out for others). he teaches them how to look after themselves, makes sure they have shelter if they need it, food and clothes, helps them figure out where best to get a job

(Fighter Pilot Sol)

his combat skills are far better than his flying skills. he's still a pretty decent fighter pilot though (emphasis on 'fighter')

befriends droids

tries to speak binary with his astromech droid. his droid tells him no. don't... don't do that

(his astromech droid is snarky, but mostly because it knows Sol finds that funny, and the droid likes him)

bit of a poster boy for the Resistance, which sometimes he enjoys, but other times he just wants a quiet drink with his mates

does his best to look out for everyone

support guy rather than flashy leader, but they promote him anyway

knows he's just a small part of something much bigger, but is proud of what he does all the same

Okay I'll stop there XD This was such an amazing ask, thank you so much for sending it!! I'm going to be thinking a lot about this for the rest of the day now...

[bounce-a-coin-off-your-witcher]

Pirate!au with Captain!Jaskier. Jaskier feels a need to show off his pet witcher to the rest of the crew. -sol

(so I’ve made Captain!Jaskier incredibly horny with some soft dom vibes and there’s nothing I can do now except keep writing him that way)

-this is going to be slightly Horny so fair warning; I also made up that thing about Nilfgaard so don’t @ me about fuckin’ with the lore. I know I am a fool-

Geralt didn’t know whether to be proud of himself or embarrassed. The young Captain kept him close to his side all the time. The ex-witcher had never been praised quite so often. Or treated like a person of value. Or petted. Or kissed.

It was almost infuriating how weak the pirate made him feel. He was supposed to be out in the world killing monsters (not that there were many left) and protecting people, not sitting on an overstuffed red-and-blue cushion while the Lark of Lettenhove played with his hair absentmindedly. “Why do I have to sit like this all the time?”

“Ah,” the pirate smiled playfully. “It’s a custom I learned about during my travels in Nilfgaard. If someone is wealthy and influential enough, they might employ a particularly attractive person to serve as their trophy lover.”

“You’re not paying me.”

“Well I’m feeding you, aren’t I?”

Geralt hummed his agreement. He was being fed. Very well. 

“I’ve given you new clothes, washed and braided your unruly mane, and kissed you into silence on several occasions.” The Captain continued. “You belong to me until your debts are paid.”

“They’ll never be paid if I keep eating from the ship’s supply of food.”

“Mhm. Exactly. The thing is, darling, that I wouldn’t mind keeping you like this forever.” Jaskier smirked but his eyes were full of gentle concern and curiosity. “Unless you have any objections to such an arrangement. We’ll be at port in a few days and you’re welcome to leave if you so desire.”

Geralt considered. Nobody he knew was going to suddenly come upon him in the middle of the ocean. If he died in battle here it wouldn’t be much different than dying while fighting a monster. Not to mention that Jaskier’s crew of ruffians and rogues didn’t dare hurl insults or stones at him aboard this vessel. He was rather well-liked, actually. Some of the men came and talked to him whenever he had a moment away from Jaskier’s side (as rare as they were) about everyday things like sword polishing and rope repair. Things Geralt knew and understood. Things he enjoyed talking about. 

“Okay. I’ll stick around a little longer. And since I’m your pet I suppose you’re also allowed to kiss and touch me however you’d like.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I would like that, I think. Just let me know when you’re going to do that stuff, alright?”

“Goody!” the young pirate clapped. “I am amenable to your terms, darling. Now let’s move to the galley for a bit. I need to speak with some of the crew.”

“Hmm.”

“Bring your cushion.”

“Hmm.”

Geralt did as he was told, carrying his assigned pillow from the captain’s cabin to the large galley/dining area. He knelt at Jaskier’s side again and felt those long, calloused fingers start tracing up and down the back of his neck. He shivered visibly and ignored a few strange looks from the men. “Shh, Geralt.”

“Didn’t say anything.”

“You’re thinking too loud. Here,” the Captain leaned down for a moment and pressed his lips against his captive’s. He bit the white-haired man’s bottom lip, cupping the base of Geralt’s skull with his hand as he did so. Not only was the older man incapable of moving away from Jaskier’s strong hold on him, but he found that he didn’t really want to move away. He liked the apparent control his Captain liked to exert over him. He liked being told what to do as straightforwardly as possible. The kiss was intense and stole the witcher’s breath away. When Jaskier finally pulled back, Geralt’s golden eyes were glazed over and watery. “That’s much better, precious thing.”

With Jaskier there were no guessing games. No rules that Geralt didn’t understand. The young Captain took what he wanted when he wanted it; even though he was always sure to check with Geralt for permission first. 

The Captain released him from the kiss and turned to speak with the crew members gathered in the galley. The ex-witcher closed his eyes and focused on the feeling of Jaskier’s fingers sliding against his skin wherever they moved. 

This might not be such a bad gig, after all.

[naivepets]

9 Things You Didn’t Know About Bolt

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Time rightfully flies, friends. today marks Bolt ‘ s 7th anniversary ! In celebration of one of our front-runner Disney dogs, we ’ ve compiled a number of 9 facts you might not have known about the film. Are you fix to learn ? Excellent. Keep on reading !

1. Animators brought a giant star inflatable hamster musket ball to the studio.

To relieve stress and get inside the beware of Rhino, the animators rolled up and down the halls in it for fun .

Reading: 9 Things You Didn’t Know About Bolt

2. Mittens ’ voice is actually Susie Essman ’ s normal talk articulation.

After Susie Essman was cast in the function of Mittens, the directors loved her normal speak spokesperson sol much, that they requested that she use it rather of creating a unique tone for the character .

3. The animators took inspiration from Michael Bay for the movie ’ s Bolt TV express.

When John Lasseter gave the animators the challenge to create a Bolt television show that would be stimulate adequate for network television, they looked to Michael Bay ’ s carry through films for inspiration. As a result, they relied on deep blacks and bright colors, which served as a nice contrast to the much softer textures and colors seen in the very worldly concern .

4. The crew adopted a hamster to help them animate Rhino.

While John Lasseter ’ s pet chinchilla served as inspiration for Rhino ’ south design, the crowd adopted a hamster and studied his movement on a tabloid of plexiglas to get a better theme of how Rhino would walk in his fictile ball. They named him Doink .

5. The voice actors behind Mittens and Bolt never actually met.

Despite having many shared scenes, actors Susie Essman ( Mittens ) and John Travolta ( Bolt ) never recorded in concert.

Read more: My Dog Has Bad Gas Suddenly – What’s Going On?

6. When the directors gave Mark Walton the character of Rhino, they caught his reaction on tape.

Typically, before bringing the endowment into the studio, a movie ’ mho animators volunteer to record a drill run of the script. When animator Mark Walton came in and read for Rhino the hamster, the directors liked his performance so much that they cast him in the character. But before telling him, they had him come in for one more take and slipped the line, “ I am the voice of Rhino ” into the script. They had a camera set up to catch his surprise chemical reaction .

7. real locations were used as inhalation for the film ’ south lighting.

To nail the natural deviation in lighting between several of the film ’ randomness divers locations, the gang went to LA, an Ohio dawdler park, the streets of New York, the San Francisco docks, and the desert surrounding Las Vegas to take photographs—which they late used as reference during output. In fact, the hotels and casinos shown in the Las Vegas scenes actually exist .

8. The film ’ s art style was inspired by the work of Edward Hopper.

alternatively of going full CG, the animators opted for a softer approach, using the paintings of Edward Hopper as inspiration. They found a way to recreate brushstrokes in the computer and used that method to set the film ’ s 3D objects against a 2D backdrop .

9. Bolt ’ mho search is based on a breed of White german Shepherd.

Though Bolt ’ s engender was never defined in the film, the chief character energizer, Joe Moshier, has indicated that the wonder chase is loosely based on a White german Shepherd puppy that the team studied during production ; his huge ears, and bushy chase are abruptly giveaways.

Read more: Can You Use Dog Shampoo on a Cat? – Bathing and Grooming

Posted 6 years ago

reservoir : https://blog.naivepets.com Category : Dog

source https://blog.naivepets.com/what-type-of-dog-is-bolt-1645980639

[captainkurosolaire]

The Evil Handbook

Now with the devil’s turn to begin remaining on the ropes. Finding his recuperation he became even furthering corrupted and twisted sprouting wings to allow him to fly at higher speeds. He needed to figure out a weak point. Searching around but unable to plan under all this pressure and heat, it was like being in the presence of rays of brightest sunlight. This would’ve been his immunity but by becoming nothing but more fallen demon made new weaknesses at the expense of other strengths. Summoning a bunch of clones they each began building forth a massive consuming iceberg avalanche that he believed couldn’t be melted. Its mass was surely enough to at least squash him as the demon’s all rolled and pushed it down. While the original began falling back to meditate and recover his senses. The battle-stress was noticeable and without his intelligence at peak, he was at the mercy.  Gark pierced forth his lance into the ground before stretching out his arms with a strongman pose. This was a free dumbbell to bench. He’d reach down-deep and with still strain and shoving of his ankles that began sinking back, his chainmail boot’s hooked into the floor. Their might versus his own it seemed. Settling forth his palm’s that heated up melting and scorching through with ravaging speed drenching into vaporizing water and steam. Then Gark fell head-back and let loose his mouth which sprouted another dose of more concentrated flame that pierced through and sliced through and brought complete annihilation to all the clones in the wake. His palm grappled the broken and loosened weight and pressure and began to allow it to melt like popsicle’s if a hand held onto them enough. Letting a mean burp and hiccup. The meditating demon woke up all too fearfully soon noticing in all that intense smokescreen and fog that the tyrant of a figure still stood unscathed. He couldn’t believe that mortal’s could reach this level. This Roe was nearing the end of his lifespan and prime however but still it was staggering. Then the demon fled forth as Gark began just walking with heroic movements carrying his lance over his broad boulders of shoulders. His teeth gritted out. The cowardly demon reached and scooped up Judas from behind the others; the lazy bunch didn’t even try stopping him. Me-Me was flipping through a magazine she collected using the remaining undamaged Estate for its purpose. Sheik being distracted by writing. Sol sleeping. These other’s were useless it seemed. The Devil having now a hostage believing he succeeded and higher-ground, taking in note how this man of cinder was purposefully suppressing himself from everything for the sake of his own Crew. It did wonders and picked up the one he disliked the most even still. Judas unable to resist or fight helplessly unconsciously hung above.  Gark finally reenacted a concern, his brows furrowing and judging. “...Ugh of course. I should’ve suspected.” This villainous tactic also demonically did serve a danger dilemma that required actual form and thought. Anyone within battle may be remarked for their destruction to kill. It mattered little. His count of death’s he took had led him to losing his desire for seeing them. To save a beloved life especially took true incomprehensible power, for among pirate’s to all, nothing stood more precious than that condition. Gripping out the Hyur by the throat helplessly and dangling him there was still a sound emitting from him to show that life was still on the line. This was his bargaining chip. Gark disregarded his lance in submission, understanding. He crossed his arms and stood vigilantly before drawing them apart as if ready to accept his death, every movement was slowly concocted not to agitate the cutthroat demon. To be honorable was to give-away your very own flesh, blood, merit and metal. He would not risk his companion’s sake. He mattered as nothing more than a soldier. The Quartermaster relinquished.

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[border-spam]

Leech Lord prompts: Hatred

Troy

He cannot fucking stand the makeup and costume team.

Can't.

He sits quietly with so much rage boiling in his abdomen as they scurry around him that he's started needing to remove the prosthetic for most pre-stream prep sessions

He told them it's so they could maneuverer easier, that he was sick of them catching on the sharp edges and jostling him as he'd wait in silence for an hour while they worked his face and body, but it's really because of how many times he's splintered an armrest or come far too close to just grabbing one of them when they won't.. shut.. up.

He hates himself for it more than anything because he knows damn well they aren't actually doing anything wrong. He used to do all his own makeup, all his own costume prep, but as years passed and his attention and time had to be stretched further across more responsibilities and daily tasks, Tyreen insisted they give up on running their own prep sessions and leave it to a group with more skill and far more efficiency than a man with one arm..

She was right. There is no argument, she was right, but God he wishes he'd never have to fucking see any of these people again instead of having to endure them daily, controlling his breathing while they swarm about like insects, applying accessories and fixing problems with how he looks.

They have to talk to each other, of course they do, how else can they do this job, but what they talk about? He hates it.

"No, go up a shade, his undereye is darker than yesterday."

"Need a green tone to cover the bruising, A-410m, no *dab* it on, don't smear, his skin's not great today"

"These need to come in another inch they're barely staying up, call in tailoring."

"Define the bridge harsher, yeah, makes him actually look masculine, stops the eyes looking as sunken too."

"This isn't working - it's just drawing attention to how flat this pec is, do we have any contouring shades we can lift the definition with? He's not balanced, right side’s smaller."

He loathes them, and they have no idea how close they come every day to finding out exactly how much.

Tyreen

There are exceptionally few in Tyreen's sphere of influence who can say no to her. Her followers absolutely do not. The sponsors, the business people, the grovelling off-planet mayors and politicians who travel to the Holy City to beg for her ear certainly don't either. Troy? Rarely, and she can usually muddle him enough afterwards with crocodile tears and gestures of care to get what she wants even when he denies her at first, but his Saints?

Some of his Saints... she wants to eat alive.

Ur-Aurum is the worst by far. He's impenetrable. Has been for near a decade, ever since they handed over their first $5k to him in his citrus scented dust-free luxury office on Promethea. She's not sure she's ever seen the little man look intimidated yet alone act it. A stony-faced, immaculately dressed and groomed business mogul who sacrificed any spark of joy he was born with for hard logic a long time ago, and who has no problem telling God Queen Calypso, Holy Mother of the Vault... no.

He's told her no more than any living person has, including her father. Threats don't work and never have, he's never so much raised an eyebrow at what she does to people in his presence. Manipulation doesn't work because for all her skill, he is so much smarter than she will ever be and he damn well knows it. He's untouchable, Solomon runs all of finance at her stupid fucking brother's decision, and reports to him, not her. He has no family, he has no friends, he's a self-contained fortress of a man she can only scream frustrations at when she's denied, when he shoots down a request for budgeting or vetos a new project she wants to push.

She's disarmed around him, powerless because of this horrible little gremlin, this weakling half her size and weight, and she hates him for it. Loathes him for being so strong without needing to hurt anyone, so dominating without saying a word. Solomon commands respect without a gun or threat or nightmarish cosmic power..

He's stronger than her. She hates him.

Seifa

-- Ur-Machina:// - Mechanica Dept - Internal Com --

U-M : Update immediately - why was 100Ur0B-na blocked with your sign off? That shipment was cleared through lead meetings, it was meant to touch dock 3 hours ago and we're only finding out it was cancelled now. No comms?-

U-C : No need for comms, Saint permission levels are equal, we don't need to send your side updates for every decision made here, remember? Calm down, from what I hear things are stressy enough down in your waste pit without you embarrassing yourself in front of your poor crew by throwing one of your little tantrums.-

U-M : Xan that's very interesting, really. So you without any warning whatsoever cancelled a high-security order that's going to end up causing a major project disruption, and you did this with who's authority? You need to go through Sol to redirect funding and you've left a hell of a messy paper trail here, very easy to follow... did he ok the budget for this new marketing venture?-

U-C : None of your concern, junker. The Holy Father clearly doesn't keep a tight enough grip on your kind's leashes if you don't know your place yet. Necessary channels and processes were followed. We're airtight, you can stop wringing your greasy hands together and put them to some use for once, do some actual work that doesn't involve spreading your legs for a change.-

U-M : Sorry Xan, some of that com text was garbled or something, shame! You should have your techs check out the connection on Marketing's side. Pinged Sol by the way! He's surprised, never heard of this request? I'd expect a call shortly. Honestly, considering who's shipment that was, I'm pretty shocked myself. Maybe I could send you some of my crew over some time, give your team a hand with double-checking data before you dig your own grave in the future!-

//File attached: 100Ur0B-na: Sec code GKT -Personal order- High prio

U-C : We'll have this resolved shortly, thank you for your time.-

U-M : Always got time for you, hun.-

Asks are Open!

(Amazing art from Sick Mick in source)

[pyrewriter]

The In Between

(I'm moving while writing this but I don't want to not write anything for weeks...again. So for the sake of progressing the story and fitting in the timeline of Destiny 2. This chapter is basically a summary of what Ellrimksyt and the guild did over the course of Curse of Osiris and Warmind. The following Chapter will pick up somewhere around the beginning of Forsaken)

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I could feel the pressure gripping around the exposed parts of my body and compressing my lungs as I worked immersed in the cold water. The engineers were granted modified respiratory apparatus from captain helmets that allowed us to stay under for extended periods at depth. Thin beams of light from above danced around us as we worked, sometimes I would turn off my helmet communicator to leave only the sound of our work and the liquid world around me. Looking into the great blue was serene, few in the guild knew how that felt since our exodus.  

The unstable sand quickly dropped off into a steep slope that was bored and anchored into. Our guild was larger now and without any pre-existing structure progress was slow but that was expected given the circumstances and added challenge of building submerged in liquid. Processed salvage was lowered to us and held in place by drones so they could be sonically welded. Slowly but surely the shell of our new home was completed and eventually sealed. With the central hub completed we finally moved to concealing the guild's Ketches. Even deep below the water's surface one could feel the rhythm of the engines as they moved the ship. 

Protruding anchors set in the slope acted as guides for the pilots to show them where to hover while myself and the others assembled the rest of the dock. The process was replicated once more before any further development since the Ketches were what the remainder of our home would be built around. Uncle and his advisors were no fools however, we would fight bone and claw to protect our home but it was made certain that escape would be fast if it came to it.

With the completion of the main chamber and Ketches docked on either side connections between them needed to be established. Clear corridors were constructed on the surface before they were lowered down and connected to airlocks. With the final bulkheads in place interior progress could finally begin while outside storage and sleeping chambers were constructed. Further expansions would be added slowly as what could or needed to be placed below the surface was decided. Save for the occasional injury leaving the engineering crew short a few hands my time working on construction was over by then.  

I was occupied with construction for many months before I was free to join Pyrrhaks and Brykis, the latter of whom was stuck on guard duty while I was on construction. Father on the other hand was busy working alongside uncle Ogethres and the other Barons talking logistics and organization. Salvage crews and scouts had not been idle after reaping the rewards of our red enemies retreat however, they had discovered two deserted cosmodromes. When the news reached us I remember the sanguine feeling that flooded the air, feverish smiles forming on our unhelmed faces. Two such troves meant the density of crews with the knowledge to collect salvage would be lessened significantly.

There was no guild nor splinter House that could completely strip a cosmodrome in a timely manner let alone two of them and admittedly the three of us were itching to prove that our edge had not dulled during our time outside of the field. Such an opportunity to show that so long we drew breath the loyalty of the family Pyrrhaks, Brykis, Ellrimksyt, and Ogethres lied with the guild whom we fight beside for the Great Machine. Our actions were always to protect and perpetuate the guild, we are loyal to our Arkon, my family perhaps more so than most others.

At the time it was puzzling that the risen had yet to even send scouts into our territory despite the time that had passed since the fall of the red leader and our un-subtleness construction. Whether they failed to notice our presence or simply didn't care I didn't know, in any case it only made collecting easy. Even though our initial time returning to the field lacked conflict, pride filled our shests when seeing our technical skills at the least were still sharp. Save for our guild activity within the cosmodromes was near non-existent for areas within such close proximity to the stronghold that the risen operated from.

Inevitably our presence was discovered and small groups or single risen became a somewhat regular nuisance initially. For my family they were welcome targets as our aim had ebbed slightly and our weapons had not been properly taken care of for longer than we would have liked. Risen were good opponents for even the most skilled and decorated Eliksni depending on how old the risen was and their combat prowess. At first it seemed as though they sent the newest of their ranks to run us off but such younglings were of little concern. Avoiding or scaring them off with a display of force was more often more than sufficient to rid ourselves of them. 

After some time however the risen's leaders made it clear they were beginning to take notice of us as a more serious problem than simple scavenger bands. This was made clear when during what had become a routine show of force Brykis and myself had fire returned after letting off a warning shot. Taking our enemy more seriously now we would be attacked by kill squads even those with more experience were eliminated with ease. Dispatching risen felt easy, perhaps it was thanks to fighting the far more resilient red enemy. Eventually both cosmodromes became contested areas where fighting was a regular occurrence which slowed salvage and ether extraction.

It appeared that my family did appear to peak the intrigue of the risen, I could not tell how many but my suspicion was that it was a singular distant observer. I don't know how long they had been with us but their presence would have remained unbenounced to us had it not been for pure luck. We were on an extended mission to finish clearing a sector of usable technology and scrap before moving on. The light was fading and I was taking in my daily ether from Sekos-4 when I spotted an odd silhouette perched atop a rusting hulk of a human aircraft. I squinted but couldn’t make it out so out of curiosity I grabbed a magnifier lens , normily they’re used for delicate compact component work, from my pack to bring the silhouette into focus. Just when I got it into view the apparent risen used one of their abilities to escape from sight and disappeared.  

I had failed to notice them before then, they could have killed all of us at any time but they didn't. I informed father of my observation when we returned home. "Hmm, perhaps scout, evaluate Eliksni for future, don't know, keep eyes open" were his instructions, Ogethres had similar sentiments on the matter upon hearing of the situation. From then on whilst we were outside the walls of our home we would constantly be visually scanning the horizon. Spotting our tag-along became easier as time passed to the point that spotting them became second nature while on salvage or scouting missions. They weren't interfering and no intelligence gained from us could not be gathered elsewhere and engaging could prove perilous.

Time flew by as everything blurred together ,for a time, life of our guild seemed to return to a state normalcy similar to that of our old base before we were forced out. Reports of intercepted intelligence from low security risen transmissions were sent throughout House Dusk, they had mention of conflict with other powers in the system. 

At first they had reference to remnants of the 'Red Legion' ,a fittingly pretentious name for our crimson clad foe, and desperate attempts to seize technology even Eliksni dare not touch. They were focusing their efforts on the fourth planet of the Sol system but according to the intercepted reports the Red Legion were not the only ones causing trouble. Uncounted droves the chitinous swarm known as 'Hive' were apparently emerging from the planet's northern frozen cap along with another of their gods. Thankfully the mess eventually resolved itself.

Life was just becoming dull again when new intercepted intel mentioned clashes with the teleporting machines that risen referred to as 'Vex'. Countless Eliksni have suffered horrible fates at the hands of those machines, most worse than death. The reports coming from the planet closest to the system's star were different, fewer were low enough priority to be picked up without making our frequency skimming known. They mentioned a name that was spoken with varying amounts of respect, disbelief, admiration, even disgust by some. All interesting transmissions ceased shortly after the first mention of the name, most likely moved to a more secure channel.

Neither of these incidents lasted very long nor did they concern the House let alone our guild specifically so we only heard of them through reports. I stopped bothering with paying attention to the time that passed as our home's construction was finalized and status quo returned to our guild and family. Slowly I grew bolder and began glancing casually toward what I thought to be the risen while on missions. Eventually they stopped running away when spotted, whether they no longer cared and saw us as a non threat or started setting up decoys I didn't know.

Life continued as nauseum.

Previous Chapter   Next Chapter   Chapter Guide

[nonbinary-octopus]

Touch Starved

A ‘Humans are Weird’ story

Summary: Humans require physical contact for their health. Michel, stationed on a ship with primarily touch-neutral and touch-averse aliens, forgot this.

Wordcount: 3.3K

[more Humans are Weird]

[More stories]

~~~

For lack of a better word, Crew Michel was wilting. Medic X’nthmm fretfully looked through eir medical records again. Tests showed that the human was physically healthy, but Michel had become more and more withdrawn over the past weeks, and X’nthmm was concerned for him. Desperately, ey called the Interspecies Behavioral Information Center and asked to speak with a human representative.

A few moments later, a human was on the viewscreen in front of X’nthmm. “Hello,” they said. “My name is Raechel, how may I help you?”

“I am concerned about the health of our human crew member,” X’nthmm answered. “I cannot find anything medically wrong with him, but he is clearly unwell.”

The human on the screen looked concerned, and X’nthmm wondered briefly if they had somehow managed to packbond with Michel without even seeing him. Was that a thing, with human packbonding? X’nthmm wasn’t sure.

“Could you describe his symptoms to me?”

“Of course,” X’nthmm said. Ey had eir notes on Michel’s condition ready, though ey barely had to glance at them to know what ey wanted to say. “Crew Michel’s behavior has changed drastically in the last few weeks. He has become withdrawn, and it seems that every task requires more effort from him than previously. He does not ‘smile’ or ‘laugh’ as often. He decontaminates overly frequently, and spends more time doing so than necessary. Often, he will wrap his arms around his torso in what looks to be a protective stance, even when there is no threat to be detected. He also has begun requesting a heated pad at night, despite his sleeping quarters being the appropriate temperature. I do not know if this is a symptom, and I have provided the pad, but it is unusual.” X’nthmm ruffled eir leaves in distress. “If he were a fasiolus, I would say that Michel is wilting. However, I have already optimized his nutrient intake and ensured that he is properly hydrated and receiving the ideal amount, duration, and wavelength of light for humans, to no avail.”

Representative Raechel was quiet for some time, processing X’nthmm’s query. There was the clack of keys on a keyboard as they apparently looked something up. “What is the makeup of your crew?” they asked at last. “Species-wise.”

X’nthmm wondered how this was relevant, but ey answered nonetheless, “Primarily fasioli and zenicks. We also have three calyphues, two kalinki, and a squad of poms. Michel is our only human.”

Raechel nodded, typing something else into their console. After they had read the results, they said, “I think I see the problem. Your crew is primarily composed of beings who are touch-neutral to touch-averse. However, humans require frequent physical contact. Your Michel is probably touch starved.”

“Touch starved,” X’nthmm repeated. Ey had never heard such a term before. “How serious is it?”

Raechel made a concerned face. “Well, human infants will literally die if they’re not held enough,” they said. X’nthmm let out a horrified exclamation. “In adults, it’s a little less serious, but I would definitely recommend giving him a hug pronto.”

X’nthmm made a sound of acknowledgement and bobbed eir head in an imitation of the human gesture of agreement. “How does one administer a ‘hug’?”

“Are you touch-averse?” Raechel questioned.

“No, I am neutral to physical contact,” X’nthmm replied. “One must be to work in my position.”

“Good, that’ll help. Note that hugs are most effective when given by someone with whom the human has packbonded, but so long as you are on neutral to good terms, it should still be beneficial.” Raechel described then the procedure for giving a hug. It involved nearly full body contact, wrapping one’s limbs around the patient, and applying pressure. If Raechel did not seem so sincere, X’nthmm would have thought it a constricting action intended to crush an opponent, and ey questioned how much pressure ey ought to apply. “One moment…” Raechel said, typing again. “Is your personal strength rating typical for one of your species?”

“Yes, I am about average,” X’nthmm answered.

“It may vary for his comfort level, but unless he is injured, you shouldn’t be able to harm him by squeezing too hard. Given the level of touch starvation you described, I would recommend holding him as tightly as you comfortably can.”

X’nthmm took a moment to process this. Then ey bobbed eir head again. “Thank you. What other treatments can you recommend?”

“In general, lots of physical contact from beings he’s bonded with,” Raechel answered. “Cuddles, hugs, even just shoulder touches and high-fives may help somewhat.” They paused. “If I may save your contact information, I will put together an informational packet and send it to you.”

“That would be most useful,” X’nthmm answered, relieved. “Thank you.”

The human on the other side of the screen bared their teeth at em in the human gesture of pleasure. “You’re welcome. I should have that ready within a sol. Ah…” Their fingers flew over their keyboard again. “By [time] or so spacetime.”

“Again, thank you.”

“Of course.”

X’nthmm ended the call, and summoned Michel to the med bay.

He did not take long to arrive, but when he did, he still looked distinctly wilted. 

“Crew Michel,” X’nthmm greeted.

Michel bared his teeth in greeting, but somehow the action looked exhausting, instead of the vibrant ‘grins’ Michel used to give. “Medic Zanthum.”

“I have been doing further research on your condition,” X’nthmm said, ignoring the mispronunciation as always. Ey knew it was difficult for humans to say names without vowels.

“Oh?”

“Yes. I have spoken to another human, who had an insight I would not have thought of. They suggested that you may be suffering from ‘Touch Starvation’.”

Michel stared at em. Then, slowly, he said, “That… actually, yeah, that sounds likely.”

“They recommended I administer a ‘hug.’”

Michel gazed at X’nthmm with an almost hungry light in his eyes. “I would love a hug.”

X’nthmm approached him, and Michel crouched so that his head was nearly on a level with eirs, holding out his arms.

With some hesitance, X’nthmm came even closer so that there was scarcely a Standardized Unit between them. Michel put his hands on X’nthmm’s main stem then, pulling em even closer and pressing em against his chest. X’nthmm wrapped eir tendrils awkwardly around Michel’s torso, grateful that he was an ally, as ey were quite aware that ey could never escape his grip on eir own power now that he had a firm hold on em.

Instead of focusing on that thought, X’nthmm asked, “Is this proper hug technique?”

“Yeah.” Michel turned his face against X’nthmm’s stalk, and ey had a brief, irrational fear that he was going to bite em. Instead, he said softly, “This is perfect. Thank you.”

“Ought I to squeeze you harder?”

“Mm,” Michel answered. After a pause, during which X’nthmm tried to remember if that was an affirmative or negative sound, he added, “Please.”

X’nthmm tightened the grip of eir tendrils around him. Fasioli were not designed for constriction, so ey were not able to tighten them very much, but ey hoped that this small amount would help.

After several moments had passed, X’nthmm realized that ey had not inquired as to the standard length of a ‘hug,’ nor whether ey, as the initiator, were expected to end it. However, ey were sure that Michel knew, and decided to let him lead.

“IBIC Representative Raechel is going to send me in informational packet with other techniques to combat your touch starvation,” ey informed him.

“Awesome,” Michel said. X’nthmm was delighted to note that his voice was less weary than it had been for quite some time. The treatment was already working. X’nthmm found eirself feeling hopeful that Michel would make a full recovery.

Several more moments passed in silence before Michel loosened his grip on X’nthmm’s stem. Ey in return retracted eir tendrils from around him, and Michel let go entirely so that X’nthmm could move away.

“That was great,” he said, looking more relaxed than X’nthmm had seen him for weeks. “Thank you, that really helped.”

“I am glad,” X’nthmm said. “The representative recommended you receive frequent physical contact from beings with whom you have formed a packbond. Could you provide me with a list of such individuals on board so that I can inform them of this need?”

Michel’s face changed color, becoming pinker on the cheeks. “I… I mean, I wouldn’t want to impose,” he stammered, rising to his full height again. 

“I am certain that those of them who are not touch averse will not object if it is for your health,” X’nthmm countered.

Michel’s face became an even darker pink. “Well… alright,” he said. “I’ll make you a list.”

“Thank you.” X’nthmm approached again and patted Michel’s knee, pleased to see his teeth flash in response. “You may return to your station now.”

“Thanks, Zanthum.”

~~~

Michel returned to the deck, feeling better than he had in… well, a long time. “Touch starved,” he murmured to himself.

As he sat down at his desk again, the alien stationed next to him, a kalinx named Fritz, looked up. “Crewmate Michel,” ve greeted, then observed, “You are looking better. Has Medic X’nthmm discovered the source of your ailment?”

Michel nodded. “Yeah. Turns out I’m touch starved.”

Fritz gazed at him for a few moments. “Is this similar to the atrophy which occurs due to lack of proper nutrients?”

“Uh… yes and no.” Michel shrugged a bit. “I’m suffering from an extended lack of physical contact with other beings. Doc Zanthum gave me a hug, and that helped a bit.”

“You require physical contact?” Fritz repeated, and Michel nodded.

“Yeah, it’s… it’s a human thing,” he said. “Most humans, anyway. There are some people who don’t like being touched at all, I guess they probably don’t get touch starved.” Though now that he thought about it, he wasn’t sure. Michel wondered what they did if they did get touch starved, and decided to try and look it up later. “I’d honestly forgotten it was a thing.”

The alien considered this. “Does the kind of physical contact matter?” ve asked at last.

“Uh, yeah. I mean, if someone punched me, I really doubt that would help.” Michel chuckled a bit. “And I wouldn’t react very well to a stranger hugging me, or someone I disliked doing it. Might actually be counterproductive. But I guess beyond it being from someone I like, and not a violent form of touch, it doesn’t matter a lot.” He thought about it again. “Well… I mean, meaning no offense to the doc, and I do like em well enough, but a plant hug just isn’t the same. So I guess ideally it’d be from someone mammalian.”

“Why?”

“Soft, warm,” Michel said, shrugging. “The fur probably helps too, as long as it’s not rough.”

Fritz blinked slowly at him. “Have you packbonded with me sufficiently for contact between myself and you to be beneficial?” ve asked, and Michel suddenly realized that ver questions had not been solely from curiosity.

He could feel himself blushing. “Um. Yes. Yeah, definitely.”

Fritz turned back to ver work tablet, and Michel’s heart sank. The space cat had just been seeking knowledge after all. Fritz tapped a few icons on ver tablet, then detached it from its dock and gripped it in ver forehand. Michel watched, feeling a bit confused, as ve got down from ver chair and approached his. Fritz stood directly in front of him for a moment before putting an empty forehand on Michel’s knee. Michel held very still.

Then Fritz leapt up onto Michel’s lap. Ve was lighter than he had expected, but there was a delightful solidness to vem. Ve settled down, making verself comfortable, before looking up at him again. “Is this agreeable?”

“Yes,” Michel said immediately. “This is very agreeable.” And it was. Fritz was very warm, and having vem on his lap was rather similar to having an earth cat curled up on him, except without the allergic reaction. Michel felt incredibly honored.

Fritz positioned ver tablet so that ve could continue working, and with a smile, Michel returned to his own work as well.

~~~

Although most of the crew, besides those who were touch-averse, was quite willing to engage in physical contact with Michel to combat his touch starvation, it was more effective for some than others. Calyphues, as a rule, do not like to be touched, so they were exempt. Meanwhile, zenicks are generally indifferent to physical contact, and upon learning of Michel’s condition, the zenick portion of the crew began to bump against his legs whenever they passed him in the halls, until he complained that so many collisions against hard exoskeletons, gentle and well-intentioned as each bump may have been, was starting to hurt. Most of the fasioli were willing to wrap their tendrils around Michel in an attempt at a hug, as long as he did not hug back, and though Michel seemed to enjoy it, the positive effects of these hugs did not last long once the hug ended. One might think that Joviva, the other kalinx, would be able to provide good contact, but it turned out that Michel had not spent enough time around vem to form a proper packbond. He had bonded with the pom squad and found the feel of their fur delightful, but their small size and general aversion to staying still made him nervous to hold more than one or two, for fear or injuring a pom, and of course they refused to be separated.

Fritz, meanwhile, was soft, warmblooded, and furred. Michel had packbonded with vem, and ve were touch neutral, as well as both larger and calmer than the poms. This together made vem the most qualified crew member to treat Michel’s condition, so for Michel’s health, Fritz took it upon verself to make a point of touching Michel regularly. The human responded particularly favorably to having Fritz on top of him, so whenever they worked together, Fritz moved from ver chair onto Michel’s lap. Although ve had to hold ver tablet in ver forepaw instead of keeping it docked, ve soon discovered that Michel’s lap, which was warm and soft, and moved ever so slightly to the beat of his vital fluids flowing, was more comfortable than ver chair.

Ve also discovered that a human’s shoulder made for an excellent vantage point, even if it was a somewhat unstable perch. Even sitting, Michel was tall, but when he stood, he towered over everyone else on the ship. And he not only was willing to let Fritz ride on his shoulder, but encouraged it.

Fritz could see why some beings were touch-positive. Ve could almost understand how humans could require touch in order to live.

One day, Michel and Fritz sat together as had become their habit. Neither were working at this moment, simply resting and enjoying one another’s company.

“Fritz,” Michel said softly, slowly. Fritz looked up at him. “May I… may I run my fingers through your fur, please?”

Fritz blinked in consideration. “Will that help with your touch starvation?” ve asked curiously.

Michel’s face became the shade of pink which signaled faint embarrassment in humans. “I dunno about that, I just thought it’d feel nice.”

Fritz considered it a moment longer. “You may,” ve decided.

Michel lay his hand on Fritz’s back. If ve had not known that he had strongly packbonded with vem, Fritz might have been made more nervous at the touch, because Michel was large and strong enough that he could pin Fritz against his leg with one hand. Instead of doing that, however, he slid his hand down the length of Fritz’s back, smoothing down the fur. His hand stopped just before Fritz’s tail, and Michel lifted it away. Fritz thought that would be the end of it, but Michel put his hand on ver back again, just below the place where ver neck connected, and stroked vem again. On the third pass, Michel asked, “Is this agreeable?”

Fritz settled on Michel’s lap a bit more comfortably, laying ver head on ver crossed forearms. “This is agreeable,” ve answered.

For several minutes, they were silent, Michel gently stroking Fritz’s fur. It was, to Fritz’s surprise, a soothing sensation, and ve found verself nearly falling asleep. Although ve trusted Michel, ve didn’t want to fully drop ver defences while lying in a human’s lap, and to keep verself alert, Fritz questioned, “Is there a name for this activity?”

Michel’s hand paused in its motion for a moment, then continued. “Not… not exactly,” he said. Fritz waited for further explanation. “I mean, it sort of does, we call it ‘petting,’ but only if the one being pet is a non-sapient companion creature. When we do it with a sapient being, we usually just describe the action, cause… cause petting a person sounds… um, hang on, what’s the more generic form of ‘dehumanizing’?”

“I do not know,” Fritz answered. “What is ‘dehumanizing’?”

“Treating a person like a non-sapient animal or object instead of a human being.” Michel’s hand stopped, resting lightly on Fritz’s back. “It’s a negative term.”

“I see.” Fritz considered what Michel had said, and the implications which had not been outrightly stated. “It is not the action, but the action’s name, which would cause offense?”

“Well, consent’s important too,” Michel said. “But in a nutshell, yeah.” His hand began its cyclical path again. “And it is kinda an intimate action, so you wouldn’t do it with a stranger.”

Fritz felt verself stiffen. Had Michel been courting vem without ver noticing? Had ve accidentally shown reciprocation? “You did not mention that this was intimate,” ve said cautiously.

Michel’s hand stopped again, and lifted away entirely. “Sorry, am I going too fast?” he asked. Fritz blinked. What had the speed of his motions to do with courtship? “I figured we were probably close enough friends that it’d be okay to ask.”

Fritz sat up, thinking carefully over what ve wanted to say. “Michel,” ve said. “You are a good crewmate, and I have enjoyed packbonding with you. However, I am not interested in mating with a human. I apologize if I have acted in a way which caused you to think otherwise.”

Michel’s face became immediately red. “I don’t want to mate with you either!” he said quickly.

“But you said that fur-stroking is an intimate action.”

“Not that kind of intimate!” Michel put his hands to his face. “I mean, it could be, but I meant platonically intimate. The sort of thing you’d only do with people you’re close to.”

“It is physical contact,” Fritz pointed out. “You would have to be in close proximity.”

Michel, hands still pressed against the lower half of his face, blinked at vem. Then he chuckled and dropped his hands. “Sorry, idiom. People with whom you have formed a strong packbond. It doesn’t have to be romantic. Sure, if my future husband runs his fingers through my hair, we’ll probably interpret it romantically, but when my sister or a friend does it, it’s purely platonic.”

“I see.” Fritz unstiffened, considering Michel’s words. “You stroking my fur was not part of any sort of courtship?”

“No, not at all.”

“It was because you have formed a strong packbond with me?”

“Yes. Or at least, that’s why I was comfortable asking you to let me do it.”

Fritz blinked slowly. Then ve lay down again on Michel’s lap. “In that case, you may continue,” ve said. “It was unexpectedly pleasant.”

A few moments later, Michel put his hand on Fritz’s back again, resuming his stroking. “Thank you,” he said softly.

Fritz hummed pleasantly. “You are welcome.”

[niqhtlord01]

Humans are weird: Politics is the warfare of minds

“The intergalactic fleet restriction laws are clear.” Began Councilor Yumi as she addressed the entire governing body of the Pan Galactic Federation. “No species is to have a navy larger than the established criteria which states ten ships per system controlled by an individual member species of the Federation.”  She pointed a slender finger at the human ambassador sitting on the opposite side of the audience chamber. “The humans have ignored these limits and for the past several years have been building a massive navy of nearly a thousands ships within the limits of the “Sol” system!” A round of gasps and exasperation’s rung out in the chamber as all eyes turn towards the human ambassador who was still calmly sitting in place and meeting Yumi’s gaze head on.  “Do you mean to make war against us?” “How dare the humans!!!” “Expel them from the Federation!” Came the cries of other councilors until the entire room was in uproar. This went on for several minutes until the lights dimmed and a massive hologram of the Federations Executor appeared. “Silence please, members of the Federation, silence please.” The cries and jeers began dying down with the Executor’s call for silence until the room was once more silent as the grave.  “Councilor Yumi,” the Executor spoke, “these are serious charges you bring against the human species. Very serious. I hope you have proof to back these claims or I shall hold you in contempt for attempting to start panic and turn the Federation against one of our own.” “Indeed councilor. we began receiving reports from our merchants trading with humanity that they had begun purchasing large amounts of ship building materials. We then dispatched a recon team into their system and discovered massive hidden shipyards orbiting the planet known as “Mars” churning out ships at 3-4 per earth week.” Yumi paused for the information to set in, and also for dramatic effect. She’d waited a long time to knock the humans back into their place and this was her chance to finally do so.  “Additionally,” she added, wanting to stoke the flames further “in human culture Mars is most often associated with the god of war. Another ill omen I find most troubling.” It was important to strike not only at humans from a practical level but also on a spiritual level. Many of the species in the Federation had different religions that were taken seriously. By bringing in humans concept of a god for “War” Yumi could further turn additional councilors against humanity.  As more glares fell towards the human councilor the Executor raised a hand and then turned towards the human councilor. “Councilor Nevara, you have been accused of ignoring established fleet regulations and illegally expanding your species navy. There is considerable evidence against you by the information provided by councilor Yumi but judgement is not against you. You may now respond to these accusations as you see fit before a final judgement is rendered.”   Councilor Nevara rose from her seat and flattened the front of her robes before gazing out across the councilors present. As she fell on Yumi she stared for several seconds before bursting out with laughter. Yumi was taken aback for a moment, she had not expected the human councilor to react in such a manner. The laughter was loud and meaningful that lasted for at least a minute before dying off. “My honored councilors,” Nevara began as she wiped the tears from her eyes, the last of her giggles dying away,”I feel there has been a grave misunderstanding. A misunderstanding of such scale that I could not help but laugh at the sheer absurdity of it all and I pray you will forgive me for any notions of disrespect you may have thought towards you all.”  Nevara coughed into her hand for a moment before shaking her head clear and continuing. “It is true, we are building large amounts of ships; and yes, there are massive dockyards orbiting our planet Mars producing ships at an impressive rate.” Yumi looked on with a smug smile as she assumed that the human was about to cave and admit to building a war fleet.  Nevara motioned to Yumi, a serious tone taking over. “But these ships are not for war and implying so without doing further research in my book is the real provocation here by councilor Yumi attempting to spread her anti-humanity views.”  Yumi’s hands slammed into her desk. “LIES!” She shouted. “We have proof that you have been building a massive fleet for months now and our spies have confirmed that!” Nevara wasn’t shaken by the sudden outburst and instead turned to the Executor. “My dear Executor, I will be more than happy to answer all inquiries councilor Yumi may have or any other councilor present as my people have nothing to hide, but I would like it noted that it will take much longer for me to respond if I am interrupted by sudden outbursts before I can finish.”  Yumi’s face was turning red with anger and she was about to rebuke Nevara when the Executor cut in. “Your point is noted councilor Nevara. Councilor Yumi, you will not interrupt again while councilor Nevara is offering her defense. She patiently waited for you to level your claims against her without interrupting you and you shall do the same. We are a Federation, not a school of youngsters on the playground.” Yumi bit down a rebuke she was about to say and sat back down.  “Thank you councilor Yumi.” Nevara’s remark only seemed to rise the irk of Yumi even further. “Now I will address your claims one at a time. First, you claimed that there were hidden shipyards on Mars. That is simply not true.” Nevara fiddled with the controls on her desk for a moment and a hologram of Mars and the surrounding moons was brought up. “For those of my fellow councilors unfamiliar with the Sol system this planet is the planet in question Mars.” She fiddled with the controls again and the image increase to one of the nearby moons revealing several shipyards. “As I confirmed earlier the planet does have several shipyards orbiting it, but what is mistaken is that they were hidden. Currently I am using the interstellar positioning system available to all councilors and their respected staff and I can clearly zoom in with such detail as to make out the face of one of the construction crew members. If we were truly hiding these shipyards, do you not think we would have done a better job all things considered?” Yumi could see several councilors fiddling with their desks as well and projecting smaller versions of mars in front of them and began examining the shipyards. “It is true that at one point in human history that Mars was named after the human god of war for the planets color appearing as blood. But this was several dozen centuries ago, back when humanity was still infantile as a species. Why for the longest time many of our species believed the female half was created by a god who broke the rib off a male human so he could have a companion.” A few chuckles came from nearby councilors at the self deprecating joke. “I assure you that despite the meaning behind the name it has remained as a legacy to our culture and history, something of which I am sure many of my fellow councilors understand. Some of your races date back thousands of generations and have no doubt left countless names reflecting moments that have meaning to your people and your people alone.” Yumi was getting upset as she could see many of the previously angry councilors now nodding at Nevara’s words.  “Your next claim was that these shipyards were producing warships. Again, that is not true. They are producing mining vessels and nothing more.” “Forgive me Executor but I can not stay silent in the face of such lies!” Yumi decried as she rose once more. “Our spies infiltrated several of these shipyards and acquired several plans showing these vessel have increased hull thickness, heavy shielding, large turret housings, and hangars large enough on either side to fit an entire squadron of fighters and bombers.”  Yumi used her controls and replaced Mars with blueprints of the ship designs.    “Councilor Yumi,” the Executor cut in, “you were warned not to interrupt councilr Nevara during her defense.” Yumi was about to respond when Nevara cut her off. “I thank you for your kind words Executor but I am fine with this interruption. No doubt this is a cause of concern for many of my fellow councilors, a concern I am happy to put to bed.”  “It is true that these ships are highly different in scale and design from other standard mining ships, but that is because this is a new model built entirely by humans.” She enhanced the designs to focus on each issue as it arose. “The large hangars are in fact the entry points for asteroids to be pushed into by support craft. The asteroids would then be grinned up and the valuable ore separated from non-valuable ore. The large turret housings are intended to hold state of the art mining laser that would cut up larger asteroids into smaller pieces for the support craft. The laser nearing the end of its testing cycle as it is one of our most advanced lasers to date. It is also roughly the same design as our battleships capital guns so while the laser is still in development and not ready for implementation yet we instead used the capital gun as a place holder for testing purposes of the new ships. Once the laser finishes testing and is put into production the capital guns would be switched for the lasers.  Yumi wished to barf at the amount of explanations the human was giving to cover their tracks but she wouldn’t be fooled.  “The extra shield layers are to help protect the ship from erratic asteroids that may drift into the ship while it is harvesting. While I am hesitant to explain the thicker hulls as it reflects poorly on my people I feel I must to erase any doubts my fellow councilors have of our intentions.”  “Our shield systems are far from perfect. At the moment they are able to maintain some protection but are known to short circuit and power down. We are new to the concept of shield technology so this would be our first attempt, but because we know our own failings we increased the hulls to compensate a shield failure possibility.” Nevara fiddled once again with her controls and brought up a video file. “What you are about to see is our initial test footage with our shields.”  “All watched in silence as a picture of a human vessel came into view. In the background they could hear what sounded as other humans listing off technical data when the ship was suddenly covered with a blue sphere. A secondary ship came into view and released a large asteroid that drifted towards the shielded ship. Upon coming into contact the shields lit of under the strain producing a blinding beam of blue light. This lasted for several seconds before the sphere vanished and the asteroid continued drifting into the now unshielded ship and crushed several decks before bouncing away into space.  “This file,” Nevara cut in as the video vanished, “was deemed top secret by my government as it reflects upon humanities capacity.” She grasped her desk for a few seconds and paused, staring down at the desk. “My government did not give me authorization to release that video to you.” A sudden series of gasps came from the room. “Nevara held up her hand for silence. “After I leave today there is a high chance I will be relieved of my position and sent to prison. But I will not leave here without showing you this and clearing the air from these lies and misconceptions that have been put at my peoples feet.”  Nevara raised her head and glared at Yumi. “My people have no intention of making war on any of you, all we wanted was to harvest the massive asteroid fields surrounding our system and use the materials to improve the lives of our citizens. Had any of you asked we would have been glad to have shared that information freely since we felt it wasn’t worth of a galactic announcement in these chambers where wars have been declared and the lives of billions saved by the actions of my fellow council members. We felt it wasn’t worthy to stand next to such actions so we chose to keep quiet and let the Federation deal with more pressing matters.”  “But you never did ask did you councilor Yumi?” Yumi could feel her plan backfiring as she saw numerous eyes stare at her. “No, you never gave me nor humanity any chance to explain ourselves. Instead you sent spies into our home system infiltrated our shipyards, and lets not forget, STOLE our species latest mining ship design and then broadcast it to every councilor in this room!” Nevara waved her hand across the entire chamber. “Every councilor here now has a copy of our ships, ships that took generations to develop and design and perfect, costing not just money and materials but also in the lives of our builders that died along the way from on-site accidents. You spit on our fallen’s legacy with your actions and instead use them for your own means, framing humanity as blood thirsty monsters when all we wanted was to harvest some GOD DAMN SPACE ROCKS!” Nevara slammed her fist into her desk with such force some of the nearby councilors retracted in shock.  Nevara continued glaring at Yumi for several seconds before closing her eyes and calming down. “I laughed earlier because I thought this was all some mistake. But now I see by your very own actions that you Councilor Yumi just hate humanity and will do anything in your power to set us up for a fall.” Yumi stood in silence as Nevara changed gaze to the Executor. “I feel that I have provided sufficient detail for my peoples defense. The proof has already been uploaded to my fellow councilors and they can go over it at their pleasure. Any additional questions I would be more than willing to answer in the coming days if I am not recalled. I apologize but I am suddenly feeling unwell and beg your leave Executor to return to my office.”  The hologram hovered over the councilors for several moments in silence before nodding. Nevara pushed in her chair and left the council chamber in silence.  Yumi could hear the councilors around her. “She was trying to play us against humanity.” “She must really hate humans.” Do you think she was lying?” “Nevara showed us classified documents, why would she if she was lying?” “I hope the humans don’t replace her, we could use more of that spunk from a councilor.”  The tone of the room had turned on her and it was Yumi now who felt like she was backed into a corner... ------------------- “Did they suspect anything?”  “Doubtful.” Nevara answered the hologram in her office. The shades had been drawn and a dampener field was running to block out any outside monitoring devices.  “They had our designs, we need to know for certain. Too much is riding on this.”  “Yes sir. I believe I painted a pretty enough picture to swing their voices against Yumi, even going so far as to show them “classified” documents knowing full well what my government would do for me.”  The hologram chuckled. “Doubt they’d think we’d give you a medal and promote you several ranks.” Nevara smiled. “That reminds me, have the government issue me a censure for my actions and have me recalled “pending further investigation”. That should help make the cover story more believable.” “We already have a military cutter heading out your way with an escort to “haul” you back to earth to account for your actions. Should arrive in a day or two. Continue working as you normally would and show little reaction when they arrive, like you always knew they were coming. “ “Understood sir.”  “You did our people proud councilor. We were barely able to detect a breach in our security at the shipyards and scrambled to implement the fake documents. Without your performance now our entire operation would’ve been discovered earlier than planned.” “Think nothing of it sir. How far along is the operation now?” “The fleet has been moved closer to earth for security reasons while arming continues. At current rate we’ll be ready to sail within a month.”  “I can’t wait to see our ships flying over the skies of everyone planet in this stupid federation.” Nevara said. The hologram nodded to her. “We’ve had to play nice with the Federation after the first contact wars, but now with our fleet we can go toe to toe with them.” Nevara smiled. “No more playing nice to those that tried to keep us from our destiny.”  A sudden knock at her door alerted Nevara. She instantly cut the hologram and disabled the dampener field. She adopted a posture of stress and concern and then opened the door. “Yes?” she asked meekly. “Councilor Nevara,” an alien councilor stood at the door,  “the Executor wished me to deliver to you the news that the council has found the charges against humanity baseless and cleared you of all of them. They are now in the process of writing a petition to the human government to say they wish you to stay on as a councilor.” Nevara raised her head a bit higher. “That is most kind of them, but I’m not sure if that will be enough to sway my superiors. They can be stubborn sometimes.” The messenger nodded. “Indeed, your species is known for that and your cleverness. The way you were able to easily put councilor Yumi on the back foot was most impressive. I pity anyone that would meet you on the fields of war.”  Nevara smiled. “Indeed. I pity all those that try to keep humanity low.” 

[readbythestarlight]

c2e84

Wow, that was a surpassingly normal ad!

Oh boy here we go lore drop!

Therizdune the chained oblivion who is chained at the bottom of the abyss

"He’s basically the boogeyman" if the boogeyman was a HORRIBLE ELDRITCH MONSTER

...IS the boogeyman a horrible eldritch monster?! Oh god.

[[MORE]]

This is great and awful like terrible abyssal eldritch things that can creep into the world through gaps and rifts encourages people to be violent and awful

Also I’m so satisfied that the chains actually ended up being significant

Okay so Yussah knows a guy who we know knows Trent, so... that’s not cool. I mean o totally trust Yussah now it’s not that, it’s just can we trust Ormid?

So not all the Cerberus assembly is bad re: Yussah. But like he’s basically a hermit living in his tower, yeah? Who doesn’t go into the Empire? So like how out of touch is he?

"Trent seems just creepy" that’s putting it mildly

Money? Ball bearings? xD

Oh nice some of the Halas money

Oh Nott honey

Fjord being like "Nott? Caleb please talk to your goblin."

And they’re just all discussing it in the background

NOTT DO NOT

oh boy don’t like that

Oh dear...

"Your FACE is stupid" oh Nott

Lock the gem away somewhere

"You’ll still work at it and try?" Oh honey of course he will

I like how they handled that. They didn’t put Nott down, they gently reminded her that Halas can’t be trusted.

Oh I hope that doesn’t trigger Caleb

And I hope that didn’t just fuck them over with Halas maybe

Cad’s like "can we not?" and then just silencing everyone who keeps trying to talk to him

Y’all need to call your OTHER wizard friend (aka HOTT BOI) to let him know you’re fine and not dead or anything cause this is probably the longest he’s gone without hearing from you

"Everything’s been smoothed over" I wonder if Dairon had anything to do with that

I wonder where she is...

Also this is late cause he said it like ages ago but I love Cad’s little bits of homely wisdom, like the whole holes in a bucket metaphor.

PLATINUMMMMMMM

A WHOLE SATCHEL

TIME TO BUY A KEEP Y’ALL

Kidding I like the xhorhaus

Holy SHIT

21,000 gold??

That puts them at 350 platinum which is like 3,500 apiece NICE

Please def check in with Orli I miss him

I’m gonna insist they all get either matching M9 tattoos or Captain tusktooth tattooes

ORLIIIII

Oh my

Yeah a charisma bump is a good choice Nott xD

YOU ALL BETTER GET MATCHING TATTOOS

"chaos crew" lol

Imagine the stories those "new faces" have heard of the M9 from the older crew

1312 gold not bad!

Fuck y’all I love Orli! I missed him. I hope Fjord retires and goes back to sailing with Orli and the crew someday.

F: "Can I ask, how painful is this... procedure?"

O: "oh-ho-ho! Quite."

Oh lord

B: "Is that infected? Is that infected?!"

O: "No, he’s just a.....................Pansy."

Girls day!

Ohhh I like that idea Nott! Can’t wait to see the new art of that.

I like the start of the idea but the "like the Traveler’s hugging me" is slightly creepy to me. Idk.

BeauJester shippers just got a gift xD

Oh... Molly’s all seeing eye tattoo. My heart. Taliesin looks really touched.

Omg a nat1

Ouch fuck Matt you didn’t have to describe that

Matt’s like "here’s your pretty tattoo Nott, here’s your very lovely tattoo Jester, here’s your TOTALLY BOMBASS tattoo that goes all the way up the BACK OF YOUR SKULL Beau"

like I’m not saying Matt plays favorites but his wife’s character definitely got the coolest tattoo

Boy talk over fish and chips heck yeah

Mmm gonna get some deep talk from Caleb?

Caleb expressing that he feels like maybe they’ve been brought together for a purpose <3

Cad telling him he’s believed Caleb was meant for something important since the beginning

Caleb the green bean farmer

"The god’s plant us, plant their will and their desire, and we move towards the fruit we’re meant for bear for them." Aw that’s... sweet, Cad.

Fjord being like "idk man I’m still figuring it out" what a mood

Caleb admitting he feels like he should run away

"I have started to forget what it was like not being with you people. And we are missing one, I am stuck on the fact that we are still missing one."

I wish I was fast enough to transcribe word for word this conversation because it’s excellent

I like Fjord’s question of "when you know, do you run away or do the right thing knowing it could kill you"

C: "You two are alright."

Cad: "We’re getting better."

F: "So are you, you know, you should give yourself credit."

C: "Mm..."

Cad: "I know... just think about it."

(Wow my old Widofjord feelings just came back with a vengeance.)

Cad adding in his own encouraging words about how Caleb is growing and becoming better made me happy too

C: "I hate tattoos."

Nott in the distance: AHHHH

C: "they’re just not for me."

Cad: "they’re frowned upon in my family."

And then they go see the girls

"We brought fish and chips—what they fuck"

All the Jester ships are eating well tonight

I’m so glad Jester finally got her cool tattoo

Y’all don’t want to see mom and Yeza and Luc?

lol Jester "I didn’t tell my mom about the tattoo"

"I’ve seen parents find out their kids had tattoos literally at the funeral"

I literally could not tell if that was Cad or Taliesin sharing

You guys didn’t even say bye to Orli! YOU MONSTERS

Boy that talks blurb with Brian talk about Caleb is GOOD SHIT MAN

No Brian don’t stop please go on and on about Caleb

lol Matt getting himself in the face with the paper

I knew Dairon was the one who got them out of trouble <3

EXPOSITOR OUTFIT AYYYY

just got new official art and now Beau gets a new outfit and the girls get tattoos xD

B: "I apologize"

M9: "wwwwwoooooaaaaahhh"

And library access again yay!

HEYYYY DAIRON

Beau gets to be a role model now lol

Oh yikes... selling out the Kryn to the King... don’t like that

Vence... NewTHEYLESS??

I don’t like that

Everyone: *excited freaking about Beau’s expositor room*

Cad, a good 10 seconds behind: "You had a monk bunk."

Dairon admitting she realized her prejudices against the Kryn were wrong. You know what that is? Growth.

They’re all so proud of Expositor Beau

Caleb trying to do "normal" accents is amazing lol

I don’t want him to be split from the group but I definitely understand his concern

Scary world ending lore oh boy

Oh god I forgot about the gentleman being here...

YES NO DO NOT GO ALONE that’s a dumb idea honey Jester please

N about J: "well she convides in everybody. Just says whatever she wants to say all the time."

This whole Beau and Nott conversation is amazing xD

Fjord and Jester: talking

Beau and Nott: talking

Caduceus walking along and enjoying the group communicating and sharing their feelings

Is he an earth genasi?

That’s the second time another wizard has called Yussah a fool, poor guy

I like how Ormid’s like "who the fuck are these people" but he also trusts Yussah enough to listen to them that’s nice

Hmmm I don’t like that’s awfully suspicious

WHISPERSSSSS

He keeps coming back to the beacon and I don’t like it

So like.. what if he is in on the whole thing and is trying to steer them away from looking deeper into the beacon?

Jester honey why you go and name drop Trent?? Like fuck.

Also interesting that both the King and his council have been more aggressive and pro-war lately, and the Bright Queen is also bent on the conflict in a way that I’ve personally felt doesn’t seem to quite mesh with her character, it definitely lends towards the idea that they’re being manipulated

Ormid’s a bit of a dick, although I guess I can understand, they’re not explaining themselves super well

Hng idk how I feel about Ormid and I’m not sure that I like that he now knows Dairon is working to get an audience with the king

But then again I’m bad about telling which NPCs are trustworthy and which aren’t.

Ormid’s face when they mentioned the cat OH MY GOD

okay fine god now I have to trust him

"I know we are talking about very important things but" I’m dying

Y’all fixing to get a symbol of the Cerberus Assembly damn

I don’t necessarily LIKE Ormid not entirely trust him but he’s already

Insight check on Sprinkles to see if he wants to go back with Jester aw

lol getting pet advice from him maybe I like him a little bit

PUMAT SOOOOL

it’s been so long!

PUMAAAAT SOL

Guys I have missed Pumat so much he just brings me so much joy

Fetch quest for Pumat DO IT PLZ

Oh

Wait

Basilisk oil that’s maybe not a great idea

GO SAILING TO THE ISLANDS

They gotta go to islands for Traveler Con right is that close?

"Let me get it from CritRole stats" lol

Oh thank god health potions

Armor boost oil is neat (plus 1 to AC isn’t bad) but ouch it’s pricy

I love that they CANNOT keep money they get it and then they spend it. It’s #relatable

Uh.... what’s happening to my boy?!

Caduceus?!

MATT WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO MY BOY??

45 pats slashing??

WHAT IS HAPPENING

CADUCEUS

oh NO

fuck no

Is there a rift near?!

WHAT THE FUCK

The Inevitable End?

WHAT IS HAPPENING?

Evil assassin person??

45 points of damage fuck

This is bad

Sam: “WE’RE SHOPPING MATT” MOOD

23 doesn’t hit?!

Oh they’re in trouble

God DAMN I’m freaked out omg

Does he have The Invulnerable Vangrent as a map??

God what a cliffhanger

[the--regenerating--degenerate]

Sol Invictus

A/N: Thanks go out to Selene Sokal and his fic, By Steel and Starlight, which helped inspire this work. If you haven't read it go give a look. It is really good. This fic is not a prequel to his, this is inspired by.

You may also be wondering about Blake's name; I wanted the Faunus to feel like they have their own culture, naming conventions and actually feel like a separate distinct people. Their naming convention is their Family Name first, followed by clan then given name. The 'Ist' in their name is their way of saying 'I am from' or 'Of this place.' Much like the German 'Von.'

--------

Chapter Two: The White Fang

Ruby Rose loved ships, she loved everything about them and every type. From three-man fighters and interceptors to the behemoth dreadnaughts and carriers. Ruby was never happier than when she was exploring, learning or working on a spacecraft.  It was exactly because of this love of ships she wished that she was allowed to explore every inch of the Muninn more often. 

Sadly, permission was a rare event and it was always begrudgingly given by Aunt Raven. 

Though it also wasn't often that Ruby did ask for permission. Nor did she ever approach her pirate aunt without Yang's, her older sister, supporting presence.

So Ruby had developed a love/hate relationship with the Muninn. 

She loved the ship for what it was. From the RSDC Series 2 power core, to her sleek Adel-Rolls R Series 450 sub-light engines, to the polished gleam of her black bulkheads, to the incredibly rare and expensive Luna-Shawcross DF2 Fold drive. The Muninn was an engineering marvel.

She hated the ship for what it was. A frigate-sized, but cramped ship, filled with people who went out of their way to avoid her; with Ruby’s only real friend being her older sister. Not even Aunt Raven cared to spend any time getting to know her ex-husband’s second daughter.

Ruby was used to the disparaging glares and sneers that she got from Raven and her crew. It wasn't all that different from the Royal Valian Naval Academy; were even the instructors did not particularly care to be in close proximity of the energetic brunette for long periods of time.

No, she avoided Raven more for the sense of potential violence which seemed to coalesce around Raven like a thick miasma.  

“Sorry, Rubes.” Yang would say, as the two sisters would walk back to their shared quarters. “Raven is… Well, she’s busy. Lots for us to do. Maybe next time.”

Ruby never asked Yang why she always referred to her mother as Raven. She wanted to. Desperately too. But it had been years since Yang had run away to join Raven in Wild Space; and the two of them had only recently reunited. 

Though the two young women had made great strides in reconciliation; to the point were sometimes it almost felt like they were back home on Port Patch, or on their father’s old freighter; they were still… hesitant over certain subjects.  

Raven being one of those. 

Yang’s gene-tailoring being another. 

Ruby sighed. She had been frightened when she had first finally reunited with her older sister planetside; before being brought onboard the Muninn. If it hadn’t been for the long, blonde hair and lilac coloured eyes, Ruby would have hardly recognized the hulking, almost brutish stranger who waited for her at the dock that day. 

Yang had always been big, tough, strong. Now she looked like she could rival those who had grown up on high grav worlds. Her arms, legs, shoulders were thick with muscle and bone. The scaly ridges on Yang’s forehead, the slit pupil eyes and elongated, animalistic, fang-like canines, frightened her. If Ruby hadn’t known any better she would have sworn her sister was a Faunus. The sight had caused Ruby to doubt that Yang was really Yang anymore.  

But then as soon as Ruby stepped off the shuttle, Yang had run over and scooped her up in a tight, loving hug; and Ruby felt her doubts and fears melt away. Yang almost broke her younger sister’s ribs, as she embraced her for the first time in years. The two of them nearly crying in each other’s arms. 

The look of pure joy and happiness that had split Yang’s mouth into a wide smile. It was so obvious that Yang regretted splitting the two sisters up. Regretted leaving Ruby behind as she wandered off to explore the galaxy and find her mother. Ruby cried herself for doubting her big sister. So here they were. Comfortable with each other for the most part, but still having to walk delicately around one another.

Speaking of Yang, Ruby groaned irritably inward. Where is she? I’m booooooored!

She had been gone for several hours. At least according to the crono-sphere in their cabin. She had gone to take care of some business for Aunt Raven and had left Ruby with precious little to do in the meantime. 

Well… I could always clean Crescent Rose… Again… 

Ruby spared a sideways glance at her precious rifle. It was one of the very few things that Ruby had brought with her from the Academy. Crescent Rose was her baby. Her prized possession. A VA M29 designated marksman rifle; Ruby had been quick to tamper with, rebuild and customise every part from the upper to lower reciever, pistol grip, trigger assembly, fire selection and even the barrel. She had even given the rifle a red and black custom paint job, with a stylized rose right above the magazine well. 

Currently, her beloved weapon was laid out on Ruby and Yang's shared table. Ruby had stripped her down, laying each part out in a neat, meticulous order. From there Ruby had obsessively gone over each and every part until they shone brightly even in the dim light of Muninn.

To clean Crescent Rose again would be the height of redundancy.Not that Ruby wasn’t willing to do it. Nothing was too good for her baby.

Or… She could go out to find Yang. Maybe catch Aunt Raven in a good mood. A good enough mood that she would allow Ruby to wander through the belly of the Muninn? 

It was tempting. 

So that was her choice. Sit around, clean Crescent Rose for the seventh hundredth time. Or go and ask her Aunt. 

Besides Yang is there talking to her. It couldn’t hurt to ask. An eager, but nervous smile playing across her lips as she slipped on her bright red cloak and stepped out into the dim hall. 

-----------

The snapping of metal, the of breaking porcelain and the shattering of glass echoed in Raven's quarters, as Yang’s fist smashed through the incredibly expensive Mistral tea set and the crystal and gold inlay table it had once sat upon. 

Raven huffed irritability as Yang, it seemed was unsatisfied with merely breaking what had once been an extravagant tea set; decorated with painstakingly hand painted scenes of cherry trees in full bloom, their blossoms catching on the warm spring winds; and its equally masterworked table; and so continued to punch it until it was an unrecognizable mess of porcelain, crystal and broken shards of twisted metal.

 “Are you quite finished with your tantrum? Or do you wish to find something else worth more than a Mistralian frigate to smash?” Raven asked when Yang, panting heavily in deep, shuddering breaths finally stopped. 

Behind Yang stood the ever-faithful Vernal, her tattooed and kill-marked arms crossed above her chest; she bore a look of rare concern. Not that it was needed, but Raven still valued the loyalty. 

“Tantrum?” Yang bit back, “ you made me kill a man in cold blood! Then tell me I am throwing a tantrum?” 

“Because you are.” Raven never once raised her voice, but allowed a tinge of ice-cold anger to colour it. “I gave you a choice. You choose to follow through with it. Now you get to live with it.” 

“That bullshit again? You never gave me a choice. It was that or die.” Yang glared at her as she shook her head, “Dad never wanted me to come out here. Uncle Qrow told me to stay away from you. I couldn’t. I had to see who you are with my own eyes. Away from Dad’s nostalgia and Uncle Qrow’s cynicism.”    

“And have I lived up to your expectations? Your dreams, your fantasies?” Raven rolled her eyes, a hint of an ill patient frown forming. “This is who were are. We are the strong, so we take. I am the strongest, so I lead. That is all there is to it. If you thought that a pirate would be fun, adventure, steal from the rich for the needy then you are even more foolish than I ever thought. Your father’s influence no doubt.”

“You don’t get to talk about him like that!” Yang whirled on her, hands clenched into fists. “He was there. He raised me, never abandoned me to go off and play pirate-queen in some far off flung shit-hole in the galaxy.” 

“Yet here you are.” Raven smirked, “so eager for praise and so willing to do what I ask. You cannot blame me for the choices you make my daughter.”

Yang fell silent for a moment, staring at the remains of the tea set and crystal table. There was truth to that. She had done what Raven asked. She had been apart of boarding parties, seizing ships and killing the crew. But they had always been armed. They always had a way of fighting back. 

But was it any different?

Yang felt sick to her stomach just asking herself the question. Raven was right. It had been Yang’s choice. No matter what excuse she tried to come up with.

Yang took a long calming breath, lilac coloured eyes met Raven’s blood red. “I’m leaving Raven. I’m taking Ruby and I am leaving. I’m done with this, I’m done with you. We’re going back home.” 

“Are you now?” Raven asked with a hint of amusement. 

“Yes. You can’t stop me Raven.” Yang hissed, turning to leave. “Get out of my way Vernal.”

“I don’t need to do anything to stop you from leaving Yang. You’ve oh so helpfully put that collar around your own neck.”

Yang snorted as she reached for the door control. 

“What would Ruby think of her big sister painting the back wall with brains of an unarmed and helpless man?” Raven said, arching a delicate black eyebrow.

Yang froze. Her hand just over the control. If Ruby found out… it would destroy them. She was still haunted by Ruby’s fearful silver eyes when they had met at the docks. Ruby had been frightened, terrified by what her big sister had become. If Ruby found out she was a murderer, what little connection they had rebuilt would be gone. 

Yang would be alone. Truly alone. Just the thought of that sent chills down her spine. 

“You wouldn’t.” Yang’s voice barely registered above a whisper. 

“I would. You have a weakness, one that I can and will exploit. You are useful to this tribe and to this crew Yang. I don’t like to waste useful things.” Raven’s tone was bored and uninterested, as though discussing the weather. “Now, go see to the prisoner and get prepared for our guest. They should be arriving in the next three days or so. I want us to be prepared. You are dismissed, Yang.”

Before Yang could turn to leave, there was a hesitant knock on the door. 

“Cap’in Raven.” The man at the door nodded in respect as he entered,. “Forgive the interruption but we received a message from the buyer.”

“And you couldn’t call me on the com?” Raven asked, clearly annoyed. It was never particularly healthy to the life expectancy of the one she was annoyed at.

“It was marked specifically for you Cap’in. I wouldn’t have interrupted if it wasn’t.” The man held out a small disk, his hand shaking with nerves. 

Raven rolled her eyes. “Fine. Yang bring it here, and you, get out of my sight.”   

She took the disk from Yang, slotting it into the player. Soon a holographic woman appeared in the middle of the player. Long black hair, eyes hidden by a white mask of Grimm… and a pair of twitching cat ears on the top of her head. 

“Faunus.” Yang gasped in surprise. This was unexpected. It was rare to see the Faunus outside of the Menagerie Systems. 

“Captain Branwen Raven Ist Muninn.” The recording started with a nod of her head, “I am Belladonna Zech Blake Ist White Fang. I have been asked by our leader Brother-Commander Taurus Naut Adam Ist White Fang to open negotiations and confirm that the prisoner is indeed who you say she is. My ship and I will be arriving at the coordinates you gave him within the standard day. I look forward to speaking with such an ally.” 

The hologram gave another nod of her head, before flickering away. 

It was all Yang could do to retain her horror, keeping her head straight and expression unreadable. The White Fang? She's planning on selling the Schnee to the White Fang?

The White Fang were extremists, who thought the Faunus Uprising was still a war being fought. They were enemies of the Protectorate; while Yang was no fan of Atlas she knew what the White Fang would do if they got their hands on the Heir Apparent. 

Across from her, Raven met her eyes and smiled that cold, calculating smile of hers.

It would be war.        

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

Ruby ran. She needed to get back to their room. She needed time, time to think, time to process. It couldn’t be true. It couldn’t. 

She felt tears running down her cheek. 

No. No. 

It wasn’t possible. Yang was emotional, sure. She had a temper that was more than obvious. But she wasn’t a murderer. She couldn’t be.

The old Yang could have never had murdered someone. Another more cynical part of Ruby’s mind whispered, but what about this new one? The one who I haven’t seen in five years. 

Images of Yang staying up late reading her bedtime stories, bandaging skinned knees and packing her lunches for school, danced through her head. It was quashed brutally an instant later by a new hulking and unnatural monster. A monster wearing her sister’s face, whose lips were now curled into a slasher’s crazed grin. 

The door to their room slid open, as Ruby dashed inside, jumping onto her cot, taking in deep, calming breaths. 

Okay, okay. Breathe calm down. Did I hear what I thought I heard? Ruby closed her eyes, hearing Raven’s voice float through where Ruby had been listening at the door of Raven’s cabin. 

“What would Ruby think of her big sister painting the back wall with brains of an unarmed and helpless man?” 

And all Yang could respond with was a helpless whisper of “you wouldn’t.”

Ruby’s face fell. She had done it. Yang had murdered someone. 

And it broke Ruby’s heart. 

Yang had changed. The years had changed her. Every doubt, every fear that Ruby had felt when she saw what Yang had become. The mon…

Ruby’s eyes settled on the picture, hanging just above Yang’s bed. A crayon drawing. Simple, yellowing with age. A four-year-old’s picture; the vivid colours, too bright and gaudy to exist in reality, the simple lines and unproportioned autonomy of the two children and the mother and father, all of whom were far too big to fit in the small box simply labeled ‘house.’ Misspelled of course.

Yang had kept it all these years. Above her bed.

Yang wasn’t a monster. 

They would have a lot to talk about. Yang had left her, left her to go and wander the galaxy looking for Raven, looking for her mother. Despite what their dad had told them, despite what Uncle Qrow had warned them, Yang was so stubborn and so hot-headed she went anyway.

Yang had killed people. She had changed. Or had been changed.  

But despite everything, Yang still kept that picture, taped over her bed.

Ruby knew they would have a lot to say. She knew there would be anger, she knew there would be yelling. Not just from Yang, but from herself as well. But they could deal with that later. 

Yang needed her. Yang would never admit it, but she needed someone to rescue her. She was trapped on this pirate ship.

Ruby smiled as old memories of Yang walking her to school, making breakfast, scolding their comatose father after Summer had passed away. Teaching him how to be a father again once Qrow had snapped him out of his dressed stupor. 

Now it was Ruby’s turn to protect her sister. All she needed was a plan.

Ruby stood up and walked over to where Crescent Rose lay stripped on the table, she closed her eyes and began reassembling the rifle. 

--------

It was only a short while later when Yang burst into the room just as Ruby finished tightening Crescent Rose’s scope onto the top of the rail.

She barely got a word out in greeting, before Yang had picked her up and pulled her into a bone-cracking sisterly hug.

"Yang… can't breathe." Ruby managed to squeak before Yang gently put her down.

"Ruby… I'm sorry. I messed up. I've messed up." Yang blurted, as she rushed past her sister, grabbing a bag and shoving her belongings haphazardly into it. 

"Get your stuff ready to go.” Yang ordered firmly, “we're leaving."

"Leaving?" Ruby asked, brow furrowed in confusion. She hadn’t been expecting this. Ruby had thought it would be a massive fight to try and convince her sister to leave.  

Yang nodded, grabbing the crayon drawing and carefully folding it, before placing it gently in a breast pocket. 

"Leaving. You and me…" Yang hesitated, "... and the prisoner Raven has onboard."

Ruby nodded in relief. "Good."

She looked over at her completed rifle on the desk, her silver eyes then sliding to the pistol on Yang's hip. "You got a plan?" 

Yang smiled nervously. "No… You know me… I’ve never been one to sit around and think things through. But were going to need one soon The White Fang are coming to meet us in less than a day."

“The White Fang?” Ruby couldn’t believe what she was hearing, her sister was dealing with the White Fang of all people?

“Yes the White Fang. Which is why we need to get out of here as soon as we can.” Yang collapsed down on her cot, “some guarantor arriving first before the actual buyer. So we need to get out of here before the buyer actually arrives.”   

“Alright then,” Ruby pulled her chair close to her sister cot and sat down facing Yang. “So the guarantor is arriving before the actual buyer?” 

Yang nodded. “No idea how long before hand. Maybe a day at the most.” 

Ruby sat there quiet for several minutes, then she smiled, the beginnings of a plan forming in her mind. “Okay then. I have an idea…”

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

Weiss’s eyes snapped open as the door to the brig slid open with a hiss.  Dull artificial light from the lamps just outside the brig flooded her dark, cramped cell.. There was the smell of recyke and the heavy tread of boots belonging to that hulking genebred freak.

“I...brought you dinner.” 

The plate was placed gently on the floor, just in front of her cage. Weiss turned to look at her new guard. Yang, she thought she recalled; or something similar. 

The woman’s head was bowed, refusing to look Weiss in the eye, even as she placed a small canteen of water next to the tray.

“It's… mostly recyke, unfortunately. But I was able to grab a lump of ship bread too.” The woman, Yang, sounded almost apologetic; as she waved a hand at the lump of grey matter next to the bar of recyke. 

“So what?” Weiss finally spat, her voice rough from a lack of use over the past weeks. “Want me to thank you? Want me to bestow my gratitude onto a murderer?”

She sat up onto her knees, all the room that her cage barely allowed; before bowing at the waist to Yang. 

“Thank you oh my dear captor. Thank you for showing me some small mercy, after you shot my unarmed crewmember. I will remember this magnanimous show of grace from a murderer when I am finally released to whatever slave market, or small-time warlord, your oh so merciful Mistress deems fit for her purpose. Truly you have earned the favour of the Heir-Apparent of the Protectorate.” 

Weiss couldn’t help but grin as Yang’s eyes narrowed and her temper flared briefly at the sarcasm which dripped from the Heir-Apparent. Apparently struggling not to lash out and quash it as Yang’s body shook with anger. 

“I didn’t really have a choice.” Yang snarled, before taking another calming breath. “I’m not here for that anyway.”

“Oh? Then why? Here to gloat? Here to see the fall of grace of your better?” Weiss’s tone was as sharp as the Atlassian tundra wind in the deep of winter. “I didn’t give that woman before you the satisfaction. You can expect the same, brute.”

“Raven wants to sell you to the White Fang.” Yang cut in. Weiss noticed her fingers curling as though she was only a step away from wanting to strangle her. “They are going to be here in the next day or so.” 

That stopped Weiss cold. Any retort, or insult she had planned to throw at the gene-tailored blonde, was caught in her fear swollen throat. 

“The White Fang?” Weiss finally whispered unbelievably. “Why… that…”

Weiss paused, collected herself. “If your Captain turns me over to the White Fang… I’ll be executed.” 

Yang nodded. “I know.”

“No, I don’t think you do.” Weiss snapped, before leaning back against the wall. “If the White Fang kills me, the Protectorate will have no choice but to go to war with Menagerie. It would be a slaughter...” 

“Which would drag in the other powers.” Yang finished for her. “Another Great War, billions dying, whole systems left to waste and to the mercy of pirates like Raven. Not to mention the Grimm.” 

Weiss looked up at her, somewhat in shock.

Yang shrugged with a barely concealed smug grin. “Just because I am some space pirate frontier bumpkin doesn’t mean I don’t have some grasp on the current state of the galaxy.”   

She took a quick look over the back of her shoulder before leaning in close to Weiss’s cage, her voice hushed and quick. “Look, there is a small group of them coming to see if you are who we say you are. That’s going to be our best chance. You, me and my sister, are going to take their ship and get out of here. This is going to be our only chance. I suggest you eat and regain some of your strength."

She pushed the tray closer to Weiss.

"I never wanted any of this. So I am going to do what is right."

Yang stood up and without another word walked out of the brig, leaving Weiss alone with the tray and the dark.

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

Belladonna Zech Blake Ist White Fang paced uneasily up and down the small bridge of the raider the Red Claw. Adam had trusted her with this task. His top lieutenant, his favourite amongst all his White Fang Brothers and Sisters. 

His best friend

His lover. 

And the one who would betray him. 

It wasn’t going to be easy. It would be her and the captive against several dozen pirates. Then Bake would need to kill her compatriots. Faunus she had spent the better part of several years serving with. Fighting on the frontier against slavers, pirates and raiders and then themselves becoming those same pirates, slavers and raiders.

When she was a girl, the White Fang were her heroes. The ones who had united the divided clans and families. The ones who had driven the Protectorate out of Menagerie. They had rebuilt Faunus culture, preserved their history. The ones who later fought against the slavers, pirates and raiders who descended on the system, like vultures to prey. 

It broke her heart to admit it, but the White Fang had changed.

Or maybe they hadn’t. 

Now she had seen what the White Fang truly was. This ship the Red Claw was part of that proof. It had been a human ship. A freighter making the runs from the Protectorate to the Vacuo Union, the White Fang had seized. The crew, at least those who weren’t useful, were disposed of. The rest were forced to teach the various White Fang members what skills they knew. They were kept alive only because they were useful. To be later disposed of when that usefulness wore out. 

Blake had only realized that recently. 

Then Adam had shared his grand plan with her; the new ally he had made in Wild Space. 

Blake shuddered. No. 

The White Fang, once a beacon for hope, a brighter future for the Faunus, was now a force so blinded by their own righteousness; it had become self-destructive. Not just for itself, but for Faunus kind.

“Sister-Lieutenant Belladonna.” A helmswoman wearing a heavy Ursa Grimm mask approached her, dragging Blake from her thoughts. “Preparations have been made, the Fold-Drive is online. We can make the Fold anytime on your orders.” 

Blake nodded. “Thank you Sister. Prepare to Fold on my mark.” 

She watched the tick of seconds on her the crono strapped to her wrist, counting allowed for the bridge crew to hear. “Four, three, Gods of Sanctuary Preserve. Mark.”

In an instant, thousands of billions of kilometres condensed and folded in on themselves; the Red Claw shot forward, towards a meeting with the last person Blake ever thought she would have to rescue. 

Blake would have to save Weiss Schnee, Heir-Apparent of the Protectorate of Atlas, from not the Dread-Pirate Raven, but her own Brothers and Sisters of the White Fang. 

She had her work cut out for herself.