#we have flown retrograde. we have swum against the tide.

[mosswolf]

Do not demand emergence unless you're ready for emergency. Do not lift up your hands if you ain't ready for a fight. Don't say you're sorry for that shit you all sound so proud of. Don't raise your voice at us, then say we're not polite. We have held our breath, we have closed our eyes, we have tied ourselves down with rope and wire. We have flown in retrograde, we have swum against the tide, we've tried every last trick to stop the clock's stride. But nothing is stationary. No, nothing is stationary. I said, nothing is stationary. They're moving on us now. Nothing is stationary. History ain't stationary. Not even corpses are stationary.

WE'RE SO FUCKING BACK BABY

[heliological]

I wanted to listen to these together

audio from Palisade 01, 18, and 25, transcript under the cut

Austin [as Baldwin Home]: We have held our breath, we have closed our eyes, we have tied ourselves down with rope and wire. We have flown in retrograde, we have swum against the tide, we've tried every last trick to stop the clock's stride. But nothing is stationary. No, nothing is stationary. I said, nothing is stationary. They're moving on us now.

Austin [as Baldwin Home]: It’s your boy, Baldwin Home, a.k.a. Black Screen, Concrete Front, you already know what it is. Hitting you with another missive from the front lines, giving you an update on their missiles and known crimes, so you can move under their noses and know where they sharpen their knives, so you can recognize it by sound and get your own honed too, 'cause they need to be. What did I say? Play it back! Play it back! They’re— they’re— they’re moving on us now.

Austin: And they might do it quietly. But the people on Tartarus 5 celebrate. On Lonn and Helaine Delta and Thulsa and Xenacip, they celebrate. On Bhopal Kha and Maine and Bishamonten, on Carjal and Isfahan and all the rest. On research stations and refineries and on standard spread worlds: not everyone, not every one, but some people touch hands and light candles and some launch fireworks and hide before anyone asks any questions.

And some people make plans. On Altar and Brighton and Crown and Gift-3, they make plans. On Moonlock and Seneschal and Skein, on Thyrsis, and on Volition, and on the Brink, and all throughout the Twilight Mirage, they make plans. And in Sinder Karst, and in Joyous Guard, in Carhaix, on the Isle of the Broken Key, in City City, on New Oath, in the Crown of Glass, in Baseline: all across Palisade, the plans are already in motion.

Jade Kill: in motion. Violet Cove and Rose River, Carmine Bight and Gray Pond: in motion. The Blue Channel: they’re moving on them now, because against all odds tomorrow is coming and it brings more work. And for the first time in weeks, the sun will feel good on their skin as they do it.

[coriolisunset]

SEVEN HUNDRED DAYS SLOW TRAVEL FROM THE NEAREST PRINCIPALITY OUTPOST

IT GLITTERED UNWATCHED LIKE A DIAMOND IN A CLOSET

PALISADE

A WORLD ONCE HOME TO HOPE, RUINED AND TURNED GRAVEL BY THOSE WHO SAW IT MORE AS FOOTHOLD OR SPRINGBOARD OR OPEN INVITATION TO INVASION

PALISADE

THE GATEWAY TO THE TWILIGHT MIRAGE, A BIRTHPLACE MISREMEMBERED ON PURPOSE, A PARADISE IN THE SIGHTS OF EMPIRE, BUT DO NOT FORGET

PALISADE

ITSELF A DESTINATION OH, HOW COULD YOU, SLIPPING WARSHIPS INTO ORBIT, DROPPING BOMBS AND BOOTS BOTH

ONTO PALISADE

WHERE PEOPLE DON'T HAVE TIME FOR BIG QUESTIONS

ON PALISADE

WHERE THE WAR ISN'T ON ITS WAY, IT'S ALREADY HERE

ON PALISADE

WHERE YESTERDAY'S RANSOM RUNS OUT TOMORROW

ON PALISADE

WHERE OPEN DOORS MAKE FOR OPEN FEARS

DO NOT DEMAND EMERGENCE UNLESS YOU'RE READY FOR EMERGENCY DO NOT LIFT UP YOUR HANDS IF YOU AIN'T READY FOR A FIGHT DON'T SAY YOU'RE SORRY FOR THAT SHIT YOU ALL SOUND SO PROUD OF DON'T RAISE YOUR VOICE AT US AND THEN SAY WE'RE NOT POLITE

WE HAVE HELD OUR BREATH WE HAVE CLOSED OUR EYES WE HAVE TIED OURSELVES DOWN WITH ROPE AND WIRE WE HAVE FLOWN IN RETROGRADE WE HAVE SWUM AGAINST THE TIDE WE'VE TRIED EVERY LAST TRICK TO STOP THE CLOCK'S STRIDE

BUT NOTHING IS STATIONARY NO, NOTHING IS STATIONARY I SAID NOTHING IS STATIONARY THEY'RE MOVING ON US NOW NOTHING IS STATIONARY HISTORY AIN'T STATIONARY! NOT EVEN CORPSES ARE STATIONARY SO WE GOTTA START MOVING NOW

FIFTEEN HUNDRED DAYS SINCE THEY FIRST LANDED ON OUR PLANET FIFTEEN HUNDRED DAYS SINCE KESH STARTED TRYING TO STEAL OUR PAST FIFTEEN HUNDRED DAYS SINCE THEIR PRIEST CALLED OUR HOMES THEIR GARDENS FIFTEEN HUNDRED DAYS SINCE THAT FIRST FRONTIER TELECAST

HOW MANY DAYS, UNTIL THEY KNOW US BY NAME? HOW MANY DAYS, UNTIL WE'RE THE ONES CHASING THEM? HOW MANY DAYS, UNTIL WE'RE LOUD IN THE STREETS?

HOW MANY DAYS, HOW MANY DAYS?

[flyawaybooks]

Nothing is Stationary

but do not forget:

PALISADE, itself a destination

oh, how could you?

slippin’ warships into orbit,

droppin’ bombs and boots both onto

PALISADE: where people don’t have

Time for big questions; on

PALISADE: where the war isn’t on it’s way, it’s already here; on

PALISADE, where yesterday’s ransom runs out tomorrow; on

PALISADE, where open doors make for open fears.

do NOT demand emergence unless you’re ready for emergency.

do not lift up your hands if you ain’t ready for a fight.

don’t say you’re sorry for that shit you all sound so proud of.

don’t raise your voice at us, then say we’re not polite. we have

Held our breath, we have

Closed our eyes, we have

Tied ourselves Down with

Rope and Wire; we have

Flown in retrograde, we have

Swum against the tide,

we’ve tried ev’ry last trick

to Stop the clock’s stride.

but Nothing is stationary. no,

Nothing is stationary. i said,

Nothing is stationary.

they’re moving on us now...

Nothing is stationary.

History ain’t stationary!

not even Corpses are stationary!

so we gotta start moving now!

-Austin Walker, excerpt from the intro to PALISADE 01:

[theinstagrahame]

I *just* listened to the intro to season 8, Palisade, and it gave me chills.

This part especially:

Do not demand emergence unless you're ready for emergency. Do not lift up your hands if you ain't ready for a fight. Don't say you're sorry for that shit you all sound so proud of. Don't raise your voice at us, then say we're not polite

Full intro below:

[MUSIC - “Nothing is Stationary” by Jack de Quidt begins]

Austin:        [narrating] 700 days' slow travel from the nearest Principality outpost, it glittered unwatched like a diamond in a closet — Palisade. A world once home to hope, ruined and turned gravel by those who saw it more as foothold or springboard or open invitation to invasion, Palisade — the gateway to the Twilight Mirage, a birthplace misremembered on purpose, a paradise in the sights of empire.

But do not forget Palisade, itself a destination, oh, how could you? Slipping warships into orbit, dropping bombs and boots both onto Palisade, where people don't have time for big questions, on Palisade, where the war isn't on its way, it's already here. On Palisade, where yesterday's ransom runs out tomorrow, on Palisade, where open doors make for open fears.

Do not demand emergence unless you're ready for emergency. Do not lift up your hands if you ain't ready for a fight. Don't say you're sorry for that shit you all sound so proud of. Don't raise your voice at us, then say we're not polite.

We have held our breath, we have closed our eyes, we have tied ourselves down with rope and wire. We have flown in retrograde, we have swum against the tide, we've tried every last trick to stop the clock's stride. But nothing is stationary.

No, nothing is stationary. I said, nothing is stationary. They're moving on us now. Nothing is stationary. History ain't stationary. Not even corpses are stationary. So we've got to start moving now.

1500 days since they first landed on our planet. 1500 days since Kesh started trying to steal our past. 1500 days since their priest called our homes their gardens. 1500 days since that first Frontier telecast.

How many days until they know us by name? How many days until we're the ones chasing them? How many days until we're loud in the streets? How many days... how many days?

[“Nothing is Stationary” concludes]

(Via Transcripts at the Table. Emphasis and line breaks mine)

You know the old saying, ‘those thrown in pits will build ladders.’ For years, I believed that whoever wrote that never climbed a day in their life. After all, what pit has the material–the wood, the nails, the hammers–needed to build a ladder? Who, tossed aside by the more powerful, could find the will to build handholds and rungs from nothing at all? How does anyone, I wondered, escape the depth? But I realized something I had not considered. The powerful are frugal and it is costly to dig a new pit for each person you wish to bury. The weak, the downtrodden, the dismissed, the disfigured, the doomed. We are all neighbors. And we are too, the wood, the nails, the hammers, needed to build ladders. Austin Walker, Spring in Hieron

[mosswolf]

happy we have held our breath we have closed our eyes we have tied ourselves down with rope and wire we have flown in retrograde we have swum against the tide we've tried every last trick to stop the clock's stride wednesday to all those who celebrate