Been trying to get into this hobby for a while and every time i try to approach a game i reach a point that i have to seek more info or get my runs approved and my experiences are in general pretty bad.
People that are not from USA/England sometimes meet each other in english streams and they get happy to know that someone close to them(in their country) enjoys this kind of entertainment and speak just a bit in their native language, and guess what streamers do? Ban them for interacting with each other and will treat you like complete shit to the point of calling your language and culture useless or swearing at you if you complain about that. Ive shown that with proof to the Devil may cry community because thats what the youtuber (Waifu runs) done months ago and guess what the Dmc mods did? NOTHING. Plus! They banned me for calling him out in their server. this also happened in ff7 remake streams from other people on twitch
Things get very very messy on Discord: -I experiencied a moderator from speedrun.com calling my Guilty Gear game useless and a waste of time because i was asking him to validade my pbs moving upwards on the leaderboard
-I got banned from the Valkyrie community because they treated the characters names as spoilers!! names revealed on trailers and leaks MONTHS before launch.
-People moderating games(meltyblood, valkyrie) that they didnt even pre ordered or had actual high level experience with it calling the games bad or shit.. meanwhile i was putting the effort finding skips and mastering combat posting stuff on youtube. then i asked if i could be a mod and help the community and they said no.
-And today i got into the nier community to learn the skips and a guy started a funny conversation with me making jokes about lore, i was engaged and treating him like a friend because thats what normal people socializing do and we started to disagree. He said "actually" and i posted that nerd meme with the glasses in the chat and he got offended, a mod got mad and they decided to ban me. They banned me because i was trying to make a friend, treating him like my actual friends, talking about story. Its unbelievable
Meanwhile this same dude is leaving a wr run for my category getting dust for more than 4 weeks at this point waiting to be approved.
You people from North america/Europe should think twice before saying that speedrunning communities are welcoming, humble and fun. Its the very opposite and you both dont care about the games nor the people interested in it

Why the hell would V work with a cop in the first place (or, in V-speak, work with a cop... Why would I?) River calls V to help with his nephew situation... why? The dude is lame and I bailed on the kid hunt after the conversation with his sister-- just left him out there in the trailer park. Screw him. I'm not doing his lame ass quests, listening to him bitch, grumble, and whine the whole time. V's head is about to meltdown and I'm not about to have her spend her last days moping around with that jerkoff.

Human Dave floats in the starboard engine bay, with Captain hovering behind him.
Human Dave: "Captain, there's no way that'll work."
Alien Captain: "Trust me, Human Dave. I have been a Captain since before your grandparents were born. It will work."
HD: "I'm sorry; I didn't realise your name was Mechanic. Or would it be Engineer?"
AC: "Human, please. Just because I am suited to be a captain does not mean I do not know how to perform emergency repairs to an artificial gravity generator."
HD: "Isn't that the literal reason you got your name?"
AC: "Just attach the damn plasma core to those parts sticking out, and it'll start working. At least until you come up with a proper fix. It will not be perfect, but at least we will all be on the floor."
HD: "... Captain, your explanation is basically the equivalent of attaching a double A battery to a car engine, and hoping that it has enough charge to actually start it."
AC: "It does not need too big of a charge, Human Dave. Just enough for it to start a temporary cycle, which will last approximately half of a standard Terran hour; more than enough time for you to perform actual repairs without having to strand us in space."
HD: "Half an hour to fix an artificial gravity generator? One I'm not actually familiar with? Yes, half an hour is loads of time."
AC: "I am sensing sarcasm in your tone, Human Dave."
HD: "That's because there is! I have no clue how the systems even work; it's not like there's a manual or anything for something put together with scrap metal and spare parts!"
AC: "Human Dave, I am the manual. This generator was one of the few things I built myself. And yes, I did use scrap metal and spare parts to make it, but the circumstances were dire enough for me to have made the attempt."
HD: "... you built this?"
AC: "Is that so hard to believe?"
HD: "It goes against everything I've actually learned about your species, Captain!"
AC: "My age is over 200 of your Terran years, Human Dave. Of course, I am going to learn to do things beyond my name."
HD, grinning:"... damn. You're an old man!"
AC: "I am only barely in my middle age, Human Dave."
HD: "So, if you could do this kind of work, how come you hired me?"
AC: "Because it is difficult enough to be merely a captain of a ship, and, again, it is not what I am good at. I am not suited to such an occupation, so needed to hire someone who is."
Pilot Reeda, over comms: "I don't mean to interrupt what I assume is a riveting conversation, but would you two stop chatting and fix the damn generator? I don't very well fancy losing my only meal of the day because you two won't shut up!"
HD, overcomms: "We're doing it, Reeda'Tila-Lasoran. Don't get you damn antennae in a twist."
PR, over comms: "FUCK YOU, ANDERS!"
HD, over comms: "RIGHT BACK AT YOU, BITCH!"
AC: "Must you antagonise Pilot Reeda so? Would it not be more appropriate to get along with her?"
HD: "Captain, Reeda'Tila-Lasoran is a Klofi-Watrin. The entire Watrin species is one that disdains kindness and compassion. I'd actually be worried if we didn't fight."
AC: "Pilot Reeda has been nothing but civil and businesslike while serving aboard the ship."
HD: "Exactly. You've never argued with her, nor she with you. It wasn't until I started working here that she started opening up, right?"
AC: "... I had not noticed until you mentioned, but now that you have, I can see that what you have said is accurate."
HD: "Tha Watrin were actually one of the first species that Humanity allied itself with. Some of them even serve as part of Terran Space Force."
AC: "... do you all argue there as well?"
HD: "The Watrin are actually good for morale as well. Human soldiers are very tense when going into active battle zones, and Watrin don't care for niceties, so they speak very bluntly."
AC: "What does that have to do with military personnel?"
HD: "Trash-talking is something all soldiers know. And Watrin trash-talk when they communicate normally, so it's great for cutting tension."
AC: "... I believe I understand."
HD: "Brilliant. Now let's try your plan, and hope the FTL drive or whatever doesn't decide to blow up."
Human Dave attaches the plasma core, reclaimed from one of the non-functional weapons battery's, and shuts his eyes tight as he activates the connection between them.
...
Gravity slowly reasserts itself, and both Human Dave and Captain lower gently onto the floor.
PR, over comms: "Thank the Ancestors! You finally got off your arses and did something useful for once!"
HD, over comms: "I can very easily put it back the way it was, Reeda'Tila-Lasoran."
PR, over comms: "Don't make me come down there and bite you, Human."
HD, grinning: "Kinky, but I get enough of that from the Aflarrians. Try again."
A scream is faintly heard in the general direction of the bridge.
HD: "... I think that means I won this round, Captain."
AC: "... I am less certain of that, Human Dave. Now, would you please do something about the damage? The temporary fix will not last, and we will be properly stranded if it is not dealt with."
HD: "Okay, okay, I'm doing it."
...
Human Dave sits in the cargo hold, staring intently at the broken artificial gravity generator with a frown on his face.
Quartermaster: "Human Dave, why do you glare at the broken machinery?"
HD: "Quartermaster. I'm trying to figure out how he did it."
QM: "Do you mean Captain?"
HD: "Yes. By all accounts, it shouldn't have worked. I mean, the generator he built worked well enough for years, but I have no clue how."
Human Dave gestures at a section of the broken generator.
HD: "Look at this. It's a piece off of a Takarian data skimmer."
Human Dave gestures to another section of the generator.
HD: "And this is part of a Mk'tpl'ysric forging anvil. What it's doing attached to an artificial gravity generator, I have no damn clue, but the damn thing won't even function without it. I should know; I tested it. Took the damn thing apart twice already, and I still don't know how it works!"
QM: "... perhaps you could ask Captain? Since he was the one to build it, should he not have schematics, or some idea how it functions?"
HD: "I did already. You know what his answer was?"
QM: "I do not, Human Dave."
HD: "... he said he doesn't remember either. Apparently, he crashed the ship, and got a nasty blow to his head. Then, went on to build a whole bunch of crap, and install it into the ship, and somehow, miraculously, it all worked. He showed me the recordings of him building it, but doesn't remember anything in between the crash, and getting treated after repairing the ship!"
QM: "... most curious."
HD: "Actually, since I have you here, would I be able to requisition a few parts from you to try and rebuild this thing to, at the very least, a functional state?"
QM: "Certainly, Human Dave. What do you need?"
...
Aboard the TSF Trailblazer.
Commander Beckett: "What is all this?"
Inventory Officer: A delivery for you, Sir."
CB: "I can see that, Officer. I want to know what it is, who sent it, and why it was sent to me, of all people."
IO: "Well, sir, I'm not sure what it is, but I do know it was sent by one David Anders."
CB, to himself: "What the Hell is he sending me this time?"
IO: "There's also a message with it, Sir."
CB: "Let me see it."
Commander Beckett takes the data slate from the Officer, and pulls up the message.
HD, recording: "Commander. I've got something for you. It's a Hell of a mess, but it works. Artificial gravity generator. You should be able to reverse-engineer one big enough to fit onto your ship with the help of the eggheads.
It's a Hell of a thing, Commander. No clue how it works, but it works better than anything I've seen before. Captain actually built it a long time ago, but even he doesn't know how it works.
I've sent you what schematics I managed to make of it, but you guys will need to improvise a bit if you want to build one of your own.
If you need any help with it, you know how to contact me."
Commander Beckett lowers the data slate, and a smile starts to form on his face.
IO: "Sir?"
CB: "Get this down to Engineering. If they can make heads or tails of it, then we just got a new piece of tech to update our own systems."
IO: "Yes, Sir."
The Officer salutes Commander Beckett, and runs off to get help with getting it down to Engineering.
CB: "Ah, Dave. Why am I not surprised that you're still doing your part for humanity?"
First
Previous

--- Table of Contents ---
Summer 4986, 15 Akamoth
Shaloon left the Firewyrm with the journeymen, tired and literally drained but smiling since she was allowed to help them feed and clean the animal specimens. Before continuing down the hall, the Archmage turned back to the small stable. She sighed as the Firewyrm hissed at one of the specimens for crowding too close to the bucket of meat she was dishing out to them. She was like a mother chastising over-eager toddlers. Shaloon’s lips curled in a sneer, her words slipping out in a growl of mixed languages, “Appropriate. Might as well be, her samples allowed for their evolution…”
“Archmage?” Journeyman Brom looked up from bottling the Firewyrm's blood. Fool, he would know all the words she'd said… But what sentence structure had she used? She couldn’t remember and hadn’t noticed. She walked away, having been talking to herself anyway.
She walked up the spiral stairs to the larger labs on the ground floor, the laughter of the Firewyrm ringing in her ears. Perhaps mother wasn’t the right word. The girl didn’t see them as children but as something else… “toys,” treasures.
She didn’t bother to knock before entering one of two main labs on the ground floor, and Morndancer didn’t bother to look up from his book, “We need purer samples.” she stated, leaning on the doorframe and crossing her arms to look down on him in the sunken room.
Morndancer snorted, “And where do you expect to find them? We have the Firewyrm.”
Shaloon growled, not looking forward to having this argument again. “She is tainted. Her samples mix on a molecular level, and the spell that changed her…”
“She is our greatest success!” Morndancer slammed his book closed, turning wide, mad, eyes on Shaloon, “You don’t think I tried to make something pure? Something complete? Do you have any idea how many priceless samples and artifacts we wasted before creating something that could actually survive? They are the closest things we have to true-”
“And yet, instead of focusing on replicating them, we waste our time trying to breed the beast out of animals!” Shaloon shouted then cursed, pushing roughly off the door frame, “I have sent to the central Talon and requested pure samples. They will be here in a month.”
“A month…” Morndancer mouthed, then his face twisted, “You sent for them over a season ago and are just now telling me? Why not cut your way there yourself if you are that eager to split our efforts?”
Shaloon turned her nose up at that. She had been transferred here, to this frozen backwater Talon, because she was one of the few Archmages able to cut a hole through space and teleport through the outer planes. She had allowed the transfer because she'd wanted to experiment with this man. What a disappointment. He'd been the greatest mind in the central Talon, making the most substantial progress seen since the extinction. But he refused to continue that line of study, and was now starting to ignore the last fifteen years of experiments here.
“You won’t even let me use the wyvern. It’s been cloistered away in caves for the last two and a half years while you ramble about gods and Chosen…”
“I saw one, Shaloon!” he shouted, jumping to his feet and knocking his book to the ground. Shaloon gasped, rushing down the steps for the book. Picking it up, she held the priceless tome to her chest as if cradling a crying child. “The Talons must shift their focus,” Morndancer paced around the room in circles, talking more to himself than to her, “If there is one, then there will be more. The wyrms gave them the power to reach across the planes. They will be the key. The children will create their own brood…”
Reverently Shaloon placed the book back on its pedestal and turned for the door. Morndancer had finally tipped over the edge. It was the inevitable fate of anyone who exposed their minds to the type of magic they studied. And he had reached deeper than any other. The human mind wasn't meant to converse with the forces that granted their power. She would fall too, eventually.
“But until then…” she turned back to the pacing Archmage, “The samples will be here in a month, escorted by Journeyman Karlo,”
Morndancer finally looked up, "Karlo will never advance past Journeyman, He's halfway to the Outerplains already."
Shaloon smirked, "Aren't we all?" and left the lab.
***
Veon-Zih cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders while he stood in line at the docks. Waiting patiently to present his papers to the guard signing off on the passengers disembarking from Oane. A second guard passed him, heading for a wagon to inspect the goods. The enlisted men looked tense, going through the papers and goods with more focus and efficiency than they usually would, A Paladin officer hovering over them, his hands clasped tightly behind his back and silver armor gleaming in the sun.
Veon-Zih smiled at the Paladin, handing his papers to the enlisted but speaking with the knight, “As much as I appreciate your inspired diligence, Sir, this would go so much faster if you didn’t have them checking and double-checking each signature three times over.”
“Proper procedure is key in keeping us safe, Mr…” he trailed off, looking toward the soldier who flipped to the front of the Monk's massive book to show his name, “Vee… ohn… Zee… ha?”
Close enough, “That it is good Sir. Carry on.” there was no point in arguing with Paladins over proper procedures. Even when it hampered efficiency.
Behind him, the wagon driver shifted nervously as the soldier began asking questions while perusing his trade logs. “I, um… Mr. Karlo?” Veon-Zih glanced over his shoulder as the driver stuttered. The portly man breathed an audible sigh of relief as a second man hopped from the wagon and addressed the soldier. This man was tall, or at least appeared to be, with his head stretched high and back held too stiff, his long straight robe seemed to give his slender body further length. But strangest was how he moved, in snaps and jerks, his head twitching back and forth as he spoke in a whisper to the guard.
“That’s not at all suspicious…” Veon-Zih muttered, taking his papers back from his own soldier and stepping out of the way of the line. Those who had gone before him had already disappeared into the port city, and those behind moved forward to take his place, passing the wagon to reach the free guard.
The driver had the unmistakable look of a merchant, with pouches lining his belt and his guild's badge displayed on his left breast. He should've crossed the straight to Clearhelm many times over as an apprentice before going solo. And yet, he'd stuttered nervously and deferred to his passenger, who was clearly not of the Merchants Guild. Most likely a Mage based on his robe's lack of a religious emblem.
Veon-Zih narrowed his eyes at the strange man as he passed over his papers. The book was nearly as thick as his own, though it bulged with the thickness. Either the Mage hadn’t updated the cover despite the increased pages or…
Veon-Zih cleared his throat, getting the Paladin’s attention, and gestured with his chin towards the wagon. The Paladin looked him over for a moment, his brow furrowed, then glanced towards the wagon. He had no reason to trust Veon-Zih but Paladins were not ordinary soldiers. If there was reason to worry, Hengist would urge him to look for the signs.
The guard shifted his weight just enough to turn his back to the Paladin before opening the book. Veon-Zih sighed, watching the man move. He wasn’t just turning pages. His arm pulled too far back rather than to the side. Most likely slipping something into his coat. The Paladin might not have been able to see, but he'd already caught the scent that something wasn’t right here and started forward, placing his hand on the guard’s shoulder.
“Everything seems to be in order, Sir…” the guard had a superb poker face, a sure sign he'd taken bribes before. He handed the Mage back his papers and turned to wave the wagon on.
Veon-Zih stepped forward just as the Paladin held out his hand to stop the driver. “Headed for the Mages Guild, perhaps?” Veon-Zih asked curiously, trying to sound innocent.
The Mage twitched violently, turning stunning purple eyes on Veon-Zih, “Yes. Very important samples…” he spoke slowly, as if he needed to consider each word before saying them out loud.
“Then why not take a gate?” Veon-Zih chuckled, “I’ve been across this fine kingdom of Daanlan many times over, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen a wagon carrying Mage goods…” he tapped his own impressive book of papers against his leg, demonstrating his experiential authority on the matter. “What about you, Sir Knight?” he asked the Paladin, ceding control back to the Temple representative.
“Your papers,” the Paladin ordered, holding his hand out for the Mage's book. The Mage nearly vibrated with the speed of his twitching. The driver blanched but swallowed, keeping silent. Though it was his wagon. The Mage handed over his papers again, but then the Paladin added an order to the soldier, “Open the crates.”
The Mage’s eyes bulged, as the soldier he'd bribed moved towards the cart. Veon-Zih and the Mage both stared as the guard climbed into the wagon, opening the nearest crate without removing it. He nodded at the contents then closed the crate again. He had definitely accepted smuggling bribes before.
“Hold, good man…” Veon-Zih called. The guard glared at Veon-Zih, and the Monk grinned. If looks could kill…
“Sir.” the guard said indignantly to the Paladin as though the knight should be offended that Veon-Zih had inserted himself into this business. The Paladin, however, just frowned, waving the man down and nodding to Veon-Zih. Something in the knight's gut insisted that the Monk was to be trusted, and Veon-Zih’s grin widened as he approached the wagon.
Digging past some bottles labeled "griffin blood", he found what was making the driver so nervous, “Scales… dragon scale.” a nearly impossible-to-find, and highly restricted, magical component. Their owners having gone extinct millennia ago.
The Paladin growled, “All of you will come with me. Now.” he snapped the papers closed, shoving them under his arm and turning on his heel towards the Temple.
The Mage hissed like a snake, his arms coming up and black fire shooting from his splayed fingers toward the Paladin’s back. Veon-Zih grabbed the side of the wagon, swinging around it and sliding along the ground, he kicked the Mage's feet out from under him. The Mage tumbled backward, his fire barely licking the Paladin’s blue cape before going out.
The Paladin turned, reaching for his sword, but the Mage had blinked, disappearing before he hit the ground and reappearing ten feet away. “Damn magic users…” Veon-Zih jumped to his feet as the Mage began to chant, his arms becoming wreathed in shadow.
The guard who had inspected Veon-Zih’s papers drew his short sword and started for the Mage. A good man. Stupid. But his heart was in the right place.
Tentacles sprouted from where the Mage’s arms had been, twitching and writhing with the same jerky movements of the man himself. Veon-Zih sprinted forward, trying to close the distance and distract from the guard.
The Mage attacked, sending one tentacle out to strike Veon-Zih, who ducked, throwing his arm up to deflect the living whip. It shouldn’t have hurt this much. Veon-Zih blocked the pain, rolling forward. He needed to get to striking distance before…
The guard screamed, flailing his sword and cutting right through the second tentacle. As if made of smoke, the tentacle broke and reformed behind the swing, smacking the guard solidly on the head. The guard’s helmet flew off, and he dropped to the ground, clutching the side of his face. The skin between his fingers was black and blistering with red pustules.
Veon-Zih reached the Mage, striking up at the man’s chest as he stood, smacking him with the palm of his hand and knocking the wind from his lungs and spell from his lips. Lifting his foot high into the air, Veon-Zih slammed his heel down on the Mage's shoulder, sending him crumbling to the ground.
The Mage hit the stone hard, some of the cobbles breaking loose and flying into the air. His tentacled arms continued to writhe, whipping back and forth behind Veon-Zih, attacking the prone guard again as if on their own.
The Mage laughed. Giggled like a young child, his head lolling to the side, eyes staring at nothing.
Veon-Zih was forced to dodge a tentacle again, this time careful not to touch it. His arm still stung where it had burned through his clothes to reach his skin. Veon-Zih gauged the power needed to knock the man out without killing him. The Temple would want to question him. His fist hadn’t yet hit when the Mage screamed and thrashed. Veon-Zih turned to see the Paladin, sword drawn and glowing with a brilliant blue-white light, standing between the Mage's tentacles and his fallen guard. On the ground at his feet, twitched the end of one tentacle before dissolving into smoke.
The second tentacle whipped forward, thrusting like a spike to stab the knight. But the Paladin calmly cut through it, channeling the divine power of Hengist through his sword to split the tentacle down the middle. The Mage screamed again, then went quiet as Veon-Zih bopped him soundly on the base of his skull.
***
Shaloon burst through the door to Morndancer’s private rooms. The magical door made of starry night slammed into the wall and rattled the mirror across the way. “Something’s wrong.”
“Of course something is wrong,” Morndancer said absently, scratching the chin of the otherworldly pseudodragon draped over his wardrobe, “The world is being reborn, and all we can do is watch.”
“No.” she didn’t have time for his new nihilism, “Journeyman Karlo, we need to find him.”
Morndancer, for once, didn’t argue. He moved to the mirror, placing one hand in the center and holding his other out to Shaloon. She fished in her robes, pulling out a small jar, and upended it into his palm. A piece of flesh flopped into the Archmage's palm, and he closed his fingers around it, chanting softly.
The image in the mirror wavered out from his fingers as if made of water, and when it calmed again, they saw two men on its surface. A Paladin and an old man in lowly peasant garb with a shaved head. “It’s him…” Shaloon whispered.
Morndancer was more focused on the Paladin, “He’s been captured. What do they know…”
The Paladin held his helm under his arm and seemed to be watching them as he surveyed Karlo. “That was like no arcane magic I’ve ever seen before, Master Veh-oan-Zith. What kind of Mage casts spells like that?”
The Monk’s lip twitched in the merest hint of a smile, but it disappeared a moment later when he covered his chin with his hand, stroking it in thought. “The Warlock kind good Sir…”
“That’s enough,” Shaloon said with a sigh. Morndancer nodded, opening his hand and holding the lump of flesh out to her. Her shoulders slumped for a moment, another researcher lost… She draped her fingers loosely over Karlo's flesh and, with a word, set it alight with black flame.
***
“A Warlock, Master Monk? In Clearhelm?” the Paladin sounded horrified. Veon-Zih wished the knight would try and say his name again, just to add a little bit of levity to the solemn moment.
“I’m afraid so. This will be the third time I've faced one, and their magic is not one you forget,” Veon-Zih answered.
The twitchy Warlock was restrained in the center of the room, eyes open but mind far away. It appalled the Paladin how easily the man had almost gotten away with smuggling into his province, doubly so now that he knew the nature of the man’s magic. “He will be questioned thoroughly. Would you like to be present when-”
The Warlock screamed, struggling against his bonds. The Paladin reached for his sword and Veon-Zih dropped into a fighting stance but both had to shield their eyes a moment later as the Warlock burst into black flames from the inside. His eyes shriveled and burned, the flames licking out the sockets and catching his hair alight as his mouth continued to scream forth black fire.
The Paladin recovered enough to begin chanting some kind of healing or disenchanting spell but not fast enough. In mere seconds, the Warlock’s arms fell free from their bonds as they dissolved into ash, followed a moment later by the rest of his body. Leaving only the scorched chair, loose chains, and a pile of ash where once the man had been.
***
“We don’t know how much they learned,” Morndancer stated, turning accusing eyes on Shaloon.
Shaloon looked away, “They won’t find us.”
“You’re right.” Morndancer turned his back on her, “We are leaving. Make the arrangements.”
***
“They're still here then…” General Rasnah stood, looking out the window of her office towards the setting sun, clasping her wrists behind her back.
It had taken Veon-Zih a few weeks to reach Smilnda from the port city of Gehdran, though Rasnah had received the report of the Warlock incident much sooner, the same day in fact, through the Mages Guild mirrors. “Any new information?” Veon-Zih asked, moving to stand beside her. He'd returned to visit Shon in Hamerfoss, but would delay if necessary.
“No,” Rasnah sighed, “I've sent word to my counterparts in Oane and to the kingdom, we are trying to trace the man’s papers and cargo, but it will take time. They've covered their tracks well, probably have been for years.”
“At least thirty…” Veon-Zih muttered, turning away from the window and Rasnah. He took the seat in front of her desk with a road-weary sigh. “Why is it, my dear Rasnah, that you must tease me so?” he asked playfully.
Rasnah managed a laugh, “What?”
“Almost every time I come to Smilnda, something exciting seems to be brewing and then,” he snapped his fingers, “gone. We haven’t heard anything of these Warlocks for over five years, and just when I start to give up hope, bam, wyvern! I don’t suppose you killed it while I was away?”
Rasnah snorted another little laugh, finally turning away from the sunset and taking her seat behind her desk, “Please don’t remind me of the wyvern. It's been two years with no sightings, and Daunas still hasn’t stopped asking to hunt it with every report.”
“Does he want to avenge his father that badly?”
“How is it vengeance when Mung killed that one himself?”
“I wouldn’t think someone Daunas’s age would still be seeking glory…” Veon-Zih stroked his chin in thought, “He’s not much better than you 'retired' lot.”
Rasnah leaned back in her chair, lacing her fingers together, and finally gave him a real smile, “He works harder now than he ever did on the road. Us too, truth be told…”
“If you’re trying to convince me to join you again, you’re doing a very poor job of it,” Veon-Zih said, returning her smile. He didn’t want to return her mind to the serious issue at hand, but her’s wasn’t the only mind it was plaguing, “Now we have more Warlocks… possibly the same group. Are they going to disappear again? How many years before Smildna decides to dangle a true adventure under my nose once more?”
“Perhaps it’s a sign, my old, old... ooold friend. Perhaps these are adventures for the next generation.”
“Pah,” Veon-Zih waved that idea down as fast as he could, “I would rather not leave a mess for those coming behind. Besides, they aren’t ready.”
“They get closer every day, V. Don’t blink. As soon as you do, Shon will be Oath Sworn and off to hunt wyverns and Warlocks of his very own.”
Veon-Zih leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, “How’s he doing, Rasnah?” It had been a year and a half since Shon had transferred to Hamerfoss for training. Veon-Zih had tried to visit at least once a season, and the jumps in his skills seemed outstanding. Yet something still nagged at the back of Veon-Zih's mind. Was he still disappointed the boy hadn’t chosen the Monk path?
“You’re headed there next, see for yourself,” Rasnah answered shortly, though she also pulled a drawer open.
“Humor me,” Veon-Zih said, but she already was. She didn’t even have to look for the folder, showing him clearly she'd been ready for this very conversation. Before they'd been distracted by internally combusting Warlocks.
She didn’t pass over the file, such breaches of privacy were strictly against protocols, but she did leaf through it herself. “He gets top marks in combat, particularly with ambidextrous weapons and anything that requires finesse over brute strength. His lecture grades are also high, though he struggles with decorum and etiquette. His armor scores are honestly abysmal. Though I’m not sure the blame for that lies with him…” still facing the paper, she glared up at Veon-Zih with just her eyes.
“Well…” Veon-Zih rubbed the back of his neck under that accusatory stare, “He won’t have a problem if ambushed in the bath…”
That got another little snort of laughter out of the Paladin, who closed the file, “If you want anything more personal, you'll have to ask him yourself.”
Veon-Zih nodded. He just hoped Shon had made at least a few real friends since his last visit.
***
"How?" Veon-Zih gaped open-mouthed at Shon while the other Squires tried to stifle their snickers around him, “How did you get injuries from dancing?!”
Shon let go of his dance partner’s hands, and the boy stuck his fingers under his arms as if to warm them from a winter chill. Weary blue eyes turned to Veon-Zih for only a moment before Shon looked away, his cheeks pink. One cheek was bandaged with a thick square of cloth taped in place. His rolled-up sleeves showed the ends of more bandages on his right arm, and he flinched as he rubbed his ribs nervously. Were those hurt too?
“Well, Squire? Answer the man…” Daunas called from a bench against the wall of the fortress courtyard. The Weaponmaster leaned back, his hands laced behind his head, legs stretched out and crossed at the ankles. He maintained that dancing was for nobles and Paladins and wasn’t the one giving this lesson. Though he'd chosen to come watch regardless.
Shon mumbled something inaudible then turned away to resume dancing. His partner shook his hands out before reaching for Shon, but Daunus called out again, “What was that, Squire? Something about you taking hits on purpose?”
Shon’s eye twitched, and the boys around him tried to smother their laughter, “I won, didn't I?!” Shon called to the Weaponmaster, who snickered. The boys stopped laughing at that. They were the ones he was defeating.
The Paladin giving the dance lesson, gasped, “Squire, push-ups. Now.” Shon saluted sharply and dropped in place to perform the punishment for his rudeness. Daunas laughed louder. “The rest of you get back to work. One two, one two, leaders, don’t let your followers take control. They had their turn earlier…”
Veon-Zih made his way to Daunas’s bench, plopping heavily down on it, “The Cleric?” Veon-Zih asked the Weaponmaster, who was still smiling, though he had closed his eyes to take in the sun while it lasted. Autumn was right around the corner.
“We told him last week they weren’t going to heal anything he could've prevented himself.” Daunas explained, “Your boy has a nasty habit of taking a non-fatal hit if it means he gets the win. Which he always does. But it’s a bad habit.”
“Stubborn…” Veon-Zih muttered, watching Shon jump back to his feet to resume the dance lesson. His partner flinched at Shon's touch but started to dance without further complaint. The boys spun in well-timed circles, some stepping on feet, others pulling a little too hard, but mostly doing well. Shon had the steps down perfectly but looked stiff, like a golem going through programming. Not really feeling the music flowing from the open box beside the teacher still giving the count.
“He’s your boy." Daunas snorted out another laugh at Veon-Zih’s expense, "Sure he’s not a blood relation?” The Monk chose to ignore the insinuation and seeing he wasn’t going to get a reaction from Veon-Zih, Daunus continued, “He really is a great fighter, but he’ll need to be better with plate if he wants to keep taking hits like that.”
“You can hardly move in plate,” Veon-Zih argued, annoyed. Daunas just shrugged, so Veon-Zih leaned back with him, resting his back on the curtain wall’s cool stones, “How about everything else? Has he opened up at all?”
Daunas sighed, “In his own way. He doesn't -not- get along with anyone, and the others seem to like him well enough. But he’s quiet that one, would rather watch and listen than participate during free time, and that's assuming he's not outside practicing! He’s started helping the ones that are falling behind in combat training. It works out. He hardly uses the time he gets off anyway, and before you accuse me of taking advantage, it was his idea. I asked, and he said if they needed extra training, he might as well join them. But before you get too proud, their friendship outside the extra practice seems the same as all the others.”
So nothing had changed. Veon-Zih sighed, was there even a point in wanting Shon to make friends like a 'normal' boy? This was his normal, and if he was happy, then why encourage something different? "I suppose if it isn't harmful..." Veon-Zih whispered.
The hour bell sounded, and the Paladin closed the music box, leaving the deep rings to fill the suddenly silent air as the Squires all snapped to attention. He waited until the last bell faded before calling “Dismissed!” Almost as one, the sixteen boys sagged in relief, laughing and joking with one another as they began their first hour of free time before dinner.
Veon-Zih pushed off the wall and started for Shon. The other Squires smiled and waved or saluted greetings towards him, and he smiled and nodded in response, his feet never wavering from their path.
“Damn Shon, I swear you’ve gotten colder…” Shon’s dance partner said with a smile, rubbing his hands together. Shon just shrugged, and the boy laughed, “See you at dinner then,” before he rushed off to join some of the others heading towards the fortress proper.
Shon turned, then, spotting Veon-Zih, looked away again. Reaching him, Veon-Zih crossed his arms and arched a questioning eyebrow, waiting for the young man to look up. Shon was almost as tall as Veon-Zih now, just a few more inches, and he would overshoot his Master. That didn’t stop him from sounding small as he muttered a soft “Sorry…”
“Are you really?” Veon-Zih asked, keeping his eyebrow up.
Shon looked up, a stubborn glint in his ice-blue eyes, “They never know what to do when a blow actually lands. It ends the fights fast.”
“So you end one fight, but what about the next? Or the one after that? How many little blows do you think you can take before you fall?” Veon-Zih didn’t yell, and Shon would've heard it all from Daunas already, but it was different coming from his Master. He ran his hand through his hair, cut regulation short so not at all in his face, looking truly ashamed for the first time.
“Sorry…”
Veon-Zih sighed, taking Shon by the shoulder, “Don’t be sorry, be better.” Shon just nodded, so Veon-Zih gave him a little shake and a smile, “What about life in general? Still enjoying the military?”
Shon’s smile was as small and subtle as ever, but to Veon-Zih, it lit up his face. Shon nodded, “It’s easy and organized. I wish the Church had been so structured. As long as everyone does what they're supposed to when they're supposed to, it’s perfect.”
Veon-Zih threw his head back and laughed. By the time he looked back down, Shon was staring at him, his eyebrow arched in question. “Shon… you were born to be a Paladin.” Veon-Zih answered.
--- Table of Contents ---
Thank you for reading.

Most of you have already watched MatPat's Reaction and Dissection of the Help Wanted 2 Trailer, (From now on being referred to as HW2), and I think MatPat missed something crucial about the most plausible Character we play as in HW2, Michael Afton. Now, I can already hear you through my screen "But that's impossible! He got scooped at the end of Sister Location!" And you would be correct if Sister Location had only one ending, but it doesn't. My Theory going forward is that HW2 is Exploring what would happen after the 2nd Ending(the secret office ending), and here's why:
1: Ballora's eye color can be explained by her casing Being put on a new Endoskeleton, We know it's possible because of Vanessa's Conversation with Freddy in parts and Service, But why would they need to do that? Well during the 2nd Ending Ennard says " if they find us like this we won't be able to try again" Heavily implying that they would be scrapped for their actions. so here's how I think it went, Corporate found Ennard, Destroyed them/threw them out, and put their casings on new Endos.
2: Even then, why would Michael go back when he nearly died? Well I dont think he would be ready to give up on his Sister so soon. He would at least want to set her free therefore he goes back for HW2.
​
But that's just a Theory, A REDDIT THEORY! Thanks for Reading <3

The Island:
It is not a desert island. It's a moderately sized, lush island. There are no large predators or dangerous wildlife (like boars or moose). There are bugs but they are only a nuisance deep in the forest. The weather is similar to Pacific islands like Hawaii. The weather can get bad but there will never be a severe storm as long as you are on the island.
Amenities:
It is also a partially developed island. You awaken in an open air cabana on the beach. There are lights, electricity, an unstocked bar with a mini fridge and a hard-line gas grill. Nearby you see a dock with and a covered cargo area. There is also an ATV and compatible trailer. Leading into the forest is a well maintained trail that leads to a house with a great view. The house is built in an architectural style that you enjoy. It has 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, 1 kitchen, 1 living room and a covered porch/deck. The house doesn't have much beyond the standard furniture and cooking utensils. It does have a living room with a big screen TV, Blu-ray player, and CD playestereo. There is also a top-of-the-line computer without Internet access. It has the full Adobe Creative Suite.
Resources:
You find a note describing the situation. Basically you can stay as long as you want and when you're ready to leave all you have to do is press a button down by the dock and someone will arrive to pick you up within 15 minutes. They will also handle all aspects of your return journey to wherever you were before waking up on the island. During your stay you will receive constant resupply's of essential resources. This means electricity, potable water, fuel etc. will never run out. In terms of food, your diet for the previous week will be evaluated and any ingredients used in the preparation of those meals will be considered "essential foods" that are constantly restocked.
Lastly, it is explained that you can give requests every week for 5 specialty ingredients, 5 Blu-rays/DVDs, 5 CDs, 1 videogame/program, and 1 item of your choosing. Non-networked items only. Nothing you could use to connect or communicate with the world at large. All items are delivered on the same day every week, neatly stacked under the cargo area. They are only delivered when you aren't around or observing (recording or viewing through a camera). The videogame/program will mysteriously be installed on the computer at the same time the other items are delivered. If it requires an Internet connection beyond installation, it will not work. Requests are inputted through a custom program preinstalled on the computer.
Hypothetical Questions:

1. After learning all of this, how long do you choose to stay on the island?
2. What special requests do you prioritize?
3. How do you spend your time?

Dissecting
Dialogue
A podcast where we analyze, pick apart, and dissect our favorite films through the lens of dialogue. Whether it’s an iconic quote from a trailer, an unforgettable conversation between two characters, or a seemingly throwaway line that has a much deeper meaning than you might think… We seek to explore why these words resonate with us and why they are so vital to the overall theme of each movie.
​
Additional Notes:
⦁ Each month will have a different theme (check the comments below)
⦁ First 3 weeks of movies decided by the hosts
⦁ Final week of each month open to a poll or comment recommendations to increase listener engagement
⦁ Timestamps will be each individual line of dialogue
⦁ I will include a link to each movie’s script for listeners
⦁ Social Media posts leading up to each episode will be short clips of quotable/memorable lines to pique followers interest
​
Closing Notes:
⦁ Check the projected movie list for the next calendar year (in the comments)
⦁ Do our interests line up for the most part?
⦁ I’m willing to make changes to the movie choices based on your recommendations and feedback
⦁ I’ll be talking to applicants in voice chat to check compatibility/vibes and see who is the best fit
⦁ Leave a comment in this thread and I'll be sure to respond
⦁ DM me on Discord, Username: Underline#0001
⦁ Or e-mail me at: [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])

This mini series of sort is inspired by a few sources, most notably the "Alien invasion" things made by a few Pivot Animators as well as Warhammer 40K in some way that will become apparent later.

Date: April 6, 2408 POV: Ambassador Ra-Kakon of the 6th Cigadreth Dynasty [Description of the Cigadreth: Reptilian, 3.11 ft tall average, 20~ kg average, bright yellow to dark red colored scales, 2 side facing eyes, bipedal with long tail for movement support and balance] Location: Andromeda Galaxy

10 years ago, we have started to recieve some weird transmissions and signals from the Western fringe of the galaxy. A Kolshif colony, which was the closest to the origin of the signals was ordered to keep listening to them and report on their findings. The signals was so garbled that it was almost as if it was written by a Cigadreth hatchling. [Description of the Kolshif: Insectoid, 4.10 ft average, 40~kg average, yellow to red head carapace, purple to velvet thorax and mid carapace, 4 eyes(2 side facing, 2 front facing), quadrupedal(4 legs and 4 arms)]
We brought this up with the Graddath Council, a galactic organization that consists of 20 space faring species, and after much deliberation and squabbling, we ordered the colony to keep on listening but it took us a few weeks to realize that, 'maybe a sub-par reciever of a colony world is not the best equipment to use in this endeavor.' and so we decided to start construction of a listening post. The station itself was not that big, only being about 100 x 200 x 100 meters big but it will do the job once it was finished which took about 3 years due to unexpected delays and random budget cuts by sector officials.
When the station was done and activated, the first signal we recieved shocked us.

"???: Andromeda Expeditionary Force, status update.
"AEF: Doing good Sol, colony reached 1 billion inhabitants a few weeks ago. Grandbattlefleet Acasta is detecting more signs of extraterrestrial life that isn't just plants, wildlife and flat-out hostile.
"Sol: Avoid initiating First Contact, let them come to us first. Last time we did that it plunged the Milky Way into war.
"AEF: We observed them making a listening post because of us flinging transmissions to God knows where. We'll report on any activity from these natives.
"Sol: Acknowledged. Make hell if they fire first. End conversation."

They knew! They knew all along! Its a good thing that the whole galaxy was listening in on the situation, its hard to cover up the sudden construction of a station near a colony world of 14 billion, let alone the random signals they were flinging into the void. Now we can't just stand there and do nothing.
An emergency meeting was called into session with all representatives of the council.
"Due to sudden events and findings from LP-4," High-Speaker Kohdrin of the Sal'reth Empire began "What is our course of action? Should we send them a greetings or should we leave them be?" [Description of the Sal'reth: Avian, 3.9 ft tall average, 30~ kg average, bright blue to dark green colored feathers(royal purple for nobles), 2 side facing eyes, long beak with colors ranging from charcoal black to metallic gold, bipedal]
There was a long silence with only a few murmurs between allies and the occasional exchange of looks between representatives. Even the Kolshif guards themselves look angsty by their nervous swaying and movements.
"What shall we do fellow representatives?" Kohdrin said suddenly, quickly stopping the murmuring in the chamber "Shall we send a signal of greetings?"
"I say we shall, High-Speaker." Ambassador Nihje of the Shai Republic "After all, they already know that we exist and it seems like they have been waiting for some time now." [Description of the Shai: Mammalian-Feline, 3.8 ft tall average, 50~ kg average, yellow to red orange short fur with with black or red rings, 2 front facing eyes, quadrupedal/bipedal, long tail for balance]
"Any objections?"
The chamber was silent.
"No words from the Fal'riths? Not looking for a squabble Suler?"
"I uh... N-no High-Speaker." Fal'rith Representative Suler replied "For all we know, the aliens are probably listening in on us right now. No need for a petty squabble that will lead to nowhere!" [Description of the Fal'rith: Aquatic based species, 6 tentacles, colors vary from family to family, though nobles are always a tint of yellow, 4 eyes(positioning doesnt matter because the author is one tired bastard)]
This kind of surprised me. You see, Suler was always that kind of petty bastard who likes himself a good screaming match. Almost everything brought up in the chamber is somehwat influenced by him. I leaned my head onto my right arm as I look at my pad to see if there were any updates to the station, but like the old days in school, the High-Speaker took notice like my history teacher.
"Anything you want to say Ra?"
"No Kohdrin, just seeing if there were any updates on LP-4."
Almost as if on cue, all of our pads lit up in unison. It was a message from LP-4.
"Khodrin, may I read it aloud?" asked Ambassador Kal'Re of the 2nd Rakatoth Republic. [Description of the Rakatoth: Rodent, 2.10 ft tall average, 60~ kg average, dark brown to orange fur, 2 front positioned eyes, short snout, quadrupedal]
"Go on," replied the High-Speaker "Read it louder for the others at the back."
"Very well," he replied. He stood up on his two hind legs and read the message for all of us to hear.
"Dear representatives of the council, we apologize for interrupting your meeting for there is some urgent news. The aliens have been detected slowly moving towards us, almost as if like they are getting ready to do a warp directly into the capitol system.
"We beg of you for the lords on high for speedy decision making in order to defuse the situation and seek for a more peacful route in this quagmire of a galaxy. Also its a contingent of 2 humongous ships and they look like they are itching to pull the trigger."
When the last word was said, Kal'Re was still standing to see the reactions of everyone present, there was a few seconds of silence as we are digesting the information fed to us.
The short few seconds felt like an eternity and once that was over, everyone in the chamber started talking erratically.
"What do they mean by 'humongous'?" Nihje said confused at the situation.
Normally, the High-Speaker would bang on the gavel for silence in the chamber, but the situation was so surreal that she watched in stunned silence seemingly forgetting her position in the council. After a while and the talking starting to get louder, Khodrin remembered where she was and squawked "Silence!"
"My fellow Ambassadors!" I spoke aloud, "Make your decision for this situation is starting to go sideways!"
"Ra is right!" said Ambassador Lilia of Curtel Prime from inside her shell, "Leaving them alone is soon going to be an impossibility because they are slowly moving towards us!" [Description of the Curtels: Mollusk, 1 ft tall average, 30~kg average, dark green to light yellow shell, 2 side facing "eyes" on a small "head" from within the shell)
"Its better now than later!" Nihje chimed in "Later is looking sketchy!"
"All in favor of sending a message of peace?" Suler said, surprisingly.
The whole room errupted in confirmation and with a few button presses from Khodrin the message was sent.
I hope it makes it to them before it they make it to us. I thought to myself, Hopefully we continue the 100 cycles of no needless bloodshed.
We recieved a message from the Cigadreth colony world Za-Kai 2 about how "2 oddly shaped large cargo haulers failed to respond to the hails". We recieved a follow up message that the 2 ships stopped beyond the orbit of the Gas Giant designated 'Ra-998b'. Scans to reveal more about the ships were unsuccessful due to some "weird electronic interferences".
Everyone let out one shaky sigh of relief, though the ships stopped, they were still in council territory. We recieved another message from the colony stating:

"Forwarded from one SVS-Living Litany:
"Dear representatives of the Graddath Council, we are humanity. This is Rear-Admiral Johnathan Beckett. We would formally like to invite all of you aboard the SVS-Sol's Might for a diplomatic meeting and proper introduction of all the species in your care.
"Terra Lives On."

The High-Speaker opened her beak once more to speak but before anything came out a violent shaking rocked the station. This kind of shake was no meteor strike or some ambassador's transport bumping into the station, this was like-
"A SHIP HAS WARPED IN CLOSE PROXIMITY WITH THE STATION!" Shouted a Kolshif guard on the PA system.
Rude.
I helped Nihje get up on her feet and as I was dusting her off, a few of the council started murmuring profanities at the event that happened. We heard a scream from a Rakatoth staff member down the hall, we saw her running by the doorway and before a brave Kolshif can investigate, 5 aliens came into view.
They looked like they were bipeds, clad in grey armor with grey helmets and blue visors as well as pouldrons varying from white with blue trim to purple with blue trim. Their chest piece displays a blue and green marble(which I assume is their cradle world) surrounded by a blue ring and a golden laurel. Each step they take into the council chamber is taken with pride and confidence.
One of them stands out from the others. It has a purple pouldron and its main armor is like that of the ontourage but it wears a sache colored with blue, red and white with a roundel leading to the shoulder. It does not carry any visible weapon. The ontourage carry weapons of unknown class.
The Kolshifs were aiming their weapons at them yet the aliens look like they don't care at all. The High-Speaker ordered them to stand down but they never took their hands off their pulse rifles.
The aliens stood in front of doorway. The one with the sache turned its head slowly from one end of the chamber to the other, and once it was done it spoke. We heard its real voice, loud, almost like a roar though muffled by its helmet. Then the translator cracked to life.
"My name is Ambassador Wilhelm of the Terran United Federation. 11 years ago, we sent a colony fleet to this galaxy for better pastures for our own galaxy is growing smaller for our explorers and more hostile to its inhabitants. We only ever encountered another extraterrestrial race though when we approached them first, it sent our galaxy spiraling into a hundred year long war that saw said race be wiped from the universe." It spoke in Graddath Standard.
Right, don't tick them off. I thought to myself.
"They used to call themselves Ostrens, and when we first saw them we were happy and relieved to know that we were not alone in this universe. That joy and excitement was quickly snuffed out when they attacked one of our colonies. We are once again happy to know that there are more intelligent life in the nearest galaxy over, but due to lingering xenophobia, we never made the first move until one Rear-Admiral Beckett decided to push his luck by moving both of his large ships closer."
Ah, that's nice. Big boys with big toys. Better make sure this Beckett doesnt touch our things.
"We would like to apologize for the inconvenience that those ships may impose on that colony, but we would also like to know if all of you would join us aboard the TIES-Endurance."
We all looked at each other to see who would make the first move. It was then I felt the Kolshif Ambassador, Indrex, slowly push me towards the aliens. I cursed under my breath and as I slowly walked towards them, it felt like it was warmer. When I closed the gap, Ambassador Wilhelm suddenly extended his hand towards me, realizing what he did, he quickly put it back to his side.
"Sorry," he spoke softly, almost like a whisper "force of habit, never met another culture that didn't take the gesture as a sign of peace and greeting."
Damn, I should've took his hand, now I kind of feel bad.
One by one the other ambassadors took up the invitation, a Rakatoth had to carry Lilia because of the fact she had no limbs for movement. Wilhelm almost seemed happy and relieved when the last of us finally joined in.
"Very well then," Wilhelm said startling a few of us "follow Sargeant Macaraig over there. Macaraig, show us the way."
Macaraig nodded and lead the way, the station guards were trying to stop them but seeing as we were willingly following them they decided to stay. We all shared nervous glances with one another, its not everyday we get to encounter intelligent life, let alone an advanced one at that. The silence in the hall where we walked was almost deafening, only broken by the clanking of the alien soldiers' armor and sabatons.
It was then we saw their ship on the window. It was huge, probabaly bigger than the station itself. Its guns were bristling with energy and they made no attempt to hide the cannons. A wierd bulb was mounted at its bottom, it didnt look like it served a purpose. An alien saw my confusion and shook its head.
What? Why? It doesnt look like a weapon. I thought to myself, Better ask questions later.
We arrived to a docking airlock which was seemingly blasted open. Wilhelm saw what we were looking at and assured us that "some idiot got lazy and used an explosive instead of opening it manually." I gulped nervously, Nihje was suspicious at their intentions judging by her nervous tail swaying, Khodrin was a little worried with a few of the feathers on her back seemingly ruffled, and Suler was growing anxious.
When we took a look inside the airlock, we saw an alien with a black mask next to a weird trapezoid shaped object with a blue light flickering on top of it. The alien seemed to be doing something judging by the fact that both its hands are sticking into an opening. This alien was not wearing any armor and instead some thick, heavy fabric covered in oils of some sort. Wilhelm coughed which made the oily alien flinch.
"Is it done lieutenant?" Wilhelm said calmly.
"Just a few more minutes," the alien replied "some bits of shrapnel are jammed in the inner workings. Nanites are helping me so it should work as it is intended to."
Nanites? How advanced is this race we are facing?
The lieutenant closed the opening on the trapezoid object. He took a look at all of us. I'll admit, it was a little uncomfortable. He then took a look at the object and let out a groan. He kicked said object and the light on it turned green.
Almost in an instant, I saw the alien guards dissappear with a green flash, and then Wilhelm, then us. I was the last to go but before then I tried to run, with my instincts taking over.
I felt myself slamming on a cold metal floor.
LP-4: Listening Post - 4 SVS: Sol's Venerable Ship TIES: Terra's Indefatigable Escort Ship [Note from the Author: First time poster here, some gaps may have formed whilst writing this, so ask in the comments for clarification. Will probably attach an illustration to each story of this mini series when I see it fit and the situation calls for it or when I feel like it lol.]

Introduced in Senate (03/10/2022) Stopping Hindrances to Invigorate Ports and Increase Trade Act or the SHIP IT Act
This bill temporarily waives various requirements and makes other changes to address congestion at U.S. ports.
For example, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration must waive the hours of service limits (i.e., the number of hours a driver may operate a truck or motor carrier in a set period of time) and minimum age requirements that apply to commercial driver's licenses for individuals transporting cargo directly to or from a U.S. port.
Additionally, the Coast Guard may temporarily allow foreign-built, -owned, and -crewed vessels to transport cargo between U.S. ports and engage in certain ship-to-ship transfers of cargo. Current coastwise law, commonly known as the Jones Act, generally requires that vessels transporting cargo domestically be U.S.-built, -owned, and -crewed.
The Department of Defense must (1) inventory its intermodal equipment (e.g., trailers and chassis used to transport shipping containers) to identify equipment available for loan to trucking companies to relieve congestion at U.S. ports, and (2) establish a process to allow trucking companies to request the loan of such equipment.
The Maritime Administration and the Federal Maritime Commission must jointly convene a meeting to discuss the long-term feasibility of, and strategies for, using land or property under the jurisdiction of U.S. inland ports for the storage and transfer of cargo containers.
The Government Accountability Office must submit to Congress a report describing the adoption of technology at U.S. ports as compared to foreign ports.
Source

1 / Create a press kit
Make it easy for journalists and content creators to create content. Make sure your press kit includes your key art, box art, game & company logo (without background), trailer (preferably both a video file and a YouTube embed) and a collection of your best screenshots & GIFs.
2 / Create a website
When people are searching for your game, they'll most likely use Google. Having your website at the top of the search results can be vital. Make sure to include: store links, most recent trailer, link to press kit, link to contact form or email, links to your social media channels, a form to sign up for your newsletter and a clear call to action for content creators ("Fill out this form to request a review key")
3 / Sign up for an IndieDB page
IndieDB sites rank pretty high in Google Searches, so make sure to create a page and keep it updated.
4 / Make sure your YouTube and Twitch categories are up-to-date
It takes a long time (and popularity) for YouTube and Twitch to create a game category for you, but luckily you can do it by yourself. I'll make sure to include a link to guide you through the process.
5 / Optimise your store pages for maximum conversions
Make sure to optimise your (Steam) store page to get more conversions. Some tips:

• Pick a title that is unique and can't be confused with other games
• Have a killer key art that shows what your game is about
• Describe your game's genre, style and unique hooks in the short description
• Have a gameplay trailer that gets right into the action
• Choose your best screenshots
• Use an engaging description separated with visual headers or animated GIFs
• Use bullet points to make it easier to read (avoid walls of text)
• Build your wishlist. As soon as you have a page, make it your main Call To Action (on your website, social media, etc)
• Try to get 10 reviews ASAP

6 / Invest in great artwork
Having great artwork will be vital to get people to click on your game when they notice it on social media or on a store. Use:

• Use a readable title (high contrast)
• Use art that stops the player from scrolling
• Make it recognizable (be consistent with your branding)
• Convey the genre of the game

7 / Make a kick-ass trailer
Start with the best moments and get straight to the action. Keep it short, avoid on-screen text where you can, skip the company & engine logos and end with a call to action (wishlist or buy).
8 / Create regular content for social media
Whether it's Twitter, TikTok or any other platform, it's a good idea to create a content calendar. Don't be afraid to use your social media to engage with press, gamers or other developers as well.
9 / Create a demo
Launching a demo is a great way to boost your Steam wishlists. Even when your game has already launched, it's still a great way to drive traffic to your game.
10 / Ask for input & feedback
Let your community weigh in on decisions (like the name of an enemy character).
11 / Go to events
Go to local events and talk about your game. Don't solely focus on reaching your end consumer, but go to developer meetups and befriend other developers.
12 / Submit your game for award shows and showcases
There are dozens of (free) award shows where you can submit your game, often before it's even finished. You'll get feedback from professional juries and maybe even get an award!
13 / Build a community of your own
Set up a Discord server as a place to openly chat with people and ask them for feedback or rally them behind your current Call To Action.
14 / Organise a (closed) beta
Need to bring in new people? They're going to need an incentive! A closed beta could be a great way to reach out to content creators and trigger them to create coverage for your game.
15 / Organise a giveaway on social media
Organise contests to grow and reward your community. Organise a simple "Follow & Share" type giveaway on the channels you are looking to promote to boost your reach.
16 / Engage with existing gaming communities
Join existing gaming communities. Don't enter them with a self-promotion mindset but get a feel for the vibe and chat along with other members on various topics. The more niche the group is, the better your results can be.
17 / Write a press release
Go read a few high-quality press releases to get a feel for the format. Know that journalists and content creators receive a lot of press releases every day, so think about a unique hook to differentiate yourself from the crowd. What is worth writing about? Lead with that information.
18 / Distribute the press release
If you don't have a list of press to send it out to, you may need to rely on a PR agency for this, but you can also use specialized services.
19 / Distribute review keys
Offering journalists and content creators a code to your game is a great way to offer them an incentive to write about. Make sure to property vet each request (there are a lot of fakes and people pretending to be other creators).
20 / Keep up the momentum
When the press starts creating coverage, keep up the momentum by sharing the coverage on your social media.

This is part of my little series about the adventures of Vr'ocria and Human Aldrick. If you'd like to read previous parts, they're linked below, along with brief summaries of each:
Part One: Alien learns what "sleep" is and how humans prefer to do it in a comfy bed with blankets and pillows. And they find it utterly adorable.
Vr'ocria and Human Aldrick are sent on a survey mission together. Things go south, Aldrick makes sure they're safe, and then Vr'ocria learns what human sleep is and how vulnerable humans are when they sleep. Vr'ocria's people don't sleep, but enter stasis, a form of rest in which they typically stand, and they are still slightly aware of their surroundings. Vr'ocria finds human sleep utterly adorable, and also decides she will protect Aldrick while he sleeps. And she also develops a massive crush on him. (Her scales turning purple is her version of blushing)
Part Two: An alien + human adventure with such shenanigans as poison drinking, befriending dangerous wildlife, and fighting a space pirate. Oh, and they have a huge crush on each other.
Vr'ocria and Human Aldrick end up assigned together for another survey mission. Vr'ocria tries to deny her feelings for Aldrick after a tense conversation with her nestmate about the danger of humans, but when they're ambushed in the night by a pirate and Aldrick takes a blow to save her, becoming injured in the process, she comes to realize just how strongly she feels for him. She kills the pirate, carries Aldrick to safety, and the two share a tender moment.
Part Three: When a cold-blooded alien has to cuddle a warm-blooded human for warmth
Vr'ocria and Human Aldrick are assigned to an ice plant for their next mission. Aldrick chews out Command for assigning Vr'ocria there when they know she's cold-blooded and not built for the cold, and when the power goes out, they cuddle to keep her from freezing. They finally confess their feelings for one another, and Vr'ocria learns what kissing is.
Part Four: A human leaves a hickey on his alien lover. Her nestmate doesn't understand what a hickey is, and thinks the human injured her
Vr'ocria enjoys neck kisses, and asks Aldrick to indulge her. Later, she has a video call with her nestmate Galek. Galek is already wary of humans, and when he sees a bruise on her throat that she didn't notice, he figures out Aldrick is responsible and freaks out, thinking Aldrick intentionally hurt her. Vr'ocria dresses Galek down, explaining that it's not an injury, and also that he needs to get over it and respect her relationship with Aldrick.
Now for the new story!
TW: There will be blood and broken bones.
—
"I have a bad feeling about this."
Vr'ocria turned to Human Aldrick in the pilot seat next to her. He was drumming his fingers on the console, brow furrowed, as he watched the Xenthum solar system approach.
"What do you mean?" She asked.
"I dunno. I just–" he bit the inside of his cheek. "You ever just get an ick feeling about something?"
Vr'ocria frowned. "No. Can you explain it?"
He scratched the back of his neck. "It's hard to explain. Like, there's nothing wrong that I can tell about this mission, but ever since we got within visual range, I've had this gut feeling that we need to turn back."
Vr'ocria wasn't sure she understood, but she didn't like seeing him uncomfortable. "Well, we're here on orders–"
"I know, I know, I don't want to get us in trouble, I'm already on thin ice after yelling at Lieutenant Prax–"
"–but the minute anything starts to go wrong, no matter how small, we can turn around."
He glanced over at her. "Thanks," he said with a grateful smile.
They had entered the Xenthum system now. Its main planet was sparsely populated, used mostly as a trading outpost since it was so close to the Dridian border. The trick was navigating through the minefield of asteroid clusters. Aldrick let Vr'ocria take the lead piloting, since of the two of them, she was more skilled at delicate maneuvers.
They were almost to the planet when an alert pinged. Aldrick sat up to check the sensors.
"There's a ship nearby," he reported. "A big one."
"Where?" Vr'ocria pulled up the sensor on her screen. "I don't see anything. Just asteroids."
"Turn on the warp detector and increase the ion frequency."
Vr'ocria pressed a few controls. "Oh wow, you weren't kidding." She frowned. "It's way too big to be in the middle of an asteroid field. What are they doing?"
"I don't know, but I don't like it." She could feel the tension radiating from him.
"You want to get out of here?" she asked.
He chewed his lip. "Y'know what? Yeah. Let's at least take an alternate route, we can–"
But before he could finish, there was a loud BANG and they were sent flying from their seats as the shuttle rattled.
"What the fuck?" Aldrick yelled as he scrambled to his feet, lunging for the console. "Did we scrape an asteroid?"
Vr'ocria crawled back into her seat as well and banged out a few commands on her screen. Her blood froze.
"No," she said in a low voice. "It was phaser fire."
They'd been so focused on the massive ship that they'd missed the tiny shuttle creeping up from below them.
BANG. The screens flickered and glitched.
Aldrick cursed. "We've lost shields!"
There was another hit, then another, and another. Sparks were flying now, and the sensors were screaming as the shuttle's operating systems started failing.
Vr'ocria was tossed against the wall in one particularly brutal crash, and the last thing she saw was a broken panel flying right towards her face.
—
Everything hurt.
Especially her nose. The tang of blood clung to the back of her throat.
There were muffled voices somewhere nearby, and the sound of metal scraping. When she tried to move, she abruptly registered something cold and hard encircling her wrists.
"She's waking up."
Vr'ocria coughed, blood splattering from her lips. Moaning in pain, she managed to lift her head and crack her eyes open.
The scraping sound was the heels of her boots sliding across metal grate flooring as she was dragged by her wrists. She craned her head back, pain shooting through her neck, and realized that her wrists were clapped in rusty manacles. A massive blue hand fisted the rust red chains that suspended her arms over her head.
"Wha' th'fmm–" she slurred. Her brain felt like sludge.
Suddenly she was yanked even higher into the air, her toes just brushing the floor. A shock of cold assaulted her and she yelped, flinching as water dripped down her face.
"You awake now?"
A man was standing in front of her, tossing aside a now-empty bucket. There were several people, actually. All different species, all looking very pleased, and all wearing distinctive black Norvidian armbands.
Pirates.
A hand cracked across her cheek, sending more blood flying. She bit back a cry as the shockwave laced through her broken nose. "Fuck you," she spat instead.
The man chuckled. He was tall, muscles bulging through his coat, and his skin was blue. He must've been the one dragging her. "Picking up human words, I see."
Vr'ocria's blood turned to ice. "What have you done with him?" She demanded in a low voice.
His grin only widened. His teeth were crooked and rotting. "I'll be asking the questions here."
Her scales burned a bright and hot yellow and snapped as they turned on end. But before she could respond, his hand lashed out and grabbed her throat–not enough to choke her just yet, but enough to make her freeze.
"You're the lizard bitch from Theta-7, yes?" The grin was gone now, replaced by a withering glare.
Understanding dawned on Vr'ocria. Blast. Oh, blast.
He saw the realization in her eyes and slowly released her throat. "You are."
"What's it to you?" She snapped.
He sneered. "You killed one of my men."
"He attacked us first!"
Stars burst behind her eyes as the air was forced from her lungs, and it took her a moment to realize that he had punched her in the gut. All she could do was cough and gasp, trying to regain her bearings through the pain as he turned away from her and towards the others standing around. He raised his arms.
"We are Norvids!" He boomed, and the others whooped in agreement. "We stand together! We protect our own!"
Vr'ocria tuned him out as he kept proselytizing, using the opportunity to look around the room. It was massive and almost all metal with towering walls. Crane chains hung from the ceiling, and crates and barrels of different sizes were scattered about, everything dusty, rusty, and old. A storage room. An old cargo ship? She wondered. That would explain why it was so big.
She ran a quick headcount of everyone she could see. Seventeen.
But where was Aldrick?
Vr'ocria felt sick. You better be okay…you have to…please be okay…
The man–the captain, she guessed–finally turned back to her. He drew a dagger from a sheath strapped to his arm, and her eyes went wide.
"A life for a life," he growled, stalking towards her.
But before he'd made it even two steps, a voice rang out through the cargo bay.
"Don't you fucking touch her."
It was enough to stop the captain in his tracks.
Footsteps sounded from behind her, and Vr'ocria tried in vain to twist her body around.
But she didn't have to. The man approaching from behind came forward and stepped in between her and the captain, and she didn't have to see his face to know who it was.
"Aldrick," she nearly whimpered.
The caption sneered. "Well well, a little escape artist, are we?"
Aldrick was silent.
Deathly so.
Vr'ocria swallowed.
Even the captain, who was twice Aldrick's size, seemed to waver. Vr'ocria wasn't sure she wanted to know what he saw on Aldrick's face.
Finally, Aldrick spoke. "Any of you touch her, and you will die." His voice was so cold it pierced her to the bone. She could see his clenched fists trembling at his sides. He's not even armed!
The captain began to laugh, his voice echoing around the bay. The others laughed with him.
"And who's gonna stop us?" He demanded. "You? Little human, you don't know who you're messing with." He dashed forward, raising the blade, ready to strike.
"Aldrick!" Vr'ocria screamed.
But Aldrick dodged as easily as water flows through a river, ducking under the dagger and going for the captain's legs. He barreled his full weight against his hips, and with a shout, the giant fell, the dagger clattering from his grasp. Quick as a whip, Aldrick snatched it up–and drove it directly into the captain's throat.
Vr'ocria couldn't help but watch in horror as green blood frothed forth, spraying all over Aldrick. The captain's eyes were wide, and he choked and spasmed as his life drained out onto the dirty floor.
By now, the others were surging forward, shouting, screaming, and brandishing their own weapons.
"NO!" Vr'ocria screamed as they converged on him. She kicked and yanked uselessly at her chains, desperate to help, to do anything. The manacles bit painfully into her scales, some of them even popping off onto the floor, leaving beads of blood welling up in their wake. But the manacles did not yield.
When she looked back, she was terrified she'd see Aldrick lying dead on the floor.
But he wasn't.
In fact, there were three pirates–no, make that four now–sprawled lifelessly instead. Aldrick was a whirlwind of limbs and gnashing teeth–he ducked and dodged, spat and kicked, slashing at knees and elbows, slowly incapacitating or discombobulating each one until he was able to sink the dagger into throats, chests, between ribs–bodies were dropping--he was covered in blood now, eyes wild–
"BEHIND YOU!" Vr'ocria screamed.
Aldrick turned just a second too late, and a woman covered in dark fur landed a kick directly to his chest. He hit the floor, the dagger flying from his grasp. The woman pounced, her hands wrapping around his throat. His legs thrashed as he clutched at her hands, and he was just able to roll them over until he was on top. From there, he simply started punching, and punching, blood spraying his face with each hit.
A large man behind him had stumbled back to his feet. He lunged forward and yanked Aldrick up by the back of his shirt, throwing him bodily into the air, where he crashed against a metal crate.
He hit the ground and didn't move.
Vr'ocria was screaming. She didn't know if she was saying words anymore, but she was screaming, and blood was streaming down her arms now from how hard she was pulling against the manacles. All she could do was watch as the final three pirates approached her mate where he lay lifeless on the floor.
They stopped before they were in arms length, looking between each other. She couldn't hear what they were saying, but one of them finally edged forward and poked Aldrick's side with her toe.
Vr'ocria wanted to rip their entrails out with her bare hands.
He still didn't move. Seeming satisfied, they moved forward, and one bent to grab him.
All at once, her human surged back to life. The man closest to him hit the ground as Aldrick swung his legs around, sweeping the man's feet out from under him. Once he was down, Aldrick bashed a crane hook–one he must've picked up from the floor–into the man's skull so hard that it caved in with one blow. Still lying on the floor, Aldrick used his vantage point to kick the woman's knee backwards, and she collapsed with an agonized scream. One more strike with the hook, and she was silenced.
That left just one. The final pirate appeared to be reptilian like her, although he had large spines stretching across his head and shoulders. This one didn't try to rush Aldrick. Instead, he kept his distance, watching warily as Aldrick climbed to his feet.
"So it's true," the spined pirate said, "what they say about humans."
Aldrick returned a deadly stare. "And what's that?" His voice almost didn't even sound like his anymore.
"You're monsters. Demons. Scourge of the universe."
Aldrick grinned, but it looked more like a feral animal baring its teeth. "That's me."
The pirate's spines flexed. "You could join us," he said. "Join the Norvids. We'll find another crew, you can be captain."
They were circling now, Aldrick crouched like a predator ready to strike, the pirate shuffling back with his hands held out.
"You could be rich!"
Aldrick picked up a rusty chain from a barrel as he passed by.
"Think of the power you would wield!" The pirate cried desperately.
Aldrick still said nothing. He forced him back, and back, until the pirate realized, too late, that he was cornered between two crates. His back hit the wall and he slid down, cowering, as Aldrick loomed over him.
Vr'ocria could barely hear because of the distance, but the metal room carried Aldrick's low hiss as he bent down to the trembling pirate: "You hurt my mate. Now, you die."
The rusty chain crackled as Aldrick wrapped it around the pirate's neck in one fell swoop. He pulled the loop tight and the pirate clutched at the noose, his eyes and forked tongue bulging out. Then, with one swift and hard yank, an audible splinter-snap filled the room–and the pirate was dead before he hit the floor, his neck bent at an unnatural angle.
Aldrick dropped him in disgust. His back was turned, but Vr'ocria could still see his chest heaving.
He turned and met Vr'ocria's eyes, and the demented expression drained from his face. He stepped towards her, slowly at first, and then broke into a sprint.
It seemed like he wanted to throw his arms around her, but he came to a sudden halt before he could touch her, instead raising his shaking hands to her face. "Vr'ocria, 'ria, my Ria, I'm so sorry–" his voice broke and his eyes welled with tears that quickly spilled over and began running down his face, carving tracks into the grime and blood spatter.
"Aldrick," she whispered, drinking him in. He's alive.
"Hold on, hold on, I'll get you out of these cuffs, fuck–" he turned to the dead captain on the floor and rifled through his pockets until he produced a key.
He returned and had to stand on his tiptoes to reach the manacles, and with a scrape and groan of metal, the manacles cracked loose.
Vr'ocria collapsed onto Aldrick, her legs too weak to hold her up. Her arms fell over his shoulders, and he caught her around the waist. Together they sank to the floor until they were both on their knees, clutching at one another as if they would disappear.
Aldrick buried his face in her neck, shaking with silent sobs. Vr'ocria tangled her hands in his bloody hair, not caring about the mess. Her people couldn't weep like humans did, but she might as well have with the way her chest heaved with stuttering breaths, her scales burning bright red.
Aldrick clutched her tight enough to hurt, but she didn't care. "Ria, my Ria, my love," he gasped like a mantra.
She finally took his face in her hands and pulled him back, forcing him to look at her. "Are you alright?" She implored. "Are you hurt?"
He let out a half-laugh, half-sob. "You're asking me?"
She used her thumbs to wipe away some of the grime on his face. "You took on all of those people by yourself," she croaked. "And the way he threw you–planets, I thought you were dead."
His hands slid up her back to clutch her shoulders. "I'm alright," he assured her. "Bumps and bruises is all. But you–" he looked her up and down, rage rekindling in his eyes. "Son of a bitch, what they did to you–"
She shook her head. "They're dead now," she said firmly. "It's over and done." She leaned forward to squeeze him again, resting her head on his shoulder. "Let's just go home."
"Don't have to tell me twice." Aldrick rose, pulling her up with him. Her legs were still too unsteady to walk, so instead, he slid one hand under her knees and swept her up into his arms. She settled against his chest as he carried her out of the cargo bay.
"Should we be worried about any other crew members?" She asked, casting her eyes around the barren corridor.
Aldrick shook his head as he walked. He seemed to know where he was going. "It was just them."
"How do you know? And what happened to you, by the way?"
His arms tightened around her. "After you got knocked out, they locked a tractor beam onto the shuttle and pulled us inside."
They came to a fork in the corridor, and he turned left. "I thought they were just raiding for scrap metal and Union tech, but when they boarded the shuttle, they went straight for you. I–" his voice cracked. "I tried to protect you, but there were so many of them and I was so caught off guard..."
Vr'ocria stroked the nape of his neck with her thumb. "It's okay, it's not your fault."
Aldrick swallowed before continuing. "They took you away and locked me in an old storage container. Thankfully the hinges were on the inside, so I just popped the pins out once they were gone. I was able to access the ship's computer and scan the whole ship, because the idiots didn't know how to encrypt anything. All brawn and no brains, I guess. That's also how I was able to figure out where they kept their own shuttles, since ours is pretty busted."
"Is that where we're going?"
He nodded. "Anyway, I used the scanner to find your location, and then I just crawled through the air ducts so I could get inside without them knowing." He stopped. "We're here."
They'd arrived at a loading door with a rusty label that read "SHUTTLE BAY."
Twenty minutes later found them back out in open space in the least-old shuttle they could find. The engine puttered every few minutes, but with any luck, they'd reach their ship in an hour or so.
Vr'ocria had regained her bearings, and she was rummaging around the storage box at the back of the cabin. She finally found an old "in case of emergency" kit, but frustratingly, all the first aid supplies had been picked clean. She did, however, find an unopened package of wet wipes.
Vr'ocria took the wipes back to the front of the cabin. Ripping the package open, she knelt by Aldrick where he sat in the pilot seat.
"What're you doing?"
"Hold still," she murmured. She raised a wipe to his face, and began gently cleaning the blood off. His eyes became soft as she tended to him, throwing the dirty wipes aside one by one while she worked her way down his face and neck.
When she was done, he took her hand before she could get up. He reached for the package as well, and began wiping the blood from her arms, taking care around the nasty scrapes that marred her wrists. "We need to get these bandaged up."
"It's okay. They're not bleeding anymore, we have time."
Aldrick placed a hand on her cheek. "I love you so much," he whispered. "And I'm glad you're okay."
Vr'ocria leaned into his hand, closing her eyes. "I love you too."
Turns out it's REALLY hard to write fight scenes lol. I can see it happening in my head, but getting it down on paper is another story. I had fun though! And I hope I did it justice.
Thank you for reading!

For some context, I work at a bookstore, and this happened way back in January right after the holiday season. There was this little black boy and his mom who came up to my register to check out. He was getting books about Miles Morales, an iteration of Spiderman who is black, so I made some friendly conversation, I said I really liked Miles, I thought he was a cool character, and I asked if he’d seen Into The Spiderverse since Miles is the main character. He said yes, he had seen it, and that he really liked it. At the time, I had just recently been out to the movies with some friends, and we saw the preview for the new movie Across The Spiderverse, so I asked if he knew that there was going to be a second spiderverse movie. His mom spoke up and said that yes, he did know! She said his birthday was going to be right around the time the movie came out, so they were going to take him to see it to celebrate, and on top of all of that she said it would be his first time ever seeing a movie in theaters. The whole interaction just warmed my heart and I have not stopped thinking about this kid since I keep seeing trailers for the movie all over. Today is the release date so happy birthday to you kid!

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👽👽👽 Welcome to Furystorm's boutique ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) 👽👽👽

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New players - use this code (STAR-MRG5-2TBJ) on registration to get additional 5000 UEC for free!
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To make an order 📨 PM me via Reddit or via Discord (Furystorm#4218)

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►1◄ REFERRAL SERVICE
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20 $ per each

Info about rewards can be found here - https://robertsspaceindustries.com/referral-program
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►2◄ SPECIAL OFFERS
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╰( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡° )つ──☆

Item	Price, $
Upgrade - Mole to Merchantman Upgrade	239
Upgrade - Starfarer Gemini to Merchantman Upgrade	220
Upgrade - Constellation Aquila to Orion	169
CitizenCon 2951 Digital Goodies	9
Upgrade - 600i EXPLORER TO CARRACK EXPEDITION	129
Gemini LH86 Pistol - Voyager edition	6

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►4◄ GAME AND SHIP COMBO PACKAGES
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Package	Insurance	MMO+SQ42 Included	Price, $	Comments
Package - Aurora LN	3MI	Yes	57	Aurora LN (best aurora) Starter package
Mustang Alpha Starter	3MI	Yes	55	-
Anniversary 2017 Mustang Discount Starter	5YI	No	54	-
Nox 2 pack	LTI	No	121	Nox + Nox Kue
Aopoa Nox 5 Pack	LTI	No	242	4 Nox + 1 Nox Kue
Race Team Pack	LTI	No	168	X1 + NOX + Dragonfly Black
Origin X1 THREE-PACK	LTI	No	174	X1 Baseline + Velocity + Force

╔══════════════════════════╗
►5◄ LTI STANDALONE SHIPS
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CCU-d ships are upgraded from another ship. Also I have ships from original sale - they may come with different bonuses but are more expensive.

You can click on the price of original sale item to see it's contents.

Ship manufacturer	Ship model	Insurance	Price (CCU-d), $	Price (Original sale), $
Aopoa (Xi'an)	Khartu-Al	LTI	184	-
-	Nox	LTI	-	77
-	Nox Kue	LTI	-	77
-	San'Tok.Yai	LTI	231	-
Aegis Dynamics	Avenger Titan	LTI	70	84
-	Avenger Titan Renegade	LTI	95	111
-	Avenger Stalker	LTI	84	-
-	Avenger Warlock	LTI	105	-
-	Eclipse	LTI	315	333
-	Gladius	LTI	116	-
-	Gladius Valiant	LTI	132	147
-	Hammerhead	LTI	672	777
-	Hammerhead Best in Show Edition	LTI	746	-
-	Nautilus	LTI	672	-
-	Reclaimer	LTI	347	550
-	Reclaimer Best in Show Edition	LTI	357	-
-	Redeemer	LTI	333	-
-	Retaliator Bomber	LTI	284	-
-	Sabre	LTI	184	221
-	Sabre Comet	LTI	195	-
-	Vanguard Warden	LTI	263	357
-	Vanguard Harbinger	LTI	289	-
-	Vanguard Sentinel	LTI	268	-
-	Vanguard Hoplite	LTI	231	268
-	Vulcan	LTI	216	242
ARGO Astronautics	MPUV Cargo	LTI	74	84
-	MPUV Personnel	LTI	-	89
-	SRV	LTI	165	-
-	Mole	LTI	321	-
-	Combo Pack	LTI	-	111
Anvil Aerospace	Arrow	LTI	95	137
-	C8X Pisces Expedition	LTI	-	74
-	Carrack	LTI	441	-
-	Carrack W/C8X	LTI	461	-
-	Carrack Expedition	LTI	468	-
-	Carrack Expedition W/C8X	LTI	489	-
-	Crucible	LTI	369	431
-	F7C Hornet	LTI	121	-
-	F7C Hornet Wildfire	LTI	189	210
-	F7C-S Hornet Ghost	LTI	140	-
-	F7C-R Hornet Tracker	LTI	155	-
-	F7C-M Super Hornet	LTI	199	252
-	F7C-M Hornet Heartseeker	LTI	200	-
-	Gladiator	LTI	177	221
-	Hawk	LTI	116	132
-	Hurricane	LTI	210	231
-	Terrapin	LTI	231	263
-	Valkyrie	LTI	368	-
Banu	Merchantman	LTI	420	-
-	Defender	LTI	226	237
Consolidated outland	Mustang Beta	LTI	95	-
-	Mustang Gamma	LTI	74	-
-	Mustang Delta	LTI	84	-
-	Pioneer	LTI	-	1399
Crusader Industries	Ares Inferno	LTI	252	-
-	Ares Ion	LTI	252	-
-	Genesis Starliner	LTI	368	578
-	C2 Hercules	LTI	378	-
-	M2 Hercules	LTI	504	-
-	A2 Hercules	LTI	756	-
-	Mercury Star Runner	LTI	273	-
Drake Interplanetary	Dragonfly Yellowjacket	LTI	-	84
-	Dragonfly Black	LTI	-	84
-	Dragonfly Ride Together Two-Pack	LTI	-	126
-	Buccaneer	LTI	126	142
-	Caterpillar	LTI	336	-
-	Caterpillar Best in Show Edition	LTI	347	-
-	Corsair	LTI	263	-
-	Cutlass Black	LTI	116	-
-	Cutlass Black Best in Show Edition	LTI	126	-
-	Cutlass Steel	LTI	221	-
-	Cutlass Red	LTI	142	-
-	Cutlass Blue	LTI	168	-
-	Herald	LTI	111	-
-	Vulture	LTI	180	-
Esperia	Vanduul Blade	LTI	284	326
-	Vanduul Glaive	LTI	373	-
-	Prowler	LTI	420	510
-	Talon	LTI	132	-
-	Talon Shrike	LTI	132	-
Gatac	Railen	LTI	242	-
Greycat Industrial	ROC	LTI	77	-
Kruger Intergalactic	P-72 Archimedes	LTI	-	100
MISC	Endeavor BASE	LTI	378	-
-	Endeavor DISCOVERY-CLASS	LTI	-	683
-	Endeavor Master Set 2018	LTI	-	1399
-	Freelancer	LTI	121	-
-	Freelancer DUR	LTI	147	-
-	Freelancer MAX	LTI	163	-
-	Freelancer MIS	LTI	184	-
-	HULL A	LTI	99	-
-	HULL B	LTI	147	158
-	HULL C	LTI	357	-
-	HULL D	LTI	462	-
-	Odyssey	LTI	609	-
-	Razor	LTI	163	179
-	Razor LX	LTI	168	-
-	Razor EX	LTI	174	-
-	Prospector	LTI	163	179
-	Reliant Kore (Mini Hauler)	LTI	84	105
-	Reliant Tana (Skirmisher)	LTI	95	-
-	Reliant Mako (News Van)	LTI	121	-
-	Reliant Sen (Researcher)	LTI	105	-
-	Starfarer	LTI	315	399
-	Starfarer Gemini	LTI	347	452
Origin Jumpworks	X1 Baseline	LTI	-	69
-	X1 Velocity	LTI	-	74
-	X1 Force	LTI	-	79
-	M50	LTI	121	147
-	85X	LTI	-	79
-	100I	LTI	74	95
-	125A	LTI	79	-
-	135C	LTI	84	-
-	300I	LTI	77	-
-	315P	LTI	77	-
-	325A	LTI	93	-
-	350R	LTI	137	-
-	400i	LTI	265	-
-	600i Touring	LTI	420	525
-	600i Exploration	LTI	441	580
RSI	Aurora CL	LTI	74	-
-	Apollo Triage	LTI	268	-
-	Apollo Medivac	LTI	294	-
-	Mantis	LTI	168	-
-	Perseus	LTI	583	-
-	Polaris	LTI	777	999
-	Constellation Taurus	LTI	179	-
-	Constellation Andromeda	LTI	252	315
-	Constellation Aquila	LTI	321	-
-	Orion	LTI	489	-

╔══════════════════════════════════════════╗
►7◄ PLANETARY VEHICLES & COMBO PACKAGES
╚══════════════════════════════════════════╝

Vehicle	Insurance	Price (CCU-d), $	Price (Concept), $	Comments
Anvil Ballista	LTI	153		-
Hoverquad	LTI		74	-
Greycat PTV	6YI		27	-
Greycat PTV	10YI		37	-
Origin G12	LTI		84	-
Origin G12R	LTI		84	-
Origin G12A	LTI		90	-
Tumbril Cyclone	LTI		74	Base version
Tumbril Cyclone-TR	LTI		79	With ground turret
Tumbril Cyclone-RC	LTI		79	Speedster
Tumbril Cyclone-AA	LTI		95	Anti-air + countermeasures
Tumbril Cyclone-RN	LTI		79	Scout & Scan
Tumbril Ranger RC	LTI	105		Racer
Tumbril Ranger CV	LTI	111		Offroad
Tumbril Ranger TR	LTI	116		With Gun
Tumbril Nova	LTI	126	132	Tank
URSA Rover	5YI		63	-
URSA Rover	10YI		70
RSI URSA Rover Fortuna	LTI	79		Limited green skin edition

╔═══════════════════════════════════════════════╗
►8.1◄ MODULES, PODS, BATTLEFIELD UPGRADE KITS (BUKS), OTHER ITEMS
╚═══════════════════════════════════════════════╝

Module	Insurance	Price, $
MISC Endeavor Modules (Pods)	-	-
FUEL POD	LTI	137
BIODOME POD	LTI	242
TELESCOPE ARRAY POD	LTI	242
Aegis Vanguard battlefield upgrade kits
Sentinel battlefield upgrade kit	LTI	130
Harbinger battlefield upgrade kit	LTI	140
Retaliator modules
Retaliator cargo rear module	LTI	99
Retaliator rear torpedo bay	24MI	120
Retaliator front torpedo bay	24MI	120
Other stuff
Add-ons - Aegis Idris P after market kit	-	294

╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
►8.2 ◄ FPS WEAPONS, ARMOR, CLOTHES AND OTHER GEAR
╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝

Module	Insurance	Price, $
Overlord "Dust Storm" Armor Set	-	11
Overlord "Riptide" Armor Set	-	11
Overlord Helmets "Silent Strike" Pack	-	8
Overlord Helmets "Forces of Nature" Pack	-	8
Parasite Replica Helmet (Original)	-	11
Parasite Replica Helmet (Dark Birth)	-	11
Stegman's Cordimon "Voyager" Complete Outfit	-	11
Stegman's IndVest “Pathfinder” Complete Outfit	-	11
RSI MacFlex Rust Society full armor set (5 items)	-	21
RSI Venture Rust Society full armor set (5 items)	-	32
Mr. Refinement’s Cabinet of Rare & Exquisite Spirits	-	11
Life in the 'Verse Shirts Pack #1	-	5
Life in the 'Verse Shirts Pack #2	-	5
"Caudillo" Helmets Pack #1 by CC's Conversions	-	8
"Caudillo" Helmets Pack #2 by CC's Conversions	-	8
"Caudillo" Helmets Pack #3 by CC's Conversions	-	8
QuikFlarePro Pack	-	5
QuikFlarePro Pack Deluxe	-	6
Polar Vortex Collection	-	7
Cold Front Collection	-	7
UltiFlex FSK-8 "Mirage" Combat Knife	-	5
UltiFlex FSK-8 "Ghost" Combat Knife	-	5
Urban Collection by Element Authority	-	11
Adventurer Collection by Element Authority	-	11
Manaslu Rust Society Jacket	-	8
RSI Horizon Rust Society Helmet	-	8
RSI Beacon Rust Society Undersuit	-	6
Paladin helmet	-	10

╔════════════════════════════════════════╗
►9◄ CROSS-CHASSIS UPGRADES (CCUS), SHIPS
╚════════════════════════════════════════╝

IAE-insurance upgrades (adds IAE insurance (10 years) to your ship)

Upgrade	Price, $
Prospector to F7C-M Super Hornet	50
Vanguard Warden to Caterpillar	60

Sorted by: Manufacturer -> ship

Target ship manufacturer	Target ship	Upgrade from	Price, $
Aegis Dynamics	Avenger Titan Renegade	325A	18
-	Avenger Warlock	325A	29
-	Avenger Warlock	Arrow	26
-	Eclipse	Constellation Andromeda	78
-	Eclipse	Vanguard Sentinel	37
-	Eclipse	Vanguard Warden	53
-	Eclipse	Blade	37
-	Gladius Valiant	Cutlass Black	22
-	Gladius Valiant	M50	23
-	Hammerhead	Constellation Aquila	483
-	Hammerhead	600i Touring	357
-	Hammerhead	600i Explorer	315
-	Hammerhead	Merchantman	131
-	Hammerhead	Hull D	341
-	Hammerhead	Crucible	446
-	Hammerhead	Carrack	278
-	Hammerhead	Reclaimer	383
-	Hammerhead	Prowler	351
-	Hammerhead	Orion	210
-	Hammerhead	Glaive	446
-	Hammerhead	A2 Hercules	52
-	Nautilus	Constellation Aquila	467
-	Nautilus	Endeavor	425
-	Nautilus	Crucible	425
-	Nautilus	Genesis Starliner	372
-	Nautilus	M2 Hercules	246
-	Nautilus	Merchantman	110
-	Nautilus	A2 Hercules	57
-	Nautilus	600i Explorer	294
-	Nautilus	600i Touring	336
-	Nautilus	Orion	189
-	Nautilus	Prowler	330
-	Nautilus	Carrack	278
-	Nautilus	Reclaimer	372
-	Nautilus	Hull D	320
-	Nautilus	C2 Hercules	372
-	Nautilus	Valkyrie	399
-	Reclaimer	Constellation Aquila	115
-	Reclaimer	Starfarer Gemini	84
-	Reclaimer	Endeavor	73
-	Reclaimer	Crucible	73
-	Redeemer	Constellation Andromeda	78
-	Redeemer	Vanguard Hoplite	84
-	Redeemer	Mole	26
-	Retaliator Bomber	Constellation Andromeda	57
-	Retaliator Base	F7C-R Hornet Tracker	25
-	Sabre	Prospector	31
-	Sabre	Gladiator	16
-	Sabre Comet	Sabre	31
-	Sabre Comet	Freelancer MIS	26
-	Sabre Comet	Khartu-Al	31
-	Sabre Comet	F7C Hornet Wildfire	23
-	Sabre Comet	Gladiator	35
-	Sabre Comet	F7C-M Super Hornet	20
-	Vanguard Harbinger	Constellation Andromeda	68
-	Vanguard Harbinger	Retaliator Bomber	31
-	Vanguard Harbinger	Vanguard Sentinel	26
-	Vanguard Harbinger	Vanguard Hoplite	73
-	Vanguard Harbinger	Vanguard Warden	42
-	Vanguard Hoplite	Constellation Taurus	59
-	Vanguard Hoplite	San'Tok.Yai	28
-	Vanguard Hoplite	Defender	28
-	Vanguard Hoplite	Corsair	-3
-	Vanguard Hoplite	F7C-M Super Hornet Heartseeker	54
-	Vanguard Hoplite	Hurricane	54
-	Vanguard Hoplite	Terrapin	28
-	Vanguard Sentinel	Constellation Andromeda	52
-	Vanguard Sentinel	Vanguard Warden	31
-	Vanguard Warden	Constellation Andromeda	31
-	Vanguard Warden	Vanguard Hoplite	40
-	Vulcan	Constellation Taurus	25
-	Vulcan	Prospector	61
Anvil Aerospace	Carrack	Constellation Aquila	273
-	Carrack	Mole	320
-	Carrack	M2 Hercules	99
-	Carrack	600i Explorer	147
-	Carrack	600i Touring	189
-	Carrack	Orion	42
-	Carrack	Prowler	183
-	Carrack	Reclaimer	225
-	Carrack	Genesis Starliner	225
-	Carrack	Valkyrie	215
-	Carrack	C2 Hercules	189
-	Carrack	Hull D	178
-	Carrack	Merchantman	-31
-	Carrack	Endeavor	283
-	Carrack	Crucible	283
-	Carrack	Starfarer Gemini	294
-	Carrack W/C8X	Carrack	55
-	Carrack Expedition	Carrack	60
-	Carrack Expedition	Carrack W/C8X	40
-	Carrack Expedition W/C8X	Carrack	80
-	Carrack Expedition W/C8X	Carrack W/C8X	73
-	Carrack Expedition W/C8X	Carrack Expedition	68
-	Crucible	Starfarer Gemini	26
-	Crucible	Constellation Aquila	99
-	F7C-M Super Hornet	Prospector	37
-	F7C-M Super Hornet	Khartu-AL	22
-	F7C-M Super Hornet	F7C Hornet Wildfire	16
-	F7C-M Super Hornet	Gladiator	27
-	F7C-M Super Hornet	Freelancer MIS	16
-	F7C-M Super Hornet	Sabre	22
-	F7C-M Super Hornet	Razor EX	37
-	F7C-M Super Hornet Heartseeker	Constellation Taurus	21
-	F7C-M Super Hornet Heartseeker	Freelancer MAX	63
-	F7C-M Super Hornet Heartseeker	Prospector	57
-	F7C-M Super Hornet Heartseeker	Razor EX	57
-	F7C-M Super Hornet Heartseeker	Gladiator	47
-	F7C-M Super Hornet Heartseeker	Khartu-AL	42
-	F7C-M Super Hornet Heartseeker	Sabre	42
-	F7C-M Super Hornet Heartseeker	Sabre Comet	26
-	F7C-M Super Hornet Heartseeker	F7C Hornet Wildfire	36
-	F7C-M Super Hornet Heartseeker	Freelancer MIS	36
-	F7C Hornet Wildfire	Prospector	31
-	F7C Hornet Wildfire	Khartu-Al	16
-	F7C Hornet Wildfire	Gladiator	22
-	F7C Hornet Wildfire	Sabre	16
-	Gladiator	Prospector	21
-	Hawk	Gladius	21
-	Hurricane	Constellation Taurus	16
-	Hurricane	Prospector	53
-	Hurricane	Gladiator	43
-	Hurricane	F7C Hornet Wildfire	32
-	Hurricane	F7C-M Super Hornet	27
-	Hurricane	Freelancer MIS	32
-	Hurricane	Sabre	37
-	Hurricane	Sabre Comet	22
-	Hurricane	Khartu-Al	37
-	Terrapin	Prospector	84
-	Terrapin	Constellation Taurus	44
-	Terrapin	Freelancer MAX	86
-	Terrapin	F7C-M Super Hornet	57
-	Terrapin	Freelancer MIS	63
-	Terrapin	Vulcan	36
-	Terrapin	Gladiator	73
-	Terrapin	Khartu-Al	65
-	Terrapin	Sabre	65
-	Valkyrie	Constellation Aquila	84
-	Valkyrie	Endeavor	42
-	Valkyrie	Starfarer Gemini	52
-	Valkyrie	Crucible	42
-	Valkyrie	Glaive	42
Aopoa (Xi'an)	Khartu-Al	Prospector	29
-	Khartu-Al	Freelancer MAX	31
-	Nox	Aurora LN	27
-	Nox	Dragonfly Black	15
-	Nox	Dragonfly Yellowjacket	15
-	Nox	MPUV Cargo	27
-	Nox Kue	Aurora LN	23
-	Nox Kue	Dragonfly Black	15
-	Nox Kue	Dragonfly Yellowjacket	15
-	Nox Kue	Mustang Beta	15
-	Nox Kue	MPUV Personnel	15
-	Nox Kue	X1 Baseline	15
-	Nox Kue	MPUV Cargo	22
-	San'Tok.Yai	Constellation Taurus	46
-	San'Tok.Yai	Hurricane	40
-	San'Tok.Yai	Vulcan	35
ARGO Astronautics	MPUV Personnel	Aurora LN	15
-	MPUV Cargo	Mustang Alpha	15
-	SRV	F7C-R Hornet Tracker	21
-	SRV	Vulture	21
-	SRV	Razor	15
Banu	Merchantman	Mole	239
-	Merchantman	Starfarer Gemini	220
-	Merchantman	Prowler	231
-	Merchantman	600i Touring	236
-	Merchantman	600i Explorer	194
-	Merchantman	Genesis Starliner	273
-	Defender	Constellation Taurus	42
-	Defender	Retaliator Base	84
-	Defender	Cutlass Blue	57
-	Defender	Freelancer MIS	65
-	Defender	Gladiator	70
-	Defender	Khartu-Al	65
-	Defender	Sabre	65
-	Defender	F7C Hornet Wildfire	59
-	Defender	F7C-M Super Hornet	55
Consolidated outland	Mustang Delta	Mustang Gamma	22
-	Mustang Delta	Avenger Stalker	15
Crusader Industries	Genesis Starliner	Constellation Aquila	120
-	Genesis Starliner	Endeavor	73
-	Ares Inferno	Constellation Andromeda	26
-	Ares Ion	Constellation Andromeda	26
-	A2 Hercules	600i Touring	341
-	A2 Hercules	600i Explorer	299
-	A2 Hercules	Carrack	273
-	A2 Hercules	Constellation Aquila	472
-	A2 Hercules	Crucible	430
-	A2 Hercules	Endeavor	430
-	A2 Hercules	Hull D	325
-	A2 Hercules	Merchantman	115
-	A2 Hercules	Orion	194
-	A2 Hercules	Prowler	336
-	A2 Hercules	Reclaimer	378
-	A2 Hercules	Starfarer Gemini	451
-	C2 Hercules	Constellation Aquila	115
-	C2 Hercules	Valkyrie	47
-	C2 Hercules	Crucible	73
-	C2 Hercules	Endeavor	73
-	C2 Hercules	Glaive	73
-	C2 Hercules	Starfarer Gemini	84
-	M2 Hercules	Constellation Aquila	241
-	M2 Hercules	600i Touring	110
-	M2 Hercules	600i Explorer	68
-	M2 Hercules	C2 Hercules	147
-	M2 Hercules	Crucible	199
-	M2 Hercules	Endeavor	199
-	M2 Hercules	Genesis Starliner	147
-	M2 Hercules	Hull D	94
-	M2 Hercules	Prowler	105
-	M2 Hercules	Reclaimer	147
-	M2 Hercules	Starfarer Gemini	210
-	Mercury Star Runner	Prospector	120
-	Mercury Star Runner	San'tok.yai	52
-	Mercury Star Runner	Defender	52
-	Mercury Star Runner	F7C Hornet Wildfire	99
-	Mercury Star Runner	F7C-M Super Hornet	94
-	Mercury Star Runner	Freelancer MIS	99
-	Mercury Star Runner	Hurricane	78
-	Mercury Star Runner	Khartu-Al	105
-	Mercury Star Runner	Razor EX	120
-	Mercury Star Runner	Sabre Comet	89
-	Mercury Star Runner	Sabre	105
-	Mercury Star Runner	Terrapin	52
-	Mercury Star Runner	Vulcan	73
Drake Interplanetary	Buccaneer	Cutlass Black	21
-	Caterpillar	Constellation Andromeda	116
-	Caterpillar	Constellation Aquila	36
-	Caterpillar	Retaliator Bomber	78
-	Caterpillar	Redeemer	26
-	Corsair	Prospector	115
-	Corsair	Constellation Taurus	78
-	Corsair	Freelancer MAX	120
-	Corsair	Freelancer MIS	94
-	Corsair	Sabre	99
-	Corsair	Sabre Comet	84
-	Corsair	Gladiator	105
-	Corsair	F7C-M Super Hornet	89
-	Corsair	F7C-M Super Hornet Heartseeker	73
-	Corsair	F7C Hornet Wildfire	94
-	Corsair	Vulcan	68
-	Corsair	Hurricane	73
-	Corsair	Razor EX	115
-	Corsair	Khartu-Al	99
-	Cutlass Black BIS	Gladius	42
-	Cutlass Blue	F7C-R Hornet Tracker	47
-	Cutlass Blue	Razor	36
-	Cutlass Blue	Prospector	31
-	Cutlass Steel	Constellation Taurus	57
-	Cutlass Steel	Railen	21
-	Cutlass Steel	San'tok.yai	26
-	Cutlass Steel	Defender	26
-	Cutlass Steel	Terrapin	26
-	Cutlass Steel	Corsair	-5
-	Cutlass Steel	Vulcan	47
-	Cutlass Steel	Hurricane	52
-	Cutlass Steel	F7C-M Super Hornet Heartseeker	52
-	Dragonfly Black	Aurora LN	15
-	Dragonfly Black	MPUV Cargo	15
-	Herald	325A	26
-	Herald	Avenger Titan Renegade	21
-	Vulture	Freelancer DUR	45
Esperia	Blade	Constellation Andromeda	52
-	Glaive	Constellation Aquila	99
-	Glaive	Starfarer Gemini	63
-	Talon	Gladius	36
-	Talon	Reliant Mako (News Van)	31
-	Talon Shrike	Gladius	36
-	Talon Shrike	Reliant Mako (News Van)	31
-	Prowler	Constellation Aquila	162
-	Prowler	Reclaimer	68
-	Prowler	Genesis Starliner	68
-	Prowler	Endeavor	120
-	Prowler	Crucible	120
-	Prowler	600i Touring	42
MISC	Freelancer MIS	Prospector	32
-	Freelancer MIS	Freelancer MAX	37
-	Freelancer MIS	Gladiator	22
-	Freelancer MIS	Sabre	16
-	Freelancer MIS	Razor EX	32
-	Endeavor	Constellation Aquila	84
-	Endeavor	Starfarer Gemini	52
-	Hull A	300I	36
-	Hull A	Mustang Gamma	36
-	Hull B	325A	94
-	Hull C	Constellation Andromeda	136
-	Hull D	Constellation Aquila	178
-	Hull D	Starfarer Gemini	157
-	Razor	F7C-R Hornet Tracker	15
-	Razor LX	F7C-R Hornet Tracker	21
-	Razor LX	Razor	15
-	Razor EX	Freelancer MAX	15
-	Razor EX	SRV	15
-	Razor EX	Retaliator Base	15
-	Razor EX	Razor LX	15
-	Reliant Tana (Skirmisher)	325a	15
-	Reliant Sen (Researcher)	Arrow	21
-	Reliant Mako (News Van)	Gladius	15
-	Starfarer	Constellation Andromeda	76
-	Starfarer	Vanguard Warden	55
-	Starfarer	Vanguard Harbinger	24
-	Starfarer	Vanguard Sentinel	39
-	Starfarer	Vanguard Hoplite	81
-	Starfarer	Blade	39
-	Starfarer	Retaliator Bomber	39
-	Starfarer	Apollo Medivac	39
-	Starfarer Gemini	Constellation Aquila	63
-	Starfarer Gemini	Mole	47
Origin Jumpworks	350r	Freelancer	28
-	350r	F7C Hornet	28
-	M50	Gladius	22
-	85X	Aurora CL	15
-	100i	Dragonfly Black	18
-	100i	Dragonfly Yellowjacket	18
-	100i	MPUV Personnel	22
-	100i	Mustang Beta	22
-	100i	X1 Baseline	22
-	125a	100i	22
-	125a	85X	19
-	125a	Avenger Titan	14
-	125a	Ursa Rover	19
-	125a	X1 Force	19
-	135C	100i	27
-	135C	125a	15
-	135C	300i	19
-	135C	Cyclone	19
-	135C	Mustang Gamma	19
-	X1 Baseline	Mustang Alpha	21
-	X1 Baseline	Aurora LN	15
-	X1 Baseline	MPUV Cargo	15
-	X1 Velocity	Mustang Beta	15
-	X1 Velocity	MPUV Personnel	15
-	X1 Velocity	X1 Baseline	15
-	X1 Force	Aurora CL	15
-	X1 Force	X1 Velocity	15
-	X1 Force	Nox	15
-	600i Touring	Constellation Aquila	152
-	600i Touring	Constellation Phoenix	110
-	600i Touring	Reclaimer	57
-	600i Touring	Starfarer Gemini	120
-	600i Touring	Endeavor	110
-	600i Touring	Crucible	110
-	600i Touring	Eclipse	162
-	600i Touring	Genesis Starliner	57
-	600i Touring	C2 Hercules	57
-	600i Explorer	600i Touring	63
-	600i Explorer	Constellation Aquila	194
-	600i Explorer	Prowler	57
-	600i Explorer	Genesis Starliner	99
-	600i Explorer	Starfarer Gemini	162
-	600i Explorer	Endeavor	152
-	600i Explorer	Reclaimer	99
-	600i Explorer	Crucible	152
-	600i Explorer	Hull D	47
-	600i Explorer	C2 Hercules	99
RSI	Apollo Triage	Constellation Andromeda	23
-	Apollo Triage	San'tok.yai	44
-	Apollo Medivac	Constellation Andromeda	49
-	Apollo Medivac	Vanguard Warden	26
-	Apollo Medivac	Apollo Triage	36
-	Apollo Medivac	Vanguard Hoplite	52
-	Constellation Taurus	F7C-R Hornet Tracker	47
-	Constellation Taurus	Razor	42
-	Mantis	F7C-R Hornet Tracker	21
-	Mantis	Vulture	21
-	Mantis	Razor	15
-	Mantis	Ballista	21
-	Perseus	Mole	409
-	Perseus	Carrack	110
-	Perseus	Carrack W/C8X	89
-	Perseus	Carrack Expedition	84
-	Perseus	Carrack Expedition W/C8X	63
-	Perseus	Merchantman	57
-	Perseus	Orion	136
-	Perseus	600i Explorer	241
-	Perseus	M2 Hercules	194
-	Perseus	Hull D	267
-	Polaris	Constellation Aquila	535
-	Polaris	Perseus	183
-	Polaris	A2 Hercules	175
-	Polaris	M2 Hercules	357
-	Polaris	Nautilus Solstice Edition	149
-	Polaris	Hammerhead	149
-	Polaris	Carrack	367
-	Polaris	Crucible	499
-	Polaris	Merchantman	210
-	Polaris	Orion	257
-	Orion	Constellation Aquila	246
-	Orion	Starfarer	246
-	Orion	600i Touring	194
-	Orion	Reclaimer	215
-	Orion	Genesis Starliner	215
-	Orion	Prowler	173

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►10◄ CROSS-CHASSIS UPGRADES (CCUS), DOWNGRADE
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CCUs from more to less expensive ships

Target ship manufacturer	Target ship	Upgrade from	Price, $
Aegis Dynamics	Eclipse	Redeemer	64
-	Eclipse	Caterpillar	17
-	Vanguard Harbinger	Constellation Aquila	17
-	Vanguard Hoplite	Constellation Andromeda	30
-	Reclaimer	Hull D	94
-	Reclaimer	Merchantman	78
-	Vulcan	Defender	26
-	Vulcan	Terrapin	15
-	Sabre	Constellation Taurus	32
-	Sabre	Freelancer MIS	16
-	Sabre Comet	Constellation Taurus	52
-	Retaliator Bomber	Redeemer	36
-	Vanguard Harbinger	Redeemer	57
-	Vanguard Sentinel	Redeemer	42
-	Vanguard Warden	Redeemer	26
-	Vanguard Warden	Hull C	26
Anvil Aerospace	F7C-M Super Hornet	Constellation Taurus	47
-	F7C Hornet Wildfire	Constellation Taurus	37
-	Gladiator	Constellation Taurus	26
-	F7C-M Super Hornet Heartseeker	Defender	21
-	Hurricane	Defender	21
-	Gladiator	Constellation Taurus	26
-	Gladiator	Cutlass Blue	28
-	Valkyrie	Hull D	42
-	Valkyrie	Merchantman	47
-	Valkyrie	C2 Hercules	31
Aopoa (Xi'an)	Khartu-Al	Constellation Taurus	31
Consolidated outland	Mustang Delta	Hull A	15
Crusader Industries	Genesis Starliner	Hull D	73
-	Genesis Starliner	Merchantman	73
-	C2 Hercules	Hull D	31
-	C2 Hercules	Merchantman	42
-	M2 Hercules	Orion	52
Drake Interplanetary	Corsair	Defender	42
Esperia	Prowler	Merchantman	120
-	Prowler	Hull D	105
MISC	Freelancer MIS	Constellation Taurus	37
-	Freelancer MIS	Cutlass Blue	37
-	Razor	Freelancer MAX	15
-	Razor EX	Constellation Taurus	15
-	Razor EX	Cutlass Blue	15
-	Starfarer	Constellation Aquila	37
-	Starfarer	Caterpillar	18
Origin Jumpworks	350r	Cutlass Red	15
-	600i Touring	Hull D	110
-	600i Touring	Prowler	110
-	600i Explorer	Merchantman	152
-	600i Explorer	Carrack	99
RSI	Apollo Triage	Mercury Star Runner	42
-	Orion	Carrack	120

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Click here to continue to 2nd part of the store
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New players - use this code (STAR-MRG5-2TBJ) on registration to get additional 5000 UEC for free! (just click this link)

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• Pick a title that is unique and can't be confused with other games
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• Describe your game's genre, style and unique hooks in the short description
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• Choose your best screenshots
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• Use bullet points to make it easier to read (avoid walls of text)
• Build your wishlist. As soon as you have a page, make it your main Call To Action (on your website, social media, etc)
• Try to get 10 reviews ASAP

How it happened.
I was 16 and my girlfriend was 15. We were both in high-school. For the sake of incrimination I’m going to use fake names. Her name was Lucy. I’m going to call her that as it’s the closest thing to Lucifer as she showed me that she was definitely possessed by it.
She grew up with her friends Karen and Meredith. Since kindergarten. I was diagnosed with ODD and ADHD at a very young age. I moved around a lot. I mean, a lot. Until I went to their school in 2014, I had been to 9 different schools in the surrounding area due to being bullied.
With that said, you can understand a bit more context. I was new to this school, before I went into highschool. I began to cut myself the first year of that school, and met a girl who had similar issues as me. Just a bad upbringing. We were similar in the sense we were both a little messed up. This one was Meredith. We talked for a very long time. Shy to eachother in person, but always texted every single night. Her best friend growing up was Lucy. Inseparable those 2. Later on down the line highschool began. I built the courage to ask her on a proper date. We went to the movies. A few months after that she started dating this wannabe gangster fellow. Wore all red from head to toe. It broke my heart she would do that, and I went to Lucy for advice. That same night Lucy kissed me. I realized I liked her back. Her and I started dating and it pissed Meredith off. She didn’t talk to me for months. Lucy and I were our first. We had sex almost every day, going out for lunch during break and going to my house. For about 6 months straight. Then she cheated on me. I caught her at the graveyard with another guy and confronted them. I said things like I would slit his throat and he got scared and ran off. Lucy said I was fucked in the head.
Soon after I messaged Meredith about it, as they were best friends. Meredith met up with me that night. Cheating on her boyfriend with me. I began dating Meredith after she dumped her boyfriend. Karen got transferred to our highschool about 5 months into mine and Meredith’s relationship. Meredith cheated on me with my old friend from the trailer park. I walked in on them one night. Smashed a bottle and told the guy I was going to bury him outside. Realized I didn’t want to go to jail, I put the bottle down and walked out and went home. Karen messaged me that night. Asked if I was okay. Saying no she asked to meet up with me. We met up and I showed how upset I was. She kissed me then. Probably out of pity. I asked her out about 3 weeks later as I was lonely and needed someone. She became friends with Meredith and Lucy which I found strange. Very strange. As a young kid I told her that I didn’t want her to hang around them anymore and she told me I can’t make her. Which I couldn’t, I just accepted it. They hung out a lot. Which made me suspicious. Soon after Karen began talking sexual to me. I did the same, being a teenager.
She said things like she wants to be tied up and left marks on her. She seduced me one night and asked for all of it. Verbally asked for it. The day after we had school. It was like any other day. I was in class on the computer talking to her through Facebook. The conversation was normal. Until it wasn’t. She warned me. Said “oh by the way, me and Lucy are charging you with rape” I laughed and said “lmao” and she said “I’m not kidding” panic set in. Not even an hour later police came to my classroom and escorted me to the principles office. There I saw through the glass both of them fake crying. I was handcuffed and treated like a terrorist locked in a room inside the school. I was asked questions without my rights being told to me or even a parent or guardian present.
I was charged with 3 counts of sexual assault. As Meredith sneakily did the same. They planned this on me.
I took it to trial. Court went on for 4 years. So long that they were going to charge me as an adult even though it supposedly happened when I was 15. I had a lot of evidence against them such as text receipts and the fact they tried to do this to another guy in which they redacted their statement without any repercussions
It got so bad that a female officer I suspect one that they went to, attempted to withhold my evidence in court and was found doing so. She didn’t lose her job but got demoted to traffic officer I was told by my lawyer. I was found innocent in 2020 but after it was done and over with, they went around my town and told everyone that I raped them. For 6 years I was assaulted by people throwing stuff at me by driving by, called a rapist by hundreds of people, threatened, my house was paintballed, my brothers truck had gotten his windows smashed out. And now I’m very mentally fucked up.
Reddit is lagging too bad so I can’t type any more. It’s taking a long time for my words to be written. In conclusion I just wanted to share my story. Get it off my chest as I have been living with this for a long time.

Crutic felt the realspace reasserted itself with a faint lurch and a rattle of the spaceframe, the darkness behind his eyelids peeled away just in time to witness the streaks of light coalescing into a field of stars. And after that...nothing. Outside of the angry red glow of the indicator lightings around him and the graphics of the instrument cluster before him, he might as well be witnessing a portal into an infinite abyss so dark that his eyes may as well have remained shut. It wasn’t unexpected, though: the brief mission overview had made it abundantly clear that where his flight element was needed was among the interstellar void. The nearest star was nearly three parsecs away and was only called a star as a tribute to its fiery past - its photosphere likely offered its last gimmer millions of years ago. But it never mattered on how much prep was given, it was never a comfortable feeling to know that something is out there in the consuming absence. It was a small solace then, when his sensors chirped to indicate that it had achieved what the Human eye could not and found something out there within seconds. Before the modulated tone of his flight lead even made it through the constant hissing of the life support airflow, Crutic had his hands around the control yoke to disengage his TIE from the Gozanti’s docking tube.
“Target identified as a Ghtroc 720, range three-seventy kicks, armed. Form up to intercept and dissuade.”
The brisk affirmation from himself and Mynock Two and Four was almost drowned out by the whine from the engine as the four Imperial fighters screamed away from their transport and aligned themselves in a rough quadrilateral formation towards the sensor blip. It was drifting, sublights inactive and transponder silent, all in a valiant effort to blend into the interstellar background. But without jammers to further obscure their presence or a cloak to hide it completely, they were simply a something in a sea of nothing. And the moment the occupants realized this and that the Empire was there to do something about it, the engine arrays that flanked either side of the light freighter flared to life.
”Unidentified Ghtroc 720, you are in a restricted sector, return to designated Region 12 volume or face the consequence.”
Despite his attempt at civility, Mynock One and everyone present knew that this wasn’t an accidental drift into the gap between Region 12 and the edge of the greater galaxy; it was merely the latest instance of another group of beings from within that thought that they had the stealth necessary to break the region-wide lockdown. And with no change to their vector, it appeared that this particular group has the will to do a little more resisting. Crutic can’t help but consider a brief flicker of irony in that the energy spent into presently futile evasive flying would be better applied to their hyperdrive to make it to their next jump. As it is, either option would result in the TIEs landing shots on them, but at least the latter would be more…inconvenient for him and his immediate comrades in the long term.
The last warning was issued as the four fighters closed the last hundred kicks and this time a response came through in the form of a pair of crimson bolts fizzling through the formation. And at the same instant, Crutic Jo’ran retreated into the crevasse in the back of his mind and RG-273-76 took his place.
Safeties off. Targeting computer rendered an approximation of the freighter’s saucer shape upon the display. Align it with the crosshair. Target lock shrilled. Squeeze the trigger. Shields rippled violently as green energies hammered home.
Not good enough.
Check surrounding for teammates within immediate maneuvering vectors. Opening between Mynock One and Four. They peeled off after they had done their own run. Good. Pour in speed to gain distance.
Sounds of laser cannons from behind. Dodge. Stabilize as the rain of bolts trailed behind his flight path, too slow. Perform a sharp banking turn to bring the freighter back in front. Check for alignment to target. Sensor flagged a new relevant information: steep power draw on the hyperdrive module.
“Target almost ready to jump,” he notified into the comms, a practiced motion with a hand to divert power from the engines to the laser cannons.
Trigger down. Shields flashed but held. Tough gutkurr of a target, could do with a bomber’s warhead right about now. No time to linger on what is not available, focus on what is available now. Time for another run. Shields ate another strafe-
Mynock Two reports shield failure as explosion flared directly ahead in the profound blackness, revealing the viewport’s spoked features for the first time. Apply maximum deflection of etheric rudder to avoid the blast, clench against the inertia. Beads of molten metal showered the fighter chassis, but nothing to prompt damage notification.
A little too close for comfort, will have to talk to Two later.
Mynock Four snarled his own displeasure and reported his intent to break off due to damage sustained on his starboard radiator array. No time to worry about him, as long as the target is not disabled. Loop high over target, reacquire lock. Send down pelting fire across the freighter’s dorsal power conduit. Something exploded and their portside sunlight array wavered.
New target. Engine endured a respectable volley before belching out a blast of unfocused ionized particles with most of its glowing innards, submitting the starship into an uncontrolled yaw.
A sudden garble of noises filled his helmet as he directed his focus to the starboard engines, and before his thumb had a chance to render that to equally inoperable slag, a stilted Galactic Basic superimposed itself on top of the audio intrusion.
“Stop! Imperials, stop! We surrender!”
Crutic found himself sucking in a lungful of the stale, cool air as he recognized the Aqualish language and its translator assisted intentions. The rest of the Mynock flight also shared this moment of realization as they broke off from their attack vectors. Well, most of them anyway. At some point Mynock Four became a barely visible trail of titanium and quadanium steel. No life signs. Dank farrik.
”Ghtroc 720, power down immediately and stand by for boarding.” Mynock One’s voice had been level, but there was no denying that those benign words were layered with vitriol that preemptively silenced any kind of protest the other party might want to say. After a few satisfied seconds, the seething hatred dissipated as he changed frequency to the Gozanti to confirm that the onboard boarding party was prepared for the task.
Not long later, the frequency switched back to local and started with a deep sigh that Crutic could practically hear the muscles unclench itself. ”Mynock Flight, systems check.”
“Mynock Two, all systems nominal.”
”Mynock Three, likewise,” Crutic said, examining the reading his flight systems were offering him. Though, in the back of his mind, he could virtually hear the choice words picked by the maintenance team about the surface defects that were received during his near-miss of the explosion. At least he can point the blame to Two this time.
“Good, perform one last sensor sweep before redocking with the Deliverance and meet up at the main hold for debrief.”
A pair of affirmations later, the trio flowed over the crippled freighter at maximum sensor sweep to detect any kind of trap or other possible hindrances for the Gozanti boarding party. They also made sure to fly as uncomfortably close to the freighter as realistically plausible. Although the occupants surely wouldn’t see them, they will make sure they can hear them as loud as their aural sensors are willing to emulate, and hope that the distinctive howl of the twin ion engines resonate deep within the instinctive part of their psyche. The scans turned up nothing more than some dozen beings crammed in its cargo hold, and with that, they pulled back to give a wide berth to the docking Gozanti before connecting with it themselves. What happened next was out of their hands, they have an after action report to perform. With a layer of grief in their hearts.
While the return to Marjora Space was a transit that took only a matter of minutes, the sublight transit from the system’s edge to the Decadence was long enough to complete the debrief to an educational amount of detail, clean up, and prepare for the early departure. Under normal circumstances, it would have been a month or so more until the patrol rotation brought them back to the star destroyer low in Majora Prime’s atmosphere, but the recent development had details to iron out. Such as the prisoners they now have board that needed to go through processing - and if they looked like the stormtroopers were rougher with them than necessary, Crutic had chosen not to comment - and registering the loss of a member and securing their replacement. All of that meant at least a few days of shore leave.
At least, what actually constitutes a “shore leave” for the Imperials. It was anybody’s guess on how well the collective bulkhead of owned and affiliated starships, bases, and outposts have achieved a semblance of civilian life where enlisted and officers alike could loosen their mask of professionalism and indulge in a slice of greater society beyond their duty to the Imperial preservation and continuation. It was never intended to interfere with the military aspects and readiness, to be sure, but being surrounded slightly-different-walls and training bouts that might have been less about fitness and more about unspoken exchange of credits sets the scene for much needed stimulation to distract from the monotony of service. It was also an open secret that the galaxy’s assortment of liquid courage and other vile substances that Crutic would begrudge someone for partaking had slipped past regulation and formed an elusive enterprise that based themselves in various need-to-know locations. And the less said about the “flecks of inspiration” fresh from the Sapius Corp mines the better.
That being said, not all non-standard marketplace have to be so despicable, there were also demands from the more respectable members of society: the market for local goods. Ranging from simply a more comfortable clothing that could be worn under uniforms to prevent chafing to non-regulation but cozy blankets to keep warm during power rationing wherever one get stationed, or - one that Crutic is currently partaking in - foods that is used to supplement the stubborn mess droid’s nutritionally balanced but nonetheless dreary meals. Today was some kind of fried fish topped with a grated and pickled Marjora native seafloor tuber, courtesy of “The Shuttle Pilot” in the Decadence’s forward hangar’s armory. It wasn’t ba’buir Eres-Cruzia’s squirmer tiingilar that viciously strikes at the nose, but it was enough of a comfort food to dull the edges to a rough day.
A sigh brought back the reprimanding words of FS-273-4 - then, Mynock One - to the forefront of his mind. Yes, HG-273-81 - Mynock Two - shouldn’t have shot the target when there were friendly within the field of fire, but it was Crutic that blocked Mynock Four’s view of his projected flight path that costed him the necessary reaction time to recognize the explosion that crippled his craft and subsequently made him easy pickings for the freighter’s turret. It was an honest mistake, if a costly one. A life and an entire TIE fighter, the former a loyal member of the Empire and the latter an entire craft worth of irreplaceable components, gone to deep space. It wasn’t an uncommon occasion in the attrition against time, but missed all the same. With a sharp breath and an exertion of will, he suppressed the emotional baggage and sank into another crumbly bite to focus on its fishy, floral flavors that accompanied the textureless slurry of carbs and fiber methodically dispensed upon his metal platter.
Unable to keep it idle for long, his mind suggested the possibility of stopping by the star destroyer’s training facility, its spacious quality an allure to contrast against the cramped confines of the Gozantis. The notion was immediately dashed by a mouse droid that weaved through the forest of legs and beckoned for his attention. And with it came the news that his immediate future would be occupied by a debatably better use of his time. Downing the last of the vitamin enriched baked cuboid with a glass of water, he dismissed the droid and deposited the tray onto the outgoing conveyor on his way out of the mess hall. Helmet replaced securely on his head, he tackled the maze-like corridors and the necessary turbolifts at a brisk jog that eventually deposited him in front of the comms substation. The naval troopers guarding the room eyed him briefly before offering a nod of recognition and returning their bored stare at the opposite wall, implicitly granting him access to the inner workings.
With no combat situations or priority broadcast in effect to demand its full use, the ship’s comms served as a node that services a miniscule bandwidth to the greater galactic network. To the Imperial personnel with investment to the wider galaxy, it was a treasured peephole. It was monitored, of course, but it was a small price to pay for the privilege to be in touch with family and friends. Such as the case for Crutic. An exchange of relevant information to the comms operator later, a small monitor on the wall buzzed to life and resolved into a grainy image of a familiar woman that warmed something deep within his being.
”Su’cuy, buyca’kov,” she greeted, the sarcasm in her voice somehow making it through the heavy warping and choppiness of signal loss.
Crutic paused in his process of unraveling the layers of his persona for a second to grimaced slightly from what he considered to be an uncultured greeting; although the jab at the end served as a reminder that his helmet was still on, an issue he fixed immediately in one smooth motion.
“Hey, Lythsia, are ba’buire home?”
His half-sister took a few seconds to receive the message before shaking her head, assuming that’s what the poorly captured head blur would suggest. ”No, ba’buir Allisyr is out of business meeting down south ba’buir Eres is in the shop. It’s restock day.”
“It’s a miracle that you are at home at all!” Crutic offered a smile he reserved for a few beings in the entire Galaxy. While he had wanted to at least exchange pleasantries to his grandparents after a few long months, he is more than glad to share the time with his sibling.
“Oh, I could be elsewhere too if that’s what you prefer.”
“No, you’ll do,” he paused for a few seconds before speaking again, andt this time, his voice was grim, “how’re things out there?”
Lythsia gave an expression that’s hard to read through both the video’s low resolution and just the mix of emotions that fought for dominance in mere seconds. “If you mean the rebels, they are still focusing their efforts at Coruscant. We haven't really heard much about their interaction with the Governor after the demand for disarmament.”
“So you're holding up?”
“The ‘New Republic’ doesn’t bother my sector much. Shame, I got a backlog of datacard I’m fully willing to let someone ‘liberate’.”
Crutic could feel his eyebrows furrowed slightly as he shot a glance at the comm operator, who didn’t seem to take much notice about the details of the conversation. Of course, he has no reason to suspect his sister of treacherous thoughts as she is an alumni of SAGEducation, but it never hurts to be cautious against misinterpretations.
“Lythisa…”
”I know, I know, I shouldn’t joke about these things. But honestly? I don't know how long it would hold out. The talking heads up top don’t give a gundark’s sheb about who taxes them at the end of the day. And our government is too worried about the lack of star destroyers to correct that.”
Crutic sighed and scratched at his hair, untangling a few helmet-induced knots along the way. It seems like that was a trend that would progressively get worse as the years went by. Not that he can do anything about it, he has an obligation here in Region 12, and it’s entirely up to the whims of Admiral Jaquinn - and Governor Ryehall above him - to see if they plan to do anything about the anarchy going on in the galaxy.
“Well, anything good happen since we last spoke?”
Lythisa thought for a long moment - or the video feed froze, hard to say - before she shrugged. ”Team Uviuy made it through the preliminary in Galactic Cup, there’s that.”
A light chuckle escaped his lips at the new topic. As far as good news goes, it was quite low bar but he could at least appreciate the effort to ease the tension. He chose to latch onto it. “Think they will make it to at least the Semi-Finals?”
“Only if Team Fondor gets disqualified.”
“So that’s a no.”
”Last time Uviuy even got close to the podium, the Unknown Regions was still being charted.”
Crutic offered a puzzled expression at what appeared to be a trivia, given that the subject referenced was self-defining. “It still is-”
”Exactly,” Lythsia face was smug.
The conversations continued amicably, delving onwards from sport recaps to a prod at Lythsia's quest for romance and the subsequent defense of her character by criticizing her now-former-partners despite him having never met them, which naturally lead her to remind him that he should be more worried about his own lack of engagements. And inevitably brought the focus back on his activities for the last few months that wasn't obscured by confidentiality.
But far too soon, a movement by the doorway signaled that his allotted time had ran out. The monitor blacked with his sister's parting words, leaving behind a pang of wistful homesickness to swirl in his mind, as it always tended to do after such a session. And as he has done before and will do in the coming times, he took a moment to regained his composure. A process where vulnerability abdicate its role to the facade that grew away from the tender care. One of arrogance, pride, and ruthlessness; but also one of conviction, determination, and intensity. One of an Imperial pilot. As the helmet consumed his head, his soul stilled and he stepped forth down the grey halls with renewed resolve.