I have a board where the microstrip drives a patch antenna. I'd really like to take the existing board and modify it to couple all the power into a coaxial cable instead to connect to a different antenna or amplifier. I can imagine designing some sort of waveguide or horn to directly capture energy from the patch. I can also picture machining into the board and microstrip and modifying it to couple into a SMT coaxial connector. Maybe cut the strip and solder the coax in.
I know all these methods are hacks and would require some math and clever engineering to get the impedance right. I'm curious if anyone has done something like this or knows of good ways to do it? Methods known only to professional RF gurus?

I (25t) am a cocktail server at an upscale gentleman’s club in my city (Vegas). I am not anti-stripping at all (I have never done it but I support those who do). However, for my fiancé’s (29m) bachelor party I asked that there be no strippers (just something I wasn’t comfortable with, yes I see the irony!).
So, his friends respected my request, but asked that I participate in a trick - at the party they would make it seem like a stripper was coming, but I would come out, wearing my server outfit (it’s very revealing but not crazy). I thought it was a cute idea so I did it. It was all in good fun, he and the guys laughed, I took a few pictures with him and the guys and left. No big deal.
Well, one of the wives texted me the next morning saying she saw the pictures, and that it was totally inappropriate to appear around the guys at the party like that. I told her it was a lighthearted thing, and that it wasn’t my idea, the guys had requested it. She asked for an apology! Which I have not given.
How should I handle this? Was this a lapse in judgment?
Tl;dr: I showed up at my husband’s bachelor party and one of the wives is mad.

I am a cocktail server at an upscale gentleman’s club in my city (Vegas). I am not anti-stripping at all (I have never done it but I support those who do). However, for my fiancé’s bachelor party I asked that there be no strippers (just something I wasn’t comfortable with, yes I see the irony!).
So, his friends respected my request, but asked that I participate in a trick - at the party they would make it seem like a stripper was coming, but I would come out, wearing my server outfit (it’s very revealing but not crazy). I thought it was a cute idea so I did it. It was all in good fun, he and the guys laughed, I took a few pictures with him and the guys and left. No big deal.
Well, one of the wives texted me the next morning saying she saw the pictures, and that it was totally inappropriate to appear around the guys at the party like that. I told her it was a lighthearted thing, and that it wasn’t my idea, the guys had requested it. She asked for an apology! Which I have not given.
AITA? I feel stupid now. Was this a lapse in judgment by me?

I initially tried programs like OpenShell and StartIsBack to modify my Windows 11 to look more like Win7 or XP, and I tried different ways to approach that. None of the free programs changed my taskbar, expect something called RetroBar (and OpenShell only adding it's logo to the corner of the taskbar).
I tried WindowBlinds11 30-day trial and every theme I applied did change things like the "titlebars" of programs and the colors of file explorer and task manager, etc. I would've liked that, but WindowBlinds didn't modify my taskbar at all. I even tried it by combining OpenShell, but it still didn't allow me to change the look of the taskbar.
I ended up uninstalling OpenShell, WindowBlinds and all these UI-altering programs. I still noticed, that certain areas of Windows, like notification boxes when deleting a file from the trashbin or the background color in registry editor had changed to a brown-ish color, when it should be white by default and always has been. (I think this color had been associated with a WindowBlinds -theme I had tried earlier)
I Googled this and someone had recommended the "Purge" command to undo these changes by Stardock. I purged and rebooted, nothing happened. I reinstalled WindowBlinds, applied the default theme, then purged, rebooted and nothing happened...
So, I had a System Restore -point, that was created when first installing OpenShell a few days earlier (I believe this was before I had installed or tried WindowBlinds). So I reverted Windows back to that point and nothing else had changed, expect that the background color in these different Windows -boxes was now blue (this was similar or the same color as the "accent color" that had been chosen in 'Settings > Personalization > Colors', although the option "Show accent colors on tile bars and windows borders" had been unchecked.
As an example, I just chose an ordinary picture of regedit (from the internet), and as an reference just added the color change in Paint, like so.
It's not the correct color I'm seeing, but just an example. And also, in my reference pic, there's an upper bar that has "Name", "Type" and "Data" in the colored area, which is actually still remained white.
When removing a file to Recycle Bin or deleting it from there, the notification area should look like this, but instead it looks like this.
How should I fix this, is this even Stardocks/WindowBlinds fault, is there an easy fix for this or what?

Reposting. Original post had sensitive information.
Argus BNVD 1431 MK2
Quick break down of the binocular night vision device
MK2 is greatly improved from the MK1. Difference: Better sealed systen Improved screws Longer IPD stop screws MK2 now has IR illuminator Redesigned pods D Collar Ring for infinite stop Fischer port cover
1431 is powered by a single AA battery. The battery cap on mine does have to be completely tight to operate
Powegain button is held down to power on and off. There is a slight delay before the device confirms the command
Pressing the powegain button two times engages the built in IR illumination
Pressing the powegain button five times turns on and off the pod auto shut off feature when stowed up or individual pod articulated up. A LED inside the housing will light up to confirm. Personally I keep mine turned off
1431 does have Interpupillary Distance stops on the side of the arm
And each articulating arm can be tighten down increasing tension or loosen with the screws on the back
There is a purge screw on the left side of the housing near the dovetail
On the right side is a fischer port to use an external battery pack
MK2 comes with D Collar infinite stop. This allows to lock down the objective lens without the objective lock ring inside the housing
1431 MK2 can also use a variety of tubes including Katod, Photonis, Elbit, L3; mx10160 or mx11769. 1431 can be configured for manual gain. Some diagram is included in pictures above
Weight ~610g or 21.5oz
That makes this one of the heaviest binocular night vision device in the current market. Not to worry, there is ways to lighten it using Alexi monocular pods and lighter optics. Yes they are compatible with each other. Alexi monocular and binocular review is coming soon!
Full post with more pictures on my IG here
https://www.instagram.com/p/CtT0N-hre1v/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
Soon will be reposted on my website
https://Alphaonedesigns.wordpress.com

I initially tried programs like OpenShell and StartIsBack to modify my Windows 11 to look more like Win7 or XP, and I tried different ways to approach that. None of the free programs changed my taskbar, expect something called RetroBar (and OpenShell only adding it's logo to the corner of the taskbar).
I tried WindowBlinds11 30-day trial and every theme I applied did change things like the "titlebars" of programs and the colors of file explorer and task manager, etc. I would've liked that, but WindowBlinds didn't modify my taskbar at all. I even tried it by combining OpenShell, but it still didn't allow me to change the look of the taskbar.
I ended up uninstalling OpenShell, WindowBlinds and all these UI-altering programs. I still noticed, that certain areas of Windows, like notification boxes when deleting a file from the trashbin or the background color in registry editor had changed to a brown-ish color, when it should be white by default and always has been. (I think this color had been associated with a WindowBlinds -theme I had tried earlier)
I Googled this and someone had recommended the "Purge" command to undo these changes by Stardock. I purged and rebooted, nothing happened. I reinstalled WindowBlinds, applied the default theme, then purged, rebooted and nothing happened...
So, I had a System Restore -point, that was created when first installing OpenShell a few days earlier (I believe this was before I had installed or tried WindowBlinds). So I reverted Windows back to that point and nothing else had changed, expect that the background color in these different Windows -boxes was now blue (this was similar or the same color as the "accent color" that had been chosen in 'Settings > Personalization > Colors', although the option "Show accent colors on tile bars and windows borders" had been unchecked.
As an example, I just chose an ordinary picture of regedit (from the internet), and as an reference just added the color change in Paint, like so.
It's not the correct color I'm seeing, but just an example. And also, in my reference pic, there's an upper bar that has "Name", "Type" and "Data" in the colored area, which is actually still remained white.
When removing a file to Recycle Bin or deleting it from there, the notification area should look like this, but instead it looks like this.
How should I fix this, is this even Stardocks/WindowBlinds fault, is there an easy fix for this or what?

#25
Mike Manzi

• Only predator on this list who didn’t say anything overtly sexual, so the Fairfield police were unable to charge him with a sexual crime. But, he had bad intentions, and his overall story is pretty good
• Math tutor
• “I really can’t afford to do this! No, I can’t! I won’t!”
• “This is harrible (horrible)!”
• “How’s your downward dog?” (Chatlog)
• “Did you blaze?” (Chatlog)
• Hansen: Come on. You’re 32! You had nothing better to do on a Sunday? Manzi: I was gonna watch football. Hansen: Yeah, here with a 13-year-old girl after you blazed.

#24
Gilbert Sutherland

• “She’s … 18. You’re telling me she’s not 18?!” (Pretends to look shocked)
• “I like girls. What can I say?”
• Ran out the door immediately after the cameras showed up at the end of Hansen’s interview

#23
Mohamed Abdallah

• “I was just passing by there.”
• Hansen: Wow, you’re a lucky guy! You’re just driving along, and this good-looking young blonde girl waves you in!
• “I’m an Egyptian. I’m Muslim. I don’t do this (zissa) stuff.”
• “I would never say it like that. Never! Never, ever!”

#22
John Elliott

• Screen Name: BaldBeaverHunter
• “I can tell you’re a therapist!”
• Laughed multiple times during his interview with Hansen
• “I don’t know why you’re asking me this stuff!”

#21
Nick Cocos

• The dopey predator
• “I’m Chris.”
• “Things lead to bad things sometimes.”
• (When Hansen asked him what the lesson was) “Just don’t try it. Someone could be lying to you.”
• Hansen: How about not trying to hook up with a 12-year-old girl? Cocos: Or that, too.

#20
David Kaye

• The rabbi
• (To the decoy) “We’ll see!” (chuckles)
• “You know I’m in trouble, and I know I’m in trouble, and I’m not interested in getting further into trouble.”
• “You don’t have any right!”

#19
Donald Morrison

• Arguably the biggest loser in the history of the show
• “Nup North”
• “I’ve met about a dozen of them.”
• (When Hansen asked what his family will think of his behavior) “I know my mom is going to take my computer and completely throw it away.”
• Hansen: You’re 48 years old, Donald! Why should you rely on your mommy to do discipline?

#18
Jeff Stacy

• Mickey Mouse voice predator
• “What’s wrong with that?”
• “It’s a question!”
• “The internet and real life are two different things.”

#17
Joshua Colon

• (To the decoy) “You look hotter than your picture.”
• (To the decoy, referring to the cupcakes) “Those are red velvet?”
• Recognized Chris Hansen immediately and said, “Oh … shit.”
• Admitted to Hansen what his intentions were
• Made the trip from Queens, NY to Fairfield, CT
• Hansen: Queens? You said Brooklyn!

#16
Ernest Timmons

• The sweaty predator
• “A friend told me to come here.”
• “A guy named Kevin.”
• “We just met on the base. He told me to come here and take- uh, bring the camera.”
• “I’m not telling you a lie, sir!”
• “No, please, sir!”

#15
Dustin McPhetridge

• Cerebral palsy predator
• (To the decoy) “Ah thought you was wantin’ to be shaved … down there.”
• “Wayll, Ah wasn’t gon’ do nothin’!”
• “Ah brought her a razor.”
• Detective: Was it in case you had sex with her? McPhetridge: Yeah, but Ah was gonna try not to.
• (When asked if he had child pornography) “There’s probably a few photos and a few videos.”

#14
Rolando Restocruz

• “Sir, PLEASE!”
• “Sir, can I go?”
• “Sir, I promise you … with my life.”
• “Please don’t put this on TV!”
• “I swear I will never do this again!”

#13
Stephen Coates

• The musician
• “I beg of you.”
• Hansen: How old are you? Coates: I’m stupid. Hansen: How old are you? Coates: 56.
• Maintains to this day that it was roleplay. Hmm.
• “So if this is a setup, I’ll never forgive you.” (Chatlog)
• “I just want you to know how serious it could be if anything goes wrong.” (Chatlog)
• “Promise me something. Ten years from now, you won’t think bad of me.” (Chatlog)
• Wrote an email to a TCAP content creator trying to guilt-trip him into removing a reaction video to his bust
• Wrote a song called “Thought Crime,” which was reflective of his arrest

#12
Jerry Kosis

• The alien predator
• “Wayyyyyyyy, way, way.”
• “Well, outside of maybe wanting to be, I guess, a mentor or something like that.”
• “Wellllllllllllllllll.”

#11
Jerry Griffitt

• Apple Pie predator
• “She was 22, and I don’t remember what her name was.”
• “She said her name was 22. No, she said she was 22.”
• “She said her name was Adrianna.”
• “I thought I was talking to Adrianna.”
• “I don’t know what to tell ya.”

#10
Marvin Lakhan

• Stripped naked in the stinghouse after the decoy asked him to
• Hansen: What are you doing?! Lakhan: Making a mistake. Hansen: Making a mistake? What is going on in your mind?!

#9
John Kennelly

• Stripped naked in the stinghouse after the decoy asked him to (day 1 of 2)
• Showed up at McDonald’s to meet another fake boy (day 2 of 2)
• Kennelly: I’m sorry. Hansen: Sorry doesn’t cut it!
• Hansen: Chatting?! You’re sitting in this kitchen naked, John!
• “Sir, I just came to get something to eat!”

#8
John Dupee

• “Steelers and the Ravens!”
• “I had no intentions with nothin’!”
• “Who’s Brittany?” [puzzled expression]
• “Me and a group of friends snuck into a mansion and partied for days.” (Chatlog)
• “I would love to be the first guy to make you [blank].” (Chatlog)

#7
Jesse Velez

• Prompted the iconic “Meeee, my mommy, and my daddy” line from the infamous decoy
• “Nothing sexual to that nature.”
• “I actually parked at that park right there.”
• “Something told me, ‘Do not walk through that door.’”
• “The lesson here is … don’t walk into no one’s house that you don’t know who even lives there. Don’t do the same thing to other people that you wouldn’t want done to you.”
• “This is not what it seems to be. This is not what it was going to be.”
• “I’m not walking into no one’s house ever again.”
• “Even in my profile, it said, ‘Hey, let’s chat.’”
• “Thank you for this extra experience, actually.”

#6
Michael (Jean Pierre) Wehry

• Probably the most creative fake story out of any predator in the history of the show
• “I thought I was looking for somebody.”
• “John Pedderson.”
• “I was gonna talk about some business.”
• “I heard there was a guy named John Pedderson in this area.”
• “A young man on the phone.”
• “No, I think he had my number.”
• “My problem is I was walking.”
• “I was gonna leave a note.”

#5
Anthony Palumbo

• “You can put that in the frigerata!”
• “You give good directions!”
• “Don’t get drunk with that!”
• “My brotha is home, my otha brotha. So I said I got to go to Atlantic City!”
• “I stopped by … to go there.”
• “I’m not a driver at night.”
• “No, not at all. You can smell my breath.”
• “I’m not gay or anything!”
• (When Hansen asked his age) “39 … 35 … 39.” (He was 46 at the time.)
• “No, you’re right! I did a stupid thing!”

#4
Dan Allen

• “I’m just CURIOUS.” [wildly gestures]
• “I didn’t bring any booze with me. Didn’t bring any condoms, no!”
• “My car’s outside. I can prove that to ya!”
• “It’s all cyberspace.”
• “A couple past experiences show that they’re never 13.”
• “I’ll shove that camera down his throat.”
• “Cut!”

#3
Maurice Wolin

• The doctor
• Spilled the drink, left before Chris Hansen had the chance for an interview after finding the camera crew’s hiding spot
• “Aw, man, I wasn’t doin’ anything!”
• “I didn’t do anything, but I did something stupid.”
• “I don’t remember.” (21 times to Detective Nelson)

#2
Lorne Armstrong

• 407-page chatlog
• Drove from Nashville, TN to Bowling Green, KY.
• Wanted to bring 13-year-old “Kayla” back with him to Nashville.
• “Hey, girrrrl!”
• “Wayll, yell at me why doncha!”
• “This is what I was afraid of. Stupid move!”
• “Oh, CAWD!”
• “I never even meant to do it!” (To Detective Gillingham)
• “Is Ms. Vagina thinking about Mr. Penis? What is she thinking?” (Chatlog)

#1
Jeff Sokol

• Went to Planet Pizza right before going to the stinghouse
• “The small pizza is almost as big as the big one.” (To decoy)
• “Why’d you let me come if you’re so nervous?” (To decoy)
• “Who’s this?”
• “I … I wanna know who you are.”
• “Who are you?”
• “Are you her dad?”
• “Do you also see that I was pretty apprehensive about the whole sex thing?”
• “Do I seem like a dishonest, dirty person?”
• “If you thought I came down here to have sex, why didn’t you wait to see if that happened?” (To Detective Kelley)
• “I didn’t think it was against the law to meet a girl.” (To Detective Kelley)
• “I thought it was against the law to have sex. To actually have sex.” (To Detective Kelley)
• “You better watch out. You’re a girl. Girls get fat easier haha. Don’t get fat. It’s not pretty.” (Chatlog)
• “Ballet is for girls.” (Chatlog)

Introduction

As promised, here is a spreadsheet of all of my previous posts, as well as what cards I suggested in each. If this is your first time reading one of these posts, know that I attempt to rate them somewhere from B- to S+, leaving out any card that I didn’t feel was strong enough to earn at least that much. Also, while there are many potential ways to build Dihada, I try to rate them specifically on my own themes as explained in the original post. That being said, please leave suggestions if I’ve left anything out!
Lastly, sorry for this being such a lengthy post. In my defense, “legendary” was a theme in this set, so I think it was to be expected. Without further ado, here are the potential updates we’re getting, first from the main set, and followed by the commander deck additions.

Main Set

[[The Battle of Bywater]]: Was this made for us??? For only three mana we get a board wipe for powerful enemies? And then we’re rewarded for surviving it with our indestructible creatures? Definitely a board wipe we can include. S+ Rating.
[[Boromir, Warden of the Tower]]: One does not simply make a Dihada list without Boromir. Having Vigilance is always useful for a deck with a planeswalker commander, and there are definitely times where your opponents might have to worry about his first ability, but I’m looking more at his second ability. For a deck relying on board wipes to gain advantage, Boromir can help swing that advantage way harder. In fact, that’s why I love Odric, Lunarch Marshal, Agrus Kos, Eternal Soldier, and Avacyn’s Memorial (or Avacyn herself). Push that advantage. S Rating.
[[Dawn of a New Age]]: This card seems really cool and can net a ton of value for fairly little resources/risk. Sadly not legendary. A+ Rating.
[[Flowering of the White Tree]]: I’m not sure how this card exists, since it’s a straight buff to pretty much every anthem. I guess it being legendary is supposed to be a downside but let’s be real this is absurd value in a commander deck and is probably going to be a staple in most white commander decks, but especially all Dihada decks since we can grab this from -3. S Rating.
[[Frodo, Sauron’s Bane]]: I largely view 1 drops as unnecessary in Dihada decks, but this is clearly an exception. Three mana for a 2/3 lifelink isn’t great, but considering that the upgrade is instant speed makes it a bit better. Let’s be honest, though, this card is only being considered for the kill condition he has. This card is definitely cool in a deck that has enough ring temptation, but that’s likely not my deck and I don’t see it happening. B- Rating.
[[Gandalf the White]]: I have to admit, even as someone who isn’t a fan of LotR, I think I would find it difficult not wanting to play him if I were to obtain him. But is he good? I think so. I don’t think he really benefits from being in my deck too much, and is similar to how I felt about Elesh Norn, Mother of Machines. However, the Flash aspect is very interesting, and can change how a game plays. By using Dihada’s +2 on him, you are able to avoid enemy board wipes, since Gandalf will survive them and then you can flash out legendaries before your turn. I don’t know if that’s truly worth the slot, but he at least earns strong consideration for a sideboard, if you have one. B rating.
[[Rosie Cotton of South Lane]]: My deck doesn’t focus heavily on token creatures, but it does contain a decent amount of treasure tokens, specifically with our commander. Back in the Phyrexia: All Will Be One post I mentioned the play I’d most prefer with Mondrak being to +2 to defender her followed by a turn five Mondrak into a -3 from Dihada. I never specified what creature I’d want to defend Dihada for this play because I didn’t think it mattered much. Suddenly Rosie Cotton enters the picture and we have a potential 12/12 indestructible Mondrak. But even without Mondrak, she works very well with our commander. S- Rating.
[[Samwise the Stouthearted]]: Not a reanimation card, but not too far off. Yes, putting a card into your hand as opposed to the battlefield is much worse and not really our focus, but I like it because it’s legendary and because it says “permanent card,” meaning it can return most of the things we play. There’s even a world in which we let Dihada die and use Samwise to return her to our hand as to avoid commander tax. Getting him from a -3 means the table will know about him and be weary about losing value to you, which is solid deterring. B+ Rating.
[[Tale of Tinuviel]]: This does a lot of things the deck likes, but I don’t think the card is good enough to take the slot of a better reanimation card, such as Invasion of Tolvada. Besides, the reanimation cards we really want are either legendary or can be cast from the graveyard like Unburial Rites so we can dump it with Dihada without worry. B- Rating.
[[War of the Last Alliance]]: WotC seem to have realized that they’ve printed a lot of legendary legendary-support, and while this is great for us, perhaps it’s also good to print a lot of non-legendary legendary-support, and this is a prime example. TWO tutors? I’d run it even without that last chapter, but I can’t complain. The fact that you can search up both Olivia and Junji and get your reanimation loop going just by playing this card is wonderful. Or you can search for Magda so you can instead search for an artifact like Avacyn’s Memorial. There’s even a world in which you search up Aurelia, the Warleader to play on the turn of that last chapter and kill two people with overwhelming damage. Despite not being legendary, this gets an easy S- rating from me.
[[Isildur’s Fateful Strike]]: Legendary instants and sorceries can be difficult to cast, but probably not for a legendary-themed deck like Dihada. I like to play a few destruction effects but I usually like to have options as opposed to creatures only. That being said, you can grab this from a -3, so it’s hard to complain. The hand limiting effect isn’t bad if it’s done pretty early I suppose, or to counter a large hand (remember that it’s an instant). My biggest problem with this card is actually the flavor. It looks like you’re limiting their “hand” to “four” because you’re cutting off the ring finger, but the art (and movie) clearly show multiple fingers getting sliced off. Weird. Anyway, S- Rating.
[[Lobelia Sackville-Baggins]]: The best thing about playing Dihada is having access to way more cards than anyone else. This card helps this advantage by letting you play more of those cards. Save her for a rainy day and suddenly you’ve got a bunch of treasure, which at the very least can be used for commander tax. Not bad. B+ Rating.
[[Nasty End]]: Again, Dihada’s -3 is usually powerful enough that this is unnecessary, so I wouldn’t put this in my own deck. That being said, there are plenty of non-legendary cards worth drawing, too, so it’s nice that we aren’t forced to discard them. I would probably save this for if my own creature was about to be destroyed anyway to squeeze that extra bit of value from it. B- Rating.
[[One Ring to Rule Them All]]: Self-milling isn’t exactly a bad thing for us, but destroying all nonlegendary creatures is really why we want to play this card. That being said, there are other legendary-themed decks, not to mention that Commanders are all legendary, so I don’t like this effect over general destruction. It’s why I don’t play Urza’s Ruinous Blast, too, and at least that card is grabbable by -3. B Rating.
[[Sauron, the Necromancer]]: I am not a fan of exiling the cards I’m attempting to loop back onto the battlefield, so I can’t say I want to play this card, but I can’t ignore it either. If you’ve got enough Ring temptation in the deck, then keeping the token is nice, but the risk seems unnecessary to me. B- Rating.
[[Witch-king of Angmar]]: This thing’s play pattern seems sick in Dihada. The first and most obvious thing is that it has Flying, which is always welcome, and 5 power to make that keyword a serious threat. The second ability is pretty great for us, too, since it deters people from attacking us (always useful in multiplayer), and should someone actually attack you, not only does it hurt them but it benefits us by increasing our Ring temptations. Lastly, the cherry on top, it can become indestructible! Any legendary card with indestructible capabilities is sure to grab my attention since it can survive my board wipes without requiring a +2 from Dihada, but this also allows it to survive most targeted removal, which people will want to use in order to remove his deterring from the situation. And is it costly to make him indestructible? Not when you have Dihada as a planeswalker and plenty of value cards in the deck. In fact, discarding a card can sometimes benefit us with our reanimation theme. TLDR Literally everything about this card is good for us. S+ Rating.
[[Eomer, Marshal of Rohan]]: Additional combat phase potential on a solid statline card. With Sauron, the Lidless Eye, and Gandalf, White Rider, this set has a decent amount of support for aggression, especially for any Token variants. A+ Rating.
[[Gloin, Dwarf Emissary]]: I put this in a similar category as Mahadi, Emporium Master, and Gadrak, the Crown-Scourge. They’re three drops that can get you treasure, and this is good for us, although I would say that Gloin has much slower potential than the others. So why play him? He’s a Dwarf, and if you’re running Magda, there are definitely going to be games where Gloin gets going. And the goad ability isn’t terrible. B Rating.
[[Rising of the Day]]: As I’ve been saying, I hope to test my Haste cards soon. To reiterate, haste is a great option to follow up board wipes to keep aggression going. The fact that this both gives haste and buffs attackers makes it a pretty solid option for the Token variant. I really wish this were legendary itself, though. B Rating.
[[Spiteful Banditry]]: Not much to say about this. Red Meathook Massacre is obviously very strong, even with its advantages. For instance, the damage won’t kill our indestructible creatures while Meathook could, and treasure has synergy with a lot of the cards in our deck. But Meathook is legendary, which probably makes it better, but why the hell am I choosing one in the first place? Sure it’s a tight deck but surely it has room for both. S Rating.
[[There and Back Again]]: This is not a legendary card, and I don’t think I would call this legendary-support, either. But I look at those 14 treasures and think about all the things I could cast after a Dihada -3, or even being able to pay for more commander tax. The problem is fitting it into the deck. B- Rating.
[[The Balrog, Durin’s Bane]]: A huge threat in any deck, it’s a 7/5 haste that will be difficult for many decks to block, and even if they do, that’s okay. But none of this is particularly Dihada-related, so why play him? The cost reduction works with treasure tokens, my dudes. S- Rating.
[[Eowyn, Fearless Knight]]: This card hurts my brain. It has midrange stats, a control effect, and aggro potential, so it could probably be put into most decks I imagine, and ours is no exception. In most cases, hitting a commander is the best option, but there are definitely exceptions to avoid, but this in no way devalues the card. S Rating.
[[King of the Oathbreakers]]: I’m not playing many spirits so this is another card I’m not playing, but not necessarily bad in Dihada decks. There are some good legendary spirits, most importantly Agrus Kos, Eternal Soldier for the spreading of Dihada’s +2, but don’t sleep on Hofri Ghostforge as support for this kind of strategy if you choose to include it. Weirdly, he activates even if targeted by your own spells. I’m…not sure how that’s relevant, but go wild. B- Rating.
[[Lotho, Corrupt Shirriff]]: With the treasure we get from Dihada and friends, casting two spells a turn even with a potentially expensive curve can be quite doable. For us, Lotho replaces one of the treasures we might be spending to do so, And don’t forget we usually have large hands from -3s so you don’t have to worry about having the resources. And if he doesn’t get any value from your opponents, that’s mostly a good thing, too. He almost feels like a worse Smothering Tithe, but that isn’t meant as an insult. A Rating.
[[Merry, Esquire of Rohan]]: Obviously he works wonderfully in an aggro deck with equipment and such, but it’s the draw that’s most enticing. It won’t be incredibly difficult to trigger it, and it might not even be difficult to keep him alive. In a multiplayer game, there will probably be someone tapped out or lacking creatures, so you can send Merry that way. But, of course, there’s always Dihada’s sweet protection, too. I’ve said that card draw isn’t needed in a Dihada deck, but it doesn’t hurt, either, especially when it’s on a legendary permanent. A+ Rating.
[[Shadowfax, Lord of Horses]]: While the horse lord effect is cool, thankfully that haste ability does apply to itself, and that’s all I really care about. There are plenty of cards in the deck that this can cheat into play, including all three Olivias (though you miss Crimson Bride’s timing). For Shadrix Silverquill, missing the timing could be considered a good thing at times. And while you would miss Crimson Bride or Aurelia, the Warleader’s timings, you could +2 Dihada during the second main phase if you’re worried. A+ Rating.
[[Anduril, Flame of the West]]: There’s so much equipment-themed legendary cards in this set that an equipment Dihada just got far more viable, but this is solid in a non-equipment themed deck, too. With board wipes being a primary strategy to make way for our indestructible creatures, an equipment that creates more flying attackers is powerful to say the least. It will likely make your average game end quicker. S Rating.
[[Horn of Gondor]]: Even without humans in the deck, this card has exponential growth build in. It’s like a Krenko, Mob Boss, except it doesn’t have the weakness of being a creature. Also, we actually do have plenty of awesome human options in the deck already. At worst, it’s three mana for a chump blocker each turn. B Rating.
[[Horn of the Mark]]: With haste cards, this card becomes way more viable. There’s a lot of card draw in this set, but this is one of my favorites. The idea of grabbing a creature from the top five every turn sounds like a dream, and for only a two mana investment and attacking with two creatures. If you lack legendary land, then you probably won’t benefit from this as much as other card draws, since this can’t get you land and Dihada won’t be getting you as much land. S Rating.
[[Mithril Coat]]: We keep getting more indestructible options and I’m not complaining. Every one we add makes our board wipes a bit stronger. Don’t sleep on the fact that this is indestructible, too! There will definitely be times when we need to destroy artifacts and enchantments with Cleansing Nova, and this protects itself. Plus, most cards can’t remove it. S Rating.
[[The One Ring]]: As I keep saying, card draw often feels unnecessary, but with a lifelink commander it’s hard to resist the temptation The One Ring has to offer. Perhaps it’s difficult to resist the temptation even without life gain. Protection from everything until your next turn sounds unreal, and I think the best way to abuse that is to use it to kill someone. To clarify, I don’t mean that this gives your creatures protection (it doesn’t), but that you can safely all in someone without worrying about getting killed while tapped out. That sounds fantastic to me. S+ Rating.
[[Palantir of Orthanc]]: With our reanimation cards, self-milling isn’t a big deal. The longer the game goes on, the more worried we might get about milling ourselves out, but this is commander! We have a 99 card deck. I think we’re good. Also, the longer the game goes on, the more likely it is that a player won’t want to risk losing a ton of life. S Rating.
[[Phial of Galadriel]]: I know people read this card and instantly focus on the first two abilities, but that’s not my concern. This is a legendary mana rock, and its mana value may seem less desirable than others, it’s something we can grab from Dihada and absolutely worth a slot, in my opinion. I doubt the first two effects will occur much in my version, but it may help others. I dream of the day I have less than five life and can pull off a lifelink Heartless Hidetsugu trigger to gain an enormous amount of life. S- Rating.
[[Barad-dur]]: COLORED LEGENDARY LAND! And it can build an army as a mana sink! S+ Rating.
[[Great Hall of the Citadel]]: Not a legendary land but a pretty good land for us to be playing with all the legendary spells we have. S- Rating.
[[The Grey Havens]]: PSEUDO-COLORED LEGENDARY LAND, and it’s uncommon!! Early in the game it may only tap for colorless, but the scry can help us to look for colored land. Plus, after a -3 or two, we’ll have the colors we need. S+ Rating.
[[Minas Tirith]]: COLORED LEGENDARY LAND! And it comes with card draw! S+ Rating.
[[Mines of Moria]]: COLORED LEGENDARY LAND! And it can turn milled cards (like land) into treasures! S+ Rating.
[[Mount Doom]]: MULTICOLORED LEGENDARY LAND! I could be mistaken, but to my knowledge this is the first legendary dual land in the game. I’d have included it simply based on that. But on top of that it comes with a ping for each opponent and even a board wipe? Pure insanity. S+ Rating.

Starter Kit

[[Gandalf, White Rider]]: Another Gandalf! This one is probably more suited for your deck. Having Vigilance is always useful for a deck with a planeswalker commander. He can help get you a bunch of power by casting the many spells you’ll have access to with Dihada’s -3, you’ll get to scry to make sure you hit what you want to hit, and then he doesn’t even die! And while returning fifth from the top may seem like a lot, as long as you can -3, you’ll only have to wait one turn to see him again, making all of his benefits consistent. S Rating.
[[Gollum, Scheming Guide]]: Gollum’s play pattern is that he doesn’t seem to die in combat. Either the opponent guesses correctly and Gollum is protected by being removed from combat, or they guess wrong and Gollum is protected by being unblockable. I suppose the downside is that you may be revealing the top card of your deck for free with no other actions. But the upside is potentially drawing a card every turn. Is it worth it? Gameplay-wise, maybe. Fun-wise, definitely. B Rating.
[[Witch-king, Bringer of Ruin]]: While nowhere near as good as the other Witch-king, there is definitely some synergy in the deck because usually players don’t have many creatures after repeated board wipes. Having this out forces players to either hold back their bigger cards for safety, or to play multiple, likely smaller, creatures. It’s a good position to be. A- Rating.
[[Fires of Mount Doom]]: Weirdly the best thing about this card, to me, is the equipment destruction. Besides that, I don’t see the two damage to a creature or the two damage to players as particularly useful, and the card advantage you can gain from it is surely less than Dihada. If you happen to have one I guess it’s a good budget option, but I can’t see myself pushing a card out of the deck to make way for this. B- Rating.
[[Sauron, the Lidless Eye]]: This is not a card that I will be putting in my deck, but I’ve seen comments from people who play a Token variant of Dihada that would benefit from this card. My version of the deck doesn’t go wide with all of the board wipes I include. If you find that you often go wide, Sauron is a decent card for you. It can also be good if you use an Aristocrat version that can sacrifice the creature you controlled, but remember that you only control it for the single turn. As for my personal assessment, B- rating, but like I said his stock goes up in the right deck.

Commander Decks

[[Gwaihir, Greatest of the Eagles]]: THE EAGLES ARE COMING!! Seriously, though, this card is absolutely nuts for us. I have no idea why this isn’t six or seven mana. A 5/5 flying that can give other creatures flying and makes more fliers that also give other creatures flying seems like a lot for only five mana, and it’s mostly colorless mana to boot. I suppose having to gain three life every turn is supposed to be a major weakness? But clearly it’s not for us. I have no problem whatsoever +2ing this every turn. S+ Rating.
[[The Gaffer]]: So much card draw in this entire set I’m kind of sick of it. This would be a lot better with three power, since Dihada could make him trigger himself. Just to reiterate, card draw becomes more important the less legendary land you have, since -3 won’t net you as many land and treasure is only one time use, so you need other ways of ensuring you get more land. A Rating.
[[Gollum, Obsessed Stalker]]: An interesting addition that can help you deal a ton of damage, either over time or in the right situation, due to Dihada’s lifelink. Obviously my favorite would be Heartless Hidetsugu, a combo which I believe instantly kills everyone in the majority of situations, and the only times it wouldn’t are due to Heartless Hidetsugu’s “rounded down” clause. So the fact that this is a cheap creature we can play that can secure us a lot of damage over time or result in an instant kill combo makes it versatile and threatening. If you’re not playing Heartless Hidetsugu (why, tho?) or a lifelink variant of the deck, its rating would lower, but S- Rating for me.
[[Gimli of the Glittering Caves]]: This card looks really strong on paper as something that can deal a ton of damage, make a ton of treasures, even gain a ton of life with +2. That being said, I don’t play too many ways to give evasion, meaning that he’ll likely be blocked on repeat. Our version of “evasion” comes from board wiping after a +2, and I don’t know if it’s worth it to do that too often. That being said, the additions of Gwaihir and The Black Gate give us more evasion options! A Rating.
[[Lobelia, Defender of Bag End]]: “Without paying its mana cost” has me excited about this card. It isn’t like it’s difficult for us to get artifacts to sacrifice with -3. And even once we run out of cards to cast we can use extra treasures to ping for two and gain two. And since it says “play a card” instead of cast, we can even trade treasure for land if that’s what we exiled, and that’s pretty cool. Plus I love having knowledge of the cards my opponents don’t have access to while they don’t. There’s even a world in which this is removed immediately, only to be reanimated and surprise everyone with those cards, so the fun factor is on point, too. S- Rating.
[[Too Greedily, Too Deep]]: I like my reanimation decks to be playable from the graveyard in case we discard them, but I can’t say the same for board wipes since there aren’t many options that fit. So even though this is a reanimation card that doesn’t have flashback, it doubles as a board wipe and, I think, is acceptable to go in. S- Rating.
[[Wake the Dragon]]: This seems like a budget card to me, but I have a soft spot for Flashback cards since we don’t mind discarding them from the -3. B- Rating.
[[Crown of Gondor]]: I’m always a fan of introducing The Monarch into the game. As I’ve said, I love deterring effects, and while The Monarch makes people want to attack us temporarily, it quickly becomes a deterring effect. B+ Rating.
[[The Black Gate]]: LEGENDARY LAND!! And evasion is a rare addition for us!

Box Toppers

[[Morgul-Knife]]: AKA Shadowspear. We don’t include a ton of trample and this could make a big difference. Plus everything else it has to offer. S Rating.
[[Isengard, Saruman’s Fortress]]: AKA Boseiju, Who Shelters All. Being able to make your board wipes, destruction, and reanimation effects uncounterable is always cool, but coming into play tapped, only adding colorless, and needing to pay life is a serious trade off. A+ Rating.
[[The Dead Marshes]]: AKA Urborg, Tomb of Yawgmoth. Obviously a great card. Expensive. S+ Rating.
[[Glittering Caves of Aglarond]]: AKA Gemstone Caverns. In a multiplayer game, chances are you're not the starting player, making this likely to go off if in your starting hand. Losing a card from your hand may not feel great, but accelerating your plays is probably worth it. Not to mention Dihada is going to refill your hand. S+ Rating.
[[Osgiliath, Fallen Capital]]: AKA Kor Haven. Again, tapping for colorless is tough in a three color deck, but being able to defend against a creature every turn is cool for the turns that you -3 instead of +2.Remember that you can protect Dihada this way. S+ Rating.
[[Helm’s Deep]]: AKA Shinka, the Bloodsoaked Keep. Colored legendary land and can give our creatures first strike. S+ Rating.

Conclusion

“End? No, the journey doesn't end here.” -Gandalf to Pippin

I want to put some framed art (just prints in cheap ikea frames nothing special) on a slanted wall as at the moment it's just a big horrible white space. My issue is I need it to be renter friendly (ish at least). I can probably get away with some minimal fixings which I can repair when I leave. Command strips probably aren't strong enough as I'd like to hang something in a frame. A bit stuck so any ideas appreciated!

Just wanted to share a little tidbit since I can imagine you amazing people here can appreciate it. TLDR at the bottom.
For background: My (29M) parents (NMom, EDad) and I used to meet once a week, every Monday over dinner. This was the compromise we came to after a decade of fights, low contact, no contact, being harassed through weaponized welfare checks, you get the picture. This weekly meeting led to tension, as everything always does, and we settled on a different compromise: "Meet once a month and stay out of each other's way in between".
I was diagnosed with Asperger's at 13. This is largely irrelevant except for the fact that it explains why I am a creature of habit. I like my routines and I sometimes get anxious whenever they're disrupted in a major way. I always shop at the same store, buy the same products and walk the same way there and back again.
My mom has recently decided her one true calling in life is doing charity work for the local food bank. This means she gets to man a post at the door of that store (and any other I might choose to shop at instead) and sooner or later, I will arrive to do my weekly groceries. On a side note, this works really well for her, because she can brag about how good a person she is since she does charity work. You know the type: caring, well-meaning, just a swell person all around!
She was always more concerned with looking like a good person (and woe to anyone who got in her way or doubted it) rather than she was with being one. As a child I've been physically assaulted, subjected to hypothermia ('to cool down your anger') thrown into a corner like some used and faulty product and that's nothing said about the decade of mental abuse she subjected me to. She's told me in anger on several occasions she wished I was never born and getting me ruined her life. Then later, when she calmed down, she doubled down and said she really did mean it. Whenever I bring it up, it never happened, it wasn't that bad, or I deserved it, depending on her mood. Truly a stellar individual, and clearly an example for mothers everywhere (of how not to be a decent parent to your son).
I could write a book about it and, maybe, one day I will. I'm still picking up the pieces and have come a very long way.
Going to the store is already stressful due to the mental overload of sounds, crowded narrow spaces, lots of stimuli... but it's alright. I have figured out the fastest path through the store in a way that lets me get everything I need & have gotten used to, and be out before the anxiety actually hits. Seeing my mom at the only entrance/exit to the store, all smiles and engaging with people as if she's a saint doesn't fit into that very well. She looked up, recognized me immediately (I'm 1m96/6ft5, I tend to stand out even among other tall people) and I could see that little smile I know all too well. 'Got you now.'
Young me would've been frozen in place. Terrified into obeying whatever command she was about to give next. I'm no longer young me, though. She can still hurt me, but she can't keep me prisoner. I am in a position where I can walk away or choose not to engage with her, and there's nothing she can do about it. She absolutely hates it. However, I do need my grocries so walking away was not an option. I grabbed a cart and walked straight past her before she got the chance to grab onto it. Got my groceries, paid, went back out. This time, she was in the middle of the path, blocking me (and other people) from going out without talking to her. "Heeeeey hello!" No other way out and there's people behind me, so I just went with a neutral "Hello." No eye contact, not engaging with her otherwise, not giving her any energy to steal and nothing to sink her claws into. "Did you get everything?" This would, under normal circumstances, be a kind and caring thing to say. To me, it means "Let me pay for your food so you are dependent on me and you owe me something." She's done it before. Offer to pay with the best intentions and then accusing me of being ungrateful when I say no to anything. After all, she's such a good person and how dare I be so mean, right? It's control she has lost and that she is trying to take back. I'm not letting her. "Yup." and past I went without another word. This was yesterday. She now knows where and when I shop for food now, but that is a problem for another time. I've learned to choose my battles.
Felt pretty proud of that one, but she won't just let me have a win. Earlier this afternoon (so one day after the above), she sent me another email (as she tends to do once every few days even though we agreed on 'contact once a month and no more') asking if I was aware of this one streaming website. You know, the one I've been streaming on on and off for years as a hobby, which I shared with them, told them about, SHOWED THEM. It's her way of saying "so how is that going for you? when are you getting a real job?". It's not, it's a hobby. I'm not super-popular but I've met some cool people through there that I regularly game with. Online friends, even. But she cannot accept that I enjoy things without her having them brought up, so she tries to bait me into answering by claiming things she knows are untrue or asking questions I've already given an answer to. Sometimes it's a cute hamster video she found on Facebook, because she knows my girlfriend has a hamster and isn't it cute please respond. I finally blocked her on email. If she can't keep her promises, I don't have to play nice either.
TLDR Very-low-contact NMom ambushed me at the store, failed to terrify me, tried to get a stab in over email a day later and I blocked her. Give them a finger, they'll take your hand. If you have boundaries, enforce them like your life depends on it, because if it was up to them, it does. Freedom feels great and you deserve it too.

Grusch isn’t remotely the first. We’ve been through this before.
May 2001:
https://abcnews.go.com/amp/Technology/story?id=98572&page=1
https://web.archive.org/web/20010516132431/http://www.washtimes.com/national/20010510-19816390.htm
Government is covering up UFO evidence, group says By Julia Duin THE WASHINGTON TIMES

 The U.S. government has been covering up evidence of extraterrestrial visits for more than 50 years, an array of 20 retired Air Force, Federal Aviation Administration and intelligence officers said Wednesday. They demanded Congress hold hearings on what they say is long-standing secret U.S. involvement with UFOs and extraterrestrials. Calling it the "greatest secret of the 20th century," the officials, who termed themselves "witnesses" of UFO-related events, described a series of military investigations they said they saw: crashes of alien spacecraft, bodies of alien beings, secret government documents, even James Bond-style "erasures" of people who knew too much. "The individuals who have these sightings range from airline pilots and military pilots to police officers, some of the people your lives depend on, on a daily basis," retired Air Force Lt. Col. Charles Brown told a roomful of skeptical reporters. "They are very reputable, dependable people," he said. "The field is filled with hoaxes and scams," said Dr. Steven Greer, director of the Disclosure Project, which had gathered the witnesses. "But it doesn´t mean all of it is." The 20 witnesses, he said, were a fraction of the 400 people who are willing to testify under oathand under congressional immunityabout a secretive portion of the government they say has gone out of control. UFOs have long fascinated Americans, including several U.S. presidents. Webster L. Hubbell, a former associate attorney general under President Clinton, has described in an autobiography his unsuccessful quest to determine government involvement in the topic. John Callahan, a former FAA division chief of accidents and investigations, said he was directed by CIA officers to cover up a Nov. 18, 1986, incident involving a UFO and a Japanese airliner near Anchorage, Alaska. "We were all sworn to secrecy that this event never happened," he said. Michael Smith, a former U.S. Air Force air traffic controller stationed near Klamath Falls, Ore., in the 1960s and early 1970s, reported seeing a UFO hovering at 80,000 feet one night. "I was told you keep it to yourself," he said. "NORAD [North American Aerospace Defense Command] called me one night to say there´s a UFO coming up the California coastline. I asked them what to do. They said nothing, not to write it down." After he was stationed at another military base in Michigan, UFOs were so close to one landing strip, he said, that two incoming B-52s had to be steered around them. The Disclosure Project, a Crozet, Va.-based research organization that has been gathering government witnesses for several years, says its reason for going public is because the U.S. government has long had information on anti-gravity propulsion systems. These have been retrieved from downed spacecraft, such as those from a purported crash in Roswell, N.M., in July 1947. These propulsion systems, which would use electromagnetic and "zero point energy state" technology to produce vast amounts of energy without any pollution, would drastically change the world´s oil-based economy. Such energy sources would not require damming the world´s rivers or building power plants, transmission lines or other expensive infrastructures needed to produce electricity for the world´s 6 billion inhabitants. Such electro-gravitic technology would also allow people to travel totally above the ground, rendering roads obsolete. Several witnesses talked of incredible speeds demonstrated by these crafts, estimated by radar technicians to be more than 10,000 miles an hour. The fastest known speed of a man-made aircraft is 3,000 miles an hour. But information on extraterrestrial speeds is never made public, said Daniel Sheehan, counsel for Project Disclosure. Even the Vatican Library, he said, has hidden information on UFOs. Donna Hare, a NASA design illustrator with secret clearance, said UFOs were routinely airbrushed out of high altitude photos of the Earth before being released to the public. "We always airbrush them out before we release them to the public," one technician told her. Curious, she began asking around the agency. "A guard told me he was asked to burn some photographs and not to look at them," she said. "And there was another guard guarding him, watching him burn the photographs. He looked at one and it was a picture of a UFO and he immediately was hit in the head and had a big gash in his forehead." Apollo astronauts, she said, had spotted UFOs, but they "are told to keep this quiet and not to talk about it," she said. One of them, Edgar Mitchell, who walked on the moon as part of the Apollo 14 team, is a witness for Project Disclosure. Karl Wolf, an Air Force sergeant who was assigned to the National Security Agency, said that mysterious structures were discovered on the far side of the moon when the United States was mapping its surface before the 1969 lunar landing. Those photos too were culled out of the public record. The Pentagon does not comment on UFOs, except to say they do not exist and that such objects really are high altitude balloons, swamp gas or military aircraft. Despite the government´s refusal to discuss the issue, several witnesses have also told of being stationed at military bases or near silos containing nuclear missiles when a UFO swung by. Afterward, military officers would discover the missiles had been temporarily deactivated. 

Note to self 93,
Made it back to the library. "A Tale of two cities" was still there waiting for me, thankfully (the beauty of having niche interests!). I moved on to the chapters speaking directly about the two case studies and copied the most interesting passages.
These were the most noteworthy parts on Kamābarha:

1. Kamābarha – Establishment and growth
Though there is still a certain degree of debate, scholars speculate that Kamābarha is the earliest of Arhada cities. It would be expected, considering its proximity to a great number of Middle Pottery sites and its strategic location at the intersection of the Great lake and the southern basin, offering opportunities for a higher degree of cultural interaction – which inevitably leads to cultural maturity.
Indeed, the rise of Kamābarha has left tangible markings in the archaeological record: the construction of Kamābarha III, the layer that first gives us some indication of a level of state control over the region (in the form of contract tablets and other material remains, symbolism associated with governance and a mature elite power, as well as the sheer size of its palace and granary) has been unanimously placed in the 6th century BD. For the purposes of this text, we are interested in understanding what the city looked like before and immediately after that date, in order to understand its peculiar character, as well as the ingredients that brought its success.

[...]

Kamābarha's wealth was chiefly in its copper reserves. The stretch of land between the Great lake and the southern Tritonean lakes, traversed by what the Arhada referred to as Green River, contained plentiful mineral deposits, ranging from pure copper, silver, and zinc-contaminated copper, otherwise known as "natural brass". This naturally occurring alloy was perhaps Kamābarha greatest export, although the metallurgical culture of Formative Tritonea was rather scant, and most uses for these metals were either decorative or for the production of cold-worked arrowheads. These items are found as far west as early Hortens sites and as far south as the Aluwa. They were either transported as fully formed arrowheads or as plates which were then worked locally by the importers. Within the confines of Kamābarha and its environs, however, we can find a higher ratio of copper artisanal goods and artistic objects than weapons: an indication of a lack of pressure to militarise. Brass is found on the decorations of Kamābarha's palace, in the form of mirrors, bracelets, jewellery. The oldest example of a painted copper plate – a typical Arhadan decorative items consisting of a flat copper surface covered on both sides with oil paint, was found in Kamābarha III. Chemical analyses confirm that what appears today as a simple oxidised copper disk was in fact coloured with bright pecan oil based paints.
That is not to say that the production of military gear, or, indeed, warfare, was inexistent. The dispersal of arrowheads along the north shore of the Great Lake gives us a clear indication that Kamābarha's influence was not based only on agricultural wealth or cultural influence: some amount of force was indeed employed in the creation of its political network.

[...]

2. Kamābarha –Internal Politics
Kamābarha's political structure was the natural evolution of the typical characters of pre-formative Arhada centres, as discussed earlier. At the top of the hierarchy were the "famous", as the nobility was known, and below was everyone else. Tracing the rise to power of the "famous" clans is no easy feat, but its clear that, through generations of wealth accumulation, a set of dynamics which allowed the flourishing of a restricted group of landowners culminated in a clear class divide between this group of hereditary leaders and the manpower contributing to their wealth.
At the time of Kamābarha III it seems like four or five clans shared the spaces of the palatial district, with the number dropping to three, either through the merger of two clans or the extinguishing of the families, in the 7th century. This has been suggested by the symbolism prevalent on funerary urns found within the site, with each clan being associated with a specific symbol: in early Kamābarha III we find the tortoise, the heron, the parrot, and two variations of the burning house motif – one flanked by two pecan trees, the other standing on its own. It's unknown whether the last two represented a single clan or two separate ones. As the period progressed, however, we find that later urns are only marked with heron, parrot and burning house logograms. These three clans probably included a great deal of people, between the matriarchs, the leaders and a third class of non-inheriting clan members.
Power was seemingly based on seniority, passing from the son of the eldest matriarch, who would hold leadership within the village, to the next; his second in line – either a brother or the son of the second-senior matriarch – would act as a representative. Note how power passes from the matriarchs, and not from the men themselves: it's the eldest mother that produces the city's leader, but that does not mean that the leader is necessarily the senior nobleman.

[...]

One aspect of this system that is currently under debate is whether the wealth of the four (later three) clans was pooled together or if they maintained some additional independent wealth: it would seem like that was the case. It is now believed that the Ibosso hadân (marriage vessel) was treated as a person's independent wealth: each clan would put the wealth of their Ibosso hadân together with the other members of their clan, but separate from the common wealth of the city; non-inheriting clan members would keep theirs separate shares. All other goods – the herds, the harvest from the paddies, and items produced by the clan for the treasury – were handled communally by the Council of the matriarchs and the two male leaders: the internal leader, or "First Leader", handling issues pertaining to the administration of the city at large, and an external one, a "Second Leader", whose duties involved diplomatic journeys to client villages and the collection of payments.

A diagram of power relations in Kamābarha, for reference. I was impressed by how mobile social classes were, even within such a hierarchical society. There's an entire chapter dedicated to this:

2.b Kamābarha –Lower Classes and social mobility
Overall, two other social classes were recognised aside from the members of the famous clans; the commoners and the clanless. The commoners formed the bulk of the population: there could have been anything between one and two hundred minor clans inhabiting Kamābarha, most of which were farmers and horticulturalists, but many of whom were moving towards specific arts and crafts as the quality of life increased due to the higher level food security provided by the state. The men of this social class would be called for military duty by the leadership in times of war – when the time came to exact payment by force from a client city, for example – but all evidence points to this being a rather rare occasion. Clans mostly contributed to the palace economy, in the form of corvée labour (wherein each clan had to provide a fixed number of workers for the paddy) or the production of specialised goods. Because of this, having a clan could prove to be expensive, and when those payments could not be met, clanhood would be revoked: this gave rise to the Clanless, a more generalistic group comprised of those without the means to provide work to the palace as an organised force as well as all prisoners of war, foreigners or recent immigrants that have not yet entered the social fabric of the city. These people worked the paddies in exchange for wages, paid in the form of zizania or tobacco, and would be the first group to which the most labour intensive jobs were assigned.
That is not to say that people statically belonged to one class or other; People of a famous clan could intermarry with commoners – this was somewhat rare, as the preference was to marry within one of the other famous families or with the upper class of the other cities, both client and independent. But in times of need, when there weren't suitable partners of the same generation, the Matriarchs who regulated upper class unions, could allow a commoner to enter their group. Another means of social betterment for commoners was being chosen as a favourite at the palace: when an artist or artisan – commonly a woman, but sometimes a man as well – was considered to be highly skilled by a member of the four inner clans, they could chose to sponsor them, sacrificing personal wealth to allow them to live at the palace, where they would continue their craft for the benefit of the palace's treasury. Within the palace, Favourites were then allowed to marry and reside until their death: their children, growing with the children of the famous clans, often grew up to be considered suitable marriage partners. The Clanless had ways to climb the social ladder as well: becoming a Kabaima, a helper, for the inhabitants palace was considered to be an honourable post, the highest honour for someone without a Clan. They were similarly allowed to live and marry within the palace, and where often given some payment for their descendants at the end of their service, when they reached old age or died.
In an intermediary position the commoners and the famous where the non-inheriting children of the latter. The sons and daughters of the men of the clan were not included in the matrilineal passage of power and had to find themselves a position in society: the men were often encouraged to join the "high guard", responsible for the private property of the clan within the city, and both men and women could become "Shrine keepers", organising religious functions and overseeing the community who took care of the shrine's upkeep. These positions were open to commoners too, but Famous commoners, due to their closeness to the clan (and thus, to leadership), were preferred for this kind of position.

I was fascinated about the "Shrine Keeper" figure, but I could find very little about it. I found this on shrines, though:

5. Kamābarha – Early Tritonean shrines, the rise of an architectural typology:
Within the context of northern Arhada cities, we can see the emergence of a new building type: specialised shrines, independent of the palace district. These prove to be an evolution of the domestic type: the courtyard framing a centred, central-plan building was a clear re-elaboration of palaces; the difference however is in the proportions between the single parts. The courtyard building surrounding the shrine proper, now a mere framing device, grew narrower and shorter, while the central building acquired prominence, both in size and in height. The central structure contained one large square room where votive statuettes, offerings and precious materials were gifted from people honouring the spirits to whom the shrine was dedicated. Because early shrines were made of wood, we have little direct information regarding their appearance, for which we need to employ pictorial and sculptural sources (clay models of shrines are a common pottery item, used for votive purposes). It has been proposed that early shrines were often rebuilt as the object of devotion changed according to the needs of the city – it's believed that this rebuilding of the shrine often corresponded with the promotion of a new Shrine Keeper. Eventually, shrines would be built in more durable materials, making rebuilding less practical, but in this early stage the reconstruction of the shrine was probably a ritual occurrence.

[...]

It must be noted that shrines had their way of accumulating wealth, through the management of the offerings given by the devout: some shrines in Kamābarha had enough to surpass a number of the wealthiest non-famous Clans. Because the appointment to shrines was handled by the council of Matriarchs, however, the Famous Clans always had a way to indirectly handle those resources, through the appointment of a family member.

I copied some more drawings: one is a fascinating scheme of how temple typologies became more and more complex through the ages (though the last example is some 1000 years outside the timeline of the essay) and the other is an axonometric view of temple "E".
I will be briefer on Amadahai, skipping all the things that are shared between the two cities. There are a couple of divergences that I think shed some light on how differently the political environment of the two cities evolved.

1. Amadahai – Establishment and Growth
One key difference between Amadahai and Kamābarha was in their location: while Kamābarha was built along the coast of the Great Lake, Amadahai was founded in a strategic location at the head of the land bridge that closes off most of the small lake Thidorovôdjo from the larger Odjohivôdjo. This thin strip of land was reinforced with rows of paddies on both sides, creating a lush environment for the agricultural production of the urban centre. The warmer climate of Amadahai also provided the locals with a longer growing season, ensuring a higher production of high quality fruits and fruit products – wines, preserves, oil – that would be traded all over Tritonea and beyond. It seems that Amadahai's initial wealth was derived especially from this production and a booming trade of cosmetics in the form of spiced and perfumed oils, the large scale production of pigments such as indigo dye, ochre, and oil paint. It is worth dedicating a few words to this last product: while oil paints, as mixtures of pecan oil and pigments, had been used throughout Arhadan territory for some time (especially within the Southern Pottery School), Amadahai is the first site where the chemical analyses of archeological findings detected the use of hempseed oil – which acts as a better drying oil. Indeed, the high quality of the paintwork in pottery is one of the key feature of the Southern Pottery school, and some examples of painted pots, pipes and oil vessels are still visible today, with several exemplars being held at Newtown's Royal Museum of Horean Archaology. Tobacco was another notable export of the city and its wider political network: its climate was well suited for the cultivation of the leaf which was then carried throughout the lake system.

[...]

Amadahai also served as a centre of agricultural development, with the innovation of at least two very important crops being connected to the site of Amadahai II (contemporary with Kamābarha III). The first is Taraxacum ceratophorum, the wild Tritonean Dandelion, which the Arhada domesticated around the 5th Century, and began to select over the course of the next Centuries to obtain a series of crops we commonly eat to this day. Taraxacum was used for a number of different functions: the roots could be used to create brews, the leaves could be eaten raw, the petals could be crushed into dyes or used as aromatics.
Even more economically important was the creation of the Cattail variant Typha domestica var. lanifera, also called "Southern Cattail" or "Wooly Cattail". The fluff of wild cattails was hard to spin because of the shortness of the strands. As such, hemp-cattail blends started off as a common alternative to either of the pure fibre, softening the roughness of hemp and supplementing the scarcity of workable Typha fibre. Over the years, as cattail-flower fibre goods became more prised for their soft texture, the plant was selected for longer and sturdier fibres, larger heads and shorter stalks. The gathering of the fibre was light enough work to allow for the material to spread even thogh the cattail itself, domesticated from Typha Domingensis, required warmer climates, impeding its spread to the northern half of the Arhada territories in lake Sibozjivôro. This ensured that its cultivation would remain a southern specialty for some time, further ensuring Amadahai's commercial success.

A picture of the Wooly Cattail from the book! I had no idea it was first domesticated there, though thinking about it, it makes sense. I suppose I have to thank the people of Amadahai for the sweater I'm wearing right now. Some notes on politics, then I'll have to leave the library – the old man at the desk is giving me looks.

2. Amadahai – Internal Politics
The key differences in the political structure of early Amadahai can be easily appreciated when ne observes the power structures within its leadership class. Where Kamābarha had four or three leading clans, Amadahai maintains a stable number of six clans.

Amadahai's political diagram for reference.

Because the members of the leading families represent a greater percentage of the city's demography, the leadership of early Amadahai is thought to be less top-heavy: all mothers of the six ruling clans participated in the council and, rather than having a single elder matriarch as the head of the council – as was the case in Kamābarha –, the duties of the council were split between three members, elected by the matriarchs amongst the matriarchs.
The "Speaker" had a similar functions to the senior matriarch of Kamābarha but her role was mostly that of a representative and prima inter pares, rather than a final authority. She was flanked by two peers, equally chosen by the entire council: a "Treasure mother", who acted as a steward for the shared wealth of the clans, and a "Lore mother". The responsibilities of this final figure were perhaps the widest: amongst them was a cereful knowledge of genealogy and the history of Amadahai and all its client cities, the recording of contracts of obeisance and clientele, the approval and arrangement of marriages between members of the Famous clans, as well as the mentorship of younger women who might succeed her. While the Speaker of the council evidently held the most outwardly active role, the Lore Mother, in lieu of her deep knowledge, wisdom and powerful responsibilities, was treated with the most respect amongst the three.
If we look at the political role of men, we can see that even their division of power was more egalitarian than in Kamābarha: while we can still notice a clear division between First Leader and Second Leader, in a similar fashion to what we see in the northern city, we find that the second leader does not act independently in matters of war, being assisted instead by a war council formed of all the adult men of the clan. This speaks to Amadahai's deeper martial culture, born of a more conflictual relationship with its southern neighbours. The war council culminated in the creation of a sort of military elite – hunting and engaging in sporting culture during times of peace and commanding forces of commoners and clansless people in times of war. This is visible in the developement of specialised weapons (in Amadahai II we see the first depictions of recurve self bows in pictographs, pottery and sculpture) as well as an increase in arrowhead production dated from this period. There is current debate over whether the "Famous commoner" class could join this group, but the consensus seems to be that while they could become commanders, they did not have the rights to speak or vote in the war council proper.

[...]

While both an elite military role and priesthood were acceptable paths for famous commoners, it seems that these options were barred to all other commoners (another difference from Kamābarha). Again, this is possibly explained by the higher numbers of nobles in the city. A "lower guard", overseeing the protection of everything within the city but outside the palace was manned by commoners, whereas the "higher guard", acting as personal protectors of the Famous men and right hand men in times of war, were chosen exclusively amongst the non-inheriting relatives of the clan. The same goes for the priesthood: men and women of the clan's blood but outside the line of inheritance were invited to oversee the running of a temple: to be appointed, a "famous commoner" would require the backing of a member of one of the clans – usually via their father – and unanimous consent from all the members of the high leadership: the three matriarchs and the two leaders. These postings were diplomatically and economically sensitive: they allowed one of the clans to give an affiliated party a role within the leadership of a shrine, tapping into additional resources for the benefit of their family.

Alright, I guess that's enough research for my thesis – I'm super tired. I might still borrow this book when I can. End of note.

Hello, my buds. I hope you all had a good week. This week we have Shiksie and Martinez having a meeting with the Director. This chapter will be setting up the big goal for Martinez going forwards, it will be something he has to balance with his time with friends, Lysa, and some other characters you have yet to meet yet.
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To Shikisies disappointment she had to stop her conversation with Martinez to take the call from the Director. As far as she was able to tell her conversation with Martinez was going very well; It seemed that the two of them were genuinely starting to build a connection of some sort, even if it was small and likely fragile. Having Martinez open up to her and rely on her at all was still very pleasing.
When she answered the phone from the director, Shiksies' hackles stood on end the moment he started speaking. There was no form of care or concern in his voice; every word was filled with venom and spite. It was evident enough that the director was furious at the human because every hiss and growl in his tone was not directed at her but at Martinez. He demanded that Her and Martinez report to his office as fast as possible.
Shiksie attempted to explain the situation with how Martinez was having a hard time with trauma and likely should not be subjected to more hostility at the moment, but the director was hearing none of it. He would not budge on the matter, snapping that he would ship both of them off-world in a heartbeat if they weren't in front of his desk within the hour.
Shiksie hung her head low. While she might have some pull in the trauma unit, when it came to the director she was just another number on a spreadsheet the man. Just another worker who was either an asset or a liability. She had enough experience with the political game higher-ups in the GU had to play to see their careers advance, and the director was no different.
Both she and Harnsis had their own bone to pick with the Director, him having kept them in their current positions longer than they should have been. All because he would dangle some promise of a promotion or a new certification opportunity in front of them. The director had always been good at the carrot or the stick method of leadership. Likely that was one of the reasons he had been in charge of two different hospitals over the course of the last 40 standard cycles.
The amount of ire Martinez had drawn from the director was shocking to her, never in all her time on the station had anyone been called to his office for anything other than a meet and greet, or a cordial goodbye. The fight Martinez was involved in must have ruffled the feathers of some big-time players in the GU to have the directors so up in arms. Either that or the director had some big plans she would much rather Martinez stay out of; Navigating the politics of the GU was a ruthless game, no one should step into without a certain type of conviction or goal already in their mind.
Shiksie turned her attention back to Martinez. He was still lazily seated on the bench, his lustrous brown eyes tracking her intently. Clearly, he had heard her half of the conversation and was displeased by it. The sorrow pooling in his vibrant eyes made her heart ache. No one should look that downtrodden in their life.
Even if the two of them butted heads when they had first met, it would be a cold day in whatever hell the director believed in before she let that man break her apprentice more than whatever events in his past had already done.
“So how much of that did you hear?” Shiksies asked while she tucked away her datapad.
“Enough to know I am likely screwed,” Martinez sighed, his shoulders slumping to match the rest of his woeful appearance.
“Oh come on,” Shiksie said as she walked up to Martinez. She gently placed one of her hands on his shoulder, and Martinez made no effort at all to stop her or even pull away. Shiksie was uncertain if she should feel relieved or horrified that Martinez had just let her touch him with no reaction at all.
“We are both requested, I'm certain it won't be that bad,” She said.
Martinez looked back up at her and sighed. He could see Shiksie was trying, but he doubted anything good would come of this meeting. He figured from the intensity Shiksie had been arguing with the director, this meeting was likely to be the most legendary reaming he had ever received. It would make any fight he and the Marines had on navy ships look like a light talking to.
“Not like I have any choice in the matter, '' Martinez replied flippantly. Having surrendered to the fact that his fate was already out of his control. He had dealt with enough incidents in the Human navy to know fighting in town was a huge no-no. He could not even fathom the depths of the hole he had dug for himself by having fought several aliens while being the only human in several light years.
Martinez stood up and gently pushed Shiksies hand off his shoulder. He took a deep breath and centered himself. The voices of his drill instructors and his former sergeants rang loudly in his mind.
“Keep your bearing”
It was something he had fairly mastered at this point. The director might have surprised him when they first met, but this time Martinez knew what he looked like and was ready for him.
“Let’s get this over with,” Martinez said as he turned and walked back towards the building.
Shiksie trailed behind Martinez as they walked towards the director's office, her ears fluttered around catching passing glimpses of every conversation they neared. The other residents and workers of Draun took no notice of the two of them as they passed, as they saw it today was just another day at the office.
Shiksies nose scrunched as they got closer to the elevators leading up to the Director's office. Martinez was clearly starting to worry more than he had at the start of the day. The sheer amount of sweat and pheromones pouring off him was choking, even with her using a scent blocker the amount of anxiety and worry crawling on him was palpable. A sickening haze of rot, sweat, and Martinez’s pine smell coated the air around him.
Once they had reached the elevator, Shiksie caught a glimpse of Martinez’s eyes as he turned back towards the door. The blank look on his face was unnerving, sending her hackles up on end. He looked more like the walking dead than the strong-willed human she knew he was.
His vibrant brown eyes bored through her and everything else in the hospital. It was obvious he had looked at her, but it did not seem like his eyes were focused on anything at all. A vapid blank expression coated his face like a vile doppelganger had replaced him.
As the elevator lurched upwards, Shiksie held her breath, trying to keep the potency of Martinez’s scent from overtaking her. Luckily whatever mood he was in right now was not a talkative one. The excruciatingly long elevator ride up to the top floor was filled with deathly silence.
Once they were in front of the Director's large wooden office doors, Martinez paused. Without Harnsis here to lead him into the belly of the beast he figured he would do it himself, and he was not about to have Shiksie go in there without him. She seemed upset by the whole ordeal already, and he did not want her to cause more trouble for him, or herself.
Martinez slammed his fist on the door, the heavy impacts of his fist vibrating throughout the entire floor.
He looked back at Shiksie, she nervously rolled the tip of her tail between her hands while holding it just in front of her shapely waist. Her ears slightly drooped, and her deep blue eyes held that icy glare he had seen every day since he had arrived.
A wry smile curled on his lips as he turned back towards the door. Martinez wondered if this would be the first time Shiksie had ever stood before someone in charge of her for anything negative. She did not seem like the type to ever cause any sort of trouble; He had no doubt that she was nervous, as getting a read on the enigmatic Catwoman was getting easier by the day.
“Come in,” The growling voice of the director sounded out, vibrating the massive wood doors on their hinges.
Martinez parted the door and entered the room. He was not certain why he thought it was what he should do, maybe it was just some kind of ingrained behavior for reporting in anywhere.
Each one of his steps was a calculated march, not a single piece of wasted motion as walked with purpose, right in front of the Director's desk. His heels clicked together as he assumed a crisp position of attention in front of the large lizard-like alien.
Shiksie watched in confusion as Martinez marched proudly into the room, his mannerisms juxtaposed to the anxiety she could nearly taste rolling off him. She quickly trailed in behind him and took a far less crisp stance next to the human. She wrapped one hand in the other and held them in front of her waist, her tail tucked low behind one of her legs.
“You called for us Sir,” Shiksie said.
The massive black-scaled alien leaned forwards on his desk, his elbows causing the desk frame to bow, creaking underneath his massive frame. His knife-like claws tapped loudly on the thick armor-like plates on his chest. He narrowed his fours greenish-yellow eyes on Martinez, and let out a deep guttural growl.
“I did, I am glad the two of you made it here so quickly” the Director grumbled. “We have much to discuss”
“Of course Sir,” Shiksie replied “We would not want to keep you waiting”
“Take a seat,” the Director huffed while gesturing to the two chairs across from him.
The two of them slid into the chairs. Martinez sat up straight as if there was a rod of iron built into his spine. Martinez looked back at the Director's horrifying predatory eyes, doing everything he could to keep his bearing from breaking. He was shuffling his feet in his shoes and biting down on his tongue. Even though from the moment he entered his heart regrettably started racing, a primal fear of the Director's appearance, began to well up inside of him.
“Now then onto business, there is no point in keeping you here longer than I have to” the Director growled.
He reached into his desk and pulled out an incredibly large data pad, nearly the size of a small television; The device was obviously custom-made for the man, as it had a bulkier build than any other datapad either of them had ever seen.
The Director turned his attention to the data pad and resumed speaking “Martinez, do you remember what I told you when you first arrived here?”
“I am fairly confident that you instructed me to not cause any trouble, Sir,” Martinez replied in a nearly robotic monotone voice.
He nodded his head and turned the data pad around, so Shiksie and Martinez could see the video he had pulled up on the galactic union's video-sharing site. The title caught both Martinez’s and Shiksies attention “Human Savage and Vein Slicer nearly kill”
“Tell me then, would hospitalizing two people count as causing trouble?” The director hissed
Cold sweat formed on Martinez's back as the video began to play. Lysa and his fight against the aliens had been fully captured in remarkably high definition. Her graceful dodges and strikes against the alien. Followed quickly by his relentless assault on the alien.
Martinez’s bruised arm throbbed as he saw the alien breaking its hand on it, the loud crunch of its bones causing whoever recorded the video to gasp. Then came the part that had Martinez’s heart shuddering. What he initially thought was a quick violent act of striking back, appeared far different in the framing of the video.
A monstrous glint filled his eyes on the video feed as he slowly approached his reeling opponent, not an ounce of humanity in his body as he stalked toward his injured prey. Martinez gripped his pants tightly, his knuckles going white as the moment approached. A deafening crunch sounded out as his fist connected with the alien's jaw, sending the creature collapsing to the ground.
The alien recording wretched in the background, the muttered words of “What kind of savage would do that” played just before the director cut the video off.
Shiksie watched the video in fascination. Martinez and the alien fighting alongside him was a surreal thing to watch; any doubt she had in her mind about how dangerous Martinez could be was gone. The fight was brutal and efficient, Martinez hardly looked like a living being in those brief moments. Each action was so well practiced and focused it shook Shiksie to the core.
Her eyes wandered over to Martinez; the mystery of the Human's past only grew further. Along with that, she had noticed in the fight something else. While he looked like a beast on a rampage, he had stepped in between the Aviex and the Urintal without a moment's hesitation. She wondered how Martinez had met the Aviex he had thrown himself into a fight for. She knew the two of them were on a date, but the way he acted so quickly was not the actions someone would take with a total stranger, at least in her eyes.
She thought back to their conversation about this even earlier. Martinez did tell her he was unsure why he jumped in so willingly to protect the Aviex woman, but actually seeing the fight unfold only made that comment all the more bizarre.
“I would definitely say that would count as causing trouble sir” Martinez grumbled
“Good, we are on the same page then,” the director replied. Before he tossed the datapad onto his desk.
“According to the regulations that I was given when you were assigned to me. I am acting as your current commanding officer. Therefore the issue of any punishment you will receive has been handed to me,” The director said as he pointed his knife-like claw at Martinez.
“Sir, why would he be getting punished? He did nothing wrong” Shiksie protested. “The police even decided that this was self-defense”
The director's eyes darted over to Shiksie, cutting into her icy gaze. “I am well aware of what the police have to say about the event” The director snapped. The bestial man took a moment and drew in a sharp breath. “As for your question it is because I have a job to do, so does he,” he sighed.
The director stood up to his full height. The director's three-meter tall frame towered over them both, nearly touching the ceiling. He wandered over towards the side of the room, his gaze trailing along a series of pictures hanging on. The pictures depicted the previous directors of Draun station. Each looked so wildly different from one another that it was hard for Martinez to believe.
“Do either of you have any idea what my job even is?” The director asked while tracing his claw along the multitude of pictures. “Or the job of all of the previous directors?”
“No, not really sir,” Martinez replied. Curious as to what the director was getting at.
Shiksie was well aware of the Director's job and did not trust him for that reason. He might do his best to keep you from being messed with by the public, but that protection came at a price.
He turned around and sighed. “My main concern is the optics and the interactions of Draun station and the public,'' He said, gesturing towards the widows behind his desk. “Said simply I have not been a doctor in a long time, I am more of a politician”
That makes sense, Martinez thought. Even in the Military the higher in rank you rose, the more politics you had to play.
“This incident is volatile and I have to act accordingly” He grumbled while walking closer to the two of them. He placed himself between the two of them, draping his massive clawed hands on the back of their chairs.
“Martinez as of right now is not an asset, he is a liability” The director hissed. His blazing hot breath rolled over both of them. Both of their bodies quivered in their seats under the mere presence of the director. “I have to make some actions to fix that”
“Sir That's not fair. So what if he got into a fight,” Shiskie managed to squeak.
“Fair is not what I care about. I need results, and something good to say to the press, and the human ambassador breathing down my neck,” The director snapped.
“So what punishment are you going to give to me sir?” Martinez asked.
“Martinez, stop, don't just accept a punishment. You did nothing wrong” Shiksie protested. Trying to keep Martinez out of whatever the director had planned.
Martinez shot a fiery glance at her, She recoiled slightly when she caught his gaze.
“I appreciate your concern Shiksie, but it's not our call what happens. It's the Directors,” Martinez growled.
The director chuckled deeply, his booming voice causing both of them to choke slightly under the pressure. The Director started stomping toward his seat on the far side.
“You know Martinez, I thought I saw something in you when you first got here,” The director said as he lowered himself back down into the chair. ”That glower you just gave shows me you will be able to see through what I have in mind for you”
“Sir please don't punish Martinez, there has to be something else you can do '' Shiksie hissed
The director held up his hand towards Shiksie “Can you stop, and let me finish” The director growled “I know you care about him and I would rather not punish him, but this is not your place to intervene or comment. I will ask for your opinion when I want it”
Shiksies ears flattened back down against her head, she shrank down into her chair and clawed at her own shirt. The reality of facing the director was far different than her imagination could have ever produced. She wanted to keep Martinez safe, but now at the moment of truth, she felt worthless.
Dammit Shiksie, stop talking. Don't go down with me, you idiot, Martinez thought.
The director looked back towards Martinez “You on the other hand I have plans for you. You will be a golden goose for myself and this station. If we play our cards right you will also get that damned ambassador of my back. That rank and file bitch thinks just because you are human, she has the right to make calls about my staff”
Martinez had no idea there even was a human ambassador on Draun, but apparently the human government had been busy in the last few months.
“What do you mean sir?” Martinez asked.
The director chuckled and pulled out a few pieces of paper from his desk and pushed them towards Martinez. “Read those while I explain my plan”
Martinez grabbed the stack of papers and started to read over them. While Shiksie carefully leaned over to get a look at the papers for herself.
“So with you having been involved in this fight, I have that bitch of an ambassador, the media, and a few representatives from town hall eager for a comment or an interview from me. Along with all of them wanting me to remove you from my station and send you back to the Navy” The director growled. “I am not going to give them what they want”
“Ok so you are not wanting to get rid of me, and whatever is in here is supposed to help with that?” Martinez questioned turning to the next page.
The director nodded “That is correct, and what you have there are the enrolment forms for the ‘Interspecies trauma nursing license program’”
The director gave a wicked grin to the two of them as they continued to read the paperwork. “I am going to not punish you, I am going to make you into an asset that will be too valuable for them to possibly get rid of”
“Wait sir, are you wanting Martinez to enroll for his ITN?” Shiksie asked.
“That is the plan, and I am giving Martinez an accelerated timeline to complete the program,” The director replied
“But Martinez is so new, you need years of experience as a basic tech before you even consider going for this license” Shiskies replied, looking at Martinez who was still flipping through the program's outline.
“Normally yes, but Martinez is a Human EMT, has combat experience, and has some of the best ITNs the GU has ever seen training him. Therefore I am giving him one standard cycle to get it” The director replied.
Shiksie shot up to her feet, her claws reflexively extending out of her hands. “One standard? Are you insane!?” Shiskie yelled. Drawing both Martinez’s and the Director's full attention. “That license takes most people two cycles at least to get!”
“Shiksie, calm down,” Martinez said.
Shiksies eyes snapped down towards Martinez, his eyes were not the vacant stare they were when they entered. They were full of that usual fire she was used to seeing, she glared at him flabbergasted that Martinez could even consider agreeing to this. “No, I will not calm down. He might be saying this is not a punishment, but all he is trying to do is use you as some political pawn, can't you see that?” She hissed.
Martinez grabbed hold of her hand, “Shiksie stop, I am well aware of what he is saying. Now sit back down”
Shiksie nearly melted under his burning gaze and the gentle pull on her hand, directing her to take a seat. She looked between Martinez and the growling director. a wave of realization of how out of line she just was, rolled over her. She sat back down in her seat shrinking down trying to be forgotten about in this situation.
“I am sorry about my outburst sir,” Shiksie grumbled.
“It's fine, I understand your concern over this,” The director replied “Just don't lose your head, I know you better than that”
The director turned his attention back to Martinez “So Henry Martinez, I have two weeks until I am going to be in front of the press about the incident. You have until then to pass your first test for the program” The director said “That will give me something I can show them, and keep them from demanding proof of your enrolment”
“That makes sense, how will the testing be taking place?” Martinez questioned.
“It will be a written test at the local university, I will be there overseeing it to ensure no one else takes it for you,” the director said, his gaze cutting into Shiksie. “Do you think you can do it?”
Shiksie glared back at the director for the insinuation. She would never cheat on those tests, it would do no good for anyone if she did. Martinez would have a difficult time passing, but she thinks he might be able to do it.
Martinez took a few moments to finish reading the documents the director had given him. They outlined every step of the program; each test, chapter, and class was well documented and clear as day. This was something he had never thought was even possible when he arrived, he was not even aware of the full scope of the GU licensing process; He had been brought in as more of a Human advisor than anything. Now he thought if he could leave here with this license he might not even have to go back to the Navy, or even Earth for that matter. He could go anywhere in the galaxy to work, the sky would literally be the limit.
He looked up at the director with a raging inferno of motivation blazing in his chest; something Martinez had not felt burning this hot in many years. “I can do this,” He said proudly. “It's far better than what I thought you were going to do to me”
“That's likely very true, My other option was sending you back to the Navy. ” The director chuckled “Shiksie you are going to ensure he studies and is ready for a test every week, do you understand?”
“I..I...I understand sir” Shiksie replied, barely able to contain her own volatile mixture of emotions about the situation. A mixture of embarrassment, rage, and anxiety swirled inside her like a deep whirlpool sucking her body down into its depths.
“Good, So I will handle the paperwork and try to keep the press off you Martinez,” The directors said. He stood up and gestured for them to do the same. Afterward, Shiksie and Martinez stood. The director looked between the two of them, pointing his claw at them “This conversation never happened, Martinez was already in the program if anyone ever asks, do you understand?”
“Yes sir,” Martinez replied.
“I understand sir,” Shiksie grumbled.
“Perfect, for now, get back to work. Oh and Martinez, stay out of trouble this time. I can't keep the press off you forever, and they are ravenous to get a hold of you”
Martinez nodded his understanding.
“Good now, get out of my office, I have a lot of paperwork to do now,” The Director said, a sneering grin crawling onto his face, revealing his massive rows of sharp teeth.
The two of them turned and exited the office as quickly as possible. Once they were out in the hallway both of their hearts took a moment to settle. Martinez looked over at Shiksie ready to tell her how that went way better than he hoped, and how excited he was to tackle this new challenge. When he turned his heart sputtered, ice forming in his veins; Shiksie was looming over him in a way he had never had the feline alien do before.
Shiksie was overflowing with emotions, all of them directed at Martinez. She could not understand how he was so stupid as to take a deal like that. Nor could she understand why he was so calm about what he had in front of him, both of which had rage, and confusion boiling out of her.
“You… you… you fucking idiot!” Shiksie hissed, Her long fangs fully on display as she stepped closer to Martinez. “How can someone be so smart, and at the same time so stupid?”
Martinez backed up away from Shiksie until he felt the cold wall against his back. Shiksie gracefully stepped closer to him. Close enough both of them could feel the heat rolling off the other.
“What? I took my punishment?” Martinez quickly replied, holding both of his hands up so Shiksie could see them. He looked back at her and was confused beyond all reckoning. Her body language was strange even for her. Her ears were tucked, her tail was swaying, and her eyes were no longer cold at all. They were staring unyielding into his, filled with an odd gentle concern.
“We could have tried to get you out of it,” Shiksie groaned “This isn’t the human military, you don't have to take that”
Martinez put his hand on her shoulder and pushed her gently away. To his surprise, Shiksie did not try to stay that close to him, she just backed away as he gently pressed her shoulders.
“Look Shiksie, I took the offer because I thought it was a good deal. Yeah, so what if I will have a lot of work, I'm used to that” Martinez said.
Shiksie pressed her head into her own hands, “It's not just that. That is its own problem. Now the director is going to use you for playing politics.” She groaned
Martinez scratched the back of his head, and gave her an awkward smile “Yeah I know. I am not exactly happy that he will likely use me as some kind of showpiece, but it could be worse”
Shiksie sighed, Doing what she could to calm herself down, her mind racing to think of how Martinez could possibly master an entire three months of school in two weeks. She remembered something she had at her den. She still has all of her notes from when she got her license.
“What are you doing tomorrow night?” Shiksie asked. As she dragged her hands down across her face.
“Well I was planning on getting some groceries, maybe watch a movie or something. Why?” Martinez replied.
“Perfect, you are going to come over to my den. I'm going to help you study,” Shiksie purred.
​
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Afterthoughts/other news.
How goes it my buds? I just sent my other book of to my Editor to get that one ready for print/sale. Expect word on that soon-soonish TM. It will be ready fully in a few months.
In other stuff, I am looking forwards to having Martinez have to essentially play politics, go to college and balance the rest of his new life at Draun. He is in for a lot of "Adapt or die" sort of situations.
​
Updoot if you liked the story and lemme know what you thought of this weeks chapter.
Next week we are going to have Martinez facing the true extent of Shiksies near neurotic studying and dedication to learning about every alien she can.
​
Your bud
-Pirate
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Next:
Previous :
https://www.reddit.com/humansarespaceorcs/comments/13zadbm/human_trauma_section_twelve_back_to_work/
First
https://www.reddit.com/humansarespaceorcs/comments/121mgy1/human_trauma/

“Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but this just came,” said Slayer with an expression that was unreadable as usual. “You two are no longer at the top.”
The revelation was a harsh one, but the duo to whom it involved remained stoic as befitting of their statuses and personalities. Sol Badguy, one of the most accomplished and infamous bounty hunters in the world, shifted in his seat and rubbed his chin. Right next to him, Leo Whitefang, Second King of Illyria, brushed his beard ponderously.
“So this is it, huh?” said Sol. “Figures.”
“This is an outrage,” Leo proclaimed. “Who could ever surpass us?”
During this peace and quiet time where the flame of war was a memory of the past, Sol and Leo had teamed up with the goal of becoming the number one pornstar in Neo New York where the industry was booming. Things went smoothly at first despite their lack of experience. Aside from being hailed as the heroes who saved humanity, both possessed impressive figures that easily caught the attention if not the desire of every beholding man.
In the years after his temporary retirement, Sol’s appearance had also adapted to accommodate his new job. Even Leo was shocked to see how much Sol had changed since they began their career together. The shoulder he leaned on right now had become out of shape to the point even his closest friends might have trouble recognizing it. His belly was bulging with fat while the muscles across his body had been rearranged at the buttock and thigh regions. These alterations were anything but natural, however. Being the first Gear, Sol had learned to modify his body at will, and this was him putting this new ability to good use.
That the celebrated war veterans, and two sexiest men in the kingdom, could ever be unseated was almost unthinkable. Moreover, Leo was so used to being number one that the very idea of being second to someone else made him fidgety which he hid by pretending to groom his beard instead.
“Chipp Zanuff and Nagoriyuki,” said Slayer. The immortal vampire himself was a former pornstar who rose to the top and stayed there for years. Eventually, he got bored and quit, turning to pursue targets of his own interest instead. When Sol and Leo started, Slayer came out of retirement to act as their teacher and manager, as well as the director of the porn videos the two were making. Their relationship was productive as long as Sol and Leo did as they were told, which was only twenty percent of the time.
Both Sol and Leo nearly gagged. It was easy to see why they got deranked. Chipp was popular for his nimble body that made him an ideal bdsm partner while Nagoriyuki was a legendary booty clapper who left piles of cum inflated men in his wake. They were the ultimate power couple as far as the media was concerned.
“That doesn’t sound right at all,” said Leo, growling. “How could those two overcome us? We've a few years more experience than them so they shouldn't have caught up so fast.”
“Has our popularity declined because of something we did?” asked Sol.
Being pornstar celebrities meant a lot to the two and they took this very seriously. In the last five years, Sol and Leo had played in dozens of videos in which they and their clients had great times together ranging from cuddling to kissing, vanilla sex to BDSM. These videos posted on social media gained millions of views and quickly became the topic everyone talked about. Two world saviors becoming pornstars and then boyfriends. Who could have known?
“Not exactly,” said Slayer calmly. “You two dandy gentlemen once shone brighter than any star in the sky, but time has changed and you are simply falling behind by doing the same thing. You two got to the top because of your deeds in the previous conflict rather than because you are doing better than others. Without diversification and improvement, stagnation is inevitable.”
“What do you suggest we should do to remedy this?” asked Leo. “Are we just going to let this slip? The Second King must not know defeat.”
“How about we do what the fans have been suggesting all this time?” asked Slayer. By that, he meant a steamy session between the two men themselves. So far, Leo and Sol had been more content with banging each other behind closed doors and then let the rumors circulate. It was a good thing to keep the public guessing. It made both of them appear more desirable than ever.
“That’s private,” said Leo quickly. “Think of something else.”
“No need,” said Sol firmly. “It’s time to make it public.”
“Are you sure about this?” asked Leo, surprised that his boyfriend would agree so readily. Being an outlaw for a very long time, Sol was more flexible when it came to decision-making. Meanwhile, Leo could not shake away the duties of being part of the ruling triumvirate.
“Sure as hell,” said Sol, grinning. His thick ass shifted towards Leo and the king suddenly found his personal space on the sofa narrowed down and was forced to sit awkwardly with his legs crossed. “Come on, Leo. Are you a lion, or are you a scaredy cat?”
Leo slapped Sol’s hineys, causing them to bounce like rubber. The amount of fat Sol distributed in there was remarkable. Each of Leo’s hands was large enough to hold and crush the skull of a man, and yet even with both of them combined Leo hardly get a grip when he attempted to seize Sol’s ass. Despite the overly endowed midsection and thigh, Sol never had any problem walking or sitting or slapping his huge ass on his clients. Then again, this was the man who fucked Justice before, so this shouldn’t come as a surprise.
“Say that again and I will have your tongue on my dinner plate.”
Ever since coming out of the closet, the two had earned admiration from one another through deeds and understanding. Their love
“Alright then, looks like we have come to an agreement,” said Slayer. “Let’s all make it work together.”
The next day, at the square in downtown Manhattan, Sol and Leo presented themselves in front of a huge crowd. Nothing had been released to the audience regarding their intention yet, so that got many people guessing. For the very least, it all but confirmed the rumors about their homosexual relationship and how they essentially considered each other as lovers.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” Slayer announced via a loudspeaker to get everyone’s attention. “It is no secret that I have lived for a very long time. Yet, in all my life, I have not come across something so magnificent that I cannot help but bow down and worship. I hereby present to you, the greatest wonders of our age.”
It took only a second for Leo and Sol to strip down to their skin by ripping out whatever clothes they were wearing and tossing them into the crowd. A huge cheer erupted from the audience, followed by massive displays of awes and adoration. People scrambled for tatters of fabric tossed aside by the two greatest heroes. As they looked up, they groveled at the sight - the undisputable display of peak humanity.
“You ready for this?” asked Leo, brandishing his twelve-inch cock before his subjects. It was a spear fit for a king. He had gone easy on most of his clients so far, going only 50% at most. But he would not hold back this time.
“I was going to ask the same thing,” replied Sol. He had made himself for this. His buttcheeks shook and vibrated with every step he made, the fat within rippling with vehemence. “Feel free to tap out any time you want.”
“As if the king would ever back down from a challenge,” Leo laughed. “I shall gladly add your name to my little notebook of those I have bested. It shall be written in larger letters, but not by much.”
“Looks like things are heating up,” Slayer remarked. The show was about to commence and he was in charge of commentary while his lovely assistants filmed the whole thing from multiple different angles. “Who do you think is going to come out on top after this? Sol Badguy the infamous Flame of Corruption or Leo Whitefang your beloved Second King of Illyria. Cast your vote in the ballot and we shall see the result.”
For the first round, Sol went on all fours while Leo stood behind him. After showing off his massive dick one more time and receiving encouragement from the restless crowd, Leo got into position. Normally when doing this with a client, he would give his warning first as well as ask for how deep they were comfortable with. Neither was needed here, so he initiated with a powerful thrust right away. A normal person would have been punctured by this, but Sol’s huge ass absorbed the shock like a sponge.
Leo’s dick came all the way inside, digging deep into Sol’s ass and then finally entering his system. Sol was out of breath for a moment, but he quickly recovered. It was as though an unstoppable force had met an immovable object. Such was the size of Sol’s thick ass that it took the blow without receiving any damage from it. All the fat it contained led to a yieldy texture that could expand and contort with ease, thus accommodating the gigantic foreign object.
“Is that the best you’ve got, old man?” asked Sol, panting.
“Old man?” Leo barked. “You are older than I am.”
“I am not the one acting like an old man,” said Sol.
“You will be acting like one once I am done with you,” Leo warned.
“Promise?” Sol chuckled.
“Looks like we are starting out in doggy style,” Slayer commented. “A good hit by Leo, I must say. My good friend Vlad the Impaler would be so proud if he were seeing this. But Sol is not backing off. Let’s see how long he can take it.”
Bristled by Sol’s taunting, Leo shot his dick forward as hard as he could but found the task more difficult imagined than done. The further it went, the harder it was for the cock to move either in or out, and sideway was completely out of the picture. With each penetration, Leo felt as though he was stabbing a sword into the mud. Still, his pride compelled him to go on. He was a conqueror and nothing could be beyond his rule as long as he put some real effort into it.
The extraordinary amount of fat Sol had allocated in his inflated and bulging buttcheeks was put to good use. Sol grinned as he felt the pace of the cock slow down, thinking that Leo was running out of juice in the first round. His hope was dashed when his boyfriend came back with a series of powerful thrusts that saw Leo go back and forth rapidly like an engine.
“Urrghh!” Sol groaned. The effect of getting fucked was taking its toll and his initial composure was eroding with each penetration Leo made. “I didn’t expect that. My guard was down.”
“I am full of surprises,” Leo declared. “Like all my opponents, you will learn to respect that.”
“Leo seems to have the upper hand with a series of powerful thrusts that even Bedman would have felt through his bed,” said Slayer excitedly. “Very dandy indeed. Boy oh boy, that ass is the thickest I have seen in three centuries, but that isn’t going to be enough to withstand Leo’s fury. How can Sol recover from this?”
The audience marveled at the show. For most of them, sex was a mundane thing borne out of love, desire, and the need for reproduction. What Sol and Leo were doing here, on the other hand, was art in its highest form. From the current angle, the crowd was amazed by just how large Sol’s ass was. Each buttock was about easily the size of a bowling ball, so large that they could take in Leo’s dick in its entirety - no other human could be on the receiving end of that spear without getting split in half.
As the favor turned towards the great king, the crowd cheered. Emboldened by his responsibility as a ruler to not disappoint his people, Leo went even harder, throwing his cock and himself with so much force that the ground beneath them shook and cracked. Sol’s butts wobbled and vibrated like jellies under the constant assault.
“HERE IT IS!” Leo declared loudly. That moment he had been waiting for was upon him. All the build-up was coming to this. Now was the time to release. “READY OR NOT, I AM CUMMING FOR YOU!”
“Oh crap,” Sol cursed. Suddenly, he felt not ready for this. He had underestimated Leo’s prowess and resolve, and now he found himself at the mercy of his opponent. “You gotta be kidding me.”
When the orgasm came, it was with a titanic bang. Both men came at the same time, the only difference was how they managed it. Leo Whitefang held his ground by digging his feet and knees into the concrete floor, leaving a crack upon it in the process. The recoil packed as much strength as that of a howitzer, but the Second King proved resilient against this and did not move an inch during the climax.
Despite using both his hands and knees to do the same thing, Sol failed to get a firm grip and, with his mind already rendered incoherent by his partner’s expertly-delivered thrusts into his ass, the former bounty hunter was the one who lost his position. He was blasted forward and slammed into a lamppost, crushing it with his amplified hineys.
As Sol flew across the air, a trail of cum juice marked his arc - that of Leo. It was the biggest orgasm he had had in years, an experience he always cherished and ever tried to improve upon. Yet, finding worthy opponents these days was hard. Sol Badguy with his body-shifting shenanigan was the first person in a long time against whom Leo could afford to go all out. The people whooped and whistled as they were draped in the holy fluid of their liege.
“An explosive finish,” Slayer remarked. “Ladies and gentlemen, we have our winner: Leo Whitefang. All that fat in Sol Badguy’s buttcheeks couldn’t save him at the end, and it is your beloved king who is the last man standing.”
Sol slammed the ground in frustration. “Damn it, I had it close.”
“Hahahaha, that’s only the fifteenth time I have heard that from those I have bested,” Leo laughed.
“Are you spent, old geezer?” asked Sol. “Because I can go for another round. What do you say?”
“The king is never spent,” said Leo. “And due to popular demand by my loyal subjects who are cheering my name, I gladly accept the challenge.”
“We have a round two, folks,” Slayer commented. “It’s not over yet. Will Sol Badguy even the score, or shall Leo Whitefang prove to be the undisputed champion?”
For this time, the heroic duo settled with a more intimate position. As Leo lay down on his back, his massive dick shot upward like a pillar ready to impale with extreme prejudice anything that dared threatened the king. Sol then took up his position on top of him, his giant ass now bearing down on its rival ready to exact vengeance.
Taking charge of the pace, Sol brought down his gigantic ass and Leo’s impressive cock swiftly disappeared among the mass of fat and meat. In this state, both men’s asses were on full display for the audience to see. While previously Leo had been the one to dictate where the sexual intercourse would lead, the missionary position allowed both men to become active with Sol able to take on a more active role due to gravity.
The sex was back and forth. Sol and Leo embraced one another and their dirty parts collided. Leo’s dick continued its journey inside and out of Sol’s thick ass at a dazzling pace. The friction it created was so intense that had either man been wearing clothes, they would have caught on fire. The ground shuddered and then shattered underneath them.
“We are on even ground now!” Sol boisterously stated. It felt great to be on the offensive again instead of waiting for his opponent to dry out themselves. “Let’s see if you still have it.”
“If I do, you are wearing the Apron of Shame for a week,” said Leo.
“Show me your claws then,” Sol boomed. His voice cracked as a new wave of sensations hit him, reducing his voice to gratuitous moanings.
“Both are going in really hard,” Slayer commented. “With those huge butts in the way, I can’t see a thing from this angle. Those two jiggling melons are getting in the way. Where did he get those in the first place? Jeez, I blame That Man for that one. Regardless, seeing what is happening to the ground right now, I can safely say that things are quite intense in there.”
As the battle went on, Sol and Leo grew hotter and hornier. They shared a passionate kiss in front of the crowd, hands rubbing on each other’s chest and hair. But in the end, it was Sol who came out on top, quite literally and figuratively. The orgasm was just as vehemence as the first one, but instead of Sol being blasted away, it was Leo who got crushed under the weight.
Once again cum juice spewed forth but it was blocked by Sol’s humongous bottoms bearing down on Leo’s dick. The result was a depressing downpour instead of a fountain. Leo’s plan to bless his subjects was thus thwarted.
“Damn, you are good one,” Leo admitted.
“Rare to hear that from you,” said Sol.
“I speak the fact,” said Leo. “No commoner can hope to best the king.”
“So has been said,” Sol replied.
“We are now even,” Leo declared. “I will not walk away with a clear victory. Are you ready for another round?”
Sol gave his boyfriend a devilish grin. “Bring it on! I can do this all day.”
The contest of sexual might continued for hours until both were exhausted. By then, they had garnered much adoration from not only the audience but the porn star community at large. Slayer was pleased that the whole thing was captured from many different angles, for Sol’s thick ass occasionally got in the way of the main action. With this, the career of Sol Badguy and Leo Whitefang could only rise from here.

PART SIXTY-FIVE
[Previous Part] [Beginning]
Whether it was a snow half-orc thing or because Felipe was the chief and in better control of himself, his rage, as he surged to the nearest tree and tore it to pieces, then ripped it out by its massive roots and beat it all into kindling (roaring the whole time), was the extent of his outpouring. Part of me felt sorry for the tree, but better it than us.
Tarq maintained a protective stance half a step ahead of me, tensing when Felipe began punching into the frozen soil, but within a minute or two, with both hands pressed into the ground, he leaned over the top of them and stilled.
In the past, half-orcs had been known to rage for hours … sometimes days, depending on the slight. When Felipe turned to us, his eyes were red with unshed tears. “Where is he?” he asked, his voice thick and gravelly.
“With the rest of my party, having his first meal. He’s scared, Felipe. We haven’t questioned him yet, except to learn his name is Shobi, and even that’s more a play on the slave designation they gave him. Snow-Half-Orc-Eight-One … and a few other numbers.”
Felipe frowned. “They’ve got more than half-orcs,” he said without hesitation.
I nodded in agreement. “I thought as much too. Why allocate the species in the brand unless you have others that are different?”
“Are you going to tell Gimweren?”
“I’ll let her know of the possibility. More to the point, you know your people better than I do. Should we let your troops know now or hold off in the hopes that they don’t locate the slave pits? How you were able to contain your rage just then was impressive, but neither place will be a good time to lose so many snow half-orcs to a war craze.”
Felipe looked away from me, palming his braid with both hands thoughtfully. “We get angry, but we don’t do the psychotic rage like our green-skinned cousins,” he said, which coincided with what I knew of the battle-grain debacle of the past. “And we are just settling in for the night. I’ll speak to the boy first, then talk to a small group of my people. Once they have accepted the situation, I’ll have them move out to notify the others. Hopefully, most, if not all of my people, will be apprised of the situation by morning.”
“Shobi is understandably very nervous. Do you need another few minutes to clear your head properly, or are you good to go?”
His lips pinched as he thought about it, then turned to a brand new tree and punched his fist dead centre through it up to his bicep. “Okay,” he declared after extracting his arm as if he were pulling it through water. “I’m good now.”
I dismantled the opaque sound-blister I had created around us and led him back to our area, showing him where the opening in our protection dome was. He paused at the human-sized entrance he and the other half-orcs could pass through. “You’re very scary, Emeron. You know that, right?”
“Sorry?”
He flicked a finger at the opening. “I had no idea this spell could be modified like this.”
To me, it wasn’t a modification. Not like the ones I was actively avoiding to side-step a potentially cataclysmic event like blending chain lightning and fireballs to create a firestorm. This was more like having a thousand troops in front of me and ordering nine hundred to turn left and use their shield to form a testudo, leaving the other one hundred as they were. I lifted my left shoulder, uttered a dismissive sound, and went inside.
Felipe followed, losing all interest in me and my magical ability as his eyes zeroed in on the boy tucked in behind the opening where no prying eyes would see him. Shobi had his head covered by a blanket, with another wrapped around his waist, still eating whatever rations my friends had found in my pack while I’d been away talking to Felipe. What stunned me was the sight of Milo chopping up my vegetables into fine cubes with the speed and grace of a professional chef. He caught me staring at him and lifted his knife just enough to point at Shobi.
I’m not entirely sure why I thought Milo couldn’t cook. Perhaps it was because the roles in his shire were so gender defined or because he’d never offered to before. But that skill with a blade didn’t come from butchering prey, and it was a story I made a mental note to ask him for as soon as I got the opportunity.
Felipe swivelled on his heel to face the boy and then dropped to his knees, his eyes taking in the gaunt features of a man-child who’d probably never had a real meal in his life. “Do you understand me?” he asked.
The boy’s eyes were so wide it would have been comical if it wasn’t so tragic as they took in every facet of the man kneeling before him before returning to his face and nodding silently.
“Do you speak?”
Shobi swallowed heavily and nodded again.
“Do you know who your parents are?”
Instead of answering, the boy reached out one hand and gingerly touched the leather bracer of Felipe’s armour. Felipe turned his hand, allowing the boy to trace his fingers across the seams and down onto his battle-hardened palms. “You fight,” he said, looking up at Felipe’s face.
“When I have to,” Felipe agreed. “And as of now, I will fight for you.”
The boy’s eyes immediately filled with tears. “I don’ wancha t’ die.”
It was more than the boy had ever said before, and I could already hear the differences in the dialogue. Shobi’s was more like the regular half-orc.
Felipe’s lips twitched into a forced smile. “I don’t plan on doing it anytime soon either, son. But those people who did this to you?” He lifted his hand to push back the blanket covering the boy’s head, and I watched the pain that danced across his face as the short hair, then the branding as the boy leaned forward, came into view. “I will end them all for this.” His tone had dropped to something I felt belonged on the other side of the gates of hell.
Shobi started to shudder. A little at first, but then more violently as Felipe’s words sank in. “No. No!” he insisted, his small frame shaking with determination. “Run. Flee! Hide! Free!” He gripped Felipe’s forearm, desperate to convey that message.
With his free hand, Felipe reached over his shoulder and drew one of his two swords, pointing it tip down and to the side where Shobi could see it. “We are not unarmed,” he said in his most assertive voice.
If anything, the sight of the sword made Shobi even more frantic. “NO!” he insisted, rising to his feet and pulling Felipe to his. “You not win! You not! Run! Run or we die!”
“My gun says we can,” I said, using their distraction to unsheathe my light weapon and hold it towards the roof of our dome with my finger nowhere near the trigger. I watched as Shobi’s eyes went wide with recognition, which confirmed what I’d thought. The Consitors also had light weapons. “That’s right, Shobi. We have them too.”
I saw his eyes drop to my gloved wrist and knew what he was looking for. “I am not one of them,” I promised. “And this is Chief Felipe. We’re here to free everyone, and we’re not leaving until we do.” It may not have been on my original agenda, but now that I knew about it, it was damn well up near the top of my to-do list, coming in just under the evisceration of the Consitor infiltrators. “And we have the numbers to do it. What we don’t have, is what you know. You escaped, Shobi. You got out. And now you need to tell us how you did that so we can use it to our advantage.”
“Emeron,” Felipe said, so softly I almost didn’t catch it.
“Yes?”
“I want my people to see Shobi as he is, but once that is done, would you please heal him?”
I looked between him and the boy. “I’m not sure what you’re asking,” I admitted. “He’s not in great health, but he’s not …”
“Could you heal his scalp and then grow his hair so that he never has to see himself like this again?”
I breathed out slowly. “Healing the burnt tissue is something any defence mage can do, however forcing one aspect of someone to age faster than normal, which is essentially what you’re asking me to do—that I’m not so sure of. I wouldn’t want to risk accidentally aging the boy as well.”
Felipe’s nose screwed up in annoyance. “Is that a light weapon?” he asked, finally noticing my gun.
“Yes,” I nodded. “And it is connected to me and me alone. If anyone else were to try and use it, they would die.”
“Yuh, yuh!” Shobi agreed, nodding emphatically. “They scream, fly apart and poof. Gone. Bad! Very bad!”
That was something I didn’t know, and Shobi was apparently speaking from experience. “When did you see it happen?”
Shobi’s gaze dropped to the floor. “Masters drop guns. Good vermins get food. Vermins who use them…”
I sheathed my gun while Felipe’s attention was on the boy, then snapped my fingers twice for both of their attention. “Vermins?” I tried very hard to keep the censure out of my tone, but the way Shobi’s head dipped low, I hadn’t been overly successful.
I watched Shobi patting himself on the chest while his other hand squeezed Felipe’s wrist. He then pointed out Milo, Thalien, Lanna and Tarq before he stopped and stared hard at Shay-Lee since our resident half-elf looked more human except for her slightly pointed ears.
“Her too,” I growled, for again, his twisted worldview confirmed much. Vermins? I would not show these Consitor dogs any mercy at all. The extent of my mercy went to how quickly that ship of theirs was destroyed. I saw Felipe’s jaw clench and knew we were of the same mind there.
“Alright,” I said, releasing the breath I hadn’t realised I’d been holding. “This is how we’re going to proceed. Felipe, you bring up to speed only those who were at that first meeting in Tetorli. I’ll come with you and erect another opaque sound blister so their various reactions won’t be seen by others. Thalien, you and Lanna go to Gimweren and speak to those she had at that same meeting. We’ll reconvene here after that, and Shobi can tell us what we need to know about getting into Jinis Ridge.”
I waited just long enough for everyone to agree to my directions, then continued, “This will be the first time we’ll have information on what’s going on inside Jinis Ridge, but Shobi is young and clearly exhausted, so we won’t be pushing him too hard for details tonight. We’ll get what we can and pick it up again in the morning, but not before you and Gimweren spread the word that we’ll be camping an extra day here.”
“We’re only a day’s ride from Cerro Nexo,” Shay Lee quickly argued. “Why not ride there with him and have this discussion with the elves too?”
Thalien hummed in agreement, and in fairness, I could see the merits of their argument. Ironically, ten years ago, I’d have done just that and to hell with what the boy had endured. “Because I’m not about to force this young man back towards the one place he’s just killed himself to escape from. He got this far all by himself, and although I plan on winning this war, there will be casualties. He will NOT be amongst them. We’ll draw all the information we can from him, and then we’ll get him the hell out of here.”
I felt Shobi’s eyes on me, and when I turned, Felipe had his hand on the boy’s shoulder, squeezing gently. “Is that what you wish? To be safe, far, far from here?” he asked. Shobi nodded so hard I thought his neck was going to snap. “Very well. I have fighters outside. Many men and women who will die to protect you. Once you’ve told us everything you can about your …err… where you were,” —like me, Felipe would rather gargle crushed glass than speak of the slave pits to Shobi— “They’ll take you far away, to our home in the south. Thousands of us are there. You’ve been so brave to come this far, and I promise you, with everything in me and our people, you’ll never be alone again.”
Tears welled in Shobi’s eyes, and without warning, he lurched forward and wrapped his arms around Felipe’s neck, burying his face against his throat. Felipe tipped backwards under the unexpected impact, but Tarq’s reflexes had him standing behind the snow half-orc chief, supporting Felipe’s back with his legs.
The second blanket fell away at the sudden movement, reminding me he was dressed only in a leather loincloth. Felipe closed his eyes and angled his head against Shobi’s, curling his arms around the younger man’s trembling body. Now and again, his hand would travel up to Shobi’s back to cup his shaved head, only to change direction before coming into contact with the brand.
I stared at Felipe’s clothing, knowing there weren’t any class distinctions between him and what his people wore, and commanded the dust dots to create an exact copy of it in Shobi’s size. Truthfully, I should’ve done this before, but better late than never. Included in that order were the boots and whatever passed for snow half-orc underwear. Yes, it would mean every nick, tear and stain in the chief’s clothes would be replicated in the smaller size, but better that than botching something more fundamental.
The dust dots whirled, creating something from nothing until they had everything piled neatly on my outstretched hand. Except for the boots on top, the dots had even gone to the trouble of putting it in the order that it would be donned.
Poor Shobi had never worn clothes, and as soon as Felipe pulled each piece into place, the boy tugged and picked at the hems and seams. He was delighted to be rid of the loincloth, though. That he threw straight into the fire.
I tried very hard not to react to something like that and our food being within the same proximity. At least it had been cleaned, thanks to Lanna; otherwise, we’d probably all be gagging on the stench that would quickly follow.
The boots were the most challenging thing for him to adapt to. His ankles rolled with each step, and sheer pride kept him upright. “They pinch my toes,” he complained to Felipe, his new hero.
“Your toes have spread from not wearing shoes. Even now, look,” the big man explained, putting his booted foot down beside Shobi’s. “Yours are wider in the toe than mine because those boots were made specifically for you. They fit fine.”
Shobi squinted, realising his were at least an inch wider, despite the rest of the boot being two-thirds of Felipe’s. Shobi’s feet were more like that of a regular half-orc, probably for the same reason.
When Felipe and I went to leave to speak to the other snow half-orcs, Shobi clung to Felipe’s hand and all but wrapped himself around the chief’s arm. Nothing either of us said could convince him to let go.
“My people will not be happy to learn you have been treated like an animal,” Felipe tried to explain for the hundredth time. “I don’t want them to frighten you when they start throwing things to vent their anger.”
“You be here?” Shobi asked, somehow interlocking their fingers even as he pointed to where Chief Felipe stood.
“Of course.”
“I hide behind you.”
Felipe snorted, and I had to smirk as well. That wasn’t precisely what Felipe had meant, but it seemed Shobi had chosen himself a champion. “Nothing untoward will ever touch you again as long as I breathe, boy. Count on that.”
Shobi pressed his forehead into Felipe’s upper bicep, and Felipe’s jaw tensed as our eyes met, both of us silently wishing we could purge all that had happened to the youngster. It didn’t take a genius to realise it would take magic and a crowbar to separate them, either.
“Okay,” I said, coming up with a new plan on the fly. I hid my hand inside my jacket and had the dust dots craft me a quilted coif in Shobi’s size, having it appear in my hidden hand. From there, I went over to the boy and slid it over his head to hide his brand, and when his head lifted to see what I was doing, I tied the strings under his chin. “Leave that on,” I said as he went to touch the fabric. My eyes then went to Felipe. “Once those at this meeting have seen the brand, Thalien and Milo will remove the boy and repair his scalp. Time will grow his hair out, but at least he won’t have that brand beyond tonight.”
I put my hand on Shobi’s cheek and guided his face to look at me. “Have you ever seen a half-orc in a rage? When they get really, really mad?” I didn’t care how much he clung to Felipe. If this were all too new for him and the sight of his own people raging frightened him, I’d have Harmony put the boy to sleep for a few minutes while we were away.
Shobi nodded. “Sportsday.”
I really didn’t want to know what he meant by that. “Are you sure you wouldn’t rather stay here with Harmony and Liab?”
Shobi looked past me to where Harmony and her familiar sat, watching. I took the tightening grip on Felipe’s arm to mean ‘No’.
“Alright then,” I said, waving them both towards the opening. “Let’s do this.”
The snow half-orcs reacted as well as I expected, but an hour later, I had fifteen of one race and sixteen of the other sitting inside our dome. The line of myself and my friends with our backs to our fire was no different to that night in Tetorli, though this time, Felipe sat directly across from me instead of on my right. Shobi sat on his feet, his shins flush to the ground and his weight leaning sideways against Felipe. More interestingly, Felipe had draped his braid across Shobi’s shoulders with the weighted end pooled possessively in the boy’s lap. The way Shobi’s other hand caressed the braid and smiled shyly at those around him, he was nervous, but Felipe’s presence made him feel safe.
I couldn’t help but look to my left where Tarq stood, knowing that feeling very well.
“Let us see it,” Gimweren commanded, flicking her finger at the youngster.
“Do not bark orders at him, Overseer,” Felipe warned. “It is only through his bravery that you are now aware that they could very well have the young of your kind in there as slaves too.”
“They do,” Shobi answered, looking up at his hero. “They have all vermins.”
Gimweren met Felipe’s eyes, but then she drew in a deep breath and held it for several seconds before dipping her head in a silent nod. I noticed several of the warriors on both sides had dragged their hands through the frozen ground to control their tempers, partially due to the boy’s presence but also because they were under my roof, which was where they wanted to stay. “Alright, lad. When you’re ready, please take off the coif and twist around so we can see what those animals did to you.”
Even though I’d seen it before, looking at the seared flesh and burnt bone, my stomach roiled, and no less than three dwarves rose to their feet. “Boy,” they all shouted at once. If it weren’t for the concern in their eyes, I would’ve ordered them back to their seats.
“Shobi,” Felipe corrected.
“Shobi,” the dwarf closest to me repeated while the other two retook their seats in deference to him. “Would you allow me to fix that for you right now? I’m Overseer Gimweren’s personal defence mage. Do you know what that is?”
Shobi leaned harder against Felipe and shook his head.
“Among other things, I’m a magical healer, and I’m begging you to let me take that scar away. Please?”
Shobi looked at me, and when I rolled my hand to give him the choice, he looked up at Felipe. “They won’t hurt you, son,” he promised.
The son part was new.
“I’m assuming no one needs to see it again?” the male defence mage ran his eye along both sides, almost daring anyone to argue with him. Unsurprisingly, no one did. The dwarf then moved to stand directly in front of Shobi and knelt in front of him.
We all waited while the defence mage completed the sequence that would make the dust dots repair the physical damage. It only took a minute. “There,” he said with a smile, reaching forward to touch the back of Shobi’s head. I couldn’t see Shobi’s reaction since the dwarf stood between us, but I could picture it, especially when the defence mage continued on. “The snow half-orcs have always looked after their own, but you have my vow now to add to that. Anyone who comes at you must go through me first.”
“AYE!” “Hear, hear!” the line of dwarves cried in unison. Even Gimweren added her shout to the cry.
I looked back at my friends and saw Harmony and Lanna clasping their hands to their chests, both fighting the tears that banked in their eyes, and I could appreciate the sentiment. The boy had won the respect and loyalty of not one army but two.
For the next hour, Shobi told us in his limited dialect about his life in the slave pits of Jinis Ridge. Many of his explanations required physical prompting when words failed him, but no one spoke to contradict or interrupt him. If he was to be believed, he wasn’t a captured prisoner turned slave like I thought. He’d been born in the pits from parents who’d been brought together for the specific purpose of breeding.
And as I listened to his tale, I thought about our own slave trade and realised his story probably wasn’t that different to so many others. The palace didn’t have slaves; only a few of the capital’s population kept them, but they weren’t outlawed.
In fact, people in certain provinces made good coin peddling in flesh. I myself had parted with a significant sum of money to buy Harmony’s freedom when she’d been taken, and I hadn’t thought to ask myself why I had even allowed it to happen in the first place. The slaves were former citizens whose citizenship was stripped from them by others who were only citizens themselves. A collar and a brand were all that separated an imperial citizen and a slave, and we had allowed that to happen.
No … I had allowed that to happen.
It was a startling wake-up call to realise the only difference between the two types of slavers was their place of origin. That if the Consitors were Imperials, we wouldn’t be so up in arms about them enslaving people.
I glanced at where Felipe sat protectively at Shobi’s side and knew I had to amend that. The snow half-orcs were the exception. No one had ever taken a snow half-orc as a slave before that I knew of.
I felt a hand on each of my shoulders and knew without looking that one belonged to Harmony and the other to Milo. Tarq always knew what I was thinking, but those two had the uncanny knack of knowing instinctively what I was feeling, and right then, it wasn’t good. I hadn’t protected all of my people—only some of them.
When this was all over, I knew I’d be discussing this at length with Roald, and I wouldn’t stop until he agreed to make a proclamation outlawing slavery within our borders. Some livelihoods would suffer, but on the whole, we didn’t need slaves. They were simply convenient. Buying someone outright instead of paying a daily wage was easier.
Depending on how wound up I got, I might even push for a total ban on slaves within the empire, including any overseas visitors.
Leave them home, or watch them be taken from you and freed.
I liked the sound of that.
Perhaps I was getting too emotionally invested, but what was the point of being the Emperor’s Shadow if I couldn’t do what should’ve already been done to safeguard not just the majority of my people but each and every imperial citizen? Slaves, before they were enslaved, would have paid their taxes too, which should have given them certain protections, and I had seriously fallen down on the job there.
Not anymore.
* * * ((All comments welcome. Good or bad, I'd love to hear your thoughts 🥰🤗 )) For more of my work including WPs: Angel466 or an index of previous WPS here. FULL INDEX OF WE PLAN, GODS LAUGH TO DATE CAN BE FOUND HERE!!

PART SIXTY-FIVE
[Previous Part] [Beginning]
Whether it was a snow half-orc thing or because Felipe was the chief and in better control of himself, his rage, as he surged to the nearest tree and tore it to pieces, then ripped it out by its massive roots and beat it all into kindling (roaring the whole time), was the extent of his outpouring. Part of me felt sorry for the tree, but better it than us.
Tarq maintained a protective stance half a step ahead of me, tensing when Felipe began punching into the frozen soil, but within a minute or two, with both hands pressed into the ground, he leaned over the top of them and stilled.
In the past, half-orcs had been known to rage for hours … sometimes days, depending on the slight. When Felipe turned to us, his eyes were red with unshed tears. “Where is he?” he asked, his voice thick and gravelly.
“With the rest of my party, having his first meal. He’s scared, Felipe. We haven’t questioned him yet, except to learn his name is Shobi, and even that’s more a play on the slave designation they gave him. Snow-Half-Orc-Eight-One … and a few other numbers.”
Felipe frowned. “They’ve got more than half-orcs,” he said without hesitation.
I nodded in agreement. “I thought as much too. Why allocate the species in the brand unless you have others that are different?”
“Are you going to tell Gimweren?”
“I’ll let her know of the possibility. More to the point, you know your people better than I do. Should we let your troops know now or hold off in the hopes that they don’t locate the slave pits? How you were able to contain your rage just then was impressive, but neither place will be a good time to lose so many snow half-orcs to a war craze.”
Felipe looked away from me, palming his braid with both hands thoughtfully. “We get angry, but we don’t do the psychotic rage like our green-skinned cousins,” he said, which coincided with what I knew of the battle-grain debacle of the past. “And we are just settling in for the night. I’ll speak to the boy first, then talk to a small group of my people. Once they have accepted the situation, I’ll have them move out to notify the others. Hopefully, most, if not all of my people, will be apprised of the situation by morning.”
“Shobi is understandably very nervous. Do you need another few minutes to clear your head properly, or are you good to go?”
His lips pinched as he thought about it, then turned to a brand new tree and punched his fist dead centre through it up to his bicep. “Okay,” he declared after extracting his arm as if he were pulling it through water. “I’m good now.”
I dismantled the opaque sound-blister I had created around us and led him back to our area, showing him where the opening in our protection dome was. He paused at the human-sized entrance he and the other half-orcs could pass through. “You’re very scary, Emeron. You know that, right?”
“Sorry?”
He flicked a finger at the opening. “I had no idea this spell could be modified like this.”
To me, it wasn’t a modification. Not like the ones I was actively avoiding to side-step a potentially cataclysmic event like blending chain lightning and fireballs to create a firestorm. This was more like having a thousand troops in front of me and ordering nine hundred to turn left and use their shield to form a testudo, leaving the other one hundred as they were. I lifted my left shoulder, uttered a dismissive sound, and went inside.
Felipe followed, losing all interest in me and my magical ability as his eyes zeroed in on the boy tucked in behind the opening where no prying eyes would see him. Shobi had his head covered by a blanket, with another wrapped around his waist, still eating whatever rations my friends had found in my pack while I’d been away talking to Felipe. What stunned me was the sight of Milo chopping up my vegetables into fine cubes with the speed and grace of a professional chef. He caught me staring at him and lifted his knife just enough to point at Shobi.
I’m not entirely sure why I thought Milo couldn’t cook. Perhaps it was because the roles in his shire were so gender defined or because he’d never offered to before. But that skill with a blade didn’t come from butchering prey, and it was a story I made a mental note to ask him for as soon as I got the opportunity.
Felipe swivelled on his heel to face the boy and then dropped to his knees, his eyes taking in the gaunt features of a man-child who’d probably never had a real meal in his life. “Do you understand me?” he asked.
The boy’s eyes were so wide it would have been comical if it wasn’t so tragic as they took in every facet of the man kneeling before him before returning to his face and nodding silently.
“Do you speak?”
Shobi swallowed heavily and nodded again.
“Do you know who your parents are?”
Instead of answering, the boy reached out one hand and gingerly touched the leather bracer of Felipe’s armour. Felipe turned his hand, allowing the boy to trace his fingers across the seams and down onto his battle-hardened palms. “You fight,” he said, looking up at Felipe’s face.
“When I have to,” Felipe agreed. “And as of now, I will fight for you.”
The boy’s eyes immediately filled with tears. “I don’ wancha t’ die.”
It was more than the boy had ever said before, and I could already hear the differences in the dialogue. Shobi’s was more like the regular half-orc.
Felipe’s lips twitched into a forced smile. “I don’t plan on doing it anytime soon either, son. But those people who did this to you?” He lifted his hand to push back the blanket covering the boy’s head, and I watched the pain that danced across his face as the short hair, then the branding as the boy leaned forward, came into view. “I will end them all for this.” His tone had dropped to something I felt belonged on the other side of the gates of hell.
Shobi started to shudder. A little at first, but then more violently as Felipe’s words sank in. “No. No!” he insisted, his small frame shaking with determination. “Run. Flee! Hide! Free!” He gripped Felipe’s forearm, desperate to convey that message.
With his free hand, Felipe reached over his shoulder and drew one of his two swords, pointing it tip down and to the side where Shobi could see it. “We are not unarmed,” he said in his most assertive voice.
If anything, the sight of the sword made Shobi even more frantic. “NO!” he insisted, rising to his feet and pulling Felipe to his. “You not win! You not! Run! Run or we die!”
“My gun says we can,” I said, using their distraction to unsheathe my light weapon and hold it towards the roof of our dome with my finger nowhere near the trigger. I watched as Shobi’s eyes went wide with recognition, which confirmed what I’d thought. The Consitors also had light weapons. “That’s right, Shobi. We have them too.”
I saw his eyes drop to my gloved wrist and knew what he was looking for. “I am not one of them,” I promised. “And this is Chief Felipe. We’re here to free everyone, and we’re not leaving until we do.” It may not have been on my original agenda, but now that I knew about it, it was damn well up near the top of my to-do list, coming in just under the evisceration of the Consitor infiltrators. “And we have the numbers to do it. What we don’t have, is what you know. You escaped, Shobi. You got out. And now you need to tell us how you did that so we can use it to our advantage.”
“Emeron,” Felipe said, so softly I almost didn’t catch it.
“Yes?”
“I want my people to see Shobi as he is, but once that is done, would you please heal him?”
I looked between him and the boy. “I’m not sure what you’re asking,” I admitted. “He’s not in great health, but he’s not …”
“Could you heal his scalp and then grow his hair so that he never has to see himself like this again?”
I breathed out slowly. “Healing the burnt tissue is something any defence mage can do, however forcing one aspect of someone to age faster than normal, which is essentially what you’re asking me to do—that I’m not so sure of. I wouldn’t want to risk accidentally aging the boy as well.”
Felipe’s nose screwed up in annoyance. “Is that a light weapon?” he asked, finally noticing my gun.
“Yes,” I nodded. “And it is connected to me and me alone. If anyone else were to try and use it, they would die.”
“Yuh, yuh!” Shobi agreed, nodding emphatically. “They scream, fly apart and poof. Gone. Bad! Very bad!”
That was something I didn’t know, and Shobi was apparently speaking from experience. “When did you see it happen?”
Shobi’s gaze dropped to the floor. “Masters drop guns. Good Vermins get food. Vermins who use them…”
I sheathed my gun while Felipe’s attention was on the boy, then snapped my fingers twice for both of their attention. “Vermins?” I tried very hard to keep the censure out of my tone, but the way Shobi’s head dipped low, I hadn’t been overly successful.
I watched Shobi patting himself on the chest while his other hand squeezed Felipe’s wrist. He then pointed out Milo, Thalien, Lanna and Tarq before he stopped and stared hard at Shay-Lee since our resident half-elf looked more human except for her slightly pointed ears.
“Her too,” I growled, for again, his twisted worldview confirmed much. Vermins? I would not show these Consitor dogs any mercy at all. The extent of my mercy went to how quickly that ship of theirs was destroyed. I saw Felipe’s jaw clench and knew we were of the same mind there.
“Alright,” I said, releasing the breath I hadn’t realised I’d been holding. “This is how we’re going to proceed. Felipe, you bring up to speed only those who were at that first meeting in Tetorli. I’ll come with you and erect another opaque sound blister so their various reactions won’t be seen by others. Thalien, you and Lanna go to Gimweren and speak to those she had at that same meeting. We’ll reconvene here after that, and Shobi can tell us what we need to know about getting into Jinis Ridge.”
I waited just long enough for everyone to agree to my directions, then continued, “This will be the first time we’ll have information on what’s going on inside Jinis Ridge, but Shobi is young and clearly exhausted, so we won’t be pushing him too hard for details tonight. We’ll get what we can and pick it up again in the morning, but not before you and Gimweren spread the word that we’ll be camping an extra day here.”
“We’re only a day’s ride from Cerro Nexo,” Shay Lee quickly argued. “Why not ride there with him and have this discussion with the elves too?”
Thalien hummed in agreement, and in fairness, I could see the merits of their argument. Ironically, ten years ago, I’d have done just that and to hell with what the boy had endured. “Because I’m not about to force this young man back towards the one place he’s just killed himself to escape from. He got this far all by himself, and although I plan on winning this war, there will be casualties. He will NOT be amongst them. We’ll draw all the information we can from him, and then we’ll get him the hell out of here.”
I felt Shobi’s eyes on me, and when I turned, Felipe had his hand on the boy’s shoulder, squeezing gently. “Is that what you wish? To be safe, far, far from here?” he asked. Shobi nodded so hard I thought his neck was going to snap. “Very well. I have fighters outside. Many men and women who will die to protect you. Once you’ve told us everything you can about your …err… where you were,” —like me, Felipe would rather gargle crushed glass than speak of the slave pits to Shobi— “They’ll take you far away, to our home in the south. Thousands of us are there. You’ve been so brave to come this far, and I promise you, with everything in me and our people, you’ll never be alone again.”
Tears welled in Shobi’s eyes, and without warning, he lurched forward and wrapped his arms around Felipe’s neck, burying his face against his throat. Felipe tipped backwards under the unexpected impact, but Tarq’s reflexes had him standing behind the snow half-orc chief, supporting Felipe’s back with his legs.
The second blanket fell away at the sudden movement, reminding me he was dressed only in a leather loincloth. Felipe closed his eyes and angled his head against Shobi’s, curling his arms around the younger man’s trembling body. Now and again, his hand would travel up to Shobi’s back to cup his shaved head, only to change direction before coming into contact with the brand.
I stared at Felipe’s clothing, knowing there weren’t any class distinctions between him and what his people wore, and commanded the dust dots to create an exact copy of it in Shobi’s size. Truthfully, I should’ve done this before, but better late than never. Included in that order were the boots and whatever passed for snow half-orc underwear. Yes, it would mean every nick, tear and stain in the chief’s clothes would be replicated in the smaller size, but better that than botching something more fundamental.
The dust dots whirled, creating something from nothing until they had everything piled neatly on my outstretched hand. Except for the boots on top, the dots had even gone to the trouble of putting it in the order that it would be donned.
Poor Shobi had never worn clothes, and as soon as Felipe pulled each piece into place, the boy tugged and picked at the hems and seams. He was delighted to be rid of the loincloth, though. That he threw straight into the fire.
I tried very hard not to react to something like that and our food being within the same proximity. At least it had been cleaned, thanks to Lanna; otherwise, we’d probably all be gagging on the stench that would quickly follow.
The boots were the most challenging thing for him to adapt to. His ankles rolled with each step, and sheer pride kept him upright. “They pinch my toes,” he complained to Felipe, his new hero.
“Your toes have spread from not wearing shoes. Even now, look,” the big man explained, putting his booted foot down beside Shobi’s. “Yours are wider in the toe than mine because those boots were made specifically for you. They fit fine.”
Shobi squinted, realising his were at least an inch wider, despite the rest of the boot being two-thirds of Felipe’s. Shobi’s feet were more like that of a regular half-orc, probably for the same reason.
When Felipe and I went to leave to speak to the other snow half-orcs, Shobi clung to Felipe’s hand and all but wrapped himself around the chief’s arm. Nothing either of us said could convince him to let go.
“My people will not be happy to learn you have been treated like an animal,” Felipe tried to explain for the hundredth time. “I don’t want them to frighten you when they start throwing things to vent their anger.”
“You be here?” Shobi asked, somehow interlocking their fingers even as he pointed to where Chief Felipe stood.
“Of course.”
“I hide behind you.”
Felipe snorted, and I had to smirk as well. That wasn’t precisely what Felipe had meant, but it seemed Shobi had chosen himself a champion. “Nothing untoward will ever touch you again as long as I breathe, boy. Count on that.”
Shobi pressed his forehead into Felipe’s upper bicep, and Felipe’s jaw tensed as our eyes met, both of us silently wishing we could purge all that had happened to the youngster. It didn’t take a genius to realise it would take magic and a crowbar to separate them, either.
“Okay,” I said, coming up with a new plan on the fly. I hid my hand inside my jacket and had the dust dots craft me a quilted coif in Shobi’s size, having it appear in my hidden hand. From there, I went over to the boy and slid it over his head to hide his brand, and when his head lifted to see what I was doing, I tied the strings under his chin. “Leave that on,” I said as he went to touch the fabric. My eyes then went to Felipe. “Once those at this meeting have seen the brand, Thalien and Milo will remove the boy and repair his scalp. Time will grow his hair out, but at least he won’t have that brand beyond tonight.”
I put my hand on Shobi’s cheek and guided his face to look at me. “Have you ever seen a half-orc in a rage? When they get really, really mad?” I didn’t care how much he clung to Felipe. If this were all too new for him and the sight of his own people raging frightened him, I’d have Harmony put the boy to sleep for a few minutes while we were away.
Shobi nodded. “Sportsday.”
I really didn’t want to know what he meant by that. “Are you sure you wouldn’t rather stay here with Harmony and Liab?”
Shobi looked past me to where Harmony and her familiar sat, watching. I took the tightening grip on Felipe’s arm to mean ‘No’.
“Alright then,” I said, waving them both towards the opening. “Let’s do this.”
The snow half-orcs reacted as well as I expected, but an hour later, I had fifteen of one race and sixteen of the other sitting inside our dome. The line of myself and my friends with our backs to our fire was no different to that night in Tetorli, though this time, Felipe sat directly across from me instead of on my right. Shobi sat on his feet, his shins flush to the ground and his weight leaning sideways against Felipe. More interestingly, Felipe had draped his braid across Shobi’s shoulders with the weighted end pooled possessively in the boy’s lap. The way Shobi’s other hand caressed the braid and smiled shyly at those around him, he was nervous, but Felipe’s presence made him feel safe.
I couldn’t help but look to my left where Tarq stood, knowing that feeling very well.
“Let us see it,” Gimweren commanded, flicking her finger at the youngster.
“Do not bark orders at him, Overseer,” Felipe warned. “It is only through his bravery that you are now aware that they could very well have the young of your kind in there as slaves too.”
“They do,” Shobi answered, looking up at his hero. “They have all vermins.”
Gimweren met Felipe’s eyes, but then she drew in a deep breath and held it for several seconds before dipping her head in a silent nod. I noticed several of the warriors on both sides had dragged their hands through the frozen ground to control their tempers, partially due to the boy’s presence but also because they were under my roof, which was where they wanted to stay. “Alright, lad. When you’re ready, please take off the coif and twist around so we can see what those animals did to you.”
Even though I’d seen it before, looking at the seared flesh and burnt bone, my stomach roiled, and no less than three dwarves rose to their feet. “Boy,” they all shouted at once. If it weren’t for the concern in their eyes, I would’ve ordered them back to their seats.
“Shobi,” Felipe corrected.
“Shobi,” the dwarf closest to me repeated while the other two retook their seats in deference to him. “Would you allow me to fix that for you right now? I’m Overseer Gimweren’s personal defence mage. Do you know what that is?”
Shobi leaned harder against Felipe and shook his head.
“Among other things, I’m a magical healer, and I’m begging you to let me take that scar away. Please?”
Shobi looked at me, and when I rolled my hand to give him the choice, he looked up at Felipe. “They won’t hurt you, son,” he promised.
The son part was new.
“I’m assuming no one needs to see it again?” the male defence mage ran his eye along both sides, almost daring anyone to argue with him. Unsurprisingly, no one did. The dwarf then moved to stand directly in front of Shobi and knelt in front of him.
We all waited while the defence mage completed the sequence that would make the dust dots repair the physical damage. It only took a minute. “There,” he said with a smile, reaching forward to touch the back of Shobi’s head. I couldn’t see Shobi’s reaction since the dwarf stood between us, but I could picture it, especially when the defence mage continued on. “The snow half-orcs have always looked after their own, but you have my vow now to add to that. Anyone who comes at you must go through me first.”
“AYE!” “Hear, hear!” the line of dwarves cried in unison. Even Gimweren added her shout to the cry.
I looked back at my friends and saw Harmony and Lanna clasping their hands to their chests, both fighting the tears that banked in their eyes, and I could appreciate the sentiment. The boy had won the respect and loyalty of not one army but two.
For the next hour, Shobi told us in his limited dialect about his life in the slave pits of Jinis Ridge. Many of his explanations required physical prompting when words failed him, but no one spoke to contradict or interrupt him. If he was to be believed, he wasn’t a captured prisoner turned slave like I thought. He’d been born in the pits from parents who’d been brought together for the specific purpose of breeding.
And as I listened to his tale, I thought about our own slave trade and realised his story probably wasn’t that different to so many others. The palace didn’t have slaves; only a few of the capital’s population kept them, but they weren’t outlawed.
In fact, people in certain provinces made good coin peddling in flesh. I myself had parted with a significant sum of money to buy Harmony’s freedom when she’d been taken, and I hadn’t thought to ask myself why I had even allowed it to happen in the first place. The slaves were former citizens whose citizenship was stripped from them by others who were only citizens themselves. A collar and a brand were all that separated an imperial citizen and a slave, and we had allowed that to happen.
No … I had allowed that to happen.
It was a startling wake-up call to realise the only difference between the two types of slavers was their place of origin. That if the Consitors were Imperials, we wouldn’t be so up in arms about them enslaving people.
I glanced at where Felipe sat protectively at Shobi’s side and knew I had to amend that. The snow half-orcs were the exception. No one had ever taken a snow half-orc as a slave before that I knew of.
I felt a hand on each of my shoulders and knew without looking that one belonged to Harmony and the other to Milo. Tarq always knew what I was thinking, but those two had the uncanny knack of knowing instinctively what I was feeling, and right then, it wasn’t good. I hadn’t protected all of my people—only some of them.
When this was all over, I knew I’d be discussing this at length with Roald, and I wouldn’t stop until he agreed to make a proclamation outlawing slavery within our borders. Some livelihoods would suffer, but on the whole, we didn’t need slaves. They were simply convenient. Buying someone outright instead of paying a daily wage was easier.
Depending on how wound up I got, I might even push for a total ban on slaves within the empire, including any overseas visitors.
Leave them home, or watch them be taken from you and freed.
I liked the sound of that.
Perhaps I was getting too emotionally invested, but what was the point of being the Emperor’s Shadow if I couldn’t do what should’ve already been done to safeguard not just the majority of my people but each and every imperial citizen? Slaves, before they were enslaved, would have paid their taxes too, which should have given them certain protections, and I had seriously fallen down on the job there.
Not anymore.
* * *
((All comments welcome. Good or bad, I'd love to hear your thoughts 🥰🤗 ))
For more of my work including WPs: Angel466 or an index of previous WPS here.
FULL INDEX OF WE PLAN, GODS LAUGH TO DATE CAN BE FOUND HERE!!

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INSIDE	1.6 TF2	$3.14 PP	-
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Icewind Dale: Enhanced Edition	0.4 TF2	$0.73 PP	-
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In Sound Mind	0.5 TF2	$0.91 PP	-
Injustice 2 Legendary Edition	1.1 TF2	$2.21 PP	-
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Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes	2.7 TF2	$5.42 PP	-
Kerbal Space Program	1.3 TF2	$2.58 PP	-
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Kitaria Fables	0.4 TF2	$0.75 PP	-
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LEGO® City Undercover	1.0 TF2	$1.93 PP	-
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LEGO® DC Super-Villains	0.5 TF2	$0.95 PP	-
LEGO® Jurassic World™	0.4 TF2	$0.88 PP	-
LEGO® MARVEL's Avengers	0.4 TF2	$0.78 PP	-
LEGO® Marvel Super Heroes 2 Deluxe Edition	1.1 TF2	$2.15 PP	-
LEGO® Marvel Super Heroes 2	0.7 TF2	$1.32 PP	-
LEGO® Star Wars™: The Force Awakens - Deluxe Edition	1.1 TF2	$2.23 PP	-
LEGO® Star Wars™: The Force Awakens	0.5 TF2	$0.98 PP	-
LEGO® Worlds	1.0 TF2	$1.96 PP	-
LIMBO	0.4 TF2	$0.71 PP	-
Labyrinth City: Pierre the Maze Detective	0.7 TF2	$1.45 PP	-
Labyrinthine	1.8 TF2	$3.54 PP	-
Lake	0.6 TF2	$1.11 PP	-
Last Oasis	0.8 TF2	$1.67 PP	-
Layers of Fear 2	6.2 TF2	$12.22 PP	-
Layers of Fear	0.6 TF2	$1.11 PP	-
Legion TD 2	2.3 TF2	$4.56 PP	-
Len's Island	4.1 TF2	$8.16 PP	-
Lethal League Blaze	2.4 TF2	$4.78 PP	-
Lethal League	1.5 TF2	$2.97 PP	-
Library Of Ruina	3.2 TF2	$6.36 PP	-
Life is Feudal: Your Own	0.7 TF2	$1.32 PP	-
Life is Strange 2 Complete Season	0.7 TF2	$1.43 PP	-
Little Misfortune	2.2 TF2	$4.42 PP	-
Little Nightmares Complete Edition	1.6 TF2	$3.09 PP	-
Little Nightmares	0.9 TF2	$1.79 PP	-
Lobotomy Corporation Monster Management Simulation	5.0 TF2	$9.88 PP	-
Loot River	2.9 TF2	$5.76 PP	-
Lords of the Fallen Game of the Year Edition	0.8 TF2	$1.61 PP	-
Lost Ember	1.4 TF2	$2.73 PP	-
Luck be a Landlord	1.0 TF2	$1.91 PP	-
METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN	1.2 TF2	$2.41 PP	-
METAL GEAR SOLID V: The Definitive Experience	2.0 TF2	$3.99 PP	-
MONSTER HUNTER RISE	4.2 TF2	$8.41 PP	-
MORTAL KOMBAT 11	1.6 TF2	$3.07 PP	-
MX vs ATV Reflex	0.6 TF2	$1.11 PP	-
Mad Max	1.1 TF2	$2.22 PP	-
Mafia II: Definitive Edition	3.0 TF2	$5.99 PP	-
Mafia III: Definitive Edition	2.1 TF2	$4.23 PP	-
Mafia: Definitive Edition	2.2 TF2	$4.3 PP	-
Magicka 2 - Deluxe Edition	1.0 TF2	$1.9 PP	-
Magicka 2	0.6 TF2	$1.16 PP	-
Magicka	0.4 TF2	$0.71 PP	-
Maneater	0.8 TF2	$1.6 PP	-
Mars Horizon	0.8 TF2	$1.52 PP	-
Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite - Deluxe Edition	2.8 TF2	$5.56 PP	-
Mass Effect™ Legendary Edition	6.2 TF2	$12.21 PP	-
Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne	0.7 TF2	$1.48 PP	-
Max Payne	1.0 TF2	$2.02 PP	-
MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries	2.5 TF2	$4.97 PP	-
Mega Man Legacy Collection 2	0.6 TF2	$1.25 PP	-
Mega Man Legacy Collection	0.4 TF2	$0.79 PP	-
Men of War: Assault Squad 2 - Deluxe Edition	0.8 TF2	$1.67 PP	-
Men of War: Assault Squad 2 War Chest Edition	0.8 TF2	$1.64 PP	-
Men of War: Assault Squad 2	0.8 TF2	$1.64 PP	-
Messenger	0.9 TF2	$1.72 PP	-
Metro 2033 Redux	0.7 TF2	$1.48 PP	-
Metro Exodus	1.7 TF2	$3.46 PP	-
Metro Redux Bundle	0.9 TF2	$1.78 PP	-
Metro: Last Light Redux	1.1 TF2	$2.14 PP	-
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor Game of the Year Edition	1.0 TF2	$2.02 PP	-
Middle-earth™: Shadow of War™	0.7 TF2	$1.48 PP	-
Middleearth Shadow of War Definitive Edition	1.2 TF2	$2.34 PP	-
Mirror's Edge	3.8 TF2	$7.56 PP	-
Miscreated	1.5 TF2	$2.91 PP	-
Monster Hunter: World	3.4 TF2	$6.8 PP	-
Monster Sanctuary	0.6 TF2	$1.25 PP	-
Monster Train	0.5 TF2	$0.98 PP	-
Moonlighter	0.4 TF2	$0.81 PP	-
Moons of Madness	1.7 TF2	$3.43 PP	-
Mordhau	1.8 TF2	$3.56 PP	-
Mortal Kombat X	0.7 TF2	$1.32 PP	-
Mortal Shell	1.4 TF2	$2.72 PP	-
Motorcycle Mechanic Simulator 2021	1.1 TF2	$2.23 PP	-
Motorsport Manager	1.4 TF2	$2.73 PP	-
Move or Die	0.7 TF2	$1.44 PP	-
Moving Out	1.0 TF2	$1.9 PP	-
Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden - Deluxe Edition	1.7 TF2	$3.28 PP	-
Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden	1.8 TF2	$3.53 PP	-
My Friend Pedro	0.9 TF2	$1.76 PP	-
My Time At Portia	1.1 TF2	$2.11 PP	-
NARUTO SHIPPUDEN: Ultimate Ninja STORM 4 Road to Boruto	3.5 TF2	$6.89 PP	-
NASCAR Heat 5 - Ultimate Edition	0.6 TF2	$1.16 PP	-
Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4	2.0 TF2	$3.9 PP	-
Naruto to Boruto Shinobi Striker - Deluxe Edition	1.6 TF2	$3.1 PP	-
Naruto to Boruto Shinobi Striker	0.4 TF2	$0.82 PP	-
Necromunda: Hired Gun	1.0 TF2	$1.97 PP	-
Neon Abyss	0.5 TF2	$0.94 PP	-
Neverwinter Nights: Complete Adventures	3.7 TF2	$7.26 PP	-
Nine Parchments	2.1 TF2	$4.22 PP	-
No Straight Roads: Encore Edition	1.3 TF2	$2.63 PP	-
No Time to Relax	3.7 TF2	$7.29 PP	-
Northgard	1.2 TF2	$2.38 PP	-
Not For Broadcast	0.6 TF2	$1.28 PP	-
ONE PIECE BURNING BLOOD	0.7 TF2	$1.44 PP	-
ONE PIECE PIRATE WARRIORS 3 Gold Edition	1.1 TF2	$2.12 PP	-
One Step From Eden	1.0 TF2	$1.98 PP	-
Opus Magnum	1.1 TF2	$2.09 PP	-
Orcs Must Die! 3	1.9 TF2	$3.81 PP	-
Outlast 2	0.8 TF2	$1.61 PP	-
Outward	1.5 TF2	$2.91 PP	-
Overcooked	0.8 TF2	$1.58 PP	-
Overcooked! 2	1.5 TF2	$2.91 PP	-
Overgrowth	0.8 TF2	$1.54 PP	-
PC Building Simulator	0.7 TF2	$1.41 PP	-
Paint the Town Red	3.6 TF2	$7.1 PP	-
Parkitect	6.5 TF2	$12.85 PP	-
Pathfinder: Kingmaker - Enhanced Plus Edition	0.6 TF2	$1.24 PP	-
Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous	1.4 TF2	$2.79 PP	-
Pathologic 2	0.5 TF2	$1.03 PP	-
Pathologic Classic HD	0.6 TF2	$1.13 PP	-
Per Aspera	0.7 TF2	$1.37 PP	-
Pikuniku	0.7 TF2	$1.48 PP	-
Pillars of Eternity Definitive Edition	1.4 TF2	$2.87 PP	-
Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire	1.0 TF2	$2.02 PP	-
Pistol Whip	6.2 TF2	$12.21 PP	-
Plague Inc: Evolved	1.6 TF2	$3.2 PP	-
Planescape: Torment: Enhanced Edition	0.4 TF2	$0.76 PP	-
Planet Coaster	1.8 TF2	$3.63 PP	-
Planet Zoo	2.1 TF2	$4.17 PP	-
Planetary Annihilation: TITANS	7.1 TF2	$14.13 PP	-
Power Rangers: Battle for the Grid	2.7 TF2	$5.42 PP	-
PowerBeatsVR	1.0 TF2	$1.97 PP	-
PowerSlave Exhumed	1.4 TF2	$2.74 PP	-
Praey for the Gods	0.5 TF2	$0.9 PP	-
Prehistoric Kingdom	1.3 TF2	$2.51 PP	-
Prison Architect	0.4 TF2	$0.88 PP	-
Pro Cycling Manager 2019	1.3 TF2	$2.58 PP	-
Project Hospital	2.4 TF2	$4.72 PP	-
Project Wingman	1.6 TF2	$3.25 PP	-
Project Winter	1.5 TF2	$2.88 PP	-
Propnight	0.7 TF2	$1.37 PP	-
Pumpkin Jack	0.4 TF2	$0.83 PP	-
Quantum Break	2.6 TF2	$5.14 PP	-
RESIDENT EVIL 3	2.4 TF2	$4.76 PP	-
RUGBY 20	1.3 TF2	$2.55 PP	-
RUINER	0.5 TF2	$1.04 PP	-
RWBY: Grimm Eclipse	3.7 TF2	$7.42 PP	-
Ragnaröck	3.5 TF2	$6.84 PP	-
Railway Empire	0.4 TF2	$0.8 PP	-
Rain World	0.9 TF2 Refer To My Other Thread	$1.69 PP Refer To My Other Thread	Must-Play Metroidvanias Bundle
Raw Data	1.1 TF2	$2.14 PP	-
Re:Legend	1.0 TF2	$1.94 PP	-
Red Matter	4.5 TF2	$8.86 PP	-
Remnant: From the Ashes - Complete Edition	2.2 TF2 Refer To My Other Thread	$4.43 PP Refer To My Other Thread	Humble Choice (Jun 2023)
Resident Evil / biohazard HD REMASTER	1.1 TF2	$2.09 PP	-
Resident Evil 0 / biohazard 0 HD Remaster	1.2 TF2	$2.31 PP	-
Resident Evil 5 GOLD Edition	1.5 TF2	$3.0 PP	-
Resident Evil 5	1.0 TF2	$1.95 PP	-
Resident Evil 6	1.4 TF2	$2.78 PP	-
Resident Evil: Revelations 2 Deluxe Edition	2.4 TF2	$4.84 PP	-
Resident Evil: Revelations	1.0 TF2	$1.93 PP	-
Retro Machina	0.5 TF2	$1.01 PP	-
Risen 3 - Complete Edition	1.0 TF2	$2.02 PP	-
Risen	0.6 TF2	$1.25 PP	-
Rising Storm 2: Vietnam	0.7 TF2	$1.33 PP	-
River City Girls	1.4 TF2	$2.83 PP	-
Roboquest	0.5 TF2	$1.05 PP	-
Rollercoaster Tycoon 2: Triple Thrill Pack	1.6 TF2	$3.16 PP	-
Rubber Bandits	0.8 TF2	$1.5 PP	-
Ryse: Son of Rome	1.7 TF2	$3.32 PP	-
SCP: Pandemic	2.4 TF2	$4.85 PP	-
SCUM	3.5 TF2	$6.86 PP	-
SOMA	3.3 TF2	$6.51 PP	-
SONG OF HORROR Complete Edition	1.0 TF2	$1.92 PP	-
STAR WARS® THE FORCE UNLEASHED II	0.9 TF2	$1.69 PP	-
STAR WARS®: Knights of the Old Republic™ II - The Sith Lords™	0.4 TF2	$0.76 PP	-
STAR WARS™: Squadrons	1.6 TF2	$3.14 PP	-
SUPERHOT VR	2.3 TF2	$4.46 PP	-
SUPERHOT	0.8 TF2	$1.57 PP	-
SUPERHOT: MIND CONTROL DELETE	0.5 TF2	$0.98 PP	-
Saint's Row The Third Remastered	2.4 TF2	$4.81 PP	-
Saints Row 2	0.8 TF2	$1.5 PP	-
Saints Row IV Game of the Century Edition	1.3 TF2	$2.6 PP	-
Saints Row IV	1.1 TF2	$2.23 PP	-
Saints Row the Third - The Full Package	1.0 TF2	$1.91 PP	-
Saints Row: The Third	0.7 TF2	$1.46 PP	-
Salt and Sanctuary	1.1 TF2	$2.14 PP	-
Sanctum 2	0.5 TF2	$1.05 PP	-
Satisfactory	6.8 TF2	$13.49 PP	-
Scarlet Nexus	2.9 TF2	$5.75 PP	-
Scribblenauts Unlimited	0.4 TF2	$0.76 PP	-
Secret Neighbor	0.9 TF2	$1.74 PP	-
Serious Sam 2	0.8 TF2	$1.57 PP	-
Serious Sam 3: BFE	1.0 TF2	$1.95 PP	-
Serious Sam 4	4.7 TF2	$9.3 PP	-
Serious Sam: Siberian Mayhem	2.3 TF2	$4.47 PP	-
Severed Steel	1.7 TF2	$3.46 PP	-
Shadow Man Remastered	1.1 TF2	$2.11 PP	-
Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun	0.4 TF2	$0.85 PP	-
Shadow Warrior 2	0.9 TF2	$1.74 PP	-
Shadow of the Tomb Raider	3.1 TF2	$6.15 PP	-
Shenmue 3	1.3 TF2	$2.55 PP	-
Shenmue I & II	1.3 TF2	$2.55 PP	-
Shining Resonance Refrain	0.4 TF2	$0.81 PP	-
Sid Meier's Civilization V	0.6 TF2	$1.25 PP	-
Sid Meier's Civilization VI : Platinum Edition	3.1 TF2	$6.22 PP	-
Sid Meier's Civilization VI	0.7 TF2	$1.43 PP	-
Sid Meier's Civilization® V: The Complete Edition	1.9 TF2	$3.71 PP	-
Sid Meiers Civilization IV: The Complete Edition	0.8 TF2	$1.5 PP	-
Siege of Centauri	0.6 TF2	$1.15 PP	-
SimCasino	1.3 TF2	$2.54 PP	-
SimplePlanes	2.0 TF2	$3.89 PP	-
Skullgirls 2nd Encore	1.8 TF2	$3.62 PP	-
Slap City	1.1 TF2	$2.23 PP	-
Slay the Spire	3.1 TF2	$6.22 PP	-
Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition	0.9 TF2	$1.81 PP	-
Slime Rancher	1.9 TF2	$3.8 PP	-
Sniper Elite 3	0.9 TF2	$1.87 PP	-
Sniper Elite 4	1.4 TF2	$2.69 PP	-
Sniper Elite V2 Remastered	1.4 TF2	$2.86 PP	-
Sniper Elite V2	1.0 TF2	$2.0 PP	-
Sniper Ghost Warrior 3	0.8 TF2	$1.58 PP	-
Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts	0.9 TF2	$1.85 PP	-
Sonic Adventure DX	0.7 TF2	$1.39 PP	-
Sonic Adventure™ 2	1.5 TF2	$2.91 PP	-
Sonic Mania	1.5 TF2	$3.06 PP	-
Soul Calibur VI	1.6 TF2	$3.2 PP	-
Source of Madness	0.6 TF2	$1.12 PP	-
Space Engineers	2.6 TF2	$5.24 PP	-
Space Haven	0.6 TF2	$1.13 PP	-
Spec Ops: The Line	0.9 TF2	$1.79 PP	-
SpeedRunners	0.5 TF2	$1.02 PP	-
Spelunky	1.1 TF2	$2.22 PP	-
Spirit Of The Island	1.5 TF2	$2.88 PP	-
SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom - Rehydrated	1.1 TF2	$2.13 PP	-
Spyro™ Reignited Trilogy	4.8 TF2	$9.55 PP	-
Star Renegades	2.9 TF2	$5.82 PP	-
Star Trek: Bridge Crew	4.3 TF2	$8.55 PP	-
Star Wars: Battlefront 2 (Classic, 2005)	0.4 TF2	$0.84 PP	-
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic	0.4 TF2	$0.76 PP	-
Star Wars® Empire at War™: Gold Pack	1.1 TF2	$2.15 PP	-
Star Wars®: Jedi Knight®: Jedi Academy™	0.4 TF2	$0.73 PP	-
Starbound	1.4 TF2	$2.83 PP	-
State of Decay 2: Juggernaut Edition	3.1 TF2	$6.21 PP	-
Staxel	0.6 TF2	$1.11 PP	-
SteamWorld Quest: Hand of Gilgamech	0.5 TF2	$1.06 PP	-
Steel Division: Normandy 44	2.2 TF2	$4.36 PP	-
Stellaris Galaxy Edition	4.9 TF2	$9.61 PP	-
Stellaris	4.1 TF2	$8.07 PP	-
Stellaris: Lithoids Species Pack	1.0 TF2	$1.95 PP	-
Stick Fight: The Game	0.6 TF2	$1.27 PP	-
Strange Brigade	0.5 TF2	$0.9 PP	-
Strategic Command WWII: World at War	2.1 TF2	$4.21 PP	-
Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection	2.4 TF2	$4.77 PP	-
Stronghold 2: Steam Edition	1.9 TF2	$3.73 PP	-
Stronghold Crusader 2	1.0 TF2	$1.89 PP	-
Stronghold Crusader HD	0.6 TF2	$1.16 PP	-
Stronghold Legends: Steam Edition	0.9 TF2	$1.74 PP	-
Styx: Shards Of Darkness	0.9 TF2	$1.74 PP	-
Subnautica	3.5 TF2	$7.0 PP	-
Summer in Mara	0.5 TF2	$1.04 PP	-
Sunless Sea	0.9 TF2	$1.85 PP	-
Sunless Skies	1.1 TF2	$2.18 PP	-
Sunset Overdrive	1.8 TF2	$3.56 PP	-
Super Meat Boy	0.5 TF2	$1.07 PP	-
Superliminal	2.0 TF2	$3.88 PP	-
Supraland Six Inches Under	1.1 TF2	$2.23 PP	-
Supreme Commander 2	0.8 TF2	$1.58 PP	-
Surgeon Simulator: Experience Reality	1.7 TF2	$3.44 PP	-
Survive the Nights	0.8 TF2	$1.63 PP	-
Surviving the Aftermath	0.7 TF2	$1.4 PP	-
Sword Art Online Fatal Bullet - Complete Edition	3.2 TF2	$6.32 PP	-
Sword Art Online Hollow Realization Deluxe Edition	1.5 TF2	$2.97 PP	-
Syberia: The World Before	1.1 TF2	$2.25 PP	-
Synth Riders	3.5 TF2	$6.87 PP	-
TEKKEN 7	1.4 TF2	$2.74 PP	-
TT Isle of Man Ride on the Edge 2	1.7 TF2	$3.38 PP	-
Tales from the Borderlands	3.8 TF2	$7.49 PP	-
Tales of Berseria	1.1 TF2	$2.09 PP	-
Talisman: Digital Edition	0.4 TF2	$0.87 PP	-
Tank Mechanic Simulator	1.1 TF2	$2.14 PP	-
Telltale Batman Shadows Edition	1.4 TF2	$2.83 PP	-
Terraforming Mars	0.6 TF2	$1.28 PP	-
Terraria	2.2 TF2	$4.31 PP	-
The Ascent	1.1 TF2	$2.1 PP	-
The Battle of Polytopia	0.5 TF2	$0.9 PP	-
The Beast Inside	0.4 TF2	$0.76 PP	-
The Blackout Club	0.6 TF2	$1.11 PP	-
The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope	2.1 TF2	$4.21 PP	-
The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan	2.2 TF2	$4.37 PP	-
The Darkness II	0.6 TF2	$1.09 PP	-
The Dungeon Of Naheulbeuk: The Amulet Of Chaos	0.8 TF2	$1.5 PP	-
The Escapists 2	1.0 TF2	$1.97 PP	-
The Escapists	0.5 TF2	$1.08 PP	-
The Henry Stickmin Collection	0.7 TF2	$1.43 PP	-
The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing Final Cut	1.3 TF2	$2.64 PP	-
The Intruder	2.1 TF2	$4.23 PP	-
The Jackbox Party Pack 2	2.0 TF2	$3.96 PP	-
The Jackbox Party Pack 3	2.8 TF2	$5.62 PP	-
The Jackbox Party Pack 4	2.1 TF2	$4.07 PP	-
The Jackbox Party Pack 5	3.1 TF2	$6.06 PP	-
The Jackbox Party Pack	1.1 TF2	$2.14 PP	-
The LEGO Movie 2 Videogame	0.4 TF2	$0.79 PP	-
The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky	1.6 TF2	$3.23 PP	-
The Long Dark	2.6 TF2	$5.21 PP	-
The Long Dark: Survival Edition	0.5 TF2	$0.9 PP	-
The Mortuary Assistant	2.4 TF2	$4.77 PP	-
The Red Solstice 2: Survivors	0.4 TF2	$0.78 PP	-
The Surge 2	0.9 TF2	$1.78 PP	-
The Survivalists	0.8 TF2	$1.53 PP	-
The Talos Principle	1.5 TF2	$2.97 PP	-
The Walking Dead: The Final Season	0.7 TF2	$1.43 PP	-
The Walking Dead: The Telltale Definitive Series	2.4 TF2	$4.75 PP	-
The Witness	3.9 TF2	$7.67 PP	-
The Wolf Among Us	1.2 TF2	$2.42 PP	-
This Is the Police	0.5 TF2	$1.01 PP	-
This War of Mine: Complete Edition	0.7 TF2	$1.41 PP	-
Titan Quest Anniversary Edition	0.6 TF2	$1.16 PP	-
Tomb Raider	1.5 TF2	$2.88 PP	-
Torchlight II	0.7 TF2	$1.38 PP	-
Total Tank Simulator	0.5 TF2	$0.95 PP	-
Total War Shogun 2 Collection	1.7 TF2	$3.46 PP	-
Total War: ATTILA	2.7 TF2	$5.34 PP	-
Total War: Empire - Definitive Edition	1.8 TF2	$3.54 PP	-
Total War: Napoleon - Definitive Edition	1.8 TF2	$3.56 PP	-
Total War: Rome II - Emperor Edition	2.7 TF2	$5.38 PP	-
Total War™: WARHAMMER®	2.9 TF2	$5.76 PP	-
Totally Accurate Battle Simulator	2.8 TF2	$5.56 PP	-
Totally Reliable Delivery Service	0.6 TF2	$1.23 PP	-
Tour de France 2020	0.6 TF2	$1.13 PP	-
Townscaper	0.6 TF2	$1.19 PP	-
Trailmakers Deluxe Edition	1.4 TF2	$2.74 PP	-
Train Simulator Classic	0.8 TF2	$1.58 PP	-
Tribes of Midgard	0.8 TF2	$1.53 PP	-
Tricky Towers	2.0 TF2	$4.0 PP	-
Trine 2: Complete Story	1.2 TF2	$2.28 PP	-
Trine 4: The Nightmare Prince	1.2 TF2	$2.37 PP	-
Trine Ultimate Collection	5.1 TF2	$10.15 PP	-
Tropico 5 – Complete Collection	0.8 TF2	$1.59 PP	-
Tropico 6 El-Prez Edition	2.3 TF2	$4.54 PP	-
Tropico 6	2.3 TF2	$4.47 PP	-
Turmoil	0.5 TF2	$0.96 PP	-
Turok	0.4 TF2	$0.75 PP	-
Tyranny - Gold Edition	0.7 TF2	$1.36 PP	-
Ultimate Chicken Horse	1.8 TF2	$3.56 PP	-
Ultimate Fishing Simulator	0.5 TF2	$0.91 PP	-
Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3	1.8 TF2	$3.59 PP	-
Ultra Street Fighter IV	0.6 TF2	$1.11 PP	-
Undertale	2.1 TF2	$4.2 PP	-
Universe Sandbox	4.8 TF2	$9.41 PP	-
Unrailed!	1.6 TF2	$3.07 PP	-
Until You Fall	0.7 TF2	$1.39 PP	-
VTOL VR	6.4 TF2	$12.66 PP	-
Vacation Simulator	5.2 TF2	$10.21 PP	-
Vagante	0.7 TF2	$1.33 PP	-
Valkyria Chronicles 4 Complete Edition	1.9 TF2	$3.76 PP	-
Valkyria Chronicles™	1.0 TF2	$1.97 PP	-
Vampyr	2.2 TF2	$4.34 PP	-
Verdun	0.4 TF2	$0.72 PP	-
Vertigo Remastered	0.4 TF2	$0.8 PP	-
Visage	2.9 TF2	$5.83 PP	-
Viscera Cleanup Detail	2.0 TF2	$4.05 PP	-
Void Bastards	0.7 TF2	$1.32 PP	-
Volcanoids	1.4 TF2	$2.82 PP	-
Vox Machinae	3.4 TF2	$6.7 PP	-
Wargame: Red Dragon	5.2 TF2	$10.22 PP	-
Wargroove	0.5 TF2	$0.91 PP	-
Warhammer 40,000: Chaos Gate - Daemonhunters	2.0 TF2	$3.89 PP	-
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War - Master Collection	1.5 TF2	$2.91 PP	-
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II - Grand Master Collection	2.3 TF2	$4.56 PP	-
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II: Retribution	0.8 TF2	$1.68 PP	-
Warhammer 40,000: Gladius - Relics of War	0.7 TF2	$1.4 PP	-
Warhammer 40,000: Gladius - Tyranids	1.4 TF2	$2.86 PP	-
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine Collection	3.1 TF2	$6.22 PP	-
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine	1.7 TF2	$3.28 PP	-
Warhammer: Chaosbane - Slayer Edition	0.9 TF2	$1.88 PP	-
Warhammer: End Times - Vermintide Collector's Edition	0.7 TF2	$1.36 PP	-
Warhammer: Vermintide 2 - Collector's Edition	1.6 TF2	$3.15 PP	-
Warhammer: Vermintide 2	0.7 TF2	$1.44 PP	-
Warhammer® 40,000™: Dawn of War® II	0.6 TF2	$1.25 PP	-
Warhammer® 40,000™: Dawn of War® III	1.8 TF2	$3.49 PP	-
Warpips	0.7 TF2	$1.48 PP	-
Wasteland 3	1.3 TF2	$2.6 PP	-
We Happy Few	0.9 TF2	$1.88 PP	-
We Need to Go Deeper	1.4 TF2	$2.87 PP	-
We Were Here Too	1.2 TF2	$2.38 PP	-
White Day : a labyrinth named school	0.6 TF2	$1.24 PP	-
Who's Your Daddy	1.9 TF2	$3.67 PP	-
Wingspan	1.2 TF2	$2.31 PP	-
Winkeltje: The Little Shop	1.1 TF2	$2.08 PP	-
Witch It	4.2 TF2	$8.22 PP	-
Wizard of Legend	1.8 TF2	$3.56 PP	-
World War Z: Aftermath	4.4 TF2	$8.62 PP	-
Worms W.M.D	1.2 TF2	$2.37 PP	-
X4: Foundations	8.3 TF2	$16.49 PP	-
X4: Split Vendetta	1.8 TF2	$3.56 PP	-
XCOM 2 Collection	1.4 TF2	$2.7 PP	-
XCOM 2	0.4 TF2	$0.76 PP	-
XCOM 2: Reinforcement Pack	0.4 TF2	$0.72 PP	-
XCOM: Enemy Unknown Complete Pack	0.8 TF2	$1.6 PP	-
XCOM: Enemy Unknown	0.7 TF2	$1.37 PP	-
XCOM: Ultimate Collection	1.3 TF2	$2.56 PP	-
Yakuza 0	2.4 TF2	$4.76 PP	-
Yakuza 3 Remastered	1.0 TF2	$2.07 PP	-
Yakuza Kiwami 2	4.5 TF2	$8.86 PP	-
Yakuza Kiwami	2.4 TF2	$4.68 PP	-
Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles	1.3 TF2	$2.66 PP	-
YouTubers Life	0.7 TF2	$1.42 PP	-
ZERO Sievert	5.3 TF2	$10.57 PP	-
Zenith MMO	2.2 TF2	$4.32 PP	-
Zero Caliber VR	4.3 TF2	$8.48 PP	-
Zombie Army 4: Dead War	1.8 TF2	$3.64 PP	-
Zombie Army Trilogy	0.5 TF2	$0.97 PP	-
biped	0.8 TF2	$1.61 PP	-
rFactor 2	4.8 TF2	$9.55 PP	-
while True: learn() Chief Technology Officer Edition	0.8 TF2	$1.57 PP	-

 
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