I completed the ammeter to voltmeter conversion yesterday. Advice is spread across forums and videos but sparse on Reddit, so I will share my experience. The total ordeal took about 7 hours after spending several hours researching and making sure I had the right tools. 3 hours to remove the gauge cluster, 1 hour looking at wiring diagrams, and 3 hours for the conversion and reassembly.
Voltmeter: Sunpro CP7985 (use a small flat head screw driver to tediously fold back the black trim/bezel's lip that houses the gauge).
Critical tools that made the job easier: Dremel, step-drill bit, soldering iron, heat gun, wire stripper, circularounded hand file, a long philips-head screw driver.
Disconnect your battery! Also, I already rewired my alternator prior to this conversions, so I will not cover that in this write up.
Removing the gauges: Disconnect the speedometer cable from the speedo-junction box in the engine compartment. This will allow you to pull the speedo cable out from inside the cabin and give you more "play" in pulling the cluster Removing the screws and bolts to pull out the cluster is straight forward, but lowering the steering column helps drastically. There are two "hidden" screws that hold together the upper and lower plastic trim pieces around the column that need to be removed from under the steering column. When all screws/hardware are removed and the cluster is ready to be pulled out, gingerly start pulling out the cluster while disconnecting the electrical connectors from behind the dash. I found the primary, 11-pin circular connector to be the most difficult to remove and required time and patience. It's not bolted or held in by anything - it's just stubborn.
The dumbest/most frustrating part of removing the cluster is the sliding cable mechanism for the environment/heat controls. It's connected to the cluster by a single screw behind the controls and is conveniently placed in the most inconvenient location for a screw driver. Time and patience is all I can really recommend. This is a great time to replace the vacuum hoses for the heater controls if they are worn and cracked.
The Conversion: I only disassembled the ammeter side of the cluster, though many can/will use this opportunity to clean up the entire cluster. I disassembled the cluster until the metal backing plate was fully removed. Use the dremel or similar tool to file/sand down the 6 small metal tabs used to mount the ammeter, or else the voltmeter will sit too far "forward" for the front gauge plate to mount. Use the step-drill bit to drill two 5/16" holes approx. 3/8" below the centerline of the ammeter holes. It's okay if the holes are a bit large - you do not want the threaded studs of the voltmeter to contact the metal backing plate or the reading will be incorrect. Use the circular hand file to file down the ammeter holes in the cardboard circuit board to accommodate the voltmeter. I performed numerous fit checks as I filed down the circuit board and ultimately used the cardboard as the piece to determine the voltmeter's mount location. I liked the hand file over the step-bit for this procedure to greatly minimize the risk of destroying the circuit board connection below the ammeter holes.
Wiring: In the 11-pin circular connector, pin "E" is ignition (for 1978s). I spliced into the ignition wire as my positive voltage source. It's critical to monitor the voltage off the ignition - a voltmeter will monitor volts/draw current constantly if wired directly to the battery and slowly drain your battery overtime. For ground, I spliced into the ground wire coming off the connector off the backside of the oil pressure gauge. Tom 'Oljeep' Collin's webpage was a godsend, https://oljeep.com/gw/elec/GW_wiring.html.
As for the two red and yellow 10-ga wires coming off the ammeter, when I rewired my alternator, I left the red wire hot (connected to the positive starter solenoid terminal but not running an alternator current) and disconnected the yellow wire entirely. Behind the gauge cluster, I used electrical tape and heat shrink to "seal" the connectors used to the attach to the ammeter. The red wire is a hot wire for many components under the dash, so it must be connected to a 12v source. I left the yellow wire under the dash - if needed, I can use it as another hot wire for accessories.
Reassembly: Reverse the disassembly procedure. Again, the heater control wire is the most frustrating part because a screw driver cannot easily reach the screw location. I also used the opportunity with the dash removed to reorient some of the wires to make cluster install/removal easier in the future. Reconnect the speedo cable to the junction box in the engine compartment
I hope this helps. I didn't find this information on Reddit, so I wanted to share my experience. This procedure may vary depending how you rewire your alternator. Some splice the 10-ga red and yellow wires together to maintain the circuit. I rewired my alternator so it goes directly to the battery and no longer sends a charging current through the firewall, so I left the two red and yellow wires disconnected behind the cluster.
Edits: formatting for readability

First, I'd just like to say that this subreddit is really refreshing. It's inspiring and heartwarming to see everyone encouraging one another in this supportive, non-toxic community. I also appreciate anyone who takes the time to share their struggles, because it takes a lot of courage to be vulnerable and raw like that.
Here are some tips on how to believe in yourself that have helped me, and some I added in response to themes I've seen here. Maybe it will help some of you along your journey too.
___________________________
Ten Ways to Believe in Yourself
​
1. Find what makes you special.
Some people think they have no gifts or strengths. I guarantee you this isn’t true. Sometimes you just have to do some soul-searching to find what makes you special. Usually, it’s the things that you are most passionate about and that give you the most joy. And truly, everyone is unique in their own way. There’s not a single person like you. If nothing else, find the beauty in that.
Do you have a role model? Anyone you look up to and admire? What if I told you that you are no less essential than the person you admire? The world needs what you have inside of you. More importantly, YOU need what you have inside of you. It is imperative for you to come alive. Believe this, because it's true.
​
2. Invest in your strengths, not your limitations.
There are always things we can improve upon, things we haven’t developed, and things that don’t come naturally to us that may come naturally to someone else. It’s easy to feel inadequate when we solely focus on the ways in which we feel we fall short. But doing this does not foster self-confidence; it destroys it. It’s all about what you choose to focus on. You can choose to focus on and invest in your perceived limitations, or celebrate and invest in the ways in which you are gifted and strong. Bathe in awe and gratitude for the things you are capable of. Feel how amazing that is. This promotes relaxation and self-love in the body which is a game changer.
Stop setting up limitations for yourself. You are not "too old" or "too young." Says who? It's never too late to bloom. These are arbitrary rules you or society has created and you have fully embraced as true. Maybe out of a fear of starting, but not because they are true. You're the only one who gets to create and decide what limitations you will accept, and which ones you won't. Start viewing yourself as the limitless creator of your reality. If you have a pulse, guess what? You're here for a reason and a purpose.
​
3. Don't judge your success by the external, material world.
Don't look to it as some measure of your worth. Success is not defined by things like money, attention, likes, titles, or social status. These are all illusions. If you are in your element, if you are in a state of flow, doing what you love to do, I guarantee you are making a difference even if you can't readily see it, and this is the true definition of success.
​
4. Do one thing that scares you every day — even if it’s just a little thing.
I don’t mean something reckless, or something that is so terrifying that it will trigger you in an unhealthy way. I mean take a safe, confidence-boosting risk. It doesn’t have to be something huge, it can be something small, even if it’s just building up the courage to try something new. You’ll be amazed by how much conquering your tiny anxieties will build your self-confidence. You’ll see that you’re stronger and more capable than you ever thought you were, because your actions will be the evidence. It’s hard not to believe in yourself when you have hard proof of your bravery. And nothing beats getting to tell yourself “I did that, even though I was scared! I am stronger than my fears!”
​
5. Don’t compare yourself to others, or some imagined, rigid mold you think you're supposed to fit into.
Your best should not be determined by another person’s best. You’re not in competition with anyone else. It’s just you against yourself. One person’s mountain will be another person’s hill. Your success should be defined by how hard something was for you to accomplish, not someone else.
Get rid of this idea that you're supposed to be at a certain place in life by a certain age, or that everyone but you has life all figured out. They don't. We're all just trying our best here to learn and grow and live our lives. There's no list that exists that says you failed in life because you don't know how to do x, y or z yet, or you're lacking in certain experiences. This places way too much unnecessary pressure on yourself. You know the saying, "You are a human being, not a human doing"? It applies here. So start with changing the way your heart beats (the way you feel), and the rest will come naturally.
​
6. Don’t try to be perfect; approach things with an attitude of playfulness.
Perfection is an illusion that doesn’t exist. There is only your best. If you fear starting things because you fear they won’t be good enough, don’t try to be good. Simply try. When you try too hard to be perfect, you rob yourself of the joy that comes from the learning process and even from being messy and making mistakes.
Remember when you were a kid and you didn’t pay one thought to how good something was because you were so lost in the pleasure of play? Return to that state. Do something because it’s a new experience that will teach you something. You don’t become a master of something overnight. The point is to have fun expressing yourself. Life is hard enough as it is without us constantly censoring ourselves. Allow yourself the freedom that comes with raw, uninhibited self-expression.
​
7. Change your perspective on failure.
Now let's talk about the dreaded "f" word: failure. Failure is not a dead end. At least not in the way we think it is. We tend to turn it into one - maybe as another manufactured limitation. Failure is your friend. It is an opportunity and a challenge. It is showing you where you need to adjust and evolve your approach. One person's failure is another person's "aha" moment. Try to view it as a necessary part of the process and journey. Without any obstacles, life wouldn't be much of an adventure anyway, and where would be the fun in that? The best things in life are so satisfying because you earned them through your continual effort. You proved to yourself that you didn't give up despite the setbacks.
​
8. Remind yourself of the times when you doubted yourself and you turned out to be right.
Sometimes our mind has a way of turning against us. When we get stuck on a false belief about ourselves, it’s easy to fall into confirmation bias where we only look for past examples when we trusted ourselves and we turned out being wrong. It’s unlikely that you have been wrong in every scenario. Counter this false belief by looking for the ways in which you have also been right. This will help you build back trust in yourself.
​
9. Surround yourself with people who believe in you.
Maybe it goes without saying, but too many people keep people in their lives who do nothing but constantly tear their self-esteem down, which is not to be confused with friends who offer constructive criticism and accountability. It can make you feel crazy to have someone doubt you constantly, and it’s easy to internalize those voices if you don’t have a strong sense of self yet.
That being said, be mindful of the people who you let influence you. If you can, surround yourself with people who really see you, know your gifts and beauty and can encourage you and remind you of those things when you fail to see them yourself. Other people aren’t meant to replace our own inner voice, but they can help us see ourselves better. People act as mirrors for us in that way.
​
10. Improve your self-talk
Bouncing off the last point here - a lot of us wind up unconsciously internalizing destructive voices early in life -- whether it be a parent, a teacher, a bully or someone else. It can take time to heal from this and retrain the way we talk to ourselves, and you will need to be patient with yourself, but the main point here is that you're basically learning to parent yourself.
Talk to yourself as you would if you were your own child. If you don't like this tone or approach, then talk to yourself as if you were your own friend -- gentle and compassionate. Validate your own feelings. For example, you're having a bad day, and you made a mistake, instead of beating yourself up by calling yourself mean names, you can say something to yourself like, "I see you're having a bad day, and made a mistake. It's because you've been under a lot of pressure lately. It's okay. You need to relax and take a breath."
It might sound simple or silly, but the way you talk to yourself can make all the difference between how you feel about yourself which in turn, can redirect your life.

Yea screw the order, I want to get out opinions on the new stuff first, it's more interesting. So after this one I'll go with energy weapons.
There will be two tiers listed for ships/weapons. The first one always showing how good something is in the hands of AI, the second one being for player control. If there is only one tier, then there isn't a noticeable difference in power between the pilot.
Tiers are relative, meaning something being C tier doesn't mean it's bad. It's simply niche and you can better choices available. There's almost no truly bad ships/weapons in Starsector so it would be boring to have a tier list consisting of maybe 3 tiers.

• Capital ship tier list

-----SMALL-----
Annihilator Rocket Launcher: B- / B
HE pressure weapon, fires in a burst of unguided missiles in a spread pattern (like Hammer Barrage) but it has very generous ammo for a small missile. It's nothing flashy and your ships will probably spam them even on targets they cannot hit. And that's good because you don't care too much about missing with 50 rockets and AI is deathly afraid of missiles in general. Compared to something homing and reliable like Harpoons, you can get much more damage out of these, provided you have some luck and your ships use them on slower targets.
Atropos-class Torpedo Rack: A
Only homing torpedo in the game (so beefy missile in translation), you can look at them as a sidegrade of Harpoons with the caveat of being weaker in fleet battle with more ships. Atropos has short range but it is very reliable, decent HE damage but you only get 2 shots. Cheapest reliable HE option tho.
Single variant has... a single missile yea who saw it coming, and it costs only a single ordnance point. Here's my question, if you plan on putting missiles on a ship, why be cheap? Go for the premium package. With this you get barely anything out of EMR and Missile Spec skill. Missiles are mostly high impact flux free weapons, go big or go home. I'd give this C tier or something idk, it's so fucking cheap, you'll just put anything else if you have it available.
Breach SRM: B
Dedicated anti-armour missile, it deals scripted armour damage that is NOT reduced by armour. Good ammo and OP cost but it is short range and honestly there's not many enemies where you really struggle with armour. For the toughest bricks out there, you'd probably bring a torpedo to do the job, or bombers. That said I still like Breaches since they're reliable and cheap.
Gazer DEM SRM: B+
Pressure kinetic beam missile so it's already niche. Each one fires a Graviton Beam for 10 seconds, and it also has their effect of increasing all damage taken to shields as long as it's firing on the target. Very nice ammo for small mount and it's dependable as it fires from a long range. Where Sabots are fire and forget to kill, here you need to commit and put pressure with your guns. Fun to use, in my opinion a bit situanional to be ranked higher.
Gorgon DEM SRM: A+
Easily spammable, Gorgons are a menace when you have lots of them. Energy burst beam means it even overloads shields quickly if it's a smaller target, and they are truly great for dealing with annoying frigates. 5 OP in a small mounts puts them on the higher end of costs but you get 4 missiles which is nice for ammo perks. Unlike Harpoons, you're going to need help with heavy armour.
Hammer-class Torpedo: A / A+
Guess this one didn't deserve to have a rack in the title, smh broken game. Fast unguided torpedo that you could maybe compare to Atropos. Both are reliable but in their own way, Hammers just fly fast and usually hit the target. And they also cost less OP and deal more damage. Just be careful you don't get in the way of a friendly Hammer cruising by.
Single variant: Same as with Atropos but even worse here, 1 OP gets you 1 torpedo, and the standard version also has the 1:1 ratio but that can actually benefit from ammo increasing perks. Stinky D tier.
Harpoon MRM: A+
If you're not sure what to exactly put in those small missile mounts, slap these on, you can never go wrong. HE homing finishers that actually have good range, they make sure that anything that's high on flux on overloaded gets bombarded with these from every ship having them. Fast frigates can avoid them without ECCM but other than that it's fantastic. There's a reason a bomber with Harpoons doesn't exist.
Double variant: Ehh it's not too bad but the refire delay is bullshit, the whole point is to unload these to finish a key target. Maybe if you have a ship with dozen of small mounts and you're reaaally hurting for OP. C+ tier since they're only 2 OP.
Reaper-class Torpedo: B / S-
4000 HE damage is all you need to crack the big boy armour ships. You only get a single Reaper for 2 OP so make it count. They are slower than Hammers but have more hitpoints, which is why AI won't always hit the mark. If we're being honest a single torpedo on a mount is nothing special even for a Reaper, but you can't deny its ability to vaporize enemies.
Sabot SRM: A+ / S+
Everything you ever wanted from a close range kinetic missile. Burst damage, avoids PD most of the time, EMP damage on hull. You get hit on shields, you're fucked, you get hit on hull, you're fucked. This is folks a very sexually active missile. The only complaint I have for them is that AI might not use them at the best time (opener) and sometimes saves them for panic moments. For player use though, absolute mastercpiece.
Double variant: Same as Harpoon double.
Salamander MRM: C
Rectal seeking missiles, Salamnders have a single job, disabling the engines. Their EMP damage might disable some weapons, but they target exclusively the back of ships. 5 OP but unlimited ammo on a cooldown. Honestly not really impactful for player fleet. Good PD or omni shields shut them down easily, you'll only have amazing moments here and there. But it is the most annoying thing on existence on the emeny side if you happen to pilot a ship vulnerable to them.
Swarmer SRM Launcher: A-
I feel like Swarmers are massively underrated, nobody talks about them. But this is how you make your ships immune to fighters and fragile frigates. Ton of ammo, cheap cost, excellent tracking and low cooldown. Only thing they don't do is damage anything bigger than your average frigate, and that's fine. They do their job really well. I'd put them even higher if they could handle Broadswords a bit better.
-----MEDIUM-----
Annihilator Rocket Pod: A / A+
Completely different from the small version, this one fires a stream of constant rockets, which is excellent HE pressure where enemies can't afford to lower their shields for long. Pairs great with low tech ships which have a couple of medium missile mounts. Biggest drawback here is ammo, you spend 100 rockets faster than you think. AI will fire them constantly which isn't horrible, but you really need EMR. It's also one of the few cases where the elite effect on a skill can screw you up. Elite Missile spec gives +50% fire rate, you really don't want that with medium Annihilators.
Breach SRM Pod: B
Pretty much the same as the small version, just fires 5 instead of 3 missiles per shot. It has more competition now but it also beats the competiition in the ammo department.
Dragonfire DEM Torpedo: D+
With a name like this one would think it's busted. No, not even close. Dragonfires are in a nutshell, energy Reapers that are "homing". By homing I mean it functions as other DEM beam missiles, while Dragonfire also have a aiming time. They fly very slowly, do their aiming laser thing, and then fire. In big fights the missile gets killed by something random most of the time. And even if it fires, most ships can move out of the beam. And if they somehow perfectly hit a ship, that's soft flux damage, unless the ship is sitting there with the pants down, but then you can just use Reapers. Which is why I won't even put a player piloting tier here, just use normal torpedoes on your flagship. Oh almost forgot the worst part, this has 2 ammo. 2 ammo for 12 OP! Insane. With all ammo boosting perks it just has enough ammo as a Typhoon Reaper out of the box. This needs a buff so it's not a meme anymore.
Gazer SRM Pod: B+
Same as small Gazers, plenty of ammo here too, it fires 2 Gazers per volley. Still niche for ships that are too slow for Sabots or really want to have this for some fleet synergy.
Gorgon SRM Pod: C-
Where the fuck did it go so wrong? For some reason it has the same ammo as Harpoons, fires 2 Gorgons per shot and has a long cooldown... The very missile that is great for bursting down, needs to wait 10 seconds to fire again. Just mount small ones and install EMR. If you want homing damage in a medium, other options are better.
Harpoon MRM Pod: B
Not a fan of them firing 4 missiles per volley, but hey it's Harpoons at the end of the day, can't be bad. It just runs out too fast without ammo perks so I have to rank it lower than the small ones. And what happens often, 4 Harpoons just overkill the target.
Jackhammer: C / C+
Would be a better pick if it weren't for Typhoons. Firing 3 torpedoes at once, with 6 ammo doesn't give you much possibilities in a fight. Very cheap though, but as I have said already, you shouldn't save on missiles if you plan of using them (unless there isn't a better version of what you want). Due to how armour works in the game, I'm almost positive that a single Reaper does more damage in the end than 3 Hammers. 4000 vs 4500 damage which is split between 3 sources.
Pilum LRM Launcher: C
Let me be clear, these are in no way bad, they just aren't flashy and their impact isn't immediate. Pilums have infinite ammo but regenerate slowly over time, so you can "spend" them, the DPS just gets lower then. Longest ranged weapon in the game, they're THE support weapon from other side of the map, they pressure targets by dealing EMP damage through shields when the enemy's flux is high. Other than that it's fragmentation damage which won't do much to both shields and armour. 7 OP for a medium missile is cheap, especially unlimited one. They have their place in the game, I just don't use them much, maybe on some carrier that is waaay behind the frontlines.
Proximity Charge Launcher: A+ / S
Chonky Annihilators is what best describes this thing. Another HE pressure weapon, albeit having shorter range than Annihilators. But the bombs explode in AOE, killing fighters along the way. Also excellent against ships, only downside is their slow travel speed. And as with Annihilators, you run out of ammo pretty fast without ammo perks. 12 OP is expensive but it's worth it.
Sabot SRM Pod: A+ / S+
Everything I said about Sabots applies here as well. Fires 2 per volley and has 12 ammo so a bit more sustain than small ones.
Salamander MRM Pod: D-
Outside of meme builds, no one uses these. Salamanders are already pretty binary, either they reach engines, or they don't. You're paying double the cost in OP for having 1 Salamander more in a volley. Maybe there are some fights in the game where this is useful, but I haven't seen that yet. You can spend your points on better stuff that always works.
Typhoon Reaper Launcher: A / S+
I thought these were great before, but Alex said "more ammo" for some reason. So 6 Reapers for 10 OP. Not much to say here, monsters on flagships. And AI can blunder one time more than before. Ships that have 3-4 of these will put the fear of god in you.
-----LARGE-----
Cyclone Reaper Launcher: A / S+
Even better than in previous patch, Cyclones are the ultimate dumb fire torpedoes. If your ship has forward facing large missile mounts, and has a mobility system or is fast, put these on. They almost don't need EMR with 20 shots. Beautiful things.
Dragonfire Torpedo Pod: D+
Well 5 ammo is an improvement, but not by much, most expensive missile in the game and has this much ammo. Reliability is the same as medium version, nonexistent. And for some dumb reason, large version has a 14 second cooldown. WHY??
Hammer Barrage: A- / S-
Cyclones with better DPS but they last for far less. 20 torpedoes and each volley fires 4, in a spread. Nice for big chunky targets but I prefer Cyclones now.
Hurricane MIRV Launcher: B- / B+
Poor Hurricane being nerfed so many times, it's still not bad, but far from the original powerhouse. Fires a single missile that splits into 7 smaller payloads which once they spawn, they lose the homing property of the original missile. Great range but AI tends to fire these willy nilly into smaller ships. It's funny to spam from a mile away along with Squalls.
Hydra MDEM Launcher: D
Mom: "We have Locusts at home" the missile. Somehow the Gorgon family just keeps getting shittier through the mount upgrades. Hydras like Hurricane MIRV have a single big missile that splits, this time into 6 (basically Gorgons). BUT 3 go to the left side of a ship and 3 to the right. As to flank it. Here's the obvious stinky thing, you don't want your damage split, unless you're playing a completionist minigame by stripping every single pixel of armour. It's nice for smaller targets and ships with narrow shields but very unremarkable otherwise. 15 ammo is nice tho. I don't even know how to go along fixing it, it's just way too meh, and Locusts are better versus small ships.
Locust SRM Launcher: S+
My favourite large missile, Locusts are going to eliminate every fighter and frigate you see on the screen. You don't need EMR, ECCM or even Missile spec. I mean it's even better with those but you get my point. Out of the box, cheap large missile that's incredibly reliable. Fires 40 fragmentation missiles that will automatically home in on nearest fightefrigate. And even with bigger ships that have their armour destroyed, this thing can eat through the hull. Many other large missiles got nerfed, but my boy is still staying strong. Of course you still need something to fight capitals and stations but this thing has you covered in every other area.
Pilum LRM Catapult: C+
Same as medium but double the cost, double the missiles fired, double the fun. Actually it's even better than that with better reload times, meaning DPS is higher than 2x of the medium version. The problem is still that you have better more impactful options. Yet I won't deny the fun of spamming the whole screen with these. Nice to keep the enemy busy with their PD and shields.
Squall MLRS: S
Still great, what a shocker I know. Lost EMP component, lost most of the damage on hull. But who cares, damage versus shields is the same, and that's the important part. Squall is a pressure kinetic missile that has 2500 range. So even before your enemies get in gun range, they have hard flux buildup. They have a lot of HP per missile so the PD can't even stop them. Faster ships can dodge the barrage, though that's a very minor downside to this MVP. Almost every enemy in the game has a shield you need to get through, Squalls will always have a place in your fleet. Until Alex decides one day to make the most bullshit end game enemy with only armour and phase ability.

• If I missed something or made a typo, let me know. I can still edit the tiers in case I made a severe and continuous lapse of my judgment.

EDUCATION & CERTIFICATIONS
CompTIA CSIS (Secure Infrastructure Specialist) COMPTIA 2023-2026
CompTIA Security + Certification COMPTIA 2023-2026
CompTIA Network + Certification COMPTIA 2023-2026
CompTIA A+ Certification COMPTIA 2023-2026
Associate Degree of Applied Science in Cybersecurity School 2019
IT SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE SUMMARY
Company Name
 Supporting 900+ users via tickets, phone calls, emails, and a chat system.
 Supporting Windows 7/10/11, MacOS, IOS, iPadOS, Android in an enterprise environment.
 Working through ticketing systems such as JIRA and ServiceDesk.
 Tier 1-2 desktop and application support/troubleshooting onsite and remote.
 Performing IMACD for new hires, resignations, and terminations.
o Imaging using SCCM via PXE boot.
 Managing assets via Ivanti Endpoint Management Administrator.
 Using Active Directory/Active Roles to manage User Accounts, Security Groups, Permissions, and OU’s.
 Managing/Troubleshooting MFA applications (DUO Mobile, Microsoft Authenticator).
 Troubleshooting network issues (DHCP, DNS, TCP/IP, VLAN/Subnet, Cisco Meraki routers and Cisco Catalyst switches, Layer 7 Firewalls).
 Configuring/Troubleshooting Printers. (HP LaserJet’s, Zebra Label Printers, Xerox WorkCentre’s).
 Configuring/Troubleshooting Computer hardware and Peripherals.
 Working in Microsoft O365 Admin Portal and Microsoft Exchange Admin Portal.
o Creating/Licensing Users, Adding users to mailbox distribution groups.
 Troubleshooting O365/M365 applications (Outlook, Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Teams).
 RingCentral Administrator (VoIP/Desk phone Application).
 Nice InContact CXone Administrator (Softphone application).
 Provisioning VoIP Phones (Polycom).
 Microsoft Great Plains User Account Admin.
 Executing SQL queries to locate data within SQL databases.
 Working with RDP and Virtual Machines (VMWare/Hyper-V/Oracle).
Managing/Working through IT Projects:
o Domain Migration- Domain swapping 200 users over to a new domain and troubleshooting the issues that came along with it.
o RingCentral Migration Project- Swapping VoIP phones from the Momentum application over to the RingCentral Application. Working through provisioning the phones and building the user accounts.
o Site upgrades – Ordering new equipment to configure and install for different sites. Coordinating with others to meet a deadlines.
Skills/Intangibles
 Multitasking
 Meeting deadlines
 Self-taught  Managing others
 Working remotely
 Cool under pressure
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
IT Specialist 1 3/1/2021-Present
Service Desk Analyst 1 9/28/2020-3/1/2021
Technical Support Specialist 2/17/2020-9/24/2020
Kitchen ManageHead Cook 6/13/2016-2/9/2020

So you want to learn how to play Nature's Prophet hard support?

With 1,6% pickrate in the Immortal bracket and 40.9% winrate. You must be crazy to think this is even a thing…or are you??
When patch 7.33 came in, I thought Prophet would be insane. I mean, really, now? 40% bigger map and global presence ain’t going to be strong? But as it turned out..it was not.
If you are a support player, you probably learned the hard way that in 7.33, experience was a luxury.

Now, Valve invented something insane in the last patch.

They added more objectives other than Roshan, like Wisdom runes and Tormentors. But for such a huge map, the lack of sentries and observers turned all of us into a non stop 5manning.
If you’ve seen this video on how to play support in 7.33 you probably know what I am talking about.

So, in reality, more objectives=less objectives.

Everyone is grouping up and 5manning. And then 7.33c came….And I saw this…
Wisdom runes in 7.33c give double the experience to your team
So I started playing Prophet support with only 1 game plan. Steal the enemy wisdom rune not only at 7 minutes in but every single one of them, and play around with this 5-man idea by buying all the needed auras depending on the game.
Sound pretty stupid. In fact, it is pretty stupid.

Currently, I am 10-6 with a 62,50% winrate with prophet hard support/support.

The games were played in the 8k bracket in the Europe region. Honestly speaking, it could be higher, but I am not the greatest NP player... at least for now.

In this video, we will go through.

1. Starting items
2. Laning Stage
3. Skill build
4. Gameplan
5. Mid-game Itemization
6. Friends & Foes

Oh wait! This only works only for you because you are "higher" rank player and players play better up overall.

Well…NO!

In fact, I could be better at the hero overall. The last time I played prophet was when I was ancient, back in 2019, and I was trying to snipe couriers.

Yes, I was THAT guy.

As a result, if I can pull it off versus the "higher-rank" players, you can also do that.
Before we start the video, I need to say that you need two requirements to play the hero:
1) Low level of micro
2) No skill
If you fulfill the above requirements, get prepared to learn how to play prophet support.

1) Starting items

Prophet is a right-click-dependent hero in the lane. I suggest picking up a blight stone, a sentry, a grenade, x3 tangos and filling up the rest with stats or faerie fire. Even if you play versus some kind of spammy hero like a Skywrath mage, I suggest you start with blight stone and bring the stick right after.
Exceptions for a stick are heroes like Bristleback (super spammy lane)

2) Laning Stage

Laning stage as Nature’s prophet is super simple. Here’s what you need to do, and this is the most important thing. You might need a bit of micro for that, but the more you play, the better you’ll become
Step 1: Summon treants
Step 2: Hit enemy heroes while treants are in front of you. Be really careful not to overfeed treants or position your hero wrongly. We are not as tanky as we would love early on
Step 3: Repeat. The idea is to push them back and slowly win the regen war by out-trading them.
Nature’s prophet is a great hero in the laning stage to push enemies back effortlessly and pick up the lotus that will give our lane extra consumables to apply the pressure. I really want to emphasize that for us to pull a Nature’s prophet, we need to deliver a solid laning stage.
While in the laning stage, you will get teleportation level 2.
Now teleportation, on level 1, has 36 damage on the first hit, 30 on the second, and 24 on the third. While the numbers are not great, having that much damage for 2-3, right-click means you can connect anywhere on the map, even early on secure the kill(midlane pre runes, is usually a good place to search early on)Get back to your lane by using scroll

3) Skill build

• Level 1, you will always get Treants not only to harass enemies but also to scout wards and enemy map movements.
• Level 2, we go Teleportation, it is too good of a spell. Early damage and being able to connect wherever we want are key early on.
• Level 3, you can go both treants or sprout. I usually go treants, but if I see an enemy mid-laner with no quelling blade or he is an overall low HP, I will definitely consider taking Sprout to make a potential move.
• Level 4, Sprout/treants
• Level 5 Treants
• Level 6 Ultimate
• And on Levels, and 7,8,9, we go for teleportation. An extra treant will not make the difference, but less CD on our ability to connect with our team is essential.

Talents:

• Level 10 (or 11): +30 Wrath of Nature’s Base damage
• Level 15: +5 Treants Summoned
• Level 20: Sprout leashes (if you play versus Spirits or mobile heroes). If you play vs a Dusa or a really static hero, a 100% miss chance is really reasonable
• Level 25: 2,5x Treant HP/DMG

4) Mid-game plan

Mid-game as Prophet starts really early on, even from 5 minutes. So the first idea is to see the situation in the mid-lane or the offlane. If it is going well, you should connect with him, your treants, and the catapult and try to take down the tower. The blight stone will also contribute a lot to this attempt.
Regardless if you succeed or not, it is super important to steal the enemy wisdom rune at 7 minutes in. Usually, players are not there at exactly 07:00.
The plan is to TP at 06:57, pick up the wisdom rune, then teleport to your offlane T2 to pick up the other rune. This will lead to a huge XP difference between the 2 teams and might even give you level 6. If not, connect with your team and try to siege a tower while trying to get your level 6.If nothing happens, retreat to the jungle, try to pick up some jungle items for your team, and always be ready to connect in case of an emergency.
In the mid-game, you always play around 5manning. You can TP to the enemy jungle and place some vision so you will see where enemies are and try to snipe them.
The way I think of Nature's prophet is more or less like my beloved Chen. A find Prophet slighlty better due to his global pressence, his global abilities (a fast level 6, can provide many kills early on) and the ability to pressure more early on as well as slighlty more gold than a Chen

5)Itemization

• I have had great success getting Solar Crest straight up into mek. Solar Crest is a great item, but I would only buy it to boost a hero. For example, if I have heroes like TB, Alchemist, Bloodseeker, etc., heroes that either gather all the gold and if they get to die, we lose or simply manfight a lot (Bloodseeker), and they need a boost.
• So, if I play versus a lot of AoE damage, magical like Dark Seer, void spirit, storm, Puck, or Qop, I will get Mek into Pipe.
• I really need to add that the hero, though, is SUPER versatile, and you should approach the hero in reality like…Chen. Exactly
• So, if you play versus an annoying hero like Windranger (which is meta), it’s really reasonable to buy items like Atos (second item) or items like Halberd.

Overall, you could use Mek, Drums, Solar Crest, Crimson Guard, Pipe, Atos, Halberd and a good alternative to help you with team fights in Aghs! Nature’s prophet shard is really nice if you can get to pick it up for free, as the slow on the opponents is pretty annoying.
Lastly, never buy boots UNLESS you aim for Guardian Greeve’s or Boots of Bearing, and even then, pick it up lastly.

6) Friends & Foes

Overall, unlike Nature's Prophet core, you don’t have many mid-game “bad” matchups, but you really have a lot in the laning stage matchups.
For example, NP core has many "bad" matchups like Storm, Bounty, Spirit Breaker, and overall anything that can mess up with him globally when he tries to splitpushNature’s prophet has a hard time versus high armor heroes like Bounty Hunter or Legion commander where his Overwhelming odds get to deal more damage due to the extra treants.
In the mid-game, Spirit Breaker and Bounty Hunter are annoying, but I would not call them counters as support mainly because the amount of sustain we provide easily overlaps their damage. We focus primarily on grouping up rather than splitpushing
And this is where the guide comes to an end. I understand that people might be negative about that, and this is the reason why I played that many games. I felt 16 games, on my bracket with a hero I have no experty would be a good sample to see if it's even a thing,
Feel free to comment on the video.
I would be more than happy to answer any questions and explain everything in-depth in cases needed.
You can watch the full video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cs42K-Zw2kQ&ab_channel=DotaRollerCoaster.
​
Looking forward to questions and discussion!

Electrical Control and Instrumentation

Electrical Control and Instrumentation (EC&I) play a crucial role in various industries, including manufacturing, power generation, oil and gas, and automation. It involves the design, installation, maintenance, and troubleshooting of electrical systems and instruments that monitor and control industrial processes. Here are some key aspects related to electrical control and instrumentation:

1. Control Systems: EC&I professionals are responsible for designing and implementing control systems that regulate and optimize industrial processes. This includes Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs), Distributed Control Systems (DCS), Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems, and various other control devices.
   
2. Instrumentation: In EC&I, instrumentation refers to the measurement and monitoring of process variables such as temperature, pressure, flow rate, level, and pH. Instruments like sensors, transmitters, actuators, and control valves are used to collect data and provide feedback for efficient process control.
   
3. Electrical Power Distribution: EC&I experts ensure reliable and safe electrical power distribution throughout industrial facilities. This involves designing electrical panels, switchgear, transformers, and protective devices to manage power supply, protect equipment, and prevent electrical hazards.
   
4. Wiring and Cabling: Proper wiring and cabling are critical for the functioning of control and instrumentation systems. EC&I professionals handle the routing, connection, and termination of cables, ensuring compliance with industry standards and regulations.
   
5. Troubleshooting and Maintenance: EC&I personnel are skilled in diagnosing and resolving issues related to control systems, instruments, and electrical equipment. They perform routine maintenance, calibrations, and inspections to ensure optimal performance and prevent downtime.
   
6. Safety and Compliance: EC&I practitioners adhere to safety protocols and regulations to ensure the protection of personnel, equipment, and the environment. They conduct risk assessments, implement safety systems, and follow industry standards such as the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and the National Electrical Code (NEC).
   
7. Process Optimization: EC&I professionals work closely with process engineers to optimize industrial operations. By analyzing data from control systems and instruments, they identify areas for improvement, implement control strategies, and enhance efficiency, productivity, and quality.
   
8. Integration of Automation: With the rise of Industry 4.0, EC&I experts are involved in the integration of automation technologies, including robotics, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. They collaborate with automation engineers to develop smart systems that enhance productivity and enable predictive maintenance.
   
9. Energy Efficiency: EC&I plays a vital role in achieving energy efficiency goals. Professionals in this field identify energy-intensive processes, implement energy management systems, and optimize control strategies to reduce energy consumption and minimize environmental impact.
   
10. Regulatory Compliance: EC&I practitioners stay updated with industry regulations, standards, and best practices. They ensure that control systems, instrumentation, and electrical installations meet legal requirements, industry guidelines, and customer specifications.
    

In summary, electrical control and instrumentation encompass the design, installation, maintenance, and optimization of control systems, instruments, and electrical infrastructure in various industrial settings. EC&I professionals contribute to the efficient and safe operation of processes while striving for continuous improvement and compliance with industry standards.

What is the cause of Schefflera dropping leaves , and how can we fix this problem? Dropping leaves of any plant, especially Schefflera, is the result of stress on the plant, which is caused by improperly keeping and growing the plant at home. Schefflera is one of the best choices for bringing tropical foliage indoors. This resistant and beautiful plant with its umbrella-like leaves can withstand a lot of neglect, but leaf fall is a common thing that unfortunately happens to many of these plants.
Many factors cause the Schefflera dropping leaves, including improper watering, high environmental temperature, low or high environmental humidity, pest infestation of houseplants, and disease of houseplants.
Sometimes, there are situations where you have provided all the conditions for keeping Schefflera at home in an ideal and appropriate way, but you see its Schefflera dropping leaves again; the reason for this is the decision of your plant itself! which prefers to replace its old leaves with young leaves.
In this article from the thehplants website, we will examine all the reasons for the Schefflera dropping leaves and how to treat it, so stay with us until the end of this article.

What is the cause of Schefflera dropping leaves?

Only one reason cannot cause Schefflera dropping leaves. In summary, watering too little or too much, low light, high temperature, repotting, pests, houseplants diseases, incorrect fertilization, low humidity, or a movement to new location can cause the leaves of this plant to fall.
Note that it is normal for Schefflera and other houseplants to drop old leaves. But the constant falling of umbrella plant leaves can not be a good sign, and you should immediately ask yourself why is my umbrella plant dropping leaves? and try to find the cause of the problem and fix it immediately.

1. Does the light cause the leaves of Schefflera to fall?

Schefflera plant is one of the houseplants with good resistance to low light, but it needs indirect sunlight for maximum growth. In a situation where the ambient light for the plant is low, the leaves of the Schefflera plant change shape and fall, and of course, in this case, the color of the leaves will be dark green compared to normal conditions.
On the other hand, too much light in the place where the plant is kept does not cause Schefflera dropping leaves and only causes the leaves to become burnt. As a result, if you suspect that the leaves of your Schefflera plant are falling due to the low light of the plant’s storage environment. Bring the plant closer to the window and provide indirect and appropriate light (indirect light is the light that passes through the window curtain and is provided to the plant).
The process of bringing Schefflera from apartment oxygen plants to the window should be done slowly because changing the location of the plant at high speed will also have its consequences (a distance of one to one and a half meters to the window is suitable).

2. Too much or too little watering causes Schefflera dropping leaves

Watering less than normal and too much has caused the Schefflera plant to be under pressure, resulting in the leaves of the plant falling. The roots of houseplants have the task of delivering water and nutrients to the stem and leaves, and when the amount of watering is too high or too low, this process will face problems.
Schefflera plant always needs moist soil (not waterlogged) and is very resistant to dry soil conditions.
The correct method and time of watering Schefflera are such that the upper half of the soil in the pot is dry at any time. Watering the plant should be done immediately, and on the other hand, when watering the plant, as soon as the excess water comes out of the bottom of the pot, the process of watering the plant should be stopped completely. Avoid collecting water at the bottom of the separate pot.
Schefflera dropping leaves due to over-watering has specific symptoms so that, in this case, the leaves of the plant turn a little black before falling and then falling. As a result, if you are facing this situation, immediately remove the plant from the pot and prune the rotten and infected roots of the plant to their healthy point. And after that, be sure to do the first watering with fungicide. Although it was mentioned that Schefflera is one of the large houseplants, it is resistant to drought conditions, and if the mentioned conditions continue and the amount of watering is very low, the leaves of the plant will fall. As a result, it is recommended to constantly check the humidity of the upper half of the soil and water your plant if necessary to prevent the leaves of the Schefflera plant from falling. In this case, the leaves will wrinkle and then fall off.

3. Does the soil affect the Schefflera dropping leaves?

If the watering you do is correct, but you don’t use the right soil for Schefflera, your plant will fall off its leaves. Compact and heavy soil for the plant is one of the other reasons for Schefflera dropping leaves. Because these types of soils do not work well in aerating and supplying oxygen to the plant roots, they always fill the environment around the roots with irrigation water of houseplants, due to which the root function is disturbed and the plant gets stressed.
The best soil for the Schefflera plant is soil with a lot of perlite or soil suitable for cactus. A little sand should be added at the end of the pot, and then the cactus soil and perlite mixture should be added on top of it. In addition to the proper soil, the pot’s drainage should also be suitable so that the excess water can be removed from under the pot after watering.
It is possible that the texture of the soil has worn out over time and its drainage power has decreased, so it is recommended that if you suspect that this is the cause of the shedding of the leaves of your Schefflera plant, replace the potting soil and ensure the health of your plant again. Be sure to use amino acid for plants watering after changing the soil and pot to reduce tension.
In summary, the soil is an indirect factor in Schefflera dropping leaves. Because the heaviness of the soil causes oxygen not to reach the roots, and you will gradually see them rotting.

4. Effect of temperature on Schefflera dropping leaves

This plant, known from its birthplace, is native to tropical regions and cannot tolerate cold weather at all; when the temperature of the place where the plant is stored is lower than 53 degree Fahrenheit (12 degrees Celsius), the plant will start to drop its leaves. Lowering the temperature will stress the plant. If you live in a cold area where the temperature drops below 53 degree during the cold seasons, move the plant indoors and avoid placing the plant next to the window or the sidewalk. Also, remember that this plant cannot tolerate temperatures above 80 degree Fahrenheit (27 degrees Celsius) well, so increase the amount of watering and the humidity of the environment as the temperature increases. Otherwise, you will see the leaves of the plant falling.
In summary, temperature fluctuations can be one of the main reasons for Schefflera dropping leaves at home.
does Schefflera bloom?

5. The effect of fertilization on Schefflera dropping leaves

Always be careful in fertilizing because too much fertilization can be one of the causes of Schefflera dropping leaves, while low fertilization and lack of nutrients will cause the leaves of the plant to fall. Be sure to read the instructions on the package before fertilizing the plant. If you suspect that the shedding of the leaves of the Schefflera plant is due to excessive fertilizing of the plant, stop fertilizing and be sure to wash the pot in such a way that the soil of the pot is washed with lukewarm water to reduce the amount of harmful salts.
check out the benefits of coffee grounds for houseplants
Now, on the opposite side, there is low fertilization, so every plant needs nutrition in its growing season to produce young leaves and keep the old leaves alive. If the old leaves of your plant are turning yellow and falling, you should know that one of the cases is low fertilization. At least during the plant’s growing season, from early spring to late summer, feed your plant with appropriate fertilizers. Fertilizing with 10-10-10 fertilizers and iron fertilizer can help your plant grow and flourish.
make sure to read nitrogen deficiency in plants as well

6. Sudden changes in the storage environment

Changing the storage conditions at once in any plant will cause its leaves to fall. When you buy the plant and move it home or repot, the plant will be shocked, and this will cause the leaves of your plant to fall. You should reduce the amount of these changes (temperature, light, location) in your plant.

7. The effect of humidity on Schefflera dropping leaves

This plant can easily grow well in normal humidity, between 40 and 60%. If the temperature rises and the humidity doesn’t increase as much, your plant will lose leaves. In these cases, be sure to supply the moisture the plant requires by using a cold misting device, dusting and placing the pot on gravel, and adding water under the pot.

8. repotting and Schefflera dropping leaves

Repotting is also known as a change and shock; if the root of the plant is damaged during the repotting, it can increase the process of leaf fall. Also, choosing a pot that is too big will cause the plant to spend all its energy growing the roots, and the growth of the leaves will decrease, and in some cases, you will see the leaves fall.

Tips you should know about repotting:

• If you need to water more than twice a week, it’s time to repot.
• Do not fertilize the plant for several weeks after planting it in a new pot so that the fresh and tender roots do not burn. Fresh soil usually has sufficient nutrition but use amino acids.
• Schefflera roots can grow out of the soil. Please do not add new soil because it can suffocate the plant.
• It is better to repot the plant during the growing season to give it the necessary time to recover.
• It’s tempting to relocate a plant you’ve just brought home, but it’s best to let them get used to their new location first.

9. What damage does the invasion of pests and diseases do to Schefflera?

Another reason for the fall of Schefflera leaves is the invasion of pests on the plant. These harmful insects feed on the leaves and cause the Schefflera leaves to fall. As a result, it is always a good idea to clean houseplant leaves such as Schefflera so that the vegetative tissue of the plant is constantly checked to ensure that there is no pest infestation (especially the underside of the leaves).
To fight the pests of Schefflera houseplants, you can use insecticidal soaps with proper dosage or physically remove them from the branches and leaves of the plant.
On the other hand, the attack of fungal diseases on the plant also causes the leaves of Schefflera to fall. The reason for the attack of these pests on the plant is the over-watering and dusting of its branches and leaves. Spraying the plant only when there is proper ventilation around the plant is recommended.

Is there a way to prevent the natural death of old Schefflera leaves?

No, this is completely normal, and your plant must have the proper nutrition to reduce the loss of old leaves. The normal sign of old leaves falling is that the tips and edges of the old leaves of the plant change color and turn yellow.

Frequently asked questions about the cause Schefflera plant dropping green leaves

Can over-watering be the cause of Schefflera leaves falling?

Yes, over-watering Schefflera will cause its leaves to turn black and fall off.

Does direct light cause Schefflera leaves to fall?

No, direct sunlight does not cause the leaves of this plant to fall. But if it is exposed to direct light for a long time, its leaves get sunburned and wither.

Can fertilizer be the cause of falling Schefflera leaves?

Yes, fertilizers that have a high dose cause the leaves of this plant to fall. As a result, you can use fertilizers with fewer minerals for better growth.

Summary of Schefflera leaf falls at home.

By studying the above, you can solve any houseplant problems especially Schefflera dropping leaves, but in summary, it should be said that the reason for falling leaves of Schefflera plant can be due to excessive or insufficient watering, insufficient light, improper fertilization, improperly compacted soil, hot and dry environment and… Be sure to check the mentioned items and then try to fix the problem.

Safe Access to Healthcare Bill

A
BILL
TO
Create safe access zones around gender affirming healthcare facilities, prohibit certain harmful activities in safe access zones, prohibit harassment of providers of gender affirming healthcare, prohibit the operation of crisis pregnancy centres, and for connected purposes.
BE IT ENACTED by The King’s most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Commons and Lords, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:–

Part 1: Safe Access to Gender Affirming Healthcare

Section 1: Definitions for Part 1
In Part 1 of this Act–
(1) “gender affirming healthcare” refers to lawful healthcare services and procedures, whether social, psychological, behavioural, or medical in nature, that are designed to support and affirm an individual’s gender identity.
(2) “facility” refers to a place where gender affirming healthcare is provided, including but not limited to NHS Gender Identity Clinics.
(3) “property” refers to land where a facility is located.
(4) “gender affirming healthcare provider” refers to any person who works, volunteers, or in any way assists in providing gender affirming healthcare.
Section 2: Safe Access Zones
(1) The safe access zone shall consist of the property on which the facility is located and the area surrounding it within 50 metres.
(2) Should 50 metres be demonstrated to be insufficient in preventing harassment of those seeking and/or providing legal gender affirming healthcare, the distance may be extended to no more than 150 metres, from the boundaries of the property, at the discretion of the relevant local authority.
Section 3: Prohibitions in Safe Access Zones
(1) While in an established safe access zone, no person shall–

(a) advise or persuade, or attempt to advise or persuade, a person to refrain from accessing gender affirming healthcare;
(b) inform or attempt to inform a person concerning issues related to gender affirming healthcare, by any means, including oral, written or graphic means;
(c) perform or attempt to perform an act of disapproval concerning issues related to gender affirming healthcare, by any means, including oral, written or graphic means;
(d) persistently request that–
(i) a person refrain from accessing gender affirming healthcare, or
(ii) a gender affirming healthcare provider refrain from providing, or assisting in the provision of, gender affirming healthcare;
(e) for the purpose of dissuading a person from accessing gender affirming healthcare–
(i) continuously or repeatedly observe the facility or persons entering or leaving the facility;
(ii) physically interfere with or attempt to physically interfere with the person;
(iii) intimidate or attempt to intimidate the person, or
(iv) photograph, film, videotape, sketch or in any other way graphically record the person; or
(g) do anything prescribed for the purpose of this clause.

Section 4: Harassment of providers
(1) No person shall, for the purpose of dissuading a gender affirming healthcare provider from providing, or assisting in the provision of, gender affirming healthcare–

(a) repeatedly approach, accompany or follow the provider or a person known to the provider;
(b) continuously or repeatedly observe the provider;
(c) persistently request that the provider refrain from providing, or assisting in the provision of, gender affirming healthcare; or
(d) engage in threatening conduct directed at the provider or a person known to the provider.

(2) No person shall repeatedly communicate by telephone, fax or electronic means with an gender affirming healthcare provider or a person known to the provider, for the purpose of dissuading the provider from continuing to provide, or assist in the provision of, gender affirming healthcare, after the person being communicated with has requested that such communications cease.

Part 2: Outlawing Crisis Pregnancy Centres

Section 5: Definitions for Part 2
In Part 2 of this Act–
(1) “crisis pregnancy centre” refers to an organisation, including but not limited to nonprofit organisations, that attempts to–

(a) pressure, coerce, or convince people against having an abortion, or
(b) spread false information about matters related to pregnancy, including but not limited to matters relating to: contraception, sexually transmitted diseases, and abortion, and
(c) appears as if it were a legitimate medical clinic for providing services to pregnant people, including but not limited to abortion.

(2) “property” refers to the land where a crisis pregnancy centre is located, as well any buildings the crisis pregnancy centre occupies.
Section 6: Prohibition
(1) The operation of crisis pregnancy centres, as defined in Section 5, is henceforth prohibited.
(2) Private individuals are prohibited from attempting to carry out the functions of crisis pregnancy centres, by attempting to appear as if they were medical professionals, and by attempting to manipulate pregnant people, as described in section 5, paragraphs 1(a) and 1(b).
Section 7: Penalties
(1) Any person who runs, aids, abets, or counsels a crisis pregnancy centre shall be guilty of a criminal offence.

(a) Private individuals attempting to carry out the functions of crisis pregnancy centres, as set out in section 6, paragraph 2, shall also be guilty of an offence.

(2) The punishment for the offences set out in paragraph 1 above may include any one or a combination of the following: a fine not exceeding £15,000, imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months, or sacrifice of property.

Part 3: Miscellaneous

Section 8: Short title and commencement
(1) This Act may be cited as the Safe Access to Healthcare Act 2023.
(2) This Act comes into force on the passing of this Act.
Section 9: Extent
(1) This Act applies to England only, unless–

(a) a Legislative Consent Motion is passed in the Pàrlamaid na h-Alba, in which case it shall also apply to Scotland, or
(b) a Legislative Consent Motion is passed in the Senedd Cymru, in which case it shall also apply to Wales, or
(c) a Legislative Consent Motion is passed in the Northern Ireland Assembly, in which case it shall also apply to Northern Ireland.

This Bill was written by the Right Honourable NewAccountMcGee PC MP MSP MS, Shadow Secretary of State for Housing, Communities, and Local Government, on behalf of His Majesty’s 37th Official Opposition. Part 1 of this Bill was based off the Safe Access to Abortion Bill, submitted by Her Grace the Duchess of Mayfair SapphireWork.

Opening Speech

Deputy Speaker,
This bill has two parts, and I will thus split this speech into two parts:
The first part creates what are commonly known as buffer zones around gender identity clinics. When people access gender affirming healthcare, they should be protected from misleading advice, intimidation, and harassment. It will also prohibit harassment of providers of gender affirming healthcare, meaning workers in gender identity centres can finally feel safe. There have been malicious protests outside GICs, such as those at the Sandyford GIC in Glasgow, and this will finally put them to a stop, and allow trans people to access life saving healthcare without being harassed or blocked from accessing it in the first place.
The second part outlaws crisis pregnancy centres. Now, a ‘crisis pregnancy centre’ might sound like somewhere where a pregnant person can get the help and support they need. But this is incorrect. Crisis pregnancy centres, as outlawed by this bill, are manipulative organisations that mislead people about contraception, and encourage pregnant people not to get an abortion. Deputy Speaker, the stories about people only learning the truth about abortion after it’s too late to get an abortion, often due to the false advice provided by these centres, should shock anyone. I commend this bill to this House.
This debate will end at 10pm on Wednesday 31st May.

Table of Contents:
Introduction 1.1 Background of Meditation 1.2 Purpose and Scope of the Essay 1.3 Thesis Statement
Understanding Meditation 2.1 Definition of Meditation 2.2 Historical Context 2.3 Evolution of Meditation Practices
The Science behind Meditation 3.1 Neurological Effects of Meditation 3.2 Psychological Benefits of Meditation 3.3 Impact on Physical Health 3.4 Stress Reduction and Relaxation
Types of Meditation Techniques 4.1 Mindfulness Meditation 4.1.1 Explanation and Practice 4.1.2 Benefits and Applications 4.2 Loving-Kindness Meditation 4.2.1 Explanation and Practice 4.2.2 Benefits and Applications 4.3 Transcendental Meditation 4.3.1 Explanation and Practice 4.3.2 Benefits and Applications 4.4 Mantra Meditation 4.4.1 Explanation and Practice 4.4.2 Benefits and Applications
The Psychological Impact of Meditation 5.1 Emotional Well-being and Regulation 5.2 Cognitive Enhancement and Focus 5.3 Self-Reflection and Insight 5.4 Mind-Body Connection
Meditation for Stress and Anxiety Management 6.1 Understanding Stress and Anxiety 6.2 Meditation Techniques for Stress Reduction 6.3 Research Studies and Evidence
Meditation for Health and Healing 7.1 Meditation and Physical Health 7.2 Meditation for Pain Management 7.3 Meditation and Immune System Boost 7.4 Meditation for Sleep Improvement
Meditation in Daily Life 8.1 Integrating Meditation into a Busy Schedule 8.2 Establishing a Personal Meditation Practice 8.3 Overcoming Common Challenges 8.4 Benefits of Consistency and Discipline
Meditation and Spiritual Growth 9.1 Connection between Meditation and Spirituality 9.2 Meditation in Different Spiritual Traditions 9.3 Inner Transformation and Self-Realization
Meditation in Different Cultures and Traditions 10.1 Eastern Traditions: Buddhism and Hinduism 10.2 Western Practices: Mindfulness and Contemplative Traditions 10.3 Indigenous Cultures and Meditation
Ethical Considerations in Meditation 11.1 Ethical Guidelines and Meditation Practices 11.2 Mindfulness and Compassion in Action 11.3 Meditation and Social Responsibility
Future Directions and Challenges in Meditation Research 12.1 Advances in Neuroscience and Meditation Studies 12.2 Integrating Meditation into Healthcare and Education 12.3 Addressing Cultural Appropriation and Misinterpretations
Conclusion 13.1 Recap of Key Points 13.2 Implications of Meditation for Individuals and Society 13.3 Final Thoughts and Call to Action
Introduction
Meditation is an ancient practice that has gained significant popularity in recent years due to its numerous benefits for mental, emotional, and physical well-being. This essay aims to explore the power of meditation by examining its benefits, techniques, and applications. By delving into the science behind meditation, understanding different types of meditation techniques, and exploring its psychological impact, this essay will provide a comprehensive overview of meditation and its profound effects on individuals and society.

1. Background of Meditation

To comprehend the significance of meditation, it is essential to understand its historical roots and how it has evolved over time. Meditation traces its origins to ancient civilizations and diverse cultural traditions, where it was practiced as a means to cultivate inner peace, spiritual growth, and enlightenment. From the ancient Vedic traditions of India to the Buddhist practices in Asia, meditation has played a central role in various cultures, shaping the way individuals connect with themselves and the world around them.

1. Purpose and
   Scope of the Essay
   

The purpose of this essay is to delve into the multifaceted aspects of meditation, providing a comprehensive understanding of its benefits, techniques, and applications. By exploring the psychological, physiological, and spiritual dimensions of meditation, this essay aims to highlight its transformative potential and its relevance in contemporary society. The scope of this essay encompasses both traditional and modern approaches to meditation, examining its scientific underpinnings as well as its cultural and spiritual significance.

1. Thesis Statement

The thesis of this essay is that meditation is a powerful practice with far-reaching benefits, backed by scientific research and rooted in ancient wisdom. By examining its neurological effects, psychological benefits, and impact on physical health, we can understand how meditation promotes overall well-being. Furthermore, by exploring various meditation techniques, their applications, and the role of meditation in daily life, we can appreciate its potential for personal growth, stress reduction, and spiritual development.
Understanding Meditation
2.1 Definition of Meditation
Meditation can be defined as a contemplative practice that involves training the mind to achieve a heightened state of awareness, focus, and inner calm. It encompasses a wide range of techniques and approaches that aim to quiet the mind, cultivate mindfulness, and promote a sense of presence and self-reflection.
2.2 Historical Context
The origins of meditation can be traced back thousands of years to ancient civilizations such as India, China, and Greece. In India, meditation was practiced as early as 1500 BCE and is deeply ingrained in the spiritual traditions of Hinduism and Buddhism. In China, meditation was an integral part of Daoism and Confucianism, focusing on harmony with nature and self-cultivation. In the West, meditation gained popularity in the late 20th century, with the introduction of mindfulness-based practices rooted in Buddhist meditation techniques.
2.3 Evolution of Meditation Practices
Over the centuries, meditation practices have evolved and diversified, adapting to the cultural, religious, and philosophical contexts in which they are practiced. From focused attention on the breath to loving-kindness and transcendental practices, meditation techniques have been refined and tailored to meet the needs and goals of individuals seeking inner peace, self-discovery, and personal transformation.
The Science behind Meditation
3.1 Neurological Effects of Meditation
Scientific research has provided compelling evidence of the neurological effects of meditation. Neuroimaging studies have shown that regular meditation practice can lead to structural and functional changes in the brain, particularly in areas associated with attention, emotional regulation, and self-awareness. These changes include increased gray matter density in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus, which are involved in cognitive processes and memory formation. Moreover, meditation has been found to enhance connectivity between brain regions, promoting integration and coherence.
3.2 Psychological Benefits of Meditation
Meditation has been linked to a myriad of psychological benefits. It can reduce stress, anxiety, and depression by promoting relaxation and inducing the relaxation response. Regular meditation practice enhances emotional well-being, fostering positive emotions such as joy, compassion, and gratitude while reducing negative affect. It also improves cognitive functions, including attention, working memory, and executive functions, leading to enhanced focus, mental clarity, and creativity. Furthermore, meditation cultivates self-awareness and introspection, allowing individuals to gain insights into their thoughts, emotions, and behavior patterns.
3.3 Impact on Physical Health
In addition to its psychological benefits, meditation has been found to have a positive impact on physical health. Studies have shown that regular meditation practice can lower blood pressure, reduce heart rate, and improve cardiovascular health. It also boosts the immune system, enhancing immune function and reducing inflammation. Moreover, meditation has been associated with pain reduction, helping individuals manage chronic pain and improve their overall well-being.
3.4 Stress Reduction and Relaxation
One of
the most well-known benefits of meditation is its ability to reduce stress and induce a state of deep relaxation. Through techniques such as focused attention, deep breathing, and body scan, meditation activates the body's relaxation response, counteracting the effects of chronic stress and promoting a sense of calmness and tranquility. Regular meditation practice can lead to a decreased physiological stress response, lower levels of stress hormones such as cortisol, and an overall improved ability to cope with stressors.
Types of Meditation Techniques
4.1 Mindfulness Meditation
4.1.1 Explanation and Practice
Mindfulness meditation is a practice that involves cultivating present-moment awareness and non-judgmental acceptance of one's thoughts, emotions, and sensations. It typically involves focusing attention on the breath or bodily sensations and observing the arising and passing of thoughts without attachment or aversion.
4.1.2 Benefits and Applications
Mindfulness meditation has gained significant attention in recent years due to its proven benefits. It has been found to reduce stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms while promoting emotional well-being and resilience. Mindfulness training has been successfully applied in various settings, including healthcare, education, and corporate environments, to enhance focus, attention, and overall mental well-being.
4.2 Loving-Kindness Meditation
4.2.1 Explanation and Practice
Loving-kindness meditation, also known as Metta meditation, involves the cultivation of unconditional love, compassion, and kindness towards oneself and others. Practitioners generate feelings of goodwill and extend them to individuals in their lives, their communities, and eventually to all sentient beings.
4.2.2 Benefits and Applications
Loving-kindness meditation has been found to promote positive emotions, empathy, and social connectedness. It reduces negative affect and fosters a sense of compassion towards oneself and others. This practice has been used to enhance interpersonal relationships, reduce aggression, and increase prosocial behavior.
4.3 Transcendental Meditation
4.3.1 Explanation and Practice
Transcendental Meditation (TM) is a technique where practitioners use a mantra—a repeated word or phrase—to transcend ordinary waking consciousness and enter a state of deep relaxation and heightened awareness. The mantra is silently repeated, allowing the mind to settle and experience a state of inner silence.
4.3.2 Benefits and Applications
Transcendental Meditation has been associated with a wide range of benefits, including reduced stress, improved mental clarity, and increased self-actualization. Research suggests that regular TM practice leads to improved overall well-being, increased creativity, and enhanced cognitive abilities.
4.4 Mantra Meditation
4.4.1 Explanation and Practice
Mantra meditation involves the repetition of a sacred word, sound, or phrase to focus the mind and induce a meditative state. The chosen mantra is repeated silently or aloud, serving as a point of concentration and facilitating a deepening of awareness.
4.4.2 Benefits and Applications
Mantra meditation promotes concentration, mental clarity, and spiritual growth. It can calm the mind, reduce distractions, and enhance self-awareness. This practice has been utilized in various spiritual traditions and has proven to be effective in achieving a sense of inner peace and transcendence.
The Psychological Impact of Meditation
5.1 Emotional Well-being and Regulation
Meditation has a profound impact on emotional well-being and regulation. By cultivating mindfulness and non-reactivity, individuals become better equipped to observe and understand their emotions, allowing for greater emotional intelligence and self-regulation. Meditation enhances positive emotions such as joy, gratitude, and compassion, while reducing negative emotions such as anger, fear, and sadness.
5.2 Cognitive Enhancement and Focus
Regular meditation practice has been shown to improve cognitive functions and enhance focus and attention. By training the mind to stay present and non-judgmentally aware
, individuals can develop increased mental clarity, concentration, and cognitive flexibility. Meditation can also improve working memory, decision-making abilities, and problem-solving skills.
5.3 Self-Reflection and Insight
Meditation fosters self-reflection and insight by creating a space for individuals to observe their thoughts, emotions, and patterns of behavior. Through introspection and increased self-awareness, practitioners gain a deeper understanding of themselves, their values, and their relationships. This self-reflection can lead to personal growth, self-acceptance, and the development of a more authentic and fulfilling life.
5.4 Mind-Body Connection
Meditation emphasizes the mind-body connection and the interplay between mental and physical well-being. By cultivating awareness of bodily sensations and promoting relaxation, meditation helps individuals develop a heightened sense of body awareness and the ability to listen to the body's signals. This mind-body connection facilitates overall health and well-being, as individuals become attuned to their physical needs and can respond appropriately.
Meditation for Stress and Anxiety Management
6.1 Understanding Stress and Anxiety
Stress and anxiety are prevalent in today's fast-paced and demanding world. Stress is the body's response to perceived threats, while anxiety is a state of excessive worry and fear. Prolonged stress and chronic anxiety can have detrimental effects on mental and physical health.
6.2 Meditation Techniques for Stress Reduction
Meditation offers effective techniques for stress reduction. Mindfulness meditation, for instance, helps individuals observe their thoughts and emotions without judgment, reducing the reactivity and stress associated with them. Breathing exercises and body scan meditation can induce relaxation responses, activating the parasympathetic nervous system and counteracting the physiological effects of stress.
6.3 Research Studies and Evidence
Numerous research studies have demonstrated the efficacy of meditation in managing stress and anxiety. These studies have shown that regular meditation practice can significantly reduce perceived stress levels, decrease anxiety symptoms, and improve overall psychological well-being. Meditation has also been found to modulate the activity of the amygdala, a key brain region involved in the stress response, leading to decreased activation and increased emotional regulation.
Meditation for Health and Healing
7.1 Meditation and Physical Health
Meditation has a positive impact on physical health, contributing to overall well-being. Regular meditation practice has been associated with lower blood pressure, improved cardiovascular health, and reduced risk of heart disease. Meditation has also been linked to improved immune system function, enhanced digestion, and increased longevity.
7.2 Meditation for Pain Management
Meditation has been shown to be effective in managing chronic pain and reducing the reliance on pain medication. By redirecting attention away from pain sensations and cultivating a non-reactive stance, individuals can experience a reduction in pain intensity and an improved ability to cope with discomfort.
7.3 Meditation and Immune System Boost
Research suggests that meditation can boost the immune system, enhancing its ability to defend against pathogens and promote overall health. Regular meditation practice has been associated with increased activity of natural killer cells, which play a crucial role in immune response.
7.4 Meditation for Sleep Improvement
Meditation can improve sleep quality and aid in the treatment of sleep disorders. By calming the mind, reducing stress, and promoting relaxation, meditation creates an optimal environment for restful sleep. Mindfulness-based practices, in particular, have been shown to alleviate insomnia symptoms and enhance sleep duration and quality.
Meditation in Daily Life
8.1 Integrating Meditation into a Busy Schedule
Many individuals struggle to find time for meditation in their busy lives. However, integrating meditation into a daily routine is achievable with proper planning and prioritization. By starting with shorter sessions and gradually increasing the duration, individuals can make meditation a sustainable practice. Finding moments throughout the day, such as during breaks or
in the morning and evening, can also help incorporate meditation into a busy schedule.
8.2 Establishing a Personal Meditation Practice
Establishing a personal meditation practice requires commitment and consistency. Setting clear intentions, creating a dedicated meditation space, and establishing a regular schedule can support the development of a sustainable practice. Experimenting with different techniques and finding what resonates with individuals is crucial in establishing a meditation routine that is enjoyable and fulfilling.
8.3 Overcoming Common Challenges
While meditation offers numerous benefits, it is not without challenges. Common challenges include difficulty quieting the mind, restlessness, and lack of motivation. Practicing self-compassion, acknowledging the imperfections of the practice, and seeking guidance from experienced practitioners or meditation teachers can help individuals overcome these challenges.
8.4 Benefits of Consistency and Discipline
Consistency and discipline are key to reaping the full benefits of meditation. Regular practice allows individuals to deepen their meditation skills, experience sustained positive changes, and cultivate a more profound sense of well-being. The cumulative effects of meditation become more apparent over time, reinforcing the importance of maintaining consistency and discipline.
Meditation and Spiritual Growth
9.1 Connection between Meditation and Spirituality
Meditation has a deep connection with spirituality, although it is not inherently tied to any specific religious or spiritual tradition. Through meditation, individuals can explore existential questions, cultivate a sense of meaning and purpose, and connect with something greater than themselves. Meditation provides a pathway to transcendence and self-realization, allowing individuals to tap into their spiritual nature.
9.2 Meditation in Different Spiritual Traditions
Meditation is practiced in various spiritual traditions worldwide, each with its unique approach and emphasis. In Buddhism, meditation plays a central role in achieving enlightenment and liberation from suffering. Hinduism incorporates meditation as a means to attain self-realization and union with the divine. Other spiritual traditions, such as Sufism in Islam and Christian contemplative practices, also incorporate meditation as a path to deepening spirituality.
9.3 Inner Transformation and Self-Realization
Meditation facilitates inner transformation and self-realization by fostering self-awareness, expanding consciousness, and dissolving the boundaries of the ego. Through meditation, individuals can experience a profound sense of interconnectedness, inner peace, and a deepening understanding of their true nature.
Meditation in Different Cultures and Traditions
10.1 Eastern Traditions: Buddhism and Hinduism
Meditation has deep roots in Eastern traditions, particularly in Buddhism and Hinduism. In Buddhism, meditation is a core practice and is often categorized into various forms such as mindfulness, loving-kindness, and insight meditation. Hinduism encompasses a wide range of meditation practices, including Japa meditation, Kundalini meditation, and the path of self-inquiry.
10.2 Western Practices: Mindfulness and Contemplative Traditions
In the Western world, mindfulness-based practices have gained significant popularity and integration into various domains. Derived from Buddhist meditation techniques, mindfulness emphasizes present-moment awareness and non-judgmental acceptance. Contemplative traditions, influenced by Christian and secular philosophies, focus on silent prayer, self-reflection, and deepening spiritual connection.
10.3 Indigenous Cultures and Meditation
Indigenous cultures around the world have their unique forms of meditation and contemplative practices deeply intertwined with their spiritual and cultural beliefs. These practices often involve connection with nature, rituals, and communal experiences that promote harmony, reverence, and connection with the divine.
Ethical Considerations in Meditation
11.1 Ethical Guidelines and Meditation Practices
Meditation is not merely an individualistic pursuit but also entails ethical considerations. Ethical guidelines provide a framework for practitioners to cultivate mindfulness, compassion, and moral conduct. These guidelines often include principles such as non-harming, honesty, non-ste
aling, and respect for oneself and others.
11.2 Mindfulness and Compassion in Action
Meditation cultivates mindfulness and compassion, not just within the practice itself, but also in daily life. Practitioners are encouraged to extend the qualities developed during meditation to their interactions with others, fostering empathy, kindness, and social responsibility. Mindful living involves being fully present in each moment and acting in ways that promote the well-being of oneself and others.
11.3 Meditation and Social Responsibility
Meditation has the potential to contribute to social transformation and addressing societal challenges. By developing greater self-awareness, empathy, and an understanding of interconnectedness, individuals are motivated to engage in social justice initiatives, promote environmental sustainability, and work towards collective well-being. Meditation can inspire individuals to become agents of positive change and contribute to a more compassionate and harmonious society.
Future Directions and Challenges in Meditation Research
12.1 Advances in Neuroscience and Meditation Studies
As neuroscience advances, researchers are gaining deeper insights into the neurobiological mechanisms underlying meditation. The use of brain imaging techniques, such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and electroencephalography (EEG), allows scientists to observe the effects of meditation on brain structure and function. Continued research in this field holds the potential to uncover the intricate relationship between meditation and the brain.
12.2 Integrating Meditation into Healthcare and Education
There is a growing interest in integrating meditation into healthcare and education systems. Mindfulness-based interventions are being used in therapeutic settings to support mental health, reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety, and improve overall well-being. Similarly, meditation and mindfulness programs are being implemented in educational institutions to enhance students' attention, emotional regulation, and academic performance.
12.3 Addressing Cultural Appropriation and Misinterpretations
As meditation becomes more popular in the West, there is a need to address issues of cultural appropriation and misinterpretations. Respecting the origins and cultural contexts of meditation practices is essential. It is important to approach meditation with cultural sensitivity, understanding, and humility, acknowledging the rich traditions from which these practices arise.
Conclusion
13.1 Recap of Key Points
In conclusion, meditation is a powerful practice that offers a multitude of benefits for individuals and society as a whole. It encompasses various techniques and traditions that promote physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. Meditation enhances emotional well-being, cognitive abilities, and self-reflection while reducing stress and anxiety. It has been successfully applied in healthcare, education, and various cultural and spiritual contexts.
13.2 Implications of Meditation for Individuals and Society
The implications of meditation are far-reaching. For individuals, it offers a path to self-discovery, personal growth, and overall well-being. It supports mental and physical health, enhances emotional intelligence, and deepens spiritual connection. On a societal level, meditation has the potential to foster compassion, social responsibility, and positive change, addressing global challenges and promoting collective well-being.
13.3 Final Thoughts and Call to Action
As the scientific understanding and popularity of meditation continue to grow, it is important for individuals to explore and experience its benefits firsthand. By incorporating meditation into daily life and cultivating a regular practice, individuals can unlock its transformative potential. Furthermore, promoting ethical considerations, cultural understanding, and responsible dissemination of meditation practices can ensure that its profound benefits are shared respectfully and authentically across cultures and generations.

Against all the evil that hell can conjure.
All the wickedness that mankind can produce…
We will send unto them, Only You.
Rip and Tear
Until it is Done.
-][-
Memory Transcription Subject: Vikam, Venlil Space Corps Officer
Date: [Standardized Human Time] July 2nd, 2136
The ghost signal.
It had started as faint readings that rapidly spread across the entirety of know space, manifesting as a sort of white noise in the background of Federation communications and networks, so weak it could only be picked up by our strongest equipment, and even then it was so barely noticeable that for decades most had written it off as a simple statistical error or calibration issue. Until we noticed it was getting louder. Wherever we went it was always there, as if it were not a signal but rather a reading we were unintentionally picking up, one that had been getting stronger from the moment it had appeared. The signal that over a century ago could only be picked up by the strongest of our communications arrays, was starting to now impact those same arrays, and not just that, but even innocuous things like holopads and other civilian equipment had begun to malfunction at a much higher rate.
At this point the idea of it being a mere software glitch or hardware issue had been long since thrown out, not a single software update, code rewrite, or hardware swap had done a single thing to solve the mystery. But it was ever so slightly stronger in some sectors than others, and with the signals ever increasing strength we have finally been able to tell the relative difference in strength from one sector to another. Now the most concerning thing to me was that the signal was strongest nearest to Venlil Prime.
To say this revelation was worrying would be beyond an understatement, both to our own people and the wider Federation, we sit on both the border with the Arxur and unknown space, the idea that this wasn’t an anomaly but rather an attack or weapon caused even greater panic than we had ever seen before.
If this was the Arxur that would mean that they are in possession of a weapon that could have the potential to cripple our ships and communications, leaving worlds defenseless and unable to even call for help, serving our worlds to them on a platter without even a single shot fired in defense. The idea alone keeps me awake at night, thinking that we could be at the complete mercy of another who would see us dead or enslaved.
However the second option was somehow just as frightening. If it’s not the Arxur, then what is it? Where is it coming from? Is it even coming from a single place? Though I guess that last question did have some kind of answer. A few [years] back the readings spiked to unprecedented levels, causing mass electronic malfunctions across the entire federation before falling back down to a steady level, albeit much higher than ever before. However this time instead of seemingly appearing all at once, the spike seemed to rapidly cascade across space, and by mapping out the miniscule differences in time we could gain a general direction of its source, and that source was far out beyond any known space of both the Arxur and Federation.
Well I guess that’s why I'm here. Or rather why all of us are all the way out here in what might as well be the middle of nowhere on the edge of Venlil space, chasing this ghost signal to find its source, failing that, finding out what it really is.
I don’t like being out here, I don't think any of us do. I don’t know why, but I feel like the longer I stay out here, the more I feel like… like we’re being watched. The further we go into the outer territories the more uneasy I start to feel, and from what I’ve overheard from the rest of the crew, I’m not the only one. Honestly I’d rather be back home right now, the longer I stay out here the worse and worse it's been getting.
I’ve been having… nightmares. Recurring ones, for [months] now. Worlds burning, their surfaces charred and cracked like charcoal, the surface scarred with a symbol glowing a burning red. A five pointed star sitting inside a circle. Each time I fall asleep it’s a different world, Venlil Prime, The Cradle, Mileau, Nishtal, Aafa. I don’t know how I know what world I see given the destruction, it’s like there’s some knowledge planted in the back of my mind telling me what I’m being forced to look at. I wish it ended there, but every time, after witnessing worlds burn, I'm forced down into a ship or put on the surface.
Usually nightmares come from some experience in the real world, an Arxur raid, a predator attack, or simply a horrible accident. I had never thought that a nightmare itself could be a direct source of fear. But those… things, defied all logic. How could life ever evolve on any world to end up like… that, ignoring how such creatures could even develop any technology at all, somehow being more brutal than even the Arxur have ever been, if such an idea was even possible. Every night I am haunted by creatures tearing people apart, worlds burning, and red ships descending on whatever remains.
I’ve obviously developed some form of predator disease, that's the only explanation for why my mind has been spiraling down and down all these [months]. Only the deranged mind of a predator would be consumed by thoughts of nothing but death and destruction night after night. Sometimes when we jump into subspace I swear I can hear whispers. And now I know I’m going crazy because, well, when I look at the ship diagnostics it almost looks like something is shaking the ship while in subspace. Some of our fleet look like they have emerged from subspace with damage to the hull. It’s progressed so far I’m hallucinating.
The impact this has had on my mind has been steadily deteriorating my performance and I’m worried that someone will find out. If that happens I'll lose everything, my life, my herd, my family. Luckily nobody seems to have noticed yet. Still I wonder how long I can keep this ruse going, how long I can convince everyone I’m a normal person.
“Vikam, Anything to report?” The captain of the ‘Steady River’ asked me as he entered the bridge, probably having just woken up given his general lack of tidiness.
“Nothing unusual captain, readings here are only marginally higher, less than point-seven percent, however our long range scanners have picked up surges coming from this system here.” I projected the star map to the captain's display, showing an area several systems away where we had detected a similar pulse to the one from [years] ago, albeit much, much smaller.
“How long ago was this?” The captain perked up near instantly.
“Just over a claw ago it seems.” Apparently this set him off.
“What!? And you didn’t tell me!? If we finally have a solid location on these readings we need to investigate immediately!” One of the techs on the bridge spoke up after the captains’ outburst.
“Umm sir, what if it is the Arxur?”
“If it is, don't you think we need to know!? That’s the entire point of this expedition! Vikam, tell the fleet to prepare to jump. If it is the Arxur, we need to arrive simultaneously so we aren’t sitting alone without help.” The captain gave his orders and I obeyed, coordinating with the other capital ships of the fleet to act as anchors for the smaller ships to follow into subspace.
Our ‘exploration’ fleet was little more than a bunch of warships with science equipment strapped to them. Over 1200 ships split into four search groups, some splitting even further beyond that, would all now reconvene and jump to this system, if it was the Arxur we would need every ship available to beat them back and hopefully capture whatever technology was causing this. Personally I scoffed at the idea that the Arxur could come up with anything that could do this, I doubt they even have the capability of inventing things beyond new torture methods, considering everything they have was given to them. It doesn’t matter, our fleet was reinforced with some of the newest and strongest ships we could build, the Steady River is of a new ‘Heavy Cruiser’ pattern, a fresh off the line Farsul ship with enough armor to take on any Arxur vessel and measuring in at a massive [800 meters]! And we managed to negotiate to buy four of them! And received eight more directly from the Farsul navy! Combining them with the other ships sent as part of the combined search effort, our fleet had 26 capital ships and over 500 cruisers, with the rest of the fleet being filled in by bombers, frigates, corvettes, and patrol craft. I’m pretty confident we can take a few savage reptiles.
“All sub-fleets present, preparing for subspace jump.” a voice called out somewhere on the other side of the bridge as I double checked the fleet registry, ensuring all ships were accounted for and properly linking with their respective capital ships for the aforementioned jump. I began the countdown.
“Synchronization complete, subspace drive spooling up… Preparing to jump in three… two... one… Now.” The stars visible from the viewports rapidly shifted from white to blue, to purple, and then vanished as we entered subspace and the bridge was bathed in light blue.
“All ships have successfully jumped and are in formation. We will arrive at our destination shortly.” I gave a quick update before the tech from before spoke up again.
“Captain, should we prepare for the possibility of the grays showing up?”
“Mm… Yes, pre-charge our weapons and have the crews on alert before we re-enter realspace.”
Uhh, I’m not so sure about that. “Sir, is it wise to jump into an unknown situation with our fleet prepared to attack? There’s still a possibility that an entirely unknown party is responsible for the readings, and to be honest I don’t believe the Arxur are capable of such a thing as this. If they could cripple the entire Federation at once wouldn’t we already be dead?”
“And you’d rather us go in completely undefended? If it’s the grays then we’ll be ready and with greater numbers, if it’s an uncontacted species then they need to be warned of the Arxur and join the Federation as soon as possible, and if it’s simply a natural anomaly, then our actions don’t matter. I’d rather be prepared than caught off guard and served on a plate to those savages, if they even know what plates are.” The captain half ranted towards the crew. Once again the tech from before interjected just as I was going to offer my counterpoints.
“S-sir, what if it's another pred-” he was cut off by the captain laughing.
“It’s what? Other predators? Ha! Need I remind you that not a single predator has ever made it beyond their world without our help. Now tell the weapon crews to be ready.”
I don’t know if it’s my lack of decent sleep, but it almost seems like the captain has been becoming just as irritable and out of it as I am, becoming more and more paranoid about being attacked, and keeping the sensor and weapon crews on near constant alert when searching through systems and the occasional asteroid field.
I switched one of my displays to check our progress, and just as we passed the three quarter mark something strange started to happen.
Shaking. The ship was shaking. And not just a little, it feels like I’m in an atmospheric craft going through a storm but… but this shouldn’t even be possible! Not in space and definitely not in subspace, there’s no precedent for this! There’s no such thing as turbulence in space! I slammed my paw down onto the touchscreen, hoping I hit the right button and rejoicing that I did when the ship's alarm blared and the brace warning went to all compartments. Worse still, it’s not just us.
According to what I’m seeing in the fleet communications, every single ship was experiencing the same instability we were. Some of the smaller ships were taking it so bad that they collided with each other due to the tight formation we flew in, the now wrecks instantly vanishing from subspace in a flash and becoming little more than shrapnel flying through realspace. Is this some kind of attack? People have theorized about subspace weapons but they’ve never gone beyond theories and imagination. What is going on!? If this continues we won’t have a fleet left by the time we arrive!
“S-sir we have to exit subspace right now! Our fleet is literally being torn apart!” I tried to plead with the captain but-
“No! Keep going! Tell all vessels to de-sync from their capital ships and distance themselves, even if it means we have staggered arrivals! We haven’t come all this way just to stop now!”
He’s gone insane, but I transmitted his order. Evidently all the fleet captains had agreed to this as our entire fleet de-synced from each other, but not before we lost several more ships in the process. Many had collided like the unfortunate ones before, and some simply dropped from subspace without any notice, if this was intentional or not I can’t say, but it’s entirely possible whatever is causing this forced them to do so, seeing as our own subspace drive was being pushed to its limits.
I could do nothing but squeeze my eyes shut and push myself as far back into my chair as I could, waiting for this to be over. I couldn’t see it, but I could hear the panic around me as I could imagine everyone else was having a similar response.
A bright flash of white and blue, and then…
Nothing.
Slowly I opened my eyes and saw my computer displaying a message stating our arrival at our destination and the pings indicating the arrival of the others. Raising my head slightly I looked around the bridge and out the viewports. The still panicking crew, the captain heavily breathing and leaning back with his eyes closed, the systems dual stare-
Wait, no. This system is only supposed to have one star, every single scan and map has this system as having a single star. But there, a second one stood, much smaller than the first, and… it looked… wrong. Just wrong. Instead of burning it looked like it was boiling, and had tendrils of red energy splitting off of it, with two much larger ones coming from opposite ends, splitting the void around it in two. I was so caught up in the sight of it, I barely noticed the rest of the fleet arriving, or what’s left of it. We lost over two hundred ships just getting here, either destroyed or dropped out of subspace before arriving.
“What is… what am I looking at here?” The captain, now sitting up straight, spoke everyone's thoughts out loud. “Scan that immediately!”
It’s obvious we’ve found the source of the ghost signal, however being so close to it meant that our equipment which was barely working in the first place, now struggled to even look at that… thing.
Well at least I know my initial judgment was wrong, the anomaly wasn’t a star, or even the size of one, rather it was the size of a small moon. Our sensors mistook it for a star, as it had the full output of one. This relatively tiny object in space was emitting a higher level of energy than the system's own star, but none of the sensors could make any sense of what it was or even the type of energy it was emitting, every sensor we pointed at it was overloaded with errors, but… there were objects… coming through the anomaly.
“Sir I c-can- we can’t make any sense of… what this-” I tried to give some explanation but was cut off by the sensors giving off a very different alert, ship detections, thousands of them. Tens of thousands of them. “C-captain I-I’m picking up something, there’s ships coming f-from that… that thing!”
The entire bridge scrambled to get the equipment back in order as everyone wanted to know what was going on, how anything could survive being near the anomaly that nearly fried our systems, never mind coming directly out of it. Was it even an anomaly in the first place? Had we come across some race that was so advanced that they could literally tear reality as a means of travel? Was our inability to scan it merely a by-product or intentional design? Whatever it was, the energy used was like nothing we had ever seen, or even theorized of.
I pulled up as many sensors and screens as I could to get a look at those ships and-
My heart almost stopped.
I could hear nothing but ringing and my ever increasing heart beat. I feel freezing cold and burning hot all at once. I sunk my claws into my left arm to check I’m not still in a nightmare, I wish I was, but this is real.
All of those ships are real.
Red ships.
Those things, pulled straight from my nightmares, were now bearing down on us. I could do nothing but stare in frozen horror as the automated reports indicated over three thousand ships headed to our direct position. I could do nothing as that same red energy effortlessly lanced through our ships, tearing our already loose formation apart. I could do nothing as every ship fired back in panic, the interference preventing mass communication as the fleet desperately tried to return fire. I could do nothing as-
As a green light quickly overcame the visual sensors, and just as quickly left. The ship I was watching returned to view, now a gutted lifeless wreck, burning green from the inside out. Its strange tentacles that sprouted from the bottom now limply floating in the void alongside the shattered pieces of what remained.
What. Was. That.
The interference must have been greater than I thought, because those red ships were not the only thing out there. Scanning the system as fast as I could, I saw other ships on the other side, facing the anomaly, not the same sinister red, but a pale gray. Massive ships that dwarfed all but the most gargantuan of the crimson attackers. By the stars, even the smallest of those ships was almost as big as a standard cruiser! And those capital ships… they must be at least [2000 meters]!
I would’ve asked why any sane race would build such things, but those red ships varied in size so greatly that many surpassed the gray behemoths, sometimes even more than twice over!
That knocked me out of my stupor, the pale behemoths were holding off tens out thousands of vessels whilst our scanners indicated they possessed a mere five thousand, each firing off green and blue beams alongside endless swarms of missiles and kinetic fire so numerous the red ships couldn’t physically evade.
Plasma and kinetics I understand, although strange that it was bright blue and not the standard white, but that green energy was just as unknowable as the red coming from the anomaly and those damnable nightmare ships. Even their missiles detonated with pulses of green instead of the anti-matter design used by every known race.
What had we walked in on? We had just barged into two forces engaged in one of the largest battles in history, using completely unknown technology, and now one side was protecting us, or at the very least, attacking our attackers.
My hearing was finally coming back to me. “W-WE CAN’T REFORM! FLEET COMMUNICATIONS ARE OVERLOADED!” A tech screamed, a response to an order from the captain I hadn’t heard. Everyone was screaming, the bridge was in utter chaos, and the rest of the fleet was faring no better, hundreds already lost, our fighters and bombers were easily picked off by those cross-ships, and we couldn’t even communicate with how overworked our ship systems were directly after that horrid jump.
We could do little to save ourselves. But there were others who could, and were seemingly setting out to do just that.
Green and blue bolts began to mesh with our white plasma, part of that pale fleet had broken off and were assaulting the red fleet from our right flank, creating a cross of fire, though it was plainly evident that these unknown people were doing most of the work, as our shots went wide or failed to strike through the enemies shields and flowed off their armor like water. Our only true success was taking down those fighters, and a few groups having an unspoken agreement to collectively target some of the relatively smaller enemy vessels, finally destroying them after putting dozens of shots through their thick armor, creating a mosaic of burning dots.
We had no time to cheer, a few dozen out of thousands didn’t mean anything, even with the encroaching pale fleet doing most of the work, fortunately this also meant that the unknown predators started focusing their efforts on them instead of us, giving our ships a small reprieve.
A voice rose above the cacophony of mayhem in the bridge “Sir there’s something coming through comms!” What? I thought-
“I THOUGHT YOU SAID COMMS WERE OFFLINE!?” Exactly what I was thinking, though with less screaming involved.
“They were, but-” He was cut off as static overpowered every noise in the bridge, my console indicating it was a message being broadcasted from the pale fleet. An incredibly distorted voice was barely heard through the static.
“Unknown fl_________re in gr___ danger _____ reactiv________ Anima Fie_______ re-r____ to Al___ Centa___ im___iately. If you __________ any lon____ you___________ apart.”
Alongside the near indecipherable broadcast, came a packet of data that was so heavily encrypted that I don’t think an entire planet's worth of computers trying to decode it could do so in anything less than a decade, but even so, the message was clear, or maybe it’s just what I wanted to hear. Leave.
The pale fleet was now sitting between the red fleet and us, firing off massive energy beams from what I can only assume are spinal cannons like our own, only these ones were shredding through the predators en masse. Now that they were much closer, the pale ships began firing green orbs, moving slower than the beams, but whenever they neared a foe, green arcs of energy shot out and scorched anything they touched, before the orb detonated in a flash of light, sending out one last pulse of lightning to destroy whatever it could before vanishing.
We had little time to admire the artistry and effectiveness of these strange weapons, with the pressure now off our own fleet, every ship began to prepare to jump back to a predetermined fall back point.
Wait- no! That’s insane! We’ll never survive jumping back into subspace!
But it was too late for me to voice my objections, white became blue, blue became purple, and the stars disappeared as we jumped back into the azure abyss that would surely be our death.
Fleet Integrity: Critical
Fleet Cohesion: Critical
Estimated Fleet Losses: 881 / 1229 - 71.6%
Ship Systems: Damaged - Non-Critical
Estimated Crew Loss: 94
Enemy Losses: [ERROR: ENEMY FLEET UNKNOWN]
Allied Losses: [ERROR: ALLIED FLEET UNKNOWN]
-][-
Aaaaannnndd with ten pages, 4000 words, the first chapter is done!
Thank you to everyone who voted in the poll, and I hope this chapter meets your expectations for an intro to Argent Earth, with our first character being just a little guy who’s being endlessly tormented by nightmares now brought to life. Someone get this man a donut.
We see some new Federation ships and an exploration fleet coming up against forces beyond their understanding, and our first look at the ARC navy.
Now for some clarification in case someone didn’t get it so I don’t have to reply in the comments:
The ghost signal - not a real signal, demonic energy interferes with technology but they don’t know that. It’s the interference they’re picking up, which has been slowly increasing as the veil thins and rifts are made. Also a Stellaris reference.
Turbulence - The ‘turbulence’ was their ship's subspace drives and systems malfunctioning because they essentially jumped right on top of a rift without any kind of shielding. To put it in 40K terms, they basically jumped into a warp storm without a gellar field, and got off real lucky.
Demon proof your tech kids. Though that can be hard if you don’t know they exist.
Credit to u/SpacePaladin15 for creating Nature of Predators.
Until next time, Rip and Tear.

Respect The Dai Li

"There is no war in Ba Sing Se."

The Dai Li are the cultural authority of Ba Sing Se, a secretive police force responsible for protecting the heritage of the Earth Kingdom's capital city. Their members are recruited at an early age and trained to become an elite and covert earthbending task force specializing in securing, imprisoning, and conditioning political dissidents.
Avatar Kyoshi first formed the Dai Li to preserve Earth Kingdom traditions on behalf of the Earth King. However, over time they became corrupted away from the Earth King's influence, eventually coming under the command of Grand Secretariat Long Feng. Under Long Feng, the Dai Li insulated the Earth King from political influence as they imposed a paranoid police-state over the city. When Princess Azula outmaneuvered Long Feng for leadership of the Dai Li, the force became the city's undoing as she seized control of the capital for the Fire Nation. After serving as Azula's personal guard, the Dai Li returned to obedience under the Earth Kingdom's monarchy when Azula dismissed them during a fit of paranoid mania.
Most recently, the Dai Li faithfully served the Earth Queen in the Era of Korra where they were tasked with collecting and training newly-fledged Airbenders into a military force. Korra and her friends ultimately saved the new Airbenders, and the Dai Li have not been seen since their defeat at the hands of the Red Lotus who subsequently assassinated the Earth Queen to plunge Ba Sing Se into anarchy.

Source Key Avatar: The Last Airbender Season & Episode = AS#E# The Legend of Korra Season & Episode = LS#E# Archived Nickelodeon Website = ANW Escape from the Spirit World = ESW Avatar: The Last Airbender: Art of the Animated Series = AoAS 

Scaling: 1) Aang 2) Toph 3) Katara 3) Zuko 4) Sokka 5) Appa 6) Jet and the Freedom Fighters 7) Iroh 8) Korra 9) Tenzin 10) Mako 11) Bolin 12)New Airbenders 13) Red Lotus

Combat

Durability/Evasion

• Knocked away by Toph's columns of earth ^AS2E17
• Jet knocks a Dai Li out by slamming him into the ground, and Aang blasts others away with air ^AS2E17
• Knocked away by Toph's earthbending ^AS2E17
• Blasted away and knocked unconscious by Aang's airbending ^AS2E17
• Several Dai Li are scattered when Appa charges through their stone wall, and Toph and Aang launch more into the lake nearby with earthbending ^AS2E17
• While surrounding Zuko and Iroh, manage to avoid being burned by Iroh's fire breath and give chase ^AS2E20
• Knocked out of a fight by a column of stone from Aang ^AS3E11
• Hit by a jutting of earth from Toph and them imprisoned in metal ^AS3E11
• Dodges a point blank air blast from Kai and brings the ground up around him to bind his limbs ^LS3E4
• Evades attacks, but are ultimately knocked out by attacks from Mako, Bolin and Kai ^LS3E4
• Blasted away by Tenzin and Korra's airbending ^LS3E4
• Quickly taken down by the Red Lotus, who block and evade their attacks ^LS3E10

Projectiles - Gloves

• Discreetly projects earth gloves that grab Katara and Toph and pulls them in ^AS2E14
• Two Dai Li fire their rock gloves against Toph, who intercepts the gloves and knocks the Dai Li away with columns of earth ^AS2E17
• Two Dai Li grab Sokka and Katara with earth gloves from a distance away to reel them in, but are interrupted by an earth wall from Toph ^AS2E17
• One Dai Li manages to grab Toph with an earth glove from behind, but he is interrupted and several Dai Li attacks are intercepted by the Freedom Fighters soon after ^AS2E17
• A projected rock glove pierces through a straw dummy's chest and removes its head ^AS2E17
• Dai Li launch their earth gloves at Team Avatar, binding their wrists behind their backs, though Aang easily escapes the bindings with earthbending ^AS2E18
• Launch pieces of stone from their gloves that tear apart the wall they hit ^AS2E20
• Follow their own shield by launching earth gloves at Zuko that bind his hands and feet to the ground ^AS2E20
• Use earth gloves to grab the fleeing Kai, turn him around and restrain him ^LS3E3
• Fires stones from a surrounding hallway and their gloves at Mako and Bolin, with one managing to grab and retrieve Jinora from a distance ^LS3E4

Projectiles - Misc.

• Dai Li send out columns of earth as attacks ^AS2E17
• Launch several clay discs that explode against Airbenders, injuring them in a training session and then launches more discs more rapidly to overwhelm Kai ^LS3E4
• Fires stones from a surrounding hallway and their gloves at Mako and Bolin, with one managing to grab and retrieve Jinora from a distance ^LS3E4
• Launch earth projectiles that zip past a fleeing sky bison, and fire rocks rapidly that eat into the ground behind a fleeing Mako and Bolin ^LS3E4
• Launches cubes of stone pulled from the ground at Aang, and latch onto the walls when Toph tosses them away to return stony columns at her in response ^AS3E11
• Launch stones at Iroh that explode against his body ^AS2E20

Bindings

• Raises crystals from the ground to bind Iroh in place, though he later escapes ^AS2E20
• Raise crystals from the ground to imprison Iroh after he gives up his fight ^AS2E20
• Catches Jet's hook sword in their earth-gloved grasp and then use the gloves as handcuffs to secure Jet ^AS2E14
• Use surveyors chains to bind Long Feng's wrists in place ^AS2E18
• Restrains the Council of Five with surveyors chains while ambushing them ^AS2E20

Barriers

• Several Dai Li raise massive walls of earth to trap Team Avatar ^AS2E17
• Two Dai Li intercept Zuko's flame attack, raising a piece of the ground as a shield for Azula ^AS2E20
• Two Dai Li close walls of stone together to block off Aang's attack at Azula ^AS3E11
• Raises a large stone wall when Team Avatar breaks apart their first one ^AS3E11
• Races along a wall, outpacing Aang, and raises a wall to impede him, though knocked out of the fight when Aang juts a column into the Dai Li that launches him away ^AS3E11

Mobility

• Dig their earth-gloved fingers into walls to climb up them ^ESW
• Several Dai Li drop from the ceiling and suspend themselves upside down with their rock boots secured against a cavern to ambush Team Avatar ^AS2E17
• Dai Li run on walls and ascend on columns of earth, but are hit away by Toph's earthbending ^AS2E17
• Several Dai Li cling to sheer rock walls to surround Team Avatar ^AS2E17
• Dai Li skate across the ground to quickly maneuver behind Team Avatar ^AS2E18
• Races along a wall, outpacing Aang, and raises a wall to impede him, though knocked out of the fight when Aang juts a column into the Dai Li that launches him away ^AS3E11
• Keeps ahead of Aang and Toph while also using columns to boost Azula's jumps, though hit by a sudden attack from Toph, disarmed, and imprisoned in metal shortly after ^AS3E11
• Slides down a wall of Ba Sing Se to land safely at its base ^AS3E1
• Dai Li leap a vast distance and quickly surround Korra, Tenzin, and the other Airbenders ^LS3E4
• Dig into the ground to hold their place against several Airbenders combining their powers into a continuous gust of wind ^LS3E4
• Use columns to amplify jumps even while in a narrow hallway ^LS3E4
• Use columns of stone to amplify jumps ^LS3E4

Misc.

• Trained from an early age to become master earthbenders ^ANW
• Forms their earth gloves around their hands to contour like a plaster mold ^AoAS
• Explode apart the swell of earth Aang rides atop, tossing him a distance away ^AS2E20
• Explodes apart Toph's earthen binding around Azula and then drops from the ceiling ^AS3E11
• Slides down a wall of Ba Sing Se to land safely at its base, combining their strength to bring the wall down after they land to allow in Fire Nation forces ^AS3E1
• Opens the floor beneath the restrained Mako and Bolin to drop them into a prison, then seals the hole back up ^LS3E10

Intelligence/Tactics

Espionage

• Originally trained by Avatar Kyoshi as an elite force of earthbenders who would be silent, precise, and feared by all ^ESW
• A Dai Li agent poses as a citizen who lies to Team Avatar about Appa's location successfully ^AS2E17
  • His name is Old Sweepy, and he was deliberately lying rather than brainwashed ^ANW
• Two Dai Li agents spy on Team Avatar discreetly from a rooftop nearby without detection ^AS2E17
• Lurks on rooftops, detecting Appa soon after he enters Ba Sing Se ^AS2E16
• Two Dai Li agents spy on Team Avatar discreetly from a rooftop nearby without detection ^AS2E17
• A Dai Li patrolman pursues Zuko, unwittingly falling into a trap ^AS2E17
• Dai Li cling to the columns of a building to spy on Mai and Ty Lee ^AS2E19
• Iroh secured one Dai Li as a prisoner for interrogation ^AS2E20
• Azula states that the Dai Li are the key to controlling Ba Sing Se ^AS2E19
• The Dai Li organize a coordinated ambush that secures the Council of Five and seize control of Ba Sing Se ^AS2E20

Brainwashing

• Brainwashes Jet in secret ^AS2E14
• Jet's brainwashing is so complete that Toph cannot tell he is lying, and he seems to wholeheartedly believe the brainwashing ^AS2E17
• Joo Di's brainwashing is triggered with a phrase that instantly calms her down and brings her to heel ^AS2E17
• Long Feng triggers Jet's brainwashing with a secret phrase, forcing Jet to turn on his allies ^AS2E17
• A whole room of Joo Dees are brainwashed at once, speaking in unison ^AS2E17
• Joo Di's brainwashing is triggered with a phrase that instantly calms her down and brings her to heel ^AS2E17

Respect Long Feng

Physical

• Appa bites Long Feng's leg and tosses him into the lake, skipping him across the surface, and he appears soon after unharmed save for a bite mark on his ankle ^AS2E17-18

Earthbending

• Overturns the ground beneath Appa and himself suddenly^AS2E16
• Strikes Jet with a column of stone killing Jet a short while later ^AS2E17

Intelligence

• Manipulates Katara and Toph in a social setting without arousing suspicion ^AS2E14
• Uses a bison whistle to lure Appa into a trap ^AS2E16
• Remained in control for the Dai Li even after his arrest for a time, though Azula successfully seized control of the Dai Li from Long Feng ^AS2E20

2016 mk7 GTI FBO stage 2 unitronic. The car miss fires on all 4 cylinders. I’ve had a carbon cleaning done at 72k miles, currently at 81k. i’ve done spark plugs, coils (OEM), plugs were gapped to spec, EQT grounding kit, LPFP, and HPFP. non of witch have fixed my issue. idle is fine and only misses under load. once car warms up it seems to run pretty decent. It just threw a new code today for fuel pressure sensor. should i go ahead and order a new sensor ? does anyone know where this sensor would be located ?

This is a project that's been living rent free in my head for awhile now, but only recently put into writing. Feel free to critique and or ask questions!
Long ago, a civilization many today call the Inter-Galactic Union (or IGU) created the relay network as a way to better regulate and ensure the safety of FTL travel. This network was comprised of three types of relays and several types of control stations, called Relay Control Centers (RCCs):

• RCC type 1 is the most numerous, these stations monitor any relay within 5 jumps regardless of type. It also has the capability to "relink" relays, often necessary in the face of interstellar drift. these stations are often found deactivated, but when an active one is found its sensor data is usually invaluable to any scholar. Normally found in the orbit of either a primary relay or the farthest planet from a star.
• RCC type 2 has 16 stations, but only 5 have been located by the current galactic community. regardless, this station type monitors all type 1 stations within its range, including (but not limited to) how many relays currently controlled, traffic between relays, activation status of a station, and most importantly the current positions of all active type 1 RCCs, active or not; this is made possible through check in pings. these stations do not move or drift, as they are anchored to a strategically placed black hole created by the IGU.
• RCC type 3 was only recently discovered anchored to the black hole at the center of the galaxy with the activation of a misaligned deep space telescope. Many theorize that it can activate or deactivate any relay in the galaxy.
• Primary relays make up the galaxy's interstellar highways, using a "warp corridor" to close the distance between each other. This type of relay has a range of 1,000 LY, according to records and attempts at realignment. Primary relays cannot be shut down once brought online.
• Secondary relays are the most numerous of the relays, able to connect to any secondary relay within 100 lightyears, but can connect to only one relay at a time. Several exotic designs of these relays have been discovered over the years, the most famous being the “Six Point Star Relay”, using a star shape to connect to 6 other relays without the need for rotating like a standard one.
• Tertiary relays are the largest relays, but are few and far between with unknown purpose

Many civilizations since the fall of the IGU nearly a billion years ago have made use of this network. with it's ease of use and ability to access more systems in a short amount of time typically leads to most every civilization that stumbles across it to scrap FTL research altogether. exceptions being those who were so xenophobic that once they found the relays they loaded their entire populous into sleeper ships and launched themselves at the andromeda galaxy (this has happened twice according to post-IGU civilization records).
Now for the current state of the galaxy:
The galactic community was founded roughly a century ago as a way to better regulate relay usage, but evolved into a forum in which galactic law is created. The Community has explored roughly half of the galaxy, no thanks to stellar drift moving a fair amount of relays out of range of each other and/or their RCCs. Many civilizations are in the community, but the most influential are the Imperil and the Unified Galactic Worlds (UGW).
​
About an Eighth of the galaxy is controlled by the Imperil. An Enlightened Monarchy created by the Prixi and now has control over many vassals. The Imperil is the oldest interstellar civilization of the current age, but has been held back by internal strife, civil wars, slave uprisings, and political gridlock for much of its lifetime. It relies on the wider galaxy for innovation, providing protection for any who with to provide it with technology.
The current ruler (called an Imperi [male] or Imperia [female]) has made many reforms, such as the abolishment of slavery in all territory under Imperil influence, shifting control of the military from the Noble class to its own central command that reports to him, and the reform of the tax structure to place more pressure on the noble class rather than those below it.
However, these reforms have destabilized the power structure in the Imperil. Now many of the noble class is against the Imperi, but cannot remove or kill him due to his popularity among the people and the vassals' support of him. They fear that further instability would warrant galactic intervention, or worse, strip them of their wealth and status.
​
Normally, a new addition to the galactic community is of little consequence or concern, but that was before the Unified Galactic Worlds was introduced. When the UGW was introduced to the wider galactic community, they were secretive and information was scarce for months, with the only information available to the wider community being that two species, called Kirmoth and Humanity. Then they lifted their iron curtain when they offered to take on the Galactic Network Project or GalNet Project.
The GalNet Project had been floating in the Community for years. The idea was simple, connect the galaxy with FTL communications so that couriers wouldn't be necessary. The initial research focused on technologies that could push normal communications through the "warp corridors" created by relays with nothing to show. Quantum entanglement is shown to be capable of FTL communication, but couldn't pass a lightyear in distance even when attempted with relays.
The UGW proposed what they called Subspace Entanglement. Using classified technology that utilizes properties similar to the relays' "warp corridor" but with key differences, allowing quantum entanglement to occur over galactic distances. When asked if the technology could be applied to starships, the UGW said "a version is in use on our vessels as a method of power generation and emergency FTL as well as communication, but cannot compete with the relays".
​
Thank you for reading, i plan on posting more on the histories and technologies in the future.

Hundreds of Thousands Have Lost Medicaid Coverage Since Pandemic Protections Expired (New York Times)
Link to article: https://web.archive.org/web/20230527084332/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/26/us/politics/medicaid-coverage-pandemic-loss.html
Excerpts:

Hundreds of thousands of low-income Americans have lost Medicaid coverage in recent weeks as part of a sprawling unwinding of a pandemic-era policy that prohibited states from removing people from the program.
Early data shows that many people lost coverage for procedural reasons, such as when Medicaid recipients did not return paperwork to verify their eligibility or could not be located. The large number of terminations on procedural grounds suggests that many people may be losing their coverage even though they are still qualified for it. Many of those who have been dropped have been children.

...

In Arkansas, more than 1.1 million people — over a third of the state’s residents — were on Medicaid at the end of March. In April, the first month that states could begin removing people from the program, about 73,000 people lost coverage, including about 27,000 children 17 and under.
Among those who were dropped was Melissa Buford, a diabetic with high blood pressure who makes about $35,000 a year at a health clinic in eastern Arkansas helping families find affordable health insurance. Her two adult sons also lost their coverage.
Like more than 5,000 others in the state, Ms. Buford, 51, was no longer eligible for Medicaid because her income had gone up. A notice she received informing her that she did not qualify made her so upset that she threw it in a trash can.
But a majority of those who lost coverage in Arkansas were dropped for procedural reasons.

...

Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders of Arkansas, a Republican, has framed the unwinding as a necessary process that will save money and allow Medicaid to function within its intended scope.
“We’re simply removing ineligible participants from the program to reserve resources for those who need them and follow the law,” Ms. Sanders wrote in an opinion essay in The Wall Street Journal this month. She added that “some Democrats and activist reporters oppose Arkansas’s actions because they want to keep people dependent on the government.”

...

What has played out in Arkansas so far offers evidence of the widespread disruption that the unwinding process is likely to cause in households across the country in the coming months, forcing Americans to find new insurance or figure out how to regain Medicaid coverage that they lost for procedural reasons. The federal government has projected that about 15 million people will lose coverage, including nearly seven million people who are expected to be dropped despite still being eligible.
Among the biggest looming questions is how the process will affect children. In Florida, for instance, a boy in remission from leukemia and in need of a biopsy recently lost his coverage.
Researchers at the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families estimated before the unwinding that more than half of children in the United States were covered by Medicaid or CHIP. Many children who lose coverage will be dropped for procedural reasons even though they are still eligible, said Joan Alker, the center’s executive director.
“Those kids have nowhere else to turn for coverage,” she said. “Medicaid is the single largest insurer for children. This is hugely consequential for them.”
In Arkansas, many of the children who lost Medicaid were “the poorest of the poor,” said Loretta Alexander, the health policy director for Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families. She added that losing coverage would be especially harmful for young children who need regular developmental checkups early in life.

...

Other states have also removed a large number of Medicaid recipients for procedural reasons. In Indiana, nearly 90 percent of the roughly 53,000 people who lost Medicaid in the first month of the state’s unwinding were booted on those grounds. In Florida, where nearly 250,000 people lost Medicaid coverage, procedural reasons were to blame for a vast majority.

...

Debra Miller, 54, of Bullhead City, Ariz., lost Medicaid coverage in April after her roughly $25,000 annual salary as a Burger King cook left her ineligible. Ms. Miller, a single mother with diabetes and hypothyroidism, worked with an insurance counselor at North Country HealthCare, a network of federally funded health clinics, to enroll in a marketplace plan with a roughly $70 monthly premium.
“It’s a struggle because it’s a new bill that I haven’t had before,” she said. Her new plan, she added, does not include vision insurance, leaving her worried about paying for eye appointments she needs as a diabetic.
Ms. Buford said that for some people in Arkansas, marketplace coverage would be too expensive.
“You have a car, mortgage, kids, food,” she said. “You really don’t have that much left to pay that much for health insurance.”
Ms. Buford said that her job helping others find health insurance in underserved areas was a calling inspired by watching her grandmother struggle to afford her medications and rely on food pantries. Ms. Buford went to a community college near her hometown so she could take care of her sick father, who passed away in his 40s. “I love my job because I’m able to help people,” she said.
Now that she has lost her Medicaid coverage, Ms. Buford said she hoped to find an affordable marketplace plan in the near future. The family plan offered by the clinic where she works is too costly, she said.
“I’m grateful for what I have because someone else doesn’t have what I have,” Ms. Buford said. “I just wish I could have kept my Medicaid.”

'Enormous Policy Failure': States Throw Hundreds of Thousands—Including Many Children—Off Medicaid (Common Dreams)
Link to article: https://www.commondreams.org/news/states-hundreds-of-thousands-medicaid
Article:

With a green light from the federal government, states across the U.S. have thrown hundreds of thousands of low-income people off Medicaid in recent weeks—and many have lost coverage because they failed to navigate bureaucratic mazes, not because they were no longer eligible.
More than a dozen states, including Florida and other Republican-led states that have refused to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, have begun removing people from Medicaid as part of the "unwinding" of a pandemic-era federal policy that temporarily barred governments from kicking people off the program.
In a bipartisan deal late last year, Congress agreed to cut off the pandemic protections, giving states 12 months to redetermine who is eligible for the healthcare program that covers tens of millions of Americans.
The process differs in each state, but Medicaid enrollees are typically required to complete paperwork verifying their income, address, disability status, and other factors used to determine eligibility for the program.
While some states have undertaken public outreach campaigns to ensure Medicaid recipients understand what they need to do to continue receiving benefits, most enrollees across the country "were not aware that states are now permitted to resume disenrolling people from the Medicaid program," according to new survey data from the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF).
As a result, The New York Times reported Friday, "many people lost coverage for procedural reasons, such as when Medicaid recipients did not return paperwork to verify their eligibility or could not be located."
"The large number of terminations on procedural grounds suggests that many people may be losing their coverage even though they are still qualified for it," the newspaper added. "Many of those who have been dropped have been children."
Early data released by the state of Florida, for example, shows that more than 205,000 people in the state lost coverage for procedural reasons after April eligibility checks.
"We knew this was coming. But we still treat these burdens like they're unavoidable natural disasters," said Pamela Herd, a professor of public policy at Georgetown University. "We need to be much more explicit about these failures because we're making a choice to allow this."
Joan Alker, executive director of the Georgetown Center for Children and Families, said she is "very worried about Florida."
"We've heard the call center's overwhelmed, the notices are very confusing in Florida—they're very hard to understand," said Alker.
In a recent letter to Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, a 2024 presidential candidate, more than 50 advocacy groups demanded a Medicaid redetermination pause, pointing to "reports of Floridians being disenrolled from Medicaid without having received notice" from the state's Department of Children and Families (DCF).
"One of these individuals is a 7-year-old boy in remission from Leukemia who is now unable to access follow-up—and potentially lifesaving—treatments," the groups wrote. "Families with children have been erroneously terminated, and parents are having trouble reaching the DCF call center for help with this process. Additionally, unclear notices and lack of information on how to appeal contribute to more confusion."
"We are deeply concerned about those with serious, acute, and chronic conditions who will continue to lose access to their lifesaving treatments during this time, along with people who risk substantial medical debt, or even bankruptcy, as a result of coverage loss," the groups added.
What if instead we just gave everyone health insurance coverage??!! https://t.co/hSOQKYU7JY — Ady Barkan (@Ady Barkan) 1685130002
The Times highlighted the situation in Arkansas, which is led by Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders—a supporter of Medicaid work requirements and other attacks on the program. (Work requirements were briefly tried in Arkansas in 2018 and 2019, with disastrous consequences.)
"In Arkansas, more than 1.1 million people—over a third of the state's residents—were on Medicaid at the end of March [2023]," the Times noted Friday. "In April, the first month that states could begin removing people from the program, about 73,000 people lost coverage, including about 27,000 children 17 and under."
An Arkansas law requires the state to complete its Medicaid eligibility reviews in six months instead of 12.
In a Wall Street Journalop-ed earlier this month, Sanders wrote that her state is booting people from Medicaid at "the fastest pace in the nation" and claimed those being removed are "ineligible participants"—ignoring evidence that many being stripped of coverage were technically still eligible.
The U.S. Health and Human Services Department has estimated that upwards of 15 million people nationwide could lose Medicaid coverage during the redetermination process.
"This is such an enormous policy failure—profoundly cruel and will contribute to furthering inequities," Dr. Cecília Tomori, a public health scholar at Johns Hopkins University, wrote Friday.
While some who lose Medicaid will be able to access insurance through an employer or the Affordable Care Act marketplaces, KFF found that more than four in ten people with Medicaid as their only source of healthcare "say they wouldn't know where to look for other coverage or would be uninsured" if they were removed from the program.
"This is about to happen to a lot of people," warned Larry Levitt, KFF's executive vice president for health policy.
The Times pointed to the case of 54-year-old Arizona resident Debra Miller, who "lost Medicaid coverage in April after her roughly $25,000 annual salary as a Burger King cook left her ineligible."
"Ms. Miller, a single mother with diabetes and hypothyroidism, worked with an insurance counselor at North Country HealthCare, a network of federally funded health clinics, to enroll in a marketplace plan with a roughly $70 monthly premium," the Times reported.
Miller told the newspaper that the new plan is a "struggle" both because of the new monthly payment and because it doesn't include the vision coverage she needs and now may not be able to afford.
The Congressional Budget Office estimated earlier this week that states' Medicaid eligibility checks will likely leave 6.2 million people without any insurance at all.
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For pellet grills/smokers, I've always been set on my Recteq's (RT700 and a Bullseye) and love them, but I was in the market for a griddle as well and have been going back and forth between pretty much everything on the market with 100's of hours of research and was set between the Flatrock, Campchef and the Halo 3/4B . I had a blackstone, but as I am getting older, I'm turning into a "buy once cry once" kind of guy.
I was able to see every unit in person and ultimately chose the Flatrock for these 3 reasons.. The 5 year warranty, the build quality vs the Campchef and availability of Traeger vs the Halo.
Figured I would share some information from my experience with this unit and what I like and dislike about it. In no specific order

1. Build quality you can just tell is leaps above what Blackstone or other cheaper units, but at the end of the day, it's some burners on a griddle - I appreciate the build quality for sure. The only unit that's probably better built is a Halo 3B or 4B, but much harder to find.
2. I like the electronic functions, the propane gauge is nice, I like the flame sensors as well. This isn't talked about in a lot of reviews you find online, but you need to know that the unit must be plugged in for the sensors, but you can use a 9v to ignite. So 2 unique features require you to be plugged in.
3. Putting the unit together was pretty straight forward, but I am not a fan of the propane tank holder. I don't know if I did it right or what, but it doesn't sit in place well. I think I may have the bracket backwards, but I need to find another person on this. Outside of the bracket, everything else is great from putting together. Took me about an hour. You need to note that you get instructions in the package that link you to the traeger app and instructions. It does not work to load any instructions/video. I had to youtube for the video. Just an FYI
4. Burn in was easy , seasoned well, cooks well, but I think like any griddle on the market, the whole 'zone' thing is a joke. The griddle does have pretty even temperatures across, which has its own pro's and con's. The thing about Blackstone with it being so drastically uneven is that you can also use that to cook to your advantage. Maybe spend a bit more time to toast bread in a corner because it's 150degrees cooler than another part of the griddle. You can't do this on a flatrock, since the temperatures will all be between 20-30 from each other.
5. I love how big the shelves are, and nothing on them get too hot, just warm to the touch when it's close to the griddle. I also picked up all the P.A.L addons and while they're all nice, you can't really fold the shelves down when you want to store it because they slide around. I do not have the cover, but I am not sure if you have to put the shelves down or not. Keep that in mind .
6. The casters are great, all high quality and all 4 can be individually locked.
7. You can level each leg individually, but it's not so easy compared to like the Halo for example
8. Grease management: I'm not a fan of its location, but I've worked around it already. Because of its placement, you lose a lot of cooking surface because you can't put much in the corner next to it. Traeger really should have placed it in the corner like a campchef. This is probably my biggest gripe, but it's not that bad. You just need to get adjusted to it, but I feel like I have a lot less cooking surface since a whole section can't be cooked on with anything runny because you fear of losing it down the grease drain. Anything not runny next to the grease hole ends up cooking faster since it gives off heat as well. Really wish they would have placed it into a corner.
9. The lid is solid, but for a premium unit, the lid should be able to act as a dome, but it says you can't while the burners are on. I wish they would clarify that if I decided to turn off the burners when making smash burgers, can I close the the lid when cheese is melting? I think the answer is no. That is another big benefit of the Halo unit. You can use the lid like any other grill.
10. The LED lights for the propane gauge is really bright, not a big deal at all, but if you don't want that shining on you all the time, I tend to turn the grill off and the switch is located behind the unit which can be a bit annoying based on your setup.

​
Overall my complaints are just minor, they performance is great, I think it's some of the best griddle food I've made and I like how even everything is. My only qualms is the bracket (which could be my fault), and the biggest is the placement of the grease trap.
I wish they would add an P.A.L addon for trashbag holder as well.
​
Thanks!

“Now Paige, you’re sure there isn’t anything for me to sign?”, my mother asked.
“No mom. It’s ‘Bring your sibling to work day’. Caroline is 10 and old enough for the summer training, even though she can’t officially serve as an Imperial Page for two more years.”, I reply.
At 14 myself, I’ve been an Imperial Page for 2 years now. “I did the summer training.”, a month each, for two summers starting at 10, “I wanted to see if she might be interested serving as well.”
“I just don’t want her getting in someone important’s way.”, mother continues.
“She’ll be fine. The shuttle flights in/out off-world will be the most exciting part. ‘Court’ is currently in session on Tau Ceti 9a, with the Emperor himself at one of the orbital Space Stations. He’s overseeing rescue, recovery, and restoration operations dealing with the aftermath of the two recent super-typhoons on the planet. We’ll mostly be delivering snacks & meals and hand delivering documents and supplies all day. Routine stuff.”
“I just don’t want her to do something to upset the Emperor.”, mother said.
I reply, “He’s trying to help people in distress mom. People left with next to nothing. He’s just a man.”
Mother shakes her head and mumbles, “I worry about that too.”
I snort, “He wouldn’t do anything to us and the Sezrakeen (the Imperial Guard) wouldn’t allow it anyway.”
I remember something they told us in training . . . “Even if you see the Emperor in a room, seemingly by himself, two of the Sezrakeen are always there. Though they can be invisible, and you may not see them. One to protect him from evil in the world and one to protect the world from any evil in him.” No one in the Imperial Court has treated me badly.
Mother finally relents, cleans up after breakfast, and sees us off. We catch the community transit to the city-center, then on to Lacross Spaceport. One shuttle to the regional military base, then a shuttle combining many groups to go to / from wherever Court is in session at the current time.
With 7,645 inhabited worlds in the known multiverse, “Imperial Court” moves around every few months trying to spread the attention around. Currently there are 74 regional centers large enough to house the staff of the traveling court. 17 of which could be classified as “Palaces”. (Including “The Winter Palace” the Emperor build by himself, by hand on Beatrice Nine. It’s beautiful and one of my favorites to visit and serve in, though knowing he was abandoned alone on the planet for almost 40,000 years, time enough to build the central structures by himself . . . sort of brings a melancholy air to the place.)
Caroline and I arrive at R44 (the closest Regional Center), and I take her to Security while we wait for the morning shuttle. I scan my left forearm under the ID scanner. You can wear a ring, bracelet, pendent, or carry a card or pen-sized wand for ID . . . But I opted for the radial (bone) implant. It’s much harder to forget and leave your left arm at home. And since it registers body heat and blood flow, it can’t practically be taken from you and used by someone else. (I did “neglect” to tell my parents I opted for the implant 18 months ago.)
Caroline gets her biometrics recorded. (Photographs, walking gait, finger-hand prints. Reads a sample text for voice capture and a pinprick for DNA.) She opts for a subtle ring ID and asks me, “Why does it look like I’m the only sister or brother here?”
I respond, “It’s only you today. I just wanted you to see what a day was like in the Imperial Court.”
“What do you mean ‘only you’? Is it really ‘Bring your sibling to work day?’”
“As far as I know there is no such thing. I just wanted you to come and see the Emperor and the Court.”
“You’re just bringing someone to see the Emperor of the Known Multiverse and the Imperial Court? Who approved it?”
“I did.”
“You can do that?”
“An Imperial Page can do what they need to.”, I say as we finish her setup. Most of the biographical info (date of birth, relatives, placed lived) I entered to her personnel record weeks ago. I scan my ID and vouch for her to match the biometrics to the central data personnel record.
“Let’s go, the Shuttle will be ready for boarding about the time we get there.”, I put my left arm around Caroline’s shoulders and nudge her in the right direction.
Feeling the tenseness in her shoulders I ask, “Are you worried?”
“A little bit.”, she says with a bit shaky voice.
“Don’t. Just keep your ears open. Follow me and help me whatever I’m doing. Unless someone there directly addresses you, try not to interfere. You’ll hear things meant to be kept private. Try and let it flow in one ear and out the other without thinking about it or remembering it. Normally its boring procedural matters running the Empire. But for the past few weeks at this odd location there has been a lot of ‘sad news’ from the deaths, injuries, from the storms. It’s been turning around a bit. Back to more rebuilding hospitals, schools, city halls, and some factories. You can whisper me questions but try not to bother the others there. You’ll do fine.”
The morning shuttle we are on (of 6 per day cycling in/out wherever court is) arrives and docks with the station. The contents depart and scan past security checkpoints. Caroline her ring and me my forearm. Which leaves Caroline with a perplexed look. (I didn’t explain yet that the implant was an option, and she sees no ring on my hand.)
I lead Caroline past stationed guards, secretaries and administrators, dignitaries, and court personnel to one of the inner facility rooms. One of the court cooks sees me, points to a cart loaded with coffee and tea Thermos’s, water pitchers, cups, and an assortment of donuts, sweets, ‘breakfast things’, and says “Conference L2 Room 6a.”
I begin pushing the cart to the Lift for Level 2, room 6a. Caroline stays almost glued to my left hip. She’s being inordinately quiet. But then I remember what it was like for myself, only a few years ago.
More guards at the conference room recognize me and one holds the door as I push the cart in. One points at Caroline. I simply say, “Sister.” The guard nods.
Caroline and I spend the next 10 minutes distributing drinks and retrieving used cups/plates, and occasionally pulling my sister gently along by her arm. With over 7,000 inhabited planets and an average population of 2 billion, a good 80% of the 14 trillion in the known multiverse have seen images/video of the Emperor. But it’s quite another thing to pass by him close enough to touch for the first time. Not to mention Admirals, Generals, and dignitaries of all sorts around the conference table and outer ring chairs many with a dizzying array of medals, epaulets, and such.
She hands me things as I place them on the table. (So, if she spills anything, it’ll only get me, not a General) and I place them on the table.
I half listen as Admiral Burns shows video on the large screen at the end of the room and describes the current situation on the planet below.
“. . . Rescue operations have officially completed everywhere. Recovery (of human/animal remains) and final demolition of dangerous structures continue in the Rangor and Balok districts.
Next, I’ll go over how we plan to deploy Military-Imperial construction teams to begin assisting with infrastructure repair and restoration . . .”, as the Admiral’s aide works on a laptop on the conference table to bring up the next presentation.
An imperial aide I recognized pops their head in the end door and says, “Sire, message on F23.” The emperor says, “One second Admiral.”, and taps some keys on a tablet at his right hand.
The presentation clears on the end video screen and a woman dressed in what I’ll say is a doctor's white cloak appears on screen. Momentarily fazed upon seeing the Emperor himself, she stutters, “I uhh,”
The Emperor said, “Its fine Doctor. How can we help you?”
The woman tries to continue, “I, uhh. I’m sorry, I . . .”, closing her eyes for a second and opening, “I’m Doctor Akins on Brandenburg 2, Jellico City Memorial Hospital. I have a patient, Angela Graham. I’m afraid she’s had a heart attack and at her age of 97, I fear she won’t last more than a day or two, despite our best efforts. Her son a . . .”, looking down at a tablet she was holding, “. . . Captain Angus Graham was listed as family-emergency contact with instructions to call the Regional Base and explain any issues. I vid-called and two people later and I’ve somehow ended up with you.”, she adds hesitantly, “Sire”, not quite sure the proper form of address for the Emperor.
The Emperor responded, “He’s on station here with his Star Carrier the Perecles so they bounced you through to us. I’ll find him and let him know to go home. Thank you, Doctor Akins.”
The Doctor nods and the screen returns to the aide’s presentation slide.
Caroline and I had been clearing coffee cups and snack dishes from afternoon tea away from the conference table and were pushing the tray to the door to leave when the Emperor held up a hand towards us.
The Emperor asked aloud “Donna? (The computers name) Locate Captain Angus Graham”.
Donna: “Captain Angus Graham has just entered the Officers Lounge on Deck 23, at Bulkhead 41.”
The Emperor hand wrote a note on a sheet of paper, folded it in half, looked my way and said “Paige”.
Paige was an inconvenient name to have in my position, I was never quite sure if he knew my name and was saying Paige or just Page.
“You heard the location?”, the Emperor asked
Paige, “Yes sire.”
“Directly to Gus.”, the Emperor said, handing me the folded note.
I nodded.
Pushing the tray on through the door, I saw another page standing nearby and said, “Please.”, pointing to the tray and nodding to the closest kitchen. Thomas nodded and began pushing the tray in that direction.
We, Caroline and I, headed for the nearest Lift. (The multi-axis elevators that span the height and breadth of the station.) And I spoke tilting my head up a bit, “Deck 23, closest Bulkhead 41.”
“Deck 23, Bulkhead 42.”, the Lift responded.
The station bulkheads are about 50ft apart, so not that far to walk.
I opened the folded note and read it silently.
Caroline, still at my side and mostly silent since a flurry of questions when we stopped to have lunch, finally spoke inside the Lift, “Can you read the note?”
I responded, “An Imperial Page can do what they need to.”
We reached the Lift destination. I spoke to a nearby common terminal and said “Officers Lounge Deck 23, Bulkhead 41.”.
The terminal responded back, “The Mango Room. Light Blue”, simultaneously a Light Blue courtesy light appeared on the wall-track and began moving at a walking pace to the right.
Caroline and I followed the dot as it matched pace to lead us.
We reached The Mango Room double doors.
I tried the door handle but while it turned, the door didn’t unlatch. I tapped the “knock” button on the rightmost door.
A few seconds later a man about 40, with slicked back black hair and a pencil thin mustache appeared on the screen above the knock button. Seeing me, he only said, “Beat it kid. This is the Officers Lounge.”, and the screen went blank again.
I pressed the button again.
This time when he appeared, I spoke before the man could, “I am an Imperial Page with a message to be hand delivered to Captain Graham. I believe him to be inside.”
“I don’t give a fuck who you are ‘Little Girl’. Children aren’t allowed in here to bother the patrons. Get lost.”, the man sneers and clicks off again.
I turn and retrace steps to the Lift, Caroline following.
I tell the Lift, “Armory”.
Scanning arm ID at the doorway, we enter and I approach the wire cage behind which stands a man I have never seen before. I fill out a “request form” on the tablet nearby, tap it to and scan my ID to the nearby sensor.
The man looks at the list popping up on the screen on his side of the cage, “A bit young, aren’t you? Why don’t you try back in a couple years.”, snickering and turning back to his desk behind him.
Back out the Armory door, to the Lift and back to the conference room with the Emperor.
I enter, holding one palm back, indicating for Caroline to stay in the doorway of the room.
Saying nothing to anyone, I walked around to the left of the Emperor and pulled the Imperial Signet off the little finger of the Emperor’s left hand and placing it onto my right index finger, while he continued to ask questions about Engineering Group deployments on the planet below.
Outside the conference room, I pointed my index/middle finger in the direction of two Imperial Marine Guards on the distant side of the room, in self-contained fully body armor then motioned with a cupping hand a ‘follow me’ hand signal.
Four of us in the Lift this time.
Back at the armory. I held my right hand up in a fist, index finger with signet facing the clerk, then swept the signet over the ID reader and entered the Emperor’s personal 18 character passcode.
The display lit up on the clerk’s side of the cage . . .
Things moved much faster this time.
The Armory attendants fitted us both with PDS’s (Personal Defense Shields), I pointed at Caroline and said “Openers”.
One Armory tech clipped two breaching charges on Caroline's belt, as I reached for the thermal viewers and mid-sized carbine the other tech held.
Facing the two Marines that had accompanied us, I waved my left hand in their direction and said, “Released.” They turned and left.
The tech previously holding the carbine asked, “You know . . .”
I turned the side of the weapon towards him and said, “Kill/Stun”, clicking that lever to Stun pointed at a 2nd switch “Rate of Fire, Single, 3 shot burst, Full Auto”, and pointing to the last, “Power Setting”.
I turned to leave with Caroline in perpetual tow.
Caroline asked, “A gun?”
I responded, “The Power settings for Stun go from level 1 to 5. One would sting. Two feels like a dozen angry bees stung you with the pain fading over the next hour. Three might knock out a child. Four would definitely knock out ANY ordinary man/woman, unconscious for an hour or so. Five would stop a charging elephant and bring it to the ground for three or four hours.”
I click the carbine settings to Level Two . . . Full Auto.
Back at “The Mango Room” doors, I swatted Caroline with the back of my hand to see our PDS fields light up and confirm it on like mine, flipped down the thermal viewer over my eyes and look to see if anyone is standing directly behind the doors.
“Take one of the breaching pucks off your belt.”, holding my hand up as if I was carrying one on my fingertips, “Set the dial on the side to 2.”
I look down the hallways to the left and right. No one on the left. I hold up one flat palm and stop a group to the right in their tracks about 20 yards away.
Speaking to Caroline again, mimicking the motion I say, “Fling it towards the center-line between the two doors.”
She flings the puck, it self-orients to flat-on face the two doors.
A half inch from the doors it discharges. The central 90% of the doors vaporize and blow back past Caroline and me in a plume of smoke and wood-metal shards. Harmlessly skittering off and around our PDS’s.
Mustache man steps out from beside the doors and seeing me begins to approach. I aim the carbine at him and hold the trigger down moving the impact point around his body.
They shoot you once during page training at settings two and three. A single shot at level two hurt worse than anything I’d felt to that point in my life for the next hour. A week later when they did Three . . . I was out for an hour.
I can’t imagine 2 seconds of Full Auto felt pleasant as mustache man crumpled to the floor.
Officers and Civilian Dignitaries around the room stood up from their tables upon seeing/hearing the door breach.
I took the opportunity to step up from one of their chairs to a nearby table, trying to dodge drink glasses.
Addressing the room with a firm voice, “I am an Imperial Page. With a message from the Emperor for Captain Angus Graham. Captain Graham present yourself.”
The crowd somewhat parted as a man in his late 60’s answered, “Here Miss.”
Stepping down from the table/chair, slinging the rifle, and approaching Captain Graham, I didn’t remove the note, but chose simply to speak directly to the Captain.
“Gus”, (the Captain understood it was the Emperor speaking), “Word just came through and it seemed better to deliver it in person. Your mother has suffered a heart attack and we fear her time is near. If your responsibilities allow it, take my shuttle and go home while you still can. Spend what time you need with her. I’m very sorry old friend.”
The Captain responded softly to me, “Thank you John.”
I stepped back and to the side, using my right hand to wave Caroline back out of the way.
Captain Graham passed through the crowd, presumably to gather personal items and head home.
I, with Caroline following, turned to follow Captain Graham out.
The “very angry” bouncer was just getting up on one hip, trying to push himself up on one hand and yelled through clenched teeth, “Why you little Bit. . . ”
He didn’t finish the sentence. I clicked the gun up to level 4, single shot, pushing him back 3 feet, and pinning him to the wall. Unconscious for at least a couple hours this time.
Caroline and I returned to the armory, dropping off the Carbine, Thermals, PDSs, and one un-expended breaching puck. Signing them back in. Logging one puck as “expended”, and 0.2% down on the carbine charge.
Back in the Lift to return to the conference room, I notice out the corner of my eye, a still silent Caroline, looks over and up at me with a thousand questions on her face.
I continued looking forward at the Lift doors and said, “An Imperial Page can do what they need to.”
I reentered the conference room, Caroline still in tow. Walked around the Emperor to his left, lifting his left hand and placing the signet back on his little finger and whispered, “Thank you John.”
As a video of reconstruction projections continued on the vid-screen at the end of the room, the Emperor nodded to me, understanding the message was from Gus and after I had crossed around behind him, looked to his right and said, “Thank you Paige.”, nodding to my sister, “Caroline.”
Caroline, her eyes as big as dinner plates, half bowed, half curtsied, and we left the conference room.
I looked over at Caroline, “It’s been a long day for you. We can just catch the next shuttle back to R44 and home if we leave now.”
Off the local transport, our parents were just stepping out of their personal car. Dad had two grocery bags in each hand, mother had two in one hand and was reaching for the last one in the open trunk-hatch.
“You survived!”, she said teasingly, looking our direction.
“Yes mother.”, I said.
“Did anything interesting happen?”, she asked.
“No mother. It was just another ordinary day. Passing out coffee, meals, and delivering notes.”, I replied
Caroline picked up the last of the grocery bags from the car while mother closed the hatch.
“How about you nibblet?”, Father asked, stopping to look at Caroline, “Were you bored to tears? Do you think you might like to be a Page in two more years when you’re old enough? You’d have to go through the training classes for the next two summers like your sister did.”
“Yes father. I think I’d like that.”, and lead the way into the house.
Caroline sets the grocery bag on the kitchen table and moves into the living room to sit down on the sofa. She faced the vid-screen and clicks it on. One of the weekly shows is on about one or another of the nation’s larger zoo’s. But she’s got that “glazed over” thousand yard stare . . . That I probably had after my first day after seeing the Imperial Court.
I wonder to myself if she’ll follow in my footsteps. Someone, from somewhere will need to replace me in about two years. In theory you can stay an entire career as a page. Some do.
But in two years I’ll be sixteen. And with four years’ experience as an Imperial Page, I can begin training for a range of other jobs in the Imperial administration.
“Combat Courier” sounds interesting.

I figured I'd give linux a try on a new computer. I'm using a new AM5 motherboard (MSI MAG X670E TOMAHAWK) that had support added in the 6.3 kernel (from what I've read?). I'm currently trying to get lm-sensors and my integrated graphics drivers working, plus any other motherboard specific drivers all setup. From what I've read, I can get lm-sensors from the 6.3 kernel. I'm not sure how to get my AMD integrated graphics drivers, because all the instructions I find seem to be for AMD video cards. I'm using a 7950x3d processor if that helps.
I followed instructions to install the Ubuntu Mainline Kernel Installer, however when I install the 6.3.4 kernel, I'm unable to boot and have to boot using my older kernel. I also get this "No signature table present" error from the mainline installer at the end (it won't let me copy out of its terminal, so typing it):

Adding boot menu entry for UEFI Firmware Settings ... done Processing triggers for shim-signed (1.51.3+15.7-0ubuntu1) ... No signature table present E: /boot/vmlinuz-6.3.4-060304-generic: Could not find signing subject, sbverify output follows: No signature table present DONE 

I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong, since I followed instructions online exactly for installing the 6.3 kernel. I can't even figure out where to being on the AMD iGPU drivers.
edit: Would this get me iGPU drivers? https://www.amd.com/en/support/linux-drivers
edit 2: I used sudo apt-get install amdgpu-install then amdgpu-install, and got this error:

Some packages could not be installed. This may mean that you have requested an impossible situation or if you are using the unstable distribution that some required packages have not yet been created or been moved out of Incoming. The following information may help to resolve the situation: The following packages have unmet dependencies: xserver-xorg-amdgpu-video-amdgpu : Depends: xorg-video-abi-24 but it is not installable 

I think this is a good way to output system info:
inxi -Fxxxrz output:

System: Kernel: 5.15.0-72-generic x86_64 bits: 64 compiler: gcc v: 11.3.0 Desktop: Cinnamon 5.6.8 tk: GTK 3.24.33 wm: muffin vt: 7 dm: LightDM 1.30.0 Distro: Linux Mint 21.1 Vera base: Ubuntu 22.04 jammy Machine: Type: Desktop Mobo: Micro-Star model: MAG X670E TOMAHAWK WIFI (MS-7E12) v: 1.0 serial:  UEFI: American Megatrends LLC. v: 1.37 date: 05/15/2023 CPU: Info: 16-core model: AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D bits: 64 type: MT MCP smt: enabled arch: Zen 3 rev: 2 cache: L1: 1024 KiB L2: 16 MiB L3: 128 MiB Speed (MHz): avg: 2949 high: 3518 min/max: 3000/5759 boost: enabled cores: 1: 2881 2: 2999 3: 2989 4: 2980 5: 2891 6: 2870 7: 3000 8: 3000 9: 2930 10: 2728 11: 2973 12: 3518 13: 2969 14: 2701 15: 2827 16: 2897 17: 3000 18: 3000 19: 2999 20: 2872 21: 3000 22: 2986 23: 2952 24: 2999 25: 2911 26: 2796 27: 2966 28: 3349 29: 2661 30: 2939 31: 2996 32: 2791 bogomips: 268808 Flags: avx avx2 ht lm nx pae sse sse2 sse3 sse4_1 sse4_2 sse4a ssse3 svm Graphics: Device-1: AMD vendor: Micro-Star MSI driver: N/A pcie: speed: 16 GT/s lanes: 16 bus-ID: 16:00.0 chip-ID: 1002:164e class-ID: 0300 Display: x11 server: X.Org v: 1.21.1.4 driver: X: loaded: ati,vesa unloaded: fbdev,modesetting,radeon gpu: N/A display-ID: :0 screens: 1 Screen-1: 0 s-res: 1280x1024 s-dpi: 96 s-size: 339x271mm (13.3x10.7") s-diag: 434mm (17.1") Monitor-1: default res: 1280x1024 hz: 77 size: N/A OpenGL: renderer: llvmpipe (LLVM 15.0.6 256 bits) v: 4.5 Mesa 22.2.5 direct render: Yes Audio: Device-1: AMD vendor: Micro-Star MSI driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel pcie: speed: 16 GT/s lanes: 16 bus-ID: 16:00.1 chip-ID: 1002:1640 class-ID: 0403 Device-2: AMD Family 17h HD Audio vendor: Micro-Star MSI driver: snd_hda_intel v: kernel pcie: speed: 16 GT/s lanes: 16 bus-ID: 16:00.6 chip-ID: 1022:15e3 class-ID: 0403 Sound Server-1: ALSA v: k5.15.0-72-generic running: yes Sound Server-2: PulseAudio v: 15.99.1 running: yes Sound Server-3: PipeWire v: 0.3.48 running: yes Network: Device-1: Realtek RTL8125 2.5GbE vendor: Micro-Star MSI driver: r8169 v: kernel pcie: speed: 5 GT/s lanes: 1 port: f000 bus-ID: 05:00.0 chip-ID: 10ec:8125 class-ID: 0200 IF: enp5s0 state: down mac:  Device-2: MEDIATEK driver: mt7921e v: kernel pcie: speed: 5 GT/s lanes: 1 port: N/A bus-ID: 0c:00.0 chip-ID: 14c3:0616 class-ID: 0280 IF: wlp12s0 state: up mac:  Bluetooth: Device-1: MediaTek Wireless_Device type: USB driver: btusb v: 0.8 bus-ID: 3-7:4 chip-ID: 0e8d:0616 class-ID: e001 serial:  Report: hciconfig ID: hci0 rfk-id: 0 state: up address:  bt-v: 3.0 lmp-v: 5.2 sub-v: 2203 hci-v: 5.2 rev: 2216 Drives: Local Storage: total: 1.82 TiB used: 37.36 GiB (2.0%) ID-1: /dev/nvme0n1 vendor: Samsung model: SSD 980 PRO 2TB size: 1.82 TiB speed: 63.2 Gb/s lanes: 4 type: SSD serial:  rev:  temp: 31.9 C scheme: GPT Partition: ID-1: / size: 1.79 TiB used: 37.35 GiB (2.0%) fs: ext4 dev: /dev/nvme0n1p2 ID-2: /boot/efi size: 511 MiB used: 6.1 MiB (1.2%) fs: vfat dev: /dev/nvme0n1p1 Swap: ID-1: swap-1 type: file size: 2 GiB used: 0 KiB (0.0%) priority: -2 file: /swapfile Sensors: Message: No sensor data found. Is lm-sensors configured? Repos: Packages: apt: 2350 No active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list No active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/amdgpu-proprietary.list Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/amdgpu.list 1: deb https://repo.radeon.com/amdgpu/5.4.5/ubuntu focal main Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/cappelikan-ppa-jammy.list 1: deb [arch=amd64 signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/cappelikan-ppa-jammy.gpg] https://ppa.launchpadcontent.net/cappelikan/ppa/ubuntu jammy main Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/google-chrome.list 1: deb [arch=amd64] https://dl.google.com/linux/chrome/deb/ stable main Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/official-package-repositories.list 1: deb http://packages.linuxmint.com vera main upstream import backport 2: deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu jammy main restricted universe multiverse 3: deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu jammy-updates main restricted universe multiverse 4: deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu jammy-backports main restricted universe multiverse 5: deb http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ jammy-security main restricted universe multiverse Active apt repos in: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/rocm.list 1: deb [arch=amd64] https://repo.radeon.com/rocm/apt/5.4.5 focal main Info: Processes: 542 Uptime: 1h 17m wakeups: 34 Memory: 93.46 GiB used: 7.1 GiB (7.6%) Init: systemd v: 249 runlevel: 5 Compilers: gcc: 11.3.0 alt: 11/12 Shell: Bash v: 5.1.16 running-in: gnome-terminal inxi: 3.3.13 

I want to start off this post by saying that these are just my raw ideas for what I would see in a Yakuza game and I write this just have the idea out there. Although I would interested see what y'all think. As of this I have only ever played the mainline games and I do plan on getting to spin-offs like Judgement and Ishin soon, so keep that in mind for I'll be referencing the I have played games and no close to zero about the games I haven't played. Oh and spoilers for the mainline series obviously. The stuff I want in my ideal game I would put in bold so if you wanted quickly read through that's an option.
​
So as you know from the Yakuza games, there are a bunch of stuff that is one game but not in another and with that there is stuff taken away from one entry that leaves you wondering why would RGG Studios decided to do that.
​

Combat

Although I do not mind Dragon Engine (K2/Y6) combat, I much preferred pre-DE combat. Everything feels like everyone is made of rubber with how enemies fly like ragdolls and it's such a slog anytime Kiryu gets knocked down or gets his combos interrupt. Plus a lot of combos felt more clunky. The biggest crime of them is how badly Tiger Drop got nerfed like not only is the timing harder but it does so little damage that it's not worth going for. Though one thing I did enjoy about DE combat and I would like in my ideal Yakuza game is the ability to bring fights into certain restaurants and convivence stores and trash the place.
​
Yakuza 3 combat, I'm with everyone who calls this game Blockuza 3 because it's no secret that enemies block more often than in the other games and it can be a bit annoying at times but also I would say people exaggerate how bad it actually is. Partly because Kiryu has a nice move set in Y3. First he has an ability called "Golden Dragon Spirit" that allows him to manually gain heat while standing next to enemies and holding the taunt button. He can also gain heat after a certain from holding charge kick which super useful during dungeons. Then there's two great heat moves: Essence of Smoking and Essence of Rolling. See a majority of heat requires come kind of special setup which is not always easy to pull off in certain situations but these two are always easy to off 99% of the time and I personally I think look really cool. Finally, finishers are also cool but I'm split between these Yakuza 4's and 5's Feel The Heat because Hell's Gauntlet is super satisfying to pull off but can always be repetitive when you're doing it on every boss because the other two finishers don't do as much as damage. Also I would like to mention Komaki's Parry it's in other games as well but I most notably remember it as a staple move to have in Y3 as well as Komaki's Knockback.
​
Yakuza 4 introduced multiple characters each with their own unique move sets and everyone seems have their own reservations about which character sucks to play as but I liked them all a game with them all would be fun. I would like to Akiyama and Saejima in my ideal game but I would prefer their Yakuza 5 versions because being able to fling enemies in the air and hit them mid-air like Dante from Devil May Cry with Akiyama was fun and having Tiger Dragon Drop on Saejima completes him as a fighter.
​
Speaking of Yakuza 5, there's also a lot of unique stuff that I'm surprise did not make it's way into Yakuza 0 and Yakuza Kiwami despite Yakuza 5's engine being the beta for the engine those games run on. Tiger Drop for one can hit multiple targets at once which I think is because in Y5 enemies do not take turns attacking you like they do in Y0 and YK. It can get annoying in parts of the game where you fighting 10+ guys at once but having multiple enemies attack at the same time added to Y5's difficulty. Enemies can flee from random encounters if get scared from you brutalizing their friends. I know other games have but off the top of my head I can't which games have it or don't but enemies would times get mad and become more aggressive (indicated by the red steam over their heads) or fall to the floor in fear (indicated by the purple cloud over their heads). Though exclusive to Y5 when they fall to the floor in fear you can stomp on their heads which is an instant knock out regardless of their health bar. Even though this can make a game considerable easier Tatsuya's training was pretty cool because it gave us temporary second health bar and along with it stat boost that increased our strength (STR), ability to maintain heat (FCS) and increased the power of heat moves (SPR) but only lasted until the second health bar was depleted. There's also Dragon Spirit which is basically K2/Y6's Extreme Heat Mode but visually I much preferred Dragon Spirit and I think it's activation was better. Weapons were also better than ever in this game each of them had their own upgrades the more you used them in battle and you could store away weapons you picked up in fights. Should also bring back Kamiyama Works.
​
As for learning abilities. I think most will agree but K2/Y6's method of leveling up is not the preferred method of learning abilities. Although a cool idea, having to level up the your Health, Attack, Defense, Evasion and Heat Gauge is not something I would like in my ideal game because if you are not careful with upgrading your stats you can become pretty OP quick and if you do not upgrade enough it's easy to fall behind in strength. Featured in every game before Y0 and aside from Y4 where you a set of Soul, Tech., Body, and Soul upgrades and in order to get a certain ability you need to upgrade a bunch of other abilities. This method is better but not ideal. Personally I'm split between K1/Y0's skill tree and Y4's letting upgrade whatever you want. I like Y4's method because it provided me with one of my most fun moments while playing a Yakuza game which was playing through Saejima's prison escape. Due to it's difficulty it forced me to strategically chose my upgrades wisely so that I could better adapt to the challenge. Though K1/Y0's method did a better job at making feel like I was getting progressively stronger over the course of the game game so I lean more towards the skill tree.
​
Heat Moves? Tbh every game as hundreds of heat moves and I have not keeping track of which games have which and which do not but in an ideal game I want every heat move there ever has been in one game. I though I would say I want tag team heat moves to be an option because I noticed that tag team heat moves something added in Y5 but isn't in any of the game's prior. Also I know people hated this from Kiwami but I liked those heat moves where you could punish a boss for healing during a battle.
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Also I do like Yakuza 7 Like A Dragon's turn-based combat but seeing that I play a bunch of turn-based games as is and not many beat 'em up brawlers like Yakuza, I would prefer the brawler combat.
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Dungeons. If you do not know what I'm referring to it's those parts of the game you go through an area fighting hoards of enemies, picking up healing items along the way, and usually there's boss a the end. Like Shangri-La in K1/6, Saejima's prison break in Y4, Tojo HQ in K1/0, etc. This usually where the game's combat is most exciting for me and I would like game to have a few of them (a lot more than two). As well as some kind of unique sequence like the car chases in K1/K2/0 or snowmobile chase in Y5.

Story

To be honest I do not have many concrete ideas for a story but I know what I like and what I do not like.
​
One gripe I have about series are the villains. For me there's two types of villains which I'll dub, "the Rival " and "the Schemer". The Rival is a villain who if they met Kiryu/the protagonist under any other circumstances they could have been good friends and they're believably his equal or relatively close in strength to him. Some examples are this are Nishikiyama, Ryuji, Mine, Someya, and Ryo Aoki. The Schemer is villains who spend a majority of the game scheming behind the scenes and is later reveal to be responsible for all the bad stuff that happens during the game. Some examples are Jingu, Terada, Andre Richardson, the Omi's 7th Chairman, and Iwami Jr..
​
Generally I like the rivals and I dislike the schemers. Usually the schemer gets little to no screen time and the reveal feels cheap because of it. Sometimes they get the schemer right like in the case of Jingu, where it kind of adds to his character where he's this extremely corrupt and power hungry politician who would go as far to attempt to kill his own wife and daughter for that power. Putting him in the final chapter kind of added to his character more than it took away from because he alluded to a few times before with that MIA guy almost leaking Jingu's name before getting killed and the Snake Flower Triad their involvement with the MIA. The rivals on the other hand usually appear multiple times during the story and it finally comes time for the final face off, it's some of the most epic fights in the series. Aizawa is one character who I would call a rival but he kind of fails due him hiding his true intentions all the way to the finale.
​
Sagawa. He is one of my favorite villains in the series and rather than trying to articulate why that is this video (I linked the summary of video but you can watch the rest for added context) does a good job at explaining why I like him better than I could explain. Though one thing I would say I like how Sagawa does fall into one of the two categories and is unique. So what I'm saying is that I want a villain that could match Sagawa's uniqueness.
​
Yakuza 0 Story Beats. One thing I would praise for Yakuza 0 is objectively having the best story in the series, it's a culmination of the Yakuza writer's experience writing Yakuza 1-5 in the best way. I liked how they alternated between Kiryu's and Majima's story and how each of their sections ended in a cliff hanger or an extremely emotional scene. Like Chapter 4 where Majima contemplates killing Makoto and as he unsheathes his dagger the chapter ends or Chapter 6 where Nishikiyama drives Kiryu out of the city and attempts to give Kiryu a mercy kill but ultimately can't bring himself to kill his sworn brother. All these made wanting to get back into the sections exciting and made it so that there never was a dull moment. It's that level interest for a story that I would want in my ideal game. Plus I think the plot is not too convoluted like other games can be at times.
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Protagonist. I really like Kiryu as a protagonist but part of the fun of Y4, Y5, and Y0 is that you get to experience different characters and see how they interact with the story. So ideally I would like game where you play as Kiryu, Akiyama, Majima, Saejima, Tanimura, and Shinada. Although I would say that might want to replace Tanimura and Shinada with other characters because with the way their stories ended in Y4 and Y5 I think there would not be much benefit from seeing them again even though I liked both of them. Instead I think Daigo with Tanimura's moveset and Ryuji whose somehow alive with Shinada's moveset if I wanted to go the route of different characters. Sidenote: I would give Majima his Mad Dog of Shimano style from Y0 and a new abilities. One thing I did not like about Y4 and Y5 is that each character was limited to 4 chapters of screen time because the writers did not want the game to be too long but had to fit in 4-5 characters. So think the way I would do it is that each part would be 5 chapters, focusing on 2 protagonist, alternating between the two of them, and the 5th chapter would be like Y5's finale where you choose which of the two you want to play as, as they team. So the first part could be 5 could be Kiryu & Akiyama, the second part could be Majima & Saejima and the third part could be Daigo & Ryuji or Tanimura & Shinada. With the finale being like Y5's where they each play a role in this massive fight at the end. So 16 chapters total.
​
Canon? Probably not because with how I would ideally want the story to be I do not see how it could integrated nicely into the current Yakuza plot or be sandwiched between older titles. Plus if it was a spin-off game, it would be able to take more creative liberties.
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Side note: I would like see more of Joon-gi Han and what's up with his body doubles

Side Content

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Substories. I think 78 substories is a perfect amount because it not too many where it could be overwhelming but not to little either. Each character would get 13 substories to be fair. I would some substories to be call backs to older substories like the Akimoto and Mizuki substory line from K1, K2, and Y3. I would like some substories that puts the protagonist personality on display like the ones in Y4 for Akiyama, Saejima and Tanimura. I also would like substories that are in direct relation to main story like the two from Yakuza Kiwami involving the assassin sent to kill Kiryu in prison and the one with Yayoi Dojima seeking revenge for Dojima's death. Of course I would like some silly and funny substories like the one with patriarch who has a fetish for being treated like baby and forces his family act as babies too because it's a classic staple of Yakuza games.
Also no substories that require you to spend time with and money on hostess or substories that require you to be really good at a specific minigame to complete because personally I do not like them. Although I would not eliminate hostess or the rewards for getting good a minigame because I like having options.
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Minigames? Why not have them all. Some of the gambling minigames are not for me but again I like having options so I would keep them. It sucks that DE games do not have bowling but my game would of course have them. I would like Y4's ping pong sauna and Y5's table tennis air hockey sauna to return but maybe this time the sauna can feature both minigames. Y3 has a bad golf and fishing minigame but I think K2/6 made golf fun and Y5/Y0 made fishing fun so I would prefer those versions. Say what you want about song selections in DE but I think the karaoke UI is better in Y7 so I would Y7 karaoke with every song featured in a Yakuza game. Some standout minigames I would like to return is Y5's Winter Combat, Y0's Disco, Y6's Spearfishing and Y7's Dragon Cart. Sidenote I guess this game would have to take place during the winter.
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Side Stories? It'd be cool if every character had their own side story. The cabaret club is a fan favorite so another one would be cool and I would like one too because I got a extremely good at it. Although I did not much hunting in Y5, the tutorial was pretty fun and I would like to one day complete it. Same as hunting I did not finish it and although the story did not quite grasp me the taxi racing from Y5 would be pretty cool. Aside from those 3 I would like 3 new side stories, of what I do not know. I would just hope they have an interesting story and that they are fun to play.
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Y7's Drink Links, I like how they are an obvious reference to Persona another series I enjoy and I think they do a lot to give us insight on a character. Perhaps each duo could have drink links with other like imagine Kiryu and Akiyama grabbing drinks. Then maybe in finale each character could have one drink link with every other character. Then after completing a character's drink link, that characters gets a special new ability in combat.
​

Visuals, Sound and Overworld

​
One thing I have to appreciate the Dragon Engine for is the graphics. Sure it's not perfect, there have been weird textures and filters but generally the games featuring the DE look really good. They also make NPCs look more detailed whereas in pre-DE games NPCs looked kind of ugly and low poly when compared to main story characters. Though the visuals of heat I think Yakuza 5 did it best. I also like how during certain heat moves in Y5/Y0/K1 you see the protagonist fist change color as he is punching. As the health bars and heat bar, I do not have any preference just as long as the heat bar is not just one single bar like K2 or a bunch of orbs like Y6.
​
I also noticed that fighting sound effects varies from game to game and I think that once again Y5/Y0/YK had the most satisfying fighting sound effects especially the Tiger Drops. This might be a niche thing but in Y3 there's combo where Kiryu puts his hands together and smashes the bottom his fist on his opponent's heads, it makes such a satisfying sound. Here's a clip of that.
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As for the music. I will like the upbeat battle themes as much as the next guy for me the highlight ost tracks always seem to be the unreleased tracks. Some of examples: Akiyama tells Lily he knows the truth, Saejima's re-arrest, Sagawa says Farewell, and Sugiuchi get caught. These osts such as these usually tend to be the most memorable which is always a bummer to find that their unreleased but ideal game would feature these among the other unreleased tracks and similar new osts tracks. Also like quite a few of battle osts as well but for the general I battle I would different ost tracks for each character kind of like how Yakuza 4 did it.
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I miss being able to knock NPCs down when bumping into them which something the DE changed.
​
Even though I like the other cities I would like a bulk of the game to take place in Kamurocho as always. However one thing added in Y4 and was slowly phased out after Yakuza 5 & 6 are the new locations add to Kamurocho like the underground mall, underground parking lot, rooftops, the shortcut near the coin lockers, Saejima's hideout, the sewers, and Little Asia (Y6 messed this one up). These locations gave Kamurocho new feel and I missed them. Similar I really liked Sotenbori so imagine if they new locations in Sontenbori. Story wise it might not be possible to fit all the other cities but I like all of them except maybe Tsukimino (Saejima's Y5 city). I'm hesitant to add in Ijincho because on hand it would not quite fit into a story involving the six protagonist I mentioned but on the other hand it's such a big city with many attractions and it's a perfect hub for minigames and side content.

Conclusion

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https://preview.redd.it/2m07uwts4g2b1.jpg?width=1500&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4520d5374fadca076335064aa03310cdaf8d2168
If you read any of that, I appreciate you. Again I just wanted to put my thoughts out there as a fan of the Yakuza series and go through stuff I enjoyed from playing it.

Just installed Klipper for the first time. Using a Raspberry Pi 4 and a CR10S5. I flashed it as a mega2560 board. The screen on the printer is on, but does not show anything. Also I am getting this error. I've spent roughly 6 hours trying to fix this, but to no avail. Figured I'd ask on here and hopefully someone has experienced this before and solved it. Thank you in advance for any help.
​
Error Message:
​
Klipper reports: ERROR
mcu 'mcu': Unable to connect Once the underlying issue is corrected, use the "FIRMWARE_RESTART" command to reset the firmware, reload the config, and restart the host software. Error configuring printer
​
Printer.cfg file:
​
# This file contains pin mappings for the stock 2020 Creality Ender 3
# MAX. To use this config, during "make menuconfig" select the
# STM32F103 with a "28KiB bootloader" and serial (on USART1 PA10/PA9)
# communication.
​
# Because this printer has factory wiring, mounts, and firmware for
# a BLTouch, but does not ship with one at this time, default values
# for the sensor have been specified, but disabled, in anticipation of
# future revisions or user modification. User should take care to
# customize the offsets, particularly z-offset, for their specific unit.
​
# If you prefer a direct serial connection, in "make menuconfig"
# select "Enable extra low-level configuration options" and select
# serial (on USART3 PB11/PB10), which is broken out on the 10 pin IDC
# cable used for the LCD module as follows:
# 3: Tx, 4: Rx, 9: GND, 10: VCC
​
# Flash this firmware by copying "out/klipper.bin" to a SD card and
# turning on the printer with the card inserted. The firmware
# filename must end in ".bin" and must not match the last filename
# that was flashed.
​
# See docs/Config_Reference.md for a description of parameters.
​
[include mainsail.cfg]
​
[board_pins arduino-mega]
aliases:
ar0=PE0, ar1=PE1, ar2=PE4, ar3=PE5, ar4=PG5,
ar5=PE3, ar6=PH3, ar7=PH4, ar8=PH5, ar9=PH6,
ar10=PB4, ar11=PB5, ar12=PB6, ar13=PB7, ar14=PJ1,
ar15=PJ0, ar16=PH1, ar17=PH0, ar18=PD3, ar19=PD2,
ar20=PD1, ar21=PD0, ar22=PA0, ar23=PA1, ar24=PA2,
ar25=PA3, ar26=PA4, ar27=PA5, ar28=PA6, ar29=PA7,
ar30=PC7, ar31=PC6, ar32=PC5, ar33=PC4, ar34=PC3,
ar35=PC2, ar36=PC1, ar37=PC0, ar38=PD7, ar39=PG2,
ar40=PG1, ar41=PG0, ar42=PL7, ar43=PL6, ar44=PL5,
ar45=PL4, ar46=PL3, ar47=PL2, ar48=PL1, ar49=PL0,
ar50=PB3, ar51=PB2, ar52=PB1, ar53=PB0, ar54=PF0,
ar55=PF1, ar56=PF2, ar57=PF3, ar58=PF4, ar59=PF5,
ar60=PF6, ar61=PF7, ar62=PK0, ar63=PK1, ar64=PK2,
ar65=PK3, ar66=PK4, ar67=PK5, ar68=PK6, ar69=PK7,
analog0=PF0, analog1=PF1, analog2=PF2, analog3=PF3, analog4=PF4,
analog5=PF5, analog6=PF6, analog7=PF7, analog8=PK0, analog9=PK1,
analog10=PK2, analog11=PK3, analog12=PK4, analog13=PK5, analog14=PK6,
analog15=PK7,
# Marlin adds these additional aliases
ml70=PG4, ml71=PG3, ml72=PJ2, ml73=PJ3, ml74=PJ7,
ml75=PJ4, ml76=PJ5, ml77=PJ6, ml78=PE2, ml79=PE6,
ml80=PE7, ml81=PD4, ml82=PD5, ml83=PD6, ml84=PH2,
ml85=PH7
​
[stepper_x]
step_pin: ar54
dir_pin: !ar55
enable_pin: !ar38
microsteps: 16
rotation_distance: 40
endstop_pin: ^!ar3
position_endstop: 0
position_max: 500
homing_speed: 50
​
[stepper_y]
step_pin: ar60
dir_pin: !ar61
enable_pin: !ar56
microsteps: 16
rotation_distance: 40
endstop_pin: ^ar14
position_endstop: 0
position_max: 500
homing_speed: 50
​
[stepper_z]
step_pin: ar46
dir_pin: !ar48
enable_pin: !ar62
microsteps: 16
rotation_distance: 8
#position_endstop: 0.0 # disable to use BLTouch
#endstop_pin: ^PA7 # disable to use BLTouch
endstop_pin: probe:z_virtual_endstop # enable to use BLTouch
position_min: -5 # enable to use BLTouch
position_max: 500
​
[safe_z_home] # enable for BLTouch
home_xy_position: 150, 150
speed: 100
z_hop: 10
z_hop_speed: 5
​
[bltouch] # enable for BLTouch - fast-mode
sensor_pin: ^ar19
control_pin: ar11
pin_up_touch_mode_reports_triggered: True
probe_with_touch_mode: True
x_offset: -47 # modify as needed for bltouch location
y_offset: -1 # modify as needed for bltouch location
z_offset: 0.0 # modify as needed for bltouch or run PROBE_CALIBRATE
speed: 10
samples: 2
sample_retract_dist: 5.0 # Can be set lower, example 2.5 depending on height of bltouch from bed
lift_speed: 40
samples_tolerance_retries: 3
speed: 10
samples: 2
​
[bed_mesh] # enable for BLTouch
speed: 150
mesh_min: 50, 50
mesh_max: 500, 500
algorithm: bicubic
probe_count: 7,7 # 49 points due to large bed size
horizontal_move_z: 6
​
​
[gcode_macro G29] # If moving from marlin to klipper uncomment to mimic G29
gcode:
BED_MESH_CALIBRATE
# G1 X0 Y0 Z10 F4000
​
[extruder]
max_extrude_only_distance: 100.0
step_pin: ar26
dir_pin: !ar28
enable_pin: !ar24
microsteps: 16
rotation_distance: 7.754 # Calibrate - see https://www.klipper3d.org/Rotation_Distance.html
nozzle_diameter: 0.400
filament_diameter: 1.750
heater_pin: ar10
sensor_type: EPCOS 100K B57560G104F
sensor_pin: analog13
control: pid
pid_Kp: 21.527
pid_Ki: 1.063
pid_Kd: 108.982
min_temp: 0
max_temp: 250
pressure_advance: 0.0 # Calibrate - see https://www.klipper3d.org/Pressure_Advance.html
​
​
[heater_bed]
heater_pin: ar8
sensor_type: EPCOS 100K B57560G104F
sensor_pin: analog14
control: pid
pid_Kp: 54.027
pid_Ki: 0.770
pid_Kd: 948.182
min_temp: 0
max_temp: 1
​
[fan]
pin: ar9
​
#[filament_switch_sensor e0_sensor]
#switch_pin: PA4
​
[mcu]
serial: /dev/serial/by-id/usb-FTDI_FT232R_USB_UART_AH06P8GX-if00-port0 # Run ls /dev/serial/by-id/* for micro-controller name
restart_method: command
​
[printer]
kinematics: cartesian
max_velocity: 200
max_accel: 2000
max_z_velocity: 5
max_z_accel: 100
​
[display]
lcd_type: st7920
cs_pin: EXP1_4
sclk_pin: EXP1_5
sid_pin: EXP1_3
encoder_pins: ^EXP2_3, ^EXP2_5
click_pin: ^!EXP1_2
​
[output_pin beeper]
pin: EXP1_1
​
[virtual_sdcard]
path: ~/printer_data/gcodes
​
[pause_resume]

Mazda 6 needs front wiring harness replaced. Sell or fix?
Tldr: Mazda 6 2016(low mileage at 64000) has front wiring harness issue, won't start(dead battery) so can't easily bring to other places for appraisal Repair raw cost: $8250 + tax Discounted repair cost: $5600 + tax Dealership's appraisal: $1000 (after decucing the repairment cost) KBB appraisal I did while trying to disclose the wiring issue(can't be exact as UI doesn't have the option): $10600 KBB appraisal dealership did for me assuming the issue is fixed: trade-in: $13000; private party: $15000
This Mazda 6 2016 has been giving me lots of electrical headaches over the years. It's been 6 times since 2019, every time it would feel like the engine was shaking on the road, either idle, low speed or on highway. First PCM was replaced under warranty(I had to fight the dealership for this), then Mass Airflow Sensor, Oxygen Sensor, battery, a supposedly poor wiring job done by the 3P shop I brought it to, then finally the dealership located the short in the wiring harness, and it's gonna cost me $8250 with tax to fix.
After some even more back and forth with me filing a complaint to the state government, thr dealership reached back out to cooperate, offering either using insurance to cover or fix at discounted rate. Insurance claim got denied because they see it as caused by poor repair (likely from the one time I brought it to 3P, but they found some rodent waste and I suspect they just did some simple wrapping, so they didn't break it, just couldn't fix and got the blame).
Now the only option they offer is to fix with a discount($5600+tax), or sell outright to them (appraised as ~$1000 considering the repairs cost). I can also tow it out to get appraised else where but it properly won't look good. The supposed value after the fix looks kind of worth the try. And the time I can buy after fixing it for a less pressured car shopping also seems worth it, given that the current new car market is trending down with the credit crunch and inventory build up.
Would you advise fix or sell? Appreciate any prompt opinions, as I have to make a call by end of the day.