Household remedies to get high

Has anyone ever gotten their counselling done from some agents like college kaka on yt Or medipedia on yt?
I m aiming for private med college and I just can't understand the entire counselling procedures If someone has any idea abt these people who get ur counselling done for u Plz recommend me some good ones
The medipedia ones are charging very high it's like a lakh Isn't it too much??! Already private mei itna paisa dena ha or inhe bhi ek lakh+ chahiye
Where as the college kaka guy is asking for a 15k
Have u ever gotten ur counselling done from either of them ?
There is also someone on yt called MY CAREER MY FUTURE (MCMF), any thoughts on them?
Plz help I can't handle the entire counselling myself , paise vaise bhi chala jata ha counselling me ache se nhi kiya to, it's a headache tbh for me Recommend me some good counsellors (those who already r in med schools and have an experience with these counsellors are preffered )
Thank you

I was originally going to post this in relationshipadvice but I don’t meet the karma requirement
Last year I (26M) moved out of my dad’s (57M) house for a job opportunity one state over. Since I’ve moved, mostly in the last month my mom (56F) has been driving me insane trying to visit me.
My parents have been separated/divorced for around 5 years now and both have remarried. My mom moved around a bit, but currently she’s on the other side of the country (US). While I get along with her fine and talk to her on the phone often enough, I don’t want her to come out here due to her being very homophobic and transphobic. I’m bisexual but obviously I haven’t shared that information with my parents. As far back as high school both of them would talk about how bi people are just confused gays and that it’s not possible to be attracted to multiple genders. Being bisexual isn’t really a big part of my identity, so I don’t really consider this a big issue, but I do lie to them just to keep them happy.
My bigger issue is with my mom being transphobic. She remarried a guy she knew from her college age and got along well enough with her step kids, but a couple of years ago one of them came out being transgender. I support them, but my mom is constantly deadnaming and misgendering them intentionally. Before they came out she only had good things to say and now it’s just constant hate and disrespect whenever they’re mentioned. I’m completely embarrassed by this and wouldn’t want to take my mom anywhere around my city or meet any of my friends because she’d potentially say terrible things that I don’t want to deal with.
The other aspect that makes this situation more annoying is that she won’t take the hint that I don’t want her to visit. Every time we talk she asks several times and I try to steer the conversation in a different direction. I’m even starting a new job in a week and she didn’t care that I want to get situated in my new position first. I just want to figure out a good way to get her to leave me alone but still maintain a relationship with her in the limited way that we’re friends currently. Obviously I could just come out to her as bisexual but I don’t really want to deal with the fallout and all the stupid questions she’d ask. Is there any other less abrupt way to get her to forget visiting me?
TL/DR: mom is transphobic/homophobic and I need a way to get her to not visit me because I’d be embarrassed of her meeting my friends

It's just kind of weird and funny.
Because Theoretically speaking, it should be the most dangerous place in the game. As you can very easily wait for volcanoes to go off and just hail Mary shots into parked ships forcing them either into the Volcano or Into a very difficult to navigate encounter as they have to avoid the radius And avoid being sunk by you.
Yet I would say ninety percent of my alliances are all formed in the roar, And even if we don't, I would say maybe one out of every 10 ships actually opens fire first asks questions later...
Of course, you should never let your guard down. And of course, most people there are just trying to avoid conflict to begin with, because there's a high likelihood of both parties being sunk.
But I find it both amusing and fascinating that the closest you can get to the Original launch experience in terms of player to player interaction is in the Roar.
Also I know, this is not exactly new news to anyone. But I do appreciate the more relaxed environment compared to the main sea... Even if I am always about 30 seconds off Volcano eruption timer for some God forsaken reason.

Need some advice. I've been at my home for 6 years and have gone to HOA manager multiple times about the huge tree in my backyard that is not on my property. The tree is on the HOA property line behind my fence. The tree has now broken the fence and the shed because it's pushing up against it. The roots of the tree is reaching my neighbor's foundation. The quote I just received to remove the tree is $5k. How should I address this because me and my neighbor are concerned if there is a bad storm with strong winds a piece can fall on our house. The tree is about 5 stories high. HOA offered to get a handyman to come and cut some of the branches. I would prefer a professional.
Thanks, everyone.

Male, 30. For some context: in my country, when someone can't finish high-school for whatever reason when younger, they can try again in adulthood by going through other type of courses to get their diploma. Right now, I'm going through one of these mentioned processes.
Ever since the course started back in April, a teacher has been beyond mediocre. She's always absent, late, and if she's present, her classes are incomplete and more often than not, incomprehensible (and from what I've heard from fellow students, she was the same last year, I wasn't in the institution last year though) so I, with the help of some students, presented a formal complaint to the principal office, this, to have her removed: the institution warned her, that if another complaint were to be present, she'll be fired. Ever since the first letter was filed (which was about 3 weeks ago) clases haven't gotten any better. To the point that some students have even quit the institution all together.
I have been thinking about filing another letter, but here's the thing, she recently told us that her children are sick, and so fellow students who still aren't happy with her class, and aren't truly learning anything, stand by her below average service because "Oh well she's going through tough times".
People have told me that it's shocking that I'm thinking about filing another letter, like caring about my future makes me an asshole, would I be the asshole for doing so though? It's not like she's going to be jobless, likely she'll just be relocated to another school. Here's the facts, at this school, we're all adults, most of us with families or work (or both) to take care of, I can feel empathy for the teacher and her family, but I don't feel like I should compromise my future, just because a teacher at one time was feeling down. If I want to obtain my high-school diploma to eventually go to college, bet better job opportunities, so on, I need a teacher who does her job right. Who allows me to learn so I can succeed at the exams this coming september. If I fail the exams because I didn't have a proper teacher, regardless of the reasons, that's a whole lot of more money and time spent in 2025. Money and time I rather spend in college.

My boyfriend (36M) and I (29F) have been together for about 8 years, and we share a 7 year old daughter. About a year ago, he started having infrequent, unexplainable seizures. The second one resulted in a car accident, and he lost his license. Since then, he has had a few hospital visits. The last one he was in the hospital for 4 days due to vomit aspiration, low oxygen levels, and high blood pressure. He was only able to get health insurance at the beginning of this year, so he received medication, but he needed a primary doctor. The earliest I was able to schedule an appointment was for June. Thursday morning, May 9th, he passed away after having another seizure in his sleep. I am completely devastated. My entire life has been flipped around and I’m so confused. Outside of the seizures he seemed completely healthy. I wake up every morning since still looking for him. My daughter will have to grow up without her father who loved her so much. At the hospital, my mother contacted his mom to break the news. My boyfriend and his mom had a very estranged relationship. She had not seen or spoken to him since January, when we visited for his birthday. Back in 2019, she agreed to help us with our housing situation. Agreements were made without paperwork and we moved into an apartment she and her spouse (poorly) renovated. We struggled to afford rent there, and they evicted us after we fell short on rent. We decided to move 5 hours away to stay with my mom and his relationship with his mom has been strained since. There were also many instances before we met where she was not kind to him, including in his childhood. After hearing the news, she immediately demanded he back home to have his service there. Without telling me, she started a gofundme to raise money for funeral expenses. It does not mention me or his daughter. She also began announcing the news to what seemed like as many people as possible. I was seeing “RIP” posts on his Facebook before I even left the hospital. Before I could tell my daughter. Because we weren’t married, I have no right legally to make any decisions regarding what happens to him, so to keep peace for myself and my daughter, I let her do what she wanted to do. I have been cooperating and answering any questions she has. Monday, she sent me a long message. Basically guilt tripping me into giving her his life insurance information. When I spoke to his jobs HR department, they could not give me any info because we we’d not married and he did not have a beneficiary listed. I relayed that to her. I assume she thought I was being petty to not give her what she wanted. The love of my life is gone, I have no reason to be. I became very upset and we argued. She later apologized and said she sent me that message to “put a fire under my butt”. Yesterday (Tuesday), after a lot of confusion and mess, his body finally arrived in his hometown to the funeral home. I let her know. She called me later that afternoon to let me know she had to shell $10,000 out of her own pocket for the embalming he did not want. After the call, I could not calm down and became very upset. I have felt like everything is about money and attention for her. She has all these people surrounding her, hugging, praying and feeling sorry for her, when she hadn’t even called him for his birthday in years. My daughter barely knows who she is. I sit in the home we shared that will soon need to be packed up with just my mom and child. I can’t afford to stay here without him and will have to move back with my mom. I can’t even sleep in the bed I’ve shared with him for all this time. After all this is over she will return to the same life. Every aspect of mine will change. The more I think about it, the more angry I become. I have started to feel like after the service is over, and he is buried, I do not want her apart of my or my daughter’s life. How I cannot help but to feel guilty. Would cutting her out of our lives make me the asshole?

Hey everyone,
I'm diving into the world of high-end IEMs (first time buyer), primarily for gaming, and I could use some advice. I recently splurged on the XENNS Mangird Up for around $650 after taxes. I was looking into getting the Top but saw the Up on sale on Aliexpress for basically the same price, so pulled the trigger without knowing much about those IEMs. Before they ship to me, I want to make sure I made a good choice.
Last night I decided to watch some YT video reviews and it seems that many think that the Up are not that great and very overpriced.
The primary use will be first person shooter games like Call of Duty. I am sick and tired of my gaming headset being so ass (Arctis Nova Pro) that I want a pair of headphones that are immersive and give me the upper hand when it comes to in-game sound.
For those who have experience with the XENNS Mangird Up, how do they perform in gaming scenarios? Are there any specific strengths or weaknesses I should be aware of?
Also, are there other IEMs you would recommend that might better suit my needs for gaming? Budget is not really a problem.
I was originally planning on getting the Top but saw the Up for basically the same price, so I opted for those.
Thanks in advance for your insights! Looking forward to hearing your thoughts and experiences.

What in the hell is happening with Car Insurance in Ontario? Things were supposed to get less expensive as I have gotten older, only they continually go up and up with new BS.
I'm buying a new car now, 2023 luxury brand. Got told its on the high theft list. I said every car is on the high theft list! They started listing brands all over the range, not just targeting Lexus, Mercedes, Infiniti etc.
Nevermind that my policy renews in a couple months and its going to go up again for sure.
I have never had a ticket, never been in an at fault accident (nothing went through my insurance), purely clean record. Yet new dumb fees and costs keep getting added.
I'm gonna look at moving my insurance somewhere else now, but this needs to stop! Insurance companies don't explain why these costs are being added, they won't show me any details and can't answer any questions.
This needs to change.

It's utterly baffling, downright infuriating even, to witness the absolute neglect from the dire economic realities plaguing India. We're hurtling towards an economic precipice, with savings plummeting to a 47-year low and household debt skyrocketing to record highs, yet all we hear from the ruling party is a cacophony of communal rhetoric and fear-mongering.
India's middle class, the backbone of its economy, is being squeezed dry, struggling to make ends meet amidst soaring inflation and dwindling job prospects. Household net financial savings have sharply fallen to a mere 5.1 per cent of GDP, a stark contrast to the long-run average of 7-7.5 per cent. Meanwhile, household debt levels have reached an alarming 40 per cent of GDP, burdening families with financial strain.
Food inflation has become a persistent nightmare, with essential items like tomatoes, potatoes, milk, chicken, eggs, and fish witnessing an alarming 8 per cent plus increase in prices. This relentless rise in the cost-of-living forces families to skimp on other essential expenditures, further exacerbating their financial woes.
Moreover, the job market is a bleak landscape for India's youth, Unemployment looms large, especially among young Indians aged 15 to 29, who account for a staggering 83 per cent of all unemployed individuals in the country. And even for those fortunate enough to secure employment, it often comes in the form of low-quality jobs in the informal sector, with stagnant or declining wages.
Add to this the dismal state of education, where 25 per cent of young students aged 14 to 18 in rural India struggle to read a standard two-level text fluently, and more than half grapple with basic division problems. Despite these glaring deficiencies, the government's budgetary allocation for education for the fiscal year 2024-25 was slashed by 7 per cent, with the higher education sector bearing the brunt of a 16 per cent cut in spending.
And yet, despite these undeniable facts painting a grim picture of the middle-class plight, the politicians continue to deflect attention from the issues at hand.

Household income is 110k with wife staying home with our toddler. Live in a decent size apartment but want a yard and found a good house at a larger size. The monthly payments are going to be around 38% of my regular take home pay and then you have to add all my other essential expenses coming to around 65% of take home pay. I’m going to have to work overtime and strictly budget to save any real money.
This has me afraid to make a move because it’s so much higher than the suggested 50% budget rule. But the house is good and also I don’t know how much longer we can wait for interest rates to go down and I doubt houses and location gets much better than this for the price point.
So my question is, what would you guys do? Wait? Or go for it?

Hi, I've been working from home ever since 2019 and tbh I'm glad that I was able to find jobs that pay well. Now here is my dilemma, I love to travel and whenever I travel I always get to see the creative digital world outside my city. I was born and raised in Davao, and I feel like my mental health is declining because,

1. I resigned from my 9-5 job after 3 years, this job is high paying yet the working environment is getting toxic because there is no longer growth in salary and skillset. I feel like I'm still trying to heal the burnout from that 3-year work.
   
2. I am working with myself right now, from 9-5 I have transitioned from 4 hours to a 4-hour-a-day work week now with a specific niche which is Social Media Management. I had a broad niche back in my 3-year job, from Email Marketing, Social Media Management, Content Creation, Customer Service, etc. — one of the reasons I wanted to leave the 3-year job was I felt like I was all over the place.
   

So other days, I'm very motivated, but most days I felt so lost and down, and even if I lived with my mom and we got to talk I always wanted to tell her I wanted to leave Davao. I want to live in a different place where I get to be surrounded by creative and goal-driven individuals as well.
It’s a cry for help, to be honest, there are times I feel like my heart is tightening and I just don’t know what to do. I feel like I need help, I keep asking my mom but I always get into heated arguments.
Do you guys have any suggestions on where in the Philippines I can find a creative community esp for someone who works remotely? I just needed to be around people who are creative-minded, people who are goal-driven.
PS: I'm actually 29 years old as well, I don’t know if it matters, but does transitioning to 30 always feel like this as well?
Help 🥹😭

ALFALFA AND NETTLE LEAF
Everyone needs to check this out.
I’ve been looking for a remedy to help with chronic allergies for nearly 10 years. It gets worse during allergy season, but remains steady throughout the year.
I’ve tried everything under the sun…nasal spray, antihistamines, multiple allergy tests, pills, ginger, turmeric, diet changes (low histamine, low inflammatory), etc. None of those did anything at all, except Benadryl (which was effective), but made me into a zombie and fall asleep after 2 hours.
After hearing Bart Sibrel on Joe Rogan mention alfalfa to remedy allergies, I started using alfalfa and nettle leaf in tea about a week ago. I also made them into capsules, but that didn’t seem to be as effective. Since then, my allergies have been reduced by at least 80%.
Miracle!!!!
Boil water and then put about half a teaspoon of nettle and half a teaspoon of alfalfa in and let steep for about 10 minutes, drink up. I’ve been doing this about 3 times a day.
These links will get you where you need to go:
https://homesteadingfamily.com/easy-home-remedy-for-allergies/
https://www.farmhouseteas.com

Our son (2Y) was and still is a high needs child, very irritable, multiple allergies, terrible sleep. These 2 years were the hardest years of my life and I had fights with my husband weekly. I'm chronically sleep deprived. While he does a lot of handy work around the house and garden and works full-time, he doesn't help much with our son. It was 90% me, because we also don't have other help. He also told me that he couldn't help more, that it's not his problem, cause he is already 150%, that I should get help from outside like a part-time nanny, which we eventually did. But it left me with a lot of resentment.
I'm under a lot of pressure because I'm going back to work in a couple of days, son isn't adjusting well to daycare, he's constantly sick from all the bugs there, and my husband doesn't want a full time nanny, he wants daycare and part-time nanny. Oh, and son is also going through separation anxiety after daycare, right, forgot about that. On top of hiperactivity.
Well, I cracked, told him I regret having a child with him, which I obviously don't because I love my child and while I'm upset with my husband for so many things, including him not being such an involved father, I would still choose him as the father of my son. Since he also believes I don't do anything for him, I told him I will stop doing all the stuff I'm actually doing and he got even more upset and now doesn't want to eat together the same food or do anything around the house anymore except for him and son (whatever that means cause he doesn't know how to dress, feed or put to bed).
Is this normal? What should I do? I mean I known the wait-the-first-2-years rule, it recently became the wait-the-first-3-years rule, but it's getting worse.
And before anyone says he provides for the family, he only provides 50%, cause the other 50% are my economies and my parental leave pay. And while I appreciate our perfect lawn, all the drawers in the house where I don't have time to organize anything and all the clean windows of our house, I would have appreciated more meals, sitting maybe, more showers, and more than 3 hours uninterrupted sleep, or at least sleeping later one day per week, or seeing a friend once in a blue moon without a toddler pulling at my leg.
Funny enough that today after going into service with our car while our son is in daycare I came home to him badgering me again about organizing my clothes in the drawer! I admit, I'm not proud about it, I flipped.
Am I being ridiculous and totally insane? Please someone who has been through this ground me. Is this the sleep deprivation?

One year review. 9/10, would do it again.
Caveat emptor: I’m mid-30s. I have a liberal family and live in one of the good countries. I passed 50-50 before T, I had PCOS and I’m pretty sure there was something else going on with my hormones. So take this with a grain of salt and YMMV as always.
The good: - I got top surgery before starting T and started passing as a teenage boy from day one post-op. By now, I pass as my age as much as I ever did pre-T (I looked like 25 pre-T and look like 25 now). - I can grow a full beard. It’s still a bit see-through on my cheeks, but I’ve been wearing it short for a few months already. I think it will probably be full enough to grow long in maybe 6 more months if it carries on like it has. - Stomach is covered in fur. Chest hair is coming in. Leg and arm hair is disappointing. - I was X-shaped pre-T (shoulders and hips equally wide). My shoulders and back blew out and fat redistribution slimmed my hips, even though I haven’t been exercising much because of health issues. I went Y shaped in under 3 months and am now at a point where the Y is quite pronounced. Clothes fit like they’re supposed to now (shirts and jackets used to be 1-2” too long and a tad too tight around the hips, but no more; pants are still 1-2” too long lol). Even if I got no further fat redistribution, I’d be satisfied with what I’ve got. - I grew about 1 cm (measurable, not noticeable), 1 shirt size, 1.5-2 shoe sizes, 1 glove size, and couple of links to my watch wristband. I’m now a very averagely sized dude, if a bit vertically challenged. - I got facial changes quite quickly too, but it took almost the entire year until I started seeing myself in the mirror. I’m starting to look almost exactly how I hoped I would though. - Voice dropped to baritone in just a couple of months and I’m now a bass. - Menses stopped early on: I got one period on T and then nothing. - T cured my depression. I’m shocked how big a difference it made. Pretty much every mental health complaint I had is either completely gone or manageable enough it’s mostly not an issue. - T cured my menopause symptoms. The first noticeable effect was the cessation of hot flashes and sweating. - Family’s been mostly brilliant and my transition has been a non-issue. There’s one member whose main source of information seems to be TikTok though, and I’ve had to lay down a boundary that I don’t discuss trans issues with them. - I’ve experienced close to zero transphobia IRL. That might be down to being cis-passing, but the worst I’ve encountered where my trans status has been known is some rude customer service, which could’ve been just your regular rude customer service and not transphobia. - My dysphoria is 90% gone. There’s some lingering discomfort which is half adjusting to changes and half mentally lagging behind them. It takes a while for one’s internal body image to change, for example. Genital dysphoria is still there, but it’s actually a bit easier to deal with than it was pre-T, rather than harder.
The bad: - Still haven’t figured out a T dosage that would consistently put me in male the range, so menopause symptoms return between shots. - Atrophy set in at around 3 months and it’s barely manageable with local estrogen. I’m now actively looking into getting a hysterectomy + vaginectomy asap. - Acne wasn’t too bad, about the same as in my first puberty. The worst seems to have passed or else I’ve just figured out the skincare routine that works for me now (which is completely different from what it used to be). Bacne is still happening though. - Places where I removed hair pre-T have not filled in; I broke out the minoxidil about month ago and am seeing some progress. - Voice problems (hoarseness, tiredness, not being able to raise my voice, etc.) are much worse than I expected. I think I might have to seek voice therapy. - Cholesterol went up; it’s marginally high now. My lab values overall aren’t the best, but it’s probably related to pre-existing issues. - I had a post operative infection after my top surgery. Not exactly fun, but I still honestly preferred dealing with it to dealing with tits. 😂 - Bottom growth is disappointing: I got an early burst than then nothing further so far. Pre-T I was set on phalloplasty, but with the rest of my dysphoria treated, I have actually gotten around to considering metoidioplasty instead. But with the growth I’ve gotten so far, that’s probably not gonna be a satisfactory option for me. - Libido was uncomfortable for maybe months 2-4; I’ve worked out how to deal with it now and it’s not a problem. - Accessing healthcare is just as much of a hassle as I thought it would be. I don’t know whether to laugh or cry, but what a ridiculous circus. 3/10 would not do again if it was a choice. No one’s been actively transphobic, but god damn the system is not set out to be helpful either. - Updating my legal gender was easier than expected; updating my new social security number at various offices (bank, healthcare, etc) has been a hassle. I’d rather attribute it to incompetence than malice, but at this point it’s definitely something. - Nobody’s been transphobic to my face, but the society absolutely is still transphobic and it hits harder now that I can’t pretend to be cis.
The neutral: - I’ve had to buy new shirts and jackets and replace all of my shoes. My shoe size is now one of the most common ones, which means it’s the first one to be sold out. 😅 I’m a penny-pinching bugger so I’m a little miffed even if it’s at most a temporary downside, and more of a change in which size to buy in the future. - With my dysphoria treated, I went from 5 to 4 on the Kinsey scale. I guess I’ll have to start calling myself bi/pan instead of gay. 🤷🏻‍♂️ - Men don’t flirt with me as much. :( Women flirt with me more. :) - I’m treated fully as a guy socially. It’s different from being a gal that’s “one of the guys.” There’s both male privilege I’ve gained and female solidarity and pretty privilege I’ve lost. - Many things have had a bit of a learning curve, and the beginning is awkward just like in the first puberty. Dealing with awkwardness and learning to navigate new challenges is orders of magnitude easier than it was on the first go around though, because I’m dealing with them as an adult with adult coping skills.
Bottom line:
Overall, the upsides were much better and the downsides were much less of a problem than I expected. I should’ve gotten over myself and my fears and done this 20 years ago.

Interesting listen about the high o11y cost issue via Substack
Copied straight from show notes:
No one wants to get Coinbase’s $65 million observability bill in the future. Sure, observability comes with a necessary cost. But that cost cannot exceed the concrete and perceived value on balance sheets and the minds of leaders.
Sofia Fosdick shares practical insights on curbing high observability costs. She’s a senior account executive at Honeycomb.io and has held similar titles at Turbunomic, Dynatrace, and Grafana. Like always, this is not a sponsored episode!
We tackled the cost issue by covering ideas like aligning cost with value, event-based systems, and dynamic sampling. You will not want to miss this conversation if your observability bill is starting to look dangerous.

I noticed last night that everything low - Silvos was making the saves - it reminded me of last year’s series with the kings where literally everything low Korpi was stopping and we were all commenting on how without him the series would have already been over. We adjusted and started shooting high - we dominated.
I rewatched all the Oilers goals from this series and tracked a few interesting things.
Goals shot lower than pad height - 2
1 Game 2 OT winner - it was redirected by his own player 1 Game 1 Hyman shot goes 5 hole - the only bad goal that he has let in for the series (completely miss read)
Of the other 12 goals some things of note…
5 have been above the pad below the blocker. 3 times beat cleanly (he didn’t even react) twice he couldn’t close the arm in time
4 have been top shelf 10 have been not top shelf but above the pads.
8 have been with traffic in front of the net - very clear that Silvos has difficulty seeing around a screen
6 have been from moving the puck side to side and forcing Silvos to not get set
6 have been generated from a shot ip high (either from the point or our D coming down to top of the circle level)
It’s really clear to me that while we’re generating a lot - we didn’t have a “book” on silvos yet. We do now - use it.

This is a crossover fanfiction between original fiction titles: Nature of Predators by SpacePaladin15 and The Last Angel by Proximal Flame respectively. All credit and rights reserved goes to them for making such amazing science fiction settings that I wanted to put this together.
You can read The Last Angel here: Be warned, it's decently long, and at its third installment so far. I highly suggest reading it before reading this, or this story will not make sense.

Otherwise, enjoy the story! Thanks again to u/jesterra54 and u/skais01 for beta and checking of work!
First Prev Next (soon)
Memory transcription subject: Governor Tarva of the Venlil Republic
Date [standardized human time]: October 22, 2136
The reveal of the Arxur's assistance of Earth was a unsettling, but mostly overlooked note to add to the headlines filling news sites today on Venlil Prime.
UNKNOWN SHIP DEVASTATES FEDERATION FLEET ABOVE EARTH, HUMANITY LIVES
While the ship wasn't currently unknown to us, given the UN's report, General Kam had advised that it would be better left unspoken of what capabilities we did know, so as to not worry the populace. "Leave causing panic to the humans" he said. But I heard the worries and anxious rumors throughout both social media and verbal conversations...
"That ship destroyed an ENTIRE fleet!?"
"Oh Protector, please tell me its not an Arxur vessel..."
"Why don't we know more?"
I couldn't help but feel for my people. I came to disagree with Kam's advice more and more, as I wished desperately to allay their fears of it being an Arxur superweapon, or that it was going to destroy us soon, or other similar worries.
Are you so sure yourself, Tarva? Even the UN government is scared of it, and it supposedly was made by a future Humanity...
I tried not to focus on that pang of paranoia. I just hoped soon enough the UN would make a statement on the Nemesis already. As I accompanied Noah to the UN's remembrance speech today, I did my best to scan for the feelings worn on peoples faces. The Venlil were unsettled as before, but the human refugees were an odder story altogether.
They were devastated, and scared as well as us Venlil were. But on top of it, I could see a common face worn of confusion. The information disambiguation hadn't made its way to Venlil Prime like it had Earth, and as such they were as much in the dark as the public here was. I could only imagine their uncertainty, knowing their race was likely saved by something they had no idea about.
Noah spoke out of nowhere. "I feel for the refugees here. Forced to an unfamiliar place, so unofficially hostile to them, and now they learn of Nemesis like this? I'd be as confused as them in their place." He checked his suit, attending to shift it so slightly as to make him look better in it. "I also can't imagine your opponents didn't run the whole ball with their existence here, too. Are we taxing you harshly, Tarva?"
I gripped his hand tighter. "No, Noah. While there are those that want you off-planet, I will not let them kick you off. I'll fight for you, no matter the cost."
"Seems like anywhere we go, we cause a fight some way or another. Pops always said space was our ticket to a better future, yet all we seem to cause is trouble for merely existing."
"Noah, its not your people's fault we're afraid of you. The Arxur are to blame for that, and we're at fault for holding it against you. What happened to Earth was not your doing, you tried your best, and it just was not convincing enough for millennia of cultural momentum."
He smiled at that, a muted, but still genuine smile. "Thank you Tarva. I'm glad you see the best in us, even when we don't."
I continued to scan the crowd, looking for the sight of Meier. He always seemed alight in diplomacy whenever he was around, it was a strength of his, outshining the room like that. I could only hope he was doing okay in the current state of Earth. The last time we talked, he seemed very tired, very...frustrated with everything.
But I was glad to see him in some his element soon after, amongst a group of dignitaries from other Federation species. He seemed to be listening to a Mazic diplomat, one I remembered by the name of Cupo. Sadly, however, despite Meier's attempt, it seems the conversation was not on a good track.
"-they're a menace to the rest of the galaxy, and you just let them in, not so soon after this ship blindsided an entire Federation fleet out of nowhere!?"
Meier dejectedly sighed. "Cupo, I thought I already told you, when the Arxur showed up, we had no capability to tell them to take a hike. They were ten-thousand strong and we barely managed several hundred ships left. That they even engaged in dialogue rather than just subjugation was a surprise to me."
"That doesn't make much sense either, Elias Meier. Since when do the Arxur play merciful? You're not telling us something here, and it curls my trunk in knots. How can we trust you when you can't even give us the details on what that ship is, or why the Arxur even showed up in its stead?"
The Mazic was not interested in Meier's friendly act, not giving any room for benefit of the doubt. The other diplomats crowded around began to mumble in agreement, as Meier stood there, formulating some response.
"What we do know about the ship and the Arxur, we'll clear up publically later in this event. But neither were expected by us, you have to believe me. Humanity is just as confused as you all are on the results of that battle, and-"
Cupo interrupted this time, clearly not willing to hear an explanation out. "You're running out of trust, Human. We think you ought to be given a chance; as the empathy studies show, you're not the Arxur. But associating with them as you are, with little transparency is not doing you favors with us, and if you want further association with us, you'd best cut ties with those monsters sooner, rather than later." The Mazic's ears hung in displeasure, and I could sense the nervousness in Meier as he stood down one of the races in the room far bigger than he was. Whether Cupo knew it or not, Meier was intimidated by his presence, and was trying to keep it cool to some degree. "We'll at most help with the Gojid refugees at the moment, as they've suffered both of your kind, but beyond that, consider it on hold until that problem is resolved."
They walked away, and some of the alien crowd amongst them followed. The only ones still sticking around seemed to be a Yotul diplomat, a Nevok, and a Fissan. The latter two stuck obviously to discuss more trade details, seeking to cut the other off from Earth to a degree in hopes of exploiting the system, but the Yotul was a surprise. I didn't even realize they had sent one this way.
Given the relatively new uplift of their world, I didn't imagine the Yotul having much stake or spread throughout the galaxy, so how did humanity...?
Meier turned to him. "Ah...Ambassador Laulo, I'm sorry you had to see that. We're...not doing so hot in the grand scheme of things, and some relations are boiling over as a result."
Laulo enthusiastically shook his head in denial. "No, it's okay! I understand the feeling of that persecution, even if it's for a different reason. Feels like the galaxy kicking you while you're already down."
"I appreciate any help we can get in regards to this. You're one of the very few races left that's pledged some sense of unconditional aid. I promise, with all I have in my power, I'll try and return the favor-Tarva!" Elias noticed my presence at last. "I...uh, how long have you been standing there?..."
"Long enough to hear most of it. I'm sorry the more neutral species aren't helping any, Meier. But that's not why I'm here, specifically. We need to talk about the human refugees."
Meier looked at me funny with that statement, as if he wasn't expecting something out of me. "I see...I hope it's not anything too bad, is it?"
I silently cringed at the exact words. Noah filled in the details in my stead. "Meier, the refugees here are seeing images of Earth, of those not too horribly in shock to do anything, there's been an uptick in suicides...a massive uptick. They aren't aware of the full story, due to the Venlil government's reluctance to publish the report sent here publicly. This remembrance speech better give the people here a semblance of peace, of stability, because there's an extreme lack of morale left in the camps."
Meier grimaced and scanned the crowd, glancing at the humans that were here. I assume he too could see how dejected many were, how many seemed at the end of their rope, coming here for the slightest hint of hope left in their lives at the news. They would need some good news, or there was a chance some wouldn't be here tomorrow.
I felt for them. They didn't deserve this, and our intentional censor of the details, so that Meier could deliver the news likely didn't help with the rates.
"I get that Noah. I really do. What happened at Earth was a tragedy, and the death toll is nearly 800 million. You could likely gather a group of ten or so humans from anywhere, and one of them lost someone close to them. I'll...do my best to raise their spirits, there's plenty to talk about here. The alien diplomats just aren't making this easy..." Meier gestured to the clearly forming bloc of neutral species dignitaries that gathered in the room. They did not seem to want to talk further on any support of Earth until some demands were met, mostly on why things were kept so information-blackout heavy at first. The speech would have to be twofold, at raising human refugees' spirits, and at convincing some of the touchy species to support Earth.
His work was cut out for him.
"Did you wish for any assistance on that front, Meier?" Noah offered. His kindness shone through even in the depths of despair that wore
itself on humanity currently. His soul was purely sweet and kind, regardless of his predator disposition, I so deeply respected that about him.
They began to talk shop, Noah mentioning his current experiences with human refugees upon Venlil Prime, and what topics Meier ought to add on and hit on in his speech. As rushed of advice as it was, Meier seemed determined to fit it in somehow, but I knew he had a silver tongue, his capability to navigate and convince was downright bewildering, present company excepted of course. Nothing would get those species over his diet anytime soon, so I could only hope he could appeal to their empathy as another sentient in this case.
I believed in them. If anyone could turn the state of the galaxy around, it would be these two.
Memory transcription subject: Dorian Abder, Commons Member of Parliament
Date [standardized human time]: October 22, 2136
I sat on my desk, watching out the window of my office at the Westminster Palace, reminiscing on the sad scene outside. Another body under cloth cover, wheeled out on a stretcher from a home surrounded by paramedics. Another swept up in despair, seeing the state of our beautiful planet, of our populace, so brutally scarred, enough to take their own life.
How many was it, so far? Nearly a half-percent suicide rate for every hundred thousand in England? More than eight times the highest resting rate in our entire history. And we were hardly hit in comparison to the rest of the world...how are they doing if it's this bad here?
I leaned back in my chair, back cracking in old age, forcing myself away from the scene outside. I tried to not think about it, just tried to focus again on my work. On the coordination efforts with the UN, the Arxur, and any other races seeking to help. But it was a mountain of work ahead, a peak of papers I could barely see myself climbing in an entire week, let alone the mere day it was handed down here.
We've all lost someone. Not a single soul hasn't been touched by the Federation's bombing.
I thought about how the targeting of cities took. How they focused so heavily on Africa and Asia, the most booming corridors of population on Earth. How they erased 78 cities from existence before their fleet was devastated by The Sword. They weren't aiming to cripple humanity, on industrial depots and power plants, but to exterminate us. They aimed for the most populated cities first, before taking potshots at what remained.
Being put to the death by The Sword serves them right, they deserved judgement by that blade for what they had done.
Or, rather, the Nemesis, as reports had given us. A human ship, but not quite our humanity. A time traveler conveniently sent here by accident, saving us from extinction. An AI piloted ship that sought now to reunite with Earth having defended us. Given what remained of our Guardian Angel, I sought to do everything I could to make their welcome home a celebration, for they defended humanity in our darkest hour.
I recalled my journeys around the globe as a younger man. How my endless wanderlust took me to every corner of the globe in the wake of the Satellite Wars. How the global power vacuum led to so much relief efforts, as the less-touched nations finally had room to breathe, the canopy of carefully controlled superpowers no longer eating up their light needed to grow. How African countries like South Africa and Niger found themselves expanding to match the designation of First World. How beautiful the Seychelles were to see in person.
How my volunteering in the UN's Unfurled Umbrella Initiatives after the Treaty of Shanghai took me to the partially collapsed countries amidst Asia. How Tokyo, despite its immense infrastructure failure, dragged itself back to a powerhouse of a city, as Japan built for itself after so long. How China's government reformed into a Republic after the post-war coups, and how Taiwan finally opened its heart more to them for it. How Beijing found itself all the stronger for adversity.
How the South and Central Americas found themselves no longer under the impressive hand of the United States' geopolitical influence. How the first Diaspora vessels took off from Argentina, seeking to establish a government sentenced only to the annals of history on Earth upon the distant surfaces of Mars. How they were so determined to prove the world wrong on its presuppositions of how a place should be ruled, free of the influence of bullying countries. And how their dream led to the now Martian Collective.
I thought of all the other places the UN took me. Of Cairo, and its deep connection to our most prominent civilization of the ancient past. Of Istanbul, to see the beauty of mixing Christian and Islamic influence over centuries of swapping hands. Of the stunning ports of Singapore, an industrial powerhouse of a nation, so tightly packed into one single city. Of the stunning silver forest of skyscrapers that was New York City, still kicking even after the devastation of the Satellite Wars. Mumbai, Baghdad, Lagos, Mogadishu, Guadalajara, Rio De Janeiro, Berlin. How I drank in all the beauty and magnificent history and culture of the world, and was all the fuller a person for it. These and so many more.
I thought of the honey farmer I met by the Saigon River; how Châu Được's family had kept the traditional job going for so long, and divinely sweet their harvest was they shared with me. I thought of Dari Qazi, how the humble Afghani-borne man had found himself at the forefront of a secular revolution in Pakistan, reaching unrivaled progress not seen since the 1980's. I remembered the ambitious young woman in Monterrey, Mexico, who talked to me of her dreams to build spaceships for the Diaspora program, how she wished dearly she could leave a mark on history, and how now her name was on the finest rockets of the age.
All gone. Dust on the wind. Atomized debris now. Their homes, their families, their history gone, according to reports of which cities have evaporated to bedrock.
Thousands of years of history, erased in moments by antimatter over Rome. Los Angeles was reduced to the basin it was built on those long years ago in America. Cape Town's hard fought for progress from humble beginnings to the most populous and prosperous city in all of Africa, wiped from the record in an instant. Seven-hundred and eighty million dead in the span of an hour.
All those years spent, traveling around the world, drinking in the sights, to know they will never return. To know they are gone and buried, snuffed out by a bloody cruel universe, filled with utterly contemptible aliens. A deep voice spoke inside me on a loop, constantly asking an enraging question.
"Did it all mean nothing to you, Dorian?"
There was only one answer I considered giving to that accusation. To the monsters that took so many lives and homes from humanity, merely for having the gall to eat differently. What answered back blistered with hatred, yet kept frigidly focused.
"It meant everything to me."
Something clicked inside; the Federation wouldn't get away with this. We deserved justice. I rustled through my desk drawers, looking for old contacts from my political days. The stacks of papers on my desk could wait, this was more important. I needed to make some calls. Humanity deserved better, and I knew just how we could get it. But it would require a far more coordinated effort than just me. No, it needed a movement.
The galaxy will hear us. One way or another, we deserve justice. And we have just the circumstances to deliver it...
Memory transcription subject: Governor Tarva of the Venlil Republic
Date [standardized human time]: October 22, 2136
"-the sting of these days will someday pass. Maybe not in the near future, maybe not even in our lifetime, but we will one day no longer feel his pain, this suffering. Until that day comes, we will not go gently into that dark night, we will live on, mourn our dead, defend those still living, and make humanity known to the galaxy that it will not roll over when faced with such hostility. To those who support us even now, I thank you deeply to the core, and ask for a moment of silence to those lost both above and on Earth...to those who would stand with the Federation, who did so cruelly act upon us, we urge you to reconsider, and turn away, for we bring not a olive branch, but a sword. Those species governments that did this will not get away with this, and those who stood aside and watched...either choose a side, or be labeled on one for your inaction. Thank you."
Meier finished his speech with that, and some applause was heard from human refugees amidst the crowd, but a majority remained mostly quiet, in remembrance of the lives lost. A good majority of the dignitaries from the Federation neutral races had already left by this point, so the pointed message at the end likely missed them personally, even if they listen in later. It was a good speech, but it felt...infused with something that was clearly not Meier's normal calm. It was like seeing a side I had never seen with him before, not rant-angry, but mad nevertheless, hidden behind a veneer of diplomatic politeness.
Noah put it in terms I thought best as Meier walked off stage. "You're a bit more of a firebrand than I thought Meier, but nevertheless a good speech! I'm glad you tied in what advice I could give for the refugees here so smoothly."
Meier smiled at that, a cathartic smile that spoke of being proud of what he delivered just a moment ago. I could only imagine he was aching with tension over the pain of so much loss of life, it was only fair that he be angry at the galaxy at large for it, and make it heard.
"Thank you, Noah. I sincerely mean every word of it. The Federation must not escape scot-free for what they have done, and already now at home we're preparing to bring the fight back to them." He looked at me. "We'll...obviously not go as far as the Federation did, but I speak for everyone in that humanity is not happy, and it shows. Even the refugees that came here looking a mere instant from giving up seem a bit resolved now to that goal. I just wish more were on our side to start...I never wanted war, but the galaxy's forcing it."
"I'm so sorry, Meier. My deepest sympathies for how the galaxy has treated you and yours. Despite the hiccups recently, I guarantee we'll still remain close allies; humanity deserves nothing less."
The remainder of the species in the remembrance assembly started to funnel out; it was mostly just humans and Venlil at this point, but a few stuck around. The Yotul ambassador, Laulo, was an obvious one amongst the stragglers, clearly meaning to talk with Meier and us further. As the room became more and more empty he walked over to us once again.
"Meier! Your speech was wonderful, full of spice and vigor, yet calming all the same. It was like a call to arms while smoking spiritwood. The Federation stragglers hopefully will reconsider!"
I felt a little weirded out by his choice of focus in the speech on The Federation, rather than humanity, but I responded in Meier's stead positively: "Yes, Meier's an expert in political and social matters. Anyways, what did you want? You seem to be just hanging around, waiting for a moment here."
"Ah...yes, about that..." Ambassador Laulo nervously tugged at his uniform. "I was sent here initially just in good faith for humanity, as we knew what it must've felt like for the Federation to bully you so immensely. But this second visit, to the gala itself...we actually want to propose something to Humanity and the Venlil, but I wanted to wait for Federation sympathizing eyes and ears to be far away from here first."
He looked somewhat desperate, but resolved. "We're planning on breaking off from the Federation. Their influence on our planet is awful, given what they've done to us during the uplift. They seek to repress our culture, they constantly call us backward, and primitive, hardly capable of thinking for our own in this galaxy. We're tired of it, but we still are partially relying on their technological development to get to this point, and we don't have a proper fleet made. Your space is closest to ours, and we hoped-"
Meier finished "-that'd we begin our war fronting towards Leirn first? Free your people from the Federation? I'll gladly bring it up with our military advisors. You helped us, we help you back."
Laulo sighed in relief at that, a huge weight taken off their shoulders. "T-thank you. Thank you so much for this. Leirn has sought to be free of their grasp ever since we learned their intentions were not pure. You've been the first species to actually care to some degree, and were our only hope out of this mess."
"Don't thank us just yet. If you'd like to get in contact with our military, I can set you up with some Generals and your government as a liason for the war. You can coordinate anything on your side of the bargain to us through them, and make this smoother." Meier handed him a card, and waved over a human attendant of his to Laulo. She talked with him as the two walked away, and Meier remained.
Noah turned to me, a warm hand scruffing my fur. "I know the state of things doesn't look too great, love, but it could be so much worse. We'll make due with what we can get, and hopefully the galaxy will be a better place for it. Don't worry, all will be well someday."
I believed him. Who wouldn't believe in humanity?
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I wasn't fully convinced that my college roommate was a great source of advice on this topic, but my high school hadn't offered sex ed and I needed to get pointers from someone.