Electrical cover letter

Hello Reddit,
I’m reaching out to share my recent experience with the Schengen visa application process, and to seek advice and support from this community. My wife and I recently applied for a Schengen visa through the Swedish Embassy for a trip to celebrate our 15th year together (not our marriage anniversary). Despite meticulous preparation, our application was denied, leaving us frustrated and disheartened. Here are the details:
Our Background:

• We are both working professionals.
• The trip was purely for tourism and to celebrate our anniversary.
• My wife earns a bare minimum salary but works for a reputable company, while I earn more than a decent about for my age, for this trip and for the country I am living in!
• I showed ample financial means through a combination of savings, government bonds, and deposit scheme investments, with a 1:1:1 ratio. My liquid bank savings alone were sufficient to cover the trip for two weeks.

Documents We Submitted:

1. Completed and signed visa application form.
2. Proof of identity and marital status (photocopy of passport, national identity, marriage certificate).
3. Round-trip flight confirmation.
4. Hotel reservations
5. Financial stability and proof of income (payslips, salary certificate, bank account statement, solvency certificate, TIN certificate, income tax certificates, and saving certificates).
6. Health and travel insurance policy covering the entire stay.
7. Detailed itinerary.

Reason for Denial: The refusal letter cited two reasons:

1. "The information communicated to justify the purpose and conditions of the planned stay are not reliable."
2. "There are reasonable doubts as to your intention to leave the territory of the member states before the expiry of the visa."

Our Feelings: Despite presenting a strong case with genuine and meticulously prepared documents, we were denied. This feels like a severe injustice, especially considering our stable backgrounds, education, and financial ability to support the trip, only for the people like us. It’s hard not to feel that this scrutiny is disproportionately harsh. I understand there are a lot of political neusance going on, but with strong background and education, and ability to spare, I guess this is just us!
Seeking Advice: Has anyone else faced a similar situation? How did you handle it, and were you successful on a subsequent application? Any advice on how we can strengthen our application further or address the reasons for denial would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you for reading and for any help you can provide.
TL;DR: Applied for a Schengen visa through the Swedish Embassy with my wife to celebrate our 15th year together. Despite a thorough and genuine application, we were denied for reasons that seem unfounded. Seeking advice and support from those who have been in a similar situation.

Hello Fellow Apes,
In my recent posts, there were discussions regarding how Clover Assistant will compete with Epic EHEMR in the future, and someone asked about how CA can make EMR better. To understand this thesis, we're going to start by looking at the two offering in a table. It's going to be a long one.

Clover Assistant	Epic
Clover Assistant is a clinical support tool designed by Clover Health, a health insurance company. It aims to help physicians make more informed decisions by providing them with actionable insights at the point of care. The tool integrates data from various sources to present a comprehensive view of a patient's health, aiming to improve outcomes and streamline care delivery. At the moment, CA has the capacity to integrate with Epic. CA is primarily focuses on enhancing clinical decision-making by providing insights and recommendations based on data analysis. It is designed to complement existing EHR. However, in the future I think CA will break away from this, and we will go into more detail when we look at the history of Epic.	Epic Systems Corporation provides one of the most widely used electronic health record (EHR) systems in the United States and globally. Epic EHR is a comprehensive platform that covers various aspects of healthcare management, including patient records, scheduling, billing, and clinical workflows. Epic is a full-fledged EHR system that manages all aspects of patient care and hospital administration. It includes modules for clinical workflows, patient scheduling, billing, and etc. CA isn't at this level yet.
CA is designed to integrate with various EHR systems, providing a layer of intelligence on top of existing workflows. Its goal is to enhance the data already present in the EHRs with additional insights. It does so by aggregating data from multiple sources, including claims data, lab results, and patient-reported information. It uses this data to offer real-time recommendations and insights to physicians. Additionally, it offers insights in a concise, actionable format to help physicians quickly make informed decisions. We don't know what the cost of CA implementation will be, but I know 100% it will be cheaper than Epic, and in the future it will have the same features as Epic.	Epic is known for its interoperability through the use of standards like HL7 and FHIR, allowing it to connect with other systems and share data across different healthcare providers and organizations. It collects and stores a wide range of clinical and administrative data. While it offers decision support tools, its primary function is data management and workflow facilitation. However, there are a lot of manual work involved for those who use this because it is an older system. While functional, Epic is often criticized for its complexity and steep learning curve. However, it is also praised for its extensive customization options, allowing organizations to tailor the system to their specific needs. The biggest problem with Epic is it is known for its high implementation costs and resource-intensive deployment process. However, it advertises itself as a comprehensive solution that can manage all aspects of healthcare operations.

With the comparison between Epic and Clover Assistant clarified, let's delve into the history of Epic Systems Corporation. Founded in 1979 by Judith R. Faulkner, Epic started as a small company focused on developing database management systems for healthcare. Initially, it faced several challenges, but these obstacles helped shape its pivotal role in the healthcare industry.
Epic's first product was Chronicles, a clinical database management system designed to handle patient records and clinical data. This foundational product set the stage for the more comprehensive EHR systems Epic would later develop. Notably, Epic adopted a client-server architecture early on, which was advanced for its time. This technology allowed multiple users to access and update patient records simultaneously, significantly improving efficiency and collaboration in healthcare settings.
In its early years, Epic primarily catered to small to mid-sized healthcare organizations, including hospitals and clinics. The potential to streamline operations and improve patient care through better data management attracted these early adopters. Epic's readiness to customize its software to meet the specific needs of each client helped build strong relationships and loyalty among its early customers.
One significant challenge Epic faced was integrating its systems with the existing healthcare infrastructure. Many healthcare providers operated disparate systems that did not easily communicate with each other. Epic addressed this by evolving into one of the leading providers of EHR systems, gradually expanding into almost every healthcare system. As Epic's client base grew, the company had to ensure its systems could scale to handle larger volumes of data and more complex operations.
From the outset, Epic focused on designing systems that were user-friendly and tailored to the workflows of healthcare professionals. This emphasis on usability set it apart from competitors. The company also invested heavily in developing standards for data exchange and interoperability, which later became crucial as the healthcare industry moved towards more integrated and connected systems.
Epic's success stories from early clients built a strong reputation in the healthcare industry, helping to attract new customers. The company formed partnerships with academic medical centers, which drove innovation and provided a platform for testing and refining new features. Epic continuously reinvested in research and development, ensuring its products remained at the cutting edge of technology and met the evolving needs of healthcare providers. The robust customer support system, including extensive training programs for users, was vital for successful implementations and fostering long-term customer relationships.
Epic played a significant role in setting standards for electronic health records and healthcare IT. Its systems helped drive the adoption of standardized practices across the industry. Early implementations of Epic's systems demonstrated significant improvements in operational efficiency, reducing administrative burdens and allowing healthcare providers to focus more on patient care.
Moving forward, the healthcare industry recognizes that the new frontier is based on a strong foundation of social determinants of health and preventative medicine. With that said, it is evident that Epic has built a comprehensive platform that covers various aspects of healthcare management. Starting as merely an EHR company, Epic has added numerous features, setting a precedent that newer entrants like Clover Assistant are following. Clover Assistant, an AI clinical support tool, aims to modernize EHR usage by helping physicians process data with speed and accuracy not possible by a normal human. In the future, just like Epic, Clover Assistant is expected to add more features. The key differentiators moving forward will likely be cost, compliance with evolving standards like CMS-HCC V28, and adaptability to policy changes.
Currently, the estimated cost for implementing Epic is:

• Large Health Systems and Hospitals: Total costs (including initial and ongoing) for large implementations can range from $100 million to $1 billion, depending on the size and complexity of the organization.
• Mid-sized Hospitals: Mid-sized hospitals might spend between $30 million and $50 million.
• Small Hospitals and Private Practices: Smaller hospitals and private practices typically spend significantly less. Through programs like Epic's Community Connect, the costs can be reduced, making it feasible for smaller entities to adopt Epic’s EHR system. Costs for smaller practices might range from $1 million to $5 million. Who the fuck has this kind of money as a private practice?

Andrew mentioned that Clover Assistant (CA) plans to adopt a Software as a Service (SaaS) revenue model, charging on a per member per month basis. This pricing strategy aims to provide a steady, recurring income and is designed to be affordable and scalable, particularly for small businesses. For example, the hypothetical cost could be around $5 per patient per month (I'm pulling these numbers out of my ass because I don't have Clov's data). This pricing structure makes it feasible for private practices to adopt the system and have a positive experience with it. The goal is to replicate the success of systems like Epic by providing a cost-effective and manageable solution for healthcare providers. The person who will be leading this charge will be none other than Peter Kuipers.
Peter Kuipers is a seasoned financial executive with over 25 years of experience in technology leadership. He has held senior financial roles in various prominent companies, including Omnicell, Quantcast Corporation, The Weather Company, Yahoo!, Altera Corporation, General Electric, and Akzo Nobel. Before joining Clov, Peter served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at Omnicell, a healthcare technology company focused on medication and supply management solutions. He joined Omnicell in August 2015 and played a crucial role in the company's financial and strategic development. During his tenure at Omnicell, Kuipers contributed significantly to the company's growth, helping to increase its revenue from $485 million to $1.3 billion. His responsibilities extended beyond the traditional CFO role, as he also oversaw global supply chain and manufacturing, information technology, international business, corporate development, and mergers and acquisitions. His efforts were pivotal in transforming Omnicell into a leader in cloud-based platforms and SaaS/Tech-Enabled Services for the healthcare industry. He also oversaw various strategic initiatives, including international business expansion and mergers and acquisitions, contributing to Omnicell's global reach and market leadership.
I became aware of Peter Kuipers and Omnicell because Upsetweekend's company, along with many others, shifted from using Pyxis Oncology to Omnicell. Initially, Pyxis Oncology offered superior tools and services. However, during Peter's tenure at Omnicell, not only did the company offer more cost-effective solutions, but it also began to provide superior services. Securing Peter as a CFO for Clover was quite a coup, and it's impressive that they managed to attract such a seasoned executive to a smaller, less established company. Given his extensive experience and track record, Peter is well-equipped to strategically price and market Clover Assistant (CA). His expertise will likely be pivotal in attracting early adopters and expanding the company's operations. Just look at Omincell's stock price during his tenure.
https://www.tradingview.com/symbols/NASDAQ-OMCL/
At their core, both Clover Assistant (CA) and Epic are tools designed for electronic health record (EHR) management. They facilitate the presentation of data to physicians, enabling them to devise accurate treatment plans. However, there are notable differences between the two systems, primarily driven by their technological foundations and target functionalities.
Clover Assistant: This is a relatively new tool that integrates artificial intelligence (AI) to process EHR data, aiming to simplify and enhance the efficiency of physicians' work. The use of AI allows Clover Assistant to offer advanced data analysis, potentially providing more insightful recommendations and support for clinical decisions.
Epic: As an older and more established EHR system, Epic has a broad user base and is deeply integrated into many healthcare institutions' workflows. While it is built on an older technological framework, it is robust and extensively supports various healthcare operations from patient records management to billing.
The analogy of video game development is apt for comparing these systems. Imagine Epic as a game built on an earlier version of the Unreal Engine, while Clover Assistant is akin to a game developed on Unreal Engine 5. The newer engine (or in this case, the newer AI-driven platform of Clover Assistant) offers enhanced capabilities, such as better processing power and more advanced features, which may not be as optimized in the older system used by Epic.
As Clover Assistant gains traction and proves its efficacy and cost-efficiency, it could start to compete more directly with Epic, especially if it continues to attract positive feedback from early adopters. This competition could push both platforms to continuously innovate and improve, potentially leading to better EHR management tools available to healthcare providers.
In summary, while both tools serve the fundamental purpose of managing health records and aiding treatment planning, their underlying technologies and approaches to handling data greatly influence their capabilities and potential impact on the healthcare industry.
*Update* I forgot to delete the title, but there will not be a part 2. I'm tired ^_^

Hi everyone,
I am not sure if I am in the right place or if this is the correct place to post so mods please take this post down if I am violating any rules.
We had an electrician out to our house yesterday (licensed and bonded) to add an electrical outlet for our new dishwasher. As he was working, he busted open the pipe near the sink. He didn’t turn the water off beforehand and water was everywhere. I came home to wet towels in the laundry room sink and was really confused about the situation.
We had a plumber come out today and he recommended to get a remediation company out as soon as possible because under the sink was drenched. He was worried about mold and asked if I was connected to our kitchen cupboards and started talking about the potential for a kitchen remodel due to the water damage.
I don’t know if I am in shock or what but it seemed a little extreme. I am wondering if insurance will cover this and how to go about it if there is truly water damage. We are in Washington state and have Allstate. Thank you so much in advance, guys!

Today I sat down and sent out letters to the media about how the independent monitor who is overseeing the APD's consent decree has announced that they have met all the requirements, and he is recommending that Albuquerque police be released from further review. A judge will decide if that is the case in early June.
The issue that I have with that??? The Albuquerque Police Department TOPS the nationwide list per capita for officer involved shootings. Population wise they killed more people last year than any other US law enforcement agency, and their rate of shootings has gone UP rather than down over the past decade.
APD is also currently being investigated by the FBI for the DWI scandal, which involves numerous corrupt officers not showing up to court (assumingly in exchange for bribes) over many years... offenses which were not uncovered by the committee put in charge of policing the police, nor the department supervisors.
These things do not suggest that APD is now REFORMED and can be trusted with handling investigations of their own department internally. If anything, it makes it clear that whatever oversight they have been receiving isn't working. Not only do they need the federal oversight to continue, they need someone else put in charge of monitoring their department... obviously anybody who thinks that the APD is currently 'all good' doesn't have very good judgement.
So here is the letter that I have been sending out to local news agencies and government officials. I encourage everyone to research this situation themselves and write their own letters or make phone calls voicing their concerns about the APD being released from federal oversight even though they are literally the countries #1 killer cops and their department is steeped in misconduct.
"I'm writing you today because I simply can not believe that the independent monitor that is overseeing the DOJ order for Federal oversight over APD has recommended that it come to an end because they have supposedly met their goals... The statistics say otherwise.
Albuquerque police top the nationwide list of officer involved shootings per capita - looking solely at population, they killed more people in 2023 than any other US city! Their rate of shootings has gone up over time rather than down, and the increase isn't comparable to a growth in population.
They also have an unreasonably high death rate of incarcerated people, an enormous number of unconvicted people being held for low level offenses while violent repeat offenders are left roaming the streets, and a disproportionate number of arrests of POC that reveal a department wide racial bias.
Albuquerque has an atrocious level of crime for a city this size, and APD has a horrible response time with many people across the city complaining that they NEVER SHOW UP AT ALL to 911 calls for assistance. When they do show up they are incredibly likely to murder people who are unarmed, experiencing a mental health crisis, acting out due to being under the influence of substances, or just because they are Black/Hispanic/Native.
The department has a high number of complaints against officers where nearly none are found in favor of the civilian victims upon internal review - it's an unusually low number in comparison to other places. There are numerous instances over the past decade when they have lacked transparency regarding misconduct, refusing to release the names of officers involved or hold them accountable for their actions. These things alone should be reason enough for them to continue being monitored... proof that they haven't improved enough to be released from review.
But the Albuquerque police are also literally in the middle of a FBI investigation due to the DWI scandal. That's a great big red flag! Why wasn't this independent oversight committee able to spot that multiple officers weren't showing up to court hundreds of times over many years, with all the cases connected to the same attorney? Instead it took a citizen doing their own investigation to break open the corruption, and it required the media covering the story to make sure that this controversy wasn't buried. If the monitors couldn't catch this misconduct and abuse of power, what else is going on in the department that has either not yet been revealed or is being purposely hidden?
None of this sounds like "REFORMED" to me - if this is how the APD behaves while under the microscope, what will they do when they have independent power over their own misconduct again? How can this monitor group see all of this happening yet still recommend that the consent decree end? They are responsible for overseeing a police department that is currently at the TOP of the list for police killings and one that is engulfed in a conspiracy involving many officers, yet they are giving the APD 'the all clear'? Make it make sense!
I'd like to see more news stories pointing out all the reasons why the consent decree shouldn't stop and how they need a new monitor instead - the current one didn't fulfill his promises and hasn't been able to bring the APD into REAL compliance. We citizens obviously cannot bring our complaints directly to the APD or the oversight committee and expect transparency or action, so the burden falls on to the local news agencies to investigate this topic and release their findings to the community.
I've recently seen some news articles that were critical of the head monitor Mr. James Ginger, saying that his office isn't accessible to the public, he's usually out of state, he's been paid many millions of dollars and wasn't able to get the job done in the amount of time that he originally stated.
So it seems suspicious that almost immediately after news agencies investigated his role and uncovered some pretty disparaging stuff about his job performance he suddenly declares the department to be in compliance of the consent decree and announces that his oversight role will end.
Is there a connection? Is he giving them a passing grade after years of putting in the minimum amount of work just so he can write down a win on his resume? Is James Ginger attempting to back out of his responsibility over this police department by painting them as "cured" when they obviously aren't?
Please talk about this issue more, the public really needs to see the facts about APD that suggest that they shouldn't be released from DOJ oversight. It's especially important that some articles about this get published before a judge reviews this claim of the department being in compliance and possibly signs off on it at the beginning of June. We cannot allow the nation's top killer cops, a department chock full of misconduct, to be responsible for policing themselves!
I would love to see the mayor, city council, or some concerned citizens petition the court for a continuation of the consent decree with a new independent monitor in charge, as well as an investigation into the current monitors' performance and reason for declaring the APD in compliance when it's obvious that they have not improved enough to be released from oversight.
But that isn't likely to happen without the media pointing out the facts about APD's performance and reiterating the failures of Mr. Ginger over the past decade. We've got to put some pressure on city officials to do the right thing and stop the APD from being given free reign over their own affairs again... literal lives are at stake."
Thanks for taking the time to read all of that! I really hope that we as a community can prevent this from happening and finally bring some meaningful and much needed change to our police department.

I can't seem to be finding the ones that are actual jobs.
I even go so far as to researching these companies just to make sure.
I've been applying for nearly 8 months. My resume is straightforward, my cover letter explains my strengths, plus I have plenty of experience with customer service.
So far the one job I considered promising returned and email and when I watched the video they added (at this point I already had doubts) it turned out to be a training center to help people obtain an insurance license, with no intention to hire the result.
I even filter what I am looking for with no luck. Maybe I'm searching wrong? As this is the first time I've had to work remotely because of a disability.

Swoop has shared the following message on her YouTube page's community tab:
"Finally Opening Up" (link)

TW: DV, illness, MH Tldr: Recent physical as\ault and medical trauma*
Hey friends. This is the most difficult thing I’ve ever shared, but dealing with this privately for so long, while trying to put on a “brave” face has been destroying me, and fear of oversharing has left me feeling painfully disconnected from all of you, the community whom I cherish so deeply. But everything has come to a head recently, when I was violently physically assaulted, battered, and threatened by a person who has abused me in the past.
Most of you know that I am a survivor of r*pe and ab*se as a child and adult, being slowly on the journey of trying to process both publicly and privately. I’m imperfect in this journey, but trying. In addition, for most of my life, I have been living with chronic illness, spinal injuries, and chronic pain from trauma as well as fibromyalgia. And for the past 2+ years I have been living in a nightmare.
I have been living with widespread partial and total limb numbness, tingling, and electric shocks in both my arms, hands, legs, and feet, as well as deep spasms. At times it’s excruciating and would intensify without warning. It has left me with extended periods where I can’t feel parts of my body at all, while other times my body is on fire. A team of doctors had put on the “MS Protocol” meaning, my doctor, who has Multiple Sclerosis, has been evaluating me for MS. At this time I have not been officially diagnosed, while being told they cannot rule it out, and to expect a long process.
In addition, after endless MRIs and painful procedures, my doctor found white spots within my spine. I was told they have only seen this once before, where what appeared to be lesions were tumors, and they have me regularly testing for cancer, indefinitely. I do not have answers yet. This has caused a depression and level of anxiety that has felt too much to handle, so I’ve buried it deep and kept it private, even from many close to me.
On top of this, I was recently physically battered by a person who has abused me previously. I was trying to escape being cornered in a room when I was attacked from behind and tried to defend myself but it wasn’t enough. As a result, I am struggling with an immense amount of physical trauma, and mentally I’m just a shell of myself. I’m so embarrassed that after telling so many “it’s not your fault” - I still can’t tell myself.
I am neurodivergent, and get stuck in “brain loops” where I spiral into self harm and feelings of uncontrollable dread and worthlessness. I’ve tried my best to combat the loops by throwing myself in my work, even when I could hardly feel my own hands, and am left feeling massive guilt if my work feels incomplete, sloppy, out of touch or disconnected. I tried taking on projects that became too triggering, and had to walk away, riddled with shame that I might be letting anyone down for not covering a story. Everything about what I’m going through has shifted my perception of stories and how I cover them, trying to introduce more perspectives (you may or may not have noticed) and I hope to continue to develop and find more eloquent and inclusive ways to do so. Petty has always been my coping mechanism to mask my pain, but now I wish to focus more on perspective.
I have sat down countless times to film a video about my trauma, and may try to post one, the way I used to with our community. I have been keeping things private out of fear that people would think I’m “trauma dumping” or asking for sympathy. I’ve realized: that is an irrational fear and trauma response, because, like so many other survivors, I have been conditioned to feel guilty for sharing, or like I’m just looking for attention. If that’s how someone interprets me, that’s ok. But holding this has only made the darkness deeper. I no longer want to be an example of suffering in silence, in hopes someone else might feel seen.
I am also working to take some time away to find healing. I have a number of previous videos already in production from a while ago, and contractual obligations I can’t cancel, so I’ll likely have someone upload them for me, so that I can try to breathe for once, and you’re not without the content you generously spend your time with. I don’t know how much time I will or won’t take, but it’s a start. Thank you for your openness to hearing my story. I’m broken, but still here.
I feel like I’ve been fighting for my life, and this is not a battle I want to lose.
Love you all, Swoop

We are currently negotiating an offer on a house. We originally really liked it but since our inspection, receiving well water test results and sitting with the decision, we were ready to terminate the contract and move on. The well water came back with high levels of arsenic requiring installing a whole filtration system. We felt it would all be too much work as first time homeowners, but now the seller wants to negotiate with us.
They have offered to hook the house up to city water (which is available on the road) and take $10,000 off for the roof as well as “any other credits”.
Some things we would be looking for credits on, based on the inspection, include: - Electrical: breaker panel needs some switches replaced, total of 7 outlets need to be swapped up for gfci - Plumbing: small inside and outside leaks on faucets, one wobbly toilet - Skylight seal broken and may need replacing - New hot water heater - Trimming branches near power lines - Deck installed without permit (not up to code but stable for the time being) - New garage door and motor - New handrails on 2 indoor, 1 outdoor staircases - New smoke detectors - New window screens - Siding is in overall okay shape but some are loose, and the trim was clearly DIY’d
We tried to estimate everything to the best of our ability (without getting actual quotes) and came up to about $30k in additional credits. Not to mention the house is a bit of a fixer upper and we’d be doing basically a whole kitchen renovation, replacing the flooring in one room and the hardwood on the staircase. (We do have a bit of savings to cover the cost of this kitchen & flooring.)
To summarize, asking price was $335k, we originally offered $385k contingent on inspection. Now they are offering to hook us up to city water, take $10k off the roof and “any other credits” which we are roughly estimating to be $30k. We would like to ask them to pay closing costs too. Final offer after all credits including roof would be $345k, which is still $10k above asking.
We are worried our counter offer will be too “sharky”especially in this market. We really like the area and location but it does need quite a bit of work so we want to get the best deal we can, obviously. This is a super competitive market and want to make the best decision. Any opinions are greatly appreciated!

Curious if anyone has experience hiring from LinkedIn easy apply?
I'm applying to various mid senior roles, and I was surprised that a few of them only had a LinkedIn easy apply button. While it was nice not to have to make yet another Workday account, it only gave me room to add a resume. It was just a few button clicks - I'm use to at least having to provide a cover letter.
So hiring managers what is your experience hiring form LinkedIn easy apply? Is it preferrable for the applicant to track down your listing on another site to apply directly? Or is easy apply a fine thing to use?

WPA – A Completely Average Roadtrip
Disclaimer: Not canon, and I don’t use patreon so please don’t spoil me. Also, any opinion held by a character is that of the characters and not my own. Enjoy.
Town of Ljosalfington, local time 14:00, week 7
Emma Booker
“Again Illunor, I warned you before that this is a utility vehicle, not a party rated smart-limo. I am already compromising more than I should by allowing you to use the sample cooler as a minifridge, one which I can’t even use!” I said as I loaded the materials I had just purchased into the back of the high-G All terrain fusion-ethanol-electric hybrid 24th-century legacy pickup truck that I had printed out earlier this week, carefully avoiding the heavy ordinance hard point.
“That is hardly an excuse for that abysmally cramped leg space barely fit for cattle, never mind the bare minimum for standard decorum suitable for nobility. If this is what a car is like, then I don’t see why you care for your technology,” complained Illunor, who was sitting around idly with a malformed garish bowl of icecream that he had stashed away from lunch.
“If it bothers you so much, perhaps you could help next time with your ‘bigger-on-the-inside’ magic,” I retorted as I slid the last core sample into the back before covering it up with a tarp and strapping it down.
I had originally planned to visit Ljosalfington by myself to acquire much needed exo-materials to test various mana manipulator configurations as I worked to develop my first wand as not all of the materials I needed were procurable locally from Elaseer. I eventually yielded, much to my regret, to allowing Illunor to come with me as he insisted on wanting to deliver a letter personally in town after Thacea had pointed out the wisdom of not travelling alone.
We continued our back and forth for a bit yet as I finished securing my payload a voice called out to me from the direction of the town.
“Excuse me a moment, I couldn’t help but notice but are you from the academy?”
I turned to see an elf dressed in a plain brown buttoned up tunic matched by a slightly shabby pair of trousers with what appeared to be a lute upon his back and a plain and unenchanted longsword on his belt gesturing at our robes. Mine especially were new and unusual, tailored by the academy to go over my armour and allow access to the anchor points and allow me to exit my armour with minimal hassle. Illunor scoffed at what was evidently a commoner’s arrogance at approaching nobility and turned his head away in disgust. I glanced at Illunor and shook my head before turning to face the new man. I had time to spare, and any opportunity to engage in a hearts-and-minds dialogue with the locals outside the bounds of the managed environment of the academy was more than worth the time to chat. Especially as most of the other locals seemed to be content in ignoring me.
“Yes, we are currently studying at the Transgracian Academy. I am Cadet Emma Booker representing the United Nations of Earth and Luna from Earthream, and my aloof compatriot is Lord Illunor Rularia of the Vunerian courts. We were just about to head back but are in no rush. May I ask your name and what brings you by?” I asked with my hand outstretched in greeting.
“Ah yes, yes. My name is Edhel Redoehdelnif, a wandering bard by trade like my father and his father before him. My apologies, Cadet Emma Booker, I am unfamiliar with Earthrealm,” said Edhel as he grasped my hand with both of his and shook it tepidly yet vigorously. Or rather, tried to, as the motors on my suit resisted his efforts.
“News doesn’t seem to spread all that fast around here, so it makes sense you haven’t heard of us. We’re a new realm, and only just got here. Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Edhel Redoehdelnif,” I replied.
“Absolutely fascinating! And a knight no less, or perhaps a squire? I’m sure you have many stories to tell of Earthrealm. Say, by chance are you about to head back to the academy? I have business in Elaseer and the usual coach has been absent as of late so I would rather not go it alone,” said Edhel.
I was hesitant to bring a stranger back in the car with me, even if Illunor was present. However, the opportunity that meeting a bard presented was too good to pass up from an intel perspective and to win the favour of the populace at large.
“That is a great idea. I think I have room for one more…” I paused before gesturing towards Illunor, “provided everyone is ok with it that is.”
Illunor gave a huff and turned his head away in silence.
“Very well, I will allow this. But he will not be joining me in your sorry excuse for a coach,” said Illunor dismissively.
Illunor approached the backseat expectantly and the door opened for him automatically, allowing the dlc kobold to gracefully enter and lounge across the length of the seats, once again ignoring the seatbelts. I sighed as I made my way to the driver’s seat, and Edhel entered from the passenger side as he marveled at the automatic doors and the interior.
“What a strange carriage this is! Although I must say, shouldn’t you be retrieving your horses? I didn’t see any harnesses or sense any artifices,” inquired Edhel as he attempted to make himself comfortable on the car seat, lute in front of him.
“Oh no, this thing doesn’t need horses or magic,” I said with a chuckle as EVI started the car. The elf raised his eyebrows at the sudden hum of the engine and made an expression of alarm when the car started driving itself without my input. “See, purrs like a kitten.”
“Earthrealm must have some large kittens if they purr like that,” noted Edhel, “but you must be concealing the enchantments somewhere. Such a thing as this with such strange yet precise craftsmanship is only possible in the crownlands.”
“Nope, no magic,” I said cheerfully.
“Then how?” Asked Edhel.
“It’s rather simple really. Are you familiar with the workings of a mill?” I asked, deciding to keep things surface level and elementary to avoid provoking the IDOV threshold.
“Somewhat, though I confess to not being familiar with their workings. Are you suggesting this is akin to a mill?” Asked Edhel perplexed.
“It’s the same principal. A mill works by taking a source of rotation such as a waterwheel or windmill, transferring that rotation along a series of rotating shafts and interlocking gears, and finally putting that energy to work by rotating a millstone,” I began as the car pulled out onto the smooth cobbled road in the direction of Elaseer. A notification popped up in the corner of my vision indicating my recon drone swarm had shifted from a holding formation to a convoy screening formation, and while the roads were clear I kept the speed at 60km/h to account for my passenger’s apparent distaste for seatbelts.
“Rotation…” muttered Edhel. He turned to face one of the wheels and EVI pinged an alert for a probable match for a detection spell, “fascinating.”
“Edhel, what are you doing?” I asked.
“Oh, yes, perhaps I should have asked first. Yes, I can see how it all fits together. But the source of this rotation? I see no mighty river or great wind to power this, so where does it come from?” Asked Edhel, not really apologizing. Elven arrogance, it seemed, was not limited by class.
The act reminded me of Sorecar when he inspected my gun, but where the armourer had been respectful with it, Edhel was more flippant. I considered the possibility that he was a spy sent by one of her peers or the crownlands, though this did not mesh with the methods I had seen so far. Edhel may have been just overly enthusiastic. In either case, I quickly decided to only reveal the antique design for the ethanol engine, and not that of the batteries or the emergency coupler to my suit’s fusion reactor.
“Right, well please ask first next time. As to your question, I won’t bore you with the details, but the rotation is generated by creating a periodic sequence of explosions inside of a machine – a manaless artifice – called a combustion engine, said Emma.
“So that’s what that sound is…” pondered Edhel, “are these artifices typical in Earthream?”
“You are awfully inquisitive for a commoner,” noted Illunor as he inspected his nails for dirt, “and rather accepting of something which should be impossible.”
“I wouldn’t be much of a bard if I wasn’t, my lord,” said Edhel shifting uncomfortably in his seat, “perhaps some music might set the mood better?”
“That would be preferable, bard. I have heard enough of the Earthrealmer’s Road Trip Playlist and would like to listen to some music of real culture,” said Illunor.
The bard agreed and proceeded to awkwardly play a ballad about an adventurer who slew a hydra in some frozen wasteland. Partway through, I politely interrupted the Edhel to point out the seat controls much to his fascination and Illunor’s grumbling at their common nature, and after some adjustment the bard went on playing and I half-heartedly listened while I paid attention to the road and my drone feed.
Particularly after EVI detected something unusual and alerted me to its presence.
”Attention Caded Booker. There is a disabled vehicle blocking the primary route to destination. Heat signatures in the woods are consistent with that of an ambush.”
“Damn it,” I muttered.
I glanced at the drone feed to see a broken cart strewn horizontally across a wooden bridge over a brook. On the surface it looked like a pair of civilians who required aid and assistance, but off in the woods were several heat signatures, several of which held weapons of varying levels of enchantments. Occasionally one of the pair on the bridge would talk with them, suggesting they were in cahoots rather than hostages. I recalled crossing that very bridge not a few hours earlier, so the blockade was very recent.
“EVI, did we pass that cart on the way here?” I asked.
”Negative,” replied EVI.
I grimaced. I had been trained to handle road-side ambushes, but it was only something that was a theoretical possibility. Something that should only occur in a warzone or a corrupt and unstable polity. I knew I had the capacity to handle such an encounter, even non-lethally, but that didn’t change the fact that these were civilians and as such were the responsibility of local law enforcement. Combined with the fact that I had passengers I was responsible for and engaging the ambush was a risky option.
“EVI, give me a list of alternative routes,” I commanded.
”Affirmative. Here is a list of routes in order of recommendation,” replied EVI.
I looked over the routes superimposed on a map of the region and quickly dismissed taking a shortcut through the forest and cutting through farmland. A detour caught my eye that extended the journey by roughly ten kilometers and I immediately sent a pair of drones to scout it out before committing to the detour.
“Are you alright, Cadet Emma Booker? You seem distracted,” asked Edhel, snapping me back to reality.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m just focused on driving,” replied Emma.
“I suppose it must be quite taxing to command an artificed carriage of this complexity. Perhaps it might ease your mind if you were to regale me a tale of a hero of your realm?” Said Edhel, strumming a complex tune from his lute as he spoke as each and every pluck triggered a low-level spell.
“Well, that may be a problem. We don’t have any monsters to fight, and wars are a thing of the past,” I said while desperately tip-toeing the subject of aunt Ran, the subject of war, and our voyages through the cosmos, “though we are not without the adventurous spirit. We certainly have many stories of grand voyages. Some mythical and fictional such as The Odyssey as told by the Greek poet Homer and some historical such as the race to the south pole.”
“The south pole,” muttered the bard, “so you have explored all of Earthrealm then? I suppose that makes some sense, if you have artifices such as this then traversal of a globe would be quite manageable.”
“You are quite perceptive,” I said, not wishing to elaborate.
“A great performer knows his audience,” said Edhel with a charming, honest, almost human smile.
I felt a pang of homesickness as an intrusive thought reminded me that I could have gone to a real college surrounded by friendly faces my age, engaging in nightly holostreams and dreaming of adventures in the stars from the safety of a college dorm room. The sight of Illunor in the rear camera was the only thing that kept me grounded, as I almost felt like I was back at home on a road trip rather than returning to a fantasy feudal court, constantly evading death at every turn with the fate of humanity on the line. As such, and prompted by EVI, I barely had the wherewithal to take the planned detour.
A fact which did not pass by Edhel.
“I believe you may have taken a wrong turn, Emma,” he commented.
“Nah, I’m just taking the scenic route. I came from that direction on the way here, and you have inspired me to see the other road and I figure it should only add a few extra minutes to our travel time,” I said, gesturing at a paper map which I had referenced exactly once, “though on that subject, you seem to know these lands quite well. Do you have any recommendations on places to visit in the Nexus to scratch that itch?”
Illunor raised his eyebrow at the detour excuse, knowing full well this was not part of the plan. I worried that he might complain about the issue and but thankfully remained silent as he snacked on the contents of the misused sample storage unit. Edhel himself took on a more pensive posture.
“I’m happy to have been such an inspiration, Emma, though I am sure an explorer such as yourself has little need of such. I would normally suggest the skyward fountains of Verdellan or the cloud tides of Asturia, but that may be too casual for someone of your calibre. Perhaps the severed chasm or the fire marsh of Bhandahova may be more to your liking. Or perhaps…” Edhel leaned in, “I have heard rumours of a dragon in the glassy obsidian wastes of Vurcanar.”
I chuckled at that, knowing how I was fortunate enough to fish a dragon scale out of the nearby lake for the ECS. “The thought of going dragon hunting had certainly crossed my mind…” I mused aloud.
“Yet you sound hesitant. Perhaps it is too much for a newrealmer. Perhaps a slime or a dire rat might be more appropriate,” he said with a tease.
“No, it’s not like that! It’s” I stammered, before attempting to change course after realizing I had been goaded, “what I mean is, I was under the impression that dragons were an endangered species. Where I come from, hunting endangered animals is usually illegal, and big game hunting in general is frowned upon. We do make exceptions in the case of problem animals such as if a large predator starts hunting humans, but as a rule we prefer conservation and try to find ways of coexisting with wildlife such as the use of barrier fences and scaring away dangerous animals rather than being forced to cull their numbers. Having a species go extinct would prevent future generations from appreciating them and risks destabilizing the ecosystem they are a part of. Now if this dragon was actively razing villages and eating civilians and livestock, that would be one thing, but this does not look to be the case. I don’t imagine the Nexus has any settlements in this wasteland, and the dragon clearly wants to be left alone. Killing an innocent dragon would be murder.”
I grinned to myself after delivering a diatribe that would have made my tenth grade social and environmental studies teacher beam with pride, though by the expressions of my passengers my view did not appear to be shared. Edhel’s mouth was agape in shock and fascination, while the Venurian in the back seat merely huffed in disapproval.
“I assure you Newrealmer, there are no innocent dragons,” stated Illunor with a hint of terseness breaking through his otherwise regal demeanor.
“Illunor, I understand that Venurians have personal reasons for not liking dragons, but you can’t just extend that disdain to their descendants or those uninvolved just because they are the same species,” I said.
“If I may interject on your behalf, my lord, I believe I can address Cadet Emma Booker’s concerns,” said Edhel with a bow. Illunor nodded in approval.
“Very well, you may proceed,” he said.
“Thank you, my lord. My dear Emma, you must understand that dragons are not simple animals driven entirely off of instinct as it appears to be the case in Earthrealm. They are monsters. Intelligent, long-lived, violent, greedy, cruel, territorial, selfish flesh-eating monsters. They are evil by the very nature of their being, unable to change by their own accord, and unwilling to change when His Eternal Majesty offered them freedom from their nature. It isn’t that they want to be evil. As intelligent animals – intelligent monsters – dragons are capable of understanding morality, and many have tried to overcome their evil nature at great expense to themselves. A well intended and noble sentiment, yet a doomed one as like all animals, they all succumb to their nature in the end. Overcoming one’s nature is impossible,” said Edhel. His eyes took on a stoic, almost remorseful gaze as he spoke, and Illunor nodded with approval.
I was appalled by this claim, not by the contents so much as how blatantly false it was. As a representative of the human race, I was a living counterexample to his whole argument. We had remained physiologically unchanged as a species since the last Ice Age, and yet in spite of that, in spite of our many flaws, we had found peace and balance. If we could do it, anyone could do it.
“Will all due respect Edhel, that is nonsense. Monsters aren’t born, they are made. It is the mark of any intelligent species can adapt their behaviour to their environment for better or worse, and under the right care any so-called monster can grow to be a force for good,” I began, but while I searched for the right words Edhel shook his head.
“I appreciate your race is an empathetic one, Emma, your idealism is unfounded. As flesh eaters, a dragon must take the life of another animal or person to survive, or they will perish. As such, every dragon has taken a life. As long-lived creatures, they will have amassed a significant number of kills. As the land can only support so much animals, a dragon must be fiercely territorial and aggressive to remove competition, lest they starve. As such, even the most kind-hearted dragon alive must be violent and greedy, and their intelligence fuels this even more so if they know a bountiful land of morsels exists just outside their range.
Now perhaps a multitude of dragons may find a way to co-exist together in some settlement, but to support such a venture would require a large territory of prey, or a livestock animal. Perhaps they could support a large colony by farming grain for their livestock, but that would require effort on their behalf. As large animals, such efforts require a great deal of energy. Yet that size makes it easy for them to intimidate smaller races to do their labour for them, and to keep their client race in line dragons must be cruel. And even so, as their numbers grow so do their needs. As such, they must expand into the lands of their neighbours to survive until there is nothing left to devour, at which point they must turn against their own lest they starve. As such, it is the nature of dragons to conquer and devour. That is why there is no such thing as an innocent dragon,” finished Edhel.
I was speechless, not because I believed Edhel had a point, but because I was horrified at how easy he found it to rationalize the extermination of an entire sapient species. If this was how the elves thought, then it wasn’t the dragons who were the monsters. I suppressed that dark thought. Edhel’s thought process was a product of his culture, not a feature of his elven heritage. If there was any hope of peace between our people, I needed to show him there was another way of being. I needed to prove that co-existence was possible, no matter one’s nature.
I took a deep breath to steady myself before replying.
“That- that is a callous way of seeing things,” I began, though the shock was still there in my voice, “you speak as though there is no natural equilibrium with a dragon, that their only state of being must be to be cruel, to devour, to conquer. But I see things differently. In fact, I might wonder if a fledgling civilization might see the presence of a dragon as a boon rather than a curse. Being intelligent, the locals may be able to come to some agreement with the dragon. Perhaps they might leave some land as a hunting ground or offer up a share of their cattle or guard the dragon as it sleeps. In exchange, the dragon might allow them to build a town outside its mountain and protect them in times of danger. An equitable exchange. A civilization might even create artificial lairs to attract dragons for this very reason. True, some dragons may behave tyrannical towards their town, but a well armed populace of a large city would be more than capable of fighting such a threat, and a rational dragon might reason that threatening their own populace would put their reliable source of food and shelter at risk. You see, it’s all a matter of perspective.”
“You certainly are an imaginative one, Emma, to wonder up a quixotic world where the hare and the fox live together in harmony as equals. Even so, you seem to have ignored one key detail to such a society. What would happen should the dragon not be fed for months on end?” Asked Edhel with his eyebrow raised.
“The same thing as stranded a dozen starving, stranded Elves!” I spat back.
[Alert: Vehicle speed above recommended limit for conditions. Recommendation: slow down. ]
“I am driving slow!” I seethed, not realizing I had sped up with manual control enabled.
“I grow tired of this common prattle,” interjected Illunor just in time to prevent an awkward silence, “bard, play us another song.” “As my lord wishes,” said Edhel with a bow before turning to me with another smile, “perhaps a more soothing melody would be in order? A love song perhaps, to honour Cadet Booker’s compassionate nature?”
I said nothing as Edhel began to strum his lute again to the tune of a love story of a pair of doomed lovers named Ramian and Junette, hating his cheeky knowing grin that only served to get under my skin further as I focused on calming down and slowing the car back to a more reasonable pace before investigating a priority alert which I had been blinded to moments prior.
[Alert: hostile roadblock is absent, location unknown.]
Shit.
“Illunor, we may have a problem,” I said.
“Shush, Newrealmer, have you no class? We are almost at the best part! I’m sure it can wait,” replied the contextually clueless lizard.
I had never wanted to throttle Illunor as much as I did now.
“Illunor, shield, now,” I said with a raised voice.
“I don’t see-“ he started, pausing mid-sentence as his ears perked up.
[Alert: Multiple manafield and spell signatures detected!]
I took evasive maneuvers as Illunor tried to piece together a shield spell, fumbling it twice as panic appeared to set in and providing me with a reminder that Illunor was a civilian, not a soldier. A hail of arrows pelted the exterior of the truck, piercing but not penetrating the composite armour. I was tempted to do nothing but just drive away from the arrow fire, but a foreboding premonition of danger filled me as I recalled Sorecar’s hunter-seeker arrows.
Seeking to avoid that fate, I triggered the active defenses.
The smoke screens deployed around the vehicle, obscuring the sight of any who depended on visible light to see me. A barrage of decoy flares equipped with wooden cores shot upward at angles and diffusing to the side like a pair of giant wings which when combined with the MFD, short for mana-field dampener, inside the vehicle meant that the pelting hail of arrowfire softened to a whirr as the arrows whiffed over the top of the truck, retargeted away from the soft flesh of my passengers and even invoking friendly fire amongst the ambushers.
In the chaos, EVI and my drone swarm fed me complete tactical information on the ambush. Of the 26 individuals at the first blockade, 20 were accounted for, and 3 had died from friendly fire. Ahead at the bridge, 5 more of them were at the bridge where a barrier had been hastily erected to cage me in as the river valley was too deep to cross.
“Illunor, we need a bridge,” I said, taking stock of the wellbeing of my passengers.
The bard was huddled down low and suppressing his manafield, but otherwise rather composed. Illunor, on the other hand, was cowering in the gap between the seats with his hands covering his eyes and his tail tucked in.
“A bridge is no small request, Ne- Cadet Emma Booker,” replied Illunor, “and your ‘Emeffdee’ has blinded me to the outside of this moving death trap.”
“If I drop it, can you at least make a ramp?” I asked as I circled the battlefield. Or tried to, at least, as earthen ramparts emerged from the ground from a yet unseen source to cut off other avenues of escape.
“A ramp? Surely you don’t mean-“ he stammered.
“Yes or no,” I said.
Illunor paused, before taking an unsteady breath.
“Yes. But not with that Emeffdee,” he replied.
“Good. Steady your nerves and prepare to make a ramp ahead of us on my signal,” I said, “in the meantime, get your seatbelt on. This is going to be hairy.”
As I circled around to make my approach on the bridge, the final combatant made his appearance on a nearby tree, revealing himself as an elven mage. An alert focused on the air around him indicating he was preparing an unknown high-tier spell, and I locked the predator drone on him indicating the elf as a high-priority target if our escape plan failed, and I was forced to use lethal force.
If I was forced to kill.
It was one thing to know you may have to kill in the line of duty, but it was much harder to reconcile that with reality. No number of simulations could match the real thing, and a part of me wanted to simply offload the responsibility to EVI to keep my hands clean, but to do that would be betraying my duty as a human being. I breathed in deep and tried not to think about it, instead hoping to rely on the ace I held in my sleeve instead.
“EVI, ready the spell jammer,” I said unevenly.
“Acknowledged, the prototype Exo-Radiation Wave-Field Distruptor is primed. High risk target identified and locked, permission to engage?” EVI asked, forcing me to address the dreaded question.
“Negative,” I replied, “hold your fire. If the ramp fails, then you have permission to engage,” I said.
“Affirmative, on your mark,” replied EVI.
I lined up the truck with the bridge and bolted through the smoke, keeping a careful eye on the mage as I went. His spellform took on a more concerning shape as I accelerated, and I realized I could not afford to let him finish his spell. I triggered the spelljammer.
A terrible roar erupted from an array of speakers printed from mana-resistant materials that would have made Godzilla herself beam with pride. The sound was decidedly unnatural, gnarly, dubstep drop composed of an electric eel, a whale, a mountain lion, and a tyrannosaurus rex all being simultaneously assaulted by a swarm of angry cybernetic murder hornets as an equally chaotic wave of mana blasted outwards from the exterior of the truck, with the interior thankfully sheltered by audio and mana dampening.
The ambushing assailants cowered and panicked, and it was enough to cause the Elven mage’s spell to backfire in his face as his form exploded into ashes, meeting a horrific fate which I had tried so desperately to help him avoid. With all the combatants momentarily incapacitated or dead, I lowered the dampener and turned off the smoke.
“Ramp!” I shouted, snapping the lizard back to reality.
The Venerian nodded and hastily formed an earthwork ahead of us right before the blockade, and the truck leapt off the ramp with a not insignificant amount of air beneath our wheels. I braced for impact, regretting skimping on the shocks in the name of preserving materials, but the impact never came.
[Alert: Friendly spell designated ‘Feather Fall’]
Illunor thankfully had enough wherewithal to gently land the steel brick, and I sped off into the distance away from the trap that had unfolded behind us, leaving the interior of the truck in an awkward silence as we each processed our brush with death in our own way. “How many are dead?” I asked EVI.
“6 hostiles confirmed dead,” replied EVI.
I drove on in silence. Those were six deaths I had tried to avoid, and I became lost in thought as I wondered what I should have done differently to avoid the confrontation entirely.
Edhel broke the silence with a bout of laughter.
“Terrific! Absolutely terrific! Why, I can conjure up many a tale from this encounter alone! I live for this kind of inspiration!” Exclaimed Edhel a little too chipperly considering the circumstance.
“I would rather not hear stories about how I bravely ran away,” I moaned in deadpan sarcasm.
“You think too little of yourself, Cadet Emma Booker. It is plain to me that you are no ordinary rabbit. Make no mistake, I see it as a privilege to bear witness to the roar of a vorpal hare!” Said Edhel as he supressed his laughter, “though I am afraid with all the excitement that I must finish my song some other time.”
“How about I play some of our music?” I offered after the elf revealed his thrill-seeking side.
“Splendid, I would like that. Perhaps something of your ‘Roadtrip playlist’ you speak of? It sounds like a collection of your voyages,” said Edhel.
“That would be an improvement on the truth,” said Illunor dismissively as he eased from his state of shock, “it is little more than noise under the pretense of music.”
“Illunor…” I muttered to myself before turning the mic on, “no, no it’s not like that. I have terabytes of pre-recorded songs from various artists back home which can be played by… an artifice called a speaker. A playlist is a set of songs which are grouped together, usually to listen to in specific situations such as studying, partying, or travelling. The latter collection is what Illunor is referring to.”
I very deliberately chose not to reveal my ‘Unfortunate Daughters’ playlist.
“An artifice which plays music, and a magicless one at that. I must say, Emma, I fear for the bards in your realm,” said Edhel with a laugh.
“Your fear is misplaced, Edhel. Entertainers live like kings where I come from,” I retorted with a smirk of my own, “well, the ones with talent at least.”
“Well, well, I suppose I have to hear my competition!” Said Edhel with a laugh.
“Do as you must, though let it be known that I warned you,” said Illunor as he watched a play on his sightseer.
I had EVI compile a list of songs that left out content offensive to Nexian sensibilities or violating OpSec and as it compiled I mused over what type of sample spread I wanted to show off. Then it struck me. What better way to show off our culture than with some good old blue jumpers and nova rock! Sadly, jumpers were unavailable to show but I still had a whole list of modern artists to choose from.
Moments later, the car speakers sprung to life to the tune of ‘Innocent Youth of Mine. Edhel’s eyes lit up like a child visiting a zero-g gravity park for the first time, seemingly star-struck by the antique electric guitar and the synthesizer-drums in particular.
“What… what is this? I have never heard anything like this!” Proclaimed Edhel.
“Dreadful, isn’t it?” said Illunor, doing what he did best and pretending to hate it.
“Oh there is a lot more where that came from,” I said with a cheeky grin of my own, “this one is called ‘Innocent Youth of Mine’ by ‘Cannons and Poppies’. It’s part of the Nova Rock genre.
“And those strange instruments?” Asked Edhel.
“Oh, you mean the electric guitar and the synthesizer. They are electronic instruments, taking advantage of channeled and modulated electricity to create near any sound we can imagine,” I replied.
“Channeled electricity… are you suggesting these sounds were made by some form of lightning?” Asked Edhel.
[Suggestion: Avoid topic of electricity due to OpSec risk]
I nodded at EVI’s warning, thankful that it caught me before I discussed the very thing that all of my equipment ran on.
“It’s not exactly lightning, but close enough,” I said.
“If I had not witnessed to your display of power earlier, I might have perhaps been more skeptical of such a claim, but I suppose a lady must keep her secrets.” said Edhel with a raised eyebrow and chuckle, “but I digress, this music is most interesting.”
“There is a lot more where that came from,” I said with a cheeky grin of my own.
“If I ever have a prisoner in need of torture, I will turn to you first,” replied Illunor, “if you are willing to subject your peers to this madness then I cannot imagine what you would force upon your enemies before dunking them in ice.”
“In your dreams,” I retorted.
I played a few other songs including Astrodesee’s ‘Meteor Struck’, the Martian classic ‘Hotel Cydonia’ and even ‘Switching to Warp’ before Elaseer emerged from the distance, and I pulled up outside the gate to drop Edhel off.
“Here already?” Asked Edhel.
“Well, yeah. I was just running a quick errand, I didn’t want to go too far,” I replied casually.
“That was a distance worth at least five days of walking by foot, and you call that a ‘quick errand’?” Asked Edhel. I shrugged, and he laughed.
“Well in any case, thank you for allowing me passage in your car. I must apologize for my lack of gift or payment…” said Edhel. “Don’t worry about it, it was on the way,” I replied.
“I see, how generous. Perhaps we might one day meet again?” Asked Edhel.
“Maybe, but I’m not sure how likely that is. The academy takes up most of my time,” I replied, “though you never know. I still have a lot of quest hours to complete.”
“Is that so? In that case, I hope we meet again! Goodbye Cadet Emma Booker and farewell Lord Illunor Rularia,” he said. “And good travels to you, bard,” said Illunor.
I waved off Edhel and drove back to the academy, Illunor still sulking in the back seat.
“Perhaps next time, you should steer us away from danger?” Suggested Illunor.
“I tried, but we were tracked,” I replied.
I groaned inwardly at the additional work needed to fix the truck. EVI compiled a list of upgrades for future engagements, batting away my idea for a ‘turbo mode’ and a ‘jump boost’. Though at the end of the day, meeting the bard wasn’t a complete loss. It felt good to talk to someone almost normal for once, and I hoped I met him again.
Edhel Redoehdelnif
I watched as Cadet Emma Booker’s vehicle went off into the distance, getting one last look at the Earthrealmer’s strange artifice before turning towards the gate. The voyage was an exotic experience, not unlike that of a fever dream or a peak into a world completely alien to my own. Indeed, it was a struggle to contain my excitement and enthusiasm and process the experience rationally as I made my way through the southern gates of Elaseer and turned the corner of an alley before entering an impossible structure that did not exist.
“You are earlier than expected,” said the shadowy figure of my handler as I made my way to the meeting hall.
“The Earthrealmer’s means of transportation proved far more expedient than anticipated, my lord” I spoke as I knelt before him, “even with her unexpected departure from the anticipated road and the ambush we traveled for scantly more than an hour.”
“Yes, I will require a full report from you. Perhaps you can shed some light on the ‘smoke dragon’ my men claim intervened on the Earthrealmer’s behalf,” said my handler.
“Smoke Dragon, my lord?” I asked.
My handler responded by activating his sight-seer, revealing how the ambush had appeared from the outside. The Earthrealmer’s uncanny artifice traversed down the road, a pair of manafields displaying proudly from within until the archers began their assault. The artifice then transformed as smoke billowed out from its pores and wings sprung forth above until it was the form of a mighty wrym with a pair of glowing eyes springing forth from its ever extending head where it then gave forth a terrible unholy roar which sent waves of mana outward. The mage working to seal the area and trap their mark vapourized in an instant as his spell backfired. It was apparent to Edhel that his exceptional experience in the carriage was merely a muted rendition of the events unfolding around them.
It would seem the hare had the shadow of a dragon.
“I do have some insight, though I must confess the Earthrealmer did very little in the way of direct action. I suspect she has some unseen means of commanding and scrying through her artifices,” I said, “one which does not utilize magic as we know it.”
“Such a statement is heresy,” said my handler, “but such special circumstances are your reason for being. I will require you submit your memories for verification. What is your appraisal of the new realmer?”
“The girl is far more dangerous than a surface appraisal would suggest, though she prefers to conceal that power rather than utilize it out of a misplaced sense of compassion. Her people appear to have a boundless creative drive through which such artifices are birthed, though again it is misdirected towards more common applications. I believe that if properly tamed, this human animal may provide us with great works of art,” I said with a bow.
“I see. Does the girl know you work for us?” Asked my handler.
“She may harbour some suspicions, though did not voice them outright beyond concealing her knowledge,” I said, “though nothing significant. Provided our next meet is under believable circumstances such as a festival she should view me as cordial.”
“She has indeed proven clever,” conceded my handler, “very well, I will make arrangements for your paths to cross again. Perhaps I will arrange for her to be a contestant at the next inter-academy tournament. In the mean time, prepare your report and don’t wander far. This is a priority assignment.”
“As you wish, my lord,” I said with a bow and a smile.
Emma Booker had proved to be an interesting animal indeed, and I hoped our paths crossed again.

I'm nothing but a filthy parasite draining on my parents financially and emotionally. I've been unable to get a job for almost 4 years now.
I have a few limitations but most people agree they are reasonable (I don't have to sleep somewhere that isn't home 3 nights a week to be able to get to work. I'm not standing for 8 hours in pain doing NOTHING, I'll stand 8 hours in pain if there's work to do. I'm not lying to people to make them sign onto a 12 year financial commitment.)
I'm willing to do anything else. But Mc Donald's won't give me an interview. The rare 1 a season interview I do get ghosts me. Most applications just get ignored. Meanwhile I'm here, using electricity my parents pay for. Eating their food. Asking them to cover my health expenses. My depression means I can't even fucking CLEAN UP for them. I'm an emotional toil. My dad feels like I stole his daughter from him (I'm trans) People keep suggesting welfare but that's just stealing MORE money from other people.
I'm worthless, I clearly can't even mop floors. I can't do data entry (had a temp position bit was let go after 7 workings days, only able to work 2 of them due to their system. Apparently I wasn't keeping up. A problem they never told me so I couldn't improve- as I had been, under advice of my peers, more focused on taking notes than the speed.) I can't do anything. I've been in job employment programs but that doesn't help. Infact one of them, a film one I took, actually screwed me over unintentionally as I HAD a job, but took a break because film and media was my desired feild. And now as a result I can't get much other help. Turned away from a barista training program because I had received help. Yes where I live it's expected you take a course to be a coffee barista. It's 500$
I can't drive. I keep failing my tests putting my family out 200$ each time. Everything costs money. And no matter what I do I cant make it.
So now I'm here, once again planning on just killing myself. So I can no longer waste space. Money. Resources. Oxygen. The world would be better, healthier, without a useless parasite like me hogging up food, water, and everything else. I can't even volunteer because I can't afford the buss fare to go there. It's just... so pointless. I have no more will to do anything. My last attempt was hours into a resume and cv. My own design and people gave good feedback, but I've not got even an interview for that position I desperately wanted. So clearly I'm not good enough and can't do that either. I'm useless, stupid and I think I should just make it better for everyone if I die already.

It was summer. He needed money to pay for school next year. He decided to get a job. He needed to apply to different places. He first made a resume. He then made a cover letter. He walked around his neighborhood.

Hi folks
Alot of hype for PhEVs and the benefits are tempting. - drive upto 50Km which should cover ur day to day commute unless u drive longer - no range anxiety for longer road trips - Same Rebate as EV..$$$ - Access to HOV lane in Canada which is a big plus imo as compared to normal Hybrid with the crazy traffic.
I dont want to go full electric Yet but PHEV seems an interesting option but I want to hear from long term owners. - do u regret getting PHEV over normal hybrid or electric ? - should I worry about excessive maintenaince ? - Its been widely accepted that Rav 4 Prime is the best in terms of reliability but i feel the premium is way too high as compared to Kia/Hyundai PHEVs with much more features. - ur longterm experience if u’re owner of kia/hyundai phev, would your recommend or not? Appreciate your participation and thoughts.
Also from those who’ve gone through this dillema ended up with any option.

Sorry I’m new to Reddit and I don’t know if I’m posting correctly. Trigger warning: just disgusting stuff going on in that house. Bodily fluids and such.
I would like to start off, none of this is the kids fault. Absolutely none of it is. They’re children and this all lays in the hands of the adults in that house as they’re currently failing them.
The way she keeps her home; the way she “cleans”, makes my skin itch and sends me into a cleaning spiral in my own home. My house is by no means spotless all the time, nor am I a cleaning expert. I do work 45 hours or so a week and have a dog with long hair that is currently shedding a lot bc of spring. I’m no means a super bleach clean person, but gosh, I whip out the bleach every time I learn about something that goes on in her household. The way I wanna reach in and just clean that place myself
The walking around sweaty like that, her kids are sweaty, she’s sweaty, touching public items and probably bumping into people in the stores because she nor cash have a sense or personally boundaries. Imagining getting bumped by someone that sweaty when I’m trying to grocery shop, would make me want to put everything down and go home or go to a different store.
The pooping in the pool. I would have banned her immediately. Do you know how much business they would lose? Her couple of memberships isn’t worth enough to cover a full day of pool shutdown or the people that would no longer attend the pool because people are routinely pooping in there whenever they attend.
The chicken coop, that speaks for itself. The amount of germs in that is insane. I’m not too sure about it, but my mom always stressed how much germs birds can carry, and to never touch feathers fallen from them. And here she is, sitting her kid in a bird poop nest. The kid that puts his hands in his mouth, touches everything, that probably doesn’t know how to properly wash their hands because I doubt their mother knows either. He’d touch it and it’d go to her other poor kids that would probably end up touching it and then their own mouths, she even has a baby and we all know how babies put everything in their mouth.
The state of her home just speaks that she doesn’t clean enough. I know it’s rough for parents to clean and keep clean, but she takes it to a level I’ve never witnessed. Every child can do small tasks to help keep the house clean. Even 4 year olds can, just a small task like matching socks or something. Clean up their toys, something that doesn’t take too long. But I highly doubt she’s teaching them anything in regards to being clean. I don’t know if she knows how to clean.
Her house is a mess but it’s more of a disaster. Im surprised no one from any government agency or services has told her to clean it up or risk losing her kids and that she’s putting her kids health at risk. Her kids literal health is at risk at the way she’s “maintaining” this homes
Even when she’s on live doing laundry I’m cringing. Is the washer even clean? How many bodily accidents happened in those clothes? Pets or children or even adults. Is she just washing the clothes in poopy/sweaty/pee/anything filled water?
It makes me wonder if that cyst that was on a child’s nose was possibly made worse or got infected in the first place because of the condition she keeps her house. Even if the cyst was going to form, having a clean bed, face towel, even cleaning their face itself, couldn’t have hurt and maybe lessen any infections they could have gotten.
I think her house is a downright fire hazard. Too much stuff, too much unkept stuff, too much of everything everywhere. It’s go up like a match box if one of those chords caused an electrical fire. Either from an animal chewing on it, someone got their hands where they couldn’t, someone put metal where they shouldn’t, the list goes on. And I’m terrified that no one would know what to do in an event that it happens.
Her house isn’t just mess but it’s more of a disaster and I dare say biohazard after learning about the bathtub situation. Where else is she allowing to happen and just not mentioning? Glad that the kids are peeing/pooping even if it’s -blank-? Surely it’s not just when submerged in water. Which makes me now concerned about that lake/pond they are near by.
Im surprised no one from any government agency or services has told her to clean it up or risk losing her kids and that she’s putting her kids health at risk. Her kids literal health is at risk at the way she’s “maintaining” this home.
Dear god, this is just what I beg (in this regard). Get off live and clean.. if you have to be on live. Go live and clean. Just deep clean everything. Tidy up, bleach the floors, carpet clean, vacuum couches, clean the walls, baseboards, the ceiling, the bathrooms, the washer machine and drier, even the fridge and pantry at this point. The kids deserve to be able to have at least one day where their house doesn’t smell like a barnyard. And don’t start that it’s a country thing. I’m in the country. And I would get hives thinkin about spending any time there.

Hi folks
Alot of hype for PhEVs and the benefits are tempting. - drive upto 50Km which should cover ur day to day commute unless u drive longer - no range anxiety for longer road trips - Same Rebate as EV..$$$ - Access to HOV lane in Canada which is a big plus imo as compared to normal Hybrid with the crazy traffic.
I dont want to go full electric Yet but PHEV seems an interesting option but I want to hear from long term owners. - do u regret getting PHEV over normal hybrid or electric ? - should I worry about excessive maintenaince ? - i know Rav 4 Prime is the best in terms of reliability but i feel the premium is way too high as compared to Korean PHEVs with much more features. - ur longterm experience if u’re owner of kia/hyundai phev, would your recommend or not? Appreciate your participation and thoughts.
Also from those who’ve gone through this dillema ended up with any option.

Hi everyone! I went looking for this on this page and couldn’t find anything. So I received a letter from my insurance saying that I my medicine was covered up until October of this year. But I haven’t been able to get a hold of them so I was wondering if y’all could help! Does that mean it covers it even after my insurance renews in July? Does it only apply to the dose I’m on rn? Like if I go up a dose like it start all over and cover that one again. I just have a ton of questions and can’t call cause of the weekend. If it helps I have blue cross blue shield.

This is the list of the imported products in Uruguay.
​
HS'27 $2233M Mineral fuels, mineral oils and products of their distillation; bituminous substances; mineral ...
HS'87 $1456M Vehicles other than railway or tramway rolling stock, and parts and accessories thereof
HS'84 $1254M Nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery and mechanical appliances; parts thereof
HS'85 $879M Electrical machinery and equipment and parts thereof; sound recorders and reproducers, television ...
HS'31 $701M Fertilisers
HS'39 $650M Plastics and articles thereof
HS'38 $450M Miscellaneous chemical products
HS'30 $360M Pharmaceutical products
HS'02 $300M Meat and edible meat offal
HS'73 $243M Articles of iron or steel
HS'94 $217M Furniture; bedding, mattresses, mattress supports, cushions and similar stuffed furnishings; ...
HS'29 $213M Organic chemicals
HS'23 $209M Residues and waste from the food industries; prepared animal fodder
HS'90 $205M Optical, photographic, cinematographic, measuring, checking, precision, medical or surgical ...
HS'72 $205M Iron and steel
HS'48 $189M Paper and paperboard; articles of paper pulp, of paper or of paperboard
HS'15 $185M Animal, vegetable or microbial fats and oils and their cleavage products; prepared edible fats; ...
HS'61 $179M Articles of apparel and clothing accessories, knitted or crocheted
HS'40 $161M Rubber and articles thereof
HS'62 $125M Articles of apparel and clothing accessories, not knitted or crocheted
HS'33 $110M Essential oils and resinoids; perfumery, cosmetic or toilet preparations
HS'20 $108M Preparations of vegetables, fruit, nuts or other parts of plants
HS'64 $108M Footwear, gaiters and the like; parts of such articles
HS'11 $107M Products of the milling industry; malt; starches; inulin; wheat gluten
HS'22 $99M Beverages, spirits and vinegar
HS'21 $93M Miscellaneous edible preparations
HS'34 $92M Soap, organic surface-active agents, washing preparations, lubricating preparations, artificial ...
HS'19 $90M Preparations of cereals, flour, starch or milk; pastrycooks' products
HS'09 $87M Coffee, tea, maté and spices
HS'10 $81M Cereals
HS'17 $81M Sugars and sugar confectionery
HS'32 $75M Tanning or dyeing extracts; tannins and their derivatives; dyes, pigments and other colouring ...
HS'76 $74M Aluminium and articles thereof
HS'28 $72M Inorganic chemicals; organic or inorganic compounds of precious metals, of rare-earth metals, ...
HS'95 $71M Toys, games and sports requisites; parts and accessories thereof
HS'44 $66M Wood and articles of wood; wood charcoal
HS'08 $65M Edible fruit and nuts; peel of citrus fruit or melons
HS'25 $64M Salt; sulphur; earths and stone; plastering materials, lime and cement
HS'69 $60M Ceramic products
HS'70 $56M Glass and glassware
HS'96 $53M Miscellaneous manufactured articles
HS'63 $52M Other made-up textile articles; sets; worn clothing and worn textile articles; rags
HS'18 $51M Cocoa and cocoa preparations
HS'68 $50M Articles of stone, plaster, cement, asbestos, mica or similar materials
HS'82 $42M Tools, implements, cutlery, spoons and forks, of base metal; parts thereof of base metal
HS'16 $41M Preparations of meat, of fish, of crustaceans, molluscs or other aquatic invertebrates, or ...
HS'41 $38M Raw hides and skins (other than furskins) and leather
HS'86 $38M Railway or tramway locomotives, rolling stock and parts thereof; railway or tramway track fixtures ...
HS'04 $36M Dairy produce; birds' eggs; natural honey; edible products of animal origin, not elsewhere ...
HS'74 $35M Copper and articles thereof
HS'51 $33M Wool, fine or coarse animal hair; horsehair yarn and woven fabric
HS'12 $33M Oil seeds and oleaginous fruits; miscellaneous grains, seeds and fruit; industrial or medicinal ...
HS'83 $30M Miscellaneous articles of base metal
HS'35 $30M Albuminoidal substances; modified starches; glues; enzymes
HS'03 $29M Fish and crustaceans, molluscs and other aquatic invertebrates
HS'42 $28M Articles of leather; saddlery and harness; travel goods, handbags and similar containers; articles ...
HS'54 $26M Man-made filaments; strip and the like of man-made textile materials
HS'49 $26M Printed books, newspapers, pictures and other products of the printing industry; manuscripts, ...
HS'24 $24M Tobacco and manufactured tobacco substitutes; products, whether or not containing nicotine, ...
HS'56 $23M Wadding, felt and nonwovens; special yarns; twine, cordage, ropes and cables and articles thereof
HS'07 $20M Edible vegetables and certain roots and tubers
HS'60 $17M Knitted or crocheted fabrics
HS'47 $14M Pulp of wood or of other fibrous cellulosic material; recovered (waste and scrap) paper or ...
HS'05 $11M Products of animal origin, not elsewhere specified or included
HS'52 $10M Cotton
HS'55 $10M Man-made staple fibres
HS'71 $10M Natural or cultured pearls, precious or semi-precious stones, precious metals, metals clad ...
HS'65 $9M Headgear and parts thereof
HS'59 $8M Impregnated, coated, covered or laminated textile fabrics; textile articles of a kind suitable ...
HS'57 $7M Carpets and other textile floor coverings
HS'91 $7M Clocks and watches and parts thereof
HS'06 $6M Live trees and other plants; bulbs, roots and the like; cut flowers and ornamental foliage
HS'88 $6M Aircraft, spacecraft, and parts thereof
HS'13 $6M Lac; gums, resins and other vegetable saps and extracts
HS'01 $6M Live animals
HS'58 $4M Special woven fabrics; tufted textile fabrics; lace; tapestries; trimmings; embroidery
HS'93 $4M Arms and ammunition; parts and accessories thereof
HS'37 $3M Photographic or cinematographic goods
HS'92 $3M Musical instruments; parts and accessories of such articles
HS'66 $3M Umbrellas, sun umbrellas, walking sticks, seat-sticks, whips, riding-crops and parts thereof
HS'36 $2M Explosives; pyrotechnic products; matches; pyrophoric alloys; certain combustible preparations
HS'89 $2M Ships, boats and floating structures
HS'53 $2M Other vegetable textile fibres; paper yarn and woven fabrics of paper yarn
HS'79 $2M Zinc and articles thereof
HS'67 $2M Prepared feathers and down and articles made of feathers or of down; artificial flowers; articles ...
HS'46 $2M Manufactures of straw, of esparto or of other plaiting materials; basketware and wickerwork
HS'26 $1M Ores, slag and ash
HS'45 $1M Cork and articles of cork
HS'81 $1M Other base metals; cermets; articles thereof
HS'97 $1M Works of art, collectors' pieces and antiques
HS'75 $0M Nickel and articles thereof
HS'78 $0M Lead and articles thereof
HS'43 $0M Furskins and artificial fur; manufactures thereof
HS'80 $0M Tin and articles thereof
HS'14 $0M Vegetable plaiting materials; vegetable products not elsewhere specified or included
HS'50 $0M Silk
HS'99 $0M Commodities not elsewhere specified

Become a star citizen.
https://robertsspaceindustries.com/enlist?referral=STAR-DP7P-GD4P
use code STAR-DP7P-GD4P
If you don't already have a Roberts Space Industries (RSI) account, you'll want to take advantage of the Star Citizen referral code program. Doing so benefits the code provider and grants only you a bonus 5,000 United Earth Credits (UEC), the in-game currency for Star Citizen!
Thanks!!!
Improved New Player Experience : Play the tutorial
Star Citizen features a beautiful sprawling universe full of wonder, adventure, and action. However, it’s easy for new citizens to feel overwhelmed as they take their first steps into life in the 30th century.So, from Alpha 3.19, a whole-new guided mission will welcome new players to the ‘verse, including showing them how to get around, use the mobiGlas, and fly a ship in atmosphere and in space.
Invictus end free fly Celebration May 17-29 Invictus Launch Week 2954 - Roberts Space Industries Follow the development of Star Citizen and Squadron 42
Letter from the chairman https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/transmission/19848-Letter-From-The-Chairman
Alpha 3.22 https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/transmission/19565-Star-Citizen-Alpha-322-Wrecks-To-Riches
Alpha 3.21 https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/transmission/19477-Star-Citizen-Alpha-321-Mission-Ready
CitizenCon October 21st and 22nd https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKWa4WoTkV4&list=PLVct2QDhDrB15f0diWl9YaDmL4Je1BkX3
Welcome Back, Pilot! https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/transmission/18359-Welcome-Back-Pilot
STAR CITIZEN & SQUADRON 42 EXPLAINED
There are two components to Cloud Imperium Games' (CIG) project. Star Citizen is the MMO component, a first-person experience in a simulated 30th-century universe. Squadron 42 is the single-player component, a story-driven campaign where you enlist as a UEE Navy combat pilot. Our current understanding is you will be given the option of having your Squadron 42 character, who musters out of the Navy at the conclusion of the campaign, carry over into the Star Citizen persistent universe, taking with them the reputation and relationships they've built with NPC entities.
[Customers interested the Squadron 42 standalone only] If you only want the single-player campaign, after creating your account (next section) you can buy the Squadron 42 standalone here. You need only wait for the game to be released and become available for download. But take note that when you buy Squadron 42 you also get immediate access to Arena Commander, the online dogfighting module, and Star Marine, the online first-person shooter.
Squadron 42: I Held The Line https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDtjzLzs7V8
UNDERSTANDING THE PLEDGE STORE
There are a couple of points I want to make about recognizing what comes with a package. First, game packages may include only Star Citizen, only Squadron 42, or both games. Look at the package's contents for "Star Citizen Digital Download" and/or "Squadron 42 Digital Download." I will show you an easy way to add Squadron 42 to a Star Citizen-only package during the checkout process.The second point of interest concerns ship insurance (also found in the package's contents). Ship insurance covers the ship's hull and factory stock equipment in the event of complete loss. As a part of promotional offers, ships are sometimes sold with lifetime insurance (commonly referred to as LTI), but there are tricks to get LTI on almost any ship and many people will advise you to take advantage of them (often at a cost of $20-$35 USD = Token LTI ). To properly assess of the "value" of lifetime insurance, you should know a few things.
guide https://robertsspaceindustries.com/comm-link/transmission/18381-New-Player-Guide-Star-Citizen