Electric m1 carbine airsoft gun

Name: Kole Age: 21 Height: 6'1 Weight: 225 lbs. Species: Unknown Quote: "When in doubt, use excessive violence."
Background: Kole just kind of showed up in the multiverse one day, and no one really questioned it.
Physical Description: Kole is a Caucasian male with brown hair and dark purple eyes. He has several scars all over his body, including a large vertical slash on his chest and several cuts on his face.
Kole wears a purple hoodie, a dark blue shirt underneath, black pants, and brown combat boots. He also wears a pair of black fingerless gloves and a purple bandanna that he uses to hide his mouth area.
Powers/Abilities: Superhuman Physical Characteristics
Flight
Teleportation
Telekinesis
Telepathy
Force Field Generation
Regeneration
Shape-shifting
Elasticity
Fire Manipulation
Ice Manipulation
Water Manipulation
Earth Manipulation
Plant Manipulation
Energy Manipulation
Electricity Manipulation
Air Manipulation
Toon Force
Time Stopping
Transmutation
Hammerspace (via hoodie pockets)
Arsenal (Standard): Broadsword
Katana
Axe
Pickaxe
Spear
Bo Staff
Duel Hatchets Bowie Knife Switchblade Shield Mace Pistol Shotgun AK-47 Rocket Launcher (different types of rockets will be covered lower down.) Sniper Rifle Grenades Molotov Cocktails Cryogenic Grenades Poison Gas Grenades Stink Bombs Smoke Bombs Electric Grenades EMP Grenades Sticky Grenades Cluster Grenades Hallucinogenic Grenades
Arsenal (Futuristic): Blaster Pistol Fireball Gun Freeze Ray Acid Sprayer Charge Gun Spread Gun Homing Gun Beam Rifle
Rockets (for Rocket Launcher): Incendiary Rockets Cryo Rockets Electric Rockets Homing Rockets Splitting Rockets Acid Rockets Nuclear Rockets
Arsenal (Fictional): Mega Buster Keyblade Master Sword Various Minecraft Potions Z-Saber Tracer's Pistols
Known Pokémon Moves: Fire Blast Electro Ball Icicle Crash Hydro Pump Solar Beam Hyper Beam Shadow Ball Dark Pulse Fire Punch Ice Punch Thunder Punch Bullet Punch Mach Punch Swords Dance Iron Defense Agility Dragon Breath Dragon Claw Swift Energy Ball
Feats: Saved his world several times. Can casually dodge lighting. Dodged lasers with his back turned. Destroyed a large chunk of a mountain. Blew up a planet sized asteroid. Alongside his sister, Autumn, destroyed an evil sentient star. Comparable to Anthrax, who was capable of destroying entire galaxies.
Weaknesses: Lacks any formal combat training. Tends to underestimate his opponents. Weapons can be stolen from him. His hoodie is the source of his powers, meaning he will lose his powers when it is destroyed. Usually rushes in, guns blazing.
(Sorry for the lack of art, but I can't draw to save my life.)

Willing to consider specific trade items for partial payment of listings you are interested in :
G&P random upper receivers
Gate Titan advanced mosfet V2 rear wired
Retro Arms V2 gearbox (8mm or 9mm)
WarHead Industries Ronin Brushless Long Shaft Motor
VFC MCX tan
G&P Magpul, Vltor, Noveske AEG Carbine, Gate Titan - $850
https://imgur.com/AP1KYGA
https://imgur.com/T4XAkWt
Externals :
• Mint condition rare G&P VLTOR lower receiver
• Rare G&P VLTOR upper receiver
• Ambi magazine release
• Magpul K2 style motor grip
• Gen 1 Magpul UBR stock with CTR enhanced but pad ( modified to fit 3000 mah titan power battery, not included )
• Ambi G&P charging handle
• Rare discontinued PTS Magpul MBUS sights black
• Replica Trijicon MRO red dot
• Replica Daniel Defence MFR 13.5' M-lok handguard (full trades)
• Madbull Noveske 14.5' bull barrel and gas block matt silver (full trades)
• Replica DBAL with QD mount (visible laser, IR laser and light)
• Surefire Socom 14mm CCW muzzle break (suppressor compatible)
• Magpul M-lok AFG grip with Silicone Carbide grip
• orange SpeedQB edition PTS EPM mag
Internals :
• custom 16:1 gears and bearings
• Gate Titan advanced trigger mosfet
• SHS 14 tooth piston, with upgraded POM piston head
• aluminum nozzle
• upgraded cylinder head with AOE correction applied
• G&P M120 high speed motor
• Adjustable precision trigger
E&C XM177 AEG with Advanced Gate Titan - $700
https://imgur.com/wpTJP1w
https://imgur.com/IfzEQNz
Externals :
• 5 G&G 79 mid cap mags with ranger plates
• Real steel barrel mount picatinny rail
• Replica Surefire M600 with BB shield
• Three prong muzzle break, tri lug for suppressors (suppressor not included)
• Real Ranger Bands
• Real Steel handguard with heat shield modified to fit gun
• Carry handle picatinny adapter
• Trijicon comp m3 replica with kill flash and scope covers
• Enhanced polymer trigger guard
• Silver adjustable trigger
• Real Steel extended charging handle latch
• ASAP sling plate
• Stock modified with epoxy extension and butt-pad for 11.1 Li Ion 3000mah split battery from Titan Power (battery not included)
Internals :
• Gate Titan advanced mosfet
• high torque motor
• Rotary hopup
• Enhanced E&C gearbox with quick change spring feature
G&P Magpul MOE AEG, Gate Titan - $750
https://imgur.com/m5EpN6o
https://imgur.com/OqbWukN
Externals :
• billet ambi MOTS lower
• PTS MOE stock, grip and handguard
• real steel mag release
• Carry handle with Picatinny Adaptor and Replica Steiner red dot on the low mount
• Troy end plate with Ambi QD sockets
• real steel tri rail
• Surefire M600 replica with arisaka mount
• two point padded multicam black sling
Internals :
• custom 16:1 gears and bearings
• Gate Titan advanced trigger mosfet
• SHS 14 tooth piston, with upgraded POM piston head
• aluminum nozzle
• upgraded cylinder head with AOE correction applied
• G&P M120 high speed motor
EMG Falkor AEG, Two Uppers, Gate Titan - $1000 (Sold)
https://imgur.com/TQYLTBR
G&P Demolition VLTOR Custom AEG - $850 (Sold)
https://imgur.com/Pk5g7PL
https://imgur.com/v8xTNR0
KWA TK45 inspired by Titanfall AEG - $800 (Sold)
https://imgur.com/RmjucBP
E&C Rare Vltor MK18 AEG - $700 (SOLD)
https://imgur.com/LdXtxPJ
Russian Zenitco DTK Putnik AK Mock Suppressor - $100
https://imgur.com/ZV3WE3a
https://imgur.com/uMnSuM3
• Dedicated 14mm CCW threads
• three piece design can be foam filled or add tracer (not included)
All Black Oil Filter Mock Suppressor - $75
https://imgur.com/5tOHw14
https://imgur.com/B3sXPNJ
• 14mm CCW thread adapter
Orange and Black COD Oil Filter Mock Suppressor - $75
https://imgur.com/YWb288g
https://imgur.com/s8rM5x8
• 14mm CCW thread adapter
Custom TM Glock 34 GBB - $700
https://imgur.com/gj5bb1b
https://imgur.com/dOte5lc
• Armorer Works polymer 80 lower frame
• Upgraded trigger bearing hammer
• 120 % trigger bar spring
• Custom silicon carbide grip job for frame
• Real steel magwell custom fit to frame
• Guarder enhanced slide release
• 1 KJW CO2 mag with real steel extended base pad
• AA Glock 34 slide ( basically a Zev Glock 34 dragonfly slide, without trades )
• Armorer Works suppressor height sights with fiber optic inserts
• Guarder lightweight Blowback housing and nozzle
• Maple Leaf I Key
• Maple Leaf crazy jet 117mm inner barrel
• Agency Arms 417 compensator full trades
• two stage 150% recoil spring and rod with rubber shim
TM Custom Glock 17 CO2 GBB - $700
https://imgur.com/nWNnOn5
• Rare burnt Bronze Salient Glock 17 slide, full trades
• Taran iron sights
• Gen 3 Glock 17 frame, full Glock trades and custom stippled, accelerator cuts and double undercuts
• Taran competition magwell, full trades
• Extended Guarder slide release
• Agency Arms adjustable trigger
• TLR-1 HL light
• Guarder lightweight blowback housing and nozzle
• Two stage 150% recoil spring and rod with rubber shim
• Trigger spring 120%
Custom AW Glock 34 CO2 GBB - $650
https://imgur.com/h17COVi
https://imgur.com/pZTWGHG
• Armorer Works polymer 80 lower frame
• 120 % trigger bar spring
• Custom silicon carbide grip job for frame
• Real steel magwell custom fit to frame
• Guarder enhanced slide release
• 1 KJW CO2 mag with real steel extended base pad
• AA Glock 34 slide ( basically a Zev Glock 34 dragonfly slide, without trades )
• Armorer Works suppressor height sights with fiber optic inserts
• Guarder lightweight Blowback housing and nozzle
• Maple Leaf crazy jet 117mm length inner barrel
• AW hopup rubber
• two stage 150% recoil spring and rod with rubber shim
• replica inforce APL light
Custom KJW KP-01 CO2 SIG P226 - $550 (Interested Party)
https://imgur.com/gSJHxLO
• Real SIG P226 wood grips, custom cut and re-stained to fit KJW
• 5 CO2 mags with Guarder enhanced feed lips, Guarder gas routers and Guarder magazine springs
• Replica Surefire X300 Ultra with full trades 800 lumens
• Custom mounted lexan bb shield on light
• Belt mounted Multicam Black P226 with X300 Kydex holster
ASG P09 GBB two slide kit - $500 (Pending)
https://imgur.com/rLI9IsF
https://imgur.com/LrQVK27
• Nuprol foam pistol case
• three co2 mags with real steel extended base plates (one mag needs the valve o ring replaced)
• P09 belt holster (can only be used if comp or suppressor is removed
• Frame has a custom silicone carbide job
• Standard slide hand polished to silver / 14mm threaded barrel / M9 hitman compensator modified to threaded barrel
• Spare slide / black / suppressor height sights / extended two piece inner barrel / threaded outer barrel / osprey 9mm suppressor
SRC Beretta M9 A3 CO2 GBB - $400 (Interested Party)
https://imgur.com/6OatFuz
https://imgur.com/JmRxnI8
• foam filled pistol case
• threaded barrel for suppressor
• 6 CO2 magazines
• 1 green gas magazine
KJW P226 E2 CO2 GBB - $350
https://imgur.com/pO01lrz
• 1 CO2 mag
• Guarder enhanced spring kit
• Guarder enhanced recoil/ hammer spring kit
• Guarder steel recoil spring guide
• Guarder steel mag release
• spare mag feed lips and gas routers
• AIP reinforced nozzle
• original KJW pistol box
• foam filled pistol case
• two pistol holsters / one with belt mount / one with molle mount
• spare inner barrel
• spare E1 grip set
ASG P09 GBB - $270
https://imgur.com/tc7A8FD
• one green gas mag
• one CO2 mag
• replica surefire X300 full trades
• belt mounted Kydex holster, fits P09 or glock with an X300
Custom Resident Evil Taurus M9 GBB - $200
https://imgur.com/op9CzcP
• foam filled pistol case
• custom frame mounted hitman compensator
• green gas mag
• racoon police grip panels, fake wood with custom silicon carbide job (spare black original grips)
WE XDM GBB - $120
https://imgur.com/VUgU0JS
• Brand new only fired to confirm it is in working order
• one silver green gas magazine
• inner barrel extension and outer barrel internal threads (compatible with thread adapters for suppressor use)
• Original box and manual
TM Custom TTI Glock 17 CO2 GBB - $750 (SOLD)
https://imgur.com/36CFZR9
Holy Warrior RMR Black - $40
https://imgur.com/5SZeL1s
https://imgur.com/nnaErqi
Assorted OD gear prices below
https://imgur.com/F28J3kt
• two MK3 style front panels $50 each
{one has 4 kydex smg mag inserts, 2 elastic pistol inserts and the half flap with an elastic shotgun bandolier insert}
{second one has 3 kydex m4 mag inserts, 2 elastic pistol inserts and the half flap with an elastic shotgun bandolier insert}
• 2 triple m4 mag elastic pouch inserts, 1 quad 9mm mag elastic inserts, replica Trex arms velcro front pouch $30 total
• 3 molle double m4 mag pouches, and 2 single 45mm SMG mag pouches $40
• 2 replica RONIN tactical belts (one pictured) with cobra buckels, one is small, the second a medium $50 each
• Double kydex glock mag pouch with belt mount, and roll up dump pouch $50
Gear assortment - $350
https://imgur.com/fMZoHQA
https://imgur.com/r6fslYE
https://imgur.com/YQQpCml
https://imgur.com/b5pIW8l
https://imgur.com/6HHRnmZ
DYE I4 mask, tinted lenses for outdoor use can be replaced with a number of purchasable color options (one of the most durable masks and custom painted shark mouth.
• Multicam baseball cap
• Canadian military backpack with built in water bladder and hose (forest digital camo)
• 2 hard shell legs rigs for pistol setups and 1 Glock holster
• tan molle thigh rig for any pouch configuration
• 2 medium size general purpose pouches
• mixed magazine pouches including High Speed Gear rifle and pistol Taco Mag Pouches, blue force gear rifle pouches and more.
• Condor chest rig, has been set up for general rifle and pistol use but with all the additional pouches can be easily re-configured and backpack can be used in tandem with chest rig for additional gear, HPA builds and water.
Tactical Inner / Outer shooting belt rig - $150
https://imgur.com/ElXIJLN
• Multicam reinforced molle shooters belt with black inner belt (small to medium)
• 3 single pistol taco pouches
• 1 single rifle taco pouch
• general purpose pouch
• replica polymer 141 tactical knife with hard sheath
Real steel glock parts - $130
https://imgur.com/2zyy20T
• 6 real steel plus 5 glock mag extensions (compatible with VFC g17 green gas mags)
• real steel universal optics plate, replaces rear iron sight (compatible with VFC glocks)
Real Steel firearm parts
https://imgur.com/I9tCGer
• G36c top rail with iron sights
• 2 Hatsan shotgun carry handles with built in iron sights
• real ar15 clamp shell handguard with heat shield (modified for tight fit with E&C
• real XM177 recoil stock pad
Assorted Handguards - make offer
https://imgur.com/3ZtFVzv
• top right / 1887 mlok handguard
• 13.5 inch Mlok handguard APS
• real G3 military surplus handguard
• 9 inch keymod krytac handguard with QD mount
• 9 inch polymer SLR ION handguard / metal barrel nut / metal QD mounts
• Top left G&P 7 inch Daniel Defense handguard
• Madbull 7 inch Daniel Defense handguard
• 7 inch fortis Mlok handguard
• 9 inch real steel Mlok handguard
Gbb buffer tubes - $30 each
https://imgur.com/rCK5TdX
• Old PTS PRS stock buffer tube
• 2 old PTS UBR buffer tubes
General M4 AEG parts and accessories - Ask more info make offers
https://imgur.com/F6SpwyT
General TM glock parts - Ask more info make offers
https://imgur.com/PPMQeP0

I was given a JBL Explorer 20 and a JBL Super Carbine. Both guns are around 20 years old and neither have been used in over 10 years. I need to replace the bands online but my search has been to no avail. I cannot seem to find the right measurements. I found some measurements but when I look for bands that size I can’t find any bands. Does anyone have any suggestions or ideas?

6 years ago, I was a surgeon in-training at Emory when the voices first came for me after a bout of shingles.
They were so loud I wanted to drill my skull open with an electric drill.
I tried to kill myself 5 times.
On my last attempt, I put the gun in my mouth, pulled the trigger, and the chamber jammed.
Do you guys know how rare that is?
I never tried again.
Amongst other things, my voices still often tell me to eat my poop and drink my urine or I will go to a different kind of hell, but I’ve made peace with them.
You can too! Please hang in there!
I’m rooting for you.

6 years ago, I was a surgeon in-training at Emory when the voices first came for me after a bout of shingles.
They were so loud I wanted to drill my skull open with an electric drill.
I tried to kill myself 5 times.
On my last attempt, I put the gun in my mouth, pulled the trigger, and the chamber jammed.
Do you guys know how rare that is?
I never tried again.
Amongst other things, my voices still often tell me to eat my poop and drink my urine or I will go to a different kind of hell, but I’ve made peace with them.
You can too! Please hang in there!
I’m rooting for you.

6 years ago, I was a surgeon in-training at Emory when the voices first came for me after a bout of shingles.
They were so loud I wanted to drill my skull open with an electric drill.
I tried to kill myself 5 times.
On my last attempt, I put the gun in my mouth, pulled the trigger, and the chamber jammed.
Do you guys know how rare that is?
I never tried again.
Amongst other things, my voices still often tell me to eat my poop and drink my urine or I will go to a different kind of hell, but I’ve made peace with them.
You can too! Please hang in there!
I’m rooting for you.

Hello there! I hope you are all doing well,
Im having an issue and i hope that you can help me.
My signal chain is: electric guitar > apollo solo > m1 macbook pro > logic pro 11
Plugin used: neural dsp archetype petrucci
The issue is:
When i create a project, open my plugin and monitor my guitar. There is no latency at all. So i record with no issues. Then i save my project to complete it later.
The issue happens when i load my project a day or 2 later. I get a latency when monitoring my guitar, even when i close and re launch the project and without the plug in being used.
So i made a new project to test weather the latency occurs or not, and there is no latency.
I’ve checked my cpu and ram performances and they are all normal. My project consists of 5 tracks only
Does anybody know any solution?
Thanks a lot

I am looking to SBR my ruger 10/22 charger soon, I want to make it into a handy little carbine for small game hunting (rabbits, Grouse general small game)
Ideally I'd like to put a folding stock on it to make it easier to transport like if I want to keep it in my hunting bag.
I know the assault weapons ban exmempted .22 rimfire guns, but did it exempt the acessories for them as well or will i need to use a fixed stock?

This probably gets posted daily/weekly etc but I'd like to say, I'm asking for a somewhat different reason.
For context - I've loved airsoft since I was a wee boy (9-10 yrs olds). I still remember the first BB Gun, my mum bought me. It was a bright orange/black, double eagle M41G. I absolutely loved it until I broke, like the rest of the cheap springers and hopper fed AEGs I was bought afterwards.
Now, I'm sitting at age 23, more invested than ever. I've bought a few high quality entry guns since the start of the year. I'd honestly love to attend matches, there a few local events near me that allows you to go through the UKARA process but here's the big problem.
I had a horrific accident that left me 55% burned at 13. if I take a pellet to a scar or a sensitive area. it'll most likely "burst" (bleed). If I get shot on the left side of my left leg. I'll psychically be out of the game, with how thin the skin is due to he skin grafts, there's also a genuine possibility, it could penetrate the skin, because even the fabric of my joggers can start to cause scrapes, scratches, irritation etc on my burnt leg. If the BB didn't penetrate the pain from the round(s) would definitely send me back home, once I've got my balance back.
(We aka me and my friend, only know this from experience. We only used spring pistols. None of them penetrated the skin while i was full clothed however that's the worry with the higher FPS guns being allowed on the field and despite us just using springers, the pain was quite unbearable especially the few that did hit my scars.)
So as an alternative, I've turned my large back garden into a medium/long shooting range. The targets are scattered over a large area, where my shed used to be. The lads have far more fun when over now and even the neighbour will come over, from weekend to weekend when he's bored. So it's good fun and everyone's safe (since I'm a bit of a gun "safety sally" or An "RSO" when its not my turn. I dont want anyone getting unnecessarily hurt)
Now, I'm wondering if being a collector is a valid defense (if its not, it should be imo) or if there's a valid defense id fit under given my psychical circumstances id appricate to know because its frustrating to see things, I'd love to own like the ICS L86 LSW on patrolbase for close to £700 but there's no point in buying it because I can only buy that replica in a ugly blue, bright green or red.
If there's a category I fall under, great but if I don't... that's a bit of a kick in the nuts (to say it kindly). I just feel it's a bit silly to jump through all these hoops, when I could go to Dublin, visit my family for a few weeks then potentially buy the same rifle(s) via ROI websites and have it delivered to their house with no questions asked except for my I.D (and possible some questions by customs)
I understand the point of the UKARA system but I feel people like me are left in a gray area. I don't want to cause trouble or harm. I just want a more "immersive" experience, that you just don't get with bright coloured airsoft gun.
Just a bit of help would be appreciated. I don't want to break the law. I don't want to ruin the sport by having a bad accident and I definitely dont want to ruin the sport for myself for the same reason.
Thank you and kind regards.
TL:DR - I'm 55% burned, id love to own RIFs for my private airsoft range. I can't handle low FPS spring bb guns due to the scars/skin grafts i have on m body. I'm looking for a valid defense that isn't a UKARA because my body can't handle low FPS spring pistols, let alone high FPS airsoft guns at matches.
Ps. Sorry for any typos or grammatical errors.

I am new to gun ownership and I am trying to completely swap everything attached the upper receiver on my ar15 and replace it with this https://www.bearcreekarsenal.com/5-56-nato-16-parkerized-m4-1-7-twist-carbine-15-mlok-nrail-dual-charge-upper.html I do understand that the flash hider is not allowed so I'd just keep the tip I have now, but replace everything else. Would it be legal to buy this complete upper online or should I strictly try to find parts in-person and avoid any legal issues?
I originally wanted to have a 10.5" barrel, but I recently found out that would make my firearm into a SBR, so I am settling with keeping the 16" length. I want to get a complete upper because I lack to the skill to change everything individually.
I hope my post does not come across as a price check but I do need some help understanding from what is cheaply made/inexpensive vs what is overpriced.
Sorry in advance if my lack of knowledge makes my post confusing, I am still learning.

Echo1 AK Portland
Have an Echo1 AK here for sale, used less than a handful of times. Flexible on price. Attached is the imager link as well as Craigslist post link!
https://portland.craigslist.org/wsc/tag/d/beaverton-mod47b-aeg-ak-47-airsoft-gun/7748362620.html

Royal Road here: https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/80877/nop-atalors-fate
Discord Tag: notafurrylad
It's been a while, huh?

First Last Next
Memory transcription subject: Yivreen, Cyonian Survivor
Date [standardized human time]: February 22nd, 2134
The flash daymares hadn’t stopped. Four nights since they’d set in, and now those two fire and brimstone eyes were lingering, waiting to come out when I was asleep. I’d thought that first daymare had been a fluke. It’d felt real, getting chomped up like that, crushed. But... ah.
I’d had more. Once I was in the mouth of that Arxur who’d kicked down the tree. Then I was in the cages with Hens Jr and Sr, and Alma... And each time if there was time for it that swampheaded, red eyed, smokey Arxur would come on in. Try and guilt me like I’d done something wrong.
It was working.
“Yiv. Yiv! I think I got it!” I blinked, my stupor broken by Junior. The kid had been a good help with the computer system since we’d let him fiddle with it instead of me. Much to my... begrudging admission: he was better at it. So, I stood from the chair and headed over to him. The monitor and console were lit up good as new, but they’d been like that for a couple nights now. We’d finally got access to a local map when that’d happened. Or rather a map of the surrounding area, outdated as it was it still had the location of the city on it. It wasn’t like anything had significantly changed in the past hundreds of years since this place had been abandoned. It had been the whole ‘trying to page it into the rest of the old systems at the outpost’ part that’d eluded Juniors little pet project.
“What did you get?” I replied, leaning over his shoulder with a paw on the console while he typed at it.
He cleared his throat. “W-well. I was able to find the wire that’d been causing the problem with the connection to the outpost’s server.” A server? What?
“What do you mean a server? I thought the only computer systems in here were in this room?” He turned his head, a brown eye winking at me. “Nuh-uh! Were you even listening when I explained it earlier? It’s more than just a weather monitoring station. It had a server, otherwise why would it need so many type-v connectors. See?” He pointed a claw to the bundle of wiring running up the wall and into a concrete hole that looked to lead to the next floor above us. Probably. I hadn’t really cared about how many wires there were.
“So... there’s more than just the databanks here in this room?” I asked. My eyes were tasked with looking over the monitor with pursed lips. I’d dug through some ye olde outpost files in the past nights for my journalist program but evidently I’d been missing things if all it took was one kid who had a knack for tech to ascertain there was more to these places.
Before my question could be answered though the command lines and startup protocols on the operating system for the thing had popped by and opened up onto a familiar desktop of our more modern tech. Junior went about clicking immediately to some command line and writing in some jibberish... And- my eyes widened. “What’s that?” I asked, pointing my claw to all the commands on his little black background’d screen.

1: Status
2: Logs
3: Garage Door
4: Barrack Override
5: Communications

Were among the top five, with a half dozen more I didn’t quite have time to think on. “Quick- quick! The uh- There’s a garage?” Don’t get distracted Yivreen. Ahhh moss-heaps.. “The Barrack Override. See what that does.”
The boy swatted away my paw trying to push at it. “Calm down! Calm down jeez, fine!” He jammed his digit into the corresponding number and pressed enter. A few moments passed as it simply displayed three dots. I waited... I waited.. Cmoooo-
Clank. VV-vv-vvv-veeeeeee....
It sounded like something behind the wall to our left was trying to unrust itself and move. A couple hundred years of not moving or being maintained had probably ensured it’d never get moving smooth again. Then of course the universe proved me wrong, and the wall actually shifted. The rounded metal slab I’d taken for a part of the tower’s superstructure began to lower, and behind it... “Holy shit.”
I don’t know where the extreme language had come from but... Wow. My eyes lit. Bunks. Bedding. Lockers.. It looked like the room beyond had been some sort of lodging area for soldiery when this place was built. But there’d been a grow-in on the back wall from a massive root. Snaring part of the room in its gripping-vinelike vice grip. The root was long dead, and the hole it’d bored through the concrete had left the inside exposed to the elements a touch more than if it’d just been left... At least there wasn’t much evidence of water damage.
“Yiv? Are you-” But I was already headed through the way, a paw on my pistol as I glanced around the abandoned room. My mind went right to checking out the lockers, which turned out to be a good idea. My little training sessions into understanding the named bits for guns with Alma were about to start paying off.
“We’ve got guns. Or... Something like guns.” I announced, pulling out the carrying case and flipping it open. Inside I found what looked to be a.. Hrm- no magazine, no bullets... I lifted it up, the rifle-like hardened carbon material was in remarkably good shape. Probably due to the case and materials, but something was different about it. I glanced my eyes over it, noting the electronic aiming system on top which... when I clicked at it offered a red circle for looking through the little scope with. Huh. Not a common thing to find on a Cyonian designed weapon, at least not these nights. This place was old, but this weapon looked like it’d been built by something more ambitious than Federation paws. Federation handhelds were all modified from the same combustion based lead belchers. A fact that rarely ever went unspoken on our own networks when we needed a reason to criticize Aafa.
It took a while longer, but eventually I did find a snap-button on the back of the trigger grip that made something inside it hum to life. My eyes widened. “It’s... An energy weapon.” I murmured. My tail flicking in apprehension. Would it even still fire? The red blinking just below the button told me it must have no power perhaps but... “Hey. Junior. You think you could figure out how to charge one of these guys-?”
I turned my head to see the kid standing at the threshold with his tail in his paws, gripping them anxiously. “Yiv. The uh. The communications aren’t working, but I think the garage door might open if we try it. It could be that cropping of wall and sealed door we figured the old power system must have been housed in right?” He glanced to the rifle in my paws. “I mean, if it uses the same standards as the computer out here it should still be compatible with our stuff. But- we don’t have anything to charge power packs of that size.” He pointed to the fixture sticking out the bottom of the stock. Hrm, he was right.
“See if you can’t get the garage open. I’ll keep looking in here and see if there’s something to help with that.” Came my own voice, I felt... Giddy. Alive. The potential to fight back was intoxicating. Before all I’d had was this dinky pistol I’d used to... kill a couple of the greys. But if we could bring the fight to their patrols, save more people-
I shook my head. Why was I thinking like this? I couldn’t stand up to an invasion fleet. I’d been a frightened Sivkit on the first night of the attack. I- I’d stampeded. I couldn’t remember any of it, but the chance I’d trampled someone in my panic was not zero. I might have contributed to someone being crushed... I’d failed Els, that soldier I’d dragged into the house. Obelisk I couldn’t even keep my mind straight in a fight with those howling, laughing Arxur in my head. The campfire fight had been a fluke!
I didn’t quite know how long I just sat there, staring at the rifle beating myself up, but eventually I was shaken from it by Keick when she sat beside me, an arm on my shoulder. “Hey. I heard you and Junior had a bit breakthrough eh?” She said non-chalantly. I could tell though, even with the chipper tone she’d read me. The accountant knew I’d been in one of my little moods. She’d known me the longest of anyone here, everyone else was like... a pack of convenience? Maybe not Junior. Keick and I had survived the woods together. I’d pulled her from her own hells next to that burning car.
“Hey.” I returned back. “Yeah. Junior got the servers working. Or something like that.” I pointed a claw over at the computer, only to notice he was gone now. I blinked. Had I been out of it that long?
Keick filled in the hole in my head. “He went with his old man to go check out the garage.” Oh. Yeah.
I looked around, “Ah. The guns. We have guns now. Real guns.” I explained, holding the one I had in my paws up for her to inspect.
“Doesn’t look like any gun I’ve seen.” She mused back, taking it from my grip. My body was moving on its own now, rummaging deeper into the lockers. Some of these cases had been broken by the snaring, smaller branches of the grow-in. The firearms within cracked open and busted. Probably no good at all, exposed to the ambient humidity as they had been for so long. Still, couple of the other rifle cases were good. We had weapons, plural. Binoculars? Got em. Spare power packs that needed charging? Got em. There was a lot of survival gear here. Like a militarized ranger outpost had been stationed here. The synthetic material of the camouflaged cloak I found proudly proclaimed it’d reflect thermal scanning on its faded label even! “Either the old rangers from before the treaties were really into operator stuff or the Obelisk put all this here just for us.” I murmured.
Keick, for her part seemed to be looking it all over with a little inventory in her head. Already tapping in the number of each item into her dataslate. “Well. I’d go with the former. The Obelisk hasn’t been around for us lately.” Came the reply as she poked a claw at one of the now entirely spoiled ration packs. “Still, there’s enough stuff here you could arm a squad of soldiers probably. If you know where we can find some spare soldiers that is.”
I flicked my ear at the poor humoured joke. “Ahuh.” Came my reply. “Maybe you should go try the radio again, they’d love to get their paws on stuff like this I think. Pre-war tech actually made to fight predators like this is rare.” Which begged the question... Why did the cloak boast about defeating thermals? These outposts were dated after our discovery and incorporation into the Federation as an early member, and WELL before the Arxur war. So why had we built cloaks like these? Was this equipment used during the years when we’d resisted the burning of our forests and jungles? If so, it meant it might have been auhh... much more violent then the archives made it out to be. Maybe there was a story here? My inner journalist was theorizing.
___________________________
I’d had to pick my jaw up off the ground after headed over to the garage. Hens Senior and Alma were leaned over the the opened hood of what looked like a remarkably still intact forest rover. The design was actually recognizable, having not changed much from what we had tonight. Six thick grooved tires, a buggy-like cockpit four seater set in the middle, and a back and top rack for storing anything you could want. “Is it working?” I asked the obvious as I stepped inside, noting Junior sat off to the side, fiddling with some wall mounted box or other. He didn’t look to actually know what he was doing beyond dusting it off and giving it a deep stare.
“I wouldn’t think so.” Came the chime of Keick, who’d followed me inside. It was around now my monocular visioned eyes were noting the various tools and spare parts laying around in the garage. Whoever had last been here had left in a hurry seemingly, because it was mostly stocked. No mess on all the immensely dusty parts. I could see a couple smaller fauna in the corners. A lizard here, a rodent there. Obviously there had been some way they’d chewed their way in at some point... Or they’d come in when the door was opened to the bustle and noise of the forest to my back.
It was Senior who looked back at my question, standing to his full height before leaning his back against the old vehicle. “No. It isn’t working. Or at least it won’t be until I figure a way to give the battery juice.” I tilted my head.
“Is it one of those older ones that zap out after a hundred years or so?” Came my obvious question.
He flicked his tail no. “It’s got one of the standard ones, it’s just that it stopped auto-cycling a couple hundred years ago. The electric motor looks like it should work if we pop it on. But we’ll have to see.” He glanced around the workshop. “I want to say we could probably get it working with the tools we have, but if the battery can’t be jumped, or it’s spent, or the motor needs a complete replacement we’re up a creek on getting it working.” It sounded like he knew a bit about it.
The feeling of my face scrunching ever so much came. “You didn’t tell me you were a handyman.” I said, crossing my arms.
“Well it never came up.” He said back with an affable smile. “Listen, it’s been a long couple weeks. Don’t get all spotty with me. We didn’t have anything a hobbying mechanic could fix anyhow.” Just a roll of the eyes from myself is all that met him as Keick spoke up, stepping over to the other three.
“So what’re you gonna jump it with?” She asked incredulously, leaning over the open cabin. From there I sort of... zoned out. All the older Cyonians present were bickering and blathering about the buggy which was quickly losing interest for me. I didn’t understand anything about mechanics like that beyond the bare minimum, so it was out of my purview. If they got it working that’d be another thing but I wouldn’t have been any help right now, so instead I placed a couple careful paws down until I was beside Junior, sitting next to him as he seemed to be eyeballing some far too faded label.
He had a paw lightly rubbing out the dust that’d caked an outlet, still one brown eye fixed on the label. All I could make out myself was the little yellow square symbol warning of an electric charge hazard. Weird to think even now those hadn’t changed. Had Federation technology really not changed all that much? Was it just us? A sigh. “So. What’s got your your nose twitching little dude?”
The past couple nights he’d gotten better with his anger, and... hadn’t destroyed any important tech in a fit of rage. All he’d needed was something to set himself to in a difficult situation like this. Keich had been right to set him on that computer. And.. I’d felt myself trying to encourage him along the way. Partly because I had an investment in getting those maps, and then partly because he’d ended up filling in a spot in my head like a younger cousin. Him and his old man had only been around for a little bit, but I guess maybe I didn’t want to think too hard about what had probably happened to my real family. For now, maybe I felt the most ‘at home’ around Keich and this little tinkerer. Was that weird? It felt like it should be weird.
He answered, looking up with a small upturn in his lips. “I think I found your energy cell charger for those guns you had.” He said simply. “One of the manuals over there wasn’t totally ruined, I saw something about a ‘optical projector weapon’ and ‘charger’ so I was trying to figure out if this was it. I... Think it might be, but I’d need one of those batteries to make sure.”
Now I felt like smirking. “Oh yeah? Well go get one swamp brain. Let’s see if these things still work huh?” Dutifully, he was up and off, tail shaking behind him in what I recognized as excitement. We weren’t totally defenceless anymore, and if the buggy could be salvaged there would be a means at least to relocate if we had to. Or... Maybe I could take a trip down to the city and paint a couple more of those scumbags red-
I shook my head. Where had that thought come from? If I was going back to Ataln it was to try and save more people... Yeah. I still needed to see if Gael was alive, maybe check that old house I’d left Els in. I don’t even know if I could find it now, knowing how scatterbrained I’d been at the time but- making a return to at least try seemed worth it.
Regardless, the box on the wall did turn out to be the correct port to charge energy cells for the guns. We’d just need to rig it up to the solar power system and juice them up to test them. Things were looking up! Our mobility had the potential to go from nights in every direction for shelter to mere hours, I’d just have to hope Senior knew what he was doing.
“Hey. Buddy.” I’d wrapped my arm around Junior’s shoulder. “Why don’t you go take a break for now huh? You were working on the computer all night. Maybe it’d be a good idea to just go relax. Enjoy how much you got done eh?” Besides. Gave me a good way to check out the logs page on the computer system myself before he stumbled on anything. It wasn’t like I didn’t trust him with it but- well there was no way to know what was in those logs.
He nodded, and with that I stood up, streeeetched out, and headed toward the tower. “Good, it’s your shift on the guard tower anyway.” I intoned politely. It was going to be a long day, assuming there was anything of substance in those logs... Scrounging through those would be preferable to sleeping right now anyway.

Hey everybody! I'm a new collector in 2024. Been trying to grab what I can this year and have been having a great time! I was thinking of adding a Mosin, but there are so many cool variants and I can only grab one for the foreseeable future due to budget reasons. I can't decide between the M44 Carbine, Finnish M39, or a 91/30. The M44 is just so damn cool, the M39 is the finest quality and most accurate, and the 91/30 would be a fun and cheaper gun to accurize myself. Obviously I'd love them all, but if I'm being realistic its gonna have to be one and thought I'd ask around

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.

Had my first game against knights today, didn’t do too badly, won on the killing front but not on the points front, with what I’ve got what can I do next time to improve? In addition also used kauyon as I haven’t bought the codex yet so was limited to reserving myself for the first few turns
For The Empire (2150 Points)
T’au Empire Kauyon Strike Force (2000 Points)
CHARACTERS
Cadre Fireblade (50 Points) • 1x Close combat weapon 1x Fireblade pulse rifle 2x Gun Drone
Commander Shadowsun (100 Points) • Warlord • 1x Advanced Guardian Drone 1x Battlesuit fists 1x Command-link Drone (Aura) 1x Flechette launcher 2x High-energy fusion blaster 1x Light missile pod 1x Pulse pistol
Commander in Coldstar Battlesuit (130 Points) • 1x Battlesuit fists 1x Cyclic ion blaster 1x Missile pod 2x Shield Drone 1x Shield Generator 1x T’au flamer • Enhancements: Exemplar of the Kauyon
Ethereal (75 Points) • 2x Gun Drone 1x Honour stave 1x Hover Drone • Enhancements: Through Unity, Devastation
Ethereal (50 Points) • 2x Gun Drone 1x Honour stave 1x Hover Drone
BATTLELINE
Breacher Team (100 Points) • 1x Support turret • 1x Breacher Fire Warrior Shas’ui • 1x Close combat weapon 2x Gun Drone 1x Pulse blaster 1x Pulse pistol • 9x Breacher Fire Warrior • 9x Close combat weapon 9x Pulse blaster 9x Pulse pistol
Strike Team (80 Points) • 1x Support turret • 1x Fire Warrior Shas’ui • 1x Close combat weapon 2x Gun Drone 1x Pulse pistol 1x Pulse rifle • 9x Fire Warrior • 9x Close combat weapon 9x Pulse pistol 9x Pulse rifle
Strike Team (80 Points) • 1x Support turret • 1x Fire Warrior Shas’ui • 1x Close combat weapon 2x Gun Drone 1x Pulse pistol 1x Pulse rifle • 9x Fire Warrior • 9x Close combat weapon 9x Pulse pistol 9x Pulse rifle
DEDICATED TRANSPORTS
Devilfish (85 Points) • 1x Accelerator burst cannon 1x Armoured hull 2x Seeker missile 2x Twin pulse carbine
OTHER DATASHEETS
Broadside Battlesuits (110 Points) • 1x Broadside Shas’vre • 1x Crushing bulk 1x Heavy rail rifle 2x Shield Drone 1x Twin plasma rifle 1x Weapon Support System
Broadside Battlesuits (110 Points) • 1x Broadside Shas’vre • 1x Crushing bulk 1x Heavy rail rifle 2x Shield Drone 1x Twin plasma rifle 1x Weapon Support System
Broadside Battlesuits (110 Points) • 1x Broadside Shas’vre • 1x Crushing bulk 1x Heavy rail rifle 2x Shield Drone 1x Twin plasma rifle 1x Weapon Support System
Ghostkeel Battlesuit (160 Points) • 1x Cyclic ion raker 1x Ghostkeel fists 1x Twin fusion blaster
Hammerhead Gunship (130 Points) • 1x Armoured hull 1x Ion cannon 2x Seeker missile 2x Twin smart missile system
Pathfinder Team (90 Points) • 1x Pathfinder Shas’ui • 1x Close combat weapon 1x Pulse Accelerator Drone 1x Pulse carbine 1x Pulse pistol 1x Semi-automatic grenade launcher • 9x Pathfinder • 9x Close combat weapon 6x Pulse carbine 9x Pulse pistol 3x Rail rifle
Piranhas (55 Points) • 1x Armoured hull 1x Piranha burst cannon 2x Seeker missile 2x Twin pulse carbine
Piranhas (55 Points) • 1x Armoured hull 1x Piranha burst cannon 2x Seeker missile 2x Twin pulse carbine
Stealth Battlesuits (60 Points) • 1x Stealth Shas’vre • 1x Battlesuit fists 1x Fusion blaster 2x Gun Drone 1x Homing Beacon • 2x Stealth Shas’ui • 2x Battlesuit fists 2x Burst cannon
Stealth Battlesuits (60 Points) • 1x Stealth Shas’vre • 1x Battlesuit fists 1x Fusion blaster 2x Gun Drone 1x Homing Beacon • 2x Stealth Shas’ui • 2x Battlesuit fists 2x Burst cannon
Stealth Battlesuits (60 Points) • 1x Stealth Shas’vre • 1x Battlesuit fists 1x Fusion blaster 2x Gun Drone 1x Homing Beacon • 2x Stealth Shas’ui • 2x Battlesuit fists 2x Burst cannon
Stormsurge (400 Points) • 1x Cluster rocket system 1x Destroyer missiles 1x Pulse driver cannon 1x Thunderous footfalls 1x Twin burst cannon 2x Twin smart missile system