The current issue is with my Eddy USB. No matter what I try, it fails the z offset calibration saying:
Failed calibration - frequency not increasing each step
This only happens after I try to run the save_config option.

##################################################################### # Include Control ##################################################################### #[include led_macros.cfg] #[include toolboard.cfg] #[include adxl.cfg] [include Homing.cfg] [include mainsail.cfg] #[include Euclid.cfg] [exclude_object] [gcode_arcs] resolution: 0.1 [include macros.cfg] #[include led_progress.cfg] [include nevermore.cfg] # This file contains all settings for KAMP, and must be included in printer.cfg with: [include KAMP_Settings.cfg] ### The following [includes] can be uncommented from within KAMP_Settings.cfg. ### # This file enables the use of adaptive meshing. #[include ./KAMP/Adaptive_Meshing.cfg] # This file enables the use of adaptive line purging. [include ./KAMP/Line_Purge.cfg] # This file enables the use of the adaptive Voron logo purge. #[include ./KAMP/Voron_Purge.cfg] # This file enables the use of KAMP's Smart Park feature. [include ./KAMP/Smart_Park.cfg] ##################################################################### # Stepper Control ##################################################################### [stepper_x] step_pin: PC14 dir_pin: PC13 enable_pin: !PC15 microsteps: 16 rotation_distance: 40 endstop_pin: tmc2209_stepper_x:virtual_endstop # PA13 for X-max; endstop have'!' is NO position_endstop: -4 position_max: 325 position_min: -5 homing_speed: 20 homing_retract_dist: 0 [stepper_y] step_pin: PB5 dir_pin: !PB4 enable_pin: !PB6 microsteps: 16 rotation_distance: 40 endstop_pin: tmc2209_stepper_y:virtual_endstop # PC5 for Y-max; endstop have'!' is NO position_endstop: 0 position_max: 330 homing_speed: 20 homing_retract_dist: 0 [stepper_z] step_pin: PE5 dir_pin: PE4 enable_pin: !PC15 microsteps: 16 rotation_distance: 8 endstop_pin: probe:z_virtual_endstop # PB12 for Z-max; endstop have'!' is NO position_max: 400 position_min: -10 homing_speed: 5 [stepper_z1] step_pin: PE1 dir_pin: PE0 enable_pin: !PE2 microsteps: 16 rotation_distance: 8 [extruder] step_pin: PD6 dir_pin: !PD5 enable_pin: !PD7 microsteps: 16 microsteps: 16 full_steps_per_rotation: 400 gear_ratio: 3:1 rotation_distance: 26.370 nozzle_diameter: 0.400 filament_diameter: 1.750 pressure_advance_smooth_time: 0.025 pressure_advance: 0.0425 heater_pin: PB1 sensor_type: PT1000 sensor_pin: PC1 #control: pid #pid_Kp: 22 #pid_Ki: 1.08 #pid_Kd: 114 min_temp: 0 max_temp: 350 max_extrude_cross_section: 15 max_extrude_only_distance: 200 ##################################################################### # Feature Control ##################################################################### [skew_correction] [exclude_object] [input_shaper] #shaper_type_x = ei #shaper_freq_x = 67.2 #shaper_type_y = 2hump_ei #shaper_freq_y = 64.2 [bed_screws] screw1: 5, 5 screw2: 165, 5 screw3: 325, 5 screw4: 5, 325 screw5: 165, 325 screw6: 325, 325 [screws_tilt_adjust] screw1: 10, 10 screw1_name: front left screw screw2: 320, 10 screw2_name: front right screw screw3: 320, 225 screw3_name: rear right screw screw4: 10, 225 screw4_name: rear left screw horizontal_move_z: 12 speed: 350. screw_thread: CW-M3 [bed_mesh] speed: 250 probe_count: 5, 5 horizontal_move_z: 12 algorithm: bicubic mesh_min : 20, 10 mesh_max : 310, 285 fade_start: 1 fade_end: 10 mesh_pps: 2,3 bicubic_tension: 0.2 move_check_distance: 3 split_delta_z: 0.025 [z_tilt] z_positions: -50,165 380,165 # A list of X, Y coordinates (one per line; subsequent lines # indented) describing the location of each bed "pivot point". The # "pivot point" is the point where the bed attaches to the given Z # stepper. It is described using nozzle coordinates (the X, Y position # of the nozzle if it could move directly above the point). The # first entry corresponds to stepper_z, the second to stepper_z1, # the third to stepper_z2, etc. This parameter must be provided. points: 20,165 310,165 # A list of X, Y coordinates (one per line; subsequent lines # indented) that should be probed during a Z_TILT_ADJUST command. # Specify coordinates of the nozzle and be sure the probe is above # the bed at the given nozzle coordinates. This parameter must be # provided. speed: 350 # The speed (in mm/s) of non-probing moves during the calibration. # The default is 50. horizontal_move_z: 12 # The height (in mm) that the head should be commanded to move to # just prior to starting a probe operation. The default is 5. retries: 5 # Number of times to retry if the probed points aren't within # tolerance. retry_tolerance: 0.02 # If retries are enabled then retry if largest and smallest probed # points differ more than retry_tolerance. Note the smallest unit of # change here would be a single step. However if you are probing # more points than steppers then you will likely have a fixed # minimum value for the range of probed points which you can learn # by observing command output. [force_move] enable_force_move: True #[safe_z_home] #home_xy_position: 165, 90 # Change coordinates to the center of your print bed #speed: 250 #z_hop: 10 # Move up 10mm #z_hop_speed: 5 ##################################################################### # Thermistors ##################################################################### [thermistor Trianglelab-NTC100K-B3950] temperature1: 25 resistance1: 103180 temperature2: 150 resistance2: 1366.2 temperature3: 250 resistance3: 168.6 [heater_bed] heater_pin: PB10 sensor_type: Trianglelab-NTC100K-B3950 sensor_pin: PC0 control: pid pid_Kp: 54.027 pid_Ki: 0.770 pid_Kd: 948.182 min_temp: 0 max_temp: 110 max_power: 0.75 [temperature_sensor chamber] sensor_type: Generic 3950 sensor_pin: PC2 min_temp: 0 max_temp: 100 gcode_id: C ##################################################################### # Fan Control ##################################################################### #fan for printed model FAN0 [fan] pin: !PA0 max_power: 1 # adjust below 1 if you would like the max speed to be slower off_below: 0.3 # minimum speed where the fan starts spinning - on octopus pro this is correct - will be lower maybe 0 on mellow Super 8 because of different GPIO pullup and protection resistors cycle_time: .0005 #fan for control board FAN2 [controller_fan MCU_Cooling] pin: PA2 max_power: 0.5 #Hotend fan [heater_fan Hotend_Fan] pin: PA1 heater: extruder [fan_generic Nevermore] pin: PB0 ##################################################################### # Machine ##################################################################### [axis_twist_compensation] speed: 250 # The speed (in mm/s) of non-probing moves during the calibration. # The default is 50. horizontal_move_z: 12 # The height (in mm) that the head should be commanded to move to # just prior to starting a probe operation. The default is 5. calibrate_start_x: 20 # Defines the minimum X coordinate of the calibration # This should be the X coordinate that positions the nozzle at the starting # calibration position. This parameter must be provided. calibrate_end_x: 310 # Defines the maximum X coordinate of the calibration # This should be the X coordinate that positions the nozzle at the ending # calibration position. This parameter must be provided. calibrate_y: 165 # Defines the Y coordinate of the calibration # This should be the Y coordinate that positions the nozzle during the # calibration process. This parameter must be provided and is recommended to # be near the center of the bed [printer] kinematics: corexy max_velocity: 800 max_accel: 25000 max_z_velocity: 10 max_z_accel: 30 square_corner_velocity: 20 # [mcu lights] # serial: /dev/serial/by-id/usb-Klipper_stm32f103xe_35FFDA05304E553137682443-if00 [mcu] serial: /dev/serial/by-id/usb-Klipper_stm32f407xx_290031000E5031334C363220-if00 [pause_resume] [display_status] [virtual_sdcard] path: /home/pi/printer_data/gcodes on_error_gcode: CANCEL_PRINT [servo DockServo] pin: PA15 maximum_servo_angle: 180 minimum_pulse_width: 0.00025 maximum_pulse_width: 0.0024 ##################################################################### # BTT Eddy ##################################################################### [mcu eddy] serial: /dev/serial/by-id/usb-Klipper_rp2040_4550357129120F28-if00 [temperature_sensor btt_eddy_mcu] sensor_type: temperature_mcu sensor_mcu: eddy min_temp: 10 max_temp: 100 [probe_eddy_current btt_eddy] sensor_type: ldc1612 z_offset: 1.0 #i2c_address: i2c_mcu: eddy i2c_bus: i2c0f x_offset: -33 # Set according to the actual offset relative to the nozzle y_offset: -20 # Set according to the actual offset relative to the nozzle data_rate: 500 [temperature_probe btt_eddy] sensor_type: Generic 3950 sensor_pin: eddy:gpio26 horizontal_move_z: 2 [bed_mesh] horizontal_move_z: 2 speed: 300 mesh_min: 43, 30 mesh_max: 290, 300 probe_count: 9, 9 algorithm: bicubic #[safe_z_home] #home_xy_position: 197, 185 #z_hop: 10 #z_hop_speed: 15 #speed: 200 ##################################################################### # LED Control ##################################################################### # [neopixel HotendLight] # pin: lights:PA8 # chain_count: 6 # color_order: GRB # initial_RED: 1 # initial_GREEN: 0 # initial_BLUE: 1 [neopixel OverheadLight] pin: PA8 chain_count: 23 color_order: GRB initial_red: 1 initial_green: 1 initial_blue: 1 ######################################## # TMC UART configuration ######################################## [tmc2209 stepper_x] uart_pin: PE6 run_current: 1.2 hold_current: 0.5 stealthchop_threshold: 1 diag_pin: ^PA14 driver_SGTHRS: 50 interpolate: true [tmc2209 stepper_y] uart_pin: PB3 run_current: 1.2 hold_current: 0.5 stealthchop_threshold: 1 diag_pin: ^PB12 driver_SGTHRS: 50 interpolate: true [tmc2209 stepper_z] uart_pin: PE3 run_current: 0.5 hold_current: 0.5 stealthchop_threshold: 999999 [tmc2209 stepper_z1] uart_pin: PB7 run_current: 0.5 hold_current: 0.5 stealthchop_threshold: 999999 [tmc2209 extruder] uart_pin: PD4 run_current: 0.5 hold_current: 0.5 sense_resistor: 0.110 stealthchop_threshold: 999999 ######################################## # Display ######################################## [display] lcd_type: uc1701 cs_pin: EXP1_3 a0_pin: EXP1_4 rst_pin: EXP1_5 contrast: 63 encoder_pins: ^EXP2_5, ^EXP2_3 click_pin: ^!EXP1_2 ## Some micro-controller boards may require an spi bus to be specified: #spi_bus: spi ## Alternatively, some micro-controller boards may work with software spi: spi_software_miso_pin: EXP2_1 spi_software_mosi_pin: EXP2_6 spi_software_sclk_pin: EXP2_2 [neopixel Screen] pin: EXP1_6 chain_count: 3 color_order: RGB initial_RED: 1.0 initial_GREEN: 0 initial_BLUE: 0 ######################################## # EXP1 / EXP2 (display) pins ######################################## [board_pins] aliases: # EXP1 header EXP1_1=PB2, EXP1_3=PE11, EXP1_5=PD9, EXP1_7=PE15, EXP1_9=, EXP1_2=PE10, EXP1_4=PD10, EXP1_6=PD8, EXP1_8=PE7, EXP1_10=<5V>, # EXP2 header EXP2_1=PA6, EXP2_3=PE9, EXP2_5=PE8, EXP2_7=PB11, EXP2_9=, EXP2_2=PA5, EXP2_4=PA4, EXP2_6=PA7, EXP2_8=, EXP2_10=<3.3v> # Pins EXP2_1, EXP2_6, EXP2_2 are also MISO, MOSI, SCK of bus "ssp1" # See the MKS Lcd Config path file for definitions of common LCD displays. ######################################## # Auto tune ######################################## #*# <---------------------- SAVE_CONFIG -------------------- #*# DO NOT EDIT THIS BLOCK OR BELOW. The contents are auto-generated. #*# #*# [input_shaper] #*# shaper_type_x = mzv #*# shaper_freq_x = 120 #*# shaper_type_y = mzv #*# shaper_freq_y = 60 #*# #*# [bed_mesh default] #*# version = 1 #*# points = #*# -0.087500, -0.085000, -0.055000, -0.051250, -0.098750 #*# -0.091250, -0.068750, -0.032500, -0.045000, -0.080000 #*# -0.096250, -0.077500, -0.038750, -0.073750, -0.098750 #*# -0.110000, -0.097500, -0.065000, -0.106250, -0.180000 #*# tension = 0.2 #*# min_x = 56.21 #*# algo = lagrange #*# y_count = 4 #*# mesh_y_pps = 3 #*# min_y = 68.12 #*# x_count = 5 #*# max_y = 263.01 #*# mesh_x_pps = 2 #*# max_x = 276.1 #*# #*# [extruder] #*# control = pid #*# pid_kp = 25.341 #*# pid_ki = 2.521 #*# pid_kd = 63.669 #*# #*# [skew_correction CaliFlower] #*# xy_skew = 0.011027909611065182 #*# xz_skew = 0.0 #*# yz_skew = 0.0 #*# #*# [probe_eddy_current btt_eddy] #*# reg_drive_current = 16 

Welcome to the first post in the prophesied Design Notes Series, which will see periodic releases during the (probably long) wait until 3.0, and will preview and discuss upcoming content.
As was mentioned in the Anniversary post, I am working on 3.0 whenever I find the time and motivation; treating it like homework did not do wonders for my creativity, back when I started. So this Series is meant to serve as an appetizer and periodic reminder that progress is still being made.
Let's get into it!

Weapon Art?

I am considering renaming the phrase "Special Ability". As casual language, pretty much everything in SW is an "ability" that is "special," so the term always felt ambiguous to me. But more importantly, it just doesn't shine. I'm a fan of vivid, evocative language in fiction, and nothing about the phrase "Special Ability" actually feels special to me. It's... generic.
So I may rename it to "Weapon Art." No less clichéd, really, but the point isn't to make the word unique, just unambiguous, evocative, and a maybe little more iconic.
And I would just do it, if it weren't for the fact that find-and-replace is really glitchy in Inkscape (of course it is), so I would have to manually replace every instance of the phrase.
Since I haven't decided yet, I'm going to use the phrase Weapon Art for the rest of this post, to try it on and see how it fits. Let me know what you think of the term, and whether you think it would be an improvement worth taking the time to implement.
Personally, if nothing else, I think it enhances clarity.

The Importance and Function of a Weapon Art

Weapon Arts are the defining heart of a Weapon Class. If I can think of a unique Art for a weapon, it gets a Class. If I can't, it doesn't. But how do I decide what Art to give to a weapon? I have a process, and it goes a little something like this:
The Function of the Art should be to...

1. Make it Possible to use a weapon that is otherwise too impractical for combat. If this isn't applicable, it should instead...
2. Compensate for a Weakness of the weapon. If this isn't applicable, it should instead...
3. Amplify a Strength of the weapon.

Examples of Function 1 — Cleaver, Boomerang, Yo-yo. Examples of Function 2 — Polearm, Crossbow, Bolas. Examples of Function 3 — Sword, Bow, Boots.
(Besides these guidelines, every option in SoulWeapon must synergize with other potential choices; that's the Golden Rule for Everything, since the very start).
There are a few exceptions, like Cane Sword or Wand, where the Art hones in on some thematic principle of the weapon or does something unique entirely. I would define these as Arts that enable a trope, which is sort of a hidden 4th Function.
But there are other exceptions I am less happy with. There are some Weapon Arts that have always struck me as incorrect, or just insufficient, but they stayed because I could never think of anything better.
But I've reevaluated the principles behind Weapon Arts. As a result, a number of Weapon Classes—some of which have been unchanged since 1.0—are seeing new Weapon Arts in 3.0.
Let's talk about a few of them.

Knives

For such a common, bread-and-butter weapon, Whisper Walk is a really niche ability that is specific to certain settings/builds. In general, if a weapon is something that gets used a lot, I want its Art to be something that gets used a lot as well.
Cane Sword is a rare and weird weapon that is already almost exclusively used as a way to conceal a weapon or exude style and poise. So the Art reflects that stealth-based nature. But knives are used in a variety of ways besides stealth: open melee combat, ranged attacks, etc. So its Art should at least be a little broader.
The new Art serves Function 2: Compensating for Weakness. One of the weaknesses of the knife is its short range in melee; it's difficult to get past the defenses of most standard-sized weapons to where knives can thrive. The new Weapon Art is called Close-Quarters Combat.
If you really liked Whisper Walk, or had some builds that depended on it, don't worry: it will still be possible to access the effects of Whisper Walk in 3.0.

Mace

If Sword is the "default" bladed weapon, Mace feels like the "default" blunt weapon. (Even if it can technically have spikes on it, its purpose is nonetheless to smash, where the Sword's is to cut). Seems like it has a similar versatility and number of design Variations as the Sword, too, doesn't it? It feels appropriate, then, that they would be reflections of each other, with Sword leading the charge on Page 1, and Mace leading the charge on Page 2.
So, since Sword grants improved skill and and a buff to Runic Potency, Mace shall grant improved might and a buff to Runic Potency.
This feels really really right to me, whereas the old Art (Brute) felt pretty lackluster. Swords are about precision, so they buff your skill, and Maces are about crushing power, so they should buff your might. Both weapons buff Runic Potency, and so you have twin "default" melee weapons that act almost as spokespersons for their broader weapon types. As a bonus, the new Art sort of encompasses what Brute did, so it's a strict buff at the end of the day.
You might think the other "default" weapons to be Knives (the default throwing) and Bow (the default shooting). These haven't gotten parallel Runic Potency -type abilities, but their Weapon Arts have been buffed or reworked in other ways.

Tonfas

Non-Lethal was very cool, but it did not feel like a Weapon Art. Its effects have been moved to a section that makes much more sense for the type of ability it is (you can probably guess to where, if you grok the design philosophy of SoulWeapon).
It has been replaced with a new Art that better suits the beat-and-block nature of Tonfas: Missile Deflection. This lets you intercept projectiles and helps with blocking melee attacks, so you can close the distance on ranged foes and then out-defend them. It's meant to be strong enough to effectively invalidate mundane archers and make the lives of Soulbound archers rather difficult; tonfas are a below-average weapon, so they deserve an above-average Art to compensate.

Kusarigama

Shadow Creep had the same problem as Whisper Walk: stealth is too niche a boon for Weapon Art; it restricts the potential of a Class by limiting its use-cases.
The new Art fills a niche we for some reason didn't have before: a true spinning chain weapon. It is called Spin Control, and it is to Corded weapons as Hover Spin (Giant Shuriken) is to Throwing weapons. It has a little extra bonus of allowing you to remotely control the orientation of the blade (separately from the chain), which can have some niche utility applications beyond just ensuring the kama hits your target point-first when you spin/fling it.
As with the others, the effects of Kusarigama's old Art will be accessible one way or another in 3.0; nothing is getting truly left behind.

Conclusion

There are a number of other Classes that have had their Arts updated or completely remade, but you'll have to wait until release to see those.
Future Design Notes posts likely won't be as long as this one, as most of them will focus on one single item instead of an entire design philosophy.
See you in the next! (And don't forget to let me know what you think of the new name).

Just another fun little story idea I had. I am still working on Humans are the violent ones but I like to bounce around and experiment with ideas to see what I really like. I also suck at writing more casual stories, as they give me severe writer's block as I try to map out how to make a scene feel genuine in my head, but I promise I'll update that soon. If you like this story and want to see more, then like and comment. I'll gladly continue this series as well.
Start of Personal Log
Humans don't like being told what to do. They don't like being commanded, put in their place, or snubbed. It was an inexorable, inalienable trait of humans, at least any noteable humans, to go against any authority that they believed was against their interests.
Humanity would not fit amongst the stars. Few ever did. It was a trait of most successful species to be willful, ambitious, and to desire more. But once they reached the stars the new (and simultaneously very old) pecking order either quashed any spirit such species had or simply eradicated them. Countless tomb worlds and diaspora served as painful reminders of what became of the nails that chose to stick out. The hammer of order would always strike. There could be no compromise, the very soul of the authority that held the Jurisdiction together relied on a show of unmatched power, or at least the illusion of item.
In reality, the Jurisdiction was an old, fat, and lazy beast. It filled its belly on the corpses of empires far and wide, and sated its bloodlust on the shattered dreams of hopeful cubs. It had every right to, for none could challenge it: there were no new frontiers to explore, nor were there any other enemies to conquer. The Milky Way, as humans had so strangely dubbed our cradle galaxy, as well as Andromeda, had long since been warred over and settled for millennia before humanity had arrived, bright-eyed and with familiar yet otherwise foolish dreams of cooperation and prosperity. The Jurisdiction did not cooperate, nor did it ensure prosperity. Oh, it claimed it did, but in reality it simply took. The rest was just the peace that came with not being the direct target of the biggest fish in the pond. The humans didn't like that, but they had no choice.
Slavery was a common tribute. The Jurisdiction had no use for other resources: it simply took. No, it wanted those who could facilitate that unequal exchange, those raised in a world where the only morality was the one set by your lord. The Jurisdiction was held together by expectations, obligations, and dury more than any kind of shared dream, so when you were ordered to take you did so without question. Humanity was new: they had no niche or value that set them apart, but they had a penchant for killing and taking, so the Jurisdiction gave them a taste of how the galaxy worked. They killed and they took. The humans didn't like that, but what choice did they have?
Humans were strange. They learned, but not in the way most species learned. Most species learned to adapt in a passive way, to adhere to the world around them. They flowed like water, moving past and around obstacles and confirming to the boxes they were assigned too. Humans didn't confirm, nor did they adapt: they made their circumstances fit their desires. They would not move around obstacles, but rather smash through them, and they refused to stay in one box for too long. The Jurisdiction merely saw them as a particularly loud nuisance, but those who faced their wrath knew better.
It is said that when a beast seeks to make an example, it shall humble its rival by killing it's cubs. Children were one of those universal constants that brought entire communities together: the Sok’klar saw their hatchlings as gifts, shaped by the fruitful currents of the universe in perfect harmony. The Yarrack saw each and every newborn whelp as an uncut gemstone, ready to be shaped into something magical. Humanity oftentimes referred to their offspring as angels, or spirits of unbridled good sent by the gods themselves. Children were seen by most of the galaxy as gifts.
The Jurisdiction saw them as a lever to inflict suffering. It had become quite effective at enacting psychological punishments on those that stood up and spoke out. You dare to disobey? You believe you can speak out? Your gifts shall be taken from you, and you shall be without joy.
Humans didn't like this, but the Jurisdiction would have their pound of flesh, and humankind would kneel. And they did. But humans were patient creatures: most species who retained that trait of willful spit also lacked patience.
I had long since become desensitized to the Jurisdiction’s actions: it was simply how the universe worked now, as if it were a constant akin to gravity. Cruelty was the unspoken rule of this seemingly unending age, where our lives never appeared to move forward or backwards, only lay dormant. The Jurisdiction had been the unyielding authority that ruled the galaxy for thousands of years, venerable yet feared all the same.
And for the longest time I was just another cog in its wheel. My name is Kalnuracht Sedjuur-Noumar VII, and was the scion of the noble house Sedjuur-Noumar. I was born into what most would describe as veiled apathy, living a life that could be attributed to the privileged class of feared scribes that enacted the will of those above. I was an administrator and nothing more. And now I am doomed to be far less than that in the eyes of my former constituents within the endless administration. I am the only scion, as is tradition, and without an heir I am the last of my house, our name to be scrubbed from the records, worthless, meaningless, and forgotten.
I am merely Kalnuracht, nothing else and nothing more. I have seen from their eyes, the eyes of the downtrodden, and it makes my crimes of association with the Jurisdiction feel all the more damning on my worthless soul. I am worthless to the world, and this is my story.
End Personal Log #1
Start of Neural Lace Narrative Log #1
They came from the black like carrion birds in the night, encircling our convoy as if it were a dying animal ready to be picked clean without remorse. There was no warning, no list of demands sent out as civilized peoples did, nor was there either any requirement for unconditional surrender nor chance to parlay, as was done so under letter of marque: this was an unmistakable call for violence and nothing else. They sought to reduce us to slag and scavenge the rest.
So, as one would expect, the entire bridge of the ship was nearing a panicked state. This was not the actions of those practicing civility, but rather the common behaviors of despoiling barbarians, the kind that tore their way through the dark reaches of the galaxy as if they owned it.
“Wayfinder, what do your probes see?” Shouted the ship’s sovereign. He was an older Kar’Rowmach, an amphibious cephalopod species with a venerable history within the Jurisdiction going back thousands of years. Normally one such as him would be above me if it weren't for the fact that I was under the authority of the Jurisdiction’s seal of office. He didn't like me very much, but most of his kind shared the same sentiment.
“All dark, honorable Sovereign: the sensor arrays are wailing but the feedback we're reviewing is beyond incomprehensible,” the wayfinder replied with a certain restrained temper in his voice. The Sok'klar wayfinder swayed gently, his tentacled limbs grasping different metallo-liquid braille output arrays, the liquid gallium flexing and reshaping unnaturally to allow him to to take in multiple different sources of sensory output at once, with the primary navigation computer plugged into the cybernetics surrounding his opaque, gelatinous head and plugging directly into his tube-shaped brain.
The Sovereign cursed in Loskat and pointed to his bridge crew while I simply sat in the back, near the Sovereign’s symbolic throne. “Prepare countermeasures and spool up the warp drive, we cannot allow the amanuensis to be taken! He carries sensitive information that only he can translate and transcribe!”
As the bridge crew nodded and began fiddling with their own systems, I preened my feathered hide anxiously. I wasn't a fighter: us nobles of the cloth were the educated minority above all else, not those who waged war or partook in hard labor. Special cybernetics in my brain allowed me to translate triple-encoded messages that usually took a ducal signet codekey or above to parse, but even without that I was a skilled mathematician and logician. I had terabytes worth of knowledge stored within the hardware installed in my head, all well protected of course, but if I were to die it would still be a waste. I could only imagine the damage any malcontenders could do with it if they were able to get their filthy hands on me.
Suddenly, the ship rocked, and the gallium overhead display began to form crescendos like I'd never seen before. “Sovereign, decks A-3 through C-12 are venting atmosphere and our coolant systems have been obliterated,” the Wayfinder spoke in an almost serene voice, as if he was completely unconcerned by current events. I knew they were simply incapable of tonal displays, but it was unnerving nonetheless. “Once we jump, we will not be able to risk another until the vacuum of the void can reduce temperatures to acceptable levels within the plasma capacitors.”
“Damn them,” the armored nautiloid hissed, his barbed feelers coiling in frustration, “May the currents take them. What are our options? what can we see? This fleet cannot fall to the void today, not with such vital cargo.” My hackles rose lightly at the Kar’Rowmach referred to me as some object rather than an esteemed amanuensis of the Jurisdiction, but I bit my forked tongue. Now was not the time to squabble with the sovereign over who was what and what titles I deserved, not while he was so desperately attempting to keep what semblance of order within his fleet that he had left.
I could not blame the crew for being panicked either: wars were practically mythologized now, having been long since rendered obsolete with the rise of the Jurisdiction, and that felt like an eternity ago. Now, either being levied into or joining a ducal naval force was simply another career, more akin to serving as an officer of the law rather than a fully fledged soldier. Minimal training was required, most of it being the technicals of one's duty rather than any kind of combat conditioning, so expecting a fleet to actually be prepared for a combat scenario in a universe where peace was the norm was laughable.
“We are practically blind, Sovereign,” stated the Sok'klar Wayfinder, “our probes are offline, and shipboard graviton displacement sensory arrays have been rendered unreliable at best.”
“What about the particle emission array? Has there been a spike in radioactivity where we were hit?”
The Wayfinder seemed to think for a second, his gelatinous form flexing and morphing a bit before answering. “Affirmative, a jump from negligible to forty billion becquerels along decks A through E-5 on our starboard side.”
“Torpedoes…” the Sovereign hissed, stroking his barbed feelers, “Human Torpedoes. Only those primitives would rely on crude nuclear warheads.” He then turned to his militant leaders on the ship. “Noddos, Rel’ads: organize your phalanxes and prepare to repel boarders. We are bound to be assailed by those rancorous primates, and I want their skulls piled at my feet if they dare set foot on our ship.”
“Your wish is our command, Sovereign,” the two militant commanders spoke as one. Noddos, a large bipedal with multiple sets of curved spines running down his back, a pair of graceful horns sprouting from his head, and multiple rows of sharp teeth in his snout, bowed first, followed by Rel’ads, a marsupial with long saberteeth and thick fur. They both must have been fierce warriors in their own right to each lead a phalanx. They wore thick, semi-powered armor and held dueling polearms alongside their usual plasma casters, and seemed completely unfazed by the situation we were in. As they stomped out of the brightly lit bridge, I let out a quiet squawk of discontentment. “Sovereign, why haven't we jumped again? We are wasting precious time.”
“I am working on it, you spineless beaurocrat!” He warbled back, his feelers tensing in anger, “besides, it's not as if you're the one who will be spilling blood today, amanuensis, so flatten your wretched beak or I shall weld it shut with a plasma torch.
I was about to reply with something indignant, but the ship rocked again, this time causing the lights to flicker and the air to become… thick. The skin under my feathers began to blister, and I became lightheaded and confused. “Seal the damnable vents, initiate radiation scrubbers, and activate secondary life support!” Shouted the Sovereign, “Their nuclear weapons are rendering the ship inhospitable!”
I coughed up magenta blood accidentally, and I could feel more seeping from under my eyes. Some of the crew was in a similar position, but others were more resistant to radiation than I. The Sok'klar seemed completely at ease as he ran his tentacles across his morphic braille arrays before calmly announcing the ship’s status. “I've regained some control over our probes: ten, twelve, and seventeen are active and fully functional, the rest are either still malfunctioning or permanently inoperable. A rapid rise in localized radiation is also interfering with the detection of graviton displacement; we can't sense photon redirection, thus readings will remain inconclusive.
“Wayfinder, damn you, get me some kind of out here! We're easy prey until we can respond in kind!”
“Negative, something has gone awry with our processing hub, I am attempting to troubleshoot-”
And with that, the Wayfinder’s bulbous head exploded in a cascade of opaque lavender blood, covering the front half of the deck crew like a morbid art piece. Some of the crew screamed and shouted in terror before removing their cranial adaptors and choosing to interact with their displays manually. Others died just as quickly, unable to unplug in time as their brain stems fried or their blood boiled. It was a horrible way to go, having your insides neutralized by your own cybernetics, so I was glad I wasn't connected to the system.
“Cybernetic warfare! All systems are to be considered compromised, switch to manual settings or you'll be killed!”
The lights in the bridge flickered again, and the displays went haywire. The bridge crew, which obviously weren't acquainted with working without being hard-linked into the mainframe, moved at a much slower pace.
“Launch missile pods A through F and set to self-target after five hundred kilometers, then rely on their ballistic coordinates to begin firing broadsides! If we can't see the humans due to their meddling, we'll just have to feel them.” Shouted the Sovereign, “and got me a detailed report on the ship’s diagnostics readings. I need to know if this flagship is still capable of escaping or if we'll have to scuttle it and retreat on another.”
“Acknowledged, Sovereign, launching now,” affirmed another deck officer as he swiped across his own gallium output array. I could hear the dull thunk, thunk, thunk of missiles pushing out of their pods before racing off to their intended targets, then the mechanical whirring as the pods rotated to be reloaded by slaves in the lower decks. I was regaining my bearings as the many horrible sensations of being overwhelmed by radiation poisoning were beginning to subside, but I still felt as if I had been microwaved. The air was stale, the crew was horribly sick as well, and even the sovereign himself seemed to be on his last leg. I was beginning to believe that I might die here.
“Sovereign, a message from the lower decks,” shouted a communications officer, his chitin scraping against itself as he turned quickly, “they're requesting reinforcements, something about being overrun.”
“Impossible,” the Sovereign hissed out in a vain attempt to exude confidence, “We must outnumber the humans, they always go for bigger targets out of arrogance.”
“I've received reports that it's not just humans: the primates seem to make up only a third or so of the assailing force, along with some Phaeldaer and Vrex.”
The commander slammed his clawed hands down on his own output array in a fit of rage, obviously overwhelmed by the circumstances, “Then this wasn't just a typical assault, but something more sinister!” The nautiloid warbled, blood seeping from his shell as the full effects of the radiation took hold, “Get Rel’ads on the line, have him divert all spare lances to the lower decks or else we'll lose the only offensive capabilities we can use.”
“Rel'ads has gone dark, Sovereign, his vitals are critical.”
“Then either get me Rel'ads tail-leader or get me Noddos!” He screamed in rage, “don't give me this nonsense! If we don't pick it up we're all going to die, is that what you want?”
“No, Sovereign, I'm simply overwhelmed-”
“We're all overwhelmed! By the tides, I'm dying of radiation poisoning you nincompoop! Get me something I can work with!”
The officer didn't even acknowledge the Sovereign after that, simply turning back to his display. Eventually, the Sovereign was able to get Noddos on the line.
“Sovereign, two thirds of my phalanxes have been decimated by combat with the primitives and the radiation, the rest are in shambles. We must retreat and fortify elsewhere!”
“Then the ship is compromised! Rel'ads is unresponsive and the lower decks are swarming with intruders. We must evacuate the amanuensis to another ship.”
Just as the Sovereign spoke, I heard several gentle thumps rattle against the bridge’s door, and it made me uneasy. Some of the bridge crew seemed to feel the same, as they looked incredibly nervous and some even drew their sidearms. Just as the sovereign turned to give further orders, the door blew inward with a deafening explosion, followed by shouting and gunfire. Several of the bridge officers were dispatched quickly, brain matter and blood splattering against the delicate electronics. Others were shot in the legs, the torso, or in any other exotic yet non-vital body parts. The humans poured in, brandishing primitive ballistic firearms and jury-rigged energy weapons while wearing scavenged, legion-grade powered armor.
The Sovereign was the next to go, but he wasn't afforded an honorable death. He was shot along the arm with a particularly potent plasma caster, burning off his clawed hand and cauterizing the wound, the acrid smell of roasting chitin filling the already hot and cramped bridge. He fell back against his output array, the gallium reaching new highs and lows as more diagnostics and casualty reports were delivered, and he clutched his stump angrily. “I'll burn every last one of you in the foundries! I'll tie you to stakes, cover you in wax and set you alight! Your screams will be broadcasted all over the galaxy!”
One human warrior stomped up and slammed the butt of his rifle into the sovereign’s face, shattering his facial plates and causing blue blood to splatter across his section of the bridge. “Shut the fuck up, you mutant lobster,” the human said before dragging him by both antennae towards the center of the bridge and receiving a stained breeching axe from one of his comrades. “Emmanuel, start recording. We need proof.”
The other human nodded and pressed a button on his armor before lifting up his gun again. The rest of the humans fanned out, holding everyone else at gunpoint. I tried to get up and sneak out, but a human grabbed me by my neck and nearly wrung it out as he forced me to my knees and pointed a sidearm to my skull. “Get down, you piece of shit, before I blow your brains out too.”
“Damnable primate,” I hissed, but he bashed me in my skull with the base of his sidearm’s grip and sent me sprawling, making my already pounding headache worse. Another human shouted at him in a language I didn't recognize, but he sounded furious. The first brought me back up to my knees again, and I complies with a hiss and a groan, blood still leaking from my eyes and mouth and my world was spinning.
The Sovereign struggled, but he was weak from the radiation poisoning and he couldn't exactly resist on account of his lost arm. The human with the breaching ax kicked the Sovereign down and forced him to kneel before lifting up the breeching ax and splitting his chitinous head down the middle with one powerful swing, sending more blood and brains across the floor. “Execution confirmed, take his antennae just in case and we've got ourselves a bounty. Now all we need is that ugly cat’s teeth and the fat hedgehog-thing’s grimy spines and we'll be in business. Although, they do have skulls… we might as well just take their heads.”
The real horror of the situation dawned on me at that moment: they were going to kill us all, or maybe worse. They mentioned a bounty for the commanders, and multiple of the higher ranking ship officers were already dead, their brains splattered against the walls or their bodies torn apart by gunfire. I wasn't dead yet, but that didn't mean much since I wasn't an immediate threat.
“Alright, round them up and bring all the grunts to the hanger bay, then kill the rest,” the leader of the humans said in such a lackadaisical manner that his complete disregard for life almost made me sick… almost. I had seen worse from the Jurisdiction before, but usually that was from me delivering some kind of ordered judgment on a world that had sinned against order. I might have simply been the messenger, but I had seen many of the outcomes. “And make sure to collect whatever proof of bounties you can, we'll need to deliver them to the office to get cashed out. Don't let this be a repeat of last time where Juarez fucking forgot to take a few heads and it ended up cutting our profits in half, the fucking retard.”
Some of the humans chuckled at that as they dragged more of the senior officers away, out of the room and into the hall,where I heard gunshots. The rest of the bridge crew froze in place, different fear instincts kicking in. The remaining Sok'klar corralled together into what seemed to be a singular, semi-congealed mass as if to try and trick the humans into believing that they were much bigger and much more threatening than they actually were. The one Thei’chi on the bridge, an ensign who had clearly thought this would be a simple mission, bore her curved fangs at the humans and growled as they approached, her hackles completely vertical and her eyes dilated. They quickly muzzled and bound her before beating her over the head with a gun stock, sending her sprawling onto the ground. Many others simply cooperated, eyes wide and yet simultaneously empty, as if they couldn't quite process that the ship had been taken and the commanding officers were being executed as the rest were escorted to the hangar.
“Get the damn messenger down to the hanger as well, we need whatever data's in his ugly lizard head, then we can decide on what to do with him.”
I spat at him in spite, as if to try and seem brave, but it was clearly an empty gesture. “You won't get anything, primate! You couldn't possibly crack the encryption!”
The human holding me seemed to wind up for another swing, but the commanding officer simply held up his hand to stop my tormentor before strolling over to me. He knelt down and removed his helmet, revealing a beige-colored face covered in scars, wiry black hair cut down to the scalp, and multiple tattoos. “You're really fucking mouthy for a hostage,” he said before punching me across my beak faster than I could register. I heard a sharp crack as his fist connected, and my head spun again as the metallic taste of blood pooled into my mouth. “I'd advise you to shut up, but I'm sure you won't listen: you aristocratic types are so full of yourselves. Maybe I should have you flogged in the public square until your vocal chords give out once we rip those cybernetics from your head, huh? How's that sound?”
“It won't matter… it won't change anything… the Jurisdiction will hunt you down.”
“Maybe, but I doubt it will happen for some time: they really suck at doing anything that requires effort, even when they're mad enough. They just keep sending their rabid lapdogs to try and smoke us out, and they always end up full of holes,” the human officer said with a smirk, his yellowish-white teeth and green eyes sending shivers down my spine as he drew his knife. “They're just horrible at their job, you know? You've all gotten so lazy and incompetent after being able to just take what you want without resistance, and now that you've met people who are angry and crazy enough to fight back you act as if we're committing some grave injustice,” he placed the knife against my throat, the flat just underneath my now bent beak, “No, we just took a few pages out of your book, ‘cept we've got standards. No kids, for one…” he seemed to look off into the distance as his sneer deepened, “but it's more than that, we don't attack the defenseless in general and we still win against you all in fair fights.”
I went to say something else snarky, but he quickly grabbed my thin tongue with his fingers and yanked it out, blood from my mouth pulling to the floor as he held the blade of his knife against it. “No no, none of that. Say one more thing and I'll cut that rancid little tongue of yours out of your mouth and feed it to you,” he hissed at me, pressing the blade down just hard enough to draw blood. “Do you know what it's like to see a planet turn into a tomb?" he asked me, gritting his teeth, “Do you know what it's like to see everything you've ever known crumble to ash and glass, all the life and the green stripped away leaving nothing but bones? I do. I've seen it happen to countless worlds, and my grandfather always told me stories of how you bastards did it to Earth. He still prays in its direction five times a day, to Mecca, but he knows the Kaaba is gone now, or maybe it's still there, buried in the bones of those who sought refuge there.”
I didn't care for the human’s nonsensical beliefs, but I did care to correct him. “I've seen it before, and I'll see it again. And so will you, it's inevitable. The Jurisdiction will always have its judgment fulfilled, there is no alternative.”
“One day, I hope we can rectify that,” he said, then he sheathed his knife and slammed my head against the metal floor with enough force to nearly knock me out. As I lost consciousness, I could hear him speak. “Take him to the Chop Doc, and make sure the cybernetics don't get damaged: they're supposedly more valuable than any bounty on this ship.”
Warning: Severe radiation poisoning detected. Flush system immediately.
Warning: Neural Lace removal detected, chance of neurological damage high. Proceeded with caution.

Hello! My name is Isaac and I’m looking for some cool people to play games with :D
I’ve mainly been playing tft, valorant, baldur’s gate, league of legends, modded Minecraft, and a bunch of other games and I’m also willing and open minded to try out new games! (Also have a switch but I don’t use it much)
I also like anime, podcasts, music, tv shows, and movies if you would rather chat about that or even watch or listen to something together!!
Hope to meet some cool people <33

Hello! My name is Isaac and I have EST time zones (Michigan)! I thought I’d look and see if I could find any cool people on here and see where things went and worst case scenario we end up being best friends :D
My main hobbies are playing games, watching anime/tv shows/movies, listening to music and podcasts, video editing, and learning more about psychology and other topics that interest me such as psychology!!!
I mainly play pc games even tho I also have a switch. Recently I’ve been playing a good bit of baldur’s gate 3 and league of legends but I also have games like Minecraft, terraria, phasmophobia, valorant, and stardew valley so I don’t mind playing anything!
I love almost all sorts of music, anime, movies, and shows and have an open mind to trying out new things! So hit me up with your recommendations and maybe we can watch/listen together!!
I hope to meet some cool people! Idm messages or comments if you want to ask something or get to hangout! Hope you have a wonderful day/evening!

Hello! My name is Isaac and I have EST time zones (Michigan)! I thought I’d look and see if I could find any cool people on here and see where things went and worst case scenario we end up being best friends :D
My main hobbies are playing games, watching anime/tv shows/movies, listening to music and podcasts, video editing, and learning more about psychology and other topics that interest me such as psychology!!!
I mainly play pc games even tho I also have a switch. Recently I’ve been playing a good bit of baldur’s gate 3 and league of legends but I also have games like Minecraft, terraria, r6, phasmophobia, valorant, and stardew valley so I don’t mind playing anything!
I love almost all sorts of music, anime, movies, and shows and have an open mind to trying out new things! So hit me up with your recommendations and maybe we can watch/listen together!! (Trying out new hobbies like drawing and whatever seems like fun!)
I hope to meet some cool people! Idm messages or comments if you want to ask something or get to hangout! Hope you have a wonderful day/evening!

Hello! My name is Isaac and I’m looking for some cool people to play games with :D
I’ve mainly been playing baldur’s gate, stardew, R6, tft, league of legends, modded Minecraft, valorant, and a bunch of other games and I’m also willing and open minded to try out new games! (Also have a switch but I don’t use it much)
I also like anime, podcasts, music, tv shows, and movies if you would rather chat about that or even watch or listen to something together!! (Trying out drawing and new hobbies!)
Hope to meet some cool people <33

Hello! My name is Isaac and I’m looking for some cool people to play games with :D
I’ve mainly been playing tft, r6, stardew, valorant, baldur’s gate, league of legends, modded Minecraft, and a bunch of other games and I’m also willing and open minded to try out new games! (Also have a switch but I don’t use it much)
I also like anime, podcasts, music, tv shows, and movies if you would rather chat about that or even watch or listen to something together!! (Trying out drawing and new hobbies!)
Hope to meet some cool people <33

Hello! My name is Isaac and I’m looking for some cool people to play games with :D
I’ve mainly been playing tft, r6, stardew, valorant, baldur’s gate, league of legends, modded Minecraft, and a bunch of other games and I’m also willing and open minded to try out new games! (Also have a switch but I don’t use it much)
I also like anime, podcasts, music, tv shows, and movies if you would rather chat about that or even watch or listen to something together!! (Trying out drawing and new hobbies!)
Hope to meet some cool people <33

Seen a couple cars with one and I’d like to get one since its a silly name but I’ve seen mostly just santa cruz frames, anyone know any shops that carry them?
Santa cruz mountains sticker might be cool too

I'm thinking about creating a brand and would like to hear from members if this is a cool name

I had some bumps at work for 2023, but it was generally good. Made some missteps, took accountability. Moved forward. Most coworkers were cool with it, but one sr. team member has made a professional grudge against me. Later, I find out I would then be reporting to this person for all of this year upon our manager leave. We were moved to a new manager hierarchy. The relationship tanked immediately which is how I know it wasn't just me in my head. I was also told they asked that I not speak to the director at all; our manager.
The senior team member tried to push me out twice before. They began the process not even two weeks after our manager left. The annoying part is the senior member makes 10x more mistakes than me, but they have no one reviewing their work so they don't get punished. But I do. Because they can and they get off on it.
Going to the review...
I thought my performance review was good in the beginning... but I got a 12/21, just barely enough for a small 2% raise. I know it has nothing to do with my actual performance. Our old manager had business sense that the coworker was going to be present and gave me a low review to protect the sr. team member's ego and their relationship. The other intent was to also make the sr. team member not feel threatened by me to try to give space for my relationship with the sr. team member to grow...(unfortunately it was non-existent long before). Old manager made sure to list my accomplishments at least; so some of it is documented.
I was told all 2023 that I was doing well. This was also shared verbatim "We are blowing our roles out of the water." in front of our entire team (this makes me confused as to why I got a 12/21). I stayed late. I signed in extra early to support events. I took on and completed additional projects. I supported a function completely outside my role; and well. None of this was reflected in my score. It was just in notes in the unscored section. I chose to not fight it because I'm mentally over the team. I received only positive news for 2023 and then the issues came in like a flurry after our manager left and it's been hard on me mentally. How can I be blowing my role out of the water and get a 12/21??? I feel like a 17/21 would've been more accurate.
This brings brings me to my title. My performance review felt like a verbal warning. I did have to sign my performance review document. I have a copy. I looked over it a few times. I didn't sign anything that was punitive but the message verbally stressed was that they want me to perform better.... (the irony).
I do want to say I was thrown off by two requests to check in after our review. I'm sure the first will be in August. It's 90 days. Standard. The next would be 90 after (but could be 60). Though they gave no hard dates yet. I am confused that as the director was delivering the news, they asked me to consider moving over to another team as they don't want to lose me if I'm open to that. I know this was my sr. coworker's request. It has their name written all over it so to speak. I can't tell if the director was telling me silently to jump ship now and they're giving me room to leave peacefully or if they're feedback was genuine. I don't have a relationship with them because there's never been time.
Here's why I'm making this post:
I'm stressed I'm going to be terminated sooner than what I'm prepared for because I have my lease for just four more months and I have no savings. I'm still snowballing my debt and I'm almost out (next paycheck). I paid a month ahead by accident once (probably a smart thing now) so I have three months left on my lease. I have another windfall coming in July that will bring the renting months down to just two. I am planning on moving back in wit family for a little bit to recuperate savings before a big EOY move to a different state. I'm fed up with where I am living now.
I know when the verbal warning starts, the written one usually comes 90 days after, and then a final warning (depending on leniency), and then term. Should I let them term me? Would it affect my career to be fired from my first full-time job of almost two calendar years?
Most places nowadays only verify title and dates of employment. They don't even touch if you would rehire them or answer if the employee was fired.
Question 1: With a lower than expected score that is not reflective of my actual contributions, should I plan to receive a PIP in August?
Question 2: Should I force them to fire me or move me instead of leaving?
Question 3: Do I turn on my job search now and just find a short temp assignment to gain more experience and get out before my EOY move?
Question 4: Can I last at least for another five months? I feel like it doesn't matter how much I try to improve. It will never be enough for the Sr. Member that has made it their mission to push me out.

• Previous posts, since the bulleted list was getting super unwieldy.

Around 34 million Earth years ago, at the end of the very creatively named 18th Era, the boreal and polar regions including the Great Polar Plateau, where Kyanah would eventually evolve, and its surroundings, were a very different place. The climate was at the time cooler and drier than the modern Homeworld, and the plateau was filled with more open boreal savannas and polar barrens rather than the dense scrublands of modern times. These boreal savannas were quite different from the modern ones, as endoskeleton plants had yet to expand in the northern hemisphere beyond the tropics, and single-leaf crawlers (which would go extinct at the end of the era) dominated over the modern multi-leaf crawlers to form the ground cover, the equivalent of Terran grass. The most common Walkers (i.e. tetrapods) on the plateau in the late 18th Era were small to medium-sized grazers, many of which had heavy armor or glands to secrete poisonous substances, as a defense against the top predators of the day. There were also the Kakenkortiors, the ancestors of modern Kyanah and dozens of other species, as well as other carnivore groups that specialized in oasis environments, pursuing the amphibious neuz or small burrowing herbivores. The Kakenkortiors were solitary quadrupedal carnivores roughly the size of small to medium-sized dogs, which were opportunistic carnivores taking on all manner of small prey when they had the chance, but primarily subsisted on scavenging carrion or stealing eggs, and had scaly skin covered in a dense coating of feathers to keep them warm and provide camouflage; notably they had yet to evolve the pack behaviors seen in some of their descendants. However, they themselves often fell victim to the true predators of the time--not true Walkers, but rather an offshoot of the wingbeasts (themselves marsupial creatures with foldable wings that could fly like gliders or walk on all fours on land)--the terrorbeasts. These terrorbeasts gave up their flight in exchange for reaching enormous sizes--over a ton and 3.6 meters tall for the largest species--adopting a permanently quadrupedal and rather uncanny stance, with their forelimbs (formerly wings) being much longer than their rear limbs, while the wings themselves lost the ability to unfold, instead becoming vestigial forelimb frills used for attracting mates. Some terrorbeasts used their height to feed from the tops of exoskeleton plants, but many were carnivorous, developing long necks and elongated, hardened spear-like snouts to peck at grazers from above; it's believed that they sometimes reared up on their hind legs to gain additional height and force. This was in direct contrast with every extant tetrapodal predator of large game, which would prioritize either attacking from below or else taking out their prey's legs to bring them crashing down; as a result most herbivores had the heaviest protection on their bellies and legs, with their backs being comparatively weak. But then again, most creatures on the Kyanah homeworld, both extinct and extent, tend to be wide and low to the ground due to living under 1.4G, not tall and spindly, so the terrorbeasts were a giant middle finger to the biosphere and planet in general. Though their 50 million Earth year reign was cut short by the meteor shower that formed the Homeworld's newest impact range, created the Shatter, and caused the most recent mass extinction, leading to the beginning of the 19th Era.
With the terrorbeasts gone (though not their relatives, the normal, flying wingbeasts), the early 19th Era saw the creatures of the Great Polar Plateau adapt to the changing landscape. A group of species which had evolved thorn-covered backs--essentially made from modified feathers--to protect themselves from the terrorbeasts, also went extinct, and many of the remaining grazers lost their heavy armor due to the sudden dearth of megacarnivores to necessitate it. The Kakenkortiors survived the mass extinction and continued to occupy their old niches, but by around 29-28 million years ago, one branch, known as the Tyorketforms, would shift to a more actively predatory niche, using enlarged dew claws to slash the tendons of prey to drop them to the ground; this branch would eventually lead to the domestic Tyorkets, common Kyanah pets in the modern era. Meanwhile, climatic shifts at the start of the mid 19th Era would lead to the Great Polar Plateau becoming warmer and wetter; the boreal savannas would give way to denser boreal scrublands. Through both speciation and migration, the smaller, armored grazers would be displaced by large unarmored browsers eating leaves and twigs and growing to much bigger sizes in the comparatively plant-dense nutrient-rich environment.
It was only natural that something would evolve to hunt these new browsers. Oddly enough, it would be the Kakenkortiors. The main line would go extinct around 9 million years ago, but long before that, they would produce one more notable sideline, the Ratoryinut, starting around 25 million years ago. Many of the early Ratoryinut would be much larger than both early Kakenkortiors and modern Kyanah, reaching average masses of 150-300 kilograms, depending on the species. Compared to early Kakenkortiors, they had a higher and proportionally slightly narrower, though still relatively broad, profile, with bulkier forelimbs and more dexterous forelimbs--an intermediate stage in developing opposable thumbs--with non-retractable claws, as well as losing their feather coating entirely. By 20-18 million years ago, the Ratoryinut would further split into the Ratorkortyot-forms and the ancestors of the Kyanahforms. The Ratorkortyot-forms (roughly "strong herald beast") would continue to grow in size, with the largest species reaching up to 500 kilograms by 10 million years ago, somewhat resembling large, reptilian bear-like forms with bare, greenish-brown scaly skin. They would also evolve a Parasaurolophus-like crest, which they would use to make loud and elaborate trumpeting noises to attract mates or scare rivals away from a kill, and, as the climate cooled in the mid-late 19th Era and they gravitated towards the poles, many evolved blubber deposits to replace the insulating role of their ancestors' feathers. Ratorkortyot-forms, including the eponymous Ratorkortyot, the most famous species, are still extant and where their ranges overlapped with prehistoric Kyanah, appear to have occasionally killed and eaten packless or young individuals, though the reverse was more common. Most Ratorkortyot-forms are now threatened by habitat destruction and pollution.
As for the Kyanahforms themselves, they took the opposite approach to hunting the soft browsing herbivores that were spreading throughout the boreal scrublands. They began steadily losing raw mass, but underwent a quantum leap in intelligence, with six-core brains rather than the four-core brains of most Walkers; the only other animals with six-core brains, before or since, were a few one-off species of social wingbeasts. Not coincidentally, the modern pack dynamics of modern Kyanah also emerged with early Kyanahforms by around 15 million years ago, with 4-6 adults bonding together for life, having children with each other, and cooperatively raising them to adulthood. It's believed that this pack dynamic evolved from simpler serial pair-bonding in Ratoryinuts and the earliest proto-Kyanahforms as a result of six-core brains enabling more complex social behavior, allowing such relationships to be stable. It also enabled reliable tool using and eventually tool manufacturing (modifying found objects to further enhance their utility), as the Kyanahforms were capable of bipedal movement--though early Kyanah forms still spent most of their time on four legs--and had developed opposable thumbs.
While one minor side-line, the arboreal Kyanahforms, continued to shrink further, taking up omnivorous behavior and living in the taller, shrub-like exoskeleton plant species, the main line continued to gradually optimize for attacking in packs and killing medium-large game on the ground. During the mid-late 19th Era cooling, they would take on migratory behavior, moving to the edge of the Great Polar Plateau in the winter to take advantage of the milder winds from the south, and back north in the summer to hunt the big-ticket game animals further into the plateau. The main line would eventually evolve into tkorks, the closest living relatives of Kyanah, who have been discussed elsewhere. The side-line that would become the true Kyanah diverged from tkorks around 5-6 million years ago, shortly after the evolution of the Tyotonikors (perhaps "strong leaf beast"). These were basically the final, logical conclusion of the trend of large generalist browsers, relying on raw mass rather than armor or numbers to deter predators; it was one of these species that would eventually become the domestic nyruds that are so important to the Kyanah. The largest species, the Tyotonikor, could reach heights of 1.8 meters, with a length of 7.6 meters and males averaging around 4-5 tons--one of the largest known animals in the history of the Kyanah homeworld, and the largest period since the 16th or 17th Era; it was hunted to extinction by prehistoric Kyanah around 8000 years ago. While other related species were not as large, even the smallest averaged 1.5 tons, 3 times bigger than the biggest carnivores in the Great Polar Plateau. With a long, whip-like tail, a wide and stocky frame, and a sturdy beak-like mouth capable of handling even the toughest leaves and twigs, the species under the Tyotonikor classification were quite formidable. Indeed, healthy adults had no natural predators...until the true Kyanah came along.
If it seems like Kyanah were optimized specifically to hunt and kill the giant Tyotonikors that no one else dared eat...well, they were. They shifted from a merely bipedal-capable form to obligate bipeds, enabling them to see over interfering shrubbery to better devise a plan of attack, and also be able to hold tools and weapons at all times. To maintain balance in a bipedal posture, their tails became longer and bulkier, enabling them to flail them around to keep balance, and also use them as a weapon. While their jaw size--and thus snout size--and bite force increased relative to predecessors to better penetrate the thick skin of Tyotonikors, their claws became somewhat shorter and stubbier, optimized more for gripping than piercing, making it easier to hold the sticks and rocks they were increasingly using as force multipliers. An increase in fast-twitch muscles in their legs enabled them to more easily catch fleeing Tyotonikors--which, despite their bulk, could be surprisingly fast, rather like Terran elephants, able to reach speeds above 30 kilometers per hour. The strong legs and gripping claws also made it more feasible to get onto the creatures and deliver devastating top attacks. Their skulls also broadened significantly to enable increased cranial capacity, which enabled them to form even more complex pack hunting strategies and even cooperate with other packs to take down especially large and dangerous prey; this would be a game changer, as tkorks and earlier Kyanahforms would almost always ignore or fight other packs instead of working together. Compared to the tkorks, true Kyanah are basically high-performance, high-maintenance creatures, relying on intelligently applying explosive bursts of strength and speed to quickly take down big-ticket prey, rather than stamina, low resource usage, and gradually accumulating smaller prey items. While having primarily evolved to fill the empty niche of preying on Tyotonikors, the various Kyanah species were more than capable of hunting any medium to large animal, both on and off the Great Polar Plateau, using their sophisticated tactics, high physical strength, and eventually primitive spears, axes, traps, and controlled use of fire. Meanwhile, most tkork species in modern times are endangered or extinct, except for those that have adapted to living in Kyanah cities and feeding off various urban critters and meat that has been thrown out or left unattended by the Kyanah themselves. Those tkork species have done very well for themselves, to the point of being a pest.
Proto-Kyanah would speciate several times, gradually expanding around the edges of the Great Northern Plateau by around 1 million years ago, with some species expanding to the poles and also to the more temperate latitudes by 750k years ago, though modern, main-line Kyanah did not spread off the Great Polar Plateau until around 100k years ago. Remains of the most far-flung Kyanah species, the Dunewalkers, have been discovered from the Shatter to the Western Sector, though they went extinct 84k years ago after the asteroid impact that created the Ikun Crater, which also reduced the main-line Kyanah population to a few thousand, though they, obviously, bounced back and then some. None of these other species remain; the last to go were the Kyanah Brutes, so-named because of their large stature (roughly on par with humans) and proportionally smaller brains compared to main-line Kyanah, dying out around 5500 years ago; it is possible that there were organized efforts by Kyanah proto-civilizations to eradicate the last of them, but also just as possible that the main-line Kyanah merely hunted their prey into extinction. Notably, main-line Kyanah have the largest cranial capacity of any of these species, with Dunewalkers being a close second; there is no evidence that any Kyanah species other than *the* Kyanah ever devised fully fledged language on their own, which made cooperation between multiple packs more frequent and reliable, and made teaching their young more efficient. The presence of bones from multiple species being found together indicates that main-line Kyanah occasionally included members of a couple of the more advanced Kyanah species, like Dunewalkers and Kyanah Brutes, into their own packs, and vice versa. While these species lack the genes associated with independently inventing complex languages, it's believed to be possible that they could be taught it to a limited degree, as they had similar vocalization structures, and even tkorks can be taught to understand simple words and phrases. The exact nature of this relationship, whether these other species were viewed as working animals, slaves, or fellow packmates, is unknown. While they likely interbred, it is also unknown if this led to fertile offspring--but probably not.

All right here it is finally, thank you all for your patience and let's hope chapter 5 is a little more expedient. As usual I hope you enjoy and would love to get everyone's thoughts.
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4: Memory transcription subject: Zeak, Harchen orphan, citizen of the Venlil Republic. Date: standardized human time July 13th 2136.
The sky was a roaring mass of fire and pungent black smoke that choked out the light of the sun. As I ran down the street, green blood flowed like a broad shallow river. It splashed up with every step I took, sticking to my scales, the smell of it made me feel sick. As the piercing wail of the emergency sirens seemed to grow louder and louder with every step I took making my ears ring and filling my head with a thunderous pain. My heart pounded, my lungs were on fire, and my legs felt like they were made of lead.
A herd of towering blurry figures appeared out of nowhere and ran past me, some almost knocking me down. In their panic they began to look more like crazed wild animals than people. I cried for help but they couldn't hear me. I waved my paws then grabbed one of them a male Venlil, tightening my grip with all the strength I had hoping this would get his attention. He threw me off like I was trash, less than trash. I turned around and continued pleading for anyone to help me, reaching out for others. But their frantic idiot eyes looked only straight ahead and not down, never down, as the herd passed me.
I turned back around and continued to run, blood splashing up soaking me all the way to my knees. I stumbled, my legs were so tired I could barely stand, and I fell down catching myself, plunging my paws into blood as deep as my wrists. I felt myself scream but I couldn't hear it over the ringing in my ears. A scrap of paper gently floated past me, a single word written on it that echoed in my mind “Weakling.” It passed and four more took its place, “Coward”, “Liar”, “Oath breaker”, “Murderer.” I screamed in rage and slapped the pieces of paper aside, blood splashing onto my snout, but the meanings of those words remained. Getting back up I stumbled forward, and fell down again. Then with an effort born out of sheer desperation I managed to stand again lurching forward. My legs were too tired to run but I had to keep going, I had to save them. Or at least her, please Protector if you're listening please let me save at least her.
It felt like I was searching for an endless time. Lurching forward, stumbling, falling down, getting back up, lurching forward once more. Eventually I saw it and my heart fell into the pit of my stomach. My family's car was turned over on its roof, the driver's side had been caved in. It was engulfed in fire and thick black smoke that rose up into the sky. I struggled forward and when I reached it I collapsed, my knees hitting the hot pavement. The smell of burning metal and something else I didn't know assaulted my senses making my stomach turn. Every muscle in my body begged me to run away. Calling out their names l looked inside, and a wave of nausea and horror flooded through me.
I turned away and vomited, then reached up with my blood soaked paws and covered my eyes. Those words thundered in my head making me think it was going to burst open, as hot tears welled up. “WEAKLING! COWARD! LIAR! OATH BREAKER! MURDERER! MURDERER! MURDERER! MURDERER! “I'm sorry I'm sorry, I should have stayed, I should have helped. Why did I run?” I wailed, still unable to hear myself. Someone rested a delicate paw on my shoulder, and the world went quiet. As the pain in my head melted away.
My eyes snapped open and I was greeted by the gentle ringing of my alarm. In a rush of adrenaline I leaped out of bed not even bothering to wipe the sleep out of my eyes. Running out of my bedroom and down the narrow hallway towards the living room. Convincing myself It had all just been a horrible, horrible nightmare and everything was alright. Mom and Dad would be fixing breakfast, Dad softly singing a Harchen folk song while making something savory and delicious as mom sang along in harmony, preparing something special for my baby sister Naila. Oh yes and Naila, she would probably be sitting on a cushion in the sunny part of the living room. Holding her crooked tail, a birth defect which my parents said could be fixed when she was older. And making excited chirping noises at my arrival, while sunlight shone against her emerald scales. I loved my baby sister, I knew other kids resented having a younger sibling. Dismissing their responsibilities and spending less time with their family and more with their friends. I never once felt that way, the moment Naila hatched I devoted every spare minute I had to her. Finding music that would help her fall asleep, watching over her when my mom needed a break. Excitedly telling her about the day's events and what I learned at school, especially what I learned in computer science which was my favorite class.
“Mom! Dad!” I yelled bursting into the living room. “I just had the worst…” My voice trailed off as I was greeted with nothing “dream.” My heart tightened painfully in my chest, as I frantically ran through the house throwing open every door, knowing that they had to be here somewhere. They were just playing a game on me that was all, a game I would tell them I didn't appreciate. After the final door had been opened and no one was there to yell “Surprise!” My body slumped and I felt heavy as reality set back in, and the memories of what happened hit me like a hammer. I made my way back down the hall to my room, tail dragging behind me as I crawled back into bed. Wrapping myself tightly in a blanket, trying to find some comfort.
It must have been hours I lay there feeling numb all over, wishing I could get up the energy to just cry. I think I might have fallen asleep at one point. If I did it was a dreamless sleep, thank the stars for that. Eventually I did get up, sitting cross-legged on my bed, resting my chin in my paws, staring holes into the wall. I took a deep breath and side numbly looked out the window, searching for anything to distract myself with.
It was overcast, and eerily quiet. The emergency sirens had stopped blaring yesterday mere hours after everyone had gotten to the bunkers. The bodies of the dead had already been collected and their blood cleaned from the pavement. So as to not attract any predators into the neighborhood. I saw my neighbor A'shul was home, his white vehicle was sporting some new dents. I wondered, when he got into his vehicle yesterday morning and drove to the nearest bunker; did he try to help anyone? Or was he thinking only of himself? I suppose it didn't matter really. Nothing mattered.
I turned my head away and looked around my small room taking in everything, every trinket, misplaced item, my old second-hand desk, a big green crackle finished monster. Better suited for a Venlil than a young Harchen, heck I needed a stool just to use it. I had gotten it for basically nothing about a year ago, when the local extermination office was getting rid of their old furniture. All it took was a small bribe and they put it in my bedroom when no one was home. My parents, but especially my mom we're not happy when they saw it the next day. They would tell me at least once a week that It was too big for me and they were going to get rid of that eyesore. “Wouldn't you like something a little more modern dear?” My mom would ask, practically pleading for me to say yes. I used to pray that my parents would just shut up and stop bugging me about that stupid desk. I thought it was great, it made me think of private detective Bal from the exterminators show. Bal was a no nonsense Harchen who was so often pivotal in tracking down the predator or predator diseased person. My desk was very similar to his and that's why I wanted it. But at that moment, I would have given anything to hear those words again.
On the desk there was an ornate wooden box, with a fruit tree in full bloom delicately carved into its lid. There were also scuff marks where it had been dropped, and a deep crack running down the center. It was known as a blessing box, Naila's blessing box to be specific. When she hatched nearly ten months ago the whole neighborhood had been invited to come and write a blessing on a scrap of paper and put it in the box. I had written one too, not a blessing but a promise, a promise I couldn't keep. The belief was that if kept near the infant, the combined power of all those blessings would keep the hatchling safe until their first birthday. Where on that day the box would be set on fire and burned to ash. Releasing those blessings back into the world so they may protect someone else. It was an old tradition and not commonly practiced anymore, but as my dad always said “It is important to keep the old traditions alive my son. Both in song and action.” I remember asking him why? And he looked at me like he had been waiting for that question for a long time. “Because” He said, his tail moving with authority. “Someday when you lose your way, and you don't know where to turn to. You will always have something to guide you back to your center.”
Looking away from the box not wanting to look or think about the damn thing, I shifted my gaze down to my bedside table. There was a little holographic projector showing pictures of me, Mom, Dad and Naila on holiday back on Fahl, the Harchen home world to see family. I was born and raised on Venlil prime, so I didn't really know any of my extended family. There was a picture of my mom and Naila sleeping at the beach. Naila’s crooked tail coiled around mom’s arm, their scales a deep emerald in the light of the sun. The picture changed to me and Dad putting the finishing touches on a sand skyscraper taller than him. I had to sit on his shoulders to place the last bucket full of sand on top. Both of our scales were as blue as the ocean. My tail flicked sadly thinking of that day. I reached over and turned the holo protector off.
My holopad lay next to me flashing, alerting me to an urgent message. I hadn't really looked at my holopad since yesterday morning. Picking it up I tapped the flashing icon. It was an official government statement signed by Governor Tarva herself, saying that the humans Noah and Sarah were peaceful explorers, and that they only wished to be our friends. ‘No, that's impossible, they’re predators. Predators don't want peace, they want to conquer, kill and eat us,’ stunned and confused I kept reading. The rest of the message stated that the two human scientists were completely unaware there was intelligent life of any kind on Venlil prime. ‘No! Lies! Predator lies!’ I yelled inside my head. Something hot began to form in my chest as I read the last bit. Governor Tarver had shown the two predators footage of the Arxur torturing Venlil pups. It said that the humans were capable of empathy and felt deeply saddened and angered by what they saw. They vowed to do everything in their power to get their united nations into the war against the Arxur.
I scrolled all the way down and what I saw stopped me cold. Standing in her office being flanked by General Kam, stood Governor Tarva. Beside them looming over the two Venlil one bigger than the other, both of them covered in some sort of protective suit. Their faces were obscured by dark visored helmets. It said that the larger of the two Noah was male, and the smaller one was Sarah female. Sarah had her hands clasped in front of her, while Noah kept his to his side. Neither were acting threatening, and neither Tarva or Kam looked to be harmed in any way.
Something in me snapped, that hot thing inside my chest erupted and I could feel my scales turn black. I very carefully set my holopad down beside me, then I uncrossed my legs and got out of bed. I stood there in the center of my room shaking slightly, feeling terribly calm as white hot rage flooded my body, spreading to my paws and all the way out to the tip of my long tail. It never had to happen, the panic, the stampede, the death, we could have stayed home and avoided those people. ‘No… no not people,’ a bitter thought came over me. ‘They're not people at all, people stop and help, like that Venlil girl Kayleik, she was a person maybe the only one. But the rest of them were just wild animals, masquerading as sentient beings. ‘Do you really think you're any better, coward?’ Some internal voice said.
A sudden impulse took control of me and I grabbed my desks stool and hurled it against the wall. It dented the wall and bounced off still in one piece. Enraged, I leaped forward grabbing it by the legs, then turned around and slammed it into my desk. The sheet metal dented and the green crackle finish paint flew off, but the stool made of good dense wood from the string fruit tree stayed whole. “DAMN THEM! DAMN THEM! DAMN THEM! DAMN THEM!” I screamed, slamming the stool down again and again, my tail whipping wildly, striking the bed and the floor. The tip of my tail began to hurt, which only fueled my anger. Finally I heard cracking and wood began to splinter off. They didn't have to die, we could have stayed home. The muscles in my shoulders burned and my heart pounded as hot tears began to well up. I brought it down one final time narrowly avoiding the blessing box, and the stool broke in two. I hurled the pieces away from me, one slamming into the corner the other crashing through the window.
I leaned against the desk catching my breath as tears flowed freely. ‘Well that definitely showed them didn't it. Hey I got a great idea! Let's go break some more stuff, that will definitely make you feel better. Idiot!’ That internal voice said all coldness and bitterness. As I cried, the burning in my chest cooled, and I was filled with the same numbness as before. After a while my stomach growled, reminding me I hadn't eaten since yesterday. I moved sluggishly out of my bedroom and went straight to the kitchen, quickly grabbed some fruit and left to go and watch the view screen or something. The moment I entered the living room, memories came flooding back. Mom and Dad laughing, Naila sleeping peacefully, the lingering aroma of breakfast, and the warmth of our home. But now it was all gone and I was alone. For the first time in my life, I had no one to go to.
It was right then I realized I couldn't stay here anymore. This place felt like a tomb, all cold and filled with the memories of the dead. Besides, if I stayed here someone would eventually send the authorities to come and get me. Ship me off to an orphanage, foster care or maybe to my extended family back on Fahl. I balked at the idea of being forced to live with people I didn't know or trust. Memories of yesterday's stampede invaded my mind and I shuddered. I couldn't trust any of them not anymore. No, there was one person I could think of that maybe I could trust. Turning around I went back to my room, found my backpack and grabbed my holopad, the blessing box, the holo projector and my blanket stuffing it into my pack. Then I went to the kitchen and filled my pack up the rest of the way with dried fruit and vegetable snacks. With my backpack looking like it was going to burst I shouldered it and made my way to the front door. When I rested my scaly paw on the door handle I stopped and looked back at the place that was once my home. “Goodbye” I said in a shaky voice, knowing this would be the last time I would never set foot in this house. With my head low I opened the door and stepped out, into the dim light of a new unfamiliar world.

In the early 90s, when most people had barely heard of the Internet and things like MySpace weren’t even a twinkle in their creator’s eyes, those few of us who were online could feel something coming. We knew everything was about to change. The Internet was coming baby, and it was going to turn everyone’s lives upside down in ways they couldn’t even imagine.
Hipster publications (back before anyone really used the term “hipster”) like Mondo 2000 had a name for it: “The New Edge”. And for 99% of us on that New Edge, for almost all of us prophets and heralds of the coming age, one thing gradually became clear: being early didn’t matter.
It didn’t give us any real advantages. Sure, some people rode the hype cycle to riches (as some do in all hype cycles), but for most of us, we just watched it all happen and went “Wow, cool. I guess.”
Some of us snapped up email addresses with our names in them (without a bunch of numbers at the end!!) and immediately regretted it as we were bombarded by emails meant for someone else with the same name. That’s about as close as the average case came to really experiencing something unique from surfing the very tip of the New Edge.
Being there before it was cool didn’t make us cool. The ultimate lesson of hipster life.
So here comes AI and here we go again: this thing is going to change everything. It’s going to saturate every part of our lives and for a glorious decade it’ll be incredible before corporations figure out how to lock it down and chop it all up into a handful of membership fees, which we’ll gladly pay just to tread water alongside our peers. It’ll be messy. And then it’ll be clean, and we’ll miss the mess.
But will it make us smarter, braver, richer?
Did the Internet?
I’m not a pessimist on this. Not really. But this is all feeling very familiar, and makes me think optimism is just as silly as any other feeling when it comes to what happens next.
There’s only one thing that I’m starting to suspect is true about all of this: apart from the irritating ability to say “I knew this was coming before everyone else,” being early just won’t matter. Someone who held off on taking any of this seriously until AI companies competed for their mindshare on morning talk shows will be at absolutely no disadvantage compared to folk chomping at the bit today for the new version of Stable Diffusion.
Despite the rapid pace of advancement, ironically, there simply is no hurry.

I read it very recently to prepare me for Kingdom (which I quite liked, but that’s not the point of this post).
For some context, Caesar’s Story is an accompanying Canon book to the Caesar trilogy. The book is written with the POV’s from Maurice, Rocket, Lake, Bad Ape, Spear (RIP), and a few apes that didn’t show up in the movies, like an Orangutan named Barbar who helped tame the horses, a Gorilla named Oak who was part of the Gaurd with Luca, Rocket’s Wife Tinker who was a midwife, and two young Chimpanzees named Hila who was from the Zoo and River, who was Blue Eyes’ age and narrated most of the battle scenes. It’s meant for teaching Corneilus when he comes of age to learn about, well, Caesar’s story.
And honestly, I found it to be incredibly interesting. It adds some cool context to the apes’ story, and has all the most interesting parts of the trilogy from a nice perspective. Also appreciate that it skips over the less interesting human side (until the events of War at least). It is so cool to see context for how the apes came to be so successful, how they tamed the horses, how the Zoo apes (including Luca) caught on to Caesar and the other apes that had the ALZ-113 (or “Changed” as the book called it), how the war between Apes and Humans went between Dawn and War, etc.
Anyway, that’s my two cents. If you’re a fan of the series, I’d recommend checking it out as a bonus to the movies.