Sample reinstatement letter

STARTER (anything here can be tweaked to suit your character!)
In the sanctuary of your office, bathed in the soft glow of morning light, a mound of correspondence patiently awaits your perusal. The sea of mundane white envelopes is nothing out of the ordinary, but an emerald letter in golden script somewhere in there catches your eye. The return address bears the seal of the Royal Apothecary, an institution unknown to you, situated in the remote town of Jabuticaba—a name you have only ever encountered on maps, and it is addressed to you directly, a professor and researcher who has been working at the University of Mykon for over twenty years. With a measured hand, you unfurl the envelope.
Sir—
I write to convey a matter of grave concern, one that has regrettably eluded your attention since the publication of your dissertation entitled “the potential of elemental alchemy in mineral extraction” back in January. I am sincerely outstanded that a shadow hasn’t been cast upon your career and standing. I am therefore led to believe the academic standards of University of Mykon have gone down in the past thirty years since I last was an overseas student. In an ideal world, I would trust that, following your resignation, the vacant post would swiftly be filled by a learned and forward-thinking scholar, one who actually champions the cause of progressive sciences, thus illuminating the path for the minds of tomorrow. Yet, I am all too aware of the political machinations that often dictate the course of academia, where adherence to antiquated principles of elemental alchemy prevails within the hallowed halls of your establishment.
The oversight in question is no trifling matter. In your report, you assert that our continent lacks the requisite climatic and soil conditions for the growth of hyperaccumulative plants such as mimilus pangiens and mormine baratensis, therefore making it impossible to perform phytomining to extract metals from the soil. You advocate instead for the practice of elemental alchemy to obtain these vital compounds, a notion that I find preposterous. I write to you now surrounded by these very plants you claim are impossible to grow without the rarest of conditions, flourishing in abundance no more than 300 leagues from where you teach. The former blooms resplendent with its crimson tears and cadmium skirt, while the latter, though in nascent stages, has expanded its network of roots significantly. You may wonder at my methods, but I assure you, the truth lies within the realm of possibility.
That during your entire research process you ended up overlooking the vast network of exceptional herbalists active and thriving in all corners of our rich civilization is tragedy. That this omission also went unnoticed amidst the rigors of peer review is comedy.
I assure you, under different circumstances, I would not concern myself with the written ramblings of amateurs, fictionists, or charlatans who roam the corridors of your institution. It is not my duty to lead the willful pighead towards enlightenment, nor do I relish the prospect of engaging in fruitless endeavors. However, fate has intervened in the form of a promising protegee of mine, who, through diligent scholarship, earned a prestigious placement at your university. Imagine my astonishment upon her return, then, bearing your treatise, which to my dismay is now part of the national syllabus.
It is not with much of a heavy heart that I contemplate the necessity of addressing the errors that have crept into your research on phytomining. Were it not for the endearing praise and admiration bestowed upon you by my impressionable yet brilliant protegee, whose judgment I trust despite the fable quality of the tales she shares of your teachings, I would be compelled to raise my quill in defiance and expose these discrepancies to the discerning eyes of the intellectual community. Let this instead be a fair warning to do your due diligence and rectify the shortcomings of your life’s works.
With concern and scruple,
N.H. Al-Tamimi
RULES
* Be +21
* Discord
* Send a sample
* Third or first person, past or present tense
If you wish, instead of an alchemist, your character can be a demonologist, an exorcist, a mage, a witch... And his field of research can be anything else you would prefer, as long as it's in the realm of fantasy and/or science fiction!
This story starts off as an exchange of letters. Other than the occasional anatomical etching, botanical watercolor or daguerreotype (not of each other, of course! That would be frivolous. Unless…), there will be no actions, no dialogue, no inner monologue, only what our characters are willing to write on the pages of their letters to each other.
But who knows! They might eventually muster the courage find a reasonable justification related to timeliness and confidentiality for talking on the phone, and eventually, finally, one just might go looking for the other in person.

STARTER (anything here can be tweaked to suit your character!)
In the sanctuary of your office, bathed in the soft glow of morning light, a mound of correspondence patiently awaits your perusal. The sea of mundane white envelopes is nothing out of the ordinary, but an emerald letter in golden script somewhere in there catches your eye. The return address bears the seal of the Royal Apothecary, an institution unknown to you, situated in the remote town of Jabuticaba—a name you have only ever encountered on maps, and it is addressed to you directly, a professor and researcher who has been working at the University of Mykon for over twenty years. With a measured hand, you unfurl the envelope.
Sir—
I write to convey a matter of grave concern, one that has regrettably eluded your attention since the publication of your dissertation entitled “the potential of elemental alchemy in mineral extraction” back in January. I am sincerely outstanded that a shadow hasn’t been cast upon your career and standing. I am therefore led to believe the academic standards of University of Mykon have gone down in the past thirty years since I last was an overseas student. In an ideal world, I would trust that, following your resignation, the vacant post would swiftly be filled by a learned and forward-thinking scholar, one who actually champions the cause of progressive sciences, thus illuminating the path for the minds of tomorrow. Yet, I am all too aware of the political machinations that often dictate the course of academia, where adherence to antiquated principles of elemental alchemy prevails within the hallowed halls of your establishment.
The oversight in question is no trifling matter. In your report, you assert that our continent lacks the requisite climatic and soil conditions for the growth of hyperaccumulative plants such as mimilus pangiens and mormine baratensis, therefore making it impossible to perform phytomining to extract metals from the soil. You advocate instead for the practice of elemental alchemy to obtain these vital compounds, a notion that I find preposterous. I write to you now surrounded by these very plants you claim are impossible to grow without the rarest of conditions, flourishing in abundance no more than 300 leagues from where you teach. The former blooms resplendent with its crimson tears and cadmium skirt, while the latter, though in nascent stages, has expanded its network of roots significantly. You may wonder at my methods, but I assure you, the truth lies within the realm of possibility.
That during your entire research process you ended up overlooking the vast network of exceptional herbalists active and thriving in all corners of our rich civilization is tragedy. That this omission also went unnoticed amidst the rigors of peer review is comedy.
I assure you, under different circumstances, I would not concern myself with the written ramblings of amateurs, fictionists, or charlatans who roam the corridors of your institution. It is not my duty to lead the willful pighead towards enlightenment, nor do I relish the prospect of engaging in fruitless endeavors. However, fate has intervened in the form of a promising protegee of mine, who, through diligent scholarship, earned a prestigious placement at your university. Imagine my astonishment upon her return, then, bearing your treatise, which to my dismay is now part of the national syllabus.
It is not with much of a heavy heart that I contemplate the necessity of addressing the errors that have crept into your research on phytomining. Were it not for the endearing praise and admiration bestowed upon you by my impressionable yet brilliant protegee, whose judgment I trust despite the fable quality of the tales she shares of your teachings, I would be compelled to raise my quill in defiance and expose these discrepancies to the discerning eyes of the intellectual community. Let this instead be a fair warning to do your due diligence and rectify the shortcomings of your life’s works.
With concern and scruple,
N.H. Al-Tamimi
RULES
* Be +21
* Discord
* Send a sample
* Third or first person, past or present tense
If you wish, instead of an alchemist, your character can be a demonologist, an exorcist, a mage, a witch... And his field of research can be anything else you would prefer, as long as it's in the realm of fantasy and/or science fiction!
This story starts off as an exchange of letters. Other than the occasional anatomical etching, botanical watercolor or daguerreotype (not of each other, of course! That would be frivolous. Unless…), there will be no actions, no dialogue, no inner monologue, only what our characters are willing to write on the pages of their letters to each other.
But who knows! They might eventually muster the courage find a reasonable justification related to timeliness and confidentiality for talking on the phone, and eventually, finally, one just might go looking for the other in person.

I have my OET examination in 10 days. I am a native English speaker however I studied medicine in a different language and have been working for the last 10 plus years in my second language. I have never worked in a hospital environment in English. I am particularly worried about the English writing part of the OET. Is there a reputable service where I can send a sample of a referral letter to be honestly graded to see if I am ready for the OET test? I did the OET Pulse test and I passed easily however I felt like its format doesn't evaluate writing in a way that is similar to the real OET test. Any suggestion would be helpful. Thanks.

This chapter is about Sampling and Estimation
I listed out what I can see from this question, the population mean, population standard deviation, sampling mean and sampling error, but for the other half of this question (the multiple means from choosing 40 samples each day) stumps me a ton
I assume you have to find a confidence interval but they do not give you the percentage of confidence, what do I do here?
Fyi I asked this in a math discord server, waited 8 hours yet no response has came out, sorry if I act a bit cranky here sometimes because of that
(And lastly, for rule breaking sake (look at picture 3 and 4), the question comes from this textbook I bought about college (Pre-Uni) level maths (3rd semester), and I have not gotten my results for my finals yet aswell)

PIMO here. I was DF'd in 2022 and reinstated 2023. Ultimately, my heart was torn in the decision to come back, but being so lonely and having my whole family so deeply rooted in the organization, I decided to come back. I am angrier than ever. I feel like Zuko from Avatar: The Last Airbender when his father accepted him back home, but he wasn't any happier gaining his father's approval and his honor back like he fantasized about for so long. With one sentence from the stage, I am reinstated after FOUR letters requesting to be reinstated after being told "to wait longer". All of a sudden my life is supposed to go back to normal as if I wasn't literally contemplating suicide? like I wasn't stripped of everything and everyone I ever knew? like my mother wasn't calling me guilt tripping me to come back saying Jehovah would kill me if I didn't come back? I am so so broken and left to pick up my broken heart that was shattered into a million pieces. Everything I have been taught is so conditional its sad to see how it has changed me. I walk into the hall and have to talk myself down from a panic attack. I go to the hall for my mother these days, but the minute I move out, I am GONE! Its sad how even when I was honest like I was taught all my life and confessed my sins to the elders, I was deemed no longer of value to those in the congregation. And even when I was out, God was going to kill me in Armageddon if I didn't hurry back. What a horrible identity crisis to go through! Its literally do or die, being a witness. How exhausting it is to live this life. I cannot wait till I can get a break from all of this and choose my own happiness.

I'm in my 2nd year of university going into my 3rd and I'm given a letter to withdraw given that I failed to raise my GPA to 2.0 this semester but I gained a GPA of 1.86 can I appeal to request to waiver the requirement to withdraw? I failed to raise my GPA due to personal issues such as anxiety and panic attacks. So asking for help in the class i was failing was a difficult task given that the fear of be rejected and judged was weighing on me. Would this be good enough reason to plead my case and be reinstated for the next semester?

My grandad requires a blue badge, and I've just had to spend an hour of my life reapplying, after having a healthcare professional write a letter to support the claim.
Surely reapplying for a blue badge should be as simple as has the patient recovered? Is this still required? With a sample being audited every year. Not the hoop jumping that this is.
For amputees do they expect the limb to grow back? For patients with dementia do they expect this to magically go away? The stupidity of North Tyneside Council never ceases to amaze.

My grandad requires a blue badge, and I've just had to spend an hour of my life reapplying, after having a healthcare professional write a letter to support the claim.
Surely reapplying for a blue badge should be as simple as has the patient recovered? Is this still required? With a sample being audited every year. Not the hoop jumping that this is.
For amputees do they expect the limb to grow back? For patients with dementia do they expect this to magically go away? The stupidity of North Tyneside Council never ceases to amaze.

I was in a relationship with a JW and during the start of our relationship, we had pre-marital sex. After some time, he confessed to the elders on his sins and got disfellowed for a year I believe. In December, he tried to write a letter for his 'readmission' into the congregation but after the meeting, the elders wanted to see more involvement in meetings. This year in March, he wrote another letter and finally got reinstated back into the congregation.
Ive always had this question and I have asked him but he always shuts me off. During his time from December to March, when he was to show repent of his actions, he still kept on going with the behavior and even the day before he had submitted his letter to the elders.
In my opinion and to me, I feel it isn't morally correct since he never stopped but according to him, anything that happened before getting reinstated doesn't matter and what matters is that he has changed now. Is this correct?
I guess my question/concern is, during that time from when he first submitted his letter to March (in his reinstatement), was it okay for him to have continued to have sex since he now stopped or is that still considered wrong?

Hello Reddit, I contested to a plea deal about two months ago, the judge didn’t require me to take a.s.a.p classes nor did they tell me to get an interlock into my car. They provided me with a temporary restricted license and told me to go to the dmv in a couple weeks to pick up the physical one. I went to the dmv and they said they won’t provide me with a license because I don’t have the interlock or because I’m not enrolled in A.S.A.P classes. I called the dmv’s headquarters and they told me I shouldn’t have an issue getting my restricted license even though I don’t have the interlock or the fact I’m not enrolled into classes. They told me I just had to pay the $178 reinstatement fee. They told me to go visit any dmv again and that I should’ve been able to get it. I went to the dmv a couple days ago and they declined my to provide me with a physical copy again for the same reason. The dmv clerk told me to go back the court house so I did. When the clerk saw my restricted license they said there’s no way I got charged with a refusal to blow and didn’t require the Interlock or a.s.a.p classes. I went in front of a judge once again and the judge told me “sir you seem like a nice young mans who’s trying to figure out his path in the future, I don’t believe you need the interlock or A.S.A.P classes, so I won’t make you do that and I’ll right an approval letter for you but as for the dmv they probably won’t accept my letter of approval. The judge told me to contact my attorney to make an appeal against the dmv, I’m so lost. Any help?

In January I (F19) was offered employment at our long-time family friends small business as Admin in Training for a five week period; ultimately progressing to a permanent part-time Office Administrator position. I recently finished my diploma and the couple wanted to help me get ahead. They were extremely compassionate, even gifting me a car for personal use prior to commencing work. I was completely blindsided when, during the fourth week of my training, I was illegally dismissed by my boss in our reception area. She attempted an immediate, verbal termination on improper grounds, which voided my training agreement as the required written notice period was not provided. I realised she had broke this clause when I read my contract later that day, and decided to raise a personal grievance against the business. I will insert this now for further context.
To Whom it May Concern,
I am writing this letter to inform you of the personal grievance I have decided to raise against redacted by reason of unjustified dismissal. This is due to a conversation had between the employer and employee on Friday 16 February, where an immediate oral termination was attempted.
As you have failed to give appropriate notice to the employee, the training period is now invalid. This grants the employee entitlement to raise a personal grievance against you. Section I.84 states if any part of the employment agreement is found invalid, no other terms are affected.
The employee training agreement was signed by both parties before the specified start date and took effect on Thursday 25 January 2024. As stated in Appendix 2 of the training employment contract, the employee is employed as an Admin in Training throughout the fixed period.
Following the start date identified within Appendix 1 of the employee training agreement, the employee has worked 12 rostered shifts across a four-week period, totalling 62.5 hours.
Appendix 2 of the agreement lists essential job functions required by the employee. It also notes the list is not all-inclusive and additional duties may be assigned. There are 17 responsibilities listed for the employee to achieve satisfactory performance.
The observation between Appendix 1 and Appendix 2 is that the employee has had an average of 3.7 hours to learn, conduct and perfect each required duty.
Redacted has been appointed to train the employee throughout the employment period. The employee has also been instructed to report to redacted and redacted. These individuals have provided coaching on occasion alongside redacted.
There is a lack of consistency between these employees regarding processes and procedures. This results in conflicting approaches towards tasks and situations. The employee has been instructed to conduct required duties in various ways, causing a general confusion towards tasks.
The systems and applications utilised at redacted are automotive repair based. These are not taught when completing a foundation Certificate in Business Administration.
Workplace training is critical for developing knowledge, skills, and efficiency in employment. Businesses operate with different processes and procedures and employers have a legal obligation to provide correct training to employees. Training periods are essential for an employee to gain competence within their new environment, systems, and processes.
The employee has had to work reception alone on occasion during their training period as redacted and redacted were absent. This incurred a lack of opportunity for successful training. The employee used her initiative in these situations and thought she managed well without usual guidance from these individuals.
On Thursday 8 February the employee approached redacted regarding an issue with her payslip. The employee was advised she had not been using the timecard machine correctly therefore her hours could not be accurately calculated. The employee had been employed for precisely two weeks and was not advised of her error prior to this date. It was not demonstrated how to correctly use the timecard machine during the training period. This is one example of a failed training opportunity.
Upon arriving at work on Thursday 15 February the employee was immediately sent home to change clothing allegedly due to health and safety. Section H.59 of the employment agreement states the employee will be required to obtain their own black pants/skirt practical for the role. The employee felt her pencil skirt was practical for work as it reached her fingertips when she had her arms by her sides. There is no clause in the employment contract which specifies that skin must not be exposed for health and safety reasons.
Throughout the initial two weeks of training the employee was directed to complete only computer duties and paperwork. During the third and fourth week, it was required for the employee to integrate customer interactions into these responsibilities. It was made apparent that the intention of this method was for the employee to first get acclimated, then progress on to learn the importance of balance.
On the morning of Tuesday 13 February, feedback was provided by redacted on behalf of redacted. The employee was advised to improve their time management skills and attentiveness to detail. Redacted also noted that from this day forward, she would not be allocating the employee daily tasks as she wanted to observe the employee self-managing for the supposed first time. Upon finishing work that day, the employee reported to redacted and asked if she had managed well throughout the day. The employee was advised that she had done a really good job.
Since then, the employee worked one shift on Thursday 15 February and was proposed dismission the following day. There was no warning given to the employee regarding the consideration of dismissal. New Zealand’s Employment Relations Authority states whilst legally you do not have to give reason for termination during a training period, you are still obligated to act in good faith with the employee. It is recommended that you firstly speak with the individual during their trial to let them know improvement is required and indicate how they are failing to meet your standards. An employee should be afforded the opportunity to improve.
During the attempted termination, the employee was advised her dismission was due to a lack of customer service skills. This was the first time she had been offered feedback regarding this duty.
According to Section F. of the employment agreement, the employer can only end the employment agreement without notice if serious misconduct occurs (see Appendix 3). The employee would like to make you aware that they do not believe they have warranted dismissal by serious misconduct.
It is a legal requirement that you provide your employee a written notice to terminate employment if you believe the employees behaviour, performance, or persistent misconduct warrants dismissal. It is also necessary that you provide a one-month notice period to your employee, as stated in Section F.43.
If you would like to pursue termination of employment, you must provide a written dismissal for the one-month notice period to be set in motion.
For this 28-day period, the employee is still employed at redacted. As the employee training contract is only valid until Thursday 29 February, the employee is entitled an increase to minimum wage from Friday 1 March onwards, until the notice period ends 28 days from issuing dismission. The employer can exercise their right to pay the employee in lieu partially, or for the entirety of this period.
It is within good faith that you resolve any issues brought forward by an employee. Appendix 4.5 states that the employer may seek clarification from the employee, it is then a requirement for the employer to discuss and resolve the issue.
Overall, the employee is asking that you reinstate her employment. Alternatively, you must follow the steps outlined above to legally dismiss and compensate the employee.
Regards,
Redacted.
Following this, I met with my employer and discussed three resolutions; either reinstate my employment, offer a severance payment, or I lodge a legal complaint with the Employment Relations Authority. Unfortunately, I avoided contacting ERA as I did not want to taint the relationship between my parents and their friends. I met with my boss again the following week to sign the record of settlement drafted by her lawyer. The terms included a new employment agreement be initiated on a date confirmed by both parties. There are some important things to note; this was an S.149 settlement, with mediator certification required. I was verbally told that same day she would devise a new training plan, and it had been disclosed to me on various occasions that I would work full days every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, covering another member of staff who has recently had a child. At the end of our meeting she embraced me, informed me that we would wipe the slate clean and she was looking forward to working with me again. Our interaction felt very genuine.
Over the next month, the couple took a holiday and had their lawyer draft my new employment agreement. Another employee quit during this period due to mistreatment. My parents stopped receiving communications from my boss and her husband.
I received my new contract yesterday and cannot help feeling utterly misled. It states that I will be employed as a workshop employee, despite having no education on workshop practices; this position is vastly different to my prior role as an administrator. It also mentions that I am now required to wear overalls, not the branded office tops which were custom ordered for me in my last role. As mentioned above, I had been informed on multiple occasions that I would work three shifts each week; the new contract proposes that I work only one five-hour shift each Friday. There is no mention of a training programme either.
I established an excellent case with my personal grievance and put so much effort into earning back my job. I was under the impression that I would be returning to the same position when I signed the settlement. In hindsight, I should have made a report with the ERA instead. I am furious that they have pushed me into a corner where I feel that I cannot accept employment. I have read across various sources that a mediator-signed S.149 settlement is incredibly hard to void. What options am I left with now? Is there any way to reopen my last claim? Can I raise a new grievance for unjustified disadvantage? My employer has acted in a way to disadvantage my employment, her actions are also not reasonable or in good faith. Could this count as constructive dismissal although I am not currently employed by the business? They have pressured me to feel that I have no choice except turning down employment, however this is different to resignation which leaves a grey area. I do not feel as though the terms of my contract are up for negotiation, this is incredibly tactical on her behalf and yet another example of why I feel victim to workplace bullying. Is it worthwhile asking her to alter the agreement? The situation feels totally out of my control now. Any advice is appreciated, thank you for reading.

In January I (F19) was offered employment at our long-time family friends small business as Admin in Training for a five week period; ultimately progressing to a permanent part-time Office Administrator position. I recently finished my diploma and the couple wanted to help me get ahead. They were extremely compassionate, even gifting me a car for personal use prior to commencing work. I was completely blindsided when, during the fourth week of my training, I was illegally dismissed by my boss in our reception area. She attempted an immediate, verbal termination on improper grounds, which voided my training agreement as the required written notice period was not provided. I realised she had broke this clause when I read my contract later that day, and decided to raise a personal grievance against the business. I will insert this now for further context.
*****
To Whom it May Concern,
I am writing this letter to inform you of the personal grievance I have decided to raise against *redacted* by reason of unjustified dismissal. This is due to a conversation had between the employer and employee on Friday 16 February, where an immediate oral termination was attempted.
As you have failed to give appropriate notice to the employee, the training period is now invalid. This grants the employee entitlement to raise a personal grievance against you. Section I.84 states if any part of the employment agreement is found invalid, no other terms are affected.
The employee training agreement was signed by both parties before the specified start date and took effect on Thursday 25 January 2024. As stated in Appendix 2 of the training employment contract, the employee is employed as an Admin in Training throughout the fixed period.
Following the start date identified within Appendix 1 of the employee training agreement, the employee has worked 12 rostered shifts across a four-week period, totalling 62.5 hours.
Appendix 2 of the agreement lists essential job functions required by the employee. It also notes the list is not all-inclusive and additional duties may be assigned. There are 17 responsibilities listed for the employee to achieve satisfactory performance.
The observation between Appendix 1 and Appendix 2 is that the employee has had an average of 3.7 hours to learn, conduct and perfect each required duty.
*Redacted* has been appointed to train the employee throughout the employment period. The employee has also been instructed to report to *redacted* and *redacted*. These individuals have provided coaching on occasion alongside *redacted*.
There is a lack of consistency between these employees regarding processes and procedures. This results in conflicting approaches towards tasks and situations. The employee has been instructed to conduct required duties in various ways, causing a general confusion towards tasks.
The systems and applications utilised at *redacted* are automotive repair based. These are not taught when completing a foundation Certificate in Business Administration.
Workplace training is critical for developing knowledge, skills, and efficiency in employment. Businesses operate with different processes and procedures and employers have a legal obligation to provide correct training to employees. Training periods are essential for an employee to gain competence within their new environment, systems, and processes.
The employee has had to work reception alone on occasion during their training period as *redacted* and *redacted* were absent. This incurred a lack of opportunity for successful training. The employee used her initiative in these situations and thought she managed well without usual guidance from these individuals.
On Thursday 8 February the employee approached *redacted* regarding an issue with her payslip. The employee was advised she had not been using the timecard machine correctly therefore her hours could not be accurately calculated. The employee had been employed for precisely two weeks and was not advised of her error prior to this date. It was not demonstrated how to correctly use the timecard machine during the training period. This is one example of a failed training opportunity.
Upon arriving at work on Thursday 15 February the employee was immediately sent home to change clothing allegedly due to health and safety. Section H.59 of the employment agreement states the employee will be required to obtain their own black pants/skirt practical for the role. The employee felt her pencil skirt was practical for work as it reached her fingertips when she had her arms by her sides. There is no clause in the employment contract which specifies that skin must not be exposed for health and safety reasons.
Throughout the initial two weeks of training the employee was directed to complete only computer duties and paperwork. During the third and fourth week, it was required for the employee to integrate customer interactions into these responsibilities. It was made apparent that the intention of this method was for the employee to first get acclimated, then progress on to learn the importance of balance.
On the morning of Tuesday 13 February, feedback was provided by *redacted* on behalf of *redacted*. The employee was advised to improve their time management skills and attentiveness to detail. *Redacted* also noted that from this day forward, she would not be allocating the employee daily tasks as she wanted to observe the employee self-managing for the supposed first time. Upon finishing work that day, the employee reported to *redacted* and asked if she had managed well throughout the day. The employee was advised that she had done a really good job.
Since then, the employee worked one shift on Thursday 15 February and was proposed dismission the following day. There was no warning given to the employee regarding the consideration of dismissal. New Zealand’s Employment Relations Authority states whilst legally you do not have to give reason for termination during a training period, you are still obligated to act in good faith with the employee. It is recommended that you firstly speak with the individual during their trial to let them know improvement is required and indicate how they are failing to meet your standards. An employee should be afforded the opportunity to improve.
During the attempted termination, the employee was advised her dismission was due to a lack of customer service skills. This was the first time she had been offered feedback regarding this duty.
According to Section F. of the employment agreement, the employer can only end the employment agreement without notice if serious misconduct occurs (see Appendix 3). The employee would like to make you aware that they do not believe they have warranted dismissal by serious misconduct.
It is a legal requirement that you provide your employee a written notice to terminate employment if you believe the employees behaviour, performance, or persistent misconduct warrants dismissal. It is also necessary that you provide a one-month notice period to your employee, as stated in Section F.43.
If you would like to pursue termination of employment, you must provide a written dismissal for the one-month notice period to be set in motion.
For this 28-day period, the employee is still employed at *redacted*. As the employee training contract is only valid until Thursday 29 February, the employee is entitled an increase to minimum wage from Friday 1 March onwards, until the notice period ends 28 days from issuing dismission. The employer can exercise their right to pay the employee in lieu partially, or for the entirety of this period.
It is within good faith that you resolve any issues brought forward by an employee. Appendix 4.5 states that the employer may seek clarification from the employee, it is then a requirement for the employer to discuss and resolve the issue.
Overall, the employee is asking that you reinstate her employment. Alternatively, you must follow the steps outlined above to legally dismiss and compensate the employee.
Regards,
*Redacted*.
*****
Following this, I met with my employer and discussed three resolutions; either reinstate my employment, offer a severance payment, or I lodge a legal complaint with the Employment Relations Authority. Unfortunately, I avoided contacting ERA as I did not want to taint the relationship between my parents and their friends. I met with my boss again the following week to sign the record of settlement drafted by her lawyer. The terms included a new employment agreement be initiated on a date confirmed by both parties. There are some important things to note; this was an S.149 settlement, with mediator certification required. I was verbally told that same day she would devise a new training plan, and it had been disclosed to me on various occasions that I would work full days every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, covering another member of staff who has recently had a child. At the end of our meeting she embraced me, informed me that we would wipe the slate clean and she was looking forward to working with me again. Our interaction felt very genuine.
Over the next month, the couple took a holiday and had their lawyer draft my new employment agreement. Another employee quit during this period due to mistreatment. My parents stopped receiving communications from my boss and her husband.
I received my new contract yesterday and cannot help feeling utterly misled. It states that I will be employed as a workshop employee, despite having no education on workshop practices; this position is vastly different to my prior role as an administrator. It also mentions that I am now required to wear overalls, not the branded office tops which were custom ordered for me in my last role. As mentioned above, I had been informed on multiple occasions that I would work three shifts each week; the new contract proposes that I work only one five-hour shift each Friday. There is no mention of a training programme either.
I established an excellent case with my personal grievance and put so much effort into earning back my job. I was under the impression that I would be returning to the same position when I signed the settlement. In hindsight, I should have made a report with the ERA instead. I am furious that they have pushed me into a corner where I feel that I cannot accept employment. I have read across various sources that a mediator-signed S.149 settlement is incredibly hard to void. What options am I left with now? Is there any way to reopen my last claim? Can I raise a new grievance for unjustified disadvantage? My employer has acted in a way to disadvantage my employment, her actions are also not reasonable or in good faith. Could this count as constructive dismissal although I am not currently employed by the business? They have pressured me to feel that I have no choice except turning down employment, however this is different to resignation which leaves a grey area. I do not feel as though the terms of my contract are up for negotiation, this is incredibly tactical on her behalf and yet another example of why I feel victim to workplace bullying. Is it worthwhile asking her to alter the agreement? The situation feels totally out of my control now. Any advice is appreciated, thank you for reading.

Really serious!!!!!!! It is a long one, please read till the end and help
So this is regarding my CH E 243 final exam, few days after my deferred final on 20 Feb,2024 I got an email from my prof that my eclass had been accessed during the final and he would have an online meet with me to discuss the issue. I was really shocked and confused as I didnt access it during the exam and I talked to one of my friends to whom I had given the password to see some of the extra sample papers. He agreed in front of me that he used my eclass and said that he would say the same to the professor. Few days later, I met with the professor and explained the situation but he didnt believe me and was trying his best that I admit it because he couldn't prove that I accessed it. He told me that he would have a talk with my friend but when he talked with my friend, he used his same intimidating behaviour and scared my friend that he was lying and he would face very serious consequences for this due to which he changed his statement that he didnt use my eclass during the exam and was really sorry. The professor then reported this to the dean of engineering and a meeting was scheduled on 8th April(after literally 1 month). The professor told me that sharing eclass login credentials was not an offense and if I was honest, nothing would happen to me but this was the biggest lie. In the meeting with academic integrity coordinator of the dean, the first thing he told me was sharing eclass login credentials is a much more bigger offense than cheating in final and it would be best for me if I admitted I had cheated rather than sharing details. Still, I kept on my stand and said till the end that I apologize for this confusion but I did not use eclass and gave exam with full honesty. Today, the decision letter came after 1.5 month and I was shocked to see it. First of all they sent the letter on the evening of day of add/drop deadline, idk what took them this long. They decided to give me an F8 in two of my courses, CH E 243, the one in which they suspected cheating and ECE 240, this one I had 2 same written assignments to another student and had received a 0 in both in the starting of winter sem. Idk how this even makes sense. Also a more shocking thing is they have mentioned that first I was denying for cheating but later when the coordinator told me the consequences, I admitted to it which I never did in reality. I am really depressed and dont know what to do, please if somebody can advise me what to do, that would be really helpful. I understand they dont believe me in the final exam but why give an F8 in the other course which has absolutely no relation with it. ECE 240 is a pre requisite for my 3rd year course and it is only offered in the winter sem, idk what to do. I mean why do they have to give the decision on literally the last day. The decision date is literally 14 may but they chose to send it today, is this being done intentionally???? Also the letter doesn't mention anything whether who accessed the eclass was checked or not, it just says I intentionally cheated and first denied then agreed to it, really disappointing.
PLEASE HELP ME

Hello all,
I am a prospective political science PhD student in the United States looking for advice and help, particularly in what programs to apply to and the chances of getting in. I am interested in American politics, particularly centered on elections, representation, and voting.
I have a bachelors in political science and masters in public administration (with two certificates in nonprofit management and genocide/mass atrocity prevention) from SUNY Binghamton (Binghamton University), both with a 4.0.
I have not taken the GRE yet (so no scores rn), but am taking the summer to study. I feel like my letters of recommendation will be pretty good as well and feel strong about my writing sample. I have no official research or publications, but am working on the latter.
So far my professors have recommended schools like the Ivys, MIT, NYU, SUNY Stony Brook, etc..
What programs do you all recommend and do you think I can get into them?
Thank you in advance

Please look into the Ohio teacher pension STRS and the governor and AG. The pension has been badly mismanaged. It has far different investments than other Ohio state pensions, which are doing fine. We are rated as having the worst pension in the country for viability. We pay the highest percentage of our salary, which they raised after I became a teacher. They took away retirees COLAs completely. They increased the years to retirement. We are not eligible for Social Security. Even if we work a separate SS job and earn it, we can only receive a small fraction of it due to a weird law. Same goes for spousal benefits. The republican state legislature changed the laws on our pension and messed it up, removing our right to a COLA. We are supposed to be audited every 10 years, but it has not been done. Teachers and retirees have united in a couple of Facebook groups. We have worked for years to get reformers onto the pension board. We succeeded last year, and the governor (DeWine) removed one of his appointee, who was reform minded, the day before we were told the election results. Teachers and retirees put together a legal fund and after almost an entire year, the courts ruled he had to be reinstated, but we lost the majority for a year and his term is up in a month or two anyways. We elected another reform member this year. The day before the election results were revealed, DeWine and his pet attorney general put out a press release that there had been an anonymous letter and 2 or 3 STRS board members had supposedly done some sort of corruption and he told the AG to investigate. They are all reform members and the charges are BS. Also, teachers have been mailing and emailing both of them for years for help and they have never investigated. They said there is a hostile takeover of the board. We literally voted them in over many years! We believe the governor and AG may be getting kickbacks. There is also something weird between the larger teacher union at the state level and STRS. OEA and STRS have revolving employees. OEA keeps endorsing status quo candidates. The smaller union, OFT, is pro reform. Please help!! . Local media is just paraphrasing the governor and AG press briefings without investigating.

Hey all, 4th Wall here. The little storm that blew threw upended my, sort of, schedule. So, I'm just decided to write what came to mind first then alternate from there. Hope you guys enjoy the Episode.
First, Previous, Next (Patreon)
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Benjamin stared at the exhausted looking Farie in shock, “How much time do we have?”. Jukha simply stood, stepped over to the floorboards near the fireplace, and began ripping them up with his bare hands. After several planks yielded to his strength, Jukha pulled out a pair of packs, and handed one to Vilora. “Oh” Ben stated flatly, having been given the answer to his question. He turned to see the sisters already packing up their packs, and Ben began the same.

In moments, the four were ready to go, slipping out the back door and into the forest. Benjamin paused, “Hold on a moment.” He turned to look back at the house, reaching out with one hand before clenching it into a fist. He ripped the heat out of the roaring fire dispelling it into the air before kneeling down and placing both hands on the ground. Vilora gasped quietly at the power Benjamin began wielding a dangerous amount of Majik. He pulled from the depths of the world itself, summoning pure compounds from the ground and from various natural sources. He used the refuse in Jukha’s farmyard to provide him with the last of the required ingredients. It wouldn’t be much, but Benjamin relit the fireplace, forcing the flames to turn a few of the remaining logs into charcoal without burning them.
Extinguishing the flames once more, he combined the components he had acquired, before willing the concoction up into the flue and packing it around the circumference of the inside of the brick chimney. Vilora stepped up to him, touching his shoulder with a trembling hand, “What… what have you done. I felt it, but I don’t understand it.”
Benjamin took a long cleansing, and slightly shakey breath. The exertion left him feeling drained for a moment. He turned to her, expression was grim, but he patted her hand on his forearm, “Giving us some breathing room. They will search the house. I’ve just left them a little surprise.” He stood, looking towards the forest, “how do we get to your sisters.”

Vilora nodded and they followed her into the forest, it was not a long walk. And after about 20 minutes they came to a clearing with a strange tree in the middle. “Please, Ben. Whatever happens next, know that we are not Fay. Promise me.” Benjamin heard the fear in her voice wondering if it was from what he had just done, or something deeper. He nodded once absently, his musket already unslung and in his hands. He had loaded a buck and ball cartridge into it before they left the cabin, knowing that he was only going to get one shot in an ambush. Viola had his original flintlock pistol in her hand, and Valtrya was semi hiding behind her sister with Bens Stiletto dagger clutched tightly in her fingers. “Very well,” the Farie stated, and turned to face the tree. Her wings quickly began glowing a vibrant green, and they fluttered violently as she began to chant something in her native tongue.

____________________________________________________________________________________________

The Hunters arrived, led by the singular Orc from the capital guard. He was the same one that had been spared by Benjamin just over a week earlier. He brought with him a tracker. Ski’murika was one of the arachnid people known as Sil’skira. This one was a flat grey to Mi’ki’s own jet-black carapace, and she skittered lightly into the room. The Sil’Skira had no sense of smell, but their sense of taste bordered on the supernatural. She raised one leg to her mandibles, tasting the ground around them, before dipping it into a bowl and repeating the process, “four of them. An Orc, a Fay, two Aereesin females, and… a strange one. I’ve not sampled this one before, but he carries majik’s sour aftertaste.” The Soldier orc, and the three other Hunters managed to not cringe. The Sil’Skira were known for their wide… pallet… as far as what they considered food. Many a sentient being had been turned to a husk by a hungry Sil, and The Orc did not doubt that this one came by her… flavor recognition… honestly. The other three; a Hellirine named Jazeel, her twin brother named Jeraal, and a Mountain troll who’s name defied pronunciation gave the Sil a wide birth, stepping up to the fireplace. “Well, while we’re here. Lets warm our bones.” Jazeel casually began stacking wood and kindling atop the chared remains of an apparently freshly quenched fire. “How far do you think they could have gone?”

“Not far” the Sil’Skira stated absently, “Their food is but lukewarm. I can still taste the spittle on the strange one’s spoon.” She turned to pad over to the fireplace. The Soldier orc, named Gurrut leaned up against the table, “Should we really be stopping for a fire? If they are so close?” Jeraal only smirked, “It’s a long game boss. They may not have gotten far, but they will be frantic. Look at how they left. Something, or someone warned them. They will be ill prepared. No, better to keep our pace. We will wear them down easily in the mor..”

Jazeel lit a spark into her tinder box while her brother was talking. She placed it into the fireplace and the kindling lit quickly. A single twig flared up, sending an ember into the flu where Benjamin had packed his quickly made gunpowder. It ignited instantly, and the flu provided enough constriction to pressurize the reaction. The fireplace detonated in a weak, but effective improvised bomb. The brickwork shattered into shards of deadly fragmentation, Jareel simply ceased to exist, being turned to a cloud of yellow blood and internal organs trimmed in red skin and white bone fragments. Her brother’s head was caved in by a large brick chunk, sending skull bone spalling deep into his brain, rending it to ribbons. He died before he hit the floor. The Sil’Skira’s abdomen popped like a balloon in the over pressure wave, and she quickly curled into a quivering ball as her blood pressure dropped, no longer fighting against her leg muscles. Their employer, the soldier orc from the capital, lost his arm above the elbow. His armor saved his vital organs however, but one shard threaded the needle, taking his right eye. The Mountain troll was thrown to the far wall, but Her naturally resilient body survived both the shockwave and the fragmentation impacts. She picked herself off the floor, stumbling to the screaming capital guard. She bound his wounds quickly before taking a flaming shard of the sabotaged fire and searing the stump to stop the bleeding. She then left him there. There was no point in anything else. The hunt was over.

___________________________________________________________________________________________
Benjamin tried not to stare, but he was failing miserably. Jukha’s Farie wife’s body was glowing bright green now, and he almost had to shade his eyes if he tried to look directly at her. She was not the only one he was struggling not to stare at. Viola’s explanation and subsequent revelation had taken him by surprise. He realized that he had treated them like children, pupils at best. Benjamin had focused on training them to be free, turning a blind eye to the relationship forming between them and himself. *You are not forcing us to do anything but leave* He ran that statement over in his mind. The “leave you” was implicated heavily, and it ate at him. He did not want to force these girls to do anything. Yet, despite his best efforts, he was forcing something on them anyway. He silently both cursed his situation and cursed his own ignorance. He found that, if he was truthful with himself, he did not want them to leave either; and that more personal revelation brought its own paradox. He could not bear to own them as property, but the thought of leaving them tore at him with similar pain.

“It is almost time!” Benjamin looked back from where he was keeping watch, Vilora was panting heavily, her painfully bright glowing wings drooping slightly, “I won’t be able to keep the connection for long!” She called as the tree in front of them began to creak. Two of its great limbs began to move on their own accord, groaning under forces older than space and time. Benjamin’s eyes widened as the two branches slowly formed a sphere, then his head snapped around at the sound of a dull thud emanating from the direction they had come. He smiled grimly. His little IED must have been triggered, and with any luck, taken their pursuers with it.

“Ready yourselves!” Jukha called, and Ben turned back to a view he had not expected in his wildest dreams. ‘you’ve gatta be shitting me’ He thought as a rippling green mirror filled in the center of the circle created by the branches of the tree. Benjamin felt the sisters at his side. And he nodded to them, “you first. I’ll cover our six.” Vi raised an eyebrow at the odd expression but nodded. Taking her sister’s hand and stepping through the portal. They were closely followed by Jukha, who seemed absurdly calm about the whole thing. Benjamin held his ground, slowly backing toward the portal while he kept his eye on the tree line.

“Benjamin. Hurry, I can’t.. I can’t hold!” Vilora’s frantic tone moved Benjamin into action, He spun on his heels, slipping his musket to his left hand and scooping up Vilora as he passed her at a full sprint. He jumped as the portal sputtered, passing through it and into a familiar tunnel that he remembered from his first meeting with the Celestial, Sol. This one was a minute fraction of the distance, however, a single step in fact. His feet landed on soft moss and an earthy smell alerted him to his change of location. His eyes began to adjust to the much dimmer light as he set Vilora’s exhausted form on the ground gently. His eyes peeled away the darkness after a moment and Benjamin grunted, tucking the butt of the musket under his right arm as he thumbed the hammer and slapped the frizzen in place. He drew his sword/pistol hybrid and settled the sights on a second being, who just so happened to have the misfortune of being ordered to bind the sister’s wrists. The mechanical sounds of his weapons attracted the attention of everyone in attendance, but his voice froze them in place, “unbind them… now” he growled.
His musket, loaded with Buck and ball, was trained on a small group of Farie’s standing in close formation with thin lances rested base to the on the ground. The other Farie was currently holding the rope leash to the sisters. He glanced at the small squad of lancers, “you move, you die.” His tone bore icy promise on its wings, and even Jukha could not bring himself to act. “Benjamin. Peace, please. These are my sisters. They are Vin. Remember your promise” Vilora’s voice cut through the silence first, and Benjamin glanced at her, then back at the scene in front of him. He took a long deep breath, sheathing his sword/revolver, and lowering his Musket. He did not sling it, he returned it so a muzzle up ready position designed to keep his ammunition from falling out of the barrel should he still need it. “Then please explain to them that I have a pathological aversion these women being bound, and that It would be in their best interest to release them...mediately.” Vilora’s eyes widened as she turned to see the state of Vi and Val. She spoke quickly, and the Vin who held the girls looked back at Ben in shock before frantically unbinding both Vi and Val. The girls sprinted to Benjamin, slamming into him with shaking embraces before he gently, but protectively pushed them behind him.

One of the Lancers, a Farie with more ornate armor on than the rest stepped forward and Benjamin turned to face her, not so subtly settling his musket into a position to easily kill her if he needed. The Fairie paused, clearly considering something before Vilora stepped over and laid a hand on her shoulder. She shook her head at the other woman, it was an almost imperceptible thing, but the other farie’s eyes widened as she regarded Benjamin again. “Peace, Beenjaymin.” She said finally, handing off her lance to a subordinate and opening her hands to show them empty. “We do not mean you harm, but we must protect what little we have left. The Matriarch wishes to see you, but we cannot allow you to meet here bearing arms. Please, understand.”

Benjamin hesitated, and Viola leaned around him to look up. He gave her a smiling glance before looking back at the Farie. She nodded in understanding, “I swear to you. Your… girls… will be permitted to stay at your side for the trip. Our sister has explained that they are not mere slaves to you.” Benjamin eyed her skeptically, and if this realms concept of honesty were not already explained to him, he would have not believed her. He slowly reached for the hammer on his musket, lowering it gently to half-cock before handing it slowly to the Farie who originally bound the sisters, “Do not touch anything on it. This is not a weapon you have any concept of, and it can kill 4 people at once.” He held her gaze until she nodded, “lean it against something. This side up, and DON’T touch it.” He then unhooked the scabbard from his belt, handing the revolver sword and its sheath to her as one unit, “Same goes for this. I’ll know if you touch it. It is very loud.” He did the same with Vi’s flintlock pistol, surprised that it didn’t go off when it was dropped on the ground during their capture. The stiletto dagger was the last, a familiar weapon to this realm that needed no explanation.

“Very well.” Benjamin said finally, “I believe that is everything.” The head lancer nodded, waving an arm elegantly toward the biggest live oak that Benjamin had ever seen. Benjamin thought it might be a live oak, at least. It stood twice the height of a California Red Wood but had the proportions of a Live oak. Massive drooping main branches arched overhead before touching the ground and returning skyward. Some of the largest limbs were the lowest and seem to bounce along the ground. Each grounding seemed to sprout smaller trees, and Benjamin felt his mouth fall open as they drew closer. The texture of the limbs sharpened as they closed, and Benjamin began to make out lit windows, carved into the tree limbs themselves.

Carved into the base of the tree was an ornate entrance with lettering that Benjamin didn’t recognize carved into the arches. Benjamin felt Viola take one of his hands, and Valtrya take the other. He ran his thumbs over the soft tops of their hands, trying to comfort them as much as he could. He felt them press up against him as they entered a throne room of some kind. On the far end, atop a series of steps was a throne, carved into the wall itself. “The Matriarch” Vilora whispered from behind him.

Ben halted several paces behind the lancer squad, bowing as he watched Vilora and Jukha do so out of the corner of his eye. “Rise” came the command from the ornately yet unarmored Farie sitting on the throne, “So tell me,” She asked, looking directly at Benjamin, who was keeping the girls directly behind him, “Are you the reason that my orders to bind the Aereesins were not followed?” Benjamin instantly regretted giving up his weapons. “I am,” he stated meeting her gaze unflinchingly. “Oh? You believe yourself above my command?” Her cold tone registered, and Benjamin slowly closed his fist, finding what he was looking for. A single guard, one not present at their arrival began to march toward him, hand on her sword.

Benjamin speared the guard with an icy glare, while talking to the Farie ruler, “I expected Vin to be more hospitable.” He reached out with one hand and the guard froze as he gripped the metal of her armor with his mind, “Especially with women baring Vin names in solidarity.” He slowly began to close his outstretched fist, and the guard inside the armor began screaming as the metal buckled, compressing against her body. Benjamin finally turned his icy gaze to the monarch, “My girls” He hated to use that card, but it was the only one he had that wasn’t lethal, “Have spent over a century being bound, tortured, raped, and degraded. I killed their former master, a Romoregin no less, for it. I killed his puke son’s champion for it. I’ve killed two capital guards for it. I will kill without mercy to keep bindings from touching their skin. So, my lady what are you willing to do to bind them.” He gave the guards armor another small squeeze, using the shrieking metal to punctuate his resolve.

The queen slowly stepped off her Throne, walking stoically over to her guard as she eyed Benjamin contemplatively. “Stand down, Vailin.” She said to the now trembling guard, but her eyes were on Benjamin. Benjamin slowly released his grip on her armor and she fell to the floor, weeping. “You two, get her to a healer.” The monarch ordered before taking to her wings and hovering up to face Benjamin at eye level. “You care so much for your slaves, yet you do not free them. Why is that.”

“Benjamin doesn’t want to keep us slaves!” Viola blurted out before she caught herself meekly adding “Your majesty” as the Monarch leveled a surprised but firm expression at her. “Oh? And yet you are still his, dear.” she said, turning back to Benjamin. Benjamin took a deep breath, “The principality would have resold them anyway. My only choice was to own them, teach them, then smuggle them to a free nation, or murder them by returning them to the system. Had we made it to Maridia, they would be emancipated already.” He met the Monarchs gaze levelly, “Their lives are in my hands… but at least their blood isn’t on them.”

“Hmm, compassion and violence of action. No wonder Cosmos touched you.” The Queen mused. Benjamin chuckled at the expression drawing a raised eyebrow from the Vin Monarch, “Something funny, young one?” and Benjamin gave her an amused smile, “It’s just that I’ve heard something like that before, from Sol. I believe the Orcs call her Suelin.”

This time, the Vin Monarch’s face smoothed of all expression as she failed to find any falsehood in Benjamin, “Come with me, please.” She stated it as a question, but her urgency peaked Benjamin's curiosity. The four of them followed the queen up to the throne. She pulled on an armrest and the throne slid into the wall to one side, revealing a simply carved passage into the heart of the tree.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
f you made it this far, I very much appreciate it. I hope you enjoyed the episode! If you believe I have earned it, I have a Patreon that is two episodes ahead of the free releases for this series. I hope you feel taking a look is worth it. Either way, come hang out in the comments. Everyone's welcome! I've discovered Im a bit of a "warts and all" poster, so even critical comments are welcome. Hell, You might even teach me something (it happens more than I'd like to admit).
I have heard people off and on reference Royal road, So I am going to give it another shot. I'll be adding the Royal Road link from now on. If you like reading over there, It is on the same schedule as here. I would greatly appreciate a like/review/comment if you feel so inclined. Thank you again for stopping by.
First, Previous, Next (Patreon) Royal Road

I am currently working as a part-time translator (English-Spanish and vice-versa) for Orato online magazine, translating journalist articles and editing them, being loyal to the original content. I also work as a QA Engineer at Accenture’s Payroll Project. As technical as this role may seem, I have performed many different tasks that require Advanced English proficiency. When working on a Global Project, it is necessary to interact in English with people all over the world. I took this situation as a chance to perform as an English-Spanish interpreter and translator to enhance my team’s communication and coordination. By performing this task, I have been digging deep into the translation field, researching and focusing on interpreting the content by finding equivalences without losing information.
Please ask for samples of my work and recommendation letter

Chapter 26 - The Infinite Beckons
Previous Chapter
“Okay, this part’s a little tricky.” Ma’et gestured out the shuttle’s cockpit. “You got lined up easy enough, and our velocity’s at a relative zero to the ship. The bay door’s open. Now you engage the lateral thrusters while monitoring the distance from the shuttle to the bay’s interior wall. Come in too fast and you’ll damage them both..”
Trix looked over at the controls, and the neatly gummed labels that the humans had placed over the English text with her own language. She gingerly pressed the ‘Lateral Thruster’ button, then as the control knob next to it lit up, she twisted it slowly.
An earlier misadventure when lining up the ship and the shuttle where she’d twisted the control knob much more rapidly made her much more cautious about giving it too much power too quickly, yet the shuttle slowly drifted - away from the ship. “Other thruster, feathers.”
Chagrined, she dialed the thruster back to zero, then rotated it the other direction. The ship immediately stopped moving away, and instead drifted into the hangar bay. Trix watched as it drifted past the door, staring at the distance readout until it dropped into the yellow and immediately swung the knob the other way. It took a couple of tries to get the velocity back to zero, but she managed it.
“Beautiful. Now we engage the grav plating which lets the ship’s internal grav pull us down as it ramps up, and close the external door via the console over there.” Ma’et gestured to the remote console, and Trix scanned it, punching the buttons as she found them.
“Nicely done. Go ahead and hit the engine shutdown. In the old days there’d be like, thirty steps to it but nearly all of it is automated. But lucky you, you get to read all about the manual sequence since taking over in the event of computer failure is one of a pilot’s duties.” Ma’et chuckled and squeezed Trix’s shoulder. “For now, that’s good enough. Go ahead and open both the lateral boarding door, and the rear loading door. Also extend the rear loading ramp.”
Trix did, then glanced over at Ma’et. “Anything more?”
“Nope. First day on the job, and you’ve done the first job successfully. Not perfectly, but pretty damn good for your first time piloting off planet. Go ahead and head back to talk with the Captain, and I’ll handle the rest.”
Trix unbuckled the acceleration harness (Though, she felt zero acceleration during the entire trip so she couldn’t fathom just WHY Ma’et had insisted on her buckling in) and moved past the much smaller woman as she left the cockpit.
In the back, Josh was already outside the ship, grabbing a handtruck. She watched as he pushed it up the loading ramp to the stack of boxes that contained the food and equipment she’d need for the next few weeks of existence here in space. “Why aren’t you using one of the gravity belts?” She gestured over to the wall where the belts were hanging.
“Eh, this stuff’s fairly light and those have a limited lifespan. I don’t want to burn out the Keplite cores on stuff we can just move by hand. They’re expensive.”
“Oh. What’s Keplite, anyway? Ji and Min have mentioned it a few times.” Trix glanced over at the large belts with their big circular pads in the middle.
Before Josh could answer, Alex walked in between them. “Ji, Min! We’re going to be converting the room across from yours back into crew quarters for Trix. Gonna need you two to move the Spider. Is there room here in the hangar for it?”
“It’ll fit better if we assemble it and use packing mode.” Ji countered, as he hopped out of the shuttle. “It’ll take a day or so. We’ve got it spread all out in there.”
Alex turned over to Trix and beckoned. “Follow me. Gonna give you the full tour while they’re unloading." He took a few steps back, then lifted his arms wide to gesture to their surroundings. "This is obviously the hangar bay. Shuttle's the big thing you were just flying. Below us is a small cargo hold, empty right now. Not gonna show you unless you happen to like large empty boring-ass boxes.” He raised an eyebrow, and Trix quickly shook her head. "Alright. Most of the shit in here is just maintenance tools and loading gear. Nothing exciting. Ramp to main transit corridor here."
They walked out into the hallway. “Okay, well through that door’s opposite the hangar is the fabber bay. The fabber is a huge machine that manufactures stuff for us, like a 3D printer. Do you guys have anything like that?” Trix shrugged, and Alex continued. “Well either way, it can make virtually anything from a bed to a bomb to a computer. The more complex and difficult items take a hell of a lot longer to make. It’s also a major power hog since the manufacturing process uses extremely powerful fields, both magnetic and force. In other words, if you need something and we didn’t bring it with you we can make it here.”
He walked down the hall a bit, and gestured to the doors on either side. “Launcher bays, 1 and 2. Normally we use ‘em to launch beacons, buoys, sensors, things like that into space. If someone tries to start shit with us we CAN use them to launch missiles but we have very few of those available. We’re not out here to get in fights, but if we have to defend ourselves we pack a big punch.” He opened one of the doors and walked inside. “The big hatch over there is the manual tube loader. The ship can auto-load various things but if we need to put something into space that isn’t already in storage, that’s where we do it. If Ji tells you to climb in yourself, he’s joking and you should hit him because it only exists to launch shit into space.”
Trix laughed at that, but she had learned enough of Ji’s sense of humor while working on the car to understand the sentiment. “Will I even be in here at all though?”
“Maybe. If something needs to be manually loaded, we use these. Back when we were at the derelict ship I had to send a battery over to help out while we planned our rescue. You might be asked to do the same.” Alex shrugged and lead her out into the hall. “Last thing here is the ship’s primary armament.” He reached over to the side of the hallway and pressed a hatch release. The compartment it lead to was incredibly small and tightly cramped.
“We don’t use it much outside of scaring off pirates or relieving stress, but this is our primary weapon out in space. Eight-chamber five meter long rotary railgun. Fires one round every 1.2 seconds that travel roughly a million kilometers per hour when fired stationary, or closer to 280 kilometers per second. It fires either solid armor-piercing unguided slugs or flak munitions that are used to produce clouds of metallic debris. The former will shred a ship’s armor and pulverize anything inside. The latter can overwhelm particle shields and damage exterior components without nearly as much penetration. The reason I’m saying all this to you,” He tapped the top of the cannon where it joined to the ship. “This thing’s got a super limited firing arc. Meaning that we can only shoot what we’re pointed at. If, by some miracle, we get into a fight out there then our ability to shoot back is gonna depend on your ability to fly the ship while facing the enemy.”
Trix swallowed heavily as she tried to imagine just how powerful this massive cannon was. She glanced over at the side of it, to the twin belts that fed in ammo. Each round it would fire was longer than her forearm and thicker than her waist.
“That’s the worst case scenario though. In reality, if we get into any shit out there, fighting is the LAST thing we want to do. Negotiation to avoid hostility first, escape second, fight last.” Alex shooed her out of the compartment. “That said if we encounter any low-yield junk out there then we’ll get some target practice in. If you’re game then we can let you try targeting for a bit and unload some kinetic mayhem while things are dull.” He grinned wickedly, as he manually pulled the hatch back into place, sliding two large locking levers into place.
“Okay, that’s it for this deck. There’s stairs on the far side leading up to the tech deck but the ladder here’s quicker.”
They climbed up the ladder, with Alex leading and Trix following. Her wings banged against the ceiling as she climbed, and it took her a few moments to get them tucked in tight enough to get through the hatch but with Alex’s help they got up there.
“Tech deck. Mostly. In the front of the ship here right under Bridge access is the exception, the pool room.” He opened the door and they walked in together. “Mainly used for observation but the pool there is great for relaxation. You can adjust the temperature with the controls on the wall there, goes from chilly to full on hot tub. Adjustable depth from 3 to 10 feet, and the pool walls are display panels. If you use a breather it’s fun to turn the display to external then go down underwater and relax while staring at the stars. Do you swim much?”
Trix nodded. “Sure, there’s a river a… couple kilometers? I think? I’m not good with converting distances yet. Anyway, it’s near the hab and we’d go there when I was younger and didn’t have as much to do in the fields.”
“Cool. Well, feel free to use it but just a word of warning you might want to check if anyone’s in first. Swimwear is optional and since the crew is a pretty tight family we don’t usually get embarrassed if we’re seen swimming in the buff.” Alex waved over at the control console. “If you’re not sure the big green button on the outside is the comm button, just ask if anyone’s using it.”
“Ji brought me in here when we came up to do the medical scans. He showed me Kiveyt from orbit for the first time. Do all human ships have a room like this?” Trix reached over to dip her hand into the water. It was quite warm to the touch.
“Nah. This ship wasn’t originally designed as a scout ship or survey ship. It was originally a yacht. Big luxury vehicle for rich people to fly around in space and have fun in. Throw parties. Most of the ridiculous amenities it has I got rid of ages ago, but that left a huge amount of space we filled up with all the launchers and sensors and whatnot. I kept the pool though because I love soaking after a long day.” He pressed the door control and they left the pool room.
“Just past the pool room on either side of the ship we have collection dishes for D-space particles. Those are EVA only, so you won’t be dealing with those. They let us collect extremely powerful particles which lead back here.” Alex spoke as he walked, and turned the corner into a much, much larger room.
“This is the ship’s main power supply. Charged particles enter the torus reactor and discharge energy which is converted into electrical power and routed through the ship. Those bottles over there…” He gestured to four massive grey metal canisters on the wall. “Contain the actual particles. They’re made of the strongest materials we have because if one ruptured, the ship would instantly explode from the inside out. Don’t worry,” Alex quickly raised his hands. “The chances of that happening are virtually impossible. This is the single most well-protected location on the ship.”
He gestured to the other side of the large room. “Over there’s the terminals that Min is usually at. She and Ji are in charge of all engineering. That means power, propulsion, all computer systems, and the like. Well, the physical parts of them that is. Ma’et is our computer geek when it comes to integration, programming, and all the fun software shit.”
Alex left the room, and gestured to the other side. “I’m sure you’re familiar with medical over there. Let’s do us both a favor and not have to go there much. Otherwise I’m pretty sure Kyshe will gut me.” He didn’t stop to show her inside, and they reached the main staircase. “The back half of the ship on this deck is all propulsion access and maintenance. I’m more or less our damage control guy, along with Ji and Min. For them it’s because they’re smart as shit and for me it’s because I had to learn how to maintain my own ship. Most common damage out here is stray micro meteors or debris while we’re parked and the particle shields are down. Sometimes worn out components inside. Again, no EVA for you so the only thing you’ll need to worry about for DC is being an assistant to one of us while we fix shit.”
They went up the stairwell to the uppermost of the three floors. “There used to be an observation bubble above us, but I had it removed because it was useless. Even if I covered it with ablative plating it was a massive wart on top of the ship that served zero practical purpose. Anyway, the top floor here is where you’ll spend 90% of your time on the ship. Back here…” Alex started walking to the rear of the ship, and walked through a large open doorway. “Mess hall. We generally have two kinds of meals here - when we’re on long deployment, the food extruder over there can produce rations. They’re not amazing but they’re quick both to make and eat. It’ll also make reasonable meat and dairy substitutes. If you want a real meal though we usually keep the good stuff in deep freeze so it takes a fair amount of time to be ready. Other than that the bev dispenser is over there. Water and various juices on tap all the time, alcohol is restricted only to meals only. We all get together for breakfast and dinner though, since it’s just a good way to socialize. Tonight expect a big meal in celebration.”
He walked out of the mess, and opened a door to a large open area. “Rec room. Not used a whole lot because most of us use haptic suits for exercise and recreation but we don’t have a suit that’ll fit you or your wings, so I want you to be in here twice a week at least. Ma’et is a great partner for any exercise that doesn’t involve fighting, unless you like bruises in which case she’ll happily go a few rounds with gloves on. Pilots don’t get the level of exercise you’re used to on the planet working fields so exercise up here will be pretty damn vital.”
She looked around the room, then hurried to catch up to the captain as he walked out. “On the other side of the hall from the Mess is general storage. Cleaning supplies, a small laundry unit if the one in your room quits working, random odds and ends. Also a few extra bunks just in case we need them. Unfortunately I am going to have to have you spend one night in here while we get your room cleaned up and ready for you.” He walked in, and over to one of the walls. “Bunk folds down from here. Looks, uh…” He glanced at the fold-down bed and back at Trix. “Looks tight. Do me a favor and see if you’re gonna be OK there?”
It was very close, but Trix laid down on the sleeping pad and adjusted until she found a good comfortable spot. “For just one night, this will do…”
“Alright, no worries then. We’ll have your room ready quick as we can.” She got off the pad and Alex gestured for her to follow. “Quarters themselves are here, 4 on either side of the main hallway. Myself, Josh, Ma’et, and Amanda on the right in that order. Ji, Min, Your quarters, and the last was converted into a mechanical room for Par. Speaking of…”
He walked into the last room and knocked on a large hatch. “Par, would it be alright if I introduced our newest shipmate?”
“Of course, Captain.” The hatch slid silently open revealing a large, intricate array. Circuit boards were laid out in rows and wires ran between them in perfectly neat, ordered channels. In the center of it all was a large oblong egg-looking object. “Trix, may I present to you Parathanelias Sigma-822.”
Several rows of lights lit up along the side of the egg, and the pleasant musical voice she’d heard so often came from a small speaker alongside it. “It is a pleasure to meet you in person, Trksehnoarala.”
Trix stared at the open hatch then gestured behind her. “I thought you were in those floating metal balls…?”
“The spheres you mention are my remotes. None of them are large enough to house my primary systems. In a way, they are my eyes, ears, and limbs. My true nature is integration here within the ship itself, and I make up for my limited mobility in person by having the greatest mobility of any other member of the crew.”
“He also has an avatar in VR of an organic human, but most of the time he uses the floating spheres to interact with us and the rest of the world. His core,” Alex gestured to the egg-like central object, “houses his base personality and his most important memories. The rest of this is extra storage for less critical information. I’m a bit jealous because his most important memories will always be preserved forever in perfect clarity. The rest of us get to have our memories fade with time, but his will be eternal.”
Alex stood there mutely for a moment then shook his head. “Anyway. Back to the tour. Thanks Par!”
“My pleasure.” The hatch slid silently shut and Alex and Trix left the room. “This room has been empty for long enough I pretty much gave it over to Ji and Min for a long while.” Alex walked into the room next to Par’s. “It’s kind of a mess but we’re going to get it cleaned up then it’ll be yours.”
There was no bed in the room, and the tables against the walls were covered with electronics and quickboards. In the center of the room, a huge metal contraption was spread out. Eight large jointed legs were wired in to a big central circular turret. Above that, a multitude of ‘limbs’ extended out - one a large grasper with clawed metal fingers, another ending with an odd cone-shaped implement with a blackened tip. A third was a huge metal pipe jutting out, and a fourth looked to be a number of small openings to place something into.
Trix gestured to it, “What is THAT thing?”
“That’s the Spider. It’s a long-time project the Twins have been working on. Pretty much since they joined the crew, really. It was meant to be a mechanical walker for the military but… well, that’s their story to tell.” Alex snorted. “There’s going to be enough time to go into the details later. Point is, before we even start leaving the system we’re gonna move this out, get a full king sized bed in here for you, some more storage, and so on. That door,” He gestured to a door on the other side of the room, “Leads to a hygiene unit. Full on shower, no bath but if you want to soak the Pool’s down a floor. Aside from no tub it has a deluxe toilet, sink, and a small cleaning unit for clothes.”
Trix cautiously stepped around the large disassembled robot, and opened the door to peer inside. The hygiene unit was much larger than she’d expected, and she was grateful to see that most of the facilities was familiar to her.
“Okay, one last stop and it’s the most important.” Alex walked out into the hallway and Trix rushed to catch up, almost tripping as she hopped over a piece of scrap cable along the floor. “I’m sure this will become your second home on the ship real fast. The bridge.”
They walked down the hall through a small access corridor into a large, wide open space. A large chair sat in the center with a number of controls and articulating arms present on the back. In front of it, a number of control panels were arranged in rows. The front of the bridge and both sides were dominated by massive window screens that showed the area the ship was currently facing. She could see one screen to the side with a display showing Kiveyt, first as a small dot with a zoomed-in and blown up image next to it.
“The door back there in the corner leads to a briefing room, nothing special there but a table and chairs. The big chair in the middle is mine, but if you ask super nicely I’ll let you sit in it.” Alex grinned, and pointed at the console in the very center of the bridge, in front of the Captain’s chair. “But that station over there is primary navigation. Josh is there quite a lot of the time, though just as often I navigate from the Captain’s Chair or Ma’et controls the ship from her neural interface. As of now, though, I bequeath ownership of it unto you - for the next few weeks, at least.”
Trix walked around the bridge staring at everything. The control consoles were smooth, rounded and sleek in their presentation. Each one had a large keyboard in front covered with the strange runes of the Humans’ language. Various other instruments and implements were present at each station, but at hers she smiled gratefully to see that the keys had already changed and had more familiar and recognizable letters in place of the Humans odd script. The layout was definitely weird, and she knew it was going to take time and effort to grow accustomed but at the very least she would be able to understand what she was doing as she learned. Even better, the seat lacked the same high back that the other seats had, which would have been pressed tightly and uncomfortably against her wings.
She glanced back at Alex, who just nodded at her. Encouraged, she took a seat and glanced around. “This is mine.” She whispered it and then let her wings spread out with pleasure as she realized that from here, from this station, she would be the one personally controlling the entire massive vehicle behind her. It lacked the flight stick of the shuttle or the handle controls of her aircar, and in a way she felt disappointed she wouldn’t be able to manually control the ship the same way she could the smaller vehicles. But as she looked around her and rested her hands on the cool surface of the console, she felt something else. A thrill of anticipation at the thought of being the one in control of this massive ship and everyone inside of it.
Alex climbed several steps up to the captain’s chair on its elevated dais, and took a seat directly behind her. The sight of a winged alien in front of him at the nav console with the stars stretching out above and beyond her was a strange one, but a pleasant one. He tried to think of a witty quip to finish the tour with, but failing that he settled for a much simpler one instead.
“Welcome aboard, Pilot.”
—--
“Okay, before we get started, I believe that this is a special occasion warranting a toast.” Alex sat at the head of the large table at the mess, with the other six organic members of the crew assembled further down. “To our new pilot trainee!”
“Here Here!” “To Trix!” “To our Trainee!”
Alex took a sip of his whisky, and sighed in pleasure. “God that hits the spot. Okay everyone, dig in.”
The dinner was an odd affair, mostly because every single member was wearing their visor. Trix could not speak English, and the crew couldn’t speak her native tongue. Masks which would automatically translate couldn’t be worn during a meal so the solution was to have real-time speech to text appearing on everyone’s visor. Trix, who never had worn a visor before, had a difficult time getting the display to appear just right in front of her eyes but she and Par had gotten it dialed in.
Trix glanced at the array of food in front of her. Some items looked familiar, others completely foreign, and none of it smelled quite right. She gestured to the food. “None of this is from Kiveyt. Is it safe for me to eat it?”
“I went through our entire comestible database while we were on the planet. Surprisingly there’s almost no Terran food you can’t eat.” Josh had a massive burrito nearly as long as Ma’et’s arm on the plate in front of him, and he spoke while dabbing hot sauce over it. “All of our Macronutrients are completely interchangeable. Most Micronutrients are as well. There’s a few exotic vitamins and amino acids that you need that we can’t provide, but we have supplements from the planet that’ll handle those.”
“Oh.” Trix glanced around at the table, trying to decide what to eat. The spread was, per Alex’s suggestion, extremely large and quite diverse. “I’m not sure where to start then.”
Min picked up a large platter with a circular dish on it. “Far as I’m concerned the best place to start is with Pizza. It’s one of the most widely loved foods throughout Terran space.” She dumped a slice onto the plate in front of Trix, while Ji slid a very tall glass of water over to her, alongside an odd reddish looking beverage.
“Give the fruit punch a try too. It’s much more sweet than the juice you were serving down on the planet. A lot more mild too.” He suggested, and gestured to another plate. “Also? Tacos are never a bad choice.”
Trix reached out and picked up one of the odd, semi-circular items. Ji grabbed one as well, and bit into it with gusto. Trix mimicked the motion, crunching into the hard shell. It was quite interesting, tasteless at first as she bit into the shell and the lettuce, but then the spiced meat hit her tongue. It was quite mild but not unpleasant. She chewed on it and gulped down a mouthful. “Not bad.” She took another bite.
The taco vanished quickly, and she glanced down at the slice of Pizza next. “Like this, Trix.” Min gestured to pick it up by the crust, putting her fingers in front of it to prevent it from flopping down. Trix followed Min’s example, and took a huge bite. This one was even milder, almost disappointingly so. “Not much flavor to this one. Is all your food really light like this?”
The humans glanced around at that. “Y’know, Sophie mentioned our rations were tasteless. They have a pretty strong cinnamon taste to ‘em.” Alex sat back thoughtfully as he nursed the glass of whisky in his hand. “The food we had down on the planet was all pretty strong flavors…”
Josh handed the bottle of hot sauce in his hand over to Trix. “Try a dab of this. It adds a kick to some foods.”
Trix took the bottle, and put a few drops of it on the slice of pizza in front of her. She took another bite, and her eyes lit up. The next few bites all had more hot sauce each, and the crust itself ended up practically drenched in it. “Thanks, Josh. That was delicious.”
The rest of the crew was staring at her and she shrunk back slightly at their intense scrutiny. Had she done something wrong? She hadn’t ever offended them during any meals back on the planet, so the sudden shift in attention was jarring and quite uncomfortable.
Ji whistled at the sight of the alien hungrily wofling down the slice of pizza covered in bright spicy sauce. “Here, try some of that on a taco next!” He picked up another shell and offered it to her.
Trix reached out and took the taco, this time pouring a hefty amount of sauce on it. Eating this one was much messier, and she could feel the hot sauce dribbling down the side of her mouth as she took a huge bite. Min handed her a paper towel, and she embarrassedly wiped away the errant food. “Thanks, Min. That was great too, Ji.”
“Hold up.” Alex stood up and walked over to one of the cupboards, pulling out another bottle of sauce. “I’m curious now. This is a lot hotter than the sauce you’ve been trying thus far. See if it’s to your liking. Just, start with a very small amount. A little goes a LONG way.” He walked back to the table, placing the bottle next to Trix. She studied it briefly, mostly the logo - a caricature of a human whose head appeared to be on fire.
“Um, Okay. Should I try it with the Pizza or the Taco?” She glanced between the two dishes she’d already tried. “Either one. Whichever you prefer.” was Alex’s reply.
Trix reached out and grabbed a third Taco, opening up the bottle. Immediately she could smell the fragrant sauce within, and she carefully poured a small amount into the shell. She cautiously took a bite and chewed thoughtfully.
“Too hot?” Alex suggested, but she shook her head. “No. Just…” She poured more sauce on the taco, and ate the rest in only a few bites. “Whew. Sorry, Captain Alexander. That was incredible! I’ve never tasted anything like it before.”
“Captain Alexander just sounds weird. Call me Alex or Al. Or ‘Captain’ if you really, really need to use my rank for whatever reason.” Alex sat down, and chuckled. “But that’s interesting. Very, very interesting. That sauce there?” He gestured towards the bottle. “It’s made with a chemical called ‘Capsaicin’. To humans it’s a powerful spice. Too much of it causes a painful burning sensation that lingers. We normally dilute it to make it more palatable and less painful.”
Trix glanced at the bottle. “I guess that explains the fire on the little picture here.” She grabbed another slice of the pizza, and drizzled the sauce on top.
“Three tacos and two slices of pizza?” Ma’et was impressed as she saw how much food the Avian was packing away.
“The disadvantage of those muscular bodies.” Josh waved his hand towards Trix. “They require all the calories that a Human does and more. Back on the planet I learned their species used to be a lot smaller, but after developing animal husbandry and reliable sources of higher calorie foods they bulked up pretty quick.”
Trix, for her part, slicked off the second slice of pizza with gusto. She grabbed a fourth taco, and liberally poured the spicy sauce all over, before wolfing that down as well. She grabbed the fruit juice that Ji had offered her… the ‘punch’? And downed it almost as quickly.
“I hope after all this is over, we can buy some more of that sauce. I definitely want the others back at home to try it.” She licked her lips, and sighed with contentment. “This juice too. I like how sweet it is.”
“Birds are immune to Capsaicin.” Josh murmured softly, but it was picked up by the visor and translated perfectly. “I wonder what the chances are that space-birds would be too?”
—--
“Slide the jack under that joint there.” Trix did as instructed, wheeling the small hydraulic device under the ‘spider’s’ massive leg. “Great. Just gotta line up the leg with where the servos join in…” Ji and Min lifted the leg and immediately began connecting up cables and lines. After all the connections were made, Ji braced himself against the wall and shoved - hard - against the leg, firmly connecting the mechanical rotary joint into place.
“Okay, testing.” Min walked over to the console and began punching in codes. Like the other six limbs before it, this one shook slightly then began to flex, twist, and move around. “Range of motion is nominal. Motors are all showing peak. Locking joints and anchor bolt systems are green.”
Ji wiped off some sweat from his forehead, and leaned back against the wall. “I knew it was a mistake to work on it up here. At least if we put it in the hangar we could have lowered the gravity.”
“It would have been in the way during the rescue op, and we had enough shit going on then we didn’t need to add ‘reassemble a multi-ton walking modular platform’ to the list.” Min gestured with her head, not even glancing over at her brother. “Man up. Trix hasn’t even broken a sweat.”
“I don’t sweat.” Trix mumbled, as she stared at the massive machine. “This thing is crazy. Puts my car to shame.”
“Yeah, our pride and joy. Together we’ve spent decades refining it.” Min glanced over at Trix with a broad smile. “The modular bay on top has been my focus, while Ji’s been adjusting and perfecting the leg and motion systems.”
“What’s it for?”
“Well, right now it’s kind of in between intended uses.” Ji walked over to a large shelf and gestured to the assorted objects there. “With our original plans it was going to have a bunch of swappable options. Right now, it has short and long range assault armaments and a plasma cutter for breaching sealed doors. A basic military drone capable of adapting to all kinds of situations.”
Trix stared at the array of weapons in front of her. “So this is what the human military uses to fight with?”
“Nah.” Min set down the quickboard and walked over to the huge machine. “We envisioned it as a multi-purpose response unit. Capable of dropping in from outside the atmosphere an landing anywhere, going anywhere. Dealing with any situation that could possibly arise. It’s an all-terrain support mech and its modular nature would have made it able to respond to nearly any situation. And it was rejected by the military.”
“What? Why?”
Ji held up a hand and ticked off his fingers. “One, it’s more expensive to drop one of these than a squad of soldiers. Nevermind the fact that it can do 10 people’s worth of work without putting even a single person in danger. Two, it’s too big to be fired out of normal launchers. Adding new launchers to ships would have been a significant amount of work and cost that the navy wasn’t willing to foot the bill. Three, we didn’t have any money after developing it. Meaning we couldn’t bribe anyone in the government into pressuring the military to work with us.”
“Four, they already have hover tanks and artillery and we couldn’t convince them that our system was superior to those.” Min sighed, and threw herself into a chair.
“Hovering is cheating though.” Ji glared at his sister.
“Cheating? What?” Trix just looked bewildered at this.
“Hovering isn’t all-terrain. Hovering is NO terrain.”
“Oh.” Trix took a seat in a nearby chair herself. “So did the captain buy this then?”
“Nope. See, we were finishing up Uni and started developing the Spider, but we didn’t really have the money to actually MAKE one. We had all the plans and all the research on our side but not the raw materials or the money to get those raw materials.” Ji pulled out a stick of gum and popped it in his mouth. “At first we tried going straight to the military which was a huge mistake, they just made a million excuses and told us to get lost. Then we tried approaching some weapon dev companies for funding. They basically told us they’d fund it in exchange for all the rights to production and we’d get whatever they felt was fair. Which when we pressed on a figure, wasn’t much.”
Trix glanced over at the massive mech. “But it got made, obviously.”
“Yup. When we weren’t sure what to do, a buddy of ours mentioned that Al was looking for an engineering team. We can do starship engineering.” Min grabbed the quickboard and extended one of the spider’s legs towards her, so she could kick her feet up on it. “Matter of fact, this ship’s a thing of beauty. Al is a complete doofus but he takes fantastic care of the ship. When we came on we gave him a list of everything that should change. He sat down with us, went over it point by point, and even though it ended up costing over half a million credits he gave us full authorization to make every single change we suggested.”
“So after we did a stint working as engineers we joined up as crew.” Ji had an odd smile on his face. “Since then, we’ve put the money we made from working here towards building this thing. We actually had it completed but then I had this idea of using an array of microservo actuators instead of a larger servo to give us a lot more fine control over the joints. That didn’t work, like, at all but when we used a combination of them we managed to find just the right ratio that gives us twice the amount of precision in each joint, which lets us use the-”
“ANYWAY.” Min interrupted her Brother before he could get too deep into the weeds. “We had it built, with the original armaments we envisioned, but Al suggested making a module for mining and sampling. We brought it in here in order to disassemble it to make the servo adjustments and while we were at it we were going to be replacing the actual weapons with a mining beam, core sample collector, and an array of sensors. Now though we’re going to put it in storage for a while. We got much more important things to take care of now.”
“Oh.” Trix had begun to tune Ji out when he launched into his diatribe. “But what do you mean joined up as crew? You were already crew, weren’t you?”
Min swung her foot down, and gestured to the ship. “It’s different. There’s employees… and then there’s crew. Right now you’re an employee. You’re working with us, you’re out here, but your home’s back with your Teff. Right?”
Trix nodded.
“Well, when you’re crew… this is your home. We’re all family out here. I don’t know as much about the whole Teff thing but I think it’s sort of similar. This ship’s our home, the crew is our family. Alex may be a childish idiot but he’s loyal to his crew like nothing else.” Min stood up and walked over to put her hand on her brother’s shoulder. “When we worked here and started to see how well he treats his people, we felt like we could really belong here. He asked if we’d like to join up, so we did. Best decision we ever made.”
“Yup. He treats the crew as well as he treats the ship.” Ji gestured around him. “Working for him paid well. Working as crew, we don’t get paid regularly but we get a cut out of every mission and that cut is HUGE. That’s how we could afford to actually build the spider in the first place.”
“Ah. So if he invited me along, does that mean he wants me to join the crew too?” Trix wasn’t sure how she felt about that. Joining another family was commonplace for males who left their Teff to join others, but incredibly rare for females.
“Dunno. He’s hired on specialists in the past who’ve come and gone. And he’s invited people to join up who said no and that was that.” Ji shrugged and pressed the release on the hydraulic press, letting it collapse down. “C’mon, we should get the last leg attached. Then we can pack it up and use a grav collar to move it down to the hangar. Don’t want to make you stay in that cramped storage room again tonight.”
“Yeah, I tried to stretch my wings in the morning and I banged up against one of the shelves. Really not looking forward to that again.” Trix grumbled at the memory, and stood up. “Okay, what more do we need done to get this over with?”
—--

Dear All, I would just like to seek some advice on what I should do next regarding my current situation.
For context, last March 2018 I signed a contract for a Pre-Selling House and Lot from the Big C Developer. The property was handed over to us on February of 2019. Prior hand over, a punch listing of issues was done together with an engineer representative of the developer. Punch items included a minor crack on the slab of the 2nd floor which was repaired(patched with filler and paint) prior the acceptance.
Five years later(last quarter of 2023), the same crack on the slab resurfaced and was worse than what it used to be during the punch listing. Three five peso coin stacked up can be inserted to the crack. We also noticed that the tiles on the 2nd floor also cracked andsome tiles loosened from the tile adhesive. A visible thin line crack was also visible from the beam supporting the 2nd floor slab. The steel deck beneath the slab also corroded and in now also loose from the slab.
Upon consultation with some Civil Engineer friends and some persons who knows structures, they advised me to write a letter demanding the developer for action regarding the house. They told me that the house is crooked and unsafe for us to live in.
I wrote a letter to the developer stating the condition of the house which by the way was already fully paid some time in September 2023. Three days later, the developer sent a crew headed by their structural engineer to inspect the house. The engineer told me that the concrete mixture used was not up to standard. The crew who took sample from the slab and beam said " Sir, mas mastigas pa yung plastering kesa sa mismong buhos"
"Mukhang buhanging dagat po ang ginamit dito kaya nagkaganito, may maliliit pa po akong shell na nakita sa tinipak namin semento."
Another guy who took sample from the 2nd floor said "Sir, mas matigas pa yung dry pack ng tiles kesa sa buhos ng slab"
The concrete mixture indeed was porous contrary to what supposed to be a very hard concrete mixture intended to be used on slabs, beams and columns.
The column and beam of the house was also taken sample and the same consistency of concrete was found a porous concrete just like on the slab.
As of now, only the slab and the beam have visible cracks, the columns were OK but since the same consistency of a porous concrete was found, I doubt that it would last and maybe the rebars on the column will eventually corrode given that buhanging dagat ang ginamit. The structural engineer who inspected our house recommended to their office that the entire house be demolished and a new house be constructed.
The big C developer engineer said that I have the right to demand because there is a 10 year warranty on structural components of the house(column, beam, slab). The big C developer transferred us to a temporary unsold house on the next block.
Here comes now my dilemma, The mere fact that the Big C developer transferred us to a temporary house is for me considered as their admission of liability considering the 10 year warranty of the slab, beam and column. Also considering the undeniability that the concrete used in slab, beam and column was not up to standard. But the office superior only wants to reconstruct only the slab of the house contrary to the recommendation of the structural engineer. They only want to repair the slab and beam even though there is an undeniable fact that the concrete on the column was also not up to standard.
Please, I need some advice here guys. No one in their sound mind would accept a house like this. I have no intent of gaining any money from this but I just want to demand the proper house I paid for, the house the developer promised to deliver.
Gusto ko lang naman ang peace of mind sa bahay na pinangarap namin at pinaghirapan bayaran. Gusto ko lang naman maibigay sa amin ang bahay na nararapat akma sa aming binayaran. Ayaw kong tanggapin ang repair lamang ng slab gayong nalalaman naming depektibo rin ang mga poste nito.
Sana matulungan nyo ako kung anong aksyon ang nararapat kong gawin.

I was born in 1964. My non-biological father was infertile and I was conceived through artificial insemination. I found out about this at 25, but let it go for decades until recently sending in DNA tests for me and my mom while she's still around.
23 and me shows that I have two sets of 1st cousins once removed on my father's side and that I share 13.5%-14% of DNA with one set of cousins and 6.25% of DNA with the other set. I messaged the 14% cousins, but they haven't replied and I maybe started out with too long and detailed a letter and scared them off.
The 6.25% cousins have the same paternal haplogroup as me and I had thought that their grandfather was a half-brother to my father and that the grandparent of my 14% cousins was my father's full sibling and that that accounted for the different amounts of DNA that I share with the 2 sets of cousins.
But, I just Googled to see how much DNA you share with a 1st cousin once removed and see that it is SUPPOSED to be 6.25%. That means that something additional is accounting for me sharing 14% DNA with the other two people,
I have a cousin on my mother's side who had sent in multiple samples and created different 23 and me accounts and it was showing them as being sisters, even though they were all the same person.
Now, I just had a realization that although the 23 and me family tree is showing the 13-14% paternal relatives as being the grandsons of my father's sibling, it could be that my father is actually their grandfather, not their grandparent's brother. 14% shared DNA is too high for a first cousin once removed, but if my father is their grandfather and their mother is my half-sister (has to be their mother since we have different paternal haplotypes), then 13%-14% shared DNA is exactly what it should be.
Does anyone who has experience with this stuff have any feedback on this? It seems like I'm on the right track, but I could be missing something.
Thanks.

I'm stressed out that my GP won't include all the information needed in the evidence letter. I have to request it through their online surgery system and have a limit of 500 characters. I find it difficult to be concise. Are there any stock samples I can use? And where would I find them?