Well i've already been typed as infp 6w7 but I've recently been pondering whether it's really something that fits me so I wanted to get other people's opinions on my typing.
• How old are you? What's your gender? Give us a general description of yourself.
— I'm 19 years old and identify as non-binary (he/they pronouns). I am extremely extra, I am eccentric, I love alternative styles, I love arts in all its forms, I am extremely sentimental, I can be considered strange to many, I talk too much, I seem extroverted around introverts and I seem introverted around other extroverts, I get tired easily in social situations, so I always prefer to talk more via cell phone or computer. I'm very extreme and I can end up feeling very angry, very happy or very sad out of nowhere, I usually try to be kind but I can be rude or insensitive if I'm very angry, I'm a person who really likes to fight for causes aimed at minorities since I'm from several minority groups, I hate injustice, I'm very stubborn and I don't like being contradicted while I always try to be someone who takes various arguments into account.
• Is there a medical diagnosis that may impact your mental stability somehow?
— I'm autistic, adhd, i have gad (generalized anxiety disorder) and i might also have depression.
• Describe your upbringing. Did it have any kind of religious or structured influence? How did you respond to it?
— I grew up in a Christian family, which hurt me a lot when I got older since my family's religion is against my existence as a queer person, and it took them a long time to admit that I needed psychological help and things like that. It's difficult to leave my roots but in the end I ended up stopping believing in my parents' religion after everything I went through.
• What do you do as a job or as a career (if you have one)? Do you like it? Why or why not?
— I'm studying animation design at college, it's one of my passions and I really enjoy learning about the topics, I just hate the structure of taking exams and tests.
• If you had to spend an entire weekend by yourself, how would you feel? Would you feel lonely or refreshed?
— I would feel crazy, insane. I need the company of some people close to me to regulate myself and talk about things I like, being alone makes me feel empty and strange. So yeah i would feel lonely.
• What kinds of activities do you prefer? Do you like, and are you good at sports? Do you enjoy any other outdoor or indoor activities?
— I'm terrible at sports and I hate them, my motor coordination is horrible. I prefer indoor activities because there is less chance of me overloading myself with something (example: feeling unwell because of the sun, heat, etc.)
• How curious are you? Do you have more ideas then you can execute? What are your curiosities about? What are your ideas about - is it environmental or conceptual, and can you please elaborate?
— I'm very curious, I love discovering new things, I have a lot of ideas at terrible times (in the middle of the night) and I really end up getting disorganized with the amount of things I think about. My ideas and curiosity are generally focused on creative processes like creating characters, universes, stories, but it can also simply be focused on a topic of interest to me (hyperfocuses / special interests). These are things that end up being more of a concept because I'm terrible at executing my ideas.
• Would you enjoy taking on a leadership position? Do you think you would be good at it? What would your leadership style be?
— I don't like being the leader of projects and things like that for the simple fact that I'm not good at handling responsibilities, so I prefer to just execute some order, my problem is that I also really like doing things MY way so it's a bit contradictory. However, in the moments when I have had to be a leader (I was forced to since my colleagues didn't want to do anything) I haven't been a bad leader, I research the project topics and let people choose their topics to present.
• Are you coordinated? Why do you feel as if you are or are not? Do you enjoy working with your hands in some form? Describe your activity?
— I'm not good at being organized or at things that involve motor coordination. For example, it took me decades to be able to tie my shoe laces, know which direction is right or left and I keep forgetting important dates. I don't like using my hands to do activities because they shake a lot and so I'm always horrible at things that involve using my hands. The only things I think I'm good at are playing games and drawing, and even then, drawing is an extreme challenge since I always put a lot of pressure on the pencil when I'm drawing or writing.
• Are you artistic? If yes, describe your art? If you are not particular artistic but can appreciate art please likewise describe what forums of art you enjoy. Please explain your answer.
— Yes, art is something that I have loved since I was young because of the fact that I can express my creativity, ideas and feelings. I've always been passionate about cartoons so my drawing style is very cartoony. I really like seeing fanart from media that I love, but I also love seeing old paintings, especially from Roman and Greek times. I not only like drawing and painting, but I also love art in general. I love cinema, theater, books, sculptures, etc. One day I want to know how to write very well and be able to make books or even draw well enough to be able to make a cartoon. I want to be able to share the comfort I experience by seeing art that makes me feel happy and represented by doing something that also makes people happy through my art.
• What's your opinion about the past, present, and future? How do you deal with them?
— I have some regrets from the past, but in general I was more "normal" and happy back then, I wouldn't change anything because I follow the idea that my mistakes and successes made me who I am today. As for my present, I try to make the most of it but I'm not going to lie that I'm not a big fan of my current state, I feel a bit useless and very behind compared to most people I know my age so I end up preferring to think more about the future and how things will get better later. At the same time that I really appreciate some current moments of my present, like being able to play with my girlfriend most days, this makes me very happy.
• How do you act when others request your help to do something (anything)? If you would decide to help them, why would you do so?
— I like helping people, sometimes I even try to help people who didn't ask for my help if they are people I really like (I may end up being seen as inconvenient because of this). I always want to be able to help everyone, but currently because of my mood I may end up not being very helpful as my mental health is not the best, even so, I always try to be very patient and friendly with people who are going through difficult times, even when sometimes I just want to be left alone and I'm not in the mood to help anyone, especially because I know what it's like to be in a bad place and i don't want people to feel rejected.
• Do you need logical consistency in your life?
— I'm very sentimental and I often don't think very logically BUT in arguments and other serious situations I need people to use logic and proven arguments just like i do in those situations so that the debate or serious situation isn't just a bunch of nonsense. I am a sentimental person, but to develop some thought, I need logical arguments
• How important is efficiency and productivity to you?
— In general, I think it's very important, but I personally can't be productive and efficient since I have a lot of executive dysfunction. I KNOW it's important but I can't be like that.
• Do you control others, even if indirectly? How and why do you do that?
— I like things to be my way but I don't really think I control people? I always impose my opinions a lot but I don't really control people.
• What are your hobbies? Why do you like them?
— I like games, reading books, role-playing, drawing and even trying to write books. I really like fantasy things. It seems more fun than my reality and I like to distract myself from real life things.
• What is your learning style? What kind of learning environments do you struggle with most? Why do you like/struggle with these learning styles? Do you prefer classes involving memorization, logic, creativity, or your physical senses?
— I like learning things when they involve what I like or at least are more interactive and I hate math, chemistry and physics btw. I have a lot of difficulty with classes in subjects that require a lot of memorization, I prefer things that are relative and interpretative like arts and literature and I really like classes that involve creativity. I also hate classes where the teacher just talks and talks and talks and doesn't do anything interactive and fun. I generally prefer to study at home for very short periods of time because I learn easier alone and study very briefly because I have difficulty studying for long periods of time.
• How good are you at strategizing? Do you easily break up projects into manageable tasks? Or do you have a tendency to wing projects and improvise as you go?
— I'm terrible at planning things, I usually do things at the last minute and I improvise a lot.
• What are your aspirations in life, professionally and personally?
— I think I get a lot of inspiration from artists I like, such as Rebecca Sugar, Tyler Joseph and others. They are very creative people who do things that I really like (I love Steven Universe, which Rebecca Sugar created, and I love Twenty One Pilots, which is the band where Tyler Joseph is the lead singer).
• What are your fears? What makes you uncomfortable? What do you hate? Why?
— My biggest fears are being alone, because it's scary not having anyone who understands you and who supports you and loves you, and being a burden to the people I love, because I don't want to be an extremely dependent and useless person and disappoint the people I love.
• What do the "highs" in your life look like?
— These are the days when I feel excited to do things and I can be productive doing everything I need in my routine as well as doing my hobbies and being able to relax.
• What do the "lows" in your life look like?
— These are the days when I feel sad, empty and discouraged, I can't do my routine tasks and I force myself to do them anyway in an extremely bad mood, my hobbies may even distract me on those days but it will be a strange feeling as if I'm not really excited to do what I like and I'm just distracting myself from my problems.
• How attached are you to reality? Do you daydream often, or do you pay attention to what's around you? If you do daydream, are you aware of your surroundings while you do so?
— Ah, I don't have much attachment to reality and I prefer fantasy things, I constantly get caught up in my own thoughts and I prefer to create happy fantasy situations so I don't deal with my real problems. I'm also pretty distracted in general so regardless of whether I'm fantasizing or not I end up missing a lot of details and dissociating
• Imagine you are alone in a blank, empty room. There is nothing for you to do and no one to talk to. What do you think about?
— I would probably try to distract myself by thinking about things I like or talking to myself, depending on if the day was bad I would eventually end up thinking a lot about my personal problems and becoming depressed.
• How long do you take to make an important decision? And do you change your mind once you've made it?
— I'm very slow and indecisive when it comes to choosing things, I always want to gather as much information about each option in my mind or by researching on the internet about it and then I always end up between multiple options and changing my mind several times until I arrive at a concrete result.
• How long do you take to process your emotions? How important are emotions in your life?
— Some of my emotions may be processed much later than they should have been processed or simply be different from what people usually have. For example, I'm not very good at dealing with grief and I end up not showing the sadness that my other relatives do, but generally I feel my emotions in a very extreme and volatile way. I feel happy for very silly things and when I'm happy I'm VERY HAPPY and I get sad very easily and when I get sad I get VERY SAD.
• Do you ever catch yourself agreeing with others just to appease them and keep the conversation going? How often? Why?
— Yes. I really like demonstrating my opinions and being authentic, it's a very important thing for me, but even so, I sometimes end up just remaining silent or agreeing with something that I don't really agree with because I'm too afraid of being hated and I generally want everyone to like me, even people I'm not very close to. However, I can also be a person with very strong opinions and be very stubborn about what I believe in if it is something linked to social issues or linked to things that I REALLY like.
• Do you break rules often? Do you think authority should be challenged, or that they know better? If you do break rules, why?
— I break rules that I believe don't make sense, if it's something that I think makes sense I'll follow that rule, but if it's stupid and I don't understand why I have to follow it I'll probably break the rule. I've also never been a person who understands authorities, for me anyone has the right to question something if it's not a useful or logical rule. I agree that rules are important but that they can be adapted, eliminated and added if necessary for people.

Video Guide

TL;DW:

It's about that time of year again. Every so often, we add another 1000 or so people to this subreddit and many of them want to fly with a wingman but aren't sure how to accomplish that.
Despite my best efforts to explain it just about everywhere I can find places for text, the message doesn't get through to everyone.
So, after neglecting it for a LONG time, I finally sat down to just make a whole ass video dedicated to finding a wingman to fly Sim with.
Flying with a buddy on comms can turn a good night of flying into a GREAT night of flying. Being saved by your friend is an awesome feeling, only really surpassed by being able to return the favor!
Unfortunately, Reddit is not a great tool for live interactions. It is simply too slow, operating in the realm of hours; but you need somebody to fly with NOW!
So, we have a Discord
You might hear people calling this the "WingalingDragon" discord... but I assure you, it doesn't belong to me. I may have built it, and I might manage it... but I didn't make it to serve my selfish purposes. I built it for YOU! It is OUR Discord.
The Discord requires no membership, registration, following commitment, nor for you to be in a squadron. I refuse all monetization and sponsorship efforts. I have also removed my name from the server to remove any sense of bias or fandom.
Users from all over WT who enjoy Sim find themselves there, because it is the largest single Discord for WarThunder Sim... and if you're looking for people who want to fly with a mic... that is where most of them are!
But how do you get to flying with them?

THERE IS A "LOOKING FOR GROUP" (LFG) FUNCTION!

The Discord itself doesn't subscribe to the usual "mass notifications" of other servers. I will never @everyone you. EVERYTHING IS OPT-IN ONLY!!!
This means if you want to hear notifications of people forming groups to fly... all you've got to do is head to the #lfg-roles-looking-for-group section and select the appropriate roles that fit your need.
You aquire these roles by reacting to the appropriate category that matches what you want to do!
There is all sorts of stuff (ground Sim, air Sim, IL2, DCS, etc... and more can always be added if the community wants it!)
Once you have the roles, you're free to use them to shout out into the ether. This will allow tons of other users, who have also opted-in, to hear your call and respond.
Just don't spam the roles, please! (This annoys people and degrades the system for everyone)

Listen for LFG calls!

However you want to do this. I've got discord on my phone with notifications. So I get a little message everytime somebody makes a call. I'm not always available to fly... but when I am, I try to hop in with them. So if you see other users flying... don't hesitate to jump in!
But what if nobody is flying or the people flying aren't doing what you want to do?
Just send out your own LFG call to the server and describe what you're after!

Okay, I made an LFG call... now what?

This next step is HYPER-CRITICAL. You have to make it super easy for people to find you... you do that by making yourself available.
CREATE YOUR OWN VOICE CHANNEL!
The discord can host an unlimited amount of Voice Channels. It expands and contracts in real time based on demand.
To create a voice channel, you simply go to the game category that you're playing (WT, IL2, DCS) and click the

HUB - Join to create

This will force our bot to open your voice channel and move you into it. Once that is done, the bot will also make you the moderator of your voice channel. This means YOU ARE THE BOSS!
You can set the rules in your VC however you see fit. Want to limit the users? Force Push to talk? Make yourself a priority speaker? Kick somebody out if they're being annoying? Whatever... up to you. If it is your VC, you're in charge.
If people don't like your VC, they can leave and make their own VC.
Once you've made a VC and sent a LFG call, you simply give our community time to hear and respond. Remember that it takes time for people to boot up their PCs, patch their game, hook up their VR headsets... so don't expect people to jump in instantly. Just get to flying and hang out in your VC while you wait for a wingman.
The more people we get familiar with LFG and signed up, and the more users we have using the system correctly... the better it works for everyone!
Keep in mind that not everyone will have your aircraft, nation, or tier... so if you're having trouble finding people to fly something super specific... try to be flexible with your LFG calls.
"I'm flying EC8 right now, but I'll fly whatever you want. I just want to fly with a wingman"
Stuff like that will go a long way toward getting people to show up!
After you've had your fun and are ready to Hangar your planes for the night... simply disconnect from the VC and the bot will come behind you after a minute to clean up and close down all the empty VCs. So no need for you to do janitorial duty, it is all taken care of for you!
Another great way to find and meet the community is to show up to our regularly scheduled community events, held on our Event Discord
These are more causal custom games where we all just dick around in big ass formations and have a good time recreating history or amassing fantastic raids. That is our sister server, run by the familiar Krab_Nation. We are always looking for community input on events to build and fly... so if you have thoughts on that stuff, share them on the event discord!
That's about all there is to it. It's not terribly complicated, but it isn't common knowledge.

IF YOU SEE PEOPLE STRUGGLING TO FIND A FRIEND TO FLY WITH

Please take the time to explain the discord to them, or direct them to me so I can do so!
Let's face it guys... Sim is just more fun with a big group of people. The more people we can get flying together, the more fun we can all have.
Being able to create lobbies... or have awesome coordinated battles shouldn't be some streamer privilege... so I've worked really hard to give as many tools as I can to the community so that they can enjoy sorties the same way I do... with a sky FULL of like minded pilots who want to fly, fight, and win! EVERYONE has the power to get involved and watch somebody else's six. Don't fly alone!

TL;DR:

Go to Discord
Navigate to #lfg-role-looking-for-group
Select the tags that fit your needs.
Listen for other people calling out tags, and join their voice channels
Or
Send out a message mentioning the appropriate @LFG tag THEN create a voice channel by clicking
HUB - Join to create
This will force a bot to create a voice channel for you and the bot will move you into it.
Fly around while connected to voice channel and greet any new pilots who pop in to say hello.
Have fun!
^o7
-Dragon

I imported an image sequence and the applied it to a plan object in my viewport and everything worked out. however when I attempt to make a second image sequence to play on a separate plane all it displays is a blank white texture. I have used a different folder in the same directory for my new images and named all media player files separately so there is no confusion. It doesn’t matter what I name these files or what I do as soon as I create my material and apply the image sequence it only displays a blank white texture. If I start a new project I can create the new one in there but I cannot create more then one image sequence in the same project. I need help

Hi together,
NVIDIA just dropped their new driver, which introduces the explicit sync protocol.
CachyOS does already provide kwin, mutter (gnome) and xwayland patched for the explicit sync protocol.

Testing

We are planing to push the driver tomorrow, after some testing is done across various platforms, if you want to help testing, please run following command:
```
sudo pacman -U https://mirror.cachyos.org/nvidia/lib32-nvidia-utils-555.42.02-2-x86\_64.pkg.tar.zst https://mirror.cachyos.org/nvidia/lib32-opencl-nvidia-555.42.02-2-x86\_64.pkg.tar.zst https://mirror.cachyos.org/nvidia/nvidia-dkms-555.42.02-2-x86\_64.pkg.tar.zst https://mirror.cachyos.org/nvidia/nvidia-utils-555.42.02-2-x86\_64.pkg.tar.zst https://mirror.cachyos.org/nvidia/opencl-nvidia-555.42.02-2-x86\_64.pkg.tar.zst
```

Changelog

* The GSP firmware is now used by default on all GPUs which support it. It can be disabled by setting the kernel module parameter `NVreg_EnableGpuFirmware=0`. * Added support for the linux-drm-syncobj-v1 protocol for Wayland explicit sync in EGL. * Removed support for Base Mosaic on GeForce, which was previously available only on select GPU boards with some motherboards, and limited to five display devices. * Fixed a bug that caused "Failed to apply atomic modeset" and "Flip event timeout" messages to be printed to the system log when a DRM client such as ddcutil drops "master" permissions while a framebuffer console is being initialized. * Fixed a bug, when nvidia-drm is loaded with the fbdev=1 module parameter on some kernels, that caused incorrect colors to be displayed. * Changed the minimum required Linux kernel version from 3.10 to 4.15. * Added immediate presentation mode support to Vulkan Wayland WSI. This presentation mode instructs the compositors not to wait for a vertical blanking period to update the application's surface content, which may result in tearing. * Enabled HDMI 10 bits per component support by default; disable by loading nvidia-modeset with `hdmi_deepcolor=0`. * Fixed a regression that led to Xid errors when loading the NVIDIA driver on some notebook systems with RTX 4xxx series GPUs. * Fixed a bug that caused driver build failure when using separate kernel source and output directories on Linux v6.6 and later. * Added an interactive prompt to nvidia-installer to allow selecting between the proprietary and open kernel modules, on systems where both kernel module types are supported. * Fixed a bug that incorrectly allowed `nvidia-smi -r` to reset the primary GPU when using the open kernel modules. * Fixed a bug that caused vkGetPhysicalDeviceSurfaceSupportKHR to incorrectly report support for Wayland surfaces when nvidia-drm is not loaded with modeset=1. * Fixed a bug that could cause the display to lock up when suspending on a kernel with CONFIG_FRAMEBUFFER_CONSOLE_DEFERRED_TAKEOVER enabled with nvidia-drm loaded with modeset=1 and fbdev=1. * Added support for using EGL instead of GLX as the OpenGL ICD for NvFBC. * Fixed a bug that could lead to a system hang and "Idling display engine timed out" messages when VT switching on an HDMI Fixed Rate Link (FRL) display.

Hello everyone, Covenant, Wei, and Duodex here to go over the rest of our technology changes in this new Progress Report. We will go over the rest of the completed changes in each part of our tech trees and doctrines. There are some uncompleted sections that will be finished in a future version, but this will not have any impact on the gameplay. We will start by covering the small changes to trees already covered in Part 1 or trees that are very similar to vanilla.
The Infantry Tech Tree:
The infantry tree has one relatively major change since the last PR. We have decided that Mechanized equipment and Amtracs should be included in the infantry tree. Originally they were going to be in the tank tree back when we were considering making an NSB equivalent for the tanks but with the choice to only do base game tanks it made more sense to include the Mechanized in the infantry tree instead.
The Air Tech Tree:
The air tree has one small change since the last PR, we have moved scouts to be connected to air interceptors instead of as a subtech. Due to scout planes only being available with the La Resistance DLC we needed to add an alternate tech for players who didn't own LaR but this proved impossible in the old implementation. Instead we have attached them to the tree.
The Artillery Tech Tree:
The Artillery Tech tree is an expansion of the vanilla tree. This choice was made not out of laziness but because artillery, conventional anti-tank, and conventional anti-air guns did not develop that much between 1948-1964 OTL. With that in mind the Kalterkrieg artillery tree will be an extension/light modification of the vanilla tree to fit the timeline and that's it. Missile-based anti-air and anti-tank weapons are in the missiles tech tree instead of this one to not over complicate/confuse everything.
Electro-Mechanical Engineering Tree:
Much like the artillery tree the Electro-Mechanical Engineering Tree (or Electronics in game) will effectively be a time shifted version of the vanilla tree with one small change. The growing importance of aircraft and air warfare made us consider adding a tech related to air-traffic control as post-ww2 there were a number of developments in this field that came with the improvements in radio and radar technologies. The 1946, 1952, 1956, and 1960 radar technologies will have a technology connected to each named Air Control (4 in total) that will improve stats such as mission efficiency, accident chance and bad weather penalty.
There is also the rocketry tree that is on the right of the side. The original plan was to incorporate a space race mechanic to the later rocketry techs but instead of developing a half-assed mechanic or delaying release to finish it we have decided to leave it to the future. The early techs do however improve rocket artillery and are required to unlock the first missiles tech (much like vanilla).
Now let's cover tech that is quite different from vanilla…
Armour Tree:
The armour tree is not an extension of vanilla in any way and has two branches in it, Light Armour and Main Battle Tanks. The tanks in each also have subtechs to represent variants of these tanks with the light tanks having amphibious tanks as a subtech and the MBT’s have a subtech for Self-Propelled Anti-air and Self-Propelled Artillery. There are also a number of intermediate upgrade techs that improve certain stats.
There are 4 light tank models researchable, a 1945, 1948, 1952, and a 1960 model with each having an amphibious tank subtech. In between tank 2 and 3 and 4 there are gun and speed upgrades which improve soft attack and speed respectively.
For Main Battle tanks there are 3 models, (though the first model is considered a medium tank) a 1945, 1948 and 1960 model. Between 1948 and 1960 there are 2 upgrades for armor, gun and chassis as well as a general upgrade. The general upgrade is required before the 1960 model can be researched and the general upgrade requires at least both of one upgrade line be researched. Each MBT model has subtechs for SPAA and SPA/SPG which benefit from the upgrade techs.
Some of you may be wondering why there are no heavy tanks or tank destroyers. I assure you this was not a mistake but a conscious choice. We decided that both lost their use post-war and it would be useful to add each to the tech tree. While some heavy tanks were developed by the allied powers post WW2 they were very quickly made obsolete in favour of Main Battle Tanks. The same thing happened with Tank destroyers though they were also hampered by the creation of improved anti-tank weapons like RPGs.
Industry Tree:
While the industry tree is inspired by vanilla some explanation is required due to some effects used in the tree. There are 4 branches to the industry tree, Construction, Industry, Resources, and Oil.
The construction branch is simple. There are 4 techs that improve construction speed with 3 mutually exclusive choices in-between. The choice you make is between improving the land cultivation in a state or receiving improving the civilian economy in a random owned state. Due to some limitation with the engine the location of the factory is only shown in the hover tooltip and not the research effect window.
The production branch has 4 techs that improve efficiency and 3 pairs of techs that improve dockyard and factory output. The dockyard and factory techs are not mutually exclusive (though I don't recommend researching it if you are a landlocked nation).
The resources branch has 4 techs that extraction and in-between them are 3 sets of techs that add steel, chromium, tungsten or aluminium if certain conditions are met. You will gain 5% production of the specific resource in each state that produces 20 or more of said resource. Due to the aforementioned engine issue the states that gain extra resources are only available by hovering over the tech.
The Oil branch is simple, it has 4 techs that each improve how much fuel is gained from oil and refineries.
Missiles Tree:
Missiles are obviously an important part of any Cold War mod and as such that has earnt them their own tree. There are 3 (technically 4 but the 4th is smaller) branches to the missile tree, ballistic missiles, surface-to-air missiles, air-to-air missiles, and anti-tank missiles. Ballistic and SAMs require the basic guided missiles (like from vanilla to be researched).
Ballistic missiles and SAMs both have basic and improved tech as well as an intermediate upgrade. Ballistic missiles use the vanilla mechanic for missiles while SAM equipment are used for a SAM support battalion. The reason neither has a unique mechanic (yet) is that we felt that having a half-finished or buggy to use mechanic would be more frustrating than just using vanilla. Ballistic missiles also have 2 subtechs, cruise missiles which right now just increase the strategic bombing strength of ballistic missiles but I hope in future to add cruise missiles (this is yet another limitation created by Paradox where we can’t make unique versions of rocket sites). Ballistics and SAMs also share a subtech that is ship-based missiles that add both anti-ship and ship-based SAM equipment modules.
The air-to-air branch has 3 techs that each improve air attack. As we have chosen not to make a BBA version of the air tree (I, Covenant do not want to deal with balancing BBA planes and NSB tanks so that's why. I also just don't like it in general) the air-to-air techs just add general improvements to attack. There are also 2 IR (infra-red) air-to-air missile techs that improve night attack. These require the research of 2 IR experimentation techs that improve other stats.
Lastly the anti-tank missiles branch has a pre-req tech, optical guidance that you need to research to unlock anti-tank gun 3 which you need to unlock basic anti-tank missiles. Our justification for this is that anti-tank missiles only started to become viable after 1960 which is outside the mod timeframe.
Secret Weapons Tree:
The secret weapons tree is our least complete tree and we will explain why but first the branches. There are 3 branches, atomic weapons, biological warfare, and flamethrowers. Currently the atomic weapons branch has only some techs working, biological warfare is unfinished whereas flamethrowers have actual effects.
The atomic weapons branch is currently, if effectively a retooling of the vanilla atomic techs. You must research basic atomic research, then atomic piles (which allows the building of reactors), then bomb research (which adds research speed), then finally the atomic bomb actually unlocks nukes. The other atomic techs do not do anything but we plan on working on custom nuclear mechanics after release.
The flamethrowers branch has 4 techs, each improves the soft-attack of all infantry and motorized units but it also has a negative impact. Whenever a nation researches flamethrowers that nation gains a -20 opinion modifier with every other nation on earth. This is to illustrate that since the end of the war (and its rampant usage by Russia and Japan) the world now sees flamethrowers as cruel weapons and a war-crime. As such any nation who is seen to be improving their flamethrowers is viewed negatively. Nations that start with flamethrowers will not have this opinion modifier though. We plan to do something similar for biological weapons research.
Land Doctrines:
For our land doctrines we decided to have 4 choices for land doctrines, those being combined operations, maneuver warfare, deep battle and asymmetrical warfare. Instead of covering every element of these doctrines, which would take forever I will give an overview of what each doctrine entails and tease a few of the bonus each gives.
Combined operations encompass the intricate orchestration of diverse military elements, pooling resources and expertise across multiple branches or services of a nation's armed forces, alongside potential collaboration with allied forces. This synergy fosters a unified approach towards achieving strategic objectives, leveraging the unique strengths of each component to enhance operational effectiveness on land, at sea, and in the air.
Maneuver warfare epitomizes a dynamic military strategy characterized by fluidity, agility, and rapidity in troop movements. It emphasizes exploiting enemy vulnerabilities, disrupting their cohesion, and seizing advantageous positions, rather than relying solely on brute force or attrition. Through swift and decisive actions, maneuver warfare seeks to outmaneuver and outwit adversaries, capitalizing on the element of surprise to gain tactical superiority and achieve operational success.
Deep battle embodies a strategic doctrine aimed at penetrating deep into enemy territory to target their rear areas, lines of communication, and critical infrastructure. By striking at the heart of the opponent's logistical and organizational support systems, deep battle disrupts their ability to sustain military operations, eroding their resilience and weakening their overall combat effectiveness. This approach emphasizes the importance of coordinated and synchronized offensives across multiple fronts, enabling forces to exploit vulnerabilities and capitalize on fleeting opportunities.
Asymmetrical warfare signifies a paradigm shift in military engagement, where conventional power differentials are challenged by asymmetric tactics and unconventional strategies. In asymmetric conflicts, weaker forces often employ guerrilla warfare, insurgency, terrorism, or other irregular methods to undermine the strengths of more conventionally powerful adversaries. By leveraging innovation, adaptability, and asymmetry in tactics, asymmetrical warfare seeks to offset numerical or technological disadvantages, maximizing the impact of limited resources and achieving strategic objectives through asymmetric means.
Naval Doctrines:
Naval doctrines similarly also have 4 choices for doctrine. These are brown water navy, green water navy, blue water navy, and naval supremacy (with a shared escort related tree between the last two). I will do the same as army doctrine and explain each while teasing some effects.
Brown water navies primarily operate in inland or shallow coastal waters, focusing on riverine and littoral areas. Their vessels are typically smaller and more maneuverable, optimized for navigating rivers, estuaries, and other confined waterways where larger naval vessels may struggle to operate effectively. Brown water navies are often tasked with patrolling and securing waterborne trade routes, conducting riverine warfare, and supporting ground operations in coastal regions, playing a vital role in maintaining maritime security and stability in these environments.
Green water navies operate in the near-coastal zones and littoral regions of the open ocean, possessing the capability to project power and influence within a limited range from their home shores. These navies typically deploy a mix of surface combatants, submarines, and maritime patrol aircraft to safeguard territorial waters, protect maritime trade routes, and deter potential threats in their immediate maritime vicinity. While green water navies may lack the global reach of blue water navies, they play a crucial role in defending coastal territories and exerting maritime control over critical strategic areas.
Blue water navies are capable of operating across vast oceanic expanses and projecting power on a global scale. Equipped with aircraft carriers, cruisers, destroyers, and submarines, blue water navies possess the capability to conduct sustained naval operations far from their home bases, projecting force and protecting national interests worldwide. Blue water navies are essential for power projection, sea control, and maritime dominance, enabling nations to influence events in distant regions, respond to crises, and protect vital sea lanes of communication crucial for global trade and commerce.
Naval supremacy represents the pinnacle of maritime power projection, embodying unparalleled dominance and control over the world's oceans. Exemplified by nations like the United States during the Cold War and the Royal Navy from during Britain's Imperial Century, naval supremacy entails not only the capability to operate globally but also the unrivaled ability to dictate the terms of maritime engagement and shape international affairs through naval strength alone. Beyond the capabilities of a traditional blue water navy, a nation with naval supremacy commands an overwhelming advantage in both conventional and strategic terms, with a fleet comprising advanced aircraft carriers, stealthy submarines, state-of-the-art surface combatants, and comprehensive maritime surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities. Such a navy not only safeguards vital sea lanes and strategic choke points but also projects influence across all maritime domains, ensuring unrivaled deterrence and the ability to decisively intervene in any maritime theater of operations. Naval supremacy confers not just military superiority but also significant diplomatic leverage, shaping the geopolitical landscape and underpinning a nation's status as a global maritime hegemon.
Air Doctrines:
For now we are using vanilla air doctrines. We understand this may be disappointing but none of us possessed enough knowledge of different cold war air doctrines to create something good enough. Air doctrines of the cold war is also not something that is documented in an easy to access and absorb place like the others so for now nothing is in place but we will endeavour to produce something post-release.
I hope you all enjoy messing around with the tech we have created for Kalterkreig. I am sure you will find weird and wonderful ways to break them and which equipment is meta and which is not.

I’ve installed this plane and I’ve been met with a blank texture and unsweepable wings. Any pointers?

I want to thank Meatcanyon and Wendigoon for starting Creepcast. I've played around with writing horror, and here is my first short story. I will post it for free in a few other places to see what people think. Please enjoy!
A Hike to Remember
By R.L. Oclen
Chapter 1
A woman sits with hastily pulled-up fire-red hair in the waiting room of the state patrol station. The procedurally sterile off-white walls and decade-old magazines do little for comfort. With her head hanging low, her shoulders pushing forward, and her boots rapidly tapping on the floor, something has to give.
"Please just let her be okay." The woman growls as a pair of officers come in from the field. The officers' demeanors quickly change when they see the familiar face.
"Tabitha, did Officer Nichols call you?" one of the state patrol officers asked sympathetically.
"Yes, he asked me to come in and pick up a few things," Tabitha said, shooting back a muted look.
" I'll let them know you're here." The officer said, nodding to Tabitha as they passed the security door. Tabitha leaned back against the hard plastic chair, staring blankly into the fluorescent light. She had done this dance in the macabre repeatedly over the past month. The last image of her younger sister, Lisa, still burned in her mind. Tabitha had always been protective over her younger sister after their parents died. A pang of guilt shoots through her chest as she thinks about her and Lisa's argument.
"Tabitha Hymm, Officer Nichols is ready for you."
"Okay," she stood up, shaking off her guilt, and followed the officer back. The familiar surroundings of the state patrol station blurred as Tabitha stared forward. She followed the officer as they came to a rustic wooden office door, which was embossed with "Officer Nichols."
The escorting officer turns the old brass door knob. "Sir, I have Tabitha Hymm here." A grizzled West Virginia Highway State Patrol veteran sits behind the desk and nods. The escorting officer steps aside, pushing the door open as Tabitha pushes past him and slumps in the awaiting chair like so many times before. An uncomfortable relationship had formed between the two, born out of necessity and duty.
"Cup of coffee?"
"No thanks. Let's just cut to the chase. You don't have anything new?"
The worn laugh lines and Officer Nichols's face flattens. His eyebrows contour sympathetically as he shakes his head.
"Tabitha, I don't have anything else new for you. I wanted to give you the clothes returned from the lab." Her face darkened at the same response she had heard many times.
"As we discussed two weeks ago, there is nothing new and no signs of struggle or foul play," Officer Nichols said while placing a box marked evidence on the table and sliding it forward. Tabitha began to weep at the realization of Lisa's clothes in front of her. In a coordinated queue, Officer Nichols brought out a box of tissues. Reluctantly, Tabitha took a few moments to unblur her vision.
"How does someone stop their car in the middle of the Remington West Virginia State Park, lock it, and then walk into the woods?" Officer Nichols clasped his hands together and sighed at her worn question.
"Tabitha, I wish I had an answer for why your sister stopped her car in the woods and simply walked off. We're still going through her cell phone, but no signs exist that anyone forced her. On that Tuesday morning, she pulled over to the side of the road, secured her car, and walked away." Officer Nichols said empathetically.
Tabitha became stoic at the same explanation she had heard many times before. " So what next?"
"You should go back to Ohio, and I'll contact you as soon as I have more information." She winced at Officer Nichols's words. Reality began to pull at her that bills and work wouldn't wait much longer.
"If I leave, she's gone for good."
" You staying won't bring her back." Officer Nichols said sympathetically.
" So is that it? She's just gone?"
" Tabitha, I'll be honest with you. In cases like this… when people do things like this. Recovery is harder in the spring due to the weather and the animals. You know her mental condition better than I do. I can't explain why she did what she did. But until I find a solution, a suicide note, some intention, or body. She's not here. Tabitha, I'm-"
" Don't you fucking say sorry!" Tabitha stood up, screaming at Officer Nichols, throwing the plastic chair backward against the wall. " I should just look for myself."
"No!" Officer Nichols said momentarily, gripping the desk as his face hardened, then relaxed. Tabitha was caught off guard by Officer Nichols, who was normally composed. "Tabitha, I know this is unbearable. I've sat on this side of the desk and had these conversations. Trust me; I need you to be safe if I need your help later."
Tabitha nods, knowing Officer Nichols is right. She reaches down, picks up the evidence box of her sister's belongings, and leaves.
" Tabitha, if you're heading home, don't stop your car; just keep driving." Tabitha stops to look at Officer Nichols, feeling an eeriness to his words.
" Goodbye, Officer Nichols," Tabitha said as she closed the rustic wooden door behind her. She counted the tiles as she exited the West Virginia State Patrol Station. Placing her sister's belongings carefully in the back seat of her Jeep, Tabitha then sat momentarily behind the steering wheel, staring at the emblem. The familiar numbness washed over Tabitha as she pushed the start button. She pulled onto the highway, driving to the motel that had been home for the last month or so. Muted pop music accented the drive back as her mind raced with questions. Once inside the two-and-a-half-star motel room, Tabitha sat her sister's belongings on the corner table, crumbled onto the bed, and cried.
***
Tabitha wiped the steam from the slightly spotted mirror above the bathroom sink. The hot water from the shower felt good and loosened some of the stress from her body. Looking back at her, Tabitha's face was framed by damp curls around her shoulders. Her face marked the stress of the past month. Frowning, she examined the bags under her eyes; sleep had to come tonight. Walking into the living area, She changed into her favorite gym shorts and oversized sleep shirt. The alarm on her phone flashed "7:00 am," so she could drive home five hours after breakfast.
Tabitha hated feeling comfortable in this once strange room, but falling asleep was getting easier now. Her eyes closed slowly as the ceiling fan droned evenly. At first, nothing came in her dreams, but she let her guard down and slipped further into sleep.
As she dreamed of floating overhead like a bird of prey, Tabitha soared over the vast Remington National Park. The high noon sun bore down on the crisp woods, perfectly contrasting sky and forest. The heat of the sun felt good on her feathers. Distant cries rang out through the dream-like forest, catching her attention. Tabitha tilted her wings toward the screams, feeling a sense of familiar curiosity.
She now recognized the sobs and cries for help as she flew closer, her sharp eyes locked on her sister leaning against a large oak tree. She glided overhead without care, examining the situation below. Lisa clung to the tree, her eyes darting back and forth, scanning upwards. Lisa's face reflected desperation, looking for help in any direction. Tabitha lazily circles Lisa several times before perching on a sturdy branch higher in one of the oak trees. She watched Lisa intently with hunger. She bellowed deeply, hearing the unnatural sound she made, catching Lisa's eyes. Lisa's expression changed; she became calm, almost uncaring, as she stared back at Tabitha's form. Hunger grew exponentially in Tabitha as she spread her large wings. Her large eyes gaze down at Lisa before diving straight for her sister.
Tabitha jolts awake to the alarm on her phone flashing "7:23 AM." She breathes in sharply, shaking off the last horrible thoughts from the reoccurring nightmare. The strange details become more vivid each time. The lingering memories of folk stories her mother told sat in the back of her mind. In those stories, the dead would reach out in dreams as a matter of warning. Leaning back on the headboard, she searched for the advice her psychologist gave her. During their last session, Dr. Ryland explained dreams are a form of self-actualization of guilt. He told Tabitha that it was natural to feel responsible when losing a loved one in this manner.
Tabitha grumbled, lightly running her hands through her red hair; she pushed everything to the back of her mind. "Get it together!" She grumbled to herself. She pushed herself off the bed and got ready to leave. It was going to be a long trip home, and the only thing she could do now was leave things in the authorities' hands. Packing up was pretty easy since she only cycled through the outfits she brought. The local laundromat must have made a small fortune off her. Tabitha took one last look at the box of Lisa's belongings before throwing them in her duffle bag. She was thankful she didn't have to spend another night in this room.
***
Tabitha sat behind the wheel, waiting for the 90's model minivan to finish their order so she could grab a breakfast burrito on the way out. Considering the situation, the Deer Stop Family Restaurant did have a good breakfast. Finally, pulling up to the 70-style drive-in board, Tabitha rolled off the order she had been accustomed to. " I'll take a large iced tea with the double breakfast burrito meal and hash browns, please."
" Would you like some happy hot sauce with that?"
" That's fine, and a few ketchup packets as well."
" Your total is $8.79. Please pull around."
She pulled around to her window, flashed her debit card, got the receipt, and waited for her food. Luckily, the young woman serving her wasn't very talkative in the morning. The last thing she wanted was a conversation about the weather or meaningless small talk.
" Here's your large iced tea and breakfast meal. Ketchup and happy hot sauce are inside."
" Thanks," Tabitha said while mustering her best fake smile. The woman only smiled and nodded as the service window automatically closed. She pulled into the parking lot and dug into breakfast. Turning the radio to the weather, Tabitha sat back and enjoyed her meal. The local DJ read through the headlines, making nonpartisan comments about politics and grumbling about improving the economy. Tabitha powered through the updates of the "out-of-state woman" who'd gone missing. It was nice that the local radio station gave Lisa's name, description, and a missing person's number for sightings or leads. Tabitha even interviewed with the local news and radio stations, hoping it would bring Lisa home. But she soon found all it brought was a sorrowful look from the locals as she interacted with them in her day-to-day life.
Finishing the last of her hash browns, Lisa wadded up everything in the paper bag and threw it in the back seat. The 9 AM weather report said it was nothing but clear skies and sun the rest of the week. Tabitha flipped the radio over to the greatest hit station, pulled out of the parking lot, and began her trip home. She memorized the roads, every bend and turn in the early weeks as she frantically looked for Lisa. There's something hypnotic about the trees: the way they flow together. The trees' green tops and the oak trees' wide trunks were a relaxing view. Tabitha enjoyed the lazy s-curves of the road, bending and winding around the hills and the trees. The occasional farmhouse or field dotted the sides of the road as she made her way to the main highway.
The blur of a semi-truck snapped Tabitha's attention as she pulled up to the mouth of the highway. She had four and a half hours ahead of her, which would be a long ride. Tabitha pulled onto the highway and picked up speed, noting sparse traffic. She relaxed into her seat, letting her gaze gloss over the blur of green foliage. Without warning, Tabitha caught a large shadow from the corner of her left eye. When she registered the black feathery form, Tabitha tensed up and slammed on the brakes as it swooped across the vehicle's hood. Quickly, she pulled the car safely off the road. She couldn't determine exactly what it was, but it was bigger than any bird she'd seen. It was a bird, right? Tabitha turned off her Jeep and grabbed the keys and cell phone. Standing before the Jeep, she looked over the grill to see if she made contact with the entity.
Bewildered, she scanned the tree line, spotting something in the distance. Sitting in the clearing of the large oak forest was an enormous black owl. It stared intently at Tabitha with bright, shiny yellow eyes. She pushed the lock button on her keys, causing the jeep to beep securely. She turned, looking across the open field, an enormous black owl perched in the upper branches of an old oak tree. Each step she took away from the road piqued her curiosity. Soon, Tabitha stood in the middle of the open field, staring intently into the eyes of the enormous owl.
The horn of a passing semi-truck blared, pulling Tabitha's attention away from the mysterious large creature. She looked back and saw that she had walked farther away from the Jeep than she had thought. She glanced back to the forest line only to see the enormous owl was deeper into the woods than before. She narrowed her vision to find the two large, bright yellow eyes staring back. Had it moved? The day's stress, care, and worry suddenly poured out of Tabitha. It was replaced by only curiosity and overbearing tranquility. She warmly smiled for the first time in months as her feet pulled her further into the woods.
Chapter 2
The tug of gravity pulls Tabitha to her senses as her body reacts, falling forward. Her arms thrust forward, bracing for impact. Water rushes around her face as she struggles to get her bearings. Quickly, Tabitha pushed herself up in the ankle-high stream she fell in. The haze slowly clears from her mind as she stares at the muddy water. The dull ache throbs up her legs. Tabitha can smell the sweat from her clothes. Her face contorted in panic as she quickly stood up in the water, looking for her cell. Thankfully, the device was still in her pocket, dry and unscathed.
"One o'clock. How can that be?" Tabitha says, slowly looking up from the screen to see the vast, dense West Virginia forest encompassing her view. She shakes her head back and forth with disbelief. A smile gently spreads across her face, with the last bit of tranquility leaving her body. How did I get out here? Her breathing becomes faster as her pulse begins to quicken. I'm in the forest. I'm all alone—just like Lisa!
"NO, NO, NO, NO! THIS FUCKING CAN'T BE HAPPENING TO ME!" Tabitha screams into the void of trees. Her eyes well up with tears as she crumbles to her knees, gripping her phone tightly to her chest. Her sobs ring out through the thick oak trees. Her breath slows a little as she regains her composure. She begins to search her mind for anything. What is the last thing I can remember? The image of the black shadow crossing her vision while driving flashes into her mind.
"Okay, I got out of the Jeep, the…then what?" Tabitha says, trying to refresh her memories. She thinks her memory is not just gone; it's a black void in her mind. Complete blackness fills her mind right after remembering locking the Jeep and then turning to see the…
"Fuck I saw something. What was it!" Tabitha says, frustrated with her mind. She knew there must be a logical reason she was out here. Officer Nichols warned her not to go looking for her sister. She wasn't stupid; she just said that as a last-ditch effort to get him to do anything. Now I'm here.
"Run!" Tabitha heard Lisa's voice in her ear. Before she could turn around, she heard a loud bellowing coming from overhead. Fear shot down her back, reminding her of the nightmares she had over the past month. She shot forward full bore as something crashed to the ground behind her. Glancing back as she ran, a black mass of feathers convulsed between the broken branches of the trees. Its slick black feathers rippled across its surface as its bones crackled and flesh tore. Its body contorted and twisted from the shape of an owl to something bigger.
"Run, Tabby! Don't let it catch you!" Tabitha pushed forward, hearing Lisa's scream beside her face. Her breath burned in her chest, and she moved past the old oak trees bent over the creek bed. Her feet slammed rapidly, splashing along the side of the creek. Another loud bellow comes from behind as the trees bend and break to the force behind her. A small opening in the rocky creek bed catches her sight from the left. She dives into the crevasses, not caring where the fathoms lead. Tabitha tumbles in the pitch black, taking scrapes and sharp jabs from the rocks as she tumbles further into the void.
She finally tumbles to a stop on the sandy, wet floor of the cave. Her body aches from the sudden burst of exhaustion. The cool water running around her body from the creek is soothing despite her bumps and bruises. Pushing herself up, she scoots out of the water. Feeling her way forward, she finds a dry spot to collect herself. Quickly pushing her hand into her pocket, she finds her phone undamaged.
The sound of footsteps pushing against the creek fills the void around Tabitha as the light steps move closer to each other up the underground creekbed. She slowly removes her cell from her pocket and then shines the camera light toward the sound. A pair of scratched and bruised pale bare legs hold up a frail form in front of her in the creek. She wears the darkness as a shroud with nothing else to clothe her. Tabitha froze, not wanting to shine the light further in the pale form before her.
"Tabby, turn your light off. You need to save your battery." Tabitha turned off the light and then rushed forward, embracing Lisa—the how or why didn't matter, only the now. The pale form hugged her tightly. Tabitha felt her cold, bare skin. The darkness couldn't hide the feeling of the marks across her back and torso.
"Lisa, I'm-"
"Hush! I don't have much time. This wasn't your fault! I'm with Mom and Dad now. You have to survive, Tabby! Listen. Wait until the sun shines through the cracks, making a trail out. Follow it down the creek until you come to the opening. You'll see a large hill you hike up for a cell signal. And remember…If you can't see it… It can't hurt you. I love you-"
Tabitha stumbled forward before catching herself. The void in front of her arms was only filled by cool air. She looked up and noticed a faint glimmer of light pushing through the ceiling. She sat down, relaxing against the limestone wall of the cave, waiting for the trail of light to form.
***
After a few hours, the light shining through the cracks of the cave ceiling was bright enough to lead Tabitha to the other side. She stepped onto the creek bed, thankful for the sun hanging lower in the sky. Scanning the sky, Tabitha saw only a few clouds. The foothills of Appalachia backdropped the forest as she scanned for the hill. Her eyes found the trail leading up the steady slope of an impressive hill. The top of the hill was bare. Part of the hill must have sheared off in a landslide, leaving the top void of trees and a jagged cliff face. Tabitha started her hike up the back of the hill. She was careful to stay under the heavy canopy of the old trees, hopefully avoiding the creature's eyes.
She did her best to quiet her mind while hiking up the trail. Come on, almost to the top, then I can call 911, she replayed repeatedly in her mind. Her adrenaline made up for the lack of food since morning. She drank some water from a clean spot in the creek. She was placing her bet on rescue rather than worrying about the water.
Leaning against one of the trees, Tabitha took out her cell and measured the signal.
"Damn it, nothing!" She swore under her breath. She listened nervously and cautiously peered her head out from the tree line. Standing at the tree line, the cell phone still had a low signal. She pushed her anxiety down with a swallow and slowly stepped forward onto the bare rock. Tabitha was now out in the open. She walked with the cell phone pointed upwards, measuring the signal. Within three feet of the cliff face, her signal bar punched up to full. Tabitha began to punch in the numbers just as a pair of large yellow eyes appeared. She felt her legs become weak, and her vision blurred as the creature snared her in its gaze.
Tabitha ducked, missing the giant owl's claws as it swooped for her. She squinted her eyes shut, momentarily breaking the hold of the infernal beast as it crashed to the ground, tumbling down the path of old trees. On her hands and knees, she tucked the dialed phone back into her pocket. She heard the creature's loud bellowing, followed by the snapping of bone and flesh ripping. It was changing its shape to finish her off.
Tabitha tried to get up, but the flash of its eyes did something to her. Her legs were numb, her stomach was in knots, and she could barely put a few thoughts together.
"If you can't see it, it can't hurt you." Tabitha heard clearly in her left ear. She quickly pushed herself into a sitting position and fumbled for the key chain in her right pocket. Pulling the long chain of keys, luck charms, and keepsakes, her father's Swiss army knife dangled at the end. She slowly opened the half-inch blade. Her body wholeheartedly rejected her plan and tried to fight her. Every internal warning system sounded as her body fought against her as she brought the blade against the corner of her left eye.
She didn't know if she could do it until the creature bellowed in her direction. With one quick motion, the half-inch blade sliced across her left eye. The world dimmed and then went black on her left side. Behind her, the beast's thundering gallop was getting closer. Tabitha plunged herself into total darkness with the last bit of her strength. Her hand gripped tightly around the bloody knife as she folded forward onto the ground. She could feel herself weeping blood. She squinted, doing her best to stem the tide of blood loss.
A large feathered paw drove into Tabitha's right side, flipping her onto her back. She lay still as the hulking creature stood over her. It remained motionless, and Tabitha was confused about why it didn't move or bite her. Then she started to giggle, just a little at first. Then, laughing madly into the creature's face as it growled back at her. She could not see it; she couldn't see anything. Her mind couldn't be eaten!
The creature roared into Tabitha's face while plunging one of its sharp claws into her shoulder. Tabitha screamed in pain, slashing the knife downward. The blade hit something soft, and she ripped the blade down, rending whatever she had hit on the abomination. A bright yellow, foul-smelling liquid gushed in a torrent over Tabitha's face. She turned to cough, having swallowed a portion of it. The creature reared back, squealing in pain. Its hind leg came down hard on Tabitha's leg, snapping her tibia. She jerked her leg up, causing the creature to tumble forward and fall over the edge of the cliff side.
Tabitha heard the creature crash below at the base of the hill. A large dead tree speared the creature through its chest. Tabitha could hear the labored whines of the creature as its cries became weak and slowed. A wave of sickness hit her as she rolled over and vomited. The foul smell drenched her. She did her best to focus, reaching into her pocket and pulling out the phone. By memory, she typed in the unlock pin. She held her breath and placed her thumb where the call button should be.
She could hear the call being made then, "911. What is your emergency?"
"Please help me! A bear has attacked me, and I can't see. I think I am on a hill."
"Ok, ma'am, stay with me! Do you know where you are located?"
"No, I'm lost. Please send help."
"It's okay. Stay with me on the phone, and I'll use the cell signal to try to find you."
"I'm on top of one of the hills. I think I am lying on a bare roc-" Tabitha slipped unconscious with the cell still tightly in her hand. Her body began to tremble and convulse.
"Ma'am! Ma'am! Stay with me. I have help on the way."
Chapter 3
A young man in military fatigues frantically compiles images and reconnaissance data from his drone feed. Confirming his hunch, he commands the winged surveillance drone to make a hard left and send a live video feed. His eyes widened as he saw a large owl-shaped shadow crash onto the top of a hill. He watches in awe as the sleek black owl twists and shifts into something much larger, like a grizzly. As the drone turns, he sees a woman at the cliff's edge trying to steady yourself on her hands and knees.
He bolts up from the command module, jotting down the drone's coordinates on one of the printouts. The drab government-issued office motif for the watch station blurs in the corner of his eye as he rushes down the hallway to the watch commander's office.
"Sir, recon has eyes on AMOS! And it's feeding!" the man said, swinging the heavy wooden door open. He took the hastily compiled file and pushed it forward to the commanding officer.
An older, tanned man quickly stands, reaching for the files. His brow furls, seeing his charge is awake. "Keep eyes on it! Go Adams!" The young man nods, turning on his heel and bolting for the drone command module. As his office door slams shut from the subordinate officer, he grabs his headset and frantically dials the closest military outpost to the coordinates.
"Hello, Sergeant Klein; this is Agent Smith of Black Watch outpost 7948! Shadow is active, code Alpha, Mike, Oscar, Sierra. The coordinates and data package have been sent. A civilian is on the ground; deploy strike-and-rescue ASAP.
"We'll be up in five, Agent Smith! The line cuts as Agent Smith closes out the call on his headset and rushes to the door. The normally quiet watch station buzzes alive, with personnel flooding the central command station. The background echoes resource allocation calls, frantic typing, and the hum of cold computers warming up.
"Adams, get our eyes back on Amos!"
"Coming back around in 30 seconds." Thirty sets of eyes stare at the three giant screens, anxiously waiting for the drone feed to clear the bank of trees. The camera clears the tre top to see the giant feathered grizzly rear back slinging its massive head away from its prey. Its large yellow right eye spews bright yellow liquid all over the red-haired woman and the cliff face. The giant feathered grizzly missteps, crushing the woman's leg and causing the creature to tumble over the cliff face.
"Fuck!" Agent Smith yells in horror as he watches AMOS fall four stories, impaling a sharp, 3-meter-tall log lodged in the boulders. The command center freezes wide-eyed at the flailing dying creature on screen. Agent Smith pulls his cell out quickly and dials.
"Klein, Scrub the current request! AMOS is down! Switch to rescue and harvest now!
"What, someone took out AMOS?"
"YES! It's at the bottom of the cliff, bleeding out essence! The woman is covered in it as well. Clean as much of it off her as possible before you take her to the ER.
"Understood!"
Agent Smith, in a rage, slings his phone straight forward, connecting with Private Adams's skull. Adams flinches at the sudden impact of the hard plastic and covers his head. Agent Smith grabs the table in front of him and flips it over, sending the computer equipment crashing to the government-issued tiled floor.
"A two-year cycle gone! All that essence is gone! Now I have to wait another 24 months for AMOS to resurrect!" Agent Smith screams, causing the rest of the staff to recoil away in fear.
"Jones!" Agent Smith says sternly, turning to a petite woman on his left. She stares at him, pleading.
"Yes Sir?'
"Get Officer Nichols on my office line. That fuck up has some explaining. He should have told us AMOS was awake."
"Right away!" Jones quickly sits back down and begins dialing Nichols, thankful she doesn't have to deal with Agent Smith further. The command center quickly shifts gears as Agent Smith returns to his office.
***
Two Weeks later…
"Tabitha… Tabitha… This is Doctor Wilhelm. Wake up." The kind older gentleman said as they gently nudged Tabitha in her hospital bed.
"Where am I?" Tabitha asked, waking from what felt like years of sleep. She sat up, the world still pitch black, but an odd sense of the world around her seemed to hum just behind her eyes.
"You're in the hospital, dear; you scared us. Do you remember anything?" He said as he sat down on the side of her bed.
Tabitha thought for a moment the last parts after she slashed her eyes were a blur. She remembers people yelling and the sound of two or three helicopters over her. " No, it's really all just a blur."
"Well, it's probably for the best. You had some very serious injuries. The first night, we honestly didn't think you would make it. Then…" The doctor trailed off with a concerned expression, not knowing how to explain things further.
Tabitha felt his pulse quicken somehow. She didn't understand it but fully felt or sensed the doctor beside her. She sensed the two other nurses standing at the end of the bed. Her body didn't hurt. She felt great. She felt hungry.
"Doctor, you said had. What happened to my injuries?" She said calmly, trying not to startle the old doctor further.
"Well, Tabitha, it's the closest thing to a miracle I've ever seen. You had violent seizures from the minute you hit the entrance of the ER. We couldn't even set your leg. The medications we gave you had a minimal effect, and you thrashed so much that we had to restrain you. Then, the early morning check-in found you in a deep sleep. All but your eyes were completely healed. So we switched gears to support care and treated your eyes the best we could." He said, watching her reaction.
Tabitha leaned back in her bed, taking in the wild account. "Do you know how I healed so quickly?"
"What happened to you is beyond all scientific reason. A miracle is the only way the staff and I can explain it. I know you have been through a lot, but I want to check your eyes."
"Thank you for all your help, Doctor Wilhelm." She said, sitting up in bed.
"You are most welcome, dear. Now I am going to unwrap your eye-dressing. Hold still, please." he said as he reached up and pulled on the bandage tape. Tabitha felt a quick tug and felt the bandages loosen from around her head. The doctor slowly unwrapped the bandages. The doctor's brow wrinkled as he examined the two large black scabs covering Tabitha's eyes.
"Tell me if this hurts at all, ok?"
"Yes, doctor." She relaxes as the doctor's gloved fingers pass over the scab. He pushes and gently tugs at the side of one, and it starts to lift. He pulls on the scab more, and Tabitha begins to sense the light as it hits her eyelid.
"Oh, I can sense the light, Doctor Wilhelm!" She said, smiling.
"Wonderful! Nurse Allen, please hand me some saline solution. I think a little water will loosen these right up. Hold still; this may feel cold," he said as he reached for the solution. She felt the cool liquid flush over the left eye, then the right. The scabs fell away with a gentle tug from the doctor. She could see the light shine through her eyelids. She grinned widely, happy to have some form of sight left.
"Please open your eyes for me," he said as he sat back on the bed. Tabitha slowly opened her eyes. The flood of light was almost too much, causing her to squint. After a few moments, she adjusted to the fluorescent lights. Three figures began to take shape in front of her. First, the distinguished older features of Doctor Wilhelm came into view quickly, followed by the brunette and blonde younger nurses standing at the end of the bed. Suddenly, her vision snapped into place, crisp and clear.
"I can see perfectly! This is amazing! Thank you, Doctor Wilhem!" she said, turning to look directly into his eyes, but he stared back at her unmovingly.
"Doctor Wilhelm?" she said as her expression became more worried. Doctor Wilhelm just sat staring, intensely focused on her eyes. His expression was overbearingly calm. She glanced at the nurses, rigidly staring back at her with trapped, calm expressions. Doctor Wilhelm began to twitch slightly. It traveled from the base of his spine out to his limbs, finally convulsing.
"Doctor Wilhelm, are you okay?" Tabitha yelled as the doctor began to have a seizure and fell on top of her bed.
"Help Him!" She screamed at the two nurses only to see both of them crumble to the tiled floor. One of them bashed her head off the bed frame. Tabitha recoils back from Doctor Wilhelm in terror as he starts foaming at the mouth. She climbs over the bed rail and hits the tiled concrete floor with a thud. Her adrenaline surges as she bolts for the door, looking for help.
At the entrance of her hospital room, she sees another nurse leaving the adjacent room. "Please, my doctor and staff need help!" As the male nurse turns to see Tabitha, he suddenly goes stiff before collapsing into a violent seizure, spilling his cart over with him.
"What's happening!" Tabitha screams, thinking something is in the air, or everyone has come down with something. A pair of security guards round the corner, hearing the screams and commotion.
"Ma'am, are yo-" The guard freezes mid-stride as he makes eye contact with Tabitha. Both men start to convulse and topple over, thrashing violently on the hard tile.
"No, no, no, no!" Tabitha yells as she darts into the women's bathroom, a few doors up the hall. She runs in, terrified of the situation. She approaches one of the sinks, bracing herself against the cool porcelain. Her stomach turns, and she dry heaves in the sink. She steadies herself while turning on the cold water. Leaning in, she takes a drink. As she looks up, a glint of two yellow eyes catches her. Tabitha stumbles backward on reflex. Then, she sees her reflection in the mirror. Two completely bright yellow eyes stare back at Tabitha. She screams at herself in the mirror, not feeling hungry anymore.
The end.
I will

The main problem you're gonna have as the US is getting enough coverage from your airbases to cover those big pacific air zones, and to reach far enough into Europe for softening up Axis airpower before dedicated invasions. Prior to the MIO system, you basically had two ways of doing this:
1: build a bunch of light fighters to try and offset the reduced air mission efficiency
2: bum rush 1944 Heavy Fighters by timing the use of the "Escort Fighters" National Focus (side note, I think that focus should either give another boost to, or instantly unlock, the Range Improvements tech). This gives double the base range of a 1940s tech Light Fighters, but also nearly double the cost, meaning about half as many fighters available for missions. These fighters also will tend to be much slower than the light fighter alternative you could make at this time, increasing potential losses on air superiority missions
Now? Just take NAA and dump as much funding into them as you can. Both your light and medium Airframes get bonkers boosts to range, with light fighters in particular maxing out at +45% of their base range. That takes a stock 1940 from 650km range to 942km, more than a stock MODERN light airframe. They also give significant bonuses to maximum speed for both your fighters and your tactical bombers, meaning you're not gonna lose as many in air-to-air combat.
In comparison, Lockheed gives basically nothing to light aircraft, and their bonuses to medium aircraft are much more focused on air defense and agility: far from useless to be sure, but the extra range that NAA offers is just too important for the USAAF to pass up
For Navy, you can make a case for Grumman: here you don't typically need range, since Naval Battles essentially put your Carrier Aircraft point blank into a fight. Instead, the bonuses to reliability, air defense, and agility for your Carrier wings can help around the board: you lose fewer planes to AA and enemy fighters, and your fighters can better punch through incoming strike aircraft. It's not strictly necessary, since NAA bonuses can still be useful for carrier aircraft, but Grumman is still an option when you really want to send a message. That message being:
D̶̮̝͈̖͕̘͙̫̈́̄̌͊͊͐͆͠O̷̩̤͖͗͐̽̃̽͗Ǹ̴͉̳̣'̵̢̨̠̣́̅̐T̶̜̱̈̈̎͝ ̶͈̬̲̎̾̋T̴̡̛̜̼͓̟͇̭͗̊O̴̺̦̠̞͇̳̤͆̇̽̄̈͑́̕͜͜U̴͚̜̠̲͕̲͋͆̀̂̽͊̑Ç̶͕̩͔͈̺̪̥͛̔̔̆̎̈̓͊͝H̵̭͙͎̦̠̖̟̀̍ ̴̮͈͑͆̇̏̌̉̐M̸̨͖̗̹̜̜̆͋̎̏̍̀͐̾Ý̴̗̮̳̝̯̠̹͖͚̒ ̸̢̤́̿͒͘͝ͅB̷̦͖̟͓̭̤͍̜̍̔̋̓͐̈́̋̽͘͜O̶̢̢̢̗̭̬͑͜Ă̵̧̰̣͖̩̪̖̯̱̑T̶̛̼̹̝̈́̌S̸̨̝̟̤͍̦͓̈́̏́̑̕

[Run Zero chapter: https://redd.it/1csb71x not every run will have a chapter; it won't be long before there are multiple runs per chapter.]
Portal load: Agility 1, Bait 3, Trumps 1, Pheromones 1, Packrat 1, Motivation 1, Power 2, Toughness 2, Looting 5, Discipline Challenge, 54 of 54 He allocated, 7.8% AP at start.
[This is probably the lowest helium load I've ever done, and sorta keeping my own advice on a recent Reddit post, Bait and Looting are up. Especially Looting, but it's not like I don't always do something like this.]
The human emerges from the glowing green mist and hits the ground. Groans. Pushes against that ground, trying to get back up. I feel really heavy. I'm not that fat, am I? He's got a dark blue button-down shirt on. A uniform? A shoulder patch. Rolls over- Ah, what's that? His shoulder pressed into something hard and metallic, He reaches over and his hand naturally seems to find a folding handle. He pulls it out from under himself and gets it up on his chest, sort of in a semi-comfortable position to hold it up and look at the screen while lying on his back. Some fiddling around the edges gets the power button pressed and the screen lights up with:
"Manual portal activation 1 successful: Void enabled. / 54 He loaded / Discipline challenge active / Total portal activation 955"
"Kakka," its one of his trimps.
'My' trimps? The human sets aside the portal pad and gets up.
Are you the guy? They all seem to be looking at him, as though they have a frickin' huge problem to solve and they need his help to solve it.
32s: First trap.
Do you bite? It doesn't matter much to us. The trimps look hopefully up at him through the trap's grating, We're so friggin' screwed.
I didn't think four of you could fit in there! He opens it and they all start following him around like imprinted hatchling birds. It seems his tactic of making a catch-alive trap confirmed to them that he was 'the guy' to help solve whatever problem...
26m42s: Z2c15, 58 pop, 7.7s RC with Z1/2; 29m44s: Fresh turkimp c25.
"Hey, buddy," he says to his first scientist, "can you speak yet?"
"Shijou?" it says, then it starts writing, "Hi Tightniks."
"Who do you mean 'Tightniks'?" he asks, "I mean, it's not like I remember my own name, but what makes you think it's Tightniks?"
"Tai," it points right at him with one paw.
"Just pointing at me isn't going to answer that," he chuckles.
The trimp's hands are quite prehensile, but it's hard to tell without it holding something, they don't seem able to make their fingers visually distinguishable. [Puchim@s all the puchidoru, although some have big round hands and some have small pointy hands; Takanya is the latter. Probably Final Fantasy Red XIII as well, but I'm not familiar enough with him to be satisfied.] This one starts climbing up his leg.
"Wait, wait," he stops it. It's a challenge to stoop in this gravity, but not as much of one as carrying a trimp. He gets down on his knees and back on his haunches and-
"Tai," it points again to a spot on his chest just left of his heart, then climbs on his lap and grabs his uniform at that spot, "Tai!"
He looks down and sees "Tightniks" embroidered into the fabric above his pocket. "Ah," he sighs, "Well, if that's my name, that's my name."
"Shijou," it gives him a friendly whack on the shoulder.
2h38m55s: Mskel in Z11c3.
"Hey guys?" Tightniks points at his bone box, waving his finger, "Does anyone remember where these came from?"
"Nope," the yellow one says.
"Yeah, there are 12 more in here than we got kills to account for," Tightniks says.
"I've been getting a sense of deja vu about just about everything," the red one points at the metal box on the strap over his shoulder, "That's a big exception. Any clues there?"
"It says it's for something called a DT Experimental Industries Time Portal," the human shrugs, "I have no idea what it's talking about, honest."
3h25m46s: Block PB, 0.3% AP sub-4h, 540 pop, 8.3s RC, no turkimp
That thing is beeping? He takes a look at his TPCS pad and he's got a message saying that he finished the Block in under 4 hours and there's a little attack bonus- Under 4 hours? It's been over 4 days!! Checking the time on the device reveals that the portal times in terms of a "map frame" out there in space, and the passage of time has been vastly dilated on this planet.
4h15m56s: Zone 15, 954 pop, 11.9s RC with Z14/60, no turkimp.
"Tightniks," the yellow one comes back from the second full bin to the filling third bin, watching the human fold up another of his very first inventions, the very first thing he built after jumping through the mysterious green phenomenon exiting the crashed ship, "Why in blazes are you building so many traps?"
The human had finished another and tossed it into the bin, then picked up the now ever-present portal control pad, gets it out of auto-sleep and called up the "Achievement Points" page. "I have this weird hunch," he says.
"Deja vu? That familiar feeling we always have?" the yellow one inquires politely, slightly tilting its head.
"May I?" Tightniks turns up his hand and waves it up and down in a lifting gesticulation, then points at the trap pile.
"Sure," the yellow one understands, "if you'll put me back down after."
The human sets the pad down, stoops at the knees and gets his arms under the yellow trimp scientist's front limbs and lifts it up onto that stack of traps with a grunt; it is an impressive demonstration of his improving strength against the planet's high gravity. Then he picks up the pad again and points at one of the blank purple squares near the bottom.
"You don't know what that is," the yellow one says, "Are we going after that first one that is readable?"
"Yes," the human nods, "it's for finishing something called a Dimension of Anger, whatever that is, before getting something called Bounty."
"Whatever that is," the trimp chuckles.
"No, I know what it is," the human says, "I remember it being access to a resource-rich area on the other side of a green Wall we'll find with our next map route. It doubles our resource production."
"That would be handy," the yellow one says.
"Hmm," he nods, "But all the traps are for this one," pointing at the third square in the top row of the array the pad labels "Feats", the second of three that are purple.
"Oh," a stylus materializes in the yellow one's paw, "Well, all it says is 2.5%. It doesn't say how to get it. Something to do with traps?"
"Something to do with traps," the human chuckles, "that's only convenient to do now."
4h29m46s...
Other trimps can understand the grey one better than the human, "Shijou shijou shijou?" is what a human ear would hear, but it's really asking the yellow one, "You mean he knew it was going to be here?"
"Yeah," the yellow one nods.
"Well, it's gotta be that pad none of us finds familiar," the grey one insists.
"I don't think so," the yellow one argues, "He showed the reason for all these traps to me on the pad, and the information is not yet available there."
"Well, it can't be just a coincidence," the grey one grumbles.
6h23m16s: Our first void map dropped.
"What is that?" The red one asks the yellow one. It grabs a stick and lifts the strange square object up by an edge from as far away as he can.
"I have no idea," The yellow one says.
"It seems to have some sort of cooling effect," the red one says, looking underneath it, having tilted it up with the stick, "Like it's not just cold, but actually cooling down, as though it were the opposite of on fire."
"Shijou," the grey one says, holding a note.
"It's a void map. Grab it with a blanket and put it on the cart please. - Tightniks"
"Shijou shijou," the grey one clarifies, "The new pad said 'void enabled'. Guessing it's that."
10h06m21s: Zone 21, 1975 pop, 19.6s RC with Z20/232, no turkimp.
"Ooooookay," Tightniks growls, "There is something off about this thing."
"Shijou?" the grey one looks at the yellow one with concern about their human starship pilot friend.
The human stoops, picks up the little green gem on the ridge between Zone 20 and 21, looks at it, huffs, and asks, "Any idea where this comes from?"
"Err..." the red one seems hesitant to say, "I think you made it."
"Really?" the human huffs, "How could that be?" Then he tosses it at Red, "See if anything reacts to it. It might be radioactive, so we should take turns to minimize exposure."
"Really?" Red's holding it now, "What makes you say that?"
"Because I'm pissed off for no reason I can figure out," the human says, "I think it's coming from-" he gasps, "Waitamint!" He starts searching for the portal pad.
"Frags," the red one says quickly, "I think it's arranging a route. You're good with maps," it tosses the gem to the grey scientist.
The human has his portal pad up and reads aloud, "You have the Discipline challenge active. Tweak the portal to- yada yada yada. Tiss tiss t- completing The Dimension Of Anger will cause Trimp damage to return to normal." He snaps his fingers, "That's gotta be it."
"Shijou," the grey one says hopefully, and has a map drawn within a few minutes.
12h30m06s: Portal, 45 He, 3.600 He/hr, 2098 pop, 18.3s RC, 1% AP for Portal-before-Bounty.
The last head of the map's boss monster goes limp as one of the fighting trimps' dagger points goes into it, and the huge thing settles on its tail, resting on the package that seems to be the prize of this map. And there's a popping sound, and then something mechanical.
Is that a scroll compressor? Tightniks looks at the package. The deflating monster's lifting envelope material drapes over everything underneath it. "Red, Shijou!" he snaps and points, "roll up that side of it. Keep this part from sucking down on the extractor nozzle!"
All fifty of the scientists jump in, literally, pushing the gas in the bag towards the compressor. Tightniks as well, rolling up the front.
Until he kicks, and nearly trips over, a smaller package that might be the explanation for the reason why the center of the monster's defense seemed to be a little away from the big package he could see. It's in the right place, he realizes. He gets it uncovered and reads stenciled-and-sprayed block letters on it:
"DT TIME PORTAL / THIS SIDE DOWN"
Perhaps the Dimension of Anger is so named because of the rage suddenly rising up in Tightniks' throat. It isn't so much as the free-floating aggression suddenly has an answer, there is definitely a fresh batch of rage and anger as he grips the nearest Dagger V, Mark 2 with both hands- ...I must have gotten used to destroying it at some point. He lets go of his weapon with his right hand first and dangles his left arm while holdi-
Refocusing on surviving the next few seconds, the pilot turns on the radar for the final approach and takes a last look around, then straight ahead at his forward camera and primary flight display...
He crouches, sets the dagger down gently, then starts clearing the debris from the box's grab iron. He tries to lift it- Damn, this is heavy!
Surprised at this turn of events, his two oldest scientists, Grey and Yellow, rush to either side of him and help out. They get it flipped over and read the other side of the device, Tightniks chuckles a bit at its predictability:
"DT TIME PORTAL / THIS SIDE UP" There's a square cutout in the middle of one side of it, with a sliding cover at the bottom of it.
"Thanks," he pats his scientists, "but back off, please." He gets the cover unlatched, and slides it open to see, first a big rainbow-colored wide data cable and card edge connector, then several fluid ports. "There's something missing," he says aloud as he gets the cover completely off and onto the grass, "this connects to some-" he's got the wide flat cable up in his hand, realizing what it plugs into. He looks at his scientists, lips trembling, "G-g-g-get the pad."
The grey one already has the survival data pad and offers it to him.
"No, the other pad," Tightniks clarifies, "The big one. The big one," he picks up wide flat rainbow cable and its edge socket in one hand, "It goes here," he points at it with the other. "It must have come with me end of the last cycle."
Both the yellow one and the red one bring it, one on each side.
"Thank you," the human takes it, gets its hinge lugs on the trunnions at the top of each corner of the cavity, then gets the cable connector on the card edge in the pad's base recess, "See, that's where it came from." It comes on:
"12h30m05s: You have completed the Discipline challenge, unlocking a new memory-enable coolant loop and restoring your trimps to normal combat discipline."
"Do you have any idea what that's about?" the yellow one points at the edge of the left side.
"That's-" Tightniks examines it, then suddenly realizes, "It's gotta be for the void map."
He's got a port cover open, and the bottom of it says, "NULLIFIUM/VOID HEIRLOOM INTERFACE"
"Shijou?" the grey one brings the blanket-wrapped void map.
The human clears an edge of the map; doesn't seem to matter which one, and then gets it into the slot. It disappears and the blanket settles down while the environment goes deep blue and suddenly goes super cold. "Hoe Lee!" he shivers, wrapping the blanket around himself, "I hope this isn't too much of a Napolean-Hitler Maneuver!" He glances around, but all the trimps don't seem to discomforted by the sudden cold.
12h35m24s: Void 1, 55 He, 4.369 He/hr, 2098 pop, 18.3s RC, first void AP 1% and 0.3% AP for 100 He simultaneously, we got a rare shield, but it's lame with attack, storage, and empty.
As the environment around them return to normal, the trimps cheer over the deflated corpse of the- ...whatever, who give a hoot? Tightniks finds a flurry of messages on the portal screen, two regard APs, one is about having recovered 10 He units, and the big one was about a "shield". Through the touchscreen, he enables it, and gets the status effects that it's talking about.
"Where to now, boss?" the yellow one asks, Tightniks can feel the draft off the cold trimps. They seem to be extraordinarily robust ectotherms, unlike him.
"Let's go back to that friggin' Wall, where it's warmer," he shivers, "We got that AP and could use the resources." As he leads them to the L15 route, he thinks, Maybe I did that void too early. It takes on the level of our most recently entered Zone, and the resources probably go up accordingly. [I did for character reasons after seriously considering running it at Z25 or 30.]
12h49m37s: Nursery unlocked.
"Four hundred thousand gems!" the human squeaks, "Are you kidding me?"
Grey and Yellow glance at each other, the former says "Shijou?" and starts doodling a real answer.
"I'm not sure if you've noticed, but young trimps have special diets for healthy bones," the yellow one explains.
"You eat gems?" the human gasps.
"Shijou," Grey says with a shit eating grin just above a little sign that says, "Babies eat aluminate, and gems are the best!"
"Do they like the taste?" Tighniks tosses a gem from the helium compressor in the direction of the nearest house.
"Uh-Uuuuh!" after it bounces off a paving stone, a yellow juvenile with red head fur jumps into the air to catch it in its mouth. [Puchim@s Yayo. Liek seriously, she jumps after pennies.]
13h32m59s: Zone 25, 84 He, 6.199 He/hr, 2217 pop, 52.6s RC with Z24/568, no turkimp.
It has an unusually light colored body, dark head fur that lies flat, and for trimp tails, wide and not all that prehensile, reminds Tightniks of a- ...he remembers what the animal looks like, but not that his home planet is called Earth nor that the animal is called a tanuki raccoon. Just the tail, the rest of the trimp looks like a trimp for the most part. Oh yeah, the mining foreman. [Puchim@s Yukipo] He turns to Red and asks, "What's wrong with it?"
"It's in a bad mood," the red one answers.
"I can tell," Tightniks glares angrily at the red one for a moment, cools off, takes a breath, and asks kindly, "Why is it in a bad mood?"
"We've never been out this far," the yellow one offers, "...well, with the portal captured at least. Now, it was in a good mood before it got near the cart after we started this zone. Something new on the cart?"
Tightniks approaches the mopey mining foreman and asks it, "What's the matter, little fella?"
It sighs, then starts struggling to climb [see 1x6] onto the compressor cart. Tightniks helps it up with a lift, then it goes to the portal pad and turns it on, opens up the coolant page, the challenges tab there, and sort of sighs and looks questioningly at him.
"Metal challenge:" the pad reads, "Tweak the portal to bring you to an alternate reality, where the concept of Miners does not exist..."
"Oh," Tightniks realizes, then huffs, "That explains the bad mood." He sits down with the mining foreman trimp and brushes its tail, "Don't worry, my friend. You'll be back after one cycle, and I'm sure I'll miss you and your miners. These guys," he nods at the scientists, "we're scared they wouldn't be back when I first used it on purpose, but they came back. If there's a 'Science challenge' later on, I'll have you and not them-"
The scientists flinch.
"It'll be okay," he assures the mining foreman he hasn't yet realized has fallen comfortably asleep in his lap, "It'll be okay, buddy."
16h11m02s: Gymnastic Z25 taken and gyms rapidly increasing now.
The 710 fighting trimps are majestic with their new gymnastic skill and nearly impossible to hit. Only occasionally did the gorillimp do damage. They took it down easily.
Then the dragimp they faced next blew them away with a fireball that made Tightniks flinch. It took him a second to get the dragimp back in his bee nickels. The next group was all ready to relieve their fallen comrades before they went down, even without the welcoming traps for the wild volunteers (of which Tightniks has just started into the 41st bin of ten thousand.) The dragimp can do nothing to them; anything that hits gets deflected by their V-8 shields; they never got sufficiently blindsided.
[Funny: V-8 is a veggie drink similar to clamato juice I can't find anymore, but it's really five-eight, which just happens to be the squadron number of the cast in Space: Above and Beyond. Herp-a-derp!]
19h11m12s: Spammed some random biome maps...
"Tai?" the grey one looks up at the human holding a little sign, "Last couple zones, you've been mapping a lot of random biome routes we never used. Is there any point to that?"
"Stats," the human says, fitting another one together, "Oh, and this," he tosses the trimp the completed forest route map."
As it registers in the portal system, the pad starts beeping and flashing its screen.
"What?" Tightniks sneers incredulously, "There's an AP for that?" He checks and sure enough, there's a 5% Achievement Point for making a 'perfect' map, by a full notch the biggest AP so far.
The yellow one was relaxing on the corner of the latest filled up trap bin, the 49th, notices, and leans back, "Yarey yarey..." shaking its head.
19h13m28s: Uberhouse taken.
"Shijou," the grey one stands at Tightniks feet holding a small book.
Tightniks takes a brief break from his trapmaking and stoops for his oldest scientist.
"Shijou," the grey one bobs the small book in its hands to offer it to Tightniks.
"Flush toilets and septic systems?" Tightniks reads, "You do this yourself?"
"Oh, don't you wish," the red one snickers, "No, it was in that perfect route you mapped up."
20h39m26s: Zone 30, 161 He, 7.794 He/hr, 4656 pop, 20N, 74.5s RC with Z29/1735, no turkimp, 2.5% AP for sub-60 He Z30 start...
"Oh?" Tightniks has an Ax V-3 over one shoulder and screws the helium hose connector to the portal system with one hand. He grunts, sounds kinda disappointed, sets the ax down and continues working on his massive pile of traps; he's almost finished the 55th of, he just learned, 100 huge bins.
The mining foreman had struggled up onto the cart to see, and just looks baffled. It usually looks a bit lost just as part of its demeanor, but this time it looks really quite confused, and makes rather bemused sounds too.
"Oh, what is this?" Red jumps up on the cart, sounding like it's gotta be silly.
The mining foreman climbs back down and spots a purple ore vein, makes a happy sound and pulls its shovel out of its back pocket to start digging into it.
[OC: This is not even close to an exaggeration vs. OG Puchim@s Yukipo who, in 1x2, just pulls out her shovel from nowhere and digs a hole through Project 765's indoor tile-and-concrete office floor to have a nap in the cold open of a 137 second long cartoon episode. Never run out of mushroom boxes! Also, 2nd season Golden Week gold medallion, she and Yayo dig into a volcanic island and hit an oil gusher ...you don't need to know much geology to realize...]
"Really?" Red groans, "Sheesh."
What's on the pad? "Hoarder: Have over 1 million traps at once, 2.5% damage."
20h48m06s: Gateways.
"Hmm," Tightniks pauses from his trap building and gazes over where they came from.
"Thinking of something?" the yellow one asks from the stack he's building under his feet as he puts the most recent trap on the pile.
"Yunno, we have a lot of territory back there that should be pretty pleasant to live in," Tightniks says, "You'd think we should be able to just map an enemy-free route that trimps can just sit down and live peacefully in. I'd love to be able to do that."
"Shijou," the grey one is at his feet with a massive shit-eating grin, not really "hiding" a big piece of documentation behind its back. Obviously it's not so dumb as to realize that it isn't concealed. It then pulls it out and offers it to the human, "Shijou."
"What's this-" the human gasps, "Are you kidding?"
"Shijou."
"Well?" the yellow one prompts, "Let's friggin' try it, shall we?"
21h34m53s...
For some odd reason, that quiet little mining foreman is on the trap pile, fiddling around. Seems to be trying to arm one, has the spring catch on-
"Hey, buddy!" the human notices, "What are you-"
SPROING and it goes flying through the air. Does a few flips and turns, and then sticks the landing, strikes a pose, and makes a happy sound. [op cit. 1x57]
"What the-" Tightniks says, scratching his head, I wonder how much more damage the fighters could avoid if they could do stuff like that.
"Shijou," the grey one is carefully copying out the trimpese from a tattered and dusty scroll.
"What is that?" Tightniks asks.
"Where mining buddy learned that flip," Yellow says from the cart with feet playfully dangling, "another gymnastic book we picked up a few NMEs back. Probably another chapter from the same book, actually. It seems to have been torn apart and scattered."
"Is that right, bud-" the human looks around, can't seem to find the mining foreman, "Buddy, where are you?" It can't move so fast as to get out of sight this quickly!
"Po-wee!" it cheers from the bottom of its latest hole, which is beside a pile of rich bluish-greenish copper ore, onto which another shovelful flies out of the hole onto it.
22h44m17s: Zone 32, 205 He, 9.016 He/hr, 9548 pop, 30N, 37.7s RC with Z31/2712, no tkp.
"You should probably go," Red whispers.
The exhausted human has just sat down for a nap after tossing yet another trap into the huge bin stenciled "61".
"Really, I mean it," the red trimp scientist gently sets a paw on the pilot's shoulder, "Listen to sense please. Charge all this helium and use the portal; it'll make us so much stronger."
"Only 392 thousand to go," Tightniks sighs, "All the ones I've made go to waste if I use it now. I know it's only a two-and-a-halfer, but if I go now, I'll never be in de-" his head slumps into the nodding-off of post-all-nighter fatigue, "moo."
Red and the mining foreman help the snoring human gently down onto his side. The former quietly asks the latter, "Do you think he's doing the right thing?"
The mining foreman makes a particularly delighted squeak, grabs its latest flask of leafy-flowery infusion, which is just now cool enough not to punish such a maneuver with a nasty burn, and upends the whole thing in a couple seconds. It then bounds off joyfully towards the big pit mine over there. It does not often lead the general laborers because of the gymnastic and shield driven block fight, which needs wood, but it happens to be doing so today.
Yellow stands next to the grumbling unhappy green lumber foreman trimp, who is standing on the head of its dual bit ax with its chin on the end of the haft sticking up from the head on the ground. "Cheer up!" the yellow scientist gently prods it in the elbow, "There isn't a Lumber challenge."
1d00h20m05s: Zone 33, 229 He, 9.410 He/hr, 10120 pop, 50N, 40.8s RC with Z32/3390, no turkimp.
"It's a familiar smell," the human says.
"There's no way we've been out this far since whatever it is that shtfed Trimp civilization," Red grumbles. [Word based on acronym SHTF, which stands for "stuff hits the fan" in its G-rated version. Long time ago, similarly derived "nsfw" was a kerbalese cuss word.]
"I think it's from before that," Tightniks clarifies, "from before the time loop stuff."
"I'm worried our fighting group is nearly a third of our population," Yellow sighs.
"Casualties bother you?" Tightniks asks, "I thought we talked about that."
"It's taking forever to breed up new groups, and these things, *snap* ow," Yellow didn't quite touch that one the right way, "you've got 661 thousand of are too small to help. If you don't go now, this will probably be our last Coordination and we won't be able to finish the next zone."
1d06h52m14s: Gymnastic Z35 finally away.
"Did you know it was there?" The red one asks the human as they watch the grey one transcribe another lost chapter of the Gymnastic book.
"No," Tightniks huffs, in a few minutes' break from his trap building, "But I'm not surprised, I hope it gets us Zone 36. In any case, as soon as I finish that millionth trap-"
The mining foreman makes a mournful sound.
"Don't worry, buddy," Tightniks pats it on the head, "I'll brush your tail again last thing before I go." He's working on bin #88.
1d08h00m10s: 12802 pop, 80N, 43.7s RC with Z34/5298, down from 27.4s; '31m00s...
Tightniks, wearing wool-lined leather gloves mixing shimp and bovimp ingredients, plugs the void map that they got from earlier in the zone into the portal, bundled up against the expected cold. He hopes that the fresh Gymnastic Z35 and Coordination Z34 will get them through it.
1d08h33m03s...
"Do you think you can get it back out of there?" Red asks the shivering human as he reaches for the portal.
There are a pair of ejector levers beside the void map slot which clicked when he inserted it, but the void map disappears, so it remained an open question as to whether they could get it back out. Making sure not to have his hands over the void map slot, Tightniks gets a thumb over each one and there's resistance like something is in the empty slot. He grunts and pushes down until they suddenly snap down, the ejected void map rematerializes. "Well, that's a relief," he sets it down and the starts doffing his coats and sweaters to let the warm air of the normal world reach him.
"Try again later?" Yellow asks.
"Yes," the human says.
"What, are you kidding?" Red scoffs, these things level up with the zones!"
"Later on in this zone, obviously," Tightniks grunts with a huff, and then turns to see the grey one holding its little sign with those exact words on it, can't help but smile.
1d09h08m09s: Snimp in Z36c74...
Having just finished yet another trap for bin #95 of the hundred that he needs for the million-traps AP, he tosses it in and looks to the front. There's not much left of that snimp, but it just killed a third fighting group. "The training bonus from running ten laps in an on-level map route doesn't transfer to the void, does it?"
"Shijou," the grey one says with a note of confirmation.
"And I'm getting close to done this pile of traps we need for that 2.5% AP damage bonus."
"Shijou," it says again.
1d09h08m21s: Snimp in Z36c75...
Tightniks sighs, "...and there's another one. So much for that void map with its heinous critically accurate fast voidsnimps and ugly boss fight." And he returns to building traps.
1d10h14m08s: Trying again...
"NULLIFIUM/VOID HEIRLOOM INTERFACE," Tightniks tightens the stuff around himself and then finishes getting the void map inserted with his gloves, and his fingers come together as it puffs out in a brief blue mist in the void environment.
"Timba timba," Tightniks hadn't even noticed that the lumber foreman was up on his head, pats him on the head, wants to get back to work. [No Puchim@s resembles the lumber foreman.]
"Oh, there you are," the human says, "Sorry, I wanted to finish the run with the mining foreman in charge of the resourcing workers. I don't know what's about to happen to it when I hit the Metal challenge."
"Who the devon talked you into into trying this thing again?" Yellow grumbles, looking up at the indigo sky and mysteriously shrunken and dim sun, hands- ...forepaws on its waist, not discomforted by the cold, but bothered by the re-attempt. [This cuss-word after Disturbed song "Inside the Fire".]
"Shijou," the grey one grins above a Rosetta-stone-like sign it's holding with "It was me." in forty-seven languages both human and trimp.
"Zone 37 is hopeless in the time it'll take me to finish building the traps," Tightniks says.
"Won't the cold slow you down?" Red inquires, "It seems to get to you for some reason we don't get."
"Timba timba," the lumber foreman confirms from its perch on Tightiks' jacket hood.
"Yeah," he huffs, tightening it down, "but it slows down the portal clock by the same amount, so who cares?"
1d10h38m48s: Voidsnimp in c12...
Even in the void, Tightniks has gotten used to the sounds of the combat and trimps dying en masse, but when he heard that voidsnimp screech, which is similar to a "drill" robot from an Earth video game he has almost totally forgotten called Descent (Interplay 1995), he almost involuntarily turned to see, Even way back here, they can damage us despite all that gymnastic training? Then it landed the critical hit and wiped them out, as all critical hits do on this void route. He still finished the trap he was working on before going back to the portal, "Forget this, we're just getting the zone blimp." He pops the map from the portal's void slot, and starts getting his void gear off. His uniform long since wore out, so he's wearing something much more cave-manny. [I picked that sound because that sucker was dangerous and terrifying and carried the nearly hitscan Vulcan cannon. There was no Descent II equivalent, but the Thiefbot was pretty annoying.]
1d10h45m30s: 1M traps AP for 2.5%. 1d10h47m36s: Zone 37, 345 He, 9.916 He/hr, 13120 pop, 100N, 33.6s RC with Z34/5298, 2774 pop short, no turkimp.
Tightniks had nearly finished the long procedure for loading and configuring the portal, then sat down with the mining foreman to brush its tail like he promised.
The scientist trimps tried to hit the portal's activation plunger, but it refused to travel the full distance closed for any of them. Quite tired themselves out trying. The only one not exhausted into total silence was the grey one with its exasperated "Shijou..."
The mining foreman refused to go to sleep, and watched intently as Tightniks finally reached over and set it home with one hand. Its last nervous little sigh was the only thing he remembered-
The ship is without power, and Tightniks can't run the radar much without draining the batteries...

Pre-Calculus concepts are mathematical ideas and techniques that are typically studied before diving into Calculus. They provide a solid foundation for understanding the more advanced mathematical concepts of Calculus, and are essential for success in a variety of fields, including science, engineering, economics, and computer science.
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Here are some of the key Pre-Calculus concepts:
1. Functions

• Domain and range
• Composition of functions
• Inverse functions
• Graphing functions

2. Graphing

• Understanding the coordinate plane
• Graphing lines, circles, and other shapes
• Identifying and graphing functions

3. Trigonometry

• Angles and triangles
• Sine, cosine, and tangent
• Trigonometric identities and equations

4. Analytic Geometry

• Understanding the coordinate plane
• Graphing lines, circles, and other shapes
• Finding equations of lines and circles

5. Systems of Equations

• Solving systems of linear equations
• Solving systems of nonlinear equations

6. Inequalities

• Solving linear inequalities
• Solving nonlinear inequalities

7. Polynomials and Rational Functions

• Adding, subtracting, and multiplying polynomials
• Dividing polynomials
• Understanding rational functions

8. Exponents and Logarithms

• Understanding exponential growth and decay
• Understanding logarithmic functions

9. Conic Sections

• Understanding circles, ellipses, parabolas, and hyperbolas
• Graphing and solving problems involving conic sections

10. Sequences and Series

• Understanding arithmetic and geometric sequences
• Understanding series and summation notation

These Pre-Calculus concepts are essential for understanding the more advanced mathematical concepts of Calculus, and are used in a variety of fields, including science, engineering, economics, and computer science.
Here are some real-world applications of Pre-Calculus concepts:

• Physics and Engineering: Pre-Calculus concepts are used to describe the motion of objects, including the acceleration and velocity of particles and the curvature of space-time.
• Computer Science: Pre-Calculus concepts are used in computer programming, including the development of algorithms and the analysis of data structures.
• Economics: Pre-Calculus concepts are used in economics to model population growth, inflation, and other economic phenomena.
• Biology: Pre-Calculus concepts are used in biology to model population growth, disease spread, and other biological phenomena.

Pre-Calculus concepts are essential for understanding the more advanced mathematical concepts of Calculus, and are used in a variety of fields, including science, engineering, economics, and computer science. By mastering these concepts, students can gain a deeper understanding of the world around them and develop problem-solving skills that will serve them well in a variety of careers.

Previously, I was a 6-8th grade math teacher teaching pre-algebra and algebra I. I have now moved to another state and am a full time grad school. I work as a district substitute to make some extra cash while in my masters program.
I have to say I am surprised by the skill levels that middle schoolers here are demonstrated. In public schools, I am seeing 8th graders who are struggling with multiplication, applying formulas, plotting points on a (+,+) coordinate plane as well as middle schoolers who struggle to read and write.
When I was in school, in an accelerated track you took Geometry in 8th grade in order to take Calc in 11th. It seems that this is not something that happens anymore as the 12th grade standard is now Pre-calc.
What is going on out there?

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Mado was starting to feel annoyed to be held up, by a single child of Atlas, when the man himself was here. He knew he could defeat her easily, however, it would require a bit of strength, which may be a disadvantage against the emperor. He glanced at his brother, after sending Calypso flying into the distance. Just in time to see him cut Zelha's arm off and kick her flying through a hill. "Rael! Do you think you can handle both of them on your own?"
Rael, looked at his brother, squinting with skeptical eyes. "You're not planning on leaving me here alone... Are you?"
Mado smiled. "Oh come on! If we're both stuck here, none of us will get to fight him. After you kill them, come and join me, otherwise, he might escape."
Just then, the kings felt an incredible amount of energy coming from Akio's direction. Followed by earthquakes, shaking the world around them.
They both looked at each other at the same time, then Rael cursed, as a replica of him, made out of the strongest steel and magma launched out of the ground. Then, immediately intercepted Calypso's strike, which was targeting his brother.
Mado smiled, then gathered some energy. "Thanks, brother." Then, teleported and left him alone, as the two princesses charged him.
Atlas vs the Hashin...
Atlas crashed into a valley, as his platform and restraints crumbled apart, from the impact. He looked above him, as a Hashin jetted towards him, with his fist covered in magma.
Without hesitating, the emperor shifted into second gear, sidestepped, and punched him in the gut, destroying his internal organs as he was sent flying hundreds of kilometres away. "One down."
He sighed, then backflipped, as one more crashed down from above, followed by another coming from below and managing to grab hold of his legs as he landed. Burning them, while a third tried to punch him in the back.
He ducked and flipped forward, lifting his legs up into the air with the Hashin below ground, to smack him into his comrade. While the one who attacked from above tried to end it all with a point-blank, beam of lava, which he effortlessly blocked with an invisible forcefield, slightly cracking up around him.
Atlas shook his head, realizing that they were ready to risk each other's lives. He raised his left hand as dual waves of lava pressed him from behind.
The three Hashin yelled, placing their entire might as they aimed to crush him in one go. However, in seconds, he shifted into third gear, releasing an outburst of energy and pushing the waves back at them. They were knocked off their feet and showered by drops of scorching hot lava, as the emperor appeared between the two nearest each other and gifted them with spheres of telekinetic force with each hand. "Particle Vortex."
The two, once whole, seemingly burst like balloons, while showering blood everywhere. The third Hashin, had watched everything that occurred, as he got back up, then yelled at the top of his lungs. "You'll pay for that!" He clasped his hands together and gathered energy. "Forbidden Art-"
He stopped chanting, as he was raised into the air. Atlas walked up to him, kissing his teeth. "I'm not a fan of your gruesome arts."
The Hashin's body began to contort, then as he tried to utter a few barely audible words, Atlas crushed his entire body. His transformation fizzled off, while he sighed in disappointment, as he could not keep the blood off of his clothes.
A large pool of energy forced him to glance up at the sky. He frowned, as he watched three more Hashin, pooling together a massive sphere of lava. Condensed hundreds of times over by an ice wielder, as she struggled to hold together all of the pressure, within a thin film of ice.
They launched it while yelling in unison. "Forbidden Art, Core of Mercy!" Each of them, coughed up blood, as the ice user's arms began to tear itself apart, from within like a ripple, heading towards her main body. She screamed, but held on, as all of them put in every last drop of their energy.
The emperor sighed and raised his hand towards the pressurized bomb, heading for him. "I'm extremely disappointed. How low, you Hashin have fallen within this past millennia."
Immense energy began to well up within him, as he prepared himself, however, out of nowhere, a chain of lava whipped around him and held him tight. He cursed, he forgot that they were, complete masters of stealth. He looked behind him, as two Hashin held on to the chains tightly, reinforcing it with their iko and burning it with their rage.
He took a deep breath, as the world seemingly began to stand still. His hair flickered full silver once more, with silver and black veins coursing and glowing throughout his body.
Furious, he snapped himself out of the chains and held onto the remnants, then overtook their iko and clenched their hands firmly to the chains with telekinetic force, as he dragged them into the incoming attack.
Rupturing the thin ice film, holding it together, and letting out a tremendous explosion killing them instantly. Yet, the explosion seemed to maintain a fixed position in midair and started to condense, unnaturally. The Hashin in the sky, braced themselves, wary of what was going on. However, within the blink of an eye, the bizarre explosion crashed into all three of them.
All they could do was look within the glass-like phenomenon, as they tried to raise their heads, lift their arms, or move their bodies, to no avail. Traces of their iko shimmered within the condensed explosion, which hadn't stopped, till they reached a safe enough distance from him.
"AHHH!" They screamed, as he continued to admire his artwork, by placing his hands to his ear to listen before the deafening explosion, shook him a bit, as he undid his transformation.
"Now then, what should I do about this situation." He thought out loud, as he felt a Hashin flying away with Tobi and Osei's body, then smiled, after deciding his priorities. However, suddenly the world around him began to shake, with intense earthquakes and fissures sprouting in the far-off distance and making their way towards him.
"Akio!" He yelled at the top of his lungs. "What do you think you're doing?!"
On Senae's outskirts, above the heated battle between Cerian and Kirosian forces...
The Hashins had just finished, helping the last of Beyond's forces off-ground. None of their main forces were allowed to land except for them, so they watched, disgusted, as the Kirosians mercilessly powered through Cerian infantry with ease. All while enjoying their chance at a good battle.
They encountered several soldiers already and avoided many that went for their heads, as soon as their crests were in sight. For the rest of the way, the two opted, to switch on their invisibility cloaks and remain above, overlooking the situation, as the last shuttle started to jet off, a few hundred meters away.
The plan changed for the location of the last shuttle for the Novas since it had gotten too dangerous near the extraction site. However, out of the blue, the shuttle exploded as if it was crushed by something. The Hashin were alarmed by what they had just witnessed. Wasting no time, they contacted another Hashin on evacuation. "It's 9 & 13. I'm not sure how, but the last shuttle has just been destroyed."
Number seven spoke up. "What? How?"
Thirteen shook his head. "I'm not sure, but I've just sent an alert to Commander Ba'jin to send another. Unfortunately, all of Rennaya has become a battlefield. He'll need to create a small window for us, to help them escape. "
Nine tapped his temple once. "21 did you find them?"
Twenty-one chimed in. "Yes, I did. The one they call Sarah is heavily wounded and losing a lot of blood. Kiala is fine, however, the shuttle they tried to reach, fell into a crevice."
A blur caught thirteen's eye, as he glanced around, finding nothing. Relieved, he continued the conversation. "3, 7, 21. Make your way to these new coordinates that I'm sending you. I will secure the location until you get there."
"Hai!" They answered back and closed their comms. He sighed, as he began making his way toward the new site. He knew the space force commander had a lot on his plate, but he just had to trust, that he would be able to pull through.
Suddenly, he noticed a flash of a large black object, in front of him. Disappearing and reappearing, faster than the eye could see.
"Hey 9, did you see that?" He spun around to look at his comrade, only to find him missing.
Seconds later the camouflage on the object, he saw statically, came undone. As something the Hashin had only heard of in stories, but had never actually seen before, opened its jaws out wide and bared large razor-sharp teeth. It had long noticed them and wondered, why they had treaded onto its domain. Regardless, with a futile attempt, he tried raising his hands up to protect himself, as the massive black dragon, chomped down on him, and swallowed him whole.
Then it let out a deafening roar.
Previous First Chapter Next

Previous First Chapter Next
Mado was starting to feel annoyed to be held up, by a single child of Atlas, when the man himself was here. He knew he could defeat her easily, however, it would require a bit of strength, which may be a disadvantage against the emperor. He glanced at his brother, after sending Calypso flying into the distance. Just in time to see him cut Zelha's arm off and kick her flying through a hill. "Rael! Do you think you can handle both of them on your own?"
Rael, looked at his brother, squinting with skeptical eyes. "You're not planning on leaving me here alone... Are you?"
Mado smiled. "Oh come on! If we're both stuck here, none of us will get to fight him. After you kill them, come and join me, otherwise, he might escape."
Just then, the kings felt an incredible amount of energy coming from Akio's direction. Followed by earthquakes, shaking the world around them.
They both looked at each other at the same time, then Rael cursed, as a replica of him, made out of the strongest steel and magma launched out of the ground. Then, immediately intercepted Calypso's strike, which was targeting his brother.
Mado smiled, then gathered some energy. "Thanks, brother." Then, teleported and left him alone, as the two princesses charged him.
Atlas vs the Hashin...
Atlas crashed into a valley, as his platform and restraints crumbled apart, from the impact. He looked above him, as a Hashin jetted towards him, with his fist covered in magma.
Without hesitating, the emperor shifted into second gear, sidestepped, and punched him in the gut, destroying his internal organs as he was sent flying hundreds of kilometres away. "One down."
He sighed, then backflipped, as one more crashed down from above, followed by another coming from below and managing to grab hold of his legs as he landed. Burning them, while a third tried to punch him in the back.
He ducked and flipped forward, lifting his legs up into the air with the Hashin below ground, to smack him into his comrade. While the one who attacked from above tried to end it all with a point-blank, beam of lava, which he effortlessly blocked with an invisible forcefield, slightly cracking up around him.
Atlas shook his head, realizing that they were ready to risk each other's lives. He raised his left hand as dual waves of lava pressed him from behind.
The three Hashin yelled, placing their entire might as they aimed to crush him in one go. However, in seconds, he shifted into third gear, releasing an outburst of energy and pushing the waves back at them. They were knocked off their feet and showered by drops of scorching hot lava, as the emperor appeared between the two nearest each other and gifted them with spheres of telekinetic force with each hand. "Particle Vortex."
The two, once whole, seemingly burst like balloons, while showering blood everywhere. The third Hashin, had watched everything that occurred, as he got back up, then yelled at the top of his lungs. "You'll pay for that!" He clasped his hands together and gathered energy. "Forbidden Art-"
He stopped chanting, as he was raised into the air. Atlas walked up to him, kissing his teeth. "I'm not a fan of your gruesome arts."
The Hashin's body began to contort, then as he tried to utter a few barely audible words, Atlas crushed his entire body. His transformation fizzled off, while he sighed in disappointment, as he could not keep the blood off of his clothes.
A large pool of energy forced him to glance up at the sky. He frowned, as he watched three more Hashin, pooling together a massive sphere of lava. Condensed hundreds of times over by an ice wielder, as she struggled to hold together all of the pressure, within a thin film of ice.
They launched it, while yelling in unison. "Forbidden Art, Core of Mercy!" Each of them, coughed up blood, as the ice user's arms began to tear itself apart, from within like a ripple, heading towards her main body. She screamed, but held on, as all of them put in every last drop of their energy.
The emperor sighed and raised his hand towards the pressurized bomb, heading for him. "I'm extremely disappointed. How low, you Hashin have fallen within this past millennia."
Immense energy began to well up within him, as he prepared himself, however, out of nowhere, a chain of lava whipped around him and held him tight. He cursed, he forgot that they were, complete masters of stealth. He looked behind him, as two Hashin held on to the chains tightly, reinforcing it with their iko and burning it with their rage.
He took a deep breath, as the world seemingly began to stand still. His hair flickered full silver once more, with silver and black veins coursing and glowing throughout his body.
Furious, he snapped himself out of the chains and held onto the remnants, then overtook their iko and clenched their hands firmly to the chains with telekinetic force, as he dragged them into the incoming attack.
Rupturing the thin ice film, holding it together, and letting out a tremendous explosion killing them instantly. Yet, the explosion seemed to maintain a fixed position in midair and started to condense, unnaturally. The Hashin in the sky, braced themselves, wary of what was going on. However, within the blink of an eye, the bizarre explosion crashed into all three of them.
All they could do was look within the glass-like phenomenon, as they tried to raise their heads, lift their arms, or move their bodies, to no avail. Traces of their iko shimmered within the condensed explosion, which hadn't stopped, till they reached a safe enough distance from him.
"AHHH!" They screamed, as he continued to admire his artwork, by placing his hands to his ear to listen before the deafening explosion, shook him a bit, as he undid his transformation.
"Now then, what should I do about this situation." He thought out loud, as he felt a Hashin flying away with Tobi and Osei's body, then smiled, after deciding his priorities. However, suddenly the world around him began to shake, with intense earthquakes and fissures sprouting in the far-off distance and making their way towards him.
"Akio!" He yelled at the top of his lungs. "What do you think you're doing?!"
On Senae's outskirts, above the heated battle between Cerian and Kirosian forces...
The Hashins had just finished, helping the last of Beyond's forces off-ground. None of their main forces were allowed to land except for them, so they watched, disgusted, as the Kirosians mercilessly powered through Cerian infantry with ease. All while enjoying their chance at a good battle.
They encountered several soldiers already and avoided many that went for their heads, as soon as their crests were in sight. For the rest of the way, the two opted, to switch on their invisibility cloaks and remain above, overlooking the situation, as the last shuttle started to jet off, a few hundred meters away.
The plan changed for the location of the last shuttle for the Novas since it had gotten too dangerous near the extraction site. However, out of the blue, the shuttle exploded as if it was crushed by something. The Hashin were alarmed by what they had just witnessed. Wasting no time, they contacted another Hashin on evacuation. "It's 9 & 13. I'm not sure how, but the last shuttle has just been destroyed."
Number seven spoke up. "What? How?"
Thirteen shook his head. "I'm not sure, but I've just sent an alert to Commander Ba'jin to send another. Unfortunately, all of Rennaya has become a battlefield. He'll need to create a small window for us, to help them escape. "
Nine tapped his temple once. "21 did you find them?"
Twenty-one chimed in. "Yes, I did. The one they call Sarah is heavily wounded and losing a lot of blood. Kiala is fine, however, the shuttle they tried to reach, fell into a crevice."
A blur caught thirteen's eye, as he glanced around, finding nothing. Relieved, he continued the conversation. "3, 7, 21. Make your way to these new coordinates that I'm sending you. I will secure the location until you get there."
"Hai!" They answered back and closed their comms. He sighed, as he began making his way toward the new site. He knew the space force commander had a lot on his plate, but he just had to trust, that he would be able to pull through.
Suddenly, he noticed a flash of a large black object, in front of him. Disappearing and reappearing, faster than the eye could see.
"Hey 9, did you see that?" He spun around to look at his comrade, only to find him missing.
Seconds later the camouflage on the object, he saw statically, came undone. As something the Hashin had only heard of in stories, but had never actually seen before, opened its jaws out wide and bared large razor-sharp teeth. It had long noticed them and wondered, why they had treaded onto its domain. Regardless, with a futile attempt, he tried raising his hands up to protect himself, as the massive black dragon, chomped down on him, and swallowed him whole.
Then it let out a deafening roar.
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