There was the Hackaday post on this little guy, and looking around on Aliexpress you can find a bunch.
Does anyone know if these are being torn off of old Blackberries? Or if someone is actually manufacturing them? Also are there any docs on the pinsout/connectoetc
Thanks!

I know a lot of people have been questioning forever whether Valve are working on VR hardware, with some outright denying it's existence. At most, we've all seen some patents here and there that seem a little interesting.
As a person who spends some time looking for a job, I decided to look at what Valve has going. I looked at 2 postings, which I've copied below and I believe few people have seen. I've highlighted some bits I find particularly interesting in bold (of course not every aspect is related to VR, as the first one is clearly also talking about Steam Deck iterations). It sounds to me like they're working on something like lighthouses that can use cameras to do pose estimation (could be done through the headset and controllers, but that does seem a lot more complicated, and their audience of Index users would be used to lighthouses), ultimately eliminating the need for Vive trackers (and their alternatives), taking the time to strap them to you, calibration and battery life, which I've thought for a while is an important next step in VR, and I'm glad to see there are hints this is being worked on by a big player.
Software Engineer for HW
At Valve, we are pushing the boundaries of hardware gaming experiences.
Exemplified on products like the Steam Deck and the Valve Index, engineers at Valve innovate on technologies that bridge the hazy divide between software and hardware solutions. Our engineers are versatile, self-directed, and empowered to bring the next generation of VR and hand-held gaming products to millions of customers world-wide.
Do you love making great hardware? Our team has senior, world-class experts bringing together the following areas...

• Software Development in C/C++
• Linux & Embedded OSes
• Firmware Development
• Computer Graphics (GPU Acceleration, Shading, Rendering)
• Novel Display Paths (low latencies, high bandwidth)
• Hardware Interfaces (cameras, imus, audio, USB, mixed signal)
• Core VR Technologies (tracking, optical calibration, display customization)
• Video Compression
• Wireless Technologies
• Engine Integration (Unity, Unreal)
• Human Computer Interaction, Controllers, and Haptics

Computer Vision Software Engineer
Computer vision plays an indispensable role in modern VR experiences, providing headset and controller tracking, eye and hand tracking, 3D environment understanding, amongst others. Computer vision engineers at Valve are working on all those areas to help us achieve the next steps in VR with millions of customers world-wide.
Across the computer vision engineering group, we contribute in a variety of ways:

• Collaborate to define product goals
• Participate in conceiving, designing, and evaluating VR hardware
• Develop software (in particular computer vision related)
• Computer vision engineers at Valve have significant industry experience. Members of our team typically have proven professional software development experience in C/C++, and have both deep understanding and hands-on experience in 3D vision algorithms, SLAM tracking, amongst others. Our team includes and looks for individuals with expertise in one or more of the following areas:
• SLAM/VIO/sensor fusion, visual positioning or other related directions
• 3D vision algorithms (traditional, deep learning based, or both - including SFM, MVS(Net), NeRF or other 3D reconstruction methods.
• Object detection and tracking, 3D pose estimation or other related directions
• Human subject awareness, including hand tracking, eye tracking, and body tracking

tldr:
Valve has job postings, they reference the following:

• eye tracking
• 3D pose estimation/body tracking
• hand tracking
• designing/evaluating VR hardware
• wireless tech (this may just be for the Steam Deck, but seems likely we're talking about Wireless VR given the year we live in)

I am sure it is too late now, but I hope future releases of the minimal phone can aim to meet the high security requirements to run GrapheneOS. This is the only way I can see the Minimal Phone replacing the blackberry as a secure business device.
"Hardware, firmware and software specific to devices like drivers play a huge role in the overall security of a device. The goal of the project is not to slightly improve some aspects of insecure devices and supporting a broad set of devices would be directly counter to the values of the project. A lot of the low-level work also ends up being fairly tied to the hardware.
Non-exhaustive list of requirements for future devices, which are standards met or exceeded by current Pixel devices:

Support for using alternate operating systems including full hardware security functionality Complete monthly Android Security Bulletin patches without any regular delays longer than a week At least 5 years of updates from launch for phones (Pixels now have 7) and 7 years for tablets Vendor code updated to new monthly, quarterly and yearly releases of AOSP within several months to provide new security improvements (Pixels receive these in the month they're released) Linux 5.15 or 6.1 Generic Kernel Image (GKI) support (requirement will change to 6.1 or 6.6 after the stable release of Android 15) Hardware accelerated virtualization usable by GrapheneOS (ideally pKVM to match Pixels but another usable implementation may be acceptable) Hardware memory tagging (ARM MTE or equivalent) BTI/PAC, CET or equivalent PXN, SMEP or equivalent PAN, SMAP or equivalent Isolated radios (cellular, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC, etc.), GPU, SSD, media encode / decode, image processor and other components Support for A/B updates of both the firmware and OS images with automatic rollback if the initial boot fails one or more times Verified boot with rollback protection for firmware Verified boot with rollback protection for the OS (Android Verified Boot) Verified boot key fingerprint for yellow boot state displayed with a secure hash (non-truncated SHA-256 or better) StrongBox keystore provided by secure element Hardware key attestation support for the StrongBox keystore Attest key support for hardware key attestation to provide pinning support Weaver disk encryption key derivation throttling provided by secure element Insider attack resistance for updates to the secure element (Owner user authentication required before updates are accepted) Inline disk encryption acceleration with wrapped key support 64-bit-only device support code Wi-Fi anonymity support including MAC address randomization, probe sequence number randomization and no other leaked identifiers Support for disabling USB data and also USB as a whole at a hardware level in the USB controller Reset attack mitigation for firmware-based boot modes such as fastboot mode zeroing memory left over from the OS and delaying opening up attack surface such as USB functionality until that's completed 

In order to support a device, the appropriate resources also need to be available and dedicated towards it. Releases for each supported device need to be robust and stable, with all standard functionality working properly and testing for each of the releases."

Hey everyone,
As architects and design enthusiasts, we know that it’s often the small details that can elevate a design from good to extraordinary. I thought it would be fascinating to have a discussion about those architectural details that really make a project stand out. Whether it's a clever use of materials, a unique structural solution, or an innovative aesthetic feature, these details can transform spaces and leave a lasting impression.
Here are a few of my favorite examples:

1. Exposed Structural Elements

One of my favorite details is the use of exposed structural elements, like steel beams or wooden trusses. These not only serve a functional purpose but also add an industrial or rustic aesthetic to the space. For example, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, designed by Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers, showcases its structural system on the exterior, creating a bold and iconic look.

1. Intricate Facades

Facades that incorporate intricate patterns or textures can add depth and interest to a building. The Al Bahar Towers in Abu Dhabi feature a dynamic facade that adapts to the sun's movement, reducing heat gain and creating a stunning visual effect. This combination of functionality and beauty is truly inspiring.

1. Thoughtful Lighting Design

Lighting can dramatically enhance architectural details, highlighting textures, and creating mood. The use of natural light through strategically placed windows or skylights can transform a space. For instance, the Church of Light by Tadao Ando uses a cross-shaped cutout to create a powerful play of light and shadow within the minimalistic concrete structure.

1. Creative Use of Materials

Innovative use of materials can make a big impact. The Seagram Building in New York, designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, uses bronze-toned steel and amber-tinted glass to create a sleek and elegant skyscraper. The attention to material choice and its execution is a hallmark of great design.

1. Functional Aesthetics

Combining function with aesthetics can result in memorable designs. The Vitra Fire Station by Zaha Hadid is not only a functional building but also a sculptural piece of architecture. The sharp angles and dynamic form reflect the movement and urgency of a fire station.
Now, I’d love to hear from you! Share your favorite architectural details that elevate a design. Whether it’s a sketch, photo, or an analysis of why a particular detail stands out to you, let’s dive into what makes architecture truly exceptional.
​
Looking forward to seeing your examples and hearing your thoughts!

This is my first script. Please be kind. If it sucks, it sucks, but I had fun writing it nonetheless.
Please link me if you use/fill it. I would love to hear your take on it. Free to monetize, Youtube, Patreon, whatever, I just want to hear it. :)
Please give me credit: RE: My Darling / Remy Darling

Scene setter: Italics
SpeakeVA: Bold text with "quotes" outside of the sentence/phrases
Internal monologue: Bold/italics
Action of character or suggested SFX: ((Double Parenthesis)) No need to add these so strictly as people often tell the story differently, and I'm looking forward to that. I just wrote it out as I heard it in my head.
Response from a character: ((pause))

Speaker: You are Killian James a.k.a. Hook. Your eyes are the color of the sea, your hair is dark as night, and you are dashing, troubled, and flirtatious. The lilt of an accent gives you a melodic tone, and your personality is dark, playful, and direct. You are comfortable in three-piece suits, and are a dangerous man with many secrets.
Listener: Your name is Wendy. Your friends have convinced you to go to a bar downtown in the more dangerous part of the city due to rumors, only they end up bailing without you. You are going to go home after you finish your drink. The bar is called Never Land, Where, according to your friends rumors, the owner is a mysterious man that they all seem fascinated with. Apparently, he is tall, dark, and handsome – a devil of a man that goes by a strange name. They call him… Hook.

((SFX – The club is above this basement 'torture chamber' area-you can hear the music of the club playing muffled. The basement area is clean and not dungeon-y but is more of a modern torture chamber with drains for easy ah… clean up))
SCENE: There is a man chained/tied up. Hook enters the room, looking almost bored that he needs to be there. He takes off his jacket, handing it to one of his henchmen, leaving the vest on, before he unbuttons his cuffs and starts rolling the sleeves up.
“I’m not pleased that our shipment is late, Mr. Jukes. It was supposed to arrive on a super yacht named the ‘Jolly Roger’ today with a bunch of rich snobs who were none the wiser. Your men guaranteed me that it would arrive with the staff and be loaded off on the dock shortly after, however, that is yet to come to fruition, and I am not a patient man.”
((SFX: VA puts on leather gloves, stretches fingers and gets comfortable in them))
“I am aware that they have taken a detour due to a storm, Jukes – but your mismanagement of my time, and my money, are not to be forgotten. Bad form, Jukes! Bad form!”
((SFX: dragging knife sound – //our character uses a tactical Hook knife. It’s typically for gutting deer – not really necessary to know, it’s just to flesh out the character for you//, Hook approaches slowly))
“I know it won't happen again. Don’t worry, Jukes, since this is your first time having erred with me, I shall simply leave you with a small reminder. I expect the shipment to be directed to our port swiftly, otherwise, I won’t be nearly as lenient again.”
((SFX chains straining, screaming that becomes muffled screaming, as Hook takes his knife and leaves the man with a Cheshire Grin/Glasglow Smile up one side of his face, heavy breathing for a moment, as he returns and throws his knife down on the table))
“Get me my other three-piece suit from my office and a clean shirt. I’ve got this bastard’s blood all over me. He's not to be given his freedom until I hear that the shipment has come in from the Jolly Roger. If it does not go to plan – we will have to take further, more drastic actions and I don’t want to have to find this cad, Mr. Jukes, again. Do I make myself clear?”
((henchmen answer))
“Good.”
((SFX – him pulling off the leather gloves and getting changed))
“One of you stay here and watch him. Tonight I’ll be on the club floor. I’m not to be interrupted until The Crocodile has made contact. Is that understood?”
((pause))
“Good. That is all.”
((he leaves))

((SFX – transition to this however you like))
\*modern day, bar scene/sounds (*no* jazz or classical music - it's a nightclub), people mingling in the background. In enters our VA/Hook.*

“Tinkerbell, pour me my usual, will you, dear?”
((Tink is quick, and slides him his drink. Sip, sigh, and pause as he looks around)) (( This internal thought is not necessary but if you want to, go for it ))
\*internal thought*\** Who’s this? Oh my, sweet lamb, you are definitely in the wrong place.
“Tink, one last thing, could you possibly tell me anything about that young woman there? The one in light blue.”
((listening intently for a moment))
“Hm. Lovely. Thank you, dear.”
((SFX – he puts down his drink, footsteps/fine Italian leather shoes approaching the young lady who is at the bar))
“Well, well, well… Isn’t that a beautiful dress on an even more beautiful woman. That color of blue really suits you. You… are a piece of art. A fascinating and intriguing piece of art. However, you don’t quite seem like you belong here.”
((pause))
“Someone as divine as you, as *innocent* as you, dressed as you are, doesn’t really seem to fit in. Not in this kind of place. You look more like you would fit in one of the high-class jazz lounges uptown. Martinis, a piano player, velvet couches and the like. Do you think that you fit in amongst these gentlemen of fortune and these women dressed in their slinky club clothes? Look around, do you see the patrons here?”
((short pause as she looks around))
“Don’t you see? You are simply dressed too elegantly for a place like this. No, you, my dear, are definitely not the type that belongs amongst these fiends. You belong uptown. Not here, amongst the dregs of society like us. Your mannerisms are too graceful, you walk with pride and your chin up – this is not the body language of one of my people.”
((pause))
“Well, I happen to own this establishment, Never Land, so I am rather familiar with the likes of the people who tend to come through its doors, and I have never seen you before. You seem quite unforgettable. Could I have the pleasure of having your name?”
((pause))
“Wendy… What a lovely name for such a lovely woman. Well, Wendy, darling – my name is Killian. My friends call me Hook.”
((pause))
“So many questions! What an inquisitive slip of a thing you are. Perhaps, we could talk over a drink?”
((*VA snaps fingers* Bartender Tinkerbell approaches immediately and waits)) ((ListeneWendy begins to decline))
“Don’t fret, darling. It’s just a drink. Should you find yourself not interested in our conversation or in me, you are more than welcome to leave and go back uptown to the *safe* areas of the city, where the likes of people like me and my ilk will be of no bother to you ever again. But should I pique your interest, perhaps allow me the grace of your presence again in the future.”
((pause))
“Just one drink. And nothing more.”
((ListeneWendy accepts))
“Delightful! Tink, if you could get us another round. One of whatever the lady was drinking, and my usual.”
((short pause as he takes her in before sighing and leaning in closer to speak to her))
“Darling, do tell me, why have you wandered into the seedy underbelly of our city? What is it exactly that you are searching for? Mystery? Intrigue?"
((whispers // into her ear))
"...*Danger*?”
((VA leans back and there is a sly curling of his lips into a crooked smile))
“Mm, that blush really does make me think that you truly are as innocent as I originally thought, Darling. Albeit, I am sure you knew what kind of danger you could get into coming to a place like this. You may be looking for danger, but it seems danger has found you instead.”
((pause))
“Oh, yes, danger. There is plenty of danger here. However, it seems like that’s something you seem to be searching for. Should I inquire as to –“
((VA leans in once more))
“What *kind* of danger you are looking for? See, Darling, that’s the thing about danger… You may only want a little but you never truly know how much you’re going to get.”
((pause))
((VA - practically whispered across her lips or ear, you imagine how close you want to get))
“Ah, yes, Wendy, darling. I happen to be very… Very… Dangerous.”
((Listener steps back))
((he gives a low chuckle))
“Do I … make you … Nervous?”
((short pause and VA steps forward as Listener shakes her head defiantly))
“Or perhaps, I am not the kind of danger you are looking for?”
((closer))
“Do you even *know* what you are looking for, my little lamb?”
((dangerously close to her))
((pause))
((drinks come at this time delivered by Tink – VA returns to less invasive persona))
"Ah, thank you, Tink. You’ve impeccable timing. Shall we? I’d love to take this to a VIP booth I prefer to sit in. It will give us a little more privacy and won’t be as loud. Come now, pet."
((footsteps/music/whatever SFX have them move to a slightly quieter place, sit in a booth))
"Do you mind, Darling? I’d much rather be sitting next to you than across the table. That way I can hear you better. Yes, that’s it, just move in a little further."
((this gives no escape for Listener as James/Hook is between the easy exit and her – SFX of her moving over if you want to get technical and him sitting next to her))
((pause))
“Ah, *that*. The name Hook… It is simply from a childhood long ago. Raised in an orphanage with many other lost boys like myself. It’s a truly heartbreaking story, I’m sure, but I’d like you to remember our first meeting in a different light. Not melancholy and deep, dark secrets. Not yet, anyway. Perhaps, if you decide to embark on a journey with me in the future, or are willing to grace me with your presence again, we can discuss it then.”
((Listener nods, nervously))
((he leans in))
“But you, Wendy, darling –“
((whispered // reaches out to draw a finger down her jawline as he looks from her eyes to her mouth))
“You still haven’t answered me.”
((pause))
“About what *kind* of danger you are looking for…”
((pause // leaning in))
“Are you looking for something – just a wee bit threatening? Perhaps something that will get the heart pumping momentarily?”
((pause // leaning in))
“Or perhaps, a singular thrilling night before the sun rises and the fun is over?”
((pause // leaning in))
“Or… are you looking for something darker? Something much more dangerous. Something soul shattering that will devour you whole? Something that makes you question your morals… Your boundaries… Something that will burn you to ash and will leave you begging me for more even once I break you?”
((kisses Wendy))
“Do you know what kind of danger you want yet, darling? That last one… It is not a wise idea for a sweet little lamb like you, but I promise... You’ll love it.”

Im back again, newbie to perfumes with three new samples! This time, I’m trying another new to me house: LBE. I’ve heard generally good things about this house, most general consensus is that they have simple and nice scents. Granted I’m a self professed book nerd, and adore things that represent my love for books and this just hits the mark.
I’m still figuring out what exactly I like in perfumes, but I guess I’m someone who seems to enjoy fruity fresh scents for the most part? Not partial to florals but most of them (minus maybe lavender and rose) are tolerable. Spicy, smoky and incense-y ones are ones I don’t particularly like.
Anyways! I had such a good experience this time around compared to when I tried Poesie and HoG! There were mostly misses (Poesie) and a few hits (HoG) but this time around, I liked all three scents! I wanted to try a few that were recommended and that I’ve seen on this sub before but a couple weren’t available when I searched sadly so I made my third option something I usually wouldn’t go for. I had a bit of difficulty getting the ball in the rollerball to actually move, which is a bit annoying but not the end of the world. I love rollerball formats and I’m sure it’ll move easier with time.
So I got 3 samples:
Romance Novel: I bought this one because berries and whipped cream! And also because my favorite book genre is romance. this one is very reminiscent of HoG’s Pink Marshmallow Milk but with an almost more… mature? Berry scent. It feels a little more complex version of whatever berry is in HoG’s, or maybe more of a natural berry scent? It’s very very soft on me and I can’t tell if it’s because my skin eats it or because of the rollerball. Either way, I keep going back and sniffing my fingers like a weirdo as I’m typing this. Don’t really get any of the other notes with it but that’s perfectly fine with me! Absolutely a gorgeous scent that I’d absolutely full-size once my sample runs out. 5/5
Fairy Dust: I’m coincidentally known to my friends as a person who loves fairies and with how I saw people love this scent, I thought I would try it. At first it’s smelled like a fizzy jolly rancher but as I put it on and let it settle into my skin, it definitely has a ginger-y undertone that I’m not fully into. There’s some notes of sweetness behind the ginger and fizz and I do really like those little hints, I just wish they were more foreword. Not going to full size this but it’s a fun little scent! 4/5
Agatha Christie: this one was the wild card. I’m coincidentally reading “The Murder of Roger Ackroyd” at the moment and my bf and I are major mystery buffs so if I didn’t like it I’ll probably destash to him just for the novelty of it! In the bottle it was very orangey to me. On skin though, this starts off veeeery scone and butter forward which I really disliked. Now that it’s dried down on my skin though, the cranberry and orange really take center stage and there’s maybe the smallest hint of black tea in it. It kind of reminds me of the Jack Black Lip Balm in black tea and blackberry actually which is what really made me get this aside from the novelty factor. This is a maybe full size. 4.5/5
All in all I’m suuuper impressed and surprised with Little Book Eater and will absolutely be sticking with their scents for awhile before trying a new house! And will be using the little library card thingy as a bookmark hehe.

The sub wouldn't be the same without fresh yinzer opinions. Voice your unpopular thoughts, hot takes and bold predictions here about anything football related.
Hate an admired playecoach? Love a hated playecoach? Do you actually *like* Roger Goodell? Think Jesse didn't catch it? (He did.) Any opinion about the Steelers, the rest of the league, or the game in general are accepted! Throw 'em all here!
Responding to someone's comment to create civil discussion and changing opinions are encouraged. DON'T be a damn jagoff and turn it into a toxic argument.

- Do NOT downvote others because you don't like their opinion.

- Downvote/Report content that BREAK THE RULES.

- This thread is intended to NOT shame others who have different ideas and thoughts that go against the grain of the metas in the sub.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And as always, DON'T BE A DAMN JAGOFF.

I have a Blackberry 9 Bold, and I have been craving to demolish BlackBerry OS entirely and add Linux on it, is it possible? I saw a couple of articles like "How to Install Linux on a Micro SD & Run on Blackberry". Is it really possible?

(continuation of part 1)

III. Searching for Aerith Beyond FFVII

There were absolutely no answers in Remake or OG (at this point in my research, Rebirth wasn’t released yet), no matter how much I looked; nothing at all hinted at how Cloud could’ve obtained the memories of OG that emerge in Remake as MOTFs. I knew I had to look elsewhere to search for more clues, so I decided to check every piece of media ever released by SE with a mention of Cloud or Aerith in it, digging for hints in the compilation and beyond.
And boy, did I find them.
III. a) Core Worlds and Suspension Worlds
There are a couple of general FF rules that we need to establish before going forward.
It’s important to note that there are multiple realms in which the FF stories take place, each with a different name, history and society. This ensures that all FF stories occur separately, never intercepting or interacting— though they do have creatures like moogles and chocobos in common, as well as concepts like airships, gil, magic and some form of crystal. For simplicity, I will refer to these separate worlds in which the numbered FF games (FFI, FFII, FFIII, etc) occur as “core worlds”.
Characters from different core worlds may appear together in non-numbered FF games, the events of which have no impact on the core world at all: it seems that sometime after a FF character has reached the end of their core world’s plot-line, they may somehow be summoned to far-removed realms where they will face new adventures. I call these far-removed realms “suspension worlds”. One example of a FF game that takes place in a suspension world is Dissidia Final Fantasy, wherein characters from multiple core worlds unite to accomplish a mission as a team.
III. b) Final Fantasy Tactics
First on our list of non-compilation SE games to explore is 1997’s Final Fantasy Tactics (FFT), a game whose plot takes place in the suspension world of Ivalice. Let’s plot out the relevant events, and then analyze!
III. b) i. Fact-Finding
The main character of FFT, Ramza, encounters a brunette flower peddler with Aerith’s iconic, gravity-defying bangs:
\"Aeris\" in FFT's Ivalice
If you choose to buy a flower from her, she express her relief: apparently, business isn’t going well because no one is interested in flowers. The girl wistfully dreams aloud:

“When is my knight in shining armor going to take me away from here...?”

Later, Ramza and his companions encounter a mysterious machine that can summon people from across universes. The machine is activated, and a rather rude young man with spiky blonde hair appears. Cloud claims he used to be in SOLDIER, and says the last thing he remembers is “getting stuck in the current”. He looks to be disoriented and lost, and suffers from piercing headaches. Mere moments after being summoned to Ivalice, Cloud rambles:

“What’s this? My fingers are tingling… My eyes… they’re burning… Stop… stop it [Se]phiroth…”

He dashes out of the room, but not without announcing:

“I must go… must go to that place…”

Outside, Cloud encounters the brunette flower girl Ramza met earlier. She offers Cloud a flower, but he only stares at her wordlessly:

“Flower girl: Buy a flower? Only 1 gil.
Cloud: …
Flower girl: Something wrong? Do I resemble someone?”
Cloud: No… it’s nothing.”

As soon as Cloud leaves, a gang of ruffians surround the flower girl and start harassing her, demanding payment that’s apparently overdue. One of them finally calls her by her name: “Aeris”. He grabs her, insinuating that he might sexually assault her in lieu of payment. Aeris is not strong enough to push him away. That’s when Cloud returns:

“Cloud: Get your hand off her!
Thug: What did you say!?
Cloud: Didn't you hear me? Get your dirty hand off her!
[…]
Cloud, to Aeris: Go… now.”

Aeris heeds Cloud’s advice, fleeing the scene before a fight between Cloud and the thug can break out. After Cloud scares the ruffians off with the help of Ramza and his companions, he speaks once more:

“I lost… something very important… Ever since, I’ve been lost […]. What should I do? What about this pain [?] Must go… to the Promised Land.”

III. b) ii. Fact Analysis
There’s a lot to unpack here, all of which you probably clocked in your head upon reading, but let’s put it down in writing.
While FFT Cloud’s memory is far from perfect, the Aeris he encounters in Ivalice doesn’t recognize him at all. FFVII Ultimania Omega addresses this question without answering it:

“[The flower seller’s] name is Aeris, and she has the same appearance and tone of voice as the Aeris of FFVII. However, when she comes across Cloud, she does not recognize him. Could she really be the same Aerith who appears in FFVII but with memory loss, or is she a completely different character?” (“#4 Proof of Omega”, “FFVII in Other Games”, “Final Fantasy Tactics”, page 560).

Regardless of her unknown identity and inability to recognize Cloud, FFT Aeris’ fantasy of a “knight in shining armor” is quite reminiscent of the flower girl/bodyguard dynamic we’ve come to know and love. Cloud’s armor doesn’t shine, but in my opinion, if you’re looking for the dystopian, corporatocratic equivalent of a knight, you can’t get much closer than a supposed-former-SOLDIER-turned-bodyguard. Additionally, despite his rude and cold attitude toward Ramza’s gang, the urgency with which Cloud swoops in to save the flower girl from the ruffians betrays a softer, warmer side to him: the flower girl/bodyguard dynamic strikes again!
FFT Cloud’s dialogue borrows two lines from the speech OG Cloud makes as Aerith lies dead in his arms (disk 1, chapter 28): “My fingers are tingling. My mouth is dry. My eyes are burning!” and “What are we supposed to do? What about my pain?” You might’ve noticed that this glimpse of grief Cloud experiences in FFT bears a resemblance to the fourth MOTF 4 experienced by Remake Cloud (see section “II. a)”). Could it be that FFT Cloud and Remake Cloud have something in common?
Shortly after being summoned to Ivalice, FFT Cloud declares that he must go to “that place”, a mysterious line that is later elucidated when he tells Ramza that he must go to the Promised Land and find the “very important” thing he’s lost. The Promised Land is the Cetra culture’s afterlife, meaning FFT Cloud is looking for someone who’s died, someone “very important” to him. OG suggests this is none other than Aerith:

“Cait Sith, reading Cloud’s fortune: You will find [what] you pursue. However, you will lose the most precious thing” (disk 1, chapter 16, English translation by Kotaku’s “Let’s Mosey: A Slow Translation of Final Fantasy Seven: Part Eight” by Tim Rogers, 9:42-9:52).

&

“Cloud, after seeing Aerith’s hand reach for him through the Lifestream: … I think I'm beginning to understand.
Tifa: What?
Cloud: An answer from the Planet… the Promised Land... I think I can meet her... there” (disk 3, chapter 3).

Finally, let’s try to understand where on the OG timeline Cloud was summoned to this suspension world from and what he remembers. His comment about getting stuck in a current has to be about the Lifestream; apparently, on top of its atemporal nature, it can act as a conduit to other worlds. One only enters the Lifestream if they’ve somehow fallen into the core of the planet or once they’ve passed away and returned to the planet. Both scenarios merit consideration.
On the one hand, it’s possible that Cloud was summoned to Ivalice after he and Tifa fall into the core of the planet: this point in the FFVII OG timeline occurs after Aerith’s death and shortly before Cloud finds out he was never SOLDIER, which matches the gaps in FFT Cloud’s memory quite well. However, this scenario does not account for the vagueness with which FFT Cloud remembers Aerith and her death. Most importantly, Cloud’s realization that he can find Aerith in the Promised Land occurs much later in the game (FFVII OG, disk 3, chapter 3) than when he falls into the Lifestream with Tifa (FFVII OG, disk 2, chapter 8).
On the other hand, FFT Cloud’s vague yet persistent memories of Aerith suggest that he’s been summoned to Ivalice after his eventual death post-OG, but also that he’s lost quite a large portion of his memories. His incomplete memory loss is likely the result of Cloud’s individuality’s erosion by the Lifestream after death, which we discussed in section “II. a) ii.”. We can therefore surmise that by the time he is summoned to Ivalice from the Lifestream, Cloud has been dead for long enough that the Lifestream eroded a large portion of the memories of his lifetime. This post-death scenario is likelier than the first. The memory of Cloud’s realization that he was never SOLDIER must be gone, which explains why he claims otherwise upon being summoned to Ivalice. Contrastingly, vestiges of Cloud’s OG memories of Aerith cling to his soul, even after others have been wiped clean. Could this be a consequence of their soulmate bond? Could the strength of Cloud’s love and grief for Aerith have made his memories of her stronger and more difficult for the Lifestream to erode? Could it be both?
One thing is clear: Aerith is of fundamental importance to Cloud, even when he can’t quite remember her. In fact, the only other character he remembers and/or mentions in FFT is Sephiroth. It does make sense that the memories of those who have marked one’s soul forevermore would be the most difficult for the Lifestream to erode.
III. c) Dissidia Final Fantasy
The next stop on our travels through suspension worlds is 2008’s Dissidia Final Fantasy! Now strap in, because here’s where things get really serious.
III. c) i. Fact Finding
In the suspension world of Dissidia Final Fantasy (DFF), the goddess of harmony Cosmos and the god of discord Chaos are engaged in a never-ending cycle of conflict. Both deities need warriors to fight on their behalf, so they recruit core world characters into their respective teams by summoning them to DFF. Some of these summoned characters are FFIV’s Cecil, FFVI’s Terra, FFVII’s Sephiroth, FFX’s Tidus, and of course, FFVII’s Cloud. The warriors find themselves in the suspension world of DFF with no memories of their core worlds’ plotlines. However, as the DFF adventure progresses, they are able to recover pieces of their memories here and there. It isn’t clear how much they come to remember. Ultimately, the warriors hope to return home to their core worlds by fighting in this war and seeing to its end.
Cloud is summoned to DFF as a warrior on the side of Chaos, who seeks to destroy all existence. Sephiroth is also on Chaos’ side, meaning the two are teammates despite being enemies in their core world of FFVII. It just so happens that Tifa is a summoned warrior in DFF too, though she’s fighting on Cosmos’ side. Intrigued by her vague familiarity, Sephiroth hypothesizes that killing Tifa will bring back his memories of OG’s plot line: before long, the masamune wielder finds Tifa alone and corners her into a one-on-one fight. Thankfully, Cloud swoops in and saves her before Sephiroth can do any harm. Tifa is thankful for Cloud’s help, though confused that Cloud would elect to assist her and turn against a fellow warrior of Chaos; she doesn’t remember what Sephiroth and Cloud mean to each other in OG. In fact, Tifa doesn’t even remember Cloud’s name or that they share a core world, though Cloud feels somewhat familiar to her. For his part, Cloud at least remembers that Tifa is someone he cares about from his core world. As Tifa thanks Cloud for saving her from Sephiroth, something she says elicits an odd reaction from the warrior of Chaos:

“Tifa: The way you showed up and fought that guy off. It was a pretty cool thing to watch. You were like a hero, charging in to save the girl.
Cloud gasps at her words. She doesn’t notice” (Dissidia 012: Treachery of the Gods, report 5: “Unexpected Fulfillment 2”).

On another note, Cloud knows he will have to fight Tifa once the Cosmos-Chaos conflict comes to a head, as they are on opposing teams. He thinks to himself:

“Once [her] memories return, [she]’ll lose the will to fight just like I have. So... Before that can happen, I have to act...” (Dissidia 012: Treachery of the Gods, report 5: “Unexpected Fulfillment 2”).

In order to end the cycle of the conflict and to avoid fighting Tifa, Cloud decides to try and defeat Chaos himself. Predictably, Cloud is no match for the deity. As he dies, Cloud pleads the following to the goddess Cosmos:

“Cosmos, goddess of harmony. If you can hear me, listen to my plea. I beg you. Save her. Save my friend… Tifa.”

Cosmos hears him and responds immediately:

“Cosmos: An end to this conflict, and a life spared? This is your heart's desire? If your will remains unchanged, I shall bring you here when the battle draws to a close. Cloud. My chosen" (Dissidia 0.13: Treachery of the Gods, report 7: “Unexpected Fulfillment 3”).

Cloud’s wish is granted by Cosmos: the first phase of the conflict ends without Tifa getting hurt, and she is sent away from the suspension world of DFF before the second phase begins. Cloud is saved from death, and Cosmos enlists him into her team of warriors for phase two: this time, Cloud is fighting on the good side.
Now we enter phase two of the war. Cosmos tells her team of ten core world warriors that in order to save the world from Chaos’ destruction, they must collect what she describes as crystals containing the power to persist through darkness. I call these the “DFF crystals”. There are ten DFF crystals in total: one for every warrior in Cosmos’ group to find. To obtain their crystal, each hero must overcome a trial that will confront them with whatever personal struggle they faced in their core world; if they prove themselves worthy, their DFF crystal will appear to them. On one hand, some warriors’ DFF crystals simply take the form of the crystals found in their core world. For example, Onion Knight’s DFF crystal looks to be nothing more than one of FFIII’s elemental crystals, which hold little to no personal significance to him. On the other hand, some warriors’ DFF crystals symbolize something more personal to their respective warriors. For instance, Cecil’s DFF crystal looks to be one of FFIV’s dark crystals, which specifically represent the dichotomy of light and darkness he struggles with in his core world’s plot line. Cosmos describes the quest for the DFF crystals as follows:

“Cosmos: The crystals embody the strength to face despair. With ten gathered, there is hope yet to save the world. The path to your crystal will be perilous... and different for each and every one of you. But you must believe in and follow your own path. Even if you know not where that path leads" (Dissidia 013: Light to All, prologue: “A Final Hope”).

From this exposition, simply keep in mind that: Cloud must find his crystal by overcoming a personal trial, and his crystal may have the appearance of an object in OG that’s important to him.
Once the team is debriefed on their mission, Cloud remains reticent to fight; he doesn’t much like the mysterious nature of this conflict. Not knowing exactly what they’re all fighting for is clearly bothersome to the swordsman, and the idea of thoughtlessly engaging in battles leaves a bad taste in his mouth. Fellow warrior Firion understands that without a reason to fight, Cloud’s heart just isn’t in it. He imparts upon Cloud that he must have a dream he’s fighting to protect, something he wants to see come true, to motivate him to stop Chaos from destroying all existence. Unfortunately, Cloud doesn’t have a dream to preserve, or can’t find one for himself:

“Cloud: I've looked, but I'm still empty-handed. And without a dream, what do you suppose I should do? […] Maybe what I'm looking for... isn't here” (Dissidia 0.13: Light to All, chapter 1: “Beyond Doubt”, “Gateway of Good and Evil”).

Another fellow warrior, Cecil, expresses worry for Cloud, whose response evokes the main theme of FFVII OG:

“Cecil: Everyone's worried, Cloud. But... Do you shoulder a larger concern?
Cloud: Concern... Maybe a sense of loss" (Dissidia 0.13: Light to All, chapter 1: “Beyond Doubt”, “Beyond the Continent”).

Whatever Cloud is looking for “isn’t [there]”, and he feels “a sense of loss”: Cloud’s motivating dream has been lost to him. This is later reasserted in a conversation with Terra, another warrior of Cosmos:

“Terra: And you, Cloud... What's your dream?
Cloud: I've lost mine" (Dissidia 0.13: Light to All, chapter 3: “The Chosen Battle”, “Gateway of True Intent”).

Later, Cloud encounters and fights Sephiroth, who is still a part of Chaos’ team. Sephiroth is defeated, but not before he’s taunted Cloud with his habitual puppet talk. However, Cloud remains strong and refutes Sephiroth’s manipulation, asserting that only he can determine his own path. This must’ve been Cloud’s personal trial, because his crystal appears at that very moment: it is a small, light green orb that looks like materia from his core world. Having pocketed his crystal, Cloud decides he must find his own reason to fight. Interestingly, his search is depicted as intertwined with Fate:

“Cloud: Even if I have my doubts... I have to find my own answer […] Until then, I'll keep fighting.
Narration: The warrior has vowed to keep fighting— and keep fighting he will […]. Etched in destiny, his quest for answers continues on” (Dissidia 0.13: Light to All, chapter 1: “Beyond Doubt”, “Gulg Gateway”).

Later, the nemeses meet again in a segment called “Recurring Tragedy”. Their interactions here are particularly interesting. Sephiroth speaks of making Cloud suffer through despair and pain as though referencing their history together:

"Sephiroth: This disease called hope is eating you alive. The world of suffering was born out of such half-baked ideals.
Cloud: If that's the case, I have to endure the suffering. There's no moving on if I run from it.
Sephiroth: If that is what you wish for, you shall drown in the pain. I'll lead you to true despair. [My] shadow is burned into your heart. We'll meet again, Cloud. I'll keep coming back— as long as you are who you are."
Sephiroth disappears. Cloud looks out into the distance before the scene ends.
“Cloud: No thanks. The one I really want to meet is…” (Dissidia 013: Light to All, epilogue: “Conclusion of a Cycle”, “Recurring Tragedy”).

This final line suggests Cloud has finally found a reason to fight: he wants to meet someone unspecified.
Finally, after the war has ended, we arrive at the final cutscene of DFF. I will let you read the full script, with notes added by me in bold behind the spoiler censors. Please do not read my notes if you do not wish to encounter spoilers for FFI, FFII, FFIII, FFIV, FFV, FFVI, FFVIII, FFIX or FFX:

“[The] heroes are all standing together in a grassy field with a forest behind them. Birds are chirping, the sun is shining brightly, and the wind is blowing gently. The heroes look around them in awe. They're all holding their crystals.
WoL: The battle has come to an end...
Tidus notices that his crystal has begun to emanate a blue glow.>! His crystal is a movie sphere from his core world of FFX: a capsule containing sounds and images that people record for later viewing. Tidus’ crystal likely represents the specific movie sphere recorded by his love interest Yuna, which revealed that she’d loved him from the beginning.!<
Tidus: Gotta go, huh...
The blue glow transfers to him as well. He turns to look at the others
[…] Tidus grins at the others, then turns and runs toward a nearby lake. He leaps into it in a manner reminiscent of [the events] of FFX. He vanishes as he descends toward the lake.
Zidane: We're not vanishing. We're returning—
Zidane is sitting on a tree limb as he says this. His crystal begins to glow gold, as does he. His crystal is shaped like a highly important ‘progenitor of all life’ crystal from his core world of FFIX.
Zidane: — to where we're supposed to be.
Zidane spins around the tree limb with the use of his tail and launches toward the sun. He's lost to view.
A white feather then drifts down from that direction and Squall catches it. The feather is reminiscent of his love Rinoa Heartilly, whose character symbol is a white feather. In fact, Squall’s crystal looks like a mix of his revolver gunblade from FFVIII and Rinoa’s feather motif. [Squall glows blue.]
Squall: Perhaps we can go on a mission together again.
Squall vanishes.
Cloud is then visible, standing in [a] flower field. The flowers are white and yellow. Cloud has his crystal, a light green materia from his core world of FFVII, in hand.
Cloud: [(Chuckles shortly, like a scoff)] Not interested.
Cloud walks off into the flower field, gaining a green glow. He vanishes.
A snowflake then falls into Terra's right hand as her crystal begins to glow pink. The flames drawn on her crystal represent her power, which is connected to the element of fire: her character arc in FFVI.
Terra: I think I've learned how to keep going. Thank you— and take care.
Terra glows pink and then vanishes. Bartz throws a stick. He's glowing pink as well.
Bartz: When you're having the most fun, that's when time always flies. His crystal is the Adamantite from his core world of FFV.
Bartz vanishes.
Cecil: It's mine to pass on—
A moon appears behind Cecil and goes through its phases as he begins to glow blue. His crystal has shadowed and illuminated parts, representing the duality of his character, which is central to his personal arc in his core world of FFIV. It also represents his brother Golbez, who has chosen the darkness. Cecil considers his familial bond with Golbez his guiding light and hopes to be with him someday.
Cecil: — this strength I've gained from everyone.
Cecil vanishes.
Onion Knight hugs his crystal and looks up toward the sky. His crystal is shaped like those found in his core world of FFIII**.**
Onion Knight: Everyone... thank you!
Onion Knight briefly glows blue and then vanishes.
There are wild roses at Firion's feet. He and WoL are looking toward the sky. WoL suddenly begins walking away while Firion looks down and sees the roses.
Firion: This isn't the end. Another dream is waiting to begin.
His crystal is the color of the wild roses that were at the center of his dream and of his motivation to fight Chaos. The roses are also the emblem of the Rebel Army he was a part of in his core world of FFII. His crystal is shaped like Pandaemonium, the final dungeon of his core world story. Firion gains a violet glow and then vanishes.
WoL is walking through the field and then comes to a stop. He's looking at something.
WoL: May the light forever shine upon us.”

As you can see, everyone’s crystal is very important to the story of their core world, and in the cases of at least Tidus, Squall, Terra and Cecil, the crystals represent something very personal. What about Cloud and his crystal, then? What about the dream he lost and the person he wants to meet? Let’s begin analyzing to answer these questions.
III. c) ii. Fact Analysis
Firstly, it’s clear to me that the Cloud that appears in DFF is a post-OG Cloud, given how many plot points from OG he interacts with. I’m reticent to say whether or not this post-OG Cloud is dead like in FFT, as he recovers many of his memories of OG during DFF and there is no evidence of him having passed away and joined the Lifestream.
The second thing I’d like to point out is Cloud’s strange reaction when Tifa compares him to a hero who swoops in and saves the girl from the bad guy. Cloud gasps, indicating that her words mean something to him; the trope Tifa references must therefore be included somewhere in the FFVII OG plot-line. Some of you are surely ahead of me by now, having realized that only the tragic antithesis of this trope appears in OG: Cloud is unable to save Aerith from Sephiroth (disk 1, chapter 28). Whether or not DFF Cloud remembers Aerith herself at this point, it’s clear he recalls the pain and guilt of losing Aerith to Sephiroth.
Next, let’s address Cloud’s lost dream: to meet an unspecified person. It seems Cloud is aware at this point that in OG, he was eternally separated from the person he dreams of meeting. So, who was he separated from in his core world? Who can he never meet again, even if his team of warriors defeats Chaos and Cloud returns to the realm of FFVII? There are a few options —his mother, his father, Zack, Jessie, Biggs, Wedge, and any other person he knew who died—, but the sheer narrative weight that Aerith’s untimely death carries makes it clear who he truly wants to meet. This is corroborated by Cloud’s “I think I can meet her… there” line in OG (disk 3 chapter 3), by FFT Cloud’s search for Aerith during his appearance in Ivalice, and by Cloud’s strange reaction to Tifa’s comparing him to a hero who swoops in and saves the girl from the bad guy. All the available evidence suggests that Cloud’s dream is indeed to reunite with Aerith, and that this dream is “lost” to him because she was killed by Sephiroth (disk 1, chapter 28). This would also explain the title of the DFF segment “Recurring Tragedy”, since as we all know, the ultimate tragedy of FFVII OG is Aerith’s death. Considering Sephiroth was the one to take Aerith away from Cloud, Sephiroth’s threats of drowning him in despair in “Recurring Tragedy” only solidify this interpretation of Cloud’s lost dream.
Finally, we arrive at the ending cutscene. Cosmos’ warriors return to where they belong to try and accomplish whatever dream they held as motivation during the Cosmos-Chaos conflict, each carrying their DFF crystal. Cloud is shown standing in a field of white and yellow flowers and walking deeper into it with a light green materia in hand. Why was a white and yellow flower field chosen to represent DFF Cloud’s dream? The answer is obvious. White and yellow flowers symbolize Aerith: she sold Cloud a yellow blossom upon first meeting him in OG (disk 1, chapter 1), and her yellow and white flowerbed cushioned Cloud’s fall when the two reunited in the Sector 5 church (disk 1, chapter 4). What’s more, we have the iconic credits video of the original cut of Advent Children to refer to, wherein Cloud is seen driving near flower fields. Aerith stands there (3:20), seemingly waiting for him. Here’s what Nomura had to say about this credits scene:

"[...] we filmed the video for the ending credits in Hawaii. There are fields of flowers on both sides of the road, and the colors —yellow and white— are the same as the flowers in Aerith's church […]. With Aerith, 'flowers' have been her image throughout the series” (FFVII Reunion Files, “Countdown to Reunion”, “Stories from CG Production”, page 87).

Even in the Advent Children Complete cut of the film, where Aerith is not shown standing in the field, the flowers and their symbolism of Aerith remain. That being so, it’s more than fair to say that the white and yellow flowers in DFF’s ending cutscene serve as yet another confirmation that Cloud’s dream is to be with Aerith.
With all of this established, we can address the nature of Cloud’s DFF crystal. As we established, every core world has its own version of a crystal, each possessing a distinct appearance, function and meaning. Materia are the crystals of FFVII, so one could be satisfied by the proposition that Cloud’s DFF crystal is simply meant to represent a random materia. However, I think Cloud’s crystal is specifically the White Materia, as it represents Aerith’s sacrifice, her importance to the plot and what she died fighting for. If any one object symbolizes her death, it’s the White Materia; it’s even given closeups during the event (2:33-3:02). Besides, unlike any other materia in FFVII, the White Materia is known to glow a light green when Holy has been activated:

“Bugenhagen: If [the prayer] reaches the planet, the White Materia will begin to glow a pale green” (FFVII OG, disk 2, chapter 15).

Here are pictures of the White Materia in OG and Advent Children, and two pictures of Cloud's DFF crystal (in order) so you can compare for yourself:
https://preview.redd.it/0qtumfeyfq0d1.jpg?width=386&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3995f010738c83fca0c5842a0564d0a9ad206dfd
https://preview.redd.it/0kj525tzfq0d1.jpg?width=1144&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=575573ef1d2c937635cf569d4a376886a24b384c
Cloud's DFF Crystal
Cloud’s DFF crystal
So far, in both suspension world games we’ve examined (FFT and DFF), Cloud is searching for Aerith. As a final note on DFF, it may interest you to know that codirector of the Remake trilogy Toriyama was actually a writer for DFF: he may have carried some themes from DFF to Remake…
III. d) Detour: The Final Fantasy 30th Anniversary Farewell Exposition
Before we hop onto the next suspension world, let’s return to ours for a quick detour: the 2018 Final Fantasy 30th Anniversary Expo. Themed with farewells and tragedy, this expo showcased the heartbreaking goodbyes featured in different FF games. Artwork, clips, quotes and images aplenty here! As the highly anticipated Remake was going to be coming out approximately a year and a half later, the FFVII section of the expo featured a few sneak peek Remake designs. This means the expo was at least partly curated with the Remake trilogy in mind; there could be interesting material in the FFVII section of the expo related to Remake. Let’s dive in!
Unsurprisingly, the focus of the FFVII section is Cloud and Aerith, since she is the loved one he lost in OG. Zack is also given a mention, however Aerith was the glaringly central star of the show. To showcase how important Aerith’s farewell in particular was to the expo, the FFVII portion was introduced by a photo of Cloud lowering Aerith into her watery grave and a video of her tragic death:
Final Fantasy 30th Anniversary Farewell Exposition, FFVII Introduction
The description under the video screen reads:

“She was gone in the blink of an eye. But the pain never went away.
Aerith awoke the ultimate magic to protect the planet and the people she loved. Yet her life came to a sudden end at the hands of Sephiroth, a man bent on seeing the world destroyed. Even the usually stoic Cloud couldn’t hide his grief at the unexpected death of an irreplaceable companion. ‘My fingers are tingling. My mouth is dry. My eyes are burning.’ True words, revealing Cloud’s deep sorrow” (Final Fantasy 30th Anniversary Exposition).

Conveniently enough for us, the expo’s tagline is “Who is the person you want to meet again?” Given that Aerith holds the spotlight in the FFVII section of the expo, it’s clear who SE is telling us Cloud wants to reunite with. Recall Cloud’s unfinished line in DFF: “The one I really want to meet is..." (Dissidia 013: Light to All, epilogue: “Conclusion of a Cycle”, “Recurring Tragedy”). We theorized that he must be referring to Aerith, and now, we are certain.
The expo also had pamphlet descriptions of the farewells depicted. Here is the general summary of FFVII‘s farewell story according to that pamphlet:

“The story follows the lead character Cloud, but it is the heroine, Aerith, who opens Cloud’s eyes and helps bring him closer to understanding the mystery that is his past. Through her, we draw closer to the truth of the story.
This scene, in which the heroine Aerith is lost, is easily the most shocking and tragic in the story. No one expected to say goodbye to such a major character in the middle of the story. Rumors of a secret way to revive Aerith spread, and it was clear players were having a hard time saying goodbye to her too. Even now, twenty years later, it still feels like a shocking turn of events” (Final Fantasy 30th Anniversary Exposition Pamphlet, page 36).

It’s interesting that SE would mention the rumors of Aerith’s revival circulated by players back in 1997, especially as fans were awaiting Remake’s release…
In light of everything we’ve analyzed so far, it can be said that between FFT (1997) and this farewell expo (2018), SE has consistently demonstrated that reuniting with Aerith is post-OG Cloud’s goal. That’s a period of over two decades— two decades of wishing, seeking, longing in real-world time for this character. This is a huge long-term commitment for SE to make, and you can bet the devs don’t take it lightly. Again and again, once the events of the OG game have ended, Cloud is shown to desire a reunion with Aerith. This ever-present and ever-insistent theme will become very important to us later in this analysis.
(continued in part 3)

The red light turns on for a bit then turns off anyone know how to fix

It really has to stop, to call him the GOAT of anything totally degrades what that status means.
You need to clear out your division a few times. Not just the top 2 guys but also most of the top 10, Fury hasnt done that once. Let me demonstrate something.
During Ali's first reign as champion from 1964-1967 these are the top 10s from those years. I will put in bold who he fought out of these top 10s.
1964

1. Sonny Liston
2. Floyd Patterson
3. Ernie Terrell
4. Cleveland Williams
5. George Chuvalo
6. Zora Folley
7. Karl Mildenberger
8. Roger Rischer
9. Eddie Machen
10. Doug Jones

1965

1. Ernie Terrell
2. Floyd Patterson
3. George Chuvalo
4. Karl Mildenberger
5. Zora Folley
6. Amos Lincoln
7. Thad Spencer
8. Doug Jones
9. Hubert Hilton
10. Brian London

1966

1. Ernie Terrell
2. Zora Folley
3. Thad Spencer
4. Floyd Patterson
5. Karl Mildenberger
6. Joe Frazier
7. Oscar Bonavena
8. George Chuvalo
9. Johnny Persol
10. Manuel Ramos

1967

1. Joe Frazier
2. Thad Spencer
3. Jimmy Ellis
4. Manuel Ramos
5. Jerry Quarry
6. Oscar Bonavena
7. Floyd Patterson
8. Eduardo Corletti
9. Karl Mildenberger
10. Ernie Terrell

This is Tyson Fury by comparison.
This is a list from 2020 when he became champion, this means he has had time to fight them.

1. Anthony Joshua
2. Deontay Wilder
3. Alexander Povetkin
4. Dillian Whyte
5. Luis Ortiz
6. Andy Ruiz Jr.
7. Joseph Parker
8. Michael Hunter
9. Oscar Rivas
10. Oleksandr Usyk

It looks like he will fight Usyk but I dont believe it until I see them in the ring. Even if he beats Usyk he has more work to do.

Blachowicz here.
Kept yah’ waiting, huh? Heh, sorry about that one, but I can explain. As we all know… we lost a few good men the last few months.
That’s the brutal part of a hybrid war like ours: We’re fighting a foe unconventional, with half our arsenal tied down because those who grant us authorization are either in disbelief of the true facts, or scared… or already assimilated. That being said our momentum recently was a change not seen in years, and because of that… despite the losses we have garnered, we were close through a breakthrough. One last night Krol pulls myself and other two must trusted squad leads into the back of our COP. There is one of our equipment cages, surrounded by m-bitter radios, tripods, and several hundred thousand dollars of equipment he brought us around a simple worn table. Before us he laid a map of eastern poland… red markings indicating cells that seemed to dot the countryside like a pestilence, or used to… as deep gashes of advance from raids had trisected their lines, even if ones did pop up in the interior.
It was a back and forth; an outside virus infecting Polska at it’s heart, and we were the antibodies sent to drive them out. To which… Major Krol points to one of the largest symbol on the map: a dark red diamond, the NATO symbol for an enemy unit, deep inside of an untouched wooded area, adjacent to a mountain ridge. Several jagged lines indicated entrenchment, with red horizontal lines indicating possible enemy control… or our contested control, for over 20kms surrounding it. Letting us all look, the Major lit himself a cigarette.
“Sir, you sure it’s wise to smoke in here with the dive tanks just behind us” 1st Squad’s lead quipped. “Fuck off” Krol dryly said.
“Alright… this is it… this is the one we’ve been searching for for years, this is the nucleus my predecessor commander died trying to find” he says, pointing to it. Not far from Zamosc, it was almost touching the border with Belarus, the contested area indicating the Strigoi did operate over it… indicating one of the largest spill through points. “-It’s an old soviet bunker, made during their 1960s initiative it was designed to hold the munitions and manpower of several units in the event of a NATO first strike” Krol explained. “It’s gotta be massive then…” I said gazing at the map; “Didn’t the army demolish all of the old soviet hulks near Belarus to prevent any infiltrations?” 3rd Squad’s lead asked. “National Police took the effort over… and by extension, the Strigoi. It was halfway demo’ed before they burrowed into it and have been using it as a bridgehead ever since. This is it…” Krol said. He looked around at all of us, a sense of certainty I had never seen before as he blew smoke from his nostrils; “We’ve been fucking around in the dark for so long, it’s hard to believe we’ve made any progress, but this is it. With this gone, this will set them back over a decade and the momentum will finally shift into our favor… into Poland’s… -Europe’s”.
I swear there was almost a flash of joy, of pride in his eyes and a phantom of a smirk before reality set back in “That being said… we can’t leave this to chance, especially not something as important as this. We’re going to have to go there ourselves… clear through every inch of that place, and tear it all down, piece by piece. I will be straight with you all… when we go, there will be some of us that aren’t coming back. -but we are going… a whole generation is counting on us, and unborn billions rely on us to succeed”. We all nodded, a silent agreement washing over us as we took this upon ourselves. Echo-1 spoke up: “So… They’re authorizing a raid? How big?”. “We’re rolling in as a hard target, armor, explosives, and air support” Krol answered, taking a drag off his cigarette. “Aviation? How the hell did we get that approved, we’ve gotten attempts shot down four times due to those leeches” I said in disbelief. “There’s too much evidence here pointing to the human trafficking tied to their actions… We’ve finally got too much weight pinning them down, to keep the hammer from slamming into their necks” Krol chuckled. He looked around “Any questions?”. “When?” Echo-3 asked. “Three hours. We’re hitting them in the dead of night, only time we could get the birds authorized. Get your boys ready. We’re rolling out” Krol said, dying the cigarette bud out on the table. I can’t begin to tell you the euphoria we felt leaving that cage, as our men started arriving, they did so a lot quicker, and with their heads a lot higher than they had in weeks. As Second Squad’s lead we were going to be one of the main arms of attack into the bunker, thus I made sure we had a breacher loaded with enough thermite, charges, and tools to cut through anything. Our shield bearer we ready to go, as was our assaulters, grenadiers, and machine gunner. I double checked each and everyone of their weapons; ensuring the feeder paws of our squad’s belt fed were intact, making sure every breach charge we had was properly set and packed. There was going to be no mistakes, no slip ups. The margin of error needed to be the smallest it had ever been for us tonight if we were going to make the gore spilt worth it.
Finally… there on the outside of the building, the bright LED lights kept the darkness of the ensuing night at bay as the roar of our MRAPs could be heard. It was said once that war is 99% peace, and 1% chaos, they were right. The slow periods where the blood slowed and the doubt creeped in was the worst… yet we all kept it at bay. We needed to, there was going to be no backing down tonight. All three squads were up, all of us ready to go… we circled up… short stares and shaky nods telling us one things: We were in this together, till the end… the finish line so many before us had been searching for, we were being granted tonight.
A single set of footsteps could be heard as we turned, Major Krol stepping into the center. He took the last drag of a cigarette, throwing it down to the ground and stamping it out onto the damp concrete. He looked around… his chin strap blowing in the weak air as he met everyone of our gazes… then mine… then looked around. “I want you to remember every detail of tonight, as you have every other night… when you are situationally aware, scanning for the enemy, liberating the subjugated, I want you to remember the sting of anxiety, the shake of adrenaline, the chill of the bunker, the heat of your weapon as it cuts them down… because tonight we are going to write every fine detail of our victory, their defeat, in history…” Krol’s words echoed deep into our souls. He paused for a moment, staring around he looked down… a small pause before he said “When you are ruthless in combat, remember to be patient, and reserved in victory. This conflict is for our existence… a lot of innocents have bled due to the mistakes of those who failed to listen, a lot of our brothers are now laid under because we had to bridge the gap of uncertainty with their lives. We remember them now… but in an hour? We forget them… when we raise our barrels, when we cut into those foes, and we liberate Polska!! This does not end tonight, but history puts everything in it’s place, and patience is the companion of the victor… All of our hard work will be cemented, no matter the obstacles we face in that darkness… no matter the demons, the blood, no matter what incomprehensible horrors, we will make them comprehend that to invade our land, to bleed our people, the justice will be paid in full… Load up. It’s time*”*.
The purpose in our steps was heavy as we climbed the back ramps of the MRAPS; Four of the heavily armored vehicles, one for each squad with an additional for attached personnel including our JTAC, the term means Joint Terminal Attack Controllers. With air support requisitioned to us for this operations, there needs to be a definite liaison on the ground who can directly communicate to the birds, and coordinate their fire and progress. I’d worked with many of them in the past, resourceful guys, quick thinking though I guess that comes with the position they hold of needing to quickly figure out what bombs to drop, on which target, at what precise points, whilst taking contact. He loaded in the lead vehicle with Major Krol… and soon, our convoy kicked off.
The drive was several hours as myself and my squad sat in the back of that forty ton goliath, the rumbling of the engine keeping us awake as the crap heater fought to keep the cold from the outside frost from setting in. I looked around to each of them, some were catching some sleep because even with the circumstances… better to get all the energy you can, than to stay awake for nothing. Others were checking their weapons… My gunner locked eyes with me, the same one from the village extraction… many of these men I had trained with for a while now, fought with for months.
We may have met on unconventional circumstances but those in JW Grom thrive on austere chance and create opportunity from scratch. I was pulled from my thought by the sound of a transmission, my peltors were set up for dual comms so I could both receive information from the Major and other leads, whilst communicating with my team.
Krol himself sent out: [“Approximately 10 minutes from enemy AO…”]. As the rest of the squads acknowledged, I quickly sent out [“Echo-2 Copies”], before kicking the boots of any of them sleeping: “Look alive, we’re here”. Through the exterior net armor of the MRAPS, and the bars protecting the small reinforced windows, we could barely see jack shit. I reached up, turning off the overhead light as we all looked through our nods to scan the outside. A dark wall of dense trees was shown before us, making it difficult to see… in addition to night vision capabilities we had also requisitioned ourselves some thermals… when mounted onto rifles they were bulky, made it a pain to aim down quickly, but considering the supernatural capabilities of spotting our foes we needed every advantage necessary.
I flipped out one of my tubes… scanning the outside with my scope. I looked over to one of my assaulters who had been assigned to man the turret of the MRAP, seated near the view screen as he controlled the 50. Cal. Each of the vehicle turrets had been assigned a direction to cover… we took the 9 o’clock, the left flank. “See anything?” I asked. He shook his head; “Negative… wait… I’ve got two cold signatures, front left heading to our rear”.
I quickly scanned the far tree line, at approximately 60 meters off our left were two cold signatures… followed by a third heading to our front… then another. They were surrounding us, moving at speeds so fast I could barely keep my reticle on them. Is this what the National Police saw? What they faced at that lodge without the benefit of a foot of heavy armor protecting them on all sides. Then… suddenly. Something slammed into the side of our MRAP so hard, it caused it to shake. From over the leader comms, Echo-3 quickly shouted [“Contact right!! 4 hostiles!!”].
One of the Strigoi… so bold, had charged and slammed into the side of our MRAP. I quickly looked to see the figure, a dark blue mass of cold energy through my thermal, back away without so much as a stagger… as they tried to flee into the woods, the white hot justice of Echo-3’s gun fired at them, cutting them down. “Blachowicz I’ve got a few breaking for our vic” my man on the turret called out, I spun around, spotting out the window.
Just then, Major Krol announced [“weapons free, watch and shoot for targets of opportunity…”]. I turned to him… “take those fuckers out-”. Without hesitation my vic’s turret began to quickly target them, and through the darkness I saw a stream of outgoing fire bisect one of them, the ISR of the black blood freaking out the optic so badly it didn’t know what temperature to register it as… but it did register it. As another was cut down, one broke through the tree line and latched onto the side of our MRAP. The thing tore at one of the outer net armor panels, usually made to stop RPGs. It grabbed at the bars near the windows, tearing one off… I lowered my rifle as we locked eyes through the reinforced window.
The thing… the Strigoi looked at me, skin cracked as putrefied muscle fibers seemed to leak through dead flesh. It’s teeth were corroded and worn down to sharp fragments, alongside newly mutated fangs that messily protrude from the jaws. Even through the thick walls of the MRAP I could hear it’s roar, as it then tried to punch it’s way through… it cracked the outer coating of the vehicle… but it wasn’t getting anywhere near. My machine gunner, seated next to me, seemed to chuckle at the sight, quippily saying “Yeah… fuck you too”. It’s then our vehicle lurched upwards, as we began to climb the small incline of the bunker. I knew the layout, mapped it in our head, the main entrance was built into the rocky side of an old cliff meaning we could easily set up a defensive perimeter around it, a horseshoe. Krol’s vehicle was first, taking to the right as Echo-3’s MRAP followed. My vehicle, third, left the incline and took a left and… that’s where things got complicated.
We’re still trying to work out what happened but… from what Joakim says his drone captured. Right when the MRAP turned, several of the monsters quickly slammed into the side of the vehicle, as another more bulkier one, pushed at it’s undercarriage. The result.. Was the 40 ton armored vehicle tipped over. It wasn’t uncommon, hell in some cases a well placed IED, a good shot with a recoilless rifle, have been known to tip over Oshkoshs and Maxpros all the time. But this beast? Needless to say we barely had a second to comprehend it as it leaned to the left; “Grab on to something-” is all I had time to shout. A mess of gear and men spilled onto one side of the vehicle as it slammed into the old gravel and dirt.
Several of my assaulters, my grenadier planted right ontop of myself and the others as we came to a stop. Someone’s knee slammed directly into the side of my skull, causing me to dazily bob in and out of consciousness as my face was smushed against the glass of one of the windows.
Through my peltors, the other squads were erratic;
[“Echo-2’s vehicle is down!!”].
[“Echo-3 to Echo-2… Echo-3 to Echo-2…”].
Krol’s voice came through the comms;
[“Echo-Lead to Echo-2… Fuc-... Echo-1 secure Echo 2’s flank, Echo-3”].
[“Echo-3 to other units, they’re spilling through, I’ve got several enemy combatants converging on Echo-2’s vehicle”].
I pushed the legs of my grenadier off my head as I fought to my hands and knees, unfucking my nods as I looked around… “Fuck it… we’re going lights on, shield your eyes” I muttered as I reached for the overhead lights and flipped them on. The bright LEDs bathed the inside of the vehicle as we all gained our bearings, a mess of multicam, gear, and weapons as we quickly pushed each other off. My gunner caught as he fought to realign his promask, from what I gathered one of the assaulters had landed directly into his gun, pushing it directly into his jugular, as pulled back at the rubber and coughed, freeing up his esophagus. We didn’t have time to think however… the sound of bending metal caught our attention… as the back ramp door of the MRAP was ripped clean off. I could barely believe it but as the white light of the MRAP’s interior poured to the outside, a hulking mass leaned in, the dead flesh on it’s face nearly fallen off as the hideous Strigoi leaned inside.
Without hesitation I aimed took aim, yelling “Keep to the deck!!” to any of those inbetween myself and the invader as I opened fire. A burst of full auto fire tore through it’s collar and neck, my men quickly clung to either sides of the fallen MRAP as a few more fired out. As the thing backed up, a blast of .50 cal fire quickly tore it to shreds, along with several others as I realized they were fuckin swarming over the outside of our vehicle. Echo-3’s vehicle continued to carefully fire on the Strigoi on the outside, the sounds of .50 cal ricocheting off the outside of our armor was enough to make the pucker factor set in.
[“Echo-3 to Echo-2”].
[“This is Echo-2, we’re green on ammo, equipment, men”].
[“Roger, we’re shifting fire, exit the vehicle”].
“Hurry up let’s go!!” I barked to my men, leading the way as I staggered out. I turned on my peq, taking aim at silhouettes in the brush as I began to fire. The sounds of machine guns lighting up the brush, as a sea of growls, howls, and incomprehensible roars fired back at us was the ambient noise of the night. My men quickly exited, my gunner being the last as he and I pulled back to the rest of the defensive perimeter. I set in my men to take up the frontal security, as 3rd squad took the right flank, 1st squad to the left. Major Krol and the JTAC were bickering with each other; “How far out are the birds”. “They’re entering airspace now…” Joakim said, already scanning his smart book.
I asked “What’ve we got?”. He then flipped through… to the NATO combined arms segment, quippily saying; “Apaches…”. This caused me to pause as Echo-3 turned their head whilst directing their squad’s fire “The hell… where did we get apaches from?”. “The Americans… they volunteered” Krol said dismissively as he took aim at the darkness, firing off a controlled trio. “Volunteered? They’re aware of what’s going on?” I asked.
Krol seemed to stop, glancing back at me before returning his focus “There’s a lot more going on than you realize, Blachowicz… Prep the breach, you and 1st are going on”.
I quickly pulled my breacher off the line, securing some thermite as the reinforced bunker door wasn’t going to go as easily as a conventional door breach would. 1st Squad pulled back, stacking up and preparing themselves to be the first in. All the while… Joakim gave his firing solution; “Alpha Hotel Two Five Nine, This is Bravo-4…… Type 2….”.
I snapped to my right, watching as a Strigoi managed to dark across the clear gravel field, only to be cut down by my gunner, the peq’s laser marking the burst as it tore through the beasts’ hips, as it hit the ground and still continued to claw, another GROM operator took aim and fired into it’s skull. Joakim popped up to his feet…. “Marking laser, high power…”. He then pulled out a target marking laser… if you’ve watched night operations, you’ve probably seen them.
The green laser than as it says on the label, marks targets. The pattern of which can vary… if it’s a point target, it’ll usually lasso an area, or remain on target until the target is removed with extreme prejudice. If its close air support, then it’ll be a line of the general area… and Joakim damn near marked the entire perimeter around us. He quickly pocketed the tool, turning back to Krol; “Don’t go past 20 meters unless you want to be liquidated”.
With that… 2nd and 1st stacked up at the door as 3rd squad took up the perimeter security. As Major Krol went over to Echo-1… I saw them. A single blinking IR strobe from the beasts as they moved on the far off horizon, converging from several angles… and fired. The sound of the Apache’s main gun, the M230, truly sounds like the hammer of god… the 30mm cannon shot through the dark sky, lighting it up as we saw three incoming streams tear up the woods. Only then as the sound broke did we start to hear their rotors as they broke and began to circle, firing again… then… Joakim dipped his head and looked to Krol; [“Foxtrot Mike, hang onto your teeth…”]. One of the Apaches fired off a AGM-114… a Hellfire. I barely saw it out of the corner of my eye as the Apache from our right flank fired off at a target approximately 200 meters off. A fireball lit up the forest as the horrendous roar echoed throughout… then went silent.
Echo-3 scanned the horizon carefully;
[“Echo-3 to Echo-Lead, enemy contact is starting to die down”].
[“Maintain perimeter, Close Air is to maintain fire mission until we are boots up, Break…”].
[“Echo-Lead to Echo-1, condition white has been met. Proceeds”]. I saw Echo-1 and his men quickly stack up close to the wall and gesture to me; Breaching. I quickly pulled my stack back against the wall as his and mine breacher quickly hit their actuators. Now under normal circumstances, it doesn’t take much for thermite to melt the locks off of a metal surface, in fact it’s a more precise took as alternative means get real medieval like saws, pry bars… we weren’t in the mood for precision, we need to breach their little lair, and drag them out. The sound of several pounds of hellfire burning through the metal could be heard around the corner as a sea of white and red sparks flew out… after several seconds, two of our men tossed a fragmentation grenade and a nine-bang through the opening… a series of concussive blasts and a large explosion rang out.
Echo-1 and his men maneuvered. 1st Squad quickly converged as we followed them in.
Stepping through the black wall of smoke, the dark abyss of the interior was illuminated in a white light as entered barrels raised. Shots rang out as several of the beasts near the entrance were cut down, though not immediately, rounds disconnected the shoulder of one of them, leading to their arm hanging limply by a single tendon as they roared… another series of rounds putting them down. What greeted us was a messy concrete hell of rust and debris, fecal matter, trash, and all kinds of obstacles laid in our way, our boots sticking to the floor. I thank every god we had promasks that night. I called my shield bearer up, 2nd squad leapfrogging ahead to take the next corridor as 1st squad checked their weapons.
One of my men mule kicked the metal door ahead, twice, finally the latch gave away as we tossed in a grenade. A horrifying roar was cut off as an M67 shook the walls of the ancient soviet mausoleum, frag and spall kicked off the walls as I moved in right behind my shield man. The cramped russian design meant there was barely enough space for three people, and that’s three normal people, not in 50kgs of kit, moving slowly and maneuvering against creatures of the dark. Still… we moved forward, my shield bearer and I pushing the pace as two stacked of either squad formed on either wall.
As we passed doorways they flowed in… “Door Left!!”, “Door Right!!”. “Move!!”.
Two men entered each side, no gunshots, we moved up, a roar came.
“Door left!!-”. A series of gunshots came out as we continued to push forward.
“Two down!!”. “Confirm them” Krol commanded, as a series of gunshots run out in response. From one of the doorways, a Strigoi emerged… a female… clumps of hair had been ripped from her decaying skull, as her blooded eyes locked on myself and my shieldman. The skin on her hands had been tore down to the point where barely her bones and tendons remain… looking like huge talons as she roared and lunged at us. He fired off his pistol, though the rounds did little to stop her as she pushed against our stack.
“Fuck!!” he muttered, somehow her strength caused him to stagnate, holding up the advance… fuck that. I shoved the muzzle of my MK18 into her ribcage, flipping the weapon to auto as I fired of round after round. The 5.56 salvo disconnecting her spinal column, causing her to fall as I continued to fire, along with a man to our right and left as the stacks reformed as we pushed to the end of the hall. I fell back, dropping the magazine and loading a fresh one, like clockwork a GROM Operator from 1st squad took my place. Krol was beside me as we approached the end of the hall.
[“-Prep an entry”] I radioed to my breacher, a comrade handed him one of the charges from his back panel as he took to the door, quickly securing it. We all moved as far back as we could, look away, exhale. The blast knocked metal and wood in all directions, scrapping against our uniforms and kit as we made our way in and what laid before us was… it used to be the center atrium of one of these bunkers. Soviet’s loved their grandiose designs, the complex was supposed to be a circular room around a central planning table… instead. It had been turned into some sort of church. Runes and old eastern Romuva pagan symbols written in black ink and blood across the walls, old rotten filing cabinets, long receipt terminals. In the center… several of the Strigoi were kneeling before the table where someone had been tied down, flayed, and… shared amongst the group. They rose to their feet, we aimed our barrels…
The ladder amongst turned to us… his skin wasn’t cracked, or flayed, it was smooth… it still looked dead as the body on the table but it seemed more… accustomed to it. I don’t know… evolved? Under the surface however I could see it’s darkened veins pumping whatever cursed blood ran through them as it locked two blood red eyes onto each of us. It’s nose had long since been turn off, exposing boney nostrils to the open air as it seemed to smirk. All across it’s body were the same symbols on the walls, in every cell… markings of death, of rebirth, of assimilation… From behind this seemingly Alpha emerges another figure I had never seemed before… dressed in a white cloak with a deer head.
"So they've followed the trail... they're too late" the Deer headed individual spoke, definitely not from here, a dialect similar to an Americans but... aristocratic? Each word was drawn out, assurance as if they had everything mapped down to our actions. They didn’t sound like they were from Poland or the east.
“Doesn’t matter…” the Alpha growled… and then, it lunged at us. Quickly breaking from their ground it slammed into my shield man knocking both him and myself at the ground as it displayed an intense feat of strength. Around us I could see several of the Strigoi leap at our comrades… though to no fruitful endeavor as I could see one GROM operator cut two down, as another got into a hand to hand confrontation… my breacher, crafty as they were, reached back and slammed one of the prybars of his kit into the skull of the beast.
The Alpha however was not content as it threw away the 90lb shield, sending it flying across the room as it grabbed my comrade by the skull. I quickly kicked up at it, firing my MK18 into it’s body as the rounds pierced it’s gray and rune covered flesh. The thing simply seemed to chuckle… that was until Major Krol blasted away at the side of it’s head, the alpha turned… and it’s smirk turned to a scowl when face to face with the major. A knowing pause almost like they had done this dance before…
The creature lunged, locking up with Major Krol as it swung and slammed railing. Krol didn’t back down however as he pushed against the creature, hiptossing it to the ground even as it tore at his armor and gear. But the beast pulled, both of them rolled and the Major was on his back as the thing reached for his neck. I fought to a kneel, firing into the creature messily with my MK18, trying not to hit my commander… then…
Click. A sound sends a chill up the spine of every warfighter during a firefight.
My gun ran dry. I dropped the magazine, looking to load another, but the thing came up and with one of it’s claws, sliced deep into my cheek, through the pro mask. I could feel my own blood go flying through the air as I landed hard on my back plate, spitting out red iron as I quickly tried to adjust my mask. Through my fogged up, blood covered lense… I saw my shield man raise his pistol, firing into the skull of the thing staggering it with a roar. Krol came from behind, drawing his knife he sunk it deep into the neck of it…. I reached for my rifle, forcing a new magazine in and damn near punching the bold release. ““Sir, down!!” I shouted, Krol rolled away, back to his own rifle as I fired. So did my comrade as he continued to fire his pistol… so did the Major as he fired his rifle. All of us chewing through that apex predator of darkness, that beast… the leader that had been preying on our people for so long. Layer by layer, muscle group by bone… eventually… the alpha landed on whatever was left of his back.
The silence of the fight died down as all of us checked our surroundings, GROM Operators putting controlled pairs in the heads and nerve stems of any Strigoi laying around… I flicked my weapon onto safe, letting it hang as I pulled off my mask. I dared not touch the wound on my face… the pain nearly crippling me if it wasn’t sheer will pushing me through, and adrenaline doing all it could to subdue it. The sound of the apaches continuing to lay hate drew us from our moment of contemplation as the Major went back to work; [“Confiscate any info, burn the rest…”]. He turned back to me as I shoved my damaged M50 mask back into it’s bag, chuckling as he looked at the sight; “You need a medevac, Blachowicz?” he quipped.
I shook my head, barely able to speak as I muttered; “Negative sir…”. The two of us scanned the room as my shield bearer went to collect his defense implement turned 90lb projectile, we scanned the center of the room, checking and confirming bodies, until we got to the last one alive. His white gown was soaked in red crimson and black ooze, as his dear head was mangled from bullet fire and impact from falling on it. I swear… the way his blood poured out of it though made me wonder if it was a mask. I gave it no second thoughts as he looked to Krol; “You… you can’t stop this, they’ve already-”.
The Major was in no mood for communication as his rifle snapped up and fired off three rounds to the body, four the head. The violent yet quick salvo ending the cultists life, I looked down at it, then to him as he remarked; “Have your squad drag him out to the front, burn the rest”. I stood alongside him, looking down as the sight of it’s deer head was both captivating and horrifying… the curiosity in me wanting to look closer at it fighting the primal instinct I had to burn the thing to ash. “-Haven’t seen one of those before…” I muttered, thinking the Major had an answer.
He didn’t. Krol saying “Neither have I…” shortly before he walked away, was what truly shook my soul about that entire night. Victory stood firm in our hearts that night as we stood outside of the bunker. The night sky burning with fire and white phosphorus as we watched the ruin burn from the inside from the other side of the lot. In the distance, the Apaches continued to scan and circle the forests, no longer firing…. Which meant they had driven any or turned to glass any enemy combatants within a four miles, probably both, more than likely the latter. Echo-1 patted me on the shoulder as we stood there, soaking it all in, though Krol looked none to pleased. “In the time it took us to take this one down, they’ll be trying to set up three more cells… that being established…” he said, looking to either of us, then to Echo-3. “-Hell of a thing we did tonight, been waiting for this one for a decade, cleanly, maybe more… but no time to rest on our laurels… we’ll have another task for us as soon as we’re boots down back home” he said, to which his eyes followed mine, the body of whatever cultist that was zipped up in a black body bag beside the wheel of one of the MRAPs. The fire from the bunker casting an orange hue over it’s shiny jet black outside, something didn’t sit right with me… “That wasn’t a Strigoi…” I said to Krol.
“That’s very clear…” the Major said, shoving his mask under his arm and lighting a cigarette. “So… someone’s helping them?” I asked. The meer notion of it shook me to my core, sickened me. This parasite was already badly infecting Europa, Polska… if it was spread like this throughout the world. Krol settled my nerves: “We’ll be ready… It’s not just us anymore”. As he said that, I realized what he meant… my eyes looking to the Apaches as they started to form up, leaving the areas as their thunderous propellers melted into the night’s calm, unnerving ambience.
It’s been a couple of weeks since then, Echo Detachment has been busy. We’ve gained good ground against the enemy and honestly I think in a few years, we might see a much larger change. For now… we must keep going, that being said the Strigoi aren’t the only ones we’ve been combating. Recently we’ve made contact with of some sort of extermination coalition, they’ve known about the Strigoi, and others plaguing the world, the level of corruption and corrosion on society goes deep. Regardless a lot of the units we’ve been working with are apart of NATO, such as this “4th Special Forces Group” of the American Military. I don’t know where the road from here leads, but we’ve gotten momentum on our side, finally. Just remember… these things are out there, in every town, every city, every nation… preying and waiting for you to be alone, vulnerable, so they can take you and replace you.
Watch your back, and stay safe.
For now, Blachowicz signing out. Until next time

Previous Next
First Series Index Galactic Map State of War Map RoyalRoad Patreon Discord

MNS Trassau

Speinfoent turned around to face Loenda and reported the battlegroup status. “Commander, all ships have successfully completed the blink. Squadrons 4 to 12 all reporting in.”
“Good. Now let’s find out if this ridiculous scheme of yours gets all of us killed,” Loenda said. “Are you sure your sire and dam were not Grass Eaters?”
Speinfoent ignored the jab and continued with the report, “Our sensors are still resolving the enemy ships, but I am certain we are in the right place.”

ZNS 1841

Ditvish woke to the urgent cry of the ship’s klaxon. Wiping sleep from his mind, he picked up his communication device. “Did Skvanu get the raiders from Sixth Fleet?”
“No, Ten Whiskers, you must come to the flag bridge at once!”
“What is it this time? Can’t you ask your combat computers?” he grumbled tiredly.
“Ten Whiskers, the enemy fleet is here!”
He woke up in a hurry. “What?! Here? In Datsot?!”
“Yes, they just blinked in! Their fleet is heading our way, and they have just gone into a full combat burn!”

MNS Trassau

“We are seeing two to three squadrons of space combat ships, mostly Forager-class missile destroyers, and their Thorn-class battleship, the 1841. In orbit of Datsot are another thirty-two orbital support ships and several dozen other support vessels,” Speinfoent reported. “The enemy combat ships are stationary and in a loose formation. It looks like we did catch them off guard.”
“For now,” Loenda hedged. “They’ll be ready and engines hot hours before we come into range. And we don’t have the Nile’s magic sensors working with us this time.”
“No, but we did get the other fishing supplies in the last shipment.”
“We have only been exercising with those for a week!” Loenda exclaimed. “It is risky for our first live use to be against a fully capable combat fleet.”
“I thought you didn’t believe in exercises…” Seeing the ugly expression forming on her face, Speinfoent hurriedly moved on. “Anyway, the missiles will work. They may be barely fastened to the outside of our hulls, but I’m sure they work. After all, we didn’t make them.”
Loenda counted up the enemy ships on her console and did some calculations in her head. “Against my every instinct, we will go ahead, but with the most risk-averse option you came up with earlier. Execute Option Charlie.”
“Affirmative. Maintaining burn. Execute vector change in three minutes…”

ZNS 1841

“Ten Whiskers, they are performing an orbital transfer,” Ditvish’s computer officer called out, eyes glued to the glowing screens of her console.
Ditvish leaned forward. “What is their heading and intercept now?”
“It appears there is no intercept. If they continue their current burn, they may eventually move into a parallel orbit to us.”
“Parallel orbit? That doesn’t make sense. They didn’t come here just to make us wet our pants. Ask the combat computer, how far from us will they be at their closest?” Ditvish asked, puzzled.
A minute of calculations later, she relayed from her console, “It depends on whether they execute another vector change, but at their current burn and at their closest, they should come no closer than twelve times the maximum effective range of our missiles.”
Ditvish peered at the sensor panel, racking his brain for ideas.
None of this made any sense. Skvanu reported in earlier with a blink relay ship since the FTL radios were not working. In the data packet, he said that he was chasing three squadrons of the enemy fleet and planned to run them down with the superior blink fuel capacity of the Znosian ships — these must be the other nine squadrons from Sixth Fleet.
What were they doing here?
If these Lesser Predators forced him to engage in fleet battle here, they very well might have an upper hand, with their nine squadrons to his mere three. But they weren’t cutting him off aggressively or forcing an engagement. If they did move in boldly, he could always back off… delay until Skvanu finishes, returns to Datsot, and coordinate to trap this fleet in the system. But the enemy seemed almost… disinterested in combat; it did not even look like they were going to transfer into range.
“What are your orders, Ten Whiskers?” the computer officer asked.
For the first time in a long time, Ditvish felt at a complete loss. “None for now. Continue to observe the enemy and stay on high alert. Be prepared to move. And update me when Eight Whiskers Skvanu reports anything.”

MNS Oengro

The vacuum of Plaunsollib once again filled up with the communication chatter and munitions of the Malgeir fleet.
“Weapons-free… Kraken away.”
“Bandits deploying glow-worms.”
“Anchor gadgets to Jackal. Tracking.”
Grionc sat back and watched the controlled chaos of the Oengro bridge unfold as they engaged the outnumbered supply convoy escorts in front of them as they continued to stay one step ahead of the massive armada right behind them. The task remained familiar. The practiced crew could have completed this in their sleep. The stakes were higher now, but the job remained the same.
“Vampire swarm. Defending.”
“Popping confetti and turning up the music.”
“Vampires trashed.”
Either through luck or because they had gotten really good at it, most of the projectiles the eight escorts launched at them went wild, flying off into space chasing dazzler signals in errant directions. A few did come closer but were fooled at the last second by decoys and other countermeasures. The remaining were shot down by the Malgeir’s native close-in defense systems that were now being boosted by superior gravidar sensors aboard the Nile light seconds away.
The enemy convoy was not so lucky. Their sensor signatures disappeared from Grionc’s console, one by one.
“Splash four Forager. No, make that five.”
“Kraken away. We have two more on the way. They’ve gone pitbull.”
“That’s splash six and seven. Can someone confirm number eight?”
“Check. I have number eight.”
“Roger.”
Finally, Captain Vastae turned to Grionc to confirm. “High Fleet Commander, the supply convoy has been destroyed. Looks like the supplies self-destructed too.”
Grionc nodded in acknowledgement, not taking her eyes off the sensor console.
To underscore how common this type of success had become, even the crew’s cheers were subdued. In tonnage, this was no less a victory than it was the first time it was pulled off, but this was a crew who had been there before. They’d seen it. They’d done that.
And there were still the hundreds of enemy combat ships trailing them. Some were getting uncomfortably close to entering their missiles’ maximum powered ranges. None had fired yet; the Znosians were not so undisciplined, but it was close enough to make Grionc nervous.
She nodded at Captain Vastae. “Follow the vector we have been provided towards the systems limit. I don’t want to be one second behind schedule.”

ZNS 2228

Eight Whiskers Skvanu had known from his hatchling-hood that he was different than the others. His educators and caretakers always complained he asked too many questions and never took enough responsibility for his own actions. He learned to suppress the questions and to fake contrition, even when it didn’t make sense, saving those thoughts for the privacy of his own brain. He found this practice useful, and he used it to quickly ascend the totem-pole of rank in the Znosian Navy.
A meritorious society with supposedly transparent accountability, it should not have been so easy for him to breeze past promotion after promotion in his career. But when it was so easy for him to think for himself and simply obscure failures when they occur, his competitors didn’t stand a chance.
That was until he met Ten Whiskers Ditvish.
There, he met not only a kindred soul, but also one who could see right through him. At times, the senior fleet master made him feel like a fraud; at other times, he felt special, as if he’d been given a gift. Under Ditvish, he thrived. He was given more responsibility than normally assigned to regular eight whiskers officers by Ditvish, and here he was proudly commanding the bulk of his fleet.
Skvanu was determined not to let his mentor, and increasingly his confidant, down.
He looked at the sensor panel on his console. They will catch these Lesser Predators.
“Eight Whiskers, we still can’t talk to the Datsot fleet on FTL radio,” his computer officer reported. “I take full responsibility for this continued failure.”
“Don’t worry about it, Six Whiskers,” he replied casually. “We expected this to happen. It must be those Lesser Predators. Either a device on their fleet, or somewhere else hidden in this system. It is truly a war-changing upgrade, in ways that they might not even fully understand. Once we defeat them, we will take apart their wreck bit by bit and chase down every lead until we find it.”
“Yes, Eight Whiskers,” the officer replied. She hesitated for a moment but then decided to speak her mind. “I am— Don’t you find it deeply unsettling to know we are out of contact with the fleet master and— and the rest of the Prophecy?”
He looked up at her, gazing into her frightened eyes. “No, not at all. In fact, I am comforted by the silence. No micromanagement. No orders from above. Just our own wits to survive and win this battle. Full responsibility, for my actions, for all our actions. Today, there is truly no one else to blame.”
“Yes, Eight Whiskers,” she bowed, thankful for his insight and her confidence bolstered by his self-assurance. “That is an enlightening way of thought.”
“Indeed, it is. And besides, we still have our blink relay ships, even if they are slow in getting information through.”
“Yes, Eight Whiskers. Another has just departed with news of the supply losses.”
“Now, tell me what the enemy has done since they rejoined Six Whiskers Mgnats and his ships with the Prophecy,” Skvanu ordered, looking at the console in front of him. The enemy’s three squadrons had taken apart the eight escort ships like they were a knife through water without losing a single ship. It would have been difficult to believe had he not watched it happen through his sensors in real time… Almost real time. The two-hour light speed delay meant that his fleet died before they saw it get engaged. But the fleet was closing on the cursed Lesser Predator ambushers…
“They had been a half leap ahead of us the whole time, but the combat computer evaluates that one of their ships may have been damaged in the… skirmish with Six Whiskers Mgnats.”
Skirmish was an… ambitious word choice, Skvanu thought. Slaughter might have been closer. He prompted, “How did the combat computer come to this assessment?”
“Their acceleration is now slightly but measurably lower than when they went into the fight. It’s about a ten percent reduction. It thinks that one of them sustained minor damage and the rest of the fleet is matching its acceleration profile to mask the identity of the wounded ship.”
Skvanu frowned. “That does not seem right. Is there any evidence that Mgnats’ ships scored a hit on the Lesser Predators?”
“No,” she admitted. “Our sensors saw no debris. But it may be an accident, friendly fire, or some kind of a technical malfunction aboard one of their ships. The combat computer is speculating. But they are moving slower now: that much is clear to the sensors.”
“How does that affect our intercept timeline?”
“Given our current vector and accelerations, we will intercept slightly after they reach the system limit. They will probably attempt to blink out, but all we have to do is observe their blink vector and follow.”
Skvanu nodded. “And at that point, for all the upgrades these Lesser Predators have received, there’s only so much blink fuel they could have retrofitted a combat ship to carry. They can’t have improved their blink range much. Not enough to overcome our two-to-one fuel capacity advantage, at least. Today, the predators shall become our prey.”

Meta

State of war map updated.
Previous Next
Chapter 52: Just Passing Through

Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005) Lock on to him, R2. Master, General Grievous's ship is directly ahead- Master, General Grievous's ship is directly ahead- the one crawling with vulture droids. I see it. Oh, this is going to be easy. - Oddball, do you copy? - Copy, Red Leader. Mark my position. Form your squad up behind me. We're on your tail, General Kenobi. Set S-foils in attack position. This is where the fun begins. Let them pass between us. They're all over me. - Get them off my- - I'm gonna go help them out. No. They are doing theirjob so we can do ours. Missiles. Pull up. - They overshot us. - They're coming around. All right, R4. No, no. Nothing too fancy. Surge all power units, R2. Stand by reverse thrusters. We got 'em, R2. Flying is for droids. - I'm hit. Anakin? - I see them. Buzz droids. R4, be careful. You have a- Oh, dear. They're shutting down all the controls. Move to the right so I can get a clear shot at them. The mission. Get to the command ship. Get the chancellor. I'm running out of tricks here. In the name of- - Hold your fre! You're not helping. - I agree. Bad idea. I can't see a thing. My cockpit's fogging. They're all over me. Anakin! - Move to the right. - Hold on. You'll get us both killed. Get out of here. There's nothing more you can do. I'm not leaving without you, Master. Get him, R2. Watch out. R2, hit the buzz droid's centre eye. - Yeah, you got him! - Great, R2. The general's command ship is dead ahead. Have you noticed the shields are still up? Sorry, Master. I have a bad feeling about this. There they are. Get them. R2, locate the chancellor. The chancellor's signal is coming from right there- the observation platform at the top of that spire. I sense Count Dooku. - I sense a trap. - Next move? Spring the trap. R2, go back. I need you to stay with the ship. Here. Take this and wait for orders. What's the situation, Captain? Two Jedi have landed in the main hangar bay. We're tracking them. Just as Count Dooku predicted. Destroyers. Drop your weapons. I said drop 'em. - Roger. - Roger, roger. Those are Jedi fghters all right. - Did you press the stop button? - No. Did you? There's more than one way out of here. We don't want to get out. We want to get moving. R2, activate elevator 31174. - Come in, R2. - What that? R2, do you copy? R2, activate the elevator number 31174. Get back to work. That nothin'. Activate the elevator 31174. R2- Always on the move. R2, switch on the comlink. R2, can you hear me? R2? R2! R2! Stop. Stop. R2, we need to be going up. Hands up, Jedi. R2, do you copy? R2, do you hear me? R2, we need to be going up, not down. Hey, you! That's better. You stupid little astro droid. Oh, it's you. My eyes! My eyes! - What was that all about? - R2 has been- - No loose wire jokes. - Did I say anything? - He's trying. - I didn't say anything. - Chancellor. - Are you all right? Count Dooku. - This time we will do it together. - I was about to say that. Get help. You're no match for him. He's a Sith lord. Chancellor Palpatine, Sith lords are our speciality. Your swords, please. We don't want to make a mess of things in front of the chancellor. You won't get away this time, Dooku. I've been looking forward to this. My powers have doubled since the last time we met, Count. Good. Twice the pride, double the fall. Get- I sense great fear in you, Skywalker. You have hate. You have anger. But you don't use them. Good, Anakin. Good. Kill him. Kill him now. I shouldn't. Do it. You did well, Anakin. He was too dangerous to be kept alive. Yes, but he was an unarmed prisoner. I shouldn't have done that. It's not the Jedi way. It is only natural. He cut off your arm, and you wanted revenge. It wasn't the frst time, Anakin. Remember what you told me about your mother and the Sand People? Now we must leave before more security droids arrive. Anakin, there's no time. We must get off this ship before it's too late. - He seems to be all right. - Leave him, or we'll never make it. His fate will be the same as ours. Prepare for attack! All batteries, fre! Fire! Elevator's not working. R2, activate elevator 3224. - Reverse stabilizers. - Reversing stabilizers. Magnetize! Magnetize! Fire the emergency booster engines. We're levelling out, sir. Easy. We're in a bit of a situation here. - Did I miss something? - Hold on. - What is that? - Oops. R2. R2, shut down the elevator. Too late. Jump! Let's see if we can fnd something in the hangar bay that's still flyable. R2, get down here. R2, do you copy? General, we found the Jedi. They're in hallway 328. Activate ray shields. Ray shields. Wait a minute. How did this happen? We're smarter than this. Apparently not. - I say patience. - Patience? Yes. R2 will be along in a few moments... and then he'll release the ray shields. See? No problem. Don't move. Do you have a plan B? Ah, yes. The negotiator. General Kenobi. We've been waiting for you. Excuse me. - That wasn't much of a rescue. - You're welcome. And- Anakin Skywalker. I was expecting someone with your reputation to be a little... older. General Grievous. You're shorter than I expected. Jedi scum. We have a job to do, Anakin. Try not to upset him. Your lightsabres will make a fne addition to my collection. Not this time. And this time, you won't escape. R2. Crush them! Make them suffer! Come. Now! Stay at your stations! Get him! Get him! Run! Don't bother with them. - Keep the ship in orbit. - Yes, sir. You lose, General Kenobi. Get out of here! Run! Time to abandon ship. All the escape pods have been launched. Grievous. Can you fly a cruiser like this? - You mean, can I land what's left of it? - Well? Under the circumstances, I'd say the ability to pilot this thing is irrelevant. Strap yourselves in. Open all hatches. Extend all flaps and drag fns. We lost something. Not to worry. We are still flying half a ship. Now we're really picking up speed. Eight plus 60. - We're in the atmosphere. - Grab that. Keep us level. Steady. Easy, R2. Fire ships on the left and the right. - We'll take you in. - Copy that. - Landing strip, straight ahead. - We're coming in too hot. Another happy landing. Coming, Master? No. I'm not brave enough for politics. I have to report to the council. Besides, someone needs to be the poster boy. Hold on. This whole operation was your idea. Let us not forget, Anakin, that you rescued me from the buzz droids. And you killed Count Dooku, and you rescued the chancellor... carrying me unconscious on your back. All because of your training. Anakin, let's be fair. Today you were the hero... and you deserve your glorious day with the politicians. All right. But you owe me one, and not for saving your skin for the 10th time. Ninth time. That business on Cato Neimoidia doesn't count. I'll see you at the briefng. Chancellor Palpatine, are you all right? Yes. Thanks to your two Jedi knights. They killed Count Dooku, but General Grievous has escaped once again. General Grievous will run and hide, as he always does. He's a coward. But with Count Dooku dead, he is the leader of the droid army. And I assure you... the senate will vote to continue the war as long as Grievous is alive. Then the Jedi Council will make fnding Grievous our highest priority. - Watch it. - Excuse me. - Come along, R2. - The Republic cannot praise you enough. Thank you, Senator Organa. It couldn't possibly be as bad as all that. Now there I agree with you. In fact, I could do with a tune-up myself. But the fghting will continue until General Grievous is spare parts. I will do everything I can in the senate. - Excuse me. - Certainly. I've missed you, Padm. There were whispers that you'd been killed. I'm all right. It feels like we've been apart for a lifetime. And it might have been, if the chancellor hadn't been kidnapped. I don't think they would have ever brought us back from the outer rim sieges. - Wait. Not here. - Yes, here. I'm tired of all this deception. I don't care if they know we're married. Anakin, don't say things like that. Are you all right? You're trembling. What's going on? Something wonderful has happened. Ani, I'm pregnant. That's wonderful. What are we gonna do? We're not gonna worry about anything right now. All right? This is a happy moment. The happiest moment of my life. Yes, Lord Sidious? General Grievous... I suggest you move the separatist leaders to Mustafar. It will be done, my lord. The end of the war is near, General. But the loss of Count Dooku- His death was a necessary loss. Soon I will have a new apprentice- one far younger and more powerful. Ani, I want to have our baby back home on Naboo. We can go to the lake country where no one will know... where we can be safe. I can go early and fx up the baby's room. I know the perfect spot. Right by the gardens. You are so... beautiful. It's only because I'm so in love. No, it's because I'm so in love with you. So love has blinded you? That's not exactly what I meant. But it's probably true. Anakin, help me! What's bothering you? Nothing. I remember when I gave this to you. How long is it gonna take for us to be honest with each other? - It was a dream. - Bad? Like the ones I used to have about my mother, just before she died. And? And it was about you. Tell me. It was only a dream. You die in childbirth. And the baby? I don't know. - It was only a dream. - I won't let this one become real. This baby will change our lives. I doubt the queen will continue to allow me to serve in the senate. If the council discovers you're the father, you'll be expelled- I know. I know. Do you think Obi-Wan might be able to help us? We don't need his help. Our baby is a blessing. Premonitions? Premonitions. These visions you have- They're of pain, suffering. Death. Yourself you speak of, or someone you know? Someone. Close to you? Yes. Careful you must be when sensing the future, Anakin. The fear of loss is a path to the dark side. I won't let these visions come true, Master Yoda. Death is a natural part of life. Rejoice for those around you who transform into the Force. Mourn them, do not. Miss them, do not. Attachment leads to jealousy. The shadow of greed that is. What must I do, Master Yoda? Train yourself to let go... of everything you fear to lose. You've missed the report on the outer rim sieges. I'm sorry. I was held up. - I have no excuse. - In short, they are going very well. Saleucami has fallen, and Master Vos has moved his troops to Boz Pity. What's wrong, then? The senate is expected to vote more executive powers to the chancellor today. That can only mean less deliberating and more action. Is that bad? It'll make it easier for us to end this war. Be careful of your friend Palpatine. Be careful of what? - He has requested your presence. - What for? He would not say. He didn't inform the council? That's unusual, isn't it? All of this is unusual. And it's making me feel uneasy. I hope you trust me, Anakin. Of course. I need your help, son. What do you mean? I'm depending on you. For what? I don't understand. To be the eyes, ears and voice of the Republic. I'm appointing you to be my personal representative on the Jedi Council. Me? A master? I'm overwhelmed, sir. But the council elects its own members. They'll never accept this. I think they will. They need you. More than you know. Allow this appointment lightly the council does not. Disturbing is this move by Chancellor Palpatine. I understand. You are on this council... but we do not grant you the rank of master. What? How can you do this? This is outrageous. It's unfair. How can you be on the council and not be a master? Take a seat, young Skywalker. Forgive me, Master. We have surveyed all systems in the Republic... but have found no sign of General Grievous. Hiding in the outer rim Grievous is. The outlying systems you must sweep. We do not have many ships to spare. What about the droid attack on the Wookiees? It is critical we send an attack group there immediately. He's right. It's a system we cannot afford to lose. Go I will. Good relations with the Wookiees I have. It's settled then. Yoda will take a battalion of clones to reinforce the Wookiees on Kashyyyk. May the Force be with us all. What kind of nonsense is this? Put me on the council and not make me a master? It's never been done in the history of the Jedi. It's insulting. Calm down, Anakin. You have been given a great honour. To be on the council at your age- it's never happened before. The fact of the matter is you are too close to the chancellor. The council doesn't like it when he interferes in Jedi affairs. I swear to you, I didn't ask to be put on the council. But it's what you wanted. Your friendship with Chancellor Palpatine seems to have paid off. That has nothing to do with this. The only reason the council has approved your appointment... is because the chancellor trusts you. And? Anakin, I am on your side. I didn't want to put you in this situation. What situation? The council wants you to report on all the chancellor's dealings. They want to know what he's up to. They want me to spy on the chancellor? - But that's treason. - We are at war, Anakin. Why didn't the council give me this assignment when we were in session? This assignment is not to be on record. The chancellor is not a bad man, Obi-Wan. He befriended me. He's watched out for me ever since I arrived here. That is why you must help us. Anakin, our allegiance is to the senate, not to its leader... who has managed to stay in offce long after his term has expired. The senate demanded that he stay longer. Yes, but use your feelings, Anakin. Something is out of place. You're asking me to do something against the Jedi code. Against the Republic. Against a mentor and a friend. That's what's out of place here. Why are you asking this of me? The council is asking you. Anakin did not take to his new assignment with much enthusiasm. It's very dangerous, putting them together. I don't think the boy can handle it. I don't trust him. With all due respect, Master, is he not the chosen one? Is he not to destroy the Sith and bring balance to the Force? So the prophecy says. A prophecy that misread could have been. He will not let me down. He never has. I hope right you are. Sometimes I wonder what's happening to the Jedi order. I think this war is destroying the principles of the Republic. Have you ever considered that we may be on the wrong side? What do you mean? What if the democracy we thought we were serving no longer exists... and the Republic has become the very evil we've been fghting to destroy? I don't believe that. And you're sounding like a separatist. This war represents a failure to listen. Now you're closer to the chancellor than anyone. Please, ask him to stop the fghting and let diplomacy resume. Don't ask me to do that. Make a motion in the senate, where that kind of a request belongs. - What is it? - Nothing. Don't do this. Don't shut me out. Let me help you. Hold me. Like you did by the lake on Naboo. So long ago, when there was nothing but our love. No politics, no plotting, no war. - You wanted to see me, Chancellor. - Yes, Anakin. Come closer. I have good news. Our clone intelligence units... have discovered the location of General Grievous. He's hiding in the Utapau system. At last. We'll be able to capture that monster and end this war. I would worry about the collective wisdom of the council... if it didn't select you for this assignment. You're the best choice, by far. Sit down. Leave us. You know I'm not able to rely on the Jedi Council. If they haven't included you in their plot, they soon will. I'm not sure I understand. You must sense what I have come to suspect. The Jedi Council want control of the Republic. They're planning to betray me. - I don't think that- - Anakin. Search your feelings. You know, don't you? I know they don't trust you. Or the senate. Or the Republic. Or democracy, for that matter. I have to admit, my trust in them has been shaken. Why? They asked you to do something that made you feel dishonest, didn't they? They asked you to spy on me, didn't they? I don't know what to say. Remember back to your early teachings. All who gain power are afraid to lose it. - Even the Jedi. - The Jedi use their power for good. Good is a point of view, Anakin. The Sith and the Jedi are similar in almost every way... including their quest for greater power. The Sith rely on their passion for their strength. They think inwards- only about themselves. And the Jedi don't? The Jedi are selfless. They only care about others. Did you ever hear the tragedy of Darth Plagueis the Wise? I thought not. It's not a story the Jedi would tell you. It's a Sith legend. Darth Plagueis was a dark lord of the Sith... Darth Plagueis was a dark lord of the Sith... so powerful and so wise... he could use the Force to influence the midi-chlorians... to create... life. He had such a knowledge of the dark side... he could even keep the ones he cared about... from dying. He could actually... save people from death? The dark side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities... some consider to be unnatural. What happened to him? He became so powerful... the only thing he was afraid of was... Iosing his power. Which eventually, of course, he did. Unfortunately, he taught his apprentice everything he knew. Then his apprentice killed him in his sleep. It's ironic. He could save others from death... but not himself. Is it possible to learn this power? Not from a Jedi. All Red units, over here! Palpatine thinks General Grievous is on Utapau? A partial message was intercepted... in a diplomatic packet from the chairman of Utapau. Act on this we must. The capture of General Grievous will end this war. Quickly and decisively we should proceed. The chancellor has requested... that I lead the campaign. The council will make up its own mind who is to go... not the chancellor. A master is needed, with more experience. I concur. Master Kenobi should go. I agree. Aye. Aye. Very well. Council adjourned. The droids have started up their main power generators. - Then now the time is, Commander. - Yes, sir. Charge! Head for cover! - You're gonna need me on this one. - I agree. However, it may turn out Just to be a wild bantha chase. Master. I've disappointed you. I haven't been very appreciative of your training. I've been arrogant, and I apologize. I've just been so frustrated with the council. You are strong and wise, Anakin, and I am very proud of you. I have trained you since you were a small boy. I have taught you everything I know. And you have become a far greater Jedi than I could ever hope to be. But be patient, Anakin. It will not be long before the council makes you a Jedi master. Obi-Wan. May the Force be with you. Goodbye, old friend. May the Force be with you. Fortunately, most of the cities are concentrated on this small continent here. On the far side. I'll keep them distracted until you get there. - Just don't take too long. - Come on. When have I ever let you down? Very well. The burden is on me not to destroy all the droids until you arrive. Save your energy. I can't. Don't give up, Padm. Obi-Wan's been here, hasn't he? He came by this morning. What did he want? He's worried about you. He says you've been under a lot of stress. I feel lost. Lost? What do you mean? Obi-Wan and the council don't trust me. They trust you with their lives. Something's happening. I'm not the Jedi I should be. I want more. And I know I shouldn't. You expect too much of yourself. - I found a way to save you. - Save me? From my nightmares. Is that what's bothering you? I won't lose you, Padm. I'm not gonna die in childbirth, Ani. - I promise you. - No, I promise you. Greetings, young Jedi. What brings you to our remote sanctuary? Unfortunately, the war. There's no war here- unless you brought it with you. With your kind permission, I should like some fuel... and to use your city as a base as I search nearby systems for General Grievous. He is here. We are being held hostage. - They are watching us. - I understand. Tenth level, thousands of battle droids. Tell your people to take shelter. If you have warriors, now is the time. Take the fghter back to the ship. Tell Cody I've made contact. - Is he bringing additional warriors? - He didn't say. It won't be long before the armies of the Republic track us here. I am sending you to the Mustafar system in the outer rim. It is a volcanic planet. - You will be safe there. - Safe? Chancellor Palpatine managed to escape your grip, General. Without Count Dooku, I have doubts about your ability to keep us safe. Be thankful, Viceroy, you have not found yourself in my grip. Your ship is waiting. Hello there. General Kenobi. You are a bold one. Kill him. Back away. I will deal with this Jedi slime myself. Your move. You fool. I've been trained in your Jedi arts by Count Dooku. Attack, Kenobi. Army or not... you must realize you are doomed. I don't think so. Cover that corner. Master Windu, may I interrupt? General Kenobi has made contact with General Grievous... and we have begun our attack. Thank you, Commander. Anakin, deliver this report to the chancellor. His reaction will give us a clue to his intentions. Yes, Master. I sense a plot to destroy the Jedi. The dark side of the Force surrounds the chancellor. If he does not give up his emergency powers... after the destruction of Grievous... then he should be removed from office. The Jedi Council would have to take control of the senate... in order to secure a peaceful transition. To a dark place this line of thought will carry us. Great care we must take. Chancellor. We've just received a report from Master Kenobi. He has engaged General Grievous. We can only hope that Master Kenobi is up to the challenge. I should be there with him. It's upsetting to me to see that the council... doesn't seem to fully appreciate your talents. Don't you wonder why they won't make you a Jedi master? I wish I knew. More and more I get the feeling that... I'm being excluded from the council. I know there are things about the Force that they're not telling me. They don't trust you, Anakin. They see your future. They know your power will be too strong to control. You must break through the fog of lies the Jedi have created around you. Let me help you to know the subtleties of the Force. How do you know the ways of the Force? My mentor taught me everything about the Force. Even the nature of the dark side. You know the dark side? If one is to understand the great mystery... one must study all its aspects... not just the dogmatic narrow view of the Jedi. If you wish to become a complete and wise leader... you must embrace a larger view of the Force. Be careful of the Jedi, Anakin. Only through me can you achieve a power greater than any Jedi. Learn to know the dark side of the Force... and you will be able to save your wife... from certain death. What did you say? Use my knowledge. I beg you. You're the Sith lord. I know what's been troubling you. Listen to me. Don't continue to be a pawn of the Jedi Council. Ever since I've known you, you've been searching for a life... greater than that of an ordinary Jedi. A life of signifcance... of conscience. - Are you going to kill me? - I would certainly like to. I know you would. I can feel your anger. It gives you focus... makes you stronger. I'm going to turn you over to the Jedi Council. Of course. You should. But you're not sure of their intentions, are you? I will quickly discover the truth of all this. You have great wisdom, Anakin. Know the power of the dark side. Power to save Padm. So uncivilized. Master Windu, I must talk to you. Skywalker, we just received word that Obi-Wan has destroyed General Grievous. We're on our way to make sure... the chancellor returns emergency power back to the senate. He won't give up his power. I've just learned a terrible truth. I think Chancellor Palpatine is a Sith lord. A Sith lord? Yes. The one we've been looking for. - How do you know this? - He knows the ways of the Force. He's been trained to use the dark side. - Are you sure? - Absolutely. Then our worst fears have been realized. We must move quickly if the Jedi order is to survive. Master, the chancellor is very powerful. You'll need my help if you're going to arrest him. For you own good, stay out of this affair. I sense a great deal of confusion in you, young Skywalker. There is much fear that clouds your judgement. - I must go, Master. - No. If what you've told me is true, you will have gained my trust. But for now, remain here. Wait in the council chambers until we return. Yes, Master. You do know, don't you... if theJedi destroy me... any chance of saving her will be lost. Master Windu. I take it General Grievous has been destroyed then. I must say you're here sooner than expected. In the name of the Galactic Senate of the Republic... you're under arrest, Chancellor. Are you threatening me, Master Jedi? The senate will decide your fate. - I am the senate. - Not yet. It's treason then. You are under arrest, my lord. Anakin, I told you it would come to this. I was right. The Jedi are taking over. The oppression of the Sith will never return. You have lost. You will die! He's a traitor! He is the traitor! I have the power to save the one you love. You must choose. Don't listen to him, Anakin! Don't let him kill me. I can't hold it any longer. I can't. I'm weak. I'm too weak. Help me. Help me! I can't hold on any longer. I am going to end this once and for all. You can't. He must stand trial. He has control of the senate and the courts. He's too dangerous to be left alive. I'm too weak. - Don't kill me. Please. - It's not the Jedi way. He must live. - Please don't. - I need him. Please don't! Power! Unlimited power! What have I done? You're fulflling your destiny, Anakin. Become my apprentice. Learn to use the dark side of the Force. I will do whatever you ask. Good. Just help me save Padm's life. I can't live without her. To cheat death is a power only one has achieved... but if we work together... I know we can discover the secret. I pledge myself... to your teachings. Good. Good. The Force is strong with you. A powerful Sith you will become. Henceforth you shall be known as... Darth... Vader. Thank you, my master. Rise. Because the council did not trust you, my young apprentice... I believe you are the only Jedi with no knowledge of this plot. When the Jedi learn what has transpired here... they will kill us, along with all the senators. I agree. The council's next move will be against the senate. Every single Jedi... including your friend Obi-Wan Kenobi... is now an enemy of the Republic. I understand, Master. We must move quickly. The Jedi are relentless. If they are not all destroyed, it will be civil war without end. First I want you to go to the Jedi temple. We will catch them off-balance. Do what must be done, Lord Vader. Do not hesitate. Show no mercy. Only then will you be strong enough with the dark side... to save Padm. What about the other Jedi spread across the galaxy? Their betrayal will be dealt with. After you have killed all the Jedi in the temple... go to the Mustafar system. Wipe out Viceroy Gunray... and the other separatist leaders. Once more the Sith will rule the galaxy! And... we shall have... peace. Sergeant, over here! Hurry! All of them! All Red units, let's move it! Come on. Let's go! Commander, contact your troops. Tell them to move to the higher levels. Very good, sir. By the way, I think you'll be needing this. Thank you, Cody. Let's get a move on. We've got a battle to win. Yes, sir. Commander Cody... the time has come. Execute order 66. Yes, my lord. Blast him! Come on! Execute order 66. It will be done, my lord. It will be done, my lord. Master Skywalker, there are too many of them. What are we going to do? The chancellor's offce indicated Master Anakin returned to the Jedi temple. Don't worry. I'm sure he'll be all right. - What's going on here? - There's been a rebellion, sir. Don't worry. The situation is under control. I'm sorry, sir. It's time for you to leave. And so it is. Get him! Don't worry about him. Let him go. All these Wookiees are dead. Move to the east. Yes, sir. Goodbye, Tarfful. Goodbye, Chewbacca. Miss you I will. Hopefully we'll be able to intercept a few Jedi... before they walk into this catastrophe. Did you fnd Kenobi? Sir, no one could have survived that fall. Start loading your men on the ships. Move it. Emergency code 913. I have no contact on any frequency. Master Kenobi. - Repeat. - Master Kenobi. Senator Organa. My clone troops turned on me. I need help. We havejust rescued Master Yoda. It appears this ambush has happened everywhere. We're sending you our coordinates. Hush! Not so loud. Are you all right? I heard there was an attack on the Jedi temple. - You could see the smoke from here. - I'm fne. I came to see if you and the baby are safe. What's happening? The Jedi have tried to overthrow the Republic. I can't believe that. I saw Master Windu attempt to assassinate the chancellor myself. What are you gonna do? I will not betray the Republic. My loyalties lie with the chancellor... and with the senate and with you. - What about Obi-Wan? - I don't know. Many Jedi have been killed. We can only hope that he's remained loyal to the chancellor. Anakin, I'm afraid. Have faith, my love. Everything will soon be set right. The chancellor has given me a very important mission. The separatists have gathered on the Mustafar system. I'm going there to end this war. Wait for me until I return. Things will be different. I promise. Please, wait for me. Well, he is under a lot of stress, R2. Take care, my little friend. Oh, my lady, is there anything I might do? No, thank you, 3PO. I feel so helpless. How many other Jedi have managed to survive? Heard from no one have we. I saw thousands of troops attack the Jedi temple. That's why I went looking for Yoda. Have we had any contact from the temple? Received a coded retreat message we have. It requests all Jedi to return to the temple. - It says the war is over. - Then we must go back. If there are any stragglers, they will fall into the trap and be killed. Suggest dismantling the coded signal, do you? Yes, Master. There is too much at stake. I agree. And a little more knowledge might light our way. The plan has gone as you had promised, my lord. You have done well, Viceroy. When my new apprentice Darth Vader arrives... he will take care of you. We're receiving a message from the chancellor's offce, sir. - Send it through. - Yes, sir. Senator Organa, the supreme chancellor requests your presence... at a special session of Congress. - I will be there. - He'll be expecting you. - Could be a trap. - I don't think so. The chancellor will not be able to control the thousands of star systems... without keeping the senate intact. If a special session of Congress there is... easier for us to enter the Jedi temple it will be. R2, stay with the ship. Welcome, Lord Vader. We've been expecting you. And the Jedi rebellion has been foiled. What's happened? The chancellor's been elaborating on a plot by the Jedi to overthrow the senate. The remaining Jedi will be hunted down and defeated. Not even the younglings survived. Killed not by clones this Padawan. By a lightsabre he was. Who? Who could have done this? The attempt on my life... has left me scarred and deformed. But I assure you. My resolve has never been stronger! Stop! In order to ensure the security and continuing stability... the Republic will be reorganized... into the frst Galactic Empire! For a safe and secure society. So this is how liberty dies. With thunderous applause. The war is over. Lord Sidious promised us peace. We only want- I have recalibrated the code, warning all surviving Jedi to stay away. For the clones... to discover the recalibration a long time it will take. Wait. Master. There is something I must know. If into the security recordings you go, only pain will you fnd. I must know the truth, Master. It can't be. It can't be. You have done well, my new apprentice. Now, Lord Vader... go and bring peace to the Empire. I can't watch any more. Destroy the Sith we must. Send me to kill the emperor. I will not kill Anakin. To fght this Lord Sidious, strong enough you are not. He is like my brother. I cannot do it. Twisted by the dark side young Skywalker has become. The boy you trained, gone he is. Consumed by Darth Vader. I do not know where the emperor has sent him. I don't know where to look. Use your feelings, Obi-Wan, and fnd him you will. When was the last time you saw him? - Yesterday. - And do you know where he is now? Padm, I need your help. - He is in grave danger. - From the Sith? From himself. Anakin has turned to the dark side. You're wrong. How could you even say that? I have seen a security hologram... of him... killing younglings. Not Anakin. He couldn't. He was deceived by a lie. We all were. It appears that the chancellor is behind everything, including the war. Palpatine is the Sith lord we've been looking for. After the death of Count Dooku, Anakin became his new apprentice. I don't believe you. I can't. I must fnd him. You're going to kill him, aren't you? He has become a very great threat. I can't. Anakin is the father, isn't he? I'm so sorry. - Milady, let me come with you. - There's no danger. The fghting's over. And this is personal. As you wish, milady, but I strongly disagree. I'll be all right, Captain. This is something I must do myself. Besides, 3PO will look after me. Oh, dear. Do you know? I think I'm beginning to get the hang of this flying business. The separatists have been taken care of, my master. It is fnished then. You have restored peace and justice to the galaxy. Send a message to the ships of the Trade Federation. All droid units must shut down immediately. Very good, my lord. I saw your ship. - What are you doing out here? - I was so worried about you. Obi-Wan told me terrible things. What things? He said you've turned to the dark side. That you... killed younglings. Obi-Wan is trying to turn you against me. He cares about us. Us? He knows. He wants to help you. Anakin, all I want is your love. Love won't save you, Padm. - Only my new powers can do that. - At what cost? You're a good person. Don't do this. I won't lose you the way I lost my mother. I am becoming more powerful than any Jedi has ever dreamed of. And I'm doing it for you. To protect you. Come away with me. Help me raise our child. Leave everything else behind while we still can. Don't you see? We don't have to run away any more. I have brought peace to the Republic. I am more powerful than the chancellor. I can overthrow him. And together, you and I can rule the galaxy... make things the way we want them to be. I don't believe what I'm hearing. Obi-Wan was right. You've changed. I don't want to hear any more about Obi-Wan. The Jedi turned against me. Don't you turn against me. I don't know you any more. You're breaking my heart. You're going down a path I can't follow. Because of Obi-Wan? Because of what you've done. What you plan to do. Stop. Stop now. Come back. - I love you. - Liar! You're with him! You brought him here to kill me. Let her go, Anakin. Let her go. You turned her against me! You have done that yourself. You will not take her from me! Your anger and your lust for power have already done that. You have allowed this dark lord to twist your mind... until now you have become the very thing you swore to destroy. Don't lecture me, Obi-Wan. I see through the lies of the Jedi. I do not fear the dark side as you do. I have brought peace... freedom, justice and security to my new empire. Your new empire? Don't make me kill you. Anakin, my allegiance is to the Republic, to democracy! If you're not with me... then you're my enemy. Only a Sith deals in absolutes. I will do what I must. You will try. I hear a new apprentice you have, Emperor. Or should I call you Darth Sidious? Master Yoda. You survived. Surprised? Your arrogance blinds you, Master Yoda. Now you will experience... the full power of the dark side. I have waited a long time for this moment... my little green friend. At last the Jedi are no more. Not if anything to say about it I have. At an end your rule is. And not short enough it was. If so powerful you are... why leave? You will not stop me. Darth Vader will become more powerful than either of us. Faith in your new apprentice misplaced may be. As is your faith in the dark side of the Force. Hurry. Careful timing we will need. Activate your homing beacon when you're ready. There's no sign of his body, sir. - Then he is not dead. - Double your search. Yes, sir. Right away, sir. Tell Captain Kagi to prepare my shuttle for immediate take-off. - Yes, Master. - I sense Lord Vader is in danger. Into exile I must go. Failed I have. I have failed you, Anakin. I have failed you. I should have known the Jedi were plotting to take over. Anakin, Chancellor Palpatine is evil! From my point of view, the Jedi are evil. Then you are lost! This is the end for you, my master. It's over, Anakin. I have the high ground. You underestimate my power. Don't try it. You were the chosen one! It was said that you would destroy the Sith, not join them! Bring balance to the Force, not leave it in darkness! I hate you! You were my brother, Anakin. I loved you. Master Kenobi. We have Miss Padm on board. Yes. Please, please hurry. We should leave this dreadful place. Is Anakin all right? Your Majesty, this way. There he is. He's still alive. Get a medical capsule immediately. Yes, sir. Right away. Excuse me, Master Yoda. Obi-Wan Kenobi has made contact. We'll take her to the medical centre. Quickly. Medically, she's completely healthy. For reasons we can't explain, we are losing her. - She's dying? - We don't know why. She has lost the will to live. We need to operate quickly if we are to save the babies. Babies? She's carrying twins. Luke. Oh, Luke. - It's a girl. - Leia. There's good in him. I know. I know there's... still- Lord Vader. Can you hear me? Yes, Master. Where is Padm? Is she safe? Is she all right? It seems, in your anger, you killed her. I? I couldn't have. She was alive. I felt it! Hidden, safe the children must be kept. We must take them somewhere where the Sith will not sense their presence. Split up they should be. My wife and I will take the girl. We've always talked of adopting a baby girl. She will be loved with us. And what of the boy? To Tatooine. To his family send him. I will take the child and watch over him. Until the time is right, disappear we will. Master Kenobi, wait a moment. In your solitude on Tatooine, training I have for you. Training? An old friend has learned the path to immortality. One who has returned from the netherworld of the Force. Your old master. Qui-Gon? How to commune with him I will teach you. - Captain Antilles. - Yes, Your Highness? I'm placing these droids in your care. Treat them well. Clean them up. Have the protocol droid's mind wiped. What? Series - Movies DVDs Series - Movies Instant Video Series - Movies Collectables Feed the kitteh F.D. » Transcripts » Movies » Series - Movies Home About Copyright Privacy Contact Store Follow Us © 2000-2020 Forever Dreaming. All rights reserved.

Hey everyone, just diving into the world of AC+AP and recently snagged two EAP773 APs. I'm a bit of a newbie here, so any tips or advice would be super helpful!
My setup involves a Rogers 1.5Gbps network with a Gen 3 router. I've gone ahead and wired CAT6 through the walls of my semi-detached house across two floors. Now, I'm a bit stumped on which switch/router combo would be best suited for my setup. After some digging, I stumbled upon the TL-SG105PP-M2 on Amazon.ca. It seems like a solid choice with its 2.5G speeds and 4 POE++ ports, boasting up to 60W, which should more than cover the power requirements of the EAP773 (24.05 W according to the specs here: TP-Link EAP773 Specs).
Now, onto the network setup. Should I switch my Rogers router to bridge mode and invest in a TP-Link gateway to pair with it? Then, connect the gateway to the POE++ switch? What does the Controller do? I have a NAS and can I just set up a docker controller without buying the hardware?
Also, I came across this post discussing a new firmware update: New EAP773 Issue with Latest 1012 Firmware. It appears that the update enables EAP773 to run on POE+, which is interesting since I already have a Trendnet POE+ injector (TPE-215GI, 30W). Or can I just invest in a POE+ 2.5G switch instead? Was going to get an all-in-one router with 2.5G and POE++ but couldn't find any.
I'm a bit unsure about my next steps, so any insights or advice would be greatly appreciated!

We had so much Roger Corman content we wanted to play that we've derailed May's plans, luckily nobody was getting much out of that. Corman was more than a writedirector, he was also a prolific producer who fostered young talent -- if it could be done cheap and under budget. He mentored so many well-known filmmakers (aka put them through the wringer of churning out crap) in their early years that it became known as the "Roger Corman Film School".
We've recently done films from Jonathan Demme (Crazy Mama), Martin Scorsese (Boxcar Bertha), Ron Howard (Grand Theft Auto), Penelope Spheeris (Suburbia), Jim Wynorski (Big Bad Mama II), and Peter Bogdanovich (The Wild Angels), and James Cameron (Battle Beyond the Stars) so tonight we've got...

• First up, Joe Dante and Allan Arkush present the tale of a group of rock-music-loving students, with the help of The Ramones, taking over their school to combat its newly installed oppressive administration. James Cameron got his start as a PA on this one.
  
• Then, Steve Carver cut trailers for New World and let him direct this tale of exploitation about female slaves turned into gladiators against their wills, with Pam Grier and Margaret Markov returning from the success of "Black Mama, White Mama" as the pair of women who must work together to survive... The Arena.
  
• Finally, Francis Ford Coppola chance to write and direct his first feature is this low-budget horror movie about a scheming widow's bold plan to acquire her late husband's inheritance, unaware that she is being targeted by an ax murderer who lurks in the family's estate. Gary Kurtz was one of Corman's assistants had to shoot a "stupid prologue" for this which made it to theaters but left off of home video cuts.
  

Update new RLM video at 7:20pm CDT
All Links Here

• Rock 'n' Roll High School (1979 run 1:33:17)
  
• The Arena (1974 run 1:20:45)
  
• Dementia 13 (1963 run 1:14:56)
  

Fusion Friday: your home of lazy programming!