Christening speeches samples

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"Will he live?"
The Kolshian doctor ensured that the IV line was set properly in the arm, given feathers and fur tended to get in the way. But he knew what he was doing, and the needle slipped beneath the skin without protest. Confident that the connection was good, he stepped back, taking in the full form of Kalsim with bulbous orange eyes.
The captain was better off than when they found him in the cave, but that wasn't saying much. Naked, delirious, covered in blood, and on the brink of death. His guard wasn't doing much better, spare the mortal injury, but hysterical regardless. He was talking now, but Kalsim wasn't so lucky.
"Barely, maybe. I'm surprised he survived for as long as he did, given the extent of the gash." He regarded the large compress wrapped around the captains chest. Underneath, teal colored medigel worked feverishly to repair the wound. "I'm gonna say the makeshift bandage saved his life."
"Good thinking on his guards part, bad on mine." The other observer sighed. "If only we just escorted him through, all of this could've been avoided. But that's in the past now. Did you manage to preform a brain scan yet?"
The doctor shook his tail. "Unfortunately, it's better to wait until he's stable to run the scan through."
The other thought for a moment. "Do it now."
The doctor was taken slightly aback. "But sir, doing a brain scan on him, in this condition? There's a real chance that the process might kill him."
"I know the risk, but its one we have to take. If he dies, we lose our only piece on the board."
"Are you sure? How useful are his memories to us? Don't we need him alive?"
The other walked to the beside, and gently stroked a tentacles across Kalsim's chest. It carried with it small flakes of violet blood, which a single rub turned to dust.
"We don't need his body, but we need his mind. No matter what happens, we continue on as planned. Understand?"
The doctor was still hesitant, tentacles and tail rapping fidgeting nervously. "Alright, I can get it done. I'm just telling you now that I don't think this is a good idea."
"Nothing we've done so far has been a good idea." The other stepped back from the bed, and moved to exit the small medbay. "But we do what's necessary."
The doctor began the process of setting up the brain scan, while the other made for the door. He took one step out, before he raised his tentacle, and turned back to face the doctor.
"Oh, and do let me know when he wakes up. We have much to discuss."
Memory transcription subject: Kalsim, Captain, United Federation Fleet
Date [standardized human time]: December 31st, 2136
It was not the sound of Kelum's voice that awoke me, nor the agony pulling my chest apart. My first sense of awareness was entirely lacking them, replaced instead by a repeating electronic beat, and what sounded like someone rustling around inside of a cabinet. And pressing against by body was not the ungrateful chill of bare rock, but a plush mattress and soft sheets.
Am I...dead?
Opening my ideas left me staring across what appeared to be a small medbay. At least, it looked like any medbay I would find on one of my ships. Taking the place of the usual zurulian personnel, however, was a kolshain, a deep green, donned in a coat, tentacles shifting through a cabinet hanging over the basin.
"W-where am I?"
The kolshian spun around instantaneously, eyes widened at the sound of my frail voice. "Stars above, your awake." He rushed to my side and began scanning over my face. "How are you feeling? Any pain, any grogginess?"
Maybe I'm not dead? "I...feel fine, I think. The pain is gone, at least."
The kolshain nodded. "Then the medigel did its work, thank the stars above. It looks like your going to be alright."
I looked down to see a large bandage wrapped around my chest, much more professional than the rags that Kelum used as a substitute. In place of the pain, a soothing cold projected from where my wound presumably laid. That must be the medigel he's talking about. I moved my wing around as a bit of a test, and found that besides a few twinges here and there, it was almost like I hadn't been raked at all.
"It's gonna take a couple of months for the wound to heal, and there's definitely going to be a scar." The doctor placed a tentacle on my shoulder. "But you should be able to walk up and about no problem. Do you feel like walking?"
"I...I guess?"
"Alright, let me help you here." A tentacle wrapped around my wing as he gently helped me out of the bed. Placing my legs down on the panel floor felt odd at first, likely the lingering effects of whatever painkillers they pumped into me. But however awkward it was, I could move.
"I gotta say Kalsim, your quite resilient. I've never seen someone survive a wound like that."
I coughed, but it only produced a small wince. "Well, maybe I just have a reason to go on."
"Yes, yes..." The doctor looked towards the door, before concerned eyes turned back to me. "Are you sure that your alright?"
"Yes, I think so..." I paused as I remembered the first question that came to mind. "Where am I? Where's Kelum?"
"Your guard is safe, no worries. He was concerned about you, so he'll be glad to know your up and about."
"Can I see him?"
Some of the doctors compassion seemed to slip away. "Not at the moment. There's more important matters to attend to."
It was then I noticed his other tentacle slipping a holopad back into his pocket. "We're you just talking to someone?"
He looked to the door. "Someone that want's to talk to you. I can bring you to him, if you like?"
"Who?"
"It's better if you meet him in person. He can explain everything."
My mind immediately went to the most obvious possibility: Could this be the person who sent me the note? I was suddenly filled with a mix of anticipation and dread. The person who revealed that my old home still existed, but who's cryptic nature nearly led to my death. He could be friend or foe, ally or enemy. He promised me an out, but it could all still be a lie. A gift wrapped box hiding a live grenade inside, ready to blow up in my face.
But it seemed that no matter what, I would have to talk to him.
"Bring me to him."
I quickly realized that the medbay was just another part of the maze-like facility me and Kelum entered in what felt like months ago. The same confusing layout, the same matte steel panel floors and ceilings, the same sickly green light bars, the same signs leading to the same places. Quarters, Maintenance, Observation.
It was a short journey, but one that nearly sent my nerves jumping out of my skin. My mind was alight with possibilities of who the person could be and what he wanted. Why did he need my help? Why not anyone else? Was it because this facility held a past dear to me? Or was there something that I wasn't seeing here? That last option felt more the case as we neared our destination.
Finally, we stepped through a doorway leading back into the familiar room. The consoles still lay dormant, the sanctuary light still blasted through the (now damaged) viewport. And standing shadowed near the edge,
SQUAW!
The sudden screech threw me back for a second, for there wasn't just a person standing at the window. Accompanying the man was one of those birds, green and gold, the very same that plucked that lizard from right in front of me and Kelum. Its sharp beaked plucked seeds from the outstretched teal tentacle before it, beady forward facing eyes planted firmly on the kolshian's face. He let the bird feed for a moment longer before his appendage returned to his side, and he turned to face me directly.
"Ah, Kalsim. I'm glad to see you up and about."
He was well above middle age, that much was clear. His voice crackled like the pages of an ancient tome, carrying knowledge and wisdom of a lifetime and more. His face was creased and spotted, his eyes were beginning to dull, and his back was beginning to damper. But he was proud and determined, all carried in a demeanor that seemed to disdain the very concept of age itself.
And that demeanor also carried a permeating aura of authority. In the gilded bands and rings around his sleeves, in the robes tailored only for those select few, in the necklace around his neck born with the symbol of the Chiefdom. Yet he was not gaudy or audacious. The blue fabric was well maintained, but not perfect. The guild shone, but was not spotless. He was powerful, but not infallible, and that he knew well.
He was unlike any shadow caste member I had ever met.
"I will see myself out." The doctor bowed before he took his leave, shutting the door in his wake.
The shadow caste member sighed. "I tell him that he doesn't need to bow, but he never listens. My colleagues leave their impression, let me tell you."
He stepped down from the observation platform, prompting the bird to fly back out the broken window. He watched it fly away, only turning back when it finally disappeared over the canopy. His tail bent in a manner that suggested happiness.
"Beautiful creatures, are they not? I can't exactly recall the name, it's probably in the archives somewhere. But I'm sure it's more than befitting of their elegance. Your people had a talent for names, even still to this day."
He stepped up in front of me, standing just slightly below my eye level.
"I'm sure you have plenty of questions, so ask away."
I was surprised at how casual he was being with all this, given that I nearly died. Is this just an act, or is he really this laid back? It would've helped if I knew his actual name.
"Who are you?"
"Ah, that's simple. I am Maronis, and before you ask, yes, I was the one to send you the note."
Maronis. The name didn't ring familiar, despite my numerous interactions with the caste. "I don't recall you."
"I didn't expect you too." He began to walk around, sliding tentacles over the dead consoles. "Truthfully, I'm one of the less prominent members of the caste. Partly because I prefer it that way, partly because I'm not the most popular."
"Popular?"
"Yes, the caste hasn't taken a particular liking to me, and that's entirely my fault. I don't apologize, and they don't expect me too. However, it has left me, how shall I say, rather uniformed."
He stopped his wandering, and turned to face me directly. His causal disposition did turn out to be an act, for a grave expression quickly took its place.
"There are happenings, Kalsim. Happenings that threaten to bring the Federation to its knees. I need your help to stop them."
"Happenings?" I had the feeling he was being intentionally vague. Or maybe... "What do you mean, happenings?"
Maronis sighed, before closing the gap and placing a tentacle on my shoulder. "Like I said, I'm rather uniformed. In that respect we are the same. Come with me."
He guided me over to the viewport, where a warm breeze blew threw the broken window. The 'sun', now nearing the horizon, sent long shadows cascading over the hills and treetops. The town laid shadowed in the center.
"Tell me Kalsim, what do you believe the purpose of this place to be?"
The answer seemed obvious now. "Some sort of habitat for pre-contact life from Nishtal."
He nodded. "In some sense, you are correct."
"In some sense?"
His eyes glowed brightly as he stared towards the horizon. "When the Federation first began on its endeavors, our government initially insisted on the complete extermination of all predator flora and fauna. The farsul, scholars that they are, disagreed, believing there to be some value in maintaining at least some samples of predatory life. Whether for the purpose of study, or that scholarly disposition towards collection."
"Eventually, they came to a compromise, whereby the farsul could maintain their little collection, as long as it was well isolated from the rest of the galaxy. It's why their archives are located a kilometer below their oceans, and why this place is here."
"As the Federation expanded, they constructed hundreds of facilities just like this. For centuries, they served their purpose without issue. And that's where the story should have ended."
But it didn't was the statement left unsaid. And something inside told me it had to do with the discovery in the cave.
"Me and Kelum, we found a skeleton of an arxur in that cave. And the town...people used to live here, didn't they?"
The 'sun' now began to dip below the horizon, and the habitat began to grow dim. Somewhere off in the distance, the calls that became somewhat familiar died into the falling darkness.
"I believe your intuition to be correct. This place was once a facility of observation, transformed into one of experimentation. To what ends, well that remains to be seen."
He turned back to me as the light finally disappeared, rendering his already teal complexion a further decomposed green.
"And I believe that this is, or was, part of a larger plot that I've yet to be let in on. I only know it by its code name, Clear Sky. A secret so important that all besides its name is to be kept from even fellow members of the shadow caste. And you know how secrets can be dangerous little things. At once seeming so minor, yet carrying the capacity to bring down entire nations, civilizations, in one fell swoop."
Maronis brought his tentacles behind his back, and began to pace the room once again. "Now let me ask you another question, Kalsim. Why does the Federation stand today?"
I watched him circle as I processed the question. "I...don't know what you mean."
"Well think about it. The Federation is responsible for numerous crimes against sapience. The destruction of entire cultures, histories, ideals inconvenient to our rule. We wage a war that we both know continues only for its sake. We stand at the core of an empire whose foundation is built on blood and bone, and we revel in it. Any sane world would have long ago rejected us. So tell me, why does the Federation stand today?"
The way he talked so casually about the essential destruction of forty four distinct species, including my own, should have given me pause. But maybe that's the point. Maybe it's because we can talk about it at all. Maybe because...
"It's no secret."
Maronis stopped, turned to face me again, and for the first time since the conversation began, let a small smile lift the corners of his mouth.
"Its. No. Secret. For centuries upon centuries, this galaxy has come to understand us, the cured, the values that we propagate, the foundations of our empire, to be the true predator, and all because one species decided not to become its prey. And from that point forward, we have had to fight for every single tiny ounce of legitimacy, to convince others that we are the path forward when reality tells of an otherwise case. And that struggle," he raised a single appendage to the air, "that is what has granted our Federation strength. For despite it all, we have crafted the most powerful polity this galaxy has ever known, and likely will know."
He paused to take a breath.
"But, to those of a less intelligent disposition," I could almost see the urge to mention Nikonus by name ripple across the kolshian's skin, "to those whose analysis errs to the superficial, they do not see this strength. They see the agitations of the Shield and the Coalition, factions which in reality can be crushed with but a flick of a tentacle. They see the furthering acceptance of the arxur, a natural product of their ideologies inevitable decay. They only see the superficial, because they only desire the superficial."
"So imagine, for a moment, if the conquest of Skalga was an uninterrupted process. If the Federation had never been given pause to reflect. What then, Kalsim?"
I'd almost forgotten that I was a part of the conversation, given how long and, dare I say, passionate his little speech had been. But reflecting on his question, the answer only seemed obvious.
"The secret would have been maintained. The Federations true nature, lacking the intervention of the Venlil, would have in all likelihood never been revealed."
"And what would it have done," Maronis continued my train of thought, "but grant the superficial strength so many seem to desire? The Federation, supreme in its power, free to enact its will upon the entire galaxy, no obstacle standing in its way."
"But secrets are a dangerous thing. Uncontested power is no different. It breeds malaise, complacency, confidence. Combine them together, well, that's an easy way to bring down an empire."
The logic seemed sound, if not common sense. "If what the Federation did only came out now, it would be chaos. Entire species suddenly discovering they're the monsters they've been led to hate the entire time. The Federation, it would just tear itself apart."
"Exactly." Maronis stepped forward. "And it's why I need your help. Because me and you both understand that there can be no more secrets if the Federation is to survive. And more than anything else, that is what we both desire. Correct me if I'm wrong."
Maronis looked up to me as I considered what I did truly want. Because what I wanted was always a product of what the shadow caste wanted, what Nikonus wanted. They told me what to do, what to say, how to act. Constantly kept an officer at my side, making sure that I toed the line perfectly. So what did I want?
"I don't know."
But far from disappointment, or shock, Maronis looked almost like he expected that answer. "You've been on a leash so long you've forgotten how to fly. I know what Nikonus wants to do with you, to make you another pawn in his game to create a forever war with humanity. A delusional plan born from the ideological dredges that can only be described as his mind. And I know you want no part his game. So like I promised, I'm giving you an out."
But that only raised the obvious question, "How do I know I won't just become your pawn as well?"
"Because," he expected that response as well, "unlike Nikonus, I'm giving you a choice. You can walk out of here, pretend that this place and this conversation never existed. Of course," he took in the bandage, "the wound would be hard to explain. I doubt falling down a flight of stairs would do that, but that's all besides the point."
"And you wouldn't make me disappear, suffer an accident, two gunshots to the back of the head?"
"Smart of you to consider that, but no, I don't work that way. At least, with people I consider allies. And even if you walk away, I know you would side with me if it came down to it."
He looked out to the habitat, which was now bathed in dim glow of a false moon. The wails echoed through the night, met with like-minded calls across the ancient expanse. So called stars twinkled across the dome, forming the constellations that once stared down at me every night. Maronis looked upon it all with no small amount of appreciation.
"I brought you here to remind you of what the Federation took from you, and so many others like you, all in the service of predator and prey."
"But predator and prey is all but dying. The continuing acceptance of the arxur and humanity serves as prime evidence to that point. Those who cling to it have condemned themselves to die alongside it. And if they succeed, if Clear Sky becomes manifest, they'll drag the entire galaxy down with them too. Of that I am sure."
"But you don't even know what Clear Sky is, you said so yourself."
"But I know what the caste wants, and you know what they want: To have predator and prey to define this galaxy in perpetuity. Clear Sky can only serve that end. The path that the rest of the caste seems want to take, even if it succeeds, will bring ruin to the Federation."
There were still lingering doubts, but those were inconsequential in comparison to the evident truth. If Nikonus got the war he desired, it would spell the end of the Federation. Humanity, the Coalition, Jones, they had no interest in playing along like the Dominion. They would go for the throat before the shadow caste even had a chance to get out of bed.
And even if they did, what then? Whose to say the rest of the galaxy would go along too? Humanity was no arxur, that was plain for everyone to see. Fuck, even the sivkit found it in themselves to see humanity for who they truly were. At that point, waging a war against humanity on the grounds of 'fighting predators' would be tantamount to sticking a gun in our collective mouth and pulling the trigger.
Either way, if Maronis was telling the truth, the Federation was doomed, unless the shadow caste was stopped, unless Clear Sky was put down.
"What would you have me do?"
Maronis nodded his tail and he spoke in a stern report. "Nikonus believes you to be a loyal pawn. Use that against him. Find out the true nature Clear Sky, then kill it in its cradle. But most importantly, do whatever it takes to ensure that Clear Sky remains a secret. If any inkling of it reaches the public, that could spell the end of the Federation. To that end, no sacrifice is too great."
"Whatever it takes?"
He leaned in closer. "Whatever it takes."
He stepped back, and some of his casual demeanor seemed to return, if not fully.
"And if you don't think you can do that, leave. But if think you can," he raised one tentacle up, and held it out before me, "then I think we can help each other."
He wanted a handshake. That human gesture, their way of signalling agreement.
And it brought for that great dilemma once again. Whether this was an act, or an out. Whether I would once again sign my life away, or finally take a step towards freedom.
After all I've done, all I've been forced to do, what I'm meant to do...It could be an escape, or I could be doing it all over again.
But I looked out the window again, heard the calls of the wilds robbed from my people by the organization whose member was now promising to bring it all to an end. Me, my people, we could have this all. After a thousand years, we could finally fly free, or have our wings clipped once and for all.
And all it took was a handshake.
"So Kalsim, what will it be?"
I recalled what I told Kelum, standing on the brink of death: It only took a thousand years, but things are finally back to normal.
It was a lie, but it didn't have to be. Not anymore.
So I raised my wing, took his tentacle in my talon, and shook to the future of the Federation.
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Frontiersman No. 0012: Duke Collins
Screaming, Demands, Orders. Those are the sorts of things you expect when you have a weapon pointed in your face, but out here, in the void of space, and with no contact with the one pointing this weapon, we simply stared at each other in silence. I slowly raised my hands to shoulder height, palms out, in an attempt to show that I meant no harm. In silence we waited, as the second being inside of the ship crawled out of the airlock. They seemed panicked, and once outside, they looked around, before also pointing their weapon in my direction. Then they began... to drift. I saw them panic for a moment, which made things worse, and they were soon tumbling backwords, albeit slowly, away from both vessels, still held in place by the mining drones. With a slow wave of my hand, I gestured to the first... Alien? Person? That their colleague was slowling escaping them. They glanced over their should and began to panic as well, but kept their weapon trained on me. With very slow movements, I brought one hand to my wrist and used the interface on my suit to task a drone to retrieve the distressed being, now flailing slightly as they floated away. Despite the gun still pointed my way, I couldn't help but chuckle a little. The ship had Point defense turrets for breaking up small debris, and I know Aerie wouldn't leave me hanging. Glancing over their shoulder, the first person, i'll stick with person, seemed to let go a sigh of relief as they saw the drone brining their companion back to us. With that, they tentatively lowered their weapon, giving me some sort of nod or bow, it was difficult to tell.
As the drone deposited the second person back near the airlock, they wheeled their weapon up at me once more, only to have the first one reach over and place their arm across theirs, lowering them. With that, I gestured towards my ship with the open airlock. "Hey Aerie," I asked, "Could you please tap into their comms, if possible? Try to decypher their language, and if you can, put something on the display in the ship to communicate the atmosphere contents inside? Something they may be able to understand."
"Understood, the graphs are displayed now, and their communications, at least in those suits, are laughably basic, I've been taking language samples since before they left the ship." Aerie replied, and with that, I began moving towards my airlock, and the two creatures followed, after seeming to discuss for a moment. Once inside the ship, I relaxed. I gestured to a display showing a simple numbers chart using dots, a periodic table, and lastly a graph referring to Oxygen and Nitrogen on the table, signifying percentages. I know for a fact I would never be able to pick this stuff up, but it seems that after review and discussing it for a bit, they seemed to understand, because the one that managed to not drift into space hesitantly reached up and began to remove their helmet.
As the helmet came off, to say I was shocked would be an understatement. I already assumed I was dealing with some sort of alien, or at least a long lost human colony, due to how similar the anatomy seemed within their suits, but what I was looking at was a real life alien! If human facial structure was anything to go by, then this one was female. She was tall, with a light green skin that seemed extremely smooth. They would look like a bad accident with powder paint if it wasn't for the lack of hair, which was instead replaced with rows of fins that traced around her head and ended down at her nape. She turned to me after her helmet was off, and seemed to realize something, as her head cocked to the side, and all of the fins, or frills, on her head raised at once, pointing straight out on the back of her head, and the ones on the top of her head angling slighty upwards, rather than laying flat. I describe all of this objectively, but it's not absurd to say that I found this woman absolutely stunning. A deep breath later, and she turned and said something in her language while gesturing to hear companion. Their tongue sounded like a mix of high pitched trilling combined with the standard throat and tongue sounds of typical human speech, almost like a bird was singing alongside someone speaking a foreign language.
If the first Alien was beautiful, words will not do justice to the second. As they removed their helmet, I was greeted by a second alien, with similar frills and soft looking skin, but theirs was a lighter green color, and they had eyes that were as blue as a clear summer sky. They burned with an intensity as she breathed deeply, and examined me still inside of my suit, her eyes seemed to crawl up and down my frame, examining every detail. She was smaller, with less sharp features on her face, but she was the first to smile at me after a moment, and give a bow.
I was completely dumbstruck. I had no idea what to do in the face of a situation like this. I ended up returning the bow as my head swam. Not because they were cute, you animals, but because of the situation. This was first contact! To my knowledge, humanity has not yet met another race, and here I am, 86 jumps from Terran space, face to face with two real life aliens!
"Uh.. Aerie? Any word on those translations?" I asked. I was given my answer when the previous display was wiped, and a graphic showing two people talking was shown. I gestured to the two, and pointed at the display. Even if they didn't understand what was intended, it at least got them speaking more, which I believe is what Aerie had wanted. They gesticulated at the display and talked amonst themselves while I watched. They were both still armed, and I wasn't keen on getting comfortable just yet.
After about 10 minutes of me observing them, I heard a ping in my helmet, followed by Aerie, "I am pretty sure I have enough samples to have dissected the language, please give it a try."
Clearing my throat, I called out, "Uhm.. hello? Can you guys understand me?" They both wheeled around to face me, shock on their faces, and as they spoke, I heard their words translated through my helmet.
The tall, larger one spoke first. "Hello, I am shocked, you seem to have translated our language extremely quickly. I am Yorlia," She said, giving a bow. "and this my Liege, Countess Varien of house Gostak."
At this, the smaller alien spoke up while giving a bow. "Thank you for coming to our rescue, please call me Varien. If I may ask, why do you still wear your armor, and of which race are you? Your features seem to elude to you also being a Filorian, yet we have never seen a ship of your make, nor of such power to dispatch our pursuers in a single shot."
"I still wear my armor because you are still armed." I replied. "And no, I am not uh... Filorian. I am Human. You are Humanity's first contact among the stars." At this, they both glanced at each other, seeming to be a little suprised. Slowly, they both placed their weapon on the floor.
"We apologize," Said Varien, "We have had a rough day. Once again, thank you for our rescue, and welcome to the stars. May we have the pleasure now of looking the being who has saved us in the eyes?"
Slowly, I unclasped the latched on my helmet, hearing the familiar hiss of air escaping at I slid the clunky thing off. After placing the helmet under one arm against my hip, both of the Filorians let out a slight gasp, and, too fast for her apparent bodyguard to stop her, Countess Varien strode past her and reached to touch my face. Unsure of how to respond, I ended up standing there as a glove was removed, and Varien was suddenly poking and prodding at my cheeks, and giving my disty brown hair a slight tug.
"Yor, Yor! They look just like us! Just like us but fuzzy! Do all of your kind have fur on your head? Are all of you so lightly colored? Why do you look like us? Do you also have a love for the water? Yor you must touch his fur, you must!" Varien was practically bouncing, and if not for the shock of first contact still running through my system, I'm sure I would have been laughing out loud.
I let out a breath I had been holding. "Let me at least get out of my armor. I can tell this will take awhile."
Without my helmet, my comment fell on deaf ears.

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

From the perspective of the people running the government and the various public health authorities, one of the absolute worst things you can possibly do is remember what they told you five minutes ago. Especially if you keep track of the most alarming things they say, then it’s very easy to realize that pretty much none of it is true and you can’t take any of it seriously.
Just four years ago for instance, as you probably recall, we were told repeatedly that COVID-19 was a “once-in-a-lifetime pandemic.” The United Nations still has an article on its website right now that makes that exact declaration, it’s called, “All hands on deck to fight a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic.” And it wasn’t written by some intern or whatever; the author was the U.N.’s Secretary-General, and he wasn’t the only one saying that - various peer-reviewed papers promoted by the N.I.H. made the same claim; so did the White House, where Jenn P’Saki insisted during a press briefing that COVID was a, “once-in-a-century pandemic.”
Now, all those pronouncements didn’t last long. We’re now less than six months away from another presidential election, and just in time, whaddaya know, there is a new “once-in-a-lifetime pandemic” on the horizon. Along with nationwide civil disorder, we’re getting another pathogen.
And in fact, we’re told that this pandemic is going to be potentially much deadlier than the last one. So all the old predictions were way off; it turns out COVID was a “TWICE-in-a-lifetime pandemic,” I guess, or maybe eventually a “THREE-times-in-a-lifetime,” “FIVE-times-in-a-lifetime.”
Here’s the New York Post to explain:

“A bird flu pandemic with the potential to be ‘100 times worse than COVID’ may be on the horizon after a rare human case was discovered in Texas. The H5N1 avian flu has spread rapidly since a new strain was detected in 2020, affecting wild birds in every state, as well as in commercial poultry and backyard flocks. It has now even been detected in mammals, with cattle herds across four states becoming infected in recent weeks, and on Monday, federal health officials announced that a dairy worker in Texas caught the virus. Dr. Suresh Kuchipudi, a bird flu researcher from Pittsburgh, said we are now, quote, ‘getting dangerously close to this virus, potentially causing a pandemic.’ He noted that H5N1 has already been detected in species across the world and said, quote, ‘I think this is a virus that has the greatest pandemic threat that is playing out in plain sight and globally present.’ The World Health Organization estimates that about 52% of humans who have contracted the H5N1 since 2003 have died. For comparison, COVID currently kills only about 0.1% of those it infects.”

So there’s been many many headlines about the bird flu as we gear up for the election, we knew it would be something, and so bird flu is what they’re going with. The reporter from the New York Post, as you just heard, opens her report by saying that the bird flu could be “100 times worse” than COVID, but she doesn’t explain how she’s coming up with that number exactly.
Later on in the video, she says that 52% of humans who have contracted bird flu since 2003 have died, while COVID only kills 0.1% of people that it infects, and that makes bird flu sound even more serious than “100 times” more dangerous. But it’s also using very old data. So the question remains: where exactly is the idea that bird flu could be “100 times worse than COVID” coming from?
Now, if you dig around the New York Post’s article, you’ll find this explanation:

John Fulton, a pharmaceutical industry consultant for vaccines and the founder of Canada-based BioNiagara … also expressed his concerns. ‘This appears to be 100 times worse than COVID — or it could be if it mutates and maintains its high case fatality rate,’ he said. ‘Once it’s mutated to infect humans, we can only hope that the [fatality rate] drops.’

This is worse - or it could be. This is something - well actually it’s not that thing, but it could be. Now, the Post is quoting from a Daily Mail interview, in which Fulton also says,

This discovery is very concerning, and governments should take immediate action by seeking out and mobilizing all high-potential production capacity for vaccines and therapeutics for the prevention and treatment of avian influenza H5N1. …’We need to sound the alarm bells to wake up our governments to the fact that there is a virus that is undergoing mutations that would/ could eventually allow it to become highly transmissible in human (mammals).

“Would/could.” So, a guy named John Fulton says that IF the bird flu mutates to spread easily among humans, and IF it maintains a high fatality rate, then it COULD be 100 times worse than COVID. And he says this is all very disturbing, and we need the government to help create (and presumably fund) more “vaccines and therapeutics.” So the next time you get your COVID booster—if you’re one of the four people still doing that—you should make room on your arm for the Bird Flu vax when that is ready to go, that’s the idea. And because of this quote, various news outlets, including the Post, have said that “experts” are warning about the existential threat posed by bird flu. And this guy, as far as I can tell, seems to be the primary source of this claim.
But John Fulton is not an expert in anything. According to his LinkedIn, he’s got a degree in “corporate communications” from something called “Brock University” in Canada. And he lists—and I’m not making this up—“social media” as one of his professional skills. So his qualifications are that he can use Instagram and Facebook. Essentially, he’s a salesman, a marketer. And he currently consults on the side for something called “POP Biotechnologies,” which says on its website that it, “develops revolutionary therapies that expand treatment possibilities in cancer care and infectious disease prevention.”
Where have we seen this before? When have we seen fake “experts” pretending to know what they’re talking about, as they raise the alarm about some catastrophic public health emergency without disclosing their obvious conflicts of interest?
Now, it’s actually hard to believe the media is being this flagrant about the narrative this time around—they’re not even getting a scientist to scare everyone—if you wanted to deliberately undermine people’s trust in public health—to whatever extent any trust still exists—then it’s hard to think of what you’d do differently exactly. You’d do exactly what the media is doing now: You’d find some “social media expert” and get him to say something outrageous and supposedly terrifying, and then you’d pretend that he knows what he’s talking about.
Now, to be clear, I’m not saying that bird flu or H5N1 definitely isn’t, or couldn’t be, potentially in the future, a threat - I’m not an expert on the topic anymore than John Fulton is. We’re both just guys giving our opinion—unlike John Fulton, I’m happy to admit that—what I am saying is that, right now, according to all of the available evidence we have, there’s no sign that the bird flu is ANY kind of significant threat to the public, or worthy of ANY real concern, or ANY of the blaring headlines that it’s getting. There’s no evidence that it’s spreading between humans. There’s one farm worker somewhere who’s supposedly currently infected, and that’s it right now. The commercial milk and dairy supply is safe, according to a recent analysis of hundreds of random samples, and this tracks with how bird flu has behaved for decades; it typically doesn’t infect people at all, so there are no real signs that’s changing, so nothing really to worry about.
Of course, anything could happen in the future. There’s an infinite number of possible terrible things that could happen at any time. Do you sit around worrying about those things? Well, you shouldn’t.
But here’s the key point. If that does change—let’s just say hypothetically, if bird flu suddenly becomes infectious and starts killing humans, which could theoretically happen, just like anything could theoretically happen—then there IS no doubt about one thing: that in that hypothetical universe, the bird flu will be far deadlier than it WOULD have been, if the public health establishment hadn’t LIED to us for years about COVID. Public health authorities proved with COVID that we can’t trust anything they say. So if there IS another “once in a lifetime pandemic”—an actual REAL one this time—we’ll have no choice but to ignore them, or at best take them with a massive grain of salt.
And of course, in turn, that will provide them with the pretense to use even more force than last time. So in a way, their own flagrant untrustworthiness becomes a benefit to them. It guarantees we will defy them—because what other choice do we have?—-which gives them the excuse to be authoritarians.
A year ago, the head of the World Health Organization delivered a speech about the “next pandemic,” which he said was inevitable, and he made it clear that he understands very well that people will be hesitant to ever obey public health officials again, so to counteract that hesitancy—and to ensure “equity,” he says—the head of the WHO insisted on “changes” that, “must be made.”

“We cannot kick this con down the road. If we do not make the changes that must be made, then who will? And if we do not make them now, then when? When the next pandemic comes knocking—and it will—we must be ready to answer decisively, collectively, and equitably. … And for enhanced international cooperation, the pandemic accord, a generational commitment that we will not go back to the old cycle of panic and neglect that left our world vulnerable, but move forward with a shared commitment to meet shared threats with a shared response. That’s why we say the pandemic accord is a generational agreement. A commitment from this generation is important because it’s this generation that experienced how awful a small virus could be.”

So he says, “When the next pandemic comes knocking—and it will—we must be ready to answer decisively, collectively and equitably. And for enhanced international cooperation,” he says, there needs to be a “pandemic accord” to ensure that “the old cycle of panic and neglect” never happens again. The panic that, you know, the so-called “public health authorities” intentionally stoked? That panic that’s like, all their fault? It must never happen again. And instead he says we need a “shared response” directed, of course, by the WHO.
Now, if you go and look up the “pandemic accord” on the WHO’s website, you’ll find that it’s intended to, “support global coordination through a stronger WHO,” additionally, “At the heart of the proposed accord is the need to ensure equity in both access to the tools needed to prevent pandemics (including technologies like vaccines, personal protective equipment, information and expertise) and access to health care for all people.”
And we know that that means—we know what equity and access, we know what these things mean—it means that if you’re a white guy, it’s always bad news - especially if the extremely unlikely scenario really does play out where the bird flu somehow mutates and starts infecting people’s lungs. And if they ever develop any treatment that works and won’t make you even sicker—so there’s a whole bunch of big big “ifs” here—but if all that happens, then if you’re a white guy, I guess you’re gonna be last on the list. Now, in any event, there’s no point in fretting about whether there will be another COVID-style pandemic - the World Health Organization is saying there WILL be, t’s inevitable.
Now, this is a very far cry from the old lines we heard about how COVID was a “once in a century” or “once-in-a-lifetime” pandemic. The moment they realized COVID was over, the public health establishment stopped pretending that it was a rare event. It’s not rare anymore now, it’s inevitable, it’s gonna happen again, anytime. So they immediately got to work on preparing for the next pandemic, and already, with another presidential election rapidly approaching, some of the least impartial and least qualified people in the country desperately want us to believe that it’s about to arrive.

Hi, I'm currently running Ooba+AllTalk through Silly Taverns, and it before outputting character or narrator's responses, it's narrating file names and paths. And some times it is confusing between character and narrator's speech.
This is the output in chat window, which seems to be understanding what is character and narrator speech, but it missed the last ", shich would close the character's response. And it seems that there shouldn't be two audio interfaces above the response:
https://preview.redd.it/mqemjzy6h01d1.png?width=392&format=png&auto=webp&s=047df71222cf92f808c4a609776903d3a7ac4099
This is Ooba's output in the command prompt, which seems to ge adding "audio src", "filepath_and_name.wav" and other things like "7.99 seconds. LowVRAM: False DeepSpeed: True" as part of the input, to be processed by AllTalk.

Llama.generate: prefix-match hit llama_print_timings: load time = 4086.81 ms llama_print_timings: sample time = 175.23 ms / 150 runs ( 1.17 ms per token, 856.01 tokens per second) llama_print_timings: prompt eval time = 3118.73 ms / 170 tokens ( 18.35 ms per token, 54.51 tokens per second) llama_print_timings: eval time = 16437.70 ms / 149 runs ( 110.32 ms per token, 9.06 tokens per second) llama_print_timings: total time = 20020.93 ms / 319 tokens Output generated in 20.56 seconds (7.30 tokens/s, 150 tokens, context 1086, seed 324029852) [AllTalk TTSGen] audio src"fileextensionsalltalkttsoutputsTTSOUT1715962048.wav" controls autoplayaudio Seraphina's eyes hold a mix of concern and determination as she explains the situation. "You were attacked by some wild creatures that inhabit this forest. They must have been provoked or simply mistook you for prey. I was nearby, sensing your distress through my connection to the forest, and rushed to your aid." Her voice is gentle yet firm, radiating a sense of reassurance. "I managed to scare off the beasts and tend to your wounds using my healing magic. You're safe now [AllTalk TTSGen] 7.99 seconds. LowVRAM: False DeepSpeed: True [AllTalk TTSGen] Narrator (Text-not-inside) [AllTalk TTSGen] audio src [AllTalk TTSGen] 0.32 seconds. LowVRAM: False DeepSpeed: True [AllTalk TTSGen] Character [AllTalk TTSGen] fileextensionsalltalkttsoutputsTTSOUT1715961994.wav [AllTalk TTSGen] 3.82 seconds. LowVRAM: False DeepSpeed: True [AllTalk TTSGen] Narrator (Text-not-inside) [AllTalk TTSGen] controls autoplayaudio audio src [AllTalk TTSGen] 0.50 seconds. LowVRAM: False DeepSpeed: True [AllTalk TTSGen] Character [AllTalk TTSGen] fileextensionsalltalkttsoutputsTTSOUT1715962048.wav [AllTalk TTSGen] 2.25 seconds. LowVRAM: False DeepSpeed: True [AllTalk TTSGen] Narrator (Text-not-inside) [AllTalk TTSGen] controls autoplayaudio Seraphina's eyes hold a mix of concern and determination as she explains the situation. [AllTalk TTSGen] 0.95 seconds. LowVRAM: False DeepSpeed: True [AllTalk TTSGen] Character [AllTalk TTSGen] You were attacked by some wild creatures that inhabit this forest. They must have been provoked or simply mistook you for prey. I was nearby, sensing your distress through my connection to the forest, and rushed to your aid. [AllTalk TTSGen] 2.38 seconds. LowVRAM: False DeepSpeed: True [AllTalk TTSGen] Narrator (Text-not-inside) [AllTalk TTSGen] Her voice is gentle yet firm, radiating a sense of reassurance. "I managed to scare off the beasts and tend to your wounds using my healing magic. You're safe now [AllTalk TTSGen] 1.68 seconds. LowVRAM: False DeepSpeed: True 

And this is Silly Tavern's:

 'Deramack: "What... What happened?"\n' + 'Seraphina:', model: 'silicon-maid-7b.Q5_K_M.gguf', max_new_tokens: 150, max_tokens: 150, temperature: 1, top_p: 1, typical_p: 1, typical: 1, sampler_seed: -1, min_p: 1, repetition_penalty: 1.1, frequency_penalty: 0, presence_penalty: 0, top_k: 0, min_length: 100, min_tokens: 100, num_beams: 1, length_penalty: 1, early_stopping: false, add_bos_token: false, smoothing_factor: 0, smoothing_curve: 1, max_tokens_second: 0, sampler_priority: [ 'temperature', 'dynamic_temperature', 'quadratic_sampling', 'top_k', 'top_p', 'typical_p', 'epsilon_cutoff', 'eta_cutoff', 'tfs', 'top_a', 'min_p', 'mirostat' ], stopping_strings: [ '\nDeramack:' ], stop: [ '\nDeramack:' ], truncation_length: 2048, ban_eos_token: false, skip_special_tokens: true, top_a: 0.52, tfs: 0.09, epsilon_cutoff: 1.49, eta_cutoff: 10.42, mirostat_mode: 0, mirostat_tau: 5, mirostat_eta: 0.1, custom_token_bans: '', api_type: 'ooba', api_server: 'http://127.0.0.1:5000', legacy_api: false, rep_pen: 1.1, rep_pen_range: 0, repetition_penalty_range: 0, encoder_repetition_penalty: 1, no_repeat_ngram_size: 0, penalty_alpha: 0, temperature_last: true, do_sample: true, seed: -1, guidance_scale: 1, negative_prompt: '', grammar_string: '', repeat_penalty: 1.1, tfs_z: 0.09, repeat_last_n: 0, n_predict: 150, mirostat: 0, ignore_eos: false } Endpoint response: { id: 'conv-1715961974025842176', object: 'text_completion', created: 1715961974, model: 'silicon-maid-7b.Q5_K_M.gguf', choices: [ { index: 0, finish_reason: 'length', text: `  *Seraphina's eyes hold a mix of concern and determination as she explains the situation.* "You were attacked by some wild creatures that inhabit this forest. They must have been provoked or simply mistook you for prey. I was nearby, sensing your distress through my connection to the forest, and rushed to your aid." *Her voice is gentle yet firm, radiating a sense of reassurance.* "I managed to scare off the beasts and tend to your wounds using my healing magic. You're safe now`, logprobs: { top_logprobs: [ {} ] } } ], usage: { prompt_tokens: 1086, completion_tokens: 192, total_tokens: 1278 } } 

Hi, I'm currently running Ooba+AllTalk through Silly Taverns, and it before outputting character or narrator's responses, it's narrating file names and paths. And some times it is confusing between character and narrator's speech.
This is the output in chat window, which seems to be understanding what is character and narrator speech, but it missed the last ", shich would close the character's response. And it seems that there shouldn't be two audio interfaces above the response:
https://preview.redd.it/mqemjzy6h01d1.png?width=392&format=png&auto=webp&s=047df71222cf92f808c4a609776903d3a7ac4099
This is Ooba's output in the command prompt, which seems to ge adding "audio src", "filepath_and_name.wav" and other things like "7.99 seconds. LowVRAM: False DeepSpeed: True" as part of the input, to be processed by AllTalk.

Llama.generate: prefix-match hit llama_print_timings: load time = 4086.81 ms llama_print_timings: sample time = 175.23 ms / 150 runs ( 1.17 ms per token, 856.01 tokens per second) llama_print_timings: prompt eval time = 3118.73 ms / 170 tokens ( 18.35 ms per token, 54.51 tokens per second) llama_print_timings: eval time = 16437.70 ms / 149 runs ( 110.32 ms per token, 9.06 tokens per second) llama_print_timings: total time = 20020.93 ms / 319 tokens Output generated in 20.56 seconds (7.30 tokens/s, 150 tokens, context 1086, seed 324029852) [AllTalk TTSGen] audio src"fileextensionsalltalkttsoutputsTTSOUT1715962048.wav" controls autoplayaudio Seraphina's eyes hold a mix of concern and determination as she explains the situation. "You were attacked by some wild creatures that inhabit this forest. They must have been provoked or simply mistook you for prey. I was nearby, sensing your distress through my connection to the forest, and rushed to your aid." Her voice is gentle yet firm, radiating a sense of reassurance. "I managed to scare off the beasts and tend to your wounds using my healing magic. You're safe now [AllTalk TTSGen] 7.99 seconds. LowVRAM: False DeepSpeed: True [AllTalk TTSGen] Narrator (Text-not-inside) [AllTalk TTSGen] audio src [AllTalk TTSGen] 0.32 seconds. LowVRAM: False DeepSpeed: True [AllTalk TTSGen] Character [AllTalk TTSGen] fileextensionsalltalkttsoutputsTTSOUT1715961994.wav [AllTalk TTSGen] 3.82 seconds. LowVRAM: False DeepSpeed: True [AllTalk TTSGen] Narrator (Text-not-inside) [AllTalk TTSGen] controls autoplayaudio audio src [AllTalk TTSGen] 0.50 seconds. LowVRAM: False DeepSpeed: True [AllTalk TTSGen] Character [AllTalk TTSGen] fileextensionsalltalkttsoutputsTTSOUT1715962048.wav [AllTalk TTSGen] 2.25 seconds. LowVRAM: False DeepSpeed: True [AllTalk TTSGen] Narrator (Text-not-inside) [AllTalk TTSGen] controls autoplayaudio Seraphina's eyes hold a mix of concern and determination as she explains the situation. [AllTalk TTSGen] 0.95 seconds. LowVRAM: False DeepSpeed: True [AllTalk TTSGen] Character [AllTalk TTSGen] You were attacked by some wild creatures that inhabit this forest. They must have been provoked or simply mistook you for prey. I was nearby, sensing your distress through my connection to the forest, and rushed to your aid. [AllTalk TTSGen] 2.38 seconds. LowVRAM: False DeepSpeed: True [AllTalk TTSGen] Narrator (Text-not-inside) [AllTalk TTSGen] Her voice is gentle yet firm, radiating a sense of reassurance. "I managed to scare off the beasts and tend to your wounds using my healing magic. You're safe now [AllTalk TTSGen] 1.68 seconds. LowVRAM: False DeepSpeed: True 

And this is Silly Tavern's:

 'Deramack: "What... What happened?"\n' + 'Seraphina:', model: 'silicon-maid-7b.Q5_K_M.gguf', max_new_tokens: 150, max_tokens: 150, temperature: 1, top_p: 1, typical_p: 1, typical: 1, sampler_seed: -1, min_p: 1, repetition_penalty: 1.1, frequency_penalty: 0, presence_penalty: 0, top_k: 0, min_length: 100, min_tokens: 100, num_beams: 1, length_penalty: 1, early_stopping: false, add_bos_token: false, smoothing_factor: 0, smoothing_curve: 1, max_tokens_second: 0, sampler_priority: [ 'temperature', 'dynamic_temperature', 'quadratic_sampling', 'top_k', 'top_p', 'typical_p', 'epsilon_cutoff', 'eta_cutoff', 'tfs', 'top_a', 'min_p', 'mirostat' ], stopping_strings: [ '\nDeramack:' ], stop: [ '\nDeramack:' ], truncation_length: 2048, ban_eos_token: false, skip_special_tokens: true, top_a: 0.52, tfs: 0.09, epsilon_cutoff: 1.49, eta_cutoff: 10.42, mirostat_mode: 0, mirostat_tau: 5, mirostat_eta: 0.1, custom_token_bans: '', api_type: 'ooba', api_server: 'http://127.0.0.1:5000', legacy_api: false, rep_pen: 1.1, rep_pen_range: 0, repetition_penalty_range: 0, encoder_repetition_penalty: 1, no_repeat_ngram_size: 0, penalty_alpha: 0, temperature_last: true, do_sample: true, seed: -1, guidance_scale: 1, negative_prompt: '', grammar_string: '', repeat_penalty: 1.1, tfs_z: 0.09, repeat_last_n: 0, n_predict: 150, mirostat: 0, ignore_eos: false } Endpoint response: { id: 'conv-1715961974025842176', object: 'text_completion', created: 1715961974, model: 'silicon-maid-7b.Q5_K_M.gguf', choices: [ { index: 0, finish_reason: 'length', text: `  *Seraphina's eyes hold a mix of concern and determination as she explains the situation.* "You were attacked by some wild creatures that inhabit this forest. They must have been provoked or simply mistook you for prey. I was nearby, sensing your distress through my connection to the forest, and rushed to your aid." *Her voice is gentle yet firm, radiating a sense of reassurance.* "I managed to scare off the beasts and tend to your wounds using my healing magic. You're safe now`, logprobs: { top_logprobs: [ {} ] } } ], usage: { prompt_tokens: 1086, completion_tokens: 192, total_tokens: 1278 } } 

Over the course of 7 years being exposed to the language, I’ve heard half a dozen native Italians use a uvular R instead of a trill (and sometimes instead of what I normally perceive as a tap). Here is the most recent example I’ve come across.
The first time I encountered this phenomenon was when I was learning Italian around Macerata. One of the teachers spoke like this, and I assumed he was from somewhere else, but other teachers mentioned that he was local. The man in the sample I just gave is presumably from Bari, so I’m not so likely to believe that it’s regional.
If it’s a speech impediment, it seems unusual to me, and nobody I’ve talked to has acknowledged it. For one, I am aware that it may be a delicate subject, so I tried to be tactful when asking (indirect) questions, but other native Italians didn’t acknowledge anything different when I’ve asked about this “accent”. On the other hand, my native language also features a trill, and though native speakers struggle with it too, they approximate it using other sounds. Then again, in Russian I think some people do this too.

Here's a video for reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzpLrh0EdZY
My sample size of autistic people who speak with like the same intonation and speech pattern as her is now at 3 (including her), I think there's a pattern here (that us folks are more likely to speak like she does at the very least??)?? This thing I've observed is regardless of gender and assigned sex at birth, so don't discount yourself if you don't match with hers

I will continue to update this post as reviews come in.
Rotten Tomatoes: Rotten
Critics Consensus: N/A

	Score	Number of Reviews	Average Rating
All Critics	51%	39	4.50/10
Top Critics	50%	22	3.60/10

Metacritic: 59 (23 Reviews)
Sample Reviews:
Megalopolis is anything but lazy, and while so many of the ideas don’t pan out as planned, this is the kind of late-career statement devotees wanted from the maverick, who never lost his faith in cinema. - Peter Debruge, Variety
I can’t say I was always engaged over its two hours-plus run time, but I was always curious about where it was going next. Is it a good movie? Not by a long stretch. But it’s not one that can be easily dismissed, either. - David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter
Once you let go of the understandable dream of Coppola returning with another masterpiece, there is much to enjoy in Megalopolis, especially its cast members, leaning into their moments with an abandon that was probably a job requirement. - Joshua Rothkopf, Los Angeles Times
It’s hard to believe the same brilliant director who made The Godfather, The Conversation and Apocalypse Now also birthed this monstrosity, which is wrong in so many ways, from its insipid screenplay and terrible direction to its bizarre casting. 1/4 - Peter Howell, Toronto Star
This is a passion project without passion: a bloated, boring and bafflingly shallow film, full of high-school-valedictorian verities about humanity’s future. 2/5 - Peter Bradshaw, Guardian
This is 138 stultifying minutes of ill-conceived themes, half-finished scenes, nails-along-the-blackboard performances, word-salad dialogue and ugly visuals all seemingly in search of a story that isn’t there. 1/5 - Kevin Maher, Times (UK)
Aubrey Plaza, whose character is a trashy TV news personality called Wow Platinum, has the measure of the thing better than anyone bar Coppola himself: she’s fantastic... 4/5 - Robbie Collin, Daily Telegraph (UK)
Perhaps the kindest thing one can say about Megalopolis is that it will probably remain largely unwatched and be quickly forgotten. 1/5 - Raphael Abraham, Financial Times
Imagine a Paco Rabanne perfume ad mixed with the voyeuristic lady-gazing of a Sorrentino film and that will give you a whiff of Francis Ford Coppola’s latest – and almost definitely last – film. 1/5 - Jo-Ann Titmarsh, London Evening Standard
Seconds, minutes, hours and (it seems, anyway) days assert their presence unforgivingly as the film staggers its way to nowhere worth going. If you don’t enjoy the first five minutes than gird your loins. It’s like that all the way through. 1/5 - Donald Clarke, Irish Times
In parts, very occasionally, you get the kind of soaring Shakespearean feeling that the very best dramas have, and even though no one actually spouts this famous speech, you can feel the director’s exhortation to friends-Romans-countrymen. - Shubhra Gupta, The Indian Express
It's like listening to someone tell you about the crazy dream they had last night – and they don't stop talking for well over two hours. 1/5 - Nicholas Barber, BBC.com
What does it all mean? It’s clear that Coppola is feeling some anguish over the way certain honorable American ideals—essentially human ideals—have become distorted and warped, maybe even discarded altogether. - Stephanie Zacharek, TIME Magazine
This is the junkiest of junk-drawer movies, a slapped together hash of Coppola’s many disparate inspirations. What really tanks the movie, though, is its datedness. - Richard Lawson, Vanity Fair
It is exactly the movie that Coppola set out to make -- uncompromising, uniquely intellectual, unabashedly romantic, broadly satirical yet remarkably sincere about wanting not just brave new worlds but better ones. - David Fear, Rolling Stone
Megalopolis might be the craziest thing I’ve ever seen. And I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy every single batshit second of it. - Bilge Ebiri, New York Magazine/Vulture
Megalopolis is stymied by arbitrary plotting and numbing excess. One can feel Coppola’s anger and sorrow over the decline of his beloved America, but narrative coherence is far less apparent. - Tim Grierson, Screen International
A work of art that actively practices what it preaches, a celebration of unfettered creativity and farsightedness that offers a volcanic fusion of hand-crafted neo-classicism while running through a script of toe-tapping word-jazz. - David Jenkins, Little White Lies
Megalopolis is stilted, earnest, over the top, CGI ridden, and utterly a mess. And yet you can picture a crowded theater shouting along with Jon Voight as he says in one key scene, “What do you make of this boner I got?” - Esther Zuckerman, The Daily Beast
With Megalopolis, [Francis Ford Coppola] crams 85 years worth of artistic reverence and romantic love into a clunky, garish, and transcendently sincere manifesto about the role of an artist at the end of an empire. B+ - David Ehrlich, indieWire
A bunch of ideas smashed together into a garish, baffling, dazzling, kind of atrocious, and totally audacious rejection of the cinematic form. It should never have been made. And yet, now that it has, we should be so grateful that it exists. - Hoai-Tran Bui, Inverse
"Megalopolis" is exactly what movies can and should be—unflinchingly earnest. - Robert Daniels, RogerEbert.com
SYNOPSIS:
Megalopolis is a Roman Epic fable set in an imagined Modern America. The City of New Rome must change, causing conflict between Cesar Catilina, a genius artist who seeks to leap into a utopian, idealistic future, and his opposition, Mayor Franklyn Cicero, who remains committed to a regressive status quo, perpetuating greed, special interests, and partisan warfare. Torn between them is socialite Julia Cicero, the mayor’s daughter, whose love for Cesar has divided her loyalties, forcing her to discover what she truly believes humanity deserves.
CAST:

• Adam Driver as Cesar Catilina
• Giancarlo Esposito as Mayor Franklyn Cicero
• Nathalie Emmanuel as Julia Cicero
• Aubrey Plaza as Wow Platinum
• Shia LaBeouf as Clodio Pulcher
• Jon Voight as Hamilton Crassus III
• Jason Schwartzman as Jason Zanderz
• Talia Shire as Constance Crassus Catilina
• Grace VanderWaal as Vesta Sweetwater
• Laurence Fishburne as Fundi Romaine
• Kathryn Hunter as Teresa Cicero
• Dustin Hoffman as Nush "The Fixer" Berman

DIRECTED BY: Francis Ford Coppola
WRITTEN BY: Francis Ford Coppola
PRODUCED BY: Francis Ford Coppola, Michael Bederman, Barry Hirsch
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Darren M. Demetre. Anahid Nazarian, Barrie M. Osborne, Fred Roos
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Mihai Mălaimare Jr.
PRODUCTION DESIGNER: Beth Mickle, Bradley Rubin
EDITED BY: Cam McLauchlin, Glen Scantlebury
MUSIC BY: Osvaldo Golijov
COSTUME DESIGNER: Milena Canonero
CASTING BY: Courtney Bright, Nicole Daniels
RUNTIME: 138 Minutes
RELEASE DATE: N/A

Now, personally I've been flipping off the camera every single time I take a sample. Even rolling samples... Has anyone ever gotten in trouble for doing that? I know it falls under freedom of speech. However, I still wonder if it's happened.

I've released a set of ~280 voice callouts for use in dungeon and raid encounter addons. Everything is manually recorded and mastered by a real human, no AI text-to-speech.
If you use voice calls like "stack," "spread," "line of sight," etc., please consider using my voice lines in your project.
Listen to a sample of lines on Youtube.
LibSharedmedia package - SharedMedia BattleBrisket VO
A subset configured as a voicepack for DBM - DBM Voicepack BattleBrisket
Feedback and requests welcome!

I've read Homer and am now learning Attic by reading Xenophon's Anabasis. With both authors, I found that narrative was easy to understand, but speeches and rhetorical material were much harder. Right now I'm slogging my way through Xenophon's eulogy to Cyrus, and I'm finding the style difficult to understand. It's flowery and elaborate, just like you'd expect for a eulogy today. For this kind of hard material, I usually take 10 minutes on a single long sentence, and all I can really figure out to do is to take a pencil and try to write out a translation in the margin of the book. My first attempt is just word salad, so then I start trying to figure out what could be wrong, erasing and revising.
Sometimes the issue is just not knowing enough about the details of usage. E.g., I was working on a sentence with δεινὸν in it, and all I knew was the primary meaning, "terrible." It turns out that in Attic it can also mean "skillful," which made more sense.
Other times my issue is with grammar or idioms. I think Homer is more direct, like Robert Frost, while Xenophon is more like one of those awful wordy 19th century authors like Melville. I'd imagined that prose would have to be easier than poetry, but that doesn't seem to be the case.
Can anyone offer any advice on how to build proficiency with complex sentences?
One possibility that's occurred to me is to temporarily abandon Xenophon and switch to reading the New Testament. Although I'm an atheist, I know the synoptic gospels fairly well, so it seems like I'd have a big advantage because I already knew the contents of what I was reading. I've read Mark previously.
Are there textbooks I could look at that could help me get over this hump?
There is an 1889 student edition of Xenophon by Kelsey and Zenos that is quite nice. Here's a sample of their notes for the eulogy of Cyrus: https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_EzABAAAAYAAJ/page/256/mode/2up They seem to be aimed at a student whose level in Greek is very close to mine. Has anyone else used this type of text to gain proficiency? The book has a complicated structure and has a cryptic system of cross-references, which I would have to learn.

HI i am trying to stream audio from mediarecorder api to python backend for testing VAD it works with my audio device directly, but not the audio from mediarecoreder any help is appreciated? i tried many functions to decode them none of them worked i am attacking a sample here

from fastapi import FastAPI, WebSocket, Request from fastapi.staticfiles import StaticFiles from fastapi.templating import Jinja2Templates from fastapi.responses import HTMLResponse import pyaudio import threading import webrtcvad from pydub import AudioSegment from pydub.playback import play from io import BytesIO from openai import OpenAI import requests import pygame import os import webrtcvad import collections FORMAT = pyaudio.paInt16 CHANNELS = 1 RATE = 16000 # Compatible sample rate for WebRTC VAD FRAME_DURATION_MS = 30 # Frame duration in ms (choose 10, 20, or 30 ms) CHUNK = int(RATE * FRAME_DURATION_MS / 1000) # Calculate frame size VAD_BUFFER_DURATION_MS = 2000 # Buffer duration for silence before stopping vad = webrtcvad.Vad(1) # Moderate aggressiveness speech_client = speech.SpeechClient() app = FastAPI() # Mount static files app.mount("/static", StaticFiles(directory="static"), name="static") # Initialize templates templates = Jinja2Templates(directory="templates") @app.get("/", response_class=HTMLResponse) async def root(request: Request): return templates.TemplateResponse("index.html", {"request": request}) class Frame(object): """Represents a "frame" of audio data.""" def __init__(self, bytes, timestamp, duration): self.bytes = bytes self.timestamp = timestamp self.duration = duration def frame_generator(frame_duration_ms, audio, sample_rate): """Generates audio frames from PCM audio data. Takes the desired frame duration in milliseconds, the PCM data, and the sample rate. Yields Frames of the requested duration. """ n = int(sample_rate * (frame_duration_ms / 1000.0) * 2) offset = 0 timestamp = 0.0 duration = (float(n) / sample_rate) / 2.0 while offset + n < len(audio): yield Frame(audio[offset:offset + n], timestamp, duration) timestamp += duration offset += n import wave import os from pathlib import Path AUDIO_CHANNELS_PER_FRAME = 1 # Mono AUDIO_BITS_PER_CHANNEL = 16 # 16 bits per sample AUDIO_SAMPLE_RATE = 16000 def get_and_create_playable_file_from_pcm_data(file_path): wav_file_name = file_path+ ".wav" docs_dir = "./" wav_file_path = docs_dir + wav_file_name print(f"PCM file path: {file_path}") num_channels = AUDIO_CHANNELS_PER_FRAME bits_per_sample = AUDIO_BITS_PER_CHANNEL sampling_rate = AUDIO_SAMPLE_RATE frame_duration = 10 num_samples = sampling_rate * frame_duration # with open(file_path, 'rb') as f: # num_samples = len(f.read()) byte_rate = num_channels * bits_per_sample * sampling_rate // 8 block_align = num_channels * bits_per_sample // 8 data_size = num_channels * num_samples * bits_per_sample // 8 chunk_size = 16 total_size = 46 + data_size audio_format = 1 with wave.open(str("filenames"), 'wb') as fout: fout.setnchannels(num_channels) fout.setsampwidth(bits_per_sample // 8) fout.setframerate(sampling_rate) fout.setnframes(num_samples) # Write the PCM data with open("filenames.wav", 'rb') as pcmfile: pcm_data = pcmfile.read() fout.writeframes(pcm_data) # return wav_file_path.as_uri() from pydub import AudioSegment def process_audio(file_path): # Load the audio file audio = AudioSegment.from_file(file_path) # Print original duration original_duration = len(audio) print(f"Original duration: {original_duration} milliseconds") # Set duration to 10 seconds ten_seconds = 10 * 1000 # PyDub works in milliseconds if original_duration > ten_seconds: audio = audio[:ten_seconds] # Truncate to 10 seconds elif original_duration < ten_seconds: silence_duration = ten_seconds - original_duration silence = AudioSegment.silent(duration=silence_duration) audio += silence # Append silence to make it 10 seconds # Save the modified audio modified_file_path = "filenamesprocess.wav" audio.export(modified_file_path, format="wav") # Print the duration of the modified audio modified_audio = AudioSegment.from_file(modified_file_path) print(f"Modified duration: {len(modified_audio)} milliseconds") return modified_file_path def check_audio_properties(audio_path): # Load the audio file audio = AudioSegment.from_file(audio_path) # Check number of channels (1 for mono) is_mono = audio.channels == 1 # Check sample width (2 bytes for 16-bit) is_16_bit = audio.sample_width == 2 # Check sample rate valid_sample_rates = [8000, 16000, 32000, 48000] is_valid_sample_rate = audio.frame_rate in valid_sample_rates # Calculate frame duration and check if it's 10, 20, or 30 ms frame_durations_ms = [10, 20, 30] frame_duration_samples = [int(audio.frame_rate * duration_ms / 1000) for duration_ms in frame_durations_ms] is_valid_frame_duration = audio.frame_count() in frame_duration_samples # Results return { "is_mono": is_mono, "is_16_bit": is_16_bit, "is_valid_sample_rate": is_valid_sample_rate, "is_valid_frame_duration": is_valid_frame_duration, "frame_duration_samples":frame_duration_samples, "bit":audio.sample_width, "channels":audio.channels } import math from pydub import AudioSegment import math def split_audio_into_frames(audio_path, frame_duration_ms=30): # Load the audio file audio = AudioSegment.from_file(audio_path) # Calculate the number of frames needed number_of_frames = math.ceil(len(audio) / frame_duration_ms) # Split the audio into frames of 30 ms frames = [] for i in range(number_of_frames): start_ms = i * frame_duration_ms end_ms = start_ms + frame_duration_ms frame = audio[start_ms:end_ms] frames.append(frame) frame.export(f"frame_{i}.wav", format="wav") # Export each frame as WAV file return frames from pydub import AudioSegment import io def preprocess_audio(webm_audio): # Convert WebM to WAV audio = AudioSegment.from_file(io.BytesIO(webm_audio),) audio = audio.set_frame_rate(16000).set_channels(1).set_sample_width(2) # Convert to 16-bit mono 16000 Hz return audio.raw_data import subprocess @app.websocket("/ws") async def websocket_endpoint(websocket: WebSocket): await websocket.accept() buffered_data = bytearray() # try: while True: with open("filenames", "wb") as out: # get_and_create_playable_file_from_pcm_data("filenames") # process_audio("filenames.wav") data = await websocket.receive_bytes() with open("temp.webm", "wb") as f: f.write(buffered_data) webm_audio = AudioSegment.from_file("temp.webm", format="webm") output_file_path = 'recording.mp3' webm_audio.export(output_file_path, format="mp3") if len(buffered_data) > 24000: # You define a sensible threshold with open("temp.webm", "wb") as f: f.write(buffered_data) subprocess.run(["ffmpeg", "-i", "temp.webm", "-acodec", "pcm_s16le", "-ar", "16000", "temp.wav"], check=True) buffered_data.clear() print("incomming") audio = AudioSegment.from_file("temp.wav") check_audio_properties("temp.wav") # aud = preprocess_audio(data) try: if vad.is_speech(audio.raw_data, RATE): is_speech = True silence_frames = 0 # recorded_segments.append(data) # Append data to list else: if is_speech: # Change from speech to silence is_speech = False silence_frames += 1 # Check if we've hit the silence threshold to end capture if silence_frames * FRAME_DURATION_MS / 1000.0 >= VAD_BUFFER_DURATION_MS / 1000.0: print("Silence detected, stop recording.") break except Exception as e: print("VAD processing error:", e) continue # Skip this frame or handle error differently 

let socket = new WebSocket("ws://localhost:8080/ws"); let mediaRecorder; async function startRecording() { const stream = await navigator.mediaDevices.getUserMedia({ audio: true }); const options = { mimeType: 'audio/webm;codecs=opus' }; console.log(MediaRecorder.isTypeSupported('audio/webm;codecs=opus')); // returns true or false mediaRecorder = new MediaRecorder(stream,options); mediaRecorder.start(5000); // Continuously sends data every 250ms mediaRecorder.ondataavailable = async (event) => { console.log(event); if (event.data.size > 0 && socket.readyState === WebSocket.OPEN) { socket.send(event.data); } }; } function stopRecording() { if (mediaRecorder && mediaRecorder.state !== 'inactive') { mediaRecorder.stop(); console.log("Recording stopped."); } } socket.onmessage = function(event) { console.log('Received:', event.data); if (event.data === "stop") { stopRecording(); } }; // Make sure to handle WebSocket closures gracefully socket.onclose = function(event) { console.log('WebSocket closed:', event); stopRecording(); }; socket.onerror = function(error) { console.log('WebSocket error:', error); stopRecording(); }; 

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anticipate, anxiety, any, anybody, anymore, anyone, anything, anyway, anywhere, apart, apartment, apologize, apparent, apparently, appeal, appear, appearance, apple, application, apply, appoint, appointment, appreciate, approach, appropriate, approval, approve, approximately, architect, area, argue, argument, arise, arm, armed, army, around, arrange, arrangement, arrest, arrival, arrive, art, article, artist, artistic, as, ashamed, aside, ask, asleep, aspect, assault, assert, assess, assessment, asset, assign, assignment, assist, assistance, assistant, associate, association, assume, assumption, assure, at, athlete, athletic, atmosphere, attach, attack, attempt, attend, attention, attitude, attorney, attract, attraction, attractive, attribute, audience, author, authority, auto, available, average, avoid, award, aware, awareness, away, awful, baby, back, background, bad, badly, bag, balance, ball, ban, band, bank, bar, barely, barrel, barrier, base, baseball, basic, basically, basis, 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The EXTREMELY detailed, mega-anxiety edition!!! Major events like consult and surgery day are labeled like this:
——— EVENT TITLE ———
Surgeon was Dr. David Whitehead and I saw him on Long Island (New Hyde)
Summarized list of major dates:
Consult: July 19 2023 Mental health letter acquired: August 9 Dates discussed: September 12 Pre-op appointment: December 18 Surgery day: January 8 2024 Post-op: January 17
November 11th 2022: Emailed northwell health for the first time, they emailed back saying to call. I was too anxious so I avoided it for a few months.
Called northwell a few months later but got too anxious talking to the person who picked up. They were being normal and talking normally, it was just personal anxiety on my part.
October 2022 - Early March 2023: Spent time talking to trans friends and family members about their timelines and processes for top surgery.
Looked into Penn medicine for a bit but wasn’t happy with the surgeons there, specifically as a nonbinary person. The patient navigational team however is lovely.
March 2: emailed Penn health patient navigation
March 3-10: correspondence and phone calls w patient navigation (absolutely wonderful people, some of the easiest phone calls I’ve ever had) Got lots of into on surgeons, things I’d need, processes etc.
Date unknown: phone call to Penn medicine asking about surgeons and possibly setting up as a patient (v long wait time on phone) Surgeon I had heard good things about only works w CHOP program and I’m was too old for that program. Other surgeons I was v iffy on.
March 23rd: Back to square 1. Called northwell again to set up an appointment. Everyone I spoke to was really nice. Could have set up an appointment within the week but decided to wait till the end of the semester. Scheduled a trans care and primary care appointment for May
Couple of calls In between for confirmations. Trans care appointment got moved around a bit and ended up being moved to a phone call.
May 8th: Trans care call: Basic preliminary questions like: Emergency contact, what you’re looking for, are you thinking of looking into hormones, experience w dysphoria or dysmorphia, mental health, and eating/nutritional concerns, things you might want doc to know, piercings or tattoos, do you do any drugs or drink often, etc. total call time was about 20 minutes. Doctor was incredibly kind, I still experienced a good deal of anxiety but the call was super easy, welcoming, and friendly. Got sent contact referrals for the surgeons, as well as trans-friendly therapists under my insurance.
May 9th: started looking at list of therapists and making respective emails and calls. Checking per session costs and double checking insurance. Most charge 100-150 per session. Got in contact w one.
May 10th: Called w first therapist talking about what I’m looking for, where I am in this process, if parents are supportive, and talking about costs. She was very friendly and affirming, wants to have a few sessions to get to know me and my situation before writing a letter. Understandable and expected, but frustrating.
May 15th: Primary care appointment: Went to northwell health primary care, parkinglot was a little scary (just a large lot with a lot of cars) but everyone working there’s is super kind. Office is incredibly affirming, pride flags and lgbtq+ art everywhere. Gave my insurance card, filled out some paper work, got called in pretty quickly. I have a needle phobia and medical trauma so I was panicking a bit in the office, nurse was good w me about it and doctor was very kind, I just requested to not have any blood work done that day and that was totally fine, so I could schedule that at a later date and go w a friend. Recommended to get blood work done before scheduling a consult w a surgeon. Also prescribed me a single dose anxiety med for the bloodwork which I was very happy about. I found over time that the anxiety meds unfortunately do little to nothing for my panic attacks personally when it comes to needles but regardless having a doctor acknowledge and respect that fear and listen to me was incredibly helpful and reassuring.
May 30th: Got blood work done in a different lab, went w a friend. Scheduling for that is super easy, I think I did it online actually I don’t entirely recall. they do take walk ins but I made an appointment to minimize complications and make sure I could prepare properly. Front desk/lobby area was a little spooky, but I think that is mainly just bc of my social anxiety. They take a urine sample, you give them your prescription, eventually they call you over for blood work. Quick and easy, tech was v nice and having a friend with me was incredibly helpful. Probably the best I’ve ever done with a needle despite the fact that I did still panic and get very lightheaded lol.
Got blood work results back within the next couple days, all looks a-okay! Neat :)
June 15th This day was incredibly difficult. I had my first session with a therapist to establish some ground knowledge around my dysphoria and the way that I view myself. Top surgery is something that I know from research and related experience Can be difficult and expensive to get and can take time, so much of my prep work has been on the understanding of taking things a step at a time and just knowing that the current way things are doesn’t have to be forever. It allowed me to be able to live with myself while prioritizing my health better. This read to the therapist as “not having the level of dysphoria [she’s] come to expect and look for in someone who is trans” and was largely based off the fact that I don’t want to go on hrt. Past that point I started to break down because now my method of learning to live with myself felt like it was actively going to work against me and prevent me from getting top surgery. I’m not good at talking about my dysphoria, I can’t imagine it’s easy for anyone, especially to a stranger I just met. It was rough, and I felt incredibly mentally drained after ending the session.
June 19th Called it quits with the first therapist, I felt incredibly disrespected and the one session we had put me in a mental spiral for days. It can feel some times in this process like the people you have to get permission from need you to be severely depressed and unable to wait another second for this procedure just in order to take you seriously.
After I left that therapist, I immediately got back to the list to find someone new. Spoke to a new therapist via email, but my insurance is kinda weird (Blue Cross Blue Shield out of state) so its off putting to some people. This therapist recommended I go through the office she started out at (Heart and Soul Counseling)
————- Time Skip ——————
IM BACK its time for some record keeping. Got super overwhelmed and lost the energy to document my process for some time so here goes.
HEART AND SOUL COUNSELING: My experience w/ this therapy office was mostly good. The person in charge, Jesse, was absolutely lovely and responsive. Never spoke in person, but any text/email interaction was prompt, respectful, and kind. The office is stellar with email/text communication, so I only ever had to call them once when I was initially inquiring about the office. This is something I wish all therapy/counseling centers did better, eliminated a ton of my anxiety and hesitation to speak to therapists.
I got set up w someone as quickly as possible and established what my goal was (to acquire letter document for my surgery team). I attended multiple session w the therapist, she was a kind lady but the sessions were unfortunately p miserable for me. We didn’t fit well, but I was willing to stick it out rather than backtrack on my process. She also did not invalidate me or accuse me of not being trans which was a major step up from my first therapy experience. Once I acquired my letter I did stop therapy there, I kindly explained to the therapist that it wasn’t a good match, but I may honestly explore my options at the office in the future. Receptionist there was also lovely and they had a cool fish tank.
———- CONSULT STARTS HERE —————
July 19th: CONSULT!!! My mama and I went to Dr. David Whiteheads office for a consult. Parking was a nightmare so I’m super glad I didn’t have to drive for this one (ty mama). Consult went really well, and the staff were all super friendly. Dr. Whitehead is cool, very chill energy and a bit intimidating, but I’m scared of everyone so that’s nothing new. First question he asked me is what I wanted/what he could do for me which caught me more off guard than it should have? I didn’t realize going into this process how many times people ask you what you’re having done even if it’s already written down, because there’s so much variety in what you can look for in the results.
We talked about the procedure, went through a slideshow n stuff, and discussed how I wanted a flat chest w/ no nipple preservation. They made sure to specify that my mental health professional letter had to include that I did not want nipple preservation because thats technically a “non-standard” appearance. Also had the first breast exam I’ve ever had in my life. Can’t say i’m a fan (not that I need to worry about that anymore!) Took pictures n measurements n such, and also discussed recovery supplies and care w me and my mom.
August 9th: After a plethora of painfully awkward therapy sessions, a decent amount of crying, and a couple breakdowns in friends cars/backyards, I got my therapist letter and sent it to the surgeons office. It ended up needing minor revisions to which I contacted Jesse from Heart and Soul and he got me the revised letter immediately. Unfortunately the surgical coordinator was out of office for the rest of the month the next day ;w;. Is how it be.
September 12th: Got a call from Surgical coordinator mid-painting class that I stepped out to take. Started discussing surgical dates!! She was kind enough to email the dates to me which was lovely because I was absolutely shaking/mind blank haha. There was an option for January 8th which felt like an absolute miracle the way it would work with my school schedule. It would give me a solid two weeks recovery time before spring semester began. Because it would be a couple months out, I was asked to contact her in the second week of October to submit documents to insurance.
(Timeline note: earliest date offered was in early December)
October 10th: Documents sent to insurance, predetermination started
October 30th: Received mail from my insurance approving my procedure as medically necessary (YAY) But! This is also where things get,,, fun! Dr Whitehead’s surgical coordinator, Alyssa, is a blessing and was very helpful and prompt with me despite the fact that I had to email her pretty constantly during this general time which I still feel bad about.
Around this time, my mom got diagnosed with breast cancer, which I reported to the surgical coordinator because it influences my family history (grandmother also had breast cancer). It was asked that I get genetic testing done because this could impact my surgical procedure. Now I’m handling the setup on this between helping my mom in her process setting up consults and considering her options because there of course is a lot of crossover to the steps I’ve already completed and am familiar with.
November 1st: Very kind person at cancer genetics calls me, sends me a family history questionnaire to fill out before I can be scheduled to see a genetic counselor. Filled out the questionnaire the same day.
November 8th: Called cancer genetics to check about scheduling, office was not open so left a message. Got a call back later in the day. I have a virtual appointment with a Genetic counselor Tuesday the 14th. Current plan is a mailed saliva genetic test but I’m going to ask if theres anything I can do to get results/materials quicker. If I can’t get results/feedback by December 8th my surgery date may get deferred.
Trying not to stress too much because there is little to nothing I can do about this, and I just don’t want to be sad. I’ve kept telling myself throughout this process to not get excited and not let myself believe anything is solid because something could happen at any time that might mess up my schedule or plan, and If I convince myself I’m in the clear, those changes will hurt a lot more. So far I think thats been a good move, because this really sucks.
My surgery date is still officially scheduled as of now as well as my first post-op. I will also ideally have pre-surgical testing done December 18th should I be cleared by genetics in time (Fingers crossed!)
ALSO! Def lean on friends if/when you can during this process. It can absolutely be challenging, and having a support system is incredibly important and helpful. I’m super lucky to have really lovely and supportive friends that are around to listen to me and send me pictures of stupid little animals.
November 9th: My mama is scheduled for her double mastectomy on December 4th
November 10th: Did some shopping with my mama for recovery supplies for double mastectomy/top surgery. Having watched a million and a half transition/top surgery videos and tiktoks and having read all the blogs and posts and tweets makes you a great support for someone suddenly faced with an upcoming double mastectomy! We might go shopping this weekend for some button ups and zip ups for her, clothes shopping is better done when you can try stuff on
November 14th: Meeting w genetic counselor: Victoria Webb, one of the loveliest medical care workers I’ve ever met. Had a virtual appointment with her to discuss and set up genetic testing. I explained to her about my situation w the proximity of my surgery and tight deadline as well as my willingness to do a blood test instead of a saliva kit to get results quicker. She was so incredibly kind and good with me, ended up being able to do a saliva kit and get results in time she deserves every good thing in life.
December 18th: pre-surgical testing: This was at the main hospital, everyone was really nice but I had a really bad panic attack despite being on Xanax.
The process is sort of like getting a physical. Measurements like weight and blood pressure get taken, lots of preliminary health questions. The people working with me were really kind and I was very open with them about my anxiety, it was visually apparent though anyway because I started crying the second we even started talking about the blood draw.
Once the equipment was actually brought into the room I started to panic. Both of the women working with me were really kind and helpful and tried to distract me and keep me talking the entire time, but I did still have a really horrible panic attack. Every muscle in my body locked up and I lost all my color, took a bit to get back to a spot where I could move and talk properly because my speech was affected too. It was a bit scary but funny to think about in post. Thanked the medical staff for being patient w me as always, a good portion of the anxiety is also guilt about making things harder for them. Got through it tho. Def eat before presurgical if allowed, I didn’t and that probably didn’t help!!
———- SURGERY DAY ————-
January 8th:
Ok so surgery day:
This day was very scary. Got my phone call the Friday prior for my surgery time which ended up being 1pm and I was asked to arrive around 11. Got there at 10 and went in at 10:30.
Called up to check in then in waiting room till someone brought me back to change. I told her right away about my anxiety with the iv bc that’s legit all I could think about. Got changed right after. I was generally shaky and a little disoriented the entire time because I was panicking but everyone was very patient with me. Clothes and belongings go in a bag in a locker and you get two gowns one that faces back and one that faces front. I was given underwear and a pad as well because lucky me I got my period a couple days before my surgery.
The pre-op area is a lot of little cubicles with curtain divider things, blue soft chairs, and medical equipment. Everyone I met and spoke to was very kind, but any time someone even suggested starting my iv I would panic. I was informed it would have to be placed in my hand and that terrified me, I’m especially anxious and sensitive about my hands and fingers. I think doctors and nurses tend to misunderstand exactly where my fear is with needles and ivs. It isn’t the pain that scares me, but the concept of veins and and anything being in them. Even writing this right now is horrible so I’m going to stop w any further detail. I spent the entire two-ish hours of pre-op absolutely terrified about this iv.
I wasn’t really keeping track of time but dr whitehead came in to do markings for surgery. They had cool rainbow socks on,big fan. Having your chest drawn on and just like, moved around n shit is such an experience. Felt bad because I kept losing my balance but doctor Whitehead is cool and I am 98% less scared about them now.
Probably my most favorite person I met during my entire hospital experience was the anesthesiologist. I know he told me what his name was but I couldn’t focus on or retain information at the time. He told me we could essentially put me to sleep with gas before putting the iv in and for the first time in probably a solid week I felt like I could calm down a little. He took a look at my hand and arm to check my veins which always does freak me out a bit but I’m more used to that kind of thing at this point and I know nothing bad is going to happen. One of the nurses came in with the iv equipment and he let her know that were going to wait till in the or which was also incredibly helpful because I absolutely panicked when I saw that little supply kit again.
V nice lady brought me into the or, I’d never been in one before it was cool. They had a little music speaker which was really cool. Took off blue jacket gown and they helped me onto the table. They put a warm blanket over my legs and my chest to help me calm down. Before long they gave me a mask w fun happy sleepy time gas, they let me keep my arms on my chest for a while which was really nice because I was still scared. I started getting loopy pretty fast but I still heard when someone mentioned where the iv equipment was and panicked a little because of that. I remember feeling them take my hand for that but never actually felt anything happen. Just some fear but the gas was v helpful obvi. Someone said they would see me in a little bit, and then I was groggily waking up in recovery.
Recovery was a little rough bc the iv was still there (fully wrapped up so I couldn’t see it though which was rad) but I was still really anxious about it until it was taken out and when it was taken out. For anyone that struggles w this i did not feel them remove it, just the tape. Everything was mentally much easier after that. After a while, going over instructions w parents, a cracker , some ginger ale and some juice, my dad helped me Get dressed and I was helped out to the car in a wheel chair. Ride was smooth bc of remaining numbness and meds except a few Bumps in the road
TOP SURGERY GOTTEN
My post op date was scheduled for Jan 17th and that’s the day I got my drains out followed by several post op check-ins. First week of recovery was miserable but things exponentially approved each day past that, and I went back to school in person two weeks post-op with driving and item-carrying assistance from friends!
Will upload recovery notes at a later date! Feel free to message me with any questions, more than happy to answer and give info! I’m a bit over four months out from surgery now and thriving 🥳

Conquering the IELTS Speaking Test can feel like scaling Mount Everest – daunting, challenging, but ultimately rewarding. For those in Faridabad aiming for a high score, effective speaking test practice is crucial. But with so many options available, how do you find the best approach? Fear not, aspiring test-takers! This guide unveils the secrets to mastering IELTS speaking test practice in Faridabad.
Embrace Structured Learning with IELTS Coaching
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• Find a Speaking Partner: Collaborate with a friend, classmate, or online language partner to practice speaking regularly. Discuss diverse topics, ensuring fluency and a natural flow of conversation.
• Utilize Online Resources: The internet is a goldmine of IELTS speaking practice resources. Explore websites, forums, and apps offering sample cue cards, mock tests, and pronunciation tutorials.
• Record Yourself Speaking: Record yourself speaking about various topics on your phone or computer. Listen back and identify areas for improvement, focusing on fluency, vocabulary, and pronunciation.

Remember: Consistency is key! Regular practice, whether through coaching or self-directed methods, is paramount for success.
Beyond the Basics: Sharpening Your Skills

• Develop Fluency: Strive for smooth and effortless speech, minimizing filler words and pauses. Practice speaking at a natural pace and maintain eye contact with your imaginary examiner (or recording device!).
• Expand Your Vocabulary: Impress the examiner with a diverse range of words. Read English newspapers, articles, and watch English movies to expand your vocabulary and learn how words are used in context.
• Master Pronunciation: Focus on clear and accurate pronunciation. Identify common pronunciation pitfalls for your native language and practice tricky sounds.

Conclusion:
By combining structured coaching with self-directed practice, you can conquer the IELTS speaking test in Faridabad. Remember, mastering the art of confident, articulate conversation is key. So, take the first step today! Search for "IELTS coaching near me," explore online resources, and embark on your IELTS speaking test practice journey. With dedication and the right approach, you'll be well on your way to achieving your target score and unlocking a world of opportunities.

I've been building Leon since 2017, an open-source personal assistant. But I've been really bad at shipping. Recently I implemented inference capabilities from an LLM, fully offline. And many things are coming up.
Now it's time to let Leon has his own identity. I wanted a voice that sounds a bit hilarious with a British accent.
I did some research and tried the following open text-to-speech solutions:

• Piper TTS: it's very fast on CPU. The quality is also good.
• Parler TTS: very high quality, but slow on inference. Sometimes it results to unexpected results.
• Style TTS: running on CPU is okay, quality is good. But I did not find many resources.
• Tortoise: good quality but yeah, it's in the name... It's slow :)
• Bark and bark.cpp: really good quality but very slow. It supports good style control. But result is hard to predict. I'd say that it's really good if you don't have a fast-inference use case.
• I discovered fish-speech earlier today, and it sounds fantastic. But I did not try on my local machine and CPU.

The solutions I mentioned above use different approaches, so we can't really compare apples with oranges. But hope it can help you to choose if you encounter the same situation.
I gathered 1000 audio samples and trained the model on the top of MeloTTS. They also have a cloning solution called OpenVoice. I chose MeloTTS because for my case, it's the right middle between customization, quality and speed.
I'd be happy to help if you have any question regarding this process.
Listen to the voice: https://voca.ro/1iy7hnXfrlCk
What do you think?
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