Also, wouldn't mind some opinions XD
*****
Thinking 2 or 3 dots on this one - Single late combat trick, a bit of utility, and a very spotty and random unique extra.
Wooded Silver Ax – Initially made by Jade Claws (gen 0 Lunar exalt) as a friendship gift to a loyal Dragonblood retainer (A craftsman, obviously), this ax improved their ability to gather materials, and make them into auspicious items. While wood is not an inherent magical material, the great care used in crafting this tool seeps into the items it works, possibly lending them additional potency. This artifact is made of green jade and moonsilver. This is a Medium Artifact weapon with the Lethal, Melee, Thrown (Short), and Chopping tags (Accuracy +3 Damage+12 Defense+1 Overwhelm 4 Attunment 5).
Woodworker's Friend
Cost: - ; Mins Essence 1 Type: Permanent
It’s main capacity is to shift its shape – while it is naturally an ax, and reverts to this shape when unattended, it may also take the shape of any wood-working tool, or as a simple bracelet. While disguised, a 3 difficulty perception+Lore check will reveal this ax’s nature. At Melee 5, Essence 3+, you may attempt to “jink” a Parry-based Defense by morphing this ax into a smaller form and then re-manifesting it on the “other side” of the block (this specific use costs 1 mote). This grants the Unblockable trait for this one attack, in return for reducing this attack's Accuracy and Damage by 1 success. You may only do this once per combat round.
Subtle Wood Enchantment: Cost: - ; Mins Essence 1 Type: Permanent When used to harvest or craft wood, the ST makes a secret roll – on a roll of 0, the user gains 1 additional Silver Resource, and on a roll of 9, one resource gained in harvesting, or 1 item made in crafting, gains a single minor property of green jade. A teacup might improve the quality of the tea served in it, relaxing and soothing the drinker, while an ax handle might lend its wielder a mild resistance to poison. A Perception+Lore or Occult check might determine this subtle charm, but it is a very difficult process, as it is a very minor effect. These items remain “wood,” and will fail as wood does, but can last, when properly cared for, as long as jade, without degradation. Those with a sensitivity or affinity to the wood element will enjoy contact with such items, even if they are uncertain of why. A harvested tree with an effect shares its effect with all resulting items made from it. For example, raw lumber with a regeneration effect was made into a set of practice swords for Gens Nerigus several hundred years ago – they remain in use, even now, because, while they do break, they restore themselves if left alone for a day.
***** Thinking a 3? Maybe 4, though I don't imagine you'll have 0 Resources Merit by the time you are Essence 3, let alone 4, unless you are REALLY trying, and that's a lot of what would unbalance this relic.
Zenigata Gloves The Solar philosopher Zargas came to the understanding that money was an easy exacerbater of greed, and that greed was bad. While this did tragically result in him later destroying all forms of wealth in his area of rule, leading to wide spread local poverty and famine, it also led to this "prank," a very real display of the idea that money is harmful. While mildly defensive (adding +1 to the Defense statistic when worn), this full sleeve silk and orichalcum-thread glove's major power is literally throwing money away. Coins thrown with this glove are treated as Heavy Thrown weapons (Damage 11, Overwhelm 1) and have the Lethal, Special, and Thrown (Long) tags until they hit, at which point they revert to normal coinage. Special: In addition to the normal damage, add 1 damage die for each dot of the Resources Merit the target possesses. This attack also leaves an imprint of the coin on the person's body, which remains for 1 scene per such dot. If the user somehow loses a Resource Merit dot through the use of these attacks (how many coins did you throw?!), you have +3 dice to accuracy and your ammo gain the Thrown(Extreme) tag for the rest of the scene. You may never pick up a coin thrown with this glove during the Scenario you threw it.
Evocation Greed is Bad, m'kay? Cost: 1m, 1w; Mins: Essence 3 Type: Simple You are able to determine the Resources Merit of everyone within medium distance of you this round - there is no check for this, you simply know the information. This knowledge is remembered after the round, but you will not receive any "updates" after the round you use this feature (so you won't know if someone lost or gained Resources, or the Merit level of anyone that enters Medium range, after the round), unless you use this evocation again. You may spend 1 additional mote to degrade the Defense of one person with the highest Resource Merit within range by 1 for the next scene (if multiple people have the "highest" Resource Merit, you may pick which one loses the point of Defense). Only one degradation of Defense may be active through this evocation - if this aspect of the evocation is used again, the previous use is nullified. The evocation itself may be used as often as the attuner likes, assuming the cost is paid. This effect is detectable by various spells and charms - just using the evocation does not detect as harmful, though the Defense reduction might, but it does create a response to abilities that warn if someone is trying to learn about others. Resonant: If you are a Solar Exalt, and you have fewer Resource Merits than the target of the Defense degradation, you recover the 1 willpower spent on this Evocation.
Mo' Money Mo' Problems Cost 5m, 1w; Mins: Essence 4 Type: Simple
When activated, this Evocation causes everyone (you and your party included) within long range to suffer a -1 die per point of the Resources Merit above yours, for all rolls, until the end of the scene. The attuner may exempt any number of people from this effect by paying 1 additional mote and Willpower per person. Special: If you are a Solar exalt, while under this effect, if you destroy "wealth" in some fashion, such that someone's Resources Merit drops 1 dot, you gain 1 willpower. Please note that "stealing" is not "destroying," you must actually burn/melt/disintegrate the money/mining stockpile/inventory of goods/whatever.
*****
I'm thinking 5, but it's semi-random and very specific, so maybe 4, on this one?
Cards Of Unknown Providence – This standard pack of playing cards are crafted from a small amount of starmetal wire and moderate amounts of moonsilver, though their magic makes them appear to be normal card-stock. Crafted by a first generation Lunar Exalted, Dancing Wind Paws, who felt that fate was too immutable, and fearing the forecasted end of their soulmate (Their Zenith was well aware of the Sidereal plot, and was just too "Achilles in His Tent" at the moment to care), made these weapons in an attempt to alter the unalterable. Needless to say, the Sidereal took exception to this, but the cards can't be held by fated hands, or locked away - these cards find their way into the pocket of any soul willing to take a risk and throw the dice to get what they need.
These cards are treated like Light Chakram Artifacts (Damage +10, overwhelm 3, Attunement 5), with the tags: Lethal, Thrown (Medium), Cutting, Special, Concealable. Special: As soon as a thrown card either misses or strikes its target, it disappears, and reappears in the deck, unless the user's will prevents this. All cards are returned to the deck if at least one card moves more than long range from deck, or if the user becomes incapacitated. If placed in a locked container without an owner, the cards will appear in the pocket of the nearest mortal gambler, and if affected by Fate or Destiny, will immediately flee to a mortal gambler's pocket at least 100 km away, ending the Fated effect. If the cards are still attuned, they will return to their attuner instead, and are immune to Fate or Destiny related effects.
You may use these cards like normal playing cards. If you Stunt with this Artifact outside of combat, gain an extra die. If you try to entertain with them, you may use Thrown in place of Performance.
Evocations Gambler's Loss and Gain Cost: 1m, 1 wp; Mins Essence 2 Type: Simple, Dissonant: Fate-related creatures, including Sidereal and Getimas
When thrown, rather than using a particular Attribute to determine accuracy and damage, roll a d10, with 1 corresponding to Strength, 2, Dexterity, and so on to 9 being Wits – use that Attribute in these rolls. A 0 lets you pick an Attribute, instead.
An attack that successfully lands, besides doing normal damage based on the rolled Attribute, reduces the dots in the target’s same Attribute by 1 for Scene. If a target drops to 0 in an Attribute, they are instantly incapacitated (until the Attribute is restored by the ending of the Scene), unless they roll a Resolve with more successes than the damage they received from that attack. If they do win, they retain 1 dot in that attribute. Dissonant: See Fate's Foil. As might be imagined, a Sidereal trying to use theses cards will end up with a lot of frustration and really nasty paper cuts for their troubles.
Fate's Foil
Type: Permanent
Sidereal and Getimians find these cards immensely troublesome, as do any Fate manipulating gods, demons, Fair Folk, or undead. Firstly, fate-linked creatures have trouble perceiving these cards at all, with -5 successes for any Awareness or Perception checks related to them. Further, it takes at least 3 more successes than normal for them to determine the cards are artifacts, compared to other people, even despite evidence to the contrary (like being hurt by the feature below). Even if they are perceived, unless they are perceived as artifacts, fate-linked creatures will tend to forget about them as "unimportant details" - even if they have been directly harmed by them. Finally, attempting to handle these cards, intentionally or not, will result in 1L of damage each interaction - whether this is done physically, by Charm or Ability (other than Awareness or similar skills - simply looking at or thinking about the cards doesn't hurt), or by magic (so telekinenticly poking a card hurts as much as actually poking it). This damage effect does not occur during direct combat, unless a fate-linked Exalted attempts to physically or magically take the cards from their attuner mid-combat (such as disarming the attuner of it).
(Yes, obviously a Sidereal player will get that the card is bad for them almost instantly, but the character will have an infuriatingly hard time figuring it out. Made worse by the character forgetting the card exists after a brief distraction, unless they've figured out its an artifact.)
Unfated Defense
Cost -; Mins Essence 4 Type: Reflexive, Resonant: Symbiosis In response to an attack being made on a known target within Medium range, you may Throw a card to intercept the attack once per combat round. Roll a d100 and divide the result by 7, round down - any result over 10 is treated as 10. This value replaces the Defense of the attack's target until the start of your next turn. Resonance: If you are a lunar, and successfully thwart an attack on another being with this evocation, you gain +1 to your Defense until the end of this scene. This bonus can stack with itself, but only when defending a new target in this way. This increases to +2 if the defended person is the defended is of the Lunar's Territory, bearing their mark. Special: Mortals may use this power to defend themselves (and only themselves) from Sidereal attacks, regardless of their Essence value.
Sleight of Chance Cost -; Mins Essence 1 Type: Simple The attuner may throw a card at any target (without causing injury) at will, within Medium distance, with unnatural precision. The card thrown cannot be detected, without a successful Perception+Awareness check that surpasses the attuner's Thrown rating, until it comes to rest (though it is semi-obvious to someone observing the attuner that they are doing "something," unless sufficient stealth is involved). After it does, anyone who failed to notice the throw will just assume the card was always there. Sidereal, per Fate's Foil, will generally ignore these dispersed cards. Even after getting maimed by them.
Special: A card may be thrown into an independent card game - this replaces any card, in hand or being dealt, and this substitution is not noticed by anyone involved unless they make the check above (a ST may adjust the difficulty for the person whose hand was altered, as is ST fiat, but this artifact really is just that good at this particular trick). The replaced card will be returned to its deck, and the artifact card will appear to be a card belonging to that deck, of a relative value equivalent to what you threw - a 2 will be a poor card, while a King will be an excellent one, in the context of the game being played. The artifact card returns to your deck after it is no longer being observed.
Note - this artifact has been around a very long time. While a Sidereal will have difficulty handling it directly, a semi-decent lore check, especially if the skill is focused on artifacts or Sidereal conflicts, will put this deck on a short list of answers to the question of "why am I randomly taking 1L of damage and can't find the source?" As one might imagine, removing it as a threat is a relatively high priority for most Sidereal who are aware of it. Most other fate-binding beings, like the Getimians, will not likely have the same institutional knowledge to draw from, making this deck far more dangerous to them. For example, She Who Lives In Her Name has put a bounty on this artifact 7 times...and forgotten its existence more than a dozen times. Most of Her servants have no idea the artifact exists either, due to her direct control over them also erasing their memories of the item, even if they are not Fate-bound themselves.
***** Thinking 3, though if the ST agrees it can affect The Curse, it might be a 5.
The Merciful Goblet of Suffering
"The kind of pain to get good in the end" - as someone once said. This artifact of Solar construction was one woman's attempt to solve the Curse...by repentance through suffering. This orichalcum and soulsteel goblet is mildly off-putting for everyone, but can render valuable service anyways.
Evocations Blood like Wine Type: Permanent It's most obvious function is, when held, it automatically fills with a single draught per Lethal or Aggravated damage dealt to anyone within Long Range. The liquid will not spill, even if the cup is held upside down. The cup can hold 16 draughts, and 1 draught evaporates away each hour it is unused or not added-to. Each draught heals 1 measure of Bashing damage - if consumed by someone with no Bashing damage, it will heal 1 mark of Lethal damage for 2 draughts, and if there is no Lethal or Bashing damage, it will heal Aggravated damage at a rate of 4 to 1. Resonance: (Solars, and certain deities aligned with suffering, or their agents) 4 draughts may also be used to repair a disfigurement (once, per Scenario), if the the cup-bearer takes on a lesser version of the disfigurement - so, restoring someone's hand loses you a finger, for example. You may never use this effect on yourself, though there isn't anything preventing you from passing this cup to another and asking them to heal you in turn, as long as enough "time" has passed.
No Pain, no Gain Type: Simple Its original use - someone may deal Aggravated damage to themselves, in order to reduce the effects of a derangement or other malady afflicting them. A single point of Aggravated damage will reduce the effect of one such malady one level, until the end of the scene. If a malady's effect has been reduced to nothing, 4 aggravated points of damage may be administered, again by the sufferer on the sufferer, to reduce the malady itself by 1 stage. If a malady is fully excised in this fashion, a physical manifestation of it flops out into the cup. ST's call on a) what it is and b) if it's going to try to actively kill you all. This "treatment" does not activate Blood like Wine.
Note: At the ST's discretion, this can, in fact, affect the Curse. To my estimation, you're looking at 25 Aggravated, self-inflicted, damage, at a minimum and in one scene, to even try and fully excise it. It almost certainly is going to try and kill its former host afterwords. Elder God-Thing curses are nasty like that.
***** Almost certainly a 5 dot, might be an N/A
Bandages of Time This "suit of armor" consists of a single roll of "linen" bandages, woven with thread made from the 5 magical materials. Putting it on normally requires an hour and at least 1 assistant to do it properly, while removing it takes 30 minutes (charms simplify the matter immensely). When properly worn, it provides 5 soak, 4 Hardness, and no mobility penalty, like any other suit of Light Artifact armor. However, it does have Attunment 10. The wrap covers the entire body, except the face and fingers. It can be comfortably worn, even in sleep, and while it isn’t entirely weightless, it is immensely light and breathable.
Evocations A Pleasant Day
Type: Permanent Even the hottest days and coldest nights have little bearing on your personal condition, and rain and snow just do not fall on you. This armor prevents unpleasant weather conditions from affecting you, and prevents all bashing, and up to 6L, damage from all environmental effects.
Time is of the essence Type: Permanent Your base initiative is 2 points higher than normal. You gain 1 initiative any time any one takes any action in combat. You gain 2 more any time someone takes an action involving you specifically. Special: You may spend 1 mote to turn this effect off, in return for gaining either +4 soak, +4 hardness, or +2 Defense. This change lasts until your next turn, when this evocation automatically resumes, unless you spend another mote.
Time is Fleeting Cost 5m; Mins Essence 5 Type: Simple, Withering All withering attacks you make this round, remove twice the initiative as normal – you still only gain the normal amount from such an attack. If you initiative crash a non-trivial opponent with such an attack, you are healed your right-most box of damage, regardless of type, and inflict that box on the crashed opponent – there is no defense for this transfer of damage.
Timeless Body Cost 5m; Mins Essence 5 Type: Simple You stop your personal time for 1 round. You take no further actions this round, and cannot be hurt until your time starts again; your initiative resets, even from crash, and any effects on you are paused (so you do not lose Sorcery Motes, and you also do not advance any poisons or diseases). Special: If you are under continued damage – you are surrounded in lava, there is a never-ending acidic hail storm pelting you, Ungloth the ravening horror is trying to suck the marrow from your bones, etc. – the timeless state will persist until the risk of damage stops. This isn’t always “fine” – you may be encased in stone once the lava cools, for example. The main point is, you never “come to” in a state that may potentially kill you outright. This does save you from Apocalyptic Damage, though, depending on the cause, you may or may not ever “unlock” – you get eternally eaten by the Ebony Dragon, you aren’t hurting, but he is never letting you out, either.
***** Not sure if this is equipment, per say, but this is probably a 4 dot artifact, as well as a 3 dot familiar?
Miser’s Bag Familiar - - - This artificial life form is a dear friend to any adventurer...as long as it is kept fed. While it doesn’t need “food” per say, it has an instinct to consume and devour treasure of all sorts, and a rather severe reticence to return what it has eaten. It is quite capable of moving by itself, up to 100 meters a second, and can freely follow orders issued by its owner, but can also be carried easily, never weighing anything other than 10 pounds – useful if you don’t want to advertise that your bag is alive. Its carrying area is roughly 1,000 cubic feet, and is dry, warm and safe. It will not let you crawl in. Stop asking. No one has ever pinned down exactly who made this enchanted sack, though estimates of “early in the first age” seem likely. Given its nearly continuous career of adventuring, it may be the single most experienced explorer in the whole of existence...or there are several of them. The Bureau of Nature is mildly concerned that the sack might be breeding somehow. The bag has a standard 7 section health bar, a 2 in every Attribute, and a 4 in Larceny, 4 in Athletics, 4 in Brawl, 4 in Resistance, 5 in Dodge, and a 4 in Awareness. It knows no charms, martial arts, or spells (besides its evocations). It has a Soak and Hardness of 4, and a Defense by Evasion of 3. While as smart as any human, it behaves in a very canine fashion in most cases.
Evocations Bigger on the inside Type: Permanent The bag can contain up to 1,000 cubic feet of material, without any increase to its personal weight, with the only limitation being inserted items must fit into the bag’s opening (a roughly half-meter square, though it is a sack opening, and allows for a certain amount of finagling), and it won’t accept living beings inside.
Spit it out Type: Simple The Miser’s Bag is capable of spitting out up to 1,000 coins, 10 small items, 5 medium items, or 1 large item, in a round, and to any location within short range, with perfect accuracy. This can cause no damage – to either the expelled object, or whatever it lands on. Its owner may force the bag to expel an item by spending a mote on the process, as well – a not entirely uncommon occurrence, in regards to expensive or rare treasures.
Not on my watch Cost 2m; Mins Essence 3 Type: Reflexive
If the Miser’s bag is within medium range of you when you are hit, you may spend 2 motes to switch places with it, letting it take damage on your behalf (after its Soak and Hardness, of course).
Larcenous Attacks Cost -;
Type: Simple/Reflexive Whenever the bag attacks or is attacked, it will attempt a decisive Brawl+Dexterity attack against its opponent as a gambit to disarm their opponent. If the attack/counter lands, add its Larceny Ability directly to overcome the Difficulty. If the disarm works, the bag eats the disarmed item – it will start by disarming any weapons, then proceed to steal any artifacts, rings, bangles, shoes – it pretty much starts with the hands and working from out to in, easiest to hardest, unless something in particular is notably more expensive. It cannot steal body armor that is properly worn, though it can take advantage of poorly put on armor to steal pieces. The only time it does not behave like a heedless dirty little thief, is if there’s nothing worth stealing, or its run out of things it can steal. It will then simply put all its efforts into dodging, pushing its Defense to 6.
Treasured Regeneration Type: Permanent If the Miser’s Bag is injured, it will convert Dots of Resources or Artifacts from among its contained treasures to repair itself. Each dot repairs 1 point of bashing, while Lethal damage takes 2 dots, and Aggravated damage takes 3 dots. They must heal in that order. This process takes a number of hours equal to the number of dots being converted, and can be stopped. The bag may choose to not heal, if it would cost its owner something they value...assuming it likes its owner enough. A well loved bag will not consume your mother’s keepsake, despite it being a 1 dot artifact, unless it is truly desperate. A mistreated bag will totally eat your 5 dot armor to heal 1 box of bashing damage, and flip its latch at you while doing so.
Trusted Thief Backstab Type: Permanent If the Miser’s bag decides to abandon you, either due to injury or mistreatment, it may activate this power if it can’t escape in a conventional way. You will be made aware of this, and may spend a mote to prevent it (and ending your turn if you are in combat) for 1 turn – if you do, you may spend a second mote to make the Bag spit out something, per Spit It Out. You can’t move or attack while doing this. The bag, notably, is in no way so limited, and will likely flee. The bag disappears once you stop providing motes to prevent it, and reappear in a random location in Creation, near a new adventurer in need of some help. You are NOT getting back whatever it ran off with any time soon. If it fled due to injury, it may eventually return to give you your stuff back, assuming it liked you enough.
*****
Figuring 3 dots on this one…
Shield of the Mage Storm – this artifact shield was inspired by the stories of the great Earth warrior Feng Wan Shi of House Mnemon, a peerless warrior in the defenses of the Dejis from the Fair Folk. Not...exactly an accurate description, but one that stirred the imagination of one of Mnemon’s most talented smiths, Takashi. The shield itself is utilitarian, and slightly uneven in it’s initial appearance, but close inspection reveals it was forged not by hammer, but by raining innumerable weapons upon it during its forging. “To teach it its enemies,” the smith proclaimed, laughing, but teach it well he had. This shield is a standard medium artifact weapon with the Shield, Bashing, and Melee tags. It is crafted of black jade, in the main, with white jade as an accent, and a small amount of lesser metals as filigree – at least, so Takashi thought. In actuality, a certain amount of gossamer has made it into his work, enhancing the simple jade in unusual ways. Wisely, he claims these anomalies as features.
Evocations Known Enemies Cost: 0m, 1w; Mins: Essence 2 Type: Simple, Withering This shield has suffered in its making, and it rather strongly returns the feeling. When used in a Flurry of Defense with a willpower, each Melee blow is “remembered.” At the start of the next turn, if this shield is used in a Withering strike against an attacker of the previous round, it deals the total Onslaught it suffered last round to its target as unblockable initiative damage. Further, for each different weapon type used against it during the Flurry of Defense, it gains +1 accuracy for this follow-on attack. Finally, if a magic attack is used on this shield during a Flurry of Defense, its defense still applies, even if the spell would normally bypass that step.
Arcane Stronghold Cost - ; Mins: Essence 3 Type: Simple, Resonance If a spell is cast, such that this shield’s owner is gathering Sorcery Motes, they will gather 1 additional sorcery mote during a Flurry of Defense, and thus not lose any despite not gathering them in a traditional way that round. Further, the attuner will gather 1 additional sorcery mote each attack taken during a Flurry of Defense, and 1 additional sorcery mote for each different weapon that strikes it that turn. Resonance: Sorcerers of at least the Terrestrial circle, and any earth or wind associated Exalted – probably dragonblood – even if they cannot use Sorcery, may use this shield to “cast” the following spell-like effect. By concentrating (declaring the intent to use this Evocation spell), they may gather sorcery motes by simply repeatedly Flurry of Defense (or the Shaped Sorcery action, if they are of a Circle) – if they do, at 15+ sorcery motes, the shield is instinctively slammed down, and 1 willpower is lost. The earth in front of the attuner erupts into a storm of dust and rock, dealing Intelligence bashing damage. Further, everyone caught in the 5 meter wide hemispheric wave of dust is blinded, and must make a Resolve check surpassing the attuner’s intelligence to remain standing. The following round, everyone still inside the area suffers from lightning jumping from loose particulate to loose particulate, dealing anotheadditional Intelligence+Occult Lethal damage that round. The dust settles on the third round. This shield does not teach anyone how to use any Shaped Sorcery action. Note: Taking any action other than Flurry of Defense (or a Shaped Sorcery action, if it’s available) will not gather any sorcery motes, and thus will lose you three sorcery motes, as normal.

RonPaulCoin on Base pays homage to the original RonPaulCoin launched December 2013.
Redeveloped & relaunched to honor the man who seeks liberty through honest money. Ron Paul's teachings and advocacy set the stage for decentralized cryptocurrency to take the world by storm. It is our mission to spread his mission.
Enter RPC on Base (Launched March 31, 2024)
With an active Developer & Marketing Lead, we have built a growing and engaged community which works to create long-term, sustainable growth of the project.
We aim to spread knowledge on Ron Paul’s teachings regarding liberty, peace, government transparency and the end of the federal reserve.
Please see below for some highlights on how we drive the revolution through RPC:
Utility & Mission:

• Usable cryptocurrency with the likeness of Ron Paul to maintain the socioeconomic beginnings of the blockchain movement.
• Original RPC holders receive a 1:1 airdrop.
• Create smart contract to automatically payout airdrop claims while locking the allocation indefinitely. This contract can ultimately be utilized by other tokens.
• Charity component to support Ron Paul Institute, Mises Institute and their ‘End The Fed' documentary production.
• Educate on Ron Paul and his foresight surrounding cryptocurrencies and economic policy.
• Advocate for Libertarian ideology via our platform

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• Total supply: 4,200,000 RPC
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Scale 22.12.3.2
I have a custom pod running my servers' backups which I have to manage from a python script. I'm using the http API available at '/api/v2.0'. I've managed to write the code to restart a pod and follow the jobid assigned by the middleware.
I'd like to use the chart.release.upgrade api call with the modified config in "upgrade_options: { "values": ..." to mount a hostpath volume.
I've tried every combination I thinked of but always get : "CallError('No update is available for chart release') " when querying the failed jobid. Looking at the middleware sources, I figured it's about the image version not incrementing, but I don't want to run an updated image, just an updated helm value file.
How can I force a redeploy with the updated config from the rest api ? equivalent to a helm upgrade --set
Apologies if that is a stupid question but I'm puzzled, maybe I missed something ... it's been two full days I may have lost perspective.

Many of us struggle to avoid a mess while hydrating, or rely on straws. Fellow Aliens, I bring you the liquid ingestion methods used by Earthlings (or at least, effective equivalents). At age 30, I am beginning to master them.
How To Drink From A Water Glass
This works best if you fill the glass an inch or two below the top.

1. Angle the bottom of the full glass toward the ground.
2. Rest a side of the glass on your bottom lip. Slide it in as far as it fits.
3. Clamp your upper lip tightly onto the inside of the glass. This will create suction.
4. Tilt the glass slowly upward until it is almost horizontal. This permits control over the fluid intake.
5. Begin sucking the beverage rhythmically into your mouth, similarly to a straw.
6. Swallow each batch of liquid right after sucking it in. Suck, swallow, suck, swallow.

How To Drink From A Bottle (No Lip Contact)

1. Hold the bottle’s base using your secondary hand.
2. Grip the bottle’s neck in your dominant hand to steady the aim.
3. Raise the bottle to nose level, base pointing down.
4. Open your mouth, wide if necessary.
5. Slowly tilt the bottle’s opening downward, aiming at the mouth.
6. Stop tilting it once the liquid starts trickling out.
7. Keep the stream light to maintain control.

How To Drink From A Bowl / Wide Cup

1. Position the bowl at chin level.
2. Put your face into the bowl.
3. Press the bowl’s edge against your bottom lip for stabilization.
4. Dip your upper lip into the liquid, and vertically open the mouth a bit.
5. Carefully suck the liquid into your mouth. Your lips are a fleshy straw.
6. Swallow frequently to avoid overflow.

BONUS: How To Hold A Bowl Securely

1. Pick it up by wrapping both hands around the sides.
2. Slide your middle, ring, and pinky fingers under the bowl.
3. Press your index fingers against the bowl’s sides.
4. Lightly press your thumbs onto the bowl’s top edge, near your mouth.

This applies to wide, bowl-like cups as well. Simply slide the fingers of your dominant hand through the handle before gripping the side.
Provided that you maintain concentration during these steps, and do it slowly, you will drink as the Earthlings do.
BONUS #2: This is slightly unrelated to drinking, though it might help someone. I often choke on my own saliva, because I fail to notice the accumulation in my mouth. These tips mitigate it:
• ⁠Gulp saliva before you say something, and after you say it. • ⁠Control excitement while talking (it worsens bodily inattention), and speak slower. • ⁠Avoid multitasking, which also scatters attention away from the body. • ⁠Do not speak or laugh while in a horizontal position. • ⁠Never talk while chewing gum or sucking candy—more than one choking hazard here. • ⁠Drink water frequently in conversation to clear saliva and hydrate your overtaxed brain. • ⁠Do not drink juices or other sweet drinks during a chat, as they stimulate saliva production.
Even while alone, get into the habit of frequent gulps. A week of willfully swallowing saliva trained my brain into the new routine. This vastly reduced the choking incidents while I engross in an activity.
META TIPS

• Laser-focus—nothing else matters until you do this task start to finish.
• Do the task decisively, with intention. Hesitation only raises the risk of a mistake.
• Harness your Autism by imagining everything as a procedure. Turning each action into a rigid routine compels you to remember and follow the steps in order, at a precise pace, because that is how it must be.

——-
Feel free to ask for more instructions. I am happy to teach whatever I learn, and solve my own issues by solving them for others first.

Hey fellow fermenters!
I've recently been exploring the history of ancient Roman and Greek beverages, specifically the famed oxycrat and posca. These drinks, enjoyed for over a thousand years, provided refreshment and mild antiseptic properties. Let’s quickly dive into how we can recreate these historical beverages today with our modern understanding of fermentation.

Historical Background

Oxycrat: Popular from around the 8th century BCE in Greece, oxycrat was made by diluting sour wine (wine that was no longer pleasant to drink) with water and adding honey and herbs. It was a commoner's drink, made from leftover wine and flavorings.
Posca: Widely consumed by Roman soldiers and citizens from around the 3rd century BCE to the 5th century CE, posca involved mixing sour wine with water, sometimes adding herbs for flavor. Posca was sold by Roman street vendors and it was famously offered to Jesus during his crucifixion.
Unfortunately, despite many mentions of these beverages in Classical texts, no recipes survive, and all re-creations are speculation.

Common Terms for Impotable Wine

When wine is no longer pleasant to drink, it is often referred to as "flat," "oxidized," "dull," "old," "past," or "soured." These terms describe wine that has not yet turned to vinegar but is not enjoyable to drink on its own.

Understanding Wine Spoilage and Re-Fermentation

When wine “goes bad" after several days, it's primarily due to acetaldehyde and oxidation. Wine has too high an alcohol level to turn to vinegar at full strength without dilution. Additional fermentation of "past" wine reduces oxidative compounds like acetaldehyde, converting them back to ethanol. Bacterial fermentation increases levels of acetic and lactic acids, which have stronger antiseptic properties than ethanol at low levels.

Modern Equivalences

In considering how these beverages were continually produced and consumed daily, oxycrat and posca would likely be similar to our modern-day kombucha and water kefir in that they were active fermentations that needed to be fed. Adding sugar to these drinks would restart fermentation. If stored in wineskins, they would slightly pressurize and give a fizz. Wineskins, typically made from animal hide, were used to store and transport liquids. Their natural elasticity allowed them to expand slightly under pressure, which was ideal for these actively fermenting drinks.
In contrast, later drinks like Shrub and Switchel utilized finished vinegars that were shelf-stable and lacked the continuous fermentation activity that oxycrat and posca could have had.

Creating Your Own Oxycrat/Posca

Here’s how you can bring this piece of history into your home:
Ingredients:

• Wine that is “past” (starting to turn sour)
• Water
• Honey, sugar, or juice (for sweetness)
• Herbs and spices (historic: cumin, fennel, thyme, mint, rosemary, etc.)
• Live cultures: kombucha, yogurt, water kefir, sauerkraut juice, kimchi juice, sourdough starter, or active vinegar (with the mother)

Instructions:

1. Dilution: Mix 1 part dull/sour wine with 6-12 parts water to achieve an alcohol content of approximately 1-2% ABV.
2. Sweetening: Add 10-20 g of honey or sugar per liter of the diluted mixture.
3. Add Live Cultures: Introduce live cultures by adding 1-2 teaspoons per liter.
4. Flavoring: Add herbs and spices to taste.
5. Fermentation: Pour the mixture into bottles, leaving some headspace, cover with breathable material, and let it ferment at room temperature for 2-3 days. Check regularly for carbonation and taste development.
6. Enjoy: Once it reaches your desired taste, chill and enjoy!

Expected Outcomes:

• Total Sugar Content: Initial 1-2% by volume, reduced to 0.5-1% after fermentation.
• Alcohol Content: Reduced to 0.25-1% ABV as alcohol is converted to acetic acid.
• Total Acid Content: Approximately 1-2% by volume, primarily acetic, lactic, tartaric acids.

​
Others re-creations:

• Video: Feeding a Roman Legion Posca & Laridum - Tasting History with Max Miller
• Article: My favorite beverage is a 2,000-year-old energy drink from ancient Rome

​
Feel free to share your thoughts and adjustments to the recipes! Happy fermenting!

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"After the Meltdown" (Part 1 of a series of short stories)
by P. Orin Zack
 
“As Is” (Story 1 of 7)
[12/16/2007]
 
Ryan Svorlin stood in front of the big house, gaping. The keys hung loosely in his shaking hand, clattering against one another in rhythmic reflection of the waves of shock coursing through his troubled mind. “It… it’s… mine,” he stammered, unable to comprehend what had just happened.
“Well, sure,” the real estate lady told him. “You did sign the papers, didn’t you?”
He slowly turned to look at her. Paper-thin skin stretched across unnaturally prominent cheekbones. Overdone make-up. Probably over seventy, he guessed. “Of course. But I never expected to ---.”
“To be selected? Well, someone had to be. They couldn’t afford to let these places go vacant, after all.”
Less than a year had passed since the first cannonade in the financial meltdown destroyed the façade of normalcy masquerading as prosperity in the United States. Some faceless blogger had instigated a mortgage strike, an incautious response to the revelation that the reason the government was so determined to protect the masses from being dispossessed in their forced insolvency was the dirtiest little secret at the heart of the country’s high-flying economy – that nobody really owned all those high-risk loans, and therefore the houses could not be foreclosed. No one could have predicted what happened next.
“But what happened to the people who used to live here?” he said, taking in the carefully manicured grounds surrounding what must have been a million-dollar mansion not more than a year ago.
“Didn’t you follow that slow-motion train wreck in the news? How all the high-risk loans had been bundled into anonymous investment vehicles and oversold to the tune of about a hundred to one?”
He shrugged. “Well, sure. But what I didn’t get was why that meant the people in places like this ended up on the street. I thought they were rich. I mean, wouldn’t they have to be, in order to afford a place like this?”
“Come on, Mr. Svorlin, you can’t be that naïve, can you? They were only rich on paper. People like Gregory Davis, who used to live here, were only riding high because of the same financial leverage that made the risky mortgage scam work. Once the investment banks realized they couldn’t liquidate the loans they’d turned into sludge, they had no choice but to pull the so-called safe ones, like this gem. Davis might have thought he was rich, but once his house of cards came down, he wasn’t worth enough to get his own dog back from the pound.”
“So where did he end up?”
“To tell you the truth, I don’t really care. The world might be in chaos right now, but it’s a far sight better, as far as I’m concerned, than it was before the meltdown. At least now there’s some relationship between a person’s ability to do things and her budget. With all those clowns out of the picture, ordinary folks, people who can offer some useful product or service to others, are finally getting their due. For my money – and I earned it by knowing a thing or two about aircraft back in the day – I think it was worth the cost.”
He studied her briefly, wondering after her back-story, but then let it go. Things were changing so quickly any more that the most important thing about a person was what he could do right now. “Well, thanks for all the help,” he said, nodding courteously.
“Sure.” She turned smartly, perhaps recalling a younger day, and strode back towards the bus stop.
Ryan waited until she had rounded the bend before heading towards the big house’s ornate front door. Like all the other people who had posted bids for these mansions, he had no idea what he might find inside. They were all offered as-is, and it was up to the lucky winner to deal with whatever it is they might find.
His pace slackened as he drew towards the broad brick stairway up to the deck, which looked like it encircled the building. He slowly scanned the façade. The windows were intact, and he didn’t see any obvious signs of forced entry or vandalism. At least Davis’ public anonymity was good for something. A lot of these homes had been ransacked within days after the bottom fell out. Those were the ones with owners whose faces were plastered all over the news in the inevitable hunt for the guilty. Happily, even the newspapers didn’t fall for that dodge. They ran the stories, of course, but only as a way to hook the shadowy types who had thrown their business associates in front of the train to save their own skins. But Davis wasn’t one of them. Nobody really knew what he did, or where his wealth came from. Only that it had all evaporated one afternoon. And that he never made a move to protect it.
As he reached the top step, he raised the bundle of keys the real estate lady had handed him, and located the one she’d said was for the front door. He could see inside, through the gauzy layer of curtain beyond the big windows flanking him on both sides. The lights were still on.
The moment he opened the door, Ryan knew something was wrong. He hadn’t smelled death before, but couldn’t think of anything else to attribute the stench to. He grabbed a small table from just inside and used it to prop the door open. He’d crack some windows as soon as he’d determined what the source was.
Whatever else Davis might have been, he was a man who didn’t like clutter. The big room had a few carefully placed chairs and tables, Danish Modern from the look of them, and little else. He glanced down the long corridor that led towards the back of the house, but didn’t see any lights. So he followed the dogleg around to the right, and towards the arched entry to the dining room. He was getting closer, judging by the smell.
Steeling himself, Ryan stepped past the long dining room table, only tangentially aware of the intricate inlay work along its edge. Finding a body slumped over a table in the kitchen had been so overused in film and fiction, he was already flashing to several vintage mysteries, in a half-hearted attempt to lighten the mood. So, when he crossed the threshold and scanned the room, he was relieved to find the man he assumed to be the former owner, collapsed over the island sink, with a bloody pile of towels strategically placed to minimize the mess.
“How thoughtful, Mr. Davis” he said to the corpse. “Low profile to the end. I guess now I know why your house was so attractively priced.”
After opening the kitchen door and windows to clear the air a bit, Ryan returned to Davis’ impromptu sacrificial altar for another look. He’d cleanly slit his wrist with one of seven knives he’d laid out for the chore. The lucky one was submerged in the half-filled sink.
“Indecisive?” he asked. Then, spotting an open bottle of prescription narcotic near the microwave, he added, “And conscientious, too. So who were you, and how did you come to this?”
Not too long ago, a discovery like this would have been reason to call 911. But that was before the meltdown, before the city government admitted that it had been engaging in foolhardy investment schemes, too. It was just as broke as Davis here. The only city services still functioning were the ones charging users directly, like the bus system. The fire department had taken to using a pay-as-you-burn system. They’d put out your fire as soon as you showed them enough real money to cover the call, which meant that for most people, there was no fire department.
Davis was Ryan’s problem.
He’d have to dispose of the body himself, unless he had some way to pay for someone else to do it. Fortunately, there was plenty of lawn. All he needed was to find a shovel. Who knows, maybe the guy left one of them around, too.
But that could wait. At the moment, he was more interested in finding out more about his late benefactor. So he set off into the house in search of clues. Not surprisingly, it was a brief search. Davis had left some papers open on his office desk, and Ryan sat down to look through them.
The one on top was a copy of Davis’ will. Before the meltdown, he’d decided to leave everything to charity, a foundation that helped people rebuild their credit after going through bankruptcy. “Feeling guilty, were you, Greg?” he said as he paged through the man’s financial records. Just about every bit of his estate had been tied up in one kind of risky derivative or another… bundled mortgages, several kinds of GDP futures. It was a veritable grab bag of monetary moronity. And they were all worthless.
The only saving grace in the whole stack was a frayed news clipping, part of an old investigative piece that, if it were true, nearly landed the man in a Senate hearing room. Ryan flattened it out and began to read. About two-thirds of the way through, the author asserted that Gregory Davis had been instrumental in getting the government’s oversight board to look the other way when they had the chance to stop the worst of the schemes from being launched.
Davis had personally cocked the trigger. He was responsible for having set up the meta-derivatives that were offered to the governments of the world as a way to actually profit from their own debt. The meltdown, as inevitable as it might have been, must have been triggered by something. He was just unlucky enough to have been the fool who placed that last straw on the camel’s back. And nobody knew. It was his secret, and he couldn’t live with it. No wonder he killed himself.
Ryan dropped the clipping and went back to the kitchen… back to the site of what he now guessed was Davis’ idea of ultimate penance: personal blood sacrifice. He stared at the man’s body for a long moment, with not so much as a thought coursing through his head.
It wouldn’t do to clean up the mess, he decided, not after Davis went through so much trouble to make such a dramatic, albeit private, exit. No. Not when it could be put to such a good use.
He rummaged around the house for a while, until he finally found something suitable for a sign, and some heavy markers. When he was finished, he took it out on the patio and hung it from the banister so anyone passing by could see.
‘Thank the Trigger Man,’ it read, ‘$1.00 a spit.”
Davis, he decided, would be worth more, left as is.
 
THE END
 
"Full Value" (Story 2 of 7)
[12/26/2007]
 
Ryan Svorlin, bleary-eyed from a lack of sleep, had nearly stopped noticing the stench from the corpse in the kitchen. Nearly. The distraction of reading might have been more effective if he’d become engrossed in a good spy thriller instead of the stack of financial records left by the suicide down the hall.
At the sound of footsteps from the front room, he stopped reading a ‘white paper’ laying out the political strategy of a powerful industrial lobby and cocked his head to listen. Might be a paying customer, he thought. “Come on in!” he shouted over his shoulder.
Knowing that the former owner had been personally responsible for the chaos unleashed when the Ponzi scheme the international banking cartel called a monetary system collapsed was enough reason to try to make sense of it all. Finding both the man and his legacy in the mansion he’d just lucked into made it imperative. At a buck a shot, though, it didn’t look like he’d make enough money from people coming in to spit on the bloody hulk to cover the cost of getting rid of him. Ever since the global monetary meltdown, there were no municipal services any more, no police department to investigate the death, or morgue to pick up the body. Well, not that you’d notice, anyway. And there was just so long Ryan was willing to share his kitchen with the guy.
“Gregory Davis, you slimy son-of-a-bitch!” The voice echoed hollowly, sounding dry, raspy.
Svorlin smiled, and spun around on the expensive office chair. He’d left a donation jar amongst the knives that Davis had laid out beside the kitchen island sink where he’d slit his own wrist. He dropped the paper and rose to meet his guest.
“But why’d you have to go and kill yourself?” the voice lamented. “I’d have gladly saved you the trouble.”
By the time Ryan reached the kitchen, his visitor, a middle-aged man in a dirty business suit, was stuffing what looked like a hundred dollar bill into the jar. “Hi,” he said. “Sounds like you got here a bit late. Did you have a personal beef with him?”
The man nodded, turning. “You could say that. I’m Horace Lembridge, a member of the last class of Representatives voted into office before the roof fell. And to think I actually believed there was anything I could do to avert the crisis. More fool me.”
Ryan introduced himself, explained how he’d won the house in the foreclosure lottery, and then gestured at the jar. “Was that a Ben Franklin you just dropped on me?”
“Yeah. It’s blood money as far as I’m concerned, though. You’re welcome to it if it’ll help put his ass where the sun don’t shine.” Lembridge looked around for a moment. “Listen, can you spare a bite to eat? It was a long bus trip, and I didn’t stop for anything but nature.”
“Sure. I didn’t want to keep any food in here until I’d had a chance to disinfect. Fortunately, my benefactor had another fridge in the den. Come on back.” They walked past the office where Ryan had found Davis’ paper trail, and down two steps into a big room at the rear of the mansion. Ryan had set up a make-do kitchen beside the wet-bar, and used the ornate pool table by the picture window for a pantry. There was a wealth of packaged goods stacked by a corner pocket, and some plates and tableware nearby. They cracked some cans and boxes, opened some drinks, and sat in two of the ugliest chairs Ryan had ever seen.
Once they got settled, Lembridge picked up the conversation. “I was prepared to find that the true face of governance was ravaged with sores before I was sworn in, but I never expected to discover that the people elected to congress were embedded in a 360-degree theater of propaganda so compelling that they didn’t doubt it for a minute.”
Ryan chuckled humorlessly. “Naïve, were you?”
“It’s worse than that. You think you’re doing some good for the people who elected you. And you make excuses for the compromises you’re forced into, thinking that on balance you’re improving things. But the problem was that no matter which way you looked, the world you saw was contrived. Every source of information at your disposal, every choice you’re faced with, has been rigged. It’s like the whole government exists inside some perverted version of that movie, ‘The Truman Show’. And it’s not just our government, either. They’re all like that, or most of them, anyway. I don’t know what to believe any more.”
“Yeah,” Ryan said somberly as he picked up a can of tuna. “I was reading through Davis’ papers when you came in. And as usual, it all comes down to money. I used to scoff at all the conspiracy theorists… especially the ones who claimed the terrorist attacks on 9/11 were an inside job. But there it is. They were right. And it all came down to money.”
Congressman Lembridge lowered the stalk of canned asparagus he was munching and narrowed his eyes. “What?”
“The whole so-called ‘War on Terror’ was a put-up job. You knew that, right?”
“But that was the basis of my whole campaign. We’ve been struggling for years to prevent another attack like that. And it’s worked, too. Okay, I’ll grant you that there’s been some games played with the intelligence, but only to focus our efforts, to make it clear what we’re really up against.” The man’s voice had slowly taken on an edge of angry desperation, one that was now beginning to reflect in his face as well.
Ryan sat back, nervously fingering his fork. “Let me ask you a question, then. Do you believe that anything a business does to increase its profits is fair game… that an industry can legitimately induce national governments to act in its best interest?”
“Well, of course. They’ve just been taking it a bit too far, that’s all.”
“Even,” Ryan said, and paused uncertainly, “even if that means some people get hurt… or killed?”
His visitor’s face darkened. “Sometimes that can’t be helped.”
“If it’s intentional,” Ryan pressed.
“What are you suggesting?”
“I’m not ‘suggesting’ anything. According to Gregory Davis’ records, the Senate hearing that was conveniently cancelled so he wouldn’t be called to testify at was investigating the GDP derivatives being floated by the three biggest banks in the country. Those were the goodies that were sold short by an unidentified cartel of investors just before the mortgage strike hit the wind. The greedy bastards who placed those sell orders were betting that the US economy was about to tank. They positioned themselves to make the biggest killing in history on the backs of every single person and business that went into the crapper that day. Do you, in your wildest imagination, believe that anyone with the gall to pull that stunt would balk at killing a few thousand people for the sake of drumming up trillions in war profits?”
Lembridge stared at him, ashen-faced. “You’re serious?”
“Like the corpse in my kitchen. I’m sitting on proof of how the house of cards the banking cartel built up over the years was pulled. It’s all in Davis’ office. But what people have to be shown is how that house of cards was built, who was involved, and how long it took to build it. This isn’t something engineered by a bunch of billionaire cowboys. They might have gotten some of the booty, but anything with a time horizon that long has to be organized by something that has an even longer lifetime.”
The congressman rose and faced the window. He stood there for some minutes, nearly long enough for Ryan to finish the tuna in his can. Then he walked over to the pool table and leaned heavily against it, arms crossed tightly. “Like who?”
“I thought it was the old banking families at first. You know, Morgan and the rest. But then I wondered how there could have been a recurring effort to put them down, to reclaim the money system from the people who create it in the form of debt, rather than as payment for work done, the way the gang at Independence Hall laid it out when they founded this country. And I had to wonder if there wasn’t another player out there, and that maybe this struggle has been going on for longer than that, even.”
Lembridge relaxed a bit, dropping his arms and draping his fingers over the edge of the table’s felt inner ledge. “Like the perpetual struggle between good and evil?”
“Something like that, yeah. Maybe. Or perhaps a competition between two secret societies that have been manipulating humanity for millennia. But the point is that we have to start looking at the evidence, at all of the evidence, and in a way that doesn’t discard out of hand the possibility that what we see isn’t really what’s going on. Because sometimes, the truth is only obvious in hindsight. Sometimes, the only way to get there is by seeing the world in ways that others don’t.”
“So what do you intend to do?”
“Bury Mr. Davis, for one thing. But not too deeply, and not too far away. There’s plenty of lawn out there, and I’ve found a few shovels. If you want to help, I’d be thankful for it.”
Lembridge stepped away from the pool table, and faced Ryan squarely. “I think I would.”
“Great.” Ryan started towards the door, then stopped and turned back. “I do have one question for you before we start.”
“Oh?”
“You said you had a personal bone to pick with Davis. What was it?”
He smiled. “My sister. She worked on K Street, for one of the more specialized lobbying outfits. They focused on environmental issues, mostly. She thought she was one of the good guys, helping show Congress and the various agencies how their decisions affected the planet.”
Ryan shrugged. “I don’t understand. From what you just said, I’d say she was one of the good guys. That’s the upside of lobbying.”
“You’re right. And she was proud of her work there. But then she discovered that some of their work was being directed by outside interests. They were being used as cover, to make people like me vote for things that had other effects as well. Far worse ones.”
“So why didn’t she come here herself?”
“That’s kind of hard when you’re dead. She was killed in an explosion. What’s left of the media parroted the usual drivel about some lone terrorist who blamed environmentalists for destroying the economy. But after talking with you, I’m pretty sure it was much simpler. They just weren’t useful any more.”
“Grisly. But what does that have to do with our stiff?”
Lembridge didn’t answer right away. Instead, he continued on into the kitchen and stopped in front of Davis’ smelly corpse, still hanging there face down over the sink. “Our boy ran a clearing house for coordinating lobby activities, watching out for conflicts that could get them in each others’ way, right?”
“Sure. That’s how he put the bug in so many institutional ears about the new GDP derivative he was asked to testified about.”
The congressman glared angrily at Davis. “One of those institutions was my sister’s agency. He bankrupted the good guys along with everyone else. Oh, right,” he said, “I almost forgot,” and cast the spit he’d paid for. “Come on. Let’s go dig a hole.”
 
THE END
 
"LA Scrip" (Story 3 of 7)
[1/5/2008]
 
Cristall Bellows, dressed more formally that she liked, and cradling a backpack in her lap, signaled the driver, and waited nervously for the bus to stop. She’d never been to this part of Los Angeles before, and the sight of all these unkempt McMansions was making her queasy. She shouldered the pack, and started towards the front.
The driver, who had been watching in his mirror, turned as she approached. “Is that LA Scrip you’re carrying?”
She clutched it defensively, pale blue textured paper in a dark brown hand. “Yeah. I just got paid down at City Hall. Don’t you take it? I thought all city services --.”
“We do, we do,” he laughed. “Thanks for helping out. It’s not everyone gets paid with Scrip just yet, only the folks working directly for the city. So what do you do for us?”
“Teaching, after a fashion,” she said as she stuffed her fare into the slot. “I’ve been going around explaining this new money to people. I get some of the strangest looks when I tell them the city just prints it up.”
“Well, that did used to be illegal, after all. Counterfeiters were offered special treatment by the criminal justice system back when the Federal Reserve had a monopoly on creating money.” He opened the door. “Who knew they’d end up getting hired by the city after the economy crapped out? Well, thanks for riding my bus, and good luck.”
As the bus pulled away, she glanced up at the street sign to get her bearings, and then wriggled into her backpack. She was headed for one of the houses that were handed out in last month’s foreclosure lottery. This particular one interested her because the previous owner had been deeply involved in the financial sleight-of-hand that yanked down the economy around everyone’s ears. And like a lot of the people who affect the world in outsize ways, he was a cipher, one of the shadowy villains who thought they were so smart they could run the world from behind a curtain of secrecy and deniability. What she didn’t know was whether the man that won the property, a Mr. Ryan Svorlin, had the first clue about what sort of a ghost roamed his halls.
“Gregory Davis?” Svorlin said with an amused grin when she asked. “Sure. He was still hanging around in the kitchen when I got the keys. Buried him by that tree over there.”
She turned to look at the mound of dirt and recoiled. “You didn’t kill him, did you?”
“Hardly. The creep politely offed himself. Tried not to make too much of a mess at it, too. I gotta say, though, he did leave quite a treasure trove back in the office.”
“Money?”
Svorlin shook his head. “Paper trail a mile wide. The guy was flat out apoplectic about trying to atone for what he’d done. He even tried leaving his fortune to help the people whose lives he helped ruin. Not that those securities are worth anything any more. Even his back-up plan – a safe in the basement – was a disaster. US currency. All of it. Listen, I get the feeling this chat’s going to take a while. Come on in. I’ll show you around Davis’ old digs. What’s your interest in him, if you don’t mind a nosy question?”
She stopped to study an incomprehensible collage hanging in the foyer. “He had odd taste in art, didn’t he?”
“If you ask me, the man’s taste was all in his wallet. While he was still flying high, he prowled the auction circuit, snatching up what he thought of as investment properties. Of course, things like that are only worth what someone’s willing to pay for them. All those bucks he poured into his collection is just a pile of washable paper now. So if there’s something you like, let me know. Maybe we can work out a trade.”
Cristall smiled privately, and then turned to follow him down the hallway to the back of the house. She glanced into a cluttered room in passing, probably the office Svorlin had mentioned, judging from the furnishings. “You asked about my interest in Gregory Davis,” she said, descending the two steps into the sunny den.
“Actually,” he said after holding eye contact for a moment, “I was surprised you even knew about him. Is it personal? The congressman who helped me bury the guy took some satisfaction in digging his grave. Said it gave him a sense of closure.” He pointed at an ugly conversation set by the big window. “Is wine okay? He left me a ton of it.”
She set her pack down beside the chair, and watched while he uncorked a bottle of something neither of them would have been able to afford, and filled two glasses. “I discovered who he was while preparing the economics seminar I teach for the city. The subject is hard for most people to grasp, so I’ve gone out of my way to make it real for them, to put some flesh behind all those antiseptic terms we’ve been bludgeoned with over the years.”
“Yeah,” he said, handing her a goblet. “I know what you mean. It’s been murder… I mean, it’s been difficult figuring out what all those papers he left behind are all about. Fortunately, he also had some reference books, so I can look stuff up easily enough. Still, it’s not exactly my field.”
“Oh? What did you do before the meltdown?”
Svorlin shrugged. “Software. Tech stuff. There isn’t a lot of call for that sort of work right now, though. Anyone with working computers is going to be stuck with whatever programs they’ve got, at least for a while. There isn’t any new development going on except for the open source projects, and even those are hobbled by problems with the Internet. If it weren’t for the Ham Radio guys’ do-it-yourself packet network, we wouldn’t have gotten what backbones we have hooked up again after the telcos went all twitchy.”
She stared at him like he was signing in Swahili.
“Um,” he said sheepishly, “that didn’t mean a lot to you, did it.”
“No, but it did give me a good feel for what my own students are up against. Thanks.”
“What’s your seminar about?”
Cristall fished around in her pack for a moment, and handed him a crisp light blue ten-angel note. “LA Scrip. Have you gotten any yet?”
He examined it and handed it back. “The city’s printing money now? What’s it worth in dollars?”
“It’s not convertible. Scrip’s a whole different kind of money. I guess you could say it’s the modern-day equivalent of the old Greenbacks. They’re issued by the city in exchange for work performed for the common good. So I get paid in these for teaching people what they are. Which is poetic, really, because unless I do that, they really aren’t worth anything. People have to be willing to use them as money for them to be money.”
“I don’t get it. If that bill represents ten angels worth of labor, what kind of labor was it, and how to I convert that to the kind of work that I do? I mean, some labor’s more valuable than others, isn’t it?”
“Not if it’s performed for the common good. Scrip’s egalitarian.”
Ryan took a thoughtful sip of wine. “Okay. I’m lost. I get that you traded an hour of your time for some number of those angels, but how do you buy bread with it? What’s an hour of your time worth in terms of apples?”
“That’s the point of the seminar. We’re just now working it all out. That’s only one of the questions we needed to answer.”
“So what’s the conversion? How much bread is that new bread worth?”
“At this point, we’re just working with the local bakeries, because they make it themselves. And our solution is still a bit clunky, but it’s a start. A loaf of bread takes a certain amount of time and materials to make. We can assign a value to the labor portion in terms of LA Scrip, but anything the baker still needs to pay in dollars for, like materials and the shop itself, are valued in dollars. We’re hoping to eventually get everything moved over to Scrip. Then we can dispense with the dollars entirely.”
He sat back and gazed out the window for a while. After another sip of wine, he said, “So if I offer my tech services to the city, I’d get paid in LA Scrip?”
“Uh huh. And then you could use it for bus fare, like I did on the way over. The driver gets paid based on the number of riders, so friendliness is a virtue. Your fare is what you think the trip is worth. We modeled that after how some musicians have started selling their recordings. And the extra goes to keeping the busses running.”
“What about rent? How would that work?”
Cristall thought for a moment. “Don’t know. We haven’t tried cracking that one yet. Got any suggestions?”
“Not suggestions, but I do have a problem to solve.”
“Oh?”
“Well, yeah. You’re sitting in it. This place has seven bedrooms. What does a single guy need with seven bedrooms? I figured maybe I could turn it into a boarding house or something.”
She chuckled. “In that case, I think you may have just answered your own question.”
“What do you mean?”
“There’s a difference between running a boarding house and just renting out rooms. You’d be providing a service to the people living here, wouldn’t you? Meals, for example.”
“I hadn’t really thought it through that far, but okay, what if I do?”
“Then you can take angels for your time, at least. Are you serious about this?”
“Sure. Why?”
“Because I’d like to help you work out the bugs. I wouldn’t mind living here, if there were a chance to turn all these big lottery prizes into something of value. Once we’ve got the kinks worked out here, we can spread the word. So what do you think? Can we move in?”
He cocked his head slightly. “We?”
“Well, sure. I can’t keep leaving my daughter with my folks forever, you know. Daycare is a service, after all. It’ll be good for the new economy.”
 
THE END
Copyright 2007-2008 by P. Orin Zack
 
[To be continued with Story 4 "Face Value"]

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Abstract

This proposal offers a structured and maximally deterministic approach to stabilize DUSD immediately and consistently, aims to reward long-term supporters, and enable projects in the long run. It does not rely on influencing market behavior and does not indefinitely expropriate holders. The primary goal is to re-collateralize the dToken system with healthy loans sold against crypto, the backbone of our dToken system. It involves replacing the current with a new dToken system where ownership addresses are credited minimal initial liquidity and remaining liquidity is successively credited to them in tranches based on predefined conditions.

Goals

• Achieve the peg as deterministically and effectively as possible.
• Enable fair market price leverage trades on crypto, which is necessary for re-collateralizing the system.
• Conditionally repay those who supported the system over time.
• Enable projects to execute their mission and work with real liquidity.

Problem statement

Current measures to stabilize DUSD rely heavily on influencing market participants' behavior, making the peg too probabilistic. Even if we reach the peg, the assumption that enough collateralized loans are sold against crypto for the dynamic interest rates to maintain this peg is too probabilistic. Relying on assumptions for a peg is problematic, because market participant behavior cannot be controlled and predicted, even if incentivized. While I believe dynamic interest rates can consistently maintain a peg effectively once we reach healthy collateralization levels, the implemented fees are not an effective tool to overcome the massive liquidity of algo dTokens and DUSD circulating today.

Proposed solution

A new approach: instead of relying on voluntary actions of market participants, we start a new dToken system with minimal initial liquidity owned by the current dToken-system ownership addresses with the aim to fully refund them over time.
After crediting initial liquidity in new dToken system equivalents, the remaining dToken and DUSD liquidity will be allocated in 100 tranches to be payed out based on a conditional payout schedule - if the system needs the liquidity and can actually support it.
For marketing purposes, the new stablecoin is called USDD. New dTokens are named like the existing ones, old dTokens receive a marker in their name to be easily identifiable

New dToken system

Take a snapshot of the current dToken system's ownership addresses and funds, and in the same block, perform the following actions:

• Credit a predefined percentage of all current dTokens and DUSD to the current ownership addresses as initial starting liquidity for the new dToken system. This may be implemented as a token split or through other means as deemed appropriate by the core developers. However, if a token split is chosen, it must not be chosen for loans. If someone takes out a loan and sends it to another address, that holder would also receive a locked USDD tranche after the token split and the loan would have been reduced.
• Allocate the predefined initial restart liquidity of existing collateral and gateway-pool trading counterparts to the new tokens. All "new" pools will start trading at exactly the same price as before but with minimal liquidity
• Apply all existing dToken system mechanisms, such as vault mechanisms, LP rewards, future swap, and oracles, to the new dToken system.

As liquidity is then minimal, ongoing measures will quickly buy the new USDD up and incentivize the creation of backed USDD loans sold against crypto. These are the backbone of the peg, as they will enable dynamic interest rates to maintain a peg, they are the priority of the proposed measures. All other decisions are secondary and all rely on reaching this.
Changes to fees described in this DFIP are to be implemented after re-starting with the new dToken system, not before.

Allocation of the remaining balances into 100 tranches

According to balances recorded in the snapshot:

• Excess* DUSD and dToken balances are withdrawn from the pools. All DUSD balances are withdrawn from the looped vaults and bonds are released early. Resulting DUSD and dToken balances are subject to the mechanism described two bullet points below.
• Excess* balances in DFI-DUSD, DUSDC-DUSD, DUSDT-DUSD, DEUROC-DUSD, DXCHF-DUSD pools are withdrawn from the pools and DFI, DUSD, DUSDT, DUSDC, DEUROC, DXCHF balances are directly credited to the ownership addresses. Withdrawn DUSD balances are subject to the mechanism described one bullet point below.
• All DUSD and dToken balances remaining after the predefined initial restart percentage, from each owning address, are in equal parts allocated in 100 tranches. As described in section 3, tranche by tranche, based on predefined factors, new dToken system equivalents are credited to the owning addresses.
• Remaining loans are paid back. If insufficient assets (loaned assets) are available on the address, they are purchased with the remaining collateral on the market via the cheapest route. The then remaining collateral remains in the vault.

*Excess = after the predefined initial restart liquidity deduction

Refunding USDD and dTokens to the dToken system ownership addresses in tranches as needed

The balances may be sent as frozen balances to the ownership addresses directly and unlocked as per the defined criteria or transacted as at the time the defined criteria are met. I leave the choice of technical implementation to the core developers. The following system health conditions for releasing tranches are checked on oracle blocks:
One tranche at a time:

• DFI market cap 2 times as great as the new dToken System market cap
• An algo ratio below 20%
• Consistent* USDD price above 0.99 over the period between two futureswap blocks.

Two tranches at a time:

• DFI market cap 3 times as great as the new dToken System market cap
• An algo ratio below 20%
• Consistent* 5% USDD premium over the period between two futureswap blocks.

Three tranches at a time:

• DFI market cap 4 times as great as the new dToken System market cap
• An algo ratio below 15%
• Consistent* 10% USDD premium over the period between two futureswap blocks.

Four tranches at a time:

• DFI market cap 5 times as great as the new dToken System market cap
• An algo ratio below 15%
• Consistent* 15% USDD premium over the period between two futureswap blocks.

Five tranches at a time:

• DFI market cap 6 times as great as the new dToken System market cap
• An algo ratio below 10%
• Consistent* 20% USDD premium over the period between two futureswap blocks.

This way, 2-10 million USDD worth of new dToken-system liquidity can be introduced into the system per week, given a healthy system state and excess demand.
DUSD on DMC, in the current release ratio (that upon interaction with the smart contract crediting new dToken system equivalents are credited as free USDD), count to the algo ratio.
The criteria for tranche release have to be parameters adjustable without a hard fork in case the community votes for them to be changed.
After 50% of all tranches are paid back, to ensure that liquidity is only released when a consistent premium makes a payout necessary, the criteria for repaying one tranche at a time are made more restrictive and updated as follows:
One tranche at a time:

• DFI market cap 2 times as great as the new dToken System market cap
• An algo ratio below 20%
• Consistent* 1% premium over the period between two futureswap blocks.

*Consistent = over 95% of the blocks in the relevant time period.

Measures to be eliminated

• All existing additional pool swap fees are lifted, allowing for healthy leverage trades on DFI that can later support the USDD peg. This part is crucial for a healthy restart. A collateralization ratio makes no difference if the USDD are not sold against DFI, as those need to be bought back when the dynamic interest rises due to a discount to support a peg.
• Reward allocations to DUSD bonds are removed, those will be redirected to the community fund until we find a better use for them. All existing DUSD bonds are released, and the freed-up DUSD are counted towards the DUSD that are or may be re-paid in new dToken system equivalents to the ownership addresses. The early release of DUSD bonds has to happen 2 weeks before activation of this DFIP. This early release of the bonds marks the begin of the activation of the DFIP as a whole, the kill switch is thereby deactivated.
• DUSD loops are completely unwound, the freed-up DUSD are counted towards the DUSD that are or may be re-paid in new dToken system equivalents to the ownership addresses. The option for looped DUSD loans is to be deactivated. Negative interest remains, but is reduced to as shown in "6. Introduction of a new version of the stabilization fee". With high algoratio, this mechanism will incentivize taking loans in USDD and selling them against DFI to have loans that are bought back if dynamic interests rise. As mentioned multiple times, those are the backbone of the peg and first priority of this proposal.

Measures to be retained

• The future swap mechanism will be retained. The following elaboration upon the future swap is not to be implemented with this proposal, it is only a potential future adjustment mentioned for the record: It is advised to analyze the future swap behavior while we are at peg over an extended period. If the futureswap creates unnecessarily high amounts of algo tokens even when at peg, the following adjustment is suggested: making the futureswap spread variable and increasing it if an asset shows higher implied volatility over two consecutive futureswap blocks. This way, the chain gains a bigger trade advantage for stocks that tend to surpass the current 5% limit more often. This burns more tokens and mints less.
• The rebalancing of the community fund will be retained.
• The buy and burn bot will initially be retained. When it is deactivated, the rewards are to be reallocated to the DUSDT-USDD and DUSDC-USDD pool. The buy and burn bot is to be deactivated if the following criteria are met:
  • we see a consistent USDD premium of 1% in the USDD-DFI pool and a price above 95 cents in the USDD-stablecoin pools over the period between four futureswap blocks (3 weeks) for 95% of the blocks in the relevant time period
  • and we have an algo ratio of below 20 %
• Dynamic interests will be retained and are to be activated when the buy and burn bot is shut down.

Introduction of a new version of the stabilization fee

As described in “3. Measures to be eliminated,” the asymmetric fee on the USDD-DFI pool hinders selling loaned USDD against DFI. Collateralized USDD must be sold against crypto for the dynamic interests that stabilize the price to be effective. USDD needs mechanisms to absorb volatility of the crypto backing and fluctuations in demand. Buybacks of USDD that were sold for leveraged crypto longs are this mechanism. On the other hand, we need to reduce the algo ratio and account for rising stock prices in the long term. Even if the futureswap burns more dToken and USDD, an excess of algo liquidity can arise from rising asset prices.
Therefore, I initially proposed a dToken-system-base-fee of 0.1% charged on DVM and DMC. This fee would apply to all dToken and USDD transfers from account to account and pool swaps on the DVM side and all token transactions and smart contract interactions on the DMC side. However, Kuegi convinced me that this will kill usage and protocols and that all trades are mirrored on the native side anyway.
Therefore, I conceptualized the following dynamic algo_burning_fee that will be charged on the DVM dToken-system DEX bidirectionally on all pools that contain USDD to ease the load off the USDD-DFI pool. The fee is charged as USDD, regardless of the direction of the swap.

algo_usdd_ratio = 1 - (loan_usdd / total_usdd_supply + total_dusd_supply * release_ratio) coefficient = 4.387 multiplier = 0.00063 if algo_usdd_ratio >= 0: fee = multiplier * (math.exp(coefficient * algo_usdd_ratio) - 1) else: fee = 0 

Sample values and illustration
https://preview.redd.it/nalkvwul613d1.png?width=1366&format=png&auto=webp&s=48b1d45460f2bee3906e4b237d953059540f2679
Given the harsh repayment criteria for tranches (algo ratio below 20%), high fees will not be activated through repayments and I do not expect them to be activated through futureswap algo creations any time soon. 75% of all fees paid are to be burned to reduce algo tokens, 25% are to be paid out to USDD loans to subsidize leverage trades on DFI, the backbone of any peg.
Coefficient and multiplier have to be parameters adjustable without a hard fork if the community votes for them to be changed.

Initial system restart liquidity immediately credited as new dToken system equivalents

The percentage of liquidity to be credited initially is crucial as this is a one-time approach. Crediting too little is not problematic, as liquidity can be introduced if system health allows. However, crediting too much is problematic because maintaining the peg and enabling re-collateralization through backed loans sold against crypto will then not be possible. I argue for minimal initial liquidity leading to a peg, or better an initial premium, allowing for healthy overcollateralization to support the peg via dynamic interest rates rather than excessive liquidity that the system cannot support. Therefore, I propose to initially credit only 10% in new dToken-system equivalents, giving us about 20 million USDD value in liquidity for the restart. If the system is healthy, up to 10 million USDD in liquidity can be reintroduced per week. If not, we will wait until the system is healthy enough to support the liquidity.
After receiving feedback, the following exceptions are now part of the liquidity percentage to be credited initially:

• If the cheapest price after fees and the DUSD-DFI pool price after fees are both higher than $0.80 per DUSD over the period of two weeks directly preceding go live of this proposal, then 20% is credited.
• If the cheapest price after fees and the DUSD-DFI pool price after fees are both higher than $0.90 per DUSD over the period of two weeks directly preceding go live of this proposal, then 30% is credited.

DMC inclusion

DMC inclusion is crucial for fairness reasons, we should look for and avoid leaving any loopholes. The option to transition to the new dToken system must be given to ownership addresses on DMC. I suggest implementing it in a user activated way, similar to the dToken splits today. If any loopholes are found during the implementation phase, the core developer team may adapt the implementation to close them.

Secondary market

As it is not technically possible to touch balances in smart contracts in the DMC, old DUSD and dTokens that are on the DMC at the time of implementation will remain usable.

Measure until implementation and proposal kill switch

The implementation of the proposed measures is challenging and time-consuming, it will probably take months. Until implementation, we will implement a 0.5% fee on all dToken pools to burn algo tokens, in the hope of being able to activate the following proposal kill switch: If, during implementation, DUSD consistently trades above 95 cents in all pools, with cumulative exit pool fees below 1% for two weeks, this proposal is not to be implemented.

Handling of other DFIPs

This DFIP represents a significant change to the system and, if accepted, eliminates the need for further measures to restart, re-collateralize the dToken system, and re-peg the stable coin. If this DFIP is approved by the master nodes, it supersedes all other DFIPs related to the dToken system and DUSD markets that are accepted in the same voting period. Consequently, the relevant other DFIPs will be considered denied.

Requirements

A hard fork will be necessary to implement these changes.

Developer Discretion

Developers have the discretion to adapt any details for the technical implementation as they see fit and necessary. The flexibility allows developers to ensure that the measures can be implemented or that overlooked loopholes may be closed. Any adaptations should align with the intended goals and outcomes of this proposal.

Pseudocode

The final way of implementation is defined by the core team, but to have a clearer picture of the needed changes and how they are defined, u/kuegi (credit, thanks for pushing) took the time and summarized proposed changes in pseudocode.

• On activationblock:for all vaults: payback DUSD loans with collateral payback remaining loans with funds from address payback remaining loans by swapping collateral (first DUSD, then other collateral)convert all loanTokens to new version (like stocksplit, but with no change in price or amount, must also affect the DUSD in collateral), new DUSD is called USDDcreate native SC to lock funds in tranches, SC knows funds per address SC keeps track of release-ratio, starting with 10% initially 100 tranches (with 10% initial ratio, thats 0.9% per tranche)for all LM positions in dToken-USDD pools: remove 90% of position and lock resulting funds directly into the SCfor all LM positions in USDD-DFI, USDC-USDD, USDT-USDD, EUROC-USDD, XCHF-USDD: remove 90% of position, lock resulting USDD directly into the SC, credit other resulting asset to ownerfor all vaults: withdraw 90% of USDD collateral into SC (for vault owner address)for all loantoken balances (=dTokens and USDD): lock 90% of balances into SC
• extend Transferdomain:any transfer EVM->DVM of old dToken or DUSD results in: SC.releaseRatio in new dToken/USDD is credited to targetaddress 1-SC.releaseRatio in new dToken/USDD is locked in SC for targetaddress
• extend stocksplit logic to update SC too (so future dToken splits are reflected in the SC)
• implement SC-releaseTranche-tx (only allowed by foundation members):on releaseTrancheTx: for all entries in SC: credit according tranche part of funds to address update SC.releaseratio accordingly
• parameters to update after activation://deactivate DUSD loops: "v0/vaults/dusd-vault/enabled": "false",//remove old stab fee: "v0/poolpairs/17/token_a_fee_pct": "0", "v0/poolpairs/101/token_b_fee_pct": "0", "v0/poolpairs/102/token_b_fee_pct": "0", "v0/poolpairs/218/token_b_fee_pct": "0", "v0/poolpairs/236/token_b_fee_pct": "0",//activate new system-wide USDD fee"v0/token//dex_in_fee_pct": "", "v0/token//dex_out_fee_pct": "",

Examples for USDD and dToken tranche releases

Here some examples values for the dToken system market cap and the DFI market cap it would take for one tranche to be paid out on the futureswap block, given

• 200 Mio total size at implementation
• 20 Mio initial credit
• 1.8 Mio tranche size

1st tranche

• 100 Mio dToken system market cap, 80 Mio created through backed loans
• 200 Mio DFI market cap
• USDD price above 99 cents

25th tranche

• 316 Mio dToken system market cap, 252.8 Mio created through backed loans
• 632 Mio DFI market cap
• USDD price above 99 cents

50th tranche

• 541 Mio dToken system market cap, 432.8 Mio created through backed loans
• 1082 Mio DFI market cap
• USDD price above 101 cents

75th tranche

• 766 Mio dToken system market cap, 612.8 Mio created through backed loans
• 1532 Mio DFI market cap
• USDD price above 101 cents

100th tranche

• 991 Mio dToken system market cap, 792.8 Mio created through backed loans
• 1982 Mio DFI market cap
• USDD price above 101 cents

Important note
At current market prices, you get approximately 10 cents for one DUSD. With this proposal you get at least 10% of your DUSD as USDD directly, while the rest are frozen. The 10% will quickly be at peg, so while your coins are locked today's value in USD is not. According to the described criteria, your remaining liquidity will then be unlocked over time at at least one dollar per stable coin unit.

This is V5, the final version of this DFIP

9 days filled with countless discussions and adjustments. Thank you for all the valuable feedback and the productive vibes. Credit where credit is due, this DFIP is a true community effort and every comment that was made was considered and thought through. This resulting V5 is the final version of this DFIP.

If you'd like to listen to me read this story, click here.
Also, a short note from the author (Me!) in comments.
“Captain to the bridge.” Bren looked up, he kept all shipwide announcements turned on in his quarters. “Lieutenant Bren to the bridge.” Bren jumped up and rushed into the hallway, almost bumping into the Captain.
“Mr. Bren, calm down.” Captain Gardner put a hand on his shoulder. “It’s a one minute walk, we’re fine.” He smiled and Bren relaxed. He had been edgy since Captain Sassen had told him they’d be coming through this sector soon. No decision had been made as to whether Bren would be allowed to stay on the Shepherd. As they reached the bridge Commander Klein waved them to his workstation. Klein never sat in the Captain’s chair, even when he was in command for the secondary shift.
“Bren, need your help here!” Gardner and Bren looked at the screen. Gardner tilted his head. “What are we looking at, Commander?”
Bren studied the readings and answered the Captain’s question. “It’s a signal, a communication carrier wave. It’s weak, maybe an automated distress call.” Suddenly the signal disappeared. Bren looked over the recording of the signal and grimaced. “I believe it is Sellane. But there’s no reason for them to be this far away from their home territory.”
Captain Gardner spoke again, “Origin?”
Klein exhaled sharply. “Holy… Sir, it looks like somewhere in the Alpha Centauri star system. Bren, can we narrow it down?”
Bren clicked a few buttons and made a whistling sound. “No Commander, although I would guess in the Proxima system, based on the distance. The signal is quite weak.”
Klein and Gardner looked at each other. Bren looked back and forth at them, confused. Gardner finally broke the silence. “How long since the first Strays left?” Klein had the answer, as did Gardner, they were working out their next move. Nevertheless Klein answered.
“Forty years.”
Again they looked at each other and shook their heads. Klein spoke, “No chance they could have made it.” Gardner nodded in agreement.
Finally Bren broke another silence. “So do we investigate?” The statement broke them out of their trances.
Gardner jumped into action as Klein sat down at his station. Gardner barked out an order. “Lieutenant, plot a course for the Proxima system.” The pilot nodded. Gardner turned to Klein, “Commander, how long will that take us?” Klein already had the calculations. “Three jumps, forty-eight hours.”
Gardner turned to Bren, “Lieutenant, break that message down, whatever you can learn. You’ve got two days.”
The senior crew stood on the bridge, taking in the red glow of Proxima Centauri. Three planets circled the star, with Proxima 2, as it had been designated, holding two moons in its orbit. Gardner and Klein seemed to be in awe. Bren had a realization. “You haven’t been here before.”
Klein returned to his station as the Captain turned to Bren. “No, we assumed at some point our actual mission would take us there. This is the first time.” Klein was muttering under his breath, drawing Gardner and Bren to his station. Klein didn’t look up.
“Our first real look at the planet. It’s nothing like we expected.” Gardner looked at him as Klein continued. “There is atmosphere, humans could probably adapt. Oxygen rich.” He shook his head. “There’s so much we couldn’t see. It’s tidally locked, the same side always faces the star.” He squinted, “There is far more water than we thought. The planet isn’t dry, it’s frozen. There is no liquid water anywhere that I can see.”
Gardner stepped back. This was a bad bit of knowledge. So many of their assumptions were wrong. Bren stepped to another workstation and began studying, suddenly he shouted. “I found it!” Klein and Gardner jumped as Bren continued. “The bigger moon of the planet. There is a power source. Weak, but definitely not naturally occurring.” By now Klein had turned his attention to the moon.
“This is more like it. Nitrogen Oxygen atmosphere, strong magnetic fields, liquid water. Sir, I’m unable to read anything from the surface, there’s substantial interference from the magnetic fields.”
Gardner turned to Jeffries who had already plotted a course. “Get us over there Lieutenant!”
A short time later they were in orbit of Proxima 2’s second moon. From orbit it looked much like Earth. A smattering of green and brown surrounded by blue oceans. Ice caps at both poles, although they reached farther out than Earth. Gardner looked at Klein.
Klein grunted, “The magnetic fields are interfering with our scanners. I can’t tell you anymore than we can see.” Gardner stewed. Not knowing what they’d find concerned him.
“Commander, can we take the Shepherd into the atmosphere? Klein studied the readings but it was Bren who responded.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea sir. The magnetic field is erratic. The Shepherd doesn’t have sufficient shielding. One of your planetary shuttles could be modified to take a team, although it would be a difficult flight.” Lieutenant Jeffries shifted in her seat anxiously.
Gardner looked at her, “You think you should fly this one? You know, I’m a pretty good pilot.” Klein laughed under his breath. Gardner ignored him. “Lieutenant Jeffries, of course you’re flying.” She jumped up excitedly. “Klein, Bren, let’s go.” Gardner pressed a button on the communication system. “Security team Alpha, report to the shuttle bay.”
As the shuttle dropped through the atmosphere Bren explained the modifications he had made. Mostly he had enabled the vital functions to operate manually. Hopefully it wouldn’t be necessary. Jeffries entered the edge of the atmosphere. “So far so good.”
As they dropped further they got a better view of the planet. It was breathtaking, from this distance very Earth-like. Bren spoke, “I’m reading life signs near the equator. On the edge of the large continent.
Jeffries turned and the shuttle bounced, like a rock skipping on a lake. She regained control as they dropped into more turbulence. Then the lights flashed. Jeffries was holding on tight to the controls, Bren looked over his modifications. “Not much further” A final drop of turbulence and they were out. Suddenly a communication chimed.
“Balkj gsbbbit shler, grwetto flergh”
Gardner looked at Bren, who punched buttons on his scanner. “Sir, it appears to be a Sellane language, but I don’t recognize it.” Gardner recalled their first encounter with the Klaan and how long it took to get basic communication. He pushed a button to reply.
“This is Captain Alex Gardner of the UEF Shepherd, we ar—“
He was interrupted by a woman’s voice excitedly responding. “You’re speaking English! Are you human?”
Gardner looked at Klein uncertainly. “Yes, we are, are you a human colony?”
The woman yipped and cheered. “Yes!” There was a voice behind her in the previous language, short and curt and she quickly spoke again. “Don’t drop below 5,000 meters!”
Jeffries glanced down and pulled the shuttle up, hovering in place. “7,000 meters sir.”
The woman spoke again. “I’m sending coordinates, don’t drop below 5,000 meters until you get to the valley next to the forest. You’ll see a baseball diamond, land there.”
Gardner quickly replied. “Acknowledged.” He turned to Jeffries, “You got the directions?” Jeffries nodded and maneuvered the shuttle. Bren suddenly exclaimed. “Essenaan!” Everyone looked at him. He seemed confused. “There’s no mention of this mineral in your histories?” The translation program didn’t have a name. He looked up the periodic chart from Earth. “Well, it looks like you’ve never come across any. It’s an incredibly valuable mineral, but in it’s raw form it’s extremely flammable and unstable. We were over a large deposit. That would not have been a good landing spot.” He looked at Gardner who nodded in concerned agreement.
Jeffries looked below, “A baseball diamond! That’s crazy.” They were over a small village, small buildings, a few roads, and a few larger buildings scattered in a large valley, with a forest on one side and rocky hills on the other. Jeffries manually guided the shuttle down, landing in left field, with a bit of a bump. She smiled, “Sorry, I haven’t landed manually in a while.”
Bren scanned, “It appears that our sensors are still malfunctioning.” He turned to Jeffries, “Nice work Lieutenant!” As they moved to the exit Gardner stopped the two security officers. “Keep your guns holstered, and stay behind the rest of us.” They nodded and stepped back. The shuttle door opened and the fresh smell of grass and mist and mossy trees drifted all around them. Clean air like none they had ever breathed, and a crisp chill in the air. A woman came running up to them.
“Over here!” People were starting to gather and the Captain noticed it was a mix of humans and an alien species, tall and muscular, pale skin, and stern looks. Gardner looked quickly at Bren silently asking the question of who they were. Bren answered in a low voice.
“Sellane, but there’s more to it.” He was cut off by the woman’s arrival at their group.
She quickly figured Gardner as the Captain and went to him. “Captain Gardner I presume?” She smiled and Gardner reached out a hand for a shake. Instead she gave him a giant bear hug.
“Welcome to Gaia!”
She led them to a larger building and they could see that there were parts of an Earth vessel used as construction materials. As they entered people gathered around, mostly humans, but several Sellane as well. There were also children, who clung to their mothers’ skirts, they clearly weren’t accustomed to visitors. Gardner winked at a small boy, who giggled and hid behind his mother. The woman led them to a large table. She gestured to seats. Captain Gardner smiled as people brought water and fruits to the table. “In all the hugging you didn’t tell us your name.”
The woman laughed. “No I didn’t. Jessica Leonard. I’m the Governor of this settlement.” A Sellane man joined her. “And this is my husband, Ka’llonn.” She looked around and directed her gaze at Bren. “Ka’llon says you are Klaan?” Bren nodded. She continued.
“Then you must know the history of Sel.” Bren looked at her carefully, unsure of what she had been told. She picked up on his unease. “Mr. Bren, these are former Sellane slaves. There are no Kar’ddaeol here.” Bren exhaled.
“Thank you for the clarity. Sel claims to have ended slavery fifty years ago. My captain was on his way to a primary meeting to renew their application for membership in the Collective. How long have you all been here?”
Gardner waited patiently until Bren asked his question, “Yes, how long? And how… how?” Jessica smiled.
“Well, that is a strange tale Captain. Have a snack and get comfortable.” She smiled as she sat down and Ka’llon joined her at the table.
The fruit they had been offered was new to them, and delicious, some tart, some overly sweet. The water was fresh and clear. The crew were enjoying the small feast as Jessica told her story.
“We left Earth in July of 2061. Our ship was named Gaia. We all went into hibernation.” She paused “This is the short part of the story.” She smiled as obviously Gardner and the others wanted to know how they got here so fast. 39 years just wasn’t enough time at sub-light speeds. She lingered a moment, allowing the tension to build before she continued.
“When we woke up, our ship had landed in this very field. We checked the logs and the only information we had was that the ship was fully functional and we were here. The Earth date was April 7th, 2073. 12 years. We named the planet Gaia as well.” She paused to take a bite. “Isn’t this delicious? We call it bluefruit, not very creative, I know.” She smiled as she wiped a bit of juice from her mouth.
Gardner had dozens of questions, but started with an obvious one. “And you have no idea how you ended up here?
She shook her head. “None. Our ship had landed as if it had been gently set down. There was no damage, parachutes had not deployed. As we have sent expeditions further afield it became obvious that we had settled in an ideal spot.” She smiled at her husband, who had a relaxed but concerned look on his face. He spoke in clear English.
“How did you find us?” Jessica looked at the Captain expectantly.
“We received a communication a few days ago.” Ka’llon rose from his chair, muttering under his breath in Sellane. Jessica chastised him and he sat back down, clearly agitated.
She spoke quietly to him. “The message only went out for a few seconds. It was a mistake, we’ll be fine.” She turned back to her guests.
“We tried to follow an Earth calendar but it didn’t make sense because the days are so much different here.” She paused, “We are on a moon around Proxima 2?” Gardner nodded. “We assumed that was the case, from what little we can tell Proxima 2 seems unfriendly.” Gardner nodded, he was about to speak but Jessica continued.
“Whoever put us here had a reason. It was just a short time before the Sellane ship crashed. Just a few kilometers from here.” Ka’llon looked down, and the other Sellane seemed solemn as well.
“We don’t discuss it much, it’s in the past, but they were slaves on their way to a distant mining colony. The Kar’ddaeol scanned the area and saw the Essenaan deposits. They tried to land but ignited a seam. It knocked their ship out.” Ka’llon finished the story.
“The ship had lost controls, I believe due to the strong magnetic fields here.” He looked around, “That same field protects us and keeps our atmosphere in place.” He smiled briefly at his wife then continued. “The other slaves and I took advantage and were able to overpower them.” He paused, all the Sellane looking down silently.
“You must understand Captain, out spiritual practices revere life. We are not… killers.” Jessica put a hand on his knee.
“We took them in Captain. They came out of the ship ready for a fight. Instead we fed them and tended to their wounds. Eventually they became a part of our community.”
Gardner nodded in approval. “How many of you are here?
Jessica waved a hand, “We’re all one, but there are one hundred twenty-six humans, and thirty-seven Sellane.” She gestured toward some children. When we landed there were one-hundred and one.” She smiled.
A large Sellane hurried to Ka’llon and whispered something. He cursed again. “They’re coming.” The people gathered began to leave, snatching up their children in barely controlled chaos. Jessica stayed in the room as the Sellane charged out.
“Jessica spoke loudly but calmly, “Head for the caves, don’t panic. We will be fine. Captain, I will understand if you leave, but we could use your help.” She looked at him expectantly.
He asked, “Who’s coming?”
Her answer was cold and he could feel the contempt in her voice.
“Kar’ddaeol”
While most of the women and children were rushing toward the hills nearby, men gathered at the edge of the village. Ka’llon and the Sellane at the front, armed with what appeared to be Sellane energy weapons, and several men and older boys behind them carrying whatever weapon seem appropriate, knives, shovels, hammers, and a few with bows and arrows near the edges. Bren had found a blanket to hide his identity. If the Sellane were going to cause a problem he didn’t want them to see him as an obvious witness and threat.
After long minutes the sound of a small ship entered the atmosphere. Everyone watched in silence as the ship steered toward them. It stopped at what must have been 5 to 10,000 meters above the ground. Another long pause, presumably as they scanned as best they could. Gardner turned to Bren. “Are their scanners shielded better than ours?"
Bren shook his head. “No captain. Although Klaan ships would have an easy time navigating this atmosphere, it would still be through visual navigation.” Gardner breathed a small sigh of relief.
“Well that’s something.”
Suddenly the ship shot a missile toward the Essenaan deposits. Fortunately they simply hit rock. They fired again, missing again. Bren commented, “Their targeting sensors aren’t working, they are shooting visually from that distance. Their accuracy is compromised.” Ka’llon replied.
“That’s a large deposit, they’ll eventually hit it. It’ll take out half the valley, part of the cave system, and all of the deposits.” Jessica turned to Gardner.
“Does your ship have weapons?” Gardner shook his head.
“No, but I have an idea.” He turned to his crew. “Stay here, help if you can. Whatever it takes” He ran toward the ship and Jeffries ran right after him. He reached the ship and turned to see her. “I ordered you all to stay.” She shot back at him as she entered the shuttle.
“I’m sorry sir, bust me down later. I can’t follow that order, you can’t fly this ship.” Gardner grunted as he shut the door to the shuttle. She lifted off and Gardner joined her at the front. She looked at him expectantly. “So, did you actually have a plan, or were you just going to ram them?” He smiled.
“They’re targeting visually right?” She nodded. “Let’s take away their vision. Get above them.” She managed to get past them and hover above. The Sellane ship fired again but missed. Gardner looked down at the ship. “Thank god they have windows.” Set us down right on top of it.
Jeffries lowered the shuttle quickly dropping toward them. They didn’t realize she was there until they were on top of them. The Sellane ship shook and twisted as Jeffries engaged the magnetic locks that held the shuttle in place in the shuttle bay. They weren’t going anywhere.
Gardner smiled, ”Why don’t you see what happens when we try to move?” The shuttle trembled, the engines far exceeding their safety limits. The Sellane ship had stopped firing as they fought to keep control of their ship. Gardner thought a moment. "We have parachutes, right?" Jeffries smiled and pushed a button, releasing emergency landing parachutes. The Sellane ship, their frustration rising, began to climb. If they got into space the shuttle was far over-matched. Suddenly the Sellane ship stopped. Gardner and Jeffries realized there was another ship above them, a ship they recognized. The KCC Victory had arrived.
The Sellane ship stopped fighting. Gardner looked at Jeffries. “Get us off this ship.” Jeffries pulled away, dragging one of the parachutes until the cords finally snapped. The other two had released as they were supposed to. She backed off the Sellane ship until fully clear and looked at the captain.
“Down?”
He smiled, “Please.”
A small group sat around the big table. Captain Sassen had greeted Gardner warmly, as it was their first in-person meeting. Two Sellane officers sat nearby, angry and humiliated at their defeat. Jessica and Ka’llon sat at the head of the table, while Gardner and Klein sat near Bren. Sassen put a translator on the table and spoke, the Sellane had translators of their own.
He turned to the Sellane Captain. “I just left your planet, where your Prime Minister assured me that slavery had been dismantled over fifty years ago. And yet, here we are with men who were brought here only 26 years ago by Kar’ddaeol.” He spat the word out in disgust, then focused on the Sellane Captain. "And here you are, trying to get rid of the evidence, just like a cowardly Kar’ddaeol." He turned his back on them. "You can tell your leaders their application has again been tabled. Possibly for the last time." The Sellane stood up to leave but Sassen stopped them. “One more thing. Governor, as the duly authorized leader of this moon, I would like to offer you something.” Another of his officers appeared with an electronic tablet. He handed it to Sassen who set it in front of Jessica.
"This is a trade agreement. As the ranking officer in this sector I am authorized to initiate this contract. I understand your moon is rich in Essenaan?” Jessica looked at him, starting to sour, as he seemed to be pressuring her into becoming a mining colony. Ka’llon shifted uneasily.
Sassen walked over in front of the Kar’ddaeol. “Of course mining such a volatile mineral would require years of planning perhaps decades. And getting approval to begin the planning might take even longer.” Jessica and Ka’llon looked at each other, confused. Sassen continued.
“As the designated trade partner for your mineral rights, the Klaan Collective would, of course, offer your moon protection.” He glared at the Sellane officers, then shooed them away. They left and Jessica smiled a huge smile. Ka’llon also smiled, standing to shake Sassen’s hand, who offered both hands in Klaan tradition. Sassen turned the tablet to allow Jessica and Ka’llon to sign. Then he signed it and turned it to face Bren.
“Lieutenant, as you know, any treaty or interplanetary contract must be signed by a diplomatic officer.” Bren smiled and spoke.
“Thank you Captain, but that must be a command officer, and I am a junior lieutenant in the diplomatic corps.” Sassen jumped, as if he had suddenly remembered something important. He pulled a small emblem from his pocket.
“Oh right, I forgot to mention. Your request to stay with the Shepherd has been approved. You will officially be our acting Earth Ambassador. That comes with a promotion to Commander. He placed the emblem on Bren's uniform, then saluted, a salute unique to Klaan. He took his hands and placed one on the other, extending them into a triangle in front of him, before snapping them down to his sides. Bren returned the salute.
Bren beamed, his skin turning a dark brown color as he signed the document. Sassen turned to Gardner. “Captain, we prefer two witness signatures for such a document. Would you two mind?” He gestured toward Gardner and Klein. Gardner took the document and was about to sign when Sassen stopped him.
“Before you sign, you should know that signing a contract with the Collective, even as just a witness, will elevate you to friendly terms, officially. Of course, having an Ambassador on board will do the same.” Gardner signed, as did Klein. Sassen reached out both hands to everyone around the table. Jessica called for food and drink as it was well past dark, so nobody was leaving.
Gardner approached Klein, who had just shaken Bren’s hands and saluted him. Gardner saluted (Klaan style of course) as Bren passed. “Commander.” He smiled and turned to Sassen. “So the Shepherd was ok?”
Sassen smiled. “Yes, the Sellane ship went right past them. I suggested they jump away and come back later, which, I understand is a requirement with your jump drives?”
Gardner nodded. “Sixteen hours.”
Sassen laughed. “When we entered the atmosphere I didn’t know what to expect, but I did not expect to see a small shuttle clamped over the windows of the Sellane ship, pushing them around with your thrusters and parachutes deployed.” He laughed again. It did sound ridiculous when he explained it. “Seriously Captain, that is quite a feat of bravery and ingenuity. Many would have departed when the Sellane arrived. Maybe to file a diplomatic complaint at a later date.”
Sassen laughed again. “Your Lieutenant was flying?”
Gardner smiled. “Lieutenant Isabella Jeffries, best pilot on Earth.” He pointed to where several of the children were weaving a maypole, circling the post, and Jeffries right in the mix. Klein appeared to be explaining the concept to Bren.
Jessica joined them. “I hope you both know that we really would love to have your crews down for a proper feast.” She looked at Ka’llon, who was holding a small child. “They have lived the last twenty-six years with one eye over their shoulder. Now, perhaps, they can finally leave that behind and just enjoy their lives. Our lives."
Gardner looked curiously at the child Ka’llon was holding. He turned to Jessica. “When we return with supplies we will take you up on that. Is that… your child?” She smiled a knowing smile and nodded. Gardner was about to ask how, but Jessica patted him on the chest. “Gaia, or the spirit, or God, works in mysterious ways. Whoever put us here, put them here, and now you. Whoever she is, she’s looking out for us.”
She smiled and took a step before turning around. “And if other settlers want to join us, they can, and if they do, Gaia will have brought them as well.” She joined her family. Klein and Bren joined the two Captains.
Klein watched as the Sellane giant playfully pulled his daughter’s hair. “So, any idea how they got here?”
Sassen laughed. “You heard the woman, Gaia brought them!” And with that, he joined the celebration, dancing into a group of people circling a bonfire.