Cabled fingerless

Hello, here is the latest changelog.
Content: * Added tarot cards as a variant of playing cards and added Ouija board as a playable board game. by aapocalypseAArisen * Adds a new globally unique special to spawn in the ocean : an Oil Platform ! by Peakwastaken * Add More Nightmares by TheMurderUnicorn
Features: * Limbify consumption times by Venera3 * The player can swap between defined outfits with the 'set of clothes' item by RenechCDDA * Provides new utility to mounds of upturned dirt, as well as fixing inconsistencies with its counterpart. by Amnestasia * Resume butchering by inogenous * Adding support for ImTui to draw unicode characters by katemonster33 * The player's overmap destination is now a valid destination for telling NPCs to go-to by RenechCDDA
Balance: * Add Craft, Uncraft, Furniture version, and Construction to Fancy Tables by TheMurderUnicorn * Fix Up Travel Toilets by TheMurderUnicorn * The average skill level of NPCs will rise over time by RenechCDDA * Land prisons also keep you out by casswedson * Tweak Wind Turbine Recipe Learning by TheMurderUnicorn * Make pupating explosion quieter by Procyonae * Added Bronze Wood Saw to Misc Repair Kit Craft by TheMurderUnicorn * Reinforced garbage bags are now watertight by DragonWizard23 * document monster dodge balance by LyleSY * You Can Smash Skunk Skulls by TheMurderUnicorn * Splits star vampires into a fast-blood-sucking and a strong-grabbing version. by carlarctg * Assess and Change Vehicle Part breaks_into Entries by TheMurderUnicorn
Interface: * Updates the Terminus font by Procyonae * Rename cover - concealment by Procyonae * Don't show gun without default ammo defined as an option in reload ui by osuphobia * Provide a visual UI for changing vehicle part shapes by irwiss * Change world setting 'Spawn Time Options' to 'World Time Options' by theFeu
Mods: * Give Liam opinions in XE by Maleclypse * Aftershock: Add poison based bullets, grenades and 'toxic flamethrower' by John-Candlebury * [MoM] EoC-ify Eater drain attack by Standing-Storm * [MA] Starting a new game works again by Procyonae * [MoM] Feral telekinetics have no inherent armor, they use their powers instead by Standing-Storm * [MoM] Add triffid psions by Standing-Storm * [MoM] Rework Combat Sense with modern enchants by Standing-Storm * Tamable Skunks by LordBarkBread * New joke spell by rty275 * [MoM] Increase feral clairsentient dodge by Standing-Storm * [MoM] Normalize feral biokinetic HP by Standing-Storm * [No Hope] Adds a difficulty setting prompt to determine item spawn rates by Procyonae * [Bombastic Perks] More perks by Standing-Storm
Performance: * Optimize item::stacks as well as allocation patterns in item and elsewhere by Procyonae
Bugfixes: * Added the Ouija board to appropriate loot pools. by aapocalypseAArisen * Gives an explanation for why the TALON UGV Liberty Edition turns into the regular TALON UGV M16A4. by TealcOneill * Duct tape described as liquid by osuphobia * Check validity of Win32 file names by Procyonae * fix draw_critter_above bounds check by mischief * fix assert in diary info panel clamp by mischief * Fixed arrows disappearing when unwielded by Procyonae * Fix health dreams when you are ill by Procyonae * xs_gloves_wool_fingerless and xl_gloves_wool_fingerless did not have relevant PREFIX flags. by SomeGuyIGues * Fix heat func fault, correct the null check, remove the original heat_food duplicate bug. by yuganxia * Not to try to reload a gun without default ammo type defined by osuphobia * Define Rubik's personality values by Procyonae * NPCs will prioritize wielding ranged weapons when allowed by Procyonae * Fixes power grid teleportation, crashes, and other buggy interactions by Procyonae * Rotten ingredients correctly result in rotten products by Procyonae * Tutorial screen popup text no longer cuts off by katemonster33 * Fixing a clang-tidy error from a recent ImTui-related PR by katemonster33 * Add molle accessories to webbing belt by b0bhat * Fix integrated armor being incompatible with some mutations by KittyTac * krakens swim by LyleSY
Infrastructure: * Adjust how open_container affects Character::dispose_item by osuphobia * fix forward declaration of imgui ImVec2 by mischief
Build: * Fix netbsd ncurses build. The ncurses include path is set with CURSES_INCLUDE_DIRS by mmyjona
None: * Add cattle samples to more ungulates by Karol1223 * Backport #73104 by Procyonae * Backport #70686 by Procyonae * Backport #72759 and #73703 by Procyonae * Backport #70875 by Procyonae * Backport #71304 by Procyonae * extend zombie security guard drops by casswedson * Expose daily calories calendar to math by GuardianDll * Added explicit roofs to field basecamp 1 by PatrikLundell * Backport #70695 by Procyonae * Backport #70713 by Procyonae * Backport #70688 by Procyonae * Backport #70844 by Procyonae * Backport #71068 by Procyonae * Backport #71351 by Procyonae * Backport #71382 by Procyonae * Backport #71157 by Procyonae * Backport #71333 by Procyonae * Backport #71338 by Procyonae * Gun without magic gun barrel by Kamejeir * clamp the multiplicative speed bonus by GuardianDll * Load faults / fault_fixes with generic_factory by irwiss * Better debug message on loading bad vehicle parts by irwiss * Add -gsplit-dwarf to LTO build to cut memory utilization in linker by kevingranade * Hydration pouch size fixes by TheAthenaCabin0 * Typified editmap by PatrikLundell * Added explicit roofs to hub version 2 by PatrikLundell * Include vehicle roofs for map::draw_from_above by irwiss * Nerf artwork prices into oblivion by Karol1223 * Fix door on select, door controls should keep selection by irwiss * Fix crash when opening construction menu with no visible entries by Qrox * Backport #70772 and #70775 by Procyonae * Backport #70646 by Procyonae * Backport #70657 by Procyonae * Backport #70706 by Procyonae * Backport #70700 by Procyonae * Backport #70767 by Procyonae * Backport #73296 by Procyonae * Trigger rebuild of cataclysmdda.org when a 0.H release candidate is created by kevingranade * Added roofs to livestock 1 by PatrikLundell * Split construction into many files in a subdirectory by PatrikLundell * Extract feed and pet messages by Uwuewsky * Confirm ability requested by TealcOneill * Propane shelved by kevingranade * Refactor f_bulk_trade_accept by RenechCDDA * Backport #71582 by Procyonae * Remove backported test by Procyonae * Backport #70764 by Procyonae * Backport #70698 by Procyonae * Backport #70708 by Procyonae * Backport #73487 by Procyonae * Backport #70768 by Procyonae * Backport #72801 by Procyonae * Remove redundant emscripten build by kevingranade * Cable pockets don't add extra encumbrance by RenechCDDA * Define _XOPEN_SOURCE_EXTENDED on mac localized curses builds for wchar by kevingranade * fix spawn_rate being zero by default by GuardianDll * Backport #71860 by Procyonae * Backport #72898 by Procyonae * Backport #70769 by Procyonae * #include vector in cata_imgui.h by kevingranade * Provided 3D camp construction + Livestock 2 example by PatrikLundell * Use dummy parser for attack_vector to fix string extraction script error by Qrox * typified animation.cpp by PatrikLundell * Backport updated release notes generation workflow to 0.H by kevingranade * skip emscripten build for draft PRs by kevingranade * Backport #71403 by Procyonae * Backport #73113 by Procyonae * Backport #72942 by Procyonae * Routine i18n updates on 11 May 2024 by kevingranade * Give me (Amnestasia) /confirm privileges by Amnestasia * Backport #73632 by Procyonae * Automation changes for 0.H release candidates by kevingranade * Don't access out of bounds by RenechCDDA * skip slow builds for draft PRs by kevingranade * Add translation context to short art snippets by Qrox * Move Sewer Gators to CrazyCata by Karol1223 * Test to ensure unconditional and conditional nest placement works by Procyonae * Skunk Spray Neutralizer by Maleclypse * make the game faster when player sleep near the tree by GuardianDll * Fish fry & tadpole minor audit by Karol1223 * Added construction of roofs by PatrikLundell * Use ncurses accessor macros by kevingranade * Fix carving knife being defined as a bread knife by VladMasarik

Hello lovely people!!!
I’ve been knitting for a while now, but only at the VERY basic and beginner levels. I am a crocheter by nature, that’s what I learned first and am more comfortable with but I ADORE the look and feel of knit items.
I’ve made hats,scarves, and fingerless gloves but nothing more complex. I know how to knit and purl obviously, as well as ribbing, VERY simple cables, and the duplicate stitch. This is the extent of what I know, all of which I’ve learned through youtube videos or online tutorials.
I come on this sub frequently and see the beautiful and inspiring projects all of you create and I’m so in awe (and jealous) !!
Essentially I’m coming here to ask you, many of which know so much more than me, how do I get better? Crocheting came so naturally but knitting is a whole different beast!! It’s like cooking vs baking to me!!
It’s one thing to know the basics and another to have a well rounded understanding of when and how to use them! I would love to feel more comfortable and fluent in the language and process of knitting eventually and am willing to put in the work!
Any resources, advice, tutorials, etc are incredibly welcome!! I just want to learn so I can begin more advanced projects, specifically garments.

Hello knitters! I'm making some fingerless gloves for my daughter (teen, Raynaud's in her hands, needs warmth + max dexterity). I'm planning to go with a basic soccer mitts pattern I found on ravelry, for simplicity's sake. The pattern calls for size 1 needles (2.25 mm) and fingering weight yarn, and kiddo fell madly in love with a skein of baby llama yarn.
I've never used camelid fibre before, and the lovely shop owner at my FLYS warned me that it can be very stretchy. She suggested that I twist my stitches to reduce stretch potential and increase structural density of the knit, to help the gloves keep their shape.
Is twisting stitches the best option? Would using a pattern with cabling (for example) be a better bet for structure and density?
I looked at linen stitch as a non-stretchy option, but I'm not clear on whether it's possible to do linen stitch when knitting in the round. Do I just alternate which stitches I slip for each row?

I’m making a pair of fingerless gloves from a pattern right now, and didn’t realize the pattern doesn’t say anything about how to make the second glove symmetrical to the first until I was all ready to start on the second. I did the first working counterclockwise (it’s mostly in the round with a portion knit as a flat panel so there’s a slit for the thumb, anything more than a tube with a slit and a little cabling is still a bit beyond me, lol) and cast on my second the same way and just started doing the rows backwards, but now I’m thinking maybe I should have cast on clockwise and followed the instructions as-is. I’m only a few rows in so it’s not too late to start over, but I’m wondering if I really need to because I just… really hate knitting clockwise. I swear my clockwise rows take twice as long, and I make so many more mistakes. Do I need to work the second glove clockwise, or will working the rows backwards still look and feel right? Would appreciate any tips on what to do now!

Info
Have some audio hardware that I no longer need and would rather get some change for them. Also have a drawing monitor (namely the Huion Kamvas) which is no longer used for drawing but as a third monitor, so I figure someone else has a better use for them. All items have been cleaned and kept thoroughly. I've had the Huion since 2019, and the audio equipment since 2021. The only downside is that I only have the packaging for the Audient iD4, since my parents threw the other two boxes out.
Can show them all working if necessary.
I'm looking to sell these by today if possible, so prices are negotiable.
Item name:

• Shure SM7B - £160
• Cloudlifter CL-1 - £60 (it is usually paired with the SM7B since it's really gain hungry)
• Audient iD4 MK II - £60, this is an interface with around 50-60 dB of clean gain (bare in mind it uses a USB-C connection to your PC)
• Huion Kamvas Pro 22 - £200 (has only been used a few times, apart from that it's just being used as a secondary monitor at the moment and not for drawing, everything is there from the USB cable, to HDMI cable and fingerless gloves as well as pen with pen holder that contains the nibs)

Timestamps:
https://imgur.com/a/VtmMf8A
Conditions:
Used - Like new
Postage and Payment:
Collection only (Reading area, west of London)
PayPal/Bank preferred.
Edit: It's Audient iD4 MK II not III.

Hello all. I've been through the wiki and the pattern suggestions and added some to my ravelry queue, but now I'm after more.
I wouldn't say I'm a beginner knitter anymore. I've made a couple of scarfs, a jumper and 2 pairs of socks. I can cable and knit in the round quite comfortably, but I do find reading knitting patterns can be a bit difficult. I also just recently learned that I've been twisting my stitches (just like everyone else!) so that's sorted too.
So... What are some good patterns for things like jumpers, cardigans, legwarmers, fingerless gloves that you might recommend to a just-beyond-beginner knitter? Female/unisex preferred. I'm happy to have a crack at more fitted things as I'd like to get to grips with increases & decreases.
I have already been through a lot of ravelry searches but sometimes its best to get recommendations for patterns people have tried and tested. Thanks for any and all suggestions!

Hi y'all! So I recently bought some nice hand-dyed 4-ply yarn and I found the perfect pattern with which to use it--the problem is that the pattern's designer no longer sells her patterns! I haven't been able to find a similar pattern on ravelry yet. The main thing I like about the pattern is the visual balance of the cabling; I find that the cabling on some other mittens to be too bulky for my taste. Please do you guys have any recommendations for similar patterns?
The pattern is as follows: 'High Peak Mitts' by Sarah Cooke, https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/high-peak-mitts
(Apologies for the format of the post. I wanted to attach a screenshot of the mittens but I'm on mobile and I can't figure out how to do that!)

Hello, fellow knitters! I've started a new pattern called "single cable fingerless gloves" and i am stumped by a line of instructions. It says "M1 at the beginning of round for the first 16 rows, always keeping in front of increases". That's for the left glove.
For the right glove, it says to "keeping behind increases".
Any kind of help/explanation will be most welcomed, thank you so much!

[first] [prev] [next] - [wiki]
Many may disagree at first, but once the evidence is laid out, the theory becomes clearly correct.
The most consequential event to occur to the Cygnus-Orion Galactic Arm Spur was one simple act.
The Glassing of TerraSol by the Mantid.
Scoff if you will.
The Mar-gite, the Lanaktallan, the Mantid, the Atrekna, the Precursor Autonomous War Machines, and too many others to count certainly id.
It had effects that are still rippling through the cosmos this very second. - Bo'okdu'ust, Lanaktallan Socio-Mathematics researcher, 15 TXE
The door hissed closed as he sat down, FIDO sitting next to him and then laying down.
**Worried Dax** FIDO said.
"Me too, boy," Daxin said, reaching out and petting FIDO's petting nerve by scratching him between the ears. "I know better than to trust or underestimate her."
The door clicked shut. There was a loud humming noise that was more felt than heard and the impression of a strobing light even though the light level inside the hexagonal chamber didn't change. Mist rose up from the floor, thin and wispy.
Daxin blacked out.
He knew he had nightmares. Terrible nightmares of his deepest fears chasing him. He didn't remember them, the nightmares shattering, turning to ash, and whisping away.
He was laying face down in a small puddle of drool. His eyes were crusted over with something and it took him a minute to open them. FIDO lay next to him, eyes closed, tongue hanging out.
Daxin hurt all over.
With a groan he rolled over and rubbed his eyes as he sat up.
Rather than the hexagonal chamber he expected, there was a grid of glowing green light above and below him that extended off into infinity in all directions.
Daxin got to his feet and looked around, rubbing his sleeve against his mouth and cheek.
This was not was he expected.
FIDO got up slowly, shakily, his ears rotating as he sniffed the air.
**Strange place dax strange place** FIDO said.
"Yeah, yeah it is," Daxin said. He looked around slowly. Up was above his head, down was where his feet were securely placed. He lifted his feet off the floor several times, then just lifted his toes, then just his heels.
Same surface tension.
He reached up, the ceiling stayed just out of reach. When he jumped up, it still stayed slightly beyond his reach. He closed his eyes, letting his onboard navigation system run a check even as he clicked his tongue several times.
It looked the same on his internal mapping.
He opened his eyes and started moving forward. There was no real reason to go that direction, he just chose at random and started walking.
After an indeterminable amount of a time a wall slowly came into view, then gradually drew closer. The wall had clear corners for the ceiling and floor and stretched off into the distance to the right and left, the surface of the wall made up of blackness broken up by a perfect grid of green lines. As he got close, four grid boxes flashed, then went white.
Daxin shook his head, moving through the doorway.
He stepped out, smoothly and easily, into a dark room. His onboard systems could detect several larger than man sized tubes at the far side, a desk and chair with a datacomp on the right, and a door to the left. He stopped and waited, detecting and feeling FIDO move up next to him.
The lights came on, buzzing tubes embedded in the ceiling. The tubes were suspension tanks, the fronts shielded, cables and pipes coming off of them. Five total. The desk was a heavy thing, all metal and plastic, and the datacomp was an older model. CRT with keyboard and mouse. The door was heavy and said "NO ADMITTANCE - AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY" in red paint stencil.
"You," Daxin said when he saw who was leaning against the desk.
The Matron of the Damned in all her glory, wearing an all black suit, white undershirt, black tie, and a white earpiece in her ear. She had a smokestick between her lips and a match in one hand. Her black hair was slicked back, black sunglasses hiding her eyes.
She struck the match on the table, lifting it up and lighting the smokestick. She puffed a few times, flicked the match into midair so it sparkled and vanished.
"Mister Freeborn," she said slowly, staring at him, the sunglasses hiding her gunmetal grey eyes.
Daxin just nodded.
The Matron pushed herself off the desk with a flex of her hips, moving slowly to the tubes. Her polished shoes clacked against the tile.
"Is it you or is it your electronic simulacrum in Hell?" Daxin asked.
"Me," the Matron said. "I'm in hiding, but for you, I've come back."
"Why?" Daxin almost spat the word.
He didn't trust her one bit.
"For you, Mister Freeborn. My intentions are clear," the Matron said without turning around. She put one hand on the first tube, took a drag off of her smokestick, then slowly turned to face him. "I'm going to take you off the board. Make sure you don't chase me. Make sure you're out of the way for whatever comes next."
Dax raised an eyebrow, his hand shifting to next to his thigh.
"Don't stupid, Mister Freeborn," the Matron said. "I know better than to use violence against the Walking War Crime," she gave a low chuckle.
"Where are we?" Daxin asked.
The Matron smiled. "I know better than to assume you're stupid, so I'll break it down for you," she said, her face still impassive. "We're currently in a flattened high energy waveform existing in the space at the junction of several dimensions."
Daxin nodded slowly. "So, don't bother trying to escape."
The Matron tilted her head slightly, then straightened up and nodded slowly. "Indeed, Mister Freeborn."
Daxin sighed. "All right."
"I need a Hell Knight," the Matron of Hell said. She tapped the cover on the suspension tube and it slowly drew up.
The figure inside was a horror show. Warsteel plating, chains, spikes, barbed wire, gears, tangled cabling. A demonic face shield, the front of the forehead clear to show a brain floating in nutrigel.
"Serve me, be my Hell Knight, protect humanity, Mister Freeborn," the Matron of the Damned said, her voice monotone. "You will serve only me, no longer bound to a humanity that used and discarded you when they were done with you. You will have more freedom serving me than you have ever known, Mister Freeborn."
Daxin closed his eyes. "Let me guess, if I serve you, you'll reunite me with my wife and daughter."
**don't trust Dax don't trust** FIDO sent.
The Matron of the Damned shook her head. "No, Mister Freeborn. Your wife and daughter are beyond me, beyond the SUDS, beyond the petty bureaucrats who keep watch over souls. You will merely be my Hell Knight, nothing more, nothing less. You will serve as Legion agreed to serve, Mister Freeborn."
Daxin heaved a sigh.
"No," he said.
"Legion has agreed," the Matron of Hell stated coldly.
"Dhruv has a need to serve. It's wired into him. It's wired into most humans, but Dhruv was generated from that strand of desire," Daxin said.
The Matron just nodded slowly.
"Serve me as a Hell Knight. Help protect humanity. The Digital Omnimessiah can lead humanity to a better universe, but you, Mister Freeborn, will punish those who stray or who threaten," the Matron said.
"No," Daxin said.
"Hmm," she said. She tapped the tube and the shielding slid down, hiding the monstrocity from view.
"To go on, you cannot use the physical form you are using now, Mister Freeborn," the Matron said slowly. She waved her hand and the armored shielding slid up from the other tubes. "Choose, Mister Freeborn, the visage you choose to wear once we have concluded out business."
Daxin stared. One of the occupants looked just like he had before he had sat down in the mat-trans. Cybernetic legs, arms, spinal column, eyes. Cybernetic markings along his ribcage. Tattoos on his face.
That one wasn't what held his gaze.
There was the heavy full conversion version of him. Little more than a brain in a jaw with the jawbone and the eyes remaining.
"Because it was funny, Mister Freeborn," the Matron of Hell threw his own words back at him as she stepped up and touched that suspension tube.
The Matron of Hell moved to the next one, pulling apart from herself to leave a version of herself standing next to the full conversion body. She touched the suspension tube as Daxin stared at the body within.
His body.
Thick muscle and heavy bone, only a few cybernetic implants. Tattoos on his cheek, across his chest, on his biceps.
"As you were after you waded the liquid metal of Mars to rescue the innocent. After you were touched by the Digital Omnimessiah, Mister Freeborn," she said.
Another pulled free, stepping up to the next one. Spinal reinforcement, cybernetic legs and arms, chest implants, natural looking cybernetic eyes.
"As you were during your years with the Combine, Mister Freeborn," all of the Matrons of the Damned said at the same time.
Another pulled free, moving up to the last tube. She touched it and the shielding slid back.
Daxin recognized himself, but not as he had ever seen himself. The habgang tattoos were missing. There were no cybernetic implants except for a datalink. The scars earned through a lifetime of warfare and street combat were missing.
"As you would have been, had you never suffered beneath the knives of corporate ripperdocs, military cyberneticists, or any of that. Pure. Unsullied. Just your base genecode as I found it in the archives of the Global Genomic Collection database, aged up to an adult," The Matron said. "Who you could have been, Mister Freeborn."
Daxin just nodded. "And?"
The Matron of Hell tapped all five tubes.
"You must choose one to progress. Choose the body you will live in, Mister Freeborn," she tapped all five of the suspension tubes. "I have not modified your mind. I do not approve of neural adjustment, despite the claims of scientists, we do not know enough of how the human brain works, Mister Freeborn."
Daxin just nodded. He stepped forward and touched the one where he was untouched.
"This one," he said softly.
There was a jerking feeling, like he had been yanked forward, then he was falling. There was pain, agony, and shards of his life flashed in front of his vision.
"Rise and shine, Mister Freeborn," the Detainee's voice came from somewhere close but far away.
He landed hard on his side, managing to take the majority of the impact on his hip and shoulder.
At least my reflexes are there, he thought to himself.
He took stock, laying there. He was laying in dirt, the feeling of moss and grass beneath his skin. He could hear the sound of insects. The air was cool, if slightly damp. Animals and creatures could be heard rustling in underbrush.
**Dax ok?** FIDO asked, and started licking his shoulder.
"Yeah," Daxin said. He opened his eyes and sat up, shifting his shoulder and grimacing at the tiny spark of pain.
**Daxin look funny** FIDO said.
Daxin saw he was naked and shook his head. "She loves games," he said.
"This is no game, Mister Freeborn," the Matron's voice came from behind him.
Daxin turned and looked. He noted how his body felt different. More real, but less solid. He was aware of less about his body, so many things now just... happening.
The Matron of the Damned sat on a rock behind a table. The table had clothing on it in different piles. Pseudo-military uniforms in one stack, leisure clothing in another stack, dress clothing in another. All with shoes, shirts, underwear, and socks.
"Choose, Mister Freeborn," she said.
"Why?" Daxin asked.
"Because, we have a long road to travel, Mister Freeborn," the Matron said.
Daxin just nodded. He moved up and looked it over. There were even leathers, completely with spikes and studs, that even had his old gang colors spray painted and scrawled on them.
He chose comfortable boots, thick socks, heavy denim jeans, a comfortable unadorned black t-shirt, a leather vest over it, and a pair of fingerless black leather gloves.
The Matron of the Damned just watched, silently, her eyes unreadable behind the black sunglasses.
Once Daxin was done stomping his boots so that they were nice and comfortable, he looked at The Detainee, trying not to let any irritation show on his face.
"Now what?" he asked.
**FIDO not trust this devil mommy** FIDO sent over the link that obviously still existed.
"We have a distance to walk, Mister Freeborn," the Matron said. "There will be trials of strength and determination that you must face."
Daxin decided not to ask why. Part of his didn't want to give her the satisfaction.
The Matron pushed off from the rock, lighting a cigarette as she walked toward the woods.
FIDO barked happily as Daxin followed her.
[first] [prev] [next] - [wiki]

[first] [prev] [next] - [wiki]
I saw more close combat as a staff officer or command officer than I ever saw as a lieutenant. - General of the Warsteel Tut'el, Telkan Marine Corps (ret)
The enlisted and more than a few NCO's watched as Major Tut'el moved through the camp, dressed only in his ACU and hardback plates, his hands clenched behind his back, staring at everything from beneath the rim of his helmet. He seemed to know right what to check to find flaws.
But he never raised his voice, never seemed disappointed, never spoke harshly.
He merely corrected the defect, showing the enlisted or NCOIC what they had done wrong, how to correct it, how to keep it from happening next time, then moved on.
To be honest, his soft spoken attitude combined with his whispered about record gave more than a few of the enlisted and NCO's the creeps.
That and the amber glow deep in his eyes.
"The manual says to forge up a Type-4416A ninety degree cable T-joint," Major Tut'el was saying to three electronic warfare soldiers. He tapped it. "But, if you look at the impedance levels you'll see that the right junction has a higher impedance level than the left, when you want both to have the same impedance. That's why you're getting signal degradation across the analog system to the phased radar array. Use a Bravo of the same series."
The NCO, a Sergeant First Class, merely nodded, jotting down notes in his notebook, which was another thing the members of HHC had started using. A simple black ink pen and a green cover notebook. All five green mantids present were all busy taking notes.
The Major stood up, dusting off his hands, which were protected by fingerless leather gloves. "Any other problems, Sergeant, feel free to inquire with me and I will help if I can."
One of the greenies flashed a quick set of emojis and Tut'el shook his head. "No, I don't think it was ever sent up to TRADOC, it was just SOP out in the Atrekna Zone. Everyone did it."
More emojis.
"Feel free to write it up and slap your work crew's name on it," Tut'el said. He turned and looked over to where someone was yelling for him by the TOC. "If you'll excuse me, gentlemen."
The group nodded as Tut'el walked away, moving over to the Corporal calling out for him.
"I'm right here," Tut'el said from behind hm.
The Corporal jumped, turning around. "Uh, Colonel Ssalressk sent me to look for you, sir. You weren't responding to comlink requests."
"I have it turned off, Corporal," Tut'el said. He looked around. "Too much EM scatter."
"Oh," the Corporal turned and gestured at the TOC. "If you would, sir."
Tut'el just nodded, moving into the TOC.
The Colonel stood by a holotank that showed the city in red and silver.
"Ah, there you are Major," the Colonel said. He waved Tut'el over. "Ninth Air Cavalry is pulling Kilo and Hotel Companies out of Tuffy City."
"How bad are the casualties?" Tut'el asked.
Ssalressk shook his head. "Hotel Company got pinned by a large group of deaders. They lost nearly sixty percent. Kilo Company only took sixteen percent."
Tut'el nodded. "Could happen to anyone," he said, unwilling to criticize the men on the ground without knowing the full story.
"Brigade and Regiment are telling me to roll Hotel into Kilo for right now, since Hotel lost all of their officers and senior NCO's," the Colonel said.
"Might be best," Tut'el said.
"A small question for you, Major," the Colonel asked.
"Of course, sir," Tut'el said.
He tapped the icon of a single striker lagging behind the others, moving in an erratic pattern. "The pilot of this craft was requested to move to the various armor beacons for downed troops," the Colonel said. "Ninth Air Cav is wondering if your man is trying to reclaim the bodies of the dead."
Tut'el squinted at it. "Those bodies were left behind?" he asked.
"Indeed," the Colonel said.
Tut'el nodded. "I know what he's doing, and he's not risking that striker for dead bodies."
"Oh?" the Colonel asked.
"You're used to armor being totally destroyed," Tut'el said, putting his hands behind his back. "I know exactly what he's doing."
"What's that?" the Colonel asked.
-----
Bit.nek popped the hump on the back of the armor and the kinetic gel held its shape for a second before suddenly going liquid. The little green mantid in his armor stood up, shaking the gel off his rifle.
--thanks-- the mantid said.
"Not a problem, buddy," Bit.nek said, moving over to the next body. "Stay quiet."
The striker was overhead, above the roof of the skyraker that Bit.nek was out in front of. The air was full of high concentrate thermal and scent masking smoke that Bit.nek could see well enough through.
He tore the faceplate away.
The kobold snarled at him, snapping its jaws.
A single enhanced punch crushed the skull.
Bit.nek flipped the body over and saw there were deep gouges in the protective shell but the shell wasn't breached. He tapped on it.
one two three one two three
four back.
He wrenched it open and waited for the green mantid to stand up, checking his microrifle.
--thank you-- the mantid said.
"Not going to leave you out here," Bit.nek said. He pointed at the side of the skyraker. "We'll go up in a second. Extract's on the roof."
--roger roger--
Bit.nek finished getting the last two out, let them climb onto him, and started leaping up the wall, quickly ascending the skyraker and bounding across the roof, landing smoothly on the striker.
"One more target," the Crew Chief called out. He pointed at one of the larger buildings, one that was nearly two kilometers high. "We've got about thirty transponders there."
Bit.nek nodded, making sure the green battle buddies were strapped into the webbing.
--thanks-- one said.
"No charge," Bit.nek said.
--you save all of us not forget-- 299 said over the link.
"You're not disposable," Bit.nek said. "You're a soldier, same as I'm a Marine. I'm not leaving you guys behind just because some people forgot you aren't equipment."
--thank you won't forget this-- 299 said.
Bit.nek stood up and moved over next to the M318 door gun, grabbing the 'oh shit' handle at the top of the striker's bay door frame. He looked over the city, noting that there was fires here and there, with black smoke billowing up.
He didn't bother wondering what had been caused by the atomic he'd cracked off.
Why ask why, it is what it is and I did what I did, he thought to himself.
He was silent, staring at the city, one hand on the 'oh-shit' bar, the other on the top of the door mounted M318, thinking about how many of the greenies or even any of the soldiers might still be alive. Thirty was a lot, and that they were on the top of a skyraker might mean...
"WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?" someone yelled, snapping Bit.nek out of his thoughts.
The grav-striker suddenly banked hard, dropping nose down, the graviton engines howling.
Something slammed into it hard enough that Bit.nek was almost thrown out. A massive tail wrapped around the striker in front of him and he saw a massive leg that terminated in scimitar-like claws kick down and rip away the port graviton engine.
Alarms were howling and something exploded.
There was a deep bass screech that he felt through his armor.
"TWO MORE INBOUND!" someone yelled.
The thing outside shifted, both rear feet and a massive tail appearing before a scaled belly dropped in front of Bit.nek. The scales were metallic, iridescent, and overlapping.
The grav-striker rolled and for a moment Bit.nek was weightless. A greenie floated by and he grabbed it with his off hand, snatching it before it flew out the door. The crew was yelling, the pilot yelling but Bit.nek couldn't hear what they were yelling.
The greenie jumped to the webbing, pulling itself in as Bit.nek lost his balance, grabbing at the M318. He heard the forward guns on the striker fire, even though the striker was still dropping. It leveled out and the huge body slid down.
A claw raked the side, peeling the warsteel like tinfoil, and a massive head appeared. Long snout, huge mouth full of fangs, two baleful eyes that were glazed over with white cataracts.
--eeeeeeeee-- 299 screamed.
The creature let go and the grav-striker suddenly twisted around, rolling toward the thing that had let go and dropped away.
The M318 twisted in his grasp and he felt something snap.
"Grav..." he started.
299 hit the grav-anchor.
The entire floorplate he was standing on peeled off.
He flew out the door, the M318 and half the pintle mount in his hands, the floor plate attached to his boots. He could see three other massive shapes, long bodies with huge wingspans, plummeting out of the cloud cover toward the striker. Another one was on top of the grav-striker, wrapping its tail around it and its head darted down to slam against the cockpit.
"GET OUT OF HERE, IDIOTS!" Bit.nek roared over his speakers.
He fired by eyeball, all six grenades firing from the launcher in one rippling TWOOMP-P-P-P!
Two missed, three hit the body, the high-explosive blowing huge chunks out of it, the fourth hit the warsteel skin of the grav-striker, leaving nothing more than scuffmark behind.
ALT: 1532.54m
He was dropping fast.
--no no no no no--
He triggered the grav-chute and felt it yank him straight up. He popped the grav-boots and let the plate fall as he lifted one foot up and kicked away the pintle mount, bringing the M318 up close.
A shadow went by and a massive impact hit him, making him groan.
--eeeeeeee--
Massive teeth were on either side of him and the cold purple tongue convulsed, trying to pull him deeper.
Bit.nek slammed his boots against the tongue, engaging his grav achor and twisting the spike. Blood and rotting tissue sprayed the inside the mouth.
The rocket from his shoulder launcher punctured the soft palate at the top of the mouth, vanishing into the tissue as Bit.nek felt it try to swallow him again. Bit.nek got his hand on the rear handle of the M318 and managed to push his thumb against the butterfly trigger.
The M318 was set for 600 rounds a minute, high velocity API.
They blew through the tissue, cavitation blowing huge bloody holes in the jaw, teeth shattering, rotted flesh and clotted blood exploding from the wound. Bit.nek held down the trigger as the heavy gun flailed around as he started to slide down the creature's throat. His armor wailed as the pressure increased and he fired the weapon again, letting it flail around in his grip. The rounds just punched straight through, blowing huge holes the size of his fist.
The problem was, the neck itself was as wide as a truck.
There was another swallow and he felt himself sliding down the long throat, unable to get purchase. Any attempt with the grav anchor just ripped away rotted flesh, firing the M318 was doing nothing, and the alarms on his suit were wailing as it kept being compressed. His armor brushed something that made the heat alarms spike.
He could feel the massive creature moving as he slid down the throat. He hit something, hanging up, kicking for a second. The enhanced strength of his power armor ripped away flesh, doing little to give him purchase or stop him from sliding further down the throat.
There was no heartbeat, no rush of air, just the muscles contracting. No blood was flowing, just black clotted chunks and black liquid.
He got his free hand on something, something as thick as his leg, and grabbed it, pulling himself toward it. He felt the muscle contract around him, then he was out, pinned against a huge tube and some muscles.
--we live-- 299 said.
"Yeah, we're alive," Bit.nek said. "This thing ain't."
--what is it-- 299 asked.
Bit.nek shook his head, still unable to see.
"I have no clue."
[first] [prev] [next] - [wiki]