Date: 05/30/2024

Reading time: 9 minutes, 1826 words

🪖 Military

The government denies the publications about surrendering positions in Gegharkunik

The government denies the publications about the promise to hand over some defense positions in the Gegharkunik Marz to Azerbaijan. The information spread in the media is completely false information, the RA government said.

CivilNet

EU Mission in Armenia inaugurates Liaison and Support Office in Yerevan

The workspace will facilitate exchange and increase coordination with the stakeholders in the Armenian capital. To date, EUMA has conducted over 2300 patrols in Armenia.

ArmRadio, Head of EU Mission in Armenia visits Sev Lake area

France could announce sending military instructors to Ukraine – Le Monde

Le Monde: French and European instructors could be sent to Ukraine in a matter of weeks or days. French authorities looking to set up coalition of willing countries to train Ukrainian forces besieged by Russian army. There is talk of training deminers, deminers and even training soldiers for a new motorized brigade.

Armenpress

EUMA head visits Sev Lake area

Head of Mission Markus Ritter, went to Syunik and met with EUMA staff in Goris. EUMA also visited Lake Sev located on the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan. To date, EUMA has conducted over 2300 patrols.

Armenpress, Head of EU Mission in Armenia visits Sev Lake area

🏛️ Politics & Government

Armenian government besieged by protesters

Protesters led by Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan poured into Yerevan’s Republic Square to try to surround the seat of Armenia’s government.

PanArmenian

EU calls on Azerbaijan to release all political prisoners

The European Union calls on Azerbaijan to release all those imprisoned for exercising their fundamental rights.

PanArmenian

Border delimitation process between Armenia and Azerbaijan important for regional stability - Zakharova

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the Russian Federation is following the border delimitation process between Armenia and Azerbaijan. She said the process is of great importance for establishing stability in the region. Russia is ready to continue maintaining the same full, friendly relations with the Armenian people.

Armenpress, Russia’s Foreign Ministry: Armenia-Azerbaijan border delimitation ‘important for regional stability’

Armenian MFA extends congratulations to Croatia on Statehood Day

Armenia congratulates Croatia on the Statehood Day, expecting to strengthen cooperation with Croatia. The message reads as follows: “Looking forward to strengthening our cooperation based on mutual respect and sympathy between our peoples, both bilaterally and within the framework of Armenia-EU partnership.”

Armenpress

Agreement reached with Russia to rebuild flood-damaged railway in Armenia

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said an agreement was reached with Russia regarding the construction of the railway damaged by floods in Lori and Tavush regions. "It seems that an agreement has been reached with Russian partners," he said.

Armenpress, Armenia to establish temporary cargo route in flooded region amid railway devastation, Russia ready to help Armenia in restoring flood-affected areas – Zakharova, Armenia, Russia agree on repairing railway destroyed in floods

Essential goods delivered by ropes to 141 residents of Alaverdi Sanahin station district

456 rescue workers were involved in efforts to eliminate the consequences of the floods in Lori and Tavush regions. Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructures, Gnel Sanosyan, stated at the government session that the rescuers delivered everything with ropes. He summarized the work of the emergency management operational staff.

Armenpress

Prime Minister extends condolences to families of flood victims

Floods occurred in Lori and Tavush regions as a result of heavy rains and overflowing of Debed, Aghst and Tashir rivers. The government declared a disaster zone in the settlements affected by floods.

Armenpress, Rescue service to carry out rehabilitation work in Armenia's disaster zone for another week, Lori governor: roads, bridges being repaired in flood-stricken areas, Armenian Prime Minister has been reported on the consequences of flooding in Lori and Tavush

‘Delimitation means that Azerbaijan must withdraw’: French Ambassador Olivier Decottignies

Olivier Decottignies, the French Ambassador to Armenia, talks to CivilNet about Armenia's political situation and relations with France. He discusses issues including demarcation of the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan. He says the French-Armenian friendship between the diaspora and Armenia has seen military support, as well as financial aid at different levels.

CivilNet

Moscow views political processes in Armenia as internal affair of the country

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said that political processes in Armenia are an internal affair of this country. She noted that Russia seeks to develop friendly ties with the people of Armenia.

ArkaAm

Armenia to spend 791 million drams on enumeration of goats, sheep

Armenian government introduced mandatory enumeration of goats and sheep that is supposed to work the same way as cattle enumeration. The Armenian government approved a program for enumerating and recording cattle in 2020. A total of 791 million drams (roughly $2 million) is expected to be spent.

ArkaAm

Armenian and U.S. Customs Authorities Agree on Cooperation

Armenia and the United States will sign an agreement on cooperation of customs authorities. Agreement will specify sectors of cooperation, procedure of information exchange within the framework of combating smuggling and other customs violations. The document also envisages simplification of procedures for bona fide businessmen.

ArkaAm, Armenia, U.S. customs authorities to boost assistance with new deal

Russian and Armenian deputy prime ministers discuss integration cooperation

The Eurasian Economic Commission board discussed certain areas of integration during a videoconference meeting. The sides considered issues related to development of the union’s legislative base, improvement of regulatory mechanisms. The chair congratulated participants on the 10th anniversary of signing the EAEU.

ArkaAm, The Deputy Prime Ministers of Armenia and Russia discussed issues of integration cooperation

Armenia-Azerbaijan: Turkey wants deal after “positive developments”

Turkey hopes “positive developments” in negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan will lead to an agreement.

PanArmenian

Slovenia's Government recognises Palestinian State

Slovenian government approves decision to recognise an independent Palestinian state. Prime Minister Robert Golob: "Today the government has decided to recognise Palestine as an independent and sovereign state"

Armenpress

EFES: Swiss and German health guarantees already in Armenia

EFES Insurance Company continues its activities by concluding significant international contracts. New health insurance products were approved during the Board Meeting as well. The sale of new services is to be launched from the 1st of July, and the Company accepts preliminary orders.

Armenpress

Pashinyan received the Executive Chairman of Libra Group

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan received George Logothetis, Executive Chairman of Libra Group. The company operates in alternative energy, investment, aviation, service and other fields. The interlocutors discussed the perspectives of cooperation, as well as the "Crossroads of Peace" project.

Armenpress, Global Libra Group to discuss projects in Armenia, “Libra Group” ready to discuss implementation of investment projects in Armenia

We strive to normalize citizens' lives quickly - governor of Lori

Governor of Lori Aram Ghazaryan spoke at a press conference in Alaverdi, Lori, Armenia. He said the works to eliminate the consequences of the flood, a natural disaster that happened a few days ago. The governor called on some people not to post on social networks about lack of food, clothes or other items.

Armenpress, Lori governor: roads, bridges being repaired in flood-stricken areas, Armenian Prime Minister has been reported on the consequences of flooding in Lori and Tavush

Vanadzor-Alaverdi-Ayrum-Bagratashen highway is closed

Vanadzor-Alaverdi-Ayrum-Bagratashen highway is closed, reported Road Department. A partial collapse occurred in the pedestrian section of the bridge near Getapnya village of Ararat region. The bridge leading to Khashtarak and Lusahovit villages is closed.

Armenpress

Reverend Bagrat held a demonstration with his supporters in Republic Square

Rev. Bagrat calls on citizens to come to Republic Square after 18:00 after the end of the working day to obstruct Pashinyan's exit from the government building. Reverend Bagrat announced in Republic Square that 100 protesters will continue to stay near government building, the others will march.

CivilNet

Erdogan believes that Armenia will get closer to peace if it gets rid of "the shackles of foreign forces and diaspora".

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan believes that Armenia will get closer to peace if it is freed from the shackles of foreign forces and diaspora. Erdogan has reaffirmed the idea he expressed many times before that after the Karabakh conflict, a historic opportunity for stable peace has opened up in the region.

CivilNet

Armenia bans whitefish roe exports for six months

Armenian government bans whitefish roe exports for six months. The estimated biomass of whitefish in Armenia’s Lake Sevan grew from 2,668 to 4,700 tonnes between 2019 and 2022. However, the growth of the whitefish population still remains insufficient, government says.

ArkaAm

Government more than triples allowances for Armenian athletes who qualify for Olympic Games

The amount of allowance of athletes who qualify for the Olympic Games from the current 300 thousand drams to 1 million drams. The decisions comes into force from June 1, 2024. The rise will be an additional incentive for athletes to achieve the ranking required for participation.

ArkaAm

Police urge to abide by the law as protesters flock to Republic Square

Police urge protesters to abide by the law and obey the legal demands of the Police. Protesters have been holding rallies and staging acts of disobedience in Yerevan since May 9. They are demanding the resignation of the Prime Minister.

ArmRadio

Armenian, Iranian foreigh policy chief talk over the phone

The Foreign Minister of Armenia once again expressed condolences to his counterpart on the death of the President of Iran.

PanArmenian

💵 Economy

Graduates of Armenpress School of Photojournalism receive long-awaited certificates

The Photojournalism School of Armenpress State News Agency has been giving young people the opportunity to gain knowledge in the field of photojournalism. In 2023-2024, 13 participants attended the classes; they are free. In today's rapidly developing world, the visual aspect of materials becomes more impactful and targeted.

Armenpress

Unibank has become a regular member of the BACEE

"We at BACEE shall be able to co-operate with the further development of the country’s economic community" "We hope to contribute to the development of our new member banks," says IACEE.

ArkaAm

🧪 Science & Technology

Cloud AI, industry trends: SADA and Google Cloud hold the first "Google Cloud AI & Innovation Forum" in Yerevan

SADA, an Insight company, and Google Cloud organized the first and unique "Google Cloud AI & Innovation Forum" in Yerevan on May 21. The forum presented the latest cloud technologies, industry trends, and the impact of artificial intelligence on companies in Armenia and the region. The goal of the event is to introduce Google Cloud and SADA services to IT companies.

Armenpress

🎭 Culture

Armenia a guest of honor at Paris-Philex 2024 philatelic event

From May 30 to June 1, Armenia participates in the major Paris-Philex 2024 philatelic event as a guest of honor. Within the framework of the fair, Armenia’s postal operator Haypost will present itself in a separate booth, displaying the best samples and collections of Armenian philately depicting the sights of Armenia and the Armenian alphabet.

ArmRadio

Armenia’s Teryan Cultural Center among winners of 2024 Europa Nostra Awards

Armenia’s Teryan Cultural Center has been named one of the winners of the European Heritage Awards. The awards are co-funded by the European Commission and the European Union.

ArmRadio

⚽ Sport

Armenia's Futsal EURO 2026 qualifying round opponents revealed

Armenia placed in the 6th group of UEFA Futsal Euro-2026 qualifying round. The Armenian national team will face Albania, Denmark and Kazakhstan. The top 10 teams in the groups qualify for EURO 2026, along with the finals hosts Latvia and Lithuania.

Armenpress

Donations to Armenia:

Himnadram
ServicemenFund
Armenian Wounded Heroes
ArmeniaFund

After 4 years of a slow and steady cognitive decline, and one year of rapid physical decline- my mom’s dementia diagnosis has been updated to Frontotemporal dementia with ALS.
She is bedridden now, but fairly mentally alert after the addition of a bipap machine a few hours each day.
Before the ALS diagnosis, she was in a rehab facility for a broken arm (fall), and doing well with her PT. A UTI went untreated (we suspected it and had to request a test… when the sample came back contaminated they just….. didn’t do anything.) within a week, the infection weakened her to the point where she couldn’t sit up or stand. She lost the ability to talk. It seemed like she was seizing and drifting in and out of consciousness, it was truly awful - it was like she was fading away- but not in a peaceful way, in an alarming SOMETHING IS DRASTICALLY WRONG kind of way. Still the staff did nothing- except give us a condolence ‘it’s just her time’ face.
We got there one day and she was completely unresponsive, we freaked out and finally the staff called an ambulance. She was in a coma, we thought it was too late. We had no idea her diaphragm had weakened to the point that her body wasn’t able to offload the co2. It was at 112 when she arrived to the ER. Normal is 35-40.
She’s a DNR with no ventilation or compressions… The ER doc said we could try the bipap, but the odds of her waking up were very slim. Within 30 minutes she was starting to come to.. within 40, her eyes were open and she was able to look and blink, within 2 hours she was fully awake, more mentally alert than she had been in weeks, and she was talking.
The past 2 weeks she’s been in the hospital, her condition fluctuating a bit at first… and then eventually stabilizing. She’s on a bipap about 6-8 hrs per 24hr period now. EMG results and physical evaluations all point to ALS, and other possibilities that mimic als symptoms have been ruled out. We’re still waiting on the C9 gene mutation test results, and the Drs are ordering the full ftd-als-Alzheimer’s gene panel. It will be a few weeks before we get those results.
She is going to be discharged back to in-patient rehab tomorrow-the care team doesn’t think she’s ready for hospice yet. She’s still eating and swallowing fine… is mentally sharp and able to converse and joke etc (despite the not being able to remember part), and seems to be tolerating the bipap well.
I had a conversation with one of her neuromuscular specialists today, and he said as of right now, light PT will do her good, but as the disease progresses, her ability to swallow will be lost, and/or the risk of infection due to aspiration will rise. When the next medical incident occurs, we need to be ready to decide as a family whether we want to take her to the hospital, or pivot to hospice and a peaceful transition being the priority.
Sorry this was so long, I do this every time and end up accidentally writing a novel just to get it out. :(
I guess I’m wondering… does anyone else in here have experience with a loved one initially diagnosed with just dementia and later new found to also have ALS?
At the end, did you know it was time? Was it clear?
Right now I’d like to think my rational compassionate side will know, and want to do everything I can to make my moms transition peaceful when the time comes… but after what happened- I’m also afraid that it’ll be another freak out/disturbing/OH NO SOMETHING IS DRASTICALLY WRONG! Type of feeling… and I’m worried we’ll panic again and not want to let her go.
To be clear though, we don’t regret insisting she be taken to the ER recently. It definitely wasn’t her time yet. I’m just worried how we’ll handle it when it is, or if we’ll be blinded by the idea of another miraculous recovery.
I plan to crosspost in an ALS subreddit, but would appreciate any personal experience/words of advice if anyone here has also dealt with both dementia and ALS. :(

Okay, I am being a smidge dramatic, but hear me out.
I don't have much expendable income right now so it is a tragic blind buy (stupidity on my part). I loved, the idea of a pistachio gelato perfume, but when I smelled Kayali YUM in store at Sephora, it just didn't sit well on my skin. As the reviews have noted, it's much more powdery than most assumed it would be. I did some digging and Lauren Mae Beauty suggested Sphynx Creme De Pistache for the true pistachio gourmand I was craving. I usually have tastes that heavily align with her sense of vanilla-centric and heavy gourmand scents, so I felt pretty safe in this being a solid perfume.
This is the fatal flaw. I blind-bought a $120 perfume and upon first sniff was bitch slapped with just pistachio. Well, candied cheap pistachio. It felt very one-note and genuinely stinky. I have put it aside and buried it behind my Sol De Janeiro 62 to remind myself that I do, in fact, like pistachio gourmand. I feel very silly for buying something so pricey without first sampling, but it was 9 pm and the perfume goblin in me won out.
I hear online that there is hope and that other people have bought that same perfume and felt similarly. Does anyone out there own it after a few months of maceration and can tell me if I should wait? I took the lid off and let it sit to hopefully aerate it a little.
Anywho, I've learned my lesson. No blind buys of perfumes over $40 for me. Thanks in advance for any help or condolences for my wallet.

Last sunday, 19th May 2024, Anish Awadiya and Ashwini Koshta were struck and killed by Vedant Agarwal, 17, who was driving a Porshe Taycan (with no license plate) under the influence of alcohol. Vedant Agarwal is the son of well known builder Vishal Agarwal, the owner of Bramha Realty and Infrastructure. Due to his connections with the police and politicians, Vedant got out on bail in under a day. The lawyer representing him, Adv Prashant Patil, has been associated with the likes of people like Jacqueline Fernandez, Suraj Pancholi and many others.
Vedant, along with 2 of his friends were seen partying in nearby clubs in Kalyani Nagar. They returned to their car drunk at 3:15AM, and Vedant forced his driver to let him drive the car, even though the driver kept asking him to not do it. The Agarwal family is now trying to shift the blame on the innocent driver, making it look like he was the one who was driving when the accident took place. According to law, Vedants father too should be facing prosecution and jailtime.
The deceased, Anish and Ashwini, came from Madhya Pradesh in search of job opportunities and were working in IT companies. There is very little coverage about the victims and their backgrounds. Imagine what their families must be going through. Pune police has failed miserably in providing them justice.
We demand justice for the victims' families, and we refuse to let the influence of wealth and connections overshadow the gravity of this tragedy. We request you all to please share news regarding this story or this post on your social media handles. Share it with friends, family, Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, Whatsapp groups, anything works. Tag MLA's, MP's, and other politicians in your posts. Even though we have all lost faith in the local government, we can write letters to activists, police departments, and public representatives, and demand strict action. Protests have taken place in Kalyani Nagar and surrounding areas. People in the locality held a condolence meet for the victims' families too, but again there is very little coverage so they're struggling to make their voices heard. We can all help by reposting tweets about them. Please also repost and retweet posts regarding this incident.
Some news articles covering this story:
https://x.com/punekarnews/status/1792163897333653543
https://www.aninews.in/news/national/general-news/juvenile-accused-in-pune-car-accident-granted-bail-with-conditions20240519222406/
https://www.punekarnews.in/pune-was-minor-boy-saved-after-influential-intervention-in-fatal-porsche-accident-case/
Edit: Just as everybody expected, the police has put out a statement saying no alcohol was found in the blood sample of the boy: https://www.punekarnews.in/pune-porsche-accident-minor-boys-blood-test-does-not-show-alcohol-consumption-police/
Edit: We are planning a protest and social media campaigns on pune. Please join in if you support the cause.
Edit: Vishal Agarwal, the boys' father who had fled to Chh. Sambhajinagar, has been arrested now. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/aurangabad/pune-porsche-accident-on-the-run-drunk-teen-drivers-father-held-from-aurangabad/articleshow/110287148.cms

I'm sure you guys must have seen the video related to this incident posted on this sub.
Last sunday, 19th May 2024, Anish Awadiya and Ashwini Koshta were struck and killed by Vedant Agarwal, 17, who was driving a Porshe Taycan (with no license plate) under the influence of alcohol. Vedant Agarwal is the son of well known builder Vishal Agarwal, the owner of Bramha Realty and Infrastructure. Due to his connections with the police and politicians, Vedant got out on bail in under a day. The lawyer representing him, Adv Prashant Patil, has been associated with the likes of people like Jacqueline Fernandez, Suraj Pancholi and many others.
Vedant, along with 2 of his friends were seen partying in nearby clubs in Kalyani Nagar. They returned to their car drunk at 3:15AM, and Vedant forced his driver to let him drive the car, even though the driver kept asking him to not do it. The Agarwal family is now trying to shift the blame on the innocent driver, making it look like he was the one who was driving when the accident took place. According to law, Vedants father too should be facing prosecution and jailtime.
The deceased, Anish and Ashwini, came from Madhya Pradesh in search of job opportunities and were working in IT companies. There is very little coverage about the victims and their backgrounds. Imagine what their families must be going through. Pune police has failed miserably in providing them justice.
We demand justice for the victims' families, and we refuse to let the influence of wealth and connections overshadow the gravity of this tragedy. We request you all to please share news regarding this story or this post on your social media handles. Share it with friends, family, Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, Whatsapp groups, anything works. Tag MLA's, MP's, and other politicians in your posts. Even though we have all lost faith in the local government, we can write letters to activists, police departments, and public representatives, and demand strict action. Protests have taken place in Kalyani Nagar and surrounding areas. People in the locality held a condolence meet for the victims' families too, but again there is very little coverage so they're struggling to make their voices heard. We can all help by reposting tweets about them. Please also repost and retweet posts regarding this incident.
Some news articles covering this story:
https://x.com/punekarnews/status/1792163897333653543
https://www.aninews.in/news/national/general-news/juvenile-accused-in-pune-car-accident-granted-bail-with-conditions20240519222406/
https://www.punekarnews.in/pune-was-minor-boy-saved-after-influential-intervention-in-fatal-porsche-accident-case/
Edit: Just as everybody expected, the police has put out a statement saying no alcohol was found in the blood sample of the boy: https://www.punekarnews.in/pune-porsche-accident-minor-boys-blood-test-does-not-show-alcohol-consumption-police/
Edit: We are planning a protest and social media campaigns on pune. Please join in if you support the cause.
Edit: Vishal Agarwal, the boys' father who had fled to Chh. Sambhajinagar, has been arrested now. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/aurangabad/pune-porsche-accident-on-the-run-drunk-teen-drivers-father-held-from-aurangabad/articleshow/110287148.cms

Last sunday, 19th May 2024, Anish Awadiya and Ashwini Koshta were struck and killed by Vedant Agarwal, 17, who was driving a Porshe Taycan (with no license plate) under the influence of alcohol. Vedant Agarwal is the son of well known builder Vishal Agarwal, the owner of Bramha Realty and Infrastructure. Due to his connections with the police and politicians, Vedant got out on bail in under a day. The lawyer representing him, Adv Prashant Patil, has been associated with the likes of people like Jacqueline Fernandez, Suraj Pancholi and many others.
Vedant, along with 2 of his friends were seen partying in nearby clubs in Kalyani Nagar. They returned to their car drunk at 3:15AM, and Vedant forced his driver to let him drive the car, even though the driver kept asking him to not do it. The Agarwal family is now trying to shift the blame on the innocent driver, making it look like he was the one who was driving when the accident took place. According to law, Vedants father too should be facing prosecution and jailtime.
The deceased, Anish and Ashwini, came from Madhya Pradesh in search of job opportunities and were working in IT companies. There is very little coverage about the victims and their backgrounds. Imagine what their families must be going through. Pune police has failed miserably in providing them justice.
We demand justice for the victims' families, and we refuse to let the influence of wealth and connections overshadow the gravity of this tragedy. We request you all to please share news regarding this story or this post on your social media handles. Share it with friends, family, Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, Whatsapp groups, anything works. Tag MLA's, MP's, and other politicians in your posts. Even though we have all lost faith in the local government, we can write letters to activists, police departments, and public representatives, and demand strict action. Protests have taken place in Kalyani Nagar and surrounding areas. People in the locality held a condolence meet for the victims' families too, but again there is very little coverage so they're struggling to make their voices heard. We can all help by reposting tweets about them. Please also repost and retweet posts regarding this incident.
Some news articles covering this story:
https://x.com/punekarnews/status/1792163897333653543
https://www.aninews.in/news/national/general-news/juvenile-accused-in-pune-car-accident-granted-bail-with-conditions20240519222406/
https://www.punekarnews.in/pune-was-minor-boy-saved-after-influential-intervention-in-fatal-porsche-accident-case/
Edit: Just as everybody expected, the police has put out a statement saying no alcohol was found in the blood sample of the boy: https://www.punekarnews.in/pune-porsche-accident-minor-boys-blood-test-does-not-show-alcohol-consumption-police/
Edit: We are planning a protest and social media campaigns on pune. Please join in if you support the cause.
Edit: There has been a significant increase in news articles and social media posts regarding this incident. Thank you guys. I'll keep y'all updated
Edit: Vishal Agarwal, the boys' father who had fled to Chh. Sambhajinagar, has been arrested now. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/aurangabad/pune-porsche-accident-on-the-run-drunk-teen-drivers-father-held-from-aurangabad/articleshow/110287148.cms

Last sunday, 19th May 2024, Anish Awadiya and Ashwini Koshta were struck and killed by Vedant Agarwal, 17, who was driving a Porshe Taycan (with no license plate) under the influence of alcohol. Vedant Agarwal is the son of well known builder Vishal Agarwal, the owner of Bramha Realty and Infrastructure. Due to his connections with the police and politicians, Vedant got out on bail in under a day. The lawyer representing him, Adv Prashant Patil, has been associated with the likes of people like Jacqueline Fernandez, Suraj Pancholi and many others.
Vedant, along with 2 of his friends were seen partying in nearby clubs in Kalyani Nagar. They returned to their car drunk at 3:15AM, and Vedant forced his driver to let him drive the car, even though the driver kept asking him to not do it. The Agarwal family is now trying to shift the blame on the innocent driver, making it look like he was the one who was driving when the accident took place. According to law, Vedants father too should be facing prosecution and jailtime.
The deceased, Anish and Ashwini, came from Madhya Pradesh in search of job opportunities and were working in IT companies. There is very little coverage about the victims and their backgrounds. Imagine what their families must be going through. Pune police has failed miserably in providing them justice.
We demand justice for the victims' families, and we refuse to let the influence of wealth and connections overshadow the gravity of this tragedy. We request you all to please share news regarding this story or this post on your social media handles. Share it with friends, family, Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, Whatsapp groups, anything works. Tag MLA's, MP's, and other politicians in your posts. Even though we have all lost faith in the local government, we can write letters to activists, police departments, and public representatives, and demand strict action. Protests have taken place in Kalyani Nagar and surrounding areas. People in the locality held a condolence meet for the victims' families too, but again there is very little coverage so they're struggling to make their voices heard. We can all help by reposting tweets about them. Please also repost and retweet posts regarding this incident.
Some news articles covering this story:
https://x.com/punekarnews/status/1792163897333653543
https://www.aninews.in/news/national/general-news/juvenile-accused-in-pune-car-accident-granted-bail-with-conditions20240519222406/
https://www.punekarnews.in/pune-was-minor-boy-saved-after-influential-intervention-in-fatal-porsche-accident-case/
Edit: Just as everybody expected, the police has put out a statement saying no alcohol was found in the blood sample of the boy: https://www.punekarnews.in/pune-porsche-accident-minor-boys-blood-test-does-not-show-alcohol-consumption-police/
Edit: We are planning a protest and social media campaigns on pune. Please join in if you support the cause.
Edit: There is a protest being held as of right now by Ravindra Dhangekar https://twitter.com/DhangekarINC/status/1792456740774260840?t=uHjnVeyEWHYzOeawSpxvlg&s=19
Edit: Vishal Agarwal, the boys' father who had fled to Chh. Sambhajinagar, has been arrested now. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/aurangabad/pune-porsche-accident-on-the-run-drunk-teen-drivers-father-held-from-aurangabad/articleshow/110287148.cms

I'm sure you guys must've seen the news by now. We are 1.5 lakh members strong and nothing is stopping us from raising our voices.
Last sunday, Anish Awadiya and Ashwini Koshta were struck and killed by Vedant Agarwal, 17, who was driving a Porshe Taycan (with no license plate) under the influence of alcohol. Vedant Agarwal is the son of well known builder Vishal Agarwal, the owner of Bramha Realty and Infrastructure. Due to his connections with the police and politicians, Vedant got out on bail in under a day. The lawyer representing him, Adv Prashant Patil, has been associated with the likes of people like Jacqueline Fernandez, Suraj Pancholi and many others.
Vedant, along with 2 of his friends were seen partying in nearby clubs in Kalyani Nagar. They returned to their car drunk at 3:15AM, and Vedant forced his driver to let him drive the car, even though the driver kept asking him to not do it. The Agarwal family is now trying to shift the blame on the innocent driver, making it look like he was the one who was driving when the accident took place. According to law, Vedants father too should be facing prosecution and jailtime.
The deceased, Anish and Ashwini, came from Madhya Pradesh in search of job opportunities and were working in IT companies. There is very little coverage about the victims and their backgrounds. Imagine what their families must be going through. Pune police has failed miserably in providing them justice.
We demand justice for the victims' families, and we refuse to let the influence of wealth and connections overshadow the gravity of this tragedy. This isn't just about Anish and Ashwini, these filthy people of Pune have been getting away by committing crimes since a long time and it's time every single citizen, including YOU, stand up for YOUR rights, or it could be you or your family members getting killed tomorrow.
Share news regarding this story or this post on your social media handles. Share it with friends, family, Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, Whatsapp groups, anything works. Even though we have all lost faith in the local government, we can write letters to activists, police departments, and public representatives, and demand strict action. Protests have taken place in Kalyani Nagar and surrounding areas. People in the locality held a condolence meet for the victims' families too, but again there is very little coverage so they're struggling to make their voices heard. We can help by joining them or reposting tweets about them.
We, as citizens of Pune, must hold those in power accountable and ensure that justice is served, not just for Anish and Ashwini, but for every individual who has been wronged due to their exploitation of power and privilege. Let us come together and make sure this case doesn't fade away like countless other similar ones. Let’s keep the pressure on and show that our collective voice can make a difference. Together, we can ensure that Anish and Ashwini's families receive the justice they deserve.
Let me know about your thoughts on this and also keep posting any updates regarding the story on this subreddit.
Edit: Just as everybody expected, the police has put out a statement saying no alcohol was found in the blood sample of the boy: https://www.punekarnews.in/pune-porsche-accident-minor-boys-blood-test-does-not-show-alcohol-consumption-police/
Edit: We are planning a protest and social media campaigns on pune. Please check out other posts to support the cause.
Edit: Ravindra Dhangekar is going to protest today at 4pm, please support him and retweet posts regarding it: https://x.com/DhangekarINC/status/1792456740774260840
Edit: Join our reddit chat to discuss further details about the protest https://chat.reddit.com/room/!4fF4APEhRRy7dbHiC9zcsw%3Areddit.com
Edit: There has been a significant increase in news articles and social media posts. Use hastags #justicefor_anishashwini #vedantbehindbars #pune #kalyaninagar
Final Edit: We have finally organised a protest along with u/st_broseph. Check this out to join https://www.reddit.com/pune/s/nvdp9WyndB https://www.reddit.com/pune/comments/1cwh1pp/update_join_this_group_to_coordinate_on_the/

Hello all,
To begin, I would take this to my fertility doctor but I know he won't get back to me before I leave for vacation this weekend. My primary doc is pretty freshly graduated and doesn't seem too comfortable giving advice on this stuff.
Age: 32, Sex: F, Weight: 200lbs, Height: 5,8.5", White, in Canada, taking prenatals, CoQ10, and a Fish Oil supplement, smoke weed on and off (keep quitting and then buckling), drink occasionally on weekend 2-3 beers, 2nd miscarriage in 5 months, Period now 10 days late, Last miscarriage April 2nd. Last blood draw for HCG was April 12, 4UI/L. Just screened for Gonorrhea, Chlamydia, Trichomonas, all negative. Vaginal smear not consistent with bacterial vaginosis but listed "WBC present". Ureaplasma pending. Bloodwork clear except for low HDL (1.03 mmol/L). The rest of my recurrent loss panel is pending or clear. The only thing that wasn't completed was my parathyroid panel and TSH due to sample issues.
I have been trying to lose weight through calorie counting since my last loss. Stress/depression have never resulted in a missing period. I have not been more stressed/depressed than usual. Neither has dieting.
I figure I have to wait to see when, or if, my period returns. I plan on going on vacation at the end of this week since I don't see the point in just watching my life pass by anymore, but I am obviously worried. Should I see my doctor? Is there anything they can do at this time?
Also, I ask respectfully to save your condolences about my losses. I know people are trying to be nice, but I've heard it enough times, thank you.

Cover Art!
Just because you’re transported to another world, doesn’t mean you’ll escape from your pain.
Abused by her parents, thirteen-year-old Frances only wants to be safe and for her life not to hurt so much. And when she and her class are transported to the magical world of Durannon to fight the monsters invading the human kingdoms and defeat the self-titled Demon King, Frances is presented with a golden opportunity. If she succeeds, Frances will have the home she never had. If she fails, Frances will be summoned back to the home she escaped.
Yet, despite her newfound magic and friends, Frances finds that trauma is not so easily lost. She is dogged by her abuse and its physical and invisible scars. Not only does she have to learn magic, she has to survive the nightmares of her past, and wrestle with her feelings of doubt and self-loathing.
If she can heal from her trauma, though, she might be able to defeat the Demon King and maybe, just maybe, she can find a home for herself.
[The Beginning] [<=Chapter 214] [Chapter Index and Blurb] [Chapter 216=>]
The Fractured Song Index
Discord Channel Just let me know when you arrive in the server that you’re a Patreon so you can access your special channel.
***
Author's Note: Will be gone on vacation to the United Kingdom for two weeks so I wanted to have some kind of update up. Here you go!
***
From King Jerome and Queen Forowena of Erisdale to King Martin and Queen Ginger, and your friends and allies.
If you are seeing this, I’m afraid we have perished for the sake of final victory over the Demon King.
To some extent, we were anticipating that our lives might be needed to finish this war. As the battles intensified, and the needs of our subjects grew, we began to sense that we would have to sacrifice ourselves. Maybe it’s a premonition, but we are rather loath to let the promise of our future die just to maintain our lives. Moreover, we’ve realised that we might need more than just an army to affix that bastard Thorgoth’s attention on Kairon-Aoun and blind him to the wider strategic scale.
I’m afraid we lied about our plan to most of our closest confidantes and allies. We needed to threaten Thorgoth and yet promise him a decisive victory.
So first, our spies spread false information about two “Cursed Swords” to Thorgoth’s contacts. The swords themselves are quite good, but other than being somewhat of an inconvenience to mages up close, are only moderately threatening. However, it gave Thorgoth the idea that we were taking such efforts to develop a weapon in secret that whatever we had might actually hurt him, which lured him to attack our army.
The carrot was our deaths. We didn’t want to resort to it unnecessarily, but the report of General Helias’s suspicions indicated to us that while Thorgoth and Berengaria remained oblivious, his subordinates suspected something was afoot. We decided that warranted or not, we had to put our lives on the line. If we managed to kill Thorgoth, then all the better, but if we failed, it would ensure final victory.
This is because while you were aware that we planned for Queen Titania to reinforce the human armies at Kairon-Aoun in the last stages of the battle, we obfuscated one rather significant detail. How large and in what fashion should the reinforcements arrive.
Queen Titania has been assembling troops and supplies in secret even before Thorgoth moved to Kairon-Aoun. She managed this due to her forces reopening the Thornspear tunnel shortly after the Alavaria Academy for Magic was liberated from his grip. Originally this was intended to provide a secondary route to Minairen, but after news of the dragons and with promising news on the siege of Erisdale, we came up with a scheme with her and General Antigones.
Through using the Thornspear tunnel, Titania’s been amassing a massive army ready to move in and ambush King Thorgoth the moment he and his army are too weak to escape. They’ve included her best cavalry and the elite troops that hadn’t scattered when the dragons took flight to scour her lands. More troops were then funnelled and secreted to the tunnel. We expect her army to reach fifteen thousand soldiers.
Of course, the problem is that our intelligence estimates Thorgoth’s remaining soldiers to be about thirty to forty-thousand and he can draw upon reinforcements from Minairen and his kingdom’s garrisons if he strips them. We can match his numbers, even exceed them if we bring Janize’s forces to our cause. If Thorgoth knew that, though, he wouldn’t take that battle. No, we needed to bait him into a battle he cannot escape from and destroy his last army and with it, what support the Kingdom of Alavaria is likely to afford him.
That meant our only option was to use our available forces to exhaust his army at Kairon-Aoun and to make him think he was preventing a threat to his life with the “Cursed Swords.” Then, after we make him think he’s on the verge of victory, we collapse on him not just with Erisdale, Lapanteria and Erlenberg’s last remaining troops, but with Alavaria’s.
Assuming we’ve managed to bleed Thorgoth’s army at Kairon-Aoun, even if the Demon King is as strong as he seems, he probably is going to find it difficult to hold off not just the Lightning Battalion, but the rest of Queen Titania’s troops.
Could he escape? Could he run away? Indeed he may, but you can’t teleport an army away. At the very least, we believe that this battle at Kairon-Aoun will have decimated Thorgoth’s last army and dealt him such a crushing defeat that his own populace would no longer defend him.
In any case, we are certain the Demon King is finished. He may escape, but if he is to preserve his support, he must fight us and it will be a matter of time before his followers will realize that even if Thorgoth cannot be killed, they can.
Thank you, everybody for believing in all that is good and righteous in this world. We pass this last hope to you all.
For Erisdale. For Lapanteria. For Erlenberg. For Alavaria. For Durannon, and for our friends.
***
When the allies called Titania, it was only the queen’s tired face appeared in the mirror. She was in full armour and in some kind of command tent. As she noted those calling her, she dipped her head.
“King—”
“The coronation hasn’t happened, though we will get to it quickly,” said Martin. Sitting down, he laced his fingers together. “How many troops did you bring?”
Titania flashed the humans a savage grin. “Sixteen thousand, with a strong core of veterans. We’re setting up defenses as we speak to prevent Thorgoth from escaping. When will your forces be ready to attack him?”
Ginger sat down beside her husband. “We just arrived and haven’t made our own assessment. Then again—” she pursed her lips and faced King Sebastian and Alexander “—Sebastian, Alexander, can you start or assign someone to coordinate with my deputy Helen to find places for our newly arrived cannon? We need to set up for an opening barrage at the very least.”
“With pleasure,” said Alexander, briefly exchanging a smile with Ayax.
“That works,” said Sebastian.
Martin drummed his fingers on the table. “I’m surprised that you kept King Jerome and Queen Forowena’s plans so secret for so long.”
“They had a fantastic plan.” Titania’s smile lessened, her lips curling inward. “My condolences for the loss of your monarchs, but they have essentially won us the war.”
Martin nodded, suppressing his sigh. “I understand, we appreciate the assistance and will call you to confirm the details of our attack.”
“I’ll look forward to it and brother?” Timur grimaced meeting Titania’s eye. “I’m sorry I had to leave you in the dark. The surprise had to be absolute. We needed to make sure that my armies and forces vanished from Thorgoth’s attention.”
The princes nodded. “I understand I…I’m just not happy about it. I am glad to see you, though.”
Titania smiled and waved. “I have to go, Thorgoth will be, or is already launching probing attacks. I need to attend to them.” With that the Queen of Alavaria ended her call and left the humans and their allies in silence.
Frances, who’d been holding onto Timur’s hand during the call, finally let go. “Martin, Ginger, with your permission—”
“Frances, go and take Timur with you,” said Ginger.
She hesitated, but Ginger flashed a smile, as did Martin. “We’ll talk later,” said the knight.
“Thank you.” Letting her feet carry her from the meeting, Frances strode on through the halls. She could hear Timur following her with his far longer strides and found herself glad of that fact.
“Thanks for coming with me,” said Frances. She came to a stop and turned around to smile at her fiance.
Timur let out a bit of a sigh as a grin returned to his face. Lifting his arms, he gestured with his hands. “Need a hug?”
Frances, shaking her head, walked to her fiance and buried herself in his embrace. “I don’t deserve you.”
“It’s not about deserve, as you’ve reminded me,” said Timur.
Frances giggled. “You’ve also reminded me of that too. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Timur loosened his embrace, allowing Frances to meet his eyes. “So, tell me, what’s bothering you?”
“I…I miss them, Timur. Forowena, Ulric and Jerome. I wish they didn’t have to do this.” She wiped her eyes. “I must admit I’m a little angry at them as well for keeping me unaware.”
“You did sense they were up to something, didn’t you?” Timur asked.
“I did, but I wasn’t sure. Or maybe I didn’t want to realise it.” Frances winced. No, she knew it was the latter. She had known that Jerome and Forowena were planning to put their lives in the line of fire. She had dreaded it but she just hadn’t the words to confront them properly. “I guess I’m a little scared, not because of what’s to come. I’m just scared that they and so many others could do that for me, and for us all.”
The bubbling roil that were Frances’s emotions wanted nothing to do but spill out. Only her prince’s soft touch against her cheek kept it in check. For that, she could never be more grateful.
“You know we wouldn’t hesitate to sacrifice ourselves for our friends. Does that scare you?” Timur whispered.
Frances winced. “Kind of? Much less than thinking of what you would do to keep me safe.”
“I’m flattered.”
“Timur!” Frances exclaimed, unable to help but match the trogre’s teasing smile.
“Sorry.” Her prince brushed his lips against her forehead. “I know what you mean dear. You showed me what you would do for me when you went into Minairen. Yes I know that was partly Morgan and Hattie’s fault, but you followed them.”
“You’re right,” said Frances, nodding.
“So what are you worried about?” Timur asked.
“Aside from that?” Frances’s voice trailed off. What was she worrying about? She let out a small exhale. Her muscles were tensed, and she felt like her nerves had been twirled and bundled up by a fork. Yet, the anxiety and the weight on the shoulders was passing.
“Nothing. Just the battle in general I think,” she murmured. Her heart still ached for Ulric and her friends, but it was a steady, constant ache. She wasn’t bothered by it. She wasn’t sure why she felt alright, but she knew who was partially responsible.
Raising herself up on the tip of her toes, she kissed her fiance on the lips. “Thank you, Timur.”
Timur, slightly flushed, chuckled. “Glad I could help.”
***
“Has anybody ever done a battlefield coronation?” Martin muttered to himself as he thumbed through a book on Erisdalian court etiquette. Across from him, Ginger and Nicole were going back on outfits. Other staff officers as well as nobles were racing around, trying to be helpful and delivering reports of all kinds.
Mara, Martin’s older sister, nudged him, almost making him drop the book.
“Mara!”
The taller Erisdalian smirked at the former knight, before gently squeezing his shoulder. “Brother, you don’t need to start your reign trying to mimic tradition. Just do what feels right.”
Martin shook his head, but it did nothing to clear his thoughts. “I know, but I feel like I should set an example.”
“Martin, you’re the Hero of Erisdale. You have already set an example for the normal, the common people who don’t have the advantages of the Otherworlders or mages. Listen to your gut and your friends.” She glanced up, and Martin followed his sister’s gaze to see Elizabeth and Ayax arriving. “I’ll inspect the troops and get them ready for the plan. Checkerboard formation right?”
Martin opened his mouth, only for him to immediately press a finger to his lips. “Salvo pike.”
Mara blinked. “Sorry?”
“See if we have any lighter cannon pieces. We aren’t going to have much room to maneuvre and neither will they. We’ll still use our typical checkerboard formation with pikemen flanked by musketeers, but this time we’re adding cannons to our front ranks.”
“I think I see what you mean. I’ll see what I can do.” Mara patted her brother on the shoulder and took off. Martin watched her leave, and smiled as Frances entered the meeting room, a smile also on her face.
“Martin!” Almost leaping to his feet, Martin ran to meet Frances’s sprint. The pair ran into each other, arm’s almost tangled together.
“It’s been too long,” said the knight.
“I know, brother. I’m sorry this hasn’t been in a better time,” said Frances. Martin flushed a little, and patted Frances’s head, making her pout for a second before she giggled.
“Didn’t we just see each other not too long ago?” Ginger asked, sauntering over. However, when Frances let go and reached out she was quickly embraced by the crimson haired woman. “Then again, work before wasting time eh?”
“Talking and just spending time with you will never be a waste of time,” said Frances, patting her friend’s back. “How has it been? I heard the siege was brutal.”
“Not as hard as you’ve been having it here. Being nominated heir, though…” One edge of Martin’s lips twisted up. “You should have told us.”
Frances chuckled, scratching the back of her head. “I’m sorry. I just…I think you would do good.”
Ginger rolled her eyes and ruffled her shorter friend’s hair. “We know and for what it’s worth, I think we’ve agree with you now.”
“I’m glad,” said Frances. She glanced between the couple. “You’re going to do great.”
“Assuming we win this,” Martin muttered.
“Frances!”
Frances turned around and bolted, dodging staff and other officers to run toward her best friend. Elizabeth, eyes moist, practically swept her friend off the ground as they embraced, giggling.
“I missed so much! You got engaged!”
“I know! I can’t believe I proposed!”
“I knew you would! I’m so happy for you!”
“Thank you, Liz. Thank you so much. Will you be my bridesmaid?”
“Like anybody would dare to stop me!”
Still trying to stifle giggles and ignoring the glances of the others in the room, Frances let go of her friend and drew her troll cousin into a hug.
“Hey Ayax.”
A wan smile gracing her lips, Ayax squeezed Frances tight. “Hey cuz. It’s done.”
Frances nodded. “I heard Elizabeth did him in.”
Ayax nodded, her tail curved up behind her, held quite still. “Yes. Is it weird that I’m just glad it’s over and we can start really living?”
Studying the troll’s bemused expression, Frances shook her head. “No. I think it’s more than natural. You hated the idea that your parents killer was still out there, but you wanted him out of your thoughts.”
“Exactly.” Ayax pulled Frances close in again, giving her one last squeeze. “Thank you, Frances. I’m really lucky to have you for family.”
“Me too.” Letting go the cousins turned back to their little group of five best friends. All a little older, all a bit changed, and yet, alive and well.
That very fact brought tears to Frances’s eyes. She wiped them away, but she couldn’t banish her smile.
“Where’s your fiance?” Ginger asked.
Frances chuckled. “He’s hanging out with Aloudin, Olgakaren and Epomonia. I’m not sure what they’re doing exactly. I suspect he will be out late.”
“We should take this opportunity to catch up,” said Elizabeth.
Martin winced. “I’d love to, but we’re a bit busy—”
Ayax tapped Martin’s shoulder with her tail, making him blink. “No buts, Martin. You need help with your coronation right?”
The knight nodded. “Yes, but—Pardon, oh. Oh wait, you can help with it. Are you sure, though?”
Frances arched an eyebrow. “I mean, why wouldn’t we help you?”
“That is a good point. Besides, we have some ideas we’d like to throw around,” said Ginger. She patted her buff leather coat, typical of a cavalry officer and grimaced. “I want to wear something a little more you know, regal, or feminine but something appropriately military. This doesn’t cut it. I was wondering what were your ideas, Frances.”
“I have a few. I might need some help from you Ayax with the needlework, though,” said Frances.
Ayax shrugged. “Sure thing, but let’s get going to somewhere more quiet. Reconvene somewhere else with everything we need.”
“I got the drinks!” Ginger exclaimed.
Frances raised her hand. “I got the food!”
Ayax grinned. “I’ll grab the material we need to plan things along with clothing samples.”
“I pick the top of that small round tower at the corner of the courtyard, which I’ll ensure is clear,” said Martin, raising his hand.
Elizabeth put her hand in the centre of the circle. “And I pick the time of in an hour. I’ll clear your schedules Martin, Ginger.”
“Oh thank Amura and Rathon for that,” Martin muttered, smiling with relief. As one, the other four placed their hands on top of Elizabeth’s. With a cheer, they raised their arms as one and split off.
***
Frances didn’t have time to make something too fancy. Instead she opted for comfort food. Roast chicken with lemon seasoning, a vegetable stir fry, fried rice with sausage, and dale-brick fries with gravy and cheese curds to mimic a poutine.
She knew she was running late as she carried two baskets of food in her arms, but she was sure her friends would forgive her once she showed up with this feast.
With the smells of her labours wafting behind her, Frances strolled down through the courtyard gallery to the tower they planned to meet. She could see two women in the distance walking together, talking quietly as they did so.
One was in Lightning Battalion blue velvet and the other was also in a matching uniform, but it was far more ill fitting. Frances could tell by how she scratched and kept adjusting it with bandaged hands.
Before she knew why, Frances found herself slowing down. She wasn’t sure why, but it felt necessary.
Then it clicked as she saw the pair turn from their conversation to face her. Her breath stopped as she saw the scar across the blonde woman’s face and recognized the now haggard features of her darker-skinned companion.
“Oh, hello Frances,” said Jessica, waving a hand.
Frances managed a smile. “Hello, Jessica.” She had not talked to her former bully much aside from during war missions. She preferred to let Martin and Ginger talk to Jessica, and they apparently got along quite well with the blonde. Even so, she had heard of Jessica’s heroics and her continued good service as part of the Lightning Battalion. She had been even told that her former bully had befriended a now married pair of battalion soldiers.
No, Frances’s stillness was caused precisely by one woman, who stood beside Jessica, trying her best to keep her eyes up. Leila’s gaze however, continued to fall to the ground as she hid her bandaged hands behind her back.
“Hi, Frances.”
Author's Note: OOOOH And Leila and Jessica meet Frances agiain! :D
[The Beginning] [<=Chapter 214] [Chapter Index and Blurb] [Chapter 216=>]

It was the last minutes of the last phase of Operation: Swift Disassembly. With a fleet some two hundred thousand strong blotting out the star of Durgen, Democracy's sweet embrace was all but assured. I come not to bring you a tale of one who fought bravely till the bitter end to pave the way for liberation, nor do I tell of the last glorious raids on the Automatons' final footholds on the planet. I come to with a story about what happens after all is said and done, once the enemies of Super Earth surrender and the Super Destroyers leave for their next destination.
I was awaiting assignment on my staunch ally R1's Super Destroyer. We are two Helldivers in a fixed unit of six, but our remaining squadmates were already occupied on the Eastern front following the liberation of Durgen. It was at this point that the ship's Democracy Officer offered us one final assignment planetside: to hunt down and clean up any Automaton stragglers that the final wave of freedom may have missed. With a fire in our eyes, we both readily accepted. Who wouldn't jump at the chance to spill oil?
We routed to Durgen and, to our astonishment, could only find a pathetic two remaining pockets of Automaton treachery across the planet, and as a cleanup crew had already been sent to liberate one pocket, we were assigned to the other. The region included a blank space which the Super Destroyer's sensors could not identify, so we decided to take no unnecessary risks and established a three step plan. We would destroy their final dropships to cut off what few supply lines they had, infiltrate and dismantle the indecipherable space with vision from the ground, and finally eradicate a crippled enemy once and for all. I equipped my trusty Laser Cannon and Jump Pack, and with help from a Quasar Cannon and two brave Helldivers U3 and T4 joining us, we dropped.
I have never quite ran an operation as bizarre as this one. The Automatons seemed to know of our arrival in advance, as when we fell, our position was overrun before we even had the chance to get our bearings. I have never seen such desperate tactics from our foes before, as the first Commissar to sight us called for truly gargantuan amounts of help. In one drop alone, I could count three Hulks, twelve Devastators, and even one of each Tank! The sector was heavily defended; patrols were everywhere and even the smallest of Socialist outposts were mined. In our frantic scramble to escape the trap that had been laid for us, we drew the ire of patrols unnoticed behind us, and yet more slowly rising from over the dunes. I would be lying if I were to say the fight was quick and easy. Blood was shed with countless more litres of oil spilled. Beams of light whizzed through the air in the eternal back and forth. The red menace had managed to conjure up no less than five Annihilator Tanks to assault this one position in their last chance to strike a foe that had turned a blind eye. But it was too late; with judicious application of Stratagems and a brave sacrifice from our ally to be rid of the nearby Detector Tower, we had rid the position completely of the Automatons, and were free to go about our business. May you find peace in liberty, T4. The Wall of Martyrs will remember you forever.
Wasting no time, we pressed forward. With our ever-reliable directed energy weapons in hand, we dismantled Cannon Turret and AA Station alike from a distance Democracy's enemies were unprepared to withstand an attack from. With the bots' defenses completely down, they were helpless when the ever-Democratic Eagle-1 bombed their downed dropships back into Hell from whence they came. A sandstorm had kicked up while assaulting the final base, and when it wound down, we noticed something truly remarkable.
It was over.
For the first time since the beginning of this war, us Helldivers were able to see the fruits of our efforts first hand. The sands were quiet, completely empty. Not a single lumbering four-legged Automaton behemoth was left to stick out like a sore thumb. Save the seven Destroyers left to clean up, the beautiful night sky was crystal clear. There was no exchange of luminous fire between ground and orbit... nothing. This. This is what we fight for. The peace we experienced on that operation is how, through our efforts and valiant sacrifices, our citizens feel all the time in spaces liberated by the Helldivers. It was nothing short of awesome to feel at ease on a planet that was just a few minutes ago a bloody battleground. We decided to work thoroughly; with the Automaton supply lines crippled, we would destroy every last Fabricator to make sure no robot ever rose again. Even here, we experienced the results of the war. Having sent all their forces to deal with our initial landing, the bases were undermanned. Half the turrets were empty. The machines must have been running out of resources, as the Fabricators frequently kept their doors open only to dispense nothing. We had encountered the largest Automaton outpost any of us had ever seen, but there was not even a Hulk in sight. R1 and U3 were able to clear it out suffering zero damage; they didn't even need me to do it. The Gunship Towers here clearly suffered from the same supply shortage, as what was once something to be taken down with marked priority had no ground force defending it from the Hellbombs that would do the job, nor did it have any airborne enemies to ward off Helldivers as one would expect. It seems that the struggling enemy managed to try one last time to ruin us, as the Towers barely managed to produce one Gunship each, but they were too late. The bomb was already armed, and they disintegrated in the explosion. From then on, it was smooth sailing. R1 and U3 ran around the operation area, dismantling heavy Outpost after heavy Outpost, while I went to collect the remaining samples and reduce the remaining light Outposts to rubble. Extraction was the quietest a Helldiver could possibly hope for.
We had one final obstacle in our way of total liberation: once on the ground, we had realised that what few forces remained had retreated into the last Command Bunkers on the planet, shielded by an accursed ECM Tower! Of course! That was why we couldn't detect it from orbit! So we went in for round 2, and we struck hard. There was no trap to greet us when we landed, nor were there patrols to anger, for they were all cowering behind the safety of their Tower. We beelined straight for the ECM Tower. Using my Jump Pack, I infiltrated it from behind while R1 and U3 risked life and limb to keep the Automatons off my back. One Terminal operation later, and it was over. The Tower's jamming was no more, and one last Hellbomb ensured the Tower swiftly followed. The Command Bunkers were oh so nicely lined up with each other. They didn't survive the three Orbital Walking Barrages I had been granted clearance to field in this cleanup operation. With no other choice but to face Democracy directly, the bunkers' inhabitants pursued us with only the needless capability that an unfeeling, unthinking machine could muster up. Though they seemed to have the advantage at first given their sheer numbers, what their processors had failed to calculate was that in chasing us all the way back to extraction, they had lined themselves up nicely for us to quite literally deploy every single Stratagem we had left, and that was that.
No more supply line. The last Command Bunkers were to never give an order again. All we had left was a foe with zero strategic or logistical power. As you can imagine, the eradication of this last foothold of resistance was easy. We took our turrets onto the field with us and scrapped the last Automatons of Durgen in record time, leaving having known what true peace feels like, to the Eastern front knowing that the Galaxy was free at last from the red menace. I must commend U3's performance; though they had a lower rank than either of us, they proved to be a battler so competent I might have been afraid were they not on the side of Democracy, racking up the highest kill count in the squad. A tactical prodigy, this Helldiver is. I see a bright future for them in our ranks. The only sadness I feel returning from this little operation is that I wasn't able to know T4 for more than a few minutes. Our condolences and best wishes go out to their family and next of kin.
The other unit cleaning up Durgen returned slightly later than us, and rumour has it they encountered the single last Automaton in the Galaxy. May its disassembly have been swift, and may the torches of liberty light their way.

Edit: Thank you everyone for your advice. I will try again to get this sorted out with Etsy, and if they can't help me, then I'll go to my bank.
Hello! :) It's a sort of tricky situation. Can anybody here advise me?
On August 17 2023, I placed an order for a few custom images. Everything was going well, she was sending me samples/previews of the images and I was happy with them. I didn't have any reason to suspect it was a scam, because the sample images were genuine (she made edits at my request) and the shop is very well-reviewed.
At the end of September the communications stopped, and on November 14 she sent me a message saying she'd been struggling to focus on her shop after losing her dad several months prior, but assuring me that she was almost done with my order and it would be finished "very soon". I gave my condolences etc.
That was our last communication. On December 12 the shop went on break. Between then and now, I've sent 2 short, polite "just checking in" messages, but have got only the auto-reply.
Obviously I want to be patient and understanding, considering the difficulty she said she was going through. I've recently lost 2 relatives myself. But at the same time, the order wasn't very cheap and I have no way of knowing if I will ever receive it or if the shop will ever reopen.
Today I tried to open a case with Etsy, but was unable to select the "Still need help?" option. Instead it says "You'll be able to open a case with Etsy on Aug 16, 2024 if you still need help", meaning I have to wait 1 year from the day I placed the order.
Is there anything I can do, or should I just continue waiting? The shop is still on break and I have no way of contacting the seller outside of Etsy, so opening a case was my only option. I'm not sure how to feel or how to proceed.
I'd appreciate any advice :)

I need to install about a hundred sampling points in an old factory floor slab which involves drilling a 1.5" hole about an inch down, then a 5/8" hole through the depth of the slab.
The problem is that work purchased a 1-1/4" Milwaukee SDS+ hammer drill, and I cannot think of a way to make this work since all the 1-1/2" bits are SDS-Max.
Is there anything I can do? Get a 1-1/4" bit and just try to wiggle it a lot to overdrill? Try using a rebar-cutting bit the first inch? (Those come in SDS+ in 1-1/2 somehow) Try replacing the chuck???
Any suggestions or condolences appreciated.

All of this information is provided by the observations of me and another brave helldiver named Ghostly. I also give my condolences to the 2 other helldivers who were unfortunately stranded alongside us (they left before I could get their names.) This post is quite long, but I’ll summarize our insights at the bottom of you don’t want to read the whole story of what happened.
It was a suicide mission on Meridia, and we were tasked with destroying some Terminid eggs, which we did with minimal casualties. On our way to extract, I deviated from the main team to try and find the super samples, and I got jumped by a stalker and launched into a charger which killed me, dropping a majority of the samples we collected. We decided that while the rest of my team was at extract, waiting for the shuttle, I would run back to where I died to try and get my samples. The samples were quite far, and the shuttle landed while I was about halfway back to the extraction site. I wasn’t there when it happened, but one of the other ransoms called a 500kg to try and kill a bile titan, which blew up the shuttle. We could go into the shuttle, but we wouldn’t sit in the seats and it wouldn’t leave, forcing us to abandon our samples. We decided to go look for minor places of interest to try and get as much stuff as possible, since we still had 20 minutes and a handful of reinforcements. When we returned to the ship, the other 2 helldivers left while me and Ghostly talked about what happened, and we came up with these tips to prevent it from happening again.
THIS IS ALL THE IMPORTANT STUFF, READ THIS:

1. Prevent it before it happens: Only call extraction when you need to, and when everyone is close to extract and ready to extract. This prevents the shuttle from being there any longer than it needs to be, and minimizes the chances of you blowing it up by accident
   
2. Stratagem use: The main killer of the shuttle is our stratagems, so use them carefully, and far away from the shuttle. They generally shouldn’t be on the extraction platform, if you do that, you should be fine.
   
3. When it does happen: If you accidentally blow up the shuttle, a new one will not be administered and you will be stranded. You cannot get any samples, so go look for minor points of interest to get things you’ll keep even if you don’t extract, like medals and super credits, and complete any remaining secondary objectives. Once your done, issue yourself a democratic death and hope for some decent experience.
   
4. Things that need to be tested to see if they are actually true (feel free to test them and report your findings): A: Bugs don’t damage the shuttle. B: The shuttle can only be damaged when landed.
   

I will update this post with any more findings.

First Prev Next
Epilogue
???
Swirling a glass was always fun when there was nothing to do. Watching the amber liquid hug the edges of the glass, hearing the soft clink of ice as it tapped together, the aromatics of released alcohol particulates. It was some mindless action one could do with their hands while the brain was a million miles away, preoccupied with thoughts asunder. What was that ancient proverb, again? Idle hands are the devil’s workshop? Something like that, anyway. One who has nothing to do is bound to bore mischief.
The man sat at the head of a long table, twelve seats sat before him, six on each side. The table itself was a beautiful piece of furniture, carved from the trunk of a giant kofra tree. Kofra’s only grew in volcanic ash on one particular planet, making their produce the very image of disgusting wealth in the Triumvate. Their outer layers were black as night, while their insides sparkled like the purest silver.
Many others would have licenced for some intricate artwork to be carved into the table’s surface to properly showcase the contrasting black and silver, but the man had left it as is. There was something more fascinating, more captivating, about the wood’s natural form. Its simplicity was enthralling. Its flaws engrossing. Something that was the very symbol of wealth and power in the galaxy was, at its core, imperfect and flawed. Knots of silver blotched the blackness, rivets and crevices cratered the surface; anyone of notable importance who looked upon it would say that it was ugly, unfinished, a blemish on the finery that should be kofra furniture. But it was beautiful.
They say that life imitates art, and the man felt that that was true enough. Life was imperfect and flawed. The universe, flawed. The Triumvate, flawed. The types of people who owned these sorts of things were flawed. That was just the nature of life and intelligence. Trying to reach perfection was a fool’s errand, so why not just embrace your imperfections instead? Turn your weaknesses into your strengths; embellish your deepest thoughts and darkest desires. If the universe was designed to be unequal and ugly, then there was no harm in taking what ought to be yours. It was your right.
The lights in the room dimmed as the clock struck one o’clock. The large windows that made up one wall of the room darkened, stopping the sunlight that had been streaming in; the endless blue sky beyond reduced to a dark void. Crossing one leg over the other, the man slouched back in his chair. One by one, figures appeared in the empty seats around the table. None of them appeared in person, only their images, holograms that were broadcasted from around the Triumvate.
Some were almost certainly on the same planet as the man, while others could have been anywhere. The only certain thing was that they were all in the core worlds of the Human sector. Not one of the thirteen that now sat in the darkened room was non-human. The answer for this was simple; it wasn’t due to something as petty as a superiority complex, or racism or disdain towards the other races. It was simply because of the unique situation that the Human sector of the Triumvate now found itself in.
Several hundred years ago something shifted in the Triumvate. No one was really sure what, at least, no one outside the top brass of the military knew what. But ever since that shift, the militaristic nature of the Triumvate rapidly began to decline, especially in the Human sector. For millennia, the three main species of the Triumvate had retained a strong military core that dated back far before the formation of the Triumvate itself. The Humans had strived for military prowess through technological enlightenment, the Sorophytes through a strong sense of tradition and tribalism, and the Osim through fanatical beliefs in ancient deities.
The Osim and Sorophytes remained relatively unchanged after this shift due to their strong beliefs in religion and community, but the Humans slowly grew sick and twisted as the decline in their military gave rise to something far more sinister. Billions of people who became displaced due to cuts in military spending turned to the corporations in their time of need. In the centuries since, the corporations had filled every nook and cranny of the Human sector, all but ruling the Triumvate from the shadows.
That was who the thirteen men and women who sat in this darkened room were: the most powerful people in the Triumvate. Nothing happened without their knowledge, no laws or policies could be placed without their input. They had the ear of every politician and ruler; their hands in everything. These holograms held the galaxy in the palms of their hands. They were the shadow council that ruled everything.
‘No,’ The man thought, ‘We’re the holo council that rules everything. The Hollow council…’
A fitting name, as not one person in the room held anything but their own best interests at heart. They really were hollow; the whole base of their power was built off the exploitation of others.
“It seems we’re all here.” The man said once the last hologram flickered into their seat.
The holograms all bowed their heads.
“A month has passed already since our last meeting; I assume we’re all up to date on the important happenings?”
There was a round of nodding heads and verbal confirmations.
“Has anything of note happened more recently that we should be made aware of?”
One hand raised toward the far end of the table. A plump man of middle-age with a spectacular handlebar moustache.
“The governor of Sendo, Dennis Archly, was mustering support on a policy to increase the land tax rate on holdings owned by corporations over a certain size.” He said, “Stubborn fellow; no amount of persuasion seemed to sway him from his position.”
“And?” The man at the head of the table asked, “Has the tax rate been increased?”
“It has not.” The fat man replied, "Unfortunately, it appears that Mr Archly stepped down from his office after the passing of his wife and daughter. Terrible traffic accident, or so I hear.”
The man nodded, “Ah, I see. That is unfortunate indeed. I’ll have my office send him a letter of my condolences. Was there anything else?”
There were several other issues that came up: minor politicians suddenly changing their positions on certain policies, successful colonisation attempts and new branch installations, marriages between various council member’s children, and so on and so forth.
Once these were out of the way, the man looked at one woman in particular, “And what of that facility on… What was the name of that backwater again?”
The woman shot him a quizzical look, “Tana?”
“Yes, Tana, that was it. Any news worth sharing?”
“Not overly. As you know, all data regarding the Dolos Project had already been transmitted to a secure location, and we had already gathered sufficient materials to carry on with the research. The loss of the facility was inconsequential.”
“I see…”
“The only noteworthy things, I imagine, are that Carlos Warwick’s recovery is almost complete, and that Cerberus-1’s body has still not been recovered.”
The man flicked through some notes on his holocron, “Would the recovery of his body be possible? I thought the facility was reduced to its foundations?”
“That is irrelevant.” The woman explained, “The chip placed within him could withstand temperatures of over 5000 degrees. Even if his body was reduced to cinders, the chip should remain.”
The man scrolled through some more notes and frowned, “It says here that the chip contains a locator on it? Surely, it shouldn’t be hard to find the thing, then?”
The woman’s hologram shifted uncomfortably, “It would appear that the chip sustained significant enough damage that it has remained unresponsive since going offline.”
“So, what you mean to say is: you don’t know where he is?”
“…Yes.”
The man sighed and set his glass down on the table. For a long time, the only sound was the quiet clinking as the ice cubes knocked against each other before settling down.
“Is there a chance he was taken captive? Who was it that destroyed the facility, again?”
The woman looked off to the side, reading something that didn’t show through her hologram, “It was a joint effort between two ranger squads: the Centauris and Velutaians. It’s possible they took Cerberus-1, although for what reason I couldn’t say.”
The man nodded.
“It’s been confirmed that the captain of the Velutaians perished during the raid,” The woman continued, “So I can’t imagine they would have the direction or capacity to be holding captives. If he was taken, it would have been by the Centauris. I could arrange for someone to investigate?”
The man sat in silence for a moment.
“There’s no need.” He said after a while, “There’s no point in rousing unnecessary attention. Send out squads to locate him on that backwater. I’m not overjoyed about the news, I must admit, but we still have Cerberus-2 and 3 if that fails, too.” The man shifted his attention to a man sitting to his left, “I take it your attempts at trying to recreate the ranger’s secret have proven futile again?”
The man had a long ponytail that bobbed as he nodded his head, “They have, unfortunately. While the samples we’ve been provided have been invaluable regarding the study of the nanobots, deciphering their programming has remained elusive.”
“Could we not simply procure more samples?” The man at the head of the table asked.
“I fear that may no longer be an option. Over the course of seventeen years, we have only been provided with six separate samples. The Ring treats the security of their Dream-Piece technology with the upmost seriousness. I fear that pushing our contact there any harder will lead to us being discovered. Besides, the problem lays in the coding; having more samples is moot at this point in time.”
“I see. If your research has stalled, then perhaps it’s time for a more direct approach?” The man turned to face a woman at the far end of the table, “Are our assets still in place for Operation Seedling?”
The woman nodded, “They’ve been awaiting command for nearly six years.”
The man with the ponytail frowned, “You don’t mean…? If we went ahead with that then the military heads would know that someone was after their secret technology for sure. We’d basically be inviting opposition to seek us out.”
The man at the head of the table laughed coldly, “My friend, you’ve had your people working on this for almost two decades. The only success you have under your name was the creation of Cerberus 1 through 3, and after this recent development I doubt I can even call that a success anymore. At this point, I’m of the mind that even my secretary would have more success than you.”
The man with the ponytail hung his head as a wave of laughter erupted around the table, “I’m well aware of my shortcomings, however, I am still wholly opposed to this idea. Directly moving against the military is simply calling for disaster.”
The man let out an exasperated sigh, “Yes, yes, I understand. We’ll leave it to a vote, shall we? All those in favour of moving forward with Operation Seedling? Now, all those opposed?”
Six hands raised in favour. Six hands raised in opposition.
“Hmm…” The man at the head of the table said, “It would appear that I am the deciding vote.” He tapped his chin mockingly, “I wonder what I ought to vote for… I vote in favour.”
Twelve heads around the table nodded in confirmation, some a lot more enthusiastically than others.
“Very well, then. I shall commence the necessary preparations. I will inform you of our progress at our next convene.” The man looked around the table, “Was there anything else?”
No one said anything.
“In that case, this meeting is hereby concluded.”
The holograms nodded before flickering out of existence. The lights brightened and the opaque windows became transparent once more. The man stood up and stretched, bathing in the sunlight that now blanketed the entire room. Grabbing his glass, he walked over to the window to peer at the world beyond. The sunlight bounced and glittered off the seemingly endless white and grey towers of Eden.
For a man like him, this world was perfect. He was one of the most important people in the Triumvate, the largest entity in the known galaxy. His pockets knew no depth, and his resources no end. He had the access and the means to have anything he so desired. That should have been enough; for anyone else it would be enough. But it wasn’t. For there was one thing out there he couldn’t have. One thing out there that was beyond his grasp. He had learnt of its existence just over twenty years ago, and since then he had made it his goal, nay, his obsession.
Over twenty years ago the man had gained knowledge of something that the Triumvate military had managed to keep secret for over 250 years. Their discovery of that secret layer of reality, the place called the Dream-Space. Over the years, he’d managed to get a handful of samples of Dream-Piece technology; that dastardly creation that allowed the rangers to use reality-breaking abilities. But that wasn’t what the man wanted; he didn’t just want some cheap party trick.
It was his universal right as the most powerful to take what he wanted. He wanted to go there; he wanted to go to the Dream-Space. And he was prepared to burn the Triumvate to the ground to get there.

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

MFS Pesmod

“You are Grass Eaters.”
“Hmmm… not quite,” the tall alien said with a somewhat-recognizable smirk, her words converted smoothly through their translator into a high-pitched voice with a Malgeirgam accent so pure it reminded Niblui of a female Federation Channel One reporter. Niblui knew people in politics who went to school to learn to talk like that. “One of my great-grandmothers was a vegetarian though.”
“You? Your great-grandmother? Huh?” Ambassador Niblui tilted her head in confusion.
The Grass Eater chuckled. “That was a joke. We’re not an herbivore species, no. What gave you that idea?”
“Your teeth!” Niblui extended her claw to gesture. “They’re for grass-eating! And where are your natural claws?!”
Grinning, the alien revealed their full set of teeth to the alien ambassador, pointing specifically at their modest upper canines. “What? I’ve still got these. Grrrrr!”
“Okay, okay. Stop scaring our new friends, Amelia.” To her left, another alien also took off its helmet to reveal a slightly more wrinkled alien with raven-black scalp fur cut short at the shoulders. She kept her mouth full of blunt teeth closed as much as possible, but Niblui was not fooled. The second alien said, “Hello, my name is Cindy Tsai. My people address me as Minister Tsai, head of our newly established Office of Alien Affairs. And my friend is Vice Admiral Amelia Waters. We apologize for taking these measures to board your ship, but we are a secretive species, and it was critical that this contact mission was kept a secret.”
Niblui’s eyes blinked in sequence as she tried to process and recall her First Contact training. No one really had to use it for decades — besides the few very unsuccessful attempts to conduct diplomacy with the Znosians.
A memory of her late mentor’s advice flickered in her mind: the most important factor in determining the relationship in first contact was fair reciprocation of information. That formed the basis of any rational diplomacy. While ruses could give short-term gains, no connection or agreement established between two species based on lies and mistrust would give worthy advantages in the long run.
Well, between two civilized species, at least.
Based on historical experiences, a rocky first contact could scar decades — if not centuries — of diplomatic efforts. No pressure, she thought, staring at the technologically advanced, weaponry-packed aliens. Aliens who claimed to be friendly.
Even if they seemed to be… Grass Eaters in denial?
It really was not a good sign, she thought, that they started out their First Contact with a bald-faced lie about their nature. Then again, we’ve had a sample size of exactly one. It would not be logical to apply that fear… even if the thought of negotiating with what seemed to be a prey species felt odd, almost distasteful. It felt… simply unnatural. She wondered how much of that bias was innate and how much of it was earned through social memory from a decade of war.
Pushing the uncivilized bigotry aside, she straightened up and mustered her professionalism to do her job.
“I am Ambassador Niblui. Welcome aboard the Pesmod,” she said, trying to sound as welcoming as she could. “We, the Malgeir, are a peaceful species. Your boarding action was no trouble at all; I am grateful you exercised restraint towards our ship’s crew members. Every species has different First Contact protocols, though we do prefer to use our radios.”
Then she waited for the alien translators to do their job, but the reply came quickly from the one known as Minister Tsai. “Greetings, esteemed Ambassador Niblui. Despite the uh… awkward circumstances, we humans of the Terran Republic are a peaceful species as well. We seek cooperative diplomatic relations with your species. However, we understand this will be challenging considering your ongoing conflict with another alien species.”
“The Znosians,” Niblui said, trying to gauge the aliens’ reaction. She decided that even though they were closeted Grass Eaters or in serious denial about their own biology, it would not be good to antagonize them by slinging around that derogatory slur. Much safer to just stick with the official name.
“Yes,” the Terran minister confirmed. “We learned of their existence shortly before you did, about a decade ago. We, too, are appalled by their violent and repulsive actions against your people and several other species. Please accept our Republic’s condolences for your losses in the ongoing war.”
A decade? How long have they known about us?
“Thank you. You seem to know a lot about us, Terran,” Niblui replied. She took one look at the aliens — and their guns — and realized she had a golden opportunity here. “Are you aware of the nature of my current mission?”
“We believe so, Ambassador. You are returning from a uh… solicitation event in Schprissian space for ships and military equipment for the war effort, correct?”
Niblui inhaled deeply, her snout flaring. “Precisely,” she confirmed. Launching into a passionate speech she’d repeated many times — with slight, on the fly adjustments — she proclaimed, “We are the bulwark of all civilized species in the galaxy against the savagery of the… Znosian menace. We alone fight on the frontlines, protecting not just our own, but the very fabric of life itself from the threat of the— of the Znosians…”
As she laid out her case, Minister Tsai listened attentively. When Niblui finally paused for breath, Tsai gently responded, “Yes, we are aware of your requests towards your close friends.”
Amelia, however, with a mischievous glint in her eyes, teased, “The spiel I heard from the interception was slightly different. More mentions of the grassthirsty enemies and how uncivilized it was to—”
Minister Tsai gave Amelia a pointed look but turned to Niblui. “We do intend to assist you in the war effort. That is why we initiated the First Contact. However, you should know our resources are limited: our colonies are few, our fleets small, and our ships aren’t really built for anyone but our people—”
Niblui’s rapidly beating heart sank as she heard this. She’d heard the same excuses from so many.
Too many.
Breaking the diplomatic niceties, she burst out, “Look, we’re grateful for any help, but what we truly need are ships, resources, and military technology. We do not know where your home planet is, but assuming it’s not far from here with a blink drive, you will end up on their menu sooner or later. The Znosians’ hunger for new species to exterminate is demonstrably insatiable. If you can help us stop them, that would save your species from a devastating war against them, too.”
Tsai’s expression softened. “You misunderstand us, Ambassador Niblui. We are happy to join you on the battlefield: we are preparing to dedicate many of our ships to assist you in the war. The ships will, however, be crewed by Terran spacers, at least initially…”
Niblui was barely able to conceal her look of shock. She could scarcely believe what she was hearing. Only the Granti had fought alongside the Malgeir, and that was because they had a centuries-long relationship built on trust and cooperation. Strangers offering to fight your battles…
Tsai went on, “We understand this is not standard practice in this… region of space, as most peaceful species are highly averse to interstellar war. However, our ships were designed for our own physiology, and we feel that your spacers would be most effective in your own ships as ours would be.”
Niblui struggled for a precedent. In ancient historical times, there was some archaeological evidence that some factions on Malgeiru fought battles on behalf of others for payment.
What was that word again? Ah!
Her eyes lit up. “I see. A fleet of mercenaries. We are, of course, happy to provide payment in the form of goods, services, and technology in exchange for… your mercenary warriors. Perhaps even leased territory if your people are interested? The only exceptions that we cannot allow for payment are involuntary labor from intelligent beings and a small list of banned contraband items. Anything else is on the table. Which do you desire and what uh— what length and level of service are usually provided by your people?”
Minister Tsai fingered her tablet, pulling up a document with a few taps. “Ahem. Naturally, we will respect your restrictions and laws. We, too, have similar ones regarding those subjects. But you might have misunderstood my offer: it is a gift — given freely. Or perhaps, if you would see it that way, a partnership. We have no expectation of payment for ships or personnel, though we expect mutually beneficial arrangements will follow this friendship. For the war effort, we would like to build a framework of cooperation, to coordinate our military operations, logistics, and intelligence sharing.”
Not in a million years did Niblui expect this generous response, but as a career ambassador and negotiator with decades of experience, she managed to keep the disbelief from her face. “That is… most generous of you and your offer of assistance is greatly appreciated.”
“We only have one request: that our involvement and existence is kept secret for as long as possible at the highest level of your government.”
Niblui frowned, pondering the strange request. “While I am not familiar with the Navy’s operations, I worry whether such secrecy will limit the effectiveness of your help.”
“It may,” Tsai conceded wearily, “But we are a highly vulnerable species, and this threat is existential for us as well, so that is unfortunately a requirement of our participation.”
“Very well. We will respect your wishes. This is still an incredible offer, and I am personally ashamed that we can’t trade you anything in return, like our technology or—”
“You already have,” Amelia remarked with a sly chuckle. “Half our drive tech and—”
Tsai interrupted the Admiral without missing a beat, “What Admiral Waters means to say is we may have borrowed some intellectual property from your organizations that develop engine technology, among others. The matter of compensation will be resolved in our legal system, which will offer your people a fair chance to derive retroactive compensation from their hard work.”
“We understand.” Niblui smiled and dismissed it with a wave of her paw. “Technology espionage between peaceful species is commonplace and not considered an overtly hostile act. As a gesture of reciprocation, we will be happy to waive all compensation from before our First Contact as long as your people help us with this war.” She noted in her head that they wouldn’t have been able to collect on their commissions anyway if they lost the war.
“We appreciate it,” Tsai replied, looking happy to get the subject out of the way and probably hoping the chatty admiral didn’t bring up any other embarrassing observations in the First Contact meeting. She tapped on her tablet. “I’m sending over a list of folks in your government and military whom we’ve vetted and trust to know about our, let’s say, ‘hidden hand’ in this conflict. Please convey to your leadership that the absence of anyone on this list should not be interpreted as an impingement on their honor, but rather our lack of knowledge about your people.”
“May I see?” Niblui extended her open paws.
“By all means,” Tsai said, turning her tablet around to show a scrolling list of names.
Niblui’s eyes widened as she saw numerous authentic-looking Malgeirish names, even including a few she was familiar with.
“Wow, this list is extensive. How many Malgeir are there in total?” she asked after reading through a few pages.
“About ten thousand, and some are Granti leaders in exile as well.”
“That should work for us. We will ask anyone who will be made aware of your existence to swear an oath of secrecy on their lives.”
Tsai sighed in relief. “Much appreciated, Ambassador.”
“There is the matter of formalizing relations. Traditionally, we construct facilities on other species’ homeworlds to house our diplomatic personnel and vice versa. Your familiarity with diplomatic protocols makes me optimistic that this would be acceptable?”
“Indeed. We may delay the construction of our embassy on Malgeiru until the end of the war to preserve our species’ secrecy. Instead, we suggest that we place an unarmed civilian ship in your home system to handle communication diplomacy between our species there. However, we anticipate no obstacles to the immediate construction of your embassy on our homeworld or our capital world, whichever you choose. You will be provided with the necessary legal and financial resources to facilitate such a project.”
“Excellent. Once we return to Malgeiru, we will begin our selection of diplomatic personnel and a formal first delegation to your planet. We will make sure to select them from your list of trusted people.” Niblui was already picking out some reliable aides in her head. “And diplomatic ships are always respected in our systems.”
“One more thing. We have a Naval Staff College in our home system that trains spacers. We’d like to invite as many of your cadets to attend as possible, though we understand if many will not be able due to the ongoing war,” Tsai said.
Niblui felt her whiskers twitch in puzzlement. What a strange requirement, Niblui thought. Maybe they have a population shortage and needed Malgeir Navy personnel to supplant their spacers on their ships? The Navy will surely object to such a drain of personnel. Nonetheless, it’s not a good idea to risk angering our new… friends over such a trivial issue. She tried to stall while thinking of an excuse. “Hmm. How long are we talking about for the training?”
Amelia stepped in to answer the question. Interesting. She must be their Navy’s representative. “Command officers will go through a two-year instruction program, though that can be shortened to fourteen months for experienced command personnel if they are able to pass a standard examination and demonstrate field expertise.”
“Years!” Niblui exclaimed, wondering if she was hearing the translation in the correct time units. “Seriously? Our training programs are much shorter. Captain Pliont, how long was yours?”
Pliont who had mostly kept quiet, replied dutifully, “Three or four days, if I remember correctly. Back in the Navy— in our Navy, we learned most things on the job.”
“And that,” Amelia snorted, air-jabbing a finger at him, “is why you are losing the war. No offense, Captain. But, for years, I have watched inexperienced spacers from your Navy repeatedly die to mistakes and bad habits that an amateur wargamer would cringe at. Minister, tell them.”
Tsai cleared her throat. “Your lack of training is one of the few deficiencies we’ve identified with your fleets. We would be more comfortable working with your Navy if we could know for sure that the personnel are trained by Terran instructors. We would provide the training material free of charge. All we would ask is that your government fill the limited number of seats with motivated cadets.”
Niblui blinked, still a bit stunned by the insistence. She asked, “What about your secrecy?”
“The cadets will also have to be sworn to silence and their communication back home will be carefully monitored. We anticipate that by the time they finish training, this will become a moot issue anyway. This training program is important to us, and to your success on the battlefield, and we think your government should take it seriously and send us the best people you can.”
“Certainly,” Niblui replied. She didn’t understand why the Terrans wanted to train their spacers so much, but if this was the only compromise they needed to make, this would be one of the easiest friendships in Federation history. “We would be happy to fill your training… seats with willing cadets. I’m sure I can convince the Fleet Council to pay for them as well, though they may need a demonstration of the value of sending their veteran officers.”
“You are an agreeable species. We look forward to working more with you in the future,” Minister Tsai complimented.
Niblui beamed back at her, pleased. “And you are a generous species without equal.”
Right on cue, Niblui noticed that another one of their people strolled back into the dining hall and gave Amelia a subtle nod. Amelia caught the signal and turned to Captain Pliont. “Captain, we’ve re-enabled your ship systems and refueled your blink drive with enough to get to the next station with a refuel-capable gas giant. We’ve also scrubbed and replaced your data logs for the past twelve hours with falsified data to mask our presence. Your ship stopped due to a computer fault in the navigation system’s signals regulator, which has since been corrected.”
“It did?” Pliont asked, surprised.
“No, that’s the excuse you’ll give your superiors,” Amelia explained. “Your ship actually stopped because you ran into a blink disruption field, which is created by a super-duper secret weapon that you will not tell anyone about if you don’t want us to be very annoyed at you.”
“Ah yes,” Pliont said, catching on and looking at Ambassador Niblui. “Nasty navigation computer glitch. I will inform my crew; they will not reveal your secrets either.”
“We know, at least the ones who made it onto the ship sober won’t,” the Terran admiral replied, winking at him. “I’ve also sent the coordinates for a meeting point in one of our systems to your datapad. Our ships will be there to lead your delegation to our home system, Sol, in… about two months.”
Minister Tsai added, “And included in the data is information about our basic biology, history, politics, and culture that we hope will alleviate some of your leaders’ concerns. If that is all, we’ll be on our way. Have a safe trip back to Malgeiru.”
Amelia nodded and pointed at Pliont, “Oh, and don’t forget about that actual fault in your sewage processing Carla was talking to you about earlier unless you want an overflow…”
“Do you think these new Grass Eaters and the information they sent over are genuine?” Pliont asked the ambassador in her quarters as they watched the all-black Terran shuttle slide into the dark, like a graceful aquatic animal into the ocean abyss without a ripple.
“I don’t know. They seemed polite, even… civilized,” she replied, recalling those uneasy feelings in her gut. “But if they are a clever new ruse by the enemy, I think— I think… we never stood a chance anyway.”

Meta

Property of the Malgeir Federation Navy // Sewage Hydraulic System Universal Troubleshooting Manual
Yellow Code 209 (critical)
Models: All warships of the Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta-classes (models 22,305 and newer)
Description: Drainage pipe flow pressure warning
Solutions: 1) check connectors to drainage valve 2) check pressure sensor 3) manually clear drainage pipe of debris (do not attempt during active operation)
Previous Next
Chapter 19: High Council

A series of document records on the Earth that hungers for us beneath our very feet
Entering UPAmail
You have 100,000 new messages.
Subject: On what to do with the prisoners
Dear Mr Allerson,
We currently have 20 prisoners who were not compatible with the various programmes. As such, I’m obliged to remind you to make a decision on them by the end of today.
While I expect the usual response of ‘electric chair’ from you, I must inform you that Fox Leader contacted me earlier and requested me to pass on the following message to you.
“Look up Cipactli on the Entity Records”.
Good wishes,
Alan Richards Assistant Personnel Manager Unnamed Paranormal Agency
 
Accessing Unnamed Paranormal Agency File Database…
The UPA is dedicated to the capture or extermination of all paranormal threats in the interests of safeguarding humanity. As such, we are constantly in need of new staff. Please consider recommending the UPA to your friends and family as a positive working environment. You may stand the chance to win a $5 cafeteria gift card.
Notice: Files you are trying to access are classified as ‘Secret’.
Please enter the password in the following text field.
Warning: Three incorrect password attempts will result in this computer releasing an incendiary bomb.
Password: **************************************************************************************************************************
Password accepted. Welcome, Personnel Manager Thomas Allerson.
Message of the Day: Scan this QR code to stand a chance at winning two $10 pizza coupons at your local sector’s cafeteria today! To skip this message, try UPA File Database Premium.
Accessing Unnamed Paranormal Agency File Database Premium…
Accessing Entity Records…

Cipactli

Name: Cipactli, Tlaltecuhtli, Primeval Crocodile, Earth Monster, Lady of the Earth, She of a Trillion Jaws. Age: Very old. Maybe even extremely old. Gender: Female, sort of. Sexuality: Why are you asking me? Species: Great Old One Hair Colour: N/A Eye Colour: All
Description:
Cipactli is, for all intents and purposes, a giant primordial crocodile from the early universe who was slain by the gods Tezcatlipoca and Quetzalcoatl in Nahua belief. Her corpse was dismembered and reshaped into the very foundation of the Earthly Plane, which includes among it Earth alongside all surrounding dimensions.
However, Cipactli’s eternal hunger could not be sated by death, and her shattered corpse quakes in hunger and her screams echo throughout the caves of the world.
Various sources link Cipactli to the worldwide crop failure epidemic and rising food prices, but such opinions are still inconclusive.
Background:
The first modern physical contact with Cipactli occurred in 1989 during the drilling of the Kola Superdeep Borehole in the Soviet Union. The drilling project was an attempt to probe as deep as possible into the Earth’s crust.
The project ended up drilling into what is currently known to be one of Cipactli’s arms. A cover-up ensued, obfuscating the real reason for the halt of the borehole drilling as well as the true depth reached. Official reports state that the borehole achieved a depth of 12,262 metres. However, this was a carefully constructed fabrication intended to hide the real and shocking depth of 12,280 metres.
Upon the drill’s contact with flesh, the operators thought that something was amiss and contacted their superiors, who in turn contacted the UPA. It has since been confirmed that the flesh is non-human and does not match any lifeform terrestrial or alien known to the UPA.
Explorations into Cipactli began as of 2007. For notable expeditions, refer to Cipactli Exploration Logs.
 
Accessing Cipactli Exploration Logs…

Cipactli Exploration Log 20-C Transcript

Date: 28 February 2010
Field Agent Team: Crust Diggers
Point of Entry: Veryovkina Cave, Russia
Note: Transcript of first six hours of exploration of Cipactli lost in accident involving falling rock. Refer to Operation Asteroid Impact for more info.
Lead Agent Tan: I wish we weren’t called the Crust Diggers.
Agent Smith: Stop complaining about that.
[Field agents enter chamber roughly 3 km across. Chamber floor reported to be made of unknown red fleshy material. No signs of life. Rows of fanged crocodilian maws line the various walls, alongside bumpy bony eyes in the thousands.]
Agent Rex: I see something there, in those nasty teeth.
[Agent Rex points at a specific jaw containing a small black item inside. Beside the jaw is a mangled mess of rotting meat.]
Agent Smith: Holy shit, they’re moving!
Agent Rex: I’m going to reach into it really fast.
Lead Agent Tan: We could prop the jaws open with some of our metal equipment.
Agent Rex: Where’s the fun in that?
[Six minutes of continued screaming from Agent Rex]
Lead Agent Tan: This seems to be a databox of some kind.
[Lead Agent Tan showcases device to bodycam. The device is noted to be a heavily bloodstained black cuboid with the engraving “Unit for Paranormal Annihilation” written on its side.]
Agent Smith: Rex, stop screaming for a second. Reporting to Surface Camp, we are starting the return journey, please be ready for extraction.
 
After-Action Analysis: Scientific analysis team confirmed that cuboid to be a data storage module, albeit one not used by the UPA. Blood sample analysis also confirmed them to be of human origin.
Further sample testing concluded the rotting meat pile discovered by Crust Diggers to be human, possibly the owner of the data module. Owing to the lack of a head, internal organs, or spine, the scientific analysis team concluded that the subject was probably dead.
Information in the data module successfully obtained, please refer to Unit for Paranormal Annihilation – Subject 120 File. Or don’t, who cares.
 

Unit for Paranormal Annihilation – Subject 120 File

Name: Subject 120 Age: Inconclusive, at least 4.5 billion years old. Gender: N/A Species: Elder God Threat Level: Extreme Risk of Public Knowledge: Low
Description:
Subject 120, also known as ‘Cipactli’, is an entity of enormous proportions. Field Operative Team ‘Ground Breakers’ estimated a length of at least 13,000 km in Expedition 45A.
Numerous drilling operations confirmed the presence of Subject 120 beneath all seven continents. As such, potential hostile actions taken by Subject 120 could result in worldwide devastation.
Subject 120 is responsible for the previously unexplained anomalous phenomenon ‘Cave Screams’, where spelunkers in deep caves reported hearing howling screams originating from further down. Cave Screams are currently reported as psychological disturbances, with the explanation expected to sufficiently avert any suspicions.
Annihilation of Subject 120 is currently deemed impossible and likely to result in the total destruction of Earth. For additional information, refer to [CLASSIFIED].
Background:
Subject 120 was first discovered in [CLASSIFIED] in 2010 by a deep-sea drilling operation. UPA operatives seized control of the facility and enforced Information Quarantine.
Currently, 45 expeditions into Subject 120 have occurred. Refer to [CLASSIFIED].
Expedition 44B discovered Object of Interest (OI) 120-S in Location QXA within Subject 120. OI 120-S is a leatherbound tome consisting of 1120 pages of English handwriting, most of which is damaged beyond repair. Transcript of contents uploaded into data module.
 
OI 120-S

Holy Records of the Great Gaping Maw

Name: Earth Mother, Great Gaping Maw, Our Flesh God, She of the Holiest Screaming Age: Eternal Sacredness: We fall and pray Holy Organisation: One True Church of the Ravenous
To the holy Earth Mother, the eternal Great Gaping Maw, do allow us to record down thy great image onto mortal paper. Bless us with bountiful harvests and envelop us not with thy punishments.
 
The Great Gaping Maw stretches across from the former territory of Kansas to the former territory of California. Her hungry teeth-lined walls devoured the millions of heathens who dwelled in the region, a showcase of true divine retribution.
The remaining denizens of United Columbia fell and prayed to Our Flesh God, submitting our mortal souls to the true Earth Mother. She responded with blessings carried on wind, gracing our ears with her Holiest Screaming and ceased the relentless earthquakes, again divine punishment against the scum of the Earth who have forgotten the One True Church.
Heathens and criminals are granted the gift of being fed to the Great Gaping Maw, to be swallowed whole and consumed by the most merciful Ravenous One. Their blood feeds her and she rewards our submission and obedience with bountiful crop harvests and the holiest of soils, defiled not by heathens nor by the root of all evils in the followers of the Smoking Mirror and Feathered Serpent.
[The remaining pages are destroyed beyond legibility, aside from a section of text on Page 603, transcribed below.]
On the Fifth of Dry Reeds, three figures emerged from the Great Gaping Maw and were received as holy messengers initially. However, they dressed in unbecoming clothing and cited their origin as the ‘Breetish Empire’.
The Grand High Priestess deemed the figures to be a component of a secret test from Our Flesh God. They were subjected to the Great Cleansing ritual and their purified hearts fed the Ravenous One and granted us another bountiful harvest. Praise be to the honoured three.
 
Accessing Unnamed Paranormal Agency Cipactli Exploration Reports…
Analysis of both data records indicates that they originate from another universe, separate and definitely inferior to ours. Given the connection of the various items retrieved inside Cipactli, it is likely that the monster exists beyond just our universe.
UPA Field Agent Team ‘Deep Dwellers’ discovered a sector of Cipactli currently named ‘The Chamber with the Giant Beating Heart and A Bunch of Other Stuff’. There, the team retrieved an old safe deemed likely to originate from another Earth.
The scientific analysis team carefully opened the safe with a wrecking ball and studied the contents, a set of telegrams operated by the London Telegraph Service. They have been transcribed digitally below.
 
To Lord Raymond Greyhound Chairman Royal Geographical Society London, England
YOUR HUMBLE SERVANT OFFERS HUMBLEST APOLOGIES FOR TELEGRAPH DELAY STOP EARTHQUAKE IN SOMERSET UNEARTHED SOMETHING STOP IMMEDIATE ASSISTANCE REQUIRED STOP MILES OF FANGED FLESH STOP SINCERELY
John B. Caldwell Royal Geographical Society
Somerset, England August 23 1870
 
To Lord Raymond Greyhound Chairman Royal Geographical Society London, England
THE FIVE GENTLEMEN DESCENDED YESTERDAY STOP UNHOLY SCREAMING HEARD PRIOR TO ENTRY STOP WILL AWAIT FURTHER INSTRUCTION FROM RGS AND HER MAJESTY STOP SINCERELY
John B. Caldwell Royal Geographical Society
Somerset, England August 29 1870
 
To Lord Raymond Greyhound Chairman Royal Geographical Society London, England
OUR HEARTFELT CONDOLENCES FOR EARTHQUAKE VICTIMS STOP CURRENT SITUATION IN BENGAL UNTENABLE STOP TOTAL CROP FAILURE STOP MASS FAMINE EXPECTED STOP EXPECT EVACUATION SOON
Adam T. Edwards Special Aide Province of Bengal
Bengal, India September 3 1870
 
To Lord Raymond Greyhound Chairman Royal Geographical Society London, England
FIVE GENTLEMEN STILL MISSING STOP RESCUE OPERATIONS DELAYED BY EARTHQUAKE PAST TWO DAYS STOP QUAKES CAUSED CHASM WIDENING STOP PLEASE SEND FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS STOP SINCERELY
John B. Caldwell Royal Geographical Society
Somerset, England September 12 1870
 
To Lord Raymond Greyhound Chairman Royal Geographical Society London, England
APOLOGIES FOR LATE RESPONSE STOP TELEGRAPH WIRES INOPERABLE DUE TO MASS FLOODING STOP SITUATION IN SINGAPORE CURRENTLY SERIOUS STOP LACK CLEAN WATER AND FOOD STOP SITUATION REPORTED TO HER MAJESTY STOP SINCERELY
Samuel Percival Councillor Singapore Colonial Office
Singapore, Straits Settlements September 15 1870
 
To Lord Raymond Greyhound Chairman Royal Geographical Society London, England
MR CALDWELL DESCENDED INTO CHASM YESTERDAY STOP RESCUE OPERATION FOUND TWO DEAD STOP THREE STILL MISSING STOP EARTHQUAKES DISRUPTING OPERATIONS SEVERELY STOP WE HAVE LITTLE HOPE STOP GOD SAVE US ALL STOP SINCERELY
Thomas Scott Royal Geographical Society
Somerset, England September 18 1870
 
To Lord Raymond Greyhound Chairman Royal Geographical Society London, England
MASSIVE FLOODING IN SOMERSET STOP RESCUE OPERATIONS IMPOSSIBLE STOP TOOTHED CHASM SWALLOWED LOCAL TOWNS STOP CURRENTLY EVACUATING TO LONDON STOP GOD REST THEIR SOULS STOP
Thomas Scott Royal Geographical Society
Somerset, England September 23 1870
 

Interview with UPA Bogatyr Fox Leader

Date: 19 December 2020
Conducted by: UPA Cipactli Researcher Dr. Sarah Chang
Dr. Chang: Allow me to thank you for agreeing to the interview. We don’t bother our top field agents usually, let alone one of our Bogatyr-ranks, but this has been deemed an especially serious situation.
[Fox Leader twirls her trident]
Fox Leader: This is about Cipactli?
Dr. Chang: Correct.
Fox Leader: The Earth Monster. I see, you arranged this because you think my Nahua ancestry will be beneficial to the research.
Dr. Chang: Oh, you’re Nahua?
[At least seven seconds of total silence]
Dr. Chang: I just picked you at random actually.
[More silence]
Dr. Chang: So, uh, what can you tell us about Cipactli?
Fox Leader: The primordial crocodile, also known as the Earth Monster, Tlaltecuhtli. She’s ancient, older than the galaxies above our heads. A creature with a jaw on every joint inside and outside. The teteo Tezcatlipoca and Quetzalcoatl fought a cosmic battle with her.
Dr. Chang: Quetzalcoatl is that big flying dinosaur right?
Fox Leader: If you say something like that again, this trident goes into your neck.
Dr. Chang: I offer my apologies.
Fox Leader: Quetzalcoatl is the Feathered Serpent, one of the most important Nahua gods. Tezcatlipoca is his rival, the Smoking Mirror, who lost his foot in the battle and replaced it with an obsidian mirror. They killed Cipactli and made the foundation for Earth and all such dimensions from her. Heaven, Hell, Valhalla, Folkvangr, all such realms are built on the torn-up corpse of the trillion-jawed Old One.
Dr. Chang: Well, here’s the thing. We’ve been finding things inside Cipactli. Things from other Earths. There’s one that’s us but really boring, one that’s us but crazy, and one that’s just British. How could they end up inside Cipactli?
Fox Leader: The Earth Monster is big. Too big for just our plane of existence. When she was dismembered and remade by the teteo, her corpse was shattered and fashioned into countless Earths, all quaking under the same monster.
Dr. Chang: You mean earthquakes?
Fox Leader: She hungers, you know. So ravenous even death can’t stop it. She wants to devour us all. Little flesh sacks treading all over her, tiny enough to fit between her skin cells. She’s screaming and howling for our blood, gnawing on the paper-thin layer we live on, and that results in giant earthquakes and biblical floods.
Dr. Chang: Like what happened in Pakistan last month.
Fox Leader: Or the earthquake in Japan and China this month. Our crops, our plants, they gain nourishment from the Earth. When the Earth is angry, our feeble farms shrivel and die.
Dr. Chang: I have an idea.
Fox Leader: What?
Dr. Chang: Let’s kill her and solve all the issues at once.
Fox Leader: Seriously?
Dr. Chang: What? Killing something usually deals with it, no?
Fox Leader: The Serpent Who Made Life and the Lord of the Near and the Nigh couldn’t cease her eternal craving. We could do no more than pick away at the tiniest fractions of her skin. Like mites. Less than mites.
Dr. Chang: But-
Fox Leader: Do you know what my people call the world?
Dr. Chang: No.
Fox Leader: Tlalticpac. It means ‘on the point of the earth’. We’re balanced on a narrow knife’s edge surrounded by dangerous cosmic forces. They tip the edge one way or the other, and all of our existence falls.
Dr. Chang: What do you suggest then?
Fox Leader: We can do nothing but appease the hungry Earth. You know what that means, don’t you?
 

Fragmented Journal Retrieved from Cipactli by Field Agent Team ‘Deep Dwellers’

Note: Journal was found entirely intact. Lead Agent Jessica Jay reportedly dropped the journal into a swimming pool on accident two hours after extraction, resulting in destruction of most of the contents. Lead Agent Jay reprimanded and sentenced to detention, with her parents called.
 
[Date illegible]
I’ve come to the conclusion that I have sunk into the bowels of Hell. There is no fire and brimstone, but I am further from the Lord here than anywhere else. My throat is parched and my stomach pangs with hunger so badly I can barely keep my writing hand still.
I don’t think rescue is coming. Don’t blame the bastards above. Who would come down into this darkness willingly? Me, I suppose. The greatest of all fools.
I followed the steps of the expedition team as best I could, but I must have taken a wrong turn a few beating hearts ago. There’s nothing down here. No food or water. I found that if you cut a chunk of flesh from the walls, you can squeeze it for some utterly foul liquid. I refuse to consider that it’s blood, for my own sanity’s sake, whatever is left of it. I said grace, habits die hard, and tried eating it, but the meat itself is poison. I emptied out my stomach’s contents until I could vomit nothing but streams of hot blood.
The only benefit in here is that it’s not chilly. The flesh is warm, like it’s alive. It moves and breathes in deep rushes of wind, gales strong enough to tear my tent away. I haven’t seen a living soul in what must be at least a month. Plenty of corpses though. They’re entwined into the flesh, mutilated, hollow eyeless faces stuck in silent deathly screams. Will I become one of them?
 
[Date scribbled out]
I’ve little energy left. I’m so tired. I feel like nobody in the world can understand tiredness like I can.
I write this in a graveyard of humanity, one I stumbled upon mere hours ago. There are gargantuan concrete buildings larger than any I’ve seen, dozens of storeys high, entombed haphazardly in the meat and gore.
Metal vehicles in the hundreds, stacked and crushed together. An entire forest worth of trees, all dead and barren like in harshest winter.
In the walls, floors, ceilings. People. So many people. They stare at me. I feel I can hear them laughing at me. They’re laughing that I’m still alive, still struggling with my aching muscles and fragile bones. I can hear them screaming too. ‘Come join us,’ they say, ‘strive and struggle no more’.
I wanted to give in, join them, packed like bricks and mortar for miles on end. Miles and miles of the peaceful dead.
But no. If I go, I will be going out on God’s terms. There is no rest for the living. Not down here.
 
[No date recorded]
She wants blood
and blood I give
 
Exiting Unnamed Paranormal Agency File Database Premium
How would you rate your experience:
Okay Good Great Excellent Perfect
Thank you for choosing ‘Okay’. The UPA File Database is proud to maintain our 0% negative ratings record!
 
Entering UPAmail
You have 99,999 new messages.
Subject: On what to do with the prisoners
Dear Alan,
Let their blood nourish the hungry Earth.
Regards,
Thomas Allerson Death Row Personnel Manager Unnamed Paranormal Agency
   
Author's note: Hope you enjoyed! I wanted to try something different this time.
You can check out my other stories in my subreddit at this link.
The subreddit's still WIP but the story list in the link is updated.
Thanks for reading!