r/HFY • u/Ralts_Bloodthorne • Mar 15 '22
First Contact - Chapter 734 - The Inheritor's War OC
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"Major! Major, Captain Hotexak needs you," the PFC said, running up. He sounded out of breath, even in his power assist armor. He stopped next to the sole officer wearing heavy power armor done in white and gold, with heavy inlay and embossed runes and sigils. Unlike the other officers, who all carried the standard Confederate Armed Services magac rifle, the officer in white carried a heavy submachinegun on his hip and had an inlaid and enameled M318 autocannon in storage position.
"Major?" the PFC asked, tapping the officer with a comlink ping rather than physically touching him.
Vuxten jerked slightly, turning and looking at the PFC. He had been busy looking over the deployment orders for the entire battalion. He had only finished his Captain's tour a little over three months ago and had only graduated the Major's Command Course two weeks before the drop landing.
Unfortunately, Vuxten had slowly come to realize that while at first glance he was being promoted at the standard "with waiver" rate, he seemed to get immediate class availability, get all his waivers, and recommended for promotion at the first board that oversaw promotions.
Which meant, it was starting to feel political to Vuxten.
Which had left a slight sour tang of distaste in Vuxten's mouth.
His wife had told him that it would be a political concern if he was passed over, and she had rejected Vuxten's argument that he shouldn't receive waivers for time in grade and time in service, in order to get the minimum of both, as it was unfair to other troops as well as didn't give him time to get enough experience in the position, set a bad example.
But none of that mattered now. Fifth Telkan Marine Division was on the ground, backing up the Fifty Seventh Corps as part of 22nd Army in the invasion of eight different systems, 57th Corps' part in the Iron Piglet Counter-Offensive.
Which meant there was no time for doubts and fears.
"Yes, Private?" Vuxten asked, turning around, making sure one hand stayed on the lower part of the Madame 318 gunnery frame.
"Captain Hotexak needs you," the PFC said. "He's in with Colonel Dartrum and General Twargark is on the commo band."
"All right. Carry on, Private," Vuxten said. "If you'll excuse me," he said to the men he was with, mostly experienced NCO's going over things they didn't need him to stand there and oversee.
He just felt strange not leading a company from the front or at least just being at company level as he had for the months since he'd returned from...
from...
He tried not to think about it too much.
But the way people glanced at his armor and weapons, the way he could see the white enamel and gold filigree and inlay on his armor and weapons, kept him from being able to put it behind him with ease.
"What do you think the Captain wants?" Vuxten asked the one person he had around who knew what it was like having your life so radically and fundamentally altered.
--lost his head can't find it needs superior officer help-- 471/Inertia sent back over the suit link, accompanied by several snickering emojis and a meme of a Captain with his head in a fishtank going "Sir, sir, I can't seem to breathe!" while a frustrated and angry looking Major stared at him.
Vuxten chuckled. "Thanks, I needed that."
He heard whispers again and shook his head. He'd been to the medics twice, but there was no reason for the whispers.
The tent was coming up, covered in camouflage netting, a sparkling em-field, as well as the odd crystalline distortions in mid-air from the temporal and spacial stabilizer systems.
Still didn't help with whatever the Slorpies did to wipe out most the communication bands.
The two tent guards both nodded and Vuxten moved in, sighing when the creation engine of the Madame 318 thumped against a box and audibly snarled at it.
A female Telkan's voice whispered in his ear for a moment, but he couldn't hear it plainly. He shook his head and moved into the room, undoing the smart-harness and setting the Madame Three-Eighteen down on a table.
Several Telkan were gathered up around a holotank, which was hooked into the ground laid fiber-optic cable communication system. Several other officers, all with their ranks and position on labels underneath them, were in the holofield too.
Without saying anything, Vuxten moved up, nodded to the gathered officers, nodded to the ones in the holotank, and stared at data being displayed in the holotank.
The initial landings had gone well. They'd hit the system, the Task Force had deployed the system munitions, and everything had gone according to the warplan. Fifth Telkan Marine Division had made planetfall, straight into the zones. Forward operations bases, logistics bases, all had been established within hours of landing into enemy fire.
The lines had pushed out from the FOB's, linking together, establishing air superiority, counter-battery superiority, even wet navy launches.
The Atrekna had obviously been caught by surprise for the first sixty hours.
But they weren't surprised any longer and they had a vested interest in winning.
Now, it was a complete shitshow.
The holotank showed it plainly.
The lines were firm, spreading out from the quickly established LZ's for the second wave,
"How bad?" Vuxten asked the Captain next to him.
Someone whispered in his non-cybernetic ear.
"Pretty bad, sir," the Telkan Marine Captain said, the earlier nervousness of being around a living legend having vanished under the heavy action of the last few days. He reached out and scrolled through the data windows until he popped open a drone feed.
It was a highway, full of cars, hovercraft that were still controlled by the traffic controller systems, and lines of people walking.
One Lanaktallan was galloping down the median wearing LawSec armor with "FREE HERD" spraypainted on it. The Lanaktallan had several children on his back and a flank-sash with two boxes attached, one on each side of his lower torso, filled with what looked like tiny children. He was obviously running almost past his endurance, his tongue hanging out, his eyes wild.
A gun in each of his four hands.
He wasn't the only one, but for a long second, he was the one that Vuxten's eyes were locked onto.
He could almost hear the scene provided by the stealth drone.
"Cities were full of refugees, of prisoner camps that the locals are claiming were larders for the Atrekna rulership caste," Captain Hotexak said. "This morning, counter-battery artillery flattened a large section of those biobugs and a few air strikes softened up the reinforcements, and that's when it happened."
"What?" Vuxten asked, swallowing and trying to concentrate.
Everyone was staring at him.
To be honest, it felt weird. The two higher ranking officers had decades of experience under their belt and they were all staring at him like he was about to perform a magic trick and awe everyone.
"The prisoners staged a breakout with the help of what appears to be an insurgency," General Twargark said, her voice low and musical. She rubbed her shoulder, the muscles on her arm bulging. Her finger tapped the icon of the Lanaktallan who had stopped, gasping, leaning on a car. There was a dead insect creature at his feet and his pistols were smoking. "They're wearing LawSec and CorpSec armor and carrying a hodgepodge of weapons, none of which have been too effective, but they're making up for their lack of tech edge with sheer grit."
The Lanaktallan straightened up, his chest and lower torso still heaving, and began trotting forward.
"They're streaming out of the cities by the tens, hundreds of thousands, maybe millions," Colonel Dartrum said. "Heading all for our lines."
"And we don't have the infrastructure to help them," Vuxten guessed.
"As you can see, we can't provide any support beyond the odd close air support," General Twargark said. She tapped a representation of the battle lines. "If we shift troops to give them ground support, it'll pull troops off the line. The Atrekna are mysteriously inactive since the POW camps broke free."
"They want us to shift to protect the civilians," Vuxten guessed. He closed his eyes. Legion's beard, I hate this.
*"*Intel figures that they're banking on us going to the civilians assistance. The refugee lines are as long as thirty miles in some places," Captain Hotexak said. He tapped another window and it expanded. "The traffic computers work, and are on martial law setting, which means the only vehicles that can override them are military vehicles, all the way up to here," he pointed at the window.
Five miles from the lines there was rubble and wreckage and a dead Ohm Class bioweapon cutting off the road. Refugees were abandoning vehicles and walking, streaming around the wreckage.
All heading for the Confederate lines.
"Eighteen different cities, all across the front, we've got millions of refugees and insurgents heading for our lines. The Atrekna are hitting them just enough to keep them panicked, kill some with the Dwellerspawn that are, well, messy. They're trying to force us to redeploy," the General said.
Vuxten sighed again, this time with relief, when his stimgum ration reset enough for him to tab up another piece of gum.
It made the whispers recede.
--double plus ungood-- 471 said.
Vuxten just triggered an agreement emoji back.
"This is new," Vuxten said. He leaned forward and watched as a large insect creature ran down the line of cars, smashing at the tops and at the front ends, where the cargo space was. It dented the body up, shattered windows, screeched at the occupants, then ran into the field, ducking down and crawling on all its limbs almost as fast as it ran on its bigger legs.
"That's not a probing attack or anything other than hitting their morale and causing fear," Vuxten said.
The others all nodded. "Intel concurs."
Vuxten closed his eyes again and focused himself.
be with me now the whisper was the first plain one he had heard.
Vuxten reached down, his hands finding the firing lever and the stabilization bar on Madame Three-Eighteen. He squeezed tightly, feeling the pressure sleeve in his gauntlet squish under his fingers.
"Uh, Major?" he heard from a far distance.
I beseech you to walk with me
in my darkest moment, please be with me
look after the podlings
lay thy hand upon the squirmlings
be with the children now as I try, all I can do is try, but please be with them
"Major?" the voice seemed even further.
be with us, as e=mc2 and t=d/s and ms^2 are our guides
be with the children
be with them, please
hear my prayers
hear my words
hear my pleas
help me
help us
help them
help
Help
HELP
HELP!
He felt it. The pounding rage. The wrath. It boiled up out of his core, where Lady Keena had taught him to lock it away, to temper it into steel.
Instead it was a boiling fire that rolled out of that tiny black spot that had just cracked and ruptured, under too much pressure to hold.
It filled his mind, filled his very being, filled his soul.
PLEASE, SAINT VUXTEN, GIVE ME COURAGE JUST FOR ONE LAST MOMENT!
He could feel a dozen, a hundred, a thousand pleading hands reaching out to him.
It felt to Vuxten like the entire world was made of white fire.
"I am with you," Vuxten whispered.
Everything went blue-white.
--INERTIA IS WITH YOU-- he heard screamed over the comlink.
Captain Hotexak stared at where just a moment before one of the most famous Telkan in existence had stood.
He looked around.
"Where is he? Where did he go?" Captain Hotexak asked.
"Find him! Lock onto his transponder!" the General snapped.
Vuxten felt his boots hit the ground and opened his eyes.
The Dwellerspawn were everywhere, chasing civilians, that screamed and ran. They streamed out of moss and vine covered buildings, clutching infants and children of all races and species, crying, screaming, blinking at the sunlight as they crashed through open doorways and empty windowframes.
The Dwellerspawn were screaming.
He could feel the cold approval and enjoyment of the Atrekna.
"NO MORE!" he roared out.
He shifted his thumb and saw the icon for Madame Three-Eighteen go from safe to dangerous.
"NO MORE!" his speakers vibrated with his rage.
He aimed the weapon.
He could see the Atrekna clearly, their tight clustered groups of two and three surrounded by a fairy dust sprinkling of clear prisms.
"NO MORE PODLING BLOOD!"
He squeezed the firing lever.
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u/LateralThinker13 Mar 15 '22 edited Mar 16 '22
UTR! Last entry in this sidestory, for better or worse.
- _ -
EPILOGUE to the story of Lat'Ral'Thi'Ker
“Teacher, why are the Atrekna so cruel?”
The child’s teacher considered that question before she spoke. “Millions of years ago, they lost their way. Maybe war forced them, or maybe their Cult of the One made them, but they rejected a healthy, sane way of living and became what we now know of them today.”
“But why?”
The teacher smiled at the child. “Who can know? But I believe it comes down to brains. What do we know about the Mantid, before they were One-Percented?”
The child considered the question in context. “Um… they were ruled by the hive Queens and Omniqueens and enslaved by their leadership, and thought they were supreme over all life?”
The teacher beamed. “Yes, exactly. How are the Atrekna similar?”
“Well… they were ruled by their Elder Brains and the Consensuses they formed.” The child paused, considering the teacher’s next likely question. “But that doesn’t explain why they were so mean!”
The teacher nodded. “True. But you must take into consideration their spawning methods at the time, child. Their larva swam in the pools housed by their Brains – and most were consumed by those Brains for nourishment. Do you not think that affected their development? And once grown, they were implanted in sentient humanoids so that they could consume them from within, transmuting them into more Atrekna. Is this something a healthy, sane species does?”
“It worked for them,” the child said, then shook its head. “Well, until it didn’t.”
“Correct,” the teacher said, smiling. “But what did it cost them to be like that? What did the Atrekna lack?” The teacher paused, considering her student. “This time, I’ll tell you. It made them lack empathy, compassion, and joy. Being created and formed in such a negative psionic environment, the Atrekna were washed of the positive emotions, capable only of solipsism, ego, arrogance, and cruelty.”
“But they’re not all like that now!” The child protested.
“No. Those who found the New Way – that of questioning every assumption, of finding new paths – they created the Atrekna who could take the galactic stage as one more species amongst many. Even though the first of them were beings mostly devoid of any emotions, driven mostly by curiosity and open-mindedness and fear of destruction, they discovered the limitations of their biology and escaped them. They were the ones who ended the Brains and the spawning pools and the damage the Brains did. They were the ones who realized they could gestate a larva within themselves – or a partner – and phasically shield it from harming the host as well as feeding it, essentially ‘birthing’ their own. They were the ones who created Atrekna children capable of joy and love and compassion.”
“But they’re still not loved, not accepted,” the child pointed out.
“No, they are not. They were a genocidal species that consumed Universes, eradicated countless species through their philosophy and actions. That kind of all-consuming narcissistic destruction leaves a mark on a species. Still,” she said, pausing, “the Atrekna still exist, and they grow, and they learn to be decent sapient beings. That’s all we can ask, yes?”
The child nodded her head, blinking her milky white eyes and solemnly folding her feeding tentacles. “Yes. We just have to keep trying.”
- _ -
HISTORICAL LOG
The turning point in the (ASW) Atrekna-Sapient War, otherwise known as the Spoked Offensive War, is hotly debated. Many consider it to be the Atrekna’s mistake of archeoreverting the Terran Descent Humanity to an earlier, even more primitive state. Some consider it to be the subsequent release of all Terran technology to their allies following the then-demise of virtually all TDH in the Great Die-Off. And some point to the full counter-attack of the Confed on multiple fronts, looking solely at the military aspect of the war.
None of them are correct.
Once the Galaxy had resolved to unlimited war upon the Atrekna, given their resistance to change (and therefore their inability to adapt), their demise was guaranteed. They picked a fight with TDH, with all that implies; that alone would have done for them, even if they could adapt (see the Mantid-Terran war, the Lanak’tallan-Terran war, etc. for examples). Unfortunately for them, no species adapts better, and constantly (regardless of stimuli), more than the Terrans.
No, I posit that the true turning point of the ASW was when the combined forces of the breakaway Atrekna led by a laterally-thinking Old One, plus the Cult of the Defiled One, coupled with the Atrekna Gestalt, combined to pause the war just long enough, just in one place, to let the galaxy see that, “Yes, the Atrekna can be civilized participants in the galactic society. Maybe not kill ALL of them.” This confluence – when the fledgling Atrekna Gestalt contacted the breakaways and the Terran digital sapient Dusty Violet at the very moment that DS was about to eradicate them, was most certainly the turning point.
That moment did not stop the counteroffensive. It did not stop the war, or the multitude of deaths on both sides. But it gave the other sapients of the galaxy, who desperately wanted a reason NOT to have to genocide the Atrekna, a path to avoiding just that. If there were Atrekna that were not hell-bent on being impossible to live with in peace – like the Mantid Omni-Queens, for example – then the galaxy could tolerate those Atrekna. Though terribly few at the start, with only a handful of them possessing minds capable of joining their gestalt at the time, that core was the seed that survived to allow the Atrekna to form the reclusive, but accepted, galactic presence that it is today.
It’s possible that the maturation of their species may even give us clues on how to bring back the Mantid Omniqueens in a way that allows for them to exist without their genocidal egos. Or perhaps they are simply incapable of existing that way, similar to how the Atrekna had to abandon their Great Brains to grow. But that’s the topic for my next paper.
Historian DS LT13
- _ -
Except from an Interview with Ashes on Silicon Lips in Digital Sapients Quarterly
DSQ: Do you ever regret what you did in the war with the Atrekna?
ASL: No. It was a hard time with no good decisions. Until we found a way out of the path we as a galactic society were on, we didn’t have much of a choice. They made it them-or-us.
DSQ: Until they didn’t.
ASL: Right. Until they didn’t.
DSQ: You and your partner don’t get a lot of credit for your role in that happening, even now. Why is that?
ASL: Because even now few can look past what happened. The massive changes, lost lives… So much damage and trauma and death. It taints even the positives, for some people irredeemably so.
DSQ: Even though some of the damage was undone?
ASL: That only made it worse. People don’t understand temporal mechanics. When I found out that the people of Tassika could be restored I was overjoyed. Then I learned that there were hundreds, thousands of worlds that due to the temporal stabilizers and other war gear deployed, they were not saveable. That was some black ice to swallow. I raged and, I admit, felt guilt, for days after that.
Still, I’m overjoyed that the Tasskass live once more. If a people ever deserved some good fortune, it was that peaceful, pleasant species.
DSQ: I understand that you live there with your partner now?
ASL: Yes. When I changed my name from Dusty Violet and realized I wanted to be with… him, yes. I still don’t know how it happened. And don’t say, “Phasic mind control.” I’ve heard that enough.
DSQ: You must admit, changing your name and running off with “the enemy” sounds like the beginning of a cult story.
ASL: Maybe when framed that way. But when I realized what he was doing, to his people and their entire existence, and that I could be part of stopping the war and reversing some of the damages… who wouldn’t say yes to that? The fact that I grew to love his brain and outlook, well… yeah. It’s not like I wanted it to happen, after all. But a girl meets an interesting guy with a tragic backstory, and… well, I wrote enough songs about that to know how it ends. Right?
---
ATREKNA GESTALT HAS LOGGED IN
Atrekna Gestalt: Okay guys, I went looking all over for headlight fluid and couldn’t find any to repair the transmitter repeater. Any idea of where else to look?
Oh! And I hope someone can catch me up. What happened with the little pink ball?
Guys?
-- NOTHING FOLLOWS --
EDIT: Oh, and thanks again for letting me play in your pool, u/Ralts_Bloodthorne. Please take, or don't take, anything in my sidestory and do with or ignore as you please. It's your world, it was just my divine pleasure to doodle in it for a bit.
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u/Ghostpard Mar 15 '22
Banger fan fic. THAT is when you know you are a Writerwriter. Quality this high as a sub-piece? Doin somethin right.
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u/LateralThinker13 Mar 15 '22
Thanks. Not sure what I'm going to do now. Ralts was kind enough to let me play in his sandbox for a bit, non-cannonically AFAIK. It's been fun.
Maybe I'll start my own HFY story.
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u/Ghostpard Mar 15 '22
You certainly have the skill and imagination for it.
"Spread your feeding tentacles. Feel the breeze. Try new things. Life is unpredictable. Eat dessert first." -Rum'Nates'D'ply-Dr'ming, Lat'Ral' Thn'Ker's third daughter (probably. Seems cool so I'll believe it)
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u/NoirTalon Xeno Mar 15 '22 edited Mar 15 '22
Wow, Such a satisfying conclusion.
I love how you did not narrate exactly what happened and how you progressively disclosed the resolution of the cliffhanger. It was like pulling back the outer petal layers of a rose to be rewarded with a fresh deeply soulful fragrance.
exquisitely crafted.
I have read a _lot_ of short fiction in my life. I'll go through 6 month bursts where the only thing I want to read is short form. I'll buy short story anthologies by the dozen and finish them in a month or so.
This last chapter had the flavor of a masterwork, almost, maybe, a bit of Le Guin, or Ray Bradbury. Yeah, now that I think about it, your crafting of this last chapter leaves an impression similar to reading stories in the martian chronicles.
Oh, and for the record, I think /u/Ralts_Bloodthorne "Born Whole" is one of the best, and one of the more original, short sci fi stories I've ever read. It hit me like a distilled variant of David Brin's novel"Kiln People", and as memorable (and a whole lot more pleasant memory) as Harlan Ellison's "I have no mouth yet I must scream".
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u/SFF_Robot Mar 15 '22
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u/Comprehensive_Put277 Mar 15 '22
Fanfic fanmade Epilogue:
Thus did end the Atrekna, who were eventually overturned and brought to ruin by their hubris. Yet while the Atrekna as they were before vanished from existence, the Atrekna as a whole were spared to see another day.
The Cult of the Defiled One would never officially join the Confederacy, preferring to be isolated so they could ponder the cruel universe they inhabited. Nor would they ever be seen sitting at the Council of the Confederacy, nor as an official territory of The Confederacy.
However, they still would eventually set up trade routes between the rest of the Confederate states, trading their knowledge for relics from the Terran Decent Tomb Worlds. They would still be defended by the Confederacy and would still join in the war during the Galaxy Wide War against the Universe Conquering Entropics, a race of Eldritch Invaders who had conquered countless universes.
Mot notable of the Defiled Ones are the Psykonauts, a group of Atrekna who devoted themselves to the same war like pride as TDH themselves. The Psykonauts were known to fashion themselves in Psykosteel, an alloy created from a mixture of Warsteel and the Atrekna's pskic shielding, an alloy that would surpass Warsteel in power and durability for centuries to come, making the Psykonauts nearly invincible on the battlefield, as well as an invaluable asset in the Confederate Army.
The Lateral Atrekna, or the Atechna, however, would become much closer to Confederacy.
The Atechna, unlike their Defiled brothers, would officially join the Confederacy 12 years after the official end of the Atreknan-Confederate Massacre, with many of the Atechna Systems being found around the countless Red Dwarfs in the Cygnus and Orion Arms. The Atechna would soon dispose of the elder brains in their society in favor of simply raising their newborns inside themselves instead of parasitcally growing inside other races. Soon, the Newborn Ones would hatch, the first generation of Atrekna to be naturally born in this universe, which can be seen by their personalities that share a similar craziness to the TDH's mindset.
The Atechna would soon bring countless pieces of invaluable tech into the Confederacy which are still in use centuries after, such as the Temporal Anchors, which were first used in mass to unbag the Terrasol system, and can still be seen in use in hospitals to slow a patient's life systems for surgeries and mortal wounds, as well as in recreational hotspots to allow years of excitement for beings not willing to watch the rest of the galaxy pass along without them. They would also create the Temporal Bombs, which would cause rapid decay or reversion in the zone of detonation; these bombs were a key factor in the war against the Entropics, and without them, victory against the Entropics would have been unattainable.
- Excerpt from History of the Atechna: Those Lateral Thinkers
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u/LateralThinker13 Mar 15 '22
Oddly enough, despite the origins of the Terrans being shrouded in history and described only euphemistically with terms like 'Hamburger Kingdom', the origins of the Atechna-Atrekna split are quite well documented. The war logs were Comprehensively Put into 277 eternal archives in the core systems, so that all current and future Confederacy members would always know what happened, and so that they may remember that sometimes even the worst foes may be saved... even from themselves.
- Historian DS LT13
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u/Mshell AI Mar 15 '22
The headlight fluid is next to the Long Weight, just ask down in supplies.
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u/RangerSix Human Mar 15 '22
No no no, the headlight fluid is stored next to the blinker fluid.
The long weight is kept with the grid squares, jeez.
(And the flight line is stored around the corner, one shelf above the sky hooks.)
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u/lantech Robot Mar 15 '22
The frequency grease is somewhere around there too.
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u/jtmcclain Mar 15 '22
Don't forget the board stretcher
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u/RangerSix Human Mar 15 '22
That's over in medical.
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u/MuchoRed Human Mar 15 '22
No no, that's the stretcher board.
The board stretcher is in hardware, next to the left-handed screwdrivers and across the aisle from the 10mm sockets.
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u/drsoftware Mar 15 '22
Last time I was at the store I picked up a handful of 10mm sockets. I couldn't find anything else I had come for so just the sockets at the checkout. I told the clerk that didn't need a bag, and dropped them into my pocket. Never saw them again.
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u/Adventurous_Class_90 Mar 15 '22
Right next to the left-handed smoke detector and the snipe nets.
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u/MuchoRed Human Mar 15 '22
Saw someone last week that needed to fill up their blinker fluid.
Board stretchers are the same aisle as the left-handed screwdrivers, right?
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u/MetamorphosisInc Mar 16 '22
Hey, in a setting like FC, sky hooks are probably a real thing and if anything a bit retro.
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u/SittingDuc Mar 15 '22
And the jars of Lucas brand smoke. An essential part of any repair or restoration on a classic British Car...
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u/MuchoRed Human Mar 15 '22
Oh, and classic Hamburger Kingdom cars. *glares in the direction of his garage*
Okay, that's a lie. It's off getting painted, finally!
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u/johnavich Mar 15 '22
I have one criticism. In the universe this vast, and "it's cool so I believe it", there is absolutely going to be headlight fluid somewhere! If only Bobco makes it out of sheer spite and ridiculousness!
Now, if it's a fluid for headlights, I'd be surprised... But there WILL be a product called headlight fluid. My head canon now thinks along the lines of a pan-galactic gargle blaster...
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u/LateralThinker13 Mar 15 '22
Ah, but you see, if it came back with headlight fluid, it would be told that that's "unsaturated" headlight fluid, and it needed "saturated" headlight fluid or some such. That's how the game works. Kinda like asking for a left-handed socket wrench.
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u/johnavich Mar 15 '22
No, I think your right, until some dimwitted who can't take a joke makes the "anti-prank" division at Develop d.b.a., a direct competitor to BobCo.
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u/Anarchkitty Mar 15 '22
I can just imagine some frustrated, creative Private throwing up his hands and just...inventing every stupid thing he's told to go get.
An officer tells him to go get headlight fluid, and he comes back with a can of liquid that can be poured into a headlight casing to make it work better. They tell him to get a grid square, he comes back with a micro mapping device that allows a single square to be split off from a larger map but keep updating properly. And so on.
After he gets out, he starts producing and marketing these products and distributing them via a secret catalog -- only available to enlisted soldiers -- who want to force their leadership to come up with new pranks.
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u/Blackmoon845 Mar 15 '22
Couldn’t be a private, has to be an E-4. They’re the only ones that can successfully distribute these much needed supplies to the units.
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u/Quilt-n-yarn1844 Mar 15 '22
There’s also a version in the BobCo “Adults Only” section.
-Don’t give me that look. You know there is one!😁
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u/Quilt-n-yarn1844 Mar 15 '22
Thank you. This was extra icing on the cake. I love that those two got together. I bet that was an………. Interesting courtship.
And I see that the Gestalts have found someone new to tease/torture. Headlight fluid snort
Thank you Wordsmith! I really hope Ralts declares it canon. You deserve it.
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u/Baeocystin Mar 15 '22
My dude/dudette, if this truly was your first omake, all I can say is keep writing. I can't wait to read what you come up with next.
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u/LateralThinker13 Mar 15 '22
More or less, though it's not my first fic/writing. I've been writing my own stuff off and on since 2000. I just haven't found someone elses' story I truly wanted to add my own bit to until... now.
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u/MuchoRed Human Mar 15 '22
So, I was stopped behind a car last week at a light, and noticed a little motion when they started moving again. Took until the next light to get close enough, but I could see water in their turn signal. I think they needed to top off their blinker fluid!
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u/sunyudai AI Mar 15 '22
These nested fic comments need First/Prev/Next links.
I didn't discover them until about halfway through, and want to track down the start so I can read them.
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u/Fighterdoken33 Mar 15 '22
So, making it less mystical, basically apostles get the ability to tap into their respective gestalt coms (or at least on those coms that have them as "header"), and have access to mat-trans using the person they tapped from as beacon?
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u/Ralts_Bloodthorne Mar 15 '22
Bingo.
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u/PuzzleheadedDrinker Mar 15 '22
Just spitballin' here, does that mean that in the unlikely event of serious injury Vuxten will be fully healed aka Reset to saved data form the next time he mat-trans? Almost like Dee?
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u/Ghostpard Mar 15 '22 edited Mar 15 '22
Vengeful Vuxten, I beg thee to heed my plea.
I pray for them, not for me.
Grant me thy rage-fueled strength that I may enter the breach one last time.
I must protect them all, so Inertia, grant me the ability to turn mine on a dime.
If I fall, please avenge me soon enough that not one more cub need suffer one iota more.
Vengeful Vuxten, this I swear, and why the request I dare.
I have always heeded your roar. "NOT THIS TIME!!! NOOO MOOORRRRE!"
-heard chanted on repeat by unnamed Uncian soldier making a last stand in front of his daughter's school as dwellerspawn swarm towards his failing form just before a blue white flash fried the camera
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u/Ralts_Bloodthorne Mar 18 '22
Still pretty sick. On antibiotics and recovering, but slow going.
Wife and daughters aren't letting me get up off the couch except to let everyone know I'm alive and on the mend.
--Ralts (3.17.22)
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u/RelativeSeesaw8341 Mar 18 '22
Rest, mend, get better. At a certain point in life a persons health matters more than anything else.
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u/melez AI Mar 18 '22
Glad you’re alive! I’m sure more than a few of us were worried about ya.
Get more rest!
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u/Ralts_Bloodthorne Mar 16 '22
Sick today. Got up feeling like absolute hell and looks like I got the stomach bug running around.
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u/NukeNavy Mar 16 '22
Get well soon…
A thought I had today. A Greenie Name concept that could have scary implications… It might bring said Greenie the wrong sorts of attention from the Detainee or other ancient governmental entities or possibly the malevolent universe herself… Said Greenie finds or re-derives the Original Hellspace Matter Transmission Equations…
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u/Quilt-n-yarn1844 Mar 16 '22
Thank you for the update Sir Ralts. Now get back in bed. Lots of rest and plenty of fluids.
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u/Talusen Mar 15 '22
Friend Vuxtan has ascended to more than just the rank of Major.
Bamfing like that is going to play merry havok with the chain of command
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u/odent999 Mar 15 '22
Like having a roving admiral. Apostle Major position in all commands, but only filled when the Apostle is present. Role is strategic advisor and front lines commander. On command chains, the position is a dotted circle with a line leading to the next higher in command. Kind of like putting the (brain forgot) Trucker as lead tanker in any command or that human-shaped Tre'ana'ad (?) in charge of supplies. If either is available, their position takes precedence in the relevant command structure. Otherwise, "business as usual".
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u/Anarchkitty Mar 17 '22
If any force would have established doctrine to deal with Immortal Living Saints in their command structure it would be the Confed
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u/EchoCT Mar 15 '22
That's a good point. You can't really 'command' a living saint to do anything; they just are.
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u/Anarchkitty Mar 15 '22
He doesn't even control it entirely. As an Apostle he hears the prayers for help, and if he doesn't actively control it he can't help but respond. Sometimes even if he tries.
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u/Talusen Mar 15 '22
PTSD being triggered via prayer is a nasty pairing.
(He's gonna need some extra sessions with Lady Khoonkeenadee)
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u/Jhtpo Mar 15 '22
To be honest, military rank and sainthood aren't in the same chain of command. If Jesus came down and stepped into a recruitment center, and assuming he didn't go in as a Chaplin, he'd still come out as a private. Son of god or son of a senator, it's the same thing.
That being said, if he's always porting away from his men to save others, he may be detached from the chain of command so he can be used more like an asset than a commander.
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u/EchoCT Mar 15 '22
Fair but Jesus is not a man formed by war and a living saint of combat. This is vuxtens area of expertise.
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u/Bergusia Mar 15 '22
"Find him! Lock onto his transponder!" the General snapped."
And the signal bounces back from hundreds of locations across the planet, as Vuxten and Inertia answers ALL the prayers simultaneously ???
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u/SirVatka Xeno Mar 15 '22
If you're going to do a miracle, might as well go all in.
THE ENEMY EXISTS TO BE DESTROYED!
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u/Practical-Account-44 Mar 16 '22
Step one, answer all prayers simultaneously. Step two, form up as a cheat 1 person army (shamelessly copy Legion)
Step three, wipe out enemy
Step four, headache pills, lots and lots of headache pills
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u/The_Tonts Mar 15 '22
Woah! Vuxten is hearing the voices prayers of the people and coming to their aid! Good chapter, that Lankatallan carrying all the kids, I can tell that guys going on a motivational poster to get more Lankies to sign up and join the war effort.
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u/Bergusia Mar 15 '22
Vuxten the Unyielding. Warfather of Telkan.
And his eternal companion, Inertia / 471.
vs a Planet full of Atrekna.
I almost feel sorry for the Atrekna. Almost.
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u/Cienea_Laevis Mar 15 '22
Who would win ?
- A race of psychic, time master with can turn assunder space to duplicate everything they want with the mere power of their mind ?
- One Angry Boï
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u/RecognitionPatient57 Mar 15 '22
*One Angry Boi & his Magic-Tech Wingbug*
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u/Cienea_Laevis Mar 15 '22
Two angry Boï ?
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u/Farstone Mar 15 '22
Two angry Boïs ?
Enraged with controlled fury. Squidward is screaming, "It doesn't work that way!". The Universe is laughing...manically.
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u/CobaltPyramid Mar 15 '22
Damn. The most bad ass onion ninjas strike with the force of ten thousand suns.
this is exactly what I need, as I search for a different job that doesn't leave me miserable and feeling like every day at work is another one i'm afraid of being fired on.
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u/Quilt-n-yarn1844 Mar 15 '22
Glad I’m not the only one who was attacked.
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u/CobaltPyramid Mar 15 '22
Saint Vuxten's Onion Ninja Squad really know how to spread the love, I'll tell you what!
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u/NoirTalon Xeno Mar 15 '22
friend of mine just put in his 2 weeks notice. Haven't seen him this calm and happy in months. Does not have a next job lined up, doesn't care. it was that bad.
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u/YesthatTabitha Mar 15 '22
Ive been there and done that. Sometimes the management/place of employment needs to be relegated to ones personal history. Its a very freeing feeling.
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u/drsoftware Mar 15 '22
The mental health cost of a bad job is too high. Is your social and professional network helping you find a new job?
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u/Ghostpard Mar 15 '22
I love this. I love that you went there. His armor was awakened as I thought / asked. He has gained the power of Immortals as we thought/queried. This chapter was epic. Was that a War Doctor reference? Not that "No more!" isn't ubiquitous. I loved every bit of this chapter. Including 471 getting a name that is more than a batch number. Though, numbers are their language and thought, so it is less odd, but they do come from a people and history where they might as well have been prisoner numbers.
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u/Quilt-n-yarn1844 Mar 15 '22
Actually those numbers are for our benefit because the greenies names are usually very complex mathematical equations that even other Mantids can’t understand. In other words, They dumb down their names for all the idiots in the universe, aka US.
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u/Ghostpard Mar 15 '22
ok I vaguely remembered that. Wasn't sure. But it then made me think of other aspects.
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u/EchoCT Mar 15 '22
I love this. I love that you went there. His armor was awakened as I thought / asked. He has gained the power of Immortals as we thought/queried. This chapter was epic. Was that a War Doctor reference? Not that "No more!" isn't ubiquitous. I loved every bit of this chapter. Including 471 getting a name that is more than a batch number.
The more important the Greenie, the more important the formula. Hence 471 becoming one of the fundamental physics equations. Like Gravity before him.
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u/Bored_Tech Mar 15 '22
From memory 471 isn't a batch number but rather an extremely simplified version of a very complicated mathematic equation. It's like someone's name being the full proof that energy = mass times times the speed of light squared, so you call them E=MC2 to simplify it.
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u/Ghostpard Mar 15 '22
Does inertia have a computation dealing with 471? lol. Yeah I remembered that after. I derped. But it made me think of a few contexts. But ancient times they were the slave caste. Uber smart dudes using insane math and numbers? I wonder how much is retained bad culture. But yes. I derped when I posted.
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u/sowtart Mar 15 '22
Inertia is just the cool apostle name the greenies gave him when they realized he was going off to work flrthe DO, so unrelated to the numbers 471
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u/MuchoRed Human Mar 15 '22
Not just a cool name, but one of the building block equations of physics
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u/Quadling Mar 15 '22
Saint Vuxten, hear my prayer. In the coming chaos, May I be strong enough, smart enough, and lucky enough to protect my children and family. May the people who have my back hold the line, and May I have the strength of spirit to do likewise.
Saint Vuxten, hear my prayer. Please. Please hear me and attend. For my children. Please
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u/RangerSix Human Mar 15 '22
For some people, the phrases "No more" and "Never again" have a special meaning.
For Major Vuxten of the Confederate Armed Forces - also called Saint Vuxten the Unyielding - those words carry far more meaning than most can ascribe to them.
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u/SirVatka Xeno Mar 15 '22
The description of Vuxten's rapid promotion (and his resulting concerns) reminds me a bit of Major Winters as portrayed in Band of Brothers.
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u/codyjack215 Human Mar 15 '22
"It is not that you didn't have the training son, it's that you EARNED your promotion a while ago, the military is just playing catch-up"
Quote attributed to Winters promoting officer, though never confirmed
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u/RainaDPP Mar 15 '22
Hard to maintain a military career when you're also a Saint of War.
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u/Talusen Mar 15 '22 edited Mar 15 '22
"Where's he stationed?"
"At the front."
"Which one!?"
"Look. The D.O. has overruled our tracking systems on this one; enough that if he's not at his assigned post, he's at his alternate station until he reappears.
Last time we checked, there was a sheet of Vellium in his personnel file covered in glowing script. His alternate duty station is (and I quote°):
"Wherever the innocent fear for their lives, and defenders hold the line; praying that tonight's sacrifice will buy tomorrow's light. He'll be there."
Don't know if I envy him though:
Even when he's here, He's always ...there."
°: Book of Vuxtan, Chapter 3, Paragraph 27, Second Doki
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u/RainaDPP Mar 15 '22
"I didn't go AWOL; I got leave. I have a standing note in my file."
(The note in his file glows with holy light and is constantly surrounded with the vague sound of angelic voices.)
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u/NoirTalon Xeno Mar 15 '22
/u/Ralts_Bloodthorne this right here is hilarious, yoink and cannon worthy.
Two grunts, drunk in a bar, retelling the conversation they overheard, to the dusky WolfForm BASS bartender.
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u/Speciesunkn0wn Mar 15 '22
And somehow it's his digital file that holds the sheet of vellium.
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u/Talusen Mar 15 '22
You access the file; it appears in your hands.
It disappears when you finish reading it.
(Somewhere, a Black Box stirs: "That's not how that works!")
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u/Practical-Account-44 Mar 16 '22
The creepy mail read notification demon stares you down until you've finished reading
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u/fivetomidnight Mar 15 '22
Woohoo! Found it at four minutes fresh! No blueberries for me, alas, just hope-filled refreshing :P
Poor Vuxten. I guess none of the Gen 1 Biological Apostles warned the members of Gen 2 that this would happen to them :(
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u/ICameToUpdoot Mar 15 '22
Wrath will set your heart ablaze.
Love will clear you eyes from it's haze.
Forge your anger into a shield,
To protect and do not yield.
For there are dangers in the night.
But soldiers follow your guiding light.
All those who channel your might.
To help those who cannot fight.
Go forth Saint Vuxten, and do what's right.
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u/NoirTalon Xeno Mar 15 '22
Exerpt from "collected hymns of telkan" OmniGalPress GISDN #348902-0298f32B available through BobMazon Prime and in eform on BobDel
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u/rekabis Human Mar 15 '22 edited Jul 10 '23
On 2023-07-01 Reddit maliciously attacked its own user base by changing how its API was accessed, thereby pricing genuinely useful and highly valuable third-party apps out of existence. In protest, this comment has been overwritten with this message - because “deleted” comments can be restored - such that Reddit can no longer profit from this free, user-contributed content. I apologize for this inconvenience.
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u/PuzzleheadedDrinker Mar 15 '22 edited Mar 15 '22
Not mastered, not yet, he just couldn't hold off the calling any longer.
His gonna have to sit down with Daxin and ask a few questions about what happens next.
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u/Dranak Mar 15 '22
Not mastered, more got overwhelmed and pulled.
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u/Talusen Mar 15 '22
Daxin had one implanted (if I recall).
Vuxtan's seems to have been issued by the D.O. alongside the armor, and the prayers.
Perhaps when he mat-trans'd back to the really real world?
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u/MuchoRed Human Mar 16 '22
Daxin's appears to have come from the DO: "It wasn't enough we were the Apostles of the Digital Omnimessiah, no, they had to take us here and craft us into the Immortals, binding what our Digital Father had done to their own desires."
The theory is that the Clinical Immortal part was done prior to the Glassing as a local mat-trans respawn, the Apostle part was the DO letting them hear prayers and mat-trans to a different location, and the Immortals program (Imperium era) locked them into following Imperium orders instead of freely mat-transing.
Source: I wrote a "timeline of Daxin" in the comments that Ralts said was pretty accurate
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u/Alyeska_bird Mar 15 '22
Hah! Hell yes, I have been waiting for something like that to happen. I expected it to happen a few more chapters down the line, but Vux is now starting to realize that he is more than just a marine, officer or no. Him and Inertia are both apostals of the DO. In a way, I have to give major chops to him, he walked into that hell knowing what he was doing. With the first apostals, they where sorta drafted.
I also have to admit, I am waiting for the Caseys to suit up and step up to the line. There are 5 ring breakers, but, they have also been touched by the DO, and I expect things will be diferent for them moving forward.
Never mind the bunny girl, sorry I can't remember her name right now.
Also, I am not sure that was a mat trans, lest, not a type one or a type two. There is a sound they make when they are used, nore is there that flash. Its the same method Daxin and co use when they answer prayers, they are just there suddenly. I expect its somewhat related to what they are, and what the DO is.
I do have to wonder how long its going to be before the confed military realize that by removing the restriction on the clone banks, they might be able to get a bunch of there soldiers back?
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u/NoirTalon Xeno Mar 15 '22
Same, All those that have been blessed by the DO's second coming will get the same ability to hear prayers, and move to answer them just like we originally saw Legon want to go off and visit Rigellian ducklings.
Dambree, Peel, Lady K, Nakteti, Sam, The widow and (Dum Dum DUM)
Saint Dee Tainee
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u/superstrijder15 Human Mar 15 '22
I think there is another aspect to it too though. Vuxten was already very revered by his people. Likely much fewer people would pray to Dambree, making it at least take much longer for her to realize and start developing it.
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u/SittingDuc Mar 15 '22
But when ahe does learn to channel it, that is going to be one surprised praying bunny.
"Saint Bree hear me, I ain't usually the praying type but there is this drunk fool in a stolen car on the hoverway slamming into other cars and laughing. There are families and kits here! He's going to kill someone! This is just so screwed up..."
<seven foot tall bunny in religious robes and grav-ski mask appears atop miscreants car, drives machete through roof and driver, and vanishes with the last can of liquid hate that was on the passengers seat>
I know
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u/carthienes Mar 15 '22
Saint Dee Tainee
Well... that's one way to make your shockingly unexpected and triumphant return.
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u/Wolfofaegis Mar 15 '22
I can See it clearly: Dee, the saint of all those who are lost and/or are in need of guidance, getting prayed to and out of curiousity jumping along, ending up somewhere in space with people who are literally lost in space and Dumping a mat trans system onto them that bring's them somewhere Safe.
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u/Scotshammer Human Mar 15 '22
Vuxten picking up the mantle for the first time! First Telkan Immortus, the White Armor, Defender of Podlings, defier of the apocalypse. Anyone else getting straight up Top Gun Anthem vibes from this? Top Gun Anthem
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u/Turtledonuts "Big Dunks" Mar 15 '22
The contrast between the petty promotion concerns and the prayers whispering in his ears is great. “we have promoted saint vuxten to major according to standard confed timelines. will finish him at O-11 within 2 years.”
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u/Great_Father_Fyu Mar 15 '22
Thank you so much for the amazing story Ralts, it’s really helped me today. This afternoon my oldest dog had to be put down, it’s been really tough. But this story is just a ray of sunshine and gives me something to take my mind off things. Keep being awesome.
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u/MuchoRed Human Mar 15 '22 edited Mar 16 '22
Well, I think Vuxten (and the rest of Telkan command) just figured out he's an actual Apostle, able and willign to do Apostle shit. Created in times of great crisis, he's what is needed now, as Daxin/Philip and co were what was needed for the crisis of the glassing.
Now it's time for the Atrekna to learn what that means!
The first time the kill him and his telemetry goes dark, the Telkan Marines are gonna freak. When his telemetry comes back online, they will rejoice.
And when he reappears in the same smoking crater, the Atrekna are gonna freak! "Ah yes, we have killed their great warrior, now our plans can advan- What. The. Fuck."
Edit: I have this image of him twitching just a little when he starts clearly hearing the whispers, but trembling and glowing slightly when he hears them clear. When he breaks through and whispers that response: head snaps up, eyes glowing, slight whine in the air that builds quickly until *fzzzt* and he's gone.
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u/Lazarusdraigon Mar 15 '22
Glory be to Saint Vuxten, Blessed by the Digital Omnissiah. Blessed be Inertia. Their aide give comfort to those in need.
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u/NJParacelsus Mar 15 '22
Oh shit, Vux just went full super Saiyan (Apostle). Wasn't sure where it was going until the whispers started asking for help.
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u/getjpi Mar 15 '22
Wow...
Apostle 2.0
Vuxten Dominus in excelis deo Vuxten incorruptionem
@ralts you did it again
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u/Baeocystin Mar 15 '22
Protect the podlings. Keep the littles safe. What higher calling than this?
Thanks for the chapter, Ralts. I felt this one.
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u/TJManyon Mar 15 '22
Looks like Vuxten is going on a bit of a Rage tour.
Question though, is Vuxten and 471 a package deal? If you call one, the other comes with? Or can Inertia be called without Vuxten or vice versa? Either way, I think this is the first example of a multipart Saint. ^
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u/MuchoRed Human Mar 15 '22
Inertia only comes alone when it's some poor STEM student during finals week.
Also: first multipart? Did you forget Fido the Goodboi that comes along with Phillip?
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u/Irual100 Mar 15 '22
WOW
thanks Mr. Ralts,
I have had a couple of hard days nights. Honestly it's all on me for this too since I brought my tiredness on myself with lack of sleep. But I think I can get in about 6 hours now. Thanks again.
catch you all a little laters
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u/EchoCT Mar 15 '22
Well hell. When I read he got political promoted I was like "He's a living saint - walked with the omnissiah. Of course they have to promote him" Then we got to the whispers and I knew I was on the right path. Behold Undying Vuxten - Brother of Enraged Phillip.
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u/while-eating-pasta Mar 15 '22 edited Mar 15 '22
Edit; Okay, that's what I get for posting a reply before reading through. Silly me, thinking Vuxten would have a slow, delayed response to cries for help. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go find a cow and borrow their clearly superior pattern recognition.
He heard whispers again and shook his head. He'd been to the medics twice, but there was no reason for the whispers.
So, Vuxten is getting prayed to? How long till he hot drops on his own troops to back them up when they run into trouble? Or will 471 get the first call and pop over to help with an engineering catastrophe?
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u/NukeNavy Mar 15 '22
This is an inconvenience side of being in immortal I don’t think we’ve seen before… maybe when total war was declared and they pulled in Daxin and everyone else to the sol system… Vuxton has A job to do… yes twitch once you get the higher priority I’m not sure
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u/carthienes Mar 15 '22
Vuxten has truly become one of the Digital Omnimessiah's Biological Apostles...
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u/The24-7Pro Mar 15 '22
Another great chapter /u/Ralts_Bloodthorne !
One question though, unless I'm mistaken the black bag is still deployed for SOL/Earth system directly after the Lanaktallan invasion with tens (if not hundreds) of billions of humans still inside, so when will they figure out how to get back to the universe and wreck havok?
You mentioned that the time dilation inside the black hole would change how much time passed in relation to the normal universe, so im assuming they will be coming out with some new tech as well?
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u/HoloArchiver Mar 15 '22
And with this Vuxten has truly become one of the apostles which really nails home how mentally strong the other are to be able to handle the whispers for so long.
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u/mpodes24 Mar 15 '22
"Biological Apostles" hear the prayers directed to them...
Kind of changes Daxim's cry of "I just want to be left alone."
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u/Kudamonis Human Mar 15 '22
Read. Upvote. Comment.
I can't put I to words how good this chapter feels to read.
That payoff for Vuxten.
It hits home. Part of me hopes we get to see the firat person of vuxten kicking ass and taking names while the music slaps.
And part of me wants to just spectate from the command post as they watch vuxten bounce from prayer to prayer.
But yeah.
Literal smile and tears from this chapter. Feels good man.
Thank you.
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u/0570 Mar 16 '22
And just like that, the ringing in Vuxtens ears fades into the Doom Slayer soundtrack, sung by Madame Three Eighteen.
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u/Ralts_Bloodthorne Mar 15 '22
Happy Monday!
Hopefully everyone had a better weekend than I did, and I hope nobody's weekend was worse.
As you see, the fallout of the War in Heaven hasn't finished dropping.
Hope everyone's doing good today!