Homunculus: Angelic Requiem 6

Hatchling watched her sister’s blades slice into the fake carapace of the invader, she was one of the healer units, and the being she was working on was dying. She had hoped to talk with them, but as soon as they had spotted them, she had underestimated their sensor abilities in the dark, they had shot their metallic barbs at them. She should have known better; she had been too eager.

(Sister you are being too harsh,) her healing sister remarked as she pealed the fake carapace open.

She shook her head, but she let her self-recrimination go as she kneeled to get a closer look. The being inside was like her, but not, she looked down at her form confused.

“Am I deformed?” She mused.

(Sister, this is your first time seeing one of the star beings?) Her healing sister asked as it’s other, more delicate, arms took hold of the colorful skin and started to slice it apart. Her smell sensor picked up the smell of burning flesh, and she brought her hand up to it trying to block it.

“I have all of your memories, and Mother’s,” she thought back.

(Memories are not the same as seeing it in the present,) her sister mused as she clacked, examining the burning flesh.

“That is sniper acid,” she commented.

(Yes, they are very accurate, they have learned where to aim to hurt the star invaders,) her sister remarked distracted.

She spit out a fluid into her larger hands, and started to mix it together. Then with her smaller hands, she took her blades, and scrapped as much of the burned flesh off. She then examined the wound, and started to touch the being in specific spots.

“What are you doing?” She asked, her curiosity eating at her.

(I have to check if it’s vitals are still functioning,) her sister remarked.

“You know it’s biology?” She asked.

(Mother made it top priority the moment that they landed and started to kill our sisters,) her sister replied as she started to apply the fluid she had been manipulating onto the wound.

“Will she live?” She asked, and one of her sister’s eyes stalks turned as she heard the mental chuckle.

(This one is a male little sister,) her sister stated.

“Male?” She asked confused, “So they use males as soldiers?”

(They aren’t us, little sister, we have found that both male and female are soldier units,) her sister explained.

“Who, defends their Mother then?” She questioned even more confused.

(That is the thing, little sister, all of their units are able to reproduce,) her sister remarked gentle pulling the being from his fake carapace, (We don’t think they have a Mother.)

She felt her eyes widen, then she glanced over at the other Healers working on the other survivors. Only five of them were still alive, which at the time had made her frustrated, she had wanted to talk with them. However, now, when everything was sinking in. She felt her mind traveling faster at the new information she had. She started to feel ashamed at her earlier emotions. Should she only feel pain and sadness at her own dead, when she knew these beings thought and felt, that they could all pass on their genetic materials. Did that make it more tragic, that they were all like Mother, more than her in fact.

She took a deep breath.

She was crafted to create peace between her Hive and the star beings, and that was what she was going to do. Her emotions were valid, but they were a distraction. She needed to focus. Yes, ten of them were dead, but five of them were still alive. She would focus on getting them healed, and then she would work on communicating with them.

“Alright, first we need them to live,” she stated.

(We understand,) her sister remarked.

“Second, are any of the other star beings still alive?” She asked.

(We haven’t heard anything, a lot of the others report total annihilation of all invaders,) her sister reported as she cradled the male being.

“Where are the scouts and vanguards?” She asked, “Our artilleries were wiped out with their guards, we all felt it.”

(Yes, we did, a whole tenfold of our sisters,) her sister remarked.

“I know,” she answered, “I know, but that means there has to be another group still alive.”

(Yes, but if they are like this group, they will shoot first,) her sister countered.

She nodded, and stood up crossing her single pair of arms across her chest and started to pace. She didn’t know why, it just felt calming as she thought, because her sister was correct. She didn’t want a repeat. She didn’t want to feel anymore of her sisters die, and she didn’t want anymore dead. But, how could she convince them to not shot their metallic barbs?

“I need the leaders, and then maybe the hunters,” she said at length, “We cannot just approach them, we need to watch them.”

(Yes, sister, the call has been sent for the leaders and hunters,) her sister answered, (We will work at keeping these five alive.)

“Good, we will make our Mothers’ dreams come true,” she said with feeling.

One of her worker sisters marched out of the woods, into the clearing, and kneeled in front of her. She climbed up on top of it. The healers started to head towards the tunnels, while her worker sister headed toward the leaders. She reached out, and barely felt them, there were five of them. They felt a bit like the healers, but stronger, but not as strong as Mother.

It didn’t take her sisters long to zone in on her position, soon, she was surrounded by scouts, vanguards, and hunters. She felt her mouth curl upwards, not sure why, but if she wasn’t mentally attached to her sisters, she knew she would have never noticed them. Her eyes saw very well in the dark, but the camouflage ability of the scouts and vanguards was impressive. The hunters were something else, even her other sense couldn’t detect them.

She came out into a clearing, and her worker sister stopped dropping to the ground as their five leader sisters entered from the opposite side. They were larger than her other sisters, but not bulky, they were sleek. They slithered quickly across the clearing and towered over her. Their carapaces glittered iridescent colors, even in the dark, and she felt a bit awed.

(Well, look sisters, it is the little one,) one of them, the blue one, thought almost sardonically.

(Don’t, sister,) Another one, the green one scolded, (We heard your call, what is your wish, sister?)

(What we can’t marvel at our replacement?) The blue one asked.

(Are you questioning Mother?) The larger, black one, asked.

(Yes, because Mother’s wisdom is infinite,) the blue one retorted.

She felt her sensory hairs raising as anger coursed through her, and almost as one all of the leaders glanced at her in shock. Then they lowered themselves, almost involuntary, as if bowing. Her eyes widened as her anger dissipated.

(What do you require?) The black one asked.

“For starters, I require you to remember your role within the Hive,” she said, trying to maintain her earlier temper.

(Our apologies, sister, we do not mean to come of irreverent,) a smaller, red one, finally spoke up, (However, that is in our nature, we are leaders.)

“And that means you question Mother!?” She snapped, surprising herself.

(Yes, we have to be able to question orders, otherwise we would not be good leaders,) the final one, a fierce battle scared, yellow one countered.

(As leaders we sent all our sisters to fight, and most of the time to their deaths,) the black one spoke up, (We do not spill their blood in vain.)

She nodded, and then waved her hand. She stopped and stared at it, then ignored it and focused on the leaders. They were now at eye level with her, and she could see her reflection in their reflective eyes. She knew they were right, even if she didn’t like the idea of questioning Mother, but that was an emotion. She knew, logically, that they, and a part of her acknowledge she, needed to question. To evaluate what she was doing. However, even as she thought about it, she knew Mother was right. It was time to explore the stars. Ever since that memory, they tugged at her heart, and Mother’s dream had become her dream.

“That is why I need you, we need to stop the killing of our sisters,” she explained, “And that means I need to find the remaining star beings.”

(We can do that,) the black one acknowledged.

“Alive,” she ordered.

(Oh, I was worried you would say that,) the blue one moaned. She felt her mouth curling up, and she marveled at how her face reacted to her emo

Patriotism is a Weakness

I post things, like that nationalism/fascism is a weakness, or that Dictatorships is a weakness. And I am lumping Patriotism in there as well, though, it’s more in the kiddy pool section. Love of country is not a weakness, an extreme love where you wear the flag as underwear, against your private area, is. You love the flag and country so much, that you want to wipe your behind with it, especially like say on the Fourth of July when it’s going to be hot, and you are going to be sweaty. Okay, for context, I was a Boy Scout, I learned flag edict. That is so disrespectful. I am just saying. This is a United States thing.

Before I got lost on my flag rant, what I wanted to highlight is that I don’t really define why I think that. Like for me it’s obvious, that when I say it, I could be saying the sky is blue. To me, it’s becoming a fact. But, I have stress, it’s not a fact, it’s my opinion. It’s obvious to me, and maybe not to others. People might still look at the world, and look at the strongman and arguments from Ayn Rand and believe her. I don’t because I just have to look at what a mess, the conservative porn site X has become to know that “strongmen” are the most isolated and thus the dumbest of the species.

The argument goes as thus, the more you learn, the more you know. Isolationism cuts off learning, therefore you know nothing. If you listen to one news source, then you know what they want you to know, which is usually nothing. Businessmen, and there are exceptions, isolate themselves in their ivory towers, so they stop learning, and thus know nothing. Others have made this argument better.

In my lifetime, I have watched those with money, not use it to build an economic empire. I watched them waste it on literal dick measuring contests. If they are the pinnacle of humanities greatness, then we are doomed as a species. We are a bunch of frat boys pulling or members out to compare sizes. This is a crass analogy, but this is how little I think of Ayn Rand’s arguments after having to live from the 90’s to now (2024).

Delving deeper, we have the Russian Invasion, and Russian Ukrainian War. First, we have a Strongman leader, whose pretty much made a dictatorship. In which, before the invasion, oligarchs in the systems stole money from the military making it weaker. Didn’t maintain their vast arsenal of equipment, just lied that they did, so much of it is now still just scrap metal. And lied to Putin how the Russians would be received.

Massive corruption (more so than in a Democracy, which does have corruption), mainly because it has almost no oversight. Bad intelligence, because everyone lies to the top, because shot the messenger is the norm within a fascist government and dictatorship. Be fair, both a fascist and dictatorship are pretty much the same. The army is not filled with volunteers, but with conscripts. Volunteer armies fight better. Even the civilians are more engaged because they have a voice. Russia is now trapped in a war, that even if they win, they have lost. They are crippled. Their population is isolated from the world, and their economy is now gearing up for a forever war with its neighbors.

Are Democracies perfect, that is not what I am say, because the answer to that is no. It is however the best so far.

Over in China, they can’t even deal with their youth deciding to ‘give up’ and not even try anymore. Now even here we’re starting to see that. The economy is the single most important thing to a country. It always will be. Despite what people wish a government could be morally, if it doesn’t have the capital, it is useless. If people can’t plan for the future, they become broken. In the United States, in a Democracy, we can mobilize. We can use our voice. We can elect leaders we think will help with fixing the economy. Who does China have? They have one party, which is pretty much a Dictatorship. So, they give up. So, say goodbye to the producers of your economy.

It also boils down to, fascism/dictatorships, no one is held accountable. No one is responsible. The leader isn’t. Putin has set his country down a path of forever war, and possible destruction, but no one is standing up to fix it. No one is taking responsibility to stop it. It’s easier to just go along with it, to just follow him into the inferno, than stop it. That is the weakness. There is no real “strong” leader in fascism or a dictatorship. It is a country at the whims of a child.

That brings me to the “strong man” of the United States. Did he actually do anything to help during a real crisis? Or did he continue to play politics while people died. That is the weakness of nationalism/fascism/dictatorships/strongmen. No one takes responsibility. It is propaganda art. Putin riding a horse with his shirt off, it’s fake. When a real emergency happens, they don’t know what to actually do. When plans are hijacked by terrorist, they sit there frozen in a classroom.

Ignore everything else, Trump did commit a crime, and he did commit adultery. It is stronger to admit that these are moral failings. It is stronger to admit this is something you don’t want in your leadership.

And I don’t like Biden. I don’t like the current Democrats. I am a Rooseveltian. The last primary I voted for Nikki Hailey because she would bring sanity back to the Republican party. Republicans are trying to make America weak, by voting for the “strongman”.

But a strongman doesn’t take responsibility, for anything, especially for his mistakes. That is a weakness. Because by not accepting responsibility and fixing them, the mistakes become bigger. And people die.

Blow that up, to a country, and that is why dictatorships are the weakest forms of government.

Geopolitical Ideas

Now, I will say that I am not an expert, not even when it comes to History. I will say that these are subjects; History, Geography, and Politics that I study over and over. Much like when I was going to school for filmmaking and realized that I didn’t need a degree to be a filmmaker, I agree that you do not need a degree to be an expert. But what you do need is the ability to study a subject ad nauseum, and the understanding that you will never truly understand a subject. Time and research, as well as others, turn you into an expert.

However, with that caveat, I wanted to discuss other things I wanted to see happen in the world to help with the stability. The European Union is a good thing. If it can happen, the East African Federation would be a fantastic thing. That is something I have commented on multiple times. Basically anything that creates unified blocks that can stand up to each other, and not have one massive superpower. A single superpower allows that superpower to be unethical shall we say. And I know that I live in said Superpower, but really what has that done to the United States. It has drained our economy and killed our soldiers trying to fill the role of the British Empire. That is a bit of foreshadowing as well.

Now, I am also going to defend the United States a bit as well, because despite the bad things we have done, our values are still good. Individual freedoms, Democracy, due process. I have stated this before, I am a Rooseveltian. I will criticize, but we are still the shining city on the hill. Because repressive regimes breeds corruption, and citizens who don’t care. It is the difference between an all volunteer army and those that are conscripted. Russia has proved time and time again that it’s a failed state, and I am not just talking about the Soviet Union, I am including the Russian Empire. China could have reclaimed it’s glory from their past, but that is the problem, they are to focused on reclaiming a golden past. A country to focused on the past cannot move forward. China did get screwed over by the West, like they really did, but Pride is a sin for a reason. If you think your army is the best, without testing it, and ignoring the world, then what happened in Ukraine is what happens.

I don’t want to make this a post about dunking on Russia and China however.

This is one of my more controversial takes, but because of what Netanyahu has done, and the “mowing the grass” policy he’s inflicted on civilians. Like, whatever a person feels, that man is now on par with the terrorist group that started this mess. But, what I think is the solution is the two state solution, but because Israel cannot due to it’s own defense, it has to be a Commonwealth. Because regardless of the history, Palesteine ewould still need to be defended, and making a joint military force is a solution. I don’t know if this one would even work. I just know that as of right now, none of the solutions are viable, and that Netanyahu is only using this as a reason to maintain power.

And I think Dictatorships are the weakest form of government.

That brings me to the main thing I really wanted to talk about, the rebirth of the British Empire. To be fair, the British Empire was a mixed bag, it did a lot of bad things. I don’t have to go into the bad things it did. There are museums in Britain full of the bad things they did. However, we are forgetting the stabilizing effect the British navy did have on world trade. The British Empire was an unifying force, not a positive force in some cases. And I don’t want the old British Empire back. I don’t want the arrogant, Anglos are better than everyone else attitude, which led to the negative aspects of the British Empire.

Just like I want a closer economic, social, and military alliance with Canada, The USA, and Mexico I want a new sort of British Commonwealth. Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand would probably rival the United States economically and militarily. Which, if they did form a Commonwealth military and economy, Canada would by it’s location become the heart of it.

Here is the thing, forever wars, which is what Russia is promising, literally will grantee our destruction as a species. I am not being Hyperbolic with that, just around the corner are A.I’s. Right now Global Warming needs a Historic United Response to deal with. One in which all nations on the planet need to deal with. If the nations revert back to making weapons, that 5 degree shift, will happen. We will literally bake the planet to death. Not to mention if we start to rebuild our nuclear stock pile.

Smaller nations have less corruption, and are better represented. But they have less resources. They are usually weaker in terms of manpower and military. Yes the United States has a strong military, but NATO makes us almost unstoppable. And that is a bit hyperbolic, but strength through unity, is a tried and tested ideology. A stable, Britain, and a more united Britain former Empire, at least the ones that may actually want to come back. I want India to rise on it’s own, without the weakness fascism/nationalism brings. I want India to be seen for what it is, a true equal, but it’s hurting itself by aligning with countries that are showcasing the weakness of dictatorships.

Like my thoughts, I don’t know how serious people should take them. Because at the end of the day they are just what I think would be healthy for the world, and I can be very wrong. I can only be as right with the information that I have available to me. I can try to be as up to date on current events, I can research history, I can try to work against my biases. I am only human, and can only do so much. Maybe I would say use my thoughts as a starting point. If you disagree, think about why, and articulate why. We should have discussions about what is happening. Civil discussions, as hard as those are. We all live on this living space ship hurtling through space.

Revisiting the Honorverse

Currently I am in a limbo when it comes to David Weber’s Honor Harrington series. That’s because it’s in a place that could be considered wrapped up, I disagree, the ‘world’ got extremely huge and there are some loose threads that need tying off. But not all of the side stories need that, really only the Crown of Slaves and Shadows series.

However while waiting, I have occasionally checked up on things, seeing what the current scuttlebutt is, and noticed that some of the fans have listed their top ten favorite characters. Now that is an interesting idea. I to have favorite characters. I touched on them when I discussed listening to the books during school. I don’t want to give out spoilers, but I don’t want to just list them. For those that read the books, they will know, but for non-readers it will just be noise. It might be noise anyway.

And that is the thing, I tried to encourage the book club that I started in High School to read the books, it was a non-starter. I talk with other friends, and they have been turned off the books. Either by it not being their cup of tea, because of the political intrigue, which to be fair, it’s not for everyone. Or, the fans have made it unappealing. Again, it’s something that pops up in every fandom, there are people who ruin the series before a person even has a chance to experience it. I to am guilty, because I can get over eager, and just want to share and talk about it. But, that can really sour some people. Also, being condescending, which others have told me they will never read the books because of what other fans have said and done online, is not okay. I think, and I don’t want to police fandoms, but I think being nicer should be a thing.

Saying that, getting back to a list of my favorite characters, my number one favorite character would be,

1. Abigail Hearns. After reading the books, and getting to the point in the story where she is introduced, she’s a wonderful addition. Now a lot of the adversarial elements of the character interactions have sort of disappeared in the series, which there are reason, but I would like to see some of them come back. I think that could help shape the character more. Right now we are seeing her in an environment that she can thrive in, but one where there is no inter-personal conflict.
2. Javier Giscard. He is overall a very strong character. I love this character.
3. Horace Harkness. Just one of the greatest non-commissioned officers ever written.
4. Shannon Foraker. The title, ‘Tech-Witch’, just that.
5. Thomas Theisman. I cannot do justice to how well written this character is. He is on par with the main Character. Like Honor Harrignton is a well-rounded character. Thomas Theisman could argued as her equal in the story. He shows up in book 2, and shapes the story after.
6. Eloise Pritchart. I can’t say anything without spoilers here.
7. Damien Harahap. Firebrand.
8. Kevin Usher. Who doesn’t like a conflicted spy.
9. Honor Harrignton. I like her, but she’s the main character. So I argue she would be nothing without her supporting cast.
10. Indiana Graham. In the books, he’s a newer character, so he hasn’t done much. However, a freedom fighter is always a welcomed addition.

That is my top list as of right now. Honorable mentions go to Alfredo Yu, Mercedes Brigham, Aubrey Wanderman, Ginger Lewis, Scotty Tremaine, and Andrea Jaruwalski.

Thinking about it, Alistair McKeon should also get a mention, because like Thomas Theisman he to is that important to the series. And I just read Toll of Honor.

Also Flag in Exile is still my favorite, and most of the Grayson supporting cast being top notch characters. Honestly, you look at Grayon in the books and you see how rapid they develop from a backwater single system society, to the second strongest navy. Speculation time for the future, with spoilers.

Just the three nations Manticore, The Republic, and Grayson alone and you have the strongest military alliance out there. Add the Andermani, Erewhon, Torch, Beowulf, and now the MARS. It moves the ‘heart’ of humanity toward the ‘north’ of the galaxy. Earth no longer is the center of the galaxy. Again, that is just speculation on my part.

The Living Room Sofa

Confined by the lack of fund
A vehicle that can barely run

Never have I felt more a prisoner in the place I dwelt

Replace the oil on the car is a must
But in the driveway it sits gathering rust

The passage of time is fickle the hours pass in a trickle

I have to wait to bring it in
A line ahead there has been

Trapped I am in this boorish place the internet’s freedom my only taste

Madness takes me as I write will I waste away tonight, a vast inky blackness tarnish soul as I stare my mental becoming slackness.

Never have I felt more a prisoner than when my funds have all gone towards finances and when I must wait to get my oil changed. The mountain that is obligations weighing heavily on my mind.

Helluva Boss, “The Full Moon” Thoughts

Currently I have this song from the show playing on repeat in my head, because I was informed by the internet that the clown sisters are also clown fish…that is so clever. It is also a great song, though the song after it blows it out of the water, like, everyone whose worked for a bad boss understands this song.

This show, is so well done, and I have found myself very much invested in the story. Like I am ACE, but it’s the romantic ACE. So, the love story in this has torn at my heart strings. Which, this episode really did. I honestly think it is why I had insomnia last night. I found it very hard to fall asleep, the episode really hit me hard.

On that note, everything past this point will be heavy, heavy spoilers for the episode. Like I am going to discuss characters and from my point of view why everything imploded.

So, we have Stolas and Blitzo. Through the first two seasons the show has delved into their pasts. Stolas was isolated, and forced to marry an abusive woman to produce an heir to his royal family. Blitzo accidently set fire to his family circus and killed his mother. There is more to it that that, but those are the highlights. Blitzo is also and Imp, and the lowest rank, and thus the poorest of the demons.

Building up to this episode we have seen that Stolis has started to realize that he has been abusing the relationship with Blitzo. He is the only way for Blitzo to go to Earth, which he holds over him, for sexual favors. This is something that all of the upper demons do, to different degrees to lesser demons. They use lesser demons as items or possessions. And while Stolis is not seeing Blitzo as that, he is still treating him as that. There has already been an episode that slapped Stolis in the face with that realization. So, to rectify that, he gets a crystal which will allow Blitzo to travel to the Earth without him. Which, looking at it as an abusive one-sided relationship, Stolis is trying to do a big grand jester to fix the relationship.

Now, Blitzo is jaded, he has had multiple relationships that don’t work. He has resorted to drugs and partying to fill the void the loss of his mother caused. The upper royal demons have abused him. He does care about Stolis, and like Stolis we’ve seen that in other episodes. However, he has a lot of wall up, and when they start to break he reverts to jokes and sex. That is where he is comfortable. Because it allows him to maintain the distance.

These are two broken individuals. And this episode showcased a very messy break up. One where both made mistakes, but after talking with my roommate/writing colleague, we realize that it’s actually Stolis that made the biggest mistakes. He realized the power imbalance, he was the one abusing the relationship by treating Blitzo as a sex object, and making Blitzo feel like he didn’t care for him. Granted he did try, but Blitzo wasn’t emotionally secure or ready, so pushing it. Forcing an ultimatum. Caused a primal angry response. One which Stolis, because he was upset, didn’t listen to. Blitzo basically said that it wasn’t fair that he wasn’t given time, that Royal demons treated them like objects, that they played with their emotions. Everything that Stolis knew he had been doing. But he was upset that Blitzo couldn’t believe that he wanted to change their relationship.

Blitzo responds to deep emotions with innuendos, jokes, and sex. It’s a defense mechanism. That means Stolis’ behavior up to that point hadn’t inspired him to feel safe, and allow him to open up. Which, with other characters, Blitzo has started to do. We are seeing him heal from his wounds. You cannot just force a change, no matter how much you want, especially not with a grand gesture meant to fix everything.

I don’t know, there are others who are going to do this better, but I had to get this out. It was circulating in my head. Just that ending, was just abrupt, it wasn’t bittersweet or heartbreaking. It just ended with no resolution. And relationships are like that, but man is that going to make me think about it for a while.

*Also disclaimer, yes this is animated, but no, this is not for kids.*

Homunculus: Angelic Requiem 5

Five leapt through the air, the sound of her jump servos wining in her ears, and she braced herself for the landing. As she as she did, she swept the area with eyes her HUD in night vision mode. It made the forest brighter than it would have otherwise would’ve been. It was even scanning the forest for any tiny audio sound as well. Behind her Four, Six, and Seven landed as well.

“Anything” Seven asked.

“No,” she responded glancing over her shoulder.

“Where’d the Sergent end up?” Four asked holding her assault rifle casually.

Five shook her armored head, and marveled that the other three were looking towards her for leadership. Somewhere it made her want to laugh at the absurdity of it. Especially since the officers never thought she had shown any leadership potential.

“Shit, were not even in the drop zone,” Seven muttered as he pulled up a holo-map from his wrist display. Six started to scan the forest with his assault rifle poised to spring up, “What do you think happened to the others?”

“Well, probably what happened to us,” Five remarked stepping back to glance at the displayed map.

“Wonderful,” Seven muttered.

“Here, this is where we hit the heavies,” she remarked pointing.

“What were those things with them?” Four asked.

“Don’t know,” Five muttered scanning the forest again.

Her HUD started to beep, and she spun scanning the forest again. Something was moving in the trees. Her shoulders tensed and she brought her assault rifle up, and went down her knee. Behind her the others spread out behind her. All she heard was her steady breathing and the beeping in her ear. She flicked her eyes, and her HUD brought up a heat sensor. It was slightly better, but the planet was warm so the entire area was red and yellow. She flicked her eyes again, and the motion tracker came up. Her camera focused on a blur in the sky. Her rifle snapped up, and her finger slipped onto the trigger.

“Whiskey-One,” her speaker barked. The beeping stopped, and she felt herself relaxing as she heard the gruff voice of her sergeant.

She remained in her firing position, but her finger relaxed. She then let out a sigh when the Sergeant landed in front of her. She stood up, and took a step toward him.

“Sergeant,” she remarked, but he stopped her by slapping her on the shoulder.

“You’re still alive, good,” he remarked and stepped past her to study the others.

“Where were you,” Seven snapped turning his map off.

The Sergeant shook his head, then turned to glance at Four and Six, then moved to a fallen tree and sat down. He then reached up, snapped the clips on his helmet, and pulled it off. He took a deep breath and glanced up at them in the darkness. Five felt herself glancing at the others, and wondered if they were glancing at her as well. She reached up, unclipped her clasped, and slipper her helmet up a bit.

“Sarge?” She asked.

“So, those new things with the heavies, they were pretty vicious weren’t they,” he remarked with a chuckle.

She heard the others unclasping their helmets, but she ignored them as her eyes narrowed. She studied her Sergeant’s face. There was a sarcastic smile on his face, but it didn’t touch his eyes. She had to wonder what was really going through his mind right now.

“I would agree, but we were able to fight them off,” she answered.

The Sergeant nods, then leans back looking up at the sky, wistfully scanning it.

“Sergeant?” Seven asked stepping over and kneeling in front of him.

“I went on a recon, sorry I didn’t let you know, but the Beta, Gamma, and Delta troops are gone,” he remarked.

Five felt herself freezing. That was about, fifty soldiers, gone. Which meant it was now just them?

“Wait, Sarge, what about Epsilon?” She asked.

He glanced down at her and shrugged, “Don’t know, they weren’t at their drop spot.”

“You went to their drop spots?” Seven asked.

“Yeah, despite how far off we are, the armor makes that negligible,” the Sergeant explained pulling up his own holo-map.

He tapped the 3D display and it zoomed out.

“We’re here, and this was where we were supposed to drop,” he explained, “these were the other’s drop zones.”

Five got closer and examined the map. She felt Six and Four getting closer as well, and she glanced at their faces. It was a bit of a comfort to see their actual faces and not the skull-like helmet. It was nice to see human faces, even in the dim light of the holo-map.

“You comfirmed that they’re dead?” Seven asked.

The Sergeant glanced up at the holo-map, then back down at, he let out an exaggerated sigh.  

“They’re gone,” he reiterated.

Seven looked like he wanted to argue, but Five placed her hand on his shoulder.

He looked up at her, and she shook her head, and he frowned before understanding dawned in his eyes. He swallowed, then turned back to scan the holo-map.

“So, what are our options?” She asked patting Seven’s shoulder.

“All of them bad,” the Sergeant remarked, “Even if Epsilon survived.”

“Epsilon unit had seven soldiers, if we can find them we’d be stronger,” Four remarked.

“Yes, but that wouldn’t solve the ammunition problem, nor the energy problem,” the Sergeant countered.

“No, but it would give us more options, perhaps they were able to get more gear out,” she argued agreeing with Four.

The Sergeant glanced up from the holo-map, gave her a blank look, one that she couldn’t read, then he nodded his head. He flipped the map of, picked his helmet up, before standing up.

“You got a point,” he agreed with a crooked smile, “Saddle up.”

He slipped his helmet back on and clasped it shut. She nodded, and let her helmet slip down. She then clasped it shut as well. Her HUD came back up, and the night vision display came back up automatically.

“Alright, we got ground to cover, and we have to assume the ground is crawling,” the Sergeant ordered, “So, Seven take point. Six and Four take the wings. Five cover the rear.”

She nodded, and waited for her squad to filter out in front of her. It felt good to have a goal, she had to have faith that the other group was still alive.

Media Representation

I will start this with I don’t hate Star Trek Voyager, in fact, even before new Trek started to come out, which I am not a fan, I didn’t hate it. It wasn’t my favorite, my favorite Series is always going to be Deep Space 9. It has mediocre and bad episodes, but when it slaps, it slaps hard. That is slang for it’s really good.

What I want to focus on, however, is how media and characters matter. How representation matters. And that overall it doesn’t matter to much if the character doesn’t look like the person. Growing up and trying to understand yourself, and trying to figure out who you are, that is the hardest thing to do. It was around High School, or maybe late Middle School, that I started to describe myself as a Vulcan. Like to see characters who you resonate with, that you can use to describe yourself, it’s wonderful actually. It gives a sense of grounding, it helps to make sense of the world, and to explain to others who you are.

And why it doesn’t matter if it’s not a perfect one for one representation, is that the Vulcan that I resonated with the most, was Tuvok from Voyager. Not to be to rude, but I am not a black man, so it wasn’t the skin color. But when I listened to him talk, how he responded to those around him, how he hid his anger. That was me, 100%. Like I have changed since, I have grown, I have worked on myself, every ten years we change. Generally. But at that time, I was struggling, and school-life was hard. I to felt trapped on the other side of the galaxy.

I think this also explains why I have no trouble with the idea of changing a character, like when they introduced Miles Morales as Spider Man (yeah, we all like to forget how that was a toxic mess with the fans). Because I grew up with Star Trek, and it showcased humanities better qualities, and the character that I resonated with the most was the black-skinned Vulcan. Don’t take that wrong however, I to am still going to make mistakes, but I am trying to explain where my mind starts not where it finishes. No one is perfect, we are a bunch of apes trying to make sense of the world.

I have ADHD, and I’m An Ace in the Hole, which is very much a Vulcan to be fair. But that anger, that pure primal rage, only Tuvok really had that sort of pain. That is what it is to, there are flash backs to his childhood, which also made me gravitate towards him.

The episode that really cemented the way that I felt, were Gravity and Random Thoughts. Even now as a teacher, I realize I am very much still Tuvok, and that I can be very rigid. Very much like the episode Learning Curve, honestly there are a lot of things he does in that episode that I also do. There are other characters that I grew up watching and either resonating with, or wanting to be like, but again representation matters.

Art is about telling everyone’s story, not just one story, over and over. Humanity is diverse, and our stories should reflect that. It can bring comfort, and support. It can shape a young adult, give them solace by showing them what they can become. To be fair the other character, also from Star Trek, that I resonate now as an adult is Julian Bashir, so, that’s another story. But there are some similarities there.

Adding to Yesterday’s thoughts

I made a quick post yesterday, basically commenting a bit off-hand that culture changes, and that it’s getting a bit tiring to deal with the constant bombardment of ‘woke this, and woke that’. Especially since it’s been done before, multiple times, over and over through out history, and it’s all tied into fear.

Just wanted to add to that post.

So, honestly additional thoughts, and this is a continuation as well. Religion, more specifically Christianity, has damaged itself. There is a reason the general population, more so in the USA, is leaving it. It’s because of Christians, and their constant complaining and their constant in your face Authoritarianism. To the point that their own fears become manifest because they created that situation. Faith, and practicing one’s faith, is never been the issue. Forcing it onto others, and arguing that our Founding Fathers were authoritarian theocrats has. We live in a society of multiculturism, we are a melting pot, we are not a Christian nation. We never have been. Yes, there are areas that at one point were more Christian and that was the dominant faith of many, but it’s not anymore. It’s time to deal with that. And instead of highlighting why people should adopt the faith or what it could bring to their lives, Christians (and not Christians, there is a difference) have made it a “Us Vs. Them” sort of fight. It didn’t need to be a fight, but it became one, and those in the middle became disgusted and walked away. And bad behavior convinces others to leave.

Another thing I wanted to comment on, is that I am glad that John Stewart is back. Love or hate him, you cannot argue that he does not have integrity. He literally fought for veteran’s right. He walks the walk that he talks. Just saying, we don’t always get that from media personalities. And I agree with him, it’s time for the reporters to actually call out politicians for their blatant lies. If they say something untrue, everyone wants them to do it to, call them out. What is this letting them blatantly lie BS that we do. Hold their feet to the fire and force them to prove what they are saying. Pictures or it didn’t happen. Like, it shouldn’t take the courts to hold politicians accountable. I would like the News to be the News, not wild speculations. The News has become Yellow Journalism again, and we aren’t fixing it. It’s just becoming worse. To be fair, the American people deserve better.

And of course, I could point out Fox, it’s an easy target. None of them are journalists at this point. They aren’t a news organization anymore. They are just talking heads that spot the conservative talking points, unless they go to far and land Fox in another lawsuit. They’re learning how to dance around that line. Because, in the court, you have to have proof for what you say. Otherwise it’s hearsay or slander.

But the left, and the left is not some monolithic boogieman that the right media makes it out to be. Just like the right isn’t some monolithic monster that the left likes to pretend it is. It to slips into yellow journalism, it to speculates endlessly about pointless stuff. How-a-bout we just report on the news. That would be nice. It would be interesting.

Now the other thing, the right really, really needs to come down from that high horse they’re up on right now. Or do they think we forgot how they’ve been politicizing the justice system for political benefit ever since the beginning of politics. If someone commits a crime, political rivals are going to hammer that home hard, sucks doesn’t it. But, least we forget the political impeachment of Bill Clinton. Or “Lock Her Up”, which again, in court, you have to have PROOF. Hard to do, can’t just lock Hillary up with no proof, that would be mis-using the justice system. Also, everything the Republicans have been doing with their special hearings since they retook the House, that’s been politically motivated.

They are like a classmate of mine in 6th grade, who would bully the other kids, and then when they would retaliate, he would go and tell on them to the teacher. You know that teacher told him. “If you can’t take it, don’t dish it.”

Trump can’t take it, so maybe, he shouldn’t have been dishing it out.

Again, sucks when the shoe is on the other foot. It would be nice if we could have different candidates, it would be nice it the right had a shred of backbone and kicked his loosing carcass to the corner. It would be nice if the Democrats had found someone new, someone younger and with more passion to showcase the difference between the two parties. But I can wish in one hand and…if you know, you know, watch Grumpy Old Men.