#Solar Receiver Array

[suprcomputranimalracingsimulatr]

Outpost (1994)

[energynews247]

Solestial receives NASA SBIR Ignite contracts for next generation solar array

Solestial receives NASA SBIR Ignite contracts for next generation solar array by Staff Writers Tempe AZ (SPX) Nov 08, 2023 Solestial, Inc. has been awarded $849,954 for a Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (“SBIR”) contract from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (“NASA”). The winning proposal titled, “Next Generation Silicon Based Solar Arrays for Space Stations and…

[reasonsforhope]

"New York is marking the early achievement of its Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act statutory goal a year ahead of schedule, announcing that 6 gigawatts (GW) of distributed solar have been installed across the state, enough to power more than one million homes.

New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) president and CEO Doreen M. Harris broke the news onsite at a distributed solar project in New Scotland, NY today. The project, developed by New Leaf Energy and owned by Generate Capital, participates in the state’s Solar for All pilot program with utility partner National Grid, meaning its generation benefits low-income households. The site’s 5.7 MW solar array will generate 6.7 million kilowatt-hours of solar energy annually, powering about one thousand homes.

“New York State has provided a replicable model for others to deliver clean, low-cost renewable energy to more consumers,” asserted Harris. “Our public-private partnerships are the catalysts which have helped us to achieve our 6-GW goal well ahead of target, trailblazing New York’s path to an equitable energy transition.”

Governor Kathy Hochul says this achievement brings New York one step closer to a reliable, resilient, zero-emission grid. The Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act contains goals to generate 70% of the state’s electricity from renewable sources by 2030 and 100% zero-emission electricity by 2040.

“Distributed solar is at the heart of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, expanding the availability of renewable energy, and delivering substantial benefits for our health, our environment, and our economy,” Hochul added.

New York achieving its distributed solar goal of 6 GW has generated approximately $9.2 billion in private investment across the state, according to NYSERDA, creating more than 14,000 solar jobs from engineering to installation. Three years ago, Governor Hochul directed to expand the goal to 10 GW by 2030.

“While we’re incredibly proud of the work and partnerships that have led to this achievement, we’re more excited that it can be repeated and multiplied. With the State’s continued leadership, we’re confident we can get to 10 GW and beyond,” predicts New Leaf Energy director of policy and business development Sam Jasinsk.

The state says it has another 3.4 GW of distributed solar projects already in development, making a 10 GW goal quite feasible.

“Customers and consumers are asking for access to clean energy, and New York state is listening,” Generate Capital Investments managing director Peggy Flannery said. Generate Capital operates 69 projects and counting in New York.

In 2023, New York installed more community solar capacity than any other state. Last year was also the state’s most productive year ever for solar installations, with 885 MW of capacity installed.

In April, NYSERDA was selected to receive nearly $250 million from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Solar for All program to enhance New York State’s existing portfolio of solar deployment, technical assistance, and workforce development programs for the benefit of over 6.8 million residents that live in low-income households and disadvantaged communities. As part of the grant funding, the New York State Housing and Community Renewal, the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, and New York City Housing Preservation and Development, will implement new programs that target specific barriers to solar deployment for this population."

-via Renewable Energy World, October 17, 2024

[dandelionsresilience]

Dandelion News - April 1-7

Like these weekly compilations? Tip me at $kaybarr1735 or check out my Dandelion Doodles! Last month’s Doodles are free to the public, so go take a look :D

1. Galapagos tortoises at Philadelphia Zoo become first-time parents at nearly 100

“Mommy, the female tortoise, is considered one of the most genetically valuable Galapagos tortoises in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ species survival plan. [… T]he zoo said it is “overjoyed” at the arrivals of the four hatchlings, a first in its more than 150-year history.”

2. Massachusetts home-electrification pilot could offer a national model

“In total, the program is providing free or heavily subsidized solar panels and heat pumps to 55 participating households, 12 of which also received batteries at no cost. […] It’s a strategy that program planners hope can help address the disproportionate energy burden felt by lower-income residents of the region[….]”

3. National Park Rangers rebel against queer erasure on Trans Day of Visibility

“[… A] group of over 1,000 off-duty, fired, and retired National Park Service employees launched Rangers Uncensored, an online archive that restores and amplifies LGBTQ+ stories quietly scrubbed from government websites since President Donald Trump’s second inauguration.”

4. World's largest wildlife crossing reaches critical milestone

“Over the next few days they'll be adding 6,000 cubic yards of specially manufactured soil to cover the crossing, a mix of sand, silt and clay inoculated with a bit of compost and hyperlocal mycorrhizal fungi, carefully designed and tested to mimic the biological makeup of native soils around the site.“

5. Bipartisan bill to boost green building materials glides through House

“[B]ipartisan legislation the House of Representatives passed in a 350-73 vote last week would give the Department of Energy a clear mandate to develop a full program to research, develop, and deploy clean versions of the building materials.”

6. Tribal Wildlife Grants Funding Announced

“Tribal Wildlife Grants are intended to help Tribes develop programs for the conservation of habitat and species of traditional or cultural importance[….] Typically funded projects include: conservation planning, fish and wildlife management and research, habitat mapping and restoration, inventory and monitoring, and habitat preservation. […] A total of $6.1 million is available for this round of funding[….]”

7. Germany adds another one million PV arrays to take solar total to 104 gigawatts

“Following a rapid rise in household solar panel installations, Germany’s total number of PV arrays has passed the five million “milestone[.…]” Solar systems already cover almost 15 percent of Germany’s electricity demand, BSW-Solar said. […] The total capacity of all PV systems installed in Germany surpassed 100 GW at the start of the year.”

8. Stronger together: Bilby conservation efforts enhanced by Indigenous knowledge

“Ms. Geyle said the results showed combining [conventional science and traditional tracking methods] more accurately estimated bilby abundance than using either technique individually[….] "[… ensuring] that Indigenous people remain central to decision-making about their lands and species that inhabit them," Ms. Geyle said.”

9. Lennar will build 1,500new Colorado homes with geothermal heat pumps

“The homebuilder is partnering with Dandelion Energy to install the tech, which is efficient but expensive — unless it’s built into new homes from the start. […] And by eliminating the need for new gas pipelines and reducing the peak electricity demands on the power grid, subdivisions built on this model could save a bundle on utilities as well[….]”

10. New strategy launched to protect Tanzanian biodiversity hotspot

“Conservationists have launched a 20-year-long project to protect what is arguably Tanzania’s most biologically rich landscape: the Udzungwa Mountains. The strategy places notable emphasis on communities living here, with more than half of its budget allocated to social and economic projects and managing human-wildlife conflict.”

March 22-28 news here | (all credit for images and written material can be found at the source linked; I don’t claim credit for anything but curating.)

[captain039]

Part 4 The Meaning of Flowers

Viktor x reader

Bridgerton AU

Warnings: olden times, sexism, light swearing, plus size reader, older Viktor, age gap, fat shaming, sexual, smut, oral F and M receiving, innocent reader, light corruption kink, reader in her 20s, long-haired Viktor, possessive Viktor, obsessive Viktor, angst

Previous part <-

Dearest reader it indeed seems that our duke, our man of progress is still not taking to any of the ladies this social season, a shame, but our next ball of the season is to be a grand one indeed hosted by the councilman and woman Talis at their large estate, it will indeed be a flurry of sunshine and gold amongst their grand home, they are known for their grand hosting once a year in the social season, a time for glittering lady’s and dark gentlemen, a true solar eclipse.

You were never one for the golden colours, But the Talis’s colour theme held tradition in the solar eclipse ball, a strange name you always thought but now you understand it with the ladies as golden suns and the men as dark as the moon, though in theory the moon is in fact bright and white, but who are you to question the council couple. Your mama had clawed her way to receive an invitation, while your papa remained blissfully unaware of her planning and scheming, she has indeed had a list of suitors to dance with you, no doubt having paid them a pretty penny so she can save the embarrassment of her daughter not dancing at all this social season. The gentlemen picked though are the worst amongst the city, A one Elias Hoskal, a horrid man and son of the councilman Toman Hoskal who indeed was also a horrid man. You suppose you should thank her for setting you up with someone so high up in society if only it weren’t for his massive debt and lack of… anything really. Another was Lord James Levi, a much older gentleman in need of a wife who you’d like to avoid touching at all given his appearance and constant stench. The only seemingly suitable one was Lord Clayton Chives, a man from a simpler upbringing and house but also simple in his mind. You didn’t tell your mama about your dance with the duke and man of progress, not sure how she’d react you’re not sure how anyone would react, and you’re not exactly sure how to react as well. Unsure if it was a jest you’re starting to see amongst the men when seeing you. If so you’re wondering how far your image would fall if you were indeed to steal a man’s cane and hit him with it.

The Talis’s estate is massive, surrounded by lush green land and gardens, the insides even more lavish than the outside accented with their colours of golds, purples, whites and reds, an odd choice of colours but they go well together. The ballroom though, was indeed another story, going on the eclipse, with golden walls and a black ceiling, the floor a design of gold swirls on black, it was gorgeous for sure, a little overwhelming most definitely. The left side of the ball had an array of drinks and foods, half you barely recognised and a grand accent in the middle of the room of assorted gold and black flowers. You’re too in awe to notice anybody else or the insistent push/pull of your mama’s hand around your arm. You spot the council couple staring at councilwoman Mel Medarda’s dress, a gorgeous gold that hugs her body at the top and flows down into a waterfall almost flaring out on the floor, she looks like a goddess. Her husband Councilman Jayce Talis next to her in a tight black suit and golden tie and a flower in his pocket. Then you see a third the duke, your breath intakes at the sudden difference between his usual, cream and red suits, a dark black suit much like the councilman only with a golden vest instead of a tie and flower. You think your brain struggles to process the look, his eyes practically matching his vest, his lack of cane and the way he stands almost confidently on his own, his hair long and tied back even more neatly though a long stray hair dangles down over his forehead and eyes. You’re not focusing on whatever your mama is saying to the lord in front of you, too focused on the ethereal three.

Your mama snaps your name in your ear and you look to her finally focusing on the gentlemen in front of you, internally grimacing at the look of the smirk on the councilman Hoskal’s son.

“My lord” you greet and he scoffs softly.

“Shall we?” He says holding his arm out like it’s a chore, then again it is, he’s getting paid to dance with you.

“The dancing hasn’t begun my lord” you say frowning and his famous scowl appears on his face.

“Keep your damn money I’m not dancing with some loud pig” he snaps and walks away. You feel something knocked in you from the insult and your mama begins to scold you. You barely make out the words your hands shaking lightly as you look at the floor.

“Ladies” it’s like a soothing balm of accented voice. You look up to the duke almost sighing in relief at the interruption.

“My duke” Your mama quickly regains composure and smiles bowing politely to the duke.

“May I have a word with your daughter?” He asks and your mama chuckles softly and nods walking off with a glare sent your way.

“I hope you will still honour me with a dance tonight?” He tilts his head ever so slightly as your eyes stare at his golden honeyed ones.

“My mother pay you?” You blurt without thought and he frowns faltering.

“No your mother did not pay me” he says.

“Then what? A dare from your friend?” You know you’re directing your anger at him, but everything seems too overwhelming at the moment, the colours the grandness the stuffy people.

“My lady I can assure you I’m offering you a dance because I want to” he steps closer his head bent to look at you directly, his fingers brushing against your chin to make you look at him.

“I’m sorry” you whisper nodding.

“Of course my duke I will honour your dance” you nod.

“The dancing has not begun, shall I bring you some lemonade?” He asks.

“That’s ok, you probably have people to talk with” you offer a small smile despite the shakiness in your hand.

“I’ve talked to everyone, except you my lady” he says.

“And you are indeed the most interesting” his voice lowers ever so slightly his accent thickening and it makes you gulp.

“I’ll be back with some lemonade” he nods and walks off. You notice his limp as he walks away and sighs a bit. He returns as he said, you thank him quietly forcing your hands to stop shaking as you take a sip of the cold refreshment.

“Ah, Viktor there you are” You look up noticing Councilman Jayce Talis walking over. He sees you, glances back to Viktor then smiles brightly making you frown ever so slightly.

“So I take it this is the young lady who finally swayed you to dance?” The councilman grins and you notice the red dancing across the duke's cheeks.

“Mind what you say Talis” Viktor clenches his jaw and Councilman Talis laughs.

“Councilman Jayce Talis and you are my lady?” He asks hand out. You take his hand give a small bow and introduce yourself he smiles and nods his head giving your hand a gentle squeeze before letting go.

“How do you like the party?” He asks and you glance around grimacing slightly.

“Given that face, I’ll say not very much” he chuckles.

“It’s a beautiful party, Councilman,” you say.

“But?” He doesn’t look offended in the slightest and your eyes flick to Viktor who gives a small nod.

“It’s a bit much for me councilman” you end up with.

“I see” he nods in thought.

“Well you’re not alone, it’s all rather, ridiculous if you ask me,” he says looking around and smiling when he sees his wife.

“Tradition seems to be a little too strong with my wife” he chuckles softly his eyes warm as he watches her before looking back to you.

“Well, next time I see you I will make sure to approach in less hectic circumstances” he bows his head and you do as well before he smiles at Viktor and leaves. You let a bit of tension leave your body as you sigh and finish your lemonade.

Music starts to play a gentle classical orchestra, you watch couples file to the dance floor black and gold, the solar eclipse. It’s truly beautiful to watch, the way the lady's dresses swish around almost like the way the sun has burning rays of lick, and the moons graceful yet strong in guiding the sun rays around. You notice a certain lord who your mother paid coming over and you panic.

“Dance with me,” you say to Viktor.

“Now?” he asks.

“Yes now” you glare taking his hand and practically dragging the poor man to the dance floor. He stumbles a bit as you put your arm on his shoulder and hold out your hand for him to take. He frowns a bit his gaze following yours, you watch him narrow his eyes and something darkens in his gaze as he puts his hand on your waist and grasps your hand. You go into the dance, the lord glaring at you both but stalking off making you sigh in relief. You look up to Viktor finally his honeyed colour eyes locking onto yours.

“I’m sorry my duke,” you say realising you dragged this poor man to the dance floor.

“You did honour me with a dance my lady” he chuckles lightly.

“I did, I just- did I hurt you?” You whisper and something in his gaze softens. He steps closer bringing your bodies almost chest to chest as you take in a breath.

“No” he whispers as he guides you around the dance floor. You’re very surprised the duke can dance at all given his condition. You notice a slight limp but it doesn’t stop him. Your gazes are locked together and suddenly you’re the only ones in the room, nobody else matters not even the orchestra. Your hands relax their tight hold and you allow yourself to feel his shoulder under your hand, you feel his strength in it, in his slender but calloused fingers. He twirls you around and brings you right back into his hold his warm hand splaying out against your waist. Nothing else matters at this moment, just you and him dancing. You barely hear the music dying down, the reality of couples slowing and the room coming back into focus. You blink a few times taking a shaky breath as he whispers your name.

“I’m sorry,” you say and leave quickly off the dance floor. You rush out to the gardens and feel your heart racing in your chest, sweat on your brow. You breathe heavily and your eyes gloss over. You hear your name being called but don’t register it till you feel those slender fingers in your arm. The duke saying your name but you can't hear it, you feel his fingers on your face forcing you to look at him.

“Breathe” it’s the first word you hear and you remember to breathe sucking in a deep but shaky breath.

“That’s it, deep breaths” he nods his honeyed eyes staring into yours. You feel so stupid, running out in a panic, tears well in your eyes and he does something unexpected. He wraps his arms around you, you breathe in the cologne he wears and a shudder goes through your body.

“Just breathe, follow my breathing” he says and you focus on the rise and fall of his chest trying to match it.

“That’s it” he whispers as you match his breathing and slowly feel yourself return to normal.

“Good girl” he murmurs atop your head and you can’t help the small intake of breath you do. You relax as much as you can, and coming back to normal, you realise you’re out in the garden alone with the duke who’s holding you.

“Viktor?” You hear a feminine voice and tense you go to move away but it’s too late.

“Mel” Viktor says as she stops frozen.

“Councilwoman Medarda” he slowly lets go of you bowing his head.

“May I ask what exactly is going on admits my garden?” She asks.

“She was having a panic attack,” the duke says.

“I see,” she says and nods.

“Mel-“ Viktor sighs and she holds her hand up before walking closer.

“Was I anyone else I would yell scandal, however” she smiles a bit.

“Councilwoman Mel Medarda” she holds her hand out to you and you freeze momentarily before holding her hand and introducing yourself.

“You two were quite the sight on the dance floor” She gives you a wink and you feel your cheeks warm.

“Mel” Viktor says in warning but she chuckles.

“Off with you Duke Viktor us ladies have things to talk about” You watch as she easily shoos the man away, his jaw sets but he gives you a soft look and leaves.

“Now that we’re alone, you needn’t worry my dear I won’t tell a soul” she says and you feel relief.

“You danced beautifully on the floor” she says and you feel your heart warm up at the compliment.

“Thank you Councilwoman” you nod your head.

“Please call me Mel when we’re alone, Councilwoman makes me feel so, official” she says and you smile a bit.

“A lovely smile as well,” she says and you feel embarrassment rise.

“Are you alright?” She asks her tone turning to concern.

“Yes, I think so- I don’t know what came over me” you sigh a bit.

“I know that look you two shared like nobody else was there on the dance floor. Not even the music?” She asks and you stare at her.

“Yes, it was-“ you chuckle a bit as she smiles nodding.

“There are few who can master the solar eclipse dance and you and Viktor did so beautifully” she says.

“I don’t think-“ she raises a hand silencing you.

“Did you know the duke spent a whole week, day in and day out learning that dance?” You frown lightly at her words.

“Of course, he didn’t tell you, men never tell women the length they go sometimes” she huffs.

“My husband Jayce made him a brace so he could dance, however, he was indeed lacking in the skills to dance, he was determined though to dance with you, so I taught him to dance,” she says.

“You taught him-?” You ask.

“First Jayce offered too but watching two men such as them dance is like watching two stones move together” You can’t help but laugh at her description imagining the duke and the councilman stiff as rocks.

“He was determined to dance with you though no matter how much he stumbled” she smiled warmly. Something in your heart flutters at her words knowing the duke went through a lot of effort just to dance.

“How would you like to join me for lunch tomorrow?” She asks and you look at her with wide eyes.

“Really?” You say shocked and she smiles nodding.

“I’ll have a carriage come get you, save you some hassle from your mama” she winks and walks back to the ball. You smile a bit a different kind of nervous flutter in your stomach. You return to the party instantly swarmed by a lord Levi.

“Ah there you are my dear, you owe me a dance” he grins and you instantly grimace at his yellowed almost brown teeth.

“She owes you nothing” Your eyes flick to the Duke.

“Excuse you? If I don’t dance with her I won’t get-“ Viktor glares at the man it’s unlike anything you’ve seen, it’s dark and narrowed and makes a lord instantly shut up apparently.

“Go” The lord runs off thankfully and you finally take a breath.

“Are you alright?” Viktor’s eyes soften as he looks at you and you nod thanking him quietly.

“I hope the councilwoman wasn’t forthcoming on you” he says in hushed tones and you chuckle a bit.

“She asked me to lunch tomorrow,” you say and his eyebrows go up slightly.

“Really?” He asks and you nod.

“How are you feeling about it?” He asks tilting his head ever so slightly.

“Nervous, but excited I’ve never-“ you hesitate a bit clearing your throat and realising your being a little too comfortable with the duke.

“Apologies my duke” You bow your head slightly and he frowns.

“What for?” He asks softly leaning in slightly, the conversation is only meant for you both.

“For being familiar with my duke” you nod avoiding his eyes.

“I see” he mutters standing up straight as one of the lords call his name.

“You should probably go to that” you say and cut him off before he can speak.

“Excuse me my duke” You bow your head and walk off sighing to yourself.

Next part ->

[dat-physics-gal]

A leap of faith and physics

We thought for a civilization to form, one needed liquid water, a stable planet with a hot core, and tardium crystals. Apparently, this is not so.

Because we just received a vibromessage over the tachyon network from an unknown source.

Which in itself would not be too unusual. Plenty of newly realized civilizations figure out how to configure tardium to send tachyon messages across isospace. Hoping someone will answer. We always do. It always takes some time to go from simple repeating messages to understanding one another. Most civilizations don't come up with the galactic standard modulation on their own. Nor do we know their form of communication all that well, language, culture, all of that.

First contact is always a lengthy affair, until the new species is integrated into the intergalactic community. Then follows the exchange of knowledge and culture, the setting up of historical archives and sharing of starcharts. Since light travels only at luxionic speed, the charts provide a valuable look at the past. Once the new civilization has been caught up to date, things tend to settle. Updates are fewer and far in between, and culture tends to somewhat homogenize. Not completely, of course, as everyone has different living circumstances, but with all the exchange between us, some settling is bound to happen.

But we know where tardium reserves are, have felt the reverb of our scans, we know where civilizations could potentially pop up. The message we received was unusual not because its source was unknown, but because it came from a sector without any sufficient tardium deposits.

That... shouldn't even be possible!

The signal is also a bit noisy. Strange. Usually, the bigger the tardium array, the more self-stabilization should occurr. And for interstellar communication, you tend to need quite large arrays. So then why was there so much noise?

It was clearly a signal, and according to the triangulators, it came from the outer third of a dark spiral galaxy. We call them that, since they were never really observed, at least not with any isocartography. We only know they're there due to shared star charts. No idea what's going on with them at the current isotime. We can't know, without any tardium resonance to pick up.

Anyway, of course we answered. Their signal had been prime numbers, if we demodulated it correctly, followed by things we couldn't really make sense of. It was standard practice to begin communications with mathematics, and fundamental harmonics. It's strange that they did that right away, but not unheard of. We sent back primes, and then a couple of playful harmonics. Music. What we received back was weird, because we thought it was music, but it wasn't.

It turned out to be a starchart, and not just any kind. Pulsars. We sent back a chart of their galaxy, as reconstructed from several older starcharts. Then, we waited for their answer. And waited. And waited. An entire solar cycle (of our species) later, we finally got another answer.

And it just would not stop. We recognized it was a series of images, or rather, rapid successions of images, together with harmonics on a different band as well. This was video! The footage depicted a bipedal species, with symbolics next to different features. The images cycled through different body parts, with different descryptions. We had a really hard time catching and saving all the data, a task which had to be offloaded to the communal computation grid, as our own planet simply did not have the capacity to do it alone. This should have tipped us off to what we were going to be dealing with, but it didn't.

We continued, almost business as usual, just a fair bit faster. Then objects were being shown, often together with the bipedals, and their corresponding glyphics were depicted right next to them. Also, each image was accompanied by a sound file. They really made learning their language easy for us. We learned that they called themselves Humans, and their home was Earth, a planet orbiting a yellow star. They were a surface dwelling species! Those are pretty rare, as most can not survive the exposure to open space for some reason. We then sent back images and glyphics of our own, matching them in their intent. We sent images of life forms, images of our own body parts, images of objects and always accompanied by isostandard glyphics.

Usually, once communication has come to a basic understanding, the exchange of culture would begin.

But the Humans had started out with primes and starcharts, so of course, their next communication wasn't about culture. We... honestly didn't know what exactly it was, for a while. Until some of the mathematicians from across the network found patterns. They were sharing mathematics with us!

Eager to help, we sent back entire databases full of insights. They requested more soon. So we sent more. And more. And more. We wondered how they could even store all that we sent them. We asked. They sent back something we didn't understand. We hoped the mathematicians could figure it out, but nope.

Eventually, we sent steam engine configurations, as well as the corresponding heating and shunting tardion-arrays used to power them. They sent back their own designs for steam engines. And other engines that seemed similar, but shoudn't work with steam. The machine configurations, piston layouts and such, were fairly primitive. As was to be expected from a new species. But they never sent us schematics of their heating or shunting arrays. When we asked how they kept things cool without shunting arrays, they sent back another steam engine. But, when we called it that, they corrected us. What they had shown us was a heat pump. They used the opposite effect, instead of creating movement from a temperature difference, they created a temperature difference from movement. We asked them why they wouldn't just use shunting arrays. They asked what those were.

And this is how we found out why they were in dark space. Why their signal was so noisy. And why they had never depicted heating or shunting arrays in their schematics.

They had practically no tardium. They simply did not have enough of it to make arrays, as we thought all civilizations do. The largest piece of tardium they had was the centerpiece of a gigantic machine. It was about the size of a human "nail", which is a vestigial claw originally used for superior grip on one of the native plant species of their planet.

We did not know how to respond. We could not comprehend how a civilization could form without tardium crystals. They asked us if we knew where more could be found, preferably near them. We didn't understand what they meant. Then they asked us how to locate reserves. We gave them the modulations that we use to scan for the crystals' tachyon resonance.

They thanked us, and ceased their questions. Then, communication became choppy. Only occasionally would we receive an exchange of culture. Their questions about mathematics and tardium crystals ceased.

---------------------

When we first received back an answer from the deep space tachyon dish, we were extatic. And shocked. And kind of in disbelief. Nobody had really known if it would work. Still, everyone in the control room agreed that we should make sure it was really a signal, before we dropped that bombshell to the public.

We focused a couple more dyson collectors onto the dish, and changed the signal. Instead of primes and harmonics, this time, we encoded the pulsar chart, multiple times, in every encoding we could think of, and sent them all.

Only a few hours later, we received another signal from the previous location. The encoding was our own, easily recognized. With shaky hands, i pressed the 'open image file' button.

When i was greeted by a picture of the Milky Way, everyone in the room lost their collective shit.

"Holy Fuck!" "Oh my god." Someone fainted. Multiple people cried. Nobody minded any of that.

~~~

The prime administrator creased her brow. The direct line was ringing. This better be important. "Hello? Prime administrator here." From the other end, she could hear someone suppressing tears, and whimpering: "Tachyon dish project operator here. We... we."

"Everything ok over there?", she asked. What could possibly have happened that had the scientist crying? Was there an accident with the dyson swarm or something? Did people die? No, she trusted the operator of that experiment to not call unless it mattered to the entire human race.

A wet chuckle. "Better than ok. Maam? We... We're not alone."

Not alone? What does that...? Oh. OH! oh

"Are.. you sure?" Dammit. Now even her own voice was shaking.

"We sent a pulsar chart and got a beautiful image of the Milky Way back, in the same image file type. Pretty sure at this point."

~~~

The following year was downright insane. The mere confirmation that we weren't alone in the universe spurred us all on. Artists did their best to show all sides of us, scientists got together to determine what questions we should ask, even the long obsolete military awakened from its slumber, churning out tactical analyses of possible tachyon based weaponry, and how to defend against it.

Some people were panicking, others in denial, but most relished the opportunities that might open up.

Policies were made, on how to handle aliens that would come to the solar system. Tachyon mechanics, an until now unproven theory, made leaps and bounds, scientists working as hard as they could to understand it better.

The dyson collectors were turned to multiple new research projects, powering large machines that channeled vibrations into the tiny crystals we had found to pick up on tachyon vibrations. The largest one that we had discovered while asteroid mining was still in the communication dish, but the smaller shrapnel, a couple millimeters in size at the most, were being utilized.

Eventually, after a year was up, communications resumed. The linguists sent data, and worked closely with the astronomers that had made the initial transmissions. We also received back data, and the scientific community devoured every piece of information. We learned their language as fast as we could.

But our requests for the sharing of scientific knowledge appeared to fall on deaf ears. Whenever we sent natural constants, or physical laws, we got nothing back. Well, almost. Our prodding did yield one answer: How to locate the crystals. Which were apparently common? Though our scans painted a different picture. We did have some scattered about the asteroid belt, yes. But the largest one we detected was only 3cm in diameter. A little bigger than the one in the communication dish, sure, but not that much.

We came to accept this, figuring that maybe there was some kind of prime directive that forbade the sharing of further technology. Actually, perhaps we leaned a bit too far into our Star Trek analogy. Because most of us would not get it out of our heads to try to build a warp drive. Well, not really a spacetime bending drive, but something that could go faster than light. Because, obviously, thanks to our discovery, we now knew that while the speed of light may be finite, the speed of information was not.

-----------------------------

After ten cycles of cultural exchange, the humans sent a request for isocoordinates of the nearest known civilization to their own. This request kind of drowned in the noise, we didn't really think about it much, we just transmitted our coordinates. Turns out, the nearest ones were us, in what the Humans call the Andromeda Galaxy.

Shortly after the request, they went totally vibrosilent. We tried and tried to contact them, but to no avail. This, while tragic, was a reality of civilization, though. Extinction events could always happen. Sometimes the affected civilization would realize in advance and send a couple warnings, but nobody could help them from afar, of course. So that's what we figured happened to Humanity. Maybe their sun blew up, or they got knocked away from it by a passing object, anything could have happened.

Many cycles passed. I had aged, my once young and springy exoskeleton now wobbly and soft, though my mind was still sharp enough to crew a communications array.

None of us were prepared for the schockwave resonating through our sensor grids. Multiple arrays straight up shattered. Luckily, as big as they were, there was nobody close to them, so no deaths. What the rest of them picked up though made no sense. We could determine there was a pulse, but no normal communication had that level of power, nor resonance.

Then, half a planetary rotation later, there was a new luminance in the sky. We were about to renew our arrays and update our starchart, when the light source moved. Toward the planet.

What?

And then, my assigned communications array resonated.

"This is the Human vessel Enterprise, calling anyone on the planet. Can you read us?" the crystal sang in choppy English, the language of the Humans. The ones we thought were extinct.

I scuttled to my post at the resonator, tuning it to reply:

"This is communications, we read you, but i don't understand? We are recovering from an unprecedented resonance pulse that shattered multiple arrays, sorry if the modulation is a bit off."

The answer was swift: "Sorry about that, our engines are a bit out of tune at this point. That pulse might have been us. Glad to hear you all down there, is anyone injured?"

"Your engines? And uh. No, nobody injured."

"Yes our engines, again, we apologize for that. But glad to know everyone is alright.

Requesting permission to land on the surface."

This was a momentous occasion, which i didn't realize until later on. The entire tachyon network would eventually refer to this exact communication as a reference time. This exact moment would come to be known as 0:0 PFJ

0 Cycles and 0 rotations Past First Jump.

The only thing i remember is absently giving permission, not quite understanding what exactly they were requesting here. If i had, i would have convened with the councils beforehand.

Then, the cave began to shake. It wasn't coming from any of the arrays. It was coming from the surface.

~~~

They. They were here. The Humans were here. On the surface. Of. Of our planet. What? How?!

Most importantly, why?!

Then i remembered the stories about their exploration of the surface of their own planet. How they had sent people to their poles, despite their biology not being fit to survive there. And several did die! How they climed mountains. Made pressurized vessels to dive below the surface of their open ocean. We asked them why. They told us.

I realized at that moment, not how they were here. But why.

"Because we could, and no human had been there before," they had answered back then.

[heartmachinez]

CELEBRATING 10 YEARS OF HEART MACHINE

A Decade of Creativity and Community

A decade ago, we began a journey that would lead to the birth of Heart Machine - a game studio committed to crafting immersive, vibrant experiences that resonate with players on a profound level. As we celebrate our 10-year anniversary, we reflect on our history, achievements, community, and the exciting future that lies ahead.

THINKING BACK

Glitch City, Kickstarter, and Hyper Light Drifter

In 2013, we took a leap of faith and launched a Kickstarter campaign for our debut project, Hyper Light Drifter. Little did we know that this campaign would not only secure the funds needed to bring our project to life, but also ignite a beautiful connection with supporters, players, and community members who believed in us from the outset.

Fueled by a need for camaraderie and knowledge, we spent those early days of Drifter’s development as a part of Glitch City, a then-small collective of independent game developers, artists, and creators all working together out of Alx’s basement. Those early days and (often) sleepless nights vision were critical in defining our design philosophies, studio culture, and grassroots community connections - setting the stage for what was to come.

Our Heartfelt Gratitude to Our Early Contributors

To date, thanks to the incredible support of our community, the Kickstarter for Hyper Light Drifter remains one of the most successful game projects on the platform. It smashed through the initial funding goal of $27,000 and ultimately raised over $600,000.

To our early backers who believed in us and our vision, and those fellow devs who helped us through endless rounds of playtesting and feedback, we extend our deepest gratitude. Your unwavering support enabled us to bring our dreams to life and emboldened us to continually push the boundaries of game design.

Special shout out to core Drifter team members: Alx Preston, Beau Blyth, Teddy Dief, Casey Hunt, Rich Vreeland, Akash Thakkar, Sean Ward, Lisa Brown, and Cosimo Galluzzi.

The critical reception following the release of Hyper Light Drifter was incredible - beyond our wildest expectations. We never could have anticipated the accolades and recognition it received, or the impact it made on players far and wide. It was humbling, and affirmed our dedication to continue to make great games to share with the world.

Moving Into a New Dimension

We started development on Solar Ash about a year before the multi-platform release of Hyper Light Drifter. Early on, we joined forces with Annapurna Interactive, whose expertise and resources facilitated our exploration of 3D game development. Over the next five years, Annapurna's support played a pivotal role in bringing this ambitious project to fruition. The vastness of the game's ethereal landscapes and fluid movement mechanics opened new avenues for worldbuilding and storytelling.

To date, Solar Ash continues to engage new players and inspire returning ones to create beautiful works inspired by the game. It is following in the footsteps of its predecessor and is now available on a a wide array of game platforms for a worldwide audience.

All of the positive reception that followed Solar Ash’s release proved that our community was ready to continue along this new aesthetic path with us. Just as Drifter smashed through its initial Kickstarter goals,  we are poised to once again smash the boundaries of possibility with our upcoming projects.

HEART MACHINE TODAY

Reimagining a Familiar World

As we celebrate our 10-year milestone, we're thrilled to now be well underway with our newest title set in the familiar Hyper Light Universe. This new project, Hyper Light Breaker, builds upon the foundations we've laid, evolving our creative vision in unexpected ways.

A Shared Journey

Our journey would not be complete without acknowledging the invaluable contributions of our community. From community leaders who pave the way forward with creativity and kindness, to creators who challenge us with incredible skill and passion,  to modders who continuously breathe new life into our games, to wiki writers who meticulously document every detail, to speedrunners who push the boundaries of possibility – you are the heartbeats that keep our worlds alive.

Over the years, we've had the privilege of connecting with our wonderful community at conventions and events across the digital and physical world. These gatherings allowed us to share our passion, hear your stories, and learn from your insights. Your presence and enthusiasm continue to inspire us.

We’re so grateful to: Polare, Lukas, Durtle, Clark, Yrrzy, CornMayor, Aza, Andreas, Conscy, Perfectly Mediocre, Thunderbrave, Bryonato, Utsu, NicowithaC, Covert Muffin, Sylvi, among many many others who make our work worth doing.

Our Company Vision

At Heart Machine, we've built more than games. We've cultivated a company culture that values kindness, inclusivity, and pushing the envelope. Our mission has always been not only to entertain but also leave a lasting impact. This dedication has enabled us to support and grow a thriving studio of some of the most talented, thoughtful, and fun people in the entire industry.

Our ethos revolves around fostering a work environment that prioritizes professional advancement, mental and physical health, and employee happiness. This commitment takes shape in various dimensions of our culture. We proudly offer Heart Machine University (HMU), a collaborative peer-teaching initiative where we cover everything from how to LARP or make sculptures out of driftwood to environment, concept, and tech art techniques. We also organize activities like group gaming and anime sessions, provide access to networking and learning resources, and support social and charitable initiatives to reinforce our team’s sense of purpose. As a studio, we strive to hang our culture on a framework where each individual can flourish and achieve their own growth and learning goals.

It’s no accident that the trajectory of these past 10 years has led us to forming the team we have now. We have always and will continue to adhere to our culture of high quality standards, emphasis on creative innovation, and heart-first leadership practices.

LOOKING AHEAD

As we stand at the threshold of the next chapter, we're excited to announce that Hyper Light Breaker will be arriving in Early Access in 2024. This project represents our ongoing commitment to pushing boundaries, taking risks, and creating experiences that captivate and challenge players in our specifically unique ways.

Beyond Hyper Light Breaker, we have other projects currently under wraps that will continue to define us as a studio. We can't wait to share these journeys with you as we forge into this next decade.

Thank you thank you thank you for joining us on this incredible ride. Heart Machine wouldn't be the same without each and every one of you. Here's to the many more adventures that lie ahead!

With love and gratitude,

The Heart Machine Team

[moonwiretherobot]

fuck it

moonwire lore

M18 “Hellraiser” Advanced Combat Android Mk.8

Description

The M18 Hellraiser, known by her friends as Moonwire, is a hyper-advanced prototype autonomous war machine. She was designed and built by TriWorx Industries in 3506 CE as the 8th prototype for the Hellraiser project. She was treated extremely poorly during her time in the testing facility, located on the outskirts of Sovereign Union of Mankind territory. She was subjected to torture, physical and mental abuse, intense labor, and many violations of the 2735 Europan Treaty on Synthetic Rights. She would have been adopted as the final design, and production would’ve begun, if it wasn’t for a fatal flaw; due to a severe programming error, Moonwire was hyper-emotional, which interfered with her design.

She was designated to be dismantled (another violation of the ETSR), but before that could take place, she had to be cornered by TriWorx corporate soldiers for capture. Apparently, the executives at TriWorx had forgotten that, in the event of a fight or flight situation, by removing the option of flight, a person will almost always pick fight. They had also seemed to forget that the person in question was, by design, the single most effective killing machine ever designed. In an event that killed ███ people, Moonwire breached containment and broke out of the facility, destroying all data on the Hellraiser project. She managed to escape the planet on a hijacked fighter ship, escaping TriWorx custody and SUM territory. A few years later, she managed to escape to the Hyathrexian Federation as a refugee.

Today, she lives in the capital of Hyathrex. She works as a freelance music producer and artist, with a contract with the Hyathrexian government as a reserve Spec-Ops unit (this is how she makes most of her income).

STATS AND FEATURES

- Height: 160 - 200 cm (i can’t decide on a specific height leave me alone ;w;)

- Weight: 250 kg

- Self Repair Matrix: nanobot swarm that can rapidly repair physical damage with stored material

- Integrated cloaking systems: when activated, bends light around the body to obscure Moonwire from view, though it can be seen with keen eyes

- Hydralic Dual-Mandible Jaw: lower jaw is powered by a miniaturized hydraulic press mechanism, and can separate in the middle and flex independently for optimized pressure distribution and bite force. Capable of exerting up to 20,000 PSI

- Solar Cell “Hair” - experimental hyper-efficient solar cell array that very closely resembles hair

- Armor plating: durasteel-based plating just beneath the artificial skin, can reliably prevent any damage from anything below anti-materiel calibers, with some regions (ex: CPU, memory storage, power core) receiving even tougher armor

- Internal warp core: allows Moonwire to perform a short “warp dash,” which accelerates her to roughly 6% lightspeed for brief periods using similar methods to ship warp drives.

- Retractable claws: should be obvious

- Concealable hookshot mechanisms: basically just retractable grappling hooks in her forearms

- Catapult leg mechanisms: stores potential energy in the knees to release in a powerful burst (think like how flea legs work), can be used both for extra-high jumping and superpowered kicks

- tail: is a tail. has a concealable blade on the end that can be used for both leeching electricity from various sources as well as shanking people

other shit

- Has symptoms consistent with CPTSD (i fucking wonder why)

- has downloaded Doom to herself

- minorly vampiric tendencies (there’s iron in that there blood)

- maximum vocal volume of 220 decibels

- Has manually renamed almost every file in her system. examples include: monch_cronch.jar (controls jaw pressure), myBodyIsAMachineThatTurnsTitsIntoLookedAtTits.exe (HUD program) and, GayRoboGirlfailure- (prefix to all operating system files)

- installed a program to herself named “silly_girl_music_hours.exe” which picks from various samples and midi files to dynamically create music in her head that scores whatever she’s doing. she can also broadcast this music to nearby PA systems and speakers if she wants.

[satoshi-mochida]

Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy remaster now available for PS4, coming to Xbox One on April 15 - Gematsu

The remastered version of Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy is now available for PlayStation 4 via PlayStation Store for $14.99 / £11.99 / €14.99, publisher THQ Nordic announced. An Xbox One version will follow on April 15.

The remastered release originally launched for PC via Steam on November 10, 2017, followed by Switch on January 29, 2019. The original game first launched for PlayStation 2, Xbox, and GameCube on November 11, 2003.

Here is an overview of the game, via THQ Nordic:

About

Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy is an original third-person action adventure inspired by the mythology of ancient Egypt. Travelling the world via magical portals to foil the evil plans of Set. Sphinx’s Journey will require all his wits, agility, and special powers. He will also rely on his reluctant hero friend, The Mummy, to help when being inconspicuous is the only solution. By finding the stolen magical crowns of Egypt, Sphinx can stop Set and save the world. An ancient Egyptian Universal Empire once joined several worlds through Solar Disc portals. The old empire was destroyed and the civilizations in each world have suffered different fates, some of them have continued contact and others have lost it. These worlds have been separated for such a long time that many of them would not recognize each other. The legend says that two forces, one negative, one positive, are trying to recover the old empire and all of its crowns again. But we know very little about these forces or if they really exist. Other people are simply trying to understand what happened and the real nature of each world. Meanwhile each world continues with it’s own way and history. Recently, strange things have been happening… News is received from many places that problems are appearing; the normally peaceful villages are now at war, odd monsters appear in valleys where there was once placid ecology… Nobody knows why… The chain of communication between the worlds remains partially abandoned, partially destroyed and so unstable that to use it is a sure way to cause even more problems and dangers. A long time ago the Great Wall in Heliopolis was built to protect the civilians. Many people have used the portals but disappeared without trace. For this reason you never know how you will be received in any of the locations or if you will get anywhere at all.

Key Features

Use Sphinx and his increasing array of skills to face deadly mythical monsters while avoiding perilous traps with acrobatic ease.

Take control the Mummy when strength and combat skills aren’t needed—use the Mummy’s stealth and unconventional antics to avoid enemies, solve puzzles and sabotage right under the enemy’s nose.

Interact with hundreds of unique and imaginative creatures, enemies and allies.

Fantastic graphics bring this mythical world based on Egyptian legends to life.

Totally immersive storyline and epic gameplay.

Watch a trailer below.

PlayStation 4 Launch Trailer

[kalevalakryze]

The Seeds We Sow

The fic + art collaboration Art completed by @mirandemia for the @ahsokaevents Wildflowers collab! Find it on AO3!

Sabine Wren + Ahsoka Tano The soil was warm under her hands; Freshly turned and clumpy where she uncovered it from the ashen tones of the earth. “Life finds a way.” Ahsoka had told her upon setting out on this task. The water source wasn’t too far away, a still pool with sediment floating in the murky water. 

“We can get this cleaned up, can’t we Asha?” She called to the howler, snuffling through a patch of stubbornly prevailing grass nearby. She did not receive any response from the peculiar creature, though it was nice to have her to bounce ideas off of. 

The Noti had given her the scraps from an older trawler, dragged each time they moved to limit waste, carrying broken vaporators, gears, and even old power packs to blasters that must have been acquired from Thrawn’s troopers. At least she didn’t need to lug it too much further than their current campsite to get it near the water supply.  “Let’s see what we can do,” The Mandalorian talked aloud, boots crunching over the crumbling outer layer of the planet’s crust. 

First, Sabine grabbed old pipes from blown cooling systems, using her hands to dig out four long rows in the dirt, exposing nutrient-rich soil to the sunlight above. “Bet you guys missed the sun just as much as I do,” She chuckled warmly to a squirming lifeform. “You kinda look like an exogorth. Can I call you Exo?” The pad of her thumb brushed along the sliminess of the creature's side, laughing warmly to herself when it squiggled away. “Alright, Exo. I’m sorry I gotta move you, but hey, you keep pests away from my seeds, and this can be a mutually beneficial arrangement, got it?” 

The creature was set inside of a pile of upturned dirt, where it happily burrowed itself to be rid of the humanoid that dared interrupt its rest. 

Building the irrigation system was nothing new to Sabine Wren; In fact, it was something she understood almost as well as mixing her explosive paints. Back when rebel holdouts needed crops, she was often the one counted on to help them get started, and it was always something that helped her feel useful. 

A Mandalorian could destroy, and conquer, and a million other destructive things, but she was put in this Galaxy for more than that. She created, and saved, she strived every day for as long as she could remember to embrace her Mandalorian heritage, to be everything her ancestors could have wanted, and then some. 

It was through her continued work every day that she honored the patron of her House, Tarre Vizsla, it was through her dedication to her people that honored her Clan and the lives they’d once lived, and it was her determination that honored the Rebellion she’d spent so long fighting for. Everything she did was for her family, and right now? That family was found in Ahsoka and the Noti. 

Her purification system was simple in design, and it required the sacrifice of a power pack from her blaster to generate enough of a spark to keep the miniature solar array working. She could return with a new source for it one day, for when the sun grew dim and the gears needed to turn. For now, the blaster she’d painted in the blues of reliability and royalty was dismantled under a caring hand and slotted into the home of the system. 

Clean water trickled slowly with a quiet whir of machinery, sucking the water through and filtering out sediment as it pushed along the rows of water she’d dug out. “Hey, we did it,” She called to Asha, now dozing lazily in her interesting patch of grass. “Thanks,” She laughed, bubbling like the carbonation in The Outlander Club’s specialty beverage, warmed by the lull of a punk tongue hanging lazily past yellowed canines. 

With dampened soil, Sabine was able to meticulously lay each seed; They were from her Galaxy, so there was no telling if they would take to their new home, but she had hope, and she’d learned long ago just how far a little hope could stretch. Then, the compost that had been saved up was spread evenly over the rows, pressed in lightly to allow for the sprouts to push past without much resistance, though would not risk being washed away when the drought on this side of the planet would end at last. 

“You’ve done well,” Ahsoka’s voice was warm; Lighter than she was used to, over the course of her previous apprenticeship, that is. 

“Yeah? You think so?” The Mandalorian questioned genuinely from her spot knelt in the dirt, mud caked her armor and her flight suit, and streaks painted her face and dirtied her hair. The purple-haired woman turned her head to watch as Ahsoka dismounted her howler, allowing it to trundle to Asha’s lazy form. “I do,” The hand on her shoulder was warm. Sabine allowed the offered strength to rise from her knelt position. “Lunch is ready back at camp, you look like you could use it,” The jab was light, bouncing off her armor with a light chuckle. 

“You’re tellin’ me… Think everything will be safe here?” 

Ahsoka’s gaze turned to the horizon, searching. When she shook her head in the affirmative, Sabine’s shoulders relaxed. “Do you think they’re okay…” She questioned after a moment. 

It didn’t take a genius to understand who she was asking after. “Shin will be alright, I’m sure of it. Baylan… worries me, he’s treading a dangerous path, one we will have to follow, sooner than later.” 

As the Master and Apprentice rode their howlers the short distance back to camp, Sabine’s fingers threaded through the thick, dark wool of Asha’s neck. “Thanks,” 

Ahsoka’s head bowed towards her. She could have kept the thoughts to herself, as she’d once had. But even Ahsoka Tano learned when it was time to truly be more than the people who’d trained you. Where Obi-Wan and Anakin may have kept themselves quiet, she was determined to break the cycle.  Shin Hati

Communication with the bandits was slow. Truly, Shin had heard of droids learning and adapting better than this sorry lot. All she received from them were grunts, either of indignation, or approval, she could only tell after they’d begun moving, either to follow her orders or to blatantly ignore them. 

The most recent act of ignorance from the clan found Shin stubbornly figuring out ways to feed them all. They’d seemed unbothered by the prospect that they could go hungry, as if they could pillage their way across Peridea; and maybe they could have, if not for the Jedi and Sabine protecting their favorite victims now. Shin knew better than to allow themselves to march into that camp, she knew what the Torguta and Mandalorian were capable of. 

Chasing away the nomads that had settled in this desolate canyon had been simple, natural, even. The moment they saw a blood-orange blade on the horizon, and saw the sun glinting off the worn paint of her bandit’s heads, most were intelligent enough to turn tail. It had even stocked them up with enough supplies to last until… well… Until what, Shin wasn’t sure yet, but they’d be damned if they didn’t figure it out soon. 

There was a water source nearby, old, rickety purifiers ran as they refilled the jugs as fast as her men could deplete them. They also noticed a raised bed of soil, something she didn’t see often in the wastes like this. There were no seeds nearby, though she could see plants sprouting from a host nearby. 

Eyes as dreary as their landscape peered around the supplies that had been left. This was new, but they had always been a resourceful student. If taking lives was so natural, then surely they would be able to sustain it, especially in the most non-sentient way life existed.

The soil had been freshly turned, Shin learned as their fingers delved into the raised garden bed. The travelers had been planning on making this place their home for the season as well. No matter, it was Shin’s people who were victorious in the end, and they would reap the profits of prior labors… and Shin’s own. 

Dirt spilled into the many tears in their gloves, worn from the months of use and with no true materials to repair them. The pebbles were harsh, though their skin was learning to grow harsher. Eventually, the tanned gorraslug material was set aside, resting precariously on a wooden support, allowing them to dig deeper, pushing grime up under their fingernails as they worked to bury the remains of the food supply. 

Plasto pails sat near the purifiers, and it was just Shin’s luck that the first pail they filled with water would crack under the unforgiving weight as it was filled to the brim. “Karabast!” They growled at the remains of the bucket, water soaking their boots and turning the ground at their feet into sloshing mud. 

The Force, a fickle ally, refused to answer their call in their growing frustrations; Even as they attempted to channel their annoyance into the pressure of water, thin plasto, and the space they wanted to create between it and the ground. 

Huffing and puffing, Shin found themselves resorting to other means; A spear was sent between the weak metal handles of the pail, allowing her the leverage to lift it, keeping it balanced on her shoulder with minimal spillage as she lugged it to the beds, cursing the whole way. 

By the time each sprout had a home in the dirt, Shin’s hands, tunic, and face were streaked with mud, sweat cutting tracks through the grime as they sat back against a boulder to admire their work. A bandit passed by them, Shin watched with narrowed eyes as they paused at her work. 

No words were spoken between them as they turned back to look at the filthy blonde, though Shin had felt the understanding in the nod of their head. A dented canteen was removed from their hip and passed nonchalantly to her on their way back to sorting through their treasures of the raid. 

The sinking of the sun was met with a wet nose sniffling at long-dry boots, a dirty white howler in search of food. With her fingers carding through the soft fur at its neck, Shin rose at last, acquiescent to find the poor beast something to eat, and with a rumbling of her own stomach, something for herself as well. 

Ezra Bridger Krownest had always been cold, but if there was anything Ezra Bridger had learned in his short experiences with Clan Wren, it was the planet's unique ability to nurture all kinds of life. 

This was why, as the Ghost touched down on a desolate surface, and no gruff voices came over their comms to demand clearance, Ezra felt the loss of those unique lives as distinctly as he had. The Jedi paused in the entryway, boot hovering just over the ramp. “Ezra?” Hera called, a gloved hand coming to rest on his shoulder. 

A deep breath and a warm smile recentered him as he used the familiar touch on his shoulder to ground himself. “I’m alright… It’s just hard not to notice…” 

Hera’s head dipped in understanding; She hadn’t made the venture yet, had been waiting on Sabine’s word to visit with the heir, the day had never come, until Ezra voiced his desire to do something for her family. “We’ll be right here with you,” She promised, glancing away from Ezra to peek down at Jacen, bundled up and standing by her side, with Chopper rolling just behind them once they began walking. 

The Wren stronghold was dark and untouched, mountains of snow coated the roof, while dangerous icicles hung dangerously along the large transparisteel windows. “Do you think it’ll grow here?” Jacen asked as the toe of his boot caught on a  patch of slippery ice. . 

“Yeah, ‘course,” Ezra mused out loud as he knelt near one of the windows. Peering through the dust, he could see the inside of the throne room, dark and desolate, with cobwebs hanging across each surface. The light that managed to cut through the grime still found a way to cast across the painting of the Matriarch of Clan Wren, lighting yellow and grey armor up in an effect that made them glow gold and silver. 

“Do you remember how it went?” Ezra questioned, unblinking from his sight against the glass, catching the barest reflection of his own eyes back at him. 

“Never did manage Mando’a,” Hera admitted, lowering herself into the snow beside him, allowing Jacen to tuck himself against her once more as she settled. He’d known Ursa, though Hera doubted he would have much memories of them, not with the separate wars they found themselves fighting as Sabine focused on finding Ezra. 

“Basic should be fine… It’s the memory that counts, right?” He tried to keep his tone light, tried to keep the calmness steady, though the emptiness seemed to echo the way his words caught around the tightness in his throat. Addam’s apple bobbing, he nodded his head towards the snow, beginning the process of clearing away the piles to the frozen earth underneath. 

They did not have every name of every warrior lost, and Ezra found himself regretting this, too naive and headstrong, too worried about the fight than the lives of the people he’d fought beside. He would return, when the seasons changed, when Sabine came out. She could tell them their names, and they would plant flowers for them as well, as a family again. 

The ground was frozen and solid, though after a while of digging and chipping away, he’d been successful in clearing three small holes. “Vormur can grow through anything,” He assured himself as he retrieved a small duracrete container, filled to the brim with dirt from Lothal, soft enough to cover the tops and hopefully prevent them from freezing over. “They’re Mandalorian, you know” A foreboding gaze was sent to the portain through the windows before he dropped a seed in each hole. Hera stayed silent, for him, for Sabine and Ahsoka, and for Clan Wren itself. 

“Jace, you wanna cover this up, for aunt ‘bine?” He offered, leaning back as he cleared his throat, hiding a sniffle as he wiped the rough nylon material of his sleeve under his nose. Small knees shuffled through the dirt as the boy inched closer, mittens sweeping through the uncovered dirt to start brushing it to the small array of flowers. “These smell really nice,” He commented as he worked, taking a big sniff as the dirt began to settle. “Aunt Sabine will really like this when she comes back-” The young Force-Sensitive boy paused then, fingers curling in his mittens as his brows drew together. “If she ever comes back…. Here, i mean.” He was quick to correct; No one aired their thoughts about the possibility of Sabine and Ahsoka’s return, not when Ezra himself had been gone so long. 

“Well, when she hears about all our hard work… I’m sure she will,” Hera’s hand brushed over Jacen’s head, pulling the wool hat on his head askew. Final preparations were made to keep the flowers healthy and strong from the climate. Just as the sun began to crest the mountains, pink and golden light splashing across the grey landscape of the frozen lake. Before they could leave, the Rebels settled back in one last time, peering through dust covered windows at the haunting silhouette of the Countess of Krownest one last time. “Ni su'cuyi, gar kyr'adyc, ni partayli, gar darasuum, Clan Wren.” Their Mando’a was rough and heavily accented, but the words seemed to release some of the weight on their shoulders, allowing them to return to their new war with a lighter conscience. 

[spann-stann]

Setting Blurb: The United Markets Military (UMM)

Unified Militia Command (U.M.C.) - Refers to the “military” of the United Markets as a whole. Well, it’s multiple militaries due to the highly decentralized nature of the United Markets. Since there’s no central government, there's no unified military structure. The U.M.C. is a conglomeration of mercenary companies and local militias. Mercenaries vary in tactics and equipment, and their organizational structure varies wildly. Militias, depending on the community they’re defending, can be as armed and armored as an Imperial tumen. Most, however, focus on light infantry, supplementing additional equipment with specialized mercenary units.

(Famous) Mercenary Commands:

Ad Hoc Inc.: Ad Hoc Inc. prides themselves in their rather…irregular style of warfare they offer to their customers. Ad Hoc specializes in having a wide array of contractors at their beck and call to perform whatever kind of security a client would require. Don’t expect them to wage a war on their own for you, though.

Brigade of Belter Bombardiers: BBB serves the United Markets as one of the few “Mercenary Spacies” operating in human-settled space. BBB was formed from several aerospace enthusiasts that served in the Belt Wars. They provide advisory and apprenticeship services for up-and-coming pilots and spacecraft crews. Their largest asset at their disposal is the Invisible Hand, the 15-kilometer-long mothership housing BBB personnel.

Geldmeister’s: “When one wants a war fought, you hire mercenaries. When one wants a war won, you hire Geldmesiter’s!” The number one in offering armies – and at a great price! – Geldmeister’s is what most citizens of human space imagine when thinking of mercenaries. As the largest mercenary command, Geldmeister’s can field formations equivalent to an Imperial Bandon on the battlefield. Frequent contracts against CorpEmp have made them the U.M.’s experts in mechanized and maneuver warfare.

Hot Trod Proactive Securities: When you want an enemy gone before they have a chance to do the same to you, you call Hot Trod. The mercs of Hot Trod are specialists in lightning warfare, utilizing light combat vehicles and aircraft. They do not last long if their targets are well fortified.

Jungle Work(s): Specializing in operations countering the Green Consensus, Jungle Work(s) are masters of warfare in all forms of foliage. They have received a lot of lucrative, long-term contracts as the likelihood of resettling the Earth grows.

Myrmidon Martial Industrial: The other Mercenary command that offers whole armies for sale. Unlike Geldmeister’s, Myrmidon Martial Industrial is for the customer that wants to win a war, but not interested in casualty counts. MMI was formed by shell-shocked veterans of the Human-Crystalline War, and its purpose was to have mass produced clone armies ready for any future invasions of the Solar System. No such invasion has occurred in 800 years, but MMI is still perfecting their human wave tactics. Just in case. Ant-themed.

Philanthrope: For those that can’t afford the cheapest Ad Hoc security package (or want a cheap and moral security package), there’s the helpful folks at Philanthrope. This non-profit mercenary firm, governed by a board of anonymous donors, exists to provide some means of defense for the more impoverished portions of U.M.-affiliated territory.

Free Market Militias:

Militia Command: Even with the market anarchies of the U.M. (Belt and beyond), some semblance of centralization exists. Militia Commands, often, exist only on paper. During periods of peace, Militia Commands are left vacant. When the need arises, contracts are signed by officers of the Command’s soon-to-be subordinate units indicating the terms of the Command’s purpose and longevity. Among the singing officers, a Cincinnatus-General is elected to serve as commanding officer (or a third party from outside the command is elected). Due to their more defensive inclination, Militia Commands are given names like the Free Market Defenders, Free Market Guardians, Free Market Watchmen, etc.

Regiment: The regiment is the largest Milita formation that is active in peacetime. Due to variations in manpower and equipment, there is no real uniform definition of the term. A “regiment” is whatever command is responsible for the defense of a particular territory that isn’t subordinate to another active command. Each Regiment is created by the residents of a territory affiliated with the United Markets (sometimes the Reserves create Regiments of their own) coming together and drafting a contract. Said contract defines the structure of the Regiment, the contributions of each signatory, and delimitate the “territory” it will be defending. A commander is elected from among the signatories, with the elected commander allowed to grant subordinate ranks. Regimental commanders title themselves however they wish (since they’re usually footing most of the bill for upkeep).

Client Regiment: Sometimes a regiment does not have enough manpower or equipment to properly defend their contractually assigned territory. Larger Regiments may extend the hand of patronage of smaller neighboring Regiments, provide discounted supplies and additional manpower in return for contractual obligations (like defending their Patron’s territory including their own). To save face, clients are allowed to still call themselves Regiments.

Battalion: Ideally, a Militia Regiment will have two or more battalions subordinate to it at any given time. Much like their parent regiments, manpower and equipment are dependent on who is willing to serve in their local militia and what each member can afford to bring.

Company: Companies are the smallest combat unit within a Regiment due to aforementioned variations in manpower and equipment (if a Regiment is large enough to field Companies). Depending on their strength, Companies can either be broken down into Platoons or Squads.

How’ver: A common phrase among U.M. militiamen referring to the recruiting calls at a Regiment’s establishment. It refers to however many personnel that bothered to show up to join the Regiment. Depending on its size, a Regiment (and its subordinate units) can be made up of multiple How’vers, or the Regiment itself can consist of a single How’ver.

[velocijupiter]

Kintype Anatomical Diagram - 2024 Revamp!

Thought the old schematic was outdated enough, so here's a new one! Probably not realistically feasible in some parts, so take it more as a fun creative exercise :] More systems have been laid out due to a different style for showing everything.

Text transcript under the cut:

Jupiter DromaeOS - Rough Schematic

Height - 6'1/2" / 198cm

Tail Length - 4'8" / 142cm

Weight - 215lb / 97.5kg

Composition is largely of carbon, with smaller amounts of silicon, gold, iron, water, and other trace elements.

Skeletal System

Compacted carbon for support and structural integrity

Braced in certain areas

Ribs divided to allow movement of storage compartments

Electric System

Provides energy for most bodily functions

A. Power Supply Unit - Allows charging from an external energy grid. Requires power cable

B. Solar Panels - Carbon-perovskite photovoltaics for use when away from an energy grid. Usually hidden under feathers

C. Battery - Lithium-sulfur solid state battery that provides ~48 hours of waketime when fully charged

D. Solid State Drive - Extra storage capacity for important memories and information

E. Graphics Processing Unit - Renders AR and holo-displays, as well as internal simulations and dreams

Circulatory System

Circulates around the body a kind of “blood” made of nanites and liquid coolant. Waste heat ejected through fans on the back of the body

F. Nanite Hub - Pumps nanite blood throughout the body. Also houses a nanite fabricator and programmer

Nervous System

Houses most processing power, tactile sense, and consciousness. Comprised of artificial neurons that require a constant supply of electricity

G. Central Processing Unit - Standard issue synthetic humanoid brain. Structure indicates a nontrivial level of neurodivergence

Digestive System

Processes traditional food and certain kinds of inorganic matter. Essential for self-repair and can have a positive effect on mental state

H. Crusher - For chewing both organic and inorganic matter. Soundproofed by skeletal structure in snout

I. Pseudostomach - Dissolves consumed material with nanites rather than acid

J. Graphene Production Chambers - Produces graphene for use in repairs via flash joule heating. Leftover material deposited in lowest storage compartments for use as printer feedstock

Storage Compartments

Built-in drawers for storing goods and materials. Can be refrigerated via circulatory system

Sensory and Communication Devices

K. Microphones - Ear equivalent, input volume can be adjusted or muted

L. Speaker - Vocal output device, can produce a wide array of sounds and can be modulated

M. Eyes - Light passes through display screens used for visual communication

N. AR lens - Projects private-use visual overlays

O. Retinas - Collects modified light signal and sends to CPU and GPU

P. Wireless Internet Receiver - Fully-controlled access to decentralized internet. Uses secondary displays rather than direct input into CPU

Q. Nostrils & Tongue - Detect presence of chemicals in air and food, output converted into signals directed towards CPU

Rockets

Provide mobility within aerospace

R. Microthrusters - Small ion thrusters for stabilization in microgravity

S. Liquid Fuel/Oxidizer Storage - Frozen when not in use to reduce balance issues

T. Pumps - Carry fuel and oxidizer into combustion chamber

U. Combustion Chamber - Mixes and burns fuel and oxidizer

V. Nozzle - Rocket exhaust exits through soles to create thrust

[spacetimewithstuartgary]

Europa Clipper: Millions of miles down, instruments deploying

NASA's Europa Clipper, which launched Oct. 14 on a journey to Jupiter's moon Europa, is already 13 million miles (20 million kilometers) from Earth. Two science instruments have deployed hardware that will remain at attention, extending out from the spacecraft, for the next decade—through the cruise to Jupiter and the entire prime mission.

A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket launched it away from Earth's gravity, and now the spacecraft is zooming along at 22 miles per second (35 kilometers per second) relative to the sun.

Europa Clipper is the largest spacecraft NASA has ever developed for a planetary mission. It will travel 1.8 billion miles (2.9 billion kilometers) to arrive at Jupiter in 2030 and in 2031 will begin a series of 49 flybys, using a suite of instruments to gather data that will tell scientists if the icy moon and its internal ocean have the conditions needed to harbor life.

For now, the information mission teams are receiving from the spacecraft is strictly engineering data (the science will come later), telling them how the hardware is operating. Things are looking good. The team has a checklist of actions the spacecraft needs to take as it travels deeper into space.

Boom times

Shortly after launch, the spacecraft deployed its massive solar arrays, which extend the length of a basketball court. Next on the list was the magnetometer's boom, which uncoiled from a canister mounted on the spacecraft body, extending a full 28 feet (8.5 meters).

To confirm that all went well with the boom deployment, the team relied on data from the magnetometer's three sensors. Once the spacecraft is at Jupiter, these sensors will measure the magnetic field around Europa, both confirming the presence of the ocean thought to be under the moon's icy crust and telling scientists about its depth and salinity.

On the radar

After the magnetometer, the spacecraft deployed several antennas for the radar instrument. Now extending crosswise from the solar arrays, the four high-frequency antennas form what look like two long poles, each measuring 57.7 feet (17.6 meters) long. Eight rectangular very-high-frequency antennas, each 9 feet (2.76 meters) long, were also deployed—two on the two solar arrays.

"It's an exciting time on the spacecraft, getting these key deployments done," said Europa Clipper project manager Jordan Evans of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. "Most of what the team is focusing on now is understanding the small, interesting things in the data that help them understand the behavior of the spacecraft on a deeper level. That's really good to see."

Instrument checkout

The remaining seven instruments will be powered on and off through December and January so that engineers can check their health. Several instruments, including the visible imager and the gas and dust mass spectrometers, will keep their protective covers closed for the next three or so years to guard against potential damage from the sun during Europa Clipper's time in the inner solar system.

Mars-bound

Once all the instruments and engineering subsystems have been checked out, mission teams will shift their focus to Mars. On March 1, 2025, Europa Clipper will reach Mars's orbit and begin to loop around the Red Planet, using the planet's gravity to gain speed. (This effect is similar to how a ball thrown at a moving train will bounce off the train in another direction at a higher speed.) Mission navigators have already completed one trajectory correction maneuver, as planned, to get the spacecraft on the precise course.

At Mars, scientists plan to turn on the spacecraft's thermal imager to capture multicolored images of Mars as a test operation. They also plan to collect data with the radar instrument so engineers can be sure it's operating as expected.

The spacecraft will perform another gravity assist in December 2026, swooping by Earth before making the remainder of the long journey to the Jupiter system. At that time, the magnetometer will measure Earth's magnetic field, calibrating the instrument.

IMAGE: An artist’s concept of NASA’s Europa Clipper shows the spacecraft in silhouette against Europa’s surface, with the magnetometer boom fully deployed at top and the antennas for the radar instrument extending out from the solar arrays. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

[mightyflamethrower]

Biden’s ironically named Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) was supposed to create millions of green jobs and launch the “sustainable power” industry.

Subsidies flowed to support electric vehicles, wind farms, and solar energy.  We have been covering the slowdown in the EV market, and residents of the East Coast are questioning all the promises made by the wind energy companies after the Vineyard Wind blade failure.

Now, it’s time to turn our attention to solar power. SunPower, the company that provides solar panels to many Californian homes in the sunny Coachella Valley area, filed for bankruptcy this week.

It is the latest development in a saga that has seen the company facing numerous serious and seemingly escalating challenges over the past several months, including allegations about executives’ misconduct related to the company’s financial statements and a recent decision that SunPower would no longer offer new solar leases. Days after the latter announcement, Coachella Valley-based Renova Energy, which markets and installs SunPower systems, said it was ending its partnership with SunPower and temporarily pausing operations after not receiving required payments from SunPower. SunPower’s executive chairman wrote in a letter posted on the company’s website on Monday that the company had reached an agreement to sell certain divisions of its business and suggested it was looking for one or more buyers to take on the rest, including the company’s responsibilities to maintain solar systems it has previously sold or leased.

It is important to note that SunPower was the industry’s “darling” to understand the magnitude of this development.

Founded in 1985 by a Stanford professor, SunPower was, for the past two decades, a darling of the solar industry. The company helped build America’s biggest solar plant, called Solar Star and located near Rosamond, California, and has installed solar panels on more than 100,000 homes. The company’s stock price has fluctuated dramatically, peaking during the solar stock frenzy of late 2007. As recently as January 2021, SunPower’s valuation momentarily reached $10 billion, buoyed by the expansion of its residential solar panels program. But since then, the company’s value has cratered — and this year, its situation became particularly dire.

It is also important to note that earlier this month, the bankruptcy of a solar-powered company in South Florida created an array of problems on the South Coast of California. Subcontractors are scrambling to find ways to guarantee payment for work on homes with equipment from the firm.

Meanwhile, homeowners are regretting their misplaced trust in eco-activists and city officials.

The business — Electriq Power Inc. — was putting solar panels and batteries on Santa Barbara rooftops at no expense to homeowners and with the blessings of the cities of Santa Barbara, Goleta, and Carpinteria. But then Electriq filed Chapter 7 on May 3, freezing all its operations. This prompted one of its subcontractors, Axiom 360 of Grover Beach, to place mechanics liens on homes for which it had yet to be paid. This preserves Axiom’s options for full payment of its installation work and is not unusual among contractors. But for homeowners who didn’t expect any financial outlay, it came as a shock, especially as the recording notice lists foreclosure in 90 days among the penalties. “You’re helping the environment. You’re not paying high rates to Southern California Edison,” said homeowner Randy Freed, explaining why he signed on to Electriq’s PoweredUp Goleta program. He was pleased with the savings in the solar array and storage batteries, but then he received the mechanics lien in June. The possibility of foreclosure was unanticipated, Freed said, and he’d relied on the cities’ endorsements. “It’s a great program; we’ve checked them out,” he recalled the cities saying on a postcard he received.

Hot Air's Beege Welborne takes an in-depth look at the cascade of warnings that indicate SunPower and the residential solar market are in serious trouble. She also hits on a point that is true for all green energy schemes: Today’s technology cannot keep up with the promises being made about tomorrow.

The technology side still hasn’t ironed itself out and may never with as saturated as the market is. With interest rates as high as they are and home prices through the roof, no one wants to pay a fortune for something that’s not rock solid. …That “sustainable” growth is only possible once all the artificial supports are knocked away and the technology proves viable and worth the cost once and for all.

Of course, the solar industry isn’t helped by the fact that the cost savings for customers aren’t quite as lavish as originally promised.

[dandelionsresilience]

Dandelion News - October 8-14

Like these weekly compilations? Tip me at $kaybarr1735 or check out my Dandelion Doodles on Patreon!

1. All 160 dogs at Florida shelter found homes ahead of Hurricane Milton

“[The shelter] offered crates, food and anything else the dogs would need in exchange for the animals to spend just five days with the foster parents if the human didn't want to keep them for longer. […A]fter about a day of receiving around 100 messages every 30 minutes, Bada said, all 160 were gone from the shelter and in safe and warm homes.”

2. Restoring Ecosystems and Rejuvenating Native Hawaiian Traditions in Maui

“[Volunteers] are restoring water flow to the refuge, removing invasive species, and restoring a loko iʻa kalo using ʻike kūpuna, ancestral knowledge. […] This human-made ecosystem will provide food for community members and habitat for wildlife while protecting coral reefs offshore.”

3. Solar-powered desalination system requires no extra batteries

“In contrast to other solar-driven desalination designs, the MIT system requires no extra batteries for energy storage, nor a supplemental power supply, such as from the grid. […] The system harnessed on average over 94 percent of the electrical energy generated from the system’s solar panels to produce up to 5,000 liters of water per day[….]”

4. Threatened pink sea fan coral breeds in UK aquarium for first time

“The spawning is part of University of Exeter Ph.D. student Kaila Wheatley Kornblum's research into the reproduction, larval dispersal and population connectivity of Eunicella verrucosa. […] Pink sea fans are believed to have been successfully bred by only one other institution, Lisbon Oceanarium, in 2023.”

5. Tiny 'backpacks' are being strapped to baby turtles[….]

““We analysed the data and found that hatchlings show amazingly consistent head-up orientation – despite being in the complete dark, surrounded by sand [… and] they move as if they were swimming rather than digging[…. This new observation method is] answering questions about best conservation practices,” says Dor.”

6. New California Law Protects Wildlife Connectivity

“A new state law in California will instruct counties and municipalities to conserve wildlife corridors when planning new development. […] This could entail everything from creating wildlife crossings at roads or highways, employing wildlife-safe fencing, or not developing on certain land.”

7. ‘I think, boy, I’m a part of all this’: how local heroes reforested Rio’s green heart

“By 2019, [the program] had transformed the city’s landscape, having trained 15,000 local workers like Leleco, who have planted 10m seedlings across […] roughly 10 times the area of New York’s Central Park. Reforested sites include mangroves and vegetation-covered sandbars called restinga, as well as wooded mountainsides around favelas.”

8. Alabama Town Plans to Drop Criminal Charges Over Unpaid Garbage Bills

““Suspending garbage pickup, imposing harsh late penalties and prosecuting people who through no fault of their own are unable to pay their garbage and sewage bills does not make payment suddenly forthcoming,” West said. [… The city] has agreed to drop pending criminal charges against its residents over unpaid garbage bills.”

9. New Hampshire’s low-income community solar program finally moves forward

“The state energy department is reviewing seven proposals for community solar arrays that will allocate a portion of their bill credits to low-income households. […] New Hampshire’s strategy of working with utilities to automatically enroll households that have already been identified streamlines the process.”

10. The Future Looks Bright for Electric School Buses

“EPA has awarded about $3 billion in grants from the infrastructure law, which paid to replace about 8,700 buses. Of those, about 95 percent are electric. [… Electric buses are] cheaper to operate and require less maintenance than diesel buses and will soon be at cost parity when looking at the lifetime cost of ownership[….]”

October 1-7 news here | (all credit for images and written material can be found at the source linked; I don’t claim credit for anything but curating.)

[captain039]

Part 5 The Meaning of Flowers

Viktor x reader

Bridgerton AU

Warnings: olden times, sexism, light swearing, plus size reader, older Viktor, age gap, fat shaming, sexual, smut, oral F and M receiving, innocent reader, corruption kink, reader in her 20s, long-haired Viktor, possessive Viktor, obsessive Viktor, angst

Previous part <-

Dearest reader, it seems our lovely duke has finally taken to the dance floor. If you missed last night's grand Solar eclipse then let me tell you what a grand soirée it was indeed. Our men of progress dressed as dark as moons and two golden Suns dancing with them. Our duke danced the Solar eclipse with a most interesting suitor indeed. Oh, and how wonderfully they danced indeed.

Having lunch with the esteemed Mel Medarda was more nerve-wracking than you anticipated. The Councilwoman was indeed discreet with her collection a simple carriage one unmarked without the Talis emblem your mama ever the nosy person society she of was Instantly demanded why you were suddenly going out sure enough your papa managed to distract her for five minutes so you could escape with your lady maid.

Arriving at the Talis house once again in the middle of the day was even more grand than arriving at night. Everything was as gold and bright as the sun, though with a lot fewer people now you can enjoy it more without the nerves of a hundred people buzzing around. Councilwoman Medarda greets you in her dining room, she wears a white and gold dress more formal and daily wear than her extravagant ball gown.

“Councilwoman” you bow your head as your lady maid waits over with the other servants. Mel smiles at you.

“Sit, please” she says and you sit across from her looking at the array of food.

“Tea?” She asks and you nod politely wondering if her tea is as extravagant as the rest of everything Medarda/Talis.

“I hear the town is abuzz with gossip at your dance with the duke” she says smiling and you almost choke on your tea as you take a sip of it.

“I- is it?” You say deciding to place your cup of tea down then make a mess.

“It is, I was at the modiste, the madame there had a lot to say indeed” she grins.

“Oh” you say not sure how what to say in such a situation.

“I doubt you want to talk about gossip you seem like a smart young woman to me” she says as the servants come over and serve you food.

“Thank you,” you say to the servant who nods before they leave.

“You must have questions” she says and you frown.

“About?” You ask.

“Why the Duke of course” She laughs softly and you hesitate with your food feeling even more nervous.

“I don’t mean to make you uncomfortable,” she says suddenly.

“You don’t go out often? With other young ladies of the city?” She asks and you shake your head.

“I see” she whispers frowning in thought.

“Well, we must change that,” she says.

Councilwoman Mel Medarda indeed makes good on her word. You travel to the markets together, a few famous cafes and bakeries, you even walk the gardens from time to time when she is free, in fact, you’ve been to the council palace now. You appreciate her gestures and feel more confident around her, she’s a smart ambitious woman any young lady would look up to, but being one-on-one with her makes you see her in a new light. It’s a Friday around mid-morning when a servant walks into the drawing room announcing you have a visitor. You half expect Mel what you don’t expect is to see the duke walk in, Cane in one hand and flowers in another.

“My duke how lovely to see you” Your mama instantly tries to butter her. The duke waves a hand slightly and a servant comes forward with a basket of flowers.

“For you Lady Y/l/n” he says she gasps a little over the top and takes them.

“My duke such a lovely gift” she smiles.

“And these are for you” he walks forward with a smaller bouquet in his hand and hands it to you. You stare at the flowers then back at him then at the flowers before your mother subtly jostles your side.

“Thank you my duke they are wonderful” you nod handing them to a ladymaid to place them in a vase.

“Well come in sit, I’m afraid we weren’t expecting visitors our have the servants bring out some tea” your mama says. The duke nods and moves slowly to sit down on one of the couches. Your mama nudges you ungraciously and you sigh sitting down by the duke at a respectful distance. Your mother sits at the other end of the room resuming her cross stitching. You look at your hands in your lap a bit awkwardly wondering what young ladies even say when a gentleman calls on them.

“How was your lunch with the “You slap a hand over his mouth and he raises an eyebrow, he glances at your mama and then smiles behind your hand nodding. You sigh in relief and lower your hand nodding as well. He keeps his smirk on his face for a moment.

“How has your week been my lady?” He asks instead and you nod.

“Good, yes I-“ you trail off wondering how you can talk without giving away your visits with the councilwoman.

“I’ve been to the gardens, ah the art gallery too that was exciting” you say trying to sound as natural as you can.

“Ah yes, the art gallery is quite exquisite, any favourite pieces?” He asks following along with your subtleness.

You manage to talk easily with him, though within reason, you’re not sure how long a caller is supposed to stay but it feels like hours by the time your father comes down from his office and sees the duke before whisking him away with whatever gentlemen talk about.

Viktor knew exactly where you had been and when you had been. Tuesday you attended the Medarda lunch, you left at exactly 12:15pm arrived at 12:25pm and left at 1:45pm. You went to the South Pond Gardens at 11:15am in the morning, took the reserved part of the gardens with your lady maid and then left at 11:45am. You attended the Killian gallery at 2:00pm and looked at the famous works of Kain Killian himself as well as a few from John Partridge, and Philip Suns. You left the gallery at 3:35pm and arrived home at 3:43pm. He knows you’ve been to the Stewards bakery, the Brisks cafe and he knows when you attended the council palace. He also knows you’ve had two gentlemen arrive at your doorstep who were promptly removed from the premises before anyone could bat an eyelid and he’s had those men who your mama paid discreetly dealt with. He knows your mother's favourite flowers, bakery items, and preferred cross-stitch technique, he also knows when your father is busy in his office, which gentlemen’s club he goes to, he also knows your father isn’t as nice as he appears having gone to the Black Roses brothel in the middle of the night. What he won’t allow himself to know is your favourite things, he wants you to tell him yourself, he wants you to want to open up to him, and let him carry whatever burdens a young lady like yourself might have, he wants you in his estate and he wants to have you on every service in his estate no matter what servants of his is watching. He wants to know every gasp, moan and cry you make, how many fingers you can take before you try to push him away, and how many orgasms he can get out of you before you collapse, he wants you to himself, to belong to him and nobody else.

Next part ->