#Starshield

[generallemarc]

I cannot fucking believe I am saying this, but Trump's threats about Musk's contracts are threats to break the law

Unless I am missing something TITANIC in how the legislation works, "I want to cancel these government contracts because I have beef with the owner of these companies" is illegitimate and thus illegal grounds to cancel a government contract, and Trump threatening to do so is either retarded beyond belief, in that it's an empty threat, or a declaration of intent to break the law if he actually does try and give the order. I, to put it very mildly, am not a fan of Elon's style of destroy first ask questions never that threw several dozen wrenches into American soft power projection and ended aid that was providing immediate relief to those in great need because he was too impatient to sit down and actually separate out the transgender opera grants from the food and medicine ones. But me opposing his work doesn't grant the government carte blanche to break the law so long as that lawbreaking is done to Musk's detriment. If this does lead to the end of DOGE and the restoration of common sense in how spending is assessed then by all means, insert the Godzilla "let them fight" meme here. But let it not be done by the breaking of the law.

[alanshemper]

[16 Feb 2025]

To recap: Elon Musk is using his unparalleled space launch infrastructure to construct Starshield, a “proliferated constellation” of hundreds of NRO spy satellites that are designed to communicate with Starlink, his existing network of thousands of communications satellites. This means that more than half of the active satellites in the sky are facilitating an NRO/SpaceX mass surveillance program that is intended to provide near-continuous imagery of the entire planet for US intelligence agencies, reportedly at even higher resolutions than previous projects. If the NRO was just spying through “Keyholes” before, they’ve now thrown the metaphorical door open.

[enterprisewired]

SpaceX Launches 10th Batch of NRO Spy Satellites, Advancing U.S. Space Intelligence Network

Source: businessworld.in

SpaceX and NRO Collaborate for 10th Proliferated Architecture Launch

SpaceX successfully carried out its 10th mission in partnership with the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), deploying a fresh batch of next-generation surveillance NRO spy satellites under the NROL-145 mission. The launch took place early on April 20 from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. A Falcon 9 rocket lifted off at 8:29 a.m. EDT (5:29 a.m. local time), marking another milestone in the NRO’s efforts to establish a modernized satellite intelligence network.

Dubbed “proliferated architecture,” the NRO’s new initiative emphasizes a shift from a limited number of large, expensive satellites to a widespread constellation of smaller, more cost-effective ones. This strategic change is expected to enhance the United States’ capabilities in terms of global surveillance and real-time data delivery. “Having hundreds of small NRO spy satellites on orbit is invaluable to the NRO’s mission,” said NRO Director Chris Scolese. He highlighted the benefits of increased revisit rates, broader geographic coverage, and faster information relay to meet the evolving needs of intelligence consumers.

Reusable Rocket Technology Powers Continued Success

The Falcon 9 rocket used in the NROL-145 mission performed flawlessly, with its first stage making a smooth landing on a drone ship stationed in the Pacific Ocean just eight minutes after launch. This marks the 12th successful flight and recovery for this particular booster, underlining the significance of reusable rocket technology in supporting frequent and cost-efficient missions.

As per standard protocol for sensitive national security missions, SpaceX concluded its live broadcast shortly after the first-stage landing, following the NRO’s request. No visuals or specific details were provided about the upper-stage deployment or the satellites onboard. This level of secrecy is common for NRO missions, given the classified nature of the agency’s surveillance objectives.

Although the precise functions and configurations of the NRO spy satellites remain undisclosed, it is widely believed that they are modified iterations of SpaceX’s Starlink internet satellites, adapted to include advanced reconnaissance equipment. These specially outfitted satellites are expected to play a pivotal role in modernizing America’s space-based intelligence infrastructure.

Expanding a New Era of Space-Based Intelligence

The launch of NROL-145 continues a series that began in May 2024, with all 10 missions to date utilizing Falcon 9 rockets launched from Vandenberg. This consistent collaboration between SpaceX and the NRO reflects a broader trend of leveraging commercial space capabilities to enhance national security infrastructure.

With each successful launch, the NRO moves closer to achieving a fully operational proliferated satellite network. This system is designed to be more resilient and adaptable than previous models, capable of delivering actionable intelligence more quickly and reliably across a range of scenarios. As geopolitical tensions and technological challenges grow, the integration of a dispersed NRO spy satellite fleet provides a strategic edge in monitoring global developments.

As SpaceX continues to support national defense initiatives, its role in shaping the future of military and intelligence operations in space appears more crucial than ever.

[twilitseas]

another artfight thing, for my bestie @leafiatheneko ✨

i’ll keep dragging you into every hell with me uwu

[teira-nova]

One of the biggest art projects I've done in a long time!

I worked on and off with this the past few months (in-between commissions) and I'm so happy it's complete. A lot of these characters haven't appeared in the comic yet, but will in due time. I hope to be working on the Comic again very soon, and if you'd like to support my work with Deadlocked (& my other art) please support me on Patreon or Ko-fi... if you like! :D

Characters right to left: Slugga Gleeman Vox Dallas Wannamaker Juanita Alvaro Ace Hardlight Cienna Aries (my OC) Joo-joo lips Galilia (my OC) A Testbot Merc Green Quaternion X (Semi-canon, my design) Captain Lightspeed (Semi-canon, my design) The Brown Ranger (Semi-canon, my design) Mad Monkey McKnight (Semi-canon, my design) Captain Starshield The Eviscerator Shellshock Reactor Courtney Gears CJ the Blargian Pimp (my OC) Chickern (my OC) Juicy Lucy (my OC) DreadZone Waitress (my OC) Vox Casino Waiter (my OC) Eugene Vernon The Useless Dad (my OC) Pretty Thug (my OC) Donna the Promiscuous (Semi-canon, my design) Blarg Mobster (my OC) Riot Singer (my OC) Random Fanboy (my OC) Daryn Aygo (my OC) DreadZone Striker DreadZone Executioner Roxanne (my OC)

Why is Ratchet and some other canon characters not on here? Because this story is an AU and Ace never meets Ratchet in this timeline ;-) and I dont wanna spoil who else shows up later on too!

Either way thanks again to those who support the work that I do. It's been a tough past several months, but I am trying to do what I can to catch up again.

[hallow-xd]

Elon owns the government

He's the head of an agency that doesn't legally exist. His private security has been deputized as US Marshalls. He has access to the government's payment systems, and he can shut down any agency or program he wants. He travels with the president and even speaks for him. His company, SpaceX/Starlink/Starshield, is a military contracter.

How long do we have to wait until he decides that Trump is inefficent and sends secret police in cybertrucks to overthrow him?

[forest-shadow]

Mcsm-tober: day 21 fave Jesse armor & one of my personal favorites is starshield 🩶

Prompt list by @bumpkin-bug !!

[raccoonfallsharder]

a brief birdie excerpt~

[anticipated june 2025] NSFW below the cut.

18+ only MDNI | f!reader x rocket | ~ 16 parts | word count: pending.

WARNINGS for this excerpt: minimal description of reader; has hair that can be grabbed. angst. dom/sub vibes. brief impact play/pussy-slapping, rough sex, hair-pulling, mirror-sex (?). mention of nipple-play and clamps, collaring/choking. description of raccoon dick, obligatory mention of raccoon sensory perception/memory. use of "pretty girl," "sweetheart, "whore" (affectionate...?). aka "rocket fucks you against the flight controls," from a future chapter (11? 12?) dedicated to & inspired by @shylyobscene. full summary + general warnings below.

Rocket slants  one firm, stinging slap against you — slicking the skin of his palm, embossing the pretty shape of your cunt on his sensory memory forever. It’s warm and wet and silky, and he’s gonna pull up the feeling of it on his hand every time he fucks his fist once you’re gone. 

He doesn’t think he’ll be able to stop himself if he tries. 

You yelp at the contact, hips bouncing against the edge of the console. Your nerves are fried, he thinks — how impossibly worked-up had you gotten since he’d ordered you to the floor? The leggings hold your thighs captive, pressed tightly together, and he flutters his fingers between them: finding the soft pearl of your clit, puffy and swollen with need. He pinches gently with the sides of his first two fingers, then scrapes his calloused thumb against it leisurely. Your hips hitch and you let out a sob before bowing into the most ridiculous arch he’s ever seen: a pure, pathetic crescent moon of distress and desire, practically incandescent with starlight thanks to his eyeshine. 

“All right, sweetheart,” he murmurs. You let out another ragged sound when he releases your clit, and he notches the weeping tip of his cock against your slit as quickly as he can. “It’s okay, baby,” he consoles. “M’gonna take care of you.”

He sinks in as slowly as he can bear to: jaw clenched and a muscle ticcing under his whiskers. You keen as he does, and it might be the prettiest damn song he’s ever heard. He withdraws — slides back home, and can’t keep the groan bitten between his teeth this time. You whine, and he shifts his angle: glancing off that spongy spot inside you. For fuck’s sake, you’re so scaldingly-hot and tight around him — certainly better than anything he’s ever had before, and infinitely better than he’s ever deserved. 

The thought twinges something in his breastbone and he grinds his hips against the plush curve of your ass, trying to hook into you as deeply as he can — the curve of his cock instinctively searching for something to notch against. When he can’t find it, he pulls back and slams into you again: punishing that bundle of nerves on the front wall of your soft little pussy. You stifle a whine, burying your face in your folded-up arms, and he picks up his speed: tattooing that spot in your cunt with the rigid, unforgiving scrape of his baculum bone. Wet, sweet sounds echo through the cockpit, punctuated by the slap of drenched fur against your puffy, abused folds. His hips piston harder, faster, until you’re bouncing between him and the edge of the console with little hiccuping breaths. Your thighs will be bruised in the morning, your belly littered with dark blooms where the dials and switches must be digging into all your softness. Your flanks, your spine — the jiggling fat of your ass — all of it shimmers and twirls with flakes of starlight and galaxy-dust, and he makes the mistake of hazarding a glance up at the glass.

But his eyes don’t take in the swirling, sparkling pyrite megaliths, as big or bigger than the Cherry Bomb, glittering in the starshield. He might’ve chosen this spot in a baffling and uncharacteristic display of whimsy — for you, some evil little part of him pipes up; because he’d thought you’d find it pretty — but his gaze catches instead on his own reflection.

Ears flattened into blades. Teeth bared and knifelike; eyes glowing like a predator’s. Some unidentifiable, alien concoction of parts, bitter and broken-edged and mean.

I don’t want to fight. I want good things to happen for you. 

Impulsively, he snatches one hand forward. His fingers manage to catch a fistful of hair — like plucking a handful of butterflies from the sky. He hauls your head back and upward, pulling your spine into that pretty crescent moon he’d admired before: hiding his own wrecked and ruined body behind all your softness.

“Watch yourself get fucked, pretty girl,” he snarls into the lunar curve of your back. His eyes hunt yours in the starshield-reflection. You’re a gorgeous fuckin’ mess. Face gleaming with tears, skin gleaming with sweat. Eyes wide and shimmery and dazed, mouth still swollen and slick. One beautiful tit bounces jubilantly with every cruel snap of his hips, while the other tries desperately to escape its wistful, dreamy little shred of lace. He wishes he had the armspan to bully your silly little nipples while he fucked you.  Next time, he promises himself. Next time he’ll grab two of the tiny clamps he uses for more delicate wires in his workshop: use them to pinch your bouncing tits while he fucks into you. 

You’ll fuckin’ love it — he just knows it.

“D’you see, sweetheart?” Each word is punched into you with the force of his hips. “What a perfect fuckin’ whore you are for me?”

You whine wordlessly, eyes wide and glassy, and he tugs sharply in your hair. 

“D’you see it, birdie?” He curses under his breath. “You better fuckin’ answer, or next time I’ll bring out one of my toolbelts and wrap it around your throat like a leash.”

birdie. (an evasive maneuvers expansion)

18+ only MDNI | f!reader x rocket | ~16 chapters | word count: pending.

xandar is saved. the power stone rests safely in the hands of the nova corps, and our favorite heroes-for-hire get their records expunged before going their separate ways.

unfortunately, one furry little motherfucker just can't seem to keep his claws out of trouble. in a rare gesture of good will, the nova corp give him a get-outta-jail-free card (not that he needs one)~ all he has to do is escort a bratty little princess safely and discreetly to her new home, halfway across the universe.

should be a piece of cake. what's the difference between a bodyguard and a bounty-hunter, anyway?

CONTEXT/WARNINGS: mcu-based canon-divergent post-vol1. grief, angst, betrayal, and the agony of falling in love. slightly darker than my usual fare - true enemies-to-lovers (still a happy ending, though!). slower-burn than i had originally thought (assuming you don't count a lot of explicit fantasies). forced proximity. pining. bondage (duh), lots of dirty talk and dom/sub fixations, probably some gunplay, electricity-play, and use of toys. entirely from rocket's perspective so far. reader has hair long enough to get in her eyes/be pulled. more detailed warnings listed in each chapter.

silver stardust and silver bar dividers by @/bernardsbendystrawsblack | black rose divider by @/firefly-graphics | heart-handcuff & ivy dividers by @/strangergraphics | support/mdni banners by @/saradika-graphics | moodboard by me!

[raffaeleitlodeo]

Qui in California intanto, continuano a passarci sopra la testa questi, incessanti, ogni decina di giorni... fantasmagorici e terrificanti. I razzi Space X che portano in orbita una ventina di satelliti Starlink per volta, a costruire la costellazione letale privata di Citizen Musk. Dai quasi 7000 di oggi diventeranno 13000. Un monopolio mondiale delle trasmissioni. Ognuno convertibile a scopi più letali come parte di Starshield, la costellazione a fini militari... sempre sua, sempre senza norma o controllo che non faccia capo a lui...

Luca Celada, Facebook

[astronauticalaspirations]

SpaceX launches 450th Falcon 9 rocket, breaks booster turnaround record on NRO mission

From Spaceflight Now:

The National Reconnaissance Office launched its eighth batch of satellites to support its proliferated architecture constellation. The mission includes a number of notable milestones for SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket program, including a record-fast turnaround time for its booster. The rocket carried an unspecified number of satellites that are believed to be Starshield, a government variant of the Starlink satellites that are built by SpaceX in partnership with Northrop Grumman. This was SpaceX’s 450th Falcon 9 launch to date. Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base happened on March 20 at 11:49 p.m. PDT (2:49 a.m. EDT, 0649 UTC on March 21). This was the second launch this year supporting the architecture, following NROL-153 in January. SpaceX used the Falcon 9 first stage booster with the tail number B1088. This was its fourth launch after previously supporting the flights of NROL-126, a combination of Starlink and Starshield satellites; the Transporter-12 smallsat ride-share mission, which included 131 satellites and NASA’s SPHEREx and PUNCH ride-share mission. The last of those lifted off on March 12, just nine days before the launch of NROL-57 on Thursday night. With this launch, SpaceX handily beat the former record for turnaround of a Falcon 9 first stage booster, which was set by B1080 at 13.5 days.

Emphasis mine. The Falcon 9 is rapidly approaching the most optimistic reusability projections ever made for the space shuttle. Whether this will ultimately translate to cost reductions still remains to be seen, but the rapid increase in number of satellites launched over the past few years is highly suggestive.

[beeskneescharacters]

CHARACTER OF THE DAY: Starshield

Series: Ratchet: Deadlocked (Video game)

Starshield was a hero who was killed by former hero Ace Hardlight in the DreadZone.

[darkmaga-returns]

Starshield satellites can operate as a swarm in low orbits, offering the most pervasive real-time surveillance of human beings in history. These ‘low orbit satellite swarms’ are what we call drones.

Karen Kingston

Dec 27, 2024

December 27, 2024: With the recent news buzz about the unverified drones hovering over towns and military bases throughout the United States, I believe this March 2024 Kingston Report on Elon Musk’s Starshield Global Surveillance drone system may present an alternative hypothesis as to what the drones are, and who they belong to.

March 18, 2024: On December 19, 2017, the Wall Street Journal published an article entitle, “How China’s Surveillance State Overwhelms Daily Life.” The article details how the Chinese government turned Xianjing, China into a, “…remote laboratory for its high-tech social controls. Security checkpoints with identification scanners guard the train station and roads in and out of town. Facial scanners track comings and goings at hotels, shopping malls and banks...”

Not only are China’s 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week (24/7) surveillance policies and technologies highly invasive, many western nations consider the use of these surveillance systems as a violation of human rights. In August of 2022, a U.N. High Commissioner for human rights found that China’s policies on religion, biometric surveillance (i.e. public facial recognition cameras), DNA surveillance (human identification kits), criminal medical experimentation, and the overall 24/7 police surveillance of Xiangjiang residents were human rights violations, and in some cases, crimes against humanity.

Unfortunately for global citizens, a highly-advanced 24/7 surveillance system is currently being deployed on civilians in the United States of America and in other nations around the globe.

[evilmageclub]

false rings chapter 7

ive finished my longest (also just the longest) samsam fic lol, only took me 2 years. its 65k words, rated E, postcanon, and follows samot and samothes through cycles of grief and violence and reconciliation past and present. with a focus on the natural world of aubade

ao3 link

this chapter samsam forge new rings, make a vow, go on a boat trip, and fail to talk about fatherhood. while having lots of sex, because that's what this is all about

sfw excerpt under the cut:

The first day is quiet, wavelets slapping at the hull and vistas of coral branching shoreward until they pass beyond the lagoon. On the second day they lose sight of the island, and with it the final swaying tendrils of Spring growth. They anchor up that night and dive down, down into the dark through shoals of luminescent jellyfish, just to be certain the Spring is not still crawling across the seabed; but Samot would be able to feel it if it were, and the seabed, if indeed the waters out here follow the logic of Hieron in having one, is out of reach. Samot takes hold of Samothes and urges him back up to the surface, surprising himself by being the one to curtail their dive.

It really does seem to extend forever, this dyad of inky sea and darker sky. Samot thinks he sees a shadow pass beneath them as they rise, but such is the illusion of the night. Once they surface, he hooks his wiry arms over Samothes’ shoulders from behind and presses his chest to Samothes’ back, forcing Samothes to tread water a little harder to keep them both afloat.

“It doesn’t unnerve you?”

“This?” The subliminal radiance of Samothes’ gaze comes to rest on the grey lack of a horizon; despite the glimmer of the starshield, Samothes himself and their boat’s enchanted lanterns are the only sources of light. “Of course it does. You’re going to call me naive for thinking there’s a great deal of beauty to be found in the way we persist despite it. I told Hadrian...”

“Hm?”

“Nothing. I told him something similar, once.”

Detaching Samot from himself just enough to hold him by the shoulders, Samothes rolls onto his back and kicks off towards the boat, carrying Samot halfway with him. Age notwithstanding, he has become a much stronger swimmer through his time in Aubade. Samot wonders if he and Hadrian spent much time on the water together before the blade was sealed, and wishes not for the first time that he had found the words to ask Hadrian what it was like to meet his god.

Seeing Samot pause by the hull and misreading his stillness for exhaustion or cramp, Samothes scoops him up and scales the ladder to the deck one-handed… a gesture that makes Samot laugh at the time, but as they lie together in the warmth of the cabin afterward, the sight of his own hands numb and bloodless with chill makes him wonder if perhaps he did need the rescue, not because he lacked the strength to climb but because he was forgetting corporeality, leaching away into the Dark.

[is-the-battlemech-cool-or-not]

Atlas III 'La Muraille' AS7-D8

Mass: 100 tons

Chassis: Foundation 12X Endo Steel

Power Plant: Vlar 300

Cruising Speed: 21.6 kph

Maximum Speed: 32.4 kph

Jump Jets: None

Jump Capacity: 0 meters

Armor: Starshield Special Heavy with CASE II

Armament:

2 ER Medium Laser

1 Plasma Rifle

1 Rotary AC/5

1 LRM 10

Manufacturer: General Motors,Robinson Standard BattleWorks

Primary Factory: El Dorado,Robinson

Communication System: Rander Comm- Marshal with Angel ECM Suite

Targeting & Tracking System: Dalban HiRez V

Introduction Year: 3153

Tech Rating/Availability: F/X-X-X-X

Cost: 30,230,000 C-bills

Type: Atlas III 'La Muraille'

Technology Base: Mixed (Experimental)

Tonnage: 100

Battle Value: 2,617

Equipment Mass

Internal Structure Reinforced 20

Engine 300 XL 9.5

Walking MP: 2

Running MP: 3

Jumping MP: 0

Double Heat Sink 10 [20] 0

Compact Gyro 4.5

Small Cockpit 2

Armor Factor (Ferro-Lamellor) 307 22

Internal Armor

Structure Value

Head 3 9

Center Torso 31 47

Center Torso (rear) 15

R/L Torso 21 32

R/L Torso (rear) 10

R/L Arm 17 34

R/L Leg 21 42

Right Arm Actuators: Shoulder, Upper Arm, Lower Arm, Hand

Left Arm Actuators: Shoulder, Upper Arm, Lower Arm, Hand

Weapons

and Ammo Location Critical Heat Tonnage

2 ER Medium Laser CT 2 5 2.0

ECM Suite CT 1 - 1.0

CASE II RT 1 - 0.5

Plasma Rifle RT 2 10 6.0

Plasma Rifle Ammo (20) RT 2 - 2.0

LRM 10 Artemis V-capable Ammo (24) RT 2 - 2.0

Rotary AC/5 Ammo (60) RT 3 - 3.0

Shield LA 7 - 6.0

Artemis V FCS LT 2 - 1.5

RISC Emergency Coolant System LT 1 - 2.0

CASE II LT 1 - 1.0

LRM 10 LT 1 4 2.5

Armored Cowl (Armored) HD 1 - 1.0

Rotary AC/5 RA 8 1 10.0

Features the following design quirks: Battle Computer, Battle Fists, Combat Computer, Cowl, Distracting, Extended Torso Twist, Improved Communications, Improved Targeting (Long), Improved Sensors, Multi-Trac, Protected Actuators, Stable