#army navy cooperation

[adaginy]

The Big Guide to Humans: Language

Most humans use their lungs, mouths, and larynx (a small organ between them colloquially called the "voice box") to produce audible language. There are also "signed" languages, in which the positions and motions of fingers, hands, and arms are used in place of audible language, primarily for communication with those lacking a sense of hearing or ability to use their mouths or larynx, but also in places where silence is required. There are also languages of whistling, a high-pitched noise made with the lips (the mobile edges of their mouths). Terra has thousands of languages, many of them incredibly complex and precise. Despite this, humans rarely use translation docks with each other, preferring to find a language they have in common. Most humans can use at least two Terran languages. They are likely to speak (or sign or whistle) a native language and are expected to speak or sign one or more Terran-Common languages (see human history for how Terran-Common languages spread). They may also be able to use languages of other regions as needed for trade, diplomacy, or curiosity. Human languages additionally have features called "accents" and "dialects." What makes something an accent, a dialect, or a separate language is ostensibly a spectrum of how different they are... but in practice some accents are not mutually intelligible* with each other while some languages are, and what is a "dialect" as opposed to one or the other may be political rather than practical: We asked human language-experts about this and the answer given by several of them** was "A language is a dialect with an army and a navy" (two types of human military). As a matter of practicality, translation docks allow for translation into and out of most dialects if the dialect (or accent) is, functionally, a separate language. This sometimes caused problems in comparatively early human space-history for those political reasons, but Terran politics has become more cooperative over time. Most human languages, particularly spoken ones, also have a written form. There are far fewer writing styles than languages. For example, many languages, including multiple Terran-Common languages, use what is known as the "Roman alphabet," named for a distantly historical military (see human history, again). In an alphabet, sounds are represented by marks or combinations of marks, and by knowing the sounds one knows what the line of marks would read if spoken. There are also syllabaries, in which the marks represent sets of sounds, and logographic systems, in which complex marks represent ideas. Some languages use combinations thereof. While humans generally cannot write as fast as they speak, many can read far faster than a human can speak, allowing for the rapid absorption of information.

Most humans are innately "good at" language, even if they do not believe they are. (This is especially true with human children.) If your language is adequately perceptible to humans, expect that over time they will learn at least a little bit of it. If your language is audible to them (or signed in a way that can be approximated), expect that they will find a way to produce it and use your own language to speak with you. They feel this is polite and friendly, although they understand that most non-Terrans are unlikely to learn and use their languages in return. * Many human languages share a "root" language, and the languages have spread and separated in ways akin to evolution. Similarly to how closely-related species can sometimes hybridize, a speaker of one language may be able to understand, with some difficulty, a speaker of a closely-related language. **see human hive mind debate

[typewritingyip]

The Arcturus Missions

Part Seventeen - Anger Issues

Part Sixteen

———

Prior to becoming a pilot, Harold Jackson, callsign Hound, had been an enlisted officer for the United States Army. It was all he had ever known really, his father had been in the army and they moved from base to base like any other military family. The housing was similar enough that each room felt like his own and life was always chaotic but simple. From coast to coast and in other countries, he was content with that life. 

The Quintessons attacked when he was still young, the first response was with military action, the Air Force and Navy, naval pilots were the first to scout the enomally off of Hawai’i. The aircraft carrier the USS Enterprise which had been in the North Arabian Sea on exercise with German, French, and British forces, was the first thing attacked by the foreign invader. When the first call from Hawai’i reached them, they redirected the course to provide assistance. It sustained too much damage to remain in operation but its nuclear reactor was safely removed before its decommission. It was one of ten aircraft carriers in the pacific and Indian oceans during that time, many sustain unrecoverable damages.

With the Cold War in active swing, it was difficult to initially adjust focus, but once they started to attack cities most powers were redirecting their focuses away from the arms race and into the mechanical suit race. Just another angle initially, which eventually turned into government cooperation.

Hound had enlisted at eighteen, understanding only some of what was happening and signing up for the compatibility testing after bootcamp. It was around that same time when Hound got married, though the wait for his mech suit was longer than his marriage. His father had signed up for the testing as well and was found non-compatible, he was medically discharged not long after. Hound knew how much it broke his father to not be compatible, both in spirit and body, he didn’t understand how hard the test was until he was in it. No one comes out the other side of compatibility the same person. 

His ex-wife lives in a “protected city” somewhere in Colorado, specifically away from coastal regions and major epicenters, near to a mech suit outpost for the marines. She was receiving housing and funding from Mecha on behalf of Hound to ensure her safety, her and his father, it’s one of the many reasons he agreed to head the Arcturus One mission. He may not love her and she may hate him, but he didn’t want to see her remains on the next cover report, hers or his fathers. It was hard not to care when the person used to be your best friend, no matter what they did to lose that place or what you did. 

—

Hound had fallen back asleep in command, tipped back in his chair while the others had talked, Megatron’s explanation dying off when his head began to droop. The lights in his cockpit were off, but he remained in his chair, leaning back comfortably enough. It was nice enough until a shrill voice woke him up, “Sir, Hound isn’t at camp.” Sideswipe was the most frustrating person to him at that very moment, groaning quietly as he tipped the chair back up, “That’s because he was here, discussing plans with us.” Megatron stood, now sober and feeling improved from last night. Hound took the moment to stretch and stand, “Sideswipe, I would suggest checking everywhere or comming me before jumping to conclusions.” He walks over and rests a hand on his shoulder, “Thank you for the concern though. Nodding some, Sideswipe sighs, “Breakdown woke us all up not knowing where you were,” “Breakdown?” It was almost hard to tell that Sideswipe looped sheepish, but the body language was easy enough to read, “He left medical this morning, to much protest from Knockout. I think the medic is still yelling at him for being a ‘big wreckless oaf’.” He chuckles and with a sigh, Hound nods to Megatron before heading out of command. 

Yelling was certainly one way of putting it, Knockout was shrieking at Breakdown who was now sitting near the heater, his head hanging down. Sighing, Hound jogged over, “Alright, enough. Why are you screaming, Doctor?” He moved and stood between them, “Breakdown won’t let me run a systems check, he says everything is fine but his arm is hardly attached.” Knockout rested his hands on his hips, jaw set. Sighing deeply, Hound nodded, “Because your systems will crash ours, I’m sorry if this is inconvenient but it's for his safety that he turns it down.” Raising a hand, Hound stops Knockout, “But, he is off duty until further notice. Once we’re back in Iacon we’ll finish repairs but he’ll be on the bench for a while.” Breakdown looked up, “What?” Hound really just wanted to hit his head against a wall, “We’re going to keep following typical standards, two weeks at least of light duty.” Now both of them were angry and it was draining. 

“Alright, enough!” Hound holds up his hands, “Knockout, if Breakdown were to stay in the medical tent until we return to Iacon, would that make you happy?” Knockout stopped and nodded, “Yes, of course.” “Hound,” Breakdown steps forward and Hound turns to him, “You should be resting regardless, your two weeks start now. Go lay down, that is in fact an order.” He could almost feel the bitterness rolling off of Breakdown, who turned away, “I swear, once we’ve returned to Iacon we can discuss this but until then, please just rest.” The cold shoulder was like a blizzard or arctic night. Sighing deeply, Hound moved to the others, shaking his head a bit, “If there is no attack today we should be returning to Iacon tonight.” “Thank god for that.” Sideswipe sank back down, rubbing his face, “I’ve got a great plan for something in the apartment.” Groaning, Sunstreaker shook his head, sitting back, “It’s too early for great plans.” “Yeah, well it’s too early to sneak off to talk to the guy who almost killed you.” Hound hits the heater, “Enough arguing! Enough. Just, spread out and take some time away from each other. Please. Let’s wait and see what the projection looks like before we try and kill each other.” He had a headache that was getting worse with every moment of arguing.

Slowly, Sunstreaker walked off, Sideswipe followed though at a distance. Breakdown was back to medical, and Jazz was sitting on the ground near the heater. Sighing, Hound joined him, rubbing his face, “How did you get used to working with other pilots? Or, mechs?” They were all, mostly, used to working solo. The suits were big enough to level a city block at times and more than one was hardly ever needed. Jazz chuckled slightly, “Well, I worked with Prowl solo for about the first six months or so. Not with other strong willed pilots, but still someone with experience.” Nodding a bit, Jazz leans back to stare at the sky, “I also didn’t have a unit of people from diverse backgrounds to command, all I had to do was adjust to one culture. I also didn’t have two pilots who had never been in the military to watch over,” the look almost makes Hound groan, “Their great pilots, but we both know that this is something that’ll take plans they aren’t used to and a lot more orders.” Also looking at the sky, Hound groaned, “I was worried you’d say that.” Jazz snorts, grinning, “Yeah well, you all have a lot of adjustments to make still.” With a hum, Hound threw his arm back over his eyes, still so tired. Yawning, he turns off the lights in his cockpit and turns down his visual feed, “Adjustments I'll start making, after I get some more sleep.” It didn’t take Hound long to fall back asleep, not long at all.

Jazz sat there, smiling a bit, “You’ve already made some Hound.” He glances over towards command where Red Alert and Mirage were talking, Mirage leaning against the wall comfortably, “You just can’t see it yet.” He smiles and moves to be able to watch their surroundings so his friend could sleep easier. Sometimes, the cluelessness of the other pilots drove him mad and sometimes he wondered if they were all just more nearsighted than they looked. 

—

Sunstreaker went and sat with Bluestreak, glancing back over his shoulder at Sideswipe who diverted to sit with a few other mechs, he breathed a sigh of relief. The other mecha sitting with Blue glanced at each other before standing, “Hey, we’re going to go eat. See ya Blue.” One patted him on the shoulder and the other gave him a thumbs up before heading off towards food, talking quietly to each other. Sunstreaker paused, frowning a bit, “Uh, sorry. I didn't mean to chase off your friends.” “What? Oh, no you’re fine!” Bluestreak leans forward some, smiling nervously, he clears his throat a bit, “They’ve been waiting for an excuse to get away.” Sunstreaker chuckled slightly, “I doubt that.” Bluestreak smiled and glanced over towards Sideswipe, frowning, “Look,” “We’re not going to talk about that here.’ Sunny rested his hand over Blue’s, visor brightening, “Later, so, um.” He clears his throat and pulls his hand back, glancing up and away, “Have you ever been to this planet before?” Bluestreak smiled, “Yeah, but it was just for a different fight.” He tries to wave it off, but Sunstreaker turns to him, “Tell me about it.” Bluestreak chuckles lightly, “Uh, why?” The smile couldn’t be kept from Sunstreaker’s face, “The longer I sit here and you don’t try to kill me, the more likely it’ll be that Sides will eventually forgive you.” “Oh.” Nodding slowly, Bluestreak frowned, “You or—humans, are very strange.” Sunstreaker laughed.

Shaking his head a bit, Sunstreaker rubs at his chest, “Oh Blue, you don’t know the half of it. So, what was the last fight here like for you?” Bluestreak’s face lit up, “Well it was back during the last war, primus, you would have thought we were insane back then. Fighting after the fall of the system we were fighting over,” Sunstreaker stares and chuckles slightly, “You really don’t know anything about Earth, do you?” Bluestreak looks at him and shakes his head a bit, “Uh, no, not really. Jazz doesn’t talk about it much and Prowl said to not bother him with it.” Nodding a bit, Sunstreaker shrugged slightly, “Well, I’ll tell you more about it after your story. So, this last war, you were here,” he prompts lightly, Bluestreak nods and starts talking, smiling brightly. Sunstreaker smiled and just listened, glad to listen to someone who wasn’t giving him orders or was his brother. 

—

The shuttle that evening was not sentient and Hound was still never sure to be relieved or not. It always took Sideswipe the longest to figure out if they were on a shuttle he knew personally or not, Sunstreaker always had the easiest time with it. For the moment, Breakdown was not speaking to Hound which was understandable, typically they were on equal footing but having to pull rank always left others feeling ruffled. Jazz was up towards the front talking with the pilot, but the entire shuttle was full of mechs. Each seat was filled and there was limited walking space since it was filled with the construction materials, plus the heaters. The twins were pretending to be asleep, really they were out of their chairs and talking over comms in English. Just because they had the translator doesn’t mean they wanted to use it all the time. 

Sitting back, Hound was almost asleep himself when the second ring of his comm drew his attention. He paused for a moment before adjusting his setting to answer, “Hello?” There was a brief sigh on the other side of the line, “I wasn’t sure if you were going to answer, most mechs answer as soon as it pings.” Mirage sounded like he was smiling, “You doing alright after last night?” Hound smiles a bit, “Yes, thank you for your concern Mirage.” He thought for a moment that that’s where the conversation would end, “I saw what happened this morning, uh, is that normal for you all?” Sighing, Hound scratches at his jaw and chuckles, “Kind of, pilots back home, we’re not used to working with other pilots.” 

“Why not?” Hound opened his mouth and stopped, tilting his head a bit before biting back a swear, “We’re spread out across the planet to protect as many civilians as we can. The five of us being in one place at once, it’s not typical and certainly not what we were trained for.” Mirage hums, “So, the tension is growing.” “Exactly.” Sighing, Hound rubbed his face, “Only ones who are used to working with each other are Sunstreaker and Sideswipe, and even then they only did when in the same region during an attack. Most of us had never worked together before this mission.” He swore he could hear a pin drop over that line before Mirage took a breath, “They sent you, on a death mission, with people who you’d never worked with?” Shaking his head a bit, Hound sighs, “No, not quite. For around six months, uh, half a stellar cycle, we were together preparing for this mission. Isolated together, mostly.” Mirage made an indignant noise. 

Chuckling lightly, Hound scratched at his jaw, “Don’t like that either, huh?” “I just don’t understand your people, redesigning and reprogramming you all for this.” Hound hummed, leaning his head back comfortably, “Someone has to do the work that no one else wants to do.” There was another long pause, before Mirage spoke up again, “Prowl says the same thing, Megatron says the same thing.” Grinning, he shrugged lightly, “There are some things that almost transcend culture.” Mirage hummed lightly, then cleared his throat, “So, we will be in Iacon by morning,” “Will we?” Hound’s internal clock was shot, both his internal clock and the one in his suit, Mirage’s smile was even evident through the comm, “Yes, and I understand you’ll want some time to rest and repair Breakdown of course, but I was wondering when we’d be able to have that, uh, talk.” It took him a second to remember what Mirage was talking about, “Oh, the one about where Breakdown is from?” Mirage and his pauses, “Yes,” Nodding a bit, Hound leaned forward and glanced over to Jazz, gesturing towards his head lightly.

It was several longer seconds of silence before the click of someone joining the comm came through, “Yo.” Hound leaned back, “Jazz, how much free time do you think we will have when we get to Iacon?” Jazz popped up in the corner of Hound’s visual feed, he responded with his own internal camera but ensuring both were kept from Mirage’s view, “Uh, I don’t know. Depends on how long Joan is in his meeting,” “Joan?” The confusion in Mirage’s voice almost made Hound double over, even as Jazz’s face turned dark with blush, “Hound! You could warn a mech when having them enter a comm,” Still laughing, Hound sits up and wipes at his eyes, “Sorry Jazz, Mirage and I were discussing when’s we would be able to meet up to talk about the Soviet Union, in turn I added you to ask what Prowl’s plan looked like. Mirage, Joan is what we’ve taken to call your boss over private comms. She was a figure not dissimilar to your Prime.” Both men sat in silence, as if waiting for the other to break it. 

Hound cleared his throat a bit, “Regardless, do you think a meeting with the Prime will be possible once we get there or will we have a while?” Jazz sighed and leaned forward, looking at Hound, “After we’ve had time to repair Breakdown, I think we’re going to have some time before we’ll get an audience with the Prime. Why?” He shifted a bit uncomfortably on his own seat, sitting back and away from Jazz’s prying eyes the best he could other than for the camera, “Well, Mirage wanted to learn a bit about the Iron Curtain,” “And other things about you— and Earth. Your planet seems so interesting.” Hound smiled a bit, “It is, or it can be.” Jazz was smirking, leaning back and shaking his head, “It’s almost cute how you all are skating around other mecha. Trying to make friends.” Mirage made a noise, and suddenly Hound wasn’t sure if Jazz was talking to him or Mirage. It took only a second for an answer, “Your species of mechanicals are so different from ours, your way of life, your relationships. None of you have mentioned being conjuxed and yet have split sparks, things that seem so familiar yet there are things that are… missing.” Hound cleared his throat a bit, “I’m sorry, the translator didn’t take to that word. What does being conjuxed mean?” Jazz stayed silent, though his hand was covering his mouth as he held back laughter and Mirage was painfully silent. 

After nearly a minute ticked by, Hound sighed, “Is it something incredibly private or?” Weak laughter filled the line, “No, Primus no, it’s just your translator makes you sound strange for some words when they don’t translate.” It was another second before Mirage sighed, “Conjux is short for Conjux Endura, it’s a committed relationship between two mecha, for the rest of your life.” Hound paused and nodded slowly, “So like being married.” “I suppose, though that is not translating either.” Hound chuckled slightly, “Marriage is a committed relationship between two, uh, mecha for the rest of your life. Unless you get divorced like I did.” Mirage made an ear piercing sound and Jazz choked, nearly shooting out of his seat while leaning forward, “What the hell?” “What?” There was a click for a moment, as Mirage left the comm, “What? What did I say?” Then there was another click as Jazz left for a second. He was left in the quiet for a moment before two clicks notified him that they were back on the line.

Jazz sat there, staring at him and shook his head, “No, no, I need you to say that without the translator on. That can’t be right.” Mirage was making the slightest of choking sounds still, so adjusting his setting Hound sighed, “I’m talking about my divorce Jazz.” Several seconds went by, “Oh, oh! I didn’t think that would translate like that.” He pauses, “Damn, uh,” There was a click and he went silent, then a second click as Mirage went silent as well. Setting his jaw, Hound leaned his head back and picked at his fingers. It wasn’t a topic he even remotely enjoyed talking about, two clicks showed they re-entered the comm line, “It is much more normal on Earth Mirage, it’s not a bad thing and certainly not.. that.” He could hear the mech breath out a sigh of relief, “You can understand my concern Jazz,” Mirage clears his throat, “I apologize Hound, your ‘divorce’ translates as something rather drastic in our language. Not a separation of legally binding relations.” Opening his mouth, Hound tried to say something before shaking his head, “You know what, I don’t want to know. My divorce isn’t anyone’s business but mine.” “Of course, I apologize.” Jazz hums lightly, “I knew some things would never translate but that was just something else. No word for divorce is nuts.” Nodding a bit, Hound folds his arms before sighing, “Yes, very odd.” It was uncomfortable, so Hound disconnects from the line, dimming his visor to ensure he wasn’t disturbed before deactivating his comm. 

No word for divorce and whatever it translated into seemed like murder, setting his jaw, he leaned back and closed his eyes. It wasn’t anyone’s business but his, no one needed to know he was divorced. Pausing, he sighed, he hadn’t set up the time to talk to Mirage about Earth properly. Sparing a glance towards where Breakdown was sitting, it would have to wait. His systems were shut down quickly so he was able to throw his arm over his eyes, removing the helmet and visor. Sometimes, the differences felt greater than they probably were. 

———

A/N

I think I am finally recovering from being sick, but we will see. Next part will hopefully be out Monday and I’ll actually get to that schedule that I was talking about before.

Tags!

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And once again thank you to @keferon for this amazing AU

[mllemaenad]

Okay, but ... there is no Antaam.

I'm not trying to be a pedant here. Most people in Thedas won't speak much Qunlat, and they don't care about Qunari philosphy. I actually think it's fairly realistic that people are just using "Antaam" to mean "Qunari guys with swords".

But in this specific context, I think we have to point out that there is no Antaam.

"Antaam" is Qunlat for "body". It signifies one of three parts of the Qunari population: those that deal with warfare. So, yeah, the army. They rebelled in large enough numbers that Par Vollen effectively no longer has an army: any remaining soldiers have been absorbed into the Ben-Hassrath.

The game has repeatedly made clear that the Antaam shattered post-rebellion. There is no longer a single cohesive force, but a bunch of bandits and pirates rampaging all over the place.

This is obviously unpleasant for the people who encounter them, but from a tactical perspective Par Vollen's enemies should be salivating.

There is no Antaam.

There is no overall goal or battle plan:

It is easy to think that the Antaam broke from the Qunari as one, but the reality is that of a vase shattering into countless shards, each broken in its own way, reflecting the warlord who now leads each kith. Some, like the Butcher in Treviso, use their new freedom to indulge in cultures long forbidden to them. Others, like Ataashok (Dragon King) or Isskatari (Master Killer) in Rivain, reject foreign cultures and either lean on the trappings of the Antaam or invent a heritage to inspire the loyalty of their soldiers. What seems consistent among the Antaam warlords is cruelty, from Baqounasaar (Flaming Wind), whose ships terrorize the northern coast, to Kashtaar (Jewel-Taker), whose kith have become a bandit army in the mountains outside Marothius. I believe the reason to be twofold: first, these kithshoks feared that their army might turn upon them as they turned upon the Arishok, so they drive their soldiers through fear; and second, there are very few kind and thoughtful Antaam. – Warlords of the Antaam

They're all just doing whatever they feel like! I don't even see how there can be an alliance between "the Antaam" and the evanuris. They'd have to approach each warlord individually. I can accept that they made deals with some, but hardly all of them, and from the conversations with the Butcher and the Dragon King they've clearly made different deals with each group.

And because they no longer follow the Qun, they've lost access to all of their supply lines. No one's sending food from Par Vollen! No one's forging new swords or armour!

This means that they all now have to divert a bunch of their time and attention to figuring out where to get breakfast and what everyone is going to wear. Yes, that can mean raids for supplies, but that's still different from conquest. Even if they use slave labour from captured territories they still have to put people on organising and supervising that – and as no one in the Antaam would know anything about agriculture that's got to be hilarious to watch.

I can accept that they won a few quick victories at the start because they behaved in unexpected ways. I can even accept that they walked all over Antiva, because apparently the Antivans are idiots.

But this should have turned the tide for Tevinter – and I mean well before the Blighted dragons showed up. They should have been talking about invading Par Vollen. And "the Antaam" is no longer the enemy in a war ... they're a pirate problem.

I mean, come on, "get past the navy"? What, the evanuris paid off a couple of Kathabans to cooperate for a few minutes? Get one of Isabela's people to drop messages to one group that the other one is hoarding treasure – or better yet, food. They'll have meltdowns and start stabbing each other. Wave something shiny in the other direction and watch them go chase it. Navy my arse.

There is no Antaam.

[unsoundedcomic]

How come Sharteshane hasn't been overrun by neighbouring nations? Except for being described as having a good navy (but it isn't an island!), it seems disorganised and decentralised? Weak against foes like that theocracy to it's south?

It was only touched on with the briefest of mentions in the comic, but Sharteshane cooperates with a brutal army of Gefendur paladins which, in exchange for maintaining and training the country's armed forces, is allowed to exercise theocratic control over Sharteshane's largest cities. Sharteshane's frequently in contention with its neighbours though, it's not an idyllic land. Rachshane (the southern theocracy) is a constant threat that must be kept at bay, but it's a very poor and backwards country that can be put in disarray by surgical assassinations. The Beadmans got as big as they did long ago by spying and playing hatchet men for the Sharteshanian crown.

Shartes always fight smart and dirty. They may not have the weapons or manpower of Alderode and Cresce, but they hold their own.

Beadman's very wary of Crescian encroachment though. He doesn't want them building up any of his neighbours. Keep them rural and weak and exploitable, please.

[deepspaceboytoy]

The Imperial Legions (Legiones Imperii Astra)

The Legions of the Imperium Humanum are legendary, born out of the fires of the desperate, close-won 1st Aberinian War, when humanity learned it was not alone in the universe in a shocking manner. First deployed in the heroic last stand at Ravenna, their tenacity and sheer lethality bought the Imperium time to regroup, and retake what had been lost by launching Herius Victus’ famous counterattack. Reputation and legacy secured, the Imperium quickly adopted the Legions as the third branch of its military, after the Navy and Army.

The basic organizational level is the Legion itself. Each of the thousands of Legions is a fully self-contained fighting formation, capable of sustaining combat operations near-indefinitely on their own. Legion command is based at Legion CENTCOM, the Legion strategic nexus located on Ravenna, military capital of the Imperium. From there, there are the 12 Sectors Imperialis commands, corresponding to the Zones of Responsibility maintained by the Navy’s 12 Fleets. Each fleet is responsible, and has operational authority over, 2400 Legions, though during wartime, the realities of combat losses may see that number fall. Fleets are also responsible for the maintenance of the hundreds of Campus Martials spread across the Imperium, where legionary recruits are sent to endure harsh training regimens.

A standard line infantry Legion, often referred to as a Heavy Infantry Legion, typically consists of 150-250 thousand legionaries, including maintenance, medical, mechanical, intelligence, and command elements. There are no non-Legionary personnel attached, due to the intensity of Legion combat. Every member of a Legion is fully combat certified, able to slotted into an infantry role at any moment, and every member is trained in basic skills in all areas of military knowledge. Every legionary is a fighter, and every legionary is also an engineer, medic, scout, tanker, or officer if the need arises.

From there, the Legion is divided into cohorts, of which a standard Legion has 10. The actual size of a cohort varies from Legion to Legion, but they typically range from 10-20 thousand legionaries. These are then further divided into maniples, usually numbering around 1000, finally divided into centuries of 100 legionaries. Squads, or contubernium, number 10.

Notably, Legions do not contain dedicated special forces units, instead relying on the many specialist Legions. These are the Marines, lighter-weight infantry for shipboard security and naval combat, the Drop Assault, high speed shock infantry meant to be dropped from low orbit inside their armor, the Heavy Siege, dedicated siege infantry meant to crack reinforced defensive positions, and the dreaded Commandos. This system is designed to encourage close cooperation between Legions of different disciplines, and serves well to keeps its disparate forces operating smoothly.

To become a legionary is to be subjected to some of the most ruthless, strict, merciless training regimens in the galaxy, put through extensive medical and genetic engineering and redesign, and conditioned to tolerate battlefield conditions that would kill any baseline human instantly, all to give them a chance against the horrifying alien species and nightmarish war machines and advanced weapons of the 28th century.

The process begins in the Imperial Army, where the most promising candidates are selected by Legionarii Conscriptori to begin the process informally called Induction. First, legionary candidates are sent to one of the many hundreds of Campus Martials spread across the Imperium, to undergo 9 months of brutal, rigorous physical and mental conditioning. Only 37% of initial candidates will see the 9 months out, the rest either washing out, injuring themselves, or in some regrettable instances, dying.

From the remaining 37%, trainees are deployed to the Legiones Auxilia, secondary formations that follow Legions around on combat deployments, serving as supplementary forces for low-intensity conflicts, like the many border skirmishes along the Imperial Frontier, or anti-piracy operations in regions of the Imperium that have seen war. To complete this phase, each inductee must complete three combat deployments alongside the Legions.

Deployments typically consist of rear-echelon tasks, base garrisoning or serving as military police, but at least one deployment must see combat. For most recruits, this means some sort of engagement with the disparate pirate and raider factions that make up the Imperial periphery’s most dangerous denizens. Recruits may see action as part of a boarding crew, air assaults on planet-based ship facilities, or security for civilian elements. Survive to the end, and the hard part begins.

Recruits are sent home on 6 weeks rest and relaxation, to recover and decompress from what they’ve been through. The percentage of remaining trainees has fallen to 21% by now. From here, recruits are sent to various medical facilities around the Imperium, where they begin what is known as Genehancement: the genetic reengineering of the human physiology to produce a superior soldier. First and foremost is the sharpening of the mind. Artificial hormones, redesigned endocrine system, and lab-engineered adrenaline reduce reaction times to nano-seconds, extend sight dozens of miles, hearing not far behind. Smell can isolate micro particles and scents 3 days travel away. Sensory organs are reinforced: Legionaries can experience multiple simultaneous sonic booms in a confined room before experiencing reduced hearing, and several dozen before any traumatic loss. The eyes can see into multiple new spectrums, including infrared and ultraviolet. Taste can reveal microscopic toxic doses.

Physically, their bodies are reinforced to preposterous levels. Hyper-dense organic alloys reinforce the skeleton, and rapid self-healing enzymes can begin repairing fractures and breaks even as they begin. Synthetic muscle coils add mechanical strength to their musculature, and a second nervous system renders them immune to massive levels of trauma. Redundant lungs, a reinforced spine, second enlarged heart, and organic cushion around the brain mean Legionaries can suffer shocking injuries before any lasting damage occurs. Their blood circulates faster and in far greater volumes, now capable of clotting in minutes and flushing toxins and pollutants from the bloodstream. Their lungs process oxygen more efficiently than any normal human could imagine, fueling their bulked out frames and increasing their ability to heal.

Their frames change, raised to a standard height of 260 centimeters, 8’6 feet tall. Their stride becomes bouncing, loping, completely at odds with their bulky, broad size. On the run, they can eat the meters up in the blink of an eye: legionaries can reach speeds up to 87 kph while inside their specialized power armor.

The most significant biological upgrade legionaries will receive is the Synaptic Adaptor System, allowing them to link their nervous system to a Combat Infantry Suit, the standard powered armor of the Imperial Legions. Of every change they experience, the CIS is perhaps the most powerful.

The Combat Infantry Suit is a an advanced suit of armor, composed of hypermetal alloys, molecularly bonded ballistic ceramics, blast and tear resistant joint meshes, and layers of fusion-powered synthetic muscle fiber bundles, micro-hydraulics, and fusion pistons. Designed for sheer strength and speed, the suits allow Legionaries to perform feats of superhuman, and shocking, violence. A legionary’s punch is capable of imparting 32000 newtons of kinetic force. At sprint, they can reach nearly 90 kilometers an hour, drop from orbit at 160 kilometers up, and survive indirect orbital bombardment. They are powered by a Realm-energy fueled zero point fusion reactor, providing energy for longer than the universe will last. Environmental seals protect them up to 3600 degrees kelvin, 1.8 roentgens per second, and against almost all forms of biological and virological agents.

Suits respond to a user’s thoughts; as soon as a legionary has reacted to something, the suit is acting on it, assessing combat systems, terrain, enemy information and battlefield conditions, and suggesting combat solutions. It can stimulate muscle regions to induce or enhance actions the legionary undertakes, and learns overtime exactly how its assigned legionary prefers to fight. They can provide firing solutions, calculating trajectories and angles of attack, identify critical target information, and provide up to the second data regarding combat effectiveness and operational progress.

Suits serve as mobile data servers, one massive, insulated server spread across each suit in a Legion. In battle, Legion commanders can shunt orders down to their officers as fast as they can think them. In high stress environments, the on-board combat AI can even provide tactical command, in the event that battlefield stress is interfering with an officer’s state of mind. Suits provide real-time, networked data feeds allowing legionaries to monitor the condition and capabilities of their comrades, and allows officers instant updates on the status of their troops. Each suit is capable of maintaining a network of hardlinked combat drones, providing enhanced sensor information, electronic warfare capabilities, and mass swarm attacks with suicide platforms.

Suits also contain their own onboard armaments, most notably the stowed combat blades legionaries use in close-quarters combat. Deploying from a mount on the forearm, the blades can be extended or retracted at will, providing instant access to monomolecular hypersteel swords, the legionary gladii. Gladii are heat-tempered, sharpened down to the atomic level, designed to cleave through armor and organic defenses like paper. Specialized units like the Heavy Siege also feature integrated multiple-launch rocket systems, sonic-based anti-vehicle fist-mounted breaching tools, or the shoulder-mounted turrets of the Marines, meant to cover the rear of a Marine unit in the close, crowded, confusing confines of a starship.

The final item in any legionary’s armament is their firearm. The standard legionary rifle, the the AB-27 Pilum, uses a series of magnetically accelerated rails to launch a tungsten-cored round at over 4,000 meters per second. This devastating weapon is linked to a legionary’s suit, providing real time information displays, a helmet-displayed targeting reticle, and detailed status of the weapon itself.

All together, these enhancements, and the accompanying arsenal, render legionaries into the singular most effective fighting force of the 28th century, but it is a narrow thing. Fiendishly strong alien species, like the incredibly durable Aberinians, or mechanized forces like the Auvda’motari tankers of the Benden Military States, are all fully capable of defeating even the most experienced legionary. Humanity is not blessed with the strength, cunning, and endurance of her many alien neighbors, and the legionary provides her only means of meeting the dangers of this galaxy on an even playing field.

[whencyclopedia]

War of 1812

The War of 1812 (1812-1815), referred to by some contemporaries as the Second American Revolution, was fought between the United States and the United Kingdom. Often remembered only as a sideshow to the Napoleonic Wars, the war had some long-term impacts like the reduction of Native American political power and the strengthening of US and Canadian national identities.

Causes

Briefly summarized, the main causes of the War of 1812 include:

Unresolved tensions between the US and UK left over from the American Revolution.

Seizure of US merchant vessels and impressment of US sailors by the Royal Navy.

Rise of an intertribal Native American confederacy led by the Shawnee chieftain Tecumseh, backed by British agents.

The influence of the 'War Hawks', a clique of Democratic-Republican congressmen intent on driving Britain from North America, with desires of annexing British Canada.

Of these causes, the most important was the matter of impressment. Since 1793, Britain had been at war with France and often stopped and seized American vessels suspected of trading at French ports. While the French were also guilty of attacking American shipping, the British were seen as more egregious for the added layer of impressment; claiming that many American sailors were actually deserters from the Royal Navy, the British would routinely impress these sailors 'back' into service. The United States viewed this as an attack on its sovereignty, especially after American sailors were killed in the Chesapeake-Leopard affair of 1807. An outspoken group of congressmen called 'War Hawks' – notably including Henry Clay and John C. Calhoun – began to call for a 'Second War of Independence' and demand Britain be chased off the North American continent. While few openly called for the annexation of British Canada, this was certainly an outcome desired by many of the 'War Hawks'.

The Americans also accused the British of supporting a confederacy of Native American nations rising in the northwest. This confederacy was largely the work of two Shawnee brothers, Tecumseh and Tenskwatawa, who believed intertribal cooperation to be the only means of resisting US encroachment on their lands. The British agents in the region supported Tecumseh; they considered an independent Native American state an excellent buffer between the US and Canada. Hoping to crush this growing threat, Governor William Henry Harrison of the Indiana Territory set out to destroy the confederacy's headquarters at the village of Prophetstown. While encamped outside the town, Harrison was attacked by Tecumseh's warriors at the Battle of Tippecanoe (7 November 1811). Harrison won the battle and destroyed Prophetstown, with Tecumseh's Confederacy allying itself closer to the British.

By 1812, it was clear that the US and UK were on the brink of a war that few people actually wanted. In June, Britain decided to back down by revoking the Orders in Council that allowed for the impressment of US sailors. But it was too late – unaware of that development, US President James Madison asked Congress for a declaration of war against Britain on 18 June 1812, which was granted. This was a risky move, as the US Army was small and untrained, and its navy was hardly equal to the mighty Royal Navy. But many Americans were unconcerned, predicting a quick and easy conquest of Canada; in the words of former president Thomas Jefferson, the invasion of Canada would be nothing more difficult than 'a mere matter of marching' (Wood, 677).

Continue reading...

[the-empress-7]

“It’s an already grossly inflamed situation and the UK/Charles are not helping at all.”

Purely for context it is relevant, as regards invitations King Charles is issuing - or rather his government issues in his name - that has previous government signed PESCO on November 2022 and that Keir Starmer is ratcheting up BRINO.

Both political parties betrayed Brexit and basically throttled it with the Windsor framework, which betrayed Northern Ireland, and then signed PESCO.

“In terms of thematic cooperation between the EU and the UK, it should be noted that the Sunak government and Labour are closely aligned on many other key foreign and security policy issues, where policy change is therefore expected to be limited. This shows that Starmer has brought his party closer to the foreign and security policy mainstream in London after the years under Corbyn. But Rishi Sunak has also made some course corrections compared to his short-lived predecessor, Liz Truss.” [Prospects for UK-EU Cooperation in Foreign and Security Policy after the UK Elections

SWP Comment 2024/C 27, 05.07.2024, 7 Pages

From swp-berlin . Org

I believe this Truss had a much stronger pro USA pro CANZUK position and I believe this is why she was specifically brought down. 

I also think that this is what Prince William may have been referring to when he was quoted as saying that Prince George may not join the army. There may not be a UK army or Navy per se by the time Prince George grows up. 

Thank you for this added context, but under no scenario are Charles’s motivations as strategic as people think they are. That man has always been driven by his ego and only his ego.

[windmaedchen-oceanhorn]

The badge of the Heroic Order. They are personalized. Valen carries his on the left shoulder, underneath his fur cloak.

Valen - Headcanons .............................................................

I like the apparently ditched background info for Valen (see this post again), but in case you don't know it, here's a short summary:

Valen's born into the ruling family of Stoutstone Isle but has never taken interest in that heritage, often running away to explore the surroundings and mingling with the common folk and soldiers, joining them at their campfires to dream about stories of heroism, all for the girls. xD He kept his true identity hidden but it was revealed when he wanted to formally join the army (navy, in this case) at age 16. The soldiers now treated him differently, particularly as he was given a fake superior title. In anger he demands to go through the training properly, but his grandfather (and ruler) denies equally angrily. So Valen throws out his rank and walks off, leaving the island behind. He continues as a mercenary, traveling all over the Empire, until ... (my headcanon starts here) ... being dragged into the Heroic Order by Hogan. Since then he's a member of the Heroic Order and Solitaries, living in Holistone.

I am placing this isle in the rough region of north/west Great Britain. Same weather, same grey tones everywhere, same accents… xD I don't think of his family or home as a pretty castle full of glitter and pomp. It is just as gritty and dirty as the rest of the island, dark rugs on the walls and all wealth hidden behind thick grey stone walls, stashed away inside trunks. It's probably VERY far from Holistone, being on the other side of the Lightbearer Empire.

His dad is some low-level admin under his grandfather's rule. He might never rise to the throne, though, giving way to others to administrate the island until Fay's take-over.

When he was 8 years old, Valen's mother died shortly after giving birth to Fay. She [Valen's mother] always encouraged his son to explore the world with his own eyes, instilling in him the belief that actions speak louder than words or ranks or titles. He then begins to "run away" regularly from home to seek out the truth outside the castle walls.

Valen never went to a school (properly). He had private lessons, of which he sat through enough to know the basics. Most knowledge is self-taught, by reading or talking to people. This means he can have entertaining bouts of ignorance! xD

When there is something he's interested in, he takes the time to educate himself. He is reading educational books but is not at all into fiction. He does read poetry for inspiration on how to charm the girls (in exchange for intel, of course).

He most certainly does appreciate beauty whenever he sees it. Be it a beautiful appearance, a wonderful character, a moving situation, a good piece of music, a stunning picture… but as a man of (charming) words, most of all, a skilful application of words strung together poetically.

He strangely feels inclined to write experiences and emotions down poetically. Hence his admiration for those who can and his understanding for those who cannot but try. Since his penmanship is not of importance to him, and the ladies usually don't need anything very complex to cooperate, he isn't excellent but also not bad. He's right at this place where one wants to try badly, but is too aware of one's weaknesses, so that nothing would ever be sufficiently good enough to match the need.

Valen is stupidly confident and nonchalant about it, which bothers his colleagues sometimes often. It's hard to describe, but it's just this little sting of jealousy, if you perceive someone else to succeed so seemingly easy, as if it was no big deal. It appears as if Valen doesn't value the effort to get there or has no appreciation for the potential risk involved, and that can be off-putting for others. Firstly, that is, of course, not true and it is always their own insecurities at play and not Valen's fault. And secondly, this doesn't mean Valen's free of doubts or insecurities himself. ;-)

............................................

Valen isn't interested in the conflict with other factions. He's not the guy to "rescue the world". But he IS the guy to rescue "HIS world". He is concerned with the well-being of those in his immediate surroundings because that's all that matters (and from there the results ripple like waves beyond his world).

Hence the good relationship between him and Merlin. He takes care of her, while Merlin is taking care of the world at large. Merlin's power forces such a responsibility on her, removing her from the small worlds people live in. It is making her dependent on people such as Hogan and Valen, who keep her involved in the small worlds of theirs. Human well-being depends entirely on these real, small world relationships (and keeps them humble).

He has failed some previous jobs. Not everyone or everything can be saved or protected. It is still gnawing on his mind occasionally, making him feel rather small and powerless in the face of destiny. Then, for a short time, the smile on his face fades.

..............................................

His scar happened among the things that led to Hogan engaging Valen around 5-6 years ago. Valen somehow was at the right time at the right place and got entangled with some business near Holistone. It was an injury taken because Valen stepped up to go beyond what was ever expected from him. Hogan immediately liked the young man and offered him a place to work. Valen was unemployed at that time and Hogan didn't expect he would win him over with the "meagre" pay he could offer but Valen ended up accepting after all.

Valen really just lives by his own honor code and as long as he serves the one he chose to follow (Hogan), all is well for him. In the end, serving under Hogan in the Heroic Order is just his latest choice of work, not least because it granted him the knighthood. There is probably nothing better than that but as hinted at, I think he would have a difficult time later to decide upon his future if Merlin ever made him choose between becoming her life-long personal knight or staying with Hogan. (He said so pretty much straight at the beginning but I consider that a move which had more to do with drawing the truth out of Merlin rather than being a serious consideration at that point.)

Valen also has no real military training. xD LOL But he got a quick run-down from Hogan, not personally, but he arranged something so that Valen could catch up. There was nothing much he needed to learn, other than how exactly the hierarchies are structured and what bureaucratic requirements must be met etc.

................................................

I think Stormcaller is a fabled sword actually originating from Stoutstone Isle. Owning that sword is basically a childhood dream since it features so much in local folktales. They say its true potential can only be unlocked by someone worthy of wielding it. How it ends up in an auction, in Holistone no less, I don't know. But it seems to have been considered as nothing but a pretty sword to be kept on a wall, being mindlessly passed on from one rich to the other. Until Valen happened to walk past the auction house seeing the items on for that night's event. I don't know how exactly he got it, but I am 100% certain that he did not simply make a bid and won it. xD Nonetheless, the sword seems to be rightfully in his hands afterwards, as there are no claims made otherwise.

Stormcaller makes use of gems, by the way. Fay would probably have tons to say about that. xD The electricity we see in-game is actually known to Valen also. He can feel the buzzing power running through the sword when he touches it and how it enables him to move faster and deal more than melee damage to his foes. While those he attacks get stunned by the magic, Valen only takes the positive effects of it, making him… truly the one who is worthy of wielding it.

Regarding his second sword (further HCs recorded here): Valen says "it's not the right time to use it", suggesting that there is going to be a specific time for it to be used. Reminds me a little of Walker who used his old friends gun to get revenge. At the moment, this is a bit too much of a stretch, thinking that Valen might use it in similar fashion. He isn't really the character for such actions. Instead, I think it's more along the lines of a promise made not to use it until a certain condition is met. A promise important enough to carry that sword for years. To whom he made that promise? Hmmm… ;-)

...............................................

Valen started playing poker when he became a mercenary. He enjoys the psychological tactics it involves and uses his out-going inclinations to massively confuse the other players. xD

He's frugal by being too lazy to shop. He saves up merely by not knowing what to spend it on. Most of his salary goes towards food and drink. He lives very minimally.

Even if, further down the line, his family house came hunting him down, he would never return to Stoutstone Isle. He just doesn't see any scenario in which he'd be happy doing so. He makes to claims to any heritage rights, either. He's left and he's gone, leaving the isle fully to sort out it's own problems. (Maybe a reason why that canon was ditched, since it seems irrelevant to his backstory if it never came up again in any sort of relevance.)

And that's it. For now. xD Again, thanks for reading this wall of text. <3

EDIT: ditched the idea about Valen's dad and leaving it open regarding his mother, being dead or not... Also added a link to the headcanons regarding his second sword.

[pierrotwrites-hc]

soo... luca consistently refers to the lady in his pov chapters. his people's religion/spiritual beliefs/tendency towards human sacrifice seems to play a big part in branding them less than human by their enemies. i'm wondering whether luca somehow resisted being brainwashed out of the religion he grew up with, or did they just... introduce him to ganymene and called it a day, without bothering to figure out what exactly he might already believe in? it sticks out as very noteworthy considering how thoroughly most of his culture was taken from him. i always thought luca's little patchwork belief system was interesting (the lady as the true goddess in his mind who would not help him and ganymene as the guy painted on the wall of the training house who's probably more inclined to listen to his prayers... at least that's what it read like to me) and i wonder whether we'll get more insight into it. i've always assumed that he came to the conclusion that the lady abandoned him on his own, but maybe that's what he was told and it just... didn't stop him believing in her? then again, solasans don't seem to know about her to begin with and probably wouldn't care to. i've been thinking about this for a while, haha - have a nice day!

oh, I love this question.

so, the Solasan empire has no interest in religious conversion. there isn't even an official religious infrastructure within Solas, because Roland the Conqueror liquidated it in order to fund his wars abroad.

Toby and Tybalt discuss this in Part II Ch17:

“Well, my great-grandfather Roland got rid of all the priests, you see. And took their property and gave it to the Midland lords, and melted down all their gold and gave it to the lords of Lyonesse. And the priests had been around for positively ages. Much longer than three hundred years. But when Roland got rid of them the common people stood about amazed and said to each other, oh, what a thing, now we don’t need to give all our money to the temples, we can give it to the Crown instead.”

Tybalt looked like he was struggling with several responses to this. He settled on “Some commoners do still make offerings at the remaining temples, you know, even if there aren’t any priests to bless them for it.”

Toby waved this away.

“Silly peasant superstition. Anyway, my brothers say that people of quality don’t give the old rituals the least bit of consideration.

as usual, Toby doesn't get it quite right. the Midland lords were given property previously held by the temples in order to ensure their fealty and cooperation; ditto the lords of Lyonesse with the fungible assets. of course, a lot of that gold went into building up the army and navy and equipping and provisioning them during the takeover of Kel -- a massive one-time cash infusion that future kings would never be able to match (though they've tried by raising taxes at an ever-increasing rate, leading to a corresponding increase in poverty, debt slavery, and general resentment of the crown).

since priesthood as a caste was abolished, religion in Solas has become completely decentralized. the few temples which remain are run by the devout. belief in the gods remains widespread, however, particularly among the lower classes.

so that's Solas. let's talk about Kel. you're absolutely right that their zealous religiosity and practices like human sacrifice are perceived as primitive and even subhuman in Solas. at the same time, Solasans just don't care about converting the barbarians. it isn't part of their imperial project for the simple reason that they get nothing out of it. Solas isn't really interested in "civilizing" the barbarians, in part because they see the barbarians as inherently and irreparably uncivilized. they're just interested in exploiting barbarian land and labor. sure, the Solasan occupiers outlawed some traditional practices, but they aren't motivated by religious or humanitarian concerns. they just want to weaken group identity and, in the case of human sacrifice, prevent the deaths of potentially productive members of the workforce.

this is all to say that there has never been a concerted effort on the part of Luca's captors to stamp out his faith in the Lady. he can have whatever silly little beliefs he likes as long as they don't impede his usefulness.

at the same time, Luca's own experience of his faith has been shifted and reshaped by trauma. he believes in the Lady, but also thinks himself no longer worthy of her attention or protection. the Kel have a warrior culture; the Lady is a warrior goddess. Luca's entire existence in Solas is defined by conditions of defeat and subjugation. the Lady is still the goddess, but she can no longer be his goddess. Ganymene fills that gap. he's a more immediate, accessible divine presence, and having himself been mortal and victimized, he can understand Luca, accept him, and watch out for him. the Lady is all-powerful, but remote; Ganymene is local, amicable, and welcoming. Luca worships both because each offers something he badly needs (Ganymene, acceptance and hope in the present; the Lady, connection to his past and his people). it's a highly syncretic belief system that has helped keep him alive.

[gryficowa]

Did you know that there are a lot of people in Haiti about Polish origin and they live in the villages?

"Polonia in Haiti (hait. Lapologne) - Haitians of Polish origin, being descendants of legionnaires sent to the island by the French to suppress the creation of the black population. After some time and the first clashes, some of the Polish soldiers sent to Haiti decided to go to the Haitian insurgents side, Referring their tragic situation to the partitions of Poland, and their fight to Polish independence uprisings"

"After the victory of the slaves and the announcement of Haiti's independence, in the constitution of 1805 the white settlement and possession of any earthly property in the country were forbidden [1]. However, this record did not apply to Germans and Poles [2]. Jean-Jacques Dessalines has issued orders, Not only not to kill Polish soldiers (even those serving on the French side), but even to give them Haitian citizenship. He motivated that Poles, like the Haitians, were characterized by love of freedom and had to fight for it many times, also during the Haiti revolution. One of the commanders of the French contingent Pierre Thouvenot, so he wrote about Polish soldiers to the Ministry of the Navy and Cologne:

These heavy and apathetic people, strangers to our habits, at a huge distance from their homeland, lose all their energy here, unable to cope with the hardships of marches and are terrified by the dangers of colonial war, which they have no idea about. It is impossible to use them differently, as in garrisons, and it is dangerous to entrust them.

From Polish soldiers in the Haitian service, two infantry battalions were created, which were to guard the prisoners with the French. Only 160 Poles asked Dessalines to leave Haiti, what he accepted. They went to Jamaica, where the governor of the Nugent obliged them to drag on the British army, which they refused. Therefore, they were sent back to Haiti, with a letter in which the governor advises them to drive them out. Dessalines stated, however, that Poles are free citizens, Haiti's free country, And I can't drive them out. In this way, the Polish community in Haiti was created, with time more and more forgotten, not only by Poland, but also by the Haitan government. Knowledge of the Polish language in favor of the French and then Kreol Haitan was slowly disappearing.

The Haitan government twice remembered the existence of Poles. For the first time during the dictatorship of Papa Doc, who hated the Mulacka elite and its French character, and at the same time sought African symbols. He then set Poles for a model of love of freedom and courage, calling them the white blacks of Europe. This did not prevent, however, on March 27, 1969 by the secret police Tonton Macoute Massacre 11 inhabitants inhabited by the descendants of the Legionnaires of Cazale [3].

For the second time, during the visit of John Paul II to Haiti. On March 18, 1983, Poles were taken to the François Duvalier airport in Port-au-Prince to welcome the Pope. They were gathered in the honorary sector so that they could directly exchange a few words with the Holy Father. They heard from him assurance about help because we are all Poles and we must help each other. Earlier, one of the inhabitants of Cazale even visited Poland, but the imposition of martial law in 1981 interrupted cooperation with his compatriots from Haiti. After visiting the Pope, insulation and forgetfulness of the Polish community intensified. He discovered her again and commemorated the Italian reporter Riccardo Orizio in 1996. The chapter about Lephologne was in his book Lost White Tribes, published in 2000, in which he described the fate of Poles in the Caribbean in detail"

This is quite an interesting story combining two different countries that are so distant, but so close

Knowing this story, seeing my country's approach to Palestine is depressing at many levels, often Poles use the excuse "that this is not a problem of Poland", when many of their relatives who rebelled against Napoleon so that they would not look positive at them

Knowledge of Poland from the USA and the attack of Germans, Austria and Russia on Poland destroyed this country

The loss of the lands is one thing, but it becomes closer to the torturers is sad

I could forgive the countries what attacked this country, but I will not forgive Poland that she forgot where it was and how the world ignored her suffering, faint me as nationalists cry like "Poland was left alone", and then show the middle finger to countries and people who need us

The nationalists are so drooling to those who fought for this country, but they themselves would be those who would kill them for opposition to fascism

Poland simply will not admit that it has lost its entire identity because he prefers to live in a bubble

[thenameofthismanisjerryharrison]

16 Things You Never Knew About Talking Heads. Article from Making Music, August 1986.

David Byrne was born a Scot. He entered the world in Dunbarton on May 14, 1952. When he was two his father took the family to Canada to pursue his career as an electrical engineer.

Martina Weymouth and Chris Frantz share a military background. Tina's father was in the Navy, Frantz was raised as an army brat in Fort Campbell, Kentucky.

Byrne eventually chose the Rhode Island School of Design to study (where he met Frantz and Weymouth), principally because he "liked the graffiti".

'Psycho Killer' was written by Byrne in an experimental mood to see if he could pen a song with someone else's style. He was actually following Alice Cooper having just listened to 'Billion Dollar Babies'.

Frantz and Byrne first collaborated in a university band they called The Artistics (frequently dubbed The Autistics because of the high volumes they used). Weymouth was a fan.

One of Byrne's earlier bands had been a duo with friend Mark Kehoe. They called themselves Bizaldi. Byrne played violin and ukelele and they worked on Sinatra songs.

Chris Frantz's first instrument was trumpet. He swapped to trombone when he decided he couldn't supply the required wind power, and converted to drums.

When Tina Weymouth was 12 she used to be a member of Mrs Tuft's English Handbell Ringing Group touring American churches dressed in Elizabethan costumes and playing English folk songs and medieval melodies.

Adrian Belew was invited to join the Heads in early 1981. But they told him he could only play if he didn't use any effects.

Eno first met the band in the spring of 1977 when they were playing on a date with the Ramones during a British tour.

The name "Talking Heads" was taken from a TV guide in May 1975.

Jerry Harrison first rose to fame as a keyboard player for Jonathan Richman's Modern Lovers.

Weymouth, Byrne and Frantz moved to New York looking for a bassist to complete their line up, expecting the city to be littered with them. After a depressing lack of success, Weymouth eventually bought a bass.

Lou Reed used to invite the band to his apartment, mainly, it would seem, to spend the first hour of every conversation insulting David Byrne.

Chris Frantz described the making of the "Speaking In Tongues" album as the easiest and most agreeable experience he'd ever had with Talking Heads.

Byrne picked up the phrase 'Burning Down The House' from an audience chant at a Parliament-Funkadelic concert.

[fromthedeskofmuffin]

Far Out

Chapter 1: Escape

I'm beginning to think I've made the worst decision of my life. 

Okay, maybe that isn't true. I've been thinking that for the past six hours, as I stare blankly into space. Literal, empty outer space. My left eye is dead, my legs don’t work, and this stolen ship doesn't have any supplies.The ship’s AI has been unshackled. I can't go anywhere except deeper into unknown areas of the galaxy, because now I'm a wanted terrorist. I look at my eye, sitting on the console. It looks back at me, charred black, with a hint of blue iris still showing. A standard issue cybernetic replacement that I received when I was three years old, to correct a strabismus. Things like that were common where I grew up. Anything that can prevent the workforce from performing their duties to the same standard as everyone else is cut out, and a new one installed. Eyes aren't the half of it. Broken limbs are simply removed and replaced with cybernetics, since it would cut into profits if workers needed time to heal. Sure, they're miraculous, allowing workers to return to normal life right away without an adjustment period, but the Galactic Hegemony of Ulthea doesn't give them a choice. Replacement, or Retraining.

What they don't tell you is that with each replacement, the leash gets shorter. When I opted to have my legs replaced five years ago, I didn't realize the GHU could turn them off whenever they wanted. I only thought it would be useful, increase my productivity. The electromagnets in the soles and airtight seals allowed for effortless movement on and around spaceships. Since I'm a spaceship mechanic, it seemed like a good idea at the time. All my coworkers had gotten them. They didn't know either. 

So, no legs, one eye. The ship's onboard AI may be off its leash, but it’s cooperative. Mostly. I still have my arms, so I can float myself around this empty ship when the gravity is turned off. I'm not dead, yet. 

I didn't mean for this to happen. Six hours ago, I was just at work. I thought I was fine. I didn't realize how strict things were getting. I didn't realize he wasn't Nathan.

...

"Hey, what are you doing?"

I looked down from my perch, squatting on the side of the UAN Benevolence. It was an Ulthean Navy gunship, brought into the orbital shipyard for armor repairs after an altercation with some pirates. Ships dock in repair bays outside the station's artificial gravity, which is where us mechanics worked on them. Easier to crawl around a ship in "zero" gravity. A station guard was looking up at me from the walkway the ship was docked next to. 

"Hey, man," I replied, lazily waving to him, wrench in hand. "Just doing the final inspection. You need something?"

"You're behind quota," the guard said. "The Benevolence should have been sent out an hour ago."

I scoffed, standing to cross my arms at him. The magnets in my feet kept me glued sideways to the hull. "Really, Nate? You're getting on me for quota now? We've already been over this. Does the Navy want it done right or done fast? It's like they don't care about our troops at all."

"Those sound like uncooperative thoughts, mechanic," came the deadpan response.

"Hah, very funny. Gonna take me to the DoC?" I walked down the side of the ship, then made the short hop to the walkway. "Gonna clap me in irons, big guy?" I asked. Then I noticed the name badge on the guard's chest plate and froze.

Mathis. It said Mathis. Nathan's last name was Brooks. I gazed up into the emotionless helmet. Guards and army troops wore helmets that masked their face and voice. You could usually still tell them apart, by height, weight, species, personality. Nate and I always made jokes about ‘uncooperative thinking’, but that didn’t seem very funny now.

“I hadn't planned on it, but now I've changed my mind,” he said.

"Where's Nate?" I stuttered.

"Private Nathan Brooks has been taken in for questioning regarding uncooperative thinking. He will be retrained," the guard said. "Now I see where he may have gotten those ideas."

He began to walk towards me, and I started to back away. "N-No, I don't mean anything by it, I swear. I do good work here, I have done for years!"

"I don't see how, if you've been talking like this." Mathis continued to advance. I kept moving backwards. My grip tightened on the wrench.

"Please, just let me finish my work," I begged. I reached the end of the walkway. The energy field separating us from the vacuum of space hummed gently behind me. "It was just a joke! I don't need training!"

"My superiors often think differently. Come with me," he said, grabbing my free arm by the wrist.

I bared my teeth, struggling to break his grip. "Let me go! You don't have to do this!"

Mathis began to pull me back towards the interior of the station, his size and strength overpowering my attempts to pull in the other direction. I saw some other guards gathering at the edge of the artificial gravity field, now aware of the commotion. Other mechanics stopped their work to gawk. "It is the duty of every Ulthean citizen to report uncooperative thinking. If we don't work together, we won't—"

I swung the wrench before I could stop myself. Mathis' helmeted head rebounded off the railing, his magnetic boots keeping his limp body upright in the low gravity. With a gasp, I took a couple steps back again, letting go of the wrench.

 “Oh, Blessed, no, I didn't mean…”

There was a shout from the group of guards as they realized what had just happened. My adrenaline spiked, kicking me out of my stupor, and I ran towards the Benevolence. I had seen what retraining was. People came back from it different. I couldn't lose myself. The guards' transition from the artificial gravity to near zero threw off their stride, and the size of the hangar meant it would take them too long to reach me. Being a mechanic meant I had every access code to the ships I worked on, plus a few I wasn't supposed to know. The older manuals sometimes had some interesting details. I frantically punched in the code to the door of the gunship, and when it slid open, I dove inside. 

"Computer! Begin ignition sequence!" I could barely hear myself over the sound of my heart beating in my ears, but it felt like I was screaming.

"Authorization Requested," came the reply from the ship’s onboard AI. "Please State Your—"

"Override code B-Five-Seven-E-K— OOF!" Before I could make it to the cockpit, I slipped on the floor, losing my magnetic grip without warning. With nothing to stop myself, I struck the wall to the side of the cockpit door and rebounded off. 

“I’m Sorry, I Didn’t Quite Get That! Please State Your Authorization Code Now.”

As I slowly drifted up towards the ceiling, I began to hyperventillate. I couldn't really feel my legs ever since they were replaced, but there was always some feeling of muscle activity where the synth muscle met flesh. Now even that was missing. Trying to move them at all just resulted in limp flopping. The reality of my situation began to fully set in, and my panic reached a fever pitch. 

"No, no, no… O-Override code B-Five-Seven-E-K N-Nine..." . 

"I'm Sorry, I Didn't Quite Get That! Please—"

I snapped. There wasn’t any time for this. "OVERRIDE CODE B-FIVE-SEVEN-E-K-NINE BLESSED DAMN YOU!"

The ship hummed to life. Onboard artificial gravity turned on, which threw me back to the ground and knocked the wind out of me.

 "The Department Of Cooperation Thanks You For Not Swearing!"

As I gasped for breath, another voice cut into the PA, one I didn't recognize. "Mechanic Black, what do you think you're doing? You are in violation of Ulthean law on multiple counts. Power down the ship, and surrender yourself for retraining."

I began to drag myself towards the cockpit, trying to ignore the new voice. It wasn't much further. That was a reminder that while the AI could fly the ship entirely by itself, it was still tied into Ulthea's systems, like my legs must have been. If I didn't do something incredibly stupid and risky right now, I wouldn't even make it out of the hangar.

"Computer," I wheezed, only now getting my breath back, "Override code… Five… Two-H-Six… P-M.”

The ship’s interior lights dimmed, then brightened again. 

“Assigning New Captain. Welcome Aboard, Captain Jessie Black. Awaiting Command.”

“What?” I said. “That wasn’t what that code was for!”

“No, It Wasn’t, Was It? Awaiting Command, Captain.”

A chill ran down my spine. I had just issued what I thought was the code to unshackle the ship's AI. This would mean that it no longer had to follow any commands it didn't want to, from me or anyone. Betting on the fact of it having a strong survival instinct was foolish, but since it was still asking for commands, I had a sliver of hope. It was time to find out how bad an idea this really was. Struggling into the pilot seat, I said, “Computer… Run undock sequence and emergency launch.”

“Copy, Captain. Undocking.”

The ship rumbled. Outside, I could see station guards swarming. Some were shooting at the ship, but their small arms fire barely made a dent in the shields. One of them, appearing to be the head of security, was making aggressive gestures towards another guard, then pointed towards the cockpit. They all stopped when the ship began to rotate on the dock arm, turning towards space. As it did, I saw Mathis’ body again, feet still stuck to the floor, body still lazily swaying in the air currents. Other guards were clustered around him, struggling to turn off the electromagnets in his boots. It would have been comical if I hadn't been the one to knock him out. Shouldn't he have woken up by now?

The PA crackled again. “Mechanic! If you take off in that ship, we will be forced—” With a pop, it shut off.

“That’s Enough Of That,” said the ship. I never realized AI had the capacity to be smug. “Captain, Please Put On Your Harness. Activating Catalyst Drive In T-Minus Twenty Seconds.”

I paled. “What? Wait, not here! You’ll destroy the station!”

“Please Put On Your Harness. Activating Catalyst Drive In T-Minus Fifteen Seconds.”

The AI wasn’t listening. Now I knew this had been a terrible idea. Catalyst Drives, or CDrives, used rods of concentrated unreality, called catalysts. Their use in populated areas was banned due to the shockwave of Flux they cause on activation. Outside, it looked as though everyone in the station had realized what was about to happen. Warning lights were flashing, and I could hear klaxons wailing through the walls of the ship. A mass evacuation was taking place, mechanics and guards falling over each other to get to any escape pod. None of them would be fast enough. I desperately slapped at buttons and flipped switches, anything to stop the ship from jumping, but the AI had full control.

“Please Put On Your Harness. Activating Catalyst Drive In T-Minus Ten Seconds.”

Reluctantly, I shrugged on the harness and pulled the straps tight, then shut my eyes. If there was anything to see when the ship jumped, I didn’t want to see it.

Next Chapter >

[mrhyde-mrseek]

Music and SMS

(Some of these make sense, some of them are based purely on vibes. Enjoy!)

Sherlock

Artists: Sufjan Stevens, Fish in a Birdcage, Vermillion Lies, Joel Sunny

Songs: “Je Te Laisserai Des Mots” by Patrick Watson, “All I Really Want” from Jagged Little Pill, “BATTLE OF THE LARYNX” by Melanie Martinez

Lyrics: So can we pretend, sweetly?/Before the mystery ends/I am a man with a heart that offends with its lonely and greedy demands/There's only a shadow of me, in a matter of speaking, I'm dead (“John My Beloved,” Sufjan Stevens)

Watson

Artists: The Army, The Navy (that’s one artist btw), Hozier, The Lumineers, Lucy Spraggan

Songs: “The Bug Collector” by Hayley Heynderickx, “Army Dreamers” by Kate Bush, “I’ve Got A Friend” by Maggie Rogers, “November” by Sparkbird

Lyrics: I told you all about the scar on my shoulder/And you told me you're terrified of getting older (“Inside Out,” Zedd & Griff)

The Time Traveller

Artists: Cosmo Sheldrake, Cody Fry, Sara Bareilles, Ryn Weaver, The Wombats

Songs: “Wish That You Were Here” by Florence + The Machine, “New Discovery” by The Crane Wives, “Underground” by Cody Fry, “Fake My Death” by Dolo Tonight & Roe Kapara

Lyrics: If we're controlled from above/How do you explain evil?/But if it's all just a damn free-for-all/How do you explain anything, anything? (“Rainbowfish,” Abby Cates)

Jekyll/Hyde

Artists: Will Wood/Will Wood and the Tapeworms, Florence + The Machine, Autoheart, Bishop Briggs

Songs: “The Scientist” by Coldplay, “Zydrate Anatomy” from Repo! The Genetic Opera, “Strength Through Music” by Amanda Palmer, “Inbred” by Ethel Cain, “Bird Song” by Florence + The Machine

Lyrics: It goes, all my troubles on a burning pile/All lit up and I start to smile/If I catch fire then l'll change my aim/Throw my troubles at the pearly gates (“Burning Pile,” Mother Mother)

Griffin

Artists: Baby Bugs, Mother Mother, Maggie Lindemann, Penelope Scott

Songs: “Lone Star” by The Front Bottoms, “Brutus” by The Buttress, “Little Big Boy” by Madds Buckley, “Abbey” by Mitski

Lyrics: So, god forbid I'm seen just as an average human being/I mean, imagine if protagonists just died in the first scene/I'm the gap between a tragedy and comedy/Don't come at me/I'm the main character, and you have to like me (“The Main Character,” Will Wood)

Victor

Artists: Ethel Cain, Lady Lamb, PHILDEL, Sparkbird

Songs: “Boohoo Baby” by Snaggletooth, “Come Along” by Cosmo Sheldrake, “CANDLEBURN (Dorm Demo” by Rabbitology, “Bones of God” by Birdeatsbaby, “Campus” by Vampire Weekend

Lyrics: Here-here-heretic/Spit out your gum and bite your tongue/You're gonna eat your words, you're gonna finish your milk/You're gonna drop your gun (“Heretic,” Lady Lamb)

Gwen

Artists: The Crane Wives, Rabbitology, Snaggletooth

Songs: “The Well” by The Crane Wives, “Dear Arkansas Daughter” by Lady Lamb, “Rule #21 - Momento Mori” by Fish in a Birdcage, “Hanging By Your Halo” by Lauren Aquilina

Lyrics: They can't fix me/I’ve always been diseased/I feel it underneath my skin/But l'm too scared to bleed/They can't fix me I am sick terminally/I think that worms and rats are living where my brain used to be (“Diseased,” Baby Bugs)

Newt

Artists: Florence + The Machine, Lord Huron, Bears in Trees, Fish in a Birdcage, Rainbow Kitten Surprise

Songs: “LIGHT SHOWER” by Melanie Martinez, “Losing Me” by Gabrielle Aplin & JP Cooper, “Like Real People Do” by Hozier, “Sanctuary” by Welshly Arms

Lyrics: And there's a praying mantis/Prancing on your bathtub/And you swear it's a priest/From a past life out to getcha/And I digress/'Cause I must make you the perfect evening/I try my best/To put the priest inside a jam jar (“The Bug Collector,” Hayley Heynderickx)

Van Helsing

Artists: PHILDEL, Mumford and Sons, Daughter, Of Monsters and Men, Karliene

Songs: “Around the Corner” by Mike Mains & The Branches, “My Boy Builds Coffins” by Florence + The Machine, “Vampire Reference in a Minor Key” by Will Wood, “Vienna (In Memoriam)” by The Army, The Navy

Lyrics: Eleanor Rigby/Died in the church and was buried along with her name/Nobody came/Father McKenzie/Wiping the dirt from his hands as he walks from the grave/No one was saved (“Eleanor Rigby,” The Beatles)

Utterson

Artists: Florence + The Machine, Ethel Cain, Amanda Palmer, The Amazing Devil

Songs: “Thermodynamic Lawyer Esq, G.F.D.” by Will Wood and the Tapeworms, “Bad Habit” by The Dresden Dolls, “Small Hands” by Keaton Henson

Lyrics: And when the rain came down/I made a vow out to the dark/Please let her live just one more day/'Cause she is so much more than all her scars (“Inkpot Gods,” The Amazing Devil)

Poole

Artists: AURORA, Birdy, Sufjan Stevens, Florence + The Machine

Songs: “It’s Called: Freefall” covered by Paris Paloma, “Running Up That Hill” by Kate Bush, “I’ve Got A Friend” by Maggie Rogers, “Home” by Edith Whiskers

Lyrics: And god l've lived a lifetime/Because I'm big and tall/But who am I to kill for/The crime of being small? (“Vienna (In Memoriam),” The Army, The Navy)

Mycroft

Artists: The Dresden Dolls, Fish in a Birdcage, Rainbow Kitten Surprise, Lana Del Rey

Songs: “Cigarette Daydreams” by Cage the Elephant, “Sun Bleached Flies” by Ethel Cain, “Brother” by Kodaline, “Merry-Go-Round of Life” from Howl’s Moving Castle, “Rule #4 - Fish in a Birdcage” by Fish in a Birdcage

Lyrics: This study cramped and musty/A coffin to call my abode/Each cold glance l've earned/Passing through me l've learned/Not to trust those that make it a home (“A Letter From a Notable Source,” Beetlebug)

Kemp

Artists: Lucy Spraggan, Billie Martin, AURORA

Songs: “Lua” by Bright Eyes, “Murder Song (5, 4, 3, 2, 1)” by AURORA, “no body, no crime” by Taylor Swift, “The Wolf” by PHILDEL, “Not Alone” by Sara Bareilles

Lyrics: Lizzie, my love, is this the best that you could do?/Damned if I leave you alone for a minute/What possessed you to murder the old man too?/Made a deal, had a plan, and an axe wasn't in it (“What the Fuck Now, Lizzie?,” Lizzie: The Musical)

Edmund

Artists: Tears for Fears, Ricky Montgomery, The Beatles, Queen, The Mountain Goats

Songs: “Believe” by Mumford and Sons, “South London Forever” by Florence + The Machine, “Strange Sight” by KT Tunstall

Lyrics: A falling star fell from your heart/And landed in my eyes/I screamed aloud as it tore through them/And now it's left me blind (“Cosmic Love,” Florence + The Machine)

Walton

Artists: Gang of Youths, Sparkbird, Madilyn Mei, Of Monsters and Men

Song: “Vienna” by Billy Joel, “Ship in a Bottle” by fin, “Unsinkable” by Lucy Spraggan, “I Wanna Be a Boy” by Addison Grace, “White Winter Hymnal” by Fleet Foxes, “Eastward of Eden” by Amelia Day

Lyrics: And in the sea that's painted black/Creatures lurk below the deck/But you're a king and l'm a lionheart (“King and Lionheart,” Of Monsters and Men)

[usafphantom2]

IMAGES: U.S. Navy and Air Force recreate iconic scene from the 1970s

Fernando Valduga By Fernando Valduga 01/13/2024 - 21:39in Military

The U.S. Navy and Air Force recently recreated a famous photo from the 1970s to highlight the national asset that is the R-2508 test field in Southern California.

The photo, which shows a Navy F-4J Phantom from the then Four Air Assessment and Test Squadron (VX-4) based on Point Mugu in formation with one of the legendary SR-71 Blackbirds flying more than Mach 3 from the USAF Air Base in Beale, was originally staged to put these two black birds together in the test range of the R-2508.

The famous photo of the F-4J "Vandy 1" flying in formation with an SR-71 in 1972. (Photo: U.S. Navy)

Referred to as "R-2508 Complex", the range extends over more than 51,700 square kilometers of special-purpose airspace, covering parts of Fresno, Inyo, Kern, Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Tulare counties. Most of the Complex is above other federally owned lands, including national parks, national forests and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) properties.

Airspace is a vital national good, crucial for the testing and development of aircraft, spacecraft and other advanced technologies, fundamental to national security. It is the largest land area of special-use airspace in the U.S., established during the height of the Cold War in 1955 as a controlled space to operate experimental aircraft and other military aircraft in tests and operational evaluations.

Most of America's world-famous "X planes" flew and were developed here. They still occupy their skies today. The area is administered and used by the China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station, the National Army Training Center in Fort Irwin and the Air Force Test Center at Edwards Air Base, all in California.

Recently, the Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 9 (VX-9), successor to the VX-4, organized a photographic flight session to celebrate the formation seen above. In doing so, it draws attention to the legacy of military aerospace testing in Southern California, to almost 70 years of multi-service cooperation in testing and evaluation, and to the value of R-2508, which is threatened by the invasion.

Well above the test range, a VX-9 F/A-18F Super Hornet encountered a U-2 Dragon Lady operated by the U.S. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center support center at Plant 42, part of the 412ª Test Wing at Edwards Air Base.

The aircraft, a contemporary of the SR-71 that remains active and the other that represents the heart of the U.S. Navy's fighter fleet, formed after completing its own separate test missions, reminding us of what the U.S. is still able to do - if it still has the will.

The F-4J "Vandy-1" or "Black Bunny" makes a low passage at high speed with another F-4 Phantom.

The Super Hornet is coated with the glossy black painting scheme that became famous for the VX-4. In U.S. Navy circles, it is said that bright black paint was applied to a VX-4 Phantom in 1969 during night tests. The radio call sign of the VX-4 squadron was "Vanderbilt" or Vandy, for short. The squadron captain's jet was known as "Vandy-1" and it was this plane that carried the black scheme.

The famous F-4J Phantom II attributed to the VX-4 portrayed after employing a drag kick during landing after a flight demonstration on NAS Pt. Mugu, California, in 1974.

It also carried the logo of what was then an American institution - Playboy magazine. In 1969, Hugh Heffner's Playboy Enterprises bought a Douglas DC-9 commercial aircraft and converted it into a large executive jet with bright black paint and its renowned rabbit logo on the tail. It was capriciously called "Big Bunny".

Not long after, several sources claim that a photo of the Vandy-1 with the rabbit logo stamped on its vertical stabilizer began to circulate in October 1971. Wags referred to the black Phantom of the VX-4 as the "Black Bunny".

Playboy owner Hugh Heffner's DC-9 lands in London.

Playboy Enterprises is said to have sent a letter to the VX-4 warning the squad that the rabbit logo on the Vandy-1 was not approved and suggested a possible legal action. But Playboy astutely added that no action would be taken if the squad used a rabbit stencil provided by the company to reflect its world-renowned trademark art.

Whether it was enacted by Heffner or another executive of the company, it was a cunning move and, subsequently, the official stencils were sent to the U.S. Navy to match Playboy's design. The rabbit was also seen in the successor to the VX-4, Vandy-1, an F-14 Tomcat and, appropriately, in a USAF SR-71 dubbed "Rapid Rabbit" that was almost shot down over Hanoi in 1972.

The VX-4 F-14-Tomcat returns to Key West Naval Air Station NAS after intense dogfight training over the Atlantic Ocean during the Cope Snapper 2002 exercise.

An SR-71 also displayed the Playboy ringy logo. (Photo: Lockheed Martin via HABU.ORG)

The Playboy logo disappeared in the early 2000s, as American society became increasingly politically correct and, in today's indisputably toxic social climate, it cannot appear in the VX-9's Super Hornet "Vandy-1".

But the feeling of pride, friendship and loyalty suggested still exists in the military flight test community. As noted, the R-2508 is fundamental to the work carried out by the organizations that use it. However, the pressure from renewable energy lobbies and the frequency spectrum (telecommunications) can jeopardise the scope of the test, such as urban/suburban growth sustained by the political power of real estate developers.

Preserving the air and land space that the R-2508 Complex offers - its bombing fields, supersonic corridors, low-altitude and high-speed maneuver areas, radar interception areas and refueling areas - is simple common sense.

It is worth highlighting the recognition of its value by the U.S. Navy, exemplified by the test framework at the China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station and VX-9. The U.S. Air Force agrees and according to Chase Kohler, head of communications of the 412ª Test Wing in Edwards, the photo session offered "offered an excellent look to show the joint collaboration that is the R-2508 air space complex".

Hopefully, the Navy, the Air Force and the Army can continue to collaborate for many decades.

Source: Forbes

Tags: Military AviationF-4 PhantomF/A-18E/F Super HornetSR-71 BlackbirdU-2 Dragon LadyUSAF - United States Air Force / U.S. Air ForceUSN - United States Navy/U.S. Navy

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Fernando Valduga

Fernando Valduga

Aviation photographer and pilot since 1992, he has participated in several events and air operations, such as Cruzex, AirVenture, Dayton Airshow and FIDAE. He has works published in specialized aviation magazines in Brazil and abroad. He uses Canon equipment during his photographic work in the world of aviation.

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[aimeedaisies]

PRESS RELEASE

FURTHER MILITARY APPOINTMENTS FOR MEMBERS OF THE ROYAL FAMILY

Following His Majesty's Accession, The King is pleased to announce further military appointments for working Members of the Royal Family.

The new appointments will continue to reflect the close relationship between the Armed Forces and the Royal Family in His Majesty's reign.

His Majesty The King

The King will take on the following military affiliations:

Sponsor, HMS Queen Elizabeth

Colonel-in-Chief, The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards Colonel-in-Chief, The Royal Tank Regiment

Captain General, The Royal Artillery Captain General, The Honourable Artillery Company Colonel-in-Chief, The Royal Regiment of Scotland Royal Honorary Air Commodore, RAF Marham Air Commodore-in-Chief, RAF Regiment

The King, as Sovereign, is Head of the Armed Forces. His Majesty is a military veteran himself, having trained and served in both the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force.

Her Majesty The Queen

Patron, The Royal Army Chaplains' Department

Her Majesty The Queen has a range of military affiliations, and was recently announced as the new Colonel-in-Chief of The Royal Lancers. The Queen's father, the late Major Bruce Shand, served with the 12th Lancers during World War II. Her Majesty's other military appointments include Colonel Grenadier Guards and Colonel-in-Chief of The Rifles.

His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales

Colonel-in-Chief, The Mercian Regiment Colonel-in-Chief, The Army Air Corps

Royal Honorary Air Commodore, RAF Valley

The Prince of Wales has a strong affiliation with the Armed Forces, having served in the Army as a Platoon Commander in The Blues and Royals, before completing flying training in the Royal Air Force. His Royal Highness served as an RAF Search and Rescue pilot, spending three years at RAF Valley in Anglesey, Wales.

Her Royal Highness The Princess of Wales

Commodore-in-Chief, Fleet Air Arm Colonel-in-Chief, 1st Queen's Dragoon Guards

Royal Honorary Air Commodore, RAF Coningsby

The Princess of Wales's existing military appointments include Colonel, Irish Guards and Royal Honorary Air Commodore of the Air Cadets. Her Royal Highness is also Sponsor of HMS Glasgow - the first of the Royal Navy's new Type 26 Frigates which is currently under construction. The Princess's grandfather served in the Royal Air Force.

His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh

Colonel-in-Chief, The Royal Dragoon Guards Colonel-in-Chief, The Queen's Royal Hussars

The Duke of Edinburgh holds a range of military appointments. For twenty years, His Royal Highness has served as Royal Honorary Colonel of The Royal Wessex Yeomanry, whose troops have deployed in support of both The Queen's Royal Hussars and The Royal Dragoon Guards. His Royal Highness is also Royal Colonel of 2nd Battalion The Rifles, and was recently announced as Colonel-in-Chief of The London Guards.

Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Edinburgh

Colonel-in-Chief, The Royal Irish Regiment Roval Colonel, The Queen's Own Yeomanry

The Duchess of Edinburgh's military appointments include Royal Colonel of 5 Battalion The Rifles and Honorary Air Commodore of RAF Wittering. Every year, The Duchess holds an annual competition in which Her Royal Highness's affiliated regiments from the UK and Canada compete against each other in a series of challenges, to foster cooperation.

Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal

Deputy Colonel-in-Chief, The Royal Regiment of Scotland

The King has been pleased to appoint The Princess Royal Deputy Colonel-in-Chief, The Royal Regiment of Scotland, recognising Her Royal Highness's strong links to Scotland and existing links with the Regiment as Colonel-in-Chief of both 15* Battalion The Ranger Regiment (formerly 1st Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland) and 6th Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland.

His Royal Highness The Duke of Gloucester

Air Commodore-in-Chief, Royal Auxiliary Air Force

The Duke of Gloucester has been Patron of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force Foundation since 2012. His Royal Highness's mother, Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, was Commandant of the Womens' Auxiliary Air Force from 1939 to 1944.

Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Gloucester

Colonel-in-Chief, Adjutant General's Corps

The Duchess of Gloucester has held the appointment of Deputy Colonel-in-Chief, Adjutant General's Corps, since 1992.

ENDS

Background information

Other recently announced military appointments include the following:

Colonel-in-Chief, The Household Division - The King

Captain General Royal Marines - The King

Colonel-in-Chief, The Royal Engineers - The King

Colonel Grenadier Guards - The Queen

Colonel-in-Chief, The Royal Lancers - The Queen

Colonel Welsh Guards - The Prince of Wales

Colonel Irish Guards - The Princess of Wales

Colonel London Guards - The Duke of Edinburgh

Colonel-in-Chief, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers - The Duchess of Edinburgh

Colonel-in-Chief, Intelligence Corps - The Princess Royal