#he's a big flaming warship of disaster

[bird-inacage]

Only Friends | Boston's Scheming Murder/Stank Face

This boy is a complete chaos demon. He has absolutely no respect for anyone. Just look at the sheer levels of seething vitriol, the juvenile brand of sneering contempt and disdain. If I didn't know any better, he may as well have been raised by a pack of rabid dogs.

As much as I despise everything he's doing, I can't help but be thoroughly entertained. (Somehow I find Top far more insidious and annoying). So kudos to Neo, whose eating this role up. You can tell he's having a lot of fun playing Boston.

[always-on-tatooine]

A MaulxReader part 1: Shooting Stars

Woo-wee! First time posting something like this. I’m still a little new to Tumblr, so if I need to fix something please let me know.

Also, big shout out to @justalittlecloud and @a-dorin for being so kind and giving me courage to post this :)

Masterlist link: https://always-on-tatooine.tumblr.com/post/640968824459526144/shooting-stars-maulxreader-masterlist

1454 word count.

Takes place RIGHT at the end of Clone Wars, so spoilers may be present. Enjoy!

Released from the Jedi's grasp, and the orbital pull of the moon that drew closer to the condemned ship by the second; the now-former Darth Maul believed he had finally made his escape inside the stolen shuttle. After his battle with Ahsoka Tano on Mandalore, and the amount of force that was used to destroy the ship's engines, the Zabrak knew he would have to find somewhere to rest if he were to regain his strength. With the fall of the republic, the new order, designed by his former master would now have complete control over the galaxy. This would be a new challenge he would have to survive if he were to exact his revenge.

            Sending his spacecraft into hyperdrive, he was certain of his freedom from the chaos he created. Though he rarely underestimated his opponents, he did however neglect to calculate how much damage he had caused to the main ship. As metal and debris scattered across space, not even a Sith as skilled as Maul could avoid what happened next. A large chunk of metal shrapnel carved straight into the shuttle engine. A light show of emergency signals illuminated the cockpit. Frantically, Maul did his best to take control of the craft as it dropped out of its attempt of hyperspace. With his ship now spinning through space, it became clear to him that there was very little he could do to stop his fate as Maul lunged towards the nearby planet. The only hope for him now was to land his ship as smoothly as he could.

                                                        **********

            The night sky was brightened by a series of explosions over (y/n)’s planet. Though it was hard to see whether it was Republic or a Separatist ship from this distance, only a large warship would have been able to ignite the bright colors that followed as it fell out of hyperdrive. Though the destruction was being pulled into the gravitational force of one of the nearby moons, plenty of the explosion made its way to its neighboring planet. Parts of the chaos could be seen flying through the atmosphere. Like shooting stars, some of the metal debris burned even brighter they came colliding with the planet's surface.

            For (y/n), this was a nice addition to the already beautiful night sky that spanned over the great plains. As of late, she had been struggling to get a good night's rest. Something in the air had been unsettling, an unexplained shift that kept her up in the late hours. So, a beautiful occurrence like this was a nice accompaniment to what was already a restless evening. Most of the time it was fairly quiet in these parts, as their planet often orbited away from the happenings of the waring galaxy beyond. She watched as bits of the destruction above burned up in the atmosphere, cascading down like brightly lit shooting stars. (Y/n) made herself comfortable petting the little loth-cat that sat on her windowsill, which served as an observatory to the arial spectacle. For years now, the two had been living alone in their small hut, one of the very few that have been scattered out across this open valley. With no neighbors in sight, (y/n) used her space to spread out her farm as far as she saw fit, making it just big enough that she could tend to it herself. The closest town from here was an hour or so ride on her jump speeder; longer when carrying her cart of produce to sell to the locals. This arrangement made her a decent living. Sure, it was lonely out here, but it was the price she had paid to ensure her freedom.

One of the “shooting stars” looked especially bright as it encountered the atmosphere. At first just a shimmer in the sky, only slightly more distinct than the shimmering stars above. As it fell, it emanated bright colors of fiery reds and burning yellows. A beautiful spectacle, the burning ball appeared to grow brighter by the second… and closer.

            Once (y/n) finally realized this piece of sharp metal was not burning up in the atmosphere, but rather was coming straight for her home, she only had a mere few seconds to prepare for impact. Grabbing her little loth-cat she slid under one of the counters in her home and braced for impact.

            The planet shook, sending vibrations throughout the house, threatening to knock everything in her home about. Holding the scared ball of fur tight, it took (y/n) a moment to loosen her grip and take in the damage. Things in the house did in fact become shuffled about. A few things knocked off shelves and the lighter of her furniture push aside. It added a slight atmosphere of disaster to her usually cozy home. When the trimmers were finished (y/n) shot to her feet. The crash did not feel too far away, and if the impact had destroyed her crop then she would certainly be damned for the growing season. In a rapped fashion, she slipped on her shoes, grabbed her staff, and went outside to investigate the damage that had been gifted by the heavens above.

            As the smoke cleared, she could see to her relief, the plummeting debris did not destroy her season’s hard work. The damage ended about 30 meters outside the small field of crops. With the dust settling more, it became clear to (y/n) that this was not just a simply discarded part of a ship. A space shuttle, fuming from the flames now sat in front of the young women, a distinguishable new addition to the dark and open landscape. At closer inspection, she could see a silhouette of a body sitting in the cockpit. Quick to act, she knew that if this person were still alive, it would not be much longer until the smoke from the flames would ensure that there were no survivors in this crash.

            The heat coming from the shuttle was more than hot enough to tell her that touching the ship would possibly lead to burning off her entire hands. With some very precise shimming between the latch of the capsule and the windshield, she manages to leverage her staff and release the seal, getting fresh air to the perhaps deceased driver. A distinguishable pop, followed by a rolling hiss, smoke released from the opening, creating a large burst into the air, only to dissipate, leaving the body hunched over the wheel, barely breathing.

            (Y/n) had never seen a Zabrak before. She had only heard of them in stories; horned beings with bright skin that was vibrant as they were fierce. Yet in that moment, legends became true, falling from the sky from a heap of fire. He became even more real, as (y/r) reached into the ship to drag out the single survivor. Heavy, she did her best to lift the creature from his confines. She draped the muscled body over her back as she used all her might to bring the unconscious man back to her small home, the sound of metal scraping the rough terrain as his legs dragged in the back.

            Attempts to lay the man down on the couch in a way that secured his safety was limited, as the heap of dead weight slinked from her body and onto the limited resting space. In the dim light of her small hut, she was able to see more features of her unexpected guest. Under the mix of ash and buses, bright crimson skin painted over his face; a contorted expression from the pain he was enduring. Dressed in black, his agile body clumped onto the couch was misleading to its muscular strength; only known to (y/n) after carrying the stranger from the ship aflame.

            Her furry companion, still hiding under the counter, peering out, just to let out her hisses and groans of distrust. “Zuzu, you behave now,” (y/n) said scolding yet oh-so casually. “I had to do all the heavy lifting, so you don’t get to say who we have as a guest.”

            The one-way conversation continued as she reached for the med-kit, “What else was I supposed to do? Any longer in there, and he would have been done for.” Due to the limited lantern lighting, she was only able to apply bacta cream to the most evident of wounds. “This will have to do for now,” she proclaimed, looking over the depleted horned being. “Anything else that needs to be examined will have to wait till tomorrow.” After coving the stranger’s body with a spare blanket, she swept up the still cautious Zuzu, carrying her small companion off to the bedroom for rest.

[abakersquest]

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN – A HARSHER FLAME

Vaporous mist arose from every surface of the ice cavern as an atmospheric tide of heat bloomed from the Halcyon Knight. Her seemingly placid gaze lazily slid from one opponent to the next as each of them silently planned an opening gambit.

“Good,” she finally said in a calm voice. “Not a one of you flinched or even took that threat seriously. I’d honestly hate to find out any of you were cowardly without the Flarebearer around.”

They didn’t dare take eyes off the tigress, not even to look at one another for some clue to a joint strike. She moved with confidence, and her narrow golden eyes seemed to drill into each of them as she continued to slowly turn in place.

“Careful now,” she chided. “You really should be paying less attention to my face.”

Hyla was the first to turn her eyes downward just as mystic fires began to dance on the back of the knight’s leg. From there came an explosion of noise and a flash of light as a jet of flame shot from the back of her ankle. The force of the focused burst launched her leg into a sweeping kick that left an infernal wake which quickly raced out in a circle around its creator. As Hyla raised her arms to try and defend herself, she was already off her feet being dragged by her shoulders out of the mouth of the cave.

Confusion quickly fell away as the concentrated wave of mystical fire raced past her eyes. She followed the shimmering crescent as it barely skimmed the back of Gan, who’d grabbed her in an instant and dragged her to safety before she even realized it.

The lightning quick kestrel both grunted and recoiled from the intense heat, forcing them both down into the thankfully soft snow. Hyla quickly shook off the rough landing and turned her notice to Gan, seeing him hurriedly flop onto his back and sigh with relief as the snow made short work of the dangerous heat thereupon.

“Just missed,” he managed to say. “If that hit, we’d’ve been cooked alive…”

When she took a breath to respond, Gan sprang to his feet. “The Captain and Argus are still in there! I couldn’t see if they dodged it or not! Come on!”

“Gan wait!” she called out as he took one bold step forward, slipped on the snow, and firmly introduced his beak to the terrain below.

He said something muffled yet clearly frustrated as Hyla finally got back on her feet. Snow and ash had some commonality, so while it was uncomfortable to spread her toes out onto the frigid mass, it improved her traction just as she’d hoped. “Gan,” she said calmly as she moved to help him stand. “They’re alright; I can still sense them in the cave. Now, there’s no point of us rushing back in there without a plan, so let’s take what time we have to-”

A jagged ice tower to the left of them exploded as a massive cannonball treated it like the finish line of a race. Both quickly turned their eyes toward the oncoming fortress, a rolling disaster headed straight for them and the Aspect of Air beyond.

“Warriors!” Illica’s voice called to them from the mouth of the cave. “I shall help your friends inside; Jinra will assist you in destroying the ship!”

Gan looked to Hyla, “That’s… That’s the dragon’s name, right?”

A roar that was more detonation than animal cry shook the air for miles as the great serpentine beast rose like a geyser of scales and fury from the ice cavern.

“Yes, Gan.” Hyla finally said, finding it slightly harder to breathe at the mere sight of the great beast. “Illica… How exactly do we…” Hyla’s voice trailed off as she turned back toward the strange snow fox, or rather, to where she once stood.

“I think we just follow it,” Gan said, a mixture of awe and fear in his voice as his eyes followed the dragon’s course across the sky toward the approaching warship. He flinched as exploding shells filled the sky with blossoms of fire and noise above them, just missing their massive target. “But uh... Maybe not too close?”

“No,” Hyla said plainly. “Argus said the last one was powered by a big furnace on the inside. So, we go in, destroy the furnace, and that should stop it dead. There’s just one thing we have to do first.”

Gan shimmied uncomfortably, feeling like a coiled spring as he looked away from the firefight to Hyla. When he met her eyes, he flinched ever so slightly.

“Gan,” her voice was calm despite the volume it needed to overcome the explosions above and gusting winds below. “I know I can trust you. Without thinking twice you put yourself in harm’s way to save me just now… But you need to know, you can trust me too.”

She could feel it wash over him, the strange unknown sensation she’d felt as they walked into the cave before. His eyes tried to look past her and his hands clenched into fist for a second or two. She could see him struggle and fumble to say something as an argument took place at the forefront of his mind.

She decided planting the seed of an idea was enough for now; the nascent notion that she’d fight as hard as he would for her. She turned away and faced the task at hand, her mystically aided senses giving her a clear view of the oncoming mechanical danger. A multitude of cannons on the warship’s side pivoted skyward as the dragon above dodged shot after shot. It soon closed the gap and crashed violently against the ship’s prodigious armor to seemingly little effect. With a breath to steady herself and erase the distractions of her surroundings, Hyla dragged open the curtain of the world and forged a Dark Vault.

Now, for anyone else, passing through these inky black portals is an instant event. For those gifted enough to make them however, there is something else. It’s best described as a feeling of a truly greater force far beyond anything they could make sense of, moving about an infinite space that isn’t so much “dark” as it is “full of potential.” Tetsudin would often describe it to her as the moment before you turn on the light in your bedroom, the anticipation of something familiar amidst unfamiliar shadows.

But this time, this time she turned away from the path she’d carved in the endless twilight. Despite all her training and concentration, a radiant force in the immeasurable distance turned her attention toward it. This momentary distraction, this sight of something that demanded it be seen threw her off their landing. What should’ve been an exit onto a well chosen perch amidst the ruined remains of the rear starboard prop’s assembly was, instead, the open air before it.

The momentum of their steps found no floor on the other end of the Dark Vault. Instead, the pair tumbled helplessly through the frigid air before Gan flared out his wings and straightened himself out.

Driven by inborn instinct, he summoned a curtain of ion excited air and bounded off it like a springboard toward the retreating sound of Hyla’s surprised shout. Every Orni’Hulan is born to catch their young should they fall in their efforts to fly, and even at a young age they have the strength and natural skill to do just that. He knew if he simply caught her, whatever limb he grabbed would dislocate. He knew that if he tried to change her momentum too suddenly, both of them would come out with broken bones. He rushed down to match her speed, hooked his legs around her and, with all his might and prowess, put a curve to both their trajectories that just barely saw them skirt the icy ground below.

With some effort to fight the turbulent wind surrounding the rolling fortress, Gan managed to find them a perch lower than they’d originally aimed. He put Hyla down as gently as he could before landing himself and helping her up. “What happened? Why did we miss?”

“There… When we were crossing I felt this… I don’t know what it was but it was massive…” She closed her eyes and tried to visualize it, to put forth more than just an oncoming rush of sensation to describe whatever it was she’d seen, but nothing took shape. A sigh rolled out of her throat. “This probably isn’t helping our little trust issue, is it?”

When she looked to Gan again, the great mess of feathers on the top his head rose as did the strange mixture of emotions and thoughts she’d tried to ignore. She did her best to give him a smile to try and calm him down, “It’s alright, we just-”

“It’s not that I don’t trust you!” He shouted, and then clamped his beak shut. She could hear him grumble and the talons on his toes rake the metal flooring beneath them. Finally he screwed his eyes shut and continued at the same volume. “I do trust you! Really! I just…” he quieted himself as the next words came. “Argus said I shouldn’t apologize… That I should just show you I’m sorry, but… I… I really wanted to say it, that I’m sorry for how I treated you.”

A genuine smile crossed her face and she rested her hand on his shoulder. To her it’d been nothing more than a few sour looks and an air of somewhat overdone caution, both absolutely minor slights she could easily understand. To the young kestrel just entering into the wider world, it felt like some incredible insult to a friend. What else could she have said but, “Apology accepted.”

Gan’s spirits and shoulders rose in time with one another and the shine of confidence in his eyes sparkled without reservation.

“Now, let’s see if we can’t take the heart out of this metal monster.”

“Right!” Gan looked around at the ruined structure the Prominence Cannon had left for them to traverse, hoping to see something that looked like a way in. The damaged metal ahead of him exploded outward as a forked black blade tore a hole through it. The imposing mass of a hulking Black Rock Knight soon followed, wrenching through the metal hull as if it were little more than thick paper.

Gan may have had the reflexes to dodge the stone titan’s sudden emergence, but nowhere near enough to put his knives between an oncoming sword swipe and Hyla. With Storm Magic aiding his perception, he could only watch as the deadly blade closed in on her while she crossed her arms over her chest. He stared on in stark surprise as it passed through her without a drop of blood and rammed into the ruined support strut just off to her side.

And yet, despite the acceleration of his sight, he blinked only once and saw that, in that partial second where his eyes closed, Hyla and the offending knight had changed places. The boost in speed ebbed away and a line appeared in the stony figure’s midsection where Hyla had once been.

The slowed tone of her voice reached his ears with a single magically intoned word, “Imposition.”

When it tried to turn, the upper body of the Black Rock Knight slid right off. It tumbled downward, leaving its legs alone on the platform. They took a few blind steps, collided with some previously melted beam, and fell down after its better half.

Before he could even find the words to question the events that unfolded, Hyla spoke. “I don’t like that it knew exactly where we were. Come on, let’s go before more of them can pin us in.”

Gan shook off any lingering curiosity and nodded, quickly making his way through the torn opening. Hyla moved to follow, turning back toward the ice cavern where she could still sense signs of Argus and Blackeye. Thankful for that much, she didn’t think to question why she couldn’t suss out any sense of Illica.

---

Moments ago, Blackeye had barely managed to command the ice at his side to rush across the open air as water and block the oncoming burst of compressed mystic fire. Just past the resulting steam he caught sight of Gan’s tail feathers rushing out the cave’s opening. He did his best not to let the satisfaction he felt at the boy’s performance show on his face. Pride in the doings of the young came so easily with old age.

“You’re right to feel proud, Captain Cofresi. For such a young flyer, he’s certainly got talent. My ‘Drake Smile’ is quite hard to dodge.”

He couldn’t help the annoyed grunt at the even keeled speech of the Halcyon Knight standing before him. He didn’t need the empathic sense Fire Mages possessed to know it wasn’t a statement fueled by brash overconfidence.

She carefully adjusted her gauntlets as she spoke. “You should also feel proud yourself… It can’t be easy for such a seasoned fellow to forcefully turn ice back into water in less than a second. I can see why Vizier Bulfo finds you the second biggest threat of this little band of heroes.”

“I suppose we’re to presume the first is Wally then?” Argus said; the stock of the Thunderhead firmly braced to his shoulder, its flared barrel pointed squarely at the tigress.

“Don’t engage, Mister Cael.” Blackeye cautioned. “You might not know it from our friendly Flarebearer, but thems with fire like to chatter so’s to get in your head. Makes dealin’ with ‘em some pretty nasty business.”

“He’s right, you know,” she added smoothly.

Argus’ eyes narrowed. “I’ve fought my fair share of Fire Mages during the war, Captain. I can assure you, she won’t find me an easy mark.”

“Ooh, I do believe you offended your friend, Captain Cofresi…” Her smile was far too cheerful to be believed. “You did hear that bitter little undertone there, right?”

Blackeye was as still as a stony shoreline at low tide, he didn’t even blink.

She turned to Argus instead, and found him the equivalent of a notched arrow, ready to strike down prey.

“My,” she said with a slight giggle, scratching the back of one of her ears. “I might have picked the wrong dance partners.”

The first thing was the smell in the air. Past the stale smell of old ice, the brightstone in Argus’ weapon, and the subtle hint of char all Fire Mages bore. Blackeye’s mind called up the image of a paraffin lamp, and the lingering bittersweet smell as one replaces its fuel. Before a word could be spoken, and his vaunted sense of danger could warn him, the air around their bodies was filled pinpricks of free-floating light, each barely half an inch away.

“There now, those should even things out, and give us time to properly chat!” The tigress smiled brightly. “My name is Pan Diar, the Halcyon Knight of Fire. It’s a pleasure to make both your acquaintances.”

Blackeye huffed out his nostrils.

Argus rolled his eyes.

She sighed. “My but you two are as stoic as they come… I really would’ve been better off with that Orni’Hulan and Hyla Areo. Now she’d be fun to talk to, especially after finding out what happened to her old master.” She shrugged casually, “but that’s not the bed I made, so why complain about not getting to sleep in it. Instead, I’ll just get right to it and ask. Do either of you know where I could find the Aspect of Air?”

“S'pose it don’t do us any good to try and lie to a Fire Mage, eh Argus?” Blackeye commented.

“Quite so, captain. Shall you do the honors, or will I?”

“Well, you’re the scholarly fella here; she’d believe you over me.”

“Tut-tut, captain. You’re a proud and practiced explorer of the sea; your experience makes you the better choice.”

One of Pan’s ears twitched. “Well, it’s obvious to anyone with a brain you’re both stalling… But neither one of you can seem to agree on what you’re stalling fo-”

And then the Dragon roared.

Its mighty cry coupled with the shifting of its massive body created a maelstrom within the cave. The tiny dots of fire were blown away like so many embers, followed by both their master and would be victims. The three tumbled down a winding tunnel of glacial blue, before landing in a cave of glimmering crystals. Blackeye recognized the particularly luminous stones as the same kind he’d used to light his home. He would much rather have had that be a nice recollection, instead of a passing thought when his shoulder bashed through a particularly large one.

Argus barely managed to kick off another large crystal himself, instead rising too close to its sharp edged siblings in the cave’s ceiling. They tore bits of his clothes and scratched at his carapace, but worst of all cut a small gash in his ammunition bag. Several ampoules of his magical cultivations set to twirl in the air and leave his field of view before the winds died down, and he was harshly dropped into a patch of small glowing mushrooms.

“Mycena Cryphagia,” Argus groaned as he picked himself up. “The Crystal-Eater Mushroom. I should remember to collect a sample before I go.”

He turned to take in the surroundings of this new underground chamber to see Pan Diar, as a true credit to her genus, had landed squarely on her feet. Her fang filled smile was as unwelcome sight, as were the glimmering dots of light under her command. The flock of sparks quickly closed the gap between them. With no other choice, Argus leveled the Thunderhead and fired whatever was in the barrel with the singular mental imperative of defense. A sheet of ionized air blossomed from the barrel like a cast net, the small dots of light sticking to it readily.

Pan Diar’s mystically intoned voice carried easily across the crystalline cavern, “Wisp Swarm.”

The lights detonated.

The electrical net shattered.

The blast wave hit Argus full on, launching him helplessly toward a far wall. The air in his lungs harshly pushed out on impact, and his shaken senses turned the world into a painful smear all around him. He shook his head to try and clear away at least a fraction of the blur, silently grateful to have been born an Insicai; with a hardy exoskeleton that could take so much force and not give way. He knew however, that one more burst like that, even at a distance, would cause far more permanent damage.

He was also grateful for another gift of his biology, as his antenna twitched and felt the air move around what could only be an approaching Halcyon Knight. She said something he couldn’t hear over the muffled ringing in his head, prepared a witty remark regardless, and found something odd happened as he began to say it.

It was an unnatural sort of cold that moved around him at first, then for a singular moment felt as if it’d passed through him. Suddenly the wall at his back was simply gone and replaced by a strong hand with webbed fingers, keeping him from falling backward.

“-er Ca-”

A voice just barely rose above the bell resounding in his head, it sounded familiar.

“-On Mister Cael, ne… you to find your feet.”

He blinked, the voice was gruff yet not unwelcome. The world finally came back into focus and at his side stood Captain Blackeye. “Wh-… What… When did you…”

“Get your eyes front now that ya uncrossed ‘em. That’ll tell you.”

Argus could finally make out the razor focus of the Captain’s expression and followed the length of his gaze over to where he assumed he’d been standing just before now. Before him, the Halcyon Knight of Fire launched volley after volley of magical conflagrations at a seemingly amorphous fog. Amidst the concentration of otherworldly condensation he could just make out the slimmest view of Illica, the snow fox they’d met earlier before the knight attacked.

Now that he thought on it, he had no memory of her dodging the opening attack, or tumbling down the tunnel with them.

“Now this is entirely unfair!” Pan Diar shouted. “Why can’t I hit you?!”

“Why?” Illica teased, her approach toward the knight entirely unhindered. “I thought Fire Mages always had an answer to everything.”

The tigress shouted in frustration, fires beneath her feet exploding and launching her through the air. She fired off fireballs the entire way, each simply slipping by their target and splashing pointlessly against the cave floor. It didn’t make any sense, no magic she knew of could make someone so seemingly untouchable. Worst of all, her natural empathic gift felt nothing from this approaching oddity, while every other sense she had screamed, ‘Don’t let it touch you.’

She landed, then quickly sprang back to keep distance between the snow fox and herself. She forced the words Illica had spoken to grow louder in her mind, ‘fire mages had an answer to everything.’ The stripes in Pan’s fur made the furrow of her brow all the more prominent, a frustrated growl boiled up from her throat before she closed her eyes and stood up straight, the end of her tail impatiently tapping against the floor. “You know what? You’re right. I ignored it because it seemed kind of a silly idea at first, but seeing how this is turning out? It must be the best answer!”

Two winding serpents of flame slowly twisted their way from her shoulder and over the surface of her arm. Slowly, she held it up and pointed her flat palm toward the ceiling. The magical fires slid up toward her open hand and pooled there, creating a beacon of blazing light.

Blackeye smirked and whispered, “Now’s our chance, Cael. I know exactly what she’s about to do. You still able to lift that cannon of yours?”

Argus thumbed the hammer and turned the barrel of The Thunderhead, “Absolutely.”

The air around them began to bake and the light in Diar’s palm surged, her voice calling forth a familiar spell in a foreign voice, “DRAGON’S CALDERA!” She slammed the ethereal flames down against the floor of the cavern, creating an infernal tsunami in every direction around her.

The captain brought his harpoon down in the motion of a sweeping strike, a deluge of water forming a small barrier around himself and Argus. “NOW ARGUS, HOP ON!” Before the grasshopper could respond, Blackeye thrust his harpoon forward and called out, “SLIPSTREAM!” From the end of his bejeweled weapon a rushing bridge of water began to race toward the offending Halcyon Knight.

Without another thought, Argus sprang onto the water and raced along its length. As he lined up his shot, he could hear Blackeye strain and feel the watery path falter. He didn’t dare look back; he couldn’t miss this chance. Just as the aquatic construct beneath his feet began to fade away, he leapt for all he was worth, his momentum carrying him well past his target. Still in motion, he flipped over in the air; his legs extended for both balance and to cease his turn.

His antenna recoiled at the intense heat below them.

He held his breath to slow his heart and steady his aim.

Seconds turned into an infinity as a single opportunity presented itself.

Pan Diar barely turned in time to see the Thunderhead unleash its power, a massive hand made of clay, exploding out of its flared barrel. The earthen magic broke her concentration instantly and the fire below evaporated as Argus tucked his head and let the top of his shoulders roll onto the ground, followed by the rest of him. Not his tidiest landing, but certainly not a deadly one.

Picking himself up slowly, Argus saw Illica float down into view on a small cushion of fog, and Captain Blackeye moving closer, rubbing his shoulder.

“Damn,” he spoke with some stiffness. “That landing hurt me more than I thought, sorry about that, Mister Cael.”

Argus tried to stand up straight and present himself with propriety, and then very painfully curled in on the sudden throbbing ache in his torso. “Suppose… We’re both worse for wear… Captain.”

Both warriors quickly levied their weapons at the collapsed Knight as she loudly growled and set fire to her bindings. The clay baked and hardened around her body, turning an admittedly lovely shade of earthenware red.

Pan’s fire died down and she sighed, “I hate pottery…”

A few moments passed and Illica saw Argus and Blackeye share a curious glance before going back to watching the downed knight. “Are the two of you waiting for something?”

“Aye,” Blackeye said without looking up. “Usually these youngins pull a little vanishin’ act when they can’t fight no more.”

“What say you dear,” Argus cut in. “Has your tiresome toad of a leader finally abandoned one of you to the cause?”

The tigress was still for a few seconds before squirming under her rigid confines. “Nope,” her voice returned to a seemingly ineffable calm. “I’m just not done yet.”

Blackeye scoffed, “Darlin’ if you think for one second you’re gettin’ past the three of us to the Aspect, you got another thing comin’.”

“Very true, I’d never get past all three of you. In fact, with your experience and abilities, I’m completely outmatched. Also, since Vizier Bulfo hates sending out too many of us at a time, I can’t expect reinforcement. But see, I figured something out.” She squirmed around a bit more, managing to turn her gaze toward Illica. “You… You’re not really here… That’s why I couldn’t hit you or feel you even while you’re standing right in front of me. So I got to thinking, ‘If I can see you but not touch or sense you, what are you?’”

Pan Diar’s fist exploded through the baked clay, a Mobius Glass firmly clutched within. “You’re the wind.”

Argus tore the ground beneath his feet as he jumped toward Illica to push her out of the way, only to pass right through her and tumble to the ground. He could only watch as the entirety of her being became a narrow band of vapor, inhaled by the small magical artifact.

Blackeye thrust his harpoon as hard as he could, shattering through the hardened clay, just grazing the tigress as a Dark Vault opened beneath her.

Once she’d vanished, a victorious little titter from her hung in the air far longer than either of them would’ve liked.

Then something else came, something gradual but not beyond notice. The air felt wrong as they breathed, not thin, but still missing something they knew it should have needed.

Blackeye sighed. “Old Poda did tell us there’s more’n one way for’em to get what they need.”

Argus felt heavy as he stood back up. He looked to the half destroyed clay hand and said, “I never would’ve guessed it could take the shape of a person…”

“That’s the way of the world, Mister Cael. Always throwin’ you a rogue wave or a sudden squall.” There was a solid moment of loud rumbling above them. “And we ain’t in calm waters just yet.”

He made a small noise in agreement before looking around and seeing one of his small magic ampoules in the distance. “You go on ahead, Captain. I need to find my cultures; some of them fell out of my bag on our way down here.”

Blackeye nodded firmly then made his way toward the exit.

As Argus did his best to suppress feelings of dismay and failure for later review, he walked over to the small glass vial and tried focusing instead on feelings of pride that his glasswork held up as well as he’d hoped. Then he saw something just beyond it that made all of that go away.

The softly glowing patch of flowers, thriving in a place with no natural sunlight, would be enough to give him pause on their own. But what they’d grown around, what they came to cradle in the course of time, was clearly a very old skull. One that made Argus wish he was less observant, and less able to identify species and genus from bone structure alone.

The weight of emotion on his heart brought him down to one knee. He closed his eyes and bowed his head, recalling a soft prayer he’d heard once in his travels. Whatever Illica had been, a willful ghost or the power of a god using the visage of a dead traveler to defend itself, he knew in his heart she most assuredly deserved better.

He scooped up the vial, straightened himself as best he could, and let these revelations become fuel to the fire of his resolve.

<[Chapter 36]–[Index]–[Chapter 38]>

[weopenviews]

APA fire broke out on a secretive Russian research submarine on Monday, killing 14 people and potentially slowing Russia’s efforts to develop new undersea weaponry.Flames roared through the nuclear-powered Project 1083 Losharik submarine apparently while the vessel was near its home port of Severomorsk on Russia’s Arctic coast. Among the crew who died in the accident are at least seven senior officers, two of whom had received the Hero of Russia award, the equivalent of the United States’ Medal of Honor.  Russian President Vladimir Putin described Losharik’s burning as a “big loss.” “This is not a regular vessel, you and I know this,” Putin told reporters. Fishermen told SeverPost, a Murmansk news agency, they observed Losharik surfacing near Kildin Island in the Barents Sea around 9:30 p.m. local time on Monday. “It came out of the water, all of it,” one fisherman said. “I’d never seen anything like that before,” the fisherman added. “There were people running, rushing on the deck.” “Fire is the biggest nightmare for sailors serving on submarines,” Alexander Golts, an independent military analyst, told The Daily Beast. “Anything could cause a fire. A short circuit, somebody’s negligence—anything.”The Losharik fire is Russia’s worst submarine disaster since 2008, when a fire-suppression system malfunctioned on the Russian navy attack submarine Nerpa, asphyxiating 20 people as the vessel underwent trials in the Sea of Japan. Eight years earlier in 2000, the missile submarine Kursk suffered an explosion and sank in the Barents Sea, killing 118 people. The Kursk’s sinking and Putin’s slowness to respond were major scandals in Russia.Nerpa and Kursk were fleet submarines with front-line military missions. Losharik by contrast is a deep-diving research vessel that belongs to the Kremlin’s Directorate of Deepwater Research. Losharik’s roughly 200-foot-long hull consists of seven titanium compartments that protect the vessel from the high pressure of extreme depths. Norman Polmar, a submarine expert and naval adviser to top U.S. government officials, estimated Losharik can dive as deep as 20,000 feet. Fleet submarines, including the U.S. Navy’s Virginia-class vessels, typically dive no deeper than 600 or 700 feet.Since launching in 2003, Losharik has undertaken some dangerous missions of national importance. In 2012 the submarine and an accompanying vessel drilled to a depth of almost two miles on the Arctic seabed in order to retrieve soil samples and identify the outer limits of Russia’s continental shelf.Many of the vessel’s other duties are shrouded in mystery, but could involve trials of new sensors and weaponry. “It’s a very useful submarine,” Polmar said. Research submarines such as Losharik arguably are more important than ever for Russia’s strategic plans. The Russian navy for years clung to its position as one of the world’s most powerful fleets largely by refurbishing Cold War-vintage surface warships. But those ships and their support infrastructure are becoming harder to maintain. In October 2018 a fire broke out aboard PD-50, a 38-year-old floating drydock that at the time was cradling Admiral Kuznetsov, Russia’s sole aircraft carrier. PD-50 sank, damaging the carrier and killing two workers.Russia’s Biggest Warship Steams to SyriaWith no cheap or easy way to replace PD-50, the Kremlin is considering decommissioning the aging, unreliable Admiral Kuznetsov as part of a wider cull of Cold War-vintage vessels. To replace the old surface ships, Moscow has leaned on its historical strength as a builder of submarines. Putin’s government in recent years has accelerated production of new subs while also developing high-tech new weapons to arm the vessels. Russia plans to maintain a fleet of around 50 modern submarines, roughly matching the U.S. Navy’s own undersea strength. Russia’s submarine build-up includes the 574-foot-long Moscow, which is part-science vessel, part-spy ship, part-commando transport, and part-“mothership” for mini-subs and drones. Russia also is developing “Status-6,” an undersea drone that packs a radiological warhead that could contaminate vast stretches of enemy coast.It’s unclear what Losharik was doing when the fire broke out. The Russian Defense Ministry did not respond to questions The Daily Beast sent via email. Michael Kofman, a Russia expert with the Wilson Center in Washington, D.C., said the fire was probably the result of “a demonstration gone awry, perhaps of some new technology.”“You will note the casualty list includes seven captains first rank, on a submarine that would at most have one such officer serving,” Kofman noted. “This was an extraordinary crew of top elite captains,” Golts told The Daily Beast. “Whoever put them together on that vessel gave these captains a complicated task, which required their expertise and experience in oceanographic research.”Submariners are folk heroes in Russia. It’s not for nothing that the Russian public “is locked on the accident,” according to Pavel Podvig, an independent expert on the Russian military. Orthodox churches in the Russian port cities of Murmansk and Severomorsk on Wednesday held memorial services for the victims of the fire.Perhaps fearing another scandal like the Kursk sinking, Putin swiftly responded to the Losharik incident. On Tuesday he canceled a planned event and summoned Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to discuss the fire.The damage and loss of life could have been much worse, Shoigu claimed. The defense minister told reporters the crew heroically saved the life of a civilian aboard Losharik and closed hatches to prevent the flames from spreading. It’s unclear how much damage Losharik sustained and whether, or how quickly, the Kremlin could restore the vessel. The fire at least has stymied Russia’s undersea ambitions, according to Pavel Luzin, a professor of political science at Perm University in Russia. “Definitely, Russia temporarily lost one of its most advanced naval capabilities that is aimed at maintaining Russia’s strategic operations.”Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.

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[morningusa]

APA fire broke out on a secretive Russian research submarine on Monday, killing 14 people and potentially slowing Russia’s efforts to develop new undersea weaponry.Flames roared through the nuclear-powered Project 1083 Losharik submarine apparently while the vessel was near its home port of Severomorsk on Russia’s Arctic coast. Among the crew who died in the accident are at least seven senior officers, two of whom had received the Hero of Russia award, the equivalent of the United States’ Medal of Honor.  Russian President Vladimir Putin described Losharik’s burning as a “big loss.” “This is not a regular vessel, you and I know this,” Putin told reporters. Fishermen told SeverPost, a Murmansk news agency, they observed Losharik surfacing near Kildin Island in the Barents Sea around 9:30 p.m. local time on Monday. “It came out of the water, all of it,” one fisherman said. “I’d never seen anything like that before,” the fisherman added. “There were people running, rushing on the deck.” “Fire is the biggest nightmare for sailors serving on submarines,” Alexander Golts, an independent military analyst, told The Daily Beast. “Anything could cause a fire. A short circuit, somebody’s negligence—anything.”The Losharik fire is Russia’s worst submarine disaster since 2008, when a fire-suppression system malfunctioned on the Russian navy attack submarine Nerpa, asphyxiating 20 people as the vessel underwent trials in the Sea of Japan. Eight years earlier in 2000, the missile submarine Kursk suffered an explosion and sank in the Barents Sea, killing 118 people. The Kursk’s sinking and Putin’s slowness to respond were major scandals in Russia.Nerpa and Kursk were fleet submarines with front-line military missions. Losharik by contrast is a deep-diving research vessel that belongs to the Kremlin’s Directorate of Deepwater Research. Losharik’s roughly 200-foot-long hull consists of seven titanium compartments that protect the vessel from the high pressure of extreme depths. Norman Polmar, a submarine expert and naval adviser to top U.S. government officials, estimated Losharik can dive as deep as 20,000 feet. Fleet submarines, including the U.S. Navy’s Virginia-class vessels, typically dive no deeper than 600 or 700 feet.Since launching in 2003, Losharik has undertaken some dangerous missions of national importance. In 2012 the submarine and an accompanying vessel drilled to a depth of almost two miles on the Arctic seabed in order to retrieve soil samples and identify the outer limits of Russia’s continental shelf.Many of the vessel’s other duties are shrouded in mystery, but could involve trials of new sensors and weaponry. “It’s a very useful submarine,” Polmar said. Research submarines such as Losharik arguably are more important than ever for Russia’s strategic plans. The Russian navy for years clung to its position as one of the world’s most powerful fleets largely by refurbishing Cold War-vintage surface warships. But those ships and their support infrastructure are becoming harder to maintain. In October 2018 a fire broke out aboard PD-50, a 38-year-old floating drydock that at the time was cradling Admiral Kuznetsov, Russia’s sole aircraft carrier. PD-50 sank, damaging the carrier and killing two workers.Russia’s Biggest Warship Steams to SyriaWith no cheap or easy way to replace PD-50, the Kremlin is considering decommissioning the aging, unreliable Admiral Kuznetsov as part of a wider cull of Cold War-vintage vessels. To replace the old surface ships, Moscow has leaned on its historical strength as a builder of submarines. Putin’s government in recent years has accelerated production of new subs while also developing high-tech new weapons to arm the vessels. Russia plans to maintain a fleet of around 50 modern submarines, roughly matching the U.S. Navy’s own undersea strength. Russia’s submarine build-up includes the 574-foot-long Moscow, which is part-science vessel, part-spy ship, part-commando transport, and part-“mothership” for mini-subs and drones. Russia also is developing “Status-6,” an undersea drone that packs a radiological warhead that could contaminate vast stretches of enemy coast.It’s unclear what Losharik was doing when the fire broke out. The Russian Defense Ministry did not respond to questions The Daily Beast sent via email. Michael Kofman, a Russia expert with the Wilson Center in Washington, D.C., said the fire was probably the result of “a demonstration gone awry, perhaps of some new technology.”“You will note the casualty list includes seven captains first rank, on a submarine that would at most have one such officer serving,” Kofman noted. “This was an extraordinary crew of top elite captains,” Golts told The Daily Beast. “Whoever put them together on that vessel gave these captains a complicated task, which required their expertise and experience in oceanographic research.”Submariners are folk heroes in Russia. It’s not for nothing that the Russian public “is locked on the accident,” according to Pavel Podvig, an independent expert on the Russian military. Orthodox churches in the Russian port cities of Murmansk and Severomorsk on Wednesday held memorial services for the victims of the fire.Perhaps fearing another scandal like the Kursk sinking, Putin swiftly responded to the Losharik incident. On Tuesday he canceled a planned event and summoned Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to discuss the fire.The damage and loss of life could have been much worse, Shoigu claimed. The defense minister told reporters the crew heroically saved the life of a civilian aboard Losharik and closed hatches to prevent the flames from spreading. It’s unclear how much damage Losharik sustained and whether, or how quickly, the Kremlin could restore the vessel. The fire at least has stymied Russia’s undersea ambitions, according to Pavel Luzin, a professor of political science at Perm University in Russia. “Definitely, Russia temporarily lost one of its most advanced naval capabilities that is aimed at maintaining Russia’s strategic operations.”Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines

[batenchantingcollectorsong]

APA fire broke out on a secretive Russian research submarine on Monday, killing 14 people and potentially slowing Russia’s efforts to develop new undersea weaponry.Flames roared through the nuclear-powered Project 1083 Losharik submarine apparently while the vessel was near its home port of Severomorsk on Russia’s Arctic coast. Among the crew who died in the accident are at least seven senior officers, two of whom had received the Hero of Russia award, the equivalent of the United States’ Medal of Honor.  Russian President Vladimir Putin described Losharik’s burning as a “big loss.” “This is not a regular vessel, you and I know this,” Putin told reporters. Fishermen told SeverPost, a Murmansk news agency, they observed Losharik surfacing near Kildin Island in the Barents Sea around 9:30 p.m. local time on Monday. “It came out of the water, all of it,” one fisherman said. “I’d never seen anything like that before,” the fisherman added. “There were people running, rushing on the deck.” “Fire is the biggest nightmare for sailors serving on submarines,” Alexander Golts, an independent military analyst, told The Daily Beast. “Anything could cause a fire. A short circuit, somebody’s negligence—anything.”The Losharik fire is Russia’s worst submarine disaster since 2008, when a fire-suppression system malfunctioned on the Russian navy attack submarine Nerpa, asphyxiating 20 people as the vessel underwent trials in the Sea of Japan. Eight years earlier in 2000, the missile submarine Kursk suffered an explosion and sank in the Barents Sea, killing 118 people. The Kursk’s sinking and Putin’s slowness to respond were major scandals in Russia.Nerpa and Kursk were fleet submarines with front-line military missions. Losharik by contrast is a deep-diving research vessel that belongs to the Kremlin’s Directorate of Deepwater Research. Losharik’s roughly 200-foot-long hull consists of seven titanium compartments that protect the vessel from the high pressure of extreme depths. Norman Polmar, a submarine expert and naval adviser to top U.S. government officials, estimated Losharik can dive as deep as 20,000 feet. Fleet submarines, including the U.S. Navy’s Virginia-class vessels, typically dive no deeper than 600 or 700 feet.Since launching in 2003, Losharik has undertaken some dangerous missions of national importance. In 2012 the submarine and an accompanying vessel drilled to a depth of almost two miles on the Arctic seabed in order to retrieve soil samples and identify the outer limits of Russia’s continental shelf.Many of the vessel’s other duties are shrouded in mystery, but could involve trials of new sensors and weaponry. “It’s a very useful submarine,” Polmar said. Research submarines such as Losharik arguably are more important than ever for Russia’s strategic plans. The Russian navy for years clung to its position as one of the world’s most powerful fleets largely by refurbishing Cold War-vintage surface warships. But those ships and their support infrastructure are becoming harder to maintain. In October 2018 a fire broke out aboard PD-50, a 38-year-old floating drydock that at the time was cradling Admiral Kuznetsov, Russia’s sole aircraft carrier. PD-50 sank, damaging the carrier and killing two workers.Russia’s Biggest Warship Steams to SyriaWith no cheap or easy way to replace PD-50, the Kremlin is considering decommissioning the aging, unreliable Admiral Kuznetsov as part of a wider cull of Cold War-vintage vessels. To replace the old surface ships, Moscow has leaned on its historical strength as a builder of submarines. Putin’s government in recent years has accelerated production of new subs while also developing high-tech new weapons to arm the vessels. Russia plans to maintain a fleet of around 50 modern submarines, roughly matching the U.S. Navy’s own undersea strength. Russia’s submarine build-up includes the 574-foot-long Moscow, which is part-science vessel, part-spy ship, part-commando transport, and part-“mothership” for mini-subs and drones. Russia also is developing “Status-6,” an undersea drone that packs a radiological warhead that could contaminate vast stretches of enemy coast.It’s unclear what Losharik was doing when the fire broke out. The Russian Defense Ministry did not respond to questions The Daily Beast sent via email. Michael Kofman, a Russia expert with the Wilson Center in Washington, D.C., said the fire was probably the result of “a demonstration gone awry, perhaps of some new technology.”“You will note the casualty list includes seven captains first rank, on a submarine that would at most have one such officer serving,” Kofman noted. “This was an extraordinary crew of top elite captains,” Golts told The Daily Beast. “Whoever put them together on that vessel gave these captains a complicated task, which required their expertise and experience in oceanographic research.”Submariners are folk heroes in Russia. It’s not for nothing that the Russian public “is locked on the accident,” according to Pavel Podvig, an independent expert on the Russian military. Orthodox churches in the Russian port cities of Murmansk and Severomorsk on Wednesday held memorial services for the victims of the fire.Perhaps fearing another scandal like the Kursk sinking, Putin swiftly responded to the Losharik incident. On Tuesday he canceled a planned event and summoned Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to discuss the fire.The damage and loss of life could have been much worse, Shoigu claimed. The defense minister told reporters the crew heroically saved the life of a civilian aboard Losharik and closed hatches to prevent the flames from spreading. It’s unclear how much damage Losharik sustained and whether, or how quickly, the Kremlin could restore the vessel. The fire at least has stymied Russia’s undersea ambitions, according to Pavel Luzin, a professor of political science at Perm University in Russia. “Definitely, Russia temporarily lost one of its most advanced naval capabilities that is aimed at maintaining Russia’s strategic operations.”Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.

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[saadullah-faisal-world]

APA fire broke out on a secretive Russian research submarine on Monday, killing 14 people and potentially slowing Russia’s efforts to develop new undersea weaponry.Flames roared through the nuclear-powered Project 1083 Losharik submarine apparently while the vessel was near its home port of Severomorsk on Russia’s Arctic coast. Among the crew who died in the accident are at least seven senior officers, two of whom had received the Hero of Russia award, the equivalent of the United States’ Medal of Honor.  Russian President Vladimir Putin described Losharik’s burning as a “big loss.” “This is not a regular vessel, you and I know this,” Putin told reporters. Fishermen told SeverPost, a Murmansk news agency, they observed Losharik surfacing near Kildin Island in the Barents Sea around 9:30 p.m. local time on Monday. “It came out of the water, all of it,” one fisherman said. “I’d never seen anything like that before,” the fisherman added. “There were people running, rushing on the deck.” “Fire is the biggest nightmare for sailors serving on submarines,” Alexander Golts, an independent military analyst, told The Daily Beast. “Anything could cause a fire. A short circuit, somebody’s negligence—anything.”The Losharik fire is Russia’s worst submarine disaster since 2008, when a fire-suppression system malfunctioned on the Russian navy attack submarine Nerpa, asphyxiating 20 people as the vessel underwent trials in the Sea of Japan. Eight years earlier in 2000, the missile submarine Kursk suffered an explosion and sank in the Barents Sea, killing 118 people. The Kursk’s sinking and Putin’s slowness to respond were major scandals in Russia.Nerpa and Kursk were fleet submarines with front-line military missions. Losharik by contrast is a deep-diving research vessel that belongs to the Kremlin’s Directorate of Deepwater Research. Losharik’s roughly 200-foot-long hull consists of seven titanium compartments that protect the vessel from the high pressure of extreme depths. Norman Polmar, a submarine expert and naval adviser to top U.S. government officials, estimated Losharik can dive as deep as 20,000 feet. Fleet submarines, including the U.S. Navy’s Virginia-class vessels, typically dive no deeper than 600 or 700 feet.Since launching in 2003, Losharik has undertaken some dangerous missions of national importance. In 2012 the submarine and an accompanying vessel drilled to a depth of almost two miles on the Arctic seabed in order to retrieve soil samples and identify the outer limits of Russia’s continental shelf.Many of the vessel’s other duties are shrouded in mystery, but could involve trials of new sensors and weaponry. “It’s a very useful submarine,” Polmar said. Research submarines such as Losharik arguably are more important than ever for Russia’s strategic plans. The Russian navy for years clung to its position as one of the world’s most powerful fleets largely by refurbishing Cold War-vintage surface warships. But those ships and their support infrastructure are becoming harder to maintain. In October 2018 a fire broke out aboard PD-50, a 38-year-old floating drydock that at the time was cradling Admiral Kuznetsov, Russia’s sole aircraft carrier. PD-50 sank, damaging the carrier and killing two workers.Russia’s Biggest Warship Steams to SyriaWith no cheap or easy way to replace PD-50, the Kremlin is considering decommissioning the aging, unreliable Admiral Kuznetsov as part of a wider cull of Cold War-vintage vessels. To replace the old surface ships, Moscow has leaned on its historical strength as a builder of submarines. Putin’s government in recent years has accelerated production of new subs while also developing high-tech new weapons to arm the vessels. Russia plans to maintain a fleet of around 50 modern submarines, roughly matching the U.S. Navy’s own undersea strength. Russia’s submarine build-up includes the 574-foot-long Moscow, which is part-science vessel, part-spy ship, part-commando transport, and part-“mothership” for mini-subs and drones. Russia also is developing “Status-6,” an undersea drone that packs a radiological warhead that could contaminate vast stretches of enemy coast.It’s unclear what Losharik was doing when the fire broke out. The Russian Defense Ministry did not respond to questions The Daily Beast sent via email. Michael Kofman, a Russia expert with the Wilson Center in Washington, D.C., said the fire was probably the result of “a demonstration gone awry, perhaps of some new technology.”“You will note the casualty list includes seven captains first rank, on a submarine that would at most have one such officer serving,” Kofman noted. “This was an extraordinary crew of top elite captains,” Golts told The Daily Beast. “Whoever put them together on that vessel gave these captains a complicated task, which required their expertise and experience in oceanographic research.”Submariners are folk heroes in Russia. It’s not for nothing that the Russian public “is locked on the accident,” according to Pavel Podvig, an independent expert on the Russian military. Orthodox churches in the Russian port cities of Murmansk and Severomorsk on Wednesday held memorial services for the victims of the fire.Perhaps fearing another scandal like the Kursk sinking, Putin swiftly responded to the Losharik incident. On Tuesday he canceled a planned event and summoned Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to discuss the fire.The damage and loss of life could have been much worse, Shoigu claimed. The defense minister told reporters the crew heroically saved the life of a civilian aboard Losharik and closed hatches to prevent the flames from spreading. It’s unclear how much damage Losharik sustained and whether, or how quickly, the Kremlin could restore the vessel. The fire at least has stymied Russia’s undersea ambitions, according to Pavel Luzin, a professor of political science at Perm University in Russia. “Definitely, Russia temporarily lost one of its most advanced naval capabilities that is aimed at maintaining Russia’s strategic operations.”Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.

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[courtneytincher]

What Was That Secret Russian Sub Doing Before It Caught Fire?

APA fire broke out on a secretive Russian research submarine on Monday, killing 14 people and potentially slowing Russia’s efforts to develop new undersea weaponry.Flames roared through the nuclear-powered Project 1083 Losharik submarine apparently while the vessel was near its home port of Severomorsk on Russia’s Arctic coast. Among the crew who died in the accident are at least seven senior officers, two of whom had received the Hero of Russia award, the equivalent of the United States’ Medal of Honor.  Russian President Vladimir Putin described Losharik’s burning as a “big loss.” “This is not a regular vessel, you and I know this,” Putin told reporters. Fishermen told SeverPost, a Murmansk news agency, they observed Losharik surfacing near Kildin Island in the Barents Sea around 9:30 p.m. local time on Monday. “It came out of the water, all of it,” one fisherman said. “I’d never seen anything like that before,” the fisherman added. “There were people running, rushing on the deck.” “Fire is the biggest nightmare for sailors serving on submarines,” Alexander Golts, an independent military analyst, told The Daily Beast. “Anything could cause a fire. A short circuit, somebody’s negligence—anything.”The Losharik fire is Russia’s worst submarine disaster since 2008, when a fire-suppression system malfunctioned on the Russian navy attack submarine Nerpa, asphyxiating 20 people as the vessel underwent trials in the Sea of Japan. Eight years earlier in 2000, the missile submarine Kursk suffered an explosion and sank in the Barents Sea, killing 118 people. The Kursk’s sinking and Putin’s slowness to respond were major scandals in Russia.Nerpa and Kursk were fleet submarines with front-line military missions. Losharik by contrast is a deep-diving research vessel that belongs to the Kremlin’s Directorate of Deepwater Research. Losharik’s roughly 200-foot-long hull consists of seven titanium compartments that protect the vessel from the high pressure of extreme depths. Norman Polmar, a submarine expert and naval adviser to top U.S. government officials, estimated Losharik can dive as deep as 20,000 feet. Fleet submarines, including the U.S. Navy’s Virginia-class vessels, typically dive no deeper than 600 or 700 feet.Since launching in 2003, Losharik has undertaken some dangerous missions of national importance. In 2012 the submarine and an accompanying vessel drilled to a depth of almost two miles on the Arctic seabed in order to retrieve soil samples and identify the outer limits of Russia’s continental shelf.Many of the vessel’s other duties are shrouded in mystery, but could involve trials of new sensors and weaponry. “It’s a very useful submarine,” Polmar said. Research submarines such as Losharik arguably are more important than ever for Russia’s strategic plans. The Russian navy for years clung to its position as one of the world’s most powerful fleets largely by refurbishing Cold War-vintage surface warships. But those ships and their support infrastructure are becoming harder to maintain. In October 2018 a fire broke out aboard PD-50, a 38-year-old floating drydock that at the time was cradling Admiral Kuznetsov, Russia’s sole aircraft carrier. PD-50 sank, damaging the carrier and killing two workers.Russia’s Biggest Warship Steams to SyriaWith no cheap or easy way to replace PD-50, the Kremlin is considering decommissioning the aging, unreliable Admiral Kuznetsov as part of a wider cull of Cold War-vintage vessels. To replace the old surface ships, Moscow has leaned on its historical strength as a builder of submarines. Putin’s government in recent years has accelerated production of new subs while also developing high-tech new weapons to arm the vessels. Russia plans to maintain a fleet of around 50 modern submarines, roughly matching the U.S. Navy’s own undersea strength. Russia’s submarine build-up includes the 574-foot-long Moscow, which is part-science vessel, part-spy ship, part-commando transport, and part-“mothership” for mini-subs and drones. Russia also is developing “Status-6,” an undersea drone that packs a radiological warhead that could contaminate vast stretches of enemy coast.It’s unclear what Losharik was doing when the fire broke out. The Russian Defense Ministry did not respond to questions The Daily Beast sent via email. Michael Kofman, a Russia expert with the Wilson Center in Washington, D.C., said the fire was probably the result of “a demonstration gone awry, perhaps of some new technology.”“You will note the casualty list includes seven captains first rank, on a submarine that would at most have one such officer serving,” Kofman noted. “This was an extraordinary crew of top elite captains,” Golts told The Daily Beast. “Whoever put them together on that vessel gave these captains a complicated task, which required their expertise and experience in oceanographic research.”Submariners are folk heroes in Russia. It’s not for nothing that the Russian public “is locked on the accident,” according to Pavel Podvig, an independent expert on the Russian military. Orthodox churches in the Russian port cities of Murmansk and Severomorsk on Wednesday held memorial services for the victims of the fire.Perhaps fearing another scandal like the Kursk sinking, Putin swiftly responded to the Losharik incident. On Tuesday he canceled a planned event and summoned Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to discuss the fire.The damage and loss of life could have been much worse, Shoigu claimed. The defense minister told reporters the crew heroically saved the life of a civilian aboard Losharik and closed hatches to prevent the flames from spreading. It’s unclear how much damage Losharik sustained and whether, or how quickly, the Kremlin could restore the vessel. The fire at least has stymied Russia’s undersea ambitions, according to Pavel Luzin, a professor of political science at Perm University in Russia. “Definitely, Russia temporarily lost one of its most advanced naval capabilities that is aimed at maintaining Russia’s strategic operations.”Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.

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APA fire broke out on a secretive Russian research submarine on Monday, killing 14 people and potentially slowing Russia’s efforts to develop new undersea weaponry.Flames roared through the nuclear-powered Project 1083 Losharik submarine apparently while the vessel was near its home port of Severomorsk on Russia’s Arctic coast. Among the crew who died in the accident are at least seven senior officers, two of whom had received the Hero of Russia award, the equivalent of the United States’ Medal of Honor.  Russian President Vladimir Putin described Losharik’s burning as a “big loss.” “This is not a regular vessel, you and I know this,” Putin told reporters. Fishermen told SeverPost, a Murmansk news agency, they observed Losharik surfacing near Kildin Island in the Barents Sea around 9:30 p.m. local time on Monday. “It came out of the water, all of it,” one fisherman said. “I’d never seen anything like that before,” the fisherman added. “There were people running, rushing on the deck.” “Fire is the biggest nightmare for sailors serving on submarines,” Alexander Golts, an independent military analyst, told The Daily Beast. “Anything could cause a fire. A short circuit, somebody’s negligence—anything.”The Losharik fire is Russia’s worst submarine disaster since 2008, when a fire-suppression system malfunctioned on the Russian navy attack submarine Nerpa, asphyxiating 20 people as the vessel underwent trials in the Sea of Japan. Eight years earlier in 2000, the missile submarine Kursk suffered an explosion and sank in the Barents Sea, killing 118 people. The Kursk’s sinking and Putin’s slowness to respond were major scandals in Russia.Nerpa and Kursk were fleet submarines with front-line military missions. Losharik by contrast is a deep-diving research vessel that belongs to the Kremlin’s Directorate of Deepwater Research. Losharik’s roughly 200-foot-long hull consists of seven titanium compartments that protect the vessel from the high pressure of extreme depths. Norman Polmar, a submarine expert and naval adviser to top U.S. government officials, estimated Losharik can dive as deep as 20,000 feet. Fleet submarines, including the U.S. Navy’s Virginia-class vessels, typically dive no deeper than 600 or 700 feet.Since launching in 2003, Losharik has undertaken some dangerous missions of national importance. In 2012 the submarine and an accompanying vessel drilled to a depth of almost two miles on the Arctic seabed in order to retrieve soil samples and identify the outer limits of Russia’s continental shelf.Many of the vessel’s other duties are shrouded in mystery, but could involve trials of new sensors and weaponry. “It’s a very useful submarine,” Polmar said. Research submarines such as Losharik arguably are more important than ever for Russia’s strategic plans. The Russian navy for years clung to its position as one of the world’s most powerful fleets largely by refurbishing Cold War-vintage surface warships. But those ships and their support infrastructure are becoming harder to maintain. In October 2018 a fire broke out aboard PD-50, a 38-year-old floating drydock that at the time was cradling Admiral Kuznetsov, Russia’s sole aircraft carrier. PD-50 sank, damaging the carrier and killing two workers.Russia’s Biggest Warship Steams to SyriaWith no cheap or easy way to replace PD-50, the Kremlin is considering decommissioning the aging, unreliable Admiral Kuznetsov as part of a wider cull of Cold War-vintage vessels. To replace the old surface ships, Moscow has leaned on its historical strength as a builder of submarines. Putin’s government in recent years has accelerated production of new subs while also developing high-tech new weapons to arm the vessels. Russia plans to maintain a fleet of around 50 modern submarines, roughly matching the U.S. Navy’s own undersea strength. Russia’s submarine build-up includes the 574-foot-long Moscow, which is part-science vessel, part-spy ship, part-commando transport, and part-“mothership” for mini-subs and drones. Russia also is developing “Status-6,” an undersea drone that packs a radiological warhead that could contaminate vast stretches of enemy coast.It’s unclear what Losharik was doing when the fire broke out. The Russian Defense Ministry did not respond to questions The Daily Beast sent via email. Michael Kofman, a Russia expert with the Wilson Center in Washington, D.C., said the fire was probably the result of “a demonstration gone awry, perhaps of some new technology.”“You will note the casualty list includes seven captains first rank, on a submarine that would at most have one such officer serving,” Kofman noted. “This was an extraordinary crew of top elite captains,” Golts told The Daily Beast. “Whoever put them together on that vessel gave these captains a complicated task, which required their expertise and experience in oceanographic research.”Submariners are folk heroes in Russia. It’s not for nothing that the Russian public “is locked on the accident,” according to Pavel Podvig, an independent expert on the Russian military. Orthodox churches in the Russian port cities of Murmansk and Severomorsk on Wednesday held memorial services for the victims of the fire.Perhaps fearing another scandal like the Kursk sinking, Putin swiftly responded to the Losharik incident. On Tuesday he canceled a planned event and summoned Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to discuss the fire.The damage and loss of life could have been much worse, Shoigu claimed. The defense minister told reporters the crew heroically saved the life of a civilian aboard Losharik and closed hatches to prevent the flames from spreading. It’s unclear how much damage Losharik sustained and whether, or how quickly, the Kremlin could restore the vessel. The fire at least has stymied Russia’s undersea ambitions, according to Pavel Luzin, a professor of political science at Perm University in Russia. “Definitely, Russia temporarily lost one of its most advanced naval capabilities that is aimed at maintaining Russia’s strategic operations.”Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.

July 04, 2019 at 10:45AM via IFTTT