#introduction to flight 8th

[trickphotography2]

D-Day by TrickPhotography | Chapter 21

Pairing: Jake "Hangman" Seresin x female!reader

Word count: 6.1k

Synopsis: After finding out his girlfriend is pregnant, Jake is ready to move in and get married. The last thing he expected was to be hit with a six-month deployment at sea and missing the birth of his first child.

18+, minors DNI

Chapter 20 | Series Master List | Ao3

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Chapter 21

The Jeep was silent, except for the road noise. Javy adjusted his grip on the wheel, the muscles in his jaw ticking as he stared straight ahead.

Your eyes darted over to him, a smile teasing the corner of your lips as you rubbed your belly. “You alright, Javy?” 

His throat bobbed, eyes flitting to meet yours before returning to the road. “I can’t watch you shit on the table.”

A mortified laugh burst from your mouth as you blushed. “I don’t want you to see that either. I mean, hopefully, it doesn’t happen, but - ”

“Don’t say ‘butt,’” he groaned.

“However,” you corrected, “fingers crossed, Mom will tap you out by the time I get to the pushing stage.”

“Thank god. I love you, and I love baby Seresin-Machado” - he’d placed a hand on your belly during the parent introductions and enjoyed the appreciative looks from the other moms when you corrected them about him being the godfather - “but watching you give birth might put me off sex forever.”

Smiling, you shifted in your seat and shook your head. The first birthing class had been interesting. Most of the time had been spent watching a movie you hadn’t seen since 8th grade - The Miracle of Birth. While mildly traumatizing to watch as a middle schooler, it was worse seeing it now, knowing that you were a few short weeks away from experiencing it. 

But what was even more amusing was watching Javy squirm. He silently gagged, hand over his mouth as he white-knuckled watching the baby crown. “Didn’t you watch it in sex ed or something?”

“No!” he huffed. “We got a banana and condom, and how to make sure that didn’t happen.” 

You couldn’t help but laugh, taking out your phone and hitting record. “Hey Jake - you wanted an update on how the classes went. Just here to tell you that we’ve traumatized your best friend.”

“Hangman,” Javy’s voice was solemn, and you flipped the camera toward him. His eyes darted away from the road briefly. “You owe me. This was worse than some of the shi- stuff…” he corrected with a grimace “that we saw during second class Spring Break.”

“Oh god, do I even want to know?” you asked. His answering grin was teasing.

“Your husband was pretty much the worst when we were in the Academy. And flight school. And FRO… actually, he’s just the worst in general. Why’d you marry him again?” 

“He got me pregnant.” 

“Well, he clearly didn’t pay attention in sex ed,” Coyote laughed, and the camera panned back to you. Jake couldn’t help but smile at the sight. You were smiling - really smiling, the corners of your eyes and nose crinkling - as you rolled your eyes. 

“Your daughter demands a baked potato, so we’re heading to dinner. I’ll talk to you later. Love you!” You blew a kiss at the camera before the video stopped. The text had been waiting for him when he got off duty, and he wished it wasn’t too late to call. 

Jake anxiously counted the days until he got home. It felt like a race against time, especially when you hit 35 weeks pregnant in a few days. While you and Dr. Shearer had said that Sloane didn’t seem like she would arrive anytime soon, he could only hope that his daughter listened to him and held on for as long as possible. And instead of hurrying home to your side, he was stuck in Japan again, the carrier taking its slow route back to the US. 

But it wasn’t just a race against time to get home for the birth that was keeping him up at night - Jake felt the gut-wrenching need to get home to you. 

Guilt had eaten at him since seeing you cry on Christmas and worsened with the talk the day after. While he knew the deployment was hard, you’d done a good job hiding how much you struggled. Jake hated himself for not catching it. For not questioning when you were up late when he texted, only relishing the opportunity to talk to you. Not noticing that the smiles you sent him in pictures and videos didn’t seem genuine or asking about the tears he sometimes thought he saw. Allowing himself to be distracted when you changed the subject the few times he tried to get a straight answer out of you. 

“We didn’t even know each other when we got married.”

His ex-wife’s words, casually stated but sharp as knives, taunted him. And, as much as he tried to drown them out, doubt crept in whenever he thought about you hiding your feelings from him. 

Yes, the situation was different. You’d been together for over a year, not just three months, when you got married. And he’d thought about proposing for a while instead of it being a drunken decision. 

But you were pregnant when he finally did it. Jake couldn’t bring himself to regret Sloane - he loved his little girl more than he ever thought was possible for someone he hadn’t met yet - but… would you have said yes if she wasn’t a factor? 

“We’re not going to sweat the short deployments.”

You’d said that before he went to Vegas for two weeks. Right before calling him on his shit… trying to pull away when he realized he’d fallen hard for you. Bracing himself for another relationship ending because of his career. 

Jake never thought you’d cheat, even though that’s where you’d thought his mind went. No, he was thinking about the toll being apart would take on your relationship. The two weeks away seemed like a big deal back then, but now, at the tail end of five months apart, it was almost laughable that he’d worried back then.

Would you have married him if you knew this was your future - alone, pregnant, and halfway across the world from your husband? Hell, would you have let him stay with you in that grocery store parking lot or sent him packing? Talked to him when he approached you in the hangar, phone clutched in hand and taking a picture of the F-35 tail?

Was it what you still wanted? 

Was he what you wanted?

The email from Admiral Tritz hit his inbox sometime overnight, congratulating him on being approved by the selection board to promote to Lieutenant Commander. Just like he’d promised after dropping the bomb that Jake was deploying on short notice. The official list wasn’t released - there was no notice from NAVYADMIN, and that wouldn’t go out until May - but Tritz had said he would be merit-promoted for the next fiscal year. 

Accepting the promotion and pinning on those oak leaves would require reenlistment. After completing his initial service commitment, his current contract had only a year and a half left.

By the time the list was officially published, he would have just one year before never having to put you through another deployment. You wouldn’t have to worry about moving - they wouldn’t give him orders with so little time left - so you wouldn’t have to leave a job you liked. You could buy a house in Lemoore or any place of your choosing.

Sloane could grow up in one place instead of moving around every few years like the two of you had. 

Jake would be there to watch his little girl grow up, not missing months of her life when he deployed. 

Before, accepting the promotion wouldn’t have been a question - he’d always imagined himself serving his 20 years, if not more. The Navy was a way of life, and Jake Seresin felt the most alive sitting in the cockpit. 

But that was before you.

Before he fell in love and realized how hard being apart was. Before discovering he would be a father and only having a few days to be part of the pregnancy. Before realizing what it meant to be away from his wife and kid for long periods. 

In times like this, Jake wished he had someone to talk to about juggling family life and a military career. While a few people in his squadron had kids, he didn’t feel close enough to ask them how they managed, and none of his close friends had them. As much as Mav was a mentor as an aviator, he hadn’t been around to help raise his soon-to-be stepdaughter. The idea of asking his father was laughable and served more as a cautionary tale of what not to do. 

But as Jake changed into his PT gear for a workout after making plans to meet up with Rooster in the wardroom for dinner, it dawned on him that he did have someone he could talk to.

Sorry for the early text, but do you have time to talk this weekend?

Even though it was almost three in the morning in Florida, the message was read immediately, and a text bubble popped up.

Everything okay? 

Shit. He probably thought that something was wrong with you or the baby. Quickly, Jake responded - Yeah, everyone’s fine. I just wanted your input on something. 

I’m free now. I'm just enjoying my coffee before work.

After hesitating, he sat at his desk and called his father-in-law. The call was answered on the first ring.

“Hey, Jake. What’s on your mind?” 

Shifting on the couch, you shrugged, “I don’t know.” Helen didn't say anything. You hated the silence. To stall, you sipped your decaf coffee while thinking through her question. “I just��I had ideas for how our first big deployment would go.”

“Such as?" 

“Not being pregnant,” you smirked. “Sending sexy pictures in care packages, talking when we could… it wouldn’t be a big deal. I’d keep living my life, and he would live his.”

“Your husband doesn’t find you sexy?”

Snorting, you blushed. You recalled him bending you over the bathroom vanity, making you watch as he fucked you in that damn cowboy hat and told you how sexy you were. Jake stroking his cock in the shower when you visited, his gaze drinking you in. His words echoed in your ears - “Mama, I’ve dreamed about this.” 

“He’s…” you cleared your throat, “fine with how I look.” The corner of Helen’s mouth twitched as she raised an eyebrow. Your blush deepened, thinking of all the pictures and videos he’d taken in the hotel room, whispering how they would join his rotation. “My husband is stuck in a floating city in the middle of the ocean with most of the other people being men. Turning him on wasn’t exactly hard. I’m just lucky - ” you cut yourself off. 

“Lucky?” she prompted.

You took a deep breath and leaned forward, placing the coffee on the table. “Jake was married before, and his ex cheated on him when he was deployed. He worried a lot about that and her health stuff their whole marriage. And his dad cheated on his mom all the time - they’re a whole different set of problems,” you added with a roll of your eyes. “So he is huge on not cheating. Which, of course, I would never do. And he would never. But my husband is really attractive.” Pulling out your phone, you flipped through your pictures, smiling as you landed on one of him mowing the lawn shirtless. Helen’s eyes flicked toward it when you turned the phone around. “I see the looks he gets. I trust him, but…”

“You don’t feel attractive.” 

Nodding, tears welled in your eyes, and a spike of irritation shot through you. “I hate this. I’m not this girl - I don’t need male validation to feel good about myself. I don’t need a man for anything! And yet I find myself sitting here, fucking crying because Jake's gone, and I feel like shit, I’m not happy, and I’m really fucking lonely. And I just…” Hot tears fell as you bit your lower lip, trying to hold back a sob. Helen leaned forward and held out a tissue box. Taking one, you dabbed at your eyes and nose. “I thought it’d be easier. I thought I could handle being alone and doing all this because I saw my mom do it.”

“You’re not meeting the standard you set for yourself.” 

“I told Jake I could do this, and I’m... I’m failing at it.” Blowing out a breath, you shook your head. “I-I’m making this harder on him than it has to be. He’s got bigger things to worry about than me falling apart at home.”

“You’re not as important as his job.” 

“No. I mean, yes,” you quickly corrected, twisting the tissue into knots. “Maybe? In a different way.” Helen stayed silent, tilting her chin to invite you to continue. “His job is dangerous, and he loves it. But all it would take is a split second for something to go wrong. For him to get distracted and pull his focus away. A-and…”

“You’re a distraction.” Unable to speak around the lump in your throat, you nodded. “Have you spoken to your husband about how you’re feeling?” 

Sloane’s foot tapped your fingers, and you smiled faintly at the memory of his words on the trip she’d been conceived on. How he’d used your question about if the mission was dangerous as the opening to negotiations to get married. “He’s one of the best. He’d tell me not to worry.” 

“I’ll take that as you haven’t told him?” When you nodded, she set aside her notepad and pencil. “It’s easy for someone we love to tell us not to worry, but it doesn’t make it go away. Did you feel like this before you were pregnant?”

“Not as badly. I worried, but it wasn’t like this.” Helen nodded.

“Different things can contribute to increased anxiety. There are biological factors - hormone and neurochemical changes - that you can be experiencing. We can work with your doctor on medications for those or get you referred to a psychiatrist if you’d prefer specialist care. However, your environment and experiences can also be a contributing factor. Have you heard of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy?” 

“No.”

She grabbed her notebook and flipped to a blank page, writing three words and drawing arrows between them. “CBT looks at the relationship between our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors and how they influence each other. For example, let’s say I’m at work and have a thought that I’m not good at my job. What emotions might that bring up?”

“I don’t know… embarrassment.”

“That’s one. What about others?”

“Frustration, anger… resentment?”

“Maybe fear?” Helen offered, and you nodded. “So these emotions are brewing,” she pointed at ‘emotions’ on the page before moving her pencil to ‘behaviors.’ “How might those emotions show up in my work?”

“Not volunteering for stuff or calling out to avoid the problem.”

“Maybe isolating as well? Quitting?”

“That seems pretty extreme.”

“It does,” she agreed. “But if I continue to have this thought of ‘I’m not good enough’ and these emotions of embarrassment, frustration, anger, and resentment circling in my brain, that thought gets coded in there. It can create what we call a schema or a core belief. Core beliefs are our mental shortcuts in interpreting the world and spin off automatic thoughts. What comes to mind when I use that term?”

“Subconscious thoughts,” you said, putting your hands on your belly when Sloane kicked. “Intrusive ones, maybe?”

“Automatic thoughts are just our brain processing stimuli as we go about our day - they can be good, bad, or neutral depending on the situation. It all depends on how we interpret that thought by running it through our core beliefs. Going back to the example, let’s say I mess up at work. With that core belief of ‘I’m not good enough,’ what kind of automatic thoughts might shoot out?”

“It’s more proof I don’t know what I’m doing.” 

“Yup. And it loops in all of those negative emotions we talked about earlier. So what we want to do is challenge those thoughts - push back on them to change our emotions and behaviors. How might I challenge that thought of messing up as more proof that I don’t know what I’m doing?”

“Mistakes happen.”

“‘To err is human’ and all that,” Helen smiled. “I can give myself a break. By thinking of an alternative realistic thought, I’ve pushed back on a cognitive distortion - a mental bias or flawed thinking. Like perfectionism, or ignoring the positive things in favor of focusing on the negative.” Taking a breath, she set her notepad down and leveled you with a look. You tensed. “Would you be okay if I share some things I’ve picked up on in our last few sessions?”

“Sure,” you said hesitantly. 

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but you see yourself as a very independent person.”

“Is that a bad thing?” 

“No,” Helen said quickly. “Independence is a good thing. However, it can cause some… friction… when your desire for autonomy and self-reliance butt up against situations where having a partner or someone to rely on might be beneficial. When you fixate on how you think things should be done, rather than how they are.” You just stared at her for a long moment.

“So you’re saying I’m stubborn.” The words fell from your lips, an accusation you’d heard many times. 

“You have high expectations for yourself. From what we’ve discussed, a lot of responsibility fell on you at a young age. When your dad deployed, it was just you and your mom, and you moved a lot. And that combination instilled a lot of independence in you. It made it easier for you to adapt to new situations and face challenges and made you stronger. And” - she tilted her head again - “you got a front-row seat to see how the military can influence a marriage. That up-close view contributes to your black-and-white thinking - you expect yourself to be that perfect spouse where you are independent and don’t need your husband because otherwise, you’re failing and letting him down by wanting and needing that extra support. You’re not allowing for the grey area, where you may succeed in some aspects but struggle in others. And, at the same time, you’re also measuring yourself against Jake’s ex-wife and allowing that to shape your belief about how to be the best partner for him - one who doesn’t place demands on him or cause additional stress.” 

You blinked at her, feeling a flush creep up your cheeks. “And here I thought I just had control issues,” you said, trying and failing to sound flippant. 

Helen leaned forward and offered you the tissue box. It took you a moment to realize your cheeks were damp again. “Control and perfectionism go hand in hand. Those cognitive distortions won’t be confined only to your marriage but will show up in other aspects of your life. Normally, I wouldn’t tell a client that all at once. But does any of that ring true?” 

Clearing your throat, you nodded. “M-my therapist in college said something kinda similar. But am I… are we,” your hand fell to your stomach again. “Am I setting my daughter up for the same problem? Raising Sloane, knowing that Jake will be gone at times?” 

Helen encouraged you to do something to take care of yourself after the session. Leaving her office, you cried in the car, overwhelmed and happy you’d taken the rest of the day off. The house was too quiet when you got home, and you quickly changed out of your work clothes for something more comfortable. Sitting before the television, you let your eyes blur, thinking what you could do for yourself. Reuben had swung by your office and invited you to the bar after work for drinks and games, but you didn’t want to deal with the bar scene. You always got dirty looks for being there, even when you were nursing a soda. 

The sound of waves shook you from your stupor, and you watched the cruise commercial before pushing off the couch. It had been too long since you’d been to the beach. You couldn’t help but think about the last time you’d stepped foot in the ocean, coral sand underfoot as Jake held you in Japan. In Florida, you’d made sure to go to the beach at least a few times a year, and always before New Year's Eve. It had been a nice way to wrap up the year, looking for small sand dollars in the surf and giving yourself time to reflect.  

Throwing an overnight bag together, you sent a message to the group chat saying you were passing on the night out. Evening traffic held you up as you headed out of town, directions for the nearest beach pulled up. It was a two-hour drive, and you had to stop frequently to use the bathroom, but it felt good to be doing something. Hotels in the area were slightly cheaper in the off-season, and you found a cute bed and breakfast with ocean views. 

When Jake responded to your text from the harbor when you’d grabbed dinner, you knew his question about the wisdom of being so far away from the hospital came from a place of love and concern, but it annoyed you. So when he asked if you were available for a call, you just texted back three words: I need this. Leaving the phone on the bed, you walked to the sliding glass doors, pushed them open, and collapsed into one of the patio chairs. Waves crashed in the bay across the street, and you let your eyes drift closed while listening to the noise from the nearby restaurant. When you went back inside, you had a few missed calls from him and two voice notes. 

“If goin’ to the beach is what you needed, I’m glad you’re there. I just… never mind. I’m gonna play basketball with the guys. I’ll try you again when I’m done.” You felt a pang of hurt and regret at his frustrated tone and the abrupt cut-off. Your thumb hovered over the second note for a long moment before closing your eyes and tapping the screen. Jake’s sigh greeted you, “I love you, darlin’. I miss you. Do whatever you need to to feel better, but don’t cut me out. Please.”

Sniffling, you brushed away the tears on your cheeks and held the phone up to record your voice note. “I’m sorry, babe. I love you, too. I had therapy earlier and feel a little… off. Gonna take a bath, so give me a call when you’re free.”

The hot water felt good as you sank into the tub, your belly exposed to the cool air. The parenting class had suggested a thermometer for the bathtub, and you’d tossed the little otter in to test it, along with some lavender-scented Epsom salts. Dr. Shearer’s nurse had given you the go-ahead for a hot bath - within reason - when you’d called earlier and asked if it was okay. Lowering yourself so the water covered your shoulders, you felt a smile tug at your lips. It felt so good to have a hot bath, even if you did have to promise to keep it short and a cold bottle of water within reach. Closing your eyes, you relaxed in the tub, smiling at the small waves that Sloane made when she shifted. 

When the timer sounded, you groaned and turned it off. The water drained around you, lapping against your breasts, and you hesitated before drying off your hands and reaching for the phone again. Using your toes to close the drain, you held the camera up and stared at yourself on the screen. Your cheeks were flushed, and your hair piled on top of your head, loose strands curling around your face with the heat. Feeling slightly foolish, you sank lower in the water, so it just covered your nipples and snapped a picture. Quickly locking the screen, you got out of the tub and dried off. The towel couldn’t wrap around your front when you tucked it around your chest, your belly-busting through the gap. Feeling ridiculous again, you took another picture before getting dressed.

After turning on the gas fireplace, you climbed into bed to ward off the January chill. The flames flickered across the room as you cuddled with your pregnancy pillow, wishing it was your husband. Grabbing your phone, you pulled up the pictures you’d just taken and studied them. They weren’t… horrible. As much as you felt like a beached whale, they weren’t the worst.

Groaning, you let the phone fall before lifting it again and flipping to your notes app. Helen told you to start tracking your negative thoughts about yourself and how you challenged them so you could talk about them in session. I feel like a beached whale you typed. The cursor blinked as you stared at the words and felt tears burning your eyes. 

I’m letting Jake and Sloane down quickly joined the list. And then they flowed out of you.

I’m weak

I’m going to be the reason Jake leaves the Navy

Jake will resent me for keeping him from doing something he loves

He’s going to get hurt because of me

I’m not going to be a good mom

I’m failing as a wife

Jake isn’t going to find me attractive

I’m not strong enough to do this

Jake is going to leave me

I’m just like his ex

I’m the reason Jake won’t talk to his mom and sister

The screen changed as you typed another thought, switching to a picture of Jake. Sending the call to voicemail, you sat up and swiped at your tear-stained cheeks. 

Another call came in, and you also sent that one to voicemail. Getting out of bed, you hurried to the bathroom to splash water on your face. The screen lit up with a text - Just tell me if you don’t want to talk.

A sob burst from your mouth as you picked up the phone with shaking hands. I just need a minute. Pressing a hand to your mouth, you met your gaze in the mirror and told yourself to stop. You couldn’t make Jake sit through another call when you were falling apart. 

Sixty seconds later, the phone lit up again. Knowing you couldn’t ignore another call, you turned on the sink and grabbed your electric toothbrush, hitting the on button before answering and putting it on speaker. “Darlin’?” 

Turning off the toothbrush, you spit into the sink and splashed more water on your face, making enough noise that Jake would hear you. But just the sound of his voice made your throat tight, and you buried your face in the handtowel, forcing yourself to take deep breaths. “Just a minute,” you said, using the cloth to muffle your voice. After clearing your throat and breathing, you said, “Hey.”

“Hey.” You heard him clear his throat. “Are you mad at me, sweetheart?”

“Fuck, Jake,” you snapped, tears starting to fall again. 

“What?” 

“I just stopped crying, damn it.” And then, to your horror, the phone rang again as he tried to video call you. You denied it. As you scrambled to call him, he video-called again. When you declined it and called him, he picked up and hissed your name.

“I wanna see your goddamn face.”

“No. C-can’t we just t-talk?” 

“No. You’re just gonna fuckin’ lie to me again and tell me that everything’s fine when it’s not. I can’t trust you to tell me the truth unless I’m lookin’ at you.” 

So when the video call came through, you snatched the phone up and glared at your husband sitting at the desk in his stateroom. “Happy?” you demanded.

“Thrilled,” he shot back. “Nothin’ I love more than seein’ my wife in tears again.” 

“You asked for it! We could have just talked on the phone and - ”

“Pretended everything was okay instead of you being honest with me?”

“I’m trying to make this easier for you!”

“Stop making it easy on me!” Jake yelled, green eyes flashing with anger. “Jesus fuckin’ Christ - just stop! Yell at me, make me feel like shit - tell me that I’m the reason you’re depressed and that I abandon you when I’m supposed to be with you. That I’m letting my wife and daughter down by not being there to take care of you when you need me, and you’re already talkin’ to a lawyer about getting a divorce because you can’t do this anymore, and - ”

“Jake - ”

“You’d have been better off not marrying me, and - ”

“Jake - ”

“Sloane is gonna hate me for being a deadbeat who - ”

“Jacob Michael!” You stared at him, wide-eyed with shock at his tirade. Jake’s face flushed, his chest heaving like he’d been running. As you watched, he dropped his head into his hands, fingers tugging on his hair so harshly you wished you were there to stop him. “Stop,” you said softly. 

“I can’t,” he mumbled. 

“Yes, you…” You trailed off when he lifted his head, and you saw his tearful eyes. “Honey, are - are you alright?”

That made him chuckle, and he scrubbed a hand down his face, his wedding band glinting. “You’re supposed to be yelling at me, darlin’.”

“I’m not gonna yell at you.” 

“You should. I deserve it.” 

“Why?” At that, he scoffed and started ticking the reasons off his fingers.

“I knocked you up and then got hit with a deployment a week later. And made you marry me before I left. Then - ”

“You didn’t ‘knock me up,’” you said, putting a protective hand over your belly. That phrasing felt… wrong. “We got pregnant. And then decided to get married a little faster than we initially planned.”

“I still left you.”

“You didn’t want to.” 

“Still makes me a shitty husband and father.” 

“I… I feel like I’m a shitty wife and mom,” you said softly.

“You’re not.”

“You’re not, either.” Taking the moment of silence as an opportunity to leave the bathroom, you settled in a chair by the fire. It threw just enough light to see your face but gave you cover to feel comfortable admitting, “I-I’m afraid you’re gonna leave the Navy because of me.” Jake’s jaw ticked, and he looked away from the camera. Your heart lept into your throat.

“I don’t know how long I can do this, darlin’. But if I separate, it’s gonna be my choice.”

Drawing in a shaky breath, you shook your head. “Jake, I know it’s been hard but - ”

“I got the promotion.” 

“You did? Congra - ”

“I have to sign on for three more years if I accept it.” You stared at him for a moment before nodding slowly. 

“Okay. We can do that.”

“Sweetheart. I don’t know if I can do that. This deployment has been the worst one I’ve been on, and I don’t know if I can do it again. Bein’ away from you was hard enough, but next time, I’ll be away from Sloane, too. Realistically, we’re lookin’ at another five years - minimum - if I do it. That’s five years of maybe missing birthdays, anniversaries, her firsts… I don’t know if it’s worth it.”

“B-but you love flying.”

“I do. But I love my girls more. And I can find different ways of doing it.” He sighed when he saw the flash of your teeth as you chewed your lip. “Say it. And turn on a light so I can see you.” 

Staying put, you closed your eyes, unable to see him when you forced the words out. “I’m afraid you’re gonna blame me if you’re unhappy if you separate. I’m afraid I’m making your life harder like your ex-wife.” 

There was silence for a long moment, then the sound of metal scraping. Opening one eye, you saw Jake pacing, hands back in his hair. You watched, wishing you were there to hold him. Finally, he turned back to the camera and growled, “I want to see you when I say this, darlin’, so turn on a damn light.” Reluctantly, you stood and moved to the bed, flicking on the lamp and pulling one of the arms of your pregnancy pillow over your lap. Leaning on the desk, he stared at you, his expression stern. “If and when I leave the Navy, it’s gonna because I want to. We’ll discuss it, but when I’m done, I’m done.”

“I can do this, Jake. I - ”

“When,” he spoke over you, “I am done, I’m done. I will not lose my family because of the military.”

“You won’t,” you muttered. He ignored you and continued. 

“You, Sloane, and any other kids we have will come before my job. And I will tell you every day until you get it through your thick, beautiful skull - you are my priority, darlin’. Nothin’ else matters but you and our family. Understood?” 

“Ja - ”

“Understood?” 

“Yes, Lieutenant Seresin, sir!” you snapped, giving him a mocking salute. 

“Pause.” 

“What?”

“Pause,” Jake repeated, disappearing from the screen as you resisted the urge to disconnect the call. When he returned, he held up a well-worn paper before reading from it. “Update four - ‘Parties agree not to walk out on arguments. Parties agree to request a ‘pause’ if necessary and will finish the discussion when cooler heads prevail.’ You wrote it, darlin’, so I’m calling a pause.” 

“Fine,” you huffed, blinking back tears at the reappearance of the contract. His having it with him made your heart skip a beat. You watched him read over it again before shaking his head.

“We never updated this. We need to.” 

“It’s stupid.” His eyes shot to yours, and he shook his head.

“It’s not. I take this as seriously as our vows, sweetheart. But we need to figure out what anniversary we’re gonna update it on.” 

“You only want one anniversary.”

“But you want two - a sentimental one and our wedding anniversary. So what’s it gonna be? When are we gonna update this instead of doing” - he paused to look at the paper again - “‘ad hoc meetings to discuss clauses and conditions as they arise’?” A smile tugged at your lips as you shook your head. 

“Pretty sure it says ‘annual dating contract’ at the top, Seresin. So that would put it up for review in a few months.” 

“Gonna have to rename it to ‘annual marriage contract,’ Seresin,” he shot back.

“Gonna add it to your list of updates you want?” 

“Yup. Right up there with you sending me more dirty pictures.” You flushed, looking away from the camera. “Mrs. Seresin,” Jake said, his tone teasing. “You have something to tell me?” 

Jake got you to send the two pictures you’d taken earlier in the night through cajoling and pleading. And when he’d started talking about how sexy you were in them, you tried to shut it down without success, which kicked off the fight again, your husband begging you to understand how attractive he found you. 

It was lucky that Rooster and Fritz were on liberty because the call lasted hours. You plugged in your phone when the battery almost died, set it down when it overheated, and your arm tired of holding it up. A few more pauses were called, and you couldn’t help but chuckle when Jake pointed out that you were both going all out for your third official fight of the relationship. 

And, as hard as it was to hear, it was good that you were fighting. Sure, your husband calling you a “creepy Stepford wife version of the woman I fell in love with” wasn’t exactly great. Still, he didn’t really appreciate being called “an arrogant asshole who would prefer to martyr yourself instead of listening to your fucking wife and letting her decide what she can and can’t take.” But for the first time since finding out he was deploying, it felt like you and Jake were being honest with one another about how you felt. About how hard navigating the pregnancy, deployment, and first months of your marriage had been for both of you. 

At some point, you fell asleep during a pause. When you woke the following day, you scrambled to grab your phone and was greeted with a message from Jake.

I love you. You’re the best thing that ever happened to me. I can’t wait to get home and show you exactly how much I love you and our daughter. Only 6 more weeks, darling. 

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

Author's Note: Did I have to write extensively about CBT? Probably not, but it's my favorite modality to use. It was kind of fun writing Jake and Darlin' fighting because they don't do it that often, but was definitely needed to clear the air. It was fun going back through some of their highlights from previous chapters. Not to mention Jake realizing that he has a whole other family that he can lean on now, and calling his father-in-law for advice.

And Javy continues to be the best godfather.

Read Chapter 22

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[usafphantom2]

SEPECAT Jaguar an Anglo-French jet attack aircraft.

First flight Sept 8th, 1968, introduction to service 1973. 543 Jaguars produced, and although retired by Ecuador, France, Nigeria, Oman and UK an upgraded variant still serves with Indian Air Force.

credit Aviation Titan

@CcibChris via X

[rabbitcruiser]

First Contact Day

On April 5th, 2063, Zefram Cochrane makes first contact between man and extraterrestrials: this day is for Trekkies everywhere to let their geekdom out.

Are you one of those people who is considered to be a real, committed Trekkie? Did you spend your youth trying to Vulcan Nerve Pinch those problems away? Is there a regulation StarFleet uniform in the closet and is speaking Klingon as a second language a lifelong pursuit?

Then it’s time to get that uniform on and prepare to celebrate First Contact! First Contact Day is celebrated by fans everywhere. Even those people who don’t know Zefram Cochrane from Zac Efron are still absolutely welcome to join in!

First Contact Day is a great time to learn more about the entire Star Trek franchise and what it has meant to Science Fiction fans over the years.

History of First Contact Day

There is one day in the history of mankind in the Star Trek universe that stands out above all others, even though it’s only celebrated as a relatively minor holiday. It is none other than First Contact Day.

According to Star Trek “history”, on that day in 2063, Zefram Cochrane first took a flight at speeds in excess of Warp 1 in the Phoenix, alerting the Vulcan race to their entrance into the interstellar community and initiating the first contact. Some 300 years later it was commemorated as First Contact Day, and the celebration went on from there. Star Trek: First Contact Day commemorates this particular day in real life, in earth time, and fans all over the world have the opportunity to get together to celebrate the most pivotal moment in Star Trek human history!

First Contact is an important part of the introduction of a species into the galactic community and is handled very carefully by the extant species of StarFleet. Generally speaking, it has been found to be beneficial to privately approach the scientists and other intellectuals of the target species with the belief that they’ll be ready to accept the existence of off-world species. The approach is generally timed for when the species is about to enter the galactic community by engaging in their first faster-than-light travel.

From that point, the new species receives an explanation about what the universe outside their solar system is like and then are welcomed in. It’s a bit of a complicated process but it’s ultimately effective in solving a lot of problems in the universe.

So why does First Contact Day happen on April 5th? It seems that the show’s co-creator, Ronald D. Moore, chose the day because it is his eldest son’s birthday. That sounds like another great reason to celebrate!

How to Celebrate First Contact Day

Celebrating this pivotal moment in all of human history is no small feat! Especially since the day hasn’t technically happened yet. It will happen in the future–in 2063.

Join in on these fun activities for honoring the day, or come up with some other creative Trekkie ideas:

Watch Star Trek Shows and Films

The first step to celebrating this day is getting out Star Trek: First Contact and giving it a fresh watch. This 1996 film was the 8th in the Star Trek film series, and the second to star the beloved cast from the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation.

But watching this one film can be just the beginning because the shows and movies have come and gone since the 1960s, so the options for watching are probably just about endless. To get some background information particularly on First Contact Day, it might be helpful to watch the original Star Trek series episode, Metamorphosis, in which the crew meets a very young Zefram Cochrane.

Host a Star Trek: First Contact Party

One great idea is to have a Star Trek: First Contact Day celebration like they do in Star Trek! Just get together with various Trekkie friends, preferably dressed in uniform, and bring out Zefram Cochrane’s favorite foods such as cheeses and cheese pierogi. Don’t forget to play some old style rock and roll on the radio and party like it’s 2063!

That’s the beginning of a fantastic celebration, and since everyone is already together, it would be a great time to go ahead and run a complete marathon of all the movies!

Create a Star Trek Playlist

Space themed music is so next year! While hosting that party, some excellent tunes (including some oldies that Zefram Cochrane loved!) will be necessary to get everyone grooving. Try these songs out on a playlist:

Magic Carpet Ride (1968) Steppenwolf

Ooby Dooby (1961) Roy Orbison

Star Trekkin’ (1987) The Firm

The Picard Song (2001) Dark Materia

Space Song (2015) Beach House

Intergalactic (1998) Beastie Boys

Mr. Spock’s Brain (1993) S.P.O.C.K.

Enjoy Some Whiskey in Honor of Dr. Cochrane

Whether at a full party or with just a few friends, celebrating First Contact Day should honor Zefram Cochrane, and he did love his whiskey! In fact, he claims he has a hangover from whiskey just before using his rocket, Phoenix, to become the first ever human to break warp speed. And this paved the way to the development of the United Federation of Planets. So that’s surely something worth toasting!

Check Out the Star Trek Website

To learn more about First Contact Day and the entire Star Trek franchise, take a little peek at the website. This online resource offers all kinds of background information for fans and novices to go one step further, and maybe even — “to go boldly where no man has gone before”!

Source

[highlighthq]

⋆˙⟡ HIGHLIGHT TV DEBUT SHOW, FILMING COMMENCES SEPT 7TH-11TH 2023.

highlight tv is setting up at the location as we write this post to make sure it is ready for your arrival. all highlight tv cast members will be whisked off to tuscany, italy on september 6th to the first hotel. there, you will be able to get ready for filming which commences on september 7th, 2023. all cast members will attend a welcome brunch at 11am at their home for the next few days. the hotel? rosewood castiglion del bosco, one of the best resorts in the world. please click this link to see the resort in which you will be staying at. highlight tv has hired out the luxury resort for the filming so only cast members will be there. itinerary and extra information is under the read more.

september 6th, you'll have a flight booked for you to fly you to italy. you'll all be put in a hotel for one night. we didn't want your first time to be on camera to be after a long flight, after all ! september 7th, everyone will arrive one by one and be introduced to the camera for the audience. filming as a group will then commence at an introduction brunch at 11am on the estate premises which will be cooked by the resort's own chefs. each person will be given their own suite but there will be plenty of time for interactions with the rest of the members. couples will have a shared suite. please see below an itinerary for the stay in italy with a note if the activity is mandatory or not. mandatory events are where everyone needs to be there, especially for filming. filming will be done at the other events too, but your character does not need to go if you choose not to. they are there to give your characters something to do more and allow interaction between the other members.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 7TH

9am - 10:55am ( mandatory ) / camera crew to film individual introductions of everyone, quick 2-3 minute clip of each person. no time for second takes, so make sure to make a good impression !

11am - 1pm ( mandatory ) / welcome brunch hosted in osteria la canonica. highlight tv hosts will be there to say a few words and then food will be brought out. seating plans will be announced a couple of days before the event so you can know where you are sitting. we want to boost interaction between people right from the get go.

1:15pm - 7pm / downtime for everyone. the first day is always the most nervous and we want you all to get settled in. go and explore the estate. there's a private golf course & club, an infinity pool, a spa and a fitness centre. whether you take a break in your suite or go and be active, it's your time. the bars will be open for you to go and relax if you wanted too. this also gives you time to get ready before the evening event.

7:30pm - 12am ( mandatory ) / the hotel hosts la festa della domenica through the summer months and into september. this is usually held on a sunday, but after discussions with the producers, they have agreed to host for highlight tv and the members on their first night on the estate. it brings together all of the guests to the heart of the borgo for a culinary feast under the stars. after dinner, highlight tv have hired a dj to host a private set for an opening party. specialist cocktails have been made for you by the mixologists at the estate.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 8TH

8am - 10am / breakfast will be held in the lobby dining area. this will be the same every morning. make sure to get your breakfast and coffee to start your morning right before your activities.

10:30am - 2pm / golf pros at the estate will be at the golf club to give lessons for members if they want to. golf course will be open for anyone who just wants a quiet round of golf. if golf isn't your thing, the spa will be open. feel free to have any treatments you want. it's on highlight tv.

4pm - 6pm / champagne and wine tasting at the brunellerie with charcuterie boards. don't drink alcohol ? no problem ! there will be non-alcoholic beverages for you to enjoy.

8pm - 11pm ( mandatory ) / dinner cooked by the executive chef at the ristorante campo del drago.

11:15pm - 3am / pool bar open till late with a dj and cocktails for those night owls.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 9TH

8am - 10am / breakfast will be held in the lobby dining area once more.

11am - 5pm ( mandatory ) / pool party held in the private villa on the estate. there will be a dj, food and drinks for you all. party to your heart's content or take a dip in the pool.

8pm - 10pm / dinner in any of the dining areas if you so choose. the rest of the night will be pretty chill considering the day was so full on.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 10TH

8am - 10am / breakfast will be held in the lobby dining area once again.

10:15am - 6pm / it's your last chance to make use of the estate's amenities. go take a dip in the pool, one last game of golf, a treatment or two in the spa or make use of the fitness centre.

7:30pm - 2am ( mandatory ) / last night you say ? of course the producers have gone all out ! party in the the piazzetta. the borgo piazzetta is the town square, and it's cornered off for the party of the week. djs, entertainment and lots of food and drink will be on offer for the entire crew. theme is pink party. please come dressed in pink, and dressed to impress.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 11TH

11am - 2pm ( mandatory ) / farewell brunch for the crew. producers will say their final words and give hints to the next event to keep you guessing until next month. your character will get a chance to say a 2-3 minute farewell message for the final episode and everyone will get a chance to say goodbye to each other. filming will then wrap and you'll be whisked back to your own homes. until next location !

there will be a round-up posted on the higlight tv blog a few days after filming, when we ask everyone to update their sideblog.

[lboogie1906]

Lieutenant Colonel Shawna Rochelle Kimbrell (April 20, 1976) is the first African American female fighter pilot in the US Air Force. She was born in Lafayette, Indiana to Eve Blackman Ng A Qui and Dr. Norman N A Qui, who migrated from Guyana. The family moved to Parker, Colorado. She decided she wanted to become a fighter pilot in the fourth grade and had her first flight lesson at the age of fourteen. She joined the Civil Air Patrol and worked at air shows while earning her private pilot’s license.

She received her commission after she graduated from the US Air Force Academy in Colorado with a BS in General Engineering. She received an MS in Business Administration from Touro University. She attended undergraduate pilot training at Laughlin Air Force Base and earned her pilot wings. She completed Introduction to Fighter Fundamental training at Randolph AFB. She graduated from F-16 training at Luke AFB and became the first African American female fighter pilot in the USAF.

Her first operational assignment was with the 13th Fighter Squadron. She served as an F-16 fighter pilot, in support of Operation Northern and Southern Watch. She was the first African American female to fly in a combat mission for the 35th Fighter Wing. She served in the 8th Operations Support Squadron at the Kunsan Air Base as an F-16 fighter pilot and Chief of Wing Scheduling. She graduated from the Joint Fire Control Course and was assigned to the 15th Air Support Operations Squadron.

She served as the course manager for the Air Liaison Officer Qualification Course and instructor with the 6th Combat Training Squadron. She is a member of the 78th Attack Squadron and serves as an MQ-9 pilot and Mission Commander.

She has over 2,100 flight hours and has been awarded numerous awards throughout her career, including five Aerial Achievement Medals, two Air Force Commendations Medals, and the National Defense Service Medal. She married Travis Kimbrell and they have two sons. She works as a course manager and instructor for the Air Liaison Officer Qualification Course. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

[arjunsinghh]

Vi TeeWalk 2025: Where Innovation, Skill & Tradition Meet on the Greens

Success in both golf and business is driven by strategy, resilience, and precision. As we approach the 14th edition of Vi TeeWalk, this year’s event promises to blend golf's timeless traditions with cutting-edge technology and star power, making it bigger and better than ever before.

Taking place across three cities—Delhi on February 23rd, Bangalore on March 1st, and Mumbai on March 8th—Vi TeeWalk 2025 is set to transform the golfing experience. With the introduction of IoT-based environmental tracking, AI-powered swing analysis through Trackman, and insights from pro golfer Ridhima Dilawari, participants can expect a thrilling combination of innovation and inspiration.

Let’s dive into how these new features align with key principles of golf and leadership, creating a unique connection between the course and the boardroom.

1. Strategic Thinking: IoT Tech for Smarter Decisions

In golf, every decision, starting with the first shot, affects the game. This year, Vi TeeWalk incorporates IoT technology to enhance decision-making. Sensors measuring moisture, temperature, humidity, and wind speed provide real-time environmental data, helping players make smarter choices.

Moisture & Humidity: Helps players assess grass conditions to optimize shot selection.

Temperature Insights: Understands how weather impacts ball performance.

Wind Speed & Direction: Offers precise data for adjusting swing and strategy.

These insights, displayed on TV screens across the course, empower players to adjust their strategies based on actionable data, elevating the traditional golf experience with a tech-driven edge.

2. Resilience: Trackman’s AI Swing Analysis

Every golfer faces challenges, whether it’s navigating a tricky bunker or battling the elements. Trackman’s AI-powered analytics provides the perfect tool for players to overcome these hurdles. The technology captures 36 parameters of the swing and ball flight, offering real-time data on club speed, ball speed, launch angle, spin rate, and more.

Real-Time Analytics: Allows for immediate feedback on swing mechanics.

Personalized Reports: Provides detailed analysis for targeted improvement.

Benchmarking Against the Pros: Compares players' performance with that of pro golfer Ridhima Dilawari, adding a competitive edge.

By integrating Trackman’s cutting-edge insights, participants can turn setbacks into growth opportunities, both on the course and in the business world.

3. Patience and Precision: Learning from the Pros

Golf is a game of patience and precision, and this year, Vi TeeWalk offers players an incredible opportunity to learn directly from the pros. Pro golfer Ridhima Dilawari will be joining the event, sharing valuable tips and insights.

Interactive Sessions: Ridhima will play alongside participants and contribute to team scores, fostering a collaborative yet competitive atmosphere.

Social Media Engagements: Through videos and social media collaborations, Ridhima will share her expertise, amplifying the experience.

Trackman Insights: Participants can analyze Ridhima’s swing using Trackman, learning from her data-driven strategies.

Her involvement not only adds excitement but serves as an inspiration to refine skills and embrace the game’s precision.

4. The Art of the Follow-Through: Bringing It All Together

In golf, a strong follow-through ensures the ball reaches its target. Similarly, in business, success comes from strong execution. Vi TeeWalk 2025 brings this principle to life by seamlessly blending technology, talent, and tradition.

IoT Technology: Improves decision-making with real-time environmental data.

Trackman Analytics: Provides actionable insights to enhance performance.

Pro Golfer Engagements: Inspires participants through learning from the best.

Together, these elements create a holistic experience that celebrates the synergy between golf and leadership.

Vi TeeWalk 2025: A Fusion of Tech, Talent, and Tradition

Vi TeeWalk has always been more than just a golf event—it’s a place where leaders connect, strategize, and celebrate the spirit of the game. This year, with the integration of IoT technology, AI-powered Trackman analytics, and pro-golfer insights, we are setting a new standard for golf events.

Whether you’re here to network, enhance your game, or simply enjoy a day on the greens, Vi TeeWalk 2025 promises an unparalleled experience.

Grab your clubs, step onto the course, and prepare to play your smartest game yet.

[spacenutspod]

For generations, humans have dreamed, speculated, and theorized about the possibility of journeying to distant stars, finding habitable planets around them, and settling down. In time, the children of these bold adventurers would create a new civilization and perhaps even meet the children of Earth. People could eventually journey from one world to another, cultures would mix, and trade and exchanges would become a regular feature. The potential for growth that would come from these exchanges – intellectually, socially, politically, technologically, and economically – would be immeasurable. Expanding humanity’s reach beyond the Solar System is not just the fevered dream of science fiction writers and futurists. It has also been the subject of very serious scientific research, and interest in the subject is again on the rise. Much like sending crewed missions to Mars, establishing permanent outposts on the Moon, and exploring beyond cislunar space with human astronauts instead of robots – there is a growing sense that interstellar travel could be within reach. But just how ready are we for this bold and adventurous prospect? Whether we are talking about probes vs. crews or technological vs. psychological readiness, is interstellar travel something we are ready to take on? This was a central question raised at a public outreach event aptly named “Interstellar Travel: Are We Ready?” that took place at the 8th Interstellar Symposium: In Light of Other Suns, held from July 10th to 13th at the University of McGill in Montreal, Quebec. The symposium was hosted by the Interstellar Research Group (IRG), the International Academy of Astronautics (IAA), and Breakthrough Initiatives – in coordination with the University of McGill – and featured guest speakers and luminaries from multiple disciplines – ranging from astronomy and astrophysics to astrobiology, geology, and cosmology. This public outreach event, organized by Prof. Andrew Higgins (Mechanical Engineering) and the McGill Interstellar Flight Experimental Research Group, occurred on July 10th from 7:30-9:30 PM EST. The event was open to the public and made available for free via a live stream. It was chaired by famed author and NASA scientist and technologist Les Johnson and featured a panel of noted scientists, educators, and space exploration advocates who offered an array of perspectives on this very question. The panel included: Alan Stern, at the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) and the principal investigator of the New Horizons mission AJ Link, an adjunct professor at the Howard University School of Law, a disability policy analyst, space law policy expert, and member of Astro Access (promoting accessibility in space) Prof. Philip Lubin, the head of the UCSB Experimental Cosmology Group and expert in directed energy for the propulsion (DEP) and planetary defense applications Erika Nesvold, Ph.D. physicist, computational astrophysicist, former NASA researcher, and developer at Giant Army (creators of the Universe Sandbox) Trevor Kjorlien, a space educator at Plateau Astro and a media production specialist with the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) After each panelist provided a brief introduction of themselves and their perspectives, a general discussion on the issues of interstellar travel was raised, followed by a Q&A session towards the end. Throughout, the panel addressed the chief challenges in realizing interstellar travel, be they technological, psychological, ethical, social, economic, and the like. They also addressed the likely implications, possible solutions, potential timelines, and whether or not humanity is ready to shoulder the associated burdens. As Les Johnson told Universe Today via Zoom: “I introduced all the panelists, AJ, Allen, Phillip, and Erica. And then Trevor was like the emcee. He’s apparently a popular host in Canada. And does this kind of thing all the time. He’s witty, he’s personable, and so he interacted with the audience, had a list of questions, and we, on the panel, kind of batted around the answers. Some were specific to us, and some were general. And it all centered around this notion of, ‘How do we plan for something that’s far out?’ ‘Why are we doing it?’ Can we really afford to do it, and what’s the scale that it will be?” And there were differences of opinions.” Going Interstellar As we explored in a previous article, it would take between 19,000 and 81,000 years to reach the nearest star (Alpha Centauri) using conventional propulsion methods. It’s easy to see why space and advanced research agencies have been exploring concepts that could allow for much faster transits since the dawn of the Space Age. Nuclear-Pulse Propulsion (NPP) was an early idea, where fission reactions (nuclear warheads) or the fusing of deuterium or hydrogen fuel would be used to accelerate a spacecraft to a fraction of the speed of light (aka. “relativistic speeds”). Many historic studies have been conducted, including Project Orion (1958-1963), Project Daedalus (1973-78), the Enzmann Starship (1973), Project Longshot (1987-88), Project Hyperion (2011), and Project Icarus (2009–14). Anti-matter propulsion is another concept that has been explored, which resulted in proposals like Project Valkyrie (2009). There have even been attempts to research Faster-Than-Light (FTL) propulsion, the most notable of which is arguably the Alcubierre Warp Drive, originally proposed by Mexican physicist Miguel Alcubierre in 1994. Since 2000, proposals and design studies for ra DEP spacecraft have included Sun-Diver, Project Dragonfly, and (most notably) Breakthrough Starshot. This latter effort, announced in 2016, envisions a fleet of lightsails and nanocraft (the StarChip) accelerated by a 100 Gw laser array to 20% the speed of light. If realized, these spacecraft could accomplish a one-way journey to Alpha Centauri within 20 years (“in our lifetime”) and acquire pictures and data on any exoplanets that happen to be there. These evolving studies show how far the field has come, which Les Johnson noted in his introduction: “When I first got involved in thinking about interstellar flight, I had been at NASA for about 10 years and was introduced to this community. And the annual gathering of this community was in this little town in Italy, and they met under the guise of being a project or a gathering of scientists talking about ultra-deep space missions. And the reason they did that was because they couldn’t say the word interstellar. Because people didn’t take it seriously… “There are all sorts of challenges. If we’re ever going to send robots and people, we have to have power [and] communications. If you talk about seeing people, you have to keep us alive, or our progeny. It might be generations of ships. So the challenges are immense, and people didnt’ take it seriously. But there’s been a rapid progress in a lot of the technologies. And I firmly believe we will be launching our Ifirst robotic probes that travel faster than Voyager within the lifetimes of some of the people who are alive today that might get trip time to some of the nearest stars in 100 years.” In addition to technological developments, the idea of interstellar travel has also received a boost, thanks to developments in other space sectors. These include renewed lunar exploration in this decade – the Artemis Program, the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) – and proposed missions to Mars, which include NASA and China’s plans and commercial proposals by SpaceX. Of course, in addition to the challenges, many ethical, legal, and philosophical implications need to be addressed in advance. To this end, the eclectic panel of experts from various fields offered a good rundown and examinations of the particulars. As Erika Nesvold told Universe Today via email: “I think each of the panelists talked about the big challenges that we each foresee in the future as humans attempt to send technology to other stellar systems and to live long-term in space. Some of us (like Phil) thought that the energy or cost requirements would be insurmountable. Some of us (like me and AJ) wanted to draw attention to the ethical problems we have yet to solve with astronaut selection, spacecraft design, inclusion, safety, etc. I think all of us are excited about humanity’s future in space, though, and want to see people working on these problems.” Artist’s impression of astronauts on the lunar surface, as part of the Artemis Program. Credit: NASA So… Are We? First, there’s the elephant in the room, which means acknowledging the answer to the big question, “Are we ready?” According to the panelist, the answer is no. Interestingly, this was the one matter that all sides agreed on. Whereas they stated with a fair degree of confidence that robotic missions – a la Breakthrough Starshot – could be realized in the not-too-distant future, the possibility of crewed missions to nearby stars remains a far-off prospect. Said Johnson: “No, we’re not ready. And it’s technology that’s the prohibitor. But we did conclude that being ready, at least for small robotic missions, is within reach. With the work that Breakthrough Starshot is doing and the spin-offs that might come from that, we all kind of envisioned that it might be possible to send a robotic probe within the next 100 years, give or take. So we’re not as far away from being able to do that as I thought we were when I began my career and looked at interstellar stuff like 20 years ago. I was thinking it was two to three hundred years. We might actually be within one-hundred years from our first robotic probe, which is amazing.” According to Johnson’s estimates, robotic missions to the nearest star systems could be possible within 100 to 200 years. In the meantime, there are other things we need to be focusing on, things that are more achievable and within our intellectual and creative capacity. In addition, Link raised the question of motivations and values as a barrier, which require serious consideration before attempts at interstellar travel can occur. As Link told Universe Today via email, the transition between interplanetary and interstellar missions (often raised in this context) will not necessarily be a smooth one: “I think interplanetary journeys are going to be a lot different than interstellar journeys. Mostly because it’s conceivable that most interplanetary journeys within our Solar System will happen within a person’s lifetime – it takes multiple generations to get to a different star. And so I think the values for an interstellar mission are going to be – or should be, at least – very different than an interplanetary mission. In terms of crew selection, monetary systems, if there is a monetary system, that determines resource sharing. I think all those things are going to have to be vastly different for an interstellar mission.” Cost Assessment Another major point was the energy requirement, which comes up in any discussion about interstellar travel sooner or later. Like it or not, an interstellar mission only makes sense (from an economic perspective) if it can be done in a person’s lifetime. That, unfortunately, is where the technological prohibition Johnson addressed comes up. As part of the panel discussions, Lubin raised a cost analysis he had previously conducted that concluded that the energy requirements are not currently within our grasp. Project Starshot, an initiative sponsored by the Breakthrough Foundation, is intended to be humanity’s first interstellar voyage. Credit: breakthroughinitiatives.org According to Lubin, directed-energy propulsion has tremendous potential for interplanetary (Mars in 30 days) and interstellar travel since it is the only technology that can achieve relativistic flight (a fraction of the speed of light) in the foreseeable future. Alas, the applications we can realize now are limited to beaming power from space (or between the Earth and the Moon) and optical communications. On this point, Johnson raised some objections. “I personally think it’s an irrelevant number because by the time we do this, what is the energy price going to be?” he said. “And what is money going to be? So there are some definite differences.” In the meantime, as Stern eloquently summarized, the technology offers a roadmap that could lead to interstellar exploration someday: “We’re an aspirational species. An aspiration of many human beings is to see our species explore very far away from our cradle, the Earth. But also, I think the other side of that coin is that you have to start somewhere. If you don’t have the aspiration, and you don’t start to make a plan and say, ‘Well, how do I go about that, what do I have to invent,’ you’ll never get it underway. “I really believe that the 2020s – and the 20-teens, to some extent – really are the inflection point where Star Trek begins. We are living in an era that people will look back [on] in the 24th and 25th century and say, ‘That’s where spaceflight took off.’ And by having goals that are not just what we can do in this decade, or the next decade, or even in this century, we can actually start to chart a path to the stars.” Who Gets to Go? Another important issue when talking about the future of space exploration is access. As Link emphasized, there are so many different people participating in space and who want to participate in space, and they all have different dreams and goals. And, he said, it’s really important to understand this when planning and building projects that will attempt to reach other worlds: “When you think about accessibility, the example that’s really tangible for folks: it’s a lot easier to build something that’s accessible than to retrofit it. It’s also a lot cheaper to do it from the beginning and design it as accessible from the beginning than having to go in and redo it. And so when we talk about the conversations, I think of the same thing. “In space, it is complicated, disabling; we’re going to get things wrong because you can’t know the answers, and horrible things are going to happen. But the idea [is] that we are preparing for as many situations as possible and in as many ways as possible. Because we have the time, we can really be thoughtful about how we’re creating the new future that we want. That’s why I think that it’s important to start the conversations early.” The 8th Interstellar Symposium outreach panel (from left to right): Les Johnson, Alan Stern, AJ Link, Erika Nesvold, and Philip Lubin. Credit: IRG/McGill University Several other ethical implications were raised, which Nesvold addressed in her recent book, Off-Earth: Ethical Questions and Quandaries for Living in Outer Space. During the outreach event, she raised an issue that frequently comes up in the context of space ethics: “Should we settle space?” As she related, there are many people she’s encountered who make persuasive arguments that either humanity should not create permanent human settlements ever or that we should wait until we’ve matured as a species. While Nesvold doesn’t share these particular views, she did acknowledge the importance of open discussion to address the many fears and concerns. As she explained via email: “I’m an astrophysicist (so I have a technical background like Alan, Phil, and Les), but for the past few years, I’ve been researching and writing about ethics in the context of space settlement. So the perspective I brought to the panel was that of a “space person” encouraging other “space people” to think beyond the technical and financial challenges of space settlement and consider the ethical and social problems that we’ll also need to solve.” Link’s background also allowed him to relate specific ethical and moral concerns that are also undeniable. When discussing the future of humanity in space and the “Great Migration,” historical parallels are often raised, both positive and negative. The very fact that some perceive past events like “westward expansion” and the colonizing of the Americas, forgetting the genocide, conquest, and slavery that was involved, raises the question of whether we are mature enough as a species to conduct similar experiments in space. “I am not sure that humanity is ready for regular interplanetary travel and I don’t believe humanity is ready for interstellar travel. Technologically there are still a lot of questions about the safest, best, and most efficient ways to travel. And socially, culturally, spiritually, politically, and economically there are lots of unanswered and unresolved questions – in addition to there being several unaddressed historical problems that will linger with us if we do not confront some of the darker parts of collective histories. Humanity has a lot to work on before we are ready to travel amongst the stars.” Takeaways In summary, is humanity ready for interstellar travel? The answer is a hard no. Technologically, ethically, morally, psychologically, and spiritually, we are not prepared to take such a tremendous leap. But the fact that we are having the discussion demonstrates that we are determined to get there. A lot needs to be worked out in the meantime, and interplanetary exploration and settlement are an issue that must be dealt with first. The challenges of becoming “interplanetary” (and whether or not we should even try) will certainly test our mettle and the social fabric of our civilization. In that respect, the coming decades and centuries will serve as a transitional time for our species. Long before crews ever travel beyond the Heliopause, robotic missions will be sent to explore nearby stars and their planets. As we draw nearer to the day when sending humans to other stars becomes practical, we will be better positioned to address the various questions and challenges. But we must start the discussion today, when the groundwork is being laid that could lead to an interplanetary and interstellar future. The public outreach event was also an opportunity for Johnson to promote The Ross 248 Project, an anthology of original science fiction stories and scientific essays that explores how humans may one day settle on planets that orbit a red dwarf sun. The volume was edited by Les Johnson and engineer Ken Roy (inventor of the “Shell World” concept), who also contributed original stories. I had the honor of contributing to this volume as well in the form of a scientific essay that explores terraforming planets in red dwarf systems. This latest anthology is the successor to Going Interstellar: Build Starships Now!, edited by Les Johnson and Jack McDevitt. Both volumes are published by Baen Books. Further Reading: Interstellar Research Group The post Is Humanity Ready to Realize the Dream of Interstellar Travel? appeared first on Universe Today.

[rchelicopter]

4. Advanced Sport: RC Helicopter Pilot Proficiency Program (with Oxy Flash)

4. Advanced Sport: RC Helicopter Pilot Proficiency Program (with Oxy Flash)

Introduction

In this episode we’ll be going through level 4 of the RCHN Pilot Proficiency Program. This is aimed at the advanced sport pilot and covers inverted orientations, flips, rolls and F3C style autorotations.

I’ll be flying the Oxy Flash, which is an ultra-light 700 class helicopter from Lynx Heli Innovations. This particular one is owned by Eddie Thompson, so many thanks to him and Adam Plumbridge for setting it up and allowing me to put a few packs through it. I’ll tell you what I thought of it at the end.

So let’s get on with it.

Sustained Inverted Flight

The first manoeuvre is sustained inverted flight. This is simply 2 circuits around the flying field, one clockwise and the other counter-clockwise. The guide gives no indication of speed or size, so I’ve chosen a medium speed circuit with a bit of bank to go round.

You should do this at whatever height you feel comfortable, and you want to make it as round as possible and centred in front of you with the entrances and exits at the same place. The speed and height should be constant and you should be in complete control.

Sustained Inverter Hover

The next manoeuvre is an inverted hover for 10 seconds in each of the four directions.

This is a really good exercise to do at different heights and with rotations left and right. I often take this a bit further and do travelling shapes, like a hovering square horizontally, or vertically with each side being one of the orientations.

We’re getting deep into the series now and this is where the rubber meets the road. If you’re struggling to progress in 3D, these are exactly the sort of exercises you should be doing, and you should practice them often and in wind, regardless of your level.

For these hovering manoeuvres I run the headspeed at about 1600 or 1700 on a 700 size machine. It settles the model a bit in the hover and you’ll get a decent 8 to 10 minutes out of a pack.

Inverted Pirouettes

There are 2 inverted pirouettes to do, left and right rudder. You want to do these slowly to show you have control of the model as it goes through a complete 360.

This is a well known exercise for improving flights skills, and to get the best out of it, you want to do as slow as you can. Also try them at various heights.

If you notice in the background I have a cone. I use this for my centre, so any hovering manoeuvres like this should be done in line with it. It will make it harder to do most manoeuvres, but things that are more difficult to do, also mean we learn faster and have better results.

Inverted Figure 8

For the inverted figure 8 you want to fly past yourself before you do a 5/8ths circle and cross the centreline at 45 degrees nose-in. Then do a 3 quarter turn for the 2nd half to cross the centre, again at 45 degrees. And a small turn to exit.

The guide says to do a 2nd figure 8 but its explanation is ambiguous, so I’m going back along the same path in forward flight. A small turn to enter before you reach the middle and crossing the centreline at 45 degrees tail-in before you start the first circle.

You’re looking for a constant speed and height, and also for it to be nicely centred and shaped. This is another good manoeuvre that will have you judging the wind conditions and thinking ahead.

Two Consecutive Stationary Rolls

The next manoeuvre is 2 consecutive stationary rolls. There are 4 variations of these. Tail-in left and right, and nose-in left and right.

There’s not much wind, so I’m doing them fairly low, but you should do them at any height that you feel comfortable with.

If you are doing them higher, you want to keep an eye out for drift and height changes. If the model is drifting, that means you have the skills to do the manoeuvre, but you need more practice with a focus on keeping them in the same place.

180-Degree Autorotations

180 degree autorotations are a nice F3C manoeuvre, but tricky to do well. You want to do them with a decent amount of height and starting downwind, so that you land nose into wind. The guide asks for 4 variations, but that seems a bit silly. From the left and right is more than enough.

You want to fly parallel to the flightline a little way out. Start the auto before you cross the centreline, and as you cross it, make a gentle 180 degree turn with a tiny amount of bank to bring it round and land on the spot.

Forward Flips

The next exercise is forward flips. You’ll be doing a flip to inverted, hold for 5 seconds, flip to upright and hold for 5 seconds, and you’re going to do that for each of the 4 points.

Once again, do them at a height comfortable for you, but not so high that they drift around. The flips don’t have to be mega fast either. You’re not looking for full elevator flips. Controlled and medium speed is fine. And after the flip the model should settle quickly. If you’re wobbling around for a bit, then you’ll need to keep practicing. Slow piros are a good exercise for learning to control the helicopter in all orientations and getting it to settle quickly.

Also try practicing other orientations, so make it 8 or 12 points, or move it around in a circle where the flips are towards the centre or out.

Backward Flips

Backwards flips are the same thing. Flip, 5 seconds, flip, 5 seconds and then the next point. These exercises may seem simple, but they are getting you lower and more comfortable all the time. They’re also the pathway to tumbling circuits, which are a highly rated manoeuvre.

You’ll see that wind has quite a bearing on how these are done. If you’re flipping away from the wind, the wind will get under the disk and flips you over with very little collective. If you’re flipping into the wind, you need to add collective before you do the flip, or the wind will push the disk down and you’ll lose a lot of height.

These are the sort of things that exercises like this will teach you and will become natural with enough practice. Simple exercises but lots of value in them.

Side Flips

Side flips are done tail-in and nose in, with left and right half rolls with the same 5 second pause between each one. Just like the forward and back flips, they may seem too simple and not have much value, but they are giving you confidence down low, and the more you practice these, the better you will become. And they may be the difference between you struggling with 3D and breaking into that next level.

I have another video called Figure 8 Exercises that has loads of these practice manoeuvres. They’re easy, they can be down low with very little risk of crashing, but they work on all your orientations in subtle ways to make learning much easier. Any time you spend doing these is 100% worthwhile.

Two Consecutive Stationary Flips

The last exercise is 2 consecutive stationary flips. These are done tail-in and nose-in, rolling to the left and to the right.

They can be tricky with a bit a breeze, so do them at a height where you feel comfortable without risking the helicopter.

If you were to take these consecutive rolls and make them travelling, you’d almost be doing a rolling circuit. So you can see how simple manoeuvres done well will prepare you for much more complex manoeuvres later on. Skip these at your own peril.

Conclusion

And that’s the end of Level 4. Although I went through it fairly quickly, this is not an easy level to attain, and the manoeuvres have becoming significantly more difficult.

The Oxy Flash coped with this level with ease. It’s got a light disc loading and is pleasant to fly to around at lower headspeed. The canopy is bright and unusual and the orange dot on the nose made me smile every time it came round in the sun. Thanks again to Eddie and Adam for organising the use of the helicopter for the day.

Until next time, good luck!

[keanureevesisbae]

After being on a tiny hiatus, I'm back with a special December advent calendar. 24 posts till Christmas with yours truly 🥰December is always a special month for me, because on the 15th, it's also my birthday! I wanted to do something special for this December and hopefully you enjoy it with me 😘

Disclaimer: They are not always "December" related + the descriptions of the stories are already posted on this list, meaning there is a chance of some minor spoilers.

⭐️Wednesday December 1st ⭐️

The Assignment

You and Henry are paired up for a college assignment. When one day you get locked in his room, something is bound to happen. (College boy!Henry Cavill x female!reader)

⭐️Thursday December 2nd ⭐️

Stewardess Chronicles - masterlist

⭐️Friday December 3rd ⭐️

Ever After Boutique Chapter 3

The hatred between Frankee and Henry only intensifies.

⭐️Saturday December 4th⭐️

Oblivious Chapter 1

Ivy Sullivan not only meets her new neighbor Erin, she finally discovers what the name of her grumpy neighbor is.

⭐️Sunday December 5th⭐️

Sugar Sugar - March 9th (an alternate outcome)

What if Becky decided to masturbate after all, after the jacuzzi incident in Barbados and what if Henry caught her?

⭐️Monday December 6th⭐️

Christmas tree

August Walker has yet to celebrate Christmas with someone, but then you marched into his life and boy, is August in it for a surprise. (August Walker x fem!reader)

⭐️Tuesday December 7th ⭐️

Ever After Boutique c.4

Frankee is supposed to visit her family in Florida, but when she misses her flight, there is one person who can help her out.

⭐️Wednesday December 8th⭐️

Stewardess Chronicles - introduction

⭐️Thursday December 9th⭐️

Oblivious c.2

It's four in the afternoon and there is only one Syverson girl at home.

⭐️Friday December 10th⭐️

Ever After Boutique c.5

The employees of Ever After Boutique are invited to a very prestigious fashion banquet with Henry and Frankee finally has the opportunity to mingle with important investors.

⭐️Saturday December 11th⭐️

A found miracle

After Tiki has passed away, the Wicks aren't ready yet for a new companion for Oreo, but that's before John walks over that bridge.

⭐️Sunday December 12th⭐️

A national treasure: Oliebollen

As a true Dutchie, you have eaten your fair share of oliebollen, however your sweet Sy has yet to try them (Captain Syverson x Dutch!fem!reader)

⭐️Monday December 13th⭐️

Dirty December

While No Nut November was a dramatic fail for Walter Marshall, he came up with Dirty December: a little advent calendar for you and him and there is no backing out. (Walter Marshall x fem!reader)

⭐️Tuesday December 14th⭐️

Ever After Boutique c.6

After making an impression, Henry takes Frankee along with him, on one condition: that she behaves.

⭐️Wednesday December 15th⭐️

Happy Birthday

How Henry and his characters would celebrate your birthday.

⭐️Thursday December 16th⭐️

A Snowy London

A lot has changed for Adelaide and Henry and they are gonna spend their first December month in a snowy London as a family.

⭐️Friday December 17th⭐️

Stewardess Chronicles - part 1

Alice has been a stewardess for quite awhile and it's time for her to meet Captain Henry Cavill.

⭐️Saturday December 18th⭐️

Oblivious c.3

When Ivy wants to wind down after a long day at work, the dear captain knocks on her door asking for a favor.

⭐️Sunday December 19th⭐️

But Professor - four years later

How are the Marshalls doing?

⭐️Monday December 20th⭐️

Ever After Boutique c.7

Frankee meets an insufferable customer and Henry decides to teach her a lesson.

⭐️Tuesday December 21st⭐️

The first day of winter

You are stranded in the terminal, unable to catch your flight, but then you meet a handsome stranger, who is stuck like you. (Walter Marshall x fem!reader)

⭐️Thursday December 23rd⭐️

Christmas and the Monroes

Bucky has yet to spend a Christmas with the entire Monroe family and boy, did he not expect the hectic that this family brings with them. Besides, he has something on his mind.

Friday December 24th

Christmas tree pt. 2

After getting the Christmas tree in the house, August slowly but surely falls in love with Christmas. (August Walker x fem!reader)

[liquid-luck-00]

Queen Marinette

Queen Marinette

Here is a ~2000 word song fic that I wrote in place of working on my ongoing fics hope you guys like it.

I saw a post a while ago where Damian would call Mari Queen/Your Majesty as she was a princess, but i cant find the post anymore but the idea stuck so here we are.

~~~~~~~~~~

The League of Assassins also known as the League of Shadows is one of the Earth's best kept secret society second to Themiscyra home of the Amazons and Atlantis of the Atlantans. However there is one that only a handful know and whispers of their existence are mythical in the cosmos. Only known to the head families, or rulers, of Themiscyra, Atlantis, and the League of Assassins.

That would be the Kingdom at Miraculi.

Marinette is anything but a normal girl. She is the crowned princess of Miraculi as well as being the reincarnation of the goddess Tikki. She is creation herself, but on top of that she was blessed by the other gods as well, meaning she is able to wield their gifts as well. She is Princess Marinette Dawntreader of Miraculi.

But right now she wants to be anywhere but the palace. At the age of eight she just met her betrothed and let's just say he did not make a good first impression.

In front of her stood Damian Al Ghul the heir of Demons and next head of the league of shadows. The league is the guard of Miraculi, ensuring that the existence of the Kingdom remains peaceful and in turn the Kingdom of Miraculi supplies the magic of the Lazarus Pit. The concealment of Themiscyra and Atlantans able to survive under water are other blessings provided by Miraculi. But back to the pain on hand, Damian Al Ghul.

"Tt. you really do look the part of a princess" she was in a long flowing dress with long sleeves as she had finished her classes for the day. "Fragile and helpless."

"Yes and you appear as a demon" she shot back. "self-absorbed and arrogant" she turned on her heel "keep up little Prince" she called over her shoulder.

They got to know each other better but he was always so cold and distant. But they grew to love each other. Damian left to be with his father when they were 10, but they still stayed in contact. Then when they were 13 she got news that broke her heart, Damian was dead.

She couldn't stay in the Kingdom without remembering him. She needed distance and new scenery wouldn’t hurt. So she brought it up to her parents, and they were reluctant, but Diana Princess of Themiscyra brought up the solution Marinette would be staying with Sabine Cheng, an Amazon who was granted leave of Themiscyra , and her husband Tom Dupain.

That was how she found herself in Paris as an 8th year introducing herself as Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

That was how she also met Adrien Agreste. He was kind and sweet. He was new to school life just as she was new to life outside of Miraculi.

But not long afterwards did Lila Rossi enroll at Du Ponte.

With a quick search on google revealed most of her tales to be just that, fiction.

Adrien and Mari dated for two years before he ended the relationship. It was because she

wouldn't stop trying to reveal Lila's lies. That it was hurting his image that he was seen with her. That if only they knew the truth it would be enough. Well, fine, goodbye Adrien was her only thought. Her head held high.

Cross my heart and hope to die

I don't need another guy

To fight my battles, to overshadow me

Don't ya know I'm dangerous?

Fire burnin' in my blood

I got this handled, I don't need rescuin'

Unfortunately for him she didn't stop trying to get her class to see the truth.

A side effect of the liar's influence was that she was ostracized from the rest of the class.

But that wasn't a priority. Miraculi was going to become public. So she had a revealing ceremony to prepare for.

But before that she was asked to join as a joint member of the Teen Titians and Young Justice.

She was to meet with the two teams at Mt. Justice so she was looking for Kaldur, Aqualad, as she exited the building.

She was making her way towards him when she heard it.

"Princess" Adrien called and pulled her to look at him.

You can call me a princess all you like

'Cause you love to keep me helpless by your side

But that ain't what I want, I'ma show you

"Can I do something for you Agreste?" she asked as calmly as she could. "Because if not I am meeting a friend I haven't seen in ages."

"Just make up with Lila" he started "she isn't hurting anyone. And when you do everyone will be your friend again."

She smiled and noticed Kaldur closer than before. "Kaldur good to see you again how was your flight?" Adrien turned to see who she was talking to, and Kaldur after a second of shock responded.

"Uneventful, is everything set?" he asked giving her a way out.

"Yes" Mari answered "Sorry Adrien, another time"

"B- 02 Aqualad, B- 34 Omni"

She was in a black formfitting sleeveless top that rose to form a mask covering her face to her nose. Dark red combat boots that were tucked into black motorbike pants. A red belt with a forest green sash that faintly resembled a skirt just under it. Her gloves and arm guards were black and grey, and all over were golden accents. Her hair was cut short and was pitch black and her eyes were a golden color with flecks of green. (Outfit)

After quick introductions she noticed him, Robin of the Teen Titians, was standoffish but was familiar oh so familiar. Then she saw his hand twitch towards his sword and tapped the butt of the hilt twice before dropping his hand.

That was all the confirmation she needed. As everything fell into place.

That little jerk.

Batman asked for her to spar, to assess her combat skills. As she predicted Robin stepped in to be her partner.

She pulled two red batons from the small of her back and they began. Yes they were evenly matched but then she decided to mess with him. She turned back time to feign a right but ducked and swept his legs from under him. With him distracted she created a Mirage of herself and another to make herself invisible. She snuck up behind him used venom to freeze him and flip his cape over his head while her Mirage took his sword.

"Tt. unfreeze me" he practically growled she noticed almost everyone flinch and took a step back.

"You sure that's what you want, while I have your sword?" she taunted. She noticed a few shot her looks of sympathy. Odd. As Robin stayed quiet. "Fine" she dropped venom and he charged "Have it your way little Prince."

She jumped and he seemed to freeze mid charge but she didn't. She created a shell-ter around him.

Which he crashed into. He stood up and was gaping at her.

She dropped shell-ter and was making a few final decisions with Batman, while Robin still hadn't moved 30 minutes later and his mouth still agape. By this time Nightwing had come over.

"I think you broke little wing" he chuckled.

"You think so." she responded with a slight question. "Close your mouth your going to catch flies Al Ghul."

"Yes, Your Majesty" he finally snapped out of his stupor.

She saw Nightwing and Batman share a look and then look between the two of them.

I'ma show you

How to treat me like a queen (Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)

(Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)

Boy, you better bow down on your knees

Can I get a "Yes, your majesty?"

So treat me like a queen (Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)

(Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)

Boy, you better bow down on your knees

Can I get a "Yes, your majesty?"

They explained the role of Miraculi in the world. How they had met and knew one another. Their engagement and finally the reopening of the Kingdom to the world. By now she dropped her transformation, meaning her eyes were back to bluebell and her hair was a midnight blue, and the bats had taken off their masks.

Then an idea hit.

"Your plotting something" Damian snapped her out of her planning.

"Plotting makes it seem malicious" she paused "I'm planning."

"I'll bite, what are you planning?" Nightwing, Dick as he introduced, asked.

"How would you like to come to my coronation and be some of the first outsiders in Miraculi?" she responded.

Eyes on me like I'm a prize

But you better recognize

I'm not your angel 'cause I belong to me

You can call me a princess all you like

'Cause you love to keep me helpless by your side

But that ain't what I want, I'ma show you

As she guessed the news of Miraculi opening up was all the news was covering. The hidden Kingdom known only by the Amazons and Atlantans, officially, was all everyone was talking about.

The fact that the opening was set for the coronation of the princess added to the suspense.

About a month before our teacher had news. "Due to a special invitation our class has been invited to attend the Princess’ coronation in Miraculi" that was when the class erupted.

In a week Lila convinced everyone she personally asked the Princess to invite the class as a favor to her. That she grew up in the castle with her and was made a lady in waiting. Two weeks until the coronation, she asked Damian to tweet that 'he can't wait to see his best friend again in Miraculi.’ Which caused a small discourse with a boy called Jon Kent of how he was Damian's best friend. Where he answered with 'female best friend. Better Kent' That Lila used to say it was her, and that he only used best friend instead of girlfriend.

I'ma show you

How to treat me like a queen (Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)

(Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)

Boy, you better bow down on your knees

Can I get a "Yes, your majesty?"

So treat me like a queen (Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)

(Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)

Boy, you better bow down on your knees

Can I get a "Yes, your majesty?"

The week before they left to Miraculi, in order to show them around. Before landing Mari changed into an emerald green dress with a mandarin collar. A jacket and belt with a duster in a dark silver trimmed with gold and matching gloves. Her hair was in a side braid and a thin golden circlet on her brow. A few of her classmates glared at her but she didn't pay them any attention. (Outfit)

She was the last out of the airport and you could feel the tension in the air. Lila was spouting some nonsense to the guards that were sent to retrieve them. Then they noticed her, every guard formed a straight line to the captain as they dropped onto one knee and bowed their heads. As she passed them they stood up.

"Captain Chase it is good to see you again” she smiled as he also rose.

"The honor is mine Princess" he bowed again.

You can call me a princess all you like

'Cause you love to keep me helpless by your side

But that ain't what I want,

She turned back to face the class. "Welcome to Miraculi, I am Princess Marinette Dawntreader. I hope you enjoy your stay. The guards will escort you in these carriages to the castle for your stay." she mounted Yin (Silver), who Captain Chase brought for her. "I will ride ahead, as they are in capable hands." She smiled and rode off towards home.

The next week was amazing. Between tours of the Kingdom her classmates were part of an honorary court, to glimpse into the Royal life.

Damian almost cut off Lila's head the first time they met. Most of the class realized that if Lila lied about knowing Marinette, well the Princess but Lila hated Mari, and dating Damian, what else had she lied about. Turns out they can use google and Mari received several apologies and offers to be friends. She accepted the apologies but not their offers.

"Why?" was a consensus of the group.

"You realize that you were deceived, but that does not excuse your actions. As I am also assuming you wish to be friends because of my status." That seemed to force them to think, thank Kwami.

I'ma show you

How to treat me like a queen (Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)

(Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)

Boy, you better bow down on your knees

Can I get a "Yes, your majesty?"

So treat me like a queen (Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)

(Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)

Boy, you better bow down on your knees

Can I get a "Yes, your majesty?"

But the best part of this week was after the apologies was hearing them all, Lila included, only address her with 'Your Majesty’.

[skyfire85]

-A Mitsubishi F-2A on the runway at Anderson AFB on Guam for an exercise. | Photo: USAF

FLIGHTLINE: 170 - MITSUBISHI F-2

Developed from the Lockheed F-16, the F-2 is a multirole aircraft in the Japanese Air Self-Defense force, replacing the Mitsubishi F-1 in the 1980s.

In the early 1970s the JASDF began acquiring the F-1 ground attack/anti-shipping aircraft based on the Mitsubishi T-2 supersonic trainer. The F-1 served Japan well through rest of the 1970s, but by 1981 a replacement was being contemplated, with a formal study being initiated in 1985. The Japanese government, defense agencies and contractors were all highly desirous of the new aircraft being designed and built domestically in order to grow the Japanese aviation industry. US officials, meanwhile, became concerned that an internally designed and manufactured aircraft could be of inferior quality, and might in fact damage US-Japan relations. A co-produced, or at least co-developed, alternative based on the American F-16 or F/A-18 were proposed by the Pentagon instead; pressure against Japan for this bilateral development project increased as mid-80s 'Japan-bashing' peaked with the Toshiba-Kongsberg Scandal, in which it was discovered that Toshiba sold propeller milling machinery to the Soviet Union in violation of sanctions. After months of negotiations, a joint project to develop and produce the new aircraft was announced by the Regan and Nakasone administrations. Later revisions to the MOU restricted Japanese access to flight and weapons control software and ensured that any new technology developed during the project was shared with the US.

AGILE FALCONS, INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION

One of the variants of the F-16 explored but not produced was the so-called "Agile Falcon", which would have had had a larger wing, more powerful engines, as well as extensive avionics upgrades, color displays, an electronic warfare management system, reconnaissance pods, AIM-9X Sidewinder infrared air-to-air missile integration, and helmet-mounted sights. The aircraft was offered to the USAF as a low-cost alternative to the ATF program, as well as to NATO allies as a competitor to the SAAB Gripen or Dassault Rafale, but there was no interest in the plane. General Dynamics resurrected the idea as a starting point for the new JASDF strike fighter, variously designated FS-X or SX-3. The basic wing and fuselage designs remained the same, but the engines and avionics were updated and Japanese-made components were substituted whenever possible. Costs for the FS-X were split 60/40 between Japan and the US. In 1992 General Dynamics' aviation division was sold to Lockheed, making the latter company the prime US contractor. Lockheed Martin supplied the aft fuselage, leading-edge slats, stores management system, a large percentage of wingboxes, and other components. Kawasaki built the midsection of the fuselage, as well as the doors to the main wheel and the engine, while the forward fuselage and wings were built by Mitsubishi. Some of the avionics were supplied by Lockheed Martin, and the digital fly-by-wire system was jointly developed by Japan Aviation Electric and Honeywell (formerly Allied Signal). Contractors for communication systems and IFF interrogators included Raytheon, NEC, Hazeltine, and Kokusai Electric. The fire control radar, IRS, the mission computer, and the EW system were developed by Japan. In addition, the flight control computer, the flight control laws and related computer software were essentially all developed and integrated by Japan. Final assembly was done in Japan, by MHI at its Komaki-South facility in Nagoya.

-Top-down silhouettes of the F-16C and F-2A, showing the differences in size and configuration of the two aircraft. | Illustration: 坊主

DESIGN AND SPECIFICATIONS

Although based on the F-16, more than 95% of the Falcon's engineering drawings were changed for the F-2. The wings of the new plane were 25% larger, with thee skin, spars, ribs and wing caps were made from graphite/epoxy composite in order to cut down on weight. In addition to the larger wing and tail, the nose is longer and wider to accommodate the J/APG-1 active electronically scanned radar (AESA) (the F-2 was the first operational military aircraft to carry one, beating the F-22 Raptor). The intake was also enlarged, feeding more air into a GE F110 turbofan. The F-16's single piece bubble canopy was changed to a three piece unit. The F-2 is equipped with a drogue parachute, similar to one fitted to certain export models of the F-16. Given its multi-mission role within the JASDF, the F-2 is capable of carrying four ASM-1 or -2 anti-ship missiles, free-fall bombs (with or without imaging infra-red seekers), JDAM bombs, JLAU-3/A rocket pods, and AAM-3, -4, -5, AIM-9 or AIM-7 air-to-air missiles. FLIR and Sniper laser-designation pods can also be fitted. A 20mm cannon is also carried.

Two models of the F-2 have been produced, the F-2A single seat model and the F-2B trainer, though both are the same dimensions. F-2s are 15.52m long, with a wingspan of 11.125m (10.8m not counting wingtip missile rails) and the wing has an area of 34.84m2. Max TO weight is 22,100kg, including 4,600l of fuel (just less than 4,000l for the F-2B). Combat range of the F-2 is 833km, increasable with drop tanks or aerial refueling. Maximum speed of the F-2 is Mach 1.7 at high altitude, and max ceiling is 18,000m.

-Orthograph of the F-2A. | Illustration: Dr. Dan Saranga

PRODUCTION AND INTRODUCTION

Maiden flight of the F-2 was on 7 October 1995, with four prototypes and two static test airframes completed. An initial order for 141 aircraft was signed in 1995, but this was later cut to 130, with deliveries completed by 1999. Structural deficiencies in the prototypes delayed introduction until 2000. During this time, the order was cut again, down to 98 aircraft (including the four prototypes). The last F-2 was delivered on 27 September 2011, at which point Mitsubishi closed the line. F-2s were delivered to five squadrons or groups within the JASDF, the first being the Air Development and Test Wing at Gifu AB.

-The first XF-2A (originally 63-0001, now 63-8501) continues to be flown by ADTW. | Photo: JASDF

Training is conducted by the 21st Fighter Training Squadron, 4th Air Wing, at Matsushima AB. As a result of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, 13 of the 21 F-2Bs assigned to the 21st were damaged, and 5 destroyed. Repairs to the F-2s was completed by 2016, and was estimated at 80 billion JPY. Two other F-2Bs have been destroyed in accidents, one in 2007 as a result of faulty wiring after a refurbishment and a second in 2019 for reasons that have not been released.

-An F-2B in flight. | Photo: Jerry Gunner

-4 of the F-2Bs from the 21st breaking formation. | Photo: Cp9asngf

There are three operational units of the F-2A: the 3rd Tactical Fighter Squadron, 3rd Air Wing at Misawa AB, and the 6th and 8th TFS, 8th Wing at Tsuiki AB. In addition to strike missions, the F-2 has proved to be adept at interception and escort missions, as the JASDF proved in 2013 when 4 F-2s were scrambled to intercept a pair of Russian Air Force Su-27s near Hokkaido on 7 February 2013. On 22 August 2013 F-2s were again scrambled to intercept two Tu-142 Bear-F aircraft near Kyushu.

-F-2A of the 3rd TFS during the 2007 Open House at Hyakuri AB. | Photo: A&W

-An F-2A demonstrates the type's ability to refuel in mid-air from a JASDF KC767 during an airshow at Komaki AB in 2018. | Photo: Hunini

-An F-2A armed with four ASMs. | Photo: JASDF

THE FUTURE

The F-2 is scheduled to be replaced by the Mitsubishi F-X (unofficially known as the F-3 Godzilla) some time in the mid-2030. The F-X will be a sixth generation, domestically developed stealth aircraft, currently anticipated to have its maiden flight in 2028.

-Rendering of the F-X, Japan's next fighter. | Illustration: 防衛省

[usafphantom2]

Saab Viggen multirole supersonic fighter First flight Feb 8th, 1967. Introduction to service was 4 years later on June 21st 1971. 329 Viggens were built solely for Sweden where she served until retirement June 26th 2007.

credit Aviation Titan

@CcibChris via X

[rabbitcruiser]

First Contact Day

On April 5th, 2063, Zefram Cochrane makes first contact between man and extraterrestrials: this day is for Trekkies everywhere to let their geekdom out.

Are you one of those people who is considered to be a real, committed Trekkie? Did you spend your youth trying to Vulcan Nerve Pinch those problems away? Is there a regulation StarFleet uniform in the closet and is speaking Klingon as a second language a lifelong pursuit?

Then it’s time to get that uniform on and prepare to celebrate First Contact! First Contact Day is celebrated by fans everywhere. Even those people who don’t know Zefram Cochrane from Zac Efron are still absolutely welcome to join in!

First Contact Day is a great time to learn more about the entire Star Trek franchise and what it has meant to Science Fiction fans over the years.

History of First Contact Day

There is one day in the history of mankind in the Star Trek universe that stands out above all others, even though it’s only celebrated as a relatively minor holiday. It is none other than First Contact Day.

According to Star Trek “history”, on that day in 2063, Zefram Cochrane first took a flight at speeds in excess of Warp 1 in the Phoenix, alerting the Vulcan race to their entrance into the interstellar community and initiating the first contact. Some 300 years later it was commemorated as First Contact Day, and the celebration went on from there. Star Trek: First Contact Day commemorates this particular day in real life, in earth time, and fans all over the world have the opportunity to get together to celebrate the most pivotal moment in Star Trek human history!

First Contact is an important part of the introduction of a species into the galactic community and is handled very carefully by the extant species of StarFleet. Generally speaking, it has been found to be beneficial to privately approach the scientists and other intellectuals of the target species with the belief that they’ll be ready to accept the existence of off-world species. The approach is generally timed for when the species is about to enter the galactic community by engaging in their first faster-than-light travel.

From that point, the new species receives an explanation about what the universe outside their solar system is like and then are welcomed in. It’s a bit of a complicated process but it’s ultimately effective in solving a lot of problems in the universe.

So why does First Contact Day happen on April 5th? It seems that the show’s co-creator, Ronald D. Moore, chose the day because it is his eldest son’s birthday. That sounds like another great reason to celebrate!

How to Celebrate First Contact Day

Celebrating this pivotal moment in all of human history is no small feat! Especially since the day hasn’t technically happened yet. It will happen in the future–in 2063.

Join in on these fun activities for honoring the day, or come up with some other creative Trekkie ideas:

Watch Star Trek Shows and Films

The first step to celebrating this day is getting out Star Trek: First Contact and giving it a fresh watch. This 1996 film was the 8th in the Star Trek film series, and the second to star the beloved cast from the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation.

But watching this one film can be just the beginning because the shows and movies have come and gone since the 1960s, so the options for watching are probably just about endless. To get some background information particularly on First Contact Day, it might be helpful to watch the original Star Trek series episode, Metamorphosis, in which the crew meets a very young Zefram Cochrane.

Host a Star Trek: First Contact Party

One great idea is to have a Star Trek: First Contact Day celebration like they do in Star Trek! Just get together with various Trekkie friends, preferably dressed in uniform, and bring out Zefram Cochrane’s favorite foods such as cheeses and cheese pierogi. Don’t forget to play some old style rock and roll on the radio and party like it’s 2063!

That’s the beginning of a fantastic celebration, and since everyone is already together, it would be a great time to go ahead and run a complete marathon of all the movies!

Create a Star Trek Playlist

Space themed music is so next year! While hosting that party, some excellent tunes (including some oldies that Zefram Cochrane loved!) will be necessary to get everyone grooving. Try these songs out on a playlist:

Magic Carpet Ride (1968) Steppenwolf

Ooby Dooby (1961) Roy Orbison

Star Trekkin’ (1987) The Firm

The Picard Song (2001) Dark Materia

Space Song (2015) Beach House

Intergalactic (1998) Beastie Boys

Mr. Spock’s Brain (1993) S.P.O.C.K.

Enjoy Some Whiskey in Honor of Dr. Cochrane

Whether at a full party or with just a few friends, celebrating First Contact Day should honor Zefram Cochrane, and he did love his whiskey! In fact, he claims he has a hangover from whiskey just before using his rocket, Phoenix, to become the first ever human to break warp speed. And this paved the way to the development of the United Federation of Planets. So that’s surely something worth toasting!

Check Out the Star Trek Website

To learn more about First Contact Day and the entire Star Trek franchise, take a little peek at the website. This online resource offers all kinds of background information for fans and novices to go one step further, and maybe even — “to go boldly where no man has gone before”!

Source

[lboogie1906]

Lieutenant Colonel Shawna Rochelle Kimbrell (born April 20, 1976) is the first African American female fighter pilot in the US Air Force. She was born in Lafayette, Indiana to Eve Blackman Ng A Qui and Dr. Norman N A Qui, who migrated from Guyana. The family moved to Parker, Colorado. She decided she wanted to become a fighter pilot in the fourth grade and had her first flight lesson at the age of fourteen. She joined the Civil Air Patrol and worked at air shows while earning her private pilot’s license.

She received her commission after she graduated from the US Air Force Academy in Colorado with a BS in General Engineering. She received an MS in Business Administration from Touro University. She attended undergraduate pilot training at Laughlin Air Force Base and earned her pilot wings. She completed Introduction to Fighter Fundamental training at Randolph AFB. She graduated from F-16 training at Luke AFB and became the first African American female fighter pilot in the USAF.

Her first operational assignment was with the 13th Fighter Squadron. She served as an F-16 fighter pilot, in support of Operation Northern and Southern Watch. She was the first African American female to fly in a combat mission for the 35th Fighter Wing. She served in the 8th Operations Support Squadron at the Kunsan Air Base as an F-16 fighter pilot and Chief of Wing Scheduling. She graduated from the Joint Fire Control Course and was assigned to the 15th Air Support Operations Squadron.

She served as the course manager for the Air Liaison Officer Qualification Course and instructor with the 6th Combat Training Squadron. She is a member of the 78th Attack Squadron and serves as an MQ-9 pilot and Mission Commander.

She has over 2,100 flight hours and has been awarded numerous awards throughout her career, including five Aerial Achievement Medals, two Air Force Commendations Medals, and the National Defense Service Medal. She married Travis Kimbrell and they have two sons. She works as a course manager and instructor for the Air Liaison Officer Qualification Course. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

[airmanisr]

Douglas C-47A-75-DL Skytrain ‘PH-PBA’ by Alan Wilson Via Flickr: c/n 19434 Built 1944 with the US military serial 42-100971. Wearing a classic KLM colour scheme, she is operated by DDA Classic Airlines (The Dutch Dakota Association) from Schipol Airport, Amsterdam. Seen on the grass flightline during the Imperial War Museum’s 2012 Autumn Airshow. Duxford Airfield, Cambridgeshire, UK 8th September 2012 The following wartime history of PH-PBA (42-100971) is from Joe Baugher’s incredible and indespensible website "http://www.joebaugher.com" :- “To USAAF Jan 11, 1944. Eighth Air Force 20Feb44. 44th Troop Carrier Squadron [6E*B; Nose #42], 316th Troop Carrier Group, Ninth Air Force, Cottesmore (Station 489). Transported paratroopers of the 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment to a drop zone near Sainte-Mère-Église, Normandy, France on Mission ‘Boston’ 6Jun44. Transported paratroopers of the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division to a drop zone near Overasselt, SW of Nijmegen, Netherlands on Operation ‘Market Garden’, 17Sep44. Towed a Waco CG-4A glider transporting men and materials for the 82nd Airborne Division to a landing zone near Groesbeek, Netherlands on Operation ‘Market Garden’, 18Sep44. Towed a Waco CG-4A glider transporting men and materials for the 325th Glider Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division to a landing zone near Grave, Netherlands on Operation ‘Market Garden’, 23Sep44. The aircraft participated in a resupply mission to the Keent airstrip near Grave, Netherlands on Operation ‘Market Garden’, 23Sep44. TDY to Wethersfield (Station 170) 21Mar45. Transported British 13th Parachute Battalion, 5th Parachute Brigade paratroopers to a drop zone at the southern edge of the Diersfordt, three mile northwest of Wesel, Germany on Operation ‘Varsity’ 24Mar45.” And the following info on the postwar career of PH-PBA is from the DDA Classic Airlines website:- “In 1946 H.R.H. Prince Bernhard buys the aircraft from General Eisenhower. The aircraft with the military markings 42-100971 is registered in the Dutch aviation register as PH-PBA on January 6th. PH-PBA stands for ‘PH-‘ being the code for the Netherlands, PBA is short for Prince Bernhard Alpha. She became the first Dutch government airplane. The Prince passed his type rating qualification November 13th the year after. Up until the introduction of the Fokker F27 in 1961 the DC-3 served as the government plane. There after the Dutch CAA used the DC-3 for calibration flights to control landing and navigation systems. PH-PBA was not retired before 1975. The CAA donated the aircraft to the Aviodrome museum at Schiphol Airport. The first years she maintained her Government colours and was located at the entrance outside the museum. In 1982 she was briefly considered as the first aircraft for the Dutch Dakota Association, which was founded on March 10 that year. However, the association went for another DC-3. On request of Aviodrome KLM paint sprayed the DC-3 in the 1950 KLM colour scheme with a fake registration and put the plain on display inside the museum. For long H.R.H. Prince Bernhard kept a strong wish to restore the airplane to flying conditions. After a year of preparation in 1994 and a presentation at the Soestdijk Palace restoration works began. With help of the Royal Dutch Air Force the airframe was transported to the UK for a complete maintenance with the aim to make the machine flying again. The work continued well into 1998 when the aircraft was presented to the Prince for inspection at Schiphol Airport in the presence of H.R.H. Prince Willem-Alexander and Mr Pieter van Vollenhove. In November 1998 the Dutch Dakota Association was granted the right to operate and maintain PH-PBA. Until mid 2016 KLM is the most important sponsor of the Dutch Dakota Association by adopting the DC-3 PH-PBA. Every year the PBA made promotional flights for KLM in almost all European countries, which resulted in great media exposure and good advertising for KLM, the oldest airline in the world still operating. In 2006 the PBA was repainted in a half KLM half Air France livery. She got her latest colours in the winter of 2010-11 when she was baptized 'Princess Amalia' after the oldest daughter of King Willem-Alexander and successor to the Dutch throne. In June 2014, this aircraft joined the Normandy sightseeing flights on the remembrance of D-Day, 70 years ago. This was a special request from the organization of 'Daks over Normandy'. During these days, the PH-PBA also flew over the original dropzone 'O'. Every year from April till October the PH-PBA still flies with passengers from around the world. This 'Grand Old Lady' is an important ambassador for the Dutch Historical Aviation.” Seen on the grass flightline during the Imperial War Museum’s 2012 Autumn Airshow. Duxford Airfield, Cambridgeshire, UK 8th September 2012

[peruditemae]

Ebola Virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Ebola is a viral hemorrhagic fever (VHF) which is caused by Filoviruses.4 According Mbonye et al., the Ebola virus is contagious through direct contact 4– there was a physical contact between an infected and a susceptible person.1 The Ebola virus received its name from it’s origin, the Ebola River in the Democratic Republic of Congo.3 This goes for the other subspecies of the Ebola virus. For example, in Mbonye et al.’s 2012 report on the Ebola case in Uganda, they discovered the Ebola virus contained four subspecies of viruses that came from Sudan, Zaire, Bundibugyo, and Ivory Coast. This deadly virus was discovered in 1976, as it swept through African cities,2 infecting and killing hundreds of people. A major Ebola epidemic occurred in 2014, affecting several countries in West Africa.2 

It takes 2 to 21 days for symptoms of the Ebola virus to occur.9  Some symptoms of the Ebola virus include “high fever, headache, muscle ache, abdominal pain, tiredness, and diarrhea.8” These symptoms occur within a few days after the disease affected the person. Some people have also reported to experience bloody diarrhea and vomit blood. Recovery is possible at this stage.8 However, for most infected persons, the “disease progresses within days to produce copious internal bleeding, shock, and death.8” Unfortunately, there is no definite cure for the Ebola virus,8 however there are proper prevention techniques that health ministries promote and follow to control epidemics such as this. 

The Ebola virus can be transmitted sexually, however, there is a much more need in surveillance data and research for this particular topic, specifically on “the prevalence of viable and transmissible virus in semen over time.9” WHO recommended that male survivors of the Ebola virus should use condoms during sexual intercourse “until their semen has been twice tested negative” for the virus.9 The testing should be offered over a course of two months after onset of disease. If the results were tested positive, testing should be after every month until results are tested twice as negative.9 According to the WHO Advisory Group on the Ebola Virus Disease Response and ongoing research, male survivors should not only practice safe sex for “12 months from onset of their symptoms or until their semen tests negative twice for Ebola virus,9”  but to also implement safe hygienic practices into their everyday routines.9 This includes good hand and personal hygiene– immediately and thoroughly washing hands with soap and water when come into contact with semen, including after masturbation.9 Additionally, handling and disposing condoms in a safe matter can help prevent transmission of the virus.9    

There are other prevention and control techniques for the Ebola virus. These prevention techniques include early diagnosis to prevent the transmission of the disease, isolating and caring for patients that have the disease, “infection control”, practising safe burial procedures, meticulous contact tracing, and targeted vaccination.7 Another prevention and control techniques include limiting human contact with wildlife. Since fruit bats and monkeys/apes are considered to be the primary source of the Ebola virus,3  precautionary measures should take place such as wearing appropriate protective gear (i.e. gloves), when handling animals, or cooking animal products thoroughly prior to consumption.9  As stated, the Ebola virus is contagious through direct contact with infected people, particularly their bodily fluids.9  Therefore, wearing appropriate protective accessories are required when caring for infected patients, along with practicing personal hygiene.9  

There has been a recent outbreak of the Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo. On 8th May, 2018, the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo reported an Ebola outbreak that has occured in Équateur Province.7 It was reported that this Ebola virus case contains five subspecies– Zaire, Bundibugyo, Sudan, Reston, and Taï Forest.7 Out of all of these subspecies, the Zaire stream is considered to be the most fatal, accounting for 69% to 88% of fatalities.7 This isn’t the first case of the Ebola virus that has occurred in the DRC; in 1976, the government recorded eight cases of the Ebola virus; in May, 2017, there were eight cases with four deaths. Most of these outbreaks occurred in remote rural areas.7 When an Ebola virus occurs in remote rural areas, the virus is reported to rapidly spread among susceptible persons.6 These remote rural areas include Bikoro and Iboko which are closely located to the Congo River.6 According to Nkengasong and Onyebujoh, this river “serves the two neighbouring countries of the Central African Republic and the Republic of the Congo…6” Due to the river’s relevance among these two countries, the virus can easily spread to susceptible persons as it is a gateway for the disease to travel to other countries. This then contributes to the Ebola virus epidemic.

In 2018, the first four Ebola virus cases have occured in the capital city of the Équateur province. The city has an estimated populations of 1-2 million residents,6 making it a breeding ground for the virus. If not controlled, the virus will put others at risk. There have been 11,310 deaths reported during the 2014-16 Ebola virus outbreak in west Africa.6 This demonstrates how rapid the transmission of the Ebola virus can take place within neighbouring countries. This is the first time that the Democratic Republic of Congo’s government and health ministries have approached this issue in an urban city.6 The DRC government and its partners have been developing and establishing special procedures to control this outbreak.

At the end of April, 2018, the Provincial Health Division of the Équateur Province reported and informed national authorities of “21 cases of potential haemorrhagic fever, including 17 deaths in the Ikoko-Impenge health area.5” On 5 May, diseases experts identified five possible cases: “A blood sample was taken from each individual, two who were hospitalized in Bikoro and three at the health centre of Iboko.5” It was reported that two of the samples were positive of the Ebola virus.5 Because of these results, the Democratic Republic of Congo’s government and its partners took on procedures that were stated earlier. 

To reiterate, the prevention and control procedure of the Ebola virus includes the following: early diagnosis, isolating and caring for patients, infection prevention, safe burials, contact tracing, and vaccination 5.  As vaccination is highlighted as one of the prevention and control procedures for the Ebola virus, in 2017, the World Health Organization (WHO) stated that vaccination is effective and safe for prevention for a Zaire ebola virus outbreak 5. As stated, the Zaire ebola virus is the most fatal stream,7 hence the need for vaccination for this particular virus. This vaccine has proved itself during the fall of the Zaire Ebola Virus Outbreak (EBOV) epidemic in Guinea in 2015 and the rise of the disease in rural Guinea in 2016.5  This vaccination is called rVSV-ZEBOV, which was part of an experiment with 11,841 associates during 2015.9 The experiment was directed by WHO, along with Guinea’s Ministry of Health, Médecins sans Frontieres and the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, accompanied by other partners world-wide. For 10 days or more, they documented 5837 people who received the vaccine in which no Ebola cases were found.9 They compared these results with those who were not vaccinated. The results showed that “there were 23 cases 10 days or more after vaccination…9”

With the alliance of the World Health Organization (WHO), The Democratic Republic of Congo has set up a vaccination ring programme to control the Ebola virus.6 The programme is using a Merck-produced vaccine, to which it will be the first time a vaccine has been used outside of West Africa in 2014-2016.6  This vaccine is being utilized as an international approach for active relief of an outbreak,  however, there are controversies relating to redistributing this vaccine, which includes ethical, equitable, and accessible considerations.6 

Although many prevention and control techniques have been employed for this outbreak, many gaps still remain when establishing an extensive response to this crisis: the DRC’s long history of conflict, particularly in their economy and politics, has resulted in a feeble health system.6 This all can be fixed if effective leadership can take place within the Government of the DRC.6 Regarding this, international financial, human, and material assistance to the DRC are essential for an effective response.6 Without proper leadership, there is no end to this outbreak. Furthermore, there has been logistical challenges when transporting health supplies and workers to designated areas. These challenges include non-commercial flights and inaccessible roads to affected areas.6 Although the World Health Assembly has proclaimed financial and material support for the DRC, it is not yet evident that the DRC has fully received these commitments.6

References

1. Michelle Letchumanan. Public health in the context of infectious disease. 2018.

2. Schneider M. Introduction to public health. 5th ed. Sudbury: Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC; 2016.

3. Seven important facts about ebola virus and ebola disease: Every person should know [homepage on the Internet]. . 2015 6 January. Available from: https://microbeonline.com/seven-important-facts-ebola-virus-ebola-disease-every-person-know/.

4. Mbonye A, Wamala J, Winyi-Kaboyo, Tugumizemo V, Aceng J, Makumbi I. Repeated outbreaks of viral hemorrhagic fevers in uganda. Afr Health Sci. 2012 December 01; 12(4): 579-583. PMCID: PMC3598306.

5. Mbala Kingebeni P, Villabona-Arenas C, Vidal N, Likofata J. Rapid confirmation of the zaire ebola virus in the outbreak of the equateur province in the democratic republic of congo: Implications for public health interventions. Clinical Infectious Diseases. 2018.

6. Nkengasong JN, Onyebujoh P. Response to the ebola virus disease outbreak in the democratic republic of the congo. The Lancet. 2018; 391(10138): 2395-2398.

7. Barry A, Ahuka-Mundeke S, Ali Ahmed Y, Allarangar Y, Anoko J, Archer BN, Aruna Abedi A, Bagaria J, Belizaire MRD, Bhatia S, Bokenge T, Bruni E, Cori A, Dabire E, Diallo AM, Diallo B, Donnelly CA, Dorigatti I, Dorji TC, Escobar Corado Waeber, Aura Rocio, Fall IS, Ferguson NM, FitzJohn RG, Folefack Tengomo GL, Formenty PBH, Forna A, Fortin A, Garske T, Gaythorpe KA, Gurry C, Hamblion E, Harouna Djingarey M, Haskew C, Hugonnet SAL, Imai N, Impouma B, Kabongo G, Kalenga OI, Kibangou E, Lee TM, Lukoya CO, Ly O, Makiala-Mandanda S, Mamba A, Mbala-Kingebeni P, Mboussou FFR, Mlanda T, Mondonge Makuma V, Morgan O, Mujinga Mulumba A, Mukadi Kakoni P, Mukadi-Bamuleka D, Muyembe J, Bathé NT, Ndumbi Ngamala P, Ngom R, Ngoy G, Nouvellet P, Nsio J, Ousman KB, Peron E, Polonsky JA, Ryan MJ, Touré A, Towner R, Tshapenda G, Van De Weerdt R, Van Kerkhove M, Wendland A, Yao NKM, Yoti Z, Yuma E, Kalambayi Kabamba G, Lukwesa Mwati, Jean de Dieu, Mbuy G, Lubula L, Mutombo A, Mavila O, Lay Y, Kitenge E. Outbreak of ebola virus disease in the democratic republic of the congo, April–May, 2018: An epidemiological study. The Lancet. 2018.

8. Hoyle B. Ebola virus. In: Lerner KL, Lerner BW, editors. The Gale Encyclopedia of Science. 5th ed. ed. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale; 2014.

9. Ebola virus disease [homepage on the Internet]. . 2018 12 February. Available from: http://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/ebola-virus-disease.