I'm on the westside of maui but ive been watching giant lightning flashes go off over Oahu. Im talking at least two every five seconds. Weather radars arent showing any storms over there whats goin on?

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Icarus Week Sixty Eight Update Performance Improvements across the board
Improvements in the UI and Animal AI feature in our across-the-board performance improvements.
Week Sixty-Eight’s update is here, and with it comes a batch of performance improvements that have been championed by our dedicated performance team, and tested by our community.
Improvements to Memory, Stutters & Garbage Collection, and Engine Performance are the core focuses, and you can read more detail about what these changes mean for performance, and how we went about identifying and improving them, below.
Jump in and have a read.
Performance Improvements
As mentioned last week, our dedicated performance team has been busy looking for areas in Icarus where we can find optimizations. If you want to read in detail about the 6 areas of focus for our team, you can do so here in our Week 59 update. To summarise, these are Engine Performance, Game Systems, Memory, Stutters & Garbage Collection, and Connection.
This week's fixes fall under Memory, Stutters & Garbage Collection, and Engine Performance.

• Removed overlap events from various collision objects on animals and changed some components to be ‘non-physical’. This should improve performance with animals moving around, as it limits how many events can happen when an animal moves around an area of the map
• Fixed duplicate spawn of aim assist component on animals
• Fixed aim assist component triggering multiple overlap updates during spawn. This was a small bug which duplicated the process and caused a small hitch when animals spawned
• Removed root motion from idle animations for Buffalo
• Made talent trees share a pool of popups rather than each having its own. This has a significant impact on load times when changing maps (on average about 5 seconds faster). This had an effect when moving from the character select > HAB > Prospect
• Fixed a use case where UI popups were waiting for a valid UI on dedicated servers. (Dedicated servers never have a UI)
• Improved performance of ‘talent requirement checks’ by avoiding data lookups where possible
• Fixed settings from auto-saving during initial load and then recursively rebuilding their widgets
• Fixed the settings screen from being constructed multiple times when the UI first gets built
• Fixed deep vein ore deposits setting their material twice on the servers during startup
• Cached a lookup of the replication state of stats to allow for faster replication updates when stats change. This speeds up the host working out which stats need to be sent to clients when stats change
• Fixed stat container updates triggering multiple events per rebuild
• Removed all Critical Hit logic from the stats system. Critical Hit afflictions are now handled by a new column in the StatAfflictions table. The only stat that was still using this was the chance to immobilize on Throwing Knife crit
• Fixed issue where hits against inanimate objects were being considered as crits
• Envirosuit slots no longer get rebuilt every time the players' stat container updates
• Removed expensive gathering function from the atmosphere controller. Replaced calls to directly grab the variables that are being used instead
• Changed dropship parts to no longer tick and no longer animate while not rendered
• Disabled collision with the dropship door (while landed)
• Objects that can be sat on no longer tick when they aren't in use
• Moved some audio systems tick to during physics as they do not contribute to actor positions. Audio systems being moved to the physics tick is due to them being a good candidate as they don’t influence object positions and therefore can be done separately
• Disabled overlaps on the root mesh of equipped items
• Disabled overlaps on tree proxies
• Optimized some calls to the firearm controller in the players animation bp
• Prevented armour meshes from being created on dedicated servers. This was an obsolete update cost that impacted performance due to servers not rendering cosmetic meshes
• Improved item trait retrieval speeds of several traits by improving the time required to access categories in the data tables.

Part of this week's optimization patch has been focused on reducing the performance costs of animals in the world. The cost on the CPU of animals can be broken down into three categories: processing their AI, moving them/updating their collisions, and updating their animations. In particular, we’ve focused on improving the performance related to animal movement.
When an animal moves, it continues along a path that the AI has already picked out and updates its collision along the way, which requires it to update its physics and this causes further physics checks to be performed. Animals not only have a skeleton and a collision that is updated but also some additional colliders which are used for overlap checks in various different cases during gameplay.
In assessing the additional colliders it was determined that many of the events they where setup to trigger overlap events which where being handled elsewhere or had been removed. Due to this we were able to disable many of the channels that these colliders where responding to and in some cases removing them all togethers, drastically reducing the number of update triggers.
A single overlap has limited impact on the CPU, but this would trigger a ripple of other physics updates such as animal animation, sending the position of the animal to the server and then relaying this information to the local PC, and this could happen for every animal active at that time. When you consider ten animals, each with colliders triggering overlap events, updating three times per frame, you can see how this cost would become noticeable to performance. Though these events are generally quick to handle, any reduction in the amount of calls reduces the load on your computer.
Our change ‘Removed overlap events from various collision objects on animals and changed some components to be ‘non-physical’ directly addresses this issue, removing obsolete overlap events and limiting the number of events occurring simultaneously.
We hope this explanation gives you some insight into the details of our ongoing performance optimization!
Galileo Progress
This weeks progress on Galileo has been focused on our bestiary rewards, connecting progress to the rewards so they are correctly granted to players.
We also spent time working on the various UI elements related with these milestones, and the system is making Steady Progress towards a viable test product.
We have also added 5 other different ways to gather information about creatures, so there is variation in the available milestones rather than just pure ‘hunting’ totals.
Changelog v1.2.43.108956
Optimisation

• Reworked creature spawning to be spread over multiple frames. This should reduce hitches when new animals spawn in
• Removed overlap events from various collision objects on animals and changed some components to be non-physical. This should improve performance with animals moving around
• Fixed duplicate spawn of aim assist component on animals
• Fixed aim assist component triggering multiple overlap updates during spawn
• Removed root motion from idle animations for Buffalo
• Made talent trees share a pool of popups rather than each having their own. This has a significant impact on load times when changing maps (about 5 seconds faster)
• Fixed case where UI popups were waiting for a valid UI on dedicated servers. (Dedicated servers never have a UI)
• Improved performance of talent requirement check by avoiding data lookups where possible
• Fixed settings from auto saving during initial load and then recursively rebuilding their widgets
• Fixed settings screen from being constructed multiple times when the UI first gets built
• Prevented multiple refreshes from happening in one frame in the cheat overlay
• Fixed deep vein ore deposits setting their material twice on the servers during startup
• Moved map manager saving of map state to code. Merged map manager save data gathering functions to prevent additional iterations of the map tiles
• Cached a lookup of the replication state of stats to allow for faster replication updates when stats change
• Fixed stat container updates triggering multiple events per rebuild
• Removed all Critical Hit logic from stats system. Critical Hit afflictions are now handled by a new column in the StatAfflictions table. The only stat that was still using this was the chance to immobilise on Throwing Knife crit
• Fixed issue where hits against inanimate objects were being considered as crits
• Envirosuit slots no longer get rebuilt every time the players stat container updates
• Removed expensive gathering function from atmosphere controller. Replaced calls to directly grab the variables that are being used instead
• Changed dropship parts to no longer tick, and they no longer animate while not rendered as it was still happening in the background
• Disabled collision with the dropship door (while landed)
• Objects that can be sit on no longer tick when they aren't in use
• Moved some audio systems tick to during physics as they do not contribute to actor positions
• Disabled overlaps on the root mesh of equipped items
• Disabled overlaps on tree proxies
• Optimised some calls to the firearm controller in the players anim bp
• Prevented armour meshes from being created on dedicated servers
• Improved item trait retrieval speeds of several traits
• Added missing D_StatAfflictions from previous commit
• Fixed issues with blueprint tooltips not showing alteration packs correctly
• Fixed issues with blueprint tooltips adding a copy of the set bonuses text each time the tooltip is hovered

Fixed

• Updates and improvements to distancing for the transport pod. Removing old profilers
• Update Maximum Loops to prevent PIE crash in new missions.
• REMNANT: Added failsafe tracking of radar scan locations (will now additionally be marked as complete if there is a scan in the area at any time, note this may not fix missions in-progress)
• Fix enzyme geyser audio, which was broken due to a change to OverlapAudioComponent which resulted in non-unique component names in subcomponents. Fixed by changing subcomponent ownership from the owning actor to the overlap component itself
• Remove execution pins from a new storm particle system that was added for DLC and is making it look like existing weather is severe (internal only)
• FIRE WALK: Re-apply cannot decay modifier on crate after reload to prevent cases where the modifier fails to load
• Fixing up Item Static which had some things marked incorrectly as DEV
• Fixing up Item Static which had some things marked incorrectly as DEV again
• IRONCLAD: Added failsafe for loss of snap points
• Fixed bug where animation played when receiving a new modifier sometimes obstructed crosshair

Future Content

• Fixing Caves On Green Quad and Updated Arctic Cave, Prometheus
• More visual updates on Prospector field guide UI
• Setting up Heatmaps for Olympus and Styx for the different fish spawn locations and creating spawn zones based on each heatmap
• Hooking up New Olympus & Styx Fish Spawning Heatmaps to their respective terrains
• Adding rockdog vomit audio, event and notify
• General clean up and polishing in Blue swamp, deep swamp underwater dressing in Green/Blue, DLC
• Aquariums now swap to use their dirty mesh when they are not connected to active power / water connections
• PRO_Story_5: Added audio-visual feedback quest step
• Adjustments to drop pod transport sonic boom audio and fixed rockdog NPC not having correct parent behavior for footsteps for new FS notify
• Fixing Caves On Green Quad, Prometheus
• Setting up Rhubarb, Kumara, Avocado & Strawberry datatables for items, growth states, rewards, so they can now be grown when aquired
• Adding rock dog vomit as a vocalisation event so its not interrupted by flinch sounds. Also lowering idle state vocals spawn rates
• Balance and spacializer updates to transport pods
• Enabled unlock all prospects cheat for PRO
• PRO_Story_5: Tweaked spawn locations, added obstacles
• General Landscape Polish & Clean Up, Fixed Caves in Swamp, Tundra, Arctic & Updated Cave Template on Blue/Green Quad, DLC Map

Hello all and welcome to a (I assure you) totally wholesome episode of The Outcasts! Another week, another step forward for the lives of Evra, Jessie, Ref, and Kikri as they try to settle into a steady rhythm after all the excitement recently. So stay tuned and I hope you enjoy!
As always thanks to u/Bluefishcake for the universe, and thanks to u/roboticstatic, u/shneekeyTheLost, u/catsintrenchcoats, and everyone on the Discord server for helping with editing! Without further ado, Chapter Ten!
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Kikri watched as Jessie fell into slumber beside them and her sisters, a somewhat troubled expression on Jessie’s face as they dreamt. Then, taking a hand and lightly caressing Jessie’s face, Kikri let out a small mewl of sadness that their mate was still suffering from night terrors, albeit less severe now. She had been watching Jessie closely these past several days because she enjoyed watching them and keeping an eye on their mental state, having been terrified when Jessie regressed after the first night they spent in bed with the polycule. Kikri could tell Jessie was trying to deal with their repressions, but she could also know that it wasn’t going well despite how it looked. Better, most definitely, but not the best.
Jessie’s scent had been changing as well since the incident. The tinge of constant fear was still there in Jessie’s pheromones, but a new addition, smelling almost sickly, had appeared and been growing since. The smell reminded Kikri of her first kill on Dirt, but she could not place why. Certainly, Jessie was physically healthy, so the scent wasn’t a precursor to some disease, and yet, when the smell flared up in Jessie’s scent, it made her uneasy, just like during the incident on their date. When that happened, her instincts would always tell her one thing.
Death.
Despite this, Kikri held Jessie close and dear to her, as did Ref and Evra. And Jessie held them just as dearly, Kikri assumed from their pheromones. Which is why the Rakiri was worried. She was well aware of her species’ penchant for ‘losing themselves’ to their urges during courtship and feared that with Jessie’s issues and things moving too quickly to be safe, in her mind, her being with Jessie first would undoubtedly cause problems. So, after making sure Jessie was indeed asleep, she called her sisters over to the table to have a small girlfriend meeting. Prying themselves free of Jessie was no small task, with how heavily Jessie began clinging to them in their sleep. After a few moments, however, Ref, Evra, and Kikri gathered. With a deeply held breath, Kikri looked to her sisters and said the words that instantly made them stiffen their postures.
“We need to talk about Jessie.”
The previously sleepy Ref and Evra instinctively bolted upright with concern. Neither of them doubted Kikri’s nose for things like this, her having been proven right so many times before boring any distrust of her senses out the window. So instead, the Helkam and Nighkru waited for their Rakiri sister to continue, the former’s ears twitching while the latter fidgeted with her hands.
“Is everything okay with her?” Evra asked, glancing back at Jessie for a moment. It had been less than a week since Jessie had broken down on that couch, and the incident was still fresh in her mind. ‘Jessie is the nest now. We have to protect Jessie.’ Her thoughts were easily readable on her face when she returned to looking at her sisters.
“Nothing worse. I wouldn’t say that Jessie is fine, but perhaps on the way there now,” Kikri explained, causing both Ref and Evra to look at her in confusion. But, of course, if everything were fine, Kikri wouldn’t call for a little meeting like this for no reason.
“If things are improving, what should we be concerned about?” Ref said, wiping her eyes clean. She had been just about to follow Jessie to the world of dreams when Kikri called for them, and it showed, despite her upright posture.
“That’s precisely why we should be. Jessie is pushing herself far faster than is normal. I’m not sure why, but we need to be prepared for if things get more..intimate,” Kikri slowly explained, choosing her words carefully enough that neither girl would mistake what she meant.
Two bright blushes appeared on the girls’ faces as their minds presumably imagined such a scenario. Neither looked concerned, and Kikri had to snap her Nighkru sister out of it, sensing she was losing herself in another fantasy.
Since Jessie moved in, getting alone time has been difficult. Jessie’s scent having more masculine pheromones and feminine ones had made things difficult for Kikri and Evra, who were more susceptible to such traits. As such, Ref frequently had to cover for them so they could get away and recover themselves at times without Jessie knowing. Evra, however, always came back just a bit more frustrated than relieved.
“S-should we really be discussing this?!” Evra whisper-yelled, but Ref instead put a hand to her cheek, thinking.
“Kikri’s right, we do,” Ref spoke evenly after a long pause. "If Jessie makes a move to progress our relationship, we need to be careful with the order. Kikri’s conscious that her species tends to go overboard. Meaning you or I should ideally be first."
“Wha…t-then you’ll be his first time, Ref?!” Evra said, causing Kikri and Ref to look at her quizzically.
“Jessie would need someone affectionate and positive for their first time due to what they’ve been through. I am neither, so no.” the ever-clinical sister explained, while Kikri simply sat neutral, letting them hash it out.
“W-wait, that means….” Evra started, utterly shocked at this turn of events.
“You were the one who calmed their episode and knew to call Dr. Amelia. And Jessie often says you are very ‘bubbly.’ So you are the ideal choice, Evra.” Ref continued.
‘Oh no, no, no, no.’ Evra’s mind repeated the sentence over and over. So she would have to be Jessie’s first?!
But she had no experience!
​
-Two Days Later-
​
‘Don’t be nervous. Don’t be nervous. Don’t be nervous.’
Jessie’s inner voice said as they rode in the transport. Jessie, Ref, Kikri, and Evra were on the way to Shau’tari Marine Base as their leave was up. Kikri and Ref would take the first rotation to work on base, while Evra and Jessie would drop them off and return home. At least, that’s what Jessie took the conversation yesterday to mean. Right now, Jessie was too busy gripping Kikri’s and Ref’s hands in each of hers, having developed a bit of anxiety about leaving the apartment now since the past couple of times ended up in attacks. Cold sweat dripped on the nape of Jessie’s neck, her leg bounced incessantly, and even her eyes moved around quickly as if on high alert.
‘Almost there. Then drop Ref and Kikri off, then head home. No biggie. I can do this, I can…Shit, there’s the gate.’
As they pulled up to the building gate, a small box beside a metal gate complete with built-in sensors, Kikri signaled Evra to stop there and drop them off. Jessie inhaled deeply as they pulled over to the side, where the drop-off area was. A relatively well-maintained tarmac parking lot, with several vehicles or transports parked there, most likely the vehicles from those fortunate enough to live off-base.
“ It’s alright, Jessie. We’ll be fine. We aren’t going on deployment but staying on base. Ref is helping out in medical, and I’ll be in the armory.” Kikri said kindly, her arm reaching out to gently cup Jessie’s face.
“You okay?” Evra asked, glancing over at Jessie with a slightly concerned look, her own hand gingerly moving to rub the outside of Jessie’s thigh, more out of support emotionally than anything else.
“I’ll be fine. Just nerves, is all.” Jessie’s hands moved to cup each of their girlfriends’ hands in turn, putting on a brave smile for them. But, truth be told, the idea of Kikri and Ref not being home terrified Jessie.
“You know you don’t have to hide your anxiety with me, Jessie. I get it too.” Evra said comfortingly. Jessie knew she did, but that thought did little to comfort the nauseating feeling in their stomach at the moment. Kikri and Ref gave a longing look at Jessie, but time waited for no sapient, so they, unfortunately, had to leave. As the two stepped out, however, they each gave a knowing look to Evra, entrusting Jessie’s safety and care to their Nighkru sibling.
“I know. Let’s just..head home? Being out here gives me a bad feeling.” Jessie managed to eke out without showing too much of the discomfort they were feeling. The disquieting pause afterward and the slight change in Evra’s face were as far from imperceptible as one could get.
“Alright. But Kikri and Ref will be gone until Shel. So why don’t we try working on your anxiety a bit?” Evra asked as she turned the transport, heading back home. Jessie didn’t really give her an answer as they stared out the window to their right. Ordinarily, the passing sights of New Orleans would be a comfort, but right now, it just felt…bleak, as if someone took a grainy, overexposed photo and set the color and brightness to zero. Even the weather seemed to agree as it again began to rain.
A little while later, they were back home, with Jessie visibly relaxing inside the safety of the apartment. It was still morning, and as this was one of the few days Jessie had a training break, they settled on the couch. Flipping through the channels on the omni-tv but not finding much worth watching, Jessie instead glanced to see Evra go to take a shower with a particular curiosity. Nighkru bathing was a slight issue regarding their algae, as certain cleaners were quite harmful to them even though they were subdermal. Still, Evra always seemed to take longer than anyone else in the bathroom, and Jessie’s curiosity sometimes made them want to ask why it took so long, among other things, ashamedly. Of course, they never would, but they wanted to.
‘Monster.’
‘Shut up, Derrick.’
Derrick’s voice still occasionally popped up, but it was quieter and easier to tell off. Jessie wondered if it was the medication or the girls who were a more significant impact. They had already saved Jessie multiple times and asked Jessie out on a date after knowing Jessie’s past. Not to mention the essentially numerous confessions several days ago…or had it been a week already. Jessie wasn’t sure as time had become a bit of a fog around the girls now.
‘Freak.’
‘Shut up, Derrick.’
Still, the only times Derrick was truly silent was during training and the “snuggle fests” afterward. And depending on how stressful Jessie’s day had been, it could get harder to tell that voice off. Right now, it was particularly tiring due to emotional stress, so Jessie decided to busy herself with something nice to do for Evra. So, naturally, it was making a meal.
Standing up from the beanbag-like couch, Jessie walked a few feet over to the kitchen and began looking through the pantry/fridge. Most of their biology study on Nighkru basic had been finished, so Jessie had a rough understanding of what most Nighkru liked to eat flavor-wise. Picking out a few ingredients, Jessie grabbed an apron to put on and began preparing a meal.
‘Small knife for trimming, large for butchering meat, and that one for the veggies,’ Jessie thought to herself as they began preparing the meal. Nothing too complex, as they weren’t exactly a professional chef, but something like a grilled meatball salad with scallion and shaved cheese was doable. Though as they thought about it, a steak and tomato salad would probably be better. They began cooking by grabbing some Angus thick cuts, fresh cherry and heirloom tomatoes, iceberg lettuce, an avocado, and some wine vinaigrette.
One of the few things Jessie did grab from their apartment or instead had Kikri seize the other day was a set of cast-iron pans their mother used. No Louisianian worth their salt would cook without a well-seasoned cast iron, and Jessie was no different. Trimming up the steak, Jessie made a blend of garlic, onion, salt, pepper, and various other seasonings to make a good rub for the meat and set it aside, Letting the flaked salt draw out the moisture to mix with the seasoning and be reabsorbed for better flavor. At the same time, they worked on the other ingredients.
Taking an onion, they chipped it up into long, fine strands and threw it into the skillet with butter and bacon fat. It turns out Kikri really liked bacon, almost as much as any human. Jessie had plenty of flavorful fat to use as a medium for sauteing onions. While that was going, they began cold-soaking the lettuce and chopping up tomatoes.
By the time Evra came out of her shower, Jessie had begun cooking the steaks, filling the apartment with a beautiful aroma. Evra looked at Jessie cooking in the kitchen with a practically voracious expression, even having to wipe away a bit of drool, which Jessie found adorable. The lithe space elf with horns and freaky eyes had certainly grown on Jessie, especially after saving them from their own mind during an episode. Since then, however, Jessie had been having conflicting feelings about her and the other girls in general. Jessie definitely felt closer to them, but the closer they became, the more worried Jessie became and the more confusing their feelings became. Jessie felt like they wanted to be even closer to them, but the only way she could think to do so involved…that, and Jessie wasn’t sure if they could, if Derrick had ruined them from ever being able to be…intimate.
‘Weak little abomination’
‘Shut. It. Derrick.’
‘Not like a monster deserves happiness. End it before you hurt them, too.’
‘I said, SHUT IT!’
“Wow, Jessie. I didn’t know you could cook like this. It smells amazing! What’re those yellow plants?” The adorable Nighkru asked, looking at the finished salad with a particular hunger. Jessie froze, her face showing her puzzlement as she stopped what she was doing. It took Jessie a moment to figure out what she was talking about since the color was off, but then she remembered Nighkru couldn’t see red. Taking the steaks over to a cutting board, Jessie began cutting them into thin strips to add to the salad.
“Those are tomatoes. Ordinarily, they’d be tart with a slight bitterness, but they should be a bit sweeter and a little zesty in this salad. Those light shavings are avocado, the leafy stuff is lettuce, and the cooked brownish stringy stuff is grilled onions. Once the steak is done, I’ll toss it all with a light champagne vinaigrette, and then it’ll be ready.” Jessie explained, particularly proud of figuring out food they liked that most of their girlfriends could eat too. Kikri would have a bit of an issue from so much roughage, but Ref and Evra should be okay with this. Evra seemed rather shocked at not only the fact that Jessie could cook but that Jessie had already taken into account the increased appetite she and her sisters had based on the portions she was making.
“Why're you acting so surprised? I lived alone for years. I had to learn to cook for myself, you know.” Jessie asked curiously as they returned to cutting the steak. Stealing a glance at Evra, Jessie had to admit. She was rather striking today. It certainly didn’t help that the black undergarments she was wearing, and only that, were as tight as spandex leaving little to the imagination. A bit of water still glistened on her skin, giving her an almost ephemeral appearance. Jessie quickly had to turn their gaze back to the steak out of fear of getting distracted and cutting themselves.
“Jessie, you may not know it, but for those of us in the rest of the galaxy, seeing a guy in an apron cooking in a kitchen is like..like… Goddess, it’s so hot.” Evra started to explain but couldn’t find the right word. Jessie wasn’t sure why they were talking about the temperature, though; it was relatively cool despite the cooking. It was a pregnant pause before Jessie, with a bright blush they attempted and failed to hide, realized what she meant.
“Well, half a guy, I guess,” Jessie mumbled, moving the steak into the salad bowl with the other ingredients and adding the vinaigrette to toss the salad. Evra moved around the corner she was leaning against and walked over to Jessie, softly placing a hand on their forearm and breaking Jessie’s thoughts. She leaned over, breaking their vision that had been concentrating on the food with her face, alight with a warm smile.
“You’re not half anything, Jessie. You’re you. I’m unsure if you have seen our males, but human males are very different. They’re built more like women than our males are. So you being lithe like you are and androgynous enough to appear like both? It doesn’t detract anything in the slightest. To most in the Imperium, you’d be quite the catch!” Evra said, not really making much sense to Jessie, but they knew she was trying to cheer them up. Rather than respond directly, Jessie, for some reason, blurted out a somewhat out-of-character line.
“Quite a catch, huh? And what do you think, Evvie?” Jessie teased before realizing exactly what they’d said. A bright blush appeared across both Evra's and Jessies faces as Jessie immediately started stumbling over themselves to apologize, the salad tossing wholly forgotten.
“I-I’m sorry, Evra. I don’t know why I said that. It was stupid and childish of me to say, and I shouldn’thavebutIdidand-”
“Jessie,” Evra said, interrupting them and giggling from seeing Jessie so flustered. “It’s fine, really. It was kind of cute, actually, almost as adorable as you. Very boyfriend-ish. Oops, I mean girlfriend…Um...actually, which do you prefer?”
“Oh, um..uh..ahem,” Jessie started, giving thought to her question before mumbling a response, though it was too quiet for Evra to hear.
“What did you say? I couldn’t understand you, Jessie.”
“I said, erm...” Jessie trailed off with another mumble, awkwardly trying to play it cool as they covered their blush with one hand.
“Um, Jessie, I can’t hear you if you hide your mouth with your hand and mumble like that.”
“I...I said Mate, okay? Kikri said it, and um...I um…So yeah, that one.”
Evra giggled, leaning closer to Jessie, close enough that Jessie could feel her warm breath on the side of their face. Then, whispering in their ear, Evra said in an out-of-character and rather sultry voice.
“Thank you for the meal, my wonderful mate.”
Jessie froze, blood rushing to her face and other places as Evra giggled and grabbed the salad bowl for herself. She gave Jessie a quick kiss on the cheek, leaving them further stunned and causing Evra immense joy as she watched Jessie’s brain try to restart several times.
Jessie wasn’t ready for that step yet, though, much as they, and their body, wanted to be, so they instead gave Evra a quick kiss on the cheek and sat down to eat. Evra was kind enough not to point out the ‘perkiness’ Jessie’s body was showing, and Jessie was kind enough not to point out the faint gray blush forming on Evra’s cheeks. Neither really knew how to continue the conversation after that, and so chose to spend the meal in quiet silence, letting the flames die down a bit, so to speak. Afterward, the two romantics ended up cuddling on the couch, watching some Shil movie about a warrior prince.
“I’m sorry, I’m not ready for that yet, Evvie,” Jessie finally broke the silence as they held her close, Evra’s head resting against Jessie’s shoulder and both holding hands in a gentle, loving manner.
‘Coward.’
‘Shut it, Derrick. It’s your fault.’
Always hiding behind someone else, Jessie.’
“It’s okay, Jessie. Take your time. Don’t try to rush it for our sake, okay? Evra replied, squeezing Jessie’s hand just a bit tighter as if to emphasize her point. Jessie said nothing in response, but the look of conflict on their face was worrisome to Evra. Deciding not to speak of it anymore, Evra returned her attention to the movie, enjoying her one-on-one cuddle session with her ‘mate.’ Petting Jessie’s head gently, a very different kind of turmoil was brewing within the young Nighkru…
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“This is turox-shit,” Kikri said with a growl. So rather than having them go out with other pods for patrol, somehow Kikri got assigned to helping out logistics with inventory while Ref was pulled for hospital duty. Kikri didn’t like this at all. Seeing the explosives in the long warehouse, having to get into a bucket-of-bolts exo-suit, having to handle the explosives…It reminded her of the bombs she failed to deactivate back in Washington, reminded her of the kids on the bus, and reminded her of the carnage afterward.
The warehouse itself wasn’t much to write home about. Around 400 meters long by 300 wide, the thermocast-reinforced concrete building offered little in the way of beauty. It was essentially a large rectangle, with a requisitions office at one end, completely closed off by a gate made of steel and, once again, that purple alloy. The inventory racks went up to the ceiling as if they barely even fit. They were all loaded with various supplies such as extra power cells, medication, uniforms, essential needs, and weapons, too much for the relatively diminutive armory.
Setting down the explosive her suit was holding and placing it into its rack slot, Kikri breathed relief. Truth be told, she had avoided demolition duties. Just seeing an explosive was enough to trigger a flashback, and each time it hurt. Still, she was a warrior, a Rakiri, a marine. So she grit her teeth and bore it, moving one explosive after another and saying nothing. Speaking out would not do any good here.
“Oh look, it’s that Rakiri!” A shill pointed out. Kikri already didn’t like her. She smelled of pompousness and decadent lifestyle, scents Kikri usually flagged as ‘people to avoid because they are so annoying.’ Still, this one was rather large, even by Shil’vati standards, at over eight feet tall and all muscle. Kikri had to wonder if it was natural or some illegal gene mod. She could already tell the girl had gotten at least one to get that strange blue hair.
“So, Rakiri, how does it feel to have to be protected by a male? A primitive one at that!” The girl snickered, but Kikri ignored it. As much as she wanted to bare tooth and claw to the girl, the repercussions of such an action made it less than ideal as far as Ideas go.
“Jessie has the spirit of a fighter and is wise beyond his years. Your attempt to shame me through him will not work, only make me prouder in my choice of mate, Shil,” Kikri said in response, moving the old, orange-colored exo down the line to continue her next explosive.
“I don’t know. He seemed pretty weak. I bet I could beat him.” The Shil spoke, still trying to get a rise out of Kikri, smiling and snickering at her own words.
“You are welcome to try if you find him,” Kikri said, focusing on her job. This next crate of explosives was particularly finicky and dangerous, so she wanted to take her time with it.
“Maybe I will then. Then, maybe afterward, I’ll steal your mate, Rakiri. He looks like the kind who likes to get…’ physical’ during sex. Think I should give him a punch or two while we do the deed?”
Kikri tried to ignore the comment, but blood was boiling in her veins. A mere pup who had yet to wet her claws was threatening her mate, and every instinct in her told her to use her own to extol the price in blood and flesh.
‘How dare an impudent bitch insult Jessie like that! And how dare she insinuate she would beat him.’
Releasing the exo, Kikri dropped to the ground, her limber five-foot eleven-inch frame now on full display. She did not posture herself, acting every bit like this was a standard process.
“And you’re a runt too! Haha, No wonder that male had to-guh”
Kikri calmly walked over to the woman, not letting on her intentions. Like the attack of a serpent, however, her arm lunged out and grabbed the girl by the throat before she could respond. She smiled in the satisfaction that her claws, now extended, drew a bit of Shil blood from pricking the bitch’s neck. Then, pinning her against one of the racks, Kikri used her free hand to grab her thermocast knife and put it to the woman’s face.
“Say whatever you wish about me, clawless whelp, but speak ill of Jessie again, and I’ll start with the face before removing your fingers and shoving them up your clam! Are we clear!” Kikri growled, fanged mouth showing as the girl struggled for a breath. Her fur stood on end, making her look larger than usual, not that it was needed. The Shil girl evidently hadn’t expected Kikri to get so aggressive, and honestly, Kikri couldn’t believe she was so quick to do it, either. Then she thought of this Shil actually trying to do what she insinuated to Jessie, causing doubt in her actions to disappear.
“T-threaten all you want; we both k-know you wouldn’t risk your sisters for it,” The girl managed to spout out before Kikri dropped her hold and put her blade to the woman’s throat. For half a moment, she imagined running the bitch through and spilling more of her ugly blue blood on the floor for threatening Jessie. But, barely holding herself back, she instead used her words.
“I’ve killed many more than you have counted, shellsucker. And if you EVER threaten MY MATE or my kho-sisters again, I will make you wish you had met the deep so quickly you’ll be gone before you hit the floor. It will be long, slow, and painful. I will take your mind to deny your deepminder. Your family won’t even have anything left to bury, and your goddess won’t have anything left to free. You will slowly waste away, knowing you weren’t even worth enough for me to take a trophy from. And if by some miracle I am caught, I will make sure to tell the truth that you were a man-beater and a coward. You begged for death in your last moments, powerless and helpless. Your service will be stricken, and your records will be struck from the annals of history. You will become a ghost no one remembers, never having achieved anything. Now leave.” Kikri’s voice was low, growling almost like an animal. A heavy grinding sound from gritting her teeth from wanting to bite this bitch’s skull in half only added to the intensity. This wasn’t a threat, and it wasn’t even a statement. It was a fact. Should she continue pushing this, Kikri would make good on her word; no Rakiri would make such a promise idly. And the Shil bitch knew it.
The Shil nodded, fear strongly present in her scent as Kikri let her go. The Shil marine began scrambling her way up and running out of the warehouse as quickly as possible. After all, Kikri had a reputation on this base, and most of the women here knew it. She sighed, watching the Shil ran off, even stumbling a time or two, evidently from the liquid residue of her fear... This was going to lead to more paperwork for her. Again.
She grabbed the mop to go clean up the mess.
------
​
“Have the preparations been made for the operation?” Lieutenant Commander Derval asked, sitting in her office while looking at an omnipad. There were various shuttle paths, flight plans, and inventories for inbound and outbound system traffic. Derval’s face was more tired than last time, having been pulling multiple all-nighters for the past few weeks in order to bring everything together for this plan of hers.
“Yes, Lt.Commander Derval. The bribes have all been accepted as of 0643 today. The teams are prepping for the exercise and have all been sworn to secrecy. In addition, we’ve implanted the stolen Consortium designs as well. So there is no risk of leakage.” A voice, gruff and low, said over the pad. Sergeant Xixian was a competent leader and an excellent soldier, Derval’s right-hand woman. She had personally volunteered for this mission even after knowing the stakes.
“Good. Make sure there are no survivors. And make sure nothing points back to us. Once the mission is over, activate the implants.” Derval said resolutely, leaving no room for argument.“I…Yes, Ma’am, I understand.”
It would be a loss having to give up valuable pawns from the DHC candidate course, even if they had been dropouts. Still, Derval was flying under the radar for both sides, and it was best to leave no loose ends. The fact she would lose Xixian from this mission also weighed painfully on her chest, especially since Xixian didn’t know she had an implant. Still, this was the job of a commander in war, and with a grim face, Derval accepted it.
‘Soon, you will cease being a problem, Jessie Reider.’
PREV FIRST NEXT

When flying a radar approach to a full stop, what is the expectation for frequency change after landing roll? When flying a radar approach to a touch-and-go, what is the expectation for frequency change to the normal approach controller? I am unable to find an answer in the AIM, Instrument Procedures Handbook, and JO 7110.65. I've had a different experience each time I have flown a radar approach, so I've always wondered what's the textbook answer to pass on to my students rather than just saying, "I don't know the right answer, but here is what has happened to me before." Here are three highlights.
1) ASR to full stop for training (Civilian Airfield): The final approach controller issued the landing clearance. On landing roll, I switched to tower who then gave me instructions to exit when able.
2) ASR to touch-and-go for training (Civilian Airfield): The final approach controller issued clearance for the option. On climbout, after not hearing anything, I asked the controller if he wanted me to switch back to approach. They never responded, so I switched on my own. It's possible the frequency change was part of my climbout instructions and I just forgot.
3) PAR to full stop, real world (only approach available for the weather, Naval Air Station): The final approach controller handed us to tower after we reported the runway in sight. Tower cleared us to land. Of note, this controller was in training and also never told us when we were approaching glide path nor when to begin descent. Our first indication of when we were supposed to descend was when she told us we were well above glidepath. I'm not sure if this is a Navy thing or just an oversight on the part of her instructor controller.
Edit: Fixed a typo

Poster: AJ Masthay
Official Stream: Free for Nugs Subscribers @ Nugs.net
Unofficial Stream: Mixlr: https://mixlr.com/hippy-hour-hero-radio--2
FANTASY GOOSE: Click Here
Tickets: Cash or Trade
Scheduled Start Time: 8:00pm ET (Likely start 8:30-8:45)
Set 1 (8:21PM - 9:25PM )
Flopener (11)
Turbulence and The Night Rays (9)
Elizabeth (12)
Travelers (10)
I'm writing a Novel * (7)
Earthing? or Alien? (25)
[END SET]
Set 2 (10:11PM - 11:34PM )
Creatures (18)
Hungersite (19)
Red Bird > Please Forgive Me^ ( 25)
Bob Don (6)
Pancakes ! (15)
[END SET]
Encore (11:36PM - 11:48PM)
Slow Ready (12)
Show Notes:
*Father John Misty
^ David Gray
! Dirty Arrangement
PETER-O-METER:
[ ] Backstage bananas
[ ] Rocking
[ ] Arpeggiating
[ ] Floating
[ 🕺] Hip swangin'
[ ] "Are you freaking kidding me right now?"
[ ] Straight Bird'n
[ ] Channeling evil Goose
[ ] Flipping switches
[ ] Razzle dazzle shoulders
[ ] Entering inter-dimensional travel
[ ] Loving you guys
[ ] Summoning deep space aliens with a mating call
[ ] Crowd Participating
[ ] Wondering whose first Goose show it is
SHOW INFO and SHENANIGANS
The band dedicated the tour to Chuck Morris (drummer of the jam band Lotus), and his son. Both tragically went missing during a kayak trip in Arkansas last weekend. Both are presumed to be perished as of this show.
You can donate to the family of Chuck Morris here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-for-jenny-thompson-family
Venue Info: Roadrunner
Weather: Mostly Cloudy, 54°F
Check-In: Albany, NY Alberta, Canada ATL ATL burbz w/ jacked tits Asheville, NC Ascutney Vt. Augusta, GA Austin, TX x3 Boone, NC Boonton, NJ Boston, MA x 2 Boulder, CO Buffalo, NY Center Rail w/ Jacked tits Class then omw to Roadrunner x2 Cleveland, OH Chicago under some blankies Colorado Springs, CO Covington, KY x2 Dayton, OH Denver, CO x2 Edwardsville, IL Finger Lakes Fort Myers, FL x2 Fort Wayne, IN GBH Parking Garage, Level 2 Glastonbury, CT Hackensack, NJ Hartford, CT Headed to the city! x2 Houston, TX Hudson Valley, NY Indianapolis, IN Lancaster, PA Landing, NJ KCMO Lodi, NJ Madison, WI Midlothian, Virginia Milwaukee, WI Montgomery, IL Morristown, NJ Nashville, TN North Plainfield, NJ NYC New York Oklahoma sticks Oshkosh B'Gosh Parts Unknown Pittsburgh, PA x2 Pittsfield, MA Portland Portchester, NY Raleigh, NC The Roadrunner Rochester, NY x3 Rocklin, CARichmond, VA San Antonio, TX x2 Seattle, WA Seneca, SC Springfield, MA SSI, GA Syracuse x2 Syracuse, NY Syragoooose Terlingua, TX Trenton, NJ Williamsburg, VA White Mountains, NH

Allianz Re and partner OKO are the winners of the inaugural European Ambitious Insurer Awards in partnership with Global digital insurance platform provider EIS.
The partnership saw off stiff competition to secure the win for its innovative weather-index insurance product that protects smallholder cocoa farmers in the Côte d’Ivoire from drought and other perils. The awards attracted over 150 submissions from the EU’s leading insurers and technology providers.
Celebrating the success of ambitious insurers pushing the boundaries to create solutions that are shaping the future of insurance, the Ambitious Insurer Awards was launched by Insurtech Insights and EIS to highlight insurers are innovating and disrupting the industry. This includes recognising the talented teams working hard behind the scenes to push the industry forward and bring these innovations to life.
Allianz Re and OKO’s winning initiative leverages technology and data in novel ways to ensure it meets the needs of Côte d’Ivoire’s rural farming communities. This includes remote sensing supported by satellite data that monitors elements like soil moisture and evapotranspiration. In addition, OKO uses novel data science to design index insurance products that are improved every year through fine-tuning. The products also leverage mobile money, making them accessible to all farmers remotely and digitally.

Helping farming communities through empowerment

Long term, the product will contribute to modernising cocoa plantations, generating more opportunities for work and revenue generation. This is because insured farmers find it easier to borrow money, thereby increasing their buying power and productivity.
Commenting on the win, Marcel Stäheli, Senior Underwriter Agriculture, Allianz Re said: “We are extremely proud of our work with the Côte d’Ivoire farming community, and it means so much for us to be recognised with this award. By preventing financial distress, our product brings a much-needed financial safety net to a vulnerable farming population that includes most of the Ivorian people.”
“Instead of having to sell their assets, borrow money, or take their kids out of school to contribute to the household income, farmers now receive financial assistance to support them through challenging climate conditions.”
Kristoffer Lundberg, CEO at Insurtech Insights said of the initiative: “It’s an area often overlooked when it comes to specific Insurer initiatives and internal workforce/operations, and the value that these can bring to everyday life. We wanted to provide a platform that not only recognises these Ambitious Insurer initiatives, but also the teams and individuals behind them. This initiative will continue to be a huge part of Insurtech Insights, and we can’t wait to continue to hear and showcase initiatives that may sometimes fly under the radar!”
Rory Yates, SVP for Global Strategy, EIS, who helped devise the awards, said: “The story of Côte d’Ivoire’s cocoa farmers spoke to us all about the true nature of insurance and we are passionate about it. This industry is about helping people, businesses and society do more, live better lives, and without fearing at least the associated financial risks. In the case of these farmers, who on average farm less than a hectare of land, this collaborative, innovative heartwarming story inspired us all and is a much-deserved winner.”

Hey everybody,
Looking for an upgrade from my cheap mousepad to something of better quality. I mainly play CS and am currently using a GPW with stock mouse feet and on low sens, so would prefer a control pad.
I live in New Zealand and the weather fluctuates regularly, so I'm looking for something that can withstand humidity and cold temperatures.
I've whittled down the options between the X-Raypad AC Zero, LGG Saturn, Venus Pro or Gamesense Radar from what I've found.
Also open to recommendations for mouse feet to change to suit the mousepad as well.
​
Thanks

Anyone know when the Tennant Creek weather radar is going to be up and running?

Sorry my first post here is negative. I don't have much to complain about with the latest iPhones, but man, how is this weather app stuff not a bigger story?
To be frank, the app sucks. I get notifications that "rain is stopping soon" but rarely do I ever get the notification for "the rain is starting soon." Furthermore, the notifications are wildly inaccurate. This is worse than no notification at all. Why am I being pushed false data?
The precipitation map is awful. It almost never loads in correctly (if at all) and the precipitation prediction for the next few hours almost never aligns with what the radar would indicate. It was cloudy all day here and every hour was projected to be a thunderstorm. Not a drop of rain yet, and the radar (which decided to work today) showed absolutely nothing brewing.
I gotta ask.. what gives? Apple is usually a very focused company. They make moves when it makes sense and do well, but not with this. Dark Sky was leagues better than what it became after the acquisition. Apple ruined the experience for Android users by taking it away from them, but they also ruined it for their own iPhone users. It feels like Dark Sky was acquired and immediately forgotten which is very unusual for Apple.
Anyway... I hope I am not alone here with these thoughts. Has anyone else had a better experience with the weather app?

Sorry if this offends, however, barring a 30-page dissertation I could write specifically about the ways in which Nanaimo takes the shit prize for Canadian places, I just wanted to say that I've been almost everywhere in the country, and I've never seen a gnarlier, more in-your-face, blatantly un-giving-a-fuck, grosser, fart smelling, crackhead catering, place in all of the True, North, Strong, and Free. Places that you would expect, downtown Vancouver, downtown Toronto, Thunder Bay, Red Deer, Moncton, Winnnipeg (in general) all compare, come close, or even cross over in terms of dirt, decay, and derelict debauchery. As the Canadian traveler, I've come to expect it from those places - they know what they have, they keep it under control, they put programs in place to support those struggling with houselessness, mental health issues, and addiction , and for the most part, those struggling can turn to community to find that shred of belonging they seek.
​
Nanaimo takes responsibility for none of this. Is it the weather which brings them here, and the marginally lower cost of living than Victoria which keeps them? Seriously, I've never seen so many people openly smoking or banging hard drugs, so much pain, so much anger, and so much resentment coming from both ends, in ALL of my Canadian travels. Dude, what the fuck is up with Nanaimo? Looking for people with real opinions to chime in and offer their take.
​
It's expensive as fuck, there's a lack of housing, no shortage of old people or rednecks or business-type people who look like they're half on the pipe themselves, tons of low quality drugs, and ample nice weather to hide out from your responsibilities in. But beyond that, it doesn't make any sense. It feels cursed, like a vortex unseen anywhere else in the province. It's like if Nelson, in all its mysterious, magnetic appeal, had an evil shadow twin who was equal to but opposite in every way of its subliminal charm, Nanaimo would be it. I've rarely been anywhere that was so openly anti-homeless in all of its statutes and practices, with so many homeless people and drug addicts just being ignored and catered to. Somebody misread the memo on how to deal with this shit. It's like you guys hate them, but decide to just let them take over because you don't want to spend any money on dealing with them, essentially creating the opposite effect to the one desired.
​
I'm a bit of a hobo too, with my own issues, but I keep clean, don't use drugs, and try to remain under the radar so that I'm not bothered. Nobody would know I live in my car if they saw me, yet I find the majority of bylaws directed at me because I'm on 4 wheels instead of a shopping cart. I'm going to school in Nanaimo, and have found it difficult to find housing that isn't just some crazy woman renting out her spare bedroom for $1200 or 5-room apartments with cigarettes ground into the carpets. Trust me, I'm not here by choice, so rather than directing your classism and xenophobia towards me, instead take a moment to reflect.
​
Nanaimo is like if you took industrial boot-fucked Detroit and reno-victed it into a cute little town with beaches and coffee shops. It's like a massive combination strip mall/call centre/ walmart took a shit all over itself and stopped paying the light bill, and then had the audacity to ask why you don't want to spend any time perusing its shelves of overpriced dollar store goods, or the menu of that sketchy Chinese restaurant that smells like cigarettes. Nanaimo is like the crumbling off-ramp to some other place that sometimes has garbage bags and construction refuse tossed out along the edges of, and for that reason, I have to ask, "what the fuck Nanaimo?"
​
It's official tourism slogan is something along the lines of, "Nanaimo: it's more than what it looks like at first."

The latest Chapter for the on going story, New World Order is now available for everyone's viewing. It can also be found at https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13535599/21/New-World-Order
​
‘Did you really have to threaten to open fire on one of your fellow countrymen?’ I hear Jensen ask via an overhead speaker.
“Jensen,” I start, wincing slightly as I readjust my position in the makeshift bed, I had been forced into despite my many protests, “I don’t make threats. If I say I’m going to do something, I’ll make it happen.”
‘That doesn’t help,’ Jensen replies, ‘It also doesn’t help that you delivered that statement to an Enlisted Officer.’
“He’s lucky that’s all I did,” I reply, “Mark was a self-entitled bully back when we were at school. And his attitude certainly hasn’t improved based on our brief encounter the other day.”
‘They’ve lodged an official complaint,’ Jensen states, ‘Apparently they want know why a Nazi flagged ship entered the harbour, threatened the Coast Guard and then simply sailed off.’
“They don’t want to know anything about the attempted air raid, or the battle just off the coast that repelled that air raid?” I ask.
‘There is no mention anywhere in their complaint of seeing any aircraft above the harbour,’ Jensen replies, ‘Although they are also wanting to know about the mystery figure they spotted skating around one of the islands in the harbour.’
“Out of interest,” I ask, “Has anyone from the Chinese Government made a statement about this?”
‘Not officially,’ Jensen answers, ‘Although there have been some back-channel discussions. From what they have disclosed to us, they did witness the air raid and the defensive actions your fleet took. As to their inaction. They were unable to verify our warning to them in time to be able to raise the warning with their boats.’
“That entire engagement lasted almost two hours,” I say shaking my head in disbelief, “If they want answers, I’ll answer them if they can tell me why their only response was to send a single Coast Guard cutter out to investigate.”
‘As I said,’ Jensen begins, ‘They make no mention of seeing any of this in their complaint.’
“Then they are either covering it up, are incompetent or both,” I state, “The lack of action from the Chinese ships that were in the harbour can probably be explained as not wanting to start an International Incident. But I’m not buying the story that no one else saw what was going on that morning.”
‘It certainly does seem that someone is trying to cover this up,’ Jensen agrees, ‘However, without a full investigation into what happened, it’s your word against theirs. And being as you withdrew from the area almost as soon as the battle was over you can see why it doesn’t look good.’
“They’ll have a hard time explaining away all the evidence from the battlefield,” I say, “The boys at the lab are going to be busy for a while documenting everything.”
‘What evidence?’ Jensen asks.
“Well aside from numerous parts from the aircraft that attacked Darwin,” I begin, “The reason I withdrew as fast as I could was, we were able to recover one of the enemy boats.”
‘Have you learned anything about how they work?’ Jensen asks.
“I haven’t been aboard,” I admit, “I’ve been confined to bedrest for the last week.”
‘Its not like you to follow doctors’ orders,’ Jensen comments, ‘You normally ignore most medical advice.’
“What doctor?” I ask, “I still have to be given the all clear from the medical team once we get back to Midway.”
‘Sounds serious,’ Jensen replies, ‘What happened?’
“A concussion of some sort and what I believe to be at least two broken ribs,” I answer, “The ship came under direct attack and Eugen was forced to make some rapid course changes, which sent me bouncing through a hatchway on my way to the deck.”
‘So how long until you reach Midway?’ Jensen inquires.
“Probably two weeks at best guess,” I reply, “Between the slow speed we need to maintain due to having a heavily damaged ship under tow and the rough weather down here it’s making for a slow return voyage.”
‘Well keep in briefed,’ Jensen comments before I hear the audible click as the phone connection ends.
**
As the skies slowly began to illuminate marking the start of another day, I found myself out on deck during one of the rare moments I had been allowed to leave my quarters.
In the distance the outline of the main laboratory building came into view as Eugen skilfully navigating her ship around the atoll towards the area reserved for offshore mooring of large ships that visited Midway.
As the ship rounded the western most edge of the atoll, the details of the upgrades the team had been working on became apparent. The barge which had been used to transport the huge generator from Darwin had been beached not far from the main power station.
Another larger building had also started to take shape not far from the main laboratories although its purpose was lost on me given the last reports, I had read indicated that we were only using around sixty percent of the facilities storage and research spaces and under forty percent of the living areas.
“It would seem that the team has been busy in our absence,” I comment aloud.
As I say this the rising sun clears the top of the main building, bathing the waters around the atoll in light. Taking in the sight I spy Bogue’s ship moored in the distance. My gaze is soon captured however as in the growing light across the waves a pair of large, heavily armed gun boats lay at anchor.
As Eugen slows her ship and in the near distance I hear the rattle of numerous anchor chains, I take in the details of the closest ship. From the stern flag post a white flag with a red pattern hangs limp in the still morning.
As I scan across the length of the ship, I take note of the numerous sets of gun turrets spread along the length of the main deck from just below the bridge structure running back to just ahead of the number four main battery.
My attention however is soon drawn away to the second of the gun boats, this ship despite from the distance appearing to be slightly smaller in size projected more fear despite fact that like the other ships anchored around the atoll was simply floating at anchor in the low morning swells.
I put the additional sense of projected fear down to the fact that the entire ship appeared to be painted in a flat black paint from the waterline all the way to the very top of the super structure. The only hint of another colour was the flag hanging from the stern post.
**
“Do you have any lingering effects from the hit to your head?” the doctor asks.
“No,” I reply with a shake of my head, “The headaches cleared up about three days after. The burly vision and ringing in my ears cleared up around the same time.”
“Well,” the doctor says turning off the torch he had been using a moment before, “I’d say you have a minor concussion. But if you aren’t suffering any of the after effects now, you should be fine to return to your regular duties. As for your ribs.” He continues turning to a scan pinned to a light board on the wall. “They are healing well. But you definitely broke two. There’s not much else we can do to speed up your recovery there. Just take it easy.”
“That’s easier said than done,” I retort sarcastically.
“Yes,” the doctor agrees, “You do have a habit of being right where the action is.”
“Speaking of action,” I say changing the subject, “What have I missed here?”
“A lot,” the doctor admits, “However the Professor said he’ll brief you once we were finished here.”
**
Five minutes later, after the doctor signed off on my medical reports, I enter the main research room to find the Professor sitting in front of his usual multi monitor setup rapidly scrolling through an endless stream of what appeared to be computer code from a distance. “Pull up a chair Nathan,” he says, “We’ve got a lot to discuss.”
“It would seem so,” I answer remaining standing a short distance away next to a table littered with pages of reports. “Can we begin with an update from the Global Explorer. Surely Jim has reported in by now?”
“He sent a pair of video data folders yesterday,” Professor Strickland answers, “Two separate files he says are from two different locations. He labelled them with the co-ordinates.”
“Anything interesting in the videos?” I ask.
“Plenty if you’re interest lies in the contour of the ocean floor,” Strickland answers with a slight chuckle, “But aside from that. Nothing of importance. I still don’t know why you sent him to either of those locations.”
“Because I needed to confirm a theory,” I reply, “Both of those sites he checked out are where the wrecks of the Akagi and Kaga were found.”
“And that proves a theory?” Strickland asks.
“It certainly lends a lot of support to my theory,” I reply, “Whoever is behind the attacks out at sea has been testing us. Well testing our military at the very least. So far, they’ve employed tactics from our history against us, and are using weapons from our past against us as well.”
“To what end though?” Strickland asks, “None of that makes any sense.”
“I agree,” I say, “But look carefully at what we know. Pearl Harbour was attacked in very similar fashion to how the Japanese did at the start of the Pacific War. And what do we find floating in the middle of the Pacific Ocean but a ship that matches perfectly to one of the very ships that was involved in the original battle. A ship that by rights should be on the bottom of the Pacific a couple of hundred nautical miles away from this atoll.”
“But we still don’t know the who or the what,” Strickland insists, “We also don’t know how far this goes?”
“I think we can safely say it goes as far as every ocean on the planet,” I reply, “I’m certainly no expert when it comes to warfare. But whoever is behind this is playing for keeps. They’ve already openly attacked at American Naval Base, a British Fleet out at sea and conducted two Air Raids on major ports in Australia. Plus, there’s enough evidence to believe they ambushed an American Fleet as well.”
“So, your theory is that we are at war with an unknown enemy?” Strickland presses.
“Yes,” I answer, “So far though. I believe they have only been testing our abilities. Otherwise, this would be on every news network around the globe. Right now, the only reason we know anything is through sheer luck.”
“It would seem that you are not alone in thinking that,” Strickland admits, “One of our newest arrivals is of the same opinion.”
“Yes,” I begin, “I meant to ask earlier about the two ships anchored off the atoll. Care to fill me in on that?”
“Do you remember the briefing before you left,” Strickland says, “Where we covered our theory on what those cubes we keep finding are.”
“I remember,” I reply, “The theory is that they contain data of some sort. Only the scanners could not complete the scans due to overheating.”
“The new generator solved that problem,” Strickland announces proudly, “With the extra power, we were able to stabilize the power supply and run additional cooling. We’ve also been able to read quite a few of those cubes now. We found a few of them to be blank however.”
“Blank?” I ask.
“Yes,” Strickland confirms, “Blank. Nothing on them at all. So, one of the junior programmers wondered what would happen if we tried to load data into a cube.”
“What sort of data?” I ask in a worried tone.
“It started off simple,” Strickland admits, “The team transferred about a dozen different ship designs into a couple of cubes. Then transferred data about various types of weapon systems, radars, tactical data from reports that we obtained from Jensen.”
“Does Jensen know about that?” I ask.
“He said it was okay,” Strickland answers, “He said most of the reports were public knowledge already and those that weren’t, were not subject to any privacy laws.”
“Okay, so now we have a bunch of cubes that contain technical and tactical data,” I say, “How does any of that equal two ships anchored off shore?”
“We subjected some of them to a large electrical charge,” Strickland answers simply.
“You didn’t,” I say feeling the colour drain from my face at the prospect.
“We sure did,” Strickland admits, “In fact your timing is perfect. Our first arrival from those experiments has just arrived.”
Turning towards the door, I notice a tall woman with long brown hair step through the open door to the lab. As she makes her way towards us a feeling of familiarity hits me. Everything about her appearance feels oddly like someone I had met before. From the prominent fox-like ears, numerous tails lazily waving behind her, even the style in how she wore her hair.
Then it hit me. Aside from the lighter shade of colour in her hair and the more modest choice of clothing, she nearly was identical in appearance to Akagi. Someone who for the last several weeks had barely been out of my presence as she had insisted on making certain I had remained in the makeshift medical bay to recover from the injuries I had sustained during the battle.
“Please forgive my lateness, Professor,” she says in a voice that despite its calm nature, hints that should the occasion require, could dominate the room. “I lost track of the time studying the history papers you gave me.”
“No need for apologies,” Strickland replies, “I was just briefing the Captain on the latest progress the research team had been making.”
Turning to me, “Allow me to introduce our senior Captain, Nathan Harrison. He oversees our research ships and is one of the teams leading theoretical researchers.” Strickland announces, “Nathan, this is Amagi. Her presence here is the result of one of the experiments I mentioned a moment ago.”
“A pleasure to meet you,” I say with a smile.
“The Professor has spoken of you often,” Amagi says, “He mentioned that you lead from the front and take a very hands-on approach to the projects you oversee.”
“I certainly try to keep myself busy,” I reply, “Being able to have full control of the ship certainly makes the research side of my job easier given I have a greater control over the variables.”
Amagi nods silently in agreement.
“Would I be correct in assuming that the larger of the two cruisers anchored off shore is yours?” I enquire.
“You assume correctly,” Amagi replies, “Are you familiar with Japanese Naval History, Captain?”
“I have a very limited knowledge when it comes to naval history or even tactics for that matter,” I admit, “However I’m certainly learning a lot recently given the events of the past several months.”
“From how the Professor explained my arrival here and the arrival of the other members of the fleet,” Amagi explains, “It would seem that the cubes used in my creation have taken the form from my original design.”
“Your original design?” I ask.
“My ship was original designed to be a battle cruiser, before an attempted conversion to an aircraft carrier was halted due to my hull being badly damaged,” Amagi replies.
Before I can reply, the phone on the table beside the Professor buzzes. Picking it up, the Professor listens in silence before speaking, “We’ll be over in the minute.”
“Problem?” I ask seeing the worried look on the Professors face.
“Maybe,’ he replies, “The radio guys are picking up a radio call from the Global Explorer. They say it sounds like a distress call.”
**
Crossing the room to where one of the team’s radio operators was listening closely through a headset. As we approached, he held up a hand to prevent any of us from speaking. After a brief pause, he removed the headset and turned to face us. “I have cleaned up the recording as much as possible. But there is a lot of static.”
“Play it,” Strickland says.
‘Glo..l Explorer .. Midway. Encount.. hostile ….. Attack.. Sink… Host… head… fo. Mi..ay. Se..nt..n hour. No..h w.st. R.n’
Sharing a look with the Professor as I mentally replayed the message in my head filling it the blanks with the most logical word. As I realized the full message my eyes widened in shock. Going to the nearest computer and sliding the operator out of the way, I rapidly log into the facility’s secure server.
As the opening page loads on the monitor, I take note of the spinning icon in the lower left corner of the screen. Double clicking on the icon, my worst fears are confirmed. “The Global Explorer is dumping its logs onto the server,” I report.
“What does that mean?” I hear Amagi ask in confusion.
“It’s the last action taken before abandoning ship,” I reply, “It’s either manually activated by one of the senior crew before they leave the bridge, or automatically triggered if the ships internal sensors detect multiple compartments flooding.”
“Any chance that it’s a false alarm?” the Professor asks.
“None,” I reply, scrolling through the data logs, barely giving them time to finish loading before moving to the next. “I don’t know what happened out there. But the engine room temperature spiked to over a thousand degrees before dropping down to eleven. Both the forward cargo compartment and rear loading deck compartment sensors are indicating flooding. And the trim sensors are showing a forty-degree list to starboard.”
Looking away from the computer and taking a deep breath to compose my thoughts, “That and the radio message,” I say, “It was definitely Jim. He clearly said hostile and attack and that whoever they were, are headed this way.”
**
Standing in the conference room fifteen minutes later, the realization that with the apparent loss of the Global Explorer and the loss of the Intrepid and the very real possibility of a hostile enemy closing in on Midway, the team stationed here had lost both main pre-planned escape options we had prepared for in situations that required the rapid evacuation of the atoll.
Behind me I hear various people entering the conference room and taking a seat. As the scrapping of chairs being moved dies down, I turn to face those gathered. Before I can speak, a couple of late arrivals step in through the open door.
The final member of this group is a young woman with short, light peach coloured hair. Who on seeing me, turned away from the group and ran straight for me. On reaching me she wrapped both arms around me drawing me into a tight embrace.
“I see you’ve met Roon,” I hear the Professor call from the doorway as he enters the room.
“So it would seem,” I struggle to reply, “I take it she is the second result of your experiments,” I add.
“Yes,” Strickland replies joining me at the front of the room, “It would seem that she’s a hugger.”
“Would it be possible to have my body back please?” I ask.
Slowly releasing me, Roon steps back, before silently re-joining the others seated in the room.
“I think she likes you,” The Professor comments.
“What makes you say that?” I ask gently feeling my ribs which feel like they are on fire.
“The fact she followed your request,” Strickland answers, “You’re the first who’s been able to get through to her.”
“That’s great,” I mutter sarcastically, “We just need to work on her introductions then. I swear she just re-broke my ribs.”
“If its any consolation,” Strickland begins, “Her combat prowess is second to none based on what little we’ve learned to date.”
Shaking me head in quiet disbelief at the Professor’s continued unyielding push for results rather than showing any concern for how those results were obtained. I scanned the room to find that everyone was looking in my direction.
Everyone save for Akagi. Who was staring through narrowed eyes towards Roon sitting a few rows away.
Clearing my throat, “As some of you may already know. We have received a warning of a possible hostile enemy that is heading straight for us,” I explain, “To those of you who are in senior positions. I need you to wind up any work your departments are working on. And execute our evacuation protocols.”
“Where are we going?” someone from the back of the room calls out.
“The team will evacuate towards Hawaii,” I reply, “There they will either report in to the Navy Yard. Or if advised carry on to the main land.”
As I finish this brief explanation. Over half of those gathered, stand up and walk out to begin the evacuation. As the door closes behind the last of them Professor Strickland speaks up, “Do you really intend to run?”
Looking across at the Professor I reply, “I intend for you and the others to run. In case the rest of us fail to stop the enemy from reaching Midway.”

1. While Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York" is probably one of the crooner's best-known songs, it was originally very different. Turns out, we have Robert De Niro to thank for it! Composer John Kander and lyricist Fred Ebb were tapped to write music for Martin Scorsese's 1977 film, New York, New York, which stars Liza Minnelli and De Niro. When the duo previewed the songs they had written, De Niro thought the title track, which was connected to his character, was too lighthearted. Although Kander and Ebb said they thought De Niro seemed "pompous" in telling them to rewrite the song, they took the criticism to heart and ended up penning their new version of the song in just 45 minutes.
2. Ferris Bueller's Day Off is my favorite movie of all time, so it's honestly criminal that I've never done a deep dive into some behind-the-scenes moments from the film! John Hughes, known for his teen movies, ended up writing the script in just a few days in order to get a draft finished before the Writers Guild of America went on strike. The script was reportedly so strong that it was barely edited before filming started. The movie is widely considered to be a love letter to Hughes's Chicago hometown and is filled with references to his own upbringing and shots of the city's skyline. In fact, Hughes even gave Ferris the same address as his childhood home, and his bedroom reportedly resembled Hughes's.
3. If I had to learn about this giraffe mating ritual, then it's only fair that you do too, okay? Unlike other animals, giraffes don't have a set mating season. Instead, they have an estrous cycle, which resembles a human menstrual cycle, except this cycle swaps blood for urine. When a male giraffe approaches a female giraffe, he begins to rub against her, which she takes as a signal to begin peeing. The male giraffe then tastes her pee to see if she's fertile, and thus, the mating ritual begins. A typical giraffe pregnancy lasts for 400–460 days. Male giraffes typically have no role in raising their offspring.
4. In 2007, Lisa Nowak became the first NASA astronaut to be arrested when she drove across the United States to confront a woman who was dating a fellow astronaut with whom Nowak had also had a relationship. About a decade after graduating from the US Naval Academy, Nowak was selected to be an astronaut at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, where she specialized in robotics. Nowak said she was deeply affected by the 2003 Columbia space shuttle explosion because her best friend, astronaut Laurel Clark, died. Nowak told NASA that her children convinced her to continue on with her space career despite her unease.
5. Despite what you might believe after watching The Greatest Showman, P.T. Barnum was not a good guy. He had a long history of animal cruelty and was known for mistreating enslaved people and people with disabilities. He even reportedly hated the people who paid money to come see his exhibits. Barnum was allegedly frustrated that people were taking their time during visits to his museum, so he decided to post signs reading "This Way to the Egress" all over the place. He (correctly) believed that most of the visitors wouldn't know that "egress" meant "exit," so when they followed the signs, they ended up unknowingly leaving the entire museum. As a result, many people paid to reenter, bringing home even more money for Barnum.
6. Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start the Fire" is essentially History 101 in song form. The track name-drops 118 historical events from 1949 to 1989, including everything from pivotal moments in the civil rights movement to details from sports and pop culture history. Joel was inspired to write the song after having a conversation with Sean Lennon, who was then in his 20s, while in the recording studio. One of Lennon's friends allegedly said that it was a terrible time to be a young person. Joel, who was about to turn 40, reportedly said that his own younger years hadn't been that easy either.
7. Coney Island's skyline looked a lot different back in the 1800s. The Brooklyn boardwalk was once home to a 200-foot-tall elephant-shaped hotel! The hotel, known as the Elephantine Colossus, was built in 1885 and contained 31 rooms, a concert hall, and a museum. The elephant's head housed an observatory, and its eyes served as telescopes. The real kicker was that the hotel was built several years before the Statue of Liberty was completed, so the giant elephant was often the first thing immigrants saw when they reached New York. At some point, the hotel was seen as gimmicky and lost most of its clientele. Soon, sex workers began moving in. In 1896, Elephantine Colossus burned down and was never rebuilt.
8. During Ronald Reagan's 1966 California gubernatorial campaign, he began eating jelly beans in an attempt to curb his pipe-smoking habit. His jelly beans of choice were the Goelitz Mini Jelly Beans from the Herman Goelitz Candy Co. Once the company caught wind of Reagan's love for the treat, they began to send the politician a monthly shipment of candy and even gifted the governor with a custom jelly bean jar. After Reagan's two terms as governor ended, the company continued to send him jelly beans. In 1976, Goelitz debuted their latest creation: the Jelly Belly. Within two years, Reagan's entire jelly bean shipment shifted to include only Jelly Belly jelly beans.
9. There are two main groups of whales: baleen whales, which include species like the blue whale and the humpback whale; and toothed whales, consisting of orcas, belugas, and sperm whales. While you probably guessed that toothed whales are named as such because they have teeth, baleen whales have baleen plates in their mouths, which help them filter out krill and other food. Toothed whales also have a "melon" in their foreheads. The melon is a mass of tissue that helps with communication and is crucial for echolocation, which they use to find food and to navigate underwater.
10. In 1997, construction on Disneyland's California Adventure Park was halted after Princess Diana was killed in a limo accident in a Paris tunnel on Aug. 31. California Adventure was supposed to include a ride called Superstar Limo, which involved guests boarding a limo and embarking on a high-speed chase through some of Los Angeles's biggest landmarks in order to get to the Disney offices in time to sign a huge movie contract. Riders also had to evade the paparazzi. Once the ride ended, passengers were encouraged to buy mock tabloids featuring the pictures the "paparazzi" had taken of them. Following Diana's death, Disney knew they could no longer debut the ride. Soon, they began to brainstorm alternative ideas to replace the limo theme.
11. Donald Gorske, who is known as the ultimate Big Mac fan, has reportedly eaten at least one McDonald's Big Mac every day for the past 50 years. As of May 2022, Gorske believes he has consumed about 32,340 Big Macs. He told Guinness World Records that he typically eats two Big Macs a day, although he revealed that at one point, his daily diet included nine burgers! "May 17, 1972, was the day I got my first car," Gorske said. "I drove to McDonald’s, ordered my first three Big Macs, went in the car, and ate them. And I said right there that I’m gonna probably eat these the rest of my life, and I threw the cartons in the backseat and started counting them from day one." Despite his Big Mac diet, Gorske and his wife say that doctors have given him a clean bill of health.
12. Although you probably picture Queen Elizabeth II wearing one of her signature colorful skirt suits, her fashion history is actually quite fascinating! Elizabeth was photographed wearing pants only once during her entire reign. In 1970, she was reportedly interested in updating her look, and asked her tailor for a custom pantsuit to wear during her royal tour in Australia. It's safe to assume that Elizabeth wasn't too fond of the outfit, as she was never again seen wearing pants in public. In order to maintain professionalism and avoid any type of fashion mishap, her dress hems were always cut below the knee.
13. In 1986, Clint Eastwood ran for mayor of Carmel, California, in part because he wanted to overturn the town's strict law regarding ice cream sales. Eastwood announced his intention to run for office in 1985 after he reportedly found the City Council very difficult to work with when he wanted to turn property he owned into office space. He also cited a 1929 law in Carmel that banned the sale of ice cream cones as another reason for his campaign. In April 1986, he defeated incumbent Charlotte Townsend. His first order of business? He removed from office all of the people who supported the ice cream ban, thus allowing the sale of ice cream cones in Carmel for the first time in decades.
14. Chances are, you read George Orwell's Animal Farm in school. In the novel, a group of animals team up to rebel against the farmer who owns them, only to end up living in a communist dictatorship led by pigs. Although Orwell said that the book was the first time he had successfully been able to blend politics and art, he had a hard time finding a publisher. Several publishing houses turned down the book because they felt uneasy about its political stance. Secker & Warburg ultimately agreed to publish Animal Farm, and the book became a hit and was even used by the CIA as a propaganda tool during the Cold War.
15. In 1928, Huey Long was elected governor of Louisiana on a promise of helping people who had been neglected by the federal government. He soon had his sights set on Washington and won a Senate seat. But before leaving for DC in 1932, he had the lieutenant governor replaced by two successors who promised to follow Long's commands. In the Senate, he created the “Share Our Wealth” program, which many thought was part of his bid for the presidency. In 1935, Long was assassinated by a political rival. Despite his death, his impact in the state lived on. In 1940, a study showed that rural schoolchildren not only had no idea that Long had been killed but also believed he was president.
16. The Real Housewives franchise put Bravo on the map for its depiction of the wild and wacky antics of wealthy women around the country, but it originally looked like a much different show! Scott Dunlop, the original producer of the Real Housewives of Orange County, got the idea for the show in 1986 when he moved from Los Angeles to Coto de Caza, one of the world's largest gated communities, located in Orange County, California. Dunlop began to notice that many of his female neighbors spent their days shopping and playing golf while their husbands went to work.
17. The first meal eaten on the moon included bacon bits, peaches, sugar cookie cubes, and a pineapple-grapefruit beverage. Bacon reportedly had a long history when it came to space travel. It was a staple during the Gemini missions and became a favorite among many astronauts. Despite all of the bacon love, it's since disappeared from space menus. Now the closest thing to bacon is a sausage patty that has to be rehydrated with warm water before being eaten.
18. Oscar Gamble, a baseball player who spent over 20 years in the major leagues, was known not only for his on-field play but also for his Afro, which sparked quite the controversy. In 1973, Gamble arrived at the Cleveland Indians training camp sporting an Afro. Although many Black basketball players had Afros, the hairstyle wasn't too popular among baseball players. Baseball was often seen as more conservative, and during the 1970s, the Afro was associated with the Black Power movement. Gamble's hair quickly became controversial. "People took one look at that hair and thought I was a bad guy," Gamble said in 1979. "There were some sportswriters who wouldn’t talk to me. They thought I was some kind of militant, with my beard and my hair."
19. In December 1990, Iben Browning, who claimed that he was a climatologist, predicted that a major earthquake was going to hit the St. Louis area on Dec. 3. In New Madrid, a Missouri town located on a fault line, people began stockpiling supplies, while others left town completely. Browning reportedly used weather patterns to make his predictions, although his exact methods were never publicized. Although scientists didn't vocally deny Browning's claims, it was believed that they didn't support his prediction, since it's impossible to predict an earthquake. The earthquake never happened. In fact, the area has not faced an earthquake at the magnitude Browning predicted in the three decades since.
20. While kangaroos are known for their hopping abilities (they can jump about 25 feet in one go!), they are unable to go backward because their big feet and long tails prohibit any backward movement. This anatomical hindrance has since been used by their native Australia as a symbol. The kangaroo was reportedly included on the Australian coat of arms to represent the idea that Australia is a nation that is always moving forward.
21. And finally, Elouise Cobell, who was also known as Yellow Bird Woman, fought for Native Americans to have control over their land and finances. Cobell was born on the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana, where her family did not have running water or electricity. Her great-great-grandfather notably stood up to the US government in the 19th century. When Cobell was 4 years old, her father built a one-room schoolhouse that she attended until she was in high school. Cobell reportedly took notice of her family's complaints about the Bureau of Indian Affairs, an agency that many suspected mismanaged the profits from land and trusts owned by Native Americans.

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SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING ISSUED: 12:53 PM MAR. 21, 2023 – NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE The National Weather Service in The San Francisco Bay Area has issued a

• Severe Thunderstorm Warning for... Central Santa Cruz County in northern California...
  
• Until 130 PM PDT.
  
• At 1248 PM PDT, a severe wind storm was located over the ocean is providing strong southerly wind gusts over Santa Cruz County.
  

THIS IS A DESTRUCTIVE STORM FOR Santa Cruz County.
HAZARD...Wind gusts up to 80 mph.
SOURCE...Radar indicated and observations in Santa Cruz of 59 mph. These winds are expected to intensify down to the surface over the next hour
IMPACT...Expect considerable damage to roofs, windows, and vehicles. Extensive tree damage and power outages are likely.

• Locations impacted include... Santa Cruz, Scotts Valley, Capitola, Live Oak, Aptos, Twin Lakes, Opal Cliffs, Ben Lomond, Eureka Canyon Road, Felton, Soquel, Rio Del Mar and Day Valley.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a building.
This is an EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SITUATION. This storm is producing widespread wind damage across Santa Cruz County. SEEK SHELTER NOW inside a sturdy structure and stay away from windows!
&&
THUNDERSTORM DAMAGE THREAT...DESTRUCTIVE; HAIL THREAT...RADAR INDICATED; MAX HAIL SIZE...<.75 IN; WIND THREAT...OBSERVED; MAX WIND GUST...80 MPH
Source: https://www.wunderground.com/severe/us/ca/santa-cruz

Take me back to the start. 2001, the last of the good times for a lot of us who were relatively grown up and not tiny kids at that point due to a certain horrific event we would all witness that year. Watching this season was a nostalgia trip for so many reasons; social media wasn't a thing, cell phones were still in their infancy especially compared to now, the internet was a thing obviously but not to the point where there was a massive presence for any of the contestants, the show was in standard definition, Phil?... actually, that dude hasn't aged much, WTF lol. It's almost like this was just a big experiment, considering all the changes made since and in some cases the very next season. The overall aesthetic was peak 90's - early 00's, the editing, cinematography, etc felt very much like The Real World (makes me wonder if there was some crossover in terms of people working on both shows), and as a 90s kid this made me smile. You get the sense there was a general attitude of "To hell with polish, just film it and whatever shakiness there is we'll leave it, even if it's an awkward super zoom into a contestants face). Plus, another ode to the time period is that there was a particular focus on the interpersonal dynamics within the teams and between them as opposed to more strict focus on the race itself which happened later on, which has its good and bad merits. Bottom line is this felt like a gamble that the producers and network took to take advantage of the reality tv boom, I remember how Survivor premiered and EVERYONE was watching it at some point, even I wound up watching the final few episodes of that first season. After that, it just exploded and how ironic that a few decades later, out of all that came from that time specifically that it is these 2 shows that are still going. One very creepy thing which almost happened was the finish line being the top of the World Trade Center, but they couldn't get the needed permits, and the show premiered 6 days before 9/11, so as I alluded to at the very start, it really is like watching a completely different world when you watch this season for many reasons and the nostalgia hit me hard a lot of times in good and bad ways. But what about the season itself?....
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Rob/Brennan - The first winners are photogenic attorney friends. I have to admit, these 2 didn't make much of an impression on me at all. It's not that they were bad racers, or bad people, as they actually seemed rather kind and intelligent (lawyers, so of course), but I felt they were rather bland TBH. After they won the first ever leg in show history thanks to the fastforward (which was available in every leg, something they thankfully changed), they hit a snag in Tunisia and were on the verge of being eliminated and were one of the teams which got infuriated at airportgate (which I will get into later), but then they really hit their stride once they hit Asia, and wound up winning 4 of the last 5 legs. I know it doesn't seem like I have a ton to say about them, but the truth is they weren't particularly charismatic or even featured in a starring way til it got down to the end legs. A great all-around team, but not really one I ever got behind. I found it interesting that post-race, Brennan was with Emily for a time, unlike other seasons I never got those vibes from any interactions between them but they must have been there. I do know they had befriended both Nancy and Emily during the race and were a part of the airportgate situation and were pretty pissed off about it; like they said, you don't treat women like that if you're a guy.
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Frank/Margarita - Maybe the loudest team, at least he was. Seriously, the guy must have been a mute when he was a child, cause his natural tone was LOUD lol. Anyway, they were the top team going by the composite average score and by the fact they were either 1st or 2nd in the final 8 legs. Their story was an interesting one, while at the same time not ridiculously frustrating. A separated couple with a small child who part of the reason for getting on this was to work on their relationship. You immediately saw why there were issues with them; as he is constantly yelling and flexing, ultra-competitive, making alliances which last just a few minutes before his massive pride has him essentially saying to hell with that. And at times, he even shouted and yelled at her, not necessarily out of anger but his way of motivating, and she showed her disdain for that often. But; there was actual growth from him, as he wound up apologizing when he reached maximum dickhead mode, something I am not accustomed to seeing on here. And, they wound up falling for each other all over again, which was shown more than once, which even if you weren't a fan of theirs, was a bit heartwarming. I thought they had it in the final stretch, going to their literal backyard for the finish line, and they felt it too which may have been their undoing. Thanks to the production and camera work, you literally saw as they were jogging to the finish line the emotions on their faces go from joy and relief to downtrodden when they saw the team they were head-to-head with for what felt like most of the race with how the final legs were strung out, already there. I was not surprised to find out they did indeed reconcile, but then split for good and remained friends, which is cool to know.
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Joe/Bill - Team Guido, sigh. I love that they named their team after their dog, but beyond that, ugh. The ego and smarminess oozed off these guys almost from the start. They made multiple alliances but were so full of themselves that they would break them almost instantly, constantly bragging about how they had lived in Paris, they spoke French, they had traveled a lot. They truly thought they were better than everyone else, even saying out loud at one point that they had no competition. This behavior would be obnoxious enough from a team that was winning constantly, but they weren't. They actually only won 1 leg. Namecalling the New Yorkers by referring to them as 'The Fatties' wasn't exactly classy either. But the moment which cemented them as true douchebags was airportgate as I call it. They flip out when they find out that 3 teams managed to get a flight which would get them to the next destination first, ahead of them, when they had just been beaming over getting what they thought was gonna be the earliest flight. And their response was the mature thing to do obviously; going to the entrance as they were getting ready to board and blocking them and causing a massive commotion to try and keep them from getting on the plane. Security gets involved and at some point one of them pushes/physically restrains the smallest and oldest member of those 3 teams in Nancy, almost knocking her down. That was a scummy and cowardly thing to do, bottom line. They tried to retcon it afterwards, talking about how Kevin/Drew started it with their sarcastic yet threatening talk of breaking their legs earlier that day, and yes that was a bit much and I would be inclined to give them some benefit of the doubt there, except they didn't put hands on either of them and just so happened to target the physically weakest member in that crowded confined space. Now, due to it being so confined, we could only see so much and thus didn't experience the whole thing, but at this point it went from these guys are jerks in terms of strategy or whatever to they are massive pieces of shit. And they were treated as such basically the rest of the race, except by Nancy and Emily of all teams (I don't get that, Emily seemed like she wanted to push them off a cliff and then a few legs later they are hugging?). Their egos were their downfall, as they won a fastforward in Thailand and proceeded to almost get eliminated anyway by taking their sweet time to get to the pitstop. After that, they were hours behind the top 2 teams and as far back as an entire day before getting the clue that told them the race was over as they were still out in the wilderness. They were good sports about it, and even when they won the fastforward, tried to help out Nancy/Emily a bit which was shocking, but they left a bad taste in my mouth, and at times it seemed like they were a little too inspired by the first Survivor winner in fellow gay man Richard Hatch, they even talked a lot like him in terms of vocabulary and their approach to the race. I know they did pop up again in another season, and I admit they were certainly memorable, though not for good reasons.
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Kevin/Drew - I know from looking into this season afterwards that they were the fan favorites this season, and while they weren't my favorite I can see why. They weren't deceivers, they didn't hide their true feelings, they were who they were and loud about it. Their preferred form of talking to each other was insults and putdowns, true guy friends there lol. They were all over the place in this race; at the bottom, at the top, in the middle. Their elimination basically came from the dreaded luck of the taxi driver, even if they had survived they were destined for third place with how far apart they were from the top 2 teams. There was a charm in their upfront attitudes, but some things made me shake my head, like saying Paris was nothing special, being a little too upfront about their disdain for India and them jokingly (maybe) telling Team Guido they would break their legs. But also, like Rob/Brennan, they befriended Nancy/Emily and almost saw them as their own mother and sister. I know they said it would be more beneficial to keep them around than one of the stronger teams, but you could tell by basic body language it wasn't just strategy and that they truly liked them. They were infuriated more than anyone after airportgate, and they made sure Team Guido knew it. I know they came back for an all-star season and also know Drew has had a variety of ailments and injuries unfortunately.
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Nancy/Emily - They might have been my favorite team. Nancy reminded me a lot of my Mom in terms of her kindness but was really most similar to a great Aunt of mine, extremely faithful, prudish but not in a judgmental way but more of a hearing so much cursing and such made smoke go out her ears cause she is that innocent lol. I got to admit, Emily was someone who if I had been watching at the time I would have had a major crush on and even now I thought she was really cute and before anyone comes at me, I am actually several years younger than her and she was an adult at the time and is now a 43 year old wife and mom (way to make me feel old after seeing her be like a kid at times on here lol). Maybe the original underdog story, they even had a little faction on the show they called 'The Underdogs'. It was an interesting switch on the usual dynamic, as Emily took the lead role on the team as Nancy was rather meek and got flustered easily, though as the end neared for them they both were showing signs of having nothing left in the tank. I pointed out Emily was quite cute, even when she had that drastic hairdo change a few legs in (my biggest remaining question of this season is did she do that herself or did someone else do it and if so, why? Boredom? Early-00s fashion? I wasn't a girl at that time, I was busy dressing like a nu-metal punk with spiked hair and playing Playstation, female fashion trends didn't come on my radar lol). She pulled it off, but I remain curious. Anyway, the point I was trying to make was about her being the attractive one there, and it played into things in a good and bad way. Good and sweet when in Tunisia a whole horde of guys her age and younger volunteering to help the team out and Nancy being quick to point out it was probably because they thought she was cute (they weren't nearly as enthusiastic to help out any of the other teams). The bad coming in, sigh, India, where Emily gets propositioned on the street by a guy asking how much she charges. Holy shit, India was a major issue from the very beginning on this show in regards to female contestents, as they were repeatedly refused train tickets as well just because they were women and women are below rats there in terms of rights and importance. And this was where the beginning of the ned came for them, as they were both being swarmed by these males with zero boundaries as well as being deeply affected by the massive poverty, seeing dirty impoverished kids and babies coming up to their taxi, begging, staring, they were barely holding back tears. All of the teams dealt with seeing these things, and being hounded by people begging, but it really hit these two the hardest which was only amplified by the sexism and Emily cracked, she was calling them stupid out of frustration and it didn't get better in Thailand, as Team Guido once again prevailed over them, this time in a race for the fastforward and then they walked around for a few hours trying to find the vehicle the next clue directed them to and no one was being of any help and she just plain and simply says "Screw you" to one of the Thai people and they wind up giving up and taking a taxi to the pitstop. You could call them out for all of this, but it was just a buildup of stress and anxiety which finally broke them. Think about it; the airport incident which really upset Emily, as she was saying do what you want to her but not her Mom (whose biggest concern afterwards was the image this put out of American tourists, not even thinking about herself), they kept on coming in at the back of the pack, the India degradation and claustrophobia-inducing chaos there, coming in 2nd to Guido yet again and then not being able to find anyone to assist them. I said to myself a few legs prior that Emily was showing some fight still but they both just seemed completely battered and defeated and Nancy even admitted as much. And the saddest thing is, they would have moved on if they had just persisted with the task in Thailand due to Bill/Joes epic mistake, they would have finished ahead of them. And making it extra heartbreaking was finding out afterwards that Nancy died in 2011 of Lou Gehrigs disease, which is just among the worst ways to go. Thinking back on it, Nancy may have been showing a few early signs of it during this :-( Just a sad story, Emily is apparently doing fine, she was with Brennan for a while after the race (which raised my eyebrow, considering in interviews before the race she talked about her boyfriend at home more than once, I hope she didn't screw around on him during the race). But still, hard to not root for them and if I had been watching at the time, Emily would have been my first crush on the show FWIW lol.
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Lenny/Karyn - This was a frustrating team to watch as it went on. I am just thankful they weren't married or engaged before this, cause they found out they were not meant to be during this. She says she was ultra-competitive, I say she was the definition of a nag, just incessantly chastising him and the longer it went on it spread to drivers and other public people as well. He wasn't innocent himself; routinely mocking her and being a complete dumbass, like in Paris he goes up to look for the monument and just immediately gives up and then just guesses (wrong) and they would have been gone right then and there if Emily hadn't inadvertently helped him find it. Talk about coldhearted though at the end, where she proceeds to end their relationship and lists every reason why. On national TV. I mean, damn that was brutal, you could see him just leaving his body as she went on and explained basically all his flaws and failings, WTF. They did indeed break up right after, though they said it wasn't because of the race, which I kinda agree with since these fissures were gonna explode regardless of what they were doing. He got married and has a few kids and she started a law firm, so I'm sure she isn't hurting for $$$ lol.
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Paul/Amie - They were opposites, which made me wonder how they got engaged. She was competitve and he wanted to quit every five minutes. That was the tale of this team, and I wanted to genuinely smack this guy. Every leg, he is bitching and whining about wanting to go home, wanting to quit. Struggling to get a taxi? Let's quit. Taking too long at a task? Let's quit. Pulled a muscle? Time to quit. Hard time taking a dump? Let's go home, I quit. It was like a cuckoo clock set to go off every hour with this douchebag. He tried to make excuses a few times during it, saying he was only saying things like that cause he hated to see her get upset, BS dude, you just are being a little bitch, trying to break the telescope in Paris and kicking things as you threaten to, what else, quit. If she had an equal partner in this, this team would have gone much further. Instead, she had a big baby who said he didn't want to do this and was only there for her (to what, make her miserable?). Their end came via getting lost in the Sahara Desert, talk about nightmare fuel there, and they were so lost they wound up driving to the back of the pitstop somehow. She's throwing up in the back of the car, it was torturous to view. They did indeed get married several years later, but are no longer together (damn, none of these couples survived, kinda sad to see). Her near-catfight with the teachers was humorous though, even yelling at one point "You're a fat bitch!" (somewhere, Nancy turned beet red lol).
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Dave/Margaretta - Probably the first team in TAR history to inspire the "Awww" feeling. Immediately, you saw it was gonna be a struggle for them physically due to the age differences, in the very first leg they could have gotten the fastforward but they got outpaced by Rob/Brennan and had to struggle their way back up after struggling all the way down. They continued to persevere though, and continued to struggle, like completely passing the clue in Paris and getting penalized at the start of the next leg as a result. Along the way, they did inspire the other couples with their amazing relationship and love, and provided some insight I actually hadn't thought of before, specifically about how these are all good people who are thrust into an intense, super-competitive, high pressure situation which is also exhausting and that will bring out the worst in people. They were truly kind people to the very end, which was frustrating to see it end sooner than it probably should have, as their taxi driver was an asshole for lack of a better term and was refusing to take U.S. money and arguing with them. And seeing a bunch of the teams at their elimination saying their goodbyes and paying their respects to them (which happened several times this season, can't recall seeing that in any other seasons) just drove home the point these were good people. Finding out that several years later, Dave would lose his soulmate to after a multiyear battle with cancer and pulmonary fibrosis was quite sad to hear, he is still going last I checked but you could tell they were 2 peas in a pod so that was extremely sucky news.
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Pat/Brenda - The first team to go from 1st to eliminated in the span of 1 leg, not a great achievement. They never exhibited the mental togughness I think you need to really compete in this though, as they were freaking out at the airport prior to Paris over issues with flights. They had the fastforward, like, no reason to flip your lid. Unless you get there 10 hours after everyone else I think you'll be fine. But then, they made the huge mistake of going to the wrong Pantheon and get eliminated. They seemed like solid enough people, but I never thought they were a threat in this.
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Kim/Leslie - They were teachers and yet repeatedly did stupiud things and said they were stupid... that makes one feel so secure about the countrys future lol. They weren't good, came off as mean girls (to Amie anyway, though I found out afterwards they were quite the class clowns during their time on there), and were lost on both legs. And yet their run ends because of a damn taxi driver arguing with them over change. Nancy/Emily seemed friends with them, and they both attended one of their weddings a while later. I know Leslie is married with 3 kids and Kim has 2 kids, I assume she is married too judging by her last name being different. They just went on to normal lives it seems.
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Matt/Ana - Forever famous for being the very first elimination in TAR history. Hard to say a whole lot about a team that is gone after one leg, I do know they did get divorced at some point later on. They did get pretty testy with the locals in Africa though for not being able to tell them where a location was. They wouldn't have been eliminated, but they got really lost on their way to the pitstop and thus arrived last. If they hadn't gotten so lost, I would have been deprived of the Nancy/Emily team which would have made this a worse season for sure.
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I can see why this became a sensation of its own, though not on the level of the absolutely top tier of reality/game shows, in terms of ratings and buzz that is, like Survivor, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire and (ugh) Big Brother. A pretty good and challenging path, though no trip to South America, and there was certainly a novelty and uniqueness of taking these teams from all kinds of backgrounds and forcing them to travel the world as fast as possible, culture and language issues be damned. A bonus in some eyes would be a lack of stars or 'celebrities' or stunt casting, save for Team Guido who really seemed like they were trying to be what Richard Hatch was to Survivor. You had everyday friends, family and couples racing for the million dollar prize but also being friends for the most part, I think in part because they were enjoying this unique experience and in part because they knew they were a part of something special. Just seeing the way a lot of teams would gather at every pit stop to say their goodbyes and pay their respects to whoever got eliminated was such a departure from the likes of a Survivor, where you had people doing everything but wish death on the other (and I think even that happened once) and that is as much of a reason for TAR thriving and survivng as anything else. So much has changed since then; HD is the standard now, everyone is on about 5 different social media platforms, so many of the casted are already known figures in this era of no anonymity, cameras are always on you somehow, and have it ingrained in them to have a motto of "how many likes can I get and what will generate the most clicks?". Such a different world, and seeing the ages of the contestants from this season now makes me feel old lol (the youngest is now in her 40s and married, I see her on here and she's a college kid who looks like she is still in high school). This was far from a perfect season, a lot of drag in the latter stages due partly to the massive separation that developed between the top 2 teams and bottom 2 teams and later with the top 2 and 3rd place team and partly due to what seemed like an attempt to get to 13 episodes by any means necessary which led to a bit too much filler content which easily could have been trimmed and just felt like they were desperately trying to reach the episode quota. Also had a string of production issues and errors which led to teams placements getting changed, time credits being given, a pit stop being moved due to dangerous weather conditions (which they had no control of obviously, but it counts) and it was not exactly the most challenging in terms of roadblocks and detours, as they really seemed to make it so that the biggest challenge of the race was the actual traveling part, luckily in future seasons they managed to get a better balance so that you had to put max effort into everything and not just the tasks. But for several endearing people and teams, seeing some amazing sights around the world like the Great Wall and that waterfall in south Africa which you didn't get to see unless you read or watched National Geographic up to that point, the final sights of a simpler and better world for a lot of us millennials, the groundbreaking nature of the show, the camaraderie between a lot of teams, knowing with hindsight this was the start of something awesome and a flashback and massive shot of nostalgic warmth to days where I didn't have gray hairs popping up or injure my back from sleeping the wrong way (too many mosh pits lol), I give this inaugural season a 3.75 out of 5. As you can see, that puts it pretty high up there, but it comes up short of reaching my upper echelon. Next time, it will be a later season, since you can't go earlier than S1 lol.
Ratings:
S5 - 4.75/5
S15 -4.5/5
S13 - 4.5/5
S1 - 3.75/5
S27 - 3.5/5
S25 - 3.25/5
S21 - 3.25/5
S23 - 3.25/5
S2 - 3/5
S19 - 2.5/5
S29 - 2.5/5
S16 - 1.75/5
S32 - 0.25/5