NAP of the Day Today's NAPs MyRacing

Synopsis: After hoodwinking Darkos, a holy priest, into escorting her back to her castle, Dark Enchantress Geela has one item left on her list: revenge on her ex-husband. With a confused Darkos in tow, she sets out. However, Geela isn't the only one with secrets. And Barney isn't the only old enemy who's about to get a visit.
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To say the pair had been drained by their adventure would be an understatement comparable to the one Darkos had heard upon emerging from the catacombs. He’d had ‘a lot to explain’ the same way Geela needed a nap.
Her nap wasn’t pleasant, either. It was one of those feverish three day naps that was punctuated by sips of tea and broth and water provided by concerned parents.
“Mama, I don’t like orange tea,” she’d once mumbled upon waking from a delirious dream about krakens eating her feet while swimming at the beach with her cousins. It wasn’t until the tea was sitting sulkily in her stomach and she’d rolled back over, pressing a wetted cloth to her face that she realized she’d called Rakette ‘mama’. This flung her into a dream about her mother scolding her for summoning void imps during equinox festival, a dream far more stressful than the kraken one (especially since she hadn’t summoned the damn imps).
Once she heard voices murmuring above her. “She’s been like this for days… She’ll never get better.”
“Give her time, don’t give up on her now.”
Except Geela couldn’t tell if it was real, a dream, or a memory.
“...it’ll take her like it took her sister.”
Geela rolled over in bed, whimpering, and pressed the pillow over her head. She needed sleep to recharge but too many parts of her soul had been overstretched.
“It might be better to—”
“She’s still alive!”
“Won’t be long now.”
“Geela, how are you feeling?”
If this was a memory, and reaching back into the recess of her addled brain she could find some semblance to a yearly corn fever that ravaged the town’s young for some six years in a row, then it couldn’t touch her now. It was just a dratted memory.
“Geela?”
The voice that spoke now was a soothing presence to her ears. A man’s voice but not her father or uncle. A cool hand pressed to her cheek.
“Last time this happened she was out for almost 24 hours.”
“Well girl did mind control a thousand villagers,” Arthius said. A dream for sure then. Darkos’s parents weren’t ones for compliments.
“Good to know she can’t just nilly willy hypnotize a whole town without some form of payback.”
“Mom! She saved our skins.”
The woman’s voice, Rakette’s, trailed off, muttering something about a mountain and opals.
“Sorry about her,” Darkos’s voice whispered. “I doubt you heard that but she’s just rattled.” She felt a newly cool cloth press against her forehead and smiled in her sleep. No more memory, no more dream. Just her faithful Darkos.
The next time Geela woke, her hair, face, and clothes were so damp she’d thought maybe someone had gotten tired of her occupying their bed and had doused her with a barrel of water. She was reminded briefly of Darkos flopping a lily pad at his dad for the better part of ten minutes before just pouring water on the man. Maybe he’d learned.
But then she sat up and found that it was likely just her fever breaking. Finally. One day Geela would find a way to make over exerting herself less… unpleasant. Really though, the lasting damage here would be whatever nonsense she’d muttered in her sleep. Had she really called Rakette ‘mama’? No, surely that was just a fever dream. She would never.
—
“Of course, I was always ‘mom’ or ‘mommy’ to Darkos, so it was funny hearing ‘mama’. And imagine not liking orange tea!”
Geela sat at the breakfast table, sulking over a breakfast of eggs and bacon, smiling up at her. Yes, smiling. Like she was seven.
“Don’t be embarrassed, dear. It was sweet.”
“You know I’m older than you, right?” Geela scowled and flipped her bacon upside down. Childish, yes. But at least it reflected how she felt.
Darkos bustled back from the kitchen with a delectable smelling pan of cinnamon rolls and the promise of something sweet brightened Geela’s mood a bit and she smiled up at him.
“Geela! Your bacon is frowning.” He looked so alarmed at this development that Geela couldn’t stop her sweet ‘please give me cinnamon rolls’ smile from turning to a laugh.
“Mom did you give Geela sad bacon?”
Rakette peered at the plate, concerned. “I would never have.”
“Just give me a damn cinnamon roll,” Geela said, stifling another snort of laughter.
“Made them myself,” he said. “Extra icing—”
“Darkos,” scolded his mother.
“Hey. We saved the town. We deserve extra icing.”
“Still.” She planted her hands on her hips. “It’s not healthy. Arth?”
“They did just save the town,” he said, eying the rolls like a shark stalking an injured dolphin.
Rakette sighed. “I suppose you did just save the town.”
Geela fully agreed and soon her fingers were covered with the sugary glaze. Darkos may cook his steaks a bit well done and he may overcook his eggs and don’t get her started on his burnt chicken but he made a mean cinnamon roll. Perhaps even meaner than her still miffed bacon.
It was nice, having a domestic breakfast, even with Darkos’s parents. And she didn’t mind playing with her food a bit, because as Darkos mentioned, she deserved it.
He did too. It had been a hell of a day for the both of them, really for the whole village but, while Geela cognitively could sympathize, she really didn’t care too much about them. Right now she was focused exclusively on boosting the two of them back up to normal, or as normal as could be achieved so soon after the Alerion kerfuffle.
“So what’s next for the two of you.” Arthius slurped down a third egg and Geela shuddered just slightly. Unlike his son, Arthius ate his eggs so raw that a rooster could probably have still made a chick out of it.
“Two more Alerion villages to liberate,” Geela said.
“Jungle and Arid,” Darkos said, munching down on his own borderline powdered eggs. He poured some tomatoey sauce over top of them and Geela shuddered more now. She loved tomatoes but the sugary paste was already an affront to her senses. Seeing them on top of Darkos’s dried eggs... “Neither are too far and with Malevelo gone—”
“Presumed,” Geela said, collecting herself. “He astrally projected to take control of Leoth but we don’t know for sure his soul perished when the crystal was destroyed.”
“Right. What would happen then? Would he just snap back to his body? Like, how does astral projection work?”
“Well, void beings tend to need to possess a mortal entity in order to do much here physically. They can jump from body to body.” She bit into a piece of toast, polishing it off in two bites. “However, with the way the children of Noire possessed their hosts at the moment of conception, they’re pretty locked into that body. It gives them the bonus of not needing void energy to recharge; they just recharge the way humans do. It also does allow them some extra-body travel but that’s more limited. Give and take.”
Darkos nodded but stared rather inquisitively at his fork full of sausage. “Huh. And that’s something that’s hard to do, the astral projecting? Like you couldn’t accidentally do it.”
“The average person, no. That’s very challenging stuff if you aren’t predisposed to it. I can barely do it.” She lifted a shoulder in an unconcerned shrug. Astral projection was nasty stuff without anchors. It was miserable and disorienting. “Why?”
He shook his head quickly, smiling. “Just trying to figure out if Malevelo could have zipped back to his body.”
“If he did, he’d be comatose. Destroying his crystal like that would ruin him. Likely, if he survived, he just hopped back to the void, which is irritating but not terrible. It means Noire has to siphon power to bring him back or otherwise he’s pretty useless.”
Darkos nodded. “So he’s like, in timeout.”
Geela choked on her hashbrown, as the image of Noire lording over the Void Realm while Malevelo’s soul sulked in some corner floated in her mind. “Yes,” she sputtered, wiping tears from her eyes. “Yes, he’s in timeout.” She stared out at the remains of the breakfast feast the four (mostly Geela) had devoured. Dabbing away mashed potato from her face, she very pleasantly smiled at Arthius. “Breakfast was lovely, by the way. Thank you.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed the hash browns,” Rakette said. “You were asking for them while sleeping I think. Something about being a potato princess, so I tried to incorporate that into the meal.”
Geela lifted her chin, refusing to let the jibe slow her down. “Nobody makes potatoes like the Farm Region does. But they were passable.”
Darkos sprung to his feet to start clearing away dishes. Geela let him, crossing her fork and knife over her plate, signifying that she would not be finishing the remains of her meal. Good hearty food was exactly what she needed to replenish and she felt like, maybe after another nap, she could consider leaving.
“What’s after taking out the Alerion cults?” Rakette asked, joining Darkos with the cleaning.
“Move on to the next child of Noire,” Geela said. “A little bird told me that the Celestial City might be a good place to go.” Geela glanced back at Darkos, who was merrily splashing away in the sink as he washed, before grabbing Rakette’s sleeve and pulling her close. “Who did you say sent you to Sunnyville?” she asked, her voice a hiss.
“Professor Elle, head of the Realms Studies Department.” She looked at Darkos. “You think she might be involved?”
“I’m not sure but it is awfully suspicious that she sent you here. It’s either her or… what did you say the priestess’s name was?”
Rakette’s eyes grew wide. “Lune would never.”
“Just like Malevelo would never?”
“What are we whispering over?” Arthius asked, poking his head in on the two women.
“Geela thinks that the head of the Realms Studies Department sent us here intentionally, to put,” she dropped her voice to barely audible, “Darkos in Noire’s sights.”
“Didn’t work very well, did it,” Arthius said, which was a fair point. If the goal was to send Darkos to Malevelo, something had really broken down.
“True. But I can also see where the communications may have broke down. We took a vacation at the Beach Region before heading to Sunnyville—”
Geela held up a hand, cutting Rakette off. “You took a vacation? Your priestess tells you that your son is a void spawn that needs immediate attention and you take a vacation before running away?”
“Well.” Rakette crossed her arms. “It was the last one we knew we’d ever get to take. And we didn’t expect Dark to be born so early so we had to spend some extra time nursing him back to health.”
“Yeah, all told it probably took us a year when we said six months,” Arthius said. “So it’s possible that if someone did tell the cults we were coming, too much got messed up on our travels.”
Geela’s nose wrinkled but she couldn’t say anything to that. For once, he was right. This had probably saved Darkos from being immediately delivered to Malevelo. She sighed. “Well alright then, you probably did the right thing. I still need a word with the academy’s Realms Studies Department. I don’t trust the head. How would she have even heard of Sunnyville?”
“Promise, Eve’s not a bad person,” Arthius said. “And she literally knows every town on file. Of course she’d know.”
“Well, I’ve heard ‘not a bad person’ a lot recently. So excuse me for being suspicious.”
“Mom! Where’s the—what’s got you all so huddled?”
The group broke apart like magnets, all inconspicuously turning to something else.
“Just discussing where we’re going next. After the cults. Your parents are concerned I won’t take care of you.”
Darkos shuffled over to clear the last of the plates. “I’ll be fine,” he said, grabbing Geela’s plate. “Made it this far—Geela, you didn’t finish your eggs! And your bacon! It's angry! It has eyebrows now!”
—
It didn’t take the pair long to pack up their belongings the next day. They hadn’t brought too much and Geela’s bag ate most of it. Darkos’s parents pushed a good deal of food on them, which was very kind, even though Geela was beyond done mentioning it. Darkos could thank them for her. She was tired of them.
It was shortly before their final lunch there that Rakette pulled Geela aside, a motion that had become familiar if not miserable.
“Look,” the woman started and Geela was already over the conversation. “Darkos has been through a lot at—”
“I know. I already know. He’s talked a bit about it, about how this whole thing is harder than he thought it would be.” It had cracked her heart just a little to see him sitting on his bed, arms wrapped around his knees, chin tucked in. He’d struggled to find a way to phrase ‘killing people and dealing with grief is a lot more taxing than taking out your monster pets ever was’ without making Geela think less of him and it hurt just a little to watch. “He’s a hardy guy. He’ll be fine.”
“Geela,” she said, and now her voice was more urgent. “I just wanted to say that… I don’t like you. Don’t respect your work or the things you’ve done to good folk just to inflate an already massive ego.”
Geela considered this. “Well I don’t at all enjoy your company and if it weren’t for the fact that your son is better than we both deserve, my plans for this village would have been renovating it to about two inches high and very sooty.”
Rakette’s eyes narrow, an odd reaction given she instigated the insults. “Anyway. I wanted to make that clear. I will, however, put up with you at Darkos’s request.”
Geela’s fingers trailed along the window sill, scraping up dirt under a nail. “Charming. Well, dear, I’ll be sure to withstand your boorish nature should he ever convince me to come back up here.”
“Well he’d best! And when we come down to… wherever you’ve set up, I like to think we’ll be damn beter houseguests than you’ve managed to be.” She straightened her shoulders, gazing at Geela haughtily.
“First of all,” Geela wiped off her dirty finger on the bright yellow curtains, “I can’t imagine ever wanting you to visit my home. Maybe Darkos could convince me. Maybe. He’d have to have a damn good argument though because two,” she started scraping the dirty out from under her nail using a knitting needle that lay on the chair by the window, “I couldn’t imagine you’d be a better houseguest.” She smiled sweetly. “Fortunately, i don’t see us encountering each other again for a long time, so—””
“Oh don’t pretend. You may have him fooled but he still is a good enough son to invite us.”
“Invite you?”
“I saw him give you that ring before the invasion.”
Geela blinked. “The one—”
“And I’ve seen the one on his finger now.”
“The what?” All of Rakette’s absurd… well Geela couldn’t even rightfully call it an argument. More like ramblings. Perhaps even a racket. But it all went out the window as Geela’s shoulder tensed. “He’s got another one?” she asked. “Which ring? Was it green? I swear if he’s got the hydra heart…”
Rakette stared at her, outrage dripping from every pore. “Oh I bet you just have dozens, don’t you.” Her fists balled “Fine. As if you don’t know. It was the little sapphire one, the one on his pinkie finger.”
Geela’s face flushed so red so fast she thought she might pass out. She rounded on Rakette so fast the curtain in her hand ripped. “How in the hell How in the bloody, ever living, all evil hell…” She groaned as the picture floated in her head. Oh Darkos. Stupid, clueless Darkos. She forced a smile at Rakette. “I’m sorry. Or at least, pretend that I am. I’m sure that, to anyone else, what you’re trying to say is terribly important, but I need to rescue an engagement ring.”
Rakette’s lips flopped open but Geela had no further time and swept from the room to chase down Darkos.
Of course Darkos had that ring. Of course he did. Some two and a half years ago, the day Geela left her castle on a head-clearing tirade, was the last time she’d worn that stealth garb. It had also been the last time she’d worn her engagement ring. Oh, she’d contemplated burrowing to the core of the planet to melt it in the fiery inferno of whatever was down there, but she ended up shoving it in her pocket to deal with ‘later’. ‘Later’ was supposed to be that night when she got back to her castle. But instead of flopping in and draping herself over her favorite chaise, she’d found a large dragon that no longer responded to her safe words. So ‘later’ turned into after she found someone to escort her home. And that went just swimmingly.
So ‘later’ finally became now. Geela hadn’t given Barney much mind recently but now her stomach twisted.
She rounded the corner to find the dazzling sapphire still on his pinkie. The sparkling thing, once the crowning jewel of a frumpy nightshow patron, now sat on the little finger of a dopey ex-priest who couldn’t have looked more out of place with it on if he’d tried. How had she missed it? Maybe Darkos was rubbing off on her.
She forced a smile to cover how she shook at the unwanted memories. “Darkos, sweetheart, that ring…”
“Oh! Oh man.” He facepalmed, actually smacking his face with his hand. “Second time I forgot.” He grinned, a bit abashed. “It was super helpful though. I’m getting better at using artifacts though. You wouldn’t believe how much I bashed Malevelo. I collapsed a cavern on him.”
Geela’s lips went tight. “Right. You collapsed a cavern.”
“I think it was an ice bolt. It got all scummy in the void air though but it was enough to blow up the dire crystals and that gave me a way out.”
Geela stared at Darkos, brain clunking through this in record slow time. Darkos had just blasted a metric ton of void energy out of his pinkie finger, thinking he was using, what, ice magic from Geela’s engagement ring?
Darkos was also staring by now, his face probably mirroring hers in sheer blank stupor.
Finally Geela forced a smile. “That’s just dandy. Happy for you.” Good job, Geela. Very convincing.
He nodded. “Ok. Right, well, anyway, here it is back.” He pulled the delicate band off his finger. “Thanks, by the way. For giving me something defensive. For a sec down there I thought I was screwed. I did like the forcefield one better though. Ice magic is draining.”
Great, and now Geela felt like a shitty friend. She examined the ring, stomach sinking as her heart skipped a bit the way it did when Barney first slid it on her finger. God she needed to get a grip.
"How about..." She fumbled in her bag before withdrawing the old force-field ring he’d used in Haymaker, "...you hang onto this. It's already attuned to you and I shouldn't leave you entirely undefended."
His face brightened like a school boy's as he pulled the old ring on. "Awesome."
"Alright." Geela clapped her hands and looked around the two. "Alright, this looks good. Let’s grab some lunch before heading out. You ready to go?”
For a moment he looked like he might contest. “Next village, you do the sharing. I don’t want to be anywhere near it.”
“Given. It won’t be nearly as hard without Malevelo being a driving force and with one of the crystals shattered, so this—” she gestured at the general air “—won’t happen again. I am not possessing another town.”
“Don’t like it?”
“Hypnotized worship drains you, it doesn’t invigorate you. It’s like… eating spoiled food. It tastes alright and you feel like you’re eating but the next thing you know, the whole meal is on the floor, plus the last few and…”
She looked up where Darkos’s face had gone a tad green at the metaphor.
She tried again.
“It’s like writing a book and someone says they’ll publish you but ask for money instead of paying you. It looks good to someone who doesn’t know better, but it drains you more than it pays you. You just end up more broke.”
Darkos nodded, hopefully getting it. “Alright. Actually I suppose that makes sense. Ok so no possessing groups and I get to hide when you tell everyone the…” he trailed off, face clouding for a second before he shook his head, forcing a smile. “...bad news.”
“You’re going to be ok,” she said, voice dropping to a softness she didn’t love using but knew reassured him. “And you’re saving them. Remember that.”
“Ok. And you… You’ve got that.”
She tipped her head at him, at the guilless look in those big brown eyes, and smirked. “Yes Darkos. I will tell them all the horrible horrible crap Noire has done to their families. You can ride off free.”
“Are you sure—”
“A thousand percent.” There simply was no good reason to even contest this point but Darks seemed to need the reassurance.
“Ok. Ok, just making sure. I want to feel good about taking out Noire. Not all weird and bad. I feel like that’s been a lot of the successes. Weird and bad. Sinistrina choking on the sandwich and then obviously telling all the villagers that bad stuff but even, like, there was this little priest down in the catacombs and she was so scared and confused and hurt, physically hurt, and I just took advantage of that to—’
“To what? Did she die?”
“No! Geela!” He looked aghast at the suggestion. “She broke the crystal!”
Geela shrugged, really not seeing the point. “Honestly, with the exception of breaking the bad news, I don’t see what’s the problem.”
“I feel like I’m going bad. Like too bad. Like evil. Like… like maybe…” He stared at his boots.
“Like me?” Geela asked. “Oh, Darkos. I would never have felt guilty over the things you’re fretting over. Does that help? I didn’t slowly slide down this path. I started down here.” It was kind of interesting, lying to Darkos about this. Maybe it was a half-lie. She’d never been the most affectionate child but she hadn’t started out heartless. That came later. Yet here she was, totally guilt-free about lying to her friend about why he shouldn’t be worried about becoming her, because she was always evil.
“A little bit. Actually a lot. Sometimes I worry that I’m going to turn evil or something.”
Geela just rolled her eyes and grabbed her bag. “Evil people don’t worry about turning evil. They just are. Now, is there more morosity to moon over, or are we ready to go?”
“I think… no, I think I’m good. Thanks, Geela, again.” He smiled, for real this time, and nodded. “Alright then. Let’s make like a tree and leaf.” Geela turned this pun over in her head but before she could speak, Darkos hoisted his bag on his shoulder. “It was nice to be at home but I need to get out of this place. Need to get back on the road, see something new.”
Technically ‘make like a tree and leaf’ did make more sense than how she’d always heard it but it made her question how many puns she may have butchered in the past. But Darkos was staring at her intently so she filed this away for the future, slipped her satchel over her shoulder, and tossed a long golden lock over her shoulder.
“Wonderful,” she said. “Let’s say our farewells and then head out. We’ve got some cults to destroy.”
And there's your third chapter for the week!
I don't have too many updates except to thank you for your overwhelming support on Royal Road. I started the day at 11th on trending and ended it on 8th. One more rank and we're on the front page, so don't let up that momentum! (To give you an idea of the power of trending, in one week Geela got 200 new followers.)
I've got the next couple chapters already written and my beta writer is already super excited about them.
SPEAKING OF WHICH if you haven't checked out Vren's Fractured Song at this point, you're just insane because it is so good. Seriously, this me leading the horse to water because you'll want to drink this up immediately. He's done an amazing job being my ultimate, near-24-hour sounding board for Geela so go give him a read. You won't regret it!
See you Monday! Have a nice (long if applicable) weekend!!

Chapter is long! Not much to say! Got carried away! Ends with a bang! Enjoy!
My Stories
Material Differences Wiki
Chapter 1
Chapter 47
Where was the sun? Where was the warmth? What happened? Jaeger slowly stumbled around within the dark fog. He couldn’t find his way. This place was supposed to be filled with love, and joy. Where had it gone? Did he know what he was looking for? Or why he couldn’t find it? It was like his limbs were extra heavy and sluggish for some reason. Weighted down by… what? Jaeger wasn’t really sure where he was, or why he was there anymore. But there was this oppressive feeling of… guilt… sadness… He had to find it… What? Something in the dark fog ahead… He could just barely make it out… a wispy figure… “Jaeger…” Why was he so cold… He was trying to reach out for it. The tiny figure shrouded in the mist… surely this was the answer… what he still sought? His fingers stretched…
“Jaeger.” Jaeger jerked within the chair as his eyes opened. Slowly looking around and then down a moment he remembered he was hooked up to one of the Tesla chairs to help heal. Then he groaned softly as reality reasserted itself upon him.
“Ow…” The chair had been working hard but that didn’t change the fact he was sore all over, and bruised in many places.
“How was your nap?” Tanya was asking as she stepped up to his side, looking over the monitor to check his progress.
“Shit.” Jaeger muttered and rubbed a hand across his face slowly.
“You’re usually a great napper. Dream at all?” Tanya seemed satisfied with whatever the monitor said as she looked at him instead.
“Yeah… no… I don’t know.” Jaeger shook his head and rubbed his face a bit more. Usually he woke up feeling so refreshed. “What’s up?” He finally tried to focus on Tanya, figuring there had to be something up.
“We’ve got Whispertail up on comms again. There’s also some movement in the valley, and word is MPs have set up roadblocks in Splitstream. Our battle might have drawn attention so I was hoping you could talk to him and sort things out before we have to fight a whole nother battle.” She handed him a tablet then as he yawned and rubbed his eyes with his thumbs a bit harder to try and… rub life into them maybe? He didn’t know why. It just felt like it would do something.
“Sure.” He agreed as he sat up a bit more. “What’s our current sitrep with cleanup anyway?”
“Kuv’s organized the scavenging efforts. Plenty of good tech to reuse for our bots. Ham is bringing additional units online up at his scrapyard. Tabori swept the area to ensure we didn’t miss anyone. Max is configuring new patrol routes. Figs is making sure his new arm works fine. Probably by jerking off. He said he wanted to know what it was like to jerk off with a small white hand for a change and was trying to turn off the feeling so it would be like a stranger doing it.” Jaeger winced a little at the mental image.
“Must you?” He asked.
“Just making sure you’re still alive.” Tanya gave his shoulder a pat. “Want me to wait around just in case you need any more info?”
Jaeger considered that a while and then nodded as she stepped back and sat down. Looking at the tablet she’d handed him he caught a bit of his reflection in the dark screen. He still looked like shit. Letting out a heavy sigh he slowly rolled his head around to try and work out a mild kink in his neck and then turned it on. Then he just stared at the call button trying to think of how to best do this. Finally he just shrugged and hit it. “Super Cereal, this is Tone Deaf. Please respond.”
He waited a few seconds and was about to send again when the comm crackled a moment. “This is a secure line. Though I am supposing the names are to try and make it clear it’s really you.” Whispertail’s voice crackled a bit but was mostly clear.
“I couldn’t remember what you’d called me when you called before. Figured this would work. We’re still alive, and we won. Did your ship survive? I wasn’t sure how to warn you without a secure line.” Jaeger hoped Ham’s ruse earlier had worked.
“It suffered heavy damage, but it avoided outright destruction. Even my crew was not expecting… that. I wish to speak with you in person. Are you accepting visitors?” Jaeger arched a brow at that and glanced over at Tanya who just shrugged.
“Hangar works.” She confirmed.
“We’re open to visitors. But isn’t this a secure line?” Jaeger asked and looked back at the tablet, as if it would tell him if he was being spied on.
“Some things are best discussed face to face.” Whispertail somewhat ominously replied.
“I’d be happy to have you here. I’m a bit… under the weather. Ah… injured. So the discussion might have to take place partially in a med bay. But you’re certainly welcome.” Jaeger wasn’t sure what to make of it.
“Then I shall arrive shortly. Please do not shoot my transport out of the sky.” The call cut then and the tablet showed him a ship’s tracking beacon instead which he handed off to Tanya.
“Should we be worried?” She asked just as he was pondering the same thing.
“I don’t… think so? Even if his cruiser is damaged he’s got Pact naval assets around here for sure. He could still have the compound bombarded.” Jaeger scratched his head then and just shrugged all over again. “I guess we’ll just have to find out. Tell Tabori not to shoot the ship. Get… uh… Is Brandy-Lynn doing anything?”
“If she is it can’t be important.” Tanya replied.
“Get her and Figs and we’ll all meet him in the hangar. No armor, no weapons. Leave Tabori outside.” Jaeger rubbed his chin then as he thought it over.
“You sure?” Tanya confirmed, giving him a look.
“Yeah… yes.” Jaeger nodded with more confidence. “Wait is Ham in the air?”
“He’s at the scrap yard like I told you.” Tanya reminded him as Jaeger waved it off.
“Uh, Tami? The tech? Is she with him?” Tanya nodded. “Alright… Who else is here? Kuv. Keep him out of sight. Bring Max and Raven down. We’ll all meet him in the hangar then. I don’t know what he wants but I want to put on a friendly face.”
“Got it.” Tanya nodded and started to turn when Jaeger had a brief half remembered glimpse into his dream.
“Do you think Leona survived?” The words were out just before he could process what he was even asking. Tanya looked back then and frowned a little.
“The computer was wiped. If anything is left it’s in your implant. So… I don’t know. Memories can be hard to shake.” With that she turned and walked out, leaving him alone in the cold sterile medbay.
A shiver swept through him then and he shuddered a moment. “What implant?” He asked aloud and squinted a moment as his head hurt. Groaning he leaned back in the chair and turned it on a little higher intensity while watching the tablet. He wanted to be up and active when Whispertail arrived. Feeling his muscles clench and relax through his body was a… uncomfortable experience to say the least. But it gave him something to focus on.
Show Whispertail the possible location of Marque’s fortress. Enlist his help to destroy it. Get the code fragments. Then… what? Would Whispertail let him slink back off into the wilds? What would happen to the compound? Whispertail had to report to his superiors. What did they know? What would they think of rogue Revenant still running around? Would the Ravex help shift the blame towards Marque? Would he need to try and get Max and Raven out? To send them where? Whispertail had met Kuv before, it wouldn’t be terribly hard to track him down…
Did he just assume the Obsidian Guard would be his friends? What kind of asshole was he to put so much faith in a former enemy that he had met so recently? Yet, every time they did interact Whispertail proved to be a capable and meaningful ally. Was that itself some kind of act? Get him to lower his guard? Or did he truly respect Jaeger as a friend? Too many questions. Not enough info. The ship was getting closer, so he finally deactivated the machine. Groaning softly as the last pulse of electricity ran through his body as it shut down.
Swinging his legs off and then standing up slowly he had to grip the headrest for support a moment. Felt like he’d just been sitting on the can for too long… feet were numb. Some super soldier he was… Once some feeling returned he carefully curled his toes inside his shoes a moment and then began to shakily walk towards the hangar. Each step carried with it a little more confidence as his body seemed to realign itself with his continued existence.
As he stepped into the hangar and looked around he found it to be the same as always, and yet different at the same time. A number of deactivated bots were lined up against a wall on the far side. Waiting their turn to be pulled into a repair bay to be worked on. Cases of ammo, and rockets were laid out to resupply the Vantahawk. The smell of cordite and gunpowder hung heavily in the air, burning at his nostrils a moment before he adjusted to it and the smell seemed to blend in and disappear. A parting kiss from an old friend.
Bertha was the only active inhabitant at the moment. Though for now all she did was stand vigil over the deactivated bots and watch. Her massive red eye slowly sweeping the area. “Did you have a glorious battle Bertha?” He called out as her eye stopped and focused on him.
“Unit designation Jaeger. Battle conclusion parameter glorious not found. Battle conclusion parameters victory or defeat. Battle analysis concludes parameter victory met.” The bot gave a salute then with a raise of her autocannon for a moment. He supposed there was more truth to the statement than the bot might know… What was glory anyway? But he focused on something else.
“You sound different, you know Bertha. Was your update alright?” He mentioned her unusual speech pattern. Did she get reset somehow?
“Trooper level designation. Experience level boot. Requires adjusted speech. Addendum translation provisor unit designation Tex. I gotta talk slow. So these dumb unit designation motherfuckers. Can understand me.” The bot gestured at the trooper bots while Jaeger raised an eyebrow at the translation Tex had provided for her. A bot, advising another bot, on how to translate to… human? Shit talking? That was new…
“Good to know. I have some friends coming. Ravex. Obsidian guard. Please don’t attack them unless they attack first.” He asked and the bot just resumed scanning the hangar.
“Understood.” Simple as that. At least she didn’t judge him for allying himself with their own enemy. For a moment he looked down at himself then. Olive drab shirt, olive drab sweats. Did some admin clerk centuries ago know what he was doing when he picked the new color for… whoever had first even used olive drab? The Americans? The Brits? Whoever it was they’d spawned a color to mark an entire caste of people forevermore.
Was there a Ravex equivalent? The question made him ponder for a bit, thinking back on the various Ravex units that he’d fought over the years. The barracks that they’d seen. They had that kind of… ashy brown a lot. Did all species have some kind of color like that? Shit. What about the Kra’Kto’Sui? The octopeople had a whole nother color receptor didn’t they? Was human fashion… was all fashion other than their own painfully drab in comparison? Or just… garish maybe?
Now he had a sudden urge to start researching Kra’Kto’Sui fashion. But before he could do anything about it the door opened and the others started coming through. Tanya first, followed by his kids, then Figs and Brandy-Lynn who had a feather for some reason? Even as he wondered about it he watched Brandy-Lynn use it to brush over Fig’s newfound white arm, which made him reflexively slap at it with his other. Growling then he turned and chased after her as she laughed and raced around the Hangar. For all his concerns about what was going to happen at least those two seemed to be totally normal. Normal for them.
“Knock it off.” He called out in his typical dad voice. “No running around the ammo dump idiots.”
“She started it!” Figs grumbled as they slowed down.
“Obviously. Doesn’t mean you can just chase her around a bunch of missile racks.” He waved around the hangar and shook his head. When he glanced back he saw Raven and Max giving him odd looks. “What?”
“Sorry. I just… wasn’t used to hearing you talk like that to anyone else.” Max shrugged.
“Yeah it’s strange to know we’re like… your second round of kids.” Raven added with a nod which made both Tanya and Jaeger snort in amusement.
“There’s a lot of theories about how to behave as a proper NCO. I guess the dad role just kind of… fits me best.” Jaeger shrugged.
“I’m not sure it’s a dad role exactly. I mean… you hopefully don’t take Max and Raven out on leave and get blind fall down drunk with them all that often.” Tanya remarked which made them both chuckle all over again.
“He let me try beer a few times.” Max mentioned which made Tanya arch a brow and look from him to Jaeger.
“Oh?” She asked. “What did you think?”
“Tasted… bleh.” Max’s nose scrunched up a moment as he winced at the memory and stuck out his tongue.
“I didn’t do anything to him either.” Jaeger confirmed before Tanya even asked. “I’m telling you all liking beer is Stockholm syndrome. You drink it so much you convince yourselves you actually like it. But it’s awful. Gimme a Mai Tai anyday.”
“Oh that sounds great.” Brandy-Lynn nodded as she walked back over. “There’s a place I funded that was supposed to be a hipster bar but I made them turn it into a Tiki place instead because that’s what I felt like at the time. It’s built around an old pool they have a floating bar on now. It’s great.”
“Tiki Cove? That place is horrid. It’s so cliche it’s not even funny. Their drinks lack any kind of subtlety not to mention how tacky and lacking in cultural sensitivity the decor is.” Figs crossed his arms and then uncrossed them as the mismatched sizes obviously didn’t make it look right.
“If Figs hates it then it sounds good to me.” Jaeger nodded.
“What! Sarge! You wound me!” Figs grumpily set a hand on his chest looking offended. “I made you that wonderful cocktail when you came to visit!”
“That drink was so bitter and so sour it was like getting punched in the face without any of the good parts of actually getting punched in the face. Which is saying something because there are very few good parts to being punched in the face.” Jaeger shot back with a slow shake of his head.
“The sourness and bitterness were meant to enhance the complex experience of the drink! More to a beverage than getting drunk you know.” Figs sniffed and looked away rather disdainfully.
“Actually getting punched in the face is a complex experience. Doesn’t mean I enjoy it.” Jaeger countered. Figs looked ready to keep arguing but then there was a beep from the nearby console.
“The shuttle is here.” Tanya said. “It’s a typical Obsidian Guard Butterfly. Which means it's armed.”
“All their craft are armed.” Jaeger brushed off the insinuation. “Open the hangar.” The doors above them silently opened as they saw the craft approach. Seeing the shuttle moving in still gave him a brief desire to grab a gun, or dive for cover but he ignored it and just waited.
The Ravex shuttle was more wing than hull he felt but the Ravex always did enjoy using the flying wing style for their in atmosphere landers and the like. For a moment his eyes went to the turrets on either end of the giant wing but they were obviously powered down and didn’t have any gunners so he relaxed. So far so good… But why did Whispertail want to talk face to face anyway? He’d get his answer soon enough as the ramp slowly opened and the shogun walked down towards him. “Whispertail, welcome to my humble home.”
“If your idea of humble is a secret Revenant facility powered by a shard reactor and possessing a full suite of automated defenses I’m unsure what you would consider extravagant.” The Ravex’s usual sense of humor was obviously intact.
“It’s an expression. You’ve met some of us, but this is Tanya, my XO.” He gestured briefly at Tanya who nodded. “This is my son Max.” He set a hand on Max’s shoulder who straightened up a bit more, if it was possible to try and stare down the much bigger Ravex. “And this is Raven.”
“Hello.” Raven smiled and waved as she was introduced before stepping forward and holding out something small and silver to Whispertail that Jaeger didn’t recognize.
“Ah… what is this?” Whispertail asked as he carefully accepted it.
“It’s candy. Ravex safe I checked. We haven’t really had time to prepare any other refreshments for guests. Or more traditional Exkishem. Sorry.” Jaeger couldn’t help but snort softly as his daughter did her best to be a good host. He imagined whatever exkishem was, had to be Ravex. Whispertail glanced up at Jaeger then who just shrugged.
“Thank you. I shall dine on this when I am able. I do not have any resikel to exchange apologies.” Whispertail bowed his head a moment then and slipped the candy into his armored harness. He looked ready to continue when another voice behind him spoke first.
“Where’s Tami?” Jaeger looked up and Whispertail spun around apparently surprised as well to see agent Lexa striding down the ramp.
“What are you doing here?” He hissed out at her. “I expressly instructed you to remain at the base!”
“And I told you I was coming!” She hissed right back at him. Had she snuck aboard Whispertail’s shuttle? An Obsidian guard shuttle? He was having a really hard time understanding her skill level. Her shooting had been awful, and she hadn’t realized her boss was corrupt as hell. But then that takedown at Funhaven, and now this?
“How did you even get past the guards? Your father’s own security detail had promised me they wouldn’t let you out of their sight!” Whispertail hissed as he stomped up to glare down at her. Yet, to her credit she just crossed her arms and glared right back.
“Despite what you might think you’re not actually my superior and all orders are merely requests which I am free to ignore. Besides I need to talk to Jaeger.” She started to step past but Whispertail set out a hand to stop her.
“I am here to speak with Jaeger. You will wait your turn if nothing else.” Jaeger arched a brow a moment as he noticed how Whispertail’s tail was twitching. She’d gotten under his skin it seemed. Fur. Scales? Wait skin still worked right? He shook his head a moment to stop wondering about the appropriate way to phrase that for a Ravex. She’d certainly pissed him off anyway.
“Fine.” She huffed. “But where’s Tami?” She looked past Whispertail at Jaeger then.
“Uh she’s with Ham. They’ll be back…” He glanced over at Tanya for a time frame but she just shrugged. “They’ll be back.” Jaeger repeated simply.
“Then I’d like to talk to her over your comms at least.” She insisted.
“Tanya get her patched in.” Jaeger waved Tanya over and then focused on Whispertail. “Do we need to talk in private?”
“Yes.” He nodded and cast a sideways glare at Lexa who was already ignoring him.
“This way.” Jaeger waved him on and turned back to walk the way he came leading Whispertail into the medbay he’d been healing up in earlier. The two were quiet as they walked and Jaeger began to wonder just what this little trip was all about. They could have tightbeamed without fear of anyone listening in but Whispertail obviously wanted to be here personally. Once they were inside the medbay Jaeger turned to face the large xeno, casually leaning against a counter to appear as at ease as possible.
However once they were alone Whispertail didn’t speak. He just examined Jaeger for a moment and then began to look around the medbay. It wasn’t like he was desperately searching for something. But more… examining the place as a stranger might, trying to determine just what he was looking at. Was he expecting Jaeger to speak first? Was he trying to delay him for some reason and just make him wait? What would be the reason for that?
Lets say he had an Obsidian Guard Talon on their way here. Even with things as chaotic as they are after the battle the compound defenses would still pick them up well before they got here. Would he try and kill Jaeger when he found out and attack from the inside? To what end? The others would still be able to take him down, plus the shuttle wouldn’t get out of the hangar without codes. They couldn’t man the turrets without being obvious. No…
Jaeger had been as friendly as he could, explaining what Marque was up to, and giving the Ravex all the help he could. Was there something he had let slip? What did he have to slip? He couldn’t figure the Ravex out. “I can’t figure you out Jaeger.” Jaeger blinked as Whispertail set his hands on one of the operating tables, facing away from him as he spoke. Echoing the thought in Jaeger’s head right now.
“I can’t figure you out either if that’s helpful.” Jaeger smirked a little, figuring Whispertail would be annoyed. But the Ravex just turned to him looking serious and Jaeger’s smirk faded.
“When we met it was a hostile encounter. You tried to kill me.” The big Ravex more announced than accused.
“Whoa.” Jaeger held up a hand. “Let's be straight on this. You attacked me first.”
“First you were just a heat signature, and then you were more obviously a Revenant. Was I to think after all this time one of you would be… friendly? All the animosity between our peoples and you fault me for assuming you were there to kill me?” Whispertail asked.
“I’m not faulting anyone.” Jaeger corrected. “I’m only saying you attacked first. I defended myself. Then when I realized the fight could be ended without either of us dying… I so ended it.”
“Yes… you did.” Whispertail considered him extra carefully, leaning in a little as if proximity somehow aided honesty. “Why?”
“Did I not cover this before? I’m fighting Marque Malinovsky. My brother in law. Who… has an army. And… production facilities of some kind to equip this army. I’ve got… a hand of people and only now a small contingent of prewar bots to fight back against him with. Back then… I didn’t even know for sure Marque was the threat, or what he had. I just knew… I could fail. So… why not tell someone else what was going on in case I did. Marque and I… Obviously aren’t friends but we’re polite. I promised not to kill his kids, he promised no to kill mine. I still have to ensure he doesn’t win.” Jaeger rambled a little trying to figure out what Whispertail wanted to know.
“Why is that exactly? What is his goal? Conquest?” Whispertail asked.
“Yes.” Jaeger nodded. “He thinks his organization is the true Void Government and he wants it all back. He sees the Pact as illegitimate and juvenile. He wants… humanity first. Synths above all. And… I don’t know… everyone else slaves or dead. I haven’t exactly gotten a pamphlet detailing all of his mission objectives.” Jaeger shrugged a moment.
“So you’d rather we win than he does. Even if you also lose?” As he said that Jaeger began to feel a little worried.
“Is that it? Do you need me to lose?” He wasn’t sure what to do about that if Whispertail said yes.
“No.” Jaeger relaxed even as the Ravex said that. “What I’m trying to figure out is what you want out of this.”
“To… make society better. To help save the Pact.” Whispertail just stared at him, seemingly unconvinced.
“Why? Since the end of the war you have lived here in isolation with your children. You are isolated from society. What impact does the Pact have on your life? Why are you invested in helping it?” Whispertail’s words cut into Jaeger for a moment. “Why fight for a society you’re not a part of?”
“Because that’s what I did before.” Jaeger could see the confusion in Whispertail’s face. “I grew up on earth. Which was a shitty place to be, and even worse if you were poor. I grew up knowing only a society that revolved around respect. Respect of power in the most bloody simple way people could show it. I can’t tell you how many people I saw get killed over some stupid… bullshit. Some perceived disrespect. Or just not enough respect. All I knew is I had to get out of that shithole. Which meant taking the merc exams and seeing what nation would take me. Which for me meant the Revenant program. They didn’t call it that at first obviously but that’s what it was. All I cared about is that it was Void. Do you know what that meant?”
“I suspect I do not know the true extent.” Whispertail replied.
Jaeger just waved a hand around the medbay for a moment at some of the tech. “It meant I could get my mom a free ride to the best place in the universe! Everyone talked about how amazing the Void was and I got in. All I had to do was kill for them. So I did. I became a killer for a society I wasn’t really a part of. I only barely ever saw what civilian life was like in the Void. Just a tiny bit of R&R, here and mostly in Funhaven so… far as I knew it was the best place ever! I spent the majority of my time elsewhere. Killing Davari, killing Russian, Americans, Anterans-”
“Kids.” Whispertail added. He didn’t seem angry but he was carefully watching Jaeger.
“Kids.” He nodded. “Civilians. Politicians. I was being told who to kill by people I knew were smarter than me. They said it was all sad, but necessary. To preserve the Void Way Of Life.” He carefully enunciated each word. “To protect a society I didn’t get to live in. But my mom did. And that’s all I cared about. They said kill, I killed. They said sabotage I sabotaged. They said murder innocent people? I murdered. I gave them my soul. So that once I was done with my time in purgatory… when I’d killed my way to heaven it would all be waiting for me.” Jaeger looked away then, going quiet.
“Then the war.” Whispertail continued.
“I had been helping the very company I thought was protecting my new home, destroy it instead. Undermined everything I was supposed to love about it. Helped trade freedom for control, democracy for dictatorship, and knowledge for ignorance. But I thought I could still save it. We just had to win the war. So we fought… and fought… And we won the war. My wife’s body was destroyed. I’d lost… most of my friends and comrades… and the society I’d done all that work for? It was dead too.” Jaeger wasn’t looking at Whispertail now. His eyes just stared vacantly at the wall for a while.
“So I took my kids and came here and tried to raise them as best I could. But it’s not enough. I buried my head in the sand and assumed…” Jaeger shrugged. “I don’t know. That… it would fix itself. Because I was tired… I had been fighting almost my entire life and suddenly I was in a scenario where… I had to make the decisions. There weren’t any smarter people to just… tell me what to do. I figured… I don’t know. That… they were the most important thing to me. But… by focusing on them I didn’t help out anyone else… So… my kids are good but the rest of society is fucked and I didn’t help. Which sucks! How the fuck could I find the time? Raise my kids well, help everyone, be a productive member of society… The fuck am I supposed to do?” Jaeger felt exhausted just talking about it.
“You have a highly advanced compound here at your disposal. Plus what appears to be a small army of also highly advanced robots at your command. You could have dominated the coast. Become a warlord. Possibly seized the planet for your own.” Whispertail mentioned but Jaeger just frowned.
“Me? Did I not just explain I’d lost the smart people telling me what to do? Fuck do I know about running a planet? What I should just become some new… scav king. Raise my kids in some… minor fiefdom that would get crushed when the Pact finally got around to it? And what sort of message does that teach them? I made sure the scavs in Columbia stayed in Columbia for a reason. It was the only semi decent thing I could do for everyone north up the coast. Give them time and space to rebuild. I know society still hates synths… but it’s still better than whatever autocratic… oligarchy Marque is planning.” Jaeger wondered for a moment what could have happened if he’d been more active all along. Would it have been worth it? Knowing he’d have had to miss more of the kid’s lives? “What would you have done?”
Whispertail seemed to consider this question for a moment and then shrugged. “I do not have children. That is not to say I don’t have biological offspring. I’ve participated in many seasonal heats.” Jaeger wasn’t sure he needed to know that… But the Ravex continued. “Yet, we as a species do not raise our own young. We are raised only by those fit to raise children. In a communal environment. The fact that other species let… just anyone be a parent is… honestly rather appalling. Are you aware of the types of parents that exist?”
“Yeah… I’m… pretty aware.” Jaeger nodded slowly.
“Madness.” The big xeno shook his head slowly. “Raising children is best left to experts. So, I do not know how you feel. I cannot fully understand it. The only legacy I have is my nation. So in this… I do understand some of your pain. For the first time in centuries the Ravex are not one people under one nation. We are split. This pains me… All the work I had done was also taken from me by radicals and fanatics. I will not live to see a restoration of my people. But I can live to see them survive in some way within the Pact. This is why I have dedicated my life now to its success. This is why I need to know your mind. Are you helping me only because it suits you for now? Or are you in this Jaeger? Are you in this fully and wholly? Not just for your offspring, but all children living within this young nation?”
Whispertail approached him then, standing tall as he looked down at Jaeger. “I am with you.” He nodded and reached out to grip the xeno’s forearm, as Whispertail returned the gesture.
“Good.” He nodded and released Jaeger’s arm. “I’m going to need you to join Titan.”
“What?” Jaeger blinked, not having expected that outcome even remotely.
“I need to legitimize your efforts legally. I will, for obvious reasons, leave out your true past. But, your cover identity as an Absolute Dynamics mechanic who was brought up in the emergency reserves during the war makes sense. Both as to why you remained a prospector for so long, and why we need you now.” Whispertail explained as he pulled out a data slate that had some kind of contract on it for Jaeger to read.
“Uh… what about… Agent Alvarez? Or Director or whatever his title was?” Jaeger asked as he began to scroll through the document. “Didn’t you have trouble proving his guilt and stuff? What happened with that?”
“When it became clear he had directly threatened the life of the daughter of one of the wealthiest individuals within the Pact, as well as spied upon his business things moved much more quickly.” Jaeger arched a brow as he looked back up at Whispertail. What had Lexa’s dad done? “I do not exactly approve of the nature of human politics but this once it was useful to me.”
“Did you find any… codes in his things?” Jaeger wasn’t sure what Whispertail new about the codes.
“Lexa and her friend Tami have informed me they are for memories. Could you explain?” Whispertail watched him close.
“Revenant memories. Supply caches, secret bases, door codes, and obviously evidence of who used to work with them.” It wasn’t all that far off from the truth…
“And why are they so valuable to those involved?” Whispertail asked next.
“Marque wants them for the supply caches, and codes and more power. Alvarez probably wanted them to help blackmail politicians who escaped the post war purges. I want them because… there’s some small chance my wife’s memories can be saved and I can see her again. I know you guys don’t exactly get married but you do have soul mates right?” Jaeger wasn’t sure if he could appeal to the Ravex’s emotional side but he’d try.
“We do. You wouldn’t also be looking for nuclear launch codes would you?” Even as Whispertail asked Jaeger rolled his eyes.
“I already have those. I don’t need more. Why do people keep asking me that? We both know irradiated planets don’t do anyone any good.” Even as Jaeger spoke the Ravex nodded.
“Very well… The codes will be returned to you. Our experts couldn’t make any sense of them anyway. They keep changing…” Whispertail tapped his chin.
“Once you get them all it’s supposed to unlock something.” Jaeger shrugged. “I only half understand it. Even if I get them all I might not be able to get it to work.” That was still entirely true.
“Then it is settled.” Whispertail announced and turned to walk out the door. “We must plan our assault immediately.”
“Just like that?” Jaeger arched a brow a moment.
“You have given me no cause to doubt you thus far. You have shown me only good faith, and while I disagree with your actions I at least understand them. Not all allies are mirror images of one another. Besides we have precious little time. It is essential we defeat him before the Pact Vote.” Whispertail explained as he began walking back towards the hangar.
“What vote?” Jaeger asked as he quickly moved to follow.
“A convention is being held in Solavis city on how to address the Void remnant that Marque is apparently the leader of. Some would prefer to see us normalize relations and work out some deal in order to secure peace. At the cost of the delicate balance of powers of course. If we show he has been operating in our soil all along to undermine the government then it is unlikely he will achieve this deal. He will be seen as either a hostile nation, or a hostile insurgency. But not the legitimate ruler of the Void. Did you seriously not know any of this?” Whispertail paused to glance back at Jaeger.
“No! I told you I had my head in the sand! I barely know what’s going on out there. No one told me!” He waved a hand vaguely around him.
“It has been all over the news… Nevermind. Let us end this more simply by defeating him in open combat. I suspect that is where our strengths lie anyway.” Whispertail nodded as they stepped out into the hangar. Ham’s Vantahawk was back, and Jaeger saw him and the others clustered around a display table alongside a familiar Ravex.
“First Claw Second Feather Assault Mother Rockdove, nice to see you again.” Jaeger spoke as he approached her, and then his eyes moved past to another bright smiling face even if in a new uniform. “Ah, First Claw Second Feather Shock Commando Twilightbloom, good to see you again as well. Is that your rank?”
“Hi Jaeger!” The big xeno ignored the second part of his greeting to press forward and wrap him in a big hug as he gasped and felt his shoulders get partially crushed for a moment until she let go. “Friend Jaeger it is very nice to see you again! I’m remembering things better now!”
“That’s good.” He smiled and then rubbed at his left shoulder a moment.
“Rockdove, why are you sharing live intel assets with them? I didn’t authorize this.” Whispertail growled out, though in English as if to make a point of berating her in a way Jaeger could understand.
“I am sharing intel assets with our allies for the impending assault. You said we were here to secure their support. Are they not our allies?” Rockdove countered.
Whispertail glanced sideways a moment as Jaeger. “They are. But I had not declared this fact and you were already sharing this information.”
“Then I will accept your inevitable non judicial punishment later.” Rockdove waved it off.
“Hey, you guys NJP too? We’re so alike.” Figs said with a big grin.
“What are we looking at?” Jaeger asked, ignoring the comment as he focused on a display of a mountain and some sort of fortress within it.
“This is the Scissor Mountain complex. I don’t know what they call it.” Ham replied. “This is what we’re going up against. Several anti ship, and anti air batteries here, here, and here. And possibly here.. Several artillery and anti tank bunkers along this approach. C-RAM batteries just… everywhere… Several hangars… And I’m not sure how many barracks.” Jaeger looked across the portions of the map as they lit up.
“How did you get this?” If the map was accurate it was going to be a nightmare to assault.
“It used to be an Absolute Dynamics complex like we thought. Or… they’d started building it just as the war hit so when I was back at the scrapyard I just did a system ping, found the only network address I didn’t have listed, found a directory, and then downloaded a map. We really really need to find some way to purge the old systems.” Ham shrugged then.
“Well shit… Can your cruiser or possibly more than one give it a serious orbital bombardment?” Jaeger asked.
“Once they realize his cruiser, or any Pact ships are moving into bombardment position he can knock them out. Or make it a deadly endeavor.” Ham countered. “This is probably why Marque has been so bold lately. He knows we can’t just bomb him without casualties and he’s betting we won’t nuke him. Even if we did it’s a hardened complex. We’d ruin the surface installations and such but we’d still have to root him out.”
“Which is where my plan comes in!” Everyone looked over at Brandy-Lynn in surprise as she cast back a manic grin while setting a hand on Kuv’s shoulder.
Jaeger frowned at the sight of the Jipasi and glanced at Tanya who noticed his look. “She brought him out of his hiding place before I realized what was going on. Blame her not me.”
“I simply needed to confer with our expert here to make sure my plan would work!” She nodded, and then before Jaeger could ask she held up a hand. “No nukes! Totally conventional. Well… actually… completely unconventional but the destructive force is just like… gravity. Well… gravity and explosive stuff. But no nukes! No shards! No earthquakers!”
“What’s the plan?” Jaeger finally asked.
“I am a woman of secrets! I’m not giving away any info like that!” She huffed and crossed her arms.
“You’re not giving away… your plan?” Jaeger sighed heavily and began to rub his face with his hands.
“No! I mean… not like the good bits! Listen, does this space station still orbit the planet? The recent battle didn’t mess with it or anything?” She held out a dataslate to Whispertail who squinted at it.
“I believe so. No change has been reported in any orbital platforms or debris if that’s what you mean.” He gave Jaeger a look who thought it over.
“Did you reactivate one of those old hyper velocity tungsten rod platforms they were working on? Why?” Then he held up a hand a moment later. “Wait no. Let me guess. Because you thought it was cool?”
“It is cool. But I made it better! It’s even better now isn’t it Kuv!” She elbowed the Jipasi who gasped a moment at the shove. Though he’d been rather quiet so far.
“It’s… I am both terrified and thrilled by the potential. I have professed to being an expert of destruction for so long… and yet somehow I never considered this option. For all my impressive ingenuity I have been outdown. By white trash.” He shook his head slowly, as if actually upset Brandy-Lynn had outdone him somehow. But her grin just grew wider still.
“What’s the plan?” Jaeger tried to press.
“This will destroy the defenses. If not… shatter the entire complex.” Kuv sighed and gripped his head. “How could I not have foreseen this need! Why did my exemplary Jipasi skills fail me! How could I have prepared so many explosives and yet never considered how to rend a mountain from the face of a planet so righteously!”
[Continued in Comments]

this should be 10 thousand words

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As digital technology and homebuyer expectations advance and evolve, so too must your real estate marketing plan. Specifically, you need to start thinking digital—86% percent of home buyers consider real estate websites the most useful source of information when buying a home.1 In fact, 44% of all home buyers start their home search online.1
But let’s be real—the chances of a homebuyer stumbling across your company or your properties and becoming a lifelong customer are slim to none (sorry). If you really want to increase leads and sell more homes, your real estate firm needs to—literally—pop up in front of a homebuyer’s face at the moment they’re searching for properties. It’s doable, and how you do it is with real estate SEO.
Below you’ll find a guide to succeeding with real estate SEO—including six foolproof strategies and real estate SEO tips to make your website rank higher in search results, curated from our very own real estate SEO experts:

1. Make your website mobile-friendly, fast, and secure
2. Optimize everything for the right real estate SEO keywords and best SEO practices
3. Focus on local SEO tactics and keywords
4. Create a real estate blog and share your content via social media and email marketing
5. Take advantage of VR, photos, and videos
6. Solve home seekers’ problems in one-click, one-second

• FREESEO ANALYSIS
• ENTER YOUR WEBSITE TO SEE IF YOU COULD BENEFIT FROM SEO.
• http://www.*
• TRY IT - IT'S FREE!

WHAT DOES SEO MEAN IN REAL ESTATE?

SEO stands for “search engine optimization” and is the process of making your website show up higher in the search results. You need it because in order for you to get more leads you first need to be found—organic search equates to 95% of all web traffic and the first position on Google search results has a 34.36% clickthrough rate for desktop and 35% for mobile.12 Basically, if you’re not at the top of the search results you’re losing clicks, leads, and sales to your competitors.
There are more than 200 search algorithm factors that go into what makes a page rank high on the search results page, but the ones that matter the most are:

• Secured sites (HTTPS vs. HTTP)
• Websites that are mobile-friendly
• Schema markup
• Webpage content quality
• Webpage content length
• Optimized title tags and meta descriptions on all web pages
• Page speed
• Social signals
• Quality backlinks
• Optimized images
• Domain age

1. Make Your Website Mobile-Friendly, Fast, and Secure

44% OF ALL HOME BUYERS FIRST LOOKED FOR A PROPERTY ONLINE, AND 72% OF HOME SEEKERS USE A MOBILE DEVICE OR TABLET TO CONDUCT HOME-BUYING RESEARCH.

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This isn’t 1989, and the modern homeowner uses the internet to look for houses—frequently from a mobile device. That means if you want to capture the attention of today’s homeowner, you need to solve all their home-searching problems and you need to do it online. Not only that, but most home buyers look for homes on-the-go, which means your website needs to flow seamlessly from a desktop to a mobile device. That means your videos, photos, and landing pages all need to be optimized for mobile viewing, and you need to tailor your content for on-the-go consumption with features like easy-to-find (and easy to click) photos, neighborhood information, and property listings.
Bad news: most consumers will hit the “back” button if your webpage takes longer than three seconds to load, so make sure your website is fast enough.
What Homebuyers Want from Your Real Estate Website:

• 85% of home buyers want detailed information about properties listed on your website1
• 44% of home buyers find neighborhood information on real estate websites very useful1
• 41% of home buyers want your real estate website to have interactive maps1
• 95% of real estate websites feature property listings1
• 36% of commercial real estate websites show customer reviews and testimonials1
• 58% of real estate websites feature a mortgage/financial calculator1
• 56% of real estate websites feature community information and demographics1
• 55% of real estate websites feature information on the home buying and selling process1

2. Optimize Your Website Content for the Right Real Estate SEO Keywords and Best SEO Practices

We already discussed how the modern homebuyer’s preferred method of finding new homes has changed—90% of buyers now turn to the internet to solve all their housing needs, from finding out how to get a mortgage to making that final decision. In fact, 53% of buyers start their search online, frequently on a search engine. Since 55% of searchers click on one of the first three entries of Google’s search results, if your website isn’t in the top three, you’re losing listings to your competitors.
Search engine optimization was built around keywords, but not all keywords are created equal. Take a look at the difference in the search results for “find a realtor to sell my home,” and “homes for sale, Washington, DC”:
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(You’ll notice right under my search box in the image above is a little excerpt that says “volume” and “competition”. That is a feature of a keyword tool called Keywords Everywhere that I’ll discuss in a minute, so hang tight!)
There are two considerations when choosing keywords: intent and search volume.

• Search intent**: The “why” of the search**
• Search volume: How many people actually search for that keyword or long-tail keyword

The best ways to find your ideal real estate keywords include using the “Searches related to” section at the bottom of the search results page and an SEO tool to find search volume. We use a mixture of Google Ads Keyword Planner, Moz, and the free browser extension Keywords Everywhere (among others, including our proprietary SEO software). Here’s what the “Searches related to..” at the bottom of the search results looks like, and what the Keywords Everywhere extension looks like:
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WARNING: DO NOT KEYWORD STUFF**.**

3. Focus on Local SEO Tactics and Keywords

58% OF MILLENNIALS AND 46% GENERATION X FOUND THEIR HOME ON A MOBILE DEVICE COMPARED TO 33% OF YOUNGER BOOMERS.1

More than half of your target audience is searching for new homes and properties on a mobile device, which means you need to focus on local Montreal SEOtactics. Local SEO for realtors is slightly different than regular real estate SEO because of the emphasis on making it into the local pack of the search results:
📷
Here’s a rough summary of how to optimize your website for local SEO:

• Create content targeting local real estate keywords and search terms –
  • [City] homes for sale
  • [City] realtors
  • [City] real estate listings
  • homes for sale near me
  • real estate agent near me
• Clean up your NAP citations – Be sure your business’s name, address, and phone number are EXACTLY the same across all of your online assets like your website, social profiles, and Google My Business/Bing listings. Learn more about NAP citations >>
• Local directory listings – Claim and verify all listings on local directories including Yelp, Superpages, Foursquare, Yellowpages, etc. Learn how to get to the top of local listings >>
• Reviews – Reviews are key to local SEO. Regularly solicit reviews and engage in review-building tactics on social and search profiles. Learn how to get more reviews >>
• Localized onsight content – The more relevant your on-site content is to the searcher, the more likely it will show up in search results. This means creating pages for each neighborhood, having local resources, and featuring listing maps.
• Schema markup – Ask your web developer to implement local business schema on your website. It gives the search engines a clearer supply of local information about your business.

Consider these statistics:

• In 1981, 22% of home buyers read newspaper ads to find a home. In 2016, 44% looked for properties online first1
• The typical buyer used a mobile device to search for properties online. S/he looked at websites with photos, home listings, and information about the home buying process. S/he then contacted an agent and visited a median of 10 homes over 10 weeks before purchasing a home1
• 57% of all US online traffic now comes from smartphones and tablets9
• Mobile searches for “best” have grown over 80% in the past 2 years10
• 3 in 4 smartphone owners turn to mobile search first to address their immediate needs10

4. Create a Real Estate Blog and Share Your Content on Social Media

70% OF HOME BUYERS PREFER TO GET TO KNOW A REAL ESTATE AGENCY THROUGH ONLINE CONTENT OVER PAID ADVERTISEMENTS.

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You need to invest in content marketing like blogs, 360-degree guides, and relevant resources. Not only do you need this content on your website, but you also need to get the word out through channels like social media and email marketing. Write blogs on what to expect as a first-time homeowner, or create an infographic that sums up the homebuying process. Instead of creating your run-of-the-mill “Find Your Home” ads, share homebuyer stories from past clients in the form of a video. Consumers trust online testimonials almost as much as a recommendation from a friend, so creating videos highlighting happy customers is a smart bet.
Consider these statistics:

• Adding a blog to your site will increase your chances of ranking on search engines by 434%12
• 94% of realtors prefer to communicate with clients via email1
• 90% of realtors like to communicate through text messaging1
• 34% of realtors prefer to communicate through instant messaging1
• 91% of realtors use social media to some extent2
• 67% of realtors send email marketing campaigns more than once a month4
• FREESEO ANALYSIS
• ENTER YOUR WEBSITE TO SEE IF YOU COULD BENEFIT FROM SEO.
• http://www.*
• TRY IT - IT'S FREE!

5. Take Advantage of VR, Video, and Photos

50% OF HOME BUYERS WANT TO BE ABLE TO TOUR A HOME VIRTUALLY ON YOUR WEBSITE, AND LISTINGS WITH SHARP PHOTOS SELL AT OR ABOVE LIST PRICE 44% OF THE TIME.

📷

Consumers are all about the visuals these days, and they want to know everything they can about a home before visiting it. Having features like 3-D virtual tours and high-resolution photos can enhance your property presentation and catch more customers.
Consider these statistics:

• Listings with sharp photos sell at or above list price 44% of the time3
• 50% of home buyers want to be able to tour a home virtually on your website1
• 89% of home buyers find photos on a website extremely helpful1
• 78% of real estate firms show agent and staff photos on their website1
• Over half (51%) of home shoppers claim that YouTube is their favorite video research platform5
• 70% of homeowners prefer to list with a real estate agent who uses video marketing to advertise their home6
• 36% of home seekers used online video in their research process1
• Real estate is projected to account for 22% of all drone use by 20203

6. Solve Their Problems in One-Click, One-Second

📷

HOMEBUYING PAIN POINTS OF TODAY’S CONSUMER:

Take a look at the image above. This Washington, DC real estate company has made finding or selling a home stupid-simple—a visitor can get the information they want with one click within one second of landing on the homepage. You, too, need to solve homebuyers’ problems with one click and in one second. That means having content that predicts their pain points and proactively solves their problems.
For example:

• 52% of homebuyers say finding the right property is the most difficult step in the homebuying process1
• 24% of homebuyers say understanding paperwork is the most difficult part of finding a home1
• 17% of homebuyers say understanding the home buying process is the most difficult aspect of buying a home1

You could create three infographics that sum up the answers to each of those questions and feature it on your homepage—and you’ve already solved some of their most pressing problems.

Get More Clients With Real Estate SEO Services from Blue Corona—A Premier Real Estate SEO Agency

In order to sell homes, you need to be found. In order to be found, your real estate SEO strategy should make sure you dominate all the places homebuyers look for information: in the search engines, on social, media, and on your website. About 52% of home seekers say finding the right property is the hardest part of buying a new home. Make it easy for them with the help of our real estate SEO experts!
​

SOURCES:

1. https://www.nar.realtosites/default/files/reports/2017/2017-real-estate-in-a-digital-age-03-10-2017.pdf
2. https://www.nar.realtoresearch-and-statistics/quick-real-estate-statistics
3. https://www.psprint.com/resources/10-real-estate-marketing-stats/
4. https://www.benchmarkemail.com/resources/manuals/real-estate/realtor-marketing-statistics
5. https://boldcontentvideo.com/2016/03/17/real-estate-video-marketing-statistics-for-2016/
6. http://rismedia.com/2016/12/20/drones-real-estate-marketing/#close
7. http://easyagentpro.wpengine.com/blog/seo-for-real-estate-agents-the-complet-guide/
8. https://www.statista.com/statistics/241462/global-mobile-phone-website-traffic-share/
9. https://www.brightedge.com/resources/research-reports/mobile-first-57-traffic-now-mobile
10. https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/data-gallery/detail/micro-moments-consumer-behavio
11. https://www.searchenginejournal.com/10-stats-to-justify-seo/36762/
12. https://www.hubspot.com/marketing-statistics

2017. November. 

27.11. Monday: the day of going to the Central Bureau for my exit documents and to the Pension Directory - partly by foot as the Chinese PM gives a party for their vassals from the ex-Soviet Zone here in BP. Back pain. 28.11. Tue. Morning home and resting. And then the whole day in school. Conference. B. A very good on Rosenzweig. S.A. painfully quoting Lacan. With an S. ---29. 11. We. Rabbi Sch. (letter on loud speech in his Library). Lesson on Esaiah. Then Conference: Professors B. G and V. Ch and R.Y P on Qumran. Belly issues. Rest, no O. Old People Home---30. 11. Thu. RZ and shul. Then I went to Uncle Laci /OLd P. Home for Christie reading... (after resting at Z-o garden house - now it was heated. Home, rest again. Talmud studies all day. Shabbat Tractate.---
December 2017
01.12. Fri. Runs. After morning shul I met P. Q. and we went to HMVH by train. Hotel is okay. Massage is okay - no ten people but all goes fine. He teaches me some yoga asana-s, nice. ---02. 12. Sat. Morning trains, P.- rest in Z. and K. temple plus Anna E. visited in U.P. then home and rest. NA. (Anna F. child fantasy). very cold weather (like minus 1). I do write next weeks http://patreon.com/giurokozmos the weekly pseudo-horoscope parody series.---03.12. Sun. Morning temple and café Like: meeting my piano teacher. Looking at a shop for microphones. Home, rest- learning talmud (for the Ph D home exam on 11.12.17.) Afternoon - my note on the prostate massage creates a funny misunderstanding with my wife. (Some years ago I did have normal massage with PQ and somehow she finds that it is not okay although i did explain it was a therapy tool.) I am learning Talmud online. then go to the temple- and meet Z. P a psychologist who wants to come wth me to HM next week. we celebrate High Cantor G.N.. Then i meet G. in the Like CAfé. Then come home to learn more.----04. 12. M. (Regular a RZ und dann fahr ich nach dem Sch schule, wo mein Ph D wird mich gegeben um es spaeter zu Frau R. bringen , Sie ist 88 und ich brauche ihre Meinung... Dann: Universitaet RT. Ich wollte den Signatur vom Prof Rav T.R haben aber dann bin ich lieber fueher weggegangen zu Frau E. R. Die Sekreaerin vom Doktorat-Shule ruft mich an, dass ich ein Hundert Tausend bezahlen muss nach dem Prüfung. Talmud online lernen. -05. 12 DTag. Csepel: Agatha Christie Reden. (Signatur vom Prof B.F. und GB naechste Woche. Und dann: Friseur. Und Tante Zsuzsa. Sie hatte ein Buch ueber den Talmud /von N. Kraus/). Eine Kollegin bei meiner Frau, Jutka. Talmud online. /Shomer hinam etc./ -06. 12. We. Signatur vom Prof. Rav Senior wenn möglich.(Noch nicht.) Dann treffen mit Prof. FB um ueber die Talmud-Humor zu reden. Es gibt ain Ari-buch: Hok Israel mit taegliche TAlmud und alles...Dann vielleicht zu Tante Marika in Altersheim. Anstatt ein Agatha Christie Film-gucken sie sagt mir wie ich mein System vom Horoskop-Parodie machen soll (mit Königen vom dem slben Horoskop was sowieso ist, mindestens einmal im Monat.../die andere Wochen sind "Hauser"/. -07. 12. Thu Signatur vom Prov Rav TR (nicht heute/ und Prof. Rav ZR.(Nicht heute) Barbier. Und Onkel LAci im Altersheim und neue Kontrakt. Abends: Die Mitwohner kommen um Dinge zu besprechen. (Merkwürdig: Antwort an meine Erkundigung - die Mutter vom Patriq bekommt ein Wohnung - sie hat Probleme und will sowieso nach Israel.) /Das Wohnung ist mit Holz-Heizung - unbequem für sie./ -08. 12. Fri Running. Buying kasher. (Lozsy shouting match and sorry) HMV mit Herr Hauptartz von NA, Dr. P. (Vom Nyirő.) He feels good there. The massage is painless. But now I have toothaches. (next Thursday.)
09.12. Sat Tempel Spaet- Tante Eetelka bringt mich zum neuerlich groben Fröhlich (Geburtstag dort) und erzaehlt mir was sie denkt ueber Juden und Humor. Nach Ujpest? nein. Berci ruft mich nicht. NAch Hause . Ich schreibe ein Interview mit Tante MArika. Die Aristo-Scope. NA: Guszti kommt, schaleft hier. Es ist angenehmer als allein 10.12. Sun. Tempel und treffen mit Neményi Mari - Sie hat andere ideen ueber meine Melodien die eigentlich Akkorden sind. Sie kommt herauf. Essen: Chicken. /Einkaufen im Aldi- kashu nut/. DAnn werde ich ein bisschen mich ausruhen. Doxa anrufen, David vielleicht spaeter, Richee- tells me t meet him in the Rudas. (Bath, almost 4 Th HUF but okay). He is 21 and listens to my therapy horoscope stuff so I am glad I went there, I explained my orphanage stuff too. These just get easier to handle but still lurking. Then Café Like and NA and home. (The door-cold-filter removed by Jutka.) 11. 12. Mon. regular temples and running. Official Workshop on Ph D. Es ist okay. Nachmittag: Sonnen-system und Melodien List am Karton (um fuer die Altersheim Tante MArika und Hanuka Presentation.) 12. 12. Tue. kommt nicht der Masseur (Prostate) Morgen im Senior Temple und NA Gusti (er malt) dann Fenyes Stunde (ueber Hanukkah ) .Onlel Laci im Olajág Altersheim anstatt Donnerstag: Christie mit Horoskop (Er verstaeht wenig aber passt auf.) Konflikt mit Ati G - er ist empöhrt wenn ich den Professor aergere. /Verstaeht nicht dass wir uns lange kennen.) Intensive urethral problems (erkaeltung?) Nachmittag: index-signing mit GB... Aristo-Scope: ich bin shr gluecklich dass dies Sonnen-Spot Minima sind eben die Ahnen DAtum List aehnliche Zeitpunte. 13.12. We. Csepel.Altersheim. Und Nachmittag: Nach ein bisschen Schlaf im Zugló - phone Vogt wer möchte am weekend kommen - Tante Marika im Altersheim, die Horoskp Projekt. Dann kosher fleisch - Schinken - zu kaufen und mit Paschkes lernen (HOK - Luria daily - nachste Woche.) Spaeter -nach NA- Ich mochte zu Latov Hanuka.
14.12. Tempel--Zahnarzt- extraction planned for January. Then Szeged: the boring dinner /4000 HUF for Pisti NA too/ I first try to sleep at the Rabbi - but he drank a lot and he talked to different girls on the phone when I ask him to go to his room he snaps at me "to look for a better sleeping place". Then I say he coughs so hard I must rather go to a friend (Pisti NA). Rain. An hour till I find his house. (Tenth storey.) 15. 12. Fri. Pisti takes me to HMVH- there introduced to an AA girl (wife of an attorney there) who accompanies me to the Café Zatony. Then prostate massage. Then Service with the previous Cantor, R G. /Works at a Mayor Office in a small town). Then the Hotel. 16.12. Sat. Bus in the morning. Arrive at 9.40 - as I tell Norbert from HMVH to come we do have a minyan. That is good. we talk in a Café with Norbert. Then I go to AA. (Peter there, 79 ys old now, i know him since 20 ys. He says I sound better.) I read a book (Johnson) on Rousseau and other immoral intellectuals (Shelley). I can sleep a bit. Then I spend time on mobile at Pisti's flat (he goes to his sponsor) 17. 12. Sun. Morning train to HMVH. Café Zatony, waiting Pisti, looking for Uncle Szigeti and Lidia - then sleeping in the office. Lidias house - visiting. (Ikon collecting is her hobby.) Then prostate massage again. Hanukah party.(R.G. is the star). Instead of the plan of an early car lift to the train to Pest, the President pays me another night in the hotel. (Jutka flied this day to the frosty NY to visit our daughter there.)
18.12. Mon getup at 4h -bus to Szeged, and home by train half asleep. Rona - Autogram Woche. PM: Paschkes? Forgot him. The Ivan-money will arrive. Going up to Shari, for TV. (new month tevet: Capricorn. Louis XV. Baal Shem Tov.) therapie serie am hbo bei Sari nachbarin. 19. 12. Tue Constipation takes away the running time. (Aber daann ist es weg.) Fényes, to sign index. Noontime Fényes. Une soirée á l'Université, avec des chansons. Nemedi Mari wird nicht am Piano mich begleiten.habe ein trumpet gekauft und ein Tonstearker mit Mikrophon.

1. 12. We. Bin gelaufen. Bin im Tempel gewesen (und den NA Gus getroffen). Tante Marika anzurufen...will noch überschreiben die Interview über dei Ahnen Horoscope. Shönr Lektion - unterschreibng. Lesen im Bibliothek. (Prof. Ung. dort - wir kennen uns nicht.) (Esiah, Buber). DAnn lernen mit B. L. (Und die staendige Aerger mot Cs.) DAnn nach HAuse (Ivan Charity bekommen /Für Sohn und die Grossmutti, beim Besuch naechste Woche.) (Tomi Gy hat geschrieben um zu treffen?) NA heute abend. (Kalt draussen.)
2. 12. Thu: RZ ist nach Israel weg. Kein Unterschrift heute. Róna Schule. Zahnartzt - ein abgebrochene Zahn repariert. DAnn Onkel Laci. Christie ABC Murder weiter. Und dann Ujpest Tante Anna. (immer im Bett.) Nach ha- use. Schnee. An Norbi geschrieben.
3. 12. Fri: HMVH der Museum Waechter laesst mich rein. meditation. dann Café Z. massage. tempel mit dem ton staerker. Der P aus AA kommt mit dem Wagen. meditation. Dann ins Bad. Ausgeuht ein bisschen. Sein fFreund schaut die Serie Therapie.
4. 12 Sat : Geschlafen in Szeged (kein 10 Mitglied zu spat angekommen) und dann nach Hause. et video EMDR.
5. 12. Sun. MG dans le village de la mere de ma femme. Photos s juste regardés á la EMDR
6. 12. Mo. Village. Visiter les cousins voisins et plus tartd les Teleks /relations plus loins/. Cassé son pied il y a 4 ans. Pas visité. Mon fils a rentré déjá- il a été tres triste avec Granma ("Je ne veux pas vivre longtemps") Photos EMDR. 26.12. Tue Village. Rentré á la Capitale. 27.12. We Ici dans ma ville. Au temple. Avec P (le Doc) NA. Écrit une lettre á mon fils (s 'il veut bien rencontrer un copain psychologue a cause de sa depression). Mais cela sera plus tard, ses jours lá, la priere - on dit. Alors je vais a Like Café pour l'omelette. Puis acheter pour le weekend a le year-end. Regarder des trucs EMDR. Essayer de dormir. G. de Nice ve venir visiter sa mere (la voisine). Mais je vais á la piscine avec les gars de NA.

28.12. Thu Home. Temple RZ. Peut etre il va signer. Oui. Puis rentrer et dormir encore. Puis aller dans la ville - lire sur Poirot a l'oncle L. /Et une nouvelle dame/. Et je recois á manger aussi. renter. (C'est á peu pres 2 heures aller et revenir aussi. Alors je vais faire de l'E?DR video. Puis je parle sur video a Norbi et faisons rapidement une séance EMDR (il va se doucher apres). 4 heures cela suffit j'arrete. (plutot des trucs de saggers) 29 12. Fri - temple (plus tard je prends le train pour HMVH - thérapie de prosthate. Puis parles au temple et chanter. je trouve une maison á louer (!0 milles HUf par mois - et l'Hotel et presque 10 par semaine.)Ainsi je peux aller 2 fois pour le massage par semaine. Pouvant ainsi rester lá de Jeudi á Dimanche. 30.12. Sat. Regarder la maison. Tout pres de la petite Gare de HMVH. Rentrer - en visitant mon fils (qui ne réponds pas au téléphone.) Norbo EMDR photo session on video. 31. 12. Sun.Dim. Temple. Petke (w Jewish schoolbook.) Ivan F. party.Leo does not come but wants m to find a psychologist (a women). So I do ask B. and Zs. 2018 01.01. Mon. Lun. Temple S. Then G NA (and the book reposited.) I rest a bit and go home- Jutka came home and tells about my daughter Zs how she lives in NY as an aprentice in Theatres. Then some sleep (after learning Isaiah) and back to the temple. (Keleny - RGR step family - JAhrzeit). Plus a coin of NA to someone in her 1st year, G sends it. Plus Regular party at JPs. I invite this NA girl to introduce her to Zs. M. Met Hermine (asked to write to the public notaire on Andrea's Mom blocking inherited manuscripts). The daughter of Gy T (Julia) asking about my sunspot scope. 02.01. 18. Tue. Temple Senior. I mistakenly thought today is our exam. rest a t school - a stamp into the index. then I go to the Kashrut Shop. Then to give the Asiri to the Antiquaire cousin. Then to Uncle laci in the pensioner Home. (Try to persuade him about wheat). Home to rest. Learning Isaiah in Haftarot. Feli the friseuse. Maybe Aunt. Zsuzsa 03. 01. Wed. Exams (at noon the one w S and 14h the one w F.B). It was okay. had some rest in Z. Uglo. met Hermine with her (hopeless) bid for getting stuff from Andrea's papers. Home, rest. HMVH: no renting as yet. 04.01. Thu. Temple RZ skipped. Runs, shops, writes on reddit. Afternoon plan: HMVH to go to the health massage. I sleep in the office in HMVH. 05.01. Fri. Szeged, meeting new guy R from NA and then - after leaving my luggage at a Wedding Shop, which is friends with NA Pisti, I go back to HMVH as usual. Full house (10 men). Sleep at the Hotel. 06.01. Sat. Szeged, maybe AA, yes after reading talmud in the Headquarters Building. Pisti NA carries my luggage to the train. (I left there some gluten free bread to not carry i on shabbat? Eruv?) 07. 01. Sun. Planned Second Massage nullified - home again, Temple Senior and NA Gus - he comes up to read and nap. I work on the sunspots irregularity. Afternoon I speak with N. (Barcelona). he will come home in April. 08.01. Mon. Temple S maybe - like all first three days of the weeks. Then exam (Kohelet) by Rav RT. (He just signs it- and I had some dispute withe other students why they should let me first - in vain.) Then I go to read Christie to Uncle L. and then I visit the old woman (A.Ék) at the other Pensioner Home (they almost stop me). Then my boss discovers that a whole year long I went to work for a double salary - and does not want to believe that I really did not perceive this anomaly. So after a few letters the higher boss accepts that i will work for a halved salary for two years. (Which I counter by offering two hours instead of one at all the places /which are implying a 2-2 hours of travel BTW/ and the same salary as till now). I am asking people in NY for a bed in March. (Pesah) 09. 01. Tue. Nothing doing. FB wrong. Asked for patreon crowdfunding. Some say they will give it outside the computer. I understand: i bought a Language repeater programme for 10 TH HUF and it does not work. Sends gibberish. NA. Sunspot 40 ys are important. I ask about dates from an expert (I found him on the net) 10.01. Wed. Temple regular (S. is in Israel). Home. NA, Máté. 11. 01. Thu. RZ signature okay. Kashrut kaufen. the sunspot expert gave me all the sunspot nubers in the last 1000 years. (he has a formula to compute it. Name: Salvador) Fantastic - till 1619 my ancestors saw murder cases - and the 44 years /they had 45 years on the List/ are the restart of a Sun magnetic field full turnaround. (met Gabi Both - children's book for Lauder - I sent her the data. Also: read an interview with Géza Röhrig - he claims his mom is dead. But I know she is just visiting him in the US. He wrote that I misunderstood him.) 12. 01. Fri HMVH. /Massage/ No 10 people. I come home in the evening. To spare money. For the dentist. 13. 01. Sat. I go to Darvas (ORZSE) and Alma temples. Talk with Gy. T. He debates my sunspot stuff. I minimize it on patreon. Home. Messenger talk with Zsozsó - how she sees the future, should I visit or not. Not in April, maybe June. Jack sends 5 USD on patreon. My other patron L. Sant says it gets better. (I skip sunspots and introduce the real author of the 45 year "Proust List" - my great Aunt Emma (von Ryttoch) and her Kingly Ancestor (as she exchanges letters with in-law Cécile Tormay.) Constipation. NA. Walk with NA members, Zoli and Peti. Constipation partly off after an hour. Jutka arrives from the burial of her Uncle in the village. 14. 01. Sun. Snow. Did not go to Temple S. I re-wrote a few portions of the Salve-scope (new name for it is linked on sfsalvo now by Jim Strope - who is in Swaziland right now, i see on FB.) i inserted Great Aunt Emma and Cécile as they discuss the pro and contra of sunspots - and melody matrix. And the real ancestresses are mentioned. Evening meeting - maybe. reading Madelaine albright since a few days (after the Joke book finish) 15.01. Mon. Snow.Run up. Temple S. Like Café with Jutka K.(Hatter) 2 Th HUF at the watch shop. Uncle Laci and signing the new contract (of half amount for 2 years). Homeward to Son - watching office (a comedy series). Trying to send the Solar Scope in 3 languages to journals through friends. 16 01. Tue Temple S. Noon: Csepel - I realize we need the Operas as soothing stress to each date of the Zero sunspot stress dates found these days. Afternoon: Dentist. No pain. Before evening meeting maybe Tompi comes up. No - has not time. (Long ago he promised to repair a lamp BTW). Cataflam against pain and antibiotics. 17.01. Wed. Dream - Erotic play w woman from behind. They do not let me. fear on green field. Found a racecar - broken, I take some part. Jewish Library women dismissive, feelin hurt./ Run up. Temple S. then 2 hours in My BAnk. Trying to send money. (N. flying in April.) Complicated but successful. Then I go to toilet in the Dentist office asking about the implant price. Okay. Then i go to the Aldi for salami (of fowl) and then to the Pensioner Central Bureau. To change the Bank account number - as my wife wants it on our common account. But the office guy explains it is a no-go zone: what if one of us dies? they close the double account. So I must go and pay 60 from my preliminary 80. Now for a few months this will go lik this. (Then it will be My BAnk doing it from the Hundred I will get. TH. HUF.) A. D, a famous director asks me about a famous psy-analist from the 70s (of my mom) and 80s) Me. And about the Dircetor friend of kult movies where I did the dialogue. Then I go to NA to meet Mate. (We listen to a, who has not yet found himself.) Mild windy weather. No more (much) tooth pain. FAntastic relief. 18.01. Thu. RZ. Then home. Still taking painkiller. And not too well. There is an Oradea University conference I sent my intro. (NA guy's gf sent it who lives there.) I collect some data for my sunspot data collection. No new great discovery. But I can make sunspot-music correlations on a Fb Horoscope sight. (And I am organizing a concert with Cs.F at Olajág for next Sunday. 19.01. Fri. Rzn. Temple. HMVH. Aldi salami 3d time. Healer. I told him I had 3 days when I slept 4 hours. Sunspots and Melodies. Home 20.01. Sat. No temple. Home. Sunspot data search.Instead of 1637 I put 1638 /as Cécile advised in her letter on the patreon blog./ NA. Tompi erzaehlt seine Geschichte im Auto. 21. 01. Sun. Temple S. Then Guszti (He is in a slip. I force hi to wrote to Unoka etc). Aldi: geflügel salami. Then to Aunt Anna Ek - the guard says the directress ordered him to call her first (and she was probably sleeping). New dates on blog - all will be closer to minima or maxima. (Instead of 82- 78 because it is a minimum. No 1792 but 1788 also a minimal year. And no 62- it is now 67 instead. And 1826 became 23. Also a minimal one. The rest is close to minima or a few maxima. No in between dates from now on. Phone to Norbeau. Letter to J Komol (Serious) on the Ujpest Pensioner Home ban. Rest. NA- talking with Imi M-yor on the Pensioner Directress issue. His gf organizes me visiting them as an University lecturerr in Autumn. In Oradea. Cold evening. Started to read Singer: Meshugah. 22. 01. Mon. S. Temple. I start to give advice on advertisements in orthodox newspapers. Café and the 2 TH HUF plus uncle Laci in the Bankut (got new 2 year half money contract) Finishing Christie slowly on ABC murders. Home rest. FB, reddit. Phone with Komol. reading Singer. 23.01. Tue. Again Temple S. (meeeting NA Gus - he is in a slip.) I got the USB about advertisements in the Orh. press. (I made photos on it and will describe them.) Then to the School: to sign some stuff on correpetition for money. (30 TH HUF monthly). Plus then I went to the post to get my document f the Pension Pre-payment. (80 Th HUF). (I asked the dentist: it will be 150+80 TH HUF) Did phone Pet-ke psy NA. Met a woman of 54 who might be interested in the sunspot stuff. Then I went up to the boys in my son's flat and got the other guy's phone number - if mom wants she can call him. Great. Home. Rest.Pe-ke phone once more. "What do you consider the main sign of your recovery?" /He wants to record my answer./ Singer. Ad text stuff. Maybe Gus and NA-evening. 24.01. Wed. Temple (short meet w Gus NA who is on a slippery slope). I buy some kasher meat. Home. Working on the advertisements topic (to help someone.) NA (Mate). 25. 01. Thu. RZ paye shiva at Megyeris. Dentist. Just looking at it. Then Library: Jewish periodical. (Egyenlőség). Post - another step in becoming pensioner, now I have a Staff Number. Afternoon I write a version and send it to my editor T.K. Then during the evening I am perusing all 3 Jewish papers in the 40 (January) about ads. 26. 01 Fri HMVH sleep there 27. 01. Sat Eggs in panzioegeto and Szeged and home. (Singer: Bet Din). The son of a friend claiming his friend thinks I molested him. I wrote a letter to family member. 28 01. Sun. Jutka working. Afternoon - Concert in Olajág w Cs. F. I felt it was a success. 29 01. Mon. The pedo-maniac family member says the guy is crazy. Today he wrote I am a secret police agent. School with index non-signed items. No heating in Zugló - home to rest. Uncle Laci Olajág. 30 01. Tue. No temple. Richee calling (NA) Up to CIB- sending my pension money to the family card. (FB: Mom of Andrea and F. Hermina in a conflict still - a neighbour anonymously writes a letter.) Still writing Emma-Cécile letters on my blog. Singer reading. 31 01. Wed. Temple S. (talking with Yosi on his topic - ads in the 30s/ Jewish stuff/ Csepel Olajág. First time that I can read from the letters of Emma R. and Cécile T. RB calling for the Ten TH HUF, so i go to the Bookstore and leave it there (And get a Maigret for Uncle LAci /Olajág - for next week. Rest. (Singer - book.) Evening: NA.
FEBRUARY 01. 02. Thu.

• {Make a bucket to-do list • Check off first thing • Realize you’ve accomplished two things • Reward self with nap.} • Begin implementing a five year plan for improving the economy. • [Build a robot • Fall in love with robot • Destroy robot when it turns against humanity] • (If hurricane warning occurs: • Plan hurricane party with urban tribe • Complain • Speculate if hurricane will cancel work Monday • Wonder if French press works without power • Stock up on beer and sell for inflated prices after hurricane.) • Sit on roof stargaze and make up constellations • 30 seconds of insane courage • Make popsicles have a popsicle playdate • Hibernate • Wake up • Inhale • Exhale • Worship me • Survive • Go back to sleep • Chase bubbles with butterfly net • 4th of July cover BFFs and self in glitter, light fireworks, and sparklers while dancing/singing to fireworks by Katy Perry • Despicable me-minion party, dress as minions, talk like minions (wear overalls) • Learn to play the harp • Dress in pink, big hoop earrings, sunglasses, tall pink heels, tie hair up, go into pink isle of a store and start screaming/singing and dancing ‘I’m a Barbie girl in a Barbie world’ with friends • Buy a rabbit name it rustabell • Turtle races! • Dance in the rain while singing ‘let the rain fall down’ with Lissa • Make a fort with friends, have a red team and blue team, hand make catapults and launch water balloons • Compete at making Jell-O sculpture • Get friends to try corn shucking, record and LMFAO at their sadass attempt • Go into a bank, play stupid and ask if they sell pie there, then try ordering lemon merengue, cherry and apple • Go up to someone and point to a random passerby and say ‘he’s stalking me! • Go to turkey and surf • Whenever someone asks you a question start singing SpongeBob square pants • Voodoo donuts • (annoying things to do in an elevator while in Chicago: • Stand Silently and motionless in the corner facing the wall without ever getting off • Greet everyone who walks in with a warm handshake ask them to call you admiral • Meow loudly occasionally • Stare at someone for a while (make it obvious) then announce in horror: ‘you’re one of them!’ then back away slowly • Yell ding at every floor • Make explosion sounds when buttons are pushed • Call out group hug then enforce it • Walk into crowded elevator face the door and say ‘ I bet your all wondering why I’ve gathered you here today’ with a strait face • Grin stupidly at another passenger for a while then announce ‘I have new socks on’) • Kick friends off my bed so I can jump on it • Make excuses for being lazy • Order diet water when you go out with a serious face • When the money comes out of the ATM scream ‘I won! I won!’ • While leaving a zoo run out yelling ‘they’re loose! Run for your lives!’ • Go buy angry bird stuffed animals, go around beaming people in green shirts while screaming ‘ANGRY BIRDS! DIE STUPID PIGS!’ • Stalk a random person, and be very obvious about it, hide behind trees, poles, trash cans, etc. • Remember there’s always cup cakes • Abolish communism • Avoid ecological catastrophe • Establish utopian anarchy state…. jk • Buy soy milk/tofu • Throw the soy milk/tofu at Oscar (Lissa’s demon cat) • Graduate……… eventually • Grab old stuffed animals, buy a canvas, paint, and a sling shot. Go all out. • Fill balloons with paint, attach them to a canvas. Now play darts. • Make toast • Ponder the meaning of life, then ponder how they came up with ice cream • Speak mind • Yell encouraging things at the grass, try to make it grow faster • (fun things to do in a mall: • Place a bunch of ‘you are here’ stickers on mall directory • Hand balloons to people as they enter a store, and tell them they’re the millionth customer. When they ask what they’ve won, yell ‘BALLOONS!’ and run away. • Bring a bottle of ranch dressing into a store then ask them where their dressing room is • Slow dance with a mannequin • Dress as a banana, stand outside of banana republic, each time someone walks in yell “Welcome to my kingdom!” • Bring a gavel into a food court, then yell ‘Order! Order in the court!’ when everyone looks at you yell ‘proceed’, once finished eating yell ‘court is adjourned!’ then walk out) • When someone is about to sneeze scream ‘PIKAAA PIKAAAAAA!’ • Decorate walk-in-closet as Narnia • Hide in closets at Ikea, randomly jump out and say boo • Assemble the avengers • Don’t panic • Simply walk into mordor • Destroy the seven horcruxes • Stop the joker • Get busy living • Bring balance to the world • Use the force • Win the hunger games by shooting everyone from a tree, while living off wild doughnuts • Build web shooters • Send ET home • Clone dinosaurs (use frog DNA) • Befriend the Na’vi and ride flying dragons • Resurrect the black pearl • Cover sistesibling in flour. Call the ghost busters. • Get a bigger boat • Find Nemo (he was in the aquarium! No worries he’s free now!) • Wear a hockey mask while cutting down trees • Follow the yellow brick road, get OZ’s autograph, steal a golden brick, and sell both. • Post on twitter: This person is sweet, loveable, adorable and………..unable to finish this post because the voices in my head are laughing, and making it difficult to concentrate • Ponder why when picking car soap we pick the ones that; washes & waxes, resists water stains, won’t remove wax, protects clear coat, and protects against UV, but when it comes to ourselves we pick the soap that only says soap……..(we have one body! We can buy more cars!) • Post on neighborhood’s doors: warning, forgetting which pocket keys are in may result in me recording you doing the Macarena. (they actually do this when reading the sign) • Go skydiving and scream ‘I no longer believe I can fly!!’ • Walk up to a skater boy wearing really baggy clothes and innocently say ‘you must be proud to have lost all that much weight • Build robotic dragon, program it to respond to speech, when it’s asked it how it’s doing, program it to say “do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and good with ketchup” • Go hang-gliding and scream ‘I can fly! Take that Evolution!’ when jumping off • Go bungee jumping and scream nonsense like ‘I’m a human yoyo!’ • Stage a fake nomination • When someone tells you to act you age respond: ‘I don’t know how to act my age I’ve never been this age before!’ • Comprehend that you can’t please everyone, and that it’s technically impossible, then resort to pissing everyone off instead • You and a friend dress up in suits and sunglasses, have another friend dress casually and window shop 50yrds ahead of you. Speed walk toward them, with two fingers touching your ears and talk in hushed tones. Then break into a run, yelling: “That’s the guy! There he is! Stop him!” repeatedly while chasing him through the mall • Dubstep across cross walk repeatedly of a busy street until light turns green. • Go into Walmart, turn all the TIDES soap in different directions, find a security camera and yell ‘the tides have turned!’ • Stomp in puddles • Light sparklers and sing ‘this girl is on fire’ • Make s’more-snow-men • Dress up as the Easter bunny on Christmas, go door to door smiling like an idiot saying ‘I brought presents!’ handing out eggs with gift cards in them to bewildered people • Chuck corn at chickens while screaming/singing ‘FEED THE BIRDS!’ • Go call the I.R.S. tell them you consider your body as a temple, and that you are now declaring yourself a church so that you no longer need to pay taxes • Vacuum the driveway • Find out what is so appealing about shaving a cat • Wave arms around like a jelly fish during a poetry out loud contest • Build the Eiffel tower out of cheese • Make an ice sculpture of Rose and I saying badass bitches • Wear formal clothes and giant bear-mascot heads while skipping around town