A bit of a rant. Drove up to "Longo Toyota" yesterday to buy a SUV. It was the exact Lexus we've been looking for. 3 hour round trip. We were there to buy. Cash buyer, excellent credit (because apparently, they check credit even when not financing?), etc etc.
First of all, car had navigation listed on the site and window sticker and was priced as if it had it but after poking around, we discovered it doesn't. After an hour of pulling teeth, the sales manager said it's a learning experience for them and adjusted price. Then we found the front end had been crunched. They said no accident history but then found out a split bumper isn't "major" enough to list. How can these "inspections" be trusted? A split bumper on a 2022 is not minor. It's major enough that they didn't recondition it because it would be too expensive.
Should I be asking the salesman to put the car in the lift so I can inspect it or what do people normally do? I know pre-purchase inspections by third parties are normal at less reputable lots but some people say it's not necessary when not buying from "Jake's auto sales"
I'm not a dealer myself but I trust a car sold by GM Financial with a 4.5 CR on Manheim more than I trust an "inspection" from this Toyota dealership. The irony in all of this is the salesman blabbed for 10 minutes on the phone about how awesome Longo is and why it's different and all this crap before we made the drive. Buddy ate his words on that. He should have just saved his breath and spared us the time which we most certainly could have used because somehow buying a car here takes hours.
Are these "inspections" just meaningless sales tactics used to shill?

If you are interested in Iman Gadzhi – Copy Paste Agency contact us at +44 759 388 2116 on Telegram/Whatsapp.
I have Iman Gadzhi – Copy Paste Agency.
Iman Gadzhi – Copy Paste agency is the latest course by Iman Gadzhi.
Copy Paste Agency is designed for established agency owners, who can use these lessons to scale their business.
In Iman Gadzhi – Copy Paste Agency, you will learn:

• How to continue to run a multiple-six-figure agency from home with a skeleton staff and minimal expenses
  
• How to command higher retainers… and retain those clients for longer
  
• How to automate, delegate, and optimize every area of your agency from lead generation and sales to service delivery and client communication
  

To get Iman Gadzhi – Copy Paste Agency contact us on:
Whatsapp/Telegram: +44 759 388 2116 (Telegram: multistorecourses)
Reddit DM to u/RequestCourseAccess
Email: silverlakestore[@]yandex.com (remove the brackets)

Get the course here: [Download Course] Dan Koe – Digital Economics Masters Degree (Genkicourses.site)
Our website: https://www.genkicourses.site/product/dan-koe-digital-economics-masters-degree/
​

Phase 0) Digital Economics 101

The Digital Economics 101 module will open 1 week prior to the cohort start date.This is an onboarding module that will get you up to speed so we can get straight into the material.This will be required to finish before the start date.

• Gain a deep understanding of all of the pieces in the digital economy.
• Learn about the future of media and code — the front-end and backend of the internet — so you can focus your efforts.
• Understand digital leverage, distribution, no-code tools, and digital assets so you can take part in the mental & financial wealth transfer.

Phase 1) Creating A Meaningful Niche

Every day I hear people going on and on about trying to find their niche.I also hear people talking about how they don’t know how to combine what they love talking about with what will sell.You already have the answer. You just don’t have the clarity.

• Develop a long-term strategy to create your own niche — meaning you don’t have to worry about your “competition” playing status games.
• Discover your life’s work, curiosities, and obsessions. I see too many people that are uncertain about this for years.
• Cultivate and turn your vision, goals, and values into a brand that attracts an audience you love interacting with (and that will buy from you, and only you).

Phase 2) Content Strategy

There is one thing that separates those who make it in the digital economy and those who don’t.It’s the quality, articulation, and perceived originality of their content.The content you post has to make sense to the people you attract.Everyone has a different voice and tone that they resonate with. That they are congruent with and trust.It has to change their thought patterns or behavior — that’s what makes you memorable.That’s what separates you from the sea of people posting surface-level copy-cat style posts.Example and putting my money where my mouth is:

• Become an expert-level speaker or writer on the topics you care about.
• Never run out of content ideas for your posts or promotions (without using content templates — that’s how you stay a commodity).
• Create posts, blogs, tweets, images, and videos that resonate with other’s on a deep level. People will actually ask you how you got so good at what you do.
• Separate yourself from the ocean of B-tier creators that struggle to sell their products, services, andhave their ideas stick in the head of their audience.
• Implement our Epistemic Research Method — which is just a fancy way of saying scientific research method… but it’s for researching your mind to craft brilliant content and product ideas.

Phase 3) Crafting Your Offer

Most people are sitting on a goldmine of skills, experience, and knowledge (that they can use to help people 1-2 steps behind them).That is what people pay for.Considering 95% of the market are beginners… if you are good at something, you can help them get to your level (no matter how “basic” you think the information is).Do you not watch basic content all day anyway? People don’t want new information, they want to be reminded of what works.

• Use our Minimum Viable Offer strategy to start monetizing immediately (and have something to improve over time, rather than procrastinating until it’s perfect).
• Have a strategy for reducing the time you spend working over time (as you build leverage and improve your offer).
• Know how to create your own customers from the audience you are building, instead of “finding” the right customer for your offer.
• Take the guesswork out of building coaching, consulting, or digital product offers.

Phase 4) Marketing Strategy

You aren’t making money because you aren’t promoting yourself or your offer.That is literally the only way to make money. Have something desirable and consistently put it in front of peoples’ faces.In Phase 4, I will show you how to systemize, automate, and be consistent with simple promotions.You will be able to make money without having the chance of forgetting to do it (or letting fear of failure get in the way).

• Learn to sell on social media, in your writing, and across different platforms.
• Have consistent sales coming in while focusing on your meaningful message (no need to sound salesy all the time).
• Learn advanced automation strategies that you can implement at your own pace, especially once you validate your offer.

Bonus) The Creator Command Center

The Creator Command Center is a Notion template that houses all of the systems.This is how you will manage your brand, content, offer creation, marketing strategy, and systemized promotions for consistent sales.

Bonus) Live Product Build & Launch

In the first Digital Economics Cohort, I built out my course The 2 Hour Writer.I have videos showing how I build it with the strategies in phase 3 and 4.There is a bonus module that shows how I had an $85,000 launch that resulted in my first $100K month.I did this to prove the strategies inside Digital Economics work if you stick to the plan.And, this past Black Friday, I blew my that monthly high out of the water in 4 days.That’s the power of these strategies if you stay consistent with your life’s work.
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If you're wondering why our courses are priced lower than the original prices and are feeling a bit suspicious (which is understandable), we can provide proof of the course's contents. We can provide a screenshot of the course's contents or send you a freebie, such as an introduction video or another video from the course, to prove that we do have the course. Should you wish to request proof, we kindly ask you to reach out to us.
Please be aware that our courses do not include community access. This is due to the fact that we do not have the authority to manage this feature. Despite our desire to incorporate this aspect, it is, unfortunately, unfeasible.
Explore affordable learning at Genkicourses.site 🎓! Dive into a world of quality courses handpicked just for you. Download, watch, and achieve more without breaking your budget.

When you pullup to a dispensary and see a vendor table set up, do you get excited? Or irritated that someone is going to be trying to push something on you as you’re just trying to shop? What companies have you all noticed have outgoing, successful brand reps compared to what companies brand reps’ just sit on their phones or have attitudes with customers? What dispensaries have the best vendor days? What companies have the best merch/sales pitches?
What are your overall opinions of vendors? for those who don’t know, they are the people with tables set up usually in the lobby of a dispo, who give out free merch to customers that buy their product.
I recently just got hired as a vendor coordinator for a new canna company that launched in Michigan last month, just want peoples honest opinions on vendors/brand reps as a whole so I can hopefully use the input to make the best brand ambassador team ever!

If you are interested in Iman Gadzhi – Copy Paste Agency contact us at +44 759 388 2116 on Telegram/Whatsapp.
I have Iman Gadzhi – Copy Paste Agency.
Iman Gadzhi – Copy Paste agency is the latest course by Iman Gadzhi.
Copy Paste Agency is designed for established agency owners, who can use these lessons to scale their business.
In Iman Gadzhi – Copy Paste Agency, you will learn:

• How to continue to run a multiple-six-figure agency from home with a skeleton staff and minimal expenses
  
• How to command higher retainers… and retain those clients for longer
  
• How to automate, delegate, and optimize every area of your agency from lead generation and sales to service delivery and client communication
  

To get Iman Gadzhi – Copy Paste Agency contact us on:
Whatsapp/Telegram: +44 759 388 2116 (Telegram: multistorecourses)
Reddit DM to u/RequestCourseAccess
Email: silverlakestore[@]yandex.com (remove the brackets)

Alright y’all, I need help! I bought some lovely yarn on sale about a year ago when I was still a very new knitter with the intention of making a sweater for my 4yo son. At the time, I was satisfied with making a simple top-down raglan and so I bought the yarn to have just enough to make one. About 200 yds of a lace weight mohair, and about 300 yds of dk cashmerino. I was going to use the mohair just in the body for warmth.
But now, a year later, the idea of knitting such a monotonous garment makes me want to cry.
Does anyone know any good “advanced beginner” sweater patterns for kids? With such low yardage? I’d be happy to experiment with new stitches, cables, basically anything.
Or does any one have advice on how to stretch what I have farther than half a sweater?!

Edit: on mobile. Title should say: Are WE only going to attract low quality salespeople.
Background: I worked in b2b sales for 10+ years. I’ve sold print advertising (back in the day) and then was a territory sales manager for a floral wire service. These were all “hunter” roles that required advanced sales skills.
What we sell: We sell digital marketing services, specifically media buying on Facebook. We have a strong track record and lots ammo for a sales person. 1-3 call close. Sales cycle is often <2 weeks.
Comp plan: 50% of the 1st month billing. Our cheapest contract would be worth $2k. So the lowest a sales person would earn is $1k per sale.
Salesperson responsibilities: Call leads as they come in. Follow up with leads. Sales presentation. Updating CRM. The salespersons role ends when the contract is signed and they hand the customer off to the account manager. Upsell leads are fed back to the salesperson to collect commission again (this doesn’t happen often).
Edit. Salesperson that I think would be good: A hunter who doesn’t want to hunt anymore. A closer who has experience selling services that require lots of objection handling. Someone who can craft their pitch from our scripts, but not use our scripts verbatim.
What we provide: Warm leads. No cold calling or hunting. We give each salesperson about 10 leads per day. Some leads suck. Some are legit. We have automated follow up sequences to help prospects book sales appoints.
Here’s the rub: We are commission only. I can personally close about 3-5 deals per week, so I know for a fact the earning potential. It’s just hard to find quality people.
We have been finding people on LinkedIn by targeting people with the words “high ticket closer” in their profile.
I personally feel that anyone who considers themselves a “high ticket closer” is anything but. Nonetheless, we have two decent people on board right now. But when interviewing, we find that we sometimes we are getting pitched consulting services. We’ve been ghosted 3 times by people we thought were great. Ghosted as in they agreed to a start date, did the hiring paperwork, but just no call no showed day 1.
Would offering a low base make a difference? Low base like $2k /month? We could technically offer a higher base but we are not confident in our ability to hire well, so we would lose money. We’re small, barely earning over $1M /year gross.
I should also mention, every time we give a lead to salesperson, it costs us around $30. Some leads costs us over $100 and some cost us <$10. Our ad budget is around $700 /day. If we reduced our ad budget and used the money to pay a base, would need to require the salesperson to hunt for business. Currently they do not have to hunt unless they want to.
I’m really just looking for thoughts and feedback, for better or worse.
Also, do you all think people calling themselves “high ticket closers” are not a good pool to draw from?
Thanks everyone!

Truty.io developed a collection of artworks created by hand with help of the almighty AI.
Minting will begin on 6 June, 2023.
The project is focused around four main components:
• delivering amazing artwork; • building an incredible community; • having an experienced and qualified team; • being as open and transparent as possible;
With the believe that crypto is the future, there’s endless possibilities and opportunities for truty.io community members to take advantage of the emerging technologies.
The crypto project is building something beautiful and useful, brick by brick. Investors are needed, and in the meanwhile, there’s a collection of NFTs for seed investors to make massive gain from this credible project.
Once 50% of the NFTs are sold, the new cryptocurrency is released, 10%+ of the income received from NFT sales goes to the liquidity pool on a DEX.
There’s a small lottery for the token holders as a way to compensating for your support and believe in the project. Every Truty enjoyer will get a randomly generated number of tokens at no extra cost. actual percentage of the total supply will be announced later.
Truty will continue to provide its DEX from NFT sales. Investors will be able to sell their tokens for a profit. It’s a new-generation NFT project with a solid architecture aimed at promoting crypto adoption.
Twitter: twitter.com/truty_nft
Website: truty.io
Discord: discord.gg/e4JSaHJqDj

“Three years to build a mech with specs that only a year ago I would have called impossible within this century? Would you like any other miracles while I’m preying to every deity I know of?” – [CLASSIFIED] Head of [CLASSIFIED] development, after being presented with the project’s requirements.
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First, Previous, Next.
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‘Diagnostics complete. Error zero-zero, reactor output is nil. No other errors detected. Unit 0012 is unable to perform upcoming operation. I am sorry Sustain. You will be scratched from the roster.’
Anna ‘Sustain’ Finand started swearing, first in United Earth common, then English and lastly in Arabic. Fortunately for her career and general standing among her peers, her mech’s cockpit was still sealed tight, preventing the small army of engineers and maintenance personal swarming her mech from hearing.
She swore about the ridiculousness of a reactor design that could fail with no discernible reason at the drop of a hat. She cursed about the mountain of corners which had been piled up at the feet of the killing machine that refused to power on. Lastly, she just screamed as three years of built-up frustration poured out of her lanky body.
Sustain had been a mech pilot for far longer than she cared to admit, having began by piloting her Dad’s farming mech during planting season. She would start her shift in the mech-tractor after schooled finished, and work until midnight while her Dad slept. Then she would catch some much-needed rest, only to wake up early the next morning for school and do it all over again. She never resented her Dad for the strain the season would place on the two of them, but curiously she had always found herself angry at her mother; who had left when she was only five.
When she had signed up for the military, she had told the interviewing officer that she could pilot a mech in her sleep. She hadn’t been bragging. They’d thrown her into a simulator to see what she could do, and when she told her father that she’d barely passed the exam, she’d been lying. She hadn’t wanted him to worry about the possibility of her being hand picked for the special forces, which is exactly what had happened a few months later. Sustain remembered the fight between herself and her father after that, it had been legendary, and was still something they joked about to this very day.
Still, Sustain was as stubborn as her dad, and when her special forces service had paid for his space flight to and apartment on Earth he’d admitted that he was glad to have lost that fight. Thinking about her father, and Earth, only intensified the extreme frustration Sustain was currently experiencing.
The Algeen’s had pulled in as many species as they possibly could to fight off the Tide, but they hadn’t seen fit to give humanity the same offer. It was only five years ago that humanity had learnt about the existence of the Tide, as the inter-galactic wall that had been the Algeen republic, exhausted beyond all measures, crumbled away.
It still pissed her off to think about. Had the Algeen’s included humanity and it’s six hundred worlds at the start of the war, hell even halfway through it, they would have been able to fight with the numerical advantage. But instead, the Algeen’s had kept the Tide and their war from them a secret. No one knew why but Sustain could sure as hell guess: In the past Humanity and the Algeen’s had their fair share of conflicts.
No doubt the Algeen’s had wanted to present a facade of strength, out of fear that humanity would seek to capitalise on their weakened state.
Sustain could easily see humanity negotiating favourable terms for their aid, terms which may very well have seen them rise as the dominate power in the galactic region. Much like America in comparison to England after WWII. However, by seeking to prevent this from happening, the Algeen’s may have doomed humanity in the process.
Once they knew of their existence Humanity had tried to open diplomatic talks with the Tide and had been violently rebuked. With the Algeen’s crashing down before their very eyes humanity’s leadership had realised with horror that they now had to fight a considerably more powerful enemy, and only had five years to prepare for it.
Three years ago, that same leadership had finally convinced the Algeen’s to share their technology with their new allies of circumstance, and the flood gates had poured open. That’s when Sustain had gotten involved in the cluster fuck.
Humanity knew from their past that their technology was a few years behind that of the Algeen’s. However, they also knew that their tactics and general understanding of warfare was significantly greater. But now they had to compete with the Tide, who’s technology surpassed even that of the Algeen’s, and half measures weren’t going to cut it. Humanity had set out to build a brand new mech, one which could match the Tide machines (even if it wouldn’t beat them) by combining human and Algeen technology.
Sustain had signed on as a test pilot for the project, one of a thousand such pilots. Calling them the best of the best was considered an insult to many of the test pilots. While Sustain didn’t agree with such an arrogant attitude she wasn’t so humble as to be unable to admit the truth: They weren’t the best. Or the best of the best. They were one thousand out of a billion such pilots. They were Elite in the truest meaning of the word.
But none of that would mean anything if they didn’t have any machines to pilot.
Having taken a moment to calm herself, Sustain popped the seals on her cockpit, and opened the heavy door to the clammer of voices and machinery that was the drop hanger of the Swan. The Swan was a orbital insertion carrier, designed to launch its cargo onto a planet without succumbing to gravity or weapons fire alongside them. In just two short hours they would be deploying onto Algeen Prime, one battle which made up the many overseen by operation “Sucker Punch”.
For humanity to survive it needed to push the Tide back as quickly as possible while they were still dealing with the many losses, they had suffered during the Algeen war. For humanity to survive it needed to bloody the nose of those who dared to threaten the continued existence of mankind, and countless others. What better place to do that then where the most noses were located?
Algeen Prime and its surrounding systems were swarming with Tide ships and mechs, as their long conflicted was slowly ground to a pulp. Human intelligence suggested that the Tide in these locations would be running low on supplies, manpower and equipment. It was into this exhausted army that operation sucker punch would strike. It was up to Sustain and the Algeen-Human experimental mech program to be the tip of that spear. No pressure.
Sustain’s maintenance chief cut through both the volume of the hanger and her anxious recount of the events leading up to this situation.
“Sorry Captain, this one’s given up the ghost. I don’t know what is so cursed about this reactor design but when I find whoever made the mistake that causes this headache, I’ll throw the unlucky sod your way eh?”
Despite the situation the Chief’s gruff voice and jokes were enough to force the ghost of a smile onto Sustain’s face. The old, balding man reminded her of a friend of her fathers. The one who’d help occasionally with odd maintenance jobs around the house that her father was too busy to attend to. Only instead of repainting the living room he was fine tuning the most advanced fighting machine currently known to mankind. An odd idiosyncrasy to be sure, but like her the Chief was Elite.
“You’d deprive yourself of that satisfying revenge for me Tomlinson?” Sustain replied.
“Well better you go to prison then me, and I trust you to really twist the knife while you gut the fella.”
“Ah, fair.”
An awkward silence stretched between the two of them. A deep dark abyss that neither really wanted to descend into. Sustain took the plunge first.
“How many others like mine?”
Tomlinson’s eyes said all she needed to know. But he spoke anyway.
“About half of em. We’re hoping to get that down to a quarter but the timing ain’t looking so great. I hope you don’t mind me saying I’m glad yours isn’t showing any signs of life, if we got her started now we’d have to skip so many safety procedures to be ready in time that it ain’t funny… Well, it’d be a little funny. But only if you didn’t explode.”
Sustain grimaced. The constant issue with the experimental mechs was their power source. Everything else had been shaped up over the frantic past three years, but the reactors were a hurtle that seemingly couldn’t be overcome. Once they were running, they were fine. In fact, they were better than fine. Once running the reactors were a considerable improvement to their Algeen basis. It was getting them started that was the hard part.
Three years of Elite scientists and engineers working on the problem, and still it was a crapshoot as to whether the reactors would startup properly or destroy itself in doing so. This problem was exacerbated by the fact that the reactors were only designed to be run for a month before needing to be powered down for a maintenance once over.
Sustain’s mech had its maintenance once over a week ago. She would have preferred delaying the operation to ensure that all the one thousand Elite had operational machines, but replacing the reactor in the experimental mechs took weeks to do. Apparently command just didn’t have that kind of time.
Sustain spook to Tomlinson again.
“Alright, well good effort team. Looks like the training machine’s up.”
The training machines were highly customised but otherwise unmodified Algeen machines. With the experimental one’s being so finicky the Elite had needed reliable machines to hone their skills in. The trainers had never been intended to be taken into battle, however the situation left little room for anything else. They were capable machines, and the Elite pilots were very familiar with them. Tomlinson helped her down with an odd look on his face. After a moment Sustain realised: it was a potent mix of apprehension and guilt.
“I-I” The usually steadfast chief choked on his words. Pausing to take a deep breath before continuing. “I’m sorry it had to be this way ma’am. I didn’t want to let you down.”
Sustain was surprised by the words, but a cocky smile soon found it’s way to her face.
“Don’t worry Chief, I like a challenge. I thought you would have known that about me by now.” She said with a wink.
That same smile danced on her face once more, as two hours and one Tide mech later she was on the battlefield in her trainer mech. The taste of victory like Ambrose in her mouth. The ranged heavy Tide mech was fighting its salvo at her, but rather then attempted to doge the incoming missile or deploy her energy shield, Sustain kept her mech perfectly still. Closing her eyes and increasing the rating on her neural lace; merging her mind closer and closer to the heart of the machine.
When she opened them again everything was slowed to a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of a second. She concentrated on the first missile, its trajectory appearing on her HUD, and lined up a trajectory of her own. The spikes the Algeen had noted on her mechs shoulders were indeed grenade launchers – not designed for offensive operation and most certainly not designed to be used as anti-missile fire. But Sustain had been training against the Elite for over three years now, most of them in this very machine, together they had all learnt more then a few tricks.
With the overclocking ability of her neural lace, (a development that neither the Algeen’s nor the Tide had access to), Sustain was able to launch the smoke canisters with unnerving accuracy directly into the path of the oncoming Tide fire. To Churk, who was watching the fight take place in real time, it appeared as though every canister had fired at the same moment. But to Sustain each and every canister had been individually targeted and fired.
The massive shockwave of so many missile denotating at once pounded into the surrounding area, causing the ground to shake, trees to shiver and Churk and his team to grab their helmets and take cover. One moment Sustain’s Algeen mech had been charging across the grassy field towards the Tide heavy, the next the entire field and some of the forest the Tide heavy was taking cover in was filled with smoke.
At first both Churk and the Tide pilot believed the smoke to be coming from the destroyed carcass of Sustain’s mech. Both were equally surprised then when with the quick flash of a blade the smoke, (and the Tide’s missile launcher,) were spilt in two.
The smoke in question was electro chemical in nature and caused odd pixelation and glitches to flare up in Sustain’s mechs sensors, as the scrambling effects of the smoke began to hit full force. Of course, Sustain’s mech was programmed with these effects in mind, and so was shielded from the worse of the interference. The same cannot be said for the Tide mech, who’s pilot now had to battle one insanely capable human and their own systems in order to survive. It was a battle that the mech pilot would not be able to win, however that doesn’t mean they were going to go down without a fight.
The Tide mech swung the ruined launcher at Sustain’s mech, and she used her left shoulder to block the blow, causing the frame of her machine to shake with the force of the heavy blow. In return she struck with her sword, finding the elbow joint on the Tide machine’s left arm, and slicing for everything her mech was worth. Her sword ran up the length of the Tide mech’s arm, under the heavy armour, and into the shoulder joint, whereupon (with a flick of her wrist) Sustain was able to deprive the Tide mech of its entire arm.
The Tide mech swung again with the now very pulped launcher, Sustain ducked the blow and thrust forward with her blade, intending to skewer the Tide machine on her sword. She was partially successful in doing so, creating a large and jagged rent in the chest armour of her enemy. The enemy (who was not unskilled) twisted away, preventing Sustain from penetrating the top-quality armour and causing her mech to overbalance. Instead of stepping forward to overt her fall Sustain sent her mech’s anti-gravity pods into overdrive and activated her jump jets. The mech rolled forward smoothly, in a movement that would have shredded a machine of its size and weight if not for the advanced technology of the pods.
As Sustain rolled free from her opponent’s follow up strike (an overhead blow that would have caught her on the back of her machine) smashed into empty air and then dirt. Not letting the sudden evasion get the better of them however, the Tide pilot dropped the useless and crushed launcher remains and pulled their mech’s coil gun from its thigh holster. The coil gun looked like a pistol in the mechs hand, but was powerful enough at this range to punch directly through the chest of Sustain’s mech.
The Tide pilot never got the chance to fire it.
Sustain bounced back from her roll with a speed that, even with the gravity pods maxed out, sent creaks throughout her entire machine. Her jump jets were still firing, and she leapt towards the Tide mech as it pulled its coil gun from its holster. Facing a weapon, she could not deflect with smoke grenades or armour, her only defence was speed and accuracy.
Like a shark about to earn a round of drinks by throwing their last dart, Sustain hit the bullseye at the last possible second. The Tide machine’s armour, already comprised by her previous pass, finally failed as the full weight of Sustain’s mech was forcefully shoved against it. The force concentrated through the point of her brutally simple sword and sliced deep into vulnerable inners of the machine to hit the only thing that truly mattered onboard a mech: The pilot.
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Want to support me? Read the next part early? Name characters that will appear in my work? Pick chapter titles? Look at the AI generated mech designs that go along with the series? Join my Patreon!

I recently started work on a draft conlang that i've already named, Eldōgmet. The primary aesthetic goal of the language is a blend of Old Dutch and Proto-Indo-European in all aspects of the language. For example, the name "Eldōgmet" is from the words eld- (old) and ōgmet- (dialect), the first word eld- (adjective form: ouden) comes from Old Dutch alt, and I, uh... I have no clue where I originally got ōgmet- from, but it was from PIE.

EO: (ik heergat naerop den luftum,) Ik wed den nosmesum
NL: (ik kijk omhoog naar de lucht,) Ik zie de maan
EN: (I look up at the sky,) I see the Moon

Ik wed den nosmesum¹ 1sg see.1sg.SNG.PRS DEF.DAT The_Moon¹.OBL ¹ - The Moon, the lunar body orbiting Earth, comes from "our *nos + moon *mesum" 

Let me just jump right into the grammar now.

Grammar

Noun Inflection

Nouns decline by their class and four categories (3 cases and the plural). Noun declension is done by attaching the corresponding ending to the stem (example below table). Here are the endings.

Category	I (Masculine)	II (Feminine)	III (Neuter)	IV (Inanimate)
Nominative	-∅	-∅	-∅	-∅
Oblique	-∅	-um	-um	-∅/e/um
Genitive	-s/rs/∅	-inum/en(e/um)	-inum/en(e/um)	-ene/enum
Plural	-a/s	-(a)s/(a)ën/en	-i	-en

Example table:

Category	I (Masculine)	II (Feminine)	III (Neuter)	IV (Inanimate)
Nominative	man- (man)	seng-a² (song)	hart-um² (heart)	mand- (month)
Oblique	man-	seng-um	hart-um	mand-um
Genitive	mans-	seng-en	hart-enum	mand-enum
Plural	mans/mana	seng-aën	-i	mand-en

² - These are common endings of their respective classes
The Eldōgmet oblique case includes 1) the object, indirect and direct, 2) the possessed argument and 3) the vocative. Almost all prepositions require their complement to be in the oblique, but this isn't considered part of the oblique because they need a "special" "preposition(al) oblique" (POBL) article. In the example earlier "ik heergat naerop den luftum", "den" is both the oblique (relationship between ik and luft, predicand/subject and predicate/object phrase) and the POBL (relationship between naerop and luft, the prep. phrase inside the predicate and the object phrase)

http://ironcreek.net/syntaxtree/ [S [Predicand [NP ik ->5] ] [Predicate [VP [V heergat] [OBJP [MP [PP [P naerop ->4] ] ] [NP [POBL den ->5] [N luftum] ] ] ] ] ] TREE BELOW 

https://preview.redd.it/gtryav9c2t3b1.png?width=363&format=png&auto=webp&s=d318a8fc1f3dc84cb0bbc2045527b1728c6926a7
Here is a definitely incomplete PSG representation of the sentence. As you can see, "ik" *transmits* to the object and the preposition *summons* the POBL which then *transmits* to the object. This is one way to imagine the two relationships.
So, it is ungrammatical to say ik heergat naerop luftum for two reasons, 1) luftum needs a definite article (the sky) and 2) luftum is effected by naerop, a preposition, thus it needs a POBL article to transmit naerop's "subjugation" of luftum. In the proper sentence the POBL takes precident over the definite (and indefinite) article.
And one thing to note, I am not the best with PSG and if there is a better way to draw the described relationship between naerop, den and luftum then please leave it in the comments.

Definite, Indefinite and Prepositional Oblique Articles

The definite and indefinite articles go along with the form of the noun, so the paradigm is similar.

Definite

Category	I (Masculine)	II (Feminine)	III (Neuter)	IV (Inanimate)
Nominative	de/die	de/die	het	het
Oblique	den	den	den	het
Genitive	des	der	der	dehet

Indefinite

Category	I (Masculine)	II (Feminine)	III (Neuter)	IV (Inanimate)
Nominative	een	een	een	een
Oblique	een	iëne	een	een
Genitive	eens ⁴	eens ⁴	eens ⁴	eens ⁴

⁴ - eens is used for indefinite possessed nouns only

Prepositional Oblique

Confirmed POBL articles are:

• den
  • Confirmed for use with naerop, likely will be used for directions (spatial and temporal)
  • \*wie gaan neer er*den gister*
    • (** we go there tommorow)
• der
  • Likely will be used for locations and points in time
• ...

Verbs

The current idea I have for verbs is to have two inflections, one for transitive and intransitive (or non-transitive). So for example ik zeg...(meteg...) "I say...(to)..." (tr.) v.s. ik zoug. "I say" (intr.).
I'm thinking inside the tr. and intr. conjugations there will be a present and past, I think I will do something to repurpose ge- -t in Modern Standard Dutch since this "past" will ideally include the perfect and impefect (imperfect).

Adjectives

Adjectives are more noun-like and, in most words, a distinct category. They have two "forms", their stem and adjectival form. For example eld-/ouden, eld- is a stem that can compound with nouns to make a word like "eld-man-" (old man, or more likely eldewise man) and ouden is an adjective that can modify nouns, like ouden man (old man, more about age and possibly rude).

End

Well, that is most of what I have so far, please feel free to ask questions and suggest ideas!
Opmerking: Nederlands is ook mijn tweede taal, als je in het Nederlands met me wilt praten, dan kan dat!
A definately incomplete WIP phrase structure grammar (PSG) representation. As you cn see by the arrows

Any way to keep our cat from peeing on all our stuff? I have tried what seems to be every option but giving her to my mom and having her be an outdoor cat. My only issue is Shes in door for the last 3 years and only been indoor and wont be as happy knowing she doesnt get food every few hours. We are also at our wits end for containg her. She has destroyed 2 couches 1 bed Multiple cat beds and dog beds (5+) Chairs Shoes For what we have done for preventive measures doesnt seem to work either, changing litter, getting another box, getting a bigger box, no box open auto scooper, AUTO SCOOPER IN A BUILD WOODEN CAT TREE.
So far from what I have done, she refuses to use either box i had down more than once. She will use it one time if its fresh and never again. Even the auto scooper isnt good enough. I cant keep replacing the litter 2-3 times a day for her bitch ass because of how expensive her litter is now but she also will keep pissing on my stuff. Anyway to get around this one?

You can compound growth in 0$ with this PLG framework.
The P in PLG stands for 'Product'. Product is supposed to lead growth.
So, by default, every product already has a PLG motion. Whether it works for you or not is a different question.
Branding is great.
Marketing is awesome.
But nothing can beat an amazing product.
Cause nothing markets itself like a product that resonates with its users.
***
Treat your product like a flywheel. Cause this could be your biggest growth lever. The idea is to make your users really like your product.
Two things that your product must achieve for this are-

1. Does your product bring some positive change in the life of your users? - If so, when does this happen? These are also known as wow-moments. - Are you helping with time, money, stress, or something else? - Are these impacts noticeable or measurable and shown in the product? - Does your product deliver what the marketing and sales promised?
2. Can users use it independently without needing support at every step? - Demos and onboarding are fine, but if a user is going to use your product regularly, they must be able to navigate on their own. - Are features discoverable? Are UIs intuitive? - Have you built the product from a customer POV or your own POV? - Have you used your product and checked it?

Of course, there are many other pointers. (Will be covering them in detail in my newsletter, marketedit.)
But usually when these two things happen - Your users start talking about your product in their network - They recommend your product to peers and communities.
And the above two are the basic mechanisms of virality. Even if you have a few hundred customers, this word-of-mouth can be one of the biggest source of compounding growth. And you can get this without spending a single dollar.
Brands like Figma, Canva, Whimsical, Workflowy, and others have got this flywheel working for them. And it has helped them uncover a great channel for compunding growth.

There was a sale going on and i grabbed the simple water boost hydrating range since it's supposed to be for dry skin and tret is making me flake again. HOWEVER after i bought the products i looked up the ingredients on incidecoder to find that all of it contains lactic acid. I'm sure it's in a smaller percentage however i don't know if it'll be okay to use with tret. Any ideas on this? Also another product i got (i know, i should seriously start looking up the ingredients FIRST but oh well) has tea tree extract in it, is that compatible with tret? Otherwise I'll need to buy another moisturizer 😭

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Even though this post is about weed, I just want to point out that I finally found the amount that I need to smoke to get the same feeling that 1g of cubes give me. I want you to compare the perfect high from weed to the zone you reach with shrooms. Could there be a level, for both, where your brain is activated in the same way to have thoughts freely entering like an unstoppable train into your mind?
I'm a hallucinogen guy, but I've never been a fan of marijuana, and I've never understood what the hype was all about. So every once in a blue moon, I try some in an attempt to understand it all. Tonight just hit different and now I know.
I feel like these words in my head are profound, but I guess we'll see for sure tomorrow when I look at this post again.
So, here are all the thoughts that stood out enough to type out while I'm high:
Most of my problems are because I go too far. Squeezing pimples? No, I have too squeeze extra hard to make sure and end up ruining my skin. Argument? No, I have to hang on to my stance even when I realise I may be wrong, at least till the argument is over. Smoking a joint? No, I have to smoke till I'm fried. What have I been doing?
Also, why do I have to be medicated to feel more empathetic?
Found my own answer: then I can more easily confront my mistakes, since the ego has been temporarily contained. I don't need to go that fabe so intense.
Most skills are so easily theoretically acquired that they seem obvious once a demonstration has been shown. Yet, a skill has not truly been learnt unless application of it becomes the default. It is in the application of skills by the student that the master should show pride in his student, not by simple recall of instructions.
Dad: to teach a toddler how to speak, teach them how to read you. Model correct behavior and then narrate what the child is doing as they repeat the behavior.
If tonight goes well, I should know that 3 puffs is the magic number where I have creative thought, but still enough memory to regale it long enough to pen it down. (Without too much editing or embellishing)
This mind is sharper than its default/normal state, because it is still clear.
People underestimate the importance of standard dosage. Everyone thinks they should go higher.
When you feel that you have just enough reflexes to correct your erroneous movements fast enough to immitate sobriety, you are on the standard dosage.
At the right dosage, none of your movements are gratuitous. You are also more willing to admit errors.
If you use your substance to the point where you become too lazy or incapable to do chores, you overdid it.
What is your purpose? To get in the right headspace or to show off? The standard gets you there, but you still feel in control. So, the question is really, do you want a good trip (where creative thoughts flow freely) or do you want to lose control?
Do you want to get wasted or enlightened?
To be enlightened means to experience ego death. For me, that is 3 deep tokes.
Chips is the poor man's lettuce.
That plumbing issue in the bathroom is just trapped air in the pipes.
Why do you think so many if the shamans, sages and gurus used substances? It was the trusty way to get to ego-death.
Do you want to reach ecstacy, reach Nirvana, or get severely anxious (body out of homeostasis, which literally means you have disease)?
Lord Buddha attained the level of Nirvana in Bodh Gaya while meditating under the Bodhi Tree ...that was no fig tree...
I am experiencing Nirvana. I just looked up the four stages of Nirvana and it all makes so much sense. Stage 1, Stream Enterer.
"The first stage is Stream Enterer or Sotappana . Sotappana means “ one who enters the streams ”. One who entered this stage are said to open the eye of the Dharma . When you become a stream enterer , you became free from the desire and rituals, and don’t have identity issues and can become one with the mind and the eye.
• Once-Returner
The second stage of Enlightenment is Once-Returner or Sakadagami . Sakadagami literally means one who once comes . Once-Returner and Stream Enterer are said to be free from the 3 fetters of Enlightenment . The three fetters are self-illusion, doubt, and attachment to rituals and rule . Once-Returner have weakened the other three fetters of Enlightenment i.e. lust, ill will , and desire of fine material ."
After that quote, it's all that stuff abour karma and rebirth which does not appeal to me as a believer in science. Just realized that, not only did I reach Nirvana tonight, I basically discovered what it means in my head without ever having read about it before.
Is any of this stuff resonating with any of you guys?
What are stoned, fried and baked? You're just putting yourself in a diseased state. You may also cause psychosis.
Whatever state you choose, and whichever substance you like to use, I'm telling you, Buddha was high on his own stuff.
My stuff I'm on tonight: 3 deep tokes of medicinal weed, a shot of whiskey and a beer, residual caffeine, aripiprazole, fluvoxamine, and lamotragine.
Is this just a manic episode or did I really reach ego death with weed? omfg

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There’s a small lottery for the token holders as a way to compensating for your support and believe in the project. Every Truty enjoyer will get a randomly generated number of tokens for free, actual percentage of the total supply will be announced later.
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First Prev
Patreon Arxur POV of the Cradle Series wiki Official subreddit Discord
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Memory transcription subject: Captain Sovlin, United Nations Fleet Command
Date [standardized human time]: January 15, 2137
It wasn’t my imagination; our triangular shuttle was sinking like a stone. Water bobbed up against the cockpit windows, entombing us beneath the waves. Hull integrity would eventually give out and allow water to flood the compartment. The predators were just watching it happen, with not nearly enough panic showing in their binocular eyes. They made no attempt to inflate a life raft and escape, while we could still get the doors open.
The craft had tipped forward at a slight angle, and the airborne vehicle began to sink nose-first toward a watery grave. A feeling of immense claustrophobia gripped me, as the nightmare scenario came to fruition. My claws wrapped around Samantha’s arm before I could stop myself; the human looked at me with sheer disbelief, and pushed me away. Her nose was scrunched in an obvious sign of distaste. Carlos would’ve definitely been more amenable to my desperate outreach for support.
Samantha heaved a sigh. “I’m going to pretend you didn’t just fucking do that, but it better not ever happen again.”
“Please! We’re sinking!” I croaked.
Onso snickered. “Sinking? You don’t feel the engines running? It’s a submersible aircraft.”
Upon closer listening, I could feel the quiet hum of the engines. Somehow, the combustion drive was still running underwater, and pushing us in a controlled manner further into the ocean. There were no signs of leaks seeping through the walls, despite being encased in the depths. I’d never heard of a plane that could fly underwater, but I should’ve gleaned our safety from the predators’ calmness.
If a human is running or terrified, that’s when it’s time to assume our deaths are imminent.
Sam wasn’t the least bit amused by me latching onto her arm, but Tyler and Carlos were both masking smirks. I dipped my head in shame. How had the Yotul known of technology which was unfathomable to the wider galaxy? Until today, I wouldn’t have thought such devices would ever have a use. It was embarrassing that the primitive kept his head better than me around novel technology, though I tried to push that egoistic thought out of my mind.
“Do the Yotul have this kind of technology, Onso?” I prompted the reddish-furred marsupial to answer, though I knew the reply would be in the negative. “I’ve never heard of such things, so I’m surprised it’s old news to you.”
“Well, I took it upon myself to read up on the specs; they were included with our briefing notes. Never know when shit’s gonna break, and someone’s gotta fix it. The Yotul have a saying, ‘Everything can break, so assume it will do so today.’”
“That’s valid. Every spacecraft crash is due to a ‘one-in-a-billion’ mechanical failure; unlikelihood upon unlikelihood. Uh, anyhow, I’m a little out of my element here, clearly nothing like you.”
“I don’t mind the water, Sovlin. Mama had a sailboat, which she’d take around the harbor. It was a little disappointing to hear human water activities involve hunting. There’s so many beautiful things to see; it’s the last untamed frontier. Even after space is explored, the oceans still hold so many mysteries and unique lifeforms!”
“Plenty of humans agree with you, even ones who enjoy fishing like Tyler. We’ll go snorkeling or scuba diving just to explore reefs and view marine life,” Carlos chimed in. “No boat, nothing but a basic breathing apparatus.”
“There’s water sports too. Surfing, where you try to ride massive waves on a board.” Samantha made odd gestures with her hands, as though conveying a series of hills. “Parasailing, up in the sky tied to a boat. White water rafting, where you go down turbulent, rocky rapids in an inflatable.”
I groaned. “Why…are any of those not mortally dangerous?! What is wrong with you predators? I thought you evolved from the fucking trees!”
“It’s all in the spirit of fun, a memorable experience. Don’t tell me none of it sounds like something you want to try once.”
“No, those stunts sound horrible. This is horrible. I can see the depth meter going up…it’s double digits! I can’t see the sky!”
“Quit being a baby.”
“Quit being a predator! I hate humans; I can’t stand you! Onso, back me up.”
“The surfing sounds totally badass. I can imagine riding a wave up to its crest, and trying not to fall,” the Yotul answered. “We should try it together, old man. Conquer your fears, do things you think you can’t.”
“I am not doing that. No way on the cradle.”
Tyler sported a devilish grin. “Hey, it could be worse, Sovlin. You could be doing shark cage diving.”
I offered the blond human a blank stare. Through the cockpit behind him, I noticed orange-striped fish swimming clear of the aerosub. There was a dark shadow in the murky depths below, which filled me with palpable unease. What if it was some sort of massive predator which hid in this oceanic range? Chewing at my claws with anxiety, I tried to parse through what he said.
Cage diving? That can’t be what it sounds like; locking yourself in a cage and jumping into the water…not trying to escape. What’s a shark?
We moved closer to the ambiguous shadow within the turquoise ocean, which I tried to ignore. The humans would freak out if there was reason for alarm; I couldn’t make a fool of myself again. Plastering a look of confusion on my face, I flicked a claw at Tyler for an explanation. His blue eyes twinkled with amusement, and my former guards watched with interest.
“Ah, you’re wondering what that is.” Officer Cardona tapped his fingers against his holopad, and noticed that his Yotul exchange partner was intrigued too. He showed a picture to Onso first. “I’d say it’s self-explanatory. Oh, and, yes, they have side-facing eyes, but sharks are predators. Humans have movies about them eating us, even though that’s uncommon in reality.”
Tyler turned the device toward me, and I flinched away with disbelief. Sure enough, a pack of Terrans were suspended in a metal cage below the water. “Sharks” circled them with predatory intent, serrated teeth visible. From what I’d learned about Gojids being omnivores, I’d trust the primates on binocular eyes not being necessary to eat living food. However, deciphering human behavior was a maddening endeavor. Was this some twisted way of reasserting their dominance as apex predators, against animals that dared to prey on them?
“You just said it was in fucked-up human movies…it’s CGI! That’s not a real fucking thing!” I screamed. “I thought we were keeping it professional, huh? You all are definitely saying, and making up, predator nonsense on purpose, at this point!”
Tyler flashed his teeth. “It’s real. We don’t need to make anything up; humans will go to great lengths for thrills.”
“That seems to be tempting fate. I’ve always believed in respecting nature, though it would be cool to see these animals up close,” Onso said.
“Good news: you can see them in aquariums too.”
I thought humans would think water decorations were stupid…wait, what did he just say?!
My spines were bristling. “You have aquariums, like the Kolshians on Aafa?”
“Yep,” Tyler affirmed.
“And instead of sea plants, you keep dangerous predators in them?”
“Yeah? They’re cool to look at, man.”
“Protector, I don’t care if we’re in the middle of the ocean. I want off this sinking boat!”
Carlos stifled a laugh. “Well, your wish is about to be granted. This puppy isn’t meant to dive deeper than 100 meters. The UNS Deep Core is up ahead.”
The foreboding shadow had grown larger in my periphery, and my eyes swiveled back to the viewport. It was a submersed ship, but one that was so large, its breadth faded into the murky distance. There was no way this wasn’t in the triple digits of meters long; the all-black, undecorated exterior would cause an observer to mistake it for a shadowy patch of water. There was a tower affixed to its spine, which perhaps housed an equivalent to a bridge.
“The humans must’ve snuck this ship here days ago. How long has it been lurking?” I murmured to myself. “They couldn’t have airdropped it from too high up either…I don’t think.”
Samantha rubbed her hands together. “If you think this is the only one sent, think again. We’re told as much as we need to know, Sovlin, but it’s a blast to fill in the blanks.”
Our aerosub glided down to the bottom of the Deep Core, before flipping over and latching onto to a watertight door. It was similar to how a spacecraft would dock for boarding; my concerns were assuaged a little, noticing some familiarity. Packing such a large crew into a metal tube must be stressful for any land-dwelling species, but the humans were insane enough to tuck their senses aside. There could be enough predators aboard to compose a small village.
I disliked the fact that I was hanging at a ninety-degree angle, though I didn’t voice my complaints. The humans awkwardly dismounted, with Tyler helping Onso down. Carlos hoisted me to my own two feet, and I took a steadying breath. Our own watertight hatch, which I mistook for an emergency exit when I thought it was a sane vehicle, was on the right exit. There was a click, as human personnel opened the circular door from the other side.
The five of us were helped up through the threshold into the submarine, and we admired the metal inner workings of our surroundings. The tunnels were narrow, with small doorways leading between compartments; many required a slight step up to clear. One Terran greeted us at our docking point, though he wore a different uniform than the getup I was used to. I wasn’t sure what to expect from land predators who operated underwater, but the ample facial hair checked out with my mental image.
“Welcome aboard the Deep Core. I’m Commander Fournier; your presence is requested on the bridge,” a gruff voice greeted us.
I blinked in confusion. “May I ask why…sir?”
“First aliens to step foot on a submarine. You’re VIPs; it’s a good photo-op, you could say. Follow me.”
Of course, the humans are worried about optics as we’re descending to an outlandish location. Sometimes, they’re awfully predictable.
Claustrophobia threatened to flare up, with the cramped passages and lack of direction. Onso showed no such uneasiness, forcing Tyler to ensure that the Yotul studied objects with his eyes, not his paws. The primitive seemed enamored with any machinery or design quirks, even basic things such as hinges. I was really trying not to look down on him, but when he was gawking at simplistic nails, it was difficult. At least his dimwitted curiosity was a distraction from our present environment.
The bearded commander led us to a steep stairway, and communicated for us to follow his lead. There was a thunderous bark of “up ladder!” before the human-in-charge popped open a hatch. Tyler waved a hand at me and Onso, signaling for us to climb after Fournier first. I ensured that my balance was steady, hustling up the rungs. There was a railing surrounding the hatch, along with a safety chain that our guide was unclipping.
“Sir, may I ask how much air we have left?” I couldn’t resist asking, despite being out of breath from the short ascent. “I presume you’ve been submerged a few days. Even spaceships can only carry a few weeks of oxygen, and I don’t see any tanks, um…”
Fournier issued a throaty laugh. “Scared of submarines, Gojid?”
“A little, uh, yes…sir.”
“Don’t be. We have as much air as there is water in the ocean.”
Onso bounded after us. “The Terrans use electrolysis to separate the hydrogen from the oxygen in seawater they collect, then use that O2 to ventilate the ship.”
“Why, I like this one!” the commander bellowed. “Read up on subs, haven’t ya?”
“It drew me in…like a vortex of knowledge. I always liked machines.”
“Then I take it you’re an engineer? I can see that kid-like glee in your eyes.”
“A rocket engineer. The unchanging rules, the complex order, the concreteness and the planning: it speaks to me. Having a new class of machines to study really lit that fire, for the first time since the Federation killed my passion. Not even studying your weaponry truly scratched that itch. It’s just, I never dreamed I’d discover a new alien boat!”
“Well, well! I’m no engineer, but I’ll be happy to share what I know. Feel free to ask any questions; we love talking about what we do, to someone who really wants to hear it.”
“Thank you, sir.”
Commander Fournier led us into a stout compartment, where a vast array of gadgetry and screens covered a wall. Humans were examining a green circle on display, with a rotating line and labeled angles. Data feeds were also listed there, which led me to conclude it was a sensors equivalent. Navigations was at the front, at least from the appearance of several control columns. Some predators appeared to be acting as officers or supervisors, peering over others’ shoulders and issuing commands.
This isn’t that dissimilar to a starship, but where is the viewport? How can they see?
I cleared my throat. “Sir, where is the viewport? There’s no windows!”
“We don’t need windows,” Fournier explained. “We use sonar, because sound travels further in water than light. Glass or transparent materials are just a weak point in the hull, and a potential source of leaks if we take a hit.”
“Okay. Then why did the submersible craft we took here have windows?”
“Because it needs to be a spacecraft too, and you need to see when you’re flying. It’s useful enough to outweigh any concerns,” Carlos chimed in.
“This is so cool!” Onso bounced on his digitigrade hindlegs, and the commander fortunately didn’t take offense to his excess excitement. “The sonar doesn’t need to see at all. It just…listens.”
Fournier nodded. “Precisely. I saw you examining the bearings on our machinery, and I’ll impress upon you the importance of noise reduction down here. We keep everything detached from the hull frame to avoid vibrations…even dropping a wrench can give you up to an enemy. Sonar receptors pick up the slightest vibration, and then, they know you’re there.”
“That explains why your engines have to be so quiet. I was reading about how you try to avoid cavitation…you know, where the vacuum pressure caused by the propeller makes water boil. The bubbles pop and give off noise.”
“You don’t need a rundown at all, Yotul; you already know everything. We have a speed range where we can operate silently.”
I was growing bored of the technical explanations, and Onso, a primitive, was outshining my knowledge to the humans. Perhaps the Yotul was desperate to prove himself as an academic equal, but he didn’t need to prattle on about science like he was reading a textbook. While there were impressive feats of engineering on display here, I agreed with Samantha’s assertion of naval obsolescence. What good was fighting in the water, except in this extraordinary circumstance?
The predators can hide far away from any targets or locations of value forever. How ingenious. They’d be unseen altogether if the other human tribes realized this theater was irrelevant in a war.
I suppressed an irritated huff. “Permission to speak freely, sir?”
“Granted,” Fournier replied, a curious twinkle in his eyes.
“Respectfully, sir, I do not see the purpose of putting all this time into submarine development, at least for military aims. You’re a spacefaring species, and you’re incredible at ground assaults. What use is it to hide so far away from civilization…from the action? Maybe you sink a few ships that are using an outdated method of moving resources, but I don’t get it. You have better weapons.”
“You really don’t know? To use your word, these ships are masterful predators; nearly undetectable, capable of hearing the slightest sound, and able to surface anywhere in the world. But it goes far beyond that. The destructive power housed here is a hell of a deterrent. That’s why we’d never actually trade nukes like ya Feddies thought we did.”
“Nukes? I’m not following.”
“There’s tens of nukes stuffed onto just one of these things. We can hang off the shore anywhere, and fire missiles while underwater. Not that we have to be close to our target; we can shoot ICBMs halfway around the world. You never know where we are, if it’s right down your neck or prowling distant shores. We’re waiting to strike, anywhere and everywhere, with the technology to end civilization itself, even after command is destroyed on land. Obsolete, my ass.”
I gulped with discomfort, wishing I could recede into the ship walls. That declaration was so calm yet predatorily destructive; there were chilling implications for the extent of human aggression. It suddenly made sense why Earth tribes were intent on sniffing these predators out of the ocean’s recesses, and why the subs tried to remain undetectable at all costs. Should the current battle go awry, Talsk could be devastated by an unseen arsenal of epic proportions.
As Commander Fournier took his post, I tried to understand why humans would devise such machinations, for use against their own civilization. The Federation’s “irradiated Earth” could’ve been a reality; these capabilities shouldn’t exist in any culture. I didn’t understand why my kind-hearted friends would even think of such predatory weaponry. Surely, understanding the apocalyptic consequences of these vehicles should’ve convinced them not to build them.
My therapist could’ve elaborated further on the full heights of Terran aggression. Humans didn’t enjoy killing, yet they brainstormed and actualized the optimal ways to kill every human in existence? It was a paradox. Perhaps their predator nature factored into their decision-making in a manner they didn’t understand. Orders were issued to begin our descent, and for all sailors to report to battle stations. I felt the submersible tilt down, so I tried to clear my head of what the primates were capable of.
I have to believe that they will never actually do something like that…that their goodness will prevail. They didn’t snap after Earth, right? I trust their better judgment.
“W-well, if there’s really a base at the bottom of the ocean, the Farsul are fucked,” I murmured to my posse.
Samantha’s fist tightened, as her smirk returned. “I’d say they are.”
The numbers on the depth meter continued to escalate, as the submarine navigated the ocean which spanned below us. Locked inside a steel tube with predators, and knowing the potential of its onboard weaponry, my nerves were anything but quelled. The submarines somehow eclipsed even the worst starships in its dastardly capabilities. The Farsul wouldn’t be prepared for this predatory contraption, should we stumble across any of their flotilla.
I was glad that the humans were on the same team as me; there was no telling where their capacity for annihilation ended.
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