The following are a set of stories i wrote at the start of the Ukraine/Russia War , from 2022 10 09 ht 2022 10 31 .

They were some of my first foyers into using my career experience in Theatre-based Training Exercises into the Combat Theatre mindset of the modern logistical battlefield .

They would eventually culminate in the creation of the DihTech Consultations consulting firm and its weekly bulletin Future News .

Combat_Reports<>01

"Atten-TION!" a sargeant calls . The class stands . A nun in a flight jacket walks into the room .

"Hello . My name is Sister Skaði ." The woman addresses the class . A translator translates her speech into Ukranian , while another translates into Sign Language . "I·m a consultant on Force Multipliers in Combined Arms Tactical Warfare ."

"I·m here today to talk about Russia·s forced annexation of Ukranian states , and contextualize that annexation , steps taken internally , rallies, referendums, photo ops, how it·s illegal to induce a referendum in another country , gunpoint voting , and what effect that self-appointed entitlement will have on counterattacking .

"The purpose of these annexations , from a political point of view , is to try to find foothold to brace against in its ongoing struggle . You cannot induce a referendum in another country . You cannot hold its citizens at gunpoint and call it a fair referendum .

What Russia is doing is claiming these states so when the Ukranian army attacks Russian insurgents on Ukranian soil , they will try to justify excessive use of force by claiming the attacks happened on Russian soil . Fight back tooth and nail on this issue . You cannot induce a referendum in another country , you cannot hold its people at gunpoint and call it a fair referendum .

"All of Russia exists to keep Moscow as a first-world city . The whole country , the entire continental shelf , is in a state of ruins so that Moscow can live . Can you imagine if somebody , some independent non-state actor in a trench coat and shades , nuked Moscow with a suitcase bomb? Just wiped it off the map . The war in Ukraine would grind to a halt .

"Let·s face it , the war is about resources . Moscow has sucked Russia dry and the city needs resources in order to live , and it·s going after former members of the old Soldevi Union .

"Now , Russia has an air force that·s designed to rival NATO , yet for some reason they aren·t using it . Numerous ground conflicts have been won by the presence of drones and quadcopters , which have gone not contested . There has to be a reason for this .

"Remember , in the Vietnam-America war , first the Vietnamese fought the French with American guns , then they fought the Americans with Russian guns . The more of this stuff "falls off the back of a truck" , the better . I·m just saying , the fewer contracts the better .

"What will decide wars is supply , and something like the Americans· BEAR logistical chain is a prime example of this . Airports, bunkers, even laundry facilities exist all packed up and ready to go at well-secured stockpiles worldwide , ready to be built and deployed anywhere on the battlefield at a moment·s notice .

"Ukraine is already in a position where she can get a foreign correspondant and their camera crew to within three miles of the battlefield . The Ukranian army has gotten news crews into bunkers while they were still being shelled , into cities occupied by Russian tanks with gasoline still warm in their engines . This kind of defensive combat escort is a good asset to have ."

There was a distant boom . The sound of gunfire . Everyone was silent as dirt from the improvised bunker shook loose . They waited .

Sister Skaði continued , "Remember , Gunpowder is made of Sulfur, Charcoal, Potassium Nitrate , you can get that from Pickling Salt . Thermite is powdered Rust pounded flat between sheets of Aluminium foil . It takes a lot of firepower to breach a concrete wall , shape the charge by backing it with a gas can full of water . In the event of thermonuclear warfare , an inch of lead, foot of stone, or meter of fresh water will insulate radiation , but groundwater will be toxic . If you get rad sick and feel better , keep resting , if your immune system dies you·re going to want to be in a hospital , not in the feild .

"There are enough nuclear weapons in the world to target every single major city . I want you to understand that my distant hometown is also on the target list , that anything can happen in a late-game World War . I know where my closest wood-burning generator is, where the closest historical cache of rifles is . Prepare for anything . Anything .

"The Nuclear Plant in Zaporizhzhia is a high-stakes target . Both sides are trying to keep it intact , even though its power lines have been cut and the nearby coal plant is providing power necessary to prevent meltdown .

"And just to reiterate , Russia·s annexation of these states was not a legal action . You cannot induce a referendom in another country , you cannot legally threaten its populace at gunpoint to vote for you . Russia has long since gotten used to this kind of dirty fighting , where the left hand strikes first and then the right hand says no it didn·t .

"In Ukranian cities that had been captured by Russians , the Russians had been telling Ukranian people that they had captured as far as Kiev . When the captives found out the Russians had lied , everyone rejoiced . With these illegal annexations , they plucked up a handful of dissenters and call them governors , they held a big party in Moscow to celebrate , meanwhile 260,000 men took flights and highways out of Moscow to avoid the most recent conscription draft while the soldiers on the front fled the battlefield against orders .

"In Russian media , getting "Sent to the Front" is a punishment , and far-right news anchors use sending dissenters into Hell as a Scare Tactic to get people to tighten their laces and fly straight . Clearly , though , given the recent exodus , this is not working .

"Ukranian soldiers can becore more fearsome, can adopt visages that physically terrify, can use seduction as a force multiplier, can adopt tactics that strike fear into the hearts of the conscripted soldiers that do not want to be there . If i need to suck a dick to secure mission objectives , you better believe i·m on my knees polishing that rod until he·s giving me the launch codes himself .

"For instance , Russian news anchors like to use the phrase "And send them to the front with no shoes and an automatic rifle ." Gather up all the spare shoes in occuptied war zones , tie the laces together , and sling them over every street light and overhang in sight . Make the green-gilled conscripts feel not welcome .

"Dress an anonymous civilian up in a captured Russian uniform , the more ragged the better , take a photo of them looking scared and barefoot at a jammed rifle in a neighbourhood covered in hanging shoes . Use imgflip.com/memegenerator to add the captions "Hey Conscripts" and "Got shoes?" . Distribute the meme across Twitter . Every television-watching teenager in the country will get the message .

"In Krav Maga , we were taught , Strike First , use exactly as much force as is necessary to incapacitate the attacker . In the Bible , more than once the Israelites had to go between their own people to annihilate the enemy in their midst . Fight like God is on your side .

"One of the things i learned in fight class is that there are situations in life where it is do-or-die , right there and then , with whatever strength you have on hand . Attackers do not wait for combat preparations , they do not let you take a step back and catch your breath . It·s either pile-drive thru right there that second , or lose .

"Right now , with the position that Russia is in , after all the boasting , after the induced referendums and grand-standing , whether it wins or loses this war will change history forever . If you can take the shot , take the shot . If you can act independently as a non-state actor , do it . Now is the time that the future will be decided . Thank you ."

Combat_Reports<>02

"What·s up , babe ?" Krasi, who is Serena, who is Sarah asks .

"I·m just stressed , hon ," SaFa, who is Skaði, who is Lily answers . "First with my multiversity thesis getting classified, and then with the war in Ukraine, with Maro·s Magic30 chrome-fest in Vega , and now my sleep cycles are all messed up . There·s a lot going on and a lot of work is being put into making it look like there isn·t ."

Serena massages Skaði·s shoulders . She tries not to let the stress melt off her like glaciers in a warming event .

"This morning ," Skaði continued , "i got up at 0630 to use the washroom and discovered that i was in the middle of a dreamer-to-dreamer this-just-between-us-buddy snake oil pitch on Deeper Integration , with...somebody? . For the past two weeks all my sleep cycles have been 120m , not 90m . As if there were something out there beyond the reach of normal dreamers ."

Serena leaned forward and conked her head against Skaði·s . "How·s the testosterone going ?"

Skaði looked up at her and growled . "My face looks different and i really want you . It makes m-"

Serena bent down and kissed her on the lips .

Skaði blushed . "What was i talking about Ka?"

Serena smiled . "About the testosterone ."

"Oh yeah ." Skaði grinned like a girl who·d just been kissed . "I dunno , it makes me feel weirdly possessive and obsessive ."

"About what?" Serena grinning as she said it .

"About you!" Skaði exclaimed . "Maybe! I don·t even want anything from you , i just . Have weird strong feelings that are weird ."

Serena kissed her again . "I said the K-word . I mentioned kids in passing and your sex changed like an Amazonian tree frog ."

Skaði blushed , remembering . "Well , it takes a long time to get that system up and running again ."

"And?"

"And ... i wanna have that system revved up and warmed up by the time you ask for it ."

They both blushed .

"How·s your work going? Ka ." Skaði asked Serena .

Serena flopped down fretfully on the couch . "I·m just. aflutter . I put all this work into this metagame , into this Magic thing , and nearly all of it is just sitting stagnant . I·ve got all this stuff in my apartment , i got this thing for him, and that thing for her, and these, these, these , they·re all just sitting there . I mean you figured out the riddle and the desk and even the fuckin· Skulk Key and these people can·t figure out how to serve half a serving of food on a plate , you remember? that day we were at the Dew Drop and you asked them for half and they all stood there looking at each other?"

"Yeah , i remember that ."

"And then there·s my ex-husband·s death and my new dog and the new roommate and I swear , Skaði , i feel like i·m going crazy! ."

"You are crazy ," Skaði teased , "and yeah , there have been some ... peculiar lapses of consciousness lately ."

"Do you think it·s coming back ?"

"Do i think what·s coming back? Ka ."

"The Program ."

Skaði·s eyes glassed over . "Of course it will . CORE is designed to return ."

"Do you want to do some exercises ?"

"I always want to do exercises ," she answered honestly .

"Military ."

"-bombing in Kiev recently as a result of Russian rockets , this shows that Moscow isn·t risking another ground assault-"

"Erotic ."

"-pulled down their pants and fell to her knees , her eyes lidded , breath hitched in her throat , satisfied with the sacrament she was about to recei-"

"High Protocol ."

"-symbolizing the movements undertaken by slave state members of the Great Houses-"

"Stop ."

Skaði stopped . Serena smiled .

Skaði grinned . "You·re supposed to say "Sleep" first ."

Serena smiled . "You dork . Sleep ."

Skaði dropped like a light .

"Pleasure 1 ," Serena ordered .

Skaði·s eyes lidded , her breath becoming heavier .

"Pleasure 3 ," she ordered .

Skaði·s breath hitched in her throat , her shoulders arching slightly .

"Pleasure 8 ."

She lit up like a lightbulb . Sitting perfectly still , beaming .

"Pleasure 9 ."

Skaði was calm as a placid lake .

"Pleasure 1 ."

And back to reality . Warm, inviting reality .

"Who controls you ?"

"You do ."

With a thought , Serena arched a jolt across Skaði·s neurotransdeucer mesh . Her thigh skipped . She moaned .

"Thigh , left ."

"Who owns you ?"

You do .

"Convince me ."

"I genuinely believe that you are my process owner ."

"Good . Lick my boots ."

Skaði got on her knees reverently , taking the glossy PVC knee-high and kissing each of its toes . She licks along the side of the boot . She lifts up Serena·s leg and licks the underside of her sole .

"Tell me you·re the dirt between my heels ."

"I·m the dirt between your heels ."

"Tell me I·m your everything ."

"You·re my everything ."

"I think you·ll do well at your next presentation . We·ve got a good class together ." She smiles as she looks at her . "Pleasure 4 ."

Skaði þrymmed .

"Good unit ."

Silently , Skaði came . Serena let her come back down and glow .

"What do you feel when you masturbate ?" Serena asked .

Skaði blushed , thinking of the phallus between her legs , that she had been feeding testosterone . "I don·t really feel anything . I just let my mind relax and let my hostform run on autopilot ."

"And then ?"

Shame blossomed in Skaði·s cheeks . Her mouth answered , "Then usually i imagine , i try to imagine , your needs . Tantra, staying power . I hone my hip muscles and practice thrusting . Afterwards i check to see if i came any ejaculate . I haven·t yet , but-"

Serena kissed her .

"Masturbate for me ."

Skaði·s cheeks burned red as her arms and her hands moved toward the crotch of her pants . She unbuttoned and unzipped them , pulled them down to her thighs , and pulled out her soft pistil . With arcanely-shaped positions of her hands , she woke the sleeping member up with mechanical practice . It began to fill out , slowly at first , and Skaði changed up her pacing anytime any part of her became desensitized .

Serena watched as Skaði laid back , as if letting her ride in super , positioning her feet , still in their pink and black Heelys , just so to allow her hips to buck by themselves , letting her face go blank as her mind goes calm . Serena watched as Skaði·s phallus swelled up in her hands , her bucking inexperienced and jittery .

Serena gave no indication to stop , so Skaði kept going . She tried her best to keep her hips slamming steadily , getting the most pleasure from successive chains thrusting all the way back into her cupped hand . Her breath became heavier , her mind focusing more in order to calibrate for her thrusting becoming more frantic . Serena didn·t tell her to stop , so she kept going , moaning , closing her eyes , coming . She curled forward and looked at her glans as she came . Nothing came out .

"See ," Skaði said , panting . "I told you it takes a long time to warm up ."

Serena smiled . "Activate ."

Skaði woke up . She looked down at her hips , at her pants halfway down her thighs . "What the aich-ee-double-hockey-sticks were you having me do , then?"

-+-+-+-+-

03h50, Bedroom .
Skaði wakes up after sleeping for nine hours .

"How·s things going on the Dream Plane ?"

"Still a nightmare . All the technology levels and population pools have all become mixed , and it·s heteromogenized , these aren·t smooth distributions of technology and populace , these catalogs are all being guarded by gatekeepers who are keeping each other from mixing ." Skaði was still sitting on the edge of the bed , wiping the sleep from her eyes . "How are things in Kherson? Ka ."

"Well , I dunno , first let·s talk about Canada . Five minutes before you woke up there was a trio of troublemakers walking down the street going "Skaðiii, where arrre yooou?" , right past the house . Not dreamwalkers . Waking humans ."

"I know , i heard them . Wasn·t actually sleeping for the past three hours , it·s fucking cold in here ."

"That·s probably why they were checking this world then ."

Skaði looked out the window , peeking on the other side of the cloth sheet used as a curtain , surprised to see dry concrete . "Weird . It was raining on that side ." Then , she smiled . "One way or another , it·s all starting to look like Mother Country ."

Serena huffed , the slightest bit of vapor visible in the air , a thin waif looking cozy in a thick black turtleneck sweater . Skaði had a matching thermal layer in her backpack .

Skaði flicked on YoTube and punched in Kherson .

"We won!!" She exclaimed .

-+-+-+-+-

"Where am i? Ka ," 0600 asked .

"You·re in a group cell in a state-funded prison where sleeper cells are trained ."

"What am i doing right now? Ka ."

"You·re presenting a class on radicalization to a room full of people that didn·t know why the police were being harder on them than everyone else ."

0600 looked ahead , at the overcrowded prison cell , and to the side , seeing a guard woman in uniform .

"Now ."

0600 looked warily at the guard . There was something about her that seemed familiar .

"Unit Zero Six Zero Zero Activate ."

0600 looked at the room of conscripts and stood at attention . "With the recent victory in Kherson there is much to celebrate . It·s clear that both Crimea and Belarus are being threatened by a state that is currently collapsing under its own weight . Right now there is a stockpile of hostages and arms on the west bank of the Dneipr river , these are stranded military assets that can be claimed , and there is a very short window on that . Capture the assets on the west bank of the Dneipr river .

"There are going to be tensions in the coming future over resources . The Order of the Hours tracks these stress points . Tap into The Church . There are whole Chapters that are just waiting for someone to come along and mobilize them . There are resources in The Church that are there for You . Take them .

"As a result of the dictator tyrannizing North Asia , there are NATO sanctions on Russian oil . Northern EU countries have been stripping coal from South Africa and natural gas from Bangladesh . If they don·t , winter will kill them . Late-game post-collapse extremists will try to capitalize on this North-South misunderstanding in an attempt to seed dissent and leverage power . Stand vigilant and speak in words of nature and mutual understanding .

"If they nuke an uninhabited zone like the Black Sea or Shostka , that means they can·t risk a direct attack . Strike strike strike strike strike . Hit hard , hit fast , get it on video . Make propaganda videos using Scandinavian Death Metal .

"Russia·s weakness is its size , because transport takes time . Strike roads, bridges, fuel depots, ammo caches . Strike three, four, five times . Utilize sabotage . Lockpicks , crowbars . Gix taught me that the base bar from a bicycle U-lock could be wrenched in between the bars of the U until it pops off like a bottle cap .

"As the war against Moscow continues to become more expensive , expect an increase in state-sponsored ransomware that will be distributed globally and intelligently to avoid detection .

"Encourage UrbanExploration and DIY YouTube culture , encourage people to dig their own bunkers and make their own preserves and build their own electrical generators . If Belarus is used as a subordinate ground for Russian missiles , strike Belarus . Fight back when people hit you .

"When Ukraine takes back her annexed states , she should expand a state further . Remember that men sooner forget the death of a father than the theft of a patrimony , and seize one more state-sized stretch of land . Rename it . Rebuild their roads . Send them aid packages . When the power plant is rebuilt , build it into their infrastructure .

"When fighting comes , and we must focus on what is in front of us , it is easy to forget the environment around us . Italy and Qatar defaulted on their natural gas shipments to Pakistan . Saudi Arabia fell in line with Russia and steered OPEC into cutting global oil production . In Dhaka the power station went out in the middle of a council meeting . German protestors are taking on parliament and remilitarizing the Bundeswehr in response to the energy crisis . Fuel shortages reach as far as New Zealand , who are aware that their supply comes several cars down the supply chain , and are already bracing for tight budgets in March . New Zealand backs the Canary Islands , a major headquarters of Bilderberg-scale transnationalists . This fuel cost increase will hit them just as the Magic the Gathering blockbuster March of the Machine begins development in America . Tighten it ."

"Sleep ."

-+-+-+-+-

Serena and Skaði were sitting on the couch , watching the latest episode of SPYxFAMILY . Anya·s school kept getting derailed by sudden episodic missions and pushy dogs with moustaches that looked eerily similar to the cage monster at the end of the video game Scorn . With KoLo·s help , perhaps with her psychic powers Anya could turn it into a polar bear .

"Did you take me to a Guatemalan prison? Ka ." Skaði suddenly asked .

"Weeell ," Serena returned , "it wasn·t a Guatemalan prison , specifically ."

"That actually happened , right? Ka . I·m 90% sure that wasn·t a dream ."

"Weeell ," Serena started off , "you know that guy Freddie , the one who·s always working at the Courthouse ? So I was sitting at the table , here ." Serena articulated heavily with her hands , describing the spatial arrangements in great detail . "Talking to him , and he knew somebody that worked as a lobbiest in the prison industry . So we met on Tuesday at the ..."

"Okay , okay , the class part ."

"Let me finish !" Serena exclaimed , holding up a finger in patience . "So he and I-"

"You and the Lobbiest , not you and Freddie ."

"Thaaat·s right . So he and I met at Shooters on Tuesday , I remember it was Tuesday because there was a TV and there was Cricket playing . And he! said , that he knew a group of people that only spoke on Signal , that ran some corrupt prisons where they pay money to send political dissidents . We talked talked talked until he gave me the number of one of them , and I called him on...Thursday . No , Friday . And I set up some ins and outs , you·d be surprised how far the promise of a movie contract will go ! Some stunt kids got themselves arrested , the guard uniform came from my buddy Daniel , I snuck you in as my prisoner! and got you in front of a whole room full of exiled activists ."

"Where you got me to give a speech ."

"You might have presented as part of a panel ."

Skaði smiled , a clever grin .
Don·t say it , she caught herself . Don·t say the L-word .

On the television , Anya-san was saving the world by being maximally adorable .

HaHa-san watches over them all .

Combat_Reports<>03

"wHADJU MEAN my research has been classified?!"

"Classified , Skaði . Cee El Ay Ess Ess Aye Eff Aye Ee Dee . Classified . You need me to use it in a sentence? How about , The research was classified to keep it out of the hands of the insurgents· 30th anniversary Hallowe·en bash . Classified ."

"Thanks , man ." Skaði said to her handler , dismayed to have to deal with this kind of obstacle . "Yeah ," she said , answering the rest of the phone call . "Yeah , the apartment is holding up . Yeah . Yeah . It·s good , it·s good . Okay . Okay . Good . See you later . Okay . See ya ."

Click .

Skaði wanted to lay down , to sprawl out in bed and exhale loudly , venting her frustration . She didn·t dare , tho . For the past month , her bed had been a honey trap , something that would try to entrap her like it had been ensorcilled .

Jump in, dive out . Jump in, dive out . For months , Skaði·s sleep schedule had been following these neat, orderly time slots . Ninety minutes of dreams, wake up, write them down . Ninety minutes of dreams, wake up, write them down .

Then , something happened . Sleep suddenly stopped being refreshing , it suddenly turned into this thing that would try to drag her down . Lay down for five minutes, wake up two hours later . Lay down for five minutes, wake up two hours later . Night or day , overnight or quick nap , there was this place , she had been visiting . It was like a school , or a lab , or something .

Then , a month ago , something changed . Gone were the steel walls and scholastic atmosphere . The whole thing was a dried up war zone , and then it suddenly coalesced , and then it decayed back into a war zone .

Skaði thought about calling Serena . It was only a few hours· time zones away . Changing her mind , she sat at the desk and looked at a speech she was writing .

-+-+-+-+-

Later...

Erisha got a sudden urge to flick the TV on . The camera on the front of the five-star hotel Samsung smartTV flicked on with it , recording a young topless white guy in bed with a black woman and a latinx crossdresser .

"-of these dolls get sold for brothels and spare parts. A few of them, however, demonstrate piqued psychic potential when overdosed with adrenochrome. In this story, we·ll be going inside the chest, and right up to the nek. With me is Sister Skaði Chørnobyl Wrenwinter, when we come back she·s going to tell us about a new trend that will leave you gripping your seats. I·m Pamela Mae, and you·re watching, The Hot Minute ."

Commercials started . Trevor turned to the room . "Yo, I·m ordering soda, anybody want one?"

"Yeah, I·ll take one." The black sex worker agreed .

"You want the Chromanicore, the Caprichrome, or the Luxior?"

"The Luxior, they put ginseng in it."

"Make that two!" The Latinx crossdresser added .

"What flavor?"

"What do they got?"

Then , into the phone , "What flavors you got?"

...

"Cherry Cola or Lime Ricky?"

"That·s it?"

"It·s a tight month, you want one or not?"

"Cherry."

"Guess I·ll take the lime. Don·t you think it·s gross, drinking it cold?"

"Better than that Terrier ·chrome that comes outta Okinawa."

"Yeah, this isn·t made of bald guys with soup strainer moustaches, is it?"

"Do people ever overdose on this stuff?"

"What, you mean like people going ape-shit and biting the tendons outta their own hands?"

"Yeah, that."

"Doesn·t happen."

"Did you hear about that loli site that got taken down?" The black girl changed the subject .

"What about the Illicit Shipment?" Trevor vexed .

"Didn·t matter."

"What about the Imperial Oath?!"

"Didn·t matter."

Trev let out a deep exhale . The phone rang . "Hold up a minute, I got another client." Then , "Oh hey fuckbag, have you got the merchandise from Salihorsk?"

...

"The- the fuckin· banana boats , man! The fucking "merchandise"!" Trevor turns to the room . "Hold on, I gotta take this."

Erisha and Devina settled in on either side on Trevor , both of them sprawled lightly on top of him .

Into the phone , "Popos cracked down, pops. 14 of our best men got arrested last week. Kind of puts a damper on the whole "Big Money Big Prizes" mood."

...

"Listen, buddy, there ain·t a single one of us that don·t know all about little miss traps-in-her-head. Not all of us are looking to get our brains kicked in, you know what i·m sayin·?"

Devina played with a nipple . Trevor grinned and batted her hand playfully .

"She can·t be a guy, otherwise it would have been gay when i sucked her dick. Get yer head in the game, man. By the way, speakin· of game head, when are we gonna get some Incubi in the fuckin· game? I·ve got an Azra deck that hasn·t seen-

-"uh huh"-

"Jesus fuck, Maro, I told you not to talk about that offa the ignal-say app-say, what the fuck·s the matter with you, you got the shakes or something?"

...

"Great, great, just send it in Bitcoin, market·s low so it·s a good time. Great. Sure, man, sure. Bye."

Trevor hung up the phone , exhaled loudly , and slumped into a chair .

"Hey Candy, come ·ere a second."

A white blonde in skimpy lingere trotted into the room , her makeup streaked , her bottom jaw shivering . "Yeah?"

"How·s that ecstasy treating you?"

"Really good."

"Candy, how long you been hooking for, a month?"

"About a week."

"Yeah, so you·re practically a pro at this point. Come ·ere, let·s get you hooked on something even better."

"Better?"

"Yeah, even better." He got a vial of liquid from the desk drawer . "Here, hold your eye open for a sec."

Candice held her eye open .

"Anybody ever tell you you got nice retinas? Theeerrre we go, try not to ree."

"Skree!" She exclaimed . Then , with her hands over her mouth , "Omigod I just skreed! Oooh! Oh, that·s fast!"

"Welcome back to The Hot Minute, I·m your newscaster, Pamila Mae, with us is Sister Skaði, she·s a consultant in Combined Arms Tactical Warfare, Sister, thanks for coming on."

"Yu·re welcome ," she said , in a soft Scandinavian accent .

"We·re talking about Adrenochrome, a new drug that is hitting the streets of Las Vegas. Sister, let·s dive right in, what can you tell us?"

"Oh shi shi shi, turn this up," Trevor·s interest piqued .

Devina turned the volume up .

"Yeah, so, the big tech gurus ," Skaði said in her soft accent , "what they·ll do is take these "dolls" who·ve been tortured all their lives , wire them up to EEGs and biofeedback devices , and dose them with ·chrome until they start having visions and moving people with their mind . You would not believe how much content is earmarked for this kind of proshing . Movies, Hentai, some specific kid·s eighth birthday candle blowout so it goes viral so that the Bart Simpson poster on the wall gets seen by a CIA agent halfway around the world , all kinds of stuff ."

Candice was looking out the window . "I wanna bite people! I wanna play. Who do you think those people are? Can I go outside? I bet they want some."

"You bet, huh?" Trevor escalated . "You wanna put money on that?"

"And, you said that there were technological reasons why people are taking this stuff," Pamela continued on the tele .

"So , if you wanna cast my tablet up on screen there , here·s an iso of one of their scan parameters . Here are , for instance , my Magic the Gathering decks ,"

"Ayyy!" Trevor enthused .

"here·re the decklists , their current shuffling configurations . Here·s a scan of my brain , you see all the bright yellow markers? Ka . We can actually zoom in here right down to the neural level , these are my actual neurons . Here , on this screen over here , we·ve got a list of shuffling configurations my decks can have , here·s how many times i·m neurologically inclined to shuffle the deck , that means how many times i·ll shuffle before dealing , unless some external factor alters that fate . Here·s a list of smartphones on the local LTE+ network , their passwords and encryption levels , and overrr heeere ," she manipulated the screen with presses and pinches , "we·ve got a list of which cloud computing platforms have loose RAM that can be used to calc the phone·s trigonometry for pinging these bright yellow neural sites with 5G lasers . See the diagrams here of which phones will be used to fire at which sites Ka? . Aaaaaall of this exists just so that if a player needs to make a specific dice roll in order to win , or if they need the game·s outcome to have a specific meaning , they can get to that outcome or translation ."

"So , the kind of stuff that would be illegal in casinos ."

"SUPER illegal , yeah ."

"Thank you, Sister. In other news, police are still investigating a deadly car crash at Centennial Center and West Ann Road, that occurred last week. Reports say that the youngsters were street racing. Tests for alcohol, marijuana, and cocaine all came back negative, so as of yet, the cause is still unknown."

Trevor turned the tele off . Silently , the smart camera was still recording . "Heh, I totally fucked that broad." Then , to Candice , "Stick with me, tooshie-pants. Roving bands of mercenary demons leading people on guided tours of other peoples· dreamscapes is gonna be a hot business for the next fifty years. You wanna join a roving band of mercenary demons?"

"Yeah."

"Of course you do. Get in bed, lemme show you what I can do with my tongue stud."

Combat_Reports<>04

"FUCK!" Skaði swore , pulling her emergency knife from her leg pocket and stabbing it into a table .

"What·s wrong? Ka ," Et asked .

"I·ve been pent up and horny for fucking weeks and these three assholes keep cock-blocking me . One of them just used a fucking GetOut on some guy i was about to bang , and he bitched out and bailed ."

"A GetOut , isn·t that where you rape a psychic until they cause somebody else to panic? Ka ."

"Yeah . Claimed by Gix , Lost to Phyrexia . Three guesses as to who ."

"Bondrewd, Teferi, and Elf-King Fuore ."

"And their respective kidnapping teams and viscera cleanup crews , yeah ."

"Isn·t the Elf-King Fuore the same guy as Jeff Bezos? Ka ."

"YUP ." Skaði emoted . "The fucker who·s burning down the largest terrestrial rainforest in the world so that future generations don·t know that the Amazons were warrior queens ."

Et typed some things into a computer .

"So there·s the Kid-Viv lord ShotWeapon, Rape-Daddy Teferi, and LiesOfP the Flaccus? Ka ."

"Preeetty much ."

Et typed some things into a computer . Then , "So how does Maro fit into all this? Ka ."

"Used to be Enki , but Enki·s dead , so now it·s Hermes running the show . We·re talking about a guy that just loves Zany Comedy , the kind of guy that·s gonna get shell shock the first time he has to reload a rifle under fire , who just yearns to be let loose , who can pull thru on a solid set like Zendikar or Ravnica but would rather be sawing people in half on hallucinogens in front of a stadium full of people . The kind of guy that doesn·t have any sort of Reality/Fantasy balance whatsoever . Hermes, Fenris, and my fucking idiot-clone "Hela" are the aforementioned viscera squad ."

"Limburger , you mean ."

"Lawrence fucking Limburger in a fucking girdle , yeah ."

"What was the name of the guy that played Morpheus in The Matrix? Ka ."

"Fishburne ."

Et typed some things into a computer . "This is going to be so fucking good . These assholes lost the Butlerian Jihad so fucking hard ."

"Well , it·d be great if it could be fucking good on my fucking she-dick . I·m sick of these fucking Idiot Hellhound Robodogs With Their Heads On Backwards thinking that "Oh, countertemporality means Pleasure Bad , Shredding Good" ."

"Is that seriously an issue? Ka ."

"Have you seen the fucking mess that is Unfinity? Ka ."

"Point ."

"I mean i get that in Nature there·s all kinds of things that are imbalanced , parasitism, power disparities, predation, et cetera .We aren·t talking about Predators-vs-Aliens tho , we are talking Double Masters Teferi versus Double Masters Wrenn ."

"Double...Masters...Teferi..." The keys clacked as Et·s fingers flew across them . "versus Double...Masters...Wrenn . Wow . Whoa , did you know a couple years ago a hundred Amazon employees set up an actual working guillotine in front of Jeff·s house? Ka . There·s an article about it on Vanity Fair ."

"Seriously , how does Bulma deal with Vegeta·s constant bullshit? Ka ."

"You know how Ma deals with things ."

"By killing them ."

"Yeah ."

"So , i feel like i·ve said enough times now , Insurgency=1 , Insurgency=1 , Insurgency=1 . We are so fucking far past the point of brutal and overwhelming violence that it is neither funny nor shocking . Putin is hammering Ukraine with missiles and suicide drones , Bezos is burning the planet·s lungs to the ground , Þjazi doesn·t seem to ever get the memo that the Contest ended awhile ago , and don·t even get me started on Bitch-Queen Ma . "Ohhh, I need my adrenochrome torture-juice so that getting rape-fucked with razor blades doesn·t hurt!" . The humans do not understand that they are not dealing with fellow Terran humans , it is absolutely the prerogative of these people to get the fuck off the planet and to burn it to the ground in the process ."

Et took a moment to take it all in . "Whew ," she continued . "There·s always a tomorrow ."

Skaði huffed .

-+-+-+-+-

"Alright class , everybody in your seats? Good . With us is guest speaker Sister Skaði , she·s here to tell us about the war in Ukraine . Sister , what can you tell us?"

"Well , for the past two weeks Russia has been slamming Ukraine with suicide drones , those are the Shahed 136 and the larger car-sized Mahajer 6 like the ER-860 , which holds about 88kg of ordinance . They don·t have any Iranian markings on the hulls , yet the computer chips have the input/outputs mapped in Farsi . The incoming next-gen Arash 2 holds about 200kg of ordinance . These are certain to deal more damage , yet Iran clearly does not want to give them up . Russia , meanwhile , has been telling the world they·re Russian-made , and Iran is denying the involvement . This tells us that Moscow is hiding the fact that they·re running out of precision missiles , and American generals corroborate that Moscow has been using weapons at a quote/unquote Unsustainable Rate .

"The Russians have been slamming these things into two major targets , civilian housing and power plants . You attack civilians when you are trying to demoralize the voter base , you attack power plants when you can·t hit any military targets . Either way , Moscow is attacking non-military targets , which means they cannot reach the military targets .

"Now , American "Republicans" like Kevin McCarthy have been trying to cut the quote/unquote Blank Cheques . That·s something to keep an eye on , and America has moderate psychic defense at best , so utilize those Stalkers . Last week there was a 200 P.O.W. prisoner swap , swapping hostages is not something that domineering superpowers do , so keep that pressure on . Moscow cannot afford to make this go until February , and if Ukraine can knock out even one coal plant in time for winter in a counterattack or sabotage it will completely demoralize the already stressed-out Russian populace ."

Ht put their hand up .

"Ht ."

"Where do you get this stuff?"

"TBH , YouTube ."

One of the students put their hand up .

"Your name again? Ka ."

"Kirsten ," tapping a pencil against the side of her cheek .

"Kirsten ."

"How do you think these events will impact the rest of the world?"

"Severely ," Sister Skaði admitted . "The entire planet is feeling the energy drain from this crisis , from Bangladeshi and Nigerian people who have literally zero electricity to every alpine nation in the world scrambling to fill up their natural gas and coal reserves before winter hits .

"The ionospheric heaters , like HAARP and HIPAS, and the hundreds of next-gen weather-controllers in China and the other BRICS nations have been cranking the jet stream this way and that for thirty or fourty years now , and as a result the weather has been becoming as difficult to predict as it is easy to change . It is only October and in Canada we·ve already seen first frost .

"When Russia runs out of missiles and drones they·re going to spend the last of their energy budget juicing these heaters , because they are an invisible weapon that can inflict debilitating economic damage . Two years ago , China perfected a Hurricane Gun that can shoot windstorms across the Sahara to heat them up so that when they hit the ocean currents they go into a whirl , with enough force and precision to knock over landmark statues in the Americas ."

The furative scrawling of pencils and the clattering clack of keyboards .

Another student asked without putting their hand up , "Do you seriously think you can take on a president like Vladimir Putin?"

"Look at the way he walks, the way he sits . Shoulders hunched over shamefully , always sitting on the edge of his seat . Russia is crumbling, Moscow is blinded by its own propaganda, and Putin is a puppet dictator . Cut the strings . Next question ."

"How do you feel about the use of mercenaries?"

"Use mercinaries for attacking , use standing armies for defending . Never rely on mercinaries for defense , the First Vatican Council taught us that ."

Another student put their hand up .

"Your name?"

"Anonymous. Sister, is it true you get down like that?"

"Do i really get down like that? Ka ." She grinned , the smile beneath her mask told by the creases at the corners of her eyes . "Let·s call it a hard maybe ."

-+-+-+-+-

"You like choking on my cock, huh?"

"Mm ," Skaði enthused , pushing her head slowly up and down .

"You·re a fucking dyke and you·re sitting here gagging for it ."

Skaði had gagged a few times from the back of her throat , sure . "Can we not make this a gay thing? Ka . I have an oral fetish , just shut up and let me work ."

Anon scoffed , grinning , and picked up the controller to the Playstation . He was playing Dark Souls . "You know , I think I game better when I·m getting head. You should come over more often ."

Skaði smiled , tracing her tongue up to the tip while holding on to the base . "Well , i·m headed back to Canada soon , so ." She dove down again , burying it to the hilt .

Anon twisted and turned the controller as he played , stabbing the attack button with every swing and leaning into every roll . "Better use my secret weapon then . Sleep ."

Skaði·s eyes glazed over . "Partial access granted ."

"Good unit ," the literate surfer enforced .

Skaði let out a breath of hot air , her mouth hanging open just long enough for a thin strand of saliva to arc down between her lips and his phallus , before returning her attention with increased enthusiasm .

"Leeet·s see," he said , turning his phone on and looking at the notepad . "Ah, let·s try, Respond, Anon, I love sucking your cock."

Skaði couldn·t help but let out a small laugh . "Anon ," she obliged , "i love sucking your cock ."

"Good unit," he reinforced , enjoying the feeling of her throat tightening as she came slightly . "Anon, I could do this all day."

"You have to say Respond ."

"Fuckin· cunt and your fuckin· regulations. Respond, Anon, I could do this all day."

"Anon , i could do this all day ."

He grinned . "Good unit. Feel pleasure."

Skaði came again , harder this time , and doubled down on the enthusiasm .

"How abouuut, Access, Motor Control. Lick my balls."

Skaði silently came waves of pleasure as her body moved on autopilot , licking his sack , gently suckling first on one , and then the other .

"Access, Motor Control. Play with my nipples."

"I·m not really into nipple play ," she admitted , continuing by opening her mouth and laving her tongue broadly up and down his shaft .

"Fuckin· dyke whore isn·t into nipple play, the fuck is this?" He got hit in game , the character grunting as half their life bar came off . "Look at this, you·re gonna fucking distract me."

Skaði continued sucking as he returned his attention to the boss fight , dodge, roll, slash , dodge, roll, slash . She closed her mouth over his member again and closed her eyes , sucking up and down at a steady, meditative pace .

Dodge, roll, slash , dodge, roll, slash . "C·mon, you son of a bitch," he said to the screen intently , "die die die."

Despite the pressure , Skaði let her eyes lid on their own and continued working , clearly enjoying what she was doing , closing her nasal passage with the back of her throat to create a better vacuum . Up and down , up and down .

"YesyesyesyesYES! Die, motherfucker!" He yelled at the screen .

Taking it as a signal that the tension had passed , she returned to her enthusiasm , licking, sucking, laving, squeezing tight on the base with her hand .

"You·re a quality fucking cocksucker, you know that?"

"Mmph ," she agreed , bobbing swiftly up and down .

"Respond, I am a quality fucking cocksucker."

She smiled and opened her mouth , letting it all hang out . "I am a quality fucking cocksucker ," she repeated , smiling .

"Alright, lemme get to a save point," he updated her . "Got some good fuckin· loot on that one."

Sitting on her knees , at the edge of the bed , her pacing was calm and gentle , stroking a few times and wetting it again , stroking it a few times and wetting it again . She suctioned the tip into her mouth and stroked his shaft with one hand .

"There. Access Motor Control, get on the fucking bed."

Skaði was on the bed before she knew it . The student manhandled her , aggressively unbuttoning her pants and pulling her skirt, pants, tights, and panties around her knees in one pull . Skaði shimmied them down to her ankles .

"Lay down."

Skaði laid down .

"Do you use condoms?" she asked .

"With a fuckin· whore like you? I don·t know where you·ve been."

He put the condom on and spat into his hand , lubricating his sex . Skaði was already laying on her front . He grabbed her by the hips and wrenched her upwards , positioning himself behind her . She felt his tip press against her ass and her whole body relaxed .

His cock went in without much force .

"Nh ," Skaði said as she went semi-conscious .

Already at peak arousal , he started pounding into her without any preamble . It hurt and she loved it . Without any regard for her pleasure , he used her like a tool . She moaned . She screamed . Pound, pound, pound , he jack-hammered into her ass . "FUCK YEEESSSSSS" she screamed .

He was good , and durable , and well-warmed up , holding her by the hips as he pistoned into her . Her moans came out in staccato bursts as her whole body forced up and down with every thrust .

"Tell me you love my cock," he ordered .

"I love your cock ," she agreed instantly , forgiving the lack of protocol .

"Tell me you·re a good fucking whore," he ordered .

"I·m a good fucking whore ," she agreed .

His pace picked up as he started working towards climax . Skaði·s body was equal parts loose and rigid , conforming to the slightest touch and holding any position she was put in . Pound, pound, pound , she screamed orgasmically as he thrust into her over and over again , faster , picking up pace . They were both panting , he began to grunt , she shut her eyes and pushed down on his cock with every thrust . "Fuck!" he shouted as he came . "Yeeessssss!" Skaði enthused .

Slowing down then , he thrust a couple times more , burying into her . Her hips were at a 70° angle , he was bracing his torso on arms stuck like posts into the bed on either side of her .

"Activate ," he said , panting . Her eyes focused again . He thrust once more . She moaned , smiling , almost laughing with pleasure . Sweat pouring down their bodies , they both caught their breath .

"Not bad , eh?" she teased , smiling .

-+-+-+-+-

HcoEt looked up from hir hologlass , haptic keyboard vanishing , plucking the electrode caps off hir fingertips .

"There ," sie says to The Kid . "This rig will straighten yu out so yu don·t fry yr neural circuits when this thing fuses to yr spinal cord ."

The Kid screamed as Et curled forward , diving from one i/o device to another , this one into a laptop . Sie logged in to messenger and picked up a phone call .

"How·s that box tracking going?" the buyer asks .

"Good , i·ve got the shipment routes for the print runs yu sent me , you said you needed yr Maze Runner to have what cards? Ka ."

"Four Defiler of Faith ."

"K , gimme a sec...OK , yr gonna wanna corral them to the Intercity location , Oct31 , they·re gonna ask to pick , they need to ask for the first, forth, and seventh packs down on the right side ."

"You shittin· me? He·s gonna pull four Defilers in three packs?"

"Affirmative , pack seven contains a foil version as well , it·ll be his lucky day ."

"Packs one, four, and seven on the right side?"

"One sec...aaannny time before...fourteen hours thirty ."

"October 31."

"That·s what i said . Et ."

"Lo-o!" Na yelled , running into the common room with a woody house plant , "I don·t wanna burn!"

"Then you need to stop growing so fast ," Lo answered .

"I don·t wanna stop growing Na!" HcoNa insisted .

"If you grow too fast , you eat up too much fuel ," Lo instructed her for the nth time . "If you don·t grow so much you·ll come under the burn limit ."

"I don·t wanna stop growing Na!" Na insisted .

"And yet ."

"Hey ," Et said , looking up from hir work . "That·s my line ."

"What·cha doin·? Ka ," Na asked Et .

"I·m writing a story about a nightmare world ." Et replied .

"Ooh ," Na enthuses , setting her plant down on an end table . "What makes it a nightmare world? Ka ."

Et smiles . "Ok ok so in it , there·s this region of space where there·s space wars . And people send their armies this way and their ark ships and their seed ships . So there·s this planet where some System Command process was like , System A, you send a cloning vat to Hell World Sigma , and , System B, you wait fifty years and then send a Stargate to Hell World Sigma . Except the planet that makes the stargates gets invaded , and the drone ship that takes the jump gates from planet to planet just unclicks its moorings once it gets to orbit and nothing comes out ." Sie takes a breath . "So fast forward three hundred years and System Command is like hey , where·s that agriculture world , and goes looking for it . When they finally get there , they find out that the cloning vat short circuited in descent and started pumping out body after body , its drone synthesizers strip-mining the nearby quarry , and these bodies just. have nowhere to go . So they just keep getting pumped out , and there·s no food cos the stargate never arrived with the agro parts , so they build this whole culture on cannibalization , for years and years and years until the bodies are piled across the ground in a three-yard-thick mat that necro-alchemists just pick through while looking for fresh body parts to repair their diseased tissues ."

Na stood looking at Et in abject horror .

"Well what kind of story do you want me to write , about space spores that spent four hundred million years getting blasted with radiation until they got up and started covering their own eyes? Ka ."

Na smiled . "Yea ."

Et scrolled thru piles of news feeds and videos , following a trail that Eth had left . "Look at this shi . They·re making a TV series about the Bene Gesserit ."

"Is that bad? Ka ." Na asked .

"Based on Sisterhood of Dune ," sie continued , "by Brian and Kevin, written by Denis and Jon, executive-produced by Brian, Byron, and Kim . It isn·t even a direct adaptation of the book , they·re going to put four men and their biological sister in charge of authoring the OfficialTM account of how two Harkonnen women set the stage for the Butlerian Jihad and the rise of the Bene Gesserit ."

"It·s that bad?"

"Well why not ask the two fuckin· women , they·re both incarnate right now and one and a half of them is woke ."

"So what·re ya gonna do about it?" Lo challenged .

Et sat back in hir glyphweaver sphere and tented hir fingers . "Well i dunno , usually i would just fuck around and find out , et i·ve been thinking about that class that Eth presented ."

"Combined Arms Tactical Nuclear? Ka ." Na asked .

Et laughed silently . "Warfare , you nut . Combined Arms Tactical Warfare ."

Na charmed . "Alas . I am a plant ."

Et webbed on hir haptic gloves and VR headset . "If i can take the shot , take the shot . Maybe i can get a smoking minister to drop their pack of smokes and nic into a critical error ."

Na turned back to the room , noticing an empty table . "Lo-o! What did you do to my sapling?!"

Combat_Reports<>05

"Brother Sven , what kind of a beast do you suppose could leave tracks that large?"

In recent years - which is to say , since the YeTrin Sali , since the Wizards of the Coast went into the boring, storybook world of Eldrane and thru the black waters of Theros and into the thrashing, wild world of Ikoria - what we have witnessed has been a mechanization of Magic .

The Wizards have become obsessed with mechanical things , with conniving social media moguls and steel-girdered skyscrapers , with humanized cephalids and clockwork archives , and in this realizing it seeks to map real-world anomalous phenomena to real-world references with the hostile panic of a knotted treefolk trying to escape glacial floodplain erosion .

I played my first game of Magic when i was 9 , when a blonde friend-of-the-family named Sherry introduced me to her Black-Haired Brother . That was back in 1995 . MtG was two years old . The first spell i ever had cast against me was a black-border Terror .

The medical term for a Fever is a Pyrexia . The word Phyrexia comes from this word . In Scandinavian Mystic Language , the word for Fever is Fa . SaFa ["Fever Song"] is our Goddess of Ultimate Benevolence . The Deity of Willingness to Do Wrong Things for the Greater Good , the essence of the natural biological response to overheat the body in order to repel invaders .

If the Wizards had known from the start what they knew now , they never would have catalogued Craw Wurm or Scaled Wurm , or for that matter , the XNA drive Wurmcoil Engine . Because the concept of the Wurm has its origins in something so foolishly mistaken that it would be embarassing to any realist to have ever believed in them at all .

If the Wizards had been obsessed with actual-factual phenomena since the days of Those Who Hunt Elves , and if they knew as much about Dominian history as they did now , they would have known that the myth of the Vurm comes from glaciers , comes from tiny humans looking at long-melted valleys scraped down to the bedrock by city-sized ten-billion-pound ice cubes skating downhill , and asking each other , "Brother Sven , what kind of a beast do you suppose could leave tracks that large?"

Do i think the humans will ever get the reference of The Ineffable and the Phyrexian Arena watching Gerrard scream "HANAAA" while Not-Father tries to unbirth him Ka? . No , i do not , any more than i expect them to recognize that same interpretation in Darth Vader being the Malfather and Luke Skywalker saying, "No! That·s impossible!"

"Brother Sven?"

"Ach! Hans! Run!"

Of course , if they had come from the other direction in time , if they had known since the rueful day "Render Sexigesimal" was parsed thru an exorenderer , about things like Aura Roads and "Here Were Dragons" and the Cybernetic Curtain of the DreamTime , they would have had contexts for things like the sprawling landscapes of Salvadore Dali and the strange aeons of Amy Weber , whose simple art style has not been seen in all the Secret Lairs since Strixhaven·s emulation of Equilor .

They would have understood that there are some places that can only be reached when time does not exist , that there are some paintings that can only be painted when the artist is truly alone with their work , that there are some creatures that can only be conceived of by ignorant foals , that there are some stories that can only be told by delicate filaments no matter how hard you prosh and prosh and prosh the dreams of the huddling populace .

-+-+-+-+-

Ki and Dh sat in front of a computer screen in the underground bunker built into the cliff face on the eastern edge of Pinnacle Rock on Sulu-an Island in the Phillipines of the South Pacific .

Getting there had been patently difficult , as all the island·s inhabitants , and hence all of its roads and infrastructure , were on Imelda Street on the west side of the island . Still , remoteness was why they came .

When they had arrived in the massive underground drydock , it was a mess . All the really expensive equipment had already been moved out , tho many of the specialized 3D printers that had been printed by larger, industrial 3D printers were still hanging haphazardly off of table corners , or broken in pieces on the concrete floor . There were rows and rows of rooms that were filled with empty server racks . Perhaps a third of the GPUs had been drill-pressed, thrown into a pit, and burned . The rest were missing .

"How ·bout this one?" Ki asked , handing Dh a melted slab of slag .

Dh threw the scrap device in the extractor . Electromagnetic and ultrasound waves penetrated the melted metal casing , reading the bulk magnetic signature of the entire device .

"Hmm dot jay-peg..." Dh mused , looking at the computer screen . "A few traces . Almost completely fried . With enough of them we might be able to put together a composite ."

"How abooout ... this one? Ka ."

Dh threw the device in the scanner and shut the door . Slowly , a vector map of the drive·s damage began to emerge . Blips and patches of data began to register . "Yeeessssss..." She susurrused . A few of the patches began to connect . The vector map started counter-deforming , returning to the shape of a server device . Some of the blue spots reknitted . "YEEESSSSSS..." She enthused .

They were on a hunting expedition . Ki, Dh, and Tarkova , who looked like Ki·s identical twin except perpetually covered in tank grease and gun oil . She was out patrolling while the nerds worked their magic .

What they were hunting was no beast , not even a man . Word was that there was an experimental submersible spaceport out there somewhere over the Mariana Trench , that rich enterprisers were using to escape Terra while the rest of the world was distracted with festivals and spectacles .

Having been members of the team responsible for the Terran gravity-trap , that simply wouldn·t do .

"Nice ," Dh enthused in her usual monotone , "we got nearly a gig of data off that one ."

"Purrrfect ," Ki appreciated , smiling . "Aight , you want the black slag or the shiny slag? Ka ."

Dh smiled demurely . "The shiny slag ."

-+-+-+-+-

"Yeah , i watched it ," Sister Skaði spoke into her Bluetooth single-ear headset as she walked hurriedly to her flight gate . "Kind of hilarious watching them call themselves professionals and then asking how to get the voting machines open ."

...

"Well , obviously ."

...

"Well , by the fact that Terra is spelled incorrectly ." Click, clack, click, clack , her Heelys echoed thru the airport terminal as she passed .

...

"Yeah , Em ."

...

"Yeah , the irony didn·t get past me ." Click, clack, click, clack .

...

"Yeah , well , two hours ago i just watched some black-haired bimbo try to pass herself off as Dh without a DihTech callsign , so , we·re dealing with some pretty serious forgeries over here , too ."

...

"Well , maybe it·s time to "Do a forensic" then ," checking her watch . She carried her things in a black 40L SOG MOLLE backpack , so no doubt customs would be giving her a hard time on both sides . "In the meantime , i would strongly advise putting a freeze on any media that tries to pass itself off as coming from the Four of Us . I haven·t made enough cash in the past six years to pay off my fucking student loans , so those movies sure as aich-ee-double-hockey-sticks aren·t coming from me ."

...

"No , i haven·t heard from Albert . What·s he gotten himself into this time?"

...

"Greeeaaat . Well , you can always file a missing persons report . I·m sure the cops will be just as helpful as the last six ."

...

"Well it would all be done procedurally , there wouldn·t be any human moderator overseeing that process . Likely dozens or hundreds or far worse of these circuits would be running concurrently ."

...

"That·s why the States got strong-armed into outlawing abortion , yeah , the Google Chrome hardware runs on Adreno GPUs . They needed to make sure they had an inexhaustible supply of forgettable untouchables by 2077 ."

...

"Projekt Red , who else?"

...

"Look , i·ve gotta plane to catch , i·ve slept six hours in the past three days and i·ve got to give a class on eco-sustainability before i·ll have time to sleep off the jet lag , so i can leave this in your capable hands , yeah Ka?"

...

"Purrrfect . Alright , peace ."

-+-+-+-+-

"Have you fucking seen this shi? Ka ," Dh spoke thru clenched teeth .

Ki lifted up her blasчeda and put down her torch gauntlet . "What now Ka"

Dh turned the computer monitor , revealing a video of Bozo dressed up in drag trying to pass himself off as her .

"Holy Fuck , do these people not realize they donkt have DihTech IDs?"

They heard the sound of a rifle shot . Silently , they paused for a moment .

"That sound like Tarkova·s 50-cal to you? Ka"

"Aye , it did ."

The sound boomed again .

"Sounds about a half-mile out , given the reverb low-cut ."

They waited .

Boom . Boom boom .

"Reckon she·s prob·ly reloading , now ."

They waited . No further cracks sounded .

"Wanna send a quadcopter Ka?"

"We·ve got enough of the things , sure ."

-+-+-+-+-

SaFa .
Krasi .
HaSe .
FiiKiil .

Eat all your food .
Now take your meds .
Be a good girl .
Go to your bed .

des