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Captain (substantive Battlemaster, promotion from Battle Captain effective three days before) Zhen'var f/k/a Zhengli Varma had arrived on the ASV Huáscar one month before her commissioning ceremony for the intensive trials and efforts which would result in her being stood up as an active-duty ship of the Alliance Stellar Navy. A month of shipyard trials being run by the dockyard personnel with Lt. Commander (substantive Battle Expert) Elia Saumarez as the ranking naval officer had concluded with a reasonable punchlist of items to be corrected, and soon after the Battle of Germania Captain Zhen'var had arrived to assume command. The pre-commissioning trials had shaken loose a few more problems, and the shipyard personnel were still working to remedy them in many areas of the ship even as the ceremony was being held.
Within a week of her commissioning ceremony, she was expected to leave for a month-long final shakedown cruise under regular commission with her crew at full list strength and her arms lockers and magazines full. When it was finished, she would begin to receive regular duty assignments as a part of the Fleet. Thus it would be only three months and one week after her physical completion as a functional ship that she would be fully operational, as a testament to the efficiency of the shipbuilders.
The ceremony was held at Naval Fleet Base Alexandra in H1E4 on the docking-arm main assembly concourse. Admiral Maran was there, as well as the Foreign Minister and Warmaster Shai'jhur. The Foreign Secretary was of course the first to speak. Lentiro Onaran was a Dorei gentleman with ocean blue eyes and teal spots, dressed in a yellow and bronze formal suit of Dorei fashion as he came to the podium. In attendance, in formation, were the crews of the Huáscar and the Heermann, all in their dress uniforms. The Marine complement was present, too, in their own dress blues, the officers in their dress whites.
Everyone was there: There was Commander Imra, decorated twice for bravery. Daria Seldayiv, her bright colouration contrasting with the white of the uniform, decorated much the same. So was Lt. Commander Poniatowska and several of the others. There was Elia and Will, Operations and XO, the two most important people, Zhen'var's Hands, looking a bit uncomfortable at the ranks of medals and campaign ribbons a hell of a lot of their subordinates had. None of the medals matched the odd contrast of the two that Zhen'var wore. One was for operations over Germania, and one was the Line Medal. It stood above even the highest decorations for bravery in the whole of the Alliance. It was the medal which let someone know that you had held the Line, and there was no equal, save perhaps if the Spartans had seen fit to strike one for Thermopylae.
In the audience was one fellow in a uniform like Shai'jhur's, with a medal like Zhen'var's. Governor the Battlemaster Ari'shan, looking uncomfortable between his Line Medal and the ribbon hanging low from his neck showing him the Grand Chief of the Order of the Champions that Warmaster Shai'jhur had created to award valor. He couldn't help but keep peeking a look toward his son in the ranks of the pilots in their sky-blue full dress uniforms. Close by his side was Commander Montgomery Scott, having arranged to be in attendance for Anna Poniatowska, one of his engineers like Tom Barnes, and now standing up to commanding the engineering spaces of her own ship.
Minister Onaran cleared his throat and politely steadied himself on the podium. "Gentlebeings, welcome to Fleet Base Alexandra. I shall keep my remarks short. I would not be present for the commissioning of a conventional warship, however, the Huáscar is a bold experiment at inclusion which promises to realise the great objective of 'a more perfect union'. Crewed equally between the nations of the Alliance and a State in the admissions process, the Huáscar shall demonstrate the power and potential of the alliance to represent all nations in the Alliance's stand for peace and sapient rights throughout the Multiverse.
"The hour of supreme danger in the formation of the Alliance is over, and the terrible power of the Nazi Reich has been forever broken. Now is our chance for bold experiments to build the peace and hold our course as a beacon of liberty. The Multiverse still has many dangers in it, and to maintain the vision of the Alliance against those dangers, the Stellar Navy assumes all risks. In welcoming the Dilgar into the Stellar Navy, we make a powerful lesson for this Multiverse: The sins of the past will be forgiven in the deeds of the present, and nothing else. And nothing is more appreciated than the absolute willingness of the Dilgar nation to demonstrate those deeds. Your thirty-five ships and twenty-five divisions at Germania made the difference between victory and defeat. Your willingness to adapt to the Alliance is a testament to your future course. We want to walk this course hand in hand, eventually as one. And with that vision in mind, we bring the Huáscar to life, as one exemplar of a shared sacrifice in duty and honour to the ideals and mission of the Alliance. Without further ado, I present Warmaster Shai'jhur, Head of State of the Honourable Union of Tira and Rohric."
Slight and frail, with her grey-tinged fur, Shai'jhur stepped to the podium next. She held her right hand out as a gesture, moving it in short, sharp movements. "Comrades and friends, today we are gathered to celebrate something I long held as an objective. I believed urgently and correctly that our future would be in understanding humans, and appealing to humans with our deeds and with the moral reform of our society. This comprehensive reform, which evidenced itself in the way Dilgar voluntarily took up dharma study and democratic institutions founded on a completely indigenous conception of participatory government, led us to the moment over Tira where we could justly proclaim ourselves the wronged party, fighting for our lives and our homes, and desirous of being allies and members of the great experiment of the Allied Systems.
"Today is the culmination of that effort. We will stand together as allies and friends all on the same ship, as we stood together in the fleets over Welthauptstadt Germania. Huáscar is now a unique name for the Dilgar, since it was the name of the ship which also defended Tira under Captain Zhen'var. When I subsequently read the history of the name, I was struck by the amazing courage which marked this ship. I decided the name had to live on in the Alliance Service, and Admiral Maran as Chief of Naval Operations kindly agreed with me. I thank our allies and I also take our place of pride: In four months we mobilized one-point-five million Dilgar to fight this war. Our population has barely reached forty-five million; in fact half that number, about two percent of our entire population saw action on the fronts against the Reich, even though they were engaged for a brief time. I do not wish our new friends in the Alliance to think this was but a single burst of activity for our people. We shall make ourselves useful henceforth as well, and to me, the Huáscar is the manifestation of that promise to our friends and allies. Be proud, Huáscareños, no matter what your blood is, you are the spirit and the future of the Dilgar Champions!"
She stepped aside, flashing a wryly pleased look to Admiral Maran as he approvingly went to the podium next. He coughed, and smiled. "Gentlebeings, together we are gathered here to give life to a ship. The Huáscar is no common ship, but one of the finest, newest ships of the fleet, a showcase of the technology which was brought to us by the Aurora, of the legacy of the Darglan. Her mission is simultaneously exploratory and military, to be one of the foremost ships in defence, humanitarian aid, and discovery that we can field. She will follow in the footsteps of sisters and half-sisters like the Aurora, Enterprise and Excalibur. Yet for all her technology, it is the sapient intelligence, the power and emotion, the service and the honour, of those who crew her, that truly matters.
"When her name was proposed to me by Warmaster Shai'jhur, I hesitated in agreeing. First, I turned to the histories of the name. They reassured me immediately. Here was a ship whose crew, in the service of two nations, had followed Right, rather than the simple, the easy path. Many of them paid for it with their lives. Our mission is not an easy nor a safe one, and theirs was much less so. They stayed the course, just like the most recent Huáscar did with her terrible and painful choice and struggle over Tira. We honour all of that with her name. Most of all, though, I believe as, a Gersallian, we can learn a great deal from the first Huáscareños. It was Captain Miguel Maria Grau Seminario who, on defeating the Chilean Esmeralda and seeing Captain Arturo Prat of the same struck down on Huáscar's decks in a ferociously brave boarding action, decided to write this most tender message to Captain Prat's widow:
Dear Madam:
I have a sacred duty that authorizes me to write you, despite knowing that this letter will deepen your profound pain, by reminding you of recent battles.
During the naval combat that took place in the waters of Iquique, between the Chilean and Peruvian ships, on the 21st day of the last month, your worthy and valiant husband Captain Mr. Arturo Prat, Commander of the Esmeralda, was, like you would not ignore any longer, victim of his reckless valor in defense and glory of his country's flag.
While sincerely deploring this unfortunate event and sharing your sorrow, I comply with the sad duty of sending you some of his belongings, invaluable for you, which I list at the end of this letter. Undoubtedly, they will serve of small consolation in the middle of your misfortune, and I have hurried in remitting them to you.
Reiterating my feelings of condolence, I take the opportunity of offering you my services, considerations and respects and I render myself at your disposal.
(Signed) Cpt. Miguel Grau
"This great humanitarian soon enough fell in battle in the defence of his country in the terrible War of the Pacific. The Chilean service of the Huáscar was no less meritorious than that for Peru, and the ship remained as a museum, a reminder of the heroism of two nations, a promise of peace and reconciliation between two peoples--the grave of two brave men. It is that spirit which transcends the name Huáscar being something heroic, and makes it into an ideal, just like the ideal of the Aurora and the ideal of the Enterprise. Truly, we should all meditate on the story of the Huáscar and be happy and confident that her latest incarnation shall serve as those of the past have served.
"As for her Captain, Captain Zhen'var served valiantly in the attack on Welthauptstadt Germania, providing critical naval support. Her record there is well-publicised, so is her record over Tira, where she lost her home and her command for the sake of what is Right and Just. These were not easy choices, and they showed she was a fit woman for the Alliance, where we shall always strive to make Right and Justice the values for which we fight. In closing, I will simply say that the rest of her career requires no explanation and her choices require no defence. This is her ship to bring to life. Captain Zhen'var, please report."
"Admiral Maran, Captain Zhen'var reporting, aye!" She wheeled out to the side, stepped forward, and came to attention, forcing her hand not to salute by raw strength of will to avoid the wrong tone at the ceremony. Twenty years of muscle memory screamed at her and reminded her how informal the Alliance service was even at a time like this.
"Captain Zhen'var, I hereby give to you the commissioning pennant of the ASV Huáscar. By the power vested in me by President Morgan and the Government of the Alliance, you are directed to proceed without delay in crewing the Huáscar and insuring that every billet is taken to strength, securing that she is structurally fit for War in every respect, and taking aboard all the stores and arms required for her service as a Ship of War in regular commission."
"Sir, I accept my charge and order, Sir!" She again forced herself not to salute and accepted the commission pennant into her hands.
"You may step forward and speak," Admiral Maran added with a gentle, almost grandfatherly smile, as he stepped to the side.
Zhen'var stepped forward to the podium. "Thank you, Admiral Maran. Gentlebeings, Huáscareños, I would like to add a little bit to the story of Captain Miguel Grau. You see, Latin America in the 19th century had endured wars which were utterly terrible, and traditionally governed by things like the Decree of War to the Death. Prisoners were not taken, or were brutalized and then killed. Atrocities governed the liberation wars against Spain and often occurred subsequently. Nothing like the Geneva Convention existed. But instead of decency being imposed from without, it grew from within. Miguel Grau was part of that process, the Knight of the Seas, famous for his humanitarian conduct toward his prisoners of war and civilians.
"He gave his life cleanly and bravely, fighting for his country on the deck of his little ironclad against overwhelming odds. In that way his life is a lesson in both humanitarianism and in courage. He reminds me strongly of another man, who the crew of an earlier Heermann than our own were some of the last to see alive. A man who's struggle with Rightness, to uphold dharma and condemn adharma, was a personal one in which he overcame the prejudice of his time. He was refused for the Naval Academy because of his three-fourths Indian blood, enlisted, and promptly won an academy spot anyway for merit. In the American participation in the Great Pacific War or Second World War, he first served on a destroyer forced to flee during the East Indies campaign.
"He swore his first taste of defeat would be his last. On October 25th, 1944, he was in command of his own destroyer, the USS Johnston, when confronted by the overwhelming force of the Japanese Combined Fleet. With the rest of the screen out of position, and his ship the nearest, he immediately launched a headlong torpedo attack against four battleships, eight heavy cruisers, two light cruisers, and twelve destroyers. Delivering his torpedoes and crippling the Japanese cruiser Kumano, his ship was shattered with a dozen rounds of main-calibre fire.
"Breaking off into the squalls, he received the order of Admiral "Ziggy" Spruance that all screen ships were to conduct a general attack. His torpedoes exhausted, two fingers from his left hand severed by shrapnel, half his ship's propulsion plant disabled, limited to seventeen knots with the helm worked by the chain falls on the steering gear, he swung back into line and attacked the full strength of the Imperial Japanese Navy a second time. Again taken under intense fire, the bridge was hit by main-calibre shellfire and most of his command staff slain. Badly wounded, Evans was last seen cheerfully waving to the Captain of the Samuel B. Roberts as he stood on the fantail of the Johnston, shouting helm orders to the men on the falls and steering closer to the enemy to engage a third time, his ship a burning ruin.
"I will be plain with you, Huáscareños. Evans' words when he commissioned the Johnston are my words exactly, and we will all pray to the Almighty that we will not see the day we must true them. 'This ship is going to be a fighting ship. I intend to go in Harm's Way, and anyone who doesn't want to go along had better get off right now.'"
The Dilgar rankers erupted into cheers that sounded much like howls and growls. "Harm's Way is the Valiant Way!" they cheered in their native tongue, the translators working to capture the intent. To avoid the moment being lost for the human crew of the Huáscar, Zhen'var raised her fist into the air. "Viva Huáscar!"
"Viva Huáscar!"
"Viva Huáscar!"
"Viva Huáscar!"
As the three cheers finished rolling across the hall, Zhen'var turned, ramrod straight, to face Elia Saumarez, and presented the commissioning pennant to the black-gloved woman. "Lieutenant Commander, your order is to man the ship and bring her to life!"
"Aye-aye, Sir!" She spun on heel and marched to the front of the column of the assembled. "Huáscareños, man the ship and bring her to life!"
With Will at her side, Zhen'var stepped back up to Admiral Maran. Again her arm twitched. "Sir, by your instruction, the Huáscar has been crewed. I invite you to inspect the crew at review stations."
"Your offer is accepted, Captain. Lead on."
They toured the crew mess, engineering, the bridge, the magazines and ammunition lockers, the flight decks, the Marines' bunkerage, the science labs, seeing in the crew turned out, lining the main halls at attention in their dress whites. Ari'shan, as a distinguished guest, accompanied the Captain and XO and Admiral Maran. The Foreign Secretary had already gone off to his next important event.
A group of Dilgar officers were waiting, at attention. Behind them was one of the most impressive pictures that Will had ever seen. It was a terrible visage of a half-ruined ironclad ship, surrounded by four others, two close, two far, pouring fire on it. Wrecked and burning, the ruin in the heart of the formation returned fire fitfully, but defiant.
"Admiral, Captain. Our gift for the Mess." The leading woman, in a Lieutenant's uniform, bowed. "La combate de Angamos. We wished to show we could be true Huáscareños to the memory of such a man as Grau, too! His death was as valiant as a Dilgar could seek. Please, accept the token, that we may never bring dishonour to our name."
"It is a very fitting work." Zhen'var leaned in at the detail of the canvas, and nodded. "I accept the gift in the spirit it is presented, Lieutenant. It shall hang in the mess, as a reminder of our profession - and our traditions."
"You honour us, ma'am." The officers came to attention and saluted. Unlike Zhen'var, they didn't even bother to try and stop themselves. The punishment in the Union Navy was too harsh to consider anything else.
Afterwards, Zhen'var and Will went to Zhen'var's ready room with Admiral Maran to meet Commander Imra--and Warmaster Shai'jhur. The ready room had its own portrait, of Miguel Grau, a copy of one commissioned long ago for the Peruvian Naval Academy.
As the junior Dilgar officer there, Zhen'var stiffened to attention, and spoke conversationally for the sake of the other two there; "Here stands a Warmaster!"
"At ease, Captain," Shai'jhur responded mildly, stuffing her hands into her pockets and looking coolly at the image of Miguel Grau. "It's a good reminder to keep in your office, Captain."
"He was a remarkable man," Maran agreed, moving to sit with the Warmaster. "At ease, Commanders. Please sit with us as well."
Zhen'var moved to sit, glancing about the still sparsely decorated ready room, making mental notes what she'd place where, and what she would have to try and find. "The crew is ready, from my impressions."
"I agree," Maran said. "They snapped to duty with a remarkable alacrity, and your handling of the matters of cultural integration like the cheer was very wise. I don't think integration is going to prove a difficulty at all." A slight frown. "However, your shakedown cruise could be relatively difficult. For reasons that are not particularly germaine, you are to conduct your shakedown cruise in E5B1."
The captain's face stilled, though she gave a single nod. "Of course, Admiral. Do you have the briefing, then?" Could be relatively difficult? That is quite the understatement.
"You will be proceeding to reinforce the Darglan patrol, and conform to the orders of Captain Feroi of the Riachuelo. There are intelligence indications of instability in Interstellar Alliance territory focused on the Earth Alliance. That is a suitable duty for a shakedown cruise, for the duration you will have a supporting role only."
"Of course, Admiral. We will stand ready to support Captain Feroi's command as-ever may be necessary." Her response was automatic, though already, her mind was thinking to what she'd seen from the news reports, trying to think of what it could be in the recently unstable Alliance.
"Then, there is one final consideration," Shai'jhur now spoke, softly, and deliberately. "Battlemaster Ari'shan will be your guest aboard for the shakedown cruise. He is there at the special request of the Alliance government… Provide him every bit of assistance possible. His mission is primarily a diplomatic one, but unfortunately the details cannot be forthcoming at this time."
"I obey in ignorance, Warmaster." She replied, wondering if there were any more problems that were about to be thrown her way. The war hero of the Dilgar War, who'd fought on the Line and actually shot down several Nials? No pressure at all, Zhen'var!
"Thank you, Captain." Shai'jhur exchanged a sharp look with Admiral Maran, who sighed.
"My apologies, Captain. Your ship will bear this trial as her first, however. And I am confident in the outcome." He rose, Shai'jhur rose. The other officers moved to depart.
Shai'jhur paused at the door, turned back, and winked. "It will be fine, daughter-Zhen." With that, she too departed.
Zhen'var flopped back into her desk chair, and carefully forced the informality of first names she would soon get used to through her lips--and one name that she had plenty of familiarity with. "Will, please get Anna and Elia up here so we can start planning. We are going to start with the assumption that our playing backup for the Darglan guardship is going to last for all of five minutes, and go from there!"
"Matters of Honour"
Act 1
Spacers, by and large, thought space to be beautiful. For the most part the crew of the Huáscar was no exception, loving the space around them. They were after all volunteers. Even the Dilgar had been volunteers, at least for this duty. They held themselves a breed apart, but so did many sorts of people, for many different reasons.
With her crew still settling down, a week into the voyage, Zhen'var had invited her senior officers to dinner. Will, Abebech, Anna, Elia, Nah'dur, Fei'nur. Operations was "over the others" as a matter of practice, though by rights one could argue that Lar'shan could be invited--however, Zhen'var treated Abebech as the supreme commander of her attached parasite forces, fighters as much as the Heermann, and it made a certain level of sense, since the Heermann could easily be used as a Forward Air Control ship for the fighter wing.
She held a brief moment of silence at the start of the meal, as the inherently multicultural nature of the Service dictated. They were an intensely eclectic bunch, as Zhen'var's eyes roved over the group. Each was settling into their roles, and she smiled as the moment of silence ended.
"Our mission has lasted longer than five minutes, thank the Divine for small favours. Your reports all indicate that everything is coming together well."
"Ship operations are as smooth as can be expected after a relatively short duration of operations. We're meeting our objective metrics for decreases in response time across drill scenarios, though not really outperforming them, either," Elia explained, gloved hands slicing fish. They ate a lot of replicated fish to keep group meals respectful of everyone's diets. "Which is management speak for 'we're meeting your objectives, Captain, but not exceeding them.'" She grinned.
Anna was eating her salmon with a dill sauce, and looked up thoughtfully. "Engineering is exceeding objectives for recommended times in reactor shutdown drills. I've always considered that a personal objective. The rest is within metrics."
"Is the breakdown the same across the operating divisions, Elia?" Will asked.
She shook a gloved hand in the air. "Mostly. Tactical is bringing up the tail, but it's strictly due to the lack of experience in anyone except L'tenant Seldayiv."
"That sounds like an excellent reason for more holodeck sim time." Huáscar's crew already found (in)famous their Captain's love of the things for training, though trying to get a recreational pass was another matter entirely.
"I could devote some time to one run as the OPFOR," Abebech remarked pleasantly from her side of the table. She ate, but it always seemed like she was just picking at her food.
"Merciful God, that might humiliate Daria a bit," Elia looked skyward.
"Do not crush their spirits, Commander, but do not go easily on them either. I need them to get better, not feel the effort impossible." Zhen'var replied, neatly nibbling apart another morsel of fish.
"Of course, Captain." Abebech drizzled some sugar into her coffee and stirred the froth.
"I'll go over some strategies with Daria tomorrow on accelerating their learning in the sims," Will added, jotting down a note on a pad. By mutual consensus Zhen'var and Will had banned omnitool use at the dinner to avoid distractions--department heads could easily spend all night signing e-docs--and had to lead by examples.
"Thank you. Colonel?"
"No problems, Captain, though a real battle will do more than anything else to settle the differing cultures in the detachments." She grinned, as Zhen'var shook her head.
"So noted, but I am not going to try and give you one. Surgeon-Commander?"
"Oh, ah, Captain. Everything is fine in sickbay. The Mha'dorn Mental Hygienist--Lieutenant Va'tor--has established her evaluation schedule for the secure information authorizations and I have ninety percent compliance with physical standards and get-well plans for the rest."
Will leaned over to Elia. "...Do they really call them mental hygienists?"
Elia grinned. "I know it sounds bad, but she's just a therapist."
"Yes, the Dilgar have therapists. I know this is something the wider multiverse will not believe even after meeting her." The captain's voice was intensely dry as she took a sip of her tea.
"So, how long is our VIP going to be aboard?" Anna asked from her side of the table. There wasn't much else to cover at the moment, and it was odd.
"I assume until he leaves." There was a pause, before she broke into a smile. "More seriously, do they ever really tell the Fleet why they are hosting VIPs for no reason? I am sure there is some reason we do Not Need to Know."
"Yet." Will added with a cheerful grin.
"Spare us surprises," Elia gestured grandiloquently with a wry roll of her eyes.
"Oh, at least there will be excitement when we find out." Zhen'var gave a soft laugh as she replied.
The dinner turned to some lighter topics, and lingered for a while, until the officers slowly let themselves out when Zhen'var signalled it over. In the end, it was just her, Will and Abebech, Captains and XO.
"Well, Captain, quite the merry bunch. Feels almost amazing not to be thrown straight into fighting, too," Will chuckled.
"We needed it, and I am grateful. We shall be in desperate combat soon enough. Thank you for being here, both of you. You've both proven yourselves even better than your files said."
"I execute my orders, Captain," Abebech smiled. "Thank you for the endorsement, nonetheless--it does mean much to me. Will and I shall try to avoid being your Attacker mafia." The last sentence raised a chuckle from her fellow Commander.
"Well, thank you for that! I disagree, profoundly, with how they're organized. We are one crew, one ship in two hulls, and should be inseparable."
"I concur. It is an idiosyncratic operational system which comes down to a good personal relationship between the three of us to be successful."
"The good news is that I think we have one. Other ships are not nearly so lucky. Have a good evening, Commanders. I have the usual drudgery of daily reports to finish."
"Thank you," they chorused, and rose, leaving Zhen'var alone to retire to her ready room and cabin.
It would be shortly after she had settled down when the chime activated on the door and the computer provided that slightly-too-helpful introduction. "Governor Ari'shan of Tira."
The Dilgar woman frowned as she triggered the unlock from her console, forcing herself to rise to her feet with a soft groan under her breath. "Governor. What brings you here so late?" Datapads and holo-displays covered the desk in neat stacks before her as she waved the lights marginally brighter.
"Captain Zhen'var," he stepped in politely, remaining standing. "My apologies, but the final details of my mission came through, and I wanted to inform you immediately."
"Go ahead, Governor. Sit, please." Her look was more than a bit wary. "It does not involve you flying a starfighter, does it?"
"Certainly not. It's part of a diplomatic effort," he answered, moving to sit as offered. "As you may recall, I made friends with many of the Earth Alliance Intelligence personnel who debriefed me after my capture."
"I do." She felt her face still slightly, almost involuntarily. Anything involving Earth was still an intensely raw nerve. "I am suspecting I see where this is going, but, please, continue."
"You certainly are well-aware of the reality that tensions between the Allied Systems and the Earth Alliance are at an all-time high… It was your mother who explained to me many of the moral principles that are the basis of our government's legitimate criticism of the Earth Alliance, in fact. There is a fear these could escalate, and a desire to prevent it--a desire which is fervently held by EAI. They're trying to reach out to me to arrange a series of informal talks to discuss issues between our nations and reduce tensions at the institutional level."
"The deep state indeed… very well, Your Excellency. What do you need from Huáscar?" She took in the information and accepted it, without making any comment of how awkward it was for her.
"I'm not sure who had the idea of using your ship, Captain," Ari'shan offered, perceptive enough to see the unspoken comment. "You will just host talks on the frontier with claimed Earth Alliance space. It is only ten hours by warp, and their ship should arrive eight hours after that, roughly, from the intelligence message I just received."
"Perhaps someone who does not want the talks to succeed. Very well, Excellency. I will brief Fei'nur to have security measures in place, and we'll keep to a moderate speed to not raise suspicions from others, but I will be briefing my senior officers first thing in the ship's morning."
Hangar operations was located in a build-out that the earlier members of the class lacked, a sponsoned, windowed control tower molded into the hull lines on the starboard side above the main dorsal hangar as an additional hull blister. There, Chief Warrant Officer Anastasia "Stasia" Héen was queen of the void in the immediate vicinity of the Huáscar, dishing it out to the pilots with her handleless navy mug in one hand and microphone on her headset pressed not-quite to her lips in her light blue starfighter forces uniform, the septum ring as a personalized touch from her Tlingit ancestry. Her voice brooked the steady confidence of a civilian professional, handling the operations like air traffic control, the impersonal voice of God, between slugs of the dubious coffee made from an actual pot in PriFly rather than a replicator.
Surrounded by glass, windows to give a 360 degree view of the dorsal surface, crew working at a dozen screens that processed anything from sensor displays to control boards for monitoring space utilization inside of the hangars, it was second only to main engineering as a place of apparent action on the ship. It also offered the perfect place for Ari'shan to watch his son.
"Do you have the waypoints confirmed, Sir?" Stasia glanced over to Lieutenant Arterus tr'Rllaillieu, the ship's Astrogation Officer.
"Confirmed and set," Arterus repeated from his temporary console. "You are free to execute, Airboss."
"WC-50 Actual," Stasia keyed the channel over to reach out to the commander-on-scene of the 50th Naval Flight Wing, Lar'shan, "you are clear for grid area epsilon-43, repeated epsilon-43. Navigation waypoints set and locked for high energy manoeuvring. I have placed recovery shuttles in epsilon-42 station ninety-alpha and epsilon-38 station seventy-foxtrot, over. Proceed at your discretion."
"Huáscar PriFly, this is WC-50 Actual. Commencing high energy manoeuvres through grid area epsilon-43. The squadron is now manoeuvring according to engagement waypoint pattern. I read epsilon-42, epsilon-38 as locked and nav on all fighters confirming restrictions."
"Restrictions verified and set. You are clear, WC-50 Actual. Huáscar PriFly out."
Ari'shan watched the holotank in PriFly that was, now that the wing had rapidly moved beyond visual range, his only image of what was going on. He watched as the fighters blossomed in a half-a-hundred directions and began a series of manoeuvres, not for combat, but just to practice deconfliction and close-quarters handling without collisions. His son was there, directing them all.
"He's a damned fine pilot, Sir," Stasia remarked as she watched the holotank herself, old-style headset dangling--she wanted to avoid the sometimes imperfect computer-directed voice pickup in a operations room that had a dozen people. Also, it was a tool of the trade.
Ari'shan smiled up to the taller human woman. "I wouldn't go around denying that."
"He speaks in glowing tones about you, Sir. Damned fine pilot yourself, I would think?"
"...That, perhaps, he needs to do less of."
Arterus stepped up to the older Dilgar ace's side. "I confess, from the way he does, Sir, it seems like you should have been given your own wing or two for Germania simply by asking."
Ari'shan smiled, in a way Stasia interpreted as wan. "Perhaps it is so, but I am getting old, and don't have any flight time since the Line. Reflexes ultimately grow slow, and I've never commanded a warship. Or even served in the operating crew of one."
Perhaps it could have been left at that, but instead he continued, his eyes never leaving the holotank even as he spoke of something unrelated to his son's manoeuvres. "It was also a delicate time on Tira, and they needed someone of the Old Imperium to guide them into our future. War Expert Fiy'jash was … Unwell, and the Warmaster wanted me. At the end, I spoke at length with my mate and with the Warmaster's eldest daughter Battlemaster Tia'jhur and we agreed that, as odd it is for me, my place was there, not in the cockpit. This is a time for my son's glories."
"To everything there is a season," Stasia murmured, and then turned aside to deal with something.
"It's hard to admit there's a time when the front-rank is no longer for you," Arterus remarked. "Few would be able to overcome the vanity."
"Well," Ari'shan laughed, "Front-line service, yes. But not completely. As the civilian governor I am fortunately not supreme commander of the defence force, which lets me serve in the reserves as a Wing Commander for one of our aerospace fighter wings. I expect I might still do a little to even the odds for the reservists."
Considering the man's reputation, Arterus couldn't help but laugh. He expected Ari'shan would do altogether much more than 'even the odds'. There was something very Rihannsu in the unassuming, droll tone to an expectation of mayhem that sentence had promised. He liked the man.
Then an alarm trilled and Stasia jerked to the side, studying the holo. "Distortion in Epsilon-39 -- that's a jump point. Block it off as an incoming."
"Incoming, Epsilon-39," one of her plotters repeated.
"WC-50 Actual," Stasia toggled her line to Lar'shan's fighter. "We have incoming. Keep your wing clear of Epsilon-39 and stand by for orders from Huáscar Actual."
The ship that arrived was an Omega, as yet unmodified. She ran close to the border after leaving hyperspace and her thrusters fired and fired again to line her up to tread along the imaginary line in space. Zhen'var came up to the bridge a minute later.
"Captain," Elia came to attention. "The ship is the EAS Charybdis. It appears that the Governor's friend is ready to come aboard by shuttle."
"Very well. Signal our readiness to receive them in the main bay." Zhen'var gave a wary look to the tactical display. So they've sent an Omega, and not one of the ones that would let us see their progress at multiversal adaptation. "Colonel Fei'nur, get your teams ready to meet them. I do not want Earth Alliance Intelligence to learn too much avoidable."
"Understood, Captain!" The Dilgar woman stiffened to attention, before starting to move to the lift. She was still not used to the rank, but then with her promotion to Battlemaster on the same day as Zhen'var, she wasn't used to her Dilgar rank either.
"Commander Saumarez, please, lead the side party so she can concentrate on the security arrangements."
"Understood, Captain. Do I stand relieved?"
"You stand relieved, Commander. This is Captain Zhen'var, I have the deck and the conn."
Around Elia the bridge remained a well-oiled machine, seamlessly moving from her direction to the Captain's. She caught a second turbolift belowdecks, leaving behind the starship for the uncertainties of the surface. The shuttle took long enough that she had enough time to quickly switch from duty wear into full dress whites. Confirming that the shuttle was two minutes out, she headed from her quarters and took another turbolift to the main hangar.
The commander of their Marines and security forces was standing ready for her, having thrown on a light combat rig. Fei'nur was intimidating even in a state of perfect peace. "Commander, I'll be keeping an eye out for any infiltrators, and have escorts available for the party. They'll follow your direction, though Lieutenant Har'un will be the tactical lead if anything goes wrong."
Elia headed for Fei'nur, though she blinked at the combat rig. "Colonel Fei'nur, they're heading in now. Are we ready?"
"We are. Don't worry, Commander, just an old woman's paranoia." She shifted on her feet a bit, and there was a momentary shimmer as the harness disappeared.
"It's your judgement." Elia flashed a smile and a gloved thumbs up before walking out into the bay. "Just as long as the side party isn't rolling hot, right?"
"Don't worry, I have missile teams for that!" It was said with a laugh as the side party assembled.
The LSO had programmed the computer to display Earth Alliance standard landing signals for the shuttle's approach, and the Christmas Tree flashed with the instructions. The ACHO was already re-spotting several shuttles with manoeuvring dolleys to make sure that the fighters could be recovered successfully despite the big EA atmospheric shuttle sitting in the VIP position in the main hangar.
The shuttle came to a stop smoothly, whomever was piloting was quite veteran at it. As the hatch to the shuttle lowered, the bosun's whistle blew. An older man walked down the ramp, and Elia immediately tensed. Even she recognised who it was instantly.
"Permission to come aboard?"
She cleared her throat and presented a neutral smile. "Permission granted. Director O'Leary, welcome to the ASV Huáscar. I am Lieutenant Commander Elia Saumarez, Ship's Operations Officer. This is Lieutenant Colonel Fei'nur, FMF Commander Huáscar. Governor Ari'shan will be in Conference Suite Two."
Fei'nur considered not giving one of the men most responsible for the loss of the Dilgar War a death glare of homicidal intent to be one of her greatest efforts of self-control in recent memory, for her part, as she stared resolutely and blankly ahead.
"...Lieutenant Commander," Francis O'Leary answered stiffly, looking at the gloves, and the Flying Eye of Dilgar telepaths being worn on a human. "I understand this must have been a surprise for everyone involved," he allowed after a moment, nodding in Fei'nur's direction. "Colonel."
"I'm pleased to do my part for pacific relations between our nations, Director," Elia answered diplomatically. She could feel the eyes on her from the group of EAI personnel who had followed Francis O'Leary down the ramp. With the eyes came a smattering of thoughts from insulting to obscene; none were new. "Right this way."
As they walked, one of O'Leary's subordinates couldn't help it. "You think you'd take off those gloves now that you have the chance," she said, sotto-voice.
The response she wanted to give, would you kindly take off your panties and flash us? had been one she had never yet vocalised in her life. She had been raised from a young age to de-escalate situations with Mundanes, not escalate them. "Some things are worth keeping because they work best, Miss…"
"Sara Danvers, Lieutenant Commander," she answered sharply, as if the rank itself were something of an embarrassment or a joke. Even strictly restraining herself, Elia knew that in fact both thoughts were true.
"Be polite, Sara," Director O'Leary's voice interrupted from behind. "I'm the one with the most complaints against the Corps and that doesn't give me, or you, reason to be impolite to the Operations Officer here and her ship. They're all Ari's friends."
"Of course, Director," she replied, ruffled.
Elia wondered, for a moment, what it meant to be in someone's good graces solely because of their alien friend. The fact that she was on only that basis had been made very clear. She shrugged lightly. Professionalism helped. "Director, I've arranged to have Chief Ashley Sherrod organise refreshments in the conference suite with the Food Management Team, and she'll be waiting to make sure everything is right, and depart on your request. She's our PAO lead and also has responsibility for coordinating VIP space, so if any of you choose not to return to your ship for the evening she can make sure Billeting has suites arranged."
"That's unlikely, as nice as the digs probably are on your ship, Lieutenant Commander," he answered, sincerely bemused. "I'll need to return to the Charybdis on a regular basis for secure communications."
"Understood, Director. The Air Boss, Chief Warrant Anastasia Héen, has orders to clear your shuttle upon the request of anyone in your group. Just ask and you can cycle through. And of course we've been cleared to hold station on the frontier for as long as necessary."
"We'll certainly avail ourselves of it. Is the Captain going to be attending?"
"At the request of yourself and Governor Ari'shan only."
"Well, we'll check up on Ari first." On reaching the Conference suite, Director O'Leary stepped in with no further ado. His staff followed in a cluster -- and one of them pressed the door-close pad as they stepped in.
Elia came up short as she watched the door close in her face on her own ship. In a sense it was a relief, since it ended her exposure to their minds. "I suppose you will," she muttered after a moment, and then stepped to the side and activated her omnitool. "Captain, this Lieutenant Commander Saumarez. Our guest is nobody less than Director O'Leary of EAI. He wanted a private meet and greet with the Governor, but you should probably expect to be down here shortly."
"Understood, Commander. Take a short spell in the wardroom, then I will hand the deck to you when you arrive back on the bridge. Thank you."
Elia deactivated the comm channel. Too bad this isn't an Aubrey-Maturin novel, then I could make it a wet lunch. Of course, that didn't stop the Dilgar crew.
Zhen'var's omnitool was trilling an incoming message just a few hours later. "Captain Zhen'var, Governor Ari'shan here. Director O'Leary has requested your presence."
"Understood, Your Excellency. I should be down in about fifteen minutes?" Her voice was calm, as she rose from her desk.
"That will be fine, Captain," Ari'shan replied.
Well, that took less time than I was expecting. Let us see just what the director wants… She schooled her face to blankness when she stepped out of the lift, walking to the Conference suite. "Your Excellency, I am here."
"This way," Ari'shan offered with a smile. One of the Food Management Team members was putting out snacks in one of the small, side conference rooms. "Francis, Captain Zhen'var."
Every. Single. Eye in the room was on her. Francis himself betrayed no emotion, but several of his subordinates were veritably transfixed.
Zhen'var didn't hesitate, only moved to offer her hand. "Director O'Leary."
"Captain Zhen'var. Ari was explaining to me some of the complexity of your relationship with the Alliance of Systems. And just catching up." He shook her head readily enough, meeting her catlike eyes levelly. "Tira sounds lovely, I'll have to visit after I retire."
"It is, Director. Rohric has its' own charms, though I understand why you would be unwilling to subject yourself to them." There was a hint of challenge in her eyes as she said it, though none showed in her voice. "I am glad to hear that you two have such a strong friendship despite recent travails."
"I opposed the forced relocation, it's not in the best interests of the Earth Alliance," Director O'Leary answered. "Come on, let's sit. We do have a lot to discuss. I'd extend that to complimenting Warmaster Shai'jhur's bloody-minded brilliance in laying low on Rohric, but unfortunately we do have some more serious matters to concern ourselves with."
She moved to sit, then, finally giving the others in the room a quick once-over. "Of course, Director. What seems to be the matters at hand?"
"Well, first of all, I just want to verify what Ari'shan said--it's important to have it for the record, you understand--that despite the fact you are not a legal Alliance citizen, you have the right to function on the behest of its government, like a Consul."
"As long as I hold command of this ship and am not actively under direct command of a superior officer, that statement is correct, Director."
"That's good enough for me. So, the first thing is that I just want to be emphatic that we don't have a long term problem over the Dilgar. Our allies might, but Earth doesn't. Our points of friction are purely with the Alliance and have come primarily over competing territorial claims and issues with," his expression was a bit pained, "criminals fleeing Earth Alliance space."
"Criminals, Director?" Zhen'var's face reflected the honest confusion she felt. On her patrols in the League when she'd served in Earthforce, she'd never heard anything of the like before.
"Telepaths, Captain. There is a serious issue with unregistered telepaths leaving the Earth Alliance. The government has come under pressure from Psi-Corps to find a solution. I wanted to act pre-emptively to try and strategize a solution which will reflect our best interests."
"Would not that be an Earthforce function, Director? Certainly, it is a matter of concern for Geneva, I would think." And the Free Colony is a bit problematic, depending on what you are wanting from me.
"Let's be clear, Captain. Personally, I understand someone's striving to be free. I've seen what Psi-Corps is, and I've lost friends I respected to their actions in regimes of dubious legality. But I am here to make sure that Earth's interests are communicated clearly to the Alliance of Systems and that I have an opportunity to report to President Luchenko on how we might begin to de-escalate tensions between our countries. That's what this is about. Well, one of the biggest tensions is created by the feeling in certain parts of EarthGov that you have a giant terrorist camp in your space right now." Francis O'Leary was playing a double-game, his opposition to Psi-Corps he was making clear even as he carefully maintained the government line, and in principle it offered an opportunity.
"I understand why they would think that, Director. Some matters, I will need to consult with Portland before opening discussions upon, but attacks on Corps assets are unacceptable terrorist activities. If they are happening, and supported from within Alliance space, we will certainly move against such actors."
"I know you'll have to consult, and that's fine. EAI doesn't have the longest leash, either, we're just here because of the connections. However, I think we might just be the best-placed people to see a path to a solut…" he trailed off as his comm trilled. "Major Johansen, what's worth the interruption?" Barely the moment he'd said it, Francis stiffened almost imperceptibly.
He offered a smile to Zhen'var a moment later. It didn't reach his eyes. "Captain, I'm going to have to return to the Charybdis for consultations right now, in fact. We'll reach out to you when we're ready to resume, but based on shipboard time here, I'll give it at least nine hours so you can sleep."
Zhen'var felt a slight flicker of worry at his expression. "Understood, Director, nine hours. That will not be a concern."
Of all the people that Zhen'var had expected to be woken up by after only two hours of sleep, her science officer was lower on the list than most. But Lieutenant Commander Fera'xero's voice sounded urgent through the comms. "Captain, I was watching ISN to learn more about human culture in this universe, and there is breaking news. A major terrorist attack just occurred on Mars. However, I believe the footage is at least several hours old and has been subject to editing."
Zhen'var kept rolling, straight out of bed. She tried to think of what would be the easiest place to display the footage. "Computer, summon all off-duty department heads and senior officers to the Wardroom."
"Acknowledged," the mechanical voice droned back.
Damn it all, this is a poor omen.
A large collection of sleepy people, humans, Dilgar, other species, had assembled at the directive, since the ship's time meant most of the Department Heads were off duty. Will had the conn, though, so the XO was absent. Abebech had brought along the department heads of the Heermann, three human men and the very proper looking Lieutenant Ca'elia who had put herself together even in the middle of the night.
"Good… well, calling it a morning is rather a joke at this point. Commander Fera'Xero has some footage for us to view. There has apparently been a major terrorist attack on Mars, several hours ago. I have already requested information from higher echelons on the details involved."
Fera'Xero himself activated the holo-projector, zooming in to ISN. It was still in full coverage mode, nominally 'live'. Someone had a drone camera which was showing a prominent hole in the side of a Martian dome, about mid-point.
Anna stepped forward and insistently traced it with her finger. "Commander Fera'xero, do you agree it's bowed outwards?"
"Yes, and not enough difference in atmospheric pressure to make it a result of the depressurisation, either. Internal blast, but," he used his omnitool to scroll back through the images he had recorded. "Here's one that came externally, and there are reports of atmospheric raiders operating against the domes. This is dreadfully unfortunate, the Martians justly fear a dome-breach as we do a suit-breach."
"Free Mars, even the radical ones who do not agree with any remaining ties with Earth, would never strike big domes as that, and especially not with atmospheric raiders. Clark's strikes on the domes would be far too raw. Do we have any information on the targets?"
"The first Dome was a habitation, but the second one Fera'xero showed," a tired Elia with bloodshot eyes spoke, fixed on the images, now showing ships manoeuvring as someone talked about evacuations, "the one attacked by atmospheric raiders, I mean. That was a Psi-Corps facility."
"Damnation." Zhen'var growled, looking balefully at the screen for a long moment as she gathered her thoughts from a fatigued and scattered brain."It is my belief that the second target was the primary aim, and I am concerned by the Earth delegation bringing up a worry that the Alliance was harbouring 'terrorists' in the Free Colony. Thoughts, my fellow Huáscareños?"
"We're about to be accused of supporting a terrorist attack," Nah'dur said very matter-of-factly.
"Concur," Abebech added.
"But why Mars?" Goodenough ran a hand through his long hair and stared at the screen in frustration. "All right, why Mars? It's a foreign country to Earth these days here. I thought."
Elia groaned and squeezed her gloved hands before moving to sit. "Allow me to explain to our comrades, Captain?" The wardroom attended some informality, even in the moment.
"Please do. Not everyone has the same background. While you do, I need to send some urgent follow-up messages. The now very urgent risk is that the Alliance has harboured the planners of this attack, unintentionally."
Elia grimaced, feeling the worries and confusion around her. "Of course, Captain." As Zhen'var left, she looked around at her colleagues. "Comrades, Mars was granted independence at the point of the bayonet, in the immediate aftermath of the Civil War. But the independence is incomplete. Several critical services are managed through Earth. Technically in fact Mars only has representation in the ISA, it relies on the ISA for foreign representation."
"And one of these services is the Psi-Corps, Elia?" Abebech looked down, having remained standing. She was as composed as Ca'elia.
"...Yes," Elia said after a frustrated pause. She knew Abebech was a telepath, couldn't prove it, wasn't her business necessarily, but she wanted some support as she thought of the civilians who would have been inevitably swept up in the attack on the installation. Like, basically all of them…
"So, an attack on Psi-Corps on Mars." Jonathan Goodenough fiddled his fingers. "A weak point in their campaign against the Corps? The government has the power to disband it, might be more receptive?"
"It's possible," Nah'dur kicked her feet onto a chair, and looked back and forth between the door and the replicator, unable to decide if she wanted to give up sleeping or immediately return to bed. "Go where control over telepaths is weakest, where opposition to the Corps exists because it's seen as 'Earth', hit it hard there. Except, there's a lot of Martian civilian casualties, so why would anyone be well-inclined toward telepaths after the attack? Something about this doesn't make sense."
"Psi-Corps is more than a government department," Elia replied, clearly uncomfortable. "It's a culture, a home, a people, with their own language, their own culture, their own standards. I wouldn't, you know, we don't talk about it, but these gloves, I could no more take them off than an observant Muslimah take off her headscarf. So Psi-Corps invested heavily in retaining its influence on Mars, because Marsie telepaths are still telepaths. They're closer to the rest of us than to other Marsies."
"This entire thing is a set-up, El'sau," Nah'dur said, using the Dilgar-form of Elia's name and yawning. "I'm just not sure who's behind it yet. We'll get our orders soon?"
"I imagine so, Surgeon-Commander," Abebech said. "But they might well involve remaining in place and doing nothing. In fact, I am almost certain of that. We would need a request from the Martian government… And even then, the EA would push back."
"And they might accuse of us of doing it anyway, it appears," Fera'Xero added.
"Quite. Oh, in fact, certainly," Abebech elaborated. "The Byron Free Colony opens us to the charge if we are correct. Ah well. Comrades, I suggest you all get some sleep, we will have duties tomorrow."
The Department Heads and senior officers filed out, slowly, until it was just Elia and Abebech left. Elia looked steadily at Abebech, at the foreign woman from S0T5, with her gloves and her glasses. "They're killing us," she said softly. "It's begun."
"You will find," Abebech replied with a gentle, sad smile, "that this is a more common store for Espers than you could imagine. If only it were not so."
Elia closed her eyes and nodded. When she opened them, they confirmed what her senses had already told her. Abebech was gone, and she kept a tight lock on her own mind that it was usually like she wasn't really there. Elia was alone. So very, very alone. Stretching her hands, she got up, unable to even think about sleeping, and wandered out to find Va'tor. She needed someone.
The Chai came out of the replicator to the side of the great painting of Captain Grau. It was as hot and delicious as one could ask for, as good as anything Zhen'var could remember from a Chaiwalla back in Mangaluru as a child. She understood nothing of the snobbery of some folks about replicator rations. Earthforce's had taught her to love the convenience and variety now at her fingertips, even as her body still adjusted to the diet Nah'dur had given her.
As she reached her desk, the workstation pinged an income message on the priority secure channel. Her reports to headquarters had been taken seriously, and urgently. She let out a soft sigh as she reached for the teacup, tapping the acceptance button with her other hand. Stimulants this time of ship's day were quite necessary for what promised to be a very intense conversation.
"Captain Zhen'var," a man in Gersallian civilian dress meeted her. "I'm Feraiju, the Admiralty Foreign Ministry Liason. Thank you for your very prompt report. The government of the Earth Alliance had revealed nothing and we were uncertain of how widely this was being reported by Geneva until you confirmed it was actually being broadcast galactically."
"I do not believe in assuming my superiors have information in my possession unless they have already indicated so. It is my belief based upon personal experience, that this may prove a matter of political crises that will drag in the Alliance for any of several reasons as enumerated in my report." Taking a sip of her tea, she focused on the screen. "Mars has a very complex relationship with Earthgov. The Psi Corps even more so."
"That is quite…" Feraiju shook his head wryly. "I understand, Captain, that the closest equivalent anyone has been able to find is the Irish Free State between 1922 - 1931, amongst human examples."
"An understatement, yes. I do not expect the situation to go predictably, nor calmly. I have briefed my senior officers, and we are standing ready for any of the multitude of possibilities."
"Nothing at the moment, you will receive any directives from your chain of command when they are decided, Captain. However, I can tell you that there are problems on Mars as a result of the damage that are serious enough that Marsies are actually seeking temporary shelter elsewhere in Earthspace. This is apparently quite irregular and the reason for these temporary refugees, the kind of damage Mars has suffered, has not been made clear. We're seeking out permission to provide aid to the Mars government, and you will be updated on that. They key thing right now is that the Earth Alliance is actually refusing requests to grant temporary shelter."
"I can understand why they would not do so. The gravity issue would loom high over any refugees, Luna has always been loyalist by comparison to Mars, and public opinion on Earth is not exactly pro-Mars, it has not been since the Minbari War. As to the irregularity and damage… There were always rumours about black sites on Mars, but I can't see why anyone would attack an old weapons depot with that level of collateral damage at risk."
"There is much about the attack which is not at all clear yet. Has the Director of EAI withdrawn, or is there any other indication the private talks have been cancelled?"
"He withdrew for consultations with his government. I expect talks to resume in approximately four hours, but in this situation, I would not expect a great deal from them."
"Understood, Captain. Hold the line on the fact that we freely accept telepath immigration. I find it interesting that the Director has not seen the situation as one meriting his return to Geneva. Of course, terrorism is intolerable and unacceptable."
"It is rather more complex…" She trailed off, and shook her head. "I understand my instructions and shall carry them out. I will request reports to support the position that we are attempting to prevent any such crimes, in the event they attempt an ambush with their own reports."
"Understood. They will be prepared, Captain. You can expect to hear more details in the morning from your chain of command, and I will report on our conversation to the Foreign Ministry and attempt to continue coordination with the appropriate contacts from the EA, ISA and Martian Government. I believe that's all, Captain."


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my little corner of the web where I share my passion for all things crafty ... ART BELLYDANCING CRAFTS
Welcome to my blog and thanks soso much for spending a little while peeping into my world
whichever order I put them in, these are my passion!
... all from my little home studio in Durban, on the east coast of sunny South Africa!
"I used to think that anyone doing anything weird was weird. I suddenly realized that anyone doing anything weird wasn't weird at all and it was the people saying they were weird that were weird." -- Paul McCartney
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
9 comments:
Congrats on your GDT spot this wee. This is very creative. Love the colours and design.ReplyDelete
Digistamps4Joy DT Member
Doing Life
Fabulously fun super guy! Love the patriotic layers! Thank you for sharing with us this month at The Cupcake Craftroom!ReplyDelete
Great job! Thanks for playing @ CTO!ReplyDelete
Cool card!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousJuly 4, 2012 at 9:08 PM
Fabulous card, LOVE the Image really fun too! Thanks for playing along at Top Tip Tuesday this time for our 1 for the Men challenge, hugs Samantha :0)ReplyDelete
What a fun card! Loving how you incorporated the pin into it. I colored this image up not too long ago and had so much fun with it!ReplyDelete
Thanks for playing along with us at Top Tip Tuesday; hope to see you often:0)
PS I have candy on my blog if you would like to take a peak!
Fun & funky! Thanks so much for playing with us this week at the CQC!ReplyDelete
Love the curled ribbon with the super cute image, so adorable! Thanks for sharing with us this week @ CTO for our "4th of July" Challenge :)ReplyDelete
LOL - Jen, this is adorable! Love the curled ribbon, too! So happy to see you at the colourQ!ReplyDelete
I love to hear that you have been here, so please leave a comment! I welcome all craft related comments and read every one of them!

subset: commoncrawl


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Want to Know How to Sketch? - Read This Immediately
In this article, you will learn something very useful about the art of sketching. Art of sketching is like an ocean, you will never ever finish learning, how much ever you learn. There are lots of things remaining to learn in the world of art. The main purpose of sketching is to get the flow of your emotions on paper in the form of an image. Sketches are usually completed in two stages, one is preliminary stage and the other one is the final stage. It helps an artist to show his drawing ability by focusing on different aspects of a particular subject. You can use many things as a drawing medium such as a pen, pencil, watercolors, clay, etc.
Sketching is a very smooth and easy process; it also gives a very bright opportunity to an artist where he can work on different ideas before he creates a final design of sketches. While creating a sketch, artist can feel relaxed as he does not have to bother about making mistakes. You can read many books available in the market which give will you brief ideas about how to sketch. There are many training sessions organized by famous artists to provide proper knowledge about how to sketch. One should keep many basic things in mind which are very necessary to while working on a sketch. Some of them are an ink pen, paper, pencil, eraser, etc. The artist should focus on the object to create its sketch properly.
Make sure that the artist does not make use of dark strokes while creating a sketch. Also he should not use an eraser very often. Shading is also an important part of sketching; so it is very necessary that the artist keeps this point in his mind while creating a sketch. If anyone would like to know the exact guidelines about how to sketch then he should study the sketchbooks of Leonardo da Vinci and Edgar Degas.
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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Murtaza_Habib/182322
Top 6 Tips on How to Doodle
I am a doodler! I always have been and probably always will be. In my doodling career I have learned some useful tips. I thought perhaps it may be helpful to pin them down here. They certainly helped me.
Doodle Tip 1:
Have fun! This is not a serious thing and no-one will be harmed if you are not perfect. Just let yourself go and be delighted by what your hand produces!
Doodle Tip 2:
Aim to add an idea to your doodle with the patterns you choose. For instance I once drew a skull (very scary) but filled it with little hearts and flower patterns (very twee). The juxtaposition entertained me. I went looking for it and found it. So here it is:
Doodle Tip 3:
Doodle on good paper. Every now and then, you will create a masterpiece. It will be a real pity if it is in the margin of the telephone book!
"But I doodle when I am on the phone," you say. So keep a clean pad of good paper near you always!
I mean always! I have several: on my desk, in my purse, by my bed and in the car!
Doodle Tip 4:
If a pristine white page is sitting there terrifying you, just close your eyes and draw a squiggle on it. Now it is "ruined". It can only get better from here on in. This is a great way to fake out your own mind. It is only the chatter inside your head that says the page has to turn out to be a masterpiece - ignore your mind and enjoy the process!
Doodle Tip 5:
Try doodling with really skinny markers. Try some that are 1.0, 0.5, 0.3 and even 0.1 It is very interesting how the different thicknesses produce very different feelings when you draw. You get to play and figure out which one suits you best today.
Doodle Tip 6:
Play the scribble game. Get someone to just do a simple scribble on a piece of paper for you. Then you take it back and turn it about until the image appears to you. You can add a level of fun, by getting them to name a creature, say a dog or elephant or fish, and then you have to find a way to turn the scribble into that!
Have heaps of fun doodling today!
If you have any ideas that will help me and our fellow doodlers to relax, enjoy and get an outcome they love more often - please let me know! Email me or comment at the Doodle Meanings blog.
Karen Pasqualucci is the founder of http://www.DoodleMeanings.com She is a passionate lifelong learner and doodler. Find out what your doodles mean at http://www.Doodlemeanings.com/doodle-meanings-guide and submit your doodle in the doodle challenge!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Karen_Pasqualucci/850886
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Five New Pop Art Styles
The world of pop art is adaptive, constantly imbibing new styles of contemporary arts into its fold. The list of the kinds in this form of art is exhaustive, and constantly growing to match the creative global talent our artists share. And so, in this article, we will limit our purview to five recent styles. And for the sake of relevance and easy categorization, we will talk of only those styles that can be personalized with your digital photographs.
Ultrasound pop art
This novel form of art promises to take imaging to the next level. Ultrasound scans of an unborn baby are translated into pop-art portraits in this style. Colours for the portrait are chosen based on the soft and hard parts of the scan, to give a realistic yet artistic portrait. This piece is great for occasions like a baby shower gift and can capture your child's first portrait, even before he/she is born.
Scanner Darkly Style
For those who have seen this film, the style of Scanner Darkly is an unmistakable one. While the characters look real, they have actually been animated. This is done by an advanced technique called interpolated rotoscoping, which is translated into popart portraits also. The result is cartoon style portraits, that are realistic looking.
The hobby to learn photography is quite different from other hobbies. You would start realizing this when you start learning the art of photography. Unlike other arts, the art of photography does not spring from thoughts when you capture an image; instead, the image is one of a real life, and you are required to commemorate it.
Now in other field of arts, you can depict your imagination of a perfect world with no faults, but unfortunately, the real world is not perfect, so the real life image cannot be so either.
How one can make pictures of real world perfect? I was asked this question recently by an aspiring photographer turned artist, who was unsatisfied by the pictures he was taking. Being an artist formerly, he used to paint pictures that depicted anything in its perfection, but he was finding this perfection missing in any of the images that he captured from the real world. He wanted some of the things in the picture to be a little different than they were.
It is not only the artists who have come from the background of painting perfect pictures, but also many other like fashion and glamour photographers, who are in search of perfect or near perfect pictures. Here, something called photo manipulation comes in handy. The Fashion and Glamour industries are using this technique of photo manipulation to their advantage. Any imperfections whatsoever, are smoothed out using different photo manipulation techniques.
It was not so easy to achieve this in older times, but now there are so many programs for photo-editing available to do the same job quickly and easily. The top 3 image editing software that are available in the market are Photoshop, Faststone photo resize, and Image Resizer Powertoy.
Photoshop is the most expensive of all, but is also the best. Photoshop is a must have, if you want those perfect pictures.
What all can be accomplished using image editing?
So much can be done using the image editing software from red eye removal to correcting colour balance to adjusting brightness. Also, different special effects like sepia can be applied. There are also more advanced techniques that can be used to give new look to pictures. You would be surprised that you can correct wrinkles, eye bags, whiten the teeth in the picture itself. Photo manipulation can also improve the colour, adjust any irregularities, remove redundancy if any, add special effects, refurbish the image, and much more. Photo Manipulation is the single classy way of epitomizing your digital pictures by retouching and totalling special effects to them.
Image warping and background removal are two of the easy tools that are used for photo manipulation.
Photo manipulation is a vast topic to be covered in a single article. If you want to become an expert in the field of image manipulation, you would need some patience and guidance. Adobe Photoshop is the best tool available to accomplish almost anything you desire to do with an image, although it does turn out to be a tad expensive.
Atiqur Sumon
Chief Executive, DTP & SEO Expert at Clipping Path India
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Atiqur_Sumon/695988
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May 2017


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About Bridge
Bridge Apparel is an adventure lifestyle brand based in Sioux Narrows, Ontario. We want to create a brand that represents our home by promoting healthy, active, generous, and socially conscious living. We believe life is sacred and care about the health and well-being of people everywhere. Our goal for Bridge Apparel as a company is to advance and improve the quality of life for everyone that comes in contact with the product. From pre-production, to manufacturing, to our customers - Bridge stands for quality, equality, health, and fairness.
We're not just a tee shirt company either! While we are starting small, we have plans to expand our store to offer denim, kids clothing, art, decor, jewelry, and more. We want to work with independent artists and creators from all over the globe to give them an opportunity to promote their designs and products. If you have interest in working with us please use the Contact form and drop us a note!


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AR101 for Treatment of Peanut AllergyJanuary 3, 2019
AR101 is a proprietary formulation of peanut protein and pharmaceutical-grade ingredients intended for treatment of peanut allergy. AR101 is provided in pull-apart capsules containing gradual escalating doses. AR101 capsules are taken according to a proprietary up-dosing oral immunotherapy regimen known as CODIT (characterized oral desensitization immunotherapy). Patients who respond to CODIT must continue to take a daily maintenance dose of AR101 to sustain desensitization.
If you have a Hayes login, click here to view the full report on the Knowledge Center.


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Asira: THE SEA ORC - A Rendevous with Elrohir
She remembered her agreement to Mira. Asira stood up and went to the closet searching for a dress. She chose a dark blue sleeveless dress and loosely braided her dark hair fixing it with a white ribbon but leaving the silver streak straying. She quickly washed her face and placed a silver circlet around her forehead.
Asira passed Elanor's room and saw the child sleeping. She quickly and quietly stepped into the room and kissed the sleeping girl's head. Asira could not find Mira in the house and assumed she might be outside waiting. Asira stepped out of the house into the sunshine. As she was walking down the lane, she saw Elrohir coming towards her.
"Greetings Asira," he said stopping.
Asira managed a smile but continued walking. He followed beside her and she began to get irritated by his presence. She had no wish to be within his company at this moment. She wanted to go to the shore and discover who the mysterious man within her dream was. Asira turned to Elrohir.
"Do you want something?" she asked.
"Oh?" she listened.
"Your father wishes to see you after the council. It is taking place now. He instructed me to show you Valinor."
"But I was going to spend some time with Mira today. She was going to show me the city."
"I talked with her earlier. She said she did not wish to wait for you any longer and would see you this evening."
"Oh how nice," Asira muttered, "for you."
"So shall we go?"
"When will my father finish?"
"My father called the council. It could last all day."
She smiled.
"I know your pain."
Elrohir took her hand surprising her. He was about to walk, but something distracted him.
"What is it?" she asked.
"Your hair," he finally succumbed to telling her.
She groaned. "What about it?"
"Tis like mine." He smiled.
"I cut it."
"You ask too many questions. Lorien was far too warm in the summer and my hair far too long."
Without warning, Elrohir touched the silver streak upon her hair moving it behind her ear. "Your hair is beautiful. It reminds me of my sister. We never have any dark beauties here."
"Thank you. Can you let go of my hair now?"
"Yes but will I?"
She scrunched her eyebrows and softly punched him in the shoulder. He released her quickly as she continued walking.
"The maiden doth wound me mortally," he jested arrogantly.
She grinned but said nothing so he continued. "Did you enjoy Lorien?"
"I loved it," She gushed.
"I loved Rivendell as well. It was very saddening when I left, but I could not resist the lure of the Sea."
"But this is not the actual Sea."
"What would you prefer?" he asked.
"Sailing, the ship, the wind in my hair, discovering far off places, battling monsters," she shut her mouth finding herself ludicrous to hear.
"Women never sail though unless they are going to Valinor."
"Thank you for the encouragement," she said sarcastically.
"I respect your desire to sail. I have the wish to myself."
"Why do you not then?"
"My father does not wish me to."
Asira said nothing. Elrohir took her hand in his as they made their way across the bridge and to the left of Valinor where roads awaited to take them through the green forests and vales. They reached a crossing, and Elrohir led her down the middle path into the forest. She looked through the beautiful blossoming trees. It all reminded her more and more of Lorien until they began climbing up. They grew closer and closer to the canopy of trees as they continued to climb. Finally the path ended, and Asira gasped as Elrohir pushed aside a tree branch.
Before her rested a beautiful crystal lake a vine-covered bridge crossing it. Why did it remind her of her favorite place in Lorien? Elrohir led her across the bridge, and they stopped in the middle. Elrohir plucked a small white flower from a nearby tree.
"If my lady does not object," he said softly holding it up.
She nodded, and he fitted it into her dark hair. Asira sighed.
"Thank you for bringing me here. I wish I could swim."
"Do you know how?"
"Yes. My father thought it right that I should learn. This was after my mother drowned in a storm."
"I am sorry. I share your pain. My mother was taken by orcs when I was younger. Fortunately my brother and I managed to save her. Unfortunately the experience scarred her, and she parted to Valinor. She was very joyous when my father joined her here, but she still carries the memories of her abduction."
"I was very young and still living within Lorien when she died. I still did not wish to come here. I would have enjoyed remaining in Lorien."
"How old are you?" Elrohir asked.
"Much younger than you," she managed a laugh.
"Are you calling me ancient milady?"
"Of course not," she smiled. "Well you are ancient compared to me," before he could speak, she said, "But what elf is ancient?"
"How old are you?" he asked again.
"Simply three hundred. I know I am still but a girl."
"But you are becoming a woman," Elrohir added. "I have lived many years."
"May I dare to ask?"
"No you may not," he chuckled. "Let me say that my sister was three thousand when she married Aragorn King of Gondor and I am older than she. My sister," Elrohir looked to the east as if remembering.
Asira touched his hand. "Were you close?"
"Aye. I miss her greatly. The world lost a great light when she died."
"Elrohir, I am so sorry. I have heard stories of her. She was the most beautiful was she not? She carried the likeness of Luthien?"
"You remind me of her."
Asira laughed. "What with my short hair?"
"Your hair is beautiful," he said.
"So you said."
Elrohir turned to face her. Their eyes met, and he slowly inched towards her.
"Your eyes are also different than any other elf."
"No elf has dark eyes," she looked away.
"Are you ashamed?" he asked.
"I am different," she simply said.
He took her hand. "You may not know the reason why you are different. But make the best of what is given you. Everything will come in time."
"You speak wisely like your father," she said. "Thank you."
There was a long silence following. Elrohir did not take his eyes off of her. She felt uncomfortable and interrupted the moment.
"Perhaps we should leave."
"Indeed we should. The hour is getting late."
When they came to the bridge of Valinor, the day was already darkening. Elrohir took Asira to the meeting place of the council, and they learned that it was still in progress but would end soon. Elrohir waited with Asira beside the tent. They could hear two voices talking within. One Asira knew was her father. The other was Elrond.
"How long shall the building last?" Elrond asked.
"We have built many ships before but none such as this. But if we continue without ceasing, we shall build it within a year."
"You know this choice is a dangerous one. No one has ever dared to cross the gap without the Valar's blessing. You are embarking into the world of men, and you know the choice is laid out before you at your own will. I do not trust this other world. Will you take this chance accepting the full responsibilty of the risks?"
"It is time we did," Cirdan answered.
"So be it."


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Kate draws upon her personal experiences with mental health to advocate for better psychological health schooling in all schools. Earlier than you go to the grocery store, make an inventory of what you have tossed. If it's your third time this month throwing out a particular ingredient, rethink how a lot you're buying or make extra practical menu plans. Tweaking your grocery record every week maximizes your grocery price range whereas minimizing meals waste. Hair replacement middle needs to be snug for sufferers undergoing hair replacement. Choose a substitute center where recreation facilities are also available like listening to music or watching movies.
There are a number of major elements and a combination of these factors which lead to ovarian cysts formation. Hickam D, Totten A, Berg A, et al. (Eds). The PCORI methodology report. PCORI Methodology Committee. November 2013. – Accessed November 17, 2014. Have a help system in place. In case you can set targets with a buddy or support group, you should have extra motivation to succeed. Whenever you think you are done with an ingredient — assume once more. The zest of lemons and oranges can make an excellent garnish on salads. Chunks of fruits or vegetables can taste your subsequent glass of water or be blended with grains and used to create a stuffing. Bread can be become croutons. Watermelon rind can be used in a cole slaw or pickled.
I lived in Minnesota and we had simply offered our house (bear in mind this: you will see how God labored in our lives). Chad and I believed we might like to make a transfer to Florida sometime, however he hadn't gotten a job switch and we weren't about to maneuver without that safety. The spring housing market was sizzling and we took benefit of a number of provides that yielded us our asking price.
ught I might try an experiment and confront a random insurance company with my pre-current condition to see if I'd still be eligible for coverage. I constructed a heartfelt letter explaining my condition, hoping that it could not bar me from having access to medical care. Nonetheless, I have not yet received a reply. My downside? I have a superfluous third nipple. I guess you thought I used to be going to say something about my butt.
The Aeronautics and Aerospace Industries within the 2010s have introduced further enterprise and enterprise expansions to Texas, inducing new spaceports constructed by at least one personal company: SpaceX in Brownsville. Numbers of recent jobs associated to most of these companies are set to surpass numbers in different industries from 2016 – 2026. Modernize and transform monetary business processes within the cloud to drive larger operational effectivity and enhance margins.


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Name: Qpst full
File size: 348mb
Language: English
Rating: 8/10
11 Mar Credits: QPST Flash Tool is created and distributed by Qualcomm Mobility Inc. So , full credits goes to them for sharing the application for free. So I give to you all QPST build I have the newest and . Copy my whole post and paste it where you see mentioned. Bonus: Fake. 22 Sep QPST (Qualcomm Product Support Tools) is the latest Flash Tool Software Unified Android Toolkit Pro v Latest Version Full Crack Setup.
18 Aug - 4 min - Uploaded by MOBILE JUNCTION QFIL Flash tool Download Latest Version greetings-for-all.com This Video Is For. 23 Mar QPST (Qualcomm Product Support Tools) flash tool software full setup free download for windows. QPST flash tool is a great application that. 25 Jul You can download all versions of QPST Flash tool through this guide. QPST stands for Qualcomm Product Support Tools.
Create Date, Ocak 31, Last Updated, Nisan 7, Download. QPST build Qfil. Qualcomm Flasher, imei repair, unbrick qualcomm. Build 8 May Download, Total Views, Stock, ∞. File Size, MB. File Type, zip. Create Date, Mayıs 8, Last Updated, Nisan 7, QPST Tool Download, QPST is a package of tools for Windows, designed to config, control and monitoring and test CDMA phones that has a Qualcomm ASICs. 22 Sep QPST (Qualcomm Product Support Tools) is the latest Flash Tool Software Free YGDP Tool Free Download Latest Version V Full Setup. 26 Aug Software Download – to download mobile phone firmware QCNView –.qcn to explorer and view files created in the program. QPST Full.
26 May _ST_ QPST released -- Chinese Version Download greetings-for-all.com What New? system Optimize standby power saving experience. 20 Dec Since i installed China rom ZUI__ST_ for lock my bootloader, my Zuk Z2 now not want load any OTA update again. I already use. Status: LICENSED View License Authorization View Renewal Authorization; License Expires: 08/01/; Status Date: 06/16/; Facility Id: Qualcomm is an American multinational semiconductor and telecommunications equipment .. QPST (Qualcomm Product Support Tool), QXDM (Qualcomm eXtensible Diagnostic Monitor) — official tool for Even worse, hackers can have full access if the affected user installs an app that exploits one of the vulnerabilities.


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Orthodox Christian Youth Movement
|Orthodox Learning Centre
Journey to Nicea
We invite you for a Journey to Nicea, where the Christian Theology has formulated, to find our Ancient Church. "The One, Holy, Catholic & Apostolic Church". We will meet Emperor Constantine in his full might together with our Holy Fathers who blessed the First Ecumenical Council at Nicea (AD 325). We continue our journey through the Synods 2nd (Constantinople), 3rd (Ephesus), 4th (Chalcedon), 5th & 6th (Constantinople), and 7th (Nicea). We will learn the major Heresies our Holy Fathers had denounced and the Doctrines they formulated.
We will meet and hear from the historic church luminaries as Ignatius of Antioch, Irenaeus of Lyons, Hippolytus, Athanasius, John Chrysostom, Nicholas of Myra, Basil the Great, Gregory of Nazianzus, Gregory of Nyssa, John Cassian, John of Damscus and Maximos the Confessor.
We will review the First Schism which separated Oriental and Byzantine Orthodoxy (Chalcedon) then our Journey continues through the 2nd Great Schism (AD 1054) where Roman Catholicism originated on the Papal claims and Filioque controversy. We will learn about the conversion of Slavs during the intensive missionary activity of Cyril and Methodius. We will then witness the persecution and perseverance of Holy Church under Turks and then the transformation of Moscow as Third Rome. We will continue our journey to the twentieth century on the influence of Arabs and the perseverance of Russian Christianity under militant Atheists. Finally our First part of Journey ends in the modern era "Diaspora and Mission".
Welcome on board and we promise an exciting journey to discover "Ancient Christianity speaking to the Modern World".
Please share your valuable ideas, feedbacks, comments. If you have any queries regarding Orthodox faith, Theology, Tradition, and Holy Scripture. Please address them to firstname.lastname@example.com and this will be answered by experts.
Shlomo Amogh:
OLC Team
Study wing of SG-OCYM Kuwait


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Tv Series
A pair of working class parents in an Irish-Catholic family try to raise their eight kids during the 1970s.
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CineBloom does not store any files locally. All content is automatically indexed from non-affiliated third parties. The site acts as a stylized search engine.


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The 2019 Honda Classic Cares Grant application will open on November 1, 2018 and close on March 15, 2019.
Click Here for the 2019 Grant Application
Any questions regarding The Honda Classic grants may be directed to Dana Johnson via email firstname.lastname@example.com or call 561-799-4607.
Copyright © 2012 - Present The Honda Classic. All rights reserved.
Site by q new media


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CHICKEN with SAGE and PROSCIUTTO
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, filet removed
1/2 tsp paprika
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsps canola oil
2 tbsps chopped fresh sage (or 2 tsp dried)
4 slices proscuitto (thinly sliced)
4 oz Mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
1/3 cup sundried tomato pesto
1 cup dry white wine
4 fresh sage leaves for garnish
Pound chicken breasts to a thickness of about 1/2 inch. In a shallow dish, mix paprika, salt, pepper and flour. Coat chicken pieces in flour mixture.
Heat butter and oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Brown chicken breasts on both sides then continue cooking until a meat thermometer inserted in the the chicken reads 165F (74C). Remove pan from the heat.
Spread sundried tomato pesto on each chicken breast and top with prosciutto, sage and Mozzarella. Cover pan and return to heat: cook over medium low heat until cheese just melts. Put chicken on a platter and cover with foil.
Increase heat to medium high. Add wine, stirring to remove the browned bits on the bottom of the pan, and cook until reduced by about 1/3. Serve with chicken.
Tip: Prosciutto is a type of ham from Italy. Look for it at the deli counter of larger grocery stores or at Italian butcher shops. Other types of thinly sliced ham will work too


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Hide Forgot
Description of Problem:
The iostat manpage says, in the BUGS section:
Statistics in KB/s for each block device are not available by default due
to Linux poor disk accounting. For the same reason, a kernel patch
need to be applied for extended statistics to be displayed.
Our performance tuning group only has tools to analyze system performance
in KB/s, not sectors/s. What is the procedure for enabling this (the man
page says it's not available "by default" which means it should be
available by some mechanism)?
--MSDW request
Version-Release number of selected component (if applicable):
How Reproducible:
Steps to Reproduce:
Actual Results:
Expected Results:
Additional Information:
So the request is?
It's a Morgan Stanley feature request. They'd like to have this ability added.
The extended information patch is part of the kernel, and the information has
been removed from the man page to avoid confusion.
sysstat-4.0.3-1 from http://people.redhat.com/teg/sysstat/ has this capability.


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For Senior Management, From Senior Management – July 2011 Edition
W. Michael Scott – President/CEO of FMSI
The Durbin Amendment & the Tough Questions We Need to Ask Ourselves
The Durbin Amendment to the Frank-Dodd Act of 2010 is scheduled to be enacted on October 1, 2011. This amendment to the banking regulations will reduce the debit card interchange fees from an average
of $0.44 of revenue per debit card transaction to the issuing debit card institution down to an average of $0.21 per transaction. This 55% reduction in transaction fees will be felt on the bottom line of every financial institution that issues debit cards.
Offsetting cost reductions and opportunities to increase fee revenue will be on the minds of everyone. Let us encourage you to consider taking a look at the number of new hires at your institution over the past twelve months, your trends of transaction activities (mostly a downward trend), and the number of current employment openings. Then ask the question — Are we replacing people as they leave because we are budgeted for those positions, or are we replacing them due to activity needs?


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Gulf Cove and South Gulf Cove, Florida Vacant Lots and Land
Gulf Cove and South Gulf Cove are known as a waterfront communities but many lots are off the water. Never fear… A boat ramp is always nearby. The communities are beside the picturesque Myakka River with its lazy bends to the interior of Florida or a short distance to Charlotte Harbor and the Gulf of Mexico through Boca Grande pass.
South Gulf Cove, FL is still one of the very few affordable waterfront communities left in Florida. With its access to great beaches, fishing, boating and Florida attractions, South Gulf Cove is a real find! Whether you purchase a building lot in South Gulf Cove on the water or off, you will live in a growing community, close to Englewood Beach and Boca Grande with all that Florida has to offer.
Please check your search filters, pan the map to a different area, or change your City/Neighborhood selection to ANY.


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FLASHdeal24 GmbH
Bosslerstrasse 47
73240 Wendlingen/Neckar
Email: email@example.com
Phone: +49 (0)171 3264364
– Boxlight 20
– Dimension: 20cm x 30cm (ca. 8″ x 12″)
– Retainer 50cm (ca. 20″)
– Energy 1600J
The condition of the item, is shown in the original images
Will usually ship within 3 business days of receiving cleared payment.
For deliveries to countries outside the EU can possibly incur additional costs in the form of tariffs or import taxes that are to be paid by you.
|4.00 kg
|20 x 30 cm
There are no reviews yet.
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My Dark Side
I have been looking for ways to display pictures of things around me that I have photographed before, but doing it differently. Since I have been attracted to the dark side and the mysterious, I tried making dark pictures with my jpeg only Canon P&S camera, but in bright daylight. The above are some of the results. I dialed the exposure down and then tweaked them some more in LR by adjusting the exposure and desaturating them by -20.


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Petal Paradise Plus 42531 Ford Rd, Canton, MI 48187
Local: 734-981-9100
- 42531 Ford Rd, Canton, MI 48187
Bouquet of RosesIntercat-3307
A classic bouquet filled with roses. Size and color may vary. (Vase not included)
All items featured on this site represent the types of arrangements we offer and may vary depending upon availability in certain regions. Substitution Policy


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Criticism of current education
The launch of the book "Criticism and demystification of education today" has taken place in Madrid with a great reception in the media. The book was edited by Octahedron and has been written by seven renowned Education academics from different Spanish universities that constitute the Think Tank Group SI(e)TE.Educación.
Petra Maria Pérez Alonso-Geta (University of Valencia), Gonzalo Vázquez Gómez (Universidad Complutense de Madrid), Jaume Sarramona (Autonomous University of Barcelona), Antoni Colom Cañellas (University of the Balearic Islands); José Luis Castillejo Brull (University of Valencia), José Manuel Touriñán (University of Santiago de Compostela) and Teófilo Neira (University of Oviedo), break in this book the myths and provide constructive criticism of the Spanish educational system.


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SAN FRANCISCO — There are days when it looks as if none of it ever happened — the shoulder injury late last season, the operation that followed, the early-season slump this year, the three stints on the disabled list that cost him 79 games.
Those are the days everything feels possible, the ones that make Don Mattingly remind everyone, as he did earlier this week, "He is Matt Kemp, you know?"
Those are the days Kemp smiles and laughs and talks about why he thinks he's close to being the player he used to be.
But every day isn't like that for Kemp.
"Kind of in and out still," Mattingly said.
Kemp was in and out early in Thursday's game against the San Francisco Giants, getting on base with a walk and grounding into a double play.
Kemp is an admittedly emotional player, but his reactions to his recent triumphs and failures have been tempered. He has played baseball long enough to know that nothing meaningful ever reveals itself in one game.
So, every day, Kemp steps into a batting cage with hitting coach Mark McGwire and takes swing after swing, hoping that old feeling will come back and stay with him.
This is what Kemp has been doing all season.
He did it in spring training. He did it after he strained a hamstring in late May. He did it after he irritated his surgically repaired shoulder in early July. And he's doing it now.
But this time it's different. He no longer has time, something he acknowledged when he said, "I'm trying not to waste any at-bats."
The Dodgers have three games remaining in the regular season. Four days after the regular-season finale, they will open their National League division series.
Kemp would be facing even longer odds to regain his old form in a week if not for a decision the Dodgers made in late August.
Five games into his latest minor league rehabilitation assignment with the Dodgers' Class-A affiliate, the team asked him to go to its spring-training complex rather than remain with the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes in the California League playoffs.
"I didn't know how it was going to turn out," Kemp said.
With some of their minor league pitchers still throwing at the Arizona facility, the Dodgers were able to set up simulated games and get Kemp as many at-bats as he wanted — eight, 10, 12, whatever.
"It turned out really, really well," Kemp said. "You get 15 at-bats a day, you can definitely get a groove. It doesn't matter who's pitching. You can start to find your swing. I'm glad they came up with that idea."
Kemp liked the routine so much that he said he might incorporate it into his spring-training regimen in the future.
Over his final week in Arizona, he estimated that he took 100 at-bats.
Kemp was activated from the disabled list on Sept. 16.
His uneven play since then illustrates the challenge he faces.
In his first start, on Sept. 17, he had four hits, including two doubles.
Tuesday, in a 2-1 victory over the Giants, he hit his first home run since his return, a solo shot to left-center against three-time All-Star Matt Cain.
However, between those two games, he was two for 12 with five strikeouts.
"I'm sure it's day to day with him; some days better than others, certain matchups," Mattingly said.
In addition to making sure Kemp gets enough bats over the next three days, Mattingly faces the challenge of making sure he doesn't get too many. A little more than a week ago, Kemp couldn't run the bases at full speed.
The Dodgers can't afford to lose Kemp again, not now with Andre Ethier sidelined by shin splints and possibly unavailable for the division series.
So, Mattingly holds his breath and hopes for the best.
"This is a guy that if you'd seen him a couple years ago, a lot of people would tell you he was the best player in the game, or one of them," Mattingly said. "Until he got hurt last year, we saw a lot of the same thing. Is he back to that, feeling that comfortable and that confident? I don't know about that, but to get a healthy Matt Kemp that we could play every day would be a nice thing for us."
Twitter: @dylanohernandez