GRUNDER SOFTWARE GmBH NEURAL NET SUITE
MULTIVISUAL DIARY MANAGER v2.93.1
USER: HANAMURA, NODOKA ERROR: REGISTRATION EXPIRED NaN DAYS AGO. NON-FATAL EXCEPTION - NULLPIRATEN.SO NOT FOUND (0X000000AA)
Loading audio codecs... done.
Loading video codecs... done.
Available Audio Codecs:
NACv2, NACv3, VorbisII, rawwav
Available Video Codecs:
MKV, NN-MPEG, RAVI
Reading from journal...done.
Client defined Book 02 for writing..
Journal ready for writing.
AUTHOR: Nodoka Hanamura ENTRY NO.: 01-001 ENTRY TITLE: Rebirth ENTRY DATE: July 30th, 834 AS | 0000 Sirian Universal Coordinated Time ENTRY LOCALE: OCS Utsunomiya, The Barrier ENTRY TYPE: Video
It feels like it's been an eternity since I recorded one of these. Thanks to Mieko, I have more up to date software for communications and log keeping. Alexei is going to need to work with his team to prepare updates for ship software across the fleet once I get everyone out of cryo here in a week.
I've spent the past 24 hours getting reacquainted with my quarters on the Utsunomiya, trying to wrap my head around this entire mess that has gone on for the past 10 years. Bride's elucidations during her briefing was, suffice to say, both enlightening, and concerning. Further review of the archives of news articles, and other OSINT we were able to get, along with intelligence from Mieko has painted a.. more concerning picture than I was expecting upon hearing that the Sirius Sector was not on fire.
Sure, Gallia's situation has improved significantly, and is now more something resembling a tolerable state in my eyes, even if it came at great cost to the people of Bretonia, Liberty and Gallia. But now the sector at large is in a mess. Bretonia's post-war economic state has gone into the toilet thanks to both the massive losses of the war, including the absolute obliteration of Planet Leeds, the beating heart of Bretonian economic power - as well as the destruction of the Dublin Jump Gate and formation of the Republican Provisional Assembly, governed by the Mollies.
Suffice to say, it seems these days the Mollies are less.. cutthroat than they were in the past. I still remember the stories Seline told us, of her time with her mother under them. For all of the negatives that come with the Harpies no longer under our belt - the brain drain we suffered by losing Cassiopeia, Mieko and Elena was debilitating, meaning projects like Malphas, Myomer and the APBAS combat armor program are effectively dead in the water until we can manage to continue them to modern standards - the loss of force projection with losing Gold-1 and the Hecate.. and more importantly morale.. there is one positive. We're not burdened by their past. Though that is not to say I will be hugging the next Molly I see. I still will wait and see what comes of the RPA.
Rheinland, yet again, seems to be gearing up for a fight with the GMG. You'd think after the 80 Years War.. and the various skirmishes since.. that the Rheinlanders would learn to not poke the panda. Beyond that, they've had a civil war, which has resulted in the establishment of a Empire. As if we didn't have enough assholes sitting on thrones, telling people what to do. After the messes in Rheinland, I don't blame those Bundschuh offshoots, Der Plattform, for going full Anarchist. One would think we too, of Ouroboros, would follow suit.
But no.
Anarchy I've learned only leaves a power vaccum. A wise philosopher once said - that those who dare let in lesser evils, greater ones invariably will slink in after. Anarchy is like not having a door at all. And unless they want to always be on guard, always be one step ahead of their ideological opponents -- they will always result in the formation of another form of government. Anarchy is not a political ideology - it is a state of being. It is the lack of order, of law - of laws that would otherwise protect and preserve rights and liberties, defend and uphold justice, and ensure the collective prosperity of the nation.
Liberty.. has effectively rubbed me the wrong way, with recent events. They have gone to taking Pennsylvania for themselves, seizing Planet Erie, and establishing it as a de facto prison planet, the once bountiful hills and valleys, rivers - dotted with concentration camps. You would think that the funny moustache man who my history teacher told us about back on Earth, was running the show there. Typical Libertonian behavior - Xenophobia, hatred and complacency with old ways. Explains why people grew tired and tried to establish the Commonwealth of Liberty and the Hellfire Legion.. Speaking of.
The Hellfire Legion, who had taken in thousands of Bretonian refugees from Leeds, among their own, collapses after the Harmony - the very same ship, that caused that kerfuffle in New York over a decade ago, turned on them, if Mieko's reports on them are anything to go by. Now, the Harmony operates in tandem with the Xenos - who have attempted what can only be called per Bride's words - 'We have Dublin at home' in Ontario - and have seen a resurgence in recent years, under the leadership of a man known only as "Cobra". Mieko and him.. seem to have fought in the past, exchanging blows. I observed the killcam recordings she managed to compress, redact for controlled information, and send to me. Her skills have definitely improved.
Auxesia, I still know little about. Mieko has said that sadly providing information about internal matters is not permissible, and that I should speak to Leviathan. From what I can understand, Leviathan has a new rank - Navarch -- and that base that Auxesia was planning to build - Valravn. It was finally completed. Beyond that, Raven is awake and going by killcam footage, capable in combat. Everything else, save remnants of the Legion serving under Auxesia as a task force, Prometheus, is unknown.
As for.. Kusari. The house is just as much the same mess as we left it, save slight internal struggles. Our best chance at backing a major political party died with the Honshu Unity Party, the closest thing to a major progressive movement to counter the Ninkyou Dantai - even if they still clung to the belief of keeping the Emperor as head of state. They've been superceded by the.. Sunrise Party. It also seems the KOI are active.. and from what little Mieko was able to tell me, they have had discussions with Auxesia. Suffice to say, I must try to deter Leviathan and Raven from turning in favor of the Kusari state. Not only can I smell Keiretsu interference to Auxesia's detriment, but I would rather not have to cast myself away from Auxesia.. and possibly Mieko as well.
She sighs, visibly frustrated.
The domestic political situation, frankly, is like being forced to choose between Golanski and Archos all over again.
The Hispanian Microstates are much in the same state they were, Natio Octavarium is no more, and the Nomads are still out and about. Freeport 11, unlike their Pennsylvania-residing counterparts, is still around, and seemingly quite a lot has gone on - at one point, even an AI was running the station. Jerard must have been tearing his hair out over that one - just as much as he probably was at Freeport 9.. which still baffles me as to why the Corsairs took it over.
Now that I've.. vented and elucidated on the goings on since we've been gone, or at least, where we are now.. I am left to posit where we go from here.
Ouroboros as I desire it to be.. along with the People's Commonwealth of Kusari - is now a farflung dream, yet again. We only have barely 10,000 men in our ranks, down from the 29,000 at our peak. We lack the capability to operate a state, let alone do anything democratically, at least, for the moment. Regrettably, I must steer us alone, with input of course, to pick up ourselves from the ashes of what we left behind.
The mistakes I made in the past, are mine to own up to. Our fallen, we must remember their sacrifices, and learn from our mistakes, or the snake will truly eat itself alive. We must amass our forces in one last show of our abilities, our usefulness, to appeal to those yearning for a cause, be it in or outside of our house.
As such.. I feel a reformation in order. Ouroboros, for now - must cast aside its' revolutionary aspirations, for its' own survival. Bride - possibly, suggested the idea of working under Auxesia, much like the Harpies, much like the Prometheans. But the days of tight-knit coordination with Auxesia was years ago. And I know nothing of Auxesia now. A place like Inverness, much can change in such a long time. And sadly Mieko has given me little to go on. Not out of mistrust, but fear that the Inner Phalanx may come after us both.
As such.. at least, informally, for now.
Ouroboros bears a new banner. Where our fealty goes now - at least, other than to liberating Kusari someday - is up for the fates to decide.
GRUNDER SOFTWARE GmBH NEURAL NET SUITE
MULTIVISUAL DIARY MANAGER v2.93.1
USER: HANAMURA, NODOKA ERROR: REGISTRATION EXPIRED NaN DAYS AGO. NON-FATAL EXCEPTION - NULLPIRATEN.SO NOT FOUND (0X000000AA)
Loading audio codecs... done.
Loading video codecs... done.
Available Audio Codecs:
NACv2, NACv3, VorbisII, rawwav
Available Video Codecs:
MKV, NN-MPEG, RAVI
Reading from journal...done.
Client defined Book 02 for writing..
Journal ready for writing.
AUTHOR: Nodoka Hanamura ENTRY NO.: 01-002 ENTRY TITLE: Culmination ENTRY DATE: August 2nd, 834 AS | 0000 Sirian Universal Coordinated Time ENTRY LOCALE: OCS Utsunomiya, The Barrier ENTRY TYPE: Audio
Transcript with Reference data:
I had Mercury, Jae-un and Shinta generate a new, revised ORBAT for the battlegroup. Condensing down, reconsolidating and even dissolving all of the commands and directorates we had under the original Ouroboros was not easy, but it was better than leaving it as is, with the various holes in the chain of command and overly complex nature that we no longer can maintain. Bride was not wrong when she said we were at a culmination point, but with this new structure, we should be able to maintain ourselves better than before.
Sanzu DEVGRU, now that Akira is gone, has been passed to one Brett Kensington - a former LSF operative who left shortly after the Harmony incident and ended up in our ranks. Top of his class at West Point, and lacking a drive in life, he came to us for purpose. Some may wonder why we allow Gaijin in our ranks. In the end, Kusari's ancestor, even if it was overwhelmingly Japanese, was still a melting pot of smaller cultures coexisting with greater Japanese society. Christians whose presence in Japan was born of the Jesuits, Americans who grew tired of their homeland's political and social strife in the 21st century, even those who flocked here because of an infatuation and respect for our culture and society - as flawed as it was, burdened by a toxic work culture, neglected youth, aggressive conformity and unhealthy dependency and overvaluation of elders and age old codes of 'honor' that aged like milk.
Kusari, unfortunately, did not learn that the Bushido Code - like any treatise on societal ideologies, such as Neo-Confucianism, should not be treated as absolute, and definitely should not be rigidly adhered to as society, culture and the world around it evolves. We were - as a nation, well on our way even under the hardening control of the Alliance, starting to eventually find the balance betwixt holding onto our past - whilst accepting change for the better - moving towards a more efficient, tolerant and open society.. but we all know who to blame for that coming to an end.
We should not shun those who see Kusari's beauty and potential like we do. Who yearn for a house to make a home - not to make it more like they came from, no - but to make it a home they can feel proud of.
Kensington has quite the responsibility ahead of him. I have yet to formally meet with him, but analyses of our reports and intelligence about him, shows he is quite literally, the best man we have for the role of special warfare.
Kotetsu and Hakugyokurou have been downsized to battalion and Company-size commands, respectively, with the limited resources we have in regards to hardware, meaning we need to condense what functioning ships and mechanized/armored infantry we have into smaller elements, including a 'composite' marines, merging various units of varying types into a single company. We're not expecting to wage war anytime soon, at least, not to the scale of major battles with say, Kusari, or Liberty, but being fit for recon, boarding actions and vessel defense, this is more than sufficient. Kotetsu at large is about 3,000 strong, which is more fitting of a brigade-sized unit, but I feel that it's not deserving of that moniker, given about 25% of it is directly attached to the command as smaller units for maintenance and internal logistics roles.
Hakugyokurou however, has been split into two seperate commands, unlike before, when diplomacy and logistics were under the same roof. Setsuna has been given command of Mizurashi Section, which will handle PAO/MISO/Diplomacy operations - with MISO handled in tandem with SANZU. Alexei meanwhile, has been given control over Hakugyokurou, which oversees maintenance at scale and logistics operations.
Bride and Mercury estimate that in this configuration we're more capable to fend off threats to the battlegroup more reliably. Which, given what I've come to understand, we'll be swimming in hostile waters soon enough. We're going to go ahead with Bride's suggestion to work with Auxesia. I will reach out to Leviathan.. and test the waters with him. If he seems amicable enough.. once we are physically together again, I will float the idea to him - see if he would be willing to take us on as an independent command under Auxesia, much like the Prometheans, or what was done under the Harpies before they eventually entered our ranks. Once we are fit to do so.. maybe some odd years down the line.. we can take the fight to Kusari. Though I don't know, given Auxesia's apparent mingling with the KOI, what little I know of it, how that will go over.
I am.. suffice to say, nervous. The future is uncertain, and I don't do well with uncertainty.
What I do know.. is we aren't too far now from Tau-23. About 0.1ly. By my estimations.. we should be there slightly earlier than expected, with a time of entry into the system's Kuiper Line by no later than September 25th. Once there.. we'll enter into an idle orbit at the nearest solar lagrange point and plan how we're to get back to Inverness.. if things don't go south.
She sighs.
It is time for me to dive back into the fireworks. Here's hoping we all come out of it not worse for wear.. like we have now.
GRUNDER SOFTWARE GmBH NEURAL NET SUITE
MULTIVISUAL DIARY MANAGER v2.93.1
USER: HANAMURA, NODOKA ERROR: REGISTRATION EXPIRED NaN DAYS AGO. NON-FATAL EXCEPTION - NULLPIRATEN.SO NOT FOUND (0X000000AA)
Loading audio codecs... done.
Loading video codecs... done.
Available Audio Codecs:
NACv2, NACv3, VorbisII, rawwav
Available Video Codecs:
MKV, NN-MPEG, RAVI
Reading from journal...done.
Client defined Book 02 for writing..
Journal ready for writing.
AUTHOR: Nodoka Hanamura ENTRY NO.: 01-003 ENTRY TITLE: Tracks ENTRY DATE: August 10th, 834 AS | 1420 Sirian Universal Coordinated Time ENTRY LOCALE: OCS Utsunomiya, The Barrier ENTRY TYPE: Video
The report from Sanzu, along with the raw report from our drone, Ootori-419, came to my desk today. Looking it over I come to realize that interesting times are ahead. Thus far we've no information or intelligence on Prometheus, something I am going to possibly sort out personally in the very near future with this 'Megiddo' figure. Other than that, we have finally some sort of idea on Auxesia's capabilities.. and suffice to say, they're.. impressive. Valravn Citadel is abuzz with traffic, and the onboard EW systems on our drone made getting the images quickly and safely quite easy. We couldn't really linger for long lest the turrets on those platforms start burning through the jamming and started firing on it.
We also got a report that 419 did see Leviathan in the Independent Worlds, namely in Cortez, heading for god knows where, before he faded from 419's onboard search radar. Ootori was given orders to not communicate with him if he was alone and in transit, simply to monitor.
The last thing I want Auxesia to think is we're actively spying on them. Though, I dread the idea of bringing up the Kusari question to Leviathan. If my fears are valid, and Leviathan wants Auxesia to have closer ties to Kusari.. suffice to say our odds of coordinating or being subordinate as planned, helping with the Liberty situation.. may not work out.
I posited the concerns to Bride, and she said that our next best chance, is to work with Der Plattform or another Bundschuh sect, NWB. Beyond that.. we don't have much for options.
If.. it comes worst to worst. Then my aspirations may never come to pass. Suffice it to say, I do not intend to simply surrender to Kusari, unless it is in nuclear inferno, nor will I follow Mieko's footsteps, and dissolve Ouroboros and enter the ranks of the Technocracy, knowing that they play niceties with Kishiro willingly. I can tolerate not interfering with their economic aspirations with the Keiretsu, as foolish as it is. But I will not be complicit in it. I would sooner slit my own throat.
My goals then.. will to be to wage what can only be compared to the Arabic concept of Jihad. A suicidal, no holds barred, no mercy aspiration to accomplish what goals I can. Recovering my sister, if she is still in Kishiro's custody. Granting Mieko and Jae-un closure in their past. And if I can flee the wrath of Kusari.. retire to live my days on Gran Canaria with what family I have left - or die trying.
If Kusari at large comes for me. I will make one last testament of anger and vexation, against all who stand in my way, a message, that the transgressions against me will simply not be forgiven - they are unforgivable. If they did not want me to undertake this path - they should have unfroze me when we arrived. Not 800 years later. They took my mother, my siblings, from me. They cast me into a strange, alien, cold world - where for every kindness I have been afforded, I have been met with cold shoulders and cut-throat sentiments. And the people who have rendered those kindnesses.. Mei.. Marisa.. Nerva.. Mia.. Akira.. the Harpies.. Aiko.. Kyu.. Vex.. They all have fallen into the ether.
Suffice to say, What Leviathan, What Raven, what Kusari, Liberty, Sirius - fail to realize...
Is I am a woman with little left to live for. And when one has little to live for - those kinds of people - are the most dangerous. And when they explode - their immolation parallels the largest of stars.
権力者たちが私を祝福してくださいますように。そうでなければ私は地獄に落ちてしまいます。 May the powers that be bless me. For I am hellbound otherwise.
GRUNDER SOFTWARE GmBH NEURAL NET SUITE
MULTIVISUAL DIARY MANAGER v2.93.1
USER: HANAMURA, NODOKA ERROR: REGISTRATION EXPIRED NaN DAYS AGO. NON-FATAL EXCEPTION - NULLPIRATEN.SO NOT FOUND (0X000000AA)
Loading audio codecs... done.
Loading video codecs... done.
Available Audio Codecs:
NACv2, NACv3, VorbisII, rawwav
Available Video Codecs:
MKV, NN-MPEG, RAVI
Reading from journal...done.
Client defined Book 02 for writing..
Journal ready for writing.
AUTHOR: Nodoka Hanamura ENTRY NO.: 02-001 ENTRY TITLE: Picture ENTRY DATE: August 22nd, 834 AS | 0922 Sirian Universal Coordinated Time ENTRY LOCALE: OCS Utsunomiya, The Barrier ENTRY TYPE: Video
The flag quarters in the early morning, is home to Hanamura at this point. The woman was more than used to deskwork, as much as she preferred action to reading debriefs. Warm green tea on her desk, laced with honey, as she tends to prefer. Her day is the same old, same old, since returning to the land of the living. Wake up from nightmares, grab a drink to arouse herself to life, fill out paperwork and go over reports, consult with her adjutants, and essentially pretend to be busy when she's done.
Morale in Ouroboros is a mixed bag. Some are wanting to leave, whilst others are rearing to vent their frustrations on their new enemies in Liberty and some even wish to forgo the slow approach, and start blasting Kusari ships. The feed shifts to Jae-un and Brett heading towards Hanamura's quarters, discussing matters in the somewhat quiet command deck. the two are due to meet with Setsuna and Hanamura to discuss matters, it having been two weeks since their briefing.
"So you don't know anything about Alaska?" Jae-un asks her Sanzu contemporary, the Libertonian answering with a defeated nod.
"Yeah. I only served for about a year, and my clearance didn't let me into Alaska. Closest I got was Chadwick, and that was under heavy monitoring. You gotta understand, Song - the LSF doesn't mess around with counter-intelligence."
"Then why did they let Ootori just come by and take pictures? Did they mistake it for a lost tourist?" she retorts jokingly.
Brett scratches his head, the young man's jet black hair ruffling as it does. "Nah. I haven't the foggiest. Maybe with all the EW they have going on in Zone 21, and Ootori's own onboard jammers, they couldn't pick it up through all the noise. They're reliant on EOTS to detect threats inside the zone, the Jamming is that bad - they are literally jamming themselves so no one else can use radar to do SAR scans of the region."
"Damn. I've heard of defensive ECM, but that's obsessive, not defensive." Bride says, surprised at the lengths Liberty will go to keep their secrets secret.
"Welcome to House-grade counter-intelligence. If they could kill anyone who even thinks about what goes on in Alaska, chances are they probably would." He responds, before the air goes silent, leaving him to ask her something.
"Weren't you in Auxesia at some point? How'd you end up with those techno-gooks?"
Jae-un answers the question succinctly. "Long story short, before Ouroboros I was part of a freelance mercenary group. Leader decided out of the blue to take up an offer from Auxesia to join their ranks. I had it rough at first, but thanks to it I've got a better head on my shoulders. Much more fit for command, even if I've never seen a command role."
Kensington stops her. "Wait - you are the head of our combat forces, and yet you've never been in a C2 position - not even a junior role? Why? Is Hanamura playing favorites?"
"I served as FCO on the ZCV Rathgrith, ZCV Dragostea - later OCS Abdicant Seraphine, OCS Rathgrith II, and have been trusted as a fire control AI by Hanamura for years. Mieko may have been the more strategic of the two of us, but I learned a thing or two from both her, and Hanamura, as well as seeing others in the field strut their stuff. You don't exactly see very many NCO-grade combat vets in our ranks these days, do you?"
Brett sighs. "Yeah.. guess you're right. At least you AI learn quick. I'll give you that."
"Hey, as long as you treat me like any other meatbag, we're good." Bride answers, shrugging.
"I don't see why not. You've got more emotion than the other AI in CENTCOM." Kensington retorts, pointing his thumb back towards Mercury's quarters.
"Mercury? Yeah. She's one of the Erlanger-class AIs. Got her and her sister Cassiopeia, off an old Zoner Whale of all things. Still not the foggiest how they came to be.. God, just saying Cass' name has me missing the Harpies." Jae-un elucidates. The tale of the Harpies' AI does resonate a slight bit with her contemporary.
"Yea.. if it weren't for him berating me for dropping out of the academy, I'd be missing my dad right about now. Him and I were close - he wanted me to join the LSF, carry on the torch."
The two reflect momentarily on their feelings, before Bride takes a swig from a water bottle attached to her hip, placing it back down and speaking again with Brett.
"Sorry to hear that. Does he know about where you were before all this?"
Brett looks a bit dejected. He responds, regardless. "Yeah. He uh.. he wasn't a fan."
"I bet."
Another break of silence.
"Why'd you come here, anyways?"
"That broadcast on the Neural Net Hanamura made. Hearing she came from Sol of all things. She kinda inspired me to do what she did - start again, y'know?"
Bride scoffs a bit before retorting. "Got a lot of better places to start over than a Kusari revolutionary movement that's gone to shit, man."
Defensively, Brett chides back. "Well it didn't go to shit until the Miners knocked on our door. I can tell you right now half of what's left of Sanzu wants Namura's head on a pike outside Niigata."
Jae-un answers back, albeit a bit more positively. "Yeah. Here's hoping we'll have the muscle to make that happen. That or at least give the GMG the mother of all bloody noses."
The two sit there, before Brett chimes in.
"So.. Yoruha. She's your sister."
"Technically we're just of the same batch of AIs, but in a way.. yeah, she is."
"You proud of her?"
Jae-un smiles and looks to him. "Hell yeah. My sister whooping Liberty's ass? Rolling with Auxesia? I couldn't be prouder." She says to him, feeling happiness in knowing her sister has managed to succeed in her absence. She felt a bit of jealousy, but it was easily washed out by that familial pride.
Setsuna approaches the group, briefcase in tow. The modest woman adorned in the usual standard woman officer's uniform, a dark teal skirt and officer's blazer, with underlying pantyhose and flats. "Good to see the both of you are jovial."
The two turn towards her, the ex-Chrysanthemum's smile somewhat addicting.
"You're in a good mood, Kobayashi."
"Well, being able to do what I do best gives me a good mood, even if we've yet to hear back from anyone, save the Mollies." She says, slightly tilting her head, and continuing the smile.
"God, if Seline hears Ouroboros is friends with the Mollies, she's gonna have Hanamura's neck." Jae-un says, hand cupped over her forehead loosely.
"I doubt that will be an issue. Intelligence suggests she is occupied working for Graham Industries in Bretonia - the same firm that Elena operates now." she says to Bride, with the aforementioned raising an eyebrow.
"Since when did Birdie have a corporate firm under her?"
"Since.. 828 AS." Setsuna recalls.
".. Shit. First I was upset I didn't get to be there for her to grow up.. now I'm upset I didn't get to be there for her to succeed." Jae-un says, dejectedly.
Setsuna seems to share the sentiment. "If it is any consolation, my obaa-san died last year. So.. suffice to say - you are not the only one with regrets."
Brett falls in line with the feeling of regret.
"Don't think anyone here is, Kobayashi."
Setsuna looks to him, curious. "What did you lose, Kensington-san?"
The death of his mother, his naievete to the plight of Liberty, his career with the LSF, the love of his father, among other things, run through Kensington's mind.
"... a lot, long before Ouroboros."
Setsuna looks to him, concerned, before wistfully looking out into the white gassy nebula surrounding the ship out a nearby window.
".. a recurring theme, I've noticed. The meeting should be any minute, yes? Is Alexei joining us?" She continues, before Jae-un continues.
"Nah, he's occupied on the Didact - apparently their comms array went out last night and they needed to shuttle him and some guys over to unfuck it. He says that the moment we hit Sirius, the fleet needs maintenance, desperately - we've expended the nanobot stores fixing everything wrong with the whole fleet while Mercury was running the show."
"Quite concerning. Any word on our Auxesian contacts?"
Jae-un shrugs at Setsuna's inquiry.
"Nope. Hanamura's reached out to Leviathan and that Megiddo guy."
"What about Sapphire Raven? She is one of the other leaders."
Another shrug from Bride.
"Yes and no. Auxesia had a shakeup a few years back, they're Navarches now, sorta like a company's CVO - they help run the show but at the same time they don't call the shots anymore. At least, that's from what Mieko's been telling us."
"Then who is the Keeper?" Setsuna asks again, irritated.
"Your guess is as good as ours. Our guys in Sanzu have tried running SIGINT against the packets we intercepted while we flew past Valravn. Whatever Auxesia uses, it's extremely resilient against most of our deciphering capabilities." Brett answers, rubbing his temples at the end, a bit irritated - with Bride chipping in.
"Well, no shit - It's Auxesia - Transhumanists - only fuckers I bet could go toe to toe with them in cyberspace are Lane Hackers."
The three stop for a moment, as Jae-un concludes bluntly. Setsuna chimes in.
"I wonder if Hanamura-taichou would like us to consult other organizations that could allow us access to their shipyards."
Bride, sensing the dire straits they remain in, looks to her with contempt.
"Like who? Who with a shipyard worth a damn is gonna host us? Livadia won't touch us with a barge pole. Invergordon probably will expect that we'll flake again and refuse us or screw us, and if Auxesia turns out to be dead in the water or they refuse to let us get fixed up at Valravn, who do we turn to?"
Setsuna tries to assauge Bride's frustrations with what she knows.
".. Well, if Hanamura-taichou and I can.. we have two choices. We can appeal to the Mollies for access to their shipyards, or reach out to the IMG and see if utilization of Singapore Shipyard is an option. Both seem viable." She says, before Brett shuts down half of the solutions Setsuna offered.
"Mollies probably will tell us no. They're in a warzone. Can't afford non-combatants anything unless they're on fire." Brett scoffs, before a distant explosion goes off. Shinta's voice is shortly heard over the intercom. "Maintenance Team C to Hydraulics Bay 3! Fluid line flammable burst, advise CBRN gear, thank you!"
"That enough of a fire for em?" Bride retorts.
"No. I'm talking on the verge of --" Brett says, before the door opens, revealing Hanamura. "Good to see you all are early." She says, before Jae-un interjects.
"What about the Hydraulic--"
"It's being taken care of, just a small detonation on an anciliary line. Not the end of the world."
Hanamura signals to the group to come inside, waving her hand inward as she heads into her quarters. She returns to her desk, as the three step inside, the door closing behind them and locking.
"That aside.. what do you have for me. Jae-un, you first."
"Snubcraft squadrons are at about 52% combat capability. A lot of our fighters are needing maintenance done on them, and I think some are so worse for wear that we'd be better off swapping them out for new ships."
"What about our Infantry?"
"Lieutenant Miyazono says his men are not to the level he'd like, but they're effective for defensive roles against anything that isn't a house boarding action."
"I see. Have Alexei when he comes back, send some men to do a thorough audit of the snubcraft fleet and see what we can salvage from ships that are too far gone to repair the ones still spaceworthy." Hanamura orders, before looking to Setsuna. "I know I tasked you with the Mollies, but I felt it best to approach them personally. I hope you understand."
Setsuna nods, retaining a slight smile. "Suffice to say I'm pleased by your diplomatic efforts, Hanamura-taichou. It's a far cry from the Crayter disaster last time. Question is -- how do we approach Crayter?"
"We don't. I talked with Mieko on the matter last night. Auxesia and Crayter at are odds with one another. And there was a lot more we did not know about their situation back then, that we know now." Hanamura says, looking to Kensington.
Setsuna and Jae-un look to him as well.
"Crayter's had several treaties fall through with Auxesia, all of them in violation by the former. Suffice to say, Ouroboros shouldn't have been befriending Crayter lest it piss of the Technocrats." He answers, elucidating for Hanamura.
Setsuna groans a bit. "Mou... Had I known that, I would have told them to go stuff their mouths with wasabi."
Brett grimaces. "Jeeze, okay Satan." he says, before Hanamura nods in affirmation of Brett's statement.
"Any word from Der Plattform?" she asks of Setsuna.
"Iie. Nothing yet. They probably are occupied. I wouldn't rule them out yet.. If it weren't for being stuck in deep space still, I'd say send envoies out to Rheinland to make direct contact."
"In that case, Setsuna - I would like you to put that on hold, and work the IMG and any affiliated factions. Any of note?"
"There is one.. the Kongsi Syndicate. Little is known about them but they seem to be an offshoot of the IMG, run as a anarchist group, much like Der Plattform. Not entirely relevant in the grander scheme of things, but still, having contacts with them will further secure our interests in the Taus." Setsuna says, looking over her tablet.
"Very well. Hail the Guildmaster of the IMG and the Kongsi Syndicate. Do not approach them about requesting maintenance until we know for certain that Valravn is out of the question."
Hanamura looks to Brett. "What's our intel on Bretonia and Liberty looking like?"
"Liberty's not changed much since we left, only things of note are that the Mississippi is no longer in service, it's a training ship that's permanently in mothballs at West Point. That and Pennsylvania is a shitshow, but I sent you the detailed report on that the moment it was compiled." He answers, before Nodoka looks over her tablet to review the matter in question. Setsuna shortly thereafter, interjects.
"Hanamura-taichou, might I suggest making contact with the PLF?"
Hanamura shakes her head in the negative. "Zoner society at large is a very sensitive matter for us, and unfortunately Setsuna, I must be the one to answer for it. We owe the Zoners quite a bit for the Seraphine. It was a betrayal of the trust of the COF to take it yes.. but they afforded me the chance to find my footing here in Sirius. The least I can do is own up to it and make personal assurances that Ouroboros will stand behind them and the rest of the Zoners."
Setsuna, understanding it entirely, nods, conceding that responsibility to her. "In that case.. should we bother to make contact with any Kusari entities?"
"No. The Blood Dragons after what happened to Mei, will definitely not want anything to do with us, and with the Gen'an still running around with that loon Megaera at the helm, the criminal sphere of Kusari is closed to us."
"What about the Alliance? They could --"
"The Alliance is a footnote. Answer me, Bride - since you can compute it for us - have we *ever* come across any meaningful Farmers Alliance movements in Kusari? Or any of their friends in the Landwirtrechtbewegung? Last time I checked, we haven't."
Jae-un answers succinctly. "Nope. Hell, I don't think we've even seen a single ship of theirs on sorties back in the day."
Hanamura looks back to Setsuna, who seems to be defeated. "We're not going to have much of an inroad into Kusari if we don't try to work with *someone*, Hanamura-taichou." she retorts back at Hanamura's stare.
"I know that." she says, rubbing her temples, annoyed. "Look, work with Brett's men on doing some probes into Kusari, find me any sect, any group - in the opposition to the government, who would be even remotely in line with our values."
Brett clears his throat, getting the group's attention.
"If I can make a suggestion. Some of the intel I have from my days back with the LSF, that I can recall - shows that there's more to Rheinland then just The Platform. What about working with ALG?"
The women in the group tilt their heads in disbelief.
"A garbage company." Jae-un answers, taking the words out of Setsuna and Hanamura's mouths.
"What does a waste disposal firm have anything to do with our aspirations?" Setsuna asks, bewildered at the question.
"ALG's got a bit of a history of backing Rheinlandic liberal and other seedier groups from what I remember. I was supposed -- to be tasked with working with a division operating in Bering and the sort, but that fell through after I fucked off - I know a little bit about their operations. I'd suggest at least giving them a shot. Nothing like a jab in the arm from a friendly corporation to help us out."
Hanamura claps her hands together, and points them to Setsuna.
"Talk to the trash men." she says with a smile.
"Yes, Hanamura-taichou." Setsuna answers, not exactly keen on the idea, but obeying regardless.
"I do have to ask.. what about the Order? Do we still consider them a major problem?" Setsuna continues, getting a chuckle from Brett.
"The Order - I don't think they'll be a problem for us." he says, before Hanamura explains.
"In recent years the Overwatch has fallen into disarray, it's much weaker than it once was, at least, going off of OSINT. Fewer reports of activity in the houses, and the only thing of note, is that Lazurith figure somehow managing to piss them off to the point of garnering a bounty worth what would be 100 million credits 10 years ago. Golanski's not been heard from in a while. Our doctrine with the Order is straightforward - ignore unless they give us reason not to. They pick a fight with Auxesia, we sic the hounds on them. They lurk in the darkness and watch over our affairs - we gouge their eyes out, slit their throats and deliver their agents' heads to Michal in a box. But otherwise, we do not bother. We have more important things, bigger fish to fry."
The three nod in affirmation of Hanamura's directive.
"Now that we've gone over diplomacy and a bit of our intelligence picture.. We are possibly going to set up shop in Inverness, given Auxesia permits as such - establishing a more solid footing for ourselves. At least in Inverness, we won't have to fret over the natives trying to attack us." she says, before Brett interjects. "Uh - ma'am.. What about the LSF and Crayter? Or the LFR?"
"The Xenos' little microstate has as much force projection in Inverness, as the Liberty Navy has on Pluto. None. Mieko told me what happened the last time they tried to attack Valravn - Auxesia deleted every last one of them." she says, before continuing. "And even then, if they try anything, chances are, Leviathan will have our backs in the best case scenario."
"And in the worst?" Setsuna objects.
"Worst case scenario, we find some hole somewhere in the Borderworlds or Independent Worlds to set up shop in. I see no reason to believe, unless somehow, Leviathan has been turned against us, that we would be left out in the cold by them."
"Our connections with the IMG and ALG, if you can work them sufficiently enough Setsuna, should bode well. Speaking of.. one more group I need you to look into."
Setsuna nods, awaiting the directive.
"There's traces of discussion of a Lane Hacker sect called the 'Lovelace Circle' on the Neural Net. They're no Stefan Pomerov, but they should be of use if we need help with any.. cyberwarfare-related matters."
Hanamura's gaze pierces her. "Look - I get you don't like the Hackers. Or the GC. Or the Outcasts. But in this line of work, we don't get to pick our friends. We make and build camaraderie where we can find it. It's why we're working with the RPA - even if Seline was here, I'd still tell her to shove it as well. As much as I love them, the Harpies leaving was just as much a blessing as it was a curse."
Hanamura sighs, depressed. "Where's Akira-kun when I need him." she says, reclining in her chair, looking up at the fan above.
The trio continue to stand before her. awaiting further word.
Hanamura returns to an upright position moments later, before continuing. "Setsuna, go ahead and start reaching out to the IMG and Kongsi. We'll wait to reach out to ALG once we're back in Sirius. Same goes for Lovelace. Brett, have your men continue scouring for OSINT. Have Ootori loiter around Inverness. Let me know the moment we've got a viable RTC connection to the drone. I'd like to speak to Leviathan personally if it can be done. Same with this Megiddo figure, or anyone else in Prometheus." The two flanking Jae-un salute Hanamura, before being ordered at ease.
Hanamura looks to Jae-un.
"Bride, I want you to put the men into simulations for dogfights, Block off Deck D, Sections 5 through 9 - that's all dormant anyways - use it for practicing augmented reality combat simulations. I want our men ready as can be to hold off any kind of funny business from whoever might come our way." Hanamura directs, with Jae-un responding with a nod, followed by a salute.
"You're dismissed." she orders once more, as the three proceed out the door. Before she does, Jae-un, trailing, stops in the doorway, and turns to Hanamura. "Uh.. Nodoka. I.. I wanted to ask you something."
Hanamura utters a brief hmm inquisitively.
"I wanted to ask. If sometime before the end of the year. I could get 2 weeks leave to spend time with Mark. I.. I hope you understand why." Jae-un says, hoping for the best to see her boyfriend again, after so long.
"Of course. I can't say when, just yet. But you'll get your two weeks. Just see to it you do your best."
Jae-un nods and heads out, the door closing behind her. Hanamura looks over the tablet and paperwork on the desk. She breathes in heavily. "Soon. I'm coming to get you, nee-chan. Just hold out, a while longer." she says, before the feed cuts to black.
GRUNDER SOFTWARE GmBH NEURAL NET SUITE
MULTIVISUAL DIARY MANAGER v2.93.1
USER: HANAMURA, NODOKA ERROR: REGISTRATION EXPIRED NaN DAYS AGO. NON-FATAL EXCEPTION - NULLPIRATEN.SO NOT FOUND (0X000000AA)
Loading audio codecs... done.
Loading video codecs... done.
Available Audio Codecs:
NACv2, NACv3, VorbisII, rawwav
Available Video Codecs:
MKV, NN-MPEG, RAVI
Reading from journal...done.
Client defined Book 02 for writing..
Journal ready for writing.
AUTHOR: Nodoka Hanamura ENTRY NO.: 03-001 ENTRY TITLE: Murmurs ENTRY DATE: August 26th, 834 AS | 0950 Sirian Universal Coordinated Time ENTRY LOCALE: OCS Utsunomiya, The Barrier ENTRY TYPE: Video
Ootori-513, one of the more capable drones we assigned as master to Ersatz Spring's Omicron intelligence gathering efforts, has reported back some interesting findings after a successful initialization.. even if it was a bit late to the party.
Apparently that old kit we makeshift-ed (is that even a word?) from some of Birdie's old Gorgon tech and the sort proved useful in getting at least a bit of intelligence out of all things - the Nomads. Mieko had told me about an encounter she had, shortly after she woke up, with a Nomad only going by the name of 'Psyche', that she could tell wasn't of the main mindshare.
We assumed they were part of these 'Vagrants' that I've heard about every now and again. As such, we gave the drones directives that if they were equipped to handle synthetic psychic communication, to hail and inquire about the matter, and get more knowledge of the Vagrants, so we have a better understanding of them.
What I learned.. was interesting. It wasn't much, but we came to understand that the Vagrants take a much more passive stance, and that there is apparently tensions between the mainline Slomon K'hara and the Vagrants.
Even with that.. could this be a exploitable vector to find some sort of peace with the K'hara? Reparations for the infected and lives lost..? I doubt but.. a part of me clings to that hope. Other than that, they don't know anything about the incident.. which is concerning. Does this mean they have limited knowledge sharing capability? Or is Psyche no longer part of the mindshare? Maybe I should consult with Leviathan about this - Auxesia's always been decently versed in the Nomads.
Off the findings of 513, Setsuna reported back a very positive response from Der Plattform. They're offering access to their bases and even their shipyard. Preferably, due to the range, I'd like to turn to the IMG or.. if they'd be willing, the Mollies, for repairs and maintenance - if Valravn is not an option. Honestly, I understand if Auxesia cannot afford access to their shipyard, both for security, and the fact that they'd need to work on an entire battlegroup of ships.. They're no 1st Fleet of the Liberty Navy but still.
.. I can already tell Leviathan now that Invergordon is such a bad idea that a better one would be trying to cartwheel to Liberty without an EVA suit - so knowing that, worst comes to worst, we can rely on Der Plattform for support - is reassuring. I doubt Leviathan will not at least, under the table, help us. From what I remember, he wasn't against Ouroboros in concept, though recent events may muddy the waters.
We do need to figure things out soon. We've no time to twiddle our thumbs and cannot afford just sit here and do nothing whilst time ticks away.
... Fuck. Speaking of tick - there's a bomb waiting for us - Kusari will definitely know we are in their backyard once we enter the Tau Corridor. If I know the Kaigun.. and given their presence in the region -- Kishiro.. They will definitely want to nip us in the bud.
I guess in that case, our best course of action, is to send most of our personnel and command remnants on the smaller ships of the fleet - those that won't get picked up immediately by long range SAR if they're fast enough. Utsunomiya however.. we're going to need an escort.
Later next week, I'll reach out to Setsuna or Mieko, one of the two - see if they can put out an offer to Freelancers and the sort, put out feelers to parties that are willing to get their hands dirty when it comes to Kusari in exchange for cold hard credits.. which brings me to.. Mieko.
As much as I love her, and I thank her for using her resources to siphon funds to survive from the Starcat accounts.. There's not much left. I'll need her to figure out a way to get some money. That or request a loan from Leviathan, if he could spare it. Though... now that I think about it.. It may not be wise to push my luck. So Mieko will have to do the heavy lifting.
GRUNDER SOFTWARE GmBH NEURAL NET SUITE
MULTIVISUAL DIARY MANAGER v2.93.1
USER: HANAMURA, NODOKA ERROR: REGISTRATION EXPIRED NaN DAYS AGO. NON-FATAL EXCEPTION - NULLPIRATEN.SO NOT FOUND (0X000000AA)
Loading audio codecs... done.
Loading video codecs... done.
Available Audio Codecs:
NACv2, NACv3, VorbisII, rawwav
Available Video Codecs:
MKV, NN-MPEG, RAVI
Reading from journal...done.
Client defined Book 02 for writing..
Journal ready for writing.
AUTHOR: Nodoka Hanamura ENTRY NO.: 04-001 ENTRY TITLE: Shorebound ENTRY DATE: September 18th, 834 AS | 2130 Sirian Universal Coordinated Time ENTRY LOCALE: OCS Utsunomiya, The Barrier ENTRY TYPE: Video
Shinta reported to me today that we're approximately 1 week from Tau-23. I'm making contact with Mieko shortly to bring about repaying the debts she owes us. Not harshly, of course, but we are going to need financial resources to cover repairs at Singapore, as well as other matters, such as tending to supplies. I'm reminded of a very.. very old game my father said was something his grandfather used to play as a curiousity back home. My only lament is that we didn't break a wagon axle, but lost our entire 'wagon'.
That sudden memory lane trip aside, if we are to get to our staging area in Inverness, we, regrettably.. are going to have to pass through Tau-29.. which is going to require we have an escort. Our best course of action is to send the smaller ships through first, and then have the Utsunomiya and Tochigi go together simultaneously as a diversion for the Tochigi. With how worse for wear the Utsunomiya is, it's best that we use this ship as bait, by disregarding EMCON and having the Tochigi go silent. That being said, this is still our flagship, even with its' condition and capabilities. We need to keep it in one piece, and preferablly, sailing under its' own power.. at least until we're in Tau-44. The IMG will at least, I hope - afford us a tug if we cannot get into drydock.
We can't call on The Platform for help, it's too far out of their way. IMG won't help escort us either, they have a reputation to retain... and LaFlamme is dead, so anything resembling help from whatever remnants of the Council are left is out of the question. The Mollies are occupied with their problems in Dublin, Auxesia cannot help us.. and I doubt with Leviathan being quiet we'll get any sort of response until we get to Inverness. There could be a chance to ask the Kongsi, but.. they seem.. quite unfriendly towards us. I wish those of the Anarchist type were a bit more tolerant - Which means.. we'll have to hire mercenaries. And not just any mercenaries, but those willing to raise the ire of Kusari.
Joy.
Somewhat steep price, but it's a price we're going to have to pay. There is a dense cloud of minerals near Java Station that we can park the Utsunomiya at until we have things in motion. Once that is done, we'll have our Ahoudori gunboats head out after we've gotten them fueled and ready to run reconnaissance. After that, Mizurashi and Hakugyokurou's vessels will be sent out to Tau-44 to hold in orbit of Halmahera with the Ahoudoris. Assuming Operation Amabie, as we've called it, goes well - we will be able to link up with the rest of our battlegroup, and moor with Singapore for repairs. I'll have to negotiate with the Guildmaster there arrangements for our worse off vessels.. the Utsunomiya included.. which is going to require explaining how we managed to get our hands on radars from old Sagarmatha wrecks, and mount them to the Utsunomiya.
I plan to meet with everyone once we're in system to discuss final plans, and send out the offer for work this week.
It's time for the Exuberant Lilith to spread her wings again.
GRUNDER SOFTWARE GmBH NEURAL NET SUITE
MULTIVISUAL DIARY MANAGER v2.93.1
USER: HANAMURA, NODOKA ERROR: REGISTRATION EXPIRED NaN DAYS AGO. NON-FATAL EXCEPTION - NULLPIRATEN.SO NOT FOUND (0X000000AA)
Loading audio codecs... done.
Loading video codecs... done.
Available Audio Codecs:
NACv2, NACv3, VorbisII, rawwav
Available Video Codecs:
MKV, NN-MPEG, RAVI
Reading from journal...done.
Client defined Book 02 for writing..
Journal ready for writing.
AUTHOR: Nodoka Hanamura ENTRY NO.: 05-001 ENTRY TITLE: Shall Impend ENTRY DATE: September 22th, 834 AS | 2130 Sirian Universal Coordinated Time ENTRY LOCALE: OCS Utsunomiya, Tau-23 Periphery ENTRY TYPE: Text
Recently made contact with Leviathan. It was.. short, but given the circumstances of the matter, it was understandable. His mind was elsewhere.
However, that's not important. We've got trouble in Inverness. Reportedly, Freeport 14 may be under risk of LSF seizure according to new OSINT that Sanzu came across on the Neural Net. It's clear to us now that we need to expedite movement to that region. Basing out of Freeport 14 for the time until we can establish a main base there will be no issue, I'm certain - since both Utsunomiya and Tochigi both will be in drydock at Singapore for at least two weeks undergoing repairs.
We cannot, under any circumstances, tolerate Liberty's intelligence community, nor any of their associates and allies to make any more of a foothold into Inverness than they already have. Liberty has gone too far, and in my blunt and honest opinion, needs to suffer dearly. Not only has the Libero-Bretonian borderworlds become nothing more than a Liberty annex, but the Crayterians are nestled close to them like a genocidal mother being rested up against by her insufferable offspring. We made a mistake offering them an olive branch years ago. We should have gouged their eyes out with it instead.
I'm sending out a wing of fighters to report to Freeport 14, led by Kensington. Their tasking will to be support the Auxesians and Freeport 14 against Liberty's incursion and repel them by any means necessary. I'm tempted to join them.. but I know I am needed here at home.
GRUNDER SOFTWARE GmBH NEURAL NET SUITE
MULTIVISUAL DIARY MANAGER v2.93.1
USER: HANAMURA, NODOKA ERROR: REGISTRATION EXPIRED NaN DAYS AGO. NON-FATAL EXCEPTION - NULLPIRATEN.SO NOT FOUND (0X000000AA)
Loading audio codecs... done.
Loading video codecs... done.
Available Audio Codecs:
NACv2, NACv3, VorbisII, rawwav
Available Video Codecs:
MKV, NN-MPEG, RAVI
Reading from journal...done.
Client defined Book 02 for writing..
Journal ready for writing.
AUTHOR: Nodoka Hanamura ENTRY NO.: 06-001 ENTRY TITLE: Split Actions ENTRY DATE: November 8th, 834 AS | 2256 Sirian Universal Coordinated Time ENTRY LOCALE: Tanegashima Station, GMG Space ENTRY TYPE: Text
Things have been somewhat interesting lately.
With the Utsunomiya finally in drydock alongside the Tochigi, we're currently without any sort of formal home, and our teams have had to base out of Freeport 14, which, surprisingly, the on-base administrator has been welcome to allow us to stay as long as we're not bringing fights back to the Freeport. Reports of a base owned by an Art Collective of all things, in the Sigmas beckoned me and some of Sanzu to reactivate Shiri-kunne and try to do a few stabs at the GMG. So far we've been focused on transport hit and runs which have been effective with about 8 transports being splashed since we deployed last week. Other than that, some of Sanzu and I took to the Art Collective's exhibit and found the presentations quite interesting, depicting this vast world through unique art. I had gotten to mingle with the members there, and of all people, executives from a company called Weiss. Whilst.. I do not think the Platform will like us collaborating with Rheinland corporations, save ALG.. I feel that this relationship that we have with them from limited interactions with them thus far could be fruitful if nurtured right. And that Rheinland and Ouroboros' mutual disdain for the GMG could be exploited to our mutual benefit.
Meanwhile back in the Demeter AOR, I had to drag the 1st Composite Marines and 1st Fighter Squadron out of shore leave -- which I heard from some of their COs that such an order was a mixed bag morale wise - and we've been having a hard time making contact with the Synth Foods transports that.. of all things, are carrying 'hoes' aboard, according to a Lovelace Circle contact. Kobayashi reported that tonight we got a lead from an intercepted Rowlett Aerospace Research Hauler that they seem to be having those ships carrying them operating out of major population centers in Liberty. Dealing with LEOs and Naval forces is going to be tricky, but I think we can find our usual gaps in their swiss cheese NATSEC plan and save some lives.
Finally, Mieko informed me on some matters relating to friends of hers that.. are concerning. I've reached out to them via a highsec commlink to try and reach out to them. I hope they understand that Mieko informing me of these things wasn't with any malice. If anything.. it paints a bigger picture of some of our mutual interests that I'm not quite liking the look of thus far.
We're expected to be in the Sigmas for a couple more weeks. But I plan to give Kensington the reins and pay Mieko an unexpected visit. I need a personal day or two.
![[Image: CHC6lFc.png]](https://i.imgur.com/CHC6lFc.png)
![[Image: SLzSSlh.png]](https://i.imgur.com/SLzSSlh.png)
![[Image: NodokaDisco.gif]](https://sig.grumpybumpers.com/host/NodokaDisco.gif)
![[Image: aLVKEoH.png]](https://i.imgur.com/aLVKEoH.png)