Navy lodge cheatham annex

For a long time, I thought there was no greater feeling of dread than clocking into a job you hate. Three days a week after school and every other weekend, there I was, standing in front of the time clock at Sunset Grove. By the time I was sixteen, my parents told me that I had to find a job and start working. Unfortunately, there weren’t many options for a sixteen-year-old looking for work in Driftwood. It was either fast food, retail, or a retirement home. For whatever reason, I chose the retirement home.
It’s not that I had a problem with starting work at that age, it’s just that scrubbing pureed vegetables and mashed potatoes off fifty plates a night, with the cook yelling over my shoulder to pick up the pace, wasn’t exactly fulfilling work. The pocket money was nice, though. There’s nothing better than being a teenager with almost nothing but disposable income.
I watched the digital clock tick over from 3:59 to 4:00, begrudgingly typed in my employee ID, and made my way to the kitchen. As always, there was a stack of dishes left over from the shift before mine that would leave me playing catch-up for the rest of the night.
Becca, a thirty-something waitress with pale skin and a slim figure, swept through the doors as I was working through my stack. She was the only member of the wait staff I knew who could manage to keep a sunny disposition no matter how bad the day got.
Her shoulders seemed to relax a little when she saw me. “Hey, Arty, I need glasses.”
“Got it,” I replied.
“Thank you!” she said in a sing-song voice as she picked up a tub of silverware and rushed back out the doors. The wait staff was always in a rush this time of day. They only had about a half-hour to set the tables before some of the early-birds started showing up for dinner.
I loaded a tray with glasses and sent them through the commercial steam washer to my left, pulling the hood down with a heavy metal clunk. Once they were done, Becca came through and took the tray out to the dining room.
Before long, the cook began setting out room service trays. I never understood why it was the dishwasher’s job to deliver room service, but nevertheless, I began loading the trays into my cart. Most room service orders came from the same residents, which meant I’d long since worked out the most efficient way to load the cart. As I was loading, I noticed one of my regulars, room 2H, was missing. It could have been that she just decided to have dinner in the dining room today, but as long as I’d been working at Sunset Grove, I’d never known 2H to have dinner anywhere but her room.
As I walked down the hallway past 2H, I realized why. There on the door was a small laminated sign with a photo of the woman who’d lived in 2H.
Lilith Holmes 1928 - 2014
That was it. Just a name and a pair of dates. Not even a “Rest in Peace.” But it got the point across. I felt a tinge of guilt at the fact that I hadn’t known the woman’s name. I’d been working at Sunset Grove for a year, and I still referred to most of the residents by their room numbers.
This wasn’t the first of these types of signs I’d seen. There had been two or three deaths in the past year, each one memorialized with a cheap laminated sign that would be taken down after a week or two. It may sound callous, but I was never bothered by the deaths. They were simply a fact of life working in a place full of people entering the final phase of their lives. It helped that I didn’t make much effort to get close to the residents. I never wanted this place to bleed into what I considered to be my real life, so whenever I was at Sunset Grove, I was in “work mode.” I would put on a kind face, greet coworkers and residents with a smile, and otherwise speak only when spoken to. It was easier that way.
​
Room 2H stayed empty for a month. The sign, as they always do, disappeared after a while. I wondered if that meant they’d already cleaned out all of Mrs. Holmes’s belongings or if they were still entombed behind that locked door.
Eventually, the day came that I had a room service tray for room 2H again. It seemed so sudden. I hadn’t heard anything about a new resident moving in. I shrugged it off and loaded the tray onto my cart, thinking it must have happened on one of my days off. I hoped the new tenant wouldn’t be a handful. I may not have known Mrs. Holmes well, but she was always nice and courteous to me when I brought her her food. It’s more than I could say for some of the other residents.
I rode the elevator up to the second floor. Room 2H was my second stop from there. I knocked and pushed open the door into the dimly lit room. The blinds were all drawn, and there was only a single table lamp turned on in the corner across the room. I could see the new tenant sitting in a recliner on the opposite wall. It was a woman, with curled white hair that fell to her hunched shoulders. In the dark, I couldn’t make out her face, but her form was familiar. As I got closer, I realized it was Mrs. Holmes sitting in the chair.
I faltered. “I... have your dinner here for you, ma’am,” I stammered.
“Oh, good,” she said. “Set it on the table here, dear.” Her tone was jovial like always, though it felt strained. As if she were forcing it.
I set the tray down on the end table beside her. As she turned to look at it, her eyes seemed to catch the tiny amount of light in the room and glowed for a split second.
“Thank you,” she chimed.
“You’re welcome,” I said, turning on my heel and heading for the door.
I stopped by the second floor nurse’s station on my way down the hall and found Ted inside. He was a middle-aged man with salt-and-pepper hair, known around the facility for his eccentric taste in scrubs. Today’s were navy blue with a messy pattern of stars. Ted was the only nurse I knew by name, mostly because he gave me no other choice. It was common knowledge at Sunset Grove that if Ted wanted to chat you up, there was nothing you could do to stop it.
“Hey, Ted,” I said, poking my head around the door.
“Arthur!” he called, sitting back in his chair. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”
“I saw Mrs. Holmes is back,” I said. “What happened? Why was she gone?”
“Sorry, bud, I shouldn’t really be gossiping about that.”
“I understand. It’s just... there was that sign on her door a while ago. I thought she died.”
“Oh, that,” Ted laughed. “That was a little misunderstanding. But as you saw, she’s alive and well.”
“Right,” I said. “I should go. I’ve still got a cart full of meals to deliver.”
“Best not keep ‘em waiting!” Ted joked as I left the nurse’s station.
I couldn’t stop thinking about Mrs. Holmes for the remainder of my shift that night. How could the nurses make such a drastic mistake, confusing a resident for dead? And where exactly had Mrs. Holmes been for the past month? At the hospital? With family? The whole thing irked me more than it probably should have. I didn’t like thinking about this place during my time off, but thoughts of Mrs. Holmes stuck with me all week.
I delivered room service to her the rest of the week. Each time I entered 2H, the blinds were drawn, the room kept dark. As always, I set her tray down on the end table next to the recliner, she thanked me, and I moved on to the next room.
The next stop on my route was 2K, Ms. Ganz, whose name I only knew because she had a reputation around the building for being very outwardly spoken. There was rarely a week that went by where I wasn’t overhearing the nurses laughing about something Ms. Ganz had said that day.
Most days, Ms. Ganz left her door open. I knocked anyway and passed through the open frame. She was sitting on the edge of her bed, rubbing her temples before she looked up and saw me.
“Set it down right there,” she instructed, pointing to the rolling TV stand where she took her dinner every day.
I did as she said and set the food down on the stand, forcing a smile for good measure. She scooted off the bed and hobbled over to the chair to sit down. I pushed the stand closer to her and lowered it down so she could reach. She examined the tray, then picked up the pudding cup and handed it to me.
“You take that,” she said. “I don’t need it.”
“That’s alright,” I protested. “I don’t need it either.”
Ms. Ganz pawning her desserts off on me was beginning to become a habit. As I tried to set the pudding cup back on the tray, she pushed it back toward me. It clearly wasn’t a fight I was going to win, so I relented and accepted the pudding.
Ms. Ganz got to work preparing her coffee, which she had with every meal. I always loaded her tray with three creams and three sugars, but I’d learned in time to wait until she finished mixing before I left because, more often than not, she’d ask for more.
“Is this decaf?” she asked.
“That’s right,” I said.
She grumbled. “I need caffeine. People keeping me up all night. Knocking on my door.”
“Knocking on your door?”
“Middle of the night,” Ms. Ganz exclaimed. “They come, they knock, I open the door, and they’re gone. My family doesn’t pay $2000 a month for me to get pranked all night long.”
“Have you talked to the nurses about it?” I asked.
She snorted. “They’re probably the ones doing it.” Ms. Ganz winced and reached for her forehead. “Now, I’ve had this headache all day thanks to them.”
“Sorry about that. I hope you feel better,” I said as I made my way out of the room.
It became apparent very quickly Ms. Ganz wasn’t the only resident dealing with these problems. I overheard the nurses talking about multiple residents on the second floor complaining about someone knocking on their door at night. It only got worse throughout the week, with even more residents complaining. There were more complaints of headaches, too. Some residents even started exhibiting symptoms of fever.
When I came to serve Ms. Ganz her dinner a week later, her door was shut. I knocked and turned the handle. It wasn’t locked, so I went inside. Ms. Ganz was lying in bed, a fresh sheen of sweat shimmering in the light across her forehead. She hadn’t even touched her lunch. I quietly swapped the trays, trying not to disturb her and tip-toed out of the room, stopping by the nurses’ station before I got back to work. Ted was there again, wearing a loud, floral-patterned set of scrubs this time.
“Hey, Ted, is Ms. Ganz alright?” I asked.
“She’s just a little under the weather,” he said. “She’s not the only one. There’s some kind of bug going around.”
Ted scooted his chair across the room and pulled something out of a box. He tossed me a medical mask.
“You should probably wear one of these while you’re goin’ into rooms,” he said.
I nodded and put the mask on, leaving Ted to his work. There were four more residents laid up in bed on the second floor. Weirdly, no one on the first or third floor seemed to be affected.
Things only seemed to get worse as the days went on. More and more residents were laid up with fevers. Soon enough, no one on the second floor was healthy enough to go to the dining room, which meant my room service runs were getting longer by the day. Now that I had to deliver trays to every room on the second floor, there was no way I could get it done on my own, but even with Becca helping me with runs, I was still clocking out of work an hour late most nights.
As we rolled the cart up to room 2H, Becca hesitated.
“Do you mind getting this one?” she asked.
I raised an eyebrow. “Sure.”
I had no problem bringing Mrs. Holmes her food. What caught me off guard was the way Becca seemed to give the room a wide berth as we passed and the trepidation in her voice as she spoke.
“Thanks, Arty,” Becca said. “Something about her just creeps me out. Don’t you feel that?”
“It’s a little weird how she sits in the dark all the time,” I admitted, “but I wouldn’t call it creepy.”
“So brave,” Becca teased. “I’ll bring Ms. Ganz her tray and meet you down the hall.”
“Sounds good.”
I knocked on the door and went into 2H. As expected, Mrs. Holmes was seated in her recliner with the blinds drawn and the single lamp on in the corner. Sometimes I wondered if she ever even moved from that spot.
“How are you feeling, Mrs. Holmes?” I asked through the medical mask I was now required to wear at all times while on the second floor.
“Are you a nurse now?” She asked. Her tone seemed intended to be joking, but it came across more accusatory.
“No, it’s just that we can’t seem to get rid of this bug going around. I was just curious if you were still feeling alright.”
“I’m fine,” she said flatly.
Mrs. Holmes was the only resident on the second floor who wasn’t sick. The bug hadn’t spread to any of the staff members either. A thought occurred to me.
“Have you heard anyone knocking on your door at night?” I asked.
Mrs. Holmes’s eyes shot to mine, momentarily glowing in the light as they had once before. She stared at me with wide eyes that seemed to be studying me.
Finally, her tight lips peeled apart and she simply said, “I have not.”
Suddenly, I understood why Becca hadn’t wanted to come in here. I could feel the goose flesh spreading across my arm and a shiver run down my spine. I didn’t want to linger here any longer than I had to.
“Have a good night,” I said, mimicking my usual tone, before hustling out of the room.
I grabbed the cart and pushed it quickly down the hall toward Ms. Ganz’s room where I would find Becca, but as I rounded the corner, I saw a crowd of nurses surrounding the door. Becca was standing off to the side, a distraught look on her face.
“What happened?” I asked.
“I went in to give her her food,” Becca choked out. “Her eyes were open, so I thought she was awake. So, I asked her if she had enough cream and sugar for her coffee, but she didn’t respond.”
“Oh no,” I realized.
“That’s never happened to me before,” Becca said. “I’ve never seen one of them after... after they died. Sorry, Arty, I need to take five. Do you think you can finish this yourself today?”
“That’s fine. I’ve got it.”
Becca laid her hand on my shoulder as she walked away, her other hand combing through her hair.
Becca didn’t come in the next day. With the wait staff being short handed, I had to do the room service deliveries myself. I hesitated before going into 2H, but when I reached for the handle, I was relieved to find that it was locked. Some of the nurses must have been inside, so I left the tray by the door and went on my way.
As I passed by Ms. Ganz’s room, I saw the sign.
Mallory Ganz 1939 - 2014
She was about ten years younger in the photo, smiling next to her daughter. I felt a tug inside my gut and suddenly realized I wanted to know what was happening. Where was this sickness coming from? Why wasn’t it affecting the residents on the first or third floors or the staff? And why was Mrs. Holmes the only resident on the second floor who was still healthy?
I finished delivering trays and stashed the cart in the corner. I figured I had at least ten more minutes before my boss would start wondering where I was, so I found Ted in the nurse’s station.
“Hey, Ted, are you busy?” I asked.
“Never not busy, Arthur,” he grinned. “What can I do for you?”
“You’ve heard the residents complaining about someone knocking on their doors at night, right? Do you have any idea what that might be about?”
He sighed. “Yeah, I’ve heard all about it. Best I can figure, it’s someone screwin’ around on the night shift.”
“Well, there are cameras, right? Couldn’t we find out who’s doing it?”
Ted’s brow furled. “Why are you so interested?”
“I don’t know,” I lied. “I guess it’s just that, whoever it was, they were bothering Ms. Ganz. I thought maybe we could find them and get them to stop to, like, honor her in a way.”
Ted pushed an office chair toward me with his foot. “Sit down a minute. I’ll pull up the footage.”
“Thank you.”
I sat down and watched Ted scrub through last night’s security footage. It was strange seeing the hallway so empty. During the daytime hours, there were constantly nurses or housekeepers coming up and down the halls, but at night, they were dead.
Suddenly, there was a flash of movement on the screen. Ted let go of the mouse and let the footage play out in real-time. I felt my chest tighten as I recognized the figure on the screen. Mrs. Holmes. I watched her walk down the hall, moving with an unnatural weightlessness for her age. She stopped in front of Ms. Ganz’s room and knocked on the door. Then, all of a sudden, she just faded away.
I leaned in closer to the screen. Ted sat upright in his chair.
“Was that a glitch?” I asked.
“I don’t know,” he said. “The timecode looks normal, but it must’ve been. Either way, I guess we know who’s been causin’ trouble at night. I’ll have a word with Mrs. Holmes.”
“I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” I blurted out.
Ted looked at me quizzically. I didn’t know how to explain it, but I knew something was off about Mrs. Holmes. There was no telling what would happen if someone confronted her, but how was I supposed to convince Ted of that?
“Sorry,” I said. “Thanks for the help, Ted.”
I left the nurse’s station without saying another word. I could only hope that my initial warning would be enough to make Ted hesitate until I could figure out what to do next.
My heart dropped when I couldn’t find Ted the next day. He was always there. Every single weekday, he was there.
None of the other nurses had seen him either. Apparently, he hadn’t called out sick or anything. As far as anyone knew, he simply hadn’t shown up for work. But I knew better. I knew he’d gone and talked to Mrs. Holmes, and she’d done something to him. Could he still be there, inside room 2H? Was he still alive? Had he mentioned me?
I worked the first hour of my shift constantly looking over my shoulder. By 5:00, the cook started lining up room service trays. I was on my own again. Apparently, Becca was taking some time off after what she’d been through. I couldn’t blame her, but I found myself desperately wishing I didn’t have to be alone.
My heart thumped with dread every step I took toward room 2H. I prayed the door would be locked again, but no such luck. I pushed the door open slowly and let the light from the hall flood into the dim room. Mrs. Holmes was in her recliner, but as I got closer, I noticed her eyes were shut. She was asleep.
I set the tray down quietly and made for the door, but before I left, I felt curiosity tug me back. I wanted to know what happened to Ted. If there was any trace of him in the room, this might be my only chance to find it.
I inched heel-toe back through the entryway and into the bedroom. I found an antique lamp on the nightstand and flipped it on, bathing the room in a hazy yellow light. The room was pristine, not even a crease in the bedding. I didn’t know what I was looking for. Blood? A body? Just anything that would confirm the insane thoughts that were running through my mind.
I moved to the bathroom, but, like the bedroom, it was spotless. I checked every inch of it, even getting down on my hands and knees to inspect the bath mat for blood stains. I was starting to feel like a lunatic. Maybe everything that was happening was exactly what it seemed, and the rest of it was all just in my head.
Feeling a little ridiculous, I stepped out of the bathroom, gently closing the door behind me.
“What were you doing in there?” Mrs. Holmes’s voice was sharp and sent a jolt of fear through my body.
I turned and saw her standing in the corner by her recliner. She looked tall—her shoulders not slumped like usual, and her eyes were glowing in the light again.
I didn’t know what to say. “S-sorry,” I spat out, then hurried for the door. Mrs. Holmes stood motionless, watching me go.
Thanks to my little investigation, dinner was nearly over by the time I got back to the kitchen, and there was a mountain of dishes waiting for me by the sink. I shook off the unsettling thoughts plaguing my mind and got to work. It was going to be another late night, and it only got worse when the cook brought over a stack of burnt pans that would take ages of scrubbing to get clean.
It was nearly an hour past the end of my shift by the time I’d finally finished all the dishes. The wait staff had clocked out thirty minutes ago. That was fine. I was used to being the last one in the kitchen. It was the dishwasher’s job to clean the floors at the end of the night after everyone else had gone home. That night, though, I should have been scared, but the weight of being alone hadn’t hit me yet. My mind was too preoccupied with work.
I finished mopping the floor, meaning all that was left was to take the trash out to the dumpster. I gathered up all the bags and took them out into the hallway, then out the back door. I set the bags down and propped the door open with a pen. After 8:00, the building locked down, and I would need a keycard to get back in, something the facility didn’t grant to dishwashers.
I hoisted the garbage bags into the dumpster and turned back toward the building. Before I could even take a step back toward the door, though, I heard it clunk into place. I ran over and tugged on the handle. Locked. I’d have to walk all the way around the building and come in the front entrance, probably scaring the hell out of the secretary at the reception desk, who certainly wouldn’t be expecting anyone to come in at this hour.
Crickets chirped loudly in the fields around the parking lot as I rounded the building. There was no one at the reception desk when I walked in. The secretary was probably out having a cigarette somewhere. I walked through the dining room and back into the kitchen, letting the door swing freely behind me. I heard it brush across the frame once, twice, then suddenly stop. I didn’t think much of it until I heard a knock on the door.
My heart froze, fear tightening an ice-cold grip around my throat. I turned and, through the window, saw a pair of glowing eyes on the other side of the door. Ever so slowly, the door started to push inward as Mrs. Holmes crept inside. I felt like I should have screamed in that moment, but nothing came to me. It felt as though my lungs had completely deflated at the sight of her.
She stepped toward me. I stepped back until I felt my back press against the counter behind me. I wanted to run, but something told me I couldn’t outrun whatever was standing in front of me. My hands reached onto the counter and felt for anything I could use to defend myself. I felt the lukewarm touch of the porcelain plates and wrapped my fingers around the rim of one. I waited as Mrs. Holmes inched closer until, finally, I whipped my arm around and smashed the plate against her head.
She wailed and faltered a few steps, buying me enough time to run deeper into the kitchen, toward the knives. She was on me again before I could reach them. I felt a wet sting on my calf and looked down to see her there, latched on with her teeth sinking deep into my flesh.
I fell onto the concrete floor, my left shoulder taking the brunt of the impact. I tried to crawl away but couldn’t break free of her inhuman weight. With my free leg, I kicked at her head as hard as I could until she released me. Her bloodstained mouth hissed at me as I scrambled to my feet.
I ripped the largest knife I could find out of the block and spun around, ready to drive it into Mrs. Holmes’s chest, but she was gone. My eyes flicked frantically around the room, looking for any sign of her. Then I felt something drip onto my cheek. In the reflection of the knife blade, I could see the drop of blood rolling down my cheek. I looked up, and there she was.
She wasn't suspended from the ceiling; she was floating. As soon as I laid eyes on her, she dropped, falling right on top of me. I managed to raise the knife high enough and felt it pierce her gut as she landed on me. I think that was the only thing that saved me from her teeth sinking into my neck.
Mrs. Holmes reeled from the knife wound. She swung her arm out, and I felt the tremendous weight and strength behind it as it crashed into my side and threw me across the room. Pain shot through my back as I collided with the stainless steel of the dishwasher. I knew I couldn’t afford to waste time licking my wounds. I pulled myself up to my feet just as Mrs. Holmes ripped the knife free of her gut. Coagulated blood seeped out of the gaping wound like thick mud.
Mrs. Holmes hunched over like a predator waiting to pounce. My heart raced, waiting for the moment. Like a bolt of lighting, it came. She leapt across the room at me. My instincts kicked in, and I ducked to the right. I heard a loud metallic crash as Mrs. Holmes’s body slammed into the dishwasher. I looked up and saw her top half lodged in the machine. Without even thinking about it, I yanked the lever, sending the hood down just far enough over Mrs. Holmes’s thin body to activate the machine.
She howled and screeched as the steam inside the dishwasher boiled her skin. I didn’t wait around for the cycle to finish. I saddled the pain in my back and my leg and ran out of the kitchen before she had a chance to escape. I didn’t dare look back.
​
Sunset Grove closed down last year, three years after I left for good that night. I never found out what became of Mrs. Holmes, but I don’t think she ever left. The article detailing Sunset Grove’s closure cites financial difficulty after a spike in mortality rates, and there had been more than one story about staff members going missing over the years. Ted was the first of them. I would have been the second.
For a long time, Sunset Grove haunted me. I would dream about being back in room 2H, cowering under Mrs. Holmes’s impossibly tall form, her skin blistered and rubbery from the burns I gave her. In time, those dreams faded. It hadn’t seemed possible, but my life started to return to a sense of normalcy.
Reading the article on Sunset Grove brought those memories crashing back. I tried to tell myself that I was safe, but... I don’t think I am anymore. Not since I heard a knock on my door the other night. I wanted so badly to believe it was nothing, just neighborhood kids messing around, but my head has been pounding ever since I heard it, my stomach twisted in knots, my breath short. I can’t sleep through the night anymore. I find myself staring out the window, watching. Sometimes, among the twinkling fireflies at the edge of the woods, I could swear I see a pair of glowing eyes watching me in the dark.

Part One: What it's All About
We must slowly build on my first post, Space Military Structure, which gave a very rough overview of militarism in general, and the types of overarching warfare you might want in your space opera (which I call the four spatial forms, or modes). Now, it's time to actually dig a little deeper on some of the points. I shall gift a strong bias towards WWII. Not because there is nothing of use or import, or importance, from old warfare -- but because it requires too many words, and is not closely related enough to typical space opera. WWII also sets the stage for (almost) everything that came after it, and also saw the height of military leadership under George C. Marshall (U.S.). Although this is biased towards the Americans (U.S.) and the Nazis (Germany proper), you can borrow and alter such systems, doctrines, tactics, leaders, and so on as you require for your own setting/story/military, etc. Just warning you of the primary focus.
Note: I may write on the Communist/Soviet and Japanese side of things in the future. But, beyond a few worthy connections, I cannot possibly detail out the entirety of WWII! I shall just say that some great sources/places in this way would be the Soviet Union (circa 1922-1950), Japan (circa 1931-1945), the Ba'ath Party, and the Hutts (Star Wars; fictional). These have some things in common, actually. More so, the latter. Namely, they are generally what you might call 'Persian style ruling'. They are hyper-wealthy kings or king-type figures, literally living 'like kings', as they enslave everybody else. That's a bit harsh on the Persian Empire, of course, but you get the general theme/motif here, as it did apply to a number of Persian Kings (Darius III comes to mind as a bad ruler). This sort of direction also moves much more in line with classical empire-building and kingdoms, in that it's hereditary (i.e. ruling family, by blood). So, the exact source you focus on depends on the type of setting/story you have, and the governance thereof. (Of course, Stalin's Russia had the feel of Imperialist Russia whilst actually being much more in line with Hitler's Germany, at most levels, so it's quite a complex machine -- likely given its Catholic, nationalist roots, fused with the modernist, secularist Communism.)
In the Nazi context, of course, this was seen through the lens of a 'realm' (Reich), a kind of 'secular empire' which was not built upon a royal family, but a personalist dictator (with major focus on both militarism and propaganda; thus, the people themselves), where the 'blood' concept was shifted from 'ruling family' to 'the nation itself' (the Germans or 'German body' (singular)). This was also felt in a number of other nations, but Hitler's Germany is primary, and the direct source for most major space opera since 1940, so it's highly relevant for our purposes (almost always taking the side of the villains/evil empire, of course -- either in a simple-minded sort of narrative, or a more complex one (a la Star Wars (1977)).
The Americans, of course, had the President. I heard, from Douglas Murray around the time of King Charles' Coronation, that there is an innate tendency of humans towards a hereditary structure (this seems possible enough). We are obsessed with families. This makes logical sense. With this in mind, he defended the existence of the symbolic royal family of England, as a way to 'release' all of that feeling and desire at the national level.
He contrasted it with the American system, and looked to modern America to show its possible faults in this way. America became heavily obsessed with the 'first family', such as 'the Clintons'. Clearly overlaying this older framework onto the American system, which is innately unwise and unhelpful. Not only was the original idea that the President would be rather small, in terms of both power and interest -- but that his family would mean little. Hence, they took the title of president -- as in, 'president of the golf club' or, 'president of the school board'. This was not to replace 'king' or 'emperor' in any sense at all. Quite the contrary. A truly remarkable, and rare, shift in human governance. But, since the 1920s or so, this system seems to have fallen into a more European, kingly form (i.e. big government, and hyper-focus on the president). Just something to consider, if you're aiming at a generic democratic, republican type system. You need to be aware of what is likely to happen, and why, and what is required for X (pre-1920s American system) or Y (post-1920s American system). Of course, globalisation was a factor post-WWI, so you have to take your culture in relation to the wider setting (assuming you have different cultures and peoples trading/living with one another).-But, what is war all about? My understanding would be that war is about five things (in random order): (1) Defence/peacekeeping/protection (both in-country and overseas, etc.); (2) Expansion/general stability and growth -- often greed and akin to totalitarianism); (3) Emotional regulation (at the individual level); (4) Conflict resolution (religious wars, wars over land, etc. -- not that all of these are just); (5) National unity (not always positive -- and closely related to emotional regulation, among other factors and traits, and sub-traits; often (but not always) bleeds over into racial unity and purity)
Obviously, this is quite a simple picture, and war is very complex. But, this is good enough for writing space opera. Every single one of these is key; however, we (likely) want some kind of evil empire to fight, which means all of this needs to be nested in the framework of total war or the Nazi Lebensraum concept. This is primarily under (a) emotional regulation; and (b) expansion. Although Germany had major internal, and some external conflicts and issues circa 1870-1918, this alone was not enough to justify the birth -- and growth -- of Nazism for purely defence or conflict resolution reasons.
Part Two: Hitler's Total War
The primary focus must be on expansion (growth; primarily, beginning around 1927 due to mass starvation, etc.; coupled with totalitarian notions), emotional regulation, and national unity, in relation to Nazi Germany. The only other key element to throw in there would be the requirement to actually solve their major internal problems, but this did not innately require Nazism. But, by the fate of history, it was highly likely to be dealt with by either the Nazis or the by-then Stalinist Communists (which had become quite popular by 1932, at the height of the Depression in Germany).
To quote a German (long after the war): 'It was not a question of whether we were going to become a dictatorship [circa 1932], it was a question of the kind of dictatorship we were going to get: a Nazi dictatorship or a Communist dictatorship'.
Sadly, then, due to the state of affairs at this time, there was no hope for Germany to ever become a non-dictatorship through the 1930s and 1940s. The stage was already set for so many complex, interesting, confusing reasons. A primary problem, noted by Hitler himself, was the general state of Germany itself by 1920 or so (which had actually been a growing problem, and many-faceted since 1870). He writes about this in Mein Kampf (1925), and calls it so: Weimar Republic. This became the normative term by the 1930s. To translate Hitler's thinking: he meant it in the context of, 'the Ally puppet republic -- broken, weak, anti-German republic -- of the city of Weimar, not at all speaking to Germany or the Germans'.
Hitler was mostly correct about that, and many Germans agreed with him (including many pro-German socialists; hence, the name. In the first place, there was a major socialist arm of the Nazi (National Socialist) Party). He was able to weaponise this, and demand radical governmental change to solve some of their internal issues, including the Depression itself.
We should step back a moment. By WWI, Germany was already a fragmented, confused nation -- and there was a rapid growth of pro-war actors and groups by 1914, including Hitler himself. By 1920, Germany was crushed into the mud (quite literally), which gave way for Hitler and others to become seriously radical actors. One issue across Germany at this time was the basic governmental system itself, as the old President, Paul Von Hindenburg, was not up to the task of a modern Germany: but, he had one theme through him -- he hated Hitler. Now, Hitler had learnt from his failed Putsch back in 1923. He learnt to play the system (which he simply called 'the System', not an uncommon theme for a revolutionary group). As a result, he had the idea to take Germany, not so much by force, but by popular vote. And, that's what he did.
However, the Nazi Party's growth was slow, only reaching great power by 1927 or so (more so, 1932), due to: (a) The Depression; (b) Superior propaganda tactics; (c) Positive vision for the future (the Communists were rather unhelpful and depressive -- note, this does not mean that the Nazi vision was objetively positive, it was merely what they were handing to the Germans, in a pro-German context); (d) Extreme street-level violence (akin to the Communist side); (e) Trans-classist outreach (i.e. they tried to reach just about everybody, across the classes and groups, including (1) women; (2) working classes; and (3) the middle/upper classes; and (f) Hitler's remarkable oratory skills, and modern campaigning (i.e. travelling to every town and city he could, speaking directly to the voters, which was quite rare back then, believe it or not)
Shockingly, however, the Communist side was also hyper-popular, and used many of the same tactics and methods by 1932. Hitler saw major victories across this period (1928-1932), almost becoming President (yes, he ran for President). It was not until the famous, and final 'true' German election in 1933 that Hitler won out and became ruler of Germany. But, again: the race was quite close, but the numbers spoke for themselves. By now, Germany (tens of millions of voters) were not voting for the generic socialist or even German parties as they had done back in 1927, but only the two most extreme: Nazi and (semi-pro-German/Stalinist) Communist.
Almost instantly (around two months) did Hitler begin his process of Germanisation (Nazification). We already know from his early speeches and writings that he had such plans in place as early as 1921, give or take (with certain scholars claiming that Hitler had such visions in mind, back in 1914 or prior). The other major view of Hitler's Germany is that it was more of a co-op effort between the Party and the Germans, and that Hitler slowly came to his ideas and policy choices as time went on. Since there is great evidence for both of these visions, I must take a combined view, and say that Hitler had certain ideas/goals from the beginning, with others being later creations and plans.
Regardless, we know one thing for certain: Hitler aimed at total war, and he -- for a short period -- achieved it. Although notions of 'total war' reach back into Prussian and French history (among others), the real birth of it is Nazi Germany, by the mid-1930s (though both the Soviet Union and Fascist Italy may be of note), followed by Japan (more so under the singular ruling Party circa 1942).
We take such things for granted today, even confusing 'war' (as such) with 'total war'; however, we know the differences, and they are profound. First of all, Hitler's shift towards total war is clear by quite a rare notion: the total removal of the law of war. The singular 'law of war' can be understood as the 'fairness of war' or 'moral of war' (not to be confused with the 'art of war', which often speaks to an overarching theory of warfare by a given figure (such as de Saxe or Sun Tzu), which may or may not include core elements of fairness).
The second primary element at play, which you do not see in generic cases of war, is the total militarisation of the nation, of the people.
You likely understand all of this more in the fictional context, than the historical. I could mention the Empire from Star Wars, or the Klingons from Star Trek. They are, in a sense, low-resolution images or caricature of the Nazi machine. This is because the Nazi machine itself is a sort of caricature and is almost impossible to believe. That is how innately anti-human the system was and how anti-Western in its fundamental formulation and doctrines.
But, if you want to your evil empire justice -- or, indeed, want to create a more 'neutral' military empire, then you need to really understand the origins, doctrines, feelings, and core mechanisms and utopian goals of Nazi Germany, beyond the surface notion of, 'evil Fascists'. That's just not enough.
Part Three: What is Enough?; How Did Nazi Germany Function, if at All?
Well, you have to try and put yourself in the shoes of a typical German citizen during 1932, first of all. Imagine that you're naturally proud of your nation, history, and people/culture. Imagine that you're on the street without work or food. Imagine that you're being attacked, literally and symbolically, from the Russians/Communists from the north, and the French/Americans/British from the south and west.
Then, imagine you are filled with shame over the horrible defeat of WWI, and forced shame from the Allies, and the massive war tax, keeping the Germans poor and unfit. And, imagine that you're seeing a very arrogant, powerful, free, wealthy France take more and more of your land, and build up its own army around you. That would make anybody not only angry but extremely desperate and confused, with a burning desire for nationalism and the end to this state of affairs. Throw in an unhealthy dose of pro-German/anti-French (and anti-British and anti-Jewish) propaganda, complete with the already extreme anti-Semitic notions in the air (since at least 1880), and you have set the stage for such a shift of power.
After all, the Jews had their own sub-cultures and wealth, and were not deemed to be 'part of the German body' at all. On top of this, they were deemed as the murderer of God himself (from the Christian view), so it was not a leap for them to shift the blame from the Germans to the Jews, in relation to WWI. Being blamed for WWI and held in the mud by the French was too much for them to handle, once you throw in mass starvation and a broken internal structure.
It's not so much a question to me, that Nazism became the state power, but that it didn't happen sooner. This shows the primary strength of the average German through the 1920s, to still believe in some generic system and free Germany -- not to fall into Communism or Nazism so easily. Sadly, by 1932, this was too much -- and Hitler had his own large paramilitary force by this stage (early on, known as Stormtroopers (I'm sure you know this term from Star Wars)), so shutting down citizens was an easier task.
At that stage, you are likely capable of creating your own sturcture of this sort, for your own space opera wastory. You can really understand how such a system could be created; and why the average man would possibly vote for it.
This is also required to understand military thinking in general. Indeed, a lot of what was going through the average German soldier's head applied to America and almost every other nation, as it spoke to basic values and rituals and doctrines: honour, duty, nationalism, family, and freedom.
(See Christopher Browning's book, Ordinary Men. Jocko actually talks about it on his podcast at one point. Here, Browning goes through a pretty average, pre-Hitler German police unit, which was compelled into Hitler's Germany by the late-1930s. Mostly, older, generic German men. It goes through their journey from perfectly normal policemen into insane mass murderers. How? The same way you reach hell: one, small step at a time. This book single-handedly removes any notion that only special men can be evil, only special men can be killers. Much more difficult to factor into your moral framework is the reality that these are often not special at all -- but ordinary.)
In the case of Nazi Germany itself, this is made much more complex by its bedrock structure, which largely remained until 1942. As I alluded to earlier, one Prussian concept that remained was the idea of going above your superior's head. This came from the time when captains and such had some real power as mid-ranking officers, yet were filled by noblemen and such, that had no idea what they were doing. As a result, the actual soldiers and thinkers below the rank of captain were able to go around said nobleman, to complain to the higher-ups, or to actively take over the nobleman's duties. Hitler ultimately kept this system in place, and even played on it, to create major internal rivalry. This was a fairly decent method in some cases, for a short period; however, it became an unworkable mess by 1942, which is when Hitler finally solved the problem. The problem was, he solved it in a very foolish way, mostly under the KHO (high command), leaving the army disconnected, and hardly paying attention to the other branches by this time. The KHO was not up to the task, due to lack of size and talent.
The other major change he made was utter obeisance up the chain of command. This brought a new problem, however: now, instead of a local officer of mid-rank going over the head of a slightly higher-ranked officer (either to Hitler or otherwise), he now had to obey every order of said commandeofficer, without question or fail. No matter what.
Thus, we now enter the final primary stage of Nazi Germany circa 1943-1945. This is the 'downfall stage', and also the infamous stage of 'just following orders' (as noted as the primary defence plea at the trials). When a Nazi said, 'I was just following orders', what he really meant was, 'I'm not to blame the crime, because I was demanded, almost by divine command, to follow the order, no matter what that order was'. The trials took this into account, and understood the concept well enough, since it was fairly in place in America and England, though this saw a generally less extreme form, and most orders were actually decent from the American command during WWII. Nonetheless, this led to the almost impossible reality of the trials ending with a fair number of either free Nazis, or at least short prison terms. Of course, all top-ranking Nazi Party members were found guilty, regardless of their plea (which ultimately placed all blame on Hitelr himself, at the top of the chain).
Be mindful of such a framework in your own space military structure. One negative outcome of this by 1943, was that the high-ranking Nazis handed most of their duties down the chain of command; thus, forcing lower and lower ranked officers to perform more and more duties. At times, this led to the failure to complete said duties/tasks, or poor judgement. It also gave supreme power to the mid-ranking officers, as they de facto took on the role of the higher-ups. Since these high-ranking officers were many in their numbers and were widespread at all levels (location, ability, plans, etc.), it led to the complete confusion of the Nazi machine and war effort. Of course, this was somewhat the case since 1939, anyway. But, it became even worse by 1943, as Hitler fragmented everything to ensure his own position of power (after all, his worry was, having an actually functional system, like the Americans, would gift far too much power to the generals and other Party members; thus, they could easily overthrow him).
Either way, despite Hitler's supreme focus on his 'singular vision' for Germany (which he also stressed in Mein Kamf), he made some very foolish mistakes, and was dealing with such an innately broken, evil system that he couldn't possibly ensure such things. For example, as early as 1940, we saw major differences in how the generals and leaders of the Gaue, etc. treated their subjects and tasks. For example, when Germany invaded Poland, there was mixed understranding as to how to treat the Polish and others, and how all of this should proceed. It became such a confused mess that some of the leaders wanted to pretty much Germanised the existing Poles, take their land, re-educate them, and take them in as new Reich Citizens (more so, if they were found to be German in any way, at the level of blood). On the other hand, other leaders of the now-annexed Poland wanted to outright murder all the Poles, regardless of their German blood or other considerations.
This sort of cross-purpose working was almost the norm by 1942 across Nazi Germany: again, partly enforced by Hitler himself with his 'rough orders' sort of leadership. Hitler also had the notion that by forcing in-fighting, he would sit back and see who came out on top; thus, ensuring that the best man did the job/task. But, this was a heavily incomplete theory, to say the least.
Back to Star Wars, for a moment: there is some indications that this is how the Empire ran, as well; hence, the horrible leadership of the Empire and its ultimate downfall.
To end the thread of Nazi Germany (for now), I shall point your attention towards the utter secularisation, utopianisation of the society. By 1937, Nazi Germany was not only one of the most powerful cultures on Earth, with one of the greatest standing armies in history, but it had one of the most 'modern' (i.e. post-WII) social systems in place, which included the likes of cheap cruise trips and holiday sites and entertainment items (radios, etc.), primarily aimed at the working classes. Of course, most of this was only possible due to literal blood money and was primarily geared towards propaganda and total Nazification.
At the same time, Hitler began to re-shape Germany in his own image: removing all Jewish (and then Christian/Roman) elements from society... and history. He even tried to re-write the Bible with a so-called Fifth Gospel, as to replace Jesus (a Jew) with a Germanic figure. This failed as the people largely rejected such; however, atheism and secularism in general were radically enforced through the late-1930s and 1940s, and classical faith dropped massively.
At the level of government, Hitler crafted a semi-centralised system, with local rulers (of a district or Gau) that had near-total imperium (meaning, power over their area and subjects). This massively unified Germany and the flow of the culture, come the fragmented, hyper-localised system of the old Germany. Of course, this itself was a struggle to put into place, and by 1942, it was also clear that it's not so easy to control people: they have social networks and sub-systems of their own, and these are the primary driving forces behind settlement structures and otherwise.
Hitler had some sense of this, more so at the border to France, but like with many other fundamental problems of Germany (such as the large anti-Nazi Christian movement), he wanted to put it off until victory.
This is an unwise tactic, if the problems keep growing, as they did. It reminds me somewhat of the Japanese tactic of winning through, 'faith in victory'. Well, victory does not magically appear: you have to actually work towards victory in a stable, logical way. Of course, as I alluded to earlier: the Nazis had major problems in place as early as 1939, so entering/creating the war itself was a grave mistake (as the generals told him at the time). Keep this in mind. You need to actually create a real, functional, multi-faceted system, and a core generalship. You need all the branches working with one another. And, you need to maybe not take over the world, because that's a horrible idea and very difficult. It also helps if you don't waste money and time killing all the Jews and Poles, etc. as you're losing the war. That's just illogical. Then again: the Nazis are not very logical, even Hitler as logical as he was at times. The failed invasion of Russia was also a major issue, but was likely not as big an issue as the other combined factors, actually!
Part Four: Good Generalship
Speaking of generals and the failure of Hitler's leadership, for a more stable evil empire -- or for your other faction/'good guys', you might want to look to America during WWII. Not perfect, of course, and I cannot defend all of its choices or systems or reasoning, but it's certainly one of the best systems that we saw (and there is every indication that America's generalship and army leadership has only become worse since 1945). I also recall some stories of the Navy having some major struggles, too, and just overall downfall of its culture and traditions (begininng as ealry as the 1970s). For example, drinking mostly died out in the Navy by the 1990s, and so the bars were shut down on bases, etc.
One problem with this was the lack of 'telling story' (as they say). This is when the men would meet in the bar, tell stories of war, of the great heroes -- get inspired, and wiser, with any luck. Not sure how widespread this is, but the storytelling and social meeting element of this seems to come back somewhat since then. This is just one example of something deeply important to sailors, and you remove such at your own risk. You need to 'tell story', you need to be inspired, you need to have naval heroes to look up to. The same logic applies to the soldiers of the Army, too.
It's almost like the soul was ripped out of the American military in the 1950s, and it has struggled to put it back in ever since.
So, what did the generalship of WWII look like? What can we learn from it? Well, we have to turn to one George C. Marshall. But, first, let's go back to 1939. America had a standing army of about 200,000 men: pretty standard for peacetime. Very small. By 1945, Marshall stood down a force of over 10 million. Beginning around 1942, America went from a fairly minor military power with relatively little spending, to the greatest military power in the world -- likely, in history.
It all began in WWI, as it turns out. In the first place, the Americans shifted to a more European system by this time, which largely remained through WWII. This is where they got their division system from, and all their numbering systems and such.
Despite popular belief, the Nazi military was not great, logistically speaking. They were good, and tried very hard to fight dozens of nations at once, and deal with tens of millions of people -- but their systems and talent were just not up to the task. It's often noted that the Nazis could not even out-do the Polish counter-intelligence by 1940!
The U.S. military, on the other hand, was elegant beyond measure. You can get a sense of this via its Navy, paying close attention to its ID system, almost impossible turn-over of Victory ships, and its battleships and otherwise major vessels. These are iconic for a reason, and still command and defend the waters of the world today (along with the British submarines and others).
Well, it's worth noting that the Americans were actually fighting for freedom, not just food or world control, like the Nazis and German citizens were. The Americans were also not really forced into battle, unlike the Germans. On top of this, the Americans -- largely thanks to Marshall -- had a profound merit-based system. Nazi Germany, on the other hand, was so racially biased as to be almost self-defeating. Often, for example, high-ranking civil positions, such as a factory chief, would be a Nazi member, regardless of his abilities. On the other hand, if a great worker looked 'too Jewish' he would never be hired (this was mostly done by photo ID, and was understood via big noses and otherwise features).
Although America had its own major racial issues at this time, and was not wonderfully fond of Jews, it had enough wisdom and goodness to primarily focus on merit and ability.
Returning again to WWI for a moment, Marshall himself noted that there was a complete failure of the system. It had hardly moved on for over 100 years (which is to be imagined, as a military system innately requires stability and a lack of change). But, this was too much... the world was changing, and the military was not. Marshall had the wisdom and ability to fix this during WWII as Chief of Staff with extreme power and focus. First of all, he outright fired any general or otherwise not up to the task of WWII. Not even joking. He literally walked up to them, and fired them on the spot. He fired them if they were (a) too old; (b) too aggressive; (c) not aggressive enough; and/or (d) too illogical/stupid.
He would entirely remove them, or relocate them to other positions, where they were either of use, or out of the way.
So, by 1942, Marshall rallied for great action from America, and began his process of re-shaping the American generalship. He did so across a few dimensions. First of all, he understood that America was not Prussia or France or England. He understood that America had its own values and rituals: he lent into that and used it. This was the birth of the American military we see today, to the degree that it's functional and proper. Most of all, this bled down the ranks, to the soldier himself. This is where we get the 'cocky, arrogant American soldier' from. This actually began as a very good thing, showing supreme faith, bravery, and optimism. He made it really easy for us... he wrote a list! I do love a good list...
The four qualities (well, really, about seven) a good general or leader requires, according to Marshall, circa 1920 (in a letter). Clearly, written just after WWI and everything he saw therein:

• Optimism
• Bravery and dutifulness
• Extreme loyalty
• Hopefulness and resolve

Note: An added bit of interest might be that we can blame Marshall for why America has a 'General of the Army' instead of a 'field marshal' (like Europe, etc.). They thought it would be unthinkable to have a 'Marshal Marshall', so by luck of the gods, his name was entirely the wrong name for the job when it came time, in late-1944, for the first ever modern rank of 'marshal', or General of the Army). This is a five-star rank, just above general (full general/four-star general).
(In theory, the six-star general rank would be 'General of the Armies' (plural), though this rank no longer exists in any real sense, though it does apply to Washington, since 1976. In a German context, this is 'Reichsmarschall' (Reich Marshal; which applied to Goring only), one rank above 'field marshal' -- which is also known as 'marshal', 'general field marshal', or 'field marshal general'. Interestingly, Hitler had wanted Goring to take command, if anything should happen to him. But, Goring asked Hitler directly for command towards the end of the war, which made Hitler so angry as to call for his death. I guess, he hurt Hitler's ego, to say the least.)

My husband and I planned this pretty much last minute (decided to go to Iceland a few weeks ago and booked it! We have a 4x4 through Blue Car, and all of our hotel reservations are made. I have a few backup reservations as well in case I am way off with this itinerary, so if I'm totally off-base, please tell me! We are interested in nature and photography, lighthouses and PUFFINS(!!!) and we like to move at a rapid pace! Please review my itinerary and let me know your thoughts. We are not interested in going whale watching or glacier hiking as we've done these activities before in either Alaska and/or Washington State. Not interested in museums either.
June 29 Arrive at KEF @ 7am. Blue Lagoon - 10am reservation Explore Reykjanes Peninsula Groceries Maybe shopping in Reykjavik Lodging in either Hella or Selfoss (I reserved two different places - any thoughts on which is 'better' for Landmannalaugar?)
June 30 Mt. Blahnúkúr / Mt. Brennisteinsalda loop hike in Landmannalaugar Sleep in either Hella or Selfoss
July 1 Golden Circle stuff *can switch this with June 30 depending on weather Sleep in Hella or Selfoss
July 2 Depart Hella or Selfoss Seljalandsfoss waterfall Skogafoss waterfall Dyrholaey Lighthouse Black sand beach Yoda Cave
Stay in Vik
This day seems a little light? Any suggestions?
Maybe the plane wreck hike? Husband is less than thrilled about this, said it looks like a pile of scrap metal. I could go either way.
July 3 Depart Vik Fjadrarglufur Canyon Stjornarfoss Waterfall Skaftafell Glacier / Svartifoss Svinafellsjokull Glacier Fjallsarlon Diamond Beach Vestrahorn
Thought about going kayaking to see the iceburgs up close. Not sure about it, heard mixed reviews.
Stay in Hofn
July 4 Leave Hofn Hvalnes Lighthouse Nykurhylsfoss Streitisviti Lighthouse Hafnarnesviti Lighthouse WWII US Navy shipwreck Dalatangaviti Lighthouse Walk around Seydisfjordur Borgarfjordur Eystri for puffins
Stay in Borgarfjordur Eystri
*This might be too much. Might have to cut the Dalatangaviti area out. Anyone been out there? Thoughts?
July 5
Leave Borgarfjordur Eystri Studlagil Canyon Dellfoss - east side Myvatn Geothermal Area Lodging in Akureyri
July 6
The Myvatn attractions we missed from prior day - Viti Crater, Hverfjall Godafoss Aldeyjarfoss (maybe?) Svalbardesyri Ligthhouse Could we drive the Tröllaskagi peninsula too?
Stay in Akureyri
July 7
(Need help here!)
Depart Akureyri, headed to Westfjords (my goal of the Westfjords is ultimately to see the puffins) Glaumbaer Farm Hvitserkur (maybe) Kolugljufur Canyon Stay in Holmavik (interested in the drive up to Djupavik?) or Patreksfjordur ??? Help!
July 8
Depart Holmavik (if staying there).
Either way, head towards Latrabjarg. Stops at abandoned shipwreck. Interested in seeing Dynjandi waterfalls, but I don't really know if that's possible.
Stay in Patreksfjordur
​
July 9
Depart Patreksfjordur Stop at Grabrok, Hraunfossar Head to Grundarfjordur (lodging) on Snæfellsnes peninsula
Or should we take the ferry? Doesn't seem to save any time and looks like it doesn't depart until noon...thoughts??
July 10 Snæfellsnes peninsula sightseeing all day.
Stay in Grundarfjordur
July 11
Depart Grundarfjordur Hike Glymur Waterfall Hofrungur AK 91 Shipwreck in Akranes + Lighthouse Shopping in Reykjavik if we still need souvenirs!
Head to Courtyard Marriott near KEF
July 12
Depart at 9am KEF for USA

TERRAN AID SHIPS DESTROYED
After much speculation, Terran officials have announced that the lost shipping vessels, the Magnolia, Marigold, and Mallow belonging to Kernon Shipping, were destroyed while in transit. The large cargo vessels were lost with all hands, their large cargo of foodstuffs along with it.
This comes as a heavy blow to the Trenixous province of the former Jaaktarian Empire, as the ongoing famine is expected to worsen. Several riots broke out on Terran-occupied worlds upon hearing the news, with many accusing Terran Executive Command of attempting to reduce the Tersean population to “acceptable levels” for future colonization.
EXECOM has repeatedly denied these allegations, stating that the loss of these vessels constitute an act of terrorism. The routes of the convoy and their cargo was announced well beforehand, they say, as an act of goodwill and to discourage any pirates or Jaaktarian Navy remnants from attacking them.
Although the Galactic Conglomerate officially condemns their destruction, many of its member species continue to oppose the Terran occupation of the neighboring Trenixous, Grentali, and Hrengull provinces, refusing to remove the numerous economic sanctions placed upon the growing species.
Analysts say that by occupying these regions the Terrans are overextending their reach and are placing undue strain upon their economy. Despite the Terran claims that such occupations are merely a peacekeeping and sapient rights intervention, there are many who believe that the Terrans are attempting to exploit the ongoing Jaaktarian civil war, a conflict that is expected to worsen as peace talks continue to fall through.
However, there are many who believe that the attacks on the three ships was secretly orchestrated by the Kersean Empire. Relations between the Terrans and the Kerseans have been at an all time low following the incident at Tasagrate-IV, with increasingly aggressive rhetoric being stated by both sides. The recently announced Kersean annexation of the Tretorian, Erenthinji, Grinhalli, and Veruntaner former Jaaktarian provinces have only worsened this. Many have pointed out the hypocrisy of the Kersean position, decrying the Terran intervention while they themselves are directly claiming territory.
Furthermore, the Terran military has…

Excerpt from a news article published in the Sylintian Press, author unknown.

One of the more famous skirmishes leading up to the start of the Third Orion War was the Terran defense of Tasagrate-IV. The system was largely uninhabited and lay in relatively uncharted space overlapped by Terran and Kersean claims. Tasagrate-IV had been settled by the Terrans five standard cycles prior to the conflict, and a small but robust export-based economy had developed utilizing the planet’s abundance of natural resources.
It is unknown what made the Kersean Empire decide to attack the small colony. Kersean-aligned speakers may claim that they were simply defending rightfully claimed territory from an encroaching aggressor. Pro-Terra sources would likewise claim that Kersea chose to seize the colony and its resources by force in a bid to curb Terra’s growing power. The official position by the Terran government was that it was a probing attack, meant to test Terran defenses and response as a precursor to a much larger invasion.
What can be certain is that the truth will likely never be known. The opening phase of the Third Orion War left the vast majority of the Kersean Empire’s critical infrastructure in ruin. Centers of Command and Communication were among the highest priority of targets during Operation Apocalypto, second only to Kersea’s Relativistic Weapons. Any information held by the personnel and ships that participated in the invasion would have likewise been lost when the second wave of Terran RKV’s, aimed at conventional military targets, obliterated the Kersean fleets. The ensuing chaos and breakdown of civil function means that learning more would be prohibitively difficult. As such, Terran sources and hearsay are all that can be used to document the battle.
Hrjin Argoni’s popular memoirs do shed light on the matter, however his position as a diplomatic envoy by nature means that he was not privy to such military matters. Many have construed Argoni’s orders to “gain the most advantageous settlement” in the territorial negotiations as evidence that the Kersean Empire was always planning on seizing the systems by force, however the Terran diplomats had the same instructions, essentially to the letter.
At the time of the conflict, the Terran population only numbered at about one hundred thousand, the overwhelming majority of which were clustered around the planet’s Capitol or the many mines that dotted the surface. The Terran military contingent was likewise small, consisting of a single Army division and one Wing of MSM-115C Surface-to-Orbit anti-ship missiles, better known as the Paladin.
The Army division was thinly spread across the planet, primarily equipped for anti-piracy, anti-smuggling, and peacekeeping operations. The Paladin Wing meanwhile consisted of four relatively independent Paladin Squadrons, with two located on each hemisphere. That way, the entirety of the planet’s orbital space could be covered and defended, allowing for two squadrons to be on deployment while the other two underwent maintenance or training.
At the Squadron level, the Paladins were commanded by one Mobile Operations Center (MOC), a large tracked vehicle converted from transportation use and equipped with numerous powerful orbital sensors and communication arrays. The MOC would be tasked with coordinating the movement and dispersal of the squadron’s various batteries while also monitoring the orbital space they were assigned to defend. Each squadron held four batteries of three Transport-Erector-Launchers (TELs) that carried and fired the Paladin missiles. The TELs themselves were even larger than the MOC, using Anti-gravity technology to transport the massive Paladin missile horizontally on their backs over the planet’s rough terrain, then having to erect the missile into launch position before being fired. Because of the size of the Paladin’s warheads and the distance they needed to travel to reach their targets, the Paladin was considerably larger than the Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles of Terran antiquity.
When the order to launch is given, the MOC sends the command to one or more of the squadron’s elements. The element would then stop its movement and each TEL would lower themselves to the ground, at which point several hydraulic legs would extend to anchor the TEL to the ground in a level position. After that, the missile in its tube would be raised to the vertical position while a firing solution is reached.
The Paladin used a cold-launch system, meaning that the missile must first be ejected from the tube before the missile’s solid-fueled chemical booster would ignite. To do this, a generator used chemical reactions to create an immense amount of steam that would eject the missile above the TEL. Following ejection, the missile’s booster would ignite and the missile would begin its flight to the target. Throughout its flight, various stages are discarded and ignited to save weight and increase the missile’s velocity. Once the missile was out of the atmosphere, the missile’s nose cone would be jettisoned and the three warheads released.
Each Paladin Missile carried three W97 Enhanced Radiation Warheads, the most prolific variant of the famed Terran “Neutron Bomb.” Each warhead is equipped with a thruster pack to guide it to its target while evading enemy interceptors. Upon reaching the target, the warhead would detonate either upon impact or proximity, killing the biological crew of the enemy vessel with the immense burst of neutron radiation and damaging electronic systems.
This is what the Kersean Royal Navy faced when the invasion fleet descended upon Tasagrate-IV.
The Empire did not expect significant resistance, and as such sent a light invasion force of 300,000 Royal Marines on 50 transport ships escorted by a fleet led by one Heavy Cruiser, three Light Cruisers, five Destroyers, and eight Corvettes. Upon arrival. The fleet would disperse into three elements. The first would hang back and protect the transports, consisting of the Heavy Cruiser, one Light Cruiser, one Destroyer, and two Corvettes. This would serve as a reserve force should any ships be lost, and would command the overall operation. The two other elements would consist of one Light Cruiser, Two Destroyers, and Three Corvettes. These would comb the surface of the planet, one for each hemisphere, with the objective of seeking and destroying any target of opportunity.
When the invasion commenced, the Paladin had been untested in combat and was relatively unknown even within Terran space. Had the full capability of the system been known by the Kersean Empire, it is likely a much more sizable fleet would have been sent to Tasagrate-IV. The Paladin Wing on the planet only had two squadrons that were combat-capable. One was undergoing routine maintenance, and the other was conducting training missions with inert warheads. The latter would not have time to mount their live warheads before the battle would commence, and as such immediately chose to disperse rather than engaging the enemy.
Once the two Kersean Strike elements were in range of the Paladin batteries, each squadron fired a salvo of eight missiles. These were detected by the Kersean forces, however they were unable to intercept due to their distance from the planet. As such, the eight missiles were able to reach altitude and release their three warheads, totaling 24 warheads per element, four warheads per ship, and 48 warheads in total.
The Kersean point-defense systems experienced significant difficulty adapting to the highly-maneuverable warheads that swarmed their fleets. In total, 75% of the incoming warheads were intercepted. However, that still left six warheads inbound for each element. Both were ravaged by the attack. Between the two of them, only two corvettes survived undamaged, with one frigate surviving with heavy damage and a light cruiser rendered combat ineffective.
This came as a severe shock to the Kersean invasion commander, as the highly dispersed Paladin squadrons were not located by their long-range sensors. As such, she wisely decided to abort the invasion and retreated back into Kersean space. Had she chosen to press the attack, it is likely the invasion would have succeeded, despite significant losses. The two combat-capable Paladin squadrons were down to 1/3 of their firepower, while the other two could be hunted down and destroyed by the invading ground forces.
Upon seeing the success of the Paladin, Terran production and deployment of the system was significantly increased. Kersean intelligence services meanwhile, scrambled to figure out the new weapon.
This incident substantially increased tensions between the two powers, and is regarded as one of the main factors leading to the Third Orion War. Both powers used it for substantial propaganda value. On the Terran side, the technological prowess of the system and the imperialist aggression of the Kersean was strongly emphasized. The Kerseans meanwhile decried the settlement of the system as an invasion and encroachment by the Terrans onto their territory and a flagrant disregard for the legitimate claims, portraying the Terran defense as an unprovoked attack against an armed envoy that was intending to negotiate a settlement.
In either situation, the end result was an increase in military readiness and mobilization as the two powers geared themselves up for war…

Excerpt from “Third Orion War: Buildup and Causes” by Junkillian Khimonsa, Chief Historian, Livani University.

“Look, those damn Kerseans are up to no good, clear as day. Those xenos think they can strut around the Conglomerate and bully everyone into submission. ‘No More!’ I say.
“Just look at the bill they passed a week ago! Sanctions on damn near everything we make. They don’t like it that we can do things cheaper and better than them, and they hate us. They go around calling us little atom monkeys because their tech ain’t as good as ours. That’s the thing you see, humanity has always been special. The damn xenos ain’t never gonna get that.
“I had a brother on the Marigold when the Kerseans destroyed her. That food was going to do good in the galaxy, helping out the innocents in Jaaktaria. ‘Cept the problem is that doing so makes us Terrans look good and the Kerseans look bad. I’m telling you, those hinge-head bastards in the Diamond Palace are a bunch of Tyrants.
“And then they go around preaching about ‘stability’ and ‘order’ and ‘uplifting’. All they do is go around like loan sharks trapping helpless little aliens in their schemes. And when someone doesn’t want to bow down they break them.
“I’ve said this before and I’ll say this again, War is coming. It’s time someone put them in their place. They think they have the numbers and the precious little ‘RKV’s’. No, like they think us losing a few dozen planets will stop us with the hundreds we have. We will burn their mongrel hides even if we have to choke on our own blood to do so.
“If they think we don’t have the nukes to burn them off of every floating rock they own, I know we’ll have the chemicals and bioweapons to bring them a beatdown of biblical proportions. They’ll be a textbook footnote before they even know what hit them.“

Excerpt from Political Commentator Joe Alexander’s podcast “Humanity First.” The podcast is highly controversial and is known for containing biased or incorrect data. It is currently banned by 78% of Galactic Conglomerate member species.

BEYOND TOP SECRET
OSIRIS has observed extremely abnormal Kersean activity that warrants immediate EXECOM attention.
SIGINT has detected a 450% increase in encrypted FTL communications between the Kersean Grand Council and all Kersean military forces. HUMINT and DARKSTAR missions observe that 85% of the Kersean Navy is out of port, with significant fleet gatherings at points ASTRA, BAKER, GEODE, and ZENITH. Significant Kersean ground forces are being mobilized for planetary assault. Ministry of the Voice propaganda has seen a 165% trend increase towards belligerent messaging. 78% of Kersean reserves are being mobilized. Significant activity around Kersean Relativistic Weaponry.
CARDINAL assets in Galactic Conglomerate report numerous conferences between Kersean and Kersean-aligned delegates. 61% of BENEDICT assets are unresponsive. All BENEDICT assets are presumed compromised. Primary, secondary, and underground channels are experiencing severe difficulty negotiating with Kersean contacts.
OSIRIS believes this to be a prelude to a full-scale invasion of Terran space. Kersean activity is consistent with that before the Kersean invasion of former Jaaktarian space. SAMSON sites have been notified of ongoing developments and have increased readiness, however cannot be activated without EXECOM authority.
OSIRIS strongly recommends EXECOM declare STRATCON BLACK and activate CONPLAN 88 in accordance with the Lemay Protocol. Casualty estimates are significant but acceptable. OSIRIS confirms this with the highest degree of confidence. War is unavoidable.

Highly encrypted FTL communique from the Terran Office of Strategic Intelligence, Reconnaissance, Information, and Surveillance (OSIRIS) to Terran Executive Command, released one decacycle after the end of the Third Orion War. Less than one Terran hour after this message was received, the first Terran RKV’s would be fired as a part of Operation Apocalypto, marking the beginning of the Third Orion War.

He passed me a small sphere in his hand. It was an incredibly tiny object, small enough I had to make sure it didn’t slip between my appendages. I look back up and see him rolling perhaps a dozen of them in the palm of his hand.
“This is it? It must weigh only a gram!”
I tried not to grimace as he smiled.
“It does, but kinetic energy increases exponentially with velocity. At the speed of light, that little thing hits with over 10 kilotons of force.”
I blanched as the sphere suddenly felt far, far heavier in my grasp. 10 kilotons was by no means small, but compared to nuclear and antimatter weaponry, it was a drop in the bucket. I turned back to the weapon’s diagram and eyed the warhead section.
“How many did you say it could carry?”
He paused for a moment. Worry briefly flashed across my mind as I feared I had asked an unacceptable question. But my anxieties were placated somewhat as he responded.
“Several thousand, depending on size and method of dispersal. This one is just the anti-ship version.”
Images of the Emperor’s Fleet being torn apart in an instant flashed before my eyes. Garden worlds being left smoldering wastelands while small moons were simply broken.
The man took the sphere from me and placed them down on the table. Collecting them one by one into a small bag, he reminded me of a predator picking through the carcass of its prey.
“You know…” he began. “We already have plenty of them in service.”
I could have sworn my hearts stopped beating at that instant.
“I can’t tell you how many we have or how fast we make them, but do know we have enough.”
This was bad. The Intelligence Service told me that the Terrans were only in the prototype stage. I scanned his features for signs of a bluff, a slight tick here or a bead of sweat there, but couldn’t find any.
But then I realized, The Terrans weren’t beholden to the arms treaties. They were an upstart race who entered the galactic scene well after the Great Hydrogen Wars, well after hundreds of relativistic weapons had been used in the most horrific manner. Left unchecked, Terra’s resource-rich systems and industrious people meant that the race had the potential to rival and possibly surpass Kersea.
This changed everything. Now it was clear that Terra wasn’t a future threat, but a present one.
If the Terrans were developing RKVs built specifically for anti-ship purposes, then they must already have significant amounts of them. The other races of the galaxy reserved their few RKVs as planet-busting weapons of last resort. There was no need to differentiate them as being anti-ship, because there was only one use for them.
I flashed through my briefings of the Terran military. Budget black holes woven between endless bureaucracy, ship classes designated far different than why their tonnage suggested, uninhabited worlds or systems blocked off, significant agricultural reserves, mobile command posts. The Terrans weren’t just preparing to fight a relativistic war, they were preparing to win one.
He continued.
“Despite what you and your government may think, us Terrans aren’t new to this game. We’ve been playing against ourselves for centuries.”
“Is that so?”
“Indeed.” He turned around and emptied the bag back into his right hand. “We know the rules.”
Rolling one into place between his thumb and index finger, he tossed it at a nearby model of a terrestrial planet. The plastic model tipped over and clattered onto the table.
“We do have one question though,” Another toss and another model planet knocked over.
“What kind of player do you want to be?”\

Excerpt from “My Greatest Failure.” By Hrjin Argoni, Former Kersean Imperial Ambassador to Terra

2023= 223
322nd anniv of Yale// Skull & Bones
23rd year of the Millennium
Globalists are staging a 23-day countdown to China Taiwan conflict/ WW3
23--46--69--92--115--138....
​
The countdown started--
11 Jan= 11/1
111-- Illuminati Master Number
Day 322 of Putin's Invasion
Planes were grounded across the US for the first time since the 911 attacks
That was an obvious signalling stunt
PLANES GROUNDED= 223
​
Halfway mark--
138 days later--
30 May--Moscow hit by drone strikes
DRONE STRIKE= 138
​
138 days later--
15 October
Day 999 of Biden's Presidency
223 Months after China passed the Taiwan Anti-Secession Law on 14 March 2005
My prediction for China Taiwan Wa WW3
​
23-day countdown--
30 May -- Moscow Drone strikes
​
23 days later--
22 June= 22/6
AIRPLANE CRASH= 226
322 days after the Mecca Clock was struck by lightning on 5 Aug last year
LIGHTNING STRIKE = 223
DEATH OF A KING= 223
9 months 11 days after Assad's birthday on Sep 11= 9/11
3220 days Turkish Leader Erdogan has been in office
322 weeks 22 days after Operation Euphrates Shield ended
32 weeks 2 days after Xi visit to Saudi Arabia
Day 2230 of Emmanuel Macron's Presidency
119 days after Japanese Emperor Naruhito's birthday
DEATH OF A JAPANESE EMPRESS= 226
​
23 days later--
15 July= 15/7
CYBER POLYGON= 157
INDUCED TSUANAMI= 157
APOCALYSE= 157
DEATH HOAX= 157
NAVY DISASTER= 157
2 months 23 days after St George's Day
666 days after Squid Game aired in 2021
188 days after Kim Jong Un's birthday
111 months after the 2014 South Korean Ferry disaster
2 years 3 months 22 days after Evergiven blocked the Suez Canal in 2021
14 years 11 months 9 days after the 2008 Russia/ Georgia Invasion
RUSSIA INVADES GEORGIA= 223
​
23 days later--
7 August= 7/8
Russia invaded Georgia in 2008
RUSSIA INVADES OSSETIA= 78
777 weeks after Lehman Brother's Bankruptcy 15 Sep 2008--which triggered 2008 Global Housing Crisis
233 days after the Pope's birthday
JORGE BERGOGLIO= 233
CYBER PANDEMIC= 233
DOLLAR COLLAPSE= 233
BITCOIN CRASHES= 233
​
​
23 days later--
30 August-- Blue Moon
BLUE MOON= 119
​
23 days later--
22 Sep--Equinox
​
23 days later--
15 October
​
23 is a prime number made up of 2 consecutive prime numbers 2 & 3
911- 888= 23
23 is also a hidden 666
2 divided by 3= 0.6666666
​
23--46--69--92--115--138....
​
FAKE= 23
SPOOK= 23
CIA= 23
KING= 23
LYING= 23
MEDIA= 23
SPACE X= 23
FRAUD= 23
ANNEX= 23
​
CHAOS= 46
WHO= 46
VIRUS= 46
EPIDEMIC= 46
DISEASE= 46
CONTAGION= 46
OBEDIENCE= 46
FLOODING=46
ERUPTION= 46
REBIRTH= 46
GEORGE BUSH= 46
BIDEN STUMBLES= 46
46TH President
Biden son died aged 46
JOHN KENNEDY= 46
SHOT= 46
Died age 46
DECEPTION= 46
​
ILLUMINATI= 69
NAZIS= 69
FALSE FLAG= 69
WORLD WAR III= 69
CHARLES III= 69
DRONE STRIKE= 69
VLADIMIR PUTIN= 69
RUSSIAN INVASION= 69
​
THE SYNAGOGUE OF SATAN= 92
ASSASSINATION= 92
TSUNAMI= 92
CONTROL= 92
​
FREEMASONS= 115
STOCK MARKET CRASHES= 115
TWITTER= 115
LUCIFER= 115
FRANCE= 115
PEARL HARBOUR ATTACK= 115
NUCLEAR= 115
NAVY BLOCKADE= 115
INDUCED QUAKE= 115
WATER WARS= 115
​
RUSSIA INVADES OSSETIA= 138
AIRFORCE ONE/ JOSEPH BIDEN STUMBLES= 138
DRONE STRIKE= 138
USS LINCOLN = 138
DONALD TRUMP= 138
RON DE SANTIS= 138
MONKEY POX= 138
MELBOURNE= 138
DOME OF THE ROCK= 138

I am in the middle of an “Emperor of Hindustan” run and was trying to decide between various possible idea groups to choose early on and kept running into these recommendations. I hope this helps others who face the same question when playing outside their comfort zone.
General remarks: ideas are listed in Diplo/Admin/Military order as (i) Military tech should be prioritized early on, (ii) Admin 7 unlocks the second idea group and should be rushed. Feel free to deviate from this recommendation (I frequently open with Admin ideas myself), but this standardizes the formatting slightly.
Additionally, these choices are not necessarily “optimal”. The purpose of this list is to provide suggestions for idea groups that align with each other in some sense
1. WC Starter Kit – Diplomatic, Administrative, Offensive
Diplomatic provides many benefits: additional relations slot, improved relations, more diplomats and ends with war-score reduction. This reduces aggressive expansion (AE), reduces coalitions, and increases rate of expansion. Administrative is picked almost entirely for the coring cost reduction, Offensive provides better generals and crucially better siege ability, which is a major quality-of-life (QoL) improvement as forts are a major time-sink later on as well as improved generals and discipline.
Major policy benefits are another diplomat plus reduced autonomy (A/D), and another diplomatic reputation (D/M). Humanist is recommended as a follow-up as it synergizes well with Offensive and minimizes rebellions from conquests, which is a major QoL improvement.
Recommended nations: Standard WC countries (Mughals, Ottomans, Austria, Horde), especially if ideas already include coring cost reduction. Austria should also consider Religious rather than Humanist (perhaps earlier too); Hordes should choose Horde ideas early on as well.
2. Wallbreacher – Espionage, Innovative, Offensive
Innovative is recommended as the opener as it reduces tech and advisor costs; Espionage synergizes with advisor cost as well as siege ability from offensive. This pairs with increased spy network construction, which provides even more siege ability. Corresponding policies (A/M and D/M) further provide both advisor costs reduction and siege ability as well. Other benefits include AE reduction and better generals with a guaranteed siege pip due to the A/M policy.
Good follow-ups include Influence (synergistic policy with Innovative) and Infrastructure (even faster spy networks and artillery bonus if you can afford it). In general, none of the ideas here are stellar, but the combination improves the tedious aspects of this game and provide general QoL improvements.
Recommended nations: HRE minors, particularly those without missions as claiming states is extremely useful early on with chain claims. In general, this combination is beneficial for any game lacking a specific focus.
3. Release, Reconquer, Re-integrate – Influence, Administrative, Quality
Strategy revolves around picking cores from major releasable nations then stacking annexation reduction modifiers to integrate them later on. This indirectly circumvents AE since the Reconquest casus belli provides significant reductions compared to regular Conquest. Influence ideas provide direct benefits to vassals, administrative ideas reduce coring costs for general (non-reconquest) expansion and quality ideas ensure competitiveness during battles on both land and sea. As mentioned, all policies combined provide annexation bonuses for -60% annexation cost in total.
Good follow-ups include Economic for amazing policies and improving the economy, Religious for the Deus Vult casus belli that maximizes ability to conquer neighbors.
Recommended nations: Anyone who can further stack onto the integration cost or relies heavily on vassals. Options include Catholics who may use the Papal legate (particularly Sardinia Piedmont and Austria), Southeast Asian countries including Siam and Majapahit whose mission trees support vassal play.
4. Soli, Deo, Gloria – Exploration, Expansion, Quantity/Plutocratic
Perhaps the most self-explanatory choice: Exploration allows viewing colonies; Expansion provides colonists for establishing them. Quantity and Plutocratic are mostly recommended for synergistic policies as well as their ability to ensure a healthy economy by either reducing army upkeep (usually the main expense) or increasing income while providing numerous other benefits too.
Good follow-ups include Trade to further increase income from the established colonies and trade companies (amazing policy with Expansion), Quality to increase competitiveness on land and sea. In fact, Maritime may even provide niche utility by allowing countries to declare Thalassocracy as well as providing QoL improvements towards maintaining the numerous fleets across colonies.
Recommended nations: Portugal is probably the poster child for this combination, although other colonizers including the Netherlands may also benefit. Interestingly (and perhaps ironically), some African countries have colonization-oriented missions. These choices are more complicated with countries like France, Castille, and England due to their increased synergy with other playstyle.
CAUTION. Some countries only receive the colonist provided another is not unlocked (e.g., Adal and Kongo), whereas others keep them for a temporary period (Kilwa, Mali). Proceed with these conditions in mind.
5. Salvation Army’s Workshop – Trade, Religious, Quantity
Perhaps the most niche combination that remains highly synergistic, this combination should probably be implemented in reverse, i.e., quantity, religious and trade. Quantity provides increased numbers in the army, religious provides a bonus to conversion and trade provides economic support. This coupled with their policies that provide increased morale as well as goods produced creates a truly unique synergy for a strong trade-based economy used to field a crusading empire.
Recommended nations: Ironically, this is the combination I chose as my circumstances fit them quite well: playing as Delhi, quantity helped with defeating the other Indian powers without relying on alliances. Once Sikhism became available, formed Punjab whose ideas and religion synergized extremely well with these ideas and their policies.
Other viable situations I can foresee include a Buddhists Strike Back run as well as a brewing monastery campaign. Would love to see more suggestions for this.
6. Rule the Waves – Maritime, Infrastructure, Navy
The new meta. Maritime provides more sailors and strengthens the navy as well as increasing ship trade power. Naval further buffs the navy and ensures that no other country has any hope of ruling the seven seas. Infrastructure allows improving your existing lands to fund your navy. Lastly, the policies provide faster ship building, reduced sailor maintenance, faster ships, and blockade efficiency. Devastate anyone who swims in your way. Make Nelson proud.
Recommended nations: Switzerland for their achievement. It literally mentions lakes.
Which other combinations do you enjoy playing in your campaigns? I would love to hear about other playstyles in alternate campaigns. I am sure someone must have thought of a heavy Mercenary build for instance although I do not know any possible country that would align with such a playstyle.

After several years, the Eastern Europe Rework is complete, as the release of the Ukraine rework signals the end of an era for Kaiserreich. We learned a lot from the development process, with the Eastern Europe Rework being released incrementally, unlike the single large update that gave much of the China rework. With each successive release, we try our best to reach new heights with the mod, and to build on the work that was done beforehand, and both of these aims particularly apply to the Eastern Europe Rework. Our efforts remain ongoing on the reworks of all European majors, and the team members who worked on Ukraine have already moved on to work on Russia, Spain and Austria-Hungary. But for now, we are pleased to bring you our latest release, and we hope you enjoy it!

• The KR4 team

Changes
Notable Additions

• Updated the format of the Country Selection screen.
• Added new introduction screens for several countries, including the majors and notable minors.
• Removed the cap on the war support debuffs that is present in vanilla HOI4, applied by casualties, bombing and lost convoys, and decreased the rate of the war support decay.
• Countries now will lose 20% war support if at war, regardless of it being a defensive or offensive war.
• Reduced the Chinese “Unequal Treaties” resource export malus to 60%.

Reworked/Expanded Focus Trees

• Ukraine

Tweaked Focus Trees

• Lebanon - overhauled political and military trees
• Ottoman Empire - added four new national foci for NatPops

New Events

• Added new alerts informing the player of impending declarations of war.
• Added events alerting the player when the AI has given them land in annexation events.
• Added annexation events for the Northern Caucasus, Corsica, the Kuban, Nice, Savoy and Syrmia.

New Decisions

• Added a new “Ostpolitik” decision category for Germany, detailing their relations with their eastern allies.

New Custom Country Paths

• Cuba (expanded current options)
• Ukraine
• West Indies Federation (expanded current options)

GFX

• New portraits
  • American Union State: Robert Melville Danford
  • Australasia: Henry Douglas Wynter
  • Bharatiya Commune: Madhav Sadashivrao Golwalkar, Madan Mohan Malaviya, Sarojini Naidu, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar
  • Union of Britain: George Nathan
  • Bulgaria: Manol Vasev
  • Cambodia: Son Ngoc Thanh
  • Chile: Oscar Escudero Otárola
  • Cuba: Juan Blas Hernández
  • Combined Syndicates of America: Edward Allen Carter Jr., William Edward Foster, Daniel Webster Hoan, Campbell Carrington Johnson, James Kelly Parsons, Hyman Godalia Rickover, David Monroe Shoup
  • Commune of France: Henri Adeline, Florimond Bonte, Jean-Édouard Verneau
  • El Salvador: Salvador Castañeda Castro, Maximiliano Hernández Martínez
  • French Republic: Paul Reynaud
  • Germany: Wilhelm II, Wilhelm III (civilian & military)
  • Greece: Georgios Papandreou
  • Illyria: Stjepan Radić
  • Latvia: Constitutional Assembly
  • Lebanon: Anthony Peter Arida
  • Kurdistan: Bakr Sidqi
  • Malaya: Zhuang Mingli
  • Mountain Republic: Ali Mitayev
  • Ottoman Empire: Abdülmecid II
  • Papua New Guinea: Sumsuma
  • Paraguay: Higinio Morínigo Martínez
  • Russia: Pavel Milyukov
  • Serbia: Petar Zivkovic
  • Shandong: Wu Huawen, Lu Jin
  • Siam: Phraya Phaholponpayuhasena, Rama IX, Paribatra Sukhumbhand, Sarit Thanarat
  • Slovenia: Leon Rupnik, Bogumil Vošnjak
  • Kingdom of Spain: Emilio Mola Vidal
  • Taiwan: Lin Xiantang, Lin Xiongzheng, Xie Xuehong
  • Tripolitania: Ahmad Faqih Hasan
  • Ukraine: Marko Bezruchko, Roman Dashkeyvch, Petro Diachenko, Opanas Fedenko, Oleksii Federov, Vasyl Fylonovych, Nykyfir Hryhoriiv, Yevhen Konovalets, Isaak Mazepa, Mykhailo Omelianovych-Pavlenko, Vsevolod Petriv, Kostiantyn Prisovskyi, Sviatoslav Shramchenko, Oleksandr Shulhyn, Oleksandr Shumskyi, Leonid Stupnytskyi, Mykola Stsiborskyi, Yurii Svirskyi, Yurii Tiutiunnyk, Oleksandr Udovychenko, Omelian Volokh, Vasyl Vyshyvanyi, Oleksandr Zahrodskyi
• Tweaked portraits
  • Argentina: Pedro Eugenio Aramburu, Isaac Francisco Rojas
  • Bohemia: Viktor Hoppe
  • Commune of France: Aubert Frère
  • Galicia & Lodomeria: Hnat Stefaniv, Dmytro Vitovskyi
  • Liangguang: Li Zongren (changed uniform)
• New advisor portraits
  • Germany: Reichskolonialamt
  • Lebanon: Khayreddine al-Ahdab, Rashid Baydoun, Michel Chiha, Philibert Collet, Jacob of Ghazir, Selim el Khoury, Rose Shahfa, Riad el-Solh
  • Princely Federation: Council of Princes
  • Russia: Aleksandr Novikov, Mikhail Yangel
  • Somalia: Assembly of Clans
  • Syria: Army Air Command / Army Naval Arm
  • Taiwan: Chen Fengyuan, Lan Gaochuan, Jian Ji, Cai Peihuo, Jiang Weishui, Liao Wenkui, Liao Wenyi, Lin Xiantang, Lin Xiongzheng, Xie Xuehong
  • Ukraine: Asan Sabri Aivazov, Rostyslav Bereziuk-Voloshyn, Petro Bolbochan, Mykola Boretskyi, Mykhailo Bilynskyi, Volodymyr Chekhivskyi, Ivan Cherniakhovskyi, Dmytro Dontsov, Dmytro Doroshenko, Oleksandr Dovzhenko, Solomon Goldelman, Oleksandr Hadd, Borys Homzyn, Oleksandr Hrekiv, Mykhailo Hrushevskyi, Hryhorii Hrynko, Borys Huber, Andrii Hulyi-Hulenko, Dzhambulat Kanukov, Pavlo Khrystiuk, Andrii Khvylia, Mykola Khvyliovyi, Ihor Kistiakovskyi, Volodymyr Kedrovskyi, Mykola Kochubei, Vasyl Kochubei, Serhii Koroliov, Volodymyr Korostovets, Mykola Kovalevskyi, Levko Kovaliv, Oleksii Kozlovskyi, Ahatanhel Krymskyi, Andrii Livytskyi, Yurii Lypa, Ivan Lytvynenko, Mykola Maksymov, Arnold Margolin, Borys Martos, Andrii Melnyk, Mykola Mikhnovskyi, Zinaida Mirna, Yakiv Moraleyvch, Kyrylo Moskalenko, Vasyl Murashko, Andrii Nikovskyi, Oleh Olzhych & Olena Teliha, Kyrylo Osmak, Serhii Ostrovidov, Yurii Otmarshtain, Viktor Pavlenko, Anatolii Pisotskyi, Andrii Pokrovskyi, Mykhailo Poloz, Viacheslav Prokopovych, Serhii Rudenko, Volodymyr Salskyi, Volodymyr Savchenko-Bilskyi, Fedosii Shchus, Pavlo Shandruk, Oleksandr Shapoval, Serhii Shemet, Oleksandr Skoropys-Yoltukhovskyi, Zakhar Sliusarenko, Olena Stepaniv, Fedir & Mykhailo Tereshchenko, Vasyl Tiutiunnyk, Stepan Tymoshenko, Metropolitan Vasyl, Mykhailo Volobuiev, Serhii Yefremov, Maik Yokhansen, Vsevolod Zmiienko
  • United Baltic Duchy: Baltische Landeswehrkommission
• Added some new generic American, British and German general portraits.
• Added a generic “Council of Advisors” advisor portrait.
• Added new national spirit icons for Chinese splinters, Ethiopia and Ukraine.
• Updated the Irish national focus icons for their army, navy and air force.
• Updated several Indian national focus icons.
• Added new national focus icons for Ukraine.
• Added new flags for the Bharatiya Commune, RadSoc Centroamerica, Hindustan, Madagascar, socialist Ukraine, Taiwan, Transamur and native-led Zimbabwe.
• Tweaked the flag for the West Indies Federation.
• Updated the flag render of Kolchak-led Transamur
• Fixed NatPop Egypt using the wrong flag.
• Updated the icons for the Artillery traits for commanders.
• Moved and resized the paper clip icon used in all event pictures.
• Added and tweaked the icons, names and models for the tanks and planes used by multiple countries across the mod.
• Added some custom infantry weapon icons for Austro-Hungarian constituents and White Ruthenia.
• Fixed a Mongolian leader being used as a generic leader portrait.
• Removed the Blackshirt insignia from a vanilla division icon.
• Updated Ireland’s event pictures.
• Updated the resolution and colouring on an old loading screen.

Music Mod

• Reconfigured the Music user interface and reformatted the track titles to ensure they fit into the interface properly.
• Added “Mars Genderang Kemenangan (March to the Sound of Victory)” for Insulindia.
• Removed “Rayuan Pulau Kelapa (Love of the Coconut Island)” for Insulindia.
• Added “Two Brothers Were Going There” for Russia.
• Added “Black Clouds Cover Over the Ruins”, "Cossacks Were Riding", “Ked my pryishla karta (This is the Map)”, "Long Live, Free Ukraine", "Oh, Grow You Dry Oak“, “Oh, On the Mountain the Reapers are Harvesting”, “Oi, vydno selo (Oh, You Can See the Village)”, "There's a Willow in the Field" for Ukraine.
• Fixed music not playing correctly for Azerbaijan, Madagascar, Mali and Zanzibar.
• Fixed “Protect the Yellow River” playing for non-Chinese countries.
• Fixed several tracks from vanilla HOI4 not playing, tweaked when some tracks from vanilla are likely to play, and renamed several vanilla tracks to more Kaiserreich-appropriate titles.

Mapping

• Added more naval bases to the Bharatiya Commune and Princely Federation.
• Added Bastogne as a victory point.
• Fixed the French city of Verdun being too close to the German border.
• Adjusted the shapes of Dalmatia and Syrmia.
• Tweaked Morocco’s provinces.
• Fixed an invalid Moroccan railway.
• Added Terneuzen as a victory point.
• Increased the Infrastructure level in India.
• Updated the eastern Ottoman railway around Kars.
• Re-added the Sea of Marmara as a strategic region, to fix issues with AI pathfinding in the Aegean due to the blocked straits.
• Fixed Iquitos’ location to Peru from Ecuador.
• Improved supply situation in and around Transamur.
• Increased the supply availability between Crimea and Kherson.
• Removed the strait between Courland and Saaremaa.

Other Changes

• North America
  • Rebalanced American war support and stability.
  • Reduced the amount of military factories given by the factory conversion decisions, to avoid hobbling the AI.
  • Increased the priority given by American civil war participants to building military factories during the Second American Civil War.
  • Revised the combat AI for the participants of the Second American Civil War.
  • Replaced the American Union State general Jacob Devers with Robert Danford.
  • Buffed Canada’s starting army and war support.
  • Canada’s NatPops no longer make John Diefenbaker their leader, as Henry Herbert Stevens stays in the position.
  • Adjusted several Canadian and Combined Syndicate character names to include the nicknames they are most commonly known as.
  • Renamed William Zebulon Foster to William Edward Foster, as he was never actually named Zebulon.
  • Nerfed the Combined Syndicates of America commanders Robert Sharon Allen, Smedley Darlington Butler, Evans Fordyce Carlson, Benjamin Oliver Davis Sr, Herbert Charles Heitke, Campbell Carrington Johnson, Robert Hale Merriman, Maurice Rose and David Monroe Shoup, each by one skill level.
  • Nerfed the military advisor traits of the Combined Syndicates of America’s Smedley Darlington Butler, Evans Fordyce Carlson, Bessie Coleman, William Rea Furlong, Eddie August Henry Schneider and David Monroe Shoup.
  • Added Jacob Loucks Devers, from the American Union State, and Campbell Carrington Johnson, as generals for the Combined Syndicates of America.
  • Removed George H. Cannon as a general for the Combined Syndicates of America.
  • Added a Chief of Army role to the Combined Syndicates of America’s commander James Kelly Parsons.
  • Removed Robert Sharon Allen’s Chief of Army role for the Combined Syndicates of America.
  • Added the Armour Officer trait to Robert Sharon Allen, the Organiser trait to Robert Hale Merriman, the Cavalry Officer trait to Benjamin Oliver Davis Sr and the Chief Engineer trait to Hyman Godolia Rickover.
  • Removed the Reckless trait from the Combined Syndicates of America’s Maurice Rose.
  • The Combined Syndicates of America’s naval advisors are now available from either of the “American People's Navy” or “New Naval Plan” national foci, instead of just the former.
  • Nerfed the initial “Red Guards” national spirit for the Combined Syndicates of America.
  • Improved the effect of the Combined Syndicates of America’s “Roll Out The AO-2” and “The Red Dragon” national foci.
  • Increased the duration of the “New European Military Schools” national focus for the Combined Syndicates of America.
  • Revised the AI’s logic in supporting or abandoning Hawaii.
  • Hawaii’s faction-joining decisions are now quicker.
  • The American Union State now leaves any factions if couped by Pelley, and a player-led leader of the Entente can choose to attack him in return.
  • The United States now starts with medium tank designs.
  • Player-controlled United States can now decide whether or not the assassination attempt on Huey Long or Jack Reed is successful.
  • Removed “Canberra” from the America ship name lists, due to its presence being an OTL reference.
• Central America & the Caribbean
  • Added a unique flag for Augusto César Sandino’s Centroamerica.
  • Removed “Fulgencio Batista” from Cuba’s ship name lists.
  • Added party descriptions to Cuba.
  • The Dominican Republic’s Trujillo now loses his advisor roles after being fired.
• South America
  • Demoted Argentina’s Pedro Eugenio Aramburu from Field Marshal to General.
  • Tweaked the map colour of NatPop Brazil.
  • Brazilian puppet Patagonia (the Kingdom of Araucania) now starts with a core on Neuquén.
  • Releasing Brazil now retains Acre and the borderlands for separate decisions.
  • Added a Head of Army role to Brazilian Field Marshal Eurico Gaspar Dutra.
  • Nerfed the Head of Army trait belonged to Brazil’s Euclides de Oliveira Figueiredo.
  • Removed the option to create a puppet Ecuador on the Galapagos Islands, as it resulted in Ecuador getting too many volunteers in subsequent wars.
  • Updated and standardised the names of many Paraguayan characters.
• Western & Southern Europe
  • Added Breton endonyms.
  • Replaced the Union of Britain’s George Sutherland Aitken with George Nathan.
  • Decreased the skill level of the Union of Britain’s Thomas Jacob Hutton.
  • Added Henri Adeline, Florimond Bonte, Georges Revers and Jean-Édouard Verneau as generals to the Commune of France.
  • Added Henri Adeline as a military advisor to the Commune of France.
  • The Commune of France’s Maurice Gamelin is improved to a level 3 field marshal, with a different Chief of Army trait, but now has the Old Guard trait.
  • The Commune of France’s Clement Blanc now has the Artillery Officer trait, Charles Delestraint now has the Armour Officer trait, Diego Brosset has swapped Infantry Officer for Engineer, and Raoul Magrin Vernerey has swapped Adaptable and Infantry Officer for Commando and Harsh Leader.
  • The Commune of France’s Marie-Pierre Koenig now has a Chief of Army role.
  • Increased the army experience reward given to the Commune of France’s “Communal Army” and “Grand Army Reform” national spirits.
  • Countries can no longer choose not to attend the Internationale Congresses.
  • Moved the general Aubert Frère to the Commune of France, from the French Republic.
  • The Commune of France’s Jacques Sadoul is changed from a general to a political advisor.
  • Removed colonial names from the Commune of France’s submarine name list.
  • Added Alessandro Sardi as a general for the Italian Republic.
  • AI-controlled Socialist Republic of Italy will now attempt to perform naval invasions on the Republic of Italy.
  • The Canadian decision to support the Orange Order in socialist-controlled Ireland now spawns Northern Irish units rather than Irish ones.
  • Portugal will now actively try to annex the Congo in peace conferences.
  • Portugal can now intervene in the Third Boer War.
  • Halved the political power cost in the United Kingdom’s reconstruction decisions.
  • The United Kingdom can now ask for the return of Canadian and Australasian fleets.
  • The United Kingdom’s naval national foci have been considerably nerfed.
  • Added the option for a player to refuse handing over the leadership of the Entente to the United Kingdom, while playing a country other than Canada.
• Central & Northern Europe
  • Revised the frequencies at which Austria goes each of its three paths.
  • Pluralist Austria can no longer integrate any parts of Germany.
  • Non-pluralist Austria can now core all of Germany.
  • Austria can no longer potentially integrate the German-speaking part of Switzerland, unless they have reformed the German Empire.
  • Austria and Germany now start with medium tank designs.
  • Austria now retains south Germany when releasing the German Empire, to be decided in its own annexation event.
  • The Austrian-led German Empire, and German splinters, can now integrate German border regions, and no longer get instant cores.
  • Added new descriptions to the late infantry technology for Austria-Hungary and its constituents.
  • Denmark now starts with a core on Greenland, which no longer causes resistance for any other occupying power.
  • Added English translations of Finland’s party names.
  • Lwow is now not automatically given to Poland in the latter’s annexation event, unless its controller chooses to give all of Galicia & Lodomeria to Poland.
  • Updated the events surrounding the division of Galicia to Poland and Ukraine.
  • Germany’s integration of Austria, Slovenia and Switzerland is now compliance-based.
  • Improved Manfred von Richtofen’s unique trait.
  • Added air bases as rewards to German aviation national foci.
  • Improved Germany’s AI at defending from naval invasions.
  • Expanded the release of the North German Federation to match the standard of the other three German splinters.
  • Germany now starts with interwar anti-tank technology.
  • Germany’s “Anti-Russian Foreign Policy” national spirit is now removed from countries that join Russia’s faction.
  • Replaced the news event picture from the “Fall of Amsterdam” event.
  • The Netherlands’ integration of Flanders is now compliance-based.
  • Decreased the war-related stability debuff given to the Nordic Federation by the “Nordic Neutrality” national spirit.
  • The Nordic Federation will now send volunteers to Finland and Germany in the Weltkrieg.
  • Reichspakt Poland will now get kicked from their faction, should they declare war on a Habsburg-led Austria during the Weltkrieg.
  • Republican Poland having a failed nationalist coup will now prevent the nationalist uprising from occurring.
  • AI-controlled Republican Poland will now have a nationalist coup less often.
  • Increased Poland’s priorities in completing its economic decisions.
  • Poland can now only complete Operation Parasol if it has less than 20% surrender progress.
  • Poland will now lose some monarchy influence when the King appoints Studnicki after the election, even if the Circle won the election.
  • Tweaked the AI’s event choice priority in Poland’s Clover Revolution.
  • Changed the icon for Poland’s “20th Century Cavalry Tactics” national spirit.
  • Releasing the Rhenish German splinter state now requires control of Cologne or Essen.
  • Added Bogumil Vošnjak as the NatPop leader of Slovenia.
  • Added Leon Rupnik as a general for Slovenia.
  • Increased the amount of steel that Sweden gains in Kiruna.
  • Updated several of Switzerland’s national focus icons.
  • The Kingdom of Two Sicilies Confederation now gives annexed territory to its Italian puppets.
  • Added two starting military factories to the Kingdom of Two Sicilies.
• Eastern & Southeast Europe
  • The AI will now prioritise giving lands in the Balkans to an ally, rather than releasing puppets.
  • Added an alternate description Bulgaria’s “Anti-Belgrade Pact”, should the Belgrade Pact be already defeated.
  • The Estonian admiral Johan Pitka no longer starts in the United Baltic Duchy.
  • Added party descriptions to Latvia.
  • Latvia can now organise a state visit to NatPop Russia, so long as the latter is Realpolitik.
  • Buffed several Latvia traits, national spirits and national foci.
  • Added more trains to Latvia’s starting stockpiles.
  • Added air bases to decisions and national foci rewards for Lithuania and the United Baltic Duchy.
  • Added option in Macedonia’s annexation event, for it to be offered to Bulgaria or Serbia in exchange for an alliance.
  • Increased the amount of war support drain that Romania receives from integration of Transylvania.
  • Halved the maluses incurred by Romania’s “Great Game”.
  • Romania can now attack Austria immediately if Austria is at war, ignoring normal revolt preparations in Transylvania.
  • Romania is now able to core Bucovina without owning Transylvania.
  • Romania will now no longer try to join Russia’s faction if they previously were at war.
  • Russia’s annexation event can now result in the release of the Mountain Republic, made up of part of the Northern Caucasus under Russian control
  • Made multiple tweaks to Russia’s political power, stability, and war support situation.
  • Expansionist Russia can now invite Romania to the Moscow Accord, so long as Germany has been beaten and Serbia is also in the faction.
  • Moved Russian military advisors Sergey Korolyov and Sergey Rudenko to Ukraine, replacing them with Aleksandr Novikov and Mikhail Yangel.
  • Added a volunteer limit bonus to the “Twilight Struggle” national spirit, associated with the Russian/Entente event against the Internationale.
  • Imperial Russia can now choose to just empower the Hohenzollerns for a puppet German Empire, instead of a Romanov.
  • Socialist Russia now uses a slightly different green.
  • Socialist Russia will now declare war on Central Asia before joining the Internationale.
  • Nerfed Socialist Russia’s war support and starting stability.
  • Added more AutDem party popularity for Russia’s Wrangel path.
  • Serbia will now keep its core on Montenegro, if it loses the Fourth Balkan War.
  • Added a two year truce and non-aggression pact to the Belgrade Pact’s Treaty of Budapest with Austria.
  • Added generic Ukrainian name lists.
  • Tweaked costs of several Eastern European Defence Cooperation decisions.
  • Replaced the consumer goods cost from Eastern European Defence Cooperation contributions, with a political power cost.
  • The United Baltic Duchy’s integration of Latgale is now compliance-based.
  • Decreased the weekly stability loss from White Ruthenia’s “Solidifying Our Identity” national spirit.
  • Added a new description a White Ruthenian upgrade to the infantry weapon technology, featuring Najman’s hand mortar.
• Africa
  • Adamawa and Cameroon can now claim and integrate Ubangi-Shari on their own during the annexation event, not just when granted by their overlord or ally.
  • Removed Cape Verde-Guinea as a releasable puppet, as Cape Verde remains an integral part of Portugal.
  • Adjusted the starting borders of the Manikongo’s secession from Mittelafrika.
  • Added additional outcomes for Ethiopia’s DKAEB event chain.
  • Changed some Ethiopian national spirit icons.
  • The French Republic’s “Indestructible Bonds” national focus now gives claims on the states changed between the French Republic and the United Kingdom.
  • The French Republic’s “Expand Communications in the Colonies” national focus now gives a bonus to the Psychological Warfare agency upgrade, if the “La Résistance” DLC is enabled.
  • Changed the French Republic’s starting occupation laws, to match the in-game lore.
  • The French Republic now gets a compliance bonus on Chad, after the completion of the “Fate of Equatorial Africa” national focus, and the merging of the area’s administration with French West Africa.
  • The French Republic can now no longer call its allies in to help with the native revolts, unless facing three or more at once.
  • The French Republic no longer uses African-style generic commanders.
  • Increased the weekly stability debuff and decreased the party popularity stability modifier applied to the German Government in Exile’s “On Borrowed Time” national spirit.
  • Removed Katanga’s national focus to integrate itself into Südwestafrika.
  • Tweaked the visibility of some Katanagan national foci dependent on availability.
  • Adjusted the conditions for Mittelafrika’s collapse. It will now only happen as a result of von Göring’s failure to quell the revolts against his rule, and for the German Government in Exile.
  • Added leader descriptions to Mittelafrika.
  • Replaced the stability bonus in Mittelafrika’s “Spirit of von Lettow-Vorbeck” national spirit with a war support bonus.
  • Kenya and Nigeria are now allowed to secede during the Mittelafrikan collapse, if not previously subjugated.
  • Von Göring’s Mittelafrika can no longer become free before dealing with its revolts.
  • Added a tooltip for Mittelafika’s von Göring resigning, so that it's clearer this is what is happening, and removed its associated extensive stability and political power penalties.
  • Rewrote several Mittelafrikan events, including the setup for the Kikuyu uprising. Also removed several outdated events.
  • Removed Ludwig Bockholt and Theodor von Hassel as potential replacement leaders of Mittelafrika.
  • Added party names and leaders to Nyasaland.
  • South Africa’s Third Boer War peace now only requires a 180 day stalemate, instead of an entire year.
  • Added bypasses to two of South Africa’s Nuweveld national foci.
  • Rebalanced much of the Third Boer War.
• Caucasus & Middle-East
  • Alash Orda, Bukhara, Khiva, and Turkestan can now claim and core Ashkhabad.
  • Tweaked the map colours for Alash Orda and Khiva, and updated it entirely to Turkestan.
  • Georgia can join the Reichspakt when World Tension is over 75%.
  • Iraq’s Yusuf Salman Yusuf no longer uses a picture of a living person.
  • Added several new political advisors to Lebanon.
  • Tweaked multiple Lebanese events, modifiers and traits.
  • Added more content to Lebanon’s war with Syria, and its build-up.
  • Added an option for player-controlled Najd & Hasa to leave the Cairo Pact.
  • Removed a reference referring to Mustafa Kemal as “Atatürk”, which he would not be called in the Kaiserreich timeline.
  • Decreased some of the political power gain for the late-game Ottoman Empire.
  • NatPop Ottomans will now also have Azerbaijan rebel against them, during their large revolt.
  • Removed the ability of the NatPop Ottomans to join the Moscow Accord after defeating their large revolt.
  • Added Turkish endonyms for Albania, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Greece, Western Persia and Tunisia.
  • Decreased the cost of several of Turkey’s expansion decisions.
  • Updated the icon of Turkey’s “Turkish-Iraqi Economic Accord” national spirit.
  • Tweaked the effect of a few of Yemen’s national foci.
• East Asia
  • Added a description to Anqing’s Sun Liren.
  • AI China will now always annex Mongolia, Tibet and Xinjiang.
  • Removed the “Autonomy” puppets of the above Chinese conquests.
  • Chinese concessions will always be returned by socialist countries, if they are requested.
  • China can no longer declare unification if a neighbouring country is still hostile.
  • Clarified the requirement of the Northwest War being over, for China’s decisions to ally with the Kumul Khatate, Ma Clique and Xinjiang.
  • Wuhan now merges from its constituent parts, should it be made the capital of China.
  • An AI-controlled Chinese splinter that controls Beijing will never now accept a submission demand.
  • Adjusted East Turkestan’s national foci to account for potentially being a puppet.
  • Fengtian can now be invited to the Japanese economic sphere.
  • Japan’s “Operation Ichi-Gou” now bypasses if the strongest Chinese splinter is defeated.
  • Japan’s peace with Germany will now result in all German allies being removed from the Legation Council.
  • Japan’s “Fading Sun” mission will autocomplete if Japan is directly invaded successfully.
  • Japan will now remove countries from the Co-Prosperity Sphere economic bloc if they are puppeted by another country.
  • Japan will now add non-aggression pacts and truces upon peacing out with European countries, and mutual wargoals will be removed.
  • Removed land-based carrier planes from Japan’s starting air force.
  • Renamed Liangguang’s HH Kung to Kong Xiangxi.
  • The Nanjing clique now doesn’t lose the “Conspicuous Kleptocracy” national spirit until it completes the “Government by Coercion” national focus.
  • Manchu Qing will lose the general Sun Liren, if he is with them and they adopt a pro-German outlook.
  • Merged Qing’s “Demand Warlords Bend the Knee” national focus into the “Pacify the Nation” national focus, to avoid them having a focus with potentially no effect.
  • Russia can now choose whether to retain Port Arthur or not when releasing Manchuria.
  • Added Wu Huawen and Lu Jin to Shandong as generals and Military High Command advisors.
  • Changed the Military High Command trait of Shandong’s Jin Yune.
  • Shanghai now turns PatAut or NatPop if puppeted.
  • Rebalanced some of Shanxi’s Balance of Power mechanics to have a more even outcome.
  • Sichuan is now set as a potential government when Chen Jiongming arrives.
  • Sichuan’s Tian Songyao is now retired if Liu Wenhui loses the “Two Lius' War”.
  • Added descriptions to Taiwan’s new puppet leaders, and changed the name given to the island depending on its ideology.
  • Added seconds-in-command and political advisors to Taiwan.
  • Added a division limit bonus to Transamur’s “Greater Transamur Ambitions” national spirit.
  • Yunnan’s Zhu De can now align with Chen Mingshu, if the Left Kuomintang are defeated in the League Collapse War.
• South Asia & Oceania
  • AI Afghanistan will now always accept Russia's demand of subjugation if isolated.
  • Added Henry Douglas Wynter as a general for Australasia.
  • Increased the level of Australasian generals Horace Clement Hugh Robertson and Iven Giffard Mackay, adding the “Desert Fox” trait to the former.
  • Renamed the Bharatiya Commune’s Sardar Patel to Vallabhbhai Jhaverbhai Patel.
  • Renamed several of the Bharatiya’s political parties.
  • Removed the delay in uprisings involving the Bharatiya Commune and Princely Federation.
  • Increased the starting stability and war support for the Bharatiya Commune.
  • Moved the commanders Kodandera Madappa Cariappa, Jayanto Nath Chaudhuri and Satyawant Mallanna Shrinagesh to the Bharatiya Commune, from the Princely Federation, Madras and Mysore, respectively.
  • Removed the Bharatiya Commune’s commanders Naseem Haider and Mahendra Pratap.
  • Burma now starts the game with cores on Kachin, Upper and Lower Shan.
  • Expanded Cambodia’s annexation event options to now include the country being released as a republic, or a kingdom with one of two different dynasties.
  • The Dutch East Indies accepting the Congress of Batavia now causes them to be instantly annexed by the Netherlands.
  • Fiji is no longer given back to Australasia, if puppeted.
  • The Dominion of India is now known as the “Republic of India” if it leaves the Entente, rather than just “India”.
  • The Dominion of India no longer renames itself to just "India" after reunifying India.
  • Increased the starting army and stockpiles of the Dominion of India and Princely Federation.
  • Improved the starting “Rifle Division” template for the Dominion of India.
  • Added three starting offmap military factories to the Dominion of India.
  • Added a tooltip to let the player know which states will be transferred upon India seizing Ceylon.
  • Added an option for India to be declared on by Germany, should the former seize Ceylon.
  • Replaced the manpower requirement in Indian national focuses with a World Tension level requirement.
  • Added Hindustan as its own releasable, separate to the Bharatiya Commune.
  • Indian splinters now get a claim on Sikkim upon releasing Bhutan or Nepal.
  • Each Indian splinter will now try not to pursue territorial claims until after reunification.
  • Renamed several Indian national foci.
  • Added Sarojini Naidu as SocLib, Madan Mohan Malaviya as SocCon, Madhav Sadashivrao Golwalkar as AutDem/PatAut and Vinayak Damodar Savarkar as NatPop puppet leaders of India, respectively.
  • Replaced Chin Peng with Zhuang Mingli as the leader of socialist Malaya, due to the former only starting secondary education in 1936.
  • Moved the commander Akbar Khan to Pakistan, from the Bharatiya Commune.
  • Added party descriptions to Papua New Guinea, and a socialist leader and second-in-command.
  • Increased the Consumer Goods debuff for the Princely Federations’ “Backwards Economy” national spirit.
  • Replaced the free unit spawn from a Princely Federations’ event, with a minor war support bonus.
  • Removed the Princely Federations’ “Pact with the North” national focus, since that will now always happen by necessity.
  • Removed the initial division recovery rate bonus in the Princely Federation’s “Decentralised Rule” national spirit.
  • Replaced the division recovery rate malus with an organisational malus in the Princely Federation’s “Rebellious Princes” national spirit.
  • Improved the AI for the revolters against the Princely Federation.
  • Nerfed the Princely Federation’s starting stability and equipment.
  • Added some Operation names to Siam.
• Miscellaneous
  
  • Added an option to the in-game start menu, linking to the page where a player can report a bug directly to the Devs, allowing them to be fixed more quickly.
  • Enabling integration mid-game now applies the correct resistance and occupation law.
  • Increased baseline unit limit bonus to +8 from +5.
  • Added two new Ukrainian quotes for the loading screen.
  • Replaced a Boris Savinkov quote with one that was said by Boris himself, instead of a character in a book he had written.
  • Renamed the “Artillery Specialist” trait to “Artillery Leader”. Made “Fortress Buster” trait now available to commanders holding either “Artillery Leader” or “Engineer” traits, and the Artillery Military High Command role is now unlocked by “Artillery Leader” instead of “Fortress Buster”.
  • Buffed the effects of several political advisor traits.
  • Overhauled the tank design templates and armour division composition, and number of tank divisions that the AI will try to research and create.
  • Tweaked the AI’s air production priority between close air support and fighters.
  • Decreased the cost of awarding medals to division commanders by 50%.
  • Increased the AI’s priority in circumstantially defending their allies’ borders.
  • Generic advisors no longer have the “Ideological Crusader” or “Quartermaster General” traits.
  • Increased the AI’s priority in hiring a Chief of Army, in comparison to Chiefs of Navy and Air Force.
  • Improved the AI’s decisions in choosing the Army Academy spirits.
  • Added generic Arab name lists.
  • Increased the AI’s willingness to perform naval invasions against enemies with a larger navy.
  • Multiple typo corrections and text inconsistency removals.
  Change notes continue in the comments due to Reddit's character limit.
  

We hope you enjoy playing Kaiserreich as much as we did making it!
- The KR4 Team: 84F8D8, Alpinia, Arvidus, Augenis, Blackfalcon501, Carmain, Chazem, Chiang Kai-shrek, Chiron29, Cody, Conchobhar, DuoDex, El Daddy, Fedex, Flamefang, Gaboemi, Gideones, Hamfast, hildagrim, Ido, Igor050301, JazzyHugh, Jeankedezeehond, Jonny BL, Juliet Wehrwolf, Kano, katieluka, Kennedy, kergely, KFateweaver, Klyntar King, Krčo, Luwofe, Matoro, McOmghall, ~mw~ // miwaco, NukeGaming, Owenomaly, PPsyrius, Pelmen, RagnoStrangeros, Rnk, Shiroe, Sonny O’Cad, SuperGreenBeans, suzuha, The Alpha Dog, The Irredentista, The Italian Jojo, Vidyaország, and Zimbabwe Salt Co.

I want to world build the circumstances for this young, united Solar system state to rapidly expand and gain as many worlds and resources as they needed to truly prosper on their own and allow them the means to wage Total war in any future galactic wars.
Yeah, I just want to share some of my initial ideas.
https://www.reddit.com/worldbuilding/comments/13rgnyt/creating_a_world_with_20thcentury_level/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3 This is a continuation post from this.
This is for a science fantasy setting of mine.
.
Now it should be important to note that there are certain rare resources needed for the Galactic civilization to function. We are talking about resources so rare and yet so essential for Galactic civilizations that lacking them could be a detriment to anyone waging Total War.
These include rare starship fuel, only found in a few places in the galaxy.
Fuel is used for Anti-Gravity technology to work.
Rare silicates or Liquid materials are used to create the circuits and power fields of starships, and even civilian power plants are used to power the colonies and worlds colonized, all of these are extremely rare even for the galaxy.
Rare self-growing crystals that act as some of the greatest superconductors in the galaxy, and many, many, many more.
As such, these can only be obtained in two ways, it is either they are traded for and bought, or they are seized and put to use by the Nation first to claim any world or system that has such rare resources.
(Like World War 2, there is a resource war going on as well.)
.
Because of this, the young Empire of Mordashi, (State name.) was already making plans to seize as many planets as possible for 3 main reasons.
The 1st was so that they could secure the rare resources I had just mentioned, you see, the young Empire has deficiencies in almost all of these important resources. Without them, they would only be able to function for a short while with the ones they had stockpiled and had in their capital world, but these were small in comparison to their neighbors.
There was a very real likelihood that if a war were to break out, especially that of a Total War, there was a very high likelihood that they could not sustain even limited combat operations and the War effort would collapse, suffering from near paralyzing shortages.
So the expansion plan was calling for war in order to claim as many worlds as possible from other planets that have not yet unified and formed their own planetary governments and battle the many disparate, weaker nations that inhabit such planets.
It was hoped that their weaker neighbors will provide a massive new pool of resources to better fight and defend against more powerful states around them.
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Another reason was that the government wanted to colonize many uninhabited worlds in order to turn them into Agri-worlds, Industrial worlds, and even new Urban worlds to increase the population of the Nation and secure their presence on these planets permanently.
As well as using these as new population centers to draw new manpower from and eventually organize as provinces.
The general populace was also experiencing a massive wave of Nationalism after having become a new galactic power and many in the public supported the idea of going to war, with some even saying that it would be a benefit to annex such worlds and expand the Empire further.
.
And the 3rd was that the military was itching to test its new ships, and tactics and flex its muscle.
The military was using the issue of the need for resources and self-sufficiency in order to push their agenda of showcasing the might of the new military.
The new model army in particular wishes to show off the most, with the Navy as well.
In particular, they wanted to showcase their new "Rapid deployment" doctrine, which is a doctrine that would use rapid deployment via ships to get elite, battle-hardened formations to new battlefields in weeks, while less numerous National Guard forces would perform the occupation.
The Military also wanted to use this as the opportunity to gain favor with the emperor and secure funding for an ambitious military expansion plan for the Army and Navy.
.
Any thoughts? Suggestions?

Yes yes I know, another post about how OSP is supposedly OP. It's been discussed at length in many forums. But seriously... I've been tracking my last 10 games as O(S)P and won 8/10 matches in standard 3k points 4v4. Then i went to play ANS and we won an amazing 3/10 matches. This is by no means a comprehensive study but rather a quick sample over like 4 days of playing. The average levels on both teams were around low silver ranks throughout all games which seems what most players are comfortably sitting at, so these games were by no means influenced by some high ranks stacking OSP or carrying ANS in the couple wins.
Be aware, wall of text incoming.
So I went digging in the forums and found some distinct viewpoints and arguments which are worth highlighting:

1. OSP is new and ANS hasn't figured out how to counter it yet.
   
2. ANS is rarely utilizing their missile advantage in hybrids
   
3. Beams
   
4. ANS has the ewar and intel advantage
   

Starting with 1. I don't believe this is still the case , ANS teams have come up with builds to counter specific OSP builds but generally fall into a trap of being overspecialized and unable to cope with the flexibility of OSP teams. Also even if this was the case shortly after the release of OSP, wouldn't this also be the case for OSP? Experiencing teething issues and having to figure out the new balance. But OSP wrecking ANS has been reported within days after the update...
For 2. I also don't think this is the case. Both during my ANS games and my OSP games the ANS players, including me, used hybrids extensively. Some players going as far as bringing pure S3H missile Vauxes or S2H missile Axfords to barrage OSP fleets. But OSP is a master at tanking missiles, mainly thanks to the Ocello which can softkill everything from within a deathball (my favorite thing to do at the moment is just watching CMD or ACT missiles veer off course and part in front of our ships like the red sea for Moses), but also thanks to lineships being mostly open space which absorbes HE. On top of this the Grazer being EO controlled (ignoring BSSJ) makes short work of many hybrids with softkill proof targeting. The result is usually superficial damage on the main fighting ships and some dead shuttles. Meanwhile OSP teams have embraced S2 missile spam on top of the meme container spam, potentially barraging a single group of ships with 32 missiles at once From one ship. I've seen missile lineships with well over 250 S2 missiles already, putting any tech advantage ANS thinks it has to shame with ridiculous, sustained volume of fire.
Thirdly, beams. Yes beams are cool. Can't really argue against that. They work too but they tend to be a slow and predictable asset. Beamstones, Axes and Sols rarely are where they are most needed and often easily get kited or pinned in place by more maneuverable OSP assets. OSP shuttles generally win the capgame before beam heavy teams get their hulls out of spawn.
Lastly something I read the developer write on steam: ANS has the ewar and intel advantage. This is something I find very hard to subscribe to completely. In the jamming and burnthrough radar department I can somewhat agree (if we kindly ignore the Ocello). ANS can cope with getting jammed better across all their ships, sure. On the Intel side it' where it starts to get messy. OSP can utilize EWR to track ANS across the map, home in on them with bloodhounds and track with deadly accuracy on 14km range. OSP also has access to the intel center and analysis annexes to analyze tracks just as well as ANS can. That leaves ELINT (if we once again kindly ignore the Ocello) as a unique strength of ANS. Adding elint to a fleet is a prime example for overpriced specialization in ANS fleets to counter basic OSP assets. A tugboat with an EWR is much cheaper than an arad missile ship with elint required to take it out. Or two elint ships where one or both have arad missiles (if you want a fix to know the exact position). So we have a situation where either ANS ignores EWRs and Bloodhound tracking ships and has to deal with being tracked accurately at all times or some players invest a third of their points into countering just one basic asset of the OSP team, restricting player and even team fleet compositions. So in total it seems like ANS and OSP are unevenly matched in the intel department with the scales tipping heavily into OSPs favor due to accurate long range tracking and analysis, forcing ANS to invest into counters and having access to ANS jammers, burnthrough radars and elint via the Ocello. I don't know about you but when I play OSP I feel like I'm given a solid picture and better situational awareness of the battlespace compared to when I'm playing ANS and that just doesn't feel right at all... playing a "state of the art high-tech navy" and poking around in the dark.
Before I forget: The shuttle's ability to cap and especially backcap sectors is a huge thorn in the side of ANS teams with predominantly slow ships. Heck even the Vauxes struggle to catch them at times and lose a cap race on big maps. I think something has to be done about combat ineffective ships capturing sectors because often OSP seems to win by just running around the larger maps and capturing sectors with empty shuttles who expended all ammo. It's just lame.
I think all these points heavily contribute to OSP winning over ANS in many matches. OSP's flexibility while ANS can't afford to make any mistake in fleet comps or team comps. Feel free to discuss in the comments and / or disagree with me. Especially the latter because I'm seriously interested in what your winning plays as ANS are...

First / Previous / Next
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"Hello, everyone, we finally have all of you in the same place for a team meeting," Daniel began, looking around the half empty meeting room at his four subordinates, glad that the Captain had approved their console being manned by someone who could only read the sensors for a short time with the fleet supporting them. "I know over the past week or so I've been somewhat absent, but that should hopefully be all over now."
"Are we really almost done down there?" Sergeant Zent asked.
"Yes. The last report I got said that Bunker 14 only had 8,000 cryo pods left to extract, though they're on the bottom floor, so it's taking a bit longer than the others," he explained. "They're hoping to have the bunker empty by tomorrow morning, and then a decision has to be made around Bunker 26, whether to spend time getting everything out, or to just leave it. That's not for us to decide though."
"What's actually going on with that bunker, Sir?" Corporal Kreklan asked.
"Well, they can't get the mining equipment down to get the proper transport system in, so people and drones are carrying boxes of seeds and eggs out, prioritising species we didn't get from the other bunkers. It's a big vault, and they're not really that far in yet."
"Is there nothing we can do to help? Maybe figure out a way to get the equipment down?" Corporal Kreklan suggested.
"You're free to think of a solution if you'd like, but we don't have anything that can survive the storm that also has the capacity to carry the bore they need, even in parts over multiple trips. The bore is big, and the corvette cargo holds aren't," Daniel explained. "Non-bore methods have been explored, but I'm not on the decision making team, so I don't know why they haven't been utilised. All I know is we can't get much down there, and the bunker is at constant risk of collapse."
"So what should we do now, Sir?" Sergeant Zent asked.
"Carry on with your normal duties. If you come up with any good ideas, I'll pass them along, but otherwise, don't worry about the bunker situation. Just focus on keeping the ship's systems secure, and making sure nothing sneaks up on us."
"Understood, Sir," Sergeant Zent replied.
“So, onto the main focus of this meeting: the team. How are you all doing? Anything you’d like to bring up? Issues, requests, concerns, commendations?”
“I’d like to commend Sergeant Zent for keeping the team running effectively while you were assisting the Langan, Sir,” Corporal Turner told him.
“Yes, I’m aware of the work you’ve been putting in, Sergeant, and I am very grateful,” Daniel agreed. "I am also grateful for all of you stepping up to the task and making sure someone is on the console at all times."
“Thank you, Sir,” Corporal Turner replied. “Sorry to bring down the mood, but I do have a minor complaint to lodge about something outside of the team.”
“Oh?”
“Many people across the ship are feeling useless. We have a high crew complement and not enough work to fill the majority of their time. I don’t feel like our team is at that stage yet with all the additional minor tasks we’ve got for when we’re not busy, but those are going to eventually run out. People are bored and feel trapped.”
“I can understand that. Things will be changing in a few days, and there will likely be a lot more work to do, but for now there’s not a lot that can be done about that. Unless everyone wants extra inspections, that is.”
“I don’t think people are that desperate for something to do, Sir,” Corporal Turner quickly backtracked.
“But seriously though, if someone has an issue with their workload, they should talk to their senior officer. If your tasks are running low, let me know and I’ll figure something out. If other people feel like they can’t approach their senior officer, then let me know and I’ll see what I can do about it.”
“Well, some of the other officers can be a little daunting to approach, especially some of the Sub-Lieutenants, and it seems most other teams aren’t comfortable going up a level above them, so everyone just seems to talk amongst each other.”
“Hmm, I’ll have a word and see if something can be pushed down then,” he assured her.
“Thank you, Sir.”
“Is there anything else anyone wishes to highlight now?” Daniel asked.
“I would like to know how long we plan on remaining in orbit like this, Sir,” Corporal Kreklan asked.
“I don’t know for sure. It depends on the aforementioned seed and egg vault. We could be leaving as early as tomorrow, or we could be out here for another week. I can’t say any more than that.”
“Do you know what we will be doing once we do leave though, Sir?” the Centaur asked.
“Either assisting with the Langan’s resettlement or going on leave, though some people will be going on leave regardless, namely the crew of the Ridgerider, who are being given some time after their recent experience.”
“Understood, Sir.”
“If that is all…? Time to move onto the reports then!” Daniel declared, watching everyone’s shoulders sink.
-----------------------------
“Ah, Hardbrooks, just the man I wanted to see,” Captain Harris exclaimed as he entered her ready room, gesturing for him to sit down. “How can I help?”
“I just wanted to give you some feedback from a recent team meeting,” he began, taking a seat. “My team is in a fairly comfortable position, but there are some concerns around the crew in general. Workloads seem very light, and people seem apprehensive to approach superiors for new orders.”
“I’m aware. Unfortunately, we just have too many people on the ship. We have an above average level of automation, as well as an above average number for crew, and the situation we’re in only calls for a small proportion of them to work. Command wanted to be sure we had everyone we could need, but didn’t stop to think about the consequences of that,” she grumbled, rubbing her eyes. “I’ll be honest, the Navy won’t be handling any future exploration missions like this once I’ve had a nice little chat with Command. But, in the meantime, I’ll cascade some more work to keep people busy, and authorise more downtime. Thanks for bringing this to my attention.”
“Of course, Captain, and thank you as well,” he replied. “Was there something you wanted to speak to me about?”
“Yes. Do you remember your time back in Bunker 26?”
“It’s hard to forget it collapsing with us inside.”
“I’m sure, and I’m not sending you back down before you get worried. I wanted to ask you about the state of the bunker while you were down there. The recordings didn’t come out clear enough to pick up on some small things.”
“Oh, like what?”
“We’ve had serious issues with sections of the bunker collapsing. What was the state of it when you entered?”
“Very icy, but intact. Obviously that changed when the ice started melting with our activity and some chunks of ice fell down, but there was only the one collapse when we left.”
“So no obvious large cracks lining the floor, walls, and ceiling?”
“No.”
“I see…. No chance you could have missed them?” she asked, flicking up a hologram of the bunker.
“Small cracks, maybe, but nothing like that,” he replied, staring in shock at the long cracks stretching around the bunker, almost dividing it in half. “Captain-”
“Yes, it’s very dangerous, and it’s obvious that things are falling apart very quickly. We’re just trying to figure out how quickly.”
“How much has been extracted?”
“About 30%. We’re not getting it all out. The vault is starting to show signs of collapsing too.”
“And we still have people in there?”
“We’re trying to extract the remaining eggs. The seeds have a better chance of surviving being frozen, so now we’re just guaranteeing that enough of all species survive to repopulate.”
“Is it worth the risk though?”
“That’s what I’m trying to determine. Shield generators have been installed to support the roof, but it’s not clear if they’ll be able to hold back a cave-in.”
“I don’t think it is. If we suffer from another accident, there’s no guarantee a Deity will step in to save everyone again. In fact, it’s probably guaranteed that none will after they essentially stepped in to tell us that place is a bad idea.”
“Very well, I’ll tell Vice Admiral Braun that another person that has experienced that place is saying pull out,” she concluded.
“So I’m not the first to say people should get out?”
“No, but you’re the most senior person that isn’t me.”
“... How has this been justified so far!?”
“Extreme circumstances.”
“... I think I’m going to lodge a complaint.”
“Here you go,” she replied, sliding a tablet across her desk.
“Wow, thanks,” he replied, looking at the already near complete form, reviewing all the input details to make sure that they were all correct. “Is there anything else worrying about the Vice Admiral’s command that I might want to review?”
“Nothing related to you. He’s just pushing the limits of safety when the normal precautions can’t be established.”
“Hmm…. Why does it seem like everyone above us is incompetent?”
“The Navy is under a lot of pressure from the Government to sort this whole situation out. The President of the UPC found out about the signal a couple of years ago, and since then he’s been hounding Command to get out here and identify the source and deal with it. Command has thankfully been shielding us from the pressure for the most part, but now they’re getting sloppy after they can finally see the end in sight.”
“That changes my opinion about a few things.”
“I’m sure it does, but they’re still making inexcusable mistakes, especially now that the element of time has essentially been re-”
“Captain, we have seismic disturbances around Bunker 26!” someone announced over comms.
“Get the team out immediately,” she ordered, jumping out of her chair.
“Expecting this?” Daniel asked as he rose as well. “That’s one hell of a coincidence….”
“I had those sensors installed for a reason, even if I didn’t know the timing,” she replied, rushing to the bridge. “What’s the team’s status!?”
“They’re all exiting the bunker as fast as they can,” Lieutenant Commander Sentrela replied. “Someone on the ground ordered it a few seconds before you.”
“What’s the seismic situation like?”
“Increasing and originating from the bunker, though the footsteps are making it hard to accurately read,” Lieutenant Thomson explained.
“Status of the team?”
“The members are all outside. The drones are close behind,” Lieutenant Commander Sentrela told her.
“Seismic activity is spiking,” Lieutenant Thomson warned the Captain.
“I just lost a signal to a carrier drone,” Lieutenant Commander Williams announced. “And a second. The rest are out of the bunker.”
“Confirming collapse of Bunker 26. I’m not detecting any voids underground. The vault isn’t there anymore,” Lieutenant Thomson stated.
“Am I correct in thinking the team made it out?” Captain Harris asked.
“We have no casualties, only two lost drones,” Lieutenant Commander Sentrela confirmed. “Incoming communication from the CNS Batlow, Ma’am.”
“Put it through,” Captain Harris replied, sitting in her chair.
“Captain Harris, did you just order operations to stop at Bunker 26?” Vice Admiral Braun asked over the comm.
“I did, though I wasn’t the first to give the order,” she replied.
“Why? This will delay the operation further.”
“Because the operation at Bunker 26 has concluded. It’s collapsed. We didn’t suffer any casualties because that order was given out.”
The Vice Admiral paused for a moment, evidently caught off guard. “I didn’t give you the authority to halt operations though.”
“Saving lives in split second decisions is well within my authority, Vice Admiral,” she replied, slightly emphasising the first part of his rank. "Every senior officer present in the system has the right to call an operation off if they deem it necessary."
“I should have been informed before any action was taken.”
“Vice Admiral, do you mean to say that I shouldn’t have given life saving orders? Did you not hear me when I said the bunker collapsed?”
“You shouldn’t have undermined my authority.”
“Just to be clear, I shouldn’t have followed standard protocol and instead wasted precious time asking for permission before evacuating them, likely resulting in the mass loss of life? Permission I was never told I needed, nor should I need?”
“Well….”
“Yes or no? Make it very clear for the record please.”
The comms cut off.
“Make sure that one is correctly saved. I might have to push for some changes in the house when we get back.”
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First / Previous / Next

Day 2 came to a close along with the betting circuits. As by law, the betting circuits closed the moment ten tributes remained which was brought about by Carnelia’s death. Artemis and Luther revealed the betting statistics. The top three tributes from top to bottom were Mortimer, Cat, and Wolvthorne. Artemis claimed to have taken a gamble and betted on Cat. Luther stuck with his Mortimer vote, uttering his signature catchphrase, “Always vote for the best story”. Their attention was diverted to the victor’s lounge where Candace Freeman (victor of the 4th Hunger Games) drunkenly accused Gill of cheating and then devolving into a rant about how unfair it was that District 1 hadn’t done well in recent years. Bacchus Johnson (victor of the 9th Hunger Games) blamed their district mayor Baron Moriarty for his materialistic viewpoints and encouragement for overindulgence spoiling the district youth rotten. Fabeline Granger (victor of the 15th Hunger Games) chalked it up to Candace being a privileged drama queen before making a snide remark towards her husband, Capital superstar Paris Dinkley. Candace broke a bottle over her head in retaliation. Silas MacIntyre (victor of the 7th Hunger Games) wrapped Candace in a bear hug and threw her out of the room. Fabeline was taken to the infirmary, where she was treated for a gash on her head, receiving four stitches. Back in the commentator’s booth, Artemis was so far deep in the juicy drama that she missed the arena’s great reveal.
After a light breakfast, Mortimer and Cat decided they were ready to push through the brush. They were still feeling woozy from the powerful smell but felt the need to persevere. Cat took the lead and used her sword to cut through the foliage. Mortimer kept the rear and scanned the lake, searching for any approaching tributes. After about ten minutes, Cat cut through the last bush and was mystified by what lay ahead. Mortimer caught up and turned to see the arena’s hidden surprise.
It was a derelict pirate ship nestled on a mound of sand. The ship appeared abandoned and worn down, the cameras spotting holes in the hull. It was also without sails, leaving naked wooden poles. Cat wondered why this would be such a big deal, saying the place looked unsafe. Mortimer agreed and guessed it wasn’t for floating, using the holes and lack of sails as proof. Cat suggested they check it out anyway, guessing this was where the final showdown will take place. He agreed and the two made their way up.
Now that the secret location was found, the gamemakers made preparations for the finale. The alligators were called back, but not soon enough for Peggy (8), who was ripped to shreds and cannon sounding as Mortimer and Cat climbed the ship’s ladder. Head Gamemaker Grimstone’s voice rang throughout the arena. He congratulated the remaining six tributes and instructed them to make their way across the lake for the final showdown. Suddenly, large stones rose from the lake’s depths, all lining up to create a path towards the ship. For those farthest away, a large blue light emanated above the ship. All the remaining tributes rushed towards the ship as fast as they could. Jassy (12) was the first to make it across the lake despite falling off the stone path three times. Andrei (2) and Wolvthorne (7) were both minutes behind her and after grabbing their supplies proceeded onto the stone path. Wolvthorne was following behind a disoriented Andrei and took this opportunity to lodge his axe into his back, fracturing his spine. Andrei roared in pain and anger, but his cries were silenced when he was thrown into the lake. His injury prevented him from staying afloat and his cannon sounded three minutes later. Horace (10) was the last to make it across, feeling weak from the smell.
Mortimer and Cat were already on the poop deck when the announcement happened. They were elated to discover the sulphur smell to not be present anymore and tore off their masks. They hastily surveyed the deck, looking for a hiding place or any sort of useful tool. Cat realized that the entrances into the bowels of the ship were closed off, leaving them stranded out in the open on the deck. Mortimer considered their options and surrendered to their only option: making a stand. The two brandished their weapons and waited by the ladder, waiting for anyone to climb up.
Jassy noticed this and circled around to the other side and found another ladder. Wolvthorne followed suit. Jassy crept up onto the deck and spotted Mortimer and Cat staring down the ship. She notched her last arrow into her bow and aimed carefully. Her accuracy was slightly off when she released, and the arrow landed in Mortimer’s left bicep. He grunted in pain, causing him to drop his trident off the side of the ship. The surprised Cat turned to see Jassy standing there shell shocked over her failed assassination attempt. Cat chased after her around the deck, attempting to swipe at her with her sword. While the two were distracted, Wolvthorne pulled himself up and narrowed his sights on Mortimer. Weaponless, Mortimer nevertheless stood his ground and faced him. Wolvthorne told him he would pay for killing his partner, but he scoffed and reminded him there could only be one winner. An enraged Wolvthorne charged with axe in hand. Mortimer dodged his attack and began to run across the deck. Wolvthorne continued in hot pursuit, with Mortimer continuously evading his attacks. This became a hilarious game of cat and mouse, Artemis flinching every time Wolvthorne’s axe was within an inch of Mortimer’s head.
Meanwhile, Horace (10) finally emerged and noticed the separate fights going on. He decided to go after the girls, seeing the two men as a greater threat. Cat chased Jassy up to the steering wheel and managed to corner her. Jassy begged for her life, even offering to help defeat Wolvthorne. Cat remained unfazed and thrust her sword into her chest, sounding her cannon seconds later. Horace used the distraction to tackle Cat to the ground. He held her down with all his might and tried to wretch the sword out of her hand. She bit down on his hand so hard that blood began to pool. The crowds in Maximus Square were surprised by the power of her jaw. Cat ripped a flap of skin clean off Horace’s hand, drops of blood decorating her face. She regained possession of her sword and swung it back behind her. The blade lodged itself into the side of his head, sounding his cannon instantly. Out of breath, she limped to the railing and saw Mortimer was in trouble. She ran down the stairs to help her ally.
Despite the harrowing battle Cat was enduring, most of the attention was on the game of cat and mouse between Mortimer and Wolvthorne. At the same time Cat was struggling to escape Horace’s weight, one of Wolvthorne’s strikes demolished a wooden support beam that held a small above deck which would’ve led to the captain’s quarters. A particularly large cornerstone of the deck above fell onto Wolvthorne’s head, causing him to stumble back and collide with the ship’s edge. Mortimer used this opportunity to rush him and try pushing him off. Wolvthorne was much bigger than him and barely budged. However, Mortimer was successful in making him drop his axe. Wolvthorne headbutted Mortimer and shoved him to the ground. He attempted to choke him, but Mortimer twisted himself around and wrapped his legs around Wolvthorne’s torso. He used his elbows to push himself over his opponent’s back and pulled on his right arm all the while still keeping his leg grip. Wolvthorne struggled for a moment before wrestling himself free. He put him in a chokehold and slammed his face into the ground. He squeezed as hard as he could while Mortimer tried and failed to struggle. Many viewers in Maximus Square were cheering for Mortimer to fight back, mostly due to their betting money going towards him.
The prayers of the Buccaneers were answered when a sword entered Wolvthorne’s back and exited out his abdomen. Wolvthorne’s grip softened, enabling Mortimer to squeeze himself free. Wolvthorne turned to see Cat standing there with a determined look on her face. With the last bit of his strength, he lunged at Cat and pulled her into the blade protruding from his stomach. Cat let out a gasp as the blade entered her body. The Capital was shocked by the sudden turn of events but not as horrified as Mortimer. He grabbed the handle and looked at Cat. She looked upon him in sorrow and nodded her head. Mortimer unsheathed the sword from both bodies and thrust the blade into Wolvthorne’s brain, sounding his cannon instantly.
Mortimer thanked her for being his ally and a true friend. He quickly surveyed the skies. He leaned forward, brought his mouth to Cat’s ear, and began to whisper. The arena’s concealed microphones couldn’t decipher anything. Cat’s final words were, “Don’t worry. Patient confidentiality.” Her cannon sounded seconds later. Head Gamemaker Grimstone declared Mortimer Beckett of District 4 the victor of the 17th Hunger Games. Mortimer felt immense relief and let himself crumple onto the floor. The retrieval team arrived to pick him up and he came with them without a fight.
Mortimer was airlifted to the Maximus Hospital for medical examination. The arrow wound was stitched together and the cut over his eye received treatment, leaving two tic marks at the 2 o’clock and 8 o’clock positions. He was released two days later and was instructed to take it easy. Minerva escorted him back to the apartment, feeling happy he won. They reunited with Gill Henderson, who congratulated him for his win. While Mortimer admitted he felt grateful to have survived, he couldn’t stop thinking about Cat and how she was more deserving. Gill assured him that she sacrificed herself because she believed in him. He remained unconvinced, so Gill took him on a field trip to the Capital’s Oakley Museum of Art, recently erected by Silas MacIntyre (victor of the 7th Hunger Games) and Candace Freeman (victor of the 4th Hunger Games). It was there he met Phoebe Bentley and the two spent hours at the museum talking. Their intimate conversation helped Mortimer significantly, cheering him up enough to meet Gill at the Dipping Downer’s bar to drink with Bacchus Johnson (victor of the 9th Hunger Games) and Quarry Grounds (victor of the 12th Hunger Games).
The victor’s interview arrived and gathered a decent turnaround. Artemis and Luther wore matching outfits, reminiscent of the clothes swamp tour guides wore before the Dark Days. During the opening monologue, Luther expressed how pleased he was of the recent games giving them powerful personal journeys with the victors. Artemis said that while he was no Ashley Chen (victor of the 13th Hunger Games) or Sherpa Kapoor (victor of the 16th Hunger Games), she greatly enjoyed Mortimer’s performance. Mortimer entered the stage sporting something completely unexpected. His now famous tattoo was visible, but the suit he wore was intricately cut around it. The top half was sky blue while the bottom half was dark blue with wavy patterns making it look almost like the ocean. The funny part was him wearing a cap with a small cartoonish gator's head attached to the front.
Artemis and Luther started off by marveling at his outfit, calling it a revolution in fashion design. Mortimer attributed this to Minerva, the same person who polished the tattoo for the pre games interview. Artemis asked if he would get new tattoos, him saying he is planning on it. The first half of the interview was casual, covering topics of tattoo suggestions, his time at the bar with Bacchus and Quarry, and Minerva’s hard work on his outfit. The games eventually came up in conversation with Mortimer describing it “as if walking in a wet blanket that was also in the sewer”. Luther asked about the alligators and what motivated him to wrestle them. Mortimer tensed up but answered that he was trying to save Pearl. Artemis asked how much of a role she played in his victory. Mortimer credited her for getting the ball rolling in helping him realise to not give up on humanity. He saw her as the little sister he never had and wished he would have thanked her. Luther noted that since she got the ball rolling, it was someone else who broke through to him. Mortimer realised he was talking about Cat. He expressed how he felt she deserved to win more than him and how he chose to not let her sacrifice go to waste. Artemis admitted that while she betted on Cat, she was glad he made it, calling her Golden Victor material. Mortimer appreciated her sentiment. Luther reminded them that he was certainly a Golden Victor, citing his impressive chemistry skills and literally wrestling with an alligator. Him and Artemis dismissed Mortimer from the stage to rapturous applause, calling him “Captain Gator”, which became his victor’s nickname.
Mortimer was invited to some parties in the Capital. Gill accompanied him and stole the spotlight numerous times when requested to do shanties. Mortimer would dance along always with a drink in hand. He returned to District 4 and received a warm welcome from its citizens. He used the stage to openly apologise to those he turned away and for being a hoodlum. His reunion with his girlfriend Meridia was passionate and heartwarming, but not as much as the one with his father. Two weeks later, his request for Edward Beckett to undergo back surgery at the Capital was improved with a letter of recommendation personally penned by Gill. Edward’s damaged spinal disc was replaced with a flexible prosthetic. However, the surgery was a minimal success, removing some of the pain and enabling him to walk only small increments with assistance from a cane. Mortimer felt dejected over this but was humbled when several townsfolk pitched in to craft a wheelchair for him. Mortimer and his father partnered with Gill to start a rehabilitation center to help the injured and disabled workers of District 4 and the Island Bases. He further expanded his knowledge of chemistry and medicine, becoming District 4’s chief doctor. He crafted pain medication from the SHC compound delivered to him by Phoebe Bentley and prescribed them to various members of the district.
Mortimer made right by his promise and mended his relationships. He and Pearl’s father Alexander Riverstone crafted new nonalcoholic drinks, a certain cherry lime drink inspiring the Johnson’s Jazzy Juices future classic: the Beach Blanket. He also patched things up with Meridia’s father, the two often going on fishing trips together. His reputation only grew and grew until he was elected mayor of District 4 by the 31st Hunger Games. Mortimer grew closer to Gill and mentored alongside him until the next D4 victor was crowned. He became good friends with Phoebe Bentley as well, supplying him with chemistry textbooks and new batches of the warmweed’s SHC compound. In honor of Cat, he had Meridia etch a sea green ribbon tattoo, which represented mental health awareness, around the treasure chest. He was also friends with Corpse Beckford (victor of the 10th Hunger Games) who gifted him and Meridia tattoo inks for his birthday. Quarry Grounds (victor of the 12th Hunger Games) was also in Mortimer's good graces after he gifted Edward a special redwood cane with a beautiful marble topper.
Things were complicated when it came to his relationship with Meridia. Initially, they grew much closer, her giving him sea serpent tattoos on both his arms in addition to the ribbon. Unfortunately, five months before next year’s game, the two broke off the relationship. However, after the tumultuous 18th Hunger Games, the two reconciled and married a week before the reaping of the 19th Hunger Games. The two had five kids, naming his first daughter Katherine, after his deceased ally.
Mortimer was one of the four Golden Victors to disappear alongside Vixen Furtherson (victor of the 14th Hunger Games) after Savannah Pickett (victor of the 6th Hunger Games)’s death before the 41st Hunger Games. Days after the 47th Hunger Games, the underground terrorist group The Phoenix Fighters leaked two dossiers days apart. The first revealing reports of many accidents taking place on the military island bases. It also highlighted some cases of peacekeepers overworking and in some cases beating workers. The same dossier also revealed how Edward Beckett’s ‘accident’ was actually caused by the Faroe Island Base’s assistant supervisor Plutarch Manson. Manson was found dead in his Capital apartment three days later, his throat slit.
The second dossier revealed evidence of the reapings being tampered with over the years, whether it’d be names added, taken out, or scrubbed. The second dossier instigated some chaos in the districts, which was hastily subdued by the peacekeepers. Mortimer was never seen again, though there was heavy speculation regarding his possible membership in The Phoenix Fighters. On occasion, Capital navy ships and submarines would be attacked and looted under mysterious circumstances. One survivor named Lemuel Stanton blamed everything on a ‘ghost submarine’, one no one could see on the radar nor in person. A fair pocket of Capital analysts suspected Mortimer but lack of evidence kept his bounty from increasing.

I have been hitting the brick wall for many years now with the mystery of Carl Petter Schylander and Catharina. So I need all the help I can get!
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I and several others in Norway have long tried to find out about the origins of two Swedes who immigrated to Nordland on the coast of Norway. Namely the couple Carl Petter (b. c. 1764 - 28 April 1823) and Catharina PehrsdotteOlsdotter (b. c. 1764 - 1842). It is my ancestor which makes it interesting for me, but the circumstances of their coming to Norway is an exciting mystery in itself. Exactly when and why they came to Norway is a mystery. These were turbulent years in Europe, Denmark-Norway and in Sweden, so moving without further ado from Sweden via Nasafjell to Nesna and Dønnes in Norway was not an everyday occurrence. Immigration from Sweden to Norway and vice versa is not new, in the second half of the 19th century 100,000 moved from Sweden to Norway, a full three-quarters of the foreign population in the 1900 census was from Sweden. But this was after liberalization policies that had solved compulsory service, the obligation for the propertyless to take up work, ceased in Norway only in 1854, and the tradition of taking up new service only in spring and autumn persisted longer. The passport requirement was abolished even later, first in 1860.
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At the end of the Great Nordic War and until the peace of Nystadt in 1721, it became clear that Sweden had to have a fleet that could fight near the coast and in the archipelago. To take up the fight with Russia's new galley fleet that was ravaging the Swedish coast. The Swedish naval fleet was not created to fight in the archipelago. Tsar Peter the Great had in his service a Dalmatian Greek sailor, Admiral Count Ivan Botsis, who had previously served in the Venetian fleet and learned there to build galleys. A rowing galley that made it possible to attack even when the wind was calm. So after the peace of Nystadt, the Swedish leadership decided that the naval fleet should acquire a number of galleys and build a galley fleet. The galeiflåtta was stationed at Skeppsholmen in Stockholm and the squadron came to be called Stockholm's squadron. The fleet became known as Arméns flotta or Skärgårdsflottan and existed from 1756 to 1826. The fleet consisted of smaller vessels that could easily navigate and fight in the Swedish archipelago, corresponding to the Norwegian fleet force often called Roflotiljen. By royal decree 18 October 1756, the army fleet was officially created and was thereby separated from the naval fleet. The fleet's founder Augustin Count Ehrensvärd (1710-1772) and his son, Admiral Carl August Count Ehrensvärd (1745-1800), became commander from 1784 to 1790 of the fleet, which was developed with, among other things, knowledge from similar fleets in the Mediterranean. Gustaf 3's Russian war broke out in 1788, at the outbreak of the war the ancestor Carl Petter was approx. 22 years old. Two years into the war in 1790, former commander of the volunteer company, lieutenant colonel Johan Gustaf count Lagerbielke (1745-1812) as commander of the Stockholm Squadron.
Skeppsholm became Sweden's naval headquarters when the naval staff moved there in 1634 from the nearby old Skeppsholm, which is now called Blasieholmen. But not long after during the Scanian War 1675-1679, it was decided to move the military base to the newly founded Karlskrona in Blekinge to secure the newly acquired regions in the south. Skeppsholm's glory days as the navy's headquarters were over, but military activity did not end. It is here that first source of Carl Petter appears as volunteer no. 29 in the premier major's company at Skeppsholm's assembly in Stockholm where the fleet was stationed. Skeppsholm assembly in Stockholm also known as the Admiralty assembly or Holmkyrkan's assembly. Flottan's assembly was a non-territorial military assembly. Christina Charlotta Schylander is baptized here on 12 May 1794 by midwife Johanna Berggren. Pastor at Flottan Natanael Larsson Lithander (1790-1808) confirms three days later the baptism of the daughter of Carl Petter Schylander and his wife Catharina Pehrsdotter. Among the witnesses were lieutenant colonel high-born herr Axel Otto count Cronhielm (1751-1809) of Hakunge and lieutenant Ekstedt. Christina Charlotta does not appear again, and since it was an emergency baptism, it is likely that she died young.
The volunteers were enlisted personnel, i.e. permanent employees. They were also called "marinärer" and their main task was to operate the naval artillery. During the period Carl Petter was a "volantaire" Finland was and a central part of the area the Skærgårdsflottan was supposed to protect. The Skærgårdsflottan's greatest victory was the Battle of Svensksund in 1790 when a larger Russian force was defeated, but it was not enough to stop Russia finally conquering the Duchy of Finland from Sweden in 1809. At this time it was Johan Gustaf count Lagerbielke (1745-1812 ) who was commander-in-chief from 1790-1811. Carl Petter was around 30 years old in 1795, which makes it highly probable that he had all served in Gustav III's Russian war from 1788-1790, he would have been 24 years old at the outbreak of the war. If that was the case, he maybe participated in the Battle of Svensksund in 1789.
Carl Petter is listed as the father again the following year on 17. Sep. 1795 at the baptism of his son Carl Petter Sylander in Lövsta, Ed socken. He is still a volunteer at Armén's fleet and his wife Catharina Sylander is stated to be 28 years old. The godfathera are Lieutenant-Colonel count Cronhielm, his stepmother high-born countess Mrs. Christina Cronhielm, nee Baroness Rålamb, Fänrik (ranks above sergeant and below sub-lieutenant.) Mr. Conrad Vilhelm Ankarcrona (1733-1809) of Runsa and his daughter Miss Margreta Elisabeth Ankarcrona (1777-1838). Both Ankarcrona and Cronhielm had estates in the area.
Nasa silver works
Carl Petter and Catharina probably came around around 1800 to Norway from "Nasa Seilfver Grufvor in Pitteå Lappmark, Ærjeplougs Sochn." The mines were located by the mountain Nasa about 36 miles from Piteå, not far from the border with Norway. There was some traffic between the mines and Norway, probably per horse hoof. The Nasaleden, as this route is called today, mostly ran from Piteå. Nasafjell's silver works was a silver mining operation in Pite Lappmark that took place during two periods, 1635–1659 and 1770–1810. The management of The mill was taken over by the notary Fredrik Jonsson in 1797, a man with big plans but little experience of silver works. He soon got the mill people against him, and the workers who had been permanent residents in Adolfstrøm got tired and moved from there. Mining was therefore carried out on a small scale, and hut density was at an all-time low in 1797-1800. In the autumn of 1801, Fredrik Jonsson moved from Lapland and later went bankrupt. His rights in the company were transferred to one of his creditors, Major Georg Bogislaus Staël von Holstein (1740-1814) in Stockholm. He made great efforts for the Lapland colony station and "cultivation", but did not succeed in saving the silver works. Even with extensive repairs and rebuilds in Adolfstrøm led by the former geschworner at Dannemora mine, Leonard Horneman, silver production remained insignificant. Staël von Holstein became more indebted, and in 1810 he left Adolfstrøm never to return. Mining activity on Nasafjellet and in Adolfstrøm thus ceased completely. In 1821, the entire cottage facility burned down, except for the dwelling house. With this information many have assumed that Carl Petter and family just came via the area, and did not work or stay there.
Dr. Wayne Mitchell said that his grandmother claims that either Carl or Catherina came from a noble family and that they came from Russia. She also claimed that they had to flee the country and when they reached the border crossing between Sweden and Norway that they bribed the border guards with jewels. Harald Bertrand Eckhold from Kragerø told in 1988 that his mother-in-law Åsta Marie Isaksen (1898-1974), great-great-granddaughter of Carl Petter senior, told him in 1956 that Carl Petter Sjølander came to Norway with a small chest full of jewels. And that Carl Petter had said "No one should know who my mother is." That the Sylander family had some noble origin is probably very unlikely, but that it came to Norway in the form of them fleeing from something is a possibility. There is indeed a family with a similar name from Kalmar that was ennobled on 10 June 1812 with registry number 2225. The family possibly starts with Corporal Sven Christoffersson and Catharina Strømsten, who are believed to be the parents of Jonas Sylvander, born around 1700. He married in the 1730s with Sara Anna Hallenberg (1711-1785 in Målilla), daughter of Sheriff Gabriel Hallenberg and Maria Ljungstrøm (-1774 in Ljungby). Their son Johan Gabriel S. (1767-1833) in Stockholm married for the first time to Eva Elisabet Molin (1738-1776). They first had their daughter Anna Britta Sylvander (1762-1844) married to the ship clerk Clas Johan Zander. And then his son Josua Sylvander. Interestingly, Josua marries for the third time countess Lovisa Gustava Ottiliana Cronhielm af Hakunge (1788-1842), daughter of the previously named count Cronhielm and his wife baroness Amalia Fredrika Carlsdtr. Pechlin von Løwenbach (1867-1824).
Catharina's parentage.A possible person who may be identical, with Catharina Pehrsdotter Schillander but very uncertain, is Katharina Olofsdotter born on 7 April 1757 in Arjeplog, daughter of Olof Mårtenson "Nybyggare, expeditionslänsman och snickare i Sakkavare, Arjeplog" born ca. 1728 and died on 19 March 1786 and his wife Karin "Caisa" Persdotter born on 1731 and died on 15 November 1792 also in Sakkavare, Arjeplog. Olof Mårtensson and Karin Persdotter were married in Arjeplog on 11 April 1757. Karin Persdotter was the daughter of PePehr Larsson and Karin Olofsdotter Laestander. Year of birth is very uncertain but probably around 1710. At the court in Arjeplog on 30 January 1731 where her father Olof Laestander puts "church pastor" Sjul Granberg's son Per Larsson before the court, Karin is stated to be 24 years old but the following year, at the court on 26 February 1732, she is noted to be 19 years old. After Karin O. Laestander's death in 1739, Karin Persdotter was adopted by her maternal uncle Petter Olofsson Laestander. This Katharina Olofsdotter moved from Arjeplog around 1780 when one of the parents died, this must be the father Pehr Larsson, since the mother Karin O. Lestander is said to have died in 1739. The adoptive parents, i.e. her uncle Petter O. Lestander and his wife Margareta Svedberg cannot be, since they died later than that. Nasafjell is not far from Arjeplog. And especially considering Catharina uses two patronymics during her life, both Persdatter and Olsdatter, which is consistent with the possible use of patronymics if she did not really want to associate herself with her biological father, which one might think is the case if the reader between the lines. But again this is speculation!
In Norway.
The first definitive trace of Carl Petter in Norway is at Dønnes manor during the census in 1801. Carl Petter Schillander is listed here as the first servant of five to a visiting merchant Berg. Furthermore, in addition to the lords of the farm, there is a Lapland forster boy, eight maids and a widow "in the house of charity". The lord of the house is the widow of lieutenant colonel Isach Jørgen Coldevin (1724-1793), housewife Maria Anna Emahus Tønder (1731-1802) and their son and heir war councilor Hans Emahus Tønder Coldevin (1754-1835). Daughter Else Maria Coldevin (1753-). And in the "house of charity" the widow Anna Cathrine Tobine Sommer (1725-1811), sister of Isach Jørgen. The same census is Catharina Pedersdtr. Schillander with the children Carl Petter and Caroline stated as lodging with a homestead Slåttvik not far from Dønnes with the homestead family Gabriel Andersen (1752-1813) and his third wife Aleth Sophia Johansdtr. (1764-). Whether Carl Petter remained a servant for a long time with the Coldevin family is uncertain. But in 1803 they had a son Isak Jørgen Dass Siølander, baptized in Lurøy church named after the lords of Dønnes and Lurøy. It is Isach Jørgen's eldest daughter Stinchen Catharina Coldevin (1752-1845) and her husband skipper and merchant Christen Dass (1743-1791) who own Lurøy estate. Their son Isach Jørgen Coldevin Dass (1772-1836) is among the godfathers at Isach Jørgen Dass Siølander's baptism.
In 1815, Moflaget farm was vacant. Carl Petter and Catharina must have well liked with the venerable housewife Dass since she wanted them as tenants at Moflaget. Housewife Dass owned Sør-Solvær including Moflaget until 1825. This was an inheritance from Dønnes estate and not originally part of Lurøy estate. In the following land registry, Carl Petter and Catharina take over the building on the entire Moflaget in 1816. Two years later on 10 October 1817, the first of the children, Karl Petter Schiølander, marries Maren Hansdtr. Slåtterøy. And not long after at Solvær in 1818, the first grandchild Katrina Margrethe Sckelander arrives, unfortunately she will also be the first grandchild to perish when she all dies the following year. But all in 1823, Carl Petter probably perishes when he is lost at sea on 28 April 1823 at the age of approx. 58 years. But he leaves behind a family that will have many descendants in Norway, USA and more.
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Sources

• 12. mai 1794. Dåp av Christina Charlotta Schylander (1794-). Faddere: Axel Otto greve Cronhielm (1751-1809) av Hakunge, Axel Abraham Ekstedt (1766-1834) og Natanael Larsson Lithander (1790-1808). ”Skeppsholms församling i Stockholm - 1794 Maj 12/Dito(21) - Christina Charlotta. - Vol. no 29 Prem. Maj. Comp. Carl Peter Schylander, dess hustru Cathar. Pehrsdotter. Öfversteleutnanten Grefve Axel Cronhjelm. Leutnant Ekstedt. Pastorskan Lithander Demoiselle Nöddopet af Barnmorskan Johanna Berggren confirmerades d:15 af ord. Bat: Past: Lithander.". CI:3 (1787-1834) Bild 92 / sid 175 (AID: v89892.b92.s175, NAD: SE/SSA/0014).
• 19. sep 1795. Dåp Carl Petter Sylander. Faddere: Axel Otto greve Cronhielm (1751-1809) av Hakunge, hans stemor fru Christina friherrinne Rålamb gift grevinne Cronhielm, Conrad Vilhelm Ankarcrona (1733-1809) til Runsa og hans datter frøken Margreta Elisabeth Ankarcrona (1777-1838). "Stockholms län. Eds socken, Löfsta - Soffia - Carl Petter - född d.17 döpt d.19 September. Volontairen vid Armeens flotta Carl Petter Sylander, Hust. Catharina Sylander 28 år kyrktogs d. 3 octob. Vittnen Öfverste Leutnanten Högvälborne Grefvej Hr Axel Otto Cronhjelm. Statsfrun Högvälborna Grefvinna fru Christina Cronhjelm född Rålamb. Fendricken Herr Conrad Ankarcrona fröken Margreta Elisabeth Ankarcrona.”. Ed CI:2 (1745-1803) Bild 102 / sid 195 (AID: v94391.b102.s195, NAD: SE/SSA/1497.

The first source in Norway is the census of 1801 (Census 1801 for 1828P Nesna parish. Permanent page Link. Permanent picture link) where they are referred to as Carl Petter and Cathrina Pedersdatter Schillander. Where he is the first servant on Dønnes estate and she is Swedish and earns her living with hand work "Er svendsk og ernærer sig med haandarbeyd". Converted from the given age, they were born about 1764 and their son Carl Petter junior, 6 years old, i.e. born about. 1795. Furthermore, they and their descendants are well documented in Norway where they have many descendants.During the Napoleonic Wars, conscription was introduced in northern Norway and crew rolls were kept. Carl Petter is listed here with Stockholm as his birthplace in 1809 and 1811 (microfilm NT195). Converted from the stated age from the crew rolls, he should have been born in about 1766. In 1832, at her daughter Caroline Frederikke Sjølander's wedding, her place of birth is given as "Nasa Brug in Westerboten in Sverrig." (Nordland fylke, Lurøy, Ministerial book no. 839A03 (1825-1862), Ekteviede 1833, page 378. Permanent page link. Permanent image Link.). Slightly converted if the source is correct, she was born before 14 October 1803.
There are many sources about the family in Norway, but none that provide any more information about their Swedish origins.
Geni: Link
Frode sin Slektside: Link
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Some variations of the family name in Norway: 1801: Schillander (2x sources), 1805: Siölander (1x source), 1817: Schiölander (1x source), 1818: Sckelander (1x source), 1820: Sjölander (17x sources), 1823: Schjolander ( 1x source), 1823: Sylander (4x source), and more. I know that the ending -ander means man. But I'm not sure what the first link can come from. I have speculated whether it could come from Latin silva or Greek xýlon both meaning forest. But as likely as name researcher Eva Brylla answered me "Hi Mats! In Sweden the old name types are tied to the different places. Names in Greek. names with Latin endings in –(i)us. Often they were formed into a place name, like Sylvanus or Sylvander into a place name Skog = forrest. Schillander can therefore be formed into a place name in Skill(-), e.g. Skillberga . One such example was a Swede on his way to "London and beyond" via Ålesund in 1859. His name was Nils Peder Sylander and he came from Silonger parish in Sundsvall. But after searching a bit, there are quite a few places in Sweden and Finland that you can use as a starting point to form the first part of the family name.
Here are some of the forums that discuss Carl Petter and Catharina:
2000- Arkivverket: Link
2002-2008 Akrivverket: Link
2011-2017 Slekt og Data: Link
rotter.se: Link

A special thanks to u/bluefishcake for the wonderful original story and sandbox to play in.
A special thanks to my editors LordHenry7898, RandomTinkerer, Swimming_Good_8507, CatsInTrenchcoats, and KLiCKonthat.
And a big thanks to the authors and their stories that inspired me to tell my own in this universe. RandomTinkerer (City Slickers and Hayseeds), Punnynfunny (Denied Operations), CompassWithHat (Top Lasgun), CarCU131 (The Cook), and Rhion-618 (Just One Drop)
Hy’shq’e Ay Si’am (Thank you noble friends)
Chapter 30: A Promise Kept
Kalai stepped off the shuttle to the Vaida’s headquarters and into a running tackle-hug from Sitry. “Oh Kalai, I could kill you right now! You got to see the Great Barrier Reef in person, you bitch!” Sitry’s cheerful voice was muffled from where she was still buried in her chest. Kalai staggered backwards a pace or two, happy to be back from her whirlwind adventure around Earth with her father.
Naranjo and Papa Rhaxiid were there on the platform to welcome her back too, but their welcomes were more sedate.
“Not to mention you got out of work for half our damn trip. Ugh, it’s so not fair!” Naranjo huffed as Kalai gave him a sisterly hug.
Papa Rhaxiid reached up and chucked her chin before turning to lead the way back inside from the forested platform. “Welcome back, sweet-sprout, we’ve missed you. Come on, we’ll get you settled again and off to work. There’s quite a bit you need to catch up on if you want your credits.”
The chuckles from the twins behind her were full of sibling malice, but she knew how to shut the pair of them up. “Papa Rhaxiid? I’ve got the paper on Biodiversity in the Reef you asked for, along with the dissection report and stomach content analysis of the tuna we caught. I want to put the finishing touches on it and do a final proofread first before I send them to you.” The man turned and gave her a warm smile as they entered the building.
“Good, why don’t you go take your things back up and say hello to Andy? I’ll give you an hour and a half to get freshened up, then I want you to report to Aquarium 12 with Dr. Sor’ansa. You can put your snorkeling practice to work there.” Papa Rhaxiid walked the three of them to the residential elevator. “I’m heading back to my office. Andy’s been requested by Maetro Pae’ella to work the kitchens for something called ‘Bison burgers'. Apparently it’s a type of indigenous bovine that the eastern Bands raise. That and something from Europe called ‘French Fries’.”
Kalai couldn’t help but get excited as she and her siblings piled into the elevator back to their little shared apartment. Sure the food she’d had all over the place was good, but so far nothing had been able to compare to Andy and his Salishian cooking.
“Nerd, I can’t believe you cheated and did work on your vacation." Naranjo broke the silence of the elevator after a little bit and stuck his tongue out at her.
“Spit to windward, you vain little weed. Don’t hate me because I’m awesome.” Kalai’s riposte caused Naranjo to fold his arms and huff. Sitry simply ambushed her with an ear flick.
The elevator door opened to their floor before Kalai couldn’t bear the silence from Sitry any longer. “So, did you bag him yet, you lucky bitch?”
“No she hasn’t!” Naranjo’s singsong mockery of his sister interrupted Sitry’s response. “Papa hasn’t let Sitry even NEAR Andy without one of them around!”
“Rub it in, you snitch, besides, he did kiss me first,” Sitry preened happily as she playfully shoved Kalai’s shoulder.
Kalai pretended to stumble and almost caught Sitry’s foot, but she was just a hair too slow. “Yeah, and then you gave him a black eye, you clod.”
“Will you let it go? It was an accident!”
“It’s not even the only one he got either." Naranjo’s interjection stopped her right in front of their door.
“Wait, what? Who hurt him this time?” Kalai let her bag thunk to the floor as she turned to look accusingly between Sitry and Narny.
Sitry folded her arms and her ears twitched back as she shot a dark look at their door. “He ‘fell down’ yesterday while out at one of the Hatcheries we gave to the Hwatcoms. Mrs. Toloui nearly had a fit! She said she could smell another human on him and that he was covered in blood!”
Narny nodded primly as Kalai tried to process what they were telling her. “WHAT? Did she call out the militia? Track down whoever hurt him?”
“No, and he refused treatment and insisted that no one did it to him! When papa tried to talk to him, Andy said some stupid human macho shit about pain healing and birds liking scars. I don’t know, sometimes humans… they’re frickin’ insane!”
The door shot open and there stood Andy. His left eye was an angry puffy yellow and blue mess, and there were three points on his lips where a dark cinnabar line marked a crack. Kalai and her siblings stood in wide eyed shock at his sudden appearance and the only sound was the music emanating from the common room behind him.
Andy looked up and down at the three without saying a word. He cocked an eyebrow and snagged Kalai’s bag before any of them could react and cleared the doorway for them.
Kalai sputtered at the impropriety but Naranjo and Sitry just shrugged and walked in after Andy. “Femboys, am I right?” Narny whispered to Kalai as he passed. Kalai followed behind and was greeted by the white fluff-ball, Puck, who hopped up and down, whining for attention. She bent down and started scratching his ears and back. While Puck rubbed up against her hands, Andy settled back down at the table where his omnipad was hooked up to a keypad. Her heart started to sink a bit and Kalai shot Sitry a jealous look before the music came to a sudden halt and Andy interrupted the beginnings of her pity party.
“Ok, Kem’ira, I got the pics now and I’m telling you to declare yourself to the farmers first! I guarantee if you tell them you’re with the new DNR and you’re there to kill all the Scotch Broom in their pasture lands, they’ll stop trying to shoot you for trespassing!”
Kalai’s mood jumped up a bit. It’s not that he doesn’t care to see me, he’s in a meeting!
“No, no I’m not coming out to talk this over with them, I’ve got my own work to do! Either you start talking to folks like I showed you how, or ask the militia to give you one of their armored catsuits to wear under your uniform… Uh-huh, good luck." Andy hung up on the call and leaned back as Puck scampered over and hopped up in his lap.
Andy rubbed his temples before shaking his head. He seemed to relax a bit and Puck slid off to follow Sitry to the kitchen. Andy looked over and gave Kalai a happy smile that made her flush. “Welcome back! So how was the land down under? That tuna was fan-frickin’-tastic, if you aren’t sick of seafood I’ll do something fancy with it tomorrow to celebrate your coming back. Can’t tonight though, I got volun-told to be head chef tonight and I… Oh damnit! I’m late! Come to dinner, burgers and fries Indian style tonight. Gotta run!” With that, Andy went dashing out the door with Puck barking and scrambling along after him.
Kalai felt her heart sink back down again, as he left. “Andy I-” She started but he was gone.
“Yeah, it’s been like that for the whole week. The only time we get to hang out is dinner.” Sitry commiserated as she took Kalai’s bag into their room. “On the other hand, we might get to catch up during the family meal tonight.”
The dinner was delicious, though a bit weird. It tasted alright, but there was a certain aftertaste on the sandwich that just didn’t sit right with Kalai. She just couldn’t put her finger on it. The french fries more than made up for it though, and Mama Sakalbi had to hold a science trivia contest to see who got the last little handful.
Kalai and Narny were already silently plotting with each other for their revenge against their sister who had won and refused to share the last few matchsticks when Andy finally joined their table. He was sweaty and he smelled of woodsmoke and french fries. Kalai jumped up and offered him a seat next to her with a nervous smile. He took it gratefully and seemed to sag a bit as he gulped down a glass of water.
“Andy, I think you may be finding your calling as a culinary ambassador,” Mama Aftasia beamed. “A toast to the chef!”
Andy gave a shy smile and looked down as Kalai and the rest of the family gave a hearty ‘Here, here!”
“It’s a simple enough recipe; it’s just using bison instead of cow, that’s all, and I don’t know anyone who’d turn down hand cut fresh fries. It’s kind of hard to screw up.”
“Young man, you are speaking to a woman who found a way to take cold water and dried wumpa flakes and wind up with a Class-4 fire. Cooking has always seemed like ‘blight mysticism’ to me, and these foods? These flavors? Nothing short of a Greenwood miracle in my opinion." Mama Aftasia continued her praise of Andy, which only caused him to shrink even lower in his seat.
“To be honest, I like your salmon better,” Kalai said, and the whole table went silent. Kalai held her ground though, and was rewarded with a tired but genuine laugh from Andy that brought him back out of his shell.
“You know, I do too. My Clan were fisherpeople, not buffalo chasers.” Andy gave Kalai a cheeky grin, which she returned happily, her heart glowing. Mama Aftasia and Mama Sakalbi both blinked in bemusement at Andy’s statement while Sitry just giggled.
“Speaking of which, Andy, I received a call from Elder Alex Hwatcom.” Papa Rhaxiid’s change of subject instantly perked Andy up, and he stared silently, waiting. “He extended an invitation to our family to attend his family gathering this Friday-”
“Alex said that? He used those words?” Andy shook his head in shock as he interrupted Papa Rhaxiid. The table went quiet and everyone held their breath as they looked between the two men.
Papa Rhaxiid adopted as good an impression of the human Elder as he could. “I’d like to extend an invitation for you and your family to be guests at our family gathering this saturday up at the White… something… lodge-”
“The White Ram Lodge?” Andy sat forward, interjecting again as the color drained from his face.
“Yes, that’s the one! I asked if we could bring anything since the last time they hosted us they put on that wonderful spread. He said if we could bring a few salmon for the family, that would be wonderful.”
Andy leaned back and took another sip of ice water before holding the glass to his blackened eye. “Alex Hwatcom… just invited you… to a gathering… and he told you to ‘bring a few salmon’? Do you realize what a huge honor this is?”
Rhaxiid looked from his wives to his children with mild concern. “Um, I thought it was only dinner, but your reaction tells me there’s more significance to this than I originally thought. I was thinking about our stocks of adult Sockeye, but then I remembered in his story how important King Salmon are. Of course, I’d like to defer to you for the choice since you know these animals and the cultural expectations with this invitation better than we do.”
Andy was silent for a moment before he put the glass down. “I’d recommend a ‘hard no’ to all your clone stock!” Now it was the Vaidas’ turn to be shocked, as each of Kalai’s Erbian family’s jaws dropped in synch. Before anyone could say anything, Andy continued, “You need to bring wild-caught. Farm-raised salmon wouldn’t… well we can tell, and you can taste the difference between them. We need to go fishing!” Kalai leaned towards Andy slightly as he lowered his head and started mumbling to himself. She was just able to make out what he was saying to himself as Mama Sakalbi and Mama Aftasia began whispering to each other. “...need to get the Gillnetter out of storage, check what’s running and select the mesh. I’m gonna need a deckhand too.”
Kalai reached a hand out but stopped short of touching him. “Andy?”
He popped up and spoke for the whole table to hear. “I need a shuttle to the mainland and a waiver against the fishing ban. I’ve got to get my boat and the drum ready for sea ” Rhaxiid and Aftasia sputtered in confusion, but Mama Sakalbi had a shadow fall over her, and her ears pulled back.
“Do you mean to say you want to go out on the water? Risk the ecological balance for… dinner?”
Andy looked Sakalbi dead in the eye and gave her a firm nod. “Why don’t you come out and see how we did this before you got here. Think of it as a chance to see the way we’ve fished for the last hundred or so years, and then I can explain the way we used to fish before that.”
The offer snapped Rhaxiid out of his confusion and he brightened. “A learning experience? Wonderful, we’ll make a day of it!” His hands shot out to grab both his wives’ and Kalai could feel the vibrations in the floor from where he was excitedly tapping his feet.
“If you don’t mind hard, smelly work. Uncle Willy always called it ‘the worst desk in the prettiest office.' It’ll be a bit cramped, but I’ve got room on the boat for a few guests and observers; four I think would be ok. She’s a working boat, not a pleasure cruiser,” Andy explained. That sent the whole lot of them excitedly talking among themselves.
Kalai was about to lean in to talk to Mama Aftasia, but Andy caught her attention first. “I don’t suppose you’d want to go back out on the water, given you just got back from pleasure-boating-”
Kalai’s heart nearly jumped out of her chest. “I wouldn’t miss it for my own colony planet!”
--------------------
Kalai stood on the pier, bundled in her thermal sailor’s coat. It was still dark and the wind blew from the north in a cold little morning breeze. Kalai took a deep breath and reveled in the smell of the fresh sea air. The soft chattering of Mama Sakalbi’s teeth broke the silence. “It’s a bit chillier than it said it was going to be.”
“The water always does that. It’s never as warm as the lubbers say it’ll be,” Papa spoke as he handed her back her thermos of hot chocolate.
Papa stood next to Kalai and nudged her with his elbow. Even in the dark, Kalai could see him smile up at her and jerk his head at the shivering Erbian. He was also wearing a thermal sailor’s coat, and his hands were stuffed in his pockets to keep them warm, just like Kalai’s. “Landswoman,” he whispered to her and the two of them shared a knowing smile. It was strange, but welcome when she'd told Papa about her upcoming day fishing with Andy, and he’d politely requested to join them. Papa Rhaxiid had graciously given his spot up to accommodate her birth father. Narny was all for it until Andy had explained what they were going to do, but then surrendered his challenge to the fourth guest space, not wanting to go anywhere NEAR anything that could see him come face to face with a Lion’s Mane Jelly. Sitry had done a happy little dance when she found out, but only yesterday had come down with Thistle Fever, and was bundled off to bed by her parents. It left Kalai, Mama Sakalbi, and Papa to accompany Andy on his fishing trip.
The water brushed against the shore behind them quietly. In the gloom, Kalai could just barely make out the outline of the nearest island mountain, but only because the stars had disappeared behind it. It was almost four in the morning, but Kalai had managed a catnap on the shuttle to the empty little lot that had been the boat launch. Aside from the water, the world was silent. Even the breeze made almost no noise and a sense of peace surrounded them. Everything was so calm, Kalai felt like she didn’t have a care in the world.
In the distance, a low rumbling sound of a motor rose from being almost imperceptible to a rolling drum of thunder. From around the point, two green floating lights sped through the darkness, and a spotlight turned on. The beam of light moved jerkily until it came to rest on the pier where they were standing and Kalai started waving her arms. Sakalbi’s omnipad rang, and Andy’s voice shouted over the speaker and the background noise for them to shine a light on the edge of the pier to help him park the boat.
Kalai and Papa moved closer and turned their omnipad flashlights on and waved them as the boat swung gracefully around and glided in alongside them. Kalai caught the rope that flew over the railing of the boat and she heard more than saw Andy moving around on the deck as she tied off on one of the mooring cleats. Several lights clicked on and the deck was bathed in light enough for Kalai to get a clear view of the boat they’d be spending the day on.
Andy hadn’t lied. Kalai saw that this little vessel was a working boat with no frills at all. When he’d told her they’d be going fishing, she’d envisioned something like the charter boat papa had taken her on out of Nantucket. Sporty, fast with a nod to comfort and function. This was not that at all. A giant wheel as wide as Kalai’s outstretched arms that looked like a sideways spool of thread was secured to the deck amidships and dominated the deckspace. Wrapped around it was a fluorescent green tangle with a line of oblong white and yellow corks and rope. There was a covered hatchway sitting behind the drum in front of the raised step to the enclosed cabin. Two large windows let the light out to two children’s bunks, a little table with a booth seat and a raised captain’s chair in front of the helm and engine controls. Andy shut down the engine and that peaceful stillness returned.
“Oway there!” Kalai called, “ship oway! Request permission to come aboard.” Kalai gave the traditional greeting of a Shil’vati sailor.
“Permission granted! Anyone need a stepstool?” Andy finally stepped into the light and Kalai got a look at him. He was wearing a hooded sweatshirt and the same bright orange coveralls she’d seen the fishmongers wearing on their date.
“I wouldn’t mind a hand, Mr. Shelokset.” Papa He’osforos braced a foot on the railing of the boat and Andy pulled him up.
“Just call me Andy, Doc, and welcome aboard. Jackie should be along any minute now with the day’s groceries, and the cabin’s out of the cold. You can get yourself set wherever you find comfortable.” Papa nodded and disappeared around the other side of the wheel moving towards the bow.
Kalai helped Mama Sakalbi into the boat next, and she quickly ducked into the cabin that took up the entire stern section save for a little ledge that ran along the outside. Andy gripped Kalai’s hand and she smiled as he pulled her deftly aboard. The boat rocked a little on its mooring, and Kalai almost fell into Andy, who wordlessly put his arms around her waist to catch her as she lost her balance. She flailed for a moment before she steadied herself against him.
“Gotcha,” Andy smiled, and Kalai could see him flush almost as much as she could feel herself doing as their noses almost touched. Those big dark brown eyes surrounded by white orbs drew her in and she felt she could lose herself in them. Kalai started as Andy danced her around him and moved her towards the cabin door.
“It might be a little cramped for you in there, but the Mary Jean wasn’t built for pleasure boating, she’s a working girl. Sit tight, I gotta check a few things in the back.” Andy patted the railing affectionately before he hopped up and scooted along the outside of the cabin towards the stern. Kalai couldn’t help the little longing groan that came out as he left her there on the little tiny quarterdeck. Her heart was hammering in her chest as half formed fantasies danced at the edges of her mind.
“I saw that, little minnow.” Papa’s voice was soft, but his tone and the sudden broken silence nearly gave her a heart attack.
Kalai could only stammer as her father stared at her with a cocked eyebrow. A thump from the cabin window behind saw an amused Mama Sakalbi daintily sipping at her thermos with her ears twitched forward in interest, staring out at her. “Papa I… he-”
Papa moved carefully around the covered hatchway to stand next to her, leaning back against the cabin window and heaved a sigh. “I must say I’m surprised. This lovely man’s got good clean lines and is very well cared for. It speaks well of his Skipper.”
It took a full minute for Kalai’s brain to process that he was talking about the boat and not Andy. “And the way Andy brought him in smooth in near complete darkness? It gives me confidence in his abilities.”
Kalai breathed a silent sigh of relief and exasperation. Although she was happy to be spending more time with her father, bringing him on what she’d hoped would be a sailing date wasn’t exactly what she’d had in mind for ‘family time’. He wants me to find a nice young man and spend time with him on a boat, but the first chance I get Papa decides to clam-jam me.
From up on shore, the sound and lights of a large human vehicle screeching to a halt heralded the last of their party to arrive. Kalai heard the clomping footsteps coming down the pier and moved to the railing to lend a hand.
“Ahoy Mary Jean! Raggedy Andy, you there?” Kalai stared with wide eyed surprise to see a human female, loaded down with plastic bags and sporting two human weapons on her shoulder. The two of them locked eyes, and while Kalai didn’t understand everything the girl shouted in surprise, she had caught and understood the phrase, “What the fuck?”
“Easy now, they’re my guests, and the one inside is the boss!” Andy appeared on the pier instantly before either Kalai or the woman could react further.
“Ya didn’t tell me we were having pur-” The woman glared at Kalai and her father. She had switched to Vatikre thankfully, but her tone was hostile as she dropped everything but her weapons. “I mean, hwun’eetums, aboard. A gal could get the wrong idea pretty quick in the dark when there’s no warning.”
“Knock it off Jackie. Let’s get the grub aboard and shove off.” Andy picked up some of the bags and took the guns as Kalai offered a helping hand over the railing. “Oh, Kalai, this is Jackie. Jackie? Kalai. That’s her dad over there, Doc He’osforos. He saw and treated Kay Tee a few years back.” Andy jerked his head towards the direction of Kalai’s father as she held out a hand to the human girl. On a quick inspection, she appeared to be about the same age as her and Andy. She had a round face and was about as dark complected as Andy was. She was shorter, only a few inches taller than Papa, but when Jackie grabbed Kalai’s hand to hop up onto the rail, she could feel the strength and the compact muscle hidden by the baggy sweatshirt and pants.
“Wait a minute, did you say Mini-Me over there saw Kay Tee? You’re fuckin’ with me!” Jackie stumbled a bit as she hopped down onto the deck with a loud thunk and advanced on Papa who shrank away at her advance. “You saw li’l Kay Tee? Where the fuck is he? Is he alright? Is he still fighting the good fight?”
“Last I saw, yes, he was ‘fighting the good fight.’” Papa looked over at Andy with a slightly worried expression. Andy smacked the girl in the back of the head, causing her to flinch and she opened the door to the cabin for Andy to go inside.
Jackie rubbed the back of her head and laughed. “Well that’s a little bit of alright, innit? Maybe today’s gonna be a good day after all!”
“Jackie, get suited up and get on the bow. I need a good pair of eyes on the roller horns,” Kalai heard Andy shout from the cabin, followed by a whole lot of thumping and banging from cabinets being opened and closed.
“You got it, ol’ man. We going to your place or mine?” Jackie sidestepped in and opened a tiny little closet and pulled out a set of rain gear that was identical to what Andy was wearing. Kalai collected herself and stood in the doorway next to her father as they both leaned in.
“Mine; Chuck said the Yaw’much are running from the South. We’ll do a set nor’west of Lummi in the Rosario and see if we can get some Fraser Kings,” Andy replied as he turned the engine back on and the vessel roared to life.
“Chuck? Isn’t that one of your cousins? I didn’t know he could keep track of the movements of Salmon, may I ask how he does it?” Mama Sakalbi perked up as she pulled a set of earplugs out of a pocket and inserted them.
Andy prevaricated a bit, looking from Jackie back to Sakalbi then to Kalai and Papa. “I’d rather not answer that-”
“Breakin’ the law, breakin’ the law! Breakin’ the law, breakin’ the law!”
Jackie began singing a human song, and Andy threw her the dirtiest of looks as she finished getting into the orange coveralls. Mama Sakalbi sputtered as Andy shrugged apologetically.
“Make a hole!” Jackie called, and she and Andy came back out as Kalai and Papa made room for them. Andy hopped back onto the dock to cast off while Papa ducked into the cabin.
“Can I help?” Kalai offered as Andy shoved the vessel off and leapt the gap over the black water below.
“You want to be useful? Come forward! I could use an extra set of eyes!” Jackie called back, and Kalai felt a slap on her shoulder from the boisterous human woman.
------------------
Andy stood at the helm, watching Jackie and Kalai as he leaned to get a better view of them past the Net drum. The bow was lifting up again, and the gentle little swells became like speed bumps, jostling them up and down in a predictable bouncing rhythm.
“Are you sure you couldn’t slow down, Andy? It’s a bit rough, don’t you think?” Sakalbi was hanging on to the table and her thermos with a worried expression on her face.
“I could, but we’ll miss the morning set. We want to bomb out the buoy right when the tide changes. If we’re lucky, then we’ll get around seventy or eighty by slack tide this afternoon and call it a day.”
“How do you know where to fish?” Dr. He’osforos was making a good show of standing and maintaining his balance with his hand on the booth.
“Well, there’s two ways you know. The first is you fish the spots your family’s fished since time began. Every family has about two or three different secret spots that we know there’s fish in, and we’re pretty defensive about their locations. The second is by smell. Right now it’s the tail end of the King season, and you can smell them in the water.” Andy turned and saw the incredulity etched on the faces of the two aliens.
“No, I’m serious! King Salmon slime is really pungent, and you can smell them when they’re close to the surface. We get to the fishing spot and take a deep whiff. If we smell them, we’ll set the nets.” Andy laughed at the disbelief on their faces as the GPS on his omnipad beeped and he turned to sail around the last buoy and head for the fishing ground.
“I’ve never noticed that in any of the Kings we’ve raised-”
Andy suppressed a laugh as they caught a larger swell as they left the lee of Lummi Island. Andy reveled in the feeling of weightlessness as the deck rose up and fell out from underneath their feet, leaving everyone suspended for a moment in midair before falling back down. A massive spray of water rose and washed over the deck, drenching Kalai and Jackie, who were still forward. “Cloned and farmed Kings don’t have that same smell. Wild ones smell and taste different, I’m telling you!” Andy pulled back slightly on the throttle as they climbed the next swell. “Brace!” he called as they climbed and fell once again.
There was a look of fear on Sakalbi’s face as she gripped the table for dear life, but to Andy’s surprise, the Doctor looked completely unfazed, and was handling the rise and fall of the deck like an old salt. “You look like you’ve done this before, Doc.”
“I’ve done a stint or two at sea before,” he spoke, in the same tone Andy would have used when trying not to sound too confident, and Andy smiled.
“Kalai keeps talking about loving the sea and sailing. Did you teach her to sail?”
“Yes, me and her mothers. When they were home, we would take the family yacht out in the Vaascon Straits and sail around the Occidiens. Kalai practically spent all her early childhood on a sailboat.”
“And almost every waking moment on one in Junior Academy. I swear you couldn’t dig her out with a trowel when she wanted to go sailing,” Sakalbi managed to add in a word as the boat slowed, and the dramatic rise and fall of the deck slowed with it.
“What about you, Mr. Shelokset, did your father teach you to sail too?”
“I was too young before he passed. My Great Uncle Willy taught me after I came home, and Grandma took me out to the family fishing sites when she wasn’t busy with the Council. For the first two or three years after they let us come home, fishing was the only way to feed our families, but the Militia and the Cambrians would try and sink our boats or arrest us whenever we tried to go out.”
“And that’s why you’re so good at maneuvering your vessel in the dark with no instruments?” Mrs. Vaida had folded her arms, and her voice twinged with that imperious tone she’d had when they’d first met.
Andy huffed a dry laugh. “I did what I had to for me and my people and to survive, Ma’am. I don’t like breaking the law or dodging lasers and gunfire, but there’s a lot of poor families that need to eat.”
The GPS beeped, and Andy gave Mrs. Vaida a slightly defiant look to counter her furrowed brow. “We’re here,” he said as he threw the engine in neutral and opened the cabin door.
Andy walked out and took a deep breath, but all he could smell was the net and the exhaust from the engine. “HEY JACKIE! WE SMELL MONEY?” Andy yelled out as he took stock of the sky. The first signs of sunrise were chasing all but the morning stars away and a light fog was rolling in from the north.
“FUCK YEAH I CAN SMELL ‘EM, ANDY! LET’S BOMB OUT AND GET BREAKFAST GOING!” Jackie looked slightly manic as she smiled brightly. Kalai, on the other hand, looked wet and miserable as she shivered, arms wrapped around herself. Andy gave his cousin a disgusted look as he pieced together what had happened. Every deckhand learned when to duck behind the raised bow and the roller horns that guided the nets so as not to get a faceful of spray when cutting through a swell. It was also a classic hazing trick for Senior Deckhands to let Junior Deckhands learn this the hard way.
Andy moved forward to stand in front of the two of them. Kalai was trying to squeeze her coat dry, but Andy knew it wouldn’t do much good until the sun came out. Jackie at least had the sense to look a little remorseful. “Kalai, why don’t you go sit in the cabin and get out of that wet coat. It’s cold enough out here even for us-”
“No way, Andy. Junior deckhand Kally here wants to impress you and get her dainty soft hands dirty! She’s been bragging about being a sailorwoman and wants to learn to fish ‘your way!” Jackie gave Kalai’s shoulder a wet slap as the poor alien woman went blue. Out of cold or embarrassment, Andy couldn’t tell.
All Andy could do was shake his head and huff. “Ok then! Secure the buoy and sling on my mark. I’ll get us in position!” Andy couldn’t help but chuckle as he heard Jackie start ordering Kalai about. Andy went back into the cabin and looked in the closet/bathroom to see if there was anything hanging up that he could give Kalai. There was only the one rain slicker and a few of Andy’s old sweaters from when he was a lot smaller. Well, looks like I’ll just be cold today. He quickly stripped out of his sweatshirt and grabbed the slicker before throwing a switch on the main control. Dr. He’osforos and Mrs. Vaida threw him quizzical looks as he went back outside wearing less than when he came in. He was down to a sleeveless shirt and his coveralls, and the morning breeze cut right through him and he braced his jaw to keep it from chattering.
“We’re ready to go- Andy, why are you practically naked from the waist up?” Kalai was staring wide eyed at him as he approached her and Jackie was on the bow. Jackie had everything ready; the buoy line was strung through the horns and ready to toss out. A giant orange and blue beach ball sized float hung at the end of the line to mark the end and make it easier to pick up later.
“Trade me your coat for these. If Jackie’s putting you to work, you’ll need these to keep warm.”
“I’m alright, I can-”
“I’m the Skipper of this boat, and I’m ordering you to take off that wet coat and put these on; and Jackie?” Andy gave his cousin a long and piercing look. “Give her the elbow gloves, not the halfsies.”
The scoff and the muttered Salishian profanities meant he’d read the next prank she’d had in mind right. She was planning on giving her the cloth gloves with only the palms and fingers coated in rubber. While perfectly fine for fishing, Andy knew they tended to get soaked through very quickly and did nothing to keep jellyfish stingers and fish slime off your hands. Kalai sputtered for a moment before she complied gratefully and she accepted the dry clothes and rain slicker.
Andy saw Jackie give him a strange look before looking back at Kalai, but he paid it no mind. He walked back to the controls on the drum and switched off the hydraulics, placing the mechanism in neutral. “SLING IT!” Andy called as he took the small jerry rigged steering wheel and threw the boat in reverse. Kalai jumped as the line started unspooling the net into the water at a rapid pace.
Andy set an ‘S’ bend in the quarter mile long net, zigzagging backwards until they came to the end of the line. Andy stopped the boat as Jackie tied off the other large buoy and tossed it over the side, unstringing the cork-line from the roller horns in the process. He pulled hard over and put a bit of distance from the net before shutting the engine down. The line of white and yellow corks marking the net bobbed lazily with the swells as silence settled over the water again. The waves rocked the boat gently as Andy found his sea legs again.
“Alright, I’ll get breakfast going. Jackie, Kalai? Post the watch for seals,” Andy called as he walked back into the cabin to fire up the tiny little gas stove.
Sakalbi, having found the confidence to stand at last, poked her head out of the cabin and stood on by the hatch to the fish hold. “Seals? Why would you need to watch for seals?”
Andy grit his teeth and looked over from where he was cracking open and scrambling eggs. “They’re the spawn of Satan and we hate their guts!” Andy bit out. Jackie came back and pulled the two shotguns and a pair of binoculars from the closet. Andy reached over to a side cabinet and pulled out a box of shells for them. Both his boss and the Doctor’s eyes got wide.
“Seals are the enemy of our blood. Were it not for the invasion, our unending war against these vermin would continue to this day!” Jackie growled as she loaded one for herself and rested the other on Andy’s seat at the helm.
The look of growing horror on Sakalbi’s face towards their facetious declarations caused Andy to chuckle a bit, before launching into an explanation. “We’re not fans of the species because they’ll wait until a fish gets caught in the net and then they’ll steal it, costing us a fish AND ripping a big hole in our nets that we then have to take time to repair. We use the shotguns and buckshot to give them a nice welt and convince them not to hang around, because they’ll wait up on the surface and watch the buoys, just like us. A single seal can and will take between five and ten fish. The worst is when they start getting full, they’ll just bite out the bellies of a salmon in the net. We can’t really do anything with that fish once it’s ‘seal-bit’. So yes, as fishermen, we hate them.”
“Learned opportunism in apex predators as a response to human activity… I think I’ll go see this behavior for myself!” Sakalbi practically rushed out the door towards the bow where Jackie was sitting on the roller horns explaining to Kalai how to spot the bastards, leaving Andy alone in the cabin with the Doctor while he cooked breakfast for them all.
Dr. He’osforos sat down heavily in the booth and pulled out his omnipad. “I’ve had a word with my friend in the Interior. She’s pulled the warrant for your brother, and I’ve withdrawn the charges I filed.”
Andy froze and turned around slowly. The only sound was the sizzle and pop of the eggs and chorizo that he’d added to them in the skillet. “You mean… it’s done? He can come home?” A wave of light headed euphoria swept over Andy and he swayed with the gentle rocking of the boat. “I will pay you back, Doc-”
The doctor held up his hand and stopped Andy. “We’ll call it even, but there’s something… I was able to get my hands on this,” Andy watched as the doctor swiped something towards his omnipad and it dinged. “What is it if I may-”
“Are you really asking an Indian to tell you a story? Because it’s going to be a long one if you are.” “I’m Sevastutavan, young man; we invented long stories.”
Andy froze and stared at the screen of his omnipad. The Vatikre was heavily accented, and Andy had a bit of trouble with the unfamiliar accent, but centered in the frame in a hospital room, sitting in a wheelchair, was a Salishian boy. Andy blinked in surprise as he stared at the screen. “Is that-”
“I am Ikw’is’hi’ehlah, and this bearer is… of the Orca Clan Sheloksets. I drove our Haida enemies onto the rocks and took many heads when they attacked our winter village on Orcas Island. I signed the Treaty with the Great White Father and I fought against the slavers of the south-”
Andy wanted to grab the omnipad but the smell of overcooking eggs brought his attention back to breakfast and Andy stirred and scrapped the food quickly, trying to save it.
“I asked her for any materials she could give me on your brother. Pictures, recordings, anything. This is what she gave me. It's the last known recording of your brother during an interrogation conducted by a Navy Commissar prior to his escape. It seems he made friends with a Pod of Deaths Head Commandos. Quite a bit of the recording has been redacted, but… there are portions of it where he talks about his family and his history. I thought you might like to have it.”
Andy hurriedly pulled out paper plates and a slice of bread for everyone and scooped a heaping portion of the chorizo eggs onto them. He handed the doctor his before leaning out the cabin door. “Slop’s on, come and get it!”
Andy sat down after moving the shotgun out of the way and started the video over again as the three women came back to grab their plates and lost himself watching his brother start telling his story.
“What’s that?” Andy heard Kalai ask over his shoulder, and he paused the video.
“That’s my brother! That’s Kay Tee!”
“Holy shit, what?” Jackie nearly shoved Kalai into Andy as she jammed her bread slice down her gullet and crowded in to see the screen.
Andy started the video over a second time and they watched in silence. “God, that brings back memories. Back when mom was still alive and before we broke up the warband. I can’t believe that slippery little punk ghosted a pod of Commandos for two fucking years! Holy shit, that’s badass!”
Before Andy could say anything, Sakalbi started coughing and brought the binoculars up. “Uh, Andy? Jackie? What do we do about sharks?”
Jackie looked at Andy in confusion. “Sharks? There’s nothing but Dogs around here.”
“Well those are shark fins and they’re charging the net!” Sakalbi pointed and Andy looked up to see dorsal fins charging the center of the net.
Andy looked at Jackie and spoke the same words in tandem, “Oh shit!”
​
First:
https://www.reddit.com/Sexyspacebabes/comments/yz0u3h/the_cryptid_chronicle_chapter_1/
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To be posted 6/4/23