Pge rolling blackouts bay area

[First]() [Prev]()
Corva fiddled with an empty medicine bottle, he looked at the labels and peeled them, only to stick it on the bottle again, he would screw off the cap and screw it back on repeatedly. It was an old habit of his, just looking at random things and playing with them like a fidget toy, he only does it when he has nothing to do, ever since he got a job that habit disappeared, but now, all he can do is lay down on the bed of a hospital tent, and he's also technically currently unemployed. Since no company is going to recruit anyone in the middle of an invasion from killer robots. He thought back to what happened yesterday, when Lavoss came into the tent and confronted Kawl.
"You're still awake?"
"Hmm?"
He was still curious about it, what did Lavoss mean by traitor? Did Kawl kill someone? He doesn't look like someone who would do such a thing, whatever it was that he did though, it was significant enough for Lavoss to hit him in the head with the stock of his gun knocking him out cold. It was shocking to see, he was awfully calm up until the point he said something about the traitor part and not a moment later Kawl was on the ground unconscious with a gun stock shaped dent on the chitin protecting his head. Everyone gasped, except Mari, the nurse, she looked like she expected it for a long time and stayed calm.
"Do you have trouble sleeping?"
She asked as she came back with another box of medical supplies.
"No, just… didn't feel like it"
"What do you mean you don't feel like sleeping?"
She put the box down and walked up to him.
"Well… i got plenty of sleep yesterday, spent the rest of it sleeping, didn't i? And most of today as well"
"With all due respect that doesn't justify staying up until the middle of the night, besides, you need rest"
"Same thing can be said about you… I haven't seen you take any kind of break, even the doctor's not here, why are you?"
"The downside of being the only qualified nurse left around, not the only one in the camp of course, just the only one left for this tent, besides… it's my duty to watch over the patients, and make sure they have enough sleep…"
She raised her voice a little on that last word, as well as throwing a glance at other patients that were already asleep.
"Subtle…"
"Right i am, now sleep"
"I've tried, i don't think i can"
"So you do have trouble sleeping, hold on, i think i have something for that in stock"
"No thanks, can we just… talk? It's been some time since I've had a friendly talk with anyone, just… Not about anything in particular, you know? Just talk"
"Hmm… fine, when was the last time then?"
"Right before the invasion… right before he lost his life…"
"Let's… not talk about that…"
"Wise…"
"Uhm… What's your job?"
"QC, for quality control, in an arms factory"
"A factory worker? You looked way cleaner than i thought you would"
"If i were working in the assembly i think you would change your mind about that, but no, QC's don't get their hand dirty often, maybe once in a while when a weapon explodes on them"
"Huh… ever had one?"
"Personally? No, have I seen it? Yes, funny story, when i first got accepted i had this instructor, telling us how to check the quality of products, the first rifle he picked up to show us how to check the pulse had a faulty wiring on it, too much energy, it blew up on his face while a group of new QC's was watching, safe to say he doesn't like it when some of us laughed"
"Poor guy, Reminded of someone"
"Who?"
"My sister"
"Oh i…"
"Oh don't worry, it's nothing sensitive, it's like your story, she's a teacher, been one for a while even before she got here, so when she got here to Rosan she was considered a senior teacher, and when new ones needs a tour of their workplace and know how to handle the kids they relied on her, now one day she was guiding a new teacher…"
"Mhm?"
"And she was like… maybe she wants to show off a little bit, I don't know, but from what she told me, she said to this new teacher something along the lines of: 'look at these children! So behaved! If you want to do that you have to learn from me' or something like that… and… not a second after that, one of the kids who were playing threw a wet ball of paper and it hit her right in the back of the head"
Corva had to spend some willpower trying not to laugh, remembering that he was the one who laughed when his instructor blew himself up along with Kasso didn't make it any easier.
"Oh the look of embarrassment on her face, didn't see it myself, but i wish i did, i can feel her esteem crumble every time i mention it, it was cute to see her just shrink and try to hide her face"
"Oh… you'll like it when you see how my friend acts around girls, Kasso, he…"
Mari was a bit confused why Corva suddenly fell silent, why he looked at the ground with a frown, until she remembered what he said, and it clicked on her.
Right before he lost his life
"I'm sorry for your loss"
"It's fine, i'm sure he's in a better place… much better than this… hellhole"
She wanted to comment on his sudden pessimism, but decided that won't be so wise considering he's not wrong, no matter how many times she tries to ignore it, she has to admit, their current situation is a hellhole.
"I suppose that's enough talk for now…"
"...."
"I advise you sleep now, you'll get tired"
He didn't respond, and just went to sleep without another word, and an unchanged expression of sorrow. She sighed and returned to her work, sorting the type of medications into different containers.
"When will it all end?"
—-~----
It was calm… and black… that is about all Schen can think about regarding his current state, he can't tell if he's dreaming, or if he's asleep or awake, it's just that he is aware. It was a strange feeling, like being asleep physically but not mentally, he feels like he's floating, without a body, like there's nothing that can limit him. And yet at the same time he can't do anything, he was just aware, and drifting away in this weird state of half dream. For some reason, he thought of those tales of people who 'died' , people who experienced long comas, and the tale of their supposed journey to this place between the mind and the world.
Ridiculous stories, barely believable, and uninteresting if you ask him. And yet, here he is now, aware of what's happening, he remembers everything, he passed out from blood loss, after fighting one of those things. He wants to wake up, check on his men, maybe meet up with Captain Vaiya and make up a plan on what to do next regarding their situation. But you can't wake up when you don't even have control over your eyes, so it was more of a waiting game, an annoying one, knowing what's happening and yet can't act on it. He'd rather be actually dead over this, at least if he's dead he doesn't have to worry about anything. The problem is, he knows he's alive, it's just that his body is not responding to him, nor can he feel it.
It took what felt like hours, since he wasn't actually asleep, he was paralyzed but still conscious. After an agonizing few hours, he felt the first bodily sensation, his finger, it graduated to the feeling of his hand resting on a soft surface, probably some sort of bed, he can feel his breath as well. He started feeling his body, little by little, unfortunately, now that he feels his body again, he can feel what his body feels, and that is pure unadulterated pain. On his head, on his leg, his back, his arm, everywhere, he doesn't remember getting hit that much, but apparently he did. His back arched from trying to suppress it, and he let out a grunt that was too loud for his standard.
"Calm down! Don't move just yet…"
A voice, good, that means he should be in a friendly area now. He opened one of his eyes with a considerable amount of struggle, and saw the face of an Enovian with a waterproof paramedic hat on through his blurry vision.
"I've had worse…"
What a word for him to say before his back gave up on him and suddenly went limp, triggering pain in many areas of his body.
"Aergh…"
He grunted with some exasperation and regret. Maybe he shouldn't be showing off at this kind of age, it's not good for his bones.
"Where's our painkillers?"
—-~----
"Captain?"
"Yes?"
"He's awake"
"Just? or?..."
"For awhile, he needed some time to actually get up, thought we'll just wait for him before telling you"
"Alright, thank you, i'll be there, a wonder he survived though, and to wake up this early"
"It is, his wounds were near fatal, he was essentially one light tap away from a fractured skull"
"Tough little guy… you can go now, there are others no?"
"Oh…yes, sorry ma'am"
Vaiya turned off her personal datapad, and stood up from her command seat. She dusted some metal dust off her uniform and made her way to the recruitment office turned into a temporary medical bay. She walked through a collection of the remaining crew of the ship, some simply threw a glance at her, some greeted her, and some gave her a salute. She noted the look of despair in their eyes and sighed, but kept on walking as that isn't her goal right now. She arrived at a door with a plate next to it that says: 'recruitment', the plate had an electrical tape with a writing on it that says: 'medical bay now' stuck haphazardly on top of it.
It isn't a neon sign, but it works. She opened the door manually with her hand as most of the doors in administration are now unpowered, inside was simple, four 'beds' laid on the floor, with most of the desks removed, the remaining medical crews stay here now, treating anyone they can. Including the new security captain, Schon, who she spotted sitting on his bed half awake wrapped in blood caked bandages, while clearly struggling to drink from a glass cup. He looked oddly… calm, like he's not surprised he's here at all. Granted, she did rescue him from becoming minced meat, and it's only logical to assume there are survivors holding out somewhere, but he looks absolutely unfazed, as if he had this happen before.
"SC Schon?"
She walked up to him, he gave an unsurprised look and went back to doing his best to drink.
"Captain…"
"Nice to see you awake already, i figured it would take a long time but you prove me wrong…"
"Uh-huh…."
"About that status report you ask for-"
"I already know, stranded, no engine, almost all crew dead, ship's practically scrapped, light's dying, and surrounded by killer machines chewing on the hull, and Rosan IV isn't so lucky either"
"Yes… unfortunate is it?"
"Yes, but right now I don't care, how's my men?"
"Your what?"
"My subordinates"
"Ah… they're… few, 50… down to you and two others, i'm sorry"
"I see… who?"
"Koern, and Ayuna"
Schen wasn't paying much attention to the captain, he simply stared off into the distance, but hearing the young Caevit's name roll off her tongue took his attention.
"Really?... Thank you, but you're not here just for that right?"
Now that he actually pays some attention to her, he noticed her face change, a bit more tense.
"You read my mind, come"
"I can barely move my lips and you want me to walk?"
She looks around for a minute before looking back at him.
"I don't mind carrying someone"
"Huh?"
—-~----
"If i have credit for every time a Tekit lady carries me in her arms while i can barely move, i'll have two"
Schen commented on his current position, it earned him a confused and curious look from the captain. She took him to an uninhabited room to talk, as it turns out most of the administration has been turned to some sort of holdout for whoever's left alive in the ship. She set him down on a chair and followed suit, sitting right in front of him.
"So what is this? Is there something you want to know? If it's about this whole thing then you're talking to a wall"
Her behavior was odd, Schen noted, she seems… agitated, not angry, just stirred, like something's bugging her. He can understand being scared, but the way she moves suggests whatever's currently happening isn't the case.
"Nothing much… i just want… confirmation"
"Go ahead…"
"So… I heard that Koern asked you for help, is that so?"
"Yeah? Got to me after he said you can't help"
"Do you know what his issue was?"
"Yes, random images and voice recordings from his cousin"
"Okay… where does his cousin lives?"
"In Rosan IV and from what i heard, it's about as messed up as this ship"
"That is correct, do you-"
"Wait, can we just get to the point here? What's the issue? Why are you suddenly interested in Koern's problem?"
"I… because…"
"Hmm?"
"...Because i've been having the same problem, what you said, random images, and voice recordings, now i know it's exactly the same, that is what i want to know"
"Huh… okay… so?..."
"There's one difference… his problem started today, during the jump, my problem has been going on for the last five cycles"
"....."
"And I want to know one more thing, please, answer this honestly… do you see it?"
He can feel her agitation increase tenfold as she asks the question. She was normal, now she's visibly shaking.
"See what?..."
"The shape…"
"Shape?"
"Please tell me you saw it too, i… I've been thinking about it… for a long time… ever since I've peered into those images, there's a shape stuck in my eyes, it's burned itself into my mind, and I feel it…. Everyday i think i see something in the corner of my eyes, i hear noises that aren't there, closer and closer every time!…. It… it was getting closer… the shape…"
Her stare became intense, like the stare of a crazed person.
"i… don't know…"
"Oh but you know! You saw it!... Just as I did… it sees you, but you can barely see it, it's there… watching… First it stays in the image, then it creeps into you, haunts you, then you see it hide everytime you turn your head… it follows you, everywhere you go… in your sleep… when you work… all the time…"
Her breathing was rapid, almost uncontrolled.
"Perhaps… that's just you, i do not experience these"
"It may not now, but it will…. Because it has to me, it's like a tumor, and it won't go away, no matter how hard i try… it's still there…"
She calmed down slightly, her breathing was normal again, sort of, and she's no longer shaking, but the stare is still there, the stare of true fear, striking deep into his soul. As she calmed down more and thankfully finally averted her gaze elsewhere, Schen took the downtime to process what he just listened to, and his conclusion was: what the ////?
"Sorry… i… i just… i needed to know… i need to know if i'm not the only one… now i know it's in you too, not now, but soon, t-thank you"
"Your… welcome…"
"Should we return?"
"We…"
He pondered about asking her to take him to the bridge, so he can look out and see what's happening outside the ship, but now he's reconsidering it, because of that… experience.
"...Yes, we should"
She let go of his arms, he didn't even realize it, but she was holding on to him tight the whole time.
"Of course… of course, let's make this quick…"
—-~----
Schen observed Captain Vaiya as she left the medical room, he noted her sudden return to her previous well mannered behavior, he can still see a tinge of anxiety in her eyes and movements however, and realized how similar it was to Koern's behavior. Anxiety, unease, massive discomfort, moving around constantly, and eyes snapping to random positions as if they're trying to catch something on the move. It was unmistakable, Schen recalled back to his conversation with Koern, about something he said.
'it's… distressing'
Koern did look at the images before coming to him, and it was clear the images caused it, if Vaiya had something similar or identical happen, he can assume the cause for her distress is the same. But one question remains that still baffles him: how? How do random images do that? Implanting irrational fear into someone, making them see things that aren't there, what is happening? And now that he considers it, he did see the images, is he going to fall victim to the same thing? Why hasn't he felt anything if those images can do that to someone through just a mere look at it?
One question leads to another, and it all gets more complicated the longer he tries to solve it. He wanted to ignore it, maybe they were just unstable and he misjudged the whole thing, but he can't help but feel there's something to it, it's clear those images and recordings somehow were sent by the creatures currently roaming the ship, he sees the connection, but why? And how? Psychological warfare? Maybe, that was the most rational answer he could come up with. With their clear situation of being in the middle of an invasion, he can only assume such an answer, but applying it to only a few specific targets seems beyond strange.
He pinched his snout in frustration, before taking a deep breath and exhaling it as slowly as he could. Perhaps he shouldn't think of it too much for now, maybe that's how it gets into you, the shape… whatever it is. He looked around his surroundings, a 'medical' room, previously an office, he watched the doctors treat the wounded as he thought of his next step. Looking outside the ship should be a good idea, he had asked a nurse about the whole situation before Vaiya showed up, they told him the entire star system has fallen, Rosan IV was silent, any attempts at communication and call for help were futile, the other planets around the system, some are yet to be named, are the same.
That means those things have been here for a while, and somehow stayed out of the union's radar. He remembered the emerging stories of Rosan IV, how it became a ghost, how communications were far and few between, how many ships that traveled to its system went missing and ones that returned had signs of heavy damage on them, and how their crews looked 'lifeless'. If Rosan's system has been like this for some time, wouldn't that mean any ship that comes here would suffer the same fate as his ship?.
Why would some return and look 'fine' was beyond him, but a thought nestled itself in his mind, a terrifying thought, it made his blood run cold, the thought that these things have spread beyond this solar system, spread silently, in cargo ships that travel to every corner of union space. Suddenly people seeing shapes and hearing sounds after they look at an image doesn't sound horrifying anymore.
"////…"
—-~----
Faen sat in his office, for the millionth time, he stared at his computer, for the millionth time, he opened the files containing the Qrid military spending, for the millionth time, he looked at the reports file, for the millionth time. It has always been like this, being a general wasn't all about giving orders and making war plans, most of his time was spent in front of his computer, looking at the passive activity of his army, and its spendings, receiving calls or calling someone to see if he can learn something new about someone else's army. Look at pirate reports, raiders, terrorists, radicalist, sometimes cultists, it has always been like this, looking away at the computer, looking at files, always has been.
He wouldn't say he couldn't make wartime decisions, if one were to ever occur, he's always confident he can, after all he has learned from both his father and many mentors. He trained for it, for war, he trained how to control an army in such a situation for pretty much his whole life, he doesn't have to, but it's better to know how to fight than not at all. You never know when it'll come, maybe now, maybe in years during your old days, maybe never, but if it ever does come, he knows what to do, whether he likes it or not. It's a part of his pride, his identity, though he couldn't say much about his son, and everyday he worries about not having a successor, not having someone to pass the torch to, and as time marches on indiscriminately, his worry can only grow.
Sometimes he wondered if should've been harsh, and not fulfill his wish to go to university so he can learn computer science, and put him in the very school he himself went through to become what he is now. But that's not a good father, isn't it? It would be against his wish, and he would've needed to force him, it's what his son's grandfather did… to him, he still thinks about it, about his original dream. A singer, a far cry from a supreme general, he remembered the angry face of his father upon learning what he wanted to be, it felt like it happened just yesterday. He never liked it, not once, despite managing to prove himself worthy as a leader of an army in the end of everything.
And to think, he was almost like that, to his own son, he couldn't handle the thought. Faen took his eyes off the screen, just for a moment, and looked at another one, a camera display, showing his son's room. Rana was sleeping, as usual and as he should be at a time like this, he looked at him through the screen, at his arm, and thought about his latest conversation with the woman he loved.
"Disappointment, huh?"
He felt a subtle pain in his chest out of nowhere, he opened the drawer on his desk through a motion that tells of excessive habit, and absentmindedly took his medication without looking. With a sigh, he looked at a small button to his right. There was a screen above it that had a list of people considered significant enough to be contacted by him directly, which ranged from the supreme generals of other species, to the head maiden that cleaned his and his son's bedroom. He looked for a specific one that he recently added, the surgeon that is the head of operation for the trials he had put Rana through for the last few cycles, the trials that he and his mother show complete disapproval to.
He found it and clicked the button, it was answered after some time and he entered a call with the surgeon.
"A pleasure to speak with you general"
"Hrm…"
"Is there something you wish to ask of me?"
"Yes… we should stop, no more trials"
"If that is what you want, then I will gladly comply, but may I ask why for the sudden stop? You seem invested in this when you first called me to arrange it"
"Family issues"
"that is-"
He cut the call short, and continued his work. Looking at the files, looking for differences every so often, making sure everything is stable and taken care of, and glancing at his son's monitor once in a while, and for the first time since his son graduated university, he smiled. Perhaps that's the right thing, to be a father, not a general. At least… for a moment, his smile disappeared as he received a call, it was marked as urgent, and was displayed on his screen instead of just a sound notification. He dusted his uniform and fixed any creases as he noticed the call wasn't just any call, it was a notice for him to join a discussion between supreme generals of each species and their respective leaders, that includes the matriarch.
It is odd he wasn't notified of this earlier, oftentimes these kinds of things have their own schedule that was discussed beforehand, a sudden meeting like this can only mean one thing. He accepted the call, and his screen changed to the display he's all too familiar with, a digital conference room, two lines of camera display, the bottom for the generals, the top for the leaders, they were all present, which is to be expected. The matriarch of Qrids, the Tekit queen, the Caevitan allfather, high empress of Enovia, and the Civean president, the current roster of union council, below them was him, and other generals, including general Cynte of the Civeans.
He still remembers his little offer to make an accident to highlight Rana's name, after the reveal of the Goels and the incident it was kept as a private thing between them that didn't really go anywhere. He doesn't want to talk about it, neither does Cynte, so it was technically a win-win situation, despite the unexpected and frankly out of their favor results. The call was oddly silent, no one was saying anything even the loud ones like his mother, they seemed to be waiting for something, or someone. Faen didn't question it, it would be considered stupid, so he too followed the silence. It was a strange and awkward few minutes of staring at each other not saying anything, up until what they waited for arrived in the call.
Another screen appeared above all ten screens, and on it was something he dreaded to see, the collection of red revolving rings, Cain. Practically every general present felt tense, including him, the leaders couldn't care less, except maybe for the Civean president who expressed the most worry as they all waited for Cain to speak. Sudden meeting, all members, and Cain, and considering their latest development with the Goels, this couldn't be good. The red rings assemble into the shape of a solar system like it did when it appeared on the monitors of his warship, and Cain spoke with his usual low pitched synthesized voice that everyone in the room knew quite well.
'it is no doubt all of you will question why I requested this urgent meeting, i apologize if any of you found it to be too sudden, but what I have to tell you will change your mind, and I will not waste your time, as we are in a race against time itself… the union has been breached by an invader, you are under attack, and in a process of galaxy wide invasion'
No, definitely not good.
"What do you mean by this?"
Faen immediately asked, as much as he distrust Cain, he must agree with his mindset that no time should be wasted. And it seems his question stopped a particular set of leaders trying to speak, stopping them from blurting out what are probably4 going to be pointless sarcastic remarks, so that was another benefit of speaking first.
'your union is currently under the invasion of a race that is arguably similar to me, we call them Shakran'
The display of red rings changed to a scrolling collection of images, images of… Faen doesn't know how to describe it, bipedal creatures, made of metal, and grossly disfigured bodies, with sharp claws and many eyes. Every single thing varies, some of the things in the images looked small and only had claws, some were massive and had what are clearly cannons as a weapon. He noted a certain detail about the images, they were blurry, and not straight, and some strange things were staring at the camera, while looking elsewhere. Something tells Faen these images were taken in the middle of active combat.
'They are a hivemind of machines, their sentience and sapience is debatable, but that does matter currently as their only goal is to destroy and conquer'
"Lies! If we were under an invasion from them, we would've known already! Besides… we already have an invader… we're talking to them right now"
The Tekit queen spoke with clear passive aggresive energy in her voice. Faen sighed in annoyance but kept it to himself.
'i understand the distrust, but it is no reason to make a sarcastic remark, however, you need to trust me on this matter, because their return can only mean danger to the union, and the universe as a whole, they are-'
"Wait, what do you mean… their return?"
'you all must've wondered how and why i and my brother ended up the way we did on that desert planet, what you are seeing on my screen is the answer to your question'
It didn't click for any of the leaders, their annoyed expression stays the same as Cain finished his sentence, but it clicked for every single military leader in the room, and it horrified them.
'my kind have encountered them before, my creators, it led to a war, a million year war, between me and them, they are what wiped my creators out of existence, and soon will be the cause of extinction for every single species in this union if we don't take any actions, since you refused, i have personally tracked every ship that left Rosan IV for the last six cycles, here is the data'
The scrolling images turned into a detailed map of the galaxy, with every single star system currently under union control included in it, there were red lines all over the map, they were all traced back all the way to one specific system, Rosan IV. A heavy weight rested itself on Schen's mind as he realized how far the lines have gone, to a point it crosses itself, wrapping around the galaxy in a circle, like some sort of a chaotic web.
'Rosan is lost, it is highly likely they have turned it into a staging ground, i know that we all have strived to avoid this, but war is inevitable, i have send a complete data regarding the Shakrans to all of you, please review it as fast as you can, and take your moves, as i will mine right now, alert your fleets, if they see my fleet entering a system, tell them they are here as an ally, i have been defeated once, i will not repeat the same mistake again, i hope you can catch up and help me, because there is no telling of what they will do once their setup is complete, and there is no telling whether or not i can do this alone'
"Wait! What should we do?"
'search and destroy, hunt down every ship that left the system, check every station, scan every inch of space, detonate stations, evacuate every planet they have visited then purge the cities and hammer the surface with orbital strikes if you might, but by all means… do not let. them. develop. That is all i have to say, my reinforcements are coming, but i do not know if there is enough time, act now'
And with that, Cain left the conference room, and at that very moment, it shattered, every world leader was either furious or dead silent with a look of horrific realization, his fellow generals went into a panic and contacted their fleets. Except for him, he simply sat there, unmoving and very still, staring at the galaxy map Cain had brought up, looking at one particular star system, crossed several times by the red lines, and surrounded by it, Sheneae XI, isn't that?... The solar system his wife is visiting to look at a newly opened hospital?.

“San Francisco Bay Area Residents Shocked to Discover Parking Spot That Isn’t a Mirage”
“Local Tech Startup Creates App That Sends Virtual Hugs to Ease Bay Area Traffic Frustration”
“Breaking: San Francisco Rent Prices Soar to Unattainable Heights, Now Include Complimentary Oxygen”
“Bay Area Locals Develop Revolutionary Method to Communicate Without Mentioning the Word ‘Tech’”
“San Francisco Residents Relieved to Finally Find Unicorn, Turns Out It’s Just a Scooter Startup”
“Breaking: Hipster Population in San Francisco Reaches Critical Mass, Decides to Relocate to the Moon”
“Local Coffee Shop Claims to Have Discovered New Source of Energy in Avocado Toast”
“Bay Area Man Invents Solar-Powered Fog Dispenser, Perfect Solution to Drought”
"Tech Guru Announces New Startup That Promises to Solve All of the Bay Area's Problems, Except for Rent"
"San Francisco Bay Area Achieves Milestone: More Dogs Than Humans Now Allowed on Public Transit"

Hello! I haven’t gone fishing since I was very young and wanted to get back into it, but I have no idea where to start on what kind of Poll, tackle, or bait to buy. I’m in an area with a lot of Rivers containing trout, pyke, and bass. Any advice or recommendations would be helpful, I literally know nothing 🤣 figured asking the experts would be better than rolling up and buying something random from the store. Thanks!

I'm at a loss here and am hoping for some new ideas to test:
I suddenly lost first-layer adhesion across all plates and filament types.
TL;DR:
Nothing seems to stick anymore. PLA or PETG, factory-sealed or dried, Cool, Engineering, or Textured plate, 0.2mm or 0.4mm nozzle. I've re-dried filament, hand-washed my build plates, wiped with 99% IPA, used different areas of the build surface, with and without glue stick, calibrated the printer, and tried flow calibration.
I'm out of ideas and looking for new things to try.
This is not my first printer, although I've been out of the game for about eight months, so I have a small stock of "old" filament. When I say I've "dried" a roll, that means at least 24 hours in a 100 F dehydrator. The hydrometer shows 18% humidity inside the dehydrator. Rolls go immediately from the factory packaging or dryer to the AMS. In between, they're stored in vacuum-sealed bags with approximately 3/4 cup of desiccant.
The X1C is about two weeks old. It has been printing perfectly up until "the event." I had probably 2 kg of PLA, PETG, and PA-CF through it, including a swap from an 0.4 mm to 0.2 mm nozzle. Two PLA AMS designs printed perfectly after the nozzle swap. Filament brands include Bambu PLA and PA-CF samples, factory-new and dried old-stock Hatchbox PLA, dried old-stock Inland PETG, and factory-new eSun Metallic Silk PLA. I used the Cold, Engineering, and Textured plates throughout, although I preferred the textured with PLA.
The third print with the 0.2 mm nozzle simply would not stick. I assumed it was the "new" roll of dried-old-stock PLA I had used. I tried again with another roll in the AMS that had worked previously with the same issue. Moved back to the 0.4 mm, thinking it was a clog; same issue. Since then, I can't count how many attempts, cleanings, slices, and plates I've tried with no improvement.
If this were my old Mk3, I would try a self-test and a live-z, but I'm not as familiar with the X1C.

Well, I'm weary and tired, I've done my day's riding Nighttime is rolling my way The sky's all on fire and the light's slowly fading Peaceful and still ends the day
—John Denver, "Song of Wyoming"

Part 1 Part 2
When last we left our intrepid explorers, they were camped at Buckland Flats near Salt Lake City. Driving down from Buckland Flats in the early morning, Nibbler and I are tired, but wanting to make some good headway into the trip. It's been an exhausting trip so far. The camping is fun, but when mixed with 400-500 mile travel days, it begins to wear on you.
According to my calculations (i.e. guesses), I think we can make it well into Wyoming before needing to charge again. And surely most cities in WY will have charging stations, even if they aren't the 3-lightning-bolt ones.
Okay, so I was wrong.
We roll into Rock Springs with around 57 miles of range still left. I thought I saw on the map that there was a charging station at the local Wally World, but no. It turns out that the nearest charging station is 104 miles back the way we came (there's one in Rawlings on our route, but it's 112 miles).[1]
I have no clue what to do. A call to Jessica at Rivian confirms that I'm a screwed. Jessica consults with her colleagues and they discover a small charger in the downtown area. The drawback is that it charges at ~15 miles / hour. I spend the day in Rock Spring's downtown, with exciting boarded up buildings, delectable no restaurants, and so little to see and do! There is a cafe at least, so I can drink some tea while staving off boredom.
Once I get a charge of 115 miles, I make my getaway. The speed limit varies between 70 and 80 mph, which will destroy my range, so once again I have to drive well under the speed limit.

Trucker 1: What the...? That Rivian jerk is back at it! I thought he was going west! Trucker 2: Are you sure this isn't the omen? Trucker 1: Don't start on that again. I told you that Ouiji board is just a game! Trucker 2: But how do you explain this guy and the ravens we saw back in Salt Lake?!

u/Isanbard's Tips for Driving on Minimal Charge:

Use Conserve mode (natch),
Drive no more than 65 mph, preferably less,
Use regenerative breaking as much as possible, and
Avoid superstitious truckers.

This should increase your range by a few miles and allow you to fulfill the prophesy!
Anywoo, we get to Rawlings with scant miles to spare. It's late in the day, and while Wyoming is beautiful, I'm not in the best mood and am weary and decide that once we get to Cheyenne we'll spend the night in a hotel. It was a great idea (except the not-putting-Nibbler-into-his-carrier part, but I had too much blood in my body all ready).
A quick chat about the Ireland Republican Army at a rest area later and Nibbler and I roll into Cheyenne, which is smaller than I thought it would be. The night at the hotel is much appreciated by all involved.
Next: No more butt biting? Yes please!
To Be Continued
1 As it turns out, Wyoming isn't too keen on Biden's plan to create an EV charging infrastructure...

Great physical condition Tyan 12x LFF Xeon Scalable server (similar to RX740XD). I'm curious how much it's worth if I was to make it available for pick up only in the SF Bay Area.
Details:

Server model: B7102T76V12HR-2T-G.
CPUs: 2x Xeon Gold 6134 CPU @ 3.20GHz (8c/16t each).
RAM: 4x 16gb 2666MHz ECC sticks (18ASF2G72PDZ-2G6D1).
Mezzanine card: 2x 10gb (M7076-X540-2T).
All PCIE riser cards are installed and includes 2x 8+6 pin power cables for the GPUs.
2x 1200w PSUs.
11/12 LFF caddies (1 is missing).

For context me M17 and my gf F17 have been together for 8 months now and when we first met she told me she had DID ( Dissociative Identity Disorder) from childhood sexual abuse and I was totally ok with that and iv met all of her alters and I’m dating 5 of them including one that identifies as male and I’m bi which works out. And she had told me months previously before all this that she’s a bit freaky and that she’s into me doing stuff to here when she’s asleep an I can do it whenever I wanted, and so a bit after she told me this I tried it an I knew she was pretending to be asleep but Anyways 2 days ago I go over to her house for a little bit and she’s picking on me for me picking my nose as a kid an I rolled over an pretend to pout an I pushed my but up and farted on her and I laughed and she put her hands on her face an poured so I felt back an huggers her an she rolled over an I asked her if she was dissociated an so I gave her some space incase she switched or something like that an a few seconds go by and she rolls over an out her leg on my hip so I pushed it off a couple times but I couldn’t and every time I tried to get up she’d make a sad face and a sad sound so I laid back down an I tried to get off by getting on top of her an getting up like that but she locked her arms around me an made a sad sound so I laid on top of her but I started to get uncomfortable so I laid beside her and she started to grind on me an started grabbing my but all things my gf dose when she’s in the mood so I kissed her and she kissed me back so I was like “ ok she pretending to be asleep “ and so I started kissing her an her had kept on falling in between us and I kept on putting it on her side incase she’s not in the mood for that but it kept on falling down to my “ area “ an her hand started touching it an grabbing it so I let her do what she wanted an then she tried putting her hand in my shorts so I lifted up my pants and her hand went in there and started touching it like she normally dose when she try’s to get me hard an she had trouble so I pulled my shorts down a little bit so she could “ touch it “ and she was jerking “ it “ like she normally did so I I started touching her an she made good sounding noise and so I kept going and she rolled over to her back and opened her legs so I put my hand down her pants and her hand kept on messing with her pants into tried taking them off and she helped me by raising her hips in the air an I got them off an I got on top an put it in an she moaned so I kept going an I told her to kiss my neck an she moved my necklace and started kissing my neck an I started kissing her and she grabbed my head an was kissing me aggressively because I told her in the past that I like that and then she started making an uncomfortable face so I stopped, an I asked if she was ok and I called her name and she didn’t respond so I put her pants on and the male alter replied “ what “ and I started balling my eyes out because I felt like I hurt her but then he told me that when they switched that it could be rough an take a second which I knew but then he told me that with the trauma that they have been through that the body has “ muscle memory “ and goes into flight mood and that’s why she started grinding and grabbing my junk and later that night I explained everything that happened and that I felt horrible for it and he said he’d talk to other alter about it and he said i wasn’t a bad guy and it was a misunderstanding of the situation. But for two days he was “ front stuck “ and that it’s probably worse then we think Well today was her grad party and I thought everything was ok an she said she was a little dissociated but we thought it was because of all the people so after the grad party she starts texting me an saying she feel there hands and that she feels violated and dirty, during the two days I didn’t eat anything and barely drank anything all I did was sleep an I was in a horrible state because I felt so guilty. So I called her and she told me she wanted to relapse with self harm an that she was anger but didn’t know why an then she went quiet for a while an my dad needed me so I said I’d be right back an I hung up and I called her back but a male alter voice picked up an I said “ Jason?” He said no and I asked if he knew where he was or if he knew who he was and said no to both of them an then went quiet an i asked if he wanted me to let him be an he said yah I don’t care so I hung up an now I don’t know what to do an iv never experienced anything like this before iv always stoped before she got too dissociated and I never touched her when she was an up until that moment she never had the “ body memory” thing ever so I have no clue what to do Can someone help?

I wrote this as a response to someone asking me for freelancer leveling tips recently in another post. It's just a draft written in one sitting but I thought I'd post sooner than later to help people out, if I can be bothered I may polish it as time goes by. Many obvious things have been omitted. Feel free to add your own.

FREE WEAPONS WHEREVER POSSIBLE

Plan ahead to bring back as many free guns as possible using this guide: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2931568179 The guide has some errors and omissions but is a great guide overall.
After you prestige level up and are starting anew, make sure to milk the early maps for everything it has until all free items are retrieved. At syndicate completion reward time, you want to be receiving mercers, not common items.
Using Mendoza as an example, I will bring back the Bartoli Woodsman Hunting Rifle and the Bartoli Hunting Shotgun from the dual silo area of the map. On the second Mendoza run, I will bring back the Sapper's Axe and the Sieger AR552 Tactical rifle from the villa area.
Every item you retrieve is one you don't have to pay thousands for.
Get the Assassins's HWK21 Covert pistol by neutralising and assassin in the first showdown.

*** You can bring back 3 items by carrying one on the back (useful for Isle of Sgail), one in the briefcase (vendor purchase, only some maps have briefcases), and one hand-held weapon such as a sapper's axe***
*** BE CAREFUL as the many a time a bug causes the item in the briefcase to not return to the safehouse, resulting in an item loss***
*** If you risk this method then ensure the weapon in the briefcase is a cheap one and not something like a legendary weapon***

*** Sometimes the HITMAN 3 servers malfunction at the end of the map when you exit successfully ***
*** I have noticed this happens repeatedly when I have retrieved too many free items in Isle of Sgail (everything you can bring back for free and carry) ***
If this happens, you lose everything and take another 15+ minutes to run this map again and finish all the objectives.
Solution: separate your item retrievals instead of doing it all at once - you WILL play that map again on your way to the next prestige level.

PLAN ROUTE

Check the map (press M) at the beginning of every map to check where the targets, couriers, and safes are, then plan the most efficient route.
This will save you a lot of time compared to just using instinct to navigate.

MINIMISE WEAPON LOSS

I use the DAK DTI as my primary weapon most of the time. This means picking a contract with Dubai straight after a level up. This solves two problems:

If you die, you lose a weapon you can easily obtain for free with a visit to Dubai
You won't have the lockpick on you sometimes for long durations (yet to obtain or died), and the DAK DTI quickly and quietly opens most, not all, doors. Doors seemed to be bugged, as some open and some do not no matter which gun you use to shoot them.

It has the advantage of being quieter than a crowbar when opening doors, and it is a suppressed weapon.
- One downside is that it is rather inaccurate, and long (sniper) distance kills can take a very, very long time.
If I die I will use the Assassins's HWK21 Covert pistol as my primary weapon, as if I die again, this can readily obtained at every showdown.

MINIMISE MERCER LOSS

Spend your mercers as quickly as you can, converting them to weapons and storing them in the safehouse. We all die sometimes no matter how careful (or careless) we are, and losing even 10k mercers is approximately another 2 maps you have to play to get the 10k mercers back, plus getting back the items you lost.
You will realise after many prestige levelings that you sometimes have many mercers left over before you prestige level. This applies especially if you're chasing the remaining missing pistols that don't spawn every map at the vendor. This translates to the amount of times you wasted on a courier or a safe. Skip the courier or safe if you have to go out of your way substantially to get them, it is a waste of time.

ITEM PURCHASE PRIORITY

I used to prioritise bringing back bulky and illegal items like sniper rifles, so I don't have to worry about carrying them back later, but I realised that this resulted in many pistol slots being empty at the end of each run when the weapons wall is otherwise full. This is because there are more pistols than other weapon types.
Prioritise pistols a litte bit more when purchasing from a vendor if you don't want to be wasting time doing another almost full campaign run just to get all the remaining pistols.

MERCERS VS TIME PLAYED

Aim for time efficiency over blind mercer gathering. I aim for an absolute minimum of 1000 mercers per 1 minute of in-game time.
Ideally, you want to get 2000 mercers for 1 minute of in-game time. If a safe is on the other side of the map, I often skip it and move on.
The quicker your maps the quicker you reach the 10k, 20k, 30k bonuses and your free reward weapons.

QUICK AND SAFER KILLS

Losing some mercers by not completing objectives such as "no bodies found" (1000 mercers), or "hide target bodies" (1000 mercers) is a good thing if it saves you more than 1 minute. Go ahead and shoot a target from long distance to save yourself walking across the map, or waiting to isolate 3 separate poisoned targets, etc.
Trickier targets that are embedded in areas surrounded by people can be easily taken care without triggering a shootout by dropping an explosive next to them, running away, then detonating.
You may lose some mercers due to collateral damage, but it is well worth the time saved as you don't have to isolate the target, or trigger a massive shootout and risk mercer and inventory loss.
Examples include many areas of Colorado, targets outside the front bay area in Bangkok, deep inside crowds in Mumbai, etc.

CHOOSE THE RIGHT CONTRACTS

Choose the contracts that you find the quickest and easiest. Some contract objectives take more time than others, and have a much lower success rate, resulting in less mercers and more time spent trying to achieve them. Hiding target bodies, or arranging an accident kill, or pacifying 3 guards unnoticed with a rare melee are going to take longer and more stress than poisoning a target with a dart gun, or killing 3 guards with a shotgun.
This is a personal preference but I've been just grinding the Arms Trafficking (80%) and the Big Pharma (20%) contracts.
I personally find them to be the most efficient and easiest for quicker leveling, and importantly, fun. Arms Trafficking contracts can be risky compared to other contracts though, but I'm well versed in combat tactics and map knowledge.
Big Pharma contracts can improve efficiency in showdown maps by using your dart guns and remote emetic device to poison suspects for identification.
With the Arms Trafficking contracts, the Shashka A33 Covert can be used as the primary rifle, and easily reobtained for free if you die.
With the Arms Trafficking contracts, weigh up the benefits vs risk. If you are risking a 21,000 golden sawed-off bartoli shotgun for a 1k objective, is it worth risking on a map like Colorado? Probably not.
Another benefit of Arms Trafficking contracts is that many a time you don't need to bring the weapons as they can be taken from guards or found in the map.

SHOWDOWNS

In a showdown map, isolating a target and aiming a weapon at them to trigger an escape is sometimes a very helpful way to identify a target without triggering a map-wide evacuation.
Shoot around them even if they have an escape icon above them, because sometimes they are the target but the "target is escaping" doesn't show on the objectives list until you start shooting around them.
If you don't do this, you'll knock the real target out to stop a map-wide evacuation, then you'll be running around the entire map looking for a target that doesn't exist, wasting tons of time.
The remote emetic device is great for isolating the showdown target in busy areas where dart gun use will be spotted. The remote emetic device is an illegal item, so if you're not in a guard uniform, put it in a briefcase, stand next to your target holding the briefcase, and trigger to poison your target. This is sometimes needed for a quiet showdown target kill in maps like Mendoza, where the target won't leave the area surrounded by people, and it's rather difficult to use a dart gun. That, or you can just use micro or duck explosives.
If you have triggered a map-wide escape, whether the target is already killed or not, no disguise will save you from the guards at the exit point. Running to the exit without killing the guards first is a sure way to die. Kill them all first. This another situation where explosives can come in handy.

RISKY KILLS

Avoiding death is the number 1 priority, even if you have to exit the map early.
Before engaging in a risky kill, always have an exit strategy in the case of a mass shootout. A shootout actually isn't so bad if you are in a room killing guards running through a choke point, given you have sufficient ammunition to fend off until you can pick up dead guards' guns.
Map exits can also be used to this effect, for targets and objectives such as kill 3 guards with a rifle.
Don't be afraid to kill non-target witnesses and lose some mercers, it can save a lot of time, risk and stress by preventing a massive shootout.

BE PATIENT

Waiting to prevent a risky event from occurring is often the right thing to do. A little patience goes a long way. It's false economy to believe that you are saving time by taking overtly risky actions, because if your impatience results in a death or campaign failure, you have not only lost progress, mercers, your inventory, and all your tools, all of which you have to spend time regaining, you have also lost the legendary item reward at the end of the campaign.

SOME RANDOM TIPS

Don't be afraid to get spotted by enforcers to save yourself time en route, you just need to run away fast enough and be out of sight.
The most useful items in freelancer are (very arguably) probably micro and duck explosives. They make killing embedded targets (that you can't shoot secretly and run) easy to kill and avoid shootouts and the risk of death. Dont'be afraid to spend mercers on buying them at the vendor. Use them wisely and they will make life easier.
If you play Colorado, explosives can help a lot as mentioned above.
Concussive devices pretty much useless (apart from objectives if you play that contract), but I discovered you can use them to open safes. Save yourself running around photographing documents and save your explosives for harder embedded targets. The remote concussion ducks take up only 1 inventory space and are legal items, unlike the Breaching Charge MK III (3 inventory spaces).
You can get the HACKL 9S COVERT for free from the Isle of Sgail map: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdJX-kS9XwE
Make as many mistakes as you can. It's how you learn and get better. I'm currently level 4565 and have made every mistake any player can possibly make.
It only makes you better.

I plan to go visit Nelson bay and surrounding areas with my partner and 2 sons. We plan to leave Saturday morning around 5ish, get there by 8am. Leave Monday afternoon. Is 3 days enough to see all of the port Stephens area or would you recommend staying longer?. We don't plan to eat out at fancy restaurants, moreso going to see the surrounding, perhaps whale watching, camel riding at Anna Bay etc. Anyways, is 3 days enough?.

So I’m from the Bay Area, and when I visited UCSD for Triton Days (freshman admit event), I used the trolley.
I paid for it, but my Bay Area trained mind realized no one was checking me if I paid nor was there a machine to put your ticket in.
In the Bay Area no one really pays for the BART (a PUBLIC train system) but everyone uses it so it is now funded by tax dollars while it doesn’t generate much revenue.
What happens if I don’t pay for the trolley when I live in SD this fall?

Pics of both posted at https://imgur.com/a/ajnR8cU
Enlightened Equipment Torrid - Women's M - black - 5.7oz
Never worn outdoors, tried it on at home only. Asking for $130 (MSRP $185) plus shipping.
Zpacks Arc Blast 55L in Grey - Torso short, Belt size small - 19.9oz
Used for 5 days on my shakedown hike, gently used - no holes, no cuts. Asking for $230 (MSRP $375) plus shipping.
Payment via PayPal or Venmo is preferred. Located in the SF Bay Area; happy to drive over the item for free.

For context me M17 and my gf F17 have been together for 8 months now and when we first met she told me she had DID ( Dissociative Identity Disorder) from childhood sexual abuse and I was totally ok with that and iv met all of her alters and I’m dating 5 of them including one that identifies as male and I’m bi which works out. And she had told me months previously before all this that she’s a bit freaky and that she’s into me doing stuff to here when she’s asleep an I can do it whenever I wanted, and so a bit after she told me this I tried it an I knew she was pretending to be asleep but Anyways 2 days ago I go over to her house for a little bit and she’s picking on me for me picking my nose as a kid an I rolled over an pretend to pout an I pushed my but up and farted on her and I laughed and she put her hands on her face an poured so I felt back an huggers her an she rolled over an I asked her if she was dissociated an so I gave her some space incase she switched or something like that an a few seconds go by and she rolls over an out her leg on my hip so I pushed it off a couple times but I couldn’t and every time I tried to get up she’d make a sad face and a sad sound so I laid back down an I tried to get off by getting on top of her an getting up like that but she locked her arms around me an made a sad sound so I laid on top of her but I started to get uncomfortable so I laid beside her and she started to grind on me an started grabbing my but all things my gf dose when she’s in the mood so I kissed her and she kissed me back so I was like “ ok she pretending to be asleep “ and so I started kissing her an her had kept on falling in between us and I kept on putting it on her side incase she’s not in the mood for that but it kept on falling down to my “ area “ an her hand started touching it an grabbing it so I let her do what she wanted an then she tried putting her hand in my shorts so I lifted up my pants and her hand went in there and started touching it like she normally dose when she try’s to get me hard an she had trouble so I pulled my shorts down a little bit so she could “ touch it “ and she was jerking “ it “ like she normally did so I I started touching her an she made good sounding noise and so I kept going and she rolled over to her back and opened her legs so I put my hand down her pants and her hand kept on messing with her pants into tried taking them off and she helped me by raising her hips in the air an I got them off an I got on top an put it in an she moaned so I kept going an I told her to kiss my neck an she moved my necklace and started kissing my neck an I started kissing her and she grabbed my head an was kissing me aggressively because I told her in the past that I like that and then she started making an uncomfortable face so I stopped, an I asked if she was ok and I called her name and she didn’t respond so I put her pants on and the male alter replied “ what “ and I started balling my eyes out because I felt like I hurt her but then he told me that when they switched that it could be rough an take a second which I knew but then he told me that with the trauma that they have been through that the body has “ muscle memory “ and goes into flight mood and that’s why she started grinding and grabbing my junk and later that night I explained everything that happened and that I felt horrible for it and he said he’d talk to other alter about it and he said i wasn’t a bad guy and it was a misunderstanding of the situation. But for two days he was “ front stuck “ and that it’s probably worse then we think Well today was her grad party and I thought everything was ok an she said she was a little dissociated but we thought it was because of all the people so after the grad party she starts texting me an saying she feel there hands and that she feels violated and dirty, during the two days I didn’t eat anything and barely drank anything all I did was sleep an I was in a horrible state because I felt so guilty. So I called her and she told me she wanted to relapse with self harm an that she was anger but didn’t know why an then she went quiet for a while an my dad needed me so I said I’d be right back an I hung up and I called her back but a male alter voice picked up an I said “ Jason?” He said no and I asked if he knew where he was or if he knew who he was and said no to both of them an then went quiet an i asked if he wanted me to let him be an he said yah I don’t care so I hung up an now I don’t know what to do an iv never experienced anything like this before iv always stoped before she got too dissociated and I never touched her when she was an up until that moment she never had the “ body memory” thing ever so I have no clue what to do Can someone help?

Norfolk, Virginia - NFK - /r/norfolk

TD;LR