I’m about to get my Steam Deck and I want to make sure I have it all ready and protected so I was looking into getting some of those buttons protection, sticker, joystick protection but there’s just so many to choose from, and I’ve read that the stickers that cover the ventilation wholes to “protect” from dust, make the console heat up more.
So I just want some guidance on what’s the best kit to get, maybe if someone has bought some that could recommend, as I don’t want anything to go wrong with this purchase.
I’m even thinking on getting one of those docking stations with Fans included to help the device. Thanks for your time folks, hope you can help a brother out.
Peace.

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An unofficial FAQ for those to ponder over as they are going through this journey

Salaam, ya'll.
So I just wanted to share this story, cause I thought it make make some of you giggle.
A bit of background first. I am a revert of 6 years. I converted in 2017, wore hijab for three years, then when Covid hit, I kind of had a crisis of faith. I stopped wearing hijab, stopped a lot of things actually. Inshallah, I will be forgiven for them, but anyway. Trying to get back on the Deen.
So I recently, in the last few months, got in a very bad place (well, worse than it already was, but I digress) and began praying again, and by that I mean the Christian version of praying that I grew up with. I prayed to find some way out of the financial hole I was in.
One day, I stopped at a gas station I have frequented for some years since having moved here. New people had bought the store some time ago but I was never very familiar with them. An older Pakistani man was on the register, and when he rang me up, he explained that he had to void out the ticket because it had rung my item three times. I could tell he wasn't the most computer efficient person, being an older gentleman, so I laughed and said I wasn't worried about it because I know how it goes. Then he said it wasn't him, it was the scanner, and I said, yeah I know, I worked at 7Eleven for six years and I know how the scanners are. They stick when you want to ring multiple, and ring single items twice just cause they have an attitude.
And, wallahi, sisters this man looked at me and said "oh, you worked at 7Eleven, do you want a job?"
I stood there for a full 30 seconds just going Uhhhh, and then I was like, I guess. So I gave him my number and I had a job as a manager two days later.
Somehow, after about 5 years being back out of the gas station life, it only took two days to be almost fully in the swing of things again. It all came back to me.
Anyway, I've worked like the last three months there. There's been some ups and downs. I had to assert myself with the son a few times... Our Prophet PBUH was never one to use obscene language with people, but I am not the best among us, so I have to admit there were some impolite words used between the two of us, on his side first and in my side responding, and we've had a few blowups since then but mostly he is a good guy, and if anything, he knows I won't let him walk over me so now he treats me as an equal.
Bless his heart, he's as flighty as they come. He's the eleventh child so his parents kind of left him to his own devices, and I've had to tell the poor child everything from how to microwave a chicken to how to make chicken biryani (my stepmother was from Bangladesh and made it for us a lot) to the fact that Cascade might come in a pod but it's not laundry detergent, it's for a dishwasher. This is completely off topic but I just thought that was hilarious and had to share.
Anyway, back on topic. I was still going back to my Christian roots, and things weren't going the best. Being as they are a Muslim family, of course there was some talk of Ramadan being as it was that month, so I just randomly opened an old Playlist I had with some Islamic lectures I had listened to a million times, which was perfect because I could easily fall asleep without my brain attempting to listen hard to the video because I had listened so much my brain was like ah yes, background noise, is sleep time, zzzzzzz.
I had a dream. I can't tell you any details, unlike most of my dreams which I remember quite vividly, I can't tell you anything I saw. All I can remember about the dream is that I was told that of course I was having hardship in my life, I'd found the path and turned back.
I was kind of pensive for a few days, but eventually I decided I was going to try and do right again. I was considerably nervous considering they had no idea I was Muslim (my coworker didn't believe me that I was until I showed him my Muslim Pro app that said my member joined date was June 16, 2017) and also I am fairly certain I am the only white Muslim girl in the town. I live in a farming community in rural Virginia, Bible Belt territory, so I was very scared about wearing hijab again. I kind of eased into it and started wearing a turban, but I forgot how much they hurt my ears, so eventually sheer physical discomfort pushed me into wearing hijab again.
I've been back to wearing it about a month now, and not only has not a single person given me an issue about it, I was extremely shocked to discover there is a sizeable Muslim population in my town. The only problem is everyone thinks I am my coworker's wife, which I don't really get but whatever, how I can only been there for three months and somehow also married to him, I find confusing.
Anyway, at work today I went outside to have a break. I have both arthritis and fibromyalgia, my right hip has arthritis because that hip likes to randomly pop out of that socket and that joint is permanently angry and the rest of the lovely full body pain is fibro. Being back on my feet on concrete is not the easiest on my pain, so periodically I have to sit down on the ground and sit crossleg to stretch my hip out and it was a lovely day so I went outside.
Break done, I stood up and tried to go back inside, which didn't really work because...
MY HIJAB ATE ME.
The wind picked up at just that time, and the first two loops of my hijab flipped forward and ATE MY FACE.
It took an entire literal minute to find my way out of my hijab, sisters. Now I wear a snap hijab under my scarf, and the bottom piece of my hijab was still in place, so you know, neither my hair nor neck was showing but it was still embarrassing as all get out.
I couldn't find the OPENING. Meanwhile my other coworker, not the flighty one, was laughing at me because he was changing the trash and here I was being eaten by a headscarf.
I kind of feel proud of my hijab pinning ability, though, as I didn't even have to adjust it once I got it flipped back over my head. Didn't move an inch.
Anyway, any of ya'll ever get eaten by a hijab?

ne! can explain what the best ship is todo the plot line, i was itended todo it with the gambit, but it seems i have to destroy a station down the line so i need something stronger do i?

I DJ for a community radio station, where we broadcast live from an air studio. While I typically use vinyl and CDs, I'm looking at controllers/platforms for playing streaming digital music over the air, essentially to fill the gaps in my physical collection. At this point, I'm deciding between Serato and Traktor.
While I'm generally more interested in Traktor for its functionality, I can't deny that Tidal integration in Serato would be really, really helpful for my purposes. While Traktor integrates Beatsource, that library pales in comparison to that of Tidal. So, at this point, I feel like I'm leaning toward Serato despite my better judgement.
Has anyone opted for Serato for the strength of its streaming integration, and been satisfied? Can any Traktor loyalists make the case for if/why I might be leaning in the wrong direction? Would really appreciate input from anyone who knows this space well. Thanks!

Hey all, another question- a few really. Buckle up, this one is gonna be big.
So, to clarify some prior posts, I work in a level 18 office in SoCal (not clarifying further for plausible deniability anonymity reasons). Four routes, three PTF clerks (FTF position in arbritration), and a LOT of problems. Those being, we only have two RCA's, one is on medical and fighting labor to even get treatment while the other is 6-days acting regular on an overburdened (~49hweek K route + DACA-5 every week) route.
So, a good few things: I was an RCA before, and thus have the training to run routes. I've done so for our Auxi before, and have not been appropriately paid for the mileage- but am not sure if it's viable for eTravel as it's personal vehicle delivery. At this point, I'm wondering if I'm even allowed to deliver routes, not just express- I've not gotten a straight answer when asking more directly.
My Postmaster is currently out on medical, he had a massive surgery and has been out for a good few months as is. We had an OIC come from, way away, and was doing genuinely fantastic work and fixing things that were long standing issues. Unfortunately, HIS home office practically imploded for something only a month in, his MPOO pulled him back to his district, to my knowledge. As a result- it's just us clerks, and the occasional nearby postmaster coming in for reports we don't have access too. We're doing CSAW, DCV, DMS, things that I'm fairly sure we're good to do, but some other ones- Scheduling, even giving instructions (instructing to pass instruction to carriers or other employees), feels like it's way sketch.
Yesterday we had a full route vacant due to callout- I called eight neighboring offices near and far, but with Saturday being a popular K-Day, there's jack squat available to come and cover. I'm there at like 2:30 AM on another postmaster's suggestion due to having a heavy and unexpected late UPS/Amazon drop yesterday afternoon, and it's enough it'll impact carrier time if trying to do my normal arrival times. (Note: All other clerks are otherwise indisposed on saturdays, I fly a solo ship and was told there MAY be relief later in the day if a nearby clerk in a single HWY route office gets done.) So, crap's hitting the fan, there's a whole route just fusterclucked, another one with a fairly fresh RCA that's gonna get in past 1800 as is. Eventually, I pull a big trigger- I contact District on another Postmaster's reccomendation (unsure why they didn't do it themselves, since I'm a PTF clerk...). I've never seen both my personal phone and hotline blow up so fast. Every postmaster nearby I had contacted is wondering what is going on- mind you most of them were told the details of my MIA route risking full failure to deliver- and others from farther offices immediately offering help later in the afternoon if I'm willing to case the mail (which, at this point to avoid being in a HUGE hot seat I am willing to do.) I'm already catching huge professional but passive flak from my Boss, but he's on medical, frankly should be resting- as well as the fact that he's not even hooked to the office in terms of accountability right now. The long-gone OIC is. I have postmasters telling me I made the right gut call- it was either being on the radar for requesting Aid on a level over what I usually have to (but with my hands otherwise tied), or get in trouble in one of three ways: Go into major OT (14 hr+ knowing my time on that route) and leave a lot of mail undelivered in PO Box, and fail integrity for all the PO box parcels and see if the RCA can help and get us both less overtime with the same PO box issues, or say 'not my problem' and end up on a big red flag list for failure to deliver- with me being the one that made the call to just not deal with it. Rock, meet hard place, meet blast explosives. It's already causing major friction with coworkers who hate being on anyone's radar, let alone district level management- fair enough.
How much of this am I realistically even supposed to be doing? I'm not getting paid OIC/EAS17-18 rates (technically no supervisor position here) rates, I have access to some head clerk tools and such, but by no means any supervisor, timekeeping or leave input, any of that. I just make the schedule, cover a vacant route with other RCA's as I can, and dangit if I don't do it WELL too, this being the first major issue, though one I was dreading to come inevitably given staffing issues.
What doesn't help either is that our steward is very much barely doing anything, and the actual rep is radio silent on myself and other clerks, same for the Rural rep. Glad I didn't join either of those, thank god.
Guess my questions are really: How much of this should I not be touching with a 0.5 mile delivery range pole? What calls am I on the hook for, given that I've only been verbally told what things to do, and that I'm a kinda, a standing scheduler? Was my call way too overboard, or was making sure it got done while doing a proper CYA with the call/communication a good call? Any other input would be, greatly appreciated. I just find myself anxious as hell about what's going on above my head, while still performing these duties.
Semi-related: I've also been informed though, that if I want to be put at a nearby city office to train back end OIC/Sup, I may well be offered it considering what I've been doing came to light in a big way today. Yay? Thank y'all for reading, and thanks ahead for any input. Ask any questions, I'll answer to the best of my ability.
Edit for TL;DR: Doing a LOT of things that I have no clue if I should be/if its above my pay grade, had a major incedent or so it seems, and seeking reflection and advice.

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?.
(a TON of RIC's)

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For me,

1. San Andreas. It has the most content, best gameplay, and by far the best story of the three games. It aged the best of the three and it has the most effort put into it overall.
   
2. III. Best atmosphere, and graphics of the three games, I will also acknowledge that the leap from 2 to III was groundbreaking for the time. But it’s aged terribly, the controls fucking suck ass, the radio is garbage, and it’s like a sixth grader wrote the script.
   
3. Vice City. I know it has the best radio of the three games, but it’s really just a copy/paste of III with a new story, bikes, and helicopters. Too overrated with how little it brought to the table in comparison to the other two.
   

How do you guys feel?

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:

1. Use Conserve mode (natch),
2. Drive no more than 65 mph, preferably less,
3. Use regenerative breaking as much as possible, and
4. 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...

Just got the MY yesterday, set up a few favorites in the TuneIn app for local radio stations, and can change the volume from the left steering wheel but was wondering if there is a way to cycle through the stations? I tried pressing the wheel left/right but that doesnt seem to do anything.

So have been thinking about a hypothetical Fallout RTS that could be interesting and Bethesda would have options for factions and mechanics so I thought of some.
Major Factions on launch
Minutemen
East Coast Brotherhood(Fallout 4)
Railroad
Institute
No particular reason I chose the Fallout 4 factions over the New Vegas ones I just wanted to have 4 factions on launch
DLC Factions Ideas
Realistic options
NCR
Caesar’s Legion
Vegas
Master
Enclave (Fallout 2)
These guys have decent options for content and useful array of troops that they would be realistic factions options
Possible factions
Enclave (Fallout 3)
East Coast Brotherhood (Fallout 3)
West Coast Brotherhood
Nuka World Raiders
Some faction from Fallout 76
These factions are possible but can't really think of much to flesh them out like how can I make the West coast Brotherhood stand out from the east coast variants. Thinking that the West Coast Brotherhood, Fallout 3 Brotherhood and Fallout 3 Enclave can be subfactions that you can chose when you start the game up
Strengths and weaknesses of the Base game factions
Generally how I thought of the Factions abilities is that I based on Lore and stuff we see in games, example give with the Enclave from Fallout 2 we see that they don't like outsider so that will be reflected in how they work
Minutemen- Good all arounder with easier time capturing settlements (more on that in the Gameplay) for resource production with maybe access to T-45 so they can hold their own against the Brotherhood. Also I am thinking they would be more defensive of the four base game factions as they will generally want to defend areas to hold out for reinforcements.
East Coast Brotherhood(Fallout 4)- Access to high end energy weapons and Power Armor. Weakness more Expensive Units and slower to build said units and capture time on settlements is slowed
Railroad- Smallest armies of the base game factions but higher quality troops and relying more on Hero like units such as Deacon and Glory and good tech options with Gauss rifles and Railroad Heavy Armor
Institute- Cheap and disposable units in Gen 1 and Gen 2 synths and powerful units in Coursers with maybe some Super mutants for fun. However Coursers are not cheap and slow to build and the Institute will have a terrible time capturing Settlements.
Some DLC factions Strengths and Weaknesses
NCR-access to good units in the form of Rangers and Heavy Troops but both will have a limit and are costly, for the majority will have to be the standard trooper. Along with this lack of good hero like units or none at all, can’t think of any charter that would fit except maybe Oliver or Boone along with a penalty to working with minor factions (I will touch on those in a bit)
The Legion- Cheap troops that level up the more combat they experience becoming better and better until reaching a limited number of Praetorian Guards. Good heroes in the form of Lanius, Joshua Graham, and maybe Ulysses. Downsides lack of a good tech tree with your better units coming from your soldiers being upgraded. Also when they capture settlements they enslave them for a time penalty on resource production as the settlers adjust to the new rule.
Vegas- Powerful Securitron Mk 1 units and has an easier time getting caps and can gain access to Mk 2 series. Downside said Mk 2 series requires the Platinum chip to be gained, an expensive and slow tech to research that would take a while to gain and would be an end game tech for Vegas. Along with a lack of good units outside of the Securitrons, after all the White Gloves run at the courier with dressing canes
Master- Strong mutants that can hold their own along with nightkin for more hit and run tactics. Downsides Mutants require a new resource specific to the Master, Humans which he will need to make new Mutants that can be gain from settlements of all types but is gained slowly and the Master has an option to take people from settlement for a cost of resource production for a time
Enclave (Fallout 2) best Power Armor available in the form of the Mark 1 and access to Gen 2 mutants to perform as a stop gap troop. Can not capture settlements only wipe them out and colonize faster than other factions and gain a production boost for them as well and gain more resources from their buildings
Gameplay
Every Faction has access to Hero Units on top of their standard units. These will be either Companions from said faction, Preston for the Minutemen, faction leaders Legate Lanius, or both if they have good options Maxson or Danse from Fallout 4. Each one will be better in different roles when compared to others like Danse would probably be one of the better ones from a combat perspective but Preston would be better in a support role.
There will be minor factions on the map like Boomers, Great Khans, Children of Atom or Brotherhood chapters if no player is a Brotherhood faction. They can give you rewards in the form of troops or abilities to aid in the battle if you manage to secure their loyalty, or be wiped out so no one can get it though it will be difficult. Also should note if they are secured by one faction then they will not be able to be taken control by another faction so they will have to be killed, though if the faction like the NCR gets the loyalty of the Boomers and the NCR is defeated then they go back to neutral. You can think of them like shops from Warcraft 3 where you can buy potions or items from them
Along with the more neutral factions there would be one the map hostile like raiders or hostile fauna that can be kill for exp for heroes or Legions soldiers
The map will have settlements around that are the key to getting resources such as food, water, caps and other items that can be captured and can act as staging ground for attacks. Idea based of the resource points from Company of Heroes
Once a settlement is taken it will have to be captured by force for a cost of production for a time or destroyed so the opponent can’t take it back. I am thinking that player owns it they can destroy it to prevent it from falling to the enemies hands
If a settlement is wiped out the player will be able to recolonize it for the same benefit. Thought it will be while for it come back online. This could be annoying to programed but it would be interesting to see
You can also build resource production buildings in your base that can give you resources but they will produce less than settlements but some factions will be able to get more out of them such as the Enclave and Institute.
Tech
How tech would work is that you can research it in dedicated buildings, for example a “research hub” is where you would research better armor or weapons. Another way is to have specific buildings to get it like in Starcraft, for example to build NCR rangers at your barracks you would need a Ranger station or something like that.
There would also be unique tech for some factions as mentioned before Gauss rifles and Railroad Heavy armor would be given to the Railroad and Mark 1 Power Armor for the Enclave.
Conclusion
So here are some of the ideas and general concepts of how I think a Fallout RTS would work and would like to hear what everyone else thinks.

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Mine is Los Santos Rock Radio.

...and it all seems like some sick joke, waiting to see the next big "climax". Each is more drastic than the last, as if life itself is trying to push me towards a mental break of my own.
I was never the most social type. I chose my friends early, kept them, and have maintained a few over the last decade or so. I can count my close friends and family on two hands, and that's the way I like it. But almost 9 years ago, one of my closest friends passed away after a long struggle with illness and addiction. He experienced a psychotic break due to amphetamine abuse, during which he experienced delusions and auditory hallucinations of his closest friends dying in torturous ways. His experience opened my eyes to another perspective to both drug abuse and the brain itself.
Fast-forward about five years, and I’m on the phone with my brother N. It’s late night, and he’s at his new apartment all alone. He hears my other brother B and his partner C (who live in a different state), saying terrible things about him in the hallway and he can’t believe they would fly such a distance just to torment him. I’m talking him through the experience, but he’s trying to snap photos of them from over the balcony, and I need to get off the phone and get in contact with somebody who can reach him faster than me.
Thank God my parents listened to me, and left their concert early to intervene. They drove him to a hospital, and after a few days, he came home. He got the hallucinations under control, but I still couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that I knew two relatively healthy young men who experienced these severe mental episodes. I just thought, “why does this keep happening to people around me?"
Of course, this is all before B.
I remember when C first reached out to us to explain the problems that B started experiencing. Prior to this, when he’d come to stay for a month, he exhibited manic and dissociated behaviors, but things were worse than we had seen. He was seeing visions in the skies, and feeling drawn to his higher purpose in the universe to a degree that surpassed earthly expectations. He would disappear in the middle of the night, converse deeply with strangers when compelled to do so, and lived in pure extravagance - despite his limited actual working hours.
After frustrating arguments with my husband about logistics and caring for my two baby girls (another stress entirely!) I ended up with two nights to go with my mother and try to take care of my eldest brother. We flew in on a Friday night, and once we checked into the hotel, we drove straight to his apartment.
The situation had already escalated prior to our arrival. My brother had already turned against his partner and his family. Since my mother made the mistake of defending them in her first minutes on the premises, he immediately turned against her. And so I went alone into his apartment, with the sole priority to gauge his mental state and determine just how “crazy” my brother had gone. My mom texted me from the outside, asking me continuously: “Should we call for help? How is he?”
Initially, I thought we could talk him into a hospital stay voluntarily - but anybody in a situation such as this might understand how difficult this can be. It’s no joke when Belle’s father is thrown into the back of a carriage and taken away: these situations are dangerous, and is there really any other way that they can go? My brother was unpredictable, and lashing out against those who wanted to help. He put a cigarette out on his arm, and carried a pair of scissors around in his pocket. He joked about the “devils” trying to keep him from being who he wanted to be, and to an extent, that may have been true. But in this moment, his stress and unhappiness had cultivated into a violent psychotic break that demanded professional intervention.
I don’t regret calling for help in this instance. I regret the fact that, at his age past 30, we had not drafted a written plan in case he needed this sort of medical intervention. In fact, there wasn’t any paperwork at all! As such, the police took my brother away, and he ended up in a shithole downtown for the homeless and forgotten - all because they could not share any information with us and we could not make any choices for him due to HIPAA, but he was not in the right mind to share information about his insurance or make any decisions for himself. And so the state took over, and he fell off of our radar. We drove from one police station to the next, from one hospital to another, but no luck,
B finally called my phone just before noon the next day. Thank goodness I had the same number since I turned 13 - it was the only one he remembered. The place they took him was a shithole - nothing like they promised, but what can you expect with an overloaded system like theirs? That just set the tone for the rest of our time, trying to get him in an outpatient program - trying to get him through an inpatient program - trying to get insurance to accept a program closer to us, or trying to find a program they’ll accept near home…
Life played out the way it did. There’s no right or wrong way anymore. This is just the way it happened, and nothing else will change it. In November of 2021, we realized my brother was sick. On May 31, 2022, he woke up and decided that he would leave us by any means necessary. That ended up being at a gas station pump in the middle of nowhere, in front of my father, who had the unfortunate job of trying to drive him to the hospital he liked in California.
And so my family began the “healing”(?) process. It took us four months to have a basic funeral, though it was just the close family and his ashes. C and his family flew out and spoke, and our closest friends supported us through the nightmare. C had already had some mental breakdowns of his own, but he was on medication now and his family seemed to be helping him through. We spent some time together, and he doted on my children, and delivered gifts from B that were intended for them. We took a rare photo together. I hugged him and told him to please, please stay strong for my family. My daughters loved their Uncle B, and he could keep his memory alive for them.
It was a hard and emotional time. I knew that B would want me to take care of his partner, no matter the drama between them at the time. I tried, with everything I had, to be there if he wanted me to be - but I was scared, and we are anxious people who value personal space. I didn’t want to come off too strong, but when he called me asking for permission to marry my brother in heaven, what could I do? I told him how much I loved him, and how much he already meant to me. I assured him that he was already my brother-in-law, that he had already been with my brother long past a common law marriage. Maybe that’s just the problem. Love is the strongest drug of all, isn’t it?
And so, less than a week and a half after that phone call, C went to find his soulmate through the same awful method of self-immolation. To his mercy, I heard that his soul passed much faster than that of my poor, beautiful brother. With an imagination like mine, it is not just the guilt… it’s just the whole fucking thing.
Well, if my circle is small, my living brother kept his even smaller. B and C were his best friends, and with them gone, I’m just impressed he has maintained any sanity at all. But now, as stress at work ramps up and his psychosis returns, all I can do is wait and see. This time is different: since I’m involved, he’s pulled away from me, and he won’t be as honest as he used to. His boss is listening in, there are cameras in the lightbulbs, and he’s been living on the “Truman Show” for a while now. He’s deactivated all social media to keep his boss from following him, and he’s currently been missing for 12 hours.
Everything feels hopeless. How much is one person supposed to take? I have three babies now, all aged 4 and under, and they need me to be strong. But I just feel so sad and broken all of the time. I had panic attacks before, but now? Am I doomed to follow the same path? I sleep okay, and I don’t abuse any medications, but god knows I’m a mess these days. I miss my family. I have no friends. My husband is working as hard as he can to help us.
I used to be able to count my circle with two hands. Now I’m down to one, and all the others have lost their mind and/or died. Why is this a thing now? How can I stay strong for my kids? I didn't know about this family curse until I was pregnant with my third... I don't know if I can keep watching this happen over and over again.

“Well, we fucking did it.” Ripley said, laughing nervously as he tapped his bloody foot.
“We ain’t out of the woods yet,” I replied.
“Almost,” he said. “Almost. Las Vegas, here we come.”
Without warning, I spotted someone in the rearview mirror, another black, unmarked and tinted pickup truck zoning in on us, flashing their headlights.
“Shit,” I groaned. “Is it a…”
“He’s a friendly,” Ripley said, as I looked back to see the driver of the truck held his arm out, his thumb pointing towards the sky.
“We can’t pull over, we haven’t even hit the highway yet,” I replied.
“I think we should,” Ripley sighed. “Just for a minute, see who it is. If he was from the prison, he would have started to open fire by now.”
We pulled over slowly, and I stepped out of the car, walking towards the truck as my heart dropped.
“Hey,” Tanko said, staring at me, an eyepatch covering half of his face. “You know me?”
He was around average height, with tan skin, bright red eyes, wearing a black jumpsuit with long black hair, and a charming but malicious grin.
“You’re Tanko,” I replied. “The prisoner, right?”
“Damn straight,” Tanko said. “I saw y’all did that prison breakout, basically the only reason I made it out of that shithole. Mind if one more tags along?”
I knew he had deeper intentions.
I stared him down for a few seconds, before answering. “Sure, but trail our car from a little bit away. Honk twice if someone’s coming from behind.”
“Got it,” he said. “And have you seen Dani around?”
My blood ran cold just a little. “No, last time I caught her was at the priosn. Never saw her since.”
“Alright, let’s go.”
I walked back to the car, walking in and sitting down as I sighed and told Ripley to drive.
“Tanko’s behind us in that pickup.” I announced. “He’s tagging along becuase I apparently saved him from that shitty-ass prison.”
“Oh, really?” Ripley asked.
“Yeah, I made sure he tags along from behind because he seems really fucking suspcious.”
“Guy’s a dangerous felon after all.”
The radio suddenly crackled to life, and an unfamiliar voice came on, searching for the Warden.
“Warden, do you copy? Have you detained the rouge guards?”
I realized the man on the other end was the leader of DOSACD, Smith, when I stared at Cerberus, as I pulled her in and whispered for her to mimic the Warden’s voice.
“Yes sir,” Cerberus said, her voice almost a perfect reflection of The Warden’s. “We have all of them in custody and are heading back to the prison at the moment.”
“Good,” Smith said. “I’m sending three high-level Unkillables to the prison to assist. I’m going to have the Mercenary patrolling the surrounding fifty miles for any stragglers.”
“Of course,” Cerberus replied. “Thank you, over.”
“Over.”
I punched the radio, causing it to crackle and fizzle as I groaned.
“Fifty fucking miles. We have to clear that or he’s going to be on our asses.”
“TANKO!!” I yelled out the window at the hybrid. “WE NEED TO CLEAR FIFTY MILES!!”
He gave me a thumbs-up in response, and we sped up, the off-road tires on our vehicle kicking up dust as we roared through the Nevada desert.
“Fucking hell,” I said. “Can’t you go any faster?”
“It’s literally the fastest it can go. And besides, if The Mercenary spots us, he’ll catch us in a second. That motherfucker can go faster than a fighter jet.”
“Go off-road,” I said, the headlights of our jeep flashing off to avoid detection.
“What? It’s just miles of desert.” Ripley replied.
“Exactly. They probably have checkpoints and roadblocks up ahead checking every vehicle leaving, so we have to just push through another way.”
“We’re going straight, then we’ll hit a gas station a couple dozen miles away and we’ll rob a car and burn the shitbox I’m driving right now. It’s been a long time since I’ve been on the outside, but I’ve memorized this entire landscape.”
“Good idea,” I said. “Keep going, as fast as we can.”
Ripley sped off-road and into the barren Mojave desert, heading for the nearest non-government road as we crashed through and ran over dozens of perimeter fences and smaller unmanned checkpoints. The atmosphere in the humvee was tense, we had tasted the small victory of freedom, but we weren’t quite out of the woods yet. The ground beneath the tires were bumpy and hard, causing me to jump in my seat every time a rock hit the tire, or we ran over a crushed electric fence.
Tanko trailed us from behind with completely blinded headlights in his truck, keeping pace while I tensely gripped onto my pistol with my blood-splattered hands. If we encountered even one of the mid-level Unkillables, none of our guns or even explosives would damage them, maybe if Cerberus was at full power, she could hold one off. The Mercenary was notorious, both in the criminal underworld and anti-supernatural government-owned agencies for being one of the former Five Leviathans.