The observant reader (that's all of you) may notice that Logrin and his combat computer, Celene, now have boxes around their text, which they didn't have before. I did this solely for the reader's convenience--the visibility of the text was poor without it, given the vibrancy of the background--and it's not intended to indicate any in-story change in how they're communicating. It's all still subvocal and restricted to Logrin and Celene.
My deepest thanks to those who have kindly extended their condolences to myself and Mister Black for the loss of Ben.
Logrin is playing it smart. Make sure it's not coming back to bite him. They're really cleaning out the base; grabbing anything useful, aren't they?
Re: A/N, and to Rose, yes that makes it easier to read, thanks. Whether your work ethic, or wanting to take your mind off things, had you making a page, thanks. I'd thought you would take time for yourself.
Ben has brought to the forefront, some thoughts of my own, that I had been glossing over, pushing aside. We have three cats here, two of whom that we have had since they were kittens, and are now both 17 years old. I shudder to think about it; about their mortality. Edge and Makar are their names, and your experience brings into focus that we should enjoy all the time we have with them. I still don't think we will be fully prepared.
Regular vet visits. If you notice anything, ANYTHING odd, tell the vet. It might be nothing, or it might be something sneaking up. Ben started losing weight suddenly in 2015, and he'd been throwing up while eating for a little while beforehand; it turned out to be inflammatory bowel disorder. You never know what's going to be a warning sign, especially since cats instinctively hide pain and weakness as much as possible. I hope you have many happy, healthy years for your kitties ahead. :)
We did have guinea pigs a few years back ... you never notice anything until they're too close to death to keep pretending.
Even our cats are a bit easier to read.
My heartfelt condolences for your loss. I've been to the vet with our old lady just yesterday (good news: he didn't find anything, bad news: she DID have something like a light epileptic fit on Sunday).
It kills me to just think about how old both of our cats are ...
Guilty of making too many trips to the vet to try and fix things that can't be fixed.
Every so often I get a twinge of remorse for letting my old dog linger far too long when it was obvious he was only going to get worse.
Sometimes I wonder if I was waiting for a miracle or just didn't have the intestinal fortitude to do what had to be done.
He was well over 16 (pound puppy of unknown age when we got him, probably 2ish) and had a large inoperable tumour.
We all take the responsibility of caring for our pets and we all do but sometimes we take too good care of them and prolong what shouldn't be, just because it's so hard to do what needs to be done.
All pet owners are going to have to face it eventually, but we almost all never do it when we should.
Again, my badly composed condolences to you and to all pet owners :(
If you need to shoot a threat, shoot until it's no longer a threat...or a potential threat.
The 'Mozambique drill' was added to the curriculum for a reason....the reason being that it works.
No matter what the lawyers who don't go into a fight say, NEVER leave an uncontrolled live enemy behind you.
ok i looked,, "slag pile" = rock outcropping..
but nothing in 'r.o.c.' ,, all i could see (blown up 300 times) is Logrin's armor..
panel 1, left ship.
panel 2, left shoes/toes. right dads rail gun.
panel 3, under left leg moms rail gun.
I'm beginning to suspect that Logrin's AI isn't in his suit but in his him. Although it can communicate with the suit, Logrin has some interesting temple hardware he didn't have on his previous model.
well it is unlikely to store more than sensors in the head piece. I just thought of a better use for the fusion cell. Use it to completely slag golden boy beyond the data recovery stage. That way his pals wont know what scragged it unless it was running a live feed.
I do wonder where Logrin was packing the rifle he seemed to have a holster for the hand iron at his waist in the shot he is side g it, but both of those vanish in the rifle shot.
I was under the impression that Celene (the AI) was mainly in the vehicle, and he was communicating with her via comm link.
Also, my impression was that the Goldies were living *somethings* in armor suits, or some other beings in mech suits. Bioengineered soldiers or something?
You can see the longarm in the previous two pages, he keeps it in his right hand while he checks Cyana with his left.
As for what it is, it does look a bit like a highly streamlined FN2000.
There's definitely a grenade launcher or somesuch because when you're on your own, you're your own artillery too...
Other than that, it strongly resembles a 39th Century standard issue Ranger Rifle. ;)
again under high rez, looked,, at no time do i see a "hand iron" , panel 1 (on right knee) i see a pouch at small of back, an 'tech' on hip.. panel 2 switch to left knee,, equipment shifted with.. panel 3 hip/butt armor with tech kinda blended in..
Nobody got (or bothered to get) the second shot of that double-tap soooo...
He's released several versions over the years, some better than others...
Much better...
But you, gentle and not so gentle peoples get the original, I suffered as a child, you get to suffer now :P
This one even predated the 'chickenman call' so maybe it should be the first shot ?
So is that weapon more or less a slug throwing shotgun type of weapon then? That's the impression I get from both the sound and the damage. It makes me want to load up Mass Effect 3 again, dust off my human vanguard, kitted out with that massive Crusader shotgun, and watch some baddies go ka-blooey. :D
Heh, could be I'm just seeing things I'm used to but to me it strangely resembles an FN F2000 with the underslung grenade launcher. ;) Could be it was just used by artist as a template because of its futuristic looking design though.
I am a weird one when it comes to animals I guess. Their death tends to affect me more than the death of humans.
Then again, the fall of a pure heart is the fall of a pure heart. There is few men and women as loving and as caring as our pets. And people think less of them?
If there is such a thing as an immortal soul of some sort that may be rewarded for being good and loving, I see preciously few people who deserve such rewards and plenty of animals who do.
I am a firm believer in Karma and in reincarnation. And I am sure that somewhere Ben is now taking his first new breaths. And if the powers that be are good to him he will find his way back to you in one form or other.
"Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should just relax and get used to the idea"
--Robert A. Heinlein
Now is the time for grievance and remembrance but that can't go on forever and one day, maybe soon...
You'll see another kitten, maybe a purebred, maybe a shelter cat, maybe a stray that shows up at your door
That little furball will give you the same feelings and it's too late, you'll be snared
Maybe you'll see a little bit of Ben in it or maybe a lot or maybe something completely different
One thing's for sure though, cats always come back...always.
Completely irreverant but I hope everyone gets the humour, even in a somber time.
.....after all, my tax dollars paid for it ;)
.."There is few men and women as loving and as caring as our pets." to quote Mr. Black .. "lock your dog, and your wife in the trunk for an hour... who is happy to see you when you open it.?!! ...
Yes, there is no such thing as overkill. There is also no such thing as "too much gun" and if it's worth shooting once it's worth shooting a LOT. the there is my favorite. Shoot first, shoot second, third and fourth, then forget to ask a question. :)
Yes it is blood and not the first time we’ve seen that the goldies bleed. I also agree it doesn’t bode well and brings a darker meaning to them talking about parts and replacements.
It could very easily be a mix of blood and hydraulic fluid, or whatever passes for transmission fluid in a bot/cyborg/bionic thing/droid/sci-fi being...
ok,, this a local reply...
Blood is a hydraulic fluid for the human body.. but modern hydraulic fluid IS toxic to the human body.. so what ever they are using is a "Tech device" ,, used to create the effect...
Found this as the frontispiece on another comic...
Very NSFW yet should be on every comic that's intended for mature readers...
Not to be political but...triggers belong in holsters ;)
Again...NSFW...but some people (nobody here) need to be reminded about the real world outside their 'safe zones' sometimes.
Hopefully the creatrixes here can see the humour and not yell at me...too loudly...
That's true, but in fairness, there are differences in the encounters. Feelie's squad were sort of lulled into thinking the gutter base was looted and empty, and Feelie herself was being kind of hubristic, so they were caught kind of flat-footed. With the first encounter here, they were alerted both by Skeeter, and having the comm tower destroyed. They were more ready, and Skeeter started engaging, but they still didn't expect additional cloaked enemies, however. Logrin was more ready, because Cyana told him they were there. He knocked out the cloak with the EMP, and shot this one as he ran out. Had they not had forewarning, it's possible they wouldn't have fared any better than Feelie.
Regardless of who the Gold things are, or what they think they are accomplishing or what they have been ordered to accomplish or by who....
I can think of no legitimate reason for any force worthy of humane treatment or respect to undertake some plan that starts with deadly assaults on civilians who have done nothing to provoke them, including the murder of a young child's parents in front of her and then leaving her out in the desert sun as bait.
These are not soldiers. These are either terrorists, or weapons whose manufacture and operation violates a dozen basic ethical principles. The Geneva Convention, or whatever has replaced it in this storyverse, does not apply to them.
Given their status as a hostile force with unknown equipment, "shoot on sight" is an entirely valid policy, and "light it up with an EMP so you can see it, shoot it, and then keep shooting until it's in several pieces" is not by any means a tactical mistake.
Re: A/N, and to Rose, yes that makes it easier to read, thanks. Whether your work ethic, or wanting to take your mind off things, had you making a page, thanks. I'd thought you would take time for yourself.
Ben has brought to the forefront, some thoughts of my own, that I had been glossing over, pushing aside. We have three cats here, two of whom that we have had since they were kittens, and are now both 17 years old. I shudder to think about it; about their mortality. Edge and Makar are their names, and your experience brings into focus that we should enjoy all the time we have with them. I still don't think we will be fully prepared.
Great advice, not just for cats, but anyone with furry loved ones.
We did have guinea pigs a few years back ... you never notice anything until they're too close to death to keep pretending.
Even our cats are a bit easier to read.
My heartfelt condolences for your loss. I've been to the vet with our old lady just yesterday (good news: he didn't find anything, bad news: she DID have something like a light epileptic fit on Sunday).
It kills me to just think about how old both of our cats are ...
Every so often I get a twinge of remorse for letting my old dog linger far too long when it was obvious he was only going to get worse.
Sometimes I wonder if I was waiting for a miracle or just didn't have the intestinal fortitude to do what had to be done.
He was well over 16 (pound puppy of unknown age when we got him, probably 2ish) and had a large inoperable tumour.
We all take the responsibility of caring for our pets and we all do but sometimes we take too good care of them and prolong what shouldn't be, just because it's so hard to do what needs to be done.
All pet owners are going to have to face it eventually, but we almost all never do it when we should.
Again, my badly composed condolences to you and to all pet owners :(
B: More dakka!
And then there's Centcomm, she would coldly and efficiently kill it 100 times, and then consider if she should kill it some more.
The 'Mozambique drill' was added to the curriculum for a reason....the reason being that it works.
No matter what the lawyers who don't go into a fight say, NEVER leave an uncontrolled live enemy behind you.
*amended
...right first taking care of Cyana!!! 👍
...if still possible put the compound into lockdown with auto defence active...
...and take that crate with you...
@a/n: Thank you, Rose, for still updating *comforts*
Edit: in panel one is this part of Skeeter or just molten slag - or both??? :o
but nothing in 'r.o.c.' ,, all i could see (blown up 300 times) is Logrin's armor..
panel 1, left ship.
panel 2, left shoes/toes. right dads rail gun.
panel 3, under left leg moms rail gun.
ie it's in his helmet, in his pocket watch, in his car … in his everywhere.
Bonus Internet points for the reference ;)
I do wonder where Logrin was packing the rifle he seemed to have a holster for the hand iron at his waist in the shot he is side g it, but both of those vanish in the rifle shot.
Also, my impression was that the Goldies were living *somethings* in armor suits, or some other beings in mech suits. Bioengineered soldiers or something?
As for what it is, it does look a bit like a highly streamlined FN2000.
There's definitely a grenade launcher or somesuch because when you're on your own, you're your own artillery too...
Other than that, it strongly resembles a 39th Century standard issue Ranger Rifle. ;)
He's released several versions over the years, some better than others...
Much better...
But you, gentle and not so gentle peoples get the original, I suffered as a child, you get to suffer now :P
This one even predated the 'chickenman call' so maybe it should be the first shot ?
he's everywhere, he's everywhere
Then again, the fall of a pure heart is the fall of a pure heart. There is few men and women as loving and as caring as our pets. And people think less of them?
If there is such a thing as an immortal soul of some sort that may be rewarded for being good and loving, I see preciously few people who deserve such rewards and plenty of animals who do.
I am a firm believer in Karma and in reincarnation. And I am sure that somewhere Ben is now taking his first new breaths. And if the powers that be are good to him he will find his way back to you in one form or other.
--Robert A. Heinlein
Now is the time for grievance and remembrance but that can't go on forever and one day, maybe soon...
You'll see another kitten, maybe a purebred, maybe a shelter cat, maybe a stray that shows up at your door
That little furball will give you the same feelings and it's too late, you'll be snared
Maybe you'll see a little bit of Ben in it or maybe a lot or maybe something completely different
One thing's for sure though, cats always come back...always.
Completely irreverant but I hope everyone gets the humour, even in a somber time.
.....after all, my tax dollars paid for it ;)
The Cat Came Back
"If you're leaving scorch-marks, you need a bigger gun."
:D
ALSO is that blood on the downed gold killing thing...cause I am getting serious bad vibes if it is.
I think they are leaving that question for us to speculate on till our hair falls out!
(I don't think we're supposed to know yet)
Blood is a hydraulic fluid for the human body.. but modern hydraulic fluid IS toxic to the human body.. so what ever they are using is a "Tech device" ,, used to create the effect...
Very NSFW yet should be on every comic that's intended for mature readers...
Not to be political but...triggers belong in holsters ;)
Again...NSFW...but some people (nobody here) need to be reminded about the real world outside their 'safe zones' sometimes.
Hopefully the creatrixes here can see the humour and not yell at me...too loudly...
WARNING !!!
corrupt… I mean .. follow. 😁"Datachasers...come for the amazing artwork and story...stay for the nudity, violence and profanity..especially the @#$%^&!! profanity"
…. Rose, can you help him out with the swearing, please? 😁
On the other hand, if you don't know how many you need to kill, you should avoid wasting too much ammo on the first one you see.
I can think of no legitimate reason for any force worthy of humane treatment or respect to undertake some plan that starts with deadly assaults on civilians who have done nothing to provoke them, including the murder of a young child's parents in front of her and then leaving her out in the desert sun as bait.
These are not soldiers. These are either terrorists, or weapons whose manufacture and operation violates a dozen basic ethical principles. The Geneva Convention, or whatever has replaced it in this storyverse, does not apply to them.
Given their status as a hostile force with unknown equipment, "shoot on sight" is an entirely valid policy, and "light it up with an EMP so you can see it, shoot it, and then keep shooting until it's in several pieces" is not by any means a tactical mistake.
I was like, "Okaaay... He's got a target approaching from his 3 o'clock, but I've never heard it referred to as 3AM."
Lol. I should've slept, last night.