Nine
The clearing
The shuttle flared and landed with a minimal flutter of thrusters. The door popped open, spilling Security troops into the small meadow where the remnants of the defensive perimeter still lay in the grass.
“Come on,” Jean said. “Annette, you have range and bearing, right?”
“Almost due south, Captain. That’s where Scanning said they were. Want me to take point?”
“Go ahead.”
The young woman led the file into the trees. Jean Barrett let Tim McNeal take the number two space in line, then drew her ancient .45 and followed. The rest of her Security staff fell into line behind her. They made it almost a hundred meters before Annette Wilson, on point, held up her hand, fist clenched.
She whispered, her throat mikes picking up the whisper and transmitting it to Barrett’s crew’s earbuds: “Someone coming in. Three, maybe four.”
“Move ahead slow. Tim, back her up.”
They crept ahead – ten meters, twenty.
“Hold up,” came another whisper from the point. “It’s Amoke and his troops.”
“Stop them,” Barrett ordered. “I’m coming up.”
“Captain Barrett,” the Avalonian entrepreneur breathed when Jean caught up with the point. Annette Wilson had Amole’s men covered with her carbine, with Tim McNeal a few steps away, his own carbine casually at port arms but ready to cover Amole’s men at a moment’s notice.
“Hudson,” Jean snapped.
“Are we ever glad to see you – and your Security troops. We were beginning to think you’d left without us.”
“We would have,” Jean pointed out, “If you hadn’t tried to maroon us here. In fact, we’d be on our way to Tarbos right now, with that final transfer chip I’m pretty sure you have on your person.”
“Oh. That.” Amole shrugged, reached into a pocket, and tossed a final transfer chip to Barrett. She pulled her datapad out of a cargo pocket, inserted the chip, and looked at the readout.
“Good,” she said. “Three point two million it is. We’re all settled up. I guess that makes us, well, not even, Hudson, but your bill is paid. Now, perhaps we can discuss a fee for getting you all off this rock.”
“Fee?”
“Fee. This is outside of the bounds of our contract, you know.”
“What about the final installment? The payment I promised you when the job was done?”
“Oh, we can add this fee to that. I think you still owe us three point two; let’s call it another three point two. I’ve seen your financials, Mr. Amole; I think you can afford that.”
“Fine. Fine. Weems, program a transfer chip. Six point four million, just like the Captain here said.”
Weems, his hand still shaking, extracted his datapad. From another pocket, he took a blank transfer chip, inserted it into an encrypted port, and tapped away for a few moments.
When that was done, he handed the chip to Jean Barrett, who holstered her .45 and pulled out her own small datapad to verify.
“Good,” she said after a moment. “Six point four, as agreed. Hudson, I think your men can get you back to the landing site. Wait there. Don’t try anything; the shuttle’s locked down. In fact, Weems, hand over your datapad; I don’t want you trying anything.”
Frowning, the hacker handed his ‘pad over. Jean took it, handed it to Tim McNeal, who dropped it unceremoniously into a cargo pocket.
“Where will you be?” Amole asked.
“We still have two missing people. We’re going to get them back.”
“How do you even know they’re alive?” one of the bodyguards objected.
“We’re alive,” came a familiar voice from the trees. The group turned to see Hector Gomp and Annette Wilson approaching, armed and equipped, seeming none the worse for wear.
Jean Barrett felt her eyebrows rise. “What the hell? What are you two doing here?”
Hector Gomp grinned his broad grin at the Captain. “Dunno, Cap’n. They just gave us back our weapons and gear, some of them had it all along – and then they shoved us in this direction. Then they just moved on – looked like they were headed northeast. Not towards the landing site, anyway. So we set out to find you.” He looked back down the line. “See you got the cargo with you.”
“Yes,” Barrett snapped. “Not sure why, but yes. I suppose we’ll have to lift them off this planet, although it would serve them right to be left here with the Hive. Wonder how long they’d last?”
“Not long.” Gomp looked reflective; he was thinking of the Hive’s light show.
“All right. Let’s head back to the shuttle. Gomp, since you’ve been on break, you can take point.”
“Roger that, Cap’n.” Gomp moved off.
***
In the trees
Five Hive members – a hunt leader, two fire-tenders, and two gatherers – were waiting. When the column of strangers appeared, the hunt leader waved a tentacle, displayed a brief light show – and then the Hive moved.
Hector Gomp heard them coming before he saw them, at least five creatures, moving very quickly. “Heads up!” he shouted. “Hive coming in!” But the creatures moved impossibly fast and were on the column before anyone could raise a gun. With uncanny precision, each of the Hive creatures snatched up one of Hudson Amole’s men – the biggest one grabbed Amole himself – and, wrapping them in a nest of tentacles, dashed into the forest.
“What the…”
They couldn’t shoot; the chances of hitting Amole or one of his men were too great. The Shade Tree crew could only stand and watch as the Hive rolled away with their captives.
“Well, shit,” Gomp muttered. “Well, Cap’n? What do we do now?”
Jean looked at the trees, some of the undergrowth still swaying. “Well, I’m not sure. These assholes were willing to wipe these things out – or at least kill enough of them to give them breathing room. I’m half inclined to leave them here.”
“They let Annette and I go,” Gomp pointed out.
“Yeah, but you hadn’t done anything aggressive against them.”
“Still, Cap’n…”
Jean shrugged. “Oh, all right. What the hell. Let’s follow, at a safe distance – we can at least see what develops.”
“I’ll take the point,” Gomp volunteered. The Shade Tree party headed off through the woods, slowly, quietly.
***
To the east
The Hive rolled into some low hills, their captive still firmly bound in tentacles. Amole’s men still had their sidearms; the Hive didn’t seem to recognize them as weapons. The scout’s carbines had been taken and discarded.
Suddenly, the Hive stopped. The creatures withdrew their tentacles. Amole and his men crashed to the ground. The Hive formed a semicircle, pushing the entrepreneur and his men forward.
“Looks like a box canyon,” Ganz said.
“They sure as hell want us to go in there.”
Ganz laid a hand on the butt of his pistol, but… “There’s too many of them to shoot our way out, Boss. Best go ahead – we can defend ourselves in there if we have to. Looks like only one way in or out.”
“All right – let’s go.” They walked ahead, even as the Hive members moved into a line, blocking the canyon’s mouth. It was indeed a box canyon, small, perhaps a hundred meters deep, fifty wide, with only about a ten-meter gap at the opening. The floor of the canyon was covered with brown, greasy-looking brush.
“Well,” Hudson Amole muttered, “Here we are.”
***
Through the hills, in the valleys, more of the various pods of the Hive began to move. They gathered throwing stones and spears and drifted towards the box canyon where Hudson Amole and his men were held under siege. They drifted through the forests in threes and fours, the small groups merging into tribes as they grew closer, the hunt leaders of small groups conferring as they combined, and higher leaders emerging for reasons that were apparent only to the Hive. The new leaders of the larger groups moved the others on.
One group drifting down from the north, from the closed, uphill end of the box canyon, paused to allow their fire-tenders to build up a fire. Several of the gatherers used flint choppers to cut large branches. They wrapped thick, greasy native grasses around the larger end of the branches, and plunged them into the fire. Holding these blazing torches aloft, they moved on. ***
Kill them with fire?
Sad. Hudson’s team will never be able to use that class they took to defend themselves against pointed sticks.
What if you are attacked with a banana?
You release the tiger, of course!
“Should’ve taken the money Toombs” seems to have played out.
BBQ’d assholes, coming right up.
Just wait until they find out humans are delicious.
I joined a Zoom webinar over lunch to broaden my professional horizons. I thought it odd that the organizer allowed anyone to turn on their camera and microphone, as typically this privilege is reserved for organizers and presenters.
Apparently, they didn’t restrict the ability for attendees to share their screens, either. Multiple users shared Pronhub content. Very specific Pronhub content. Black-on-white sexy time content. Over and over again.
After about 5 minutes of this, the organizers hastily ended the webinar, to be scheduled for a later date.
That was something.
Mission accomplished!!!
“I thought it said professional broads!”
Alternatively:
“Was that wrong? Should I not have done that? Because I gotta tell you…”
Multiple users had the same fetish? You need more diversity in your org.
It had to be intentional, right? Your screen doesn’t share on a Zoom call unless you actually, you know, share it. That’s my recollection, anyway – I haven’t been on a Zoom call for 6 months, at least.
Yes. It was intentional.
Oh! So that was a webinar you wanted to attend! Sorry!
“It’s the profethionalism that I rethpect!”
/Daffy Duck
Here to help
The Corporate Transparency Act, passed in 2021, created the requirement. The law aims to curb illicit finance by asking many businesses operating in the U.S. to report beneficial ownership information to the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, also known as FinCEN.
Many businesses have a Jan. 1, 2025, deadline to submit an initial Beneficial Ownership Information Report.
——-
“Corporate anonymity enables money laundering, drug trafficking, terrorism and corruption,” Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a January announcement of the BOI portal launch.
Here’s the kicker: Businesses and owners who don’t file may face civil penalties of up to $591 a day for each day their violation continues, according to FinCEN. That sum is adjusted for inflation. Additionally, they can face up to $10,000 in criminal fines and up to two years in prison.
Prove your innocence.
It’s not just beneficial ownership information (as in, who owns an interest in the company). It’s a lot of personal information about each of the beneficial ownership, as well.
About as good a start on social credit scoring as you could hope for.
What businesses are required to report?
Pretty much all of them, kinnath. Corporations, LLCs, you name it.
Small businesses (private owners) covered or not covered?
It specifically applies to small businesses. If you have an entity it is almost certain that you have to file
If they are incorporated, an LLC, etc., then yes, covered.
not incorporated, no filling?
I have no immediate interests in starting a business, but if I get bored in retirement (whenever the fuck that might happen) I could see something small as being worthwhile.
Very specific Pronhub content. Black-on-white sexy time content. Over and over again.
Diversity and inclusion!
The man was on a Greyhound bus traveling through Altoona on Monday morning, sources said, when he got off and walked into a McDonald’s where a witness recognized him from the images of the suspect circulated by police, sources said.
The man had a similar gun to the one used in Wednesday’s assassination-style killing outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel, sources said.
One of the Altoona man’s fake IDs also matched the fake ID shown by the suspected gunman when he checked into an Upper West Side hostel before the shooting, sources said.
Hmmm…
https://abcnews.go.com/US/unitedhealthcare-ceo-shooting-latest-net-closing-suspect-new/story?id=116591169
PORED, damn it!!/pet peeve rant
Bad pores are truly a blemish on speech.
Preach it, sister.
See, also, “payed”.
And don’t get me started on “utilize”.
I gave you a shout-out in the morning links, counselor, while I correctly used ‘paid’.
I also thought about dragging you into the ‘ambit’ vs. ‘scope’ thread.
And you correctly utilized “used”. Much appreciated.
you put paid to the prattle about you not having properly paid the pied piper?
We don’t want this whole line of argument to be payed out again.
The man had a similar gun to the one used in Wednesday’s assassination-style killing outside a Midtown Manhattan hotel, sources said.
One of the Altoona man’s fake IDs also matched the fake ID shown by the suspected gunman when he checked into an Upper West Side hostel before the shooting, sources said.
Are you fucking kidding me?
Guy was bright enough to plan this and disappear, but didn’t get rid of the ID and fire arm.
More MK Ultra fun and games.
The feds aren’t even trying anymore.
Pretty damn stupid, definitely not a pro.
There’s a huge difference between executive function and practical intellect.
He could have used a month’s training in Chicago
I would have bet money they were at the bottom of a river or at least buried in the woods somewhere.
There is no world where the killer is so stupid that he kept the gun and the ID.
There is a world where the killer sold his ID and gun to some random moron.
Bizarre…
And I don’t believe it.
We are talking about PA here…
I’m really supposed to believe this guy left Manhattan on a bus 5 days ago, and has just been riding around since then on buses, carrying his fake ID and gun the whole time?
And was IDed based on a picture if a guy carrying some other backpack and wearing some other hoodie?
Psst, buddy, can I interest you in a bridge in Brooklyn?
If this is supposed to be a fall guy, the Man picked a good one. A cute, highly intelligent, socially immature, anti-capitalist tech whiz. Just exactly the type of person who could plan and carry out a job like this, but never in a million years get away with it.
It was Jack Reacher!
Heresy
It’s shorthand for a set of policies that support oil and natural gas — and simultaneously, every other form of domestic energy, including solar, wind, geothermal and nuclear. The phrase has been around for decades. It appears to have been first promoted by the fossil fuel lobby before being embraced by a Democratic president, Barack Obama. For Obama, the phrase meant supporting natural gas and pursuing cheap gasoline while also investing in renewable power. Today, it’s a mainstream Republican position on energy.
President Biden, some argue, also supported “all of the above” in practice — although he didn’t use the phrase. But he only supported it in the near term. For the long term, he promoted green energy instead of fossil fuels, talking about a “clean energy transformation” that would remake the economy and address the climate crisis by gradually phasing out oil.
In contrast, the version of “all of the above” being talked about in conservative circles today asserts that oil is here to stay — but it leaves room for cleaner energy, too.
Keep all our options open? That’s just crazy.
Waiting at the doc for a routine appointment and an old lady is blasting some TV program on her phone. Unfuckingbelievable.
That is a day that ends in “y” in NYC in just about any public place.
It’s how you know you are old.
It would be funnier if it was black on white porn at top volume.
She’s an old black lady, sounds like a rerun of Showtime at the Apollo or some shit.
I have a thousand burning suns hatred for those who carry on phone conversations with the speakers on. There’s no way in hell would I want anyone to listen to a conversation I’m having on the phone.
My boss was giving me a ride once and his daughter called.
He ran it through the stereo on Bluetooth.
They talked for about 20 minutes.
I learned way more about his daughter’s issues with his wife and money than I was comfortable knowing.
Why would you do that?
I definitely would have told my daughter that I would call her back and we have a very drama free relationship.
Counter like the people from Chipping Pioneer’s webinar?
See, I figured Chipping Pioneer was one of the people who shared his Pornhub screen.
Guy was bright enough to plan this and disappear, but didn’t get rid of the ID and fire arm.
My suspension of disbelief only goes so far.
Penny not guilty.
Whoops, old(ish) news it seems.
The man also had a two-page document railing against the health care industry and suggesting violence is the answer, a police official who has seen the document told CNN.
https://www.cnn.com/2024/12/09/us/unitedhealthcare-ceo-brian-thompson-shooter-monday/index.html
Wut?
Tack on counterfeiting charges!
Am I supposed to believe that the guy’s real name is Luigi Mangione? And that Altoona is a real place?
Altoona was named for the the inventer of the Toon, Alfred Toona
He was working with Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti.
Chuck’s son.
Luckily the aliens were very discerning when it came to picking out who their enemies are.
Thanks again for all these stories, very entertaining.
Yeah, for a bunch of two-legged predators, they were awfully discriminating.
Dragging this over from the ded thread since I was late:
Reply
No mention of all his arrests.
No mention of him threatening people that day.
No mention of the hispanic man and black man that assisted Penny to hold Neely down.
no mention of the fact all the people in the car with Neely told the cops Penny did the right thing.
Here is how the AP describes it:
“subway rider”
They really are the enemy of the people.
OTH – they made sure to note he is a veteran.
Old habits of the MSM post Vietnam never change.
Standing in a subway car, minding his own business . . . .
Made zero physical and verbal threats.
He was merely begging for food.
Undoubtedly had turned his life around and was thinking of going to college.
What businesses are required to report?
Any business not already required to provide beneficial ownership info. We cannot be too careful when it comes to terrorism and money laundering.
Don’t get me started on the “conflict minerals report” I had to file because one of our instruments had a few gold connectors in a sealed unit that we bought from a supplier.
I have been putting it off but I guess I better get to it. There are several pages of information about the business owner(s).
The big deal to my mind is that you have to upload clear images of each owner’s driver’s license or passport or equivalent id. To a database controlled by FINCEN…
It’s crazy. Wasn’t there a court order in Texas suspending it?
How do I submit an article for an editor (Tonio) to look at?
I’ve been to the WP Dashboard, but there isn’t anything other than Activity showing there. No way to submit a draft.
You can reach out to the editors via https://www.glibertarians.com/submit/ If all else fails.
Did that more than a week ago. Tonio and Swiss told me on the Glibzoom to submit the draft in WP.
In the dashboard do you have a section called “posts” with a suboption of “add new”?
On the left, you may see (under Dashboard and Jetpack) Posts (icon for it if it’s collapsed down is a thumbtack point to the lower left). If you have that, and you can Add New Post from that, you should be good to get in to write it all up and then put it to Pending when you’re done and want it scheduled. If you don’t see that, e-mail will be the best option.
Why would you do that?
I definitely would have told my daughter that I would call her back and we have a very drama free relationship.
Seriously. Anything beyond “We need milk. Could you swing by the store?” and it’s “I can’t talk right now.”
The big deal to my mind is that you have to upload clear images of each owner’s driver’s license or passport or equivalent id. To a database controlled by FINCEN…
“Don’t worry. We’ll never turn your Social Security number into some sort of national ID.”
Did whoever fucked with WordPress check with WebDom first?
I _am_ appreciating the removal of that top element.
The editor was changed back to Classic Editor as well. It can be hacked and was turned off for a reason. WebDom just doesn’t make changes to piss people off.
All will be restored to good order.
Well, I was calm.
The world would be a better place if the WordPress people all reported to WebDom.
It’s crazy. Wasn’t there a court order in Texas suspending it?
According to the fucking article (!!!!!) , the court suspended enforcement, but not the filing requirement. I’m sure they’ll erase all that info if the law is overturned.
While Republicans are busy pouncing on the CEO shooter,
The grift is on!
It’s on the street…
Inside your head
On every beat…
The grift is … on!
https://x.com/NAACP/status/1866177083485073754?s=19
Fuck the NAACP. They were great from their founding during the 1920’s to late 60’s but since then became an organization full of grifters. If they were really sincere about the advancement of black people, they would come into the black community and lead the charge towards creating a culture were family, accountability, excellence, and self-reliance were paramount instead of apathy, anger, and broken families.
When a wave of shootings happens on the Southside of Chicago during the summer, the NAACP are nowhere to be found and completely ignore the fact that black culture has somewhat accepted a blatant disregard for our neighbor’s lives while a dangerous black man who was a danger to himself and others gets their attention.
An Irishman asks a Syrian the one question on everyone’s mind.
https://x.com/MyLordBebo/status/1866191289773174951
Hahaha
LMAO, uh, the economic situation isn’t so good.
How about – we have no idea what kind of bullshit rulers are going to take over?
Oh it’s Taliban. And they are planning to march to Jerusalem next. That will not end well.
No idea who will take over? Well, you weren’t given asylum from “Dunno”. Back you go.
Plus the “Syrian” had lived in Ireland long enough to have an honest to god Irish accent.
So the WP makes an interesting assertion with very explanation.
Are ‘ghost engineers’ real? Seeking Silicon Valley’s least productive coders.
A Stanford researcher says data on programmer productivity suggests 14 percent of remote software engineers get barely anything done.
https://archive.fo/onhi5
It took me until the middle of the whole article to figure out somebody ran an AI on a bunch of large corporate code repositories and hypothesized. From conversations with some IT folk I can believe it, but this article answers nothing other than presenting a sob story for the 32 “researcher”. I assume grad student at 32.
Run the same code against the technical support staff…