Eight
On the surface
Gomp came to slowly, his head pounding. He moved his arms and legs experimentally; he had some bumps and bruises, but no broken bones he could detect.
Finally, he looked around.
He was propped in a sitting position against the smooth, slightly greasy bole of something like a half-tree, half-fern, facing a small clearing. Six of the cephalopod things were standing in a semicircle in the middle of the clearing, all the larger sort wearing the hides; each clutched a short, stabbing stave in one tentacle. One more of them stood about three meters away, watching Gomp.
“Yvette?” he said quietly.
“Behind you,” the young woman’s voice came from around the tree-thing.
“Move around beside me,” Gomp ordered. “Move slow. Be quiet.”
Yvette Langstrom scooted around beside her boss. “You OK, Chief?”
“Sore, but OK. They took my carbine and pistol.”
“Same here. I think my ankle is sprained, but I should be able to walk on it.”
Their guard moved closer.
“Hold still,” Gomp hissed through clenched teeth.
The thing started one of its flashing, color-shifting displays. Gomp and Langstrom watched, spellbound. Gomp leaned forward, fascinated despite himself – and watched as his own face appeared in the display of light and color on the creature’s body. He grinned and watched as the face on the creature grinned back.
“I think it’s trying to talk to you,” Langstrom said.
“I think you’re right – look how they all do it in groups. I think that’s how they communicate. But how they act – that’s weird. More like a school of fish or a flock of birds than a bunch of people.”
“Chief, they remind me more of bees or ants. It’s like they all act in unison – not really individuals at all, just sort of a hive.”
“Hive, eh?” Gomp tore his eyes away from the reflective lightshow. “I think you just named them, Yvette. The Hive.”
“Naming them, great,” the young woman groused. “But how do we get them to give our weapons back and let us go?”
“Fat chance of getting our guns back after Amole’s people shot a bunch of them down. In fact, it’s pretty amazing they didn’t just kill us on the spot. We’ll have to wait for the moment, watch our chance – we won’t get far with that bunch of them right there.”
“It’s going to be dark soon,” Langstrom noted. “Long day here, we must have been out a while.”
“Cap’n will be looking for us,” Gomp said. “Might want to start thinking about how to help her find us.” He patted his overall pockets. “I don’t have my datapad. Must have lost it somewhere along the way. You?”
“Mine’s gone too. Suppose they took it when they took our weapons? They even took my hideout knife.”
“Possible,” Gomp admitted, wondering for an irrelevant moment where the young woman kept her hideout knife. He decided not to ask.
***
The Shade Tree
The shuttle docked with a bump. Moments later the hatch swung open, then the airlock hatch, and a disheveled and thoroughly angry Jean Barrett stomped into the ship to see her Exec and the ship’s doctor looking at her.
“Where are the troops?” the Captain demanded.
“At the arms locker,” Indira Krishnavarna replied. “Tim McNeal’s getting them kitted up, all the armor we have, grenades, the works.”
“Good. Doc, here’s your sample,” Jean motioned to Mickey Crowe, who was dragging the corpse of the creature out of the shuttle.
“What the hell?”
“That’s what I want you to figure out.”
Janice Dodd leaned over the dead creature. “You said these things are intelligent?”
“Stone age level, but yes,” Jean said. “We saw them using fire, they have spears and they sure as hell are good at throwing rocks. They seem to communicate by some kind of dance and a flashing light show – I have a video of it.”
“Show me.”
The doctor took Jean’s datapad, tapped the screen, and watched intently for a few moments.
“Well, Doc?” the Captain demanded.
“Never seen the like,” Dodd replied. “I’m guessing no one has. Looks almost like a cephalopod from Earth – they can be pretty damn smart, you know, despite not even having what we’d call a brain. We’re talking problem-solving smart. Not like a human or even any other primate, on a different order.”
“These ones all seem to act in unison. Like a school of fish.”
“That would explain the flashing colors. That’s probably how they communicate.”
“I need to know all I can about them, Doc, and right the hell now.”
“Well. Mickey, will you help me get it to the infirmary?” The tall, silent Security troop nodded, slung his carbine, and grabbed a tentacle. Grimacing, he dragged the creature away.
“Damn it all,” Jean swore. “Where the hell are Tim and the troops? We have people still down there.”
“Right here, Captain.” Jean looked up; Tim McNeal was there, armored and armed with his carbine. Behind him Jean could see Bob Timmons, Yvette Langstrom, Annette Wilson, and Amanda Davis, likewise equipped; Jean breathed a silent sigh of relief that she had let Gomp talk her into buying Kobalt smart-fiber armor for the entire Security troop.
“Good. Get in the shuttle. I’ll brief you on the way down.”
***
On the surface
“Boss?”
When Hudson Amole realized that his bodyguards had stopped running through the forest, his first thought was relief that he had a moment to catch his breath. His second was to wonder what Thomas Gantz and the others were standing still, listening to. “What is it?”
“I don’t hear anything back there.”
“They’ve stopped following us?”
Gantz held up a hand. He pulled two enhancement buds out of a shirt pocket and tapped them into his ears. “I think they’re moving off to the north.”
“Why?”
Gantz just shrugged. “No idea, Boss.” He listened intently again. “Nothing. Just some brush cracking. Getting dimmer. They’re moving away.”
“Let’s get back to the landing site. Barrett’s people may still be around.”
“If you say so, Boss, but if you don’t mind, I think we’d better swing a way to the east first, get some room between us and those things, then loop around.” He pulled out his datapad. “I had tracking on. I should be able to get us back, even with a detour.”
“Lead on, MacDuff,” Amole misquoted.
Gantz nodded and led his employer, the whining hacker, and the rest of the scouts off through the trees.
***
In the trees
The hunt leaders, gatherers, and fire-tenders from two of the Hive pods had peeled off from the main group and had come together, quietly, slipping through the trees as the main body of the Hive moved off. The main body moved away noisily, crunching dry leaves and branches under their foot tentacles, to cover the movements of the two pods remaining behind.
The hunt leaders of the two pods carried three staves each. The gatherers carried pouches of round stones and digging sticks, fire-hardened and sharpened to a point. These woods were near the border of the territory between the two pods, and so familiar. The hunt leaders faced each other for a brief moment, exchanging a brief light show. They then separated and moved to set up, to wait for the invaders they could already hear coming their way.
To the north, the main body of the Hive went quiet, and slipped into a narrow file, blocking the way back towards where the invaders had fought them. To the east, there was a narrow defilade leading to a box canyon. The Hive extended their line in that direction.
Hector Gomp and Yvette Langstrom, having been dragged roughly to their feet by two members of the Hive, were following along. “Look,” Gomp whispered. “Those two up front – they have our carbines. Bet they have the rest of our stuff too.”
“I don’t see how we’re getting them back, Boss. Not as long as the ones behind us have their spears pointed at our backs.”
“We got no choice at the moment,” Gomp mused. “Wonder where they’re taking us?”
“I think I hear the shuttle coming back down.”
***
Bob Timmons, Yvette Langstrom, Annette Wilson
Umm, there are TWO Yvette Langstroms?
I was wondering that also.
Had to scroll back up to see who was with Hector.
Still a great story, and I wonder how the Hive is planning on dealing with prisoners.
tentacle snus-snus
I don’t think Animal does pron.
The spirit is willing, but the flesh is spongy and bruised.
oops
Jaguar Advert 2024 – Anti Woke Edition | AI Generated
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSvTMZ3ifYk
Bikinis and capes. You betcha!
Why are they all driving down the middle of the road. AI getting better at hands, but it’s definitely nailed the tits.
It’s a Jaaaaaaaaag.
You drive where you want to!
Now that’s how you do a euphemism.
Also relevant:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7eWIrBOc3zE
That’s hilarious (and true)!
Bikinis and capes. You betcha!
Supple and compliant.
Fantastic episode, Animal!
I expect The Hive is a good study, and hung on to those carbines for a reason. Alien Hive pew pew!
https://www.barrons.com/news/trump-nominates-charles-kushner-father-of-his-son-in-law-as-ambassador-to-france-08963729
Wow. The whole Trump / Christie falling out was over this shit bag. Back in his prosecutor days Christie tossed him jail on all kinds of charges.
+1 Rahm Emanuel to Japan!
I missed the earlier discussion about food deserts and the notion that grocery stores should always be within 1 mile of any residence.
In rural Wisconsin where my wife is from, 30 minutes is quite normal.
Now, there will be at least 1 bar on the way. They are not uncivilized.
In fact, in that region every grocery store has a bar next door. The standard procedure is to shop, put groceries in the car and stop in next door for a drink and to see who is around and say hi.
Then you drive to the bar 15 minutes away and stop there for a drink or two.
Then you drive home.
They have their priorities straight. 30 or 45 minutes is not too far to drive for groceries as long as there is a bar every 15 minutes.
Where I grew up it was a 20 minute drive to the nearest gas station.
My wife used to make fun of me because I treat a quarter tank as empty.
As a young lad born in Wisconsin, I clearly recall the last stop on the trip was the bar in our own basement.
Only in cities. In rural areas that’s stretched out to 10 miles, because fuck poor whites, right?
Despite those little indiscrepancies, 10 miles in many places out west would mean grocery stores that serve exactly 2 households. These people live in fucking fantasyland. All they know is grievance and grifting.
The way the this particular grift works is that it only counts Super Markets, not all stores that sell fresh food. Even some towns that large grocery stores are counted as Food Deserts, because it’s not a Super Market (even though that is how that same store would have been classified in the past, now they are smaller than the average so no longer Super).
Got a gas station that sells fresh meat, fruit and veggies? You still live in a food desert because it ain’t no Super Market. Got a bodega on the corner? You’re still in a Food Desert. Daily Farmer’s Market? Still in a Food Desert.
A friend of mine owned a couple gas stations/C stores in the hood (or hood adjacent, anyway). He was persuaded/coerced into carrying fresh food. I’ll bet you can guess what happened next.
You buried the lede; you married a ‘Sconie?
This Is The World’s First Geared CVT and It Will Blow Your Mind – Ratio Zero Transmission
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWJHI7UHuys&t=17s
Another great video from Driving 4 Answers.
I watched that. Lots and lots of preamble.
Still, I found all the preamble quite informative.
I truly fucking hate the CVT in my wife’s Rogue.
Give me a stick any day.
Our current Subaru is the last one I’ll ever buy and manual is no longer available in this model (it either ended with our production year or the year after).
The Rogue is at 75k miles now. I keep waiting for the news that I will need to replace the fucking CVT.
My wife has such a light foot on the gas, that it may last another 25K or so before it blows up.
My cars are both available in Europe with diesels and manuals. I like them both as they are, but both would be infinitely better in Euro spec.
I can’t say I fully understand it, but it looks pretty damn brilliant.
The pardon thing has the left fighting back online. They are angrily saying that Trump openly sold pardons for cash. I don’t remember this.
Anyone care to come with the facts? Kushner was one of the names I heard mentioned, but he was pardoned after his sentence was completed and fines were paid, so that was more of a “clear the record” than a get out of jail free.
They’re mistaken. That was Clinton who sold pardons for donations.
“Mistaken.”
In the eyes of the left, Clinton was a Republican.
@JI
If we want to get into politics-comparison, most modern day conservatives are 90s Clinton Democrats. That’s certainly what Trump is, or is as close to it as anything else.
In fairness, Clinton stole welfare reform away from the Republicans and they never forgave him for that.
Clinton was a master at letting his opposition do all the work and then jump out in front and claim it all for himself.
“The Third Way.”
The only way he ended up with a balanced budget.
Another great video from Driving 4 Answers.
I need to watch it again. I think I was visualizing incorrectly. On I was thinking of it as a planetary gear arrangement.
It is a planetary arrangement with a variable CAM/pull action that can move it from 0% ratio to the maximum.. Torque/speed is not linear, is it smooth enough?.. depends on the application.
The planetary arrangement doesn’t provide the variation, it is the eccentric Inner to outer gear CAM pull that provides the variable motive force.
torque scale will be an issue.. but, that is design.
I find the tactical capability of the Hive creatures a stretch, even though we know little of them and their environment. No dangerous game has been posited such that they’d need to be predators at a physical disadvantage to their prey (which would necessitate tactical development at least in hunting).
I can see it. Perhaps they were not a hive in the earlier historical record and needed to assimilate and/or eliminate the competition. In that case, the winners would clearly require tactical advantages, along with better technology, that would land them on the top of the chain and able to enforce their will on the losers. The losers would then either get with the program or perish. This may be only one hive on a big planet, maybe other hives occupy other territory and battles happen from time to time depending on available resources.
Just thinking out loud…
And, I need to say again that I am enjoying the story.
Thanks Animal.
Today was the first time driving the new-to-me Versa to work. Mother Nature decided to mark the occasion with a fresh snowfall.
It’s been two decades or so since I drove a front wheel drive car with a stick in the snow. It handled quite well actually.
I would have guessed it would be too light.
My wife’s Corolla(RIP) was like trying to drive an ice skate.
My Saab handles it like a champ.
google says the curb weight is 2400 lbs. Thanks to FedGov safety standards.
We had 2006 Sentra that was terrible on snow and ice because it was so light.
I have the pick up for really bad storms. I just want to drive a small cheap car when the roads are mostly clear.
Did you get your pickup repaired or just replaced after the accident?
Three keys to good snow performance:
1) Tires
2) Tires
3) Weight and weight distribution
I’ve always used snow tires. Most newer cars have awful, low rolling resistance “all season” tires. The composition is usually wrong for cold and snow, too.
Repaired.
Predominately sheet metal damage.
But the front suspension/steering had to be fixed on both sides as well.
The repair work was excellent. 18 months later, there are no signs of problems.
Tundra. The seller put two brand new tires on the front.
https://continentaltire.com/tires/contiprocontact
The back tires are firestone in pretty decent shape.
But I want to replace all four in the near future.
Kinnath:
Those are good tires. When it’s time to get new ones, check out these:
https://www.michelinman.com/auto/tires/michelin-crossclimate2
I have them on the Audi and the VW and I really like them. So far they seem to do really well in the snow and ice. They are 3PMSF (Three-Peak Mountain Snowflake) rated. Weird looking tread but they ride really nicely, too.
Thanks Tundra. I’ve never used those before.
So, one option is to just get matching tires put on the back since the front two are new.
But, I don’t know very much about Continental.
I’ve been using Yokohama tires exclusively for about 15 years now.
Continental always made great tires. I had them on one of my VW sedans and they were terrific.
Also had great luck with Nokians, but they are spendy. Wear on Michelins is excellent, though.
I put Michelins on my 350Z after the original Pirellis wore out.
They were fine for a while. But they turned into the loudest fucking tires that I have ever had on the car. The road noise was deafening.
I replaced them with half the tread left because I couldn’t stand it. So, I now hate Michelin.
I put Yokohamas on the Z for half the cost. They have been excellent.
Tundra – the MICHELIN CROSSCLIMATE2 are frequently mentioned on the Tesla forums for alternative tires to the green rocks that are OEM.
Just an FYI – the rolling resistance on them is much higher – folks notice anywhere from 3% to 12%+ reduction in range. Probably only a fraction of an MPG to 1 MPG lower for an ICE vehicle.
Other than that they love them on rain, snow and cold roads.
Continentals are good tires. I just bought a fresh set in October.
Sensei:
Very interesting. And that’s quite a hit to range, but probably still worth it.
I had a 4 speed Plymouth Horizon.
It was incredible in the snow. Better with bald tires than my 4WD Nissan Hardbody with newish mud terrain tires. To be fair, the tires on that truck were a significant issue in snow, though.
😓
I’ve missed more bowling nights than I’ve made this season. But my had is still hurt and now I’ve somehow hurt my toe, so I can’t realistically throw a bowling ball down the lane ~60ish times. But I’m getting worked up over failing to meet my obligation as I agreed to join the league.
So, you already have your handicap figured out?
They seem to insist it’s 117.
I argue that’s too low, I just had a fluke week.
It is a planetary arrangement with a variable CAM/pull action that can move it from 0% ratio to the maximum.. Torque/speed is not linear, is it smooth enough?.. depends on the application.
In a standard planetary gear, the inner and outer gears rotate in opposite directions. In that CVT, I think the input and output rotate in the same direction. As I said, I need to watch again.
There is hope for GenZ:
https://x.com/KBTXRusty/status/1863596614952083804
I would have gone with Richard Kizinya, but good on them.
That warms the heart. I might have gone with the classic Benjamin Dover.
I had to sound out the syllables, then I chuckled.
My family texted me about the Hunter pardon yesterday. I wasn’t surprised and didn’t think it was a big deal. But I see Joe is pardoning him for anything he might have done in the past 11 years. WTF? Now I see why people are going on about it.
It would be less outrageous if he just pardoned him for the crimes he’s been convicted of – I don’t like Biden, but I don’t know what father wouldn’t.
The blanket pardon for over a decade is what makes it a giant F.U.
A decade that just happens to cover the period where it appears Hunter was acting as a bag-man for the rest of the family…
Naïve little me thought you had to specify the crimes when you pardoned someone. Apparently not.
Those dead hookers can now be found.
II’m having trouble generating much outrage about this. The left uses their power (argualbly the only purpose of power). With all the other ridiculous shit going on right now, this doesn’t move the needle much for me.
Joe Biden finally broke Tundra!
It’s true. After watching his shit over the last month, his familial corruption seems almost pedestrian.
It wasn’t about the guns, coke, or fucking underage relatives. It’s a pardon for being the bagman in the world’s largest money-laundering scheme.
They were fine for a while. But they turned into the loudest fucking tires that I have ever had on the car. The road noise was deafening.
Sounds like my Element. I thought one or both of the rear wheel bearings was blowing up, but I guess it’s just tire noise. I even ran it down the highway and checked the hub temps with the laser thermometer to see how hot they were getting.
The front and rear tires sizes are different on the Z. If you get summer tires with a one-way tread, then you need four unique tires on the car. They cannot be rotated.
I get a 4-wheel alignment done every time that I get new tires put on the vehicle. But there is no point in trying to put 60k or 80k tires on the car, because they just cannot last that long with never being rotated. This is where I fucked up with the Michelins.
So, I buy cheaper tires and replace them every 30k miles or so.
I would consider yearly alignments anyway.
When I was driving 10k miles a year in the Z, I would do them annually.
Now I am driving about 5k a year in it. I do them every other year or so.
But they happen every time I get new tires.
Whole story, via Politico:
House staffer was arrested Monday morning for entering the Cannon House Office Building with ammunition, according to a statement from the US Capitol Police.
Capitol Police said the staffer is Michael Hopkins, who is the communications director for Rep. Joe Morelle (D-N.Y.).
“USCP officers noticed what appeared to be ammunition on the x-ray screen. After a hand search of the bag, officers found four ammunition magazines and eleven rounds of ammunition,” the police statement read. “The staffer told the officers that he forgot the ammunition was in the bag. 38-year-old Michael Hopkins was arrested, and he is facing charges for unlawful possession of ammunition, including one charge for possession of a high-capacity magazine.”
Earlier Monday morning, Morelle’s office issued a statement about the arrest.
“Our office is fully committed to cooperating with the investigation. As Ranking Member of the Committee on House Administration, Congressman Morelle is devoted to ensuring a safe and secure workplace for all,” the statement read.
Mass slaughter averted.
Burn the witch.
Fuck the Ds. Punish the bastard.
He only brought the magazines for the articles.
My wife got caught taking a loaded magazine into the county courthouse last summer.
We were going there for the final court where my son and his wife were adopting twin girls.
The deputy and the scanner smiled pleasantly and told the elderly lady (my wife) that she would have to take the magazine out the car.
The two deputies on duty were remarkably chill about the whole thing. Apparently it happens not to infrequently.
Careful! He’s got a wicked throwing arm. He’ll throw those rounds at you with lightning speed!
I’m just mystified by people who lose track of ammo and mags and just, you know, haul them around as part of their pocket lint.
https://x.com/NoContextHumans/status/1863123366137217482
Bruh.
I like how he ran right past the cop car, nothing happened.
Perp had his face covered, didn’t seem suspicious
It’s too bad and bystander didn’t break his kneecap with a bike lock.
Someone in the comments said those are demos and can’t be activated anyway.
Smooth criminal.
Someone else mentioned they’ll part them out for the screens and the like, for your friendly neighborhood repair shop.
So not full retail but not nothing.
Yup. That said whoever buys them may not know that.
Reminds me of the possibly apocryphal story of the a bank robber who stuffed one of the packs of fake bills with the dye marker in his pants and burned the heck out of his you know what. I seem to recall him suing the bank, but I can’t remember what the verdict or settlement was.
Nobody in the store hit the burglar alarm?
I guess there’s no point, since the cops won’t arrest people for shoplifting anyway in CA.