A Grugell frigate, in high orbit over Forest
On a terse order from the Commander, a small silver ship disengaged its cloaking device. Swimming into visibility, the frigate consisted of a bright, mirror-finished silver pod trailing two glowing yellow orbs on shining silver metal arcs. The ship’s crew immediately began running a series of sensor scans.
The Commander sat in his lounge chair on the bridge, awaiting input from his crew. Two years earlier, the initial scout ships had detected signs of intelligent activity around this planet, which was charted for occupation. The scouts had withdrawn, and this new frigate had been hastily put together, the first of a new class of armed ships. The flower of their technology, this ship incorporated a device that warped light around the ship itself, rendering it undetectable by visual and infrared scans. But the effect was two-way. In order to make scans of the planet, they had to drop the cloaking field.
“Sir, our scans are complete,” the Assistant Commander reported. The Commander waved an impatient hand. His assistant held up a printout in one stick-thin, snow-white hand. His black claws ticked over sheet after sheet as he summarized the data.
“Get to the point. Where are these aliens located on the planet?”
“Sir, there is one settlement centrally located on the larger continent in the northern hemisphere. There are several smaller colonies within a short distance. No other signs of alien life anywhere else. It is as we suspected, sir, this is an early colonization in progress.”
The Commander smiled, parting thin black lips to reveal twin rows of pointed, serrated teeth. “Good. They will not have detected us. The Occupation Group can land on the planet in an uninhabited area, build up their forces, and destroy the aliens in their own time.”
“And all the better it should be left to the Occupation Group, sir,” his Assistant Commander sniffed. “The gravity on that planet is half again Grugell normal.”
“That’s why we chose Fleet duty,” the Commander replied.
He turned to his Navigation staff. “Re-engage the cloaking device. Take us back to base. I have a report to prepare for the Emperor.” A moment later, the silvery ship shimmered, wavered, and disappeared.
To see more of Animal’s writing, visit his page at Crimson Dragon Publishing or Amazon.
short and sweet today
I expect to read about Mike riding the back of Roc into battle with rifle in each hand.
I was expecting Jenny to be riding Mike…
Strap the rifles to the side of the Rocs head — Battle Chickens!
That’s for the after battle celebration….
The riders are Battle Chicken Jockeys (throws popcorn for some reason)?
and thank you for the story Animal
Is it a chaise lounge chair?
One might think a scanning drone hardwired back with a flexible fiber optic or somesuch cable so the cable is hard to see and if you’re detected — you only lose the drone would be a good idea here.
But yeah, that’s the usual problem with cloaking fields.
Yep, like a sub’s towed array sonar.
Coincidence or inspiration?
***
The roc is an enormous legendary bird of prey in the popular mythology of the Middle East.
The roc appears in Arab geographies and natural history, popularized in Arabian fairy tales and sailors’ folklore. Ibn Battuta tells of a mountain hovering in the air over the China Seas, which was the roc.[1] The story collection One Thousand and One Nights includes tales “Abd al-Rahman the Maghribi’s Story of the Rukh” and “Sinbad the Sailor”, both of which include the roc.
***
The rukh, as depicted in a Popeye cartoon:
https://youtu.be/48N6aeI4Suc?si=8W6lYyUsHVpl5UxC&t=329
I would assume inspiration. I highly doubt Animal picked the name without knowing of the mythological giant avians after all.
Who doesn’t know the Roc or its origins?
“Who doesn’t know the Roc or its origins?”
Among others, me until I read the Arabian Nights.
Ever heard of a nasnas?
***
In Arab folklore, Nasnas (Arabic: نسناس, romanized: nasnās, plural nisānis) is a monstrous creature. According to Edward Lane, the 19th-century translator of One Thousand and One Nights, a nasnas is “half a human being; having half a head, half a body, one arm, one leg, with which it hops with much agility”.
***
I am shocked, Derpy.
Derpetologist:
There’s a lot of us old gamers around here. I remember the rakshasa from D&D as well, and the entire World of Darkness introduced the concept of the fomori to people.
Inspiration.
Of course he knew what the roc’s role was in history.
🤬
Sitting in a meeting about how they’re planning to waste money New York doesn’t have. It’s a one-way “Meeting” where upper management talks at people. So I can’t get myself in trouble by speaking.
Ah yes — the joy of meetings for “buy in” and “team coordination” where there’s no feedback desired or expected… always fun.
Sounds like political decision making. [ducks and runs]
The legislature hasn’t voted on the budget yet, but nobody seems to think they’re going to reject the proposal of the three people in a room process that has rules New York for decades.
Saw this headline and was worried my “The Gold House” quip this morning was about to be inflicted on us….
I was hoping for a miniature amusement and water park.
Scary thought – SF‘s surveillance field is detected and used in reverse.
If he is paying for it himself….whatever.
Smishers are out in force today. I received three texts about toll charges in about 15 minutes. The competition is getting fierce.
Please, stop coining new words for scammers.
Whoever is doing it – we don’t need more confusing jargon.
That fight was lost back in the days of phreaking and social engineering.
[grunts] Yeah, I’ve had beers with one of the original phreaks.
I believe new terminology keeps CompTIA in business.
Captain Crunch, by any chance?
While I rarely say anything positive about Teams, it does have one of the better selections of Emojis for reactions I’ve seen.
Windows built-ins are lacking.
slumbrew:
I remember the tales of questionable behavior, and recall it being a partially open secret before that.
I was just reading that bit.
I am shocked, shocked, that an insulular subculture contains maladjusted individuals!
(not excusing anything, just not surprised)
slumbrew:
Yeah, the conversation when the allegations came out was more “someone finally complained about him” than “I don’t believe he did this”. I want to say the ReiserFS murder happened around the same time, and that elicited a lot more shock and surprise.
“[grunts] Yeah, I’ve had beers with one of the original phreaks.”
Interesting. I had beers with one of the original Burners, back when it was on Ocean Beach in Frisco.
Nephilium:
I remember when the Reiser thing happened – crazy.
I can sympathize, Roat. I’ve lost access to all my nonexistent Cloud files. 🙄
You’ve lost yours? My nonexistant cloud storage is merely at 95% capacity.
Ah! Then you’ll need to buy more cloud storage space! Please watch for the email/text with the link for easy payment! 🤑
https://www.dhs.gov/news/2025/05/05/dhs-announces-historic-travel-assistance-and-stipend-voluntary-self-deportation
DHS Announces Historic Travel Assistance and Stipend for Voluntary Self-Deportation
Today, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced a historic opportunity for illegal aliens to receive both financial and travel assistance to facilitate travel back to their home country through the CBP Home App. Any illegal alien who uses the CBP Home App to self-deport will also receive a stipend of $1,000 dollars, paid after their return to their home country has been confirmed through the app.
Self-deportation is a dignified way to leave the U.S. and will allow illegal aliens to avoid being encountered by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Even with the cost of the stipend, it is projected that the use of CBP Home will decrease the costs of a deportation by around 70 percent. Currently the average cost to arrest, detain, and remove an illegal alien is $17,121.
Among the politically viable options, this incentive is probably the least bad one.
I’m more wrathful in my preferred option, but “go away” is probably the best I can hope for right now.
I heard a few countries in Europe have been doing this for at least a year. I agree, this is the lease bad idea. It would be even better if they sent the bill to Biden, Myorkis, and any NGO that helped people get in.
Come to think of it, if the courts are forcing him to restore USAID money, someone should create an NGO that repatriates these people and divert the funds there.
That self deportation program sounds like when towns would give a bum fifty bucks and a bus ticket to San Diego.
Cheaper that incarceration.
As long as the bums stay gone.
If they come back, they should be fast tracked to the firing squad.
And he would be back in a few weeks.
No more! We have plenty!
Great story, Animal. I am enjoying it immensely.
“The Occupation Group can land on the planet in an uninhabited area, build up their forces, and destroy the aliens in their own time.”
Monkeys with space ships. Same as it ever was.
Just made a mint sauce just for fun. I have tons of mint growing as ground cover and lizard habitat. I needed to trim some back so I made a mint sauce.
Boiled a cup of chopped mint leaf in enough water to cover for about 4 mins. Strained out the leaves, left with 1 cup of highly tinted water. Added 1 cup of sugar, a teaspoon of vanilla extract and two teaspoons of corn starch dissolved in a tablespoon of cold water.
Holy Shit, that is freakin’ good. Wife already appropriated it to make cocktails with.
Whole operation took ten minutes and less than 50 cents. I will be making more in the future.
I read that as “highly Minted water” which works as well.
Nice! That’s a thicker version of what I use for Mint Julep base. For that I just use simple syrup and add mint during boiling.
Infused simple syrups are a time honored tradition and a welcome trick to any bartender’s wheelhouse.
My broccoli – based simple syrup infusion is known for its regurgitative properties.
R.J.:
Making a run at Cynar?
Off Topic
In my permit application packet, I was required to provide six photographs, two affixed to the duplicate copies of the main form, and four loose. However, the County Clerk’s web site includes this piece of instruction:
What was the point of the other six photographs?
Well…one goes into your “permanent record”.
I assumed those would be the two affixed to the signed and notarized forms.
FYTW?
Hobbit gets it.
Give to hoplophobic groups?
Other than the State of New York?
Grift for the powerful photographers’ lobby?
But nobody does permit photographs. I had to print them myself.
UCS:
It’s a holdover from when Kodak had lobbyists active in NY.
(Source: I made it up)
Before noon today I had built a new flower bed, planted new native flowers in it, planted two new figs, taken care of all of the bills, cooked breakfast and cleaned up the house. I then made the mint sauce. I was feeling very upbeat and pleased with myself…..and then you brought this up.
Now I am pissed.
Also, wife says Louisiana Revenue dept. says we need to fill out for 2849y7 section 432 to prove we are retired state employees and dont have to file state income tax.
Summation: My private life is peaceful and fulfilling. The source of my ire and frustration are government fake-ass bullshit bureaucracy shit. Now I just need to hear some govt slugs getting the axe from Trump whine about losing their fake jobs.
*note – I am waiting for a new spring for my Mini-14, the Mini-14 that I bought and went home with within an hour of finding it in the gunstore. Not trying to provoke you, just sayin’. When you retire you should get the fuck out of there….and drop a match out of your car window on your way out.
I have no plan to stay.
But I fear New York is as wet as Louisiana, the match won’t do much.
If they asked for any nudes or sans-pants photos I think that question may answer itself.
Nobody wants to see that.
Besides, the photos were the same format as passport photos, only at a different scale.
In all seriousness, the process is the penalty. You don’t hate your state government enough.
How do you know how much I hate my state government? I have kept my rants tame.
Gaaah!
AED/CPR refresher. The asshole instructor has been blathering for 75 minutes.
Do you get to shock the instructor at the end?
Annie are you OK? Are you OK Annie?
I’m sorry slumbrew, Resusci didn’t make it.
Damn those smooth criminals!
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/irs-lost-31-tax-auditors-171938050.html
I don’t wanna hear another bad word about Two Scoops for the rest of the week.
When I saw they lost auditors in the headline, I was expecting a “We have no idea where they went”
It would be nice if they went to the Fed and the Pentagon.