Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us.

Daisy, Daisy and her Misty green light—
 Fog drifting with

The current of time,
 Slick upon the dock,
 Boots wet with dew and delusion.

As moth to verdant flame,
 Pulses and throbs
 At the speed of the board.

Not a beacon,
 Not a promise— 
It is a dream,

Made in seven moves,
 For love of an idea, 
A perfect vision.

A green window, 
Pierced and gazed through
 To see a soul.

Or maybe just The shape of his own Reflected back.

On Thursday a vinyl copy of All Night Session! Vol. 1 by the Hampton Hawes Quartet arrived in the post. I’d happened to find copies of Vol. 3 and Vol. 2 about fifty yards and six months apart at different shops in Chepstow. A few years have elapsed since then, without any sighting of Vol. 1 in the wild, so I resorted to ordering a copy from a Discogs seller to complete my set. The All Night Session itself took place in Los Angeles on November 12th-13th 1956. It was an unconventional recoding date for its time: a nocturnal affair with no second takes and with all tracks ultimately appearing on the records in the order in which they were recorded. Nearly two hours of music were captured and pressed on to three LPs, which were first issued in 1958.

Pianist Hampton Hawes led the proceedings, accompanied by Jim Hall on guitar, Red Mitchell on bass and Bruz Freeman on drums. It was clearly a relaxed and freewheeling affair, with all concerned sounding like they had a great time. Hawes was quoted in 1958 as saying:

It’s hard to put into words how good it feels to play jazz when it's really swinging... I’ve reached a point where the music fills you up so much emotionally that you feel like shouting hallelujah — like people do in church when they’re converted to God. That’s the way I was feeling the night we recorded All Night Session!

The material is a mix of be-bop numbers, ballads, and extended blues-based improvisations summoned out of thin air that night. ‘Hampton’s Pulpit’, for instance, which closes Vol. 1, is one of the best of the album's spontaneous compositions.

---

I had no plan to buy any more wax seal stamps, but then I saw (on ebay) a Victorian stamp with a monogram comprising my initials, which seemed too good an opportunity to let pass. Over the weekend I used it in earnest for the first time (Fig. 36). The letters in the monogram are stylized with elaborated serifs in a way I’d seen before in Victorian lettering. The ebay seller suggested that the stamp may date as far back as the 1860s, and associated its style with the Gothic Revival. Unconvinced as to its Gothic-ness, I did a bit of on-line searching & learned that Tuscan was the usual descriptor for typefaces with ornamental bifurcated (or trifurcated) serifs. I think an 1860s origin is still a possibility, but it could equally well be later. See for example a page (Fig. 37) of decidedly florid Tuscan monogram designs from an 1890s sample book in my possession.

---

On Wednesday I finished reading Makenna Goodman’s novel Helen of Nowhere. I could say it’s my favourite of the current batch of Booker Prize longlist nominees, but that would only mean I liked it better than M. John Harrison’s The End of Everything: I’ve not read any of the others. It’s a striking and unusual tale, somewhat in the shape of a play, with a list of personae up-front and then six ‘scenes’ largely comprising dialogue and/or internal monologue. I had to work to stay interested in the university office politics which set up the scenario of a disgraced academic seeking an off-grid life in the country. The stranger turn taken in the book’s second half intrigued me rather more. It didn’t quite score as a direct hit, but I enjoyed it overall: a favourable impression consolidated by an ending that struck me as both satisfying & amusing.

Inbetweeners Part 11- The Shadow of Torm

Initially, the Alltemple door, a purple hued door attached to the Grey Room would take the players to the god or religion of whichever holy symbol they held up to it. I left it open ended intentionally... the idea was that players could decide which gods they wanted to interact with and I would let the narrative involve from there. After the Desecrated Temple battle, they went to the Temple of Torm (or possibly before, I can't remember for sure it has been a few years). Once they were regularly interacting with the followers of Torm, I had the purple door just go directly to that temple. The followers of Torm had a dilemma though... the player characters were by no means “good” or aligned with the principals of their church. Torm is the Faerûnian patron deity of paladins and the god of duty, loyalty, righteousness, obedience, law and valor. The players didn't really represent any of these virtues. By traveling between disparate locations, they were insulated from the consequences of their actions and acted in a far more opportunistic manner. Think like Time Bandits but mercenaries. Still, they had done a great good by liberating the desecrated temple, and the followers of Torm had bought their ruse regarding the knight they gave over to the Interloper. So ultimately, what was the authority in Torm supposed to do with the group. They certainly couldn't anoint them as paladins, but the groups ability to travel non-linearly and aptitude for killing fiends made them too good not to work for. Enter, the Shadow of Torm.

Centuries ago, a splinter faction among the followers of Torm emerged. Certain zealots felt that the church had lost its way, and that it focused too much on righteousness and duty to the point where they were allowing fiends to run rampant on the Material Plane. They felt that it was necessary to act within certain grey areas to achieve success, that always acting with moral surety within a strict framework tied their hands against the fiends. They been using more extreme measures to track down devils, yugoloths, demons, undead and their servants throughout the material. Threats, “advanced interrogation”, and execution of those working with fiends rather than fiends themselves were all on the table. Trials and the due process of criminal justice took too long, and that time allowed more evil to spread, so they instead became judge, jury and executioner. Of course, this did not go over well with leadership. The rift grew, as some paladins and clerics agreed a more aggressive approach needed to be taken, while others said it made them no better than the fiends. The conflict came to a head and ultimately these splinter faction members were exiled from the church of Torm. They became known as the “Shadow of Torm.” Officially, leadership had no connection with this group, but over the coming decades they developed backchannels and would contact the shadow to deal with particularly dangerous opponents or threats that required expedience. This backchanneling intensified as infernal activity increased on the material plane. The members of the Shadow of Torm saw themselves as making the ultimate sacrifice, living in exile in order to keep the world safe. And this implicit arrangement held.

Enter the players. Initially they were arriving in Temple of Everlasting Justice, the premier temple of Torm on the material. I created a few characters there but not sure if I ever took notes on them. The leaders decided the players' talents could best be used by the Shadow of Torm, and said they would send them along to a faction that shared a more similiar... moral outlook. The issue here is that the way traveling by the doors worked, the players couldn't simply go to the headquarters of the Shadow of Torm. The Shadow was forbidden from entering any normal Temple of Torm. What they could do, however, was force a door to a new location. Using their most competent wizards, they rigged up a portal, lined with potent magical crystals and arcane devices, such that when the players went through the purple door, they ended up in the headquarters of the Shadow of Torm—a secret underground meeting room. Here was the description of the new room:

“The chamber is vast, hewn from ancient stone with walls lined by torches that do not seem to flicker, emit smoke or generate heat. The floor is worn smooth from countless years of tread, with intricate symbols carved into the rock. Towering along the walls are racks and displays of gleaming weapons—swords, axes, spears, and hammers—each meticulously crafted and inscribed with prunes. The weapons range from simple, sturdy iron blades to gilded, rune-covered relics that hum with latent divine power.

Against one wall stands a collection of shimmering shields and breastplates emblazoned with sacred iconography: radiant suns, crossed swords, and the symbols of various crusader orders. Nearby, smaller alcoves contain specialized gear, such as silver-tipped arrows, vials of holy water, relics said to repel the undead, and crystals pulsing with holy light.

In the center of the chamber is a massive stone table where paladins gather planning their crusade in hushed, fervent tones. Maps of the realms, marked with hotspots of evil activity, lie spread across it. A older man of average size with a large scar across his face regards the group, seemingly expecting them.”

The man they met was Taric Hellbane. The leader of the shadow of Torm, he was “ gruff, tired, cynical, but competent, devoted and deadly.” A veteran of many conflicts, his kill count and resume fighting fiends and undead put him near the top of mortals on the Material. The way I envisioned Taric is absolutely fixated on the mission. Everyone was a potential asset, and every asset should be leveraged to destroy fiends, the more powerful the better. The players' ability to travel non-linearly piqued his interest. The players could access locations inaccessible to the shadow, and as a result ambush fiends that were otherwise completely insulated. Their means of travel did not appear limited to the Material, so there was no reason the players could facilitate the Shadow striking directly into the lower planes. The players liberation of the desecrated Temple plus their later slaying of a vrock engaged in mass murder upon the material (more on that in a later post) demonstrated their value to Taric. They were officially labeled “atypical adjuncts” because their was nothing in the organization that fit their role. The relationship would be transactional, Taric would give them weapons, armor, magical equipment, gold or favors in return for killing fiends or information that enabled the Shadow to take out fiends. The bigger the fish, the bigger the prize. He even offered resurrection spells if the players delivered.

From the players perspective, this was the first reliable faction they could get quests and bounties from that would provide rewards. Mobius Torrent provided a quest, but that was a singular long term target. These guys they just needed to bring some demon heads. Unlike the Interloper, these rewards lacked drawbacks. They were normal magical weapons and equipment from the 5e standard rules. This was a relief for them, because while the Interloper's items and spells were incredibly powerful and rule breaking, they came with unanticipated and substantial drawbacks. Also, it gave them an alternate means of resurrection since the Interloper sometimes brought things back... wrong. Not intentionally, but he was still refining his understanding of 3 dimensional beings. So the players had mixed feelings morally about the Shadow of Torm, but they couldn't deny it was nice to have another place to pick up goodies. I think Uzo the Hobgoblin referred to them as the “cops” and didn't trust their motives, something that became more apparent as Zariel entered the plot.

On that note, as soon as Taric discovered that the group had been in contact with Zariel he immediately dropped all other projects and became obsessed with capturing/killing her. The headquarters was immediately evacuated except for barebones staff and materials needed to keep working with the players, in case Zariel found her way there. His plan was to have the players lure Zariel to a location where she would be ambushed by the full force of the Shadow of Torm. Killing an archdevil, the leader of one of the nine hells, would eclipse anything the Shadow had ever achieved before. It would be such a phenomenal triumph that they may be reintegrated into the church of Torm in a leadership role. Taric was aware of how dangerous this gambit was, Zariel was a god tier combatant, but this did not deter him. He would gladly give his life to bring her down. I'll get into the ambush of Zariel in another post, there are a few more pieces I have to place on the board for context, but Taric's fixation on defeating Zariel ultimately plants the seeds for his downfall. In a way, she became his white whale.

Later, we will get into the transformation of the Shadow Torm into the Judgement of Torm, and eventually the Judgement of Lurian. The faction became more important, not less, as the story unfolded. But for now, I think that gives enough background on the “Shadow” phase.

Most of my days are spent thinking about, investigating, researching, and journaling the various aspects of my ongoing atopic experiences and the underlying circumstances. I once thought the experiences themselves were the hardest part. They're not — though that's not to say they're getting any easier either.

No, not hardly.

And I’m now finding the silence that follows a vision or encounter to often be more difficult than the experience itself.

How do you tell the people around you about something you can barely find words for, let alone fully explain, when it keeps happening?

I really don’t know.

For nearly nine months now, I’ve been struggling with that very question. I’m not seeking attention, but I do need a way to release the pressure that builds from being unable to speak about my experiences.

How do you say, “I’ve seen some very strange things,” without slipping into rationalizing, defending, and defining something that you haven’t found the definitions to describe accurately?

How do you say, “Oh, I’m just an average guy with an average life, until I randomly and uncontrollably slip into a liminality that defies conventional wisdom and explanation.” That’s one hell of an icebreaker line for a networking party, but I won’t be using it anytime soon.

Even among people who better understand it or have had similar experiences, I find it hard to fully share. And that’s because, even among the experienced, there can be biases and misunderstandings. Everyone expects my experiences to align with their own. Some want my encounters to fit their own cosmologies. Others want my encounters to match their own. Even my own enthusiasm often works against me; I get ahead of myself and impose too much on those kind enough to listen and share in kind.

There’s no guidebook or roadmap for this juggling of realities, which is really a single reality, but I’ll deal with that another day. Today I’m just trying to remain functional at work while turning the deeper questions over and over in my mind: What is her true nature? What will it mean? What will be the implications? That last question gives me chills and fills me with trepidation.

But I don’t know what I don’t know.

I’m just writing my own guidebook as I go.

Not ideal—though it could be far, far worse.

Too early / golden orb

Trash truck / trash truck

Hot / good sweats

Lately, I haven’t posted on schedule. Due to walking up earlier in the mornings to drop my son off to school, spending time with the younger one, and working on my recent projects I won’t post as often as I once did. I apologize for not keeping in touch with you. And I’ll try to post whenever I can.

#writing #break #schedule

Outside, the whole day, rain has been falling from a monochromatic gray smudge which is both a fog rising from the ground and the clouds overhead.

And there are brown dirt roads with puddled pot holes. Brown slugs are crawling up on the furniture, litter bins and whatever is left lying on the ground

And I only did sleep for three hours, my mind thoughts spinning out of control throughout the night

But then, a big rainbow and a big yellow sun

Green almost yellow illuminated grass

And my friend came visiting with his girlfriend and a small baby child they’d made.

And he was tall just like me with gray streaked beard just like me, long hair in a ponytail and round glasses, just like me

But he’d made these big earrings, you know, and he’s got some tattoos too, and today he was wearing a Slayer t shirt. It’s never been my taste, slayer.

So objectively he was a little bit cooler with this wild style, some would say

And then, as it turns out, we were both running Manjaro Linux

And then they left

There are some people you’ve not talked much for years but it’s still the same when you meet, you know? He’s like that

I think

Thank you for your time

JOURNAL 1er septembre 2026

Je fais une pause. On a eu hier plusieurs inscriptions nouvelles au kendo d'élèves anciens de to sensei qui le suivent, c'est bien ça. Pas mal de nouvelles inscriptions aussi pour notre côté, il faut que je restructure tous les groupes et notamment les débutants. C’est très chouette quand même.

Et puis aujourd'hui j'ai eu la surprise de voir arriver mon Américain, cette fois s'exprimant dans un japonais très correct malgré son foutu accent de Boston. Il a commencé à me remercier de l'avoir forcé à travailler la langue, il est comme ça en règle avec les nouvelles exigences des cinglés de takaichi. Il a bien assimilé les formules de politesse à employer avec un sensei. 😆 Bref il me demande si je suis toujours ok pour le prendre comme élève. Je tiens toujours mes promesses, je l'ai donc inscrit dans un groupe débutant. Pour les cours particuliers on verra après, je peux pas le prendre à son niveau. Voilà donc inscrit Mr Elijah qui se fait appeler Tom en japonais, c’est vrai c’est plus simple 😅. On verra

#dojo

by the wonderful Scott Lava

“This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue pill – the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill – you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.”

“Father Poseidon, they blinded me. Vengeance, father!“

“I'm letting life hit me until it gets tired. Then I'll hit back. It's a classic rope-a-dope.”

“I want my $200!”

“Clever Girl.”

“Rocky Grace save stars.”

“Here’s ta swimmin’ with bowlegged wemin’.”

“Bah-nahn-ah!”

“Tumble down the rabbit hole.”

“Come in, friend.”

“You’re a good boy, Charlie.”

“Ahhhhhhhhhh!”

“Aim for the legs!”

“Super-man!”

“What a glorious creature.”

Intermission

Le barbecue en inox à poser séduit de plus en plus les amateurs de cuisson au charbon de bois et au feu de bois. Compact, robuste et simple à installer, il permet de profiter d’une cuisson authentique en extérieur sans devoir construire un barbecue fixe ni entreprendre des travaux importants.

Il peut être installé sur un plan de travail adapté, dans une cuisine extérieure, sur une structure maçonnée ou sur un support suffisamment stable et résistant à la chaleur. Cette polyvalence en fait une solution intéressante aussi bien pour une terrasse que pour un jardin ou une cuisine d’été.

Mais quels sont réellement les avantages d’un barbecue en acier inoxydable à poser ? Comment choisir sa dimension et quelles caractéristiques faut-il examiner avant de l’acheter ?

Qu’est-ce qu’un barbecue en inox à poser ?

Un barbecue en inox à poser est un appareil de cuisson extérieur conçu pour être installé directement sur une surface stable, plane et incombustible.

À la différence d’un barbecue fixe en pierre ou en brique, il ne possède généralement ni socle maçonné ni cheminée. Il offre donc davantage de liberté au moment de concevoir ou de réorganiser son espace extérieur.

Les modèles les plus performants ne se limitent pas à une simple cuve métallique. Ils peuvent intégrer :

• un foyer protégé par des matériaux réfractaires ;
• une grille de cuisson en acier inoxydable ;
• plusieurs hauteurs de cuisson ;
• un tiroir ou un système de récupération des cendres ;
• des protections latérales et arrière ;
• une deuxième grille pour maintenir les aliments au chaud.

Cette conception permet d’associer la simplicité d’un barbecue compact aux performances thermiques d’un foyer plus traditionnel.

1. Une installation simple, sans travaux importants

Le premier avantage du barbecue à poser est sa facilité d’installation.

Il n’est pas nécessaire de construire une structure complète en pierre ou en brique. Il suffit de prévoir un support suffisamment solide, stable et résistant à la chaleur. Le barbecue peut ainsi être intégré à un plan de travail extérieur existant ou posé sur une structure préparée spécialement pour lui.

Cette solution convient particulièrement :

• aux terrasses où l’espace est limité ;
• aux cuisines extérieures modulaires ;
• aux maisons de vacances ;
• aux utilisateurs qui ne souhaitent pas réaliser une construction définitive ;
• aux projets où le barbecue doit pouvoir être déplacé ultérieurement.

Il faut toutefois tenir compte de son poids. Un véritable barbecue en inox avec intérieur réfractaire est beaucoup plus lourd qu’un petit barbecue métallique portable. Son support doit donc être correctement dimensionné et installé sur un sol stable.

2. L’acier inoxydable facilite l’entretien

L’acier inoxydable est apprécié pour sa résistance, son aspect moderne et sa facilité d’entretien. Il convient particulièrement bien aux équipements de cuisine et de cuisson, car sa surface est relativement simple à nettoyer.

Après utilisation, il est généralement conseillé de :

1. laisser le barbecue refroidir complètement ;

2. retirer les cendres ;

3. brosser la grille de cuisson ;

4. nettoyer les surfaces avec de l’eau tiède et un produit doux ;

5. sécher l’inox avec un chiffon propre.

Les éponges métalliques agressives, l’eau de Javel et les produits fortement chlorés sont à éviter. Ils peuvent altérer la finition de l’inox et provoquer des marques superficielles.

L’acier inoxydable ne signifie pas pour autant qu’aucun entretien n’est nécessaire. En extérieur, les dépôts de graisse, les cendres humides, le sel présent dans l’air et la pollution peuvent laisser des traces. Un nettoyage régulier et l’utilisation d’une housse adaptée contribuent à préserver durablement l’aspect du barbecue.

3. Un foyer réfractaire pour mieux conserver la chaleur

Tous les barbecues en inox à poser ne présentent pas les mêmes performances. L’un des éléments les plus importants à vérifier est la présence d’un revêtement réfractaire à l’intérieur du foyer.

Les briques ou plaques réfractaires absorbent une partie de la chaleur produite par les braises et la restituent progressivement. Elles contribuent ainsi à :

• stabiliser la température de cuisson ;
• mieux répartir la chaleur ;
• protéger les parois métalliques du contact direct avec le feu ;
• limiter les pertes thermiques ;
• prolonger la durée de vie de la structure.

Un foyer réfractaire offre également une cuisson plus régulière qu’une simple cuve métallique très fine. Cette différence devient particulièrement perceptible lors des cuissons prolongées ou lorsque plusieurs séries d’aliments doivent être grillées.

Les matériaux réfractaires peuvent développer, au fil des utilisations, de petites fissures superficielles dues aux variations de température. Ce phénomène est généralement normal et ne compromet pas nécessairement leur fonctionnement.

4. Une cuisson possible au charbon de bois ou au bois

Un barbecue à poser bien conçu peut fonctionner avec du charbon de bois, mais aussi avec de petites bûches adaptées aux dimensions du foyer.

Le charbon de bois est pratique lorsqu’on recherche :

• un allumage relativement rapide ;
• une chaleur régulière ;
• une gestion simple des braises ;
• une cuisson traditionnelle des viandes, poissons et légumes.

Le bois apporte quant à lui une expérience plus proche de la cuisson au feu. Il produit des flammes puis des braises, avec des arômes qui peuvent varier selon l’essence utilisée.

Il est préférable de choisir du bois sec, non traité et adapté à la cuisson alimentaire. Les bois peints, vernis, agglomérés ou issus de meubles ne doivent jamais être brûlés dans un barbecue.

Avant de commencer la cuisson, il faut attendre que les flammes les plus fortes diminuent et qu’un lit de braises suffisamment stable se soit formé.

5. Plusieurs dimensions selon le nombre de convives

La largeur du barbecue doit être choisie en fonction du nombre de personnes, du type d’aliments préparés et de l’espace disponible.

Les barbecues inox à poser BRASAOVENS sont notamment proposés dans plusieurs dimensions, généralement autour de 60, 70 ou 80 cm de largeur.

Barbecue de 60 cm

Le format de 60 cm est adapté aux espaces plus compacts et aux repas familiaux. Il permet de préparer plusieurs aliments simultanément tout en restant relativement facile à intégrer dans une petite cuisine extérieure.

Barbecue de 70 cm

Le format de 70 cm représente un bon compromis entre encombrement et capacité. Il convient aux familles qui reçoivent régulièrement des invités et souhaitent disposer d’une surface de cuisson plus confortable.

Barbecue de 80 cm

Le format de 80 cm est destiné aux repas plus importants. Sa grande grille permet de mieux organiser les différentes zones de cuisson et de préparer davantage d’aliments en même temps.

Il faut également vérifier la profondeur du barbecue. Une grille large mais trop peu profonde peut être moins pratique qu’une surface de cuisson correctement proportionnée.

6. Une ou deux grilles : quelle configuration choisir ?

Certains barbecues à poser sont disponibles avec une seule grille de cuisson, tandis que d’autres proposent une seconde grille placée à un niveau supérieur.

Une grille unique suffit pour une utilisation classique. Elle permet de cuire directement les aliments au-dessus des braises et offre une grande simplicité d’utilisation.

La deuxième grille apporte toutefois un confort supplémentaire. Elle peut servir à :

• maintenir les aliments cuits au chaud ;
• éloigner certaines préparations de la chaleur directe ;
• cuire plus doucement des légumes ou du pain ;
• organiser plusieurs niveaux de cuisson ;
• augmenter la capacité utile du barbecue.

Cette configuration est particulièrement intéressante lorsqu’on prépare un repas pour plusieurs personnes et que tous les aliments ne nécessitent pas le même temps de cuisson.

7. Une intégration facile dans une cuisine extérieure

Le design sobre de l’inox s’intègre facilement à différents styles d’aménagement. Il peut être associé à un plan de travail en pierre, en béton, en granit, en céramique ou en acier inoxydable.

Avant l’installation, il faut néanmoins prévoir :

• une surface parfaitement stable ;
• des matériaux incombustibles autour du foyer ;
• une ventilation suffisante ;
• un espace de sécurité par rapport aux murs, meubles et végétaux ;
• une zone dégagée au-dessus du barbecue ;
• un accès pratique pour retirer les cendres.

Le barbecue ne doit pas être utilisé dans un espace fermé ou insuffisamment ventilé. La combustion du charbon de bois ou du bois produit du monoxyde de carbone, un gaz invisible et dangereux.

Il est également déconseillé de placer le barbecue directement sous une pergola inflammable, un store, des branches ou tout autre élément susceptible d’être affecté par la chaleur et les fumées.

8. Une alternative compacte au barbecue fixe

Le barbecue en inox à poser et le barbecue maçonné ne répondent pas exactement aux mêmes besoins.

Le modèle à poser est particulièrement intéressant lorsque l’on recherche :

• une installation rapide ;
• un encombrement réduit ;
• un design contemporain ;
• une intégration dans un meuble ou un plan de travail ;
• une solution pouvant être déplacée ou réinstallée.

Le barbecue fixe en pierre ou en brique est davantage adapté à un projet permanent. Il peut comporter une cheminée, de grands plans de travail, un évier ou même un four à bois.

Pour un aménagement plus traditionnel et définitif, il est possible de consulter les barbecues fixes en brique et en pierre de FR-Barbecue.

Le choix dépend donc principalement de l’espace disponible, du style recherché et du niveau d’intégration souhaité.

9. Quels critères vérifier avant l’achat ?

Avant de choisir un barbecue en inox à poser, il est utile de comparer plusieurs caractéristiques.

La qualité de la grille

La grille est directement en contact avec les aliments. Une grille robuste en inox, avec des barreaux suffisamment épais, offre généralement une meilleure stabilité et une plus grande durabilité.

Le revêtement réfractaire

Un foyer protégé par des matériaux réfractaires conserve mieux la chaleur et protège davantage la structure métallique.

La stabilité de l’ensemble

Le barbecue doit être suffisamment rigide et lourd pour rester stable pendant son utilisation. Les poignées, grilles et éléments amovibles doivent également être solidement conçus.

La récupération des cendres

Un tiroir à cendres facilite considérablement le nettoyage. Il permet de retirer les résidus sans devoir démonter tout l’intérieur du foyer.

Les dimensions réelles

Il faut vérifier les dimensions extérieures, mais aussi la surface utile de la grille. L’espace nécessaire autour du barbecue doit également être pris en compte dès la conception du support.

La garantie

Une garantie clairement indiquée constitue un bon repère sur le niveau de confiance accordé au produit. Les modèles proposés par BRASAOVENS bénéficient d’une garantie pouvant atteindre cinq ans.

Questions fréquentes sur les barbecues en inox à poser

Peut-on laisser un barbecue en inox dehors toute l’année ?

L’inox résiste bien à une utilisation extérieure, mais il est préférable de protéger le barbecue de la pluie, de l’humidité persistante et des dépôts atmosphériques. Une housse respirante et adaptée à ses dimensions est recommandée.

Peut-on poser le barbecue sur une table en bois ?

Ce n’est pas conseillé. Le barbecue doit être installé sur une surface stable, résistante à la chaleur et non combustible. La chaleur transmise par le foyer peut endommager ou enflammer un support inadapté.

L’inox peut-il changer de couleur avec la chaleur ?

Oui. Une exposition répétée à des températures élevées peut provoquer des nuances dorées, bleutées ou brunâtres sur certaines zones. Cette coloration thermique est un phénomène naturel et n’empêche pas le fonctionnement du barbecue.

Faut-il nettoyer les briques réfractaires ?

Il n’est généralement pas nécessaire de les laver avec de l’eau ou des produits chimiques. Une fois le foyer froid, les résidus secs peuvent être retirés délicatement à l’aide d’une brosse.

Quelle dimension choisir pour une famille ?

Un modèle de 60 cm convient généralement à un usage familial. Les formats de 70 ou 80 cm offrent davantage de confort lorsque l’on reçoit régulièrement plusieurs invités ou que l’on souhaite créer différentes zones de cuisson.

En conclusion

Le barbecue en inox à poser constitue une solution polyvalente pour cuisiner au charbon de bois ou au feu de bois sans construire immédiatement un barbecue fixe.

Son installation simple, son entretien accessible, son foyer réfractaire et les différentes dimensions disponibles lui permettent de s’adapter à de nombreux espaces extérieurs. Installé sur un support adapté, il peut devenir l’élément central d’une cuisine d’été compacte, fonctionnelle et durable.

Pour comparer les dimensions, les configurations à une ou deux grilles et les modèles actuellement disponibles, découvrez la sélection de barbecues en inox à poser BRASAOVENS.

I’m a little bit sad that I even Got to this point at all. I found myself searching up what makes someone a high value man, and everything that came up was something about red pill ideology. I honestly don’t really know too much about red pill or any of the pill stuff, but I know that it’s one of those like Andrew Tate or incel adjacent schools of thought. I thought about how at the gym I see all of these people around me and I feel like all of these really beautiful women wouldn’t be interested in getting to know me or even getting my foot in the door because I do not look like someone who is on steroids. I also do not outwardly have flashy things that show wealth. And I guess this thought has started to slowly whittle at me. I kind of felt like I need to do something else to change that, like spend more money in stupid status symbols. I even watched a video today that was recommended to me about different signifiers of status, and I think the fact that that was even recommended to me even though it was a satire channel that I like to watch feels a bit worrying. I also felt like maybe I need to update my wardrobe more, or maybe I need to worry about my appearance more and start to die diet or lose weight even though I am already at a pretty low body fat percentage for the norm. I feel like this is just a step towards dysmorphia again, and I don’t even know if this changes anything. I guess I just feel really frustrated because I have an incredibly good job, I own a house, I drive a nice car, I am attractive, I am physically very fit, I am emotionally mature, I am kind, I am popular, I am well liked, and outgoing, I feel like I am all of these wonderful things that I have strive to be, and it isn’t really working. It feels really frustrating to see random science or people talking about how what really matters to them is a man that is kind and funny and even having women that thirst over me when I don’t try to. But I haven’t really been able to find a relationship with someone that I feel matches me and is a good fit. And I know that I have been rejecting a lot of different people on dates and I’ve had to warn the person that I’m currently friends with benefits With to not catch feelings for me or let me know if they do so that we can address that, because I am not interested in dating them. And I guess that is success, but I wish that instead I was finding a really nice partner. And the more I think about it the more I feel like I have explored a lot of these paths and really the most important thing I can do is put myself in situations where I am exposed to more people. And pass this I really should stop trying to optimize our focus towards this because it is such a sparse goal that there really isn’t much I can hope for.

Hello,

I am a researcher with an architectural background, exploring how to build socially sustainable neighbourhoods and cities. As part of this journey, I studied differences in how older men and women engage in intergenerational interactions in community spaces in Seoul, Korea.

I'm interested in how to create social infrastructure that connects people from different backgrounds and strengthens local community networks. I believe this requires planning physical social infrastructure and community initiatives together, which is the kind of work I hope to pursue.

I would like to share my thoughts on this and what I've learned from the field.

Happy to be here and connect with you guys.

Best, Seunghyun Dany Song

Starcraft Co 21- Defection

Citadel had given StarCraft Co. an army. It had not given them a mandate. In the weeks after Restoration, most of the surviving Terran military accepted the emergency command structure because somebody had to coordinate the war and StarCraft Co. had demonstrated that it could. That agreement became considerably less certain once the immediate panic subsided. Planetary governments began asking how long the emergency arrangement would last. Admirals who had readily accepted operational orders during the Citadel campaign became less enthusiastic when those orders involved transferring ships away from their home sectors. Industrial consortiums wanted guarantees regarding contracts and mineral concessions. Mercenary companies wanted to know which government would actually be paying them six months from now. Former UIC officials who had survived the decapitation began assembling their own networks and quietly discussing whether StarCraft Co. had exceeded the authority anyone had actually granted it. None of those groups necessarily wanted the renegades to win. They simply were not convinced StarCraft Co. would.

The renegades understood that distinction and exploited it aggressively. Their diplomats traveled wherever their armies could not. They offered autonomy to fringe governors, mineral rights to corporations, pardons to UIC officers, contracts to mercenary organizations and protected smuggling routes to criminal syndicates willing to supply them. They presented themselves less as insurgents than as the inevitable successor to a failed government. Their argument was simple: the Council was dead, the UIC had collapsed, and StarCraft Co. was a mercenary corporation pretending that battlefield competence amounted to political legitimacy. Why sacrifice another million people resisting what would eventually happen anyway? Some factions rejected them immediately. Others listened. Several opened negotiations while continuing to publicly recognize StarCraft Co.'s emergency command. The commander responded first with diplomacy. Delegations were sent. Contracts were honored. Governors were promised considerable local autonomy once the war ended. Mercenary groups were offered standardized pay and access to StarCraft Co. logistics. Corporations received assurances that nationalization was not planned. Independent Protoss tribes were approached through Ara intermediaries rather than treated automatically as hostile. It worked often enough that StarCraft Co. kept doing it. It did not work universally.

The most dangerous gathering took place on Callisto's Reach, a sparsely populated fringe world whose primary virtue was distance. It possessed little industry, no major fleet base and only a handful of settlements scattered across enormous mineral deserts broken by canyon systems kilometers deep. Choosing it was deliberate. Nearly every substantial StarCraft Co. formation was already committed elsewhere, either holding the post-Citadel coalition together or containing renegade offensives that had accelerated while the Terran command structure remained unsettled. A conventional intervention on Callisto's Reach would require withdrawing ships from somewhere more important, precisely the calculation the renegades expected StarCraft Co. to make.

The conference was less a unified political movement than a collection of people who had all reached the same conclusion for different reasons. The largest former-UIC contingent called itself the Continuity Directorate, a grand title for seven surviving administrators, three generals and Admiral Hector Vale, whose Seventh Reserve Fleet had avoided the fighting at Citadel because most of its ships had been undergoing refit. Vale did not consider himself a traitor. He considered StarCraft Co. dangerous. In his view, the UIC had lost its leadership, not its legitimacy, and handing emergency command to a private military corporation merely replaced one crisis with another. His officers brought disciplined marines, several Goliath platoons and four siege tanks painted in the old blue-and-white markings of the UIC fleet. Their equipment was maintained immaculately. Their problem was that half of them were still waiting for somebody to explain whether they were attending a peace conference or preparing for another war.

The criminal delegations were considerably less conflicted. The Orion Passage Cooperative controlled smuggling routes through three sparsely policed systems and had spent twenty years moving everything from contraband stimulants to stolen reactor components. “Cooperative” was mostly a joke. Its crews flew patched-together Wraiths with mismatched armor panels, drove Vultures modified for cargo hauling and carried weapons from half a dozen manufacturers. Its leader, Mara Venn, had no ideological attachment to either side. The UIC had occasionally arrested her people; the renegades were offering exclusive transit rights and protection from Zerg predation. Beside them camped the Red Knives, a mercenary outfit descended from colonial security contractors whose reputation came from being inexpensive, aggressive and willing to work in places respectable companies would not. Their infantry wore crimson markings across otherwise standardized armor, and their officers favored rapid Vulture attacks supported by Goliaths instead of the slower combined-arms doctrine used by regular armies. They were experienced enough to be dangerous and undisciplined enough to believe experience made them better than they were.

The more serious mercenary force was Helix Security, which had once competed with StarCraft Co. for government contracts before the war elevated one company and nearly bankrupted the other. Helix had survived by becoming the private army of whoever could pay. Its commander, Colonel Darius Pell, had spent twenty-two years in the UIC Marines before leaving over a promotion dispute and had never forgiven institutions for failing to recognize his own estimation of his talents. His troops were professionals. They maintained overlapping fields of fire, fielded medics at proper ratios and traveled with their own Goliaths, Wraiths and mobile artillery. Pell had not yet signed with the renegades, but he had entered the conference convinced that StarCraft Co.'s rise had made continued neutrality impossible. If he was going to serve somebody else's new order, he intended to choose the side with the better chance of surviving it.

The corporate delegations brought forces built around entirely different assumptions. Caldera Extraction Group owned mines, refineries and processing stations across six systems, along with a security arm designed primarily to suppress piracy and labor unrest. Their equipment was excellent because Caldera could afford excellent equipment. Their soldiers were not. Most had never fought anything more dangerous than raiders. Their armored battalion possessed new-model Goliaths, pristine Vultures and imported targeting suites that looked impressive during demonstrations. Its commanders had been selected as much for corporate reliability as battlefield experience. Sagan Interstellar Logistics, by contrast, had almost no conventional ground force but operated a small private aerospace wing because its shipping network had spent years defending freighters from pirates. Its pilots were good. Its Wraiths were old. Its mechanics were exceptional. Sagan's executives were not particularly sympathetic to the renegades, but their business depended upon functioning trade routes, and they were willing to negotiate with anybody who could keep those routes open.

Several independent Protoss tribes had come as observers rather than allies. The largest, the Khal-Tor, possessed only a few dozen warriors but controlled a chain of isolated settlements near Terran space and had spent decades avoiding entanglement in human politics. They distrusted the Ara almost as much as they distrusted the renegades. Another group, the Serevai, had already fought alongside Terran mercenaries elsewhere in the war and believed the collapse of the UIC might finally create room for permanent Protoss enclaves without Terran interference. Neither group had pledged anything. Both wanted to see what the renegades actually controlled before deciding whether negotiation was safer than opposition.

The renegades came last and made no attempt to appear conciliatory. Their delegation arrived behind several companies of veteran infantry supported by siege tanks, Goliaths and Wraiths, enough force to dominate the conference militarily without appearing to occupy it. Their commander, Colonel Jorek Malk, had defected from the UIC early in the war and possessed the unnerving calm of someone who believed history had already vindicated him. He spoke of reconciliation, regional autonomy and an end to unnecessary bloodshed. Then he brought the delegates outside and showed them the real argument.

He had brought a Zerg brood.

Overlords descended over the desert while the delegates watched. Drones established creep beyond the conference perimeter. Hatcheries swelled from the ground. Hydralisk dens and spawning pools followed. Thousands of zerglings gathered in the valleys, with hydralisks behind them and mutalisks circling overhead. The demonstration was carefully staged. Renegade officers walked through the growing brood without being attacked. Zerg organisms moved when ordered and stopped when ordered. A hydralisk formation turned in unison at a hand signal relayed through the renegade control system. A wave of zerglings surged toward an empty ridge, stopped before reaching the observers and settled almost motionless onto the creep. An ultralisk strain was conspicuously absent, but nobody watching required one to understand the implication. The renegades were not merely promising military protection. They were displaying an army they could reproduce anywhere given enough biomass and time.

StarCraft Co. intercepted fragments of the negotiations through several sources. The discussions were farther along than expected. The Red Knives had tentatively agreed to a renegade contract. Pell was negotiating Helix's incorporation as an autonomous brigade rather than merely hired security. Caldera wanted mineral rights to two systems the renegades did not yet control and, remarkably, Malk appeared willing to grant them. Admiral Vale and the Continuity Directorate were discussing something more dangerous: creation of a provisional Terran authority that would recognize the renegades as a legitimate belligerent, suspend offensive operations and open negotiations over a permanent partition of Terran space. Vale believed he was preventing civilizational collapse. Malk understood perfectly well that a recognized partition would give the renegades time to consolidate every world they already held. If the conference ended successfully, the agreements themselves would matter less than the precedent. Every undecided faction in Terran space would know that negotiations with the renegades were possible, respectable and perhaps even profitable.

The commander looked at the available force list. Almost everything useful had somebody else's crisis attached to it. Pull a battlecruiser group from the western systems and three colonies would lose their only deterrent. Move the fleet from Citadel and the renegades might retake the station. Redirect planetary formations and governors who had only just accepted StarCraft Co.'s authority would conclude that their own worlds were expendable. The operation had to be small enough that nobody noticed what was missing until it was already over.

A fast cruiser became the answer. The ship was not large enough to fight a fleet and was never intended to. Its internal volume had been stripped for speed, electronic warfare equipment and troop capacity. It carried a newly graduated commando company, one of the first formations produced after the Aiur deployment proved the enhancement program could be expanded beyond a few dozen experimental soldiers. These commandos were not identical to the original twenty-four. The augmentation process had been standardized, several dangerous procedures removed, armor manufacturing simplified and weapons redesigned for production beyond laboratory quantities. They remained enormously expensive, but StarCraft Co. could now create them in numbers that mattered. The commander assigned them a mission that required exactly what the program had been designed to provide: arrive somewhere conventional forces could not, destroy something larger than themselves and leave before the enemy could respond properly.

The Ara contributed a small force as well. Their involvement was less politically delicate than at Citadel; there was no need to conceal it this time. Zealots, dragoons and several high templar joined the cruiser aboard dedicated transports. The independent Protoss tribes attending the renegade conference complicated matters, but the Ara were unsympathetic to tribes willing to make accommodations with Terrans controlling Zerg. One Ara commander examined intelligence images showing the renegade demonstration and gave his assessment without hesitation. “They have made the same error as the rebels on Aiur.” The StarCraft Co. officer beside him asked, “Which one?” “They believe control makes the abomination less offensive.”

The cruiser entered the system without announcing itself and descended behind the planet's larger moon before making its final approach. The conference occupied a broad plateau surrounded by canyon country. Malk's sensor stations covered the open desert, Sagan Wraiths patrolled the upper atmosphere and Red Knife scouts regularly swept the easiest ground approaches. StarCraft Co. ignored all of them. Transports descended into a canyon nearly forty kilometers from the meeting site, flying below the surrounding ridgelines until the final kilometers. The commandos landed in darkness, advanced through the canyon network on foot and reached the plateau through a narrow ravine that reconnaissance maps considered impassable to conventional infantry. By dawn they were less than three kilometers from the Orion Passage camp.

The first indication anyone had that StarCraft Co. was present was one of Mara Venn's Goliaths falling over. Its cockpit erupted under concentrated commando fire before its pilot could rotate the weapons platform. Two modified Vultures beside it accelerated toward the source and disappeared beneath grenades fired into the canyon mouth. Commandos emerged behind them in squads, moving far faster than conventional armored infantry could comfortably track. Orion crews reacted like smugglers rather than soldiers. Some rushed toward their ships. Others opened fire from cargo stacks or tried to move contraband vehicles out of the line of attack. Several pilots attempted to launch their Wraiths without waiting for ground crews, and one clipped another aircraft while lifting from the improvised strip. The cruiser fired precision missiles into the runway only after the first fighters began climbing. Three Wraiths were destroyed on the ground. Two escaped rather than fight.

The commandos did not chase them. They turned immediately on the Red Knives, whose camp sat less than a kilometer away and had already begun deploying. The difference was obvious. Red Knife marines formed actual fire teams, Goliaths moved into supporting positions, and Vultures raced toward side canyons looking for the commandos' flanks. Their commander, Edda Rourke, responded to the surprise with exactly the aggression that had made her company useful for twenty years. She ordered a counterattack before she knew how many enemies she faced. StarCraft Co. exploited it. One commando platoon pinned the Red Knife infantry outside effective rifle range while another dropped into the ravine beneath the western flank. Rourke's Vultures accelerated through the canyon expecting to emerge behind the attackers and instead found commandos waiting above them. Armor-piercing fire killed the lead vehicles. The wreckage blocked the others. Grenades finished the column.

Rourke attempted to reorganize around a prefab warehouse complex, but her troops had been deployed to attack rather than defend it. Goliaths found their lines of fire obstructed by their own vehicles. Marines fired from cargo barriers never designed as fortifications. The commandos kept moving, concentrating entire squads against individual sections instead of fighting the whole camp simultaneously. Within forty minutes the Orion Passage security force had scattered and the Red Knives had ceased functioning as an organized company. StarCraft Co. had several wounded but no dead. Rourke escaped aboard a transport with perhaps a quarter of her personnel. Mara Venn did not even attempt to rally her crews. She transmitted a profanity-laced notice that she was withdrawing from “everyone's damn civil war” and fled toward orbit.

StarCraft Co. did not stop to occupy either camp. Weapons depots were destroyed. Communications systems were disabled. Vehicles that could not immediately be used were sabotaged. Fuel dumps were punctured rather than detonated because the commandos had no interest in advertising their exact position with a column of fire visible across the plateau. Representatives who fled were allowed to flee unless they attempted to organize resistance. The objective was not to kill everyone attending the conference. It was to remove the factions most likely to provide Malk with additional troops once the real battle began.

The Ara landed as the commandos approached the Zerg perimeter. They arrived directly into combat. Mutalisks spotted the descending transports and attacked before they reached the ground. Dragoons fired upward from open ramps while the ships were still moving. One transport took enough damage that its pilot put it down several kilometers short of the intended landing zone, disgorging zealots into the desert while the surviving aircraft continued toward the commandos. By the time the two forces linked, the renegades understood that the raid was not aimed at one delegation. StarCraft Co. was heading directly for the brood.

That was deliberately reckless. The brood was the centerpiece of the conference and the physical proof behind every renegade promise. Leaving it intact while attacking lesser allies would accomplish almost nothing. Destroying it in front of the delegates would undermine the entire argument they had traveled to hear. The combined formation therefore went straight into the Zerg concentration before Malk could fully reorganize it. Commandos opened corridors through zergling packs with controlled automatic fire while zealots occupied anything that reached close combat. Dragoons concentrated on hydralisk groups and biological structures. High templar remained protected inside the formation until the Zerg massed heavily enough to justify exposing them, then dropped storms across entire approach lanes. The first storm annihilated several hundred zerglings before they could close. A second struck hydralisks packed between two hatcheries. Commandos pushed through the resulting gap and began firing directly into the structures.

The Zerg responded violently. Mutalisks descended into the formation and killed three commandos before dragoons and cruiser-launched Wraiths drove them away. Burrowed hydralisks emerged inside the advancing line and caught one squad from two directions, killing four more and wounding nearly a dozen before Ara zealots reached them. Another commando died pulling a wounded medic out of the path of a zergling rush. By the time the formation entered the central creep field, where the brood could reinforce faster than the attackers could safely advance, eight commandos were dead and more than twenty had suffered wounds serious enough to require eventual evacuation. Nobody suggested slowing down. StarCraft Co. had not sent a company because it expected the mission to be safe. It had sent a company because the hive had to stop functioning before Malk could bring the rest of the conference forces into the battle.

StarCraft Co. did not attempt to clear every organism. Intelligence teams had identified three primary hive clusters and the largest concentrations of overlords, and those became the only objectives that mattered. The first hatchery complex fell to concentrated dragoon fire while commandos held a semicircle around it. The second required the high templar. Zerg organisms were packed so densely across the approach that conventional fire could not create enough space. Two storms opened the line, and the commandos sprinted through before it closed. They planted shaped charges directly against the biological structure and withdrew while zealots kept the surviving defenders occupied. The hatchery ruptured from within. The third cluster attempted to evacuate. Overlords began moving away from the battlefield with drones and other organisms beneath them. The cruiser descended just far enough above the canyon rim to acquire them and opened fire. Wraiths followed. Overlords fell across the desert.

The effect was not instantaneous, but it was obvious. With the central hive structures destroyed and much of the overlord network gone, the brood's coordination degraded. Zerglings continued attacking whatever was nearest. Hydralisks reacted to immediate threats but stopped maneuvering as coherent groups. Mutalisks scattered toward distant contacts. Malk's controllers still possessed influence over portions of the brood, but the demonstration army he had brought to impress the conference was becoming exactly what his enemies had always claimed it was: a mass of dangerous organisms whose usefulness depended on a fragile command structure. The diplomats watching from the plateau did not need a military education to recognize the transformation. Twenty minutes earlier the renegades had possessed an obedient alien army. Now zerglings were chasing abandoned vehicles, hydralisks were firing at distant Wraiths and mutalisks were circling terrain with no apparent objective.

That was when Malk committed the renegade regulars. They came from the northern plateau in disciplined formation, veteran marines at the front with Goliaths moving among them and siege tanks following along prepared lanes. Unlike the Red Knives, they did not rush. Unlike Caldera's troops, they did not hesitate. These were soldiers who had fought through the same war as StarCraft Co., many of them former UIC personnel who had defected years earlier and accumulated experience commanding Zerg alongside conventional forces. Their armor was mismatched but heavily modified, with additional plating over joints most vulnerable to hydralisk spines and heat shielding adapted from campaigns against Protoss weaponry. Their tank crews knew enough not to deploy until they had secure observation. Their Wraith pilots came in low over the ridges rather than presenting themselves to the cruiser.

Pell's Helix Security joined them almost immediately. That surprised nobody. Pell had spent the entire conference demanding assurances that his company would retain operational autonomy under the renegades; the attack gave him an opportunity to demonstrate why that autonomy was worth granting. His formations were smaller than Malk's but just as orderly. Helix medics moved behind advancing infantry. Two Goliath platoons formed a mobile anti-air screen. A battery of portable missile turrets began deploying around the conference approaches. Pell personally took command of the western flank and ordered his troops to hold rather than chase the commandos. He understood what StarCraft Co. wanted because he had competed against them long enough to recognize their habits.

Caldera's private army joined for an entirely different reason. Its executives had already signed preliminary mineral agreements and feared losing them if the renegades were driven off-world. Their battalion rolled out with immaculate equipment and almost no combat cohesion. New-model Goliaths advanced in parade-perfect spacing until the first damaged Zerg organisms wandered across their route and forced the column to break formation. Vulture crews transmitted constantly asking for revised orders. Infantry officers kept stopping to re-form their squads. Their commander requested instructions from the corporate delegation twice during the opening five minutes of combat. The machines were first-rate. The organization underneath them was not.

Sagan Interstellar refused. Its aerospace commander informed both Malk and StarCraft Co. that Sagan personnel had come to negotiate shipping access, not die in somebody else's succession crisis. Their Wraiths climbed above the battlefield and established a defensive orbit around their own transports. Admiral Vale did something more consequential. Malk requested that the Continuity Directorate commit its troops to the counterattack. Vale refused as well. “We came to discuss an armistice,” he transmitted. “We did not come here to become your auxiliary force.” His marines remained in their camp with weapons ready but did not move. The distinction mattered. Callisto's Reach was no longer one Terran army fighting another. It was a coalition beginning to fracture while the shooting was still underway.

Even without Vale and Sagan, StarCraft Co. and the Ara were badly outnumbered. The obvious move was retreat. The commander ordered an advance. Malk expected them to pull back toward the southern canyon where their transports could extract them. His tanks began deploying to dominate that route. Helix Goliaths spread outward to prevent air evacuation. Infantry formations widened into a closing arc. StarCraft Co. instead pushed north toward the conference complex itself, where the terrain narrowed between two escarpments and the opposing forces had not yet positioned their artillery.

The fast cruiser joined the battle properly for the first time. It could not remain exposed for long, but it did not need to. Electronic warfare systems flooded Malk's command network while the ship made a single low pass over the battlefield. Renegade Wraiths attempted to intercept it, and unlike the Orion pilots they pressed the attack. One reached firing range and put missiles into the cruiser's aft armor before StarCraft Co. escorts drove it away. The cruiser ignored the fighters long enough to fire into the lead siege-tank formation. Two tanks died. A third lost a track assembly. Then the ship climbed before Helix Goliaths could concentrate on it.

The ground force reached the escarpments first and immediately occupied the high ground. Ara dragoons established firing positions beneath them while commandos converted natural rock shelves into overlapping fields of fire. The first renegade infantry formations entered the narrow approach and met concentrated fire from above. Armor penetrators punched through powered suits at distances where ordinary marines would have struggled to hit reliably. Medics kept wounded commandos in the line. When Malk's Goliaths attempted to push forward, dragoons focused on one at a time until the machines collapsed and blocked the route behind them. Malk reacted intelligently and ordered his siege tanks onto surrounding ridges rather than feeding more units through the center. The Ara high templar moved before the tanks finished deploying. Psionic storms struck crews and infantry escorts, forcing vehicles either to undeploy or remain inside the storms long enough to be destroyed by concentrated fire.

Pell recognized the trap sooner than Malk did. Rather than attack the center, Helix infantry began working through side ravines in small units, searching for routes onto the commandos' flanks. They found one. A Helix platoon emerged unexpectedly above the western position and poured fire into a commando fireteam before the rest of the company could react. Three commandos died holding the ravine while their squad fell back. Pell pushed harder, correctly judging that StarCraft Co. could not afford to leave the flank open, and brought a Goliath close enough to fire directly into the reverse slope. The commandos killed the machine, but not before it forced them off another position. StarCraft Co. shortened its perimeter. Helix advanced again. The movement looked increasingly like a retreat, but each contraction pulled Pell farther from Malk's artillery and compressed both enemy formations into the same narrowing piece of terrain.

Caldera's battalion provided the opening. Its commander saw the withdrawing commandos and interpreted the movement literally. Against Pell's advice, he ordered the western ridge seized before StarCraft Co. could establish another line. Caldera marines advanced behind three Goliaths and reached the crest with almost no resistance. The commandos withdrew down the reverse slope. Caldera followed.

Ara zealots were waiting beneath them.

The first Goliath fired downward and killed one zealot before two others reached it. The machine disappeared beneath plasma blades. Caldera's infantry tried to back away, only to discover that the troops behind them were still advancing. The ridge became a compression point. Zealots tore into the front while commandos fired from both sides. Officers shouted contradictory orders over the corporate channel. Some squads attempted to retreat. Others continued firing. One Goliath backed over two marines trying to get clear. The fight lasted less than four minutes. When the survivors finally broke, they did not retreat toward the renegades. They ran toward the Caldera landing field.

Malk committed his reserve to prevent the western flank from collapsing. That was the point StarCraft Co. had been waiting for. The cruiser had spent the previous twenty minutes moving around the far side of the canyon system below enemy sensor horizons. Now it reappeared directly behind the renegade artillery line. Wraith escorts hit Goliaths first. The cruiser fired everything else into the tanks. At almost the same moment, the commandos stopped withdrawing and counterattacked from the escarpments. Dragoons advanced beneath them. The remaining high templar dropped storms behind the lead renegade formations rather than directly on them, cutting reinforcement and retreat at the same time.

The counterattack cost StarCraft Co. heavily. A commando squad moving through a side ravine encountered one of Pell's remaining Helix units at almost point-blank range. Both sides opened fire before either could maneuver. Two commandos were killed immediately, and several more wounded before zealots forced Helix back. Elsewhere, a renegade siege tank fired at a StarCraft Co. position less than a hundred meters away. The shell struck short, killing several of Malk's own marines but also catching the edge of a commando team moving between rock formations. One died outright. By that point the company's losses had reached fourteen killed. Thirty-one more were seriously wounded, although several remained in the fight under medication and the support of their enhancements because evacuation was impossible until the enemy line broke.

For several minutes the battle became close enough that nobody had a useful picture of it. Terran infantry fought among damaged vehicles and Zerg corpses. Goliaths fired at Wraiths overhead while commandos shot through their leg assemblies from the ground. Helix squads withdrew by bounds rather than routing, covering one another with a professionalism that made them considerably harder to kill than Caldera's soldiers. Pell personally organized a defensive line around two damaged Goliaths and held it long enough for dozens of his wounded to escape. Malk's veterans attempted to re-form around their remaining tanks, but the command network had been disrupted by the cruiser and their formations had become tangled with retreating corporate troops. Zealots moved through smoke and wreckage into soldiers trained to fight Zerg and conventional Terrans but far less comfortable dealing with Protoss at arm's length. The renegades still had more troops. They no longer had a coherent battle line. StarCraft Co. did.

That decided it. Malk recognized the collapse before most of his subordinates and ordered a withdrawal toward the northern landing field. His regulars obeyed. Helix followed several minutes later, Pell refusing to sacrifice the company simply to make Malk's retreat look orderly. StarCraft Co. did not pursue far enough to lose formation. Fourteen dead commandos were already fourteen more than the company could casually replace, and thirty-one seriously wounded represented an enormous investment in personnel, augmentation and training that would take months to recover. The operation had succeeded because the commandos could absorb losses without losing cohesion, not because those losses did not matter. For an ordinary infantry company, the casualty rate might have produced combat ineffectiveness. The surviving commandos still held their heavy weapons, maintained squad communications and were prepared to continue fighting if ordered. The commander had no intention of testing how much farther that resilience extended when the strategic objective was already within reach.

The cruiser destroyed several renegade transports before they could launch but ignored others once Malk's withdrawal became irreversible. Pell's Helix aircraft were deliberately left alone after his ground formations disengaged; StarCraft Co. wanted the company beaten, not exterminated. Caldera Security mostly surrendered. Their executives initially demanded protection for corporate property before somebody reminded them that their private army had just participated in an armed attack against StarCraft Co. One of the executives stopped arguing after that. Sagan's Wraiths remained in their neutral orbit until the firing subsided, then requested permission to land medical shuttles for wounded personnel from all factions. Permission was granted immediately.

By the time the firing around the central plateau ended, the political gathering had ceased to exist in any meaningful sense. Malk fled with what remained of his security force. Mara Venn was already gone. Rourke and the surviving Red Knives disappeared off-world without waiting to discover whether their preliminary renegade contract was still valid. Caldera's representatives remained because most of their transport crews had surrendered. Pell did something nobody expected. He walked into the StarCraft Co. perimeter himself with two officers, removed his sidearm and handed it grip-first to the nearest commando. “Contract's terminated,” he said. The commando looked at the weapon, then at him. “With them?” Pell glanced toward the retreating renegade transports. “With anyone who needs a Zerg brood to make his argument.”

Admiral Vale arrived shortly afterward. He had not fired on StarCraft Co., which meant StarCraft Co. had not fired on him. The distinction was deliberate on both sides. Vale looked across the battlefield at burning Caldera vehicles, collapsing Zerg structures and commandos carrying their own wounded toward the extraction point. “Fourteen?” he asked after hearing the casualty report. “Fourteen dead,” the officer answered. “Thirty-one serious.” Vale looked toward the remnants of the brood. “For this?” The officer understood what he meant. “For everyone watching this.”

The commander joined the surviving delegates only by secure transmission. There was no theatrical demand for unconditional loyalty and no speech about treason. He offered three choices. They could leave Terran space entirely and take no further part in the war. They could return home and remain neutral, provided they supplied no material support to the renegades. Or they could join the emergency Terran command and fight. Vale asked what happened to anyone who chose the renegades. The StarCraft Co. officer standing among the delegates looked toward the battlefield. Burning Goliaths surrounded the plateau. What remained of Malk's demonstration brood wandered through the desert without coherent direction. Renegade transports were disappearing toward the horizon. “You saw what happens.”

Most of them joined, although the manner of joining revealed almost as much as the decision. Vale agreed to place the Seventh Reserve Fleet under unified operational command while explicitly reserving the Continuity Directorate's right to contest the postwar political settlement. The commander accepted without argument. Sagan Interstellar volunteered its shipping network and aerospace escorts in exchange for guaranteed neutrality in future disputes over commercial policy. StarCraft Co. accepted that too. Caldera's executives swore loyalty with considerably more enthusiasm than credibility and immediately began negotiating to keep their existing mineral concessions. Pell requested a formal StarCraft Co. contract for Helix Security, including guarantees that his personnel would retain their own command structure. The request was taken under review. The Khal-Tor Protoss departed without making any pledge, but their representative privately informed the Ara that they would no longer consider agreements with factions using controlled Zerg. The Serevai went farther and offered scouts for future operations against renegade brood sites.

Some of those decisions came from conviction. Most came from arithmetic. The renegades had brought a Zerg army to Callisto's Reach to demonstrate that resistance was futile. StarCraft Co. had arrived with one fast cruiser, one commando company and a small Protoss detachment and destroyed it. The factions present had watched Orion Passage scatter almost immediately, the Red Knives discover that aggression was not a substitute for discipline, Caldera learn that expensive hardware did not manufacture soldiers, Helix fight well and still lose, and Malk's veterans lose a battle despite overwhelming numerical superiority. They had also watched StarCraft Co. distinguish between enemies instead of indiscriminately destroying everyone present. Vale had remained neutral and survived untouched. Sagan had refused the renegades and been allowed to provide medical aid. Pell had broken contact and been permitted to withdraw. StarCraft Co. had not come to Callisto's Reach to massacre dissenters. It had come to establish that joining the enemy was a military decision with military consequences.

News of the battle spread faster than StarCraft Co.'s diplomats could have arranged. Survivors carried it. Corporate communications carried it. Mercenary channels carried it, and the mercenary version was particularly effective because nobody in that world believed official casualty reports but everyone believed Pell when he told former colleagues that the new commandos were “the worst infantry problem I've ever seen.” The independent Protoss observers carried their own version. Within days, groups that had been quietly negotiating with the renegades began contacting StarCraft Co. instead. Several mercenary companies requested formal contracts. Two governors publicly rejected ceasefire proposals they had been considering the week before. A shipping consortium volunteered transport capacity to the emergency command. Former UIC officers who had been attempting to create independent regional commands began discussing integration.

StarCraft Co. continued offering diplomacy, contracts, autonomy agreements and guarantees to factions willing to cooperate. The offers were considerably more persuasive now. There was never an official proclamation regarding Callisto's Reach. Nobody announced that neutrality was forbidden or that disagreement with StarCraft Co. constituted treason. In fact, Vale's continued political opposition made that impossible to claim even if StarCraft Co. had wanted to. The warning was narrower and therefore more credible: remaining neutral was possible; arguing about the future was possible; refusing StarCraft Co.'s political leadership was possible. Actively lending soldiers, money, ships or legitimacy to the renegades was something else.

There were now two sides with a realistic chance of winning the war. One commanded the Zerg and promised that accommodating it was safer than resistance. The other had just found a conference on a forgotten fringe world, inserted a few hundred troops through terrain everyone else considered inaccessible, destroyed the Zerg force brought there as a symbol of renegade power, defeated a coalition several times its size and left the factions that had stayed out of the fight almost entirely alone. Fourteen commandos had died proving the point, and thirty-one more had been carried home badly wounded. StarCraft Co. considered the price high. Everyone else considered the message unmistakable.

Siding with the renegades was no longer hedging against the future.

It was choosing the losing side before the war was over.

I should be heading to sleep on this last day of August. I want to, but I also want to write. I don't know what I want to write. I know that I don't want my notes to automatically hyperlink words that I write to something that I'm not linking it to. That makes me want to stop writing.

Today was not unexpected. There was both potential bad news and potential good news. I knew something along such lines would be coming. I was just unsure of what my response would be. There are times when I wonder if I am too understanding. It is a quality that I believe is very important to have, but it comes at a cost.

It is possible that it is a very positive thing and come January I am going to be extremely happy. It is also possible that I am just naive and too understanding. I think I've also had such a heavy dose of pragmatism invade my fairy tale mindset that maybe, just maybe, my ability to hope and believe is more than a little bit tarnished.

Perhaps, I have had too many curtains pulled back and have gotten to see what lay on the other side too often to still have the innocent, dreaming mindset I once had. Even while quite cynical. I really don't know anymore. I really don't know anymore...

I need to make a phone call tomorrow that I don't want to make. It reveals way too much of myself to persons that I don't particularly want to. It is a necessity, but I am digging my heels in hard. I have been for some time. I have tried to figure out why. Why am I so reluctant?

I think, perhaps, it is because when I got the opportunity to tell the only person in the world that it really had anything to do with, his response was...disappointing. I think that is often the case with such things. I am still glad that I told him. It was a regret I had carried for decades.

Tomorrow is different. Tomorrow I need to acknowledge it to strangers. If I'm being extremely honest with myself, I'm still debating whether or not I'm going to follow through. I recognize that I really do need to, but I do not want to. Who will win out? Need or want?

I probably need to want to give a damn. I think in general, part of me gives a damn way too much, and part of me could not give a damn at all. Such is the danger in accepting “reality.”

© 2026 AnOublietteofThought. All rights reserved.

“You don’t move on from grief, you learn to live beside it.”

Grief is such a complicated thing. It doesn’t just live in loss, It hides in the quiet spaces after. It sits in the chair where someone used to sit, In the text you want to send but can’t. In the songs you skip because they still know your heart too well.

People think grief is all tears and sadness. But sometimes it’s just emptiness. A dull ache that follows you from morning to night. A feeling that something is missing, Even when you can’t name what it is anymore.

I’ve come to realize that grief isn’t just about losing someone. It’s also about losing who I was when they were still here. The version of me that believed in certain things. In forever, In forgiveness, In the idea that love could fix anything. When all of that crumbled, I had to face myself in a way I never had before.

It’s weird how grief makes you grow. Not because you want to, But because standing still hurts too much. I used to fight it, The crying,

The loneliness. I thought if I could just stay busy enough. Or keep pretending I was fine. The pain would eventually get tired and move on. But grief doesn’t leave when you ignore it. It only settles deeper into your bones.

Now I let myself feel it. I cry when I need to. I write when I can’t speak. I sit in the ache instead of running from it.

Because somewhere in that stillness. I’ve started to find something softer, Not quite peace, but something close. Maybe acceptance isn’t about saying “I’m okay with what happened.” Maybe it’s about saying, “I’m okay with me, even after what happened.”

I miss parts of my old life, And there are still days I wish I could go back and fix it all. But if I’m honest, I don’t want to be that same version of myself anymore. I’ve outgrown the places where I used to hide, And I’m slowly learning that losing people doesn’t mean losing myself.

Some days, acceptance looks like forgiveness. Other days, it’s just breathing through the hurt until it fades a little. And on the hardest days, It’s reminding myself that healing doesn’t mean forgetting, It means remembering without losing myself in the memory.

I don’t know if grief ever fully ends. I think it just changes shape. It becomes less about what I’ve lost and more about what I’ve learned, That love doesn’t disappear just because things didn’t turn out the way I hoped.

So, I keep walking forward. Carrying both the love and the loss. They belong to each other, They both belong to me. And maybe that’s what healing really is, not letting go, But learning how to hold differently.

(NEXT – CHAPTER 5)