#UC leadership
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Transcript: Unification Church news conference on Abe shooting
https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/Shinzo-Abe/Transcript-Unification-Church-news-conference-on-Abe-shooting
TOKYO -- Tomihiro Tanaka, president of the Japanese branch of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, widely known as the Unification Church, held a news conference on July 11 to discuss Tetsuya Yamagami, who allegedly shot former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Yamagami reportedly said he was motivated by a grudge against a particular religious organization. Tanaka acknowledged that Yamagami's mother was a member of the organization but denied any serious connection to Abe or the Liberal Democratic Party.
The following is edited excerpts of the news conference.
A: First, I would like to express my sincere condolences on the news of the passing of former Prime Minister Abe and pray that his soul finds peace. This barbaric act should never have occurred, and we are deeply offended by it. As a religious leader, I take very seriously the fact that such a grave event has taken place.
Some of the statements made by Mr. Yamagami, the suspect in this case, have been released by the police, and it was reported that he was motivated by a grudge against a specific religious group. Rumors have circulated widely that that religious group is ourselves, and some media have named us specifically. In response, we feel it is necessary to hold this news conference and explain our official position. I will state the facts to the best of our knowledge.
First, the suspect Tetsuya Yamagami is not a follower of our group, nor is there any record of him having been a follower in the past.
Second, the suspect's mother is a follower of our church, and she has attended church events as often as once a month.
Third, we will refrain from discussing the suspect Tetsuya Yamagami's motive for committing the crime and the donation issue reported in some media outlets, as it is believed that the police are currently investigating the matter. Regarding this, we will fully cooperate in the investigation as requested by the police.
Q: The suspect's mother reportedly made a large donation. Is there a general rule that forces people to donate large amounts of money?
A: Donations are made of individuals' own volition. We understand that the amount of the donation is based upon the individual's faith. There have been people who have donated large sums of money in the past. We are grateful for their intention to donate, because without their willingness we would not be able to receive such large donations. We do not treat this as an individual's obligation.
Q: Is it possible to ask for or encourage donations after knowing that an individual has entered bankruptcy?
A: We do not make requests for further donations in instances where we know an individual to be bankrupt. There are no such instructions.
Q: What is the relationship between the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification and former Prime Minister Abe?
A: Former Prime Minister Abe sent messages to events organized by our friendship group. He had expressed his support for the world peace movement led by President Han Hak-ja and promoted by her and many other world leaders. However, Prime Minister Abe was never registered as a member of our religious organization, the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, nor was he ever an adviser.
Q: What friendship group did former Prime Minister Abe send a message to?
A: It is UPF. The organization's name is the Universal Peace Federation.
Q: Had the church cooperated with Prime Minister Abe's political campaigns, including working during stump speeches?
A: There are cases where we cooperate with political campaigns at the request of our friendship group, the Peace Federation, but not in the case of Prime Minister Abe. Additionally, it does not act as an organization. Each individual may have accepted these requests and cooperated, but I have never heard anything about Prime Minister Abe.
Q: In this instance, Abe was shot while speaking in support of a candidate in Nara. Some say there were many Unification Church members in the audience. Do you know if that is true?
A: I am not sure. However, if there were many church members there, they would be from the local candidate's support group, not there to cheer for Prime Minister Abe.
Q: Did you support the local candidate as the Unification Church?
A: Not as the church. It is possible that some members were there supporting the candidate as individuals.
Q: What is your perception of the relationship with Mr. Abe's grandfather former Prime Minister Nobusuke Kishi?
A: It is my understanding that he had a strong understanding of the peace movement promoted by our founder, President Mun Seon-myeong, and then by President Han Hak-ja, rather than having a relationship with us as an organization.
Q: What kind of relationship did Kishi have with the church after understanding the movement?
A: I do not think he was deeply involved with the church. But he may have been involved in the peace movement. I would like to confirm that with the friendship group.
Q: Was the suspect ever directly involved with the Unification Church?
A: The mother began to get involved in the late 1990s. At that time the suspect would have been in his late teens. I cannot deny the possibility that they may have come together and studied at some point. But there are no records of that. He did not deepen his knowledge enough to become a member.
Q: Did the suspect himself ever express his resentment or frustration to the church?
A: He did not directly express his resentment to any current members. There is a great distance between feeling resentment toward the church, and from there arriving at the murder of former Prime Minister Abe. We are struggling to understand it.
Q: There are reports that Yamagami test-fired the gun [at a church of the Unification Church] before attacking former Prime Minister Abe.
A: We have checked with our churches where such an incident would be possible, but there are no traces of such an event.
Q: How much does the church receive in annual donations?
A: I would like to refrain from stating the amount of our annual donations at this time. All donations are reported to the government.
Q: What was the specific timing when Yamagami's mother became a member?
A: I believe the mother joined around 1998, but I do not have the exact information. I have heard they declared bankruptcy, and I believe that was around 2002. We do not know the extent of their involvement with our church at that time, but we are currently looking into that. Including the amount she donated, we cannot trace our records as far as some 20 years ago.
Q: Did former Prime Minister Abe invite any senior officials to the prime minister's office after he became prime minister?
A: Prime Minister Abe never invited our executives to the prime minister's office after he assumed office.
Q: When was the mother's most recent visit to the group?
A: We were able to find that two months ago she participated once in a church project. I think she has visited the church about once a month for the past six months.
Q: In the past, your group has admitted to illegal donations in civil lawsuits and other cases and agreed to settle and compensate individuals as a corporation. Are these kinds of donations still occurring?
A: I think it is well known to the press that our organization has, in the past, had problems with donations. It was around 2009. The head of the group at the time held a news conference and issued a statement. Thirteen years have passed since then. The most important point emphasized in that statement was compliance. Over the past 13 years, we have promoted thorough compliance at every level of our organization. In this respect, I believe that the organization has changed significantly, including its attitude toward donations.
Q: So you are confirming that there is no such trouble now?
A: That's right. Since 2009 we have not had any such trouble.
Q: After the police investigation is complete, do you plan to announce an investigation into the donations of the mother?
A: We will not discuss the donations today, because it is an area that concerns the motive of the suspect. We would like to observe the entirety of the situation before making any decisions about an announcement.
Q: Are there donations to the LDP as an organization?
A: There has been no movement of money from the LDP to our organization, or from our organization to the LDP.
Q: What role did former Prime Minister Kishi play in the establishment of the organization in Japan?
A: We are a religious organization that was established by missionaries from South Korea who spread our teachings from one to two, two to three, and so on. I do not think it is likely that former Prime Minister Kishi made any special arrangements or had any special influence in this trend.
Q: How have you ascertained the mother's situation?
A: We asked various people who were connected on the ground, and we were told that she had gone bankrupt. We do not know what the cause of this bankruptcy was, or the family circumstances that led to it. There is absolutely no system to track information when a believer goes bankrupt. We apologize for that.
Q: How much do donations affect one's salvation? Is there a teaching that says if you want more salvation, you should make a donation?
A: There is no teaching that ties how much one will be saved to the amount of their donations. Christian tithes are an important part of our teachings. I think it is the same in all Christian churches, but our congregation is taught about the word "tithe," so there is always an awareness and education on a one-tenth donation, so to speak. Other than that, everything is of one's own initiative. If the suspect's motive is clarified, and if indeed everything reported about it is true, we believe that is a fact we must take very seriously. I would very much like to wait for the police announcement on that.
#unification church in japan#japanese church#shinzo abe#tetsuya yamagami#fraud#scam#uc leadership#assassination of shinzo abe#assassination
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For US unions like the UAW — which has thousands of members in weapons factories making the bombs, missiles, and aircraft used by Israel, as well in university departments doing research linked to the Israeli military — the Palestinian trade union call to action is particularly relevant. When the UAW’s national leadership came out in support of a cease-fire on December 1, they also voted to establish a “Divestment and Just Transition Working Group.” The stated purpose of the working group is to study the UAW’s own economic ties to Israel and explore ways to convert war-related industries to production for peaceful purposes while ensuring a just transition for weapons workers.
Members of UAW Labor for Palestine say they have started making visits to a Colt factory in Connecticut, which holds a contract to supply rifles to the Israeli military, to talk with their fellow union members about Palestine, a cease-fire, and a just transition. They want to see the union’s leadership support such organizing activity.
“If UAW leaders decided to, they could, tomorrow, form a national organizing campaign to educate and mobilize rank-and-file towards the UAW’s own ceasefire and just transition call,” UAW Labor for Palestine members said in a statement. “They could hold weapons shop town halls in every region; they could connect their small cadre of volunteer organizers — like us — to the people we are so keen to organize with; they could even send some of their staff to help with this work.”
On January 21, the membership of UAW Local 551, which represents 4,600 autoworkers at Ford’s Chicago Assembly Plant (who were part of last year’s historic stand-up strike) endorsed the Palestinian trade unions’ call to not cooperate in the production and transportation of arms for Israel. Ten days later, UAW Locals 2865 and 5810, representing around forty-seven thousand academic workers at the University of California, passed a measure urging the union’s national leaders to ensure that the envisioned Divestment and Just Transition Working Group “has the needed resources to execute its mission, and that Palestinian, Arab and Muslim workers whose communities are disproportionately affected by U.S.-backed wars are well-represented on the committee.”
Members of UAW Locals 2865 and 5810 at UC Santa Cruz’s Astronomy Department have pledged to withhold any labor that supports militarism and to refuse research collaboration with military institutions and arms companies. In December, unionized academic workers from multiple universities formed Researchers Against War (RAW) to expose and cut ties between their research and warfare, and to organize in their labs and departments for more transparency about where the funding for their work comes from and more control over what their labor is used for. RAW, which was formed after a series of discussions by union members first convened by US Labor Against Racism and War last fall, hosted a national teach-in and planning meeting on February 12.
Meanwhile, public sector workers in New York City have begun their own campaign to divest their pension money from Israel. On January 25, rank-and-file members of AFSCME District Council (DC) 37 launched a petition calling on the New York City Employees’ Retirement System to divest the $115 million it holds in Israeli securities. The investments include $30 million in bonds that directly fund the Israeli military and its activities. “As rank-and-file members of DC 37 who contribute to and benefit from the New York City Employees’ Retirement System and care about the lives of working people everywhere, we refuse to support the Israeli government and the corporations that extract profit from the killing of innocent civilians,” the petition states.
In an election year when President Joe Biden and other Democratic candidates will depend heavily on organized labor for donations and especially get-out-the-vote efforts, rank and filers are also trying to push their unions to exert leverage on the president by getting him to firmly stand against the ongoing massacre in Gaza. NEA members with Educators for Palestine are calling on their union’s leaders to withdraw their support for Biden’s reelection campaign until he stops “sending military funding, equipment, and intelligence to Israel,” marching from AFT headquarters to NEA headquarters in Washington, DC on February 10 to assert their demand. Similarly, after the UAW International Executive Board endorsed Biden last month — a decision that sparked intense division within the union — UAW Labor for Palestine is demanding the endorsement be revoked “until [Biden] calls for a permanent ceasefire and stops sending weapons to Israel.”
#palestine#free palestine#labor#union strong#recommend reading the whole article bc as the author points out#us labor has had a long history of collaborating with israel and imperialist projects in general#pressure to stop the genocide is not going to come from union leadership#it’s coming from rank and files who are organizing their own initiatives and putting the heat on their leadership#uaw’s divestment and just transition group is intriguing to me bc it sets a precedent to pressure other machinist unions to follow#and bc part of their efforts involves building solidarity with palestine among rank and files nationwide
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Hello my wonderful fandom :) I CANNOT believe we are at the finale already. This season went by in the blink of an eye. I was VERY excited for this finale and what it would bring. They don't have a ton of moments. But the ones they do the writers made count. My goodness I was happy and hopeful after this episode ended. Hard to believe we won't see our babies on screen till 2025. *grumble*
D sent me something about that actually (thank you bestie) Here it be. A.H. saying he's pretty sure all networks are doing this mid season 18 ep start. One of the reasons being the Election coming up. They want to protect shows and their ratings from the debates, coverage etc. And those usually happen on Tuesday nights. Which is actually really intuitive foresight from ABC. So to protect our ratings and show I get it. Especially if we wanna lock down a S8. I don't love it but I get it. Anyways lets get to it shall we? My last "mini" thoughts of the season.
6x10 Escape Plan
Always makes me nervous for Lucy going UC but still amazing to watch her in her element. Even if it makes my stomach tie in knots. Now maybe this is just me but Lucy seemed EXTRA uneasy on this OP. This is pure speculation on my part. But could be lending a little more credence to this not being the path for her? Just the feeling I got while watching her in these moments with with the kids in this one and the sneaking around.
I will say I do love seeing Lucy with the kids. Gives us a glimpse into her as a mama. I'm liking what I am seeing. Can't help but have that thought. I really can't. Chenford has taken over my brain and I'm very ok with it. Smitty's text to Lucy did crack me up. 'Red incoming.' Gotta love Smitty. Lucy is giving me a damn heart attack being undercover though.
The panic in her soul is so evident the minute she sees Monica is approaching. The way she guides the kids out of the room. Then the sheer terror when the kids wanna take a shorter exit. She has to pivot and redirect them quickly. I feel like the pressure of this specific UC mission was getting to her. I really do. It was felt in all her movements and body language through out these scenes IMO. I could be wrong but it was just a gut feeling I got watching her.
I think her expression in this scene after Monica departs is everything. Melissa be crushing it out here. Almost like she has to take a deep breath. Calm her racing heart down before unrooting herself from that spot to investigate further. I feel like her look of unease and panic here brings home the point I've been making.
Her questioning if doing UC is worth this stress? Worth the constant worry? Like I said back in my 5x20 review. Just because you're good at something doesn't mean it's meant to be your destiny. i.e. Lucy being a permanent U.C. Pretty sure her cover is blown after she runs right into him but she got the info she needed. At the expense of my own anxiety and worry though ha
The look in this scene oh my lord. How can they have so much chemistry with just one look? Melissa and Eric are a damn treasure to this fandom. To this amazing ship. Tim saying 'It's good to have you.' That loaded look between them. *screams into a pillow.*
You know that man is happier now that she's folded into this OP. His eyes were on her from the moment she stepped on scene. Be more in love with her Tim please. Then sharing a look with Angela. I’m dying. Angela is us we are Angela. She is the fandom in this moment watching this exchange. *sigh* So good.
Someone please tell me how do they look so amazing just standing next to one another? It's unreal how they can exude SO much chemistry just standing next to one another. Forever floored by the amount of physical chemistry these two have without even touching. It blows my mind in the best way.
Also I always enjoy me some Tim in T.O. mode it's sexy af. It revs my engine to watch him back in leadership mode. Not gonna lie. So very confident and sure of himself. Gah makes me need to cross my legs watching him in action LOL Sorry (sorta)Feral Caitlin made a return there haha But I do love seeing it. Like he’s getting his mojo back professionally. It’s nice to see. Does my heart good to watch it.
Oh my word they haven’t really been alone to talk (not counting the hug last ep) since 6x06. I’m so happy. I was legit buzzing watching this. My heart Tim telling her he took her advice and went to therapy. Yessss been waiting for this to unfold. Was hoping when they got a moment alone he would tell her about it. Look at him taking the first opportunity they have solo to tell her this. The growth of this man is incredible to see. I'm so proud of him it's insane. He takes a beat and makes the best of their time together. Breaking the uncomfortable ice with it. *happy sigh*.
I'm so proud of him. I can't state this enough. It is NOT easy to have this convo let alone be the one to start it. Another way to see he's grown. Tim is tackling the conversation. Being the one to broach it. Not Lucy dragging it out of him. I love her telling him that's not normal what happened for him. Definitely hasn't been my experience haha I do love her following up her little joke with being serious. Wanting to encourage him to keep going. I love this. Doesn’t want him to think one bad experience will tar the entire profession.
Tim nodding with a smile asking her if she wants to know the irony of it all? Lucy of course does. Tim continues on that she was a good therapist. The sessions they helped him. Damnit Blair.... I do adore the way Lucy is looking at him while he speaks about this. That angry look she started with has softened quite a bit. Truly hope he continues in S7 and we get to hear about it. God I would love to see sessions. Some of my all time fav Beckett scenes in Castle's S4 was getting to see her sessions with her therapist. It's on my wish list. *fingers crossed.*
His continued sharing with Lucy makes my heart so happy it might implode. Letting Lucy know therapy despite Blair being dirty has been good for him. She unearthed things he wasn't even aware of. I felt the same way too after a couple weeks. I felt more regulated tbh. I had massive sleeping problems from age 15 to when I decided to go to therapy in my 30's. After a couple sessions my sleeping issue's were gone for most part. I had been carrying my problems for so long. Like a pressure cooker with no release valve. So with no outlet they followed me into my unconscious and manifested into anxiety attacks. Couple weeks of sessions and my sleep issues all but disappeared.
Therapy when you truly lean into it can do wonderful things. i.e. Tim opening up to Lucy like this. Also look how SOFT Lucy looks with him as he bares his soul to her. I would be remiss if I didn't go in depth on this. The look of pride and love splayed all over her face is everything. Also reverence and love as well. This episode has a lot of loaded looks and I ate them all up. We started this scene with her face hard and holding a lot anger still. Then Tim melts it with his genuine vulnerability and sharing of what going to get help has done for him. Not only that but giving her props for the original advice in the first place. I'm beaming with delight.
We move onto Tim is being anxious his sessions are going be heard for evidence cause of the FBI investigation. Ugh. This kicks Lucy's brain into gear about that. Asking if he said anything revealing about her? His reply had me rolling. I adore him making a joke like this. Letting her know he mentioned ‘Freak in the sheets.' about her. I’m dying. I have no doubt there is some truth to that for them both LOL Look at our boy making jokes and getting her to laugh. God it was so so nice to see her laugh again. He earns a smile out of her too. The first time he's been the cause of that since her gifted her that KIA Radio in 6x05. I'm floating. They're both smiling by end of this scene. *sigh* We needed this.
We got to see some BAMF Lucy in this moment. Something that just like Tim in confident T.O. Mode has been missing since 6x06. I love her being like take this guy my man is in trouble. Getting him dropped off and instantly taking off after Tim. Who is also trying to pull off some bad assery tbh. A little recklessly but that's why Lucy is coming after him.
She see's his play and wants to be there to back it. Literally waste's no time in pursuit of him. Peels right out of that damn laundromat after him. Tim's play going south VERY quickly when this guy catches on to him in the bed of the truck. Sends his gun flying and my heart racing.
Adore the worried wifey look as she watches from the car. It's pouring out of her in that brief shot. Well done Melissa. Just like Eric she knows how to convey so very much with just a look. Lucy knows Tim is in trouble. That she can't just sit there in pursuit of the vehicle without helping him.
Especially after she watches him get pulled into the cab. Knowing that he is currently at a tactical disadvantage. No way in hell she is leaving him to fight this guy off alone. Telling Lopez to take the wheel as she makes her way out to help him.
Lopez's face when she makes the jump is shocked and amazed. Lucy continuing her BAMF streak on this OP. I loved the surprised look on Tim's face when she first jumps on the truck. Like he can't believe she just risked her life to come help him out. He can't stay in the feeling long as she takes the guy out for them. But it needed to be noted his utter surprise she was there to have his back. Risked her life to do so. Such a bad ass battle couple. Back to back finales we get to watch them be poetry in motion in the field with a battle.
Oh my lord what an epic scene to watch. Lucy jumping onto that moving truck bed to save her man. They take him down together. Their work dynamic easily coming back into play here. They don't miss a beat in this moment. Working as harmoniously as they always have in the past together in the field. I love the looks shared once they've stopped the truck.
Especially Tim's. He is so damn impressed with her. Always finds a way to blow him away with the bad ass she's become. Man is falling in love all over again. It shows all over the two looks he gives her in this scene. First one is his falling back in love again. I mean he already was but think sunk him deeper. Second one is more of just being in awe of her. The pride he feels watching the amazing cop she's developed into. I love these two so much.
Let me start with how happy it makes my heart that Tim smiles when she walks up to him. Despite all the hurt just the sight of her elicits a smile out of him automatically. His walking sunshine. Love of his damn life. She truly is his happy place in human form. Lucy making a crack about him taking a half day. Their banter still simmering beneath the surface. It's a little subdued in this moment but it's alive and well with Tim's reply. He is ever the gentlemen letting her go first.
His elevator version of holding the door for her. That chivalry never dying with him. It's the little things. Can't ignore how Lucy is looking at this man the entire scene. From start to finish. With such reverence and love. Still so in love with this man standing in front of her. Lucy can't help it. She is a moth to a flame with him. Especially with Tim thanking her for saving his life. Let's delve into that a little shall we? Tim Bradford is saying he didn't have it. Admitting fault he would've lost that battle without her.
Saying not only did he not have it but Lucy did. That he wouldn't be standing here without her. Giving her the kudos and all the praise for saving his life. Far cry from 1x01 and his future reaction to that moment in S5. This is a different Tim we see standing before us everyone. The amount of growth in this moment is immense. Because not only did she save his life but she saved him in a deeper sense. Feels like it's truly hitting him like a freight train the impact she's had on his life. I think there is double meaning to his words above. It's what leads him into this next section below.
The loving expression on Lucy's face when she replies ' You're Welcome.' That look of I'm still in love with you, I would do anything for you despite the hurt, and her realizing the deeper meaning of Tim thanking her. The growth she is currently seeing in him is prompting this soft/warm look and even softer reply. It's what encourages Tim to say his next portion. You can see him psyching himself up before he turns around to apologize. To own what he's done to them. To her.
Tim starts his apology by telling her he knows what he’s done (thank you lord for this) That he knows he ruined everything. You sure did babe...but you’re gonna earn it all back I know it. Lucy has the most loving and forgiving nature. The biggest heart. Also we can see there is still a tinge of anger to her expression at first above. So that journey will not be an easy one for Tim. Nor should it be. He has a lot to make up for. But my god will it be worth it in the end. I truly believe that. I'm going to be crying river's when we get there.
Look at how he has grown. Immediately spilling his guts emotionally to her twice in one episode. Not once but TWICE. Hell three times really. With saying she saved him and admitting fault to what he's done. I can't get over this. He had two really hard conversations with her in this episode. Swallowing that pride of his he's trying to hard to overcome. Doing this in order to communicate better with her. To show her he's putting in the time and the effort. To let her know he knows he messed up and is owning that. Something Tim wouldn't have done before. At least not easily. These are great strides for him. I couldn't be prouder of where they are ending the season for him. Imma need more therapy though in S7 you hear me writers?
Tim thanking Lucy for extending him the kindness she has shown him. *my damn heart.* That he can never explain how much he appreciates it. That she could've easily turned on him and he would've understood. But that's not Lucy. We all know that's not who she is. Or ever will be. It's that forgiving nature of her's that is one of the many reasons Tim is so damn gone for her. I think there is once again a double meaning to his words. To me Tim is saying this is for far more than just post break up. It's for their entire relationship. Together/apart and especially when they were not 1-4. The kindness and the empathy she's aways shown him. Even at his worst.
Like I said earlier it's all hitting him hard. The place she held in his life for so long and the impact she's had on him. Imma cry. A giant epiphany moment for Tim I think. Maybe starting to slowly understand the unconditional love she has for him. This scene made me tear up. That anger that is still present melts away a little more for Lucy. If she continues to see Tim work on himself. He shows her his continued growth. No reason she wouldn't take this man back when he's put in the work to re-earn that place in her life. Tim saying he's gonna spend rest of his life repaying her back for said kindness. *screams into the void.* In whatever small doses she allows of course.
Respecting her boundaries and hoping she will allow him to do so. It's the sweetest most sincere part of his apology. The way she looks at him as he departs. *heart clutch* You can see he's stunned her into silence. But also Lucy can see the growth in him and it’s written all over her face. This is a fantastic way to end the season for them. It wouldn’t be right to get back together right now or even just a 'we almost died' hook up. (Wonderful fic's out there for that just recently BTW.) Just wouldn’t. As much as my shipper soul LONGS for them to be back together. Legit longs so much it hurts. This was a good way to end them for the season. With some hope, some growth and a path forward leading us to S7.
Some Final thoughts below. With a Chenford hug to this lovely fandom of ours.
First off I want to thank you all for doing this not so mini review journey with me. I was nervous to do them. Even after doing 9 plus months of them with 1-5. This was different. It was first impressions. Hope you all enjoyed them. I'm more than happy to do this next season too. First impression thoughts for S7 as well if you are all interested. Let's move onto some final thoughts I'm having. You know months could pass by when we get to 7x01 in their timeline. I’m hoping he’s in therapy during this duration. Ready to prove he wants to earn her trust back. To earn her back. I don't think for one second that moment in the elevator is the last deep conversation they're going to have before we get a reconciliation. Tim has her love. Always has. Always will.
Lucy's decisions and responses in 6x10 show that. No matter what she loves this man. What he needs to gain back is her trust. To prove over and over again. He's there to stay. To show her through kind acts. To rebuild his rapport with her. I’m excited for that journey cause when we get there. *phew* God the fandom is gonna implode with happiness. It’ll be well earned. Their relationship is going to be even better with the growth Tim has done. (Hoping for some more for Lucy as well and getting the support she needs/deserves)We saw massive results in this episode alone. Can you imagine how it’ll be when they’re back together? *chefs kiss* it’ll make all the hurt and pain so worth it.
Getting emotional writing about this. This ship has a stranglehold on my emotions and I’m ok with it. Eric and Melissa love our passion for this couple. So I won’t be ashamed for the affect it has on me. I’m excited for s7. It’ll be a long hiatus. But we will get through it together. I will probably wait till mid July to do my thoughts fully fleshed out for S6. Think we all need time for finale to settle. For us too as well. I'm most definitely not ready to re-dive into everything just yet. Especially 6x05/6x06. But I'm hoping couple month hiatus for me will help with tackling that. Then we can start that journey for us all to go on with my deeper analysis.
As always thank you all for the likes, comments and reblogs. For being interested in my thoughts at all. It means the world you have no idea. Love this fandom, love this show and this incredible ship we are so fortunate to have. So once again thank you all for being on this journey of S6 with me. Like said earlier I’ll get started in my fleshed out S6 reviews come mid July. :)
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Side notes-Non chenford
Monica cleaned up a mess for Blair. Manipulated her by helping her most Monica thing I've ever heard. Glad to finally have answers to that. I knew it felt like manipulation. She had too much of a conscience to be dead inside and doing it for money. Sucks cause she is very good at her job. That scene with Aaron was a mic drop moment for him. So proud of how far he came this season as well.
Friggin Nolan never listens. And get shot for not listening. In the ass. Because he's a pain in one. Was apropos. Also he's right back to being a dumb putz to me. It was short lived john you made it half an episode before falling out of my good graces LOL
Once again music amazing for their final scenes whoever handled that this season crushed it. Bringing out all my emotions.
See you all later this summer for my in-depth ones. Till then be kind and rally around each other. Gonna be a long hiatus.
#Caitlin's mini reviews#chenford#6x10 Escape Plan#the rookie 6x10#tim x lucy#tim bradford#lucy chen#lucy x tim#the rookie#s6#eric winter#melissa o'neil#otp: doing my job#otp: unless it is
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the writers vs. lucy chen
i wasn’t looking for her to get promoted at a random moment in the season, so that’s not the issue. she’ll get promoted eventually. she has to be. otherwise, these writers will never beat the allegations, and tbh, they’re running out of time.
it’s definitely a collective decision, too, bc the writers have changed hands multiple times since that girl, ep 513. not even my fave writer could save the five-player trade storyline from the trenches. such a shame bc this ep was vintage rookie: very cohesive and exciting!
what are these allegations?
it’s 100% misogynistic for them to falsely equate lucy’s influence with manipulation to create obstacles in her life. it was annoying for them to do it personally, but now it’s downright infuriating for them to do it professionally.
because if anyone deserves a stress-free path and a fast-track to a promotion on this show, it’s lucy chen. mid-wilshire’s shooting champ endured traumatic hazing to prove her chops for UC as a rookie. as a newly minted P2, she singlehandedly dismantled two drug cartels on her first deep cover op, after meticulous preparation.
yet, she has none of the commendations that would normally go along with accomplishments of that magnitude. they moved on way too quickly from that to make chenford ride together again and assert nolan’s position as the rookie. so even though lucy has nothing left to prove, she’s been stuck fighting for leadership positions to get more points in favor of a promotion.
why does this matter?
lucy chen is a unicorn. finding a highly capable, girl-next-door asian-american female lead with an equally strong moral compass like her, esp in her field, is very difficult.
it’s painful to watch the writers ruin what they’ve built by making something out of nothing, given the way they’ve upgraded the careers of their two white male officers in the last two seasons without issue. it’s sending the message that women of color really do have to work twice as hard to get the same accolades, even in a fictional world, and not in the social commentary way.
in s4, nolan’s promotion to P2 was so ugly. the team was concerned with finding the killer of lucy’s best friend, a black man, and her situationship’s former TO’s best friend, a latina woman. somehow, though, the white man who undermined the justice system egregiously in the name of self-righteousness got an on-cam pat on the back from his black watch commander for taking his punishment well. the audacity. even tim’s deserved promotion happened off-cam.
in s5, her peer, nolan, leaves her in the dust by getting awarded a golden ticket for being a white savior at the border. detective is seemingly open for him again, even after being told that his self-righteousness cost him that privilege, but he opts for TO. what a slap in the face for lucy, who always navigated policy and procedure well.
make it make sense.
to make matters worse, the writers have now proceeded to willfully interpret her goodwill to help her bf get a more prestigious lateral transfer as malicious to make everyone turn on her.
after everything you have been through, how often you have proven yourself, there is not a cop in here who would not have your back if you asked. –harper in 505
so suddenly, every accomplishment lucy’s ever had is thrown out the window bc she did a lil networking to get her superior sergeants referrals for placements more suited to their current values? this punishment of making her worried about getting her score tanked doesn’t fit the crime of her secret involvement in tim’s career at all.
regardless, she’ll take the detective's exam in two weeks their time (ep 521). let’s see what bs comes up to make the ‘grand plan’ of delaying her promotion for the 100th ep happen (ep 602). 🙃
#the rookie#chenford#lucy chen#let's hope none of the ladies are made to act weird next ep#featured#intersectionality#the rookie s5#mine.post#feminism#misogyny#racism#be a good human
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TornApart!Series Part Six: Family - Jubal Valentine x Reader
Tagging: @crazy4chickennuggets @kmc1989 @oureternalbond @trublu2u @greenies-green @darqchilddaydreamz @proceduralpassion @burningpeachpuppy @evee87 @delightfulheroshoeflap @iworldlywriter @helsinkibaby @penguin876 @justamadgirlinabox @a-noni-love @brownskinbaby22 @oklahomapeach @yezzyyae @soultrysworld
Torn!Apart Series:
Part One: Nothing To Tell - Rina forces Jubal to make a choice.
Part Two: Pause - Jubal breaks your heart.
Part Three: One Sip - Jubal knows all it takes is one sip.
Part Four: Real Talk - Scola gets real with Jubal.
Part Five: Don't Lie to Me (NSFW) - Jubal comes clean about Rina.
Body language is important, Jubal knows that from the undercover work he’s done over the years. It’s the thing that lets most new agents down when they’re training for UC operations. He’s used to projecting strength and confidence, basic leadership principles however today he has to check himself because he knows that Rina is watching.
He pauses for a second before he steps inside 26 Fed. There can be no suspicion that he spent the night with you, no signs that he’s not the forlorn, heartbroken spectre that’s walked through the reception area these past couple of weeks.
He forces himself to forget the contented noise you made when he kissed you goodbye this morning, his hand smoothing over your hair as you lay twisted up in your sheets. It been before five and he’d needed to get back to his place to shower and change. Yesterday’s clothes would be a telltale sign, as would the scent of your shower oil. It’s little things like that can raise a red flag and he will not take a chance of compromising you.
He takes a deep breath, allowing the oxygen to fill his lungs as he adjusts the messenger bag on his shoulder. He thinks of the past few weeks, how empty his world had become, how devoid of colour. It dampens that brightness that surges through his veins at being reunited with you, pushes it down until there’s no echo of it.
He steps inside the building with his shoulders slumped and his head down, moving at his usual brisk pace. He can feel Rina’s eyes on him from the balcony above and it adds an extra weight. He thinks about everything that could go wrong, and it gives him that pinched expression, the one that indicates how stressed he is. He swipes his security pass over the machine before he passes through the turnstile and into the depths of the building.
When he reaches the JOC it’s quiet, he doesn’t expect any less. It’s too early for anyone else to be here, it’s become part of his routine in the past few weeks without you. Stay late, come in early, a way to get his mind off your absence. He has to maintain that if he wants to continue this charade for Rina.
He doesn’t realise Isobel is in, not until she opens the door to her office and indicates for him to come inside.
“Is something wrong?” He asks her taking up residence in one of the visitor’s chairs across from her desk.
“Scola informed me of your predicament.” She tells him before sliding a file across the desk towards him.
Jubal frowns as he reaches forward and picks up the folder. He isn’t surprised that Scola got there before him, the other man is practical, proactive. The longer this goes on, the more likely it is that Jubal will slip up and you’ll pay the price for it. The two of you had talked about bringing Isobel in on the whole thing last night, there’s no love lost between her and the Acting Director, Isobel has connections the two of you don’t. It made sense.
His gaze strays to the paperwork inside of the folder. He reads through the emails, his heart wrenching as he takes in the details.
“She’s already put the transfer through.” He says as his vision starts to tunnel. It feels like the air has rushed out of the room and he can’t fucking breathe.
“I’ve spoken to S.A.C Morrison, he’s fighting it but…”
“She’s the Assistant Director.” Jubal states, his voice rough as his palm rubs over his goatee. His world is falling apart, he can feel the whole thing shifting underneath his feet.
“I’m speaking to the other heads of divisions; we’re going to appeal to the Director to have her removed due to issues with operational decisions but that takes time.” Isobel tells him.
“So, this is it?” Jubal asks her, his voice full of desperation. “Stefani gets shoved back under?”
Isobel shakes her head.
“I had a conversation with Assistant Director of the Fugitive Task Forces, we came through the academy together. She says if one of her S.A.Cs puts in a request for Stefani and her expertise as a special assignment that would delay the transfer to Undercover Operations indefinitely.”
“Special assignment takes priority over everything else.” Jubal agrees, his brain stumbles over the details. “Rina wouldn’t be able to enforce it.”
“No, she would not.” Isobel says with the ghost of a smile. “Remy Scott sent the application through this morning, his team’s been a man down since Barnes went on maternity leave. He’s been looking for someone with the right skillset to fill the role. It’ll be a bit more travel for Stefani, but she gets to stay here in New York, with you.”
“I don’t know how to thank you.” Jubal tells her as he leans forward so that he can meet Isobel’s gaze. “You have no idea what this means to me, to the both of us.”
“I do.” She tells him honestly. “What Rina’s doing to you, it isn’t fair, and I can’t sit back and let that happen. The two of you were there for me when David Owen broke into my home, I will forever be grateful for that.”
Jubal swallows hard against the ache in his chest.
“Yea well, you’re family.” He tells her. “And family looks after each other, right?”
“Yea.” Isobel says simply. “They do.”
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Like My Work? - Why Not Buy Me A Coffee
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WIP Questionnaire
Thank you kindly for the Tag, @theprissythumbelina !
1. What is the first part of your WIP that you created?
Well, the Setting, probably, which as an answer works for just about any of the WIPs I could name. In theory you could argue Gustav and the Magician, individually and as a 'set' of sorts, technically predate my coming up with the 12 Worlds, but the form they took then has only passing resemblance to their current incarnation.
2. If your story was a TV show, what would the theme song/intro be?
Ooo, well, I've been thinking I'd probably see about getting something original made, or making something myself as a side thing. I mean, I kinda envision a lot of my WIPs as serial animations in my head anyhow, so I've put more thought into this question than reality is ever likely to require.
3. What are your favorite characters that you made? Why?
Well... You know how big this list could be. I love all of them, and at any moment which forces / allows me to dig deeper into any single one of them makes me love them even more. Still, my final choice is an obvious one: Gustav Johann Schmidt, who's been in it since the very start, and who's voice has by now almost become my own whenever he comments on some facet of his world in the same way I would.
4. What other pieces of media do you think your fan base would share?
Hmm, well, I've always thought this would go down two tracks. First of all being the classic 'Techno Thriller' crowd, the sorts who like tanks going boom and spies under deep cover: I'd go with things like The Hunt For Red October and Red Storm Rising, both being stalwarts of the genre which have absolutely been personally inspiring. The second track goes down the wider book / writing community, or at least those looking for 'genre fiction' and all that, who might discover the 12 Worlds more on its fantastical or worldbuilding grounds than for its techno thriller nature: I don't really 'understand' what I'd mean by this cohort myself as much, but I guess it could include series like ASOIAF, possibly.
5. What has been your biggest struggle with your WIP?
Well... If we're speaking in the past tense, as far as things that have already happened go I'd put forwards "making sure the worldbuilding exists and isn't utterly contradictory", since there's too little writing down so far to count for a big struggle. Dates are hard, and measuring things on the order of decades to a century leaves me with a lot of uncomfortable dead space on one hand, and a bunch of events clustered together on the other. Untangling this has to happen before the writing does, to me, and it's gonna be hellish.
6. Are there any animals in your story? Talk about them!
Uhh... Technically, Snake In The Sandbox (Gustav's third and least brought up WIP) features two animals! One's a snake which literally scares G's shirt off when he finds it in his tent, and the other's some sort of desert lizard the 18th Corps adopts as its mascot.
7. How do your characters get around? (Ex. Trains, horses, cars, dragons, etc.)
Oh, probably their respective combat vehicles more than anything, though long distance stuff gets done by plane / aeroship, and getting between Worlds means ships for everyone. Non military types might get their own car, or plane.
8. What part of your WIP are you working on right now?
Technically brought this up already, but the answer's worldbuilding. It's always worldbuilding. Though within that category, I'm technically supposed to be writing up a piece on the UC' policy towards Goilac / Nouvoulouis pre SSAW, but... I have been having a lazy weekend.
9. What aspects (tropes, maybe) of your WIP do you think will draw people in?
Big flashy boom booms and cunning military tactics, strategy, and leadership on the one hand for sure, but I'd like to think the depth, history, and life that exists within the 12 Worlds might have some appeal to readers.
10. What are your hopes for your WIP?
Published novel, or really a few considering how many there are already for the 12 Worlds. Then... Well, I think I've got a few ideas in me for the Setting yet.
Anyone fancy a boardgame?
And that's that! Tagging @athenswrites @hessdalen-globe @caxycreations @sanguine-arena @vyuntspakhkite-l-darling @thatndginger and anyone who'd like to take part!
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Chenford Future
I have to say it’s my fave episode thus far for S5. The end hurt to see the worry on both of their faces. I understand they are setting up the beginning of tension in their relationship. But I think this is healthy. You need ups and downs. You need a little conflict. We know that they needed this to be the conflict. I don’t sense there is a going back on this relationship so this is healthy conflict. Hearing folks say it’s the beginning of the end, complain about the meditation comment…. are you guys alright? Geez it’s not that serious. In the long terms I have to say I hate UC for Lucy because of the burn out. But otherwise I trust her to come back from it. I just wouldn’t want her to waste her life for something that takes her away from the people she loves. I do think Lucy will have to come to terms that being UC isn’t worth it. Isabel wanted to say it but didn’t. But I like that Lucy isn’t stopping herself because of Tim’s feelings. She acknowledges it and respects it but she doesn’t need to be a cautionary tale. I’m sorry where the fuck is your feminism folks on twitter?! But in the long game Lucy is a leader. My hope is she goes on the Sergeant route. I see the parallel of her and covering for Grey and I just think she’s able to do a lot with patrol. I love her being a detective as well. I just think Lucy thrives in leadership and why she likes UC is making that decision… running the game. I just fear UC is too much of a juice isn’t worth the squeeze situation. But I get Tim’s fear but I think when you love someone truly you hold your worry and want to make them happy. And ultimately it will make their bond stronger. I’m not too worried on the relationship. I am worried that really Lucy cannot be UC. She shouldn’t be. In the name of the story she’s technically burned with that doc coming out. I do see a future for Lucy and Tim. It’s very clear that the distinction with Tim and Isabel and Tim and Lucy is that they are built on how they make each other better. They bring out the best in each other. Isabel said she couldn’t live to Tim’s expectation. So naturally she fell further into self destruction. Lucy challenges Tim. Tim pushes Lucy to love herself first and out her dreams first. Ladies, that is a man. Lucy brings light and compassion to Tim. She’s soothed this man’s soul with love and understanding. With challenge and grit. She’s never abandoned him. I think this is the real thing. I don’t need them to say it. I just fucking know. And if you’ve been watching the last 4 years you also know.
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Warning For Second Generation: Potential Incoming Outreach to “Inactive” “Blessed Children”
Did you know that UC has a new president?
Demian Dunkley was appointed the end of May when church held an inauguration in the New Yorker the end of May. Dunkley was president of UC about three years ago then Mrs Moon sent him to what the church refers to as Asia 1 (India, Thailand…). He was also pastor of Las Vegas church during In Jin’s Lovin’ Life time.
You can’t deny Demian has a charismatic guy. He has this blind faith and unbiased devotion to Mrs Moon. He also has relationship and respect of many second generation and members. He has the exceptions of not only Mrs Moon but membership that his leadership will bring a new wave to the dying church. In his speech he referred many times that the UC will now be referenced as -The Witnessing Church.
Dunkley was leader of Vegas church under Lovin’ Life under In jin during which LL was able to organize the second generation and unite them under ball room dancing, sports festivals, mega church, rock bands, etc. She created a vibe for the church with hopes to witness to younger people. I get the feeling that Dunkley will use some of these tactics for the new witnessing push.
During the inauguration speech he introduced 6 of twelve “sisters” that will be witnessing leaders. To seal the deal each woman received a special sweater from Mrs. Moon’s own wardrobe. These “sisters” were all second gen.
It seems like every three years the church dusts off its witnessing campaign and part of their plan of action is to target inactive and ex members to bring them back. So-second gen. be warned— if a church friend calls you to invite you to picnic, dinner, sports festival or whatever. It’s not because they want to talk, spend time with you but more like they have a quota to reach.
Related
Demian Dunkley Admits Fraud - from the twitter of ex-Moonie podcast Falling Out
Demian Dunkley on Steve Hassan
Falling Out with Elgen Strait: S4 E9- The Empress' Old Clothes on Apple Podcasts
#unification church in the united states of america#unification church#ffwpu#family federation for world peace and unification#hak ja han#moonies#second generation adults#second generation#ex-second generation#ex-members#former members#former moonies#ex-moonies#uc leadership#church leadership#leadership#demian dunkley#witnessing#blessed children#jacob children
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Hi! Might I suggest that Tim’s fatal flaw is pride. Much like Lucy’s ambition, it’s not always bad and it gives him confidence in leadership roles but also he was hacking into a wall in 1x02 (?) to save a guy in an ATM machine while bleeding. That’s nothing if not pride. Fighting with Emmett in 2x21 and saying Lucy is his boot? Pride. But also his pride is him taking his work seriously and being so giddy when he gets into Metro. Lucy’s ambition has really only started hurting her in later seasons; Tim’s pride is the opposite. It was destroying him early on and he’s now gotten better at taking pride in his work instead of being prideful. (Though the pride pops up in 6x05 with him refusing to accept any solution to the Ray issue unless he came up with it. You could also argue that he was being prideful in refusing to believe he had an issue with Lucy doing UC work if you wanted to.) Just a thought!
Love your blog! Your “old habits die screaming” Chenford set haunts me every waking moment (affectionate).
oooh you bring up interesting points anon!! pride certainly plays a factor in tim’s life & I hadn’t really considered it as a potential tragic flaw. personally, i was leaning towards the flaw of loyalty which tbh tim’s version of loyalty lends itself to be prideful and protective. there’s the isabel arc where he’s loyal to her to a serious fault. there’s even DOD arc where he beats himself up because he feels loyal to his boot & therefore protective of her and you know he still thinks that was his fault. there’s his loyalty to the badge and things are black & white with no gray yet loyalty to the army & his soldiers (to a fault if we read deeper into the reaper storyline and where that’s potentially going). there’s loyalty to lucy which has previously manifested in the “i support UC work because im loyal to you & your ambitions” when in reality it’s tearing him apart and he’s not doing their relationship any good by being silently loyal (neither of them are doing their relationship any good tbh but that’s a whole other thing no one wants to hear). now his loyalty to lucy is manifesting in his refusal to “bring her down with him” so to speak.
idk idk I could probably go on but I do love the idea that pride plays a HUGE role in Tim’s behaviors. and hell I could even be convinced loyalty isn’t the right term/tragic flaw for tim! buuuuuuut i do think this loyalty was instilled in him from a young age with his dad & sister 👀 he became fiercely protective & loyal to everyone close to him because his father had never done the same for him. but hell he even went back to see his father, loyal to the man who destroyed him to tim’s own detriment 😭
ALSO this is suddenly becoming long. but thank you!!!! i loooove that set like. parallels 🤝 angst??? sign me the fuck up. i hope it haunts you forever (affectionate) 😘
#cannot wait for ttpd to give me SO much ammunition#ask#anonymous#character arc layout#tim bradford#the rookie#chenford
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A massive contingent of law enforcement officers converged on People’s Park in the wee hours of Thursday morning, intent on clearing the way for crews to wall off the storied green space near the UC Berkeley campus in preparation for construction of a much-contested housing complex for students.
The university launched the extraordinary operation — designed to double-stack metal cargo containers around the entire park perimeter — around midnight.
On their arrival, police surrounded the park. Inside, they were met by several dozen protesters, chanting, "Long live People's Park" along with shouts of "Fight back!" Some were holed up for hours in a makeshift treehouse and on the roof of a single-story building in the park.
By starting the exercise under the cover of darkness and during students' winter break, university leaders hoped to minimize a conflict with activists adamant the park should remain open space, a living tribute to free speech and student activism. The university planned to install the cargo containers over several days, banking on the massive metal structures to provide a more formidable barrier than the fences that protesters have easily breached in the past.
The university acknowledged that construction of the housing, ensnared in a legal dispute, cannot begin unless the state Supreme Court agrees that the Berkeley campus has completed an adequate environmental review of the project. The proposed development would create a dormitory with space for 1,100 students in a college town with a dire shortage of affordable housing. In addition, it would include permanent supportive housing for 125 people living homeless. About 60% of the site would remain green space, with commemorative exhibits about the park’s history.
“Given that the existing legal issues will inevitably be resolved, we decided to take this necessary step now in order to minimize the possibility of disorder and disruption for the public and our students when we are eventually cleared to resume construction,” Chancellor Carol Christ said in a prepared statement.
The university said it intended to keep streets around the park, and at least one block to the north and east, closed for three or four days.
“Unfortunately, our planning and actions must take into account that some of the project’s opponents have previously resorted to violence and vandalism,” Christ said, adding that this was “despite strong support for the project on the part of students, community members, advocates for unhoused people, the elected leadership of the City of Berkeley, as well as the legislature and governor of the state of California.”
Police focused the start of their operation on a handful of protesters who had locked themselves into a makeshift wooden structure that organizers call “the kitchen,” where they had strung up a hammock and stacked supplies, according to live video from inside the shack.
Police forced their way into the structure around 12:50 a.m. Thursday and detained at least two people who had been inside. Shortly after 1 a.m., officers issued an order for the remaining 100 or so activists to disperse, saying that the demonstrations had become an “unlawful assembly.”
By 2:15 a.m., police had expanded their encirclement of the park, edging out the protesters and continuing to detain some of them. Construction workers were called in to dismantle the kitchen, and at one point, workers began chopping down trees lining the park. They later broke down tents and other structures as part of what eventually became a massive operation involving equipment and dozens of people working to transform People's Park into a future construction site.
The first two hours of the police operation were relatively calm, with protesters largely looking on, chanting occasionally and, for a handful of demonstrators, heckling the officers.
“The people united will never be defeated!” the activists chanted at one point.
By about 3 a.m., officers had successfully pushed out the vast majority of the protesters, with a few holdouts still up in the treehouse and on top of the one-story building. An hour later, the holdouts accepted a promise from officers that they would not be arrested if they came down.
Dozens more protesters waited at a barricade at the end of the block, playing music and chanting. Eventually, they ripped down some of the metal structures, and confrontations with the police intensified for a short period.
One activist who had been arrested at the kitchen was only cited, according to video posted on social media, and was back on the front lines an hour or two later.
By daybreak, police had firm control of the area and work crews stacked yellow and orange cargo containers at the east end of the park, along Bowditch Street. Dozens of workers in white hazmat suits picked up needles and other debris. The morning quiet was broken by the beep and clang of bulldozers and forklifts.
The path for the work had been cleared earlier, when cars were removed from the entire park boundary. The vehicles were towed eight blocks to a parking structure at the west end of the campus, where owners could retrieve them. They received $100 gift cards for their trouble.
A UC spokesman said police arrested a total of seven people for trespassing. They were cited and released.
Park activists put out a call for an 11 a.m. rally and march at the corner of Haste Street and Telegraph Avenue.
Activists were tipped off several days in advance that the university would try to cordon off the site while students were on break. They called the incursion by law enforcement and work crews an “attack” that would destroy a legacy to people-powered activism.
Nicholas Alexander was among a small group standing watch over the park Wednesday evening around sunset, and became the final protester to leave the park after he descended from the treehouse — from which he had overseen the demonstrations — about 3:50 a.m. Alexander, once unhoused, praised the park as a place that needy people have been able to go for decades to find assistance. He said he was part of the group that helped tear down a university-erected fence in 2022. "This park has always helped the counterculture and the disenfranchised," he said, "and it'd be a shame if it was taken from us now, because where else will we go?"
Another member of the group watching the park, Sylvia Tree, said she had graduated from Berkeley in 2021. She described the conflict as "a struggle based on the land."
"It's about a place where people who don't own any land can have a little piece of it, a piece that you can grow things on, that you can have sunshine on, that you can meet your friends on," said Tree, 25. "There's nobody who controls it. There's nobody who's selling you something."
Such passionate advocacy has become a perennial rite at the small patch of green just south of the campus and a few paces east of Telegraph Avenue.
It began more than half a century ago, in 1969, when the UC system’s founding campus announced its plan for development on what was then an empty lot. Hundreds of students and community activists had another idea, dragging sod, trees and flowers to the lot and proclaiming it People’s Park. The university responded by erecting a fence.
The student newspaper, the Daily Californian, urged students to “take back the park.” More than 6,000 people marched down Telegraph, where they were confronted by law enforcement. In the clash that followed, one man died and scores were injured.
In the decades since, the university has made repeated efforts to reclaim the property, once attempting to construct a parking lot on the edge of the park. A new generation of demonstrators arrived, with shovels and picks, to uproot the asphalt and restore plant life.
In the early 1990s, a young machete-wielding activist infuriated by the university's construction of volleyball courts at the park was shot and killed by police after she broke into the campus residence of then-Chancellor Chang-Lin Tien. Police said they found a note in the teenager's bag. It read: “We are willing to die for this piece of land. Are you?”
The push for the university to develop the property gained new life after Christ became chancellor in 2017 amid a student housing crisis. With Berkeley providing housing to a lower percentage of its students than any other UC campus, Christ promised to double the number of beds within a decade. She made it clear that she considered People’s Park — long a “third rail” that campus leaders avoided — a good location for housing.
Opponents of the housing development contend that UC Berkeley has not done enough to study alternative sites. Their cause got a boost in December, when a unit of the National Trust for Historic Preservation wrote a letter calling for "exploring all possible opportunities" for preservation of the park.
The university counters that its plan does acknowledge the historic nature of the park while also trying to resolve problems that have plagued the site and nearby streets in recent years, including homeless encampments, open drug use, petty theft and violence. UC Police Chief Yogananda Pittman characterized this week's action as necessary to provide members of the community with "the safety and security they need and deserve."
The university released results of a survey in 2021 that showed students favor the project by 56% to 31%. More recently, in an effort to address complaints that the proposed development would displace unhoused people living in the park, the university hired a full-time social worker and said most park denizens had been relocated to a Quality Inn and offered support services.
But the project suffered a setback early last year when a state appellate court ruled that UC had not properly complied with the California Environmental Quality Act, a decades-old law known as CEQA, which requires state and local governments to consider the environmental impacts of certain construction and housing projects. The court found the university had not properly addressed the issue of noise — specifically the noise generated by students who might drink and hold “unruly parties,” as some neighbors asserted in documents submitted to the court.
The court also ruled that the campus had not properly justified its decision not to consider alternative locations for the housing development. UC attorneys have said that because the project’s aim is to repurpose the park, no alternative would suffice.
The university appealed the decision to the state Supreme Court and also turned to the Legislature. Lawmakers passed a law, signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in September, designed to make it easier for universities to build housing and overcome lawsuits from residents who raise noise concerns as a potential problem.
All parties in the dispute await a decision by the high court, and the new law presumably will factor into its deliberations.
The last concerted effort by UC to take control of the park for construction came in August 2022. Just hours after an Alameda County judge issued a tentative ruling that the university could begin clearing the park, construction machinery moved into place. But the 2 a.m. operation soon drew protesters who confronted construction crews, toppling a newly erected chain-link fence and streaming into the park, where they were tackled by California Highway Patrol officers.
By day's end, the university ended the standoff by suspending its effort to take control of the park.
Berkeley City Councilmember Kate Harrison issued a public letter this week calling on police involved in any new go-round with protesters to “follow the City of Berkeley’s rules concerning use of ‘less-lethal’ weapons and tactics,” which include a ban on the use of pepper spray and tear gas. Harrison added: “These rules, established to protect human life and people’s first amendment rights, are core to our City’s value.”
#nunyas news#do you want more student housing or not#ideally the campus would burn to the ground#but that's not likely
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The Death of Sami Uso
This is a reenactment of the unfortunate events that happened Royal Rumble 2023. Viewer Descretion is advised.
Bloodline x Black!Female! Reader!
~
“No...”
Y/N watched as Sami, Her best friend, and now ex-honorary uce, put a chair on her boyfriend's back. She held her breath soon feeling like the room was spinning but the tv stayed put to where her eyes stayed focus. Watching everything unfold, she looked at Jimmy, her other man, sitting there in anger as if he switched with his twin. So much hate grew in his eyes and the yelling made it so much worst. Her ears started to ring, this didn't feel real to her. Paul was on his knees shocked as well, even though Y/N didn't favor Paul much after what happened at Summer slam, she shared the tears he had stream down as he gave Sami so much wisdom. She looked at Solo who stood there with so much hate raging in his face, his expressions, his movements. He felt like time stopped as soon as the chair connected to his chief's back. And lastly, Jey.
He just stood in the corner. His face froze in shock. His moment playing back of him actually enjoying Sami around calling him brother. All of that burned away because of this mistake. Y/N's tears fell as Roman sicked the boys on Sami, he yelled in pain from Jimmy’s blows. Soon solo dragged him to the ring giving the Samoan strike straight to this throat. Making him cough and wheeze for air. She could hear Roman’s rage yelling at the boys to destroy him. “Please no...” She got up quickly and ran to the arena, zooming past Nicole, who was once congratulating her girlfriend for her crowning of the Royal Rumble. But she soon saw the screen and saw the massacre. “Wait Y/N!” She tried to stop but Rhea stopped her saying not to intervene. She was terrified to go out there, she felt like she disappointed Roman not being in the ring long for the Womans’ Rumble, but soon she stepped out and ran towards the ring. She got in the announcers going wild and Jey stopped her. He held on to her as they continued to hurt sami. He lay there tired. He peeked some seeing Y/N and tears fell, with the rest of his strength he yelled. “I'm so sorry princess!” Roman grabbed a chair and shut him up quickly. “You will never get to call her that again! You hear me Zayn!” He yelled.
Y/N sobbed on Jey not able to watch the scene in front of her. “Babygirl, you know I love you right?” Jey whispered holding her close and she nodded looking at him scared. He got up sitting her down in the ring as she was in shock, seeing the empire just fall. She glanced as Roman and Jimmy soon started to yell at Jey. She whipped her head to him leaving the ring. “Jey...jey no!” she tried to reach for him but Roman grabbed her hugging her close. Jey stood there for a moment and started to walk off to the back. Jimmy asks his brother where is he going. Solo got up walking over to Sami watching the scene as well. “Baby it's ok... it's ok Daddy is gonna fix this...” he kept reassuring in Y/Ns ear. It didn't sound like leadership, it sounded like a bit of
Fear.
They left Sami and Kevin in the ring but not before Y/N got up and walked to sami. Seeing the flowers that Romans spread. She started to scream and look at Kevin. “YOU DID THIS. YOU RUINED EVERYTHING!” She got her knees next to Sami holding his hand. “Sami...why...” Sami was knocked out cold and the Gurnee was coming. Roman got her one last time out the ring as her hand slips outta Sami's and she walked with them hurt beyond all measure. The moment where he echoed and held Y/N, “I'm not going anywhere Princess don't worry.” it just hurt so much hearing it again and again. “Roman...what are we gonna do...” Jimmy asked. Roman sighed getting to the back still holding Y/N.
“We stay together.”
#wwe one shot#wwe imagine#wwe smackdown#wwe raw#wwe roman reigns#wwebloodline#sami zayn#solo sikoa#jimmy uso#jey uso#Spotify
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Snippet Sunday
my snippets on Wed and Sun appear to be during into memory hour with Goose and Cooper *shrugs* It's what I got and I guess that just means I'm not spoiling the plot :)
I know a lot of folks have had a lot going on so I'm going to just generally tag The Coemancer Crew and anyone who might have a snippet of work that they wish to share. Pressure free invite for all :)
My snippet this week is in Goose's POV and contains references to plot from Starborn Saga that could be considered spoilers for that fic.
“Thanks for the assist back there,” Cooper said as he leaned against the wall, his hands fumbling with an militia battlemeal pack, looking exhausted from the hike to the facility and fights through the converted research facility.
“Anytime, Rodeo,” Goose leaned on the callsign in a teasing manner.
Cooper smirked as he flicked his glance to Goose briefly before popping some of his food into his mouth. As he chewed he wagged a finger at Goose and once he worked through the tough jerky like meat and swallowed he said, “could have been worse. Other names pitched were Icarus, Hawkeye, and Apollo.”
Others saw it too? Goose wondered as he felt his cheeks go warm. It was the third time since leaving the Key that talking with this hotshot lieutenant had made him go flush and he hated it. Why couldn’t he handle working with this guy like all the other Freestar that came to the Key? “At least one of those sounds cursed.”
“Yeah, our CO agreed with you,” Cooper laughed, “he scrapped Icarus before they even voted. I personally vetoed Apollo and he backed me up. I couldn’t carry that reminder, flying my dad’s ship was enough.”
“Your dad was a pilot too?” Goose asked.
Cooper nodded while he tapped the remainder of the freeze dried food into his mouth, chewing thoroughly before answering, “His call sign was Zeus. He led a squad known as the Olympians and piloted the Stormherald until the UC decided to hit the Valo system. He sent the ship home and worked from a battleship called the FC Olympus. Command thought they were cute, I suppose.”
Goose stared slack jawed as Cooper went on, his mind rushing back to Palvo. Suddenly he was 12 again, being dragged onto a shuttle by a woman in the militia the others called Demeter. She’d told him the shuttle would take him to the Olympus and from there to the Cheyenne system but as the shuttle closed in on the battleship it was bombarded by one of the UC battleships in the system and their pilot was forced to grav jump away, taking everyone to the Kryx system to shake the sharks. The FC Olympus was shot down over Palvo, pock marking the surface with wreckage.
Cooper went on, either not noticing Goose’s shock or ignoring it, “Apollo was pitched as a way of honoring my old man, Apollo was Zeus’s son after all, but I couldn’t bear that weight. Plus it felt disrespectful to the Apollo who died on Palvo with the others. Those callsigns should be retired. Command hasn’t because they say if they retired every callsign of a dead pilot or operative they’d eventually run out of options but it just felt wrong.”
“I agree,” Goose said softly, collecting his thoughts, “that team are heroes to scores of survivors and the Militia should honor their memory more than it has. Maybe they wouldn’t have struggled for so long with recruitment and morale if they did more to remember the sacrifices soldier’s have made.”
“You’ll get no argument from me there,” Cooper tucked his empty tin back into his pack, “it shouldn’t have taken Commander Shepard dying on Akila for leadership to finally wake up to what needed to happen for our systems to have a chance. And that they capitalized on it for recruiting purposes felt dirty. Every time I met a fresh recruit saying they signed on after hearing about all that…” he let out a heavy sigh.
Goose closed his eyes and turned away, not wanting the handsome hotshot to see him upset as he fought to collect himself. He could hear Fury’s screams, the roar of the terrormorph. He could smell the foul monster and the copper tinged scent of blood. Feel the burning pain of the claw puncture and the ache in his muscles from being thrown. He needed a distraction, anything to pull him away from that nightmare, “Why Rodeo, though? Or Hawkeye for that matter?”
“Hawkeye was because I had the best marksmanship scores of the squad and could hit a pinpoint target in flight simulations. It wasn’t popular with the squad though. Rodeo was my CO’s idea. Something about me being able to handle the roughest rides and tame the wildest of situations. And the fact that I kept finding myself in those wild situations to begin with,” Cooper shrugged, “working with me is like watching a rodeo, he said.”
“I can see that,” Goose cracked a smile and looked back to the pilot, “certainly handled yourself well when those reinforcements poured in.”
“Only ‘cause I had help,” Cooper tipped an invisible adventurer’s hat at Goose and winked.
Knock it off, Goose thought as his cheeks, neck, and ears heated up.
“Why Goose?” Cooper asked, “doesn’t seem very pirate-y.”
“My ma used to call me Goose,” he rubbed the back of his neck and looked away, “when the shuttle I was on docked with the Key all those years ago all us kids were told to not use our real names. Our stay was supposed to be temporary and they didn’t want any crews hunting us down. When we didn’t leave I just kept using it.”
“And what’s your name name?” Cooper asked, “Or am I overreaching?”
“Eh,” Goose shrugged, “not overreaching but I don’t know you well enough to share. My given name is for family.”
Cooper smiled, “That’s fair.”
#starfield#starfield fanfiction#the coemancer crew#atonalginger writes#crimson fleet#snippet sunday#Goose#Cooper Benbow#hammering out backstory and worldbuild#a twofer
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Sorry but all the "fuck bioware" stuff is real e_e to me
being in the UC at this moment in time, with PI's not being able to afford postdoc raises and having to let people go. It's the UC's fault. It's not your advisor's. And your advisor should also not be upset at you. The UC not helping PIs and blaming the postdocs for demanding a living wage and being unionized--this is UC unionbusting.
Even advisors who are pro-union and want to pay their postdocs more are in this tough position and have to let people go. Unfortunately, at some point, we are owned by a larger corporation and that is where the buck falls.
AFAIK the leadership at bioware changed a lot over the last 5-10 years and has been pro union and pro worker. A lot of these decisions seem wildly inconsistent with that, doesn't it?
There are bad bosses everywhere, I hear the PI's who are falling for the union busting bullshit or they themselves are truly exploitative assholes. Assholes, yeah, but still: the problem is the UC.
Idk I mean we'll see right in a few years when all the exposes come out. And of course I think severed workers should sue and get their due absolutely even if it bankrupts the lil studio but. Idk I'd rather say fuck capitalism and fuck EA than just blanket fuck bioware. \o/
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Trick or treat
-your favorite classic city ;)
Venice? Shit, wrong century!
For I am a generous Magi, I shall provide a second treat!
Here's some more Worldbuilding, back to our regularly scheduled military-related programming. It's...... really quite long. Probably among the longest Worldbuilding things I've ever written. I really hope someone enjoys it, but I know it's not everyone's cup of tea.
Tagging [almost everyone I can think of really] @athenswrites @caxycreations @theprissythumbelina @thatndginger @hessdalen-globe @sleepyowlwrites @avrablake @imslowlydisintegrating @username-cause-i-need-one @lividdreamz @the-mindless
A Pioneer's Fight: Military Engineers In the Chainbreaker War
In this arguably far too pedantic 'article', I hope to shed some light on the nature and practices of the engineers of the United Commonwealth Army as they existed before the Chainbreaker War, and how that organisation would perform when the time came. It includes some notes on the actual conduct of Army engineers and their influence on the course of battle, and some of the personalities that would shape that distinguished force in the period.
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The Corps: Engineers Of The Commonwealth, As They Stood.
The considerable engineering capacity of the United Commonwealth Army was and is the domain of the Corps of Engineers. By the outbreak of war in 75 A.S., it was an institution as old as the Army itself. Alongside the Corps Artillery, the CE was notable for being a singular and unified 'Arm' of the Army, under its own Commandant of Engineers, in contrast to the various nationally-aligned Cavalry and Infantry forces that made up the fighting strength of the service. As such, the Army's engineers were then and are now a centrally recruited, run, and administrated organisation, which has long held a culture within its ranks separate from that of the broader Army.
Within the Corps exists a truly wide variety of branches and Trades, covering the totality of the militarily relevant engineering field. These ranged from "Garrison" formations assigned maintain and occupy to various fortresses and static strongholds across the Commonwealth, to "Pioneers" who were trained to engage in direct, close combat in support of the Infantry by demolishing strongpoints and obstacles with their trademark flame projectors, satchel charges, and shotguns.
Prior to the Chainbreaker War, in times I've previously referenced as the UC Army's 'peacekeeping' days, the Corps' actual deployed strength of engineers was mostly organised within a number of "Field Groups". They tended to be divisional-sized formations, which collectively oversaw all Engineer units in a given theater, under a discrete chain of command separate from that of their combat-arms brethren.
While the battalions of the vaunted Corps of Artillery fell under a singular chain of command which peaked with the GOC, Field Forces, at the General Staff Office, Engineers were rather more obstinate. In peace time, it came to the point that a theater's Engineers Groups effectively required a general officer's direct intervention before allowing their assets to be split off and tasked to lower level unit commanders, a tendency actively fostered by the branch's insular leadership and culture. And if a regimental or battalion commander took issue with this arrangement, then they were welcome to take it up with the Commandant.
While these Field Groups and their constituent detachments and battalions account for the bulk of the Army's engineers, the Corps also contributed large amounts of personnel to organisations within the General Staff and the Directorate of the Army. The majority of technical staff at the Office of Army Research and Development had engineering backgrounds, for instance, and the Corps of Engineers provided much of the UC government's in-house engineering capability.
When it came to the ability of the Corps of Engineers to absorb the best that modern technology could offer, it did so to an arguably better extent than any of the Army's other major branches. It is thus ironic that for all its technical proficiency and modernity, the Corps would prove singularly mule-headed when it came to facing the need to adapt its culture, organisation, methods, and place within the Army's hierarchy to face the brave new Worlds that it would find itself in. This obstinacy would come close to proving a disastrous flaw once the Commonwealth found itself in a modern war.
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First At The Front? The Pre-War Liaisons Of The Corps Of Engineers.
The Corps of Engineers would play one small, but critical, role in the great game between Commonwealth and Empire, a part which would unfold over the better part of a decade well before the first guns were fired.
These were the members of the UC's unofficial and highly secretive "Provincial Liaison Missions", a series of military and diplomatic visits by Commonwealth personnel to the Province of Upepwani to show their support for the province's interests. From naval intelligence to trade commissions, it was very much a 'whole of government' affair, and each of them would touch the war to come in their own special way. When it comes to the contributions of the Corps of Engineers, much of its efforts focused on gathering 'cartographical intelligence', maintaining and constantly updating detailed maps and reports on the internal geography and built infrastructure of the Province, and to a lesser degree the rest of the Fuhrati Empire.
These plans were crucial if the UCA hoped to deploy expeditionary forces to the Province to fight in its defence, and while making them the Corps was able to encourage provincial authorities to reallocate resources to building up what infrastructure they believed would be most useful in time of war. Come 75 A.S., many of the roads, railways, and heavy bridges both the Commonwealth and Upepwani armies would cross on their marches to the front would have their origins with the covert cooperation between the Corps and local authorities.
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Forming Up: UCAU's Engineers
When the Chainbreaker War finally arrived, the UC's contribution to the fighting was the "United Commonwealth Army of Upepwani". Commanded by Lieutenant General Faiz al-Saqr, the 'first wave' of troops designated to make landfall in the province in accordance with pre-war plans was a divisional-sized force of three infantry heavy regiments, accompanied by a sizable supporting cohort. While it was originally intended for the attached Engineering force to, as in peace time, operate entirely under an autonomous Field Group, al-Saqr was having none of it. A savvy professional officer with over thirty years of service, the general was also a notable military reformer and moderniser, half the reason for his appointment as UCAU's General Officer Commanding at the behest of the Chief of the General Staff. Having first applied his considerable influence into motorisng the bulk of his infantry and logistics with the sturdy Danho 'Duster' Type-C lorry, he intended to break the back of the Corps of Engineers if that was what it took to give his command an Engineering capability he could rely on.
al-Saqr would first earn the Commandant's ire with his attemmpt to remove three Pioneer battalions from UCAU's Field Group, intending to attach them directly under each of his three 'first wave' regiments. These battalions, which were to be enlarged to control their own bridging and obstacle clearing detachments, were to be fully removed from the Field Groups' chain of command and report directly to al-Saqr's regimental commanders. Upon receiving the Field Group commander's complaint at this change, al-Saqr attempted to have the brigadier, one Truc Vinh, sacked. The good engineer duely sidestepped his chain of command and appealed directly to the Commandant. Fortunately, before anyone could request the honours of a duel the Chief of the General Staff personally intervened to force a compromise doomed to please neither side.
While the Field Group and its commander would remain virtually unchanged, one green battalion, the 256th Pioneers, would be reassigned from the Group to train and experiment under al-Saqr's personal observation, and pending a final assessment the 23rd Regiment would receive it as an organic Engineering detachment under it command. This decision would prove to be of immense value to al-Saqr and the coming war effort, with the general devising with the battalion's commander a regimen which placed heavy focus on clearing complex and austere terrain, assaulting well fortified positions, and operating motorised in the direct aid of a similarly mobile 23rd Regiment. While al-Saqr would have preferred to train two more battalions of Pioneers in the same manner, the 256th would have to do. Its performance in the war to come, and the comparative failures of its sibling Pioneers, would vindicate al-Saqr's views, but the General was in no mood to celebrate a 'victory' indicated by a military near-catastrophe and heavy losses amongst his ranks.
With our brief overview of the broader picture of the Corps of Engineers complete, let's move on to the specific military engineer force which would first be dispatched to Upepwani.
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Tests Of Battle: Pioneers At The Front
UCAU would make landfall in Upepwani on the 4th of May, 75 A.S. The force was split in two, and so were its engineers and other supporting arms. Two out of al-Saqr's three regiments, the 21st and 22nd, disembarked at the provincial capital of Hurhamba to aid in the defence of the northern city, while the 23rd was stepped ashore at the more southwesterly mercantile centre of Alhisn to maintain a bridgehead in the rest of Upepwani's southern coastal plain. The latter would, indeed, keep control of the 256th Pioneers under the dynamic Colonel R.V. Bhola, one-time cavalryman and effectively the overall commander of UC forces in the south. The 21st and 22nd would, after much squabbling, acquire the 116th and 81st Pioneers respectively, but having never trained with their assigned but not 'parent' formations neither battalion was prepared to work in accordance with their needs. The two regiments were each led by Colonel Joachim Kohl and Brigadier Zhuang Guanting, with the more senior latter officer designated by al-Saqr as overall in command at 'the front' while the general concerned himself with concerns at the rear and playing diplomat with their local hosts and co-belligerents.
- The Southern Front
Contact would first be made with the invading armies of the Fuhrati Empire in the south, on the 7th of June. This force of was mostly comprised of the Xindai Faylaq, or 'Legion', led into battle by province's ruler with the hope's of improving their standing in the eyes of the new Emperor and gaining some territory from their neighbouring province. To give that force's peasant levies some firmer muscle, a smaller but well drilled Imperial 'Katayib', itself about the size of the whole of UCAU's first wave, was attached while unofficially remaining independent from provincial command. Equipped mostly in sheer numbers, much benefit would be given to the 23rd Regiment and its regional allied force by their slow and gregarious advance. This lack of mobility would later be reflected in the north, a sign of the Fuhrati armies inability to sustain their own bulk materially on such 'foreign' and unfamiliar soil.
The 256th would do good work in the meantime, starting with an advanced reconnaissance of the local terrain and its major geographical features. With that and advice from the Upepwani commander remaining in the region, one Lateef Mirza, Colonel Bhola chose to center his plan of operations around the River Soufi. Running northeast to southwest down to the coast, it was impossible to move a force from its staging grounds in Xindai to the approaches of the city without crossing the mighty body. Only a handful of bridges of a useful size spanned the Soufi, and all but two would be very publicly blown by demolition teams of the 256th. The act would serve as a demonstration before the advancing Legion, which was hoped to compel that force to fight the far smaller allied cohort on ground of their choosing. The two remaining bridges were located within the small hamlet of Ustani, near enough to the coastal roads for the allied force to relocate there with speed and keep in good supply. If the Fuhrati forces had access to the bridging capacities of their army's own engineers this may have been less successful, but such equipment and personnel had been reassigned to the north, although that front had no similar riverine obstacle.
With the field of battle hopefully decided, the 256th turned to the business of making it ready to receive the province's guests. Armed with mechanical diggers and cargo trucks, they quickly got to work turning the peaceful settlement into an impregnable fortress. With some aid from Upepwani engineers and local volunteers, two belts of sturdy trenches were constructed which formed a chevron with its base along the Soufi and its tip pointing southwest, presenting a strong face against the anticipated axis of Fuhrati advance. These positions were firstly intended for use by Upepwani's "Lateef Katayib', granting that mixed force of local militia and steady professionals all armed with semi-antiquated percussion cap rifles the benefit of strong defences behind which they would hold against the Fuhrati onslaught. In the meantime, the 23rd Regiment intended to wage a mobile fight against the sluggish behemoth then unfurling itself across the province. Bhola had diverted the entirety of his lorry fleet to fully motorising one battalion of his infantry, the 3rd Internationals, which would raid and harass Fuhrati columns at an arms length from his entrenched forces. To that end, a company sized detachment of the 256th was to accompany the Colonel's 'Mounted Rifles', to provide support for their vehicles and route obstacle clearance for the agile force.
With these pieces in play and plans ready to act, the 256th had done most of what it could in service of their commander's intent, and it would take the coming battle to reveal if their efforts would bear fruit.
- The Northern Front
If affairs in the south were going as smoothly as military operations ever could, the same could not be said for those up north. If al-Saqr had a testy relationship with Brigadier Vinh, the far more acerbic pair that was Zhuang and Kohl would grow to positively despise their subordinate Engineer commanders. The country in the north was hilly and in some parts mountainous, densely forested, cut across by numerous small but fast and freezing rivers, and simply wild. These factors served to exacerbate the delays and sluggish movements inherent to early-War Fuhrati formations to an even greater extent than those in the south, but thanks to a number of factors, at least some of which can be blamed on the two Regiments' engineers, this advantage in time was very nearly lost.
The defining geographical feature of this front was the 'Jabeupe', a wide valley between two towering mountain chains which ran in almost a straight line from west to east, where Hurhamba lay at its feet. Within the valley and protruding out from either end were some of the only built settlements this far north, making the whole gorge the so-called 'Gate to Hurhamba' unless one wished to march several thousand men through and into the dark woods. Two great castles lay on either slope of the valley's westernmost mouth, which had long made up the cornerstone of Upepwani's defensive plans in time of imperial invasion, and the province's own armies intended to sit and wait behind their thick walls for the empire to come. The Fuhrati's northern host, centred on one Imperial Legion with several provincial Katayibs in support, had little choice but to play that same game.
For his part, Zhuang was not content to 'sit on his ass and wait', as the brigadier put it. Some distance west of the last sizeable Jabeupe settlement was a trio of far less impressive valleys, which would nonetheless require a traversing army to split its numbers before reforming on the other side. Acting on a plan he had been developing ever since he'd been appointed as the 23rd's commander, Zhuang hoped to maneuver his forces west at speed until he reached the 'Three Brows", where he would pounce on the separated Fuhrati columns and smash them in detail under his rifles, machine guns, mortars, and artillery. As a former gunner, Zhuang liked his artillery.
The first blow struck by the Corps of Engineers in the north was against the rest of the Army, with its fiercely insular and hierarchical structure to blame. Unfortunately, it was a streak which had not quite been beaten out of the 116th and 81st Pioneers to the same degree as in the 256th. The two battalions still relied on a heavily taxed Field Group for their supplies and equipment, instead of using the routes designated for their parent regiments, which limited the speed with which they could move to a crawl almost as slow as that of the heaviest guns of the field artillery. Moreover, on several instances their commanders flat out refused to move or work until orders by Vinh's own hand had been given, a process which delayed the carrying out of orders to several hours after they had been given. In such undeveloped terrain, where often the only roads the Army didn't have to lay itself were blocked by wind felled trees or reduced to rivers of mud, the inability of the Engineers to provide mobility almost crippled Zhuang's best laid plans.
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In Depth: Engineer's Work Beyond The Battlefield
Although the performance of Engineers in a 'real war' had so far left much to be desired at the front, further from these two fields of battle the Corps would for the most apart acquit. Facing unfamiliar environments, vast distances, poor infrastructure, and a constantly changing and shifting list of requirements and duties, it speaks greatly to Vinh's and his staff's credit that they would perform in their Corps finest traditions.
In both the north and south, the first hurdle UCAU would face was tht of simply relocating its forces from their coastal points of arrival to the battlefield. Upepwani's internal rail networks, which had been the product of years of Commonwealth economic aid, proved indispensable to that task. The trains ran around the clock without pause, and when provincial crews were worn out detachments of Vinh's engineers duely stepped up to take their place, very much familiar with the Commonwealth standard locomotives and equipment they would deal with. Additional infrastructre, which was needed to move the heavier loads of field guns and trucks, had to be constructed, and was completed at a rapid pace.
Indeed, UCAU's supporting trains would find the issue of speed to be the most surprising, in comparison to their peacetime duties. The Commonwealth's peacekeeping operations were often defined by static outposts and forts dotted across familiar terrain and tied together by well rehearsed convoy routes. While it was still an enormously complex task, engineers and quartermasters could afford to take a more methodical and thoroughly planned approach to their duties. Here in Upepwani, where regiments regularly crossed almost a hundred kilometres a day back and forth with their rapid movements, these well rehearsed processes simply could not keep up. Forced to move fast or lose, Vinh revealed himself to be an officer who could do the former, keeping his command above the water and giving al-Saqr the capabilities he needed to win the campaign. From field hospitals to signal stations, the Engineers were the ones who built almost all of it, and as the frontlines shifted with the winds of battle to tear down and rebuild again somewhere else.
Spanning an area hundreds of kilometres wide and deep, the work of Field Group UCAU would begin well before the first Commonwealth shots were fired, and continue in barely diminished intensity after the beaten dregs of the Fuhrati invasion had dragged itself westwards under a hard winter.
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Fleet Friends: A note On Maritime And Naval Engineering
A proper discussion on the impact of military engineering on the Chainbreaker War would be incomplete if it did not cover the UC's efforts to build up a titanic system of ports and similar infrastructure on the continent. It was a joint venture between the Army and Navy, and without it the United Commonwealth would have been physically incapable of transporting and supporting the force of four million that it would eventually raise to fight in the defence of Upepwani and which would bring down the Fuhrati Empire.
It would first take the form of the occupation and improvement of preexisting faclities in Upepwani itself, a necessary measure to ensure the smooth unloading of UCAU's great bulk in personnel and equipment. Such work was centred on Hurhamba and Alhisn, the original landing sites of Commonwealth forces, and would eventually spread to every coastal settlement in the province. Significant efforts would also be placed on upgrading Upepwani's limited naval infrastructure, bringing it up to meet the needs of the great fleet of the United Commonwealth Navy which was soon to arrive. As an aside, in the decades after the War the docks and yards assembled at great cost by these military engineers would find themselves excess to the Fleet's requirements, and sold off to the burgeoning private maritime industry of the Republic of Upepwani for nearly a song. This massive influx of capital would do much to bolster the Republic's private economy and shipbuilding industry, and in private hands these slipways would go on to launch many of the UCN's finest vessels in time to come.
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Conclusions
The Corps of Engineers was in many ways ill prepared to fight the war it found itself in, come the autumn of 75 A.S. Its inflexible culture and structure defied those few Army reformers' attempts to drag it into the modern Worlds, and the obstinacy of its field officers, whatever their professional skill, rendered much of the field engineer units deployed on Upepwani soil less helpful than they could have been. While the first act of the war would be won, it was a very near run affair, and al-Saqr and the Commonwealth had little intention of seeing a re-run of those events.
It would take inhuman efforts, by those within the Corps and those without, to drag the noble cadre kicking and screaming into reality. Once it had been, however, the contributions of the Commonwealth's own engineers would play a crucial role in the field of battle. For while great engineers would never have won the war, a poor and poor to learn Corps of Engineers may very well have lost it. The Chainbreaker War has long been considered the first war of a modern 12 Worlds, in thinking and in substance, and the challenges and triumps of military engineers in and after those five years makes that claim clear.
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