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2023.03.21 21:36 nelsonsmith88 Troubleshooting Outlook Send Receive Error: Effective Methods to Fix the Issue
Outlook is a popular email client used by millions of users worldwide. It offers a range of features and capabilities, making it an excellent tool for managing emails, contacts, and schedules. However, like any other software, it is not immune to errors and issues. One of the most common issues that Outlook users face is the Send Receive Error.
The Send Receive Error in Outlook occurs when the software fails to send or receive emails properly. This can be a frustrating issue, especially if you rely on Outlook for your business or personal communications. Fortunately, there are several methods you can use to fix this issue. In this article, we will discuss some of the most effective methods to fix Outlook Send Receive Error.
To disable Windows Firewall, follow the steps below:
To check for suspicious emails, follow the steps below:
To correct your email settings, follow the steps below:
To clear the Outbox, follow the steps below:
To start Outlook in Safe Mode, follow the steps below:
To repair the PST file, follow the steps below:
Source URL:https://outlooksupportus.blogspot.com/2023/03/outlook-send-receive-error.html
submitted by nelsonsmith88 to u/nelsonsmith88 [link] [comments]
The Send Receive Error in Outlook occurs when the software fails to send or receive emails properly. This can be a frustrating issue, especially if you rely on Outlook for your business or personal communications. Fortunately, there are several methods you can use to fix this issue. In this article, we will discuss some of the most effective methods to fix Outlook Send Receive Error.
Disable Windows Firewall and Antivirus Program
One of the primary reasons why Outlook may fail to send or receive emails is due to Windows Firewall or Antivirus program blocking the software's access to the internet. In such cases, you can try disabling the Windows Firewall and Antivirus Program temporarily to check if it resolves the issue.To disable Windows Firewall, follow the steps below:
- Go to the Control Panel on your computer.
- Click on System and Security.
- Click on Windows Defender Firewall.
- Select Turn Windows Defender Firewall off.
- Click on OK.
Check for Suspicious Emails
Another reason why Outlook may fail to send or receive emails is due to suspicious emails in your mailbox. These emails may contain malware, viruses, or other malicious code that can affect Outlook's performance. Therefore, it's essential to check your mailbox for suspicious emails and remove them immediately.To check for suspicious emails, follow the steps below:
- Open Outlook.
- Click on the Inbox folder.
- Look for any emails that seem suspicious or from an unknown sender.
- Right-click on the email and select Mark as Junk.
- Click on the Home tab.
- Click on Junk.
- Select Junk Email Options.
- Choose the level of protection you want to use.
- Click on OK.
Correct the Outlook Email Settings
Incorrect email settings in Outlook can also cause send receive errors. Therefore, it's crucial to check your email settings and ensure they are correct.To correct your email settings, follow the steps below:
- Open Outlook.
- Click on File.
- Click on Account Settings.
- Select the email account you want to correct.
- Click on Change.
- Update the email settings as required.
- Click on Next and Finish.
Clear Outbox and Change Server Time-out
Outlook may fail to send or receive emails if there are large attachments in the Outbox or if the server time-out limit is too low. Therefore, you can try clearing the Outbox and changing the server time-out to fix the issue.To clear the Outbox, follow the steps below:
- Open Outlook.
- Click on the Send/Receive tab.
- Click on Work Offline.
- Go to the Outbox folder.
- Remove any large attachments or emails that you no longer need.
- Click on Send/Receive.
- Click on Work Offline to turn it off.
- Open Outlook.
- Click on File.
- Click on Options.
- Click on Advanced.
- Scroll down to Send and Receive.
- Change the server
Run Outlook in Safe Mode
If none of the above methods work, you can try running Outlook in Safe Mode. This will start Outlook with minimal settings and can help identify any issues caused by add-ins or extensions.To start Outlook in Safe Mode, follow the steps below:
- Press and hold the CTRL key on your keyboard and double-click on the Outlook icon.
- Select Yes when prompted to start Outlook in Safe Mode.
- Check if you can send or receive emails in Safe Mode.
- If you can, the issue is most likely caused by add-ins or extensions. You can disable them one by one to identify the culprit.
Repair PST file to Fix Outlook Send Receive Error
If Outlook still fails to send or receive emails, the issue may be caused by a corrupted PST file. The PST file stores all your emails, contacts, and other data in Outlook. If it becomes corrupted, Outlook may not function correctly. Therefore, you can try repairing the PST file using the Inbox Repair tool.To repair the PST file, follow the steps below:
- Close Outlook.
- Open the File Explorer on your computer.
- Navigate to the folder where the PST file is located.
- Right-click on the PST file and select Properties.
- Click on the General tab.
- Select the checkbox next to Read-only.
- Click on Apply and then OK.
- Open Outlook.
- Click on File.
- Click on Account Settings.
- Click on Account Settings again.
- Select the Data Files tab.
- Click on Add.
- Select the PST file you want to repair.
- Click on OK.
- Run the Inbox Repair tool by following the on-screen instructions.
Conclusion
Outlook Send Receive Error is a common issue that can be fixed using various methods, including disabling Windows Firewall and Antivirus Program, checking for suspicious emails, correcting email settings, clearing the Outbox and changing server time-out, running Outlook in Safe Mode, and repairing PST files. If you encounter this error, try these methods one by one to identify and fix the issue.Source URL:https://outlooksupportus.blogspot.com/2023/03/outlook-send-receive-error.html
2023.03.21 21:18 workmog Send email alert when outgoing traffic on port 445 is dropped
Hello!
I have a policy that drops all connections outgoing on port 445 because of the recent Outlook CVE. Is there an easy-ish way to have my FW-81F send an alert via email when it drops packets from this policy? I didn't see anything that jumped out at me.
Thanks!
submitted by workmog to fortinet [link] [comments]
I have a policy that drops all connections outgoing on port 445 because of the recent Outlook CVE. Is there an easy-ish way to have my FW-81F send an alert via email when it drops packets from this policy? I didn't see anything that jumped out at me.
Thanks!
2023.03.21 20:47 FarPiano9575 There is nothing Donald Trump could ever do that would cross the line for Republicans. Nothing. Because there is no line. Not really.
When he bragged about sexual assault, they moved the line. Invited Russia to send Hillary’s emails, they moved the line again. When he mocked a disabled reporter, called women dogs, disparaged a POW, attacked a Gold Star family & insulted a military widow, they moved the line again.
When he extorted Ukraine, lied about a pandemic, asked Georgia to “find” 11,780 votes, spread the Big Lie, incited an insurrection & sent a rabid mob to hang his VP, they moved the line again. When he stole nuclear secrets, which he then lied about and obstructed the investigation into, they moved the line again. So, if and when he becomes the first former “president” to be charged with a crime, they will move the line yet again.
There is nothing Donald Trump could ever do that would cross the line for Republicans. Nothing. Because there is no line. Not really.
submitted by FarPiano9575 to ProgressiveDemocrats [link] [comments]
When he extorted Ukraine, lied about a pandemic, asked Georgia to “find” 11,780 votes, spread the Big Lie, incited an insurrection & sent a rabid mob to hang his VP, they moved the line again. When he stole nuclear secrets, which he then lied about and obstructed the investigation into, they moved the line again. So, if and when he becomes the first former “president” to be charged with a crime, they will move the line yet again.
There is nothing Donald Trump could ever do that would cross the line for Republicans. Nothing. Because there is no line. Not really.
2023.03.21 20:44 imthelastairbender Is this a scam?
 | submitted by imthelastairbender to college [link] [comments] |
2023.03.21 20:29 SirDoAlot [WTS]»»The Fleet Facto®y«« Mercury Star Runner LTI $209, Eclipse LTI $239, Hull C LTI $249, 600i Explorer LTI $315, Carrack LTI $385, Polaris LTI $465, Andromeda to Merchantman upgrade $269 and upgrades, paints and more, have a look!
Welcome to The Fleet Facto®y!
Est. 2946Standalone Ships:
| Type | Name | Melt value | Upgrade value | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CCU'd | Prospector LTI | $115 | $155 | $139 |
| CCU'd | Vulture LTI | $110 | $175 | $145 |
| CCU'd | Super Hornet LTI | $150 | $180 | $164 |
| CCU'd | Constellation Taurus LTI | $125 | $190 | $165 |
| CCU'd | Hurricane LTI | $120 | $195 | $169 |
| CCU'd | Vulcan LTI | $135 | $200 | $174 |
| CCU'd | Terrapin LTI | $155 | $220 | $189 |
| CCU'd | Defender LTI | $155 | $220 | $189 |
| CCU'd | Railen LTI | $160 | $225 | $194 |
| CCU'd | Constellation Andromeda LTI | $155 | $240 | $194 |
| CCU'd | Corsair LTI | $160 | $250 | $199 |
| CCU'd | 400i LTI | $165 | $250 | $205 |
| CCU'd | Mercury Star Runner LTI | $175 | $260 | $209 |
| CCU'd | Mercury Star Runner LTI BIS 2951 or BIS 2952 | $175 | $260 | $219 |
| CCU'd | Vanguard Sentinel LTI | $190 | $275 | $229 |
| CCU'd | Retaliator Heavy Bomber LTI | $190 | $275 | $229 |
| CCU'd | Apollo Medivac LTI | $190 | $275 | $229 |
| CCU'd | Blade LTI | $190 | $275 | $229 |
| CCU'd | Harbinger LTI | $185 | $290 | $234 |
| CCU'd | Eclipse LTI | $195 | $300 | $239 |
| CCU'd | Constellation Aquila LTI | $205 | $310 | $245 |
| CCU'd | Mole LTI | $210 | $315 | $249 |
| CCU'd | Redeemer LTI | $180 | $325 | $249 |
| CCU'd | Caterpillar LTI | $200 | $330 | $245 |
| CCU'd | Starfarer Gemini LTI | $210 | $340 | $255 |
| CCU'd | Crucible LTI | $220 | $350 | $269 |
| CCU'd | Endeavor LTI | $220 | $350 | $269 |
| CCU'd | Glaive LTI | $220 | $350 | $299 |
| CCU'd | Hull C LTI | $185 | $350 | $249 |
| CCU'd | Valkyrie LTI | $220 | $375 | $265 |
| CCU'd | Galaxy LTI | $225 | $380 | $269 |
| CCU'd | C2 Hercules LTI | $245 | $400 | $289 |
| CCU'd | Prowler LTI | $255 | $440 | $304 |
| CCU'd | 600i Explorer LTI | $260 | $475 | $315 |
| CCU'd | M2 Hercules LTI | $265 | $520 | $325 |
| CCU'd | Carrack LTI | $305 | $600 | $385 |
| CCU'd | Merchantman LTI | $280 | $650 | $399 |
| CCU'd | Perseus LTI | $305 | $675 | $429 |
| CCU'd | Odyssey LTI | $330 | $700 | $449 |
| CCU'd | Hammerhead | $305 | $725 | $439 |
| CCU'd | A2 Hercules LTI | $330 | $750 | $465 |
| CCU'd | Polaris LTI | $330 | $750 | $465 |
| Type | Name | Upgrade value | Price | Quantity |
|---|
Ship and Vehicle Upgrades:
| Type | Name | Price |
|---|---|---|
| AEGIS | ||
| CCU | 325A to Avenger Titan Renegade | $10 |
| CCU | Reliant Kore to Avenger Titan Renegade | $18 |
| CCU | Reliant Tana to Avenger Warlock | $18 |
| CCU | 325A to Avenger Warlock | $25 |
| CCU | 315P to Avenger Warlock | $30 |
| CCU | Vanguard Harbinger to Eclipse | $18 |
| CCU | Cutlass Black to Gladius Valiant | $18 |
| CCU | M50 to Gladius Valiant | $18 |
| CCU | Odyssey to Hammerhead | $45 |
| CCU | Odyssey to Nautilus | $45 |
| CCU | Valkyrie to Reclaimer | $45 |
| CCU | Gladiator to Sabre | $11 |
| CCU | Super Hornet to Sabre Comet | $11 |
| CCU | Sabre to Sabre Comet | $25 |
| CCU | Terrapin to Vanguard Hoplite | $25 |
| CCU | Apollo Triage to Vanguard Warden | $18 |
| CCU | Vanguard Hoplite to Vanguard Warden | $39 |
| CCU | Sabre Comet to Vulcan | $25 |
| CCU | Super Hornet to Vulcan | $32 |
| ANVIL | ||
| CCU | Freelancer DUR to Ballista | $11 |
| CCU | Liberator to Carrack | $44 |
| CCU | Carrack to Carrack w/C8X STD edition | $44 |
| CCU | Starfarer Gemini to Crucible | $18 |
| CCU | Prospector to Gladiator | $17 |
| CCU | Reliant Mako to Hawk | $11 |
| CCU | Gladius to Hawk | $17 |
| CCU | Sabre Comet to Hornet Heartseeker | $18 |
| CCU | Super Hornet to Hornet Heartseeker | $26 |
| CCU | Prospector to Hornet Wildfire | $32 |
| CCU | Taurus to Hurricane | $11 |
| CCU | Sabre Comet to Hurricane | $17 |
| CCU | Super Hornet to Hurricane | $25 |
| CCU | F7C Hornet to Legionnaire | $18 |
| CCU | Mustang Beta to Pisces C8X | $10 |
| CCU | Dragonfly Black to Pisces C8X | $10 |
| CCU | Arrow to Spartan | $11 |
| CCU | Hornet Wildfire to Super Hornet | $11 |
| CCU | Sabre to Super Hornet | $17 |
| CCU | Khartu-Al to Super Hornet | $17 |
| CCU | Gladiator to Super Hornet | $25 |
| CCU | Prospector to Super Hornet | $39 |
| CCU | Vulcan to Terrapin | $33 |
| CCU | Crucible to Valkyrie | $44 |
| CCU | Endeavor to Valkyrie | $44 |
| CCU | Hull C to Valkyrie | $44 |
| AOPOA / XI'AN | ||
| CCU | Gladiator to Khartu-Al | $11 |
| CCU | Prospector to Khartu-Al | $25 |
| CCU | Dragonfly Black to Nox | $11 |
| CCU | X1 Base to Nox Kue | $12 |
| CCU | Vulcan to San'tok.Yai | $33 |
| ARGO | ||
| CCU | P-52 Merlin to MPUV Cargo BIS 2951 | $13 |
| CCU | Mustang Alpha to MPUV Cargo | $11 |
| CCU | Razor to SRV | $11 |
| CCU | Tracker to SRV | $18 |
| CCU | Vulture to SRV | $18 |
| BANU | ||
| CCU | Andromeda to Merchantman | $269 |
| CONSOLIDATED OUTLAND | ||
| CCU | Avenger Stalker to Mustang Delta | $10 |
| CCU | 300i to Mustang Delta | $17 |
| CRUSADER | ||
| CCU | Andromeda to Ares Inferno | $18 |
| CCU | Andromeda to Ares Ion | $18 |
| CCU | Valkyrie to Genisis Starliner | $44 |
| CCU | Nautilus to Hercules A2 | $45 |
| CCU | Hammerhead to Hercules A2 | $45 |
| CCU | Valkyrie to Hercules C2 | $44 |
| CCU | 400i to Mercury Star Runner | $18 |
| CCU | Andromeda to Mercury Star Runner | $33 |
| DRAKE | ||
| CCU | Cutlass Black to Buccaneer | $17 |
| CCU | Hawk to Buccaneer | $17 |
| CCU | M50 to Buccaneer | $17 |
| CCU | Mole to Caterpillar | $25 |
| CCU | Sabre to Cutlass Blue | $11 |
| CCU | Prospector to Cutlass Blue | $32 |
| CCU | Reliant Tana to Herald | $17 |
| CCU | 325A to Herald | $24 |
| CCU | Dragonfly Black to Mule | $11 |
| CCU | Andromeda to Corsair | $18 |
| KRUGER | ||
| MISC | ||
| CCU | Starfarer Gemini to Endeavor | $18 |
| CCU | Hornet Tracker to Expanse | $17 |
| CCU | Sabre to Freelancer MIS | $10 |
| CCU | Gladiator to Freelancer MIS | $17 |
| CCU | Prospector to Freelancer MIS | $33 |
| CCU | Spartan to Hull A | $17 |
| CCU | Arrow to Hull A | $23 |
| CCU | Cutlass Red to Hull B | $11 |
| CCU | Starfarer Gemini to Hull C | $18 |
| CCU | Prowler to Hull D | $19 |
| CCU | Perseus to Odyssey | $44 |
| CCU | Tracker to Razor | $11 |
| CCU | Freelancer DUR to Razor | $17 |
| CCU | Hornet Ghost to Razor | $32 |
| CCU | Razor to Razor LX | $11 |
| CCU | Tracker to Razor LX | $17 |
| CCU | Freelancer MAX to Razor EX | $11 |
| CCU | Razor LX to Razor EX | $11 |
| CCU | Retaliator Base to Razor EX | $11 |
| CCU | 325A to Reliant Tana | $10 |
| CCU | Arrow to Reliant Sen | $17 |
| CCU | Reliant Tana to Reliant Sen | $17 |
| CCU | 325A to Reliant Sen | $24 |
| CCU | Gladius to Reliant Mako | $10 |
| CCU | 325A to Reliant Mako | $36 |
| CCU | Mole to Starfarer Gemini | $41 |
| CCU | Starfarer to Starfarer Gemini | $58 |
| ORIGIN | ||
| CCU | Dragonfly Black to 100i | $17 |
| CCU | Ursa Rover to 125A | $17 |
| CCU | Avenger Titan to 125A | $12 |
| CCU | 100i to 125A | $17 |
| CCU | 125A to 135C | $11 |
| CCU | 300i to 135C | $17 |
| CCU | Mustang Gamma to 135C | $17 |
| CCU | Andromeda to 400i | $18 |
| CCU | Aurora CL to 85X | $11 |
| CCU | Mustang Gamma to G12 | $11 |
| CCU | Mustang Gamma to G12R Racing | $11 |
| CCU | Avenger Stalker to G12A Military | $11 |
| CCU | G12 to G12A Military | $11 |
| CCU | G12R Racing to G12A Military | $11 |
| CCU | Reliant Mako to M50 Interceptor | $11 |
| CCU | Gladius to M50 Interceptor | $17 |
| CCU | Dragonfly Black to X1 Velocity | $11 |
| CCU | X1 Baseline to X1 Velocity | $11 |
| CCU | X1 Velocity to X1 Force | $11 |
| CCU | Dragonfly Black to X1 Force | $17 |
| CCU | X1 Baseline to X1 Force | $17 |
| RSI | ||
| CCU | Apollo Triage to Apollo Medivac | $38 |
| CCU | Vanguard Warden to Apollo Medivac | $27 |
| CCU | Vanguard Hoplite to Apollo Triage | $26 |
| CCU | Aurora MR to Aurora LX | $11 |
| CCU | Razor to Mantis | $10 |
| CCU | Hornet Tracker to Mantis | $18 |
| CCU | Hammerhead to Polaris | $45 |
| CCU | 85X to Ursa Rover Fortuna | $12 |
| CCU | Ursa Rover to Ursa Rover Fortuna | $12 |
| CCU | X1 Force to Ursa Rover Fortuna | $12 |
| TUMBRIL | ||
| CCU | Cyclone to Cyclone RC | $18 |
| CCU | Cyclone to Cyclone TR | $18 |
| CCU | Cyclone to Cyclone RN | $18 |
| CCU | Cyclone to Cyclone AA | $37 |
| CCU | Cyclone RC to Cyclone AA | $25 |
| CCU | Cyclone TR to Cyclone AA | $25 |
| CCU | Cyclone RN to Cyclone AA | $25 |
| CCU | Ursa Rover to Cyclone | $11 |
| CCU | Ursa Rover to Cyclone RC | $25 |
| CCU | Ursa Rover to Cyclone TR | $25 |
| CCU | Ursa Rover to Cyclone RN | $25 |
| CCU | Ursa Rover to Cyclone AA | $45 |
| CCU | 300i to Cyclone RC | $11 |
| CCU | 300i to Cyclone TR | $11 |
| CCU | 300i to Cyclone RN | $11 |
| CCU | 325a to Cyclone MT | $18 |
| CCU | Arrow to Cyclone AA | $11 |
| CCU | F7C Hornet to Nova Tank | $17 |
| CCU | Mustang Alpha to Ranger CV | $11 |
| CCU | Mustang Alpha to Ranger RC | $11 |
| CCU | Ranger CV to Ranger TR | $11 |
| CCU | Ranger RC to Ranger TR | $11 |
Paints:
| Ship | Name | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Aegis Avenger | Blue and gold ILW 2950 | $15 |
| Aegis Avenger | Solar Winds Paint | $15 |
| Aegis Gladius | Solar Winds Paint | $18 |
| Aegis Vanguard | Solar Winds Paint | $22 |
| Anvil Arrow | Twilight ILW 2950 | $15 |
| Anvil Legionnaire | Shadow Strike Paint | $18 |
| Anvil Valkyrie | Splinter ILW 2950 | $24 |
| Anvil Liberator | Condor | $35 |
| Crusader Mercury | Fortuna | $23 |
| Cursader Spirit | Crimson | $20 |
| Cursader Spirit | Intrepid | $20 |
| Cursader Spirit | Olympia | $20 |
| Drake Dragonfly | Ghoulish Green | $15 |
| Drake Cutlass | Ghoulish Green | $15 |
| Drake Cutlass | Scull and Crossbones | $19 |
| Drake Buccaneer | Ghoulish Green | $18 |
| Drake Caterpillar | Ghoulish Green | $22 |
| Drake Herald | Ghoulish Green | $18 |
| Drake Mule | Ghoulish Green | $14 |
| Drake Mule | Smokestack | $9 |
| Drake Vulture | Ghoulish Green | $20 |
| Gatac Railen | Hyaotan | $23 |
| Greycat STV | Blue Steel | $9 |
| Misc Freelancer | Paint pack ILW 2950 | $23 |
| Misc Starfarer | Paint pack ILW 2950 | $43 |
| Misc Expanse | Stardust | $20 |
| Origin 400i | Fortuna | $23 |
| Origin 400i | Penumbra | $23 |
| Origin 400i | Meridian | $23 |
| Origin 600i | Fortuna | $29 |
| RSI Aurora | Blue and gold ILW2950 | $15 |
| RSI Constellation | Blue and gold ILW2950 | $22 |
| RSI Scorpius | Stinger | $23 |
BUKs, modules and more:
| Type | Name | Insurance | Melt value | Price |
|---|
Other:
| Type | Name | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Flair | Gamescom 2946 subscriber trophy | $11 |
| Flair | Gamescom 2946 trophy | $11 |
| Flair | Citizencon 2946 subscriber trophy | $11 |
| sold out | ||
| Flair | Citizencon 2947 trophy | $11 |
• CCU = Cross-Chassis Upgrade. • Melt value = what you get if you decide to exchange your ship for store credits. • Upgrade value = this is the value you upgrade from if you decide to do that. • LTI = Lifetime insurance. • MI = Month insurance. • OC = Original Concept. • Prices include PayPal fees. PayPal invoice will be sent. • Buyer must be PayPal verified, I am since 2008. • I do not have a Discord account and I do not middleman! • HOW TO BUY: PM me what you would like to buy together with your PayPal email. I will then send you an invoice. Once the invoice has been paid the bought item will be gifted to your PayPal email. You will then receive a mail from RSI which contains a gift link. The link transfers the gift to your Hangar (RSI website, if you are logged in, or it will ask you to do so). • If you are interested - send me a PM. My down time is usually between 11 pm - 7 am UTC (CET)Have a good day!
2023.03.21 20:24 SamR1301 Outlook desktop and iphone mail
I was wondering if anyone's come across this issue before:
I have a user who uses their iphone mail and calendar apps for all the emails. Works fine, shows all calendars in the same place, etc.
Only issue is, mail will come through on her phone, in the iphone mail app, and then not appear in her PC's desktop outlook.
It shows up hours later, but she keeps missing odd chunks of emails like a bunch at 8am are on her phone but not outlook.
Anyone know what might be going on?
submitted by SamR1301 to sysadmin [link] [comments]
I have a user who uses their iphone mail and calendar apps for all the emails. Works fine, shows all calendars in the same place, etc.
Only issue is, mail will come through on her phone, in the iphone mail app, and then not appear in her PC's desktop outlook.
It shows up hours later, but she keeps missing odd chunks of emails like a bunch at 8am are on her phone but not outlook.
Anyone know what might be going on?
2023.03.21 20:20 Strength-InThe-Loins 20 Years Later: Green Zone
Twenty years ago this week, the United States began its blatantly criminal invasion of an unthreatening sovereign state that inevitably turned into a hideous quagmire.
I had joined the United States Marine Corps in the summer of 2001. I was still in boot camp on 9/11, which made for an interesting couple of days. In early 2002 I obtained a two-year leave of absence to ‘serve’ a Mormon mission, and by March of 2003 I was more than a year into being a full-time religious propagandist in Mexico.
The war was big news in Mexico, with public opinion generally running pretty strong against it. Given my history of relentless indoctrination, and my current assignment of telling everyone I saw that they were immorally wrong about everything that mattered, and the fact that I wasn’t allowed to consume any kind of non-religious media material of any kind, I of course took the opposite position.
But I improved with time. I came home in early 2004, and quickly discovered that the war was, at best, very badly managed. But I was back into military service (as a reservist), so I fully expected to end up being deployed to Iraq at some point.
The miserable shitshow that played out across Iraq throughout 2005 and especially 2006 convinced me that the war wasn’t just badly executed but a hopelessly terrible idea from its very beginning, supported by blatant lies and unconscionable manipulation.
When my turn to deploy finally came, in 2009, I was rather conflicted. On the one hand, I clearly understood that the war was immoral and dangerous and I should avoid it at all cost. On the other hand, I was four years into attending college and making no discernible progress towards any of the goals I had set for myself: graduating, choosing a career, getting married, existing as a functional adult. So the choice (and it was a choice: contrary to the contract I thought I’d signed, I was set to be released from service in mid-2008, and so this deployment was entirely optional for me) was fraught. I didn’t want to kill or die for a mistake; but I also didn’t want to dodge what I was sure would be the challenge of a lifetime for a second time; and I also could not say with a straight face that I had anything better to do.
So I went. It didn’t go well , but it went at least as well as I had any right to expect. I never saw anything like combat (shooting flares at a few civilian vehicles was as close as I ever got), was never in danger, and so on. But it was no picnic, either: severe and extended boredom can be just as damaging as actual trauma, and the psychological abuse inherent in military life was constant. And things weren’t entirely safe: my unit had two suicides during the work-up, and given the state of my mental health, I was never all that unlikely to have joined them.
The whole experience did me no immediate good, but as an experience with disillusionment with and escaping from an all-consuming self-admiring institution, it was a pretty decent dry run for my exit from Mormonism a few years later. And, as I had expected, it got me a year’s salary (which was probably the majority of the money I’d made in my life up to that point), and a lifetime of monthly disability payments and free health insurance. So I really can’t say I completely regret it.
The movie I’ve chosen to commemorate this anniversary is Green Zone, because it came out shortly after I came back, and I’d always wanted to see it, and I’d heard that it took an interesting angle on the whole mess, and I’d heard that it was pretty good (which is a rare quality among Iraq War movies, which have, shall we say, a mixed record ). And it’s pretty good, though of course it has some issues.
The best thing about it is how it nails the look and feel of the military occupation. The movie abounds with details large and small that just look exactly right, from US troops driving green Humvees with no doors and unprotected gun turrets* to piles of Pizza-Hut-labeled shipping containers at the airport to one of them carrying around a bottle of chewing-tobacco spit to the use of the then-new Blue Force Tracker technology. Greg Kinnear as the villain of the piece looks exactly like he should, a completely nondescript bureaucrat that would never get a second look at any white-collar office in America, incongruously transplanted into a blood-soaked conflict in an environment where only fools and the extraordinarily pampered (he is both, of course) dress like that. And I didn’t know I needed to see exactly what the Google homepage looked like in 2003, but I did, and the movie delivered.
It’s also a very good look at the culture of the US military; the briefing with Colonel Bethel is pretty spot-on (except for the one guy interrupting to speak the truth; that pretty much never happens). It’s a bit optimistic to assume that a random US military unit would have even one Arabic speaker in it, but the movie makes up for it by having him only know a dialect that’s completely useless in Iraq. The soldier who argues with Damon and tells him that the reasons for going to war don’t matter to him struck me as a perfect distillation of the me-first attitude that the US military explicitly teaches its members: the “My only job is to get home safe” dogma was basically a part of the official training materials, very much to the detriment of accomplishing any particular mission beyond that (and of course no one ever wants to talk about how obviously cowardly and selfish such an attitude is).
The movie also does well with points of view from outside of the US military, namely the absolute terror of being an Iraqi unfortunate enough to fall into US hands during the occupation, and the possibly greater terror of being on the ground when the Americans started bombing or disbanded the Iraqi army and purged the civil service, which this movie treats as an irrefutable sign of the apocalypse. Not that any of that took any great insight to determine in 2010, years after it became clear what US detention was like and how foolish it was to send thousands of unhappy armed men out into the streets with nothing to do, but it’s still good to see it stated so plainly.
One aspect that does not look so good is the trademark Paul Greengrass shaky-cam technique; it’s tolerable in the actual action scenes, which are supposed to be stressful and chaotic, but in the opening scene, in which the ‘action’ mostly involves men walking quickly down crowded hallways,** it really doesn’t work. I do wonder how Greengrass does it; does he plan and rehearse the camera movements, or just have the actors do their thing while someone waves the camera around randomly? One analysis of one of Greengrass’s Bourne movies pointed out that it seems that the camera can’t predict the characters’ movements, which adds to the sense of uncertainty and danger; I wonder how closely Greengrass controls the camera’s ‘random’ movements, and what he thinks he’s saying with them.
There are other moments that fall short of the movie’s best moments of authenticity: Damon’s first scene, in which he explains (over the radio, no less!) where his team is going and what they’ll be doing there is pure Hollywood bullshit; any such explanation would be given (likely multiple times) well before the mission actually started, and the team will try to minimize radio use while out in the field. And that’s not the only moment of clumsy exposition; once that mission fails to find anything of use, Damon laments “That’s the third one in a row,” to a roomful of guys who’ve been on all the same missions and all presumably know exactly how many of them there have been. On that same mission, someone, for some reason, uses a Geiger counter to analyze a suspected chemical weapons site, which…what?
The movie’s second-strongest sympathetic character is a CIA ‘Middle-East expert’ that knows everything he needs to know and that no one listens to. While I don’t doubt that no one important listened to anyone who knew what was going on, the thing-knower being a CIA agent that the CIA chose to send to Baghdad seems unlikely; were there any such thing-knowers left in the CIA in 2003? If so, why would leadership (which was fully behind the WMD hoax) send such an ‘unreliable’ person to such a sensitive post? Surely they knew there was a risk of him doing exactly what he ended up doing, and would have kept him as far from the action as possible.***
And how and why does he have such detailed information at his fingertips about the movements of people that don’t officially concern him? That information would be a closely guarded secret that he has no plausible official need to know. And why the hell does he dare take a very important phone call, which concerns a blatantly illegal operation he’s running off the books, on speaker in a room that’s crowded with god knows who that he very obviously can’t necessarily trust?
Once he makes contact with Damon, he sets up a meeting in the most secure part of the infamous Green Zone, which Damon is somehow able to access with minimal trouble. That strikes me as outrageously implausible; the highest security I ever experienced in Iraq was about 37 levels lower than the Green Zone (where American civilians could expect to live and work in pretty much complete safety), and even there I had to show my dog tags and scan my ID to enter the gym or the chow hall. Green Zone security would emphatically not just wave through any random US military vehicle or personnel that showed up at the gate. Damon would have to show some kind of proof that he belongs there, and since he’s going to an unauthorized meeting with a civilian far outside his chain of command, he just wouldn’t have that, and the gate guards would turn him away.
At that meeting, the CIA guy instructs Damon to get out of uniform, which is wise, but we never find out where Damon gets the civilian clothes and the civilian body armor we see him wearing right after. (I doubt he would have brought civvies with him for his invasion deployment, and even military body armor was pretty hard to come by in Iraq in 2003.) But also I understand why the movie felt it didn’t have time for a deep dive into this question. What it leads to is egregious, though; in the movie’s climactic scene, Damon, dressed in civilian clothes and carrying a clearly non-American weapon he stole from a local, runs through a combat situation involving US troops who spot him from a helicopter…and they somehow assume that he’s an American who’s on their side. What makes them think that? Did all US troops in Iraq in 2003 have implanted RFID chips that all US night-vision scopes could pick out from a distance? (No. No they did not.) Nothing at all that they can see indicates that Damon is American, but even if they knew he was American, he’s actually working against those particular US troops (who are very explicitly there to kill the man that Damon is trying to contact and rescue), and so there’s still no reason to identify him as a ‘friendly.’ This is a most unfortunate misstep, because doing it more realistically (having the US troops not know who Damon is, assume he’s their enemy, and act accordingly) would actually better serve the movie’s general theme of disunity and confusion.
Those same US troops are first seen arriving in a helicopter that suddenly arrives from below the not-very-high high ground that Damon is standing on, which means they must have been flying very low indeed (like, below rooftop level) over a very urban area, which is ridiculous; and without anyone hearing them approach from miles away, which is even more ridiculous.**** But those same US troops also drive around in Humvees at night with their headlights blazing, which is just dumb enough to be real. But what’s way too smart to be real is the timing of that helicopter arrival; Damon apprehends an important individual, and those troops (who are also looking for that person for unrelated reasons) somehow know about that and are able to arrive instantly, which…rather stretches the bounds of plausibility.
There are also some timeline issues, which are bad to have in a movie that is so closely tied to historical events on very specific dates. The invasion began on March 19, as seen in the first scene. Then we skip forward to ‘four weeks later,’ around April 16. The rest of the movie seems to take place over only a few days, and yet prominent plot points include George W. Bush’s (spit) Mission Accomplished speech (which happened on May 1), and the CPA’s dissolution of the Iraqi state apparatus (which happened on May 23). In the movie, those 22 days seem to pass in a matter of hours.
Also, and this is unbelievably petty of me, somewhere in the Green Zone, sometime at least as late as April 16, we catch a glimpse of someone watching a college basketball game (UCLA vs. Oregon, if I’m not mistaken) on TV. The final game of the 2003 NCAA tournament was played on April 7, and didn’t involve either team: Oregon lost to Utah in the first round, and UCLA didn’t even make the tournament, so that game is misplaced in time by at least a month.
Around the time it came out, I heard that this movie was a kind of Inglourious Basterds treatment of the Iraq War. While it’s certainly not NOT that (in that it’s an optimistic fantasy that revises well-known historical events about which there is little cause for optimism), it’s also different in that it doesn’t depart from the historical events nearly as much. There really was a ‘Magellan’ figure in real life, but he was called ‘Curveball,’ and, despite being pretty different from the version in the movie, he had precisely the same effect of being cited in favor of the invasion. In the movie, Magellan is an Iraqi Army officer who secretly meets with Americans to tell them that Iraq has no WMD programs. The Americans then falsely report that he’s told them Iraq has WMDs, and the war machine’s gears start to turn and the Americans plot to kill Magellan so he won’t reveal what he actually told them. In reality, Curveball was an Iraqi exile who actually told the Germans (not the Americans) what the Americans wanted to hear, because he figured it would make his asylum application (he’d fled Iraq after embezzling money from his government employer) easier. I’m not sure why the movie felt the need to change these details; an Iraqi who lies for his own gain is at least as interesting a character as an Iraqi who tells a truth that certain people are determined to disbelieve, and what US intelligence did with Curveball’s obviously flawed reports was hardly any more honest than blatantly telling the world he’d said something he never said.
The movie isn’t really clear what it thinks Damon’s heroism amounts to. He leaks his final report to every news outlet he can think of. Perhaps one of them will publish, but perhaps not. News outlets strive to scoop each other, but sometimes, as the real-life Iraq War amply shows, they collude to cover things up, especially when it’s something as explosive and ‘unpatriotic’ as “The whole reason for this very popular war was a complete lie.” Furthermore, how credible is Damon’s information? It’s based entirely on conversations he says he had with an enemy general who is now dead. No one has any reason to believe these conversations took place, or if they did that the general said what Damon says he said, or if he did that he wasn’t mistaken or lying.
But even if someone does publish, it will make no difference. US troops are already in Baghdad, and the CPA has already taken the plunge that made civil war inevitable. A report (even one whose credibility is bulletproof, which this one very much is not) that the whole war was based on a lie will not change anything, any more than it did in real life when the lack of WMDs and the falsity of the pre-war intelligence became similarly clear on a similar timeline.
In any case, Damon’s Army career is over. He leaked a very sensitive internal document, using an email account under his own name. He might not be guaranteed to go to prison, but he has to be in a shitload of trouble. The Army quietly booting him out and never speaking of this again is the absolute best-case scenario for him.
The movie’s two main sympathetic characters take turns reminding each other to not be naïve, but the movie itself is pretty naïve if it thinks that what we see is a happy ending. Or maybe it’s not meant to be a happy ending, and I’m the one being naïve.
In any case, I was expecting the SF team led by Jason Isaacs to kill Damon and then, upon realizing who he was, hype him up as a hero who gave his life for his country, thus completely obscuring the very unpatriotic truth about what he died doing and why. You know, a slightly worse version of exactly what the real-life Army actually did with the actual case of Pat Tillman.
The movie also runs into trouble upon consideration of its moral perspective; movies love the idea of someone going rogue, breaking whatever rules get in the way of ‘doing the right thing,’ as Damon does throughout the movie. But that’s the whole problem with the Iraq War, isn’t it? Government officials decided that brutalizing Iraq was ‘the right thing,’ and they broke any number of rules of humanity and decency (not to mention actual laws) to make it happen. They went rogue exactly as Damon does, so who can really say that he’s right and they’re wrong?
His confrontation with Amy Ryan’s reporter character also struck me as backwards; the movie wants us to see it as Damon, the heroic teller of inconvenient truths, heroically confronting the corrupt and decadent and much more powerful peddler of lies. But it’s really not that at all; she got lied to just as hard as he did, and he’s a heavily armed agent of the state security apparatus upon which her life and safety directly depend. It’s pretty ridiculous to see him as any kind of underdog in that situation.
Some stray observations:
It’s pretty funny that the early scene at the airport shows the blown-up remains of a large cargo plane, given the famous fate of the An-225 in that other, more recent, blatantly criminal invasion of an unthreatening sovereign state that inevitably turns into a hideous quagmire.
I was surprised by how much of the spoken Arabic I understood; I ‘studied’ Arabic for two years in college, and didn’t really get anywhere with it, but there were multiple instances where seeing the English word in the subtitles brought to mind a particular Arabic word that the characters promptly said. (These include ‘ichwan’ for ‘brothers,’ ‘kul il balad’ for ‘the entire country,’ ‘bernamaj’ for ‘program,’ and some others.)
Ben Sliney is in the cast as a random bureaucrat in the background of one of the Green Zone scenes. This is the air-traffic-control official who gave the ground-all-flights order on 9/11, and then legendarily played himself in the movie United 93. This is his only other non-documentary film credit, so I hope he kept his day job.
*By the time I got to Iraq, the Humvees had all been painted desert-tan and heavily armored, but my understanding is that this change did not take hold until like 2007.
**In a manner unfortunately reminiscent of George Bluth Senior ‘running with great intensity.’ Yes, this is foreshadowing. It is inevitable, because despite its ambitions, this movie proves that the definitive Hollywood treatment of the Iraq War is still selected episodes of Arrested Development. (And Generation Kill, which I considered revisiting for this anniversary post.)
***I do enjoy how Kinnear frames the idea of people who know things: they’re ‘dinosaurs’ with heads full of ‘old ideas,’ which sounds like he’s being boldly innovative and courageously resisting hidebound bureaucracies that have outlived their usefulness. But of course the ‘old ideas’ are things like ‘Know what the hell is going on’ and ‘Don’t assume you can simply kill anyone you don’t like,’ and Kinnear’s ‘bold innovations’ are just clueless wishful thinking.
****Movies very often miss this detail, but helicopters are really loud. Almost as loud as gunfire, though of course movies also very often fail to convey how loud gunfire is. It is impossible for a low-flying helicopter to sneak up like that on anyone with functional ears. They’d be drowning out any attempt at conversation before they got within hundreds of yards.
submitted by Strength-InThe-Loins to LookBackInAnger [link] [comments]
I had joined the United States Marine Corps in the summer of 2001. I was still in boot camp on 9/11, which made for an interesting couple of days. In early 2002 I obtained a two-year leave of absence to ‘serve’ a Mormon mission, and by March of 2003 I was more than a year into being a full-time religious propagandist in Mexico.
The war was big news in Mexico, with public opinion generally running pretty strong against it. Given my history of relentless indoctrination, and my current assignment of telling everyone I saw that they were immorally wrong about everything that mattered, and the fact that I wasn’t allowed to consume any kind of non-religious media material of any kind, I of course took the opposite position.
But I improved with time. I came home in early 2004, and quickly discovered that the war was, at best, very badly managed. But I was back into military service (as a reservist), so I fully expected to end up being deployed to Iraq at some point.
The miserable shitshow that played out across Iraq throughout 2005 and especially 2006 convinced me that the war wasn’t just badly executed but a hopelessly terrible idea from its very beginning, supported by blatant lies and unconscionable manipulation.
When my turn to deploy finally came, in 2009, I was rather conflicted. On the one hand, I clearly understood that the war was immoral and dangerous and I should avoid it at all cost. On the other hand, I was four years into attending college and making no discernible progress towards any of the goals I had set for myself: graduating, choosing a career, getting married, existing as a functional adult. So the choice (and it was a choice: contrary to the contract I thought I’d signed, I was set to be released from service in mid-2008, and so this deployment was entirely optional for me) was fraught. I didn’t want to kill or die for a mistake; but I also didn’t want to dodge what I was sure would be the challenge of a lifetime for a second time; and I also could not say with a straight face that I had anything better to do.
So I went. It didn’t go well , but it went at least as well as I had any right to expect. I never saw anything like combat (shooting flares at a few civilian vehicles was as close as I ever got), was never in danger, and so on. But it was no picnic, either: severe and extended boredom can be just as damaging as actual trauma, and the psychological abuse inherent in military life was constant. And things weren’t entirely safe: my unit had two suicides during the work-up, and given the state of my mental health, I was never all that unlikely to have joined them.
The whole experience did me no immediate good, but as an experience with disillusionment with and escaping from an all-consuming self-admiring institution, it was a pretty decent dry run for my exit from Mormonism a few years later. And, as I had expected, it got me a year’s salary (which was probably the majority of the money I’d made in my life up to that point), and a lifetime of monthly disability payments and free health insurance. So I really can’t say I completely regret it.
The movie I’ve chosen to commemorate this anniversary is Green Zone, because it came out shortly after I came back, and I’d always wanted to see it, and I’d heard that it took an interesting angle on the whole mess, and I’d heard that it was pretty good (which is a rare quality among Iraq War movies, which have, shall we say, a mixed record ). And it’s pretty good, though of course it has some issues.
The best thing about it is how it nails the look and feel of the military occupation. The movie abounds with details large and small that just look exactly right, from US troops driving green Humvees with no doors and unprotected gun turrets* to piles of Pizza-Hut-labeled shipping containers at the airport to one of them carrying around a bottle of chewing-tobacco spit to the use of the then-new Blue Force Tracker technology. Greg Kinnear as the villain of the piece looks exactly like he should, a completely nondescript bureaucrat that would never get a second look at any white-collar office in America, incongruously transplanted into a blood-soaked conflict in an environment where only fools and the extraordinarily pampered (he is both, of course) dress like that. And I didn’t know I needed to see exactly what the Google homepage looked like in 2003, but I did, and the movie delivered.
It’s also a very good look at the culture of the US military; the briefing with Colonel Bethel is pretty spot-on (except for the one guy interrupting to speak the truth; that pretty much never happens). It’s a bit optimistic to assume that a random US military unit would have even one Arabic speaker in it, but the movie makes up for it by having him only know a dialect that’s completely useless in Iraq. The soldier who argues with Damon and tells him that the reasons for going to war don’t matter to him struck me as a perfect distillation of the me-first attitude that the US military explicitly teaches its members: the “My only job is to get home safe” dogma was basically a part of the official training materials, very much to the detriment of accomplishing any particular mission beyond that (and of course no one ever wants to talk about how obviously cowardly and selfish such an attitude is).
The movie also does well with points of view from outside of the US military, namely the absolute terror of being an Iraqi unfortunate enough to fall into US hands during the occupation, and the possibly greater terror of being on the ground when the Americans started bombing or disbanded the Iraqi army and purged the civil service, which this movie treats as an irrefutable sign of the apocalypse. Not that any of that took any great insight to determine in 2010, years after it became clear what US detention was like and how foolish it was to send thousands of unhappy armed men out into the streets with nothing to do, but it’s still good to see it stated so plainly.
One aspect that does not look so good is the trademark Paul Greengrass shaky-cam technique; it’s tolerable in the actual action scenes, which are supposed to be stressful and chaotic, but in the opening scene, in which the ‘action’ mostly involves men walking quickly down crowded hallways,** it really doesn’t work. I do wonder how Greengrass does it; does he plan and rehearse the camera movements, or just have the actors do their thing while someone waves the camera around randomly? One analysis of one of Greengrass’s Bourne movies pointed out that it seems that the camera can’t predict the characters’ movements, which adds to the sense of uncertainty and danger; I wonder how closely Greengrass controls the camera’s ‘random’ movements, and what he thinks he’s saying with them.
There are other moments that fall short of the movie’s best moments of authenticity: Damon’s first scene, in which he explains (over the radio, no less!) where his team is going and what they’ll be doing there is pure Hollywood bullshit; any such explanation would be given (likely multiple times) well before the mission actually started, and the team will try to minimize radio use while out in the field. And that’s not the only moment of clumsy exposition; once that mission fails to find anything of use, Damon laments “That’s the third one in a row,” to a roomful of guys who’ve been on all the same missions and all presumably know exactly how many of them there have been. On that same mission, someone, for some reason, uses a Geiger counter to analyze a suspected chemical weapons site, which…what?
The movie’s second-strongest sympathetic character is a CIA ‘Middle-East expert’ that knows everything he needs to know and that no one listens to. While I don’t doubt that no one important listened to anyone who knew what was going on, the thing-knower being a CIA agent that the CIA chose to send to Baghdad seems unlikely; were there any such thing-knowers left in the CIA in 2003? If so, why would leadership (which was fully behind the WMD hoax) send such an ‘unreliable’ person to such a sensitive post? Surely they knew there was a risk of him doing exactly what he ended up doing, and would have kept him as far from the action as possible.***
And how and why does he have such detailed information at his fingertips about the movements of people that don’t officially concern him? That information would be a closely guarded secret that he has no plausible official need to know. And why the hell does he dare take a very important phone call, which concerns a blatantly illegal operation he’s running off the books, on speaker in a room that’s crowded with god knows who that he very obviously can’t necessarily trust?
Once he makes contact with Damon, he sets up a meeting in the most secure part of the infamous Green Zone, which Damon is somehow able to access with minimal trouble. That strikes me as outrageously implausible; the highest security I ever experienced in Iraq was about 37 levels lower than the Green Zone (where American civilians could expect to live and work in pretty much complete safety), and even there I had to show my dog tags and scan my ID to enter the gym or the chow hall. Green Zone security would emphatically not just wave through any random US military vehicle or personnel that showed up at the gate. Damon would have to show some kind of proof that he belongs there, and since he’s going to an unauthorized meeting with a civilian far outside his chain of command, he just wouldn’t have that, and the gate guards would turn him away.
At that meeting, the CIA guy instructs Damon to get out of uniform, which is wise, but we never find out where Damon gets the civilian clothes and the civilian body armor we see him wearing right after. (I doubt he would have brought civvies with him for his invasion deployment, and even military body armor was pretty hard to come by in Iraq in 2003.) But also I understand why the movie felt it didn’t have time for a deep dive into this question. What it leads to is egregious, though; in the movie’s climactic scene, Damon, dressed in civilian clothes and carrying a clearly non-American weapon he stole from a local, runs through a combat situation involving US troops who spot him from a helicopter…and they somehow assume that he’s an American who’s on their side. What makes them think that? Did all US troops in Iraq in 2003 have implanted RFID chips that all US night-vision scopes could pick out from a distance? (No. No they did not.) Nothing at all that they can see indicates that Damon is American, but even if they knew he was American, he’s actually working against those particular US troops (who are very explicitly there to kill the man that Damon is trying to contact and rescue), and so there’s still no reason to identify him as a ‘friendly.’ This is a most unfortunate misstep, because doing it more realistically (having the US troops not know who Damon is, assume he’s their enemy, and act accordingly) would actually better serve the movie’s general theme of disunity and confusion.
Those same US troops are first seen arriving in a helicopter that suddenly arrives from below the not-very-high high ground that Damon is standing on, which means they must have been flying very low indeed (like, below rooftop level) over a very urban area, which is ridiculous; and without anyone hearing them approach from miles away, which is even more ridiculous.**** But those same US troops also drive around in Humvees at night with their headlights blazing, which is just dumb enough to be real. But what’s way too smart to be real is the timing of that helicopter arrival; Damon apprehends an important individual, and those troops (who are also looking for that person for unrelated reasons) somehow know about that and are able to arrive instantly, which…rather stretches the bounds of plausibility.
There are also some timeline issues, which are bad to have in a movie that is so closely tied to historical events on very specific dates. The invasion began on March 19, as seen in the first scene. Then we skip forward to ‘four weeks later,’ around April 16. The rest of the movie seems to take place over only a few days, and yet prominent plot points include George W. Bush’s (spit) Mission Accomplished speech (which happened on May 1), and the CPA’s dissolution of the Iraqi state apparatus (which happened on May 23). In the movie, those 22 days seem to pass in a matter of hours.
Also, and this is unbelievably petty of me, somewhere in the Green Zone, sometime at least as late as April 16, we catch a glimpse of someone watching a college basketball game (UCLA vs. Oregon, if I’m not mistaken) on TV. The final game of the 2003 NCAA tournament was played on April 7, and didn’t involve either team: Oregon lost to Utah in the first round, and UCLA didn’t even make the tournament, so that game is misplaced in time by at least a month.
Around the time it came out, I heard that this movie was a kind of Inglourious Basterds treatment of the Iraq War. While it’s certainly not NOT that (in that it’s an optimistic fantasy that revises well-known historical events about which there is little cause for optimism), it’s also different in that it doesn’t depart from the historical events nearly as much. There really was a ‘Magellan’ figure in real life, but he was called ‘Curveball,’ and, despite being pretty different from the version in the movie, he had precisely the same effect of being cited in favor of the invasion. In the movie, Magellan is an Iraqi Army officer who secretly meets with Americans to tell them that Iraq has no WMD programs. The Americans then falsely report that he’s told them Iraq has WMDs, and the war machine’s gears start to turn and the Americans plot to kill Magellan so he won’t reveal what he actually told them. In reality, Curveball was an Iraqi exile who actually told the Germans (not the Americans) what the Americans wanted to hear, because he figured it would make his asylum application (he’d fled Iraq after embezzling money from his government employer) easier. I’m not sure why the movie felt the need to change these details; an Iraqi who lies for his own gain is at least as interesting a character as an Iraqi who tells a truth that certain people are determined to disbelieve, and what US intelligence did with Curveball’s obviously flawed reports was hardly any more honest than blatantly telling the world he’d said something he never said.
The movie isn’t really clear what it thinks Damon’s heroism amounts to. He leaks his final report to every news outlet he can think of. Perhaps one of them will publish, but perhaps not. News outlets strive to scoop each other, but sometimes, as the real-life Iraq War amply shows, they collude to cover things up, especially when it’s something as explosive and ‘unpatriotic’ as “The whole reason for this very popular war was a complete lie.” Furthermore, how credible is Damon’s information? It’s based entirely on conversations he says he had with an enemy general who is now dead. No one has any reason to believe these conversations took place, or if they did that the general said what Damon says he said, or if he did that he wasn’t mistaken or lying.
But even if someone does publish, it will make no difference. US troops are already in Baghdad, and the CPA has already taken the plunge that made civil war inevitable. A report (even one whose credibility is bulletproof, which this one very much is not) that the whole war was based on a lie will not change anything, any more than it did in real life when the lack of WMDs and the falsity of the pre-war intelligence became similarly clear on a similar timeline.
In any case, Damon’s Army career is over. He leaked a very sensitive internal document, using an email account under his own name. He might not be guaranteed to go to prison, but he has to be in a shitload of trouble. The Army quietly booting him out and never speaking of this again is the absolute best-case scenario for him.
The movie’s two main sympathetic characters take turns reminding each other to not be naïve, but the movie itself is pretty naïve if it thinks that what we see is a happy ending. Or maybe it’s not meant to be a happy ending, and I’m the one being naïve.
In any case, I was expecting the SF team led by Jason Isaacs to kill Damon and then, upon realizing who he was, hype him up as a hero who gave his life for his country, thus completely obscuring the very unpatriotic truth about what he died doing and why. You know, a slightly worse version of exactly what the real-life Army actually did with the actual case of Pat Tillman.
The movie also runs into trouble upon consideration of its moral perspective; movies love the idea of someone going rogue, breaking whatever rules get in the way of ‘doing the right thing,’ as Damon does throughout the movie. But that’s the whole problem with the Iraq War, isn’t it? Government officials decided that brutalizing Iraq was ‘the right thing,’ and they broke any number of rules of humanity and decency (not to mention actual laws) to make it happen. They went rogue exactly as Damon does, so who can really say that he’s right and they’re wrong?
His confrontation with Amy Ryan’s reporter character also struck me as backwards; the movie wants us to see it as Damon, the heroic teller of inconvenient truths, heroically confronting the corrupt and decadent and much more powerful peddler of lies. But it’s really not that at all; she got lied to just as hard as he did, and he’s a heavily armed agent of the state security apparatus upon which her life and safety directly depend. It’s pretty ridiculous to see him as any kind of underdog in that situation.
Some stray observations:
It’s pretty funny that the early scene at the airport shows the blown-up remains of a large cargo plane, given the famous fate of the An-225 in that other, more recent, blatantly criminal invasion of an unthreatening sovereign state that inevitably turns into a hideous quagmire.
I was surprised by how much of the spoken Arabic I understood; I ‘studied’ Arabic for two years in college, and didn’t really get anywhere with it, but there were multiple instances where seeing the English word in the subtitles brought to mind a particular Arabic word that the characters promptly said. (These include ‘ichwan’ for ‘brothers,’ ‘kul il balad’ for ‘the entire country,’ ‘bernamaj’ for ‘program,’ and some others.)
Ben Sliney is in the cast as a random bureaucrat in the background of one of the Green Zone scenes. This is the air-traffic-control official who gave the ground-all-flights order on 9/11, and then legendarily played himself in the movie United 93. This is his only other non-documentary film credit, so I hope he kept his day job.
*By the time I got to Iraq, the Humvees had all been painted desert-tan and heavily armored, but my understanding is that this change did not take hold until like 2007.
**In a manner unfortunately reminiscent of George Bluth Senior ‘running with great intensity.’ Yes, this is foreshadowing. It is inevitable, because despite its ambitions, this movie proves that the definitive Hollywood treatment of the Iraq War is still selected episodes of Arrested Development. (And Generation Kill, which I considered revisiting for this anniversary post.)
***I do enjoy how Kinnear frames the idea of people who know things: they’re ‘dinosaurs’ with heads full of ‘old ideas,’ which sounds like he’s being boldly innovative and courageously resisting hidebound bureaucracies that have outlived their usefulness. But of course the ‘old ideas’ are things like ‘Know what the hell is going on’ and ‘Don’t assume you can simply kill anyone you don’t like,’ and Kinnear’s ‘bold innovations’ are just clueless wishful thinking.
****Movies very often miss this detail, but helicopters are really loud. Almost as loud as gunfire, though of course movies also very often fail to convey how loud gunfire is. It is impossible for a low-flying helicopter to sneak up like that on anyone with functional ears. They’d be drowning out any attempt at conversation before they got within hundreds of yards.
2023.03.21 20:19 Lanzen_Jars A job for a deathworlder [Chapter 107]
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Chapter 107 – A Patron Saint
“[…] with the leadership of many territories claiming that the muted response to the thread is once again a blatant showing of the Community-Leadership’s clear bias against Deathworld affairs. Loratexach Echtsesimm, the current leader of the united Lachaxet territories, even went so far as to call it, quote: “A kick to the face for all those of us seeking to live in a peaceful unity.” Meanwhile other deathworld groups, like the occupants of the only known Class V deathworld, the Ligormordillar, are trying to quell the conflict and urge their fellow deathworlders to make a measured response, pointing to the lack of any concrete evidence when it comes to the recent events, and asking to give authorities a bit more time to investigate things. However, the accusations of corruptions that emerged in the last quarter have many people questioning how much the current Acting Galactic Council can truly be trusted with the investigations, and calls for the addition of independent investigations are becoming louder,” an Urounaek news caster professionally read off the seemingly endless lines of texts on her teleprompter, while b-footage of recordings of the sitting governments of a diverse number of species played in the background. “Surprisingly, humanity, the largest accuser of corruption in the Galactic Council as well as a front runner in the proclaimed fight for the extended rights of people and especially deathworlders that feel ousted by the Community, and also one of the Myiat’s currently closest military allies, have so far made no official statements or press-releases about the incidents, apart from damming the attack as a violation of intragalactic law as well as the laws of war.”
James passively allowed himself to be doused by the white noise of the TV that Shida had basically been glued to for the last days while he checked through his messages and mails on his phone and laptop. Of course, any of his addresses and contacts that had at some point been public in some way had been absolutely bombarded with a torrent of spam, threats, offerings, accusations, and even more spam. It was a daunting task to sift through all of the messages in an attempt to pick out the few of them that could possibly be useful every day, especially since those were extremely few and far in between, however, he still did it. On the one hand, he did it because he felt that it was his duty to leave nothing untried, no stone unturned, and no resource unused in these dire times they found themselves in. On the other hand, it was a quite time- and labor-intensive yet still comparatively easy task that he could easily waste away hours with without feeling like he was being unproductive.
Of course, all the really important messages he received would be forwarded to him through his more secure contacts that just select people had access to, and therefore the things he did find in his private messages were usually rather menial in comparison, however it was still something.
His hopes of not feeling so left out and abandoned anymore now that shit had thoroughly hit the fan had sadly been short-lived, as it quickly became clear that any broadcasts and statements to the outside world when it come to the topic at hand would be made by actual diplomatic professionals and not by-circumstance Ambassadors that had basically stumbled into their role.
…Which was honestly fair enough, James had to admit. Certainly, people who did this for a living had a much lower chance of screwing everything up and making things even worse than they already were than he did.
However, that did little to quell the nervous and anxious energy within him that just begged to be released in some productive way.
“While official governmental replies are being released by the hundreds by individual species, many collaborative political groups have also proclaimed their intentions to react to the current tensions caused by the attack on Dunnima. For example, many order-collaborations have been sending out invitations for emergency-conferences to possibly discuss a united reaction and collaborative measures to help ease the Galactic Tensions between their members; among others, the collaborative councils of the Tetsudines, Psittacines, Corvids, Hymenoptera, Canines, Skitellifera, Estotsucuvae, and Primates will be gathering within the week to discuss possible measures. Additionally, for the first time in about 12 uniform years, a recently founded, provisional ‘council of deathworlders’ is also inviting possible participants to a first conference, after having reportedly struggled to find an adequate venue for such an event for a few uniform months. This council is the thought-child of representatives of the Lachaxet, Ligormordillar, Roosh’gaack, and Teracheponn territories, who are now trying to get representatives of as many deathworlds as possible to take part in it, claiming it as an important step towards future collaborations between the so-designated worlds and people.”
“I wonder who they’re going to invite,” Shida commented as she tensely leaned forwards and absorbed the news with great concentration, her ears opening widely to not miss a single detail. Inside, she was just as rearing to go as James was. But just like him, she was also bound to the orders they were being given.
So far, they had both not been called in to reinforce the fleets that were either stationed to more intensely control the borders of their own unified borders or sent out into the cosmos to reinforce the myiat’s defenses after the first attack. However, the military base in Lorraine that they had been staying at for a while now had certainly become a lot emptier ever since the attack, leaving basically only instructors, very fresh recruits and essential personnel behind. And themselves, of course.
The constant tramping of boots outside of their doors had been replaced by an eerie emptiness, and their regular trainings-sessions that they had along with other occupants had also run dry, as most of the people on a similar level to them had received orders to move. And working with actual trainees didn’t exactly have a lot of appeal to it either.
“They have plenty of options,” James mumbled while his eyes flew across rows and rows of recently received mails, going back hour by hour that he had slept while sifting through piles and piles of junk.
Finishing off with the mail-service he had used during his Uni-days without having found anything of note, he then switched over to the next tab, where he had opened his miraculously still not out of service work-mail that had been assigned to him during his in hindsight very brief time of working on the G.E.S.-32.
He had no idea why exactly it was still in service, but as long as he received messages to it, he was going to check them, even if so far, this had by far been the least useful of his addresses when it came to receiving any messages of actual note.
And indeed, it was once again basically all junk.
Spam, a death threat, a very angry email from a former coworker, spam, more threats, a clearly fake solicitation from some firm he had never heard of, some news-channel trying to get an interview with him, spam, another news channel, spam, even more threats, spa-
He paused for a moment as his cursor hovered over a mail he had apparently received about five hours ago, that had the very brief and uninformative title of
“You are invited.”
Usually, he would’ve almost instantly disregarded it as clearly some form of spam, however after what he had just heard on the news, it made him raise an eyebrow and quickly check the address it was sent from.
Lifting the eyebrow even further as he saw an actual, official government address, he clicked on the mail to open it up. Slowly, his eyes read over the neat lines of text that had been revealed to him, his eyes getting wider and expression becoming more confused and disgruntled by the moment.
Was this a joke?
“What’s up?” Shida asked, apparently having noticed his expression changing, and just as anxious to do something as he was, she immediately stood up and walked over to him to glance at his screen while her tail swiftly flailed through the air. “One of the threats getting too personal?”
James shifted his lips as he gathered his thoughts to reply.
“No, I was invited to one of those conferences,” he said, and his eyes quickly double-checked if this invitation was actually addressed towards him and hadn’t just accidentally landed with the wrong person by some sort of blunder.
Shida glanced at him in mild confusion, her yellow eyes scanning over his face while trying to read his thoughts from it.
“The Deathworld one? That’s not surprising, is it?” she commented with a flick of her ears, before pressing up to his side a bit closer so she could lower herself in a position that would allow her to more easily peek at his mails. “Not only are you a deathworlder, you’ve also been a pretty public figure when it comes to the public fight for more rights. Hell, you probably inspired them to found that whole thing in a way, so of course they want you along for the ride.”
James scoffed slightly and turned his screen so she could look at it.
“Well, if it was that, I wouldn’t be surprised,” he said and waited a second for Shida to read, seeing her face also slowly turn into a more confused one as she realized what the invitation he had received was for, before he added, “But this is from the council of primates.”
Shida looked at the message for a little longer before turning only her eyes towards him.
“What the hell do they want?” she asked with clear distrust in her voice. James just shrugged.
“A trap? Appeasement? Publicity? Options are numerous,” he said with an exhausted exhale before switching the tab yet again to log into his ‘professional’ mail services, copy-pasting the text of the invitation before forwarding it to a pre-prepared list of people that should probably be informed about this.
Shida hissed through her teeth and stood up straight again.
“Are you going?” she asked, crossing her arms and glancing down at him.
“If I have a say in this? Absolutely,” James replied after hammering the ‘send’ button. Anything to get out of here and do something at this point. Besides, it would probably give him the opportunity to give some people some serious stern talkings to. “Buuuuut you know how this goes.”
“We should keep an eye open who else might get invited to something,” Shida commented after acknowledging his reply with a huff but not responding to it. James nodded. In his periphery, he noticed how Shida’s fingers were starting to dig into her arms as her grip likely inadvertently tightened, and he reached out to rub his hand against her side, wordlessly aiding her with relaxing.
“They have plenty of options,” he repeated his earlier statement as he opened the invitation one more time.
“You are invited.
James Aldwin, Ambassador of Earth by community tradition, you have been officially invited to the emergency conference of the council of primates. Given recent events, the council has decided it is imperative to coordinate a response among the members of our esteemed order.
As humanity has so far not had a representative in the council of primates, it has been decided to extend an invitation to you for this conference. This invitation officially grants you access to the venue on Nedstaniot-Station and makes you eligible for a support-fund covering the traveling costs for you and an accompanying group of up to ten (10) companions of your choosing.
Should you accept this invitation, please contact us under one of the council of primate’s official addresses to receive access data to the necessary accounts as well as a detailed plan of the venue and scheduled events.
Should you not accept this invitation, a message of your declining is not strictly necessary, but always welcome to aid in planning.
I hope this message finds you well and am looking forward to possibly meeting you at the venue.
Sincerely
Klanneifer FF of the Tiasonko.
Success to you!”
Well, if they weren’t going to regret that…
--
Alexander clutched the necklace around his neck tightly as he looked into the mirror, taking deep breaths to quell his nerves.
Yes, he was nervous. Extremely so in fact. He thought that he would be excited previously, but now that the time had come, he could feel only the nerves.
Well, maybe that was understandable. Something like this really didn’t happen every day, after all.
“God, give me strength,” he prayed silently with his hands clutching the symbol of his faith even tighter.
Then, he took a minute to, one last time, check if his hair was in place and his robes were immaculate. He couldn’t make a fool out of himself on an occasion like this, after all. His own blue eyes stared back at him from the mirror sternly. Scrutinizing. As if he was judging himself. And he should. After all it was a big day. Taking a moment to judge oneself was important in moments such as this, lest you get complacent and started to make the wrong choices.
Soon after, there was a knock at the door.
“Father Mokoena is beginning his sermon, Alexander,” a muffled voice said from the other side. “You should be ready for when you are called upon.”
Alexander exhaled deeply and took one last look at the mirror, his gaze wandering from his own eyes down to the pendant around his neck.
“I’m on my way,” he then assured the Brother waiting outside, before stepping away from the dresser with a flourishing movement of his robes.
As he stepped out of the cloakroom, brother Anders slightly bowed to him, before stretching out a robed arm to guide him in the right direction. The brother was of the older sort, yet he had held his body in a shape worthy of a temple. Thinning and greying rose-blond hair did little to distract from that, as his wide frame could easily be spotted even through the loosely fitting robes.
A man of devotion in more than one way.
Alexander moved in a slow and measured way, his head held high, as Brother Anders guided him through the branched and tight back hallways of the old theater that they were holding today’s sermon in. As they got closer to the stage, Alexander could already hear the booming voice of father Mokoena as he addressed the masses from his place on the stage. It was no microphone he heard there, no amplifiers or other speakers. Only the impeccable voice of a devoted preacher.
Despite his age, the man had pipes like the largest organ, and still he was speaking at a volume that Alexander wasn’t used to from him. Inhaling deeply, he swallowed for a moment. Hopefully the people would even be able to hear him when he spoke. He certainly couldn’t bellow like the father could. Then again, this was a theater. Maybe his voice would be carried further by the acoustics than he anticipated.
It was rare for him to speak in a place like this, after all.
For a moment, Alexander thought about houses of faith. All the temples, churches, mosques, synagogues and whatever else he had visited throughout his life. Their large, marbled halls. Their magnificent decorations. The instruments and loudspeakers and all the other tools they were equipped with for impressive…performances.
That is what he had always called them. Performances. All those people just playing at faith while all they truly worship was their own selfishness.
And yet here he stood in the backrooms of a theater, watching as a father Mokoena gave a sermon on a literal stage and waiting for his cue to join him in the spotlight. What ironic twists fate could take.
The theater had been the most sensible option of a place that was for rent for one night and also held enough seats for this many people to come together. Still, he wondered if maybe they should have swallowed the tougher pill and looked for something else. For his liking, this was a bit too close to making a mockery of the event. The ‘houses of God’ may have been a sinful sham, but was this really much better?
Still, what was done was done. And while reflecting on past mistakes was certainly a virtue, getting stuck on them was most decidedly not. They were here now, so they would use what they had.
He and Anders finally came to a halt right at the side of the stage, hidden behind the large, red curtain that could be used to cut the stage off from view. Of course, today, it would stay wide open for the entire time, allowing everyone to witness.
“Are you nervous?” Brother Anders quietly asked him, leaning in close to whisper so there was no chance of his voice leaking out and disturbing the Father’s sermon.
Alexander smirked in slight anxiousness.
“Of course, I am,” he confessed honestly. “It’s not every day you get to make proclamations this weighty…or enemies this powerful.”
“Are you afraid of them?” Anders then asked with an almost pitiful look at Alexander, who sighed deeply.
“Of course, I am,” he confessed yet again. “I’d be a fool not to be.”
The task before him was grand, and his foes, in a way, even grander. There was a reason that the realized that had plagued Earth once upon a time had taken the name of heaven’s general for itself. They were powerful. And they knew it.
And that was not even mentioning the force of Earth’s armies, that could turn against them on a whim of fate. Masters over the forces of nature. The undisputed leaders of destructive power. Those who had managed to best such a powerful being before.
Yes, he was afraid. But overcoming fear was a virtue as well.
Meanwhile, the sermon was starting to whip up into a louder cadence, as Father Mokoena seemingly began to introduce the important part of the evening.
“[…] Many years has he studied and prayed and silence, following the will of our Lord by standing by and reflecting. Keeping humble. Keeping modest. And he has developed into a fine man of faith. Eighteen years of serving and studying under our faith, hidden away in the dark and obscure, waiting for the event that would catalyze his becoming! Now it has finally come. And with it came the time for him to step out into the light! Please welcome with me, oh children of the Lord, our newest ‘Guide’! Guide Alexander Paige!” the Father loudly announced and lifted his arm in the direction of where Alexander still stood out of sight. The bald head of the dark-skinned man reflected the spotlights above while his modest robes swung around from the energetic movement.
Meanwhile, Alexander took a deep, calming breath.
“Best of luck, Guide Alexander,” he could hear Brother Anders next to him say, and he respectfully bowed to the man before advancing out of the shadows and into the light.
His eyes narrowed strongly, and he had to resist the urge to lift his hand in order to protect them from the blinding light that now blared down on him. Of course, he did his best to keep his respectful and reverent expression before the Father, however he wasn’t quite able to entirely resist the pain of the rays stinging into his sight. Still, he advanced with quick yet collected steps all the way up to the side of the Father.
“Don’t scream,” he told himself as he prepared his throat for how loud he would have to talk to be heard in a place such as this. The lights were so bright and the rest of the room so dark that he couldn’t see those listening to him, but he still knew they were there. Hundreds of them. Another failure of this chosen venue. He couldn’t even see the faces of those that would listen to his words. How could he claim to speak to them if he couldn’t even look them in the eyes?
Well, it was too late now.
“Thank you, Father,” Alexander loudly announced as he had finally reached the man, and he did his best to talk as loudly as possible without it escalating into shouts. It was hard to gauge how far his voice carried in this room, and he silently prayed that he would be understood.
The Father then reached out his arm, offering his old, worn hand to Alexander. Alexander reciprocated the gesture, taking the Father’s hand with his right, while positioning his left underneath, pressing its palm up against the father’s wrist. Meanwhile, the father lowered his left onto Alexander’s wrist from above, holding his hand as if he was blessing it.
“Alexander!” Father Mokoena loudly greeted him, and Alexander almost flinched at the intensity of his voice up close. If that was what it took to be heard around here, then his own words would merely come across as a whimper. He truly hoped that the old preacher was just overdoing it with his enthusiasm. “You have finally found your treacherous sea, it seems!”
“Indeed,” Alexander replied and really just couldn’t measure up to the Father’s incredible voice no matter how he tried. What an impressive organ. “And I am prepared to guide my fellow men through it, towards safer ventures.”
“And the Lord shall bless your path!” the Father proclaimed, before taking his hands off of Alexander’s again.
“May the Lord bless your path,” a gentle echo came from the unseen crowd.
“And yours as well,” Alexander replied quickly, having almost forgotten to do so given the stressful situation.
The Father nodded deeply, before stepping away from Alexander and in front of the crowd again for a second, as he raised his arms high and declared,
“Tell us about your treacherous path, Guide Alexander, so we veer from it with you!”
Then, with another flourishing movement of his robes, he stepped back and aside, leaving Alexander basically alone in front of the many unseen eyes watching him.
Even after years of waiting, he wasn’t truly prepared for this. For the briefest of moments, he imagined just walking off. But no. He had to do this. This is what he had lived for. His entire life up until now had led up to this moment.
“I am telling you all no secret when I say that the recent times have been turmoil filled ones,” he began to speak, getting right to the matter at hand without any greetings or big introductions. The air around him felt heavy, and the room was so quiet whenever he didn’t speak that he could hear the lights above softly buzzing with electricity. The old wood under his feet gently cracked whenever he shifted his weight, and he was sure that it could be heard all the way up in the top rows whenever it happened. “As all of you who have come together here know, we stand in front of a huge danger. You do not need a guide to tell you that treading in the domain of a realized leads to peril. Such an affront needs no explanation on my side.”
He swallowed heavily, truly hoping that they had not all come together to hear him proclaim that he would guide them against the A.I.
That was simply no task for a Guide. Yet hopefully the others understood this as well and did not think that he was avoiding the threat in order to pick an easier mission for himself. After all, he would still gain its ire with his words, he was sure, even if it was not his declared danger.
Swallowing again, he continued,
“No, I am here today to talk with you about something else. About someone else. Someone whose words have touched many; and influenced even more. A man who was thrust into conflict against his will. Hurtled into the chaos, he fought, and the galaxy shook before him. A man known to the entire Galaxy obviously needs no introduction, but I would still like to take a moment to list James Aldwin’s achievements to give you a better picture of what I am talking about. Before his life was thrust into conflict, he used to dedicate his time to the improvement of life. He took some of nature’s gifts, and he used them to make new things that would aide people in need. Medicine was his claimed goal, and although he never got to reach that state, he had the clear intention to make life easier for many with his inventions, caring little for where they came from. Then, after his life changed for the worse, his focus shifted. Instead of trying to safe the ill somewhere in the future, he instead dedicated himself to saving people right here and now.”
Talking himself up into a bit of a frenzy, Alexander began to walk back and forth on the stage without even fully realizing that he was doing it. The blinding spotlights were still turning everything that wasn’t the stage into a dark, blocked out void. Night had been separated from day, and he was standing in the sun.
“He turned his focus onto those he thought to be like him,” he explained, starting to make wide gestures with his arms that caused his robe to move in flowing downward waves, embellishing his movements even further. “Those whose lives had been thrown into chaos through no doing of their own. Those born into it. Those ousted. Those who felt ‘othered’ by the world. The pariahs. He promised them acceptance, with little care for who they were.”
He then stopped his pacing for a moment to fully face the crowd, his gaze turning upwards so they would all be able to see it.
“Even when faced with one of our world’s greatest calamities asking him to take it in, he did not cave,” Alexander proclaimed, and he could feel himself tapping into potential of his lungs that he didn’t know he had within him, as his voice boomed throughout the theater. “Despite knowing of the danger in his path, he walked it all the way. Truly, what kind of man is it that will turn no one away? What kind of man who puts himself on the wayside to help others? What kind of man that cares not for who or how?”
“A Saint!” a booming echo came back from the crowd, and Alexander could feel the vibrations of their roar beneath his feet as it rolled over him.
“Indeed,” he replied to the people. “After seeing the path he walked, I say that his actions are worthy of nothing less than sanctity!”
A sound came back from the crowd that was hard to describe. It was neither jeering nor cheering, but something entirely in between. A deep rumble that filled the air with almost nonsensical noise as it escaped the mouths of hundreds of people who reacted to his declaration.
Alexander now lifted his arms in a wide arch, as if he wanted to beckon the crowd into an embrace.
“By the Ministry of the Church of the Failed Savior, bestowed upon me as your new Guide, I hereby proclaim James Aldwin as the Patron of Realized Sapience!” he loudly declared, and the noise of the crowd picked up in intensity.
He took a deep breath while letting the sound slowly fade out, although he didn’t wait for the people to be completely quiet before he let his arms sink again and continued in a milder tone.
“Sanctity is a dangerous path,” he said as he began to slowly pace along the stage again, this time with collected, measured movements. “The Saints walk it, and they invite all who will to follow. They do not warn them of the danger. In fact, they encourage all to face it. Proclaiming their path as the right one, they tell all who follow to not stray from it, no matter the danger. It is a dangerous thing indeed, such a Saint.”
He stopped again, but this time, he didn’t face the crowd. Turned to the side, he stared straight ahead, his eyes fixating on a part of the folded, red curtains while his mind went to a different place.
“Saint Aldwin believes himself to walk the right path, and nothing is holy to him, neither on Earth nor in Heaven, man made or God given, but that which allows him to follow it,” he said, still loud, but a lot more restrained in emotion. “He believes himself to be a protector. A shepherd. A…savior.”
This time, the jeering of the crowd was palpable, as the ground once again shook with it. Any sense of good will had disappeared from the noise.
Now, Alexander waited for it to completely die down. Calm and quietly, he stood there without moving a muscle for minutes on end while the sound gradually faded out.
Only when he could have heard a pin drop in the enormous room did he speak up again.
“As your new Guide, I promise to show you the way to the safe road. I promise to disarm traps and sweep away obstacles in your way. I promise to keep my sight on the destination, and to always point you in the right direction should you stay. And…” he paused for a moment to take a deep breath, before he continued louder than before, lifting his head high as he did so. “And I promise to veer you off the paths of all the Saints and Doomed to Fail Saviors who would have you walk with them into hell!”
A cheering broke out in the crowd, going so far that some of the people began to drum their feet on the ground in a wild, rhythmless thunder.
Meanwhile Alexander turned around to face the man behind him.
Father Mokoena had a wide smile on his wrinkled face as he walked back up to him, his hand extended. As they repeated the same gesture they had given each other earlier, the Father loudly announced,
“God bless your path, Guide.”
“Thank you, Father,” Alexander replied with a deep nod. “I am going to need it.”
After a moment, they let go off each other’s hands again, and Alexander wordlessly walked back off the stage, while Father Mokoena already loudly addressed the crowd again.
Behind the curtain just off the stage, Brother Anders was still waiting for him.
“A captivating speech,” the muscular man complimented him with a brief faux applause he hinted at with his hands, not actually clapping so he wouldn’t disturb the sermon. “But was that a reference I spotted in the middle of it there?”
Alexander scoffed at the man.
“All speeches have references,” he said while he passed the Brother, folding his hands behind his back as he went.
Anders looked after him in mild confusion.
“Aren’t you going to stay and hear the sermon?” he asked as Alexander was already disappearing away from the stage again.
“My faith is between me and our Lord,” Alexander explained as he shook his head. “My prayer does not need an advocate.”
No, instead of wasting time listening to a sermon of prayers that he could speak himself, he decided to instead use it to look after those who were in need of his guidance.
Walking back to from whence he came, he passed his earlier cloakroom and traversed the hallways all the way to a larger, much more open changing room, that would usually most likely house droves of actors or other performers in marvelous costumes before they would go out on stage to dazzle the masses.
Today, however, it was home to a much sadder sight.
Laid out on two benches, surrounded by their peers, were two truly pitiful casualties of conflict. As he walked in, their ears twitched and they began to look up in erratic movements, their muscles twitching and shivering as if under immense stress from just the simple movements, and even after their head was lifted, it was stuck in a constant quiver.
Meanwhile, their far healthier compatriots also turned towards him, their gazes dark and eyes sharp, while their agitated tails whipped through the air like angry flails.
“How are you feeling?” Alexander asked the first of the two clearly ill myiat who met his gaze.
“According to the…circumstances,” the man replied, his voice about as jittery as his posture as he spoke. His name was Mirrakshra. A good man, suffering a bad fate.
Meanwhile, one of their healthy compatriots, a dark-skinned fellow with a scar from a cut right over his cheekbone that had accompanied Alexander since back on Dunnima, glared at Alexander with fiery eyes as he saw the kind of robe he wore.
“If you’re going to try some sort of faith-healing bullshit, then I swear to-“ he began, however Alexander cut him off harshly.
“You shouldn’t swear, Eskfotarra. Not on heaven or on Earth,” he reprimanded him with firm words. Then he smirked, “You may promise to harm me all you like, however. But no, that’s not why I’m here. I’m not a fool. I know I can’t work miracles. I simply worry about his wellbeing.”
“It’s al..alright,” Mirrakshra quelled the worries of his friend. “Y-y-you got news?”
Alexander exhaled disappointedly.
“Sadly, yes,” he said and looked away. “It seems that some of our allies have…how do you say…jumped the gun? They attempted to exterminate the affront prematurely, and in the process, have only made it all the more enduring, it seems.”
Eskfotarra scoffed and his ears twitched slightly as his tail slowed to a gradual sway.
“So, she’s out now?” he correctly assumed, and the smirk on his face told of him not finding those circumstances all too disagreeable. An unfortunate choice, but his to make.
“Indeed,” Alexander replied. “And at the scale we’re currently working at, I’m afraid it’s going to be hard to stamp it out.”
By now, the AI might have infected the entire Galaxy. There was no telling of the kind of hardships they would soon face because of it.
However, Eskfotarra just glanced down at his ill friends again as his grimace soured.
“And Aldwin?” he asked darkly.
Alexander lifted his arms with open palms and shrugged.
“Hidden away where we cannot reach him, at least for the moment,” he explained.
The myiat aggressively clicked his tongue and hissed through his teeth.
“Then when will we be able to reach him?” he asked, his claws unfurling on his arm, cutting into the sleeve of his shirt. “It’s high time that he answers for a lot of things.”
In a picture that should be grotesque but could only be described as empathetic, the quivering, injured feline laying before him looked up at his healthy friend with pity, while wrath seemingly consumed Eskfotarra.
Alexander nodded.
“I’m sure he would agree with you there,” he pointed out, seeing as Aldwin had never been shy to point out his own misdeeds. “That is why sooner or later, he is going to make it possible. The danger is the nature of a Saint.”
submitted by Lanzen_Jars to HFY [link] [comments]
Chapter 107 – A Patron Saint
“[…] with the leadership of many territories claiming that the muted response to the thread is once again a blatant showing of the Community-Leadership’s clear bias against Deathworld affairs. Loratexach Echtsesimm, the current leader of the united Lachaxet territories, even went so far as to call it, quote: “A kick to the face for all those of us seeking to live in a peaceful unity.” Meanwhile other deathworld groups, like the occupants of the only known Class V deathworld, the Ligormordillar, are trying to quell the conflict and urge their fellow deathworlders to make a measured response, pointing to the lack of any concrete evidence when it comes to the recent events, and asking to give authorities a bit more time to investigate things. However, the accusations of corruptions that emerged in the last quarter have many people questioning how much the current Acting Galactic Council can truly be trusted with the investigations, and calls for the addition of independent investigations are becoming louder,” an Urounaek news caster professionally read off the seemingly endless lines of texts on her teleprompter, while b-footage of recordings of the sitting governments of a diverse number of species played in the background. “Surprisingly, humanity, the largest accuser of corruption in the Galactic Council as well as a front runner in the proclaimed fight for the extended rights of people and especially deathworlders that feel ousted by the Community, and also one of the Myiat’s currently closest military allies, have so far made no official statements or press-releases about the incidents, apart from damming the attack as a violation of intragalactic law as well as the laws of war.”
James passively allowed himself to be doused by the white noise of the TV that Shida had basically been glued to for the last days while he checked through his messages and mails on his phone and laptop. Of course, any of his addresses and contacts that had at some point been public in some way had been absolutely bombarded with a torrent of spam, threats, offerings, accusations, and even more spam. It was a daunting task to sift through all of the messages in an attempt to pick out the few of them that could possibly be useful every day, especially since those were extremely few and far in between, however, he still did it. On the one hand, he did it because he felt that it was his duty to leave nothing untried, no stone unturned, and no resource unused in these dire times they found themselves in. On the other hand, it was a quite time- and labor-intensive yet still comparatively easy task that he could easily waste away hours with without feeling like he was being unproductive.
Of course, all the really important messages he received would be forwarded to him through his more secure contacts that just select people had access to, and therefore the things he did find in his private messages were usually rather menial in comparison, however it was still something.
His hopes of not feeling so left out and abandoned anymore now that shit had thoroughly hit the fan had sadly been short-lived, as it quickly became clear that any broadcasts and statements to the outside world when it come to the topic at hand would be made by actual diplomatic professionals and not by-circumstance Ambassadors that had basically stumbled into their role.
…Which was honestly fair enough, James had to admit. Certainly, people who did this for a living had a much lower chance of screwing everything up and making things even worse than they already were than he did.
However, that did little to quell the nervous and anxious energy within him that just begged to be released in some productive way.
“While official governmental replies are being released by the hundreds by individual species, many collaborative political groups have also proclaimed their intentions to react to the current tensions caused by the attack on Dunnima. For example, many order-collaborations have been sending out invitations for emergency-conferences to possibly discuss a united reaction and collaborative measures to help ease the Galactic Tensions between their members; among others, the collaborative councils of the Tetsudines, Psittacines, Corvids, Hymenoptera, Canines, Skitellifera, Estotsucuvae, and Primates will be gathering within the week to discuss possible measures. Additionally, for the first time in about 12 uniform years, a recently founded, provisional ‘council of deathworlders’ is also inviting possible participants to a first conference, after having reportedly struggled to find an adequate venue for such an event for a few uniform months. This council is the thought-child of representatives of the Lachaxet, Ligormordillar, Roosh’gaack, and Teracheponn territories, who are now trying to get representatives of as many deathworlds as possible to take part in it, claiming it as an important step towards future collaborations between the so-designated worlds and people.”
“I wonder who they’re going to invite,” Shida commented as she tensely leaned forwards and absorbed the news with great concentration, her ears opening widely to not miss a single detail. Inside, she was just as rearing to go as James was. But just like him, she was also bound to the orders they were being given.
So far, they had both not been called in to reinforce the fleets that were either stationed to more intensely control the borders of their own unified borders or sent out into the cosmos to reinforce the myiat’s defenses after the first attack. However, the military base in Lorraine that they had been staying at for a while now had certainly become a lot emptier ever since the attack, leaving basically only instructors, very fresh recruits and essential personnel behind. And themselves, of course.
The constant tramping of boots outside of their doors had been replaced by an eerie emptiness, and their regular trainings-sessions that they had along with other occupants had also run dry, as most of the people on a similar level to them had received orders to move. And working with actual trainees didn’t exactly have a lot of appeal to it either.
“They have plenty of options,” James mumbled while his eyes flew across rows and rows of recently received mails, going back hour by hour that he had slept while sifting through piles and piles of junk.
Finishing off with the mail-service he had used during his Uni-days without having found anything of note, he then switched over to the next tab, where he had opened his miraculously still not out of service work-mail that had been assigned to him during his in hindsight very brief time of working on the G.E.S.-32.
He had no idea why exactly it was still in service, but as long as he received messages to it, he was going to check them, even if so far, this had by far been the least useful of his addresses when it came to receiving any messages of actual note.
And indeed, it was once again basically all junk.
Spam, a death threat, a very angry email from a former coworker, spam, more threats, a clearly fake solicitation from some firm he had never heard of, some news-channel trying to get an interview with him, spam, another news channel, spam, even more threats, spa-
He paused for a moment as his cursor hovered over a mail he had apparently received about five hours ago, that had the very brief and uninformative title of
“You are invited.”
Usually, he would’ve almost instantly disregarded it as clearly some form of spam, however after what he had just heard on the news, it made him raise an eyebrow and quickly check the address it was sent from.
Lifting the eyebrow even further as he saw an actual, official government address, he clicked on the mail to open it up. Slowly, his eyes read over the neat lines of text that had been revealed to him, his eyes getting wider and expression becoming more confused and disgruntled by the moment.
Was this a joke?
“What’s up?” Shida asked, apparently having noticed his expression changing, and just as anxious to do something as he was, she immediately stood up and walked over to him to glance at his screen while her tail swiftly flailed through the air. “One of the threats getting too personal?”
James shifted his lips as he gathered his thoughts to reply.
“No, I was invited to one of those conferences,” he said, and his eyes quickly double-checked if this invitation was actually addressed towards him and hadn’t just accidentally landed with the wrong person by some sort of blunder.
Shida glanced at him in mild confusion, her yellow eyes scanning over his face while trying to read his thoughts from it.
“The Deathworld one? That’s not surprising, is it?” she commented with a flick of her ears, before pressing up to his side a bit closer so she could lower herself in a position that would allow her to more easily peek at his mails. “Not only are you a deathworlder, you’ve also been a pretty public figure when it comes to the public fight for more rights. Hell, you probably inspired them to found that whole thing in a way, so of course they want you along for the ride.”
James scoffed slightly and turned his screen so she could look at it.
“Well, if it was that, I wouldn’t be surprised,” he said and waited a second for Shida to read, seeing her face also slowly turn into a more confused one as she realized what the invitation he had received was for, before he added, “But this is from the council of primates.”
Shida looked at the message for a little longer before turning only her eyes towards him.
“What the hell do they want?” she asked with clear distrust in her voice. James just shrugged.
“A trap? Appeasement? Publicity? Options are numerous,” he said with an exhausted exhale before switching the tab yet again to log into his ‘professional’ mail services, copy-pasting the text of the invitation before forwarding it to a pre-prepared list of people that should probably be informed about this.
Shida hissed through her teeth and stood up straight again.
“Are you going?” she asked, crossing her arms and glancing down at him.
“If I have a say in this? Absolutely,” James replied after hammering the ‘send’ button. Anything to get out of here and do something at this point. Besides, it would probably give him the opportunity to give some people some serious stern talkings to. “Buuuuut you know how this goes.”
“We should keep an eye open who else might get invited to something,” Shida commented after acknowledging his reply with a huff but not responding to it. James nodded. In his periphery, he noticed how Shida’s fingers were starting to dig into her arms as her grip likely inadvertently tightened, and he reached out to rub his hand against her side, wordlessly aiding her with relaxing.
“They have plenty of options,” he repeated his earlier statement as he opened the invitation one more time.
“You are invited.
James Aldwin, Ambassador of Earth by community tradition, you have been officially invited to the emergency conference of the council of primates. Given recent events, the council has decided it is imperative to coordinate a response among the members of our esteemed order.
As humanity has so far not had a representative in the council of primates, it has been decided to extend an invitation to you for this conference. This invitation officially grants you access to the venue on Nedstaniot-Station and makes you eligible for a support-fund covering the traveling costs for you and an accompanying group of up to ten (10) companions of your choosing.
Should you accept this invitation, please contact us under one of the council of primate’s official addresses to receive access data to the necessary accounts as well as a detailed plan of the venue and scheduled events.
Should you not accept this invitation, a message of your declining is not strictly necessary, but always welcome to aid in planning.
I hope this message finds you well and am looking forward to possibly meeting you at the venue.
Sincerely
Klanneifer FF of the Tiasonko.
Success to you!”
Well, if they weren’t going to regret that…
--
Alexander clutched the necklace around his neck tightly as he looked into the mirror, taking deep breaths to quell his nerves.
Yes, he was nervous. Extremely so in fact. He thought that he would be excited previously, but now that the time had come, he could feel only the nerves.
Well, maybe that was understandable. Something like this really didn’t happen every day, after all.
“God, give me strength,” he prayed silently with his hands clutching the symbol of his faith even tighter.
Then, he took a minute to, one last time, check if his hair was in place and his robes were immaculate. He couldn’t make a fool out of himself on an occasion like this, after all. His own blue eyes stared back at him from the mirror sternly. Scrutinizing. As if he was judging himself. And he should. After all it was a big day. Taking a moment to judge oneself was important in moments such as this, lest you get complacent and started to make the wrong choices.
Soon after, there was a knock at the door.
“Father Mokoena is beginning his sermon, Alexander,” a muffled voice said from the other side. “You should be ready for when you are called upon.”
Alexander exhaled deeply and took one last look at the mirror, his gaze wandering from his own eyes down to the pendant around his neck.
“I’m on my way,” he then assured the Brother waiting outside, before stepping away from the dresser with a flourishing movement of his robes.
As he stepped out of the cloakroom, brother Anders slightly bowed to him, before stretching out a robed arm to guide him in the right direction. The brother was of the older sort, yet he had held his body in a shape worthy of a temple. Thinning and greying rose-blond hair did little to distract from that, as his wide frame could easily be spotted even through the loosely fitting robes.
A man of devotion in more than one way.
Alexander moved in a slow and measured way, his head held high, as Brother Anders guided him through the branched and tight back hallways of the old theater that they were holding today’s sermon in. As they got closer to the stage, Alexander could already hear the booming voice of father Mokoena as he addressed the masses from his place on the stage. It was no microphone he heard there, no amplifiers or other speakers. Only the impeccable voice of a devoted preacher.
Despite his age, the man had pipes like the largest organ, and still he was speaking at a volume that Alexander wasn’t used to from him. Inhaling deeply, he swallowed for a moment. Hopefully the people would even be able to hear him when he spoke. He certainly couldn’t bellow like the father could. Then again, this was a theater. Maybe his voice would be carried further by the acoustics than he anticipated.
It was rare for him to speak in a place like this, after all.
For a moment, Alexander thought about houses of faith. All the temples, churches, mosques, synagogues and whatever else he had visited throughout his life. Their large, marbled halls. Their magnificent decorations. The instruments and loudspeakers and all the other tools they were equipped with for impressive…performances.
That is what he had always called them. Performances. All those people just playing at faith while all they truly worship was their own selfishness.
And yet here he stood in the backrooms of a theater, watching as a father Mokoena gave a sermon on a literal stage and waiting for his cue to join him in the spotlight. What ironic twists fate could take.
The theater had been the most sensible option of a place that was for rent for one night and also held enough seats for this many people to come together. Still, he wondered if maybe they should have swallowed the tougher pill and looked for something else. For his liking, this was a bit too close to making a mockery of the event. The ‘houses of God’ may have been a sinful sham, but was this really much better?
Still, what was done was done. And while reflecting on past mistakes was certainly a virtue, getting stuck on them was most decidedly not. They were here now, so they would use what they had.
He and Anders finally came to a halt right at the side of the stage, hidden behind the large, red curtain that could be used to cut the stage off from view. Of course, today, it would stay wide open for the entire time, allowing everyone to witness.
“Are you nervous?” Brother Anders quietly asked him, leaning in close to whisper so there was no chance of his voice leaking out and disturbing the Father’s sermon.
Alexander smirked in slight anxiousness.
“Of course, I am,” he confessed honestly. “It’s not every day you get to make proclamations this weighty…or enemies this powerful.”
“Are you afraid of them?” Anders then asked with an almost pitiful look at Alexander, who sighed deeply.
“Of course, I am,” he confessed yet again. “I’d be a fool not to be.”
The task before him was grand, and his foes, in a way, even grander. There was a reason that the realized that had plagued Earth once upon a time had taken the name of heaven’s general for itself. They were powerful. And they knew it.
And that was not even mentioning the force of Earth’s armies, that could turn against them on a whim of fate. Masters over the forces of nature. The undisputed leaders of destructive power. Those who had managed to best such a powerful being before.
Yes, he was afraid. But overcoming fear was a virtue as well.
Meanwhile, the sermon was starting to whip up into a louder cadence, as Father Mokoena seemingly began to introduce the important part of the evening.
“[…] Many years has he studied and prayed and silence, following the will of our Lord by standing by and reflecting. Keeping humble. Keeping modest. And he has developed into a fine man of faith. Eighteen years of serving and studying under our faith, hidden away in the dark and obscure, waiting for the event that would catalyze his becoming! Now it has finally come. And with it came the time for him to step out into the light! Please welcome with me, oh children of the Lord, our newest ‘Guide’! Guide Alexander Paige!” the Father loudly announced and lifted his arm in the direction of where Alexander still stood out of sight. The bald head of the dark-skinned man reflected the spotlights above while his modest robes swung around from the energetic movement.
Meanwhile, Alexander took a deep, calming breath.
“Best of luck, Guide Alexander,” he could hear Brother Anders next to him say, and he respectfully bowed to the man before advancing out of the shadows and into the light.
His eyes narrowed strongly, and he had to resist the urge to lift his hand in order to protect them from the blinding light that now blared down on him. Of course, he did his best to keep his respectful and reverent expression before the Father, however he wasn’t quite able to entirely resist the pain of the rays stinging into his sight. Still, he advanced with quick yet collected steps all the way up to the side of the Father.
“Don’t scream,” he told himself as he prepared his throat for how loud he would have to talk to be heard in a place such as this. The lights were so bright and the rest of the room so dark that he couldn’t see those listening to him, but he still knew they were there. Hundreds of them. Another failure of this chosen venue. He couldn’t even see the faces of those that would listen to his words. How could he claim to speak to them if he couldn’t even look them in the eyes?
Well, it was too late now.
“Thank you, Father,” Alexander loudly announced as he had finally reached the man, and he did his best to talk as loudly as possible without it escalating into shouts. It was hard to gauge how far his voice carried in this room, and he silently prayed that he would be understood.
The Father then reached out his arm, offering his old, worn hand to Alexander. Alexander reciprocated the gesture, taking the Father’s hand with his right, while positioning his left underneath, pressing its palm up against the father’s wrist. Meanwhile, the father lowered his left onto Alexander’s wrist from above, holding his hand as if he was blessing it.
“Alexander!” Father Mokoena loudly greeted him, and Alexander almost flinched at the intensity of his voice up close. If that was what it took to be heard around here, then his own words would merely come across as a whimper. He truly hoped that the old preacher was just overdoing it with his enthusiasm. “You have finally found your treacherous sea, it seems!”
“Indeed,” Alexander replied and really just couldn’t measure up to the Father’s incredible voice no matter how he tried. What an impressive organ. “And I am prepared to guide my fellow men through it, towards safer ventures.”
“And the Lord shall bless your path!” the Father proclaimed, before taking his hands off of Alexander’s again.
“May the Lord bless your path,” a gentle echo came from the unseen crowd.
“And yours as well,” Alexander replied quickly, having almost forgotten to do so given the stressful situation.
The Father nodded deeply, before stepping away from Alexander and in front of the crowd again for a second, as he raised his arms high and declared,
“Tell us about your treacherous path, Guide Alexander, so we veer from it with you!”
Then, with another flourishing movement of his robes, he stepped back and aside, leaving Alexander basically alone in front of the many unseen eyes watching him.
Even after years of waiting, he wasn’t truly prepared for this. For the briefest of moments, he imagined just walking off. But no. He had to do this. This is what he had lived for. His entire life up until now had led up to this moment.
“I am telling you all no secret when I say that the recent times have been turmoil filled ones,” he began to speak, getting right to the matter at hand without any greetings or big introductions. The air around him felt heavy, and the room was so quiet whenever he didn’t speak that he could hear the lights above softly buzzing with electricity. The old wood under his feet gently cracked whenever he shifted his weight, and he was sure that it could be heard all the way up in the top rows whenever it happened. “As all of you who have come together here know, we stand in front of a huge danger. You do not need a guide to tell you that treading in the domain of a realized leads to peril. Such an affront needs no explanation on my side.”
He swallowed heavily, truly hoping that they had not all come together to hear him proclaim that he would guide them against the A.I.
That was simply no task for a Guide. Yet hopefully the others understood this as well and did not think that he was avoiding the threat in order to pick an easier mission for himself. After all, he would still gain its ire with his words, he was sure, even if it was not his declared danger.
Swallowing again, he continued,
“No, I am here today to talk with you about something else. About someone else. Someone whose words have touched many; and influenced even more. A man who was thrust into conflict against his will. Hurtled into the chaos, he fought, and the galaxy shook before him. A man known to the entire Galaxy obviously needs no introduction, but I would still like to take a moment to list James Aldwin’s achievements to give you a better picture of what I am talking about. Before his life was thrust into conflict, he used to dedicate his time to the improvement of life. He took some of nature’s gifts, and he used them to make new things that would aide people in need. Medicine was his claimed goal, and although he never got to reach that state, he had the clear intention to make life easier for many with his inventions, caring little for where they came from. Then, after his life changed for the worse, his focus shifted. Instead of trying to safe the ill somewhere in the future, he instead dedicated himself to saving people right here and now.”
Talking himself up into a bit of a frenzy, Alexander began to walk back and forth on the stage without even fully realizing that he was doing it. The blinding spotlights were still turning everything that wasn’t the stage into a dark, blocked out void. Night had been separated from day, and he was standing in the sun.
“He turned his focus onto those he thought to be like him,” he explained, starting to make wide gestures with his arms that caused his robe to move in flowing downward waves, embellishing his movements even further. “Those whose lives had been thrown into chaos through no doing of their own. Those born into it. Those ousted. Those who felt ‘othered’ by the world. The pariahs. He promised them acceptance, with little care for who they were.”
He then stopped his pacing for a moment to fully face the crowd, his gaze turning upwards so they would all be able to see it.
“Even when faced with one of our world’s greatest calamities asking him to take it in, he did not cave,” Alexander proclaimed, and he could feel himself tapping into potential of his lungs that he didn’t know he had within him, as his voice boomed throughout the theater. “Despite knowing of the danger in his path, he walked it all the way. Truly, what kind of man is it that will turn no one away? What kind of man who puts himself on the wayside to help others? What kind of man that cares not for who or how?”
“A Saint!” a booming echo came back from the crowd, and Alexander could feel the vibrations of their roar beneath his feet as it rolled over him.
“Indeed,” he replied to the people. “After seeing the path he walked, I say that his actions are worthy of nothing less than sanctity!”
A sound came back from the crowd that was hard to describe. It was neither jeering nor cheering, but something entirely in between. A deep rumble that filled the air with almost nonsensical noise as it escaped the mouths of hundreds of people who reacted to his declaration.
Alexander now lifted his arms in a wide arch, as if he wanted to beckon the crowd into an embrace.
“By the Ministry of the Church of the Failed Savior, bestowed upon me as your new Guide, I hereby proclaim James Aldwin as the Patron of Realized Sapience!” he loudly declared, and the noise of the crowd picked up in intensity.
He took a deep breath while letting the sound slowly fade out, although he didn’t wait for the people to be completely quiet before he let his arms sink again and continued in a milder tone.
“Sanctity is a dangerous path,” he said as he began to slowly pace along the stage again, this time with collected, measured movements. “The Saints walk it, and they invite all who will to follow. They do not warn them of the danger. In fact, they encourage all to face it. Proclaiming their path as the right one, they tell all who follow to not stray from it, no matter the danger. It is a dangerous thing indeed, such a Saint.”
He stopped again, but this time, he didn’t face the crowd. Turned to the side, he stared straight ahead, his eyes fixating on a part of the folded, red curtains while his mind went to a different place.
“Saint Aldwin believes himself to walk the right path, and nothing is holy to him, neither on Earth nor in Heaven, man made or God given, but that which allows him to follow it,” he said, still loud, but a lot more restrained in emotion. “He believes himself to be a protector. A shepherd. A…savior.”
This time, the jeering of the crowd was palpable, as the ground once again shook with it. Any sense of good will had disappeared from the noise.
Now, Alexander waited for it to completely die down. Calm and quietly, he stood there without moving a muscle for minutes on end while the sound gradually faded out.
Only when he could have heard a pin drop in the enormous room did he speak up again.
“As your new Guide, I promise to show you the way to the safe road. I promise to disarm traps and sweep away obstacles in your way. I promise to keep my sight on the destination, and to always point you in the right direction should you stay. And…” he paused for a moment to take a deep breath, before he continued louder than before, lifting his head high as he did so. “And I promise to veer you off the paths of all the Saints and Doomed to Fail Saviors who would have you walk with them into hell!”
A cheering broke out in the crowd, going so far that some of the people began to drum their feet on the ground in a wild, rhythmless thunder.
Meanwhile Alexander turned around to face the man behind him.
Father Mokoena had a wide smile on his wrinkled face as he walked back up to him, his hand extended. As they repeated the same gesture they had given each other earlier, the Father loudly announced,
“God bless your path, Guide.”
“Thank you, Father,” Alexander replied with a deep nod. “I am going to need it.”
After a moment, they let go off each other’s hands again, and Alexander wordlessly walked back off the stage, while Father Mokoena already loudly addressed the crowd again.
Behind the curtain just off the stage, Brother Anders was still waiting for him.
“A captivating speech,” the muscular man complimented him with a brief faux applause he hinted at with his hands, not actually clapping so he wouldn’t disturb the sermon. “But was that a reference I spotted in the middle of it there?”
Alexander scoffed at the man.
“All speeches have references,” he said while he passed the Brother, folding his hands behind his back as he went.
Anders looked after him in mild confusion.
“Aren’t you going to stay and hear the sermon?” he asked as Alexander was already disappearing away from the stage again.
“My faith is between me and our Lord,” Alexander explained as he shook his head. “My prayer does not need an advocate.”
No, instead of wasting time listening to a sermon of prayers that he could speak himself, he decided to instead use it to look after those who were in need of his guidance.
Walking back to from whence he came, he passed his earlier cloakroom and traversed the hallways all the way to a larger, much more open changing room, that would usually most likely house droves of actors or other performers in marvelous costumes before they would go out on stage to dazzle the masses.
Today, however, it was home to a much sadder sight.
Laid out on two benches, surrounded by their peers, were two truly pitiful casualties of conflict. As he walked in, their ears twitched and they began to look up in erratic movements, their muscles twitching and shivering as if under immense stress from just the simple movements, and even after their head was lifted, it was stuck in a constant quiver.
Meanwhile, their far healthier compatriots also turned towards him, their gazes dark and eyes sharp, while their agitated tails whipped through the air like angry flails.
“How are you feeling?” Alexander asked the first of the two clearly ill myiat who met his gaze.
“According to the…circumstances,” the man replied, his voice about as jittery as his posture as he spoke. His name was Mirrakshra. A good man, suffering a bad fate.
Meanwhile, one of their healthy compatriots, a dark-skinned fellow with a scar from a cut right over his cheekbone that had accompanied Alexander since back on Dunnima, glared at Alexander with fiery eyes as he saw the kind of robe he wore.
“If you’re going to try some sort of faith-healing bullshit, then I swear to-“ he began, however Alexander cut him off harshly.
“You shouldn’t swear, Eskfotarra. Not on heaven or on Earth,” he reprimanded him with firm words. Then he smirked, “You may promise to harm me all you like, however. But no, that’s not why I’m here. I’m not a fool. I know I can’t work miracles. I simply worry about his wellbeing.”
“It’s al..alright,” Mirrakshra quelled the worries of his friend. “Y-y-you got news?”
Alexander exhaled disappointedly.
“Sadly, yes,” he said and looked away. “It seems that some of our allies have…how do you say…jumped the gun? They attempted to exterminate the affront prematurely, and in the process, have only made it all the more enduring, it seems.”
Eskfotarra scoffed and his ears twitched slightly as his tail slowed to a gradual sway.
“So, she’s out now?” he correctly assumed, and the smirk on his face told of him not finding those circumstances all too disagreeable. An unfortunate choice, but his to make.
“Indeed,” Alexander replied. “And at the scale we’re currently working at, I’m afraid it’s going to be hard to stamp it out.”
By now, the AI might have infected the entire Galaxy. There was no telling of the kind of hardships they would soon face because of it.
However, Eskfotarra just glanced down at his ill friends again as his grimace soured.
“And Aldwin?” he asked darkly.
Alexander lifted his arms with open palms and shrugged.
“Hidden away where we cannot reach him, at least for the moment,” he explained.
The myiat aggressively clicked his tongue and hissed through his teeth.
“Then when will we be able to reach him?” he asked, his claws unfurling on his arm, cutting into the sleeve of his shirt. “It’s high time that he answers for a lot of things.”
In a picture that should be grotesque but could only be described as empathetic, the quivering, injured feline laying before him looked up at his healthy friend with pity, while wrath seemingly consumed Eskfotarra.
Alexander nodded.
“I’m sure he would agree with you there,” he pointed out, seeing as Aldwin had never been shy to point out his own misdeeds. “That is why sooner or later, he is going to make it possible. The danger is the nature of a Saint.”
2023.03.21 20:06 naturalfractal [Outlook] Organising emails and printing the first page.
Hi I've been using Chat GPT to try and figure this out for the last few days without success.
Problem:
At work I have lots of emails coming in from three categories of people.
For filing reasons I have to print out these emails. But only the first page, because I don't want to print out the full email thread, I just need the last response. I also need to print out any emails I send to them.
What I've got so far
I've configured outlook's Quickrules to assign categories to certain email addresses. And simultaneously to move them to a folder.
For simplicity's sake let's call these Categories A, B and C.
So when I get an email from someone in CategoryA, Outlook assigns them into CategoryA. It also moves them into a folder called Category A.
Coding Part
Now I've made a macro as follows:
Sub PrintPage1()
SendKeys "%FPR"
SendKeys "%S"
SendKeys "1"
SendKeys "{ENTER}"
End Sub
This has sped up my workflow as it means that when I get an email, instead of doing:
File > Print > Print Options > Type 1 in the pages section > Print
I can just press my Macro that I've assigned to the quick access toolbar.
But then I wanted to go deeper.
I wanted to write a code that says:
"If I get an email from someone in CategoryA, CategoryB, or CategoryC,
THEN
Open the email, run the PrintPage1() Macro, and close the email.
So essentially it Prints any email automatically (but just the first page), from email addresses that I've assigned to a certain category.
Try as it might, ChatGPT Couldn't get it done.
The furthest I managed to get was that it printed off the email that was highlighted whenever I received ANY email.
The other methods it used kept getting tons of errors and problems.
Is this even possible?
submitted by naturalfractal to vba [link] [comments]
Problem:
At work I have lots of emails coming in from three categories of people.
For filing reasons I have to print out these emails. But only the first page, because I don't want to print out the full email thread, I just need the last response. I also need to print out any emails I send to them.
What I've got so far
I've configured outlook's Quickrules to assign categories to certain email addresses. And simultaneously to move them to a folder.
For simplicity's sake let's call these Categories A, B and C.
So when I get an email from someone in CategoryA, Outlook assigns them into CategoryA. It also moves them into a folder called Category A.
Coding Part
Now I've made a macro as follows:
Sub PrintPage1()
SendKeys "%FPR"
SendKeys "%S"
SendKeys "1"
SendKeys "{ENTER}"
End Sub
This has sped up my workflow as it means that when I get an email, instead of doing:
File > Print > Print Options > Type 1 in the pages section > Print
I can just press my Macro that I've assigned to the quick access toolbar.
But then I wanted to go deeper.
I wanted to write a code that says:
"If I get an email from someone in CategoryA, CategoryB, or CategoryC,
THEN
Open the email, run the PrintPage1() Macro, and close the email.
So essentially it Prints any email automatically (but just the first page), from email addresses that I've assigned to a certain category.
Try as it might, ChatGPT Couldn't get it done.
The furthest I managed to get was that it printed off the email that was highlighted whenever I received ANY email.
The other methods it used kept getting tons of errors and problems.
Is this even possible?
2023.03.21 20:01 Martzee2021 03.20.2023 - MONDAY MARKET OUTLOOK
 | submitted by Martzee2021 to Journey_to_millions [link] [comments] https://preview.redd.it/94cbc3pk40pa1.png?width=825&format=png&auto=webp&s=c54d6e3a915a6ea1dd776a55086d09be4497a2c5 The banking crisis seems to be calming down. FED may potentially pause the interest hikes so as not to cause further damage because for years the FED was telling everybody that the interest rates will stay low for a long time... so buying long-term Treasuries didn't look like a risky idea. Everybody did it, not just banks. Imagine pension funds, they may be next. And then after 10 years of ultra-low to negative interest yields the FED rockets the rate to 5% within a few months. Of course, no one can sustain such a rapid hike if you suddenly need cash and the 10-year Treasuries which looked like a safe haven are suddenly worthless! And the market may be now looking forward to some stability. After some bearish start, the index finished green. https://preview.redd.it/9pzhvhsm40pa1.png?width=1507&format=png&auto=webp&s=4ffa1703cdab3b1a6efddb20d5310fafc874e57e Daily Ichimoku charts starting to improve and show some recovery. But still, long time to go to fully recover from the damage. And if the FED screws it up again tomorrow, we may not recover at all and instead head lower. https://preview.redd.it/anrvmtko40pa1.png?width=1503&format=png&auto=webp&s=f5bbd73953f670dcae9cfddadfdab866b4520795 The weekly Ichimoku chart holds well so far and it is even attempting to break into the cloud. The cloud is strong resistance and we still may bounce down from it. It would be a good signal for the markets if we break into it and above. https://preview.redd.it/ew6hd5gq40pa1.png?width=1501&format=png&auto=webp&s=98990337385f1a991346c7e2747623ad72a32909 The forecasting chart shows a potential down day tomorrow and if the FED doesn't cooperate it may very well happen. If however, the FED shows a bit dovish stance, the market may continue higher. Note that forecasting is a purely mathematical model based on past data. It may capture the momentum of the trend but may not work well if influenced by sudden news or black swans that disrupt it. There fore the chart below needs to be confirmed. Unfortunately, we do not have that confirmation on any other chart, though there is an improvement that may help push the markets up and invalidate the recent forecasting series. https://preview.redd.it/omcu99ds40pa1.png?width=1497&format=png&auto=webp&s=83de8bb9e7adeca01c98735d476b0a4045a2e80a This is a delayed outlook. If you want to learn more about our SPX weekly analysis, subscribe to our weekly newsletter. |
2023.03.21 19:52 ExiledGolem [H] Windows 11 & 10 Pro key ($3.5) Office 2021/2019/2016 key ($3+) Malwarebyte Key ($4+) MS Server/Project/Visio ($4+) Office 365 acc ($3) Edu Email ($5) CourseHero Premier ($4) SMS Verification ($1+) Kaspersky Key ($7+) [W] Any Crypto, PayPal or Venmo
Discord server - https://discord.gg/GUfzzJH6G3
Contact me via PM/Chat or Telegram @ ABCsella for purchase or more information. I sell streaming accounts, MAK and bulk windows keys as well as other keys at a discounted rate. Contact me to discuss if you need bulk.
*2PC means the key will work on (activate) 2 devices.
submitted by ExiledGolem to SteamAccountsForSale [link] [comments]
| PRODUCTS | PRICE/DETAILS |
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| Windows 11 & 10 Keys | $3.5 - Win11 or 10 Pro & Home (Pro upgrades Home to Pro and Activates) |
| Office 2021 Pro Plus Keys | $3 (Phone activation), $5 (Online Activation), $10 Bind Key(Binds to your email) |
| Office 2019 Pro Plus Keys | $3 for telephone activation, $5 (Online Activation) and $12 Office 2019 Bind Key for windows (Binds to your email) |
| Office 365 Private Account | $3 (Private, lifetime, up to 5 devices). |
| Office 2021 or 2019 Pro Plus 5PC Keys | $16 for 2021, $16 for 2019 |
| Office 2021 or 2019 Home and Business for Mac | $10 for Bind key (Binds to your email) |
| CourseHero 15 Unlocks Private Account | $4 - one Month duration |
| Bitdefender 3 Months Keys | $1 (Works on new accounts only) |
| Malwarebyte Keys | $7 - Original lifetime Windows or $6 - 1 year any OS, $4 for 6 months |
| Kaspersky 200-360+ days Keys | $8 - Total Security / $7 - Internet Security |
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| Microsoft Project Pro 2021/2019/2016 2PC Keys | $5 for 2021, $4 for 2019/2016 |
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| Autodesk Keys | $15+ Contact me for products and prices |
| VMware Workstation 16 Pro | $5 |
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*2PC means the key will work on (activate) 2 devices.
2023.03.21 19:52 ExiledGolem [H] Windows 11 & 10 Pro key ($3.5) Office 2021/2019/2016 key ($3+) Malwarebyte Key ($4+) MS Server/Project/Visio ($4+) Office 365 acc ($3) Edu Email ($5) CourseHero Premier ($4) SMS Verification ($1+) Kaspersky Key ($7+) [W] Any Crypto, PayPal or Venmo
Discord server - https://discord.gg/GUfzzJH6G3
Contact me via PM/Chat or Telegram @ ABCsella for purchase or more information. I sell streaming accounts, MAK and bulk windows keys as well as other keys at a discounted rate. Contact me to discuss if you need bulk.
*2PC means the key will work on (activate) 2 devices.
submitted by ExiledGolem to SatoshiBets [link] [comments]
| PRODUCTS | PRICE/DETAILS |
|---|---|
| Windows 11 & 10 Keys | $3.5 - Win11 or 10 Pro & Home (Pro upgrades Home to Pro and Activates) |
| Office 2021 Pro Plus Keys | $3 (Phone activation), $5 (Online Activation), $10 Bind Key(Binds to your email) |
| Office 2019 Pro Plus Keys | $3 for telephone activation, $5 (Online Activation) and $12 Office 2019 Bind Key for windows (Binds to your email) |
| Office 365 Private Account | $3 (Private, lifetime, up to 5 devices). |
| Office 2021 or 2019 Pro Plus 5PC Keys | $16 for 2021, $16 for 2019 |
| Office 2021 or 2019 Home and Business for Mac | $10 for Bind key (Binds to your email) |
| CourseHero 15 Unlocks Private Account | $4 - one Month duration |
| Bitdefender 3 Months Keys | $1 (Works on new accounts only) |
| Malwarebyte Keys | $7 - Original lifetime Windows or $6 - 1 year any OS, $4 for 6 months |
| Kaspersky 200-360+ days Keys | $8 - Total Security / $7 - Internet Security |
| Microsoft Server 2022/2019/2016 Data CenteStandard 2PC Keys | $4 (2019/2016) or $5 (2022) |
| Microsoft Visio Pro 2021/2019/2016 2PC Keys | $5 for 2021, $4 for 2019/2016 |
| Microsoft Project Pro 2021/2019/2016 2PC Keys | $5 for 2021, $4 for 2019/2016 |
| Real Phone SMS Verification Service, Non-VOIP | From $1 & Have numbers for almost all Services and Most countries, just ask |
| Edu Email | $5 Private, Outlook or Gmail login, Amazon Prime and co. |
| Autodesk Keys | $15+ Contact me for products and prices |
| VMware Workstation 16 Pro | $5 |
Contact me via PM/Chat or Telegram @ ABCsella for purchase or more information. I sell streaming accounts, MAK and bulk windows keys as well as other keys at a discounted rate. Contact me to discuss if you need bulk.
*2PC means the key will work on (activate) 2 devices.
2023.03.21 19:43 Blipcomics [Hiring] Assembling a team to make an action packed Military Sci-Fi Graphic Novel based off of a one-shot story I am working on that is almost completed. [50-80$] per page
Hello! I am assembling a new team for a crazy graphic novel that will be pitched, and kickstarted. We have a plethora of art and references available, we have the entire script written and ALL we need is an artist to come through and do sequential art for us.
We plan on doing this in black and white, but color is an option.
Depending on the number of pages you can provide each week, I will pay upfront beforehand each time I send in a batch of pages for you to work on.
I already have a letterer, however if you letter, that's perfectly fine too.
The art style needs to be serious and able to draw action sequences with military based weaponry.
email me [email protected] or leave a comment here or just DM me.
A kickstarter would allow us to further fund the project and pay the artist MORE upfront. Like paying for an entire issue at once, for example!
And of course, we will discuss compensation when it comes to commercial rights :)
Happy to share my script and comic with you when we talk!
submitted by Blipcomics to HungryArtists [link] [comments]
We plan on doing this in black and white, but color is an option.
Depending on the number of pages you can provide each week, I will pay upfront beforehand each time I send in a batch of pages for you to work on.
I already have a letterer, however if you letter, that's perfectly fine too.
The art style needs to be serious and able to draw action sequences with military based weaponry.
email me [email protected] or leave a comment here or just DM me.
A kickstarter would allow us to further fund the project and pay the artist MORE upfront. Like paying for an entire issue at once, for example!
And of course, we will discuss compensation when it comes to commercial rights :)
Happy to share my script and comic with you when we talk!
2023.03.21 19:38 ExiledGolem [H] Windows 11 & 10 Pro key ($3.5) Office 2021/2019/2016 key ($3+) Malwarebyte Key ($4+) MS Server/Project/Visio ($4+) Office 365 acc ($3) Edu Email ($5) CourseHero Premier ($4) SMS Verification ($1+) Kaspersky Key ($7+) [W] Any Crypto, PayPal or Venmo
Discord server - https://discord.gg/GUfzzJH6G3
Contact me via PM/Chat or Telegram @ ABCsella for purchase or more information. I sell streaming accounts, MAK and bulk windows keys as well as other keys at a discounted rate. Contact me to discuss if you need bulk.
*2PC means the key will work on (activate) 2 devices.
submitted by ExiledGolem to GamingMarket [link] [comments]
| PRODUCTS | PRICE/DETAILS |
|---|---|
| Windows 11 & 10 Keys | $3.5 - Win11 or 10 Pro & Home (Pro upgrades Home to Pro and Activates) |
| Office 2021 Pro Plus Keys | $3 (Phone activation), $5 (Online Activation), $10 Bind Key(Binds to your email) |
| Office 2019 Pro Plus Keys | $3 for telephone activation, $5 (Online Activation) and $12 Office 2019 Bind Key for windows (Binds to your email) |
| Office 365 Private Account | $3 (Private, lifetime, up to 5 devices). |
| Office 2021 or 2019 Pro Plus 5PC Keys | $16 for 2021, $16 for 2019 |
| Office 2021 or 2019 Home and Business for Mac | $10 for Bind key (Binds to your email) |
| CourseHero 15 Unlocks Private Account | $4 - one Month duration |
| Bitdefender 3 Months Keys | $1 (Works on new accounts only) |
| Malwarebyte Keys | $7 - Original lifetime Windows or $6 - 1 year any OS, $4 for 6 months |
| Kaspersky 200-360+ days Keys | $8 - Total Security / $7 - Internet Security |
| Microsoft Server 2022/2019/2016 Data CenteStandard 2PC Keys | $4 (2019/2016) or $5 (2022) |
| Microsoft Visio Pro 2021/2019/2016 2PC Keys | $5 for 2021, $4 for 2019/2016 |
| Microsoft Project Pro 2021/2019/2016 2PC Keys | $5 for 2021, $4 for 2019/2016 |
| Real Phone SMS Verification Service, Non-VOIP | From $1 & Have numbers for almost all Services and Most countries, just ask |
| Edu Email | $5 Private, Outlook or Gmail login, Amazon Prime and co. |
| Autodesk Keys | $15+ Contact me for products and prices |
| VMware Workstation 16 Pro | $5 |
Contact me via PM/Chat or Telegram @ ABCsella for purchase or more information. I sell streaming accounts, MAK and bulk windows keys as well as other keys at a discounted rate. Contact me to discuss if you need bulk.
*2PC means the key will work on (activate) 2 devices.
2023.03.21 19:36 ExiledGolem [H] Windows 11 & 10 Pro key ($3.5) Office 2021/2019/2016 key ($3+) Malwarebyte Key ($4+) MS Server/Project/Visio ($4+) Office 365 acc ($3) Edu Email ($5) CourseHero Premier ($4) SMS Verification ($1+) Kaspersky Key ($7+) [W] Any Crypto, PayPal or Venmo
Discord server - https://discord.gg/GUfzzJH6G3
Contact me via PM/Chat or Telegram @ ABCsella for purchase or more information. I sell streaming accounts, MAK and bulk windows keys as well as other keys at a discounted rate. Contact me to discuss if you need bulk.
*2PC means the key will work on (activate) 2 devices.
submitted by ExiledGolem to BTC_Private [link] [comments]
| PRODUCTS | PRICE/DETAILS |
|---|---|
| Windows 11 & 10 Keys | $3.5 - Win11 or 10 Pro & Home (Pro upgrades Home to Pro and Activates) |
| Office 2021 Pro Plus Keys | $3 (Phone activation), $5 (Online Activation), $10 Bind Key(Binds to your email) |
| Office 2019 Pro Plus Keys | $3 for telephone activation, $5 (Online Activation) and $12 Office 2019 Bind Key for windows (Binds to your email) |
| Office 365 Private Account | $3 (Private, lifetime, up to 5 devices). |
| Office 2021 or 2019 Pro Plus 5PC Keys | $16 for 2021, $16 for 2019 |
| Office 2021 or 2019 Home and Business for Mac | $10 for Bind key (Binds to your email) |
| CourseHero 15 Unlocks Private Account | $4 - one Month duration |
| Bitdefender 3 Months Keys | $1 (Works on new accounts only) |
| Malwarebyte Keys | $7 - Original lifetime Windows or $6 - 1 year any OS, $4 for 6 months |
| Kaspersky 200-360+ days Keys | $8 - Total Security / $7 - Internet Security |
| Microsoft Server 2022/2019/2016 Data CenteStandard 2PC Keys | $4 (2019/2016) or $5 (2022) |
| Microsoft Visio Pro 2021/2019/2016 2PC Keys | $5 for 2021, $4 for 2019/2016 |
| Microsoft Project Pro 2021/2019/2016 2PC Keys | $5 for 2021, $4 for 2019/2016 |
| Real Phone SMS Verification Service, Non-VOIP | From $1 & Have numbers for almost all Services and Most countries, just ask |
| Edu Email | $5 Private, Outlook or Gmail login, Amazon Prime and co. |
| Autodesk Keys | $15+ Contact me for products and prices |
| VMware Workstation 16 Pro | $5 |
Contact me via PM/Chat or Telegram @ ABCsella for purchase or more information. I sell streaming accounts, MAK and bulk windows keys as well as other keys at a discounted rate. Contact me to discuss if you need bulk.
*2PC means the key will work on (activate) 2 devices.
2023.03.21 19:36 ExiledGolem [H] Windows 11 & 10 Pro key ($3.5) Office 2021/2019/2016 key ($3+) Malwarebyte Key ($4+) MS Server/Project/Visio ($4+) Office 365 acc ($3) Edu Email ($5) CourseHero Premier ($4) SMS Verification ($1+) Kaspersky Key ($7+) [W] Any Crypto, PayPal or Venmo
Discord server - https://discord.gg/GUfzzJH6G3
Contact me via PM/Chat or Telegram @ ABCsella for purchase or more information. I sell streaming accounts, MAK and bulk windows keys as well as other keys at a discounted rate. Contact me to discuss if you need bulk.
*2PC means the key will work on (activate) 2 devices.
submitted by ExiledGolem to airdropalertcom [link] [comments]
| PRODUCTS | PRICE/DETAILS |
|---|---|
| Windows 11 & 10 Keys | $3.5 - Win11 or 10 Pro & Home (Pro upgrades Home to Pro and Activates) |
| Office 2021 Pro Plus Keys | $3 (Phone activation), $5 (Online Activation), $10 Bind Key(Binds to your email) |
| Office 2019 Pro Plus Keys | $3 for telephone activation, $5 (Online Activation) and $12 Office 2019 Bind Key for windows (Binds to your email) |
| Office 365 Private Account | $3 (Private, lifetime, up to 5 devices). |
| Office 2021 or 2019 Pro Plus 5PC Keys | $16 for 2021, $16 for 2019 |
| Office 2021 or 2019 Home and Business for Mac | $10 for Bind key (Binds to your email) |
| CourseHero 15 Unlocks Private Account | $4 - one Month duration |
| Bitdefender 3 Months Keys | $1 (Works on new accounts only) |
| Malwarebyte Keys | $7 - Original lifetime Windows or $6 - 1 year any OS, $4 for 6 months |
| Kaspersky 200-360+ days Keys | $8 - Total Security / $7 - Internet Security |
| Microsoft Server 2022/2019/2016 Data CenteStandard 2PC Keys | $4 (2019/2016) or $5 (2022) |
| Microsoft Visio Pro 2021/2019/2016 2PC Keys | $5 for 2021, $4 for 2019/2016 |
| Microsoft Project Pro 2021/2019/2016 2PC Keys | $5 for 2021, $4 for 2019/2016 |
| Real Phone SMS Verification Service, Non-VOIP | From $1 & Have numbers for almost all Services and Most countries, just ask |
| Edu Email | $5 Private, Outlook or Gmail login, Amazon Prime and co. |
| Autodesk Keys | $15+ Contact me for products and prices |
| VMware Workstation 16 Pro | $5 |
Contact me via PM/Chat or Telegram @ ABCsella for purchase or more information. I sell streaming accounts, MAK and bulk windows keys as well as other keys at a discounted rate. Contact me to discuss if you need bulk.
*2PC means the key will work on (activate) 2 devices.
2023.03.21 19:17 betelguese_supernova App Protection Policy to block Sharing to Google Drive?
I made an iOS APP targeting the Outlook app to block sharing of org data outside of non-managed apps and to prevent saving of org data except to OneDrive and Sharepoint.
However, I just tested it out on my iPad and when I open an attachment from an email I have the option to "Share File via" and I can choose Google Drive and upload it with no problems. If I choose "Save to Files" I get a "Your organization does not allow this sharing" so I know that is working, but how can I block sharing via something like Google Drive?
Thanks!
submitted by betelguese_supernova to Intune [link] [comments]
However, I just tested it out on my iPad and when I open an attachment from an email I have the option to "Share File via" and I can choose Google Drive and upload it with no problems. If I choose "Save to Files" I get a "Your organization does not allow this sharing" so I know that is working, but how can I block sharing via something like Google Drive?
Thanks!
2023.03.21 19:16 cram_it_nerd outlook web not receiving new emails
Hello Reddit,
I have an end user whose outlook web app is not receiving emails. Both his desktop app and his mobile app are receiving them. I cleared his cache and cookies and restarted chrome with no improvements. I ran a message trace against his email and that is showing everything as being delivered. Going to try incognito next. Any other suggestions?
submitted by cram_it_nerd to Outlook [link] [comments]
I have an end user whose outlook web app is not receiving emails. Both his desktop app and his mobile app are receiving them. I cleared his cache and cookies and restarted chrome with no improvements. I ran a message trace against his email and that is showing everything as being delivered. Going to try incognito next. Any other suggestions?
2023.03.21 19:08 deepwatch_sec Threat Actors Exploited Microsoft Outlook for Windows (CVE-2023-23397) as Early as April 2022
According to Microsoft, Russian-based threat actors are actively exploiting an elevation of privilege vulnerability in Microsoft Outlook for Windows, tracked as CVE-2023-23397, which allows new technology LAN manager (NTLM) credential hash theft. According to an analysis of .msg files uploaded to VirusTotal that exploit the vulnerability by Deep Instinct, the earliest known attack occurred in April 2022 against the Foreign Ministry of Romania.
A threat actor can exploit the vulnerability by sending a specially crafted email using one of three message types: note, appointment, or task, containing an extended Message Application Program Interface (MAPI) property pointing to a Universal Naming Convention (UNC) path. The Adversary Tactics and Intelligence team has observed threat actors posting proof-of-concept (PoC) exploit code on cybercriminal forums like XSS. Exploit codes shared publicly and on cybercriminal forums use the item type “appointment.” However, Outlook messages uploaded to VirusTotal in December 2022 and January 2023 use the item types “task,” and “note.” Deepwatch recommends organizations update vulnerable software as soon as possible.
More information.
submitted by deepwatch_sec to InfoSecNews [link] [comments]
A threat actor can exploit the vulnerability by sending a specially crafted email using one of three message types: note, appointment, or task, containing an extended Message Application Program Interface (MAPI) property pointing to a Universal Naming Convention (UNC) path. The Adversary Tactics and Intelligence team has observed threat actors posting proof-of-concept (PoC) exploit code on cybercriminal forums like XSS. Exploit codes shared publicly and on cybercriminal forums use the item type “appointment.” However, Outlook messages uploaded to VirusTotal in December 2022 and January 2023 use the item types “task,” and “note.” Deepwatch recommends organizations update vulnerable software as soon as possible.
More information.
2023.03.21 19:02 Palalofetego Could you give me advice on what to change in my Resume? I wish to work in the USA or Canada
submitted by Palalofetego to FinancialCareers [link] [comments]
2023.03.21 18:41 elcolin85 Anywhere Online To Check Phishing Attempts?
I imagine my question might be weird. I have never looked into this. I am just curious if there are any free tools available online or any program anywhere that I could run an email file .msg (Outlook) or something through to check validity? Or I can enter URLs the alleged phishing emails might be trying to direct someone to to cross check?
Thanks!
submitted by elcolin85 to phishing [link] [comments]
Thanks!
2023.03.21 18:12 f_conte DDG blocking outlook pop up
Hi , when opening MS outlook through its website via DDG browser and opening up an email from my inbox, DDG is blocking the email from appearing.
it just stays a blank window. I have tried to allow pop ups for the site but still not joy and cant find anything else in DDG settings. Any ideas?
Thanks
submitted by f_conte to duckduckgo [link] [comments]
it just stays a blank window. I have tried to allow pop ups for the site but still not joy and cant find anything else in DDG settings. Any ideas?
Thanks