POOHEAD189

Frokane's Mildly Politcal Hangout Thread

@catchamber@Andreyich I'd say if policies could be implemented to help incentivize people staying, it would definitely put a cork on the flood of immigrants so to say, even if it wouldn't halt it entirely. People aren't too complicated when it comes to where they want to live. Most of the time, it's as long as it's comfortable.

Frokane's Mildly Politcal Hangout Thread

If I lived in a land where people regularly chanted Christians to Beruit and Alawites to the grave yard, it probably encourage me to flee too. Intellectual flight is a symptom rather than a cause. Being at the junction of Sunni/Shia spheres of influence and this weird Turkish Irredentism as well as proximity to a failed state with a massive influx of weaponry probably has more to do with it than a lack of people with masters degrees.

@Penny

So much this^^

Context is key when it comes to geopolitics. Or most anything, for that matter.

Frokane's Mildly Politcal Hangout Thread

You know my best friend and roommate (who majored in finance and now works for the state bank department) came home today from work and told me he actually checked out the federal budget, and while I already know some of what he said, he did criticize Trump (whom he neither likes nor dislikes) over saying he'll cut foreign aid spending, when that accounts for less than 1% of the U.S. spending.

Also something I knew (but not to this extent) was that our 7 trillion dollar deficit per year would almost be met if we halted military spending. Not to say we should halt it entirely, but even though we spend more on defense than any country (and more than many countries combined) we'd still be 20 trillion in debt, and the american work force would need to work for free 3/4ths out of the year to even get close to helping pay the debt the U.S. is in. Cutting military spending entirely would barely get us on track.

The Deposed Dilemma

Needless to say both the pronouncement and that bit of theater he, God help him, believed was true, the face Berek had was priceless. His jaw went slack and he placed his spoon back into the bowl. Even when she began sobbing, he didn't know what to do immediately. Of course she might be crazy or lying, but if she was she was an incredible actress. "Hold on, hold on." He implored her, and when she continued crying he got up and knelt beside her.

This certainly explained why she looked down her nose at him. "It's ok." He said, putting a hand on her shoulder. Humphrey watched and wagged his tail, though his head tilted and his left ear was erect at what was happening, as if he could understand every word. "Look, I don't know much about politics and..." He was about to say 'if you're right' but he halted himself. "Look, don't cry. You've got a place to stay here for as long as you need." He let the words sink in. "Ferona?"

Well he didn't know if she would insist on the title she claimed, but either way at least he knew her name now. Or a name, that is.

The Deposed Dilemma

Well this was going nowhere like he had imagined. He chewed on his stew absently as he listened and asked her question. "I've...heard of it. I've not bee there." He watched her curiously, wondering just exactly where this was going. Below her, Humphrey decided to waddle over to Berek to see his old friend. The Blacksmith absently scratched the hound's head.

The Deposed Dilemma

Berek blinked. He was expecting her to ask him his name, but not in that fashion. Had he done something wrong or had he insulted her? Maybe she was used to her lord mistreating her? Either way, at least they had some common ground when it came to the food and Humphrey. Even underfed and shaved, she had an attractive, imperious look about her that was only enhanced by her pleasure at having a dog near her. That, and he did have sympathy for the state she was in. He wouldn't have helped her otherwise.

"I'm the blacksmith of the town. My name is Berek." he said to her, and ate another spoonful of the stew. "Been here for a few years, working as an armorer mostly, but sometimes I forge blades or even pots." Usually he didn't talk a lot, but she seemed to be so taken aback by everything he had to fill the silence somehow. "Went into town for some supplies and a drink when I found you on the side of the road..."

"What happened?" he asked her. "What's your name?"

Descent into chaos

Kings men had deserted before, and you'd think those who escorted someone would be less inclined to incite violence like they had. Their job was to get whatever prominent member they were escorting safely to the next destination. Bardeck didn't have the time, nor the inclination to hear the battered man complain or yell anymore. "I really don't care what you were doing. I simply wanted to know what I should mark on your gravestone."

With that, Bardeck lifted his axe to strike the man dead. "Wait!" the prone man cried, holding up his hands. "I do have information! Please!" Bardeck's axe stopped short, and he hesitated. In all honesty, he wasn't as keen on violence as most would think either. But this world bred violence as a necessity. Still, if there was a way out of this, he'd take it. "Speak up." He said to the man, who began to blather in turn. "There's supposed to be a meeting between administrators a few miles south of here. They're discussing plans on tricking Meridin into complacency with a huge cache of gold, on its way there now."

Bardeck blinked, and looked at the man with a barely suppressed disbelief. "You're lying." Bardeck said, to which the man vehemently denied. "I'm not. It's on the southwest road, with barely more guards than the administrator had. Please, I'm telling you the truth." Bardeck wasn't sure if he was genuine, but he seemed genuinely scared, if nothing else. He looked to Ferthyr for his opinion on the matter.

Grim Galaxy: Shots and Chances

Neil was just getting to the part where they evading the Terran missile when he saw Sayeeda sashaying over, for once positively jubilant. It looked good on her. The girl she grabbed squeaked in surprise, and a few of the other girls looked less than amused and perhaps a bit jealous of her familiarity with Neil. However once he explained this was his Captain, they looked to her with a curiosity and the buxom woman she grabbed felt quite snug.

"Well I was hoping to enjoy myself longer but, more money's more money." He said, raising a cup to toast with Sayeeda. The other girls that had drinks of their own joined in, probably just to say they were apart of one of these smugglers' many adventures. Neil then chugged the remainder of his drink, savoring this last one for the day. If he had anymore he might start dropping cargo later on, and even with a smuggler's job, efficacy was key. Particularly with a smuggler's job, now that he thought of it.

"Oi!" A faint voice was heard in the background. "Oi, you girls!" It grew louder over the course of the next few seconds, just as Neil's lips were finding purchase on the voluptuous dancer on his lap. She was suddenly yanked off unceremoniously by a less than amused balding man, who looked like mid-life had hit him like a ton of bricks. Behind him, his two bouncers were stone faced and grim. The red faced man's voice, now not muffled by the music, was like a nasty wake up call to the women. "Just what in the hell do you girls think you're doing!? Get back to work!" He ordered. The women scattered like mice. "And you two, if you want to entertain yourself other than drinks you better pay for it."

Neil's hair was a mess from the hand that had just ran through his hair being yanked out of it, and he blinked. "Should have expected that." He said to Sayeeda, but mostly to himself. Never a dull moment in his life, smuggler or mechanic. The music above them shifted into something harder and more fast paced, and the men gave Neil and Sayeeda one last, dangerous look before heading away again. "Well, might as well head that way, yeah?" Neil said to the Captain, leaping to his feet.

It would be once they made it into the glassteel hallway above the refinery when a certain noise, a noise that had been drowned out in the bar, was now more than evident to their ears. A horn was sounding in warning, and an automated voice repeated the following statement over and over.

All orbital traffic has been halted effective immediately. Darkspace threat inbound. All orbital traffic has been halted effective immediately. Darkspace threat inbound.
@Penny

The Deposed Dilemma

"I..." he said to her when he placed the bowl of stew in front of her. "am hungry as hell too." The spoon in the thick stew was large, almost ladle-like. Humphrey had plopped down next to her chair, and the muscled young man began scooping a bowl for himself as well. "You feel better?" He asked her, glancing over his shoulder at her. She seemed so unsure about everything except the food. After a moment, he realized it might be stupid question, at least to her. She might feel better, but she was still bruised, hungry, and shaved.

He took off his smith apron (having put it on to cook) and set it down. He let her go ahead and dig in while he went to fetch the medicine to help her wounds, heading into the storage room and sift through a cabinet. Moving aside various items, he found the herbs he was looking for. "Good." He said to himself, making his way back into the kitchen once again and placing the herbs in another boiling pot.

"You're lucky I found you. Those ruffians from the street were thinking of going back out there to mess with you some more. That seemed excessive," he joked, cutting up the last of the herbs. "So I helped. I never did like most of the men in the town. They'd gut you for an extra coin."

Letting the herbs boil, he pulled up a chair across from her and sat down, beginning to eat his stew as well. It was hearty but tasty, considering. And filling as well. "You're not good to walk for a long while, and I don't have a horse to take you anywhere. I have a donkey but...I don't think that is your style." He winked. "If you want to stay here for a bit, you're welcome to. Just make sure you don't wander too far. If you head opposite of the town from my house, the forest is filled with wolves this time of year."

The Deposed Dilemma

His mouth went slack for a moment at her not even dismissing him with words. He tried to say something, but in the end decided to say nothing at all, giving her a nod before heading out towards the kitchen.

The cottage was fairly large for a single person to live in. The tub where Ferona washed was in the central workroom, where on the left side was the forge and the right side was the tub next to his workbench and tools where he practiced as a carpenter. On that side of the room was also a door that led to a long kitchen and small eating area, with a wooden dinner table and a few smaller tables where food was to be prepared. He'd set up his food earlier, and now was chopping up some chicken and various herbs and spices, as well as a potato or two into a short pan of boiling water and milk, preparing potato chicken stew.

Humphrey the basset wagged his little tail and watched Berek with a happy pant, content to smell the food and soak in the steam from the pot. It was nearly ready when Ferona was done. Outside the tub, she would see a pole with various shirts and trousers, though even just wearing one of the blacksmith's shirts would fit like a small dress on a woman of her size.

Berek would start humming to himself as he finished cooking and began setting up the table. An old tune his father used to sing to him, the smith's voice low and smooth.