Best place to buy perfect bars

So I’m a walleye fisherman by nature, but my good buddy loves to go for catfish. Normally it’s just to a local lake for channels. And they are easy to catch. But I’m looking to catch some big guys.
So what size rods, reels, line, hooks, etc should I look at buying? Trying to keep it cheap as it’s not something I’ll do on the regular. I know they are in the fox and rock rivers. Any good places from shore in south central Wisconsin? What else should I know?

5 December 1518

 
Musical Accompaniment
 
Born in 1440 to Antonio Trivulzio and Francesca Visconti, minor Guelph nobles in Milan, Gian Giacomo Trivulzio was raised alongside Galeazzo Maria Sforza, and would spend much of his early life in his service.
His military career started in 1465, when at the age of 25 he accompanied Sforza's army to France, where they would fight on the side of King Louis XI against the League of Public Weal. This taste of blood was evidently rather satisfactory for Trivulzio, as he would spend the remainder of his life in military service.
 

Sforza and Montefeltro Service

In the 1460s, he fought in the service of the Sforzas against the famous Bartolomeo Colleoni - one of the greatest military minds of the 15th Century. Soon after, he moves to the service of Federico da Montefeltro, and fights in the infamous Battle of Riccardina, where the forces of Colleoni, Ercole d'Este, and Alessandro Sforza, as well as some Florentine families, faced off against an alliance of the Medicis, King Ferdinand I of Naples, and Federico da Montefeltro.
It is in this period that he marries his first wife, Margherita Colleoni - a distant relative of the famous Condottiero.
 

Condottiero

In 1478, he entered the service of the Medicis against the expansionist Pope Sixtus IV, defending the city of Florence in the wake of the Pazzi Conspiracy, until the Ottoman capture of Otranto forced a peace settlement.
In 1480, he purchased the castle of Mesocco. By 1496 the surrounding countryside will have joined the Three Leagues in Switzerland, by his permission.
 

Rossi War and Ludovico Sforza

In 1482, he enters the service of Ludovico Sforza, against the Rossi family of Parma, in rebellion against the Sforzas of Milan. As tensions built up between Ludovico Sforza - then Regent of Milan - and the other nobles of Milan, it was Trivulzio - then only a lieutenant to Costanza Sforza - who was entrusted with taking Parma. Trivulzio proved himself incredibly capable in the art of siege and harrying, devastating the lands loyal to the Rossi, and capturing alpine fortresses with great vigor. Making excellent headway, it was only the intervention of the Republic of Venice that stopped Trivulzio. His soldiers were transferred to the command of the Duke of Urbino - an old employer, Federico da Montefeltro. Eventually, Trivulzio would work his way to being the primary commander of Ludovico's forces in Milan, winning the war for the Milanese, defeating the Venetian army at Martinengo, and becoming Governor of Parma for the Sforzas.
His first wife died in 1485. She had given him one surviving son - Gian Niccolò Trivulzio, and a score of daughters.
 

Neapolitan Service

In 1488, he moves to Naples, and enters the service of Alfonso d'Aragon, Duke of Calabria. He would marry Beatrice d'Avalos, and would be appointed Commander of the army of Naples. It is in this period that Charles VIII invades Italy, after being invited into Milan by Ludovico Sforza.
 

Charles' War for Naples First Italian War (1494-1498)

Musical Accompaniment
 
In 1494, Trivulzio negotiated the surrender of Naples to Charles VIII, who, impressed by the man, hires him into French service, with the written permission of Ferdinand I of Naples. In 1495 he fought in the Battle of Fornovo in the service of the King of France, marching back to France with the army. He is appointed Marshal of France for his actions in the battle.
 

Second Italian War (1498-1503)

In 1498 Trivulzio was placed in charge of a large army by the new King Louis XII. He marched on Milan, and chased Ludovico Sforza, now Duke of Milan, to Innsbruck, where he bid the assistance of Maximilian of Austria.
In October 1499, Trivulzio entered Milan, and was appointed Governor.
In 1501, Trivulzio was again placed in charge of a French army - this time, he was intended to be in command of small contingents of French troops to hold river crossings. Instead, he found himself in the midst of the French Army in their victory at Gorgonzola. The French - employing great numbers of Swiss mercenaries, defeated an Imperial army marching alongside Ludovico Sforza.
In 1502, Trivulzio commanded the French army at (the later named First Battle of) San Martino, buying valuable time for the French to bring reinforcements across the alpine passes after the Fall of Savoy and save Milan from the Imperial incursions. Later in the year he would lead the French at Marzaglia, being bested by Cesare Borgia, and withdrawing to Reggio.
In 1503, Trivulzio commanded the French army at Monterosi, squaring off against the Spanish Army, with the Fate of the Eternal City at stake. Routing the Spanish, he drove south to the banks of the Garigliano River, before being finally stopped, not by the Spanish, but by his own supply lines.
 

War of the Second Italic League Third Italian War (1506-1509)

In 1506 Trivulzio commanded the French Army putting Modena to siege, taking it in early 1507. Having kicked a hornet's nest, Trivulzio was forced to withdraw from Modena, though stood up a valiant defence against a Venetian-Ferrarese army at Lodi.
With Milan in rebellion (in part to Trivulzio's poor governance), he withdrew from Milan, and met with the main French army in Novara.
In 1508 Trivulzio spearheaded the counterattack into Milan, which was then in Austrian hands. Crossing the Ticino, he met the main army under Georg von Frundsberg at Borgarello. Bloodying the Austrians, he forces them to withdraw, and is joined by Rohan-Gie and Trémoille, to defeat the Austrians and Venetians at the absolutely gargantuan Battle of Gaggiano. With the Austrians and Venetians defeated, Trivulzio set about restoring order to Milan. It is said that he attempted to put a stop to the worst of the sacking, but it is rather suspicious that most of the sacking hit the worst of the Ghibelline sections of the Duchy...
In 1509 Trivulzio oversaw the capture of Montferrat, and its subsequent integration into the Duchy of Milan.
 

Borgia War (1511-1512)

In 1511, following Cesare's attempt at seizing Rome and subsequent flight to Romagna, Trivulzio leads a Milanese army to the Romagna, where they put down Cesare Borgia alongside a Papal coalition by 1512. It was in this war that his son, Gian Niccolò passed - camp fever had taken him during a siege.
 

Francis' War for Naples Fourth Italian War (1512-1515)

Musical Accompaniment
 
With the betrayal of the Spanish, and the commencement of Francis' War for Naples, Trivulzio commanded a rear force in the siege of Pescara. With the fall of that city in 1513, he lead a supporting force to Francis, proving to be a mentor and moderating voice to the rapacious young Duc de Valois.

Lombard War Fifth Italian War (1515-1516)

By 1515, the French army in Naples was exhausted, and saw fit to retire north, as the Emperor had made a pact with the Venetians, and invaded Milan. Trivulzio fought a rearguard action against the Spanish, allowing the Duc de Valois to pursue a stunning victory against the Austrians and Venetians at Lodi, and yet again routing Maximilian and the Venetians from the Duchy of Milan.
 
Trivulzio's final actions came in 1516, where he took over the command of the army from the gravely wounded Duc de Nemours, and proceeded to assist in the seizure of Venetian Lombardy, and the subsequent Second Battle of San Martino.

Retirement

Tired and contented, Trivulzio passes in his bed in the Castello Sforzecco on the 5th of December, 1518. He was 78 years of age. He is succeeded by his grandson, Gian Francesco Trivulzio.
It is said that Giangiacomo requested to be buried with a sword on his chest, instead of a cross. When asked why, he answered, "To scare the devils when they come for me."

I should totally know this, after playing this game for years and years. But before i usually just messed around in creative on a superflat, and although I still love doing that, I actually wanna beat the game at least once.
Every time I get a good survival world going, something stupid happens and I die without a spawn point, thousands of blocks away from where I was. I now have a decent world going, with a place I'm settled, very near a village with a couple others not all that far past it. I bave gotten some diamonds, specifically 13 diamonds. I have made a pic and a sword, leaving me with 8. I am not sure if I should save them and wait til I get more. Or, if I should make a chest plate, or an axe. Should I just make a chestplate? Should i save it until I get enough for a full set? Should I make an axe and shove? I don't know what to prioritize, because my diamond finding luck is sub-par, at best.
Any help would be appreciated, I'm not new to this game at all, just a mainly creative and builder, not survival expert.

Into The New World - An amazing debut song, a fan favorite as well Gee - A BIG hit OH! - Love the cheerleading outfits, catchy song too Run Devil Run - Simple choreo but a good song with 2 high notes by King Taeyeon Hoot - A catchy song but can’t explain why Mr. Taxi - Once again a fan of the outfits, Taeyeon’s high note- The Great Escape - Has a j-pop vibe but still feels like something SoShi would release, it also has an unfair line distribution- The Boys - A song with 3 versions in languages Paparazzi - A Japanese song with an amazing MV Flower Power - A catchy song where Sunny ACTUALLY gets lines I GOT A BOY - A mix of hybrid genres which is really catchy Karma Butterfly - I feel like this song has a retro vibe to it Galaxy Supernova – I feel like this song has another retroey vibe and I like it Mr.Mr. - When SoShi does what they do best - having good stable vocals Catch Me If You Can - A good synchronized choreo with 3 dance breaks by 3 different members, OG with Jessica in Japanese and in Korean w/o her Lion Heart - What I said about Mr.Mr. but w/o Sica this time and the small rap part You Think - One of the catchiest, has an amazing rap part and the meaning behind the song is amazing when you need it All Night - 2 members each have a part together also a catchy song Holiday - A very summer like song FOREVER 1 - A good comeback song after 5 years with a fair line distribution
Girls’ Generation - A catchy song that’s the same name as the group Show! Show! Show! - A really catchy song You-Aholic - “Psycho sexy super magic” Motorcycle - A song where Seohyun’s voice fits PERFECTLY! But Fany’s an honorable mention Soul - A good b-side for Mr.Mr., Taeyeon’s 4-5 high notes, Tiffany’s high note n rap- Show Girls - A song that was OG in japanese and with Jessica Sign - A very slow but calm song Fan - When you look at the meaning behind it, it’s really saying how much far SoShi has came Sweet Talk - A more (retroey?) song with a bit of that summer vibe Villain - “Call me the villain cause I’m busy killin’ it” You Better Run - A good continuation of Run Devil Run

1 - Acer Predator Helios 16 Gaming Laptop, i9-13900HX, RTX 4080, 16" Mini LED 250Hz G-SYNC HDR 1000 Display, 32GB 2TB, for $2,682.80
2 - ASUS ROG Strix Scar 16 (2023) Gaming Laptop, 16” Nebula HDR QHD 240Hz/3ms, 1100 nits, Mini LED, RTX 4080, i9-13980HX, 32GB 1TB, for $2,899.99
3 - Alienware X16 R1 Gaming Laptop, 16-inch QHD+ 240Hz, i9-13900HK, RTX 4080, 32GB 1TB, 1 Year Premium Support, for $2,899.99
4 - MSI Stealth 17 Studio 17.3" QHD 240Hz Gaming Laptop, i9, RTX 4080, 32GB 1TB, Thunderbolt 4, Cooler Boost Trinity+, for $2,639.99
5 - ASUS ROG Strix Scar 17 (2023) Gaming Laptop, 17.3” QHD 240Hz/3ms, RTX 4080, AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX, 32GB 1TB, for $2,899.99
source - https://www.amazon.com/shop/helpmefinddeals/list/20D4VV6ZP8VE5
Thanks

Setting.
Sad music "Just searching and suddenly a baby ______ in a bag with trash!" Then they show them rehabbing it to sad piano meme and "hOw cOulD sOmEonE dO tHiS!?"
Well simple, they buy a poor animal that they'll stuff into a grocery bag tie it off, then as said above. Still breathing, maybe shivering if mamal because it's fucking scared and cold.
Now are there shitty people who do stuff like this?
Yes they do exist and I'm not denying it at all. In fact I encourage people if they witness this happening please call the authorities, time place what they look like maybe ask where the nearest wood chipper rental and cement supply is so they work a tad bit faster catching the son of a bitch.
Jokes aside.
I genuinely think these videos are made for one thing only and that's click farming. Viral videos make money and what's a good viral video than a "Unknown POV hero good Samaritan right nut hair of god who happens to have their camera out right on the red bag with the defenseless animal!" When in fact it's straight up animal abuse.
Fuck these people I hope they get exposed and I hope they rot in prison.

Shes trying to rush everything through without a lawyer.. were both broke and she did some sketchy stuff she doesnt eant to come out....let the judge decide everything and "agree on 50/50" that she pretty much decided on.... I'm wiseing up.
Lawyering up, wandering what will look worse......
Anger issues on the dads side, no housing due to being used to buy stbx a house in her own name (provable), sketchy employment for the last year due to emotional issues from narc abuse
Mom cheated years ago and let kids meet affair partner, currently 2 months after separation she is already planning on kids meeting new partner and is telling them details about him and the great new life they'll have now that I'm out of the picture, telling them not to tell me stuff, informing me of pre-court custody schedules, etc.
All the stuff she is doing with the kids is causing some pretty extreme emotional distress for our 3 kids(all under 10) they don't understand it... I mean 2 months... they're losing it.
I'm meeting with a lawyer tuesday. Court in 3 weeks, im planning on going for full custody due to the emotional well being of my children, but she can paint a pretty bad picture of me (and has her friends convinced of the same.. smear campaigns) as I let the emotional abuse turn me into a pretty bad person.
I'm going into the lawyer with a "truth will set you free" attitude and hoping for the best...

recently saw one. (not irl but from a trusted seller)
he was sellling a bunch of parts. heres what i want: MSI rx 580 8gb , intel i5 3570 , gigabyte h61m third gen this totals up to 45k.
i can get 8gb ram for 4-5k and storage idk.
this totals up to 55k nearly. this seems like a good pc and so am thinking of buying it.
teh other option is: rx 580 4gb DATALAND(2048sp) , intel i5 3570 , gigabyte h61m third gen this totals up to 32.5k and tehn the ram and storage make this to nearly 45k.
the main difference is the gpu. teh 8gb msi RX 580 costs 35k while the DATALAND RX 580 4GB (i think its 2048sp which means its like a rx 570) costs 22.5k
there is another option which is a RX 560 4GB DATALAND which costs 14.5k
in which gpu am i getting teh best price to performance ratio? i feel like the rx 580 4gb is the best since it is 12.5k cheaper. it also has decent performance.
also for my cpu choice alot of people say to go for a xeon proccessor as they are cheaper. for thsi specific shop. their was a intel i5 3570 and intel h61 motherboard for 10k together so tahts what i chose. i want to upgrade in the future but not near. would the second pc be enough for some okayish gaming? if you feel like these prices are too expensive then do tell me as it will help with negotiating.

I made a post a couple weeks ago about Zantetsu, Tokimitsu, and Wanima but I might aswell make another one because of some feedback I got.
Ishikari. Tallest High school player, I thought he was a pretty cool dude and he could be used as a good Target man with a good physique and aerial skill like Aryu. He hasn't seen a lot of use though even though he had a bit of development in the u20 training game. I think with his skills fully utilized, he can become a very good player with a great Physique and Aerial playstyle.
Nanase. I think Nanase could be a pretty good generalist player similar to that of Reo (Prior to his copy) and Igaguri. He is pretty useful as shown in the training arc when him and Isagi were able to combo pretty well. I think he's a player who can do incredibly well in many departments and get some development like a new weapon. It could also be pretty cool to see him become a new man in the PXG match against Bastard München and face Isagi head on.
Hiori. Now this one is more just me talking about how hes a pretty good player than how hes under utilized because its pretty obvious hes going to be used going forward bcuz we got a whole backstory about him. Hiroi is an incredible player who can analyze the field in seconds and create the best pass possible and break down defenses with a one-two pass. He can fit incredibly well into a lot of spots on the field as when he receives the ball, he can help turn it into an opportunity for his teammates to score quickly. He also has a very good analytical mind that could possibly develop into metavision.
Neru: Neru is an incredible speedy defender who was a problem in the Japan u20 match. His lightning fast movements allow him to catch up with a lot of forwards and shut down a lot of people entirely like Yukimiya. He also has a very good stealing ability, being able to pounce on the ball with his electric movements. I think he is a really good player who actually has a place on BM for shutting down some forwards.
Kazuma: Kazuma is also a very effective defender who uses his physique to shut down a shot entirely. This is a very useful skill that can stop a lot of players in Blue Lock. He was even able to stop Nagi from shooting.
More players that'd id like to see do stuff:
Shingen Tanaka: Looks like a cool dude, also was the fifth person to clear the training thing in the second selection. Saramadara: We saw a bit of him, I think he could be touched on more. Aiki Himizu: Looks cool asf, his playstyle could have something to do with his Snake-like appearance. Kiyora: Looks cool, dont rlly know howd he play though. Kitsunezato: Looks funny, thats about it. Kento Cho: Idk why but I'm pretty drawn to him, I like his deadpan delivery and he was pretty cool during the few times we saw him.
Feel free to discuss in the comments, ill try to respond to most discussions or critiques.

I know this has probably been talked about often, but I think I have some points a lot of people don’t touch on. I also find this relevant to the sub due to how Henry VII took the throne and Richard III’s legacy in Tudor England.
I’m definitely not saying Ol 68 inch Dick was a saint, but I’d start off with what we know of the mans character. We know that Richard III was deeply loyal to his brother and loved him, and that he cried at the news of his brothers death. We also know that he protested against his elder brother George’s execution, something his sister in law Elizabeth was greatly in favor for. We also know that he was close to his wife and beloved in the north as a just, charitable, and chivalrous man. This is a man, who, evidently loves his family.
Secondly, we have political reasons. Richard wasn’t an idiot. The very worst thing you can do to eliminate a political rival is to just have them disappear, especially with the predicament Richard was in. If he did want to avoid rebellions on the boys behalves, it would have been best to have them die of “natural causes” and give them a public funeral as Edward IV did with Henry VI. The best thing to do would be to keep a close watch on them or bring them north. But killing them secretly would inevitably lead to fakes like Perkin down the line and hatred for him.
But you could also say, well then why would Richard usurp his nephews throne in the first place? What kind of good guy would do that? And that’s definitely true. First of all, though, this is the Wars of the Roses. The only king who didn’t do some heinous shit was Henry VI. Edward IV had his brother drowned, Henry VII imprisoned a child and then executed him a decade later, and Richard III usurped the throne. But ol Dick was in a terrible situation, due to the Woodvilles. He and his in laws hated each other from the beginning, as Edward IV injected the Woodvilles almost shamelessly into English politics through marriages and wardships. There’s a reason why kings shouldn’t marry English women. They were considered grasping and proud and it tore apart the Yorkist side, much like the Lusignans or the Despensers. And putting Edward V in the hands of Anthony Woodville only made it worse. So when the Woodvilles attempted to take the protectorate and Ritchie struck back with some executions, it was only a matter of time before Edward Woodville grew up and decided to take revenge.
But here comes Stillington. A lot of people believe that Stillington’s story is made up and too convenient. But it was probably a godsend to Dickon York Plantagenet. It was a way to save his life and ensure his young sons prospects. But, personally, I believe Stillington’s story to be believable. For one, Edward was definitely the type to agree to a plight troth to get into a woman’s wimple. Second, agreeing to marriage before a priest and then having sex basically means you’re married in medieval times, thus making Edward V and his siblings bastards, which is a big deal. Another point is that Edward IV cast Stillington into jail for a bit in 1478. To scare him to silence?
And that begs the question: who killed the princes? It’s my personal belief that it was Buckingham. With the princes dead, Richard III stands between Buckingham and the throne as he can trace his descent to Edward III as Richard can, by a younger son. And soon after the princes die he rebels in favor of Tudor. Why? It’s not like he’s a nice guy with a liking for Woodvilles and what would he get out of it? He’s one of Richard’s favorites. But if he takes out Richard, he can challenge Harry and take the throne himself.
So that’s it. That’s my point and I’ve been wanting to get it out for a while. Ignoring Tudor Propaganda, Richard III is a suicidally brave man who loved his brother and wife, hated the Woodvilles, and was loved by the north.

I (19) was pulled out of school 10-11 years ago. I have practically been socially isolated (partially involuntarily) since that time. I was homeschooed. I don't have any local friends, save for one that I used to know when I was little. We met again in late 2021. I have online friends and actually got to meet up with one twice last year. I cannot drive because I don't know how and don't have a license or ID. I don't have a job and cannot get one for reasons I'll explain later. I've never gone on dates or gone anywhere by myself.
I have two siblings and share a bedroom with one. Our room is connected to our brother's room and the stairs, so he has to walk through to get to his room and back. There is no lock on the door, and even if there were, it would be useless. I have no privacy in the entire house except for the only bathroom, which also has no lock. The only time I get alone is when I'm sleeping, in the shower, or the little time I get to spend in the kitchen, eating and brainstorming for my stories. I have many creative hobbies and a small workspace in my room. I like to work in peace and quiet, watching something or listening to music. My brother likes to come in and talk to me, which is fine some of the time, but he is incessant sometimes and very nosy.
I want to get a job for several reasons, and most come down to money. My family is poor so if I could have any job that would help pay bills. I would also like to buy my own things. It would also help me be more confident and independent. As you can probably guess, my social skills with strangers are very poor. But I can't get a job because: 1, no transportation 2, no previous job experience at all 3, my mom says I'm not ready for a job because I'm not adjusted for social situations 4, no independence, I would probably have an anxiety or panic attack if I were somewhere without somebody I know.
So jobs are out for the time being. I can't visit my friend and I don't talk to her a lot because she's busy with her own job. She's a little younger than me and from what I can tell, way better adjusted and 'normal' compared to me. I yearn to see her again so I can get out and see somebody else and have fun, but also because I'm very fond of her and I want to be good friends. But another problem, I ask my mom if I can meet her but she said something like 'its too bad I'm not social'. I don't understand why she doesn't just drop me off at my friend's house or wherever we'd be meeting and then pick me up later. It's not like she has to be with me the whole time.
Which brings me to another thing. It seems everybody thinks I can't take care of myself or do things on my own. I'm followed to the bathroom, which could be only 15 feet away and in plain sight. I was at the mall earlier this week and paying for something with birthday money from my aunt, but my sister took my wallet and started counting it out for me like I couldn't do it.
I haven't had a proper haircut in five years or so, not one I actually liked. It needs trimmed but I hate going to the salon because I feel so awkward and self conscious. While I'm in the chair, my mom will stand nearby and watch. I can't be out of somebody's sight for more than five minutes. I can't cut my own hair or my mom gets irritated. It's just hair, it'll grow back. It's not like I cut her hair. If it looks bad it looks bad and I can live with that cause I barely go out anyway. Nobody will see it.
It all makes me feel like I'm a child or I'm very stupid and unable to make my own decisions. Maybe I'm just super ungrateful, or maybe I really am stupid and I don't know it. But it's driving me crazy. I would like to be taken seriously and allowed some freedom. I feel like my twenties are going to be when I actually act like a rebellious teenager.
TL;DR: Everyone treats me like a kid and I have no space of my own and no time alone. No independence, poor social skills and life, no job, and I'm 19. I think my mom is a narc (and probably my dad too) but I'm not sure.
I apologize if this is the wrong place to post this. I'm not used to the nuances of reddit. But I need advice. Thanks for reading.

First/Prev
​
Mogan was more than a little woozy after repeatedly toasting his deal with the two ladies. Shidhu had an interesting taste to it, but it was also strong. The San had alcohol, but fermenting berry juice or birch sap was a long procedure and took a lot of work and space. There had never been much to drink, and what they had wasn't nearly so strong.
They had also never needed an antidote for alcohol, while those who had alcohol had seen all its dangers many times over. A fizzing, nasty-tasting drink—once the women had left--had his head clear within minutes, and he walked easily, and steadily, out of the bar.
The bar did not look like the kind of drinking establishment that would be favored by the custom of a man who owned and commanded a ship three kilometers long. It was, to put it bluntly, a dive, the kind of place that the constables avoid. The Tortuga was the kind of place where an enterprising individual could buy weapons that weren't normally allowed on Haitac Station, or drugs that weren't allowed, or discrete passage on a ship if he needed to leave in a hurry. It was not the kind of place to bring the family, or a lover, or anybody who was not engaged in activity that was illegal or close to it.
Technically, Mogan could hire whoever he wanted, but since the companies that Races-through-the-Marshes and Wakawa ran had a somewhat... checkered... history, they generally preferred to stay where they could make an easy escape.
Then again, Mogan didn't look like the kind of man who owned a three-kilometer ship. Or commanded, at least; ownership was in the name of the San tribe. Mogan wore a loincloth, a strip of material about three meters long and a tenth as wide, wound between his legs and around his waist for a snug fit. Once upon a time these were doeskin, soft and supple, but nobody but his own tribe within a few thousand light-years had ever seen a doe, or tanned a hide.
His leggings were of tougher material, fringed to help keep the rain off, and his shoes were of a softer sole than most wore. Most Sylfa, at least; many species went barefoot. A tunic of the same material covered his torso down to his hips, likewise fringed. Like the loincloth, these were once deerskin, and in the cold he would wear a heavier coat over it. These were colored and patterned like leather, but he couldn't even identify the material. Softer than leather, it was tougher as well, and a few controls from the pad in his left hand could even make it as warm or as cool as he liked.
The latter was standard for most clothing, protecting from all but the most extreme temperatures, but the rest looked as primitive as it did before his tribe had ever seen a ship.
A rod was tucked into his belt on the left side, bent slightly back. At one end was a hand grip, with straps looped to fit two fingers into, and on the other end was a beautifully-carved ibex,with its horns forming a small but dull hook to the weapon. The atlatl could hurl a spear twice as far or more, and with almost exponentially more force, but Mogan carried no spears.
He did once, in a quiver made of birch-bark, with the bottom third of the spears covered and the feathered ends sticking over his head, but by now the weapon was more a mark of office than a tool he used. Back in those days it was tucked into the right side, in easy reach of his throwing hand, but no more. On the right, it would have gotten in the way of the laser pistol in its low holster on his right hip.
Most people who carried a rifle or pistol either wore or carried a targeting monocle, a lens that would adjust for moving targets and tell the shooter where to aim, but the San needed no such thing, neither the expense nor the time the device took to find a solution and adjust.
The humans were unique in this.
On his cheek was a mark; a simple tattoo, of only two lines in a pattern like an inverted y, the mark of his tribe. He was of average height and build, with brown hair and eyes, skin bronzed from many different winds and many different suns, but among the two thousand people of the San he was high chieftain. And captain, soon.
Mogan continued to walk up the wide hallways, avoiding the central areas, until he spotted the old man. A small wave, and he turned to head that way.
Shett was once one of the Yil, the hereditary nobility of the Sovereignty. The Yil were untouchable within the Sovereignty, able to do as they wished to such an extent that only protection a citizen had was the possible protection of another Yil. Rather than Yil Shett, the man was now simply Shett, a citizen of the Confederated Settlements. And a traitor as far as the Sovereign was concerned, almost certainly.
Yil Shett had been a wise man with a sharp mind, but a little more than heavyset, nearly locked into his office by duty and stress. Now the man was whipcord-thin, typical of the Sylfa, walking easily. Defecting from the Sovereignty had meant giving up unimaginable wealth—the man had literally owned three planets—but it had clearly been a good thing for him.
The Sylfa waved an arm to make sure Mogan saw him, and tapped a panel on the wall. “Good evening, Captain.”
Mogan shrugged a little. It was “evening” in the sense that they were nearing the end of the cycle, but on the station there was no difference between night and day. Haitac was in orbit around a star, so they didn't even have the shadow of the planet to contend with. But the lack of sun and moon often threw off his mental sense of time, and the twenty-hour day did not help.
“Whatever it is at the moment,” he chuckled, “I hope it goes well for you.” The walls of the station had rails near the ceiling. Hanging from them was something that looked more like saddles on cords, so that nearly any creature could sit on them, extending from beams. Some species had tails, after all, and sitting on a bench was uncomfortable for them at best.. The beams moved swiftly down the corridors, an important feature in a station that was mostly corridor.
Haitac Station was part dock, part shipyard, part admiralty court, part military base, and part entertainment complex. The court could be centralized, and was. The military was as centralized as it could be, although patrols also kept the peace in the rest of the station. The entertainment could be centralized, but for some reason was not, with bars and brothels and hotels and sports complexes and libraries and theaters of various kinds in odd and unlikely places. The docks and shipyards could not be. The dreadnoughts that were the backbone of any fleet were four kilometers long, and some were as much as twice that. A massive tanker or cargo hauler could be four or five times as long, and the end result was that the ships needed a great deal of room between each dock. In addition, since it was partly military, sponsored by the Settlements, there were areas, such as the one they were bound to now, that were not open to the general public.
Mogan climbed onto one of the saddles, and Shett onto another. The average Sylfa was about a head taller than a human, but about two-thirds the weight. An evolutionary past that stayed in the trees for longer granted them a lighter build than humans, and six limbs compared to humanity's four, but they could not walk as well as humans.
Then again, nothing could. Nor did any species, sapient or not, hold the endurance that humans had. The Sylfa could scramble up surfaces with an ease that astounded humanity, leap over a human's head from a standing start, and sprint nearly twice as fast, and others like the Shawing could move even faster over a short distance, but nothing matched a human over long distances.
Mogan had carried a Sylfa once, as he ran, but that was his woman, not a friend. Instead, he held to the saddle as the beam returned to the rails at the upper edge of the wall. It adjusted to their heights by simply changing the length of the cords. The Zerda came no higher than his knee for a tall one, while the Mantu were easily three times his height, so very few affairs were one-size-fits-all measures... another difference from the Sovereignty.
The beam rose into the air, moving along the ceiling at a place slightly faster than Mogan could sprint. Up ahead of them a light indicated a spot where they could make the beams lower to the floor again, but they were going well beyond that point. A small field in front of them kept the wind of their passage from getting too bad.
Mogan was familiar with hard light shields, since every ship had them, but he did not think this was hard light. Hard-light was impossible to make without Reagnium-80. Considering every single interplanetary vessel needed a supply of it and its relative rarity, Reagnium-80 was so valuable that the Settlements used it as the value standard for their currency. There were thousands of these beams, all throughout the station. Not only would they have had to spend an obscene amount to make them, but anything that valuable would have been stripped out and stolen within days... cycles, here.
“The war?”
Shett nodded in reply. “We got news not long ago of a large battle at Manna-6. Ground battle. Our forces were outnumbered about half-again-to-one, but it was a heavy victory.”
Mogan nodded and relaxed, thinking. In a sense, this war was his fault.
Two years ago, he had been little more than a shaman of a small village, of a small tribe, on his homeworld—and on the entire planet, only he had understood even the concept of a homeworld. The term the Sovereignty used for the tribe's introduction to the greater galaxy was “upliftment.” Mogan didn't like it; it implied that he was somehow below the others, raised to true sapience by their own beneficence.
Perhaps every “upliftment” had an ulterior motive, but that of the San certainly had. Mogan did not regret his actions on Noepe; he had saved the lives of men and women breaking the law to survive, shot and stabbed a great many people enforcing what was in truth simple tyranny, and electrocuted the governess who had arranged for his woman to be marooned. No, he still looked upon their mission with pride, but one of the Yils had arranged it themselves, as a pretext to invasion. The few who know of humanity knew that Yil Shett had been a friend and advocate for the species, and the many who knew of Yil Shett knew that he had given up his titles and lands and betrayed the Sovereignty to join the Settlements.
Shett tapped a button on the saddle, and as the next light showed ahead the beam lowered to the floor so they could climb off. It wasn't far from here, and they could walk. They did so, for about two hundred yards before they came to a window.
“There's your dock,” Shett said. “I suppose I could have made a holo easy enough, but I thought your first look at her should be with your own eyes.”
Windows were more common in the public areas, where diners—or guests in the more expensive hotels—could look out on the void, and rarer in the corridors that were mostly just for reaching ships with crew or passengers or supplies. Mogan stepped out to this one, looked out over the dockyards, and stared, mesmerized.

Hi, I'm kinda new to trading and wanted to know how to get that item for the price shown in the graph. It says it was sold for 1$ but the listing never went below 4$. Do I have to place a buy order and wait? Can someone please help me out