Admiral's Log, TSS Alexander Nevsky BCM-1102: Admiral Nobuyuki Ito
08/16/2175
It is done. I have sent my letter to all outlets that I would receive it. I do not know how many will publish it, but I have placed my last hope in the goodness of humanity, in those who believe, as I do, that the destruction of an entire colony of innocents is reprehensible and an act of barbarity and evil.
I suspect I shall be executed for my act of treason if I am caught. Never in Hegemony history has an admiral mutinied against his own government; I'm not sure that it's ever happened in navy history. The crew of the Alexander Nevsky has, as I anticipated, remained loyal to the Hegemony. I am locked in my quarters without weapons or means of escape. All I have is this recording, probably the last thing anyone will ever hear of me. If I am allowed to live it will be as a drone of the state or a corporation. I have heard of the Interlink's capacity to nullify independent thought. I will be hooked into a network run by Ambience's research arm; my mind taken and plugged into a computer to be used as part of their collective neural supercomputers. I'm sure the knowledge and experience of a decorated admiral would greatly add to their resource pool. However it was, it must be done. My freedom is a small price to pay for the freedom of all and the right of all beings to live freely.
I have already received orders to stand down from the TIA as well as Admiral Gottred. I have, however, managed to redirect Captain Chang and have told him nothing of this. He knows that I received a transmission from TIA command on Earth, but he does not know the content of that communique. I will not tell him of what I am planning; I have trained Captain Chang myself as I trained Captain Bouchet. However, I do not trust him the same way. Captain Chang is a highly capable officer; however, his ambition often outweighs his reason. I believe that if he knows what my orders were, he would turn me over in a heartbeat.
So I have told him that our orders were to abandon the main fleet and conduct search and destroy missions targeting hidden Novan missile launchers in the Titan's Belt asteroid field. I have ordered him to maintain radio silence for fear of Novan warships and missile tracking systems. Then I discretely abandoned ship, telling Captain Chang that Admiral Gottred had recalled me to the forward TIA base on Nova. I approach Imladris now, where I hope to make contact with Novan intelligence where I can defect.
08/17/2175
My escape pod has landed in the Novan ocean above the colony city of Imladris. There are no windows on my escape pod, so I cannot see the city. I do not wish to risk transmitting a distress call to them either; the Hegemony may have troops in the city by now, and I do not wish to attract attention. I can receive broadcasts, however, and have been listening to many broadcasts. My escape pod floats on the oceanic surface of Nova and provides protection from most of Proxima's harmful radiation and I have enough rations to survive for two weeks in the meanwhile. I have been transmitting distress on shortband EM frequencies in hopes that a lifi receiver will pick up the distress call. But for now, I wait. End log.
08/18/2175
My escape pod has suddenly been intercepted. I have been picked up by the Novan Aquatic Navy. The ship is a destroyer called the Antigone. The ship's Captain emigrated from Tau Eridani as a child and has risen through the ranks of the NAN since then. I have been given a cabin vacated by a casualty taken during a Terran air raid and confined within quarters. The Captain is unsure what to do with me, but has contacted Novan intelligence as I have requested. The outlook of the Captain of the Antigone is grim; he believes that Terran invaders in Hanson Harbor, the second major city on Proxima B, will make enough gains to free up an invasion of Imladris any day, and without support from the Grushan or the NSN, he believes that the NAN and Novan Marines will be unable to hold off the invasion. I do not blame his pessimism. Under other circumstances, I might even be glad to hear it. But these circumstances are far from ordinary. The Terran Hegemony has overstepped every boundary of human decency and honor, and I must stand against them. Perhaps my defection will serve the Novan war effort. End log.
Captain's log, NAN Antigone PC07-314: Captain Martin Diego Santiago
08/18/2175
At 1418 today, we received a shortband transmission over lifi. We triangulated the signal to a small escape pod floating in grid 17 by 118. It had a Terran configuration. We figured that it was probably from one of the destroyers they lost in the battle. Didn't know if there would be anyone still alive, but according to NANHC, they have about two weeks of supply on Terran escape pods. We expected that anyway, but when we fished it out, it wasn't a midshipman from a destroyer; he claimed to be Admiral Nobuyuki Ito of the Terran 6th Task Force and he was here to defect. I've informed NIC, and they're dispatching the New Illinois to pick him up and take him somewhere to figure out what to do with him.
Personally, I'm not sure what to think about him. He might be genuine for all I know; I've not heard much about which Terran admirals stand where. I remember when I lived in Tau Eridani, I heard about Admiral Gottred a lot, but Ito's name never came up. Hans Gottred was something of a political figure on the Halo colony for a while. But I never heard of Ito while I was in the Hegemony. Must mean he's either a newly appointed Admiral or that he was stationed somewhere else, Alpha Ceti or something similar to that.
I've done my best to keep him confidential, but a lot of the crew knows that we picked up a Terran escape pod, and I don't think any of them are going to believe that a man his age is a midshipman. Until NIC tells me otherwise, I've been letting out that he was a political officer aboard the Kitsunai, which was lost in the battle, but I don't know if anyone's buying that story. I don't know. I trust my crew, of course, but in this case, it's best to say as little as possible. They are sailors, after all. I don't want them getting into port in Imladris or Sea of No Return, getting drunk, and blabbing that we picked up a Terran admiral to a prostitute or heaven knows who else. So for now, we're keeping up the myth alive. I do hope the New Illinois gets here soon, though; at the moment only I and my first officer know who he is or claims to be, but especially with the internet, keeping secrets on a ship this small will be damn near impossible. End log.
Novan Intelligence Dispatch: 08/18/2175
NAN Antigone PC07-314-Novan Intelligence Commission: Terran battle survivor intercepted in grid 17 by 118. Claims to be Admiral Nobuyuki Ito, Terran 6th Task Force. Carries appropriate identification. Request further orders. End dispatch.
Official Transcript: Phone Call: From Sona Nibhanupudi: To Alejandra Flores: 08/19/2175
FLORES: Sona, what is it?
NIBHANUPUDI: I've received a dispatch from the New Illinois. She says that the messenger pigeon has arrived to France. I assume this means something to you?
FLORES: Perhaps it does. Thank you, Sona.
NIBHANUPUDI: Of course. Good day.
[End Transcript]
Intelligence Report: Classified "Ghost" Level Clearance: 08/19/2175: Declassified 07/18/2201
FOR THE EYES OF THE PRESIDENT
The following intelligence report has been classified "Ghost" and higher.
SOURCE BRIEFING: "HALOGEN"
HALOGEN is a high ranking Terran Star Fleet admiral. Born in 2106 in Kyoto, Japan. No spouse, no children, no other living relatives. He joined the Terran Star Fleet in 2124 following his career in Shamus Delmar High School in Kyoto, Japan. Served for two years as enlisted crew in Terran Star Fleet. Discharged honorably in 2126 and enrolled in Tokogawa Military Academy the same year. Graduated with high honors in 2130 and reenlisted with the rank of Ensign into Terran Star Fleet. He served with distinction aboard the TSS Oda Nobunaga from 2130 to 2132, being promoted to the rank of Lieutenant in 2133. HALOGEN was reassigned to the TSS Rakurai where he rose to the rank of Commander in 2140. In 2147 he was given the rank of Captain and given command of the TSS Waterloo. During this time, he was awarded the State Star, the Naval Star and the Peking Star for action taken against Grushan pirate raiders in the Alpha Ceti system in 2155. He was given the rank of Admiral in 2157 and assigned to the special Terran 6th Task force.
Sources in Alpha Ceti indicate that HALOGEN was in command of the first task force to encounter the black ship. Since then he has been a member of the Terran defense against the black ship in Sol. He took place in the attack on Nova.
HALOGEN was retrieved in grid 17 by 118 by the NAN Antigone in a Terran escape pod. HALOGEN told Captain Martin Diego Santiago it was his intention to defect and offer military intelligence pertaining to the black ship and the Terran Star Fleet. His knowledge and experience will be pivotal to the Novan war effort.
To date, the Terran Interstellar Authority believes that HALOGEN remains upon his flagship, which has been tasked with "reconnaissance" and radio silence in Titan's Belt. The recent reallocation of Terran forces to Titan's Belt is in response to the ship's rogue actions.
HALOGEN has also publicly denounced the Zaha-Katchem on the Grushan colony in Yveran.
STATUS OF SOURCE
At current date, HALOGEN has not yet been fully debriefed by NIC. A partial debrief has been conducted aboard the NAN New Illinois and he has cooperated fully.
[End of report on Nobuyuki Ito]
Personal Journal: Shamus Albright
08/20/2175
[Editor's note: this account was taken from a recovered journal wherein NIC Director Shamus Albright wrote his experiences and dreams when they disturbed his sleep]
I've just had the most terrible and yet wonderful thought. What if we took HALOGEN and combined it with the PREY Project? It's plausible because the Terran's don't seem to know for sure that he's not aboard the Alexander Nevsky. We could just put him back in his escape pod near Hanson Harbor and let the Terrans pick him up. It could end the war. If he's willing.
Letter: From Chinwe Opeyemi, 440 E Ormarith Rd, Jimeso, Ghana: To Eglantine Kayode, 1001 Sherman St, Imladris, Nova: Translated by Ibrahim Wassume
My dearest Eglantine,
My life has taken a sudden turn. Alexandra Troy spoke to us today and told us that she had been called away to another mission. It is incredible to me, for we are a mere twenty miles from friendly lines. But she says that she has been in touch with Novan intelligence and they have asked her verify something of utmost importance. We will continue to make our way towards Congo, and we will be joined by her brother, who she calls Damien. I hope he arrives soon; Alexandra has helped us through so many crises in the past week that I do not know if we would survive without her. We will miss her.
Our strange Asian passenger has begun to pick up a handful of words in Swahili. He is still as childish as he was before. His motor skills are like those of a small child, and he is preoccupied with whatever need prevails in his consciousness. But he learns quickly, as though he is remembering something that he once knew but has long forgotten. He once said "hungry" to me, and was immensely pleased when I fed him, not simply because I had done so. I have feared that he might tantrum as a child might, and become a great obstacle to us with his size and noise, where we have often been forced to travel as silently as possible, but so far, this has not happened.
This letter must be shorter than my others, for I know that time may come for us to flee. We are hiding away in a barn outside of the frontlines, waiting for a chance to run. We have food here for several days if we go through our supplies before Damien reaches us. I would rather not kill a farmer's animals, but the times demand it.
In love,
Chinwe.
[Letter not sent, dated 08/20/2175]
Official Transcript: Audio Recording: Office of the President, Imladris, Nova: 08/21/2175
President Angelica Nieto
NIC Director Shamus Albright
General Jose Natsuki
Secretary of State Joseph Calderon
Admiral Miguel Huerta
Admiral Gareth Tomson
[Begin Playback]
NIETO: Well, Director, I hope there was some reason you called us all in the middle of the night. I haven't had a full night's sleep since July you know, and tonight was looking like it might be the only one I get till next July. So, what's the big news?
ALBRIGHT: You've been briefed on HALOGEN, Madame President?
NIETO: Of course. What about him? Has he come up with some new intelligence for us?
ALBRIGHT: Madame President, HALOGEN has yielded a lot of information over the past day and a half. But that's not why I'm here. I had a thought a couple of days ago, or maybe it was yesterday, I don't remember anymore. Madame President, have you heard of the PREY Project?
NIETO: I've been briefed on it, but I haven't heard much about it lately.
HUERTA: You son of a bitch. I see where you're going with this.
CALDERON: Do you? I certainly don't. I haven't heard of this one. Mr. Albright, care to explain?
ALBRIGHT: Certainly. PREY is an experimental cyber weapon based on Grushan nanotechnology. It's targeted at Ambience operations, not their Interlink proper, but at the Mainframe infrastructures that command it and the majority of their military command, with the exception of the Star Fleet.
CALDERON: So it's a computer virus?
ALBRIGHT: Yes, but not in the traditional sense. A computer virus is a line of code and programing that disrupts ordinary operations. The Mainframe uses human neural nets as an operating core, so it can't be hacked with a virus. What PREY does is it manifests the digital virus into a physical form, in this case nanites. The nanites carry the virus into the Mainframe directly and disrupts operations physically.
CALDERON: Wait, I'm sorry. If a Mainframe has a human brain as an operating system, and these nanites disrupt it, then don't they damage the human tissue?
ALBRIGHT: Precisely.
CALDERON: Then it's a bioweapon?
NATSUKI: Not exactly. A bioweapon destroys biological life; this just reprograms it.
CALDERON: Then it's an Interlink, same as the Hegemony uses?
ALBRIGHT: In a sense.
HUERTA: That's why the project was canned! The minute the Praetor heard about it, he shut down all intelligence collaborations with the Alliance until it was cancelled. He said it was a blatant human rights abuse and a doorway to becoming no better than the Hegemony itself. He requested that all the findings be destroyed.
ALBRIGHT: And the Grushan team did destroy their findings.
CALDERON: And we didn't?
ALBRIGHT: I wasn't Director then. But Echevarria, my predecessor, was afraid that the alliance between Nova and Grushar would eventually break down, and he wanted to have a way to cripple the Hegemony if necessary. It was classified, but a capsule does exist that contains a sample of the virus.
NATSUKI: And I assume that this capsule has been kept safe by the NIC?
ALBRIGHT: It's going to take a little more than a little Terran invasion of Hanson Harbor to find this needle in a haystack. Nova's an ocean world; things are difficult to find in terrestrial oceans, and the Terrans have those fully charted.
NIETO: So what exactly are you suggesting by bringing up PREY, director?
ALBRIGHT: Well, there's no easy way to say this. I think we need to consider infecting HALOGEN with the PREY virus and sending him back to the Hegemony.
HUERTA: Damn. I was really hoping I was wrong that you were thinking that.
TOMSON: So, we give him back to the Terrans and then what?
CALDERON: He goes on trial for treason to the Hegemony, is found guilty, and gets sentenced to life in the Mainframe.
HUERTA: Madame President, I strongly recommend against this course of action. HALOGEN came to us to escape the Hegemony, not to die for our agendas. We can't ask him to do this.
NIETO: Will he die if we go through with this?
ALBRIGHT: Echevarria never authorized tests on human subjects, so we do not know what the PREY virus will do to him. We expect that it may do severe damage to his nervous system.
HUERTA: That's in addition to whatever the Mainframe itself will do to him. We don't have clear intelligence on that. Not enough people have been disconnected from the Mainframe.
TOMSON: Are we sure that the Terrans don't know that he's here?
NIETO: Half their fleet is still chasing the Alexander Nevsky around Titan's Belt, isn't it? Why else would they be there?
NATSUKI: It would make sense if he were a genetic replicant. Are we sure about that yet?
ALBRIGHT: HALOGEN is not a genetic replicant. The Grushan have been dealing with those for a lot longer than we have and they have technology to detect it. HALOGEN is definitely a genuine Terran Star Fleet admiral.
NATSUKI: Still, he could be a double agent. It's a risky play, but I wouldn't put it past them from what I've heard of Terran Intelligence.
NIETO: I would think that that's almost too risky for them, wouldn't you? I know I wouldn't authorize one of my admirals to leave his post and pretend to defect to the Terrans, no matter how desperate I was. I need every good hand I have in a war. That's a desperate play, and the Terrans aren't desperate; they're winning against all odds. No, I doubt that story.
NATSUKI: They could be playing a long game with this one, hoping to shorten the path to victory by finding our fleet or putting a mole into the government. Though I admit the prospects of turning anyone with an apparently turned, respected Terran admiral don't seem good. It just seems very convenient that he was able to get out of a Terran battlecruiser without setting off any alarms or anyone noticing.
ALBRIGHT: And yet he did, and here we are.
HUERTA: One way or another, doing this will destroy HALOGEN. We can't do it.
CALDERON: I agree with Admiral Huerta. Our alliance with the Grushan could be permanently undermined if we go through with this idea. They'll think it's dishonorable, and say what you like about them, but they don't like dishonorable tactics. It's basically the foundation of their society, that things should be done in the right way at the right time. They'll see this as a betrayal of that honor, and who knows if they'll trust us.
TOMSON: This could be a monumental step towards a victory that might not come on its own for another twenty years. There are a number of uprisings on Earth; if we bring down a Mainframe, it might give them the edge they've needed. It could force them to withdraw troops from Nova and change the course of the war.
CALDERON: There are a lot of Grushan who wouldn't care. They'd prefer to do this the long and painful way to the short way that might be seen as cheating.
NIETO: How long would the Mainframe potentially be down for?
ALBRIGHT: We can't say for sure. Basically, until they fix it, but without the Mainframe to process the problem, they'll be limited in their capacity to run it as quickly. Earth does have several powerful quantum computers that will help them, but for something like this, they won't be as powerful as a Mainframe. I should also note that PREY has been designed to offer us a backdoor into the Mainframe's central core; we'll be able to give isolated commands to it. So, we can feed it false data or alter results in our favor.
NIETO: So, we'd have control over the Mainframe for a while?
ALBRIGHT: Until they caught the nanovirus or until we decide to do something that will tip our hand. And it there is the possibility that it would shut itself down when it caught the intrusion, we just don't know what sort of security mechanisms the Hegemony has safeguarding the Mainframe.
NIETO: Would the virus spread or would it be limited to a single host?
ALBRIGHT: The Hegemony uses nanotechnology to facilitate the use of the Interlink, especially in hosts. The Interlink has to form a direct neural connection with anyone using it, and the most advanced models use nanites. Mainframe hosts have additional interfaces, but they are grounded in nanite technology. We think that once the infected host is plugged into the Mainframe the virus will travel along those connections and reprogram nanites in nearby hosts. In effect, we'll infect the entire Mainframe. The only way they'll be able to deal with it is to reboot completely and purge the system. And in the meanwhile, their mechanized armies will be operating without intelligence and the censors on the Internet will be compromised.
NATSUKI: Good lord. How big is this Mainframe that it's running all of this?
ALBRIGHT: It doesn't have to be all that big; it's got the whole processing power of the human brain dedicated only to computation and interpretation. A half dozen hosts and it's already more powerful than the Hawking supercomputer at Centauri University.
HUERTA: Madame President, this is not acceptable. HALOGEN isn't one of my admirals, but I'll be damned if I'm going to ask him to become a host for the sake of a quicker victory.
[Pause]
NIETO: I agree with you, Admiral. However, it's not your call, and I have to act in the interest of the Novan Alliance and the Grushan Federation. This is war. If it were just the Terrans we wouldn't even be in this predicament. But we have to deal with the Zaha-Katchem as well. They've proven that they're willing to destroy entire planets in order to get what they want. We have to knock the Terrans out of the fight. It's the only way that we'll be able to focus enough firepower on the black ship to make a difference. Director, are you certain that the Terrans don't know we have their admiral?
ALBRIGHT: I have operatives on Earth trying to find out. Madame, these things take time, and I'm not sure we have that time.
NIETO: So we take a chance and act now without verifying that the Terrans are in the dark and risk giving our ace in the hole over to the Terrans or we wait to be sure until they figure it out anyway. Boy, Director, you sure know how to pick 'em.
TOMSON: For what it's worth, I'm on board with this plan. Terran orbital bombardment has done a number on our surface fleet, and our submarine fleet has been struggling to stand up to Terran anti-submarine drop ships and airpower. I don't know how long it'll be until Terran marines are breaching Hanson Harbor habitat areas. We need to bring the fight back to Earth quickly or we're in real danger of losing this war. And there's no way the Grushan surrender even after we do; there are enough war hawks in the Senate to keep them at war until the black ship reaches Grushar itself. This may be the best way to save lives. Hell, it may be the only way.
NATSUKI: I have to agree.
CALDERON: The Federation won't be happy with us.
NIETO: Then they'll have to be unhappy. We'll do it, but only if HALOGEN agrees. I want written consent. Director, I don't know what timeframe you're expecting an answer by, but I'm giving it an ultimatum. If we don't hear back from your sources within the next two days, we're calling it off. The PREY virus may be our only ace in the hole unless the Grushan have one up their sleeves that they haven't told us about. I want a full, detailed report on my desk first thing in the morning with every detail; I'm not doing this unless I know everything about it. Director, get to work. This meeting is adjourned. I'm going back to sleep. Dismissed.
[End Transcript]
Captains log, TSS Alexander Nevsky BCM-1102: Captain Chang Yen-Sing
08/22/2175
Neither I nor any of the crew has seen or spoken to the admiral for several days. This has begun to worry many of us, for Admiral Ito is often a very hands-on admiral and takes great interest in the everyday operation of his flagship. But since we received orders to patrol Titan's Belt, we have had no word from him.
I wish we could speak to him, for my orders of radio silence have begun to worry me. We seem not to be the only ship sent to Titan's Belt; a number of destroyers and frigates have been diverted to the area. The Alexander Nevsky's advanced sensors do a better job of finding them than theirs do of finding us. I have received a number of communications, but have ignored them as per the TIA orders of radio silence. It worries me, though. Perhaps we are meant as an "ace in the hole," as it were, in the event of a large Novan-Grushan attack. I do question the presence of the rest of the fleet though.
Official Document: Signed Statement: Filed NIC Military Operations: Declassified 07/18/2201
I, Nobuyuki Ito, formerly Admiral of the Terran Star Fleet 6th Task Force, do hereby give my willing consent to become a carrier of the PREY nanovirus developed by the Novan Intelligence Commission, and agree to be given over to the custody of the Terran Hegemony for them to do with me as they choose. I make this choice with full knowledge and understanding of the potential consequences, including serious injury brought on by the PREY virus, torture at the hands of the Terran Hegemony, the nullification of independent thought through integration to the Ambience Mainframe super processor, and the eventual brain death of my body. I give this consent willingly without duress or falsification from the Novan Intelligence Commission. I do this in full health of mind and body.
I offer my sacrifice as some small recompense for the deaths of human and Grushan innocents in the massacre of the colony on Yvar. I have made this decision of my own free will and of my own choosing. I ask only that the Novan Alliance remember this sacrifice and that of all humans and Grushan in the war of the black ship.
Signed
Nobuyuki Ito
August 22, 2175
Official Transcript: Ship-to-Ship Communication: From TSS Graf Spee BBM-0201: To TSS Alexander Nevsky, BCM-1102: 08/23/2175
[Begin Playback]
CHANG: This is Alexander Nevsky to Graf Spee! Hold your fire! You are firing on friendly vessels! Repeat, we are a friendly vessel! Hold your fire!
GOTTRED: This is the Graf Spee. Stand down your defenses and prepare to be boarded, Alexander Nevsky. You are in violation of orders and declared mutinous. Stand down or you will be destroyed.
CHANG: Graf Spee, can you repeat? Mutinous? What is going on here?
GOTTRED: Alexander Nevsky, you are in violation of orders. Stop making this difficult on yourself. Just turn over Admiral Ito and prepare to boarded and held for questioning.
CHANG: We haven't seen Admiral Ito in days. Is he responsible for this?
GOTTRED: Alexander Nevsky, say again, you haven't seen Admiral Ito?
CHANG: Negative. He gave us orders from TIA to patrol Titan's belt for Novan strike ships.
GOTTRED: Nevsky, those orders are falsified. Ito has been declared an enemy of Star Fleet. Turn yourselves in.
CHANG: Aye, Admiral. What happened to Ito?
GOTTRED: We'll find out soon enough.
[End Transcript]
Terran Intelligence Dispatch: 08/24/2175
Nova Field Office-Terran Interstellar Authority: Escape pod located in Novan ocean drifting out of current from Imladris on course to travel away from settled areas.
08/25/2175 0801 EST: Transmission Sent TSS Graff Spee BBM-0201: O Nova: 08/25/2175 0802 EST: Transmission Received Terran Interstellar Authority
Begin Transmission
An escape pod discovered on the surface of Nova has been recovered by the landing ship TNS Uluru. The escape pod contained Nobuyuki Ito, formerly Admiral of the Terran Star Fleet. He has been transported to the TSS Graff Spee for holding. We will transport him to Sol as soon as a temporary warp gate has been constructed.
End Transmission
Admiral's log, TSS Alexander Nevsky BCM-1102: Admiral Nobuyuki Ito
08/26/2175
I want anyone who reads this to know for sure that I serve the Terran Hegemony first. I fought for Earth; I lived for Earth; in the end, I'll die for Earth. I'll do whatever is necessary to save the people of Earth. Everything that I do, have done and will do is in service of Earth. Humans don't need to conquer Grushan; we never have. All that I do, I do for Earth and the Hegemony. If it survives the next few days, and I have played some part in its survival, then all I have done is worth everything it cost. End log.
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Hey guys! I'm finally back. I know it's been a while, but I've been stuck on this chapter for a long while. From now on I will be doing my best to get this monstrosity back on schedule; I think it would be safe to expect a new chapter up by next Tuesday night at the latest.
I want to take the chance I have now to thank everybody who made it possible for this humble project to reach 1.1k reads! This is a huge milestone for me, and it wouldn't be possible if y'all didn't come back every time there was new material to read and vote. A very big and special thanks to everyone who votes regularly, since they're the only ones I see reading. And if you're one of the core few who always leave amazingly helpful typo correction, I salute you all, especially brianshaber and kasross. Couldn't do it without you guys!
Thanks again and I hope you enjoy!
Sincerely, the real jonbrain.