Dorothy’s Diary (A non-native writing Fan Fiction)

First of all, let me clarify that this is a non-native writing exercise, so if there are any inappropriate wording or sentences, please feel free to criticize! Thanks in advance!

However, for the narrator in this story, these diaries are also non-native writing, so it might provides something funny.

This should be an all-ages story, maybe PG, and should be safe to read.

The initial inspiration for this story came from a very old WC4 fanfiction with a lot of IFs.

So, what would be something interesting to happen under the assumption that these IFs hold true? My mind drifted to the image of a young girl born after the Terran-Kilrathi war.


NOTE:

This story does not require prior reading of WC4.123106. In fact, without knowing some of the plot of that old fan fiction, the reader's mind will follow the narrator's thoughts and it will be more suspenseful.

Accordingly, there may be some spoilers. Please choose the reading order at your own discre.

The fan fictional novel Wing Commander 4.123106 brought me a lot of joy. At times I wondered what might happen after the end of the story. Slowly a thought came to me and it amused me. I wish I had the opportunity to present it and share it with you. I hope I could have the chance to finish it.

It would be great if you had read WC4.123106 beforehand. But if you haven't, you'll probably get a different fun. Just keep in mind that the characters of WC4.123106 are a lot different from the corresponding characters of WC4 and WC3. Most of the characters have become hilarious, and certain villain doesn't continue to act as a villain anymore.

Thanks to tarsus and capi3101 for the guidance and support.

(Note that WC4.123106 was rated R by the author. But I wish this fan fiction could be something PG.)
 
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WEEK 1


2683.153 Sunny

Form today onward, I’m going to keep a diary.

After this summer vacation, I'll be going into 6th grade. I know that I am not good enough on writing because of this is not my native language. I am determined to overcome this difficulty and work for my future ambition.

In our last class in 5th grade, Mr. Kevin asked each of us in the class what we wanted to do for a career in the future. I spoke out loud about my dream: to be a good doctor.

The dream shocked the class, and they were overwhelmingly proud of me. However, stupid Todd was still using every opportunity to make irresponsible and sarcastic comments, saying that I would be performing surgery without a scalpel. OK, I admit I once forgot to bring my tools to a craft class, but serious medical events are totally different matters! Mr. Kevin told him that admiring a hero was more than just taking his name or imitating his way of talking. It seems Todd's intellect is incapable of hearing these insights. The good news is that I shouldn't have to see him every day next semester.

It's getting late, so let me write about it here today.


2683.154 Cloudy

At dinner today, Dad had a rare tantrum.

I understand Dad's troubles. This morning, he received a reminder. If he can't make his payment by the end of this summer, the farm my siblings and I grew up on will no longer belong to our family.

At the dinner table, Mom complained that Dad shouldn't have mortgaged the whole farm for a loan in the first place. Then Dad got mad all of a sudden and roared that if he couldn't even contribute some money to support the front lines, he would not consider himself an adult.

When the Nephilim invasion first came along two years ago, Dad was clamoring to fight on the front lines. No matter how much Mom and my aunts tried to convince him, Dad wouldn't listen, saying it was his duty and obligation to go to the front lines at this time. It wasn't until Uncle Eisen came to visit and analyzed Dad for a long time that Dad calmed down.

Indeed, Uncle Eisen, as one of the heroes who ended the Terran-Kilrathi War more than a decade ago, has enough to say about such things. He pointed out that, at this moment, someone like Dad going to war would do nothing good but cause chaos for everyone only. Dad, after calming down, admitted as much. So Dad decided to mortgage the farm, along with years of savings, donate the money to the front lines, in the name of “a veteran”.

After the money was ready, Jedediah my little brother excitedly asked how large a fleet could be established with this money. The look of disappointment on his face when he realized the money was only enough to build a few torpedoes is still fresh in my mind. But Jedediah, true to his reputation as my brother, immediately responded that if we could get rid of the bug invaders as soon as possible, the money saved be enough to build lots and lots of big farms all around the galaxy.

The rest of the day was not easy, and business on the farm was not very good due to the fierce fighting on the front lines. The repayable period is not extended for long. Uncle Eisen promised us that, as a last resort, our family could move to his farm.

What a kind old gentleman he is!


2683.155 Rainy

Our family is still worried about paying off the mortgage.

It’s raining all the day and we couldn’t get out to farm work. Dad had gone through the recent Star*Soldier magazine classifieds over and over again – he’s even thinking of becoming a bounty hunter.

It’s certainly not feasible. I really don’t know why he’s so confident in his fighter piloting skills. Even if he’d been flying well in the early days, it had been a long decade since he’d put himself on the farm here. Going into dog fight with those horrible pirates all by himself? Not a good idea, I think. Not to mention…

Ah, forget it…


2683.156 Sunny

Today Mom attended my last PTC of my elementary school years. PTC stans for Parent-Teacher Conference. I remember when stupid Todd once used to explain it as Phase Transit Cannon back then. It led his parents to think the school was having a scouting event that day.

Todd’s parents heard about the difficulties my family was experiencing and expressed their sympathy. They gave Mom some advice. Todd’s family moved here from the urban a few years ago. I’d admit that Todd’s parents are decent people, and they are so proper in their speech in front of my Mom, even a little overly humble. I remember when they had just moved here, they were so excited to be shaking to see Dad for the first time. Well, it’s said that every parent’s reaction to seeing Dad for the first time was similar.

I guess this will continue to happen next semester. It’s an unpleasant reality.


2683.156 Sunny

I just realized that Todd’s parents have some interactions with the movie industry. Since they admitted, I think it is true that the new Heart of Tiger holovid movie in production is really facing some problems.

When it comes to movie and literature depicting the Terran-Kilrathi 35-year war, there are just too many of them recent years, there are high quality productions. However, speaking of the truth, these movies, including the critically acclaimed Return of the Tiger, have a common problem: the actors are not realistic enough.

It would be natural for studios from the Confederation to produce movies that highlight the glory of the Terran heroes, while the movies made by the Union of Border Worlds feature Admiral Tolwyn looking like a madman. As for the movies made by the Kilrathi Assembly of Clans… Terrans’ Figures are all too… featured.

Can you imagine a Heart of the Tiger with three-centimeter-long claws?

This production, however, was announced to be completely different. The producer had previously stated that they were aiming to accurately recreate many of the people and events of those years, with all characters to be casted by actors of corresponding races and no CG were to be used. What is more, the historical advisors include Senator James Taggart and Chancellor Melek.

It’s said that the hero Maniac would love to play himself, but the war on the front lines won’t let him to get away. So, the role went to the famous veteran actor Biff. However, the director is said to have had a major headache with several key roles where he has been unable to find the right actors. The producer have therefore started sending out a lot of talent scouts.

Wow, as soon as I talk about movies, I’ve written so much. Time to sleep.


2683.157 Cloudy

From now on, I won’t pester Dad about the past.

I know that Dad lost his original family and our current family was established after. But if Aunt Louise hadn’t told me today, I really wouldn’t have known that was the horrible Imperial Emperor personally and directly order my Grandpa to be…

Every time I pestered Dad about the historical topics, it would be so hard for him to think about his father. I will be sure to study hard and know lots and lots of history so I could no longer need to ask Dad.


2683.158 Sunny

I really can’t believe that Dada decided to go into the movie!

At lunch today, Dad announced his decision to our family. My siblings and I were surprised. Mom and aunts were slightly worried, but supportive anyway. After all, we all know this might be the only way to pay off our mortgage on time.

That means, Dad has to confront his past once again. He would have to remember the days of fear, remember his father, remember his comrades.

But I believe in Dad’s determination. After all, that’s probably the only way we can continue with our own life here.

I am sure Dad is strong enough, after all, every morning, he sees such a face in the mirror.

Yes, there is no one more qualified for that role. It belongs to my father, Farmer Zeke, the former stand-in for Crown Prince Thrakhath.






QUESTION OF WEEK 1:

WHAT IS DOROTHY'S FULL NAME?


(If you know the answer and would like to write the answer here, please use the spoiler mark.)

Next, please read WEEK 2...
 
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WEEK 2

2683.160 Sunny

We will have Uncle Eisen visit us at home today.

Honestly, Uncle Eisen has always been the Terran I respect the most. As a hero with his armor off, he is always so approachable, yet at the same time so calm and confident - In fact, he's the only one so far who didn't freak out when he first met my Dad here.

It was shortly after Jedediah was born, when I was very young and uninformed. That day, Mom and Dad took us cubs to visit Uncle Eisen, who had just moved to the neighboring farm., Dad, wearing his checked flannel shirt, denim overalls, sturdy lace-up work boots and a low straw hat, followed Mom and us far behind to Uncle Eisen's door - it didn't help - Uncle Eisen noticed Dad within five seconds... By the time I didn't understand Terran language at all, so I have no idea what Mom and Dad explained to Uncle Eisen then, but I think they were surely explaining why Dad looked just like the dreaded Crown Prince Thrakhath.

Since then, we've been at Uncle Eisen's house while Mom and Dad and the aunts were working on the farm. He taught us to speak Terran language, told us about the history, literature and art of mankind, and, of course, sometimes told us about the wars he fought in his day. His grandchildren come to the farm when they are on vacation and we always have a great time together. In doing so, I learned basic manners for dealing with Terrans, such as have my claws retracted and not showing my fangs whenever possible - I must say these manners don't apply to stupid Todd! On my first day of school, he quietly tied my tail to the chair, and such tricks took many forms, each time requiring me to roar at him before he escaped playfully - To this day, I still enjoy reading books with Uncle Eisen on my days off.

I'll make him a fruit salad today. He'll love it!



2683.161 Sunny

Yesterday's dinner with Uncle Edson was wonderful.

Uncle Eisen was supportive of Dad's decision and admiring of his efforts to face the past and come out of the shadows. We talked a lot, including, of course, Dad's repertoire - condemning Khasra.

Khasra was one of the Crown Prince Thrakhath's subordinates as well as a member of the Kiranka royal family. He was a snob. I could understand why Dad hates him so much - a bad guy like Khasra had to have someone to vent his anger to when he was blamed by the horrible Crown Prince, and as the Crown Prince's stand-in, my Dad, whose face is almost the same as the Crown Prince’s, was the perfect punching bag.

Dad once bragged in excitement that Khasra was shot down by his own hand. Ha-ha, about this historical event, according to the Empire history, Khasra was shot down by Heart of the Tiger. However, and as far as my research... well, actually just heard from Uncle Eisen, Khasra was probably shot down by the Crown Prince, which was sort of the Kiranka clan's secret infighting.

Uncle Eisen gave us only one suggestion, or rather request to Dad regarding his participation in the movie: take me there, so that I would always be by Dad’s side. I understand his intention - when the horrible scenes reappear in front of Dad, he will be happy to see me.

By the way, Uncle Eisen likes my fruit salad!



2683.162 Sunny

Dad started preparing for the movie. He looked in the storeroom for his flight suit - the one he had worn when escaped from Kilrah.

At the time, Crown Prince was leading a squad against Colonel Blair's, and Dad, as the Crown Prince's stand-in, was routinely accompanying the squad - he was told, of course, that this was the final battle between Crown Prince Thrakhath and Heart of the Tiger, so he was not allowed to participate in the dogfight. But, though only from a distance, Dad instantly noticed the weapon beneath Colonel Blair's fighter, and realized, as a last ditch effort by Confederation, that it must be a planet-killer weapon! After Crown Prince was shot down, Dad realized that Kilrah's last moments were coming, so he fled the war zone using a newly equipped cloaking life-pod... Fortunately, his distress call was answered by a corvette. After that, the twenty-seven members of the corvette, along with Dad, escaped from Kilrah at full speed... luckily, in time.

This is what Mom told me - that the twenty-seven members of the corvette were Mom and my twenty-six aunts. They formed an all-female unit (probably the only one in the empire) in the "feminist" movement of the time.

In fact, as a cub I used to wonder why Dad was able to convince Mom and my aunts to run away in minutes. Then I realized, he could have given the order under the guise of being the Crown Prince, couldn't he? After all, it was a secret that the Crown Prince had a stand-in.



2683.163 Sunny

Dad found his flight suit. After Jedediah's repeated requests, Dad finally agreed to put on his flight suit and show it to us.

To be honest, seeing Dad in his flight suit, I understood why he was clamoring to become a bounty hunter - indeed, Dad in his flight suit is very different from his usual image of a simple farmer. By the way, this flight suit was the highest-ranked uniform of the empire - the kind worn by Crown Prince - so the fabric and decorative details were of the highest craftsmanship.

Jedediah asked Dad if there was also a Crown Prince's robe - the answer was no, of course Dad doesn’t. How could Dad have brought that stuff to the fighter at that time?

Dad once told me that his childhood dream was to become an agricultural specialist, to replace our traditional fat-laden meat dishes with healthy diet of fruits and vegetables, and to transform our planet from a monument to greed to a garden of delight. But life wasn't so rosy back then - Dad's dream couldn't have been realized given the long-standing gender imbalance in the population - the minority females were always surrounded by countless males, and they fought each other, plundered externally, and brought spoils of war to please their sweetheart. As a result, Dad had no choice but to fight in the army... and, even more unfortunately, he had a face identical to that of the Crown Prince, which made him the perfect candidate to be the Crown Prince's stand-in. Of course, he didn't dare to refuse the order, so he had to become the shadow of the Crown Prince.

The so-called stand-in of the Crown Prince was to follow the Crown Prince's appearance, to attend some troublesome social functions for him, to show up for him in some potentially risky situations, and even... to die for him in the most extreme cases.

The conflict between Dad's true and the multiple pressures that enveloped him caused him to live in pain. He had ulcers and saw a psycatatrist three times a week…

Fortunately, as mentioned yesterday, Dad did not die for the Crown Prince during the last stand-in mission, and now all that is in the past. Today, Dad could happily live out his childhood dreams with Mom and my aunts and we cubs by his side.

As I write this, I am relieved. Compared to the stresses Dad faced back then, the troubles today are nothing.


2683.164 Sunny

Today, the adults are out doing farm work. Some of us cubs, who are on summer vacation, went to play in the fields, some worked hard on our summer homework, and the rest of us stayed home for fun.

Jedediah and I, along with a few of our sisters, went to the storeroom to take out the flight suit and study it carefully. At the urging of us girls, Jedediah tried on the flight suit - it was a big sack for him. We all laughed, and Jedediah, embarrassed, exclaimed that he was still farmer material.

I still remember the way Jedediah looked in the helmet – his eyes looked like Dad’s. In fact, after putting on the flight suit, Dad's eyes were the only difference from the look of the Crown Prince wearing flight suit in the documentary, from where the Crown Prince's eyes were just so intimidating.

Jedediah is one of the rare boys among our siblings. In fact, ever since the discovery of a way to reverse the sex ratio – vegetarianism, the entire Kilrathi race has been immersed in a hopeful peace, as far as I know. And the discoverers of this secret were Mom, Dad and my aunts. I think our family's contribution to the Kilrathi race is exciting. And I am even happier that Dad commissioned other people to made our discovery public.

Yes, today, it is mostly believed that it was the Heart of the Tiger who discovered the secret. Hehehe!



2683.165 Sunny

Dad booked the tickets and the hotel rooms, and tomorrow we're off to Planet Movie Studios!

This will be my first time to go away. Mom and Jedediah were supposed to go together, but Dad found out that Jedediah hadn't finished his summer homework, so they had to leave a few days later.

Jedediah asked Dad if we should bring the flight suit for the movie. Uncle Eisen told us seriously: NO. He is right. After all, it isn't a costume, it is a real Imperial pilot's gear, no different from Crown Prince's, and in fact it is something very expensive. More importantly, it is better not to reveal too early that Dad was once the Crown Prince's stand-in, as that would do no good.

However, considering the costume errors in many previous movies, I carefully reviewed and measured the dimensions and details of the flight suit, took notes, and photographed some holovids, which I'm sure will come in handy.



2683.166 Sunny

Early in the morning, we are up and ready to go to the space port.

As usual, Dad is dressed in his checked flannel shirt, denim overalls, sturdy lace-up work boots and a low straw hat, carrying his favorite jag, pulling our suitcase, and we all wait at the farm gate for the shuttle to the port.

Uncle Eisen handed Dad the tiny container of soil from our beloved farm and said, "Take this with you, Zeke, and home will never be far away."

The shuttle comes, and I have to stop here.
To be continued...
 
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WEEK 3


2683.167 no weather in the space

Traveling is really troublesome.

I have been to the spaceport three years ago to see off a classmate who had transferred to Boarder World, so the shuttle trip to the spaceport is familiar. However, it was also the farthest I had ever traveled before. On the shuttle, Dad sat quietly in the corner, with the brim of his hat down, and didn't say a word. He was always shy around most humans.

But at the spaceport, there were more complications.

First there was the security check! We had to stand in line, take some of our belongings out separately for inspection, and take off our coats and hats. Well, it looks like Dad had already thought about having to take off his hat, so he made a special ponytail hairstyle. Fortunately, he didn't attract too much attention.

Second, the flight was late. I heard that there was a virtual battle with Confederation pilots nearby, but suddenly there jumped out some suspected “pirates”, so the alarm went off. But then it turned out to be a false alarm, the “pirates” are some overfed flight enthusiasts out for unannounced performance art.

In summary, we boarded the ship just before midnight.

The ship is now setting sail. For the first time, I am able to see this planet from space with my own eyes. Thirteen years ago, after wandering in galaxy for almost a year, it was this beautiful place that accepted Dad, Mom and my aunts, who had been refused by many planets, to have their new life. Looking out the porthole at the planet I was born and raised on, from a vast expanse of land, gradually revealing herself in all her fullness, and then, farther and farther away, I said inwardly:

"I love you, my home world. See you next month."



2683.168 Sunny

Wow, this is Planet Movie Studios!

After the last jump, the bustling planet came into view. There are many, many ships in the orbit - I know, not all of them were vehicles, but some of them were actually movie sets.

Some of those ships in these space studios are really special - they are giant one-to-one props recreating the exterior and partial interiors of some of the historic ships! At a glance, I saw "Tiger's Claw", "Victory". Actually, there is also a "KIS Hvar'kann", but I didn't see it just now. The real KIS Hvar'kann was the Crown Prince Thrakhath's command ship, and it was there that Lord Melek expressed willingness of surrendering to Colonel Blair. Many historical movie scenes were shot on this "KIS Hvar'kann". Well, I think a lot of scenes for this movie will be filmed there as well.

Seriously, there are some rumors about these giant props, especially the Kilrathi ship-style ones, that some of their parts are just removed from the real things. According to the Treaty of Torgo, after the war the Kilrathi Imperial fleets dismantled all the surviving warships, so perhaps some of the less military-worthy parts went to civilian industry. What Mom, Dad, and my aunts used to trade for civilian transport and cash was the corvette they fled Kilrah on. Hey, does that corvette have some parts here too?

The ship landed. As we disembarked, one of the crew stared at our suitcases for a long time - I knew he was looking at the claw marks on the suitcase. Those claw marks were made by Aunt Thelma when she had a quarrel with Dad six months ago. The people here are just so knowledgeable, hehe.



2683.169 Sunny

Okay, I admit the situation is a little more complicated than I thought.

I originally thought that with Dad's look, getting here would be a straightforward process of meeting with the producer, signing the contract, and then starting work with the crew. But... today, we found the place at the address Todd's father gave us, and the receptionist at the door just dropped a sentence:

"Auditioning for Heart of Tiger, right? 1501 Conference Hall of the fifteenth floor."

She didn't even look us in the face! Not only that, but most of the staff here are like that. This is the first time I've encountered such situation! As I said before, most humans tremble, and some scream, when they first met Dad. Even a seasoned hero like Uncle Eisen was taken aback. But the people here...

However, I soon found out why.

We arrived at the 1501 conference hall and looked in through the door - there were dozens of “Crown Princes” lining up!

Most of these "Crown Princes" wore the famous Prince's robes, and some wore flight suits - of course, they were no match for Dad's real one. In fact, many of the costumes were so crude at first glance that they would have been a bargain among Halloween props. There were some good ones, but most of them looked like they were imitations of costumes from previous movies and lacked detail. As for the candidates themselves, they were of different sizes and temperaments, some of them obviously desperately trying to look like the Crown Prince’s face in the documentary through pure makeup. There was a muscular guy who looked like a bodybuilder, and wore only a T-shirt and jeans with the imperial emblem and sneakers to accentuate his muscles - but his tortoiseshell fur would have made the job very difficult for the makeup artist, obviously.

However, I soon realized something.

Probably all the same to humans, but to we Kilrathi sense of smell it was clear - most of the candidates in the room had a very strong odor - the smell of eating meat. Dad, however, is very used to being a vegetarian, and this morning he just had some bread and milk and a fruit salad that I made myself. So, we could be quite... different. I looked up at Dad and tried to say something to him, but seeing the brim of his hat, which was even lower than usual, I decided not to say anything.

After registering for the information, we waited in line for an hour and finally got in front of some examiners. To be honest, I was still a little nervous at this moment- there had been many candidates who had simply been declared ineligible, and I even once regretted not bringing Dad’s flight suit. There were a human, a Kilrathi, and a Firekann, three examiners. I observed that the main role of the Firekkan examiner during the test was to... tremble. The more pronounced the Firekkan's trembling was when each candidate made a low roar on demand, the more points the next human examiner gave in this category. Well, the movie industry is not all about directors and stars, and it's really hard for some of the junior staff.

Finally, it was Dad's turn. The human examiner first asked Dad to take off his hat, then scrutinized him attentively for a while, and then asked him to growl. However! Here was where it went wrong - Dad couldn't make the growl for seconds! This may be the result of our family's long-standing insistence on being polite to humans! But to be so polite at this point would be a trouble!

The Kilrathi examiner stepped forward to replace the human examiner, then looked Dad, locked eyes with him, and asked him the following question in Kilrah:

"You were in the army, right?"

After Dad answered in the affirmative, he continued:

"I was once squad's officer, and NOW you are my soldier! Answer my question truthfully: why do you insist on being a vegetarian when you know the mission you came here for?"

Dad didn't know how to answer. The examiner, seeing this, sneered and said, "Is having more daughters more important than our mission?"

Hearing this question, Dad was startled at first, then slowly raised his head, ears pinned back, with an amazing growl in his throat: "It's none of your business!"

The Firekkan examiner fell out of his chair and sat down on the floor with Dad‘s voice.

The human examiner made a big stroke on the tablet, "Well, not bad. Go back and prepare for the next round tomorrow."

Uh, so this is just the first round...?

On the way back to the hotel, Dad walked up to the fast food, hesitated for a moment, went in and bought three buckets of roast pork - then gave me the Coke and fries and left the meat for himself.



2683.170 Cloudy

Well, the three family buckets yesterday really caused us a lot of trouble.

First, I was the one who ended up tossing and turning last night unable to sleep because of three Cokes in a row and worrying about today's second round of auditioning.

And Dad... wasn't sure if it was the quality of the food or the fact that he hadn't eaten this much meat at one time for so long, but today he... wasn't feeling well. On the way to the studio, he had to go to the washroom again. I waited for him outside, looking at the hustle and bustle of people coming and going, and remembered the birdsong of my home farm, which had a special flavor.

emu_sketch40.jpg


"Excuse me..."

While I was distracted, a Kirah phrase brought me back to reality. It was an Kilrathi girl with an orange-brown fur, about three or four years older than me.

"Excuse me... May I ask where the Heart of Tiger staff office is?"

Huh! Is she also going to the audition? I first told her that we were going there too, that it wasn't easy to find, and that we could go there together to avoid getting lost. But she politely declined.

Five minutes later, she came back - apparently lost.

She apologetically explained that she was accompanying his father, who was not too keen on contact with others, and that why she refused me just now.

Oh, that's certainly understandable. After all, my Dad is shy in front of most humans too. This time, I opened the holomap and explained to her in detail how to get there. She was grateful.

Suddenly, I realized that we might be competitors! I asked her very carefully, what was the role her father auditioning for? And her answer surprised me even more:

"Auditioning? Oh... no, we're not auditioning for... My father is just here to play... a small supporting role."

Her father isn't a candidate? So... is he a professional actor? No, how could a professional actor get lost on the way to the studio! I can't figure it out.

So, we exchanged our SNS IDs - her name is Laurel. Nice to meet her. I appreciate her encouragement for my Dad.

After this, it took another five minutes before Dad came out of the washroom. I told him what had just happened, but Dad seemed a little distracted.



2683.171 Cloudy

There's nothing going on today, so we had time to walk around the downtown.

Yesterday's second round of auditioning was mainly fitness tests and such stuff, which went relatively well. The fitness test was at the fitness club in the same building. I saw the tortoiseshell fur muscle guy again - wow, he really passed the first round! This guy is really a pro body builder - he was even doing cardio while waiting! The music playing in the the gym was the Kilrah cover of the works of the great Terran classical pop master Michael Jackson, a talented musician who was active shortly after the Terrans mastered sound recording technology 600 years ago. His works are also loved by many Kilrahi. However, when the song "Billie Jean" was played, or rather the line "… but the cub is not my son" was played, the tortoiseshell fur guy yelled out, his voice betraying sadness. I don't know what happened to him.

When we went out shopping today, Dad went to the washroom again. While I was waiting, I noticed there was a veterinary hospital right in front of me! When I saw the lovely Terran kitties and puppies inside, I couldn't help but push the door open and take a look.

The Veterinarian here was very enthusiastic and got to talking to me. He asked me if we Kilrathi people have also become interested in Terran pets in recent years. I said yes. Indeed, our former neighbor, Colonel Blair, Heart of the Tiger, had asked our family to take care of his cat and dog when he was recalled to active duty in 2673. The girls loved Dad, and Dad loved them so much.

Mr. Veterinarian mentioned that a few days ago he had a Kilrathi visitor whose couple of tortoiseshell Terran cat were expecting kittens and he wanted to ask him some questions. Mr. Vet said that he answered the questions and mentioned that male Terran domestic cats rarely have tortoiseshell fur, and that the very few male Terran tortoiseshell domestic cats are unlikely to have offspring due to genetic problems, so the kittens should not be the offspring of the visitor’s male cat, and then strangely, the visitor was stunned and then politely left, looking very strange.

Oh, those poor Terran tortoiseshell cats! Although tortoiseshell-fur males are also very rare among we Kilrathi, we don't have this genetic problem at all – yes, it's a small knowledge point that Kilrati civilian rarely concern, but it's well documented in the Imperial registry of soldiers, as I confirmed in the Imperial records Mom and my aunts brought back.

Mr. veterinarian then asked me if we Kilrathi people tend to keep Teran cats that are similar in fur color to our own. That visitor himself has tortoiseshell fur and very strong muscle, which impressed Mr. veterinarian so much.

Eh? As I write here, why do I feel something is wrong?



2683.172 Rainy

The judges haven't arrived yet, so I have time to record what just happened.

Today's third and final round of auditions will be a bit more serious, as the remaining six candidates will have to make a last-ditch effort for the chance to cast as Crown Prince. I'm told there are some big names on the panel of judges today.

To prevent any recurrence of washroom problems, Dad has been careful to go with a meat and vegetable menu since last night, and this morning he just ate a canned meat with bread, milk and salad. It works, and the odor of eating meat is not strong but noticeable. Accordingly, Dad felt comfortable all the way.

We arrived at our destination and waited in the room as required. To my surprise, the tortoiseshell fur muscle guy was one of the last six candidates! As mentioned before, he may have some misunderstandings with his lair-mate, so I decided to help him out.

But herein lies the dilemma: How can I explain to him that we Kilrathi don't have the Terran domestic cats’ "tortoiseshell male genetic problem"? If I directly persuade him, I would probably be recognized as trying to comfort him, not to mention that it would be very awkward for a stranger to bring up such a topic.

I leaned in and read the relevant scientific papers I had previously downloaded in front of him. But he didn't pay any attention to me. There was nothing I could do, so I clicked on the voice reading, but it made me the center of attention in the room at once, so I had to click stop.

Looks like it was the last straw! I dialed Stupid Todd's phone - well, the guy still seems to be sleeping in! When he picked it up, I, without missing a beat, started laughing at the fact that his male tortoiseshell cat couldn't have litters, and that we Kilrathi seem to think it's a joke that creatures of the earth have such color-related defects - of course, Todd's cat doesn't exist, and how could he, with his taste, be qualified to serve such a fine pet? That bird is just as stupid as Todd is - and then immediately ends the call.

The tortoiseshell fur muscle guy came up to me and said:

"Thank you, kind young lady with the gorgeous fur. I've got it all figured out. Don't worry, I'll love our cubs as much as my father loves me, and my grandfather loves my father."

Eek! Why does the situation seem to be getting more complicated?

However, to my surprise, something even amazing happened.

I was so disappointed that I confided in Dad about it. Hearing this, Dad looked up at the tortoiseshell fur muscle guy, smiled slightly, and first told me to stay here, then went up to him and spoke to him. Although I couldn't quite hear what they said, I was surprised when I saw the tortoiseshell fur muscle guy showing surprising, then seemed to understand something ultimately important and rushed out to make a call. I asked Dad, who was back by my side, what he said, but he simply told me that the matter was resolved and not to worry.

This was so strange.

Oh! Looks like the judges have arrived! The third round of destiny is about to begin! I stop here now, and I'll continue with today's diary tonight to properly document this auditioning! Sivar, please bless our family and our farm!

------

It's now 1:00 AM and Dad finally got our early morning tickets home. I can't sleep, so I'll just keep writing about today's events.

I knew there were big names on the jury this time, but I was still surprised when I actually saw "The Living Joor'rad" appeared. He's a famous Kilrathi actor, an extremely solid performer, who has played the Kilrathi Emperor in various serious historical dramas throughout the years. Not only that, but he lived a very modest life and rarely participated in public activities other than acting. I knew for a long time that he was certainly the actor of the Emperor in this movie, but I never thought I'd meet him today!

The way he walked in the doorway, the gait, the creepy look in his eyes, all looked exactly like the Kilrathi Emperor in the documentary. He hadn't been wearing the Emperor's robes and hadn’t wear the Emperor's prosthetic eye, or I might even have thought it was the Emperor coming.

More to the point, during the war, "The Living Joor'rad" was the emperor's stand-in (I think the "Emperor" in some of the documentary scenes was actually him). He was secretly sent away from Kilrah just before the history-defining battle, so luckily escaped. I remember one of his famous quotes: "The only reason I still have my body intact is that after I made my left eye and my left leg as if they did not exist, the Emperor, for some reason, thought it useful to keep them in my body".

And today, there is one important thing - yes, he must have known Dad, who was also an imperial stand in! The subtle change in his expression after the brief glance with Dad when he walked into the room also confirmed it for me.

As a fan, I really wanted to get his autograph or even a holo with him, but seeing that horrible face with the "Do Not Disturb" written all over it, I decided to wait for another time.

Another celebrity was Biff, the veteran actor who is playing Maniac, an actor who has a peculiar habit of living exactly as his character does once he's on set, until the end of the shoot. Today is no exception, as he appears as Maniac. And this is what caused the trouble later on.

Dad was the third of the six candidates to on stage, preceded by the tortoiseshell fur muscle guy.

The first candidate started out well, but when "The Living Joor'rad" came on to play against him, he obviously panicked. The famous line "Khasra! I've heard enough of Khasra!" just sent him sprawling to his knees.

The commentary on "The Living Joor'rad" sounded creepy as hell:

"Be thankful for this new era, young one. If you had been one of us back then, this performance would have you been eliminated on the spot - and by then you already know too many of the Emperor's little secrets, so what elimination means is self-explanatory."

The Tortoiseshell fur muscle guy came on stage... I don't know how to say this, but I always felt like he was completely out of rhythm. He looked more like... a guard at the side of royalty, which was especially evident when talking to "The Living Joor'rad". The judges laughed at first, but then came to accept the feeling, and some even applauded. Except for Biff, however, whose subsequent comments were simply unbearable.

"I wish this was Thrakhath, so the Confederation could have won the war forty years earlier."

"Fine, and don't waste your feelings here, come work as a guard at my house, 20 Credits a month - you pay me."

"We Terrans don't have such a rotten visual system, look at your fur, like an inked rag, myopic eyes can tell you're not Thrakhath from ten kilometers away without glasses."

And the most outrageous line of all: "You know what? A male Terran cat of this fur color can't have kittens."

First time I've ever met anyone more obnoxious than Stupid Todd!

Finally, it was Dad's turn. I gave Dad my encouragement, and then stood in the darkness in the corner, watching quietly.

Dad's performance was pretty steady. He delivered his lines and the like with ease, and his scenes opposite "The Living Joor'rad" were very smooth.

However, even I could tell that there was always something wrong. Yes, there was always something wrong.

"The Living Joor'rad" looked down, pondered for a long time, and waved his paw, indicating that he would let the other judges speak first.

The other judges first gave Dad good comments on his fluency, voice, and appearance, and then, politely, said that the fierceness and cruelty of the Crown Prince's bones were not reflected in Dad.

"The Living Joor'rad" added the following.

"A peaceful life and a happy family really changed… you."

If the critique of Dad had ended here, I might have expected lower scores from the remaining three candidates. But Biff's, or "Maniac's," speech led to an unexpected turn of events.

"Maniac" took the microphone, laughed for a moment, then pointed his finger at Dad's face and began his scathing remarks.

"Come on, Zeke, The Living Joor'rad just told me. yes, I know what you used to do.

"Normally someone like you don't have to go through the audition process, but just go through the recommendation process. But I'm really glad you went through the audition process, otherwise our acting director would have gone on strike with the studio afterwards."

"You know what? For the role of Thrakhath, your real strength is now this face - ONLY."

Then he uttered the most unbearable words.

"In fact, I think instead of reluctantly playing Thrakhath, you should just play his father. Anyway, there's only one scene in this movie about Gilkarg, where he is dragged before the Emperor and killed."

I really don't know how stupid a person has to be to say that in front of my Dad!

Dad's father was ordered by the Emperor to be... I know that it was the eternal nightmare in Dad's heart. But this "Maniac" opened his scars in public with a mocking tone!

And the next thing that happened was just as I feared.

Hearing that, Dad first froze, then his fur, together with his anger, erupted like a volcano! In front of a stunned crowd, Dad took steps closer to Biff - predator steps, grabbed him by the collar, lifted him high above the head!

"The Living Joor'rad" was the first to come to his senses, shouting, "NO!!!!!! My... Zeke! STOP!!!!!”

And I then yelled, "Dad! No!"

At the sound of my voice, gradually, Dad's fur smoothed out, and then, he put Biff down slowly.

Dad turned to me, took my paw, and said:

"Dorothy, let's go home."



Back at the hotel, Dad bought dinner for me, but he didn't eat anything himself. He sat in his room for a long time, not saying a word, and in the early hours of the morning, bought tickets for the early morning ship home.

I don't know what else to write about...



2683.173 Sunny

Life is funny. Sometimes, just when you're feeling confident that nothing is wrong, all sorts of difficulties can pop up in ways you never thought possible, and just when you're feeling discouraged, good news arrives.

Early this morning, Dad and I packed our bags and left the hotel to go to the spaceport for the spaceship for our flight home. We didn't tell our family what happened yesterday, which was so disappointing and better be explained face to face.

After the security check, I sat beside Dad, who was sullen and unhappy, and didn't say a word. Yes, how can we explain this when we get back? And, really thinking about moving, how do we coordinate with Uncle Eisen about the residence?

Seeing the wide variety of movie and TV accessories in the souvenir store across the hall, it occurred to me that Jedediah is a big fan of the classic Terran drama Star Wars. At least, we could buy him a gift.

Dad and I went into the store. Dad instructed me to pick something that Jedediah liked and he would just pay for it. But I also knew that this time the purchase should not be too expensive. I still turned my head silently as I saw the detail-filled model of the Millennium Falcon. Darth Vader's helmet mask... This thing didn't fit the face of we Kilrathi, so it's not worth the money if it can only be used as an ornament. In the end, I chose a Light Saber toy. It's a safe and reliable product that uses Holovid technology and can be played with for an hour on a ten-minute charge.

Dad paid for it. The audio announcements in the hall seemed to be looking for someone, and everyone at the boarding gate was already lined up.

At that moment, I saw a team of uniformed spaceport staff wandering around the lobby with information signs. Wow, that's funny, it's also bilingual for Terran Language and Kilrah.

Hmmm? The message board reads... "Mr. Zeke, you have an urgent message for someone who wants to speak to you. - It's for us!

I hurriedly explained to Dad, but he impatiently said that we would be boarding in about one eight minutes, and even if there were any items left at the hotel, we could just ask them to mail it home.

By this time, the staff member holding the sign had seen us - indeed, Dad's stature stood out among the passengers. He rushed over to us and said.

"Mr. Zeke, right? The people from the movie studio are looking for you on an urgent matter and they are waiting for you right now in the office on this floor. "

...

To my surprise, we were approached by one of the examiners for the first round, Mr. Haikri, the Firekkan "Trembler", and then by... the tortoiseshell fur muscle guy?

First, they asked why they never get through - well, Dad‘s phone was rejecting all unfamiliar calls - and then they told us – Yes! Thank Sivar! Dad is being Accepted!

I was jumping for joy and surprise, while my dad was acting much more calmly. First he sighed and wondered if it was too late to refund the tickets. After getting the answer from the staff, he mockingly suggested to Mr. Haikri that perhaps the Performance Director of the movie would have to work overtime.

To my amazement, Mr. Haikri's reply was that he would do what he was supposed to do, and that he would definitely try to make sure that Dad would be portraying a real Crown Prince on the holomovie - wow, Mr. Haikri is the Performance Director! Unbelievable!

Mr. Haikri said that he couldn't reach us by phone, and that he knew from the hotel that we had checked out, so he went straight to spaceport - and the tortoiseshell fur muscle guy volunteered to go with together, saying that he knew us well and could help - He was the one who recognized our odor at the security checkpoint and made sure we were waiting for our flight this floor.

It occurred to me that since Dad had passed the audition to play the role of Crown Prince in the movie, that meant the tortoiseshell fur muscle guy was out.

Out of courtesy, I apologized to him. But he was happy to tell me that although he didn't have a chance to play the Crown Prince, he got a contract for a small supporting role based on his solitary character performance! Wow! Congratulations to him!

At that moment, the tortoiseshell fur muscle guy's phone rang. On the other end of the line, an old, booming voice yelled angrily in Kilrah:

"You idiot! You were supposed to be there for casting as me and your father! Who asked you to audition for the role of Lord Prince! ... What? You went to the reception and she told you to… you follow an [the "a" word, which is a Kilrathi's impolite slang refers to Terran. I won’t write it here]’s order? And! How can you cast as Lord Prince? Is that something our family could do? Is your brain made of muscle?!!!!!!!!"

"And! How can you go to an [the "a" word again] clinic for your Lair-mate's prenatal consultation? Not to mention it's a veterinarian one!"

Hahahahahahahaha!






QUESTION OF WEEK 3:

More to the point, during the war, "The Living Joor'rad" was the emperor's stand-in (I think the "Emperor" in some of the documentary scenes was actually him). He was secretly sent away from Kilrah just before the history-defining battle, so luckily escaped. I remember one of his famous quotes: "The only reason I still have my body intact is that after I made my left eye and my left leg as if they did not exist, the Emperor, for some reason, thought it useful to keep them in my body".

WHAT COULD BE THAT REASON?

(If you know the answer and would like to write the answer here, please use the spoiler mark.)

Next, please read WEEK 4...
 
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WEEK4

2683.174 Sunny

Early this morning, we had just finished breakfast when the doorbell rang: "Clean up."

However, I opened the door and there were Mom and Jedediah! They didn't give us any advance notice, just wanted to surprise us - phew, that was close, if we had gotten on the spaceship back home yesterday, it would have been a trouble.

Mom was relieved to hear about the tumultuous experience and the desired outcome, and Jedediah was clamoring for Dad to take us to the nearby Movie theme park - indeed, it was what he had been waiting for.

Planet Movie Studios, being a movie city planet, naturally has its own entertainment facilities for fans.

As already mentioned, there are many 1:1 historical ships in orbit, and on the ground, there are also many theme parks, some of which are modeled after civilizations and planets: for example, one modeled after the human home planet Earth (very large, with sections for temperate, cold and tropical environments), and one in the style of Firekka World. Jedediah was also curious and asked if there were any imitations of our home world - well, naturally not, and even if there were, would you have to pay to go to a place that was almost identical to the one you'd just left at home? At this point, it occurred to Mom that maybe in the future we could build an agricultural resort to welcome tourists and earn some extra income. Dad thought it was a good idea, too.

Of course, there are also a theme park here that mimic the Kilrah landscape. Theoretically, the overall climate and daily light settings should work best for us Kilrathi tourists. There is also a miniature imperial capital city with a 1:1 Imperial Palace at the center. A lot of historical movies were shot there. But I thought that Dad would have mixed emotions when he went to that place, and there will be scenes shot there in this movie, so I quietly agreed with Jedediah not to talk about it yet.

The daytime experience was very happy. In the evening, Mom and Dad decided to take Jedediah and I to watch two movies - the original 20th century movie version of the classic Teran drama: Star Wars series that he had always wanted to watch here! This is one of a series of works about space voyages and wars that were made shortly after Terrans had mastered the technology of audio and video recording. At that time, Terrans had also just made their first brief attempt to leave the Earth (only to reach the Earth's satellite, moon). Jedediah knew the story of the series very well, and compared to him, I had only an amateur's cursory understanding of the basic setting and plot, so this viewing was an opportunity for me to compile a systematic knowledge of the series.

We only had enough time for two viewings in one night, so we chose Episode IV: New Hope and Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back.

For me, there are three key points to note in these two movies.

First, one of the Empire's aces in the hole, the DS-1 Platform, a.k.a. the Death Star, which destroyed the beautiful Alderaan with a single strike in the movie. It naturally recalls me TCS Behemoth at the end of the war, which was destroyed in combat without its mission accomplished.

Secondly, Luke, the protagonist of the movie, flied a fighter and destroyed the DS-1 Platform with the support of his teammates.

These two points always made me think of a lot of things, some of which are quite heavy for both Terran and Kilrathi. I won't go into them here.

And finally, of course, is a funny point: Luke has a face similar to Col. Blair the Heart of the Tiger‘s! Maybe this is a kind of face of a hero?

It was truly an amazing experience to watch the movies with fans from all over the universe. After the screening, there was a little activity to give us some gifts. At the end of the activity, there was a funny little gag: the host asked everyone to shout out the most famous line of the series - I know it was supposed to be "May the Force be with you", but these fans, include Jedediah, in the same breath, shouted out another line - the most important line in the Episode V - "I am your father", uttered by Darth Vader in front of Luke.

The whole room was in an uproar, and the host tried his best to "correct" everyone, and Jedediah was laughing from ear to ear. I also thought it was funny, but… I felt like I couldn't laugh as much as he did. Why? I have no idea. Maybe it's because... I'm not such a professional fan?



2683.175 Sunny

Contract signed!

This morning, Dad formally signed his contract with the producers to be an actor in the new Heart of the Tiger! And I, too, have an on-set identity - actor Zeke's personal assistant! Haha! It looks like the name Dorothy Zeke will also appear on the Staff Roll at the end of the movie, and stupid Todd will be amazed!

The exact film schedule should be out soon. Supposedly, the first thing is to film the flying scene - in a flight suit. At my reminder, Dad and the props department contacted in advance to see the props for the flight suits this time.

After seeing the real thing, I also can't help but praise its simulation. This movie is really a big deal, all aspects are very strict. I compared with the real flight suit holos before, but only found a few details that need to be adjusted, and all focused on the logo part - the Crown Prince's proprietary logo. The prop department was surprised when I suggested these improvements, and then thanked me for providing the precious information. It seems I'm still quite competent as an assistant.

Another major achievement today - I got "The Living Joor'rad"'s autograph and had the pleasure of taking a picture with him!

Surprisingly, "The Living Joor'rad" was on the set today! As a rule, he doesn't appear on the set when there is no scene to film. But this time was very special, he seemed to come to the set specifically, seems to be specifically to meet with Dad. Well, it's no wonder, come so many years not seen... a peer, and indeed there is a special reunion of significance.

What surprised me was that, unlike the creepy "Emperor Style" he used to have in public (including last week), he looked especially... friendly today. It was really special to see such a kind expression on a "face of the Emperor". Not only that, I even feel that, as a senior, his attitude towards Dad, at some point, seemed a little too, say, polite.

"The Living Joor'rad" readily agreed to my request for a photo. When I stood with him, I always felt that he was in a special state - I could feel that his breath was a bit unusual at this moment. Is it because he rarely takes pictures with fans?



2683.176 Sunny

Today is the first day that Dad and I officially entered the set.

According to the schedule, Dad's first scene will start film on Thursday, which is the day after tomorrow. And the first scene is... well, the final scene of Crown Prince Thrakhath - the final duel with Colonel Blair over Kilrah.

That said, it's more or less strange that an important character is the first to be filmed in the last scene of the entire script. However, when you think about it, it is understandable, after all, Dad will have this scene filmed in flight suit and helmet throughout, and the Crown Prince's helmet actually only reveals half of his face through the glass, that is, the acting requirements may be slightly lower?

But, to put it another way, all facial expressions have to be expressed through the eyes, which in a sense is more difficult. Probably with this in mind, the acting director, Mr. Haikri, asked Dad to work a little overtime today and made sure he ate up the mentality of the Crown Prince at that time.

During the lunch break, I asked Mr. Haikri about the last round of auditions last week, and he told us in great detail about, well, how should I put it, which really surprised me.

It turns out that Dad's angry reaction to "Maniac" Biff's very bad comment... was really scary. I was standing at the side of the stage, so I didn't see it, but Mr. Haikri said that at that moment, he saw the eyes of the Crown Prince Thrakhath in countless people's nightmares. This performance received unanimous full marks from the judges - including, of course, "Maniac" Biff.

What made me laugh even more was that the next three candidates imitated the move, so poor "Maniac" Biff was grabbed by the collar and liftted up three more times, and the last time he sat on his hip because the collar of his shirt was ripped off, and spilling coffee on his shirt and all over the floor! --Mr. Haikri said it was a very high-grade Earth made cat poop coffee, and luckily it wasn't hot.

After hearing this, Dad was in a much better mood, and his afternoon was full of energy. By the end of the evening, Mr. Haikri said there should be no more problems.

A very fulfilling day.



2683.177 No weather in the space

Starting today, we're going to be in orbit for a few days.

These next few scenes are mostly space battle scenes, and the crew is planning to actually use real fighters to film some scenes. In order to save time, the studio rented a sightseeing ship on the track, where our part of the cast and crew will stay. There is actually another option, which is to stay on the ground in the Kilrah theme park area, but naturally we won't choose to stay there.

In fact, the sightseeing ship takes the shape of a Kilrathi corvette. Normally, it is part of the theme park, and when making a movie, it is for filming purposes.

Seeing the ship from afar on the shuttle, it occurred to me that Mom and our aunts might have been meeting Dad on a corvette of this style at the time. I quietly asked Mom and got an affirmative answer. Wow! It seems they can recall a lot of things here.

Jedediah was excited to be on board the "warship" for the first time and couldn't wait to look around. However, he was not so happy when he saw the small crew cabin. Luckily, we were staying in a separately furnished apartment-style room Suite. Sitting on the wide soft bed, Jedediah whispered to me that although he had often seen it in documentaries and movies, he still felt... very humble when he actually saw those crew bunks. Yes, the warship is designed for war, comfort naturally is a second demand.

However, after that, we inadvertently discovered a big secret!

During the lunch break, Jedediah hurried over and dragged me to look at something - some claw marks on the storage room door panel. While old details in theme park facilities are not uncommon, the claw marks here... looked just like Aunt Thelma's! I rushed back to my room and compared it to the suitcase Aunt Thelma had scratched on - yes! These claw marks are unique to Aunt Thelma!

We immediately contacted Aunt Thelma and sent a holovid. After seeing the claw marks, Aunt Thelma was silent for a long time. She then instructed us to check the crew bunks, briefing room, hangar and bathroom - and yes, we found Aunt Thelma's claw marks in all of these places, each slightly different from the other and not uniformly replicated.

This means that this ship is not some tourist ship built to look like a Kilrathi frigate, this is simply the corvette that Mom and our aunts were on back then itself! It was sold, then it went to Planet Movie Studios, and then it was made to look like it does now!

We couldn't wait to tell Dad and Mom about it. But when we got to Bridge and saw Mom and Dad watching the star ocean side by side , I pulled Jedediah back.

And, I heard Mom and Dad talking:

“So, the war is coming to an end.”
“But at such a heavy price.”

“Yes… but please save your sympathy, honey. Retribution for our crimes was inevitable.”
“Then where should we go now? You know… you cannot go anywhere in Kilrathi territory.”

“To human space.”
“Are you sure?”

“Yes… Kilrathi are not welcome in much of the galaxy, but there must be a place to accommodate us.”
“Let's hope so.“

“When a planet like that is found, what would you like to do first?“
“I’d wanna take a long walk along the seashore, I wanna feel the sand between my toe beans - - and never see another bulkhead."

“Sounds good to me. Well, as I can finally get rid of that princely robe from today onwards, we will buy a lot of land for farming, and have a lot of cubs. I will be Farmer Zeke, a happy father.”
“We could name my first cub Jedediah. It is a good name for a boy.”

“Maybe you'll have a girl first!”
“That's really hit the jackpot. What should I name her?”

“Your decision?”
“Then we could name her... what was that human name again, Dorothy.”



2683.178 No weather in the space

Dad is officially on camera!

Although I had been informed before, I was still blown away when I arrived at the hangar and those fighters were really presented to us. The first was the Confederation's F-103 heavy fighter Excalibur, which was the first type of the Confederation to put cloaking technology into actual combat. Second, naturally, was the Crown Prince's Super Fighter Bloodfang MK III, the ultimate improvement of the Bloodfang, with that impressive aggressive form factor.

Jedediah is much more familiar with these than I am. In his bedroom, he has a plastic model of the Excalibur vs Bloodfang MK III that he put together and painted himself. In fact, he once wanted to make a "Kilrah's Last Hour" themed scene, but stopped after Aunt Louise said that having that scene above his bed might give him nightmares about the dreaded Emperor.

Today Jedediah wanted to join the work, but unfortunately, since he is not a registered crew member, and in today's set there were "super valuable precision props", he and other extraneous people were strictly prohibited from entering. Even I, as an actor's personal assistant, was not allowed to approach the two fighters. Of course, these two fighters were modified accordingly - weapons were all unloaded and replaced with movie props, and the cockpit cameras were replaced with filming models.

And today, we finally met the famous Director, Ms. Christina. In recent years, she has directed several serious historical dramas that have been well received, and it is only natural that she is in charge of this new version of Heart of the Tiger. She is indeed very busy, must constantly back and forth in several sets, today she was also just from another set in that “Tiger's Claw”.

What surprised me was that "The Living Joor'rad" also appeared along with her. The usual mysterious old actor recently appeared so often without his own work was really a surprise to me. Maybe he just really wants to talk to my dad, who used to be another imperial royal stand-in.

Dad made a request to the director that he would like to fly Bloodfang himself to finish the scenes. To me, it's not surprising that Dad had this idea, after all, as a former stand-in of Imperial Crown Prince, he had and had to have qualified fighter pilot skills. Aunt Louise once told me it was such skills that allowed Dad to have a chance to escape.

However, the head of props said given that the fighters were specially leased to the crew by the federal military, it had to be piloted by designated qualified pilots. This is quite natural, although Dad's fighter piloting ability is qualified, but after all, he only has a farm plane pilot's license now. Let an intra-atmospheric farm plane pilot fly a cosmic space fighter... unreasonable.

However, to my surprise, something happened. The director simply left for a moment. A few minutes later, she returned and stated that Dad's request had been granted on a special basis! This is really shocking, it seems that Dad's identity as the Crown Prince's stand-in is really something!

Before the test flight, Dad, in the flight suit, slowly came before the Bloodfang and let out a long breath. I think, at this time, Dad's feelings must be very complicated. After all, he had been separated from fighters for 14 years, and in between, he was finally free from his former nightmare, living the life he had dreamed of since childhood, with Mom and aunts, with us cubs. Today, in this way, he rubbed shoulders with his former self again, which must have been a very emotional moment. He hugged me and then entered the cockpit.

After that, I realized that I may have underestimated Dad once upon a time.

Now, I'm not at all surprised that he wanted to be a bounty hunter before. Dad completed all the required flight maneuvers with quality and consistency. Several difficult maneuvers, Dad was successful in one go, causing a gasp from the crew. After the actual filming started, I found that the Excalibur pilot, a stunt pilot, was a bit unable to keep up with Dad's movements. After the first CUT, "The Living Joor'rad" stuck out two fingers. I asked him if he meant we needed at least two more times to get a good record, and his reply was that if this had been a real battle, the Excalibur would have been shot down twice. Ugh... I think I know why it's important to make strict confirmation again that the fighters had been fully disarmed minutes ago.

After repeated practice, today's aerial combat scenes were completed with very high quality. After Dad got off the fighter, he hugged me again to the applause of everyone. Everyone huddled around the director in front of the monitors, double-checking all the details. After confirming that there was no mistake, everyone cheered. For Dad, his career as an actor was off to a good start.

I noticed that throughout the process, there was also a cameraman who kept following the process of our work. It seems that this was in preparation for the production of "Behind the scenes". Hee hee, Stupid Todd, I look forward to your surprised and envious look.



2683.179 No weather in the space

Today's filming task focused on the dialogue part of the duel between the Heart of the Tiger and the Crown Prince. We also finally met with Mr. Williamson, who played the lead role in the movie. As the role of Luke in the holovid version of Star Wars this century, Mr. Williamson is the idol of countless fans. He is not only a great actor, but more importantly, his Luke looks just like the same character in the original Star Wars movie of seven centuries ago, and this is the main reason why he is now cast Colonel Blair, the Heart of the Tiger.

The work went well. During the break, Dad looked silently at Mr. Williamson, who was concentrating on working with "Maniac" Biff on their lines, and was lost in thought. I knew that Dad must have been thinking about the real Heart of the Tiger, Col. Blair, our family's former neighbor.

That was before I was born. After wandering the universe for almost a year, Dad and my aunts finally arrived in our current home planet. Dad bought the old Douglas place just down the road, thousand hectares of prime farmland at a bargain price. A dream came true. But what surprised Dad even more was that our neighbor was Blair the Heart of the Tiger, who had retired from the military to work as a farmer! After some mischief, Dad managed to become Tiger Heart's friend and spent a peaceful time together. Then, we cubs were born. Around the time of my birth and before Jedediah was born, Colonel Blair was recalled to active duty and has since crushed Black Lance's conspiracy to save the Confederation and even we Kilrathi once again.

Regrettably and inexplicably, however, at a moment when his personal reputation was at its peak, Colonel Blair became a shameless man overnight because of a very irrational act of madness in full view of the public, and thereafter chose to go into self-imposed exile. He passed by the farm and picked up his kitten and puppie. That was the last time we saw Heart of the Tiger.

Looking at the vast sea of stars, Dad murmured to himself:

"Heart of the Tiger, where are you now? Have you really passed the Last jump point? Have you found your paradise? Or you are..."

"Maybe he is somewhere in the universe leisurely sipping coffee, looking forward to the release of the movie", "Maniac" Biff came and said, "and then download a copy without payment."



2683.180 No weather in the space

Dad's first day off after officially joining the crew. Dad was tired from the first two days of filming and needed to rest, while Jedediah had a great interest in the set, so today I took Jedediah for a walk around.

Jedediah still couldn't get enough of the fighters, but it's really not easy to accommodate - after all, these fighters are federal military equipment, they are currently parked in the hangar. In accordance with the official rules of the fighter hangar in the management, authorized entrance. Looking at Jedediah's disappointed face, I reassured him that maybe there would be a photo opportunity after all the filming was done, and Jedediah nodded.

To our surprise, we met the tortoiseshell fur muscle guy! I asked him which set he had been on recently and he surprised both me and Jedediah with his answer - at the "Palace" and the " KIS Hvar'kann"! So the scenes he was involved in were about the royal family, which I didn't expect! However, when I asked about the details, he scratched his head and replied that he was only in the practice stage, and his performance was not yet on point, so the director felt that there was room for improvement - the key point was that his costume was not quite right either, making him move awkwardly. Well, with a body like his, maybe he really needs custom-made clothes to do that. But then again, he said, his family was sending over a proper suit. And now he was just waiting here for his grandfather - his grandfather was going to deliver the clothes himself. Wow, it seems that this old grandfather is really excited about his grandson being part of the movie.

We were chatting when suddenly "The Living Joor'rad" appeared like a ghost in a cloak and startled us. I really feel a bit surreal, usually so mysterious a big movie star, who was usually difficult to get an autograph from, recently appeared around me so frequently... It seems this movie is really important. The Living Joor'rad" also embraced him warmly. We asked tortoiseshell fur muscle guy to take a group photo of us, and of course, we didn't forget his one.

At that moment, a shuttle landed and tortoiseshell fur muscle guy's grandfather arrived!

It was only when I really met the old Kilrathi that I realized what genetics means - this grandfather was unusually tall and imposing (and of course tortoiseshell fur). Apparently tortoiseshell fur muscle guy's sturdy build is the family advantage. The grandfather was pulling a huge suitcase, and found his grandson.

After "lecturing" his grandson, the old grandfather happened to catch a glimpse of me, Jedediah and "The Living Joor'rad" next to him. As expected, the presence of "His Majesty the Emperor" made him shudder. Tortoiseshell fur muscle guy surely had to explain the situation.

However, when Jedediah and I were introduced to the old grandfather, the shocked expression on his face that had just faded came back again. He stared at Jedediah for seconds, and even nose twitched a few times to sniff the smell, and then shook his head, showing a look of incomprehension, muttering to himself: "Am I so old now? Not to mention the eyes, my nose is day dreaming too..." This inexplicable performance let me and Jedediah feel a little confused.

"The Living Joor'rad" was still in time to say to ease the embarrassment. Yes, so all of us took a group photo. "The Living Joor'rad" was naturally in the middle, and the old grandfather said that he would never follow my suggestion to stand next to "The Living Joor'rad", but must stand on the far left, and also lean back a step - and our tortoiseshell fur muscle guy was also ordered by his grandfather to stand on the far right.

Hey, it seems that the "emperor's" face still has a great deterrent effect on those old generation of imperial legacy senior people.
 
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WEEK 5

2683.181 No weather in the space

So annoying! How come stupid Todd is here at Planet Movie Studios too!

Early this morning I got a message from this idiot saying he wanted an autograph of my dad - the message was followed by several holo images from his autograph book with the signatures of several of the cast and crew! Even from "The Living Joor'rad"! How can this be! How is this possible? It must have been forged with Holoshop!

I'm not a big fan of collecting autographs from celebrities, but Jedediah is a master at it. This time he also brought his autograph book, trying to collect all the autographs of the main actors of the movie at once. As mentioned, yesterday he got the autograph of "The Living Joor'rad", which was the hardest one to get. Tomorrow he will go to the set with me and try to collect a few more.

Tomorrow's set is on the ground, in the Kilrah theme park, is some conversation scenes of imperial court politics. Because these scenes mainly depict the era of Crown Prince Gilkarg, so tomorrow there will actually no Dad's scene. However, as a former stand-in for Thrakhath, Dad was invited to join the historical advisory panel for these scenes - supposedly at the suggestion of "The Living Joor'rad" - and he is naturally the main character in tomorrow's lead. Ah, this is fantastic.

Jedediah suggested we go watch the classic Star Wars, Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. This would have been great, but at the theater, I found out that stupid Todd had come to watch the movie with his parents, and they were sitting in the back row behind us!

Although Todd's parents were as well behaved as usual, stupid Todd was as annoying as ever - I was paying attention to him at first, and he did nothing, but at the climax of the movie, when we were all engrossed in the touching drama, the idiot was up to his old trick again - He quietly tied my tail and Jedediah's together, and this time with a bowknot! After the scene, as usual, I chased after him and herded him into the men's room, while I put a stop with a customary roar outside the door.

But... I immediately realized that I seemed to have screwed up because here wasn't our school...

Sure enough... Holovids of me chasing stupid Todd appeared on several entertainment media pages: "Angry young Kilrathi girl chases a Terran teenager - sources close to the situation say the girl is a Heart of the Tiger cast member". And my roar was reposted in all sorts of ways - what am I supposed to do! I surely can't put my claws on him, right? Human skin hurts easily.

Nothing good can come from meeting this guy! Luckily, when I get to junior high school next semester, there's a good chance I won't be in the same class as stupid Todd - maybe he'll be kicked to West Campus, which would be even better!



2683.181 overcast sky

Today, our family finally arrived at the Kilrah theme park for the first time.

I learned early on that advanced technology was used here to almost completely simulate the climate of the various continents of Kilrah in several areas totaling several hundred square kilometers. And the most central of these dozens of square kilometers restores an imperial capital - the central palace area is 1/1, and the further around the area, the smaller the scale. As far as I know, there are some wealthy old Kilrathi who come to live here for a period of time every year, saying that they come for nostalgia - in fact, Kilrah has long been exclusive to the emperor's family and the emperor's close relatives, these people just come to enjoy a handful of psychological luxury consumption.

When I arrived at this place, I first felt that the environment was a little too dark - after all, I was born and raised on a planet with plenty of light. The Kilrah style low-light, multi-geothermal environment makes me a little uncomfortable psychologically. Dad is naturally no problem, after all, he spent a lot of time on Kilrah as a stand-in for the Crown Prince.

Coming to the entrance of the "Palace", I still think this building... is big and tall, right? I don't want to use some positive words to describe it, after all, the real palace had so many terrible things happened inside, and after that, disappeared with the whole Kilrah.

Next, a happy topic.

At the entrance of the "palace", Jedediah and I met tortoiseshell fur muscle guy!

Today he was completely different, equipped with a powerful and intricately decorated Imperial Guard armor! As the saying goes, armor makes the Kilrathi. And beside him, in addition to our Mr. Haikri the Performance Director, there was his grandfather. This old grandpa was so strict on teaching his grandson, and his claws were so heavy when he was correcting his grandson’s posture that I almost felt the pain.

To be honest, I didn't want to disturb them when I saw how seriously they were practicing. However, for some reason, the grandfather froze a second when he saw us and then took the initiative to greet us (wow), and the tortoiseshell fur muscle guy was then given a seemingly rare break.

Through this chat, we learned that in this movie, tortoiseshell fur muscle guy would play the roles his grandfather and father, the two imperial guards in the old days. It turns out that tortoiseshell fur muscle guy has a very impressive family. For several eights of eight years, their family has served in the Imperial Guard for generations. In the generation of the old grandfather, the family obtained the qualification to be the guards at the gate of the Imperial Palace, which was regarded as a great honor. After the old grandfather retired, tortoiseshell fur muscle guy's father was sent to the Crown Prince of Thrakhath's flagship as a guard, and it was for this reason that he escaped from the destruction of Kilrah. After the war was over as well as the Empire was gone, tortoiseshell fur muscle guy's father took a part-time job helping the Kilrathi Assembly of Clans' honor guard do training. But instead of carrying on the family tradition, tortoiseshell fur muscle guy became a bodybuilding instructor.

Frankly, my heart was relieved to know that they were only honor guards. We know, the guards inside the palace, they surely were not ceremonial guards, and to the level of the Emperor's personal close guards, they were some scary monsters. SLORTH, the royalist who occupies the Anchorage System today, was once the emperor's personal... say, bodyguard who is recognized as dishonorable, was one of them. The mere mention of their name can make a lot of Kilrathi let out a gasp. Some irresponsible parents have even invented a phrase to discipline their naughty cubs: "If you make any more mischief, SLORTH will come and take you into the dungeons of the palace!"

Jedediah curiously asked the old grandfather if he knew back then that sometimes the Crown Prince or even the Emperor passing in front of him were not the real lords, but their stand-ins. The old grandfather was obviously embarrassed by this nonsensical question. He thought for a moment and answered with this sentence.

"The sire holding the scepter on top of the throne is His Majesty the Emperor."

Indeed, as an ordinary guard, to casually wonder if the royal family member was a stand-in, was looking for trouble.

It was very warm, so Mr. Haikri took us to the store and bought us fruit juice. While drinking, he whispered to us that the old grandfather was actually very strict all the time and was quite mean to people who disturbed their training, and today was the first time he made an exception.

Thinking back to the old grandfather's words, I vaguely felt that there was something else I hadn't sorted out. What is it?



2683.182 rainy

It was raining non-stop since morning.

The filming was postponed because Dad suggested changes to some of the lines.

It was at yesterday's crew meeting that Dad suggested that some of the lines didn't match the expressions used in the court back then, and some details could be better. "The Living Joor'rad" agreed with Dad's opinion. In view of their special position in the historical advisory group, the director and the scriptwriter immediately decided to make corrections to the script. I was not allowed to take part in the script revision today - I understand that this is probably because I am still a minor. After all, there are some things in the court that are not suitable for today's cubs to be exposed to.

Jedediah, seeing that I had nothing better to do, offered to walk around the "palace" and even offered to go see the "dungeon"! Well, seriously, although we all know that this place is fake, just a set, but the entrance to the "dungeon" the extremely eerie design still makes us feel uncomfortable. Not far inside, Jedediah said he suddenly want to go to the restroom, I also said I was thirsty to go buy water - we looked at each other with a smile, and left the place.

We Kilrathi has prided ourselves on our bravery and fearlessness since ancient times. However, the dungeons of the palace, together with the Emperor's personal inquisitors, could become a nightmare in the hearts of countless Kilrathi people, its horror can be imagined. Whenever I think of the Emperor and his Kiranka's royal members who unscrupulously maintain the throne firmly, and so many people lost lives - including my grandfather - because of them, I always feel uncomfortable.

But then I saw a holovid of Stupid Todd in the "dungeon" in the info stream! This idiot is really dumb!

At the gate, the old grandfather was still training his grandson tortoiseshell fur muscle guy, and Mr. Haikri was also braving the rain to assist - I understand that there are some ethnic groups in Firekkan who don't like their feathers getting wet, and Mr. Haikri seems to be one of them. Well, when I saw him drenched, I even felt it a bit funny, but, seeing him so serious and dedicated, my respect arose spontaneously. We did not bother again.



2683.183 sunny

It was the first time I saw a sunny day of Kilrah - well, a sunny day of Kilrah-style.

Bright yellow star was shining on the vast ground, and the buildings of the "imperial capital" seemed to be edged with gold. I know it's just a variation on the extensive optical camouflage technology invented in recent years, a form of cloaking technology, but the view still makes my heart ripple.

After yesterday's script revisions, the entire crew was confident and ready for the work today. Dad and "The Living Joor'rad" sat in a quiet corner and continued to talk about the script. And I was running around serving tea and water to everyone.

To my delight, I finally got to meet the star duo playing Crown Prince Gilkarg and Khasra in this production: Lagi and Lundi!

These two comedy stars have gained widespread recognition in the acting world with the sitcom of “Lagi and Lundi“. Lagi and Lundi are two humble Imperial Army mechanics who encounter a variety of hilarious off beat events during the long years of the war. Paradoxically, the show has been attacked by post-war Kilrathi apologists for "tarnishing the glorious image of the Imperial Army," for "ulterior motives," and for suspecting the crew of having an Terran Confederation background, and some regions even banned the series. What is more, there are rumors that SLORTH had threatened the two actors. All this happened despite the fact that the show itself was produced by the Kilrathi Assembly of the Clans, and Lagi and Lundi, the two main actors were originally from the Imperial troupe. Its comedy plot also has a saddening basis in fact - the pitiful status of thelow-ranking non-direct combatants in the Imperial army, struggled in the fire of war and the disdain of their own officers. During the long years of war, countless mechanics as well as other logisticians, like the countless screws of the Imperial fleet, struggled and burdened to bear the weight of war, and dissipated in the sea of stars.

Although Lagi and Lundi have already established their fame in the acting world by comedy, this time they hope to expand their acting fields by portraying two serious characters. Such a sense is really admirable.

This morning we filmed a scene of Crown Prince Gilkarg playing opposite the Emperor, and Lagi's "Crown Prince Gilkarg " was amazing - although he was slightly inferior to "The Living Joor'rad" in terms of recreating the historical character's look, but the principle of the temperament is not in any way inferior. The moment the filming was completed, there was a lot of applause and roars of praise from the crew, and even some battle chanting.

During the lunch break, Mr. Lagi did not remove his makeup. It was a great opportunity to bring Jedediah in for an autograph and a picture with "Crown Prince Gilkarg". But what I didn't expect was that Jedediah just came in by the leading of - uh, Stupid Todd?

Since Jedediah was two grades below us, and he never gets angry at Stupid Todd's tricks, Stupid Todd was even more reckless with him, even inventing an original prank on Jedediah in addition to the tail bowknot trick on me - the elephant on the back - Taking advantage of Jedediah's unawareness, place cheap ear and eye stickers on his back, and the elephant trunk is naturally Jedediah's tail. Jedediah never cared, and even enjoyed playing with Stupid Todd, which made me embarrassed.

Mr. Lagi even bought Jedediah a large cup of catnip ice cream and a burger with food toy of Dralthi model! These two items were expected to be a reward for Jedediah's perfect score in math three years ago, but Jedediah was careless and lost the reward at a score of 99. Mom had suggested back then we could let Jedediah choose one of the two, but Dad strongly disagreed, and mentioned that when he was a cub, such mistake would not only bring no reward, but also cause, say, corporal punishment from his father.

Jedediah took the Dralthi model and laughed excitedly with Mr. Lagi, well, "Crown Prince Gilkarg". I was also very happy.

However, I suddenly realized that my father was behind me, looking at Jedediah and the "Crown Prince Gilkarg", and was lost in thought. He didn't even hear me when I called him for the first time. Well, that's rare. I think maybe Dad regretted being too strict back then.

After lunch, Dad went to practice the scene of “Khasra! I’ve heard enough of Khasra!“ with "The Living Joor'rad". To my surprise, this time Dad’s performance of the lines of the crown prince were amazingly good. Especially the line of "Such accidents are very common in our family", the one that was the worst in the audition weeks ago, was flawless this time.

Dad's efforts these days have really paid off.



2683.184 Cloudy

I will not watch movies before going to bed anymore. It affects the quality of sleep.

Last night I was just boring and watched Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back for a while. Then I had a very scary dream.

In the dream, our family came to Cloud City as guests, and were personally received by Lando Calrissian. Of course, we were attacked by Darth Vader before the meal, and then we tried to escape, but we got separated.

I looked around for Dad, but could not find him, until "THAT" scene. I came far away from the bridge and finally found him. However, Dad's just stood there with his back to me, and no matter how I called, he didn't answer. I went up closer.

Just then, something weird happened!

Dad slowly turned around from the other side and stared at me - NO! What was wrong with Dad? Why did he have a completely different look in his eyes than usual? His eyes were gleaming with harsh red light!

Then, "Dad" finally spoke: "Who are you looking for, Cub?"

I suddenly understood that this frightening monster in front of me was not my father, but Crown Prince Thrakhath himself!

The Crown Prince stepped closer to me and asked me in a stern voice, "Tell me, are you looking for my stand-in, that Zeke? I can tell you where he is. "

I took steps backward until the end of the bridge. Looking back at the abyss beneath my feet, I looked up to this mad beast and asked rhetorically, "Where is my father?"

The Crown Prince then let out a terrible maniacal laugh. I felt a wave of despair, "You… you killed my father? "

The Crown Prince stopped laughing, stared at me, and continued, "NO! ------"

Then, a beeping woke me up from my nightmare.

Ah, seriously, yesterday's practice between Dad and "The Living Joor'rad" was so real, that it led me to dream of the dreaded Crown Prince.

I looked at the terminal. Wow, it was a message from Laurel!

I've been missing her since our first meeting a few weeks ago. I am also careful about his father's situation on the set. However, Laurel only sent one short congratulatory holovid the day we received the acceptance notice, then all her replies were emotes only. Even today I have no idea which character her father is playing in the movie!

I was so happy to chat with Laurel. I was excited to share with her these new and exciting experiences I had recently had. But… I was slightly perplexed that her answers, though polite and appropriate, were not always... in tune. Finally, I couldn't resist asking her once again if his father's acting was still going well.

She was silent for a moment and answered me, “we will meet tomorrow”.

Eh?

Laurel explained, tomorrow we will meet on set. Then sent a smiley face, and went offline. I was left baffled.

This morning, the first phase of filming at the "Palace" was successfully completed. To my surprise, Stupid Todd seemed to know many of the humans in the crew, including the director! Previously underestimated him... and it seems his parents really have a lot of contacts the movie industry.

Jedediah's signature collection program is also going well with the assistance of Stupid Todd. Seriously, this makes me feel a little uncomfortable. HOWEVER! I looked at Jedediah's autograph book (and Stupid Todd's, of course, I took it out to check while he was in the bathroom), and confirmed that I have seen all of these signers. Yeah! Tomorrow I can proudly introduce them to Laurel and her father.

I checked the schedule. The next set we're going to tomorrow is "GHORAH KHAR". Oh! It's the scene where the Crown Prince was captured and escaped.



2683.185 No weather in the space

Do you believe in the foreseeability of dreams? Some dreams can suggest what is about to happen, even though the form may be strange.

Today's scene was filmed on the set of "GHORAH KHAR", a replica of "TCS Bonnie Heather" to be exact. The historical ship is not as famous as "Tiger's Claw" or "Victory", but it is very special: first, she was used by Senator James Taggart. The second is that she once imprisoned Crown Prince Thrakhath, and this episode is also the content of today's filming.

From the Kilrah theme park, the crew took a special shuttle to the set on the orbit. On the way, Dad, for the first time, did not sit with me, but simply asked me to accompany Jedediah and Stupid Todd, and then sat alone in the corner.

I saw Dad was clutching the script in his claws, but hadn't read it in a while. I was eager to read This part of the script, because although there are many films and TV productions that deal with this period of history, but many of them are literary creations. The details of this part of history have not been officially declassified by the Assembly and the Confederation, thus the details are not known to the general public. At present, we only know that Crown Prince Thrakhath was accidentally captured due to internal strife of the Imperial family, but then escaped because of a mechanical failure, and Khasra was shot down by Col. Blair in the incident. Although this movie is still literary work this time, since Senator James Taggart and Chancellor Melek are on the historical advisory board, the value of this part of the script should be worth waiting for.

However, Dad refused my request to read the script. I knew there was an NDA, but I was a little surprised that he was so adamant.

Dad stayed in the washroom for a long time. Well, I knew he had eaten a lot of roast pork last night for today's scene. But then I heard Mr. Lundi (he is playing Khasra), who had been waiting outside for almost 20 minutes, complaining loudly that the washroom was just like an icehouse!

Indeed, then I found that the temperature inside the washroom was set to the lowest! And I was also very worried for Dad, I know he was dedicated to prepare for the play, but why didn’t he care so obvious temperature problems? What if he caught a cold? I went up to show my care, but he was still distracted.

I thought of Laurel again and took out the terminal to check her status. Well, just like last night, she was still in Do Not Disturb status. However, her signature had been updated: "Destiny..."

We arrived at "TCS Bonnie Heather" without any problem. In fact, most of the scenes here were finished, only left the part related to the Crown Prince. Jedediah and Stupid Todd were excitedly looking around for autographs.

I looked around and didn't see Laurel, and she wasn't returning messages. This was too weird. So, I had to get ready and start serving tea to everyone.

In addition to "Col. Blair" and others whom I had already met, I also met "Paladin" and others for the first time. Mr. Lundi and Mr. Lagi, who was not in the movie today, gave us an improvised sitcom, which made everyone laugh. Except for Dad, who was still gawking in the corner with the script crumpled in his claws.

Suddenly! I noticed something! Where is the "Hobbes"?

I looked around again and confirmed that the only Kilrathi actors present were Dad and Mr. Lundi and Mr. Lagi, and then I immediately thought of Laurel!

Prince Ralgha nar Hhallas, Callsign "Hobbes", is a heavy name. Born in a Kilrahi noble family, but chose to join the Terran Confederation Army, was once a comrade and one of the best friends of Col. Blair "the Heart of the Tiger", then left the Confederation in the last year of the war... Someone says he was a sophisticated agent sent by the Crown Prince; someone says he was implanted with a second personality; others say he was always there for the Kilrathi people, both of his defections were to save the people he cared. For years he was regarded a traitor to both races and was portrayed in several movies and television productions as a vile villain. Until ten years ago, the President of the Confederation issued a statement that Hobbes' defection was part of a top-secret Confederation operation, rehabilitated him, and declared him honorably discharged from the Confederation Space Force, which effectively also confirmed Hobbes' survival! But there hasn't been any definitive news about him since then. I've always been curious to see what kind of Hobbes the new Heart of the Tiger will present to everyone.

Honestly, at this point I still didn't believe Laurel's father was playing "Hobbes". After all, Laurel's fur color is orange-brown fur, and according to common sense, it should not be too different from her parents'. If an orange-brown fur Kilrathi temporarily dyes himself to pure and bright gray, white, black and yellow striped fur color by make-up, even if possible, it requires a top-level make-up artist. Is Laurel's father a well-known actor I do not know?

"He's here, let's get ready to start." The director's voice was low, but it quickly gathered our attention. Everyone took their positions. I was waiting to see who this "Hobbes" was.

The actor who plays the role of Hobbes entered the set quietly, and went straight to the dressing room without saying a word. As far as I could see, he was as tall as the real Hobbes, wearing an old-fashioned trench coat, the brim of the hat deliberately lowered to block his face. Is this Laurel's father?

Dad also got up and walked towards the dressing room. The two behemoths pushed the doors of the dressing room at the same time.

At that very moment, the bright lights in the dressing room illuminated the face of this Kilrathi- Oh my Sivar! He was too much like the real Hobbes! Not only the face and features, even the fur color pattern was very similar to the real Hobbes in the holovids! Amazing!

Wait...

Just the moment before this Kilrathi's face disappeared behind the door, the stripes of his face caught my eyes completely - It's no longer a resemblance, it's an exact match to the real Hobbes’ in the holovids!

Just like humans claim to that they can easily tell the difference between purple and violet, for us, if a Kilrathi has a distinct pure stripe in his fur, the stripe is as unique as the scent and the fingerprints. Even identical twins have different stripes. We recognize this stripe as something that appears at a glance.

So, what's going on here? This actor already had his makeup done in advance? Then why is he in the dressing room? And Dad didn't seem surprised by him?

I couldn't resist the urge to follow him in and find out the answer.

But at that moment, Laurel appeared in front of me and stopped me.

"Excuse me, Dorothy, please give my father some privacy."

I was slightly taken aback by her sudden appearance, but politely agreed to her request and praised that Laurel's father was too much like Hobbes.

But I was shocked by her reply.

"My father is not like Hobbes, my father is Hobbes."

The moment Dad decided to participate in the movie, I was sure that I would meet some famous people. But at that time, I never expected to meet such a legend. The moment the dressing room door opened again, the entire set was totally silent.

At Laurel's request, Jedediah and Stupid Todd sat quietly in the corner of the set while Laurel and I served the busy people. As I silently brought the tea to Hobbes, he stood up and bowed to me formally! This is one of Kilrathi's traditional noble courtesies, used in formal inter-clan social occasions. I was at a loss for words, just requited the way I remembered Mom teaching me, not knowing how many mistakes I made - I should have learned it better! Fortunately, the tea was not spilled.

Now, according to the usual practice, between the filming of the scenes and the dinner time were the moments of "Behind the scenes" production. In front of the camera, unlike the usual liveliness, everyone around today was just quietly busy with their own business. The three main actors today, "Col. Blair", Dad, and Hobbes, all sitting silently in one corner of the venue, facing three different directions, back-to-back, no one said anything.

I am on the other side of the field here, jotting down these words above.



2683.186 No weather in the space

Yesterday's filming was the smoothest since Dad and I joined the crew. Any scenes were done in one take, no rework. At the end of the filming, Hobbes bowed to a thunderous applause.

Last night, Dad asked me to take care of Jedediah and Stupid Todd - along with Laurel - in the crew barn of "Bonnie Heather" for the night. Dad took his jug to the bar and drank all night with Hobbes.

When I was young, I often pestered Uncle Eisen about Hobbes. When I grew up, I understood why Uncle Eisen was always changing the subject.

Laurel and I were sitting face to face and didn't know where to start for a while.

I remembered how Hobbes had bowed to me today, and how aristocratic it really was. So, I half-jokingly asked Laurel about whether I should call her the honorable Kal Laurel nar Hhallas.

Laurel looked at me for a few seconds, smiled, shook her head, and asked me back what full name I use. I replied, Dorothy Zeke, and she said, then she is Laurel Hobbes.

Laurel told me that she was an adopted daughter of Prince Ralgha. After Hobbes’ escapement, because of his double traitor status, he had had been in hiding a long term on his way back to Kilrah. When arrived at an Imperial colony where a trusted friend was located, he was only to discover that the place had been destroyed by a Confederation raid, and that the only survivor was a female cub – Laurel. Then, the war ended. With nowhere to go, Hobbes took Laurel into hiding and worked as a Holographer until he met Laurel's mother and started a new family. The days that followed were hard, with frequent night shifts, but for his stature, this was a great blessing. A few years later, Admiral Blair's agents found them, rehabilitated Hobbes. Although it couldn’t completely erase his reputation, the family's life improved quite a bit. This time, Hobbes, who has always kept a low profile, accepted the invitation to take part in the movie, without being paid, just hoping to leave some real history for future generations to comment on.

Hearing all of those, I lowered my head and asked Laurel very carefully if she held a grudge against the Confederation and humanity because of what happened to her biological parents. Laurel shook her head and replied that she had no reason to think that way. The war was started by the Empire, and millions of human families suffered in the first place; besides, how could she hold a grudge against her mother's race?

Wow! Laurel's adoptive mother, Hobbes’ Lair mate, is a human woman!

Early this morning, most people were still asleep. I, Jedediah, Dad and Stupid Todd, saw Laurel and Hobbes off since Hobbes had finished filming all his scenes.

Laurel returned the two autograph books to Jedediah and Stupid Todd. I saw that Jedediah's book was signed "Ralgha nar Hhallas" of the Terran language version, while Todd's was signed “Hobbes” in Kilrah. Laurel said that her family accepted our invitation. We will meet again in the harvest season on our farm. This is so delightful! Before boarding the shuttle, Hobbes and Laurel bowed to us. This time I requited gracefully with great care.

I suddenly realized a great secret: it was Dad who was captured that year! That must be it!

I just saw that Laurel's signature has been updated again:

"A new mission: Live a good life."
 
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WEEK 6

2683.187 Cloudy to sunny

Yesterday morning, we returned from Bonnie Heather to Kilrah theme park. Dad seemed to have taken a load off and was in his room catching up on his sleep.

As I was informed a few days ago, next week's filming schedule will be more intensive. We had to go back and forth between "The Palace" and "KIS Hvar'kann". But before that, we found out that Dad's costume for next week - the famous Princy Robe - did not fit well and several details were not right. The prop team has coordinated a rush to adjust it, which required the concerted efforts of several crafts kilrathi who served the Empire back then.

This afternoon, Jedediah was dragged by Stupid Todd to play face-to-face space racing game. I still don't know why this idiot is so keen, has he forgotten the last time he was beaten by Jedediah with an embarrassing record of 20 consecutive defeats?

The rendezvous was at the entrance of the "Palace"... which seemed a bit awkward to me - the Kilrathi cubs, in front of the "Palace ", play games, with a human boy. This is something topicality.

Although it was the weekend afternoon, because the light here was too dark for humans, there are not many visitors in the Kilrah theme park. Tortoiseshell fur muscle guy was still being strictly trained by his grandfather. But to my surprise, the "relief" that Stupid Todd invited was Mr. Lundi! What was more, his skill was excellent! Stupid Todd was out in no time. I also withdrew from the match and pretended to be a serious spectator - because I knew this was when Stupid Todd's prank was about to begin.

Stupid Todd quietly brought stickers and crept up on Jedediah from behind, ready to play his elephant-in-the-back trick, while Jedediah didn't notice because his mind was entirely on the game. Hmph, but this cannot hide from me. The rest of my eyes were on Stupid Todd, ready to give him a surprise counterattack.

But just then, I noticed something different - tortoiseshell fur muscle guy's grandfather was staring Todd from behind, ears pinned back, with a terrible predator glint in his eyes!

At the time I wasn't sure why this was happening, but one thing I instinctively understood right away - Todd was going to be in trouble.

This was no joke. I should to seriously remind everyone of one critical thing: If a Kilrathi confronts another creature head-on with an angry expression, mane raised, teeth and claws bared, this is naturally a very bad situation, but it's not the worst. The most dangerous situation, in fact, is like the old grandfather approach Todd from behind silently. This is true for individual hunts, and also for large-scale wars in history, such as the first large-scale attack by the Empire on the Confederation - the McAuliffe ambush.

Just like a flash of lightning, the old grandfather lunged at Todd! In desperation, I had to do my best to flank Todd and protect him underneath me...

Luckily, my reaction was quite timely. When everything was calm, Jedediah and I were calming down the stunned Todd, Mr. Lundi was explaining to the old grandfather that Todd was just trying to play a joke with Jedediah, just cubs playing around, no harm, and tortoiseshell fur muscle guy angrily asked his grandfather to apologize to Jedediah.

Hearing the request for apology, the old grandfather was not happy and used the rather rude "A word" to say that he would not apologize to a human. Tortoiseshell fur muscle guy was also angry and refuted the old grandfather's prejudice. The more the two argued, the louder the voice became, until the old grandfather burst out with the following sentence:

"[A word]’s victory is just a fluke because the empire's a negligence! Otherwise, they would have been slaves with metal collars!"

I know that even though the extreme royalists of the SLORH kind that everyone loathes are a tiny minority, there is still a considerable percentage of Kilrathi who accepted peaceful coexistence today who do not quite approve of humans. Although this disapproval has been diluted in recent years by the joy of the gender balance and the pressure of the Nephilim invasion, it is still not negligible.

Hearing this, Mr. Lundi's face suddenly became serious, looked at the old grandfather, and then turned his gaze to the starset in the sky. His next words, seemingly to himself, yet so clear:

"An accidental negligence? Perhaps in the eyes of many of the lords who live in Kilrah, it was only that one so-called accidental oversight that led to the defeat. But after so many years of war, how many wives have lost their husbands, how many mothers have cried for their young? "

Mr. Lundi turned to leave: "This year's ‘Lagi and Lundi’ will be the last season."

Honestly, when I saw the end of last season, Lundi said that he would get married after the next battle in the story, I expected a sad plot for this year's season. However, it was still sad to actually hear one of the lead actors confirm my expectation in person. In Kilrahi's traditional literature, the protagonists are almost always war heroes who have carved their names in history with blood-soaked claws. But this sitcom is so different. It focuses on lower-ranking soldiers, and the main characters seem to be the common faces around us. I know that throughout history, there were countless such soldiers whose bodies have turned into cosmic dust with no chance to leave their names, but I still hope that in the story Lagi and Lundi would have a happy ending, even if it is just a consolation.

What surprised me a little was that the old grandfather seemed to be hit harder than I was. He stopped Mr. Lundi with a shocked face and asked if the so-called last season meant that the main characters were going to meet their ancestors. After receiving silent confirmation, he expressed disbelief, saying he was still waiting to see Lundi hug his cub. Eh, the old grandfather seems to have seen very few dramas.

The old grandfather begged Mr. Lundi to change the story. Mr. Lundi replied with a bitter smile that he was only an actor and had no right to change the script. Besides, it would have been very difficult for low-ranking soldiers to master his fate, in the story and in the history.

The old grandfather was on the verge of tears.

"It's possible to change the script if the audience reacts strongly." A deep, resonant voice appeared behind us.

It was a tall, middle-aged Kilrathi male, with a light brown mane, a scarf and a short, light red yellow-sleeved robe. He put his paws behind his back and looked at us with a smile.

Frankly, I was expecting to have the opportunity to meet Lord Melek, but I thought it would be at a big crew event. I really didn't expect such an important Kilrathi to show up so casually.

Chancellor Melek once served as chee'dyachee, the senior vassal and retainer, to the Crown Prince in the final stage of the war. With the Crown Prince shot down, Kilrah destroyed, and the Imperial fleet mains almost completely lost, he calmly and sensibly surrendered to captured Col. Blair, the Heart of the Tiger, and later signed the Treaty of Torgo, also known as the Treaty of Ko-bar Yagar by us Kilrathi, as a representative of the Kilrathi side, officially ending the thirty-five-year long war, allowing the bloodlines of both humans and Kilrathi to continue. Thereafter, in the newly formed Kilrathi Assembly of the Clans, Lord Melek became Chancellor and now he is playing an important role in the communication between Kilrathi and humans.

Well, these are the basics from the textbook, which I just took on the last final exam. Naturally, I got a perfect score, and Stupid Todd misspelled chee'dyachee as chimpanzee, which gave me a chance to mock him.

Old Grandfather begged Lord Melek to revise the script. And Lord Melek offered a surprising condition: the old grandfather needed to write a request letter, and then collect eight of eight signatures before the starset, so he can submit it to the producers tomorrow.

So, the old grandfather took the request letter around to find someone to sign. At first it was the Kilrathi here, then it was the "Palace" staff of other races, and finally human tourists. After scaring away several groups of tourists, the old grandfather, who could not speak Terran language well, had no choice but to ask his grandson for help.

It was very emotional for me to see a heavily armed actor playing an imperial guard, helping a real retired imperial guard, running around the "palace", politely explaining the situation to the tourists, making requests, and bowing in gratitude after the requests were met. I could see that at first the old grandfather was very reluctant, but then he slowly got used to it and finally even met the request of a human tourist family for a holograph.

The star was about to set, and the grandfather and grandson were still three signatures short of what they had collected. Naturally, Jedediah and I would not refuse the request, and now the total would be enough as long as Todd signed.

However, when he saw the old grandfather approaching, poor Todd was so scared that he hid behind me. It seems he was really frightened.

The old grandfather froze for a moment, then tapped his head and ran into the adjacent grocery store.

After a while, the old grandfather came back with a bunch of bananas. He squeezed out a smile, broke off a banana, and handed it over: "[A word] cub, eat it!"

Todd timidly reached out and took the banana and ate it.

The old grandfather handed over the letter and a pen: "sign this!"

What made me laugh was that Todd didn't sign it directly, but replied in the same tone: "You eat one banana, I sign it."

This "rude" request obviously shocked the old grandfather. He bared his fangs and an angry roar came out of his throat. Tortoiseshell fur muscle guy rushed to explain banana was a healthy food rich in protein, vitamins and minerals. But the old grandfather was still shaking head, said he does not eat "[A word] food".

Lord Melek looked at his watch and reminded everyone that there was only one minute left.

Looking around, finding there was really no one else, the old grandfather broke off a banana, eyes seemed to have a flame, ripped off the banana peel with his sharp claws, growled angrily said "For our cubs!”, swallowed the banana whole.

In the last rays of the sunset, the old grandfather respectfully presented the letter of request filled with signatures to Lord Melek.

Looking at the backs of the old grandfather and his grandson, I was also very pleased. But, although it was only for a moment, I noticed that Todd, who looked so pitiful just a moment ago, was smiling smugly! I seemed to have understood something!

This idiot really deserves a beating!



2683.187 Cloudy to sunny

There are several things worth writing down today.

First thing. Early this morning I saw on the news that another royalist group claimed they had found the rightful heir to the throne of the Kiranka dynasty. To be honest, this kind of thing happens once in a while these days. Although the emperor's own family and close relatives lived in Kilrah back then, some distant relatives were actually moved out and integrated into other families, living on their respective fiefs. After the war, some royalists, represented by SLORTH, were looking for those distant relatives of the Emperor who could be in line for the Imperial succession, in an attempt to use them as a signboard to "restore the glory of the Empire". Alas, don't these people understand that the Kiranka dynasty is over? From the countless ordinary Kilrathi who happily ate vegetarian food to have daughters, to the nobles of the great clans who devise strategies for the political landscape, there is no longer much real recognition of the fallen court that brought so much disaster to everyone. It's a new era now, so why are there always people living in the past?

What's more, this so-called legitimate heir, in terms of their claimed lineage, is just a cub of a small family of the emperor's great-grandfather's cousin's nephew's… in short, five or six degrees out of kinship. Even if this identity is true, according to the rules of succession, his grandfather could only be 1000th+ in line, thus even had little chance to face the emperor. From the holograph, this group tried very hard to give the cub makeup to make him look as much as possible like the young Crown Prince, but the result is not so good - I even think it is easier to give Jedediah makeup to make him looks like the young Crown Prince, well, after all, he is a son of a former stand-in for the Crown Prince.

Maybe this poor cub is just being used as a puppet by the royalists. What are his parents doing! So irresponsible.

Secondly, today I accompanied Dad to the "KIS Hvar'kann" for the regular crew meeting. As last time, I walked around with Jedediah. The real KIS Hvar'kann was the last flagship of the Crown Prince, and it was here that Lord Melek expressed his willingness to surrender to the captured Col. Blair. Seriously, I didn't like the atmosphere of the ship much, even though I knew it was just a replica. Jedediah wanted to check out the audience chamber, but the gate there was closed, and the side passageway was full with staff, busy with the interior set.

Notably, we saw a very large box being carefully transported into the audience chamber, and the staff in charge of it was strongly advised that it was the "real thing" and should not be damaged. Jedediah curiously asked what the "real thing" was, and was told that it was a borrowed artifact - a real throne of the Crown Prince on KIS Hvar'kann. Wow!

Third thing, in the afternoon, the revised Princy Robe arrived, this time with the exact correct style and 100% restored texture. Well, I must admit that the responsibility for the size problem found last time was not on the prop team, but because Dad was too deliberately waist tightening when he was measuring his figure, resulting in the waist measurement not being correct and making the belt a little too tight, making the performance inconvenient. Although Dad has been working very hard over the years, the shape is well maintained, but, he is already a middle-aged one, and may also add the frequent roast pork feasts that have recently made him a little uncomfortable, resulting in his waist circumference.... larger than it was. This time the prop team used some advanced technology, namely to ensure the comfort and visual effect is perfect. However, just like last time, Dad just tried the belt. Jedediah clamored for Dad to put all the gears on, but Dad simply refused. Well, we'll see it tomorrow anyway.

Fourthly, I had a chance to chat with "The Living Joor'rad" again during the break today. In fact, I recently realized that when talking to me, the old actor always takes off his left prosthetic eye prop and looks at me kindly with both eyes - it really works, so I don't think he looks so much like the scary emperor.

I accidentally asked the question: did the old grandfather ever really catch a human being in front of the palace gates back then. Actually, what happened to Todd yesterday had me backed up for the rest of the night. But nevertheless, this was a question that should not be asked - if the old grandfather really had hurt humans, should "The Living Joor'rad" tell me the truth?

However, I got a very dry answer, "No, impossible". I asked why.

"The Living Joor'rad" turned his face away and looked ahead, thus I could only see his right eye.

"Remember, no human has ever had an opportunity to walk freely in front of the palace."

I don't know whether I should be grateful that the old grandfather had never hurt any human, or whether I should be sad that humans suffered back then.

The last thing is a piece of good news! Lord Melek is going to play himself in this movie! Really cool! It's going to be great!

I'm looking forward to tomorrow!





2683.188 no weather in the space

The day was like a dream.

Now, even in the evening, when I am sitting at the table in my room, I still can't feel calm for a long time. I think I need to write down the details of today's events.

Last night, I was very excited to learn that Lord Melek was going to star himself in this movie. As far as I know, it's been almost 14 years since Dad and Lord Melek parted ways in 2669 and Dad hasn't met Lord Melek all these days. I had no idea what a reunion would be.

Dad rarely talked about Lord Melek in front of us cubs, but from what Mom and aunts said, although he was also Crown Prince’s retainer, Lord Melek was completely different from Khasra back then. What is more, various news and interviews had left Chancellor Melek in my mind as a smiling uncle, and the chance of encounter yesterday did confirm my impression. Of course, I know that such a seasoned politician is certainly not just smiling. But subconsciously I always felt that Lord Melek should have been nice to Dad in the old days.

Early this morning, Dad didn't answer my various questions directly, but simply asked me to go buy some vegetarian breakfast. This was really a bit unexpected, since I had thought he had to eat roast pork in order to find his feelings and play well with Lord Melek in the next scene.

We got to the set early and Dad walked into the make-up room without saying a word. I started to make tea for the crew who arrived one after another.

The set erupted in applause when Lord Melek arrived, politely saluting everyone and hugging Mr. Williamson, who plays Col. Blair.

Lord Melek then went to work as well. Although it was not the first time we met, I was still a little nervous when I was serving his tea.

However, I suddenly noticed something... Dad was missing!

In the make-up room, the make-up artist said that my Dad didn't really receive make-up just now, but went straight out the other side and didn't say where he was going - maybe he went to the prop room to change his costume. However, I didn't find Dad there either, although the smell left in the dressing room indicated that he must have just been here. I even called him outside the male's room, and well, I knew that it had been several days since Dad had eaten a pork roast last time, so he shouldn't have wasted so much time here, and he really wasn't here either.

I searched almost every corner of the set prep area and even went back to the cabin room to ask Jedediah, who was being supervised by Mom for Internet tutoring, but there was no clue of Dad anywhere. I had to return to the set first.

Seeing me anxious, Lord Melek asked about the situation. After knowing that my Dad was missing, he thought for a moment, then stood up and said, "I think I know where your Dad is now. Let's go find him together."

Lord Melek took only me with him and did not allow any of his entourage to follow along. We left the set's preparation area and made our way to the small square of this "KIS Hvar'kann".

It is Monday, "KIS Hvar'kann" was in working condition for the film, so there were no tourists. Several staff members were busy with their own work in the small square. At the entrance to the central area of the ship, I saw the tortoiseshell fur muscle guy and his grandfather again. Today's TFMG was in a new style of armor, an elaborate harness of the Imperial Guards. It seems that today he was practicing to cast his father. Seeing Lord Melek, the old grandfather and TFMG bowed formally in greeting.

Through a maze of dim-lit corridors, we came to the heart of the ship. Standing at the entrance of the audience chamber, I found the main gate here wide open, looked like it was ready here for us.

Walking into the open expanse, I found the place was empty, very quiet, with only the sound of our footsteps. There was only one light on the roof, illuminating the central throne on the raised dais that dominated one end. It seemed that this throne was the artifact that the staff brought in yesterday.

Suddenly, I realized that there was someone standing in the darkness next to the throne - it was Dad!

However, Dad's just stood there with his back to us, and no matter how I called, he didn't answer.

Just then, something weird happened! Dad slowly turned around from the other side and stared at Lord Melek. Dad was in that princy robe. The big red cloak was like fire and the armor was shining. But why did he have a completely different look in his eyes than usual?

What surprised me even more was that the just smiling Lord Melek beside me had disappeared somehow, replaced by a middle-aged Kilrathi with a serious face, hood eyes gave nothing!

The two giant's eyes met in silence. The air in audience chamber is like frozen. And I, had seemed to become a cub who did not exist in this space.

The silence lasted for eights of seconds, but it seemed much longer than it was, until Lord Melek broke the silence.

Lord Melek bowed extremely formally: "Lord Prince... "

At this moment, I really do not know what was happening. Well... has today's filming begun here? But how the surroundings do not look like the usual state of filming. Where are the director, cameramen, acting directors, stage managers and props? Is it a telephoto filming? But I wasn't asked to leave the field either. Moreover, although Dad in the Princy robe was already fully the appearance of the Crown Prince, Lord Melek was not wearing the armor of the old days. What happened?

Lord Melek kept his bow while Dad was still eyeing him, with an almost predatory look that I never seen. No, come to think of it! I've seen that look before. It was the look of the Crown Prince in the documentary!

Dad... or rather, "Crown Prince Thrakhath", finally spoke up.

"Melek, this throne does not leave too much of your breath on it. That I am satisfied with."

Lord Melek closed his eyes and replied in a humble yet confident tone, "I am all gratitude to this praise. The most important thing for a chee'dya'chee is to know the place he could be, and should be."

"But apart from that...", "Crown Prince Thrakhath" sneered, and then continued, "What kind of a comment do you want? A sycophant? A hidden rebel? A sophisticated politician?"

Remained in the bowing position, Lord Melek’s eyes widened instantly: "After a master who was filled with a sense of his own self-importance lost a dangerous game with the future of the empire at stake because of his arbitrary decisions, someone must be there to think about the future of the race. I am fortunate to have the opportunity to be one of them."

When I heard this, my mind was in turmoil - what lines are these? What was Lord Melek saying to the Crown Prince? How come they talking like it was after the war was over?

"Crown Prince Thrakhath" showed his fangs, "So what you want to hear is, Nice work?"

Lord Melek replied, "A hard work, though, My Lord. There are many issues to be dealt with, too many interests to balance, among clans, among us and humans, and other races, to defend against the invasion of the Nephilim... " Then he looked up: "Yet, it was easier than the days when I served my Lord, than the days in the Precarious Perch, at best."

"A senior vassal and retainer, you wielded great power and commanded much influence..." the "Crown Prince Thrakhath's eyes flashed a flame, "and was perfectly to watch the Imperial family in the interests of your own clan."

"Even so," Lord Melek bowed his head again, "there were times when I wished I had never accepted that post."

"You were a too useful subordinate to dispose casually..." the "Crown Prince Thrakhath's eyes grew more and more frightening." It would have to be a pity for me to deal with a potential rebellion."

"Then I would have been all gratitude to my Lord for your rare sanity", Lord Melek smiled faintly, "or your even rarer mercy?"

"The way you bow to the Heart of the Tiger was really funny" the "Crown Prince Thrakhath" waved his arm to shook his cloak behind him. "Surrendering to an alien... It was an action unlike any we have ever taken. Feel guilty?"

"A new millennium lies ahead," Lord Melek raised his head and looked at the "Crown Prince Thrakhath","it is time the Kilrathi find new ways." After a pause, he continued, "There is no need for me to feel guilty, since it was my Lord who discounted what Terrans could achieve."

"Oh? You're saying it was me who should feel guilty?" the "Crown Prince Thrakhath"'s gaze flashed like red lightning, "Are you issuing a challenge to me?"

"No," Lord Melek stood up slowly, "Now I have even less reason to challenge anyone."

"Then it should be my turn to challenge you?" The "Crown Prince Thrakhath" had a horrible low growl in his throat with his ear pinned back, mane raised, teeth and claws bared.

"Do not take it the wrong way, my Lord", Lord Melek shook his head, "as I said, the most important thing for a chee'dya'chee is to know the place he could be, and should be."

Then the "Crown Prince Thrakhath" began to sneer, and so did Lord Melek. The "Crown Prince Thrakhath" sneer gradually turned into maniacal laughter, echoing in the audience, and evoked that nightmare of mine in a flash.

How could this frightening monster in front of me was my father?

In this instant, a crazy thought flashed through my mind: The so-called stand-in of the Crown Prince was to follow the Crown Prince's appearance, to attend some troublesome social functions for him, to show up for him in some potentially risky situations, and even... to die for him in the most extreme I always thought that Dad escaped by a fluke as the Crown Prince was shot down. How could a stand-in so lucky?

Wasn't that how normal situations supposed to be? The Crown Prince, who knew of Kilrah's imminent destruction, escaped by having his own stand-in to take his place...

So, is it possible that the "Dad" who has been with me all these years is not actually my father Zeke, but the Crown Prince Thrakhath himself?

No! That's not right! Not only that! I was born three years after the war ended, and I am indeed Dad's daughter...

So, what am I, the daughter of the Crown Prince Thrakhath? What is my name? Dorothy nar Kiranka? And Jedediah, he is... Jedediah nar Kiranka?Not only that, wouldn't he, as a male cub, the heir to the Kiranka dynasty?

If that's the case... then a lot of things make sense! From TSMG's grandfather's strange behavior when he saw us, to Laurel's secretive attitude towards us...

No! I'm not Dorothy nar Kiranka! I'm Dorothy Zeke! I'm Farmer Zeke's daughter! My brother is Farmer Zeke's son!

My emotions were close to losing control at one point.

But at that moment, the "Crown Prince Thrakhath's" laughter gradually calmed down, and so did Lord Melek's. The "Crown Prince Thrakhath " walked slowly down the dais and embraced Lord Melek who greeted him. In an instant, the lights of Audience hall were all lit up.

Eh?

"Long time no see, Zeke my old buddy!" Lord Melek greeted warmly.

"Long time no see, Chancellor Melek." The "Crown Prince Thrakhath", or rather, Dad, greeted Lord Melek with the same enthusiasm. There was thunderous applause behind us - from everyone in the cast, TSMG and his grandfather, as well as Mom, Jedediah and Stupid Todd. I also saw the two cmeramen who were capturing the event.

Oh, so it was the producing of behind the scenes!

Hey, I've been thinking about some absurd and horrible things! How is that possible? Ah, that's great.

Lord Melek praised Dad's shape keeping - yes, the smiling Lord Melek was back. Dad, in turn, said Lord Melek's mane was a little lighter in color than it was. Uh, it seems that the two of them were really close back them, and my guess was right, Lord Melek never bullied Dad.

Next, Dad formally introduced Jedediah and I to Lord Melek, who stroked both of our heads with his broad paws, indicating that we had both met yesterday. The whole Audience Hall was filled with a buzz of reunion joy.

The two giants returned to the set's prep area surrounded by the crowd and the day's filming officially began - and of course, it went very well!

To my surprise, the holo of the event went live in the afternoon. Quickly, it grabbed headlines on all the major news sites and discussion communities. Everyone was in awe of how much Dad looked like "Crown Prince Thrakhath", as if the Crown Prince was alive there. And yesterday's royalist group news was forgotten. Hey, I think this is a good thing for that poor cub.





2683.189 No weather in the space

After what happened yesterday, I'm not worried at all about the acting quality of Lord Melek, Dad and "The Living Joor'rad". I understand that, after all, some of the plots, for the three, is just to recreate what they did years ago.

Lord Melek said that the filming was like a vacation, but I know he is very serious in performance, and is in a very high standard. I think, back then, in the front of the terrible Crown Prince, Lord Melek would have had to stay behind a persona, as wearing a mask. And this time, when filming the scenes, he just puts that dusty mask on again.

During the break this noon, Lord Melek found Dad, me and Jedediah to have dinner together. We all ate vegetarian food with Lord Melek accompanied us. Dad quickly finished his meal and went to put on his makeup for the afternoon scenes, while Lord Melek stayed with our two cubs and talked a lot.

As soon as Dad left the table, Jedediah started to pester Lord Melek with tons of questions, which made me very embarrassed. Although Dad is Lord Melek's best friend, but after all, there is a huge difference in the status of the them. I know, we only have the opportunity to work and have dinner with the Chancellor in this set. Moreover, the questions he asked were too... say, casual, such as:

“Lord Melek, when you met the Heart of the Tiger face to face for the first time back then, you said in your bones you wished to kill him. Were you trying to scare him?”

“Is Colonel Blair's best friend Maniac really not a human? I mean, is it a confusion that we call human ape? “

“My best friend Todd, a classmate of my sister, once said he's always wanted an Earth domestic cat that looks like me, should I help him pick one out at the pet market? “

Luckily, Jedediah also asked two more level-headed questions.

"At school, although all of us get along well, Todd seems to be the only human who isn't afraid of my sister at all. Why? My sister only yells at Todd."

Of course, I know that the friendship that my classmates had with me at a distance doesn't stem from how I yell at Stupid Todd. Even disregarding the historical wounds, my physical... superiority is enough to scare many humans. I remember it was three years ago, when Stupid Todd was bullied by a gang of punks in a park. Arriving just in time, I simply showed my fangs and claws to send the bad boys running in fear. To make them remember this lesson, I chased them for half a block. However, afterwards I found that the residents of the whole street had fled into their rooms, with the doors closed...

This is indeed a subject. I also thought a lot about it after what happened on Sunday when the old grandfather launched his attack towards Todd. Even if the wounds of history could be healed in our generation, how do the races get along better is a subject that still needs to be explored and worked on. When thinking about it, I am also grateful that our home world has accepted our family.

Jedediah's other good question... did seem a bit abrupt, but it's really something I've been thinking about.

"Do we really need a new empire and a new emperor?"

After thirty-five years of war, the Kiranka dynasty fallen. In accordance with historical tradition, the clans began a civil war, intending to fight for a new dynasty. However, with the invasion of the Nephilim, everyone had to join claws and fight together. After beating back the first wave of the bugs, it became a very awkward topic how the civil war was going to continue and even whether it should continue. Everyone had to admit that the bugs that can suddenly appear anywhere was the first threat. If you consume too much on the civil war, you would be in big trouble once the bugs appear around. The first task at this stage for every family is to have more daughters and make our communities population more reasonable. So, everyone is learning to compromise with each other... just like humans.

I have been thinking that all those royalist groups. Do they really care so much about the Kiranka dynasty? Maybe they are just setting up a signboard. Oh, That poor cub! No one really cares him at all.

As what Jedediah said, isn't it good for everyone to live well? Some of the old stuff is really not that important, right?

However, we have to know both of us were actually Kilrathi born in the Terran Confederation and we are legally Confederation citizens! We grew up in the Confederation society and were brought up by Uncle Eisen, so we have an outsider's perspective on traditional Kilrathi social issues. So, asking this question directly to Lord Melek was too abrupt in any way.

Lucky for us, hearing the question, Lord Melek just smiled kindly, took us both into his arms, stroked our heads, and said, "Whatever the answer, at least, you have the courage to think about it. "





2683.190 Rainy

Today's filming started at "KIS Hvar'kann" on the track and ended at "The Palace" on the ground. The filming went well, and objectively speaking, the actors did a great job.

But I don't want to praise them at all, yes, especially don't want to praise Dad.

This is, of course, because his character in the movie, or I should say that historical villain, was too evil. Even though the previous plots didn't make me feel too bad, the episodes today really made me feel sad and angry.

The first scene of the day belongs to Mr. Lagi and "The Living Joor'rad". Crown Prince Gilkarg, the father of Thrakhath, could be considered the first villain who started the war. Back then, he wanted to become the "greatest" hunter in the history of the empire by conquering humans to make his path to the throne smoother. Of course, his ambition was crushed step by step in the war, until that "unacceptable" failure.

I stood behind Dad and watched the two veteran actors perform. In fact, before the filming, "The Living Joor'rad" suggested that Dad take me somewhere else for a break. But Dad let me stay. Considering the fact that there was no part of the actual filming that I can't watch at my age, I didn't refuse.

It is reasonable to say that I should not have sympathized with such an evil villain like Crown Prince Gilkarg. But... seeing Mr. Lagi as the character who was stripped of all his former finery, desperately begging for one more chance from "The Living Joor'rad" as the emperor, I still felt some sadness -After all, it was a son begging his father.

The filming went well. After watching it, Dad turned away indifferently and said he was going to his room to get some things. When Dad came back, I noticed that his claws had some new wear and tear.

I think Dad must have been thinking of his father. Aunt Louise once told me that, in that incident, the Emperor directly order Dad's father to be...

After that, strangely enough, Dad asked Jedediah in a commanding tone to go and serve tea to Mr. Lagi. Yes, Jedediah, not me.

The rest of the scenes today was Dad acting the lead. I don't want to elaborate too much on this part.

After all the scenes were filmed, Dad walked by me, stopped for a moment, and then went into the dressing room to remove his makeup. He knew what I was feeling.

After a lot of thought, I went to "The Living Joor'rad" with a complicated and apprehensive feeling. I asked him if the Emperor who had dealt with that "unacceptable" failure was the real emperor himself, right?

"The Living Joor'rad" replied with a long sigh, saying that of course the Emperor couldn't leave that kind of thing to a stand-in.

Then he turned his face and looked ahead again: "But I know what you are actually asking. "

"Let's put it this way, the lords would not leave the bloodthirsty opportunities to the servants. " He then turned and walked out of the set.

After that, it was time to film the final mission briefing by "Paladin". I had a mixed feeling, and my mind was weighed down. When I heard "Paladin" said the last line "It's in your hands now, son. Send 'em all to hell", I finally couldn't stop my tears.

Jedediah was there to comfort me, reminding me that today's scenes would be over soon.

Yes, it would be over soon. In the movie, in the history.

I knew that the cameramen of the Behind the scenes team were filming me. Firekkan Performance Director Mr. Haikri asked the cameraman to stop the cameras. He is such a kind uncle.

Walking out of the "Palace", I got some air outside in front of the gate. I saw TSMG's grandfather walking out of the grocery store, carrying a large bag of goods he had just bought.

Seeing me, the old grandfather looked embarrassed and hastily hid the bag behind him. But the fresh smell betrayed him - it was bananas! Since he couldn't hide it anymore, the old grandfather hurriedly explained to me that it was for his grandson's human fitness trainees - hey, if he hadn't covered it up like that, I might have believed it was so.

However, I didn't give him a hard time on this issue. I just asked him for advice about what "The Living Joor'rad" had just said.

The old grandfather confirmed this statement and explained it to me in detail. He said that in the case of Sunday's incident, he was actually just acting in accordance with his professional habits and wanted to tackle Todd, because such "prisoners" who were not in immediate danger should be left to their lords.

The old grandfather continued to explain. It turns out that Lord Melek's entourage was already present at the time, so even if I hadn't been able to act in time, Todd wouldn't have been hurt.

Then, the old grandfather looked at me and asked an inexplicable question.

"That human cub... and his family have known you for years, right? Forget it, I shouldn't ask so much."

Eh? The Todd family has indeed known our family for years, what's wrong?





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Wrap today!

Thanks to everyone for our hard work! We're all done with the filming!

Today's big scenes were to portray a few events at the end of the war.

Watching TSMG and his companions in the elaborate harness of the Imperial Guard hauled "Mr. Williamson as "the Heart of the Tiger" from the cockpit of his battered Excalibur, and herded him through that maze of dim-lit corridors, coming to that audience hall where Lord Melek standing next to throne, I could feel that the old grandfather's special training of TSMG had achieved touching results.

To be honest, I always wanted to say that TSMG's is too sturdy, too muscular, so much so that only the imperial armor can make his shape looks coordinated. However, in most scenes he appears, TSMG spent most of the time just flashing in front of the camera in a stance by the gate, so I originally didn't think his scenes were that conspicuous. However, in the only plot where he can slightly attract the audience's attention, his performance was just fantastic - not overwhelming, but just right to make the audience attracted to what happens next.

The credit goes where it's due.

Listening to Lord Melek deliver the famous line, I was instantly transported.

"We have become too corrupt, and too much slaves to our blood lust. . . "

For some reason, these words suddenly reminded me of an incident in the spring of the year before I went to school.

It was a sunny day and I was playing with Jedediah on Uncle Eisen's farm. By chance, I noticed two birds in a tree acting a little strange. A bird first poked its head out of the nest, looked around alertly, and made sure there was nothing strange around before flying away. So did the other one. When they came back, they also looked around before returning to the nest.

I didn't know anything about animal behavior at the time, but with our keen sense of hearing, I instinctively sensed that there were baby birds in this nest!

Looking for an opening when both parents had flown away to feed, I asked Jedediah to wait at the bottom of the tree and climbed up to try to approach the nest. Yes, I was tempted to catch a few baby birds.

I climbed higher and higher to the branch where the bird's nest was located. However, I didn't notice that one of the branches under my feet was already wobbly.

The branch suddenly broke! In an instant, I lost my balance and could only barely grab the bark with my claws. At this point, I looked down, so high! Jumping straight down from such a height, I was likely to be injured.

At that moment, the two parent birds also flew back and launched a fierce attack on the intruder! I didn't know what to do for a while.

Fortunately, Uncle Eisen arrived in time, brought a ladder and saved me.

Looking at the stunned me, Uncle Eisen smiled and asked, "Was this a hunt?” I didn't know how to answer him.

Then Uncle Eisen asked me more questions: 1. Did I act with a safe plan? 2. Was it hunting season? 3. Did I need to hunt because I was hungry?

After I answered three negatives, Uncle Eisen told me that since none of them were yes, it was best to learn to govern my desires wisely.

Yes, don't be a slave to your desires, but be your own master.

At that time, I wrote a very short diary about this experience and posted it to the cub's online community. While I received encouraging responses, a few royalists accused the event of human "domesticating" us. One of the most outrageous messages said that if Crown Prince Thrakhath were alive, he would eat "the cowardly losers" like me! I was so angry and cried. Luckily, Dad was able to comfort me and assure me that he would never let that happen.

The last scene filmed of the movie was the signing of Treaty of Torgo, also known as the Treaty of Ko-bar Yagar by us Kilrathi

Watching history unfold before my eyes, I thought a lot more about it. If learning self-restraint and rationalizing desires is being "domesticated", then human beings have been domesticating themselves. They gave up many seemingly powerful things in exchange for today's civilization, and at the same time they have not really become weak.

Dad did not plan to attend the Wrap Party this evening, but after Jedediah's strong request, Dad compromised. I know, Dad actually want to get back as soon as possible to pay off the loan. At the party, Jedediah and Stupid Todd finally collected all the autographs of the crew. And I also took some holovids and sent them to Laurel to share the joy with her and her parents.

Oh yeah! Mr. Lagi and Mr. Lundi made an official announcement on behalf of the Lagi and Lundi producer: several TV stations have jointly booked the rights to air the next three seasons of Lagi and Lundi! TSMG's grandfather got down on his knees and prayed to Sivar, and then rushed out to buy bunches of bananas for the crew.

Also, in coordination with the crew, Jedediah finally got his wish to stand next to the real Excalibur and Blood Fang for holographs.

Tomorrow we will be departing for home. It's amazing how much has happened in this short month.





2683.192 Sunny

Early in the morning, Dad, Mom, Jedediah and I happily finished breakfast, cleaned our rooms and left the hotel to catch a flight to the Space Port. Todd and his mother were with us on shuttle.

Dad still insisted that we should live frugally and booked economy class tickets for us, so we went to the general area to check in after security check. Hey, it was so much more enjoyable than the depressed mood we had the last time we were here. Even Stupid Todd's face looked a lot better than usual.

At the souvenir store, Jedediah finally got his Millennium Falcon model. Dad also gave Todd a gift - a 1:72 Excalibur and Blood Fang model set, and I got the Darth Vader's helmet mask.

But when we left the store at the checkout, we found out that Dad had made a mistake - he was recognized! Don't forget that the behind the scenes of Lord Melek and "Crown Prince" got a lot of attention. At first, Dad was patient and satisfied their requests, but then more and more fans gathered, some even shouted a slogan of "The hell with Thrakhath, long live Zeke".

At this awkward moment, the Space Port staff came to relieve the situation. Thank Sivar, we could finally get rid of the enthusiastic fans. We were taken to the VIP area.

After passing through a few doors, I was surprised to find Lord Melek waiting for us! And with him, there was... Todd's father?

There was still some time before boarding. After some pleasantries, Lord Melek and Dad got to talking.

Dad asked Lord Melek a question - when did he learn about our family's situation. Lord Melek laughed and said that the Heart of the Tiger used to live in an area where there was a family that had a series of female Kilrathi cub births within a few years. Senator James Taggart certainly have mentioned such an important matter to himself. And since the Heart of the Tiger knew the magic way to reverse the gender ratio of the cubs, the answer was there to be find.

Well... It did make sense.

Dad asked, knowing where he was, why Lord Melek had not sent anyone to find him. Lord Melek simply stated that Dad deserved some undisturbed country life to accompany Jedediah and me.

Then Lord Melek complained that those royalists were really annoying, making so-called legitimate heirs of the Kiranka dynasty every now and then. No matter the heirs were real or fake, they were always attracting a lot of sights. He needs a better way to deal with this kind of issue. Well, I see! Making a movie to attract attention is a good way to do it!

Dad said in a joking tone, wasn't Lord Melek worried that... uh, some royalist, like the most famous SLORTH, would dig up our family and took us away as a flag too?

Seriously, this was something I really didn't think of before! If someone notes Jedediah looks like Kiranka royalty and has designs on him, that could be a real problem!

Lord Melek laughed and said that this was indeed a problem, that was why a movie was needed to let everyone know that Dad was the Crown Prince's former stand in.

Oh... that's a really good idea! The public will be used to seeing us.

Then Lord Melek looked at me and put some words:

"With these cubs here, we'll never need to worry about the so-called rightful heirs to the Kiranka dynasty that the royalists put up."

Honestly, I didn't understand this sentence very well. But Dad seemed to understand it, smiled and nodded, and then asked another question:

"It seems that some of the other things really don't worry you at all, either?"

Lord Melek laughed and asked Jedediah what was the slogan a fan had just shouted.

Uh? "The hell with Thrakhath, long live Zeke"?

Stroking Jedediah's head with his broad paw, Lord Melek added a few words:

"In the history, in the movie, in everybody's mind."

The two giants let out a loud laugh, leaving us cubs puzzled.

The next thing I learned was very surprising - Todd's father was coming to pick up Todd's mother and Todd to go to Sol Sector, and they weren't going back to our Homeworld!

Yes, Todd's family is moving away.

It turns out that because of their recent excellent work performance, Todd's parents have been placed by the movie company to work on Earth, and Todd will be going to Earth with them.

I didn't know what to say for a while.

As a parting gift, Todd's mother gave Jedediah an elephant school bag - uh, he'll be in fourth grade soon, and it would be a bit embarrassing to use such a bag. Todd kindly tied a tail knot for me, and this time, I noticed for the first time that the knot was quite nice. In return, Dad handed Todd's parents the tiny container of soil from our beloved farm and said, "Take this with you, my friends, and our home will never be far away."

Before boarding, Lord Melek told Dad to live the farm life just as he always had, and there wouldn't be much bother to our family.

Lord Melek handed me and Jedediah two items - two passports from Kilrathi Assembly of the Clans with our names on! Lord Melek smiled kindly at us and said that this would provide convenience to our family.

Then Lord Melek bowed formally to our family! I hurriedly tugged Jedediah to requite.

Now, the space ship has taken off. Good Bye, Planet Movie Studios.

And, Good bye, Todd, my first human friend, my best friend.






To be continued...
 
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WEEK 7

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Home! Sweet home! We're back!

At the farm gate, Uncle Eisen was waiting for us with his grandchildren and my siblings. Dad gave him a warm hug. Uncle Eisen humorously said that if we were still willing to move to his farm, he was always welcoming.

Our siblings gathered around Jedediah and me, asking tons of questions. Jedediah enjoyed it so much, while I finally took everyone into the living room and played the tons of Holovids that I had recorded over the amazing weeks!

And to top it all off, I got a surprise!

Aunt Thelma mysteriously led me to my room and told me to listen carefully with my ears.

Wow, it's the sound of baby birds from my window!

There is a bird's nest outside my window! A bird family have made their home outside my room! Baby birds were born!

Now, I feel I am the happiest girl in the universe.
 
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