full image - Repost: Unqualified Space | Chapter 9 (from Reddit.com, Unqualified Space | Chapter 9)
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There were a lot of places to hangout onboard the Uktan V. Recreation rooms, hologram rooms, and even a gym were great places to unwind after a long day, but Cam and his fellow humans found the empty "simulator" room to be the best. It was the best gaming available on the ship, bar none. They never understood why no one went there, thus becoming their go-to spot.Cam had never paid much attention to the room, seeing as the majority of the time they wore masks, but his new uniform hanging by the entrance stood out too much to not notice. It was a polar white room with a small black booth where they could change into grey jumpsuits, which were required for using the simulator. After wearing his new uniform for the last hour, he could feel the jumpsuit was not quite as comfortable as it once was."I go to a tailor one-time and now everything is uncomfortable," Cam remarked while he readjusted his stretchy outfit. The row of masks outside the booth stared at him like a row of heartless judges ready to convict. At least until Jack arrived."Ayyye! How did training go?""I did less running than you." A smirk crawled across Cam's face. Jack was less amused."You were running too.""But the girlish screams were all you."Jack waved him off and went into the booth to change. "Are you going to tell me how it went or am I going to have to beat it out of you in the simulator?""I think it went okay." Cam picked up one of the masks, examining it idly. He could always tell which one he used by the slight scuff on the front. "Did you know there are over six hundred security policies and procedures?""Six hundred? For protecting the captain?""No, there is shockingly none for that.""Nice." Jack zipped up his suit and came out of the booth. "You get to write the playbook then.""Also, no. Officer Yinan was going to do the procedure while I learn the other policies. I have a feeling I will not get done anytime this century.""Don't worry, I'm sure the captain will keep you on regardless of your downright dreadful testing skills."Cam didn't get the opportunity for a follow-up question as Lisa barged into the room. She tossed her bag across the floor and went right up to them. "Did you guys share the Wi-Fi password?" Lisa asked."I still can't get into it," Cam said."Are you serious? Your phone isn't connected?""Yeah, what is the password?""I can't tell you," Lisa said and turned to Jack. "Did you share it with anyone?""I didn't. Why?" Jack asked."Because somebody is extracting data using the Wi-Fi network. I thought maybe one of our devices was compromised, but it's much worse than I thought. Someone else on the ship is connected.""So, there really is a spy on the ship," Jack said in awestruck wonder. "You two are the only ones I can trust. You can't tell anyone." Lisa looked between them both, making sure they understood the severity of her words. Cam met her serious gaze, which gave him an ache in his stomach. He was hoping his new position would be a cakewalk. It was shaping up instead to be far more dangerous than he was hoping. And to make it all worse, he still didn't know the Wi-Fi password."Does the captain know about this?" Cam asked.Lisa shook her head. "I don't think so. And you can't tell her.""Shouldn't she know?""Whoever is doing this is just extracting data, not going around killing people. If you tell her, it will get back to my boss and he'll know I talked. All I'm asking is you two keep an eye out for anything suspicious.""Will do," Jack saluted her casually. "Now go get dressed. We got some aliens to slaughter."Lisa jogged over to the booth, happy to have a distraction from her worries. Jack wrapped his arm around Cam and donned his mask."What are you thinking today? Active warzone or extraction?" Jack asked."You pick.""No, you aren't! Cam, don't let him!" Lisa yelled from the booth. She crashed into the wall and groaned as she tried getting up. "Too late! Whahaha!""What did he pick?" Lisa yelled.Cam put on his mask and sighed once he realized what it was. "It's…an extraction mission…""Yes!" Lisa hurried out of the room, grabbing her mask on the way. She gave Jack a hug and threw her mask on to see which mission. "The Plethern one! I always wanted to try this one!""Hey Cam, just pretend it is Banyani. It will be good practice," Jack said, followed by laughter from Lisa. Thanks for reminding me…***The mission brief was far more in-depth than the other runs they have done. Their objective was to extract an O'Hairen spy named Jani Qanar from the Visinites on planet Plethern. There was no picture on file of the spy, but there was of the Visinites. The Visinites were dark green humanoid aliens who never stood taller than five foot nine. Their people were still in the medieval times of technological development, which made their alliance with the Crongnites a form of self-preservation. Other clans on the planet tried to fight off the invaders and were slaughtered for it.Cam, Jack, and Lisa were to deploy on the outskirts of the kingdom, north of the castle walls. Intel was spotty on the spy's exact whereabouts, giving them four possible places marked on an overhead view of the castle. The nameless voice giving them the briefing emphasized the importance of saving the spy several times, but all Jack heard was "Blah blah blah, let's go fight some hobbits."Once the briefing ended, their views showed rays of angled light sneaking through the canopy of lush green leaves. Cam moved his head right to left, realizing he was laying down. He got to his feet and foliage fell off his metallic chassis. Jack was already up, stabbing a tree with a large blade mounted to his robot's arm. "This is so cool! Must be a stealth mission," Jack said."I'm not guaranteeing anything," Lisa said, holding up her rifle. Cam checked his gear and he was equipped with the same weapons. One rifle magnet mounted to his chest and a blade on both arms. He was able to retract the blade with a flick of his wrist, providing a satisfying sound of a sword sliding into a sheath. Everyone of them was caked in mud and some stubborn green foliage at different pinch points. They blended in well with the environment, but it did not stop them from being heard. In the distance, there was shouting in a different language. Jack put his back to the trunk of the defiled tree while Lisa and Cam fell to the ground. Lisa had her weapon trained on the noise. Hurried footsteps came closer, but Cam still couldn't see anyone. "I see twelve–no twenty at least. They know we are here." Lisa clicked off the safety. "So much for stealth.""Let them get closer. I want to try out my gauntlet sword," Jack asked. Cam did see them after Jack's comment. A large group of swordsman came running in leather armor. Their heads and forearms were covered in decorative steel, but nothing else was protected so well. They all ran toward Jack, who's robot was a bit too wide to convincingly hide."They see you, Jack," Cam said. "Good." Jack came out from the tree and swung at the first swordsman. The alien's sword met his blade, but was no match. A loud clang was followed by the sword being flung from the alien's hand. The sword laid on the ground, bent from the mighty force. Jack swung again and the real damage began. He split two aliens in half with a single swing. Their torsos flew off into the brush out of sight. "Who else wants some!"The enemy did not back down and began to encircle him. They had no idea Cam or Lisa were there, so Cam took his shot. While Jack swung to keep the small army at bay, Cam rushed the closest enemy to Jack's flank. Cam punched his blade so far through the weak armor, his robotic fist hit the torso. Then the shooting started. Lisa let off a salvo of rounds, wounding several in quick succession. It was a turkey shoot, only pausing to avoid hitting Cam or Jack. In seconds, the battle had been won. All that remained was a limping spearman, who had the will of a battalion and a terrified deserter running back to the castle. Cam used the alien still stuck on his blade as a shield and ran right through the brave warrior. Unfortunately, bravery by itself isn't a good defense against roughly a ton of metal, gyros, and momentum. Bones snapped and the spear splintered, or maybe it was the other way around? It was hard to tell over Jack's cheers."One is getting away!" Lisa yelled and ran after the fleeing foe.Cam and Jack bolted behind her, crushing sticks and leaves in their way. They weaved between trees as they pursued, but no one was gaining. The alien couldn't maintain his scrappy escape forever, tripping on a log at the edge of the tree line. He tried to get to his feet, but Lisa pinned him to the dirt. "I got him," Lisa said, poking him with the hot barrel of her rifle. The alien tried to squirm, but it was no use. He was not going anywhere."Don't kill him. He might be useful," Cam said, still catching up."Oh yeah, we can interrogate enemies in this game," Lisa said, lowering herself over the scared alien. "Where is Jani Qanar?"The alien spoke frantically in a foreign language. Then, a robotic voice said, "Translator Activated.""Please don't kill me! I have a family. Have mercy on me.""Tell us what we want to know and we'll spare you.""Anything you ask of me, I will answer. Please just don't kill me.""Where is Jani Qanar being held?" Cam asked.The alien looked up at Cam. He quivered in fear, knowing the answer he had was not one they wanted. "I don't know who that is.""He's a spy. He's being held captive.""I–I don't–" the alien said before being picked up by Lisa with one hand. "Aggghhhh! Please! Please! No!""Where do you keep captives?""In the dungeon. In the dungeon!" the alien wept.Lisa lowered the alien. "Ah, now I feel bad. He's crying.""I know right," Jack said, poking the sad alien. "The attention to detail is amazing in this game. Props to the voice actors."The alien held on to Lisa's hand. "Game? Voice actors?""Sorry, little buddy. We can't let you go," Jack wound up, but Cam caught his arm."We have a perfect run on our hands. I don't want to get penalized for killing unarmed soldiers," Cam said."He's right. Remember the last time you killed a surrendered enemy," Lisa added."Hey, that wasn't my fault. He came out of nowhere," Jack argued."Just restrain him and let's go." Cam let go of Jack's arm and kept moving along the tree line to scout the perimeter. "We don't have anything to restrain him with," Jack said to Lisa.Lisa looked the alien up and down. He seemed innocent enough. "Do you promise not to run back to the castle if we let you go?""Yes! I promise to stay away. May The Mighty Celestial smile upon you!" the alien said, relieved to be spared a gruesome death like the rest of his people. "Good enough for me," Lisa said and jogged over to Cam. Jack was still not fully convinced. "If you cross us, we will–" Jack said and accidentally flicked his wrist, launching the blade out. "Oh shit!"The alien fell to the floor, holding his leg while wailing in muffled agony. Jack hoovered his hands over him, unable to actually help. He was thankful it wasn't a fatal wound. "Sorry about that. Still getting used to the blade. Heh heh." Jack looked around. Nobody was there to hear his crime, nor was there a reason to stick around. "Well, I'm gonna go. You be safe. Don't go dying on me."The alien was far too concerned with his injured leg to hear Jack's apology or see him leave. Jack caught up with his friends, who were crouched by a tree. "What did I miss?" Jack asked. "I think we should be asking you that," Cam said. Lisa shook her head disapprovingly."It was an accident," Jack said, gesturing with his hands. "I swear he was alive when I left him.""If Jack screwed our perfect run, I think he owes us dinner," Lisa said.Cam nodded. "I think so too." "Hey!""Come on, follow me." Cam got up and dashed across the open field. Lisa and Jack followed, all running toward the colossal stone walls of the castle. Torches were being lit by a lone guard wandering the top. He was unaware of their approach, despite the large distance that needed to be covered. The closer they got to the walls, the more voices they heard. From the joyous cheers and music playing, there was quite a big celebration going on inside."They are having a party and no one invited us," Cam said."What are you talking about? I have my invitation right here." Jack skipped away from the wall, turned around, and kicked his feet like an ram getting ready to charge."So much for stealth," Lisa slung her weapon and began scaling the walls. Her robotic fingers punched through the mortar with ease. Cam prepped his rifle and gestured for Jack to proceed.On the other side of the walls, no one had suspected a thing. The dirt courtyard was full of drinking, laughter, and dancing. Alien women frolicked with their male suitors to a whimsical melody. Their colorful dresses and tunics harked back to a time long forgotten on Earth. It was a joyous time for all, but one little boy who sat on a bench, sad that no one would give him any mead."I'm thirsty," the little boy said.Once those words were uttered, a section of the castle wall exploded into bricks and mortar dust. Coming through the wall was his unwitting thirst savor. "OH YEAH!" Jack yelled, wishing his robot was red or a pitcher of every kid's favorite summer drink."We're under attack!" someone yelled. More female screams followed and aliens scattered.An off duty soldier drew his sword and handed the young boy his mead."Hold it for my return. I shall vanquish this foe," the soldier said, unwavering in his confidence. The young boy held the tankard with two hands and sipped it. His beady eyes watched the hero saunter over to slay the evil creature of mud and metal. To him it was a play, but whether it was to be a heroic tale or a tragedy was yet to be seen. Cam came into the courtyard with his weapon drawn, unable to determine an enemy in the crowd. Lisa, on the other hand, had no such difficulty from her perch. Her first shot was the lone guard nearby, followed by a burst to keep the archers from funneling out of a keep on the other side. "I'll keep you two covered. Go find the dungeon," Lisa said, taking out an archer who thought it was safe to peek his head out."You coming, Jack?" Cam asked, moving to what he believed was the entrance. "I'll catch up. I think this dude is challenging me to a duel," Jack said, noticing the unarmored soldier lift his sword."Foul beast, you have interrupted my night of drinking. Prepare to die!" "You can still drink. Go ahead, I'll wait," Jack retorted. The soldier charged, yelling at the top of his lungs. Jack mostly ignored the battlecry, musing to himself, "I wonder how low level these enemies are?"A metallic clang gonged. The soldier dropped his sword from the intense vibrations which shot through his arm and ended in a sharp jolt to his wrist. Jack looked at his robotic arm, unscathed by the strike. The paint wasn't even chipped."Wow, these enemies are such low level. We need a higher difficulty next time." Jack proceeded to punt the nameless soldier away into a stack of hay. The boy clapped and cheered, getting Jack's attention. "And the crowd goes wild!"A feminine shriek came from behind. "Help! Help!"Jack spun around, hearing the voice rise above the rest. The female alien burst from a doorway in a pink dress. One of her straps was broken and swatting away a bearded alien in a rather sophisticated tunic. Jack went to grab his rifle, but it was too late. Lisa's robot shook the ground as the bearded alien below turned into paste from her feet. The female alien froze with fear, her head tilting up to see the entire mechanical humanoid who turned her attacker into soup. She was probably expecting a bone trembling roar instead of a compliment."I love the dress," Lisa said and made a beeline toward the entrance Cam took. Jack jogged alongside her. "What was that?""I was aiming for his arms," Lisa said."Well, you got them." Jack laughed and smacked a soldier aside. "If that is what we are encountering up here, imagine what the dungeon was like.""Are there any points for freeing prisoners?" Lisa asked."I don't see why not!"***The dungeon was far darker than Cam had expected. Dungeons and torches went hand and hand, yet this one was pitch black. He turned on his weapon light, revealing the secrets hidden in the shadows. Rusted metal cages lined the hall. Most of the aliens were chained to the ceiling or floor, many worse off than the aliens above ground. He checked each side, cell-by-cell, looking for someone with at least orange colored skin. It appeared to be a fruitless attempt after the twentieth cell. Cam shined his light down the hall and it went for longer than his light could reach. How long is this thing?A bang came from the side and a hand reached out at him. Cam jumped back, ready to destroy whoever it was. It was a prisoner with speckled skin and half a bald head."Please, get me out of here!" the alien begged."If you can help me find my friend, I'll let you out. Do you know a Jani Qanar?""I do!" another prisoner said in the darkness a few cells ahead. Cam ignored the pleading prisoner and went to the voice. "Where is he?" Cam asked, still making his way over to the voice."You have to promise to let me go.""You tell me where he is and I'll let you go," Cam said and stopped at the cell. He did not expect to see a Crongnite in a tan cloak. The Crongnite lurked around his cell like a shady wizard and pointed to the end. "He's forty cells down from me. Now let me out."Cam didn't see any issues and ripped the door from the hinges. The Crongnite eyed him up with an inquisitive leer. "A Pilot on Plethern. I knew Jani was a spy."The Crongnite ran off before giving more away. More lights came from behind Cam along with the sound of metal being torn apart. Two familiar voices emerged from the ear shattering clanging, giving Cam some ease."You get the ones on the right, I'll do the left," Lisa said, ripping out yet another door."Oh, check it out! A Crongnite. Bonus points!" Jack said, pointing out the freed prisoner.The Crongnite reached for a wand in his cloak, but never got to use it before being blasted into next week by both of them. The rounds ricocheted off the floor and metal, peppering Cam. "Guys, be careful! You hit me," Cam said, but kept going to the objective. "Yeah Lisa, gosh!" Jack said, getting a playful shove in real life from her, causing him to fall."Have you found the spy yet?" Lisa asked."Almost," Cam said, counting the cells he passed. Once he got to the cell, he had found their man. "Jani's a man?"Jani was wrapped in a tattered cloak of green and red. His shoes were pointed and one had a hole in it. He concealed his face, but revealed himself once he saw the robot. "A Pilot! I'm saved!" Jani said, rushing over to the cell. "Someone actually came for me.""Follow us. We are going to get you out of here." Cam peeled the metal back like it was nothing. Jani stepped out and gave him a hug."I didn't think anyone would come. What fleet are you with?""Uhhh…" Cam actually didn't know. He didn't even know the name of the ship. It came up so little, he never bothered to remember. "The 501st.""I never heard of them. Says how long I have been gone, I guess." Jani still did not let go and waved to his friends. "Thank you for saving me.""Uh oh, Banyani has some competition," Jack teased."Banyani?" Jani mouthed, wondering if it was the same Banyani he knew."You guys ready to move?" Cam asked."Where is the extraction again?" Jack asked. Lisa pointed up. "Two hundred meters into the forest. I can't call in the dropship down here though.""Let's get up there then," Cam said, nudging Jani along. "First, we have to free the prisoners." Lisa stomped a door down and an excited alien ran away."You can't free just anyone. There is a Crongnite in here who can't escape. He knows too much," Jani said, pulling on Cam's arm. "Ummm...yeah…about that…""You didn't! The information he knows could kill countless lives!""Don't worry, we toasted him," Jack said, resting his weapon on his shoulder."He pulled a wand on us. Wizards are always combatants," Lisa added and gave Jack a high five. "FOR THE KING!" a loud alien yelled out of sight. A spear cut through the darkness and slid pass the celebrating duo. Cam tackled Jani to the floor, being careful not to crush him with his dense body. The spear shattered into splinters upon contact with Cam's back. Jack and Lisa did not let the attack go unanswered, turning another alien into swiss cheese."Did Jani get hit?" Lisa asked, still aiming into the darkness. Jack turned around, seeing Cam get off of Jani and helping him up. "I think Banyani picked the right bodyguard. Who would've thought.""Excuse me, but you two wouldn't happen to be talking about Banyani Tarkey?" Jani asked. "No way!" Jack said. "That's crazy!" Lisa came back to the group, equally shocked to hear their captain's name."I've known her since the academy. We used to be good friends.""The game must be taking information from personnel files. That is really advanced," Lisa remarked. If that's the case, I wonder what he could tell us? Cam thought. "What was she like in the academy?""Driven. In and out of class she was all business. Always studying. When she wasn't writing notes, she was preparing for our fitness exams. She was tougher than anyone.""How do we know if that's true?" Cam asked Lisa."I guess we ask something more personal?" Lisa offered. "Did Banyani have any siblings?""Only her sister, Vani. Complete opposite of Banyani. I wonder if she ever did get her nursing license?""You need more convincing?" Lisa asked Cam. Cam didn't. He motioned them to follow and they made their way out of the dungeon. Cam didn't want to pry into her life, nor could he fully trust it was all true. Jack, unfortunately, did not have such reservations."So Jani, what is the most embarrassing thing that happened to her?" Jack asked."I'm not sure. Probably just being associated with her sister if I had to guess.""Why would you say that?""How do I say this…Vani had a weakness for the male variety. Many thought Banyani did too.""Weakness?" Cam asked, not sure what he was getting at."Let's just say Vani took her biology lessons one on one."Cam still didn't follow his cryptic answer, but Jack couldn't help but laugh. "That explains so much," Jack said, being the first out the door. The partygoers were all gone, replaced by a sizable force of soldiers in the courtyard. Archers lined the top of the castle walls and an abundance of torches lit the area. Lisa, Cam, and Jani emerged from the dungeon to find the released prisoners dead at their feet."What the–" Lisa said, being cut off by an alien in full iron armor. "You shall suffer the same fate as those criminals. The Mighty Celestial will grant us our vengeance!" the alien roared, backed up by the war cries of his army. "Archers, FIRE!"The bowstrings all came back in near unison, followed by the pling of the release. Arrows shot through the air, but were not strong enough to pierce the metal. Cam stood in front of Jani when the arrows came down, but one snuck past. Jani screamed in agony from the arrow striking his knee."My turn!" Lisa said, spraying a hail fire of bullets into the gallery of archers. Jack charged the soldiers on the ground, dispatching them with both rifle and blade. It gave Cam time to pick up Jani in a bridal carry."Come on, adventurer. Your story has just begun," Cam said and made his way to the main castle gate."It hurts! Oh, it hurts!" Jani whined. The soldier Jack had thrown into the hay earlier stood in front of the large wooden gate with his sword in hand. He was breathing heavily, but his eyes were dead set on redeeming himself."You shall not pass, foul beast! If my name isn't–" Those were the last words said before getting backhanded out of the way. Unless noises count as words. There was definitely a grunt and a wheeze when he hit the dirt. The jostling of Cam's arm spurred more wails of pain from Jani. "That's right, Dragonborn. Let us hear you roar!" Cam said. Jani screamed after the arrow shifted again in his knee. Lisa blew the gate open with her shoulder-mounted missile launcher."Fus Ru Da indeed.""Since when did we get missiles?" Cam asked, running through the new opening."We have missiles?" Jack said and then launched one at the tallest spire, turning it to ruble. "Awesome!"The gang fled from the castle, leaving some parting shots at anyone who tried to follow. They were on the home stretch and Captain Tarkey found herself stopping by to watch it. She wasn't intending on auditing their session, since she was simply going out to get a snack, but seeing Cam cradle some invisible person in his arms made her forget all about her hunger. Captain Tarkey had a new hunger. A longing to be in his caring arms. She leaned against the door entry, swooning over her new bodyguard. "What I would give to be in those arms. Mmmm." She let out a satisfied sigh as he lowered whoever was in his arms on the ground. Captain Tarkey had no real idea what he was doing, focused on his tight ass. She bit her lip, dreaming about what they could get into together. Her fantasy was cut short by Jack's giggle, as he was the first to take his mask off and took notice of her obvious infatuation. "What are you giggling about?" Lisa asked, still focusing on the mission."Nothing," Jack said, winking at Captain Tarkey. He pointed at Cam and mouthed, "You like what you see?"Captain Tarkey straighten up and shook off the embarrassment of being caught ogling Cam. She took a deep breath to focus, as Cam and Lisa were taking off their masks. "Hey, look who showed up," Jack said, getting Cam and Lisa to turn around. "Captain Tarkey?" Cam said, a bit flustered, worried she had heard them trying to pry into her life. He saluted her with Lisa right behind him."At ease." Captain Tarkey gesture for them to lower their arms. "How did your mission go?""Another successful mission, as per usual," Jack said."That is good news.""What are you doing here?" Lisa asked."I was just on my way back to my quarters and noticed you three in here. Thought I would see how my new security detail was fairing after training.""He's doing pretty good. In fact, I think he should escort you back to your quarters," Jack said with a smirk.Captain Tarkey loved the idea, but didn't want to be too eager. "If you wouldn't mind?"Cam didn't like the idea of Jack volunteering him for work, but he was going to get his money's worth. "Sure. Jack can bring back my suit and get me some food.""I'll make sure he does," Lisa said, aiming her malicious smile at Jack. "You two have a good evening." Captain Tarkey went into the hall and with Cam they walked back to her quarters. She was hoping his body odor would put a damper on her desire, but it only made her more intoxicated. Conversation seemed all but impossible, until Cam spoke."Banyani, I'm going to be honest, I don't really know what I am supposed to do," Cam said."You are doing it right now. Keeping me safe.""I feel like there is more to it…""You know, when I first took command of a ship, I didn't know what to do either," Captain Tarkey said. "Sometimes there is no amount of training to prepare you for something. Sometimes you just have to give it your best shot. Trust your instincts.""What if my instincts are wrong? It is all pretty new to me.""We'll get through it together," Captain Tarkey said and swiped open her door. "I'll see you tomorrow.""See you tomorrow, Banyani. And thanks for the pep talk.""You're welcome."Cam walked away and she closed her door. She skipped in her room, almost ready to sing. "I don't know how I did that! Oh, he smelt sooo good. How am I going to focus tomorrow?""Where are my Cosmic Raisin Crunch Bars?" Vani asked, popping out from behind the kitchen island."Aggh! Vani!" Captain Tarkey jumped from her sudden appearance. "What are you doing here?""I was going to help you with your wardrobe. Did you know you only have uniforms?""I have a casual uniform.""No sister of mine is going to wear that standard issue abomination to attract a man like him. You need to sex it up."Captain Tarkey rolled her eyes. "Why did I know you would say that?""Because you know it's the truth," Vani said and walked into her bedroom. "Now help me cut holes in these fashion disasters.""Which ones are you referring to?""All of them. Let's start with the white ones, I'm sure they will look nicer.""No! Those are my nice uniforms!" Captain Tarkey rushed over to her room, worried her sister wasn't actually joking. It would be the beginning of a long night with her sister. Vani had much to impart on her sister and little time to do it. Cam would be there in the morning, expecting a captain. With any luck, he would be meeting a goddess. ***Previous | Next
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