Podcasts about serg

We were lucky enough to get a one-on-one chat with the Serg from Kasabian! We spoke to him at his Hotel in the Melbourne CBD ahead of their SOLD OUT Melbourne show. The band have been coming to Aus for nearly 20 years, which we touch on, some of their favourite tours, in the inspiration behind his songwriting and will Matty be able to convert him to follow the Mighty Richmond Tigers!?They'll be Sydney on Saturday night, then off to Brisbane! Details below. https://premier.ticketek.com.au/Shows/Show.aspx?sh=KASAB25 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We were lucky enough to get a one-on-one chat with the Serg from Kasabian! We spoke to him at his Hotel in the Melbourne CBD ahead of their SOLD OUT Melbourne show. The band have been coming to Aus for nearly 20 years, which we touch on, some of their favourite tours, in the inspiration behind his songwriting and will Matty be able to convert him to follow the Mighty Richmond Tigers!?They'll be Sydney on Saturday night, then off to Brisbane! Details below. https://premier.ticketek.com.au/Shows/Show.aspx?sh=KASAB25 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Zain Johnson standing in for CapeTalk's Clarence Ford speaks to the Digital Content Editor of Primedia Plus, Barbara Friedman, about trending online stories. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Delegaciones de EEUU y Rusia se reúnen hoy en Riad para tratar una posible salida a la guerra en Ucrania. Estarán encabezadas por el secretario de Estado, Marco Rubio, y el ministro de Exteriores, Sergéi Lavrov. Los ocho líderes europeos reunidos en Francia se muestran dispuestos a ayudar más a Ucrania pero no acuerdan el envío de tropas. Fedea no ve argumentos económicos de peso a favor de la reducción de la jornada laboral.

Serg showing his ass for the free

Affectionately known as "Sergeant" or "Serg" for short, the dog arrived at the Gugulethu police station with its owner, who sought medical assistance in December. The elderly man was taken to hospital and later died, leaving his devoted companion waiting at the station. Hachiko was a Japanese Akita dog remembered for his loyalty to his owner, for whom he continued to wait at the Shibuya train station in Tokyo, every day for more than nine years after his death in 1925. The Cape of Good Hope SPCA said that Sergeant remained outside the Gugulethu police station, waiting at the door his owner had entered, anticipating the elderly man's return with every person who exited. The dog quickly became part of the team, standing proudly beside the officers at parade time and sleeping underneath the station's parked vehicles at night. Despite their best efforts to care for him, the officers noticed Sergeant pining for his owner as his appetite dwindled and his spirit dimmed and reached out to animal welfare officials for help.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This time on Porn Star Confessions I interviewed porn star Serg Shepard about his life growing up in Ukraine, how he came to the US, his previous relationships, how he got into porn, his ideal man, what he likes sexually, his hobbies, and his plans for the future.   Please let us know what you think and if you have any questions down below in the comments!Support the show

Crooked Hake, manipulated by media! Calls: Trump picks. Tommy Robinson. Tim Walz daughter. Pray for Daniel Penny! Anti-discrimination evil.The Hake Report, Tuesday, December 3, 2024 ADTIMESTAMPS* (0:00:00) Start* (0:00:53) Crooked Hake tee?* (0:03:24) Biden's "controversial" pardon* (0:07:29) Hey, guys! Hake Printify* (0:11:19) HADEN, TX: Trump picks: Homan, Miller, Kash Patel. Rubio?* (0:18:45) HADEN: Kamala torn up; Trump's resilience. J6ers* (0:25:49) ANDREW, Scotland: Tommy Robinson* (0:35:04) ANDREW: Anger stories: Jesse* (0:38:59) TERRI, OR: Tim Walz's daughter* (0:51:12) Daniel Penny police interview: Fine young man* (1:04:55) Supers: Little Rock-et man, Psalm 51: 10-19* (1:13:03) BOND, PO Box 35090, Los Angeles, CA 90035* (1:13:59) Coffees: Anti-anti-discrimination rant* (1:21:44) Coffee: S-word Pistols, Bullocks or bollocks* (1:24:28) Newsom: "Trump-proof" CA with $25M for lawsuits* (1:28:25) Americans having fewer kids* (1:32:34) SERG, TX: Guy at the gym thinks Hake's Racist* (1:44:22) Super… GoldCo!* (1:47:20) RICK, VA: white man shot black neighbor* (1:53:57) Nichole and the Dreamcatchers - Santa Is the Greatest (Surf Rap)LINKSBLOG https://www.thehakereport.com/blog/2024/12/3/the-hake-report-tue-12-3-24PODCAST / Substack HAKE NEWS from JLP https://www.thehakereport.com/jlp-news/2024/12/3/hake-news-tue-12-3-24Hake is live M-F 9-11a PT (11-1CT/12-2ET) Call-in 1-888-775-3773 https://www.thehakereport.com/showVIDEO YouTube - Rumble* - Facebook - X - BitChute - Odysee*PODCAST Substack - Apple - Spotify - Castbox - Podcast Addict*SUPER CHAT on platforms* above or BuyMeACoffee, etc.SHOP - Printify (new!) - Spring (old!) - Cameo | All My LinksJLP Network: JLP - Church - TFS - Nick - Joel - Punchie Get full access to HAKE at thehakereport.substack.com/subscribe

Sergio Vicente explains how the rise of Jake Paul is a metaphor for the age of Trump. An age of women-hating white guys, entitled brats. Don't get him started. Also, a few words about the Black vote. And was the Mike Tyson fight rigged? And could he, Serg, beat Jake Paul, if he had a year to get back in shape? And then a little incing on the cake--the great debate. Serg hosts The Fight podcast. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today's show sponsored by: Goldco — 10% Instant Match in BONUS SILVER, for qualified JLP Show listeners Learn more at https://JesseLovesGold.com or 855-644-GOLD JLP Wed 11-13-24 Loving misery! Hr 1 Long Beach crime. Calls: Blame yourself! South Africa. Mama! // Hr 2 Grandparents disobey! Guilty mother. Supers // Hr 3 Manhood Hour: CA Prop 36! Speaking down on blacks? Calls, Supers // Biblical Question: Why do you pay attention to yourself? TIMESTAMPS (0:00:00) HOUR 1 (0:05:53) Gov't against us, wants to control us. (0:13:28) Long Beach crime: Loving misery (0:30:18) GoldCo … Choose life (0:33:30) SERG, TX: Men affecting women? Representing blacks? (0:38:23) LUKE, South Africa, 1st: whites, blame, govt, "BEE" (0:48:31) STEPHANIE, Canada, 1st, needs to pray! HOLD (0:55:00) NEWS Hr 1 (1:01:00) HOUR 2 (1:02:58) STEPHANIE: Evil parents defy "no TV" rules for my kids! Prayer (1:25:39) TASHEENA, NY: breaks down: guilt. BREAK (1:33:13) TASHEENA: Who are you? Son making me guilty! Feel the pain. (1:46:25) Supers: Punchie TV, job (1:53:06) HOLD ON JEREMIAH (1:55:00) NEWS Hr 2 … (2:02:18) HOUR 3… Manhood Hour (2:05:13) CA Prop 36; Newsom thinks (2:13:33) JEREMIAH, MO, 1st: Speaking down to blacks? Late, mess, history (2:31:18) JLP Network (2:33:33) Shooting gummy bears in a water bottle: Lethal Shooter (2:35:45) JOHNNY, CA, 1st: Quick question (2:36:24) CURT, TX: Bible thumpers, the Word of God, women, Jesus. He's white! (2:46:48) Supers: Better wife, Sister wedding, Sion, Trail of Tears (2:50:53) RICHARD, TX, 1st: How to get rid of anger? Marry girlfriend? (2:56:18) Closing

Serg and Bert recount their time at Otaku Detroit's Kickoff party to Isshocon to Matt and discuss what the love about conventions. Now on bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/sytycfanon.bsky.social Check out our links: https://linktr.ee/sytycfanon --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sytycfanon/support

GUEST, Crishaun the Don: Jamaicans, race, and "identity." Calls: Interracial? FE? Diddy and dark hip hop business. Trump hater Joe. The Hake Report, Thursday, September 26, 2024 AD GUEST LINKS: youtube.com/@MisfitNation | x.com/CrishauntheDon | misfitnation.podbean.com TIMESTAMPS * (0:00:00) Start * (0:02:18) Hey, guys! * (0:03:32) Guest: Crishaun the Don * (0:04:52) Crishaun, Misfit Nation cohosts, part Jamaican * (0:05:52) Jamaicans, Rastafarianism, Reggae * (0:12:01) Kamala, Jamaican father: Not black Americans * (0:17:04) Immigrant cultures for Democrats, black identity * (0:20:38) Selective misinformation, projection * (0:26:19) DARRELL, TX: "black" meaning. Chicago, MLK Dr, "white," peer pressure * (0:35:22) DENNY, Bulgaria: Arctic, Antarctic, FE, why'd they hide it? * (0:41:03) DENNY: Gun control, Bulgaria, former communist * (0:43:38) SERG, TX: white women with black men? Respect * (0:48:53) SERG: Mixing out of existence? Obedience * (0:56:59) Women too important to men * (1:00:02) Diddy, hip hop world * (1:06:55) No snitch policy, Diddy, 50 Cent, DJ Khaled * (1:13:12) DOJ after Diddy. Tabloid, rap world * (1:19:12) black media run by black fraternities * (1:25:24) KYLE, MA: Diddy. Interracial, Marxism, "white" * (1:35:01) Interracial, toughness, street smarts * (1:36:46) JOE, AZ: Genetic editing ends racism * (1:41:28) JOE vs Crishaun: Trump? No Kamala? * (1:53:21) Closing: Supers tomorrow, sorry! * (1:53:59) Squad Five-O - "Forever Young" - 1998, Fight the System LINKS BLOG  https://www.thehakereport.com/blog/2024/9/26/crishaun-the-don-of-misfit-nation-on-jamaicans-thu-9-26-24 PODCAST / Substack  HAKE NEWS from JLP  https://www.thehakereport.com/jlp-news/2024/9/26/hake-news-thu-9-26-24 Hake is live M-F 9-11a PT (11-1CT/12-2ET) Call-in 1-888-775-3773 https://www.thehakereport.com/show VIDEO  YouTube  -  Rumble*  -  Facebook  -  X  -  BitChute  -  Odysee*  PODCAST  Substack  -  Apple  -  Spotify  -  Castbox  -  Podcast Addict  *SUPER CHAT on platforms* above or  BuyMeACoffee, etc.  SHOP  Spring  -  Cameo  |  All My Links  JLP Network:  JLP  -  Church  -  TFS  -  Nick  -  Joel  -  Punchie   Get full access to HAKE at thehakereport.substack.com/subscribe

Calls: Marvin Gaye backstory. Music lulls you. Media/Govt dishonesty: Wildfires, mail, Haitian "migrants." Blacks, police, and being stopped! The Hake Report, Friday, September 20, 2024 AD TIMESTAMPS * (0:00:00) Start * (0:02:14) Hey, guys! * (0:04:39) MIKE, Canada: Marvin Gaye death * (0:10:13) MIKE: Not Asian, not Haitian, Creole * (0:12:53) SERG, TX: Hake and gym; road rage * (0:17:39) WILLIAM: Marvin Gaye * (0:23:20) WILLIAM: Kamala phoniness * (0:28:15) KARL, Boston, 1st: Music, mind-control * (0:41:30) TERRI, OR: John Legend * (0:45:35) TERRI: Beatles, "Hold Your Hand," Accomplishment * (0:48:15) Moon, Climate, Fires, Space * (0:55:10) Mail-in voting: fraud is rare! * (1:01:10) SC Gov candidate Mark Robinson * (1:07:40) Haitian Migrants, Vance, "illegal aliens" * (1:19:25) JOE, AZ: Alcohol, Fed Economy * (1:24:35) JOE: The Talk, blacks, over-policing * (1:31:20) JOE: Obama supports Kamala, JLP * (1:34:45) MR PINK: SF crime; Firmament, waters * (1:42:40) MR PINK: Marvin Gaye, "What's Going On" * (1:44:05) Coffees: Child Fridays, Marvin; Super: Monster * (1:47:15) Coffee: Stop and frisk * (1:50:20) JOHN, L.A., 1st: AE, Rainbows * (1:52:20) Jacky Cheung - "Blessing" 祝福 LINKS BLOG  https://www.thehakereport.com/blog/2024/9/20/the-hake-report-fri-9-20-24 PODCAST / Substack  HAKE NEWS from JLP  https://www.thehakereport.com/jlp-news/2024/9/20/hake-news-fri-9-20-24 Hake is live M-F 9-11a PT (11-1CT/12-2ET) Call-in 1-888-775-3773 https://www.thehakereport.com/show VIDEO  YouTube  -  Rumble*  -  Facebook  -  X  -  BitChute  -  Odysee*  PODCAST  Substack  -  Apple  -  Spotify  -  Castbox  -  Podcast Addict  *SUPER CHAT on platforms* above or  BuyMeACoffee, etc.  SHOP  Spring  -  Cameo  |  All My Links  JLP Network:  JLP  -  Church  -  TFS  -  Nick  -  Joel  -  Punchie   Get full access to HAKE at thehakereport.substack.com/subscribe

In this Episode we are joined by Sergès Goma, a Paris-based software developer specialising in JavaScript. In this episode, Sometimes, we are the Villains - Tech ethics in software development, we dive deep into the ethical dilemmas we face as workers and creators of technology. Heroes are few and far between in this tech landscape, even if we don't like to admit it, and that includes us in cybersecurity! So it is important we have these conversations and look inward at our industry and the impact it has on culture and society.We also talk about why developers always seem to top the leader board when it comes to phishing simulation click rates, the complexity of the word ‘privacy' in different countries, and ask if we are heading towards a more regulated industry and what that might mean for innovation and creativity.Key Takeaways:Uncovering the Dark Truth: Discover why those working in tech may not be the heroes we perceive them to be.The Perils of Overconfidence: Learn how the tech-savviness of developers can lead to risky behaviours and potential security breaches.From Feature-Focused to Security-Savvy: Learn how training and awareness can empower developers to become active participants in building secure software.Regulation vs. Innovation: We examine the challenges and opportunities of ethical frameworks in the tech industry.Global Perspectives on Privacy: Gain insights into how privacy is perceived differently across the world and the impact of cultural nuances on ethical considerations in tech.Links to everything we discussed in this episode can be found in the show notes and if you liked the show, please do leave us a review.Follow us on all good podcasting platforms and via our YouTube channel, and don't forget to share on LinkedIn and in your teams.It really helps us spread the word and get high-quality guests, on future episodes. We hope you enjoyed this episode - See you next time, keep secure, and don't forget to ask yourself, ‘Am I the compromising position here?' Show NotesEvil Tech: How Devs Became VillainsBackground on the Nestle Milk ScandalThe Untold Story of the 2018 Olympics Cyberattack, the Most Deceptive Hack in History by WIREDParis Olympics Security Warning—Russian Hackers Threaten 2024 Games by ForbesClean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship by Robert MartinAbout Sergès GomaSergès Goma is a Paris-based software developer specialized in JavaScript. When she's not fixing codebases, she gives motivational speeches mostly aimed at junior and would-be developers as well as participating in the tech women's empowerment online community Motiv'Her.LINKS FOR Sergès GomaLinkedInX AccountKeywords: cybersecurity, tech ethics, ethics, software development, privacy

The enigmatic Myles Sergé is a low flying techno producer, hard working label head and old school DJ, however he prefers the term ‘reclusive perfectionist'. Originally from Grand Rapids, Michigan, Myles experienced a temporary sojourn to the beachside of the the UK's Brighton before relocating to Berlin. In some respects the American's music bypasses the [...] The post Blank Code Podcast 233 – Myles Sergé first appeared on Blank Code.

Jesse and Maggie talk about the early Fall season on the island, some moving pieces with the SERG Group, including One Hot Mama’s, Nectar and Marley’s Burger Shack. Plus the […]

Based on the work of Robyn Bee, In 7 parts. Listen to the ► Podcast at Connected.An Empress’ Guard Remembers.Then, as sudden as the crash after lightning, the weight was gone.I didn’t immediately react. My mind was a storm of pounding fury, my breath ragged in my ears and my body frozen and tense.After a few heartbeats of nothing, my soldier’s instincts forced me into motion. I lowered my shield, becoming suddenly aware of my shrieking muscles.I groaned, swayed, and would have fallen over had another body not leaned into me.Helena. My shield mate.Her eyes were glazed and her breath was the uneven, gasping hitch of a body pushed beyond all limits.But she was alive.She was here beside me, and together, we steadied each other enough to stand on our own. I blinked my vision into focus and raised my head.We were in a charnel house.Dozens lay dead before us, a carpet of blood and pale bodies that stretched from our feet to the splintered entrance. They’d been gutted and cut open, their insides spilled onto the surrounding stones.And the stench.It was shit and misery and death; a miasma of horror worse than any sort of butcher’s yard. Beside me, Helena coughed, staggered to the side, and retched. I just swayed in place, breathing through my mouth.“They ran away,” a voice rasped. “They all ran away.”It was the Empress. She was just a handful of steps behind us, leaning heavily onto the haft of her spear. Her limbs shook with exhaustion.“Augusta,” I croaked. “Are you hurt?”Blood stained the sweat-darkened purple of her dress. Thick droplets of it that were splattered along her chest and shoulders. It oozed from between her fingers, trickling down from the splintered tip of her spear.“Ah,” she said, seeming to notice herself for the first time. “No. I, I don’t believe any of this is mine. And you?”She reached a hand up to push at the strip of purple that held back her hair, leaving a streak of red behind on her forehead.I didn’t answer, refusing to look down and examine myself. I wasn’t ready to see, so I forced myself to stare down the hallway, distracting myself with thoughts of survival.And indeed, it appeared as if the Empress was correct. Nothing moved within the corridor, and I could hear nothing in the room beyond the shattered portal. The invaders had fled, and not a moment too soon, as I finally noticed that we’d been pushed most of the way back to Theodora’s sitting room.Not far away, Helena groaned. She managed to push herself upright, leaning heavily against the wall, her face wan.“Helena,” I said. “Are you,”I coughed, feeling a wave of bile rise through me. The smell was horrific, made so much worse by the thick summer air and the windless confines of this tunnel. My stomach writhed, but I clamped down on it ruthlessly.Not yet.Helena was covered in blood. Her chest, legs, and sword arm were caked in death, her face and neck splattered with it. I staggered over to her, conscious of the gumminess between my own fingers."I’m fine,” she said, trying to smile. “I’m fine. It’s just, how,”She turned and threw up once again. It was a hacking, heaving sort of retch; the kind that left you shaking. I came to stand beside her, pressing my hip to her side, all I could do without dropping my sword and shield. She leaned some of her weight into me."Leontius,” the Empress said, moving to join us. She lay a hand on the unarmored part of Helena’s hip, providing what comfort she could. “Is it safe to move?”I blinked, stirred, and shook my head. “Not yet. We still don’t know what’s going on in the rest of the palace. This is still the safest place for us.”Theodora nodded, turning her head to gaze down the length of the passageway. An ocean of red dotted with pale islands of green and blue.“It seems remarkable,” she said. “That we survived against so many.”“These weren’t soldiers, Augusta,” I said, exhaling. “They were potters, blacksmiths, dockworkers, They were drunk, pushed onto our swords by those further back. They were badly led, unarmored and most didn’t even have any weapons. They were just,”"People,” Theodora finished for me. “Dead because they believed in something strongly enough to fight for it.”I shifted, my gaze going back to Helena. She was still bent into the wall, her eyes screwed tightly shut and her frame vibrating with repressed feeling. She’d just gone through her first battle, and every single thought and feeling that she’d pushed aside while in the midst of it was tearing into her.My own soul felt raw, overused, and stretched near to the point of snapping. I could feel my own crash coming, though experience let me push it away. For a time, at least.“We believe as well, Augusta,” I said. “In you.”The Empress smiled, though it was one that I’d yet to see wear. It was an expression of unyielding certainty, of iron-hard conviction; the whole of it framed by a profound sense of grief. It was the smile of the lonely farmer taking his axe to the rabid skull of his favorite dog.She stepped forward to kiss my cheek. “I’ll be back with a bucket of water.”The Empress slipped into her private chambers a few moments later, leaving Helena and me alone. My shield mate had managed to straighten herself, though her body still shook. I watched as she breathed deeply, the lines of her face growing looser with every exhalation.She was eventually able to open her eyes and meet my gaze. I felt something crack within me, like the first axe blow that had split the door.It was still her.Though tears traced the lines of her cheeks, and something had changed within the cypress of her eyes, nothing had been lost. I still recognized her. She was still the woman I,“I’m sorry,” she said.“Helena, I, what?”“I’m sorry,” she repeated. “I’m here weeping like a child. But I’ll get stronger, Leo.”I blinked.“I promise,” she said, looking away. “I won’t hold you back for long. I just, I promise I’ll be stronger.”Then, despite the blood coating my limbs and the charnel house stink of the hallway, I laughed. I laughed, and I laughed and I felt myself draw back from the edge.Helena’s face went scarlet. “Fuck you,” she hissed, turning to march away.“No!” I gasped, lurching to step in front of her. “I’m sorry. It’s not that! It’s,”I devolved into another peel of laughter. And though Helena’s face burned a shade brighter, she didn’t move away.When I finally mastered myself, I stepped a bit nearer to her. I looked into her eyes, my face relaxing into a smile. "Helena, you wonderful, amazing, beautiful, and hopelessly blind woman. You’re the strongest person I’ve ever known.”She snorted, though I saw something shine within her eyes. “You weren’t the one crying and puking.”“No,” I agreed. “Not yet.”“It’s coming?”I nodded.She made a small sound, moving nearer to me. “Then, I’ll be here when it does.”The Empress returned a few minutes later with a bucket of water and several strips of clean, white cloth.We dropped our weapons, washing the worst of the blood and sweat from our hands and faces. Helena and I discovered that we’d each suffered a myriad of cuts, and to my horror, the Empress proceeded to tend to our injuries.“Leontius, enough!” She snapped, as I tried to squirm away. She looked ferocious in her still bloody dress, her hands clamping down on me. “You risked your lives for me, the least I can do is clean and wrap your wounds.”“Augusta,” I tried.“Stop,” she said, taking up a clean rag. “I’ll be quick. I have some experience if that reassures you.”I frowned, glancing over to Helena.“At the brothel,” she said. “When the men were too rough; Theodora would patch us up.”“You didn’t have a guard?” I asked. “Or a bouncer?”“Not until Helena grew a little older,” the Empress said, pulling over a clean strip of cloth. “Your arm now, Leontius.”“Augusta, I can handle,” Her glare silenced me, and I meekly held my forearm out for her to inspect."Thank you.” She took my arm, her fingers strong and sure. “Please don’t keep fighting me on this. I’m having difficulty sitting still, to tell you the truth. I keep, well, no matter.”I relaxed, submitting myself to her care. The Empress fell silent, unwilling to explain further. But she didn’t have to, the stiffness in her limbs and the tension at the corners of her eyes mirrored my own.Our day wasn’t yet done.The Empress was most of the way through checking over Helena when I heard the sound of boots on stone. The two women heard it with me, and we moved as one. Helena and I had our shields strapped on in moments, the Empress having collected our swords for us in the meantime.We jogged towards the shattered entrance, my limbs stiff and my heart beating faster.“Mary’s tits!” A voice loudly swore. “It fucking reeks here. Are you sure we’re going the right way, Serg?”“I thought you’d be used to the smell of your own sack by now, Grat?”“Oh, they stink, do they? How about you come lick them clean for me, Niketas?”Helena and I slowed, exchanging incredulous looks. We stopped before reaching the first body, my eyebrows high in disbelief.“Shut your hole, Grat,” I heard Sergius growl. “You too Nik. Shields up, lads, we don’t know what we’re going to find here.”“Why have we stopped?” The Empress said. She’d picked up her broken spear haft. “Are these our men?”“They’re Leo’s friends,” Helena said with a wide grin. “From his legion days. Since when have they been in the palace?”The tension rushed from me in a wave, leaving my body light and trembling. I sucked in a deep breath.“I’ll give ‘em a few licks too, Grat!” I roared. “I’m tired of breathing them in!”I heard a series of startled curses, while behind me, the Empress laughed. There was a stampede of pounding boots and then a squad of armored soldiers appeared in the shattered doorway.“Centenarius!” Sergius laughed. “You’re alive! The Empress?”“She’s here as well!” I called back.The men whooped, cheering and thanking God as Sergius turned back to them. “We found them, boys! Maurice, run back and tell the General. You three, watch the hall.”The two women and I moved back as Sergius led his men in towards us. What followed was coarse laughter, back-slapping, wide-eyed realization, and a whole mess of clumsy bows as the Empress stepped out to introduce herself.Theodora smiled through the men’s stammering apologies. She thanked them each in turn, her voice shifting from a high, courtly accent to the less polished version she’d have grown up with. It was the language these soldiers knew, and the Empress left blushing cheeks and sheepish smiles in her wake.The gates, we were happy to learn, had been sealed. Though, as of yet, nobody knew who had let the rioters in. The mob still rampaged through parts of the palace, though they’d been beaten back from the outer wall. Belisarius was in command of the palace’s fighting men, coordinating squads like Sergius’ that were sweeping through the halls.“And my husband?” The Empress asked.“Safe, Augusta,” Sergius answered. “Last I heard, at any rate. The General was with him when the enemy broke in.”“Thank you, soldier,” she said, laying a palm on his forearm.“A, Augusta!” Sergius stammered, and I grinned to see the grizzled old veteran flush.“Well then, gentlemen,” Theodora said. “I believe that I will leave you here. I’ve got to wash the stink of Gratian’s balls from my skin.”A few of the men snorted, trying to choke down on their laughter. Grat, for his part, looked positively horrified. He mangled a few words, his entire face blazing a scarlet. He hadn’t produced anything more than a gargle before the Empress slipped away with a wink and a small laugh.“Grat,” Sergius said in the moment of silence after her departure. “You’re a fucking idiot.”“It wasn’t me!” Gratian exclaimed, his eyes wide with panic. “Serg, I, Nik, and, the Empress! She,”"Dumber than a sackful of rocks,” Serg said, shaking his head. “Start piling these bodies outside, and the rest of you grinning monkeys can help.”“Oh, don’t be too hard on him,” Helena said. “I was worried that he’d start talking about his phallus again.”Gratian fled, followed by the laughter of his squad mates. Sergius shook his head again, but I saw a smile part the hairs of his worn face.“Aye, well, we can thank the Lord for that.” The old soldier’s gaze shifted to the doors to Theodora’s salon. “The Empress, she really fought with you?”My face twisted into a grimace. “I tried talking her out of it, but I didn’t have time.”“What a woman,” Sergius said, amazed. “And you, Helena, not a lot of stratiotai could have held back so many.”“Leo did most of the work,” she said.Both Sergius and I snorted.“I’m an old soldier, lass. I know what it would have taken to do this.” Sergius suddenly stiffened, saluting her with a fist over his heart. “Stratiotai!”Helena saluted back, her face flushing. I grinned, sure that she was about to squirm with suppressed pride.“Come on,” I said. “Let’s go help the monkeys.”, ,Sergius, however, categorically refused our help.They’d barely fought, he said. And itching to do something after three long days stationed in the palace. This was the least that they could do.Neither Helena nor I had had the energy to argue, and so we’d taken off our helmets, unstrapped our shields, and sat back against the far wall.“I guess that now it’s official,” Helena said.“Hmm?” I answered.We were seated near enough for our legs to touch, my body throbbing with pain and heavy with exhaustion.“After today, we’re officially shield mates.”I tilted my head towards her. “We’ve been shield mates for longer than that.”“Sure, but now we’ve fought together. I held my place at your side.” And despite the horror of what we’d had to do, I heard the fierce pride in Helena’s voice.“I knew you would. I’ve trusted you for a long time.”“Oh yeah?” She said, shifting to rest her sweat-darkened head against mine. “Since when?”I leaned more of my weight into her, resting my shield hand on her thigh. I could feel the eyes of the others drifting towards us as they worked, and could picture their knowing grins.But I didn’t care. I was with her.“Remember the first day we trained together? How difficult you were being?”“Difficult? Is that what it’s called when your gender makes everyone treat you differently?”“Hmm,” I said. “That, or simple laziness.”She swatted me with the back of her hand, swearing as her knuckles rapped on my breastplate. I laughed, squeezing her thigh.“When you swallowed your pride and your anger,” I said. “When you decided to set all that aside and let me train you. That’s when I knew.”She snorted, shaking out her sore knuckles. “Well, all I remember from that day is how much you enjoyed hitting me.”“You don’t remember when I said the words, 'you’re my shield mate’?”“No,” she said. “You must have done something mean to make me forget.”I laughed. She brought her hand down atop mine, and I turned it so our fingers intertwined. Her thumb drew a swirling pattern along my skin, and I let myself get lost in the hypnotic motion.With her here, it felt like I could accomplish anything. Like I might pull myself forward as she had. What might I do, with this woman at my side? Where might I go? What might I build, with her hands working alongside my own?A little tavern by the sea, perhaps.“Helena,” I said.I shifted my hand in hers, and in doing so, my thumb came to rest atop hers, stopping the circle she was making and pulling my vision back into focus.“Leo,” she answered, and I heard the soft smile in her voice.“I,” But my words were cut short, pressed back into me by a sudden weight. Blood, there was blood beneath my nails.I was suddenly reminded of where I was, of what I had done. The charnel stink of the hallway, and the emotions I’d tucked away flooded back into me. I started to shake; my lungs squeezed tight.I couldn’t take my eyes off the blood that still crusted my hand."Leo?” Helena said, shifting so that she could look at me. “Are you ok?”I didn’t answer, freeing her hand from my filthy grip. I shifted from her, pulled away by a crushing weight against my side. I clawed at the pocket beneath my armor, ripping something free.My mother’s letter.I opened it with unsteady hands, revealing a single slip of yellowed parchment and my mother’s blocky letters.My little lion, it said. Come home.I stared at the page, blinking stupidly. Five little words, was that all? I turned the folded parchment over, my fingers smudging its surface.That was it.I felt the mad urge to laugh. Come home? Was I some lost, weeping child who needed the comfort of my mother’s arms?I grit my teeth, reading those words again and again. I ached to tear into the offending letter; to rage and scream and damn my mother to hell.I’d been expecting something like this but,  What the fuck did this mean?I was happy. For the first time in my fucking life, I was happy. I was the Empress’ guard, sitting beside a woman who was nothing but good. With her, I had a vision of a future where I wouldn’t have to kill anymore.I wasn’t fucking lost.“Leo?” Helena whispered.She was beside me, she’d red the letter too. She once again wrap

Based on the work of Robyn Bee, In 7 parts. Listen to the ► Podcast at Connected.An Empress’ Guard Remembers.Then, as sudden as the crash after lightning, the weight was gone.I didn’t immediately react. My mind was a storm of pounding fury, my breath ragged in my ears and my body frozen and tense.After a few heartbeats of nothing, my soldier’s instincts forced me into motion. I lowered my shield, becoming suddenly aware of my shrieking muscles.I groaned, swayed, and would have fallen over had another body not leaned into me.Helena. My shield mate.Her eyes were glazed and her breath was the uneven, gasping hitch of a body pushed beyond all limits.But she was alive.She was here beside me, and together, we steadied each other enough to stand on our own. I blinked my vision into focus and raised my head.We were in a charnel house.Dozens lay dead before us, a carpet of blood and pale bodies that stretched from our feet to the splintered entrance. They’d been gutted and cut open, their insides spilled onto the surrounding stones.And the stench.It was shit and misery and death; a miasma of horror worse than any sort of butcher’s yard. Beside me, Helena coughed, staggered to the side, and retched. I just swayed in place, breathing through my mouth.“They ran away,” a voice rasped. “They all ran away.”It was the Empress. She was just a handful of steps behind us, leaning heavily onto the haft of her spear. Her limbs shook with exhaustion.“Augusta,” I croaked. “Are you hurt?”Blood stained the sweat-darkened purple of her dress. Thick droplets of it that were splattered along her chest and shoulders. It oozed from between her fingers, trickling down from the splintered tip of her spear.“Ah,” she said, seeming to notice herself for the first time. “No. I, I don’t believe any of this is mine. And you?”She reached a hand up to push at the strip of purple that held back her hair, leaving a streak of red behind on her forehead.I didn’t answer, refusing to look down and examine myself. I wasn’t ready to see, so I forced myself to stare down the hallway, distracting myself with thoughts of survival.And indeed, it appeared as if the Empress was correct. Nothing moved within the corridor, and I could hear nothing in the room beyond the shattered portal. The invaders had fled, and not a moment too soon, as I finally noticed that we’d been pushed most of the way back to Theodora’s sitting room.Not far away, Helena groaned. She managed to push herself upright, leaning heavily against the wall, her face wan.“Helena,” I said. “Are you,”I coughed, feeling a wave of bile rise through me. The smell was horrific, made so much worse by the thick summer air and the windless confines of this tunnel. My stomach writhed, but I clamped down on it ruthlessly.Not yet.Helena was covered in blood. Her chest, legs, and sword arm were caked in death, her face and neck splattered with it. I staggered over to her, conscious of the gumminess between my own fingers."I’m fine,” she said, trying to smile. “I’m fine. It’s just, how,”She turned and threw up once again. It was a hacking, heaving sort of retch; the kind that left you shaking. I came to stand beside her, pressing my hip to her side, all I could do without dropping my sword and shield. She leaned some of her weight into me."Leontius,” the Empress said, moving to join us. She lay a hand on the unarmored part of Helena’s hip, providing what comfort she could. “Is it safe to move?”I blinked, stirred, and shook my head. “Not yet. We still don’t know what’s going on in the rest of the palace. This is still the safest place for us.”Theodora nodded, turning her head to gaze down the length of the passageway. An ocean of red dotted with pale islands of green and blue.“It seems remarkable,” she said. “That we survived against so many.”“These weren’t soldiers, Augusta,” I said, exhaling. “They were potters, blacksmiths, dockworkers, They were drunk, pushed onto our swords by those further back. They were badly led, unarmored and most didn’t even have any weapons. They were just,”"People,” Theodora finished for me. “Dead because they believed in something strongly enough to fight for it.”I shifted, my gaze going back to Helena. She was still bent into the wall, her eyes screwed tightly shut and her frame vibrating with repressed feeling. She’d just gone through her first battle, and every single thought and feeling that she’d pushed aside while in the midst of it was tearing into her.My own soul felt raw, overused, and stretched near to the point of snapping. I could feel my own crash coming, though experience let me push it away. For a time, at least.“We believe as well, Augusta,” I said. “In you.”The Empress smiled, though it was one that I’d yet to see wear. It was an expression of unyielding certainty, of iron-hard conviction; the whole of it framed by a profound sense of grief. It was the smile of the lonely farmer taking his axe to the rabid skull of his favorite dog.She stepped forward to kiss my cheek. “I’ll be back with a bucket of water.”The Empress slipped into her private chambers a few moments later, leaving Helena and me alone. My shield mate had managed to straighten herself, though her body still shook. I watched as she breathed deeply, the lines of her face growing looser with every exhalation.She was eventually able to open her eyes and meet my gaze. I felt something crack within me, like the first axe blow that had split the door.It was still her.Though tears traced the lines of her cheeks, and something had changed within the cypress of her eyes, nothing had been lost. I still recognized her. She was still the woman I,“I’m sorry,” she said.“Helena, I, what?”“I’m sorry,” she repeated. “I’m here weeping like a child. But I’ll get stronger, Leo.”I blinked.“I promise,” she said, looking away. “I won’t hold you back for long. I just, I promise I’ll be stronger.”Then, despite the blood coating my limbs and the charnel house stink of the hallway, I laughed. I laughed, and I laughed and I felt myself draw back from the edge.Helena’s face went scarlet. “Fuck you,” she hissed, turning to march away.“No!” I gasped, lurching to step in front of her. “I’m sorry. It’s not that! It’s,”I devolved into another peel of laughter. And though Helena’s face burned a shade brighter, she didn’t move away.When I finally mastered myself, I stepped a bit nearer to her. I looked into her eyes, my face relaxing into a smile. "Helena, you wonderful, amazing, beautiful, and hopelessly blind woman. You’re the strongest person I’ve ever known.”She snorted, though I saw something shine within her eyes. “You weren’t the one crying and puking.”“No,” I agreed. “Not yet.”“It’s coming?”I nodded.She made a small sound, moving nearer to me. “Then, I’ll be here when it does.”The Empress returned a few minutes later with a bucket of water and several strips of clean, white cloth.We dropped our weapons, washing the worst of the blood and sweat from our hands and faces. Helena and I discovered that we’d each suffered a myriad of cuts, and to my horror, the Empress proceeded to tend to our injuries.“Leontius, enough!” She snapped, as I tried to squirm away. She looked ferocious in her still bloody dress, her hands clamping down on me. “You risked your lives for me, the least I can do is clean and wrap your wounds.”“Augusta,” I tried.“Stop,” she said, taking up a clean rag. “I’ll be quick. I have some experience if that reassures you.”I frowned, glancing over to Helena.“At the brothel,” she said. “When the men were too rough; Theodora would patch us up.”“You didn’t have a guard?” I asked. “Or a bouncer?”“Not until Helena grew a little older,” the Empress said, pulling over a clean strip of cloth. “Your arm now, Leontius.”“Augusta, I can handle,” Her glare silenced me, and I meekly held my forearm out for her to inspect."Thank you.” She took my arm, her fingers strong and sure. “Please don’t keep fighting me on this. I’m having difficulty sitting still, to tell you the truth. I keep, well, no matter.”I relaxed, submitting myself to her care. The Empress fell silent, unwilling to explain further. But she didn’t have to, the stiffness in her limbs and the tension at the corners of her eyes mirrored my own.Our day wasn’t yet done.The Empress was most of the way through checking over Helena when I heard the sound of boots on stone. The two women heard it with me, and we moved as one. Helena and I had our shields strapped on in moments, the Empress having collected our swords for us in the meantime.We jogged towards the shattered entrance, my limbs stiff and my heart beating faster.“Mary’s tits!” A voice loudly swore. “It fucking reeks here. Are you sure we’re going the right way, Serg?”“I thought you’d be used to the smell of your own sack by now, Grat?”“Oh, they stink, do they? How about you come lick them clean for me, Niketas?”Helena and I slowed, exchanging incredulous looks. We stopped before reaching the first body, my eyebrows high in disbelief.“Shut your hole, Grat,” I heard Sergius growl. “You too Nik. Shields up, lads, we don’t know what we’re going to find here.”“Why have we stopped?” The Empress said. She’d picked up her broken spear haft. “Are these our men?”“They’re Leo’s friends,” Helena said with a wide grin. “From his legion days. Since when have they been in the palace?”The tension rushed from me in a wave, leaving my body light and trembling. I sucked in a deep breath.“I’ll give ‘em a few licks too, Grat!” I roared. “I’m tired of breathing them in!”I heard a series of startled curses, while behind me, the Empress laughed. There was a stampede of pounding boots and then a squad of armored soldiers appeared in the shattered doorway.“Centenarius!” Sergius laughed. “You’re alive! The Empress?”“She’s here as well!” I called back.The men whooped, cheering and thanking God as Sergius turned back to them. “We found them, boys! Maurice, run back and tell the General. You three, watch the hall.”The two women and I moved back as Sergius led his men in towards us. What followed was coarse laughter, back-slapping, wide-eyed realization, and a whole mess of clumsy bows as the Empress stepped out to introduce herself.Theodora smiled through the men’s stammering apologies. She thanked them each in turn, her voice shifting from a high, courtly accent to the less polished version she’d have grown up with. It was the language these soldiers knew, and the Empress left blushing cheeks and sheepish smiles in her wake.The gates, we were happy to learn, had been sealed. Though, as of yet, nobody knew who had let the rioters in. The mob still rampaged through parts of the palace, though they’d been beaten back from the outer wall. Belisarius was in command of the palace’s fighting men, coordinating squads like Sergius’ that were sweeping through the halls.“And my husband?” The Empress asked.“Safe, Augusta,” Sergius answered. “Last I heard, at any rate. The General was with him when the enemy broke in.”“Thank you, soldier,” she said, laying a palm on his forearm.“A, Augusta!” Sergius stammered, and I grinned to see the grizzled old veteran flush.“Well then, gentlemen,” Theodora said. “I believe that I will leave you here. I’ve got to wash the stink of Gratian’s balls from my skin.”A few of the men snorted, trying to choke down on their laughter. Grat, for his part, looked positively horrified. He mangled a few words, his entire face blazing a scarlet. He hadn’t produced anything more than a gargle before the Empress slipped away with a wink and a small laugh.“Grat,” Sergius said in the moment of silence after her departure. “You’re a fucking idiot.”“It wasn’t me!” Gratian exclaimed, his eyes wide with panic. “Serg, I, Nik, and, the Empress! She,”"Dumber than a sackful of rocks,” Serg said, shaking his head. “Start piling these bodies outside, and the rest of you grinning monkeys can help.”“Oh, don’t be too hard on him,” Helena said. “I was worried that he’d start talking about his phallus again.”Gratian fled, followed by the laughter of his squad mates. Sergius shook his head again, but I saw a smile part the hairs of his worn face.“Aye, well, we can thank the Lord for that.” The old soldier’s gaze shifted to the doors to Theodora’s salon. “The Empress, she really fought with you?”My face twisted into a grimace. “I tried talking her out of it, but I didn’t have time.”“What a woman,” Sergius said, amazed. “And you, Helena, not a lot of stratiotai could have held back so many.”“Leo did most of the work,” she said.Both Sergius and I snorted.“I’m an old soldier, lass. I know what it would have taken to do this.” Sergius suddenly stiffened, saluting her with a fist over his heart. “Stratiotai!”Helena saluted back, her face flushing. I grinned, sure that she was about to squirm with suppressed pride.“Come on,” I said. “Let’s go help the monkeys.”, ,Sergius, however, categorically refused our help.They’d barely fought, he said. And itching to do something after three long days stationed in the palace. This was the least that they could do.Neither Helena nor I had had the energy to argue, and so we’d taken off our helmets, unstrapped our shields, and sat back against the far wall.“I guess that now it’s official,” Helena said.“Hmm?” I answered.We were seated near enough for our legs to touch, my body throbbing with pain and heavy with exhaustion.“After today, we’re officially shield mates.”I tilted my head towards her. “We’ve been shield mates for longer than that.”“Sure, but now we’ve fought together. I held my place at your side.” And despite the horror of what we’d had to do, I heard the fierce pride in Helena’s voice.“I knew you would. I’ve trusted you for a long time.”“Oh yeah?” She said, shifting to rest her sweat-darkened head against mine. “Since when?”I leaned more of my weight into her, resting my shield hand on her thigh. I could feel the eyes of the others drifting towards us as they worked, and could picture their knowing grins.But I didn’t care. I was with her.“Remember the first day we trained together? How difficult you were being?”“Difficult? Is that what it’s called when your gender makes everyone treat you differently?”“Hmm,” I said. “That, or simple laziness.”She swatted me with the back of her hand, swearing as her knuckles rapped on my breastplate. I laughed, squeezing her thigh.“When you swallowed your pride and your anger,” I said. “When you decided to set all that aside and let me train you. That’s when I knew.”She snorted, shaking out her sore knuckles. “Well, all I remember from that day is how much you enjoyed hitting me.”“You don’t remember when I said the words, 'you’re my shield mate’?”“No,” she said. “You must have done something mean to make me forget.”I laughed. She brought her hand down atop mine, and I turned it so our fingers intertwined. Her thumb drew a swirling pattern along my skin, and I let myself get lost in the hypnotic motion.With her here, it felt like I could accomplish anything. Like I might pull myself forward as she had. What might I do, with this woman at my side? Where might I go? What might I build, with her hands working alongside my own?A little tavern by the sea, perhaps.“Helena,” I said.I shifted my hand in hers, and in doing so, my thumb came to rest atop hers, stopping the circle she was making and pulling my vision back into focus.“Leo,” she answered, and I heard the soft smile in her voice.“I,” But my words were cut short, pressed back into me by a sudden weight. Blood, there was blood beneath my nails.I was suddenly reminded of where I was, of what I had done. The charnel stink of the hallway, and the emotions I’d tucked away flooded back into me. I started to shake; my lungs squeezed tight.I couldn’t take my eyes off the blood that still crusted my hand."Leo?” Helena said, shifting so that she could look at me. “Are you ok?”I didn’t answer, freeing her hand from my filthy grip. I shifted from her, pulled away by a crushing weight against my side. I clawed at the pocket beneath my armor, ripping something free.My mother’s letter.I opened it with unsteady hands, revealing a single slip of yellowed parchment and my mother’s blocky letters.My little lion, it said. Come home.I stared at the page, blinking stupidly. Five little words, was that all? I turned the folded parchment over, my fingers smudging its surface.That was it.I felt the mad urge to laugh. Come home? Was I some lost, weeping child who needed the comfort of my mother’s arms?I grit my teeth, reading those words again and again. I ached to tear into the offending letter; to rage and scream and damn my mother to hell.I’d been expecting something like this but,  What the fuck did this mean?I was happy. For the first time in my fucking life, I was happy. I was the Empress’ guard, sitting beside a woman who was nothing but good. With her, I had a vision of a future where I wouldn’t have to kill anymore.I wasn’t fucking lost.“Leo?” Helena whispered.She was beside me, she’d red the letter too. She once again wrap

Based on the work of Robyn Bee, In 7 parts. Listen to the ► Podcast at Connected.An Empress’ Guard Remembers.Then, as sudden as the crash after lightning, the weight was gone.I didn’t immediately react. My mind was a storm of pounding fury, my breath ragged in my ears and my body frozen and tense.After a few heartbeats of nothing, my soldier’s instincts forced me into motion. I lowered my shield, becoming suddenly aware of my shrieking muscles.I groaned, swayed, and would have fallen over had another body not leaned into me.Helena. My shield mate.Her eyes were glazed and her breath was the uneven, gasping hitch of a body pushed beyond all limits.But she was alive.She was here beside me, and together, we steadied each other enough to stand on our own. I blinked my vision into focus and raised my head.We were in a charnel house.Dozens lay dead before us, a carpet of blood and pale bodies that stretched from our feet to the splintered entrance. They’d been gutted and cut open, their insides spilled onto the surrounding stones.And the stench.It was shit and misery and death; a miasma of horror worse than any sort of butcher’s yard. Beside me, Helena coughed, staggered to the side, and retched. I just swayed in place, breathing through my mouth.“They ran away,” a voice rasped. “They all ran away.”It was the Empress. She was just a handful of steps behind us, leaning heavily onto the haft of her spear. Her limbs shook with exhaustion.“Augusta,” I croaked. “Are you hurt?”Blood stained the sweat-darkened purple of her dress. Thick droplets of it that were splattered along her chest and shoulders. It oozed from between her fingers, trickling down from the splintered tip of her spear.“Ah,” she said, seeming to notice herself for the first time. “No. I, I don’t believe any of this is mine. And you?”She reached a hand up to push at the strip of purple that held back her hair, leaving a streak of red behind on her forehead.I didn’t answer, refusing to look down and examine myself. I wasn’t ready to see, so I forced myself to stare down the hallway, distracting myself with thoughts of survival.And indeed, it appeared as if the Empress was correct. Nothing moved within the corridor, and I could hear nothing in the room beyond the shattered portal. The invaders had fled, and not a moment too soon, as I finally noticed that we’d been pushed most of the way back to Theodora’s sitting room.Not far away, Helena groaned. She managed to push herself upright, leaning heavily against the wall, her face wan.“Helena,” I said. “Are you,”I coughed, feeling a wave of bile rise through me. The smell was horrific, made so much worse by the thick summer air and the windless confines of this tunnel. My stomach writhed, but I clamped down on it ruthlessly.Not yet.Helena was covered in blood. Her chest, legs, and sword arm were caked in death, her face and neck splattered with it. I staggered over to her, conscious of the gumminess between my own fingers."I’m fine,” she said, trying to smile. “I’m fine. It’s just, how,”She turned and threw up once again. It was a hacking, heaving sort of retch; the kind that left you shaking. I came to stand beside her, pressing my hip to her side, all I could do without dropping my sword and shield. She leaned some of her weight into me."Leontius,” the Empress said, moving to join us. She lay a hand on the unarmored part of Helena’s hip, providing what comfort she could. “Is it safe to move?”I blinked, stirred, and shook my head. “Not yet. We still don’t know what’s going on in the rest of the palace. This is still the safest place for us.”Theodora nodded, turning her head to gaze down the length of the passageway. An ocean of red dotted with pale islands of green and blue.“It seems remarkable,” she said. “That we survived against so many.”“These weren’t soldiers, Augusta,” I said, exhaling. “They were potters, blacksmiths, dockworkers, They were drunk, pushed onto our swords by those further back. They were badly led, unarmored and most didn’t even have any weapons. They were just,”"People,” Theodora finished for me. “Dead because they believed in something strongly enough to fight for it.”I shifted, my gaze going back to Helena. She was still bent into the wall, her eyes screwed tightly shut and her frame vibrating with repressed feeling. She’d just gone through her first battle, and every single thought and feeling that she’d pushed aside while in the midst of it was tearing into her.My own soul felt raw, overused, and stretched near to the point of snapping. I could feel my own crash coming, though experience let me push it away. For a time, at least.“We believe as well, Augusta,” I said. “In you.”The Empress smiled, though it was one that I’d yet to see wear. It was an expression of unyielding certainty, of iron-hard conviction; the whole of it framed by a profound sense of grief. It was the smile of the lonely farmer taking his axe to the rabid skull of his favorite dog.She stepped forward to kiss my cheek. “I’ll be back with a bucket of water.”The Empress slipped into her private chambers a few moments later, leaving Helena and me alone. My shield mate had managed to straighten herself, though her body still shook. I watched as she breathed deeply, the lines of her face growing looser with every exhalation.She was eventually able to open her eyes and meet my gaze. I felt something crack within me, like the first axe blow that had split the door.It was still her.Though tears traced the lines of her cheeks, and something had changed within the cypress of her eyes, nothing had been lost. I still recognized her. She was still the woman I,“I’m sorry,” she said.“Helena, I, what?”“I’m sorry,” she repeated. “I’m here weeping like a child. But I’ll get stronger, Leo.”I blinked.“I promise,” she said, looking away. “I won’t hold you back for long. I just, I promise I’ll be stronger.”Then, despite the blood coating my limbs and the charnel house stink of the hallway, I laughed. I laughed, and I laughed and I felt myself draw back from the edge.Helena’s face went scarlet. “Fuck you,” she hissed, turning to march away.“No!” I gasped, lurching to step in front of her. “I’m sorry. It’s not that! It’s,”I devolved into another peel of laughter. And though Helena’s face burned a shade brighter, she didn’t move away.When I finally mastered myself, I stepped a bit nearer to her. I looked into her eyes, my face relaxing into a smile. "Helena, you wonderful, amazing, beautiful, and hopelessly blind woman. You’re the strongest person I’ve ever known.”She snorted, though I saw something shine within her eyes. “You weren’t the one crying and puking.”“No,” I agreed. “Not yet.”“It’s coming?”I nodded.She made a small sound, moving nearer to me. “Then, I’ll be here when it does.”The Empress returned a few minutes later with a bucket of water and several strips of clean, white cloth.We dropped our weapons, washing the worst of the blood and sweat from our hands and faces. Helena and I discovered that we’d each suffered a myriad of cuts, and to my horror, the Empress proceeded to tend to our injuries.“Leontius, enough!” She snapped, as I tried to squirm away. She looked ferocious in her still bloody dress, her hands clamping down on me. “You risked your lives for me, the least I can do is clean and wrap your wounds.”“Augusta,” I tried.“Stop,” she said, taking up a clean rag. “I’ll be quick. I have some experience if that reassures you.”I frowned, glancing over to Helena.“At the brothel,” she said. “When the men were too rough; Theodora would patch us up.”“You didn’t have a guard?” I asked. “Or a bouncer?”“Not until Helena grew a little older,” the Empress said, pulling over a clean strip of cloth. “Your arm now, Leontius.”“Augusta, I can handle,” Her glare silenced me, and I meekly held my forearm out for her to inspect."Thank you.” She took my arm, her fingers strong and sure. “Please don’t keep fighting me on this. I’m having difficulty sitting still, to tell you the truth. I keep, well, no matter.”I relaxed, submitting myself to her care. The Empress fell silent, unwilling to explain further. But she didn’t have to, the stiffness in her limbs and the tension at the corners of her eyes mirrored my own.Our day wasn’t yet done.The Empress was most of the way through checking over Helena when I heard the sound of boots on stone. The two women heard it with me, and we moved as one. Helena and I had our shields strapped on in moments, the Empress having collected our swords for us in the meantime.We jogged towards the shattered entrance, my limbs stiff and my heart beating faster.“Mary’s tits!” A voice loudly swore. “It fucking reeks here. Are you sure we’re going the right way, Serg?”“I thought you’d be used to the smell of your own sack by now, Grat?”“Oh, they stink, do they? How about you come lick them clean for me, Niketas?”Helena and I slowed, exchanging incredulous looks. We stopped before reaching the first body, my eyebrows high in disbelief.“Shut your hole, Grat,” I heard Sergius growl. “You too Nik. Shields up, lads, we don’t know what we’re going to find here.”“Why have we stopped?” The Empress said. She’d picked up her broken spear haft. “Are these our men?”“They’re Leo’s friends,” Helena said with a wide grin. “From his legion days. Since when have they been in the palace?”The tension rushed from me in a wave, leaving my body light and trembling. I sucked in a deep breath.“I’ll give ‘em a few licks too, Grat!” I roared. “I’m tired of breathing them in!”I heard a series of startled curses, while behind me, the Empress laughed. There was a stampede of pounding boots and then a squad of armored soldiers appeared in the shattered doorway.“Centenarius!” Sergius laughed. “You’re alive! The Empress?”“She’s here as well!” I called back.The men whooped, cheering and thanking God as Sergius turned back to them. “We found them, boys! Maurice, run back and tell the General. You three, watch the hall.”The two women and I moved back as Sergius led his men in towards us. What followed was coarse laughter, back-slapping, wide-eyed realization, and a whole mess of clumsy bows as the Empress stepped out to introduce herself.Theodora smiled through the men’s stammering apologies. She thanked them each in turn, her voice shifting from a high, courtly accent to the less polished version she’d have grown up with. It was the language these soldiers knew, and the Empress left blushing cheeks and sheepish smiles in her wake.The gates, we were happy to learn, had been sealed. Though, as of yet, nobody knew who had let the rioters in. The mob still rampaged through parts of the palace, though they’d been beaten back from the outer wall. Belisarius was in command of the palace’s fighting men, coordinating squads like Sergius’ that were sweeping through the halls.“And my husband?” The Empress asked.“Safe, Augusta,” Sergius answered. “Last I heard, at any rate. The General was with him when the enemy broke in.”“Thank you, soldier,” she said, laying a palm on his forearm.“A, Augusta!” Sergius stammered, and I grinned to see the grizzled old veteran flush.“Well then, gentlemen,” Theodora said. “I believe that I will leave you here. I’ve got to wash the stink of Gratian’s balls from my skin.”A few of the men snorted, trying to choke down on their laughter. Grat, for his part, looked positively horrified. He mangled a few words, his entire face blazing a scarlet. He hadn’t produced anything more than a gargle before the Empress slipped away with a wink and a small laugh.“Grat,” Sergius said in the moment of silence after her departure. “You’re a fucking idiot.”“It wasn’t me!” Gratian exclaimed, his eyes wide with panic. “Serg, I, Nik, and, the Empress! She,”"Dumber than a sackful of rocks,” Serg said, shaking his head. “Start piling these bodies outside, and the rest of you grinning monkeys can help.”“Oh, don’t be too hard on him,” Helena said. “I was worried that he’d start talking about his phallus again.”Gratian fled, followed by the laughter of his squad mates. Sergius shook his head again, but I saw a smile part the hairs of his worn face.“Aye, well, we can thank the Lord for that.” The old soldier’s gaze shifted to the doors to Theodora’s salon. “The Empress, she really fought with you?”My face twisted into a grimace. “I tried talking her out of it, but I didn’t have time.”“What a woman,” Sergius said, amazed. “And you, Helena, not a lot of stratiotai could have held back so many.”“Leo did most of the work,” she said.Both Sergius and I snorted.“I’m an old soldier, lass. I know what it would have taken to do this.” Sergius suddenly stiffened, saluting her with a fist over his heart. “Stratiotai!”Helena saluted back, her face flushing. I grinned, sure that she was about to squirm with suppressed pride.“Come on,” I said. “Let’s go help the monkeys.”, ,Sergius, however, categorically refused our help.They’d barely fought, he said. And itching to do something after three long days stationed in the palace. This was the least that they could do.Neither Helena nor I had had the energy to argue, and so we’d taken off our helmets, unstrapped our shields, and sat back against the far wall.“I guess that now it’s official,” Helena said.“Hmm?” I answered.We were seated near enough for our legs to touch, my body throbbing with pain and heavy with exhaustion.“After today, we’re officially shield mates.”I tilted my head towards her. “We’ve been shield mates for longer than that.”“Sure, but now we’ve fought together. I held my place at your side.” And despite the horror of what we’d had to do, I heard the fierce pride in Helena’s voice.“I knew you would. I’ve trusted you for a long time.”“Oh yeah?” She said, shifting to rest her sweat-darkened head against mine. “Since when?”I leaned more of my weight into her, resting my shield hand on her thigh. I could feel the eyes of the others drifting towards us as they worked, and could picture their knowing grins.But I didn’t care. I was with her.“Remember the first day we trained together? How difficult you were being?”“Difficult? Is that what it’s called when your gender makes everyone treat you differently?”“Hmm,” I said. “That, or simple laziness.”She swatted me with the back of her hand, swearing as her knuckles rapped on my breastplate. I laughed, squeezing her thigh.“When you swallowed your pride and your anger,” I said. “When you decided to set all that aside and let me train you. That’s when I knew.”She snorted, shaking out her sore knuckles. “Well, all I remember from that day is how much you enjoyed hitting me.”“You don’t remember when I said the words, 'you’re my shield mate’?”“No,” she said. “You must have done something mean to make me forget.”I laughed. She brought her hand down atop mine, and I turned it so our fingers intertwined. Her thumb drew a swirling pattern along my skin, and I let myself get lost in the hypnotic motion.With her here, it felt like I could accomplish anything. Like I might pull myself forward as she had. What might I do, with this woman at my side? Where might I go? What might I build, with her hands working alongside my own?A little tavern by the sea, perhaps.“Helena,” I said.I shifted my hand in hers, and in doing so, my thumb came to rest atop hers, stopping the circle she was making and pulling my vision back into focus.“Leo,” she answered, and I heard the soft smile in her voice.“I,” But my words were cut short, pressed back into me by a sudden weight. Blood, there was blood beneath my nails.I was suddenly reminded of where I was, of what I had done. The charnel stink of the hallway, and the emotions I’d tucked away flooded back into me. I started to shake; my lungs squeezed tight.I couldn’t take my eyes off the blood that still crusted my hand."Leo?” Helena said, shifting so that she could look at me. “Are you ok?”I didn’t answer, freeing her hand from my filthy grip. I shifted from her, pulled away by a crushing weight against my side. I clawed at the pocket beneath my armor, ripping something free.My mother’s letter.I opened it with unsteady hands, revealing a single slip of yellowed parchment and my mother’s blocky letters.My little lion, it said. Come home.I stared at the page, blinking stupidly. Five little words, was that all? I turned the folded parchment over, my fingers smudging its surface.That was it.I felt the mad urge to laugh. Come home? Was I some lost, weeping child who needed the comfort of my mother’s arms?I grit my teeth, reading those words again and again. I ached to tear into the offending letter; to rage and scream and damn my mother to hell.I’d been expecting something like this but,  What the fuck did this mean?I was happy. For the first time in my fucking life, I was happy. I was the Empress’ guard, sitting beside a woman who was nothing but good. With her, I had a vision of a future where I wouldn’t have to kill anymore.I wasn’t fucking lost.“Leo?” Helena whispered.She was beside me, she’d red the letter too. She once again wrap

Based on the work of Robyn Bee, In 7 parts. Listen to the ► Podcast at Connected.The streets had been quiet as we’d passed, oddly subdued. The few people we saw had quickly ducked out of our way, though we were in our tunicae and sandals.Kostas’ place, I was happy to see, was lively. Drunken soldiers weren’t spilling out of the place, but there was enough of a crowd that we had to push our way past a few people. I led Helena to the back, where crusty old Kostas scowled from behind his bar.“Kostas,” I said, leaning against the bar. “I promised this Rhodian lady some pitaroudia. Are you going to disappoint her?”“Rhodian?” He said, suddenly a lot less grouchy looking.“From Lindos,” Helena said.We chatted for a bit, swapping the latest bit of island news that we had while Kostas poured us a couple of flagons of dark wine. The food would be ready in a few minutes, he told us.“She’s paying,” I said, when I spotted Kostas’ young son.The kid was coming back with an empty drink tray. I hooked him by the arm, leading him away. I put a silver coin in his hand, promising him another if he’d fetch something for me.Helena looked at me curiously, but I kept my mouth shut against her silent question.“Centenarius!” I heard a voice call. “Leontius!”I turned, already feeling a grin stretching my features. At a nearby table, five men were waving towards me. They wore happy smiles, their cheeks rosy with wine.“Sergius! You old bastard! What the hell are you doing here?”Sergius, a crusty old stratiotai with more scars on him than most had years, made a show of cupping one ear.“Can’t hear you so good, sir! Come here and whisper it to me.”The men at his table laughed. I did too, shaking my head.“Friends of yours?” Helena asked.“Men from my old cohort,” I said. “Come on, I’ll introduce you.”Helena’s body tightened. I saw that same expression flash across her features. Resignation? Consternation? I wasn’t sure. Even here, away from the dark street, I wasn’t sure exactly what I’d seen. It was gone too fast.“Sure,” she said, stepping forward and forcing me to move after her.The men rose to meet me, and I greeted each with a rough embrace and a few rougher words. Sergius, Gratian, Suda, Maurice and Niketas; as good a squad of stratiotai that had ever served in Justinian’s legions.“Boys, this is Helena,” I said as we sat in the chairs pulled over for us. “My shield mate. She guards the Empress with me.”Sergius blinked. Maurice choked on his wine while Suda and Niketas glanced at each other in disbelief. Helena, however, seemed to loosen. Her gaze flicked to me, and I saw the faint crinkle of something disappear from the corners of her eyes.Gratian, horse’s ass that he was, guffawed.“Come on, Centenarius,” he said. He was seated on Helena’s other side, and took the opportunity to drape one arm around her shoulders. “You can’t expect us to believe that sweet little thing fights beside you?”Whatever else I could say about Gratian, and there was a lot, I couldn’t fault his eye.Helena was in her tunica, cut in the same simple, utilitarian shape as my own. It was loose, ending just above her knees and doing nothing to accentuate the feminine curves of her body. However, unlike the wrinkled, slightly stained pale gray of my tunica, hers had been dyed a deep green.It was near to the cypress of her eyes. It made them appear brighter, and more vivid than I’d ever seen them. The green brought out the copper of her hair, deepening it and adding layers to those tumbling waves.She was beautiful; the field of grass after rain.“You think I’m sweet?” Helena said, lips curling into a small smile.“Sweet enough to eat,” he said. His eyes roved up and down her body. “How much?”Helena stayed relaxed. That small smile never left her lips.“I’m good, too.” Gratian insisted. “You’ll see. My phallus’s so good that you should be the one paying me!”He snickered through his leering grin. I shook my head when Sergius opened his mouth to interfere. Although I needn’t have. Because, an instant later, Helena’s fist crunched into Gratian’s throat.He gagged, falling backwards, his chair crashing to the ground. The tavern fell silent, all eyes on Helena as she slowly stood. Helena’s eyes swept the room. There was a heartbeat of silence, and then two. Her lip suddenly quirked.“Nobody touches before they pay.”The room exploded with laughter, covering the sound of Gratian’s moaning. Helena sat back down, while I moved to help the man pick himself off the floor.“I’ll kill her,” he choked. “I’ll fucking kill that bitch.”“Shut up,” I said, loud enough for the others to hear. “She’d gut you like a fish. And I’d cut off whatever bits my shield mate left of you.”I pulled him up, and made a show of checking him over. I hissed into his ear. “You stupid bastard. Helena’s the Empress’ personal guard. Do you want your head to the decorate palace walls?”Gratian’s face blanched. He started to stammer something but I pushed him away. “I told you to shut the fuck up. Go get us some more wine.”“Whatever Kostas hasn’t pissed in for me,” Helena called.Sergius grin was wide. “Good punch, that. It's the only way to get him to shut his hole.”“Aye,” Niketas said, draining his cup. He burped. “Finally, some fucking peace.”“Centenarius,” Maurice said, leaning forward. “No offense to your lady, but a shield mate? Are you sure about this?”“This lady,” Helena said. “Can speak for herself. Look me in the eyes and tell me what you mean.”Maurice complied. “You’re a woman. You’re real pretty, I’ll give you that, but you don’t know what this means.”“I don’t need a phallus to piss standing up. Why would I need one to hold up a shield?”Maurice smirked. “Cute. But it's more than that, it's,”"Wait, you can piss standing up?” Gratian interrupted, returning with two clay pitchers of wine. “Seriously?”The others groaned.“That wasn’t the point, Grat,” Suda said. “Although, now I am a bit curious,”"It's easy,” Helena said, throwing him a wink. “And I guarantee that I can piss better than Grat fucks.”Laughter rolled around the table. Even Gratian snickered, though heat crawled up his face. He started pouring the wine, filling Helena’s cup and then mine.“So, what the hell are you talking about, then?”“If she can really be Leo’s shield mate,” Maurice said. “If she can fight.”“She knows what it means, Maur,” I said. “She’s good, too. Fast. And she’s got some sense, unlike you thick-headed bastards.”“Good enough for me,” Sergius said. “What do you say boys, we gonna keep her around?”“Let's drink!” Niketas said, grabbing his cup.Sergius banged the table, hoisting his own cup into the air. “To Helena!”“Helena!” We roared, slamming our empty cups down a few moments later.Helena joined in, her smile wide and her cheeks flushed a happy red. Our pitaroudia arrived, and we fell to bickering over the platter of fried balls. They were delicious; tomato, onion and bits of a leafy herb mixed into a patty of ground chickpea.These were rough men that lived rough lives. They were soldiers; killers that earned their coin in the grinding crush of the shield wall. They respected a foul mouth, a hard fist and loyalty to one’s brothers.They were stratiotai.And when Helena clacked her cup with a still sheepish looking Gratian; I saw them start to think of her as one too.“Leo never told me that he was a Centenarius,” Helena eventually said.I snorted. “That’s because I’m not. These idiots just call me that.”“The crest on the helmet don’t make the Centenarius,” Suda drawled. “Ain’t that right, Serg?”“You’re damned right about that, lad,” the older man replied. “Some wise words there.”I rolled my eyes, the rest of the boys snickering into their cups. Sergius liked to share whatever kernels of wisdom popped into his head. We’d all heard this particular one a hundred times already.“We call him that because of Callinicum,” Sergius continued, answering Helena’s question.“Ah,” she said. “You were all there?”Sergius nodded, “and my bones would be decorating some Persian’s trophy shelf if it wasn’t for the Centenarius here. All of ours would.”The mood sobered, each of us remembering. I looked down to my hands; seeing the flecks of old, old blood beneath my fingernails. The ones I could never seem to clean.“Was it bad?” Helena asked.“Aye,” Sergius answered. “The old Centenarius was a right stupid prick. He got himself killed in the first charge of the Sassanid horsemen. Leontius here took over after that. Things were real shaky for a bit, but he kept us from scattering and being cut to pieces. And when the general decided he’d had enough of watching us die, Leo got us retreating.”Nobody spoke for a while, memories holding us. Some of us put wine to our lips. I just stared out at nothing with unfocused eyes. The mood remained dark until Gratian, bless his fool soul, blurted out;“Fuck, but Centenarius Demetrius was a prick.”That brought out a few chuckles. Niketas let out another burp, and Maurice swatted the back of his head. Most of us felt lighter after that. It didn’t do any good to dwell on the past. The things we’d done, the friends we’d lost, It wasn’t good to remember. Stratiotai had to live for the moment.Maybe that was why I’d always been such a terrible soldier.Midnight guard duty.It was approaching midnight when Sergius hauled himself to his feet. He blinked bleary eyes, motioning to the others.“Right boys, we’ve got patrol in the morning. Let’s get moving.”The men swallowed their last mouthfuls of wine, said their goodbyes and stumbled away with various levels of coordination.Sergius watched them go with a shake of his head. He riffled through a pouch at his side for a moment before turning back to me.“I’ve got something for you here, Centenarius. It got to the barracks a week or so ago.”He held a folded envelope out towards me. It had my name on it, written out in my mother’s blocky hand. I snatched it from him, quickly stuffing it away and out of sight. I didn’t want to think about it, didn’t want to ruin this night.“It was good to see you, Leo,” Sergius said. He pulled me to my feet, and pounded my back in a rough embrace. “Don’t forget about us rankers while you’re dining with nobles.”“Take care of yourself, Serg,” I said, returning his embrace. “And, thank you.”“We’re on garrison duty,” the old soldier grinned. “What’s going to happen in the capital?”Sergius surprised Helena by pulling her into a hug next. “Keep your shield tight to his. Our Centenarius always seems to be around when shit is the deepest.”“I’ll keep him the sword from his back,” Helena said. “Though, it might loosen him up a bit.”The older man laughed. “It was good to meet you, lass. And remember, you’ve got a brother in old Sergius.” With a last little wave, he ambled out and into the deepening night.“You were right,” Helena said, settling back. She popped the last of the pitaroudia in her mouth. “This is a great place.”“Even with Grat here?” I asked with a smile.“Even still,” she said, her lips curling upward. She put her elbow on the table, leaning her heads against her palm. “I’m happy that you introduced me to your friends. I didn’t think it would be this, nice.”“It was,” I said. I shifted in my seat, wanting to move my chair closer to her. But the movement jostled the letter in my pocket. Suddenly, my mother’s words weighed more than a boulder. I shifted again, an awkward jerk of my body that accomplished nothing.Helena’s smile softened. She took pity on me, scooting over until her leg pressed against mine. I let out a breath, leaning back in my chair. We sat in silence for a while. I closed my eyes, enjoying the warmth, and the quiet murmur of the few remaining patrons.“This was always my favorite part,” I said, after a while. I opened my eyes to find Helena watching me, waiting for me to continue.“A place like this,” I said. “With the others; once the campaigns done. It’s,”I trailed off, trying to order my thoughts. How could I explain this to someone who’d never been to war? How did I tell her of the constant tension; of the anxious expectation that came with knowing that somewhere, beyond the light of your campfire, someone wanted you dead.Kill or be killed; there was none of that here. I could drink with my friends, without wondering which of them I would lose. Or what I would have to do.It was just; "different,” I finished.Helena didn’t laugh. She didn’t smile or tease. She just watched me with eyes that took in so much of me. I caught a glimpse of it; the edge that wondrous vastness behind her cypress gaze. She leaned into me, resting her head against my shoulder and letting out a long breath.“Different,” she said. “I like that.”My eyes suddenly prickled. I blinked furiously, trying to clear the wetness seeping into them. I turned, leaning my chin against her hair; breathing in the scent of her. I shifted my arm to pull her closer, my mother’s letter forgotten.“Leo,” she said. “What would you do if you weren’t a soldier?”“I, I don’t know,” I said. “I’ve always been a soldier.”“But could you do it for ten more years?”“What else would I do? My father was stratiotai, and his father and his father. I don’t know anything else.”Helena shifted against my shoulder, her hair tickling my neck.“What was your plan once you retired?”I bobbed my shoulders in a small shrug, careful not to disturb her. “Go back to Rhodos. My mother is a seamstress. I’d help her run the shop.”“And marry a ‘good’ woman?” She said, her tone edged with mocking.I didn’t answer, though I tightened my grip on Helena. For a heartbeat, her body was stiff. Then, she let out another long breath, relaxing against me.“What about something like this?” She asked, gesturing around us. “A tavern.”“Running a Winehouse?”She pushed off of me, suddenly more animated. “Why not? You could open a soldier’s tavern on Rhodos; make a place for old stratiotai.”“A peaceful place,” I murmured.“Exactly!” She grinned. “It's a good idea, right?”“I’d have to learn how to make pitaroudia,” I said, feeling a smile tug at my lips.“I’m sure Kostas will give you his recipe.”I laughed. “I’m a solider, Helena, not a cook. I think I even burned water once.”“You are a soldier,” she said. Her eyes held mine. “But you can be something else.”I looked away, swallowing.“You’ll think about it?”“Sure,” I forced some lightness into my tone. “But only if you promise that you’d go out and catch fish for me every day.”Helena stiffened, her face suddenly bright red. Not the reaction I’d been expecting. Her eyes flicked over my face, searching. “You don’t think I’d be better as the cook? Or serving drinks?”“No,” I said, not having to force my smile. “You belong on the sea, right?”Her eyes were so wide. I felt my heart start to beat faster. That vastness, it was there, rising to the edge of her; on the verge of breaking through.“Leo,” she murmured. “I,”She was interrupted by the thump of a pouch onto our table. I looked over to find Kostas’ son standing by our table. The kid looked exhausted, but triumphant."You found what I asked for, then?” I said.He nodded, holding out a grubby hand.“Good man,” I grinned, flipping him a silver coin. He disappeared without another word. I quickly disengaged myself from Helena to put the lumpy, medium sized pouch away.“It's a surprise,” I told her. “For later.”She arched an eyebrow, but didn’t press me. She downed her last mouthful of wine, letting out a happy sigh. “We have to come back here.”I nodded, bringing my own wine to my lips.“It's nice to see that you can relax without my cunny in your mouth.”I choked, spraying out a mouthful of wine. Helena laughed, that deep, joy-filled sound. She pounded my back as I coughed myself hoarse. My face blazed, and I felt the eyes of everyone turn towards me.“Leo,” she said. “You’re defenseless.”I coughed, glaring at her through watery eyes.“Come on,” she said. “Let’s get back to the palace.”We walked out into the night, breathing in the city’s quiet. Although, it did not last long. We were but a handful of blocks from the Winehouse, when, out of the dark, we saw the fire.And heard the baying of the mob.A past shared with the Empress.The baying of the mob. The glow of fire.After a few moments of debate, Helena and I decided to move towards it. There were no screams of pain, no real sounds of violence coming from the streets ahead. We would see what there was, we decided, before returning to the Empress.We came into a square; one with a small, torch-lit church planted solidly at the northern end. A few squads of armored stratiotai, perhaps forty men, stood before the single door. They were imperial legionaries, though I did not recognize any of the grim-faced men. They all looked outward, swords drawn.Surrounding them, was the mob.The seething body of humanity was all around them. They totally filled the square; men, women, children. The old and the

Based on the work of Robyn Bee, In 7 parts. Listen to the ► Podcast at Connected.The streets had been quiet as we’d passed, oddly subdued. The few people we saw had quickly ducked out of our way, though we were in our tunicae and sandals.Kostas’ place, I was happy to see, was lively. Drunken soldiers weren’t spilling out of the place, but there was enough of a crowd that we had to push our way past a few people. I led Helena to the back, where crusty old Kostas scowled from behind his bar.“Kostas,” I said, leaning against the bar. “I promised this Rhodian lady some pitaroudia. Are you going to disappoint her?”“Rhodian?” He said, suddenly a lot less grouchy looking.“From Lindos,” Helena said.We chatted for a bit, swapping the latest bit of island news that we had while Kostas poured us a couple of flagons of dark wine. The food would be ready in a few minutes, he told us.“She’s paying,” I said, when I spotted Kostas’ young son.The kid was coming back with an empty drink tray. I hooked him by the arm, leading him away. I put a silver coin in his hand, promising him another if he’d fetch something for me.Helena looked at me curiously, but I kept my mouth shut against her silent question.“Centenarius!” I heard a voice call. “Leontius!”I turned, already feeling a grin stretching my features. At a nearby table, five men were waving towards me. They wore happy smiles, their cheeks rosy with wine.“Sergius! You old bastard! What the hell are you doing here?”Sergius, a crusty old stratiotai with more scars on him than most had years, made a show of cupping one ear.“Can’t hear you so good, sir! Come here and whisper it to me.”The men at his table laughed. I did too, shaking my head.“Friends of yours?” Helena asked.“Men from my old cohort,” I said. “Come on, I’ll introduce you.”Helena’s body tightened. I saw that same expression flash across her features. Resignation? Consternation? I wasn’t sure. Even here, away from the dark street, I wasn’t sure exactly what I’d seen. It was gone too fast.“Sure,” she said, stepping forward and forcing me to move after her.The men rose to meet me, and I greeted each with a rough embrace and a few rougher words. Sergius, Gratian, Suda, Maurice and Niketas; as good a squad of stratiotai that had ever served in Justinian’s legions.“Boys, this is Helena,” I said as we sat in the chairs pulled over for us. “My shield mate. She guards the Empress with me.”Sergius blinked. Maurice choked on his wine while Suda and Niketas glanced at each other in disbelief. Helena, however, seemed to loosen. Her gaze flicked to me, and I saw the faint crinkle of something disappear from the corners of her eyes.Gratian, horse’s ass that he was, guffawed.“Come on, Centenarius,” he said. He was seated on Helena’s other side, and took the opportunity to drape one arm around her shoulders. “You can’t expect us to believe that sweet little thing fights beside you?”Whatever else I could say about Gratian, and there was a lot, I couldn’t fault his eye.Helena was in her tunica, cut in the same simple, utilitarian shape as my own. It was loose, ending just above her knees and doing nothing to accentuate the feminine curves of her body. However, unlike the wrinkled, slightly stained pale gray of my tunica, hers had been dyed a deep green.It was near to the cypress of her eyes. It made them appear brighter, and more vivid than I’d ever seen them. The green brought out the copper of her hair, deepening it and adding layers to those tumbling waves.She was beautiful; the field of grass after rain.“You think I’m sweet?” Helena said, lips curling into a small smile.“Sweet enough to eat,” he said. His eyes roved up and down her body. “How much?”Helena stayed relaxed. That small smile never left her lips.“I’m good, too.” Gratian insisted. “You’ll see. My phallus’s so good that you should be the one paying me!”He snickered through his leering grin. I shook my head when Sergius opened his mouth to interfere. Although I needn’t have. Because, an instant later, Helena’s fist crunched into Gratian’s throat.He gagged, falling backwards, his chair crashing to the ground. The tavern fell silent, all eyes on Helena as she slowly stood. Helena’s eyes swept the room. There was a heartbeat of silence, and then two. Her lip suddenly quirked.“Nobody touches before they pay.”The room exploded with laughter, covering the sound of Gratian’s moaning. Helena sat back down, while I moved to help the man pick himself off the floor.“I’ll kill her,” he choked. “I’ll fucking kill that bitch.”“Shut up,” I said, loud enough for the others to hear. “She’d gut you like a fish. And I’d cut off whatever bits my shield mate left of you.”I pulled him up, and made a show of checking him over. I hissed into his ear. “You stupid bastard. Helena’s the Empress’ personal guard. Do you want your head to the decorate palace walls?”Gratian’s face blanched. He started to stammer something but I pushed him away. “I told you to shut the fuck up. Go get us some more wine.”“Whatever Kostas hasn’t pissed in for me,” Helena called.Sergius grin was wide. “Good punch, that. It's the only way to get him to shut his hole.”“Aye,” Niketas said, draining his cup. He burped. “Finally, some fucking peace.”“Centenarius,” Maurice said, leaning forward. “No offense to your lady, but a shield mate? Are you sure about this?”“This lady,” Helena said. “Can speak for herself. Look me in the eyes and tell me what you mean.”Maurice complied. “You’re a woman. You’re real pretty, I’ll give you that, but you don’t know what this means.”“I don’t need a phallus to piss standing up. Why would I need one to hold up a shield?”Maurice smirked. “Cute. But it's more than that, it's,”"Wait, you can piss standing up?” Gratian interrupted, returning with two clay pitchers of wine. “Seriously?”The others groaned.“That wasn’t the point, Grat,” Suda said. “Although, now I am a bit curious,”"It's easy,” Helena said, throwing him a wink. “And I guarantee that I can piss better than Grat fucks.”Laughter rolled around the table. Even Gratian snickered, though heat crawled up his face. He started pouring the wine, filling Helena’s cup and then mine.“So, what the hell are you talking about, then?”“If she can really be Leo’s shield mate,” Maurice said. “If she can fight.”“She knows what it means, Maur,” I said. “She’s good, too. Fast. And she’s got some sense, unlike you thick-headed bastards.”“Good enough for me,” Sergius said. “What do you say boys, we gonna keep her around?”“Let's drink!” Niketas said, grabbing his cup.Sergius banged the table, hoisting his own cup into the air. “To Helena!”“Helena!” We roared, slamming our empty cups down a few moments later.Helena joined in, her smile wide and her cheeks flushed a happy red. Our pitaroudia arrived, and we fell to bickering over the platter of fried balls. They were delicious; tomato, onion and bits of a leafy herb mixed into a patty of ground chickpea.These were rough men that lived rough lives. They were soldiers; killers that earned their coin in the grinding crush of the shield wall. They respected a foul mouth, a hard fist and loyalty to one’s brothers.They were stratiotai.And when Helena clacked her cup with a still sheepish looking Gratian; I saw them start to think of her as one too.“Leo never told me that he was a Centenarius,” Helena eventually said.I snorted. “That’s because I’m not. These idiots just call me that.”“The crest on the helmet don’t make the Centenarius,” Suda drawled. “Ain’t that right, Serg?”“You’re damned right about that, lad,” the older man replied. “Some wise words there.”I rolled my eyes, the rest of the boys snickering into their cups. Sergius liked to share whatever kernels of wisdom popped into his head. We’d all heard this particular one a hundred times already.“We call him that because of Callinicum,” Sergius continued, answering Helena’s question.“Ah,” she said. “You were all there?”Sergius nodded, “and my bones would be decorating some Persian’s trophy shelf if it wasn’t for the Centenarius here. All of ours would.”The mood sobered, each of us remembering. I looked down to my hands; seeing the flecks of old, old blood beneath my fingernails. The ones I could never seem to clean.“Was it bad?” Helena asked.“Aye,” Sergius answered. “The old Centenarius was a right stupid prick. He got himself killed in the first charge of the Sassanid horsemen. Leontius here took over after that. Things were real shaky for a bit, but he kept us from scattering and being cut to pieces. And when the general decided he’d had enough of watching us die, Leo got us retreating.”Nobody spoke for a while, memories holding us. Some of us put wine to our lips. I just stared out at nothing with unfocused eyes. The mood remained dark until Gratian, bless his fool soul, blurted out;“Fuck, but Centenarius Demetrius was a prick.”That brought out a few chuckles. Niketas let out another burp, and Maurice swatted the back of his head. Most of us felt lighter after that. It didn’t do any good to dwell on the past. The things we’d done, the friends we’d lost, It wasn’t good to remember. Stratiotai had to live for the moment.Maybe that was why I’d always been such a terrible soldier.Midnight guard duty.It was approaching midnight when Sergius hauled himself to his feet. He blinked bleary eyes, motioning to the others.“Right boys, we’ve got patrol in the morning. Let’s get moving.”The men swallowed their last mouthfuls of wine, said their goodbyes and stumbled away with various levels of coordination.Sergius watched them go with a shake of his head. He riffled through a pouch at his side for a moment before turning back to me.“I’ve got something for you here, Centenarius. It got to the barracks a week or so ago.”He held a folded envelope out towards me. It had my name on it, written out in my mother’s blocky hand. I snatched it from him, quickly stuffing it away and out of sight. I didn’t want to think about it, didn’t want to ruin this night.“It was good to see you, Leo,” Sergius said. He pulled me to my feet, and pounded my back in a rough embrace. “Don’t forget about us rankers while you’re dining with nobles.”“Take care of yourself, Serg,” I said, returning his embrace. “And, thank you.”“We’re on garrison duty,” the old soldier grinned. “What’s going to happen in the capital?”Sergius surprised Helena by pulling her into a hug next. “Keep your shield tight to his. Our Centenarius always seems to be around when shit is the deepest.”“I’ll keep him the sword from his back,” Helena said. “Though, it might loosen him up a bit.”The older man laughed. “It was good to meet you, lass. And remember, you’ve got a brother in old Sergius.” With a last little wave, he ambled out and into the deepening night.“You were right,” Helena said, settling back. She popped the last of the pitaroudia in her mouth. “This is a great place.”“Even with Grat here?” I asked with a smile.“Even still,” she said, her lips curling upward. She put her elbow on the table, leaning her heads against her palm. “I’m happy that you introduced me to your friends. I didn’t think it would be this, nice.”“It was,” I said. I shifted in my seat, wanting to move my chair closer to her. But the movement jostled the letter in my pocket. Suddenly, my mother’s words weighed more than a boulder. I shifted again, an awkward jerk of my body that accomplished nothing.Helena’s smile softened. She took pity on me, scooting over until her leg pressed against mine. I let out a breath, leaning back in my chair. We sat in silence for a while. I closed my eyes, enjoying the warmth, and the quiet murmur of the few remaining patrons.“This was always my favorite part,” I said, after a while. I opened my eyes to find Helena watching me, waiting for me to continue.“A place like this,” I said. “With the others; once the campaigns done. It’s,”I trailed off, trying to order my thoughts. How could I explain this to someone who’d never been to war? How did I tell her of the constant tension; of the anxious expectation that came with knowing that somewhere, beyond the light of your campfire, someone wanted you dead.Kill or be killed; there was none of that here. I could drink with my friends, without wondering which of them I would lose. Or what I would have to do.It was just; "different,” I finished.Helena didn’t laugh. She didn’t smile or tease. She just watched me with eyes that took in so much of me. I caught a glimpse of it; the edge that wondrous vastness behind her cypress gaze. She leaned into me, resting her head against my shoulder and letting out a long breath.“Different,” she said. “I like that.”My eyes suddenly prickled. I blinked furiously, trying to clear the wetness seeping into them. I turned, leaning my chin against her hair; breathing in the scent of her. I shifted my arm to pull her closer, my mother’s letter forgotten.“Leo,” she said. “What would you do if you weren’t a soldier?”“I, I don’t know,” I said. “I’ve always been a soldier.”“But could you do it for ten more years?”“What else would I do? My father was stratiotai, and his father and his father. I don’t know anything else.”Helena shifted against my shoulder, her hair tickling my neck.“What was your plan once you retired?”I bobbed my shoulders in a small shrug, careful not to disturb her. “Go back to Rhodos. My mother is a seamstress. I’d help her run the shop.”“And marry a ‘good’ woman?” She said, her tone edged with mocking.I didn’t answer, though I tightened my grip on Helena. For a heartbeat, her body was stiff. Then, she let out another long breath, relaxing against me.“What about something like this?” She asked, gesturing around us. “A tavern.”“Running a Winehouse?”She pushed off of me, suddenly more animated. “Why not? You could open a soldier’s tavern on Rhodos; make a place for old stratiotai.”“A peaceful place,” I murmured.“Exactly!” She grinned. “It's a good idea, right?”“I’d have to learn how to make pitaroudia,” I said, feeling a smile tug at my lips.“I’m sure Kostas will give you his recipe.”I laughed. “I’m a solider, Helena, not a cook. I think I even burned water once.”“You are a soldier,” she said. Her eyes held mine. “But you can be something else.”I looked away, swallowing.“You’ll think about it?”“Sure,” I forced some lightness into my tone. “But only if you promise that you’d go out and catch fish for me every day.”Helena stiffened, her face suddenly bright red. Not the reaction I’d been expecting. Her eyes flicked over my face, searching. “You don’t think I’d be better as the cook? Or serving drinks?”“No,” I said, not having to force my smile. “You belong on the sea, right?”Her eyes were so wide. I felt my heart start to beat faster. That vastness, it was there, rising to the edge of her; on the verge of breaking through.“Leo,” she murmured. “I,”She was interrupted by the thump of a pouch onto our table. I looked over to find Kostas’ son standing by our table. The kid looked exhausted, but triumphant."You found what I asked for, then?” I said.He nodded, holding out a grubby hand.“Good man,” I grinned, flipping him a silver coin. He disappeared without another word. I quickly disengaged myself from Helena to put the lumpy, medium sized pouch away.“It's a surprise,” I told her. “For later.”She arched an eyebrow, but didn’t press me. She downed her last mouthful of wine, letting out a happy sigh. “We have to come back here.”I nodded, bringing my own wine to my lips.“It's nice to see that you can relax without my cunny in your mouth.”I choked, spraying out a mouthful of wine. Helena laughed, that deep, joy-filled sound. She pounded my back as I coughed myself hoarse. My face blazed, and I felt the eyes of everyone turn towards me.“Leo,” she said. “You’re defenseless.”I coughed, glaring at her through watery eyes.“Come on,” she said. “Let’s get back to the palace.”We walked out into the night, breathing in the city’s quiet. Although, it did not last long. We were but a handful of blocks from the Winehouse, when, out of the dark, we saw the fire.And heard the baying of the mob.A past shared with the Empress.The baying of the mob. The glow of fire.After a few moments of debate, Helena and I decided to move towards it. There were no screams of pain, no real sounds of violence coming from the streets ahead. We would see what there was, we decided, before returning to the Empress.We came into a square; one with a small, torch-lit church planted solidly at the northern end. A few squads of armored stratiotai, perhaps forty men, stood before the single door. They were imperial legionaries, though I did not recognize any of the grim-faced men. They all looked outward, swords drawn.Surrounding them, was the mob.The seething body of humanity was all around them. They totally filled the square; men, women, children. The old and the

Based on the work of Robyn Bee, In 7 parts. Listen to the ► Podcast at Connected.The streets had been quiet as we’d passed, oddly subdued. The few people we saw had quickly ducked out of our way, though we were in our tunicae and sandals.Kostas’ place, I was happy to see, was lively. Drunken soldiers weren’t spilling out of the place, but there was enough of a crowd that we had to push our way past a few people. I led Helena to the back, where crusty old Kostas scowled from behind his bar.“Kostas,” I said, leaning against the bar. “I promised this Rhodian lady some pitaroudia. Are you going to disappoint her?”“Rhodian?” He said, suddenly a lot less grouchy looking.“From Lindos,” Helena said.We chatted for a bit, swapping the latest bit of island news that we had while Kostas poured us a couple of flagons of dark wine. The food would be ready in a few minutes, he told us.“She’s paying,” I said, when I spotted Kostas’ young son.The kid was coming back with an empty drink tray. I hooked him by the arm, leading him away. I put a silver coin in his hand, promising him another if he’d fetch something for me.Helena looked at me curiously, but I kept my mouth shut against her silent question.“Centenarius!” I heard a voice call. “Leontius!”I turned, already feeling a grin stretching my features. At a nearby table, five men were waving towards me. They wore happy smiles, their cheeks rosy with wine.“Sergius! You old bastard! What the hell are you doing here?”Sergius, a crusty old stratiotai with more scars on him than most had years, made a show of cupping one ear.“Can’t hear you so good, sir! Come here and whisper it to me.”The men at his table laughed. I did too, shaking my head.“Friends of yours?” Helena asked.“Men from my old cohort,” I said. “Come on, I’ll introduce you.”Helena’s body tightened. I saw that same expression flash across her features. Resignation? Consternation? I wasn’t sure. Even here, away from the dark street, I wasn’t sure exactly what I’d seen. It was gone too fast.“Sure,” she said, stepping forward and forcing me to move after her.The men rose to meet me, and I greeted each with a rough embrace and a few rougher words. Sergius, Gratian, Suda, Maurice and Niketas; as good a squad of stratiotai that had ever served in Justinian’s legions.“Boys, this is Helena,” I said as we sat in the chairs pulled over for us. “My shield mate. She guards the Empress with me.”Sergius blinked. Maurice choked on his wine while Suda and Niketas glanced at each other in disbelief. Helena, however, seemed to loosen. Her gaze flicked to me, and I saw the faint crinkle of something disappear from the corners of her eyes.Gratian, horse’s ass that he was, guffawed.“Come on, Centenarius,” he said. He was seated on Helena’s other side, and took the opportunity to drape one arm around her shoulders. “You can’t expect us to believe that sweet little thing fights beside you?”Whatever else I could say about Gratian, and there was a lot, I couldn’t fault his eye.Helena was in her tunica, cut in the same simple, utilitarian shape as my own. It was loose, ending just above her knees and doing nothing to accentuate the feminine curves of her body. However, unlike the wrinkled, slightly stained pale gray of my tunica, hers had been dyed a deep green.It was near to the cypress of her eyes. It made them appear brighter, and more vivid than I’d ever seen them. The green brought out the copper of her hair, deepening it and adding layers to those tumbling waves.She was beautiful; the field of grass after rain.“You think I’m sweet?” Helena said, lips curling into a small smile.“Sweet enough to eat,” he said. His eyes roved up and down her body. “How much?”Helena stayed relaxed. That small smile never left her lips.“I’m good, too.” Gratian insisted. “You’ll see. My phallus’s so good that you should be the one paying me!”He snickered through his leering grin. I shook my head when Sergius opened his mouth to interfere. Although I needn’t have. Because, an instant later, Helena’s fist crunched into Gratian’s throat.He gagged, falling backwards, his chair crashing to the ground. The tavern fell silent, all eyes on Helena as she slowly stood. Helena’s eyes swept the room. There was a heartbeat of silence, and then two. Her lip suddenly quirked.“Nobody touches before they pay.”The room exploded with laughter, covering the sound of Gratian’s moaning. Helena sat back down, while I moved to help the man pick himself off the floor.“I’ll kill her,” he choked. “I’ll fucking kill that bitch.”“Shut up,” I said, loud enough for the others to hear. “She’d gut you like a fish. And I’d cut off whatever bits my shield mate left of you.”I pulled him up, and made a show of checking him over. I hissed into his ear. “You stupid bastard. Helena’s the Empress’ personal guard. Do you want your head to the decorate palace walls?”Gratian’s face blanched. He started to stammer something but I pushed him away. “I told you to shut the fuck up. Go get us some more wine.”“Whatever Kostas hasn’t pissed in for me,” Helena called.Sergius grin was wide. “Good punch, that. It's the only way to get him to shut his hole.”“Aye,” Niketas said, draining his cup. He burped. “Finally, some fucking peace.”“Centenarius,” Maurice said, leaning forward. “No offense to your lady, but a shield mate? Are you sure about this?”“This lady,” Helena said. “Can speak for herself. Look me in the eyes and tell me what you mean.”Maurice complied. “You’re a woman. You’re real pretty, I’ll give you that, but you don’t know what this means.”“I don’t need a phallus to piss standing up. Why would I need one to hold up a shield?”Maurice smirked. “Cute. But it's more than that, it's,”"Wait, you can piss standing up?” Gratian interrupted, returning with two clay pitchers of wine. “Seriously?”The others groaned.“That wasn’t the point, Grat,” Suda said. “Although, now I am a bit curious,”"It's easy,” Helena said, throwing him a wink. “And I guarantee that I can piss better than Grat fucks.”Laughter rolled around the table. Even Gratian snickered, though heat crawled up his face. He started pouring the wine, filling Helena’s cup and then mine.“So, what the hell are you talking about, then?”“If she can really be Leo’s shield mate,” Maurice said. “If she can fight.”“She knows what it means, Maur,” I said. “She’s good, too. Fast. And she’s got some sense, unlike you thick-headed bastards.”“Good enough for me,” Sergius said. “What do you say boys, we gonna keep her around?”“Let's drink!” Niketas said, grabbing his cup.Sergius banged the table, hoisting his own cup into the air. “To Helena!”“Helena!” We roared, slamming our empty cups down a few moments later.Helena joined in, her smile wide and her cheeks flushed a happy red. Our pitaroudia arrived, and we fell to bickering over the platter of fried balls. They were delicious; tomato, onion and bits of a leafy herb mixed into a patty of ground chickpea.These were rough men that lived rough lives. They were soldiers; killers that earned their coin in the grinding crush of the shield wall. They respected a foul mouth, a hard fist and loyalty to one’s brothers.They were stratiotai.And when Helena clacked her cup with a still sheepish looking Gratian; I saw them start to think of her as one too.“Leo never told me that he was a Centenarius,” Helena eventually said.I snorted. “That’s because I’m not. These idiots just call me that.”“The crest on the helmet don’t make the Centenarius,” Suda drawled. “Ain’t that right, Serg?”“You’re damned right about that, lad,” the older man replied. “Some wise words there.”I rolled my eyes, the rest of the boys snickering into their cups. Sergius liked to share whatever kernels of wisdom popped into his head. We’d all heard this particular one a hundred times already.“We call him that because of Callinicum,” Sergius continued, answering Helena’s question.“Ah,” she said. “You were all there?”Sergius nodded, “and my bones would be decorating some Persian’s trophy shelf if it wasn’t for the Centenarius here. All of ours would.”The mood sobered, each of us remembering. I looked down to my hands; seeing the flecks of old, old blood beneath my fingernails. The ones I could never seem to clean.“Was it bad?” Helena asked.“Aye,” Sergius answered. “The old Centenarius was a right stupid prick. He got himself killed in the first charge of the Sassanid horsemen. Leontius here took over after that. Things were real shaky for a bit, but he kept us from scattering and being cut to pieces. And when the general decided he’d had enough of watching us die, Leo got us retreating.”Nobody spoke for a while, memories holding us. Some of us put wine to our lips. I just stared out at nothing with unfocused eyes. The mood remained dark until Gratian, bless his fool soul, blurted out;“Fuck, but Centenarius Demetrius was a prick.”That brought out a few chuckles. Niketas let out another burp, and Maurice swatted the back of his head. Most of us felt lighter after that. It didn’t do any good to dwell on the past. The things we’d done, the friends we’d lost, It wasn’t good to remember. Stratiotai had to live for the moment.Maybe that was why I’d always been such a terrible soldier.Midnight guard duty.It was approaching midnight when Sergius hauled himself to his feet. He blinked bleary eyes, motioning to the others.“Right boys, we’ve got patrol in the morning. Let’s get moving.”The men swallowed their last mouthfuls of wine, said their goodbyes and stumbled away with various levels of coordination.Sergius watched them go with a shake of his head. He riffled through a pouch at his side for a moment before turning back to me.“I’ve got something for you here, Centenarius. It got to the barracks a week or so ago.”He held a folded envelope out towards me. It had my name on it, written out in my mother’s blocky hand. I snatched it from him, quickly stuffing it away and out of sight. I didn’t want to think about it, didn’t want to ruin this night.“It was good to see you, Leo,” Sergius said. He pulled me to my feet, and pounded my back in a rough embrace. “Don’t forget about us rankers while you’re dining with nobles.”“Take care of yourself, Serg,” I said, returning his embrace. “And, thank you.”“We’re on garrison duty,” the old soldier grinned. “What’s going to happen in the capital?”Sergius surprised Helena by pulling her into a hug next. “Keep your shield tight to his. Our Centenarius always seems to be around when shit is the deepest.”“I’ll keep him the sword from his back,” Helena said. “Though, it might loosen him up a bit.”The older man laughed. “It was good to meet you, lass. And remember, you’ve got a brother in old Sergius.” With a last little wave, he ambled out and into the deepening night.“You were right,” Helena said, settling back. She popped the last of the pitaroudia in her mouth. “This is a great place.”“Even with Grat here?” I asked with a smile.“Even still,” she said, her lips curling upward. She put her elbow on the table, leaning her heads against her palm. “I’m happy that you introduced me to your friends. I didn’t think it would be this, nice.”“It was,” I said. I shifted in my seat, wanting to move my chair closer to her. But the movement jostled the letter in my pocket. Suddenly, my mother’s words weighed more than a boulder. I shifted again, an awkward jerk of my body that accomplished nothing.Helena’s smile softened. She took pity on me, scooting over until her leg pressed against mine. I let out a breath, leaning back in my chair. We sat in silence for a while. I closed my eyes, enjoying the warmth, and the quiet murmur of the few remaining patrons.“This was always my favorite part,” I said, after a while. I opened my eyes to find Helena watching me, waiting for me to continue.“A place like this,” I said. “With the others; once the campaigns done. It’s,”I trailed off, trying to order my thoughts. How could I explain this to someone who’d never been to war? How did I tell her of the constant tension; of the anxious expectation that came with knowing that somewhere, beyond the light of your campfire, someone wanted you dead.Kill or be killed; there was none of that here. I could drink with my friends, without wondering which of them I would lose. Or what I would have to do.It was just; "different,” I finished.Helena didn’t laugh. She didn’t smile or tease. She just watched me with eyes that took in so much of me. I caught a glimpse of it; the edge that wondrous vastness behind her cypress gaze. She leaned into me, resting her head against my shoulder and letting out a long breath.“Different,” she said. “I like that.”My eyes suddenly prickled. I blinked furiously, trying to clear the wetness seeping into them. I turned, leaning my chin against her hair; breathing in the scent of her. I shifted my arm to pull her closer, my mother’s letter forgotten.“Leo,” she said. “What would you do if you weren’t a soldier?”“I, I don’t know,” I said. “I’ve always been a soldier.”“But could you do it for ten more years?”“What else would I do? My father was stratiotai, and his father and his father. I don’t know anything else.”Helena shifted against my shoulder, her hair tickling my neck.“What was your plan once you retired?”I bobbed my shoulders in a small shrug, careful not to disturb her. “Go back to Rhodos. My mother is a seamstress. I’d help her run the shop.”“And marry a ‘good’ woman?” She said, her tone edged with mocking.I didn’t answer, though I tightened my grip on Helena. For a heartbeat, her body was stiff. Then, she let out another long breath, relaxing against me.“What about something like this?” She asked, gesturing around us. “A tavern.”“Running a Winehouse?”She pushed off of me, suddenly more animated. “Why not? You could open a soldier’s tavern on Rhodos; make a place for old stratiotai.”“A peaceful place,” I murmured.“Exactly!” She grinned. “It's a good idea, right?”“I’d have to learn how to make pitaroudia,” I said, feeling a smile tug at my lips.“I’m sure Kostas will give you his recipe.”I laughed. “I’m a solider, Helena, not a cook. I think I even burned water once.”“You are a soldier,” she said. Her eyes held mine. “But you can be something else.”I looked away, swallowing.“You’ll think about it?”“Sure,” I forced some lightness into my tone. “But only if you promise that you’d go out and catch fish for me every day.”Helena stiffened, her face suddenly bright red. Not the reaction I’d been expecting. Her eyes flicked over my face, searching. “You don’t think I’d be better as the cook? Or serving drinks?”“No,” I said, not having to force my smile. “You belong on the sea, right?”Her eyes were so wide. I felt my heart start to beat faster. That vastness, it was there, rising to the edge of her; on the verge of breaking through.“Leo,” she murmured. “I,”She was interrupted by the thump of a pouch onto our table. I looked over to find Kostas’ son standing by our table. The kid looked exhausted, but triumphant."You found what I asked for, then?” I said.He nodded, holding out a grubby hand.“Good man,” I grinned, flipping him a silver coin. He disappeared without another word. I quickly disengaged myself from Helena to put the lumpy, medium sized pouch away.“It's a surprise,” I told her. “For later.”She arched an eyebrow, but didn’t press me. She downed her last mouthful of wine, letting out a happy sigh. “We have to come back here.”I nodded, bringing my own wine to my lips.“It's nice to see that you can relax without my cunny in your mouth.”I choked, spraying out a mouthful of wine. Helena laughed, that deep, joy-filled sound. She pounded my back as I coughed myself hoarse. My face blazed, and I felt the eyes of everyone turn towards me.“Leo,” she said. “You’re defenseless.”I coughed, glaring at her through watery eyes.“Come on,” she said. “Let’s get back to the palace.”We walked out into the night, breathing in the city’s quiet. Although, it did not last long. We were but a handful of blocks from the Winehouse, when, out of the dark, we saw the fire.And heard the baying of the mob.A past shared with the Empress.The baying of the mob. The glow of fire.After a few moments of debate, Helena and I decided to move towards it. There were no screams of pain, no real sounds of violence coming from the streets ahead. We would see what there was, we decided, before returning to the Empress.We came into a square; one with a small, torch-lit church planted solidly at the northern end. A few squads of armored stratiotai, perhaps forty men, stood before the single door. They were imperial legionaries, though I did not recognize any of the grim-faced men. They all looked outward, swords drawn.Surrounding them, was the mob.The seething body of humanity was all around them. They totally filled the square; men, women, children. The old and the

JLP Wed 8-21-24 A deal with the Devil! Hr 1 Doug Emhoff praises Kamala. Neighbor kills man by yard. SERG: Daughters leave home? RENE: Entertainers sold their souls. JADEN, hold. // Hr 2 JADEN: Emotional deception in sales. OVIDIU: Thoughts, emotions. Supers… RAY: Judging an illusion. DANIEL: Wife hates the new real me. // Hr 3 It's cold! Manhood Hour. DANIEL welcomes truth. GALAHAD: BQ. ANNE MARIE (sp): Drop hope. BINIAM: Why Trump a great hope? Supers… CONOR: Dem family. BLAKE: Great polos. JOSHUA: More aware alone. // Biblical Question: What is going on on Earth? TIMESTAMPS (0:00:00) HOUR 1 (0:04:16) JLP: Spiritual battle. Govt lies, pushes fear, does nothing. (0:12:22) Doug Emhoff praises mama and Kamala: "blended family" (0:21:16) Evil encouraged: Neighbor allegedly murders man (0:31:35) Alpha Jerky, Hake, Joel, Nick (0:35:06) SERG, TX: Daughters leave at 18? (0:38:36) RENE, TX: Why celebrities liberal? Deal with the Devil! (0:41:21) RENE: All human beings want power. DNC for abortion (0:44:11) You're not in control. (0:47:31) JADEN, CA: Fear… door-to-door sales… (0:55:00) NEWS… HOUR 2 (1:02:53) Raise daughters well. Good old days, they'd stay home. (1:04:21) JADEN: Cries as a salesman. Sell with the aura of God. (1:07:26) OVIDIU, Romania: Overcome thoughts. 99-pct white. Gypsies? (1:16:41) OVIDIU: Prayer. Emotion: Don't call it you. Endure. (1:20:55) Supers: BQ, Counseling, Actors' politics, Watching thoughts? BREAK (1:33:26) RAY, NJ, 1st: spectacular show yesterday. It's all an illusion. (1:35:21) RAY: Devils hate human beings, but say they love you! Friendly evil (1:38:01) RAY: I'm judging an illusion. Don't know possessed: All an act. (1:41:31) DANIEL, TX: Wife thinks me the problem; Quiet confidence, prayer (1:46:35) DANIEL: Wife wants to leave or psychologist. (1:51:35) DANIEL: Nothing more important than the truth. Let her go. HOLD (1:55:00) NEWS… HOUR 3 (2:02:06) Are you cold? Hake! MANHOOD HOUR: Throwback (2:06:06) DANIEL: Don't try to convince wife. Let 15yo son. It's clear. (2:11:51) JLP: Invite the truth in. (2:12:23) GALAHAD, NY: BQ (2:16:56) ANNE MARIE, CA… optimistic? (2:21:18) ANNE MARIE: Drop your hope. Hope is for dopes. (2:22:41) ANNE MARIE: Perfect peace. Masses have fear. (2:24:16) ANNE MARIE: Heart attack… (2:27:30) BINIAM, CA, 1st: GWH? Our hope is in God! HOLD (2:31:31) PunchieTV… Nick's baby coming home. (2:34:41) BINIAM: Why is Trump a great hope? God, send great leaders. (2:38:46) BINIAM is a leader, engineer, African, God's will (2:42:21) Supers: BQ. Mercy or Grace? Women, weak men, Color Purple (2:47:11) Supers: Most don't want out. We sick. Gypsies… (2:48:51) CONOR (sp), Chicago: Dem family, Dad voting Kamala? Darkness. (2:51:29) Oops, I hung up on Jay! (2:52:21) BLAKE, OH, 1st: Doing great. Love your polo shirts. (2:53:06) JOSHUA, WA, 1st: Why easier to be aware alone? Unconscious. BQ (2:54:46) JAY, CA, 1st: call tomorrow! Sorry! (2:55:36) Closing: Work on you.

JLP Fri 8-16-24 Get-It-Off-Your-Chest Friday! Hr 1 Order of God can't change! Secret Service breastfeeding! SHANT's grown "kids" don't like him! JULIE on BQ. Supers… // Hr 2 Supers… GREG, distant from 30yo son. His wife says she obeys! TERRY's ex-wife keeps his son unhealthy. Mother takes her side! … // Hr 3 EXPERTS: J.D. Vance's mother-in-law raised his kids, not his working wife! Rachel Duffy lies about grandparents! CALLS… Nice guys, BQ. Biracial, left out... JAMES: Forgive father, mother // Biblical Question: Why do you think about other people? (0:00:00) HOUR 1 (0:04:32) Women's Forum! Express Yourself! World a mess! (0:09:32) Order to life: Men over women, Pretending women can lead (0:16:55) Female Secret Service breastfeeding; Lil Olympics all women (0:23:27) SHANT, CA: Adult "kids" don't like me (0:27:49) SHANT don't wanna abandon grown adults! Need companionship (0:31:56) Announcements: The Fallen State, Church (0:34:34) SHANT children from previous marriage, remarried (0:40:57) SHANT new wife "obeys." Forgiving parents… (0:43:24) SHANT ask, ask! … not trying to please wife… living in the present (0:47:28) JULIE, CT, BQ, think about husband, others, distraction (0:50:48) Supers: Ex-gf/mother? Reflexes? Can't help anyone? (0:55:00) NEWS … HOUR 2 (1:03:05) Express Yourself! Supers: Do what YOU want. Ladies! Men crying. (1:10:50) GREG, WA, 1st, distant from son, mothers jealous of fathers (1:13:32) GREG: Don't make a relationship work! 30yo son! (1:18:27) GREG: Does your wife obey you? "Yes!" Wife, stop being so bad! Aloha (1:24:42) TERRY, TX, should I take her to court for custody? Save your money! (1:31:43) Announcements: PunchieTV ep Mon 2 PM PT; Women's Forum; Church (1:35:28) TERRY: Son's mother, don't play. Unhealthy boy! Thrill. No love. (1:38:52) TERRY: Father in prison, I'm disappointed. (1:41:02) TERRY: Ex-wife reminds me of mom! Face your mother. Queen of Hell (1:48:58) TERRY on BQ: IDEK, I don't even know! New wife, happy he drives! (1:52:05) Experts intro, NEWS… HOUR 3 (2:04:47) "Accepted Jesus"? JD Vance MIL, kids; Rachel Campos-Duffy (2:10:27) Experts react: Mama, family, Vance, Sean Duffy wife… (2:17:02) JLP stunned JD let his wife not raise his child! Duffy a liar! Grandparents (2:25:32) SERG, TX: Nice guys far from God, I noticed it in me (2:31:01) Announcements (2:34:51) JOE, VA, 1st, BQ, people have souls (2:37:11) GREG, CT, 1st, biracial: "I feel left out." (2:42:39) JAMES, SD, 1st: … Apologize for judging father. (2:46:21) JAMES, 25: Why angry at father? … Forgiven mother? No. Pray. (2:51:02) Supers: Eph 4: 31-32, all possessed. … (2:55:45) Closing: Forgive, you shall be forgiven

In this DSS Podcast, Anna Anisin welcomes Serg Masís, Climate and Agronomic Data Scientist at Syngenta. Serg, an expert in machine learning interpretability and responsible AI, shares his diverse background and journey into data science. He discusses the challenges of building fair and reliable ML models, emphasizing the importance of interpretability and trust in AI. Serg also talks into his latest book, "Interpretable Machine Learning with Python," and provides valuable insights for data scientists striving to create more transparent and effective AI solutions. In another compelling episode, Anna sits down with Nirmal Budhathoki, Senior Data Scientist at Microsoft. Nirmal, who has extensive experience at VMware Carbon Black and Wells Fargo, focuses on the intersection of AI and cybersecurity. He shares his journey into security data science, discussing the unique challenges and critical importance of applying AI to enhance cybersecurity measures. Nirmal highlights the pressing need for AI in this field, practical use cases, and the complexities involved in integrating AI with security practices, offering a valuable perspective for professionals navigating this dynamic landscape.

Le jean n'est pas un pantalon à l'origine ! Ce qu'on appelle le jean à la base c'est en fait une toile de coton et de lin de couleur bleu. L'origine de l'utilisation pour un pantalon remonte au XVIe siècle et c'est la marine de Gênes en Italie qui utilisait cette matière pour faire les voiles de leur navire et au passage habiller leur marins. On appelait ce tissu, le Bleu de Gênes! Le Denim lui est un dérivé du nom “Sergé de Nîmes”, Sa création remonte à 1557. Et c'est dans la ville de Nîmes qu'a été inventé ce style de jean qu'on a tous porté au moins une fois dans notre vie : le jean denim.Hébergé par Ausha. Visitez ausha.co/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

On this episode of Ruff Talk VR we are joined by Serg, Julia, and Kostya of CM Games, the studio behind Into the Radius 1 and 2! Into the Radius 2 is one of the most anticipated upcoming VR games, and for good reason! Having just launched in early access on PCVR, it is already so much fun! Listen as we get to know these 3, learn more about Into the Radius and the sequel, and more!Big thank you to all of our Patreon supporters! Become a supporter of the show today at  https://www.patreon.com/rufftalkvrUse code RUFFSLAYER-8904FC for 10% off Silent Slayer: Vault of the Vampire on the Meta Quest!Store Link:https://www.meta.com/en-gb/experiences/5353670608005479/?utm_source=rufftalk&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=rufftalk&utm_id=silentslayer&utm_term=summer&utm_content=promocodePatreon: https://www.patreon.com/rufftalkvrRuff Talk VR Discord: https://discord.gg/9JTdCccucSIf you enjoy the podcast be sure to rate us 5 stars and subscribe! Join our official subreddit at https://www.reddit.com/r/RuffTalkVR/Into the Radius 2 Store Link: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2307350/Into_the_Radius_2/Send us a text to the Ruff Talk VR fan mail line! Use code RUFFSLAYER-8904FC for 10% off Silent Slayer: Vault of the Vampire on the Meta Quest!Support the Show.

Trump and Elon for the kids. Is Kamala Harris low-IQ? Messy woman! Most promiscuous countries. Calls on police and "racial profiling." The Hake Report, Monday, July 29, 2024 AD TIME STAMPS * (0:00:00) Start/Topics * (0:01:46) Hey, guys! Mildly Attractive tee * (0:04:00) Save the kids! Elon Musk, Trump * (0:21:40) AJ Delgado vs Jason Miller and Trump? * (0:25:02) Homeless fire? Santa Fe dam, SGV * (0:27:04) SERG, TX: Sonya Massey; Cop overreacted? * (0:32:15) SERG: Seeing differently; Darkness vs Light * (0:35:45) SERG: Profiling? * (0:41:22) Super: Greggatron * (0:46:25) Supers: Lin Yen Chin * (0:50:44) Super: Homelessness in CA * (0:56:41) JOHN, KY: Bad white cops * (1:08:20) Most promiscuous countries: S-word facts * (1:25:36) JAIME, MN: Cops and profiling, politicians * (1:31:21) JAIME: Female teachers, S with student * (1:33:43) JAIME: Sonya Massey, cop deserves time * (1:35:48) STEVEN, MD: Profiled story * (1:39:03) STEVEN: Y'all cowards. GZ. Hannah Payne. * (1:44:19) STEVEN: Voting George Wallace? Served military? Draft dodge? * (1:47:53) Supers… The rest tomorrow! Call me tomorrow! * (1:53:04) Youth Brigade - "Barbed Wire" - 1981, Possible EP LINKS BLOG  https://www.thehakereport.com/blog/2024/7/29/the-hake-report-mon-7-29-24 PODCAST / Substack  HAKE NEWS from JLP  https://www.thehakereport.com/jlp-news/2024/7/29/hake-news-mon-7-29-24 Hake is live M-F 9-11a PT (11-1CT/12-2ET) Call-in 1-888-775-3773 https://www.thehakereport.com/show VIDEO  YouTube  -  Rumble*  -  Facebook  -  X  -  BitChute  -  Odysee*  PODCAST  Substack  -  Apple  -  Spotify  -  Castbox  -  Podcast Addict  *SUPER CHAT on platforms* above or  BuyMeACoffee, etc.  SHOP  Spring  -  Cameo  |  All My Links  JLP Network:  JLP  -  Church  -  TFS  -  Nick  -  Joel  Get full access to HAKE at thehakereport.substack.com/subscribe

What do you mean, "problem" race? Callers talk crime, self-reflection, running, and dolphin noises. Laughing too much? The Hake Report, Thursday, July 18, 2024 AD TIME STAMPS * (0:00:00) Start, very loose * (0:02:50) Problem child * (0:04:18) Hey, guys! * (0:05:18) JD Vance, Trump, RNC, Nick, Women's Forum * (0:08:20) Aborsh bans in 14 states, Southern unhealthiness * (0:11:26) Coffee: "problem race"? * (0:23:20) Coffee: No public school? How to afford it? * (0:27:14) MARK, CA: "problem race," communism * (0:31:28) MARK: What is the problem? * (0:35:49) MARK: LYC, educated ones, Malcolm X, NOI, Zebra * (0:42:01) JOHN, NY: Look in the mirror! * (0:56:19) ASHLEY, CA: Cross Country, Flat or Round? Handoffs * (1:05:22) DANIEL, TX: Running, half-marathon * (1:10:00) DANIEL: Shogun book… fitness, power out, reading * (1:15:22) HADEN, TX: Trump party, BHI, radicals, Biden, caller lies, shooter * (1:26:20) DLive Supers: Marcus Jones * (1:27:52) Supers: Lin Yen Chin: Smiling, Pokemon; Greggatron: Hake crushes * (1:33:35) Coffees: B-day, 2 Corinthians, beauty routine * (1:37:21) JUPITER, FL, 1st: Make dolphin sounds * (1:40:02) SERG, TX: attention-seeking; rejecting correction; news * (1:46:43) Supers: JD Vance, progressive wife? * (1:48:42) Closing * (1:49:55) Starflyer 59 - "Loved Ones" - 2003, "Old" album LINKS BLOG  https://www.thehakereport.com/blog/2024/7/18/the-hake-report-thu-7-18-24 PODCAST / Substack  HAKE NEWS from JLP  https://www.thehakereport.com/jlp-news/2024/7/18/hake-news-thu-7-18-24 Hake is live M-F 9-11a PT (11-1CT/12-2ET) Call-in 1-888-775-3773 https://www.thehakereport.com/show VIDEO  YouTube  -  Rumble*  -  Facebook  -  X  -  BitChute  -  Odysee*  PODCAST  Substack  -  Apple  -  Spotify  -  Castbox  -  Podcast Addict  *SUPER CHAT on platforms* above or  BuyMeACoffee, etc.  SHOP  Spring  -  Cameo  |  All My Links  JLP Network:  JLP  -  Church  -  TFS  -  Nick  -  Joel  Get full access to HAKE at thehakereport.substack.com/subscribe

JLP Fri 7-12-24 Express Yourself Friday! Biden stayin'! DEI airlines? Hassan's last day! Hr 1 Experts on Biden's press conference: "I'm stayin'!" JLP's Alheimer's dad. Do you have hope? Hr 2 CALLS: Sin? Prayer? Jealous that her mother-in-law controls her husband! Don't pick a woman! Hr 3 Flying's no fun! Wheel falls off! "Near miss"? Hassan's last day as engineer! Biblical Question: Why are you dismayed by others? TIMESTAMPS (0:00:00) HOUR 1 (0:05:45) Express yourself Friday (0:08:40) Don't get excited. Biden stayin'. JLP sings. EXPERTS (0:15:09) Hake, Joel, Hassan, Nick (0:25:15) JLP: Media wasn't rough on him! (0:27:45) Do you have hope? BREAK (0:32:00) Hope: Experts (0:38:00) Clip: Biden, facepalm, JLP on Alzheimer's dad (0:45:20) Hassan last day! Last word on Joe Biden. JLP sings. (0:47:34) ROBERT, MN, 1st, 16yo son gay? Ex-wife. Don't be angry. (0:50:25) STANLEY, CO: Never date after kids? If not sinners, why forgive? (0:54:00) NEWS Hr 1 (1:00:00) HOUR 2 (1:02:40) Express Yourself: Mom rage (1:03:40) STANLEY: Sin is anger, playing God, separated from God (1:09:10) NICHOLAS (sp) Canada, 1st, Buddhism? Prayer? Forgave. (1:18:12) JULIE, CT: SMH, RME husband: Lying, anxiety, MIL, control. BREAK (1:34:52) SERG, TX: Picking a woman? (1:43:20) Supers: BQ, dismayed; Biden, wait, see; Kids; Jews; Jesus (1:53:00) NEWS Hr 2 (2:00:00) HOUR 3 - Smash and grab out-of-control - (2:02:42) Express Yourself: Mom rage, forgive. (2:04:20) Flying, not fun. DEI, commie nonsense (2:09:20) Clips: Plane loses tire. Two planes appear to cross paths! (2:17:40) Hassan's last day (2:25:35) JLP to Hassan; Hake's feet dangling off the horse! (2:28:51) Clip: Hassan/JLP highlights (2:34:24) Clip: "If" Poem (2:37:15) Experts react: Hassan (2:39:38) Supers: You gonna love me; JLP hair; donate to BOND (2:43:20) TFS: Eleazar Perez (2:45:20) WILLIAM, VA, 1st, BQ (2:48:35) SETH, VA: BQ (2:50:18) NICOLE, GA: Became dismayed, breaks down (2:54:39) NICOLE: Stay with it, Watch

Callers on Christianity, belief in God, the Bible, sin, and women. Miss AI a Moroccan SJW in a hijab! DEI vs MEI and Elon Musk! The Hake Report, Friday, July 12, 2024 AD TIME STAMPS * (0:00:00) Topics on my mind: Miss AI* (0:03:08) Hey, guys! Orange Henley, s/o Hassan * (0:06:15) STANLEY, CO, 1st, Christianity, Belief in God? Free will * (0:18:43) STANLEY: Coincidences * (0:28:56) STANLEY: Socialist church, family * (0:31:23) STANLEY: Are all going to heaven? * (0:34:48) DAVID, FL: Born again sinner, fighting * (0:49:33) DAVID: Ye are gods? You no longer sin * (0:53:00) JIMMY, MN (formerly Jaime) Mormons * (0:59:20) JIMMY: "You people" Christians, Bible * (1:03:22) JIMMY: People in Hell, lied to, guilt * (1:07:33) Supers: Lin Yen Chin, Intellectuals, Biden impression, Anger * (1:16:10) Miss AI, a fake gal with fake values from Morocco * (1:26:01) SERG, TX: Women stuff, practical to pick a woman? * (1:42:31) SERG: Bible * (1:43:16) WILLIAM, CA: Dean Martin, Zebra killers * (1:49:14) WILLIAM: Catholic, Maturity, Joe Biden * (1:52:47) Ending: DEI or MEI: Merit, Excellence, Intelligence: Elon Musk * (1:54:23) Jacky Cheung - 只想一生跟你走 I just want to follow you all my life LINKS BLOG  https://www.thehakereport.com/blog/2024/7/12/the-hake-report-fri-7-12-24 PODCAST / Substack  HAKE NEWS from JLP  https://www.thehakereport.com/jlp-news/2024/7/12/hake-news-fri-7-12-24 Hake is live M-F 9-11a PT (11-1CT/12-2ET) Call-in 1-888-775-3773 https://www.thehakereport.com/show VIDEO  YouTube  -  Rumble*  -  Facebook  -  X  -  BitChute  -  Odysee*  PODCAST  Substack  -  Apple  -  Spotify  -  Castbox  -  Podcast Addict  *SUPER CHAT on platforms* above or  BuyMeACoffee, etc.  SHOP  Spring  -  Cameo  |  All My Links  JLP Network:  JLP  -  Church  -  TFS  -  Nick  -  Joel  Get full access to HAKE at thehakereport.substack.com/subscribe

Calls: Nuanced history: Germany, Jews, China, Hake's 4th and family, Hake's WHM hero, Our Greatest President? Watch out for home-invaders! The Hake Report, Thursday, July 4, 2024 AD TIME STAMPS * (0:00:00) Start* (0:02:20) Hey, guys! Patriotic tee * (0:03:57) MARK, CA: 4th, WHM, nitpicker * (0:10:43) JOE, AZ: Chris Wray, Ben Franklin, Dec of Ind. * (0:18:12) ALEX, CA: Musicians are liberals, emotional, evil * (0:25:09) DANNY, UK (1st) Adrenaline at wrong time, from God? * (0:28:43) DANNY: "Don't be angry" to 8yo kid? * (0:33:52) DANNY: What was the deal with Jesus? Carpenter? * (0:38:36) DANNY: Voting day UK* (0:39:42) Our brothers, white countries * (0:42:17) Hake's Fourth of July, Family * (0:46:22) Spittoon, WHM: Crishaun the Don * (0:49:09) Rumble / Punchie.TV * (0:51:44) Supers: Lin Yen Chin, no extra suffixes, "Bill Trashwood" * (0:55:23) RAMON, CA: Nazis weren't all Christian, vs Communists * (1:04:09) RAMON: Pics: Frederick Douglass; Abe Lincoln a politician * (1:08:44) Trump won't ban aborsh nationwide * (1:14:02) DENNY, Bulgaria: Jews in Germany, USSR, middle class, independent * (1:20:56) DENNY: China propaganda about everything, everything very different * (1:23:12) Supers: July just feels Hake … Bad to move away? * (1:25:19) STEVEN, MD: mess * (1:32:52) SERG, TX: racial fear, mama spirit, racism and blacks, real * (1:37:33) JEFF, LA: George Washington, die on feet * (1:39:47) Trump golf cart quotes: Biden, Kamala * (1:44:55) Delivery home invasion in Aurora, CO * (1:48:17) AARON, UT: Of Air N Sea, Trump NOT Our Greatest! * (1:54:02) Go ahead and run! (Army of Darkness movie quote) LINKS BLOG  https://www.thehakereport.com/blog/2024/7/4/the-hake-report-thu-7-4-24 PODCAST / Substack  HAKE NEWS from JLP  https://www.thehakereport.com/jlp-news/2024/7/4/hake-news-thu-7-4-24 Hake is live M-F 9-11a PT (11-1CT/12-2ET) Call-in 1-888-775-3773 https://www.thehakereport.com/show VIDEO  YouTube  -  Rumble*  -  Facebook  -  X  -  BitChute  -  Odysee*  PODCAST  Substack  -  Apple  -  Spotify  -  Castbox  -  Podcast Addict  *SUPER CHAT on platforms* above or  BuyMeACoffee, etc.  SHOP  Spring  -  Cameo  |  All My Links  JLP Network:  JLP  -  Church  -  TFS  -  Nick  -  Joel   Get full access to HAKE at thehakereport.substack.com/subscribe

JLP Mon 7-1-24 Hr 1 GUEST: Steve King on American history: Is it over? Hr 2 Calls, Supers: Charles on anger, Chase: Beat myself up. Hr 3 White preacher, black wife. CALLS: Mothers, Working on self. James: No racism? GUEST LINKS: https://steveking.com | https://x.com/SteveKingIA (0:00:00) HOUR 1 – Happy WHM! (0:04:20) GUEST: Steve King (0:08:15) What went wrong? Jesus, Weak men, "gender" (0:17:25) Congress, Trump, stand alone, courage… Michele Bachmann (0:23:50) Can America return? …Bill Lockwood (0:27:25) Early life, father… BREAK (0:31:50) Steve King… law, father, crisis (0:36:40) white men, Western Civilization (0:43:25) Why King left Congress… Property rights under attack (0:51:05) VP? Birthright citizenship (0:55:00) Hake News Hr 1 (1:00:00) HOUR 2 – Reflect on W History, Female Monday, Eyeball update (1:08:30) CHARLES, PA (1st) How deal w/ anger, Mother denied (1:19:45) CHARLES: Gave mom hell. Silent Prayer (1:24:40) Supers: WHM, BQ, Wedding, Sam Cooke: Ain't that Good News (1:32:35) Remember the greatness of W. History. SUPERS: JLP sings (1:42:45) CHASE, OR: Forgave, Prayer, Women, "Beat myself up" (1:55:00) Hake News Hr 2 (2:00:00) HOUR 3 (2:03:35) Steve King vs Cedric Richmond, 2017 (2:10:25) White preacher married to a black woman: Anger! (2:17:20) ARELIS, NJ (1st) schizophrenic brothers doc, mother (2:24:20) SERG, TX: Joel thumpin', white women, intellectual, BREAK (2:34:20) JAMES, RI, 18 (1st) racism doesn't exist? Evil? You're black! (2:46:00) Supers: Australia, …loss of friend, foresight, Caitlin Clark (2:53:40) RICK, VA: WHM, America (2:55:20) CLOSING

Join us this week as Andy is live from the Beach Bash Skate Jam 2024 in South Padre Island. We talk with the homie and co-host of the day Mark Rodriguez a.k.a Mister Brown, Mike from TCA who is the host of the Skate Jam, Ruby and Serg who helped put this together, Vintage University, Evelyn and Basilio, Xela, Los Surfvivors, Tom Gomez, Lupita who runs Zumiez in McAllen, the city of SPI, and Chowdish of Location Skateboarding. Big shoutout to Mike from TCA for inviting us back for another year of the Beach Bash Skate Jam and a huge shoutout to everyone that came on the podcast and to all the skaters, vendors, and everyone that showed up for Go Skate Day! Follow and subscribe to our social media and YouTube here: https://linktr.ee/9.56abv Thank you to the sponsors: The Landmark on Tower: https://landmarkontower.com/ King's Ink Tattoos: https://www.instagram.com/babygatortattoo/

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Sergio Michilli is known to thousands in the Tri-State area as DJ Serg. Born and raised in an Italian neighborhood in the Bronx, he learned to mix records at a young age. Serg received his degree in engineering and producing at the Institute of Audio Research, and in the past few years his career as a DJ has brought him to an expert level of producing and remixing. He's had a #1 Hit on the Billboard music charts with the song “L'italiano” in 2002, and appeared numerous times on Fox 5 Good Day New York with Rosanna Scotto and Mike Woods! On RED, we talked about DJ Serg's start in the industry, his biggest hits, and more!

Join host Richard Miles and guest Serg Albino, Co-founder and CEO of ecoSPEARS, for the third episode of our Blue Economy Series!

Jared Gomes of (həd)p.e. joins Joshua Toomey and Ro Kohli to discuss the upcoming record, Detox. Jared dives into being a nu metal lifer. Does Jared have any regrets? The guys talk about the early days of (həd)p.e. and living the rock star lifestyle. Signing a huge record deal and playing the game. Jared speaks on Jive Records courting them and the work Music For Nations did for the band. Was there a Jive Christmas party with Britney and NSYNC? Old preshow rituals are brought up. Jared talks about his collaboration with Primer 55 on the song "Set It Off" and then dives into his Strait Up contributions. The guys talk Lynn Strait hooking up Jared with a bunk on the Snot bus and working with Morgan and Serg on "Feel Good". Is Nu Metal still a derogatory term? The Nu Metal Madness tour with Crazy Town is discussed. What's the hardest part of switching out members? Jared talks about stopping and smelling the roses during lockdown and then getting a livestream setup. Detox was written from the perspective of his teenage son and the guys talk parenting in the 2020s. Jared talks working over the internet with his bandmates and his lyric writing process. The term "Nu Metal" is broken down and its ethos. Jared looks back on seeing Korn and Deftones before they were signed and how he stopped everything and formed (həd)p.e.. Strippers and band members go together like peanut butter and jelly! Catch (həd)p.e. out with Nonpoint in December!!

Hashem catches up with Tom Arnel, founder of EatX and the man behind some of the most successful dining concepts in Dubai, including The Sum of Us, Common Grounds, Harvest & Co, Byron Bather's Club, HawkerBoi, and The Guild at DIFC. Known for constantly trying to push the envelope in the F&B industry, Tom candidly discusses his journey as an entrepreneur and how he now manages its day-to-day operations whilst balancing being present for his family. Tom provides a glimpse of the early, pioneering days when he set out to build his first concept, Tom&Serg, what it's like to add ten restaurant venues in a single year, and the fun of raising "Dubai'' kids with their Australian-British-American twang! We also have a bonus episode with Tom talking about pivoting the concept behind The Guild, his new 20,000 sq. ft space in DIFC while facing a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic. Links: Natasha Sederis Ayman Baki Tom Arnel on Tales of the Trade

No Flowers for this Moon!! (10/24/23) by Serg & Joe

Officer Barbie!! (09/25/23) by Serg & Joe

Freakin! This week Chris and Daniel discuss WWE Vol. 1: Redesign. Rebuild. Reclaim. by Dennis Hopeless, Dan Mora, and Serg Acuna. We also talk about the Aquaman 2 trailer, Bad Bunny out as El Muerto, and Fables goes to Public Domain.Time Stamps00:00:00 Intro00:07:53 News00:29:54 WWE Vol. 101:00:00 Side StoriesVisit us online:Check out The Reader Copy Podcast websiteOur iTunes page:Listen to more episodesEven More Stuff:Check out our InstagramFollow us on TwitterLike us on FacebookShow music provided by MDK - Hyper Beam

In this episode, we're chatting with Serg Lupescu, the big heart and brilliant mind behind Legion Manor LLC, an assisted living home. Serg kicked off his journey in healthcare at Southwest Baptist University, diving headfirst into a nursing degree. Before he even dreamt of running his own place, he put in the hours as a certified nurse assistant, getting a ground-level view of the industry. But Serg wasn't content to stop there. He dreamt bigger, taking the bold step of opening his own residential assisted living home. Though he found out pretty quickly that this business wasn't a walk in the park, he stuck with it, learning everything he needed to make a solid go of it. Now, he's pooling all that knowledge and experience into the Legion Assisted Living Academy. It's a one-stop-shop for folks keen to follow in his footsteps and open their own place. Serg is the guy who's been there, done that, and is now ready to pass on the torch to the next batch of aspiring entrepreneurs. Join us as we sit down with Serg to get the lowdown on his journey, and pick up some golden nuggets of wisdom on making it in the healthcare industry. Learn more here: https://valleyalfventures.com/

SQoK It 2 Me!! Side B (09/03/23) by Serg & Joe

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Finger Licking Bad!! (08/27/23) by Serg & Joe

On this episode, We close out Phase 1 of We Family Son!! It's the last episode before The Break. We're talking bout The Flash movie on this one and We're joined by Our very own Flash expert, D.K. Morningstar!! We talk some spoilers, comics, and what's in the future!! Hosted by the Comedy Duo of Serg & Joe. Non-Binary!! This is We Family Son!!

On this episode, We get Spooky!! We do a movie breakdown of The Boogeyman. We also cover some very dark true crime stories. Hosted by the Comedy Duo of Serg & Joe. Spooky!! This is We Family Son!!

The FEENale!! (06/04/23) by Serg & Joe

In today's episode, Rich sits down with Serg Lupescu, who specializes in investing in assisted living facilities and behavioral health properties in Arizona. They discuss how he got his start in this niche market — from majoring in nursing and deciding it wasn't for him, then moving to Arizona to open his own facility. They dive into the operations of these properties, the challenges faced throughout the pandemic, criteria that he looks for when searching for properties to convert, and the lending options for these types of deals. Rich and Serg also talk about the current situation with the banks collapsing and the importance of diversifying your investment portfolio. // Connect with Serg: sergiulupescu1@gmail.com --Connect with Rich on Instagram: @rich_somersInterested in investing with Somers Capital? Visit www.somerscapital.com/invest to learn more. Interested in joining our Boutique Hotel Mastermind? Visit www.somerscapital.com/mastermind to book a free call. Interested in STR/Boutique Hotel Management? Visit www.excelsiorstays.com/management to book a free call.