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nellasbookplanet · 1 month

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Book recs: Space!! part 1

We all love space, right? I certainly love space, and I'm always on the hunt for a good space book. What you've got here is a pretty wild mix of everything from fun and adventurous space opera to horrific and brutal space horror - hopefully all the space fans can find something to enjoy!

For more details on the books, continue under the readmore. Titles marked with * are my personal favorites. And as always, feel free to share your own recs in the notes!

If you want more book recs, check out my masterpost of rec lists!

The Long Way To a Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers series) by Becky Chambers

Rosemary Harper just got a job on the motley crew of the Wayfarer, a spaceship that works with tunneling new wormholes through space. With a past she wants to leave behind, Rosemary is happy to travel the far reaches of the universe with the chaotic crew, but when they land the job of a life time, things suddenly get a lot more dangerous. A bit of a tumblr classic in its day, this is a cozy space opera with an episodic feel and vividly realized characters and cultures. While pretty light on romance and focusing found family, there is a main f/f relationship.

Ascension by Jacqueline Koyanagi

Ascension follows Alana Quick, an expert Sky Surgeon who stows away on a spaceship in hopes of landing herself a job. But the ship and its crew are in deeper waters than she expected, facing threats emerging from a whole other universe, all of them searching for the same person: Alana’s spiritually enlightened sister. Undeniably a bit of an odd read, Ascension is also very creative and features polyamorous lesbian relationship.

Illuminae (The Illulminae Files) by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff*

Young adult told through the medium of transcripts, text messages and the like (this is one of few books where I highly recommend reading a physical copy over a digital or audio copy as the visual aspect is much more enjoyable like that). After their colony is attacked, the surviving inhabitants flee on spaceships, attempting to avoid the pursuing killers while also dealing with a deadly maddening plague on board and a ruthless ship AI seemingly losing its mind.

Kea's Flight by Erika Hammerschmidt & John C. Ricker

Young adult. Kea has been in exile since before she was born. In a future where abortion has been forbidden, Earth has found a new way of handling unwanted children: send them off to space to colonize new planets. Kea has lived her entire life on a spaceship, surrounded by other kids rejected for 'flaws' in their genetic makeup, Kea herself being on the autism spectrum. The ship follows a strict authority, but when a new threat appears, Kea and her friends must rise up to ensure they make it to their new home.

The Loneliest Girl in the Universe by Lauren James*

Young adult. Romy is the only survivor on a spaceship headed toward a new planet, her only contact with other people being messages sent to and from Earth which take months to arrive. Then she receives news: another ship has been sent, one which is more advanced than hers and will eventually catch up. Ecstatic about the prospect of meeting other people, Romy begins communicating with J, the sole passenger of the other ship, and finds herself developing feelings for him. But Romy knows nothing about J, and have begun receiving worrisome messages from Earth...

Ancillary Justice (Imperial Radch universe) by Ann Leckie*

A space opera in which sentient spaceships can walk the ground in stolen human bodies, so called ancillaries. One of these ancillaries, the sole survivor after the complete destruction of her ship and crew, is on the hunt for revenge against the leader of the Empire for her crimes. This series does very cool things with gender and culture!

The Stars are Legion by Kameron Hurley

Zan wakes without memory, a passenger aboard one of the living world-ships of Legion, a fleet of decaying generations ships. Told she's the salvation meant to free them from the fleet, Zan is flung head first into a brutal and bloody conflict. This book fucked me up when I read it. It’s weird, it’s gross, there’s So Much Viscera, there are literally no men, it has living spaceships and biotech but in the most horrific way imaginable. Had I to categorize it I would call it grimdark military sf. It’s an experience but not necessarily a pleasant one.

Ninefox Gambit (The Machineries of Empire) by Yoon Ha Lee*

Disgraced Captain Kel Cheris is given a second chance by allying with and becoming the host for undead Commander Shous Jedao, who in life never lost a battle, but also went mad and massacred his own army. Now, Cheris must decide just how far she can trust him, with her forces as well as with her sense of self. Military space opera where belief and culture shape the laws of reality, causing all kinds of atrocities as empires do everything in their power to force as many people as possible to conform to their way of life to strengthen their technology and weapons. It’s also very queer, with major gay, lesbian and trans characters, albeit little to no romance.

An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon

Life on the lower decks of the generation ship HSS Matilda is hard for Aster, an outcast even among outcasts, trying to survive in a system not dissimilar to the old antebellum South. The ship’s leaders have imposed harsh restrictions on their darker skinned people, using them as an oppressed workforce as they travel through space toward their supposed Promised Land. But as Aster finds a link between the death of the ship’s sovereign and the suicide of her own mother, she realizes there may be a way off the ship.

172 Hours on the Moon by Johan Harstad*

Young adult horror. NASA is finally returning to the moon, and to gain the needed funding and attention they hold a world-wide lottery: three teenagers will get to travel to a recently revealed moon base alongside the trained astronauts. For Antoine, Midori, and Mia, this is the chance of a lifetime. But there's a reason NASA stayed away from the moon for so long, and while three teens may be going there, only one will return... This book scared the shit out of me as a teen, recommended for slowburn mix of supernatural and sci-fi horror.

Children of Time (Children of Time series) by Adrian Tchaikovsky*

Millennia and generation spanning sci-fi. After the collapse of the earthen empire, a planet once part of a project to uplift other species to sentience is left to develop on its own, resulting not in the intelligent monkeys once intended but in sentient giant spiders. Millennia later, what remains of humanity arrives looking for a new home, only to be met by the ancient, artificial remains of the woman who once led the uplift project - and she is not willing to let them disturb her spiders, or her planet, no matter how desperate they are.

All Systems Red (The Murderbot Diaries) by Martha Wells*

After having hacked its own governor module, SecUnit uses its small amount of new freedom to secretly download and watch as much media as it can between doing its job guarding humans. But when the scientists it’s been charged with keeping safe come under attack, it must make a choice about whether to continue keeping its freedom secret or risk it all to save them. The series features both novellas and full length novels, and balances humor with scathing critique of capitalism.

Dust (Jacob's Ladder series) by Elizabeth Bear

In a dying spaceship, orbiting an equally dying sun, noblewoman Perceval waits for her own gruesome death. Having been captured by an opposing house, her wings severed and life forfeit, Perceval's execution is imminent - until a young servant charged with her care proves to be Perceval's long lost sister. To stop a war between houses likely to doom them all, the two flee together across a crumbling, dangerous spaceship. And at its core waits Jacob Dust, god and angel, all that remains of what the ship once was. And he wants Perceval.

Binti (Binti trilogy) by Nnedi Okorafor

Young adult novella. Binti is the first of the Himba people to be accepted into the prestigious Oomza University, the finest place of higher learning in all the galaxy. But as she embarks on her interstellar journey, the unthinkable happens: her ship is attacked by the terrifying Meduse, an alien race at war with Oomza University.

A Big Ship at the Edge of the Universe (The Salvagers) by Alex White

In a universe where science and magic work hand in hand, Boots Elsworth makes a living selling fake treasure maps and Nilah Brio is a racer. When one of Boots' maps turns out to be more real than expected and Nilah has to go on the run after having been framed for a murder, the two find themselves on the same spaceship, working with Boots' old captain to find the rumored treasure and reveal the conspiracy it's hiding before the people hunting them catch up. Features a main f/f relationship.

The Vanished Birds by Simon Jimenez

A strange child lands on an isolated planet, scaring its inahbitants into handing him over into the hands of Nia Amani. As captain of a transport ship, Nia is not only the planet's only contact with the outside world, she is also a woman outside of time, years compressing into months as she travels through space at high speed. Now responsible for a child who doesn't speak and in a galaxy that wishes them ill, she must rethink exactly what she wants to do with her life, and what she's prepared to give up. Features multiple major queer characters.

Eacaping Exodus (Escaping Exodus duology) by Nicky Drayden

Seske is the heir to the leader of a clan living inside a gigantic, spacefaring beast, of which they frequently need to catch a new one to reside in as their presence slowly kills the beast from the inside. While I found the ending rushed with regards to plot and character, the worldbuilding is very fresh and the overall plot of survival and class struggle an interesting one. It’s also sapphic!

Dead Silence Here by S.A. Barnes

Horror. As her current mission as team leader for a small repair crew in distant space nears its end, Claire grows desperate to find a way to not have to return to a life on Earth. When the crew picks up a distress signal from Aurora, a luxury cruise ship thought lost decades ago, she sees a chance to make enough money on salvage to buy her own ship. But Aurora is housing horrifying secrets beyond its cold hull, and Claire's own past is coming back to literally haunt her. If she wants to survive, dangerous truths must be revealed.

Activation Degradation by Marina J. Lostetter

Unit Four comes to life in the middle of a war. The mine it was created to care for is under attack, and as Unit Four is activated with the memories of its predecessors, it is thrown into the task of protecting it at any cost. When the battle leads to its capture, it is prepared to do anything to stop its captors, even as their very presence causes it to question all that it knows. Includes multiple major intersex characters.

This Alien Shore by C.S. Friedman

Space opera in which humanity found a way to faster than light travel and began establishing colonies all over the galaxy, only to belatedly realize the method of FTL caused irreversible mutations and disabilities and leaving their nascent colonies to die. Much later, many of the colonies have survived and thrived, and one has found a new method of FTL travel, allowing an interconnected space society to grow. However, Earth is on the hunt for their method and is prepared to do anything to steal it. Trapped in the middle of all this and forced on the run is young Jamisia, who is little by little coming to realize that not only might she be the very solution Earth is after, she’s also not alone in her own mind and body.

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir*

Ryland Grace just woke up from a coma, unable to remember anything. He finds himself alone on a spaceship, the rest of the crew dead, and as his memories slowly trickle back, he realizes he’s been sent on a mission: to find a solution to the impending doom of the earth. Still struggling with holes in his memories, Ryland tries to fulfill his mission, but as he gets closer to his goal, he discovers someone else got there first. And they aren’t anything close to human. Funny, heartfelt, and heavy on the science.

House of Suns by Alastair Reynolds

Six million years in the future, humanity has spread across the entire Milky Way galaxy. Purslane and Campion are both clones of the same woman, sent into the galaxy millions of years ago to explore along with almost a thousand clones like them. Every 200 000 years they all meet to compare memories and experiences. But this time Purslane and Campion arrive late - and discover that a secret millions of years in the making has led to an extinction level attack against their kind. Now they must find out the truth before their line is completely wiped out. Absolutely wild world-building, featuring various kinds of posthumans (among which the clones are, shockingly, the most similar to people of our time).

Empress of Forever by Max Gladstone

Vivian Liao is a highly successful innovator, but she may have bitten off more than she can chew and fears the government is coming for her. As she goes into hiding, she attempts to pull off one last stunt that could fix everything - but something goes wrong, and suddenly Vivian finds herself waking up in the far future, under attack by an army of robots in space. Hoping to find her way back home, Vivian must assemble a crew of dangerous outlaws and outcasts to help her hunt down the Empress of Forever, the all-powerful entity who pulled her into the future. Lesbian main character.

Finder (Finder Chronicles) by Suzanne Palmer

Fergus Ferguson is a finder, and his latest job has just taken him to a small colony in the farthest corner of inhabited space. There he's searching for a stolen spaceship, what he thinks will be an easy job. But things become complicated as Fergus' arrival inadvertently sets off a civil war, forcing him to ally with the thief's enemies to get out alive with his prize. And beyond it all, the ships of a dangerous and mysterious alien species watches over it all, picking people off when least expected.

Space Opera (Space Opera duology) by Catherynne M. Valente

Eurovision in space! If you lose, humanity is doomed! Good luck! The sentient species of the galaxy have chosen to face each other not in war but in a musical contest, and now humanity is invited to partake. The problem? If we lose, our species as a whole will be exterminated. While I found this book as a whole slightly gimmicky, it’s a fun and flashy experience with some wild and creative alien species.

Blindsight (Firefall duology) by Peter Watts*

Vampires and aliens and questions of the nature of consciousnesses, oh my! A ship is sent to investigate the sudden appearance of an alien vessel at the edge of the solar system, but the crew isn’t prepared for the horrors awaiting them. No, seriously, this book will fuck you up, highly recommend if you’re okay with a lot of techno babble and existential horror.

The Outside (The Outside trilogy) by Ada Hoffman*

AKA the book the put me in an existential crisis. Souls are real, and they are used to feed AI gods in this lovecraftian inspired sci-fi where reality is warped and artificial gods stand against real, unfathomable ones. Autistic scientist Yasira is accused of heresy and, to save her eternal soul, is recruited by cybernetic ‘angels’ to help hunt down her own former mentor, who is threatening to tear reality itself apart. Sapphic main character.

Honorary mentions AKA these didn't really work for me but maybe you guys will like them: Dare Mighty Things by Heather Kaczynski, Chilling Effect by Valerie Valdes, Medusa Uploaded by Emily Devenport, We Are Legion (We Are Bob) by Dennis E. Taylor, The Genesis of Misery by Neon Yang

#nella talks books #book recs #space #space books my absolute beloved #next list will probably be queer horror books so look forward to that!

18 notes · View notes

elisysd · 8 months

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11. That's why I'm lying to my therapist

Masterlist - Previously - Next

Chapter soundtrack: Tornado Warning - Sabrina Carpenter

She had never dreaded and been excited to be home. But there was always a first time for everything. Ethan organized a birthday party to which she was of course invited. There would only be his closest friends, as well as Romy. They were supposed to meet later, in front of the nightclub, but for now Julia was occupied, trying to find a birthday gift for Ethan. She was completely lost, not knowing what she could get him that he had not already. Because after all, she still didn’t know him. That's when it hit her. She knew about his fears and his relationship with his dad, something she was sure not a lot of people knew about, but she didn’t know his favorite color or his favorite season. Basic things that friends knew about each other and even more, people that were in a relationship together. She mentally put a note in the back of her head to talk to Ethan about all of this.

But there she was browsing the alleys of her favorite bookstore, in the search of a new comic book for her brother. She felt so bad about lying to him that she hoped spoiling him a little would appease her mind and help her get rid of the guilt. As she was absentmindedly walking down the alleys, her eyes caught a book that made her smile. How to stop being a dick to people for Dummies. It would make a fun gift for sure, very on brand for them she thought. She picked it up and put it along Louis’ book under her arm. Before going to pay, her feet took her to the notebooks sections. She loved pretty notebooks. She had many at home, most of them were not even used. She loved to collect them more than writing in them. As she was looking at the new arrivals, she saw a poor little cactus, in a corner and once again her mind went back to Ethan and his flat. A cactus would bring a little color to the space and would make it a little more personal. And a cactus didn’t require a lot of attention and care. Perfect she thought.

Her new belongings under her arm, she went back home. The house was unusually quiet. Whenever Julia was back home, she would at least be welcomed by the happy barks of Bailey. She called out for her mom but nothing, not even Louis answered her. They must have been out.But her dad was also nowhere to be seen. The door of his office was opened, something rare when he was not working in it. His laptop was opened on a few tabs showing datas that Julia recognised quickly. She was looking at the same results every race weekend. She was definitely not supposed to see that and she couldn’t help but feel worried about the quietness of the house. There was no way her dad would have left the datas in plain sight if something hadn’t happened that caused everyone to leave in a rush. But still, she had a lot of her unanswered questions that could be solved a few centimeters away from her. It was tempting. So tempting. It was a one time only type of situation. She wasn’t sure she would use them but in any case, she still snapped a few pictures of the results with her phone before quickly leaving the office as if nothing happened.

Back in her room she retrieved the USB drive from the box she put it in and transferred her pictures on it before deleting them quickly, as if it would make her phone explode. Then, she stared at the new added files, not knowing what to do with them. She didn’t have much time to think as she heard noises in the entrance. She closed her laptop before getting downstairs and saw Louis, his left ankle in a cast looking visibly distraught.

“Oh gosh what happened?” she exclaimed.

“Your brother thought he was a monkey for some minutes. The reality check was a bit brutal.” explained Lyanna, ruffling her son’s hair.

“But I told you, it was a rare bird! And I wanted to see it closely. It’s not my fault if the branch was unstable.”

“Thank God, dad heard the noise it made and reacted fast.”

As if he heard his name being mentioned, Charles appeared with Bailey and Louis’ crutches.

“I had an eye on him ever since he had gone out and was trying to climb. I could see the incident happening from miles away.”

“And you didn’t try to stop him?”

“Lya, love, I don’t know one kid that had not tried climbing in a tree before. I used to hide in them with a book when I was Louis age to have some peace and quiet. Falling is part of life, look he is okay. It’s just the ankle, it will be fine.”

“But it could have been worse! You should have said something the minute he started climbing.”

Julia saw her brother putting his headphone on his ears and closing his eyes. The argument that was starting between their parents was triggering him, she could see it.

“I went to the bookstore today to find something for Ethan. I’m going out tonight to celebrate.”

It had the effect she hoped for. Ethan’s mention made both of her parents stop arguing to focus on her.

“Nice, where are you going?” asked Lyanna.

“Restaurant with Romy before joining the boys downtown.”

“And what did you pick for lover boy?” snorted Charles, earning a side glance from his wife.

“I found a cute cactus and a book for him. I didn’t know what I could get him that would be useful.”

“A cactus?” repeated Charles.

“Yeah… you know, to symbolize our relationship. The hope it will last for a long time since you can’t kill a cactus that easily and the prickles are a nice metaphor of us throwing shade at each other but just like they are here to protect the plant, our banter is us showing that we care about one another.”

That was so cheesy she wanted to gag. She was not the only one, her dad looked at her weirdly as her mom sighed in content.

“That’s very cute, Ju’. I’m sure he will love it.”

“Did you know that a cactus actually symbolizes endurance and strength in the face of adversity, because they thrive in harsh and arid environments?” said Louis.

“I… didn’t. But you know what, Louis? I think it sums up our relationship pretty well.”

“When will we meet him? When is he going to come home to see us?”

“He will be allowed to come when he beats me on a track, Louis.” said Charles.

“When he what?” asked Lyanna, completely unaware about the trial her husband set for Ethan.

“Dad wants to play male Alpha with Ethan, he wants to organize a karting race between him and Ethan.” explained Julia, clearly annoyed.

“Well, in that case, why not invite Kat and Max as well? Max could race too, it could be fun. And it would be a good occasion to have a nice reunion, it’s been a while.”

“I’ll talk to Ethan about it, but for now, I have to get ready. I’m meeting Romy downtown.”

It was always easy to find Romy in a crowd, her confidence made her stand out in a crowd. She was always the one laughing the loudest, talking to everyone in an attempt to make them feel at ease. With Julia, they couldn’t be more different, but that’s why she loved Romy. They spent a little time catching up before Romy looked her dead in the eyes.

“You and Ethan. How? When? Why? I have so many questions and I’ve never seen it coming. You’ve never told me that you liked him. It was always quite the opposite.”

“Yeah, it just happened. It still surprises me but, you were right, he is not that bad.”

“I bet he is not.” said Romy with a suggestive wink making Julia blush.

“But enough about me! Tell me more about Kyle and you!”

The blonde shrugged it off, sipping on her drink and avoiding Julia’s gaze.

“It’s not serious. I know that, he knows that and we are fine with it. We have fun. There is nothing else to say.”

Julia didn’t insist, knowing very well that if her friend wanted to talk to her about her relationship she would, when she would feel ready. Trying to get something out of her would only result in Romy closing off. They finally left the restaurant to meet Ludwig, Kyle and Ethan in front of the nightclub. They were soon escorted to the VIP sections where drinks were already waiting for them. Ethan didn’t want a big party, with many people whom half of them were unknown to him. He wanted to keep it lowkey with only his closest friends. They chatted and laughed altogether and his gaze fell on Julia. She was having fun and even let Romy drag her to dance along with her. He liked seeing her so carefree and at ease around him and his friends, as she had always belonged here. It left a bittersweet taste in his mouth and couldn’t help but wonder how would have been their relationship if they had grown up as friends and not as enemies. Would they be strangers? Would they be friends? Best friends, maybe? More? Did he even want to be something with her? As he was still watching her, he didn’t notice his two best friends getting closer to him.

“So… how is the fake dating going?” asked Ludwig with a mischievous look in his eyes.

“Better than expected, to be honest. She is not what I thought she would be. She is not the insufferable girl that I remember. I think we could be great friends, if she wanted to.”

“Oh, look at you being sweet. You are cute.” Ludwig laughed.

“ Shut up.”

“I’m glad you guys are getting along well but I have to admit that I’m still skeptical about all of that. I hope that lying to everyone is worth it. Especially to your parents.” said Kyle with calm.

“We are invited by my parents for my birthday tomorrow. We will have to act as a couple and I have to admit that it’s stressing me out. My mom can smell bullshit from miles away and I know that it will be hard to convince her.”

They enjoyed the rest of the night and it was late when they finally exited the club. Julia hugged a very drunk Romy that was clinging to Kyle as he tried his best to not let her fall on his ass and Julia joined Ethan near his car.

“You didn’t drink?” she asked.

“Nope. Didn’t feel like it.” he simply answered.

“Why? It’s your birthday.”

“I have a lot on my mind and we are meeting my parents tomorrow, I don’t want to look like a mess.”

She nodded and opened the door of the car before sitting on the passenger seat, as if she had always belonged there. He took his place behind the wheel and drove back to her place in silence. Monaco by night was quiet and it was always something he enjoyed. It allowed him to hear his thoughts. But lately Julia seemed to occupy a huge place in them and he doesn’t know how to describe it. When he closed his eyes, before falling asleep, sometimes he could swear that he could hear her laugh or see her eyes. And he couldn’t explain why it helped him relax. They finally arrived at her house. He expected her to jump out of it to avoid being near him longer than what she had to, but was surprised to see her rummaging through her bag and taking out two small packages that she handed to him.

“You didn’t have to, but thank you.”

“Look at what I bought before saying thanks.”

Ethan couldn’t help but laugh when he saw the book and the small cactus. He looked at her and saw a playful gleam in her eyes. She was trying her best to refrain from laughing too and was biting her lips.

“Well… I will have to top my game for your birthday. You set the expectations very high.”

“I hope we won’t be together anymore by then!” she replied, laughing.

“Maybe… we can still be friends, right? I don’t want to go back to hating you. I can’t.” he told her, very seriously.

“Maybe. We can learn how to be, at least.”

They were surprised to see the lights on in the Leclerc’s household and a silhouette lurking behind the living-room window. Ethans quickly recognised Charles that was more than likely looking at them. Julia noticed him too and turned to Ethan.

“Lean in. Pretend you are kissing me.” she said, almost ordering him.

“What?”

“We have to make it believable! Put your hand on my face and lean in!”

He didn’t know why but he panicked. He had his fair share of girls asking him to kiss him. But never in a million years would he have ever thought that he would hear that from Julia. Suddenly, his palms were sweating and his clothes felt too tight and Julia was too close. He could almost see the light sparkles of gold in her green eyes. If he was focusing on them hard enough he swore that he could count them. She had freckles. He didn’t know about them, he never paid enough attention to notice them. His throat was dry and he didn’t know why. He found her beautiful and he didn’t know why. And it terrified him. He would have run away if her two cold hands didn’t suddenly grab his face and she put her forehead against his. He could feel her breath mixing with his and if he moved, even an inch, he could bump her nose with his. And he would have to if two knocks against the passenger’s window didn’t wake him out of his transe. He was quick to leave the car, as Julia took her bag and opened her door. Charles was in his sweatpants and was clearly waiting for Julia to come back before going to bed.

“Thank you Ethan for bringing her back safe and sound. You didn’t drink, right? Because if you took the wheel while having drinks in your system…”

“I’m totally sober, Cha… Mr. Leclerc. You can test me, if you want.”

“It’s okay. You are not irresponsible. I trust you on this. But just on this. If you want me to trust you more, let’s meet the day after tomorrow, on a karting track, so you can show me your worth. And bring your family along, Lya would love to see your mom and I wouldn’t mind racing against your dad, like back then.”

“You know me, I’m always up for a challenge, you can count me in. Especially if it’s to beat you. I’ve alway dreamed of that! And I’ll talk to my dad. Speaking of, is it okay for you if I come to pick you up around six, tomorrow?”

Julia nodded and as if it was natural for him, Ethan smiled and leaned in to kiss the top of her head. Totally unbothered, he went to shake Charles’ hand, before squeezing one last time the young woman waist who thanked the stars that it was so dark so no one could see her blushing.

The next day, before dressing up for dinner at Ethan’s parents, she decided to work on Ferrari’s car. She didn’t know where it all would go, if she even wanted it to go somewhere. She opened her notebooks and started to watch some onboards from the drivers, as well as the data she wrongfully collected. But without knowing what the data represented it was tough to extract anything from it. But still she gathered some info. Against her will, her thoughts drifted to Martin. She would need to know the feelings of someone who was actually driving the car, it would help her so much. But it felt wrong, especially after the birthday party and what happened in the car. She had felt the atmosphere changing and she didn’t know what could have happened if her father had not interrupted them. And she was grateful that he did, something she never thought she would say. But part of her still wondered… would they have kissed? Would she have let him kiss her? Or would she have been the one to kiss him first? Did she want to kiss him? She shook her head. She didn’t want to think about this. Not now, not ever.

Her gaze fell on her notes and the endless scribbling that was not going anywhere. She knew she had all the information in the palm of her hands if she wanted to open the files that were on the USB plugged in on her laptop. She felt sick. This whole USB drive made her sick. No matter how much she wanted to, she couldn’t help but think that it was still cheating and the consequences could only lead to disaster. But she was curious, so curious. So she opened the file and started to browse the documents, paying more attention to them than the first time. She quickly understood that they could and would help her but, a wave of nausea got a hold of her and she closed the tabs quickly. It was too much and she couldn’t brace herself to add another lie to the list. She unplugged it and threw her in a box that she hid far away from her, as if it could erase the temptation.

Finally it was time for her to get dressed and a part of her was thankful for it. It would get her mind out of the bomb that was in her room. Ethan was on her way to pick her up and she felt stressed out. She didn’t know how she was supposed to act or how she should behave. Did Ethan expect her to be clingy? Or did he want to keep the physical interactions to the bare minimum? She had never been in a situation like that before, she had never met in-laws, even fake ones. She felt stupid. She knew Max and Kat. She knew them very well and not once had she ever felt uncomfortable at the idea of eating with them. Was she supposed to dress fancy? She looked at her clothes and sighed before setting her mind on a jean and a blouse.

As she was finishing applying her makeup she heard a car parking in front of the house and the door opening. She breathed in and breathed out one last time, took her bag and went down to see Louis ambushing Ethan in the entrance.

“You’re my sister’s boyfriend.” said Louis as a matter of fact.

“I…am?” replied Ethan.

“Why?”

“Why, what?”

“You fancy her. She is my sister. It’s weird.”

“Louis, please, don’t bother Ethan.” stepped in Julia.

“No, please, Louis keep going, I also want to know why.” Charles came out of his office, a half-smile on his face.

“You guys are embarrassing.” complained Julia.

“I just want to know why. You didn’t like him a few weeks ago. It’s just weird.”

“Hum, well… Julia is… well she is Julia. She is not as unlikable as I thought she was.”

“Thanks…” gritted the young Leclerc between her teeth.

“What I mean is… I had the occasion to properly get to know her and besides her sarcastic comments, the fact that she always wants to be right, how she has boring ice-cream tastes, she is not so bad. She is actually very caring. She talks a lot about you, Louis and I hope that I can be your friend, someday. And I admire her work ethic. She always wants to do the right thing and most importantly, she didn’t judge me when the whole scandal blew up. She actually agreed to keep talking to me and explore our connection. She quickly became one of the most trustworthy people that are around me. But I clearly can see that she got all of that from her dad.”

“No need to rub me in the right way, Ethan. It won’t work.”

“Yeah, it’s a bit too much.” added Julia.

They finally managed to leave and soon they were finally alone, on their way to Ethan’s parents.

“You didn’t have to pretend in front of my parents, you know.”

“Maybe I went a little overboard with the compliments, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t mean all that I said.”

When they finally arrived, Kat almost jumped on Julia, asking her how she was doing and saying how happy she was to have her. Julia felt so overwhelmed that Ethan intervened to tell his mom to calm down. He was not surprised to see that his mom had already thought about who would sit where. Julia found her seat next to Ethan as Max and Kat sat opposite of them. The conversation was pleasant and far from what Ethan had imagined. They didn’t talk about their relationship, his parents preferring to focus on Julia and getting to know her as a person and not as Ethan’s girlfriend. For once he was not the center of attention and he could watch her talking about what she was most passionate about and he found that endearing. He watched her talking about engineering with his dad and he had to admit that he was completely lost and didn’t understand half of what they were talking about, but still, he didn’t want to look away. As he was going for another glass of wine he found his mom looking at him with a soft smile on his face.

Soon, the conversation resumed around the season. Ethan was actually proud of his results and it’s with confidence that he started talking about them, thinking that his dad would be happy for him and that maybe he would get praise.

“Yeah, you were good. You had nice moments and some I really thought you could get close to the podium but you still make some mistakes that you shouldn’t make three years into F1. Not anymore. You are not a rookie anymore. But if you want we can find some time to watch some moments that I recorded so we could watch and work on them together.”

It made Ethan angry.

“Can’t you just for once, say something nice about the way I race. Can’t you just acknowledge that I don’t alway mess everything up? That I’m doing a good job?”

“I just want you to improve so you can achieve your dream. And you will never do that if you don’t listen to advice.”

Julia jumped when she felt Ethan abruptly stand up.

“Stop pretending that you care about my dreams. You don’t and you know what? I would trade them for a dad that actually cares about me. Me! And not the driver that I can be!”

And just like that he left the table as his dad was calling out to him. Without thinking twice, Julia stood up as well and excused herself as she went after Ethan. She found him outside, on the patio, sitting on the floor behind his mother’s flowers. He only noticed her when she sat down next to him.

“I’m sorry you had to witness that.” Ethan whispered.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“To say what? There is nothing to say. It’s like that. My dad doesn’t understand. How could he anyway? He is Max Verstappen and I’m only his son, just a copy. And not the best copy. No matter how hard I try, it will not be enough. I’m not enough.”

“That’s not true. You wouldn’t be here if you were not. Ask my dad, he always had good things to say about you as a driver. Surely, that doesn’t not mean nothing . You know how my dad is.”

“I just… I want my dad to act as a dad and not a fucking coach. I want his advice but I also want to hear him say, I’m proud of you son, you were great out there. Not how I should have taken a corner or how the overtake would have been more effective if I had done this or that. He doesn’t understand. He never did.”

“That’s the thing when we grew up with dads like ours. The pressure, the expectations… It's tough. I don’t think Max wants to hurt you, he just wants to push you.”

“Easy for you to say. You are your dad’s little princess. He would do anything for you.”

“Doesn’t mean that it made me happier. It brought a lot of other problems. Parents and teachers reunions ? It was always my mom who would go. I can’t even count the number of birthdays he missed because of races. Or how people looked at me and constantly judged me when they would learn about him.”

“He loves you, Julia.”

“And your dad loves you too.”

Ethan paused and looked to the ground. Julia saw Adam's apple bobbing before he spoke again, but this time with a strangled voice.

“He never said it. My dad never told me that he loved me. I know, he does. But… We were never ones to talk about feelings, I know that. I just wish that he would say it. Just once. I would love to have him come on a race to support me. Just be there, and be happy for me.”

“I’m sorry Ethan. Maybe you should talk to him. About your feelings, it would do good. Surely, it’s not healthy to keep that bottled up inside.”

Ethan shrugged before getting up. Sadness replaced anger and Julia could swear that tears were threatening to fall. She had never seen him looking so vulnerable and she didn’t know what to do. If they had been friends, she would have hugged him. But they were not, or barely were. She didn’t know where they were standing. They were not enemies anymore, but she wouldn’t go as far as saying friends. They were just two people linked to each other by a lie. So she stood up as well and waited for him to move or say something.

“I’m sorry I ruined your night. And you were not supposed to see me like this either.”

“You didn’t ruin anything, don’t worry. And seeing you vulnerable reminds me that you are human, with feelings, something I’ve never thought I would see happening.” she joked.

“You sure know how to make me feel better, Joolsie.” he said with a half-smile on his face.

“Always there to help.”

It was not a surprise when Ethan said that he was leaving. He didn’t want to stay there longer than necessary and so he brought Julia back home. The car ride was silent and a little awkward. When they were finally back, Julia didn’t waste much time before saying her goodbyes. They would see each other the next day, but for now she just needed to be alone. And Ethan did too. He hated how she had seen him like that. She was not supposed to. He was not sure, he wanted her to be. But still, it felt nice to be able to talk about his relationship with his dad. She understood him. But part of him couldn’t help but think that involving her too much into his very private life would do more bad than good. He didn’t react much when she put her hand on his shoulder and squeezed it lightly before leaving him, deep in his thoughts.

When she opened the door, she was not surprised to see that her dad was waiting for her.

“How was it?” he asked.

“Weird. I witnessed Max and Ethan fighting… They don’t have the best relationship, I wasn’t expecting it. I always thought that Max was supportive of Ethan’s career. Turns out it is not what I expected… I feel bad for Ethan. I know I can’t do anything but…” she explained sitting down next to her dad.

“Do you want me to try and talk to Max tomorrow? See if I can do something…”

“We shouldn’t get involved…”

“I know but if Ethan is important to you then I guess that he is important to me as well. And I won’t repeat it twice so you better hold onto that only time I will say it because if you ask me to repeat it I will play dumb.”

She sighed. It made her feel better to know that her dad would not be too big of a problem in her relationship. She kissed him on the cheek before going back to her room. She quickly got rid of her clothes and threw her blanket over her head. As she was tossing and turning in her bed, replaying the conversation she had with Ethan, she grabbed her phone to text him.

For what it’s worth, I think you are amazing on tracks.

Author's note: What do you think will happen next? Let me know your theories, I love to read them.

Don't hesitate to leave a comment or an ask, as well as reblogging and leaving a like. It helps a lot for the story to find its audience. I also have a taglist for this story, so if you want to be added so you never miss a chapter, let me know.

Taglist:

@herondalism @aundercover @musingsbyshreya @karmabyfernando @reengard @mycenterfold @smoooothoperator

#writing #fiction #charles leclerc #max vertsappen #f1 fanfic #charles leclerc fanfic #f1 story #f1 fic #f1 imagine #f1 x reader #f1 x oc #max verstappen fanfic

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dertaglichedan · 1 month

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The Hillary Clinton portion of the Mar-a-Lago raid has just come into focus…

It was the shot heard ’round the world when then-candidate Donald Trump urged the Russians to release those missing emails that Clinton “bleached” off her computer. At the time, it felt like a funny joke, but looking back, you can’t help but wonder if Trump knew something the rest of us didn’t—that Russia actually had all of Hillary’s emails and knew every single one of her dirty tricks. People are buzzing about this again after Hillary’s name resurfaced, thanks to investigative reporter Julie Kelly. She’s been digging into and sharing many newly unredacted files related to Jack Smith’s “classified documents” sham case. These files paint a much clearer picture of what happened, how President Trump was intricately set up by Biden’s weaponized DOJ, and how his employees were given the unjust entrapment treatment that our disgraced FBI has become infamous for.

Julie Kelly:

Merrick Garland/Lisa Monaco DOJ and Chris Wray/Steven D’Antuono FBI sent agents to interview (interrogate) one of Trump’s closest personal aides without Trump’s knowledge. The ruse–once again–was national security interests. (Just like Mike Flynn ambush by FBI in 2017). Nauta, like Flynn, wanted to help the FBI get information. But Nauta walked into a perjury trap by agents who talk like Romy and Michelle.

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girlfriendsofthegalaxy · 10 months

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tuesday again 7/18/2023

idk man i just work here

listening

not another rockstar, maisie peters. spotify

this is a little poppier than i generally prefer-- the first knee-jerk comparison i can make for the vocals is taylor swift, esp in the first verse? luckily for everyone, i was white-knuckling it down the katy freeway (26 lanes. never again) and did not have the extra concentration necessary to skip it on whatever autogenerated dance playlist spotify spat out for me. as a fellow woman with a Type, i must tip my hat to ms peters.

Hmm, funny I could pick 'em in a line up, line up Pretty certain I could do it with my eyes shut, eyes shut A little self-obsessive and I sign up, sign up Where's the pen? Where's the line?

@pasta-pardner has made a gorgeously lush electronic/indie pop cowboy playlist. my very favorite song (so far, still have it on loop) is Horsie by Twilight Circus Dub Sound System. it sounds like the opening theme to Samurai Champloo. it ripples and grooves. it lives somewhere between rock and reggae. the whole album is incredible music to hang out to.

reading

retractionwatch (my beloved) linked out to datacolada.org in a recent article and my ears perked up. data colada gets REAL deep into the investigative reporting of specific papers, including some fascinating excel sleuthing. they use CalcChain!!! i thought i was the only one who used CalcChain!!!

CalcChain tells Excel in which order to carry out the calculations in the spreadsheet. It tells Excel something like "First solve the formula in cell A1, then the one in A2, then B1, etc." CalcChain is short for 'calculation chain'.

one of my worst traits as a person is that i looooooooove an academic trainwreck. i love watching academia eat itself. i love watching people get caught for sloppy shit like "excel file sorted REAL weird, pointing to tampering with individual data points"

watching

new jennings motor sport!!! the oil change is. hough. impressively disgusting. oil does some funky shit when it's been sitting for ??? decades

youtube

playing

ive been playing genshi/n impact like it's my job. having a lot of thoughts about crunch, and content, and player expectations vs shareholder expectations and Line Go Up and if AAA free-to-play video games are at all ethical to play for anyone ever, but hey! look at this snarky catgirl!

also lol. lmao. this is a game for children. we are all aware of the restrictions and limitations placed upon games for children in the chinese and american markets so yeah the answer is going to be yes, every time

making

lately i have been going to my best friend's house after work (what an unimaginable sentence a month ago) and hanging out and watching whatever toddler shows are on tv while we shoot the shit and i knit. there's another half-repeat on the baby blanket for the baby who has just turned four months old, but it's in the car and the night is dark and full of mosquitoes.

i literally cannot do any life shit, even most doctor's appointments, until i have a real physical stable address so all i am really doing is knitting and playing genshi/n and opening and closing my email like the fridge. i have one security deposit back from the old mass apt plus one more paycheck (but, crucially, not the nearly $2k from the roach apt and we are rapidly approaching lawsuit time) so the cat and i are a little bit more stable/able to put down a security deposit on something else the minute it comes along. this would not have been possible without the incredible generosity of readers like you during that very bad first week here. thank you. i want to do some sort of thank you...stream? liveblog? series of posts about something? but i'm not sure what yet. stay tuned. tell me your thoughts. what would you like to see?

#tuesday again #tuesday again no problem #SoundCloud #Spotify #Bandcamp

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romirola · 7 months

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WIP Title Game

Tagged by @pinksparkl, @zozo-01, and @gingerbreadmonsters! Thank you thank you, friends! I am not getting to this because I had been avoiding tumblr until I listened to the Summit audio in full. Been there, done that, and now it's time to play!

Rules: Post the names of all the files in your WIP list. Invite people to send an ask with the title that intrigues them. Post a little snippet or behind the scenes facts about the WIP. Then tag as many people as you have WIPs.

Typical Romi behavior here in that I work on things one at a time. Since Balancing Act is coming to an end, I've been working on oneshot requests I received after soliciting prompts. Those are in one big document titled...

"Request Stuff 2"

Ask away, friends! :) I'm limited to one tag. I am not sure who has played yet, but I will tag @arrowfleur. (No pressure, friend!) Speaking of, I think I missed everyone's posts as I waited to listen to the Summit Audio. Please, artists and authors, let me know if you've participated in this game so I can ask you about your work! Thank you!

#redacted asmr #redacted audio #redactedverse #redacted fanfiction #thank you!

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typingtess · 23 days

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youtube

NCIS: Los Angeles Season 14 Rewatch: “Let It Burn”

The basics: The team investigates arson at a defense contractor that has the signature of an environmental activist.

Written by: Indira Gibson Wilson co-wrote, “The Frogman’s Daughter”, "Signs of Change" and “Hard for the Money” and was the sole writer for "Lost Soldier Down". Gibson Wilson played the sleeping Michelle Hanna before Aunjanue Ellis showed up in season four.

Directed by: Rick Tunell directed "Revenge Deferred", "Se Murio El Payaso", "Where Everybody Knows Your Name" and “Hard for the Money” (co-written by Indira Gibson Wilson).

Guest stars of note: Duncan Campbell returns as NCIS Special Agent Castor from “Of Value”; Justin Huen is Randall Perez. He was Santo Perez in season two’s “Personal” as the man who shot Deeks. Ashlei Sharpe Chestnut as FBI Special Agent Summer Morehurst; Romi Dias as Denise Perez, Thal Gondim as Crystal Perez; Brian Leigh Smith as Bomb Tech Aaron Roberts; Rhomeyn Johnson as Terrell and Joe Corzo as Foreman/Michael Duncan

Our heroes: Are all over the place with Kensi in DC, Callen locked in the office, Sam and Deeks teamed up and Rountree working with an old girlfriend.

What important things did we learn about: Callen: Reading the Pembrooke file as part of his library day. Sam: As a caretaker, he has to think about his father first. Kensi: School trip with Rosa and 24-other 16-year old girls. Deeks: Offered a trip to Costa Rica. Fatima: Sent in the field because Callen had a library day. Rountree: Dated a coworker at the FBI. Kilbride: Keeping Callen on track.

What not so important things did we learn about: Callen: Not training for a triathlon because he as common sense. Sam: Training for a triathlon. Kensi: OK with Deeks going to Costa Rica – she might go if he doesn’t. Deeks: Not going to Costa Rica. Fatima: Wants to know the Rountree-Summer story. Rountree: Training for a triathlon and going to Costa Rica. Kilbride: Not sure Henrietta is Hetty’s first name. Not sure he likes her either.

Where in the world is Henrietta Lange? In the Pembrooke file.

Who's down with OTP: Deeks is trying to figure out a solo Costa Rico trip, worrying that probably won’t fly with the family at home. Rountree has an ex in the FBI.

Who's down with BrOTP: A little Sam-Deeks bonding about traveling away from your family and becoming a detective through videos.

Fashion review: Callen wears a long sleeve medium blue lightweight hoodie. Sam started the day in a wet suit and wore a black long-sleeve tee for most of the episode. He was in a brown one at the end of the episode. Deeks has a pale blue henley for most of the episode but a baby blue hoodie. Fatima wears a light gray jacket over a white turtleneck. Rountree started the day in a wet suit too with too, too tight swim trunks. Wore a gunmetal grey pullover sweater once he was dressed. The Admiral wore his uniform – dark blue suit, light blue dress shirt, blue tie.

Music: “From Fire” by Perta is used in the teaser. Deeks is shooting in the range with The Mighty Mighty BossTones’s “The Punch Line” playing over the speakers.

Any notable cut scene: Not today.

Quote: Kilbride: “We've all done things we regret.” Callen: “Hetty doesn't seem to be the kind of person to regret much.” Kilbride: “Don't kid yourself. Now, she may put on a good front, but Hetty has enough regrets for all of us. She has done things that most wouldn't to keep the rest of us safe. Unfortunately, that comes with some very dark, ugly things that you carry with you to your grave.” Callen: “Well, I'm not sure how indoctrinating children does much to keep people safe.” Kilbride: “I don't know. Seems to me you keep people safe every day. So maybe some good did come of it. Even if their methods were ethically and morally questionable.” Callen: “If not reprehensible.” Kilbride: “I don't always agree with her. And I usually don't like the way she operates. Hell, I'm not even sure I even like her most days. But I damn well respect her. Henrietta, and I'm sure that's not even her real name, Henrietta has dedicated her life to the greater good. She has made mistakes along the way just like the rest of us. But it was always done in the service of this country.” Callen: “So, am I a mistake or a dark, ugly thing she has to carry to the grave?” Kilbride: “Only you can decide that, Agent Callen. But in my experience, the past is a place to learn from, not to live in.”

Anything else: In the evening, a construction crew is working in a high rise office building. Mostly drywall. The foreman is shutting things down for the night. The workers start toward the door taking their hardhats, tools and backpacks. One worker stays behind.

The worker starts spreading something on the floor and pours an accelerant on it. As he lights a good part of the office floor on fire, the foreman returns. The two men fight until the firebug knocks out the foreman. The firebug tries to drag the foreman to safety but the entire floor is about to be engulfed in flames. Leaving the foreman behind, the firebug runs. A symbol is burned into the floor.

Callen is reading the paper in the boat shed by the coffee table. Sam comes in from a swim with Rountree in tow. Sam is thirsty, Rountree is uncomfortable. He didn’t want to wear anything under his wetsuit but Sam found him swim trunks in the office lost and found. Rountree is worried they belong to Deeks but Sam jokes they are Fatima’s.

Training for a triathlon with Sam, Rountree wonders why Callen isn’t involved. Callen explains he has common sense. Sam disagrees – Callen is afraid of sharks. Callen isn’t but starts messing with Rountree by mentioning “McMurtry” who was shark bait. Sam joins in on the fun before showering.

At the firing range, Deeks is shooting and listening to really loud music. The Admiral arrives, pleased that Deeks is joining him in making good use of the early hours at the office. Kensi and Rosa are on a school trip which gave Deeks the ability to surf, workout and shoot early in the morning like he did “pre-kid.” Not that he’s complaining. The Admiral offers Deeks the chance to attend the NCIS Western Conference. Honored, Deeks is grateful for the offer but thinks he needs to stay close to home. He recommends one of the younger agents – perhaps Rountree would enjoy Branson and a river cruise. Rountree will get the Admiral’s consideration but the conference will be held in Nosara, Costa Rica. Deeks reconsiders – maybe Kensi would be okay with him leaving the family behind for a few days. It’s a week so Deeks is torn.

Sam took a long shower and hopes there is some hot water for Rountree. As Rountree is about to go into the shower area, Fatima and Callen pop up on the plasma. Sam asks for Deeks who he is told is trying to run a “boondoggle” on Kensi. Fatima asks for Rountree, who is in the still way too tight swim trunks. Fatima asks if Rountree is wearing her shorts. Just kidding, she tells Rountree – they’re Kensi’s. Rountree hates everyone.

Fatima starts with the case – the fire. Global West Ventures, the people who had the office space, are Navy defense contractors. The symbol burned on the floor was the signature of an arsonist named Randall Perez - O and A – On Alert. Rountree was familiar with Perez – he didn’t work his case but the FBI was “on alert” for years when it came to Perez. Perez blew up an oil tanker years back. Shut down the 405 for a week.

Sam asks about the fire. The office space was under construction and the foreman, Michael Duncan, died in the blaze. LAPD thinks Duncan saw the arsonist and the two men fought. This would be the first time an “On Alert” fire caused a death. Rountree sees another difference in the fires. Perez went after companies he thought were hurting the environment. This was a defense contractor – not the same thing.

Sam suggest he and Rountree go to the crime scene. Kilbride told Fatima he wants Rountree working the FBI Agent in-charge of the “On Alert” cases. Sam should met the with FBI as well. Callen asks what is his assignment from the Admiral. The Admiral wants to see Callen in his office.

Castor bring the FBI Agent in charge of the “On Alert” cases into the boat shed. FBI Agent Summer Morehurst tells Sam her boss thinks highly of him but not to play Sam in pickleball. Sam knows her boss – Rashid Perkins – and Rashid knows what Sam can do with a paddle in his hand. Morehurst reviews Perez’s history for Sam. He started as a non-violent activist who was creative in his protests. Trained as an artist, Perez made sculptures out of the plastic straws he found in the ocean. Sam asked when did Perez change. After a number of arrests for disorderly conduct at more radical protests according to Morehurst.

In 2017, Perez started setting fires. It took the FBI nearly a year to identify him. When the FBI started to close in on Perez, he set nine fires over two months. He fled to Mexico when the FBI got too close and has been a fugitive for three-years. This is the first time Perez has resurfaced and Morehurst vows to catch him.

Just after Morehurst’s vow, a towel-clad Rountree walks into the boat shed’s main room. He’s looking for his clothes. Rountree and Morehurst call each other by their first name and being the world class investigator he is, Sam deduces the two know each other. “You can say that,” they both reply simultaneously.

Knocking on Kilbride’s door, Callen has some opinions. He gets that Rountree has a past with the FBI (oh, if he only knew) and he’s good with Rountree working with them. Sam, however, does not need to be supervising Rountree’s debrief with the FBI. “I’m sorry you miss your bunkie but this isn’t summer camp,” the Admiral replies. Sam is working with Deeks, “poor devil.” When Callen asks why, the Admiral tells him “that’s what I want.”

While the Admiral believes it is healthy to question authority on occasion, he’s getting pissed off about it being a regular occurrence. Passing Callen a large folder, Kilbride shares all he could find on Pembrooke. Callen knows he overstepped and thanks Kilbride. Kilbride tells him it isn’t a gift – just a way to keep Callen focused on the job and not a ghost from his past. This puts a halt to Callen doing his own research. Callen defends what he does on his own time and it does not impact his work. The Admiral disagrees – they wouldn’t be having this conversation otherwise. Calling it a “library day”, Callen is told to do his research in the office and is dismissed.

A properly dressed Rountree returns to the boat shed. He asks if Agent Morehurst – Summer – set this up. She knew he was working for NCIS. Summer replies that if she wanted to see him, she would have called him. Except she forgot that he doesn’t know how a phone works. “Ouch, fair shot.” Rountree apologizes but Summer says “we were a long time ago.” Explaining that when they were dating, he was leaving the FBI, Jordyn was starting college – Rountree had a lot on her plate. Fatima pops up on the screen but neither Rountree or Summer notice. Still talking about their past – they were a couple for three months – Fatima really tries to make her presence known. Rountree does introductions and it is all very uncomfortable.

Fatima found Perez’s sister, Denise. She’s lived in the same house for 20-years in Gardena. The FBI is aware of her. Summer gets a call. While she is dealing with the call, Fatima wants some gossip but Rountree shuts off the plasma. A returning Summer tells Rountree her agents did some digging into the construction firm. They are a well-run company – no major violations or complaints. Thinking Perez may see his sister – and his daughter who is living with his sister – Rountree and Summer are having them brought in.

Finishing a call with Kensi, Sam ask Deeks about how he brought up the trip to Costa Rica. Since Kensi is chaperoning 25 16-year olds in Washington DC, Deeks didn’t think this was the best time to bring up the trip. Deeks asks Sam if he would go – now, with Raymond living with him. Being a caregiver, Sam couldn’t go. He needs to put Raymond’s needs first.

At the crime scene, Sam sees some differences with Perez’s MO. The fire was set much earlier in the evening. Perez started his fires between 2AM and 4AM. If the fire was started between 2AM and 4AM, foreman Michael Duncan would be alive. The fire could have taken out the entire building. Instead, it was limited to the one floor. Sam wants to see the financials of Global West Ventures. Make sure this isn’t a set-up for insurance money by using Perez’s signature to distract.

In the boat shed, Rountree is speaking with Crystal Perez, Randall’s daughter, with her Aunt Denise watching out for her. Rountree is trying to be kind but the Denise talks about all the problems Crystal had in school when kids found out who her father was. Crystal suffered enough. Summer brings up that Randall Perez caused a lot of harm. The FBI and NCIS want to stop him before he takes any more lives.

Summer asks about Crystal’s life. She’s a guide at a museum, planning to study being a curator in college. Asked if she heard from her father, Denise jumps in saying that Crystal hasn’t heard from her father – “he’s dead to us.” Crystal admits she has heard from her father.

Denise is surprised and unhappy – Randall is dangerous. Crystal explains that Randall is sorry – he left just as Crystal’s mother died. He’s also sorry for what he did. He’s considering turning himself in. This catches Summer’s attention – does Crystal know where Randall lives? She doesn’t. They last spoke a month ago. Rountree asks for Crystal’s cellphone number.

Fatima talks to Deeks – Global West Ventures is flush with cash. The fire was not for the insurance money. Sam is checking out the fire inspector’s report. Thermite was used for the fire, something that is easy to make and transport. Perez had his own recipe for thermite but tests will need to be run to see if the recipes match. Nothing about Perez’s recipe was told to the public in the past – a copycat would not know the correct mixture. Since thermite’s main components are iron oxide and aluminum powder used in bulk, only a few retailers would have them. Finding where there they were purchased probably leads to the arsonist.

Callen is reading the Pembrooke files and having flashbacks to his oh so happy childhood.

Deeks is looking for footprints in the parking area behind the office building. He’s a fan of Freaky Phil’s Forensics, leaving Sam worried that Deeks learned to be a detective on YouTube. Sam is more interested in surveillance cameras while Deeks explains the thermite sticking to arsonist’s shoes if the shoes had deep grooves. Sam finds some tire tracks while Deeks sees if a footprint belongs to the arsonist. When the footprint catches fire, Deeks is pleased. Based on the footprints and the tire tracks, the arsonist got in on the passenger’s side. This is a two person job. Since Perez always worked alone, this is looking like a copycat.

Kilbride catches Fatima listening in on Rountree and Summer. She tries to explain “ghosting” to the Admiral, who knows what that is. He’s more interested in a sit-rep than Rountree’s past. A traffic cam caught the car leaving the parking area but the video is too grainy for facial-rec. The plates belong to a dead man with a different car so that’s a dead end.

More interesting was a number both the FBI and NCIS suspect belongs to Perez retrieved from Crystal’s phone. As soon as she left the boat shed, Denise Perez called the same number so Denise has been in contact with her brother. While the arson is likely the work of a copycat, Rountree and Summer are going to follow Denise to see if she leads them to Randall. The Admiral tells Fatima to stop eavesdropping.

Fatima has two stores that have the components needed for thermite with one making a large sale to a company called Core Dynamics two days earlier. Core Dynamics has no certificate certifying it is a real business and the components were sent to an apartment building. Sam and Deeks are on their way.

Denise Perez is in a public parking lot when Rountree and Summer pull in with the Land Rover. Summer is annoyed – she wants to arrest Denise right way for lying to the FBI. Rountree wants to see how things play out. A man walks up to Denise’s car – she gets out to hug him. It’s Randall Perez. When Rountree and Summer approach, Randall runs and Rountree chases after him. Denise tries to drive away only to turn around and try to take out Rountree using her car. Randall Perez flees in his own vehicle. Denise is under arrest.

At the apartment building, the manager explains he rents out garage space behind the building – www.parkyourauto.com. Opening the garage that got the components delivery, there is no car but there is a lab set-up. Sam sees a trip wire that would burn down the garage and cover the renter’s/arsonist’s tracks. LAPD bomb squad is called.

Summer explains to Denise that she is facing life in jail for the attempted murder of a federal agent while helping a known fugitive escape. Rountree thinks the judge would be lenient if Denise cooperates. She’s not in the mood. Randall did not set the fire. He believes the FBI and NCIS are trying to pin it on him because of his past. In his past, Randall believed he was doing the right thing – it is why Denise forgives him. Rountree asks if Randall had an accomplice. Two people were involved in the Global West Ventures fire. Since Randall wasn’t involved with that fire, how could he have an accomplice?

Fatima joins Sam and Deeks as the bomb squad gives the garage the all-clear. The IED attached to the trip wire probably wouldn’t have done much damage on its own but with all the accelerant in the garage, it likely would have taken out all the garages in the back of the apartment building. Sam asks why Fatima is there and is told Kilbride sent her instead of Callen. She has a piece of equipment – a mass spectrometer - that will analyze the thermite mix in the garage.

In the garage, Fatima asks Sam’s opinion of Summer. Sam thinks she was nice until Rountree arrived. Deeks is brought up to speed on the Rountree-Summer tea. Fatima thinks it is like “When Harry Met Sally” mixed with “Love Jones” which means nothing to either Sam or Deeks. She also says none of this is her fault – Rountree and Summer had their comms on.

The analysis matches the thermite mixture in the garage with Perez’s special recipe. Deeks finds some maps of Los Angeles and a list of targets. Global West Ventures was fifth on the list. There is a health care company, an investment bank and a shoe manufacturer. Fatima calls in the list to LAPD.

The Admiral has info for Sam and Deeks. The dead man whose license plates were used in the arson is Christian Navarro. The plates were cited in two-DUIs before he died. The driver was Marco Navarro, Christian’s son and Deeks thinks is Perez’s accomplice. Better news – the burner phone used by Randall to speak with Crystal and Denise was traced to a home in Echo Park. Sam and Deeks are on their way.

At the Echo Park house, Deeks pretends to be a food deliveryman. Perez runs and Deeks chases him through the house. Sam is waiting at the back door. A handcuffed Perez explains he has been trying to stop Marco Navarro. He’s been looking for Marco Navarro. Before he went on the run, Perez asked Navarro to store some of his explosives. He thinks Navarro had his own mass spectrometer and figured out how to make his own explosives – Navarro is a smart man. When he heard about the fire and the signature, he knew it had to be Navarro.

Saying they may believe him, Sam asks who would be Navarro’s accomplice. Perez doesn’t know. Navarro is a young, brash man who wants to change the world. They were involved in many peaceful protests together. He was family, lived with Perez. When he figured out who Perez was, Navarro wanted to join him in the not-peaceful protests. Perez pushed him away. Asked if Denise knew Navarro, she did not. She lived in a different part of town.

Crystal knew Navarro, however. He was like a big brother to her. Sam checks with Rountree to see if Crystal had any contact with Navarro but Crystal turned off her phone. She hasn’t been to work in a week – she quit. Denise says this is not like Crystal at all. Deeks asks if Crystal knew Navarro had Randall’s explosives. She probably did but Randall tells Sam and Deeks that Crystal knew he also regrets what he did. Deeks asks if he regrets what he did or regrets getting caught.

In the boat shed, Summer tells Rountree that Crystal’s car was found. A witness saw Crystal get into a car with a man who looks like Navarro. The FBI is checking the area traffic cameras for license plates. Denise told Rountree that Crystal didn’t mention having any new friends or changes in her life. Summer is confused about the targets Sam and Deeks found – none of them have an environment connection. Rountree thinks Navarro may have a different agenda than Randall Perez.

Back in Ops, Fatima found a connection to the companies on the list. All of the companies are major donors to Senator Greg Garrett’s reelection campaign. Sen. Garrett was responsible for killing an environmental bill in congress. Navarro wanted the companies to pay. Garrett is in Los Angeles to tour a warehouse that is part of an urban renewal project but the warehouse is not on the target list. The warehouse isn’t the target, Rountree and Summer think, Garrett is. They are going to meet Sam and Deeks at the warehouse. Fatima is going to update the Senator’s team.

Rountree and Summer meet with Sam and Deeks at the warehouse. The Senator’s team is evacuating the place but the worry is that Crystal and Navarro had an hour to lay down the thermite and accelerant. Entering the building, there is no sign of anyone – Crystal, Navarro or Garrett. Sam and Deeks come across Crystal as she’s spreading thermite outside the warehouse.

Rountree and Summer find Garrett and his aides. Navarro opens fire, hitting one of the aides. Rountree goes after Navarro while Summer gets Garrett and his staff to safety.

Sam tries to talk Crystal into surrendering as he and Deeks enter the warehouse.

Rountree and Navarro struggle for about a second. Navarro is apprehended.

Crystal lets Sam and Deeks walk far enough into the warehouse so she can circle behind them and light the place on fire. Sam finds a fire extinguisher and puts out the fire. Crystal, on the run, winds up cornered by Rountree and Summer. Crystal tries to explain that “we” are not the criminals. She threatens to set herself and her bag of thermite on fire but Summer talks her out of it. Crystal is arrested.

The Senator’s aide is on his way to the hospital but everyone is fine. Deeks mentions wanting to be a fireman – “mostly for the calendar.”

At the end of the day, a tired Deeks is complimented Admiral for a good day’s work. The Senator’s aide only suffered a flesh wound and is doing well. Deeks says that after “extensive consideration” he’s going to turn down the conference. The Admiral thinks Kensi would be relieved. No, Kensi was fine with Deeks going, even thought she’d go if he said no. The Admiral agrees with Deeks’s decision. Besides, next year’s conference is in Albuquerque – perfect for Deeks. Rountree is going to Costa Rica instead.

In the boat shed, Randall and Crystal share a hug before both are taken away. Summer found the Perez's farewells bittersweet. The FBI coordinated the farewell and Rountree approves. Since she saved his life, Summer thinks she’s owed about five IOUs by Rountree. She’s also grateful that Rountree apologized. Sam arrives – Summer, her boss and Sam are going to play some pickleball.

Once Summer leaves, Sam talks about starting their triathlon training at 4:30AM. Rountree is distracted by Summer’s departure. Sam thinks Rountree thinks too much. “Call that woman – call her.” Rountree chases after Summer.

The Admiral and his large decanter of scotch visit Callen in the bullpen. Callen has the Pembrooke paperwork all over his desk. Callen asks if the Admiral reviewed the information in the file. He did not – he just called in some favors to get what he could find. “This is your story, Agent Callen.” It isn’t the Admiral’s place to invade his privacy, though his door is open if Callen wants to talk.

Callen doesn’t talk, he instead shows Kilbride a black and white photo. It is Hetty and Pembrooke. The Admiral explains everyone has done things they regret. “Hetty doesn’t regret much,” according to Callen. Kilbride disagrees – “Hetty has enough regrets for all of us.” She has done things to keep people safe. Dark, ugly things she will likely take to her grave. Callen asks how indoctrinating children keeps people safe. The Admiral thinks Callen keeps people safe, if the methods were morally questionable. The Admiral isn’t a Hetty fan but he respects her. Hetty is all about the greater good and she made mistakes. But the mistakes were in the service to her country. Callen asks if he’s a mistake or a dark, ugly thing Hetty will carry to grave. The Admiral says the past is something your learn from, not where you live.

What head canon can be formed from here: A rather generic, and talky to be honest, episode until the very end. Nothing here wouldn’t have worked in season one, season five or season nine, just switching around the agents.

Not thrilled with the family reunion at the end. The foreman doesn’t get to hug his daughter one last time.

The end was very well done. A quiet scene, really well written and well-acted. Well worth the ho-hum 55-minutes before it.

The Rountree scene cut in “Glory of the Sea” really would have helped sell Rountree ghosting poor Summer.

Hey Deeks – you are going to get a hotel room for the conference. Take Kensi and Rosa, you surf in the morning, going to some meetings in the morning. While everyone else goes play golf in the afternoon (I’ve been to my fair share of conferences), hang with the family on the beach. Life’s good.

Episode number: Episode eight of season 14. This is episode number 310 overall.

#NCIS: Los Angeles Rewatch #NCIS: Los Angeles #NCIS: LA #NCIS Los Angeles #ncis la

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