#multi cloud management services
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Navigating the Cloudscape Seamlessly: Sify's Multi-Cloud Managed Services
In the dynamic landscape of cloud computing, businesses are increasingly adopting multi-cloud strategies to leverage the strengths of multiple cloud providers and optimize performance, flexibility, and cost-efficiency. However, managing and optimizing workloads across disparate cloud environments can present significant challenges. This is where Sify’s Multi-Cloud Managed Services shine, offering businesses the expertise, support, and tools needed to navigate the multi-cloud journey with confidence and ease.
Empowering Businesses with Multi-Cloud Managed Services:
Sify’s Multi-Cloud Managed Services provide businesses with a comprehensive suite of solutions designed to simplify the deployment, management, and optimization of multi-cloud environments. Whether it’s leveraging the scalability of AWS, the enterprise capabilities of Azure, or the innovation of Google Cloud, Sify helps businesses harness the full potential of multi-cloud while ensuring seamless integration, interoperability, and security across diverse cloud platforms.
Key Features and Benefits:
Centralized Management: Sify’s Multi-Cloud Managed Services offer businesses a centralized platform to manage workloads across multiple cloud environments, providing visibility, control, and governance over cloud resources, applications, and data. With Sify as a single point of contact, businesses can streamline operations, optimize costs, and ensure compliance across their entire multi-cloud infrastructure.
Optimization and Cost Control: Sify helps businesses optimize their multi-cloud spending by identifying cost-saving opportunities, right-sizing resources, leveraging reserved instances, and implementing automation and orchestration tools to improve efficiency and minimize waste. By continuously monitoring and optimizing cloud usage, Sify ensures that businesses achieve maximum ROI from their multi-cloud investments.
Security and Compliance: Sify implements robust security measures to protect multi-cloud environments against cyber threats, data breaches, and compliance violations. With advanced security technologies, including encryption, access controls, and threat detection, Sify helps businesses safeguard sensitive data and applications across diverse cloud platforms while ensuring compliance with industry regulations and standards.
Scalability and Flexibility: Sify’s Multi-Cloud Managed Services enable businesses to scale their cloud resources dynamically to meet evolving demands and adapt quickly to changes in workload requirements. Whether it’s scaling compute instances, expanding storage capacity, or provisioning additional services, Sify ensures that businesses have the agility and flexibility needed to stay ahead of the curve in the fast-paced cloud landscape.
Why Choose Sify for Multi-Cloud Managed Services?
Expertise and Experience: With decades of experience in the IT and cloud services industry, Sify brings deep expertise and domain knowledge to help businesses navigate the complexities of multi-cloud environments effectively.
Tailored Solutions: Sify understands that every business is unique, and therefore, offers customized solutions tailored to meet specific requirements, ensuring maximum effectiveness and value for each organization.
Reliability and Support: Businesses can rely on Sify’s reliable infrastructure and dedicated support team to provide round-the-clock assistance and guidance, ensuring smooth implementation, operation, and maintenance of multi-cloud environments.
Commitment to Innovation: Sify remains at the forefront of technological innovation, continuously enhancing its Multi-Cloud Managed Services with new features, capabilities, and best practices to address emerging challenges and opportunities in the multi-cloud landscape.
Unlock the Potential of Multi-Cloud with Sify:
In an era defined by digital transformation and cloud adoption, Sify’s Multi-Cloud Managed Services empower businesses to harness the full potential of multi-cloud environments, accelerate innovation, and drive business growth with confidence and ease. By partnering with Sify, organizations can leverage the expertise, experience, and resources needed to navigate the complexities of multi-cloud effectively and unlock new opportunities for success in the cloud-first world. Let Sify be your trusted partner in realizing the true power of multi-cloud for your business.
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Mastering the Multiverse: Sify's Multi-Cloud Managed Services
In the ever-evolving realm of cloud computing, the concept of multi-cloud has emerged as a beacon of flexibility and resilience, offering organizations the freedom to choose the best-of-breed solutions from multiple cloud providers. At the forefront of this transformative wave stands Sify, a trusted leader in technology solutions, delivering cutting-edge Multi-Cloud Managed Services that empower businesses to harness the full potential of their multi-cloud environments. With Sify’s expertise and dedication to excellence, organizations can navigate the complexities of multi-cloud with confidence and clarity.
Navigating the Multi-Cloud Landscape:
Sify understands that no two organizations are alike, each with its unique set of challenges, objectives, and aspirations. That’s why our Multi-Cloud Managed Services are designed to be adaptable, scalable, and tailored to meet the specific needs of each client. Whether you’re looking to leverage the scalability of AWS, the innovation of Azure, or the performance of Google Cloud Platform, Sify has the tools, expertise, and resources to support your multi-cloud journey every step of the way.
The Power of Multi-Cloud:
Multi-cloud architecture offers organizations the flexibility and agility to choose the right cloud services for each workload or application, optimizing performance, cost, and compliance. With Sify’s Multi-Cloud Managed Services, organizations can seamlessly integrate multiple cloud providers, applications, and environments, enabling greater flexibility, efficiency, and innovation.
Key Features and Benefits:
Comprehensive Management: Our Multi-Cloud Managed Services provide end-to-end management of your multi-cloud environment, from planning and deployment to ongoing optimization and support. With Sify as your trusted partner, you can focus on your core business objectives while we take care of the rest.
Seamless Integration: We understand the importance of seamless integration between multiple cloud providers. Our Multi-Cloud Managed Services enable organizations to seamlessly migrate workloads, applications, and data between clouds with minimal disruption.
Cost Optimization: Cost optimization is paramount in today’s competitive landscape. Our Multi-Cloud Managed Services help organizations optimize their cloud spend, ensuring that they get the most value out of their multi-cloud investment.
Security and Compliance: Security is our top priority. Our Multi-Cloud Managed Services include robust security measures and compliance controls to protect sensitive data and applications across multiple cloud environments.
Scalability and Flexibility: Whether you’re scaling up to meet growing demand or scaling down to reduce costs, our Multi-Cloud Managed Services scale seamlessly to meet your evolving needs. With pay-as-you-go pricing and flexible deployment options, you can adapt to changing business requirements with ease.
Unlock Multi-Cloud Excellence with Sify:
In an era of rapid digital transformation, having the right technology partner by your side is essential. With Sify’s Multi-Cloud Managed Services, organizations can unlock the full potential of multi-cloud and embark on a journey of innovation, agility, and growth. Join the ranks of leading organizations who trust Sify to deliver world-class multi-cloud solutions that drive results. Discover the power of Multi-Cloud Managed Services with Sify today.
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Ansible vs Terraform: Best DevOps tool?
Ansible vs Terraform: Best DevOps tool? @vexpert #vmwarecommunities #homelab #ansiblevsterraform #cloudinfrastructuremanagement #provisioninginfrastructure #configurationmanagementtools #infrastructureascode #multiclouddeployment #networkautomation
Ansible and Terraform are excellent DevOps tools that can provide many automation benefits in enterprise and cloud environments. Both of them have capabilities that can overlap with each other. However, I would say that each has its strengths in configuring and provisioning infrastructure. Look at Ansible vs Terraform and see which automation tool is best for which task.
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#ansible vs terraform#automation tools comparison#Cloud Infrastructure Management#configuration management tools#immutable infrastructure approach#infrastructure as code#managing cloud services#multi-cloud deployment#network automation with ansible and terraform#provisioning infrastructure
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SRE Site Reliability Engineering in Multi-Cloud Platform - Swaayata SRE platform, Multi-cloud management, Cloud provider integration, Application management, Service management, Enterprise cloud solutions, Cloud operations optimization, Operational expense reduction, Cloud SMEs, Cloud reliability.
#Swaayata SRE platform#Multi-cloud management#Cloud provider integration#Application management#Service management#Enterprise cloud solutions#Cloud operations optimization#Operational expense reduction#Cloud SMEs#Cloud reliability.
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Learn the truth about multi-cloud deployments. Our guide breaks down common misconceptions and provides insights for successful implementation. Read now.
#Multiple Cloud Providers#Multi-Cloud Deployments#Cloud Costs Optimization#Cloud Service Providers#Multi-Cloud Management
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Learn the truth about multi-cloud deployments. Our guide breaks down common misconceptions and provides insights for successful implementation. Read now.
#Multiple Cloud Providers#Multi-Cloud Deployments#Cloud Costs Optimization#Cloud Service Providers#Multi-Cloud Management
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Learn the truth about multi-cloud deployments. Our guide breaks down common misconceptions and provides insights for successful implementation. Read now.
#Multiple Cloud Providers#Multi-Cloud Deployments#Cloud Costs Optimization#Cloud Service Providers#Multi-Cloud Management
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North Star Series
Chapter 42 - The Honeymoon
(SFW)
Start Here:
Warnings: hints of spiciness
~•~
Y/N's jaw dropped. "You got us a room at the Ritz?!"
"Only the best for my wife," George kissed her cheek. "But it's only for tonight. I can't leave Fred alone with the store this close to Christmas."
"Do you have any idea how much rooms here cost?" She stood frozen in place gaping at the hotel.
"As a matter of fact, I do," he chuckled. "Now, my love, what do you say we head inside before someone mistakes us for snowpeople and tries to shove carrots up our noses?"
"What?" Y/N shook herself and stared at her husband.
"We're starting to collect snow," he grinned and pointed to his coat, which was indeed beginning to accumulate a surprising amount of snow. "And the wind's picking up. The temperature gonna start dropping soon. I'd prefer to be someplace warm when it does."
George offered her his arm, and she took it. "Oh, right. Warm is good," she smiled sheepishly. "Sorry lovey, I just didn't expect this..."
"I know," he said. "I wanted you to be surprised."
"Well, you certainly achieved your goal," she assured him. "How did you manage to pull this off so quickly?"
George winked. "Magic."
~•~
"I feel like royalty," Y/N marveled, turning in a slow circle, before spreading her arms wide and falling back onto the massive bed, with George following suit seconds later.
Sinking into the downy mattress was like being engulfed in a cloud. All the wild, whirlwind exhilaration of the morning settled down into the gentle warmth of simply being together. They lay there for a while, wrapped in one another's arms, just talking and soaking in the realization that they were now officially Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.
George held up Y/N's hand, admiring the wedding band that graced her ring finger. "Mrs. George Weasley. Mrs. Y/N Weasley," he grinned. "They just roll right off the tongue. I don't think I'll ever get tired of saying them or introducing you as my wife."
Y/N giggled. "I'll never get tired of hearing you say it." Everyone they passed in the hotel knew who they were as George had proudly introduced themselves as Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, newly married, to every soul that passed by them.
George sighed happily and kissed her hand. "You know, when we first met, I was close to giving up on love," he admitted. "I wanted so much to find someone just for me. Someone who didn't compare me to Fred or expect me to be his clone or whatever. But every girl I dated didn't really want me. They all wanted Fred. Every damn one of them. And, the thought of being someone's consolation prize was beginning to outweigh my fear of ending up alone."
He went quiet for a moment before a brilliant smile spread across his face. "Then, you just waltzed right into my life, completely out of the blue, and changed it forever."
"We changed each other's lives. I fully expected to end up being the crazy cat lady," she said. "Now here I am, married to the most amazing man on the planet."
George's ears turned a bright shade of crimson, and he kissed Y/N soft and slow, safe in the knowledge that his world was just as it should be.
~•~
"Order away, my love," Y/N smiled in response to George's suggestion to calling up room service.
"Your wish is my command, my lady," he said gallantly and sat up. "But first, I want to spoil you a bit more and run you a hot bath so you can relax while we wait for our food."
"Ooh, that sounds divine," Y/N smiled, sitting up to give George another kiss.
~•~
Y/N emerged from the bath to find food of all sorts gracing the table. "I ordered all the appetizers. I thought finger food would be best." George grinned like a kid in a candy store.
"Georgie, baby... " Y/N stared at the smorgasbord. "I'm not even sure where to start."
"How 'bout right here, then?" With a cheeky grin, her husband flopped down in the nearest chair and patted his lap.
~•~
"I love this," George smiled, kissing the top of Y/N's head.
"What? Muggle game shows?" She teased. They were snuggled up in bed, watching tv.
"No, silly," George chuckled. "Us. Forever. And all that comes with it. Cuddling while watching mindless tv, experimenting in the kitchen, and then ordering in pizza when it's a glorious failure. Getting into arguments and then making up. Smiling for no reason. Having the most adorable ginger babies and watching them grow up."
"You seem quite certain they'll all be ginger," Y/N interjected.
"Of course they will. All Weasleys are ginger," he said proudly. "But, that's beside the point..." George paused for a moment. "Now, where was I? Oh, right," His hand slid down the length of her body. "And lots of kisses. Good morning kisses," he gave her a peck on the lips. "Mid-day kisses," he moved down her jaw line and down her throat. "Afternoon kisses," George continued to work his way downward, paying extra attention to all her pleasure points. "And, of course, evening kisses," he smiled up at Y/N before disappearing under the covers.
Y/N giggled and grabbed the remote, turning off the tv.
~•~
@milivanili99 @slytherclaw1978 @quackitysdrugdealer @pansexualwitchwhoneedstherapy @ladylizzieofdarbyshire @fancy-pantaloons @samberriejams @totalwitch2 @aslanvez @mrsgweasley @morally-grey-obsessed @asuperconfusedgirl @hmisa11 @superduckmilkshake @junerprsh @wolfkill16 @kaysau2510 @planetkt @thankyouforanonymity @thatonepersonwhocantwrite @smallsweetvanillabean @themaraudersslut @hanne-montana @greenapplegrass @yoursarahg @marvelgirlstories @ceehance @whotfskai
#george weasley#george weasley x reader#george weasley x y/n#george weasley x fem!reader#george weasley x you#hp universe#hp fandom
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To Cleave Destiny: Prologue
Summary: One moment Emma Swan is an orphan who’s managed to carve out a modest living chasing down bail skips. The next, she’s the key to an age-old prophecy about the two factions which have been secretly battling for control over human souls since the dawn of time. With hardly any of the skills that should have been her birthright, she’s thrown into the middle of a race to end the escalating conflict forever—a race that involves the parents she never knew and the son she gave up for adoption. And a charming, roguish demon who helps her when it suits his plans.
Rating: T
Genre: Alternate Universe, Action/Adventure, Romance
Also on AO3
A/N: This is my entry for @cssns 2023! Special thanks to @resident-of-storybrooke for beta reading this. It's been a while since I've written something multi-chaptered and so plot-heavy. So hopefully it'll turn out okay. Ack!
PROLOGUE: The Crimson Curse
28 Years Ago
Mud squelched beneath Killian’s boots as he trudged up a path overgrown with thick foliage. Rain beat a steady rhythm against the shoulders of his leather jacket, collected in rivulets that slid through his hair and down his face as he hunched forward in a futile attempt to protect the bundle in his arms. His body was weakened from the long trek, burning from a physical exertion that he was no longer accustomed to, but he resisted the clarion call of power coiling about him. Just a touch of that unseen force—hardly more than a crumb—and every pang would be soothed. No. He bloody well wasn’t going to toss all of his careful effort away over something so trivial as sore legs and an aching back.
The path curved, opening into a small clearing painted with a kaleidoscope of life in dramatic contrast to the muted grey-green forest behind. Even the clouds seemed brighter here as though cheerfully sprinkling the grass and flowers instead of weeping in a morose downpour. At the top of a gentle slope sat a small cottage with whitewashed clapboard walls, roof covered entirely with clovers. The chimney was devoid of smoke despite the cool afternoon, but he knew she was inside, sensed it through the invisible bond that connected her to him. He set his jaw with grim determination.
The door to the cottage swung open when he stepped onto the stoop. Gothel looked the same as he remembered, though it had been decades since he last required her services. Wild auburn hair framing milky, ageless features. Her pale eyes rounded in unhappy surprise when she recognized her visitor. She inched back, hand going to the door as though intending to slam it shut. He held up a finger, gave her a bare shake of his head as he pushed his foot across the threshold.
“Now, love,” he said, “is that any way to greet an old friend?”
“What do you want, Fatum?” she asked, suspicion in her honeyed alto.
“Pirate,” he corrected. He’d never cared for any other moniker. “First, I should think a little hospitality is in order. Good form, and all that.”
A beat passed before she stepped aside to grant him entry. The interior of her modest home had an open floor plan. A simple sofa and a stuffed armchair were set up in front of a brick hearth. One corner was a tiny kitchen with an olive-colored stovetop and a dining set made of Formica and chrome. The place was teeming with plants, hanging from the ceiling, haphazardly placed on dusty bookshelves, in window sills. She floated by a garland-strewned mantel, barefoot and wearing a verdant gown made of layers of sheer fabric. The fireplace instantly flared to life with crackling flames as she passed.
“I suppose you’ll be wanting tea,” she said with no small amount of derision.
“Tempting, but no,” he replied. “I have more pressing matters that need tending to.” He gestured toward the bundle in his left arm. As if on cue, the tiny thing began to stir, letting out a soft mewl.
Gothel edged toward him, gaze fixed on the knitted blanket. Killian pulled back a corner, revealing the newborn infant he’d carried for leagues. The child blinked large eyes at the sudden brightness, mouth stretching in a toothless yawn. Gothel recoiled from the babe with a hiss.
“She’s of the light,” she said, spitting the last word as the curse it was.
“Aye,” Killian agreed. “I need your help to fix that.”
Gothel looked up at him, features falling slack with disbelief. “I’m not strong enough to snuff out that flame,” she sneered. “And neither are you, I wager.”
He huffed a quiet laugh. “Oh, I’m perfectly capable of ‘snuffing out this flame,’” he said, “but I have no intention of doing so.” He glanced down at the pretty little thing with that wispy blond hair and rosebud lips. He wasn’t particularly keen on children, but this one was special. This one could be the key to everything he’d been working toward for centuries.
“I need a spell,” he said to Gothel. “I need to hide her from him.”
Gothel withdrew farther, flinging up a hand as if to ward off danger. “What have you done, Pirate?” she demanded. “You’re a fool if you think he won’t discover you.”
Killian’s lips curved into a deadly smile. "Is that any of your business, love?" he asked in a quiet voice. "Can you do the spell or do I have to find someone else?"
She narrowed her eyes, but there was fear written there as well. “What’s in it for me?”
He didn’t answer immediately but reached forward, feeling for that imperceptible thread that bound the two of them. There. A thin strand of dark energy that he wound around his finger. He balled his hand and yanked. Gothel’s breath tore out of her lungs in a croak as she lurched toward him, skin turning ashen, lines growing like spider webs across her smooth face.
“Don’t toy with me, witch,” he bit out in a growl. “I can send you to Infernum with the snap of my fingers.” He tightened his fist and her mouth fell open in a silent scream. Electric vitality pulsed into him from her, demanding to be consumed. There were more witches, weren’t there? Others who could give him what he needed. He could drain this one, add her to the souls who gave him strength, and oh, there was plenty to take from her.
The babe in his arms cried out, shattering the feral want that had nearly overtaken him. He released Gothel, and the witch crumpled to the floor in a tangled heap, gasping for air. He despised that craving for power, always hungering, always thirsting for more. But the bleak price was one of many means justified by the end he sought.
Gothel looked up at him from her hands and knees, hatred warring with terror in her features as color returned to her skin, the cracks vanishing. He felt no pity for her. She’d known the cost when she made her bargain with him long ago. He turned his attention to the child, rocking her gently while Gothel rose to her feet.
“Fortunately for you,” he said, glancing at the witch, “I’m feeling particularly generous at the moment. As a boon for this deed, I won’t call in your debt for, shall we say, another century. I’ll even let you keep your youthful glow.”
He smirked. Vanity was one of her greatest weaknesses. She’d thought once to use her beauty against him in a woeful attempt at seducing more power from him, but he hadn’t been so easily swayed.
She licked her lips. “Fat lot of good your generosity will do me when he’s figured out what we’ve done.” She made no further argument, though, as she crossed the room to heave a large, careworn tome from a shelf. She set it on the table, spine cracking as she opened it. Muttering under her breath, she leafed through the yellowed pages.
Killian circled her home as he waited. The clock was winding down on this bold gambit, and it was only a matter of time before he was summoned by the very creature he hoped to thwart—nay, destroy. The Dark One wanted this child, so much so that he’d put a bounty out on her, something unheard of among the Fata. As Killian studied the babe in his arms, he couldn’t begin to guess why she garnered such single-minded interest from the strongest of the Fates. The soft white aura that surrounded her was dazzling, to be sure—brighter than he’d seen of her kind—but preventing the Saints from adding to their ranks was hardly cause for this feverish hunt.
Whatever the reason, it had tipped the Dark One’s hand, and Killian wasn’t going to waste the opportunity to circumvent the demon.
“Bring the child,” Gothel said. She pulled open the doors to a hutch and searched through an array of colorful glass bottles.
He swiped a large wicker basket propped against the wall and set it on the table. The little one, fast asleep once more, didn’t stir when he placed her inside. He stretched stiff arms as he scanned the open pages of the grimoire. The flowery script was in the long-dead language of the Nymphs, and that was as far his knowledge went. With a drop of power and intention, every line would become legible for him, but he couldn’t risk being tracked. Not yet.
Gothel returned to the table, grinding ingredients with pestle and mortar. “In order to cloak her luster,” she said, “its equal and opposite is required. Blood for blood, as it were.”
“I didn’t come here for riddles, witch,” Killian returned with a glower.
“I assure you that I speak plainly.” She retrieved a small dagger with a thin, rippled blade. “The darkness in your Fatum blood will overshadow the light in hers.” She held her other hand out as an indication that he should give her his.
He raised a brow, amused that she assumed he would trust her so implicitly. If he could use Sight, he’d likely find any number of enchantments on that knife. He certainly didn’t miss the twitch of anticipation in the corner of her mouth. Holding her gaze, he lifted his left arm, the end glinting with the silver hook that had replaced a long lost appendage, and dug the sharp tip into his right palm. Pain sliced through his hand as he dragged the hook across the skin in a jagged cut, though he kept a grimace from his face. He held the wound over the small bowl of herbs, and blood fell in such deep crimson drops that it splattered nearly black into the mixture.
Expression falling flat, Gothel pulled back the blanket swaddling the child and grasped her tiny foot. The little one’s face pinched, turning a brilliant shade of red, when the blade pricked her heel. She breathed out a piercing scream as Gothel pinched her foot to encourage that carmine life force to dribble into the bowl. Steam curled up in lazy coils as the child’s blood met Killian’s, and he sensed an infinitesimal tug in his chest, a whisper of a bond half-formed. Gothel flicked her wrist, and the babe’s wails abruptly silenced.
Killian took a step toward the witch, jaw set with menace. “If you’ve harmed—”
“She’s merely asleep,” Gothel said, picking up pestle and mortar and resuming her work. “There is a price for this magic.”
“There always is.” He pulled a kerchief from the inside pocket of his jacket, careful not to let the fabric touch the gash in his palm as he pressed it against the small cut in the babe’s foot. His gaze caught the corner of the blanket flapped against the basket. There was a name stitched in the knitting. Emma. It seemed rather fitting for the lass.
“Don’t leave me in suspense, love,” he said, glancing back at Gothel. “What are my dues for this scheme?”
“As it is you who curses her, so it is you who can set her free.” Riddles again. Lovely. Before he could demand clarification, however, Gothel provided it. “Once she drinks this, you must keep your distance. If you touch even the hair on her head, her light will shine forth again.”
A negligible cost then, and one he certainly would have no trouble paying. Of course, the witch needn’t know it. He watched as Gothel poured out the concoction into an empty glass bottle, and he frowned. “How am I to get her to imbibe that sludge?” He nodded toward the blackened lumpy drink.
“Patience, Pirate.” Gothel raised her hands and murmured under her breath in the old tongue. Her fingers glowed with a tinge of green and the contents of the bottle swirled, changing into a deep red liquid, thin as water. Finished, she stoppered the bottle with a bit of cork and offered it to him.
He studied her for any hint of duplicity. “If you think to trick me,” he began, but she spoke over him.
“Yes, you demonstrated the consequences quite well.”
“Good.” He took the bottle, stashed it in his pocket. He grasped a handful of the blanket wrapped around Emma and lifted her out of the basket into his arms. She grunted, nestling against his chest.
Gothel scrambled around the table as he made for the door. “I can hide her for you.” She stretched her arms as if to take the babe from him, but then let them fall to her side when he glared at her.
“Don’t be greedy now, witch,” he warned. “You have your boon, and it’s more than you deserve.” He wrenched the door open and stepped out into the rain, steeling himself for another long trek.
~
More than twenty-four hours later, Killian sat in a quiet pub in South Dock Marina, nursing a dram of rum while he watched the bartender. The cursed babe had been spirited away to parts unknown by his most trusted man while he traversed to the other side of the world—without the benefit of his abilities. He was grateful for modern automation; a trip that would have taken months when he was still mortal was now condensed to a single day.
That said, the wonder of those airborne contraptions wore off by the third flight—when he was forced to listen to a doddering grandmother prattle on about her family for hours. He’d been tempted to offer the woman dreams beyond her wildest imaginings if she would kindly shut up. But the silver quercu she wore on a thin chain was an ample deterrent. The oak tree was the symbol of the Faithful, and they were rarely subject to the guile of his kind.
He took a sip of his drink, letting the sweet, woody liquid roll over his tongue. Fatigue had sunk deep into his sinews, refusing to be appeased by the snippets of rest he was able to steal during his travels. He’d resisted the siren song of his power for nearly two days, and he was feeling terribly human. After centuries, it was novel to experience long-forgotten discomforts. Nostalgia resurrected memories of simpler times: the wind in his hair, the crash of water against the bow of his ship, his hand on the helm as he steered his crew toward adventure.
But that was the life of another man, a ghost which haunted Killian only when he deigned to acknowledge its existence.
He set down his empty tumbler with a sigh. Denying his nature for a fleeting taste of mortality would come at an increasingly greater cost. Aches and pains would soon give way to greying hair and gnarled joints in an accelerated race toward the grave he escaped generations ago. Perhaps he would let death take him prisoner one day, but not before he finished his quest.
“Another one, mate?” The barkeep stood before him, tattooed arms crossed over his broad chest, rag draped on a shoulder.
Killian breathed in sulfurous energy, and the illusion of humanity fled, taking with it the stiffness in his muscles, the pervasive exhaustion. The scabbed-over cut in his hand knit together without a scar. Hale and hearty once more, he studied the other man with a lancing gaze. It wouldn’t be long before the Dark One’s bootlickers came calling, but Killian might as well attend to business while he waited.
He bore his teeth in a broad grin and flipped a doubloon to the barkeep. The other man caught the archaic coin, frowning as he held it up to the light.
“What’s this?” he asked.
“Look closer, mate,” Killian encouraged. His smile stretched wider as the barkeep’s eyes rounded.
Time paused. The few other patrons in the establishment suddenly froze like mannequins, and ambient noise dissipated into an unnatural stillness. Killian watched his mark experience two lifetimes between one breath and the next. The first would be his fate should he continue on his path unaided. The second showed possibilities he’d only dreamt of—if he were to entertain a mutually beneficial arrangement.
James O’Leary wanted many things, but most of all, he craved revenge for his brother’s death at the hands of the criminal outfit that ran the shipyards. And vengeance was Killian’s stock and trade.
“How?” James glanced around the small pub, mouth falling open. He looked at Killian, shrinking back. “What are you?” His question was hoarse, laced with mounting terror.
“Oh, you needn’t fear me,” Killian said with a wink. “I’m here to answer your prayers.”
James shook his head slowly. “If you’re an angel, I’m the king of England.”
Killian grinned at the retort and leaned forward. “But what you want isn’t angelic, is it, James O’Leary? It’s a black, festering desire, and I find that I’m inclined to grant it for you.” He waved his hand. “For a price, of course.”
James blinked, conflict in his rough features, though Killian was certain he wouldn’t have to spell out the terms of their impending bargain.
The pub dimmed infinitesimally, the change only noticeable to Killian’s enhanced vision, and his smile fell. He didn’t need to glance over his shoulder to know that his escort had arrived. “I’m afraid I have another engagement,” he said to James as he rose from the barstool. He dropped a glossy, obsidian card on the bar, blank save for his name in gilded script. “Do call when you’re ready to retain my services.”
Time resumed in the pub as if the exchange had never happened, and Killian strode toward the exit, sparing only a glance at the pair of devotees sent to collect him. With a subtle flick of his wrist, the door became a gateway to the grand hall of the Dark One’s palace. Killian stepped through, letting the portal snap shut on his heels. He may have been summoned, but he wouldn’t be brought before the crocodile like some cowering mongrel.
This citadel had once belonged to Hades, but when the god had been imprisoned, Rumplestiltskin took the place as his own. He fancied himself the head of Fatum Praefecti, and there was no one strong enough to argue the point—yet. Killian had no ambition for the throne, but he had every intention of tearing that devil down.
Unaccompanied, Killian sauntered down the aisle toward the dais. His clothing changed from late twentieth century fashion to the leather accouterments from his days as a marauder, complete with a high collared overcoat and a saber strapped to his side. The hook he’d been forced to leave behind on his pedestrian trek across the world appeared at the end of his left arm. He could have healed that hand after his initiation into the Fata, but its lack served as a reminder of his singular goal.
Torches lined onyx walls, and Fates stood in audience by the dozens, eager to witness the bloodletting that they hoped would transpire. A few members of his loyal crew dotted the crowd, and each gave him a nod in solidarity as his gaze passed over them. He’d rather not have cause to need their aid, not if he played his cards right, but he was glad of their unwavering fidelity.
Rumple sat draped across the blocky throne, playing cat’s cradle with a glowing thread as if he hadn’t called court. The Dark One had a mottled green complexion, more scale than skin, that shimmered in the flickering torchlight, and the effect made one’s gaze want to slide away from him. Cerberus, the giant three-headed hellhound, lay slumbering at his feet, blowing tiny puffs of inky smoke from each of its noses.
Killian stopped at the base of the dais and rested his hook on the hilt of his sword. “All this pomp and circumstance,” he said, “might make a man believe he’s become important to the Dark One.”
Disdain briefly twisted Rumble’s lip. “Oh, I wouldn’t let it go to your head, Captain,” he replied, thread vanishing from his fingers. “On second thought, do. It’ll fatten that thick skull of yours right up and make it a tasty treat for my boy.” He reached down and gave one of the gigantic beast’s heads a pat. Cerberus rumbled in response.
“I’ll wager that I’m too tough to be palatable for the creature,” Killian returned. “Let’s dispense with our usual pleasantries, Crocodile, and get straight to the matter at hand. I’ve come to collect my bounty.” There was no sense in pretending ignorance for his summons.
Rumple sat up, his venomous smile revealing a set of broken, blackened teeth. “Have you, now?” He held out his hands, fingers dancing in anticipation. “Well, don’t stand on ceremony. Hand over my prize.”
Killian tipped his head to the side, brows dipping in feigned bewilderment. “Your prize?”
Rumple’s grin turned into a sneer. “Yes, my prize,” he said. “The bounty was for a particular newborn babe. Where is it?”
“You wanted the child alive?” Killian clucked his tongue. “Your instructions were rather vague, and wanting to please you, I dispatched the little thing.”
“Lies!” Rumple hissed.
Killian raised his hand and hook. “Search, and you’ll not find a child of that light drawing breath on this earth.”
“That was mine!” Rumple roared, awakening Cerberus. The beast growled in complaint.
“Then you should have stolen the babe yourself,” Killian said, acrimony seeping into his words, “instead of lounging on your throne while others toil in your name.”
Rumple glared at him with reptilian eyes. “Watch your tongue, Captain,” he warned, “lest I remove it.”
“Give what’s owed to me, Crocodile,” Killian countered in an equally chilly tone, “lest the rest of the Fata think this is how the Dark One rewards loyalty.”
Rumple leaned back, affecting an air of apathy, though Killian knew his threat had struck true. “Ah, but do you have proof of your claims? You can’t expect me to take a pirate at his word.”
Killian pulled a kerchief from his pocket, the one he’d used to stem the cut in baby Emma’s heel. The blood stain had dried more brown than red, but it would do. He tossed the bit of cloth at the throne, and Rumple deftly caught it. The demon brought it to his nose, inhaling deeply.
“Yes, yes,” he conceded. “It’ll have to do, I suppose.” He crumpled the kerchief in a fist, transforming it into a glittering white dust, and poured it into the small glass vial that he’d conjured in his other hand.
“If we’re finished…” Killian said.
Rumple raised a finger, though his gaze stayed on his prize. “One more thing,” he said. “If you were so eager to please me, I wonder why it took you so long to come boast about your astonishing feat.”
Killian forced a sigh in diffidence. “The child was protected by the Saints.” Not a lie. “Understandably, the endeavor did not leave me unscathed. It took some effort in order to access my power again.”
Rumple studied him, eyes narrowed. “Yes, we’re all very happy that you’ve made a swift and complete recovery.” He held Killian’s gaze for another heartbeat before flicking a hand in dismissal. “Go on, then. Enjoy your spoils while you can, Pirate.”
Tramping down a swell of triumph, Killian spun around and stalked away from the dais, his crew filing in behind him. Against all odds, the ploy had succeeded, but it was a temporary victory. The mystery of Emma still remained, and until he could ferret out her significance to the Crocodile, he’d be no closer to getting his revenge.
TBC
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Jumpspace Renegade - ep. 8 ✨🚀
[4.3k words, 15 min. read - Skz x Fem. Reader - Stray Kids Multi Fic, Scifi!au, Choose Your Own Adventure - SFW/Smut in Other Chapters - Changlix, Seungmin is a Flirt and a Fiend, Banter and Tension, Harmless Pranks, Infidelity, Scifi Guns, Always Check the Tags]
[Episodes on Fridays 7pm pst, Polling closes Saturdays 7pm pst]
[Series Masterlist | Come Say Hi!]
“How about a deal,” Minho offered. “Where you stop, I’ll stop. If you get dumped at the Hatchery or Sentury or whatever, I’ll detour with you if you’ll come with me to Victory Meridian.”
You thought about this. “Only me?”
“Only you,” Minho nodded. “I can't risk recruiting the crew; I don't trust them.”
“And if I don’t?”
“What, like if you decide to be a good crewmate and sell me out? That’s allowed, too. You can just say no. You can just tell me ‘goodnight, Minho’ and I’ll drop it.”
“That’s it?” you asked, your voices hushed in the more open service corridors.
“I mean, I’ll stop trusting you, that’s all.”
You heavily considered your choices, but ultimately understood where the two of you sat in this scenario. All you had to do was say yes. All Minho expected was for you to say yes. And he may even expect that you'll turn on him if the situation gets bad enough.
It was an easy decision.
Minho was closing in on you against the wall of the service passage, pressing up real cozy again.
“Goodnight, Minho,” you cooed.
The outlaw’s gaze almost cracked.
“I'm kidding,” you laughed. “I’m with you. I’ll let you know if anything interesting comes up before we land on Phaborus.”
Minho looked bewildered for a second, and even more when you leaned in to kiss his cheek goodnight. He staunchly rebuffed the move, leaning back an inch. “Good. No more of that, though.”
“Because I joked?!”
“No,” Minho shook his head, “I don't fool around with wingmen. It gets messy. Get some shut-eye.”
It was your turn to look bewildered when Minho lifted his cuffed hands to ruffle your hair and promptly leave.
“That’s fine!” you called after him. “I’ll just send Jisung down next time I'm thinking of you!”
“Good!” Minho repeated over his shoulder. “He and I have unfinished business.”
You watched Minho head back to the cargo hold before you remembered how dumb you just were. Your cabin door was still locked, wasn't it? That’s what got you out here in the first place. You peeked into your room.
Only to find that it wasn't locked at all. It was open.
You climbed back up into your cabin, only to find that the hatch in your closet was open, too. Chan must have come in at some point to set you free.
You tiptoed out to the workshop, seeing if there were any signs of life in here. The tarp covering the boat was pulled off, and when you crept closer for a curious look, you found Felix and Changbin tangled together under a blanket on deck, dozing like babies.
Sleep sounded great.
The events of the day caught up to you all at once. Your shoulders ached in a soreness that radiated down through to your hips. You dragged yourself into the shower for a much needed full-body scrub, and finally into bed. Astral clouds and fields of stars escorted you to sleep.
Hours elapsed.
Sleeping here still felt leagues better than back home.
You were only sort of surprised that you were up again shortly after midday. Your room was still set to have ambient light that would change depending on the time of the day cycle, so you'd actually managed to sleep through hours of light.
The ship was still largely quiet when you took a look around, but a voice called out to you when you entered the galley.
“Hey, you’re up already!”
You turned to see Changbin poking his head into the doorway of his cabin. He waved you over.
“Come help me with something, would you?”
You nodded, attentively trotting into the mechanic's cabin. Today, given how warm the ship still felt (even after cooling off for hours) you’d opted for a breathable long-sleeve top with some cargo shorts, much roomier and comfier than yesterday's workout set. Your new boots still squeaked on the metal floor.
Changbin’s cabin was attractively clean, maybe not methodically spotless but still organized and well-kept. A pull-up bar was welded onto the back of his cabin door and a set of weights sat in the corner under his packed bookshelf. His open closet was outfitted with extra compartments in the shelves. On the bed, Changbin had two outfits laid out.
“We never go anywhere as nice as Phaborus lately,” Changbin explained. “I mean, it's the Hatchery, so it’s all tourists and fishing companies, but I missed going out. Trying to figure out what to wear before I go wash up and shave.”
The chosen outfits surprised you. Solely based on what you knew about Phaborus, you’d assumed the whole planet was tropical, but Changbin had pulled out rain gear and other stylishly warmer options. He picked up the black shirt on the left and held it up to his chest in the mirror on the inside of the closet door before grabbing the gray shirt on the right and doing the same.
You took a seat at Changbin's desk. The surface was an amalgam of his personal tools, his accessories and colognes, and an amusingly sizable collection of pictures. A notable amount of the photos were of Felix, all freckles and beaming smiles. One photo featured Changbin with two women that he shared a charming resemblance with. You picked it up, enjoying the idea of having a family out there. Behind the picture, however, was another. This photo was of a woman. A gorgeous redhead.
“Who’s this?” you casually asked.
Changbin looked at you holding the other photo. “Spitting image, right? My sister and my mom,” he coolly answered. “I’m thinking the gray is a little more flattering today. Maybe with the task boots?”
You did a double take at the photos before realizing Changbin hadn't answered your question. The misunderstanding nagged at you, but before you could ask again he came over, plucking a watch up off a little display stand. It wasn’t overtly flashy, but it was noticeably nice.
“Did I show you? Felix got it for me,” he gushed. “He knows me so well.”
“You two are so close,” you complimented.
“We are,” Changbin nodded. “I’ve never felt seen by anyone the way Felix sees me.”
You marveled over that. It sounded so easy for him to say. “He sees you?”
Changbin nodded affirmatively again, this time choosing between bags. “Yeah. I feel like I'm really myself around him. I don't think I've felt that way around anyone before, honestly. I'd leave everything behind in a heartbeat if he said the same thing.”
Everything? Aside from the family you weren't sure what much more there was to leave behind.
“Hey, did you eat yet?” Changbin suddenly asked, getting your attention back.
You sat up straight, setting the photo down and shaking your head. Changbin pointed out towards the galley.
“If my nose doesn't deceive me,” he continued, “I think you can grab a bite before everyone else wakes up.”
Sure enough, something delicious was wafting in from the kitchen. You got up from the desk and picked up one of the two bags, the handsome, waxed canvas crossbody, and plonked it in his hands. He affectionately booted you out before closing the door behind you.
Out in the galley, Jisung was sat alone in the booth. An unopened iced coffee waited on the table while he peacefully dozed in his upright position. Back in the kitchen, Felix helped Jeongin with the cooking. They spied you coming in nonetheless, not nearly as distracted as the activity would suggest. Before Jeongin could step away, Felix reassuringly patted his shoulder before greeting you with a wide smile. You managed to be the first to grab a scone and proudly had half of it in your mouth already.
“Morning, dude,” he grinned. “You think you can round everyone up and make them eat something? I have a plate saved for you in the warmer.”
“Oh!” you absently responded, your mouth still stuffed full. “Sure?” It was a little maddening to let all the food wait without you, but it wasn’t like you couldn’t get it done and do Felix a favor. You ran through a quick roster of who Felix would be referring to. That would be Seungmin, Hyunjin, and Chan, right? And you’d have to see if Minho was awake, you supposed. You nodded your acceptance to Felix and set about your task.
You first trotted down to the cargo hold, seeing if your suspicions were correct. Sure enough, Minho was sleeping like a baby in the brig, all wrapped up under his coat. Two rooms faced you behind the staircase to return upstairs. You tried the open door first. Upon finding no Hyunjin, you guessed that this could be Jeongin’s cabin. It was mysteriously empty, lacking the accumulation of stuff the other crewmates had. Some trinkets and a couple photos decorated the space, maybe having been picked up on his travels with the crew thus far. You remembered Jisung mentioning that the cabin boy had been a stowaway, too. It was easy to get distracted wondering where he’d come from, what he was leaving behind.
Back on track, you tried the other door and were surprised to find this cabin pitch dark, save for one small lamp casting a blue glow. Hyunjin carefully inspected something on his desk with a pair of magnification glasses and some sort of meter. A pair of headphones snug on his ears were blasting music. You leaned closer over his shoulder. As it turned out, the tiny object was actually a small picture, maybe even a painting by how the arm on the meter gingerly scratched the piece’s surface. You accidentally leaned forward an inch too far, pressing into Hyunjin’s back and making him jump.
“Holy shit!” Hyunjin wheezed, whipping off the glasses and headphones. He flipped on a regular lamp and wheeled around on you, catching his breath.
“I’m sorry!” you apologized with a wince. “You looked busy.”
“It’s okay,” Hyunjin waved you off with a small laugh. “Did you come to finally ask me about your Clessorian ring?”
You ogled him. “How did you know?”
Hyunjin shrugged. “I’m not interested in stealing it, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“Too much trouble?” you joked.
“We’re locked in a tin can together,” Hyunjin smirked. “Not a great idea to steal from anyone here if I don’t plan on making a sale.”
“Admirable. Where are you selling that?” you asked, gesturing towards the little painting.
Hyunjin’s eyes lit up. “This? I’d never sell this. Maybe trade, if requested, but I’m actually returning it when we get to the Hatchery.” He placed the small picture in your hands. Looking at it closer, it depicted a gorgeous treeline and dark blue waves, accented in white seafoam. “Isn’t it great? I found it the last time we were in a convoy.”
“What is it exactly?” you wondered.
“It’s a Phaborian mating pendant,” Hyunjin explained. “Phaborians present these to their potential partners; it’s supposed to depict their future home and life together. Poor ones make them themselves, rich ones get them commissioned, and generic ones are mass produced for the tourist trade. This one just happens to be of the Hatchery, so I’m finding somewhere to return it when I’m done trading. I’m just testing it to make sure it’s, y’know, not one of the tourist ones.”
You examined the painted pendant in your hand. The delicate brushstrokes scratched the pad of your thumb gingerly passing over the surface. It’d be cool to get one of these, you mused. You thought of Changbin and Felix.
Yeah. It’d be nice to have something like that someday.
“You want to come along when I go trading?” asked Hyunjin, gently taking the pendant back from you. “The market at the Hatchery is pretty neat.”
“I’d love that. It sounds fun,” you grinned appreciatively. You nodded back out to the hold. “But first you should grab something to eat.”
“Fair enough,” Hyunjin nodded, setting his work down and following you back up to the galley.
Jisung was still sleeping where you left him, and you couldn’t help yourself. You grabbed a nutrient shake from the cooler and swapped out the cans, taking his still unopened coffee for yourself. One of the little love bites Minho left Jisung was still an angry purple on his neck.
You jogged up the stairs, finding no apparent signs of life but faced with the task of trying to access Chan’s door for the first time. The door was clearly outlined in the alcove of the staircase but lacked an apparent knob or switch or lever or anything. You looked the door up and down. There was a quaint little pattern lining the door. Three little squares recessed into the metal panel, and then two further down, and three again, alternating all the way around until–
Oh. Well, duh.
The sequence broke, leaving a chain of three lined-up squares in a column of three. You felt around these, until the center of the center line lit up.
Cute.
You crept into Chan’s room, the right way. There was no sign of activity around; no hint of the captain being awake, and then you finally caught your prize: a blanketed lump on the bed.
Coming closer, Chan was curled up under his thick blanket. You stroked his hair and got no response. You pinched his cheek with the same result. Dead asleep.
But, to your delight, his cybernetic leg was exposed. The need to meddle returned. He did cuff you and lock you in your cabin the previous night, after all. You leaned down, taking Chan’s foot at the articulated joint of his ankle and manually twisting it the wrong way around.
Take that, you gloated internally.
You straightened back up, ready to leave when a hand grabbed your leg. You screeched.
“Put it back,” Chan grumbled into his pillow, eyes not even opening to look at you.
You froze, trying to get your wits back about you before automatically cooperating.
“Lee back in the hold?” he groggily asked, still muffled. You nodded before you remembered he wasn’t seeing you.
“Yes, dear,” you sarcastically cooed.
“Atta girl,” he praised sleepily. He affectionately patted your leg before simply grabbing the iced coffee out of your hand. You let him, waiting a bit to see if that was what he needed to get up.
No further activity.
“You’ll miss chow time,” you chided him.
“Sucks for me then. Now go on.”
He waved you away. You thoroughly rolled your eyes, using the far more convenient access on this side of the door to exit Chan’s cabin.
That left the navigator. You peeked around the corner to check the navigation office. Nothing. However, more music was blasting inside Seungmin’s cabin beside it. You knocked, trying to stop yourself from barging in wherever you wanted. No answer. You thought about this.
Well, you didn’t want Seungmin to miss meal time. You poked your head in.
The navigator was busily working at his desk, touching up a physical chart laid out in front of him. Surprising you this time, Seungmin turned to regard you before you had a chance to make your presence known.
“I see you like sneaking,” he grinned.
“I’ve come to profess my love for you,” you dramatically admitted.
“Ugh, finally,” Seungmin smirked. You got a better look at the chart now. In big letters in the caption read GALLORIAN STRAIT, PHABORUS AKA “THE HATCHERY”.
“You're still working on the charts?” you questioned.
“Hey,” the navigator chuckled, “you’re the intruder, I’m asking the questions here. Now what’s this I hear about a ring made out of Clessorian ore?”
Your eyes widened. Your fists instantly clenched. You were agog, mouth opening and closing like a grounded fish.
“How does everyone know?!”
Seungmin laughed out loud, eyes turning up and all. “Word gets around! Anyway, it’s not like I want to steal it, so calm the hell down. I have much bigger fish to fry if you can’t tell.”
“I thought the whole idea with the detour was that you were finished,” you wondered.
The navigator took a second, taking his glasses off and massaging his temples. “Yeah, I thought so, too. But I failed to recall that Phaborian sailors prefer to keep physical charts on board in case their systems go down. I had my final meeting with my customers and they’re like, ‘oh, we’re filling out the customs request, they want to know if you’re using packing tubes or packing sleeves’ and I’m like, ‘packing what’ and that’s when I remembered I’m actually a moron.”
“Ouch,” you sympathized. “Can I help at all?”
“You wanna come along when I make the drop?” Seungmin asked. “I can always use backup.”
“Oh,” you realized, “I’d love to! But I meant like here and now. Like, I’m no good with this but I could maybe bring you something to eat?”
A tough sigh fell out of Seungmin’s chest. He hung his head before getting up. “No, I should take a break.”
“Great,” you smiled reassuringly before you dramatically gestured again. “But you mustn’t tell anyone of our sordid affair.”
You laughed off your own dumb joke with a shake of your head, but that was before Seungmin grabbed your wrist and pulled you in nice and close. A pathetic, gasped curse eked out of you. His hands were wrapped around your waist.
“You are such a little troublemaker, you know that?” he laughed, smooth and low. “I already told you, you don’t want to play with me like that; I get jealous, remember?”
You wriggled out of Seungmin’s grip and he ran after you when you fled, trying to keep your composure. He was shockingly suave, apparently, daunting after he seemed so unassuming. He instantly caught up with you when you made it to the top of the stairs, spinning you around and caging you in again. It was unexpectedly difficult to meet his gaze. First, you felt ridiculously bashful for some reason, and second, when you did look, he was giving you the most sly grin that made your heart beat faster than your encounter with Minho.
“You don’t even know what you’d do with me, do you,” Seungmin chuckled.
“Aren’t I the one that’s supposed to be asking that?” you tried to retort.
Seungmin nodded. “Sure, but I don’t think you know what you’re even doing. Surprising, given how clever you come across as.”
“Who says I’m not clever?” you giggled, far more nervously than you intended.
What the hell was going on? You never got flustered like this before.
“You don’t do this a lot, do you, Nova?” Seungmin grinned. “You don’t spend a lot of time having someone’s full attention.”
I mean, you internally babbled, like outside of the bedroom?
It was stupidly true. Dating was never really your thing, and especially not when you had a parole officer following your every move. And it wasn’t like there were many options back in T’kaarm. You either knew everyone or they were all tourists. Perfect for passing flings, sure, but not really suitable for whatever the hell Seungmin was currently hypnotizing you with.
“What’re you looking for here?” you finally asked him.
Seungmin’s lips were agonizingly close to yours but he wouldn’t lean in any further. “I just thought you were looking for a game of chicken. I’m really good at it. Are you?”
He did lean in now, just another centimeter. Your breath hitched in your throat.
When the resounding snap of blaster fire rocked the staircase. Both your attentions whipped to look down the stairs when another blast caught the railing. You could hear more commotion now.
“Felix!”
You and Seungmin traded worried looks before cautiously making your way downstairs. What you found out there was surprising.
Most noticeable was Felix, brandishing the blaster and trying to get around Jisung, with the pilot awake and madly trying to corral him. And Felix’s aim? Trained on a very distressed Changbin, wearing only a towel after his shower.
“A WIFE, CHANGBIN?!” Felix roared. He ducked into his cabin next to Changbin’s and was tossing things out, likely belonging to the mechanic.
Changbin caught a black hoodie to the face before Jisung could intercept, uselessly trying to herd Felix back into his cabin while Jeongin tried to escort Changbin into his.
“Baby, no–” Changbin brokenly tried to reason with him.
“Baby, nothing, you son of a bitch!” Felix seethed. “A boyfriend or girlfriend or whatever? Sure, that’d suck but I’ve had worse. A kid? I’d deal with that. But you’re fucking married?”
Seungmin tried to grab your sleeve before you could take a few more steps down the stairs, but you shook him off. You still didn't enter the galley, though, opting instead to hang out in the stairwell.
Felix tried to duck around Jisung again before he was promptly tripped and wrestled down to the floor. The two grappled, with Jisung taking an errant elbow to the eyepatch. He squealed out a curse before fixing it and getting back on track.
“Felix? Sweetheart?” Jisung frantically tried to get his attention. “What the fuck is going on?”
“Married, Jisung!” Felix shouted back. “Can you believe I'm so stupid?! He’s always telling me ‘no, baby, not my room, it’s a mess’ and I've been blind enough to accept that shit?!”
Jisung sat up on Felix’s hips, but not without wrestling the blaster away. Hyunjin jumped forward to grab it and keep it safely out of reach, hugging it to his chest. “Yeah, no, honey,” Jisung babbled, “you’re right; that’s shitty. Did something happen, though?”
“So I decide I'll wait for Changbin while he’s in the shower! Maybe be helpful and clean, fuck if I know! And what do I find on his computer?”
Jisung stared. All the men stared, except for Changbin, who was looking at the floor with his hands on his hips.
“A message from this mystery wife!” Felix laughed hysterically. “She’s wondering where the deposit is for the month! Doesn't he know they have a house to pay for?!”
The door to Changbin’s cabin slammed closed, and Jeongin worriedly opened it again to run after him. His door shut far more calmly now.
“Fuck, Felix,” Jisung sighed. “That sucks, love. I'm so sorry.”
The pilot finally leaned off of Felix’s slim frame. Felix sat up now, arms resting on his drawn up knees. He hung his head with his own deep exhale. “I’m the sorry one,” he lamented.
“Anything we can do?” Hyunjin asked from where he was still plastered to the wall.
“Just some space would be great, thanks.” Felix got up to his feet and tersely threw his cabin door open. You all winced when the door roughly clanked shut behind him.
“Well…” Seungmin finally piped up behind you. “I guess I'm taking that break.”
The four of you were awkward when you reassembled at the booth. You’d grabbed the plate Felix promised you, and with both Chan and Minho still sleeping, everyone else managed to grab some food. The air at the table was tense.
“So this is the worst one, right?” Hyunjin asked into his plate.
“What, Felix and Changbin fighting?” Jisung questioned. He opened the nutrient shake you’d set in front of him and took a big swig. Upon realizing it wasn’t the coffee he’d originally grabbed, he reeled, nearly sputtering it out. He did a double take at the can. You sheepishly slid over a new iced coffee in front of him. You'd grabbed it when you realized now might not be the time for harmless pranks.
“Well, like,” Hyunjin processed, “there was that time with Felix and that waitress at Sentury.”
“And the time when Changbin got drunk at the Caravan,” Seungmin contributed.
“And the time when Felix took that bet at Saykorr,” Hyunjin nodded. “But this one is big. This one feels major.”
“Yeah, this is the worst out of all of those,” Jisung decided. “Maybe some space could be good for both of them?”
Seungmin thought about this. “I can take Changbin with me to go drop off the charts,” he suggested.
Hyunjin agreed with a nod. “And I was already going to bring Felix with Nova and I to the market.”
“Can I come?” Jisung asked Hyunjin. “I could pick up a couple things while you're there.”
The navigator paused his current chew of food. “Nova’s going with you to the market? She already said she was coming with me.”
The three of you – you, Hyunjin, and Seungmin – all looked at each other. Jisung scanned all of your faces, too, massively awkward and confused while he drank his coffee.
“Well?” he finally asked, breaking the silence. He caught his breath for a second, like he’d swallowed too much at once in the tension. You gave the pilot a sideways look in the booth. “What do you wanna do?”
You froze, considering your options with a lump in your throat. There was the obvious choice of doing nothing, of course. You could avoid the awkwardness altogether and stay behind, but you’d miss out on Phaborus.
And if you went, it’d be really interesting to see a Phaborian fishing company, but Seungmin was already doing really well at getting under your skin. But Changbin would be coming along, too, and it'd be reassuring to get his side of the story. You liked Changbin. It sucked to think he was a no–good cheater. There had to be something in the story that no one knew.
However, if you tagged along with Hyunjin, you could connect with Felix and check out the market. You could hang out with Jisung, comfort Felix, and see Hyunjin in his element while he went trading. It could very well be way more enjoyable all around.
#stray kids fanfic#skz fanfic#skz imagines#kim seungmin fanfic#kim seungmin x reader#TAGGING BECAUSE I MEAN#LOOK AT HIM#SPOILERS#ALWAYS CHECK THE TAGS#things are going to go hilariously wrong on phaborus no matter what 😌#but if i'm being honest I REALLY like how things go wrong one particular way#because nothing's ever gone wrong when returning a cultural item to its rightful owners 🥴
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The AWS Advantage: Exploring the Key Reasons Behind Its Dominance
In the ever-evolving landscape of cloud computing and web services, Amazon Web Services (AWS) has emerged as a true juggernaut. Its dominance transcends industries, making it the preferred choice for businesses, startups, and individuals alike. AWS's meteoric rise can be attributed to a potent combination of factors that have revolutionized the way organizations approach IT infrastructure and software development. In this comprehensive exploration, we will delve into the multifaceted reasons behind AWS's widespread popularity. We'll dissect how scalability, reliability, cost-effectiveness, a vast service portfolio, unwavering security, global reach, relentless innovation, and hybrid/multi-cloud capabilities have all played crucial roles in cementing AWS's position at the forefront of cloud computing.
The AWS Revolution: Unpacking the Reasons Behind Its Popularity:
1. Scalability: Fueling Growth and Flexibility AWS's unparalleled scalability is one of its defining features. This capability allows businesses to start with minimal resources and effortlessly scale their infrastructure up or down based on demand. Whether you're a startup experiencing rapid growth or an enterprise dealing with fluctuating workloads, AWS offers the flexibility to align resources with your evolving requirements. This "pay-as-you-go" model ensures that you only pay for what you use, eliminating the need for costly upfront investments in hardware and infrastructure.
2. Reliability: The Backbone of Mission-Critical Operations AWS's reputation for reliability is second to none. With a highly resilient infrastructure and a robust global network, AWS delivers on its promise of high availability. It offers a Service Level Agreement (SLA) that guarantees impressive uptime percentages, making it an ideal choice for mission-critical applications. Businesses can rely on AWS to keep their services up and running, even in the face of unexpected challenges.
3. Cost-Effectiveness: A Game-Changer for Businesses of All Sizes The cost-effectiveness of AWS is a game-changer. Its pay-as-you-go pricing model enables organizations to avoid hefty upfront capital expenditures. Startups can launch their ventures with minimal financial barriers, while enterprises can optimize costs by only paying for the resources they consume. This cost flexibility is a driving force behind AWS's widespread adoption across diverse industries.
4. Wide Range of Services: A One-Stop Cloud Ecosystem AWS offers a vast ecosystem of services that cover virtually every aspect of cloud computing. From computing and storage to databases, machine learning, analytics, and more, AWS provides a comprehensive suite of tools and resources. This breadth of services allows businesses to address various IT needs within a single platform, simplifying management and reducing the complexity of multi-cloud environments.
5. Security: Fortifying the Cloud Environment Security is a paramount concern in the digital age, and AWS takes it seriously. The platform offers a myriad of security tools and features designed to protect data and applications. AWS complies with various industry standards and certifications, providing a secure environment for sensitive workloads. This commitment to security has earned AWS the trust of organizations handling critical data and applications.
6. Global Reach: Bringing Services Closer to Users With data centers strategically located in multiple regions worldwide, AWS enables businesses to deploy applications and services closer to their end-users. This reduces latency and enhances the overall user experience, a crucial advantage in today's global marketplace. AWS's global presence ensures that your services can reach users wherever they are, ensuring optimal performance and responsiveness.
7. Innovation: Staying Ahead of the Curve AWS's culture of innovation keeps businesses at the forefront of technology. The platform continually introduces new services and features, allowing organizations to leverage the latest advancements without the need for significant internal development efforts. This innovation-driven approach empowers businesses to remain agile and competitive in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.
8. Hybrid and Multi-Cloud Capabilities: Embracing Diverse IT Environments AWS recognizes that not all organizations operate solely in the cloud. Many have on-premises infrastructure and may choose to adopt a multi-cloud strategy. AWS provides solutions for hybrid and multi-cloud environments, enabling businesses to seamlessly integrate their existing infrastructure with the cloud or even leverage multiple cloud providers. This flexibility ensures that AWS can adapt to the unique requirements of each organization.
Amazon Web Services has risen to unprecedented popularity by offering unmatched scalability, reliability, cost-effectiveness, and a comprehensive service portfolio. Its commitment to security, global reach, relentless innovation, and support for hybrid/multi-cloud environments make it the preferred choice for businesses worldwide. ACTE Technologies plays a crucial role in ensuring that professionals can harness the full potential of AWS through its comprehensive training programs. As AWS continues to shape the future of cloud computing, those equipped with the knowledge and skills provided by ACTE Technologies are poised to excel in this ever-evolving landscape.
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https://www.sifytechnologies.com/cloud-services/multi-cloud-management-services/
Streamlining Your Cloud Journey: Introducing Sify's Multi-Cloud Management Services
In today's rapidly evolving digital landscape, businesses are embracing cloud technology as the cornerstone of their operations. However, managing multiple cloud environments efficiently can pose significant challenges, from ensuring seamless integration to optimizing costs and enhancing security. Recognizing these complexities, Sify Technologies is proud to unveil its cutting-edge Multi-Cloud Management Services, designed to empower businesses with comprehensive solutions for their cloud journey.
Seamless Integration Across Cloud Platforms
Sify's Multi-Cloud Management Services offer a unified platform that seamlessly integrates with leading cloud providers such as AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform, and more. Whether your business operates on a single cloud or across multiple platforms, our solution provides centralized visibility and control, simplifying management tasks and streamlining operations.
Optimized Performance and Cost Efficiency
With Sify's Multi-Cloud Management Services, businesses can optimize their cloud resources for peak performance and cost efficiency. Our advanced analytics and automation tools enable dynamic resource allocation, ensuring that workloads are efficiently distributed across cloud platforms to meet performance objectives while minimizing expenditure. By leveraging real-time insights and predictive analytics, businesses can make data-driven decisions to optimize their cloud spending and maximize ROI.
Enhanced Security and Compliance
Security is paramount in the digital age, and Sify's Multi-Cloud Management Services prioritize the protection of your critical assets. Our comprehensive security features include robust identity and access management, encryption, threat detection, and compliance monitoring across all cloud environments. With built-in security controls and continuous monitoring, businesses can safeguard their data and applications while meeting regulatory requirements and industry standards.
Agile and Scalable Infrastructure
In today's fast-paced business environment, agility and scalability are essential for staying competitive. Sify's Multi-Cloud Management Services enable businesses to scale their infrastructure on-demand, seamlessly adapting to evolving business needs and market demands. Whether you're expanding into new markets, launching innovative products, or responding to sudden spikes in demand, our flexible infrastructure ensures that you can scale resources quickly and efficiently without disruption.
Expert Support and Guidance
At Sify, we understand that embarking on a multi-cloud journey can be daunting. That's why our team of cloud experts is dedicated to providing comprehensive support and guidance every step of the way. From initial planning and migration to ongoing management and optimization, our experienced professionals work closely with clients to develop customized strategies and solutions tailored to their unique business objectives and challenges.
Sify's Multi-Cloud Management Services empower businesses to navigate the complexities of the cloud with confidence and ease. By offering seamless integration, optimized performance, enhanced security, agility, scalability, and expert support, we enable businesses to unlock the full potential of cloud technology and drive innovation and growth. Experience the power of Sify's Multi-Cloud Management Services and embark on a journey towards digital transformation today.
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SAP SF MODULE
Title: SAP SuccessFactors: A Modular Guide to Transforming Your HR
Introduction:
Human Resources (HR) departments are pivotal in driving organizational success in today’s rapidly evolving business landscape. SAP SuccessFactors (SF) is a powerful ally, transforming traditional HR into a strategic force with its cloud-based suite of HR modules. In this blog, we’ll explore these modules and how they can revolutionize your HR processes.
What is SAP SuccessFactors?
SAP SuccessFactors is a cloud-based Human Capital Management (HCM) solution that streamlines and optimizes HR functions. It offers a comprehensive array of modules, each addressing specific HR needs. Whether you want to enhance employee engagement, optimize talent management, or gain actionable HR insights, SuccessFactors delivers the tools for success.
Key SAP SuccessFactors Modules
Let’s break down some of the most potent SAP SF modules:
Employee Central: The core of SuccessFactors. It serves as a centralized HR system of record, housing employee data, payroll, time and attendance, organizational structures, and more.
Recruiting: Streamlines your hiring processes with powerful tools for job postings, applicant tracking, candidate management, and seamless onboarding of new hires.
Onboarding: This provides a welcoming and structured experience for new employees. It automates tasks, provides essential information, and fosters early engagement.
Performance & Goals: Aligns employee goals with organizational objectives, fosters regular feedback, and drives continuous performance improvement.
Compensation: Helps you design and manage competitive compensation plans, ensuring fair and performance-based rewards.
Succession & Development: This department identifies future leaders, develops development plans, and creates a pipeline of talent for critical roles.
Learning: Offers a robust employee training and development platform, supporting diverse learning styles and tracking progress.
Benefits of Using SAP SuccessFactors
Improved Efficiency and Automation: Replaces manual, error-prone processes, saving valuable time and resources for HR teams.
Enhanced Employee Experience: Delivers personalized, self-service HR portals, fostering employee engagement and satisfaction.
Data-Driven Decision Making: Provides powerful analytics and reporting to uncover HR insights, drive informed decisions, and improve strategic workforce planning.
Global Scalability: Supports multinational organizations with a cloud-based system accommodating multi-country regulations and compliance.
Continuous Innovation: Benefits from regular updates and new feature releases, ensuring your HR technology stays at the cutting edge.
Getting Started with SAP SuccessFactors
Implementing SAP SuccessFactors takes careful planning. Here’s how to begin:
Assess Your Needs: Identify your HR pain points and areas for improvement.
Choose the Right Modules: Map those needs to specific SuccessFactors modules.
Partner with an Expert: Consider a certified SAP SuccessFactors consultant to ensure a smooth implementation.
Conclusion
SAP SuccessFactors is a game-changer, empowering HR to catalyze business growth. Its modular approach lets you tailor a solution to your organization’s unique needs. If you’re ready to modernize your HR, exploring SAP SuccessFactors is an investment you won’t regret.
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You can find more information about SAP HR in this SAP HR Link
Conclusion:
Unogeeks is the No.1 IT Training Institute for SAP HR Training. Anyone Disagree? Please drop in a comment
You can check out our other latest blogs on SAP HR here – SAP HR Blogs
You can check out our Best In Class SAP HR Details here – SAP HR Training
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House Envy?
Is house envy a thing? We think so. Check out one of our recent web development projects with the award winning Poppy Developments in Devon. Simon and the team at Poppy Developments are creating amazing and unique homes in the South West of the UK. The Cove, a selection of 2, 3 and 4 bedroom homes is Poppy Developments next project.
Saint IT provides IT Solutions for the small and medium enterprise. We create and re-launch websites that attract customers and help your business succeed
Our company principal of customer first drives our determination to understand the business of our customers and how IT can solve challenges and support future growth. We equally understand that our customers need a cost-effective solution appropriate for the size of business. Saint IT believes that we can achieve these results for you.
Saint IT offers the SME's across the UK services for;
Managed IT Services IT ConsultancyCustomer Relationship Management (CRM) Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Microsoft 365 solutions and support Web design and hosting Multi and hybrid cloud computing Hardware provisioning Network and telephony systems and support Remote working and bring your own device (BYOD) Business continuity services Requirements management and system design Project planning and delivery
We are a proud supporter of local charities and NFP organisations.
www.saint-it.co.uk
www.poppydevelopments
#saintit #poppydevelopments #web
#webdevelopment #webdesign
#architecture #construction #cloud #startup
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SRE Site Reliability Engineering in Multi-Cloud Platform - Swaayata
#Swaayata SRE platform#Multi-cloud management#Cloud provider integration#Application management#Service management#Enterprise cloud solutions#Cloud operations optimization#Operational expense reduction#Cloud SMEs
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Pioneering the Next Era: Envisioning the Evolution of AWS Cloud Services
In the fast-paced realm of technology, the future trajectory of Amazon Web Services (AWS) unveils a landscape rich with transformative innovations and strategic shifts. Let's delve into the anticipated trends that are set to redefine the course of AWS Cloud in the years to come.
1. Surging Momentum in Cloud Adoption:
The upward surge in the adoption of cloud services remains a pivotal force shaping the future of AWS. Businesses of all sizes are increasingly recognizing the inherent advantages of scalability, cost-effectiveness, and operational agility embedded in cloud platforms. AWS, positioned at the forefront, is poised to be a catalyst and beneficiary of this ongoing digital transformation.
2. Unyielding Commitment to Innovation:
Synonymous with innovation, AWS is expected to maintain its reputation for introducing groundbreaking services and features. The future promises an expansion of the AWS service portfolio, not merely to meet current demands but to anticipate and address emerging technological needs in a dynamic digital landscape.
3. Spotlight on Edge Computing Excellence:
The spotlight on edge computing is intensifying within the AWS ecosystem. Characterized by data processing in close proximity to its source, edge computing reduces latency and facilitates real-time processing. AWS is slated to channel investments into edge computing solutions, ensuring robust support for applications requiring instantaneous data insights.
4. AI and ML Frontiers:
The forthcoming era of AWS Cloud is set to witness considerable strides in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). Building upon its legacy, AWS is expected to unveil advanced tools, offering businesses a richer array of services for machine learning, deep learning, and the development of sophisticated AI-driven applications.
5. Hybrid Harmony and Multi-Cloud Synergy:
Flexibility and resilience drive the ascent of hybrid and multi-cloud architectures. AWS is anticipated to refine its offerings, facilitating seamless integration between on-premises data centers and the cloud. Moreover, interoperability with other cloud providers will be a strategic focus, empowering businesses to architect resilient and adaptable cloud strategies.
6. Elevated Security Protocols:
As cyber threats evolve, AWS will heighten its commitment to fortifying security measures. The future holds promises of advanced encryption methodologies, heightened identity and access management capabilities, and an expanded array of compliance certifications. These measures will be pivotal in safeguarding the confidentiality and integrity of data hosted on the AWS platform.
7. Green Cloud Initiatives for a Sustainable Tomorrow:
Sustainability takes center stage in AWS's vision for the future. Committed to eco-friendly practices, AWS is likely to unveil initiatives aimed at minimizing the environmental footprint of cloud computing. This includes a heightened emphasis on renewable energy sources and the incorporation of green technologies.
8. Tailored Solutions for Diverse Industries:
Acknowledging the unique needs of various industries, AWS is expected to craft specialized solutions tailored to specific sectors. This strategic approach involves the development of frameworks and compliance measures to cater to the distinctive challenges and regulatory landscapes of industries such as healthcare, finance, and government.
9. Quantum Computing Integration:
In its nascent stages, quantum computing holds transformative potential. AWS may explore the integration of quantum computing services into its platform as the technology matures. This could usher in a new era of computation, solving complex problems that are currently beyond the reach of classical computers.
10. Global Reach Amplified:
To ensure unparalleled service availability, reduced latency, and adherence to data sovereignty regulations, AWS is poised to continue its global infrastructure expansion. This strategic move involves the establishment of additional data centers and regions, solidifying AWS's role as a global leader in cloud services.
In summary, the roadmap for AWS Cloud signifies a dynamic and transformative journey characterized by innovation, adaptability, and sustainability. Businesses embarking on their cloud endeavors should stay attuned to AWS announcements, industry trends, and technological advancements. AWS's commitment to anticipating and fulfilling the evolving needs of its users positions it as a trailblazer shaping the digital future. The expedition into the future of AWS Cloud unfolds a narrative of boundless opportunities and transformative possibilities.
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