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frankenfreak posted:On one hand, we'd lose any moral high ground we have, on the other hand Also, get the TFS to agree to it, have them hold the trigger, or at least one of them. That way if we lose the engagement against the IC the Titan Free State now has a way of telling Earth to stick it where the sun doesn't shine if they waltz in and try to claim the harvesters after both the IC and Martian forces in the area are spent. Also means if we win the coming battle and the Terrans show up and try to strong arm us we have a fall back position whereby we can say that we're fine with Nuking the harvesters as Home Fleet will be taking the other large concentration of them shortly when they roll over the IC defenders.
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Sep 4, 2017 17:37
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With Martian forces on the way to Jupiter were in a position to remove almost all of the Sorium product except our own, at least in the short term.
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Sep 4, 2017 18:39
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Guys, Mars doesn't negotiate with terrorists because we aren't terrorists dammit.
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Sep 4, 2017 19:18
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Crazyeyes24 posted:Guys, Mars doesn't negotiate with terrorists because we aren't terrorists dammit. Apparently some of us really want to try the tactics of terrorism. I'd really rather not. We should be trying to minimize loss of life and materiel in preparation for colonizing new worlds and protecting our species against hostile extrasolar lifeforms, not using nuclear failsafes and false flag operations.
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Sep 4, 2017 19:26
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Crazyeyes24 posted:Guys, Mars doesn't negotiate with terrorists because we aren't terrorists dammit. I mean.... we literally are though. Like, in our experience being a terrorist gets you independence from Earth and lets you turn into a system-wide superpower. But I agree with you that it's a completely dumbass move in this specific situation. Crazycryodude fucked around with this message at 20:02 on Sep 4, 2017 |
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Sep 4, 2017 19:29
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I feel like this is more Odysseus trolling the Trojans than terrorism, though I concur that it seems a bit unlikely to work, much like that myth.
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Sep 4, 2017 19:52
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Crazycryodude posted:I mean.... we literally are though. Like, in our experience being a terrorist gets you independence from Earth and lets you turn into a system-wise superpower. But I agree with you that it's a completely dumbass move in this specific situation. No, see, this Martian history book clearly says we were freedom fighters, not terrorists. 
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Sep 4, 2017 19:58
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The matriarch of the Reformed Orthodox Free Martian church is gonna lose her poo poo when she gets the double whammy of interstellar travel AND confirmation of alien live dropped on her lap. She just settled the whole recycling bodies issue right before this whole thing went down.
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Sep 4, 2017 21:04
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Crazyeyes24 posted:Guys, Mars doesn't negotiate with terrorists because we aren't terrorists dammit. I'd argue that destroying a strategic resource, or at least threatening to do so, is not terrorism but a perfectly legitimate wartime practice of denying the enemy a strategic resource/location. It's not like we'll be threatening to blow anything up with the workers still on board and it does give us a lot more leverage over the Putin and his Terrans, who seem to have every intention of securing the Harvesters regardless of what the workers who happen to live in the Saturnian planetary system want. And whilst I don't know the results of the upcoming fight I would put money on it leaving our fleet around Saturn being very much weakened and unable to put up a serious fight if the Terrans decide to take those harvesters. BwenGun fucked around with this message at 21:23 on Sep 4, 2017 |
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Sep 4, 2017 21:14
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 Whoa: new The Expanse boardgame.
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Sep 4, 2017 23:07
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With the ground war over, get some marines up on the harvesters and conduct on the spot loyalty tests.
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Sep 4, 2017 23:36
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The IC admiral/general/spokesperson/executive is displaying bot-like behavior but far more troubling is that she did not address either Snark or me with the proper honorifics. She just called us "Martians". I think on that basis alone we should reject the offer. We should probably make the argument to these IC execs that they should just turn their fleets around and get out of the space business. I mean, whether it's us or it's Terra that does them in, it's pretty much assured that they'll be back to selling penny stocks and reading Ayn Rand novels before long the way things are going. If they don't get missiled or militia'd to death that is. Maybe some of the ones under the robots would even be willing to defect. God that IC stooge was rude, wasn't she? Bunch of garbage-tier civilizations in this system. No manners. Could almost make someone want to defect to the first alien species we encounter. Not that I would ever do anything like that.
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Sep 5, 2017 00:03
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Awesome! Props to Dr. Snark for his writing!
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Sep 5, 2017 00:14
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Discord is playing out the Last Stand right now, if anyone is interested in watching the carnage.
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Sep 5, 2017 00:51
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Appropriate music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=so10dKbhorI
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Sep 5, 2017 00:54
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More appropriate music, for the battle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1Qkzj5bStU
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Sep 5, 2017 02:37
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that was sebmojo fucked around with this message at 04:21 on Sep 5, 2017 |
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Sep 5, 2017 02:53
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Remember, no spoilers guys. Let Saros write the update.
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Sep 5, 2017 02:55
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Gonna be a wild one...
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Sep 5, 2017 04:11
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I like Twilight Struggle and COIN. Cheers!
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Sep 5, 2017 10:13
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Crazyeyes24 posted:More appropriate music, for the battle: As an aside I love this game's soundtrack, thanks for reminding me of it!
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Sep 5, 2017 11:56
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 It is 0107hrs the fourth of May, 2052 and Triton Fleet makes its stand in the skies of Titan. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlcUwUwjLrs Reccomended listening.  150m km from the excitement the lagging IC missile cruiser and tanker is tracked by Windhund. It seems to have repaired an engine as it suddenly increases speed to 2400kps. 4 May, 0125hrs  The fleet prepares as the fighters of Third fleet finally pull into range.  Salvo fire begins from the frigates and orbital weapon platforms at the damaged enemy Battlecruiser. At the same time the TFS cruiser begins to fire upon on of the enemy Feynman class cruisers. Four salvoes of eighty missiles each are targeted on the two BC's.  As the IC forces approach the orbit of Pheobe the missiles descend upon them.  Point defense fire is greatly reduced and appears to be relying on large calibre weaponry.  The first salvo collapses its shields and the second begins to get even more penetrations.  By the third the Battlecruiser is staggering like a punch drunk fighter but she continues to press the attack.  Fourth salvo, she has taken over two hundred hits and twenty hull penetrations but still she charges!  Fire switches to the second Battlecruiser as the TFS missiles begin to hit an IC beam cruiser.  The second BC also staggers, shields collapsing under the first salvo.  The second tears into her and she suddenly falls behind, engines flaring out but not exploding,  The crippled BC has no chance and a third missile salvo blows her apart.     The frigates hurled their final few missiles at the incoming Fast Attack Craft.  Two are destroyed outright and a third loses its engine and life support. The crew are seen bailing out soon after.  The enemy Feynman cruiser continues to take hits as the slower firing TFS missiles continue to arrive.  By the eigth salvo the ship is staggering under the hammerblows of the missiles with multiple penetrations. 4 May, 0141hrs  Unfortunately it is not enough, the Feynman 003 continues to close.  Scraping the bottom of their magazines the fleet decides that the priority needs to be destruction of the FAC's.  Third Fleet's fighters also acquire lock and fire, targeting the damaged Feynman and an undamaged one.  Two more FAC are destroyed, Triton Fleet is now dry on missiles apart from a handful of short range anti-missile missiles and a number of size 2's held in reserve on the missile cruiser.  The launch from third fleet screams onto its attack vectors. By this point the IC must be utterly exasperated with the never-ending torrent of missile fire.  132 hits! 2/3 are on the undamaged Feynman.   Both the Feynman outgass uncontrollably as they take multiple penetrating hits.  Neither are destroyed but the fleet slows slightly to pace the first damaged Feynman and the other turns and runs. Likely some mission critical component is damaged beyond repair and both seem to have lost an engine. 4 May, 0245hrs Largely dry Triton fleet waits for the IC ships to close. As they pass 6m km they come into range of the remaining Anti-missile missiles and the Orbital defenses send several salvoes downrange at the five surviving FAC's.  One by one the FAC explode or fall behind, engines destroyed until none are left.  Triton fleet sends the Marine corvettes, with their long range laser cannons out to harass the IC ships as they close. A badly damaged Battlecruier, two cruisers, one damaged, and two destroyers remain in the IC fleet. Against them is arrayed three corvettes, two plasma destroyers and the CLAA Sagan with her short range autocannon batteries as well as the squadron of eight Deimos fighters.  Time to pay the butchers bill Triton Fleet.
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Sep 5, 2017 11:57
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So... after this, Earth basically gets to take all of Saturn system for free, right, since neither Mars nor the IC are going to have anything that will even penetrate their shields?
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Sep 5, 2017 12:03
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Mukaikubo posted:So... after this, Earth basically gets to take all of Saturn system for free, right, since neither Mars nor the IC are going to have anything that will even penetrate their shields? I don't think Earth has shields, we don't and the Terrans are explicitly the least fancy-tech faction. Nonetheless, we ain't gonna be able to breach their armour with whatever cripples survive this fight.
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Sep 5, 2017 12:12
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Should've accepted the Triumvir's surrender.
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Sep 5, 2017 12:13
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Third fleet is eight hours out and the terrans are slightly less than a day. You also still have most of your missile ships they have just exhausted their magazines. While Third cant face down the Terrans alone their presence means that it wont just be a walk in the park.
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Sep 5, 2017 12:25
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Once 3rd Fleet arrives, we add a BB and a DD to our beam force, plus a number of also empty missile ships and an empty carrier. If those and the missile ships (especially the hubbles) can reload even partially, we do have a strong military presence at Titan, not enough to fight the Terrans, but respectable.
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Sep 5, 2017 12:42
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Time to shine Deimos Wing.
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Sep 5, 2017 14:19
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 4 May, 0254hrs  With the IC forces closing on three million km from Titan the Marine corvettes move to skirmish at long range with their 20cm lasers. Their superior speed will allow them to dictate a favorable engagement range.   The first salvo goes well with the higher speed and better damage at range of the corvettes compared to the IC's 15cm lasers meaning they inflict good hits. However after a few salvoes it becomes apparent that the IC lasers can cycle twice as fast as the Marine corvette lasers. This combined with the larger number of weapons on the IC ships means the Corvettes are beginning to suffer damage. The decision is made to withdraw but in a terrible stroke of luck the last salvo from the IC scores a penetrating hit on A high degree of Certainty.   Oh dear.  Disabled and unable to escape the IC ships quickly close the distance and finish off the Corvette.  Col. Pash  The corvettes withdraw to the rest of Triton Fleet's close combat ships.  The IC Battlecruiser is clearly conducting some repairs. 4 May, 0309hrs  The decision is made move to engage the IC ships before they can range on Titan's orbital infrastructure or the harvesters.  Triton Fleet! Charge!  The last of the missiles go out against the Battlecruiser to batter down its shields (again).  Her shields are stripped and she is left vulnerable, her armor already rent and torn.  First fire is exchanged as more misiles burn past.  It seems the IC is targeting the Deimos fighters, no doubt to avoid having to deal with them at close range.  Another salvo and a Deimos tears apart as an engine goes critical.  Two more Deimos die before they get in effective range. The IC ships reverse course at 80k km and try to open the range.  Too late, the fighters plasma cannons hammer the Battlecruiser.  The rest of the fleet also focuses fire on her.  The final size 2 missiles arrive as the hits from the Marine corvettes disable another engine on the BC and she falls behind her compatriots.  Sagan closes the rage and as the missiles arrive her autocannons tear into the Battlecruiser.  Incredibly it remains intact but all power fails and is slows to nothing, falling behind the speeding ships as they pursue the IC fleet. The three remaining fighters switch targets to the Mikail Koshkin and batter down its shields with plasma blasts.  Then the Corvettes use their lasers to stab right through her armor into her innards.  She also falls behind and into range of the autocannons of the Sagan.  Frustrated with the nimble fighters the IC ships turn their attention to the Sagan, a massive volley of lasers blowing a huge gouge down her flank.  Sagan takes more hits as a final wave of missiles arrives to hammer the damaged Feynman cruiser.  She disables the first Koshkin but as she does so the quick firing IC lasers cluster into the gaping holes of her armor.  Col. Trogilus  The missiles seem to have done the trick as the Feynmann falls behind and frantically signals surrender to the fleet. They burn past it unable to spare the attention from the vicious exchange of fire ahead.  Fire returns to the Deimos as one is destroyed and another disabled, only one remains combat capable! CT Snaggletooth blows out the engines of the final Koshkin with her laser and it also falls behind the speeding combatants, frantically signaling its own surrender.  Only the last cruiser remains but it is at full strength and turns its attention away from the fighters. It also increases speed to 3600kps and begins to open the distance to the destroyers who are falling out of effective plasma range.   Windhund 2 takes two salvoes from the quick firing lasers and her engine fails leaving her drifting behind the speeding ships. Only two destroyers, two corvettes and a fighter remain combat capable!  A final salvo tears at Windhund 2 as she falls behind.  Closing to point blank range the Illuminator takes an unlucky hit to the engine and tumbles away  Two destroyers and a the Snaggletooth remain but the Feynman's shields are failing.   Snaggletooth breaches the last of the shield and scores a direct hit.  The crew gives a ragged cheer as an engine on the Cruiser blows out and she slows to 3000kps. The destroyers are now gaining!   Snaggletooth takes hits but bravely charges on, seeking that cruical strike.  Snaggletooth and the Cruiser fire simultaneously both tearing deep into each others internals.  It's too much for the tiny corvette and her front section vanishes in a blinding torrent of light. Disarmed, Col. GunnerJ turns her away from the fight and speeds towards Titan. Unknown to her her final strike was a cruicial one and the bridge of the cruiser vanishes as blinding light erases the command crew. Only two destroyers ramain.  The cruiser fights gamely on but her morale is flagging badly.  DD Raven takes hits as she waits for her main plasma cannon to cycle.  Disaster strikes! The Raven takes an hit through the single hole in her armor and a generator goes critical disabling her main engine! She also falls away from the ships. Only one Destroyer and a Deimos remain! The IC lasers begin to chew at the destroyer Clenched Fist. Col. Dirt5o8 watches in horror as his command starts to fail around him. Only a few more seconds and her main battery is ready......  Oh. Oh dear. Colonel Svanh whips his Deimos around for one last pass.   Boooooooom.  A generator goes critical and hot plasma scours the interior of the cruiser. She slows, engines sputtering out and systems failing as she loses all power.  Its... over.   Shockingly all the IC ships are disabled but intact apart from those destroyed by missile fire.  The IC missile cruiser turns and heads towards its damaged compatriot who likewise is coming about on a vector towards Uranus. It is done. Titan is saved. Viva la revolución. Saros fucked around with this message at 14:41 on Sep 5, 2017 |
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Sep 5, 2017 14:28
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Now all we need to do is hold onto it. We don't have anything that can tow the crippled IC ships around Saturn, do we?
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Sep 5, 2017 14:34
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To all those who would say that this battle was hopeless, that we had no chance of victory, allow me to give my retort: TRITON FLEET ENDURES! Also mad respect to that final Deimos that won the battle. Truly, its pilot is now the Demon Lord of Titan. Friend Commuter posted:Now all we need to do is hold onto it. We don't have anything that can tow the crippled IC ships around Saturn, do we? The 3rd is incoming within the next few hours and there's no other combat-capable IC ships in the area. We. loving. WON!
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Sep 5, 2017 14:35
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This was a really costly victory. Let's make sure to secure all lifepods and ships. We want the Cmdr before Terra can get her, and we want the IC's ships.
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Sep 5, 2017 14:37
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Victory. But at what cost?
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Sep 5, 2017 14:37
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Scintilla posted:Victory. But at what cost? A few small ships, and in return we also get to press all of those IC vessels with their advanced tech into our service, including a bloody battlecruiser. I call that one hell of a win right there.
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Sep 5, 2017 14:38
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Dr. Snark posted:A few small ships, and in return we also get to press all of those IC vessels with their advanced tech into our service, including a bloody battlecruiser. Not to mention this was most of the ICs Uranus defense force here. With their other fleet turned away to Jupiter, they have practically NOTHING out here to contest us. With Third Fleet hours away and Fourth coming in less than a week away, we are in far better shape than they are.
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Sep 5, 2017 14:45
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Holy poo poo, that came down to the last ship didn't it On the plus side we've got some DELIGHTFUL salvage opportunities.
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Sep 5, 2017 14:47
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First order now should be for our support ships to return. Our AOs have tractor beams and can collect the disabled ships of this fight to titan. Our hubble frigates should have first priority to reload their S1 magazines for the incoming wave of UT fighters just in case.
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Sep 5, 2017 14:52
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Do we have enough time to tow some IC missile ships into position over Titan and fill 'em up with fresh missiles? I mean, they're pretty battered, but more fire means less Terran missiles coming back our way.
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Sep 5, 2017 14:55
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Dr. Snark posted:A few small ships, and in return we also get to press all of those IC vessels with their advanced tech into our service, including a bloody battlecruiser. It's only a win if we can hold onto it. That Terran battlefleet could rip us apart even with our incoming reinforcements. If this universe's Putin is as skilled at realpolitik as he is in real life we could well end up winning the war but losing the peace.
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Sep 5, 2017 14:56
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Paint that Deimos flat black, and form a new 'Razgriz' squadron under him. Also, the biggest thing this action cost us was the CLAA. This was a stunning victory in the face of overwhelming tonnage. We'll make the best Martian war hero movies.
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Sep 5, 2017 14:58
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