{"id":7194,"date":"2023-03-22T22:05:01","date_gmt":"2023-03-22T14:05:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.benjamincheah.com\/?p=7194"},"modified":"2023-03-22T22:05:01","modified_gmt":"2023-03-22T14:05:01","slug":"babylon-black-week-2-update-and-free-chapter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/?p=7194","title":{"rendered":"Babylon Black Week 2 update and free chapter!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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We are 2 weeks into Babylon Black and the campaign is 40% funded. It’s a little slow, but given the state of the economy, it’s understandable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Babylon Black is more than just an atmospheric action piece. It’s a hyperkinetic mix of irregular warfare, political intrigue, and ironclad faith. In the previous chapter, we saw warfare and faith. In this next chapter, we pull back the curtain to reveal the machinations of gods and men. Enjoy!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

—<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yuri knew what to expect. It didn\u2019t make the process any easier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Babylon PD arrived first. The cops cuffed him, confiscated his gear, and hustled him to the nearest police station. They booked him, took his clothing, swabbed him for evidence, issued him a disposable orange jumpsuit, and allowed him a tepid shower. He emerged from the showers to discover two Special Agents from the Public Security Bureau waiting for him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Special Agents took him and the evidence into custody, then flew him to the Babylon field office. After another round of booking, they permitted him a few hours\u2019 sleep in a max-security cell. The guards woke him for a meager breakfast of two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, a bruised apple, and a cup of soy milk. The second he was done, they brought him to an interrogation room, where he recounted his story to a second set of Special Agents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The questioning was remarkably painless, not the least because he had nothing to hide. Not this time anyway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not that the Special Agents believed him. Not for the first three rounds of questioning. They couldn\u2019t\u2014wouldn\u2019t\u2014believe that a man, a civilian, would challenge an Elect, and live, and win<\/em>. And had done so repeatedly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They knew who he was. They knew the legend that surrounded him. But there was a huge gulf between second-hand stories and a first-hand encounter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At long last, they finally accepted the truth. That seated before them was the most dangerous man in Babylon, cuffed to a security bracket mounted on the table, as still as a mountain, as serene as still water, and that he had slain a Husk as easily as breathing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their questions petered out. Their disbelief gave way to awe and dread. They gathered their things and left.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still cuffed to the table, Yuri did the only thing he could do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meditate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A simple process. Sit and breathe and nothing more. So simple, and yet so fiendishly difficult for so many.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He touched his fingertips together, forming a steeple. He straightened his back and planted his feet on the concrete floor. He lifted his head to a neutral position, pressed the tip of his tongue against his palate, half-closed his eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Breathed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Counted his breath.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And nothing more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Feelings swirled within his heart like eddies in a river. He released them. The seeds of thought sprouted in the depths of his brain. He released them. Stray sensations poked at the edges of his consciousness. He released them. He released everything that was not his breath and his count.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Five hundred and twenty-one breaths later, the door opened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yuri opened his eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In strode a gray man in a gray suit. Bland and forgettable, he could have stepped out of an office building, an accountancy firm, a spy agency. Only the fit and finish of his clothing, the absence of labels, and the superior materials suggested that he was no mere salaryman. His smartglasses were true eyeshields, the lenses rated to stop low-caliber ballistic impacts, the earbuds doubling as hearing protection. Though his hair was as gray as the rest of him, his shoulders were broad and powerful, his gait smooth and confident.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJoshua Gregory,\u201d Yuri said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gregory\u2019s eyes brightened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYuri. Glad to see you\u2019re still alive and kicking.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSame here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the fall of the STS, both men had chosen different paths. Yuri had gone into self-imposed exile, returning only to deal with emergent horrors. Gregory had finagled his way into an advisory position with the Federal government, answerable only to the President.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The men were a study in contrasts. Yuri the prisoner, cuffed and powerless, at the mercy of the Establishment. Gregory the go-getter, the most powerful shadow bureaucrat in the nation, with the might of the government behind him. Had he chosen a little differently, Yuri knew he might have been standing beside Gregory instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But that would have meant making choices he couldn\u2019t live with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve done pretty well for yourself,\u201d Yuri said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gregory shrugged. \u201cSomeone has to keep the flame alive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both men began their careers as operators. Yuri in the military, Gregory with PSB ESWAT. While Yuri was a shooter through and through, Gregory had the gift for politics. Or perhaps the curse. Between Yuri\u2019s expertise and Gregory\u2019s influence, they had founded the Special Tasks Section. A short-lived unit, one that had burned brightly in the darkness before extinguishing itself in ignominy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or so the New Gods had been led to believe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gregory pulled up a chair opposite Yuri. For a long while, both men said nothing, studying each other, updating the mental folders that stored what they knew about the other. What they thought they knew.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At last, Gregory spoke.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t go a year without killing someone, eh, Yuri?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI tried. Then I returned to Babylon.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The men exchanged a quiet chuckle. The tension between them eased a little.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat was three months ago,\u201d Gregory said. \u201cI\u2019d hoped you\u2019d have reached out to me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was busy re-establishing myself,\u201d Yuri said. \u201cAnd I heard you were busy too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou won\u2019t believe how much networking and traveling my job requires. These days I spend more time sleeping in airplanes and hotels than at home.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBeen running around the country?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI go where the job takes me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSounds like you\u2019ve had a full plate. Had a chance to talk to our old friends about David?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYeah. All of them. Some new ones too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIncluding the Greens?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYup.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRemind me\u2026 how many kids do they have again?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThree.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yuri\u2019s heart squeezed in his chest. The rest of him remained totally, perfectly, still.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They\u2019d always known that the New Gods would try to destroy the STS someday. OPLAN David was their go-to-hell operational plan. The plan to scatter the troops, hide out until the heat had died down, then reconstitute the STS. Not as a government agency, but as a shadow network of guerrillas and support cadre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The plan had three major phases. Green Three was the last phase. The network was in place and ready to begin operations against the New Gods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The STS was dead. Long live the STS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow are your folks doing?\u201d Gregory asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cStubborn as ever. They won\u2019t leave,\u201d Yuri replied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019d think that they\u2019d be looking for overseas properties by now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yuri shrugged. \u201cThey don\u2019t want to be separated from the community.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There were few places the New Gods could not reach, and they were growing fewer by the time. They were the rulers of the world, with tendrils extending to the furthest corners of the planet. Disappearing like Yuri had wasn\u2019t a realistic option, not for people without his level of training. At least by staying in Babylon, the Yamamotos had the support of the underground Christian community. What few there were left.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou won\u2019t leave Babylon?\u201d Gregory asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCan\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gregory leaned in, his voice dropping to a whisper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019re Public Enemy Number One to the New Gods. The only people they hate more than you is each other. Last night\u2019s violence placed you back on their radar. From here on out, they\u2019re going to hunt you again.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf I put myself out of their reach, they\u2019re going to come after everyone I know. I have to protect them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t abandon them either.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yuri fixed Gregory with steady, steely eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s right.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t envy your position. Me, I don\u2019t have anyone the New Gods can get to, and I have a large personal security detail. You\u2026 don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yuri spread his hands. \u201cThat\u2019s how things go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve got something for you that could help.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYeah?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gregory reached into his pocket and placed a card on the table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou are now permitted to carry any kind of firearm, anywhere in Nova Babylonia. You and everyone else in the STS.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That was a pleasant surprise. As a former soldier and a federal law enforcement officer, he should have been entitled to that right. But with the closure of the STS for \u2018police brutality\u2019 and \u2018excessive force\u2019, every former operator had their status as LEOs revoked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of them handed over their guns\u2014the ones the government knew about. A few fought for the restoration of their rights. Even fewer won.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every single one of them stashed away gear, guns and ammo anyway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They couldn\u2019t not do it. Everyone expected the New Gods to hunt down the former members of the STS the second the Temple Commission hearings ended. It was a minor miracle that they hadn\u2019t. Yuri suspected the New Gods were too busy clawing at each other\u2019s throats and<\/em> dealing with upstart minor Powers to go hunting for the former operators. But it was only a matter of time before they got around to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The New Gods rarely forgave and never forgot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whenever the opportunity arose, they had taken potshots at the team. They\u2019d come close to taking them out a few times. Their only sin was not following through, but only because they didn\u2019t have the resources to follow through, or the manpower to absorb tremendous losses. For now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yuri had arranged for a ceasefire with the New Gods in exchange for hunting the Leviathan. After he had held up his end of the bargain, they had trapped the team in a storm sewer to drown. He had anticipated it, pre-empted it, which was why he and the rest of the team were still breathing. They had broken the ceasefire first, one written in blood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They would see his latest kill as a violation too. It didn\u2019t matter that he\u2019d killed a Husk. He\u2019d lifted his hand against a believer. They would come for him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThanks,\u201d Yuri said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo problem. Sorry it took so long. I had to pull a lot of strings, talk to so many self-absorbed bureaucrats, work around the puppets of the New Gods.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019re a bureaucrat yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI work outside the system now. It\u2019s\u2026 refreshing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yuri was an outsider who had somehow found a place on the inside. Gregory had always been an insider. Yuri had no idea how a man could live the way Gregory did, as a cog in a machine engineered for crushing souls into dust. Gregory in turn thought that Yuri was tilting at windmills, powerless to do anything from the outside. Somehow, they had overcome their differences to build the finest tactical unit in the nation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yuri wouldn\u2019t say he liked <\/em>Gregory. But he respected him. And Gregory had pulled through.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yuri examined the permit. The blue card had his face, name, a mailbox as his last known address. It stated that he was a former federal LEO, and was entitled to unrestricted carry all across Nova Babylonia, regardless of local law. Though thin and light, its edges bit reassuringly into his calloused fingers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019s one problem with this,\u201d Yuri said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYeah?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not going to do me much good in here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs soon as I leave this room, you\u2019ll be free to go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd my gear?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey\u2019ll be held as evidence. Nothing I can do about that. Sorry. But the PSB will determine that this was a case of self-defense.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which meant three, maybe six months from now, they might deign to release his belongings from the evidence locker. Maybe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAppreciate it,\u201d Yuri said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou did the hard work, Yuri. All I did was make a couple of phone calls.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow did the Liberated respond to the kill?\u201d Yuri asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey\u2019ve acknowledged the decedent was one of theirs. They disavowed all responsibility for his actions from the moment he turned into a Husk.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs they always do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The maneuver freed them from legal liability. Every soldier caught or killed in the act was routinely disavowed as a Husk, preventing the mortal authorities from digging deeper into the affairs of gods and demons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gregory lowered his voice by an octave. \u201cDo you think the Liberated tried to whack you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yuri\u2019s lips tightened into a thin streak. \u201cThe thought has crossed my mind.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Husk was an Elect, but he was a civilian. No known connections to the militant wing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe didn\u2019t show any signs that he recognized me either. He messed around with the bouncers instead of trying to take me out. He only attacked me after I engaged him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou think it\u2019s just a random meltdown?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCould be. Or it\u2019s a hit meant to look like a random meltdown.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Husk creates a commotion, luring you in. Once you step into range, it attacks you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yuri nodded. \u201cA hitter on a job would just walk up to me and try to blow me away. Or, after transforming, he would charge at me right away. He wouldn\u2019t have bothered with he bouncers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut you would have seen him coming.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhich is why luring me in would have been a better strategy. Gives the Liberated plausible deniability.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf it were a hit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOdds are fifty-fifty either way, huh?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s how the New Gods work. But\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Husk spoke with the voice of Namanah. She was possessing him at the moment he attacked me. And the New Gods all know what we look like.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe have to assume she wanted to kill you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYup.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only real question is whether this was planned, or if it were opportunistic.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd I don\u2019t think we\u2019ll get answers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe New Gods move in mysterious ways.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The men shared a tired chuckle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis, old buddy, is why you should\u2019ve undergone plastic surgery,\u201d Gregory said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve got the Federal government behind me. You don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yuri shrugged. \u201cPlastic surgery isn\u2019t going to help much. The New Gods are pioneers in biometric identification tech. Gait analysis, voice recognition, adaptive biometric systems, the works. And I heard from Kayla that there\u2019s tech out there that can defeat disguises. Probably aura analysis or something like that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 \u201cYou can\u2019t hide any more, can you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNever could.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSucks to be you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s why we\u2019re counting on you and yours to run interference.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI do what I can\u2026 but the New Gods have a long reach.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having high friends in low places was nice. It was no substitute for tradecraft and personal security. Babylon was the non-permissive environment to end all non-permissive environments. The only zone more hostile than this was a war zone\u2014and anyone with eyes to see can tell that all-out war was on the horizon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was only a matter of time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWill there be blowback from the Liberated?\u201d Yuri asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gregory exhaled sharply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHard to say. There shouldn\u2019t be any legal consequences for putting down a Husk in the middle of a rampage. However, the New Gods know you\u2019re in Babylon. The Liberated don\u2019t take kindly to someone killing one of their own, Husk or otherwise.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yuri fingered his card.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLooks like I\u2019ll need this soon. A job, too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou need money?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI have some savings. But what I really need is income.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou were working a PSD gig at the Rose House, right?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYeah. Got it through my network. After what happened there, though, I don\u2019t know if anyone will want to hire me any time soon.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI wish I could hire you, but my expense accounts are strictly monitored. I\u2019ll try to figure out how to bring you in as a contractor, though it could take a while to justify it to the bean counters.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ll find a way to get by.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure you will. I take it that you\u2019ve tried applying for other jobs?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yuri counted off on his fingers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe military won\u2019t have me back. No police department wants to hire me. The big-name private military and security companies aren\u2019t responding to my inquiries.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDamn\u2026 I heard it was hard for most STS guys to find a job, but you have it harder than most.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yuri had expected that. It was what happened to everyone who stood against the powers and principalities of the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI heard some of the guys formed a training and consultancy firm. Tried talking to them?\u201d Gregory asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey\u2019re out in the country. It\u2019ll take me away from my parents and my community. It might leave an opening for the New Gods. Applying there is an option, but I want to exhaust all other options in Babylon first.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou realize that all you have left is under-the-table work,\u201d Gregory said slowly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cash-only gigs. Minimum wage jobs. Or mercenary work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI do,\u201d Yuri said with equal deliberation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ll try to find something for you to do, but you\u2019ve got to be prepared for the possibility that I can\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRoger that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

OPLAN David called for the creation of a self-sustaining guerrilla network. In addition to operations, it would secure sources of income and supplies for its cells and individual operators. Men like Gregory could funnel money into the network by using their positions to hire operators. Less well-positioned operators had to figure out something else to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Operators like Yuri.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGood luck finding a job,\u201d Gregory said. \u201cBut keep a low profile for now, until we\u2019re sure the Liberated or the other New Gods won\u2019t come after you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd if they do, we\u2019re ready.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen <\/em>they do, call me. I\u2019ll see what I can do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gregory fished another card from his pocket. Pure white, thick and heavy, it stated his name, phone number and email address on one face. Nothing more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yuri stowed the card. In another life, he wouldn\u2019t have carried such an obvious connection to someone high up in the government. But things have changed. Wouldn\u2019t stop him from memorizing the details and discarding the card though.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gregory stood to go. Turned to the door. Paused. And turned back to Yuri.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne more thing,\u201d Gregory said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYeah?\u201d Yuri said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf there\u2019s too much heat, you\u2019ve got to bug out. Babylon has more than enough martyrs already.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo promises.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

—<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By backing Babylon Black, you support indie creators like myself to produce the kind of fiction no one else dares to write. The Babylon series is an epic saga of war and faith against false gods and cosmic horrors, set in a cyberpunk dystopia on the brink of collapse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you’re wondering what Babylon Black is all about, check out the IndieGoGo page here<\/a>! If you’ve backed it already, keep spreading the word! Every share and retweet helps me reach a wider audience, allowing me to continue writing stories like this for you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We’ve got 17 days to go to the end of the campaign. Let’s keep up the momentum and bring the project to a close!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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We are 2 weeks into Babylon Black and the campaign is 40% funded. It’s a little slow, but given the state of the economy, it’s understandable. Babylon Black is more than just an atmospheric action piece. It’s a hyperkinetic mix of irregular warfare, political intrigue, and ironclad faith. In the previous chapter, we saw warfare […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[65,106,138,168,175,253,278,341],"class_list":["post-7194","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-books","tag-babylon-black","tag-cyberpunk","tag-fiction","tag-horror","tag-indiegogo","tag-pulprev","tag-science-fiction","tag-writing"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7194"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7194"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7194\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7194"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7194"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kitsuncheah.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7194"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}