Sci-Fi/Fantasy

**WHAT TO EXPECT** Ready to get hands-on with real-world cybersecurity challenges? Join us for an interactive Hack The Box Auckland meetup, hosted at [Lightspeed](https://www.lightspeedhq.com/au/). Whether you're thinking about being a hacker or are already a seasoned one, this event has something for everyone. You’ll take part in a guided walkthrough of a Hack The Box challenge, learning the tools, techniques, and thought processes used to tackle real security problems. After the walkthrough, you will have the opportunity to explore an additional HTB machine, collaborate with other members, and tackle various challenges together. We’ll wrap up the night with a raffle, giving away Hack The Box prizes including VIP platform access and HTB Academy cubes. **VENUE** This is a hybrid event. **In-person:** [Lightspeed Commerce New Zealand](https://www.lightspeedhq.com/au/) 2 Nuffield Street, Newmarket, Auckland 1023 **Online:** Google Meet (6:00–8:00 pm NZDT on January 22, 2026) **WHAT YOU GET** * Access to a dedicated Hack The Box lab during the event * A chance to win Hack The Box giveaways * Hands-on learning in a supportive, community-focused environment * Opportunities to connect with other cybersecurity professionals, students, and enthusiasts **WHAT YOU NEED** * A laptop. * A HTB account. * Discord application. **HOUSE RULES** * Follow all rules and guidelines in the **[HTB TOS: HTB Terms of Service](https://www.hackthebox.com/tos)** * Active HTB content cannot be shared publicly. Retired challenges or machines are fair game. * [Lightspeed](https://www.lightspeedhq.com/au/) is proud to host and support this community-led event as part of our ongoing commitment to growing cybersecurity skills and talent in Aotearoa. * Respect for the venue and people is expected from all the attendees. **ADDITIONAL NOTES** * Join our Discord for event discussion, upcoming event announcements, and CTFs here: **[discord.gg/aDWymsDxWu](https://discord.gg/aDWymsDxWu)** **CODE OF CONDUCT** We strive to create a safe, welcoming, and inclusive environment for all attendees. To ensure a positive experience for everyone, the following behaviors are strictly prohibited: * Smoking * Drinking alcohol * Any form of discrimination or racism * Any other forms of misconduct Any attendee found engaging in these behaviours will be immediately banned and permanently removed from the group. Thank you for helping us maintain a respectful and enjoyable atmosphere for all.

Please join us as we discuss **CHILDREN OF TIME**, book 1 of *Children of Time* by Adrian Tchaikovsky. This novel won the Arthur C. Clarke award, and is of moderate length, at about 609 pages. Please keep your RSVP updated and accurate! Space is limited for this event. We are intentionally holding some RSVP slots for new members specifically, so if you’re new and the event is full, please get on the waitlist ASAP! You may bring your own food/drinks (no alcohol, please) or you may pick something up in Mosaic or at the farmers market before the meetup. We do ask that you pack your trash out with you. * **[KINDLE](https://a.co/d/a3Cy5hF)** * **[PAPERBACK](https://www.amazon.com/Children-Time-Adrian-Tchaikovsky/dp/0316452505/)** * **[AUDIBLE](https://www.audible.com/pd/Children-of-Time-Audiobook/B071Y9TTHC)** **BOOK DESCRIPTION:** ***Who will inherit this new Earth?*** The last remnants of the human race left a dying Earth, desperate to find a new home among the stars. Following in the footsteps of their ancestors, they discover the greatest treasure of the past age—a world terraformed and prepared for human life. But all is not right in this new Eden. In the long years since the planet was abandoned, the work of its architects has borne disastrous fruit. The planet is not waiting for them, pristine and unoccupied. New masters have turned it from a refuge into mankind's worst nightmare. Now two civilizations are on a collision course, both testing the boundaries of what they will do to survive. As the fate of humanity hangs in the balance, who are the true heirs of this new Earth? *\*Since missing one of these meetups is taking a spot away from someone else who wants to go, we'll need to have a stricter attendance policy than normal. For book discussions, 3 no-shows in a rolling 3-month period will prohibit you from attending any other book discussion for 2 months after your last no-show. In order to avoid a no-show, please update your RSVP no later than 10pm two nights before a discussion. Thanks for your understanding and cooperation! If you need to drop off because of Covid symptoms or exposure or a positive test or any other illness, there will be no penalty to no-showing or dropping late.*

A Starfinder Society Scenario designed for 1st- through 2nd-level characters, playable in 2-3 hours. From their newly founded lodge in the Sloughscar Hills, the Starfinder Society studies the Wreck of the Returned, a massive crashed starship the Starfinders believe was dispatched by the long-lost First Ones. Recent excavations into other First Ones sites uncovered powerful weapons, dangerous technology, and volatile magic—incredibly valuable discoveries capable of causing immense harm should they fall into irresponsible hands. While the Starfinder Society would love to enter the Wreck of the Returned directly, the Wreck’s automated defenses and networked robotic servitors make such an expedition incredibly dangerous. Fortunately, the Starfinders have discovered a nearby site of interest: a sizable piece of wreckage which detached during the crash and landed off-site. Eager for answers, the Starfinders dispatch a team to the crash site to investigate. Unfortunately, Hellknights from the Order of the Eclipse are already inside the wreckage, and their mandate to control, suppress, or destroy dangerous information and technology means they have no intention of sharing anything they uncover. It’s up to the Starfinders to explore the wreckage and gather information, before the Hellknights systematically seize, censor, and destroy everything in their path. This is an adventure in the ongoing Invasion's Edge metaplot. Written by Shan Wolf.