Jack Pine
Archduke of the NDC
- Joined
- Nov 3, 2021
- Messages
- 50
- Reaction score
- 30
The Beginning of the End……
It was a long day in the box, as Henry and one other stood to either side of a checkpoint gate. The rain was coming down hard to sputter off the awning, and to the street drainage at the curb. At least they let him have the occasional smoke, or something to numb his boredom by chewing on. At least standing in full kit kept the chill off, sort of. Guess he could be thankful it was at least an enclosed security station, as they had to keep the controls safe from weather.
Even still, fuck he was bored, hopefully he could at least maybe shout at someone possibly trying to u-turn in their drive perhaps. Anything to take off the prevalent monotony of the shift. Was bad enough the world was seemingly growing more tense of late, their state at war with a few others, and a new one joining every week it seemed. The base was almost empty given all the regulars of the guard were out at the fronts. And they were, the national guard, babysitting facilities that still needed manning.
Even the depot and armories were barely stocked, just minimal stockpiles meant for themselves. Bastards even short changed them on armor, leaving only a couple of tanks and IFVs, with more jeeps then was even possibly needed. If you weren’t stationed here, or didn’t see the poor sods at the door like himself, most would likely consider the base abandoned. It might as well have been for all the use it was getting, and the token force that ran it. The national guard was fairly local in their organization, but there were barely enough of them here to even count as a garrison.
At the very least, the pay was good, and hours of basic duties. Just him, his gate buddy to make faces or gestures at occasionally, and the gate. Was better then factory work he supposed, which was almost slave work these days. Evelyn probably couldn’t handle those sorts of long hours of not seeing him. Bless his wife, the woman was always awaiting him with open arms after work, and more then passionate enough for the both of them in their marriage. Maybe that was normal for marrying an elf, but they were quite rare, so no known metric to accurately compare to.
It didn’t really matter anyways, she put up with his prepper lifestyle, and he loved her to bits. As if it was all he needed, he settled into his stool for a bit, and thought dearly of Evelyn. Perhaps they’d get up to some trouble tonight, and thought on such things for some time. However long had passed though, he was startled from his daydreaming by a sharp rap on the window of his box door. Turning, it was his relief for lunch.
“By the gods’ sake David, maybe try not to alert the guards”. Henry protested jestingly as he stood and opened the door. A sharp retort of a snort came with the fellow guard’s reply, “Oh stop your bitching mother hen, you got hot chow to eat, and I get the icebox now”. Henry patted him on the shoulder all the same, and began the walk to mess.
It was as he was walking into the main building, that several jeeps, and two walkers rolled by as escort. The small convoy of vehicles were on their way out, an odd and unusual sight that brought Henry a moment of pause. Seeming it wasn’t anything he was in on, he ignored it however, continuing in for lunch. Inside were a few people, one person in the kitchen having to do the cooking and serving. The scarce presence only reinforced how much the base felt empty, but even then, there seemed to be a murmur among those here.
Joining the non-existent chow line, Henry was greeted by the usual tray of mixed mash dishes. “So what frankenstein is this today jobe”? The slightly older fellow on the other side of the counter gave a grunt in amusement, “Salisbury steaks, potato hash brown with gravy, yeast roll no butter, canned carrots, and a couple of mini candy bars from ration packs. Well… So is the hash technically, but no surprise on how they shortchange us lately.” Henry however seemed not annoyed, so much as miffed at that, “So we get more rations then food stuffs… great.”
With a sigh that only elicited a chuckle from the cook, he found his way to the nearest bench. Wasn’t any point in putting it off, and he had to eat, but even as he did the murmur never stopped. Most of it he ignored for the most part, but something repeated by those nearest caught his attention. “The officers disappeared? ….left? Who’s commanding the base? Are guard COs allowed to even run a military post?”
Oh… Well that would explain the convoy then. It was enough to bring pause to eating, as the pieces clicked into a vague, yet worrying picture. There should have been a memo if they were called to a joint staff meeting, but they were usually so anal about posting such notices. A growing sense was that they, and by extension, the facility had just been abandoned. If that was true, then it called into question if the posting was still valid, or even their enlistment contracts.
Finishing his food finally and dropping off the tray, Henry couldn’t help but shake off the growing nervousness. Even as he returned to his post shortly later, his mind raced, even questioning if he should even bother anymore with this stupid gate. Even as the hours passed, the convoy never returned, only gradually compounding his anxiety at the situation. It was only towards the end of his shift, did something change, some sign to indicate answers. “All personnel regardless of post, please meet in the mess effective immediately.”, the base PSA speakers announced across the facility.
Even as the two gate guards gave each other confused looks, they left their boxes and made the walk back. The mess which had been almost empty before, now almost seemed crowded, as the whole guard was now taking seats. It was also now unusually quiet, the murmur now replaced by apprehensive silence. On the small stage that was built into one side of the large room, a glorified raised metal box you wheeled in, was a rather twitchy looking office aid.
Once the crowd had settled in, the aid cleared their throat as they held a mic with trepidation. “This is to formally thank all personnel here on Base McAllen for their time of service. E-e.. Effective immediately, this base is now marked as decommissioned, with all assets lost, and all active guard elements on station hereby discharged. All offices of military staff have been vacated, and moved to off record shelters. Please leave at your earliest convenience, and rejoin your families.”
A moment of shocked silence passed, but one by one, people began to either rise and leave, or shout in distress. Some of such, was unfortunately aimed at the poor aid who had been left at the scene of the crime, with a metaphorical murder weapon still in hand. Some tried to shout them down, but one voice rose up with drill sergeant practice, the CO of their company. “SHUT THE FUCK UP AND STOW IT! Here on out, we’re on our own, and hereby we are an independent force.”
The man stared them all down, actually convincing some to return to their seats, or simply sit back down from their various soapboxes. After those that would had, he continued, “Suck it up. This is not how men I’ve seen proudly train, behave, instead… They’d be thankful for the severance package they were graciously given, and freedom to choose their next orders for themselves.” At this, most looked confused, but one person somewhere in back getting the gist, spoke out about the stockpiles.
Somehow, that was the best news to Henry all day, but somehow hadn’t settled the pit in his stomach. This felt like the fall of the state, and a coming to the end of days, even as someone who prepared. Well, the emotional impact was only something you could preemptively understand. It had seemed to settle the crowd though, even drawing back a couple of those who had hovered at the door to at least listen. “So Here is my final order to you, and that is to each take all you need, and post up in your hometowns.”, the guard officer spoke before giving one final nod, then simply walking off stage.
After the moment of silent consideration the group seemed to share passed, they, albeit much more orderly this time, began to leave together. Henry was still in his kit from guard duty, so his first stop was his ruck, before heading off to the depot himself. He had no need for any trivial personal effects right now, and focused on the rare chance for supplies they were just handed. Ignoring additional guns, he loaded up as many mags and pouches of ammunition as he could for his issued rifle and pistol. Even things like grenades, a pair of binoculars, a couple of personal field radios with batteries, a map, a woobie, a couple packs of chemlights, flares, spare plate pack, canteens, survival blankets, and water purifier tablets. With minimal space left in the tightly crammed pack, dropped a small field tool kit.
Attaching the assault pack to the bottom of the ruck, made his way through the bustle of basically likewise looters to the med-station. There he packed it with everything he had been trained to carry in an IFAK, as well as a triage kit. Any spare space was filled with whatever would fit, mostly consumables. Weighed and satisfied, he made the pantry his last stop. There he found others digging into additional meals of what was left prepared by the cook. Ironically, Jobe was nowhere to be seen as Henry walked back into the kitchen. There he found the man in question, having a similar idea of packing up all he could.
“Oh Henry, good it's you, come help me with this. I suppose we should count ourselves lucky, only a few of the men have been smart enough to raid what little we have. The aid came by at lunch and had warned me ahead of the meeting, so I started packing all of this into a crate and some bags.” He was surprisingly calm, likely as a result of the head start, as he had more time to process things then most. Wasn’t sure if he should feel complimented, or annoyed that he was the person to come along that Jobe trusted.
Setting his packs in the back corner to keep safe, helped the cook pack the pantry contents away. It wouldn’t take long as there wasn’t a ton to pack. At the end of it, he was given a duffle of canned goods, and one of military ration pouches. Repacking up, and feeling the weight, helped escort Jobe as they moved the crate with most of the food, and last of the duffels through the back of the building. Loading it onto a SUV, Jobe shook hands with Henry for his help, before getting in and leaving on his own.
Loaded up with everything he could possibly carry, it felt like the old days of slogging through PT drills. He had always hated them, but was thankful for them at least, especially now as he lugged more kit then a sherpa. Some were already now browsing vehicles in the motor pool and yard, something Henry had no interest in himself, as without logistics or a lock. Well they weren’t ideal for much more then rough roading and getting somewhere, but perhaps he could hitch a ride. So it was time to flag down his carpool buddy Frank.
After a bit of searching, and finding his ride being one of those browsing the vics, Henry was driven into town. His wife Evelyn seemed concerned when he got home by military jeep, and loaded down as he was. But after unloading it all, he sat her down for a good while and told her of the day’s events, and possibly accelerating certain plans. First would be securing their home and supplies, then stockpiling what they could as things developed. But as important, trying to contact their daughter who was away for college.
On that night, the two would hold each other close, the small city suburbs they called home being more quiet then usual. It was a sign that Henry had failed to notice, one that he came to realize had already begun even a couple days prior. Perhaps the masses had a sixth sense, and felt deep down to some degree, on what would be coming. The uncertainty for the future made him uneasy, that pit in his stomach having stuck with him even til now, like a friend of questionable company you couldn’t quite let go. Perhaps things would right themselves once the embers died down…
End of the beginning, day 1 of the collapse……
It was a long day in the box, as Henry and one other stood to either side of a checkpoint gate. The rain was coming down hard to sputter off the awning, and to the street drainage at the curb. At least they let him have the occasional smoke, or something to numb his boredom by chewing on. At least standing in full kit kept the chill off, sort of. Guess he could be thankful it was at least an enclosed security station, as they had to keep the controls safe from weather.
Even still, fuck he was bored, hopefully he could at least maybe shout at someone possibly trying to u-turn in their drive perhaps. Anything to take off the prevalent monotony of the shift. Was bad enough the world was seemingly growing more tense of late, their state at war with a few others, and a new one joining every week it seemed. The base was almost empty given all the regulars of the guard were out at the fronts. And they were, the national guard, babysitting facilities that still needed manning.
Even the depot and armories were barely stocked, just minimal stockpiles meant for themselves. Bastards even short changed them on armor, leaving only a couple of tanks and IFVs, with more jeeps then was even possibly needed. If you weren’t stationed here, or didn’t see the poor sods at the door like himself, most would likely consider the base abandoned. It might as well have been for all the use it was getting, and the token force that ran it. The national guard was fairly local in their organization, but there were barely enough of them here to even count as a garrison.
At the very least, the pay was good, and hours of basic duties. Just him, his gate buddy to make faces or gestures at occasionally, and the gate. Was better then factory work he supposed, which was almost slave work these days. Evelyn probably couldn’t handle those sorts of long hours of not seeing him. Bless his wife, the woman was always awaiting him with open arms after work, and more then passionate enough for the both of them in their marriage. Maybe that was normal for marrying an elf, but they were quite rare, so no known metric to accurately compare to.
It didn’t really matter anyways, she put up with his prepper lifestyle, and he loved her to bits. As if it was all he needed, he settled into his stool for a bit, and thought dearly of Evelyn. Perhaps they’d get up to some trouble tonight, and thought on such things for some time. However long had passed though, he was startled from his daydreaming by a sharp rap on the window of his box door. Turning, it was his relief for lunch.
“By the gods’ sake David, maybe try not to alert the guards”. Henry protested jestingly as he stood and opened the door. A sharp retort of a snort came with the fellow guard’s reply, “Oh stop your bitching mother hen, you got hot chow to eat, and I get the icebox now”. Henry patted him on the shoulder all the same, and began the walk to mess.
It was as he was walking into the main building, that several jeeps, and two walkers rolled by as escort. The small convoy of vehicles were on their way out, an odd and unusual sight that brought Henry a moment of pause. Seeming it wasn’t anything he was in on, he ignored it however, continuing in for lunch. Inside were a few people, one person in the kitchen having to do the cooking and serving. The scarce presence only reinforced how much the base felt empty, but even then, there seemed to be a murmur among those here.
Joining the non-existent chow line, Henry was greeted by the usual tray of mixed mash dishes. “So what frankenstein is this today jobe”? The slightly older fellow on the other side of the counter gave a grunt in amusement, “Salisbury steaks, potato hash brown with gravy, yeast roll no butter, canned carrots, and a couple of mini candy bars from ration packs. Well… So is the hash technically, but no surprise on how they shortchange us lately.” Henry however seemed not annoyed, so much as miffed at that, “So we get more rations then food stuffs… great.”
With a sigh that only elicited a chuckle from the cook, he found his way to the nearest bench. Wasn’t any point in putting it off, and he had to eat, but even as he did the murmur never stopped. Most of it he ignored for the most part, but something repeated by those nearest caught his attention. “The officers disappeared? ….left? Who’s commanding the base? Are guard COs allowed to even run a military post?”
Oh… Well that would explain the convoy then. It was enough to bring pause to eating, as the pieces clicked into a vague, yet worrying picture. There should have been a memo if they were called to a joint staff meeting, but they were usually so anal about posting such notices. A growing sense was that they, and by extension, the facility had just been abandoned. If that was true, then it called into question if the posting was still valid, or even their enlistment contracts.
Finishing his food finally and dropping off the tray, Henry couldn’t help but shake off the growing nervousness. Even as he returned to his post shortly later, his mind raced, even questioning if he should even bother anymore with this stupid gate. Even as the hours passed, the convoy never returned, only gradually compounding his anxiety at the situation. It was only towards the end of his shift, did something change, some sign to indicate answers. “All personnel regardless of post, please meet in the mess effective immediately.”, the base PSA speakers announced across the facility.
Even as the two gate guards gave each other confused looks, they left their boxes and made the walk back. The mess which had been almost empty before, now almost seemed crowded, as the whole guard was now taking seats. It was also now unusually quiet, the murmur now replaced by apprehensive silence. On the small stage that was built into one side of the large room, a glorified raised metal box you wheeled in, was a rather twitchy looking office aid.
Once the crowd had settled in, the aid cleared their throat as they held a mic with trepidation. “This is to formally thank all personnel here on Base McAllen for their time of service. E-e.. Effective immediately, this base is now marked as decommissioned, with all assets lost, and all active guard elements on station hereby discharged. All offices of military staff have been vacated, and moved to off record shelters. Please leave at your earliest convenience, and rejoin your families.”
A moment of shocked silence passed, but one by one, people began to either rise and leave, or shout in distress. Some of such, was unfortunately aimed at the poor aid who had been left at the scene of the crime, with a metaphorical murder weapon still in hand. Some tried to shout them down, but one voice rose up with drill sergeant practice, the CO of their company. “SHUT THE FUCK UP AND STOW IT! Here on out, we’re on our own, and hereby we are an independent force.”
The man stared them all down, actually convincing some to return to their seats, or simply sit back down from their various soapboxes. After those that would had, he continued, “Suck it up. This is not how men I’ve seen proudly train, behave, instead… They’d be thankful for the severance package they were graciously given, and freedom to choose their next orders for themselves.” At this, most looked confused, but one person somewhere in back getting the gist, spoke out about the stockpiles.
Somehow, that was the best news to Henry all day, but somehow hadn’t settled the pit in his stomach. This felt like the fall of the state, and a coming to the end of days, even as someone who prepared. Well, the emotional impact was only something you could preemptively understand. It had seemed to settle the crowd though, even drawing back a couple of those who had hovered at the door to at least listen. “So Here is my final order to you, and that is to each take all you need, and post up in your hometowns.”, the guard officer spoke before giving one final nod, then simply walking off stage.
After the moment of silent consideration the group seemed to share passed, they, albeit much more orderly this time, began to leave together. Henry was still in his kit from guard duty, so his first stop was his ruck, before heading off to the depot himself. He had no need for any trivial personal effects right now, and focused on the rare chance for supplies they were just handed. Ignoring additional guns, he loaded up as many mags and pouches of ammunition as he could for his issued rifle and pistol. Even things like grenades, a pair of binoculars, a couple of personal field radios with batteries, a map, a woobie, a couple packs of chemlights, flares, spare plate pack, canteens, survival blankets, and water purifier tablets. With minimal space left in the tightly crammed pack, dropped a small field tool kit.
Attaching the assault pack to the bottom of the ruck, made his way through the bustle of basically likewise looters to the med-station. There he packed it with everything he had been trained to carry in an IFAK, as well as a triage kit. Any spare space was filled with whatever would fit, mostly consumables. Weighed and satisfied, he made the pantry his last stop. There he found others digging into additional meals of what was left prepared by the cook. Ironically, Jobe was nowhere to be seen as Henry walked back into the kitchen. There he found the man in question, having a similar idea of packing up all he could.
“Oh Henry, good it's you, come help me with this. I suppose we should count ourselves lucky, only a few of the men have been smart enough to raid what little we have. The aid came by at lunch and had warned me ahead of the meeting, so I started packing all of this into a crate and some bags.” He was surprisingly calm, likely as a result of the head start, as he had more time to process things then most. Wasn’t sure if he should feel complimented, or annoyed that he was the person to come along that Jobe trusted.
Setting his packs in the back corner to keep safe, helped the cook pack the pantry contents away. It wouldn’t take long as there wasn’t a ton to pack. At the end of it, he was given a duffle of canned goods, and one of military ration pouches. Repacking up, and feeling the weight, helped escort Jobe as they moved the crate with most of the food, and last of the duffels through the back of the building. Loading it onto a SUV, Jobe shook hands with Henry for his help, before getting in and leaving on his own.
Loaded up with everything he could possibly carry, it felt like the old days of slogging through PT drills. He had always hated them, but was thankful for them at least, especially now as he lugged more kit then a sherpa. Some were already now browsing vehicles in the motor pool and yard, something Henry had no interest in himself, as without logistics or a lock. Well they weren’t ideal for much more then rough roading and getting somewhere, but perhaps he could hitch a ride. So it was time to flag down his carpool buddy Frank.
After a bit of searching, and finding his ride being one of those browsing the vics, Henry was driven into town. His wife Evelyn seemed concerned when he got home by military jeep, and loaded down as he was. But after unloading it all, he sat her down for a good while and told her of the day’s events, and possibly accelerating certain plans. First would be securing their home and supplies, then stockpiling what they could as things developed. But as important, trying to contact their daughter who was away for college.
On that night, the two would hold each other close, the small city suburbs they called home being more quiet then usual. It was a sign that Henry had failed to notice, one that he came to realize had already begun even a couple days prior. Perhaps the masses had a sixth sense, and felt deep down to some degree, on what would be coming. The uncertainty for the future made him uneasy, that pit in his stomach having stuck with him even til now, like a friend of questionable company you couldn’t quite let go. Perhaps things would right themselves once the embers died down…
End of the beginning, day 1 of the collapse……