Inland Empire Trucking Co.
Recon Team CA-04
Engineering Group High Desert
Frederick Douglass Johnson
Thursday, April 30 (Cont.)
The ball got somewhat political at this point, with Victoria Hamilton giving a speech. She’s from the Kentucky Free State, a little-known entity from back east, with a fairly progressive technological base but a regressive society that includes slavery and a secret police. Victoria married into a prominent Bakersfield family. I can’t see what value this holds either party; the KFS is probably a thousand miles away so this does not seem a useful strategic alliance in terms of defence or trade to me. My guess was she did something really, really bad and she’s been exiled to where she can’t do any damage, and apparently that’s close to the mark. In her speech, she trash-talked the Project, nothing special, although she conceded if we mind our business she’ll mind hers. Her bodyguard, Captain Daniel Droughty of the Secret Police, flipped his gourd and took a shot at me, nothing to worry about, no damage because he was holding back. Maybe that might be something that will crop up in the future, maybe not.
Some of the team talked to Samantha Grey, the “house slave” of Victoria, and she filled in some blanks. I wasn’t part of the discussion so I can’t comment.
After, we met Generalissimo Fransisco Mansia of the Imperial Mexican Army. He was a little annoyed at us, especially as I’d reminded him during the speech yesterday of the reinforced mechanised infantry battalion we kicked ass on a week or so ago. He issued some vague threats, we didn’t know at the time how creditable they were.
Friday May 1st.
This was the day where our previous groundwork paid off. We were having our own soiree at the Dewdrop Inn, hosting local business and religious leaders, plus the USMC and USAF generals. There was a nice demonstration of our action against the Imperial Mexicans, although we weren’t invited to attend.
That doesn’t make a lot of sense; the Project needs to make as mileage as possible of its victories. The best way is to make sure it makes heroes out of recognisable faces like Vod, and at the least we should have been there to give a first-person account.
Prior to our party, there was a high-level meeting to arrange a cease-fire with the Imperial Mexicans. We, of course, were also not invited. There was another party being hosted by the Bakersfield contingent at the same time.
It’s important to mention is that at our party, one of the monks from the abbey explained what may have been happening with Kira Krell. I didn’t get his name. He said that some people had abilities, powers that could be used to cloud people’s minds, influence them. There had always been plenty of legends about mutants after the war, but never confirmed. Lots of stories!
Mindful of the Generalissimo’s threats we took some basic security precautions, knowing that sometimes truces are broken to assassinate enemy leaders. Someone’s guards is down, and important targets are all located in one spot. It does happen, although not often. It’s a high risk strategy but can really pay off. We set up a command post with all our weapons aside from sidearms and a MARS to man the radios, and posted a lookout on the roof (Keshawn with a sniper rifle). We set up a alert code over the radio.
What happened next is still somewhat unclear, although my memory has largely returned. Supposedly heading out of town, the Imperial Mexicans approached under escort by 2 Marine Humvees. They had 2 APCs and a deuce truck. When they got close, Keshawn noticed that the Humvees had bullet holes and blood smears on the window, and he gave the alert signal. We dropped what we were doing and went into action.
Keshawn kept watch as they approached, Vod and I rushed to the command post to get our weapons, Tim headed out the back to get some heavy firepower into action. Travis and Rick started giving a warning and ushering people towards the exits.
Without waiting to put on my armour, I grabbed my stuff and ran for the front desk, to try and hold the front door. Vod paused to gear up in the command post. A captured Marine Humvee, an APC and the truck parked out front and opened fire, while a Humvee and APC went around to the rear. Keshawn did some outstanding work, sniping the Humvee gunner, the deuce gunner and harassing the APC.
Under cover of the APC the first wave of “disposable” commandos came through the front door. They took down the marine guard that came out of the Presidential ballroom, where Poole, the marine and Air Force general were taking cover from the fifty-cal and twenty-two mike-mike fire chewing through the front of the hotel. A lot more holes appeared in the desk as bullets and what I think was a laser passed through it, coming and going. I’m not afraid to say I was hugging the deck, trying to keep my ass from catching some of those holes! I was told Vod took out the guys to the left of the door. I saw, through the holed punched in the reception desk, the legs of a couple guys to the right of the desk. I blew the legs off one and just tagged the guy behind him with my shotgun. The second guy fired back at me with his MP5. I shot him, I think in the arm and head, with my Python. It’s kind of fuzzy.
Out the back, Tim was waging a one-man war with the second Humvee and APC, who were busy shooting the hell out of our vehicles in the rear. I think he shot the Humvee driver with his sidearm, a great shot, hear, and the Humvee crashed through the wall of the kitchen. Then he fired an Armbrust rocket and took out the APC, blowing off a track. No doubt about it, Tim’s a one-man wrecking machine! On top of the building, Keshwan kept picking off Mexicans, specifically any gunner. They started returning fire at him, and Keshawn dropped a grenade near the front door but it went wide.
Inside, the VIPs started to be hustled out the kitchen, while the second more “professional” commando wave came in the front door. One guy out his M60 on the desk without seeing me below, and I blew his head off with a single round. Vod burned the rest, and then they got desperate and rammed an APC through the front wall. Vod, in a move that was pretty risky, blew it up with a 40mm grenade. That touched off the ammo, and that’s all I remember, I woke up in hospital.
Later, I found out the Marine’s HQ was raided and a lot of command officers killed. So was the Bakersfield party; Victoria wasn’t present but other VIPs were butchered before the assassins were driven off. We took some casualties, including several Project personnel. The Mexicans sent in helicopters to pick up their commandos and Tim, of course, immediately shot one down using a Stinger missile. MORGANA was able to provide some intelligence but wasn’t able to get a drone in the air in time.
All-in-all, we were both lucky, but things also went our way because we were prepared. If our weapons had been in our rooms or out back the commandos would have taken the front doors with no problem and had the VIPs trapped. As well, if they had stationed an APC and Humvee out the front to block that exit, a Humvee and APC out the back to shoot up the vehicles, and sent the commandos in the unprotected side door, they would have done a lot better.
We’ll do what we can to capitalise on this event. Luckily, we had everything recorded through our PDAs, video and sound. This was to make a record of the night but it so happens we now have a record of what happened. We can show people what happened, and what the Mexicans did will rightfully get people up in arms. We need to channel that, get people working for the future. Make them understand this is not just a border skirmish but a war, one we can only fight if we’re united. I also wouldn’t be surprised if MARS might not make contact with us. We may not necessarily be carrying out it’s prime goal but it can’t have escaped it’s notice we have both kicked serious ass and we’re trying to promote more centralised government, which is at least part-way along where it wants to go.
Comments (0) 
