After the early breakfast, everyone got to their assigned tasks.

Kelsey received the message from the dead-drop that Josh made. He had been successful, spreading the information to Cyrus that Taras wanted. Josh also confirmed that Cyrus was going to visit Brandi's next Friday, so there would be no move by the Stickmen before then. But they had started training for some kind of night mission outside the park. Only movement for now, but Cyrus also naturally expected a night attack by police and worked his people to make sure they were ready.

Also, the Stickmen had recovered a scorched helmet with still-working NVGs attached. Jettisoned, as Taras and Kelsey recalled, by LT Jagelis when he'd been hit by a Molotov cocktail and set ablaze.

Clarke's job was the most straightforward, a meeting with Inspector Khandola and the new leaders of the Militia. (Fomerly those leaders had been RCMP, but Fox had begin selecting their own "internal" commanders from within their ranks to free up trained policemen for other critical tasks.) Lee was there too, to help implement the Block Watch program. The local community leaders from UBC (including Angela Kwan) and the most prominent members of the surrounding less-organised neighborhoods of Kerrisdale, Kitsilano and the chief of the 30-40 member Musqueam band (Chief Randy Yates) attended. Everyone wanted to know what they could do to help.

They were all enthusiastic about the Block Watch program, and there were almost three hundred volunteers gathered nearby to help with the census-taking, receiving instruction.

There was word that the UBC milita had over a hundred new volunteers wanting to join up. There was a rising wave of hope and optimism in the community, a feeling that finally something useful was being done.

After, MacDonald dressed in civvies and left with Chief Yates on horseback. He had a radio, and promised to report on the Park when they went to trade there, plus the Airport, New West and the possibly Biker-run Free Market on Annacis Island.

Kelsey, Fox and McRae got the vehicles (an RCMP Crown Victoria, Ford Ambulance and Chevy cube van/surveillance vehicle) ready for their covert surveillance of the downtown. Kwan insisted they take a real paramedic and a doctor, so that if people came to them with actual health problems they could attend to them in a creditable manner. More serious cases could be picked up and/or ferried back to the UBC Pavilions Hospital. Although the radio van was well-suited for its covert role, it also had radiological sensors from UBC's large stock of such equipment.

By late morning, dark clouds had blown in and it started raining again. Taras' trip over to West Van was unpleasant and cold. Chilled by the time he arrived, he was welcomed by Bulat and the Mayor, and invited in for tea. Bulat promised whatever cooperation he could, but confessed that the BTR wasn't mobile because there hadn't been need until now. It would take a couple days in the shop to get it running again. They Mayor of West Van promised her people would get it done as soon as possible.

Speaking of their own vehicle, the mechanics at UBC were becoming more confident and working faster. They were double-shifting and it would take maybe 4 more days to complete the overhaul, if they could located and fix a problem with the turret hydraulics that had been puzzling them for some time. Once done the old LAV would be much more reliable.

Mid-day, Belanger returned and said that Shepherd had set up a meeting with the Survivalists that night under the cover of darkness, at Canada Place. It was a convention centre on the water, a little ways away and across from Deadman's Island.   Canada Place was a cruise ship dock, sticking out into the water. They would wait on the far side for a small boat and give a pre-arranged signal by flashlight.

There was some anomalies that came to Kwan's attention, and she passed this on to Clarke. The oddities had nothing to do with the current operations, but instead had to do with the Fraser River, currently the main transport and communications route in the lower mainland. As Clarke recalled, there was a small volunteer team of UBC researchers upriver monitoring water levels and other conditions.

The water level had begun to rise, more than the heavy rains would suggest. Also, there was a puzzling rise in water temperature of a half-degree Celsius above seasonal norms. Which didn't sound like much but was considerable for a river who's headwaters were fed by glaciers!
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:16, Thu 10 July 2008.

That infomation is passed on to the Commander as soon as possible, as well as the info on the NVGs.  Of course, along with how to blind the crap out of them if need too.




(Ugh..I bet it is black)



Kelsey is willing to kick their asses and make them feel unmanly by out mechanicing them!

Clarke took advantage of the enthusiasm to talk about the skills that would be needed most, the training that would be offered and her hope that these new skills would also be of use in improving security in the civilian sector.  She urged anyone with prior experience that would apply to the work they were doing now to apply for one of the special units.Clark was pleased over all by how all the elements were coming together.  They might be able to pull things together by Friday, or need to wait another week.  In either case they were progressing smoothly.
That new concerned Clarke.  Could the glaciers be melting?  She asked Belanger if the UBC volunteers could be contacted to travel further upriver to check on the status of the glaciers.

"Thank-you, Kelsey.  Please leave a message in the drop.  We'd like to find out what their sleep/wake schedule is.  If they are expecting a night raid, are most of them sleeping during the day?  If so, about what time to they all rack out?

"Roger that Clarke, consider it done"
And it will be, of course
"So what is this scuttlebutt about forming a new unit, got room for an old radio jock and mechanic?"

Clarke grinned broadly.  "I suppose we should put together a ceremony of some sort, but with so much going on it hasn't happened.  You could almost say we've been to busy doing to stop and go through the formalities.  You and McRae are both being promoted and put in charge of your own units.  McRae will have a Recce team and you'll be in command of a Communications team.

Clark suddenly got a blank look as the task of trying to review all the applications from the militia hit her. "Excuse me, Kelsey, I need to get in touch with Kwan as soon as I can."  After saying her goodbyes to Kelsey, Clarke contacted Kwan about having an administrative assistant assigned to her as soon as possible to help her.  She was going to need someone to review the applications and help with other tasks.  Perhaps Kwan knew someone from UBC who was looking for a job.

*Kelsey looks a little shocked at her, then grins*
"Right.. me in charge.. kidding right?"

Clarke deadpanned, "Since when do I kid?"

Kelsey blinked, tilted her head to one side "Not sure if I should kiss you, punch you, or just move along" She smirks a little, shaking her head slightly "And what makes you think I can handle that?"

Taras and the boat skipper arrived to the North Shore. They were warmed welcomed and invited to one of the main buildings of the community. Shevchenko met his old time friend Bulat but also requested the presence of the Mayor of the city and the commander of the emerging West Vancouver Police.

In the ensuing conversation Taras reflected on the positive outlook of the situation towards the establishment of the Government and the strategic value of the railroad activation. Wanting to separate civilian and military affairs, Taras informed the Mayor that a commercial commission should be set up and contacts activated with the island for the purpose of reactivate the economy. Then he mentioned the plan of operations for the area of Stanley Park and the crackdown of the criminal elements contained in the notorious stickmen . Without goijng into much detail, he did mentioned that a good source of information was found and was activated. A good tactical picture came to show that a definite action was possible but it would be required the support of many parties. Including, of course, the North Shore community.

Shevchenko was careful with the choice of words and rationale behind this. Without the help of Bulat, the problem could not probably be solved, at least in a quick expeditive manner. Without the UBC plans, the stickmen will keep on presenting a dangerous threat to the thriving future of a North Shore bolstered by the new opportunities for economic development.

Then there was the political leverage that could be obtained. A positive response in the action against the criminal elements would not go unnotice in the nascent government. This could be use for many purposes. It will certainly reinforce the civil authority and provide an environment of trust and confidence in the strength of the new institutions and its mutual cooperation.

When the idea was more or less settle, the obvious next step and questions were directed towards the operation itself. Taras stated that the extent would be somehow limited since the stickmen were divided in different locations, the focus for Bulat would be in capturing the bridge elements. There was also another issue to consider. Bulat's very own would have to take full advantage of mass, objective, maneouvre, simplicity, security and unity of command. That means that the maximum possible heavy elements should be oriented towards the mission. Taras wanted at least the BMP-2 and BTR-70 moving in with a minimum of 20 troops. After the bridge was secured, the column would move forward to the crossroad in the middle of the Park where they would meet the rest of ethe elements involved in the take over and reinforce, if necessary, any of the spots to be overrun. The operation, baptized by Taras as "Operation Berlin" will be fully coordinated by radio. The final point was to reach Berlin . A cooridnated effort against a tyrannical and fanatical foe, not unlike the Great liberation war for the Motherland that culminated in May, 1945. .

After this conversation came to and end Shevchenko walked the room with Bulat and asked him to go out for a walk. A fluid conversation in Russian took place. The ukrainian confessed to his friend that he was missing home. The new people met were quite nice and well intended people but there was a cultural barrier that prevented him from fully integrating in the system. Working in a hierarchic structure like the RCMP came to demonstrate how different was the approach towards discipline. The sudden turn of job descriptions from a military to a law enforcement didn't felt very well either. Being aware of the rest of the situation in the Lower Mainland and the mindset of the new Government towards fighting this threat he felt that the task will be daunting at least. In his mind, he felt that he could contribute to some extent and that's why he was so much involved in this. In his heart he wanted otherwise. He was thinking and so told his friend Bulat to move to the North Shore once the stickmen was resolved and live a peaceful life away from bandits, bike gangs and other undesirables. The North Shore was located in such strategic location that once the park and bridge were secured, the security and economic expectations for the location will become ideal. In the mean time, the newly appointed government and the military, the former foe, could do their deeds for the rest of the Lower Mainland.

Taras also made some recommendations about the equipment needed and disposition for the vehicles. He wanted to know what could probably be needed and promised to help. Adaptation was important. After gaining intel and making an analysis on the tactics and weapons of the stickmen he recommended to procure a fire truck or a similar vehicle provided with a water cannon. He remembered how the Soviet TV aired back in the arly '90s the riots in Berlin and helped to create a good deal of propaganda for the apparatchiks to show the resurgence of neo nazis. Shevchenko would dissect the tactics used by the Bundespolizei : Armored vehicles will move in to protect the anti riot officers of the rain of rocks and cocktail molotovs. But the armored vehicles were easy prey for the incendiary artifacts, therefore, nearby a water monitor equipped anti-riot truck will dose the flaming vehicles extinguising them. This pictures got embedded with memories of old battles narratives of the elders back in Ukraine and everywhere in the soviet media.

After all of this, half of the day was already gone and it was time to go back and resume activities at the University grounds. Primarily, making an inventory and follow up with the rest of the team and their progress. Shevchenko saluted the russian crew of Bulat and offered them the vodka bottle.

Not to be daunted, Clarke shot back, "Since the first two would result in disciplinary action, why don't you go for #3?  As to why I think you can handle it, just what makes you think you can't?  You're intellegent, competent, and up to now underutilized.  I can't afford to let talent go to waste and I don't intend to."

In reply to Taras Vladimirovich Shevchenko (msg #10):

The discussion with Bulat and the Mayor of West Van went well.

A small Persian woman, Mayor Sheila Fahandizh poured tea for all three of them as they discussed matters in the mayor's office, now located in the BC Ferries foot passenger terminal and administrative building by the ferry dock. As the small neighborhood of Horseshoe Bay possessed no real pre-war municiapal buildings, this was the best they could do. It was a very nice set of offices, and Sheila's corner office had a spectacular view over the narrow steep-sided cove and the marina below.

She tapped on a laptop, getting ready to print some things.

"We will be able to all that you ask. Although legally the West Van Police department can't go out of our jurisdiction, department personnel can be seconded to the RCMP under Inspector Khandola, so that they may operate temporarily out of their area."

"My mechanics tell me we shall have the, ah, BTR, the wheeled armoured vehicle, ready to go in 3 days with Rod MacArthur's resources and the shops that he uses to maintain the locomotives and the trains."

"Speaking of Rod, a "Regional Economic Commission" can be set up here. I think Rod should head it; he's had the most experience trading with people outside the city I know, and he's kept this entire community alive that way. He's kept those trains running. Even on time, I hear!"

"Likewise, our militia could be placed under some kind of Canadian Forces authority, like a... regional security council? That way if cooperative action is needed, there is a permanent coordinating structure in place."

"To be clear, Bulat and his people are to be released from our service and their contract picked up by the Federal Government. It's one thing to employ armed soldiers in the protection of the community, but ordinary civic leaders like me, we're not soldiers and it's not... proper. Or normal, which is what we're ultimately trying to achieve!"

After, Bulat had his discussion with Taras. He agreed that moving into North Van would be a good idea, close to the city. He wondered if Taras was thinking of moving as well, and if so, opined that he was crazy to leave the orderly safe enclave in the University.

His friend said would be no problem to get Bulat's 2 vehicles, 9 foot soldiers and another 40 West Vancounver Police loaned to the RCMP in full riot gear. A couple more armoured trucks could be improvised from cargo transports possessed by the community. Likewise, a spare water pump from a fire truck could be easily improvised.

"It is funny," Bulat said, "back home Milicia means police. Here, they are different, yet supporting in some sense."

"Have a safe voyage back, my friend."

---

http://tinyurl.com/5df79y

Note: The BC Ferries administrative building is to the right (east), just to the south of the ferries dock across Bay street. Between Keith St. and the Upper Levels Highway before it debouches onto the ferry ramps, connected to the terminal itself by a covered walkway. Mayor Faradizeh's office is in the NW corner of the building.

It's funny, looking at the docks you can see raft-mounted pile-drivers anchoring in new bumpers. This is because a year or so ago a ferry lost power while on approach and plowed into the marina, annihilating several boats and wharfs next to the terminal (no one was injured).

In reply to Andrea Clarke-Sullivan (msg #11):

VIC (Vancouver Island Command) and the 35th Brigade certainly had no problem with promoting Andy to Master Sniper and Champlain to Corporal (and section leader). Andy was already ranked as a section (squad) leader, but now he could officially lead sniper and other special recce teams.

Champlain got better acquainted with the 2 signals techs that had been sent over from the Island by VIC to help out the DRI section in the city. Privates Derek Plessic and Arif Mahanandi were basically competant but not exceptionally well-trained, and certainly not especially well-motivated or go-getters. Basically, they would at most be CFLers (Corporals For Life) if they bothered to stay in the 'Forces after the war ended.

Belanger got back to Clarke on what they could find out. The few remaining climatologists were further puzzled by the rise in river levels and temperatures. The recent snow (as recent as a few days ago) should have added to the glaciers in the Fraser's headwaters, and indeed just by going outside they could easily see the snow caps on the North Shore mountains were still mostly intact. The recent heavy rains could be contributing to a small "freshet", a quick surge of water brought on by increased runoff as well as glacial melt.

The team upriver could check some of the closer glaciers, although it would be at least a 75km hike both ways. The entire watershed for the mighty Fraser River encompassed most of the southern province. For the mean time, they would prefer to monitor the situation in place to observe any trends.

One odd thing the remote team reported was that water temperature was normal upstream, which was why they hadn't noticed anything out of the ordinary before. Therefore, something or someone must be dumping a lot of heat into the river between the mouth at UBC and Coquitlam where they were stationed.

The tentative theory was that the increased temperature might be waste heat from an industrial process relatively close to the river. Offhand, a foundry might produce that kind of waste heat. There were few foundries located close to the river, although there was one located on Annacis Island, the Continental Wire Cloth Company.

Clarke recalled that Annacis Island was where the "Free Market" had been set up, supposedly with Hells Angels backing and protection.

Later that evening, MacDonald telephoned and said he was settling in with the Musqueam band on their reserve. The next day they were planning on sending a trading party by boat to New Westminster, also stopping at the Free Market on nearby Annacis Island. They would also stop and pay the toll levied by the Bridge Trolls on the way back. He could look around if needed. He also reported that Tricia, the reporter, was interested in coming along to investigate some of the other communities that were supposedly out there. In the next few days they were willing to make a trip to Stanley Park to report on the Stickmen.

In reply to helbent4 (msg #13):

Maybe there was more going on with the HA than they thought - like some kind of production facility?  What were they making?  It had been a Wire Cloth company.

Since the promotions were approved without a hitch, she needed to get personnel assigned.  After speaking with Kwan she found out the Kyoko, the young lady assigned as her assistant at Retsumeikan House, had been an MBA candidate before the war.  She was assigned to Clarke in preparation for an Admin role.  Clarke contacted Kyoko and soon had her sifting through the applications from the militia for likely special unit candidates.  She also asked Khandola for any candidates from RCMP he could designate.

Clarke confirmed that MacDonald was doing a good job on his assignment.  The information he could obtain on the goings-on in his area would be invaluable.  The articles for sale at the Free Market might be a clue as what was being produced by the HA at the foundary.  Tricia could be imbedded as well, as long as she could do so at minimal risk to herself.
This message was last edited by the player at 16:41, Sun 13 July 2008.

Kelsey shrugs a little "Sometimes it's worth the punishment."  She watches her a long moment, unsmiling, then breaks it and winks, smiling again  "Ok boss"

"Atta girl.  I suppose the RCMP command center is as good a place as any for me to continue working on things.  After you've talked to the new techs, meet me there.  I'll contact Lee as well."

True to her word, Clarke got in touch with Lee. While she waited to hear from McDonald, she asked Kyoko to join her and Lee at the RCMP location to start going over files.  Clarke also had some questions for Lee.

"We've had Sebastian in custody a full day now.  Has anyone talked to him?  Any information out of him yet?  You seemed to think he might be a former addict.  What access would he have to hard narcotics now?  Is he showing any withdrawl symptoms?  He was pretty uncooperative before, but given a day to think about his options, it might be time to try again."

*She does a quick salute and heads on out, a bounce in her step.  she heads for the shop to check out all these new techs with a bit of wonder, but hopefully sneaking in as just another tech, rub elbows, talk shop, evaluate them without them knowing she is in charge, just one of the guys.*

Belanger arched an eyebrow politely.

"Let's hold off on asking that for now."

"Referring to earlier discussions with LT Jagelis that you were of course not a part of, law enforcement would be the primary aim of the government here in the Lower Mainland, with the RCMP the principle agent for restoring civil order. The military would be operating in a supporting role."

"As the RCMP will be expanding their presence as well, they will probably need all their experienced officers to train and lead new RCMP Auxiliary personnel, in addition to restoring civil order. We've already been giving Inspector Khandola first crack at the new recruits. In fact, Lee at some point is going to be needed to train an Emergency Response Team so her availability may be curtailed for brief periods."

"This is something that hasn't really been brought up before now, so don't worry."

MacDonald signed off (well, hung up the telephone), promising to report on anything unusual.

Later, Clarke and Lee arrived at the RCMP command post, accompanied by Kyoko. It was a couple blocks from Oakridge mall. Lee got out the set of keys that would allow them access.

The RCMP's provincial emergency command post was in an unassuming 3-story concrete building with a level of secure underground parking off 41st  and Cambie, close to the geographic centre of the city and on the high ground that ran east-west. It had been secured and not broken into, as it didn't look like anything special. Most of the gear like radios and all the working computers had been removed, relocated to the Island when the city was evacuated.

In a mechanical room off the underground parkade, there was still a generator seemingly intact but without fuel.  Unfortunately, the mobile command post vehicle was long gone, and in fact the parkade was completely deserted.
This message was last edited by the GM at 11:27, Mon 14 July 2008.

In reply to Kelsey Sarah Champlain (msg #17):

Dereck and Arif seemed like okay guys in their 20's. Now that their initial work of setting up the radio gear was complete they were taking it easy, enjoying the relative luxury UBC afforded.

They seemed friendly enough to Kelsey. As long as they didn't have to work too hard, they were happy to keep riding ride the gravy train.

A couple more people showed up, recruits sent by Belanger for the Communications and Electronics section.

Troy Defazio was in his late 20's, while Bert Smilicevic was a large grey-haired man in his late 40's with a thick European accent. Troy had some experience with radios in the Sea Cadets, while Bert had been in a Signals unit in the late 70's while doing his mandatory service in the JNA (Yugoslavian Army).
This message was last edited by the GM at 11:26, Mon 14 July 2008.

In reply to helbent4 (msg #18):

"Since much of our function seems to be headding towards intellegence gathering and providing extra tactical support, I think we can work very well with the RCMP.  Give them what they need to restore order.  Thank-you for being willing to be flexible and work with us in this.

At the Emergency Command Post, the three women took a look around.  They were getting a feel for what it would take to get the place back up to speed.  Lots of work would need to be done to re-install equipment, but the generator was still there and the place handn't been broken into or vandalized.  All in all, things could be worse.  They did make use of the peace and quiet to review some paperwork before heading back to the UBC RCMP post to resume attempts to interview Sebastian.

Andy walked over to Clarke and asked, "If you want me to head up a recce unit, where do I ask for recruits?"

Kelsey arrives wearing her normal fatigues, she's a private so rank doesn't really show her up.  She pulls off her overshirt showing off her muscles in a non reg brown sleeveless undershirt, chest broad from exercise, but not from femininity.
"Hey boys.. this the new commo unit?  I been assigned." she offers to shake their hands in her rather crushing grip, grinning all the while.
She tries to get a feel for their abilities, and their hobbies, how you might size up new 'mates'.



As more folks show she mixes, even suggesting they all go out for a few beers.  After having talked to them for a bit.

Clarke nodded to the newly minted Master Sniper.  I see word travels fast.  We get them from the militia.  Belanger may assign some to us directly.  The rest we find ourselves.  She handed him a stack of papers. "You can sift through paperwork as well as any of the rest of us.  See who you think looks like a good candidate.  Then we'll find out who stacks up in the flesh as well as on paper.

Clarke flipped through the papers for a moment.  "We may have some folks that look great on paper but aren't worth a flip.  By the same token, there maybe some that would be great for the team, but can't fill out paper work.  We might want to put together some kind of event or trial and let people show what they can do.  What do you think, Andy?"

By the time Taras arrived to the Marina and shortly after to the UBC sprawl he found that was rather early and it also appeared that the members of the team were out somewhere. Without much hesitation he went to the main RCMP building and briefly conveyed the good news to the people on duty. Basically that the North Shore was fully supportive with the operation and everything else went well. So far, everything was progressing in good order and no mention of any further incident was mentioned. After that he decided to call the day and returned to his quarters. He removed himself of the officialdom of the uniformity and changed into a well worn pair of fatigues and a fresh cotton shirt.

Being aware that still quite some time to expend before getting supper, he jumped into the UAZ jeep and made a short drive to meet Ms. Kwan. Probably she would be tendering a little garden and there is where he found her. Ms Kwan was showering a colorful of flower arrangements under the protective shade of a rather demode' straw hat.

Beautiful flowers, Ms Kwan!

Shevchenko approached her and after the customary salutations and compliments mandatory for an ex Officer, he exposed the good news about the North Shore and the overall positive results of the efforts towards reconstruction. In a rather confident manner, Taras expressed ho the team sent from the Island took a radical turn and adapted to the requirements of the UBC plans. The change of leadership brought a healthy fresh air. The new Lt. Cmdr. approach was commendable. The idea of a intel unit as a joint operation would give a new thrust and will help to win the upper hand in the incoming confrontations.

But Taras wanted to talk about something else. Coming from a totalitarian regime, he knew a bit about the importance of media and indoctrination. He also knew that something should be done in this respect but he couldn't approach Clarke, Belanger or Khandola. The implementation of the IRON program needed full backing from a media campaign. In order to bring the communities together it was necessary to provide them with enough means to serve as a basis for their recently recovered freedom of speech . It was necessary to expand the role of the local TV, radio station and creation of a local newspaper.

Taras suggested the creation of physical and spiritual community centers. The government should facilitate the means to activate these community centers and make the citizens come up and participate in activities for their own recreation. The idea was somehow decentralize the services provided by UBC while the IRON program and the return to normal life was moving Eastwards. Health Care services, daycare, sports,...will help to shape the future for the citizens. The newly instituted community centers will be a media focus point where TV, radio and newspaper will be distributed. This will help to channel the information and progress to the society. Freedom of access to information was paramount. The advances in the return to a normal life would be of little value if they couldn't be communicated. The media operation was a most necessary campaign to gain the hearts and minds of those kept in the dark of the fear.

A civilian affair was in need of a good coordinator with an ample perspective of politics and sociology. A honest message was in need to be broadcasted. There was a lot of good news to share with the population. It was the perfect time to start an aggressive media campaign.

Before leaving Ms Kwan and her lovely flowers and hat, Shevchenko commented the fact that this media program will help to "verbalize" the intentions of the new government and will help the citizens to make a choice before the use of force would be necessary. For instance, the "radiological investigation team" will be announce beforehand to avoid unnecessary suspicions. A terrific force multiplier in any case.

"A test might well be in order, Ma'am. I can set up a stalk and some sharpshooting tests, perhaps the best way to sort out the sheep from the lambs though is a killing house, that'll put people under lots of pressure but without too much danger of injury." Andy replied, "I'll talk to the RCMP about it, if they haven't got one already I'll bet they know how to make one. Until then, I'll hit the paperwork and make a long list."

In reply to Andrew Montgomery McRae (msg #25):

Good ideas all.  Maybe we could set the whole thing up as part of a PR event.  Not everyone who fills out paperwork is going to make the sniper team, but there will be a lot of people needed for the Block Watch and other programs.  Let's get the Stickman campaign under our belts, and plan outreach for the future."

Clarke and her entourage finished up at the abandoned RCMP HQ in Oakridge by E 41st. They traveled north up Cambie, dodging stalled vehicles that had been moved off to the side to clear a lane each way.

They drove by the VPD's main police station at Cambie and E. 2nd. It was burned out, along with some of the surrounding buildings.

By the time they arrived back at UBC in the afternoon, She hoped Sebastian was awake. He had gone into a troubled sleep that night and hadn't really woken up all day. Doctor Chandra thought he may be showing symptoms of heroin withdrawal.

Clarke checked up on Kelsey, who had been going over the LAV and bonding with her team, incognito. Kelsey had also been reading the transcript of her and Taras' chat with Josh.
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:51, Wed 16 July 2008.

"Scratch my ideas of working through them."


[OOC: Moved from the OOC Reference thread to the current IC thread.]
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:54, Wed 16 July 2008.

In reply to Kelsey Sarah Champlain (msg #28):



"Could be one guy that's a serial murderer, not the gang itself.  You never know.  Like everything else, we need information.  We have help coming.  We need to know more so we can help them."

[OOC: Moved from the OOC Reference thread to the current IC thread.]
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:54, Wed 16 July 2008.

In reply to Andrew Montgomery McRae (msg #25):

In fact, Lee was very keen to set one up.

"I'm also going to be training a police ERT soon for the RCMP, so this is an excellent opportunity. Let's plan it out. If you're going to be busy in the downtown conducting surveillance, I can keep things moving forward on it. Should be done in a week."

"We have a range set up out in Chilliwack at the old Canadian Forces Base there, but the commute would be rather difficult at the moment!"

Indeed, Chilliwack was some 60-70 km east up the Fraser Valley. Due to the wind patterns, it and the surrounding farmland probably received a severe dose of fallout after the nuclear attacks in the eastern part of the city, although contamination would be minimal by now.

There were a few kids from the local militia that were interested in joining a dedicated recce/sniper team, Chad Evrett and Stacy Campbell, in their early 20's. They had both grown up in the rural parts of the province. Chad was an experienced hunter and had grown up in Vanderhoof in the SE corner of the province, while Stacy was from up in the Peace River valley and was a natural crack shot, having first learned to shoot as a child.

While most Canadians were urban-dwellers and generally abhorred guns (especially handguns), those living in the 90% rural and wilderness areas of the country had more guns per capita than rural Americans. (Although over 90% of firearms were longarms like rifles and shotguns.)

They were unsure as to whether they were joining the Army, the RCMP, or something else. Technically, they (and anyone else hired by the team) could be considered federal contractors under the DRI, although they could also be considered inducted into the CF as well.
This message was last edited by the GM at 11:21, Wed 16 July 2008.

In reply to Taras Vladimirovich Shevchenko (msg #24):

Kwan was most welcoming of the news. She wiped her forehead, then poured some chilled lemonade for them both to ease the sunlight of the warm spring afternoon.

"Wonderful! We'll look into creating these centres, where people can get medical attention, news and so on. And feel safe!"

"Taras, would you like to do dinner tonight? We can discuss this with Alain and Kamaljit (Inspector Khandola)."

"Also, Tricia with the media group wants to know if she could do an interview with this Cyrus fellow. Also, report on this "Free Market" on Annacis Island, and the community in New Westminster. She felt she should find out if it were safe or not."

In reply to helbent4 (msg #27):

"Doctor Chandra, could we confirm the heroin withdrawl?  This is a security issue as well as humanitarian.  If he's drug-dependent and doesn't show up for his fix, it will be suspicious to the people at the park.  Withdrawl can be very dangerous as well as painful.  We don't want him to die on us."

In speaking to Kelsey, she mentioned Sebastian's symptoms.  "Something's up with Josh.  Either he knew Sebastian was addited and failed to tell us, or he didn't know at all.  Sebastian insisted on deliveries so he could get fixed up without Josh knowing about it.  If Josh is out of the loop, then the others at the Park will get suspicious if Josh keeps coming back and doesn't mention that Sebastian is sick."

"That is clever.. very clever.  We can leave a message for him, make it sound like Sebastian went rogue and he tried to cover for him?"

In reply to Kelsey Sarah Champlain (msg #33):

"More like that he needs to report that Sebastian is sick.  Something is fishy.  Either Josh didn't tell us Sebastian has a habit, or he didn't know himself.  If he didn't know about Sebastian's habit, then he needs to be warned.  Cyrus will be suspicious if an addict like Sebastian stops showing up to get his fix."

"Maybe sick, and demanding his package?"

The surveillance van was coming along nicely.

Although the basic vehicle was black, the motor pool crew at the garage suggested painting it to look like a red HAZ/MAT vehicle. Not exactly the one the VFD used to deploy, but close.

The mechanics also asked if Kelsey wanted to stay and help with the LAV. They were experienced mechanics, but they were struggling with the unfamiliar vehicle. After all, they weren't just fixing one system but overhauling major components. Having to learn as they went along.

There were various signals incoming and being relayed over to the Island. The Signals techs passed along that Rod MacArthur was arranging with VIC to secure a supply of coal for his engines. In exchange, they would have a rail barge ready to transport the locomotives and some rolling stock over by the end of summer, when troops would be arriving in force to secure the city.

Also, there was a message from Bulat to Taras, saying he was trying to convince his wife to move out of West Van. She wanted to know if UBC had pediatric medicine available and a hospital, or will make those services immediately available to the North Shore. That will basically determine where they will live!

(OOC: Sorry, forgot to add this!)
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:39, Thu 17 July 2008.

In reply to Kelsey Sarah Champlain (msg #35):

"Well, get a message to Josh that Sebastian seems to be suffering withdrawls, and if he isn't already faking picking up his drugs, he better start."

She also asked the doctor if she could confirm the diagnosis.  If so, was it  possible to get Sebastian on methodone treatment.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:49, Thu 17 July 2008.

In reply to helbent4 (msg #31):

Shevchenko accepted the dinner invitation gladly from Ms Kwan. The trip back and forth made him hungry and then there was all the expectation and more negotiations that were getting somehow in his stomach.

Regarding the media folks, hummm..., I wouldn't recommend to send them along with the indians of the reserve and travelling to New Westminster and that biker market. No, that would be too suspicious. Something doesn't match. Instead I would deploy...sorry! "send" them to make a reportage to the downtown core. Kinda a scientific thing, you know, they will be filming the NBC team searching into the buildings with the geiger counters, etc. It sounds more plausible. And it is more safe for them, the "scientist" are already escorted by the RCMP. This will open the opportunity to sound off the undergrounders and even fetch the opportunity to interview big, bad Cyrus. Who knows...

Taras felt that the approach towards the uncharted waters of New Westminster and the market in Annacis Island should be stealthy and without unnecessary risks. It would be an initial contact and he didn't want to send military, police or just risk the life and or limb of any civilian without proper security. He did have the gut feeling that "New West" would be cooperating soon but was uneasy about the "free market". On the other side, sending the TV crew to downtown would bring more oportunities for intel: Interviewing locals, recording audio and video, offering the opportunity to "air" the problems of the zone was another element in the alloy of intel needed to get the picture.

An interview with Cyrus is risky. It not only endangers the crew but also would work as a propaganda coup. It will be not possible to do it with the presence of our Law Enforcement and Cyrus would not be willing to risk capture. It could serve to incriminate and prosecute the stickmen in any case... That I would leave to Belanger to decide. It doesn't depend on us either. I would prefer to get the TV people to move around the downtown. I'm going to need a good footage of Georgia St. before we move in for the snatch.

Doctor Chandra confirmed that Sebastien's blood work showed traces of heroin in his bloodstream. There were needle tracks between his toes, which is why they were missed on initial examination.

"Withdrawal won't kill him. Detox will take about a week and he'll feel like hell. We do have a supply of methadone here, and I will start him on a course immediately."

Josh's reply would come back later in a few hours. Without a radio, any more direct communication would put him at risk if seen. At least he was warned there was something fishy about Sebastien.
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:09, Fri 18 July 2008.

In reply to Andrea Clarke-Sullivan (msg #37):

Rachel talked to Clarke and Champlain about the situation with Sebastien.

"Boss, we already thoroughly searched the house. No black tar, no rig. Ah, I mean, no heroin or syringe. Let me have a look at the other properties, the one next door and the other across the back alley. I'll go in plainclothes."
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:42, Fri 18 July 2008.

In reply to Zhang Rachel Lee (msg #40):

"Sounds like a good idea.  It may well be he was getting fixed up either at the park or somewhere on the route and keeping it a secret.  Who knows?  Maybe he was getting high enroute and double-dealing Cyrus."

"I personally don't like how they are using women, and underage women in particular."

Clarke shook her head.  "Murder, prostitution, underage human trafficing, narcotics, racetering, these guys seem to run the gammit.  That's before we figure in their dealings with the stickmen, a group of known terrorists.  Like I said, our job is to gather intel.  We need to be ready to help Central and the RCMP take these guys down."

She rubbed her face with her hands and addressed Kelsey again.  "Get your team organized.  Get ready to make use of the equipment you have.  We have a job to do and the better we do it, but better we prepare the big guns to do their job.  I don't like those guys any more than you do, which is why I plan to focus on my job and do it to the best of my ability."

Not much else happened that evening. Andy continued setting up the stalk and the shooting house on campus, or rather a little off-campus. Kelsey helped out at the LAV and saw that her help would probably be needed for at least some of the time each day at the garage to keep repairs on schedule.

Belanger's reply to Taras was that he would persuade Tricia to cover the assistance team in the downtown. The dual benefit being the propaganda value of being seen aid the people abandoned there, plus have fresh video footage to look at. For safety reasons the media team also wouldn't seek out an interview with Cyrus.

In civilan clothes and with a partner, Cpl. Lee rode a bicycle out to the Kitsilano neighborhood where the Stickmen's OP was set up.

After a few hours, she reported finding a stash with works (syringe, needle, lighter, tubing, etc.) and a quantity of heroin in the house across the back alley. It would probably be okay to have Josh not mention it, as he would have otherwise been unaware of Sebastien's addiction anyways. Back at the detachment she unpacked the gear and said it would take a little while to determine the purity and thus how long this supply would last.

It was now approaching 2000 hours, the light was fading. Belanger met Clarke, Taras and the team.

"Well, time to meet Shepherd and go see the Survivalists at Canada Place."

"Roger that ma'm, I will be right on it"  And introduce myself as the leader, this time... she doesn't add that though.

She will head back to the commo HQ and gently light fires, setting up shifts and getting gear in order.  Not ranking to really be in charge, she just comes across as 'hey, the OIC asked me to get this all done, bear with me ok?'

In reply to Kelsey Sarah Champlain (msg #45):

"Oh, Kelsey, we have new information on Sebastian's addiction.  Looks like he was keeping it on the down low, so it should be OK if Josh doesn't mention it.  He kept his works hidden and also the injection sites.  Pass that on to Josh, please."  She did want to find out where he was getting his supply and what he was using to trade for it.  That would be some interesting information.

She got ready for the meeting with Belanger.  "OK, Mr. Belanger.  How many of my personnel do you wish to bring along for the meeting?  McRae and Champlain are both working on projects, but I can have them wrap up what they are doing and rendezvous with us."

In reply to Andrea Clarke-Sullivan (msg #46):

"This was Taras' idea! I would like his input. I don't see him, but he should be here any moment."

"We'll see what he has to say. My gut feeling is the less the better. You, me, Taras. In my Land Rover, it's familiar enough."

"Lee and possibly McRae to provide security."

Taras was well aware of the level of confidence that Shepherd inspired in Belanger. He was a "connector" or a "fixer". A delicate profession but  one that provided with good contacts and opportunities to get things done and lay your hands in hard to find stuff, good currency mostly.

If so, Sheperd wouldn't risk his reputation trying to set up anybody. He was a wise guy. Canada Place was neutral ground. Close enough to Deadman's Island since the survivalists were few but not so close as to suggest an ambush.

A corresponding move in the fine art of diplomacy will be a vote of confidence. It was late and gather an escort will take time and will show a distasteful, conspicuous move. After all, if thing were going to heat up, the three of them were well versed in the handling of firearms and in the unlikely event of an emergency to run away will be the fastest way out.

Lets go the three of us. Is getting late and we have to go down to business. Seems that this Shepherd has been in touch with you, Belanger, for a while. Allow me to get my bag and then we can go over there ASAP.

In reply to Taras Vladimirovich Shevchenko (msg #48):

Clarke nodded her ascent.  Sometimes simplest was best.  "Works for me.  The three of us, with McRae and Lee at a distance for support.  Gentlemen, shall we?"

Within a few minutes, the team was assembled.

Belanger had his Land Rover for Clarke and himself, and they worked out comms and freqs.

"I always approach the downtown from the east. I head out to Commercial by way of 12th and Grandview Highway, then up to East Hastings. then take that into the downtown."

Their escort, Lee and Andy, pulled up in the black Suburban. Lee was still in plainclothes with her sidearm in an underarm rig under her light jacket, MP5A3 and tactical vest in the back of the truck.

They made sure everyone knew where they were going, even the passengers, in case the drivers were incapacitated. Lee was quite familiar with the route.

"Let's get going!"
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:52, Tue 22 July 2008.

Andy got himself into his "plain clothes" and put his pistol into the band of his pants. He picked up the C8 carbine for use when undercover and put his heavier gear, including his vest and sniper rifle into the truck.

Lee drove the black Suburban SUV with Andy riding shotgun. Belanger drove his Land-Rover with Clarke and Taras, and at the last minute he decided Kelsey should come along too to provide them with signals capability with a PRC-77 radio.

The two vehicles headed out as the sun was setting. They drove down the deserted streets, heading east down 12th.

They passed the commercial buildings around Granville, the dark and forbidding Vancouver General Hospital complex and the BC Centre for Disease Control.

When the crossed Cambie still going East, they could see City Hall down the hill, neon trim dark.

North up Clarke they passed under the raised concrete Skytrain tracks. At the northen industrial end of Clarke was the Port of Vancouver entrance (an overpass over the CN Rail tracks) but they turned left before it onto Hastings. They were forced to slow because of the more numerous stalled vehicles closer to Chinatown, a couple blocks away. In the near distance a thin streamer of smoke indicated there were squatters camping in the old abandoned Woodwards building with it's distinctive "W" on a roof tower. It had been abandoned even before the war and was a popular "squat" then as now.

They turned right again at Main and Hastings. Suspended cables that once powered the electrical "trolley" buses drooped into the streets, no longer held aloft in many places.

Hastings and Main, sandwiched between the downtown to the west and industrial district to the east, had once been the city's skid row, an epicentre of poverty, drug use and misery. It was formerly known as the "poorest area code in the country". There was trash and broken glass covering the street from the looted stores. Half-burned mattresses and rickty furniture from the notorious flop houses and hotels littered the street, even a burned out police car was flipped on its side by the old police station. (Although the VPD moved its HQ to a newer building at Clarke and 2nd, they kept the old police station by Main and Hastings for certain departments.)

They navigated down Main past the former "open-air drug supermarket" of Oppenheimer Park, then down Waterfront Road towards Canada Place and the Pan Pacific Hotel.

On the immediate left was the rail yard, behind that the buildings and skyscrapers of downtown.

On the right they passed the Seabus terminal, the water-borne transit component to the Skytrain and buses. Between the Seabus terminal and Canada Place was a couple small wharfs and the terminal's parking lot. Belanger pulled in there.

Lee pulled up beside him and got out, grabbing her subgun. Security would be a little difficult, what with Canada Place and the hotel across from them, the Seabus terminal behind, and a rail yard and skyscraper with parkade in front with the downtown behind. There wasn't any trash in the water.

http://tinyurl.com/5gb98p

They waited as it grew dark, listening to the quiet slap of the small waves echoing off the concrete. Within a half-hour a small boat pulled around the far end of Canada Place. With an exchange of recognition signals, it putted towards them.

The man inside got out and introduced himself as "Ed Putnam". He had a bodyguard, not introduced. They both wore surplus US camouflage and webbing; Ed carried a CAR-15 and his bodyguard had an AK-47.

After some introductions, Ed got down to business.

"Shepherd says you want mto eet me. Well, here I am."
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:34, Wed 23 July 2008.

In reply to helbent4 (msg #52):

Clarke stepped up and offered her hand.  Lt. Cmd. Andrea Clarke-Sullivan, at your service.  Cmd. Belanger of the RCMP, and Lt. Taras Schevchenko of the same.  We've come to speak with you about the Stickmen.  We believe it is time something was done about the situation in Stanley Park.  Would you be interested in discussing plans with us?

Ed shook hands. He had short salt-and-pepper crew-cut hair, and a weathered face, probably in his mid-50's, muscle going to fat under his patched fatigues and surplus kit. His accent was west-coast American, probably Washington or Oregon.

He looked like he was considering playing dumb or not. Evidently, he decided against it.

"We get along with the people there. If they're breaking the law, then that's no concern of ours. Are you representing the federal government? Provincial? Local?"

Belanger answered, "we represent all three levels. I'm an official of the provisional city government. Taras is technically Provincial and federal. Leftenant Commander Clarke represents the federal government."

Ed mulled that over.

"They don't bother us, we don't bother them. Ain't got no quarrel with them."

In the parking lot behind them, Andy, Lee and Kelsey kept watch on the surrounding buildings in the twilight.

East of them, Canada Place was a convention centre, cruise ship dock and shopping centre. It jutted out into the water of Burrard Inlet like a land-bound ship. It once had a fabric roof designed to look like sails and backlit by couloured spots. The fabric was ripped and sagging now, a little scorched by the nuclear fireball of a few years ago, revealing metal latticework and guy cables that once kept the "sails" in place.

To the south south-west the Pan Pacific Hotel was a gleaming glass edifice planted the land side of Canada Place. Many windows on the side facing them, facing east towards where the bombs went off, were missing, but most remained. Next to that was the Pacific Press Building, with the letters "THE VANCOUVER SUN" near the top. Beneath these were open floors of parkades, at least a level or two between "street level" above and the water and access roads below, on their current level.

There was the CN train yard separating the water from the downtown buildings, some rolling stock still remaining rusting on rusting rails. To their immediate east was the Seabus terminal (in whose parking lot they were standing). The terminal was connected to the Waterfront Skytrain Station with a walkway over the rail yard.

Further east past the Seabus terminal was the Port of Vancouver. There were several immense cranes that once loaded and unloaded containers from Asia, the US and further abroad, now silent sentinels.

From the parkade, Andy heard some soft scraping noises. It could be an animal or one of the many birds that nested there now, or something else.

Clarke had a "there's something wrong with this picutre" feeling all of a sudden. Ed didn't sound like he had come here to talk about helping them, so suddenly the situation just screamed "trap."  "These are your neighbors and you've lived along side them a long time.  I can understand your position."  She shrugged and started to back up.

"Perhaps we haven't much to discuss after all.  Just keep in mind we make a distinction between murderers and those just trying to survive.  We hoped you could do the same."

Subtly, Andy shifted to face the sound he had heard, his carbine held loosely and unthreateningly, but ready to be brought to bear should things go south. He breathed easily and evenly, focusing on the moment and the ability to react immediately should the situation call for it...

Clarke and Taras remembered what Belanger briefed them about what Shepherd had said about the Survivalists:

"They showed up in mid-2000, long after the city was abandoned, numbering around 20. Shepherd started visiting them not to long after. Shepherd estimated there are around 30 now on Deadman's Island (with a dozen children and a half-dozen women), and some local people have joined them over the last couple years.

"The leader, Ed, doesn't like to make idle talk and when Shepherd gets out to the island he's not allowed to wander around. He thinks that they came up from Washington State. They have fortified the Naval Cadet Station and are heavily armed, mostly small arms but a couple machineguns, some LAW rockets and maybe a mortar. They don't seem to grow anything but have an amazing supply of rations. American MREs and Canadian IMPs, canned food (vegetables, fruit, etc.).

"They mostly trade for fresh food and luxuries like alcohol, and pay with ammunition, 5.56mm and 7.62mm NATO, military calibres."

For the meeting, as this was "official", Taras, Kelsey and Clarke were in uniform. (Being security, Lee and Andy wore plainclothes.)

For his part, Andy couldn't see anyone approaching or hear more movement. Still, the Pacific Press building and Canada Place were less than 100m away. Someone emplaced there would be able to get them into a crossfire easily enough.
This message was last edited by the GM at 08:53, Sun 27 July 2008.

In reply to helbent4 (msg #57):

"We understand from Shepherd you trade NATO caliber munitions for fresh foodstuffs and other items.  Those are things we could provide as well."

Kelsey will be glad to lend a hand, LAV's being something she should be experienced with.

"Consider it done, boss"

Kelsey would suggest bringing along the 'hazmat van', in order to be able to do remote surveilance on the meeting, and have contact readily available.  She will capture images of the faces and try to access databases to match if she can, same with names, anything she can tap into.  If you insist she stand around with a rifle, she has some small portable sniffers she can be monitoring things with as well.

Unfortunately, the Hazmat van was still undergoing a tune-up and wasn't ready to roll that evening. Some mechanics volunteered to stay up finishing the job, promising it would be done by the morning. The Geiger counter didn't pick up any radiation, and the electronic meter didn't pick up any broadcasts in the immediate area.

In the growing darkness, Ed's bodyguard put on some surplus NVGs, checking out Canada Place and Pan Pacific Hotel buildings behind them. Lee followed suit, looking at the Seabus terminal and railyard, and the walkway connecting the terminal to Waterfront station on the far side of the yard. That left the Pacific Press building and open parkade under it.

Ed heeded Clarke's implied warning without changing expression, as well as her offer to trade for NATO ammunition.

"Whatever Cyrus' done, we ain't been a part of it or know nothing about it. If he's broken the law, then bringing him down is your job, not mine, way I see it."

"Trading for ammo? What kind of government you running there? You don't have enough on your own? Well, sorry, we're running low ourselves."

"So, that's it? You don't want our help or cooperation? You gonna arrest us?"

He looked like he was getting ready to leave, not in a rude manner but like he was expecting something more substantial to happen.

"Ty, looks like we're done here."

Andy put on his NVGs to scan the area and check out the Pacific Press Building. He was confused by all this diplomatic talk, everyone seemed to be speaking at right angles to thisngs the way he saw it. He had thought that Clarke had offered to replace the survivalists as a source of ammunition and supplies for Ed's people, but Ed seemed to think that she was asking for ammo.

Strange, he tought as he moved to check the Pacific Press Building more closely. Still, he hoped the bigwigs would sort it out soon, or the second attempt to extend the influence of the government would end more ignominiously than the first.

Andy frowned and decided that some straight talking was needed, he activated his throat mic and hoped that Clarke had micked up herself, "Boss, this is Andy, if you're reading me, we're losing this one, the guy is nervous about something and isn't hearing what you're saying. He wants a lifeline and we're not getting over that we are it. I'd suggest the tack that everyone had to make compromises to survive in this state of emergency. The Government couldn't keep people safe and doing what you had to to keep yourself and your people alive is no crime, and not viewed as such. Some people have crossed that line and been willfully evil. Thye are the perps, not those who bent or broke only the rules they had to to survive. He's short on ammo, offer him some now as a gesture of good will, give it away like a sailor gives away his pay on a three day drunk. Conspicuous consumption now can pay dividends later. Let him know we want him in the fold and that he'll be better off inside because we can help keep his people safe, we can make things better together. After all, Cyrus and the Bikers are irrelevant if we can gather the law-abiding, or those who will become law-abiding again together. It's fish or cut bait time, Boss, go for it."

He finished muttering and hoped to God Clarke could hear him, otherwise he'd wasted perfectly good breath.

Clarke smiled.  "Ed, I wouldn't consider us 'done' quite yet.  Ammo is what you use to trade for fresh food supplies and luxuries.  If you are running low yourselves, then let's try to help each other.  It was more an opening bid, a way to find common ground we could work from, than an expression of need."  She paused for a moment to let that sink in.

"We didn't come out here to arrest you.  We are working to rebuild civil order here, and we are looking for those who are willing to help us.  We can offer you aid, in some cases employment.  Wouldn't it be better to trade your skills for what you need, rather than depleting supplies?"

Clarke leveled her gaze at Ed.  "You've mentioned Cyrus a couple of times.  It sounds like you consider him a minor issue.  He's more a concern to law enforcement.  You want to know about the big picture, where you can help and fit in there.  Do I read that right?"
This message was last edited by the player at 21:04, Sat 26 July 2008.

In reply to Andrew Montgomery McRae (msg #63):

Clarke keyed her mike a couple of times out of Ed's view, to let Andy know she read him loud and clear.

*Kelsey whistles low and smoothes her kilt a moment*
"Whoa... you think I went regimental in order arrest folks?  Trust me, I don't.  Now settle down and talk about what's eating you, like the good lady says.  We want the bad guys not the folks that are doing no harm.  From what I hear, you folks have been just lovely neighbors and good people."
She puts on her best disarming smile
"Think I been ironing out this kilt when I was short on bullets?  I assure you, every magazine I have is full, and stays that way.  My belly ain't never empty, and I sleep in a clean warm bed."  *she laughs*  "When the commander lets me, at least."
*She offers her shooting hand for a shake*
"Kelsey Champlain, I'm local, and been reassigned recently back home.  A belated welcome to the area, neighbor"
*She takes a moment, holding up one hand, digging in her jacket, and pulls out a Hershey's bar with almonds, holding it out with a wide honest smile to the men*
"How about some chocolate, huh?  Everyone loves chocolate."
This message was last edited by the player at 08:03, Sun 27 July 2008.

Ed listened to Clarke and Kelsey. Taras and Belanger held back, not wanting to muddy the water with their input.

He smiled. The mention of not being arrested seemed to relax him somewhat, not to mention the offer of chocolate (which he accepted).

The bodyguard, Ty, didn't seem too keyed-up, he was of heightened but "normal" awareness, still mostly paying attention to the buildings around them. Ty seemed professional, like perhaps a former US soldier or even a combat veteran.

"Ty, hang tough a minute there, son."

"I thought you said we didn't have much to discuss after all?"

"Look, we moved up here to get away from things that are happening down in the States. When my boy here got back from the war in Europe, we decided we weren't going to be a part of it."

Belanger clarified for Clarke, "the military government faction in the USA, it's unconstitutional and illegal, some would say nothing more than a coup and military dictatorship."

Nodding, Ed looked like he agreed with that.

"Right. If there was gonna be a civil war, we don't want no part of it. Then the army came looking for my boy after he was home, maybe to fight again over in the Gulf, so we decided it was time to get outta there."

[Correction: the Survivalists arrived some time in mid-2000, still before the Stickmen.]
This message was last edited by the GM at 08:23, Sun 27 July 2008.

In reply to helbent4 (msg #67):

Clarke shook her head.  "No, no civil war here." She smiled at Ed.  "I can understand how you feel about your son.  I came here for my kids, for a place where they have schools, where people want to get back to normal.  Some place my family, like yours, could settle and have a home again.

She indicated the tall, red-haired man beside her.  "I mentioned Mr. Shevchenko before.  He is a former Soviet compatant who has joined us to help restore civil order.  He's helped us negotiate bringing other former combatants under our banner."

She put her hands on her hips and looked evenly at Ed.  "There are criminals and there are law-abiding citizens.  Because of the civil unrest, there are many who would like to be honest, decent folk but the chance has been taken away from them.  We want to give them back that chance.

There are others who enjoy the chaos, who find joy in the suffering of others.  We want to bring them to justice.  Where they control those who would be decent folk otherwise, put a stop to it.

Ours is a duly elected, Constituional government.  Not a dictatorship or military coup.  We are asking you to assist us in our goals.  Are you willing to help?"
This message was last edited by the GM at 08:46, Sun 27 July 2008.

*Kelsey waits for Clarke to finish before adding to it*
"See everyone loves chocolate."
*She shakes her head a little at what the men say too*
"Well.. Canada looks out for Canada first, you know?  We wouldn't put up with Martial Law like that.  Too unCanadian.  Sides, if we don't get the hockey going again soon, there will be massive civil unrest"  She starts humming the theme to CBC's Hockey Night in Canada.
So, not to pry.. so don't answer if you don't want.. but you folks have your families and all with you, right?  They doing ok, are you all doing ok?"
This message was last edited by the player at 09:10, Sun 27 July 2008.

He laughed at Kelsey's joke.

"What do we want? I guess you could say we want political asylum here."

"What can we do to help you meet your goals?

"For one thing, I don't know if we want to fight for you, we're not looking to get involved in other peoples' problems. Besides, we're still loyal Americans. We won't stand in your way if you want to deal with Cyrus. He's a nutjob."

*Kelsey laughs with him when he laughs, then gives Clarke a sidelong glance and a slight nod*

"Well, we will have to work on changing you over to loving living here as a later agenda, counting on Hockey Night in Canada as a means,  in the meantime, not standing in our way is handy.  He's killed folks for no reason, and he'll be answering for that.  If you can give us information on them, that helps, we have a murderer, and we want information to bring him in with the least amount of fuss.  Everyone here has had a bellyful of combat, you know?"

In reply to Kelsey Sarah Champlain (msg #71):

Clarke didn't want to come down hard on Kelsey, as she seemed to be getting through to Ed.  Still, she didn't have the authority to negotiate for asylum or anything else.  "Kelsey, you offered the man chocolate.  Why don't you hand it over to him and let me do the talking?"

"We would appreciate if you didn't interfere with us when we deal with Cyrus.  If his people try to enter your territory, keep them out.  I think that's a good place for both sides to starts.  It will give each of us a chance to show the other what we can do."

"About asylum... we don't have relations with the current US government so they can hardly ask us to surrender fugitives.  I'm not about to assign manpower to harrassing peaceful citizens, either.  You could say you have assylum by default."

"Not get involved in other people's problems?" Clarke laughed. "You live here.  They're your problems too.  This group isn't about fighting, not as a primary goal.  Send one of your people to liaise with us, see who we are and how we operate.  Then decide if you want to get involved or not."

"My unit is a joint venture between local, state and federal forces.  Our primary mission is to gather intellegence about illegal activity and liaise with law inforcement to bring criminals to justice.  Where needed, we provide specialized personnel for apprehending fugitives.  We do not 'make war', and we don't need people to fight for us.  Not the way you mean.  If it comes to that then we've done something wrong."

"Kelsey's right.  Everyone's had a belly full of war and killing.  Even those who fought against us are laying down arms and joining our communities.  Why should you be any different?  It's time to wage peace instead of war.  I'm not asking you to sign on just yet.  I am inviting you get to know us."
This message was last edited by the player at 16:48, Sun 27 July 2008.

*A bit of a lopsided grin and a wink at the Survivalist, slight rolling of eyes, satisfied a bit with her 'ice breaking'.  The chocolate had done been handed over and dissapeared, it seems*
"Right, sorry boss."

Belanger nodded to Clarke.

"I can guarantee the local government will not be cooperating with the US military government in Washington State. The Canadian Federal government no longer recognises the government in Colorado Springs in any fashion."

Grinning back at Kelsey, Ed took the chocolate.

"Okay then. Let's say for now we will not interfere with any operations you are going to conduct against Cyrus and his people."

"I'll send someone to liaise with you guys. After you deal with Cyrus, we'll have a better idea where we both stand."

He chuckled ruefully.

"It's funny you know? I had the chance to come up to Canada during Vietnam, but I stuck it out and chose to serve my country. There was a Canuck in my unit, great guy, and there were other volunteers like him as well. We said that you sent us your best while we sent you our worst. But here I am, and where does that leave me?"
This message was last edited by the GM at 08:52, Tue 29 July 2008.

In reply to helbent4 (msg #74):

"It leaves you like the rest of us, Ed, ready to start over.  That, and someone who's proud enough to serve his country but smart enough to know when he shouldn't." She offered her hand to his for a shake to seal the deal.

"Done then.  We'll expect to hear from you when the business with Cyrus is done.  You can contact us via Shepherd or directly at our HQ, whichever you are more comfortable with.  Until then, it's nice to have met you."

Clarke gathered up her people and got ready to go, then turned back to Ed.  "I happen to love Earl Grey tea.  I would be pleased to share a cup or two with you at the Yacht Club when you're ready to get to know us better.  Few things are more social than a nice cuppa and some hot buttered scones."

*Kelsey grins back as well*

"I like beer, I'll buy the first round?"

*She winks at Clarke and scoots along*

Taras was dissapointed. He didn't like the way this negotiation was ending. Not only the survivalists were going to sit and do nothing while they were alien to the country. They also have a large cache of weapons of war. And Clarke just revealed to a perfect, non cooperative stranger the nature and mission of the unit. Yes, telling Ed that we were an intel unit with intents on taking Cyrus was not a smart thing to do. Will Ed walk away now, the entire enterprise will be fully compromised. The amount of information gather by the survivalists was pure gold. And also tempting to "sell" to Cyrus for profit. They were already dealing with him so, why not?. Compromising Cyrus and his leadership will complicate things for trading and the current relationship with the survivalists.

I'll tell you were you stand right now, Ed. The government that we represent is carrying a reconstruction program that includes providing medical, educational and community support elements. Everybody that is willing to cooperate will benefit from that. In your particular case, you are an alien, you have weapons of war and you are selling them to bad people with criminal business. But here is a word for you to consider: The government intention is to return normal life to the city and create a civil society. It is not at this point the will of the government to start prosecuting people. But we need real cooperation.

Shevchenko was not trying to dissimulate a strong accent in order to keep the focus of Ed in his speech. He wanted to make clear that the problem was the future and not the current situation that the survivalist were trying to perpetuate.

You and me are not that different. We fought for our countries and we decided when too much was too much. We both ran away from non democratic systems and came here, to this country to start a new life. It takes a compromise to do so. The combat operations are coming to a stop in the Island and in the North of the province. The Canadian Forces are regrouping and, as we speak, they will mobilize 2 brigades into Vancouver coming from Duncan and Chilliwack. At that point you will have to respond to a military command instead of civilian authorities like the RCMP that Belanger and myself represent.

Taras hoped the trick will work. Paving the road for the future was a necessary move to change Ed's mind.

We can work out things for you and your people. Help us to get rid of a murdered and we can offer you a passport to freedom. You can get a chance to obtain citizenship and have a normal, peaceful life. If we can restore the situation in Stanley Park with your help you will have the opportunity to conduct business with the UBC community, the North Shore and the Musqueam indian reserve. We can guarantee schooling, medical services and emergency response.

It was the last chance:

We are not asking much from you. There is a main complex of residences where Cyrus has his Headquarters and several families are gathered. Before we move in, we need you to secure that perimeter. You are a good soldier. No need to shoot anybody, just make sure that no criminal element escapes or any innocent gets hurt by them. What do you think?

Used to staying imobile for long periods of time, Andy kept his face impassive and his body seemingly calm and relaxed. He moved slightly to get Ed's bodyguard in eye contact. He held it for a few seconds, long enough for it to register as unaccidental. He checked that the Russian had his back to him and gestured at the bodyguard, he pointed to his radio and his ear, then to the bodyguard and back to his ear again.

He held up four fingers on his right hand and then made a move of turning his reception dial to channel 4.

Although Ed had been slowly warming up to Kelsey and Clarke, Taras' request set him a little aback. Not that it was unreasonable in and of itself, but coming from an unexpected direction and adding new elements to the equation. After all, Ed had warmed up but hadn't gone any further than a certain point, and it was important that they receive better return on their investment of time and energy on this meeting.

Stirring the pot further, as it were!

He squinted to read Taras' name-tag. Meanwhile his bodyguard moved over to Andy and they conferred on the tactical setup, and Andy advised him of the possible movement in the parkade fronting the waterfront service road.

"Well now, Sergeant... Shev-chenko. I will certainly take your words into consideration. Strictly speaking, I hadn't really planned on moving here permanently. Being, you know, a political refugee of sorts and all. Participating in a... police action, I guess, isn't what I rightly had in mind."

He thought it over for a second. "Like I said, I'll send someone to check things out with your people. If it's kosher, then we can work out a deal in a couple days. After all, we haven't done anything worse except trade a little ammo here and there for folks' self protection. Likewise, anything we got we got for "defensive purposes"."

"If not, well then it's xin loi!"

Lee almost chuckled a little. She didn't really speak Vietnamese, but she understood "Win loi" was an expression meaning roughly "too bad, so sad".
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:03, Wed 30 July 2008.

After checking each other over, the two soldiers had a quiet word.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:19, Wed 30 July 2008.

In reply to Andrew Montgomery McRae (msg #80):

Through his military career, Andy had trained almost as many times in the US as he had in Canada.

This was due not only to the needs of the US's closest ally (in operational and tactical terms) but also because the frugal Canadian Forces liked to take advantage as much as possible by training using well-equipped facilities and well-developed courses on someone else's dime. As a member of the Airborne he'd done the Ranger course at Ft. Benning, Georgia, as well as cross-training with the Mountain Infantry at Ft. Drum in New York and at the infantry school in Ft. Hood in Texas (where he found that so many cycles of prior trainees had reduced foraging in the arid climate to sucking on bark, not like the lush forests back home). Not to mention exercises in the NTC in Nevada.

Of course, during the war in Europe, and Alaska and the Yukon there were many joint operations with US Special Forces and Rangers.

Tyler looked and acted like an old pro, reminding him of many veterans he knew, and he acknowledged the information with a matter-of-fact demeanour.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:21, Wed 30 July 2008.

Andy nodded to his opposite number, the bumped fists and drifted apart.

In reply to helbent4 (msg #79):

Clarke stayed calm.  "It's time to go, people," she said.  "Ed, I'll be looking to hear from you as agreed.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:24, Wed 30 July 2008.

Shaking hands with Clarke and the rest of them, Ed had Tyler arrange with Kelsey some comms protocols. US and CF procedures were very similar, and this was no problem at all.

"It's been a pleasure, we'll see who wants to volunteer to hang with ya'all for a while. Say, call you tomorrow?"

Thank you for coming, Ed. We'll keep in touch.

Without further protocol Taras turned his back and got into the Land Rover.

"Sounds like a plan, Ed.  Kelsey will be looking for you to radio in."

(Ft Irwin -NTC- is located in California, in the Mojave.  Been there, didn't enjoy it much.)

Kelsey gets with Tyler, getting the protocols straight, and giving him a freq to use to contact him, subtly trying to get info on his comm equipment at the same time by talking shop.  Geekily.

Apparently, Ty's dad Ed was well-prepared for the apocalypse.

Ed's personal comms was the Motorola commonly favoured by SOCOM and other reconnaissance forces. The set back on Deadman's Island seemed powerful. Neither seemed encrypted.

They piled into the trucks and pulled out, as Ed and Tyler got back into their boat and puttered off into the night.

Belanger commented to the others in the Land Rover (Clarke, Taras, Kelsey) that things went well as he expected. He spoke as he drove, tracing his way back. For a few minutes they drove with the water on the left and the rail yard on the right.

"There are many kinds of survivalists, more than most people realise. Ed doesn't strike me as a religious extremist or a right-wing political dissident. Like Christian Identity or anti-government militiamen. We aren't going to bully or entice him into cooperation, he will come on his own terms, once he trusts us. Clarke, it was perhaps unwise to alert him that we were an intel unit, but he's not stupid and he can tell with a group of RCMP, Army and Navy working together we're part of some kind of special Task Force! At any rate, our foot is in the door, and this was a lot tougher assignment than the North Shore, where Taras had a personal contact and the people were eager for contact and cooperation. Ed chose a well-fortified isolated part of the city, held himself aloof, perhaps isn't interested in staying... HOLD ON!"

Several dark shapes darted out at them from the darkness, flashing in front of the headlights. Belanger swerved to avoid them, but it was difficult to tell what was coming at them. Lee was driving behind the Rover in the Suburban, Andy riding shotgun.

There was a small waterfront park (Portside Park) on their left, tracks and then warehouses and industrial buildings on their right, and a few blocks away in front the orange crane towers of the Port of Vancouver, obscured in the darkness.


OOC: as an RP note, Belanger is having his say and to speak at this point would be to literally interrupt him. It's night and you're travelling along the waterfront service road, just about to turn into the downtown eastside, the former skid row of the city. (Once it literally was a skid row, where logs were skidded down to the long-gone sawmills that lined the waterfront.
This message was last edited by the GM at 10:44, Thu 31 July 2008.

*Taras grabs thee maglite from the duty belt in order to ilsuminate the exterior lateral of the vehicle not covered by the headlights*

In reply to Taras Vladimirovich Shevchenko (msg #90):

Clarke tapped her radio.  "Andy, we have Tangos in front of the Rover.  Can't see how many.  They just charged out of the darkness at us.  Heads up, if these are Stickmen they may have Molotov cocktails."  She pulled her side arm and peered into the darkness, trying to see who or what was out there.

Kelsey charges and preps her rifle, flipping the safety off and immediately seeking a target, as combat prepped reflexes take over, if she has space she will locate by touch one of her frag grenades, and get ready to throw mentally if need be.

(we have a machine gun mount on this baby?  someone up there?)

Andy shifted position to view the dark with his NVGs, his M4 ready if needed.

Slowing, Lee decided that running over whatever it was was preferable to having an accident. Accordingly, she kep the vehicle centred on the twin yellow lines.

Caught in the vehicle headlights and Taras' Mag-Lite, it was clear they had scattered a pack of large, feral dogs. In a few brief seconds they were beyond them, and a couple of the more energetic ones had fallen in behind to chase the 2 SUVs, barking.

Behind the open-topped Land Rover (no machinegun mount) Andy wondered what the dogs were doing out in the middle of the night. Checking out the park as they passed, he saw in the green glow of his NVGs what he thought might have been some trash, or a bundle of clothes, or a body lying a few dozen metres off the side of the road to the left.

Andy used his radio immediately, "Suggest we halt the convoy, Sir, I see a possible body nearby, it's what's attracted the dogs. The body may still be alive, I'd like permission to try for a pickup."

Andy prepared himself in teh open-topped land rover, jumping out in the dark into a pack of feral dogs wasn't number one on his to do list, but leaving a potential man down when he didn't absolutely have to was even lower on the list.

In reply to Andrew Montgomery McRae (msg #96):

"Granted.  Take a couple shots and scatter those dogs first.  They may have grown used to hunting humans."

"Roger that, Ma'am." Andy braced himself on the seat and swivelled around to draw a bead on one of the dogs. He shouldered his M4 and waited for the car to halt.

Kelsey also stands, extending the butt of her C8 (far superiour to the m4 if you ask her) and shouldering it, selecting single fire over full auto, and prepares to scatter dogs as well.

In reply to Kelsey Sarah Champlain (msg #99):

Clarke quickly stuck a couple of earplugs in her ears, charged her pistol, and got ready to help the others run off the dogs.

With a few cracks that echoed through the silent city, the dogs scattered to look for easier prey. They were dangerous in a pack and would instinctively chase someone fleeing on foot, but facing armed people in vehicles was another matter.

They parked, got out and secured the immediate area around the body. It was obvious that the person was deceased, and although they had driven by the area on the way in it had been concealed under a tattered tarpaulin, which had been pulled away by the feral dogs.

The immediate area was a small waterside park by the port, with the road and train separating it from the buildings of the rough part of the city.
This message was last edited by the GM at 08:38, Sat 02 Aug 2008.

"Clarke?" asked Lee, slinging her MP5 across her chest.

"I'm sure most of us has seen a dead body before."

"I have experience with a crime scene. Not that the Serious Crimes Unit is going to show up, I guess."

"This was covered before.. someone hiding the body, or something else going on here.  Think they might have been planning on coming back for it?"

*Kelsey shines a flashlight on the body, trying to get an idea of who this might have been.. male, female, maybe someone they recognized, looking at the face.*

"I think we will have to address the problem of those dogs soon."

Clarke climbed out of the Rover.  "Sure, Lee, continue.  The rest of us can set up a perimeter to keep things secure for you.  Do you have anyone you want to call for back up?  We didn't come out to investigate a crime scene.  Do you have the equipment you need?"

She thought for a second. There was so much she should do, but without a crime lab and technicians, what could they do? Take fingerprints, look for footprints, basically police work straight out of 6 decades ago at least.

"Kelsey has a camera. We have a body bag and other bags. That should be enough."

The dogs circled outside the circle of lights provided by the headlights and flashlights. Some sat down and looked, others paced. They were all large breeds: rottweilers, shepherd, pit bulls, some cross-breeds.

Inside the confines of the park, Lee and Kelsey photographed the scene and took evidence. Of course, there was the body in the long grass, a native female aged around 30, naked, with several tattoos on her torso, arms and neck. There was a single gunshot wound to the back of her head, with a large exit wound (hard to tell the calibre). Lee guessed she had been dead for several hours, less than a day, as the course of rigor mortis had begin but had not completed. They collected the tarp that had covered her body and her clothing, which was discarded nearby. There was no bullet casing recovered.

"We could get more people out here in the morning. Make casts of tires and all that.

Belanger lit his pipe.

"Back of the head, classic biker execution. Of course, they aren't the only ones who can shoot someone in the head, but that's their signature. Usually a gangland hit would involve a shallow grave or a water disposal of the remains, but maybe they're getting overconfident?"

A few things became apparent. Blood patterns indicated killing had occurred there in the park, the body had not been moved from elsewhere (no obvious drag marks and the body had bled out in place). There were several prints in the soft earth, including a print that matched her sneakers, and several boot prints led to and from the resting place.

There was no handy parking lot, so whoever had done this had simply pulled in over the curb and parked on the long-uncut grass. Tire tracks in the grass and dirt indicated at least 2 motorcycles and a truck, either a pickup or van. They were lucky, the preceding days of rain had softened the soil, and then the day's sunshine had

The pack was still out there in the cool darkness, and eventually some of the members became bolder. Andy brought his carbine up and nailed a rotty with a quick shot, and the pack faded into the night, leaving the corpse of their mate in the street.

Eventually within an hour, the stiff body was carefully placed in the heavy rubberised bag, and as much evidence they were going to gather in the non-existent light.

As they load the girl in Kelsey seems down*

"Tattoos, motorcycles.  I can't believe I said we could work with these people, what could this woman have possibly done to deserve this?"

*She looks back*

"Is there any way we can get castings of those bootprints, or of those tire prints?  Maybe we can take the entire bit of dirt in a box?"

Clarke shook her head.  "I doubt she did anything to 'deserve' it. We should radio in for someone to come out and spread a few tarps, or those dogs will trash the scene, get prints on everything.  Why don't you take care of that, Kelsey."

"Maybe she crossed the Angels in some way?"

"Owed them for drugs, didn't want to work the streets for them anymore, who knows?"

Lee thought a bit about what they had available.

"Good point about the dogs. We don't have anything to make a cast with. Disturbing the soil will probably destroy the print, it's still soft, not sun-baked. Which is good because baking would shrink it."

Belanger offered,

"We don't have any crime scene technicians, of course. I can get some RCMP out here, backed by criminology students, take plaster casts, dust for finger prints."

Kelsey made the call, and an ad hoc team was assembled and dipatched. Although the trip was not too far, it was still around midnight when they arrived in an SUV and police cruiser. The 4 students and 2 Mounties (as guards) starting processing the crime scene, looking for anything that might have been missed.

They would be done sometime around dawn, maybe before.

In reply to helbent4 (msg #110):

Clarke nodded to Belanger.  "If they use this spot often it could be the dogs do most of the clean up for them.  They've gotten lazy about tidying up with the general lawlessness that has been going on.  Without a crime lab you have a point.  This will be solved by good old fashioned gum shoe detective work.

Back in the day, even with the high-tech stuff that's how most things were solved.  Maybe we can work on the forensics later.  For now, let's get Jane* to what passes for the morgue here and leave the rest to the RCMP.  We'll let them gather the information and review later.  We have other fish to fry."

She looked at Kelsey.  "We have already heard that sometimes girls go out to the Pig Pen and don't come back.  We might want to check the grape vine and see if there was a party recently.  Since she was stripped of her clothes, maybe she had something they were looking for."

Tony, what was the condition of her clothes?  Did it look as if they had been searched?  Were they folded neatly or thrown aside?  The position of the body?  She was covered by a tarp, not left in the open?  Was the body repositioned after she was shot?  What were the tattoos like?  Did they indicate membership in the HA or a Native group?  What about the clothes themselves?  Please describe them.  Any jewelry?  Indications that jewelry might be missing? (ring indentations, torn ear lobes, scratches on the neck from a necklace being torn off)

They handled the body with surprising care and tenderness as the team disembarked for UBC.

The doctor at the UBC hospital's makeshift morgue worked through the night under Belanger's direction to get some answers.

She had lived hard, malnourished limbs emciated and skin loose, hair short, beginning to grey, stringy and matted. The faded blue tattoos were not tribal but crude ones typical for people (especially drug users) who'd been to jail. There were needle marks on her arms, festering sores from the infected puncture wounds, and others on her face and legs.

There were teeth marks from canines like the wild dogs. Surprisingly, while many had been inflicted post-mortem some had been made before her death and were even infected.

She still had on some native-style jewelry (a necklace and earrings) but was no ID in her clothes, which had simply been crumpled up and discarded beside her. Soil on her knees indicated she had been kneeling, then shot from behind and above with the bullet exiting her upped jaw, falling forward. Her still-warm body was covered as she bled out. The wound had a powder ring, indicating a close-range shot.

The next day it was Thursday morning.

At breakfast Clarke was updated by Belanger on the preliminary findings of the autopsy over bacon and eggs.

"We'll have to compare her fingerprints and look up her dental records. Police work straight out of the 60s! Luckily, if she's been in the system then her fingerprints will be on file."

A call to the UBC Pavilions hospital confirmed that Sebastian was awake, although still going through withdrawal and going in and out of consciousness.

The LAV-III still had some work to on it to do, mostly with the turret hydraulics. It could now be turned but had to be done slowly, cranked by hand.

Josh's report about conditions in the Stickmen camp was basically more of the same. Cyrus seemed to have an idea that a police/military assault would likely involve a night action and the use of tear gas. Therefore he was reducing the perimeter watch during the day and increasing it at night, and stockpiling gear that might help against chemical agents; however, there weren't enough gas masks and filters to go around, and Cyrus was thinking of trading for more downtown and also seeing if the Survivalists had any.

Ed, the Survivalist, confirmed that earlier in the morning (Thursday) that a representative from the Stickmen had shown up and asked if they had charcoal cartridges and gas masks to trade.
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:18, Sat 09 Aug 2008.

"We get this taken care of, and I have a request on our next priority.  This ends."

After breakfast Taras went to check the RCMP and militia main building. The old habits of an Officer barely go away. The staff had cleared the desks of dispatches and all the members were in proper uniform, but the lack of presence of high rank personnel as they were dispatched last night made discipline to slack and a young militia named Peters leaned agaist a window to smoke his pipe. At just that moment Shevchenko swept into the room sporting his embroided ranks and Soviet Officer stance. Peters startled, tried to dump the burning dottle of his pipe into an ashtray, but it settled on the top of the desk instead, where the embers raised a cloud of black smoke. While Taras fixed him with a wooden stare, Peters swept the dottle into a nearby metal wastebasket, forgetting that it contained a loose pile of old documents, which quickly ignited. His next maneuver, under Taras unremitting stare, was to stomp the flames with his size-twelve foot, which promptly became wedged in the basket. As flames leaped up his trouser leg, Peters banged the basket against the floor until, at last, the fire went out. By then the ukrainian man turned and departed. The inspection of the operation room was over. Staff officers crowded around Peters to congratulate him. It was his first day in active duty.
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:51, Sun 10 Aug 2008.

Shevchenko met Khandola on his way out of the dispatch room after the ritual hazing of the new personnel.

"Good morning, Sergeant. It is a pleasant day today, is it not?"

"Last night's operation seemed to be a success. According to Clarke's report this "Ed" should make contact. She is confident he will cooperate, if given the chance. We shall see!"

"The UBC Provost (Belanger) mentions that MacDonald left today for his trading mission to New Westminster via Southwest Marine Drive. With some luck, we will get information and pictures from the "Bridge Trolls" at the Airport, the "Free Market" on Annacis Island, and of course New Westminster."

He sniffed the air, then eyed the prominently displayed "NO SMOKING" sign on the dispatch room door.

"Is someone smoking around here? By God I will put a stop to that! We may be having a bit of a rum go, but there's no excuse for a relaxing of the rules and discipline!"
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:51, Sun 10 Aug 2008.

Belanger, it is time to see what we have on hands here and share with the HQ in the Island before they decide to move the troops in the city.

Taras started a conversation with the Provost exposing his thoughts:

After yesterday's meeting with Ed I believe that we have an international problem here. Being so close to the frontier and due to the political situation in the USA I believe it would be a more sound strategic decision to secure the border rather than deploy the forces randomly and prosecute crime with them.

Seems that the current government in the States is illegal and that put Canada and the government that we represent and defend in a difficult situation. An unprotected border is bringing here political refugees that are out of the scope of the Canadian Law that we enforce. There is smuggling of weapons, fuel and probably drugs and more... all of that is completely out of control. This reminds me of the problem that was to secure the border with Pakistan when the Soviet Army invaded Afghanistan.

Think for a moment that the Lower Mainland is a square. We have already secure the Northern limits or upper side of that square. There is a matter of time that we can get control of the Western shores. As soon as the Airport is negotiated we'll get another side of the square. It will be a matter of securing the border with the troops to get a hold of the lower side of that square. Finally, when we achieved the return to normal life in the cities of: West Van, North Van, Stanley Park/Downtown, Vancouver itself, Richmond (airport) and New Westminster is a matter of redeploy our forces, RCMP and militia to the East, as far as Chilliwack and having secured the four sides of the square we can start mopping up the interior from different fronts and with different allies at the same time for a bigger tactical advantage
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:28, Sun 10 Aug 2008.

*Kelsey drops in on her communications people when she gets back in, to check on received transmission, making sure the tracking equipment is up, and making sure monitoring of all traffic is on the money, getting a full report on any traffic.*

*She will stop by after some sleep to check again, trying not to act like some hardass, hell she didn't have any rank officially over them anyway, and she plays it off as a liason sort of.  For the moment at least, trying to get a real feel for her people as a comrade for now.  What she wants is any and every transmission, content, and direction.  Triangulation expected if there is time.*
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:51, Sun 10 Aug 2008.

After getting some rest, Andy settled down to a pile of paperwork and started to sort out those that might be suitable for his unit.
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:51, Sun 10 Aug 2008.

The survey teams headed out into the rest of Vancouver, covering the rest of the city up to Boundary in the east, the downtown in the north, and the river in the south. The previous day's survey counted some 5000 people up to around the north-south line of Cambie.

Meanwhile, the van and other vehicles were ready to go on their covert survey of the downtown.

Dr. Chandra at the hospital called Clarke to confirm that the rape kit turned up negative, the victim hadn't been raped before death.

"I see."

Belanger sipped his tea and jotted down some notes to clarify his thoughts.

"If Ed and his people can simple move freely across the border, what's to stop other refugees, armed deserters, gun dealers and weapons suppliers, drug smugglers from doing the same?

"We have heard that the HAs are heavily armed. Before the war they had arms sources within the US military, locally speaking in the Washington National Guard, and given the situation it's only gotten easier with so many weapons floating around and discipline so poor.

"Not just that, but deserters who turn mercenary: trained soldiers, equipped with at least small arms, selling their skills to the highest bidder.

"We need to choke off any supply lines from the USA across the border before we make a broader move.

"I don't have quite enough resources and numbers yet to do that. Certainly after the government reinforces us in the late summer, assuming all goes according to plan.

"Maybe as we gain in strength we can be more ambitious before then.

He finished taking notes.

"I will recommend this course to Angela. The intelligence unit will need to identify any preferred infiltration routes and uncover advanced knowledge about incoming shipments. Perhaps if we know more about the scope of the problem this will spur the government into speeding up their timetable and devoting more resources into the area."
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:28, Mon 11 Aug 2008.

In reply to helbent4 (msg #120):

It was Thursday morning.  Clarke headed to HQ to organize what they knew so far and how well organized they were towards the proposed action against the Stickmen.  It was starting to look like the longer they delayed the more time they would give the opponents to prepare.  Cyrus was already anticipating CS gas and trying to minimize its affects.  Given enough time he might succeed.

If they were going to move with the plan as given then stage one would be tomorrow night.  She started checking in with the other elements of the team to find out their state of preparedness for the planned action against the Stickmen.

She would also be checking the new information coming in for the surveys for any clues that would help with planning the upcoming actions.

After speaking with the doctor, she added that information to the file on their Jane Doe.  With it she also had copies of what forensic information they had, photographs, other information gathered.  If the record search found an ID and background information it would be added.

If Taras or Belanger wanted to discuss concerns about the border with Clarke, they would find her hard at work organizing the information pouring into her office.
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:38, Mon 11 Aug 2008.

In reply to Andrea Clarke-Sullivan (msg #121):

Belanger updated Clarke on Taras' concern.

"This might not be a local issue. Poor control of the border may be part of the problem. It allows free transit of weapons, deserters, contraband from the USA. Unfortunately our poor relations with the military regime means we can't really cooperate with them."


OOC: Also, I've been meaning to do this more myself, but let's try and keep the subject lines keyed to the current Game-Day when appropriate! You can post other topics (and I encourage this) but when a date appears there, we should all try to keep it "current". Thanks!

In reply to helbent4 (msg #122):

"It certainly wouldn't help our attempts to deal with the Angels.  They have a ready market just across the border for any narcotics they can grow or import from elsewhere.  With things such a mess there, they can probably trade the stuff directly for arms and munitions that are illegal here.  If we try to prosecute someone in the Dominion, he can slip across the border and be beyond our reach.

She paused for a moment and looked at Belanger.  "To seal the border we will need resources, information and cooperation.  Pulling off a couple of successful local operations will help put those things in place.  Help us build the information network that we need to secure the border.  Give us clear evidence that the problem extends beyond the local area.  Proving part of the problem is an international organization like the Angels would be a huge step.  One step at a time, eh?"

"Taras also has a legitimate concern about, shall we say, armed refugees.  We'll just have to deal with that on a case by case basis.  I think it's a little early to establish a broad policy.  We're making our first attempt at cooperation with one such group, and we haven't gotten very far.  Just have to see how this goes, what we learn and base policy from that."
This message was last edited by the player at 17:55, Mon 11 Aug 2008.

In reply to Kelsey Sarah Champlain (msg #117):

Fox med Kelsey for breakfast.

"Well kid, looks like you made the grade. Corporal, I should say!"

"You're slated to go out into the field today with the monitoring team. You and Andy. I'll look after the shop here."

"You should get these sewn on ASAP. I'll come along and make sure everyone knows you're the section leader now. Any questions?"

He handed her the chevrons, and waited for her response.

When Kelsey checked in, her crew congratulated her in a fairly laid-back way, The signals techs were competent but not overly gung-ho, the civilian volunteers more enthusiastic but not really sure where they fit into the organisation. Technically, until the situation was clarified they (like the rest of the militia) were "civilian contractors".

The comms logs didn't record any transmissions during the last evening or night.

That wasn't too surprising, the biggest known surviving urban area was New Westminster, and there was a fair bit of distance and high ground between them. There were a few garbled bursts of static, but othewise the low-power FM transmitters wouldn't be heard from where they were located.

Dave Urry, Kelsey's friend from the Royal Canadian Scots' and the "security adviser" for the train on the North Shore got on the air shoot the breeze. He updated her on conditions up to Squamish and Lillooet last time they were up there, in March. (Not so bad in Chilliwack, and terrible in Lillooet).

There was a message from Ed the Survivalist. He said he would send his son Tyler as a liaison. Andy knew this was a good sign; if he wasn't serious about learning about them then he wouldn't have sent someone so close. Lee promised to keep working on a "shooting house" for training purposes, to be shared with the RCMP.

Otherwise, they were set for daily operations. The undercover signals "HAZMAT" van, ambulance and RCMP cruiser were ready to depart for the downtown. In it would be Fox, McRAe and Champlain, along with 2 RCMP and a doctor and paramedic team.

The Council sent word that they would be able to start setting up community centres throughout the east end of the city, extending the government's influence in the local neighborhood by a social and medical "outreach" program.
This message was last edited by the GM at 12:29, Sun 17 Aug 2008.

"Thanks folks, just make me look good and do good work, and I will do what I can for you."
</quote>




"Hey guys.. we got any old standing big radio towers still around that we can put to use?  Maybe one of you Contractors can do a survey?  Some more elevation for antenna would be nice."



Kelsey takes notes and chats amiably with Dave, shooting the breeze back with him, she will forward that information to Clark in a verbal report.



That also, of course, will be passed on in report



"Good work achieving the impossible with next to nothing folks, love ya"



Hmmmmm and that makes for a nice little 3 part report to Clarke

(OOC)(want it 'IC' Mel?)
This message was last edited by the player at 22:06, Tue 12 Aug 2008.

Taras continued his chat with Belanger, this time involving the issue of the incoming operation to take over the Park and extinguish the flames of the stickmen.

Belanger. I hope everything will work well. For now we have a good level of knowledge of the enemy and their locations. The idea of infiltrate a mole is working and with positive results.

Shevchenko continued developping his thougths about the added value of a spy. Something not very uncommon back in the Rodina.

So far Josh is not aware of our deals with the Survivalists. Neither are Ed's friends aware of our infiltration. This should serve us good. We have a mechanism of control. I suggest to keep Josh interested in the whereabouts of the Survivalists and therefore get a second guess. It never hurts a second opinion!


More musings were exposed as they passed through his mind.

We need more intel, though. The Chemical team should be able to recce the areas of interests and guarantee a clear road to move to the Park. We need more info on the inhabitants of the downtown area. I believe the TV crew should join them soon. Going over the IRON program I remember to read the importance that we stressed in the media as a tool of persuasion and also accountability.

The next days also should be of help for Bulat's men to prepare and get a good recon on the North side of the Park and their objectives. A detail account is mandatory. Even though they will have a large number of troops to move in, the enemy also have a dozen or so of die-hards.

There is also need for more naval recce. We'll have to dispatch a boat to recon the western locations of the Stickmen from afar. Probably dispatch a team to Vanier Park with optics. Finally we are hopeful that Ed will cooperate with us. If not, then, we will have to converge Bulat's own towards the main complex. I was already thinking about doing that. But there will be coming late as we are trying to do ma simultaneous assault from 4 different locations.

The day was clear and the atmosphere inviting. Springtime in Vancouver was a most comforting season. Even the evergreen rainfall appeared to be an ally that morning.

One of my concerns is to diminish their numbers. If we get to lure them to attack the Marina, it will be a great success. First, they will be easily ambushed. I count with getting rid of a hardcore group. Theis kind of attack is strategically important for Cyrus and he will send his best. On top of that, this will bring more reasons to prosecute them for conducting criminal activities and the overall success will be echoed in the media and will reach the locals. It will boost their confidence.

We need to get the training facilities running as soon as possible. Lets check the level of readiness of the vehicles. We need to start working in the operation. The amount of people that are available, training, weaponry, etc.

This will, inevitably, bring some form of alert for the Stickmen sooner or later. I'd say that we have to try to keep them confident. Let them get their gas masks. I also recommend to get them some faulty equipment too. If Ed is willing to cooperate this can be worked out. I even can booby-trap some stuff...

Taras shift the conversation towards the reconstruction program:

We should get a hold of Khandola and have Clarke too to review the RCMP job on the census. This will provide us with information regarding criminal activity observed by the citizens and we can also start taking a look at the economical landscape of the city itself. I was impressed by the numbers. 5,000 people is a lot. If we can start winning their support it will certainly will give us a critical density factor to our advantage. As soon as we have embrios of community centers established we should start with the launching of civic platforms and political parties and get a timetable for elections. Lets not forget that our humble government, if legal, needs to be backed by a referendum to bring a real democratic presence to the province.

Some other conversation items will also came along. Shevchenko was truly interested in obtaining a ship. Or at least a big boat. It would help to the mobility of their teams and goods and also as an EW platform. And then the radar. Taras insisted in getting a radar. He knew that Soviet units up North defected and availability of SAM radars should be possible. The large surplus built in UBC should help with the trading with the DRI Head Quarters. Policing the sea was as important as policing the land. Not in vain were both integral sovereingty of the country.

In reply to Kelsey Sarah Champlain (msg #126):

OOC: No, I think we can go with "Kelsey made a report to Clarke"

In reply to Andrea Clarke-Sullivan (msg #128):

Oki!

By the way, in your contact with Josh, see if you can get a lay-out of the restaurants the Stickmen warriors are using as guard shacks.  Pass that on to Lee and McRae.  They can set up the Shooting Boxes to practice capture in a mock-up of the facilities the Stickmen use for sleeping quarters.  It will give us a chance to prepare our teams for when we arrest those groups.

Clarke contacted McRae.  "Taras has been expressing the opinion that we spend a little more time gathering information before we execute the operation to capture Cyrus.  If we decide to wait, it would give you a chance to observe the party that makes the run to Brandie's at least once before we execute the take-down.  What do you think?  My thought was to hit them on the return trip.  It would be nice to have some idea of when to expect them, both going and coming, and have some idea of the route.  It would also give you more time to assemble and train your team.

In reply to Taras Vladimirovich Shevchenko (msg #127):

"Yes, it seems the information sources we have are corroborating each other. It sounds like Ed didn't betray us to Cyrus. We should ask Josh to find out what Cyurus' future plans for the Survivalists are."

"Boat recce, optics from across English Bay, sounds good."

"You would like Bulat to do a recce of the north shore of the park? Physically go there, or observe from afar using optics like that thermal viewer they have? I think that's feasible."

"At some point we will indeed come into direct conflict with Cyrus. Preferably it would involve a snatch when he's off-site and then a quick takeover of the park, but if he chooses to come to us we will still be dealing with him on our terms. If he attacks the Marina then he will be with the raiders and then he'll be ours!"

"I was surprised at the number of people living in the area as well. We thought there was only 1000-2000, not over 5000. A good number, and we shall find more."

There was a high-rise residence building on University Hill. An antenna on top would have better reception, but still not higher than the high ground of Burnaby between UBC and New Westminster.

When the city was evacuated, much of the physical city records and documents (including building plans for zoning and permit purposes) was shipped off, but much was stored at UBC, as this was designated as a "recovery node" by the government. A team of librarians vowed to go through and sort the many thousands or even millions of documents abandoned on the UBC campus and see if they could find the relevant plans for the restaurant (and other buildings) in the park.

The UBC RCMP detachment had accepted 100 new recruits and were moderately well-armed. The 120-member UBC Militia had swelled to over 400 volunteers, although still poorly-armed. The army of census-takers now numbered over 500, and Belanger and other Uni staff were organising them and making sure the information they gathered was collected and sorted properly.

The undercover recce team was ready to leave, and the CBC media team joined them to video the proceedings.

In reply to helbent4 (msg #132):

Hmmmm, so no old radio or celphone towers have managed to survive?
How about on the high ground?
Kelsey will dispatch others to look into that, and scout for any radio or television broadcasting locations, especially AM independents.

Taras was listening to Belanger's voice. Lots of good news and improvements. The progress in the reconstruction was impressive. Even more important that taking any "military" action against the stickmen .

Regarding the North Shore troops...I was thinking about reconning the area with the thermal unit to pick up the exact numbers and possibly to infiltrate a patrol disguised as a refugee family to get a better appreciation of the surroundings, get a first impression of the warriors and have a good detailed look at the bridge and roads accessibility in general. Anything but betraying our intentions with unnecessary fiascos like the one we suffered before.

In reply to Taras Vladimirovich Shevchenko (msg #134):

Clarke gathered her notes on the report she had from Lee and Champlain and went to track down Belanger.  She found him discussing plans with Shevchenko.  She brought them both up to speed on the information she had and asked to be briefed on what they were discussing.

"So what is our timetable for dealing dealing with the Stanley Park issue?  If we plan on snatching Cyrus when he goes to Brandie's, then either we move tomorrow or we observe with a plan of moving at a later date.  What do you gentlemen think we should do?"

Belanger reminded Taras that according to witnesses, Cyrus made a point of killing anyone who dared infiltrate the park. The bodies hung from the bridge trestle. Travellers, refugees. No traders had dared enter the park after the convoy was ambushed.

When Clarke came in, Belander responded by standing up, then waiting for her to sit.

"Andrea! Good morning. Nice to see you."

He sat down.

"I am loathe to move too quickly where Cyrus is concerned. Time works for us. The more time that passes, the more we learn about him, his weaknesses, and the terrain. I'm curious as to what Cyrus' plans for the Survivalists are. He tolerates them for now, but they're not with his progrma and at some point he's going to want to correct that."

"Speaking specifically, we should wait a week this Friday. We will have a good idea of the situation by then, his routine. The rain has kept things wet, while it seems his M.O. is to use fire, He's a patient man, he'll wait and train. Eventually, when he thinks our guard is down, he will strike. As well, his own people will tire of constantly being on alert."

"I still think we should send Andy on a recce of the park, plant some sensors and other surveillance devices."

"And you, Alain, Taras.  Good to catch up with you both and bring all the pieces together.  It's amazing how things are falling into place, now that we have people who can work to organize them.  Taras, your IRON program was a wonderful instrument."

"Yes, in spite of Ed's stated objectives he's sending his own son to meet with us.  He's doing it now, not some vacuous date in the future.  He may well see he's between a rock and a hard place, and we are far more stable allies.  Then again, McRae reached out to Tyler.  Could be the young man has his own ideas of what he wants and put some pressure on his father to let him go. I say we pair Tyler off with McRae for the time being and see how that goes.

A recce is in order, yes.  We also need to shadow Cyrus' visit to Brandie's tomorrow evening.  Note route, timing, when they go, when they return,  how heavily laden, description of the kind of containers they are carrying and how they transport them.

I know this is a little off the subject, but I was thinking of our outreach centers.  We should get some sketches of our Jane Doe, what she would have looked like in life.  Get those posted at the outreach centers and see if anyone knows anything about her.  Maybe an anonymous tip line people can call if they don't want to be know.  Someone must know who she is and something about why this may have happened to her.

In reply to Kelsey Sarah Champlain (msg #133):

By making use of the cell-tower on top of the residence high-rise, they could reach a good part of Vancouver. Also, UBC had several antennas and a Co-op FM radio station (CITR), although it hadn't been used in the war and the transmitter had been damaged by the EMP. There was currently some functioning low-power AM and TV transmitters on the campus.

However, the city was so uneven that to reach the suburbs like Burnaby and New Westminster (and the valley beyond) they would need to be on the high ground near Queen Elizabeth Park at the boundary of Vancouver and Burnaby. Not coincidentally, that was where BC Tel had it's HQ in a distinctive boot-shaped building, with extensive microwave repeaters across the street.

On the main, most high-power transmitters used for the lower mainland were commonly located across Burrard Inlet on the North Shore mountains. From that high ground, the entire city and the valley could be reached. Generally, the most tranmitters were on top of the ski hill and recreation area known as "Grouse Mountain".

Kelsey was well-familiar with Grouse, having done the infamous "Grouse Grind" trail many times for fun and exercise (rain or shine) when she lived in the city. It was a grueling high-vertical climb trail up the rear of the mountain, kind of a rite of passage for anyone who fancied themselves as "outdoors enthusiasts". Despite being literally a few kilometers from the urban area of North Vancouver, at least once a year some poorly-equipped hiker (perhaps a tourist or exchange student) got stranded halfway up the trail or lost in the rugged wilderness area behind the mountain. (As mentioned,there were only 2 paved roads separating those mountains from the North Pole!)

The prize for conquering the Grouse Grind was a spectacular view that covered the entire city of Vancouver and surrounding suburbs, all the way to far-off snow cap of Mt. Baker down in the USA. Plus bragging rights.

With the recent snow there was still a few white patches on Grouse. The disputed and strategically vital Lion's Gate bridge from Stanley Park basically debouched at the foot of Grouse.

In reply to helbent4 (msg #138):

Ok, sounds like Grouse Mountain is out of reach until we get Cyrus cleaned out, but can set up retrans from UBC and that high rise.  Kelsey will have her plethora of people to work on that, and check in with the main group to see what she can do.
This message was last edited by the GM at 08:47, Sat 16 Aug 2008.

There were about 100 volunteers at the team's disposal, and 20 militia as armed guards (with civilian weapons like a few hunting rifles and pistols, and mostly shotguns).

One work party from the comms section went to see if they could rig retransmission from the top of the Uni res.

A second party is working on the shoot house under Lee's nominal direction, although she's begun training the ready element of the RCMP detachment in ERT tactics and practices. Fox continued getting the UBC militia organised, breaking out some of the copious ammunition Clarke brought to practice marksmanship.

McRae organised his little section into 2 pairs of snipers. In the field they would operate as a foursome, although Andy would soon depart on the recce downtown and of course Mac was visiting the Airport, Free Market and New Westminster. So for now Andy trained the pair of volunteers (Chad and Stacy) until it was time to leave on said recce with Kelsey, although the UBC RCMP detachment's police sharpshooter would be glad to take over and continue their instruction.

A party of volunteers asked to see if they could visit city hall (under guard) to see if there were useful records to salvage. Also, another party was willing to head to the "boot", the uniquely-shaped BC Tel building just over the border in Burnaby at the corner of Boundary Rd. and Kingsway, to see if it could be used for retrans to the suburbs. One problem with the BC Tel building was that the East Van clubhouse of the Hells Angels was about a klick or two north up Broadway.

The morning was progressing. They'd had a late night but they still had to work to pay the bills, so to speak.

The liaison from the Survivalists hadn't arrived yet, although he said he would be there by noon. He would show up wherever directed by boat.

The little convoy of RCMP police car (with Constables Markus and Deshanty inside), then ambulance (Paramedic Burns and Doctor Pang) and finally "HAZMAT van" (Champlain and McLean) left UBC for the downtown. They traveled down 41st Street, as that was a Municipal Disaster Response Route cleared some time after the attack.

Once at Cambie, they turned left. On their right was the abandoned Oakridge Shopping Centre, and behind it out of sight was the abandoned RCMP command centre Clarke had visited the day before. They traveled north down Cambie weaving around stalled vehicles, as 41st had run along the spine of high ground in the city and they were heading to the downtown, close to the water.

At the foot of the Cambie Bridge the Mounties slowed down and radioed the van. Ah, where do you guys want to go? Cross the bridge here into the downtown or go around and see if the Georgia Viaduct is open?"
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:46, Sun 17 Aug 2008.

Andy looked over at Kelsey as she drove. Rank hath its privileges and he normally would have drove (being a Master Sniper and all). Being laid-back, he didn't push his nominal advantage over the new Corporal.

"Well Kel, I don't think this is the closest bridge into the downtown. But we could hide our tracks even more by circling around to the east. What do you say?"


OOC: Posted on McRae's behalf.
This message was last edited by the GM at 12:28, Sun 17 Aug 2008.

As they slow Kelsey ashes a cigarette out the window and glances Andrew's way, then grins, cig filter clenched between her teeth

"Well Mac, I think it is a damn fine morning for a drive, why don't you make use of that radio, bud, and tell the Red and the Black that plan?"

"Sure thing," Andy replied, he got onto the radio and explained the change in plans to the others, "OK, Kel, hit it."

*She chuckles a little and shakes her head*

"It's 106 miles to Chicago, we got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark, and we're wearing sunglasses."

*Kelsey chuckles at the famous quote, then moves to peel off to the farthest bridge, and enjoy the ride*