In reply to Kelsey Sarah Champlain (msg # 96):

"Glad you made it through all right. I mean that."

She shook her head sadly. "I've been asking around like you asked. Nothing so far. Don't worry, babe, they're all right and we'll find them."

Kelsey replies, very softly "Yeah, I know.  Thanks Rae.  And thanks for the help, I really appreciate..."  She smiles weakly and then shrugs slightly, smiling a little wider  "So how long will you be out here?"

In reply to Kelsey Sarah Champlain (msg # 98):

Darek swiveled the turret back and forth slowly, covering the rest of his team as they conversed with the woman the others called 'Rae'.

"Nother couple days, I imagine. Go for dinner then?"

She noticed the turret tracking back and forth.

"Hey, tell Guderian up there to quit it. These are friendlies around here! No man's land starts pretty much at the top of Scott Hill. Biker bar up there, even before the war."

Kelsey glances back at the Cougar and her lips set a moment in a single line, she keys her radio "Fox One to Fox Six.  Still that turret, this is all friendlies here.  I hear tell about the non if you want to peek."

She lets go of the mic and then smiles again, openly.  "Dinner.  Sounds great, Rae."

Taras couldn't help but take a look towards Kel as she came up in the air and with the help of the vision blocks could identify the fellow RCMP member.

OK, Darek. Practice is over! Wayne, lets go join our old good friend down there!

Somehow he wasn't too surprised as the working ways of the Mounties were far away from those of the military with a more relaxed discipline and the typical Canadian easy way of things. He was glad to see things working out fine in the beginning of the new set of operations that would bring Government control closer to the border.

After the mandatory salutations he clarified the fine points of the current mission and also informed that some supplies were on their way to the camp to win the hearts and minds of its inhabitants. Hopefully they will be able to gather intel in depth about the strength and location of the threats in the area.

I think we can stay here until the end of the day and then go back and prepare a new launching point in this side of the bridge. We are going to need a sound building with parking facilities.

In reply to Taras Vladimirovich Shevchenko (msg # 102):

Hawke's behind Kelsey, and stands, watching his quadrant, and some of hers.

"Who's your friend, Kel?"

"I don't think that is a good idea, Taras. At least not immediately.



"William Hawke, meet Sergeant Rachael Lee, a good friend of mine."

"Nice to meet you.  He held his hand out to shake.  My friends just call me Hawke.  How are your people doing?"
This message was last edited by the player at 00:26, Mon 30 July 2012.

In reply to William Hawke (msg # 105):

"Rachel's fine. Glad to meet you, Hawke."

She shook his hand, smiling.

"We're short of everything. HQ has been promising resupply but they have their problems."

"You guys can stand down here, honestly. No one's gonna take a shot at you. We haven't had any attacks here, crime in the camps is still low but we can't be everywhere at once."

Within the half hour, Tremblay and Mac arrived in the team's Humvee.

They'd scavenged what supplies (food, medical and water) they could spare from the team's stores and cajole, beg and steal from the New West militia and police. The RCMP at the roadblock out on Kind George directed them into the Skytrain parking lot where the rest of the team waited by the Cougar, talking to Rachel.

She outlined what was around. There were currently over five thousand refugees in this camp alone. It wasn't the only one established along the river.

The staff were sequestered in a small compound next to the station consisting of a series of tents. Apparently, trailers, fencing and portable sheds were on order but had yet to arrive. What supplies they had were being secured in a large U-Haul van parked beside the clinic tent. Water was available from the Skytrain station, and a small generator trailer parked next to the building chugged away. Staffing at the main camp consisted of several dozen volunteers and a half-dozen RCMP auxiliaries.

Medical staff was a volunteer doctor from Royal Columbian, a couple nurses and technicians. Currently, there was a fair line-up outside the clinic, a large tent. The people were orderly, enjoying the sunlight.

Wayne will dismount, but remain near the Cougar.  He will casually evaluate the status of the camp's mechanical infrastructure from his position: vehicles, permanent and temporary structures, generators, clean water, latrines, etc.

In reply to helbent4 (msg # 107):

"Chief, any reason I can't go lend a hand at the Clinic?  Looks like they're a wee off from having a good day."

Hawke

In reply to helbent4 (msg # 107):

Darek decided it would be better if he stayed on the Cougar's main gun while the others explored.

Rachel, there must be some sort of leadership in the camp...Do you think we can talk to their boss

"Sure, that would be Jodi. She's out in the camp right now, talking to people. Want to go now?"

GM Note: I guess Javier accidentally missed the request by Hawke to visit the clinic. I don't see why Taras would refuse, so I'll say he gave his assent.


Camp infrastructure seemed to be courtesy of the Canadian Red Cross (CRC) and the City of New Westminster (New West).

After Taras gave his assent, Hawke visited the clinic tent. He recognised the doctor, Dr. Gus Brady, from Royal Columbian. Finishing up with his patient, "Dr. Gus" welcomed Hawke. "Hawke! Great to see you. We just got in this morning. Should get a load of supplies and equipment today or tomorrow."

From where he stood in the Skytrain station parking lot, there wasn't a lot to see of the camp's infrastructure. There was a nearby generator, but the real solution would be to hook them up to New West's city supply. (Currently a defected Soviet nuclear submarine tied up at the dock just across the river, soon to be supplemented and then replaced by the almost-online Burrard Hydro plant.) Vehicles were civilian, mainly trucks, and a couple RCMP police cars. Housing was problematic, mostly tents and shacks constructed the past week on the parking lot. There was plenty of abandoned housing available but the authorities had their reasons for building the camp here. There were some portable latrines visible, and some of the tents looked like additional latrines and showers. As well, cook and mess tents were being constructed.

Water was impossible to tell. Like New West, Surrey was fed from the Coquitlam reservoir. Even without filtration the water was exceptionally pure, the watershed being glacier-fed. New West had occasional boil warnings when the bacterial count rose too high. Water pressure was maintained by gravity, even without electricity there would be water from taps. This area was recently under flood waters so the mains would need to be flushed, Wayne saw a City of New Westminster engineering crew a ways off working at a manhole and guessed that's what they were doing.
This message was last edited by the GM at 08:54, Tue 31 July 2012.

Darek got a chill when he saw the Soviet nuclear submarine. It reminded him of his previous life and all the pains he took to get away from it. He slew the turret in the other direction, choosing to focus on something else.

Upon being given permission to move out on his own, Hawke went back to the Cougar and grabbed his medic bag.

"Nice to see you again, Doc.  Need a hand?  You've got a long line outside."

Absolutely! Lets go!

The situation around the camp was peaceful enough to dissolve the team partially and approach the locals at ease. Darek was taking care of the vehicle and showing the flag. The makeshift hospital was being visited and help offered by Hawke and that left the constables enough room to maneuver towards the leadership of the camp to address the more pressing concerns.

We have a lot to offer to the people in the camp through the IRON program. That could distract us from our more "military" affairs but is a most necessary step to take. I guess things may turn up on the peaceful side for a while but we must keep our eyes open for all the scum infiltrated. For now, lets try to make sure we can open lines of communication between the UBC and, what her name...Jodi?

Kelsey followed Hawke and Rachel to the medic tent, her rifle finally slung and looking at ease, if still vigilant.

"I guess show me around a little.  Anyone need some small repairs, wiring help, something like that?"

Hawke easily pitched in beside Dr. Gus. His efforts were appreciated. This was kind of the "first wave" at the new clinic but at a certain point things would calm down some.

"Jodi" welcomed any offer of help. She was waiting for promised New West militia to come and help secure the camp, as many of the people were concerned that bikers or criminals could pretty much roll in and loot what little they had (not to mention their stockpiled supplies) despite the half-dozen Mounties that currently provided protection. This may or may not be rational but it was certainly understandable.

Taras was surprised to learn the IRON program was well-known, and had already become standard procedure for dealing with the population. Jodi and her team had been contracted by the federal government through UBC to organise this camp and others like it. The necessary data collection was one of the first things they intended to do, so they knew how many people there were, their identities, history, needs and capabilities.

As for Kel, there was a million things to do with regards to camp setup.

In reply to helbent4 (msg # 118):

Back at the Cougar, Cpl Sochacki watched Wayne, who stayed at the Cougar with him. Both men being the same rank, he felt comfortable talking to him as an equal now that the others weren't around.

"What do you think, Wayne?" he asked the man, trying to gauge not only by his answer but by his reaction and his demeanor, whether to adopt a more friendly 'unbuttoned' approach to the new role as sentry he currently found himself in.

Wayne will turn to peer up at the turret and its occupant.  Shrugging, he replies, "Seems like everything is running fairly smoothly.  The water's good, and that's the most important thing."

In reply to Wayne Lo (msg # 120):

Water, Dariusz Sochacki thought. Wayne was right. It couldn't BE more important. Darek remembered how impressed he was with Canadian water when he first arrived to the country. Even then, he took it for granted when there was easy electricity and people lived a 'normal' existence, free from radiation.

Taking a cue from Wayne, Cpl Sochacki unbuttoned the turret, rubbed his eyes, and took a look around.