magnum sermonibus

Dinner was rather quiet for us. You would think with this motley group of people there would be so much to talk about. I think it was because we where still use to not talking wile we ate. The food was good and it was kindia funny but half way through dinner we all notic that the others had order a meal they had be craving na missing for a wile. I know for me it was truly one of the first occasion in which I was about to order real food with real credits and I went all out as did the others. On the way to the bar for drinks LT. Poped out of no were and presented us all with a gift of cigars from Cuba very hard to acquire these days but then again that's why he is in logistics. The cigars ending up being the ice break for the evening. We arrived at the bar and aquired a large table out back where we all sat around lite the cigars LT. Provided to us and enjoyed a few puffs. We decided to take this time to enjoy each others company have good conversations and learn about each other some more.

We started talking about random subjects from politics to personal histories. Gorden brought up the current president and asked how we all felt he was doing. My reply was " the current office is doing the best it can with the cards it's been dealt. I have no issues and would re-elect the current president for a second term." LT. Said that the government was. Failure and that a communist like state should be created. David did like the current president but didn't like any of the other options so his reply was go with the lesser of two evils and choose the devil you know over the devil you don't. Ein didn't care one way or another he wasnt in politics so he felt what did it matter. Nick just stayed quiet with no comment. Samantha and Ashley both said they liked things how they where. Thought Samantha comment on the topic and said "Times are a changing and we got the change with them or die". She when on to talk about her past. After the oil crises plunged the world into chaos the united states experienced civil unrest with area becoming lawless and brutal. She was growing up in L.A at the time. Her parents died in the uprising of 2023 when she was 14 leaving her homeless and on the streets. For ten years she said she would wander looking for food or work, doing everything she could to hide run away and avoid the rap gangs. When she was 24 she heard that the corporation Foxhound worked for was looking for new recruits and ran to the nearest recruitment station. She said it was her way out of that hell. Man did I feel for her I could only imagine what that Was like for her. As she was recount these events I could see the sadness in her so I gently patted her on the shoulder to comfort her. When she was done she excused her self from the table and returned a short wile later.

Ashley had a different story her parents where rich she could have gone to any college in the country, but as she approached the age of 20 and learned where the money for her life style came from she wanted no more part of it. David chimed in and asked what we all were thinking. Where did the money come from? It was funny how he asked it and the look on his face we could tell he was quiet taken by Ashley. she went on to talk about how her father made his wealth based solely off what's know as the Tri- state massacre. The Tri-state massacre was an event that happened in 2023 and consisted of 3 city's L.A, Detriot, and New York. Civilians were marching on the streets demanding food and gas when the military opened fire on them killing women children and men. The events lead to all out war between the civilians in the city's and the military lasting 7 days at the end of which 20,000 civilians died. He father was the man who supplied the military with the gun, ammo, vehicles, biological agents and other equipment that lead to these deaths. His company Hammer Industry's was at the time the primary weapons contractor for the U.S military. So Ashley said once she learned of this she disowned her father and enlisted in the PMC. I was rather puzzled that she would choose a military organization after this so I asked. Ashley said that one way to help prevent such an event from occurring again was to be part of the organization and acquire the ability to inactive change. I thought it was rather inspiring and would make her strong with the idea backing her decision.

Mary was a bit different I noticed all night that she had taken to LT. And in fact ordered a scotch on the douglas like he did. She was in canada until 2032 which is when she said she left to find a job in the united states. Due to what was going on in the 2020's the borders to Canada and Mexico where sealed off by a 20ft concrete wall spanning the border. Every 1/4 mile was a guard post with automated gun emplacements in-between them. This wall was maned 24/7 with seismic surveying equipment spanning the ground below the wall to detect tunneling underneath it, these combinations make it almost possible to breach the wall in conventional manners. Mary instead booked passage as a stow away on a boat. It was a week long journey with several search party's from the coast guard searching the boat. Most of her time she said was Spent in the hole with the fish. Only the comforts of old books she said kept. her going through the ordeal, that and the prospect of being an equal and not a second class citizen. As soon as she entered the country she enlisted to gain her citizenship. She had studied at a very pristigest college in Canada, earning a degree in computer science and business management. As she talked More about her self I got the idea that she was a very free spirit. Even enjoyed the idea of classless society's where everyone is working for the better of each other. A pipe dream to me but it would appear an ideal for her. She honestly believes it's possible in America to live that style of life.

De amicitia et societate celebratione

Part of hell months is over! The next four weeks will be our basic infantry instructional time. From what I could gather on the subject we will be learning about the general weapons and equipment any and all soldiers will utilize in the battle field. This would include a week of communication technology introduction with a three day work shop on communication up-linking and communication gear repair and maintenance with one day in class, one day with gear and one day in the field applying knowledge learned to send uncovered data repair unit equipment ect. the last two days includes a day of class room instruction of how to hack and disable communication system with the fifth day being the practice of that knowledge. We had all decided to head in to the local area for R and R. We traveled about 30mins into opportunity,wa where we found a nice local bar. Our party had consisted of me(miles), David, Nick, Gorden, LT., Ein, and 3 women from our division who joined us when they heard we where heading off base. Samantha had decided to join us and she brought two of her friends Ashley and Mary. Ashley was assigned to logistics and Mary was a vehicle mechanic. Ashley was about 5,9 avarge weight, with long blond hair and blue eyes. Mary was 6,0 tall skinny but muscular with black hair and brown eyes. Since we where still in training we had to wear our uniforms when off base. I always like the feel and look of uniforms. Foxhound had no dress uniforms to speak of, at lest none for us so we had to go out in our battle dress uniforms or BDU's for short. We got to the bar around 6pm and decided to all grab dinner first before we started our night of drinking. We searched around and settled for a local diner to eat at considering it served almost anything you wanted.

Mensis Infernum

Its been four weeks since we arrived at Liberty Lake. everyday we got up at 0400 we had to shower, shave brush our teeth and make our beds all in 20 minutes. all the that we are learning at this point seems pointless, march here, double time it there, fall in and line up, again and again with physical training intermingled. i guess its a reasonable assumption they are weeding out the undesirable's from the group because of the total we started with half have failed out or been transfered to other divisions. it funny how some people still cant adjust to the situation, like Samantha. She is still shocked and shy when we all hit the showers. I still remember the day she came in to the barracks, she looked so amazing, it was like Lara croft had enlisted and ended up in my division. she was about 6 feet tall average weight, long dirty blond hair pulled back and braided. She was a fit women and as fate would have it a field engineer as well. Samantha was a transfer from another division after needing medical attention from a training accident. Iv never thought twice about the matter and seen a unisex shower as another part of training, we are a unit and family and we need to feel comfortable around each other know each other even understand each other. so from me i think nothing of it. The next few weeks as she gets more involved with us her ability to function with the division will be confirmed or dismissed.

In-processing

It was around 10pm when we pulled up to the foxhound processing center. On the way in they had a movie playing kindia summarizing what the next few months would entail. The bus came to a stop and a very large muscular women gone on the bus. She yelled for us to fall out and line yup single file ass to dick. Which I assumed she wanted us to be very close standing wise in line with the person in front of us. So we did as she said, and walked single file into the building. The building itself was made of brick and limestone with 59 flag poles to the right of the tinted black double doors at the front of the building. They were arranged with the united states and Australian states in the outer circles, the united state and australian country flags in the center along with foxhounds flag making up a center circle with a bright beam of light coming out of the ground shining into the nights sky in the very center of it all. We proceeded into the building where apron entering we had to grab a piece of paper and fall into two lines on Esther side of the hall way. We must have stood the for a good fifteen minutes silent standing at attention. At the far end of the hallway we when standing in was a pair of double red fire doors that opened and a man in a business suit with a female and male in military fatigues on eather side on him entered. He walked up and down the two lines looking at all of us, but not saying anything and with out the slightest change in his facial expression. He went off to the side and jotted down what appeared to be notes said a few words to the males accompanying him and all three exited the hallway.

The lady who had escorted us off the bus returned and said we would now begin the in processing. First up our one phone call to who ever telling them we made it to our destination. Few people made a the call. Probably because the bulk of us where orphans, bastereds, homeless, or society's unwanted. Second on the list was unite assigment. We when to the double red doors and made a left down a hallway to a large auditorium at the far end of the second hall way. In there we sat and began to fill out the paper we had picked up when we first walked in. As time went on bus load after bus load of people arrived and enter the auditorium in much the same fashion as we had. When the last bus load of people came in and group of military people came up on stage. One by one the called names and assigned them their military operation spacility or (MOS)and those ranged from infantry to medics, there was logistical support, supply department, artillery, tank crews.the job Ein and I were assigwere to was field support which was in assence to be a jack of all trades, these guys where the radio men the drivers the field medics, the field repairman, these unites did everything that keep the battle going in their area durning combat, fix bridges, anti air systems, tanks what every need to be fixed they delt with it. But they also had to be solders.. LT got logistical support, David and Gorden got infantry, wile nick was assigned to heavy gunners. It must have been dumb luck but all of us were assign to the same platoon. After about an hour people began to fall out in order of there platoon assignments first platoon 1 the 2 then 3 and so on each time there was 30 minutes in between.

By now it was 0200 and we finally got called "platoon 9 fallout". So we all left with each other and the other people of platoon 9 who we didn't know and headed to a room right before the auditorium where we where told to strip down to our undergarments and place all our civilian close into a box. It was rather aquward as no knew anyone really and it was a mixed sex platoon of men an women. but we did as we where told and labeled the box to be mailed to someone or donated to charity. And then sat down in our underwear in a cold room waiting for instructions. Eventually they took us the the room right across from our present room where we walked up a machine scanned us and gave us our measurements for everything. We then walked down tables getting socks underwear a bag of tolitries, a sweat suit sneakers, BDU's, boots, our uniforms, pretty much everything we'd need but our tactical gear. We quickly stuffed everything into a gear bag and retired to our previous room where we had a checklist on the desk waiting for us. We then had to go through the checklist making sure we had everything required. It took a couple of tries but once everyone got there gear we where alled to put on the sweats and sneakers. We then one at a time went up to the front and got our right hand scanned and our photo take and were issues tempory ID cards for limited access and told to keep it on us at all times. After all this was down we where gives a breakfast bag with a bagel butter and cream cheese a bottle of water and milk. We where told to sit here silently eat and await our drill istructures. After about 10 minutes 3 military personal enter told us to throw away what was left of our breakfast and sit down. They did a head count filed us out the door and into a single file line. We walked back to the double red doors and proceed through them. It was a long hallway partially lite with the wall on the right being a glass wall looking out into the courtyard with the flags. We proceeded down to the barracks at the other wing where we where to sleep for the night. We stowed our gear in our footlockers at the base of our beds and went to sleep about 5am.

Another leap

Our second leap on the bus brought us to Casey,IA. With the driver tired and the bus low on natural gas we pulled into a trucker motel for the night. I thought it would have been more busy, but with the oil issue only top doll or could afford 18 wheeler transportation these days. Gorden was smart enough to pick up a deck of cards at a rest stop a few hours back so we all got rooms together an meet up for some poker and drinking. Being the Gorden was Muslim he didn't partake in the gambling and drink but instead had some soda and joined in on the conversation we where all having. The first game was polite conversation about anything and everything. It turned on LT. Was book smart but not card smart and me Nd David were going at it like to shiames fighting fish. We took a break and Gorden went to get ice, wile I got more beer from my room. On his way back he picked up the tall lanky dud from the bus the first day and a big black guy who I swore was a football player, they had been chill in the loung on opposite sides looking bummed and bored. So he invited them up to the room for poker. None of us minded the more the marrier. Come to find out the big guys name was Nick and his nickname was tinny. He didn't actually play football but rather he was from africa and just looking for work. He was a well fit man, looked like he could do some damage, but he was quiet and reserved and honestly i didnt think he could hurt a fly. The tall guys name was something Japanese that i couldnt spell yet alone pronounce, but he was a member of the yakuza's and did engineering for them, modifying equipment, cars, tools, building security the likes. We just ended up calling him Ein.Nobody had any money so we played for bragging right and as a time passer. Taking the time to get to know each other. That night was probably the most fun I had in years. Good booze good conversation, good people. Before we knew it the sun was rising and we where packing up to shove off again. We got going agin the next noting but about 6 hour in our bus broke down in Reliance, ND. So we spent the night there. By the end of the fourth day we had pulled into liberty lake regional park. It was now a base and processing center for Foxhound.

Memories of the past

Reading the latest news paper got me to thinking how the world ended up so screwed up. It was probably about 10 years ago in 2022 that the middle east dried up, the last barrels of oil shiped out in the summer of 2022. Two months later the middle east was in an all out war with it's self. People who where living the high life on oil money were no commoners poor homeless jobless and hungry. Tensions grew as the middle east soon learned they had nothing to export and rich and valuable as oil. Neighbors turned on one another for property money anything of value even food. Most of the super powers were unable to do anything to prevent or even subside the events. The major superpowers wanted to save what oil they had for protecting their lands not informing others. With this radical change in forigen policy most of the developed nations retrited to their main lands, thus the issues started in the middle east were allowed to spread like wild fire. One by one countries around the world turned inside out their army's unable to function. Then the eco- terroists took the opertunkty to hackers decided to hack the oil compinies and were able to destroy their stock piles of research on oiless technology. I remember as a kid waiting in a gas line for 2 days to get the civilian mandated limit of 5 gallons of gas allowed per-week at 22.79 a gallon. Then came the food shortages with trucks unable to ship food I had to wait in line for local produce which half the time ran out before I could get to the front of the line. It was a major change in life style. Eventually president Adams in 2024 was able to bring back the train, and started building rail roads and train cars. The trains burned coal which for the united states wasn't an issue,we had plenty to burn. He energized the train system much like President Licon did durning the civil war. For the fist time in years people could travel far distances and food swell as material good could get anywhere in the united states. It was the first time you didn't have to wait in food lines. Once again the united states was functioning like a nation. I remember my first after school job what moving coal from the mine entrances to the trucks. Adams gave the nation an adrenaline shot. People forgot about gas, there were jobs and food, power was on for longer periods before the power companies would shut the grid off. After us the USA Australia, Japan, China, Russia, Germany, France, british, and Sadi Arabia all converted to mass train system. It was a good thing for a wile bur it soon became a race for power and out of that race came the 5 major private military contractors. The united states contractor based in Washington state called Foxhound know for their experience tactics being lead by most army and navy special forces. The European's joined together to consist of Britian, France, Spain, and Germany based in Britian and France where called claw hammer known for their use of advanced technology on the battal field. The middle east banded togeather and based them selfs out of Sadi Arabia being known for they use anything and everything they can find. They called them selves the wolf pack. Russia, China and Japan formed the fourth PMC know as Hell's minions, know for their brute force and savageness on the battle field. The finnal PMC is in Australia knows as The Taipan'sfor their ability to sneak around and strike hard and fast. And thus began the PMC wars.

Fate's Intertwined (part 3)

He rolled up behind David and tipped his hat to us and said hello my names Gorden. He pulled up a chair ordered a soda and joining us at our table. So here we where a bunch of men who left early this day alone and silent now all sitting together at a tavern drinking enjoying good stories and beer. The LT, David, Gorden, and me Matt were just chilling having a good time getting to know each other. We all told stories of our past and how we got to this point. David was a college grad working of his masters when the economic down turn hit. So he decided to search for another means of funding his schooling, which at this point was privite military contractors. LT. Like I thought was a well educated man who worked construction and had decided to go back to get an education right before the economic down turn, so like David he decided to work for a PMC to get the money to go to college and finish. Gorden didn't really have a story to tell. I think he more did it for the excitement and chance to get out and see the world.
It wasn't before long that the tavern was closing and I found my self in bed and even then it wasnt too long before I found my self on the bus and on the road again. It was an beautiful morning cool aournd 60 degrees with a light breeze from the north, a perfect day for a road trip. The four of us sat in the back of the bus as a group which I found a little strange but I didn't care i had made aquantances prospective friends and that ment this was non longer a solo journey. I can only imagine the others were thinking the very same thing. I had picked up a paper on the way out the hotel and was skimming it as we continued onward that day.

Fate's intertwined (Part Two)

we grabbed a table in the corner of the room, he seemed to me to be a people watching person, as well. Panning the room I saw many of the same people from the bus, and even some new faces.  The bar and tables were made on rough unfinished wood. At the bar I saw the tall gentleman who looked like he had served time in the military.he was tall but well built kindia going bald but still had a commanding presance about him. I went up to the bar to get some drinks a beer for my and a scotch on the douglass for Lt.wile I was there I introduced my self to the tall man. “Ha the names Matt I see your drinking alone care to join me and my friend LT.?" He adliged me and said "sure my names David mind if my shourt friend joins us?" He was talking about the short middle eastren man from the bus. The three of us were sitting drinking when davids friend came over he was wearing blue jeans sneakers and an areo space t-shirt.

Fate's Intertwined (Part One)

The hotel room was a standard room 2 bed no cable T.V. My room mate for the night was on his bed reading book, which was rather old from the condition the book appeared to be in. I walked over and introduced my self to him, "Ha I'm Matt" He turned away from his book with a look at me like why are you talking to me, but after a few moments of silence he answered me. "people just call me LT". On the account that I was the most educated man working manual labor down at my old construction site. I was a little throw off at this point as I didn't expect him to be a construction worker. He looked like he belonged in a college like Harvard. But I know if he did that kind of work he must also drank so I asked him if he cared to go the the bar down the street for a few drinks. I guess I struck a cord with him cause he was all over the idea.

We headed down the street to a bar called Cooper,s tavern not but maybe a half a mile away. It was an interesting place, walking up to it there was nothing on Esther side of the road. Just wilderness, and as you got closer all you saw where these with dots on a black curten. Me being for the urban/city area I was expecting to see neon sights, cars all over, people drunk and stumbling. But there wasn't any of that, this tavern had little to no power at all, most like cause of the rolling brown outs from lack of coal and oil from over sea's. But they made it work. Candles light the wooden porch leading up to the door and the windows had candles inside them as well. It honestly looked like an old old old tavern you would have found in the days of knights and nobles. To my surprise when we got there a bunch of people from the bus were there drink too.

The journey

I awoke to the sound of nothing,it had been about six maybe seven hours since I left home. I awoke to scilence, looking around the bus no one was taking to each other nor were they even looking around at others on the bus. It was quiet and dreey almost like a library. I could only assume that ever one was thinking about their lives and the decisions that they have made, some might have even been contemplating what waits them at our finnal destination. Me I knew the choice I had made. Some people where good at fixing things and became mechanics, some where good with people and became doctors or psychiatrists. Me I was good at one thing, WAR, I was a tactical thinker, short tempered, but serving the us military I always came home even when most of my team didn't. I knew what I was doing and I was probably the only one on the bus who did. I tried the out side world and it didn't work, so it was time to go back to what I knew and now with the demise of country based military organizations and the replacement of PMC I joined the PMC'S.
Eventually I fell back to sleep and when I awoke a second time it was dark outside. The bus drive announced that we'd all had rooms at the motel and that the bus would level first thing in the morning at 0630 for Washington State. Wel all unloaded and got our room assigment, I was stuck the the short guy who looked well educated. So when we got to the room I decided to break the unending scilence and introduce my self to him.

The Bus Ride

The bus pulled up about 0700
It was a hot humid june day. I said bye to my room mate handed him my keys. Picked up my cats kissed them goodbye grabbed my duffel bag and headed down to the bus. The drive look like he was 90 years old with long white hair in a pony tail and breath that smelled like mothballs. He yelled at me 'get to the back of the bus".  it was like a refugee transport packed with men and women. Dirty tired hungry and with no allegiance these men and women where the future warrior of a faceless army. On my way back I past a man who looked like he played pro-football at one time, sitting next to him squashed yup against the window was a tiny middle eastern man who looked like a techno nerd.  About half way back was a man about 5,7 who looked well traveled and well educated not a place id think to see some one like him. Behind him was a tall girl looked like she played professional sports with her sporty cloths and long pony tail. She was chatting with a tall man who looked like he did time in a military outfit. At the very back was a tall lanky man who look to be very quiet I sat next to him. Apon second glans when i sat down he had the hands of an engineer. Before I knew it the bus was moving.

Prelude To War

The more things change the more they stay the same. War is no longer fought by countries but by corporations and contracts are awarded to the highest bidder. These private military contractors have taken the place of traditional army's but the blood and death the drives economies and war are still paid with the blood of those countries young man and women. With the world in chaos I found my self hard pressed to find a job so I did what any young man of 24 does and joined a PMC. And so begings a journey in a new world of chaos and famion were the poor get poorer the rich get richer and the country that can afford the best contractors gain unlimited power.