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.