Chapter 18

General Mike Henderson, Colonel Carl Fenton, Captain Tom Charles, and Captain Phil Johnson were in a Division-level meeting discussing the redeployment of Division 1’s Companies and of Division 2 and 3’s Seal Teams.

Mike said, “Jon authorized us to start the efforts for reinforcing Folsom and beginning the production of diesel fuel and I have reviewed the first drafts of your plans for those two efforts.

“It is rather late in the day, but tomorrow you gentlemen need to meet with your officers to discuss your respective parts in our deployment to Folsom and Benicia. The final plan for that effort is not ready for dissemination at this time, but due to the urgency of the two situations, we will begin our preparations based on our draft plans.

“As a draft, the plans adequately address your efforts in Auburn, Folsom, and Benicia, but I would like to see the plans fleshed out with more detail five days from now. The current deployment plan gives you the next ten days to complete your plans for meeting your respective goals, assembling your people here at the Ark, finalizing your deployment plans, re-provisioning, and doing whatever else is necessary for redeployment. Don’t bother saying it, we know the schedule Jon and I have set for you is ridiculous.”

Phil Johnson said, “Ah, Mike. Lieutenant Montoya and his men are at Folsom Dam clearing trees and debris from the lake. Do you want me to recall him for tomorrow’s meeting?”

“Yes, he needs to be in the meeting since he and his people will perform a major part in the effort. His Ensigns should be capable of overseeing his task until he can get back to them. The leader of the Petroleum Group, Mistress Anabel Eger, will join us in the meeting, so we can discuss the plan she has for restoring diesel production. Andy needs to be there so he will know what his part in the operation will be.

“Right now, I want to confirm my understanding as to who is to be assigned responsibility for the Refinery, the oil and gas derricks, and the oil and gas transport system that will carry oil and gas between the pumping derricks and the Refinery.

“Phil, you and Seal Teams 5 and 6 will be at the Refinery. Your function will be to secure its perimeter. Andy’s Seal Team 4 will handle the security of the derricks, pumping stations, and pipeline system. Correct?”

Phil said, “Putting Andy in charge of that portion of the effort may be a problem, Mike.

“I expect it will take several weeks for Andy and his people to finish clearing the filter grid of trees and debris. There are undoubtedly a large number of trees still in the lake. They will gradually drift toward the dam and start piling up against the filter grid again. I was planning on having Andy’s people complete their task and then leave Seal Troop 3 at the dam.

Mike asked, “How often are they going to have to clear the grid, Phil?”

“I don’t know, Mike. We don’t know how big of a problem the trees and debris will be once the initial effort to clear the filter grid is complete. My guess is it will be two or three days every week for the near future. One thing that will help is, when they are not busy clearing the grid, they can scour the rest of the lake and tow any floating trees they can find to the dam for removal.”

“I can see your point, Phil. Just out of curiosity why did you qualify your comment by saying floating trees? Don’t all trees float?”

“Yes they do, until they become waterlogged, Mike. Then they sink. What many people don’t know is, a big lake like Folsom has currents that move debris along the lakebed. The currents will be moving the submerged trees and when they get close to the dam, the current caused by water passing through the turbine may pull the trees against the filter grid.

Mike said, “Alright, Phil. We need Seal Team 4 in Benicia, so you need to pull them out of Folsom and get them back here are ready to deploy. I also know we need them at the lake to finish clearing the trees. The only way I can see for us to do both is to leave a single Seal Troop at the dam and pull everyone else back to the Ark. Once the initial clearing is complete, and if possible, I would like to reduce that to a single Seal Platoon. How is Andy progressing with the tree removal?”

“So far, he is on top of the problem, but it is just a time consuming process.”

“I understand. If you leave Troop 3 at the dam and bring your other two Troops back to the Ark for redeployment, will Troop 3 be able to finish the tree removal?”

“Yes. That would work, Mike, but it will take them a lot longer to complete the initial clearing effort.”

“I can live with that, Phil, as long as the delay won’t damage the turbine. What we really need is your people in the oil fields protecting the derricks, pumping stations, and pipeline to Benicia.”

“Okay, Mike, I’ll pull my two Troops back to the Ark tomorrow, so we can prepare them for redeployment.”

“Once the initial clearing is complete, Phil, do you think a whole Troop will be needed at the Dam?”

“I don’t know, Mike. I’ll look into the feasibility of doing the job with a single Seal Platoon.”

“Good. Any questions, Gentlemen?

“No, then I’ll let you get back to what you were doing.”

The commanding officers of the Ark Army’s units were notified yesterday morning that they were to attend a two-day briefing on the redeployment of the units to support reinforcing Folsom Dam and restoring the Benicia Refinery to operation. The participants of the meeting were gathered in Jon’s meeting room, and Jon stepped up to the podium to begin the meeting.

Jon said, “Good afternoon, Gentlemen. It is rather late in the day, so hopefully, this will be a very short meeting.”

Turning to Staff Sergeant Douglas Greer, Jon said, “Sergeant, please distribute the briefing packages.

“While Sergeant Geer is distributing the packages, I will explain the reason for this meeting. To put it simply, we need electricity and fuel to complete our effort of securing the Sacramento Area. During the scouting missions Bob and Sharna conducted for us, they reported that the Hydroelectric Facility and Benicia Refinery were still in existence. They were able to determine that the Hydroelectric Facility was at risk of being damaged, but they were unable to determine the effect the tsunamis had on the Refinery. We are hoping that the damage to the Refinery is minimal and that we will be able to repair any damage.

“Company B is currently at Folsom Dam, but the threat assessment for that area indicates they could be overwhelmed by a surprise attack carried out by a large aggressor force. Therefore, we will reinforce that area.

“It was recently brought to our attention that our gasoline and diesel fuel is degrading and will be unusable in about nine months. That means we need to put the Benicia Refinery back into operation earlier than originally planned.

“The planning for these efforts and completion of the Stage 1 effort has reached the point where we can begin reallocating our manpower assets. The reallocation will be done as five phases. The schedule for these phases is on page eight of your briefing packages.

“Phase 1 is the redeployment of Seal Teams 2 and 3.

“Lieutenant Morrison, Troop 1 of Seal Team 2 is to remain at Blocking Post 1. You and Troop 2 will deploy to Blocking Post 4 and relieve Seal Team 6. Pick one of the two locations as your primary headquarters and shift between the two locations as needed.

“Lieutenant Tanny, Troop 1 of Seal Team 3 is to remain at Blocking Post 2. You and Troop 2 will deploy to Blocking Post 3 and relieve Seal Team 5. Like Lieutenant Morrison, you are to pick one of the two locations as your primary headquarters and shift between the two locations as needed.

“Lieutenants Bennett and Perry, when you are relieved, your Seal Teams will return to the Ark and prepare to redeploy to the Benicia area. When you arrive here, give your people the rest of the day off and then report to Captain Johnson.

“Phase 2 is the redeployment of Company A. Captain Bell, your Platoons will be the guard force for our four SCCs. Squads 1 and 2 of First Platoon will remain at SCC 1. Squad 3 will deploy to SCC 2 and relieve Company C. Squads 1 and 2 of Second Platoon will deploy to SCC 4 and relieve Company E. Squad 3 will deploy to SCC 3 and relieve Company D.

“Captains Bale, Kander, and Russel, when you are relieved, your Companies will return to the Ark and prepare to redeploy to the Folsom area. When you arrive at the Ark, give your people the rest of the day off and then report to Colonel Fenton.

“Phase 3 is the deployment of Seal Team 1 to SCC 2. Seal Team 1 is to be organized as two Quick Reaction Forces and a support force. The reaction forces will respond to an attack on any SCC or Blocking Post. The support force will be a guard force for the Recycling Department’s scavenging effort.

“Phase 4 is the deployment of Division 3 to the Benicia area. Captain Johnson, your deployment will be discussed in a separate briefing two days from now. You will need to coordinate the timing of that meeting with the Petroleum Group’s leader, Mistress Anabella Eger.

“Phase 5 is the deployment of Companies C, D, and E to the Folsom area. The Folsom deployment will be discussed in a separate briefing at 0800 tomorrow.

“Are there any questions regarding who is to relieve whom, or where you are to go when relieved?”

“Since there doesn’t appear to be any questions, Division 1 and 2’s meetings will convene at 0800 tomorrow morning; Division 3 will meet at 0800 the day after that. You may spend the rest of the day and night with your families if you wish.”

At 0800 the next morning, Colonel Carl Fenton moved behind the podium and said, “Okay, people, I want to limit the number of breaks we take, so coffee and snacks are on the side table and help yourselves during the meeting when you need something. Take your seats so we can finish this as quickly as possible.

“Our primary mission in the Folsom area is to protect the Hydroelectric Facility, and we also have a secondary mission of providing aid to Folsom’s survivors. The aid we will provide to the survivors is limited to providing them with food, water, medical care, clothing, and shelter until they can be transported to Auburn.

“Captain Hartman, please put up the first briefing slide.

Carl moved to the white board that was being used as a projection screen while carrying a pointer, which he would use to direct attention to specific features of the four Areas of Responsibility (AOR).

“As you can see, Gentlemen, we have divided Folsom into four AORs.

“AOR 1 is the area adjacent to the dam. This is the area currently secured by Company B. Other than my establishing my Divisional Headquarters at Captain Maroun’s location, there will be no changes to this AOR.

“AOR 2 is roughly northwest of AOR 1. Its borders are Oak Avenue on the south, Sierra College Boulevard and Hazel Avenue on the west, and Douglas Boulevard on the north. The eastern boundary is Lake Folsom and the American River as far south as an east-west line through the intersection of Oak Boulevard and Folsom-Auburn Road. Company C will setup their headquarters and an SCC at the Wilma Cavitt Junior High School. The SCC will function as a feeder facility for transferring Folsom’s survivors back to the SCCs in Auburn.

“Captain Bale, that puts your headquarters in the far northeast corner of your AOR, which is not the best location. However, the other suitable facilities in your AOR do not provide you with easy access to the major roads in your area.

“One advantage to locating the SCC at the Wilma Cavitt location is, it will make it easier to move survivors from the other AORs to your SCC and for a convoy from Auburn to pick up the survivors you collect.

“AOR 3 is to the south of AOR 2. AORs 2 and 3 share a common boundary, Oak Avenue. Hazel Avenue is the western boundary of AOR 3, and the American River forms its eastern and southern boundaries.

“AOR 4 is east of AOR 3. The American River is its western boundary and Lake Folsom is its northern boundary. Sophia Parkway is the eastern boundary and the southern boundary is Blue Ravine Road.

“Company D is to set up its headquarters at Carl Sundahl Elementary School and Company E is to set up its headquarters at Theodore Judah Elementary School. The main rationale for the locations of these two headquarters is, they are close enough to each other that Companies D and E can support each other, if necessary.

“Companies C, D, and E will each establish a Quick Reaction Force at their respective headquarters. The three reaction forces will support each other in the event of a major attack on any AOR.

“Patrol routes within the individual AORs are at the discretion of the respective Company commanders.

“If there are no questions at this point, I want to take a ten-minute break, and when we return, our Planning and Intelligence Section will meet with each company to discuss the specifics of your AORs.

Five minutes after Colonel Fenton started his meeting, Captain Charles began his meeting with Division 2’s officers.

Captain Charles said, “Good morning, Gentlemen. Yesterday, Captain Johnson and I met with General Henderson, the General’s staff officers, and Colonel Carl Fenton. During that meeting, General Henderson briefed us on Colonel Fenton’s mission in Folsom, Captain Johnson’s mission in Benicia, and our mission here in Auburn.

“The overall redeployment effort has five phases, but Division 2 will only be involved in Phases 1 and 4.

“Phase 1 is the redeployment of Troop 2 of Seal Teams 2 and 3. Lieutenant Morrison, Troop 1 of Seal Team 2 is to remain at Blocking Post 1. You and Troop 2 will deploy to Blocking Post 4 and relieve Seal Team 6. Pick one of the two locations as your primary headquarters and shift between the two locations as needed. Lieutenant Tanny, Troop 1 of Seal Team 3 is to remain at Blocking Post 2. You and Troop 2 will deploy to Blocking Post 3 and relieve Seal Team 5. Like Lieutenant Morrison, you are to pick one of the two locations as your primary headquarters and shift between the two locations as needed.

“Lieutenants Perry and Bennett will be immediately returning to the Ark once you relieve them, so be sure you receive a good briefing on every aspect of the two Blocking Posts and any threat hazards they may be aware of.

“There is no sense addressing Phases 2, 3, and 5 at this time.

“Phase 4 is the deployment of Seal Team 1 to SCC 2. Lieutenant Brooks, you are to organize Seal Team 1 as two Quick Reaction Forces and a Guard Detail for escorting Scavenger Teams in Auburn and the nearby areas; Company F will also provide the Scavenger Teams with guards. Your on-duty Reaction Force will respond to any attack on a Scavenger Team, SCC, or Blocking Post.

“Division 1’s Company F will be at the Freight Yard. It will provide the primary Reaction Force for Blocking Post 4, and your people will back them up. For the Scavenger Teams, SCCs and remaining Blocking Posts, you will provide the primary reaction force and Company F will be your backup.

“Before I go into a few details that may be helpful, do you have any questions?

“Yes, Lieutenant Morrison?”

“Has the Quick Reaction Force’s reaction time to the Blocking Posts been determined?”

“We conducted a trial run, and the response time for the primary Reaction Force is under fifteen minutes to all Blocking Posts.

“Yes, Lieutenant Brooks?”

“It is my understanding that the Scavenger Teams in Auburn no longer require a guard detail. Could you explain what you meant by Seal Team 1 providing the Scavenger Teams with escort details?”

“You are correct, Lieutenant. As a general rule, the Scavenger Teams do not require escorts. However, certain scavenging efforts are considered to be high-risk efforts, and we will provide escorts to those Scavenger Teams.”

Lieutenant Brooks said, “Sir, what makes a scavenging effort a high-risk activity?”

“You may not be aware of it, Lieutenant, but a number of the survivors in the Auburn area do not want the Ark’s assistance. They made it clear to our Survivor Collection patrols that they were likely to respond with violence to any further efforts on our part to provide them with assistance. Generals Reppa and Henderson are concerned about how they may respond to a Scavenger Team that is collecting food and other necessities from the houses in their area. That is the primary reason for classifying a scavenging effort a high-risk activity.

“Are there any additional questions?

“Okay. Captain Johnson and I toured the Blocking Posts we are taking over, so let’s talk about my observations of them.

Looking at Lieutenant Andrew Tanny, Tom said, “Andy, the situation at Blocking Post 3 is similar to Fitz’s current situation at Post 1. During our tour of the Blocking Posts, Captain Johnson was very impressed by the barricade Fitz’s people constructed across Highway 80.

“When we arrived at Post 3, we found that Lieutenant Perry had constructed a similar barrier of cars across Highway 80 just south of the Hillside Road overpass and positioned his gun trucks behind the barrier. The barrier was adequate, but when Captain Johnson saw the location to which Lieutenant Perry had been sent, he decided that the location was not adequate for a Blocking Post.

“Captain Johnson and Lieutenant Perry took a drive further south to see if they could locate a better location for the Blocking Post that was not too far from its existing location. When they returned, I was informed that they were going to relocate the Blocking Post to Exit 115 where Newcastle Road passes over Highway 80. Captain Johnson instructed Lieutenant Perry to construct a barricade similar to Fitz’s barricade of concrete dividers to the west of the Denny’s restaurant. He wants the barricade to be south of the highways entrance and exit ramps and he wants it to extend across the two frontage roads and the highway.

“I have been informed that the new barricade is now in place and Lieutenant Perry’s people have relocated their Headquarters to Exit 115. After relieving, Lieutenant Perry, I want you to evaluate the suitability of the Blocking Post in the context of defending it with a single Troop of Seals. If you deem it is not adequate, you are to correct any deficiencies. If you believe, the Post cannot be upgraded to a suitable level, let me know and we will consider moving it to a different location.

“Lieutenant Morrison, Post 4 is very different from your Post. I was told that Teichert Aggregates is the best location for a Blocking Post along Highway 49 north of Cool. Cool is not a good location for the Post, so Teichert Aggregates was chosen. Lieutenant Perry did a good job of setting up the Blocking Post considering what he had to work with. Captain Johnson and I agreed that it is more than adequate for mission purposes, but we are not happy with the living arrangements that were forced on Lieutenant Perry’s people.”

“What is the problem with the living arrangements, Sir?”

“There was only one building at the location and it was not adequate for housing a full Seal Team, but your Troop may find the current housing adequate. What Lieutenant Perry did was to setup mobile homes in the quarry. They are adequate for his people, but I don’t like the fact that there is only one way in and out of the quarry, other than climbing down the steep sides of the plateau on which the quarry is located. I’ll let you and your people decide if you want to stay at that location or move the Post to a different location. I recommend that you do not brief your people on my opinion of the Blocking Post. I want your people to evaluate it without my opinion biasing their judgement.

“Gentlemen, we will begin Phase 1 of the relocation with the deployment of Seal Teams 2 and 3 to Blocking Posts 3 and 4 starting the day after tomorrow. Lieutenant Brooks, Seal Team 1 will deploy the day after Company A deploys to SCC 2. Between now and then, you are to brief your people on their part of the mission and prepare to redeploy to Blocking Posts 3 and 4 and to SCC 2.

“Any questions, Gentlemen? If not, you are excused to return to your duty stations.”

Lieutenant Brooks asked, “Is there a reason for my deployment being linked to Company A’s deployment?”

“Yes, Lieutenant, there is. Company C had to perform major repairs to SCC 2. You will be deployed to the shopping center across the road from SCC 2, and the buildings in that shopping center were also damaged. Company C still has the tools and repair materials they used to repair SCC 2, and Company C has offered to assist you with the repairs to your location between now and the time they are relieved.”

“Thank you, Sir.”

“If there are no further questions, pick up your written orders from the table near the door as you leave.”

The day after Division 1 and 2’s meetings, Captain Phil Johnson convened Division 3’s meeting. Captain Johnson, Division 3’s officers with the exception of Ensign Yeager, who was at Folsom Dam, and Mistress Anabella Eger were seated at one of the Command Center’s conference tables.

While directing his officers’ attention to the woman seated with them, Captain Johnson said, “Gentlemen, Mistress Anabella Eger was able to join today’s planning session. Mistress Eger is the leader of the group of civilians we refer to as the Petroleum Group. Last night and this morning Mistress Eger and Lieutenant Commander Trapp discussed the facilities we will be defending.

“Before today’s meeting, Commander Trapp informed me that Mistress Eger provided him with a map showing the locations of the facilities we will be defending and a data package containing information and photographs of the different facilities. He also informed me that Mistress Eger is not familiar with the designations we use for our different Command Sections; so for today, please use the Sections’ titles.”

Seeing that Mistress Eger wished to speak, Captain Johnson said, “Yes, Mistress Eger. Did you have something you would like to add?”

“Yes, Captain. Mistress Eger is more formality than I am accustomed to; my friends and associates call me Bella. I would prefer for you to use my nickname if you find it suitable to do so. I also appreciate that you will be using the names of your different sections.

“I have to apologize for your not having very much information regarding the locations we will be going to. When Terry, I mean Commander Trapp, told me you knew very little about the locations, I let him know that I had been told all of our information had been sent to General Henderson, so he could use it in planning this effort. Evidently, I was misinformed or the data package went astray for we thought he had received the information. I gave Commander Trapp what was readily available to me last night, and we have additional information that we can provide later.”

Phil said, “Thank you, Bella. It is our custom to use first names during most of our meetings, and on those occasions, my officers refer to me as Phil. We use rank and last name when enlisted personnel are part of a meeting, and during formal meetings when others are present. During planning sessions like this one, we usually use first names, and I am certain Terry’s Planning Section will appreciate the data package you provided.

“General Henderson’s Intelligence and Planning Section is still working on the final plan for this mission. Today’s meeting will use the draft plan that his section developed for this operation and the draft plan that Terry’s Planning Section developed for our portion of the mission. We will get to the detailed planning for the mission after Terry and I present a brief overview of the mission and what we know about the area. Since we know very little about the Refinery and area, that overview should not take very long. We will probably need at least one follow-up meeting to include you and your key people in order to finalize our plans for Benicia.

“Based on the draft plan, Division 3 is tasked with securing and defending the Benicia Refinery, the oil and natural gas derricks in the oil fields to the southwest of Sacrament, and the pumping stations and pipelines between the oil fields and the Refinery.

“Seal Team 4’s portion of this mission is the protection of the derricks, pumping stations, and pipelines to include the civilians who will be operating the equipment. We were not aware of the specific locations we will be defending, and I intended for us to plan a generic defense for the derricks, pumping stations, and pipelines. Bella’s information on the specific locations we will defend may be detailed enough for us to prepare a detailed plan for the defense of those locations and equipment.

“Seal Teams 5 and 6 will be responsible for the defense of the Benicia Refinery. I have been informed that only a small portion of the Refinery will be returned to operation, but Terry informed me that he believes we will need to defend the entire facility. Terry, tell us what you and the Planning Section have been able to learn about the Refinery and the surrounding area.”

Commander Terry Tapp began with, “We were able to locate a few aerial photographs of the Refinery and a scalable topographical map of the Refinery’s area that were downloaded by our Historians before the Internet went down.

“The Refinery is located approximately a mile northeast of Benicia, four miles southeast of Vallejo, and four miles north of Martinez.

“Due to the tsunamis, we do not expect to find survivors at the Refinery or in the remains of the surrounding cities. We also suspect the tsunamis killed most of the people who lived between the Refinery and Davis. There are probably a few survivors in Davis, but far fewer than the Advisory Council initially projected.

“The Refinery covers an area that is approximately one mile in length and a half mile in width. Assuming there was no significant damage to the facility, it is surrounded by a chain-link fence that is about eight feet in height, and the fence is topped by strands of what Bella believes is razor wire; although the strands may be barbed wire. Based on the photos Bella showed me this morning, the Refinery has dozens of tall structures along the perimeter of the Refinery where we can establish Observation Posts. I am considering setting up six two-man OPs on top of these structures and using the remainder of the guard shift’s people as roving patrols. However, no one knows how the tsunamis affected the facility so we may have to change our plans to meet the current situation.

“That is about it, Sir, until my Planning Section has more information.”

Phil said, “Thank you, Terry. For planning purposes, we will base our plans on having a hundred and twenty people to defend the Refinery and sixty to defend the oil field’s facilities and equipment. Andy’s people are currently at Folsom Dam clearing debris from the filter grid, but tomorrow Andy and most of Seal Team 4 will return to the Ark. Troop 3 will remain at the dam when the rest of Seal Team 4 deploys to Benicia.

“I talked with Andy when he arrived here last night. He informed me that Captain Maroun is aware that he will be reinforced soon, and the Captain believes that his reinforcements will make it possible for Company B to assist Seal Troop 3 with a number of Army personnel who have experience with boats and free diving. Andy said that he and Ensign Yeager will meet with Captain Maroun to discuss the possibility of the Army personnel assisting Troop 3. If the Army personnel can be integrated into the tree clearing effort, then Andy believes that once the initial clearing effort is complete, it will be possible for Ensign Yeager and Seal Platoon 5 to deploy to Benicia; Seal Platoon 6 supplemented by the Army personnel will remain at the dam to keep the filter grid free of debris.

“Since we do not expect to find survivors in the area around the Refinery, I plan on us using four shifts of thirty people each to guard the Refinery. When we arrive at the Refinery, we will need to clear it of any debris and bodies, both people and animals, that the tsunamis left behind. Then we can begin establishing a secure perimeter and putting the Refinery back into operation.

“Are there any questions on the overview of our mission?”

After pausing for a few moments, Captain Johnson continued, “Since there are no questions and since Andy needs to get back to his people, let’s start our first part of this planning session with Andy’s portion of the mission.

It was still early in the evening when Lieutenant Andy Montoya arrived at Folsom Dam. He assembled Seal Team 4’s officers and CPOs for a brief meeting.

“Gentlemen, we have new orders. Tomorrow morning Troops 1 and 2 will store their diving equipment here at the dam and return to the Ark.

“Those of us returning to the Ark will be deploying to the oil fields southwest of Sacramento in support of the effort to restart the production of diesel fuel. We will protect the Petroleum Group’s workers and the equipment at the oil and gas derricks and pumping stations. We will also protect the pipelines that will carry crude oil and natural gas to the Refinery.