Chapter 7

Captain Maroun, his officers, their Squad Leaders, the Negotiators, Line Crews, and Lead Hydroelectric Specialist gathered around several tables that were shoved together in Bravo Company’s new Headquarters building.

Captain Maroun said, “I’m quite certain we are all tired and ready for bed. I know I am. However, before we bed down, I want the status of the current situation and I want to make plans for the next few days.

“Sydney, what’s the status of the Hydroelectric Facility?”

“The water level in the lake is high, Captain, so the turbine was running too fast. We adjusted the intake gates to reduce the pressure and that slowed down the turbine. So far, the turbine and other equipment seem to be in good condition.”

“That is good to hear. Is there anything you or your people need from us?”

“No, not right now.”

“Max, what is the status of the transmission lines and substations?”

“Well, the Wise and Newcastle substations are in very good condition. The other two substations have some damage, but it should be easy to repair. The transmission lines are down in several places. Overall, the repairs will take a week or more.

“Good! Is there anything you or your people need from us?”

“Yes, most of the repair parts, tools, vehicles, and other items we need to make the repairs are at the power company’s Operations Centers. We know where the centers are in this area, but I understand we are to be escorted everywhere we go for our safety. I had planned for each of my two crews to split up so we can get the work done quicker. Is that a problem?”

“It could be, Max. I need to keep one Platoon here to guard the facility. Lieutenant Denton’s Platoon has three Squads with two Fire Teams per Squad. Initially, I want Squad-sized groups escorting you, so that means a maximum of three work parties. Once we have a better feeling for how the survivors respond to our presence, I will consider Fire Team-sized escort parties.”

“Mistress Turner. Do you or your Negotiators have anything to add?”

“Yes, Captain. There was a problem between Lieutenant Denton and Emma Collins earlier today. From what I understand, they found a group of survivors. When they stopped, she got out of the truck and went forward to do her job. Lieutenant Denton got angry and ordered her back to her vehicle. This is totally unacceptable, Captain. You and your men need to stop your macho act and let us do our job.”

“What happened, Lieutenant?”

“A survivor by the name of Mason Williams ran out into the street and stood waiting for us with his hands on the top of his head. I went to talk with him to determine the situation and I intended to have my people check the area for threats before doing anything else. Before I was able to speak with Mr. Williams, Mistress Collins intruded into a potentially hazardous situation. I ordered her to return to her vehicle. I later explained why I did what I did and what I expected of her in future situations.”

“Thank you, Lieutenant.”

“I thought that I made myself clear back in the tunnel, Mistress Turner. Evidently, you and your people didn’t understand what I said; so let us get a few things straight right now. You and your group were assigned to my Company to help us with survivors. You are all subject to military direction. For the most part, the four of you will be receiving direction from me, my officers, and our NCOs. However, if the lowest ranking soldier in my command tells you or one of your people to do something, then do it. You can file a complaint later, but do what you are told when you are told to do something.

“When one of your people is traveling with us and the party encounters survivors, your Negotiators are to sit in their vehicles until they are given permission to exit the vehicles. The person in charge at that time will define the help that they need your Negotiator to provide. Do you understand me, Mistress Turner?”

“Captain, I understand what you are saying, but I do not agree and I will be filing a complaint with Mr. Lyle.”

“If you wish to do so in writing, you can give your letter to anyone who shows up to retrieve the survivors we find. If you don’t object to letting all of us military types listen in, you can also discuss your complaint with Mr. Lyle by radio.”

“As I have discussed with Lieutenant Jackson this afternoon, our primary concern is the safety of the Hydroelectric Facility. My second priority is getting power back to Auburn. When we are not working on those two priorities and we have the time and people to spare, we will address improvements to our living conditions. The survivors in this area are not on my agenda other than to make arrangements for the walk-in survivors, who will be sent to Auburn. Any interaction with walk-in survivors is your job and we will not be conducting a survivor collection effort at this time.

“Does anyone have any questions regarding my priorities?”

As Ahmed looked around the table, he saw no one wanting clarification.

“Before I describe what I want done during the next few months, I think there is an important fact that everyone needs to understand. I briefly mentioned this to Lieutenant Jackson earlier this afternoon.

“The Ark Army initially intended to complete its Stage 1 effort and then immediately begin Stage 2 of the operation. That plan was modified due to a problem Bob and Sharna reported to General Reppa. Shortly before we deployed, Colonel Fenton was also informed that there would probably be a change to the timeline of our schedule.

“The official timeline currently has us beginning Stage 2 in about six months. Rumor has it that the Ark Army’s timeline for completing all Stages will slip significantly. It has been said the timeline for completing the Sacramento Area effort may double or triple in duration.

“Folsom Dam is in the Stage 2 area, and since Folsom is much larger than Auburn, it probably has far more survivors; the estimate is five thousand survivors. I’m guessing that securing the Stage 2 area will not be completed until at least three years from now. We will then begin Stage 3, but this facility will require constant protection until the entire Sacramento Area is secure. It may require protection for a long time after that.

“We are currently assigned to protect the facility, and I doubt that we will be relieved of our assignment in the near future. For now, I’m calling this home and I suspect Folsom will be my home for the next ten years or more.

“For the next year or two, I suspect this will also be home for our Negotiators, Line Crews, and Hydroelectric Specialists. I will get to the details shortly, but once our mission activities have been taken care of, I will have my people improve our current living conditions.

“Since security is my first priority, I will define the current situation and then we will address the plan Lieutenant Jackson and I came up with for establishing a secure perimeter. Just to be sure the situation is clear to everyone, the repair work on the transmission lines and substations will not begin until I am satisfied that we can protect the Hydroelectric Facility from an attack.

Captain Maroun’s meeting ended and everyone headed for their bedrolls, but he still had to report the status of his Company’s mission to the Ark. The Headquarters’ radio is not set up yet, so he went outside to his Command gun truck, and he used its radio to call the Ark.

“Ark 3, Bravo 1. Over.”

“Bravo 1, Ark 2-3-1. Ark 3 is having a late dinner. Over.”

“Understood, Ark 2-3-1. Status Report for Ark 3.

“The Hydroelectric Facility is secure and appears to be fully operational. No significant damage noted at the first two substations and minor damage to the others. The transmission lines between the substations are down in several places. Estimate to repair all damage is more than a week.

“This place is a security nightmare. I will be delaying repair of the transmission lines and substations for a couple of days. We need to do some work to make the Hydroelectric Facility defensible. Over.”

“Roger, Bravo 1. Ark 3 will want to know what type of work needs to be done. Over.”

“We will be building several barriers to prevent unauthorized vehicular access to our area of operation, and we will be removing all trees, shrubbery, and structures that would provide cover for anyone moving on foot in our area. We will restore power to our buildings and install security lights to light up the area around the Hydroelectric Facility and our Headquarters building at night.

“One other matter for Ark 3. Bravo 3 had a minor problem with one of his Negotiators. He had to explain the hazards of her intervening in a survivor contact situation before the area was secured. She evidently did not like and agree with what he said. She informed her Lead Negotiator, and the Lead Negotiator made an issue of the matter during our evening meeting. I reinforced what Bravo 3 told the Negotiator and I clarified that all civilians are under our command and have to do what they are told. The Lead Negotiator disagreed and indicated that she intended to take the matter up with her superior.

“I also have a potential problem with the Line Crews. Comments have been overheard regarding their desire to arm themselves. During our meeting tonight, I made what would happen clear to their supervisor if members of his crews were found with weapons on their person. I will make an announcement to all civilians regarding this matter tomorrow morning.

“The supervisor has requested that we provide his people with field training that would allow them to go armed. I informed him that I would make the suggestion that the Ark provide this training to all civilians, before they deploy, who might be placed in a situation where they feel the need to personally be able to defend themselves. I need guidance regarding field training for civilians wishing to be armed. Over.”

“Roger, Bravo 1. I understand and will inform Ark 3 of the reason for delaying the repairs. I will inform Ark 3 of the situation with the Lead Negotiator so he can talk with her superior. I will pass your suggestion regarding the addition of weapons training for civilians and the possibility of providing field training for the same to Ark 2 and 3. Over.”

“Roger, Ark 2-3-1. Bravo 1 out.”

Having completed his conversation with the Ark, Ahmed sat in his gun truck looking at the radio while thinking about what Bravo Company will need to do the following day. Having organized his thoughts, he headed for his bedroll to get some sleep. A bedroll on a concrete floor is not comfortable, so Ahmed added scavenging mattresses for everyone to his list of things to do in the very near future.

Sergeant Major Ava Anderson (Ark 2-3-1), the Signals’ Senior Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO), addressed Sergeant Major Benjamin (Ben) Evans, “Ben, post Company B’s status on the Status Board. I will brief the Colonel when he returns from dinner.”

“Consider it done.”

“Delta 2, Ark 2-3-1. Over.”

“Go, Ark 2-3-1. Over.”

“Fox 2 will be leaving the Transit Station shortly to relieve you. Ark 3 indicated that once relieved, you are to return to the barracks and prepare for tomorrow’s deployment. Over.”

“Roger Ark 2-3-1. Delta 2 out.”

An hour later, Company F’s First Platoon arrived at the Freight Yard to relieve Company D’s First Platoon. Lieutenant Frank Chance (Delta 2) guided Lieutenant Larry Radiguet (Fox 2) to the guard posts in the Freight Yard, so he would know where the guard posts were located. As they reached each guard shack, Fox Company’s guards relieved Delta Company’s guards and the guard change formation continued to the next guard shack.

“Ark 2-3-1, Fox 2. Over.”

“Fox 2, Ark 2-3-1. Over.”

“Fox 2 has relieved Delta 2 and his Platoon is enroute to the barracks. Fox 2 out.”

Sergeant Major Ava Anderson called to the Operations’ Senior NCO Sergeant Major Benjamin Evans, “Hey, Ben. Put Fox Company’s First Platoon on the Duty Board as the Freight Yard’s guard detail.”

Colonel Carl Fenton turned to Lieutenant General Mike Henderson, and said, “Except for Bravo Company, the Division’s officers are gathered in the briefing room, Mike. We will be using Company F in a supporting role so their officers are also present. I’ll be running the projector for your briefing slides and the slide tray has them in the order you specified. We can begin any time you’re ready.”

“Thanks, Carl. Let’s go get it over with. I must be getting old for I’m no longer used to twelve-hour shifts. You just relieved me and I’d like to just head home and get some sleep; except we have to get this pre-Deployment Briefing out of the way first.”

“Good morning, Gentlemen. It is now 0630 and you are due to start deploying to Auburn at 0900. I had intended to just review your deployment orders and answer any last minute questions during this meeting. However, there are two things you need to be aware of while securing your Survivor Collection Centers.

“While on the way to the Wise substation, Lieutenant Denton’s Platoon encountered our first group of survivors. The survivors informed him that a second group of survivors seized a local grocery store and were firing on anyone who approached them. Brief your people on this situation and inform them that everyone needs to exercise extreme caution when approaching a building that has resources vital to the survival of the survivors.

“The second thing is, General Reppa decided this type of circumstance is to be considered acceptable behavior as long as the people claiming the store have not shot anyone.

“Please put up the first slide, Colonel. Thank you.

“Problems have been identified that affect the information and dates shown on the slides I am using. Namely, Stage 1’s goals have changed and you can expect a significant delay in securing the Sacramento Area. The degree of delay is currently being assessed.

“We’ve previously gone over these slides in detail, Gentlemen. What you see here are the major campaigns the Ark Army plans to conduct in the process of reclaiming the US. Yesterday, we began execution of our plan to secure the Sacramento Area, and that area is the only area of interest to us at this time.

“Next slide please. If you recall, our plan for securing the Sacramento Area has the seven major Stages shown on the slide, and again, the dates are no longer valid. Stage 1 is the effort we started yesterday, and currently we are estimating almost a year to complete the effort.

“Next slide please. Stage 1 had two goals: Secure the Freight Yard, and Secure Auburn. Due to the potential risk of damage to the Hydroelectric Facility, Stage 1’s goals were modified to include securing the Facility.

“Yesterday, we completed two of the three goals of the modified plan for Stage 1. Namely, we secured the Freight Yard and the Hydroelectric Facility. We also started the third goal and successful completion of that third goal is the reason for today’s briefing.

“The first major step in securing Auburn is to establish four Survivor Collection Centers. We anticipate the survivors you encounter will be dispersed as individuals and small groups. Once you secure your SCC, you will deploy your people to search for survivors in Squad-sized groups. In practical terms, each Company will only deploy four Squads to search for survivors. Your fifth Squad will be assigned to guard duty at the SCC, and your sixth Squad is to be a Quick Reaction Force that can be immediately deployed to aid a Squad that is under attack.

“Yesterday’s report of survivors seizing a store and firing on other survivors occurred in SCC 4’s Area of Operation. Captain Kander, General Reppa decided that you should handle the report as part of your survivor search operation. The survivors Bravo Company encountered were brought back to the Ark. I will give you the address of that store after this meeting.

“Keep in mind the ROEs regarding abuse of power by an individual or a group apply to this situation. The people in possession of the store are to be held accountable for their actions. What that means is, warning shots are only permissible if they don’t hit someone. If you have proof that a round fired as a warning shot wounded or killed a non-aggressive survivor, or Ark Army personnel, you are to respond according to the ROEs related to abuse of power.

“Company commanders, if your people encounter a store that is held by survivors, your people are to attempt to secure the survivors’ surrender. We suspect the store may be held by newly formed family groups, which means children may be present. Use your Negotiators, if available, to talk the people out. If the Negotiators are unable to secure the surrender of the survivors, displays of force such as a short burst of machine gun fire into the ground at the front of the store are authorized as a means of persuasion. Exposing yourself or your Negotiators as a means of persuasion is NOT recommended.

“Are there any questions?”

Captain Victor Russel said, “Sir, it is obvious that if we approach a store and warning shots are fired at us that we should hold our fire. Do you have an opinion as to how many warning shots are appropriate if we have identified ourselves and our purpose and the incoming fire continues?”

General Henderson said, “That will be up to the specifics of the situation and the judgement of the person in charge, Captain. However, as a general guideline, I would say that warning shots that are not close to hitting our people can be tolerated for several minutes. If the warning shots start getting close to hitting our people or if the firing continues for more than a minute or two, a prolonged machine gun burst aimed at an upper or unoccupied portion of the survivor’s structure would be warranted. If that does not stop the survivors from firing in our direction, a burst of machine gun fire into their structure aimed above head height would be appropriate. After that, the person in charge will have to make a judgement call. If that general guideline is followed, I will support the decision made by the person in charge. Keep in mind that hostile fire with the apparent intent to wound or kill our people is to be met with immediate return fire intended to kill the attacker.”

After looking around the room and seeing no one with a question, Mike continued with, “Captain Calaway, Company F has guard duty at the Freight Yard until reassigned and your Second Platoon has Honors Detail for the Memorial Service. The transport of our deceased’s remains is a bigger job than anticipated and the effort is requiring far more time than allocated, so the Memorial Service has been rescheduled to three days from today. All Companies deploying to the Survivor Collection Centers are to report to the Transit Station according to the deployment schedule.

“If there are no further questions, you are dismissed.”

Companies A and D were in the Freight Yard preparing to deploy to their SCCs. Company A will deploy to Auburn Village Shopping Center (SCC 1) and Company D to Placerville Village High School (SCC 3).

“Ark 3, Alpha 1. Over.”

“Go, Alpha 1.”

“Alpha Company is deploying to SCC 1.”

“Roger, Alpha 1. Proceed as planned and good luck. Ark 3 out.”

A moment later, “Ark 3, Delta 1. Over.”

“Go, Delta 1. Over.”

“Delta Company is deploying to SCC 3. Over.”

“Roger, Delta 1. Proceed as planned and good luck. Ark 3 out.”

Turning to Sergeant Major Benjamin (Ben) Evans, Colonel Carl Fenton asked, “Sergeant Evans, did you copy Alpha 1 and Delta 1’s transmissions?”

“Yes, Sir. I positioned their Company Markers on the map at the locations of the respective Survivor Collection Centers. I will update the Duty Board in a moment, Sir.”

“Good. Let me know how those markers work out for the Companies and Platoons. We may have to have some made up for the Squads.”

“I think that would be a good idea, Sir. Major Brown and I discussed the best way to keep track of where everyone is at and these markers seemed like a good idea. It worked during our practice deployments before lockdown, but we were moving entire Platoons around back then. I was thinking about yesterday’s deployments. The Company and Platoon markers were great, but we don’t have Squad markers. Right now I can tell you where all of our Platoons are within a block or so, at least where they were when they last reported their locations. It occurred to me that when a Platoon’s Squads go out to search for survivors, the Platoon markers won’t be adequate.

“I suspect the next few months will make for long hours and interesting times, Sir; especially if we encounter hostiles in the area. If we do, I think Squad markers would be very beneficial in helping us keep track of where everyone is. Right now, the plan is for them to remain close together so they can support each other; but that will change. We would only need to put the Squad markers on the map if one Squad were to get separated from the other Squads by any significant distance. That would help us when a Response Team is sent to a Squad that is under attack. We would know their approximate location without having to contact someone in the middle of a firefight to ask where they are.”

A smiling Carl said, “Okay. Sergeant. You’ve convinced me. I’ll have the machinists make some markers up for all of our Squads.”

Jon was reviewing a report on the manpower needs for next month’s scheduled utility maintenance. Looking up from the report, Jon saw Larry Miller standing in his office doorway. With a smile on his face, Jon said, “Good morning, Larry. What does my Justice Department Vice-President need to see me about this morning?”

“Oh, I just thought you might like to hear about how Bill and Sheryl are making out with their gang problem.”

“Yes, I would. Clara was telling me about the rumors our Bond Mates heard about that situation. So, what’s the truth about what they heard?”

“The whole truth is rather funny, Jon. I’ve been busy laughing at the excuses the leaders of these gangs are trying to use to excuse their actions when they appear in front of me in court. Most of them are around sixteen, and I suspect they are keying off the behavior of the gangs they were familiar with before they got picked up and brought here. Did you know they think boredom is a suitable excuse for assault and misbehaving in public?”