Story Market Day
- Thread starter ComCamGuy
- Start date
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
There was some serious speculation around the dinner table that night. No one was really sure what was so sensitive for the Sergeant Major to tell them he was coming all the way out here to do it rather than there on the base. Finally, everyone decided the guessing game would have no winners until tomorrow. None of them liked waiting, but there wasn’t anything to do but hurry up and wait. Some plans were adjusted and others canceled. Paige and Henrik were still going to check out some yard sales but canceled the pawn shop stops. Sabine was going to help Andrea string up the antennae into the rafters in the barn for the radio and help her set it up.
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Everyone was busy Saturday morning. They were rushing to get things done before noon, when they expected the Sergeant Major to show up. Paige and Henrik went to a couple yard sales. Henrik was looking for outdoor gear and found some older tackle boxes full of fishing gear. He figured about half was junk but the rest made up for it. Maybe he would have some time to sort it out after the Sergeant Major left.
Paige was looking for tools, the older the better. She could usually make a better deal on older rusty and incomplete stuff. She scooped up all the broken and mangled screwdrivers she could. She would put new tips on them, turning them into the tools she needed for particular things. She go at least half a dozen of them and a couple old coffee cans of hex bits and some loose sockets as well. All told, they found enough to make the trip worthwhile.
Andrea was using Sabine to run the wiring and set up the antennas in the rafters of the barn. Sabine got a decent workout going up and down her rope. After Sabine got it all set up, Andrea had to make her move it higher so she wouldn’t catch Sabine on the rope in the lob of the radiation when someone would transmit. Andrea brought home more radios than she needed, but if she was setting one up here, it might as well do everything. This meant Sabine had to set up multiple antenna at different points within the barn. Andrea didn’t want them visible from the outside. She didn’t want to tear the radios down and set them up again each time she wanted or needed to use it. Without the antenna on the outside, people wouldn’t know there was a ton of expensive radios in the barn. Once they were done, it was time to shower and clean up pending their guest’s arrival.
Paige was looking for tools, the older the better. She could usually make a better deal on older rusty and incomplete stuff. She scooped up all the broken and mangled screwdrivers she could. She would put new tips on them, turning them into the tools she needed for particular things. She go at least half a dozen of them and a couple old coffee cans of hex bits and some loose sockets as well. All told, they found enough to make the trip worthwhile.
Andrea was using Sabine to run the wiring and set up the antennas in the rafters of the barn. Sabine got a decent workout going up and down her rope. After Sabine got it all set up, Andrea had to make her move it higher so she wouldn’t catch Sabine on the rope in the lob of the radiation when someone would transmit. Andrea brought home more radios than she needed, but if she was setting one up here, it might as well do everything. This meant Sabine had to set up multiple antenna at different points within the barn. Andrea didn’t want them visible from the outside. She didn’t want to tear the radios down and set them up again each time she wanted or needed to use it. Without the antenna on the outside, people wouldn’t know there was a ton of expensive radios in the barn. Once they were done, it was time to shower and clean up pending their guest’s arrival.
sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Many thanks
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
The crunch of gravel in the driveway let them know their guest had arrived. Andrea bounced down the stairs to open the door. Everyone heard a squeal come out of Andrea and the sound of multiple voices. The sound of several feet on the stairs was followed by three people coming into the room with Andrea. The first was the Sergeant Major, followed by two people most of them remembered. The tall thin blonde was carrying a pair of paper grocery bags. The second one, still sporting strawberry blonde hair was carrying a heavy cooler. Andrea brought up the rear. The Sergeant Major spoke.
“Sorry to spoil your guys Saturday. I figured if I was going to screw it up, I better make up for it. The girls drove down last night and brought some stuff for the grill and we brought everything else for the meal but fire.”
“Great! Fine! Wonderful, Dad, you want to get out of my way so I can put this cooler down? It’s getting heavy!” Violet bullied her way past Veronica to set the cooler down just outside the kitchen. Veronica followed Violet and set the bags on the counter. This was her first time in the house.
There were introductions all around. Paige was glad of the opportunity to meet Violet and Veronica. She kept looking at Violet, trying to figure out just how they made her look like Paige. Paige wasn’t sure she saw the resemblance.
Sabine was about to go give Veronica a hand in the kitchen when the Sergeant Major motions for her to follow him.
“I have another bag of stuff in the car if you could give me a hand, I’d appreciate it”
Sabine followed the Sergeant Major out to his big SUV. When they got to the back of the vehicle, he opened the hatch. In there was a gym bag with a shoulder strap on it. Sabine’s first thought was ’he could have carried this on his shoulder rather than coming back out’ He wanted her out here alone. She looked up at him. He was standing there smiling.
“Your Master Chief sends his regards, and since he is now retired, his love, Jeanne.”
All the color in Sabine’s face fled and the world seemed to swim around her.
“Sorry to spoil your guys Saturday. I figured if I was going to screw it up, I better make up for it. The girls drove down last night and brought some stuff for the grill and we brought everything else for the meal but fire.”
“Great! Fine! Wonderful, Dad, you want to get out of my way so I can put this cooler down? It’s getting heavy!” Violet bullied her way past Veronica to set the cooler down just outside the kitchen. Veronica followed Violet and set the bags on the counter. This was her first time in the house.
There were introductions all around. Paige was glad of the opportunity to meet Violet and Veronica. She kept looking at Violet, trying to figure out just how they made her look like Paige. Paige wasn’t sure she saw the resemblance.
Sabine was about to go give Veronica a hand in the kitchen when the Sergeant Major motions for her to follow him.
“I have another bag of stuff in the car if you could give me a hand, I’d appreciate it”
Sabine followed the Sergeant Major out to his big SUV. When they got to the back of the vehicle, he opened the hatch. In there was a gym bag with a shoulder strap on it. Sabine’s first thought was ’he could have carried this on his shoulder rather than coming back out’ He wanted her out here alone. She looked up at him. He was standing there smiling.
“Your Master Chief sends his regards, and since he is now retired, his love, Jeanne.”
All the color in Sabine’s face fled and the world seemed to swim around her.
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
“How….what….” Sabine stammered and backed up a step or two.
“When everything went down with you, your Master Chief set you up with your advanced classes and your billet here, right?”
“Yeah?” she replied tentatively, still unsure what was going on.
“Well I was the one in charge of the school slots and I was PCSing to the Mountain school here. I told him I could work the training slot, but you would have to perform well enough to bring you here. If you did well enough getting trained, I could justify you to the boss as someone we could keep since you would not be eligible for the combat teams like all the other ones who come here and are stolen back every 9 to 12 months.“
“But how….” Sabine was still trying to understand.
“You earned the job here. I just provided the opportunity. I’m the only one on base who knows anything. Not even the commander knows. I told him it was something I handled when I selected you over two other applicants. I could show where you out performed them and had a broader range of experience. I also sold him on the ability to keep you around, just like we chose Paige because she wants to do her job, not be a commando.”
“How much do you know?” Sabine still had a queasy feeling in her stomach.
“He told me a lot. He laid out the hell you went through, what you had to do to stop it, and the vicious persecution you received, followed by the cold-blooded brass ball courage you showed standing up to them. He said it almost killed him watching what they tried to do to you on the stand. He said you standing there clinically describing in horrid graphic detail what was done to you with no emotion, like you were narrating stereo instructions was the bravest thing he has ever seen. He didn’t provide details of what those things were, just that they were horrific. He did everything he could to protect you going forward.”
The Sergeant Major saw some tears start to form in Sabine’s eyes at even the mention of those events. He figured it was better to press on.
“He set everything up for your new identity himself. He didn’t trust the system that screwed you over to do it right. It was a friend of mine who fixed it in the computer for your name change in conjunction with your assignment to the advanced training school. I had an empty slot at the training and when you graduated, your packet was measured against the others and I legitimately chose you as the best choice.”
Sabine’s voice was a little weak and shaky when she spoke.
“Not trying to sound ungrateful, but why did he call you?”
“He and I hiked over a lot of bad terrain at the start of this war until he couldn’t pass the physical any more. He trusts me and I owe him for a few holes he patched up over the years. He figured I could help him help someone who deserved it. I promised him and I promise you to keep your secrets and I will. Besides, if I don’t, my sister will kick my ass!”
Sabine was thoroughly confused now and it showed on her face.
“Your Master Chief is married to my sister. All is good. You’re in safe hands. Let’s get this bag and get inside.” He picked up the bag and the two of them went inside.
Once inside, Jeanne slipped off for a bit to compose herself and put Sabine back on. Sabine was her middle name. She never went by it before. The only one who ever called her that was her brother. She fingered the medallion he gave her when she first joined the Navy. She has almost never taken it off. St Joan of Arc, Patron Saint of Women military members among others. In French she is known as Jeanne d’Arc. He had it engraved on the back with one simple word; Sabine.
It was several long minutes before she joined the crowd outside by the grill.
“When everything went down with you, your Master Chief set you up with your advanced classes and your billet here, right?”
“Yeah?” she replied tentatively, still unsure what was going on.
“Well I was the one in charge of the school slots and I was PCSing to the Mountain school here. I told him I could work the training slot, but you would have to perform well enough to bring you here. If you did well enough getting trained, I could justify you to the boss as someone we could keep since you would not be eligible for the combat teams like all the other ones who come here and are stolen back every 9 to 12 months.“
“But how….” Sabine was still trying to understand.
“You earned the job here. I just provided the opportunity. I’m the only one on base who knows anything. Not even the commander knows. I told him it was something I handled when I selected you over two other applicants. I could show where you out performed them and had a broader range of experience. I also sold him on the ability to keep you around, just like we chose Paige because she wants to do her job, not be a commando.”
“How much do you know?” Sabine still had a queasy feeling in her stomach.
“He told me a lot. He laid out the hell you went through, what you had to do to stop it, and the vicious persecution you received, followed by the cold-blooded brass ball courage you showed standing up to them. He said it almost killed him watching what they tried to do to you on the stand. He said you standing there clinically describing in horrid graphic detail what was done to you with no emotion, like you were narrating stereo instructions was the bravest thing he has ever seen. He didn’t provide details of what those things were, just that they were horrific. He did everything he could to protect you going forward.”
The Sergeant Major saw some tears start to form in Sabine’s eyes at even the mention of those events. He figured it was better to press on.
“He set everything up for your new identity himself. He didn’t trust the system that screwed you over to do it right. It was a friend of mine who fixed it in the computer for your name change in conjunction with your assignment to the advanced training school. I had an empty slot at the training and when you graduated, your packet was measured against the others and I legitimately chose you as the best choice.”
Sabine’s voice was a little weak and shaky when she spoke.
“Not trying to sound ungrateful, but why did he call you?”
“He and I hiked over a lot of bad terrain at the start of this war until he couldn’t pass the physical any more. He trusts me and I owe him for a few holes he patched up over the years. He figured I could help him help someone who deserved it. I promised him and I promise you to keep your secrets and I will. Besides, if I don’t, my sister will kick my ass!”
Sabine was thoroughly confused now and it showed on her face.
“Your Master Chief is married to my sister. All is good. You’re in safe hands. Let’s get this bag and get inside.” He picked up the bag and the two of them went inside.
Once inside, Jeanne slipped off for a bit to compose herself and put Sabine back on. Sabine was her middle name. She never went by it before. The only one who ever called her that was her brother. She fingered the medallion he gave her when she first joined the Navy. She has almost never taken it off. St Joan of Arc, Patron Saint of Women military members among others. In French she is known as Jeanne d’Arc. He had it engraved on the back with one simple word; Sabine.
It was several long minutes before she joined the crowd outside by the grill.
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steamroller
Contributing Member
Great chapters, thank you.
sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Thank you.
Griz3752
Retired, practising Curmudgeon
Yeah it's nice to be able to ease off these knots a bit but......not unbuckling everything yet! This author has a heavy foot and is not above making harsh, abrupt turns.
As any and all young officers in any military arm learn, the NCOs run the operation and yes, post-discharge it is amazing what some of the more senior can get accomplished, even for those still serving.
Please note; there was no dessert course last night and I'm on my 3rd coffee of the day. I often finish my last-night's dessert with my morning caffeine fix so....feeling a little unrequited just now....more coffee will help. I'm sure.
G.
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2T2-Crash
Contributing Member
I have been out 7 years and still have good contact with goings on in my old career field, as well has still talk with/mentor former troops that are still active.
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Everybody was standing around the grill. The cooler Violet carried into the house was now beside the grill. A heap of charcoal was beginning to burn. When Sabine got there, everyone had drinks in their hands. The Sergeant Major pointed at the cooler with his drink. Sabine flipped open the lid. Inside was several large paper bundles and a bunch of drinks; beer, wine, wine coolers, and sodas. Sabine grabbed a wine cooler and joined the group. The Sergeant Major was talking.
“OK, Now Sabine is here I can start hitting the meat of what I wanted to talk to you guys about, including you two, Fric and Frac.” He pointed at Veronica and Violet with his bottle.
“What I’m telling you, it isn’t official yet. All of it might not come to bear, it might all happen. We don’t know. What I am telling you is from a couple guys I know either at Congress or the Pentagon. The west coast events are going to fundamentally change the military. Congress is scrambling for money wherever it can to pour into the west coast. Many in Congress see the military budget as the biggest place to steal it from.”
“With Congress pillaging the military budget, the military is going to do as much as it can to refocus the funds it does have. It will probably not rebuild Pendleton and San Diego bases, or at least to the level they once were. The Marine equipment and resources being recovered are being relocated to Twenty-Nine Palms since it is out of the destruction zone. All the functions possible are being moved. I don’t see them ever being moved back. Pendleton will probably become mostly a range and operating area.”
“The main functions of the naval base are being moved to Pearl. The same thing with Bremerton, Kitsap, and Whidbey Island. They were all trashed, and the big question is whether to pour money back into these locations to get back to the status quo, or if we spend half as much, can we increase the same capabilities in a base that is still functioning. Pearl used to handle the level of operations it would have if you pulled what the west coast did a month ago. The Marine amphibious elements will end up on Guam, I figure.”
Everyone just stood there, trying to absorb what they were just told. The Sergeant Major handed out another round of drinks while Veronica raked the charcoal around to spread out the heat for the meat Violet was seasoning. Once everyone was set, the Sergeant Major started up again.
“So, as I was saying, the military is trying every trick in the book to make the most of the money they have left. With the talk of eliminating bases on the west coast by not rebuilding them, there is going to be a draw down of units and personnel. Some of it is going to be sneaky, too, and not make sense until you look at it like an accountant.”
“First, a history lesson. Many years back, the federal government and the military changed the dates people got paid on from the 15th and the last day of the month, to the first and fifteenth. It looks like only one day, but It provided a onetime budgetary windfall. What it did was move one whole two week pay period of salary from one fiscal year to another, freeing up the funds for other uses. Well, they are trying to do some other sneaky things.”
“One of the things they are looking to do is a 15 year retirement. On the face, it doesn’t look like it will save much money, but it moves the payroll over to another category and since the retirement pay is based on the top three years, and fewer will make higher rank, it will end up costing them less. It will also cull overall number of bodies. Not that it will be mandatory, yet, nor are they going to change high year of tenure, yet. Think about most of your coworkers and such. You offer them at the 15 year mark a 50% paycheck and never come back, there will be a lot of takers.”
“There is another couple sneakier things in the works as well. One of the biggest things gobbling up resources and money is moving troops around unit to unit, base to base. Well, the rest of the services will be moving to the Air Force model of a minimum of four years’ time on station before you are eligible to PCS to your next station instead of the two to three years we are used to. Fewer moves mean fewer moves to pay for, and units have fewer periods of time with less than their required bodies. Between PCS in, in processing and out processing to leave, you lose about six months of functionality to the unit.”
“That’s the first half, the other half they are talking about, they are going to reset everyone’s time on station clocks to zero regardless of how long they have already been there.” He paused for a moment to let that sink in. “That means, unless you are fresh from MOS school or retiring, where you are at, that’s where you will be for the next four years at least. All of you are over ten years in, so unless you choose to push higher and longer, you are at your retirement base right now.”
“So, those of you here, this place will at least draw down to a much smaller base and capability, or close all together. The US will be focusing inward for some time. The days of the military running all over the globe doing diplomacy by presence are done for quite some time. The various schools set up for the expeditionary military operations will wither and maybe go away. It will take years for the base to close down completely, probably, but it will probably happen. If you are over 15 years, they may or may not allow you to re-enlist if they have to move you. That gives you around four or five years to figure out what you want as your next career.”
Everyone was quiet as they thought about the massive paradigm shift they just got dumped on them.
“OK, Now Sabine is here I can start hitting the meat of what I wanted to talk to you guys about, including you two, Fric and Frac.” He pointed at Veronica and Violet with his bottle.
“What I’m telling you, it isn’t official yet. All of it might not come to bear, it might all happen. We don’t know. What I am telling you is from a couple guys I know either at Congress or the Pentagon. The west coast events are going to fundamentally change the military. Congress is scrambling for money wherever it can to pour into the west coast. Many in Congress see the military budget as the biggest place to steal it from.”
“With Congress pillaging the military budget, the military is going to do as much as it can to refocus the funds it does have. It will probably not rebuild Pendleton and San Diego bases, or at least to the level they once were. The Marine equipment and resources being recovered are being relocated to Twenty-Nine Palms since it is out of the destruction zone. All the functions possible are being moved. I don’t see them ever being moved back. Pendleton will probably become mostly a range and operating area.”
“The main functions of the naval base are being moved to Pearl. The same thing with Bremerton, Kitsap, and Whidbey Island. They were all trashed, and the big question is whether to pour money back into these locations to get back to the status quo, or if we spend half as much, can we increase the same capabilities in a base that is still functioning. Pearl used to handle the level of operations it would have if you pulled what the west coast did a month ago. The Marine amphibious elements will end up on Guam, I figure.”
Everyone just stood there, trying to absorb what they were just told. The Sergeant Major handed out another round of drinks while Veronica raked the charcoal around to spread out the heat for the meat Violet was seasoning. Once everyone was set, the Sergeant Major started up again.
“So, as I was saying, the military is trying every trick in the book to make the most of the money they have left. With the talk of eliminating bases on the west coast by not rebuilding them, there is going to be a draw down of units and personnel. Some of it is going to be sneaky, too, and not make sense until you look at it like an accountant.”
“First, a history lesson. Many years back, the federal government and the military changed the dates people got paid on from the 15th and the last day of the month, to the first and fifteenth. It looks like only one day, but It provided a onetime budgetary windfall. What it did was move one whole two week pay period of salary from one fiscal year to another, freeing up the funds for other uses. Well, they are trying to do some other sneaky things.”
“One of the things they are looking to do is a 15 year retirement. On the face, it doesn’t look like it will save much money, but it moves the payroll over to another category and since the retirement pay is based on the top three years, and fewer will make higher rank, it will end up costing them less. It will also cull overall number of bodies. Not that it will be mandatory, yet, nor are they going to change high year of tenure, yet. Think about most of your coworkers and such. You offer them at the 15 year mark a 50% paycheck and never come back, there will be a lot of takers.”
“There is another couple sneakier things in the works as well. One of the biggest things gobbling up resources and money is moving troops around unit to unit, base to base. Well, the rest of the services will be moving to the Air Force model of a minimum of four years’ time on station before you are eligible to PCS to your next station instead of the two to three years we are used to. Fewer moves mean fewer moves to pay for, and units have fewer periods of time with less than their required bodies. Between PCS in, in processing and out processing to leave, you lose about six months of functionality to the unit.”
“That’s the first half, the other half they are talking about, they are going to reset everyone’s time on station clocks to zero regardless of how long they have already been there.” He paused for a moment to let that sink in. “That means, unless you are fresh from MOS school or retiring, where you are at, that’s where you will be for the next four years at least. All of you are over ten years in, so unless you choose to push higher and longer, you are at your retirement base right now.”
“So, those of you here, this place will at least draw down to a much smaller base and capability, or close all together. The US will be focusing inward for some time. The days of the military running all over the globe doing diplomacy by presence are done for quite some time. The various schools set up for the expeditionary military operations will wither and maybe go away. It will take years for the base to close down completely, probably, but it will probably happen. If you are over 15 years, they may or may not allow you to re-enlist if they have to move you. That gives you around four or five years to figure out what you want as your next career.”
Everyone was quiet as they thought about the massive paradigm shift they just got dumped on them.
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
The food was great. Simple salad with homemade dressing, baked potato right on the coals, and a marvelous Elk porterhouse steak for everyone. The conversations started up again about mid-way through the meal when everyone slowed down some. The Sergeant Major started things off.
“Paige, the gym bag over there,” he pointed to the one he carried in from the SUV, “has four new uniforms, plus the one Violet borrowed. They have your new rank on them as well. That’s to make sure your set up right for Monday when you come to work.”
Sabine spoke up right away.
“Sergeant Major, I don’t know if she should be cleared back to duty that soon!”
“Light duty. She has been doing things around the house just as strenuous as she will at work. She isn’t lifting or moving things. I’ll give her some lift and tote manpower, but I need her to start gathering all the pieces I’ve got sealed in the various arms rooms across the facility. She needs it all in one place under her control, and therefore, under me and the commanders control. I think there’s been some shady stuff going on and I want to capture the results in our favor rather than be caught shorthanded. Oh, and since I’m not here and I brought the beer and such, off base, I’m Silas.”
They tried to wrap their heads around first-naming the Sergeant Major, but Paige and Sabine were the first to jump to the conclusion BBQing with the Sergeant Major who they will be working with for the next four years is a good thing. They exchanged a knowing glance.
“I think I’ll skip Silas and keep ‘Dad’” was Violet’s answer followed by Veronica’s concurrence with Violet. “Yeah, Dad still for me too.” They had done this with him since the second grade, and Veronica’s father was ‘Papa’ to both of them. It was a close pair of families, with the six of them, (both fathers, mothers and daughters) closer than any individual families were with themselves.
“And you,” Silas pointed at Violet with the beer bottle in his hand, “may as well get comfy at Veronica's place for the foreseeable future. Not only are you there until depositions about the transport incident take place, once he comes out of his coma and can participate with his defense council, all military movement, either to or from TDY locations are frozen, unless directly supporting recovery efforts. Other movement is by exception and requires the sign off of the USTRANSCOM Ops cell and I don’t see them doing that for an Instructor at an advanced school, when the advanced school is no holding class for the foreseeable future.”
“Looks like an extended sleepover!” was Veronica’s immediate reply. This was followed by Violet’s. groaning reaction
“Oh, God! I don’t know if my liver can take it!” but there was a big smile on her face. Better to be with her friend while Veronica was working through her divorce than 2000 miles away. They had spent the last week packing all of Tim’s stuff into one of those moving pods. They both laughed when they packed it up. It was so jumbled in the various boxes, he will have to unpack everything to find anything. The pod was already on its way to the parking lot of Tim’s townhouse. When it arrives and he has to sign for it, he will realize what is going on. Veronica arranged for the delivery driver to keep flipping through pages and have the divorce decree and the sign off sheet for split assets as in possession. She knew Tim didn’t pay attention to things most time. Her hope was he wouldn’t even read them until after he signed them. If he did, then she had him. The one with the paperwork was a lawyer friend of hers and would make sure it’s all ‘legal’ with such terms as ‘this is your stuff, you need to sign for it. There are valuables in it so you have more signatures needed to protect your assets and make sure you have everything that is yours.’
The big SUV they drove up in was Tim’s as well. He left it with Veronica since, in his words ’it’s too big to drive around DC.’ Well, Veronica originally bought it for him, and he never changed the title, so she was selling it. She didn’t need it, she had her own SUV. Veronica and Violet were going into Carson City this weekend to trade it in on a used Mercedes convertible they found to drive back to Utah.
“Paige, the gym bag over there,” he pointed to the one he carried in from the SUV, “has four new uniforms, plus the one Violet borrowed. They have your new rank on them as well. That’s to make sure your set up right for Monday when you come to work.”
Sabine spoke up right away.
“Sergeant Major, I don’t know if she should be cleared back to duty that soon!”
“Light duty. She has been doing things around the house just as strenuous as she will at work. She isn’t lifting or moving things. I’ll give her some lift and tote manpower, but I need her to start gathering all the pieces I’ve got sealed in the various arms rooms across the facility. She needs it all in one place under her control, and therefore, under me and the commanders control. I think there’s been some shady stuff going on and I want to capture the results in our favor rather than be caught shorthanded. Oh, and since I’m not here and I brought the beer and such, off base, I’m Silas.”
They tried to wrap their heads around first-naming the Sergeant Major, but Paige and Sabine were the first to jump to the conclusion BBQing with the Sergeant Major who they will be working with for the next four years is a good thing. They exchanged a knowing glance.
“I think I’ll skip Silas and keep ‘Dad’” was Violet’s answer followed by Veronica’s concurrence with Violet. “Yeah, Dad still for me too.” They had done this with him since the second grade, and Veronica’s father was ‘Papa’ to both of them. It was a close pair of families, with the six of them, (both fathers, mothers and daughters) closer than any individual families were with themselves.
“And you,” Silas pointed at Violet with the beer bottle in his hand, “may as well get comfy at Veronica's place for the foreseeable future. Not only are you there until depositions about the transport incident take place, once he comes out of his coma and can participate with his defense council, all military movement, either to or from TDY locations are frozen, unless directly supporting recovery efforts. Other movement is by exception and requires the sign off of the USTRANSCOM Ops cell and I don’t see them doing that for an Instructor at an advanced school, when the advanced school is no holding class for the foreseeable future.”
“Looks like an extended sleepover!” was Veronica’s immediate reply. This was followed by Violet’s. groaning reaction
“Oh, God! I don’t know if my liver can take it!” but there was a big smile on her face. Better to be with her friend while Veronica was working through her divorce than 2000 miles away. They had spent the last week packing all of Tim’s stuff into one of those moving pods. They both laughed when they packed it up. It was so jumbled in the various boxes, he will have to unpack everything to find anything. The pod was already on its way to the parking lot of Tim’s townhouse. When it arrives and he has to sign for it, he will realize what is going on. Veronica arranged for the delivery driver to keep flipping through pages and have the divorce decree and the sign off sheet for split assets as in possession. She knew Tim didn’t pay attention to things most time. Her hope was he wouldn’t even read them until after he signed them. If he did, then she had him. The one with the paperwork was a lawyer friend of hers and would make sure it’s all ‘legal’ with such terms as ‘this is your stuff, you need to sign for it. There are valuables in it so you have more signatures needed to protect your assets and make sure you have everything that is yours.’
The big SUV they drove up in was Tim’s as well. He left it with Veronica since, in his words ’it’s too big to drive around DC.’ Well, Veronica originally bought it for him, and he never changed the title, so she was selling it. She didn’t need it, she had her own SUV. Veronica and Violet were going into Carson City this weekend to trade it in on a used Mercedes convertible they found to drive back to Utah.
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Silas spoke up again.
“Oh, you guys need to start looking at squirreling stuff away personally. Food is going to get expensive for quite some time. The other thing I forgot to tell you, Grizelda and her three sisters are closing in on the gulf coast and eastern seaboard. Grizelda is expected to make CAT 3 or 4 by the time it reaches landfall. The spaghetti maps cannot make up their mind where and how fast she is going, but the worst case is similar to Harvey, slow and shallow. Harvey was a CAT 1 that dumped well over fifty inches of rain on Houston and the surrounding areas. Grizelda will be at least CAT 3. Her sisters will probably slam Florida if we are lucky. If we are unlucky, they will drive up the coast like Sandy. Any one of them would tax the resources for recovery in a normal year. This year, there are no more resources left. Everything is already committed to the West Coast and already headed there. The Florida bases are evacuating to deep into the middle of the country. The airlift to do that is being robbed from the west coast operations. The crap sandwich is getting a second helping.”
“Oh, you guys need to start looking at squirreling stuff away personally. Food is going to get expensive for quite some time. The other thing I forgot to tell you, Grizelda and her three sisters are closing in on the gulf coast and eastern seaboard. Grizelda is expected to make CAT 3 or 4 by the time it reaches landfall. The spaghetti maps cannot make up their mind where and how fast she is going, but the worst case is similar to Harvey, slow and shallow. Harvey was a CAT 1 that dumped well over fifty inches of rain on Houston and the surrounding areas. Grizelda will be at least CAT 3. Her sisters will probably slam Florida if we are lucky. If we are unlucky, they will drive up the coast like Sandy. Any one of them would tax the resources for recovery in a normal year. This year, there are no more resources left. Everything is already committed to the West Coast and already headed there. The Florida bases are evacuating to deep into the middle of the country. The airlift to do that is being robbed from the west coast operations. The crap sandwich is getting a second helping.”
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steamroller
Contributing Member
Great chapters, thank you.
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
we have three there right now, welcome to hurricane season, besides, only said Grizeld was big, the others may or may not grow
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sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Thank you.
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
The next morning, everyone was energized and focused, but on different things.
Henrik wanted to make another run to town to begin stocking more food. He was taking Silas’ warning to heart. He had been through lean times growing up. As the son of a farming family, they were always tight on funds. With a simple poorly timed storm or even a cold spell, the crop would be ruined, the projected income lost and a very lean time would ensue. There were times he lived on nothing but beans, milk and cheese. They had a few chickens, so eggs could be had. The couple of cows were the source for their milk. The beans were basically eating leftovers from the last harvest. He never told Paige about how poor he grew up. He was embarrassed. He was so frugal with his money because he wasn’t used to it. The first couple years in the military, he went a little nuts for him and spent a lot of money, comparatively, on himself. He still had a percentage of his pay going to his mother as an allotment. She was doing ok living with her sister after they turned the farm back to the bank after his father died.
The farm had been losing money year after year. His mother and father wanted out from under it. It was too much for them to run, even if Henrik had stayed instead of going into the military. He still felt guilty putting himself first and enlisting. His mother was the deciding factor. She told him he had to escape this trap, otherwise it would drag him down and trap him just like it had trapped his father. She kept telling Henrik it wasn’t selfish, it was smart to escape this life for the one he really wanted.
The local bank forgave the outstanding loan when they took the farm. That plus the life insurance policy made sure his mom was debit free in the end. She moved in with her sister and was at peace with her life if not necessarily happy. Henrik was sending money each month to help keep her comfortable.
Henrik was thinking on all of this while going through the stuff already in the barn. He made a mental list of storable food they would want to have. He kept coming up with more ideas, enough he had to start writing a list. Food, spices, mixes there were quite a few things on his list. The one thing he was not happy to put on it was one of the main things he knew he should get; beans. Maybe he could get his mom to send him her recipe book. It had a thousand different things you could do with beans.
Henrik started another list. He wanted to write it down before he forgot the details of his conversation with Veronica. The two of them had talked for almost an hour about bow hunting. Veronica was a rabid hunter, especially bow hunting. The steaks they ate last night were from an elk she bagged the week before. Henrik was pretty good, but still a novice. Veronica was one of those hunters who started with the most modern and efficient equipment with compound bow, optics, carbon fiber arrows and such. She has now moved to the more challenging realm of longbow and recurve. She looked at Henrik’s rig and made adjustments and recommendations. Henrik wanted to get the stuff she told him about. Hunting might become a necessity for augmenting their larder in the future. Henrik had been hungry before. He didn’t want Paige to ever go through that. She won’t if he had anything to do with it.
Henrik wanted to make another run to town to begin stocking more food. He was taking Silas’ warning to heart. He had been through lean times growing up. As the son of a farming family, they were always tight on funds. With a simple poorly timed storm or even a cold spell, the crop would be ruined, the projected income lost and a very lean time would ensue. There were times he lived on nothing but beans, milk and cheese. They had a few chickens, so eggs could be had. The couple of cows were the source for their milk. The beans were basically eating leftovers from the last harvest. He never told Paige about how poor he grew up. He was embarrassed. He was so frugal with his money because he wasn’t used to it. The first couple years in the military, he went a little nuts for him and spent a lot of money, comparatively, on himself. He still had a percentage of his pay going to his mother as an allotment. She was doing ok living with her sister after they turned the farm back to the bank after his father died.
The farm had been losing money year after year. His mother and father wanted out from under it. It was too much for them to run, even if Henrik had stayed instead of going into the military. He still felt guilty putting himself first and enlisting. His mother was the deciding factor. She told him he had to escape this trap, otherwise it would drag him down and trap him just like it had trapped his father. She kept telling Henrik it wasn’t selfish, it was smart to escape this life for the one he really wanted.
The local bank forgave the outstanding loan when they took the farm. That plus the life insurance policy made sure his mom was debit free in the end. She moved in with her sister and was at peace with her life if not necessarily happy. Henrik was sending money each month to help keep her comfortable.
Henrik was thinking on all of this while going through the stuff already in the barn. He made a mental list of storable food they would want to have. He kept coming up with more ideas, enough he had to start writing a list. Food, spices, mixes there were quite a few things on his list. The one thing he was not happy to put on it was one of the main things he knew he should get; beans. Maybe he could get his mom to send him her recipe book. It had a thousand different things you could do with beans.
Henrik started another list. He wanted to write it down before he forgot the details of his conversation with Veronica. The two of them had talked for almost an hour about bow hunting. Veronica was a rabid hunter, especially bow hunting. The steaks they ate last night were from an elk she bagged the week before. Henrik was pretty good, but still a novice. Veronica was one of those hunters who started with the most modern and efficient equipment with compound bow, optics, carbon fiber arrows and such. She has now moved to the more challenging realm of longbow and recurve. She looked at Henrik’s rig and made adjustments and recommendations. Henrik wanted to get the stuff she told him about. Hunting might become a necessity for augmenting their larder in the future. Henrik had been hungry before. He didn’t want Paige to ever go through that. She won’t if he had anything to do with it.
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ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Paige woke up early. Her brain was mulling over the problems Silas laid out last night. She hadn’t thought what to do after the military. Her brain was now trying to figure out what to do in maybe as few as five years when she would be eligible to retire if the new system comes into being. This town was too small to support a full time gunsmith, and if the base goes away, the town would dry up anyway. If that was what her post military career was going to be, she would either have to find someplace like a police department to work for, a larger gun shop to work with, or be so specialized she could work out of here. Hell, would she have a big enough retirement check to afford her part of the rent for this place? Bigger question, all four of them were going to be here for another four years, but what about after that? Was it realistic for the four of them to retire here together? Would any of them want to move on after they get out? She loved Henrik and could potentially see spending the rest of her life with him, but did he feel the same? Sabine could find work almost anywhere with her emergency medical training, but what will Andrea do? Part of her wanted to stick her head in the sand and ignore the problem for now, they had at least four years. The other part of her knew she should be making contingency plans.
After tossing and turning for an hour, she finally had some plans, or at least the start of some plans. She needed to get with Andrea and get on the radio to her grandfather.
After tossing and turning for an hour, she finally had some plans, or at least the start of some plans. She needed to get with Andrea and get on the radio to her grandfather.
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Andrea was feeling good. She woke up curled up to Sabine. She went over the things from yesterday. One of her biggest fears before last night was she had been stationed here for some time now. She figured she would get orders in the spring to some new assignment. Now she probably has another four years here with Sabine. This opens up whole new realms of possibilities. She knew what she wanted, and now she had the time to work towards it. She needed to help Sabine come out of her shell some more. Lying next to her, she came to the realization she loved Sabine. Not was in love with, loved. It was a new sensation and she wanted to just lay here and bask in it.