Story Market Day
- Thread starter ComCamGuy
- Start date
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Among other things like rings, watches, coins and so forth. The bracelet is something you can just throw on and most people dismiss it was a nice simple gold bracelet, and not a chunk of pure gold.
Is there a name for those bracelets? I’m intrigued.
wvstuck
Only worry about what you can control!
Gold Bracelet
Money Metals Exchange offers a beautiful pure gold bracelet containing 1 troy oz of .9999 pure gold
www.moneymetals.com
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Paige had been working hard all week. When she wasn’t teaching people how to use and maintain their new firearms, she was building kits and issuing them. She was diligently slicing away at the stockpile of arms making sure the locals would not get any of them. She was sorting through what was left dividing them into various piles.
She set aside the elements she wanted for herself and the rest of her crew, per the Sergeant Major’s instructions. One of the things easy to segregate was the 45 ACP ammo. She wasn’t issuing any 45s out, so it was all set aside for her purposes. Everything else, i.e. rifles, pistols and shotguns were flowing out to the troops.
When Paige looked at the cage with her stash in it, her mind began to whirl seeing the stash then seeing her Cherokee bouncing one to the other back and forth, forth and back. Then it got bigger how much room did the Cherokee have for other things. Then it went to what other things. Then it was butterflies why butterflies. The butterflies reminded her how to do the algebra, ‘yes Paige you will use it in the real world. Yes it was algebra but it was also geometry' piped up the other butterfly who was preoccupied with the sunflower. Paige’s head began to hurt from this disagreement.
The quandary ended in her decision. ‘This Henrik’s forte I’ll turn him loose on it.’ She hated when her head acted like this.
Paige decided she needed some fresh air so she went outside for a walk. While she was in the parking lot she decided to do a walk around of her car. It gave her a quick visual refresher in her mind so if those darn butterflies came back she could tell them better dimension. She told herself as she went back inside maybe it was time to go see Sabine at the clinic. She wasn’t sleeping very good again.
It was back to the drawing board once she got back inside. With a fresh set of eyes and clear mind Paige started to re-evaluate the Cherokee for the trip in general. She wanted to bring any spare parts she could possibly need. This meant more room as well. She kept a pad of paper on the workbench at the shop to list all the parts she wanted to take, some of which she would have to go find first. Getting into town was dicer now. She wanted to make the run soon before it was too dangerous.
The list of parts and supplies kept growing and growing. Spare alternator, fuel pump, steering pump, injectors, filters, shocks, the list went on and on. Bulky, and sometimes heavy, all of this would take up space. Finally, Paige thought of a solution to get more storage space. She would pull the interior panels, pack the spares in the walls of the Cherokee, wrap them and stuff more things in the voids, then put the side panels back on. All of the things she would put in there would be things she wouldn’t need in a big hurry since it would be slow to get to them, but it would keep the spare parts with the vehicle that needed them.
When she presented her thinking to Henrik, his first thought was the panel idea was brilliant. He had a good way to plan the cargo space. He grabbed some lumber and made a box frame of the dimensions. Henrik wasn’t that good at metal fabrication, but was top notch with woodwork. In no time he had a working template of the inside of the Cherokee in the barn. With just the corners and edges, she could see what went where and how it all fit.
She started planning with Henrik what could go inside. He also mentioned he had a couple more of the sleds. He figured they could fit three on the broad roof of the Cherokee. They just would have to keep the weight in them low. Looking at the space, and doing some guestimates, Paige decided she needed a trailer.
Many of the people in the 4x4 club had camping trailers they made for their rigs. Paige wasn’t a big fan of them. She prided herself on not needing one because she could carry everything she needed in the Cherokee, unlike the tiny jeeps. Now she needed a trailer. Most of the ones she could think of were long gone. She might be able to reach out to local club members and see if someone had one they would be willing to let go of.
Worst case, she might have to build her own. The biggest stumbling block would be a ball or pintle and an axle. She could scrounge metal to make a frame. She started the design work in her head. She had to remind herself to slow down, otherwise her head might go whacky. Again. It does that when she is tired. When the weekend got here, they needed to go to town to get supplies.
Henrik had to admit, he was in hog heaven. Almost everything was going right. Paige had said yes. His earlier organizational work on base had paid off. People were getting what they needed. He was actively able to help solve problems and see the results. He had felt useless right after Paige’s attack. Now he had things he could do and have an impact upon.
Pulling and loading gear for the departing personnel, he felt almost like Santa. As new problems came up, he had a lot of the answers, and if he didn’t, Andrea did. She had been here the longest and knew about a lot of little nooks and crannies of people, gear and capabilities most of the others didn’t. She was the most outgoing of them. She could strike up a conversation with signpost and it would be smiling when she walked away. She seemed to be almost as many places as the Sergeant Major. He was amazed watching her work. She could convince a drowning man to buy a glass of water when she turned her charm on.
Paige brought Henrik the load space problem. This was an easy one for him to start working for her. He remembered his father’s method for such things. If you made the dimensions you were trying to fit so they could be test fit, then you can work all the problems out beforehand. It only took him about twenty minutes to knock together a box frame out of two by fours. Later, if they needed to, they could put panels on the frame and use it for storage. He even made it the size of the Cherokee without her drawer unit and added temporary markers showing how much the drawers took up.
When Paige was talking about a trailer, Henrik pointed out if she built it with the right size in mind, they could put the box frame on the bed of the trailer, then they would just have to skin it and they would be done. Paige marveled at what he threw together and how they could easily adapt it to the next purpose.
The two of them were in the barn talking and working on the project when Sabine came out to climb the rope some. Once they told her what they were doing and how they were going to go to tow. Sabine looked over the plans and the load plan framework and nodded her head at both of them.
“So, when can I place my order for the same treatment for the Land Cruiser? Make up the invoice list of the parts the old girl needs, any upgrades, any work and let me know. I’ll sign off on it and do what I can to do to help with the work. Andrea can help scavenge parts if need be. She does have a fast moving tongue in more way than one.” Sabine grinned. “She is also decent at wiring.”
Paige was knocked a little off kilter by the request. She was embarrassed. She had focused so much on her, her, her, that she hadn’t thought about the other vehicles that needed upgraded and prepped for such a trip. The selfishness made her feel physically ill. She knew it was just her OCD focus, but she should have looked at the big picture as well. She needed to look at cross support elements between the two main vehicles. She would look at the other two next, but the Cherokee and the Cruiser were the main vessels for the crossing in her mind now.
She now had to make a quick shift in thought process. The Land Cruiser, now that was a project. Fun, but a major project from the day it sputtered into the barn. She didn’t know how Sabine made the trip from the base back east to where they were now with the shape it was in she arrived.
Sabine had bought it off the lemon lot from some Dorm Rat who thought he could make a wonder project out of it. He soon found it was far above his skill or budget. He got frustrated after dumping a lot of time and money into it making changes. He did an engine swap to a diesel from a forklift but botched it. It ran, but poorly. A suspension upgrade was butchered as well. The parts were good, just all tuned and set up wrong. The transfer case was spotty, the lockers were wrong, the radiator was too small, but the thing had two 25 gallon fuel tanks and a decent lift and was rust free.
Why Sabine bought it, Paige didn’t know. She must have seen something in it. Sabine had gotten frustrated and finally given her carte blanche and the money to fix it so it was challenge except. Paige told her back then she was riding with Andrea for a while until she could get it all sorted out. When Paige was done with it, it ran right, strong and reliable.
All these thing considered from her own build and maintenance of the machine, it was time start thinking and planning like she had done earlier minus the butterflies. They were helpful but they made her head hurt. She shifted her brain from the Cherokee to the Land Cruiser. It would be smart to have both vehicles set up the same so it be easy to find things in hurry if necessary. The shopping list for the weekend got a lot bigger. If she was doing a trailer, she might as well do two. This would at least let them spread weight and load out to help with bad weather and roads. Paige was swatting butterflies as she drew her ideas and sketches on the legal pad.
She set aside the elements she wanted for herself and the rest of her crew, per the Sergeant Major’s instructions. One of the things easy to segregate was the 45 ACP ammo. She wasn’t issuing any 45s out, so it was all set aside for her purposes. Everything else, i.e. rifles, pistols and shotguns were flowing out to the troops.
When Paige looked at the cage with her stash in it, her mind began to whirl seeing the stash then seeing her Cherokee bouncing one to the other back and forth, forth and back. Then it got bigger how much room did the Cherokee have for other things. Then it went to what other things. Then it was butterflies why butterflies. The butterflies reminded her how to do the algebra, ‘yes Paige you will use it in the real world. Yes it was algebra but it was also geometry' piped up the other butterfly who was preoccupied with the sunflower. Paige’s head began to hurt from this disagreement.
The quandary ended in her decision. ‘This Henrik’s forte I’ll turn him loose on it.’ She hated when her head acted like this.
Paige decided she needed some fresh air so she went outside for a walk. While she was in the parking lot she decided to do a walk around of her car. It gave her a quick visual refresher in her mind so if those darn butterflies came back she could tell them better dimension. She told herself as she went back inside maybe it was time to go see Sabine at the clinic. She wasn’t sleeping very good again.
It was back to the drawing board once she got back inside. With a fresh set of eyes and clear mind Paige started to re-evaluate the Cherokee for the trip in general. She wanted to bring any spare parts she could possibly need. This meant more room as well. She kept a pad of paper on the workbench at the shop to list all the parts she wanted to take, some of which she would have to go find first. Getting into town was dicer now. She wanted to make the run soon before it was too dangerous.
The list of parts and supplies kept growing and growing. Spare alternator, fuel pump, steering pump, injectors, filters, shocks, the list went on and on. Bulky, and sometimes heavy, all of this would take up space. Finally, Paige thought of a solution to get more storage space. She would pull the interior panels, pack the spares in the walls of the Cherokee, wrap them and stuff more things in the voids, then put the side panels back on. All of the things she would put in there would be things she wouldn’t need in a big hurry since it would be slow to get to them, but it would keep the spare parts with the vehicle that needed them.
When she presented her thinking to Henrik, his first thought was the panel idea was brilliant. He had a good way to plan the cargo space. He grabbed some lumber and made a box frame of the dimensions. Henrik wasn’t that good at metal fabrication, but was top notch with woodwork. In no time he had a working template of the inside of the Cherokee in the barn. With just the corners and edges, she could see what went where and how it all fit.
She started planning with Henrik what could go inside. He also mentioned he had a couple more of the sleds. He figured they could fit three on the broad roof of the Cherokee. They just would have to keep the weight in them low. Looking at the space, and doing some guestimates, Paige decided she needed a trailer.
Many of the people in the 4x4 club had camping trailers they made for their rigs. Paige wasn’t a big fan of them. She prided herself on not needing one because she could carry everything she needed in the Cherokee, unlike the tiny jeeps. Now she needed a trailer. Most of the ones she could think of were long gone. She might be able to reach out to local club members and see if someone had one they would be willing to let go of.
Worst case, she might have to build her own. The biggest stumbling block would be a ball or pintle and an axle. She could scrounge metal to make a frame. She started the design work in her head. She had to remind herself to slow down, otherwise her head might go whacky. Again. It does that when she is tired. When the weekend got here, they needed to go to town to get supplies.
Henrik had to admit, he was in hog heaven. Almost everything was going right. Paige had said yes. His earlier organizational work on base had paid off. People were getting what they needed. He was actively able to help solve problems and see the results. He had felt useless right after Paige’s attack. Now he had things he could do and have an impact upon.
Pulling and loading gear for the departing personnel, he felt almost like Santa. As new problems came up, he had a lot of the answers, and if he didn’t, Andrea did. She had been here the longest and knew about a lot of little nooks and crannies of people, gear and capabilities most of the others didn’t. She was the most outgoing of them. She could strike up a conversation with signpost and it would be smiling when she walked away. She seemed to be almost as many places as the Sergeant Major. He was amazed watching her work. She could convince a drowning man to buy a glass of water when she turned her charm on.
Paige brought Henrik the load space problem. This was an easy one for him to start working for her. He remembered his father’s method for such things. If you made the dimensions you were trying to fit so they could be test fit, then you can work all the problems out beforehand. It only took him about twenty minutes to knock together a box frame out of two by fours. Later, if they needed to, they could put panels on the frame and use it for storage. He even made it the size of the Cherokee without her drawer unit and added temporary markers showing how much the drawers took up.
When Paige was talking about a trailer, Henrik pointed out if she built it with the right size in mind, they could put the box frame on the bed of the trailer, then they would just have to skin it and they would be done. Paige marveled at what he threw together and how they could easily adapt it to the next purpose.
The two of them were in the barn talking and working on the project when Sabine came out to climb the rope some. Once they told her what they were doing and how they were going to go to tow. Sabine looked over the plans and the load plan framework and nodded her head at both of them.
“So, when can I place my order for the same treatment for the Land Cruiser? Make up the invoice list of the parts the old girl needs, any upgrades, any work and let me know. I’ll sign off on it and do what I can to do to help with the work. Andrea can help scavenge parts if need be. She does have a fast moving tongue in more way than one.” Sabine grinned. “She is also decent at wiring.”
Paige was knocked a little off kilter by the request. She was embarrassed. She had focused so much on her, her, her, that she hadn’t thought about the other vehicles that needed upgraded and prepped for such a trip. The selfishness made her feel physically ill. She knew it was just her OCD focus, but she should have looked at the big picture as well. She needed to look at cross support elements between the two main vehicles. She would look at the other two next, but the Cherokee and the Cruiser were the main vessels for the crossing in her mind now.
She now had to make a quick shift in thought process. The Land Cruiser, now that was a project. Fun, but a major project from the day it sputtered into the barn. She didn’t know how Sabine made the trip from the base back east to where they were now with the shape it was in she arrived.
Sabine had bought it off the lemon lot from some Dorm Rat who thought he could make a wonder project out of it. He soon found it was far above his skill or budget. He got frustrated after dumping a lot of time and money into it making changes. He did an engine swap to a diesel from a forklift but botched it. It ran, but poorly. A suspension upgrade was butchered as well. The parts were good, just all tuned and set up wrong. The transfer case was spotty, the lockers were wrong, the radiator was too small, but the thing had two 25 gallon fuel tanks and a decent lift and was rust free.
Why Sabine bought it, Paige didn’t know. She must have seen something in it. Sabine had gotten frustrated and finally given her carte blanche and the money to fix it so it was challenge except. Paige told her back then she was riding with Andrea for a while until she could get it all sorted out. When Paige was done with it, it ran right, strong and reliable.
All these thing considered from her own build and maintenance of the machine, it was time start thinking and planning like she had done earlier minus the butterflies. They were helpful but they made her head hurt. She shifted her brain from the Cherokee to the Land Cruiser. It would be smart to have both vehicles set up the same so it be easy to find things in hurry if necessary. The shopping list for the weekend got a lot bigger. If she was doing a trailer, she might as well do two. This would at least let them spread weight and load out to help with bad weather and roads. Paige was swatting butterflies as she drew her ideas and sketches on the legal pad.
Last edited:
Old Gray Mare
TB Fanatic
My mind wanders to all the "dead" space in vehicles like in door panels etc.? Spare tire compartment? Imagine there's dead space in the dash as well? Seats? Or are they planning on installing some bullet proof protection in them?
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
That's where Paige is talking/planning . She is figuring to stuff the bulky spare parts in the side panels and such, like alternator, fuel pump, water pump and so forth door panels are harder unless you don't want to open the windows. There you put flatter things like fan belts, hoses and so forth.
sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Thank you 
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
The weekend was a flurry of activity. All four of them went to town, taking both the Cherokee and the Land Cruiser. They split their list up and headed to several different locations. Sabine and Henrik went to some of the only auto parts stores still open and a couple places for some different stuff like RV supply places to get things like roof sealant. These were straight forward buy this and that off a premade list Paige had assembled. If any of the auto parts were not available, she had made a list of suitable substitutes as well. Henrik presented the list, Sabine presented the payment.
Henrik presented a headache. Sabine presented some aspirin. She told him they should stop and get some food. After all, a machine like him needed calories to run. He was expending a lot of energy. She could not stop the medic in her from asking more questions since she notice he had bought a lot more aspirin than they needed and was taking it frequently when he thought no one saw him. He also seemed to be squinting more, and not from the sun. She made him promise to come by the clinic Monday so she could check his eyesight, the most frequent cause of headaches coupled with squinting. He said it was mostly when he was working on stuff close up and reading stuff. Sabine had him grab some over the counter magnifying glasses to help. On second thought, Sabine grabbed about a dozen pairs of varying strengths. They helped with detail work of all sorts.
Paige had the harder parts to describe. She was inventing as she went along. Some of this was at the few salvage yards others were found at tractor and farm supply stores around the area. She felt like one of those TV pickers stopping at farms or houses if she saw a part sitting in the yard covered with weeds.
She was partnered with Andrea on this adventure. Paige would find what she wanted and Andrea would start the haggling, eyelash batting and sweet talking. She had the cute, helpless little sister routine down to a ‘T’. The older gentlemen she was negotiating with didn’t stand a chance. They bent over backwards to make deals and help out the pair.
At the salvage yards Paige was wheeling a wagon around with her bag of tools, including her battery powered impact wrench. She was stripping everything and anything she thought she might ever need. Spare tire mounts off of old Ford Broncos? Check. Spare tire mounts off of old travel vans? Check. A couple of brush guards? Four please. The biggest thing she was looking for was a pair of rear axles. She wanted one with the same lug pattern as the Cherokee and another one for the Land Cruiser. She had decided she would probably either modify existing trailers or build her own from scratch.
Once Paige found the axles, she hunted down several spare tire rims to fit them. They would need to get tires as well, but she was figuring to splurge and get new shoes all around. There was no telling when they would get another opportunity. Leaf springs, shackles, auxiliary lights, the scrounging went on and on.
Since they were in the city where cell service was still mostly working, the two groups checked in with each other every thirty minutes plus before and after every location change.
Sabine and Henrik were just as busy. The list Paige gave them was long and detailed. Everything from fuel pumps to wiper blades, deep cycle batteries to fan belts, they were working hard to find, buy and then find room in the Land Cruiser for all of it. At the RV supply store, they got big batteries, complete with mounting trays, roof sealant, AC/DC converters, stacks of road flares, and a ton of odds and ends.
One of the surprising things on the list for the RV repair place came from Andrea. She had them get two of the RV TV Antennas, the type you crank up with the rotating twist knob on the inside. When they asked about it, she told them it was a great way to mount an antenna on the roof of the vehicle above load and rotate it so it can be directional, all without getting out of the vehicle. The group often forgot special tricks were needed for comms and she was more than just a pretty face and a fast talking mouth.
Whenever Sabine was at a place that would still take her credit card, she used it with abandon. The bank’s computer system was set to automatically pay the balance every month. She wanted to hold onto her cash for the places that wouldn’t take the card and for the trip. She figured the computers around here would be going down permanently soon. Best to make hay while the sun was shining.
One of the auto stores had big rolls of tape for making pinstripes and body stripes. Sabine grabbed as many rolls of black and grey they had. Henrik scooped up all the reflective windshield covers. They grabbed rolls of Velcro, double sided tape, extra jumper cables and a host of other useful knickknacks.
Paige and Andrea had some more stuff to get at the farm supply store as well. One of the big things Paige needed was a crap ton of welding supplies, bolts, washers, nuts and a host of other hardware parts. One thing she found she was surprised was still in stock was a small portable welder like the one she had mounted under the hood of her Cherokee. She scooped it up. The idea was to mount it under the hood of the Land Cruiser. She was sure there was a spot; if not, she would make one.
It was going to be a tight squeeze since she planned to put an additional air conditioner compressor to feed the mounted air tank to fill tires and run limited air tools and the added battery and alternator to power more electrical capacity. Radios can be hungry beasts.
Sabine had scooped up some out of inspection medical oxygen cylinders to use for the compressed air storage. Paige would mount one under the Land Cruiser and use the other one to replace the one under the Cherokee. Then it was a matter of routing the disconnects to access points. What she really wanted was scuba tanks for it, but she hadn’t found some yet. The O2 tanks would work nicely.
Towards the end of the days shopping, the crew reconvened at one of their favorite restaurants for lupper, the meal between lunch and supper. They didn’t want to wait to till they got home to eat or feel like cooking. They could sit and go over the list before they left town to make sure they got every thing while they waited for their food. They ordered drinks, appetizers, and the whole shebang. They were kinda glad it took a while to get the main course. It gave them time to talk but they had to do it in code so not to give their plan away or cause any more problems in town.
At home Paige looked at her list of tasks and upgrades. ‘Yes Butterfly it is a lot of work I will have to delegate.’ She was going to be quite busy for the next month or two. They better not need to leave any earlier than that. The good thing was even if things changed drastically for the better, all of the work paring things down and upgrading their vehicles wasn’t a waste. These were things they could do now that might not be possible later.
She would try to get the gang involved in the work. The more they knew how to do and the more they knew what their vehicles were capable of, the better off all of them were in an emergency. What was that Butterfly? Yes, after the parts are set for the Cherokee and the Land Cruiser, she would start the planning for the Jeep and the R32. These would be the thumbnail projects while she was at work. She could jot notes and scrounge for more on base. The first on base scrounge on her list was the DRMO lot to see if she was remembering correctly. There were two old wrecked bass boats that were turned in for disposal. She could check for the fuel tanks and more importantly, she wanted the trailers. That would give her the hitch and tubing she could make their trailers out of.
She needed rest. She turned out the light, fluffed the pillow, and nudged the snoring Henrik who took a deep breath, rolled on his side and started to breath normally. She then snuggled in for what she hoped was good night’s sleep.
Goodnight butterflies.
Henrik presented a headache. Sabine presented some aspirin. She told him they should stop and get some food. After all, a machine like him needed calories to run. He was expending a lot of energy. She could not stop the medic in her from asking more questions since she notice he had bought a lot more aspirin than they needed and was taking it frequently when he thought no one saw him. He also seemed to be squinting more, and not from the sun. She made him promise to come by the clinic Monday so she could check his eyesight, the most frequent cause of headaches coupled with squinting. He said it was mostly when he was working on stuff close up and reading stuff. Sabine had him grab some over the counter magnifying glasses to help. On second thought, Sabine grabbed about a dozen pairs of varying strengths. They helped with detail work of all sorts.
Paige had the harder parts to describe. She was inventing as she went along. Some of this was at the few salvage yards others were found at tractor and farm supply stores around the area. She felt like one of those TV pickers stopping at farms or houses if she saw a part sitting in the yard covered with weeds.
She was partnered with Andrea on this adventure. Paige would find what she wanted and Andrea would start the haggling, eyelash batting and sweet talking. She had the cute, helpless little sister routine down to a ‘T’. The older gentlemen she was negotiating with didn’t stand a chance. They bent over backwards to make deals and help out the pair.
At the salvage yards Paige was wheeling a wagon around with her bag of tools, including her battery powered impact wrench. She was stripping everything and anything she thought she might ever need. Spare tire mounts off of old Ford Broncos? Check. Spare tire mounts off of old travel vans? Check. A couple of brush guards? Four please. The biggest thing she was looking for was a pair of rear axles. She wanted one with the same lug pattern as the Cherokee and another one for the Land Cruiser. She had decided she would probably either modify existing trailers or build her own from scratch.
Once Paige found the axles, she hunted down several spare tire rims to fit them. They would need to get tires as well, but she was figuring to splurge and get new shoes all around. There was no telling when they would get another opportunity. Leaf springs, shackles, auxiliary lights, the scrounging went on and on.
Since they were in the city where cell service was still mostly working, the two groups checked in with each other every thirty minutes plus before and after every location change.
Sabine and Henrik were just as busy. The list Paige gave them was long and detailed. Everything from fuel pumps to wiper blades, deep cycle batteries to fan belts, they were working hard to find, buy and then find room in the Land Cruiser for all of it. At the RV supply store, they got big batteries, complete with mounting trays, roof sealant, AC/DC converters, stacks of road flares, and a ton of odds and ends.
One of the surprising things on the list for the RV repair place came from Andrea. She had them get two of the RV TV Antennas, the type you crank up with the rotating twist knob on the inside. When they asked about it, she told them it was a great way to mount an antenna on the roof of the vehicle above load and rotate it so it can be directional, all without getting out of the vehicle. The group often forgot special tricks were needed for comms and she was more than just a pretty face and a fast talking mouth.
Whenever Sabine was at a place that would still take her credit card, she used it with abandon. The bank’s computer system was set to automatically pay the balance every month. She wanted to hold onto her cash for the places that wouldn’t take the card and for the trip. She figured the computers around here would be going down permanently soon. Best to make hay while the sun was shining.
One of the auto stores had big rolls of tape for making pinstripes and body stripes. Sabine grabbed as many rolls of black and grey they had. Henrik scooped up all the reflective windshield covers. They grabbed rolls of Velcro, double sided tape, extra jumper cables and a host of other useful knickknacks.
Paige and Andrea had some more stuff to get at the farm supply store as well. One of the big things Paige needed was a crap ton of welding supplies, bolts, washers, nuts and a host of other hardware parts. One thing she found she was surprised was still in stock was a small portable welder like the one she had mounted under the hood of her Cherokee. She scooped it up. The idea was to mount it under the hood of the Land Cruiser. She was sure there was a spot; if not, she would make one.
It was going to be a tight squeeze since she planned to put an additional air conditioner compressor to feed the mounted air tank to fill tires and run limited air tools and the added battery and alternator to power more electrical capacity. Radios can be hungry beasts.
Sabine had scooped up some out of inspection medical oxygen cylinders to use for the compressed air storage. Paige would mount one under the Land Cruiser and use the other one to replace the one under the Cherokee. Then it was a matter of routing the disconnects to access points. What she really wanted was scuba tanks for it, but she hadn’t found some yet. The O2 tanks would work nicely.
Towards the end of the days shopping, the crew reconvened at one of their favorite restaurants for lupper, the meal between lunch and supper. They didn’t want to wait to till they got home to eat or feel like cooking. They could sit and go over the list before they left town to make sure they got every thing while they waited for their food. They ordered drinks, appetizers, and the whole shebang. They were kinda glad it took a while to get the main course. It gave them time to talk but they had to do it in code so not to give their plan away or cause any more problems in town.
At home Paige looked at her list of tasks and upgrades. ‘Yes Butterfly it is a lot of work I will have to delegate.’ She was going to be quite busy for the next month or two. They better not need to leave any earlier than that. The good thing was even if things changed drastically for the better, all of the work paring things down and upgrading their vehicles wasn’t a waste. These were things they could do now that might not be possible later.
She would try to get the gang involved in the work. The more they knew how to do and the more they knew what their vehicles were capable of, the better off all of them were in an emergency. What was that Butterfly? Yes, after the parts are set for the Cherokee and the Land Cruiser, she would start the planning for the Jeep and the R32. These would be the thumbnail projects while she was at work. She could jot notes and scrounge for more on base. The first on base scrounge on her list was the DRMO lot to see if she was remembering correctly. There were two old wrecked bass boats that were turned in for disposal. She could check for the fuel tanks and more importantly, she wanted the trailers. That would give her the hitch and tubing she could make their trailers out of.
She needed rest. She turned out the light, fluffed the pillow, and nudged the snoring Henrik who took a deep breath, rolled on his side and started to breath normally. She then snuggled in for what she hoped was good night’s sleep.
Goodnight butterflies.
sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Nice, woohoo, thank you.
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Henrik was busy most of the rest of the weekend. In addition to the lift and tote work unloading the shopping spree and organizing it in a way they could help Paige in her endeavors, he was going through the food stores. If they were going to do the move, he wanted to take as much food as he could to tide them over until they could get more on the other end. He went through what they had on hand, segregating what he thought would fit the bill. He knew most people would just throw cases of MREs on board but it was too bulky and heavy compared to what he could plan and set up. In the space of one MRE, he could either fit three MRE once he stripped out all the excess packaging and compressed it or five small foil packs of SPAM/Fish/Chicken and a pound of rice that could be a meal for four.
Henrik also thought about weight and cubes for packing. He started making piles of stuff off to one side. He was getting all the stuff for winter survival into backpacks. This included food, sleeping bags, water purification, small white gas camp stoves, gaiters, and other such stuff. One of the things he was real careful about was to leave at least 20-25% of the pack empty. If they had to use them, they would need room for clothes, ammo and other stuff they wanted to cram into them at the last minute. When they packed the vehicles, these will need to be set in such places that nothing needed moved to get to them and pull them out. In Henrik’s mind, they were like life raft kits on his boat; if you needed them, you needed them right now!
Henrik was trying to predict and project for every possible contingency, knowing he would fail to think of something. He tried to think the whole route, not just the start and the end. One of his teachers when he first got here had a phrase that stuck with him for planning: ‘Plan for the weather, conditions, obstacles, people, and enemies for every inch of the travel, not just the start and end’. He heard him tell a quick story that he then used in his own teaching.
‘Guy gets on a plane in Southern California in November to fly to Florida to spend time on the beach. The temps are high 70s to low 80s both locations, so all should be good. Problem was, the flight had him changing planes in Chicago, where it was zero with the wind chill and the snow. The snow stuck him there for three days, in board shorts and flip flops.’
Henrik also knew but didn’t let on to the others that it was a true story and it was the instructor himself who did it, which was the reason he now harped on it to the newer guys. Henrik figured that lesson applied to their trip north coming up. Even though they were thinking sometime in the spring when the weather might be better, there will still be spots of altitude, cold weather and storms. He wasn’t going to be the one letting them be unprepared.
Henrik ran down their team’s capabilities. Paige could keep everything mechanically running, from vehicles to firearms. Sabine could keep them whole in body. Andrea could keep them connected and talking. He could keep them alive. He could also make sure they knew where they were going. From the middle of the ocean by the stars to the desert with a compass, navigation was one of his major skillsets. Henrik was looking for compasses, maps, handheld GPS and anything else he thought they could use. If they all worked their corners, they would come through this fine.
The mission prep vibe was permeating through the whole group. Each had deployed before but this was different. There was no big unit, airlift or support services. This was just them. And they had never deployed together. Each person is different when they are deployed compared to when they were home. They talk, think, act and feel different. The trip would bring them together in new ways.
Henrik also thought about weight and cubes for packing. He started making piles of stuff off to one side. He was getting all the stuff for winter survival into backpacks. This included food, sleeping bags, water purification, small white gas camp stoves, gaiters, and other such stuff. One of the things he was real careful about was to leave at least 20-25% of the pack empty. If they had to use them, they would need room for clothes, ammo and other stuff they wanted to cram into them at the last minute. When they packed the vehicles, these will need to be set in such places that nothing needed moved to get to them and pull them out. In Henrik’s mind, they were like life raft kits on his boat; if you needed them, you needed them right now!
Henrik was trying to predict and project for every possible contingency, knowing he would fail to think of something. He tried to think the whole route, not just the start and the end. One of his teachers when he first got here had a phrase that stuck with him for planning: ‘Plan for the weather, conditions, obstacles, people, and enemies for every inch of the travel, not just the start and end’. He heard him tell a quick story that he then used in his own teaching.
‘Guy gets on a plane in Southern California in November to fly to Florida to spend time on the beach. The temps are high 70s to low 80s both locations, so all should be good. Problem was, the flight had him changing planes in Chicago, where it was zero with the wind chill and the snow. The snow stuck him there for three days, in board shorts and flip flops.’
Henrik also knew but didn’t let on to the others that it was a true story and it was the instructor himself who did it, which was the reason he now harped on it to the newer guys. Henrik figured that lesson applied to their trip north coming up. Even though they were thinking sometime in the spring when the weather might be better, there will still be spots of altitude, cold weather and storms. He wasn’t going to be the one letting them be unprepared.
Henrik ran down their team’s capabilities. Paige could keep everything mechanically running, from vehicles to firearms. Sabine could keep them whole in body. Andrea could keep them connected and talking. He could keep them alive. He could also make sure they knew where they were going. From the middle of the ocean by the stars to the desert with a compass, navigation was one of his major skillsets. Henrik was looking for compasses, maps, handheld GPS and anything else he thought they could use. If they all worked their corners, they would come through this fine.
The mission prep vibe was permeating through the whole group. Each had deployed before but this was different. There was no big unit, airlift or support services. This was just them. And they had never deployed together. Each person is different when they are deployed compared to when they were home. They talk, think, act and feel different. The trip would bring them together in new ways.
steamroller
Contributing Member
Great story, thank you.
sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Thank you
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Paige was working in her shop. She had to keep everything locked up. She couldn’t risk Sabine wandering into the area when she had any of it out. Paige was working on her present to Sabine for Christmas. She was having to invent and make parts to pull it off however. This project was a real fun thing for her. She normally was doing repair and updates. The engineering puzzle she was presented was something out of left field for her to tackle. It caused her to force herself to remember a host of skills she hadn’t used in years. Shortening the gas system, setting up the recoil system to run in a shorter length, making a properly weighted buffer of a significantly shorter length, telescoping rails for the butt plate, all without working on it at home. Paige almost considered the challenge she was working as a present to herself as much as the final results were a present to Sabine.
Paige went through several copies tuning the results. Once she had it boiled down, she set about gathering the resources to replicate it. She figured it might be a good thing to have them for everyone, but Sabine would get the best one. She had to get with Henrik and go through the optics and goggles he and Jenson had scrounged up and worked on all those weeks ago. She couldn’t help it. She was thinking of things like preparing for a mission. She wanted as much capability with her as she could scrounge. She knew the night vision gear was quite old. State-of-the-art for 2003 when it got here, now it is cobbled together and limping along, but better than nothing.
Sabine was working hard with Sgt Jenson and his daughter. There were significant recovery elements but everyone involved felt better when they got them back under their envelope of control. Sofia had insisted they come live at the house. She had nowhere to go, and being a stay at home mom with no one to be mom for was boring according to her. This also let Sgt Jenson come back to work and occupy his mind working towards their future. According to Amber, this would be a significant component of their recovery and ability to move forward. Sabine was the medic checking on them, and Amber was the one trying to piece them back together. Sofia was the glue trying to hold them together long enough for them to heal.
Andrea was busy as well. She was installing radios in cars and some houses to build a communication net augmenting and in some ways supplanting the now spotty cell phones. She also figured to build in battery back-ups for them. The region had been experiencing rolling blackouts as the system was failing. She was able to set up a system for the commander capable of reaching Veronica and Violet in Utah. This cheered him up quite a bit.
All of the preparations were moving forward. Everyone felt a sense of urgency, but it wasn’t overwhelming, yet.
Paige went through several copies tuning the results. Once she had it boiled down, she set about gathering the resources to replicate it. She figured it might be a good thing to have them for everyone, but Sabine would get the best one. She had to get with Henrik and go through the optics and goggles he and Jenson had scrounged up and worked on all those weeks ago. She couldn’t help it. She was thinking of things like preparing for a mission. She wanted as much capability with her as she could scrounge. She knew the night vision gear was quite old. State-of-the-art for 2003 when it got here, now it is cobbled together and limping along, but better than nothing.
Sabine was working hard with Sgt Jenson and his daughter. There were significant recovery elements but everyone involved felt better when they got them back under their envelope of control. Sofia had insisted they come live at the house. She had nowhere to go, and being a stay at home mom with no one to be mom for was boring according to her. This also let Sgt Jenson come back to work and occupy his mind working towards their future. According to Amber, this would be a significant component of their recovery and ability to move forward. Sabine was the medic checking on them, and Amber was the one trying to piece them back together. Sofia was the glue trying to hold them together long enough for them to heal.
Andrea was busy as well. She was installing radios in cars and some houses to build a communication net augmenting and in some ways supplanting the now spotty cell phones. She also figured to build in battery back-ups for them. The region had been experiencing rolling blackouts as the system was failing. She was able to set up a system for the commander capable of reaching Veronica and Violet in Utah. This cheered him up quite a bit.
All of the preparations were moving forward. Everyone felt a sense of urgency, but it wasn’t overwhelming, yet.
sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Thank you.
Grouchy Granny
Deceased
Probably getting very very nervous!
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
The Commander had barely determined no one other than Sabine would be taking care of the Jenson when he was interrupted. Most people know when he is working on something like and the red light is on outside his office not to go in. If you do it better be of national importance, life or death. If not, it just might be yours. This person did not care. They just dismissed the secretary and barged through like they belonged. The Commander looked up ready to give the perpetrator the tongue lashing of their life until he saw who it was.
He astonished to see before him Sofia followed by Amber. He knew whatever Sofia wanted he was about to be double teamed by two of the best debaters he knew. He was going to lose but whatever it was her wanted to make them work for given that they came all this way to discuss something important enough to interrupt him.
Ivar filled his coffee and gave the ladies a cup as they sat down. “So what brings you ladies here violating my do not disturb red light”
“It is important, it has to with what you are working on. I need to be a part of this. Every one else has a job. Something to do, someone to help yet I sit at home in empty house. You won’t let me go any where by myself but you are always gone. I am a prisoner!! I can help!! The Jenson do not belong in a hospital or some base housing room. Jennifer needs a mom right now. You know no one does stay at home mom better than me. Since I am stuck home any way, I need to help.”
All the time she was speaking Ivar was looking back and forth between Sofia and Amber who was nodding her head in agreement. His head was whirling. It was a good idea. He remembered how she was with the Vs. It would let Jonas get back to work which has proven to be some of the best medicine, without worrying about his kid as much.
“Ivar, it will help me. It would give both him and the child a safe place. He could relax so he can open up about the attack and make plans for their future. I can’t get through to him right now. Sofia could be the glue that holds them together while I try to piece them back together. She is a natural.”
The Jensons moved in that night. Jennifer was scared at bedtime but it was Sofia’s calm slow manner that helped her. Sofia tucked Jennifer in with an old platypus, she told her it protected Veronica through the night. She then read her a story, said a prayer with her, kissed her forehead, told her she was loved, and turned out the lights. She sat with her looking at the ceiling which was now illuminated with stars, singing quietly until Jennifer fell asleep. It would soon become a nightly routine.
Jenson knew she was safe and for the first time in a long time slept.
He astonished to see before him Sofia followed by Amber. He knew whatever Sofia wanted he was about to be double teamed by two of the best debaters he knew. He was going to lose but whatever it was her wanted to make them work for given that they came all this way to discuss something important enough to interrupt him.
Ivar filled his coffee and gave the ladies a cup as they sat down. “So what brings you ladies here violating my do not disturb red light”
“It is important, it has to with what you are working on. I need to be a part of this. Every one else has a job. Something to do, someone to help yet I sit at home in empty house. You won’t let me go any where by myself but you are always gone. I am a prisoner!! I can help!! The Jenson do not belong in a hospital or some base housing room. Jennifer needs a mom right now. You know no one does stay at home mom better than me. Since I am stuck home any way, I need to help.”
All the time she was speaking Ivar was looking back and forth between Sofia and Amber who was nodding her head in agreement. His head was whirling. It was a good idea. He remembered how she was with the Vs. It would let Jonas get back to work which has proven to be some of the best medicine, without worrying about his kid as much.
“Ivar, it will help me. It would give both him and the child a safe place. He could relax so he can open up about the attack and make plans for their future. I can’t get through to him right now. Sofia could be the glue that holds them together while I try to piece them back together. She is a natural.”
The Jensons moved in that night. Jennifer was scared at bedtime but it was Sofia’s calm slow manner that helped her. Sofia tucked Jennifer in with an old platypus, she told her it protected Veronica through the night. She then read her a story, said a prayer with her, kissed her forehead, told her she was loved, and turned out the lights. She sat with her looking at the ceiling which was now illuminated with stars, singing quietly until Jennifer fell asleep. It would soon become a nightly routine.
Jenson knew she was safe and for the first time in a long time slept.
sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Big thank you.
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Andrea’s skills were getting more and more in demand as the infrastructure in the surrounding area started to fail. The region was experiencing rolling blackouts as the system was failing. Communications were starting to crash and become spotty. It reminded her of stories her mom told about her first cell phone. She would complain about no service in tunnels, having to repeat things, only getting service in certain spot in town and the list went on and on. Andrea used to laugh and think she was making these things up but now she had to find ways to work around them. It was getting frustrating. It was time to start figuring out how to augment the system. It was going to be a long process.
She wondered how much she should do with them leaving. Maybe her time would be better spent prepping their personal radio system and taking care of her family?
Andrea pondered on this for a while. She came up with at least one answer. She had a family now, one that was there for her, one that cared for her, loved her and had her back. The answer was a no brainer so why did it take her so long to came to the conclusion. She had always jumped in without thinking before. Why not this time. What happened to the old Andrea. Damn the torpedoes full speed ahead. ****, it Marine up Andrea pull you head out of the sand and do your part were the thoughts that finally went through her head.
Her shop looked like a Tasmanian Devil had whirled through it. Parts from everything were scattered all over her work bench as she tried to piece together a system, a system that would reach Utah. This was her first priority. She knew it was important to Ivar and Silas to reach the V’s on many levels; tactical, strategical planning at the very least is what they said. Andrea and their wives knew better but they would not let on. She knew this when she saw the Commander get a tear in eye when he could finally talk to Veronica.
Andrea now knew where her loyalties lay. She was not going to be pulled in two direction. It was family.
She wondered how much she should do with them leaving. Maybe her time would be better spent prepping their personal radio system and taking care of her family?
Andrea pondered on this for a while. She came up with at least one answer. She had a family now, one that was there for her, one that cared for her, loved her and had her back. The answer was a no brainer so why did it take her so long to came to the conclusion. She had always jumped in without thinking before. Why not this time. What happened to the old Andrea. Damn the torpedoes full speed ahead. ****, it Marine up Andrea pull you head out of the sand and do your part were the thoughts that finally went through her head.
Her shop looked like a Tasmanian Devil had whirled through it. Parts from everything were scattered all over her work bench as she tried to piece together a system, a system that would reach Utah. This was her first priority. She knew it was important to Ivar and Silas to reach the V’s on many levels; tactical, strategical planning at the very least is what they said. Andrea and their wives knew better but they would not let on. She knew this when she saw the Commander get a tear in eye when he could finally talk to Veronica.
Andrea now knew where her loyalties lay. She was not going to be pulled in two direction. It was family.
Texican
Live Free & Die Free.... God Freedom Country....
Andrea now knew where her loyalties lay. She was not going to be pulled in two direction. It was family.
Very hard for many to see the trees for the forest, but when they do they realize what is important in life and strive for it.
Thanks CCG.
Texican....
Very hard for many to see the trees for the forest, but when they do they realize what is important in life and strive for it.
Thanks CCG.
Texican....
sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Thank you.
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Henrik was in the commander’s office early.
“Sir, we aren’t doing any classes anymore and have pulled back our perimeter correct?”
“Yes, we have.” Ivar’s curiosity was up. “What are you after, Henrik?”
“We no longer need to direct people to the remote parts of the base anymore.” He began. He looked a little sheepish. The idea was a sound one, but he was still not used to being a ‘pirate’ and figured he still had to ask permission to do ‘pirate things’ as Andrea put it. “We have a project or two we could use large sheets of aluminum for and with no need for the road signs and location signs for the range and such. I was seeking permission to relocate the signs, sir. I would have asked the Sergeant Major, but he isn’t available right now.”
Ivar thought for a few moments. He knew what Silas was off doing and knew it was quite important. He was actually surprised he hadn’t taken Henrik on the mission in hindsight. Henrik was the quintessential ‘brute squad’ member and a member of the inner circle.
“Henrik, as far as I’m concerned, strip all the signs. We know where everything is, just leave the ones for the inner perimeter elements for us. Take as many as you want or need. Take a couple of other people with you though. Safety first.”
“Yes sir!”
“Sir, we aren’t doing any classes anymore and have pulled back our perimeter correct?”
“Yes, we have.” Ivar’s curiosity was up. “What are you after, Henrik?”
“We no longer need to direct people to the remote parts of the base anymore.” He began. He looked a little sheepish. The idea was a sound one, but he was still not used to being a ‘pirate’ and figured he still had to ask permission to do ‘pirate things’ as Andrea put it. “We have a project or two we could use large sheets of aluminum for and with no need for the road signs and location signs for the range and such. I was seeking permission to relocate the signs, sir. I would have asked the Sergeant Major, but he isn’t available right now.”
Ivar thought for a few moments. He knew what Silas was off doing and knew it was quite important. He was actually surprised he hadn’t taken Henrik on the mission in hindsight. Henrik was the quintessential ‘brute squad’ member and a member of the inner circle.
“Henrik, as far as I’m concerned, strip all the signs. We know where everything is, just leave the ones for the inner perimeter elements for us. Take as many as you want or need. Take a couple of other people with you though. Safety first.”
“Yes sir!”
ComCamGuy
Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Ivar was just settling back into his paperwork and planning when Sabine showed up with the update on the medical situation. She laid out all the current resources available, the personnel they were still supporting and the projected timelines of medical capability for the foreseeable future.
It was moving quite well in this aspect. After the events of the past two weeks, most of the families who were going to move away, have. The few families left of deployed people were also making decisions on whether they would stay and wait for their spouses or move off and let them catch up. One or two were looking to retire and stay in the area. All of these things were drawing down the supported personnel numbers quickly.
Once this was briefed, Sabine moved into the next part of what she had to talk to him about. Sabine closed his door and flipped on the light. Ivar took this as a bit of an ominous sign since she didn’t feel the need before now.
“OK, Sabine, what’s on your mind?”
“You know we have been talking about probably leaving the area when the base is closed, right?”
“I know you guys were talking about it, do you have a plan?”
“We have been looking at the area around Paige’s grandfather. He lives way up north next to one of the national forests. Paige wants to go there. It’s kind of like here, but less California-ish. Same four seasons, plenty of remoteness, but not as isolated. I think we are looking at sometime this spring.” Sabine paused.
“Yeah, sounds like a nice place.”
“Even better, a friend of the family has a homestead inside the National Forest, kind of like that show on tv. It predated the park and he treats Paige like his own granddaughter as well.”
“We are going to miss you guys when you leave.” Ivar sounded a bit sad all of a sudden.
“Well, that’s not quite the half of why I’m in here.” Sabine continued. “I don’t know how long you are going to stay here.”
“I’m here until the last of the people are accounted for.” Silas interjected.
“I know that, but what after that?”
“I don’t know. I don’t think we want to stay here forever. Too expensive and the support functions will be gone as well.” Ivar commented.
“Well, I know the little subdivision you are living in won’t be ideal for sticking around in.”
At this Ivar grimaced and nodded.
“Yeah, I wish we had a place like you guys have.”
“That’s why I’m here.” Sabine smiled broadly. “I have a deal for you. As we leave, you and Silas should move into our place. There’s enough room for both families as well as the Jensons. It’s a little more remote and less likely to be screwed with.”
Ivar nodded at this. He knew Sofia would love being out there instead of the house they were now in.
“So, how do you figure to do it? You guys just sub-let it to us or do we get with the rental people and transfer it over or what? How much to you guys pay? I’m sure Silas and I could afford it but it would be good to know going in.”
Sabine smiled even bigger now. “Even easier and cheaper. Here’s the reason I turned on the light. This is one of those private conversations. A red light one.”
“You will be the only one who knows this so far. I don’t want my housemates knowing this at all. A month or two ago, I bought the house outright from the owner who we were renting from. It’s mine. Full title. If you guys move in, the only rent you pay is whatever upkeep is needed.”
Sabine paused for a moment while Ivar absorbed what she was telling him before she continued. “ I don’t know when or if we or I would ever come back down here but you guys can use the house as long as you want or need. If you guys leave, I’ll worry about what to do with or about it then.”
“My condition is you don’t tell the others. I ‘worked a deal’ with the owner for a follow-on renter is the story. I don’t want the others to know, otherwise they will feel obligated to stay here rather than driving forward with plans and dreams. The money I spent on it is gone. I couldn’t sell it for half what I paid for it right now, and I don’t know when the value will go back up. I’m not making payments on it so I can just let it be. I would rather have you guys use it than it sit there empty. Will that work for you?”
Ivar thought a few moments, trying to look at all the angles finally he looked up at her.
“It should work, but I’ll talk to Sofia, Silas and Amber.” He paused a moment then continued. “I have to ask, how can you afford to just basically walk away from a house you paid for outright, not even with a loan?”
Sabine smiled a sad little smile as she answered.
“Did you see the end of the Kurt Russel Wyatt Earp movie?”
“Yeah?”
“The last scene, when Wyatt was talking to Josephine, he told her he wanted to be with her and didn’t know how they would live because he was broke and had no money to support them. Do you remember her answer?”
“I think so?” He was puzzled now.
“What did she tell him?” Sabine fixed her eyes on him. He realized for the first time she was actually an inch or two taller than him, just like Veronica.
“Don’t worry about it, I’m rich?” he said in a questioning tone.
Sabine smiled as she turned away and headed towards the door. As she opened the door, she replied over her shoulder.
“Thanks for the talk sir, you have a good day.” Sabine strode from the office a bounce in her step. One more problem solved.
Ivar just stood there frozen with look of bewilderment and amusement as she walked away. No one was in the room to hear him say to himself “Those four are a constant source of amazement.”
It was moving quite well in this aspect. After the events of the past two weeks, most of the families who were going to move away, have. The few families left of deployed people were also making decisions on whether they would stay and wait for their spouses or move off and let them catch up. One or two were looking to retire and stay in the area. All of these things were drawing down the supported personnel numbers quickly.
Once this was briefed, Sabine moved into the next part of what she had to talk to him about. Sabine closed his door and flipped on the light. Ivar took this as a bit of an ominous sign since she didn’t feel the need before now.
“OK, Sabine, what’s on your mind?”
“You know we have been talking about probably leaving the area when the base is closed, right?”
“I know you guys were talking about it, do you have a plan?”
“We have been looking at the area around Paige’s grandfather. He lives way up north next to one of the national forests. Paige wants to go there. It’s kind of like here, but less California-ish. Same four seasons, plenty of remoteness, but not as isolated. I think we are looking at sometime this spring.” Sabine paused.
“Yeah, sounds like a nice place.”
“Even better, a friend of the family has a homestead inside the National Forest, kind of like that show on tv. It predated the park and he treats Paige like his own granddaughter as well.”
“We are going to miss you guys when you leave.” Ivar sounded a bit sad all of a sudden.
“Well, that’s not quite the half of why I’m in here.” Sabine continued. “I don’t know how long you are going to stay here.”
“I’m here until the last of the people are accounted for.” Silas interjected.
“I know that, but what after that?”
“I don’t know. I don’t think we want to stay here forever. Too expensive and the support functions will be gone as well.” Ivar commented.
“Well, I know the little subdivision you are living in won’t be ideal for sticking around in.”
At this Ivar grimaced and nodded.
“Yeah, I wish we had a place like you guys have.”
“That’s why I’m here.” Sabine smiled broadly. “I have a deal for you. As we leave, you and Silas should move into our place. There’s enough room for both families as well as the Jensons. It’s a little more remote and less likely to be screwed with.”
Ivar nodded at this. He knew Sofia would love being out there instead of the house they were now in.
“So, how do you figure to do it? You guys just sub-let it to us or do we get with the rental people and transfer it over or what? How much to you guys pay? I’m sure Silas and I could afford it but it would be good to know going in.”
Sabine smiled even bigger now. “Even easier and cheaper. Here’s the reason I turned on the light. This is one of those private conversations. A red light one.”
“You will be the only one who knows this so far. I don’t want my housemates knowing this at all. A month or two ago, I bought the house outright from the owner who we were renting from. It’s mine. Full title. If you guys move in, the only rent you pay is whatever upkeep is needed.”
Sabine paused for a moment while Ivar absorbed what she was telling him before she continued. “ I don’t know when or if we or I would ever come back down here but you guys can use the house as long as you want or need. If you guys leave, I’ll worry about what to do with or about it then.”
“My condition is you don’t tell the others. I ‘worked a deal’ with the owner for a follow-on renter is the story. I don’t want the others to know, otherwise they will feel obligated to stay here rather than driving forward with plans and dreams. The money I spent on it is gone. I couldn’t sell it for half what I paid for it right now, and I don’t know when the value will go back up. I’m not making payments on it so I can just let it be. I would rather have you guys use it than it sit there empty. Will that work for you?”
Ivar thought a few moments, trying to look at all the angles finally he looked up at her.
“It should work, but I’ll talk to Sofia, Silas and Amber.” He paused a moment then continued. “I have to ask, how can you afford to just basically walk away from a house you paid for outright, not even with a loan?”
Sabine smiled a sad little smile as she answered.
“Did you see the end of the Kurt Russel Wyatt Earp movie?”
“Yeah?”
“The last scene, when Wyatt was talking to Josephine, he told her he wanted to be with her and didn’t know how they would live because he was broke and had no money to support them. Do you remember her answer?”
“I think so?” He was puzzled now.
“What did she tell him?” Sabine fixed her eyes on him. He realized for the first time she was actually an inch or two taller than him, just like Veronica.
“Don’t worry about it, I’m rich?” he said in a questioning tone.
Sabine smiled as she turned away and headed towards the door. As she opened the door, she replied over her shoulder.
“Thanks for the talk sir, you have a good day.” Sabine strode from the office a bounce in her step. One more problem solved.
Ivar just stood there frozen with look of bewilderment and amusement as she walked away. No one was in the room to hear him say to himself “Those four are a constant source of amazement.”