A New World Begins
by Craig W
9 Mar 2022 814 readers Score 9.4 (54 votes) PDF Mobi ePub Txt
The pheasant pluckers
*Ping*
Incoming call
Craig: Hi, Nat!
Nat: Are you okay to talk? I hoped you were awake.
Craig: I’m good, Nat, just walking home from the camp pool after my swimming training to get breakfast, then off to school. Shouldn’t you be asleep though?
Craig: That sounds cool – no pun intended! What are you doing?
Nat: We’re liaising between the Guard and the college at the moment, helping ensure they get set up and have all they need. If the state of emergency is declared - it will be, pop is pushing for it - we’ll be on hand to help them by providing local knowledge too, perhaps guiding snowploughs into the local township and stuff like that. Will’s been setting up links between the military radios and the fire and ambulances services, and Noah and Shane have been plotting stuff on maps. The Guard could do it by themselves, but we wanted to help.
Craig: Did your plans to try making a snow shelter get scrapped then?
Nat: No, we went ahead with that, made it part of the training. The guys loved it, even the Commandant came out to look at what we’d built. When some classes got cancelled because staff couldn’t make it in, the squad put on lectures and a demo on how to build a snow survival shelter. Noah even stood up on stage and chaired the lecture! Told people to shut up, sit down, listen in to him or get out! Just like you do.
Craig: That’s something impressive! He’ll make a good marine. Say ‘Hi & semper fi’ to him from me.
Nat: They’ve all been made ‘acting’ Corporals, Boots. Travis even managed to teach Shane to ski too, though he is still a bit like Bambi on ice according to Travis. Today we’re planning to train more cadets to build snowholes so they can be let out into town to help the civil support operation. It’s kind of like an insurance policy, I guess – if they do get stuck, they can look after themselves for a while until we can get help to them.
Craig: You’re training more beginners? Guys that haven’t ever done snow survival?
Nat: We sure are. Maybe another forty today, unless the Guard platoon needs us for something.
Craig: I’m not sure that’s a good idea, Nat. There might be a better way…
* * *
Nat crept into the side office where the guys were asleep on their camp cots, looked around carefully then shook the shoulder of one of the shapeless, sleeping-bag clad forms. “Wake up, Shane, it’s nearly time for you to replace me. I’ve brought you a cup of coffee.”
Shane struggled to open his eyes and then suddenly remembered where he was.
“Okay, Nat. I’m ready.”
“No need to rush, Shane, I’m good for a while yet. It’s only quarter to four. Drink your coffee, grab a shower, then come and find me at the desk in the Duty Office.”
* * *
Just after four, Shane quietly entered the Duty Office by the front door of the Pavilion to find Nat busy making notes with a pencil in his notebook.
“Hi Shane. I’ve put a list of stuff on the whiteboard for you to do while it’s quiet. Nobody’s awake yet. I’ve already tidied up in the Situation Room and replenished the supply of cookies we stashed up there for them. For the next hour you just need to be here in case the Guards begin waking up and need anything. Around half five, you’re to go upstairs and wake Jackson, might be an idea to take him a coffee too. Try not to wake the three Guard officers in the dorm with him, he wants to be up and at his post already when they stir. Makes a good impression.”
“Will do, Nat.”
“After you’ve woken Jackson, take a quiet walk around, upstairs and down here, tidy anything that’s out of place, and if you have time, lay out some cups in the recreation area and switch the portable boiler on so there’s hot water for coffee ready when the Guard platoon rouses at six. They’ll go over to the dining room for breakfast but a coffee right after they wake up and are lining up to use the washrooms and showers will be appreciated by them. Come and wake me and the guys up at about a quarter to six so we can beat the rush for the washrooms. Got that?”
“Got that, Nat. Go get some sleep yourself, Nat. I’m good here.”
* * *
The Duty Office was a hive of activity when Nat came storming in at half seven. Shane was busy stapling some maps of the campus together that Will had printed to give the Guardsmen so they could find their way to the dining room, main hall, front gate, various car lots and wherever else they might need to be. Will was on his hands and knees under a table connecting up yet another extension lead for more power and Noah was collecting together all the used cups he could find. Several Guardsmen were in the office studying plans of the building, asking for directions or placing vehicle keys on a pegboard somebody had hung on the wall.
Travis jumped to his feet and intercepted a clearly annoyed Nat before he could say anything. “It was my decision, Nat. I told the guys to let you sleep in when we got up. You were up most of the night, did more duty than us, an extra hour of sleep will be good for you. Besides, it let you miss the crush for the washrooms.”
Nat hesitated, calmed down a little. “I said to wake me just like everyone else.”
“I know, Nat, but we managed without you. Everyone has done the tasks you left us on the whiteboard, and a few extra ones. Plus, you remember what Craig said to us once? A good squad always looks after its leader? Letting you get an extra bit of sleep is in our interests too, leaves you with a clearer head. You did need it, Nat, you slept through all the noise the Guard platoon made getting up and heading out over to the dining room for their breakfast.”
As Nat looked at the faces of Shane, Travis and Will, all of whom were apprehensively staring at him, Noah turned around and opened the cupboard under the desk, took out an insulated container and handed it to him. “We brought your breakfast over here, Nat. To save you having to trek over to the dining room.”
Nat smiled and took the container. “Thanks guys.”
“Best eat it quick,” smiled Travis. “There’s a briefing up in the Situation Room at eight so we thought you’d want to be there before then, maybe with one of us as a gopher. Noah’s already been up and set out a few extra chairs and Will’s about to print off some lists of places he calls Key Infrastructure Points and Major Routes for Jackson to hand out. The Commandant’s coming over too. Oh, and the College is on the home page of quite a few news media websites, pictures too of the Guard getting here. Will’s bookmarked them for you on the browser.”
* * *
In the Situation Room, Nat sat quietly at the back as the Commandant welcomed the commander of the National Guard platoon to the college and assured him that his detachment would have all the support they required over the coming days if a civil emergency was declared. Noting that, state-wide, many of the Pennsylvania National Guard’s officers were college alumni, the Commandant assured the detachment commander that where he and his snowploughs led, the cadets would follow to provide what aid and assistance they could to the local community.
As the Commandant began to wind down to the end of his short speech of welcome, Nat’s phone vibrated silently as a text arrived. He read it, then nudged Jackson, showed him the message. Jackson in turn quietly rose to his feet and stepped up to the Commandant, whispered in his ear.
“Gentlemen,” said the Commandant, “I have it upon the best authority that the Governor will make a television and radio address at mid-day. I believe that he will formally declare a state of civil emergency and stand up the National Guard. With that in mind, I’ll leave you to your duties and return to running my college, but remind you that if you need anything from me or the college you only have to ask me, through my Captain of Cadets, Jackson Davis, for our assistance.”
As the Commandant left the room, two Guard Lieutenants exchanged glances and whispered.
“Who does he think he is? No way does he know more about this than we do. He’s just a civilian despite the uniform.”
“He used to be quite senior in the military, at least a colonel I think, before he retired from active duty and became the head of this place.”
“Oh yeah? Even so, that doesn’t give him a direct link to the Governor. Our orders come direct from the top, not through a schoolteacher.”
Jackson smiled as he overhead them but said nothing as he wandered back to Nat.
“Nat, can you get your guys ready to do more snow survival lectures this morning? I’m thinking we should put all the officer cadets through the lectures so when they deploy over the weekend to take work parties into town they have an idea of what they should do if they get cut off.”
Nat paused for a moment, looked at Jackson.
“There’s a better way. We gave about forty cadets, a mix of Sergeants and Privates, a decent basic level of winter survival training yesterday. We should put the same guys back through the training today, reinforce what they learned, let them get more practice at actually building a snow hole. There’s a huge drift building up at the back of the pool complex we could use so we don’t need to bother going out into the woods. They can be split into groups and make snow holes there. My guys can supervise. By the end of today that will have provided forty cadets who really know what they are doing instead of eighty who have half an idea. They can be your specialists. Attach one Sergeant and two Privates from that cadre to every work party you send into town. Let the officer cadets concentrate on leadership and their aid tasks, but know that with them they have the expertise they need if things get sticky. That way everybody benefits. The working parties concentrate on their task, the officer cadet leads them, but they have a safety net if things go wrong.”
Jackson though for a moment. “So basically, Bauer, you’re saying leave the safety considerations and snow survival to junior cadets?”
“Yes. To specialists. It’s the way the army does things. The officer leads, that is what he specialises in. He doesn’t man the machine gun, or the radio, or the mortar, or drive the truck. He has the appropriate specialists to do that so he can concentrate on being in command. We should do the same.”
“Can you actually give me forty guys that good?”
“You’ve seen how good my guys were with your own eyes, Jackson. Not just last night, at building snowholes, but stretching back over the whole college year so far. We’re leading the MilSkills training. We’ve got it covered. If you want to come out of this looking good, let me look good. Let my squad look good.”
* * *
Back in the front office, Nat called Bensinger Squad together.
“Guys, the National Guard is going to be stood up at mid-day to start civil emergency support operations. Realistically, that means that tomorrow the platoon based here will be clearing roads in to the local townships and heading south down as far as the outer suburbs of Pittsburgh. Cadets from here will follow in their wake and help out the old folk and stuff like that. We’ve got our part to play.”
“We’re ready, Nat,” said Travis.
“Will, I want you to continue manning this front office, liaising with the Guard, making sure we have good communications in particular with their trucks and the Situation Room here.”
“No problem, Nat,” beamed Will. “I’ve already been talking two of their Communications Specialists. We reckon we can write a Java or Python script to interface the SDR with the…”
“Yes, okay, Will, I’ll just leave you to get on with it. I don’t need the detail. I probably won’t understand it anyway,” interrupted Nat. “Shane, Travis, Noah, from nine o’ clock I want you to re-run the snow hole building lecture we did yesterday. You’ll be giving it to the same guys again but in a single presentation, over in the main hall. Refreshing them. Make it snappy. The main task will be to take them round the back of the pool complex afterwards and get them putting the lesson into practice, really making a snowhole this time round rather than just the quick demo they got yesterday. Can you do that for me?”
“Definitely, Nat,” said Travis as Shane and Noah nodded.
“Noah, later this morning, or maybe after lunch, when the snow-hole building is well underway, I might pull you back over here to give me a hand in the Situation Room, or to help Will, leaving Shane and Travis to continue supervising the practical training. You okay with that?”
“I can do that,” said Noah. “I liked plotting the maps and making the action lists.”
“Shane, Travis, you okay with supervising the demos on your own if I need to pull Noah back?”
Travis nodded. “We can do that.”
“Okay guys,” said Nat. “Our main tasks today are to get this control room running slicker than a greased weasel, which is down to you and Noah, Will, and to get forty guys from the other squads as good at building snow holes as you are. That’s mainly down to you, Shane and Travis. I’m going to spend today making sure that tomorrow we are the first in to town. Any questions?”
Shane chuckled. “Slicker than a greased weasel? That’s what Craig used to say, Nat.”
* * *
*Ping*
Incoming call
Nat: Hi, Craig.
Craig: Hi, Nat! Twice in one day? You stalking me or something?
Nat: Definitely! Somebody has to keep an eye on you.
Craig: I’m just about ready for bed. I guess that means you and the guys are just back from tea. Assuming you still go to tea now you are Jackson’s Super Squad.
Nat: No, we’re excused tea. Actually, Noah went over and got us some pastries, and some for the Jackson and the National Guard officers, but apart from that the squad is still on duty in the Pavilion. Travis and Shane have been supervising snow-hole building all day, just like you suggested, and me, Will and Noah have been here liaising with the Guard. It seems almost certain we’ll be going into town tomorrow, Saturday. The Governor has finally agreed to pop’s demands to stand up the Guard. There’s a forecast lull in the snowfall tomorrow morning so that’s when the Guard will push out from here, through the local townships and in towards the northern suburbs of Pittsburgh with their trucks. They have snowploughs on the trucks. Anyway, enough about us. What have you been doing? Good day at school? Did you do an hour with your job at the garage again tonight?
Craig: Yes, school was fine, and I did an hour at the garage too. That went okay. Had a problem with Mandy though. You remember Mandy?
Nat: The girl that joined us on the video call a few weeks ago? Your girlfriend?
Craig: She’s not my freakin’ girlfriend, Nat!
Nat: Just joking, Craig, no need to get so defensive!
Craig: I was home before mom tonight, so I decided to cook dinner for a surprise. I got the three pheasants I shot a while back out of the garage – they are properly hung now – and butchered two of them. I decided to make me and mom ‘pan fried pheasant breasts in a red wine sauce’. I downloaded a recipe for it. Served it with some grated onion and beetroot that cooked down in the red wine to make the sauce, and a small helping of rice. It only needed two pheasants though so I decided to take the third one over to Mandy’s so they could have it. It’s aged perfectly after being hung in the garage for a while.
Nat: You took a pheasant that’s been dead for a few weeks over to her?
Craig: Yes. That’s what you do with pheasants. They taste way better when they have been hung for a few weeks in a cool place.
Nat: I can see where this is going.
Craig: She went apeshit when I knocked on the door and tried to give her the pheasant.
Nat: I can’t say I am surprised!
Craig: It was a perfectly good, perfectly aged, pheasant!
Nat: So, what happened?
Craig: I thought she was going to wring my neck! She went off on a rant about didn’t I have anything better to do than stand on her doorstep holding out a minging dead bird, like I was a cat or something dragging in some garden kill…
Nat: I would have loved to have seen that.
Craig: It wasn’t funny, Nat!
Nat: Mee-ooow…
Craig: Nat!
Nat: Sorry Craig, but it is funny…
Craig: It freakin’ well wasn’t! Anyway, her mum came to the door to see what all the fuss was, and she took the pheasant, and she said ‘Thanks’. She understands about pheasants and how game should be hung and cooked. It was mainly just Mandy being a complete pain in the arse.
Nat: No comment…
Craig: She’ll be on about it all day at school on Monday, telling everyone. Anyway, I came back home and made dinner for me and mom, and she loved it. Didn’t even complain too much about the mess I left the kitchen in. I would have cleaned everything up so she didn’t know, but after the fuss with Mandy I was late starting on our dinner and so mom came home before I had everything squared away. The dinner was good though so she didn’t mind too much.
Nat: You can cook me a pheasant whenever you like, Craig.
Craig: I’d love to. Can’t say it would be as good as the dinners you get from Milly though.
Nat: And you still have to teach me how to catch, skin and cook rabbits and rats too, remember, just in case I ever get poor…
Craig: It’s in my diary. So, what’s the plan for the rest of your night? Dinner next?
Nat: Yes, sure is, then final planning ready for tomorrow. Jackson’s arranged about ten working parties to head out behind the Guard, mainly targeted at going to old folks’ homes, pharmacies, a few churches, places like that, where they’ll clear the pavements after the ploughs have cleared a roadway. Do shopping for the old folk too. Our squad is going to be liaison, making sure Jackson knows where everybody is at all times.
Craig: You could get Will to set up a forward comms centre. Have a link from the pavilion direct to somewhere with good radio reception, maybe through a HF transmitter with a spudtenna. At the forward comms centre, which could even be the Humvee with a mast or a spudtenna, you can then use VHF radios - walkie-talkie type stuff - to have a local net providing links out to each working party. It would be easy enough to do. You know that technique I showed you for working out sightlines? You could do something similar to see what coverage a point would give you using VHF radios – they are pretty much line of sight.
Nat: That’s a great idea.
Craig: Actually, to cut down on planning time, get Will to check on a map for where the local police, fire or ambulance stations are in the area that you want to be working in. They’ll probably be placed somewhere with good comms already and if you co-locate alongside them, you’ll be able to pass messages through their networks too and fill in any blind spots.
Nat: Is it okay if I get Will to call you when you wake up in the morning so you can go over it with him, in case I get the detail wrong tonight when I pass on the message? I can put him on a night shift so he’s still on duty and awake at the time you are getting up?
Craig: Yes, that’s fine. It’s going to be Saturday morning so I’ll be up at six to go swimming and back here at just after seven for my breakfast. Maybe he could call at half seven, my time? Half two your time?
Nat: I’ll put him on duty from two until four.
Craig: That’ll make you popular.
Nat : Somebody has to do the graveyard shift. I did it this morning to set an example…
Craig: I know, dumbass, you called me. Remember?
Nat: It didn’t wake you; you were already up and off swimming.
Craig: Somebody’s gotta go find Nemo.
Nat: You’re mad.
Craig: No, just weird.
Nat: Perfect fit in Bensinger Squad then. I’ll let you get to sleep now. You can dream of cooking me a pheasant.
Craig: Sure, maybe I’ll start by training you to be a pheasant plucker, Mister Spooner. Bye for now…