Chapter 3 - 2019
DECAY
A war of attrition
Every spring comes with bloodshed as the war bands left their winter hideouts. Yet again they clashed for territory and the more and more scarce resources to survive another year in the harsh new world. As a new power arose in the area under the banner of Sons of Rodina (SOR) the battles were more chaotic than ever and confusion was often felt between who was friend and who was foe.
As the dust settled there was a clear victor when it came to the resources in the area. The Bear Tribe had managed to build up a stockpile to last the winter and reinforce their presence in the area. Rumors of a base being built in the area circulate among survivors and military alike but no one besides the Bear Tribe knows for sure if this is true.But this fight didn't have a single victor, just one that was ahead. The STF still managed to get enough resources to survive for another year without too many loses to manpower nor fuel for the rare still operational combat vehicles.
If there was one to feel the real heavy blow of this conflict, it was The Sons of Rodina. Barely managing to get something to keep they suffered heavy losses to both manpower and fuel.
Another way to find a "victor" would be to measure losses, territory gained, skirmishes won. Some fights were won, some lost. Some lived, some died. But in the end everyone involved in war are on the loosing side. Its just a matter of how much you loose...
In the settlement things were very, very unclear. As no central leadership was to be found all groups acted on their own accord. Trying to win hearts and minds was impossible with no common ground among the survivors.
As often had been the case, a truce between the factions waging war was established in the settlement. But both agents of the military factions as well as civilians did what they could to break it and cause chaos. As a result the idea to bring peace to the village has been lost. If remaining sides choose to enforce peace upon the village with weapons and violence remains to be seen in the future.
The STF
The STF tried to get in contact with or locate any other surviving units from its mother army. But failing to do so have left them utterly to themselves. Not having lost to much terrain around the base area south of the airfield the SOR was still a nuisance as they blocked some of the roads and pathways into the area formerly used with ease.
Together with Mr Jim and the Embassy the STF managed to get some resources and food delivered to the settlement during the fall and winter, making it possible to strengthen the settlement and rebuild it in the old area that was obliterated by the infected in 2018.
The effects of the long war and lack of combat rotation has negatively effected the morale and battle value of STF troops. As a direct result of this part of the task-force have taken initiative into their own hands. Traitors, dissidents or just plain stupid. Not much else can be said about the troops who took battle into their own hands against the ROE of the force and the orders from HQ. As a result the faction suffered some losses when the perpetrators were captured and later during summer executed in a ditch for everyone to see.
The consequences of these actions have yet to be seen, and could influence STF / Bear Tribe relations, as well as STF / Survivor relations.
STF has spent some time and resources trying to track down leads about the infection, but have so far not lead to any conclusive evidence or facts.
The Bear Tribe
The Bear Tribe focused on the conflict with STF, and due to this, arranged a seize-fire with the deserters from Sons of Rodina. Or at least so thought the Sons. It turned out to be a long play by the leadership of Bears Tribe, a way to gain the trust of the newly created military faction, and a plan was made to decapitate them by capturing, court-martial and executing the leader of SOR.
Resources were the least problem for the Bear Tribe, as they both found these on their own in the infected zone and stole from both STF and SOR, to the point where a surplus of it could be donated to the settlement to improve relations.
The Bear Tribe have a strong presence in the area, and squads are a frequent sight both in and around the settlements of Föne base.
Peace reigns between the Bear Tribe and the survivors, and even the Embassy seem to be on friendly terms with them. The Bear Tribe have a secure and stable claim on the area around Föne base for the moment, and enjoy the relative comfort afforded them by this.
As a bit of icing on the cake, The Bear Tribe was able to catch, court-martial and execute the deserter known as Piotr, leader of the newly formed Sons of Rodina.
The Sons of Rodina
The newly formed band of deserters from both STF and the Bear Tribe known as Sons of Rodina, as an homage to the great Motherland they hail from, proved to be quite an effective guerrilla war-band, and where seen as something of local heroes and freedom fighters among the survivors of Föne.
Attempts were made by both STF and Bear Tribe to infiltrate and spy on this new group, to gain valuable tactical advantages. However, since the Sons formed a tight knit group, these infiltrators were quickly found and handled.
According to rumors SOR managed to contact the motherland. If this is true and what consequences it would cause remain unknown, and as of this moment, this does not seem like a major concern to the other military groups, or a source of hope for the Sons.
Due to a lack of resources, the loss of the leader Piotr to court-martial and execution from the Bear Tribe, and no new leader stepping up to fill the role, the Sons of Rodina were disbanded, and the few survivors have joined the civilians and live in the settlement at Föne base.
Some rumors say that as a last act the Sons of Rodina bought the burned church, but if so, who among them owns and operates it now is a mystery.
The infection is spreading
The infected zone is no longer contained to the woods in the south part of the Föne base area, but spreads ever quicker and further into what was before the settlement. After the collapse of the earlier settlements, containment is now a word of the past. The infection can now be described as local, and a single new infected might mean it will keep spreading for months, thus making it self-sustaining.
Survivors in the settlement
The Embassy
The Embassy's goal in 2019 was to establish a stronger position in the area, gain the support of the survivors in the settlement and suppress the amount of enemies. They also wanted to create distance and a buffer zone towards the hostile elements. With this in mind they requested more military support from the Queen which was granted.
With the stronger military presence in the area they managed to keep the enemies of the Queen at bay and by the look of it the SAS force will stay in Föne. Partly to protect the Ambassador but also maintain British sovereignty in the Embassy and help the civilians in the area with supplies and medical help.
Another great success for the Ambassador during May was that Blackbeard surrendered the power struggle for the settlement to the Queen. IRA got shattered and parts of that group swore allegiance to the Queen. Therefore negotiations could start between the Embassy and leaders from various civilian groups on the topic of creating a democratic government at Fönebasen during the summer of 2019.
One interesting development people could see in 2019 was that the ER's neutral position to all factions in the area withered away. At several occasions they rescued the Ambassador from threats, even with the use of guns resulting in the loss of human lives. Is this because of the merger with the Health Authority in 2018, or is it something bigger at play here?
Chimsee Industries
After the Church was burnt down Chimsee Industries managed to aquire it with the intention of rebuilding it, but as a warehouse. They are currently looking at a new possible site to place it after a visit from Mr. Jim.
One of their greater achievements during the spring of 2019 was that they found some kind of flower that they could create a rudimentary "bite kit" with. Hopefully their research that commenced during the summer will show good results. Trials with using the flower to create some kind of gas is undergoing and showing promising results.
A huge setback for the settlement during the spring of 2019 was that the radio broke down. Chimsee Industries sent out many civilians on scavenger missions to gather equipment to get the radio going again. But the few that returned alive didn't have anything to show for it. The goal is still to get it up and running again by the spring of 2020.
Tallbacksgården
The humble owners of Tallbacksgården are still around. This year they got even more visitors which created a new kind of problem for the owners that takes pride in keeping the new era civilized by offering tea, coffee and biscuits to every visitor. But isn't that a small prize to pay to be a nice semi-safe haven from the daily chaos?
Tallbacksgårdens resources has been vital to the settlements survival for two whole years now. And as the population in the settlement grows, discussions about how to expand the farming area has begun. How the plans unfold is still yet to be seen.
Fönebladet
Strangely enough, it took almost three years before the settlement got it's own newspaper. One would think that a newspaper would start before a radio got set up. Fönebladet was much appreciated amongst the population and very helpful to spread information. You can read all their published papers here:
Fönebladet 1-4 (in Swedish).
Blackbeard
After a short cease-fire between the Embassy and the camp of Blackbeard, the conflict seems to be escalating again. Blackbeard believes they were betrayed by the Embassy, and that the cease-fire was only a a diversion to be able to regain and possibly improve the former strength and power of said Embassy.
After fierce fighting, Blackbeard saw no other alternative than to give up on his mission to control and govern the settlement, and for now, it seems like the Embassy is the beacon of hope, and best chance for survival in Föne for the non-military population. How long this will continue is a guess for anyone to make.
After the summary execution of the leader of Sons of Rodina, ex-SOR soldiers have been seen making contact with members of Blackbeards camp, and sources report that they are looking for cooperation with the famous renegade, for the purpose of revenge or possibly as a way to remain semi-freelance in the area.
Some reports also say that Blackbeard has been helped, or is helping, individuals from other groups based in and around Föne, who all act with a hidden agenda. Sightings of frequent visitors to the Blackbeard camp are made from all major factions, and while some of this can be explained as a way to let of some steam or just good old fashioned recon-work, some individuals seem to visit too often to be only that.
Rumors, be they true or false, even suggest that Blackbeard himself has been infected, or even killed, or both killed, infected, and then killed again. The rumors are quickly suppressed when anyone affiliated with Blackbeard is aware of them, but they never quite seem to die out.
Dr. John Van Der Kwast
After years of searching, the mysterious van der Kwast (VDK) was found. Apparently he had simply wandered into Tallbacksgården. When the news spread in the area people from all groups rushed to Tallbacksgården. The Embassy were the ones that got to him first. VDK was brought to the Embassy and interrogated. Not much is known what the Embassy got out of him during this time. But somehow VDK got infected. Lord Charles called in support from the Queen and a helicopter arrived to transport VDK to Gibraltar for further studies.
The Church
As they struggled to spread the Word and enlightenment they unfortunately came across a few enemies which would lead to the ransacking of the Holy building. By the end of the spring the Church was burnt to the ground. But before that they did whatever good they could. Preaching the Good word, helping when possible and gathering relics from former saints. The members of the Church was seen far and wide and very active for a few days in May, but suddenly disappeared.
Nordisec
The local police had a tough time again during the spring and summer of 2019. They faced hordes of infected, gangsters and rouge soldiers. They fought hard to keep the settlement safe and succeeded most of the time. No one seem to blame them for not succeeding all the time, since the scourge of the infected is too damn hard to control.
Their war on terror took them to the Church at one time where civilians and a few soldiers could witness how they eliminated the threat that had taken refuge in the Holy building.
Other significant events
In 2019 a new phenomenon occurred. Many reports and rumors have been about the shadow people. No one really knows who they are, what they want or why they are in Föne, or even if it's real people. They just seem to move around in the shadows, always watching and observing. The interesting part is that they haven't hurt or injured someone, even thought the first reaction. According to some eye witnesses it's just the darkness combined with imagination that creates these people. Others say they are ghosts. Only time will tell what happens regarding the shadow people.
During the summer of 2019 people in the settlement started to talk about a group that no one really has seen, supposedly a group called Frihetsfronten (loosely translated to "The Freedom Front") is in the area. Yet another question no one has an answer to at the moment. The survivors in the area will have to wait and see if this new group announces them selves.