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Post by ncsfsgm on Sept 20, 2021 15:45:27 GMT -6
The C-21 landed with a soft screech of the wheels braking and slowed to turn onto the taxiway. The plane made its way to Hangar #1 and parked, shutting down it's engine. An airman lowered the airstairs and Bill Gillum and a high-ranking military officer got out of the aircraft and walked over to Bill Coleman.
Gillum introduced the two men "Bill, this is General Hogsworth. General, This is Bill Coleman, CEO of Coleman Designs."
Bill shook the General's hand. "Right this way gentlemen."
Bill led them into the hangar to a platform that held the Frogmouth drone.
"Okay, Mr. Coleman, I've read the paper, but tell me, what does this thing do that no other drone does."
"Well General, The Frogmouth has several capabilities that other drones lack. It can go from an active patrol condition to a stationary surveillance system with the click of a mouse button. It has the latest visual and electronic surveillance equipment installed and has a flight time, before automatically returning to home base of 84 hours."
"Eighty-four hours! That's three and a half days!"
"That is, of course, depending on the surveillance status the drone has been in. If the status is purely patrol, then the time is extended. If the drone is in stationary surveillance, then the time is shorter. This is all within a 390 mile radius."
"Can this thing be armed?"
"No. It was designed for surveillance only. (Bill lied.)
"Well, that really isn't such an unusual system then."
"One more thing General. If you will step over here please."
Then men moved over away from the drone and Bill nodded to Brad Collins, who was operating the console.
The drone, with a gust of air, lifted off the platform and moved to the front of the hangar and out the door, then disappeared.
"Where did it go?" General Hogsworth asked.
"Oh, it's still there, right outside the hangar." Bill replied.
Bill nodded to Brad and the drone suddenly appeared. Suddenly, the drone rose above the door opening and disappeared again from sight. Bill led them outside the hangar and the drone could be seen hovering about 75 feet above them. Suddenly, the drone disappeared again, only to appear eye level between them and the runway, six feet above the ground.
"How do you do that?"
"The skin is covered with thousands of tiny cameras and screens. What ever the cameras pick up on the far side of the drone is shown on the screens on the nearside, making it seem the drone has disappeared. We can hover this high enough so the exhaust blast isn't detected and pick up conversations, make videos, even read a book in someone's lap, all of which are transmitted to the operator's console and recorded."
"And these are in production now?"
"We have ten leased to a local security company and are in use as we speak."
"Well, this amazing. Have you listed this on GSA?"
"We don't do GSA because of government regulations. We will only lease this because of security requirements, which are much stricter than the government's. As long as we have control of them, they can't be politicalized and used for partisan reasons. For instance, the FBI has gone political and we will fight to keep it away from them."
"I'll see what I can do. This would be a great tool to have."
"Thank you gentlemen, this has been both interesting and enlightening."
Gillum winked at Bill.
Bill walked with them to the C-21 and watched them board. He stood by the hangar and watched the plane taxi to the runway and take off. Walking back to Hangar #6 Bill grinned.
Cal was working at his computer when he heard Siobhan greet someone at the door. As the footsteps neared his office door, Cal looked up. It was Dawn Bannon.
"What's up?" Cal asked.
Dawn pulled a bunch a bunch of bananas from behind her back and laid them on Cal's desk.
"Our first bananas!" Dawn squealed.
"Well now, it looks like they came right off the ship! How many trees do you have?"
"We've got four but I'd like to do eight. We just don't have the room except to put them in containers."
"So, you're saying you'd like to get another greenhouse?"
"Well, what I'd like to do is move the orange, lemon, lime, banana, and kumquat trees into their own greenhouse, and yes, it would entail building another one."
"Then what's stopping you?"
"Well, I wanted to get your input. Bananas have gone up to $3.00 a pound at Walmart and they have the cheapest around."
"Hey, you're the food lady. Get a greenhouse ordered. I like Banana Pudding."
Cal slipped her a sheet with the specs for the newer furnace.
"Order one of these and use in on the tropical greenhouse. Leave enough room to be able to fill the bin."
Dawn took the sheet and left.
Siobhan stuck her head in the door.
"Do you want some lunch?"
"Sure. Why don't we go down to Casey's. I feel like an Elk Burger."
"I'll get my purse."
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Post by ncsfsgm on Sept 20, 2021 15:48:26 GMT -6
Dan followed the directions and found Shire Hill with no problem. He pulled into the parking area and stopped. Taking his tool kit out of the truck, he went to the door of the house. Before he could reach the door a woman came out.
"Can I help you?"
"Yes Ma'am. Cal Coleman sent me here. He said you were having problems with your motor on the grain auger."
"Yes, follow me."
Dan followed the lady down the path to a new barn, trying to keeps his eyes off her undulating posterior.
"Do you work for a company? I thought Cal had an electrician." Carrie asked.
Dan's eyes snapped up to look at the woman.
"Uh… I started working at HTR about two weeks ago, and I am a licensed electrician."
"Well good. Glad to have you around. My name is Carrie."
"Pleased to meet you. I'm Dan."
They entered the barn and Carrie showed Dan The feeder chute.
"Nothing here to see." Said Dan. "Let me go outside and check at the base of the silo."
Dan quickly found the problem. Unshielded wires, probably once covered with grain dust, were chewed and shorted. The body of a field mouse laying on the ground under the short. Dan replaced the short run of wiring, encased them in a piece of Romex shielding he had in his tool kit and went back inside. He had Carrie draw some feed from the silo… and it worked.
Thank you! And I assure you the horses appreciate it too!" Carrie said.
"No problem. Are there any other electrical issues?" Dan asked.
"No, everything else is working fine."
"Well, I guess I'll be one my way."
"Wait, would you like a cup of coffee before you go?"
"Uh… sure. That would be good." Answered Dan.
Carrie led him to her apartment but Dan hesitated at the door.
Carrie went to the coffee maker and made a fresh pot of coffee.
"Come on in! I'll leave the door open so your dignity is preserved." Carrie said, grinning.
Dan chuckled. "Oh, I think my dignity is safe…for now."
Carrie grinned back at him, eyebrow raised.
Cal ordered the Elk Burger and Siobhan ordered the Breaded Veal cutlets with red potatoes and green beans.
"So, what did Dawn want this morning?" Siobhan asked.
"She needs another greenhouse to move the banana trees and other tropical fruits to it."
"That will be nice to have bananas all year round."
"Not quite. Bananas will only produce once a year, if the temperature is right, then the plant dies. She will have to gather the shoots off the plant to have a new tree."
"Well, at least we'll have bananas some of the time."
"Dawn will make it work."
Sophia was setting their tea on the table when Dec, Maddie, carrying Elisa, and Emilia walked in. Cal waved them over to the Stammtisch. The trio smilingly took seats.
"What's up Cal?" Dec asked.
"Nothing much, just the daily grind. How's everything over your way?"
"Doing well. I was going to stop by and see if you had a steer for sale to fill my freezer."
"Sure, no problem. I've got to send some to the abattoir Monday. I'll just send an extra one and have them wrap it separately."
'I'd appreciate it. Siobhan, that was one hell of a Fall Festival you threw."
"Why thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it. I think everyone had a good time."
"Yes, it's good to get everyone together."
Sophia came over and got the Cunningham's orders and brought back coffee and tea for them.
"Cal, is Diana Conrad still handling your charity funds?"
"Yes, she is"
"I'd like to talk with her." Dec said.
"She should be in this afternoon. Just give her a call."
"I will.
Sophia brought out the meals. The Cunninghams were all having Elk Burgers so it really took no longer to fix Siobhan's meal than the burgers.
"I love these things!" Dec said.
Cal grinned. So do I!"
They ate their meal as The women talked woman things and Cal and Dec talked about ranching and mining.
Cal picked up the bill, but Dec left Sophia a big tip. As they left the restaurant, Dec turned to Cal.
"Let me know when to pick up the meat and I'll pay you."
"No problem. Hey, don't forget I have a helicopter mechanic, was well as a future son-in-law, at the Ranch if you have any problems."
"I won't forget. I'll talk to you later."
"See ya Dec."
Cal watched as Ernesto and Eduardo ran the soybeans through the oil press. Once this batch of bio-diesel was processed it would be enough to top off the 20,000 gallon farm tank. The winter months gave them time to replenish what they had used from Spring to Fall. Also, this time of year was when they inspected all the ranch vehicles and did repairs as needed. When they started transferring the oil to the vats, Cal left and went up to the building they had built to store the antique equipment. Joshua had already gotten many of the implements ready for use. One of the smaller steam engines were down at the coke mine ready to power the jaw crusher. There were a lot of single-horse plows and implements that they may never use, but would make good barter items at some time.
Cal went back toward the house and saw Joshua handing hardwood up to Odell at the charcoal kiln. He pulled over and got out. Odell was handing the wood down to Ben, who was placing the wood in the kiln.
Joshua, taking an old propane tank, had built a better charcoal kiln for Ben. Ben split the profits with Odell and they had a lucrative little business going. They sold it at the General Store and the farmer's market. Any charcoal used by Ranch members was free. Each kiln load could produce 150 bags of charcoal. It was dirty work, but Ben and Odell like to be producing something. Their being able to sale it was icing on the cake.
"Hey Cal! Need some charcoal?"
"Not today Joshua. I've never seen the process here."
Joshua had built a frame that allowed the whole kiln drum to be tilted and the charcoal dumped out when everything had cooled down. It amazed Cal. People had been making charcoal the same way for thousands of years, Only the building techniques of the kilns changed.
Cal went back to his truck and headed for the house. As he pulled to a stop at the garage, he radio broke squelch.
"Cal, someone tried to attack Dec's house. He's got two dead and one wounded."
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Post by kiwibutterfly on Sept 20, 2021 16:47:29 GMT -6
Thankyou
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Post by gipsy on Sept 20, 2021 17:12:45 GMT -6
Cool. Looking forward to another great read
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Post by cavsgt on Sept 20, 2021 17:55:00 GMT -6
Thank You for going back to work to keep us satisfied. Seriously we really appreciate all of your work and time spent on the stories.
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Post by NCWEBNUT on Sept 20, 2021 18:03:48 GMT -6
I'm so glad to see this fine story continue
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Post by udwe on Sept 20, 2021 21:11:22 GMT -6
Thank you, thank you, thank you. So glad you're keeping this story going!
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Post by paulk on Sept 21, 2021 20:10:44 GMT -6
Thank you again for your efforts. Your story really draws in the reader.
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dannab1
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Posts: 21
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Post by dannab1 on Sept 22, 2021 6:59:20 GMT -6
Woohoo!! You are continuing the story. Thanks!!
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Post by ncsfsgm on Sept 22, 2021 14:50:22 GMT -6
"Get a kitted team over there NOW! I'll get drones in the air and bring the armed S-70.
His next call was to Craig to get the S-70 armed and ready. Quickly dialing the clinic, he notified them they needed the ambulance at Dec's place but there might be some shooting going on so not to get too close until they gave them the all clear. Cal then called Bill and told him what was going. Billy said he'd meet him at Hangar #1.
Cal and the S-70 arrived just a Andy and his team did. Billy was on the M134 prepared to give covering fire as the helicopter maneuvered around the homestead. Craig pointed out a couple of bodies lying near the wood shed.
"Dec, you on the air?"
"Yeah, Cal. Everything is secure down here, come on in."
Cal watched Andy's team move out and secured the perimeter.
Craig set the helicopter down to let Cal out, but quickly lifted off again.
Jogging over to Dec, Cal's eyes were in constant motion, watching for any signs of danger.
"What happened Dec?"
"These men drove up, got out of their truck and started shooting. I wounded one with my pistol and Emilia nailed two from the kitchen."
Craig must have called the ambulance team and notified them it was clear to approach because it was tearing up the drive.
"Where's the wounded guy? Cal asked.
"Over by their truck. I've got him zip-tied."
Cal waved at Ted and Carla, motioning them over to the Dodge Ram pickup.
Andy or Dec had called the Sheriff and they were pulling in with lights flashing.
"Hey Cal, what happened?"
"Hello Rick. You need to talk to Dec."
Dec gave Deputy Cleaver his statement of what happened. The Deputy checked to bodies out and called crime scene investigators to come out.
"Dec, Cal, you two know these guys?"
"Cal shook his head and Dec said he'd never seen them.
"Their I.D. says they are from Castle Valley."
"I don't know Rick. All I know is they got out of the truck shooting. If it hadn't been for Emilia, I would have been toast."
"Dec, where's Maddie?" Cal asked.
"Emilia sent her and the baby to the shelter as soon as the shooting started, part of our EAP."
Ted came over to the group of men.
"Rick, the patient is stable. He's got a broken clavicle but he's stabilized."
"Ted can you hold off taking him in? I want him escorted. There's more Deputies on the way."
"No problem Rick. I'll be with the patient."
Two more Sheriff's cars pulled up the drive accompanied with the crime scene investigator's van.
"Dec, you need us here anymore?" Cal asked.
"No, I appreciate you all coming."
"Give us a call if you need anything."
"Will do. Thanks again Cal."
Cal called Andy and told him to send the rest of the men back but to coordinate with the crime scene investigators on the positions he men held on the security perimeter to make sure any signs that were left were not attributed to the perps. He then called Craig and told him he'd meet them at the helipad.
Cal called a meeting of the Rancher's Association for that evening at the Community Center.
Cal and Siobhan were there early and they weren't the only ones. Word had spread quickly and people were curious, some afraid, of what went on that day.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, I suppose we can get started. We couldn't fill many more people in here anyway."
"Today, there was an attempted home invasion at Dec Cunningham's homestead. Three men drove up in a truck and without warning, began firing at Dec. The Sheriff's Department is still investigating. Initial investigation showed the men were from Castle Valley, Utah. Either the Mormons are going bad on us or we have criminal elements filtering in."
"What can we do Cal?"
"Jeb, we live in a land filled with dangers. You never know when you are going to run into a snake, both no and two-legged. Everyone on my Ranch is never outside arm's reach of a weapon. Dec was caught out, but he had his pistol and his sister had a rifle close by. If you call us, we will be there as quick as we can, but you're going to have to hold them off until we can get there. Just keep your eyes and ears open. This isn't the first incident in the county of something like this happening.
With the progressives in power in Washington, this country could go into a slow death spiral, you have to get prepared for things to crash and burn. There's no telling when it could come, but you better be prepared. We are in an advantageous situation because we are isolated out here. That doesn't mean people, and it will usually be low-lifes, will come looking for food and anything else they want once they've raped the cities.
Anyway, if it gets bad enough we’ll be living in a system where only the strong will have a chance. We will be isolated from the major population centers, because no one will have to fuel to go anywhere, except the criminals who are more than willing to kill for what they want.. We’ve built and prepared for just such an eventually. The biggest shortage will be food, which we’ll still be able to produce. So the Ranch and our neighbors will be able to survive. If everything else fails, we'll still be able to maintain our lifestyles. If we can live through the next year or so after an event, and maintain security, we’ll make it."
"Cal, several of the women want to take their children into Grand Junction for the Craft Fair Saturday. Would it be possible to use a couple of the busses?"
Cal turned to Siobhan. "Is Kathy on board with this?"
"Yes, she wants to go too, to pick out Christmas and Thanksgiving decorations for the school."
"I can drive one of the busses, you have another driver?"
"Kathy said Bill would drive one."
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Post by ncsfsgm on Sept 22, 2021 14:58:29 GMT -6
Saturday morning the two busses arrived at the Convention Center. The parking lot was already filling up, showing a good crowd. Each family had their radios with them and they coordinated their meeting places during the morning. Siobhan wanted to look at Thanksgiving themed crafts and decorations first so she led the way.
"Sir, may I have a moment of your time?"
Congressional candidate Al Baxter was touring the craft fair trying to drum up supporters for his race against a formidable Conservative. Two television crews from local stations were following him and his entourage around when they saw Baxter head for a man and woman escorting their children around looking at Christmas ornaments.
One of the cameramen nudged the reporter he was with and said, "That's Cal Coleman! Make sure your recorder is on and get closer. The peanut butter is about to hit the fan!"
Baxter strode up to Cal with a demeanor of importance and grabbed his hand.
A surprised Cal jerked his hand back. "Can I help you Mr. …?"
"My name is Al Baxter and I'm running for the Congressional seat in the 3rd District. I plan to increase the efforts to reduce poverty and bring our district under an umbrella of enlightenment."
Cal looked at the man and shook his head.
"Mr, Baxter, may I call you Al?"
"Well Al, not many years ago, you came from California. Any sane person would have believed you left your progressive ideas back there and made a fresh start, seeing what those ideas have done to that state.. But after viewing your political advertisements and listening what you want to do to Colorado, nothing has really changed for you. You just want to import reckless progressive policies to this state. It won't be long before the people will see through your 'enlightenment' for what it really is, nothing more than whitewashed socialist propaganda."
"Really Sir….."
"No, Mr. Baxter. We need you in political office like I need a poke in the eye, and I'd gladly take a poke in the eye first. We need fewer progressives in government, not more. Take a look around. People are leaving Blue states in mass. Why? Bothersome, asinine, regulations, excessive taxes, rising crime rates, voting fraud.….all brought on by progressive mandates and shenanigans. The biggest cities with the biggest problems are practically all run by Democrats. No, our country is too precious to allow your ilk into higher levels of government. It is bad enough our government gives lavish free food and money to layabouts who depend on their stipends to buy their drugs and fancy nail treatments. What our government has done is bred generations of people who won't contribute to the betterment of this country and ensured those leeches can be depended upon to vote for those politicians who will feed the wolf of mediocrity."
"Sir, I assure I…"
"Mr. Baxter, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. I'm sure, in your own way, you want to make this country a better place to live. Do everyone a big favor. As a civilian, get an education and jobs program started to lift people out of poverty without another government program paid for those who work hard every day. Don't just feed a starving, lazy lion that will someday eat you alive."
"That just put a big dent in Baxter's campaign," the cameraman whispered.
Tucker came on the screen laughing.
"For our viewers out there, we've got this clip that comes from our affiliate, KFQX in Grand Junction, Colorado. Now the people in this video are Congressional Candidate Al Baxter and a local business man, Cal Coleman. Mr. Coleman caused a big stir a year or so ago with statements that rang true for millions of viewers. Well, he has done it again. This video has gone viral and the discourse is a huge slap in the face for progressives. Watch this…."
When the video was finished, Tucker came back.
"Now, you can expect a lot of counter talk to this, maybe even some lawsuits, because we know the progressives to be a litigious group willing to sue for the least infraction of their socialist agenda. I contacted Mr. Coleman and he declined to make an on-air statement because he wanted to have a cheerful holiday season. He did say, as you saw in the video, Mr. Baxter approached Mr. Coleman first and Mr. Coleman dressed Mr. Baxter down. Ah, the things that make the heart sing!"
Andy was laughing. "You can't even go to something as uninvolved as a Craft Fair without slam-dunking one of the progressive darlings!"
Cal grinned. "Hey, target of opportunity."
"Well, Adam has four stationary drones watching main points on the Ranch. Any movement and the drone zeros in on it. No one is going to get close, night or day, without us knowing about it in plenty of time."
"Good. Any more on the human trafficking business?"
"Homeland Security is working it but they're getting political pressure to curtail the investigation and focus on civil rights violations."
""What the hell do they think human trafficking is? Something doesn't smell right. Have Jeannie check on it."
"Done. Andy said.
Joshua stood and looked out to door to the forge at Odell and Ben breaking up the charcoal with axes and bagging it. They were both dressed up in Tyvek coveralls with hoods, cuffs and legs taped and rubber gloves. They both had on goggles and face masks, but when they finished, they would still look like participants in a minstrel show. As they finished filling and stapling the last bag, Joshua brought both out Klean Kanteen bottles of water.
"Job well done, guys." Joshua said.
"Ben pulled his goggles and mask off, removed his gloves, and pulled back the hood.
"Yeah, but I want to do one more kiln before Thanksgiving."
"Well, I'm not starting on the baler until tomorrow, so we could fill it this afternoon."
"Yeah, let's do that. We can fill it this afternoon, but I won't fire it up until tomorrow. I don't know how long this weather is going to hold. The Almanac say's we'll snow between Thanksgiving and Christmas."
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Post by ncsfsgm on Sept 22, 2021 15:03:55 GMT -6
Gale got out of the chair next to the fire pit and stretched. There was an audible pop as she reached the limits of her stretch.
"That's it. Take me to dinner, now." She told Chase.
Chase looked up at her. "I've got hotdogs and buns inside. We could roast them on the fire."
"No, I want some of Clift's Bison Stew."
Chase grinned and stretched. "I don't know. Seems like a long way to go just for a bowl of stew."
"Oh hush! You know you love that stew!"
"I do love it, but I might need more incentive to get away from this fire."
Gale sauntered over to him, grabbed him by the ears and soundly kissed him. When she broke the kiss, Gale kept hold of his ears and looked into his eyes.
"I'm hungry."
"Yes Ma'am."
"Cal, I got in the parkas from RefrigiWear."
"Okay, Charlie. Get them sorted and message everyone to come pick them up."
"WILCO."
"Oh, Charlie? Darryl is coming by to pick up ten gallons of molasses. Go ahead and order two more 5-gallon pails."
"Will do."
"Cal. Come to the Monitoring Room ASAP."
"On my way."
Cal got to the room and walked over to the monitor desk.
"What do you have Vernon?" Cal asked.
At that time Andy came in.
"I picked this up about 15 minutes ago."
Vernon ran a tape showing a vehicle pulling off a road onto a trail and going in about 200 meters. Two men took something out of back of the truck and carried into the brush. The IR video wasn't all that clear. They men were out of sight for about twenty minutes and reappeared and reversed their route in.
"Get me some printed pictures showing the coordinates Where is this exactly?"
"On A 2/10ths road, just past where the BLM keeps their gravel pile." Vernon answered.
"Andy, notify the Sheriff's Department and tell them they should bring a cadaver dog. I don't have a good feeling about this. Get another guy and kit up. Take NODs also. We'll take the S-70."
"Vernon, in the future, lock the drone in on the suspect vehicle and let the drone follow the vehicle."
"WILCO."
Cal called Craig and Ken and told them to get the S-70 ready.
Ken flew the helicopter around the site and not detecting anything on IR, landed and let the men out. Cal, Andy and Dave checked the trail out. It was powdery so there may not b any tire imprints that could be discerned. They decided to wait until the Sheriff's Department arrived and stayed by the road.
When the Sheriff's Deputies arrived. Earl was with them.
"Hey Cal. What's up?"
Cal told him what they had observed on the drone film and what they found when they got there.
"Can you get us to the location without traveling the trail?"
"Sure Earl."
The Deputy with the cadaver dog walked behind Andy as he led the group. "The site should be within 30 feet of here." Andy said.
The Deputy stared walking around in a spiral path until the dog alerted.
"I've got something here."
Everyone turned their lights on the area and saw the soil had been disturbed.
"Randy, we need the crime people up here." Earl said."
"I'll go back and lead them in." Dave said.
Cal, Andy and Dave watched as the crime scene investigators carefully dug in the soil. Soon, a piece of black plastic showed and they carefully removed enough soil to cut a long slit in the plastic.
It was covering a body. "We're going to need the coroner out here." Earl said. "We can send the helicopter in to pick him up at the Department." Cal offered.
"Good, I'll give him a call and have him meet them there."
"Cal, this is not far from where the van was burned." Earl said.
"Yeah. This place has become a dumping ground for someone."
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Post by sniper69 on Sept 22, 2021 15:29:27 GMT -6
Thank you for the latest chapters. I'm hooked and enjoying your latest story.
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Post by cavsgt on Sept 22, 2021 19:28:31 GMT -6
Love this story and can not get enough of it.
THANK YOU Phill
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Post by udwe on Sept 22, 2021 20:23:46 GMT -6
Thank you!
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Post by gipsy on Sept 23, 2021 8:52:09 GMT -6
Thanks for the update
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Post by paulk on Sept 23, 2021 11:55:41 GMT -6
And it just keeps getting better!
Thank you for your hard work and God for your talent.
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Post by ncsfsgm on Sept 24, 2021 6:28:35 GMT -6
"What's on your agenda today?" Cal asked as he poured his coffee.
"Well, after kids go to school Mary, Sandy and I are going down to the Production House and make waxed cord.."
Cal looked at her like a hog at a wristwatch, causing her to giggle.
There's all that beeswax in boxes down at the Production House they've saved after extracting the honey from the combs. Waxed cordage is always good to have around. Charlie found us a bunch of plastic wire spools on Etsy and Joshua built us a metal box to heat the wax blocks in. You need to see it. It's neat!"
Cal nodded. "I'll come look at your little enterprise."
After the bus left, Cal went with Siobhan to the Production House to see what the ladies' had up their sleeves. When he saw the Rube Goldberg contraption, It was simple genius. Joshua had constructed, from what looked like a military ammo can, a vessel to heat the wax in. A single dowel, screwed into a plywood board held a spool of 16-ply Butcher's twine that they had cases of. He didn't know at the time what he would do with the 150 cases of twine he'd bought at an auction of warehouse contents, but the ladies had found a use for it.
The twine would come off the spool, up through a guide, down into another two guides under the melted wax and back up through a piece of thick rubber that would squeegee the excess wax from the twine. As the twine came through the rubber, it was cooled by a pair of 12-volt computer fans before being rolled onto an empty spool contraption built from a fishing spool winder, evenly distributing the waxed cord on the spool. It looked like each of the spools would hold about 25 yards of cord. The whole contraption was built on what looked like a utility cart and could be wheeled away and stored until it was needed again.
"This is amazing! Who would have thought! Cal exclaimed.
Cal watched as the women did a couple of spools of waxed cord. It was quite simple. One person would crank the fishing spool winder which pulled the twine off the spool of twine, came through the wax and rolled onto the waxed cord spool. It took less than a minute to fill the spool and another empty spool was put in place.
"How many spools do you do?"
"Oh, we keep doing this until we're ready for a cup of coffee." Mary grinned.
"We'll do a case of empty spools and give them back to Charlie to put into inventory. Everyone keeps a spool at their homes." Sandy said.
"Do you use all the wax for this?" Cal asked.
"Oh no!." Siobhan said. "The blocks of wax we have left are boxed up and sent to supply."
"Ladies, I have another project for you. We've got about 300 sets of white single sheets in supply. I need 10 each small, medium, large, and extra large baggy smocks and pants for snow camouflage."
"Well, you get to be one of the dress dummies to size them." Siobhan said.
"Gladly. Just let me know when you need me."
Cal left the ladies to their work (mostly coffee drinking) and headed to the forge. Joshua and the guys were busy stripping down the baler.
"How's it going guys?"
"Hey Cal! Good Morning! Oh, we're getting this baler ready."
"It looks like it's in pretty good condition."
"Yeah it is. The trick will be changing this from a wire baler to a twine baler. I'll have to do a little reconfiguring but I can do it. I looked over our PTO driven square baler and already figured out how to do it."
"Good. Looks like it's going to be a lot of work though."
"Not too bad. The boys will have this thing down to nuts and bolts in no time."
Cal's radio toned with a call from Andy.
"Cal, can you come down to my office."
"On my way."
When Cal got to the Facility, Matt was there with Andy.
"What's going on?"
"Cal, Matt and I have been going over the drone surveillance system and come up with an idea."
Andy walked over to a map and rolled down an overlay.
"If we put in cameras at these points on the mesa, we can cover all vehicle access areas to the Ranch. If we use the current technologies, the camera can lock onto movement, track the intruder and give us instant location data. As you can see, with overlapping coverage, we've got the whole Ranch covered except for some dead zones. We can put in extra cameras to cover the most critical areas."
"So? What is the downside?"
"Costs. The lenses for the cameras alone are $8,000 each."
"Andy…Matt, do you think Ellen and Andrea are worth $8,000?"
"Of course!"
"Well, get it done. Andy, find me some more Monitoring Room vets. Even a four hour shift will make you buggy. I'd like the shifts to be four hours on, with one hour overlap, and two days off."
"Roger that, Cal!"
Cal left the Facility and went to check on something that had been lingering in the back of his mind.
He walked into the school and went straight to Kathy's office.
"Hi Debby, is Kathy busy?"
"She's in with the three new teachers right now. Would you like some coffee.?"
"Sure, just black."
"So, How are you and Mack doing?"
"We're doing great Cal. Mack loves working with Nick and of course I love my job here."
"Great! How are the kids doing?"
"Cal they are doing great. I wish I had a school like this to go to when I was young. I would never have believed how well the kids are learning. Much better than in the public schools."
The door to Kathy's office opened and Kathy escorted two women and a young man through the door.
"Oh, Cal! I'd like you to meet our three newest teachers. This is Angie McArthur, Jim Hamilton, and Dianna Chambers."
"Pleased to meet you," Cal said, as he shook their hands.
"Debby, would you take our new teachers to the conference area and get them ready for orientation?"
"Sure. Follow me please."
"Kathy, I need just a moment of you time. I know you are busy."
"Sure Cal. How can I help you?"
McKella Hendrix. How is she doing?"
"Cal, she's doing great. It is hard to tell anything had ever been wrong with her. She's very intelligent and is a bright spot in everyone's day.
"That's good to hear. Now, I'll let you get back to work. I was just curious."
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Post by ncsfsgm on Sept 24, 2021 6:38:31 GMT -6
Cal went out to his truck and drove to the Hendrix ranch. When he pulled up to the house, a Beagle came off the porch and barked loudly at Cal. Jenny came to the door, a big grin on her face.
"Hey Cal!"
"Hey Jenny. Is Brad around?"
She shaded her eyes and looked toward the barn.
"He was working down at the barn on one of the stalls."
"I'll walk down."
When Cal got nearer to the barn, he heard the sound of hammering.
"Good morning Brad."
"Cal! How are you doing?"
"I'm fine Brad. How are you doing?"
"We're doing great. What brings you around."
"Brad, there's been a couple of bad things happening. I'm afraid some of the more isolated ranches may see trouble in the future. I was wondering how you were fixed for weapons."
"I've got my 30-30 and a .38 revolver."
"That might get you by, but I'd like to see you better equipped."
"Cal, I just can't afford any better right now."
"Listen, if you've got time, why don't you and Jenny come over and let me show you some things."
"Sure, I guess. Tomorrow morning okay, after the bus picks up McKella?"
"That will be fine. I'll see you two tomorrow. We'll have lunch too."
The next morning Brad and Jenny showed up at the house. Siobhan invited them in and poured coffee. Call came into the kitchen from his study to greet them.
"Good Morning guys!"
"Morning, Cal." They both replied.
"Listen, during the last month, there has been an uptick in crime in the county. Most of it in the rural areas. I want to make sure you two are covered when it comes to weapons."
"Brad has been letting me shoot the rifle and the pistol." Jenny said.
"That's good." Cal said. "But let's see about getting you a little better outfitted."
Cal led them into his study and opened the concealed door to the Shelter.
"What is this!?!" Brad asked.
"Brad, we've done some excavating over the years to build a shelter from disasters. Your family has a place here also, if you want."
Cal led them down to the Armory and walked in as Del was laying equipment on a long table.
"Del, this is Brad and Jenny Hendrix. What can we do for them?"
"Well, I have two Colt AR-15 A4 with 20" barrels, 20 mags each, vests, two Kimber Home Guard 9mm with holsters and 8 mags, and two Kimber 1911 Stainless II in 9mm with 8 mags and vest holster. Over here is 5,000 rounds of 9mm and 10,000 5.56."
Brad and Jenny's eyes went large as they viewed the items laying on the table.
"Cal, we can't afford this!" Brad said.
"You can't afford to not have it. This is my contribution to the security of the people in this part of the county. Now, you ready to try them out?"
Jenny's eyes gleamed. "Yes!"
Cal got an EV and they loaded everything and drove out through the Maintenance Bay. On the way, Cal called Jim to meet them at the range. They parked next to the picnic tables and laid everything out on the table. Carl came over to assist Jim and Cal backed away for the two to take over training.
"Brad, Jenny, Jim and Carl are going to train you on everything you need to know. By the end of the week, you'll be able to get a CCW. I'll be back at 12:00 to take you to lunch."
Sylvio and the farm crew , now finished with the after season maintenance on the farm equipment, augmented the workers in the greenhouses as needed. Sylvio made sure they were busy each day. But today, he had them hauling the pressed 1.5 pound soybean meal cakes to the different barns. Cal had purchased a 20,000 liter drawbar fuel tanker and Ernesto and Eduardo were determined to fill it up with bio-diesel before the weather got bad. The pressed soybean cakes were fed to the horses and cattle for extra protein. Tomorrow, they would begin constructing a pole shelter over the trailer to keep it out of the weather.
"Hey Cal? You interested in a mostly, trailer load of food grade salt?"
"What do you meanly a 'mostly trailer load', Charlie?"
"Truck accident on 70. Tow company says the insurance company is writing it off. They want $5.00 a 25-pound bag. I checked. It's Morton's iodized and it normally goes for around $11.00 a bag."
"Grab it and let me know where it is. I'll send Sylvio and has men to get it."
"Roger."
Cal, was back at the range to take Brad and Jenny to lunch at the house. Siobhan had fried up some Flounder fillets with hushpuppies, baked potato and Cole slaw.
"How's your training going?" Cal asked.
"It's going great! We get to shoot this afternoon!" Jenny said.
"They are through with the classroom training already?"
"Oh, we've been studying for the CCW before today. When Jim found that out, he gave us the written test. Brad missed one question."
"Rub it in, Miss Perfect!" Brad said, grinning.
"Make sure you pay particular attention to the disassembly and assembly of your weapons after firing today. A clean weapon won't let you down." Cal said.
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Post by ncsfsgm on Sept 24, 2021 6:47:31 GMT -6
Cal got them back to the range by 1:00 to do their shooting. He stayed and watched their required shooting and was surprised how well Jenny was doing. He wouldn't want to face her down on a dark night. Brad wasn't bad either with the new Kimber. He just needed to practice a little more. When they were done, Jim took them into the Range House and showed them how to disassemble and clean their weapons. When Jim was satisfied with their cleaning and assembly, Cal helped them load their gear on the EV and drove them back to their truck.
"Well, Jenny, what do you think about the training?" Cal asked.
"I have more confidence now, but I want to practice more too."
"That's good. You may be faced with a situation where you might have to shoot an unwelcome visitor to your ranch. You can't hesitate if you are in a threatening situation. Just remember, you are protecting your family. Always keep your weapon nearby. Brad, I recommend you always wear your pistol, and if you're going to the barn or away from the house, keep your long gun near."
"Cal, we don't know how to thank you." Jenny said.
"Bad times are down the road. I want my friends and neighbors to be safe."
Brad and Jenny loaded their gear in their truck and went down to the school to pick McKella up. Siobhan invited Jenny back to looked at their assigned shelter quarters and help her get them set up.
"You're sure that thing is not going to blow me to hell and back?" Paul said.
"I'm positive. That was just a little programming glitch, and besides, we're using ball ammo. It doesn't go 'BOOM.' Go ahead, it will build your confidence. Just drive the lane and I'll buy you a Tomahawk steak at Casey's." Bill said, waggishly.
Paul gave Bill a doubtful glance, put on the communications headset, then the ballistic helmet and climbed into the up-armored Humvee. Taped on the console was the target speeds he was to drive during the test.
When Paul was in position at the test lane, Brad Collins activated the Frogmouth and flew it in a big arc to the southwest and tapped the acquisition mode key and brought it back to the range. Paul began towing the target wagon with the 6 x 6 target behind the Humvee down the 500 meter lane at 25 kph. Brad aligned the crosshairs and programmed the targeting computer for 3 rounds. At 1000 meters, the drone fired the series of shots and Brad locked the system into safe. Bill called Paul back to their location to inspect the target.
When Paul pulled up and got out, they all went to look at the target.
"Well, looks like you missed two of the shots, Brad." Paul said.
Brad looked closer and took a .50 caliber bullet out of his pocket.
"Watch this, Tonto." Brad said.
Brad slid the bullet into the hole in the 10-ring of the target and the hole was slighted elongated in two areas on the right side of the hole.
"All three bullets went through practically the same hole." Brad grinned.
"Holy crap!" Phil said. "It worked!"
"Okay, tomorrow is supposed to be overcast and windy. I want to do the towed vehicle test and use the Paineaalto rounds that Gillum got us."
"Well, I think that does it. Let's get this thing painted and back together and give her a try." Joshua said.
Two days later, Odell was tearing bales of hay apart while Ben and Joshua were getting the hit and miss engine into place and attaching the drive belt. When everything was ready, Ben attached the crank handle to the flywheel and gave it a full turn and the engine started. Odell began feeding hay into the hopper and the baler began packing the bales. When the first bale was pushed out of the chute, they stopped the hit and miss.
Joshua inspected the bale and found it a bit loose. He made some adjustments and Ben started the engine again. When they had rebaled the four hay bales they had torn apart, and after a few more adjustments, Joshua, was finally satisfied.
Joshua called Cal and Sylvio to the forge to demonstrate the baler. After rebaling the bales again for their demonstration, Ben shut down the engine.
"Sylvio, we need to get your men trained on this. Joshua, can you move this setup down under they hay shed and run some classes for the men?"
"Sure, no problem."
"Sylvio, set up a time for the men to get trained and let Joshua know. Once they've had familiarization training, park the combine in the equipment barn."
The wind was blowing around 12 kph when the drone took off, It was totally invisible against the gray overcast. This time, Burke drove the Humvee towing a 1982 Buick Riviera using 75 foot crossed tow cables. Bill had Brad load only two rounds into the drone's magazine, a round of ball and a round of Paineaalto.
"Brad, I want you to hit the right front wheel with the ball and take out the passenger area with the Paineaalto." Bill said.
"Roger."
Burke was given the go-ahead to begin towing while Brad staged the drone about 1000 meters away. Ten seconds later that was a loud BANG as the first round took out the right-front wheel on the Buick. Five seconds later the middle of the car disintegrated.
"Jesus…."
"Where was your aiming point Brad?" Bill asked.
"Center post, just below glass level."
Instead of having Burke drag the hulk back up to them, they jumped into their trucks and went down to survey the damage.
"…. no one could live through that!"
"Keep that in mind." Bill said. "This is definitely a 'special situation' round."
Phil brought down the flat-bed car hauler and loaded the car onto it, headed for the car crusher in town.
Cal was driving back from Shire Hill when he noticed some trees on top of the mesa he hadn't seen before. Curious, when he got home, he took the elevator to the top of the mesa and found Matt, Jerry and Barry installing cameras. The trees were fake, but you could only tell when you got up close.
"Hey, Cal." Barry said.
"I thought I was going crazy, seeing trees where there weren't any before." Cal said.
"Well, we hope no one else knows this area like you do. We'll set a few of these Juniper and Piñon Pines out to make it look more natural.
"Okay. Well, I'll let you keep doing whatever you're doing."
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Post by frankie on Sept 24, 2021 7:54:55 GMT -6
I'm so glad to see this story continue. Thank you
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Post by gipsy on Sept 24, 2021 8:21:40 GMT -6
Nice update. Thanks.
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Post by paulk on Sept 24, 2021 23:18:29 GMT -6
Thanks again and again.
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Post by udwe on Sept 25, 2021 6:09:24 GMT -6
Thank you, love this story!
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Post by ncsfsgm on Sept 25, 2021 18:27:00 GMT -6
"Are you going with me to pick up the Thanksgiving supplies?"
"Yes Dear. What time do you want to leave?"
"After the kids get on the bus. Our Sam's membership will let us in early."
"How many turkeys are we picking up this year?"
"I think we'd better go with 12. There wasn't very much left last year, and you'd better smoke 3 this year."
"Who's going to cook all the others?"
"I'm cooking two, Mary, Sandy, Dawn, Becky, Maggie, Aggie, Merced, and Margarita are cooking the others. The rest of the women are doing the mashed potatoes, green vegetables, pies and breads."
"Do you want me to do a couple of pheasants again?"
"Yeah, everybody seemed to like them."
Cal helped Siobhan get the kids fed and ready for school. He went out to warm the Suburban up while they waited for the bus to arrive. Siobhan escorted the kids out and watched as each boarded and waved to them as the bus pulled away.
"Cal, did you set aside the Prime Rib Roasts for Christmas?"
"Sure did. I have two dry-aged roasts just waiting for your epicurean skills."
"Nope! You're cooking them this year. I like your skills at cooking Prime Rib better than mine."
"CAL LOOK!"
Ahead of them on a pull-off, a man had a woman by the wrist and was slapping her. Cal quickly pulled off the road and ran toward the two, yelling at the man to stop. The man threw the woman to the ground and reached into his waist band and pulled out a pistol. Cal didn't hesitate. He shot him. Cal ran over to him and kicked the gun away and yelled at Siobhan, "Call 911 and get an ambulance!"
The man was unconscious so Cal went over to the woman.
"Ma'am, are you all right?"
"Yes, yes, thank you."
"Who is that man?"
Cal heard a noise coming from the panel van they were next to so Cal quickly pulled his pistol again. He quickly opened the door to face two younger girls.
"Ma'am are these girls with you?"
"They force us. They take us to different places and force us to sleep with men and women."
The man groaned causing Cal to quickly turn and pointed his Glock at the man's head, a hair from putting a bullet into him.
"SIOBHAN! BRING ME A PAIR OF FLEX CUFFS FROM MY KIT BAG BEHIND THE SEAT!"
Siobhan quickly brought the cuffs and two combat bandages. Cal cuffed the man and only applied one of the bandages. It wasn't a through and through wound. A Sheriff's Deputy soon pulled up, followed by an ambulance.
"What happened Cal?" Deputy Carson asked.
Cal told him what they observed and what had happened when he tried to stop the man's abuse. Two more Deputies drove up and started roping off the area with crime scene tape. Deputy Carson called for a female Deputy to escort the three young women back to Grand Junction. The ambulance crew loaded the patient into the ambulance and a Deputy accompanied then to Saint Mary's Hospital. Then Earl showed up.
"Do you have to shoot all the criminals you come up on Cal?"
"That's not funny Earl. You need to look heavily into this. The woman who was being beaten said the man was forcing her and those girls to have sex with men and women in different towns. This may be a lead on the human trafficking thing."
"Carson, make sure Dickerson stays with the prisoner until he's relieved. Thanks Cal. This may be the break we need."
"Well, I've got Siobhan waiting. I'll stop by and give you my written statement."
"Okay Cal. I'll see you later."
Cal got a flat-bed cart and went immediately to the meat section in Sam's and requested twelve 17 to 20 pound turkeys. The workers boxed the turkeys up and Siobhan picked out 8 hams and added them to the cart. She grabbed restaurant size bottles of sage and black peppercorns also. After loading everything into the back of the truck, they drove over to the Sheriff's Department to give his statement. Earl came in just as he finished.
"All three of those girls, and I do mean girls…the oldest is only 17, are listed as missing persons. One is from Arizona, one from Nevada and one from Oregon."
Cal shook his head. "I was afraid of that. I hope you've somewhere safe to keep them. Those people don't seem to be adverse to killing people."
"As a matter of fact, I know the safest place in the county." Earl said, staring at Cal.
Cal looked at Siobhan, who grinned back at him.
"Wait! You want US to take them in?"
"Only until we can notify their families."
Cal looked back at Siobhan, who nodded."
"Okay. When you're finished with them, bring them on out."
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