[Mohoender]

Sault Sainte Marie, Ontario

Now know locally as the "Free City of Sault Ste Marie", and protected by a group made up of militia members, civilians, and with support from both the MilGov, CivGov, and Canadian forces. The "Sault Militia" started up in late 1997on both sides of the Saint Mary River, and by early 1998 it was fairly well-organized, even if it lacked equipment. Despite the lack of heavy weapons in large part and lack of uniformity the Sault Militia is probably one of the best militia in both US and Canada. The twin city councils formed the Joint City Council and almost immediately took over the running of Chippewa County, too. The Sault Militia has also received numerous C-7s and M-16A2s from the US and Canadian Governments in 1999 just after it declared itself a "Free City". Personnel from the Canadian Military Engineer keep the Soo Locks operating and the Saint Mary River free for navigation. By late 1999, most of the eastern UP under the control of the Free City with several detachment of militia in the communities, this also means the Free City had to take over basic services and policing in these communities too. To this extent the Sheriff Departments of Chippewa, Luce, and Mackinaw Counties along with the four Michigan State Police Posts, the Ontario Provincial Police Post and the City Police have been formed along with several ex-Prison Guards into a Military Police organization that handles internal security operation in the Sault and other communities and keeps one prison in operation in Kinross.

In the city and in the immediate area power is still supplied by the Sault Edison plant. Also the Soo Line railroad that travels through the Sault and Eastern UP is still in operating order, but on a limited basis. The Sault City Council also has two tug/barge outfits that can move supplies on the lakes. Both of the tugs (named the Salty Bride and the Marchinko) have been converted to steam power with either wood or coal as a power source. The Sault Council also operates two hospitals, one on each side of the St Mary’s River. The International and Mackinaw Bridges sees regular use since regular maintenance resumed in 1999. Also a limited car ferry operation works between them. Also the same type of thing has happened with a car ferry and passenger ferry now operating out of both St Ignace and Mackinaw City. The newly finished Sault Arms Factory runs several plants on both side of the St Mary's River and they make ammo, explosive, grenades, and weapons systems. The Sault Militia was never supplied with any heavy weapon from the US or Canadian Governments (one of many reason why they declared a Free City). For artillery the Militia has only 60mm, 81mm/82mm and 120mm mortars. As for basic weapons they have the tools and dies to produce the M16A2 rifle, M4 carbine, MP5 submachine gun, as well as M1911A3 pistol. Yet at this time only 30% of the Sault Militia is armed with these types of weapons (only the Airborne "Regiment" is complete "refitted"). The other 70% is armed with a wide variety of arms including several shotguns and civilian rifles that have been deemed fit for military use. They also can make several types of .22LR, 5.56N, or 7.62N sporting rifles or various types of shotguns. Air assets for the city have come from K.I. Sawyer and Kincheloe Air Force Bases and from Sander Army Airfield.

In 1996, these bases were evacuated to the MilGov enclaves in Colorado, taking every plane that was operational. Those that were broken were left behind and teams from Sault have since recovered and repaired several of them. Currently the city has three C-130H transports, eight UH-60L Blackhawk, three UH-60G Blackhawk, and six CH-47C Chinooks that were put back into operational order from the equipment left behind. These are all now at Sander Airfield in Sault. The Sault Navy Group operates a collection of five Rescue Boats, seven PT Boats, and five Riverine Patrol Boats. They operate from two bases with one being in the Sault and the other in Saint Ignace (Isn't uncommon for these to be at Mackinaw Island or Mackinaw City).

The city is also home to a Canadian Army unit, the Cheshire Regiment (2nd Canadian Garrison Regiment). The 350 men of this unit are most often in the northern areas of the enclave but also do duty on the American side. Vehicles include two Kodiak C4 (LAV III/LAV-105; Light Battle Tank), two M109A4 155mm Self-Propelled Howitzers, and ten CM-113A1 (M113A1 with LAV-25 Turret) armored personnel carriers. The CIA, DIA, and CSIS all have active cells in the Sault. The City Government doesn’t mind for now as long as they keep their spy activities outside of the Sault and the CIA and DIA don’t shoot at each other in Sault Militia protected areas. The city is also home to representatives of the Sault Indian Tribal and Bay Mills Indian Tribal Militias.

Pittsburg, New Hampshire

Home of the Iroquois Rangers; one of the Canadian Armed Force’s guerrilla units, the surviving locals live in a reign of terror, Many have fled the area, but many more have been unable to. Many of them are now force to grow food for the Rangers, but they are allowed to keep a some for themselves. The Rangers now have some 1,300 men, including many hangers-on and wanna-be's, and have one Cougar Armored Vehicle General Purpose (AVGP). Their current plan is to secure the cities in the area and then move south to take on Boston by next summer. To this end, the Raiders are actively recruiting military men, especially officers, to join them for a promise of a share of the loot.

Forest Dale, Vermont

Home to the one of the Canadian Armed Force’s guerrilla units; Captain John Campbell's Wildcats, the unit is currently standing at about 100 men (mostly Quebec CAF soliders). In 1978, John Campbell joined the Canadian Army and went through officer's training. By 1989 he had attained the rank of Captain. In 1995, shortly before Quebec's Separation Election, Captain Campbell was stationed at a communications facility on the Vermont border as a security officer. After the chaos in Quebec, he moved south; as part of Operation Highlander; and set up a guerrilla unit; for operations in behind-the-line operations in Quebec; under orders of Canadian Armed Forces Headquarters.

New York City, Champlain

For the first two terrible days of the Twilight War, the metroplex remained untouched, much to the delight of its panicked citizens. But their respite was short-lived. Early on November 30, a flight of three Tu-95M Bear A bombers, showing a capability not anticipated by US analysts, flew low over the Atlantic and attacked New York City from the east. They were intercepted by three F-15 Eagles, which shot them all down but not before one of them had dropped its bomb. The 5 megaton bomb landed in eastern Queens, between Bayside Avenue and 46th Avenue, killing at least a million people in one instant. That evening, the Soviet Akula II class ballistic missile submarine K-419 Cougar (Kuguar) lurking off Greenland fired two 1 megaton SS-N-4s at the city, completing the destruction of America's premiere city. The first SLBM airburst six miles high over the intersection of Sixth Avenue and 49th Street in central Manhattan, The second, aimed at Brooklyn, misfired and airburst out at sea, the tidal waves punishing the coastal areas and flooding the subway and train tunnels.

In the immediate post-nuke months the city tore itself apart. Gangs looted National Guard armories. Sniper fire and mortar exchanges helped the city’s survivors divide into racial and ethnic enclaves. A lot of refugee camps sprang up in the surrounding counties with suburban militias blocking the bridges and tunnels going into Jersey, Long Island and Westchester to stem the tide of refugees. Fresh drinking water was the big problem. NYC relied on upstate reservoirs and when they lost access to those when the power went and the lines running the water into the city failed, it was the end. With no running water or electricity, people booked out of the city real fast. Massive race and food riots were triggered throughout the city, however, and on December 4, 1995 the US 1st Army declared martial law in New York with the consent of General Powell. In late May 1996, the drought hit the Mid-Atlantic States. Panic swept the Mid-Atlantic States; rioting and unrest brought down virtually all the city and municipal governments left in the area. Many of the insane who roam the streets and sewers of the skeleton city have made the gruesome transition to cannibalism. The winter of 1996-97 largely finished off what was left of Manhattan and its power centers. Food reserves dwindled, and, except for a few isolated communities, the city had died out as an entity before the coming of spring. As 1998 wore on, plunder became sparser for the gangs. Poor crops ruined many communities, the weakened ones falling to the stronger gangs. Today, New York City today is a ghost town, quarantine under order by the Canadian Government and enforced by the Metropolitan Guard. The Population; estimated at around 44,000 city wide; is in isolated communities huddled in farmed parks.

Manhattan:

In Manhattan, the concrete and steel used in the building of the city has survived, leaving many of the giants as their smaller neighbors crumbled into ash. Downtown Manhattan is still a mess; most tall buildings are dark, burnt-out skeletons of twisted metal and dangling concrete. Towering skyscrapers are now just blackened, twisted, flash-melted wreckage. The Empire State building is just a truncated, bare rusty skeleton. A vast field of rubble exists across most of the lower half of the island. Central Park looks like the Ardennes Forest of WWI. The ground is churned up; acres lay bare of trees or vegetation. The various ponds and lakes are bone dry. Destroyed military equipment lay littered around the park, from when the military tried to restore order after the strikes. Yankee Stadium has been abandoned for years, now a No Man's Land. The means over the Hudson River to the west bank are either shattered by the nuke (the George Washington Bridge), blocked with abandoned cars (the Tappan Zee Bridge), or held by hostile forces (the Bear Mountain Bridge). As well, both the Holland and Lincoln Tunnels are flooded, both are jammed with vehicles whose gas tanks exploded, crushed cars, concrete slabs and skeletons, the river flooded right up to the toll gates. On the east side, the Manhattan Bridge is partially intact and the Queens Midtown Tunnel is flooded out. The Brooklyn Bridge is useless, the Brooklyn half partially submerged in the river and the Manhattan half demolished. The total population of the lower end of the island is now in the low hundreds, sharing the last open areas with literally millions of rats and exponentially multiplied cockroaches. The area of near-total rubble extends from the tip north to the southern edge of Harlem, with only a few cleared areas.

West Harlem:

West Harlem burned to the ground in 1995 and 1996. Perhaps nine out of ten buildings are burnt-out shells, and all have been stripped of anything of value. The only large survivor band is called the "Mau Maus" who control the area of Harlem between 125th and 155th Streets based out of Garvey Park. The greenways of the park have been cleared and tilled and the edges bounded by a low rubble wall. The old cast-iron watch tower on top of the park's hill serves as the citadel of the gang. The gang is predominately black with some Puerto Ricans and whites working together. They survive by raiding and planting the numerous vacant lots in the area to feed their 250 members. Some smaller gangs in West Harlem include the "Simbas" and the "Disciples". The Simbas are based out of an old casino on the corner of Lennox and 116th Street. They have raided a National Guard armory in Brooklyn and cached the stores.

East Harlem:

Several Puerto Rican gangs dominate East Harlem. The main gang is called "Los Reyes", based in a fortified housing project called "La Fortaleza" (The Fortress), located in the area bordered by 107th and 110th Streets and First Avenue and FDR Drive. Both Jefferson Park and the landscaped areas have been tilled and barricaded. They are heavily armed with automatic weapons and are extremely hostile to outsiders. There are several other Spanish-speaking gangs in East Harlem, including the "Los Borinqueros" and the "Los Discipulos del Muerto".

The Polo Grounds:

The home of the Mets baseball team in Harlem, though it was damaged fairly severely from the blast over Manhattan, it was intact enough to consider farming. In the spring the locals are planning on planting crops there.

The Bronx:

This suburb still supports a largish population of some 25,000, mostly centered on the Cloisters, which used to be branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Fort Tryon and Inwood Hill Parks are both in the process of being cleared and planted by this community. Other large groups of survivors are centered around the Van Courtland Park, the Bronx Park, and in the area around Pelham Bay. The 8,000-strong Bronx Park community is run by the remains of the City government, led by Hannibal Dobbs, the former Deputy Commissioner of Housing as acting Mayor, supported by a handful of surviving NYPD officers and a large militia. Dobbs' HQ is at Fordham University, next to the farmland of the New York Botanical Gardens and the grounds of the Bronx Zoo. He The Bronx's real treasure may indeed be Dobb's large stockpile of medical supplies cached at the Fordham Medical Center.

Battery Park:

This is now the sole inhabited area of Manhattan Island south of Harlem. About a hundred survivors under a man named Duke have taken over the old nineteenth-century fort Castle Clinton. The adjacent Municipal Ferry Terminal is also under their control, and one of the Staten Island ferries is being refurbished to service, though fuel is virtually nonexistent. The Harbor Rats pirates have been raiding the Battery Park group regularly.

Manhattan Waterfront:

This enclave of several blocks of run-down waterfront on the East River at Fulton Street is the home base of a group of pirates called the "Harbor Pirates". The Pirates, who number less than a hundred, are a splinter off the larger Harbor Rats pirate gang, and are led by a minor drug lord named Manuel Diego Huerra. In late 1996, the Pirates took control of some historical vessels that survived the nuclear blast over Manhattan and have been using them to raid coastal areas and ship traffic in New York Harbor ever since. The Harbor Pirates vessels include the Ambrose Lightship, which never leaves its moorings at Pier 16 and serves as the HQ of the group, as well as the storehouse of the gang's gasoline reserve. Four sailing vessels form the nucleus of the fleet: the four-masted bark Peking (armed with a jury-rigged 40mm antiaircraft gun from a M42 Duster on her bow), the three-masted Wavertree, and the two small schooners the Lattie G. Howard and the Pioneer.

Long Island:

Long Island was consumed by firestorms as far out as Mineola. Today, the eastern half is actually doing okay, as most people fled the other way, and the UBF has begun trade with them; the MilGov 77th ID in New Jersey has established an outpost there as well.

Queens:

Within several miles of the nuclear ground zero in the eastern part of the area, fire-scorched and soot-blackened girders jut from the slag heaps where skyscrapers once stood. The spread-out nature of Queens, however, has led to the survival of several enclaves. The largest of these are centered around LaGuardia Airport and nearby at Flushing Meadows where Corona Park has been tilled and planted. Maritime communities along the southern coast have been active in fishing and trade.

Brooklyn:

The largest survivor enclave in southern Brooklyn is controlled by a warlord named "Abraxas", a former NYPD captain in the 60th Precinct. He rules over the scavengers and thugs that cluster around the low-rent housing projects around Coney Island and in the park areas along Jamaica Bay. This area was strangely spared most of the firestorm damage and now has some of the tallest buildings still standing in the city. His greatest achievement is the reopening last year of the elevated train. It has six cars and is pulled by a small Transit Authority locomotive along rails that are not longer electrified, the diesel work train pressed into service when the electric trams were fried by EMP. It only runs on the undamaged section between Church Avenue and the Stillwell Avenue station at Coney Island, and is expensive to ride, but it has provided Abraxas with the needed clout to remain firmly in power.

Brooklyn Navy Yard:

In bad shape by 1996, to put it mildly

Staten Island:

Staten Island was badly damaged by the blast across the way in Manhattan and subsequent fires and is now a wasteland. The entire western third of the island as far as Port Richmond in the north and Staten Island Mall in the center was reduced to charred ruins by wildfires fed from burst oil refineries across the river in New Jersey. There is no organized government on the island now, and the population consists of roving bands of scavengers and bandits. The Staten Island Ferry is now half-submerged off the northern point.

The Upper Bay:

In the cold waters of this great anchorage in the mouth of the Hudson River there is additional carnage. The nuclear blast over Manhattan caught a number of ships unawares, the flash melting the superstructures and the blast wave capsizing them. Today the mouth of the river is clogged with half sunken hulks, nearly blocking off all access to the river from the Atlantic. Only small boats and brave pilots make the effort. Dozens of rusty hulks sit in the bay around the lower tip of Manhattan, masts and superstructures above water.

Governor's Island:

Home to the "Harbor Rats" the largest pirate gang in the New York area, with some 260 members. There are six boats ranging from a small cabin cruiser named the Cypress Queento a number of speedboats all in the 20'-35' range liberated from the city's marinas. The arms range mainly from small arms to a number of M16A2s and a few civilian rifles. They are based out of the Fort Jay Military Reservation, and the barracks and bunkers of the fort are stuffed with loot and booty. Their leader is named Barney Halverson, a self-proclaimed Viking who calls himself "Bjarni" and carries a looted Viking sword and battle axe.

Ellis Island:

Now totally deserted, serving only as a prison for the Harbor Rats.

Roosevelt Island:

Though severely damaged by the nuclear strike over Manhattan, the residents of this island have cordoned off the island and are now living in total isolation. They have blocked off the Queensborough and 36th Avenue Bridges. There is now a population of some 1,000 people on the island, led by one of the island's prewar residents, a retired Marine colonel named Randolph Phillips. Under Colonel Phillips, an 80-man militia has been formed and drills daily. Small sailboats and converted motor launches patrol the approaches to the island. Several attempts at conquest by the various harbor pirate groups have been repulsed. They have farmed the limited land on the island, including the grounds of the hospitals, landscaping areas around housing developments and such. The several hospitals on the island all have heavily guarded stocks of medicines.

The Statue of Liberty:

Lady Liberty stood strong, surviving the blasts with only a barrage of scars and her head blown off. The fires have coated her with a thick layer of soot and she is black as night. Her massive severed head sat in ten feet of dirty water right off Liberty Island, until she was salvaged by the provincal government of Champlain. Now only her base remains, used as out post for the Harbour Rats