[chico20854]

December 22, 1997

Dain Dangerous, Boston megapunk leader, seems rejuvenated somehow. In the midst of the riots, the strikes, and the civil unrest, his band Terminal Illness begins to give impromptu street performances, sometimes with only the most primitive sound equipment, sometimes without instruments at all. Dain's new music is the saga of what is occurring in Boston, and like all sagas, it has a moral - "Only the gangs will survive." When the first of the gasoline riots occurs, the megapunks decide to add a little looting and arson to the list of crimes. Strangely coincident, the buildings and homes that are burned belong to the old established leaders of the Boston area.

A dozen other cities in the UK have joined Leicester in declaring their independence and asserting local control over local security forces (usually some combination of Territorial Army, police, RAF and naval personnel, augmented by university and high school cadets and even minor police personnel).

Unofficially,

The eighth and final R-5D spy plane is completed in Palmdale, California. Elsewhere in the US, military production continues at a lower level at surviving facilities. Armored vehicle production continues in San Jose, California (Bradley and M113-series vehicles), York, Pennsylvania (M-109s and M-88s), Detroit, Michigan (M-1 tanks), Muskegon, Michigan (LAV-75s) as well as a handful of mobilization plants. In all cases production continues under backup generator power (or in a few cases, restored mains power) with widespread worker absenteeism and declining stocks of components. In many cases completed vehicles sit at the plants awaiting transportation to ports.

Army armored vehicle repair plants such as the Red River and Anniston Army Depots continue to repair combat damaged vehicles, again using backup generator power and, in many cases, POW labor for unskilled tasks.

In Alaska, the Soviet 25th Corps and US X Corps have gone to ground for the winter as temperatures in the Fairbanks area drop precipitously. Even though both forces are experienced cold-weather combatants, high temperatures in the -20 Fahrenheit range and near total collapse of logistical support force a cessation of offensive action from both sides.

The Belgian interior minister's plea for French assistance is passed to the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Within hours the dialog has moved to the highest levels of the French and Belgian governments.

Back in the US, the evacuation of some intact urban and suburban areas is proceeding in an orderly manner. School busses follow their normal routes through residential areas, collecting people of all ages. Baggage is limited to 50 kg per person and pets must be left behind. The busses transport the relocatees (as they are dubbed by emergency planners) to the local high schools, where intercity busses load them for transfer to food producing areas. Citizens, if they have sufficient fuel, may self-evacuate in their own vehicles. As neighborhoods empty, local law enforcement notes who remains; initially no additional action is taken.

Rainbow Six reports that HMG converts the RAF research and development facility at RAF Boscombe Down to an operational air base, relocating a number of the RAF's surviving fighter aircraft, including the remaining Eurofighter Typhoons, to there.

A Soviet SS-19 missile is fired at southern England. MIRVs destroy the port and naval base at Southampton, and the port in Dover. A bus malfunction results in the three MIRVs targeted at the major Royal Navy base at Portsmouth tumbling into the Atlantic.

In a case of cutting edge aircraft neutralizing their counterparts, a R-5D Aurora drops a pair of B61 nuclear bombs on the Ramenskoye aircraft research and development center southest of Moscow.

Soviet missiles continue their destruction of the Canadian petroleum industry, raining destruction on Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

The massive Danish containership Susan Mae, at anchor in New York's outer harbor, receives permission to anchor further offshore after the crew was robbed the prior day. It moves 20 miles further offshore.

In Iran, 2nd Brigade, 24th Infantry Division secures the town of Shushtar from rear guard elements of the 1st Guards Army, while the highly dispersed 82nd Airborne Division has largely exited the highlands of northwestern Iran into northern Kuzestan Peovince.