Story Market Day

ComCamGuy

ComCamGuy

Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
At the Base


With main base being as small as it was, and the dormitories so close to the gate, everyone was startled at the sudden bursts of gunfire. Not long after, several of the base security vehicles swarmed the gate, along with the base ambulance.

It didn’t take long for Kingfisher to get to the gate from his office where he was doing paperwork. The crowd at the gate parted around him as he walked up. He could see the on-duty Corpsman and some others working in a car he recognized but couldn’t place.

Another car was impaled on the deployable gate barrier poles, it’s windshield a mass of holes and shattered glass. No one was moving around that car. Kingfisher saw beyond the second car was a pair of the security force SUVs blocking the entrance, weapons deployed and leveled over the hood.

“Somebody want to tell me what the hell happened?” He asked of the assembled group. A SSgt stepped up to him.

“Sir, from what I understand, SSgt Jenson was being pursued and fired upon by two vehicles of locals. All three in his vehicle had been hit and he was trying to make it onto base to escape. When the other two vehicles tried to follow, the gate guards deployed the barrier and engaged the hostiles, stopping one of the vehicles. The other one escaped.”

Kingfisher’s brain took off at light speed. He had hurt troops and a hostile force outside the compound. He had things to do. He had to get things clamped down and he had to let Ivar know.

He stepped closer to the vehicle. He needed to know more about the Jenson’s condition before he called Ivar.

He leaned into the car where the medics were working. DAMN! He didn’t know how they fit six people in the car to work on them but he could see past them and one of the patients was Jenson’s little girl! She couldn’t be more than seven or eight. She looked so frail and broken, covered in blood and being bandaged. One of the people in the car working on her was ventilating her with the bag-valve-mask and shaking her own head as she squeezed the bag, tears running down her face.

Jenson’s wife was in the passenger seat. Kingfisher was reminded trauma patients had no dignity. The medics had her blood-soaked clothes in tatters around her as they flipped and rolled her around trying to cram enough hemostatic dressings into the exit wounds and occlusive dressings across the entrance holes trying to keep her lungs from collapsing.

Jonas looked a little better. His shoulder looked like hell, a mass of mangled meat and blood. They were working on some other wounds on his back. He looked to be unconscious as well, cause unknown.

Kingfisher straightened up and looked around. He saw a few people he thought he could trust for a couple tasks.

“SSgt Nolan. Get on the horn and get a medivac bird down here for three critical patients, right the **** now. As soon as you get that call in, get to the detachment and get suited up.”

“Sure thing, Major.” SSgt Nolan took off.

Kingfisher looked at his next target.

“MSgt Walka, Get with the Security guys and get a better sitrep, then call the Sgt Maj and update him. I’m going to call the boss and clue him in.”

“Better you than me, Major.” MSgt Walka said as he walked forward to the perimeter in front of the gate.

“Chicken”

Kingfisher turned back to the problem at hand. He was fighting hard to keep his temper under control. He scanned the crowd. Most of the senior people weren’t around so he had just a few he knew and or could pick out of a crowd out of uniform. He saw one he could definitely identify and seeing her, he thought of one more thing he needed done.

“Petra, get over to the motor pool and come back with one of the 10K-AT forklifts. We need to get this gate operational again in a hurry.”

“Yes sir!” She didn’t question or hesitate. She just took off.

Kingfisher stuck his head into the car again.

“Medics. I got someone calling for medivac birds. Five second situation report while you work so I can brief the boss and get you anything else you need.”

It was two of the Mountain Medicine Instructors and a female Corpsman from the clinic doing most of the work in the car, with a couple Combat Lifesavers in there helping. The one working on Jonas’ wife looked up at Kingfisher.

“Multiple GSW torso hits to all three. The woman and kid need the helo and the trauma surgeon right the **** now. We might have a chance of keeping them alive until we get them to the bird if it gets here soon. The guy, he is more stable. I say we run the two down to the pad and get them out of here as soon as we can, and stabilize him in the clinic until we either drive him or get the bird back down here. Either way, the woman and girl are racing the reaper to the hospital, sir.”

“Got it.” Kingfisher raised his voice for the next part. “You need anything, just shout. We will get it for you.” He made sure the bystanders heard him. That basically made any of the medic’s requests the same as a command by him.

Kingfisher stepped away. Time to call Ivar.
 
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ComCamGuy

ComCamGuy

Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
In the Car Headed to the Base


Ivar was covering ground pretty quick, trying to keep up with his mind. He just got off the phone with Kingfisher and Silas was finishing his conversation with MSgt Walka.

“So, here’s what MSgt Walka has found out so far,” Silas started saying as soon as he ended with MSgt Walka. “SSgt Jenson and his family were being chased by at least two vehicles of assailants and had been on the receiving end of gunfire along the way. His wife and kid were hit multiple times and were critical. They barely got in the gate, still receiving incoming rounds when the gate guard activated the barrier posts and returned fire. One of the pursuing cars was impaled on the barrier poles and the assailants in it killed by the gate guard’s return fire. There was at least one or two other cars shooting at the gate when they left.”

Ivar absorbed what Silas was saying, fitting it into the picture Kingfisher painted him. Time to give Silas his half.

“OK, so, Kingfisher had about the same thing as far as Jenson’s family. He got a Medivac bird inbound to take Jenson’s wife and kid out but he thinks Jenson himself might be stable enough to go by ground. He has the bird coming into the small pad in the compound instead of the main one down by the road. He’s worried about them making a play for the helicopter. They have Jenson over at the clinic right now patching holes and pouring drugs and fluids into him. Kingfisher has got the security perimeter ramping up with added people at the main gate and vehicles or barriers going into place at any other access point.”

Both of them sat there for a moment examining the pieces of this puzzle. Silas was the first to speak.

“If he was taking fire on the way in, that meant he was running from them. If he had some way to fight back, it might not have come to this. With this, we’re taking fire from the locals but we can’t fight back.”

Ivar knew where Silas was going with this, and he agreed.

“Fine. I’m the base commander and I have an identified and confirmed local threat. That makes it Force Protection Condition Delta. So…”

When Ivar stalled, Silas said what he knew his friend was thinking.

“This is like a Forward Operating Base downrange. We have at least a portion of the local population hostile to our presence. I say screw it, go full bore. Kick off operation Santa Clause early, have all personnel armed 24/7 just like downrange, or at least sidearms. I got word from Paige. She has enough identified and set aside we can start now instead of waiting until after Christmas. In fact, it might be better to start now so we have enough people to spread it around some more, otherwise we might have to issue two or three per person to take care of all the weapons still on base.” Silas smiled at the slightly shocked look on Ivar’s face.

After a moment of thought, Ivar had his answer.

“OK, grab your muskratteers and start preparing for the arming process. I have a feeling we will get a lot of retirement and separation submissions tomorrow after I brief everyone, so crosscheck before we start handing things out. Anyone who gets something has to be trained on it though. Shit, we should do it like a deployment processing line. We can issue weapons, med records, meds, and shoot, if they need anything else since winter’s coming. Not like we need all those tents and sleeping bags or warehouses of winter gear.” His brain was spinning as he thought of all the elements he was going to set in motion.

Silas started thinking, trying to find the holes Ivar hadn’t plugged in the plan yet.

“OK, since we are arming everyone, we should tell the local LEOs our people will be armed from now on.” Silas said out loud as they brainstormed. Ivar’s response was immediate and vocal.

“Screw’em. All my personnel are part of the force securing the base from here on out so write up some legalese making it sound like they are law enforcement too. If I have to sign another hundred arming cards for them to carry concealed, so what. You and I can tackle this, and I’ll have Kingfisher start hardening the base. Think the old school walled cities. We still have plenty of concrete dividers and pallets of Hesco barriers. I’ll talk to the Doc at the clinic. We will move it over to the Minimart since it’s next to the transient quarters where the last of the people will be living. This will shorten up our perimeter. We will end up with two redoubts in the end; one walled area with the clinic and the transient quarters building and the Detachment compound since it already has a second fenced perimeter.”

“I’ll get the paperwork started when we get there.” Silas was seeing the parts falling into place now.

“Wrong. First get some guys armed and in the ambulance with Jenson in case they try to finish what they started, then get the rest underway. I’ll call Kingfisher and get the other stuff started before we get there…” He was interrupted by both his and Silas’ phone buzzing. Silas checked the incoming message.

“Better call MSgt Walka for the building projects. Kingfisher and SSgt Nolan are the armed escort in the ambulance and they just rolled out the gate. We should see them pass us any minute headed the other way.” Silas said, shaking his head.

“Should have told me he was doing that.” Ivar sounded both proud and irritated at the same time.

“He knew you were almost here and he was the best one to deconflict any issues at the hospital.”

“I wasn’t worried. With Sabine and Veronica headed there, deconflict wasn’t even a concern.”

Both were wearing a grim smile as they rolled up to the base.
 
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ComCamGuy

ComCamGuy

Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
The Crew at Paige’s House


Everyone was still standing in the backyard after Sabine and Veronica tore out of there moments after Ivar and Silas left, each in their own thoughts. Sofia’s voice cut through the night.

“I heard Silas give you guys some marching orders. Paige, Henrik, Andrea and Violet, you’re going to have a busy day tomorrow racking and issuing gear. Get inside and get your asses to bed. You too Amber. Ivar and Silas are going to need you when they go to the hospital to follow up on the Jensons. I’ll wake all of you up in six hours. By then, there will be food prepped to keep you going as you work tomorrow morning.”

Sofia’s assertive side was new for Andrea Paige and Henrik. Violet and Amber had seen it often enough to not argue. Everyone went inside. They felt it in their bones they would be working hard tomorrow and they needed to try and rest.

As everyone tried to fall asleep, they could hear 80’s tunes and lots of pots and pans moving around in the kitchen.
 
ComCamGuy

ComCamGuy

Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
When the sun rose, it found Paige, Violet, Henrik and Andrea at Paige’s shop. The work was fast and furious. Silas was there for part of the time, confirming Ivar’s guidance to them. All personnel were to be armed at all times with at least pistols. The smaller size of the remaining forces stationed at the base made this possible. Out of the normal population of 250 military and 100 civilians, they were now down to well under seventy-five total permanent party, and those were dwindling quickly.

Ivar decided his kneejerk action of declaring FPCon Delta, or Force Protection Condition Delta on the drive in was more than justified and would give him all the equivalent authority to do everything else on his list. The sandbags and inner perimeter wall were going up, first around the two inner compounds and then expanding outward from there. He had airlock style anti-VBIED gate procedures put in place.

One of the next things on his list was briefing all the base personnel on these changes as well as having the officer in charge of the base police inform the local Sherriff of the change in base status, the armed personnel and the newly appointed Federal Law Enforcement status of the base populous. He would have preferred Kingfisher do this, so it may wait until he got him back from the hospital.

Ivar expected big push back from the local authorities. He didn’t care how much they squawked. His firm stance was if the local law enforcement couldn’t keep his people safe, then he and the US Marine Corp would.

The base personnel were already anxious after the pyramid recall brought the people off base in to work hours early. This got worse when they talked to those already on base and heard about the news, rumors and the usual misinformation surrounding the attack of Sgt Jenson and his family. It was this gaggle of stressed out people Ivar and Silas went to brief on the situation.
 
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ComCamGuy

ComCamGuy

Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Ivar’s briefing was frenetic as he and Silas fed off of the massive and chaotic energy in the room as they tried to answer questions on what they planned to do about it. The group was righteously angry at the situation. It was rage long building up finally spilling over if something like this could happen in the liberal state of California. It’s not like they were deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan. The crowd wanted answers and they seem to have temporarily forgotten they were NCOs and Officers.

“ENOUGH” Silas’ bellow cut through the noise.

As the room fell silent, Ivar made it plain he would do whatever it took to take care of his people as he laid out his manifesto. He offered support for any who wanted to expedite their exit from the base and the area. Next, in addition to all military personnel being armed, any family member over the age of 18 after proper training would be issued a weapon. There are always exceptions, he reminded the crowd. He was open to reasonable suggestions from any personnel. When there were none right away, he dismissed the assembly. Better they think through things and then ask questions.

It did not take long for the next group to decide they had enough. It was time for them to beat feet and leave. The line to leave was long and each had their own reason for wanting to go. Ivar kept his promise, helping every one of them through out-processing as quickly and painlessly as possible. The people started to think they were going through a mobility processing line but trusted Ivar. As they came to him, he told them the out-processing was being set up just like a mobility line and it would be in place tomorrow morning.

Amber was waiting for him when they finished. It was time to go see the Jensons.
 
ComCamGuy

ComCamGuy

Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
The Hospital


Amber drove Ivar and Silas to the hospital. While she drove, they slept. She had the advantage of the enforced six hour nap and the belly full of food and coffee Sofia made. She knew there was a lot of work ahead, especially since Mrs Jenson didn’t make it. First Ivar and Silas will do their part, then it will be her turn.

When they got there, they already knew the floor and room to go to, provided by Kingfisher. Outside the room, Kingfisher met them in the hallway.

“Hey, boss, Silas. You two look like hell.”

Ivar frowned at him, and Silas flipped him off. Amber just chuckled, probably the last chuckle she might have for the day. Kingfisher continued.

“SSgt Nolan, Veronica and Sabine are inside. They can fill you in.”

“Ok. I have your relief headed this way, they should be here in an hour so you and Nolan can get back to base. Me or Silas will fill you in on the rest of it here in a bit.” Ivar said as he stepped through the doorway.

Inside the ICU room, Jonas and Jennifer lay unconscious, lots of tubes and machines hooked to them. Along one wall stood SSgt Nolan. Veronica and Sabine got up from the chairs they were sitting in and moved towards them. He turned to Nolan first.

“SSgt Nolan. Why don’t you and Maj Kingfisher grab some coffee and a bite? We won’t leave the room until you return.”

“OK, sir, no problem”

SSgt Nolan stepped out as Veronica started speaking.

“We had three bad guys show up in the parking lot when we first got here…” She was going to continue but Ivar held his hand up, stopping her.

“If we are secure, let’s start with the medical rundown. They are why we are here.”

Silas and Amber saw Veronica was a little knocked off kilter by this but knew she would understand. She stepped aside so Sabine could brief the medical status.

Sabine started briefing them in a quick and precise manner.

“Jenson had spent quite a bit of time in surgery, but it was a straight forward shoulder rebuild. His daughter Jennifer’s damage was much more complex. She caught a pair of rounds into the torso. The bullets managed to hit several of the vital organs. It was touch and go for a while during the surgery. She will need to stay in the ICU for a couple of days to make sure no infections set in. She would also need a lot of home care afterwards.”

Ivar looked at their faces as they lay in the ICU beds as he spoke.

“I’ve already set up a rotation. They will be safe, as safe as they should have been before. Veronica, can you and Violet stick around at the base for a few days? I need the help with the next step of my master plan.”

“Just say the word, Poppa. We will be there.”

"We are going to hang out for a little while until Kingfishers relief gets here. Why don’t you two grab some food and head back to base? Paige can fill you guys in on what’s next.”

“Sounds like a good idea.” Answered Sabine. Soon it was just Silas, Ivar and Amber in the room with the Jensons.

Later, Sgt Jenson woke up, he was dazed and confused. He saw his daughter with tubes and wires coming out of her. He shouted out for a nurse, not pushing the button, but crying out loudly. At the sound of his anguished cries Ivar, Silas and Amber were at his side with a nurse who came running in. It took all four of them to get him back to his bed. The nurse wanted to sedate him but Ivar took her aside asking her to wait.

Ivar knew it was his duty to break the news and there was no easy way to do it. He hated this part of being a commander but Jenson was his troop and deserved the truth. As gently as he could he told him the whole story from the carjacking, the death of his wife, the condition of his daughter, how Sabine and Veronica took out the other guys in the ER so he didn’t have to worry about them. Jenson broke down. It was time for Amber to go work. The nurse gave him the sedative.

Shortly afterwards, Ivar and Silas left to go work on the next calamity.
 
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ComCamGuy

ComCamGuy

Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Griz3752 said:
What's happening now is mostly the sub Rosa from previous segments & some of the previous narrative is now background ....

Works for my thought patterns but my wife likes very linear stories; we all appreciate things differently. ....
Click to expand...

Along with the why of some things. New waters are ahead, but first we must clear the channel and make it into the sea
 
Lake Lili

Lake Lili

Veteran Member
Its a great day on the shingle for paddling about... flotaing about in the surf... watching the seagulls... jigging for cod... having a bonfire... drinking bull shots from the flask and nibbling on shivery bits, while watching the tide come in. Good days at the shore while beyond the cove the currents run deep.
 
Griz3752

Griz3752

Retired, practising Curmudgeon
All this chatter about aquatic endeavours just reared up & tightened up my seat harness!

I'm going to have to mod my chair! Propulsion may be required, flotation most certainly, some sort of submerged, self-contained breathing capability & on & on. ....
 
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ComCamGuy

ComCamGuy

Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
The Base


The out-processing set up was working well. The main focus was getting paperwork filed for retirement for all the potential benefits, for as long as they would last, and doing as much as they could within reason to get them safely on their way to their new destinations.

The four musketeers were working on the smaller parts, running some of the more individualized elements. Sabine and the two mountain medicine instructors were working medical out-processing. Medical was a normal stop anytime someone changes duty locations or retires, but what the people leaving the base received was not. The departing people received a six-month supply of their meds and both hard copies and a thumb drive with all their medical records. The records had been reviewed, copied and prepared with advice as well as the phone number of someone to talk to for filing their VA disability claim and where to go for help if they knew where they were going next.

Henrik was emptying the stores of individual equipment. It was winter and they wanted to make sure everyone was safe. He gave each family a package containing a tent, enough sleeping bags, jackets, and boots for everyone if they had the right sizes.

Kingfisher was spearheading the efforts to make sure the vehicles of all those leaving were in good shape and properly set up as best as they could. For this he had the last two motor pool mechanics checking everything. He also had as many fuel containers as he could scrounge on short notice filled and available for issue to the departing members.

While everyone was working their way through this process, Paige was hard at work training the remaining people on base and issuing out weapons to those both going and staying. To help on the range, she hijacked Silas and sometimes Henrik or Violet or Veronica when they were available.

Silas had fun teaching again. He could set aside his worries for a couple of hours and focus on just teaching. He was impressed with Paige all over again, watching her so obviously in her element. She was much more confident and in control out on the range. It did give him fits a couple times when he had both Paige and Violet on the range at the same time, though. He did a doubletake more than once to make sure which one he was seeing.

Sofia was helping on base with the young kids as their parents were going through paperwork or equipment issue when she wasn’t sitting at the hospital with the Jensons to give Amber some relief.

The last stop for people out-processing was to see the Sergeant Major and the Commander. Ivar and Silas made sure they were well armed and wished them well. Both of them hoped and prayed they reached their destinations. Their numbers were dwindling fast on base. The place was resembling a deployed location during drawdown, and in a way, it was.
 
ComCamGuy

ComCamGuy

Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Departures and Ideas


The week following SSgt Jenson’s attack was a hectic one for everyone on base. There was plenty of work to do hardening the inner perimeter. If this was not enough to keep everyone busy, they also had to process the next wave of departures made more difficult since it included families of personnel TDY.

It seemed everywhere somebody turned around, there was either Ivar, Silas or Kingfisher standing there. It wasn’t a bad thing they were there. It was just there was entirely too much going on. Ivar wanted to make sure he followed through on his promise to help them as much as possible. He wanted to get problems solved quickly and effectively. He knew if he couldn’t come up with the solution right away, Silas or Kingfisher could.

The out processing was going smoothly in the end, so it was time to implement more force protection plans. It was decided early on that the possibility of manning a large, hardened perimeter was too much for the assets available. Instead, as many functions as possible were going to be geographically consolidated. This ended up with the two smaller perimeters.

Priority one was the living quarters, along with the new relocated clinic. This would be in use the longest as things drew down. The other was the Special Ops compound where the supplies left after the exodus were being moved, which already had its own separate perimeter fence and guard shack. As things shrank, the idea was to shift as much as possible to the clinic and the Special Ops compound. The small MWR rental was already raided for the travel trailers it had. These were moved within the Special Ops fence line to start building additional secure sleeping facilities. Field tents were also being prepared for. The few with construction skills left were making the wooden frames for the tents. These would make them more stable and secure in the extreme weather the location experienced in the winter. They shouldn’t be needed but better to be ready in case.

One of the last things to worry about was the livestock. Finally, Kingfisher found some of the soon to be retired military members who wanted to stay with the stock. A return to the cowboy and ranching lifestyle wasn’t something most of them would have even considered six months ago. Now, it seemed the best option to some. Ivar and Silas were pleased and encouraged it. This fixed one of their bigger worries of how to take proper care of the livestock when the people left.

By the end of the week, everyone was running on fumes and exhausted. The hard work was beginning to show, and things were stabilizing again, albeit in smaller numbers. As the numbers fell, the base personnel, already a fairly close group as a small unit can be, got closer and more supportive.
 
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ComCamGuy

ComCamGuy

Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Plans


Midweek the Vs announced they were leaving in the morning. No time for a big farewell but promises to return for Christmas were made. The girls decided it was best to agree. This left time for one more council at the fire pit as they had come to be known. It was time to talk about what was next after the doors shut for good in spring. They did not want to ruin Christmas with this talk.

News was already bad. The government was fracturing, the supply lines were unstable, and nobody really had an idea what they were going to do. The drive to get food was long, the resources are dwindling, and jobs were uncertain.

Everyone was trying to drive away some gloom with drink, and Sofia was pouring, so things were getting a bit…Unrestrained. Paige was several glasses in already and floated the idea they might have to leave this area. She mentioned the idea of going up by her grandfather’s place. The area around his place felt remote but it was all of a half an hour to a decent town and forty-five minutes to the city.

When Paige started this conversation, everyone started thinking about where they would go.

Amber, Silas, Ivar and Sofia had worried over where to go next on several different occasions since things started coming apart. Kingfisher kept telling them they worried too much and needed to put it into God or The Great Spirit’s hands. The solution will come to them, they just had to be ready and accepting when it arrived. They wished he was here with them right now, but he always seemed to be busy.

When Paige started talking about her grandfather’s place, something clicked in Sofia and Amber’s head. They looked at each other and agreed with a silent nod. This might be the solution. Amber looked over at Silas and Ivar. They seemed to be liking the sound of what Paige was pitching. Part of her brain had so many questions like what to do for a house and food and stuff. The rest of her brain was happy with the idea of at least a potential destination.

Sofia saw the look in Amber’s eyes. She knew her best friend was a planner, just like her own husband. She knew this idea could work. It felt right. She would have to get Silas and maybe Kingfisher to work on Amber and Ivar. It was a shame Kingfisher wasn’t here. It always seemed to work out where he wasn’t around for these gatherings.

Silas started thinking about all the things they would have to pack, what to take and what to get rid of. He knew he had to get with Petra and finish his camper project. It might be something they really needed if they got serious about trekking up to Paige’s grandfather’s place. He hoped Petra didn’t decide to leave before the project was done.

Ivar knew worrying about where to go would be a good thing, but it seemed selfish to worry about himself when he didn’t have all his people squared away first. He made a promise to himself when he first came in the service. He would take care of his people first, last, and always. It has been one he has held to as much as he could. He knew Sofia would be all for the idea. She needed something to work and plan on for stability. He had to set aside some time to talk with her about this idea.

By the end of the night, Paige had convinced everyone about the viable idea of moving up to her grandfather’s neck of the woods if they left here or Utah. It was not a solid commitment they would do it, it was more an ‘if we leave, that’s where we could go’.
 
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ComCamGuy

ComCamGuy

Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Healing is Hard and Takes Time


Ivar barely determined no one other than Sabine would be taking care of the Jensons when they were discharged today when he was interrupted. Most people know when he is working on something important, and the red light is on outside his office not to go in. If you do, it better be an earth-shattering event requiring him to stop what he is doing to save the world. The dressing down and motivation activities that followed were the stuff of legends. This person obviously did not care. They just dismissed the secretary he shared with Silas (for about another two weeks) and barged through like they belonged. He looked up, ready to give the perpetrator the tongue lashing of their life until he saw who it was.

He was surprised to see before him Sofia followed by Amber. He knew whatever Sofia wanted he was about to be double teamed by two of the best debaters he knew. He was going to lose but, whatever it was she wanted, he figured to make her work for it. He didn’t want to disappoint them since they came all this way to discuss something important enough to interrupt him.

Ivar filled his coffee and gave the ladies a cup as they sat down. “So, what brings you ladies here violating my do not disturb red light”

“It is important, it has to with what you are working on. I need to be a part of this. Everyone else has a job. Something to do, someone to help yet I sit at home in empty house. You won’t let me go anywhere by myself, but you are always gone. I am a prisoner!! I can help!! The Jensons do not belong in a hospital or some base housing room. Jennifer needs a mom right now. You know no one does ‘stay at home mom’ better than me. Since I am stuck at home anyway, I need to help them.”

All the time she was speaking Ivar was looking back and forth between Sofia and Amber who was nodding her head in agreement. His head was whirling. It was a good idea. Correction, a great idea. He remembered how she was with both the Vs. It would let Jonas get back to work which has proven to be some of the best medicine, without worrying about his kid as much. Amber was talking now, reenforcing Sofia’s position.

“Ivar, it will help me. It would give both him and the child a safe place. He could relax so he can open up about the attack and make plans for their future. I can’t get through to him right now. Sofia could be the glue that holds them together while I try to piece them back together. She is a natural.”

The Jensons moved in that night. Jennifer was scared at bedtime, but it was Sofia’s calm slow manner that helped her. Sofia tucked Jennifer in with a stuffed platypus, who she told her protected Veronica through the night. Jennifer smiled when she thought how the big bad lady at the hospital might have been scared when she was little. It made her feel ok to be scared. Sofia winked at her as she settled into the bed.

Amber was right. She was a natural. The calm side was an unusual twist to her normal personality. Normally the loud and boisterous one at any gathering, now she was the very essence of calming and comfort. It happened when she was around young kids. She didn’t know why.

Sofia pulled out one her favorite stories to read as she had done so many times with her own Veronica and Violet to make them feel safe and loved. After which she said a prayer with her, kissed her forehead, told her she was loved, and turned out the lights. She sat with her looking at the ceiling, which was now illuminated with stars hastily painted this morning, singing quietly until Jennifer fell asleep. It would soon become a nightly routine.

Jonas knew Jennifer was safe and for the first time in a long time slept. Ivar looked in on both of them. Standing there looking at Jonas with that silly grin on his face reminded him of Veronica. He knew Amber was right. Sofia was a natural. No matter what was going on with them, they still needed her.

 
ComCamGuy

ComCamGuy

Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Silas and Amber’s House



The week following Sgt Jenson’s attack was a hectic one for everyone on base. It was one of those weeks it seemed every time someone turned around, there was Silas, well for everyone except Amber. She was about to call his secretary, if he still had one and make an appointment to see him. By Friday, she really needed to set aside some time to talk to him. It was not simply a hectic week that was bothering her, it was incidents Sabine alluded to during their talks that were weighing on her.

Things had slowed down just a little by the end of the week. Friday was the first night they actually had enough energy to do more than eat and go to bed. Even the get together at Paige’s, while nice, was draining with all the swirling thoughts and worries it stirred to the surface. Tonight, Amber got home before Silas, prepared some drinks and a snack so they could sit, talk and decompress.

Silas was caught off guard when Amber had a bottle of Vodka and some Tonic, greeting him with a question he wasn’t anticipating.

“I hope you have some good duct tape for your crew, Silas.”

“Is that what we are calling it tonight?” He said with a smirk. After all, they haven’t spent much special time together lately.

Amber gave him a frustrated ‘not right now’ frown.

“What am I missing? Is there a problem?” Silas was instantly concerned. Amber didn’t usually ring an alarm bell like that unless it was serious.

“Oh, I don’t know, it could be the powder keg of bodies we still have here, it could be Paige the assault victim who still hasn’t had time to put her shit into perspective. It’s one thing to have a declared enemy of the country try to kill you on the field of battle. It’s another thing for one of the guys on your side try to kill you and almost succeed. She’s strong and has a great attitude, but it can still creep up on her if she doesn’t make sure she has worked through it.”

“Has she been talking to you?”

“Not really. I get it as side elements from Sabine.”

“And how has that been going, or should I not ask?” Silas knew it was a double-edged sword to have knowledge.

“With what I now know of her history, it’s amazing Sabine hasn’t ended up in another multi-state killing spree or sitting catatonic in a psych ward. I wouldn’t blame her one bit either way. For now, you need to keep her busy. It helps her try to keep things put behind her.”

Silas noticed something when Amber was talking. She had a new piece of jewelry on. He knew she didn’t wear much jewelry and he had given her most of the pieces she had. It was a bit of a tradition. Each of his trips, she got a new piece of jewelry. The longer the trip, the bigger the piece. This wasn’t one from him, but it looked really familiar, and definitely shouldn’t.

“Where did you get the bracelet?” He said, pointing to her wrist.

“Oh, I was going to show this to you next.” She held out her arm, showing the plain thin gold bracelet. It looked like a simple, unadorned bangle. Silas had seen plenty of them before though. He still had at least two of them himself. He just didn’t wear them very often, and then only on missions.

Amber pulled it off her arm and handed it to him.

“Sabine has one she was wearing. I commented on it. The next day at lunch, she told me she was going to wait until Christmas to give it to me, but since I had seen hers already…then she handed me a small box, complete with bow. In it was this bracelet. At first, I thought she had given me hers, but I saw she was still wearing hers.”

As Amber was describing the incident, Silas was looking at, shoot, he was inspecting, the bracelet. It was really heavy for its size, but it was no surprise to him. He checked both ends of the bracelet. They were slightly rounded and smooth. The inside of one end had a small engraving ‘24k 9999’. He handed it back to Amber shaking his head.

“So, did Sabine say where or why she had the bracelet?”

“She said she inherited a few from her brother when he died.” Amber was now intrigued by Silas’ shift in tone or attitude. “What is it about this bracelet, Silas?”

“What did her brother do? He was in the military if I remember correctly, but what did he do in the military?” Amber heard his voice shift to a more insistent tone.

“OK, Silas, explain.”

“Some of us wear such bracelets when we went places. Places we aren’t supposed to be. They are the emergency money supply. What you have on your arm is an ounce of 24 caret pure gold. Its soft enough you can cut a little bit off one end and spend it, but whole like that, six months ago it would have been about $2500 worth of gold.”

Amber was taken back by such an extravagant gift and filed away the bit about Silas wearing one. Where was it, and why hadn’t he given her one. She thought a bit more and was nodding her head as some more pieces came together.

“It kind of makes sense. The value doesn’t matter to her.”

“What do you mean, the value doesn’t matter to her? That’s a lot of money to just be giving away.” Silas was the one confused now. “Didn’t she know what it was worth?”

“I’m sure she probably did, but it didn’t matter to her. She’s rich.”

“Rich? Sabine?” Silas wasn’t sure if Amber was messing with him.

“Yup. Not Richie Ritchie Rich, but yeah. The family she came from, and what she inherited, she is ‘summer home in the Hamptons’ and Harvard Pre-Med degree rich.”

“Sabine? The girl who drives that twenty-year-old SUV and runs around in chain store sweats?” It still didn’t click with Silas.

“Yes, that Sabine. The background info I have seen, she and her brother were not interested in the trappings of that lifestyle. They each got a large inheritance from their grandparents, and Sabine got his when he died.”

“So, what about the brother?”

“Older brother. He joined the military, and Sabine followed. He was killed in action, along with his fiancé by an IED attack the first year Sabine was in the service. He left her everything. I guess the bracelets were part of what she got from him.”

Silas figured he would change subjects. He could dig some more info out of the computer if it was working tomorrow.

“How is Jenson and his daughter doing?”

“Horrible, but that is to be expected. Sofia has offered to take the pair of them in. That way she could take care of Jennifer while he was at work. If anyone can help the pair of them get through such a tragedy, it’s Sofia. They moved in today.”

The two of them sat, thinking about their small pool of friends. The talking continued for some time into the night. No duct tonight only eventually falling asleep in each other’s arms. They both needed this more.
 
RememberGoliad

RememberGoliad

Veteran Member
Catch in my breath when Amber related Sabine's story so matter-of-fact about Kara and Christian. I mean, I know that was what she knew at that time, but from our fly-on-the-wall perspective, it hurts to know that Sabine was living her life under such a lack of knowledge....knowing as we do that it'll be resolved in the near future is reassuring though.

You've really outdone yourself (and pretty much any other author I've had the privilege of reading) with this interwoven and captivating tale. Thank you for the time you're putting into it!
 
Sportsman

Sportsman

Veteran Member
More compliments to the author! And thanks for the huge postings to day. Of course, we now expect you to repeat that volume daily.

A few little ones that you might have missed:

Departures and Ideas:

If this was not enough to keep everyone busy, they also had to processing the next wave of departures made more difficult since it included families of personnel TDY.
He wanted to get problems solved quickly and effectively. He knew if he couldn’t comer up with the solution right away, Silas or Kingfisher could.
Plans:
. It might be something they really needed of they got serious about trekking up to Paige’s grandfather’s place.
 
ComCamGuy

ComCamGuy

Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
The Preparations Shift Focus


Ivar was at his desk working on several different lists, plans and ideas when Henrik came to see him early in the morning. After a few quick pleasantries, Henrik got right to his point.

“Sir, we aren’t doing any classes anymore and have pulled back our perimeter correct?”

“Yes, we have.” Ivar’s curiosity was up. “What are you after, Henrik?” He recognized the glint in Henrik’s eye. It was the same one Silas usually had when he was after something.

“We no longer need to direct people to the remote parts of the base anymore.” Henrik began.

Ivar thought he looked a little sheepish, like he was uncomfortable with his idea, or having to ask him about it. He waved him to continue.

“We have a project or two we could use large sheets of aluminum for and with no need for the road signs and location signs for the range and such. I was seeking permission to relocate the signs, sir. I would have asked the Sergeant Major, but he isn’t available right now.”

Ivar thought for a few moments. He knew what Silas was off doing and knew it was quite important. Come to think of it, he was surprised Silas hadn’t taken Henrik on the mission in hindsight. Henrik was the quintessential ‘brute squad’ member and a member of the inner circle. As for the signs, it was a great idea. Large sheets of rugged aluminum would be hard to source from any other place, especially now. If he was just looking at the ones in the outer camp and ranges, well, more power to him.

“Henrik, as far as I’m concerned, strip all the signs. We know where everything is, just leave the ones for the inner perimeter elements for us. Take as many as you want or need. Take a couple of other people with you though. Safety first.”

“Yes sir!”
 
ComCamGuy

ComCamGuy

Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Ivar was just settling back into his paperwork and planning when Sabine showed up with her update on the medical situation. She laid out all the current resources available, the personnel they were still supporting and the projected timelines of medical capability for the foreseeable future.

This was one of Ivar’s main worries, the one keeping him from sleeping well at night; how to support those left behind. Left behind. He hated that thought. It reminded him he was considering leaving the area before the last of the people were taken care of. This was the root of his current…squabble? Debate? Fight? with Sofia. She latched onto the idea of heading north to Paige’s grandfather’s area hard and was trying to work on what she could towards that goal whenever she wasn’t doing something with Jennifer.

Jennifer. It was like Sofia went back in time and was that young mother with Veronica, and a lot of times Violet as well, only now she had all the earlier experience to bring to problems. Who would have thought the hard charging party girl he married would be so different when doing the ‘mothering’ thing.

Sabine paused when she saw Ivar wasn’t paying attention to her at the moment and thinking on something else. The silence brought Ivar back to what they were doing. With an apology, he told her to continue.

As she laid it out, Ivar could see it was moving quite well in his goal to support everyone still here for the foreseeable future. After the events of the past two weeks, most of the families who were going to move away, have. The few families left of deployed people were also making decisions on whether they would stay and wait for their spouses or move off and let them catch up. One or two were looking to retire and stay in the area. All of these things were drawing down the supported personnel numbers quickly.

Ivar knew Sabine didn’t know about the stuff Silas was supposed to be retrieving from Barstow for them to help out. He didn’t want to get her hopes up in case he struck out. Hell, he didn’t want to get his own hopes up either.

Once Sabine finished her briefing, she went over, closed his door and flipped on the light. Ivar took this as a bit of an ominous sign since she didn’t feel the need before now. He was starting to worry.

“OK, Sabine, what’s on your mind?”

“You know we have been talking about probably leaving the area when the base is closed, right?”

“I know you guys were talking about it, do you have a plan?” He sure hoped they had a plan, otherwise Sofia was building plans on empty air.

“We have been looking at the area around Paige’s grandfather. He lives way up north next to one of the national forests. Paige wants to go there. It’s kind of like here, but less California-ish, like she was saying the other night. Same four seasons, plenty of remoteness, but not as isolated. I think right now we are looking at sometime this spring.” Sabine paused.

“Yeah, sounds like a nice place.” He loved the area around here. Beautiful land, great hunting, just spoiled by some of the people and all the politics.

“Even better, a friend of the family has a homestead inside the National Forest, kind of like that show on tv. It predated the park, and he treats Paige like his own granddaughter as well.”

Ivar remembered Paige mentioning some of this earlier.

“We are going to miss you guys when you leave.” Ivar felt the weight of loss coming. These guys were their friends and once they left, if they didn’t join them up north, they would probably never see them again.

“Well, that’s not quite the half of why I’m in here.” Sabine continued. “I don’t know how long you are going to stay here.”

“I’m here until the last of the people are accounted for.” Ivar interjected. This was his conviction, and the reason he was having friction with Sofia. She at least got a concession of ‘until they are accounted for’ and not ‘until they are back’.

“I know that, but what after that?”

“I don’t know. I don’t think we want to stay here forever. Too expensive and the support functions will be gone as well. Paige’s idea of going north is popular with Sofia, when the time comes.” Ivar commented.

“Well, I know the little subdivision you are living in won’t be ideal for sticking around in.”

At this Ivar grimaced and nodded. The place was a nightmare. It’s main attribute was it’s proximity to base. Tiny plot of land in a cookie cutter subdivision. It had all the charm of base housing with none of the benefits and getting sketchier by the day. Sofia about strangled him after their first trip to Paige’s. She told him again and again how they should have found someplace like that instead of where they were.

“Yeah, I wish we had a place like you guys have.” Ha! Understatement of the year.

“That’s why I’m here.” Sabine smiled broadly. “I have a deal for you. As we leave, depending on how long you guys are staying, you and Silas should move into our place. There’s enough room for both families as well as the Jensons. It’s a little more remote and less likely to be screwed with.”

Ivar nodded at this. He knew Sofia would love being out there. It would mean moving, but if Sofia was honestly thinking about moving north, this would give them an opportunity to pare things down and space to prepare for such a trip.

“So, how do you figure to do it? You guys just sub-let it to us or do we get with the rental people and transfer it over or what? How much to you guys pay? I’m sure Silas and I could afford it, but it would be good to know going in.” The logistical questions flooded his mind as he considered the concept.

Sabine smiled even bigger now. “Even easier and cheaper. Here’s the reason I turned on the light. This is one of those private conversations. A red light one.”

Now Ivar was confused. What was so secret about their rent? He waited for her to continue.

“You will be the only one who knows this so far. I don’t want my housemates knowing this at all. A month or two ago, I bought the house outright from the owner who we were renting from. It’s mine. Full title. If you guys move in, the only rent you pay is whatever upkeep is needed.”

“Bought the house outright? Ivar knew what he was paying on his, knew how much houses were going for in the area. How the hell did she buy it outright?

Sabine paused for a moment while Ivar absorbed what she was telling him before she continued. “I don’t know when or if we or I would ever come back down here but you guys can use the house as long as you want or need. If you guys leave, I’ll worry about what to do with or about it then.”

She fixed Ivar in a serious glare. There was an intensity there now he had only seen in her once before and that was on video. Here it was in person, directed at him. A small part of his mind wondered at how in the hell Frickel could be so stupid to think she was bluffing when she pointed the pistol at him.

“My condition is you don’t tell the others. I ‘worked a deal’ with the owner for a follow-on renter is the story. I don’t want the others to know, otherwise they will feel obligated to stay here rather than driving forward with plans and dreams. The money I spent on it is gone. I couldn’t sell it for half what I paid for it right now, and I don’t know when the value will go back up. I’m not making payments on it so I can just let it be. I would rather have you guys use it than it sit there empty. Will that work for you?”

Ivar thought a few moments, trying to look at all the angles finally he looked up at her. He knew Sofia would jump on it in a heartbeat. The Jensons too. Silas and Amber would have to give up a little bit of privacy but if the four of them could share a cruise cabin for a week, Paige’s house should be no problem.

“It should work, but I’ll talk to Sofia, Silas and Amber.” He paused a moment before he presented the overriding question he had. “I have to ask, how can you afford to just basically walk away from a house you paid for outright, not even with a loan?”

Sabine smiled a sad little smile as she answered.

“Did you see the end of the Kurt Russel Wyatt Earp movie?”

“Yeah?” Strange shift of topics, but it must be pertinent, thought Ivar.

“The last scene, when Wyatt was talking to Josephine, he told her he wanted to be with her and didn’t know how they would live because he was broke and had no money to support them. Do you remember her answer?”

“I think so?” He was still puzzled, but he thought he saw where she was headed.

“What did she tell him?” Sabine fixed her eyes on him. He realized for the first time she was actually an inch or two taller than him, just like Veronica. He saw a flicker of amusement in her green-brown eyes as she waited for his answer.

“Don’t worry about it, I’m rich?” he said in a questioning tone.

Sabine just smiled as she turned away and headed towards the door. As she opened the door, she replied over her shoulder.

“Thanks for the talk sir, you have a good day.” Sabine strode from the office a bounce in her step.

Ivar just stood there frozen with look of bewilderment and amusement as she walked away. No one was in the room to hear him say to himself “Those four are a constant source of amazement.”
 
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ComCamGuy

ComCamGuy

Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
On the Road to Barstow

It was a cramped fit in the crew cab pick-up as they drove south. Kingfisher told Silas the warning he got from Brice meant anything else they wanted, they better get there soon. Silas figured he had to pull together some drivers. He was after the supplies they would need to keep things going here for those remaining. Food and medical supplies were first on the list, followed by some other things Brice had squirreled away for them.

Silas thought of the various issues of plausible deniability. He wouldn’t take any of the Musketeers. He didn’t want them linked to the wholesale raiding Kingfisher had been conducting. This was also the reason he and Ivar were keeping Kingfisher out of the weapons liberation. So, with them off the list, who else to take and in what vehicle?

Best choice was one of the crew cab pick-ups. It had dual tanks and could make the trip. They would refuel down there for the drive back. That gave him up to four seats not counting himself and Kingfisher. Well, since he is picking up med gear, he better take someone who knows what to grab. That means Bradley should go. He’s the Mountain Medic sticking around with the doc, so he would be looking for what he needed to help himself anyway.

Who else? Petra. He had to take Petra. She was able to work wonders when Kingfisher took her last time, she has already been there and is a familiar, positive and disarming presence. Besides, she won’t take up much room in the middle on the way down.

Two seats left. Silas thought a moment more then decided to stop making it difficult. Jenson and Nolan would be the last two. One of the last decisions was how many long guns to take. These days they weren’t traveling without everyone armed, but with the distance, they would take some stuff bigger than pistols. Silas decided plate carriers and carbines for everyone.

Silas generated a couple sets of bogus weapons transport paperwork showing where they were either taking weapons for turn in or picking weapons up and returning. All six of them were listed as weapons curriers on the paperwork. Transporting government weapons was a justifiable reason for them to be armed, after all.

Before the sun came up, the truck weaved it’s way through the serpentine of new Hesco barriers at the entryway as they exited the base. Soon they were speeding south on their mission.
 
ComCamGuy

ComCamGuy

Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
At Barstow Marshaling Yard


Silas was surprised at the changes here. He didn’t know exactly what to expect from Kingfisher’s descriptions, but the huge acreage filled with rows and rows of boxes, crates, pallets, and vehicles reminded him of an outdoor version of the warehouse at the end of ‘Raiders’. Kingfisher already had their gate clearance and the paperwork to drive on back to the Sector ‘G’ part of the field.

They drove down one of the access roads all the way to a row of smaller fenced off yards. These were the ‘due out’ processing yards. Back here was the smaller groups of equipment being shipped out or picked up by other units for continued operation. This was where some vehicles, pallets and connexes were hidden away awaiting disposition. This was where Brice worked.

A portable trailer/office out front had several UTVs parked out front and people coming in and out. Kingfisher parked the truck.

“Wait here guys. Don’t get out of the truck or someone will steal it. I’ll be right back.”

Silas looked at the faces of the people going back and forth. There was a lot of panic and uncertainty. Well, at least they realized it was all screwed. Moments later Kingfisher was back and getting into the truck.

“Brice has a section of one assembly area fenced off with the stuff we might want.” He handed a key attached to a metal plate to Silas so he could open the gate in the fence when they got there.

The fences here had some windblock material to keep out prying eyes. Down the row they went, all the way to the end. Kingfisher pulled up to the gate and looked over at Silas.

“Well?”

“Oh” He hopped out and opened the padlock. Swinging the gate wide, he bowed and gestured with a flourish for Kingfisher to drive in, closing the gate behind the truck. The less others could see the better was Silas’ general rule of piracy.
 
Griz3752

Griz3752

Retired, practising Curmudgeon
Generally a very wise policy but even moreso in a time of great system flux. That's when weasels are particularly on the lookout for something to endear them to a new set of masters.
 
ComCamGuy

ComCamGuy

Remote Paramedical pain in the ass
Old Friends


Kingfisher pulled forward and parked. As Silas looked around the fenced in area he saw several connexes and a bunch of vehicles, more vehicles than he expected. Several HEMTTs were along one side, along with some 5-ton trucks, smaller jeep style trucks and the biggest surprise, a USAF blue and white ambulance bus.

While he was still looking and the bus and wondering why, the gate he just closed swung open again. A short, solidly built female Marine in an electric golf cart drove in. She stepped out of the cart and closed the gate behind her. Turning, she came right up to Silas and wrapped him in a big hug before saying anything.

“Damn, Silas. It’s been a long time. You should have come down before now instead of sending that pain in my ass.” She jerked her thumb over her shoulder at the rest of the crew.

“Brice, I figured to send someone I could afford you to be pissed off at, so you would be happy to see me when I finally came down.” Silas said with a grin.

“You do know I divorced him for a reason, right?” She said with a smile.

“I can’t blame you in the least. I’m surprised you put up with him as long as you did.” Silas decided it was time for some business. “So, what’s the deal with the Ambulance Bus?”

“Well, I put it on the paperwork so I could justify a couple of connexes of med gear for you guys to rifle through.”

They were talking as they walked over to the rest.

“I see you brought your little spider monkey back down with you.”

“Yeah, if it’s mechanical, she can make it work.”

“I know, it was hilarious watching her and Kingfisher going through the recovery vehicles last time. The other ones she fixed bought me some good graces and more flexibility in what I pulled for you guys.”

The group was standing in a circle by the truck now.

“Hi honey, I’m home.” Kingfisher said as Silas and Brice walked up.

“Shut the **** up, the adults are talking.” Brice said to Kingfisher with a smile as she looked to the rest. “Whichever one of you is the medic, check the shit in the bus first. Its about half full. I’ll unlock the connexes and show you where the rest of the med gear is. I can’t guarantee anything will be here if you guys make another trip so treat it like a fire sale and be greedy.”

“If a couple of you go through the trucks over there” she pointed “there is a butt ton of food, mostly Unitized Group Rations. There’s an older field kitchen trailer you can load up and take as well, that way you have a way to heat and cook. It should be complete, or at least its marked that way.”

“Nolan, why don’t you tackle that.” Kingfisher said.

“What about fuel?” Silas asked Brice.

“If your micro-mechanic can get it running, I have that tanker HEMTT and a tanker trailer for it as well. If you get it going, come nighttime, I can get both filled up for you to take with you.”

“Petra, that’s your mission. Take Jenson with you. He can’t lift shit too heavy but he can hold a light and fetch tools.” Silas told them.

“So, what else do you have for us?” Kingfisher asked Brice.

“I got a few more things tucked away. Lets go look.”

Soon, everyone was prowling through different boxes and vehicles and connexes. They knew they needed to have a sense of urgency, but they also wanted to be thorough.
 
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