29th March RY 9 (2023) 6:00

Six years and nine days have passed since that terrible event - the arrival of a large chump of China, hailing from 2050 in the Fallout universe in the sea north from Scandinavia - during the next six years the EUFOR fought a hard battle as their Chines forces poured in Europe. From the forest of Sweden, mountains of Norway & lakeside woods of Finlandover the desperate try to stop the Chinese at Malmo to the battles which raged across the lower regions of western, central and eastern Europe. Now practically packed into only south Europe, the EUFOR can only thank the high rising mountains that turned the Chinese's advance to a crawl that they still can hold them off. But every day more brave ones fall and both weapons and warriors are becoming worn out from the constant attacks on their defenses in the mountains. Only fate knows how much longer will EUFOR be able to hold out...

South from the Alps, located on the most western hill higher then 200 m in Istria stands the small town of Buje. In the early years of Re-Genesis this remained a peaceful place, even after the Golden Sun event fired the only change were a few dozens of refugees from inland Croatia. But after the Fall of Malmo and during the Battle of Copenhagen it was decided that together with Umag the town was going to be a secondary transfer point for refugees and industry. But after the Chinese learned of Trieste's role as the primary port for evacuating German population and industry they launched seventy three cruise missiles, captured from German bases, on the city. The defenses were not enough and 52 missiles hit the city, all carrying nuclear payload. With the destruction of Trieste it was decided to transform all remaining cities on the northern Adriatic coast into ports for evacuation, and that also mean that Buje, which was meant to be a transfer point towards both the ports of Umag and Novigrad, was quickly turned into one of the largest refugee centers of EUEPB and EUFOR.

Now it has been six years from the events which brought and still bring much sorrow and ruin Europe. Buje is now a sprawling city with a official population of 22,413, but three to five times more people actually live in the city, most of them on the hills spreading west, north and east of the city, in slums build out of tents, quickly risen wood buildings, huts which are just tin protections from rain to the few actual buildings which serve as hospitals, food distribution centers and so on.

Together with those, north from the city stands something of a town of its own - a base and airfield of the EUFOR - surrounded with fences topped with barbed wire and watch towers it is mostly meant to allow a constant rotation of land units between here and the mountains as well as to provide air support when needed. This is also a permanent reminder of the bleak reality of Europe in RY 9.

In the valleys north and south of the town stand agricultural land - used up to the maximum. In a small part of the city there are also factories - now used to produce guns or vehicle parts for the EUFOR.

Only the old town - on it's high hill and without any major changes on the surface expect for the high watch and radar tower on the plaza which marks the highest point of the town - still reminds the people of better days ...

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29th March RY 9 6:00, Buje Base (EUFOR Istria Sector), "First Combined Battalion" camp, commander's tent

Levia woke up from the same dream she had around this time of the year, her parents and she sitting at the last dinner before they split - their parents off to Toulun from where they manged to get a ship to New York where relatives would take them in until they managed to find work and a place to live - and naturally she stayed to join the army and fight for Europe's, and Italy's, freedom. It was six years from then but she still remembers and dreams it - father's harsh words which hidden both his pride and saddens, mother's tears. Her brother was fighting at that time, he was a pilot in the French Foreign Legion and they were flying sorties from German airbases against the Chinese. She meet him both time when she was in hospital, and after the first time they keep in touch via any means that they could - phone calls when the lines allowed that, military mail and face to face when he was stationed in one of the bases near her. Even in this f**ked and broken world family was still important, even if just as a small speck of light in a bleak and dark world.

"Now, now," she whispered to herself, "it is not time for the past, I have things to do."

She got up and after taking off her clothing - a military made uniform like night wear - she took a shower. The water was barely something you cloud call warm, but she was happy that it was not cold, in some of her earlier posts, only harshly cold water or snow cloud be used to clean one's body. After five minutes the water turned cold, she was well informed that 5 minutes of bleakly warm water was the most that you cloud expect, energy cloud not be wasted to heat water so it was warmed by the excess heat from the small power plant near the city.

After the shower she put on her uniform and went to join her comrades and solders in the unit's cafeteria. There were, for now around 50 of them, all carefully selected from all branches of EUFOR as well as from "Arrived". For now she concentrated on the officers - tank unit commanders, squadron leaders, infantry unit leaders, those had to be carefully chosen, but she didn't neglect the ordinary soldiers ether - it would be stupid to have officers but no one for them to train with. There was still a long way from a battalion sized unit that her superiors ordered her to make. Well she still had almost eight & half months, and she made good progress in the two weeks of work - 24 officers of which 7 were "Arrived" and 31 soldiers, of which 14 "Arrived". And yesterday flyers recruiting for the unit were started to be distributed around the city as well as the recruitment posters which were put on the entrances of all gathering places - hospitals, bars and so on.

"Well," she though as she sat down next to the two sub-commanders which she assigned to help her, one she had previous contacts in the Inn Valley and she trusted him and the other was a famous "hero" of the Battle for Paris so he was probably trustworthy enough, "let's see if this recruitment campaign will work - after all some would kill for three meals a day, free medical care and five minutes of showering with water which is not cold."

She then returned her attention to the two sub-commanders, she had to discuss the surprise simulated combat situation of today's training with them as well as the handling of those which would answer the recruitment flyers and posters ...

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29th March RY 9 2:00, slums of Buje, "Forever Standing" bar, motel & brothel

The "Forever Standing" bar, motel & brothel which was established in Malmo as a place for front-line news reporters to stay, and for everyone which wanted a breather from the war - ether with a glass or lass in his hand. Trough it had a shady reputation and had to relocated - first to Copenhagen, then to Bremen, Berlin, Dresden, Munich, Vienna and finally it settled in Buje - now it was known as one of the better establishment of the city, relatively safe as long as you don't pick a fight with the owner or the "gorillas" hired by him, the drinks were amongst the better half in Buje and any girl found to have any STD was fired, even with the obligatory contraception policy enforced by EUFOR to all brothels.

Since it was open all year except on X-mas and New Year's Eve it was not weird for the place to receive customers which came at both a weird time and with a weird appearance. But the young girl standing before the motel's receptionists was one of the weirdest - seemingly she was out of the place a young lady clad in everyday clothing and at the same she strangely fit in, with dust and dirt from traveling trough the lands and eyes which definitely saw lots of s**t which made the Europe of this decade.

The girls words, spoken with a soft voice, forced him out of his thoughts: "Hello, I would like a room. One bad, paid in cash." "4 euros" he said, automatically. The girl took out her wallet, put her hand in it and took out a one dollar coin saying: "I only have dollars. Will this be enough?" He nodded and in amazement kept his eyes on the coin - only those few American news reporters brought dollars from time to time - and one dollar was worth 4.15 Euros - so he wondered where the girl got one. 

He took of a key and with the automation of years of doing so, without even looking, he told the girl: "Room 145, first floor at the end of the corridor." She took the key and placed the coin on the reception desk. As she walked, her bag swinging left and right on it's one remaining strap, the receptionist, a ex-Danish soldier of the name of Hanz, kept his eyes on the coin...

Two hours later Hanz resigned his post as the receptionist at the "Forever Standing" and packed his things with only one destination on his mind the EUFOR base an it's "First Combined Battalion" camp...

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29th March RY 9 6:00, slums of Buje, "Forever Standing" bar, motel & brothel

Soa slept only for a couple of hours - she never slept much at all, at least it was so in her earliest memories - and it was only because she knew her body needed a few hours of comforting darkness of not thinking about anything. Now, guided by some instinct Soa came to this town which swelled into a city, she came to Buje, because she knew that something which would affect the fate of humanity and "Arrived" alike would happen right here soon.

In the distance dawn's sun ray lighted up the world and Soa got ready for another day. A shower was needed - days of traveling trough the half-deserted lands of Slovenia had left filth and smell on her. After a shower she put on her reserve clothing and proceeded to clean the ones she wore up until then. After cleaning the clothing she gathered her concentration and drew out the water and moisture from the clothing, releasing in into the air, with this done she put back into her bag and then drew out a pistol, a Colt .45, her father's or at least did Leon say so when they said goodbye, and put in in the hostler. Then she walked down into the bar and ordered a glass of a local copy of Cola together with food. She eat and waited for her instincts to tell her when to act ...