|
|
|
History of The New Nevada Desert Rangers
|
The following is an excerpt from The History of the Desert Rangers, The Early Years, by Karl Allard,
2087, Allard Press, Ranger Center Hardbound pp. 293, $20 gold.
Tensions grew with the coming of 1998. The United States' Citadel Starstation was slated to be fully operational by March. Soviet charges that the space station was merely a military launching platform alarmed a number of nonaligned nations. The right wing governments in the South and Central Americas, many of them set up by the U.S. during the Drug Wars (1987-1993), pledged their support to the U.S. The NATO nations, including the new African members, also declared their alliance with the US That move forced most of the remaining neutral powers to join the Soviet protest. In six short weeks, only Switzerland, Sweden, and Ireland continued to declare themselves neutral nations.
Two weeks before Citadel was due for full operation, the station transmitted a distress signal. Immediately after the message was sent, most of the satellites orbiting the planet were swept clean from the sky, leaving the great powers blind. In military panic, each sent 90 percent of their nuclear arsenals skyward. Although the destruction was tremendous, it was not complete. Pockets of civilization remained, some even oblivious to the military exchange.
On the same day that the US and Soviet Union were attempting to extinguish each other, a company of US Army Engineers were in the southwestern deserts building transportation bridges over dry river beds. They worked deep in the inhospitable desert valleys, surrounded by a number of survivalist communities. Located directly south of their position on that day was a newly constructed federal prison. In addition to housing the nation's criminals condemned to death, the prison contained light industrial manufacturing facilities.
Shortly after the nuclear attack began, the Engineers, seeking shelter, took over the federal prison and expelled the prisoners into the desolate desert to complete their sentences. As the weeks passed, they invited the nearby survivalist communities to join them and to help them build a new society. Because of each communities suspicions towards one another, times were difficult at first. But as time nurtured trust, this settlement -- which came to be known as Ranger Center -- grew to be one of the strongest outposts. Ranger Center even proved powerful enough to repel the bands of rancorous criminals who repeatedly attacked in attempts to reclaim what was once "rightfully theirs."
The citizens of Ranger Center, after first believing that they were the only ones who survived the nuclear maelstrom, soon realized that communities beyond the desert's grip had also survived. Because they had such success in constructing a new community, they felt compelled to help other survivors and live in peace.
Toward this end, the Desert Rangers, in the great tradition of the Texas and Arizona Rangers a century before, were born.
Over the past few years, the Desert Rangers have seen many changes in both form and leadership. Ranging from the casual group led by Dagg, through the militaristic force commanded by Andyc, to the rag-tag faction of the present day, the Rangers have changed based on their leader's view on the philosophy and aim of restoring civilisation, and the situation of New Nevada as a whole.
|
|
|
Leaders of the Desert Rangers
|
General Luthen (Deceased)
Little is known about General Luthen, except that he is long dead. No-one can remember, nor are there any records of anything of note happening during this Commanding Officer's leadership.
General Dagg (KIA)
Regarded by most as the first 'real' leader of recent times, Dagg led the Rangers through an awkward period, marred by a feud with the Badlanders. Dagg died in battle, when he was left in the path of a crashing helicopter, not far from the Ground Zero.
Clones of General Dagg [unknown number] (All KIA)
After Dagg's death, someone, or several people, produced a clone of Dagg, and installed the clone as a replacement. Having no knowledge of the original Dagg, bar what they were told, the clone, and it's following copies, seemed to have been derranged maniacs, causing even more trouble with the Badlanders. Eventually, the final clone was killed in a incident involving Rynthas and Andyc.
General Andrew 'Andyc' Cornelius (ret.)
After taking command from the final clone, Andyc went about rebuilding the Rangers, forming them into a more military-style force than before. This almost instantly caused a powerstruggle, as the Badlander-backed ArcticFox was after the leadership, as well. Though, Andyc won the struggle in the end.
Andyc's more militaristic view payed off, when the Rangers were attacked by a force of highly-trained and equiped marines. Andyc led the defense of the Ranger Center personally, and thanks to alliances forged, and the General's battleplan, the marines were defeated.
After a second marine attack on the Ranger Center, which left the front of the base temporarily scarred by dangerous high background radiation, the Badlanders threatened the destruction of several smaller settlements to blackmail control of the Ranger Center from General Andyc. With the Rangers withdrawing to the Ranger Outpost, Andyc disappeared briefly, and was cut off from the faction.
Colonel Edward Lee Chung Hang [AKA Articfox] (KIA)
During the last leg of the clones in command, Articfox had gone missing and later turned up as a friend to the Badland originals, led by Spike. Upon learning that Andyc had taken up the reigns of command, Articfox, convinced that his friendship with the leadership of the Badland Originals would lead to an era of peace ending the conflict between the Badlanders and the Rangers, decided to return to take control. He also believed that a civillian coudln't lead the Rangers. Backed by Spike, Fox started a political war with Andyc.
The ensuing power struggle between Andyc and Fox was won in the end by Andyc. Spike took matters into his own hands and after a crippling blow by the marines to the Ranger Center, he installed Fox as leader, taking advantage of the relative weakness of the power structure within the rangers.
Fox spent most of his time attempting to make peace between the two factions. In reality, however, Spike was using him to gain more strength in the region without being harassed by the Rangers. Fox was torn between two loyalties, and didn't know he was being exploited.
Despite what Fox wanted everyone to believe, he was also responsible for creating the clone of Krogg, a mistake that cost many innocent Rangers their lives in both Krogg's escape, and the subsequent re-capture attempt.
Fox's further mental breakdown by a stranger known as Epitaph further weakened the Rangers. Eventally, his attempts at peace ultimately failed. A young Badlander, Bull, obsessed with the Pit, murders Fox at a pit fight. The only spectator, Andyc, was unable to act, as the Badlander swiftly murdered the Ranger's leader, and left.
General Sanguinius Angel (MIA)
Sanguinius took control of the Rangers after ArcticFox's death, as no-one else seemed to be taking any action. He restructured the Rangers, first at the officer level, promoting several competent people, giving the Rangers a number of quality officers for the first time in years, and then he rebuilt the Rangers themselves, tidying them into companies, and laying down the first real plans for the 'Enforcer' Special Forces. Unfortunately, General Angel soon went missing, and hasn't been located.
Lieutenant Colonel Bryan Drake (ret.)
Captain Drake, with the loss of General Sanguinius, was given the go-ahead to become a Lieutenant Colonel, and take over the Rangers. The new commander has been working hard, re-establishing the manufacturing facilities in the Ranger Center. This work has allowed the Rangers to produce low-level firearms for their members, and more importantly, ammunition to load into them. This essential work is vital, with the increasing rarity of ammo. However, due to a worsening mental state, Lt Col Drake handed power over to Captain Rylen Grey.
Lieutenant Colonel Rylen Grey, M.D. (ret.)
Lieutenant Colonel Rylen Grey, founder of the New Nevada Medical Association, took the reigns of the Rangers from Lieutenant Colonel Drake. His efforts to reorganise the Rangers, giving out assignments to Rangers who previously had none. However, even after Dr Grey's herculean effort to restructure the Rangers, all while still patching people up in the infirmary, dissent still remained. After an apparant conspiracy for his head, Colonel Grey hung up his cap, and resigned from his post as Ranger CO.
General William Kurtz (Current Incumbent)
With the resignation of Colonel Grey, the Rangers were left without a leader once again. General Cornelius stepped in, taking over as a steward, and running an election for a new CO. After other candidates proved unviable, one attacking people at random, before being killed, and the another attempting to make bribes for an officer position if he pulled out of the election, there was little to challenge the already massive support of Second Lieutenant Willam Kurtz. After a unanimous victory, Kurtz adopted the traditional CO's rank of General, and has begun to continue the reorganisation of the Desert Rangers.
|
|
|
