Welcome to the Strip 3

20:10

It is a bit of a hassle getting a room - the city can only hold so much transient population at a time, and if we want to keep things constitutional, we can't just force the residents to give us some space. So several of the big hotels are taken over entirely by soldiers, and another is split based on service, and then there are always a few scattered every where else to be posted near their emergency deployment areas. Its possible to get a room, even a very nice one - though a good number are still set aside for big-wigs, generals, and for rewards given to people who bring in a big haul. As I hinted before - bring a cattle drive here, and you could get a tower suite pemamently. Course, its been how many years since anyone's seen a cow?

OK, here we are - 527 - thumb your biometric please - and we're in. So much more convenient than those old key cards, right? Lights! Lights? Not set up for verbal commands - shouldn't be surprised. That window looks over a parking lot if your luck, but what do you expect for free?

Ignoring the lack of modern technology - its a hotel room. About the fanciest thing here is the low water use bidet and that is mostly here because we don't have a forest to clear cut for TP. The shower is on a timer, and you basically need to pay for that - in case you haven't noticed, we're a city in a desert. As per usual - the entire wall facing the bed is a media screen backed by flat panel directional phased speakers so no one else has to hear it. I doubt the channel selections anything of note, and the interface dongle for your personal computer is by the alarm-clock radio.

Aside from the fact you're staying here alone and haven't had a chance to add some personality to the room, this is pretty much how all the troops in Vegas camp.

Its already past curfew, and while rank has its privileges, you're not worth abusing them over. Sorry to break it to ya kid.I'll have one of my troopers pick you up around breakfast. Sleep well now.

09:45

Yew da one Hardcastle is lookn fer? Good, we gotta see im soon as yer done. What yew gots der anyways? Goat cheese, bell peppers, fresh bread - add two shots and dat'll be the standart strip breakfast right dere. Pretty standart in Isreal too - though it tasted better over der. Back wen der was still coffeh - we all miss dat. Surprising how few things in dese united states contain caffeine naturally - and soda just don taste rite widout it. Yewd dink specially out in the desert an xanthine alkaloid pesticide wud be a good way to safeguard precious wader from insects. Ilex vomitoria grows much fader East den here.

What? I'm on da intelegence staff, not sum ignint grunt.

Anyhew, dis is bout where Hardcastle would say sometin like "We can't stay here, this is bat country!" an try to hurry yew on up. If yewd be so kind, we do have dings to do.

10:10

That boy's accent is so thick you can cut it with a knife, but he's a good one. Just don't get his started on horticulture - he'll talk your ears off on anything doing with botany. He's braved ebola, malaria, and a few other diseases we only discovered ten, fifteen years ago so he could study plants for his thesis. Nearly had a doctorate, then gets brought back into service due to the state of emergency. Sad really - I'm sure he'd like noting more than to see some of the plants the aliens brought with them. We don't see any shrimp in this state, up north are some - they ain't so bad - but California is just crawling with them, and those ones are bastards. Its really hard to make runs down the highway when there's laser towers and air cover.

Which of course brings us to why you've gotten the royal treatment so far. A full company is one thing, but they don't dispatch much force to deal with individuals. If you're willing to scout into California, or act as a courier to places back East, there some good rewards to be had. This notepad contains a list of some of the standard deals we make, and items we're looking for. Of course, you'll have to sign an NDA first and agree to a test of character before we get too far into this process. Knowledge of our supply shortages and needs is a matter of military intelligence and could be valuable to the wrong sort of people you know.

I'll give you some time to think about it of course. But we aren't going to take much in the way of freeloaders out here - not when tens of thousands of people need to ration showers. You didn't come here with much, but its going to be time to turn you back out into the desert soon. It would probably be in your best interest to enlist with us.

Let the lieutenant know when you've made a decision.