Realistic or Modern The Contested Zone: Ulises Eusébio Espaillat

[cl0ud]

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• Group Info.
• Journal & Notes

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  The howls, chirps, and buzzes of the distant fauna native to these valleys bounce off the peaks of the lush hills. You are in Chejondo, a state ridden with crime but still officially under the control of the federal government. On your right arm, the flag of the Cacinan Federation is sewn into your fatigues just above a unit patch. The unit patch is a red field with two golden sabers crossed with a superimposed bullhead. The motto reads "BY THE SWORD." You are a Sergeant in the 2nd Cavalry Regiment of the Chejondo Department Security Forces and are currently patrolling the hills around Alvebollama in the east. Before your patrol this morning, your lieutenant approached you and told you to investigate reports of river bandits along the Tento River. This morning you set off with your platoon and are making your way towards the headwaters in the mountains. The morning is calm as the sun barely graces the horizon and the birds begin singing their songs to wake up the rest of the forest. You are accompanied by the rest of your platoon.
  
  
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  ??? Each soldier consumes 1 Food Ration and 1 Water Ration per day when not garrisoned ???
  ??? Each horse consumes 30 Food Rations and 20 Water Rations per day when not garrisoned ???
  ??? Horses can graze to reduce food consumption. Reduction varies by environment ???
  
  MATERIALS
  None
  
  TOOLS
  [ 10 ] Shovels
  [ 10 ] Wood axes
  [ 2 ] Set of Power Tools
  
  CONSUMABLES
  [ 1152 ] Food Rations
  [ 1548 ] Water Rations
  
  VEHICLES
  [ 36 ] Horses
  
  ARMORY
  WEAPONS
  [ 36 ] Service Rifles
  [ 8 ] Undermounted grenade launchers
  [ 36 ] Sabers
  [ 36 ] 9mm Pistols
  
  AMMUNITION
  [ 540 ] 5.56 rounds
  [ 306 ] 9mm rounds
  [ 6 ] 40mm HE grenades
  [ 10 ] 40mm smoke grenades
  
  
• N/A
• 
  You are the platoon commander for 30 soldiers.
  
  ♂ Ulises Espaillat | CSM | Service Rifle [19 + 1] w/ launcher [1 + 1 HE], 9mm Pistol [16 + 1], Saber | Mounted |
  ♂ Ivanildo Shinoda Chaves | PFC | Service Rifle [19 + 1], 9mm Pistol [16 + 1], Saber | Mounted |
  ♂ Danilo Santos | PSC | Service Rifle [19 + 1], 9mm Pistol [16 + 1], Saber | Mounted |
  ♂ Julio Carvalho | PSC | Service Rifle [19 + 1], 9mm Pistol [16 + 1], Saber | Mounted |
  ♂ Andre Castro-Martins | PSC | Service Rifle [19 + 1] w/ launcher [1 + 1 HE], 9mm Pistol [16 + 1], Saber | Mounted |
  ♂ Diogo Lima | PSC | Service Rifle [19 + 1], 9mm Pistol [16 + 1], Saber | Mounted |
  ♂ Breno Araujo-Martins | PSC | Service Rifle [19 + 1], 9mm Pistol [16 + 1], Saber | Mounted |
  ♂ Caio Santos-Gonclaves | Cpl | Service Rifle [19 + 1], 9mm Pistol [16 + 1], Saber | Mounted |
  ♂ Vicinius Miranda de Assis | Cpl | Service Rifle [19 + 1], 9mm Pistol [16 + 1], Saber | Mounted |
  ♂ Gustavo Meireles-Gomes | Cpl | Service Rifle [19 + 1], 9mm Pistol [16 + 1], Saber | Mounted |
  ♂ Renan Borba-Vaz | Cpl | Service Rifle [19 + 1] w/ launcher [1 + 1 HE], 9mm Pistol [16 + 1], Saber | Mounted |
  ♂ Neto Ito-Bernardes | Cpl | Service Rifle [19 + 1], 9mm Pistol [16 + 1], Saber | Mounted |
  ♂ Milton Pedroso de Salles | Cpl | Service Rifle [19 + 1], 9mm Pistol [16 + 1], Saber | Mounted |
  ♂ Vitor Gomes-Cavalcanti | Cpl | Service Rifle [19 + 1], 9mm Pistol [16 + 1], Saber | Mounted |
  ♂ Francisco Siqueira Madruga | Cpl | Service Rifle [19 + 1], 9mm Pistol [16 + 1], Saber | Mounted |
  ♂ Edgar Azevedo Jardim | Cpl | Service Rifle [19 + 1], 9mm Pistol [16 + 1], Saber | Mounted |
  ♂ Michel Bonfim Carmo | Sgt | Service Rifle [19 + 1], 9mm Pistol [16 + 1], Saber | Mounted |
  ♂ Enrico Shinoda Chaves | Sgt | Service Rifle [19 + 1], 9mm Pistol [16 + 1], Saber | Mounted |
  ♂ Giovane Sato Correia | Sgt | Service Rifle [19 + 1], 9mm Pistol [16 + 1], Saber | Mounted |
  ♂ Gabriel Bernardes Rezende | Sgt | Service Rifle [19 + 1], 9mm Pistol [16 + 1], Saber | Mounted |
  ♂ Lorenzo Pinto do Amaral | Sgt | Service Rifle [19 + 1], 9mm Pistol [16 + 1], Saber | Mounted |
  ♂ Nicolas Branco Rosário | SFC | Service Rifle [19 + 1], 9mm Pistol [16 + 1], Saber | Mounted |
  ♂ Leonardo Lacerda Barreto | SFC | Service Rifle [19 + 1], 9mm Pistol [16 + 1], Saber | Mounted |
  ♂ Cícero Ferraz Hamada | SFC | Service Rifle [19 + 1], 9mm Pistol [16 + 1], Saber | Mounted |
  ♂ Antonio Nazário Camargo | SFC | Service Rifle [19 + 1], 9mm Pistol [16 + 1], Saber | Mounted |
  ♂ Evandro Rocha de Ávila | SFC | Service Rifle [19 + 1], 9mm Pistol [16 + 1], Saber | Mounted |
  ♂ Túlio Fraga de Matos | MSg | Service Rifle [19 + 1], 9mm Pistol [16 + 1], Saber | Mounted |
  ♂ Samuel Guerra Cabral | MSg | Service Rifle [19 + 1], 9mm Pistol [16 + 1], Saber | Mounted |
  ♂ Danilo Maldonado Fontes | MSg | Service Rifle [19 + 1], 9mm Pistol [16 + 1], Saber | Mounted |
  ♂ José Carmo de Almeida | MSg | Service Rifle [19 + 1], 9mm Pistol [16 + 1], Saber | Mounted |
  ♂ Fábio Delchiaro Belluci | SgM | Service Rifle [19 + 1], 9mm Pistol [16 + 1], Saber | Mounted |
  
  Party en route to Alvebollama
  ♂ Henrique Lemos Mendes | Sgt | Service Rifle [19 + 1], 9mm Pistol [16 + 1], Saber | Mounted |
  ♂ Kaua Cardoso | Cpl | Service Rifle [19 + 1], 9mm Pistol [16 + 1], Saber | Mounted |
  ♂ Daniel Barbosa | Cpl | Service Rifle [19 + 1], 9mm Pistol [16 + 1], Saber | Mounted |
  ♂ Leonardo Pereira | PVT | Service Rifle [19 + 1], 9mm Pistol [16 + 1], Saber | Mounted |
  ♂ Thiago Cardoso Pinto | PFC | Service Rifle [19 + 1], 9mm Pistol [16 + 1], Saber | Mounted |
  ♂ Antonio Silva | PFC | Service Rifle [19 + 1], 9mm Pistol [16 + 1], Saber | Mounted |
  
  
• 
  
  • Who Am I?
  • Journal Entries
  • Statistics

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    Ulises Eusébio Espaillat the Strong
    ​
    Ulises Eusébio Espaillat was born in a little village hugging the Tento River to a family of sharecroppers who, like many others, decided to test their luck at the city rather than spend their days barely scraping by a living in the countryside. Sonque, the Department's capital, would prove a false promise, however, with them being forced into extremely cramped conditions alongside six to eight other families sharing a ramshackle apartment. Electricity was a rarity, and an open drainage system ran all cross their cramped old neighbourhood. Joaquín Espaillat, the family patriarch, was a hard-working man, having secured a job at a coal processing power plant, but found it hard to maintain a family alongside a drinking habit. Ulises still remembers his father returning home long past bedtime, with soot sticking on his clothes and the smell of alcohol on his breath. Joaquín was arrested not long after their arrival to the city on charges of smuggling illegal contraband. The sentence had been harsh and prison harsher; Ulises often felt that it would've been better for the man to have died then rather than drag on hope for two long years before being shanked during a prison riot.
    
    These years growing up were some of the toughest he'd ever experienced, having had to give up any hopes of an education in favour of doing any odd job just to keep everything afloat. His mother began a small corner shop in the neighbourhood, often providing mid-day meals and refreshments to the seasonal construction workers. It was by the grace of a relative, an uncle on his mother's side, that the family was able to survive. Uncle Tomas had graciously helped Ulises get a few better-paying jobs in the city, and it was him that recommended that he join the military by lying about his age. Although he might not have been able to get an education himself, Ulises made sure that his little sister Aida was able to make it through high school and indeed become the first in the family to attend University. The Herbanta University of Culture had long offered a scholarship for the underprivileged. It had been one of his proudest moments seeing his sister being able to make use of such an opportunity. He writes to her often these days; most of their conversations revolve around the EPLN and its activities nationally and on campus. Ulises suspects her to be a sympathiser, although he wouldn't want to broach the subject. Personally, he'd been rather apathetic to politics and had never voted, but he did think that Adulfo Maldonado of the Partido Orden Nacional made a lot of sense.
    
    
  • Your journal will automatically be updated with pertinent information. If you want additional information added to your journal, please make it known.
    
  • N/A
  
  

 

[Elucid]

Alvebollama, Tento River, Chejondo Department | Sometime After Daybreak | 2nd Cavalry Regiment DSF | Status: Mobile

Act I: Riposte

Spoiler: Mentions & Tags

cl0ud

​

They should be hitting the mark about a klick or two east of here. Should being the operative word, as despite having patrolled this area in the past, Ulises still had trouble navigating what was, by any standards, some rugged terrain. While not a cushy posting, active duty here was quite coveted. And not just because of the breathtaking views. Infamous for sporadic violence and cartel activity, Chejondo has been notoriously difficult to keep the peace in. Especially with what seems like waning federal influence, the focus having shifted onto the more pressing EPNL threat. Hence, why it's coveted. Who isn't looking to get their hands greased with a few extra bucks for just looking the other way once in a while?

Ulises motions for the platoon to slowly trot to a halt; his men and their mounts follow in rank with a forward and rear lookout, on alert for any unfriendly faces. He unclasps his water flask and takes a quick gulp or two. One of the corporals in the back is busy vigorously shaking their portable radio set, trying to get the highlights from yesterday's match. SgM Belluci positions himself next to Ulises. His horse lets out a soft neigh in protest, "I've been hearing terrible things about the trafficking across to Yozgyatan. You think it might be happening here? Banditos are one thing, but I can't imagine someone doing something as despicable as that." he says, in a voice almost a whisper. Honestly, Ulises blamed the news channels; all this talk of the enemy at the gates has the men on edge. Concerning phone calls from distraught family members followed by annoyance with delayed payslips is never an ideal combination. "I'm sure there's nothing to worry about, most likely these guys are small fry. Or at least they seem sloppy enough to be." He replies, making an effort to sound reassuring while returning the water-flask, snug in its leather compartment. "Listen," he continues "didn't you say we had someone from Alvebollama in the platoon? I'd like to get a sense of the lay of the land once more, before moving forward. Maybe he'll be able to tell us something the forward scouts could not?"

 

[cl0ud]

"Aye Sergeant Major Espaillat," SgM Belluci says. You both held the same rank and paygrade but you had been appointed the Command Sergeant Major of this platoon through impressive demonstration of leadership and resounding success in various trials. The morning was quiet as the sun crept above the hills and began to shine upon your soldiers. Your group had found a clearing on the riverbank and took a moment to dismount and eat breakfast.

The sound of the forest is still save the rippling flow of the Tento. Slightly humid yet still enjoyable, the day is fresh and the air is clean. If there was any benefit to being this far away from the major highways and centers of civilization, it was the quiet. That is was made eastern Chejondo the perfect incubator for criminal syndicates like the cartel. For years the DSF and other various counter-narcotics task forces have been busting labs and outposts in the Chejondo hills. Some investigations have even produced intricate cave systems and underground bases, built into the hills. There are rumors of an underground highway being constructed in the Calia Department that already spans 15km.

Shortly enough, Corporal Kaua Cardoso appears before you, "Yes, Sergeant Major?"

 

[Elucid]

Alvebollama, Tento River, Chejondo Department | Sometime After Daybreak | 2nd Cavalry Regiment DSF | Status: Stationary

Act I: Riposte

Spoiler: Mentions & Tags

cl0ud

Ulises was sat alongside a group of the more senior soldiers in the platoon, sharing a quick but hearty breakfast. He was busily engaged with peeling a particularly attractive orange when a wide-eyed corporal approached them. "Ah yes, you must be Corporal Cardoso," he began, while splitting a fruit segment and spitting out a stray seed. "Please, sit down." The others scoot over to allow the Corporal some space before continuing a conversation about whether or not the President's wife was a catch (in not so polite terms). "I hear that you're from around here Corporal. I'm told my folks were originally sons of the soil as well, but alas I'm a city boy through and through." He lets out a small chuckle before continuing, his brows furrowed, "As you know, we've had reports of river bandits in the area, and are tasked with investigating these rumours." He takes in a deep breath, filling his lungs with the clean country air, "The problem though Cardoso, is that being from the city as I am, I can smell the rot from miles away. We're not here to deal with the little fish, I want a catch and so does the lieutenant." he pauses, taking a moment to look over the cadet, and lazily dispose of the peel. "Now I know, I know, being such a straight shooter yourself, you'd have nothing to do with these people. But I know towns like these son, there's always a cousin, a good-for-nothing in-law, someone who knows someone. There's always a name, the man that got folks rations when all the roads were closed, the man that gave that good-for-nothing in-law a job. I want that name son, and I want to know where he operates from."

 

[cl0ud]

Cardoso shifts uncomfortably for a moment, looking to the side before looking back at you while tugging on his ear, "Funny that you mention that, Sergeant Major. I do have a cousin on my father's side, Augusto. He is from Alvebollama as well but was always a troublemaker. Usually small crimes, petty theft, vandalism, trespassing, smaller stuff. I heard from my aunt that Augusto was recently picked up by some shady crew but she did not know if it was the communists or some gang. I have not had contact with him in a long time. His childhood friend is back in town, a janitor now. I don't know if they still talk though, Sergeant Major," Cardoso finishes.

 

[Elucid]

Alvebollama, Tento River, Chejondo Department | Sometime After Daybreak | 2nd Cavalry Regiment DSF | Status: Stationary

Act I: Riposte

Spoiler: Mentions & Tags

cl0ud

Ulises betrays a slight smirk before beginning, "Well then Corporal Cardoso, It seems that you'll be of some use to me yet." He gets off of his perch, ready to bellow orders to the rest of the platoon, "Alright men, playtime's over. Sgt Mendes, I need you to pick four of the louts here to accompany you and the Corporal to Alvebollama. Don't worry, its a social call, the boy's going to play the prodigal son." He turns towards the Corporal, a bit unsure about his abilities but still certain of this being the best course of action, "I'm going to need you to talk to this friend of your cousin's Corporal, find out anything you can about where these lowlifes are hiding and report back here by nightfall. Dismissed."

Marching on over to Mendes for a brief word, he says in a hushed tone, "Keep the kid safe Sargent, the first sign of trouble and I want you out. And get yourself some plain clothes before barging in there. Perse knows we don't have much good will down here."

 

[cl0ud]

"Aye, Sergeant Major," Sergeant Mendes says with a nod, rounding up four soldiers plus Corporal Cardoso.

The party of soldiers depart back to Alvebollama. In the party is the following.
[6/6]
Sergeant Henrique Lemos-Mendes
Corporal Kaua Cardoso
Corporal Daniel Barbosa
Private Second Class Julio Carvalho
Private Second Class Danilo Santos
Private First Class Thiago Cardoso-Pinto
Private Leonardo Pereira

GROUP INFO. has been updated.
​

The remainder of the soldiers in the platoon saddle up and prepare to move at your command.

 

[Elucid]

Alvebollama, Tento River, Chejondo Department | Sometime After Daybreak | 2nd Cavalry Regiment DSF | Status: Mobile

Act I: Riposte

Spoiler: Mentions & Tags

cl0ud

​

​

Once the men under Mendes' command depart, the rest of the platoon gather their gear, feed the horses and make ready to ride towards the headwaters where intel suggested that some untoward business was afoot. Ulises himself accompanied the forward lookout, not wanting to be caught out in any way. It was a quiet journey, but he entertained himself by lighting a pre-rolled cigarette and wondering what his sister Aida might be getting onto right now. Last time he'd written to her, she'd asked to reach out to mother more often, but he knew that the conversation would inevitably devolve into, how much she hated not being an abuela yet, and that it was time that Ulises settle down and start a family. What a strange woman she was, who would want to raise a child amidst all this chaos?

 

[cl0ud]

As you ride along with your scouts, you reach the tree line and find a clearing in the hills. There is a fortification with various buildings, tents, a small helicopter, towers, and farmland. Along the river is a waterwheel that is helping generate electricity for the camp. Immediately surrounding the encampment is various tree stumps and other signs of land development. Beached just outside of the walls are various canoes and river barges outfitted with armaments to pillage villages and passing boats. The decline from the tree line to the clearing is very exposed and too steep to charge the horses down. With presumably snipers in the watchtowers, there is little to no opportunity to sneak up on the encampment. Your scouts do not have a good idea of how many individuals are inside of the fortification or the armaments.

 

[Elucid]

River Bandit Hold, Chejondo Department | Midday | 2nd Cavalry Regiment DSF | Status: Stationary

Act I: Riposte

Spoiler: Mentions & Tags

cl0ud

Ulises makes a mental note of his platoon's headcount before removing a thick journal with loose sheets of folded paper sticking out from one of the saddle pouches. He frees the charcoal pencil wedged inside, reduced to the size of an index finger from regular use, and attempts to sketch a rough but accurate layout of the encampment. Marking areas of interest, possible avenues of entry etc. Once this is done, he gathers ten soldiers working in pairs and relays orders to secure good vantage points overlooking the encampment. They are charged with recording the number of men coming in and out of buildings, the changing of the guard, shift times, and, if possible, get some idea of the enemy load-outs. The rest of the platoon sets camp at a suitable distance, securing the horses and ensuring that they're rested and ready. The platoon will wait here until nightfall, hoping to get word from Sgt. Mendes' party - perhaps their investigations in Alvebollama will bear fruit, giving Ulises access to a less precarious avenue of assault. And if not, Ulises saw no dishonour in returning to his regiment for reinforcements. After all, he had been charged with simply investigating bandit activity in the area.