Hidden Dispatches from Detroit- 5a
Bombings
Let us start with the facts, my facts. It is a storm outside; the boats are in the harbor and Detroit stands. The facts of my direct contacts trusted and otherwise end there as well. The secondhand reports state that Commonwealth and Victoria are fighting out east, nothing more.
So, with little else to go on, I look outside, the rain pouring, and any sensible person staying in. Perhaps if I were the ace-reporter of a drama I would be out there tracking down leads. Sadly, I am not. The bum leg meant that leads that are chased down tend to manage to run away, so I had to make my way in other ways. Being the type of reporter you can go to, cause they could write a good article, one that made people care, and not write an oh-so-polite one about how they didn't want to talk to you. All my reporting has been working on making sure the leads come to me, or knowing where they will be before they get there, not following them.
Yet now, there isn't much being said. I'm inclined to think the tales of grinding warfare out east are true. People aren't saying much, but it's the silence of little to say, not of people trying to keep mum. Grinding warfare, with little progress for either side, not good enough to celebrate, or bad enough to worry. What was expected. And so I am left here sitting, musing.
I find myself drifting back to winter, some of the Chicago troops were out digging ditches and trenches, saw some myself. Glad to say that we helped in that, though the work of a city doesn't stop because of war so not every hand could be out there. But the thing that I most remember is the Anti-Air. Throughout the city (and beyond, I may not get places fast, but when one has an entire winter you can see a lot of places) Anti-Air was being put up. That was all the Commonwealth, to delicate and valuable to entrust to unskilled labor.
There we a lot of em, in sizes from bigger than a man, to the size of large trucks. Mostly either missiles or guns, though I don't know more, and when I found someone who did know, a military enthusiast, he just started rattling off specs and numbers till I was completely lost. Best I got is missiles were the better ones, but they also might be old and broken.
Honestly, I found what it said more interesting. This was serious hardware, plenty unreplaceable, and much of it wasn't easily mobile once installed. Ditches and trenches are just a few months' work, and troops can always flee, but this, this was the first thing that felt like it was saying, yeah, Chicago intends to win this, or at least make Victoria bleed. To risk something that can't be fled with. Given it was Victoria, and we all half expected Chicago to not really show up, it felt comforting.
I found it odd, how much when talking with us the Commonwealth seemed to be focusing on showing off their Anti-Air. Saying how it would deal with the Victorian air. Talking it up in that way that someone who is worried does. It was odd, to realize that they were more worried bout the air than the land. For me, I'd never had much to fear air wise, Victorian's always seemed to bully us on the ground, and the survivors of raids described the ground, not the air as where devastation came from, but the Commonwealth was worried.
One of the things they talked about was possible bombings on the city, and to not panic. First time I really heard that phrase, the focus on making sure civilians don't panic. Us being bombed was fine, long as we didn't panic. Perhaps a might cynical of me, but it felt that way. People tend to know I love my books and direct em to me. Read about the blitz in the world wars over a hundred years ago. Most of the authors seemed to think it was a mighty foolish thing, attacking civilians met that they weren't focusing on more important targets. Apparently, civilians can do some good by being bombed. Still, they also talked about Britain coming together and toughening it out in unity and certainty. Can't help wondering if they were really that stoic and if so, can't help but have some envy for em.
Think the other major thing I remember was the Volunteer firefighter brigade. They had been talking with the Commonwealth on bomb disposal and firefighting. Even had seminars on what to do if you got bombed. I remember admiring the hell out of them, here were civilians who were doing something, vital work even, and taking charge. I don't go chasing people much, but perhaps I will see if I can talk to Mike once again, might be nice to see how he's holding up.
Canon!
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