The Siege of New Hampshire

Book 6: Chapter 8: Contested Passage

Martin, Tyler, and Charles are met with an unforeseen difficulty on their way north. The ongoing argument between the Hendrick brothers causes them to nearly crash. To compound their trouble, they learn that the road they were told to take, to get round the troublemakers in Plymouth, has become blocked by them too. How can they sneak a loud white truck past the guards at the new roadblock?

 

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Extra: Power Outage Preps Practice

NH had a storm in early April that took out power for tens of thousands of people. It was a chance to practice using the homestead's grid-down preps. Somethings worked well and life was quite normal, despite the outage. Some things were not as good as they should be. The outage exposed a few weak spots in the preps -- things to fix up for next time.

 

Here are links to some photos of the preps mentioned in this episode. At Buy Me A Coffee and at Patreon.

 

Book 6: Chapter 9: Contract Work

The three men from Cheshire finally arrive in Lincoln. They confront Mr. Farnum about the danger they had to face. Rather than make their ordeal a waste of time, they renegotiate a deal -- one day of labor for a trailer full of wood. Farnum suggests that they might wish to revisit the original terms at the end of the day. The Hendrick brothers repair broken drag saws and create new rail spacers. While Tyler still thinks the railroad scheme is all a scam, the evidence of all the other people working argues that it is legit. Will they work another day for 5%, or will they go with just a trailer full of wood?

 

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Prepper Fiction: Bunker Doom

Mic, Jeff and Brian discuss a few movies in which people expect to survive some SHTF event in an underground bunker. Bomb shelters (bunkers) were very popular in scary parts of the Cold War. While bunkers are best suited to surviving Nuke Doom, some people can see sheltering underground as a great way to survive a whole range of SHTF scenarios. But is it? Our trio of prepper movie watchers discuss this, as well as the movies listed below.

Twilight Zone, S3 E3, 1961, The Shelter -- Stream-able with Amazon Prime

Take Shelter, 2011, a Jeff Nichols film -- Stream-able with Amazon Prime & Hulu

10 Cloverfield Lane, 2016, starring John Goodman -- Stream-able on PlutoTV

Article about wealthy people building bunkers, Hollywood Reporter, Sept. 2016

Updated article by same author, Hollywood Reporter, Feb. 2024

Book 6: Chapter 10: Storm Damage

Martin, Charles and Tyler begin their second day of work for Farnum. The mood of all the workers starts out upbeat. The old and new tracks are connected and the locomotive is nearly to the old railhead. A squabble among the workers reveals that Farnum has massively over-promised everyone's stake in the profits. The angry mob attack Farnum, leaving him bloody and unconscious. Too late, do they realize that Farnum was the only one who knew what to do. Is the railroad project doomed?

 

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Prepper Fiction: Zombie Doom

In the preppersphere, zombies are a metaphor for the masses of the unpreppared, weakened after a prolonged collapse, who slowly fan out into the countryside seeking food. Mic, Jeff, and Brian look a few landmark films and a popular TV series. Does how the characters deal with their zombies hold lessons for how preppers might deal with a possible horde of weakened, emaciated city people?

What can you do to help prevent yourself turning into a "zombie"?

Movie Links:

White Zombie, 1932, starring Bela Lugosi. The first actual zombie movie.

The Minnesota Starvation Experiment, Army study in 1945 on effects of starvation.

Plan 9 From Outer Space, 1957. Cheesy sci-fi in which aliens raise the dead as an army.

Night of the Living Dead, 1968, George Romero's cult classic that launched the modern zombie trope.

The Walking Dead, 2010-2022, Television series, with Romero-like zombies

Survival Theory II, 2023, Audio book by Jonathan Hollerman

 

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Book 6: Chapter 11: Making Money

Martin convinces the three railroad partners to carry on the project, even if none of them fully knew what needed to be done. A key to getting the workers to resume work was for the partners to create their own money -- based on firewood -- as a medium of exchange. Once the rails are connected, the engine assembles the first train south. Martin rides in the gondola car to operate the gasifier and welder, if needed.

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Of course, virtual cups of coffee at Buy Me A Coffee are always welcome.

Prepper Fiction: AI Doom

Will AI be the cause of human extinction? That's what some experts are warning of. Mic, Brian and Jeff discuss some of the many movies and news stories about artificial intelligence taking over. On the optimistic side, the AI establishes a harsh but overall benevolent dictatorship. On the darker side, the AI systematically tries to wipe out humanity -- as an "inferior" and troublesome pest. How is a prepper to prepare for an AI overlord?

LInks:

Atlas, 2024, Jennifer Lopez battles an AI villain trying to wipe out mankind.

Colossus: The Forbin Project: 1970. A super-computer establishes itself as benevolent dictator of the earth, with the threat of nuclear destruction for disobedience.

The Invisible Boy, 1957. A super-computer attempts to become unstoppable. eliminate mankind. It's goal is to rid the Earth of the troublesome humans.

100K!

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Book 6: Chapter 12: Rolling Down to Plymouth

The train is finally on its way south. En route, Matt explains his group's plan to neutralize the Greens' northern outpost, then sneak in to free to slave laborers. With their increased numbers, they move on to free the political prisoners. With their larger ad hoc force, they will attempt to capture the Greens' leaders while the rest of the Greens are trying to capture the train. Martin is not too keen on being the bait.

 

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Your support helps keep the Siege story going.

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Extra: Five Real life Bug-Out-to-the-Woods Experiences

What would bugging out to the woods really be like? Mic lays out five historical examples of people surviving in the woods for years.
> Nicholas Cresswell, 1770s traveling through the American frontier.
> The Lykov family, 1936-78, 42 years in Siberian wilderness.
> Max, 1941-43, A young Jewish boy hiding in a Polish forest from Nazis for 2 years.
> Christopher Knight, 1986-2013, 27 years in the woods of Maine.
> Thomas Johnson, 1989-99, living secretly underground for ten years.

If you're enjoying these between-the-chapters episodes or the chapters themselves, consider becoming a Patron on Patreon, or a member at Buy Me A Coffee,
Of course, virtual cups of coffee at Buy Me A Coffee are always welcome.