Meanwhile, the Pinkshirts’ training focussed on urban style. Marching was key to looking good. They actively stayed away from rural locations as initial training off the beaten track got their uniforms dirty. The skirmish with Area Six was an unheeded warning. They sat around decadently smoking cigars, quaffing whisky and guffawing. Profligacy was the order of the day. Form over substance meant everything. So long as their uniforms were smart and patrols on time, everything ran like clockwork.
Despite the sporadic acts of vandalism, Gronk held the insurgents’ capabilities in low regard. They were an uncoordinated mob and merely scruffy vagabonds in his opinion. The Pinkshirts maintained their usual sequence of night patrols and were predictable in their movements. The Missing occasionally watched their life of luxury. Extravagant dinner parties were the norm and no expense was spared on the comforts of life. The Pinkshirts’ self-indulgent habits served to harden the resolve of the partisans.
Living in the wilds suited the Missing. They slept under the trees with stars poking through. Sleeping areas were protected from rain by camouflaged waterproof sheets attached to trees by bungees and paracord. Damp-proof sheets lay on the ground to ensure their sleeping bags did not get wet. Provisions from Area Six were plentiful with medical supplies and food neatly stacked. Latrines were dug using folding entrenchment tools. Dressed in military fatigues, they cooked on small hexi stoves, which were basic but efficient at heating food and boiling water. It was not luxury, but survival was assured thanks to the people of Area Six, which was lucky to have been taken over by EthixCo. The collection of Areas owned and ran by EthixCo were known as the ‘Land of the Free,’ as opposed to the tyranny in BogSplat-controlled Areas.
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