67th Storm Riders

The

67th

Storm Riders

On the outset this unit seems like an awkward and unnatural formation of known terrorists and killers all with driving motivations that would seem to contradict with each other and their loyalties to the Deaths Hand and a quick answer would be yes….though what you need to understand readers is that the Stormriders are a unit of specialised mercenaries that predate the Great Tragedy and this unit of men also known as the Father’s of Armageddon was partially to thank for the blood they shed during those early days both theirs and their enemies. This unit of blood brothers started off simply as a criminal syndicate that would travel from state to state seeking work and or taking contracts from those needing their help; or help from a unit that would do whatever it took to get the job done and one that held very little value to a moral compass.

The Riders of the Storm came to be as a premier military unit just after the clouds darkened and the storms of magical rage ravaged across the plains of North America during the dark day of August 2018; as the natives unleashed their magical assault and raped the countless innocent lives and the ground trembled as the nights of blood would begin. It would be a time when action would embark a new age as common men would rise above the odds to become hero’s, the criminal would be facing a time that would define the age and mercenary would be forced to adapt or die; and for this unit of criminals and mercenaries they would become a shining light of what man can do when pushed to the brink of extinction.

On the brink of extinction it would take a special band of misfits to rise above their greed and twisted ways to put down their extortion and murderous ways to become the beacon of hope for many innocents that where crying out for help. The Stormriders once a large agency full of countless criminals of varying backgrounds and nationalities would answer this call, and when the headed the call the whirlwind was about to get reaped and history would never be the same again. On the night after the attack this gang of mercenaries would take up arms and lead by the infamous Martin Hakett they would take to the streets in direct defiance to the government directive and in direct resistance to the native assaults and would become the saviours of countless lives and restore many lost towns as the once extortionist specialists would become the protectors of mankind; both driven by a need fr revenge as well their own patriotism towards this once great land of America (Though for some this was not the land of their birth, like the Jackal and Polaris) their dedication was to God and Country and to their brothers and friends within the Stormriders.

During those early days this unit would travel from coast to coast fighting on behalf of any citizen that was being held captive by the native forces or even going as far as to murder the fledgling False Flag agents that where on the rise during those dark days. Under the command of Martin Hakett and Adolf Ackerman this gang would not make the mistake many resistance fighters would make after the liberated a town or city. Seeing the numbers for most where small or like the Sons of Liberty they where dedicated to defending Boston and the Common Wealth so leaving numbers behind to defend and restore order was impossible to say the least, the Stormriders being an underground mercenary band had the numbers to leave behind platoons to help restore and defend a location this would be aided by the locals that would join the Stormriders as a thank you; they also never accepted any monetary compensation for their effort. The spoils of war was enough for these masters of warfare and soon a trend was born as other revolutionary’s would take up the mantle of the Stormriders.

They waged war across the plains, over the mountains and from sea to shining sea spilling endless blood in those first few years and even lending an a helping hand to the rebelling Confederate forces thus continuing to spreed their legend across the land. The Stormriders would become legends in their own right as the revolution progressed and once the Sons of Liberty would rise as the number one rebelling force in the nation the Stormriders would usurp them as the true defenders of freedom and become hailed in history with the likes of the Sentinels, Railroad, and the Bards; some of their membership including their leader would eventually become part of the Ghost Division but that would be a handful of years after the Stormriders would slip away into the night and become spoken about by old men at bars and around campfires.

This unit once grand and countless in it’s numbers would eventually succumb to the tragedy that befalls all rebelling units of this time, as their legend grew and the government would rise in power they would strike out against the true threats to their control over the nation and with the Native Council calling for justice from the rampages and invasions from the Stormriders it would become the newly crowned United Canadian American States (UCAS) focus to remove this threat and bring the members before the gallows to meet their final judgement. Unlike many of the Confederate and Patriot units that would either be wiped out or devastated during these days the Stormriders would march united upon the combined might of the UCAS and Native forces within Denver Colorado on December 24th 2033.

They knew that they were going to be facing odds that stood against them, they knew that their fate was carved into stone and on the eve of the Lord and Saviours birth they would march as one into battle. Having sent out the call to action Adolf Ackerman was waiting on the northern ridge of the mile high city with Martin Hakett on the Southern and Drexel Field and Donald Greenspan both on the east and west; the air was frigid, the sky clear as the northern star shined bright in the night as snow began to fall from the heavens to blanket the ground; on what should have been a night of joy and peace was about to become a massacre and a white Christmas was about to become a crimson sea. The Stormriders knew the odds where not in their favour after the gathering of intelligence from Allen Fairclough; they knew ahead of time that the combined might of the UCAS and Natives was vast and they also knew that many civilians where in danger from their guns and bombs, though for the Riders of the Storm this was to be their moment of glory or it was to be their swan song.

Once Hakett gave the command to fix bayonets the Stormriders began their faithful charge into Denver and the battle was meet with a great clash as the guns of the enemy would begin to shake the city only to be meet with the rapid fire of the guns of the Stormriders explosions would ignite the night sky church bells rang to warn the citizens to seek shelter for war had reached Denver a thought that new UCAS would never happen and for the Stormriders it was to be the greatest fight of their age. Bullets ravaged through the night as the unit commanders would lead their men in from each point of the compass only to meet with a resistance greater than they could ever foresee; unit radios began to explode with warnings and calls for airstrikes and medical aid as teams where falling one by one. Though even through the harshest conditions the Stormriders kept fighting, the falling snow muffling there guns and with Fort and O’Regan deploying their holiday gifts within the city and Shakespeare and Klopeck slicing into the flesh of the government forces the once peaceful night hailed by carrels and holiday cheer was replaced with the symphony of war. The UCAS and Natives where in greater number but they lacked the drive and dedication of the Stormriders as what would seem to be their last stand would turn into a possible victory as the rebels kept pushing forward men falling at their sides to die within the snow covered streets the commanders kept fighting and calling for the men to advance; convinced that they were destined to win, destined to restore liberty and freedom the Stormriders kept advancing against all odds.

Though unlike many of their previous conflicts the Stormriders where not welcomed by the citizens and the age was changing time was against these rebels and like many that had already felt the sting this was to be when the Stormriders would fall and they would become something of legend, a myth a tale told by adults to inspire their young to greatness. The deeper into Denver Proverb they advanced the tougher the battle became and soon the citizens where shooting from windows, running into the streets armed with simple kitchen knives and home defence weapons; the numbers already against the Stormriders would double in an instant thus securing they victory of the UCAS and the failure of the Riders of the Storm. The commanders had to give orders to engage the civilians that took up arms and seeing this was against the protocols of their doctrine many of the riders would hesitate only to be gunned down in the street and even the commanders dreaded having to give that order (hard to imagine Demon, Dictator, War Machine, and Oculus having a heart); As the church bells would hail in Christmas of 2033 the Stormriders where no longer fighting for freedom but for their sheer survival as the civilians where entering the fray from all ends of the city, their radios would explode with chatter of men crying for help and others just echoing the rattles of death. Hakett, Field, Ackerman and Appleton would have to give the one call they never dreamed they would ever have to echo and that was retreat; for Martin Hakett this was physically and emotionally painful for they have failed, he was loosing men by the second and he was only feet from the capital building where victory was certain.

The Stormriders would bellow the call for retreat through the radios but for many this was not an option and for many it would be their final night; for even in the retreat these warriors for freedom would be under heavy fire and the lose of life was eternal. Many Stormriders that couldn’t continue to fight where taken captive while others would fight till their last dying breath; for those that escaped the city on that night life as they knew it would be forever changed. Most of this unit would fall in what would become their final battle and those that escaped with their lives would end up being hunted like dogs only to meet their maker at the end of a rope. Only a small handful of the once great unit would go on to survive, and they would become known as the Father’s of Armageddon, the devastation of Denver would be blamed on them and they would become war criminals of their own nation. They would become hated like those of the Minutemen, Devil Dogs and Unforgiven the Father’s of Armageddon would eventually go their separate ways only to be spoken as myth and ghost stories; though we all know that these legends of their age would go onto become part of something bigger.

Before the Father’s of Armageddon would divide and venture out on their own they swore a blood oath to always stand strong against the Tyranny of the UCAS and never again allow any one agency or government to become a usurper of freedom. The irony here is that many of this once valiant order would become members of the Deaths Hand and stand as an agent of treachery especially Appleton and Field. Though the story of the Father’s of Armageddon doesn’t end here my readers, no this unit even disbanded would stay in contact and forever prepare for the day of their needed return going as far as to recruit the young bloods of Winter Yore and Eric Griffon to join their cause; and seeing Yore and Griffon were Deaths Hand specialists and Hakett the third in command it was thought as an honour to once again stand with the Father’s of Armageddon. Hakett and Ackerman would use the Hand resources to fund the return of the Stormriders and secretly finance their return by sending shipments to their friend Finesilver within the Brotherhood to hide the stockpile and rebuild their bunker with the money being funnelled out of the Hand; even Fairclough was aiding in the cover up though having to hide computer transactions from Christopher Mulligen was turning out to harder than anyone could have thought. Aid would come from an unlikely duo in Commander Yates and his trusty sidekick Judas that would keep the decker Mulligen from getting any reports to Alexander.

This theft of hand resources would increase once Field and Appleton where given regional command and they would send further resources to Finesilver within Seattle; others would order replacement supplies after missions to have sent to America and the longest con was in place even Lord Gray was in on the scheme learning of the exchange when Hakett requested a shipment of heavy artillery be shipped to his home in Seattle. Even though Lord Gray was not part of the Stormriders he would understand seeing his loyalties lied with the Steel Legion and the pursuit of freedom within the world; none of the Father’s of Armageddon would be able to stomach when Alexander would publicly announce the State of the Hand address at a gathering of regional generals and commanders that he had full intentions to create a New World Order with the Hand being the Prime and only ruler of the globe (this announcement would come earlier this year 2074). The generals, and commanders knew that his sights would be set on the United Kingdom and North America and they had just helped Alexander put these puzzle pieces together; High Commander Yates would use his influence to delay troop movements, and supplies as well sending a warning to the MI7 and as well to his dear friend Woodrow McDaniels, High Commander Hakett would move his Panzer Division out of harms way and High Commander Ackerman would use his cover as a power hungry tyrant to pull the wool over Alexander’s eyes that he was loyal and devoted to gain trusted information about his plans that he would send to the other rebelling agencies. The regional generals that would oppose this idea would as well begin to implement plans to destabilise their regions in case they needed to flee in the dead of night for no one including Ackerman could get the trigger date for this New World Order plan and nobody would see what would come next.

The Demure an agency about the news and the truth would have cracks form within it’s structure as the younger reporters would forgo their oath and begin reporting lies and opinions about various rebels; also they would break the Demurist’s gag order on certain stories to help protect his people, this mistaken and as well misguided information would be sent to Alexander and to Christopher Mulligen thus sending throughout the hand a ripple that would end up in every commanders in box about the various loyalties of the Inner Circle, High Command and some of the Regional Generals; those guilty of theft and disloyalty knew that crucifixion was their fate and for the Father’s of Armageddon this was not going to be how their order died. They had survived warfare, hunted like a dog and years or more within the Deaths Hand; they had become shells of what they originally were as the time in the Hand forced them to do things they couldn’t stomach but for some reason they would mumble it’s okay everyone is recyclable….not sure what that means. This would cause a flurry of messages to fly through the ranks as everyone mentioned on that list would soon become a target for execution and this as well included Tudor Yates, Herschel Horowitz, Klaus Eisenberg and many others. The regions destabilised, the Hand divided it was time for the final solution to begin and Martin Hakett would enter the Hand palace to confront Alexander only to be meet with Hand elite guards with an order for his surrender; War Machine would prove that even the Hand elite guards where no match for his decades of experience as he ignited his President’s Men’s crimson sabre and would fight his way to Alexander’s office, now angry and frustrated he was planning to strike down the one who leads him and kill his one time friend in an attempt to usurp control over the Hand and bring an end to this dreaded New World Order scheme though all he would find would be a terrified Ichabod Markowicz who would attempt to shoot High Commander Hakett for treason War Machine would show why the President’s Men are not to trifled with as he deflected the bullets and in a single strike separated Markowicz’s head from his body; after the light show his eyes would glow green and he would vanish from the camera’s eye.

Ackerman would as well be confronted within his chambers as he was quickly packing to vacate by Hand Enforcer Oswald Hoffman the man responsible for bringing war to Scotland. Hoffman would fire twice at Ackerman only to have his bullets deflected by the Dictators blade that was drawn faster than even the cameras could record and in a flash if you blink you miss it….you miss it anyways Ackerman would behead Oswald and with a blink he was gone. One can only assume that these Hand traitors would regroup with the other Father’s of Armageddon and once again take to bringing war to the streets; now I don’t agree with the Deaths Hand but I would rather serve the Hand then perish under the rebels and their final solution these men have no loyalties as it is shown they are willing to murder the ones they served and commanded. For crying out loud they are called the Father’s of Armageddon where in any common sense does that sound like a good thing.

This group has been stealing from the Deaths hand for decades and has amassed great resources that they will surly use against us here in the UCAS, we have a Jamestown now as an elected President and who does’t smell election fraud there. We have old rebel units now returning and it is only time that the Father’s of Armageddon make their presence felt, I have mailed my findings to Alexander as well a copy of this article before i have it go live in hopes that he can capture and depose of the traitors before it’s to late; I have as well mailed him my findings on the other disloyal members of the Hand to him but that was over a week ago and it seems he tried to stop them, though maybe he should have done it in house and not let it go viral. Well at least we know that War Machine and Dictator are seasoned combatants as they made short work of two Hand specialists.

The Demure