Home of the "Kentucky Free State", a large, prosperous and militant empire. The KFS is so far contained to the immediate area, but has big dreams for the future. Slavery and despotism are rampant in the state and there is much danger for Project teams operating in the area. Still, the KFS is probably the strongest power in America and as such can be an instrumental in any large-scale attempt at rebuilding.
Louisville, SS-18M1b
Frankfort, SS-N-17
Bath County (Licking River) Hydroelectric
plant, SS-N-8
Fort Knox, SS-N-17
Blue Grass Army Ammunition Depot, Lexington,
SS-N-17
Discretionary nuclear target:
Fort Campbell, SS-N-17
Situation, pre-war: Kentucky was the center of coal mining and agriculture. Oil, limestone and natural gas existed in significant quantities, while extensive trade went on along the Ohio River, bringing much revenue into the state. Fort Knox, the training center for the US Armored Forces, processed thousands of soldiers for the Army every year, while Fort Campbell on the Tennessee border was a major center for the US Army Airborne operations. Both forts brought a lot of revenue into the state. Kentucky was also famous for bourbon, bluegrass and horses.
Situation, the war: The Louisville-Fort Knox-Lexington area was caught in a mixed bag of nuclear and biowar strikes and was badly hammered by the war. Refugees fleeing the fallout spread the plague throughout the state. Decimated by a trio of nuclear strikes, Fort Knox was little help. Fort Campbell was the center of an attempt to impose martial law, fighting against local power-seekers and rioting. Its strength sapped by the plagues and desertion of men seeking to protect their families, it death knell occurred when a cabal of local leaders and ambitious junior officers attempted to set up their own regime. From then on, fighting between various factions raged on into the spring as plague and fallout devastated both states.
Situation, post-war: Fighting raged for years, as long as their were sides to fight. Most people simply banded together in their isolated valleys and towns, dug in and grimly held on. Ten years after the war, fewer than 40,000 people lived in all of Kentucky, while broken and abandoned weapons littered the countryside.
The people of the land: The people of the Free State are hard-working, generous and uniformly poor. They band together to pull each other through times of flood and fire and everyone responds on the rare occasion that the militia is called up. They live in constant fear of the Secret Police and the Five Families. The lucky ones are the freeholders and independent shop owners, but there are fewer of these every years. The Rich Five and their agents, the families of the Old Two Thousand, squeeze more on the independents every year. Most common people are sharecroppers, laborers or miners.
The Old Two Thousand: The Old Two Thousand are the descendants of the various employees of the Rich Five who served as their original rank-and-file. The fill the role of petty nobility and entrepreneurs, with the wealth of some of their families approaching that of the Five themselves. Each has a patron family and through them, a Patron Administrator. This is the managerial class, in which literacy is universal and almost all of them have gone through the great university at Bowling Green. The Army and Secret Police draw most of their officer corps from this group. So does the resistance.
The Five Families: The original Rich Five, the five families of industrialist that formed the Free State from the ashes. The people of the Five Families make up less than 1/2 of 1% of the population of the Free State, but control almost everything and have wealth that is unimaginable to the average human being of the time. Brought up with a firm conviction of their own superiority, the people of the Five Families tend to be educated, supercilious, and callous to the problems of the lesser class. They also seem to rarely age once they reach about 40 years old. It is rumored that a special serum is given to select members of the Rich Five once they are educated and reach a certain level of success. This serum is imported from a Breeder compound in Colorado (see that state for a full explanation).
The growth of the Free State: The Rich Five didn't start out intending to be dictators, it just sort of happened. When the five industrial leaders of what would eventually become the Rich Five made their plans, they had no intention of trying to restore order out of chaos. They intended to preserve themselves, their friends and their wealth in order to go on living as they had been. Provision was made secretly to keep 2,000 people in cryosleep for ten years. In their massive, hidden mountain complex in Kentucky, they stockpiled food, medicine, weapons for self-defense, precious metals for trade and most vital of all, information. Secure in their plans, those who made it to the complex as the bombs fell went into cryosleep. The awoke to chaos. Kentucky, never a very rich area, had been nearly depopulated. The remains of several factions struggled over the little that was left using the last of the weapons from Fort Knox and Fort Campbell. Hunger, disease and war stalked the hills. In the savage struggle that followed, the organization of the five industrialists was the only organized, well-equipped group. Not surprisingly, they won, though not before a lot of blood was shed. Using their technical facilities, some captured equipment from Fort Knox, and their knowledge of military organization, they welded together an army which swept the field.
Rebuilding from the ruins: Once the immediate fighting was over, the process of rebuilding began. Over the next twenty years, the Old Two Thousand led by the Rich Five, took on the task of rebuilding civilization. Refugees came seeking protection from the chaos outside. Surviving technicians were incorporated into the new order and its industries. Others became farmers and miners. POWs and criminals became convict labor. The population grew and kept growing. Few really cared that everything that was being built seemed to belong to the Five. The Army guarded the borders and fought and fought again. Forty years after the war, The Kentucky Free State was named. It was free only in the sense that it was free from the chaos. In the terrible times, there was no room for the niceties of democracy. The Army became an established entity and the Rich Five became absolute dictators, ruling over a population that was always one step away from starvation. As time passed and one generation succeeded the next, what had been a matter of expediency became a matter of policy.
Trade: Economically the Free State began trading along the Ohio River. They bought steel, pieces of old technology, books, furs, raw cotton, wool and slaves. They sold medicine, woven cotton cloth, trade rifles, percussion caps, tools, paper, horse-drawn agricultural equipment and dozens of other items. What they did not sell were modern firearms or ammunition, engines or information. Out of state trade is now extensive, with the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers providing routes for barge convoys to ply Free State goods throughout the Midwest. There is also some secret trade with the Breeder enclave in Colorado mentioned above, involving medicines and high-tech electronics. This unique trade agreement is handled only at the very highest levels of the Free State government and very few people are even aware of it.
Industry: At home, wealth remained concentrated in the upper society of the Five. Common workers earned little more than subsistence wages. Employers didn't have to worry about markets and consumers at home when they could sell their good along the rivers. Wood-fired steam engines carried commerce within the Free State and the railroads were restored. Fusion power plants were installed as the scientists of the Free State were able to "reverse engineer" the Morrow fusion plants discovered with buried teams. Prior to the "discovery" of fusion, coal-powered plants were in widespread usage so the infrastructure to support power production and distribution were already in place. Fusion also allowed the Free State to turn garbage and coal into petrochemicals for their industry so such products as plastics, drugs, dyes and insecticides are in use in the Free State now. Industrial advanced to the point where small towns could pool their resources and buy such things as a communal radio or TV.
Territory controlled today: The northernmost boundary of the Free State is the bend of the Ohio River just south of Cincinnati. The Free State's eastern boundary is the Appalachian Mountains, much as it was in the past. The southern border skirts around the remains of Knoxville and follows the Tennessee River as it turns west and then north until it empties into the Ohio River. None of the dams on either the Ohio or the Cumberland still exist and they have returned to their pristine state (prior to the TVA's efforts). Recently, the Free State has been moving further south through Alabama to reach the sea, but things are not going well for them in Alabama.
The Army of the Free State: The Army of the Free State was assembled from fragments of the US Army detachments, local militia, company security and local police departments taken over by the Free State. However, it has been well over 100 years since this force has had to fight anything even close to a war. Fighting starving bands of border raiders and river pirates or suppressing the old slave revolt has given it an exaggerated view of its own potential. Further, a century of peace has permitted many bad habits to become tradition. The overall idea of the Army is something similar to the British Army before WWI. Regiments are raised from the population of a county. Enlisted men are highly disciplined and well trained. Corporals and Sergeants are chosen by merit and tend to be ferociously competent. Officers are selected from the "right" families and are promoted through political connections. The quality of officers ranges from brilliant to abysmal, but tends towards the latter, except in those cases where the military is an honored family tradition.
Weapons of the Army: The standard personal weapon of the Army is the Ruger Mini-14 modified for military use. This was used as a prototype because of the large stocks of it after the war. The Army crew-served weapon is the CETME, a Spanish modification of the old German MG-42 chambered in 5.56 as well. They also have .50 cal M2 heavy machineguns and 81mm mortars in weapons platoons. Rifle grenades issued to troops are of the "bullet catcher" variety. The standard sidearm is the S&W Model 59 pistol. The grenades the Army uses are standard M26 fragmentation grenades and M34 white phosphorus grenades. CS grenades are occasionally used for crowd suppression and the like. The Free State can manufacture both MP resistweave and Kevlar, but the cost is too great for them to issue it to common soldiers. Officers and NCOs have to purchase this body armor themselves.
AFVs of the Army: The Army's cavalry units use a locally-produced version of the M2 Bradley. Likewise, armored units use a version of the M1 Abrams. These vehicles were selected by the Army of the Free State because of the available prototypes from Fort Knox. In both cases these were originally the most plentiful types available after the war. Later when the Free State began to manufacture their own armored units, they stuck with these basic designs but with some significant differences. There are many things from the M1's gas turbine to the transmissions that the Free State simply couldn't reproduce. By they had the patterns in the form of the existing vehicles so they modified them in such a fashion that their industry could handle production. For example, the M1 has much thinner armor (about half a meter at best) and much lower quality. The rounds for the M1 are limited to solid shot. There are no TOWs for the M2s. Neither vehicle has a stabilized gun platform or laser range-finders. Thus while still formidable, they are not the same vehicles once used by NATO countries. Additionally, the Army uses locally produced copies of both the M60A3 tank and the Cadillac Gage V-300 armored car with the Cockerill 90mm gun. All these vehicles have multi-fuel engines running on anything flammable. Fusion power is not used, as the Free State cannot produce them small enough.
Organization of the Army: The Army is grouped into seven separate Regiments. A regiment is further broken down into four rifle companies, one headquarters company, one artillery company with 16 105mm cannon and one troop of cavalry equipped with 16 V-300s. Such a Regiment can field just under 1,300 men, with 16 .50 cal HMGs, 16 81mm mortars, and 64 CETMEs.
The Praetorians: The Sixth and Seventh Regiments are nicknamed the "Praetorians". Their four line companies are equipped with four tanks and two Bradleys per platoon, 18 tanks per company, 72 tanks per regiment. These regiments have eight men per squad (versus seven in other regiments) and two extra companies of infantry mounted in more Bradleys. The Sixth and Seventh Regiments can each field 1,600 men, 72 tanks and 84 Bradleys each. The Seventh Regiment uses M60A3 tanks fitted with the same armor as the M1. The Sixth Regiment uses M1s. Both regiments are paraded often while all families vie to control them as either regiment could take on any three other regiments and win.
The Air Force of the Free State: Few working aircraft survived the days of chaos. What few did were used by the Free State until they literally fell apart (sometimes in mid-air). But having planes was useful and so the Free State looked for a design of proven ruggedness and utility. Originally the intended to build jet fighters, but two factors stopped this. First, none of their neighbors, indeed, no one else in the world as far as they knew, had any jet aircraft left. Second, the technical problems of manufacturing jet engines were deemed too great. Instead, the Free State duplicated the P-47 Thunderbolt, a piston-driven fighter that they happened to have a prototype of, care of the Confederate Air Force. The P-47 was a rugged design with eight .50 cal machineguns and a tremendous bomb load. For the air support missions the Army needed, this was perfect. Six squadrons of eight planes each were formed. Since then, additional aircraft have been built on a one-for-one basis to replace losses. A few planes were declared "surplus" so they could be purchased by wealthy members of the Rich Five. Such planes are declared surplus while still fresh from the factory. Other light aircraft are occasionally custom built for the wealthy, and a few long-range transport planes have been built for special missions far outside of Free State territory, such as to Colorado. The Air Force is a "status" service and all pilots are chosen from the Old Two Thousand stock. This has a detrimental effect on the quality of pilots since many marginal or inept pilots are kept in service due to their political connections. There are three Air Force Bases in the Free State, each of which has two squadrons of P-47s assigned. Each base also has two companies of troops assigned, one of maintenance personnel and one for defense troops. The special transport planes are kept at a well-guarded airfield near the capitol.
The Secret Police: The Secret Police are like the Gestapo of old Germany, and just as feared and hated. They have the power to take anything they like, and answer only to the Rich Five. Originally the security forces of the Five before the war, they morphed into the intelligence gathering arm of the government. They have their own structure and equipment, including much MP gear and vehicles. People generally hide when they see them coming. They wear distinctive black fatigues and armbands, often MP resistweave dyed black.
Relations with the Morrow Project: The Secret Police are also responsible for conducting the war against the Morrow Project. This is not officially state sanctioned, but the unwritten rule is that the Project looms as a potential threat to the Free State. As such, the Rich Five have made it the Secret Police's mission to hunt down the teams in the area and capture or kill them. From these raids, the SP have acquired a quantity of MP vehicles and gear, all highly prized. In their mountain fortress in Harlan, the Rich Five have a sophisticated computer system that is used to track all information they have about the Project. Hints, rumors, the results of interrogations of MP personnel, all are included into this database. Where possible, they have extrapolated likely locations for teams and keep watch for new sightings. If an awake and active team is spotted, of if a bolthole is located, a Special Action Unit is sent to neutralize the team and capture the equipment. These units are never more than platoon in strength, but they have air power to back them up.
Local law enforcement: Law on the local town level is handled by sheriffs and deputies, backed up by the Army. Corruption is endemic as a sheriff is appointed by a judge, and only that judge can remove him. This is expected, however, and law officials are bought and sold as a matter of public knowledge. Sheriffs are also responsible for raising town militias as needed. This is needed in border towns where raiders are common, but in the interior it is just an excuse for forming a lynch mob.
Weapons in the Free State: Gun control in the Free State is draconian. Licenses are required to own any weapon above a flint lock musket or pistol. Only the wealthiest of the Old Two Thousand can afford anything better. Of course, anyone in the Five Families can carry anything they please. Nothing is traded outside the borders other than "trade rifles", percussion cap rifles that wear out after 50 shots. This keeps the raiders ill armed and assures that the threats to the state are reduced. The Free State has gunsmiths in all major cities and towns and working replicas of almost every firearm made in the 20th Century can be bought from the master craftsmen, but only in small quantities and only with the correct permits.
Slavery: Slavery in the Free State is commonplace. Slavery provides cheap labor for the state. Originally a stopgap solution of convict labor when labor was scarce, it evolved into an acceptable institution which came to form the basis of labor in the Free State. Race has nothing to do with slavery here, it is more a Roman model, where convicts, debtors, and POWs become property of individuals or industrial combines. They do the dangerous jobs, and attrition is therefore very high. Stocks are replaced by slavers. Slavery is a fact of life in the Free State, indeed, the state could not function without it. Perhaps 15% of the total population are slaves.
The Underground: Any dictatorship as corrupt as the Free State is creates resistance. Some citizens of the Free State are unhappy with the corruption of the society around them and its many injustices. Many would-be power seekers, frustrated by the grip of the Rich Five have on all political power, join them. As a result, numerous mutually antagonistic underground organizations have emerged, ranging debating societies to full-bore resistance movements with weapons stockpiles, safe houses and military objectives. Despite the savage efforts of the SP, these groups continue to grow, though many of them are riddled with SP spies. The chief underground organizations are listed below.
The Spartans: Founded by ex-US Army personnel in the chaos years, the Spartans believe that the corrupt civilian government should be replaced by an efficient military organization. Once a military state is created, the full resources of the Free State could be used to conqueror and unite the rest of the nation. Their dream is to create a nation with Spartan virtues of universal military service, prowess in battle and personal courage. Popular amongst the junior officers and career military families, this group is the strongest and toughest of the resistance groups and are the greatest threat to the Rich Five that exists. They regard the other underground groups as hopelessly idealistic dreamers. The Spartans greatest success may well be seen soon in Alabama (see that state) where the a distant military unit is been infiltrated by Spartans.
The Children of Liberty: Originally an anti-slavery group, these are now the most active foes of the government. The basic philosophy is "all men are created equal", and their goal is the overthrow of the Rich Five and the slavery system. They make guerrilla raids to free slaves, use propaganda campaigns to educate the people about the wrongs of slavery. The citizenry is listening and recently there has been much anti-slavery dissent in the cities. The Children of Liberty have a network of safe houses across the Free State and a headquarters in the labyrinth of caves near Cave City. Several ex-Masons were among their founding members. The Children openly despise the Spartans and actively seek to exterminate the Minutemen.
The Minutemen: A radical offshoot of the Children of Liberty, the Minutemen were organized to sow chaos within the Free State. Though very small in number, they seem impossible to destroy. While their message is garbled, they seem to think that their chaos will help topple the Rich Five. They consider the Spartans as Fascists and betray them to the SP whenever possible. There is an ongoing vendetta with the Children of Liberty and it is not uncommon for a Minuteman assassin to lie in wait for members of the Children.
Situation, pre-war: The Mississippi has been the highway of the central United States since the colonial period. The intersection of the Mississippi and the Ohio Rivers has been the site of an important settlement since settlers first moved into the Mississippi Valley. Roads in the area generally followed the river and settlements became major centers of trade. Some of these settlements grew to cities such as St. Louis and Memphis with barge traffic passing up and down the River between them. Other, smaller settlements remained local centers of trade for the next two hundred years and were virtually untouched by modern life. Even the coming of the interstate highway did little to change these towns of less then a thousand people. There were bad times and there was The River to contend with in flood season, but there was also a sense of continuity and stability.
Situation, the war: A Soviet SS-N-17 targeted on St. Louis dropped one of its MIRV warheads squarely in the Mississippi. Besides generating a glowing rain to the east, the blast sent a wall of water down the River destroying everything as far south as Chester. As the wave swept by it flooded areas usually above the high water mark of the River. The force of the waters finally diminished as it mixed with the waters of the Ohio but the last of its energy was spent along the Kentucky shore, raging through the sleepy river towns with destructive force.
Situation, post-war: The nuclear tidal wave did all of the damage to the area as no other missiles fell nearby. Bio weapons were targeted on the bigger population centers and, while the big wave killed many, once the surge had passed, the waters began to recede. There was little or no water left to cause further difficulties as there so often is after a flood. But, the surge left an uneven trace of radiation behind as the water flowed back through the sluggish side streams to the river. Today such areas are not lethal or even harmful unless one settles in a particularly contaminated area. The towns, which were on high ground, were less affected by accumulated radiation than by the force of the initial surge. Houses were swept off their foundations, sewers emptied into the streets and downed power lines electrified the standing pools of water. The people in the towns died by the thousands in the first weeks after the initial attack. The survivors had only begun to cope with the flood's damage when the first desperate bands of refugees entered the area. They were sick, starving, or both and they were following the River south. Radiation victims were called "Sicklings" and most died with a month or so. Those who came down the Ohio did not suffer as much from radiation as from fear, hunger, and desperation. These people became known as "Starvlings" and many died in the following months, often at the hands of other Starvlings. They remained in the area until they died, or until they were accepted into the fortified hamlets. In the end the people of the fortified communities were able to survive, and ultimately prosper. 150 years after the War, the Mississippi River is again the highway of what was once the United States. The area is similar to what it might have been between 1760 and 1810. It is rough, but there is a patina of civilization. Individual towns are basically self-sufficient and rule themselves, though the Free State tries to tax them. Marauders are often a major problem due to the ineffectiveness of the Free State to guard the border. Trade with illinois and Tennessee is brisk and they take their share of the lucrative Mississippi River traffic.
Mayfield: The KFS Army forces in western Kentucky are centered here in Mayfield, with patrols going as far as the rivers and the Tennessee border. The unit here is the Second Regiment. This is an under-strength regiment, just some 750 men in just three rifle companies. The remained for the Regiment's manpower and equipment is kept further east but is available in the event of an emergency. Duty on the western frontier is tough and for an officer an assignment to the Second is akin to a demotion. Charlie Company is garrisoned here, along with the Regimental vehicle and artillery and the command staff. The other two rifle companies are at Benton and at Fort Bundy.
Benton: Garrison home of Able Company. While taking orders from HQ at Mayfield, this company has a lot of authority to operate independently to react to bandit raids or other disturbances. Its troops are probably the best in the Regiment and see the most combat.
Paducah: Destroyed by wild fires two years ago that raged through this river town. The grain storage tanks down on the river exploded, turning the central business district to charcoal. The loss of life was tremendous, and the survivors are upset that the Free State has seemingly shown little concern for their condition. In fact, the Rich Five have essentially written on Paducah as too expensive to try and recover.
Fort Bundy: Built in 2042 near the ruins of Cloverport after a particularly destructive cross-border bandit raid, "Fort Bundy" is typical of the small border posts the Free State uses to fence in its thinly settled border regions. While Cloverport was mostly destroyed in the raid of 2042, a new, smaller town (Portown) has sprung up under the watchful eye of the fort. Portown is mostly just a stop for the steamboats on the Ohio River where they can take on coal and food and occasionally offload goods for the locals or the Fort. Relations between the town and the Fort are predictably strained. While the Fort protects the town from attack, they are also the tax collectors checking every ledger and sale. To make matters worse, the soldiers of the Fort are not fond of the "stinking river scum" who "infest" Portown and will make their dislike known whenever they go to town. As a result, while the people of Portown are not in open revolt, they have no fondness for the soldiers and will happily look the other way when one of them "disappears". The garrison here is currently Baker Company of the Third Regiment. They have a jeep, a deuce-and-a-half, and two V-300 APCs. There are six guard towers surrounding the Fort, each with a .50 cal HMG.
History: Four decades after the War, the chaos finally began to subside. New generations began to outgrow the wall around "Starnaman's Hold" as the town had come to be called. A temporary palisade helped protect the overflow but a new wall was inevitable. Starnaman's Hold was wealthy by local standards and this drew raiders and scavengers. As the new wall rose, a new round of raids signaled a second bloody period in the town's history. The wall took two decades more to finish and the gate towers took another ten years to complete. The families which were crowded inside the old wall moved their shops into the new area, where the wealthiest got the best and largest spots.
Old Town: Old Town, the area enclosed by the old wall, became the home of the gentry when the people moved and the old shops became house. There are less then twenty families living within Old Town but they control most of the trade and power within the town. Strangers must be escorted by an Old Town resident or employee to move within the Old Town wall. Lodged against the cliff in Old Town is the guild hall, a two story stone building first used as the communal fortress, then a storehouse and now as the meeting place of the leaders of Starnaman's guilds.
New Town: New Town consists primarily of shops, many of which are owned by families living in Old Town. An almost equal number are family shops with the craftsmen and their families living above or in back of the workshop. New Town is the hub of commerce and industry and is inhabited by a growing middle class. Traders are allowed to enter the town only during daylight hours unless they are guided by a local citizen. The area is primarily dived by the smithies in one section, weavers on the opposite side of the gate, and the potters in the center of town. The remaining sections are taken up by the smaller guilds. Almost directly between the Old Town and the New Town gates is a stone and mortar pedestal supporting a rusted V-150 hull that has been stripped of everything which could be removed. It is a symbol of the town's will to resist against impossible odds.
Trade Camp: Trading meant letting strangers into the town walls and when this led to trouble, the merchants built Trade Camp, a palisaded compound outside the main gate. It has been operated by the Yates family for almost fifty years and is currently an independent enclave under Taylor Yates. It consists of a "Boarding Tavern" where traders can rent a room, stables, a display area for their goods, and a place where they can meet with the representatives of each of the guilds of Starnaman.
Inside the Fence: as the smithies and shops expanded and their staffs grew, the new wall was again outgrown and a new palisade has grown outside New Town near the well. A tower gate pierces the wall there and has become known as Journeyman's Gate because the area against the bluff is home to the families of clerks and journeymen of New Town. It has not acquired a name and is simply known as "Inside the Fence".
Low Town: The inevitable slum grew against the palisade of Trade Camp along the short, weaving wall connecting the Camp and the bluff. It is called Low Town and anybody or anything can be had there.
The Landing: About 1 mile west of the tower on the south side of a smallish peninsula lays the landing. This is an area devoted wholly to the river trade. It is a place for boats to land near the town and it is sheltered from the current of the river. There are several longish jetties' there along with boat sheds for the winter and small warehouses for perishable goods just arrived or ready to be shipped out. The area is surrounded by a wooden palisade but no one lives there. There is considerable activity here year round during the daylight hours. There is usually at least one boat being built or repaired, cargo being handled, ropes and lines being braided, and traffic coming and going along the river. Some boat crews spend the night onboard their crafts though most prefer Trade Camp. The palisade is lightly guarded at night by a group of dock employees.
New Manhattan: The political center of the Free State, and its real heart, is "New Manhattan", a city of 30,000 people. The mountain fastness the Five had slept in was a secure base and a starting point for the war against the savages that roamed Kentucky, but as a capitol it was useless. Therefore, 75 years ago the city of "New Manhattan" was founded near what used to be Danville. When construction started three generations ago, the Rich Five designed this city to be a gleaming metropolis of skyscrapers and have gone a long way towards that goal. With its broad, well-lit avenues, its tall buildings and its fantastic wealth (by post-war standards), it is a reminder of the past. But there are jarring dissimilarities...Old Manhattan never had open slave markets between the skyscrapers. The Seventh Regiment (Praetorians) is headquartered outside the city and the Air Force's main base is there also. New recruits for the Army are trained at a base outside of town, with two rifle companies assigned for training.
Louisville: About the same time that New Manhattan was being started, Louisville began to recover. The city had not fared well in the war and was destroyed by a biostrike. First, pockets of the city were rebuilt, then more and more of it was cleared and reestablished. Louisville today has a population of over 100,000 people and it is the largest city in the Free State. It is also the Free State's industrial heart and the base of its river trade. In this city are traders from up and down the Ohio River, and its mills and factories take in all they bring. It is said that if you can't buy it in Louisville, it ain't worth buying. This city is representative of the Free State's lower classes, and in its riverfront taverns, boatmen and fur traders rub shoulders with farmers and factory workers.
Bowling Green: Bowling Green and its university are the center of education and research in the Free State, growing to a population of 30,000 people since the war. Not incidentally, they are also the center of dissent and revolutionary activity. Students from all over the Free State and from numerous towns up and down the rivers come to attend "Rockefeller University" (as it is now called). A substantial majority of the Emdees to be found in this part of the nation are trained here. Towns in the Free State often pool their money to send promising students here. The Sixth Regiment (Praetorians) are based outside of this town, as well as one of the three squadrons of the Air Force.
Cave City: The labyrinth of caves in the area are the home base of the "Children of Liberty", an underground anti-government/anarchy group.
Fort Knox Military Reservation: Nuked during the war, today only the northwestern portion of the fort is remotely intact.
Site-Y: This full-size Snake Eater Base (24 Green Berets and 6 support staff) is located on the northwest corner of Fort Campbell. Recently, some farmers were blowing stumps in a heavily wooded corner of their outlying field when they accidentally uncovered a pressure door leading down to Site Y. The farmers are currently preparing for the long overland treck to the nearest KFS outpost to report this discovery, as there is a reward for finding pre-war tech.
Hazard: A small town of 2,000 (not counting slaves) that grows crops, raises livestock, and works the Knott County Mine. Essentially one giant farm and a big mine. Living conditions for the miners are abysmal.
Maysville: Back in 2011, as the Free State was expanding, there came a threat from the north in the form of Maxwell's Militia (see Indiana for a complete description), another empire growing at the same time. Conflict was inevitable and one week during the summer of 2011, a battalion of Maxwell troops tried to force their way across the Ohio River bridge at Maysville. The bridge was defended by just a platoon of Free State troops, but in a Thermopolye-like action, they managed to hold the bridge against tremendous odds until a relief column arrived. When the Maxwells retreated, there were only three men of the platoon still standing. A memorial to this battle was erected soon after, a large stone stele with the names of the fallen inscribed on it. It is interesting to note that only the names of the three officers killed are on the stele, the enlisted men's names have been lost to history. Over the decades, "The Battle of Maysville" has been a popular rah-rah speech given at military functions and political rallies.
Harlan: This small town up in the Pine Hills of southeastern Kentucky was the original home of the cyrotubes of the Rich Five and their 2,000 supporters. The massive underground redoubt is still occupied and contains the computers that they use to track down the Morrow Project assets in the area. Most of the weapons manufacturing in the Free State is still based around the factories built in or around this mountain hideout. A fact which has made it difficult for the Underground to successfully sabotage them.
People who have contributed to this entry:
John Raner
Karl Zohler