The state today is a mix of farming towns and open countryside. Middle Tennessee is controlled by the Kentucky Free State, bounded by the Tennessee River. Outside of this area, there are just insular farming groups. The Carolina Confederates from the south are making subtle inroads into eastern Tennessee.
Memphis, SS-17
Knoxville, SS-N-17
Nashville, SS-18M1b
Holston Ammunition Plant, SS-19
Milan Ammunition Plant, SS-19
Discretionary nuclear targets:
Chattanooga, SS-19
Arnold Engineering Center, Manchester,
SS-N-8
Watts Bar nuclear reactor, Spring City,
SS-N-8
Resistance: The open plains and rolling hills of central Tennessee are scattered with anti-Free State resistance groups. Whereas some would welcome any assistance from Project team members, others would just as soon as slit your throat for the fun of it. The most active in opposing the Kentuckian rule are the "Volunteers", whose overzealous religious views have kept them from being a larger threat. Not only do actively seek to caste off the yoke of the Rich Five, but they kill anyone and destroy anything that doesn't adhere to their fanatically strict interpretation of Old Testament law. Other resistance fighters are open game if they have "impure" minds and bodies.
History: Once the center of country music, Nashville was a nice city with a lot of culture and tourism. During the war, the city was hit by a bacteriological warfare warhead, but the expected destructive nuke never came. The anthrax and botulism killed thousands, and forced tens of thousands more into flight. Riots and rampages tore at the city further, along with more epidemics and pestilence. Despite all that, the actual physical infrastructure of the city survived somewhat intact. Thus, Nashville was perfect for a regional base when the Kentucky Free State moved south across the border. most of the population was killed and the rest went to the hills.
Today: Now a large city with a population of nearly 30,000 traders, farmers, slavers and Free State soldiers. Much industry has been developed in the last 75 years, much of it of a military nature. There is a medium-sized tankworks in the city, producing turrets for the M60 series, which are shipped north for final assembly. There is also a motor plant in the city, making engines for trucks and jeeps. The Nashville Airport has been converted into a Air Force Base and a repair shop. With so many factories running, the need for cheap slave labor is constant.
The Fifth Regiment: The Free State Army's Fifth Regiment is based here, with several of its rifle companies spread out in Tennessee and Alabama. The Regimental HQ, along with a Rifle Company, the Cavalry, Artillery and support units are garrisoned at spots around the city. As well, the airfield hosts a detachment of KFS fighter planes, the only base outside of Kentucky to do so. These soldiers are divided up, with a big hunk at the Army Camp, and detachments at the tankworks and at key points of entry.
Secret Police: There are also some 200 Secret Police garrisoned here, though usually about half are out in the field at any time. There is much competition between the Regiment's staff and the SP, who tend to be a bit more bullying this far from New Manhattan. The local SP commander is Colonel Labonte, a young but efficient soldier.
Problems: As with any big city, there are problems to be had with keeping the peace. The devastated northern suburbs are infested with bandits and small-time gangs that often make it difficult for regular people to live and work safely. The Sheriff and his deputies, along with local militiamen, have busy clearing out this area, as the Free State military doesn't want to risk its men. As well, there is the constant problem of off-duty soldiers causing fights outside bars and impregnating local girls. The Regimental commander is considering making it a tribunal matter for troops raping girls.
"Blue Sky": The code name for the underground resistance movement in Nashville. Based in the northwestern suburbs, they are branded as anarchists and agitators. The "central committee" which leads the resistance is 15 locals, some of them prominent members of the community. They meet regularly in the back room of Merlotti's Grill, a local eatery in the Bordeaux area. The three main leaders are Sam Stone (actually a woman, a court clerk) and Arnie Meyer (a respected local dentist). Doctor Meyer treats KFS bigwigs, and occasionally searches pockets and pouches while his patients are under the gas. The Blue Sky organization seeks to one day free Nashville from the oppressive rule of the Kentuckians.
Professor Robert Sparrow: A brilliant scientist now working for the Free State. Sparrow was a Project Science Team Leader, born in 1939 and frozen in 1978 in eastern Kentucky. His bolthole discovered seven years ago by a Secret Police survey group. When the SP discovered his specialty (he taught nuclear physics at Florida State), he was immediately whisked off to Rockerfeller University. There he fell under the sway of other scientists, who convinced him that he could best serve the world by helping the Free State. Soon, this always arrogant man was almost a celebrity in Kentucky, constantly going to parties and entertaining young women when he wasn't lecturing on sciences long since nearly forgotten. Sparrow is currently in Nashville for an unknown reason, but it certainly must be something very important, and is usually holed up in the Governor's mansion. His new bride and their son are here with him also, suggesting that he might be here a long time. Sparrow, when he does go out, is guarded by a special team of Special Police soldiers and approaching him is next to impossible. To see him is to appreciate his celebrity--he is a tall handsome man always impeccably dressed, and surprisingly athletic and healthy for a man nearly 200 years old.
Waynesboro: A small town grown large by luck of being at intersection of several major roads. For many years it has been a military town, currently the home of the HQ and support staff of Baker Company of the Fifth Regiment. The Free State military occupation here is overtly repressive, a result of a recent uprising amongst the slave farmers. Trade and commerce have ground to a halt as traders and merchants now have to pay exorbitant taxes for goods coming either in or out. All guns have been taken, even horses have been confiscated. Travel in the county is regulated heavily, you either have a damn good reason to be out or you end up in the jail. Even the one school in town has been closed, the teachers forced to find other work. Secret Police members from Nashville prowl the town. The local Free State administrators have promised that if the townspeople can go six months without another incident like before, then the harshest of the restrictions will be lifted.
Savannah: Home of Platoon 1 of Baker Company, rotated bimonthly from Waynesboro. They have fortified an old Greyhound bus depot and have another watchpost down on the river bank. They are here to monitor the traffic on the Tennessee River and assure the ferry operates on time.
Fort Campbell Military Reservation: Nuked hard, and then fought over for a decade, nothing much remains here. Occasional Free State patrols camp out here, but no permanent population exists.
"Donelson Temple": A large two-story, brick building, surrounded by a wall, formerly the Fort Donelson National Monument on the Cumberland River. The Donelson Temple is the only known concentration of "Sun and Moon Cultists" in America. These "priests of the temple" do little more than raise gardens and stay up all night looking at the stars. As they have nothing to offer, the Free State has left them alone.
The ruins of Memphis: Nuked and burned, Memphis has had a hard 150 years. Most of the few remaining standing buildings are dilapidated and packs of aggressive wild dogs run the streets. The population has fluctuated over the years, but is currently on the upswing, with some 400 people occupying decayed, ramshackle structures in the areas along the southern waterfront.
Brownsville: Home to a mangy bunch of farmers, some 300 strong, in the largest town on the Jackson Plains. They are constantly hassled by marauders and bandits, and even slavers from the south.
Bolivar: This town is currently held by a group of slavers working for the Free State. They are about 200 strong and led by "General" Josephus Mitchell, once a Corporal in the KFS Army. The slavers are armed mostly with flintlock rifles but do have some Free State Trade Rifles they have bought "under the table" from greedy soldiers. They have no motorized transportation, just horse-drawn wagons. The currently have about 100 slaves with them, and plan to make the trip back to Shelbyville before the winter comes.
Murfreesboro: Once a fair-sized city, Murfreesboro is now just a small farming and trading town, where one passing through can relax, get refreshed and take a nap without worry. Thanks to the proximity to Nashville, the people here enjoy a relatively peaceful living.
Shelbyville: Shelbyville is a slave market town, and is widely feared for that. A common saying in the area is, "Better watch out, or you'll end up in Shelbyville."
Kursk, Tennessee style: On the flat floodplains of the Duck River about 30 miles northwest of the nuked town of Manchester, there is a graveyard of some historical note. In 2014, as the Free State moved inexorably south through central Tennessee, an armored vanguard was met by a mixed force of tanks and infantry. This force was the last remains of the self-proclaimed "Tennessee Nationalist Party", made up of former military personnel and a large body of civilian recruits. In an effort to stop the Free State, they committed the last of their hoarded military vehicles in what was to become their final battle. Indeed, the day long fight was the largest armored battle on American soil and quite probably the last armored battle on American soil for at least the next century. Today, little remains but the rusting carcasses of about forty tanks and armored vehicles.
Maxwell: Currently the winter home of a small but well-armed raider clan, they operate out of "The Estate" the old abandoned Falls Mill (west of Chattanooga) they have converted into an ad-hoc fortress. They are led by a wandering Napoleon's Own named "Arthur", who believes he is indeed the legendary King Arthur. Operating as they do on the fringes of Free State territory, they keep a low profile when not out raiding.
McMinnville: Home of Dog Company's HQ and the bulk of the armor and artillery. The Free Staters have issued a number of "social reform laws" to keep the local counties under control. Despite this, the general citizen lives relatively well, not brutally oppressed, but rather controlled by a set of very strict laws. The one law that has helped keep down on violent resistance the most is the instant death penalty for possession of a firearm. As well, a large reward system for turning in weapons, as well as agitators prone to use them, has been successful.
The ruins of Knoxville: Nuked during the war, the rambling ruins of this city are mostly uninhabited. Norris Dam, northeast of the city, burst 70 years ago, and the river shifted south around the massive concrete structure, flooding a wide area. A small Free State garrison is centered on the remains of the Tellico Hydroelectric Dam on the Tennessee River just southwest of Knoxville. It is Platoon 3 of Dog Company, detached from the Fifth Regiment in Nashville. They have converted the massive structure into a fortress with several howitzers on the roof. The soldiers keep to the area they control, rarely venturing out of their compound. The Platoon's current commanding officer, Lieutenant Rogers, has gone off the deep end lately. Never very stable, the rigors of the job have made him crazy. Though still a dedicated officer and excellent soldier, he has taken up the persona of "The King" behind closed doors, and fancies himself as Elvis reincarnated. Where he learned of Elvis is anyone's guess, but he seems to have an amazing knowledge of the legendary singer, even knowing most of his songs. He is increasingly detached from the day to day operations of his unit, which is de-facto run by the Sergeant.
Cookeville: About 35 years ago, there was a rebellion here against the Free State. The military reacted (perhaps over-reacted) by rolling in and killing nearly everyone in the town. They took out any children under five-years old, and some young women, but shot down everyone else. The burnt ruins have remained a reminder to other local settlements of the dangers of defying the Free State.
Dayton: A town unsafe to visit, as it is held by a strong force of around 10 bandits. These are not your average road-trash, however, they are mostly Free State Army deserters and are well-armed with M-14 rifles and even a .50 cal machine gun.
Oak Ridge National Laboratory: This lab was strangely not nuked, for reasons still unknown. Following the nuclear attacks, however, waves of angry and frightened refugees stormed the facilities, looking for revenge on the scientists who split the atom. Overrunning the security guards, they killed off nearly everyone and ransacked the place thoroughly enough that there is nothing left of value anymore. Fortunately (or not, depending on your point of view), in the hours before the mobs came, the fissionable materials were crated up and shipped by air north to Griffiss AFB outside Rome, New York, where they remain today (see that state). The city of Oak Ridge has been smashed repeatedly over the last century and few buildings remain standing. Today, there are some small settlements at Olive Springs to the northwest and at Solway to the west, home to descendants of Oak Ridge residents. With the long passing of time, the locals now fear the ruins as a superstitious place of death.
Bristol: A notable exception to the anarchic rule in the Smokies is Bristol, a prosperous town of several hundred citizens up in the mountains. Some extensive mining operations, run by experienced coal miners from North Carolina and West Virginia, keep the town lit and warm in the winters. Trade with the Free State is brisk, and often Bristol miners are hired to supervise mines in Kentucky. Bristol is clean, organized, well-defended, and powered by a coal-fired generator. The town operates several huge, well-cared-for community gardens to help feed the populace, and have reopened a small clothing factory to trade with local towns.
Bald Mountains: Rumor has it that there is a big bandit clan up near here, though no one knows for sure.
People who have contributed to this entry:
John Raner
Don Harden