HAWAII

Honolulu, Ohau,
SS-N-8
Wheeler AFB, Oahu, SS-17
Hickham AFB, Oahu, SS-16
Discretionary Nuclear
Targets:
Fort Shafter Military Reservation, Oahu,
SS-N-17
Kaneohe Air Station, Oahu, SS-17
2) MORROW PROJECT ASSETS
Recon Team HI-01 :
Bolthole located on the island of Kauai in the Koke'e State Park area. 8
members equipped with a BV-206, a Gamma Goat and 2 Fusion SPADs. This team is
tasked with checking to see if anything was still worth saving. Due to the
unique nature of the mission and the isolation of the state, all eight team
members are native Hawaiians. It was felt that if they were unable to leave the
islands for any reason, natives would be a more logicial choice as they could
assimilate with the local populations better.
Rapid Response Triage Team RRTT-4: 2
surgeons, 2 doctors, 4 nurses and 8 support personnel equipped with a Hummwv
ambulance, a 5-ton truck with a towed MASH-type trailer and 4 unarmed Air
Scouts equipped for stretchers. Team buried 1 mile west of Recon Team HI-01.
All team members are of Samoan ancestry. Team still sleeping.
3) THE MAIN ISLANDS
Oahu in the war: Thick with military bases and airfields, Oahu was blasted out of existence. Eighteen nuclear weapon strikes pounded the island, reducing it to cinders and killing some 99% of the population. Virtually every structure was destroyed or damaged and all the tillable land polluted with fallout. Those few lucky survivors left as best they could.
Oahu since: For the last century, Oahu has seen a few settlements reborn. These are mostly seasonal fishing camps or salvage parties. The island is also occasionally used as a place of banishment for convicts from the Big Island. At any given time, there might be 10 to 30 people on Oahu.
The "Big Island": Not directly touched by the nuclear exchanges, the big island of Hawaii has survived as the center of organization and civilization for the last 150 years, with the new state capitol at Hilo. The bulk of the US military in the state was evacuated to the mainland soon after the war, leaving only the Hawaii National Guard to maintain order in the state, who slowly assumed control of the state's functions. Hilo became the largest city in the chain and the most important. For all this time, the "Infantry" as they are known, have kept the people safe and fed on the island, protecting them from both outside forces and themselves. The Infantry pretty much serves as the de facto government of Hawaii. Over the years their weaponry has broken down and their organization has shifted from a single unit to scattered militias linked by one command structure. Their current, overall technology level is equivalent to the late 1700s, with the few surviving modern weapons horded for emergencies.
The Great Death: In the early 2020s, a horrible wasting plague swept the Big Island, brought by a wandering Malaysian tradeship. The disease carried away upwards of 50% of the population before it burned itself out in 2023, shattering the economy and leaving the military a hollow shell. This event changed forever the social structure of the island, drastically reduced the Hilo government's plans to expand out and take ownership of the other islands, and put in a cultural fear of outsiders that has held fast until today. An untrue belief that the sailors of the stranded USS Missouri were holding onto medicines that would have stopped the plague further increased the animosity between the crew and the leadership of Hilo.
The "Battleship": Hilo is protected by the "Battleship", the only pre-war warship still active, formerly the Hamilton class Coast Guard cutter Rush. Though the label Battleship might be a stretch, this steel-hulled boat is by far the most protected and well-armed in the central Pacific. Kept afloat this long by canabalizing parts from the many stranded ships that sought out Hilo's safe harbor after the war, the Ku, as it is now known, also boasts three full sails and an impressive array of blackpowder cannons and fastidiously maintained pre-war machineguns. Her engines have long ago been converted to run on alcohol and carefully maintained, and she can outrun nearly everything afloat if needed. The Ku's hull has been reinforced with timbers and yearly coats of pitch and tar, giving her an unhealthy smell so bad that it is rumored that the reason the pirates run from her is the stench.
Monks: On a promontory on Upolu Point on the Big Island's northernmost tip sits a small monastery. The "Brotherhood of the Virgin" is well-known for spirituality and sincerity.
4) OTHER ISLANDS
Despite Hilo's efforts, the other islands in the chain are not under any centralized control and are mostly ruled by various local factions. Many natives have reverted back to tribal customs and turned to slave-ownership and banditry, both ancient Hawaiian trades.
Kauai: Currently ruled by a white landowner named Jimmy Ford. He has about 50 armed men and many slaves working a large cattle ranch. He trades almost exclusively with Hilo, and his meat fetches a high price. Hilo has looked the other way about Ford's brutality towards his slaves as long as he keeps supplying beef.
Molokai: Home of a former Infantry lieutenant from Hilo. Three years ago, he was caught selling foodstuffs to pirates, but before he could be sentenced he escaped to Molokai. Here he is hiding out amongst the local fishermen.
The Wreck: On the island of Maui (specifically next to Kahului Bay) lies the rusted out, barnacle encrusted wreck of the USS Missouri (BB63). The mildly irradiated hulk rests at 12 degrees to port and has since it was beached here by her crew 3 years after War Day. Her interior spaces are open to the sea below the waterline and has long ago been salvaged for useful material. On War Day the Missouri was the Flagship for her battle group as a part of the 7Th Fleet. For 3 long years, she and her ever dwindling reserve of escorts slugged it out with Pact warships and raiders, until she was caught refueling just outside Sasebo Harbor when the city was nuked by the last surviving Soviet Boomer. While the damage to the ship was heavy, the ship's thick armor protected most of the crew from fallout. A couple of days later, the survivors of the Nimitz, Enterprise and Kennedy battle groups linked up outside Manila harbor and announced the decision to make for the African West Coast. Survivors of the Atlantic and Mediterranean battle groups had found safe harbor there and as Europe, Japan, the Philippines and the US were gone, it seemed a reasonable choice. Unfortunately, the Missouri was in no condition for a trip around the Horn of Africa and in any event, did not have the fuel reserves. Her Captain and crew decided to make for Hawaii, effect emergency repairs and try to make for the US West Coast at a later date. Upon arriving in Hawaii, a quick pass of Mamala Bay proved their worst fears. Honolulu and Pearl Harbor had been seared from the planet and only radiation and molten rock remained. The ship was also leaking badly now and a port was needed immediately. The ship sailed on to Maui and was met by the Coast Guard Cutter KuKui which escorted the battered warship to her new home. The Captain of the Missouri ran his ship aground (doing 18 knots) at the peak of high tide 400 yards West of the entrance to Kahului Bay. The bow of the ship just touches the edge of Kahului Beach Road. The ship's crew found a surprisingly warm welcome as fellow survivors of the war and as the ship was wrecked anyway, they were quickly absorbed into the population.
Click for a visual approximation.
Maui: Maui is most noted for being a surf pirate heaven, dopers paradise and clearing house for their celestial goods. The surfers, generally known as the "Mo Hanas", from the town where they first gathered (and the fact that most are direct descendents of the USS Missouri crew that went Island Happy), number about 1,000 total including dependents and supporters. Life on "Paradise Island" consists of surfing, raizen da herb, farmin' and trade with the other islands. As Maui has traditionally grown the best and most potent dope in the islands, this just seemed natural. A small number of island "heavies" protect the "righteous Surfers" by staying sober and competent. They are quite deadly in a fight and protect their Island family very judiciously. How it is decided who plays what role in their unique society is a total mystery, but all seem content with the system.
Their party/trade "fleet" consists of five vessels, each equipped with a few ancient, military small arms (fur keepin' da Man at bey) and very long boat hooks. The flagship is the 100-foot Bong Water, a fast and agile sailing yacht built in 1976. Their Party Barge is the 65-foot Joe Mama, formerly a local ferry built in 1984, which mounts three separate party decks, two wet bars (complete with stills) and a tented sun room (from which to get baked). The other boats of the fleet are the Hemp's Pride, the Oh Wah Who, and the Makin Bakin, all large outrigger canoes used for trade. Offshore, the scattered islets have become the homes of wealthy islanders looking for a place to unwind and chill. They have renamed Maui "Paradise Cove" though you still hear it called "Maui" by some of the squares. Paradise Cove is renowned for hosting nightly Pig Roasts of epic proportions. The rusted out hulk of the Missouri is still a focal point and gathering place for the surfing flotilla, and watching the sunset from the beach as surfers ride the waves over and through the half sunk dreadnaught is actually quite amazing.
Lanai: Home to a largish local population. They generally do well as they have tilled almost the entire island. Occasionally however, they suffer from annoying "pirate" raids, always from nearby Maui. The surfers "liberate" surfboards, party girls, and food; yet always leave behind several pounds of primo Sense Bud.
Midway: This long-abandoned former strategic island is currently the private domain of a man who has named himself Magnum Pie after an ancient ocean god worshiped by pre-war peoples. Pie has a sailboat that he uses to trade with other islands, he for food delicacies and "rented women" in exchange for salvaged bits of technology. No one knows who he is or where he came from, but rumors abound in the islands that he has been able to protect his island from the pirates all by himself thanks to some mysterious supernatural power, or by some fancy weaponry.
People who have contributed
to this entry:
John Raner
Karl Zohler
Vince Tognarelli