Wasteland Rules: A New Dawn (The World After Book 3) (30 page)

Author’s Note

    I hope you
enjoyed reading Wasteland Rules: Born to Fight. As a new and independent
author, the hardest thing to get, but perhaps the most valuable, is feedback.
So please take the time and review the book. Obviously I would prefer five star
reviews, but be honest even if it is negative. I know the book is not for
everyone. If it is negative, please explain why.

  If you have feedback you
would like to share with me directly, please feel free to email me at
[email protected]. I would really appreciate any constructive criticism
or even that I missed a word or misspelled something. Thank you in advance for your
time.

The
Rules

1.
     
Kill
or Be Killed

2.
     
There
are only Friends or Enemies

      a. The enemy of my enemy is my friend

3.
     
Don’t
leave an Enemy at your back

4.
     
A
gun is the great equalizer

5.
     
Don’t
Waste Ammo

6.
     
Mind
your own business

7.
     
Always
Pay Attention

8.
     
Water
is Life

9.
     
Take
everything you can carry, you never know what you might need

10.
 
Always watch your back

11.
 
If you can’t fight, run; if
you can’t run, hide; if you can’t hide, fight

12.
 
The safest looking place is
always a trap

13.
 
The weak serve the strong

14.
 
Never sleep in the open

15.
 
Always be prepared

16.
 
Don’t rely on technology

17.
 
Bullets don’t discriminate

18.
 
You can never have enough
ammo

19.
 
Don’t draw any attention to
yourself

20.
 
Always carry a blade, it
never runs out of ammo

21. Never give up your weapon

22. Don’t waste time talking, just kill your opponent

23. Don’t look for trouble

24. Don’t share anything you don’t need to

25. Never leave anything behind for your enemies to
use

26. Know your enemy

Wasteland
Rules Glossary

The Aftermath – The chain of
events following the Collapse that led to the virtual destruction of the planet
as we know it. It started with an exchange of nuclear, biological, and chemical
weapons; and ended with violent storms and climate change.

Aztlan – Country formed out
of Northern Mexico by returning immigrants from the U.S. They control small
parts of southern California and Arizona. In constant conflict with the N.R.T.
over their borders. Sometimes referred to as the Reconquistadors.

BDU – Battle Dress Uniform –
Standard military non dress uniform.

Bikers – Gangs of traditional
one-percenters (outlaw bikers) that ride the highways looking for victims.

Burners – Small gangs of
young men on performance bikes. They are multicultural in make-up.

C.C.A. – Confederated Cities
of America – Sometimes referred to as the Second Confederacy. It is a loosely
affiliated group of southern cities. They share economic and military ties. It
was formed after the U.S.T.G. conquest of Cincinnati. They are loosely allied
with the New Republic of Texas.

The Cartel – The world’s
largest drug cartel. They control much of the Carribbean, Miami, and part of
Mexico. They have a Spanish feudal system of rulership.

The Collapse – The collapse
of society and civilization brought on by a crop virus that wiped out most of
the world’s food supplies. Wars and rioting resulting from the famine caused
the collapse of all the world’s governments. It was followed the Aftermath.

The Collective – They are an
insular group of technologists that control part of the West Coast. They make
heavy use of cloning and cybernetics.  They are very advanced
technologically and not altogether human. They are connected into a semi-hive
mind by the LINC. It is controlled by former software billionaire Stefan Doors.

Cult of the Machine -
Also known as Machineheads, they are wannabe Humeks who have made mechanical
alterations and additions to themselves.

Drinkers – Large mutants that
appeared in the Aftermath. They get their name from the fact that they drink
human blood for sustenance and their mouths are often stained red.

Drone – A human being
implanted with a computer chip in their brain that makes them little more than
a robot. Often they are clones. They were created by the Collective. Used for
labor and as soldiers.

Express Station – A fortified
gas station and convenience store. One chain is run by Texas.

Faceless – Clones created
without a face, capable of having any face surgically attached to them. They
have one noticeable flaw, a small mole on the back of their neck. They dissolve
into goo if killed.

FedPol – Federal Police – The
national police force of the U.S.T.G. They are the only law enforcement in the
U.S.T.G. and are a combination of the FBI and local law enforcement.

Freehold – A free town
located in the wasteland.

G-21 – The alliance of 21
gangs that controls the remnants of Los Angeles, California.

Hauler’s Guild – Formed from
the remnants of the Teamsters Union, almost all long haul truckers belong. They
provide protection for their armored trucks and are a powerful political force.
The threat of cutting off shipping to any faction usually wins concessions for
the Guild. Based in Indianapolis under the “protection” of the U.S.T.G., they
are still generally politically neutral.

HRT – Hostage Rescue Team,
similar to SWAT.

Humek – A human being who
underwent radical surgery to have cybernetics implanted in them. They are the
most loyal followers of the Collective. They do have some free will.

ICV/IFV – Infantry Combat
Vehicle/Infantry Fighting Vehicle – Once known as armored personnel carriers,
they provide fire support in addition to transporting troops.

Illuminati – Secret societies
rumored to be controlling the world and the course of history from behind the
scenes.

Imperator – Ruler of Los
Angeles and head of G-21. Former LAPD.

LAW – Light Antitank Weapon –
Usually a disposable tube launched rocket capable of destroying light armored
vehicles.

LINC – Layered Integrated
Neural Connection – A wireless network that connects the members of the
Collective into a semi-hive mind. Users with total access can see anything any
connected member sees or access any connected members sensory memories.

Merks – A generic term for
mercenaries. They are general considered unreliable but willing to do anything
for money. They have no overall organization.

The Party – Shorthand for the
Neo-Conservative Party. The only legal political party in the U.S.T.G. They run
everything and you must be a Party member to have any power or wealth.

Patrician – The elite and
wealthy leaders of the C.C.A. They are the male heads of wealthy and powerful
families that control most of the businesses in the C.C.A. They live privileged
lives.

Praetorians – The elite
troops of G-21 that serve as the Imperator’s personal bodyguard and enforcers.
All former law enforcement or ex-military. Well-armed and well trained.

NBC – Abrreviation for
Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical.

New Republic of Texas –
N.R.T. – Often just referred to as Texas or the New Republic. New Republic
dollar or NRD is their currency.

Night Children – Also called
Children of the Night – They are families of cannibals that existed underground
before the Collapse. They now operate more openly, trapping and eating
travelers in their booby-trapped lairs.

The Order – A well organized
group of Neo-Nazis that have taken control of large parts of Louisiana and
Mississippi.

The Outfit – A large and well
organized group of merks. They have their origins in the private military
companies that were prevalent before the Collapse. They are well equipped and
only take on large well-paying jobs. Their biggest customer is rumored to be
the U.S.T.G.

Raiders – They are gangs of
criminals that attack travelers and settlements. They are organized into a clan
structure and mark themselves with tattoos on their foreheads.

Reapers – The remains of a
European Union invasion force. Infamous for their cannibalism, they ravaged the
remains of the East Coast.

Red Berets – Elite Special
Forces of the U.S.T.G. Also known as the Bloody Berets. Only two hundred or so
out of thousands successfully pass the training.

Regulators – A slang term for
the Brotherhood of Justice – It was formed by former law enforcement officers
to protect their communities. Later multiple smaller groups merged into the
larger organization that is spread across the wasteland. It is headquartered in
Texas and receives some financial assistance from them. They pay bounties for
criminals and often perform basic law enforcement duties in unaligned towns.

Roadhouse – A fortified
compound housing at least a hotel and restaurant. They are usually built up
around hotels at key road junctions like interstate exchanges. They are well
fortified and well-guarded.

The Society – The Illuminati
group that runs NASA. Rora’s father was a member. They consider themselves the
Anti-Illuminati and work for the benefit of mankind, not to control it.

Technical – A pickup or SUV
armored and armed with a heavy weapon like a machine gun.

UAV – Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
– unmanned aircraft usually piloted remotely. Smaller than a normal plane. Used
primarily by the Collective. Collective UAVs have an onboard computer that
controls them in addition to the main network.

UCV – Unmanned Combat Vehicle
– unmanned tanks or IFVs usually piloted remotely. Same size and model as
normal. Used primarily by the Collective. Collective UCVs have an onboard
computer that controls them in addition to the main network.

U.S.T.G. – United States
Territorial Government – The remnants of the old United States of America It is
a single party state run by the former Vice President Rickard Channing and the
Neo-Conservative Party. It is a very structured and controlled economy and
culture. Very expansionist, they lay claim to the entire continent of North
America.  It is a repressive police state. The U.S.T.G. dollar is their
form of currency.

Wrecker’s Guild – This is a
loose organization of tow truck drivers and wreckers. They retrieve broken down
vehicles and scavenge damaged or abandoned ones. They drive armored tow trucks
and are generally unmolested.

Zeta Force – The best of the
best Red Berets. A platoon sized elite force given the toughest and most
sensitive missions.