The haul was not as long as the map shows, since I had zoomed in a bit earlier on my mission to pin-point one of the AA guns. Along the way I found a box of bananas and realized I was really in need of some food. So, I grabbed a vine of bananas and took them with me. There were bottles of water there too, so I grabbed a bottle in order to save my packed water supply.
Just like in Operation Goat's Milk, the painting process is pretty much uneventful when it comes to painting the target. I had already destroyed the watch tower at the position on the map, so I pretty much sat on the top of the grass and started the process of painting the target with my binoculars.
Once the target was painted, it was less than 30 seconds before I could hear the bombers approaching. I started peeling my first banana and watched from my safe distance as the bombers took their turn against the KPA.
A couple bites into the banana and I realized these bananas are way greener than I am used to eating. Still, it was food and I needed to keep my energy up. By the time the final bomb hit the area, I had eaten about three bananas and could not take it any more. I wished that Jester was here, because we talked about how I hated to eat green bananas when did a quick mission in Mongolia about a four months ago. Crud. Jester is gone too.
Before I could get too wrapped up about losing team members, I heard the VTOLs arrive with support to eliminate the rest of the munitions dump. Time to get moving.
I saw a VTOL land and received word that I needed to pick up a Gauss rifle for use on the mission. The craft was not too far from me and I was able to quickly drop the FY71 and begin carrying a Gauss rifle as well. I am not worried about losing the FY71 - since those things seem to be everywhere on this island.
My next stop is to assist the US Army to clear out the remaining KPAs at the munitions dump. I don't believe they want me using the Gauss rifle for that. In fact, as I walked I began to see the humorous side of the Gauss rifle itself.
You see, growing up as a kid, I first came to know about Gauss rifles by two sources. The first, was sci-fi movies. The second, was silly computer games I played as a kid. In both cases, to defeat the big boss ... or the world-ending alien, one had to obtain and learn to use a Gauss rifle.
So what was this Gauss rifle anyway? Well, the Gauss rifle was given one of it's names by the original creator, Carl Friedrich Gauss. Gauss is still referred to as one of the world's most influential mathematicians. He lived mostly in the 19th century, if my memory of history is correct. The gun is also referred to as a Coilgun, because it is a projectile weapon that uses multiple electronic coils to accelerate a magnetic projectile to high velocity.
What I still find extremely ironic is that I used these Coilguns or Gauss rifles playing video games as a kid. Now, the year is 2020 and I am using a real Gauss rifle to potentially save man kind. Talk about life imitating art!
I stowed the Gauss rifle for now and used my submachine gun to help clear out the munitions dump. We then focused on the road block leading out of the valley.
When the VTOL arrived to the road block, the situation for the KPA went from bad to uber-bad. About sixty seconds later, the path was fully cleared.
I am going to take one final look at the area, then see where we are going next. I am guessing it is time to head towards that mine. If you ask me, it is way PAST time!
I will be in touch soon!
Nomad ... signing out.
