The Powernaut
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POWERNAUT 2005!

Episode 6

YOU'RE IN THE ARMY NOW!

Greeting

Hello, my Power Patrol! Welcome to the last of my 2005 adventures - me vs. the modern age! I'm in the Army now! But do Powernauts and armies really get along? They didn't always work together in 1944, so why should they now?

My pal Wyatt Ferguson has already written his version in his own web log! So I arranged for him to do guest commentary! Enjoy!

(signed) The Powernaut!

Hi. This is Wyatt. I do have a civilian perspective on this mission. So, let's go.

Search the Powernaut Archives!

You're You!

Bonus Section: Commentary from Wyatt Ferguson! I'm I?

All the links here can be found under http://www.eilertech.com/stories/ .

Ever since the Powernaut's comics showed cartoons of Spanker 4 in a Powernaut outfit, the public is acting like he was a cute robot from a children's story. There's even been some speculation on whether our new pal would be back to join a Council of Powernauts. Uh, I surely hope not. Sharing a body with Spanker 4 was preferable to sharing a mind with Philippe St. Joseph Lateran, but not by much. And if he's coming back, it'll be from a place mankind has never been - and he'd need the power of intestinal bacteria to survive that trip. I literally shat him out of my body once he was deactivated. Now he's the problem of New Delhi's sewage system.

... Next question, please.

And You Are A Powernaut!

So How Do You FEEL About Iraq?

Bonus Section: Commentary from Wyatt Ferguson! U.S. Defense Contracting

All the links here can be found under http://www.eilertech.com/stories/ .

It's publicly known that I was a United States defense contractor in the 1980s. I worked on the MX Missile when Ronald Reagan was President! (ref: 1988/me1.htm)

People say, Iraq has a defense contractor cowboy culture. People forget the 1980s all too soon. I'd rather forget the 1980s too. Back then, I was youthful and inspired by 1980s culture-fictional heroism. So I became so full of ambition, I actually invaded the Soviet Union *myself* to restore America's glory. It seemed the thing to do then. The U.S. Gov routinely disavowed its operatives then, so I fit in. That's when I acquired my alcohol habit... By comparison, the present decade is tame. Trust me on this.

I've been happy to work for the private sector since then. Still, it was nostalgic to be a U.S. defense contractor once again. This comic is reasonably good at portraying it. Karl has some experience with this too, but he was not as quick to embrace his past as I was.

But This Isn't How I Pictured It

Bonus Section: Commentary from Wyatt Ferguson! Belgium and the Tip Jar

All the links here can be found under http://www.eilertech.com/stories/ .

I found the bartender was Belgian. I have a sense for these things, especially when the beers on tap are mostly Stella Artois... Belgium had accepted the "Coalition" concession contract for this occupation.

(Don't get me going on "Coalition". I'd just been through a reality shift. In my previous world, it took the whole United Nations to garrison Iraq after a four-way civil war.)

The Belgian bartender had a tip jar out. I knew this was not usual for Belgians; they just make the beer more expensive, as was the case there. But the defense contractors who'd passed our way before us had taught this bartender to passively ask for tips.

Aw, crap. When America mingles with the world, sometimes we get the worst of both worlds. And that's not even counting the people outside the mingle zone.

Welcome to Basra, Ye Lot

Bonus Section: Commentary from Wyatt Ferguson! March Through Basra!?

All the links here can be found under http://www.eilertech.com/stories/ .

I was honored to be working with a battalion of the famous Scots Guards as they did a tour of duty in Iraq, and to support them against a *different* insurgency than the American troops faced. I've commented on that at length in my own story of this same mission, at 2005/occulator.htm#army. Iraq had insurgencies in my home universe too, but the United Nations pretty well took care of those. The UN really did kick some ass there.

Anyway... The instructions specifically said, "Wear your normal clothing." This applies equally to me and the Powernaut. My normal clothing is Mighty White Voyageur, and the Powernaut is a blazing bright target which puts even me to shame. Need I say more, about marching through Basra?

Fortunately Karl and I had both prepared. (see next entry)

Die, Infidels!

Bonus Section: Commentary from Wyatt Ferguson! President Guvna

All the links here can be found under http://www.eilertech.com/stories/ .

I've been asked for my opinion on the leadership. I'm now off-duty, so I can freely give it.

You may know, I came here from a reality shift. In my *old* world, the farthest any of President Bush's sons made it was Governor. Ellipsis humiliated President Bush during Operation Total Manhood in 1996, when the U.S. tried to invade the Bahamas - and lost. President Rodham handled foreign policy differently after that, especially in 2001. But there was some backlash, which favored *one* of President Bush's sons.

Imagine my surprise when I got to work for Governor George W. Bush of Texas, as the Guvna's superhuman affairs consultant. (ref: 2004/aleut.htm) He got the second best consultant, behind my brother. I got the second best client, behind at least Governor Corrigan of California. (ref: duopol3.htm) I think I saved Governor Bush from assassination by Chaos Mages. But I had to exploit personal connections to do that. Those connections made me forever suspect with the Guvna.

Now the Guvna is President - *and* he retroactively got to handle 2001. Suffice it to say, the fallout from that is still a hot mess.

I've heard some of you take this reality shift personally - and you didn't even have to *go through it*. I *did* go through it. So I'll just say, I feel your pain.


Author's Notes:

In my opinion, everything in 2005 has been worth publishing as a Powernaut comic. Good thing, 'cause I've now published it all. Occulator Compuplex worked out particularly well once it got rolling. And in retrospect I can't believe I showed commitment to publish 41 comics about *anything*, let alone about 2005. The grand total will pass 180, when I fill in the stuff I've already done first web draft on... So it'll be good to get this year done. And I'll have to think about how best to make Powernaut 2006 fun and zippy.

I checked... Some of the Scots Guards *did* deploy to Iraq! I think they went in 2004 instead of 2005... Well, too bad. My universe, my deployment schedule. Yay!

(signed) Scott Eiler, 16 July 2015.


Powernaut:
Home 1912 1941 1944 1948 1954 1955 1962 1966 1968 (with Stories) 1969 1976 1979 1984 2005 (with Stories) 2009 (with Stories) 2011 (with Stories) .
Powernaut 2005: 1 2 3 4 5 6.
The Rest of the World: Wiki Home Startup Escalation 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 The Maker .

Leo (the same one who will become the Pirate Vampire King, apparently the most popular Powernaut guest star ever) is a character of Ray Conrad. All artwork and other characters in this fiction are copyright © 2015 by Eiler Technical Enterprises.