Great Lakes Resistance

"Any historian will tell you that the Tyrum were defeated because they picked the wrong planet. Any *military* historian will tell you that they were defeated because they were singularly unprepared for aquatic warfare."-Commodore Chedva Mazar, GTU Naval Academy

The Tyrum focused their initial assault on large population centers, and ground operations on arable farmland. However, when the combined global submarine ballistic missile counter-attack was launched it caught the mother ship completely by surprise. In fact, later interrogations of the hivemind revealed the Tyrum did not even understand what they were seeing until detonation occurred. What forces remained were ill-equipped for naval combat, providing a chance for the human defenders to use this weakness to their advantage.

That is not to say the Tyrum did not have a vast tactical advantage in mechanized infantry and air superiority, but in focusing resources on terraforming and air combat they revealed a tactical weakness humanity could exploit. Aquatic and naval combat was a defined weakness in the great Tyrum collective, and was easily used by human survivors all across the globe against them. However, nowhere was this more successfully done than in the Great Lakes Resistance.

## Captain Sierra Asper

Historical records have been lost as to whether Sierra Asper was a Canadian citizen or refugee from the United States. What is not disputed is that she was from the North American continent and was later referred to as "The Last American Hero" (as post war unification rendered nationality irrelevant). Even her specific history and biography before the First Contact War is not known, mixed with legends of heroic deeds and conflicting sources of information. What is known, is that at the onset of the First Contact War and the initial Tyrum invasion, she began to direct a small company of survivors around the Great Lakes region.

Not so much an active combatant as a truly gifted logistics coordinator, Sierra Asper was able to gather resources and personnel all across the Midwest. Expanding from only a small cadre of survivors and defenders, the organization quickly grew in size and magnitude. From ore mines in the North West, to a vast fleet of ships (when most national militaries fielded fleets in the hundreds, at it's peak it's estimated Marshall Thompson had over one thousand ships at her command) and many Rustbelt manufacturing infrastructure (While Chinese manufacturing had been hit particularly hard by orbital bombardment, American manufacturing, largely abandoned since the 20th century survived relatively unscathed). In time, this rag tag consortium of men and machines churning the wide waves of the lakes became known as the Great Lakes Fleet.

Over the 7-year war against the Tyrum, the Great Lakes fleet was able to:

a.) Conserve freshwater by harvesting ice.

b.) Convert laker ships into heavily armored siege platforms.

c.) Mobilize resources overlooked by Tyrum forces.

Following the defeat of the Tyrum and the reclamation of Earth, a statue dedicated to "the Good Captain" Sierra Asper was placed at herr memorial on Mackinac Island. It was inscribed with the text of an old poem of centuries past, often quoted as a favorite of the Captain herself. "O Captain! My Captain! our fearful trip is done; The ship has weather'd every rack, the prize we sought is won"

## Lambeau Field Hospital / Medical Academy

After the orbital bombardment of major population centers, many refugees fled to more rural areas to survive, in an attempt to hide from the destruction of of the urban and suburban regions. The destruction of these major cities also resulted in the loss of valuable data and medicines held in major hospitals and clinics one of the most advanced medical / trauma centers left unscathed was the NFL complex at Green Bay Wisconsin.

The ancient gladiatorial game known as football (Football Americana as it was known elsewhere in the world) was one of the most lavish occupations in the early 21st century. Players were granted elite medical care for their injuries. As many major urban medical centers had been destroyed, the advanced medical technology at Lambeau Field survived unscathed, and had prevented human medical technology from taking a two century regression.

The medical importance of Lambeau Field was quickly apparent, and Captain Thompson rapidly claimed and developed the arena into a temporary, and later permanent, medical hospital and training unit. It became known as Lambeau Field Hospital during the war, headed by Dr. Luis Graham, and served as the main medical supply and unit care housing facility for the Great Lakes Resistance,. Following the war, it converted into medicinal training academy, renamed the Lambeau Medical Academy, and continues to train the next generation of doctors, surgeons, and medical staff.

## Liberation of Chicago

One of the greatest achievements accredited in part to the Great Lakes Resistance was in the Liberation of Chicago. The great city was greatly devastated by the initial orbital bombardment, and was quickly overcome by Tyrum forces. Chicago quickly became a major Tyrum stronghold, and thus a major prize to be won from their hands by remaining factions. The Great Lakes Resistance positioned a guerilla resistance group within and near the city, that constantly harassed the alien invaders. As the Great Lakes Resistance grew in strength, Captain Asper continued to coordinate regular incursions and hit-and-run attacks.

In the later stages of the war, the final plan to retake Chicago was committed and planned. The Great Lakes Resistance, in alliance with other survivor groups, quickly began a bombardment and massive assault. In a brilliant tactical move, the forces then swiftly pulled out, leaving behind several self-sufficient units that would pester the Tyrum behind their own lines. This strategy would repeatedly continue, and whittled down the Tyrum invaders. Finally, when the last alien forces were slain and the terrible terraforming machines were demolished, a flag was raised within the waters of Chicago, and upon it was a new symbol, one that had grown to become the global symbol of definence, and one that would, in time, become the symbol of the Greater Terran Union.

## TUS *Sierra Asper*

In the 400 years of the GTU Navy one of the most coveted positions within the fleet is the TUS *Sierra Asper,* often nicknamed "the Great Lake Lady." Named in honor of venerable hero herself, the *Sierra Asper* renowned for having one of the best crews and service men and woman in the fleet, who pride themselves on their ingenuity and ability to work with archaic and outdated equipment in order to surprise adversaries and survive difficult situations. Those who serve on her consider it one of the highest honors in the GTU.￼

## Mackinac Island

Formerly the site of a historical hotel dating back to the 19th century, the rustic anachronism that prided itself on functioning without modern amenities proved to be an excellent command center. The lack of electricity or radio communications confounded the Tyrum, who had searched for more contemporary communications networks. Some communications were conducted using direct line of sight signal lights. Other time archaic signal flags were used. The Mackinac Inn could accommodate an entire ships crew or army company by using methods over 200 years old.