Plan Halfmoon

Operation Darkflower IV

The Domination of Eiler Invades San Diego
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This archive is meant to be secret.  If you're reading this, that doesn't mean you're in trouble.  It just means, the Domination has to document all its adventures, or else go into withdrawal.  

So, this journal is via plain text.  And the usual explanatory text about the Domination is not included.  Suffice it to say, the Domination is in the middle of a long-term sequence of financial plans:

•	Plan Joab, which involved scrambling for funds after a sudden lack of employment.
•	Plan Hyksos, in which the Domination forces recovered some financial resources and sojourned in a distant land.
•	Plan Quartermoon, which re-established full employment and resumed the march toward the Domination's financial independence from major corporations.
•	As of Plan Halfmoon, the Domination is halfway there.  But not quite there yet.  Hence a trip to San Diego, to negotiate business with one of those major corporations.
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Day 0:  Wednesday 30 November 2005

Party with coalition partners, commemorating the successful departure of one partner from "Some Big Company" where Domination forces are currently stationed.  Fairly late return to EilerBase to prepare for mission.  

Fortunately, the Domination of Eiler saw this coming.  The baggage is packed, and people who wanted to negotiate treaties with the Domination have been pushed off - to the night before, so they're happy for the moment.
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Day 1:  Thursday 1 December 2005
Insertion Day

Domination expeditionary force airlifted out of Chicago O'Hare to San Diego.  Precise details unimportant, except that San Diego is proud of having the nation's busiest single-runway airport, and any California highway can be congested any time of day.

EilerBase established in San Diego assimilated neighborhood Rancho Bernardo, from provider "Holiday-Inn".  Nearby dinner provider "Elephant-Bar" entirely congenial.
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Day 2:  Friday 2 December 2005

Sensitive negotiations with company "Big Aerospace Engineering" are underway, to move the District of Dominance to the desert fringe of San Diego.  The Domination finds this area more congenial than the humid beach part of town, so negotiations will be allowed to proceed.  Morning consumed in negotiations. 

Afternoon, the Domination concentrated on subduing the local environs. This would be Poway, California.

•	Poway is pronounced "Pow! -ay", not "Po' way".  Which is ironic, because Poway is the cheapest neighborhood here.  The big companies hang out in nearby Rancho Bernardo... which the city of San Diego has conveniently assimilated.
•	Despite massive Domination support of thrift stores, never before have the Domination forces seen a shopping center consisting almost entirely of thrift stores.  But Poway has one!
•	The Domination expeditionary force stopped in the local draft-beer bar nearest the thrift stores, and then asked the natives what to do for fun without getting on the highway.  They said, hiking.
•	And so, the Lake Poway Trail was conquered.  Lake Poway is just the town reservoir... but it's stocked with trout.  And here on the fringe of San Diego, outside the reservoir are mountains!  The trails which branch from here promise days of fun, if Domination forces should ever return.
•	Already, the town of Poway has proved itself exotic but not snooty.  To be remembered in its favor.

Next target was the San Pasqual Battlefield State Historic Park.  Off-highway roads between Poway and San Pasqual resisted the Domination forces, by having private gateways (one fancy and guarded, one just chain-link), but the Domination circumvented these and prevailed nonetheless.

•	This is California's very first state historical park.  It commemorates a very small battle of the Mexican War.  And it describes the battle as not Americans vs. Mexicans, but Americans vs. Californians!  Which makes sense, once someone actually puts it that way.
•	Nearby the battlefield was the San Diego Archaeological Center headquarters, with exhibits for the public!  California law mandates that all constuction check for the last two centuries' pottery first, and the Archaeological Center is cashing in on this.  
•	Personnel there were most cooperative, and gave local history.  Good thing, becase the battlefield park was closed!  
•	The Domination countered the resistance by climbing up a hilltop there, then snuck down to avoid security personnel... much like the American invaders of California did in the first place.
•	The battle was 6 December 1846.  Today being 2 December 2005, the annual Battle Day observance was imminent - on 4 December, a Sunday, for the convenience of all.  Except for the Domination, which is leaving town that day.  But campers had already snuck onto the grounds.
•	This is the first time the Domination forces have ever seen cactus.  The Domination forces would have snapped off a cactus spine for a souvenir, except that doing this on a state park would have been against California state law.  However, the cacti were eager to volunteer their spines quite on their own, straight into the Domination's pants.  And so a trophy spine was taken.
•	The San Pasqual Valley is quite scenic, and has wineries and balloon flights.  It's like fancier vallieys in California, only less snooty.  The Domination can respect that.

Observed today...  Everyone's not just proud to live in San Diego because they love the climate, they're smug to live here.  They like to say, bike season is year round.  In contrast, the Domination considers the northern Illinois bike season to be year round also, even when the temperature goes below freezing.

•	The Domination has allies from India who've summered in San Diego.  They say, it's hot, humid and horrible here.  They being from India, they know hot, humid and horrible.  
•	If San Diego should ever fully submit to Domination, there are some shocks in store for all parties.

Dinner at Elephant Bar near hotel.  Night would be more fun, if other bars were within walking distance.  Oh well, this just leads to an early day tomorrow, with even more Domination then.

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Day 3:  Saturday 3 December 2005

Domination kicks off early, with a drive straight toward the sea.  Town of Del Mar, north of San Diego, occupied.  Notable features of town:  cute shops, and surfers who mostly had trouble catching the wave today.

Domination forces then rolled down the coast, intending to conquer all the way to downtown San Diego.  However, there was massive resistance in San Diego Old Town - but of a good sort.

•	Old Town is San Diego County's other State Historical Park.  It's four square blocks full of cute shops, little historical museum-buildings, and even full-service restaurants.  Several hours were necessary to fully subdue it.
•	Nearby Old Town, there are other museums:  the Mormon Battalion Museum, which commemorates early Mormons on a 3000-mile Mexican War march, and the San Diego Sheriff's Museum, which commemorates local law enforcement (right down to McGruff the Crime Dog) and gives some examples of its evil enemies.  Both museums are free for propaganda purposes, but it's hard to decide which one is more creepy.
•	By this time, the Domination expeditionary force was actually museumed out, and declined to conquer other historical houses in the neighborhood, or to continue downtown for more conquest.  

Instead, returned to Rancho Bernardo for a leisurely pub crawl.  This is just barely possible, the neighborhood seems to have exactly two full-service pubs.

•	Mr. Charlie's Fortune Cookie has five types of draft beer including some microbrew.  And a large Chinese menu. 
•	The Elephant Bar has about the same spectrum of draft beer, plus cheap California cuisine as appetizers during Happy Hour.

Returning to Rancho Bernardo may have been an operational miscalculation... but it did give valuable local intelligence, in case the Domination returns to the area.  And, the business hotel here is much more quiet and pleasant on a Saturday night than the touristy hotels downtown are likely to be.

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Day 4:  Sunday 4 December 2005
Extraction Day

Brief raid upon downtown San Diego on way to airport, but nothing open.

Airlift to the District of Dominance as normal.  Which is to say, half-hour delay due to Chicago conditions.  This practically goes without saying.

Still, return on track, all praise to the One Maker.