Mass Militia Regiment | |
2nd Massachusetts Militia Regiment | |
Commanders | Col. Daniel F. Weaver 2nd Com - Tom Mason |
Status | Disbanded |
Current Location | Washington D.C., formerly Norfolk, Virginia; Boston, Massachusetts, Charleston, South Carolina, Chinatown |
Strength | 300+ (Start of invasion) Around 160 (13 months after invasion) |
Fighters | Under 40 |
Civilians | Under 40 |
“ | Tick. Tick. Boom! | ” |
— 2nd Mass saying.
|
The 2nd Massachusetts Militia Regiment, also known as 2nd Mass, is one of the twelve regiments that make up the Massachusetts Militia, led by Jim Porter. After the loss of South Boston to the enemy, Porter decided that all Militia units should retreat from Boston and evade the skitters until an appropriate way to fight them could be found. Porter divided the Militia into 12 regiments, to each consist of 100 or more fighters and about 200 civilians (at the time the aliens air surveillance seemed to ignore groups of humans below 500 in number) and to all forage and live off the land.("Live and Learn") One of those regiments was the 2nd Mass. It is made up of 111 fighters and 200 civilians, led Captain Daniel Weaver, whose second in command is Tom Mason who was a military history professor pre war. During the Battle of Fitchburg nearly 100 of the 2nd Mass members were killed. The number is now in the thousands. Its Headquarters was the John F. Kennedy High School in the suburb of Acton, Massachusetts outside of Boston. Daniel Weaver confirms in Everybody Has Their Reasons that the 2nd Mass have forty strong on the march for DC. With the extinction of the Espheni during the Assault on Washington, D.C. due to the death of the Espheni Queen and the subsequent ending of the Invasion of Earth, the 2nd Mass disbands as the Humans and Volm begin to rebuild their societies.
Organization[]
Leadership[]
- Commander - Capt. Daniel Weaver
- 2nd in Command - Tom Mason
Scouts[]
Scouts serve as the regiment's eyes and ears, searching ahead and around the group for supplies and the enemy. They tend to be teenagers as they have to be quick and nimble to avoid being killed or captured. For transportation, they use motorcycles, so they can quickly get away from a situation or alert the regiment of supplies nearby.
Hal Mason and Karen Nadler were both Scouts, until Karen was captured by Skitters, now Margaret, who escaped from Pope's Gang, has taken over Karen's role. Dai and Tom also scout for the 2nd Mass. In What Hides Beneath, Weaver scouts with Hal and Tom (but in that instance with the ulterior motive of going to his former home and perhaps remaining there to die. Ultimately he didn't).
Fighters[]
Fighters are the regiment’s main troops. There are some former military and police personnel among the leadership and the rank and file. Most fighters are civilians with no previous military service and training, but chose to take an active role in fighting. Those civilians learned how to fight in the months after the invasion, including Tom Mason. They serve every purpose, from defending a position to making raids on supply caches, to attacking the enemy. They are armed with various weapons, ranging from small sidearms to assault weapons to heavy machine guns to explosives. A great example of fighters would be Tom Mason's standard team, which is armed both with sidearms and assault weapons.
Weaponry and Vehicles[]
Most weaponry is a motley mix of firearms taken from various armories, civilian gun stores and private collectors. In case of the 2nd Mass, many guns were obtained from Alex Vlensa, a paranoid weapons collector and former math professor known to Tom Mason. They use assault rifles like AK-47s, M-14s, Colt 733s, AKMs, HK91s, SG 552s, Ruger Mini-14s, Springfield M1As, L1A1 SLRs, IMI Galil MARs and Armalite rifles ranging from Vietnam-era M-16s to high-end customized M4A1s they also have the HKG36; many types of shot guns including double barrel shotguns. Scout/raid squads also prefer various submachine guns like MP5SD, Uzi and UMP for close quarter combat against skitters. As they use whatever is available, some fighters even carry bolt-action hunting rifles or historical carbines. There are many types of handguns from 9mm/.45 ACP automatics and .45 cal. revolvers. They have one large caliber weapon in a .50 caliber M2 Browning machine gun mounted on a mid-1960s era passenger automobile and as a "Technical" civilian vehicle, usually a pickup truck with a weapon mounted on it. They also have various explosives including hand grenades and blocks of C-4 plastic explosives. They also have a single RPG-2, which Tom Mason uses to destroy an alien ship. Sometime in the three months Tom was missing, they acquired a 20mm AA gun, an M72 LAW disposable rocket launcher, and from dialogue it can be assumed they also have a Barrett M107.
However, the firearms are almost useless against the superior armor of the Mech which are bullet proof and the skitters themselves which are bullet resistant unless you fire in very close quarters to them with a high power weapon, either hand gun or rifle. With Mechs the best that could be hope for is to use the fire from the weapons to detract an attacking Mech from its target of the moment since upon being fired upon it would immediately turn its attention to the attacking source. Skitters would stop and shield itself from a hail of bullets but it won't be killed or injured unless the fire was from a very close source, within five feet it seems.
However, former gang leader and criminal John Pope found a way to smelt down Mech Metal into slugs. The Mech metal has properties like depleted uranium. Making these new bullets armor piecing rounds for all types of firearms rendering Mechs and skitters very vulnerable for the first time.
What few vehicles there are consists of motorcycles and pre-1980 automobiles that have no electronics. Most post 1980 vehicles that had electronics were rendered useless from the Electromagnetic pulse(s) (EMP) the Aliens deployed at the start of the invasion, which also rendered almost all modern military weapons useless. The aforementioned "Technical" is a Pontiac GTO manufactured between 1965 and 1967 with the M2 Browning machine gun mounted in it. John Pope and his gang tried to extort it out of the 2nd Mass by holding Tom, Hal, Dai and other members of the 2nd Mass hostage in a failed effort. The GTO was flipped on its side in the First Assault on Boston while being used by Pope and Anthony, but was presumably recovered and repaired as it was still in the custody of the 2nd Mass three months later in "Shall We Gather at the River". The GTO suffers a broken axle en route to Charleston in "Death March" and is abandoned as a result.
By Season Two, in their march southward from Boston, the much-reduced regiment is able to move faster, having fewer people but having acquired replacement vehicles that are mostly in better condition. These include several pickup trucks and a Humvee on which they mount heavy armor-piercing machine guns (capable of bringing down Espheni 'Beamer' aircraft) and a bus which Anne Glass uses as her field hospital. John Pope and his gang of 'Berserkers' who serve as scouts, sappers and shock troops for the regiment, retain most of the motorcycles at the regiment's disposal. However, fuel was a major concern until they reached the human-controled city of Charleston, South Carolina.
With the arrival of the Volm in Season Three and the resources allotted to them by Charleston's Continental Army, the 2nd Mass is able to field much more advanced weaponry and equipment; this includes EMP devices, rappel equipment, and advanced Volm plasma rifles and handguns which could destroy the heaviest of Espheni combat droids. They also have a double heavy machine-gun turret mounted on one of their trucks. They also use horses for scouting and additional transport, which are presumably provided by Charleston's stables.
After the events of the Ghetto camps coming down, and after the events of Saturday Night Massacre, the 2nd Mass have under 40 members, dropping from 300 when the 2nd Mass formed.
Towards the end of season 4, the 2nd Mass managed to acquire a shot-down but mostly intact Espheni Beamer. The 2nd Mass repurposed the Beamer for their own use for a strike against the Espheni power core located on the Moon. The Beamer was lost with Tom Mason in space and was last seen attached to the bottom of a Dornia ship beneath the ocean near the end of season 5.
Members[]
Leaders[]
- Captain Jameson - First Commander. Killed by a Mech.
- Daniel Weaver - Currently in command.
- Tom Mason - Second in command. Former Berserker.
- Anne Glass - Doctor, combat medic & fighter for the 2nd Mass. Leader of a group of separated fighters in Season 4.
- Goodman - Fighter in the 2nd Mass. Leader of his own unit. Fate unknown.
Scouts[]
- Hal Mason - Scout & fighter for the 2nd Mass. Tom Mason's first born son.
- Ben Mason - Scout & fighter for the 2nd Mass. Tom Mason's second born son.
- Margaret - Scout & fighter for the 2nd Mass.
- Dingaan Botha - Scout, fighter & mechanic for the 2nd Mass.
- Dai - Scout & fighter for the 2nd Mass. Killed by a Skitter.
- Karen Nadler - Former female scout. Captured by the Espheni. Shot by Margaret.
- Jeanne Weaver - Scout & fighter for the 2nd Mass. Daughter of Daniel Weaver. Killed by a Skitter.
- Bennett - Scout & fighter for the 2nd Mass. Burned alive by Scorch.
Supply Runners[]
- Anthony - Supply runner, scout & fighter for the 2nd Mass. Former Berserker.
- Click - Supply runner & fighter for the 2nd Mass. Shot by Billy Pope.
- Jimmy Boland - Supply runner, scout & fighter for the 2nd Mass. Impaled by a tree branch.
Marksman[]
- Brenda Gruit - Female marksman for the 2nd Mass. Killed by an explosive.
- Tector - Member of the Berserkers & marksman for the 2nd Mass. Killed by explosive.
Weavers Men[]
- Schlatter - Fighter for the 2nd Mass. One of Weavers trusted fighters.
- O'Neil - Fighter for the 2nd Mass. One of Weavers trusted fighters. Killed by skitters/mechs.
- Wilson - Fighter for the 2nd Mass. One of Weavers trusted fighters; deceased.
- Farley - Fighter for the 2nd Mass. One of Weavers trusted fighters; deceased.
- Simms - Fighter for the 2nd Mass. One of Weavers trusted fighters; deceased.
- Fighter 6 - Fighter for the 2nd Mass. One ie Weavers trusted fighters; deceased
Berserkers[]
- John Pope - Leader of the Berserkers, weapon manufacturer & former chef. Mortally injured by Tom Mason and Daniel Weaver , later died of his injuries.
- Zack - Member of the Berserkers.
- Nico - Member of the Berserkers.
- Ox - Member of the Berserkers.
- Lyle - Member of the Berserkers. Disintegrated by an Obelisk.
- Lee Tedeschi - Member of the Berserkers. Killed when she was impaled by rebar.
- Boon - Member of the Berserkers. Killed by a Mech.
- Tyreen - Member of the Berserkers. Killed by a Mech.
- Unnamed Berserker - Member of the Berserkers; deceased
Current Fighters[]
- Matt Mason - Junior fighter. Tom Mason's third born son.
- Jon - Fighter for the 2nd Mass.
- Joe Butterfield - Fighter For the 2nd Mass.
- Franks - Fighter for the 2nd Mass.
- Isabella - Recent fighter for the 2nd Mass.
- Grenice - One of the first fighters for the 2nd Mass. Fate unknown.
- Camille - Fighter for the 2nd Mass. Fate unknown.
- Stubbins - Fighter for the 2nd Mass. Fate unknown.
- John - Fighter for the 2nd Mass. Fate unknown.
- Sentry - Fighter for the 2nd Mass. Fate unknown.
- Ryerson - Fighter for the 2nd Mass. Fate unknown.
- Dick - Fighter for The 2nd Mass. Fate Unknown
- Fighter 1 - Fighter for the 2nd Mass
- Fighter 2 - Fighter for the 2nd Mass
- Fighter 4 - Fighter for the 2nd Mass.
- Fighter 5 - Fighter for the 2nd Mass.
- Fighter 8 - Fighter for the 2nd Mass.
- Fighter 9 - Fighter for the 2nd Mass.
- Fighter 10 - Fighter for the 2nd Mass.
- Fighter 11 - Fighter for the 2nd Mass.
- Fighter 12 - Fighter for the 2nd Mass.
- Fighter 13 - Fighter for the 2nd Mass.
- Civilian Fighter - A civilian who learned to Fight
- Civilian Fighter 1 - A civilian who learned to Fight
- Civilian Fighter 2 - A civilian who learned to Fight
Former Fighters[]
- Reed - Fighter for the 2nd Mass. Killed by a Skitter.
- Alexander Vlensa - Recruited for the 2nd Mass. Killed by a Beamer.
- Bryan - Fighter for the 2nd Mass. Killed by a Mech.
- Parker - Fighter for the 2nd Mass. Killed by a Mech.
- Fuller - Fighter for the 2nd Mass. Shot by Terry Clayton.
- O'Brian - Fighter for the 2nd Mass. Shot by Terry Clayton.
- Mike Thompson - Fighter for the 2nd Mass. Shot by Terry Clayton.
- Jeff Wu - One of the first fighters for the 2nd Mass. Killed by a Mech.
- Gibson - Fighter for the 2nd Mass. Killed by a Mech.
- Henry - Fighter for the 2nd Mass. Killed by a Mech.
- Griffin - Fighter for the 2nd Mass. Killed by a Skitter.
- Fighter 7 - Fighter for the 2nd Mass. Died from gunshot wound
- Cyrus Ruskin - Fighter for the 2nd Mass. Killed by Espheni forces.
- Scotty - Fighter for the 2nd Mass. Killed by Skitters
- Denny - Scout and Fighter for the 2nd Mass. Killed by Skitters
- Sara - Fighter for the 2nd Mass. Killed by Alien bugs
- Ryan - Fighter for The 2nd Mass. Devoured by Alien Bugs
Civilians[]
- Evelyn - Recent Civilian for the 2nd Mass
- Frank - Civilian in the 2nd Mass. Father of Elyse. Fate unknown.
- Elyse - Civilian in the 2nd Mass. Daughter of Frank. Fate unknown.
- Charlotte - Born by Sarah during the invasion. Fate unknown.
- Eli Russell - Former civilian in the 2nd Mass. Son of Jeff & Mary. Harnessed by skitters.
- Jeff Russell - Former civilian in the 2nd Mass. Father of Eli. Presumed dead.
- Mary Russell - Former civilian in the 2nd Mass. Mother of Eli. Presumed dead.
- Michael Harris - Doctor in the 2nd Mass. Researcher & first to learn how to remove the harness. Killed by a skitter.
- Uncle Scott - Children's teacher, chef & communications researcher. Killed by a Mech.
- Aunt Kate - Wife of Uncle Scott. Killed during the Battle of Fitchburg.
- Sarah - Civilian in the 2nd Mass. Mother of Charlotte. Killed during the Battle of Fitchburg.
- Rick Thompson - Civlian, de-harnessed child, Son of Mike. Accidently shot by Boon
- Jamil Dexter - Engineer in the 2nd Mass. Killed by Crawlies.
- Lourdes Delgado - Med student & assistant to Anne. Later a follower of Alexis; killed by Alexis.
- Alexis Glass-Mason - Anne and Tom's newborn child, however rapidly aged. Killed self in order to destroy Espheni power core.
- Marjorie Ruskin - Wife of Cyrus. Killed in Fitchburg
- Mr. Hooper - Teacher and Civilian. Fate unknown
- Nurse - Civlian who works as a nurse
- Civilian 1 - Civlian. Fate Unknown
Locations[]
- Boston, Massachusetts
- Bunker Hill
- Acton Armory
- John F. Kennedy High School
- Airport, Somewhere in Southwest Connecticut (Fairfield County)
- Richmond, Virginia
- Charleston, South Carolina
- Chinatown
- Norfolk, Virginia
- Washington D.C.
Trivia[]
- The 2nd Mass is most likely named after the 2nd Massachusetts Regiment, which was a part of the Continental Army from 1777-1783. They fought in several engagements including: the Battle of Bunker Hill, the Battle of Trenton, and the Battle of Saratoga.