As she'd made her way around Chicago this morning, Maria had found herself side stepping blood splatter, seeing fresh bullets lodged into walls, walking past the burned down foundation of the building which had once served as the head quarters to the crew lead by AlabamaWorley on the South Side of town. She'd sighed softly as she'd walked past the funeral home, with it's steady flow of mourners heading in, the guns that rested in holsters at their hips covered by the extravagant flowers they carried in to place in memory of the fallen. 

It got her down to thinking. She'd seen this before, herself, this wasn't the first time. But as a girl, she'd grown up hearing stories of the take downs and wars her ancestors had seen and been part of. This world turns around on the back of blood and bullets, and the first time a line, fresh off the boat, sees a war or a take down for the first time, fires their first shot in conflict, takes their first life - well, that was something to remember. 

She bought a cup of coffee from one of the vendor carts in the park, and sat down on a bench to drink it and enjoy the morning sunshine rising above the city. Still thinking back to her own childhood, of the days when her mother would read stories from the old family journals to her, she took a sip and began to speak out.

Do you remember your first? Your first takedown, your first war, your first real kill? The first time that you knew that because of the actions you took, a widow would be crying into a casket that night, that children would lose a parent and be forced into the world we live in now, that friends, that the brothers and sister that that person had via their oath to their crew would mourn their passing? Do you remember the first time you helped to reduce a city or a district to rubble, perhaps even the first time your line suffered a huge loss due to war? Do you remember camping out for hours on end to get that shot, or spending hours camped out to protect one of your own? 

I know some lines on our shores go back in time many, many years, and perhaps so far back that the memories have been obscured, but as a newer line on our shores, that war is recorded in the journals of our ancestors, is one of the first things I remember being told about this life as a child. A reminder, as such, that life here can be fleeting. A reminder that even the greatest of things can come to an end. 

It was around two months after the first in our line landed on these shores, Anna. It was before districts divided our world into pieces, before we had so very many Godfathers about the place. Our world was ruled by one of the strongest groups of Godfathers that my line has seen. DeadlySin, Phil_Steak, SammyGarcini, Innocence and the rest. It was a period of relative calm for those first few months, a time for my first ancestor to get a feel for this world. It was one of those Godfathers that was to meet their end that night. Godmother Innocence of Los Angeles, and those who fought with her for the city of Los Angeles, which was, without a doubt, one of the greatest cities my line has seen, fell. 

Maria pauses for a moment, partially to collect her thoughts and partially in memory of the great work of Innocence in Los Angeles. Her bloodline was greatly missed on these shores. 

It was almost a shame to kill Los Angeles, according to the notes of my ancestor. They were so together, such a close group, that it was a shame to destroy such a good thing. However, this world is what it is, it moves how it moves. It was deemed that they must die in order to best protect those who killed them. A sad truth. 

In the memories of my line, however, Los Angeles under Innocence does remain a great city, it's members people remembered with respect for their courage to fight for their city, their brothers and sisters and their Godmother. 

And so, I ask you now. What happened, the first time your line went to war? What do you remember of it, what struck you about it? Do you remember your first kill, did your line lose a member? What's your story?

Maria sits back on the bench, allowing the sunlight to hit her face a little as she continued to sip at her coffee, looking forward to hearing the stories of others to pass the morning by. 

Outstanding question, one I’ve had to think extra hard about, its been such a long time since my linages first “note worthy kill”. As far as these journals go back, it was when TheDean controlled NY, I’m pretty sure my Crew Leader was the lovely, Whatsername. In fact, I’d go as far as to say that this was first in my linage that was a “real” hitter, I have adopted his name sake, or I have a really close sounding name, my journals note; Space_pole as the man, a long distant relation.

During this time, we had some great mobsters around, shocker and roman to name but a few, these same journals tell of a “golden age”. This is where Space_pole really learnt the art of hitting, very fond memories of this era, it seems. The hit squad that was assembled, even by this days standard was something to behold, with names like, fatality, scarin, thedean, shocker, jynx, lovehand and eve to name but a very small few, not many squads come close to the one that space_pole sat in.

It was the first name on that list, Fatality, or fats, as he is lovingly known, This guy, for Space_pole, is the reason he did what my lineage continue to do. A star and a man that could get things done. Being green to hitting, I was overloaded with things I needed to do, correct etiquette I had to follow and such, this man showed him how.

With that said, reading from his journal, Space_pole recalls an early wake up call was required, he’d been told the night before to make sure he was up and ready. He remembers that feeling of excitement, he was anxious and nervous, he wasn’t sure what to expect. All went without a hitch, as did most of the take downs that Space_pole took part in during that era.

His target, if I read right, was a consig of this world, that had a good amount of body guards protecting him, sum of about 55, the name is hard to read in this journal, it’s a bit worn on the page, from what I can make, it looks like “Viagra”, for the life of me I cant read what city it was, he must have written this still very pumped with adrenalin.

However it does go onto explain that a couple of days later, while sitting in the coffee shop hit room that they all shared, the offspring of his kill was in there, training to be a hitter. Space_pole goes on to write that it felt strange speaking to this off spring and even apologised for his shot. Reading those fond entries into my lineage’s journals inspires me and still does right to this very day. Thank you for bringing this nostalgia back to me, really appreciate the trip down memory lane.

Achilles tries to read through the diaries to find the earliest entry and comes across a few that go a long way back.

The first of my line was sadly gunned down for collecting dust. He began this life and then completely forgot to do anything, I think the alzheimer's may have kicked in early. Or he just liked dust.

The second of my line managed to do quite well, making a name for himself through his activity in the streets and amongst his family. Eventually he became a Made man and then continued to rank up within his family. At Boss he was given permission to run his own family but was cut down early on by a crew leader from another city Primal_Fear. This caused quite an upset, especially with the TeQ family line who then gunned down Primal.

After enjoying the taste of power, his descendants continued on in this life and would so for many years.

Reading through these diaries I see a lot of successes where my ancestors would send a Bum to swim wit' da fishes! and so unfortunately I can't distinguish who the first kill was, although I am certain it was nobody worthy of mention. What I do know though is that it is clear that in these early years, each time that Success came about my line would get hard pee pee's. Still to this day it happens and is something that has been passed down through the DNA of my ancestors.

My mate's name is Maria hehe, perhaps you and i should talk since you have that in common? :)

SubMerge Listens intently.  I love these old I remember when type stories they always pique my Interest. SubMerge walks down the street to his car and starts to rummage through a pile of junk he has collected in the trunk.  Ahah!  He grabs a pair of dingy old goggles and puts them on. He instantly starts to look back into his families past.  

These goggles don't do anything for chronological order so hopefully.. not completely random but at full ramble.. First may = first-Ish

The first of my line just ready to pounce at any opportunity, he decided to do this by pointing a loaded weapon at an established mafioso named CorruptedData.  Lesson learned.  There was some value gained, as he took his last breath he heard a voice telling him to return and with his help learn the proper way of this life.

First Businesses I remember Miguel Inc. and Gammy and Grapemans Waffle house and crematorium. 

First families I can recall having a foot in, Midions Minions.  It took something like a month to make wiseguy at that time, which I think is right where that ended.  

The first memorable kill was of NickCorleone, If you remember that name then you know he was most likely a first for many, many, many, etc.. It was a very non-exclusive club and I'd guess Prem was the president.

First time running a crew was about 4 seconds before the first big kill. Maybe an hour and 4 seconds, ColdSteel a crew leader back before bg's, in the days of the big crews, ColdSteel was the biggest.  Still kinda regret that one. Kinda..

I'm sure he would have called it a Hand job, first time given a job as a Hand was with DickGozinya. Which is why I only kinda regret the previous first. 

SubMerge takes off the goggles and tosses them back in the trunk.  

I'd be Interested to know who people remember as the First Don and the First Godfather because I for the life of me can't remember those.