Roberto Medina was a rare earth magnate and a prominent leader of the anti-73-H movement during the Hot Zone Crisis.
History[]
During the 2030s, Roberto Medina opposed the controversial Executive Order 2036-30073-H that allowed the United States government to forcibly relocate citizens living in the hot zone, and thus allowing federal control over mining claims (including Medina's) under eminent domain.[1] He defied the federal relocation by declaring all of his profits to habitation efforts, helping as many southwesterners as possible to stay on their land.[2] This encouraged other mining interests and businesses to support Medina's movement.[2]
Although the government retaliated to Medina's defiance by cutting off all water supplies to the hot zone, this only galvanized the anti-73-H movement; Medina and his allies countered the water deprivation by signing a multiyear agreement with the South American water cartel MERASUR.[2] Medina also enlisted the aid of his friend Colonel Edward De La Hoya, the leader of JTF-10, to protect his mining claims and seize control of water sources from federal forces.[3] This led to open conflict with the government.
On August 20, 2037, the U.S. Robot Command attempted to put an end to the rebellion by capturing Medina and his collaborators alive. The USRC launched an attack on the Mojave headquarters where Medina and his allies were headquartered, resulting in a battle that became known as the Battle of the Mojave. The battle ended in an explosion that killed everyone present, including Medina, and prompted an immediate end to the crisis.[4]
Legacy[]
Roberto Medina was survived by his daughter, Maria Medina, who became a U.S. Senator.[5] He was memorialized in the Mojave Battlefield Memorial Museum. Medina was seen as a hero by sympathizers of the anti-73-H movement, though the movement's opposers did not see him as such.[6] In addition, a warship in the US Navy would bear the Medina name, but it would be destroyed in San Francisco during the Battle of the California-Marine.[7]