Mariusz winced at the idea of someone having to carry him, it hurt his pride almost as much as his head hurt. He saw the logic of it however, he didn't want to die here if he could help it. He wriggled a little and undid his webbing belt.

He resumed his fire sector and said, "If we have to run, give me a few seconds to dump my gear, it weighs nearly as much as me. I don't like the idea of you carrying me, but I'll be a monkey's uncle if I'll let you dump your own kit just to carry mine. Besides, your Yankee stuff is better that the PACT crap I carry, it'll be easier to replace that than yours. Hey Bear, just grab the green satchel, it's got lunch in."

Mariusz
AK-74 on overwatch
Webbing arranged for a quick drop-off

The partisan team forms a crude cross-like defensive position, oriented roughly towards the points of the compass. Mariusz clears the jammed round but the meager exertion is enough to make his head pound, triggering waves of nausea. Fortunately, he maintains his loose grip on consciousness.

A low form emerges from the fog, followed shortly by another, and another. In all six large wolves- or if not wolves, dogs not far removed from wolves- appear, circling the party just inside the fog margin. Their posture is menacing- raised hair at the scruff of the neck, rigid tails, pert ears. A low growl emanates from the largest of the animals, a dark-haired brute with yellow eyes. They maintain a cautious distance at first, pacing back and forth, and only very slowly edge closer to the group.

The noise of the gunfire directed at the panicked stag had nearly frightened them off, but the still that followed, and the scent of fresh blood drew them back. They don't look like they're about to leave anytime soon...

Actions?

"Well, on the bright side, there's just dogs out there. If there were other people, they would be reacting to their presence. They just want the buck. I say why waste good meat? Let them have it. After all we stumbled onto their kill. Lets back up slow, give them a wide berth, and kill them if they disagree."

Taking careful aim, Jason selects the lead animal, undoubtably the Alpha male.  Rising to one knee, he touchs Mariusz's shoulder. "You move back first. I'll cover you."

Jason Mariusz
Taking careful aim at lead dog
M1777 three round burst
29 rounds

[Private to Cap'n Rae: Mariusz will try to move again if prompted, but with an effective Initiative of 0, he is not going anywhere, falling unconcious again will probably convince the others of how serious the wound is. Also, I'm assuming that one combat turn has finished now, maybe more and that whilst the other PCs described bringing Mariusz around, nobody rolled for first aid. If you rule that three combat turns are already up, and they could well be, First aid will no longer have any effect and Mariusz will take seven days to get to a slight wound and to the point he will be able to do anything without falling unconcious 75% of the time. This may be reduced to five days if there is medical care on the boat. I'm fine with this, I can still talk so I can post and enjoy the RP interaction, I'm just not sure if some of the other PCs realise how debilitating injuries are in the game (mind you, recovery times are very generous to balance that up), should I play being more injured to start getting them to realise this? The same thing appears to be happening on the boat, crippling wounds are being treated as minor hindrances by PCs, for instance, the arm injury of Anneka means that she won't be a very effective medic, I've done a fair bit of first aid training and even real life first aid, and it's really hard to do with just one arm, she'll be rolling on greater difficulties at least, if not passing out every now and again when she instinctively tries to use her arm. Anyway, what was going to be a brief note has turned into a rant, sorry, it's not aimed at you, combat is supposed to be deadly and you've been kinder than many GMs would be. I just wonder if the PCs realise that given the number of injuries sustained that they are combat ineffective for at least a week. Cheers, Mark.]

Mariusz tried to move to respond to his comrade's command but as soon as he moved his head even slightly from level, waves of nausea struck him and the tiny black spots dancing in front of his eyes congealed into huge pools that obscured his sight.

He stopped moving and waited for the waves to subside. He moved his thick tounge once more, the speech becoming more and more slurred, "I don't think I can get up without falling down again. I think my head is seriously broken."
This message was last edited by the player at 10:12, Sun 09 Dec 2007.

Grzegorz's finger rests heavily on the trigger, his eyes locked on those of a dog on his side of the cross, 10 meters away. He's about to riddle the dog with bullets when he hears Jason speak. Bear doesn't undertand all of the American's words, but the pilot's movements suggest a peaceful resolution to the new man vs. beast confrontation facing them. Bear decides that the others are better qualified to handle the situation and backs away slowly, moving towards Mariusz. He speaks in a low growl, his eyes never leaving those of the dog, who keeps pace, nosing ever closer to the downed buck,

<i>"I think they want the deer. You need some help walking, Mariusz?"

Bear
AKMS (30/30); RPG-16 (0/1)
Backing up and offering to help Mariusz move


[Private to Mariusz Tokarski: Yes, wounds are tough to handle realistically in a game like this. On one hand, the injury rules can be pretty player-friendly sometimes and on the other, they can be a bit harsh. Also, players don't usually want to "sit around" doing nothing while wounds heal. In Mariusz's case, I'd like to play things a little closer to RL. He sustained a serious concussion. He was temporarily knocked unconscious. He's got a massive headache and he should not be alowed to sleep anytime soon. He's dizzy, nauseated, and his vision is blurred. He needs to take it easy for a while and will require assistance with walking. There's not much first aid one can give someone who's just received a concussion. Jason made a reasonable attempt, using the smelling salts to revive M. So, don't worry about rolling and such. Like I said, as long as he doesn't exert himself too much, he should recover failr quickly. You're playing it very well so far. After a few hours, M should be OK to do most things. He may have a little short-term memory loss and he should do his best to protect his noggin but he should be able to walk, fire his weapon, etc.]

At the sound of Bear's voice, mariusz made another effort to stand, using his rifle as a prop. His knees almost buckled, but he remained standing. For a moment he doubled up as he vomited up his breakfast. As he streched back up again, he felt a little better.

"I don't think I can walk alone comrade Bear, but with your strong back to help me, I can go anywhere." He slung his rifle over his left shoulder and held the pistol grip with his left hand, "I'll hold on to your left, that way you can use your right to fire. Is that OK, old friend?"

Mariusz felt better again as Bear's strong arm wraped around him, slowly they started to back away from the dogs leaving the stupid deer to them.

[Private to Cap'n Rae: Excellent, as long as I'm clear what parameters I've got to operate under I won't have to keep asking for clarification. Yes, for PCs, the injury rules can be frustrating and in this type of game we have less of a chance of saying, a week later, everyone is fully healed and the boat sails once more. In my opinion, that actually makes the game more fun. Recovery times on the other hand are a joke. You can go from full reconstructive surgery to fully healed in three weeks, I wish! Still, thanks for the advice, I've had several serious concusions so I should be able to keep RPing it reasonably, cheers, Mark.]

"Good idea." the monk nods as he concurs with the pilot's assessment.  "They can have it."

As the dogs approach and begin to circle, Switek is hopeful that the stag will keep their attention and slake their thirst for blood.  He rises slowly and moves back from the corpse, maintaining eye contact with the leader of the encroaching pack.  He grabs his packframe and begins a cautious retreat with the rest of the group as Kasparov provides watchful cover.  The monk laments the loss of such a bountiful food source, but they are now with casualties and the timeline is in jeopardy.



[Switek]
Crouching.
RPKM + 70/75rd Drum 7.62mmS
On the retreat.

With the big partisan's support, Mariusz moved away from the dogs, his eyesight was still blurred and he made sure that his finger was well clear of the trigger of his AK-74. Each footfall brought a fresh jolt of pain to his head but he was moving and still concious and, given the circumstances, that was a big plus thought Mariusz.

"Stanislaw, do you have a lighter? If they charge, light the bucks fur on fire. At least they won't charge through flame, and it will buy us some time."

Jason keeps his weapon trained on the lead dog, preparing to shoot if need be.

Jason Kasparov
Aiming at lead dog
M1777 29 rounds

You pull back slowly, alert but careful not to do anything that could be perceived by the pack as aggressive, and the dogs close in on the dead buck. They tear into its carcass, pausing periodically to bark and snarl in defense of their newly won kill. As you back into the mist, the dogs appear to lose all interest in you and you are free to proceed with your mission.

With Bear supporting Mariusz, your guerilla group resumes its course for the damaged bridge, giving the downed deer and its diners a wide berth.

After a few minutes of trudging through the rapidly thinning mist, Stanilsaw's radio crackles to life.


Buddha, Pitchfork

Contact approx 20 klicks west of Rhubarb.

Three teacups broken, three cracked.

Expect minor delay.

Proceed with mission. REPEAT: Proceed with mission.

Exercise extreme caution; probable Ashcan involvement. SAY AGAIN: Proceed with caution; probable Ashcan involvement.

Actions?

[Private to Stanislaw Switek: Broken Teacups are KIA; cracked ones are WIA. Ashcan refers to Soviet counterintelligence elements.]
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:59, Thu 13 Dec 2007.

"Whats the good word, Stanislaw?" Jason inquires. He heard the part about proceed with the mission, but he didn't know they were in fact on a mission. Something was amiss, and from what he could ascertain, their meeting was compromised, with three wounded and three dead. Unless he was misunderstanding the  code of the message. He wasn't privey to any of the codes they were using.

"How about we take ten minutes to eat some lunch. I want to check on the boy as well."

"Boss?

Bear adds, inquiring after the radio message.

As he awaits Switek's reply, Bear looks down and to his left, addressing the injured scout,

"How're you feeling boy?"

[Private to Jason Kasparov: Sorry, man. I don't know why the others aren't posting.]
This message was last edited by the player at 01:15, Thu 13 Dec 2007.

Switek nods in agreement with the pilot, satisfied that enough ground had now been put between the party and the dogs.

"Yes, we should eat.  Check on the boy while I brief our friends.  Bear, cover us."

The monk crouches and doffs his pack again.  He digs thru his stachel, searching for his codebook in order to transcribe the message and craft a reply on the fly.  He checks his watch then keys the mic on the handset of the CIA-supplied encrypted radio.

PITCHFORK, BUDDHA.
ETA RHUBARB NOW H+2 HOURS.
ONE TEACUP CRACKED, MINE.
YOURS INTACT.
ACKNOWLEDGE ASHCAN.
PROCEEDING WITH CAUTION.
WILL ADVISE ON APPROACH RHUBARB
BUDDHA OUT.

Switek sighs as he secures the radio's handset in it's cradle and motions for the team to close ranks.  He chews on a hunk of hard bread and a piece of sausage.  He chews with his mouth open as he explains the message to his comrades in arms.

"The Americans are approaching by river, but are delayed.  This is good for us, since the original timeline was too aggressive.  We got sloppy and have now paid the price for our haste."

He pats young Mariusz on the shoulder, in a gesture intended to convey more concern and acceptance of his own responsibilty than admonishment or assignment of blame.

"The PITCHFORK asset advises that his team has suffered casualties - three dead, three wounded.  He also suspects Soviet operatives afoot in the area.  Not regular army.  Perhaps KGB troops or GRU - maybe even SPETSNAZ.  I know not how he has come to believe this.  Perhaps a reflection of the importance of his mission, which only underscores the importance of our own.  We must move quickly and quietly and with utmost caution to evaluate the condition of the bridge at Szczucin."

He again reaches out to shake the young pointman's shoulder again.

"The stakes have been raised, my friends.  Are we up to this task?"



[Switek]
Crouched.
RPKM + 70/75rd Drum 7.62mmS
Explaining the mission.

"Any word on enemy numbers?" Jason inquires, biting down on his makeshift sandwich. With each bite, he recallshis youth the sausage and pepper sandwichs he enjoyed along the boardwalk as an adolescant. "Is this a potential target we can repay for the losses Pitchfork has suffered?"

Jason watches Mariusz as he eats his meal. The boy seemed slightly better, but would he be ready for combat?

"Could we perhaps make a gurney to carry him for a bit? We need to move but he needs the rest."

"I'd rather walk if it's possible, I'll be able to shoot if you find me a good position, but moving around won't be good for me. It makes more sense for you three to conserve your energy rather than carrying me."
Mariusz looked at the men and slowly the blurred multiple images were begininng to merge into one.

"No thanks," he said to Bear who was offering him some lunch. "I'll save it til when I probably won't throw it straight back up. So, boss, are we moving into a hot contact or something? Who's this Pitchfork?"
This message was last edited by the player at 12:39, Thu 13 Dec 2007.

After a short break and a bite to eat, the group moves out towards the bridge. The fog has almost completely cleared now, and visibilty is no longer an issue. The flat, open ground you have to traverse is lacking in much cover and concealment. Anyone with a pair of good binnoculars could easily pick you out. It's a naked sort of feeling, but there's not much that can be done about it at the moment.

Mariusz is feeling a bit better now that he's got some food in his belly. He persuades Bear to allow him to try to walk unsupported for a while and finds that he can, although with some difficulty. He requires frequent short breaks to rest but this works in the team's favor as it forces you to stop, look, and listen periodically as you creep ever closer to your objective.

At about 1100 hours, the team hits the road linking Busko to Szczucin. You can see the disease and combat ravaged town in the distance to the west of you. You're now about 6-7km from the bridge. As you study the town through your field glasses- observing no signs of life of any kind- the radio once again crackles to life.

Buddha, Pitchfork
Please advise of party firepower.
We are holding position 5km west of Rhubarb.
Believe position enemy held and expecting Pitchfork for lunch.
Detaching recon element to approach on DeerPark side.
Buddha, approach objective with extreme caution.
Transmit SALUTE when eyes-on.
OVER.

OOC: I need an approach plan so that I can get you guys into position near the bridge.

Actions?
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:59, Sat 15 Dec 2007.

As soon as Mariusz heard the radio crackle, he crouched down and took up a quarter of the clock to scout. The headache was a bit less ahrsh now and the black sopots that had blurred his eyes earlier had shrunken to pin-pricks. He heard the transmission and worked out most of it, the people tehy were to meet had stopped five kilometers from the bridge and had sent out scouts. They wanted Switeck to radio in their strength and check out the bridge for unfriendlies, unfriendlies that were likely to be GRU or Spetsnatz. Great, Mariusz thought, heading into a firefight with superior troops. Let's hope they had surprise on their side.

"Listen boss, I'm feeling better. I can probably fight fine if I have a good position with nice fields of fire. I doubt if I'm up to dashing around though, or running point, I'm worried about us going in blind though so do we ask the friendly scouts to be our eyes before we go on in. Boss, last time we tried to blow the bridge, we made a tactical survey of it first, my memory's hazy now, something to do with the bump I suppose. Can anyone remember the layout and where we placed our sniper/scouts? You could put me there with my gun or swop with the RPK and let me provide covering fire. What can you remember?"

[Private to Cap'n Rae; Grzegorz 'Bear' Rzasa; Jason Kasparov; Stanislaw Switek: OK, My two penn'orth. We should have a basic familiarity with the area and that should allow us to pick some good spots. We'll need to be careful though, if we spotted them last time and we're up against Spetsnaz, they probably already have people located there. The best thing to do might be to find a good OP, locate the bad guys and hope the boat has fire we can call in to take out Mr. Brown. Our troops would then act as security for the FO and not cannon fodder to clear the way for the boat.]

He frowned as he tried to push the headache away and think. "The problem is, is that if we're facing elite troops they've probably nabbed all the best spots. We'll need to be careful not to stomp on any snakes as we come in. Boss, ask them what assets they have. If they've got ARTY we might be able to find a nice spot to see the Reds and then call in fire. I'd rather do that than get killed doing some John Wayne shit to cover for people we don't know and haven't met."

Jason patted Marisuz on the shoulder. "If you want, I'll take point for a while, though I'm less familiar with the area. If I stumble across the enemy, they are more likely to capture me, being American and all. That would buy you some running time. I can do the shot down pilot story."
Tossing his binoculars to Bear, he motions to Stanislaw. "I'll move off some 300 yards ahead. You guys follow me from a distance. The two of you might be able to spot an ambush knowing the terrain."

"Thank you for offering to take the point, my friend," Mariusz smiled warmly at Kasparov, "we'll need to be very careful though, if we are against top class opposition we can't rely on them making any mistakes. They will have placed a security element ot cover their six and we are likely to encounter it, the problem is, they'll be static and we'll be moving so they have the better chance of spotting us first. I would urge caution and effective liason with our allies before we do anything."

He looked over at the big partisan, "Brother Bear, can you remember where we put our security elements when we hit the bridge last? Rusichez, God rest his soul, would have picked the best spots and they're likely to be in use again if there are enemies at the bridge."

"What if I just came stumbling in? Is there anyway to see what size of an enemy element were facing? I know its a cliche, but I could be the bait if we are facing a smaller security force over a large infantry unit. You three could use that to your advantage, if they rushed out to catch me. I am not exactly a local, so they will try to take me alive."

The thought of being a carrot on a stick didn't appeal to him, but it could make for faster movement and might force the enemy to reveal their rear guard if they had one.

"Just don't get me killed by friendly fire. Thats all I ask."

"Well, its a possibility, but it sounds risky to me. The people attacking our allies haven't seemed reluctant to kill them yet. I don't like the idea of sticking you out there and hoping that they are curious enough not to shoot you out of hand." Mariusz frowned and rubbed his brow, all this thinking was making his brain hurt, "I'd suggest waiting until we know what our allies are capable of and for Bear and Switeck to remember something of the terrain, I'll try too. It might be sensible to wait until night but then if they're Spetsnaz they'll have thermal imaging and we'll be even more exposed than we are in the day. This is a difficult position, sure enough."

"Er, well... We came at it at night from the south-east. There were a few sandbagged guard posts with MGs, a few burned-out vehicles from years ago. That one MTLB we blew to shit, ha-ha! Old shell holes- we set up guys behind all of that. If all that crap's still up there, there's lots of places for ambushers to hide. Same story on the far side. If we hadn't had that mortar, we never could have taken it. Brother Switek, if the Russians your friends seem to think are expecting them are staked out at the bridge, chances are they'll be looking upstream. If we sneek around behind 'em from the south... Hey, it's just an idea."

OOC: I'll post an update moving the story along tomorrow if Switek has posted his two cents by then.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:21, Mon 17 Dec 2007.

Mariusz smiled, "Thanks, Brother Bear, my head's not what it used to be. The south sounds good, we must be careful though, they're bound to have rear security. I still think we should contact the allies to but getting closer to the bridge wouldn't hurt us any."

Brother Switek grunts and nods in agreement with Bear as he drops his pack.  He pulls the map from his satchel and unfolds it yet again.

"Jason, I appreciate your intent," he chides the pilot in a somewhat paternalistic tone, "But I can't have you exposed out front that far.  I want to keep us together as long as possible.  I agree with Bear.  I think we need to approach downriver - from the southeast.  It seems our best chance of avoiding contact and discovery as long as possible - especially if we wait until sundown."

The monk indicates with his finger on the map a wide arc that would take the partisans to the river's northern edge a kilometer downstream of the bridge.  He is not entirely sure of the plan.  It seems rushed and they are ill-equipped and undermanned for a stand-up fight with any force, let alone elite Soviet operators. Plus, his team had been over this terrain before and had payed a hefty toll.

He strokes his whiskers thoughtfully and surveys the rolling landscape. Glancing around the group he looks each man in the eye, seeking not so much consensus as a sanity check.  He was their nominal commander and that was not in dispute, but leadership, especially of guerrilla fighters, is often fleeting and always at the mutual consent of the led.  He had asked much of this group and they had sacrificed much on his watch.  Perhaps too much.

A bridge too far?

He dismissed the irony.

"And, young Mariusz, you are of course correct in your assertion that we need a rendezvous before we go all John Wayne," muses Brother Switek.  "Now, to sell this plan to our friends."

He keys the secure radio and attempts to raise PITCHFORK.  He speaks in the cumbersome and sideways manner dictated by the codebook as he round-aboutly advises that they are but four men with a variety of small arms, grenades and a rocket launcher.  He impresses the tactical advantage of an approach from the southeast and his intent to begin their reconnoiter after dark.  He closes by requesting an inland rendezvous with PITCHFORK's recon element to consolidate forces prior to embarkation.

[Private to Cap'n Rae: What I'm getting at is that it makes tactical sense to meet up with the boat's recon team and wait for cover of darkness before approaching the bridge.  Switek is wary to order his men into the area during daylight.  I wasn't feeling original enough to come up with code words for expressing all of that.  Let me know if that monkeywrenches your plans.  Sorry for the delay.]

[Switek]
Crouched.
RPKM + 70/75rd Drum 7.62mmS
Planning.
This message was last edited by the player at 09:14, Tue 18 Dec 2007.

Mariusz nodded his agreement with his commander and remembered an English Language film he had watched with his parents. It had been full of American and British stars and had been about an Airborne operation to capture some bridges that had gone wrong. He smiled wryly, the Poles had paid a price there too.

He checked his rifle and took out the magazine to slip an extra bullet into it. He checked his load and rehoused the mag. He sat still, cradling his rifle and waiting for the final plan.