It takes a moment for Sam's face to register in Clarence's memory banks, but when it does, he greets his fellow Green Beret warmly.

"Ho-ly shit. Well if it isn't Sam McCoy. How the hell you been, man?"

Anneka nodded her acknowledgement. Although it was a great shame to loose what appeared to have been such a prize, she accepted that the American MP had done her best.
"Next time maybe," she said sympathetically placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"I do not know," she murmured back in German.
"He had nothing on him that would explain his actions, but it's not much of a leap to assume he was. Even back when he first joined, there were some who felt his story was too contrived to be true, and bore too many similarities to some old movie they'd seen."
Beyond the usual items any soldier carried, Hicks had nothing of real importance on him. Checking through his other possessions might yeild some clues, but if he was an agent, would he have been stupid enough to bring damning evidence aboard?
"For now, if anyone asks, we should say his mind snapped under the strain of combat. He never was all that keen at being shot at."
Like any of them were....

"Add them to the stores and draw some replacement ammo if there is any."
Although Anneka kept good records of the crew and supplies aboard, she was simply too tired at that moment to check if they actually had anything Stoner could use.
"Good to have you back in one peice," she said with perhaps just a little too much relief showing in her voice....

"Hicks was shot," she replied simply, not yet sure if she should elaborate on the subject.
"It was his enemies."
She'd decided that it was best if she left it at that for the moment. They'd be time later to answer any questions about her involvement. First of course she'd need to have a quiet word with both Clarence and Jason to ask them to keep silent about the true events of the afternoon.


"I agree. We should move on at first light."
That would give them just enough time to rest and repair the minimal damage the tug had suffered. Most of that work though would consist of simply mopping down the deck and washing away spilt blood.
"Should we attach the barge now or wait until morning?" she asked, more out of interest than anything as it was something Adam and his crew were almost solely responsible for accomplishing.

"Sergeant McCoy, I'll need to spend half an hour or so with you later this evening to assess your skills and so on. If you're to be travelling with us, we need to know what you can do and which position to assign you to."
[Private to Sam McCoy: I'm sure you know the drill - usual skill audit]

Well aware of their current vulnerbility, Anneka nodded agreement to Griet's words. If Adams daughter hadn't spoken them, she herself would have said something very similar.
She was however, almost certain that the man's "proposal" would be rejected out of hand, but that raised the question of his response. Armed only with the small pocket knife she always carried, or some of the silverware from the table, they would have a dificult time trying to fight their way back to the tug if all went badly.
At least they'd brought along Stan's secure radio....<sup>*


*</sup> which she'll carry herself if nobody else does.

The commandant looks slightly bemused as his right-hand man translates Griet's reply. When he speaks again, the is a bit of an edge to his voice,

"This wouldn't be the first time that an established deal between Sandomierz and Krakow has been altered, would it? Of course you will be compensated for the loss. I am a businessman as well as a soldier. For the mortar ammunition, you will have a first rate mechanic and engineer. He has asked to be released from the city guard but until now, I could not afford to lose a man of his considerable skill. So, for the mortar ammunition that we need to preserve the safety and independence of this town, we will cede you a man whose abilities will undoubtedly help you to continue your journey down-river. I believe this is a fair exchange."

Seeing a measure of reluctance on the faces of the Krolowa delegation, he seeks to sweeten the deal.

"And, you will be furnished with the papers that will allow you to pass by the bridge at Annopol, since you continue to insist upon heading upstream. The bridge is held by government forces but their leader is somewhat... corrupt. For a fee, he will turn a blind eye to bridge traffic that he should otherwise be dealing with. The papers will cover his fees and allow you to pass freely. Without those papers, you may find that your expedition ends abruptly at Annapol."

He doesn't have to add that he could simply impound the tug himself, and imprison (at best) its entire complement. His militia outnumbers heavily the security team and the Krolowa still has to pass underneath the fortified Sandomierz bridge. With the tug heading away from Krakow, he could easily claim ignorance of its status and whereabouts if pressed during future dealings with the Free City.

"By all means, discuss this proposal amongst yourselves. My deputy will guide you to a storeroom where you may have the privacy you require."

Actions?

OOC: You may reply and/or assume that the group is in a private room.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:55, Fri 20 June 2008.

"We should try to hold out for some of the ammo. Or maybe some RPG rounds. I pased through Annopol a month ago, and saw a tank. It was dark as hell, so I couldn't be sure, but I think it was either a T-55 or -62. It was on the east side of the bridge, dug in hull down, I don't know if it was mobile or not. Two dozen, maybe thirty troops. I saw an OP upstream of the bridge but they were too alert to get close enough to see how they were armed." He finishes his speech with a shrug of his shoulders.

OOC: We're heading downstream, not up :)
This message was last edited by the player at 03:02, Sat 21 June 2008.

Bayer meets his eyes with Griet's, and give a single (barely noticeable) nod.

In the store room he gives his opinion, "Submit to his demands. Lets not make a mess of this any more than it is." When Stoner makes his suggestion he adds, "Our motorcycle and grenade launcher?"

Not her place to say anything, Quyen enjoys the food more than anything else. When they move to the private room, she stands against the wall off to the side. Pulling out her half finished smoke she lights it. Listening to the others she stays quiet. Everything'll work itself out. if not now, later, she thinks.

Greit listened to the others and nodded, "We're not going to get any more stuff out of him I don't think, although we might get some of the smokeless powder he has on hand. I don't like it but we're on a cleft stick here, what do the rest of you think?"

Dawid thanked the host. He said, in Polish,

"The people of Poland thank you for your help in securing this section of the river."

"Remember, not only the people of Krakow have assisted you but the Polish government-in-exile as well. Without the boat, and the gun that arms it, your attack may well have failed. One day we will have a nation again, and your deeds, good and bad, will be remembered."

He looked over at Griet so that she was paying attention.

"I do not wish to call your honesty into question, but a deal is a deal. You would not have allotted those rounds to your mortars for the attack unless you fully expected every one to be used. Every competent gunner knows this. I was there, I did not note a heavier barrage than expected during the attack. So it is impossible that you are low. Perhaps you are misinformed?"

He didn't exactly challenge the Commandante's words so much as simply discount them.

"I shall take my leave now, sir."

"Again, my thanks, and I would hope for the future (be it relations to the government, to Krakow, or both) that you will stand by your word. Good evening!"

With that, he nodded to the rest of the crew and proceeded to leave.

[Private to GM: Note, this wasn't worded in such a way that it's impossible for him to be stopped, of course. Also, perhaps he can make a Persuasion check to see if the Commander follows through on his deal?]
This message was last edited by the player at 16:02, Sat 21 June 2008.

As Dawid finishes his piece, the commandant's expression changes from one of smug insouciance to one of barely contained anger. He stares, scowling at the Pole, as the Krolowa's party leaves the hall.

In reply to Cap'n Rae (msg #477):

Unless he is physically stopped, Dawid makes his way back to the tug. He hoped that fighting doesn't break out or the ORMO try to seize the ship (or the ammunition) but he intended to be fully ready if this occurred.

Anneka [NPCed] reluctantly agrees with the others to concede to the commandant's revised trade arrangement. It's a bitter pill to swallow but to belabor the point would, in all likelihood, be counter-productive. The tug was in need of manpower and a skilled mechanic could be worth his weight in gold. On the other hand, this mechanic could be a plant working for the commandant. The episode with Chopper- not fully digested yet- had taught her to be increasingly wary of strangers. Then there was the matter of the papers... bogus most likely but she'd have to see them to decide.

The group reenters the great hall (sans Dawid) and Griet informs the commandant of their decision. He nods, trying hard to put on an air of magnanimity, and waves his attendants in to clear the tables. They oblige, returning shorty with some left-overs tied up in brown paper for the Krolowa's party. The commandant's deputy hands over a yellowing, folded sheet of paper upon which is typed an unsigned receipt of some sort, in Polish. He indicates that this is the document that will allow passage of the Annopol bridge.

The group reboards the truck which descends slowly into the snow-dusted town, pausing to pick up Dawid along the way. The snow has stopped falling but the gray sky promises more. The snow on the roofs is starting to melt and slush falls from the eaves as the truck passes beneath them. At the docks, another truck awaits. A squad of tired, scruffy, likely hung-over militia mill about nearby. At a signal from the driver of the taxi truck, the squad follows the Krolowa's people to the tug and their leader inquires as to the location of the mortar ammunition. In the wake of the militia squad, a turbanned, dark-skinned man with a short graying beard lugs a hand-truck stacked with boxes and bags.

Actions?

[Private to Sanjay Roshon: You may now post IC. I took the liberty of a brief physical description of Sanjay based on the portrait you picked. If it's innacurate, please correct/revise it in your first IC post. Thanks and welcome aboard.]

"Well," she began once they were all safely back aboard the tug.
"That actually went a little better than expected."
She'd gone into the breakfast meeting fully expecting to hear that the tug was either going to be "requistioned" or at the very least they'd have to perform some other task before being allowed further downstream. As it was they'd simply had to give back mortar rounds which had only been intended for their use during the previous day's fighting, and they'd gained a mechanical engineer!
All in all, not too shabby.

"Minh, I think you should shadow the new mechanic for a few days. Feel him out for his true loyalties and so on. We don't need another "incident" like Hicks."
Although only a handful aboard knew the full story behind Hicks' death, rumour was bound to fill in the blanks soon enough.

"Hauptman Bayer, it may be a good idea to have Milk shadow McCoy for a while too. Might as well make it a standing order for all new people to gain a "buddy" while we're at it." While they'd always be at risk of infiltration as long as they accepted deserters, stragglers and refugees, they could at least attempt to minimise it.

"I'll look at new position assignments once I've spoken with the two new people also. Now we're without the ZU, we'll probably have to shuffle some of the weapons around too."

Although she'd barely given any thought to the matter, moving the aft DShK up onto the barge position and replacing it with the Mk-19 might be worth thinking about. The extra height could prove useful for directing fire against shore targets. Also with the overhead protection of the barge's bunker, an indirect weapon, or even one with a high angle of fire, might not be very practical.

Experienced with unit/personnel security, the task was nothing new or out of her field. "Yes." she replies, "Can do." The need to watch any newcomers around anything requiring mechanical work was obvious. In a matter of seconds the boat or its main weapons could be rendered inoperable under the guise of a common breakdown.

Sanjay set the hand card down then stood tapping his teeth with the fore finger of his right hand glancing a critical eye over the boat. Dressed in a patched heavily oil stained boiler suit he ignored largely ignored the crew, his attention focussed on his new work place. It was a far way from an railway engine but a machine was a machine.

As soon as the Sando-ORMO truck had disgorged its surly looking squad on the docks, Old Adam ordered Grzyech to get a head of steam up. The sooner the tug leaves the town, the better, Adam believes. He and Walter work the bridge, preparing the tug for an immiment departure.

When the truck bearing the bulk of the security team arrives, Adam is much releived but no less anxious to depart.

Clarence watches the approach of the Sando-ORMO squad with great concern. Another double-cross is his gut feeling. He slips his SOCOM pistol from the drop hoslter on his thigh and threads on its silencer.

He looks hard at Sam, trying to read his old comrade at arms. Hicks, Clarence believes, must have been working for the T-breg "Hetman". He didn't want to think about it but Sam could be serving the Sandomierz "commandant" in a similar capacity. The McCoy he'd known had been rock-solid, a real operator. Nothing in their reunion conversation had indicated otherwise. Milk hoped his snap character assessment was accurate.

The big Green Beret seemed relaxed and at ease. There was no hint of tenseness or anticipation. Good signs, both.

Milk took a chance.

"Sam, it looks like some shit's about to go down. Get ready for action but play it real cool."

Milk carefully studies Sam's reaction and steeling himself to take extreme measures to protect the ship and its crew at the slightest hint of betrayal.

Dave retrieves his weapon & gear and makes his way to the bridge. There, he borrow a water proof marker and starts copying the map onto the inside of his field jacket.

"Got you Sir, will set up on the second deck here with the "25" silenced wont make any play until you do. Have your back 100%"




Sam
Moving too second deck
M25

Realising that nobody besides Dawid and perhaps Minh really knew how many rounds had been expended out the day before, Anneka made a snap decision she hoped she wouldn't regret.
"Hauptman Bayer," she called in German.
"Grab Griet and stall the ORMO from boarding a few minutes."

Without waiting for a reply, she rushed down to the bow and Dawid, collecting Jason as she went.
"Get below and shift as many of the mortar rounds from the paint locker as you can. Leave the illumination rounds til last."
"If any of the ORMO ask, you fired them all off yesterday. We'll try slow them down."
Pausing in thought for a moment, she realised that stripping the locker bare would only invite further investigation.
"Better leave a couple of HE though. They're bound to search if they find nothing."

HP-35 + 3 mags
racing about trying to get as many mortar rounds out of sight as possible
This message was last edited by the player at 02:40, Tue 24 June 2008.

Back aboard the Queen, Minh stashes her rifle under her gear. She checks her side arm's status so she would be armed. She then leans against the railing for a bit, watching the Hauptmann and Griet stall the locals. After a moment she introduces herself to Sanjay to get a feel for his personality.

"Good day." Quyen says quietly. "Minh Quyen. I'm a recent addition myself." she adds to create some common ground. "They are a good group, but it can be tough on board sometimes. Things that bad here to risk it with us? I guess Tarnobzreg is worse than here, but still... it can be dangerous just being a noncombatant." she asks, referring to Uller.

"I guess you know engines pretty good. I learned some machines after I was sent to the engineers, but nothing like you probably. Where'd you learn?" she asks.

[Private to GM: Can Quyen roll a subtle Interrogation check? Just to see if she thinks he's telling the truth. I know he is a PC and all - but if he wasn't I would ask for sure. I figure she'd have the skills/experience to pay attention to people's responses and look for hints of lying.]

Bayer pauses at the gangway to the deck. "Griet." he says. "Tell them I need to ask permission from the captain or something." With that he slowly makes his way to the bridge where he pretends to ask Adam for the locals to board.

Griet stood in front of the troops tasked to retrieve the mortar rounds and put her hands up, "Sorry, boys, if your boss wants his property back, that's fair enough, but we want ours too. We're still waiting for a Ural motor-cycle and sidecar combination with our Mark-19 Grenade Launcher, and all it's ammo to be returned. As soon as we've loaded that onto the tug, we'll wrap the mortar rounds up for you with a bow and help you off-load them. Clear it with your boss if you like, but we won't hand over anything until we have our stuff back, you keeping it wasn't part of any deal."

Mariusz stood close to Griet, backing her up despite his lack of bulk. As he looked at the group of soldiers, he searched for the Russian Non-com that had shafted them in T'brzeg. If anything did go down, Mariusz would make sure that SOB got what was coming to him.

The crew rushes into action, attempting to hide some of the traded-for mortar ammunition before it can be reclaimed by the Sando-ORMO squad. Griet's attempt at subterfuge delays the proceedings for only a few moments as the squad leader walks several paces away from the tug before turning around and pointing to the motorcycle/sidecar parked below the elevated quarterdeck.

"You mean that Ural motorcycle and sidecar? Step aside, woman, we've got work to do."

With that he hops up the gangway, shoulders past Mariusz, and, followed by three of his squadies, makes a bee-line for the Vasilek gun tub.

Dawid [NPCed], meanwhile, only has time to stuff a couple of HE and WP rounds* into the sandbags of the barbette. With the Sando people standing on the dock only a few meters away, there's really no way to transfer the ammunition without getting caught in the act. Luckily, this subtle alternative is not noticed as the Sando squad share a few laughs at the miracle of the reappearing motorbike. Although the net result is less than what the Krolowa's crew hoped for, Dawid's quick thinking pays off: the ORMO leave with several crates of mortar rounds, but the Krolowa has still managed to come away with more ammo for the mortar than it had arrived in Sandomierz with.

As soon as the crates are loaded aboard the truck, the Krolowa casts off, young Luboslaw almost falling into the cold river as he leaps back aboard the tug after tossing her heavy mooring lines back aboard. For expediency's sake, the tug crew had the presence of mind to reattach the barge during the commandant's breakfast reception. With everyone safely aboard- including the rather taciturn new arrival- there's nothing holding the Krolowa back from resuming her journey.

The tug, seemingly grateful for a few hour's rest and some much-needed routine maintainance, quickly picks up steam and pushes out into the river. The rather picturesque town of Sandomierz grows smaller, the vista wider and more grand. Frosted with a thin layer of shimmering white, as the tug pulls away, Sandomierz, from afar, resembles an idyllic scene on the inside of a snow globe. Unfortunately, its outer beauty is marred with the decay -only just glimpsed by the tug's party- which resides within.

The journey continues down the cold, strong Vistula river.

To be continued in Chapter 10...

OOC: *Dawid saved two 82mm HE, and two WP rounds from the round-up. I had to make the call since Dawid had to be NPCed for this round.
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:07, Wed 25 June 2008.