October 13
1400hrs.
30F
Heavy clouds; snow flurries
Approx. 30km south of Gora Kalwaria

Watched by a trio of wolves, Mariusz and Minh load their weapons* and gear aboard the Ural trike. After several attempts, Mariusz kickstarts the engine and, with some trepidation, the pair sets off to investigated Gora-Kalwaria.
For Mariusz especially, the journey is rather nerve-wracking. The two or three centimeters of snow on the road, in some spots covering ice, coupled with his lack of experience behind the handlebars of the motorbike makes for a challenging drive. But, despite his inexperience, Mariusz manages to keep the motorcycle on the road and moving steadily forward.

They pass another completely ruined village on the way. The road is empty, the landscape a barren, white table-top. If there is anyone living in the area, they are no doubt under shelter somewhere, huddled around a fire, or lying frozen under a burial shroud of snow. After passing though a patch of thick trees (a small wood, really), they emerge into the open to see, several hundred meters up ahead, a large crucifix standing over the road. A pale, waxy skinned man, clad only in a loincloth, hangs from the cross. Beyond the cross, hearth-smoke rises from distant buildings. They can smell the river. Comparing the roadmap and the odomter, Minh confirms that this is Gora-Kalwaria.

*OOC: I'm not sure what weapon Minh is using right now.

While David struggles to assemble the heavy mortar, Ondar and Cerny set off to investigate the house on the far side of the village where Adam saw fresh boot tracks earlier in the day. As the pair attempts to circle around from the direction least likely expected by the structure's secretive occupants, they are trailed by wolves. First two or three, then half a dozen, then what looks to be the entire pack begins hemming them in, circling steadily closer. They look hungry and their movements are bold, verging on aggressive. Running away is a poor option and Jan couldn't move very quickly with his wounded knee anyway. It looks as though the hunters have become the hunted. (They are still out of site of the stranger-occupied house).

Meanwhile, Anneka and Stoner continue to care for the seriously wounded, while the others rest and try to stay warm around the modest fire.

Next Moves?
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:32, Sat 14 Mar 2009.

Sam will eat his sausage and then drink a little water when he wakes. He will then go back too sleep drawing in the warm fire and the wool blanket covered by his poncho. His pack as a head rest he floats back to sleep.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:07, Sat 07 Mar 2009.

As they move through the snow Jan is careful of his footing, not wanting to further injure his knee. As he and Alexei move relatively silently through the woods first one and then the other notice the circling wolves with their growing numbers.
Coming to a stop he carefully slings his AK and pulls out his PM-84. Reaching into his pocket he pulls out the silencer and attaches it.
"It seems our friends here wish to stay for dinner. I am hoping we can discourage them without making the big noise. "
This message was last edited by the player at 19:29, Sat 07 Mar 2009.

Mariusz made sure the trike was in cover and then used his binoculars to look out over the terrain. He pointed at the crucifix and said, "My father loved American War films, I swear he only learned English so he could understand them without subtitles. He had one called "The Big Red One". A crucifix like that plays a big part in it. It was used as a sniper post in the film and I'm betting that it's an OP now."

He stripped off his webbing and body armour and placed that and his WO regalia in the sidecar. He quickly added some masking tape to his boots to make them look poorer than they were and grabbed the sack he'd put a couple of magazines of ammo and a little food in. He picked up his AK and pulled his scarf over his head, "I'll go in from here. If I can scout out the area I'll get back here and report, I'll flash you some Morse reports as I go. If I'm caught I'll pose as a runnaway from the pirates. I'll try to signal you at midnight every night. If they treat me well they're probably kosher." he smiled impishly, "Of course, I don't intend to get caught."

OOC - Quyen is armed with her regular AK74.

Quyen scans the large overbearing crucifix in the distance. She studies it with Bayer's loaned NVGs for a moment before speaking. "Yeah? I dunno." She hesitates and thinks for a while before giving in. "Alright. I'll keep watch for your signal. Remember what we were told though... getting back supersedes getting the information."

As Mariusz leaves she warms her hands on the still warm engine of the bike. First chance, and she'd be trading for warm clothing. After a few moments she gives the area a scan to ensure nobody is approaching her. They had tried to halt the bike into a concealed position, but she was on her own and would take no chances.

After she was comfortable her surroundings were clear, she watches Mariusz through the green, grainy world of the NVGs.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:02, Sun 08 Mar 2009.

Bayer loiters around the fire. He keeps an ear on the radio, monitoring the two patrols and responding to their radio checks. While time passes he cleans his personal weapon, and chats about unimportant things with the others in the shelter.

After a while Bayer gears up and takes a turn on sentry. He ensures someone is monitoring the net before he leaves.

Night had fallen, there wasn't much to do other than sleep.

It was too cold to move about outside, in the snow. The mortar was deployed, now covered and secure, and he'd done a few hours work on the trucks.

Now Dawid slept, rifle at his side. Ondar's radio was at the door, switched off for the night.
This message was last edited by the player at 08:30, Mon 09 Mar 2009.

Distinctly aware of the circling wolves, Ondar slings his rifle and unholsters his PB/6P9 handgun and attaches its sound suppressor.  The nine milimeter fired not nearly as powerful a round as his rifle, but the weapon was certainly more discreet and less likely to alarm their neighbors.  The Tuvan sizes up the pack and selects as his primary target the wolf most likely to be the alpha male.



[Ondar]
Out on the town
PB/6P9 (8/8)
Reconnoitering.

After Griet had made herself useful around the camp and done some work on the vehicles, she slung her Tantal over her back and continued with the laundry, it would be good to get all the crap off before they had to wear them again. She kept a ear out for the call to support the patrol if they needed it.

While the others continue to rest and recuperate, unaware of the imminent danger to their comrades, Ondar and Cerny prepare to deal with the menacing approach of the wolves. Ondar takes aim at the apparent alpha-dog while Cerny targets another large, particularly aggressive wolf. Ondar fires two rounds, hitting the leader in the hindquarters. As the leader yelps in anguish, Cerny fires a three round burst into the head and chest of the second in command, dropping it to the snowy ground where steam from its spilled blood rises into the freezing air. Whining, the alpha-dog pulls away, hopping awkardly, its shattered back leg hanging at a grotesque angle. Spooked by the sound of their leader's pain and the scent of their own kind's blood, the other wolves scatter in all directions, confused and afraid. Ondar and Cerny are now alone. They continue on towards their target, as described by Adam and Griet.

They creep to within 200m meters of the house, taking cover among the snow-covered ruins of a another house across the road from it. There, they settle in to watch, doing their best to stay warm and relatively comfortable. It is an almost impossible task. After about two hours, a man emerges from the target house and drops his trousers to urinate against its wall. He's clad in filthy, faded West German fatigues, an AK-74 slung across his back. After a few shakes, he heads back inside. Given his casual demeanor, it's unlikely that he or any of his comrades are aware they are being watched. In all likelihood, these are the same men who fled when the party first arrived in the village.

Meanwhile, outside of Gora-Kalwaria, Mariusz begins to approach the town on foot, leaving Minh alone to guard the Ural trike. On the relatively flat, open, and snow-covered terrain, it's almost impossible to stay concealed, especially since Mariusz doesn't have the appropriate camoflage for the prevailing conditions. He continues on regardless, determined to learn if the travelling merchant's tales were true. As he nears the large crucifix, he sees with some relief that the nearly naked man transfixed thereon is but a well crafted wooden statue. At the Christ's feet is a sign that reads (in Polish)

"Come thou in peace lest the Righteous Sword of Christ smite thee from the earth."

Several hundred meters beyond the cross, Mariusz can make out a tall, man-made structure, the nearest of several buildings visible from this distance- a building, once ruined, and now crudely rebuilt to form a kind of watchtower. A glint of sunlight suggests that the tower is occupied and that Mariusz is being watched. As Mariusz lingers, plotting his next move, a quartet of horsemen ride out of the town and towards him. Two of the riders appear to be carrying lances. As the four horsemen gallop closer, Mariusz can see that they all carry guns as well. Mariusz realizes that it is futile to try and make it back to the motorcycle so he waits patiently. Within a couple of minutes the riders arrive. Pulling to a halt, the lancer's level their polearms at Mariusz while the other horsemen do likewise with their rifles.* After a few tense seconds, one of the riders speaks,

"Who are you and what business have you with the good people of Gora-Kalwaria."

Next Moves?

*Minh sees all of this from a distance.
This message was last edited by the GM at 02:29, Tue 10 Mar 2009.

sam blissfully sleeps away the pain in his arm and recovers more. as stated before every 8 hours he wakes cleans wound,eats whats there and drinks whats there.



sam
m25
sleep
This message was last edited by the player at 04:24, Tue 10 Mar 2009.

Quyen depresses the transmit button on the radio. Her hands are gloved, but the task is still uncomfortable. "Sunray, this is Watchdog. Radio check. The cook has made contact with some customers at the restaurant. Ok so far. Over."

Mariusz looked up at the patrol and smiled, making sure his hands were empty and clearly in sight. His mind raced, if he pretended to be a runnaway and these people were good, he'd have to tell them he'd lied later and maybe lose their trust. Honesty might not be the best policy, but it might be the only sensible one to follow.

He kept eye contact with the man who'd spoken to him and said, "I'm a forward scout for a convoy set up by Adam Rataj, you may know him, he was a river trader. He recently formed a group to try to get to Warsaw in order to rescue his family. We made it along the river for some way before we were attacked one too many times and we abandoned the boat to try to get to Warsaw overland. Our convoy is sheletered back down the road, we would like to visit your town and trade, we have a few small arms and quite a bit of ammo and we were led to believe you might be in the market for such goods. I believe that Adam would like to trade that for food we could use to help his family if we get to Warsaw."

He paused and smiled, "I was sent forward to see if it was safe. I've seen you're well organised and security minded and that it was best to approach you directly rather than sneak around like a thief. Do you think we might come to some arrangement?"

The horsemen look back and forth between each other and Mariusz. The leader of the squad looks bemused, unsure of whether to trust the unusually forthcoming stranger. After a few seconds, he speaks,

"Who exactly led you to believe that we were in the market for guns and ammo?"

Mariusz continued, keeping the same forthright tack,

"A merchant by the name of Jupyzyk. He said to tell you that Cleopatra approved."

The riders exchanged knowing looks.

"He's well? When did you see him last?"

"We broke fast with him this morning at a litte ruined village not too far from here. They had to stop and seek shelter due to the rain storm yesterday. He and his caravan left for Kozienice after breakfast."

"Well then, tell your friends that they are welcome to trade here in Gora Kalwaria. They must stop here, at the crucifix, and we will come out to meet them. If everything is on the up and up, you and your friends might be allowed to enter the town. If you proceed past this cross without stopping we will consider it a hostile act and respond in kind. Understood?"

"Yes, sir. I will relay your instructions and we will be back, either later today or early tomorrow. We will stop here at the cross."

"Good. We will be waiting for you."
This message was last edited by the GM at 01:38, Wed 11 Mar 2009.

Dawid got up to piss in the night. Slinging his rifle and clicking on his hand torch, he stumped outside into the predawn darkness to relieve himself. Once back inside, he heard Ondar's radio by the door squawked.

He grabbed the radio handset. "Eagle calling Watchdog, I am receiving you clearly. It is good to hear." He let go the PTT button, waiting for any response.
This message was last edited by the player at 09:27, Wed 11 Mar 2009.

As soon as he was dismissed from the meeting, Mariusz returned to the trike. He looked at Mihn and said, "I got found but the locals seem friendly, cautious but friendly. They're willing to trade, but they want us to stop by the cross and wit for them to come out. I think we should radio in and then head back. What do you think?"

After doing the laundry as best she could, Griet set the clothes to dry and finished of her personal kit maintainence. She then either slept or stood her watch depending on what the Kaptain had decided.

Tucker will continue to rest as much as possible and stand a watch when he is needed to.  Rest and getting back to good health is his top priority right now along with filling in where needed.

Dave scrounges around the ruins until he finds an empty soda can. He uses the butterfly knife he took of a dead body ages ago and carefully cut the ends off and trimmed it until he has a pocket sized rectangle. Then he sits by the fire and uses cold ashes to polish the inside of the aluminum until it has a mirror finish.

Holding it up to his face he mutters "Damn, you're a handsome devil." He then uses it to get a good look at the furrow the bullet left on the left side of his forehead. "Not too bad" he says as he re-bandages it.

Pocketing his new mirror, Dave walks over to "offficer country", where Anneka and Konrad huddle around the radio. "What's the word? We headed out to this so called friendly town soon? Might not be a bad idea, get out of the weather, maybe find some info about Warsaw..."

"I could have done that for you," Anneka said tenderly when she saw the fresh dressing on Stoner's head, her delicate hand reaching out to brush it gently.
"At the moment we're just waiting on Mariusz and Minh's report. Once they radio in, we'll know what to do next."
"Currently, I'm leaning toward moving on as soon as we can. If they say the town is friendly, then that'd have to be a better place to rest up than this hovel."

"I agree." Quyen replies. Digging out the radio she says into the mic, "Sunray, Watchdog. Message. Contact established with local militia. They say we can enter and do business. We can RV with you and guide you into their meeting point. What are your orders? Over."

While she waits for a reply she says, "Well done. I'm glad I didn't have to Steve McQueen my way across on this thing to rescue you."

"This is Starlight. Acknowledged contact. Wait. Out."

"Hauptman," she said quietly to Konrad while Stoner was still well within hearing.
"I see little gain in having them come back on icy roads. We should pack up and leave immediately."

Bayer comes in from his sentry and warms himself by the small fire. When told of the patrol's report he nods affirmatively.



"Ja... no need for them at all. Please pass it on to the patrol to hold their position. Will radio them when we get close for the linkup."

He then addresses the group, "Attention... notice to move. Perimeter sentries to remain in place until we are departing. Radio Jan and Ondar for them to pull it in. Ensure nothing is left behind. Let's go."
This message was last edited by the player at 11:44, Thu 12 Mar 2009.

"Watchdog, this is Starlight. Stay in position, we are coming to you. ETA one hour. Out."
"Sentries, this is Starlight. Warning order. Ten minutes to move. Out."
Radio messages sent, Anneka gathered her belongings and equipment before reviewing her notes and shuffling the seating around as required.

"Jan, will be driving the T-H."
"Adam & Walter, I want you two in the truck cab, one driving. Jason, you join them."
"Dawid, truck weapons assisted by myself and Griet."
"Tucker and Stoner, T-H weapons as before."
"Everyone else," which was Alexei, Konrad and McCoy, "In the back of the T-H."

"I want the 119 set in with you Jason. Hauptman, would you please rely on Ondar's radio for long range comms, and I want one of you men," she continued, staring directly at Tucker, "To lend their hand radio to me for the back of the truck."

That was seating and comms out of the way...

Sam gets up with out a word packs his gear and moves to the truck. Takes a seat in the back and awaits the convoy moving out.



sam
m25
back seat of t-h