With a smile he turns to Dave.

Fine but I should hear your Elvis impression to know it's you!

And he stands waiting

Quickly in a deep false voice
"THANKYOU VERY MUCH"

He nods in approval.

This had at least raised his spirits.

Right I see people are preparing for shift action. We'll go when it gets dark properly and the animals have reason in safety to come out! And I feel we may all need a chat as to what our intentions are, tommorrow morning.

He walks over to Staff Sgt Dave Guido and whispers You got any night vision by the way? And if so what sort? He says as he checks the mans equipment for a quick answer.

So people if we have Gallin and Corrigan on first watch with you He starts to point randomly to about a third of the able looking people they have. you, you and ... you. With things seeming to start getting done, as before people seemed to be milling around, he waited for questions.

How many people we got you said about 25? Can I have a list of what sex, age and how... effective they appear?

[OOC: So we got this say? With 4 hour shifts? They in no order if you don't like who you've been put with?

Hunting
Major Sergio D'ammond
Staff Sgt Dave Guido
Lt Col Alfred Nelson
2 refugees armed with AK-74's

Watch 1
Sergeant Michael Gallin
WO2 Andrew (Andy) Corrigan
Plt Sgt Tanya Redgrave
with 3 peasants

Watch 2
Major Richard Smythe
Donnachaidh
Serzhant Dimitar Nikolov
with 3 peasants

Watch 3
WO1 Gary Irwin Herbert Kett
WO1 William Brown
Lt Camilla Ashton
with 3 peasants

And so the night begins. As we search for food.]
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:03, Sat 29 May 2004.

" 'oy, sounds good, monsieur. But you should take a peasant or some other soldier with you. There should be someone that can help tracking and shooting. We need a lot of food.

I'll ask them"

[Private to GM: Don asks them.]

A couple of the refugees offer to accompany the hunting party after Don tells them what is happening.
Most of the refugees are noncombat personnel (children and old men and women). Only the dozen or so that the group handed weapons to earlier in the day have any combat ability (and a few of them only what you taught them during the day).
From time to time a refugee approaches one of you for food (still nobody offered them even a crust and they know there is food in the UAZ).
OOC: I'd be expecting them to get very pissed off shortly!

Not a bad ideaz. Can you tell em that they will be having to be still lots. And the word for "stay" would be good too. We'll do the hunting, they do the tracking and the dragging back, well with us! He laughs.

I feel like some venison, and I'll see what herbs and bits I can get while I'm out there!

He nods and heads out with the "stay" word, the helpers and the Dave. :)

Hold up a moment and I'll come with you. I have a little tracking ability. Alfred checks his SVD and other equipment before joining the small group of hunters.

I think we had better dump the refugees at the first point (morning).
The UAZ is to be watched and booby trapped if possible.
If they steal our food it was pointless escaping.

OCC:This is another pointless resource waisting exercise I have come to know from this GM :P

Gary, from his small share of the food, gives some of it to the hungriest looking children. He probably ends up giving away about 3/4 of his food, keeping just enough to get a taste and take the fine edge of hunger off.

He thinks to himself.
It probably is a waste of resources. But the distinction between animals and men lies in the heart. When that turns to stone, the humanity is gone.  I've seen enough horror this past few years to last ten lifetimes. I'm not going to add starving a bunch of kids to the list. I can't do much, I've only my share of the food, but I'll give it up if that's all I can do.

Hell, Shelly might be waiting at home for me with my son. And I hope to hell someone is feeding them. Or that they're okay. These refugees are pretty much just like every other sad bunch. But that doesn't make them less important or less human - the fact the misery is everywhere just makes it more important to try to do the right thing where you can.

Mind you, it doesn't seem to be a popular sentiment. But most of these others have seen so much war, they seem to have forgotten what they were fighting for in the first place. All that's left for them is the mechanical effort to survive and the bleak greyness of shattered principles. Some of them have become more unto the predator than they'd probably have recognized six or seven years ago.

Sighing, Gary turns in until his watch. He's hungry. He's tired. His wrists are still raw. But he still has his humanity, and he'll be damned if he lets Eastern Europe take that away from him.
This message was lightly edited by the player at 02:37, Mon 31 May 2004.

Guido tosses his food to the whining masses to see how humanterian they realy are.
I hope the hunt goes well or I'll have to shoot myself before I starve.

[Private to Nuked: And yes Guido will shoot himself if it comes to that.]

Don thought he should have to wait until Dave and Mr Nelson was away hunting before he he could start to portion out the food. He is very happy to finally be able to help the others, a part of his old job. Not that he actually had to use his own food to distribute it to those who need it.

" 'ey lads. I didn't think this much of you, to be honest. You have all risen a lot by showing that we are caring people, among other human beings. In any way, you will be better judged when your time is coming. Hopefully you get to kill some animals so the time isn't coming too fast...

"When that time comes, sweet Mary will have a lot of work to do"

The hunting group leaves camp as Don is sharing out food amongst the remaining refugees (is an election coming up?). The rest of the group settles in for the night, hoping that it will prove to be uneventful. Those rostered on to first picket take up position while the next shifts grab what sleep they can.

Gary thinks
The irony of the *politician* saying that is profound. But the man has something there. Of course, I suppose so do the guys that just want to get home. They figure we have to husband resources to get home, or at least to someplace better.

But the thing that hasn't sunk in for some is the 'home' they're trying to get to is mostly a thing in their minds now - reality is vastly different. And the 'better place'.... where exactly is there a better place? The happy ending to the trip through Damnation Alley? The promised land after being saved by the Road Warrior?

Or did someone just forget to say all the words when he picked up the Necronomicon Ex-Mortis to start this ridiculous conflict off?

Kett shakes his head.

Don's got the right idea though. Government should be about helping people. And societies get rebuilt by certain key skilled people being kept in enough safety and security to make it so. My many years of military history and my Master's Degree in War Studies show plenty of cases of that. If people are given a chance to rebuild, they find ways. But that requires some folks willing to make sacrifices. And it does require some Wolves in Sheep's Clothing - maybe that is us - the guys who can bring out the Predator, the Warrior when we need to protect Life, but who can put it away again, even if it isn't easy.

Could be that this is what makes thinking too much dangerous. Or why the thinkers are usually first against the wall.

He grins. And helps Don before turning in.

Well, another day gone of this miserable begotten existence, ever since the crash and burn of normalcy in this world, William found himself lapsing into depression at the memories of his last few months, and the prospect of babysitting a bunch of wetmeats for God knows how long.
This message was last edited by the player at 11:22, Wed 02 June 2004.

There is actually

Don takes a little bite as well, just to keep the tummy from aching.

As he makes himself ready for bed he realizes that it will be only men on his watch!

" 'ey lassies!? None of you that want to be protected by a big scotsman through the night?"

As he is about to fall asleep he remembers fragments from his own military education, ages ago. When they were putting up a camp, they always put up static, defenceplaces around the camp so that you always knew where to go, if something were to happen. Sounds a little stupid to sit in the middle and keeping guard. Well, they probably knows what to do, and I guess they have sorted it out when I'm about to have my go.

Hoping to set the lead by Example I will volunteer for the First Watch, any other takers?

Have we figured out a Quartermaster yet? Someone needs to organise meals.

Major Smith, Major D'ammond had already sketched out a watch order and I believe we are into second watch. So, you can volunteer for your already assigned watch. I shall be soundly asleep waiting for my watch with Mr. Brown and Ms. Ashton.

:)

Ah... my appologies, I missed that conversation.

Not a problem, Sir. And if you wish to volunteer for RQM duties, I'm sure no one will argue.

The hunting party returns half an hour or so later burdened with the almost cooked carcase of a deer. (30kg wild food)
After the refugees attack the carcases, the remainder of the night passes uneventfully.
(180kg of wild food total. Once everybody has eaten their fill, 63kg remains).

Alfred, after a short nap, gets up, freshens himself up, and gathers his small cadre of profesionals, specifically including the two Majors.

Gentlemen and ladies, we have a challenge before us. We have a limited food supply and a need to get more, exacerbated by the presence of our Polish friends. We also have limited supplies of fuel. Plus what is left of the Red Army probably won't be too happy to see us.

So, what options have we? Do the locals know a place where we can acquire food and shelter and perhaps acquire some more food? That is an early question and I'm hoping those of you fluent in the language can sort that out. We need any leads or intelligence we can acquire.

I would suggest we not linger here. We have wounded and staying in one spot, although attractive, might not be a wise idea given the small unit we wiped out last night and the depletion of local animal populations.

So, suggestions? And before anyone suggests dumping the Poles, I have considered that and will do so if and when it becomes absolutely necessary. I'd rather leave them somewhere well situated than out in the wilds, quite frankly.

Alfred sits back to let the team members contribute anything they have to offer.
If it becomes necessary to invite over a couple of locals for further debriefing, then so be it.

I find it difficult to think of where would be okay to leave them? They have a little fighting now, but if they find themselves against real soldiers, like ourselves, they'd be no match? Tapping his chin he ponders.

Maybe some of us would like to stay with them?

[OOC: A good way to help them and dump any players that aren't here no more, which sadly may start to include me? Dependin on the internet connection at home!!!]

Two hours after they left Guido storms back into camp so that anyone not awake at this time certanly will be now.
"HONEY, WERE HOME!!" (evil grin)

OCC there is a great gap in the postings and this is the way Nuked wanted me to fix it.

Gary gives the Dane a raised-eyebrow for his bombastic arrival.

OOC Is it time to move on to the next Day's thread? Should we move the Colonel's and Major's comments over there?