The journey from the repair yard to the small village of Pruszkow is fairly short and uneventful. So far, no contact has been made with the villagers.
With 29 places under armour plus room for at least another 20, leg room, even with the refugees, is plentiful.

"There you go Don, pass the good word of fellowship" poining in the general direction of the town, "Ill keep your back covered."

"Good Day, citizens! We have come to increas your numbers. I am thinking of your sign up on the road"

Don wondered why Gallin, with his native tongue didnt make first contact, but on the other hand, Don has some more experience with speaking to people in large groups.

"We are a friendly group of soldiers, and we have found a couple of men from this area, with no place to live. Do you have a mayor or someone we could speak to?"

The villagers heard you coming and most of the non-combatants have taken to hiding (Bit hard to avoid warning when you are in armoured vehicles).
Don is met at the "gate" by a group of half a dozen men with hunting rifles and crossbows - if you really wanted you could probably take the village with one hand tied behind your back. Although not completely fluent, Don is able to convey the rudiments to the apparent leader of the "gate guards".
At the first mention of increaseing numbers, they look very concerned and scared. Perhaps they believe you wish to take the village over as your own - not an uncommon practise in the past few months so you've heard.
His response is quick, almost too quickly spoken for Don to understand but enough is comprehended to know that the "mayor" died last month on a hunting expedition. Any communication should be with him until the town council can convene.

 Gallin will be there for translation backup, in case Don misinterprets something. She can offer some medical assistance, she is a medic after all, but not much else.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:47, Wed 17 Nov 2004.

You are the politician, and if they are hostile I dont want the medic to be the first target.

Being neigher a linguist nor a diplomat, Andy hangs back

Looks like it's up to Don then....

"Hey, calm down!"

Don approaches the man in a casual way with the helmet by his side, and the gun hanging at the back.

"As I said, we have some Polish men and women here. They have been forced away from their own houses by the red army. Now I hope that you can all let them live here in the town of yours. We would also like to offer you some equipment, to make your days easier to live. Dimitar here is a great technician, so he can probably convert one of the trucks to a tractor. That would really help you in your daily work at the fields. The women could help with cooking and other things that women do and Mr Nelson here can be a great help with fixing other stuff.

Don waits a little before continuing.

"The only thing we ask for in return is to treat them well. We would also be very happy if you could help us with some food and of course, something to drink! Hahaha!

As most Polish men, these guys probably are used to solve problems with drinking anyway, so they wouldn't let their supply of beverage dry out.

"It would also be great if you could help us with some info about red army positions, but I guess that is too much to ask for"

They have probably not even a clue about any of the russkies, just they let the town be, they keep to theirs. As do the scottish clans, more or less.

During Don's long "speach" they seem to settle down somewhat. At the offer of equipment and especially skilled technicians, they nearly jump out of their skin with eagerness. It seems that most of their mechanical equipment is either on the verge or already has broken down.
They do alright for themselves in this out of the way location - the armies tend to bypass them on the "highways" (a very loose term in Poland) to the north and south.
Relations warm even more when, after a few minutes of discussion, it's revealed that one of the Polish refugees with you is second cousin to a local villager.

Gallin will sigh a sigh of relief and nod approvingly at Don. She for one is glad to finally find a place for the refugees, but is also glad that they can cover more ground without the refugees and some of the heavier more useless equipment.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:47, Wed 17 Nov 2004.

Locking the M249 on safe for the time Winters looked around. Maybe he could convince someoen to give up a bed and a hot bath, that he could go for right now.

Kett closes the sight caps on the C7 and then wraps it all in some dark linen, probably ripped from an old shirt, keeping the trigger clear but keeping moisture from the sensitive parts.

He moves over to Winters.

"What do you make of this place? Think there is a chance we can hole up here for a bit?  Rest some.", he says.

"Rest. Rest would be very nice right about now." Gallin will rub the back of her neck and sigh. A comfortable bed and sleep sounded like a long lost dream.

The entire group is welcomed into the village and billeted in some of the empty homes. Lt Col Nelson declares that Major D'ammond, Plt Sgt Redgrave, Sergeant Mills, Serzhant Nikolov and himself will stay on for a week or so to assist in the urgent repairs that the village spokesman mentioned earlier. During the evening Lt Ashton discovers a few members of her own (and Staff Sergeant Guido's) own country and also volunteers to stay.
Since Dimitar is the only person capable of driving the M2 Bradley, it is automatically one of the vehicles to be left behind and perhaps handed over to the village. The UAZ and truck are also seen as useful to them so it is decided to hand them over also.
This leaves only the BRDM and BTR to be taken with the remainder.

After the evening meal Alfred calls to Don and Smythe.
Don, Major Smythe, can I have a quick word? I've been thinking and I'm not too sure that either of you should be in command of the group that will be leaving, at least in regard to military matters anyway. Both of you are pilots and from what I know of you, damn good ones but you don't have the training nor experience for ground combat. As far as the strategic decisions I trust that you will consult with the senior NCO's and allow them to take command during combat operations.
Alfred was honestly sincere with his praise of the men but had to admit their shortcomings. It was not his intention to insult them by reccommending another take command and hoped they would see that.
I suggest that you take the men south. All our intelligence indicates very few pact forces in that direction, at least compared to everywhere else. Once you get far enough, seek out a route back west. We will try and follow as soon as we can but don't wait for us. I want you to take the still and any other equipment you feel the need for. We'll be here long enough to scrounge up or build more before we leave.

Looking at Kett, Winters nodded "That was my thought exactly, nice warm bed, nice hot bath, maybe a little R&R of another kind, ok well that one can wait but a warm bed and shit shower and shave don't sound bad."

"Agree.", Kett says with a grin, rubbing at the stubble on his face.

"What do you think the Lt.Col. wanted with Don and Smythe?"

Gallin catches up with Kett and Winters as they stand talking about Don and Smythe. Probably nothing, Why take them in private to gripe them out when it is so much fun to do it in public." She runs a hand through her dark hair that is definitely getting to be out of the regs. And looks the two over to make sure any wounds are healing well.

OOC, better pic now that I been "Abducted"

"Well, Mr Nelson. I for one will of course not try to take command in any groundcombat. I will keep us OUT of combat. Sweet Mary, why do we have to fight all the time at all. Just let us all live together in a big family."

Not a lot of clans in sweet old Scotland that would agree with me there.

He watches Kett and Smythe to see their reaction, but don't really care how they react. Instead he looks at sweet Michelle.

Hey, that lassie is actually better equipped than Cam, I must say. I guess we need to get her into an even warmer climate, then she'll hopefully take of even more clothes, Don thinks to himself.

He takes a few step closer to the doctor, holding a hand on his chest.

"Ouch. I have a pain in my heart. I'm heartbroken, but you can probably heal me, lassie!"

He gives her a big smile.

 "And I suppose you think that a good bit of menthol rubbed slowly and deeply, with possibly a slight bit of vigor into the chest would help that quite well?" She smiles a coy alluring smile and tosses him an antacid. "Its not broken, just severly strained. You have been overworking it." She turns away and shakes her head. What was she doing?? It has been way too long...

Looking across at Don and Michelle "I think Don need to be gently caressed on the cheek" reaching across grabs a rifle and holds it out for Michelle I think the butt would do nicely, now don't hold back and have fun, you will feel better for it, I know I will.

The remainder of the day passes with everyone settling in to their new "home", conducting maintainence or sorting out various items of equipment.
With such a large gift of skilled labour, equipment and supplies, the villagers are in an almost festive mood.
Although the sentries remain watchful, what can only be called a feast in these troubled times is organised, each household providing what they can to the communal "pot". Dark falls as the meal is ready, stories told, friends made and home made beverages of various strengths and potencies consumed.

After taking a couple of weak jabs at Dons head with the rifle butt, she will rejoin him at the festivities later, hoping to snag a seat between him and Guido, hoping to get both their attentions. She will also want to check on the fields, and see if her old farm raising can offer any ideas to help any crops they might be growing to grow better. Other than that, she will be teasing Don relentlessly, but in a fun way. Hoping to get him to laugh a little.

Guido thinks idly away on what to do next, and looks at the maps to work out which will be the best way to run when the shells start landing, (If you haven?t caught on yet Guido is a Pessimist, he is never disappointed and the only way is up)

At the party, Don is in control. If there is something he CAN do, it is organizing a party. He orders the villagers to put all the vodka, and other spirits they can find on the table, and then he orders everyone to drink until all the bottles and bowls are empty.

"So, we leave all you lads here then, Mr Nelson. You will have a group big enough to get out of here, and the question is if it isn't easier to sneak past the Russkies and the Poles with two small groups instead of one big. If we should have a big group worth fighting against the enemies we probably would need a division, hehe! The only things that bothers me is the leadership when fighting, but I guess I will go on with my non-fighting strategy, to keep us out of problems. The other thing I am thinking about is that you have to do a crash-course in Polish since both I and Michelle are leaving. That might be a problem, but the way you guys handle things I doubt you'll need to talk. Get a compass and more firearms and I guess you will get anywhere you want."

"Good luck, lad. Take good care of the group, matey, and get them all back home. Take good care about the villagers here too. An act of friendliness will take you anywhere"

"I am fluent in several forms of communications; there are 7.62, 5.56, 5.45, 30 cal, 50 cal and many more, I can?t see a problem unless they wish to surrender."

The night passes relatively uneventfully and dawn reveals a drab, overcast day - fits the hangovers most of you have perfectly.
A few more hours and the two vehicles you will be taking with you are ready for travel. Although the BTR is still unable to swim due to the multiple holes in the armour, all other damage has been repaired.
Now it's a simple matter of assigning the various people to crew stations and loading up your share of the equipment.

OOC: I've done most of the administrative work for you by assigning the most logical characters to various posts.
PO3 Winters - BTR-80 Gunner (due to heavy weapons skill)
SSgt Guido - BRDM Commander/observer (due to observation skill)
WO2 Corrigan - BRDM Gunner (Rifle and Heavy Weapons skills)
WO1 Brown - BTR-80 Commander (Observation skill: 2nd highest in the group)
Sgt Gallin - BTR-80 passenger/medic/infantry
Maj Smythe - BTR-80 passenger/medic/infantry (lack of any real useful skill anywhere else)
2nd Lt Donnachaidh - BTR-80 Driver (Look, the poli is actually useful! and it keeps him out of harms way....)
WO1 Kett - BRDM Driver
Feel free to play about with that, it's only a suggestion.

Spotting the mounted weapon on the BTR aaron grabbed the side and pulled himself up to the gunner's station and began to rapidly go over the weapon. Why ride when you can gun?

Kett climbs into the scout car and familiarizes himself with the controls again.

"Been awhile since I drove one of these.  This Russian tech is tempermental but solid.", he moves the ventral wheels up and down to ensure that they are available in the event they go amphibious.

"Looks good.", Kett says, hands on steering controls.

Noticing the poli heading for the drivers seat, "Just give us a warning do you swing Left or Right? Don't realy care just wish to be out of your way." ;P

"Aye, haha. You'll see, you'll see, my Danish friend. Will be fun trying out this BRDM. Looks quite different to my XJS back home. Hehe!"

Don slips into the driver's seat.

"With a pretty lassie by my side we can cruise some in Warsaw! Haha!"

"Now, where to, then?"
This message was last edited by the player at 23:18, Sat 27 Nov 2004.

"I must concede, you truly are a master of your profession, ready to lead the way and no idea where were going." Guido grins "How about out of range of the mortar, but before we do, have we enough fuel?"

OOC: Lt Col Nelson suggested that you head south. I agree with this assessment as so would any of you who read through the intelligence reports and other information you have gathered (it's all in the Intel thread!)
The BTR has a full tank of Gasoline and the BRDM all the remaining Ethanol (approximately 80 litres). If you wish you may attempt to trade with the locals for more ethanol but remember that you have limited storage capacity (40 litres in the BRDM tank till repaired plus jerrycans).
With the available amount of fuel, you can travel up to 200 kilometres on road or 60 km off road - your choice.
This message was last edited by the GM at 09:24, Sun 19 Dec 2004.

" 'ey laddies. Saddle up. Mr Nelson thought we should go south, so I'll take the lead then. Probably impossible for the others to track us down if we go in any other direction. He didn't say anything about minefields along the way, so I suggest we go by the roads, but keep away from the cities we know nothing about. Let us go, and get back to sweet Scotland!"

Don starts up the engine of the ATV and get some gear in as well, even if the car takes a few jumps before getting the hang on it.

"Michelle! Be prepared to speak some to soldiers we approach. Maybe they also likes your beautiful eyes!"

[Private to GM: Before starting off, Don tries to collect what spirits can be found. He also looks for other goods to use when getting out of problems.]
This message was last edited by the GM at 09:24, Sun 19 Dec 2004.

 Michelle will give Don a wink and a smile. "You do the driving, I do the charming. What could possibly go wrong?" There is a definite sarcasm in her voice and she smiles again anyway. Maybe now they could get out of this war torn country, allbeit probably into another one torn by war just as badly. She sighs and looks back at her group of companions, wondering if there was anyplace on earth that hadn't been touched in some way by the events of the past years.

The decision is finally made on direction. Engines roar into life, the alchol powered BRDM sounding tinny and weak in comparison to the deep throated growl of the BTR-80.
Your companions of the past few days have gathered to see you off and with you the best of luck as Don and Kett throw their vehicles into gear with the grinding noise that is expected of Soviet built machinery. Lurching forward, the BRDM in the lead, you make your way between the buildings of Pruszkow to the makeshift barrier surrounding the village.
The gate is dragged open as you approach and the vehicles leap forward through the opened gap.
Just as the BTR is about the exit through the gate a man dressed in German uniform jumps out, hurriedly slapping his paratroopers helmet into place on his head, his heavy pack over one shoulder. A PSG1 sniper rifle is gripped in his hand and an MP-5SD3 strapped tightly to his webbing.
[Private to Dettinger: You have just woken from the night before still suffering the after effects of the homebrew that had been handed around. Although you hadn't had a chance to meet any of these people, you believe that they are your best chance of getting back west and perhaps finding your family again. You have been in hiding in this village for the past week after being cut off from your adopted unit, the 256th brigade of the US 5th Infantry Division. You are aware that several of them can speak German.]

"EXCUSE ME, I don't wish to be rude but who the hell are you?..." directed at german attempting to catch up, as Guido takes bead on him, (aimed shot? shoot first avoid questions latter.) "... and what do you think you are up too"
[Private to Nuked: Would this be Dettinger? he is attached to our group and he hasn't posted yet. Just a wild guess.]

Camilla looks around at the others.  Put to the back of the bus, it looks like she has little to do but wait.  Deciding to clean her rifle, she starts making preparations when the vehicle halts suddenly.  Looking around to see the reactions of others, she settles down a little when she doesn't see everyone jumping to action in fear.

Still unsure of her English-speaking skills, she calmly waits to see what the others do.

Gallin will look at the German dressed man and sigh. "Looks like someone got bored of the rustic city life and wants to go see some adventure and excitement with us." She will have her rifle at easy reach, but one hand on it, just oin case.

"Force of habbit" grinning "If I shoot you don't take it personally"

The German paratrooper, a heavily-muscled man who has clearly spent more time in the mud than the village, holds up his empty hand, as if asking the party to hold their fire. "Wartezeit! Halten Sie Ihr Feuer! [Wait! Hold your fire!] Don't shoot! I am friend." He is standing in a non-threatening manner, and looks relieved to have caught-up with the group before it left the town.

He is wearing dirty Bundeswehr paratrooper's coveralls, bearing the rank insignia of an Oberstleutnant, patches for a Bundeswehr unit, and a hastily tacked-on US 256th Brigade insignia. The name DETTINGER is stitched on his chest. Under faded camouflage paint, he appears to be almost painfully archetypically Germanic.

"I am Dettinger, Oberstleutnant, 6th Falschirmjager. Eh...detached, yes? Spricht jemand Deutsches?  Mein Englisch ist nicht fließend." [Does someone speak German? My English is not fluent.] He stands by the gate, clearly waiting expectantly for a response.

[Private to Nuked: Decent for a first post? Think I've worked out the basic conventions and interface. Pls. let me know if I make any mistakes. - J]
This message was last edited by the player at 00:01, Sat 11 Dec 2004.

Tanya looks him over carefully from the cupola of the BTR-80, making sure the others have a bead on him in case Dettinger does anything silly...
(OOC - I have no idea how to reply in German, thus... all the English text in italics will be in 'Deutsche')
She replies "Ya I speak German, who are you and what are you doing here?"
To the others she adds "One of the master race wishes to converse with us... I will find out what he's about, he apparently speaks only a little English" Tanya sighs as she looks at Cam "if this carries on we may have to think about opening a language school..."

Dettinger props the stock of the PSG1 upright at his feet, and pushes his helmet back on his head, idly scratching at an old cut. He seems more curious than concerned at this point.

"Gibt es ein Offiziergeschenk? Ich würde mit dem verantwortlichen Offizier oder Trennungkommandanten, bitte sprechen.[Is there an officer present? I would speak with the officer in charge, or detachment commander, please.]" He continues to regard Redgrave with a degree of curiousity, then turns to Guido. "Ich würde auch dem Herrn danken, Drohungen nicht zu bilden.  Ich berücksichtige meine zustand der gefahr ziemlich. [I would also thank the gentleman to not make threats. I am quite aware of my state of danger.]

[Private to Plt Sgt Tanya Redgrave: I'm shamelessly exploiting Google Language Tools, at least for now. I figure it will start to be annoying after the initial amusement wears off. <g>]

"Für jetzt Oberstleutnant können Sie zu mir sprechen..."(For now Lieutenant colonel, you can address me... )
"Was tun Sie herum hier?" (What are you doing around here?)
Sgt Redgrave indicates the village and surrounding are with a vague gesture
"...Und wo ist der Rest von Ihrer Maßeinheit?"  (... And where is the rest of your unit?)

Dettinger considers Redgrave intently for a moment, then shrugs.

"Bearbeiten meiner Weise zurück zu dem Westen.  Haupt. [Working my way back to the west. Home.]"

He seems to consider for a moment, then gestures at his unit patch, torn and ragged. "Meine Maßeinheit wurde zerstreut.  Zerstört isoliert, wenn Sie werden.  Gute Männer und Frauen, tot oder gefangengenommen. [My unit was scattered. Destroyed in isolation, if you will. Good men and women, dead or captured.]" Dettinger spits on the dirt, and looks away. His eyes are haunted. "Es gab nicht viele von uns nach links, sogar vorher. [There weren't many of us left, even beforehand.]

"Das 2. Falschirmjager gestorben, die Rückseite halten. [The 2nd Falschirmjager died holding the rear.]"

"This is enough, yes? Enough."

[Private to Plt Sgt Tanya Redgrave: Does Redgrave have any visible rank insignia?]
This message was last edited by the player at 03:25, Sat 11 Dec 2004.

NPC'd
Smythes' smiling (and slightly annoyed) face pokes up next to Tanya inside the BTR-80.
"What's going on out there Sgt Redgrave? What does he want?"

[Private to Dettinger: Yes she is wearing a Polish/Warsaw pact steel helmet and a slightly bloody Polish cavalry jacket with that carries the rank of private... the jacket looks a little big for her]

Tanya nods slowly with, understanding in her eyes
"Ja genug, danke... Sir" (yes enough, thankyou... Sir)
noticing Major Smythe's head appear from another hatch...




"Wartezeit bitte" (wait please) she asks the Oberstleutnant... and then addresses the Major
"Apparently he's lost and his unit is FUBAR. He identified himself as Oberstleutnant Dettinger from the 2nd Falschirmjager and wants to speak with an officer... He appears genuine from what I can tell... Oh yes, and he can speak some English..." Redgrave deliberately ommits finishing her sentence with the correct 'Sir'

NPC'd
Major Smythe nods his acknowledgement to Tanya and ducks back inside.
Don, Time to go work your magic. Gallin, take over as driver.
Although they had only know each other for a few days, Don's reputaion as a negotiator had grown steadily.

OOC: Normally I'd ask Smythe to continue speaking but since the play is having connection issues, the next highest rank is Camilla. Of course, unless somebody radios on to the BRDM, Camilla is unable to communicate which leaves Don as the man on the spot.
As you go along, you, as players, may decide to ignore rank completely and establish your own pecking order - your choice....
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:59, Tue 14 Dec 2004.

Dettinger nods to acknowledge Redgrave, and settles back on his heels. He seems to be a very patient sort of fellow.

Cam settles back and rests her eyes.  This was going to be a long trip.  It has been long already. At least she could catch up on rest.  Leaning back, she naps as the large vehicles rumble out.

Tanya addresses Dettinger with a smile...
"Ich denke, daß Sie an Bord eingeladen worden sind?" (I think you have been invited aboard)
She pauses then adds
"Ah, einer meiner Begleiter" (Ah, one of my companions) She wrinkles her nose distastefully "wünscht Ihnen einige Fragen stellen, ergreifen Sie so Ihr Zahnrad und Willkommen an Bord" (will want to ask you some questions, so grab your gear and welcome aboard)
As the drivers change positions and Dettinger gathers his gear Tanya adds with another smile and a raised eyebrow...
"Oh, Oberst... Sie können mich anrufen Tanya..." (Oh, Colonel... you may call me Tanya...)

(OCC to Cam: Don't worry... I am sure Tanya will have lots to talk about when we stop for the evening... plus there are those language lessons...)

Dettinger nods acknowledgement, and quickly gathers together his gear, slinging his pack. He quickly scans around, then walks towards the BTR.

Beside the nearest hatch, he will pause, sling his pack into the interior, and then look up at Redgrave. "Könnte ich, im Freien oben reiten?  Ich mag nicht Schildkröte spielen." [Could I ride above, in the open air? I don't like to play turtle.] He has a facial expression that could, charitably, be called a smile - he doesn't look the sort that is accustomed to smiling.

"Ich mag den geöffneten Himmel." [I like the open sky.] A pause, as he gathers his rifle up and gets a grip on the chassis. "Bessere Ansicht." [Better view] You'd swear he winked...

Tanya grins...
"Sie konnten herauf Oberseite neben mir reiten, wenn Sie wünschen?" (you could ride up top beside me if you want?)
She pats the roof beside her with a raised eyebrow...
"Start 'her' up, Michelle, roads a long one today... and Don, if you don't mind I will, ahhh..." (another smile) "...'interogate' our prisoner. You keep your eyes on the road."
She looks over her shoulder toward the gun hatch where 'Winters' should be
"Winters, get on the horn and whistle up Sergeant Guido and let them know we are lagging behind and have picked up a hitch-hiker who has joined the family... let them know he knows how to 'play' and has brought his own instrument"
This message was last edited by the player at 01:01, Thu 16 Dec 2004.

As Dettinger scrambles on to the top deck of the BTR, he looks around, and spots the top hatches for the troop compartment.

"Ich reite hier, ich denke." [I will ride here, I think.] Dettinger positions himself to be sitting on the lip of the troop compartment hatch, gripping the hatch coaming in one hand and the PSG1 in the other. "Danke, Tanya.  Sollen wir fortfahren?" [Thank you, Tanya. Shall we proceed?]

"So, I 'm to make the saurkraut feel happy then? They'll started this mess in 1914 and again 1939. And now, here they are again, making war, not love. Sad, I had just gotten used to the seat down there"

Don unstraps himself and tries to push himself up beside Tanya, just to give her some bodily contact. Since the hole isn't big enough for two, Don waits for her to move away before he actually starts speaking to the german.

"Hi there! I'm Cináed Donnachaidh. I heard you wanted to speak to an officer. How crazy it might seem, someone actually put an officer's tag on me, a long time ago."

Don smiles and puts his hand up to great Dettinger.

"Well, suit yourself. I think you will have one real ass-ache if you try to sit there. If you ask Tanya in a nice way, she probably will let you use her hole, if you want to see the whereabouts"

It's hard to tell if Don actually is joking or not. This comment was rather low, even for his standards.

"Choose whatever, we'll try to get back in time for the octoberfeast"

Of course Don isn't changing any language. He is a German, and he'd better learn English if he want to speak to Don.

Dettinger seems not to react, scanning the surroundings steadily. He isn't seen to notice Donnachaidh until after the Briton has dropped back inside the vehicle.

"Ist das ein von Ihren Offizieren, Tanya?" [Is that one of your officers, Tanya?] Dettinger shakes his head, still watching the horizon. "Ich folge englisches besseres, als ich es spreche." [I follow English better than I can speak it.]

"Möglicherweise spreche ich gerade mit Ihnen, Tanya." [Maybe I just talk to you, Tanya.] He nods in the direction the BRDM left in. "Möglicherweise sollten wir dem BRDM folgen?" [Perhaps we should follow the BRDM?"

Dettinger slings his PSG1, gets a better grip on the hatch coaming, and resumes watching the area around the vehicle.

Tanya thinks for a moment...

"Ahh... nur in seinem eigenen Verstand... ist er wirklich ein kleiner Politiker... läßt ihn nicht Sie täuschen, wenn er Ihnen erklärt, daß er ein Offizier im Airforce ist.  Für einen Anfang zählen sie, nicht plus mich hörten, daß er nur ein ' Wochenendenwarrior ' mit den Reserven ist" (Ahh... only in his own mind... he is actually a minor politician... don't let him fool you when he tells you he is an officer in the Airforce. For a start they don't count, plus I heard he's only a 'weekend warrior' with the reserves...)

Tanya pauses from yelling to Dettinger over the increasing roar of the engine and grinding of gears, she speaks into the headset

“Roll out Michelle, see if we can catch up to the BRDM... Winters have you managed to get hold of Sergeant Guido yet?”

Yelling back over her shoulder to Dettinger as the vehicle starts with a lurch and begins to rumble forward...

"Er verbringt vermutlich seine Zeit, die seinen Schreibtisch fliegt, beim Bilden des Flugzeugs noises mit seinen Händen fest auf seinem ' Steuerknüppel '...  Ich würde ihn gerade wie der Rest von uns ignorieren zu tun... Hängen Sie am festen geehrten Herrn, Hölle des Sergeant Gallins ein des Treibers mit einem guten Ziel..., das es, daß sie alle mögliche potholes vermißt, tatsächlich sie bekannt, um Over plötzlich aufzuheben einige von den besseren... selten ist" (...He probably spends his time flying his desk while making aeroplane noises with his hands firmly on his 'joy stick'... I would just ignore him like the rest of us do... Hang on tight Sir, Sergeant Gallin's one hell of driver with a good aim... it is rare that she misses any potholes, in fact she's been known to reverse suddenly over some of the better ones...)

Tanya no longer looks so stern and bitter, she wonders to herself why she feels more alive...  and strangly... happy?

"Shit" She mutters to herself "1000 miles behind enemy lines, us against the whole warsaw pact army, no idea where we are heading and what is going to be there... and I feel like a school girl on an outing" Tanya sighs and then laughs out loud, she glances guiltily around and makes sure the intercom was not on transmit... "oops" she mutters and tries hard to regain that 'look of Eagles' and ignore the reddening of her cheeks...
This message was last edited by the player at 01:12, Thu 16 Dec 2004.

"Any one for Chinese whispers?" Guido shakes his head and goes back to what he was doing (nothing).

In the BDRM in the lead, Andy shifts uncomfortable.  "An here I thought the bloody Hummers had uncomfortable seats" he mutters to himself.  "Me arse is numb already."

Dettinger is holding firmly to the hatch coaming, apparently enjoying the ride. "Ich entfaltete mit einer Maßeinheit Panzergrendier, letztes Jahr;  gute Erfahrung für das rauhe Reisen." [I deployed with a Panzergrendier unit, last year; good experience for rough traveling.] He has to shout above the sound of the engine.

"Gibt es eine arbeitende Richtfunkstrecke hier, Tanya? Ich habe ein bewegliches - ich sollte es abstimmen." [Is there a functioning radio link here, Tanya? I have a portable - I should tune it.] Dettinger carefully removes a hand radio from his combat webbing with his off hand.

"Ein politischer Offizier? Und ein Flieger an dem? Ich respektiere die Bustreiber - ihre Aufgabe soll uns vollständig an den Tropfen liefern, und die erwirbt ihnen Respekt. Aber Bodentruppen beherrschen? Spricht dieses 'Tommy' für Ihre Maßeinheit?" [A political officer? And a flyer at that? I respect the bus drivers - their duty is to deliver us whole to the drop, and that earns them respect. But to command a ground force? Does this 'Tommy' speak for your unit?]

OOC:
I'm going to assume that everyone is happy (enough anyway) with Dettinger joining and move the story along a bit...
...Well, maybe more than a bit, say a week or more?

IC:
The past week has past with the two vehicles playing cat and mouse with searching Pact forces. A couple of tight scrapes have taught you the tremendous value of never letting your fuel tanks go dry and keeping as much as possible loaded up (to enable a quick escape). Traveling in a generally southerly direction, you have skirted around most of the towns and villages but travelled by road during the night as much as possible. Winters' image intensifiers and the IR goggles carried by Dave, Andy, Tanya and Dettinger aid greatly in avoiding trouble, their batteries charged by the vehicles electical system in turn.
Two days ago, as you were skirting around the western side of the radioactive remains of Czestochowa, Sgt Guido called a halt. He had spotted a caravan of merchant wagons. If if wasn't for the rifles they were carrying, you'd almost have sworn you were back in the middle ages. After cautiously approaching (your food supplies were getting low again), and estanlishing contact, you heard a strange but interesting story.
Apparently back in '99, the city of Krakow declared itself a soveriegn state and a free city. The war did not exist within it's borders. Everyone was welcome, no matter what side they had fought on just as long as they could support themselves.
You'd heard similar tales before of cities, towns and even whole provinces declaring themselves "neutral" but none of them survived a few weeks or a month or two before on side or the other decided they needed the areas resources too much and invaded. Krakow should have suffered the same fate except for one thing - the ORMO consisted mainly of the Polish 8th Motorised Division!
The choice was fairly easy to make. Either struggle to survive until you found a break in the lines to allow you to slip westward, or keep heading south to Krakow and ride out the forseeable future in relative saftey and comfort.
Naturally, Krakow won out.