OOC: Is this before or after Tanya sent her message?

Hitting the ground when the automatic weapons fire went off was a natural reaction for Tanya with her many years as a Ranger.  She got as close to Cam as she could in case she wanted to relay any messages back to camp, any good RTO worth their salt would be near the C/O during something like this happening anyway.

She ques the handset after Cam's instructions, specifically making sure the volume was low, "Hotel Bravo, Hotel Bravo, Romeo-PaPa One calling.  Possible contact!  I say again, possible contact!  Shots fired near our twenty.  Not sure if meant for us or not.  Do you have any friendlies out on any of those details?  Over?"

Winters scowls with a frown while still scanning through the image intensifiers. He speaks in a hushed tone, "L-T, I don' see sh*t." Taking them from his eyes he tries to see if his naked eye would do any better. He looks to Lt Ashton, "I think it's 'bout time we 'didi mao' outta her'", adding a thumb over his shoulder for emphasis.

Guido carefull looks about (obs), "I am not an officer" (thank goodness, I would never stand for the labotomy) "but I think it may be time that we move"

OOC:-->



IC: Cam glanced over her shoulder, pausing hesitantly in her forward motion, to be sure they group was indeed pressing on.   She knew she had forgotten something, possibly a verbal indication. (~.^)“Move out…”

Tanya gets off of the ground and proceeds to vacate the area they're in for somewhere a lot safer than there.

She frowned to herself a moment, then started forward again.  “We go back to camp- See troubles if we see, avoid if can.” Her words were quiet in their broken cadence, but her footfalls were sure. Camilla stalked along,  trying to stay low, as she rooted out the direction back to base.   Their voiced opinions had  fairly much matched her own. She didn’t regret asking.

If Dave was still out there probing, during one of his nearer moments Cam would mention something in her native tongue.  [Private to Staff Sgt Dave Guido: IC: “I think we should avoid trouble.  If they happen to get between us and home, I’d like to go around them..  I don’t think we will see them though.” ]

As she's moving away with the others, "Hotel Bravo, Romeo-PaPa-One.  Be advised, we're inbound you twenty.  Doesn't appear fire was directed at us.  Will advise when closer.  Romeo-PaPa-One, out."

The minefield and city ruins to the east of you were far behind you at the time of the ambush. It sounded like it was a mile or two to your west although sound does travel strangely in the cool evening air.
The smoke columns rising into the air through the trees to your west confirm the intial assessment as well as identifying the range as approximately two kilometres - a realitively short walk that should place you onsite in no more that half an hour - right on sunset if you chose to go.
It isn't far out of your way if you wish to risk it. Normally such a loud attack would draw attention for miles around. Whoever was involved would wish to clear the area as quickly as they could.

"Romeo-PaPa copies that Hotel Bravo.  We're making our way back to you now.  No casulaites.  Seems fire wasn't directed at us.  Romeo-PaPa One, out."

A frown worked its way to her features, and Camilla began to wonder if it would ever go away.   Her brow creased slightly before a long sigh took all the tension away.  Yet another resigned emission.  She was tired, and fairly certain that the people with her were as well. However, that exhaustion was mostly from the painstaking  tuft by tuft search.  Things wore on slower when one’s nose was to the grind.

She took in the silver ghosts of smoky tendrils that seemed to break up into the twilight haze one more time, then pivoted to stare out over the direction they needed to go to get to camp.  “They too close us-  Too close camp, We need check.” The decision came with a blank expression, and she added something to Dave in Danish.
[Private to Staff Sgt Dave Guido: IC: “Change of plans.. They are too close to base and we are too close to ignore it..  We go in careful,  see what we can, then fall back to report what we have..”]

Sweeping her hand forward in an easy motion, Lieutenant Ashton changed direction.. “This our job.. Keep eyes open. Tell Camp, then- Shhh -radio”

Winters watches Lt Ashton struggle through her decision. When she finally arrives at the decision to 'check things out' he merely shrugs and gives his weapon a quick once over to make sure no links or rounds have come loose and he's ready to rock. As a matter of unconscious habit he taps his protective vest right where the pocket that holds the picture of his most precious considerations in life are held before moving along with the rest of the group.

Tanya nods, "Roger that ma'am," and then halts and goes to the radio to transmit.  "Hotel Bravo, Romeo PaPa-One calling.  Do you copy over?  <wfr>  Hotel Bravo, Romeo PaPa will be heading to that area for a reconaissance and assessment.  Over."  Tanya waits for a reply before she 'shsss' the radio.

The radio remains silent. Perhaps you are out of range and subject to the fickle whims of the ionosphere?

Dave leads the small group towards the ambush site. After about twenty minutes, you hear the roar of an engine starting up and the clanking of tracks. It doesn't appear to be of immediate threat to you though as it is moving off away from you. Are the ambushers withdrawing already?

Throwing caution to the wind, Dave picks up the pace slightly and a few minutes later you are looking down on the site. You find them strung out along the main road. It had been a small unit, maybe twenty five, thirty men, three deuce-and-a-halves, and a couple of Hum-Vees. Someone had been awfully thorough. Helmets, jackets, boots, and (of course) all their equipment, weapons, and ammo were long gone. Somebody even took the trouble to gather up all the spent shell casings. There must have been quite a few of those, because the trucks looked like swiss cheese. It must have been quite a firefight, and it didn't last long. They'd been caught in the open by heavy automatic fire from at least three different spots along the woods thirty metres from the road.

They didn't have a chance. Five had been captured. You find them in an untidy pile off by the woods where they'd been herded together and machinegunned.
One truck had burned; the others had been shot to bits and then stripped of everything useful: tyres, engine parts, canvas tops, they even drained the crankcase oil. It was like a plague of locusts had hit, leaving the bare bone skeletons and a sick-sweet death stench. Whoever had knocked off that convoy had gone over the place with a fine toothed comb and done it fast.

You've only been onsite for a few minutes when the familiar sound of a BTR can be heard approaching from the south - the same direction as the village.

Camilla frowned, the familiar sound of the BTR might be a tempting target, but she was hopeful that the team that caused the carnage was far away from here by now.  Her expression went blank as she surveyed the destruction, and the efficiency of the people who had set the trap up.  The scent on the wind, stung the senses..  And she turned an eye toward RedGrave.  “Tell them nothing left.. Maybe still danger.”  Cam’s words were quiet as she tilted her gaze back to the killing field, “Maybe we find way the bad people go..  BTR bigger.. Eeem-  attra-  bigger notice than us- Target..” She either didn’t catch, or didn’t understand everything that was said, and peered between the three sheepishly..  “They say much for asking.”

When the incoming transmission came in, Tanya got Camilla's attention, </quote>"Hotel Bravo calling Lieutenant!"  When Cam gets there, Tanya responds on the set, Home Base, Romeo PaPa-One, send your message:"



"Wait one Hotel Bravo," Tanya replies as she looks to Cam for what she wants to report to the base.  "Hotel Bravo be advised, appears to be no Tango's on site, in area.  Hot zone appears clear of just about everything, including spent casings.  These people were thorough!  We hear you approaching and will contiue sweep.  Romeo PaPa-One out."

Tanya walks around the site near Cam in case she needs to make quick use of the radio or needs her for anything else.  "They must've never seen it coming.  I've seen some ambushes, from both sides, and this, this was a fuckin' bloodbath.  They had no chance here.  They knew what they were doing."

After a brief halt (while radio communication was in progress), the BTR starts moving closer again and stops just out of site through the trees (about 200 metres).

Romeo PaPa-One copies Home Base.  Waiting on support.  Romeo PaPa-One out.  Tanya conveys the message to Cam about the behicle approaching, proceed with caution, etc..  You want to establish a quick perimeter ma'am while our vehicle moves in?

Camilla stared long down the range to where the vehicle could be heard, and  Nodded once.. “I feel better they not moves in, but they moves in,  Yes..   We establish.”  Concern creased her brow briefly cutting a glance over the way speaking at Dave.  [Private to Staff Sgt Dave Guido: IC: “Where would you range them from if you were a rear guard with the ability to call in a mortar strike?”.]
Cam offered an assuring half smile to the others and motioned to move into (hopefully) the best position to cover things.. “Let us make perimeter.”  She kept expecting to hear the sound of impending doom echoing off in the distance at any moment, but then to keep their ordnance in the same spot would likely be dangerous for the ambushing people.

Very good ma'am, Tanya acknowledges Cam's order to set a perimeter up before the vehicle moves in.  She will fan out from the others and go to the prone position and unfold the bipod form the front of the RPK-74 and set up a field of fire should anything happen.  Tanya will give a wave to Cam when she is set up.

Winters has a grim look on his face as he views the carnage and thorough picking by the vultures that had laid this waste. He moves to the pile of captured-machinegunned bodies and quickly checks to see if there are any survivors in the mix at the same time checking for ID tags or other indications of these poor soul's nationalities, cautious of course for booby trapped bodies. He thinks aloud mostly to himself "Americans?" with a hint of hope that they were not.

Winters checks tag after tag, getting more and more upset with each one. It becomes rapidly apparent that every last member of the victims was American. They have been stripped of everything, right down to their underwear.
Dave scans about the area and spots dozens of positions a forward observer could be concealed in. This area is the perfect ambush site now that you are looking. The convoy never had a chance.
Tanya goes to ground and immediately spots vehicle tracks right under her nose. Apparently the ambushers had armour as well as mortars and infantry. Although she is no tracker, she has driven a few armoured vehicles in her time. These are not American. The track spacing is off and the plate gaps aren't right. Most probably it's a light amoured vehicle of Pact origin, possibly even a BMP or PT-76 light tank.